
Subj : New Beginnings(34)
To   : All
From : Skyhawk #1
Date : Sun Aug 20 1995 15:32:52 PST

                              New Beginnings(34)

     The silence was deafening. It was black as pitch too. Had she lost her
vision? Candar felt a wet sticky substance coming from her head. Blood! She
felt dizzy too. How long had she been out? The blackness began to dissipate a
little and, she could see dim lights from the control panel. "Jerry? Henry?
Kev, are you there?" She fought the dizziness. Damn, it was quiet. She strained
to listen. She could hear what sounded like high wind outside. Struggling, she
pulled herself up on the edge of a chair. Her eyes tried to focus in the
darkness. There should have been emergency lights but, even they were out. "Is
anyone here?" She listened intently as, the wind continued to blow outside.
     "Ca..Candar?" a voice whispered.
     "Jerry?" She stepped over something and found him buried beneath part of
what used to be the engineering station. "Oh god, are you alright?"
     "Worst..worst landing we ever made." He coughed hard and she heard what
sounded like fluid hit the ground. "I'm hurting pretty bad, Candar. You need to
find Grayson. I'm in trouble..." she grabbed his shoulder as he slumped
backwards and passed out.
     "No! Damn you, wake up!" She shook him. "Jerry, wake your ass up!" Tears
started to come to her eyes. "I..can't do this without you. Come on, you've
been there for me through all this..don't die now."
     Jerry lay there silently. She felt nauseated. Looking around, she found
her jacket and ripped part of the lining out making a dressing for her head.
The wind continued to whistle outside. "Jerry, please wake up." she whispered.
     For awhile, Candar listened to the howling storm. Then, slowly, she pulled
herself to her feet and stared out the viewport. The viewing screen was dead,
there was no power. She looked around, searching for Kevin. "Kev, where are
you?" She pushed aside some metal fragments and took a step back in shock.
Henry was laying there, a metal fragment lodged in his chest. If he was still
alive, he wouldn't be long. "No!" she whispered. She wiped her tears aside.
"Damn you Kevin, where are you??" She stepped over Henry and made her way to
the hatchway. Slowly she started down the ladder and reached the bottom. In the
distance, she could hear what sounded like mass crying and anguish. Oh god. The
colonists. How many had been killed? How many? She began making her way through
the corridors, the crys becoming more intense and louder as she closed the
distance. She reached the infirmary first. Using the manual door switch, she
opened it. "Dr. Grayson? Doctor, are you here?"
     "Captain yes, come in." He coughed and, she could see some light near the
back. Grayson was working on someone. She came closer. "Are you alright?"
     Grayson turned to her, his head covered with a bandage. "Yes. I had to
patch myself up. I found Kevin in the corridor after I woke up. He's with the
colonists trying to calm them. I take it the landing was a miserable failure?"
     God! The bitterness in his voice. She had never heard it before. "It's
difficult to land straight when your controls are frozen and locked up. We fell
like a stone. It could have been worse."
     "It is!" Grayson exploded. "There are children, Captain! Dead children!
You can't believe how many are dead! I don't know yet!" 
     She looked at the floor quietly. "I think Henry is dead. Jerry, is badly
injured, can you come see?"
     Grayson finished sewing up the person he was working on. "When  I have
time. I'm already running ragged. I've got a couple of volunteers who are med
techs helping me triage. Why don't you get to the colonists and help Kevin?
They're probably ready to lynch him."
     She started to move then stopped. "But, what about Jerry?"
     Grayson put down the suture and looked at her hard. "This is a new world,
Captain. Not a good start to be sure but, a new world nevertheless. We have few
supplies and, the ship isnt able to sustain life. We'll have to move out of it
in a few days. Those that are healthy that is."
     "What?" she whispered.
     "Do I have to spell this out for you, Candar? The nature of traige is to
help those injured first who are most likely to recover. You help the others
when you can. Which means, Jerry is one of the last. If he makes it."
     Candar grabbed his shoulder. "But you can't just leave him there! It's
because of him we made it here at all! We'd be dead in space if he hadn't been
there."
     Grayson nodded. "I know. But, as I said, highest priority. Your a pilot.
You understand that, you fulfill a contract and you get paid. My payment is
saving as many lives on this ship as I can. Too many are dead already. And,
we're wasting precious time talking. Your career as a star pilot is over. Now,
I need you. Get to the colonists. Help your passengers, Candar."
     She nodded and mentally tore at herself. As she exited and walked out
into the corridor, her stomach felt sicker. Jerry. Oh lord, no. He had wanted
to marry her. She turned and ran back toward the bridge.
     She emerged from the hatchway seconds later, "Jerry, are you awake?"
     "Barely." his voice whispered. "I keep going in and out."
     She grabbed him and pulled him up gently. Swinging his arm over her
shoulder, she grabbed his leg and lifted him into a fireman's carry. She
grabbed his wrist and moved him up. "I'm getting you some help. I'm going to
make sure you live if I have to beat the hell out of Grayson to do it! She
grabbed the ladder with one hand and moved quickly downward....

                            
