Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:56:03 -0800 (PST) From: Skyler Subject: Chapter 4 of Coldest Place *----------------------------* The following story, novel, or chapter contains homosexual themes and is not intended for anyone under the legal viewing age. If depictions of homosexual activities disturb you, DON'T CONTINUE TO READ! You've been warned. Do not e-mail me and complain or harass me with hate mail over this story. I will ignore you, or, if I find your message humorous enough, I'll probably thank you for the best laugh of my life. Copyright 2007 - Skyler (singerboi22@yahoo.com) This is my second story...take it easy. Thanks :) Thanks to my editor, Kane! Mine Shadow: /nifty/gay/sf-fantasy/mine-shadow/index.html *----------------------------* The Coldest Place Chapter Four -- Memory Tricks "Are you quite finished?" James gritted out through clenched teeth. The doctor examining him was taking his sweet time, and had run so many tests, that James was sure the doctor knew his body better than he did. "I apologize, Captain. But finding two dead soldiers, with no apparent method of expiration, means I have to make sure you're still one of us." James sighed. "Well, try to hurry it up a bit." The doctor merely rolled his eyes without comment, and continued his examination. He'd already cleared the Commander earlier, leaving just James left to poke and prod. It was just the time taken for the examination that was driving James around the bend. With nothing to do, it left his brain in a very comatose state, and all he could think about was his ship. What had happened there? He felt a hot flash of worry in his gut every time he let his mind settle. "We're done here. It seems there's nothing wrong with you." Irritated, James swung his legs off of the bench. "Are you sure, Doctor? Maybe there's a part of me you forgot to test?" The doctor pretended not to hear him, so James simply breezed out of the office, heading straight for the Commander's office. The only thing on his mind was obtaining a pass to get back to his ship. And if the Commander refused, he'd go anyway. In what seemed like just a few minutes flat, he was standing in the shuttle bay, watching a technician start up his shuttle. He'd already established contact with Falke, who assured him everything was fine. But to James, nothing would be okay until he got back in his chair. At least this time his pilot was quiet during the trip back up. When he arrived on the bridge, Falke stood up (a bit lazily, it seemed to James), and swept his arm in a grand gesture. "I've kept her warm for you, James." Of course, Falke was never one for protocol, and James took his seat quietly, thumbing his console to return the command codes back to his control. It was how he preferred to run his ship; he was happy to let everyone else pull rank, but for him, niceties weren't required. Except when dealing with someone else. Falke sat down in the chair next to him, and talked quietly so that he wasn't overheard. "So what really happened down there, James? Don't give me some bullshit story, either. I'm too old for that." James chuckled. "Would I ever bullshit you, Eli?" "We both know the answer to that one." "I'm not sure what happened, Eli. I just woke up in the Commander's office." Eli smirked. "Did you, now?" "It wasn't like that! Don't start talking like we're 18 years old again!" Eli held up his hands. "I wasn't. Just commentin'. Keep it comin'." Rolling his eyes, James continued, "We found two soldiers, dead, on the second level, near an elevator. No obvious cause of death, which is what makes the whole situation even stranger. No sign of any break-ins. No aliens. No Ascendancy forces. Just missing memories, and two soldiers lying in a morgue." "Well, James, do you know what this means?" "What?" "Yah got a mystery on your hands." Eli waggled his eyebrows up and down in a very juvenile manner. "You're supposed to help me, not annoy me." James grunted. "Oh, I'd never do that. Annoy you, that is," he added when James glared at him. "I'm always here to help." "Yeah, you can help by bringing me a cup of coffee." "Whatever the impressive, exalted, illustrious Captain wishes." James couldn't help himself from grinning a little. That was his friend, Eli. Eli always found a way to cheer him up, no matter how bad he felt. Shaking his head, he watched his second-in-command exit the bridge, no doubt not going for coffee of any kind. As he thought about a steaming cup of coffee, his own quarters felt more inviting. They had to stay in the system for a while at least, though right now they were patrolling the far side. Motioning to a Lieutenant standing nearby to take command, James exited the bridge, heading for his quarters. He had no doubt there would be more orders waiting on his terminal when he got there. The walk through the corridors was quiet.Oddly so. A vessel the size of the Galactic, with over two thousand crew, usually meant someone was in each meter of corridor at all times. But on this particular evening, James walked alone though the cold metal web that flowed through his ship. In a way he was grateful for the solitude. So much was going on, all at once, that he was having trouble putting it all in perspective. Talk of spies, his experiences on the base, the whole war -- for just an instant it felt so overwhelming that James forgot to breathe. And he couldn't forget the Commander. It was difficult to put away the thought of someone that attracted him so deeply. Rarely in anyone's life do they ever meet someone quite like that, he thought. And then the sensation passed, but he was no closer to putting his thoughts together now, than he was a moment before. And he sorely wanted to. Right now, he wanted to have everything laid out on a golden platter, directly in front, so he could simply watch all of it as if he were viewing a movie. Distracted by his thoughts, he was startled to find himself already in front of his quarters, with a deepening feeling of fatigue. I'd slept enough at the station, and yet here I am, ready to slumber again, he mused to himself, as he thumbed open the door. A familiar scent filled his nose; clean sheets, and old yellowing books. James was one of the few captains in the fleet that still kept real books around after everything went to e-paper. There was something visceral about touching the words that you were reading, even if only with your eyes. It made them that much more real. So James had a modest collection of books from some of his favorite authors -- Hemingway, King, Brooks, Rollin, and others. He flipped on the lamp sitting on his desk (found easily by the bright blue blinking light indicating he had messages waiting), and sat down heavily in his chair, ready to face (with a growing feeling of exhaustion), whatever they contained. The first few messages were status reports, and crew rotation schedules that he had fallen behind on. The vast majority of the ship's day-to-day operations were handled by Eli, and his set of assistants. James' signature was rarely required on anything; most of the emails were simply copies, to make sure he was kept abreast of ship-wide policies. He thumbed through them, glancing at some of the names but not particularly paying attention to any of it. The next message was a bit more interesting, however, and James felt his heart catch in his throat when he saw the sender: `p.hillerson@cv&d:com'. It was the Station Commander. James figured it was most likely to be a recap of their meeting, and probably the Commander's report to the council, but his heart was already beating fast in his chest. What if it was more? Did the Commander pick up on his attraction? He could feel a glimmer of memory emerging, and he latched on to it. They were in a staircase, tension blossoming between them. But what else happened? James struggled to remember, but it just didn't want to come. And how did they get into a staircase? He didn't remember actually going to one. Perhaps it was part of a dream, he told himself. He'd been out long enough! Yeah that was it, a dream. Feeling far calmer, he tapped the message with his finger and it filled the screen. `James, I was wondering if you'd like to meet me for lunch tomorrow, to discuss what we talked about yesterday. I am anticipating about 1300 hours, if possible. Please reply and confirm. Patrick Hillerson' James leaned back in his chair, his mind in a whirl. In the middle of a war, I am being asked out to a lunch date?! It didn't seem possible, and even felt a bit surreal. Then again, he chided himself, the message asked for a `business' lunch, not a date. He tried hard to squash the unbidden desires in his head that showed him naked, underneath the commander, both of them covered in sweat, lube, and lust. Oh, what the heck, he thought to himself. No one is going to come in right now. And without a moment's thought, he unbuckled his pants. It was fortunate that no one had walked past his quarters a few minutes later, to hear him moaning as he came over his desk. * * * His emails responded to and his reports filed, James came back to the bridge for another late-night star watching session. Although they were in stationary orbit around the station, he couldn't resist the calming monotony of the view. When Eli came through on his regular mid-night inspection, he winked at James. It probably was the hypnotic effect of the stars that lulled James into a blissful, but misguided belief that the Ascendancy was far, far away.. But that effect vanished, when his head cracked against the bulkhead support above him. Cursing, he ordered alert stations. "Captain, two Ascendancy battleships are closing in, bearing 240, mark 0!" "Contact the station, apprise them of our situation." "Aye, sir." He waited for the confirmation. "They're blocking our signal, sir!" "Damn it!" he heard Eli curse, and felt like cursing himself. They had been cut off from support, and it was doubtful that the station would know of the battle this quickly. He felt Eli sit down next to him, and heard him issuing orders to the departments. "Medical, prepare for casualties. Weapons, start loading gun bays 30 through 110, port side." The efficient chatter of his crew filled James with a sense of pride, and confidence, that cut through the fear that gripped him, as the Galactic laboriously turned to face her attackers. The Ascendancy battleships were long, nearly two kilometers long, ships that resembled flying daggers. The bow was blunt, carrying missile launchers and armor generators. Whereas the stern was slender, almost pointed. They moved with a grace that the Galactic did not share, but that left them with one problem: Thin armor, and weak bulkhead supports. A strong punch would quickly knock one out of commission. Eli gave him a quick status update. "All departments are at alert status, but they've taken us by surprise. We've already suffered hull breaches." He saw, and felt, the next wave of missiles impact against the ablative armor covering the bow. With every hit, he felt a twinge of pain - this was his ship being torn apart. "Sir, they've taken out two of our heavy gun batteries! We've got flak cannons firing, but missiles are still getting through!" He had to do something to get the damaged side of the Galactic out of harm's way. Every second screamed at him that it might be his last. "Helm, roll us to port, and bring our starboard bow guns to face the lead battle-cruiser. Fire when ready!" Eli nodded in approval. James was a little surprized. So, the old man thought his moves were sound, did he? The image on the viewscreen flipped, and he saw the face of one of the cruisers loom up close, just before the Galactic let loose with her largest weapon: 6 enormous heavy gun battery emplacements on the bow. Each shell carried a small quantity of matter/anti-matter capsules, surrounded by a layer of shrapnel. The shell would explode, with devastating effect, on contact with anything, be it a vessel, or an asteroid. The entire front of the enemy ship was obliterated in one shot; the first salvo destroying the armor, and the second set behind it igniting the hull itself. James and Eli both watched spidery cracks of red flames streaking across the hull, in a crisscross pattern, as they sought the path of least resistance. The entire section then exploded in a shower of debris, glittering and twinkling in the light of the flaming wreckage. James felt a rush of satisfaction, and winked at Eli. "Tactical status!" He looked towards his new tactical officer, Lieutenant Kaer. Kaer was tall and thin, like most from the Ring Worlds, and possessed of a rigid discipline. "One cruiser is heavily damaged, sir, but still operational. The other is coming around.. And -- " He broke off, reading his console. James wasn't in the mood for time-wasting. "Let's go, Lieutenant, status?" "Another contact on sensors, unidentified. But it's the same size as the battleships. I'd say probably another Ascendant ship." So, the Ascendancy was making a real grab for this area of space? Even the Galactic couldn't face off against three battleships, despite the damage they had already inflicted. They had to get away, and get back to the station. The thought of the station gave James a lurch. The Commander was there. The man that was now starting to haunt his dreams, tantalizing him with a cock he had yet to see...He was beginning to wonder if he would ever get the opportunity to, now. Eli grabbed his shoulder. "You'd be an idiot to fight all them ships!" "You think I don't know that?!" James hissed, annoyed. He wasn't a snot-nosed Ensign, for God's sake! "Just makin' sure your head is on right. We have to get back to the station." He smirked. "To your Commander." James insides turned to ice. Was he that transparent? I couldn't have been, he thought to himself. Eli is just making a joke. He simply glared at his old friend, and turned his attention back to the battle. The ship shook, again. "Helm, get us back to the station! Best possible speed." "They'd be fools to follow." Eli muttered. James had a feeling that the Ascendancy, having been this bold, would probably continue to be. "Sir!" Kaer's voice filled the bridge as he shouted. "Sir! The damaged cruiser was just destroyed!" "What! How?!" Eli's face reflected the amazement in his own. "That other contact -- it's not an Ascendant ship! I'm not sure what it is, sir, but it fired on the enemy battleship, then vanished! The other ship is still following us, and they're firing -- impact!" The helmsman turned in her seat. "Their last shot hit the ion vents. We're floating on inertia now, sir!" A faint scent of burnt circuit-boards started to fill the air; the life support system was sucking in smoke from other damaged sections. James gripped the arms on his chair. They had to get away! But how? An idea started forming in his head -- if it worked, they'd take some seriously casualties. "Kaer, drop a torpedo behind us and target it. Everyone, brace for impact!" Eli looked at him. "What the fuck are you doing, James?" "Getting us out of this before it's too late!" He braced himself against the chair, glancing over to make sure Eli was doing the same. The older man was gripping his chair so hard that his hands were white.James could see the heartbeat pulsing in his throat. "Captain, shockwave approaching in 3, 2, 1 -- " Whatever else Kaer was about to say, was drowned out by the sheer noise of the impact. It felt like a wave of pure sound cascaded over his ears and his face and all of a sudden he felt compressed, as if riding on an antique carnival ride. He saw flashes of what was going on around him, like a bad movie, but when he tried to focus, something else caught his attention. Then the bridge fell on its side, and he saw Kaer drop past him and despite the noise, he heard his helm officer scream, as she struggled to stay in her chair. In a moment it was over, and all he heard was a dull ringing in his ears. Looking around the bridge, he mentally surveyed the damage. It wasn't as bad as it looked, and he could see the on-station medic rushing over to Kaer, who was lying on the floor, unmoving. Eli was still in his seat next to him, just as white-faced as his hands. "James...why the hell didja do that?" He was surprised he could hear Eli over the ringing in his ears. "It worked, didn't it? We're still in one piece, and they haven't fired a shot." Eli dismissed him with a look, and stood up, stepping over debris on his way to the tactical station. "Looks like yer right, Captain. The other ship is damaged, and their weapons are down. But we're not going anywhere, either." He met Eli's eyes, and they both shared a knowing look: Whoever got up and running first, won. James thumbed the ship-wide speaker button. "This is the Captain. Damage control teams are to report to engineering, and critical areas only. All Department heads are to submit damage reports within 30 minutes. That is all." "Communications, can we get any kind of signal out?" His communications officer, Ensign Scott Lowe, was from Earth, and another new member of the Galactic's crew. He shook his head, uselessly playing with the buttons and switches on his console. "Even if they weren't dampening us, the shockwave fried all of the transmitters. We're as mute as you can get." "Damn." "You said it, James." Eli grabbed his shoulder as he passed. "I'm going to go check on Sally, then give a hand in Engineering." James nodded. "Get us up and running, old timer." "You can betcha I will." James watched him leave the bridge, then hurried over to the medic's side. "How is he?" The medic didn't even glance at the captain as he spoke. "He should be out of danger soon, though he's got a severe concussion. I have him awake on stimulants, but I'd prefer to get him to the operating table as soon as possible." James grasped Kaer's hand. "You did great, Lieutenant." "Thank you sir." "Carry on, medic." Now all they had to do was get the engines back on-line, and get back to the station...Before either the Ascendants, or the unknown ships, found them first. To Be Continued!