phil jones2 (34 page)

This question clearly caught her by surprise, if the startled look on her face was anything to go by.

'Stupid, Captain? From the first moment I saw you I knew that you were the chosen one.'

Phil laughed. 'You mean when I fell over and triggered Star Command's self destruct mechanism? Yeah... you were on to a real winner there.'

If the first question had shocked her, the second statement had her positively astounded. 'Captain you may be a touch clumsy on occasion, but I believe that everything you did happened for a reason and you have vindicated that through keeping both the ship and crew in one piece on numerous occasions.'

He shrugged. 'I believe you, I just hope your faith isn't being misplaced this time.'

The surprise melted away from her features had been replaced with something that Phil couldn't read. 'I told you that you were my hero, I hope you don't forget that.'

'I just don't feel any different Annika, I thought the glove would bring about this great change in my life and that I'd Captain this ship once again and that things would somehow be easier.'

'Do you think it's any different for the rest of us, Captain Jones?'

He stopped speaking, realising how defeatist and stupid he sounded, it was then his brain realised that he was completely stumped by the question that had just been asked. 'What do you mean, different?'

'We're the same Captain, we are all in this together and none of us truly know what we're doing out here. Even Agent Smith for all his cool composure has never defied Star Command before. He might put up a front but deep down I know he's struggling, hurting for having defied his duty but knowing that it was the only reasonable thing he could have done.'

Crossing over to the replicator she ordered a water and continued speaking with the glass in her hand. 'There's not a day goes by that I don't think I'm some stupid trader girl that got caught up in an intergalactic conflict far too big for her to ever cope. It's that lack of self-importance that has kept me alive all these years, knowing that I'd have to do my very best to survive and even then it might not be enough.'

Phil looked at her tight grip upon the glass and the resolution in her face and saw her for what she truly was. Except for one problem that is...

'You are the smartest woman I've ever met, of course you're capable of doing these things.'

Her expression softened considerably, and her eyes found his. 'And you are the bravest man I've ever met, Phil Jones.'

Phil gulped as she crossed the room again, painfully aware of how close she was getting. He didn't feel very brave right now. A Voravian attack, an unexpected visit, anything would be preferable to this right now.

The door chimed, and it was followed by a little noise of frustration from Annika that sent a shiver up Phil's spine.

'I think that's for me.' he said, stupidly.

'I had best take my leave then.' she replied in a quiet tone.

'Yes.' he said, uncertain as to what he was agreeing with.

The door chimed again and Annika departed, walking past a surprised RJ without a word. 'May I come in?' the Texan asked, tipping his hat in the direction of Annika's departing back.

'Sure.' Phil said, slumping down on the couch once again.

'You look awful down for a man that's just had himself a visit from the Lieutenant.' RJ said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

'It's... It's not like I don't appreciate her advances RJ, I just... It's not proper is it?'

RJ smiled but said nothing.

'One minute she'll be filling me in on the nature of the mission we're on and the next she's getting all close and personal with me and it's just very disconcerting to me as I don't know how to deal with that.'

RJ nodded, ordering neat whiskey from the replicator without asking.

'I mean, I get that I did great things and all but she called me a hero. Perhaps compared to Darwin's blunders I seem heroic but if that was your standards for heroism then the average Joe on the street could do the job too.'

The pilot handed him the glass and they retired to the sofa, once again he said nothing.

'I just feel she's a little too enamoured with me for her own good but I don't know what to do about it without ruining the bond we have developed as a crew.'

RJ waited patiently for any more words before beginning. 'Captain, there's something you should know about that Annika girl. She's a mighty fine Lieutenant and a great officer and a credit to this ship, probably has the brightest noggin out of the lot of us. She has a flaw though, and I probably should have warned you of it before.'

'A flaw?' Phil prompted.

RJ leaned back in the sofa and let out a long breath. 'Yes sir, a mighty big one. She warned me about it when we were on the way to negotiations and I'm assuming she's told St... Smith as well.'

This was most surprising, it looked as if RJ of all people was uncomfortable with talking about this.

'Thing is.' he continued, 'She told me this in confidence see? I don't know if I can tell you without wrecking our own confidence and losing my only whiskey partner again.'

Phil downed the whiskey in one, tears formed in his eyes and he hoped the gesture was appreciated. 'Tell me.' he managed to sputter.

A slight smile crept onto RJ's features. 'Right you are sir. Well I'm guessing that because you hadn't set foot off Earth until lately you don't know a great deal about slave trading and all that, right?'

'I know slavery still exists, I'm not entirely reclusive.'

'Right, well I ain't talking about slavery on Earth. I'm talking about slave trading. The sort you get out in the depths of space between cargo ships that Star Command turns a blind eye to.'

'What has slave trading got to do with Annika's problem?'

'She was a slave.'

'Ah.' Phil said.

'Yes sir, ah indeed. She went from being an innocent trader's daughter to something else entirely.'

Phil waited for more but RJ had slumped into an uncomfortable silence, cradling his drink and taking long and uncharacteristically deliberate sips from it.

'There's something you're not telling me...' Phil ventured, waiting to be filled in and slightly annoyed that the man was leaving him hanging on what had initially seemed like a vital piece of information.

'It's just that... Captain... she...'

'Spit it out man!' Phil snapped, surprising himself. 'That's an order!'

Phil's record of continuing to make people sigh was well on course after that sentence.

'The trader slaves are... altered.'

'Altered?'

RJ shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 'Yes sir, altered. The female slaves are given a cocktail of drugs that quadruples their libido, to the point that they'll willingly... copulate with anyone that asks.' he saw the look in Phil's eyes and quickly amended. 'Annika is not quite like that, apparently she was rescued before the changes were irreversible. There are still some side-effects that she'll live with for the rest of her days though.'

'That's horrible.'

'That it is, Captain.' RJ agreed. 'Just be careful when she takes a shine to you, she has a tendency to go into things very quickly.'

'I'll take that under advisement.'

'You're in charge here Captain.' RJ replied over his drink, keeping his eyes on the Phil's uniform. 'You have to lead by example and if you go flirting with other crew members it'll look unprofessional to the rest of the people under your command.'

Phil knew that he had absolutely no intention of trying to take advantage of Annika's situation, given that in order to do so he'd have to trigger his own distinctly awkward problems when speaking to women in general. 'You have nothing to worry about RJ, I'm not going to lay a hand upon her.'

An expression of relief quickly gave way to a smirk over the pilot's features. 'Good to hear, Captain. Shall we move on to other things? Is there anything else troubling you of late?'

Phil stared down at his hand and flexed the stubby little fingers, was this the hand of a man who could blast off into the universe and save mankind from impending invasion?

'Ah, need say no more. I reckon I have a good idea as to what's troubling you the most right now.' RJ replied to himself over the glass. 'You think that darn fool glove is the only reason you made it last time round and now you're expecting nothing but doom since you ain't got it no more.'

'Annika told me we were the same.' he said, not willing to contribute much in response. 'I just don't see it myself. You guys have made a life out here in space doing all sorts of things, before this I was nothing but a fat man playing computer games. How can I be the bravest man she's ever met if I'm frightened of everything?'

The silence hung in the room for an extended period of time as RJ gave his Captain an appraising look. 'Who says you can't be afraid and brave? It ain't about charging in without a thought to the dangers around you. If that were the only requirement for a Captain then Darwin would still be running this ship. You might have a healthy concern for all the things that could go wrong, but I just call that a sound mind. Compared to some of the folk that are running Star Command you're a first rate tactician.'

He lapsed into silence and silence decided to wrap itself about the room. It was quite a nice room after all.

'Bravery isn't going to be enough to save the world, RJ. Even if you do think I have it.'

The silence was affronted by this intrusion into its newly-claimed space, but soon reasserted itself as Phil waited for a response from his confidant.

Moments passed by in a blue-purple haze that tinted the windows of the Captain's quarters, neither man spoke as each mused over their thoughts. The onus was on RJ to reply but the pilot took his time, determined not to be rushed by the gravity of the situation. The moments continued to flutter through the space and time surrounding the unchristened ship, and with each one that passed the Voravian invasion grew nearer.

'It all boils down to belief in the end, Captain.' RJ finally said after another round of drinks. 'This crew came back for you because we believed in you. We believed that while the glove may have had a... helping hand in what you did, it was mostly you that dictated the actions that unfolded. Your choices, your decisions, your own destiny that we put so much faith into the first time around.'

Phil nodded at him, unconvinced. 'I hope you're right, for all our sakes.'

The doors shot open and both men found their feet, RJ's hand reflexively jumping to his hip and coming up with a small laser pistol ready to burn a hole in whatever was intruding.

'Is this the bathroom?' the spindly figure of Doctor Samej asked, doing the familiar dance of those with weak bladders.

'Fourth down the corridor on your left.' RJ replied in a patient voice.

'I've forgotten where it is!' Samej wailed despairingly, 'Can you show me?'

RJ closed his eyes and took a deep breath before finally holstering his pistol. 'This is the fifth and final time I'm showing you, Doctor. Next time you're going to have to find it on your own, okay?'

Samej looked like a kicked puppy, mumbling a dejected 'okay' before resuming his urgent dance.

'I'll see you in the cockpit Captain, just remember that however bad you think you are.' he stopped to look at Samej who had now pressed himself up against the far wall. 'We all have our own problems and battles to deal with. You are not alone.'

'Thanks RJ.'

The Texan tipped his hat at him. 'Any time.'

Samej let out a high-pitched whine and proceeded to race down the corridor.

'Alright, alright. Hang on to your breeches man I'm coming!' the frustrated sounds of RJ followed him out of the room, leaving Phil alone and with much to think about.

Then again, if a man as curious as Samej could attain the rank of Doctor out here, perhaps he wasn't as hopeless as he thought.

As if longing to find out if the momentary increase in confidence was accurate, the alarm signalled across the ship.

Phil rose to his feet, adjusting his uniform slightly and taking a deep breath. With a new-found perspective on those surrounding him, he made his way out to the cockpit to face whatever trial was next.

Chapter 37

Well! See! Invective!

N
obody had to contact Phil and ask him to come trundling up to the cockpit this time, he was well aware that the sound of an alarm meant he needed to be there post-haste.

He stumbled through the corridors of the ship as they shook ominously, something out there was testing their shields, he only hoped that whoever it was didn't find them wanting.

Once again it appeared as if everyone had made it to the cockpit before him. Slumping into his seat he stared about and prepared for the inevitable inundation that would follow.

The viewscreen popped up in his face and showed a large vessel off their port side powering its laser cannons for another burst. It didn't look like a Voravian ship, that much was easy enough to tell.

'We've been intercepted by a Star Command vessel, identity unknown. They're demanding that we power down our shields and prepare to be boarded.' Smith said.

'Captain, I think I know that ship.' Trigger Hawkins moaned from the con. 'That's the Scavanger sir.'

The Scavanger. Why was that name familiar?

'Incoming hail Captain.' Annika chimed in.

'Incoming hail.' the computer informed everyone on board. 'Have a nice day.'

Annika glared at the speaker from whence the sound had came but said nothing.

'On screen.'

The viewscreen blinked once in recognition of the command and the image of the vessel resolved into a face the crew knew all too well.

Smith groaned.

'Well, well well! Well? Well!' Darwin's smug features enunciated with irritating repetition. 'If it isn't my temporary crew. I trust you are all sitting comfortably?'

'Actually I've been sat here far too long sir, I'm supposed to go to sick bay for a checkup but there's something about that Doctor Samej that...'

'Quiet!' Darwin roared at Trigger, causing the man to somehow sink further into his chair. 'I didn't give you permission to ruin my gloating.' the Captain cleared his throat and continued. 'Thought you had seen the last of me, eh?'