Icarus (13 page)

   “You’re in the detention center, Captain Punchy-Bags.”

   Realizing he was lying on an uncomfortable cot, Shawn spun his feet
over the side of it and sat up slowly. Except for Trent, Shawn was the only
person in the cell. He briefly wondered where Melissa was, only to see her
round the corner outside his cell and step up to the fortified door. It slid
open effortlessly before her. “I’ve secured your release, but it wasn’t easy.”

   “What happened?” Shawn asked, attempting to vigorously rub away the
splitting headache that was threatening to tear his skull in two.

   She sighed heavily. “We can talk about that later. Right now, we need
to get you back to your ship and off this station.”

   “Didn’t we just get here?” Shawn asked halfheartedly.

   “It seems we’ve overstayed our welcome.” She smiled faintly and
grabbed his right arm as Trent grabbed his left. They hefted the lieutenant
commander to his feet and helped him navigate the corridors outside the
security office.

   “How far away is
D
?” Shawn slowly asked.

   “Not far,” Trent offered. “About ten minutes. Maybe forty-five if I
have to keep dragging you around.”

   “I think…I can make it on my own.” Shawn gently broke free from their
respective grasps and closed in on the nearest lift. As the three entered and
the magnetic lift doors shut, he turned to Melissa with an apologetic look.
Before he could speak, he teetered backward until he rested against the lift
wall, then slowly slid down until he was on his backside. “I’m…really sorry
about that.”

   She shifted her eyes to him and then looked back at the closed doors as
the module began its slow descent. “Don’t worry about my feelings, Commander.
If I were you, I’d be more concerned about having to explain all this to
Captain Krif when we get back to the
Rhea
.”

   “Oh, God,” Shawn called out helplessly from the floor. “Dick knows?”

   “Don’t be ridiculous, of course he knows. Just…not everything.”

   “Well, what
doesn’t
he know, then?”

   “He knows you were in a fight at a restaurant…and that you lost.”

   “Does he know I started it?”

   Melissa rolled her eyes, refusing to further address the man while he
was seated on the lift floor. She reached down and helped Shawn back to his
feet. “I see your memory is coming back in spades, Commander.”

   “Painfully, too.”

   Her disapproving scowl turned into a half smile. “I told the captain
that you were protecting my honor. I informed him that several men had tried to
manhandle me, and you attempted to intervene.”

   “So that’s a ‘no,’ then.”

   “Exactly.”

   “What about Vross?”

   She looked back at Shawn and smiled. “I’m pretty sure I neglected to
mention anything about that to him. I suggest you do the same.”

   “An order?”

   “Do I need to make it one?”

   “Please, no,” he rubbed at his forehead “I don’t think I could handle
it. Let’s just say we agree on it, okay?”

   “Can someone please tell me what I missed?” Trent asked in annoyance
from behind the two of them.

   “I’ll tell you all about it when we get back to the ship,” Melissa
offered with a gentle pat to Trent’s shoulder.

   “Why are you coddling him?” Shawn remarked acerbically. “I’m the one
who’s in pain here!”

   “And you deserved it! I mean, taking on a Jidoian all by yourself,”
Melissa said, and then snickered as she fixed the haphazard condition of his
shirt collar. “You must have been out of your mind. You could have gotten
yourself killed, Commander.”

   “Do I detect a tone of concern in your voice, Agent Graves?” Shawn
asked as he rubbed his throbbing forehead and smiled.

   She clutched his collar tight enough to wipe the stupid grin from his
face, then yanked his head down so they were eye to eye. “What concerns me is
that you could have compromised this mission, mister.”

   Despite the awkwardness of his posture, once he’d gotten another whiff
of her jasmine perfume, he couldn’t help but grin. “You know, you are so
very
pretty when you’re angry.”

   She intensified her grip on his collar, yet was still flustered to be
this close to him. “Don’t play cute with me, Commander. I’m being serious.”

   “So am I,” he defended. “I never offer a woman a compliment in jest,
especially when she’s my superior officer. Besides, my beautiful Agent Graves,
you started it.”

   Despite her anger, and the fact that Shawn was still slightly
inebriated, she found herself blushing.
How can he manage to be such a
pretentious ass and still make my heart flutter?
She released her grip and
gently pushed Shawn back toward the lift wall. “And now I’m going to finish it,
Commander. If you can’t control yourself when the situation demands it, you’ll
soon find yourself on the losing end of my temper.”

   Shawn let out a defeated sigh as his hand returned to its job of massaging
his temples. “Fine. Whatever gets you to stop talking. My head is killing me.”

   Truth be told, Melissa did feel a measure of guilt for having broached
the subject of his late wife with him. It wasn’t like her to get personally
involved with members of her team, much less to develop feelings for them. She
chided herself for hurting Shawn, and for allowing herself to become close
enough to him to do so. Melissa decided to make a heartfelt apology to the
commander, just as soon as he was completely sober.

  
E
nsign
Codaro Soto, tall and thin, and the similarly built Lieutenant Junior-Grade
Stephen Daniels, had just exited the pilots’ briefing room on their way to the
Rhea
’s
recreation deck. Dressed in their Class B uniforms, they were just finishing
their conversation on which game they would challenge each other at when they
came to Captain Richard Krif’s at-space cabin.

   Without warning, there was a crash from beyond the door, followed by
what both junior officers knew to be the captain’s voice.   

   “Damn it, man,” Krif’s voice bellowed beyond the closed door. “That’s
the last time I leave you alone on a mission!”

   “What do you think is going on in there?” Soto said, hooking his thumb
in the direction of the captain’s office.

   “I dunno,” Daniels offered with a shrug. “But it sounds like someone’s
sure getting an earful.”

   Soto, always one looking for trouble, motioned Daniels to stop. The
ensign then quietly crept toward the door.

   “What do you think you’re doing, you fool?” Daniels whispered sharply.
“You’re gonna get pinched for sure.”

   Ensign Soto scowled and waved a dismissing hand in Daniels’ direction.
“Stop acting like my mother for once, Steve-o. I wanna find out who’s getting
his backside handed to him.”

   Daniels, ready to bolt from the passageway at any moment, shook his
head. “You know, someday your morbid curiosity about these sorts of things is
going to bite you in the—”

   “Shhh!” Soto whispered harshly in the lieutenant’s direction before he
placed his ear against the captain’s door.

   Daniels heard a handful of muffled cries, but was unable to determine
who’d issued them. “So? Come on, Codaro. What’s the scoop?”

   Soto’s Asian eyes went wide. “I think it’s the new guy, Kestrel.”

   Daniels was aghast. “Really? The CO of the Rippers? No way!”

   The sound of something striking the captain’s door and shattering sent
Soto reeling back.

   “Don’t get cute with me, Kestrel, or you really will find yourself in
the brig.” Krif’s voice boomed beyond the door and echoed down the corridor.

   “No kidding,” Soto said as he absently rubbed his ear. “Come on,
Steve-o. Let’s beat it before we actually do get caught.”

   Lieutenant JG Daniels was in no mood to argue. “You’ve got that
right.” 

   Inside Krif’s office, Shawn turned to see the remnants of the
Captain’s tea sliding down the office door, pooling around the fragmented
remains of the coffee mug. 

   “Calm down, Captain,” Melissa offered sympathetically. “I was there,
and I was in complete control of the situation.”

   “Complete control? Complete control! Is that what you call it?” Krif
shot back acidly. “Then why did
you
have to bail him out of the brig?”

   “It was all part of the plan.” Melissa hoped her explanation sounded
confident.

   “Plan? There was no plan! How can you plan for something like that to
happen?”

   “Does it matter, Captain? As I said, I was in complete control, and I
don’t have to answer to you.”

   “Of course it matters, Agent Graves! I was against this whole outing
from the start.”

   “I know,” she agreed, unable to stop her eyes from rolling.

   “Well, you should have listened to me. Now one of my officers has
managed to embarrass the entire ship. Congratulations.”

   Melissa scowled at Krif. “
You
were under my direct orders not
to discuss this operation with anyone on the ship, Captain. The only person who
should be embarrassed by this little mishap, other than myself, is the
Lieutenant Commander.”

   Shawn leaned over her shoulder. “Did I really embarrass you?”

   “Shut up!” both Melissa and Krif yelled in unison.

   “If you were anyone else, in any other situation, I’d pull you off the
flight roster in a heartbeat.” Krif snapped his fingers at Shawn’s face.

   Knowing it couldn’t help his situation any, Shawn couldn’t help but
smile lightly. “Well, I’m fortunate to be me, then.”

   The captain sighed heavily. “For the moment, yes, you are.” He then
turned his eyes to Melissa. “I only hope
you
were able to get the
information you needed before hotshot here blew your cover.”

   “Having our cover compromised was never a concern for me, Captain
Krif. Besides, don’t pretend that you’re at all worried about my performance.”

   “Unfortunately, you’re the ranking OSI officer on board, and I’d like
to get to the bottom of our missing fleet as soon as possible. Since I command
the
Rhea
, and you have operational command of the mission, it seems
we’re stuck with one another for the foreseeable future. Besides, Sector Command
wouldn’t look too kindly upon me if you were lost in the line of duty,” he then
turned to face Shawn before he continued, “while
supposedly
under the
protection of one of my squadron commanders.”

   Melissa brought Krif’s attention back to herself. “I’m concerned with
more than just the missing fleet, Captain.”

   “I’m quite certain that the disappearance of Admiral Graves and the
missing fleet go hand in hand. If we solve one mystery, I’m sure it will solve
the other.”

   “You’ll forgive me if I don’t share your optimism, Captain,” she
replied sarcastically. “I’m charged with getting to the bottom of a great many
things. Finding out what happened to the
Valley Forge
and her escorts is
only one of them.”

   “Then I suggest you start taking better care of yourself.”

   “And what exactly does that mean?” Her tone was quizzical.

   Krif’s ice-blue eyes stared back at her as he folded his large arms
across his chest. “From here on out,
any
excursion you make away from
the
Rhea
will be under the protection of multiple armed escorts, and
that is above and beyond the presence of the space-hauler over there.”

   “You have no authority to do that!”

   “Like hell I don’t! You seem to forget that we departed Darus Station
under high speed. Your boss, The Director, left this ship without a hitch, but
not without a few parting words to me concerning you. I concede that while
you’re here, operational control of the mission is in your hands. However,
until such time as I see fit, you are to be escorted any time you’re away from
the ship. Those are the Director’s orders, whether you like it or not.”

   “I’m afraid I don’t.”

   “And I don’t care,” he remarked with decisiveness, then looked to
Shawn. “And as for you, Kestrel, you’re off duty for the next twelve hours.”

   Shawn gave Krif a confounded look. “What am I supposed to do until
then?”

   “Get your butt down to medical for a complete physical, for starters.
Doctor’s orders. After that, do whatever you want. Build a puzzle, take up
needlework, go catch a movie. Just as long as it’s not official and it won’t
bring your face or your name back into my office anytime soon. Are we clear,
Lieutenant Commander?”

   Shawn clenched his jaw in frustration. Thankful that the meeting was
drawing to a close, he was more than happy to endure a full physical, just as
long as he was out of this office. “Yes, sir. We’re clear.”

   “Then you’re done here, mister.” Krif waved a hand in the direction of
his cabin door. “Bye-bye.”

   Both Shawn and Melissa pivoted to leave, but they were stopped in
mid-turn by Krif. “Agent Graves, please remain behind. We have some things to
discuss.”

   Melissa’s eyes darted to Shawn and she nodded, telling him wordlessly
that she would be okay until they met up later. Shawn looked over his shoulder
to regard Krif one final time before he exited the compartment.

* * *

   The medical compartment on the
Rhea,
known by the crew as
sickbay, had surprisingly warm floors. Shawn, shoeless and wearing a medical
gown, was sitting on the edge of the diagnostic bed and waiting for the
attending doctor to make his or her presence known. The only person he’d seen
since he arrived was a duty nurse, who had stayed in the room long enough to
hand Shawn his hospital gown and to tell him to get undressed.

   Shawn, for the most part, enjoyed hospitals. At one time in his youth,
he’d even toyed with the idea of becoming a doctor. With his father’s
encouragement, he had taken to his school books with vigor, studying anatomy
and physiology while most other young boys were out getting into trouble. Due
to his excellent grades, he had even earned himself a semester to study
off-world at the age of seventeen.

   However, as soon as his shuttle had departed Third Earth, and he found
himself outside the planet’s atmosphere for the first time, the bug of
interstellar adventure had bitten instantly at his soul. The great, unending
void of space stretched out from his view port on the shuttle, and he wondered
at all that unexplored territory yet to be discovered.

   Not long after that, he’d enrolled in Sector Command’s officer
program—much to Sylvia’s dismay. Shawn thought back to his long-dead wife, and
how fervently she’d argued with him over what she’d felt was an exceedingly
hasty decision. She’d had something of a temper, and her rage at that
particular time had been one for the record books.

   However, once the dust had settled, the two found themselves enjoying
the relative freedom that service life provided. Likewise, Sylvia found that
not only did she enjoy being away from her home, she actually came to love
being out amongst the stars with her ‘dashing pilot-husband,’ as she often
referred to him.

   It wasn’t until the Kafarans arrived on the scene that everything
changed.

   Shawn recalled vividly the moment he’d received the letter of Sylvia’s
disappearance while he was serving aboard the
Fahrenwald
. In his mind’s
eye he could see the young female lieutenant, a member of the ship’s religious
cadre, somberly handing him the printed message, followed by the requisite sympathies
and offers for spiritual and psychological counseling. Shawn would have none of
it. He would grieve in the privacy of his cabin, away from the eyes and ears of
anyone else on the ship.

   Breaking him from the recollection, the translucent doors of the room
opened, and the ship’s chief surgeon appeared.

   “Good afternoon, Lieutenant Commander Kestrel. I’m the CMO on board,
Doctor Ophelia Finly.”

   Her soothing voice and doe-like eyes gave Shawn every indication she
was a kind spirit. Her thick, wavy blonde hair reminded Shawn of a pile of
shredded paper. Doctor Finly’s thin eyebrows were set low, giving high
definition to the cobalt blue eyes below them. She wore a standard olive drab
lab coat, with the medical corps crest on one lapel and her rank insignia of
commander on the other. She held out a long-fingered hand, which Shawn didn’t
hesitate to shake.

   “A pleasure, Commander,” he said with a smile as he took the older
woman’s hand.

   “Oh, there won’t be any of that, Mister Kestrel,” she said with a soft
smile. “I much prefer ‘doctor,’ if you don’t mind. ‘Commander’ is too…”

   “Formal,” he said, smiling back.

   She nodded approvingly. “Exactly.” She raised her medical tablet and
began entering information.

   “So what exactly am I doing here?” Shawn asked with due curiosity.

   “Standard examination, really. Nothing serious.”

   “I see. Just updating my official records, are we?”

   “In a manner of speaking,” she replied, continuing to enter
information into her device.

   “Well, I’d like to think I’m just as fit as when I left the service a
few years ago, so I’ll be curious to see how my readings match up.” He smiled
confidently, but the look on her face caused his mood to sober up slightly. “Is
there something wrong?”

   Doctor Finly licked her lips before speaking. “Actually, there is,
and…I have to say it concerns me.”

   “What’s that?”

   She shifted her weight, seemingly at a loss for words. After a moment
she lowered her voice. “Well, it seems you have no prior medical record.”

   “Come again?”

   “The administrative department was able to easily recall your general
service record, but they were unable to locate your medical record. They
couldn’t find it in any database, Sector Command or otherwise.”

   Shawn hummed as he contemplated her response. “That’s a little odd,
isn’t it?”

   “Odd?” she remarked with a chuckle. “It’s unheard of. Quite literally.
I’ve never heard of someone’s record becoming lost. Sure, I’ve seen them
classified, or restricted, but there is always something there. It’s as if…”

   “As if it were erased?”

   She looked at him with a shocked expression, which faded after a
moment. “It’s just strange, that’s all. I’ve been ordered to create a new one.”

   Shawn nodded slowly, filing the information away in his mind for the
next time he spoke to Melissa.

   “Now, Mister Kestrel. If you’ll lie down on my scanner, we’ll see if
we can’t get an image of what’s going on inside you.”

   Shawn complied, lying down on the otherwise unremarkable bed. As soon
as he’d gotten comfortable, a three-dimensional image of his bone structure
appeared floating directly above his body.

   “We’ll start with the bottom and work our way up.”

* * *

   After nearly three hours of intense medical scrutiny, Shawn was
released from sickbay, albeit under jovial orders of, “Don’t leave the country,
as I may have more tests to run on you,” as the doctor had joked. Within
minutes of arriving at his cabin, however, Shawn had become bored of his
surroundings. He’d briefly toyed with the idea of continuing to read over the
files Melissa had handed him the day before, but had decided the last thing he
wanted to do was stare at a computer screen. After mulling over his other
available options—and coming up with dead-ends for each of them—Lieutenant
Jerry Santorum happened by his stateroom, with an invitation for something
Shawn didn’t realize he desperately needed: a guided tour of the ship.
Well
,
if
I’m going to be on board the
Rhea
for a while, I might as
well get to know my way around.