Prosperous: Chutes & Ladders
Chapter 26

“ALL HANDS TO STATIONS!” JACKIE SCREAMED ACROSS THE SHIPINTERCOM, ripping Tru out of sleep.

He was thrown out of bed by a torpedo exploding against thehull. He scrambled to pull on the clothes from the day before.

As he pulled his shirt over his head, he began to order,“Gracie, trans—”

She transported him before he could finish.

He arrived on the bridge to replace three night crewmen andJackie. Tru mentally noted to later ask her why she was at her post so early.

“Jackie, get Reuben and Aris up here, and then hail ourattackers! Gracie, scan them.”

Jackie obeyed her orders.

A Paskian transport dropped from ahyper jump on us, Gracie reported. A Paskian warcraft and Terallian assault raider with augmented shielding followed it. Icannot get configuration readings on the Terallian raider.

Tru looked at the view screen. He only saw two ships.“Where’s the third?”

The Paskian transport went into the Awedon nebula.

“The ships aren’t responding, Captain,” Jackie reported.

Aris and Reuben appeared on the transport behind Tru and ranto helm and tactical.

“Relinquish control to Reuben and Aris, Gracie.”

Okay.

“Aris, we need to make a jump.”

“We’re in a negative position, Captain,” Aris replied.“There’s no clear jumps in any direction.”

“What about ahead?” Tru looked at the view monitor. Hedidn’t see anything but an attacking ship.

“Two hundred kilometers ahead is an asteroid field. We needanother three hundred kilometers to make a jump in that direction.”

“Long range sensors are picking up two more ships inhyperspace. They’ll be here in three minutes,” Reuben reported. “Gracie isreporting a hull fracture along deck E and another above our aft torpedo tube.”

“Head for the nebula, Aris,” Tru ordered.

Aris looked back at him. “We’ll lose all sensors, sir. We—”

“Go!”

Aris swung Prosperousto aft and headed into the nebula.

“Aris, switch sensors to sonar and radar,” Tru ordered.

“I’ve… Never heard of those, sir.”

Tru walked to helm, leaning over the helm controls. Withquick fingers he brought the sonar and radar online. Aris’ screens showed twolit circles on a grid. Bars swung around the circles and blips appeared anddisappeared as they passed some areas. Four of the blips were moving around,but stayed at the same distance.

“It looks like an old type of sensor, sir,” Aris commented.“Are you sure it’s working right?”

Tru smiled. “It’s working fine. My father believed inkeeping old things around to get him out of scrapes like this.”

Aris smiled. “Smart human.”

“Gracie, can repair droids handle the fractures in thenebula?” Tru asked.

Yes.

“As soon as we halt, dispatch them.” Tru stood. “Let’s headfor that Paskian ship and see if they need assistance. Then we’ll anchor nearthe center until we can finish repairs and decide how we’re getting out ofthis.”

“Aye, sir.”

Tru walked to the captain’s chair, sitting on the edge.

“We’re six hundred meters from the Paskian transport shuttleand closing,” Aris informed him.

“Hail them, Jackie.”

Tru heard the transport activate. Amanda appeared on the padand he was surprised to see her in civilian clothes and no makeup. Her hair wasout of its tight bun and hung in a sloppy braid to her waist. Amanda stoppedbeside him, staring at the view screen.

“Who’s shooting at us this time, sir?” she asked.

“We got in the Terallian’s way again.”

Very quietly she told him, “Perhaps you should consider notdoing that any more, sir.”

Tru looked back at her, surprised again to see a faint smileon her lips. He nodded, looking away.

“Perhaps I should, XO.”

“The transport shuttle isn’t responding, sir,” Jackie toldhim.

“It’s heading deeper into the nebula,” Aris informed Tru.

“They might be Terallians,” Amanda suggested.

“Aris catch up and pull them into cargo hold six. If theyare Terallians, I’d like to have a chat with them. Jackie, order all exits tothe cargo bay secured and initiate an energy field as soon as the transport issecured.”

Tru watched the ship come into view. A tow beam attached toit before it could turn away and pulled it in.

“It’s secured, sir,” Aris told him.

Tru walked toward the back of the bridge, looking at Amandawhen she hurried to join him.

“You should stay on the bridge, Wrigley.”

“If they’re Terallian, I want to know why they’rejeopardizing their membership with Merchant Raitor, sir.”

For a moment Tru considered ordering her to stay. It wasgood she was showing interest in their circumstance, but he wasn’t sure now wasthe best time for her to decide to be brave. He brushed his reservations aside.

“Gracie, transport us outside of the cargo bay.”

The two disappeared from the bridge.

Tru and Amanda approached the two security guards standingby the cargo hold door.

Tru held his hand out to one of the guards. “Gun.”

One handed Tru his weapon. Tru held his hand up to thebiometric reader and the door disappeared. He held the pistol at ready, eyeingthe transport shuttle as he led the way. Overhead, three security guards walkedonto the catwalk with rifles aimed at the side hatch. Cautiously Tru approachedthe main hatch.

“Gracie, what are you reading in there? How manyTerallians?”

They aren’t Terallians. I don’t know what they are, but there’stwo and I think the vitals I’m reading indicate they’re pretty scared.

Tru’s brow furrowed. “An unknown species?”

It wasn’t that unknown species were unheard of — MerchantRaitor reported at least six or seven every year — but given the situation, itwas odd.

“Are you sure there isn’t any shielding?” he heard Amandaask.

Positive, Tru, Graciereported, and XO.

Tru walked up to the side hatch and tried to use the controlpanel to open the door. It didn’t open.

“Get Jackie, Gracie.”

In a matter of seconds, Jackie materialized next to Tru.

“Unlock this door,” Tru looked through the cockpit window,but couldn’t see anything.

“Me, sir?”

Tru looked at her. “Joan! Get this door open!”

Jackie stepped up to the control panel and held her handover it. Tru stepped back when it sparked and the door slid open. He quicklypulled Jackie behind him, staring into the dark ship. The interior lights wereoff and the light spilling through the cockpit window and side hatch hardlypenetrated the darkness.

“I need a light,” Tru said, holding out a hand.

Someone pressed a flashlight into his hand and he switched iton as he brought it under the butt of the weapon. Tru slowly stepped in,gliding the light across the cockpit.

A hiss came from behind him and he spun, the light catchingsomething brown before it disappeared. But the way it disappeared struck Tru.It wasn’t like it had gone under the bench or behind a chair; it looked morelike a ship engaging a cloak.

“I want two guards in here and shut that door. They may haveChameleon abilities.”

“They’re also whispering,” Jackie said.

Tru looked back. She was leaning against the hull, examiningher fingernails.

“Which of you two is the expert linguist?” Tru asked.

She looked at him. “Jackie.”

“Jackie, get in here and tell them we aren’t going to hurtthem.”

“No! They’re hissing like snakes and we draw the lines at snakes,sentient or otherwise.”

“Jackie, get in here now.”

Jackie wilted for a moment before joining him. She shot hima glare and then turned her attention to the darkness at the back of thetransport. Two security guards stepped inside and closed the hatch. No onespoke for a long moment.

“Jackie,” Tru said

“What?”

“Talk to them.”

“They stopped talking.”

“I want Jackie back now.”

“I am back!”Jackie retorted.

“So then talk tothem!”

“I can’t talk tothem. I didn’t hear enough to understand them, sir.”

Tru started to scold her, but a loud hiss cut him off. Heand Jackie looked in its direction. Tru lifted his pistol, taking a slow stepin the direction of the noise. Jackie began a slow retreat toward the hatch.

“We don’t want to hurt you,” Tru said. “We just want totalk.”

He heard one of them say something. Jackie repeated it.There was a reply and she said something else. The hissing moved to his left.Out of the corner of his eye he saw a movement. It looked like a wave of heatmoving across the open space and it was headed for Jackie. He fired and thebeam hit something solid. He heard it hit the floor and the being’s camouflagefailed. The alien looked like a human male in his early twenties. There wasn’ta clean spot on him, his hair was unevenly cut, and his clothes had beenpatched repeatedly. He had a slight baby face with puffier skin around hismouth. A milky liquid dripped from the fangs that were slowly retracting intohis mouth.

Tru was struck with a strong sense of déjà vu. Why did this feel familiar? Had he seenthis alien somewhere before?

Tru slowly knelt down, laying his hand on the alien’s arm.He heard a hiss from behind him and turned slowly, tightening his grip on hispistol and flashlight. He didn’t see the movement of air like he had before.Was this alien different?

Tru suddenly recalled his premonition of the angry spiritattacking him and looked down at the body. The clothes were the same. Thepremonition was happening now. Tru turned to order everyone out when pain shotup his arm. He jerked back with a scream of pain.

“There!” he heard Jackie yell. “Tru, shoot! TRU, SHOOT IT!”

Tru couldn’t focus on anything. He felt like he’d just beenhit by a car and pain went deep into his bonesand bowels. An allergic reaction set off a chain reaction in his body. Hegasped for breath, gagging on the air that did make it into his lungs. Whitelight flashed behind his eyes and noise became a deafening roar.

“Th-the g-g—” Tru collapsed.

Jackie and the security guards stared at the alien one ofthe guards had shot. She was a dirty, gaunt, blond haired five year old thatlooked as innocent as a cherub. But the venom she’d injected into Tru’s arm wasslowly eating away flesh and muscle, shattering the illusion of her innocence.

“Gracie, transport Tru,” Jackie said. When he didn’ttransport she yelled, “GRACIE, TRANSPORT TRU TO SICKBAY, STAT!”

Tru disappeared.

“Get the XO,” Jackie ordered the security men.

One of the guards opened the door.

“XO,” a guard called. “We’ve subdued the aliens.”

Amanda walked in and stopped short, staring at the aliens.

Jackie plopped into the helm chair and started working onthe computers.

“Where’s Captain Barnet?”

“The child bit him and his skin was deteriorating; I senthim to Sickbay,” Jackie told her

“That was my call, Ensign.”

“His skin was being eaten away, ma’am! I thought you wouldprefer he didn’t die from the bite.”

“Was he conscious?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Did he tell you what we’re supposed to do?”

Jackie glared up at her. “Yeah. Right before he startedsinging the national anthem.”

“We— How the hell are we supposed to get past the Teralliansand out of this nebula?”

“Well, we could always surrender,” Jackie answeredsarcastically. “Getting to see you sliced and diced would be worth a lifetimeof slavery.”

Amanda glared. “Rhoades, get into the ship logs. See ifthere’s anything useful in there.” Amanda walked out, adding, “And send thosetwo aliens to the Brig.”

Jackie just rolled her eyes and kept working.

Captain Barnet is being transported,Gracie announced over the Sickbay intercom.

Q’al and his medical staff turned, watching Tru appear on abed. For a moment they stared at his slowly dissolving arm.

“CODE BLUE, STAT!” Q’al screamed.

The medical staff scrambled.

“This looks like a snake bite. What happened?” Q’al asked Gracie.

A species of unknown origin bit him,Gracie told him. She sounded close to hysterics. He saw thishappening weeks ago. He didn’t know if he lived or died. Q’al, if he dies—

“Gracie, focus! We can’t afford for you to becomedistraught.” Q’al turned to a monitor, tapping the touch controls on it. “Whereis the alien child that bit him?”

“They have been transported to the Brig.”

Q’al ran to a cupboard and pulled out a canister with arubber cover over the wide mouth and a small control panel with six buttons.

“Doctor Ilka, have nurse Tipton help you isolate the venom’sprotein. Doctor Lareshth and nurse Henrich, prep the surgery theater.”

The doctors obeyed, barking their own orders at the nurses.

“Transport me to the Brig, Gracie.”

Compliance, Gracie saidand transported him.

“Are you fighting forvengeance or survival? Vengeance will kill you too. Survival will only killyour enemy.”

—Captain Vardee, Jitrebel leader and captain of the Diedra