Lieutenant Greene

“Lieutenant!” I called out surprise. I was part relieved and part disappointed that she had returned to her uniform.

“Ensign,” Greene replied curtly. “The captain has been informed of the situation and is greeting Angkar as we speak. I came here to escort you back. They’re in the meeting room.”

I nodded and replied, “I guess it’s back to business as usual, then?”

Isa gave me a sympathetic smile and said, “Sorry, maybe we’ll try again another time. In the meantime, Angkar was asking to see you as soon as you docked. No doubt, he wants to thank his savior properly!”

We headed directly to the briefing room where Captain Lance and Tiloth were seated with a man I recognized from my shuttle’s viewscreen as Angkar. They rose to greet us. I nodded politely, then was taken by surprise as Angkar stepped up and gave me a hug. He was a tall specimen that would have been imposing if not for his a wiry frame. His blue tinged skin appeared scaly, but was actually soft to the touch.

“My rescuer!” he said affectionately as he looked deep into my eyes. “You are the angel of salvation!”

“Oh, I just did what anyone would have done…” I replied with humility, while becoming uneasy with the platitudes of adoration. I tried to let go of his arms, but he persisted in holding me tight. After a brief pause, he noticed that he was being too clingy and quickly released me.

He clasped his hands together and said, “Excuse my exuberance, but you must understand the plight I was in before you arrived! I truly believed it was the end for me!” He made a gesture of touching her forehead then chest before staring to the ground somberly. After a moment of silence, he perked up again, “I must repay you for your deed!” Angkar turned to the captain and said, “You are all invited to my research station! The least I could do is invite you over for a meal. It may be a small station but it boasts Brevoorian cuisine at its finest!”

Captain Lance answered with a smile, “Well, who are we to turn down a home cooked meal?”

Angkar laughed approvingly and turned his attention back to me with a smile as he said, “I will save the seat of honor especially for you.”

I smiled graciously and replied, “Well, I look forward to it…” not knowing what I was walking into.

Angkar’s research station was just as he described; quaint yet efficient. Its proper name was Nuvaris Tentan, but the locals referred to it as Nuva. Angkar Noria was the lead researcher there. This sort of explained why he thought he could orchestrate such a dangerous research mission on his own. Whether it was overestimating his abilities or underestimating the danger that led to his peril, I couldn’t say, but from our conversations before arriving at the station, he sounded intelligent and capable, if not a bit overzealous.

The landing party consisted of me, Angkar, Captain Lance, Lieutenant Tiloth and Lieutenant Greene. We were greeted by Slakeeva, Angkar’s second in command, upon arrival. She was not as tall as the male, but shared the same flat, almost noseless face reptilian face with slitted eyes. Angkar had failed to inform her about his venture into the gravity well before going out and had just relayed the story to her before we arrived. It may have been her still getting over this news, but I couldn’t help but feel judged in her presence.

“So… you are the one who saved Noria’s life,” she said to me coolly.

“I did what any one of us would have…” I started.

“Nonsense, many would let a fool wallow in their own folly,” she interjected while she cast a glare at Angkar. Angkar dipped his head and shifted around uncomfortably. The female scientist returned her gaze to me and gave a thin smile, “Nonetheless, he is a valued member of our group and you saved him. You have the gratitude of the entire team.” From the way she carried herself, she was undoubtedly the taskmaster on the station. I wondered briefly how Tiloth would take having her authority undermined by Captain Lance. Despite Slakeeva’s cordial demeanor, I suspected she was fuming inside.

“Let’s take this to the dining hall where you can meet the others!” Angkar said with a nervous chuckle as he guided us off the shuttle dock.

There were only five people living on the station. Margany was the engineer who kept the place running. He was an older gentleman, skilled in various fields of tech, including warp design and had joined the team to test ways of enhancing drive shielding within gravity wells. It was this test that Angkar was performing when he found himself trapped. Margany took the news of failure pretty hard, but was pepped up by the promise of datastores of information gained from the trial. Captain Lance was interested in the findings as well, which led to the two negotiating a trade of information.

Zataran was a younger researcher apprenticing for the group. He didn’t speak much at first, but then lit up when the conversation led back to the research. He and Isa ended up delving into a deep conversation about gravimetric anomalies that was beyond my comprehension. I was lured away by the smell of fresh pastries and cooked meats.

There was a final member of the research crew, but she was never properly introduced. She silently served us drinks and laid out small, bite sized snacks for us to try out.

“Hi there!, I’m Linda!” I said to her, but she averted her eyes and busied herself by gathering more trays to lay out.

“Enjoying the flavors, Linda?” Angkar asked, standing beside me in front of the food table.

“That girl... I tried to introduce myself but she ignored me….”

“Don’t mind, Phan, she’s shy.”

“Is she a researcher too?”

“No, she is the caretaker. She makes sure the building is running at optimal levels while we do our work undisturbed.” I nodded, understanding the use of someone like that. “Phan! Come over here!”

The girl returned, looking to Angkar, then to me.

“This is Linda, she saved my life!” he boasted proudly. “Anything she asks of you, you get for her, understood?”

Phan nodded but gazed to the floor.

“Good! Now, Linda, enjoy our hospitality! Eat! Drink! Be merry!” He placed a cup in my hand and waited for me to imbibe. Not wanting to be rude, I took a sip and smiled. He raised his cup and drank as well.

I woke up some time later with a dull throbbing on the side of my head. I rubbed my temple and tried to move, but found my entire skull aching from any shift in position. I groaned softly and tried to open my eyes as I tried to recall how much I had drunk. After a moment of contemplation, I could only conclude it was enough to get me blackout drunk. My eyes finally adjusted to the illumination of the room, which was still fairly dark. I sat up and found to my dismay that I had once again found a way to lose my clothes.

Suddenly the shock jolted me awake. Where was I? Where was my clothes? Where are the others?