Captain C. Tayn entered the docking port of her new ship, the conQuest, like a queen. She spent several moments simply gazing at the ship and the people working around it. Or rather, gazing over the people working near it. At nearly six feet tall, Captain Tayn rarely met anyone she could see face to face, and she refused to look down or up at anyone. She either stared boldly over a person’s head or looked at their mouth, or neck, or wherever her eyes were on that person. Tayn did not look people in the eyes, even if they were her exact height. And she never went to another person’s level to talk to them. She was someone others had to look up to or down at.
She strode down the dock, looking left and right like a hunting cat on the prowl. No one met her eyes and no one wanted to. The last person to stare directly into those large brown eyes had ended up dead on a barroom floor. Incidentally, he had also been the last one to make a pass at her.
“Ah! Calista! How....good...to see you!” A man caught sight of her and strode up. He offered her his hand to shake it.
Calista Tayn stared coldly at the hand and didn’t touch it. Tossing her long blond hair over her shoulder, she stared over his head at the conQuest.
“Cut the crap, Bourne,” Calista said sharply. “Is this my ship?” She moved away to get a better view of it.
“Ah, yes, but....Calista, please wait a moment!” Bourne hurried to catch up with her. She looked at him in annoyance. “Surely you want to know more about the ship and its mission before you board?”
“No,” Calista said darkly. “I know about it. The conQuest, Macronesia’s fake seaQuest. Our attempt to duplicate the UEO’s grandest nautical achievement. It has firepower and wartime capabilities that either match or exceed those of the seaQuest. To match its captain, Oliver Hudson, a hardened warrior, you chose me.” Calista smiled then, and the smile made her look almost crazed. “You chose me. Chose me, to battle the seaQuest on her own turf.”
“Clever girl!” Bourne looked pleased. “So you will take the captainship?”
“Depends,” Calista replied. “Do you want me to destroy the seaQuest’s crew or capture them?”
“Capture them, of course,” Bourne said. “But the seaQuest must be destroyed. At the next meeting between the UEO, Macronesia, and the free territories, I want to humiliate the UEO by handing them official execution warrants for the officers from their ‘unbeatable’ ship.”
“I see,” purred Calista. “But you do plan to eventually kill them?”
“Well, yes.”
“Good,” Calista said. “But I must ask for leave to take one of them myself.”
“Take one yourself? Why?”
“Let’s just say that it’s a....personal reason.”
“In that case, be my guest. Unless it is Hudson, Commander Ford, or Lucas Wolenczek. I need them alive.”
“Don’t worry, Bourne.” Calista Tayn turned away from him. “I know who I’m after.”
“Then go ahead.”
“I will.” Turning away from him, Calista stared hungrily at the conQuest. Her face seemed like that of a child who has gotten exactly what she asked for at Christmas. Leaving Bourne, she entered her ship.
As Captain Tayn entered the bridge, a scruffy-looking man in an officer’s suit saluted. She circled him, smiling predatorily.
“Ooh, and who are you?” she purred.
“Uh...Commander Theodore Naka, ma’am,” he said nervously.
“Commander Naka,” Calista repeated. “So you are my second-in-command. I expect only the best from you. Are the rest of the officers on board already?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Be a dear and bring them to me. They all need to be briefed.”
“Of-of course, ma’am.” Theodore Naka hurried off as Captain Calista Tayn settled herself in the captain’s chair like a queen on her throne.
Ten minutes later, Commander Naka re-entered the bridge and stood before her. With him were the rest of the officers. Calista looked them over, eyes narrowed.
“What a pack of soft military poodles!” she spat. “Well, I hope you pups know how to use a weapon, because you’re going to need them. The conQuest is here for one reason and one reason only: to destroy the seaQuest. Once we pull out of the dock, we’ll be following their signal to wherever the great ship lies, and then...” She gave a giggle that sounded slightly mad. “We’ll destroy it! Commander Naka!” He ran up to her, and she spoke so that only he could hear. “Test the others’ proficiency with weapons. The good ones will remain officers. Oh...” She looked slightly startled. “And the bad ones...put them off the boat, would you?”
“Uh...yes, ma’am,” Naka said nervously. Something about Captain Tayn frightened him.
“That’s a good commander.” She smiled again. “We leave port early in the morning. I’m going to go take a nap.” She stood and strode off.
An hour later, Calista tossed and turned in her bed as she was assaulted by another one of the odd dreams she had been having for weeks.
“I almost envy her, in a way.” Calista stood in a cave, surrounded by men. One reminded her oddly of Commander Naka. She was staring at a young woman with red hair, tied to a stake. Behind her, another woman, this one with black hair, struggled to free herself from a chair that held her bound. Calista smiled at the red-haired girl. “She gets to leave this life so pure. Wonder if I could’ve been her.” She turned to Naka. “Light it.”
“No!” the red-haired girl yelled. The black-haired woman struggled against her bonds. Calista turned on her angrily.
“Stop struggling, be thankful for that beautiful throne! It’ll give you peace if you let it.” A roar from behind her made her turn.
A pale man in odd armor rushed in. Calista walked towards him, angry and ready to kill. suddenly she stopped.
Before her, behind the man and the red-haired girl, stood another man. He had pale skin and brown hair, and wore a pair of glasses over his brown eyes. He had on a seaQuest uniform. He held out a hand to her.
“No!” Calista shrieked. “Go away! Leave me alone!”
Tim O’Neill woke up abruptly. The first thing he realized was that he was sweating. The second thing he realized was that he was on the floor and his back hurt. He had fallen from his bed and that had apparently woken him up.
Fumbling for the light switch and thankful that he had no roommate, O’Neill stood shakily. Putting on his glasses, he looked around the room with sleep-fogged eyes.
What an odd dream. He recalled watching the red-haired woman about to burn, and being tormented by the crazed blond. But he also remembered looking beyond her and seeing another woman...younger, with lighter skin...in a Macronesian uniform. What could it mean?
Shaking his head to clear it, Tim stood shakily and went into the bathroom. He stared at his somewhat haggard reflection in the mirror. Something pulled his gaze closer to the mirror, made him stare harder. Another face flashed in the mirror, a face not his own. Tim tumbled to the floor in shock. Breathing hard, strangely frightened, he inched back towards the mirror and looked in. His own face stared back at him.
“Just a dream,” he murmured. “That must be it. A dream.”
Repeating that in his mind as if trying to convince himself, he settled back into bed to sleep.
O’Neill stood facing a platform in a gray room. Four people stood on it. They stared at a young blond woman on the floor who appeared to be dead. A bearded man reached towards the black-haired woman leaning over the dead body.
“You’re lost and confused,” he sang, “but I understand. This once beloved friend has been slain by your hand.”
As he sang, he tangoed with the woman. A cloaked man and another blond woman stood behind him, watching. The bearded man lowered the woman to the floor as he finished his song.
“So feel what I’m feeling...Come melt into me.”
The blond woman knelt down beside them. She looked familiar, though for some reason he felt that her hair was too short.
“Did that fill you with glee? To kill your little friend. Did that ease your suffering, or bring it to an end? Let go.....all of your anger will poison you yet. Unless you can just...let...go....”
As the blond began to disappear, Tim looked behind her. Another woman stood there, the same one he had dreamed about earlier. Except now she wore an outfit that looked like some sort of strange leather bikini. There was a slightly feral look in her eyes. She smiled at him and mouthed the word ‘soon.’
O’Neill’s head shot up in bed. Panting, he sat up, shaking his head. He didn’t understand. What strange dreams he was having lately...
Tim glanced at the clock. it was seven in the morning. Just late enough that he could go have breakfast rather than lie awake in bed until he was needed on the bridge. And maybe Lucas would be awake soon. Tim had a favor to call in.
Calista Tayn sat up in bed, smiling. She stood and stretched, humming to herself.
“All of your anger will poison you yet...” she sang to herself. “Unless you can just let go...”
“Captain?’ Commander Naka hammered on her door.
“Come in, Theodorus,” Calista ordered, unsure why she had just referred to him as such.
Commander Naka entered her room, looking momentarily taken aback at the sight of Calista in her flimsy nightgown. She sat on the side of the bed, legs crossed, and waited.
“Well?” she asked, suddenly irritable. “What is it? Spit it out!”
“Um...it’s seven o’clock, captain,” Naka said nervously. “You said you wanted to get an early start for-for Benata Colony.”
“So...I....did,” laughed Calista. Patting Naka’s cheek, she purred, “Be a dear, would you, and set course for Benata? Hmm? For me?”
“Ah, um, all right,” Naka stuttered, belatedly adding, “Captain.”
“Good boy, Theodorus. Go on. Shoo. Shoo!” Calista made playful shooing motions. Naka saluted and hurried off. Calista laughed wildly, lying back on her bed with her legs straight up in the air. She stared at the wall behind her fixedly, nodding her head slightly, as if talking to someone.
“Don’t worry,” she said to nothing. “We’ll get him. You’ll see.”
Tim leaned over Lucas’s shoulder, staring at the pictures scrolling on the computer in front of them.
“Is this all of them?” Tim asked.
“Yeah,” Lucas confirmed. “Every blond female officer on Macronesia’s payroll.” He turned to face Tim. “O’Neill, are you sure this isn’t just some weird dream-fantasy of yours brought on by Kimora? Or possibly by a lack of oxygen while you were in the pool?”
“Har har,” Tim said dryly. “I know what I dreamed, Lucas. It was too...real...to be a normal dream.”
“It sounds like a bad episode of Xena: Warrior Princess,” Lucas grumbled. Tim glared at him, but before he could reply, something on the screen caught his attention.
“That’s her!” he exclaimed. Lucas typed in a few sequences on the keyboard, enlarging the picture and bringing up the file.
“According to this, her name’s Calista Mariah Tayn,” Lucas informed him. “She went through military school faster than any other woman in Macronesian history. She’s an expert in all forms of combat, but her slightly vicious tendencies kept her from getting many key positions in the military. She’s headed a few takeover operations for Macronesia that have been very successful.”
“What’s her current status?” O’Neill questioned.
“Uh...” Lucas typed in a few sequences. The computer beeped, and Lucas tried again.
“What’s wrong?” Tim said.
“It’s classified,” Lucas explained. “I need to hack past the security codes.” He glanced up at Tim, sure that the more cautious lieutenant would tell him to forget about it. O’Neill surprised him.
“Do it,” he ordered. Lucas looked at him. “I’ve proved she’s real, Lucas. Now I want to know what she’s doing in my dreams.”
“All right.” Lucas spent several minutes hacking into Macronesia’s database. He sucked in his breath suddenly and glanced up at O’Neill.
“What is it?” Tim asked, worried by the look.
“According to this, she’s heading something called ‘Project seaQuest.’” Lucas stared at Tim. “I guess that was more than a dream.”
“Do you know what Project seaQuest is?” Tim pressed. “It could be something important.”
“It must be,” Lucas murmured. “This file has better security against hackers than anything I’ve ever encountered.”
“Can you break through?”
“I don’t know,” Lucas replied. “If I can, it’ll take some time. Should I try?”
Tim nodded.
“Do it. Macronesia could be planning something for us, and I think we need to know what.”
Lucas complied. He had been hacking for at least fifteen minutes when the alarms aboard the seaQuest went off. Captain Hudson’s voice came over the comm.
“This is a code red! A ship of unknown type has attacked the Benata Colony. I need all officers on the bridge immediately!”
Lucas and Tim nodded to each other and, abandoning the computer, hurried towards the bridge.
They were the last to reach the bridge, and Lucas saw Tim blanch visibly as they entered and met Captain Hudson’s angry stare. Lucas felt a pang of sympathy for the lieutenant, who hadn’t been getting along well with the new captain. Even after Tim’s stunt with Kimora, Hudson had continued to treat the lieutenant like a useless child.
“The Benata colony is under UEO jurisdiction,” Captain Hudson said. “We received a transmission several minutes ago that it is being attacked by a ship similar to the seaQuest in size and firepower...but bearing the symbol of Macronesia.”
Tim and Lucas exchanged glances.
“This ship is a threat to the UEO,” Hudson continued. “A course has already been set for Benata, and we should be there within the hour. Now, everyone to your post!”
The officers fanned out on the bridge. Tim settled down in his chair, feeling much more comfortable in his seat and away from Hudson’s prying gaze for the moment. Commander Ford caught his attention and ordered him to open a channel to Benata.
“I’m not getting anything, sir,” O’Neill reported. “I think their communication capabilities have been disabled. I can’t get through!”
“You can and you will!” Hudson barked. Tim flinched and began to try harder to contact Benata.
They were nearly at Benata when O’Neill finally managed to reach the colony.
“I’ve got someone on the comm!” O’Neill announced.
“Good work, O’Neill,” Commander Ford praised.
“Well, I have many skills.” Tim shook his head, unsure why he had just said that. He listened for a few minutes to the frantic man he had contacted, then turned to Ford apologetically. “I lost the connection. But from what I could understand, the ship has gotten through the shields around the colony and through their defenses. Several key buildings were destroyed...including an arms warehouse and the hospital. The people are gathered in the main hall, which is being used as a makeshift hospital, but their going to need professional medical teams in there.”
“I’ve got the ship on radar, sir,” Lonnie Henderson announced to Hudson.
“Open the front window,” Hudson ordered. “I want to see this ship.”
Before them was the small Benata colony. It was being pummeled by a ship that looked exactly like the seaQuest, only slightly sleeker and red in color. The symbol of Macronesia was on its right side.
“Fire two torpedoes on that ship, on my mark,” Hudson ordered.
“Torpedo tubes flooding,” Ford reported, sitting down at the weapons station.
“Should Commander Kimora and I get into the fighter subs, sir?” Piccolo asked.
“Not yet,” Hudson said. “I want to get a good idea of that boat’s firepower first. Commander Ford, fire torpedoes.”
“Torpedoes away, sir.”
The torpedoes sped through the water. They made contact on the ship’s side. It shuddered but, instead of turning to attack, it began to retreat.
“What’s it doing?” Lucas muttered, awestruck.
“It’s retreating,” Ford replied.
“But why? If it can match the seaQuest in firepower...” Tim said.
“It may be reluctant to engage us just yet,” Hudson said. “Not on UEO turf, at least. Lieutenant Henderson, set course for Benata, but keep radar working in case that ship comes back. Commander Kimora, Officer Piccolo, Ensign Wolenczek and Lieutenant O’Neill, I want you four to accompany me to Launch Bay. We will assist the med team in helping the casualties and calming down the citizens of the colony. Commander Ford, while we’re gone, you’re in charge. Keep defense systems working around the clock. I want someone watching the radar at all times. I don’t want this mystery ship to surprise us.”
“Yes, sir.” Ford saluted and the four chosen officers hurried to join the captain in launch bay.
Four shuttles docked with Benata. The officers and the med team were met by a gray-haired man in the docking bay.
“Thank heavens you saved us,” the man said. “My name is Samuel Lensherd, the leader of this colony. We thought we were done for until you came.”
“Charmed, I’m sure,” Hudson growled. “Now, Mr. Lensherd, can you take us to see to the casualties?”
“Of course, sir. Right this way.” Lensherd led them to a huge room that had once been a conference room. The conference table had been removed to make room for the injured and sick, who were everywhere in the room. Several healthy people were traveling from person to person, helping them as best they could.
“We could only fit about half of them in this room,” Lensherd said. “The rest are just down the hall in the main office.”
“Commander Kimora and Officer Piccolo, you will stay here with me and half the med team to deal with the injured in this room. Dr.Perry, take Wolenczek, O’Neill, and the others to the main office.”
Dr. Perry nodded. Gesturing to her group, she led them down the hall to the main office, also packed full of injured people. O’Neill was about to enter the room behind everyone else when a woman ran up to him.
She had short, tousled brown hair and wore a ragged dress. She clung to him, breathing hard.
“Please help me!” she begged. “He’s after me!”
“Calm down,” Tim ordered. “Who’s after you?”
“He’s coming to get me!” the woman shrieked. “Protect me!”
“I need to contact the others--” Tim was cut off by another scream from the woman.
“He’s after me!” She whirled and ran down the hall, shrieking wildly.
“Wait!” Tim rushed after her. He turned a corner and was puzzled to see that there was no one there. As he pondered this, he felt something large and heavy come into contact with his skull. He crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
The woman stood behind him, holding the bust of some former mayor in her hands. There was a spot of blood on it where it had come into contact with O’Neill’s skull. The woman pulled off the brown wig to reveal long blond tresses.
“Thank you so much for the help,” Calista Tayn laughed. “But I won’t be needing it.” Dropping the bust on the ground, she began to drag O’Neill’s still form away.
“Lucas!” Dr. Perry waved the teenager over. “See that girl over there? The red-haired one? She broke her arm and it’s been set, but she needs a quick dose of this painkiller. Take care of it.”
“Uh, yes, Dr. Perry,” Lucas said politely. He walked over to the girl, trying to look professional. In truth, he was slightly sickened by all the blood. Lucas hadn’t gone through military training like the others, and he hadn’t seen very many actual battles. Dr. Perry, seeing that he was generally useless in helping out the injured, was giving him the more menial tasks like administering painkillers and medicines to the sick.
“This might hurt a little,” Lucas told the girl, who has staring at him with wide green eyes. “But it’ll help you.” He carefully gave her the shot in her arm. She relaxed almost instantly, and Lucas returned to Dr. Perry for his next assignment.
“Lucas, go find Lieutenant O’Neill. Some of these people don’t speak English, and I need his language skills.”
Lucas nodded, realizing for the first time that O’Neill had disappeared. He headed outside, looking for the lieutenant.
“Tim?” Lucas inched down the hallway. There weren’t that many places O’Neill could go without leaving the building, and Tim wouldn’t leave unless ordered. He rounded the corner and nearly tripped over a bust on the floor.
Lucas glanced down at it, and was about to keep going down the hall when he saw the rust-red stain on the opposite side. Kneeling, he turned it over and observed the stain. He touched it, and was surprised when his hand came away slightly sticky.
Blood. And reasonably fresh, too. Lucas’s nervousness grew. He glanced down the dark hallway, and something else caught his eye. He moved forward, grasping the object and regarding it with trepidation.
It was a gun. The type that was issued to all UEO officers. The type used by military personnel on seaQuest.
Lucas’s nervousness grew into near-panic. Military personnel. Not science. The doctor and her team had no weapons. The only people with weapons were Hudson, Kimora, Piccolo....and Tim.
Standing, Lucas turned and hurried towards the conference room. He had to inform Hudson. Immediately.
When Tim woke, his head was pounding and his vision was blurry, though he still had his glasses. He was hanging by his shackled wrists on the wall of a cell. The bars faced him, cold black steel. There didn’t appear to be any guards.
“Oh...” Tim moaned softly. The throbbing in his head made it hard to think straight. He was only vaguely aware of a crude bandage wrapped around his head. He closed his eyes, trying hard to fall back into blissful, painless unconsciousness. But the painful pulsing in his brain made it impossible to sleep. He whimpered softly, trying to make his head clear enough to think.
“Poor thing.” A woman’s voice made him open his eyes. A tall blond woman stood staring at him. At him, not over him as Calista Tayn normally did. Her brown eyes bored into his. “Headache?”
“Calista Tayn.” The throbbing ceased slightly, becoming more of a background feeling as Tim got used to it. He was thinking only a little more clearly than before. “You’re Calista Tayn.”
“So I am!” She looked almost surprised; not surprised that Tim knew who she was, but that she was who he said. She smiled ferally as she moved nearer to him. “And you’re Tim O’Neill.”
“You were in my dreams,” Tim croaked, his mouth suddenly dry.
“And you were in mine. You’ll pay for that.” Calista moved closer and stroked his cheek. Tim flinched visibly. “You have no idea who I really am, do you? You have no idea what I plan. And you hate me, too....except you don’t know why.” Her eyes narrowed, and, in a sudden, unexpected burst of temper, she slapped him. Tim’s cheek began to bleed where her fingernails had cut him.
“You worm!” Calista barked. “You worthless bug! I should kill you!” She shook her head, composing herself. “But I won’t. I can’t. Not yet. Not yet, not yet...” Shaking her head, mumbling feverishly, she left the cell.
Tim watched her go, eyes wide. He barely felt the stinging in his cheek, and was almost unaware of the warm blood running down it. He was confused by what Calista had said, about who she really was. He didn’t know her. He didn’t want to know her. Yet he felt, strangely, that he had once known her. As if in a former life....but that was impossible. But maybe...
Tim shook his head. The throbbing had returned with a vengeance. Unable to think straight, he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.
“And then I found this.” Lucas handed over the gun to Hudson. The captain turned it around in his hands.
“So you have reason to believe that O’Neill was forcibly dragged away?” Hudson asked.
“Yes, sir.” Lucas nodded.
“And who do you think dragged him away?” Hudson pressed.
“I....don’t know, sir,” Lucas replied slowly. “But I think it was the captain of that strange ship.”
“Why do you say that?” Now Hudson was suspicious.
“Well....O’Neill told me he’d been having dreams lately about a woman in Macronesia uniform,” Lucas said uncomfortably. “He asked me to help find her. We discovered that her name is Calista Tayn, and she’s heading something called Project seaQuest.”
“Ensign, if you knew about this project why didn’t you inform me?” Hudson demanded.
“I didn’t have the chance to hack past the security codes to figure out what Project seaQuest is,” Lucas admitted. “But now I think that the ship we encountered earlier is it. Calista Tayn is its captain, and--and I think that ship ran because, for the moment, her primary objective is to get her hands on O’Neill.”
“I see. And do you have any idea why?”
“No, sir.” Lucas looked down. “But I think it may have something to do with O’Neill’s dreams.”
Before Hudson could reply, his comm beeped. Hudson moved it towards his mouth.
“Yes, Commander Ford?” he asked.
“We were contacted by the enemy ship, Captain,” Ford told him. “Just moments ago. I have the replay of the message ready for you to watch.”
“Good. One moment.” Hudson turned to Mr. Lensherd, who had just walked in. “Lensherd, do you know of a place where we can communicate with our crewmates over a private vidlink?”
“I suppose you could use my office...” Lensherd began.
“That’ll do. Can you take us there?”
“Yes captain.” Lensherd took them to the small office. Hudson relayed the link to Ford, who sent the message. Calista Tayn’s face appeared on the screen.
“That’s her!” Lucas recognized her immediately. “Calista Tayn.”
“Attention seaQuest,” Calista said. “I am Calista Tayn, captain of the Macronesia warship, the conQuest. My ship has firepower to match or exceed anything on seaQuest.” She giggled. “And I also have....a hostage. Your Lieutenant Timothy O’Neill is now a captive in my brig. If you try to stop my ship on its next attack, he will be killed. As it is, he has a severe concussion and may die without proper medical attention. If you try and jeopardize my mission, he won’t get this attention. He will die.” She laughed wildly. “Just thought you’d like to know. Calista out.” The message ended.
“What do we do, Captain?” Piccolo wondered. “We can’t just let her kill Tim.”
“We won’t,” Hudson said. “Dr. Perry, I want you to leave some of your team here to continue aiding the wounded. We’ll pick them up in a few days....after we’ve hunted down this Calista Tayn and destroyed her ship and her ambitions.”
He turned and stalked out of the room, heading towards the docking bay. The rest of the officers followed obediently.