Chapter Five
"Engineering to bridge,"
Stevenson's voice almost made Kline jump as it suddenly jumped out of the comm-system.
"Kline here," the captain said. "What's
your status, lieutenant?"
"The ship is back at uuuh…"
there was a brief pause. "At ninety-nine
point eighty seven efficiency, Captain,"
"Beautiful," Kline smiled. "And how about
our torpedoes…?"
"We've managed to isolate a pattern corresponding
to the sensors' and miss Parker's memory, though we haven't begun modifications
yet…It'll come, sir."
"The sooner the better, lieutenant,"
Kline remarked. "The shadow vessel may emerge any sec…"
It was almost funny how the red alert siren suddenly blared
out and Eskina said: "Sir! They're emerging!"
Kline, at first, thought that his crew was pulling a joke
on him. The timing was so ridiculously perfect that it couldn't have been a
natural phenomenon. But he realized that it wasn’t a gag when he saw the shadow
vessel on the viewscreen moving towards the Valiant.
"Full power to shields!" he ordered.
"Stevenson I want those torpedoes now!"
"We'll be as quick as we can, Captain…"
Stevenson promised. "Engineering out…"
The shadow ship loomed closer and closer, its bland and
translucent hull made it look like a living creature, coming down upon its
prey, teeth bared.
Indeed, the ship was baring its teeth: energy pulses were
forming at the tips of the winds.
"All decks: brace for impact…" Kline gripped
his chair and clenched his teeth.
* * *
"All decks: brace for impact…"
Stevenson grabbed onto a handrail as the first energy
pulse struck the Valiant's shields.
Parker was at the other end of the ship's aft torpedo bay, helping
Ensign Marlowe reconfigure the first phasing torpedo.
He stepped towards them, glancing nervously at a nearby
console that displayed information on the Valiant's shield power.
"How's it coming?" Stevenson asked.
Marlowe bit her lower lip: "It's tricky…"
"But as soon as we've configured this one, it'll
take no time at all to prepare the others." Parker said, not taking her
eyes off her work.
"Good news…" Stevenson agreed. "Can I
help?"
"Just be quiet, that'll be great." Marlowe
flashed him a smile and kept working.
Stevenson was one of the best when it came to starships,
warp cores and deflector dishes, but he was helpless with everything that had
to do with weaponry. He was able to speak of them theoretically but not toy
with their innards like Parker and Marlowe were doing before his very eyes.
"Damn…" Marlowe muttered as another energy
blast hit the shields.
"Stevenson! We're trying to fend them off with
our other phasing torpedoes but we're not having much success…If we can't have
the modified version soon we won't survive!" Kline urged at the other
end of the commlink.
"Coming up, sir…I'm sure Burnel can keep us out of
trouble long enough." Stevenson said.
"Easy for you to say…You just take care of the
damn engines. I'm actually using them, John." Sylvia's voice said.
"It's always great to hear your voice, Sylvia."
"Sir!" Marlowe interrupted suddenly. "I
think we got it."
"Just a sec'…" Parker connected a few stray
wires. "There…Our first attempt."
"Let's hope it's our last…" Stevenson said as
the mechanical loading arms picked up the torpedo and prepared it for launch.
"Captain, your torpedo is ready."
* * *
"Fire!" Kline barked.
The silver torpedo was launched and hurtled towards the
shadow ship. Everyone on the ship held their breath.
A crackling roar burst through the speakers of the
bridge, everyone jumped in surprise. On the viewscreen, a powerful white
explosion rippled across the surface of the shadow ship, tearing pieces off and
sending them into the depths of space to dissipate.
There were cheers from all around, the torpedo had
worked.
Kline let out a sigh of relief, the battle was not yet
won but the Valiant had the upper-hand, victory was near.
"Stevenson! Good work!"
* * *
"We're all happy to have helped…" Stevenson was
smiling widely at the two women. "The rest of the torpedoes are being
automatically configured, you'll have ten within the next minute."
"Excellent job, everyone…" Kline said.
"We'll call when the battle is over."
"Not if I call first," the engineer said.
"Stevenson out."
Marlowe quickly left the torpedo bay, eager to get back
to Engineering to join into the action, leaving Stevenson and Parker alone.
On the small console on the wall, they watched a tactical
display showing the Valiant's position and that of the shadow ship. The
Starfleet vessel kept swooping around the enemy, raining torpedoes upon it.
Barely a minute later, the small blue blip that had
represented the shadow ship disappeared from the screen and the Valiant
decelerated. The battle was over.
Stevenson turned to face Parker.
"Feel better?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
She pondered a moment, and nodded: "Yeah," she
said. "But not because they've been destroyed…somehow…"
"Somehow…what?" He asked.
She looked at him: "I don't think I'll ever get over
his death…"
"You won't." Stevenson said. "It's not
that you shouldn't try, but there will always be something of him left behind.
He's a part of you, and he'll be with you forever."
She nodded: "But what's the use of trying if you
know you'll never achieve it?"
Stevenson's lips curled up into a small smile: "Life
is a battle, Amanda…But it's not the outcome of the battle that's important,
it's the way you fight, it's the way you hold out until the end. That's what
defines who we are: our choices in front of the unattainable."
It was almost surreal, discussing his most profound
thoughts with this woman in a torpedo bay right after a terrible battle.
Returning his smile, she said: "I understand…"
He nodded: "I'm glad…"
"Thank you," she added quickly, placing a hand
on his. "I'll never say it enough to express the gratitude I feel."
"I…You're welcome…" He said and, after a brief
pause. "We'll probably be celebrating in the mess with the other officers
on our way to the nearest starbase…Care to join in?"
"Delighted," she said.
Leaving behind the dissipating debris of the shadow
vessel, the Valiant set a course for starbase 128 Gamma in the
neighboring system. The stars twinkled in the black void, each and every one of
them was special and every one had its significance, its importance. On the
billions of planets across the billions of light-years of this universe, beings
looked up to the sky and the stars would be looking back at them, watching
them, inspiring them.
Accompanying the lonely…helping the helpless…healing the
wounded…
-THE END-
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