Communication Chief’s Log, Gwenn, Lauryna SC3C
ISS Tez Magilna MZK-01, Grelau
21-08-2109

I was not expecting to be promoted, and definitely not to end up on the lead ship of the Magilna class, patrolling Sector 25. And though I’m happy to be communications chief aboard the Magilna, I have Izzy with me every day to remind me of how much I’ve failed her….

Lauryna stepped out of the shuttlecraft and onto the deck of the Tez Magilna’s main shuttlebay. She immediately approached the officer who was walking toward her; she would have known who she was even if she wasn’t sporting a star.

“Commander Tam,” Lauryna said, coming to attention. “Senior Crewmate Lauryna Gwenn, reporting. Permission to come aboard.”

“Granted,” the short, blonde woman said. Commander Ammera Tam then extended a hand to Lauryna. “Welcome aboard, Crewmate Gwenn. Can I give you any help with your things?”

“No thank you, ma’am,” Lauryna said, her large pack slung over her shoulders, a smaller bag clenched tightly in her left hand. “I’ve been carrying them from Titan Station, I can carry them a bit farther.”

“Good,” said Ammera, gesturing to the exit of the shuttlebay. “I’ll show you to your quarters.”

The ship’s executive officer led Lauryna along the cramped corridors of the Tez Magilna. “I know, it probably doesn’t seem like much after serving on a Kuklopes–class vessel,” Tam said, “but it’s a good little ship.”

“Aye, ma’am,” Lauryna said. “The Magilna has done some amazing things in its day. Believe me, those of us on the – well, those of us who were on the Gyfjon haven’t forgotten the incident at Sol Vorsha.”

“Indeed,” Commander Tam said, gesturing down a passageway. “It was lucky we were getting our refit at Tantalus. Of course, Captain Thop and I didn’t forget a certain xenolinguist from that ship, and what she managed to pull off that day.”

“Had a lot of help, ma’am.”

“Didn’t we all.”

“Yup. It could have been a lot worse. Permission to speak freely, commander?”

“Always.”

“Just curious; why are you here to meet me? I like to think I’m special, ma’am, but I didn’t expect the XO to greet me.”

Ammera chuckled. “Well, Crewmate, for one thing, we have a crew of 39; we don’t have the luxury of passing much off to underlings. The underlings are usually busy themselves. Being on a Magilna class vessel will teach you to multitask, that’s for sure.”

“I look forward to it,” Laurnya said, as they reached her quarters.

“And second – well, you’re on senior staff now, Crewmate. That merits attention from the XO. And that can be good and bad.”

Lauryna gave Ammera a half-smile. “Aye aye.”

Ammera punched in a code, then nodded to Lauryna, who entered her own access code; the door slid open.

“Alas, senior crew quarters here are about the same size as junior crew quarters were on the Gyfjon; be glad you aren’t double-bunking,” Ammera said with a smile.

“It’s just fine, ma’am. I’m used to it,” Lauryna said, dropping her pack, and walking to the dresser, and carefully – ever-so-carefully – removing a small biomedical container from it.

She regarded it with a sad smile, then turned back to Commander Tam. “When should I report to the bridge, ma’am?”

“Report to Captain Thop at 2800. And if I may ask…is that a human?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lauryna said.

Ammera walked over to the tiny woman suspended in stasis. “Senior staff is allowed to have pets, so that’s fine; any reason she’s in stasis?”

Lauryna bit her lip at the word pet, and instead said, quietly, “She has a disease similar to malymono, ma’am.”

Ammera looked back at Lauryna in surprise. “Malymono? How – ?”

“Long story, ma’am,” Lauryna said. “Dr. Geen on the Gyfjon has been trying to figure out a cure since she got it. Had her put into suspension until he could work it out. He’d hoped it would be a matter of weeks, but it attacks human mitochondria; he still hasn’t got a cure.”

“How long ago was that?” Ammera asked.

“One year and eleven months ago.”

Ammera regarded the human carefully.

“That’s a medical-grade stasis pod. You borrowed one of the Gyfjon’s specimen containers?”

“No, ma’am, used my own credits for it. And the back-up system.”

“That must have set you back quite a bit.”

“She’s worth it, ma’am.”

Ammera turned to Lauryna and gave her a wide smile. “I’m sure she is. Crewmate Gwenn?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

Ammera walked up to Lauryna, and grasped her wrist again, and gave her a truly warm and open smile. “Welcome to the crew of the Tez Magilna. See you at 2800.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lauryna said.

After the XO left, Lauryna set about unpacking. She didn’t have many souvenirs from her time on the Gyfjon – it was funny, she supposed, but the few photos she put up were nothing compared to the person sitting on her dresser.

Carefully, Lauryna set the maglocks to keep the cylinder stable. She smiled, and gave it a gentle kiss. “Izzy, welcome to our new home,” she said, softly.

* * *

Lauyrna had expected to be thrown into work immediately, so she was rather surprised to be enjoying lunch in the cramped conference room off the Tez Magilna’s bridge.

She liked the people she was working with immediately. While it was odd to see Toremalia Thop at the head of the table rather than Aertimus Bass, he was instantly likable, if a bit less polished – even if he hadn’t been wearing a security chief’s certification on his uniform, she would have known he came up through that specialty.

“So Crewmate Gwenn, I know you’re dying to ask,” he said with a grin.

“Sir? I…ask what?”

“Fearful Titan! The Captain will not be offended if you ask him about it!” the pilot said.

“I am not fearful, Crewmate Drrntr! I had no question of the captain!”

“Do not let them upset you, Crewmate. The captain hazes every new senior officer this way. It was quite embarrassing when I came aboard.”

“Crewmate Glennon, you’re wrecking the bit,” Thop said, shaking his head in mock indignation at his Dunnermac security chief.

Lauryna grinned. “I assume, sir, you’re referring to your scar?”

“Indeed I am, Crewmate Gwenn! I’m sure you’re wondering how I got it, and why I didn’t get it cosmetically repaired by now?”

Lauryna leaned back in her seat. She might be about to make a big mistake, but she didn’t think so; she thought Captain Thop would appreciate this.

“I wasn’t, really, but Capt. Bass always told me to indulge senior officers when they want to brag on themselves,” she said.

Thop looked at her, blinked, and burst into laughter. “Gorram!” he said, after he recovered. “You’re one of Bass’s all right! If we could just staff the rest of the fleet with officers from the Gyfjon and the Tez, we’d all have a much better time, that’s what I’ve always said.”

Lauryna grinned. “Agreed, sir. And in all honesty, I am curious – did it happen aboard the Tez?”

“Naw, Dr. Krktll wouldn’t have left a scar if I’d been here. He’s too good for that,” Thop said, nodding to the Ler physician at the end of the table. “No, I got this busting up a fight between Overseers and Drazari.”

“Why?” Laurya asked.

“Good question!” Thop said. “I like you. I wouldn’t have stopped it under ordinary circumstances, but we were on Tatendi Station, and I like the Dunnermacs. I didn’t want their station to get hurt. I was security chief on the Troji back then, we’d stopped in to pick up some supplies….” he said, and Lauryna smiled. She knew it was going to be a lot of work, and she knew there were a lot of friends on the Gyfjon that she’d miss, but she had a feeling she’d like it here – and if Izzy was able to wake up, she’d like it here, too.

* * *

About twenty-four hours later, Lauryna got back to her quarters. She’d had a thorough tour of the ship, and had gotten a chance to check over the comms system – it was set up the same as the one on the Gyfjon, which didn’t surprise her – and had gotten quickly introduced to some of the junior officers on the bridge. Then Capt. Thop had dropped her into the captain’s chair while he met with Commander Tam.

Despite not really knowing the people she was commanding, she’d done fine – the ship was on its course, and there was little that needed to be done but steer it. Junior Crewmate Florem handled that well, and so Lauryna had spent the time getting used to the layout of the Tez’s bridge.

The captain had returned a few hours later, with the ship on course, and Lauryna working with the science officer, Esis Nenca, on a standard systems check – exactly the sort of thing bridge crew should be doing during relative downtime. Thop had grinned and kicked her over to comms, where she’d finished up the rotation; she felt like she’d handled it well enough.

She turned on the light to her quarters, and looked immediately to Izzy.

“Hey, what are you doing?” she shouted.

The person standing by Izzy jumped half a body length into the air in shock. He landed awkwardly, and stared at the angry woman striding toward him.

“I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!”

Lauryna stopped dead. “Why would you think I’d hurt you?” she asked.

The human looked at her, as if sizing her up. He let a lungful of air go. “I’m sorry,” he squeaked. “I…my original owners were…they weren’t good people. I didn’t know these quarters were taken, they were empty before, I used to come in here to think, but….I’m sorry, I should go….”

“I’m sorry,” Lauryna said, softly. “And you don’t have to go. I’m Lauryna. I just got here.”

The human turned to her, and smiled. She had just been upset with him for being near the frozen human. She wasn’t one of those Titans. He could tell.

“Thiosmit,” he said. “You can call me Thio. I am sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. I wouldn’t have come in here if I’d known.”

“I believe you,” Lauryna said, looking him over. He had a beard, and his hair was a bit unkempt, but his clothes were simple and clean, and well-tailored – probably printed out in a replicator. “Are you living with one of the Titans on the ship?”

“Yes, Ammera, and please don’t tell her that you found me here,” Thio said. “I mean, she wouldn’t hurt me or anything. But she’d be disappointed. And I don’t like to disappoint her. She’s a lot nicer than most Titans.”

“So you’re living with Commander Tam? Well, don’t worry. As far as I’m concerned, Thio, you can stop by to visit anytime. Just warn me first, if I’m in the shower I don’t want to be surprised.”

Thio blushed, and looked down for a second, frowning just a bit. “Why do you talk this way?” he asked.

Lauryna tilted her head. “What way?”

Thio looked up. “It’s not bad,” he said. “But usually, if people talk to me, they talk to me like I’m a kid, or stupid, or…or a pet. And that’s something else – you asked me who I lived with. Not who owned me. Why?”

Lauryna shook her head. “I’d rather not get into trouble. I don’t want you telling Commander Tam I disapprove or anything.”

“I won’t,” Thio said. “Does…does this have something to do with her?” he said, looking at Izzy.

Lauryna looked at him; he was fascinated by the woman, suspended peacefully in cryostasis.

So was she, of course.

“It has everything to do with her,” Lauryna said.

“What’s her name?”

“Izzy. Izzy Ibanez.”

“Is she your pet?” Thio asked.

“No,” Lauryna said. “She’s my friend.” She didn’t add the rest of what Izzy was, not because she would ever hide it, but because it just didn’t seem to be the right time to get into it.

“She’s very pretty,” Thio said. He looked at Lauryna. “Why is she frozen?”

“She’s very sick,” Lauryna said. “She was helping explore a new planet. She caught a disease that our doctor couldn’t cure. He froze her until he could, and he hasn’t stopped working. He’s very good, Dr. Geen. If he can find a way to heal her, he will.”

Thio looked back at Izzy. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I hope she gets healed soon. You love her, don’t you?”

Lauryna’s jaw dropped for just a second, before she picked it up. “I…I do. Very, very much. How did you know?”

Thio shrugged. “I’ve always been able to see what people were thinking. Humans and Titans, anyhow. It’s why I was able to figure out you weren’t a bad Titan – you were mad, and that scared me, but you were just worried about her.”

Lauryna nodded. “And you, a bit,” she added. “Because if you unfroze her, you might get what she has. And I don’t want that.”

“Me either,” Thio said. “Just so you know…Ammera isn’t sure that I’m a person. I kinda am…you ever read the blog by a human named Yamanu Neutha?”

Lauryna grinned. “I’ve met Yamanu Neutha. He’s friends with one of Izzy’s best friends. You can read?”

“I’ve been working on it. I used to have the computer read it out to me, but he wrote once that reading is important, and if a human can read, we should. So I’ve been practicing, when Ammera’s asleep, or on a rotation. I’m not perfect, but I’m a lot better than I used to be.”

Lauryna smiled. “I’m sure you are, Thio. If you ever need help….”

“Ammera actually helps me with words sometimes,” he said. “That’s the thing. She isn’t sure I’m a person, but she isn’t sure I’m not. And she says….”

There was a sharp klaxon. “Crewmate Gwenn, this is Commander Ammera, I’m coming in – apologies, security override.”

The door opened, and Thio smiled bashfully as Ammera spied him.

“Thio,” she said, exasperated. “What are you doing here?”

“He thought this room was unoccupied, and wanted to just come in here to sit and think,” Lauryna said. “He was going to leave, but I asked him to stay, so it’s really my fault,” she added.

Ammera looked at Lauryna, and smiled. “He was already in here before you got here, but I appreciate anyone who’s willing to take the blame for Thiosmit.”

“She says Izzy is her friend, not her pet,” Thio said.

Ammera paused at that. “Really?” she said.

“Really. And she knows Yamanu!”

“I’ve met him twice,” Lauryna said. “He’s….”

“He’s friends with Izzy,” Thio said.

Ammera paused. “Izzy is your human, right?”

Lauryna swallowed hard. “She’s…well, she’s mine in that she’s my friend. She’s my responsibility. If the roles were reversed, I’d be her Titan.”

Ammera looked at the tiny woman in the tube, then to Thio, then back to Lauryna. “All right,” she said. “Well, Thio, I assume you thanked Crewmate Gwenn for allowing you to visit?”

“Thank you,” Thio said.

“You’re quite welcome. As I said, you’re welcome anytime.”

“Except,” Ammera said, wearily, “if you want to visit Crewmate Gwenn, you’ll let me know, and I’ll bring you over. Okay?”

“Okay,” he said, stepping into Ammera’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Lauryna!”

“Nice to meet you, Thio,” Lauryna said. “Commander.”

“Crewmate,” Ammera said, nodding.

On her way out, Ammera paused.

“Sometime,” she said, “I want to talk to you, Crewmate. Not with Thio around.”

“Aye, ma’am.”

“I have a few questions,” she said. “And Crewmate?”

“Aye, ma’am?”

Ammera smiled. “I really am sure she’s worth it.”

The door closed, and Lauryna let out a sigh. “Izzy, I tell you,” she said, “when you get unfrozen, I think I’ve found you a friend. But you’ve gotta promise me you won’t corrupt him.”

She looked at Izzy, and grinned.

“I know, Iz. No way you could promise that. Frankly, I’d worry if you said anything else.”

*   *   *

Three Titan Months Later

“I just don’t know,” Ammera said, looking out the viewport. “I mean, I had a human growing up, and she was a total ditz!”

Lauryna sighed. “Well, to be fair, Ammera, I’ve known plenty of Titans who were ditzes.”

Ammera nodded. This wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation.

She’d hoped, as she left with Thiosmit the first night Crewmate Gwenn was aboard, that she hadn’t scared Lauryna. Hadn’t made her worried she’d offended her. Quite the contrary – she had been polite, diplomatic. And she had been as good as her word – she had answered many dozens of questions in the three months she’d been on the Tez Magilna.

“I just…they’re so small. How can they protect themselves?”

Lauryna finished her drink, and sighed. “Ammera…can you keep a secret?” she asked.

This was new, Ammera thought. “Of course,” she said.

“I’m serious. If this gets out…this secret involves Pryvani Tarsuss, ma’am.”

Ammera raised her eyebrows at that. “Okay, you’ve got my attention. And of course I’ll keep this secret.”

“You know she lives on a private retreat in the Tarsuss system, right?”

“I thought she lived in New Trantor.”

“She has homes all over the place, but her main home, the place she calls home, is Avalon, a moon in the Tarsuss System.”

Ammera laughed. “You say this like you’ve been there.”

Lauryna quirked an eyebrow. Ammera got very serious. “You’ve been there?”

“I have,” she said. “More than once. And Pryvani Tarsuss is not at all what you’d think…but that’s not the point. The point is, you’ve heard there’s a refuge for humans there, right?”

“Yeah, like a human petting zoo, right?”

Lauryna smiled. “They have several major cities and last I heard, they were starting on industrialization.”

“Pryvani Tarsuss is building them cities?”

“No no no,” Lauryna said. “They’re building the cities. Pryvani just owns the land. She lets them do whatever they want with it, though. Helps a bit if they ask, but it’s their work, not hers.”

Ammera stared for a moment. “Humans…the humans are building cities?”

“Yeah. And, I mean…It’s nothing compared to Earth. On Earth they’ve got a global interconnected computer network and limited space travel. But it’s proof that humans can do for themselves wherever they’re put down. You’ve heard of Tribe Maris Farms?”

“Don’t tell me humans are running an entire farm!”

“No, just the royal berry operation.”

Ammera was quiet for a moment. When she spoke, it was a bit slower.

“Lauryna…Thio was…what his first owners did to him…if I could, I’d throw my commission away for the chance to visit it on them.”

Lauryna nodded. “He’s told me a bit, and what he’s told me is enough.”

“Right. But…Lauryna, I own him. And the more I talk to you, and the more I talk to him, and the more I read, and the more I look into it…what kind of monster owns another person?”

She wiped her tears away. “If Thiosmit’s a person, how am I better than they are?”

Lauryna smiled, gently. “I told you how I ended up with Izzy, right? Stupid mistake that I wish I could take back. And I can’t. But let’s say she’d been found by some sick bastard like the ones who owned Thio. Is what I did worse than what they might’ve? Gorram, no chance! There’s wrong, and there’s wrong.”

Ammera smiled weakly. “I…I want to just set him free, but…I don’t know where, or how…and I’d miss him. It isn’t that I’d lose him as a pet. He’s…he’s a friend, Lauryna. And I don’t want him to go.”

“Well, you know how you start?” she said, quietly. “You tell him that. Tell him it just like you told me. I’m willing to bet he won’t go anywhere. But it makes a difference when you can choose to stay, when you don’t have to stay.”

Ammera looked over at Izzy. “I still don’t know how you get to girlfriends. But then, if they’re people…it’s probably like being in love with an Avartle or something, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Exactly,” Lauryna said. “She’s a person. Besides, some day, when she’s unfrozen, you’ll have to come with me, visit her and Thio in a holosuite. Second you see her Titan-sized, you’ll get it.”

Ammera grinned. “Really,” she said, raising her glass in a silent toast. “We’ll have to do it. And Lauryna?”

“Yeah?”

“I hope it’s soon,” she said.

“You and me both,” Lauryna said.

Ammera got up from the seat in the observation lounge, and squeezed Lauryna’s shoulder. “And when I do get to finally meet Izzy, I’m gonna make damn sure she knows how lucky she is to have you as her girlfriend. Mikos couldn’t even wait six months for me to get back into port, for Emperor’s sake!”

Lauryna laughed. “Right, Commander. Like you’re going to have trouble replacing her.”

“I won’t! Still, it’s work,” Ammera said. “All right, speaking of, you should get to bed. You’ve got first watch tomorrow.”

Lauryna yawned. “Aye, commander. And Ammera…don’t beat yourself up. Most Titans don’t want to ask the questions you asked, because they’re afraid they’ll get the answers you got. That counts for something.”

Ammera nodded. “Thanks, Lauryna. That means a lot. Really.”

* * *

Seven Titan Months Later

“Not bad,” Niseu Florem said. “Ma’am, if I do say so, I think you’re getting the hang of this.”

“You don’t have to kiss up,” Lauryna said, though she smiled. “I’m still thinking, rather than reacting.”

“Eh, you’re gonna. You’ve only got about a thousand hours on the sim. But between this and how you’ve been doing with shuttles, I’m gonna tell Crewmate Drrntr that you’re ready to get some experience at the helm.”

Lauryna nodded. Though Junior Crewmate Florem was subordinate to her, he’d been an enormous help with training to be a pilot. Lauryna was nearing a third-class rating, meaning she was competent to fly a shuttle. She knew she was a long, long way from advancing to second-class rating. Still, to move up from where she was, she’d need a pilot rating someday. There were plenty of execs and captains who only had second class ratings, and a few with third-class ratings. There was not a single one who lacked basic pilot qualifications, though, and while Lauryna was far from sure that she wanted to be a captain someday…she didn’t want her qualifications to be the reason she never had a shot.

Lauryna thanked Niseu, and stood up; he sat down at the simulator, and punched in a series of configurations that caused Lauryna to stop.

“Mr. Florem…what are you trying to do?”

Niseu chuckled. “Playing around, primarily. Never gonna get a chance to try this, but I was reading a paper – a ship can use the output of an exploding warp drive for propulsion. Incredibly tough, and more likely to fail than not, but it’s something I’ve been playing around with. Might be handy if a nearby ship explodes, though everything would have to come together just right.”

Lauryna looked at the controls. “Basically trying to ride it like a wave?”

“Yeah, using gravitics to keep the ship intact during the spatial distortion. I’ve got it to work a couple times in the sim when I knew where the explosion was coming from, just trying to figure out if there’s any way to make it work if you don’t – so far….”

He laughed as the simulated ship broke apart from the shockwave. “…this is the usual outcome. But if I can figure it out, and someone can use it…I don’t know, I guess we’re all trying to find ways to make the fleet better.”

“The good ones are,” Lauryna said. “Incidentally, Mr. Florem…I understand you’re getting close to taking your line officer certification test.”

“Yeah. Commander Tam says it’ll be in the next few weeks. I probably should be studying….”

“That was what I was going to tell you,” Lauryna said. “Because I want to see you pass. Frankly, so does Commander Tam. I can’t tell you about the test, but I’ll tell you that studying won’t help. What will help is remembering what a captain’s first duty is.”

“Your first duty is to the ship.”

“Exactly.” Lauryna knew he was not in for a fun time, even if the simulation Ammera Tam ran for Florem would be less difficult than the one Lemm Tam had cooked up for her. Lauryna shuddered. She’d made the right choices…and hoped she’d never have to do anything like that in real life.

Florem nodded. “Thanks, ma’am. And I appreciate the vote of confidence. Not that I’ll be in command much. Just happy to be in the mix given the skill of this ship’s senior staff.”

“Told you, Mr. Florem,” Lauryna said with a smirk, “you don’t have to kiss up.”

* * *

Six Titan Months Later

The Tez Magilna turned and accelerated toward the Drazari interloper. “We’ve got ‘em,” Thop said, with a smile. “Crewmate Gwenn?”

Lauryna nodded. She was coordinating communications between the pursuing Imperial ships, so she kept the transmission brief, not even bothering to bring the translation matrix online. “Drazari vessel, this is the Imperial Starship Tez Magilna. You have three Imperial ships surrounding you, you aren’t going anywhere. Stop engines and hold your course.”

Lauryna shook her head as the reply came back. “Their answer doesn’t exactly translate, but what of it does is remarkably profane,” she said.

“Why am I not surprised?” Thop sighed. “Crewmate Glennon?”

“Aye, sir, I have their engines targeted.”

“Fire disruptors, just enough to incapacitate them.”

The Dunnermac quickly reacted, and the Tez fired a pulse that struck the Drazari interloper directly in the engineering section.

“Direct hit. They’ve lost warp,” Ammera said.

“Captain, Captain Solis is hailing us,” Lauryna said.

“Bring him up. Ziah, we’ve got them slowed up for you.”

“I can see that, Tor,” the Jidde’s captain replied in sonorous tones. “Nicely done. We’ll take it from here. You can drop from black alert.”

The Jidde came into view, dwarfing both the Drazari ship and the Tez. “Well, Ziah can take the glory,” Thop said. “But that’s our collar. Nice work,” he said with a grin.

Lauryna let go of a deep breath, and turned back to her station. There were still comms flying back and forth between the Tez, the Jidde, and the Daendebae, which had just entered the system. Lauryna looked over to the deputy comms officer and grinned; Junior Crewmate Riases was not long out of the academy, and had been more than a little concerned about her first combat mission.

“Nice job, Ms. Riases,” Lauryna said. “You okay?”

“Aye aye,” Riases said, staring at the terminal.

“Yeah, I remember my first combat mission,” Lauryna said. “I was about as okay as you. You need a moment?”

“No, ma’am. But…thanks.”

“Let me know, okay?”

“Well, I have some paperwork to fill out. Commander?” Thop said, rising. “Crewmate Drrntr, the bridge is yours. Crewmate Gwenn, would you be so kind as to take the helm?”

“Aye, sir,” Lauryna said, keeping her groan internal. She had less than five hundred hours of real time at the helm of the Tez, and she still didn’t feel completely comfortable there. Shuttlecraft? No sweat. But a capital ship? That still made her nervous. And while she knew this was kind of the Captain – this was technically combat helm experience, which she needed to get to Second Class rating – she sometimes wondered if she shouldn’t instead ask to get certified in something less stressful.

Nevertheless, Lauryna rose, and said simply, “Ms. Riases, take comms,” and walked to the helm as Drrntr took the captain’s chair.

“Crewmate, move us safely away from the hostile!” Drrntr said. “The Jidde has them covered!”

“Aye, ma’am,” Lauryna said. “Backing us off, 174.2 carom 2.1, maneuvering impellers.”

The Tez began to back up slowly, until it could get into position to back up quickly.

That’s when the disruptor blast hit the Jidde.

The Drazari ship roared to life, and turned and fled the two large cruisers, heading in the general direction of the Tez Magilna.

“Prepare to engage!” Drrntr said. “Crewmate Gwenn, attack vector Ishaytan!”

“Attack vector Ishaytan, aye,” Lauryna said, hoping that the hours spent on the sims had at least gotten her to competent. She just had to hang in there until the Captain got back to the bridge, and Drrntr could take the helm….

She saw it develop suddenly, as if in a nightmare. The Drazari vessel abruptly turned, heading directly onto a collision course. There was no doubt – they expected this attack vector, and they were going to destroy both ships.

Lauryna had just a quarter-second to react. She hit four buttons simultaneously, causing the Tez to groan and shudder as its gravitics fought against themselves. But it was enough. The Drazari vessel missed the Tez by but a few hundred units. It tried to turn, but Crewmate Glennon wasn’t taking any chances. He fired a full missile spread.

The Drazari vessel pinwheeled out of control, and exploded, sending yet another shockwave through the Tez Magilna. Lauryna was barely aware of fighting the controls, trying to reestablish the ship’s equilibrium, when she heard the Captain’s voice.

“Sitrep!” Thop cried.

“The hostile attempted to flee! I ordered an Ishaytan attack, but they expected it – had Crewmate Gwenn not spotted it, we would be dead!” Drrntr said.

“Hostile destroyed,” Glennon called. “I fired missiles at it, I’m sorry, I know we wanted to take its crew, but….”

“You did the right thing, Crewmate,” Thop said, nodding to Drrntr, who in turn relieved Lauryna. “Did you engage fore gravitics while we were full forward, Crewmate?”

“Aye, sir,” Lauryna said. “It was the only think I could think of that could engage in time.”

“That’s because it’s the only thing that could, Crewmate Gwenn. Nice work.”

“Sir,” Riases said, “Captain Solis is hailing us.”

“On vox. This is Tez Magilna actual. Ziah, that was too damn close.”

“Indeed,” Solis said. “I am quite surprised your helm officer was able to react as quickly as she did. My compliments.”

“I’ll pass them along,” Thop said. “They anticipated our attack vector, Ziah.”

“I know. It concerns me. Captain, can you speak with me in your office?”

“Was gonna ask the same thing. Commander, you have the bridge, send out damage control teams. And Crewmate Gwenn – again, nice job.”

“Thank you, sir,” Lauryna said. Seven minutes at the helm. She could live with that. “Ms. Riases, I will take comms.”

“Aye, ma’am,” the junior comms officer said. Then, quietly, she asked, “Crewmate Gwenn…how are you so calm?”

“The good news is that you get used to it, Ms. Riases,” Lauryna said. “That’s also the bad news.”

* * *

Six Months Later

“Why do you talk to her?”

Lauryna started; she’d been so busy with work that she’d almost forgotten the human was there. The Tarsusscom array they’d installed had already dramatically improved communications, but there was a lot of documentation that went along with the new system. The brass wanted to be sure that they were getting a good return on their investment. Lauryna thought it was silly. The very idea that Pryvani Tarsuss and Naskia Freeman would team up to rip off the Empire…it didn’t pass the laugh test. And she’d been telling Izzy about that, when Thio interrupted.

Thio watched the Titan carefully, and he sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That was…that was rude of me. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“No, it’s…it’s okay, Thio,” Lauryna said, though it clearly wasn’t. She leaned back, and rubbed her eyes. “I know Izzy very, very well. I used to talk to her all the time. There’s so much I love about her, but she was always, always someone I could talk to, from the very first day I met her. I think I love that most of all.

“And I know…I know she can’t answer me, Thio. But I know her so well, that I can hear her comebacks. I can hear her jokes, and her teasing, and her kindness, and her love.”

Lauryna ran a finger over the cryopod. “She’s alive, in there. She’s alive, and someday she’s going to wake up, and if she can forgive me for how long she was frozen….”

Lauryna stopped, because it had been so very long. Two years, fifteen months, two days, four hours, eighteen minutes. Almost three Titan years – about seventeen of Izzy’s.

Lauryna never forgot to count, never forgot to add each second to her guilt.

She was afraid, she had to admit. Afraid that when Izzy did wake up, and was cured, that she would want nothing to do with the woman who had carried her around for years. She had begged her not to put her into stasis, and Lauryna had ignored that plea.

If Izzy woke up, she may want to leave her. May want to head to Avalon, hang out with Darren. May never want to see Lauryna again.

She knew all that, and accepted it, because she loved Izzy, and she would rather Izzy hate her and have a life than die loving her. (She tried to take solace in Darren Xanthopolous’s admonition, whenever she mentioned this, that Izzy didn’t know what the hell she was saying, got’damn it, and if she wasn’t properly grateful to Lauryna when she woke up, he’d…well, he wouldn’t kick her ass, because she was a girl, but he was damn sure he could talk Lysis into it.)

Lauryna could accept it, if Izzy woke up and hated her.

What terrified her was the possibility that she might not wake up.

Geoff Geen was as gifted a doctor as she had ever met, and he hadn’t given up looking for a cure. Indeed, he’d spread the net far and wide, from a physician and professor on Archavia to the Great Ocean Science Council. But nothing they’d theorized had worked. The parasite that infected Izzy was novel, with a genetic code that was different than anyone had ever seen. He didn’t know how to attack it without killing Izzy.

Someday…not today, not for a long time, but some day…if Dr. Geen called and said he couldn’t cure it….

Lauryna knew what she would have to do. If it was incurable, she would have to wake Izzy up, and tell her. And endure all Izzy’s anger at her, and all her own failure. And she would have to let Izzy die hating her.

But she would have to do it. Because Isabel Ibanez had fought too damn hard to die in her sleep. She deserved a chance to meet death head-on.

“I’m sorry,” Thio said. “I…I wish I could trade places with her.”

“No you don’t,” Lauryna said. “That’s my wish. Get your own.”

Thio smiled, and stood up. “I don’t know her, but I think I’ve gotten to know her by listening to your side of the conversation, Crewmate. I remember once that you said she asked not to be frozen, right?”

“Yeah,” Lauryna said. “Thanks for reminding me.”

“You don’t need reminding. You carry that guilt along with her. Lauryna…you trust her. I have to believe she trusts you too. She’ll forgive you when she’s cured.”

“If she’s cured,” Lauryna said, softly.