Chapter 6

Aliya was flying over the lush green jungle again. It was so boring. Wait! This is familiar. Aliya circled Wysp around, searching now. Ah there it is. She found that break in the trees and headed straight for it. Eager to see her father once again, even if it was only in a dream.

No sooner had Wysp landed on the massive bough than she had shut it down and was getting out of the cockpit. She saw the fire inside the trunk of the tree flicking merrily.

"Daddy! Daddy! I found my friend. I found Vin," Aliya reached the opening of the abode. "Daddy?"

The brightness of the fire barely warmed her as the emptiness greeted her. Her father was not here. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes., her feet dragged as she approached the cot along the wall near the fire. His bed. She sat on the rumpled bed, pulling the blanket to face, crying as she breathed into his blanket.

Sobs of despair wracked her body at the thought that she had once again lost her father. How close? How close? Was I. Oh daddy! Aliya cried until she was exhausted and was reduced to a few hiccups. She lay down on her father's cot to stare at the fire and emptiness starting to creep into her soul. As she lay her head down, she heard an odd crackling sound. Like paper? Paper!

She reached under the pillow, her questing fingers found something and she withdrew her prize. She frown looking at the thick folded paper. She saw the drawing of a humming bird on it. She sat up abruptly a small beacon of hope starting like butterflies in her tummy. Slowly she opened it and recognised her dad's handwriting.

One of the logs on the fire snapped, startling her. It was then that she noticed a single candle burning on the table. It's flame an eerie green. Frowning she studied it's odd behaviour. It did not dancing lazily as a flame inside would want and on closer inspection there seemed to be something in the flame ... No it was the flame itself ... a symbol green and spinning. Aliya stared mesmerised. She felt another prescence in the room with her, watching, but she couldn't bring herself to move her eyes away from rotating symbol.

Hands were placed firmly on her shoulders. Aliya? Aliya? Aliya!! She woke to see Doc's concerned face close to hers. She blinked rapidly a few times before she realised that she had fallen asleep. All the events of the day, the long hours she was pulling on maintaining her own HAMr must have caught up with her.

"Come over here." Doc ordered. He gave her a once over and asked her a few pertinent questions as he confirmed her own assessment. "Your overworked, you can't keep doing this. Let someone help you with your HAMr."

"I was, but she is in that bed now recovering."

"Regardless, I recommend that you rest today."

"I can't I need to take supplies back to the mountain."

"Aliya, as good as your HAMr is ... it can't take everything to that base ... let the regulars handle it okay. If you don't I will call up right now and have them impound your HAMr." Doc added as she was about to argue.

She could hear voices. Aliya? She concentrated on the feel of the atmosphere ... well she wasn't in that mountain. Ah, yes. I remember being rescued and coming back to base. Vin could hear Doc threatening to impound Aliya's HAMr. Both of them in black hole condition ... not good. She remembered all this from learning battle injuries and prolonged battle fatigue. Though they weren't technically in battle, long periods of being alert and awake without proper rest does strange things to people. The few simulated scenarios at EU were just a taste of what could be expected. Welcome to the real Verse.

"You had better do as he says." She heard them both gasp and smiled a little, cracking open the eye nearest to them. "Or else he might just sneak up and tap you one with a tranq."

"VIN!" Delight and relief played over Aliya's face. "Glad to see you are awake."

"Oh, I wish I weren't," Vin groaned as she struggled to sit up. Both Aliya and Doc rushed to help her.

"Hey, hey, easy now" The Doc exclaimed.

"I am not a wild animal."

"No, but you were severely mauled by one, or do you think I like sewing up gaping wounds for fun?"

Vin felt a bit of pain right in the centre of her chest. Looking down she saw that it was bandaged and sent the Doc an impish smile. She stared long enough at him to make him turn a little pink.

"Yes, well obviously that one isn't." and he busied himself studying some charts.

Vin redirected her query to Aliya raising an eyebrow, who sighed shaking her head. "Jenna ... she..." Aliya took in a breath and let it go. "She tried to kill you. She blames you for Crenshaw. I know it seems silly, but I think that she is not all there."

"Where is she now?" Vin queried. Aliya looked over at the bed next to hers. Poor thing, Vin thought. To be haunted so. In reposed Jenna's face held none of the harshness that she had been the brunt. Instead, Vin only saw a lost girl haunted by something she could not voice. She guessed that most if not all of the Lightening Bolts knew or guessed at what tortured Jenna so, but they didn't know how to help her. If only The CORE were fully integrated and dancing within our political circles in full. She might be able to gain some peace.

" ... accordingly her fate will be in your hands as it were." She just realised that Doc was talking to her. Oh stars! I missed my cue.

"Sorry Doc, could you give that to me again."

"Vin I realise that it maybe too soon for you to think about, but Mercenary Laws and Code apply here. Because Jenna attempt to kill you Corporal Punishment applies. She can be shot if you so wish."

"How archaic!" Aliya exclaimed.

Looking at Aliya as one would a naive child. "That is the way the system works and like it or not you are now operating in and are a part of it. However, getting back to my original statement. Bed. Rest. Now! Vin has a lot to think about. Doubtless the Captain will be by to see you in a few days to talk to you about Jenna, Vin."

"But Doc I have too..."

"Ah! I will escort you to your room and see that you are put to bed ... And yes Katrina will get her things..."

After they left Vin lay there musing about this turn of events, wondering what to do. I don't want to end her life. Besides the ill will that that will cause, she is obviously defective in some way that they are unable to help with. Still she did try to kill me. The Captain must think highly of her or she would have just been put into confinement. I wonder what the relationship is? She continued to ponder on this point for a while, replaying in her mind snippets of scenes, with the Captain in the background watching Jenna. Vin sighed as another thought intruded. Katrina. She is without a doubt busy with the mountain base. It is a very big find. Still, she will not be pleased when she hears of my attempted murder. I must find a solution to this.

Vin played out all of the angles in her mind as her would be assassin occasionally moaned and shifted in her restraints beside her. Finally coming to a decision on the best coarse of action, she settled her mind down to meditate. She let her aches and pains float away, felt her body lift and every particle of the air moving around her skin. She felt so relaxed whenever she did this.

She could feel a tentative tug on the edge of her consciousness, curious she went to investigate. Verses! That is interesting. I wonder if she knows? She gently brushed the small globe, soothing it of it's jagged edges. Apparently not. Satisfied that the globe of human thought was restful she then sent out a small thread to search for Vaya. The connection was brief. She sent her affection and then broke it off. Gasping as she was suddenly awake and in her body the pain flooding back.

She was under too long. Blackness engulfed her eyesight.

Aliya was a little annoyed at being escorted to her quarters, but she could see the validity of the Doc's recommendations. After all it wouldn't do for her to crash Wysp, her only keepsake from her father because she was too tired from maintaining it. She managed to throw all of Katrina's things into their bags and left them near the entrance, where Doc said that he would arrange for them to be picked up and sent out with the rest of the gear that Katrina asked for. She was going to press the point with Doc, but he stayed until she lay on the bed and promptly fell asleep.

She dreamt again of finding her father's home, but always he wasn't there and there was something, someone watching her while she watched that symbol slowly turning and turning. Mesmerising in green and gold. She then felt another someone. Watching as well. She felt more anxious ... she was unable to move mesmerised by the glyph, she wouldn't be able to defend herself. She felt the first prescence fade away as the second made itself more known. It called to her kindly. Kindly? What gave her that thought she didn't know, but she felt as ease. The room faded away into a velvety blackness, the glyph turned one last time branding itself in her mind's eye before it too faded away.

"Katrina!"

She yelped as the radio squawked at her. Looking at the time she cursed. She had been so engrossed in trying to retrieve the data with the techs that didn't notice that it was way past the time that Aliya should have been back.

"Aye, Captain. Where is Aliya and the rest of the gear?"

"Come down to the bay, the gear is here and I need to talk with you."

Katrina let out and exasperated sigh as she got up stretching out muscles that had basically been locked in the same position for hours. "Keep looking at it and run through with a Base 12. It might turn up something." She told the techs as she left. What on earth! could be going on now? As if having 1/3 of my company out of commission isn't enough when I am trying to crack into this system. On her way to the bay she ran her fingers through her hair to make sure that she looked presentable.

Katrina got to the bay to see people already starting to repair the door with the help of a few HAMrs. Captain Luminae was standing there watching all that was going on with only a few nods to some people. How does he do that? Katrina mused. They must be a well trained and have worked together a lot. Most of his company seem to be able to get things done without him. She was about to call out to him when he turned around to face her. As if he knew that she was there all along. Straightening her shoulders she walked confidently towards him.

"You wanted to speak with me, Captain Luminae?"

"Yes, Katrina. Please let us go to the mess." Katrina nodded, turned around and led the way. Stars! it must be serious for him to want some privacy. I wonder what it is about ... ooooh does he have a thing for Aliya? Is that why she is not here? I hope he is not thinking of taking her away from my company. They had no sooner reached the mess then Katrina started. "So what is it that needed privacy for? Oh STARS! Vin isn't dead is she? She appeared fine when she left ... she isn't?"

"No, she is quite alive. However, you remember Jenna?"

"Jenna, Jenna ... isn't she the one follows Crenshaw around like a sick pup?" She could have sworn a brief look of anger or annoyance flashed across his eyes.

"She is infatuated with Crenshaw, yes." He paused then weigh up his words. "Jenna has tried to kill Vin."

"WHAT! How? What happened? She had better not be dead or you have had it!"

"Katrina! As I have said, Vin is still alive and well. However, accordingly to Mercenary and Our company Charter, Jenna must face a hearing."

"I hope that she is bloody well clapped in cuffs and tossed into a holding room."

"You, do not have to be there as you were not directly involved. I am letting you know that there will be one out of courtesy from one captain to another. As for Jenna she is currently sedated and will continue to be until the hearing in a day or two."

"You know ... Vin was supposed to be under your protection and this is what has happened." Katrina said slyly. "I will expect to be negotiating some sort of generous settlement in this regards as compensation for such negligance."

Captain Luminae clenched his jaw. "The hearing will be soon and all discussion about such matters will be done then. I will send a shuttle out to get you should you wish to attend."

"And what about Aliya? Why is she not here?"

"Aliya is not here on orders from Doc. Both Vin and Aliya have been pulling double shifts for the past month and quite frankly they both deserve some time off, which you should have ordered them to do." Katrina turned pink with embarrassment and then red in anger. Holding up his hand to still her forthcoming tirade, Luminae continued. "Katrina the three of you will make a most excellent company one day, but you need to focus and be aware of them. They are not the type to complain, you must be aware of their strengths and weakness, find compliments for them and know when the time is right. Yes, this is an important find, but you must also consider the well-being of your men."

Katrina's mouth opened and closed a few times like a freshly caught fish. She was angry at being told basically how to run her own company, but she guessed that Luminae had a valid point. She would not have a company if both of them died or left and her dreams for her own facility would be left for star dust.

"Now, Katrina. We have your supplies and gear and the personnel you asked for. At the moment they are trying to track down the self-destruct mechanisms and de-activate them. They have their orders and will follow them to the letter. I have started negotiations with my employer and we will be discussing the terms shortly."

"I would like to discuss the terms during the hearing." Hopefully that will give me more leverage to bargain with.

"As you wish. Now, I must get back and see to the packing up of the base to be moved here. If you'll excuse me."

Katrina continued to stare at the vacant doorway thinking about what the Captain had said. Those thoughts promptly fled as one of the techs rushed in with an excited look on their face. "We did it! Your suggestion for a base 12 was the key. We have a program running now to try to rebuild the system!"

"Yes! Oh! The self-destruct!!!! Oh Verses!!!!"

The tech paled. "Oh my Stars!!!! We can't stop the rebuild ... if it completes and the self-destruct is still intact!"

"How long for the rebuild to be completed... ?"

"Um, at its current rate, possibly a day..."

Katrina barged out of the mess and called over her radio to locate the team searching for the self-destruct.

"We are down near the power source. Why what is up?"

"We have started a rebuild of the system which will be completed within a day and so everything that it can rebuild will be going online, including the self-destruct!"