Part Eight: Breathe

The Christa was cruising through the void between star systems.

The crew were enjoying a brief respite from the events of three days earlier. After escaping from the Spung, and destroying one of the new, huge Spung vessels, they all needed a chance to stop and rest. Scans showed that Koan had disappeared after the explosion of his respirator pack, and was not on the Christa. What had happened to him, remained a mystery.

Harlan was out of medlab, but not ready to resume his usual duties, so Connor was handling his post as helmsman. This was an arrangement which Harlan had complained loudly about.

In the lounge, Rosie and Bova were sitting alone, playing a game of Minbar Chess. Bova was, of course, losing.

"So," Bova asked, "have you noticed anything... Different about Suzee? She seems to have changed... Alot."

"I know," Rosie replied, moving a piece, "she's alot quieter. I haven't seen her say much more than two words to anyone."

"That whole thing with Cat is really strange, too." Bova moved one of his pieces, then realized a better move he could've made.

"Yeah. But, at least she's not switching between acting like one Cat then the other anymore. She's more of a stable mix of the two, now." Rosie moved another piece. "Check."

"Oh." Bova moved another piece to protect his king.

Rosie moved her queen.

"Checkmate."

"Head to x-axis 35 degrees." Radu called out the navigational instruction. He and Connor had spent the past hour and a half learning to work together. In the process, he was learning alot about him.

"Right." Connor complied quickly and smoothly.

Radu was learning that Connor preferred to work on his own. While he followed instructions given to him, he obviously chafed in the structure of a team, his responses were half-hearted at best, apathetic at worst.

Not the open distrust Harlan had once had, but just as deadly.

"All right, gentlemen," Goddard said, "that's enough for today."

In the hall, Radu stopped Connor.

"Hey. Listen, I know you are used to working on your own, but, everybody needs to cooperate here, or we're all dead. Okay?"

"Yeah, Radu. Okay."

As Connor walked away, Radu was quite sure that his little talk hadn't worked.

In engineering, Cat, Suzee and Thelma were working on repairing a few secondary systems, damaged in their escape, and in the explosion of the Spung ship.

"Thelma, could you hand me the hydrospanner?" Cat asked.

The android complied, handing the tool to Catalina. She then moved over to where Suzee was working on the shield generators.

"How is this coming along, Suzee?"

"Fine, Thelma," Suzee replied, without looking up, "I'm almost done."

"Suzee, is there something wrong?"

"What? No, Thelma, everything's fine."

"Very well."

Suzee closed up the panel she was at.

"Cat, what else is there to do?"

"Nothing but this. Why don't you head out?"

"Okay. See you later."

As Suzee slid down the jumptube, Thelma turned to Cat.

"Catalina, I am worried about Suzee."

"Me too, Thelma. Me too."

Suzee stepped into the darkened bunkroom. She felt like crying, having to work around the people she felt she'd manipulated for so long. Her own self-hatred, in the form of the Voice, was tearing her up inside. The worst part was, she was starting to feel that the Voice was right...

"Lights," a voice called out.

The bunkroom lit up, slowly, to the preferences of the user inside. Suzee looked around, at the bunks, until she saw who'd turned on the lights.

"Elmira... I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here. I'll go..."

"No, Suzee," the Spung said, smiling, "it's okay. I believe we should... Talk, anyway."

"Talk... Wh.. What about?"

"You are... Hurt, inside. Your spirit is damaged. I believe I can help."

"What?"

"What happened to you... It was... Necessary. It had to happen, for the prophecy to come to pass... For everything to go the best way."

"What? You... You knew this was going to happen?"

"Yes, I did... As did Trannik. You couldn't be told, not if events were to play out properly. Connor almost ruined everything, just by being there..."

"Play out properly?" Suzee cut her off. "You were using us! You could have stopped what Koan did to me! Why?" Suzee grabbed the Spung by the shoulders. "Tell me why, or I'll take it from your mind!"

Elmira sat still, resolute.

"We all do as we must. You will do as you are destined to, Suzee."

Suzee's consciousness leapt the gap between her mind and Elmira's. She was only there for a second, when she pulled back.

Her eyes went wide.

"Oh, no..."

Suzee ran off into the corridors, crying.

Connor walked into the lounge, where Bova and Rosie were playing a new game of Minbar chess. Bova was, of course, losing. Noting an empty chair nearby, Connor sat down.

"Hi, Connor." Rosie said, cheerfully, "what's up?"

"Not much... Have you seen Suzee around? I can't seem to find her."

Rosie and Bova looked at each other, knowingly.

"No, I haven't." Rosie replied. "Last I heard, she and Cat were helping Thelma in the engine room."

"Yeah, I just came from there. She left fifteen minutes ago... Nobody's seen her since."

"Well, she has to be around somewhere." The mercurian said, without worry.

"I don't know," Bova put in, dryly, "it's not like anyone's ever just disappeared on this ship."

Connor gave him a confused look.

"Long story."

Radu moved through the corridors quietly, and slowly. He was listening, trying to locate someone by sound.

He heard someone, somewhere on the ship crying. And it sounded like Suzee.

Now, I just have to find her...

Deep in the bowels of the ship, there was silence. Not even the thrum of the power systems and engines could be heard down here. Suzee was alone, utterly alone, with her thoughts.

Connor almost ruined everything... Elmira's words rang through her mind... You will do as you are destined to do...

She was worried what he would do, but claims that actions are controlled by fate... Why? Aren't his actions revealed in her seeings? But what I saw...

The image filled her mind, the image she'd seen in Elmira's mind...

It was a view from above... She could see a huge room, bowl shaped, an amphitheater, seating thousands... Koan, dressed all in red, stood on the floor, beside a dais... On the dais was a throne, where sat Warlord Shank, with a scepter in one hand, and a sword in the other... Before the dais was an altar, black and shifting in texture, where her own body lay, frozen in panic... A thing, a wraith, all of shadow and flame, stood over her, a hungry look in its fiery eyes... She could feel that she was the last, that her friends were all dead, and that this thing was going to feed upon her, ending her own life... She looked at the dais, and saw Elmira there also, a look of horror on her face, her arms and legs in chains... Koan smiled a thoroughly evil, knowing smile, and Shank raised the sword. The creature moved closer upon her, and all was darkness...

Connor didn't figure in that one... The images haunted Suzee, blocking out everything else, her hate, her anger, fear and pain, leaving only the sight of her own, horrible death, and a creeping warmth, just above her stomach...

"Suzee!" A voice, just barely familiar, called. "Suzee! Where are you?"

She took her face out from her cupped hands, and looked up. At the other end of the corridor she was in, she saw a flashlight waving around, then another: There were two people, searching around. Her first instinct was fear, with Elmira's vision fresh in her mind.

"I'll check down here." One of the voices said. "You go the other way."

"Right." The other one said. "I hate this section: The design messes up my hearing, and I can't track. So, don't wander off."

"Don't worry."

One of the flashlights began moving towards her, the other one, away. As it moved forward, the light traveled across her: She was seen, and she knew it. Terror filled her: She was ready to do whatever was necessary to avoid her fate.

"Suzee! I found you!" The figure stooped, and turned. "Radu! I found her!"

The voice was definitely familiar... She was having trouble figuring out who it was, though... The name was right at the edge of her mind, beyond the vision...

The figure reached her, and squatted down, looking her in the face. She was looking into large, hazel eyes, eyes whose soft expression turned quickly to one of concern.

"Are you okay?" The almost-familiar voice asked, "you're so pale... Come on, we'll get you out of here: Everyone's worried about you."

She felt him clasp her hand, ready to help her up, even as he stood. The feeling of the hand brought her back to reality, snapping her away from the vision.

"C... Connor?" She asked, shakingly, as he helped her up.

"Yeah?"

"We're doomed," she said, pulling herself close, hugging him, "they're using us."

"Who?" He asked, holding her tightly.

"Elmira, and Trannik. I saw it all, in her mind: They're using all of us, to create a future they want. And... And, I'm the key."

For a week, it seemed as though no-one said a thing. The Christa herself seemed somber. And as the Christa sailed into the Anreus system, there was a sense of great anticipation, as it was home to the Anreus Free Spaceport, a city-state in space, their next destination.

As the AFS became visible on the screen, Elmira began to smile.

Excellent. It's all going according to the Plan...

The end of Part Eight: Breathe

Up next, Part Nine: Make Your Own Fate

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