3: Reassignments

Part 3 - Reassignments and Guilty Consciences

Rick and Lisa had planned it as a Hunter-Sterling get together, but Max and Miriya had been delayed and would not be back until the next day. Dana and Aurora would show up, however, so the two of them decided to let it be a kids night out.

* * * * * * *

Roy was right on time in his duty uniform, and found out the plan before he got in the door. He entered and his mother was smiling at him. “I have another inspection tour, and your father needs to go over the hanger bays anyway. Aurora will be in shortly, she’ll stay here tonight before she goes to her hotel tomorrow, and Dana is on her way up already. Show them a good time son.”

He sputtered, but Rick closed his mouth. “No objections. You like Aurora anyway.”

“Like is not the term Pop, I know her, like I know few other people. She contacted us on the SDF-3. You must remember.”

“I do…but I also know that you are our first born and not at all unlike your namesake. Just enjoy yourself for one night son. Soon it’ll all be about the mission.”

Roy caught the edge in his father’s voice and the caution on his mother’s face and smiled, nodding at them both. His parents left then, and he was alone in the house. He went to the kitchen and got something to drink when the phone rang, interrupting the silence of the house and making him jump.

“Hunter residence.” He said.

“Roy…is that you Roy?”

“Hello Dana.”

“Yeah, listen Roy, so sorry but I can’t make it tonight. I haven’t a thing to wear and Aurora and me are in an argument. I don’t want to spoil anything for her on her first night in town so I’m gonna stay here in New Monument City till Wednesday.”

“If you’re sure Dana?”

“Positive. Besides, Bowie and Musica asked me over tonight.”

“Alright then.”

“Goodbye Roy, see you Wednesday.”

“Bye Dana.”

Roy shoved his hands in his pockets and went to lay down on the couch. He reached out with his mind for Aurora, and found her dozing in the tram up to the mountain. He did not bother her, but swept outward, towards the base.

* * * * * * *

Commander McCalister was on her way out of the barracks complex when she was hit with a headache that slowly got worse.

* * * * * * *

Finding no one else open to him, but feeling a slight resistance and partial reciprocation, Roy drew back into his shell, where he did not read others, but was unreadable. Aurora would be up in twenty minutes, he had just enough time for a nap…

It was dark there. So dark and cold, so cold and wet. The walls stunk of a stench, a stench of…Calling out a voice answered, he turned to see a figure coming towards him, stumbling in from the white bright desert…

* * * * * * *

“Roy!” The door screamed at him. He got up and found Aurora waiting.

“Aurora, great to see you again!” That certain enhanced feeling that uplifted Roy and the others around Aurora came to him as he laid eyes on her again. She passed him quietly and went into the living room.

“Where is everyone? When is dinner?”

“Didn’t you see?” He asked as he followed her, the door closing behind him.

“See what?” She asked him, obviously clueless, as though a part of her had forgotten everything and she was now just a pretty girl with blue hair.

“The ‘Admirals’ decided to make it a kids night out since your parents couldn’t make it tonight. Then Dana cancelled. It’s just us.”

Aurora was instantly appalled. “No. I cannot do that!”

Roy looked at his childhood mind-mate. “Why not?”

“My image Roy! What would people think if they saw us together? I can’t do that to Interworld Council. I am needed, I can’t just….” Roy turned and left. “Roy. ROY!”

“Sleep well then Miss Sterling. Have a good conference tomorrow.”

* * * * * * *

Roy was down the hill and running, heedless of how he would look to others. His whole life he had been a loner, pretty much, except when he was with Aurora…and now she was even turning into a bureaucrat politician type. This is why he had signed up. Because he had heard that space was peaceful, that it was silent and just. That there was still something out there…

Roy was starting to sweat and he realized how far he had run. He was nearly to the city. He stopped a moment, and looked back, up at his parents’ home high on the hill, and turned his back on it, and ran.

* * * * * * *

The Commander could barely breathe, her mind was screaming for oxygen, but her lungs were shutting down, slowly…slowly. She heard footsteps, heavy ones on the concrete, and reached out in a final attempt, just as she heard the male gasp. “Oh my god!”

Strong arms lifted her from the cool concrete, when all she wanted was to sleep now. Sleep on the cool, soft concrete…

“Listen to me Commander, you cannot go to sleep right now! You hear me?!”

Amethyst pushed the face away, in what seemed to her to be slow motion. To the corporal who had lifted her up, on the other hand, they were catlike swats of fury. He arrested her movements with one arm and lifted her feet by the other, running on, towards the infirmary.

Bright lights…and sterile smells. Her head hurt and all she could think of was, “Can you turn off that light so I can sleep?”

But no one would turn off the lights and they would not let her sleep. “Commander McCalister, you have gone into psychic shock, you cannot go to sleep.”

She growled at the white robed man looking over her, and started to shake.

“Hold her down.”

* * * * * * *

Roy was breathing hard as he walked onto base. He was still a few hours early, but the courtyard was bustling. “What happened?” He asked several people.

No one had an answer for him, but they were not on Restricted Areas, so he went up to his room, to hopefully talk to the Commander. He was mistaken and thought it odd that she wasn’t around and no one had seen her.

* * * * * * *

Lisa and Rick were called in…they had dealt with such things before. Dr. Louie Nichols, who designed the implant model in the Commander’s brain, is also on hand. “What happened?” Nichols asked.

“We have no clue. She was brought into us in this state of psychic shock. We have kept her awake until your arrival but soon she will pass out.”

“What would have caused this?” Lisa asked.

“The only possible solution is that Commander McCalister has latent psychic abilities and that one of the original SDF-3 children called out tonight. She must have been in range and so she responded, but was not one of the originals and couldn’t handle the sophisticated communication they all share.”

Rick grumbled. “That is all well and good, but will she pull through.”

Nichols was already pulling up a file and several computers. “All that must be done is to deactivate her implant. With the serial number…”

CLASSIFIED INFORMATION blinked across all three screens at one time. YOU DO NOT HAVE THE CLEARANCE TO ACCESS THIS INFORMATION.

Nichols was shocked, but Rick stepped over and punched some buttons…and got the same response. “Nichols is there any other way to save the Commander?” He asked urgently.

“Not that I know of.” He was utterly stumped at this…medical files were his specialty, when it came to implants. “Why is my file information inaccessible?”

Lisa tightened her jaw and stepped forward. “Computer – Medical emergency override on all implant security files, authorization Hayes-Hunter.” It was a long shot, but it worked. Lisa did not show her relief, but waited as Nichols saved the Commander’s life.

* * * * * * *

Lisa read the orders from the Interworld Council and nearly screamed at the table that evening. “‘Commander McCalister had been fighting against the damper field created by the implant for the entire time. Due to the nature of her implant’s specifications the orders were given knowing she had latent psychic ability. The commander is hereby reassigned to second-in-command on the bridge until Dr. Louie Nichols can alter her implant to suit her recent awakening.’” Roy and Rick looked at her.

“They knew. They knew what the risk was and they still implanted that poor girl with a mental enhancement chip that would endanger her life!” Lisa slammed her hand down on the table.

Rick covered her hand with his and said, “She’ll be alright.”

“But…!” Rick looked at her pointedly and said, “Adjustments were made, were they not?”

“She cannot undergo such stress!”

Roy had been thinking. “Can’t they send her to the psionic academy for this tour and then pick her up next time?”

Lisa blinked at her son, that was the answer they had all overlooked. “We’ll see.”