"It's a trap Meng! How can you not see that?!" Brandon shouted. "This is a bad idea, you'll show up and they'll arrest you."
"And if they do, everything is already in motion. My arrest will not stop the progress of anything." Meng said calmly. The strike, the boycotts, everything had snowballed very quickly with only a small push now and then from him. Word of mouth and sympathy had done far more than his speeches ever could. "It's worth the risk Brandon."
Brandon growled, he actually growled at Meng, and then stormed out of the room. Lana looked from the door to Meng uncomfortably, "It could be a trap you know." she said quietly.
"Arresting me would only make their situation worse." Meng said. "They know that as well as we do. It would make me some sort of martyr and they don't want that anymore than I do."
------
Freya, Hapsberg and the young engineer were huddled together looking over the computer. They talked quickly and every once in awhile the translator was unable to keep up with the alien's tongue. The three of them would laugh together when this happened before returning their attention to the computer screen.
"We've never encountered this kind of technology." Freya said, with awe in her voice. "It's incredible."
"If it works it will be incredible." Hapsberg said, she looked at the engineer and shrugged. "No offense but this wasn't intended for a human being, I don't know that I'm willing to put Mr. Ice through yet another surgery with such a risk."
"I understand." she nodded. "I just want to help, your crew has been very kind to us, I wish to help." she looked past them toward where her younger sister looked on disapprovingly. "It is not our way but I think it is yours..."
"We could leave it up to Julian." Freya ventured.
Hapsberg mulled the options over. "We'll be at the space port in a few hours; there's no way we can do this before you and your people leave though."
"This research...this information...is for you. You can use it anytime you like." she said. "I would be no good in your operating room anyway. I am engineer."
"Thank you." Freya said. "Thank you for the information, I hope we can put it to use. But even if we can't it was very kind of you."
------
Several people had gathered around the viewports as the ship approached the large sprawling space port. The port spanned over space like an intergalactic thoroughfare and there were dozens of ships; though the Ark was by far one of the largest. "Wow." Freya said as she gazed out the port. She was flanked by a couple of nurses that had stepped out of the ward with her to watch. "Sometimes I forget we're in space..."
"How can you forget we're in space?" one of them asked with a laugh. "We live on a space ship."
"I just mean that our whole lives, our parents lives, grandparents and so on ...it's always been here. None of us have ever lived on a planet so living in space is just natural to us...it's in the back of my mind somewhere, just don't think of it much." Freya shrugged. "And then I see this and it's...it's just wow..."
"I get what you mean doctor." the other nurse said. "I've never been planet side, I've never been off this ship so I get what you mean."
"You think any of the other people on those ships out there have lived their whole lives on a ship?" Freya mused aloud. No one replied but no answer was really necessary.
------
"It's been a pleasure to have you with us." Captain Hunt lied to the Ambassador and the other alien crew.
"Thank you for your assistance Captain." the Ambassador said. They watched as their broken ship was hauled with tractor beams from the Ark's bay by other vessels. They turned and left through an airlock to a waiting shuttle before saying anything else. Hunt waited until the shuttle had departed before breathing a sigh of relief; one he'd been holding in the whole time they were on board.
"Captain!" Andy exclaimed running up to him. She was out of breath, having run almost the whole way from engineering to the bridge and then here. "The aliens...where are they?" she looked around frantically.
"They just left Lieutenant," Captain Hunt said motioning toward the view where they could see their ship still being towed. "Thankfully." he tacked on with a small smile.
"But...damn!" she cursed a few times, a bad habit picked from Dex. "There was never anything wrong with their ship Captain!"
"Then why did they need a ride from us?" he asked, Andy didn't have the answer to that one.
------
"What do you mean without the suit?" Julian asked in shock. "You mean...just on my own?"
"Well there would something inside your body but not outside like the suit." Hapsberg explained. "We've sent the research to Commander Katou and to engineering to get their opinions Mr. Ice. But I wanted to keep you informed of the possibility."
"Wow, I mean I've just gotten used to the suit and having my mobility back..." Julian mused.
"You don't have to do this procedure, it would mean another surgery and it's alien technology - assuming we can even reproduce it based on what she gave us...there could be risks." Hapsberg felt she had to caution him.
"Right right. Well, I guess just let me know what you and the other brains come up with." he smirked at her. "I'm used to the suit but I wouldn't mind getting out of it either..."
Hapsberg nodded. "I'll keep you informed Mr Ice. Thank you for coming by." She watched him leave before returning her attention back to the screen. She barely had a chance to look at it when Freya came in.
"Did I just see Julian? Did you tell him about the procedure?" she looked out the door a bit anxiously.
Hapsberg nodded. "I told him we'd keep him up to date on things. He's considering things." she paused a moment until Freya actually turned her attention back toward her. "And the Captain wanted to see you, as soon as possible."
------
"Captain, you wanted to see me?" Freya asked. She glanced around the room and saw Bonwick, looking surly as ever as well as Julian's aunt. Freya had to resist the urge to frown at both of them and just nodded to Theresa Ice once before returning her attention to Captain Hunt.
"The Council," he motioned to Theresa, "has agreed to talk with the Sons of Liberty, in an effort to end the strike and restore peace." Freya sensed that Captain Hunt was cautious about this meeting as well.
She was about to let it slip that she already knew what he'd told her but realized it might not be entirely public knowledge. Last thing she wanted was everyone, especially those two women, thinking she was a member of the Sons of Liberty. "That's good news sir." she said.
"Yes, it is." Hunt said, though he didn't sound like he truly meant it. "They have requested your presence at the talks."
"They?" Freya asked not sure if he meant the Sons or the Council. Why would either of them need her there? "Sir, I'm a doctor not a..."
"Not a diplomat, I know. Nevertheless, you have been requested Doctor." Captain Hunt said.
"Then I guess I'll be there..." she said lamely. Behind her, Bonwick sneered and rolled her eyes.
"Very good Doctor." Captain Hunt said. "I will be sure you have the details, that's all."
------
Rob Jamison checked the conference room one last time, everything was in place. With a smile, he headed for the bridge. "Captain, everything is ready."
"Thank you Mr. Jamison. The bridge is yours." he said with a solemn nod before heading for the lift to take him to the conference room.
------
"Are you sure about this Meng? I mean really really sure?" Lana asked as she brushed a bit of lint off his shoulder. "If you get arrested...or killed..."
"These are peace talks Lana, I'm not walking to my execution." Meng said. He tugged at his jacket and nodded. "I'm sure, this is the best possible course of action." he paused and looked around the room, a couple other people were there to see him off, a few looked happy and hopeful like he was; others had the same fear in their face that Lana did. "Where's Brandon?" he asked, his brow furrowing. Everyone just shrugged.
------
"Why you Freya?" Julian asked again. "I mean I know you had some contact with them earlier but it's not like you're one of them....are you?"
"No, I'm not. And I don't know why - just know I was asked so..." Freya looked at her self in the mirror and frowned. "How do I look?"
"Beautiful as always." Julian said giving her a kiss. "Send my love to my aunt." he said with a smirk.
"Oh yes, I can picture that now...some how I don't think that would get things off on the right foot." Freya said, but she smiled at him.
------
Freya, Meng and Captain Hunt stood in the conference room not saying a whole lot. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable but they all had their parts to play in this and the two security sentry guards certainly kept them silent as they waited on the Council members to arrive.
Freya distracted herself by pouring a glass of juice and offered some to the others but they declined. Her glass just touched her lips when Bonwick hurried into the room looking more upset than Freya had ever seen her.
"Ah, Commander Bonwick - I hope your presence means the Council members are on their way." Captain Hunt said, not discerning the look on her face.
"They're dead sir!" Bonwick said, she looked toward Freya and Meng, barely taking them in before looking back to Hunt. "They're dead...the Council is dead...."
"Dead?" Meng and Hunt asked in shock at the same time.
"Murdered! All but Lady Ice, she's on her way to the ward now." Freya didn't even wait for Captain Hunt to acknowledge her before dropping her juice glass and heading for the door. There was a flurry of activity as she reached the door and she saw Bonwick grabbed Meng's arm.
He didn't resist her; he looked at Freya and she paused to catch his gaze. It was calm and collected as ever but deep inside his eyes she thought she saw anger....or sadness. And then she ran all the way to the medical ward.
Andy entered the darkened ship and walked toward the engineering bay while fiddling with her comm unit. The tiny tapping and electronic beeps and blurts were all that could be heard in the corridors of the alien vessel. It was like a ghost ship now, completely powered off and devoid of life. If it weren't for the small light from her hand unit, Andy wouldn't be able to see two feet in front of her. Of course she didn't need to see, she knew the layout of the ship after spending a week meandering through it alone. They'd intended to merely tractor the ship with them to a space port before sending the aliens off on their own but the Ambassador had felt it was taking too long and requested that the ship be brought inside the Ark's expansive bay. Captain Hunt had obliged and Andy had taken the opportunity to explore the vessel a bit.
She's always been interested in how things worked, and every chance to see alien technology made her a bit giddy. Plus the ship was obviously damaged and if she could help them out before they got to the space port, all the better right? At least that's how she rationalized it as she ducked out of engineering again, leaving Dex even more short handed. She'd probably catch some of his daily tirade later. As she entered the main bay, she pushed Dex out of her mind and started working.
The sound of light footsteps echoed into the bay and Andy looked up from the console in surprise. She glanced around the bay and out into the corridor; "Hello?" she said. Her voice traveled down the corridor, echoing all around her. There was no response. "Anyone out there?" she said; again, no one replied. She shook her head and let out a breath. Returning to the console she immersed herself in the ship's computer core, the occasional beep and tweet was her only company.
"What are you doing?" the soft, female voice broke startled Andy so much she whirled around and jumped out of her chair. The small, alien female tilted her head curiously. "What are you doing?" she asked again.
"Whoa..." Andy was breathing heavily, she placed her hand over her rapid heart beat and leaned back against the console. "You scared the life out of me!" she said finally. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the medical ward?"
"What are you doing?" the girl asked again. She was an odd one.
"I'm just trying to figure out what's wrong with your ship." Andy said; the strange prickly sensation on the back of her neck told her not to turn her back to this girl.
------
Freya tucked the girl back into the bed next to her sister. Freya couldn't figure out why the girl had wandered away from the ward considering she'd been unwilling to leave her sister's side the entire time she'd been here. Andy was leaning against the rail, looking out across the main thoroughfare deck, when Freya came out.
"That girl is seriously weird." Andy said, without looking at Freya.
Freya didn't say anything, she'd noticed the girl seemed a little off but had chalked it up to cultural differences. From what she'd seen of their alien visitors, they were a trusting but somewhat quiet group. She'd actually gotten used to the feeling of being watched when she was around them - because one of them always seemed to be watching. It wasn't in a menacing or even calculating way, they simply watched because it was what they did.
Across the deck, a small scuffle broke out between a shop owner and a group of people that had been loitering near the entrance. In the last week, tension on the ship had risen as the strike wore on. Some of the strikers had taken to boycotting and simply making a nuisance of themselves on the thoroughfare. Freya started toward the scuffle but Andy put a hand on her arm and held her back. With her other hand, she pointed toward the security office where Bonwick emerged, flanked by two other security personnel. "The school has closed now," she said as they watched the security team close in and break up the scuffle. "if this strike and everything goes on much longer, we're gonna be dead in space too; can't keep this place going with so few people working for much longer."
"Think the Council realizes that?" Freya asked, she grimaced as one of the security guard dealt an unnecessary blow.
"I hope so." Andy sounded subdued, far too quiet compared to her normal self. "I better get back to Engineering, if Dex hasn't torn it apart already."
Freya didn't have time to consider her friend's mood before she heard someone clearing their throat behind her. She turned and looked around but didn't see anyone nearby. She turned back in time to see the security team disappear with the loiterers in tow and her cheeks flamed in anger. She knew the only reason Bonwick was taking them in was because they were embryotics. "Ryan!" a voice hissed. She snapped around and then saw Meng in the shadows.
"What are you doing here?" Freya hissed, glancing around for Bonwick. The security team had disappeared into the office. She thought for a moment about not following him, even as he waved her over and disappeared further into the darkness, but curiosity overwhelmed her sense of better judgment. Several minutes later they stopped and he turned toward her grinning. It was probably one of the first real smiles she'd ever seen on his face. "What's going on?"
"They've agreed to talk, they want to end the strike and they've agreed to talk." He was still grinning like crazy and Freya realized how hopeful he was; how excited the prospect of peace made him.
"That's good, it's great..." Freya said the words and instantly wondered if it was really great. Sure she wanted change but this all seemed too fast, too easy.
"Oh come on, why aren't you more excited? You remind me of Brandon - all doom and gloom. This is it; we can all be equal..." Meng's smile faded and was replaced by his normal neutral expression she was used to; she knew that this was the face he'd wear during the talks.
"It just seems too easy I guess." Freya said lamely. "Look I have to get back...um, you be careful - on your toes and all." she looked around the tight, dark service corridor and felt a prickly sensation on her neck like they were being watched. She shook it off after a moment and returned the way they'd come.
------
"We'll be arriving at the space port in about sixteen hours Ambassador." Captain Hunt said. On the surface he was completely calm and respectful of their visitors. Inside, though, he was eager to be rid of them. They were disconcerting at times, they barely said anything and just made everyone a little uncomfortable. While the crew of Unity has been very welcoming of their visitors and shared information about their history; the visitors had told them nothing at all since they'd arrived.
The Ambassador merely nodded, gazing at the viewscreen in front of them for several minutes. Captain Hunt watched as several of the bridge crew shifted awkwardly in their seats, some straightening up as they felt the eyes of others on them. Some looked around discreetly until they saw the Ambassador standing there; then they turned their gazes forward quickly.
The captain of the other vessel walked through the bridge doors but only Captain Hunt and the Ambassador turned to look at him. He approached the pair and then began whispering quickly with the Ambassador in their own tongue. They were talking so softly and so quickly that the translator would do him no good even if he was in the mood to ease drop.
Captain Hunt kept his eyes on his bridge crew and tried to ignore them until they left the bridge, saying nothing to him as they left. "Strange people." he said under his breath once they were of the bridge. As soon as they were gone it was as if the whole bridge crew let out a collective sigh of relief and Hunt could see the tension leave them.
------
Julian fidgeted by the bed. He'd come for his follow up appointment but Freya wasn't there and his only company were two of the odd aliens. They watched him with casual expressions and he felt an all too familiar sensation creep up his neck. What was it about these people?
"Sorry I'm late!" Freya said as she hurrying into the ward. "I got called over to the science lab for something." she rolled her eyes at some unspoken thought and then smiled at Julian. "Sit."
At the end of the exam, Julian leaned over to give Freya a quick kiss but stopped as he became all too aware of their silent audience again. "Um..." he glanced over at the sisters and then back at Freya. "I'll see you later." he said and hurried away from them.
Freya nodded to the sisters and started back toward the front desk. "The suit, it helps him walk yes?" the older of the two said.
Freya turned back to them startled. "Yes, he had an accident and is paralyzed from the waist down."
"But the suit, it helps?" she said again. The younger girl looked at her sister, clearly surprised as well. Freya nodded and waited for a few moments while the girl seemed to be contemplating something. Assuming this conversation was over, Freya turned her back on them to walk away once again. "We can help...help him walk without the suit." the woman said to Freya's back. "Can help..."
Freya turned back to her wide-eyed; her expression was mirrored on the girl's face as well. "How?" Freya had a dozen more questions on the tip of her tongue but was cut off by the sister who started talking very fast in their native tongue. The translator was able to pick up every fourth or fifth word but not enough for it to make sense.
Julian recoiled a bit from Freya at the rejection. Freya let him go and for a few minutes they looked at each other across the sofa. The space between them was overwhelming in a sense and yet Freya could reach out and touch him if she wanted. "Part of me expected that I admit but I thought..." Julian scratched his chin, considering his words. "Things seemed different, you seemed different..." He got up from the couch and paced a few feet away.
"I am different Julian." Freya said, although she ached to reach out to him and reassure him that she still loved him, she held back.
"Than why not? I know we couldn't get married in the temple but I'm sure Captain Hunt would agree to marry us..." Julian seemed to flounder for more words, leaving an opening for Freya to speak up.
Freya reached out for him, taking his hands in hers. "I do want to marry you Julian. But..." she chewed on her lower lip for a second. "For years, all my life even, I've simply accepted the rules as being the rules. It never really occurred to me until recently that they needed to change....that I could change them."
"Okay..." Julian looked more confused than anything, trying to understand the significance.
"I don't want to be married in secret, live in secret like I'm ashamed or some sort of criminal. We wouldn't be able to go public with it, we wouldn't even be able to live together or have children...and that is simply unacceptable to me." Freya said, still holding his hands tightly in case he tried to pull away. "I've always thought I wasn't good enough for you - because that's what everyone told me. I thought I wasn't good enough to be a doctor - because that's what they told me. But I know now that I am good enough to be a doctor and I am good enough for you. I'm good enough to marry whoever I want, to work wherever I want, to live."
"I know that Freya!" Julian exclaimed, "I've been telling you for years that I don't care about any of that stuff."
"I know but it took me a long time for me to realize it." Freya said, she placed a hand on his cheek lovingly. "The rules have to change Julian - I want to marry you but I want to do it in front of everyone, all our friends and family. I want to have children with you someday and be able to introduce them to their Great Aunt Theresa - even if she doesn't like me. Do you understand?"
Julian slowly nodded. "Not entirely but I think I get the gist of it. I can wait, I'm willing to wait if need be. I'm going to ask this question again and I want you to understand that, that I'll wait forever if I have to okay?" He slowly pulled the family ring off his finger and held it out to her. "Freya Ryan, will you do me the very great honor of promising to one day be my wife - after WE help change the rules of course?" he smiled expectantly. He put his arm around her shoulders and held her close.
"Are you sure?" she was asking even as she took the ring from him. "It could be years, it could be never..."
"I'm sure." he grinned as she slid the ring onto her finger. "Are you?"
"Yes." Freya said looking at the ring with a smile. "Yes...." she said a little softer.
-----
"So you're engaged?" Andy asked while they were waiting in the transporter room.
"Yes...sort of. Could be a really long engagement though," Freya said with a smirk.
"Never know, the strike is gaining more support every day. And I heard one of the Council members complaining about how his entire staff has pretty much abandoned him. Has to replicate his own lunch." she rolled her eyes.
"Oh the horror." Freya said dryly. "How's engineering?"
"We've worked out some sort of schedule but it's still crazy. We're running with only about ten percent of our staff, makes for some long work shifts." Andy would have every reason to begrudge the strike but she still seemed to be in support of the effort, even if it made things harder for her.
The intercomm crackled to life in the small room. "Team one, prepare to beam aboard the alien vessel." Captain Hunt's voice said. "Scans indicated working atmosphere and artificial gravity but life support is failing. There are twelve occupants, all appear to be contained on the ships' bridge; several are unconscious. Medical, triage them and send them back; there will be medical teams on hand to transport them to the medical ward. Engineering, assess the ship. Transport in two minutes; Hunt out."
Andy and Freya stepped onto the transporter along with two security personnel who would accompany them.
-----
The four person team transported into a cramped cargo bay. It was stuffed with crates and machinery. Andy started walking right away, causing one of the security guys to scramble after her. She was already attempting to load up one of the ship's display console. She pulled out a few tools and within minutes had the schematic of the ship on display. "The bridge is that way. Up those stairs" she said pointing down the narrow hall to an even narrower staircase. She studied to display for a few minutes before unplugging the power source she'd connected to the display screen. "Come on." Once again she tried to lead the way, but this time the security guy stepped in front of her and led the way down the hall. The other security man took up a position at the back and Andy looked at Freya and rolled her eyes.
When the hall forked off at the stairs, Andy stopped. "Engineering is this way, I'm going to go see what the damage it." she said. The two bulking shadows exchanged a look and nodded. One followed Andy while the other led the way up the narrow staircase with Freya.
The occupants of the damaged vehicle were crowded unto the small bridge, some were pacing anxiously but most were slumped on the floor or against the bulkheads. A few were cradling the unconscious or dying in their laps. "Come on." Freya said pushing past the security guy to begin assessing. The first person she came to recoiled in fear at first, she was a young woman and her clothes were ripped, she had a hand across her gut and blood was caked on her hands. Freya looked around quickly and then nodded to the security officer. "This one first." she opened a comm link to Andy, "Can we transport off the bridge yet Andy?" When they'd arrived, they discovered a powerful field isolated around the bridge, preventing them from transporting directly to the people.
Andy's reply was garbled with static and it took a couple repeats to get an affirmative from her. "Ryan to Unity, one to transport now." she said after opening a link to the ship. She put a locator tag on the woman's shoulder and stepped back.
Nobody else was as bad as the first; even those that were unconscious seemed to mostly be suffering from oxygen deprivation. They were in the next batch to be sent back to unity. The few remaining seemed mostly unscathed and a couple were even out of place on the rusty, dingy ship. One, a female, stepped up to Freya and spoke in a fluid, but completely incomprehensible, language. Freya looked back at her security guard, who merely shrugged and started tapping on his translator.
Unfortunately they didn't have time to wait around for the translators to catch up before Andy's voice broke through the comm. "The life support is about to go out for good Freya - we better get home, you send everyone over to the Ark?"
"Almost, about to send the last few now." Freya replied as she placed locator tags on the rest of them. They looked at them curiously but not with apprehension as they'd seen her do the same with everyone else already. Although considering the translators were on the fritz, they had no idea their companions hadn't been beamed into space - trusting lot. After they were gone, Freya turned back her security escort and heard Andy and the other guy coming up the stairs as well. Just before they transported off the bridge, she felt the ship shutter under her feet as Unity locked on with a tractor beam.
-----
"Where's my sister?!" one of the aliens thrashed under the care of the medical staff, trying to look around them.
"I guess the translators have caught up with their language then." Freya said, leaning over to look at the girl. She was a teenager and from the look of her clothes had worked around the engines. "Was your sister hurt?" Freya asked.
"Yas! Here!" she pointed frantically to her gut. "Have you seen her?! Is she good?"
"One of our doctors has her in surgery now. To fix the wounds." Freya pointed to the door to the surgery bay and the teen scrambled to get up from the bed. The nurses tried to grab her but Freya waved them off and followed the girl. She held her back from going inside but allowed her to look through the window in the door.
"You can stay here until she comes out," Freya said motioning to the bed closest to the door.
Reluctantly the girl moved away from the door and sat on the bed. "You are doctor?"
Freya nodded. "Yes, I am." She finished checking the girl over and then encouraged her to lay down and rest. Once the girl was settled, she finished treating the rest of their visitors. She noticed they were all very trusting and a quiet observant sort for the most part. There were two imposing security guards flanking the doors of the medical ward anyway, though the aliens hadn't shown the least bit of malice and most of them were still just barely waking up.
Captain Hunt walked into the bay and assessed the small crowd. Somehow leaders of the ability to find each other in a room, a matter of presence. Freya looked up as he zeroed in on the most likely candidates for the captain of the vessel and introduced himself. After several minutes of talking, he looked toward her; "Doctor, we have some guest arrangements for our new friends. As they are ready to be released, please inform me."
Freya nodded and pointed to the half dozen or so in the waiting area of the ward. "Those have all checked out fine, they can go." she looked to the others, still in the beds. "These mostly just need to finish waking up."
"Thank you." Captain Hunt nodded. He looked toward the others. "After you Captain, Ambassador." he nodded to a couple of them and as a group, they left the medical ward.
"...surgery to make electrical connections in order to restore nerve function appears to be successful as of three days post operative. Patient able to move his toes on command. Prognosis: Positive" Freya filled out the last of the chart and submitted it to the computer. Andy was on her way to help Julian get completely suited up so that he could be released. "Okay Doc, I'm here." Andy called just as Freya finished.
They stood on either side of Julian's bed, prepared to help him since he hadn't tried to do more than move his legs some in the last few days. But he was stubborn and insisted on trying to get up on his own.
"This is a bad idea." Freya fretted, chewing on her lower lip. While she had every confidence in the surgery and the exo-skeleton, she also knew it would take him time to be up and walking.
"Oh just let him try," Andy said casually. "He's got to try eventually."
"Right!" Julian said, slowly pushing himself up on the bed. He groaned some, the pain from having two surgeries so close together made him want to submit to Freya's wheelchair suggestion for a second - but he was sick of the thing.
He wobbled slightly as he sat up in the bed but her righted himself and waited for the pain in his back to subside before making the next, much larger attempt. When he stood on his own two feet, he felt incredible joy and hope. Followed by weakness as he tumbled forward. Andy caught him, though she strained under his weight and that of the exo-skeleton. Freya came around and together they got him to his feet and he was able to make himself walk a few steps before the struggle became too much and he succumbed to the wheelchair.
"For three days post op, that was great Julian!" Freya said grinning broadly. "We'll start some physical therapy right away so you can build up your strength and stamina again."
"Isn't this thing part machine?" Julian asked the following week, looking wearily at the pool. He'd gotten used to the slightly bulky exo-skeleton and could stand and walk for longer periods of time - but he wasn't going to be running any marathons any time soon - and he wasn't going to let himself get electrocuted in the pool either.
Freya chuckled. "Andy assures me that everything is water tight. They designed it that way so you wouldn't be inhibited at all." she slipped into the pool and then beckoned him in. "Come on."
Julian lowered himself in the pool cautiously and slowly relaxed as electricity didn't surge through him - well any more than already was. "Okay, how does this help?"
Freya swam over to him and took his hands. "The water helps with the weight but also will help build up muscles and stamina." she triggered the panel in the wall that contained the pool controls and a slow but steady current started in the water. For over an hour, they walked and swam against the current together.
Eventually Julian graduated from the pool and was walking fairly well with the exo-skeleton. Although it was awkward at first, he'd grown used to it. But in order to get back to duty, he knew he had to be doing better so he pushed himself harder.
By three weeks post surgery, he was ready to return to duty. He wasn't as fast as he'd once been simply due to the mechanics of the suit but he knew he could meet the bare minimum standards now and in time, hopefully, he could push the exo-skeleton, and himself, even further.
"He's physically fit for duty Captain." Freya reported. She handed him a chart with all the necessary data and waited as he looked it over.
"Very good Doctor. I look forward to having him back on the bridge." Captain Hunt said with a nod. "I'll have the schedule altered accordingly."
-----
"This strike is a waste of time!" Brian shouted. "It won't do any good; it's been a month and the ship is still flying!"
"Calm down Brian. It requires time and patience. Over half the ship is considered an embryotic, and every day we get more and more people supporting our cause." Meng said.
"And all for what? So they can sit around out of work? It hasn't been a hardship on any of the ancestrals so it won't do a lick of good!" Brian spat. "We need to strike now! With force! Not talk or strikes or whatever other passive method you have - the only thing they'll ever respond to is force Meng!"
"And they'll respond to it with more force!" Meng said firmly. "What good would that do except to spill blood and start a civil war?"
-----
Julian walked onto the bridge confidently. He was on time and he was on his own two feet. Andy smiled at him as he entered and a small cheer went up from the others when they saw him.
"Ah Mr. Ice." Captain Hunt stood to greet him. "It's good to have you back." he said.
Rob Jamison, who was working the shift before Julian, stood when he came over and smiled. "Been keeping your seat warm." he said with a wink.
"Thanks." Julian said. He closed his eyes and couldn't help but absorb the moment as he sat down in his seat. It was good to be back.
His first shift back was going smoothly; but then the ship often went months without meeting another ship or hitting any bumps. "Captain?" Katou called out from the science station.
"Yes Commander?" Hunt asked, looking over toward her.
Andy had left her station at engineering at the same time and had popped out one of the keyboards from the wall. "We're getting a signal...I'm trying to clean it up now." she said. "Feeding it through the translator as well"
"To any avai....ble sh.....ease resp....Have suf......d cas....ties...." the audio feed piped in through the speakers.
Andy and Katou worked quickly, their fingers flying across the keys. The image of a man flickered on one of the screens for a moment before disappearing and then coming back.
"I think I have it now Captain." Andy said. "To any available ship, please respond. We have suffered casualties and our life support is failing, we are in sector seven dash gamma. Repeat, to any available ship..." the message repeated itself over.
"I'm scanning the sector they indicated Captain - it's where the beacon is coming from." Katou said.
"Picking up a small vessel, unknown origin." Andy continued.
"Life signs?" Hunt asked.
"Too hard to tell this far out." Katou replied.
"How far?" he asked.
Julian plugged in the course at his station. "It would take us about two days to reach them sir. Not picking up anyone else in the area."
Hunt nodded. "Lay in a course then. Hopefully we'll get there in time." he said, resuming his seat in the center of the bridge. The crew of the bridge felt the slight course alteration more than anyone else did.
-----
Freya browsed through the dinner selections on the replicator and finally settled on Grilled Leindamon; it was a fish like dish that had been entered into the system decades ago and a current crew favorite. She heard the door slide open as the plate of food shimmered into existence.
She quickly moved the plate from the replicator and poked her head out of the small kitchenette in Julian's quarters. "How was your first day back?" she asked startling him.
"Fairly uneventful until we got a distress call." he said coming over to her.
"A distress call? Are there wounded?" Freya looked at her comm unit, wondering why she hadn't been called.
Julian chuckled and took her hands in his. "We're still two days away from them Doctor Ryan, I'm sure you'll be on hand when the time comes." he said. Looking past her he saw the meal and grinned. "When did you learn to cook?"
Freya smirked. "Oh just while you were out." she said. "You see this fancy replicator device? I can push buttons." she said.
Julian laughed and she served him up a plate. "You can push buttons very well though." Julian said between bites.
"Thank you." Freya said with a laugh. Everything had been looking up since the surgery. Months of drama and things keeping them apart had finally stopped it seemed.
After eating, they cuddled together on the couch and Freya felt the ache coming back. She knew he'd ask her to stay the night and she knew she'd have to leave. Though, for the first time in years, she felt like she might just say yes.
"Freya." Julian said between kisses.
"Yes Julian." Freya had intended it to be a question, but it had come out as an answer to the question she knew was coming.
Julian pulled back enough that he could looking into her beautiful blue eyes. "Will you marry me?" he asked.
Freya looked back at him and she knew he was entirely serious, he really wanted this. "No." she said simply.
Freya rushed to Julian and knelt beside him. Placing her fingers to his neck, she felt a steady pulse and sighed in relief. She did a quick check over his body for obvious injuries and was happy to see that he seemed to mostly be unscathed. She glanced around the room quickly to see what may have happened and saw his chair a short distance away. On the table was a deep purple bottle with several poured glasses of liquid.
She didn't have to smell it to know it was alcohol of some sort. What happened became clear in her head; Julian had been drinking, probably disoriented and had reached for something and fell. She felt Julian stirred beside her and looked down at him sadly. She put a hand behind his head and smiled down at him as he came around.
"Am I dreaming?" Julian asked, his voice slightly slurred. "Oh ow - no, if I was dreaming my head wouldn't hurt this bad."
Freya smirked. "I think you fell." she said.
"Well if this is what I get when I fall, I think I'll do it more." he said putting his arms around her.
Freya laughed. "I'd prefer you didn't. One second." she said lowering him back to the floor gently. She walked over to the door panel and lowered the room's gravity so that she could help him up. Back at his side, she put an arm around him and put his other arm around her other shoulder. "Now hold on tight, cause I don't feel like floating to the ceiling." she said with a wink.
It took a bit of effort, even with the gravity decreased, to get Julian over to the couch. By the time they'd gotten there, the reality of his situation had returned Julian to his previously irritable self.
"Can I get you anything?" Freya asked as Julian looked away from her.
"No," Julian said quietly. Freya shuffled awkwardly for a moment, her movement caught Julian's attention and he finally looked at her. "What are you doing here Freya?" he asked.
Freya felt stung by his tone but said nothing. She turned away from him and got him some cool water - even though he hadn't asked for it. "Here, it'll help." she said holding the glass out to him.
"Thanks" he said, taking the glass from her and putting it on the table without drinking any. "What are you doing here?" he asked again.
"We figured out to make it work." Freya said. "The exo-skeleton that is. There are risks of course...." she paused a moment and looked at the table. Looking up again, she smiled. "But we can make you walk again Julian." Freya felt like she was about to spill over with happy tears as Julian finally gave her his full attention.
His face transformed before her from misery and pain to the hope she was so used to seeing. "Really?"
Freya nodded. "Yes, really. And it can be done soon."
-----
Freya, Andy and Captain Hunt met in the Holo-Imaging Center the next day. Andy had programmed a holographic display of Julian with the exo-skeleton suit on to help explain the mechanics of it.
"The exo-skeleton is a lot like body armor in it's size and bulk" Andy explained. "It's been designed as a suit that Mr. Ice can wear just like a uniform." she said as the hologram flickered into existence.
"It looks good." Captain Hunt said. "How does it work exactly?"
Andy handed the control unit to Freya so that she could adjust the hologram as needed. She turned Holo-Julian around and pointed to an area at the base of his back. "Through an extensive surgery, we will use electricity basically to connect the nerves on either side of the injury into this point here..." there was a white box in the area she was pointing.
"And it will make the connection." Andy said. "Also there are several leads from that area which connect to various active nerves and even into the brain."
"This will allow the exo-skeleton to work the areas of the body that he can no longer operate on his own. All areas below the waist. Those areas may experience a slight delay in response time but we can't really be sure."
"Why not?" Hunt asked.
"Because this has never been done in this sense. It's experimental." Freya explained.
"But you feel confident?" he inquired.
Andy and Freya nodded at the same time. "And Mr. Ice understands the risks and possibilities." Andy added.
Hunt nodded. "Understood. How soon after the procedure do you expect to see results?"
Freya considered for a few minutes. "It could take some time but he hasn't been injured so long that his muscles have weakened considerably. Up to a month I suspect but likely sooner."
"Very good." Hunt nodded. "Good luck with the surgery doctor." he said. He lingered, looking over the holographic representation of Julian and then left. Freya smiled at Andy as they shut down the Imager.
-----
"I need you there Andy!" Freya explained the next day, following the near frantic engineering around the almost deserted bay.
"Does it look like I have time to come watch you do surgery? Besides...the blood and the cutting...no no, I'm much better with machines." she said.
"Hey what's with this place?" Freya called down to the lower deck. "Where is everyone?"
"On strike apparently." Andy called back, never stopping from her work.
"Strike?!" Freya asked in surprise. She went down the stairs instead of taking Andy's method.
"Apparently..." Andy said, half inside a bulkhead. "Your Sons have organized a strike..."
"Hold on, they aren't MY Sons." Freya said, crouching beside the opening.
"Whatever. Anyway, about seventy percent of the engineering staff is now on strike and I hear it's spread - just about every embryotic on the ship is involved." she said grumpily. "So you'll understand why I can't come to your surgery."
Freya couldn't hold back a smile at Meng's new tactics. No violence. "Well I need you there, so find a way." she said and walked out before Andy could come out of the bulkhead.
-----
"Andy? What are you doing here?" Julian asked. He had two nurses hovering anxiously beside him because he was being stubborn and attempting to hold himself up with a walker and a strong back brace. They were quickly putting a gown on him so he could be ready for surgery.
He was up for less than a minute before the fact that he had only dead weight below the waist brought him down into the arms of a couple people. They put him back in the wheelchair and released breaths they didn't even know they'd been holding.
Freya smiled at them. "Apparently Freya needs me here to help with your new mechanical parts." Andy said, looking slightly green at the thought.
"Try not to bleed on her too much Julian." Freya said with a wink.
"Try not to bleed too much period." Andy said as she swayed a bit.
Julian chuckled as Freya nodded to the nurses to take him to the surgery bay and prep him. "Come on Andy, let's scrub." Freya said guiding Freya to the sinks.
"Are you sure you need me here?" Andy asked anxiously, scrubbing her hands vigorously.
"Yes." Freya said simply.
"He's ready Doctor." Nurse White said.
"Good." she said. Two nurses helped them put their gloves on and they walked into the sterile surgical bay where Julian was laying on his stomach, he was still awake but fading quickly.
"I love you Freya." he slurred.
Freya leaned forward so her eyes met his. "I love you too." she whispered. She couldn't help but smile as she righted herself. Once they confirmed he was out, Freya made the first cut.
"Oh man..." Andy said, turning even more green and swaying behind Freya.
Finally back inside her own quarters, Freya slumped against the wall as hours of bottled emotion rolled through her. She heard shuffling from within and swallowed back the urge to yelp as she realized it was just her roommate. After several steadying breaths, she made her way to the bathroom and leaned heavily against the sink. Everything she'd been suppressing during her time with the Sons of Liberty was cascading over her now; all the fear, anger and sadness in quick succession. She finally turned on the water and splashed it over her face a few times in an attempt to wash it all away.
The bathroom door slid open and her bleary eyed roommate looked her over. "'ere 'ave 'ou been?" she asked followed by a large yawn.
"Out." Freya said. She turned off the sink water and looking over Jana's sleepy state, she wondered what time it was.
"Ah." Jana managed a knowing grin, suspecting Freya had been holed up with Julian or something. Freya almost rolled her eyes but figured Jana could believe whatever she wanted. "Lt. Kawolski came lookin' for you a few times, the last time she waited for over an 'our." she yawned again. "I had to leave cause I couldn't take her looking at me all frantic like anymore." Freya just nodded, she had no reasonable excuse prepared to explain anything away. "'ou done here?" Jana asked.
"Yeah. I'm gonna go try to get some sleep..." Freya said; each of Jana's yawns had made her hyper aware of the exhaustion she was feeling. On her way to her own room, she sent a quick message to Captain Hunt to indicate she was back. Then she collapsed on her bed and fell asleep faster than she had in what felt like months. She still didn't know what time it was.
------
A shrill beep rang once through the room, pulling Freya from her happy dreamless sleep. Her eyes opened a fraction in order to find the source of the noise. Unwilling to move in order to make the search, she gave up quickly and closed her eyes again.
Beeeeeep.
"Oh what the hell?!" Freya shouted sitting up quickly. She glared as she scanned the room for the culprit until she found her comm unit blinking. She muttered a series of curses before pushing the button. "Ryan." she said, shielding her eyes as the lights in the room blared to life.
"Freya?!" Andy practically shouted through the comm link. "Where the hell have you been?! Where are you now?!"
"I'm in my bed, trying to sleep - which is where I plan to go back to. I'm fine, bye now." Freya said and cut the link just as Andy was starting to reply. She would hear about that later but she had neither the energy nor the inclination to care right now. She buried the comm unit under some pillows intent on ignoring it.
A few hours later, Freya walked into the medical ward feeling refreshed. Jana woke her up in time for her duty shift thankfully. "Ah Dr. Ryan, good to see you feeling better." Dr. Hapsberg said; Freya furrowed her brow in confusion and was about to question when she noticed the ward was unusually full.
"What's going on?" she asked looking around. No one looked particularly injured or sick but there were at least a half dozen crew people waiting.
"Physicals." Dr. Hapsberg said as she motioned for some one to follow her back. "Pick a chart, pick a patient."
Freya suppressed a groan and picked up a chart. She turned back to find her victim and found herself face to face with Captain Hunt. "Captain."
"Ah Captain Hunt! I'm glad you came in so soon, usually you are so very busy" Dr. Hapsberg said cheerfully. She was quickly making up a chart for Captain Hunt. "I'm in the middle of a physical but I'll get to you next."
"Oh I think Dr. Ryan can handle it." Hunt said. "I AM busy and need to get back to the bridge after all." Hapsberg just nodded and handed the finished chart to Freya before returning to her patient. Freya started gathering the instruments she'd need for his physical as he took a seat on the bed. "How did it go?"
"Well, I think. Their leader, Meng Asada, agreed to stop any other attacks or violence. I think he's evaluating their current position." Freya said, turning on the scanner.
"Really? Quick work Doctor." Hunt said.
"It's not over Captain, just considering new tactics." Freya explained.
"Of course." Hunt nodded. "Any idea what sort of tactics we ought to expect?"
Freya shook her head. "At that point my presence became less than welcome." she said with a small smile. "But he's a man of his word I think; if he says no violence then there won't be."
"I hope you're right Doctor." Captain Hunt said. He was silent for a time and all that passed between them was the beeps of the scanners. "I'm afraid you might have a bit of clean up to do Doctor; I made sure Dr. Hapsberg was alerted about you missing yesterday's shift but I assume word didn't get around. Nurse White reported you missing - about the same time Lt. Kawolski and Ice were reporting you missing." Freya cringed. "As far as Dr. Hapsberg knows, you were sick - I suggest you keep to that if Commander Bonwick questions you."
"Right." Freya said letting out a sigh. She tapped in a few notes from the physical. "You're done Captain." she said.
"Thank you Doctor." Hunt said standing up. "I'd like a full report if you don't mind." he said; she knew he wasn't talking about the physical.
"I'll be sure to get it to you Captain." she said walking along side him to the front of the ward. Julian and Andy were amongst the group of crew waiting for their physicals and Freya cringed again. She filed the Captain's chart and picked up the next chart from the stack. She hoped that if she stayed really busy Julian and Andy would get bored of waiting for her.
She didn't have such luck. Between patients, Hapsberg stopped her from selecting another chart and handed her one. "Lt. Kawolski requested you."
Freya nodded slowly. "Okay." she looked over Hapsberg's shoulder to where Andy and Julian were waiting and saw a triumphant grin on Andy's face. Freya took the chart and motioned for Andy to follow her.
"Okay where have you been?" Andy asked after several minutes of silence between them.
"Sick." Freya lied, focusing entirely on the scanner.
"Yeah right!" Andy scoffed. "I went by your quarters, you weren't there."
"Four times I think Jana said." Freya corrected. "I was busy Andy."
"With the Sons?" Andy asked, just above a whisper. Freya merely nodded. She closed up the scanner and made a few notes in the chart. "Well?" Andy hissed.
"Well nothing. I'm back, you can call off the hunt." Freya said motioning for Andy to get off the bed. "And if anyone else asks, I was sick."
"Julian won't buy that..." Andy shuffled her feet awkwardly. "I didn't know you didn't tell him..." she explained even though Freya hadn't asked anything.
Freya grimaced. "You didn't did you?"
"You said you were going to talk to him about it...." Andy protested.
Freya walked Andy back to the front and didn't look at Julian while she filed the chart. He didn't need a new physical due to his situation. She wasn't sure why he was here aside from to ascertain that she was, in fact, back and fine. When Freya turned back around to face her next patient, Julian and Andy were gone.
------
The rest of the physicals kept Freya busy in the medical ward for several days. She and Julian barely saw each other although it could only partially be blamed on work - mostly they weren't talking to each other. Julian came in for his appointments and left again without saying more than a couple words.
Weeks passed without much excitement. The Sons of Liberty had gone silent and as a result, most people seemed to forget they'd ever existed. One look at Commander Bonwick though and it was obvious she remembered them. She walked around with an almost permanent scowl on her face as she continually failed to find them. Freya couldn't help but smirk when she passed Bonwick in such a state.
One such moment happened as Freya saw Bonwick pass by the doors of the Ward, scowl firmly in place. "What are you smiling about?" Hapsberg asked.
Freya shook her head. "Nothing important." she said.
"Julian Ice has an appointment this afternoon right?" the other doctor asked. Freya nodded in confirmation. "He'll be here right?"
"I suppose." Freya said without conviction.
"Aren't you two...." Hapsberg trailed off.
"Yes...and no." she replied with a sigh. "I don't know." she said, waving her hand as if brushing the matter aside.
"Alright." Hapsberg said, she looked like she wanted to push a bit but opted not to. "Well I've had a few ideas about his condition and the exo-skeleton. I called Lt. Kawolski to discuss it." They went over the case while they waited on Andy and for the first time in weeks, Freya felt excited and hopeful.
Andy, who had never given up hope that the exo-skeleton would work, simply grew more animated. She could tell from the doctors' moods that they were optimistic. After the meeting of the minds, Hapsberg left the two of them together. "You have to go tell him!" Andy said.
"I'm not sure he'd like hearing from me honestly Andy. You go tell him." she said.
"Oh no! I've done enough on the telling front thank you very much. You're his doctor...and his girlfriend." Andy replied.
"I'm not sure I'm either actually." Freya replied. "Dr. Hapsberg is his doctor and as for the girlfriend part...I think that requires talking."
"So go talk!" Andy said shoving her gently toward the door. "Just go Freya..."
------
Andy smiled the whole way back to Engineering. She just knew that things were finally starting to turn around. Julian would be able to walk, which would make him happy again, which would make Freya happy again. For the first time in months, everything seemed to be going right.
So when she walked into the engineering bay, it took her several moments to process the scene. Normally a dozen or more engineers would be working around the two decks of the bay, along with several others scattered about the ship doing repairs and maintance. But there were only two very frazzled looking engineers and Dex - who was several shades of red and cursing violently. "What the bloomin' hell is goin' on here?!" he shouted at the two young engineers.
"Um..." one said looking at the other in panic.
"Um doesn't tell me a gorram thing you little nutter!" Dex shouted.
Andy approached slowly and steeled herself as Dex whirled around on her. "Dex." she said calmly. She turned to the engineers, "Well?" she asked, just as calmly.
"A strike...they said there was a strike?" the other muttered. He sounded confused as he said it, clearly not sure what a "strike" was in this particular situation.
------
Freya chewed on her lower lip as she rang the door chime again. No answer...still. She checked the computer again to be sure Julian was, in fact, inside. He was, according to the computer anyway. She entered in her medical override and forced her way inside.
