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Three days, thought Vila as he watched the swirling world on the forward viewscreen, it's been three days since I lost Kerril. So why am I sitting here like this? She was just another pair of pretty legs, after all. Her eyes were very nice, too, he reflected. And her mouth, so small and sweet.
Avon stood at the entrance to the flight deck, silently gazing at Vila. He had been too quiet since his return from Keezarn, much too quiet. To mourn the lost serves no purpose, Avon thought to himself. They are gone. He walked up beside Vila and said in a gentle voice, "You could have gone. No one forced you to stay, Vila."
"I know," Vila replied in a sorrowful tone, looking up. Avon's eyes softened briefly; then Tarrant walked in and Vila looked away.
"Still daydreaming, Vila?" Tarrant called with a mischievous smile. "I would have thought....."
"You don't think, Tarrant," Vila snapped without warning. He got to his feet and glared at Tarrant. "You never think. And...and you'll never force me to do anything again." Vila stormed off the flight deck leaving Tarrant with a shocked look on his face. Avon turned toward Zen, a smile playing lightly on his lips.
"What's gotten into him?" asked the bewildered pilot, glancing at Avon.
Avon ignored the question and said, "Zen, status of main blasters?"
+Main blasters are now fully operational.+
"Good," Avon replied. "I think it's time we left this place."
"I agree." And something in Tarrant's tone alerted Avon.
Avon turned to face him. "If you've got something to say, Tarrant, say it."
"All right, Avon. I don't like the way you've been keeping things from us."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that message Zen picked up last week. The one which you immediately attached a security code to," Tarrant continued. "What was it, Avon?"
Avon moved over to his console, sat down and began rerunning a circuit check. Something he had already done twice within the last four hours. "It was nothing for you to be concerned with."
"If it concerns this ship, it concerns all of us," Tarrant shot back angrily.
Avon looked up at Tarrant but before he could frame a reply, Zen came on line. +Information. Forward scanners have detected five Federation ships moving into attack position.+
"How did they get this close without being detected?" Tarrant yelled as Avon hit the alarm to summon the others.
"The Federation has obviously come up with something new," commented Avon. "Zen, take us out of orbit. Full evasive action. Speed standard by ten."
+Confirmed.+ A pause. +Plasma bolt has been launched and is running true. Impact in 5.3 seconds.+
"Activate the force wall," Avon ordered as Cally and Dayna rushed onto the flight deck and manned their positions.
+Force wall is activated.+
"Where's Vila?" Tarrant demanded, noting his absence from his normal position.
"I don't know," Cally replied, grabbing her chair as the incoming blast sent a shudder through the ship.
Avon called out, "Dayna, take his place."
"Clear neutron blasters for firing," she requested of Zen.
+Neutron blasters are cleared for firing.+
"Concentrate fire on the two center ships, Dayna. Blow a hole big enough for us to get through," instructed Avon.
"It will be a pleasure," she replied, smiling coldly.
#
"The Liberator is getting underway, sir," reported the young exec officer in dismay. "I thought we'd surprised them for sure."
"So did I," his superior replied. "The new cloaking device enabled us to get closer than before, but not close enough. All ships are to fire at will."
"Yes, sir."
The Captain stood watching the Liberator. He knew it was no ordinary vessel. He'd read all the reports concerning its maneuverability as well as the skill of its crew. It would be a pity to destroy such a ship.
"Keep our ship back out of range, Lt. Alvers," he ordered. "I think four ships can handle the situation."
"Yes, sir," the lieutenant replied gloomily. From the look on his face, it was plain he'd hope to get in on the attack.
"Don't worry, son, you'll get your chance."
#
+Two Federation ships are now within range.+
"Then they're dead," murmured Dayna as she fired. Dual beams of destruction flew from the Liberator's armament and struck the oncoming vessels. The two Federation ships exploded, leaving behind only scattered debris.
"Very nice, Dayna," commented Tarrant.
"Naturally," she purred with a smile.
Avon glanced up from his panel. "Tarrant, let's see if your skill matches your boasting. See if you can slip us past the three remaining ships."
The look Tarrant threw Avon was anything but friendly. "Zen," he called. "Increase speed to standard by twelve."
+Confirmed.+
#
"Captain, they're escaping," exclaimed Lt. Alvers.
"I can see that, idiot," bellowed the captain. "Contact the other ships, tell them to....."
The sentence was never finished. As the Liberator shot past the Federation ships, one of them fired in a last ditch effort. The bolt went wide, striking the command ship.
#
"I'm impressed," was Avon's sarcastic comment on their escape. Tarrant smiled at Dayna's sigh of relief.
"That was a bit too close for me," remarked Cally.
Avon nodded. "Agreed." He walked over to Orac and inserted the activation key. "Orac, I want you to tap into the Federation Defense Computer. I want to know if they've been working on any cloaking devices. If Servalan has come up with something new, we'd better find out what it is and a way to defend ourselves against it."
"Very well, I will advise you of my findings," replied the computer.
A loud groan near the steps announced a new presence on the flight deck. "Where have you been?" Avon demanded of Vila as he stumbled down the steps.
The thief staggered over to the flight couch and collapsed. "The next time you take off so fast, Tarrant, it would help if you would let a guy know," he moaned.
"What happened?" asked Cally, walking over to Vila.
"I'm not sure," Vila moaned, putting a hand to his forehead. "One minute I was running out of my cabin, the next I was lying in the corridor."
"Let me have a look," Cally said gently, checking his head. "Hmm...just a nasty bump, nothing more."
Vila groaned loudly again. "My head feels awful, Cally."
"It's only a bump, Vila," remarked Dayna.
"You can't fracture your brain, can you?" he moaned.
Avon looked up, amusement in his eyes. "I believe a brain is required before that can happen."
The thief glared at him. "Very funny, Avon. Chuckle, chuckle." Then he caught sight of Tarrant's irate expression and asked in a curious voice, "Did I miss something?"
"Not much," Tarrant replied sarcastically. "We were nearly destroyed by five Federation ships. And, since you weren't here, Dayna had to cover your position as well as her own."
"It wasn't my fault," Vila began. "I was on my way up here when...."
"When what, Vila?" returned Tarrant. "When you tripped over your own feet because you were too drunk to see straight?"
"You've no call to say that, Tarrant," Vila exclaimed.
"I think it's time someone did," Tarrant retorted. "Don't you realize you jeopardized our lives as well as the safety of this ship?"
"This is my ship, Tarrant," intervened Avon, his eyes flashing dangerously. "And I decide what jeopardizes its safety."
Tarrant stared at Avon in disbelief. "You know it's true and yet you stand up for him. Why, Avon?"
Avon's eyes held a deadly light as he answered. "No one is forcing you to stay, Tarrant. Anytime you wish to leave, feel free."
Tarrant glared first at Avon, then at Vila and stormed from the flight deck. "Touchy, isn't he?" Vila asked nervously in the uneasy silence which followed. Avon looked at him briefly, then turned back to his panel.
"Uh, I think I'll try to finish my rest period," Dayna said, getting to her feet. Looking at the sorrowful thief, she added, "Don't worry about Tarrant."
"He's not mad at you, Dayna, but thanks for the thought." Vila watched as she walked up the steps and into the corridor. She's got great legs, he thought. Not as nice as Kerril's, though. Now what made me think of her?
Avon's voice broke his train of thought. "Cally, there seems to be some interference in the forward scanner. Will you monitor while I adjust it?"
"I can do it," Vila volunteered, getting up from the couch. Cally intercepted him and pushed his back down. "I'll do it, Vila."
"Watch the deviation ratio," Avon explained, removing a back panel. "It should not exceed .005."
"It's holding steady at .002," Cally told him.
"Circuitry unit was loose," Avon remarked, replacing the panel and looking over at Vila. "Vila, I believe you checked it last?"
"Uh, yes," gulped Vila.
"If the unit had failed, we could have lost our forward scanners and all you can say is yes?" Avon replied, sharply.
"It was all right when I checked it, Avon," Vila shot back, turning away. "Kerril was right," he muttered under his breath. "I was a fool for not going with her." He looked back to find Cally watching him. "I'm going to the Rest Room. If you don't need me for anything, that is."
As Vila walked from the flight deck, Cally murmured quietly, "I think he really misses her, Avon."
Avon sighed and moved back to his console. "He chose to stay with us, Cally."
"We don't know what he might have done had Bayban not shown up."
"Let it go, Cally," Avon told her softly.
#
Vila was busy mixing himself something in the Rest Room when he heard his name called. Turning around, he jumped in surprise. "Kerril, what...what are you doing here?"
"Norl sent me back," the woman replied with a smile. "I just couldn't be happy without you, Vila."
"But how did you get here, on board Liberator?"
"I don't know. I was just here," she said in a puzzled voice. Then the woman smiled. "Does it really matter?"
"No! No! I've missed you, Kerril. Really missed you," Vila murmured and took her into his arms and kissed her.
"I've missed you, too, Vila." Freeing herself from his embrace, she glanced down at his hand and asked, "What is that?"
"Oh, just a little concoction of mine," Vila replied with a grin. "Wonderful pick-me-up."
"Could I try some?" Kerril inquired.
The thief looked at her dubiously. "You're sure? It's pretty strong."
"'Course I'm sure," she told him, kissing his lightly on the cheek.
As Vila turned round to get another glass, a scaly hand poured the contents of a small bottle into Vila's drink, then disappeared. Vila turned back around, with a glassful of his 'special' in one hand and a smile on his face. "Here you go, Kerril." He looked around. "Kerril?" She was gone. Hurrying to the doorway, Vila looked up and down the corridor. There was no one. Confused, he retreated to the couch, and sat down, muttering to himself. "They're driving me crazy...Avon and Tarrant. That's what it is. That and all this excitement. A person of my delicate nature wasn't meant for it, not at all." He looked at the glass in his hand. "No sense wasting this." With a quick gulp, Vila emptied it, then picked up his own half-finished drink. Vila glanced one more time around the Rest Room and shook his head. "Crazy," he sighed, and downed the remainder of his drink. Then he stretched out on the couch to take a nap.
#
"Vila, report to the flight deck, please." Cally's anxious voice echoed through the corridors of the ship. "Vila, respond please!"
The concern in her voice was real enough to rouse Avon from a sound sleep and bring him to the flight deck. "What's the problem, Cally?"
"It's Vila. He should have relieved me two hours ago. I've called his cabin, the Rest Room, everywhere. Something is wrong, Avon."
Avon activated his panel communicator. "Vila, this is Avon. Come to the flight deck immediately." Vila might ignore Cally's plea but not an order from him. Minutes passed and still no Vila. Avon frowned. "He's probably just found a quiet spot and curled up with a drink. I wouldn't worry about it, Cally."
"I can't help feeling that something's happened to him," she murmured uneasily.
Avon looked up at her worried face. Cally's feelings were seldom wrong. "If it will ease your mind, I'll see if I can find him," Avon offered.
Cally looked at him and smiled. Much as he might protest it, Avon did like Vile and worried about him. "Thank you," she said.
"Hmmm. I believe he mentioned the Rest Room when he left," Avon remarked. "I'll check there first."
#
Even before he opened the door, Avon sensed something was amiss. 'One of Cally's feelings?' he wondered as he peered inside. Vila lay sprawled on one of the couches, unconscious and gasping for breath. His skin was cold and clammy to the touch, his pulse fleeting. The bluish tinge to his lips and around his nails indicated a serious lack of oxygen. Walking quickly to the comm, Avon punched in the flight deck. "Cally, this is Avon. Meet me at the Medical Unit."
There was an urgency in Avon's voice Cally had not heard before. "Avon, what is it?"
"No questions. Just hurry." Carefully, he picked up Vila's limp form and carried him to the Medical Unit. He had just finished attaching the sensor links and life support when Cally rushed in.
Her eyes took in the pale, almost cyanotic figure connected to the system and widened in alarm. "What happened?" Cally exclaimed. The monitor indicated Vila's life signs were well into the danger level.
"I don't know," Avon explained. "I found him in the Rest Room. This was lying on the floor next to the couch." He handed her a small bottle.
"Poison?" Cally murmured, looking down at Vila. "You don't think he tried to...."
"To kill himself?" Avon finished. "No, Vila wouldn't do that no matter how depressed he was. No, someone gave him this without his knowledge. Someone who wanted us to believe he had committed suicide."
The med computer broke in with its analysis. +Subject's condition is critical. Substance is slow acting in nature causing paralysis of the body and eventual death through suffocation. Advise Antidote E4 be administered immediately.+
Wordlessly, Avon got the antidote and handed it to Cally who sent the drug flooding into Vila's system. Twenty minutes went by before there was any visible reaction. Then gradually, the bluish tinge began to recede and Vila's breathing deepened. Avon checked Vila's pulse; it was weak but better than it had been.
"Who would want to harm Vila?" Cally asked, watching the monitor.
"Who indeed?" remarked Avon in a flat tone. "Is Tarrant on the flight deck?"
"No," Cally replied. "Dayna came in right after you called me." She looked at him curiously. "Avon, what are you thinking?"
Before he could respond, Cally was hailed by someone at the doorway. It was Tarrant. "Dayna said you were down here, Cally." He started in, then stopped as he noted Cally's worried expression and Vila's unconscious form on the couch. "What happened?"
"Someone tried to poison Vila," Avon announced coldly, turning to face Tarrant.
"What?" Tarrant exclaimed, looking down at Vila's pale features. He glanced up and saw Avon staring at him. "You think I did it?"
"In light of what happened a few hours ago on the flight deck, can you think of anyone else? It had to be someone he knew, someone who wanted him off the ship even if it meant killing him. Your past regard for his well-being makes you an obvious choice."
"I'm not the only one," Tarrant countered in a harsh voice. "God knows, you've expressed the desire to be rid of him often enough."
"Expressing the desire and committing the act are two different things," returned Avon, his eyes flashing dangerously.
"Stop it, both of you!" cried Cally, stepping between them.
A slight movement from the med couch brought an effective halt to the two men's arguing. Vila was struggling feebly to free himself from the confines of the resuscitator. "Please, lie still," murmured Cally.
The thief slowly opened his eyes and looked around. "Kerril?" he called weakly. "Kerril?" Avon and Cally exchanged glances. "Where is she?"
"Kerril left with Norl, Vila," Avon told him quietly. "She's gone."
"No, she was here." Vila saw the disbelief in his companions' eyes. "I saw her, Cally. I didn't dream it. She was here," insisted Vila.
"Please, you must rest, Vila," Cally soothed. "We'll talk about it later."
"You don't believe me, do you? No one ever believes me." Vila suddenly grew aware of his surroundings. "What am I doing here?" he whimpered.
"As Cally said, we'll go into it later, Vila," Avon told him. "Right now, you need sleep."
"But...but I don't want to sleep," cried Vila, his voice shaking. An icy chill ran through his body. "I...I feel so cold, Cally. Why am I so cold?" Cally glanced up at Avon, who nodded. Vila saw her pick up a hypo and press it against his arm. "Cally, Avon, please, I'm afraid. I...don't...want...." The mild sedative sent Vila back into darkness.
"Avon." It was Dayna calling from the flight deck.
Avon walked over and switched on the intercom. "Yes, Dayna, what is it?"
"Someone's been tampering with the main blasters," the girl explained. "The primary access hatch has been forced open."
"Any damage?" inquired Avon, glancing over at his companions.
"No. It looks like something was trying to get at the crystals," Dayna replied. "The auto defense mechanism must have driven back whatever it was."
"Stay put. We'll be there in a minute." He switched off the intercom. "Cally, stay with Vila. Tarrant, come with me."
"Are you sure you can trust me?" asked Tarrant.
Avon smiled thinly. "No, but I prefer to keep you where I can watch you."
#
Dayna sensed the tension between the two men when they arrived on the flight deck. "What happened?" she asked.
"Someone tried to kill Vila," Tarrant informed her.
The girl's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"
Looking at Avon, Tarrant continued, smiling humorlessly. "You haven't heard the best part, Dayna. Avon thinks I did it."
"You?" Dayna looked at Avon. "You can't be serious, Avon."
"Oh, but I am," Avon replied as he walked over to Orac and inserted the key. "Status of my pervious request?"
Orac's lights blinked in response, then the computer answered. "My interrogation of the Defense Computer has produced limited information."
"Limited?" Avon inquired.
"Yes." The computer sounded irritated. "Apparently, my capabilities are known to certain individuals and for purposes of security, only scattered bits of information were placed in the Defense Computer."
"Terrific," Tarrant mused. "So where does that leave us?"
"If I might be allowed to continue," interrupted Orac. "There was, however, enough data to allow for an observation."
"Then let's hear it," Avon cracked. His patience was wearing thin.
"Very well. The new device seems to be designed specifically for use against Liberator. Its potential suggests it is able to mask the presence of up to six ships for an unspecified amount of time, permitting their approach to within 100,000 spatials."
"100,000 spatials?" exclaimed Dayna. "At that range, we'd be sitting ducks."
"If its range is indeed 100,000 spatials," Avon reflected. "Zen, how close were the Federation ships when you detected them?"
+Records indicate Federation ships were at 500,000 spatials when forward scanners detected them.+
"Looks like the system still has a few buts in it," Tarrant said with a grin.
"Luckily for us," added Dayna with a sigh.
"Yes," Avon murmured. "Orac, there was am attempt to remove the crystals from the main weaponry system. Do you have any information on that?"
There was a mad flickering of lights and a loud buzz. "Hmmm," Orac replied in a curious tone of voice. "Preliminary data would indicate an alien presence on board Liberator."
"Alien presence?" Tarrant exclaimed. "But surely Zen would have detected such a presence."
"Perhaps," remarked Avon, his mind swirling in thought. "Zen, scan ship for alien presence."
+Scanning.+ A pause. +There are no alien life forms on board Liberator.+
"Incorrect," Orac stated.
"You're telling me there is an alien on board?" Tarrant demanded.
"Exactly," came the computer's smug reply.
"Something which Zen is unable to detect?" queried Dayna.
"Zen's capabilities are limited to set planes of interpretation whereas mine...."
"Are of an infinitely greater dimension," finished Avon. "Thank you, Orac."
"That doesn't explain what it wants with the crystals," Tarrant muttered.
"When we find it, you can ask," Avon answered, handing Tarrant and Dayna a weapon. "Orac, do you have a location on the alien?"
"Of course."
"Where is it then?" Dayna demanded.
"It is presently located at the entrance to the flight deck."
Whirling around, the trio were confronted by...by Vila. The thief held a strange looking crystal in his hand. He pointed it at them. And Avon didn't hesitate. He fired, striking Vila in the midsection. Vila collapsed to the floor and lay still.
"Avon, have you gone mad?" Dayna screamed. "You've just shot Vila."
"Have I? Look!" Avon said, pointing at the fallen man. But it was no longer a man. Instead, a brown-skinned scaly creature lay in a pool of blue-green fluid on the deck.
"How...how did you know?" it gasped as Avon and the others moved up beside it.
"Subtlety is not one of Tarrant's fine points. He would never have tried poison," Avon stated flatly. "Then, when Vila regained consciousness and insisted he'd seen Kerril, the implication became clear."
"But why? Why did you try to kill Vila?" queried Dayna.
"We studied you all very carefully before making our choice. The man Vila, he seemed the least likely person to be missed. In his form, we would be able to move freely among you without attracting attention and thus secure the crystals."
"It was stupid leaving him in the Rest Room where he could be discovered," Tarrant told the alien."
"A miscalculation," the being admitted. "We had hoped to remove the crystals and be gone before he was found. But...but we...were...." The light in its eyes faded.
"Wrong," Avon finished as Tarrant knelt down and checked it. "Dead?"
"Yes," Tarrant confirmed, standing back up. "Avon, it kept saying 'we'. Where do you suppose the other one is?"
Cally ran up the corridor behind them. "Avon, are you all right? What happened?" Cally exclaimed. Then she saw the dead form on the floor. "What is that?"
"A shapechanging thief," Avon answered her quickly. "What are you doing here? I told you to stay with Vila."
"Tarrant called and said you'd been hurt," Cally replied, looking puzzled.
"I said what?" Tarrant exclaimed.
Avon looked at him and said only one word. "Vila."
"What's the matter?" she called as Tarrant and Avon ran from the flight deck.
#
As the two men raced for the Medical Unit, a soft voice roused Vila from his slumber. "Vila?"
Vila moaned and opened his eyes. He blinked in surprise, then said, "Kerril, I told them you were here, but they wouldn't believe me. Why did you leave?"
"I had to, Vila," the woman responded. "But don't worry. I'll never leave you again." The creature approached him, drawing its weapon. But Vila saw only that Kerril was smiling, opening her arms to embrace him. He smiled back, waiting.
The door behind her suddenly burst open and Kerril twisted about, only to be struck by simultaneous blasts from Avon and Tarrant's blasters. "Kerrill," Vila screamed, then slumped back on the couch, unconscious. On the floor, Kerril's image faded, revealing the dead alien.
Cally and Dayna arrived a few seconds later and Cally moved quickly to check Vila. She sighed in relief. "He's all right. Just fainted." Looking at the dead being on the floor, Cally asked, "This is what tried to kill Vila earlier?"
Avon nodded. "Yes. Tarrant, you and Dayna take care of the one on the flight deck. We'll manage down here."
Tarrant looked at Avon expectantly. But Avon said nothing more. "Don't you think you owe...." Tarrant began angrily.
"I wouldn't press your luck, Tarrant," Dayna interrupted, grabbing him by the arm. He looked down at her, then back at Avon.
"All right, Dayna. Let's take care of our unwanted guest," Tarrant replied and followed her from the room.
#
"Did you really believe Tarrant tried to kill Vila, Avon?" Cally inquired after Avon had moved the dead body out into the corridor.
"Someone had. And Tarrant appeared the most likely candidate," Avon admitted. "But when Vila started talking about Kerril, and Dayna said someone had tried to remove the crystals, it made me wonder. Orac's findings merely confirmed my suspicions."
"But what were they? Who were they?" Cally asked him. "And how did they get on board without our knowing it?"
"I don't know," Avon replied. "Neither of them lived long enough to tell us. But I intend to find out."
#
Cally was with Vila when he came round an hour later. The thief looked up at her with sorrowful eyes. "Kerril wasn't really here, was she, Cally?" he asked mournfully.
She shook her head. "No, Vila, she wasn't. I'm sorry."
"What was it then?"
"One of those horrible aliens you're always going on about," called a voice from the doorway. Avon walked in and looked down at Vila. "It seems we weren't the only ones needing the crystals."
"What do you mean?" exclaimed Vila.
"According to Orac, those beings used the crystals much as we do the teleport. That's how they got on board. Orac's theory is they were searching for more crystals, detected ours and tried to take them."
"Without a ship?" asked Vila.
Avon shrugged. "The crystals offer them teleport capabilities which exceed our own."
"How is it that Zen was unable to detect them?" Cally interjected.
"Tarrant found a miniaturized cloaking device on the one I killed on the flight deck. I imagine the one here at the Medical Unit also had one.
"But why did it try to kill me?" murmured Vila.
Avon studied him for a moment before answering. "From what I gather, you were the one person on board whose absence they felt would not be missed."
"I see," Vila murmured, closing his eyes wearily.
"A definite mistake on their part," Cally advised, patting Vila's hand.
Vila's eyes flashed open. "And Kerril?" he inquired. "Why did it take Kerril's shape?"
"I wondered about that, too," Cally remarked. "Avon, those creatures must have had some telepathic abilities as well. How else could they have drawn her image from Vila's mind?"
"That is a distinct possibility, Cally," Avon conceded. He glanced at Vila and added, "But I believe a mind would be required to work with first." But Vila didn't seem to hear him. He was staring blankly into space. Avon looked over at Cally, who shook her head sadly. Avon decided to try another tactic. "Speaking of work, Cally, how long before he's able?"
That caught Vila's attention and Vila let out a terrible groan. "Oh, Cally, I think I'm having a relapse. Oh, it hurts something fierce right here." He doubled over, holding his stomach.
Winking at Avon, Cally carefully probed the area of 'pain' and nodded. "He's definitely ruptured something, Avon." Vila's eyes nearly popped from his head at her words. "And that will probably mean intravenous feedings for at least a week. I doubt if his system will be able to handle anything else."
The thief turned pale. "Intravenous feedings?"
"I'm afraid so, Vila," Cally said, trying to sound serious.
"Uh, I don't really feel all that bad," Vila announced suddenly. "In fact, the pain is nearly gone. I might even be able to manage the next watch without too much trouble."
"Well, Cally?" Avon inquired in an amused tone, cocking an eyebrow. "What do you think?"
"I think everything is back to normal," Cally replied with a smile.
the end
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