Chapter 10

I still had the shakes from our firefight with the Cadasian's but I don't suppose all the coffee I was drinking was helping me any. We had taken delivery of the two new engines and Candy was whistling happily installing them.

"Captain," said Lila, with her face held rigid in an expressionless mask.

"Yes," I replied looking up and seeing her face I was expecting the worst.

"I want to ask you something," she said, "something really important."

"Ask away," I said in a forced light tone.

"I want to be released from my bond," she said.

"Bond?" I queried.

"Yes, the one I gave to you all those months ago when you saved me from the blackness of space," she said.

"Yes, of course," I agreed, for in truth I had never taken it all that seriously anyway.

"Thank you, captain," she said, her face eased slightly. "I will be leaving then."

"Going after them?" I asked.

It wasn't really a question for I already knew the answer.

"Yes," she replied. "Nobody else is doing anything, so I must."

"Yes," I said.

"I'm well qualified for the task," she snapped.

"Yes, of course, it's, well it's just I don't want to lose you," I said. "You've become part of the team and I will miss you."

"And I will miss you and Candy, too, but I'll be back afterwards." she said, but we both knew that was a lie. "I'll go and pack and leave straight away."

"Leaving, who's leaving?" asked Candy who had just emerged from the engine room.

"I am, babe," confirmed Lila.

"What? No!" screamed Candy.

"Look, babe," said Lila in a soothing manner.

"No, no, you can't leave," she screamed again. "Captain, do something, order her not to go."

"She has to do something and then she'll be back," I said.

"No, she's going after them, those killing bastards," she screamed. "Take me with you, I can help."

"No, you must stay and help the Captain," said Lila. "He and those new engines need you, too."

"Fuck the engines, I'm coming with you and you can't stop me," she wailed and she rushed into Lila's arms.

"Sorry, captain," Lila mouthed over Candy's shaking shoulders.

I turned and punched in for a blend 57 so that they couldn't see the tears on my cheek.

"I'll get my gear," said Candy and she left on the run.

"I'm sorry, Captain," said a sad looking Lila. "This wasn't part of my plans."

"Yes, I know," I said placing the mug of steaming coffee in front of me. "Look after her and bring her back safely."

Within minutes, I was all alone and my coffee untouched getting cold in front of me. In some ways, I told myself, it could be a blessing, for with Candy there Lila would have to be more cautious and I might, just might see them both again alive.

"Permission to come aboard," said a voice.

"Sure," I replied.

It had been a long lonely week with many mugs of coffee since the girls had taken a shuttle and left star base 19. He was a tall good-looking Navy lieutenant.

"Captain," he nodded. "I'm Lieutenant Jefferson."

"Name rings a bell," I mused, "Sit down and have some coffee."

"Thank you, sir," he replied. "You might know my name for I helped design the fleet's new phase cannon, amongst other things"

"Yes, yes, that's right." I said. "We have one of your cannons installed here."

"Sir, can I asked you something?" he said then taking a sip from his mug. "Mmm, good coffee."

"Sure," I said.

"Do you really believe that the Cadasians are gone for good?" he asked.

"No, of course not," I snapped. "Only a moron would think so. No, they will head home and tell them where we are and they will send more ships, bigger and more powerful ships."

"Yes Sir, I totally agree," he said. "Let me tell you a story that will help us understand what must be done."

I sipped my coffee and waited while he collected his thoughts.

"About twenty five millions years ago and race emerged on a distant planet, a humanoid race with a big brain. They discovered space travel and soon they were venturing out all over the galaxy looking for others like themselves to share the wonders they had discovered. Oh, they found life; everywhere they looked, but no intelligent life anywhere. Much saddened they went home, oh, they sowed a few colonies on the way but nothing took. After that, they turned inward and evolved into a race that shook off the shackles of having a physical body; in doing so they almost banished death."

He took another sip of his coffee and smiled at me.

"Captain, I'm one of those humanoids," he stated. "This body fell dead at my feet on a battle field a long way from here so I took it over."

"Oh," I said, totally believing him although I don't know way.

"The man you knew as Totus was also one of my race," he stated. "We're both throwbacks, wanting to explore the galaxy. Our paths had crossed a few time and now he's dead."

"But I thought you said that you had banished death?" I asked.

"That's true, but once you take physical form you take on it's mortality too," he explained.

"So you will die, too?" I asked.

"Captain, I've been alive for more millenniums than I can count. For most of those I've wanted to die so when this body fell at my feet I jumped at the chance," he explained.

"So, you want to go after these Cadasians, too," I said.

"Yes, of course, but I don't want to kill them," he said with a big smile. "No, I just want to change their minds."

"Right," I said offhand.

"Captain," he said. "my race has gifts that I'm sure Totus never mentioned. We can affect human's minds; change them, mould them into something different."

"Oh," I said. "Yeah, you're right, he must have forgotten to tell me about that."

Suddenly Lila's behaviour with the small dapper man became clearer.

"So, what's your plan then?" I asked.

"First, I want to return to my home world and report my findings," he said leaning forward. "Tell them about you and your race and the Cadasians too."

"And will they will help us?" I asked.

"Yes, I believe so," he mused. "To them, you are what we were looking for when we first moved out into space."

"I have no crew," I stated and the thought of my girls out there made my eyes water just a bit.

"I'll crew for you," he offered. "I'm on leave for a few weeks until my new ship docks here."

"This will take more than a few weeks," I stated.