phil jones2 (56 page)

'Star Command this is the SC Bravery, transmission acknowledged.' came Semaj's voice, sounding tighter and more serious than Phil had ever heard it.

He looked across the faces of his crew for suggestions or information, but they continued to stare at the Voravian ship on the screen as if transfixed.

'Captain Semaj, we have an incoming transmission from the Voravian vessel. Shall I cut the transmission to the rest of the crew?'

Phil couldn't help but notice that the computer could have been talking about them or the Scavanger's crew. Or both.

'Negative computer. Captain Jones will be taking the transmission in the cockpit.'

He would?

All eyes turned to him, and silence reigned.

'I believe that the doc is relinquishing command to you, Captain.' RJ said, trying to prompt Phil into action.

Was it really going to be that easy? After all this?

'RJ, stay with Terry and Annika. Smith, Trigger, you're with me.'

RJ nodded his approval and then Phil promptly abandoned the sick bay, it wasn't the first time that he didn't have a clue what he'd be greeted with when he got to the cock pit.

As it turned out, the cock pit was pretty much the same as he had left it, and he seated himself cautiously in his Captain's chair as Smith manned his usual weapons station without word and Trigger slid into con to form the semblance of a crew.

That was when the slightly pixellated image of Doctor Semaj appeared on the screen.

'Hello Captain!' he cried, enthusiasm bubbling over at having someone else to talk to.

'Er... hello Doctor Semaj.' Phil replied. 'Why did you invite us back to the cock pit?'

The Doctor steepled his fingers in a mockery of what a civilised man would have considered thought. 'I just got a transmission from the Voravian ship that I thought you should take instead.'

A message? What for? Why defer now when he had complete control? None of this made any sense to him.

'I'm going to come out of the computer now, please don't hurt me.'

In a rare moment of unity, Smith and Trigger shared a look of disbelief.

'Ok then... whenever you're ready Doctor.' Phil replied, playing along in the hope that nothing terrible would happen.

There was a flash from the view screen and it resolved into a much more life-like rendition of Doctor Semaj who hurtled with a scream through the air and came to a splayed rest at the Captain's feet.

'Please don't hurt me.' he repeated, trying to rearrange his limbs and failing.

'We shall deal with you later Doctor.' Smith assured him. 'Now get away from the Captain and go back to sick bay, your... talents are needed there.'

Semaj promptly scuttled off without further word, not before tripping over several thing and getting his lab coat stuck in the door though.

When the Doctor's din had been muffled Phil turned his attention elsewhere. 'Computer, transmission on screen.'

'Yes Captain Jones. Have a nice day.' the computer informed him in its typically saccharine voice.

The view screen resolved into the beleaguered face of the Voravian Translator. 'This is the Voravian Empire to any and all opposing ships in the area. We surrender unconditionally.'

Several things happened then. The view screen decided to morph into an image of Darwin screaming at them not to accept, then an image of Burroughs superimposed itself upon that and offered the same sentiment with more spittle. The communication speakers crackled into the manic-sounding Professor Hanniman demanding that they not accept.

Then there was silence and the Translator returned.

'I apologise for the interruption in this call.' the computer said. 'Your regular communications have been restored.'

'Thank you computer.' Phil said, and then turned to Trigger and Smith. 'Suggestions?'

'While I am loathe to agree with Darwin about anything, the Voravians want time to lick their wounds and then attack us anew.' Smith said.

Phil nodded, turning his chair so that the focus was upon Trigger. 'And you Ensign?'

Trigger had that deer in the headlights look about him, clearly no wanting to be the centre of attention. 'I... I don't think we should just kill them.'

'Why not?' Smith interjected. 'They had no compunction when it came to destroying us.'

'I just...' Trigger stammered into silence.

'You just what?' Smith pressed. 'Want them to come back and kill us all?'

'I dunno... I just feel we were so close to peace and if we were to butcher them all...' he failed to finish his sentence after the continuous glare from Smith finally broke his nerve.

They both had good points. If he were to accept their surrender he could be setting up further reprisal in the future. If he were to reject it then he would be directly responsible for the slaughter of a race they almost had peace with.

'We can't do it.' he said at last, after much pondering. 'Put audio back on, Trigger.'

'Aye Captain.' Trigger said with no small amount of uncertainty. Phil realised now that he hadn't told either of them of his final decision.

'We have decided to accept your surrender.' Phil informed the Translator. 'Withdraw your fleet from our space. Our diplomats will sort things out.'

The Voravian nodded and uttered his thank before the transmission terminated and his ship vanished into hyperwarp.

And that was the end of the Voravian Conflict. For now.

'Warning, unauthorised breach in progress.' the computer said, catching Smith open-mouthed at the point of remonstration.

'Computer, details!' Smith shouted in annoyance.

'Several individuals from the former hull of the Scavanger have entered the Bravery.' it said, displaying blinking dots on the view screen.

The intercom crackled open. 'Jones we have your position surrounded and the rest of your crew captured. Come out peacefully and hand the ship over to Star Command!'

That was unmistakably Darwin's voice. Oh well, it had been a good run.

'Open the doors, Agent Smith.' he signalled to the security officer.

'But Captain...'

'That's an order. I'll not have you sacrificing yourself for nothing.'

Smith growled under his breath but reluctantly did as he was told.

Captain Darwin marched in, flanked by heavily armed security officers who swiftly disarmed Smith.

'Final chapter, Jones!' he crowed.

Chapter 50

! ! !

C
aptain Darwin was cock of the walk, and awfully pleased with himself. She may have only been a woman but Anne had been correct in guessing that the recharge at Star Command had in turn re-activated the life support, allowing them to send a boarding party of bridge crew out to claim the rebel vessel. Good thinking, that woman.

Now he was finally triumphant over Jones and could take him into custody that would result in the heroic ticker-tape adulation he so richly deserved.

'It's over Jones!' he bellowed, trying to ignore the growing taste of egg-nog in his mouth. 'Step away from the command chair and don't make any sudden moves.'

Much to his disappointment, the traitor Captain didn't go for a secreted gun or weapon and as a result he couldn't shoot him on the spot. Even more infuriating was that the man was doing the exact opposite of quivering in his boots, his flabby face was as placid as a Buddha statue.

'You're right Captain.' Jones admitted in what was almost a pleasant tone of voice. 'I knew there was only so long I could evade Star Command. Ultimately if in doing so we have saved the lives of billions of humans and Voravians alike then so be it.'

The guards pointing their guns at him shifted uncomfortably, but Darwin was having none of it.

'You are a traitor and a coward and I won't have any of your preaching. Guards, take him away!'

The guards had been distracted by the re-opening of the cockpit doors. Within them stood a spindly figure barely noticeable amongst all the bodies gathered here.

'Hello.' he said.

Darwin arched an eyebrow. 'Can I help you? Why is this man not in captivity with the rest?'

'You didn't notice me, neither did your guards. I just wanted to tell the Captain something before I went back to sick bay.'

'Go on then.' Darwin said, gritting his teeth and fighting down the urge to blast the man. 'What is it?'

The odd man blinked, as if he hadn't been expecting a response. 'I meant the real Captain, not you. Captain Jones sir, there was something I neglected to tell you before.'

The man's strange and cartoonish voice seemed sombre in tone, as if a great burden had been placed upon him by delivering this message.

'What is it, Semaj?' Phil prompted, much to the infuriation of Darwin. Who was he to still be talking when so many armed weapons were pointed his way?

'Well sir, it's just that when I was in the computer I decided to deactivate the Scavanger's weapons.'

'Preposterous!' Darwin scoffed, interrupting. 'We fired all we had at you, there was no malfunction.'

The slightest twitch of irritation passed across this Semaj's features and was gone. 'I wasn't talking about the ship's weapons, I meant the weapons in the ship.'

Darwin stared down at the pistol he was holding. 'You're bluffing!'

Semaj walked over and pressed his bony chest directly into the path of fire. 'No, I'm not.'

There was the slightest moment of hesitation on Darwin's part and then his trigger finger took control of the situation, burning a hole in the irritating man.

Well, his trigger finger certainly went down anyway. There was a distinct lack of holes.

'This weapon on the other hand is... fully functional.' Agent Smith informed him, levelling it at the guards and shepherding them out of the cockpit.

Anne levelled a kick at him just as she was leaving, and the Agent snapped an arm up to block the attack. Without hesitation he ignited his own trigger and the woman burst into a screaming pile of ash.

Darwin knew when to hedge his bets, Jones and his crew had the upper hand again.

'I still have the glove, Jones!' he gurgled at him from the increasingly pungent flavour of egg-nog in his throat. 'You can't have it back!'

He watched the other Captain swallow, then extend his hand.

Pins and needles shot up and down his arm, then with an immediacy that scared him, the taste in his mouth was gone. Indicating to the small part of his mind that was still rational that something had changed.

'Actually, it looks like you don't have a choice in the matter, former Captain Darwin.' Jones said, flexing the newly sparkling glove that rested upon his hand. 'It would appear that the glove wanted to be with me after all.'

Darwin stared for a moment, then down at the balled fists of his hands that were equally bare and made a lunge for Jones.

Agent Smith's own fist invited the darkness in.

'Take them all to the brig.' Phil motioned to the Agent. 'If any of them are out of line feel free to shoot them.'

'Yes Captain.' Smith replied with grim certainty that wasn't lost upon the dozen men he pushed down the corridors of the Bravery.

The cockpit doors shut automatically behind him, leaving a faintly charred smell but nothing else to indicate Darwin's failed attempts at wresting the ship from him.

'It looks like it's just you and me now, Ensign Hawkins.' Phil said, landing back down in his Captain's chair with a thud. 'Hail the Human Genome Station and tell them that...'

Except the familiar star field of the view screen wasn't there any more. The walls of the cockpit had faded out, replaced with the grey polygon and white light of a simulator, he could hear cheering over the intercom.

The hatch of the holodeck (as Phil thought of it) opened and fluorescent light streamed in. The cheers grew much louder as men in white coats bustled around him, unstrapping him from restraints and testing his vital signs.

His eyes flicked down to his hand, and the glove sparkled back at him cheerfully.

Had this been the test all this time?

'Careful man.' a distinctly calm Professor Hanniman said. 'You're going to be somewhat disorientated after that.'

Phil blinked repeatedly and nodded his head. This iteration of the Professor didn't seem crazed or evil at all.

He heard the sound of other hatches opening then, he hadn't been alone in this.

As he groggily made his way out of the hatch the cheers erupted once more. Hundreds of men and women in white lab coats with what looked to be Captain Darwin and Grand Admiral Burroughs all applauding him.

He stared to his left and saw the other pods, identical to his own simulator and also containing the equally groggy members of his crew.

'Silence please, silence!' called the Grand Admiral, and a hush fell upon the subservient scientists and Engineers in attendance.

'As I'm sure you're all wondering at this time, I figured that an explanation was due.' he stood upon some sort of podium overlooking them all now. 'You have all taken part in an elaborate screening process designed to find the most capable command structure for our newest vessel, the SC Bravery. As you may have noticed the simulation was reliant most upon the mind of your would-be Captain, Mr. Jones.'

Phil looked over at the swaying members of his crew and they only had eyes for him.

'It made for a most entertaining viewing initially, but as the glove and its wearer began to work in tandem the simulation soon shed its comedic tone.'

He was right. At the beginning it had all seemed so light-hearted and manic, but the longer it had gone on the more serious the nature of their dilemma seemed.

Darwin smiled at him then and gave him a wink and the pieces began to fit. The man had intimated as much in a conversation with him while he was held hostage. He had told him that Phil had no idea what was going on, that he hadn't figured it out.

Now he had.

'In conclusion I have the utmost confidence that this simulation has prepared you for the task ahead, each of you shall receive a debriefing from your equivalent aboard the Scavanger before being taken to the docks and assigned to the Bravery. Carry on.'