Lab Report

Dustin arrived on the bridge at a flat sprint. He’d left Defia and the others to secure the Fractal matter they’d obtained and see their guest to medbay so that Bleu could check the Durathisian over. With other matters handled, he intended to get to command as swiftly as he could so that they could finish with the facility and begin their escape before any military response could reach the system.

On the bridge, Meli climbed out of his seat as he arrived, the Velca moving over to Yril’k’s console and bringing up the targeting systems. “Give me three and we’ll be in position to fire the big gun, Dusty,” Sammie remarked, hands on the controls as Sola slid sideways. While the women worked, the screen showed the flashes from the point defence still firing as the planet’s defences launched wave after wave of missiles towards them.

“Lock-on and I’ll fire as soon as we’re in range.” Dustin glanced over at his wives, then back to the main screen. “Then as soon as we’ve got confirmation that we’ve dealt with the base, get us the hell out of here, Sammie.”

The two women nodded. The pilot brought them to a halt above the planet, Sola’s nose pointing down towards the surface. Meli tapped the console in front of her, and the familiar low hum below the decking of the main gun charging began to vibrate up through Dustin’s feet. At a glance and a nod from his wife, he looked down at the controls on his seat arm, looked up at the main screen, and pressed the button.

Sola spat fire, clouds parting in a perfect ring as the beam burned a hole through the atmosphere. Below, the ground glowed as the concentrated energy - sufficient to punch through the armour of a Fractal starship - struck the surface. As the blast faded, Dustin began to count while the big gun recharged.

They’d long decided that while one hit should be sufficient to deal with their foes, they were still going to double-tap the facility. The second blast lanced down into the barely-healed atmosphere moments later, the impact fountaining molten material from the first attack up into the air.

As that second strike ended, Dustin glanced at Meli. She frowned as she worked the console in front of her, then nodded. “I’m not detecting any traces of the base, husband. We can fire again if you are concerned, or…”

Dustin shook his head. “If there’s no traces on our sensors, the odds of them finding anything worthwhile are as close to zero as makes no difference. Let’s get out of here. Sammie?”

The pilot grinned, hands already moving back to the flight controls. “About time, let’s get out of this dump. We got a drop off for the rebel, or are we fleeing back to friendly space first?”

They didn’t have any clear location to get to. The rebels had requested they aid or rescue their agent, but that was as far as the mission went - and so Sola was sliding through the weave in the direction of an uninhabited system, more to get distance from the lab while they planned their next steps than anything else.

Down in the medbay, Dustin sat with their new arrival alongside Macch and Linth. “How is she doing, Bleu?” he asked as the medic returned from reviewing the results of the scans she’d subjected the Durathisian woman to while he’d been busy vaporising the lab.

“She’s clear of any risks, I’ve swept her for both biological agents and Fractal mass. She’s got some pretty bad bruising, and a handful of micro-fractures I’ve already started treatment for. In short, she’s going to be uncomfortable for the next day or so while I do my work and probably have a really shitty night, but she’ll be fine long term.” Bleu paused, tapping the edge of the tablet with her fingertips before she continued. “The facility did appear to have a higher than expected level of background radiation - nothing serious, and I’ve already treated her and the others for exposure, but given you were busy turning the place into a crater I’d appreciate it if you hold still while I give you a booster as well. Just to be safe.”

Dustin sat patiently as the azure woman pressed a medspray to his arm, the gentle hiss giving him time to collect his thoughts. “Alright, well, since Bleu says she wants to work with you for the next day I guess you’re staying in medbay for the time being, miss…?”

“Trelina, captain. And I’ll be happy to rest up - it’s good to have a bed that’s not surrounded by bars.” The Durathisian agent smiled, then winced as she shifted, her injuries still clearly quite painful despite the Queri’s ministrations. “I expect as soon as news of the destruction of the facility gets out that the rebellion will be in touch with your government. In my own case, once your medic clears me then I’d ask if you could drop me off at a safehouse so that I can rejoin the movement? My cover might be blown, but I can still help out in other ways than infiltration.”

With the immediate situation sorted, Dustin left the three aliens in Bleu’s care and headed back up to the ready room. Once there, he sank into his usual seat without paying too much attention to who else was in the room, just glad that he could finally relax after the tension of the lab. Yaerwen set a drink down in front of him a moment later, before settling in the seat alongside. “Long day, Dusty?”

Glancing up, Dustin gave her a thin smile. “You have no idea. That lab was… ugh. Even ignoring the weapons tech that Aricia and Yril’k saw, the way they were studying and using the Fractals is something else. And we had to fight our way out. I’m exhausted and worried about what this will all mean for the war. Has Emely sent the initial recordings back to Star Command, do you know?”

A voice on his other side answered as the woman behind it deposited a wiggling bundle into Dustin’s arms. “No, my mate. We decided it would be wisest to do so from a different system to keep them guessing as to how much we knew about the facility, remember? Now, hold C’harl’ette for me - she’s being quite precocious today and my arms need a break.”

Dustin’s daughter worked as a brilliant distraction for his worries. It was hard to be concerned about the fate of the universe when a tiny person was doing their best to launch themselves at high speed towards the floor, table, and on one occasion his chin. In the end, he opted for sliding off his chair and just sitting with her on the floor after one particularly powerful kick to his stomach, on the basis that if his grip slipped from another of the infant’s blows then at least she wasn’t at risk of hitting herself on anything too hard.

“I’ll go get you one of their picture books,” Yaerwen murmured, the athletic woman rising carefully and heading to the door before pausing. “I should probably get the twins as well, right? I think Jaisyl was watching them sleep while Meli was on the bridge, but they’re due for a feeding soon aren’t they?”

As she spoke, the door slid open behind her, Dustin’s first wife arriving at the perfect time to hear the Hoxx’s closing comment. “They are, yes,” the Velca said with a smile, then glanced over at where Dustin was sitting with his back against one of Trea’k’s legs. “I think I’ll fetch them and the book, if you wouldn’t mind popping down to the galley and asking Naera to make us all up something to eat? Dustin looks about ready to drop, and Aricia was looking similarly washed out when I left the bridge.”

Yaerwen nodded, glanced at the clock, and turned to go. “I’ll run around and gather everyone up. Well, bar Emmz, she’s in the bedroom already in that blanket pile of hers having a nap. She said something about not being able to rest while Dusty wasn’t on the ship and catching up once we dropped into the weave. We can just wake her when the food gets here, right?”