Duty, Honour, Love

Outside she hurried to her quarters remembering to grab Mr Bear on the way. Whatever happened her mind was on Allie and claiming her stuffed toy was her top priority. Jane’s quarters was a small room three metres long by two wide. Mark’s wasn’t that much larger than hers’ space was a premium on a ship this size. The door slid open and Jane caught the stench of unwashed bodies and clothes. Ignoring the smell she headed over to the locker on the far side of the room and opened it. At the bottom was a canvas duffel bag. She pulled it out and threw it on her bed then tried and failed to take a calming breath. “Damn woman!” Jane said stuffing her dirty clothes in the bag. In went her uniforms not that she had anything else to wear as with all her clothes she hadn’t been able to wash anything. A suddenly noise behind her had her turning a pair of panties in her hand. Hastily she hid them behind her back as she faced Dareia. “What do you want!” she demanded.

Dareia gestured to Jane’s bag. Being telepathic couldn’t help you speak an alien language.

“My gear needs washing!” she said blushing unsure why she would be embarrassed for Dareia to see her dirty underwear.

Dareia stepped closer, a well of sympathy spring up inside her. Jane’s story was dire no matter what way she looked at it. Melissa or Jane as she called herself now had been subjected to mental and physical abuse. Although she hadn’t been sexually molested but that didn’t excuse what had been done to her because she had refused to conform. Melissa had been raised in a strict religious house both her parents had more money then title. It was their ambitions had driven a young Melissa to rebel. Dareia knew of her escape as if she had been there but that was what being a tepe did to you. Her trust fund a present from her grandparents at her coming of age helped with her escape. Melissa’s biggest regret was the friend she had made as a runaway a friend that died. Dareia wasn’t to clear on how the friend had died Melissa had blocked herself from all memories of that. Melissa had stolen her dead friend’s ID and with the money from the trust fund changed her identity. Melissa now Jane’s biggest regret and guilt was of leaving her friend’s body in an alley and walking away.

Dareia stepped closer to her almost touching as she pushed past Jane and picked a few items Jane had yet to put in the bag. She folded the items and put them in the bag. Jane watched her mouth half-open shock clearly written across her face. Only when had Dareia zipped up the bag and had handed it to her she spoke. “Thank you.”

Dareia was unsure why she had done that. Somewhere in the back of her mind was a warning from her teachers. She had delved too deep into another’s mind, almost making a mind link with the human. She turned and hurried out leaving a confused Jane behind. That had been too close.

Jane stared at the door after Dareia had left the T’Arni had left her more questions than answers. Daisy found her before she could chase after Dareia and confront her over her behaviour.

“Ma’am we have a problem,” Daisy stated.

“Tell me about it?” Jane replied her mind on Dareia.

Daisy gave her an odd look before speaking. “Jaye and Cain have encountered a problem with the torpedoes.”

Jane didn’t like the sound of that. “Where are they?”

“In the forward torpedo bay.

”

Jane dumped her bag on her bed and hurried out Daisy trailing behind.

She could hear an argument as she reached the door to the forward torpedo room. Cain and Jaye were in a full blown argument neither took attention of her as she entered. The forward torpedo room was a long rectangular room. There were two cradles to slide the torpedoes into the launch tubes and consoles for manual firing and loading. Both cradles were empty and on a small table beside one of the tubes was a set of tools. Torpedoes were loaded here but were stored elsewhere a automatic system brought the torpedoes to here and they could be either hand or auto loaded.

“Attention!” Daisy barked. “Officer on deck!”

Both stopped and turned snapping to attention. The Confed soldier with them just looked on amused. The smile slipped from his face as Jane fixed him with her glare.

“What’s this all about?” Jane growled at them.

“The torpedoes are stuck in the tubes. The recall mechanism is malfunctioning.” Jaye told her.

“If that’s the case?” Jane paused with a look to the Confed soldier. “Why are you arguing?”

“Cain wants to leave them in the tubes and disable the console so they can’t be fired,” Jaye said.

“And you?” Jane asked.

“Wants to get the torpedoes recalled so we can disarm them. I feel uneasy leaving live torpedoes in the tubes.”

Jane pushed past them an examined the console. She could see multiple warning icons scattered across the console. Vainly she tapped a few icons but nothing changed. “I doubt even with Strong’s expertise we get these torpedoes to recall. The only thing we can do safely is disable the firing controls.”

“Yes ma’am,” Jaye said reluctantly.

Jane gave Cain her best glare and he swallowed hard his grin fading from his face. She gestured to the control panel. “I want this off.”

There was a lot of grunting a swearing as Jaye and Cain pried off the panel it hadn’t meant to be removed. There was a mass of cables and relays behind the panel. Jaye reached in to pull the cables out.

Some sense told Jane that would be a bad idea. “Just disconnect them we may have need of it later.” She wasn’t sure why but what she said made sense.

They did the same to the point defence railguns and the main gun. Jane made sure the consoles were disabled.

She sat in the mess hall although mess hall was a bit of a misnomer but everyone called it that, drinking the last of the coffee. The rest had been loaded onto the ATV. A laborious task since none of the ATV’s would come anywhere close to the beach. Daisy sat with her alone for the moment they had the room to themselves. The only noticeable absence was Dareia, Jane hadn’t seen her since her quarters incident. Somehow she missed Dareia’s presence and was at a loss to explain why.

“What do you make of the Confed Lieutenant,” Jane asked Daisy.

“I find her ok,” Daisy answered looking puzzled. “Why do you ask?”

“She acts weird around me.” Jane tried to justify her uneasiness but found she couldn’t

“That’s T’Arni ma’am. What do you expect they’re aliens, aliens to us ma’am?”

“You don’t need to keep calling me ma’am all the time.”

“Sorry ma’am ah Jane what I was saying even their humans are aliens.”