
Subj : New Beginnings(20)
To   : All
From : Skyhawk #1
Date : Thu Jul 20 1995 19:44:33 PST

                            New Beginnings(20)
                          By Daniel C. Harrison(Skyhawk)

     For a moment she was silent. Then, Candar remembered through her pain that
she was still the commander of this ship. It didn't matter if it was a lifeless
hulk with no engines. It was still her ship. She had a duty. "Jerry, we still
have battery power right?"
     "Yeah, but without secondarys, it wont last more than a few hours at best.
After that, we'll have nothing at all."
     Candar pulled herself to her feet ignoring her sore back. Steadying
herself against a chair, she tried to smile. "It isn't all that black. You just
told me. You can access battery power from Lock Two am I right?"
     Jerry shrugged. "Sure through an access tunnel. I need to wear an
environment suit though as, I don't know if that explosion in the engine room
caused a hull breach or not. All the warning panels here are dead because of
the secondarys being out." He weas silent a moment. "I think I see what you
mean. We can use the batterys to continue life support. There should be enough
to also keep the cryo systems powered. I better move, fast." He shuffled past
her. "See is you can rouse Henry. He's beat up a bit but looks functional."
     "Okay, good luck." She listened as Jerry made his way down the ladder.
Feeling her way over, she felt wet sticky fluid all over the chair. Blood!  Her
stomach wretched for a second as the smell reached her nostrils. She must've
blown Victor all over the bridge. "Henry, are you okay?" There was no answer.
She moved past the chair feeling for the console her fingers finding a hard
substance to cling to. She moved her hand across it trying to identify the
controls. "Main thrust control.." she murmered.
     "Wrong." a weak voice answered. "Life support."
     She spun around surprised. "Henry? Henry, are you alright?" She moved
toward his gasping. "God you sound like shit."
     "Feel like it." he whispered. "You really made a mess, you know that
Captain? Bridge looks like a slaughterhouse. And it'll probably be me who
cleans the mess up. Thanks a lot." He tried to get up then hit the floor again.
"Thanks...for saving my life."
     "Don't talk. I'll get Grayson up here." She felt for the intercom than
realized there was no power to ruin it. "Damn. Can you walk?"
     "Think so." Henry pulled himself to a sitting position and she felt him
grab her hand. "Help me up."
     Pulling, she brought him to a standing position. She felt a warm sticky
fluid from his chest. "God what'd they do to you?"
     "Stabbed me. Hurts like hell. If you hadn't of killed them, they were
gonna slowly let me bleed to death. Need some fluids, feel like I'm gonna pass
out."
     "Shit." She took his arm and put it around her shoulder. "I'll be your
legs, you be my eyes. Let's get to the infirmary. This bridge has no further
need of us for now."
     "Sounds good to me." He clutched Candar tightly as she took the brunt of
his weight. Clasping his arms around her neck, she swore as she made her way
through the tight opening, Henry's weight dragging like a stone. "Sorry I'm so
heavy, Captain."
     "You need a diet." Candar grumbled. Reaching the bottom, she once more
shifted his weight and half pulled, half dragged him down the corridor.
Following Henry's instructions she found herself a short time later reaching
her goal. She popped the panel and used the manual switch to open the door to
the infirmary. "Dr. Grayson? We need help now!"
     "Get in here and put him down, I'm just finishing up." Candar and Henry
found a small couch and collapsed onto it with relief. Grayson came over. "I
just finished the operation on Kevin. Looks like a success. God! What happened
to you? I heard the explosion than, all the power went out! Where's Jerry?"
     Candar helped him move Henry to a table. "Trying to restore power. Were
now in a survival situation, doctor. I need you to patch Henry as quick as you
can then, as soon as Kevin can talk, I need his help. Do you understand? I mean
immediately! We are on battery power only!"
     "I operated by a worklight on batteries so, I figured it was serious.
Alright, I'll bend the rules. You can speak with Kevin just as soon as he comes
out of the anesthesia. Now Henry, lets patch you up.."
     Candar moved past them toward the door. "I'm heading for Lock Two. I'm
hoping Jerry can keep us going until Kevin can help. Conserve power as much as
possible." Without waiting for an answer, she walked out the open doorway
moving purposefully down the hall. She felt as if her darkness was closing in
on her yet, her confidence had returned. She suddenly remembered Sam Boil. He
had been knocked out by her and laying on the engine room floor. If the
explosion had breached the hull, he was obviously dead. If not, the heat from
the released energy would have killed him. Either way, he was no longer a
threat. That left only herself, Henry, Jerry, and Grayson. The colonists
assuming they would survive wouldn't come out of cryo till they reached a
destination. So, the only task was to figure how to spread out what remained of
vital supplies. It would be no easy task. She also realized she was wandering
aimlessly. How the hell was she to find Lock Two? She listened for a moment
then jumped back as a sudden warmth fell on her from above. Lights! That meant
Jerry had done it! "Jerry! Congratulations!  We have power now!" She laughed
and moved forward, her excitemet growing. Maybe it wasn't hopeless. Maybe
finally after hell, there awaited a heaven.......

         
