Edge Of Balance

Posted on Jun 10, 2015 @ 12:46am by Lieutenant Eve Dalziel
Edited on on Jun 10, 2015 @ 12:47am

Mission: The Lights of Hyperion

“Edge of Balance”

(Continued from “From Out Of The Shadows”)

=/\=

Location: USS PHOENIX

SD: 2.150531.0947

Scene: Cargo Bay 3, Shanty Town

The dark haired woman felt a chill creep along her spine as she entered the heavy air of Shanty Town. It made sense for her to try and brief Embry on some of the events happening above decks. Things had an uneasy feel to them, as if there was a certain lack of control lurking just out of the young officer’s grasp. But it was her job to tread that fine line and provide balance to the refugees, or at least the imitation of it. She felt strangely vulnerable without the protection and anonymity of the borrowed armor.

Eve and the two Marines set their boxes down in the makeshift haven. Barnes, who had been invited by Embry, looked at the supplies, wondering why they would be delivered directly to headquarters rather than out in the field. One thing was for sure; whatever they were, they weren’t protein cubes. “Thank you,” she said to the escorts before they left to make their rounds.

“A formal visit? I would have preferred one from the Engineer,” Arthur Embry said as congenially as he could, given the circumstances. He had highly suspected Kane himself wouldn’t make an appearance, but he was hoping for more than a welcome wagon hostess. He glanced at the teal trim on her uniform. “You’re not one of those medical types good with machines, are you?”

She extended her hand, ignoring him. “Lieutenant Eve Dalziel, ship’s Counsellor,” she said dryly.

Jacen’s interest was piqued, but he kept his expression neutral, only shifting his footing slightly as he continued to witness her arrival.

The informal head of Shanty Town examined the tall, pale woman with a more critical eye as he accepted her hand with a firm shake . “This is not your first visit to Shanty Town?” Embry asked astutely.

“No. I’ve been assisting with the Marine Patrols,” she admitted, moving to where the hulk of a man was quietly standing sentinel. “Jacen Barnes, I presume?” she asked, her hand once again outstretched.

He paused, surprised she had made a point to come over to him, and not entirely sure how she knew his name. Slowly, he grasped her hand.

Eve leaned in. “I wanted to thank you for what you did for Kass while we were on LIMBO.”

Barnes overall facial expression was stoic, passive. His green eyes, flecked with gray, held an inkling of surprise and wariness. He would have liked to think anyone would have had the decency to do what he did, but the longer he was crammed in here with the refugees and Arthur Embry, common decency felt more rare. He nodded his head in acknowledgement, slightly embarrassed by the attention.

“Would you care for a cup of tea, Lieutenant?”

Eve shook her head. “Your hospitality is appreciated, but no.” She sat down on a stack of crates opposite a configuration that approximated a desk.

Embry sat down, taking a sip of the aforementioned tea, then leaning forward, hands clasped in his lap. “So, what brings you here?” He was entirely too eager.

“The PHOENIX is travelling through a somewhat unknown area of space, to cut our travel time considerably. This is in order to shorten the amount of time you’re all under these difficult conditions.”

Embry gave a brittle laugh, gesturing for effect. “But we don’t know where we are, or where we’re headed. Your Captain told me as much. Go ahead.”

Dalziel’s eyes narrowed. “In the past day or so we’ve encountered pockets, or rather orbs, of radiation throughout the ship. They appear and dissipate, but expose anyone nearby to radioactivity. Nobody’s been seriously hurt, but certain precautions have been taken to ensure it stays that way.”

Embry’s raised teacup dropped to the saucer on the table with a clatter. “Nothing to eat but field rations, crammed to capacity and then some, kept in the dark about our location, and now you’re telling me we’re all going to be irradiated?!”

Eve smiled, perhaps a little too wide. Barnes thought it kind of looked like she was biting her bottom lip. “Not if we have anything to say about it, Mister Embry.” She gestured to the boxes that had come with her. “These are medical supplies designed to counteract any incidental exposure. I suggest you and all of your lieutenants read through the instructions and be prepared to use the kits. The crew is still trying to pinpoint the exact cause of these radiation anomalies, but until they do the best defense is a good offense.”

Embry nervously opened a box, examining the contents.

“What other precautions have you taken?” Jacen heard himself ask as he stepped forward. He could see the manic look in his erstwhile leader’s eyes and realized old Arthur wasn’t thinking entirely rationally at this stage of the game.

Eve rattled off a laundry list in her head. “Extra shielding has been added to sensitive areas of the ship. The computer has been calibrated to scan for the energy signatures and track them. We’re also cutting power to non essential areas in the event that power attracts the energy somehow. Some of the events have involved machinery or equipment.”

Barnes thought of the replicators, making a mental dotted line between what the Counsellor was saying and what Chaucer had tried to communicate to him earlier.

“Do you have something to add, Barnes?” Embry had come out of his mini-panic mode to direct his laser beam focus on the jacked man who appeared to have an agenda that overstepped the bounds of neighborhood sheriff.

He shrugged his massive shoulders and stared down. “No, sir.”

Arthur Embry may not have been satisfied with that, but he knew better than to push. “And what other good news do you have for us, Miss…”

“Dalziel,” she nudged, trying to be diplomatic. “That’s all. I apologize on behalf of the PHOENIX and her crew for any inconvenience this has caused. If you or any of your men see one of the orbs, which resembles a glowing ball of shimmering light, either with or without appendages spreading outward from it, please contact us immediately and try to keep your distance. Our sensors should pick it up as well and dispatch officers, but I’d like us to work together to learn as much as we can about these anomalies.”

Embry shook her hand vigorously, giving her his best politician-running-for-election smile. “Thank you for your concern, Counsellor. I’ll brief the others post haste.”

Eve bent her head forward in a farewell of sorts. “Mister Embry, Mister Barnes.”

The two men watched as Eve Dalziel walked away, eventually leaving the cargo bay through a checkpoint. “How much of that did you believe?” Barnes asked the older man.

“I’m inclined to believe all of it,” Embry responded nonchalantly. “But somehow I think she wasn’t telling us *everything*.” He looked at Barnes expectantly. If anyone could figure out what the uniforms were holding back, it was his mammoth ‘friend’.

“I’ll work on it,” Jacen said with mock reluctance. Maybe if he found out what was really going on, firsthand, he could use it to keep both Embry and the ship’s crew in check.


=/\=

Susan Ledbetter

Writing for

Lieutenant Eve Dalziel

Your friendly Cruise Director