Star Trek: Erin

Part 22: What Not to Expect

     The woman, realizing I was still conscious, turned her attention to me. She rolled her shoulders, face blank. My phaser had fallen a foot from my hand, blessedly intact. I strained my fingers. Come on, just a bit closer. Every movement seemed to tighten my chest. It was so close, but so was the approaching woman. A slow smile spread across her face.

     My fingers touched the phaser.

     I whipped it up and forward, ignoring the blazing tightness in my chest, and pulled the trigger.

     Ash plumed.

     As I watched the grey flakes settle to the ground, a bad memory slapped me in the face. I narrowed my eyes and pushed, hissing my pain at the floor as I got to my feet. Najjar was struggling to rise from the crates. There was a deep cut in his leg, but he was breathing. I pointed at him. "Check Fennec. Can he breathe?" I huffed and staggered for the door.

     Pointing my phaser into the hallway, I poked Lieutenant Hoal in the eye. I came SO CLOSE to pulling the trigger that my heart gave a jump and nearly did it for me. Orlova, Kale, and Ito stared wide-eyed behind Hoal as he pushed the phaser muzzle from his eye. "Specialist."

     "Superhuman tried to take the munitions. Two down. I just killed her."

     Hoal's scowl deepened. "No response from bridge. Enterprise is taken." He moved past me, taking in the scene silently.

     A furious tempest blew away the pain in my chest. They took my ship? How dare they. My face went cold. They must've seized Munitions. Are Nowak and Marple dead? No time to think about that, we need a plan. Munitions is my main job, but I was needed here. I'm exactly where I need to be to get my ship back.

     Najjar raised his head from Fennec's chest. "Ma'am, he is getting air, but..." He looked back down at Fennec. But he won't live long like this. Najjar began binding his leg, and Styme would be fine too after some bandages.

     Hoal and I converged on Fennec and leaned him against the crates. I turned to Najjar to order him to find the nearest blueshirt, right before Hoal's voice dropped to just include me. "Find a medic if there's any left, Cobos. Try not to get them killed."

     "Sir," I said, turning.

     "And Cobos?"

     I stopped.

     "Don't expect any more promotions."

     I barely managed to keep my voice from shaking. "Sir, if we could meet after this is resolved, I would like to outline the events that—"

     "Save it, Cobos."

     I stumbled from the room, keeping the pain and terror from my face until the redshirts couldn't see me. Hoal's words bounced around my skull. Thankfully, my internal voice is always there to pick me up.

     Don't be stupid, Cobos.

     Yeah, you're right. Brutally murdered promotion track gone or not, the Enterprise and Fennec's messed neck need me. Still, the chest pain was making me hyperventilate, which increased the pain, so fuck me, I guess.

     Only break I got was that the superhumans seemed to have vacated their ship. I hobble-jogged through the silent halls, hoping there was a blueshirt SOMEWHERE.

     A contradiction caught my attention. By which I mean, a suspended animation chamber whose readout clearly said, POD COMPROMISED, had an occupant that, judging by the fogged glass, was obviously breathing. There was also a skeleton on the floor.

     I brought my face close to the glass, nearly headbutting it, and immediately recognized the face within. What are the chances? I tapped the glass like an asshole at an aquarium. "Gabriel?"