When Time Runs Out

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. However, it’s not a theory I wished to test until today. Crash landing on an uncharted planet in the Alpha Quadrant. All measures to get us back on track to New Earth failed. AND to TOP ALL OF THIS MESS OFF, this was a training exercise for new recruits.

So, here I am: Commander Marie Ryan. Recipient of three medals of honor. Two for rescuing my team from certain death in the Galactic War of 4023. One for engineering a way to save the city of Hienrick from annihilation because politicians are dumber than a box of rocks when it comes to aliens. Commanded the so-called greatest army in the galaxy. AM NOW STRANDED WITH SEVEN NEW RECRUITS, and a week's worth of food (if we are lucky) AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO GET US HOME.

I volunteered to train new recruits because this was supposed to be my last two years before I retired. My body was only about thirty, but my age was somewhere in the two hundreds last time I was on New Earth. Hyper-space travel has this fun way of mucking up your age.

“Commander...”

The nervous voice came from behind me, pulling me away from my internalized rage. Hitting my head on the underside of the deck, I swore and looked to the voice. It was the new engineer: Emily Stien. She was the top of her class, and yet so meek. She hadn’t learned the art of pretending like you know what you are doing to make others believe in you. Sighing, I did my best to set aside my own panic. “Yes Stien?”

Holding out her hands she produced a small transponder like item made out of a hodgepodge of parts. “I made this. It sends out a signal but I can’t guarantee what it is sending out.” She didn’t meet my gaze.

Rubbing the back of my head, trying to ease the forming headache, I did my best to smile at her. “You know you’re clever.” She gave a slight smile. She had told me that I was her inspiration for joining the Galactic Peace Keeping Corps. Little did she know I was just some street rat before I joined. “Tell me, when looking at our ship, what do you think happened?”

The question caused her eyes to widen and she shuffled her feet. I placed the transponder she created on the controls where it would have the best chance of sending a signal and still be protected from the elements. Wringing her hands together, her eyes glossed over. “Honestly, it looks a bit like sabotage. The likely hood of the modular compulsion failing is already at a low statistic of 1 of 10,000, but for both to fail jumps to 1 out of 1,000,000. Due to the safety protocol that all major and back-up components are tested before each launch.”

She was good and I was glad that I had sent out my training partner with the four combat recruits in search of anything useable for shelter, if there was life nearby on this planet, anything edible. The medic recruit was taking care of the final engineering recruit who had suffered a major head injury.

It was in that moment I felt the need to sit down. “Yea that’s what I figured.” Pulling the hair band, I let my hair down and out of the tight bun that it was in. Massaging my temples, all I could was try not to feel hopeless. For the first time in my career, I had no idea what to do. I didn’t know if I could even pretend to not be freaked out by this situation. My body and mind were tired. This was supposed to be my last mission and then I had to figure out how to live as a civilian. I rather looked forward to that.

Having normal meals, not these bags of nutrition-based God knows what. Not having to report to anyone. Not dealing with all the red tape. Let’s be real: I was my commanding officer’s worst nightmare sometimes. Having the I’ll-get-permission-later didn’t always help me make friends.

Stien sat in the co-pilots chair next to me. “You have a plan. Right, ma’am?”

The hope in her eyes rather hurt to see. Sighing, I looked out the glass to the sky. “Honest truth?” Rolling my head to her, I did my best to smile. “I have no idea what to do. Our best hope right now is your little transponder.”

Stien’s eyes faded. It pained my heart to see such a promising recruit to be taken out so soon, but I had to be honest. Looking to the window, she softly sighed. “I was so desperate to be different. To be someone who mattered.” Wiping a tear from her eye continued, “My sister was the favorite, was great at everything that mattered. I got stuck with the skills to build electronics from scratch.”

It was awful of me, but I started laughing. “Emily, right now your skill has a better possibility of saving us than anything else.” Her face didn’t know to be flattered or offended. “I’ll tell you something. You were right we were sabotaged. Compulsion parts don’t just fail. That technology hasn’t been touched because they rarely- if ever- fail. At least in the last ten years or so. On top of that the distress beacon being damaged wasn’t from the crash.”

Stien began stuttering and fumbling over words. The bomb I had detonated on her was a bit much and didn’t help the gravity of the situation. Almost immediately regretting my decision to tell her this, my nervous tick kicked in. Thumbing my chin, I leaned back. “Look to be quite frank, I think there is someone on board this training exercise that someone didn’t want to make it back.” Pausing I took the moment to debate continuing. “I don’t see what use taking me out would do. This was supposed to be my last mission. Captain Wallace is to be taking over when I am gone. The files I was given on you recruits was basic information but the reality is if there’s enough money involved you can get things omitted. So, for all I know my information on ya’ll is lousy at best.” There were rumors brewing of a rebellious group forming, and if one of these kids was related to some high council member; what better way to say that no one is safe.

Bewilderment didn’t quite cover the look upon the poor girl’s face. Rolling my head back to look out the glass, the scouting party was on their way back to the ship. Sighing, I swung one leg over the armrest and thumbed my chin again.

“So, what are we going to do?” Stien got her voice back.

Flicking a few buttons in one last (feeble) attempt to get anything but auxiliary power working, I simply flopped back in my seat. “Once the team gets back on the ship, we are going to rest. We aren’t going to be useful exhausted and panicked.”

____________________________________________________

“Captain Wallace and I will take the first watch. You all get rest. After eight hours Captain Wallace will switch out with Bignt and Corey. In which we will start twelve-hour shifts. Then Captain Wallace, Temps, and Winters will take the next shift and we will switch from there.” Turning to Stien, and the medic, Yori, I continued. “Stien: see if you can figure out a way to get us started again. Yori: keep an eye on Wilson help Stien as needed.” Looking at this crew, my heart sank. They had been so full of hope and wonder. Now, I had four wannabe heroes, a rookie medic, an engineer that knew the reality of the situation, an injured man, and Captain Wallace.

Wallace stepped in when Bignt tried to pop off, dismissing the crew as I stepped into my terra suit. Grabbing a rifle, pistol, and saber, I stepped into the air lock and waited for Wallace.

Stepping on the dusty red planet, I couldn’t help but feel the awe of the unknown. I won’t lie. There was a part of me that missed the open space. Traveling the reaches that society hadn’t touched yet. The wonder of new life forms that hadn’t had human contact yet.

“So, what is the truth of the situation, Ryan?” Wallace’s voice brought me back to reality.

Sighing, I took a good long hard look to the sky, as if that would change anything. “Both of the compulsion units were tampered with, as well as the distress signal. Stein made a transponder. But it sends a signal and can’t receive anything.”

Wallace followed my gaze, “I wonder if the threats of rebellion were actually true, that they were going to make a statement.”

Clicking my tongue at him, I couldn’t say I was impressed with the thought. “There’s always been rumors of such things. Maybe if one of these kids was somebody’s kid. But what’s the real likelihood of that. Even the unwanted children of elites are coddled.”

Wallace simply shook his head and laughed. “Ryan, you sure are dense sometimes.”

Now I can’t say that was what I expected to hear. “How do you mean this time?”

“Oh? So, you’re admitting to it?” His cheeky smile pissed me off, and apparently, he knew it. “Hey, I called it when what was his name-”

“Walker-”

“That’s it! Commander Walker had a thing for you.” Wallace knowing, he had hit a nerve, smiled; then relented. “If someone was looking to start a rebellion or worse, wouldn’t it be a good idea to get the Hero of the Falls out of the way.”

“Why should that matter? I was retiring. I was going to buy a house in the middle of nowhere and live the rest of my days in peace. I’m tired. No matter how much good you do, some idiot blasts it all up with trying to make their own views everyone’s. All the fighting I did was for nothing. I thought I was on the right side of the fight-” My anger had taken over my words and I found myself in a place I never thought I would be again. At the end of the day, I am worthless. I became a cog in the machine of the universe and I hate it. What I did to make the universe the way it became.

Relaxing against the ship's hull, Wallace gave me a knowing look. “You know, half- more than half I'd be willing to bet- would pick up arms and overthrow the Galactic Overseer if you gave the word.”

All I could do was stand there, the shock of the reality. Wallace agreed with the rebellions cause. That the oppression of anyone but human was wrong. That the system was broken. That we were stagnating as a society. “You agree with what’s being said?”

“And you don’t?” He shot back. “Would you be running away if you didn’t agree?”

“Retiring.”

“Whatever you want to call it.” He shrugged as he got up. “Let’s just hope that your guardian angels are at work. Or whatever likes to keep you safe.”

Laughing was the only response I had. All I could do was hope that Lady Luck still had me in her good graces.

____________________________________________________

Eight hours came and went. Wallace went into the craft and Bignt and Corey came out. Corey respected the planet, taking careful watch of the placement of his feet, wary of the world around him. Bignt, however, walked like he owned the place. An average glassware nightmare: or a leader's take your pick. Though seeing as it was me that had more issues with him than Wallace, he just may not respect me.

“Ma’am.” The two rookies saluted.

Simply nodding, I told them to stand down and pay attention to their world around them; might as well teach them on the off chance that we got rescued. I chose to look back out to the world around us. Though that was short lived.

“Ryan, why don’t you go get rest.” Bignt’s voice came over the comm in my helmet.

This kid since minute one had no respect and my patience had just run out. Squaring the teenager up, I made a point to keep harsh eye contact with him. “Have you ever been off New Earth before?” It was a simple question, but I watched as Corey took a step back and the flash of insecurity across Bignt’s face. “I have my answer. You do realize that you are still my responsibility. Really don’t care how you feel about me, but you will not put the lives of the others at risk.”

Bignt’s eye’s flashed with hate. Turning away, I had made my point. Apparently, this fight was just getting started as he wasn’t going to stay down. “You’re still just a street rat.”

Stopping in my tracks, Corey said something that I didn’t quite make out as I turned around. “So which family are you from, truly, Bignt?” The way he turned up his nose at me, was all too familiar. The laughter that came from me put terror into the young boy’s eyes. “You’re Aurtur Srade’s son.”

“How di-”

“You think I haven’t met your father?” I turned my back to the boys, as there was shifting in the sand that hadn’t been present in the past eight hours. “Now, something is off, sta-” Now, face to face with some giant worm, I stilled; praying the boys weren’t stupid.