Tales From The Triple Suns (Chapter Seven)

We were nearing the end of the first week of our ‘detour’ when all hell seemed to break loose.  Craig and I were enjoying one of our infrequent times together, just laying in each others arms, and basking in the afterglow, when the in-ship communication beeped again.1

Craig muttered a curse under his breath as he reached over and slapped it on.  “Yes?” he asked in forced politeness.  2

“Mr. Greybourne,” the detached voice said, “report to the bridge, immediately.”  Then the console pinged as the voice turned off.3

Craig sighed. “Would it kill them to give me a little info before demanding my presence?”  He gently pulled his arm out from under my back and sat on the edge of the bed.  “Next time someone asks me to lead a 'set up', I’ll pound them.”4

I laughed softly.  It was taking up a lot of his time, and we hardly saw one another.  “Want me to come with?” I asked sleepily.5

He stopped pulling his T-shirt on and looked at me.  “Uhh…” He finished getting dressed.  “No, it’s okay…you go back to sleep.”  He knelt on the bed, gave me a kiss, grabbed another shirt, then left for the bridge.6

~~~~~~~~~~7

I bolted up in bed as the shrill sounds of a klaxon woke me.  I looked at the clock as I jumped out of bed and grabbed my clothes.  Two hours had elapsed since Craig had left, and I frantically prayed that nothing was seriously wrong.  I reached across the bed to grab one of the personal communication devices, then felt myself being tossed to the side as the transport lurched suddenly.  I landed on the bed, rolled onto the floor and got up quickly, telling myself not to panic.  I grabbed the device, climbed over the bed and began strapping myself into the safety harness that every accommodation had.  Another shudder hit the transport, causing me to drop the communicator.8

I bent down to pick it up, then found myself on the floor again as another shudder ran through the transport.  Damn it!  Why wasn’t someone announcing just what the hell was going on?!?  I got up and strapped myself in…then waited.9

My teeth were starting to hurt, and I was getting a rather nasty headache from the constant vibration of the walls when I noticed the light on my communicator blinking.  I flicked it on.  10

“Cali?”11

If I hadn’t been strapped to the seat, I would have sunk to the floor in relief.  “Craig…what’s going on?”12

“Dust storm shifted,” he said quickly.  “It’ll take about two hours to get through.”13

“Why no announcement?” I asked, partially annoyed.14

“No…what?”  Craig asked.  I could hear his voice taking to someone, then he came back.  “Sorry…I didn’t know…system wides are shut off on the bridge during alarms.”  His voice cut off from the device in my hand, only to appear on the ship wide system message.15

“This is Craig Greybourne…short version; dust storm shifted, and it is going to take approximately two hours to get through.  Please remain in safety harnesses until lights return to normal.”  Then his voice was gone, the lights sank to a mid-blue shade, and the klaxons finally shut off.16

Well, hell…17

~~~~~~~~~~18

I don’t know how, but I think I was able to fall asleep while the transport rocked.  It must have been the constant vibration that lulled me into dreamland, but it was the same vibrations that woke me an hour or so later.19

I tried to stretch, temporarily forgetting where I was, and opened my eyes in annoyance at the restraints.  I checked the clock, sighing at the time.  Craig had been gone for nearly five hours, and as I was wondering whether or not it was safe to release the harness, the lights returned to normal. I remained in the safety device for a few minutes longer, just in case, then slowly released it.20

beepbeepbeep beepbeepbeep beepbeepbeep21

I ran for the in-ship communication and slapped my hand against it.  “Yes?”22

“Mrs. Greybourne, your presence is requested on the bridge.”23

I slapped the system off, pulled the door open and ran down the hall.  The lights flickered a few times, and I hoped nothing was wrong with the ships systems.  I also wondered why I was requested on the bridge…it wasn’t like I had anything to offer them.  I tried not to think that there could have been something wrong with Craig, but started to run faster.24

I made it onto the bridge and stepped into the middle of organized chaos.  People were standing in front of every computer screen as reports filtered in about damage to the outer hulls of all six ships, and any problems that had occurred within the ships.  I looked for Craig and sighed in relief when I saw him dividing his attention between three screens.  He turned to look at a forth, and stopped when he saw me.  He smiled, motioned me over and then continued with what he was doing.25

“You okay?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the forth screen.26

“Yeah.”27

He nodded.  “Grab a seat, and read me the numbers off the second screen from your right.”28

I sat beside him, “This one?” I touched the screen.  He glanced, nodded, then turned to check another screen.  I started reading numbers as he alternated between screens.  I got to about the tenth line when he stopped and looked at me.29

“Read that last one again,” he said.  I repeated it, and he closed his eyes in annoyance.  He scrubbed his face briefly with his hands, leaned back to stare at the ceiling, then stood and took his shirt off.  He sat down, wearing a black T-shirt.  “Too hot in here,” he mumbled, then went back to checking the multiple screens.30

As worried as I was about what it could be that was causing him concern, I had to admit that he looked delicious in that shirt.  It stretched over his broad shoulders, showing off his muscles as he moved.  He reached over to type something into the screen in front of me, and the Army tattoo on his arm showed briefly.(“Never get drunk when you’re young, tough and stupid” was how he had once explained the events that lead to getting it.)31

He glanced at me, saw me watching him, and stopped what he was doing.  “Something wrong?”32

I blushed and looked away.  He laughed to himself, then went back to checking readouts.  “Read the numbers again,” he said.33

~~~~~~~~~~34

My eyes were red and itching when we finally made it back to our quarters.  I fell gratefully onto the bed, and rolled over to watch as Craig went into the small kitchen.  He came out a few moments later, carrying two coffees and two plates of bagels with scrambled eggs. (Bless his heart, he knew I love that)35

I sat up, took the coffee gratefully, and leaned against the bulkhead.36

“Thanks for helping me,” he said between bites.37

“What were we doing?” I finally asked.38

“Fixing a forward sensor that was damaged during the storm,” he said as if it were an everyday occurrence.39

I stared at him.  “I thought it was something to do with your work…” I blinked a few times.  “Where did you…how did you know how to…”40

He smiled at my confusion.  “T.A.C. requires that all soldiers be knowledgeable in every aspect as defined in mission parameters.”  He paused as he took another drink of his coffee.  “Ours happened to include a transport fairly similar to this one.”41

“Oh,” I said, not wanting to push some subject that he might be uncomfortable with.42

“Oh?”  He smiled softly.  “If you want to talk about it, I’ll talk about it.”  His smile changed slightly.  “But most things are classified.”43

“Never mind,” I said quickly.  I finished my snack, and laid down on the bed.  “That was tiring.” 44

“Definitely,” he agreed.  He sighed loudly as the on-ship communicator sounded again, and pounded his fist against it.  “Whaaaaat??!”45

His assistant, Mark, paused before he spoke. “Uhhh…we’re heading to check out the supplies below deck.”46

Craig closed his eyes as I sighed and rolled over on the bed.  “I have complete confidence in your knowledge, Mark.”47

“Uhh…in other words?”48

“Don’t bug me unless it’s life or death.”49

“No prob, boss.” 50

Craig got up, took the dishes and brought them back into the small kitchen.  He came back out to find me sitting on the bed, smiling at him.  “What?”51

“Bout damn time you learned to delegate.”52

He sat beside me on the bed.  “It’s a demanding job…takes a lot of time.”  He stopped as something occurred to him.  “Damn…I’m sorry Cali.  I didn’t even think…”53

“Is this the way it’s going to be for the next year?” I asked.  “You getting summoned for some problem in the middle of the night?”  His miserable expression got even worse.  “We haven’t had a full night’s sleep together since this trip started.”54

He laid down on the bed, pulled me close and held me.  “I’m sorry.  Damn, I feel like a complete ass.”  He kissed the top of my head.  “Why didn’t you say something before now?”55

“This is important to you,” I whispered.  He said nothing for a few moments, so I raised my head to look at him.  His eyes regarded me steadily.56

“Nothing is more important to me than you are,” he said, “I hope you know that.”  I did, but I think I needed to hear him say the words.  57

“I love you,” I said as I moved up higher on the bed until our lips met.58

He kissed me deeply as he rolled over, his momentum placing him on top of me.  My hands moved up and down his back as his hands worked their way along my front.  I moved my legs so they wrapped around his thighs, prompting him to smile against my lips.59

I had to admit, he definitely knew how to take my mind off of…well…everything.60