Time Over Time by John Mark Tucker

Author:John Mark Tucker [Tucker, John Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-05-26T18:30:00+00:00

18

An hour after Jaxx and Sage departed, the faint calls heard now and then from the closed bulkhead door have subsided. It’s very quiet in the cockpit now. Mushi eyes me hungrily from the living area as she spends time in another Gama language lesson with Adams. I sit in Jaxx’s command chair watching over the sensors and status gauges, wondering what my parents are doing and what Jaxx’s parents could be doing on that tiny moon that Sage found. I hope he’s right, as I don’t think I could stand watching her heart break if they were forever lost.

The Leviathan ship continues its eerie, slow tumble in front of me. I just sit and stare at it, imagining the drama of the Ronins’ escape.

One of the scanners blips. It’s the short-range scanner and I work the controls to try and get more detail. I am the first to admit, I am far from the scanner experts Jaxx and Sage are. That said, the readings cause my hair to rise on the back of my neck.

Whatever it is, it’s close. Very close.

Oh shit.

I press the intercom button and speak into the mic.

“Guys. Really sorry to interrupt, but we’ve got an unknown just three hundred klicks away on the short-range scanner.”

I hear my voice echoing throughout the ship.

The scanner beeps again and the range is now 280.

“It’s closing,” I add.

I’ve barely finished speaking and the bunk bulkhead door opens. Jaxx and Sage both stumble out of it, half clothed and scrambling to finish dressing. Adams and Mushi watch them as they rush through the living area and into the cockpit. Honestly, it’s pretty impressive how fast they managed to get as dressed as they are. Sage makes it first to his command chair.

“What is it?” he asks, panting.

“I have no idea,” I answer. Jaxx is staring down at me in her chair.

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” I quickly get up. She sits and I notice her T-shirt is on backwards and inside-out. I decide now is not the best time to inform her of that.

Both Sage and Jaxx begin furiously working their controls. I realize all our solar panels are out and go to my command chair and begin the process of retracting them.

“Jack, do we have juice?” she asks.

“Fully charged, Captain.”

“Please stop calling her that,” Sage grumbles as he peers at his scanning results.

“What the fuck is that thing?” he murmurs to himself. Adams and Mushi have entered the cockpit and watch.

“I’m getting, wait…organic…readings?” Jaxx asks over to Sage.

“Uh, yeah, so am I. What are you getting for the size?”

“Geeze,” murmurs Jaxx, “it’s huge. It’s…like…twenty, thirty times the size of the Leviathan.”

“That’s what I’m getting. It’s about twenty miles long.”

Sage maneuvers our ship slightly, turning so we can see whatever is approaching.

“It’s coming right at us,” Jaxx says, her voice sounding more and more urgent.

“I don’t think so,” Sage responds. “I’m pulling us away from the Leviathan. I think that’s where it’s headed.”

“How close?” I ask.

“Hundred ninety klicks,” Sage returns.

“Can you see it?” Jaxx asks.

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