Either Side of the Strand by Hogarth M.C.A

Author:Hogarth, M.C.A.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Studio MCAH
Published: 2015-05-06T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

Taylitha jumped awake, head swimming with admirals, aliens, and images of Alysha and Alastar in identical, dripping comas. She shuddered in her blankets, then flopped over and stared at the glowing chronolog floating over her workspace. Barely after 6 mark. She’d only been asleep an hour and a half or so. Maybe two.

“An in space,” she said with a groan. “The report. Alysha!” She whistled open a channel.

“Computer, patch me to Steffis.”

Silence. Taylitha used it to wonder how embarrassed she should be if in the intervening hours Steffis had left her a message that she’d failed to check before her frantic call. She’d decided on ‘not embarrassed, but not demanding’—after all, they were supposed to have called her fifteen minutes after her first request, and they hadn’t—when the computer answered.

“Lieutenant Steffis is not responding.”

Taylitha dropped the blanket from enervated hands. “Excuse me?”

“Lieutenant Steffis is n—”

“Never mind that,” Taylitha said, waving a clawed hand in the dark. “Get me Darya.”

“Lieutenant Darteriov is not responding.”

Taylitha gaped, sinking back down onto the mattress. “I guess it’s too much to ask for the captain,” she said in a small voice.

“Alysha Forrest is not available.”

Taylitha buried her face in her hands. “Oh God in the sunlit heavens, oh An and Bast and God. No. Can’t panic. Computer, can you locate Darya or Steffis?”

“The transceivers in Lieutenant Steffis’s and Lieutenant Darteriov’s telegems are not responding.”

What had they said last time she’d talked to them? They’d located the captain in the caves, but there was an octopus in the way and they’d called a biologist to investigate. “Basil to the Biology Lab.”

“Tara Demier here. How can I help you, sir?”

“Good morning, Tara. Was a biologist sent downstairs earlier?” Taylitha asked.

“Ah, yes. Ensign Perralta. She should still be on planet. Lieutenant Darya called her down.”

“That’s all I needed to know,” Taylitha said. “Thanks.” She whistled that closed, then took a long breath and said, “Computer. Ensign Perralta please.”

“Ensign Perralta is not respo—”

“—onding, right,” Taylitha said. Had they even found the captain before succumbing to whatever it was that lurked in that cave? An unbidden image flashed before her eyes: an angry yellow eye nearly lost against the swollen flank of an immense shark. She shuddered. What could she do? Send more people after them? What if they got lost as well?

Darya, Steffis, the biologist... surely they were competent, just like the captain. Still, she couldn’t trust that they’d come back on their own. Taylitha whistled the computer to the main channel being used for command traffic for the digs.

“This is Basil.”

Two “Good mornings,” greeted her, the officers currently overseeing both sites. No doubt several score more were listening in, though they were barred from adding to the traffic.

“If any of you see Steffis, tell her I’m looking for her,” Taylitha said, doing her best to sound like a slightly irascible, under-slept commander and not a desperately worried one left in command of the starship. “She and Darya had an assignment last night and they seem to have gotten lost.

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