Second Earth (12 page)

  
Twenty minutes
later, the carrier was back at the makeshift camp the Marines had set up on
Delta Base near Addison Field’s decimated runway. With a slight jolt, the
hovering craft came to a halt just behind the cargo hatch for
Sylvia’s Delight
. Shawn noticed that
Melissa didn’t even stir. Private Montoya was the first to exit, followed by
Raven, who gave an understanding look to Shawn and his weary companion. Turning
her head, Raven then looked out at the Marines who were just finishing loading
their supplies into the VTOL ships that had brought them down. She looked back
to Shawn, giving him a gesture with her thumb that told him that she would not
be returning to the
Rhea
on board the
Mark-IV. He nodded and smiled, to which Raven gave a slight bow of her torso.
As she bounded off to the waiting Marine transport, Shawn slowly began to
withdraw his arm from Melissa’s tight embrace. This had the desired effect he
was hoping for.

  
“Oh dear,” she said
through half-open eyes. “I must have…fallen asleep.”

  
“It’s
understandable,” he offered graciously. “It’s been an eventful day.”

  
“You’re too kind.”
She realized then that her hand was still loosely trapped beneath Shawn’s arm.
“I’m sorry. It’s not like…not like me to—” She stared into his deep blue eyes
as they looked into hers. “We should…get going. Don’t you think?”

  
He smiled that same
dashing smile she had first received on Minos when she came knocking at the
doorstep of The Old Flamingo. “Unless you’d like to stay here and do some more
sightseeing?”

  
“Actually, now that
you mention it, I wouldn’t mind getting a closer look at that large crater.”

  
“More samples?” he
asked, already knowing the answer.

  
Melissa nodded.
“I’ll need them to compare with the organic remains we’ve found. I want to know
what killed these people.”

  
“As do I,” he
agreed somberly before turning to Sergeant Adams, who was still behind the
controls of the carrier. “Adams, let’s get to that crater, shall we?”

  
Adams nodded
curtly. “Yes, sir.”

  
Considering the
diameter of the crater, the trip from Addison Field to the outer rim took only
a few minutes. A large portion of Delta Base had extended into what was now an
empty hole, and the road the skimmer had traveled down abruptly fell off into
the vastness of the place. Standing on the rim of the eight-hundred-foot-wide
formation, the trio took in the enormity of their surroundings.

  
Melissa was the
first to navigate the rim on her way down. Rounding several large boulders that
had been pushed to the surface by the impact, she began sliding down the crater
wall with abandon.

  
Adams turned his
dark face toward Shawn when Melissa was out of earshot. “She really throws
caution to the wind at times, doesn’t she, sir?”
  

  
Shawn smiled at the
remark. “I’ve come to the conclusion that the word ‘caution’ isn’t in her
internal dictionary. Keep an eye on things up here, Sergeant. I’ll watch over
Agent Graves.”

  
Getting an
acknowledging nod from the Marine, Shawn began sliding down into the crater
behind Melissa. She was halfway to the floor by the time Shawn neared her
position. The two continued down for another ten minutes as the wall began a
gentle slope toward the floor. When they neared the edge of the central uplift,
Melissa knelt down and began taking samples.

  
Shawn looked
around, in awe over the sheer size of the hole. His attention was drawn back to
Melissa as the handheld sampling device began to chime audibly.

  
“What does it mean
when it does that?” he asked.

  
“It means the
scanner has already analyzed some of the rudimentary particles. However, there
also appears to be some exotic material here that it can’t discern.”

  
“Exotic?” he asked
with surprise. “You mean, something not normally associated with a formation
like this?”

  
“I mean something
not normally encountered by my scanner. That in itself is odd, considering I
should be able to read almost anything we’d see here. Craters like this are
normally formed by asteroid impacts or, in some cases, by weapons detonations.”
Melissa stood and wiped away some dust that had clung to the knees of her
pants. “Visually speaking, discerning between the two can be difficult, but
they both have significantly different readings when scanned. While I admit
that the storage capacity of the device is limited, the scanner contains
records of pretty much every type of phenomena that could do this, as well as
all the minerals and isotopes on this planet.”

  
“And the exotic
material?”

  
“It’s throwing off
the readings,” she said with resignation. “In other words, I have no idea what
could have done this.”

  
“And that bothers
you? You know, not being able to figure something out?”

  
Melissa scowled.
“I’m not admitting defeat just yet, Commander. As with everything else we’ve
collected, we simply need to get it back to the
Rhea
. I have no doubts that the ship’s computer will be able to
rectify my scanner’s deficiencies.”
  

  
Shawn chuckled.
“You obviously haven’t met the computer terminal near the
Rhea
’s observation lounge.”

  
“The what?”

  
“Never mind,” he
said with a wave of his hand. “I’m sure you’ll eventually find out. Are we done
here?”

  
Melissa regarded
the crater one final time, taking in the magnitude of the terrestrial bowl in
which the two found themselves. “I intend to find out what happened here.” She
said the words aloud, but Shawn got the impression she was speaking to whatever
unseen force had done this, and not to him. Then she turned and began walking
back toward the crater wall.

  
By the time Adams
had ferried them back to the remains of Addison Field’s landing strip, the
first of the two Marines’ VTOL craft was already lifting free of the surface
under the high-pitched whine of its fusion engines.

  
“You going back to
the
Rhea
the way you came down?” he
asked as they neared the final VTOL craft.

  
Melissa regarded
the awkward but well-built craft. She could see Lieutenant Burgess, the platoon
commander, sitting at the controls and waiting for her to climb aboard. “I’d
rather not, if it’s all the same to you, Commander.”

  
Shawn couldn’t help
but smile as he inclined his head toward
Sylvia’s
Delight
. “I’ll even let you sit up front.”

  
“Well, a gentleman
is
always supposed to make sure the lady
gets back home safely.”

    
He gave her a
quizzical look. “I think that was three compliments in one sentence. Looks like
I’m not the only one having a change of heart around here,” he said as the two
walked toward the craft.

  
“What do you mean?”

  
“Well, first you
call me a ‘gentleman,’ and then you make the implications that both my piloting
and my ship are safe.”

  
As she stepped up
to the cargo ramp, she craned her head over her shoulder to speak to Shawn who
was close behind. “Don’t read too far into it, Commander.”

  
Shawn closed the
hatch and walked to her side in the middle of the cargo hold. “So, the truth
comes out: you still don’t think I’m safe.”

  
She moved closer to
him, as close as she’d ever come without kissing him. “I’m not sure I’d like it
so much if you were safe.” She then stepped back and sauntered up to the
control deck without another word, leaving Shawn’s mouth a half-gaping mess.

  
W
ith
Sylvia’s Delight
stowed safely back
in her assigned docking bay, the human remains Raven and her team had acquired
were on their way to one of the dozens of science labs for examination. Shawn
and Melissa were ordered to report directly to Captain Krif’s at-space office
for an official debriefing, and as the two looked at one another after exiting
D
, they each had the distinct impression
that other didn’t seemed particularly overjoyed to do so. After what they had
seen on the surface of the planet, each knew that they needed to get their
minds on something more pleasant before having to deal with the
Rhea
’s gruff captain.

  
They reveled in
taking their time to get to his cabin, deciding to take the long way and enjoy
what little scenery was afforded them before they got back to life aboard the
carrier. Neither of them spoke very much during their journey around the ship,
save for the occasional courtesy offered to a passing officer or crewmember.
They passed through the hangar from stem to stern, made their way leisurely
through the galley and recreation spaces, and finally ended up at the ship’s
arboretum.

  
As the duo rounded
a corner on the path that was flanked on either side by enormous, white-tipped
willow trees, Melissa silently reach for Shawn’s hand. The fumbled clumsily for
a grasp on one another, until finally getting a firm grip a moment later.

  
“We should probably
pick up the pace,” Shawn said after a quiet moment.

  
She knew he was
right, but she was reluctant to get back to reality. Thankful for the precious
few moments she and Shawn were able to share, she nodded slowly and hummed an
approval.

  
Exiting the
arboretum, Shawn stepped up to the first computer terminal in the passageway.

  
“Computer?”

  
“Ready for query,”
the female voice breathed heavily.

  
Shawn looked to
Melissa, who was staring at the computer with marked fascination. “It never
sounds like that when
I
make a request.”

  
“Really?” he asked
in disbelief. “Would you want it to?”

  
“No, I just think
it’s interesting.”

  
“Interesting isn’t
the word I’d choose. ‘Annoying’ would be more like it.”

  
“Ready for query,
Lieutenant Commander Kestrel,” the terminal emitted soothingly. “Or do you no
longer need me?”

  
As intolerable as
it was talking to these machines, Shawn really did need the help. “Computer,
locate Captain Krif.”

  
“Captain Krif is in
his cabin,” the female voice responded, then ended with, “Shawn.”

  
Shawn looked at the
computer terminal incredulously. Melissa snorted with laughter.

  
“Computer, you are
not to address me in that manner. Compute?”

  
“Oh, Shawn,”
Melissa said. “Just leave it alone. We have somewhere we need to be.” With
that, she began tugging at his hand as she continued down the corridor.

  
“Would you be able
to leave it alone?” he asked as he pointed an accusatory finger back in the
computer terminals direction.

  
“I wouldn’t let it
bother me.”

  
When at last they
finally arrived at the captain’s quarters, the two looked to one another to see
who would be the one to knock. After a moment they reached for the door chime
in unison. As they smiled at one another, Shawn decided to take the lead.

  
“Allow me,” he said
with a gracious nod. He pressed the computerized chime, but there was no
immediate answer. After a pause he pushed the button again, watching Melissa
roll on the balls of her feet as she waited impatiently for the captain to
answer. Finally Shawn tried a good old fashioned rap with his knuckles, but
again was met with no response.

  
“I did hear the
computer right, didn’t I?” Shawn asked in bewilderment. “It did say the captain
was in his cabin and not in the briefing room?”

  
Melissa nodded
quickly, glancing from Shawn to the closed door.

  
Shawn reached out
and rapped his hand against the hard metal of the door once more. This time the
door sprang open with a hiss, causing them both to have a start.

  
“Yes?” the
captain’s voice said before Krif’s head popped out between the partially open
door and the frame.

   
It didn’t come as
a surprise to either Shawn or Melissa to hear the agitation in Richard’s voice.
What
was
surprising was that he was
in a very casual state of dress. He had a T-shirt on, and what looked to be an
obnoxiously colored plaid-patterned pair of undershorts, his crisp officer’s
hat with its highly polished Sector Command logo in its center, and very little
else. Then again, most of his body was still hidden behind the door.

  
“I thought you
might want a report, Captain,” Shawn offered with a Cheshire smile.

  
Krif scowled
menacingly at Kestrel’s jovialness. “What are
you
smiling at, ace?”

  
“Who? Me?” Shawn
replied innocently.

  
Krif turned a cold
stare to Melissa. “I suppose you’re here for the same thing, too?”

  
“I am,” she said,
trying hard not to laugh at the captain’s choice of attire—or lack thereof.

  
Krif grunted, and
shifted his eyes back to Shawn. “I’m a little busy right now, Kestrel. It’ll
have to wait.” His tone betrayed his annoyance at being caught off-guard.

  
Shawn was still
beaming like an idiot, and Melissa had to wonder what was going on in the
Lieutenant Commander’s mind.

  
“But I thought you
ordered us to—” Shawn started, but was immediately cut off.

  
“That was forty
minutes ago, you son of a—” he began, but when Melissa cleared her throat
loudly, he decided to change tactics. “You took your sweet time getting here,
so I figured you got lost.”

  
“You could have had
the ship’s computer page me, sir.” Shawn said in his most sarcastic tone.

  
“Well, I didn’t.
Consider it the Captain’s prerogative. Besides, I got detained by a last-minute
meeting.”

  
“In your
underwear?” Melissa answered with a curious stare.

  
“Your powers of
observation are staggering, Agent Graves,” Krif retorted sarcastically. “And
not that it’s any of your business, but no.” Krif then turned back to Shawn.
“And you: stop smiling.”

  
“Yes, sir,” he
replied with a picture-perfect salute. “Anyway, Captain, we’re here now, just
as you requested.”

  
A sound erupted
from behind Krif, but neither Shawn nor Melissa could see past the slightly
open door. It sounded oddly like a woman sneezing.

  
“Never mind what I
wanted.” Krif’s words were quick and sharp.

  
“What was that?”
Melissa asked, trying to peer around Krif’s body and into the room.

  
Richard tensed and
he stood tall in the doorway in an attempt to block any holes Melissa might be
able to see through. “It was nothing. And, even if it weren’t nothing, it
wouldn’t be any of your concern, little miss Sherlock Holmes.”

  
“I was just asking
a question,” she replied meekly. “You don’t need to snap at me, Captain.”

  
“Well, why don’t
both of you just can the questions and get off my doorstep before I call ship’s
security.”

  
“You’d call
security on us?” Shawn asked, knowing full well Krif was bluffing. There was
someone in his quarters with him—someone he didn’t want to get caught with.
Security would be forced to take statements from everyone present, and there
was no way Krif was going to allow that to happen.

  
Richard sighed
heavily. “Fine. You got me. I’m not going to call security. I’m just going to
beat you within an inch of your life if you don’t leave
right now
.”

  
There was another
sneeze from behind Krif, and what could only be described as giggling.

  
A look of serious
concern crossed Shawn’s face. “Are you sure you’re doing all right, sir?” he
asked as he stepped closer to the door. “It sounds like you have some kind of
infestation in there. I’m sure I could—”

  
Krif put a palm
against Shawn’s chest. “One step closer and I’ll have your commission,
hotshot.”

  
“And what in the
universe would make you think I would be scared of that?”

  
Richard sighed
heavily, and almost dropped his head in exhaustion. “Don’t you have anything
better to do, Kestrel? Don’t you two have a lover’s quarrel to get into, or a
broken ship that needs fixing, or an airlock that needs testing?”

  
Shawn looked to
Melissa and shrugged his shoulders. She likewise returned the gesture, then
they both turned to Krif. “Not really,” Shawn offered. “But, I
do
suppose we could go—”

  
“Fine, whatever.
Just go do it and be gone.”

  
Krif began to close
the door, but Melissa’s words stopped him. “But you don’t even know what we’re—”

  
“Listen to how
painfully clear these words are going to be, Agent Graves. I don’t care if you
want to go field-test the ship’s automated self-destruct system. Go away, and
go away
now
. I’ll call you when I’m
ready for you to return.”

  
There was another
sneeze from behind the door.

  
“God bless you,”
Melissa called out to unseen woman, and then winked devilishly at Krif, who
immediately slammed the door in her face.

  
“That was…odd,”
Shawn said with a puzzled look.

  
“Yeah, but it was
pretty fun.”

  
Shawn had to agree.
He snorted softly. “Yeah, it was. You’ve got kind of a dark side, don’t you?”

  
“I’ve got lots of
sides, mister.”

  
“I’m beginning to
notice.”

  
“You’re just now
starting to notice?” she asked with a smile.

  
“Well, I
am
a pilot, and somewhat dense.”

  
“I’ll take that
under advisement.”

  
“So,” Shawn asked,
drawing out the ‘o’ for a few seconds. “I guess since we have the captain’s
blessing, we can go and see what your father left on that storage disk.”

  
“You don’t think
the Captain would mind?” Her words betrayed no caution and even less guilt.

  
“Well, we
do
have something that needs to get
done, and Dick did tell us to ‘go do it and be gone,’” Shawn said, giving his
best impersonation of Krif as he quoted him.

  
Melissa chuckled.
Shawn’s impression of the captain wouldn’t win him any awards, but was
nonetheless noteworthy. “How about we meet back at my quarters. Say about
1630?”

  
“Just in time to
escort you down to the officers’ mess for dinner?”

  
She smiled and
sighed heavily as she leaned casually against the nearest bulkhead. “I was
thinking of dining in this evening.”

  
Shawn licked his
lips before giving her a toothy grin. “Are you asking me on a date, Agent
Graves?”

  
She raised her left
eyebrow and turned abruptly on her heel, heading off in the direction of her
stateroom. Before she got out of earshot, she turned her head and called back
over her shoulder, “1630. And don’t be late,
hotshot
.”

* * *

  
At precisely 1629, Shawn arrived at
Melissa’s door. Unlike their meeting with the captain earlier, her door slid
open the instant he pressed the chime. Melissa was wearing informal attire that
Shawn approved of: cargo shorts and a comfortable t-shirt. He was instantly
pleased that he hadn’t relented in his desire to overdress at the last
minute.
 

  
Melissa smiled and leaned against the
doorframe. “I’m glad to see that your promptness has improved considerably,
Commander.”

  
Shawn returned the smile. “Well, I’ve
learned my way around the ship pretty well.”