Jewel of The Stars: Season 1 Episode 1: Earth's Remnant

Chapter 13

There was an oppressive air in the conference room this time. Les plodded in and took his seat. The eyes of his senior staff stared back at him.

"Sorry I'm late." He'd needed a few moments in his office to steel his thoughts before joining them.

He surveyed the haunted faces of his crew. They were all counting on him. So were the passengers. He had to keep them safe, but was he up to the task?

He cleared his throat. "I assume you all know what's happened?"

Maya nodded. Her eyebrows arched to the top of her nose.

"Then you know our worst fear has been realised. You also know that my original plan isn't going to work. We can't slip quietly into deep space without being noticed."

His officers stared at him, their expressions blank. Confused. Both. All except Braxton. Was that a hint of smugness? No, something else. Braxton had known this might happen all along.

"Some might say that it's inevitable that the aliens catch up with us. We can only delay for so long. I'm not willing to accept that. I'm still determined to get this ship to safety." He locked eyes with Braxton. "Which brings us to Commander White's plan."

Braxton's face loosened but he showed no pleasure. He nodded back at Les.

"So tell us, what are your thoughts?"

Braxton stood. "I've been studying the abandoned warship we saw on sensors. There are no alien ships in the vicinity. They seem to be more interested in live targets. We should be able to reach the ship without being intercepted. I estimate we'll have a window of at least two hours before they catch up. We can't ignore the possibility that our going to the ship might attract their attention."

"And what do we do when we get there?" Les asked.

"The ship is the USS Boston. It carries a directed particle cannon and several rail guns. Given that the structure of the ship is largely intact, I believe the enemy strategy was to incapacitate the vessel, then drown her."

"Drown?" Doctor Clarke asked.

"Sorry, old naval term. When the hull of a spaceship is breached and all internal atmosphere is lost, the ship is referred to as drowned. The crew inside will be dead because they have no air to breathe. It's a good way to kill the people without destroying the ship. Pirates sometimes do it."

"Pirates I can understand," Clarke said. "But why would the aliens drown a ship?"

"Maybe they wanted to study our technology, or maybe they thought this was the quickest way to neutralise it before they moved on."

"That makes sense," Les said.

"In any case, given the lack of exterior damage, I think there's a good chance at least some of the weapons are intact. We take a small party on board, dismantle the weapons and bring them aboard our ship. At that point, we can go to warp if necessary. We flee and hide for as long as it takes to install the weapons."

"How difficult will the weapons be to dismantle?" Les leaned back in his chair. "And do we have anybody on board qualified to do it?"

"You have a ship's engineer." He gestured towards Sarah.

Les turned to her. "You think you can do it?"

"I don't have any experience with weapons sir, but I'm sure I could figure it out. Although getting them installed may be challenging."

"And if you get killed over there, we've lost our engineer. As a community living on a spaceship, you're possibly the single most important person on board. Simply put, we can't afford to lose you."

"I'm sure I'll be all right with Braxton here to protect me." Sarah grinned.

"What's to say we'll be able to defeat an alien ship even armed with a cannon and maybe a rail-gun or two?" Les crossed his arms. "We're still just a cruise liner. Our own warships couldn't win against them."

"Our warships weren't fighting one-on-one." Braxton smiled. "They were outnumbered. And we have the element of surprise. They won't expect this bloated whale to have weapons. We can use that to our advantage, and strike at the opportune time. If we play this right, we could destroy one of their ships and get to safety."

"That's a trick we'll only be able to use once."

"Once may be enough to get us into deep space."

"At this point, we don't have any better options." He pulled his head back and pushed his shoulders forward. "But I'm reluctant to send Sarah on this mission."

"Captain." Glen spoke up. "I received a message from one of the passengers. She's an engineer by the name of Haylee Scott. Works on military contracts. Says she's worked with some of the weapon systems used by the US Space Navy. She's offering her expertise if we need any help in the engineering department."

"Sounds like divine providence to me." Doctor Clarke clasped her hands.

Les tossed the thought around in his head.

"There you go, Captain," Sarah said. "If I kick the bucket over there, you've already got a replacement ready to step in."

"Actually," Braxton said. "I think our new friend should go on the mission instead."

"And I just stay here where it's safe?" Sarah frowned.

Les locked eyes with Braxton. "You want to send a passenger into a hostile environment?"

"No, I want to send an experienced weapons engineer. Face it Captain, this woman is perfect for the role." He glanced at Doctor Clarke. "The good doctor here was right when she called this providence, although I'd dispute the divine bit. It's basically a miracle. A weapons engineer in the perfect place at the perfect time. How can we not take advantage of that?"

Les stood. "Risking my crew is bad enough, but to put a passenger in harm's way? It's unthinkable, Commander."

"She's not a passenger any more Captain. This isn't a cruise. This is a bunch of people stuck on a ship trying to stay alive."

"I'm with the captain," Sarah said. "I can't ask a passenger to risk themselves instead of me. This Haylee can instruct me as I go."

"I'll think about it," Les said. He turned to Maya. "In the meantime, please plot a course to the USS Boston and take us to warp."

#

Les sealed the door to his office, closed his eyes, and took a huge breath. He held it and then let it leak out like a balloon with a hole. This whole situation was getting out of hand. They were endangering every passenger on board by going near that derelict warship, but to actively take a passenger on board? It was unconscionable.

There had to be another way. He collapsed onto his chair and tapped the keyboard. He opened the regulation book and scrolled to a familiar passage.

The safety and well-being of passengers is of paramount importance. Under no circumstances may they be placed in any danger.

How could he ignore that statement, after living his life according to it all these years? Space could be a hazardous place, but not on his ship. Never on Jewel of the Stars.

So what was the alternative? He could send Sarah instead. If anything happened to her then Haylee Scott could take over her duties on the ship. Was Scott qualified for that? Maybe. But nobody knew these engines like Sarah.

One of the most basic tenants of leadership was that you delegated the right job to the right person. And Haylee Scott was the person for this job. No doubt about it.

Les mashed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth. This was a betrayal of everything he believed in.

He tapped on the keyboard again and selected Maya's name from the floating screen.

"Maya speaking."

"Please approach Haylee Scott and extend to her our request."