Victoria's Challenge (39 page)

“All set mom
. In you go just like before. There’s a chair to sit on if you tire and the shower gel…. I forgot the gel. I’ll go get it and be right back.” She gives her a slight smile. “Go ahead and get in, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Leaving the bathroom, Victoria hopes her mother will forgive her. Entering the public quarters she finds her dad alone.

“Where’s Brett?
” She tries to act innocently.

“Lucas took him to see the command center.
” Peter watches as his daughter moves to a bag she brought.

“Oh, he’ll like that
. He’s been full of questions.”

“Yes.”

“Dad, I need to go to medical for a little bit. Could you take this in to mom?” She holds out the shower gel.

“Sure….”

“Great, I’ll be back later.” Quickly, she leaves the room before she changes her mind.

Leaning her head, back Cyndy lets the heat of the water soak into her bones. It had been so long and she’d never truly believed she could feel this again. Life had become so basic in the last few years… cycles, she needs to remember. Peter had been amazing for the last, what had Tori said, nine cycles, not only delivering their son but also keeping them alive. He never broke, not once, in all that time but recently she’d sensed his desperation as the food ran out. The water becoming undrinkable and there being no solution but to go out into the environment.

Entering the bathroom
, Peter freezes. His wife, the love of his life has her head tipped back letting the steaming water stream down her head and back. It should be soaking her beautiful red curls, but it had fallen out months ago. It’s the condition of her body that freezes him. She’s always been a little thing but soft and full of curves, now he can see every rib, every vertebra, her hips so pronounced, it hurt’s to look at them. The plastic bottle falls from his hand.

“Tori?
” Cyndy’s head turns at the sound, her eyes widening when she sees Peter. “Peter?” She quickly tries to cover herself.

Devastated eyes meet hers.

“Cyndy…”

“
Get out! Peter… get out!” Ignoring her he steps into the shower, dropping to his knees in front of her.

“Oh God
, Cyndy….” Wrapping his arms around her hipbones, he carefully lays her head in lap and cries.

“
Shh…. Peter…” Cyndy runs gentle fingers through his hair. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“
I’ve failed you.”

“No
! No, you haven’t. Peter….”

“You’d be dead right now, you and Brett
, if it wasn’t for Tori and Lucas.”

“Peter,” Cyndy forces his face up
, making him meet her eyes. “You did everything you could, you kept us
alive
.”

“This is alive
? You’re sick. You’ve lost your beautiful hair, your voice…”

“I have
you
! I have Brett and Tori. Without
you,
none of that could have happened!”

“I didn’t save you
! Tori did!”

“She couldn’t have
, if you hadn’t been able to keep us alive! Peter, you were able to make four years’ worth of food last for over nine! There would have been nothing to save if it wasn’t for
you
!” When he goes to stand, she grips his shoulders allowing his strength to pull her up. “Peter…”

“You’ve lied and deceived me Cyndy
. You made Brett and my masks thicker than yours! You didn’t let me know how dire your condition had become! You had no weight to lose in the first place!” He steps out of the shower.

“I did what was necessary!
” She follows him out of the bathroom, ignoring her nakedness. “You did what was necessary to keep us alive and so did I! I have as much right to protect those I love as you do!” Turning to argue with her, Peter watches as suddenly Cyndy pales and begins to cough.

“Cyndy!
” Catching her before she hits the deck, he eases her to the floor. “Easy baby, come on, cough it up, I’ve got you.” When the attack ends, Cyndy lays her head on his chest, exhausted.

“I love you
, Peter, I always have, I always will. There’s nothing I won’t do for my family.” Feeling her start to shake, he lifts her gently laying her on the bed.

“
Rest Cyndy. All you need to do is rest.”

“I need
you,
Peter, just you.” Lifting the blanket, he’d tucked around her she waits. “Please Peter…” Stripping off his wet clothes, he slides under the covers with his wife.

Instead of heading to medical, Victoria turns towards the Command Center. Inside, she finds Brett sitting in the Admiral’s chair, his excited eyes meeting hers.

“Look Tori
! I’m in the Admiral’s chair!”

“I see.
” Walking over, she kisses Quinn’s cheek.

“Thank you
, Quinn.”

“Not a
problem, thought he could give it a trial run.”

“What do you think Brett
? Want to be an Admiral?” Tori asks.

“I want to be a pilot
! And fly like you and Lucas.” The adults smile at him.

“The Admiral is a pilot
, Brett.” Victoria informs him.

“You are?
” Big eyes turn to Quinn.

“It’s been a few cycles since I sat in a Blade
, but yeah. Now I fly a Battle Star. It’s just a much bigger version of a Blade.” Victoria sees the Admiral give Lucas a pointed look.

“Wow….
” Brett whispers properly impressed.

“Admiral, you have Captain Blair
waiting for you on line one.” He's second in command says.

“Come on
, Brett, time to get up. The Admiral’s got work to do.”

Sliding out of the chair
, Brett faces Quinn.

“Thank you
, sir.”

“You’re welcome
, Brett. Come back anytime.” Taking his seat, Quinn puts on his headset.

“How are you feeling, Brett?” Lucas leads them out of the Command Center.

“Good.”

“You’re not tired?” Tori quizzes.

“No.”

“Want to see the flight deck?” Lucas asks, looking at Victoria, seeing her slight nod.

“That’s where the ships
, the Blades, are right?” He looks up to Lucas.

“It sure is.”

“I’d like to see that.”

“Then we need to head this way
, but if you start feeling tired, let me know. I’ll carry you, you don’t want to overtired, you’ll get sick again, understand?”

“Yes sir.”

Victoria watches the interchange between her life mate and brother. Lucas is so good with him. She shouldn’t be surprised. She’s seen him with Kayden, Jacob and Willie. He’s a natural father, loving, caring, concerned. It makes her hope she’s conceived, just to see him with their child. Looking over at her, Lucas catches her eye and raises an eyebrow. Giving him a soft smile, she just continues walking. They pause as they enter the flight deck, giving Brett time to take everything in.

“Major.
” Tank walks over to him with a screen in hand. “I need your signature to release some things from inventory.” He hands him the request form and a pin. Looking at Tori and Brett, he nods. Reading the screen, Lucas scrawl’s his signature across the bottom.

“The Blades?”

“About fifty percent repaired, should be one hundred percent in another twenty four.”

“That’s goo
d, nice work, Tank.”

“Thank you
, Major.” With a last nod to Victoria and Brett, he turns away.

“Are you in charge of all this?
” Brett looks up at Lucas, wonder in his voice.

“He is.
” Victoria answers for him. “Lucas isn’t only a pilot. He’s in charge of all the pilots on the Retribution and the flight crew. They’re both the best in the Coalition.”

“Wow!
” Looking at Lucas, she can tell Lucas is uncomfortable with her praising him.

“Other’s do all the hard work Brett, Tank is one of them.
” He gestures to the man’s retreating. “He’s one of our top mechanics. Another one is Lorre.” He points to the woman walking towards them. “She’s in charge of all the mechanics and keeps the flight deck working.”

“Hey Maj
or, Tori and who is this?” Lorre smiles down at Brett.

“This is my brother
, Brett. Brett this is a friend of mine Lorre.”

“Hello.
” Brett stares up at the tall woman.

“Hi Brett
. It’s great to meet you.” She holds out her hand, he looks at her confused.

“You shake it
, like this.” Lucas shows him by taking Lorre’s hand. “It’s a greeting, a show of respect.”

“
Oh.” Brett holds out his hand. “It’s great to meet you too.” He gives her a beaming smile.

“Oh, you’re going to be a heartbreaker aren’t
you?”

“What?
” Victoria laughs at Brett’s confusion.

“I’ll explain it to you later.”

“Can I have a minute, Major?”

“Go ahead
. I’ll take Brett to your office.” Victoria leads him away, smiling as his eyes quickly scan the deck trying to see everything at once. Once in the office she pulls out a chair.

“So what do you think?”

“There’s so much to see, so many people.” He suddenly lowers his eyes.

“What?
” Victoria kneels before him. “Brett what’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

“No,” h
e answers quietly.

“Then what?”

“Are you sure I can learn? That I can know what they know?” He points to the flight deck.

“Oh honey
, yes! Yes, you can! I know it seems like a lot right now, but you’ll learn it a little at a time, just as I did. Just like Lucas did. He didn’t just wake up one day and know all this. It takes time.”

“You’re sure
?”

“Positive!”

“Okay.” He raises trusting eyes to hers. “Tori, I’m tired.”

“Then we need to get you back to quarters
. Come on,” Standing, she holds out her hand. “We’ll go tell Lucas.” Hand in hand, brother and sister leave the office.

“What have you got, Lorre?”

“The
final repair list for the Phoenix.” She hands him a screen. Reading, Lucas has to raise an eyebrow.

“It was that bad?
” Serious eyes met his.

“The cargo doors shouldn’t have been able to close
. The entire ship should have decompressed. The ancestors were watching over you.”

“So it would seem
. Can you safely repair it or should I send for alternate transport?”

“Give me another twelve and I’ll
know for sure, but my best guess is no, she’s going to be scrapped.”

“Fuck!
” He looks behind her and sees Brett and Victoria walking towards him. He’d known he’d come close to losing her but this…. “I’ll contact the High Admiral and have him arrange for alternate transport.”

“I’m sorry
, Lucas.”

“Don’t be, I trust your judgment
, Lorre. If you say its scrap, it's scrap. Hey what’s up?” He looks at Victoria.

“Brett’s starting to tire.”

“Then we need to head back. Thanks, Lorre.”

“No probl
em, Lucas. See you later, Tori. It was nice to meet you, Brett.” Turning, she walks away.

“What?
” Tori can tell there’s something wrong.

“Later
. So Brett, do you want a lift?”

“Yeah
, that might be good.” Brett's little shoulders sag.

“Then up you go, step right here.
” Kneeling down, he pats his thigh. “Now reach over my shoulder and grab my neck.” Standing, Lucas swings him up for a piggyback ride. Hooking his legs, he looks over his shoulder. “Okay?”

“Yeah.
” Brett rests his chin on Lucas’ shoulder as they head off the flight deck.

Victoria wat
ches Lucas carry Brett, tears in her eyes. She should have realized he’d consider the young boy’s feelings, that by carrying him on his back kept Brett’s pride was intact. Was it any wonder she loved the man?

Appro
aching the Dignitary’s Quarters, Lucas can feel the tension building in Victoria. He knows she’s worried about what she’s done.

“It will be fine.”

“I hope so.” Keying in the code, she pushes open the hatch. The living quarters are empty as they enter, the door to the private area partially open but dark.

“Tori, where’s mom and dad?”

“I think they might be sleeping. Why don’t you two stay here and I’ll go check on them.” Taking a deep breath, Victoria heads into the private quarters.

Lucas lowers Brett to a couch
, his worried eyes following Victoria. Turning to Brett, he smiles. “How are you feeling?”

“Good
, but I’m hungry.”

“Let me contact Kip, we’ll get third meal brought in
, any special requests?”

“Chicken nuggets?
” Brett says hopefully.

“Nuggets it is
. Come over here and I’ll show you how to contact Kip.”

“Who’s Kip?”

“Kip is the man who will cook all your meals. He is the only one trusted to cook your meals. He’ll make sure they are done right.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s get it ordered first then I’ll explain.” Sitting down, he pulls Brett up into his lap. “This button will connect you to Kip. I’m going to put it on speaker, that’s this button. Normally, you’d put on this headset.” Picking up the headset, he shows him how to put it on.

“Why aren’t we using it now?”

“Because only one person can hear then, I want you to be able to hear too. Push the button.” Within seconds, Kip answers.

“Kip, this is Lucas.”

“Yes, Major.”

“The Chamberlains are ready for third meal, Victoria and I will also be eating but Brett has a special request.”

“Yes, Master Chamberlain?”

“Tell him what you want Brett.”

“Ummm…. could I have chicken nuggets?”

“That won’t be
a problem Master Chamberlain, how many would you like?” Confused eyes look to Lucas.

“Just fill a plate Kip
, he can have what’s left as a snack later.”

“Yes sir
. Any other special requests?”

“Victoria and I will have Zebu
. Peter and Cyndy will have whatever Magnes is recommending.”

“Yes sir
, Major. It will be thirty minutes.”

“Thank you
, Kip.”

“Yeah, thank you Kip.
” Brett mimics.

Entering the private quarters, Victoria finds the lights on low and her parents asleep in each other’s arms. Looking in the bathroom, she sees the shower gel on the floor, the towels still on the counter. Turning back to her parents, she sees her father’s wet clothes lying on the floor.

Quietly she moves
, picking up the dripping clothes, putting them in the bathroom. Returning, she finds her father’s eyes watching her.

“Thank you
, Tori.” He says quietly and watches the tears fill her eyes.

“Everything
’s okay?”

“It is now.”

“Peter?” Cyndy asks sleepily.

“
Shh. Sleep, Cyndy.”

“There are dry clothes in the closet.
” Victoria whispers after Cyndy settles. “We’ll be in the living area. Brett is fine. I’ll take care of third meal. Take your time.” Leaving them alone, she retreats, shutting the hatch.

“Tori…. where are mom and dad?” Brett questions as she enters the room.

“They’re resting
, Brett. We need to let them. How are you doing?”

“Okay
. Lucas showed me how to call Kip and order meals. I’m having chicken nuggets.”

“Oh you are, are you?”

“Yep, it’s time to try them again.”

“I t
hink you're right but take it slow, okay? You need to be able to keep it down.”

“Okay.”

While the two are talking, Lucas walks over to stand in front of her. Tipping her chin up to look into her eyes. “Okay?”

“Yeah
. It seems to be okay.” Rising up, she kisses him. “I love you.”

“Love you too.
” Wrapping his arms around her, he pulls her close. Looking behind her, he sees the hatch to the private area open and Peter steps through.

“Dad….”

“Your mother will be out in a few minutes, she’s getting dressed.”

“
You could have slept longer.”

“Your mother’s worried about Brett
and she’s hungry.”

“Kip will be here in a little bit with third meal.
” Lucas informs them.

“Good
, she needs to eat more… she will eat more, she’s lost too much weight.”

“Peter stop.
” Cyndy enters the room in clothes too large and her head wrapped in Victoria’s green nightgown.