Surak's Soul - J.M. Dillard [46]
“Lieutenant Meir was supposed to fill in at command.” This time al Saed spoke. He was in his thirties, older than Mayweather and Borovsky, a bit shy and sweet-natured. Dark-skinned and athletic, he nursed what he thought was a secret crush on Borovsky, but which was public knowledge to the entire crew, including Borovsky. “She never reported.”
“Ahmed tried to raise her,” Borovsky added, with her typical “take charge” attitude. “He got a channel but no answer. So he contacted sickbay—same thing. No one answering. As a last resort, he tried the captain’s quarters….”
“Let me guess,” Mayweather said.
Borovsky nodded. “No dice. And now there’s this horrible static on all channels.” She finally paused, disappointment clear in her expression and tone. “We were hoping you’d know whether the captain was all right. We heard earlier about Hoshi….”
“Hoshi?” Mayweather stiffened, alarmed.
“She collapsed,” Borovsky said sadly. “I’m so sorry. I’m not thinking straight. Of course you wouldn’t know….” She and Hoshi were good friends; Hoshi always teased Borovsky by mimicking her Russian accent perfectly, which only made Borovsky laugh and slap Hoshi on the back with such force the exolinguist would feign a coughing fit after. Mayweather had socialized with the two of them a bit, and knew better than to try to bluff at poker when either Borovsky or Hoshi was playing.
Mayweather had known that Reed had collapsed—he had voluntarily been among the last to receive his immunization against radiation sickness; but now, to hear about Hoshi…The sight of the empty bridge took on a sudden ominousness, and he could understand why Borovsky and al Saed were so desperate for news of the captain. Without communications, it was easy to imagine the worst.
And right now, Mayweather was imagining the worst himself. “Go ahead, you two,” he told the other officers. “I’ll take it from here. Someone else is bound to show up.”
“I won’t leave,” Al Saed said, his polite, gentle voice managing to convey an unshakable firmness. “Not until the captain orders me.”
“I could order you,” Mayweather said. “No point in stressing your immune system. And if communications aren’t working—”
“If communications aren’t working, I have to do my best to repair them.” Al Saed frowned. “Although I’ve never come across anything like this in simulations.”
“Gremlins,” said Mayweather. “Welcome to space.”
“Besides, you can’t order me,” al Saed pointed out. “We share the same rank.”
“Well, I’ve been in space longer.” Mayweather figured he could make noises about being part of the senior bridge crew, but it seemed pointless, especially if communications had suffered critical damage.
Al Saed smiled mildly, thin lips and broad black brows curving into mirror-image crescents. “I’m afraid that doesn’t count.”
“Suit yourself.” Mayweather shrugged. He went over to the helm and motioned for Borovsky to move out of his seat. “Go on. You’re definitely off duty, Ensign.”
“I’ll wait at tactical,” said Borovsky, as she slid out and stood. “At least until we figure out what’s going on.”
Mayweather opened his mouth to protest, then closed it. He understood. While the bridge was always emptier, quieter during the evening shift, this morning it was disturbingly empty and quiet. Something was amiss—they all knew it—and he realized that, were he in Borovsky’s situation, nothing could have forced him to leave. He simply nodded as he settled into his station…then almost bolted to his feet again as a shrill blast of static assaulted his ears.
“Good lord…”
“Sorry,” al Saed said sheepishly. “I keep having to reduce the volume when I test the different channels. It just keeps getting louder….” He sighed. “I just can’t find anything wrong with the equipment itself. If only Hoshi…” He did not finish the statement.
Mayweather tried not to finish it silently for him. Instead, the helmsmen focused on the readings before him: Engines humming along at a dizzying warp four. Course set for heading seven-zero-four-zero, which should lead to the planet called Shikeda, where they should be able to