The Lost Relic by Heppner Vaughn

Author:Heppner, Vaughn [Heppner, Vaughn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
Amazon: B0BNKDXLLK
Goodreads: 63906892
Published: 2022-12-29T08:00:00+00:00

-36-

Aboard the Tarrypin, Valerie sat in the pilot’s chair, slumped over with dismay. They’d barely escaped from the surface with their lives. By luck, they’d also evaded those in orbit who would have destroyed the darter or interned them.

Valerie moaned. She’d lost Captain Maddox. He might be captured, starving, dying or even dead. Valerie shook her head. She had no idea. This was a disaster.

There was a beep from the controls. She looked up, checking the darter’s status.

They hid in an orbital debris cloud, using the cloaking device as backup. So far, the shuttles over there hadn’t spotted them.

How could she help Maddox? How could she rescue him? To attempt it, she’d have to go down to the planet. To do that would make the Tarrypin visible to the shuttles. It was a simple conundrum. How did one solve it?

“I don’t know,” Valerie said. “I have no idea.”

Not only were they six thousand light years from Earth, but they were months away from any help aboard Victory, even given that they could slip through the strange star system.

Was Maddox supposed to survive months, perhaps a year on the planet? How would they ever find him again?

You must calm down, Valerie told herself. You must get a grip.

She’d survived so far. That was the first step. She’d kept the darter intact. She’d kept the crew free. That was better than what Maddox had been able to do.

Valerie sat back as tears welled. She wanted to cry. She needed the release.

The bridge hatch slid up. Leathery old Sergeant Riker spoke. “Permission to enter the bridge.”

Valerie turned around, silently staring at him.

“Permission to enter the bridge,” Riker said again.

“Are you going to stand on protocol at a time like this?”

Riker shrugged. “We’re Star Watch officers. Well, you are. I’m just an enlisted guy—”

“Guy? You’re an old man. You should be retired already. You should be home tending your garden, not stranded in the depths of space.”

“You still haven’t answered the question. Do I have permission to enter the bridge?”

“Yes, all right. Come on the bridge already.”

“Thank you Commander.” Riker walked in, halted, and stood with his hands behind his back as he examined the bridge.

“What is it now?”

Riker shook his head and walked until he was beside the empty captain’s chair. He put a hand on an armrest.

Valerie wondered if he would sit in the chair. That wouldn’t be protocol. Here he stood on protocol. Was he going to break it now?

The sergeant walked past the chair and dared to put a hand on her shoulder.

Instead of being angry, Valerie leaned into the hand.

Riker squeezed. “It can be hard.”

She looked up at him. “You mean command?”

“It’s a lonely business even when there’s only two other people. I doubt the number really matters. The responsibility is the key. You have the responsibility. I imagine it’s a heavy load.”

“What do we do? This is an important mission.”

“How do I know?” Riker asked. “I have no idea. I guess you don’t, either. It seems in some ways like a silly mission.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.