The Doctor gasped. "Alright, we've put some distance between the intruder and us, for now." the Doctor said reassuringly, waving her scanner at the twin door, and then looked at the Captain. "Captain, I'm not detecting the life form nearby." she paused. "As the ship's chief medical officer, I am strongly advising we all find a place to camp for the night."
"Agreed. Does anyone know if the station has a sickbay? And, if so, where is it?"
"It looks like it's over there." Aaen pointed down a long hallway at another set of twin doors.
"Let's go." said the Captain. Fifty feet later, and a sharp right turn, the doors to the station's sickbay opened. The lights in the room activated to reveal ten empty bunks, each three feet apart, arranged in a semi-circle formation around the edge of the room. The crew used chairs, tables, and stationary weight-bearing stands to sit and rest in a large circle.
"Aaen, you've had that same look on your face for the last three hours." said Sensors. "What's up?"
Aaen was looking back and forth at the ground immediately in front of him, deep in contemplation for what seemed to him like seconds. "I don't think we were alone out there. In space."
The First Officer skeptically replied, "Of course we weren't alone. If you remember, we're being chased by some kind of alien life form."
Aaen looked at the First officer. "No, sir. There was another ship out there other than Odyssey and the Relentless. I saw a shape blocking the stars about a thousand kilometers of our Starboard bow. When we were first attacked by Relentless."
"I didn't detect anything, Aaen." Sensors said skeptically.
"Maybe the third ship was able to elude our sensors?" Aaen suggested.
"What did the third ship look like?" the Captain asked casually.
"Much bigger than Relentless; pitch black hull—"
"If it was pitch black, how did you see it in space?" Operations asked.
"The shape of the third ship's hull was blocking the light from the stars behind it in the distance. The third ship's similar in shape to Odyssey, but looked a lot meaner. It looked like it could give a Galaxy-class ship a run for its money. The third ship was facing toward us when Relentless first attacked us."
The Captain looked at Sensors. "Are you sure you didn't detect any other ships than the Relentless?"
"Positive." Sensors quipped. The Captain looked at Aaen.
"Seeing ghosts, are we?" the First Officer joked.
"It wasn't a ghost," Aaen replied sharply. "The third ship's exterior didn't appear to be consistent with any known ship configuration, despite being distantly similar to Odyssey's external design. We should try to do an active scan for it when we get back to the ship."
"Okay. The men will sleep in here." the Doctor said to the crew directly. "Women will come with me." the Doctor led the female crew members out of the room and down the hall in the opposing adjacent direction.
Aaen, Jason, the Captain, First Officer, and the Engineer looked around at each of the available bunks and then quickly walked to a different bunk. Simple monochromatic blanketing arrangements had apparently been left by whoever was here, before, Aaen noted. The Doctor reentered the room and quickly surveyed the occupants.
"Lights out in five minutes. Keep an eye out for the intruder. I will be sleeping in the same area with the rest of the crew. I will come back in the morning to bring everyone back to the ship. With any luck, we won't have any more run-ins with the intruder. Evening, all." she walked out of the room, entering a simple command into the door's control panel, causing the doors to close and lock behind her.
"Somehow I doubt that thing's gone." said the First Officer.
"Are we gonna keep fighting the intruder, Captain?" Aaen asked.
"If we have to."
Aaen started to contemplate what the intruder could be after. . . The lights clicked off as expected. The occupants of sickbay were unconscious in seconds. Aaen's sense of time seemed to fade away—hours started to seem like seconds.
. . .The sound of a thundering explosion filled the air.
—Another thundering explosion.
The sound of clashing metal echoed through the room as the lights in the room clicked back on, and the crew in sickbay sprang back to consciousness.
—Another explosion
The environment shook violently, and the lights flickered sporadically. The Captain and First Officer fell off their biobeds from the turbulence. The Doctor scrambled through the door. "Captain and crew! We've got to leave! NOW!"
"Report!" the Captain said as the crew gathered around the Doctor.
"The station's under attack. I don't have any more information. We all need to get back to the ship, and leave, now!"
"Let's go!" said the Captain.
The lights in the corridors were also active. The Doctor scrambled to lead the crew back to Odyssey.
"The intruder's behind us!" Jason yelled. "It's coming!"
"Fire AT WILL!" the Captain snapped.
Jason wasted no time complying; the the First Officer opened fire. The corridor was filled with exchanges of frantic particle fire.
The run back to the ramp took ten seconds. After returning to the bridge, the crew resumed their stations. Aaen looked at his screen at the ship's chronometer: it was 07:30 am.
More loud rocking motions stirred the bridge. The main viewscreen showed a distorted image of the back of the hangar.
The Red Alert alarm filled the bridge. "There's another ship out there!" said Sensors.
"What is it?" the First Officer asked, eyeing the Sensors screen, and then looking at the Captain.
"It's Relentless!"
"I thought we destroyed the Relentless?" Jason asked.
"We're pinned down! We need to evac the station!" Aaen said. "Captain! We're still docked with the station!"
"Switching to internal power!" said Operations. The bridge light level doubled. It was now half-possible to see more than three feet in front of oneself, Aaen silently jocularly quipped.
Electrical crackling sounds sharply filled the bridge.
"What happened? Disengage docking clamps!" said the Captain.
Aaen turned his head, "—I can't! They're fused from the outside! They won't retract!"
The Captain gasped hard in frustration, "So how do we leave?"
"Let's try this!" Aaen said daringly.
"Wait, what're you doing?" the Captain asked.
"Getting us out of here!" Aaen sensed the Doctor rushing to the front of the bridge, behind Aaen. Aaen used the port-yaw maneuvering thrusters to rotate the ship counter-clockwise to the front of the docking bay and then shifted his attention to the next set of engine controls.
"Translight engines?" the Captain asked sharply.
More, loud, sharp rocking motions rattled the bridge.
"EVERYONE, HOLD ON TO SOMETHING!" Aaen roared, clicking a command on his screen. A flurry of alarms accompanied red alert.
"Warning: this vessel is docked with a space station." the Computer droned.
A thunderous, gradual buildup filled the bridge as the main viewscreen filled with light, and then only streaks of stars amid a long string of explosion sounds. The bridge lights started sputtering. Sorry, Odyssey. Had no choice, Aaen thought.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SHIP!" the Captain sharply snapped.
Aaen turned around and looked at the Captain. "Saved everyone on board!"
The Captain started combing his hair with his fingers in panic.
"Do you realize what's happened?" the Doctor asked, wide-eyed.
"Yeah. I do."
The Doctor leaned over and pointed to an area on Aaen's screen. "The ship no longer has docking clamps. The ship can't dock anymore, Lieutenant."
"Yeah! But we're all still alive, aren't we?" Aaen grinned.
"I'm detecting transporter activity on the Relentless!" Sensors said. "It's in pursuit at impulse!"
Aaen eyed the translight engine coolant level. His stomach sank. "Translight engines are failing! Is there somewhere else we can hide?" Aaen asked.
"Do a scan!" the Captain said to Sensors.
"Yes! The Mutara Nebula is only a few more light years ahead! We should get there in less than a minute! The station's been destroyed." the main viewscreen showed a brilliant fireball swelling and scattering burning, jagged debris in every direction. Relentless was changing course as the image changed to translighted stars streaking.
"Aaen, full stop when I tell you!" said the Captain.
"Standing by!"
Three seconds later, "—Now!"
The translight engines powered down with a gradual, grumbling bang. The stars became still. Aaen watched the main viewscreen as the residual momentum drifted the Odyssey forward into a gloriously multi-colored cloud. The main viewscreen again became mostly distorted.
"The Relentless' impulse engines are a lot stronger than ours, Captain. It'll be here in a few minutes." said Sensors.
"Captain! I managed to interface with the station's main computer and I downloaded a bunch of files and information. All of the files are marked 'Classified,' but none of it's encrypted. I think we know why the station's abandoned, and why the intruder's chasing us."
"Transfer the data to the main viewscreen. Quick!" the First Officer said.
"Yeah, I think it's about time we got some answers after all this!" Aaen said encouragingly.
*****
Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."
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