Chapter 5       The cup of water was half empty, or half full, depending on your perspective. Right now, Vince Pellegrino was a half empty kind of guy. He slapped the glass from the tray table in front of him. It landed on the floor and rolled out of his hospital room. Vince turned his head towards the viewport, observing the cloud formations on the Venutian surface from his bed. His stomach ached, and even though that bothered him, he much preferred it to the alternative. Mathison. Poedowski. He had been paling around with them for so long it seemed like nothing could kill them as long as they were together. That was before yesterday. Before he awakened to a new, harsh reality. The wound had not been deep, it didn't even need stitches. It was the trip through the latrine door that did a number on him. He felt strong enough to return to duty. He just needed the psych-techs to clear him. That gave him time to think, much to Pellegrino's regret. Deep thoughts after a close call usually scared one away from the idea of combat altogether. The usual questions surfaced. Why did I survive? What makes me special? Was it luck or skill? And would it be there to save him the next time? Pellegrino's thoughts drifted back to another close call in his life. It was at the end of the Neosapian War. Charlie Five had infiltrated the Neo Lord breeding complex located in Washington D.C. at the old pentagon building. Colleen and he had run into a bunch of underdeveloped Neo Lords. The started slaughtering the platoon. One of the things had gotten a hold of Vince's helmet and slammed his head into the ground. It dazed him but good. And though he didn't know for sure what was going on, he had a feeling his number was up. Obviously, it wasn't. Colleen was there to back him up. He could always depend on Colleen, and that's what truly scared him. Who would be there for him now? And more to the point, why wasn't he there for Mathison and Poedowski?       "Hello?" Vince turned his head away from the viewport. A young woman was standing in the doorway. Uncertain blue eyes peeked out from under the brown hair which fell across her face. She quickly brushed it aside, tucking it behind her ear. Shifting her weight from one leg to the other, she seemed unsure whether or not now was a good time to visit. "Alexis? What are you doing here?" His tone was soft and inviting, prompting Alexis to enter. She stepped into the room and sat on the edge of Vince's bed. "I called you earlier, you weren't in. So I asked around and here I am." "You came all the way from Earth to see me?" asked Vince. Alexis smiled patiently. "No. I'm on assignment here on Venus." "You came all the way from Venus to see me?" Alexis smiled. "Its not that big a deal." Vince patted her leg. "I'm hurt, humor me." She took his hand in hers. "Yes, my darling, I came all the way from Venus just to see you!" Her eyes fluttered as she spoke in a voice that strongly recalled a southern belle. Vince laughed softly, then winced slightly as he remembered how sensitive his stomach was at the moment. "Want to know a secret?" "What's that?" asked Alexis. "I'm glad you're here." His grip tightened around her hand. "I can't believe I'm here." "Why's that?" asked Vince. "I almost lost my job because of that stunt you and your exo-buddies pulled back on earth. I should hate you." "But you don't." stated Vince. "Don't ask me why." added Alexis. "Its the Pellegrino charm, women are powerless against it." Alexis placed her free hand over her chest. "Be still my heart." Vince grew very serious as he said, "Let's hope not." "Can you tell me what happened?" "I'll tell you anything you want. Just don't leave. Please?" Alexis nodded. "Sure." * * *       "How is she?" asked Stan. Dr. Martin turned from the observation window. In the room beyond, Nara was resting quietly in bed. "She grows worse. Her vitals are slowly but steadily falling. Unless we find a way to counteract the poison in her system, she'll be dead in less than 24 hours." Worthington's hand shot over her mouth as she tried to stifle her gasp. "Then there's nothing we can do?" Dr. Martin signed deeply and put his hands in his pockets. "I've been racking my brain for anything that would even remotely help. So far every single thing I've tried has had no effect." "What about the children?" asked Worthington. "One of them has already shown signs of distress. I can only assume the other will soon follow." "Is there any way to save them? A c-section or something?" asked Stan. "What would be the point?" replied Dr. Martin. "A procedure like that would put them in unnecessary danger." "If it saves their lives, is it really unnecessary?" pointed out Worthington. "You misunderstand, Lieutenant. They already have the poison in their system. If we removed them and placed them in an artificial womb they would just die anyway." Stan slammed his fist into the wall. "There's got to be something we can do!" Dr. Martin stood up straight and removed his hands from his pockets. "I'll keep trying. In the meantime, if you are one who believes in higher power, appealing to it would not be such a bad idea." He left the room, leaving Stan and Sue alone together. "Wha'd he say?" asked Stan. "He said we should pray." answered Sue. "Pray for a miracle." * * *       Mandy's eyes fluttered open she and lifted her head as the world slowly came back into focus. As near as she could tell, she was in a hospital room. There was someone sitting in a chair next to her bed. She squinted her eyes to see. "TaKaGi?" Kaz rose from his chair. "Wang? Can you hear me?" Mandy nodded her head. She tried to sit up but a pounding sensation in her head landed her horizontal again. "How'd I get here?" "We found you in the woods. You had a touch of exposure but seemed pretty much okay. The medtechs were a bit concerned about cranial bleeding though. You apparently took quite a bang to the head." Mandy gingerly touched her temple. It turned out to be quite sore. "Where's Nara?" Kaz tried to change the subject. "The techs say you'll be out of here in day, maybe less." "Where is Nara?" asked Mandy again. Kaz stared down at the floor, unwilling to look her in the eye as he answered. "She's down the hall." Mandy grew more concerned as she asked, "Is she okay?" "She's hurt. Bad. Doc Martin isn't sure she'll make it." Kaz looked up to see Mandy in tears. "Its all my fault." she whispered. "Don't talk like that. There's nothing you could have done." Kaz reached out to her, she swatted his hand away. "There's a lot I could have done! If I wasn't so...weak." She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. "All that time working around Exofleet and I never learned to fight. If I had, maybe Nara wouldn't be hurt now. Maybe we'd both be fine." "Or you'd both be dead." offered Kaz. "You can't go blaming yourself for this. Do you have any idea how absurd it sounds?" "It doesn't to me." whispered Mandy. "I mean, why let me live if only because they didn't consider me a threat?" Kaz pulled Mandy's hands from her face and held them in his own. "They let you go?" asked Kaz. Mandy shook her head. "No. At least I don't think so." "Tell me what happened." pleaded Kaz. Mandy took a breath in and released it. "It started when we left the research lab.... * * *       "So what will you do now?" asked Alexis. "I'm going to get out of here, find the Eltorian that did this, and kill him." Vince started to sit up. Alexis pushed him back down. "You're hurt, Vince. That means you're not going anywhere." Vince grabbed hold of her hand and removed it from his chest. "Its only a flesh wound." "Right now. If you go off to who knows where, to fight who knows what, and it could get a whole lot worse." "I won't be leaving immediately, Alexis. We have to find the guy first." Alexis shot him a scathing glance. "And then what? You and however many men get killed by him? Let it go, Vince. You did your part. Let someone else take the risk." Pellegrino stared silently back at her. She turned away. "You know I can't do that. Its not what the Jumpcorps is all about." Alexis rose from the bed. "The Jumpcorps isn't about heroes either. Or did you forget that old credo?" "I haven't forgotten anything. This isn't about being a hero. Its about justice." Alexis turned to leave, "But justice at what cost? Your life? Any future we might have had together?" Vince caught hold of her hand. "Will you visit me again?" Alexis turned away as she shook her hand free. "No. I can't watch you throw your life away, Vince. I'm sorry." She stepped from the room and out of Vince Pellegrino's life, quite possibly forever. * * *       "And then I must have passed out. That's the last thing I remember." Kaz sat back in his chair and digested the information. It wasn't quite what he was hoping for, but at least he now had a better idea of what happened. "I screwed up, didn't I?" asked Mandy. Kaz smiled at her. "You didn't screw up. As a matter of fact I thought what you did was very brave." "You don't have to say that." replied Mandy. "No, I mean it. Most other people in your position would have panicked. You kept your head." "For all the good it did me." muttered Mandy. Kaz waved a finger at her, "That's enough of that kind of talk. You did your best and that's all anyone can do. End of story." Mandy tossed her pillow at him. "Its not the end!" With her voice trembling, she continued, "You don't get it, do you? Before I met Nara I was secretary barely making enough to get by. Now I have a great job with an equally great pay level and its all because of her! And what did I do when she really truly needed me!? I let her down!" Kaz held the pillow in one hand as he said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but combat has never fallen under your job description." Mandy said nothing she just laid back as Kaz placed the pillow back under her head. Kaz hovered over her a moment. "Now the way I see it, you can do one of two things: One, you can sit there and brood about your supposed mistake; Or two, you can use that mind of yours to help the rest of us do something about it." Kaz patted her hand, "Personally, I'm hoping for option two." Mandy stared shyly up at him. "I don't know if I can." "No one does, not for sure anyway. That doesn't stop everyone else from trying though." Kaz headed for the door. "I have to make a vid-phone call. When I'm done, I'll check in on you again. In the meantime, get some rest and think about what I said." He left the room. Mandy turned on her side and stared out the window, lost in her own thoughts. * * *       The screen crackled to life. The image of woman appeared. For most of Kaz's life, the face had always been symbol of control and military discipline. Today was different. "Hi, Rita." She hastily wiped her eyes, trying to cover up the outward signs of her pain. "Takagi. Something I can help you with?" "No. I just wanted to see how you're doing. You've obviously heard from Longfeather." Rita forced an empty smile onto her face. "Same as always, Kid." Kaz nodded. She wouldn't reveal any more than that. Kaz knew her long enough to be certain of it. "For what its worth, I'm sorry." Rita's face took on a far away stare. "I was all set to get him an assignment here at the academy. It would have been nice." "I know the feeling. I'm pretty familiar with 'would have' myself." Rita let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess you would be, huh? The funeral is three days from now. You think you guys can make it?" Kaz shrugged. "I don't know. We've got to wrap this up first. So, I just don't know." "As long as you're after the maggot that did this, I can live with it." replied Rita. "You know it. Anyone else come by to see you?" "Yeah, Wolf and Eve just left a while ago. J.T. and Colleen stopped by a few hours earlier too. I got a call from Alec, he says he and Maggie will be at the funeral. I haven't heard from Nara though." Kaz swallowed hard. It hadn't occurred to him that no one would have told her yet. "What is it Kaz?" Kaz hesitated a second, biting down on his lip, then answered. "Nara was attacked last night. We don't know for sure, but we think it was the same group responsible for Jared." Rita's faced dropped. "Will she be alright?" "We don't know for sure, but it looks like she may not last into tomorrow." Rita signed deeply. "When it rains, it pours." She stared at him, her face returning to its usual hardness. "Don't worry about the funeral. You do what you have to, understand?" "Yes ma'am, Sergeant. Yes ma'am." * * *       The door opened revealing the darkness beyond. Shanita stared blankly through the entrance from her mattress. Someone had to be there, that was for sure. Were they testing her? What would be the point in that? A slight breeze pushed its way into her cell. It carried a red cloth into view. After a moment the body attached to it stepped forward. It was Eltorian. Much larger than Shanita in both height and girth. She estimated he was about six foot seven, though it was possible he was taller. '(Greetings Ardelyn.)' The voice was low, bordering on gentle though retaining a hint of danger. '(Who are you?)' asked Shanita. '(A warrior like yourself. But unlike you, where I was once lost, I am now found.)' Shanita stared up him, a touch of confusion on her face. '(I am not lost, at least not in the way I believe you mean.)' '(So you say, Ardelyn.)' '(How do you know that name?)' demanded Shanita. '(I know much about you...you, and your friends.)' Shanita remained silent, her mind buzzing with activity. Who was this being before her? And how did he know so much about her? Not even Sterling knew her first name. The ability to obtain such private information was the trait of a clever and dangerous adversary. Which is precisely why he refers to me that way. thought Shanita. '(But not everything, otherwise you would not be here.)' The Eltorian remained silent as a smile momentarily threatened to creep onto his face. '(Correct.)' '(Who are you?)' asked Shanita once more. '(You may call me...Malice.)' '(Is that supposed to be your name, or your motivation?)' '(That is for you to decide. But decide quickly, for my patience wears.)' Shanita tilted her head sideways as she looked at him. '(It is not my fault you are unable to make your point.)' Malice produced a hexagonal object from beneath the folds of his cape. '(Do you recognize this?)' '(Yes.)' answered Shanita. '(You were found wearing it. The modifications to this battle armor were quite extensive, far beyond your capabilities.)' '(Are you certain of that?)' Malice lowered the pack. '(The one called Taqueza was with you in the research lab. You were both to have died there. And yet, here you are. Where is Taqueza?)' Shanita's eyes narrowed. She had always assumed the raid on the Vesta research complex was to strike back at Ellen Wright. Could that assumption have been in error? '(Don't you care about the jumptrooper? Was she not the intended target of that raid? Retribution for her transgressions against you?)' '(A single terran - THAT single terran - is beneath my notice.)' Shanita gasped. '(Taqueza.)' '(Yes. He is an unacceptable threat to my followers. One that must be eliminated immediately. Where is he?)' '(I do not remember.)' Malice held the retracted battle armor in front of him. His massive hands threatened to crush it. Shanita's eyes widened ever so slightly, betraying her concern. Malice glanced down at the pack, then back at her. '(He is not here.)' stated Malice. The pack suddenly broke apart, literally falling to pieces in the hands of Malice. '(And it appears he will not be coming back.)' He let the remaining shards of the battle armor fall to the floor. Shanita's face turned ashen. Malice had not even squeezed his hands. The battle armor just seemed to shatter from his touch. He turned from her, the crimson cape he wore trailing him as he left the room. The door sealed behind him as Shanita crawled over to the remains or her armor. She held one of the largest pieces in the palm of her hand. Staring at it, she could scarcely believe what had just happened. "No." * * *       The door to the central chamber opened and two figures entered. Malice was seated in his command chair, facing a wall of vidscreens. As the two figures approached, the chair slowly rotated towards them. '(Report)' Wrath stepped forward. '(The mission was a success.)' '(And the girl?)' '(The half-breed's mate was formidable, but I managed to poison her. She will not last long.)' Malice shifted in his chair. '(I care nothing of the woman. She was no threat to me. What of her companion?)' Wrath seemed confused. He had assumed that the Sterling woman was the primary objective. Apparently, he was wrong. Wrath turned, '(Arsis?)' '(Neutralized.)' Malice leaned forward. '(Are you sure?)' '(Quite certain, sir. She proved more clever than I anticipated but she died none-the-less.)' Malice leaned back, clearly pleased by the report. '(Sir, if I may ask, how was one terran female any threat to us?)' asked Arsis. '(To us, she was not.)' Wrath turned back to Malice. '(Forgive my ignorance, sir, but why did you not tell me the dark-haired one was our objective?)' '(The only way you would have succeeded, was if that information was kept from you.)' answered Malice. '(I...see.)' replied Wrath. '(Never assume, Wrath. That is the type of thinking which cost us the dark planet.)' '(Yes sir.)' replied Wrath. Malice turned back to the vidscreens. '(The terrans are confused and on edge. The advantage is ours. The time has come to render the final solution. Prepare our troops. We evacuate the system in 48 earth hours...and leave the terrans to share in the fate of their homeworlds.)' On to Chapter 6