he adventures of the Star Traveler Andromeda that started in Among the Stars, Beyond the Farthest Planet, and So Far From Home, continues in the final chapter The Voyage Home.
The Alpha shift reported for duty. The Marines and crew started their day. The pilots checked the flight board for their assigned times. Those scheduled for the first flight of the day headed for their ships to be ready when the shifts changed over. Mike started for his shuttle, then changed his mind and headed for Kacey's office. He rang the admittance bell and waited. There was no response so he rang the bell again. When he received no response the second time, he went back and checked the flight board.
Kacey's name was listed for the first flight of the day. He pressed his communicator. "Colonel Anderson to Colonel O'Malley." He waited for a response. It was not like Kacey to ignore his hails or even be so much as a minute late for her duty shift. He picked up the Hanger P.A. "Has anyone seen Colonel O'Malley this morning?" The Marines came to the office. He asked again. "Has anyone seen Colonel O'Malley this morning?" Men and women gathered around him and all shook their heads no. "Dan would you take out the Alpha shift?"
"Of course Mike."
"If anyone sees her, I will be on the Bridge. Call me there."
"Mike maybe she decided to take another day off. She certainly deserves it." Dan stated.
"Maybe, but if that was the case, why is she listed on today's flight list?"
"She might just be running late."
"Not bloody likely." Mike walked out of the Hanger and into the lift. "Bridge." He ordered. Seconds later he stepped off the lift. "Captain could I have a private word with you?"
"Come into my Ready Room. Commander you have the Bridge."
"Aye Katie."
Mike followed Kate off the Bridge. "Would you like a coffee?" Kate asked. He shook his head no. "What can I do for you Mike?"
"Have you seen Kacey this morning?"
"No. Why?"
"No one has. She was supposed to report for duty for zero eight hundred hours. As long as I have known her she has never been late for anything."
"That is true. You can set a clock by her punctuality."
"On top of that she is not answering my hails."
"That is not good. The only hails she ever ignores are mine when she is mad at me. Hang on Mike." Kate went back to the Bridge and went to Natalia. "Would you come with me please?"
Natalia left the Bridge and followed Kate. Anya and Liam looked at each other. "Is something wrong Kate?"
"Did Kacey plan to return to work today?"
"Yes, she left early, around six hundred hours. She said she had some reports she wanted to get done before her scheduled flight. Why? Did something happen?"
"We only know that she did not make it to the Hanger." Kate went to her computer. "She has not logged in yet either. Where the Hell is she?"
"She is not answering your hails?"
"Nothing."
"Did you check her shuttle? If she has the earphones on she will not hear the hails."
"The ramp was closed. If she was working in there the ramp would have been open. That is standard operating procedure. Especially if she is working alone."
"Commander Rhea Torino report to the Ready Room." In seconds the chime rang. "Come in" Rhea walked in. "Rhea I need you to organize a search party. Kacey is missing. No one has seen her since six hundred hours."
"We will help also, Captain." Mike stated.
"I want to help also." Natalia stated.
"Natalia that is not a good idea." Kate said.
"Bull shit, Kate. She is my wife." Natalia yelled.
"I have a special job for you Natalia. Hold on for a minute. Rhea arm all the searchers. Pair them up. No one is to go off alone."
"What about Anya and your parents?" Rhea asked.
"Get the search started. Every deck, shadow, corner and access tube. Check the store rooms. I will inform the family. Mike get as many Marines as you can spare and work with Rhea. Rhea?"
"I know Kate, I know."
Rhea and Mike left the Ready Room and headed for the lift. "All security meet me at the armory immediately."
"All available Marines meet at the Armory also." Mike ordered.
Liam and Anya watched them run to the lift and heard the calls before the doors closed. Kate motioned for Liam and Anya to come into the Ready Room."
"Lieutenant Minor ye have the Bridge." Liam told the pilot.
"Yes sir."
As soon as the door closed Kate stated without preamble. "Kacey is missing. No one has seen her since six hundred hours."
"Good Lord." Anya stated and went to Natalia's side. She put an arm around the smaller woman.
"What are we going to do?" Liam asked.
"Rhea and Mike are organizing search parties. We will go through this ship deck by deck." Kate informed them. "Anya how close are we to the nearest planet?"
"Two days if you want a borderline M class. But that planetoid we landed on our first year is six hours away."
"The one we stopped at over Christmas and New Years?"
"That is the one."
"Plot our course and head for it. I want every available crew member searching if we do not find her before we land."
"Will do, Kate." Anya answered and went back to the Bridge."
----------------------------------------
Kacey could not stop the moan that escaped at the throbbing in her head and arms. She tried to move her hands but found they were bound tightly behind her. She took slow even breaths. Eventually the pain leveled off. She tried to lick her dry lips but found tape over her mouth. In the dim light, Kacey took stock of her location. " Access tube." She thought. " How the fuck did I get in here, trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Think O'Malley." She told herself. "Think... I was headed to the Hanger... Then what? I was around engineering. The smell... " Her head pounded as she tried to remember. Kacey laid back as the darkness approached and she readily gave in to it.
--------------------------
"Computer locate Colonel O'Malley's communicator." Kate ordered.
"Colonel O'Malley's communicator is not active at this time." The computer answered.
"Damn she knows not to shut off or remove her communicator. Computer locate Colonel O'Malley using skeletal match."
"State security code."
"Jensen Captain Alpha nine seven four two Gamma."
"Colonel O'Malley is not on board Andromeda at this time."
"Where the Hell is she?" Kate asked. "Captain Jensen to Colonel Anderson."
"Go ahead Captain."
"Are all the shuttles and stingers accounted for?"
"Let me double check." There was silence for several minutes. "All ships are accounted for Captain. I have people going through each shuttle now."
"Thank you Colonel."
"All right, she did not leave Andromeda. That means she has to be on board somewhere."
"Kate are there any areas where the computer can not pick up a skeletal match?"
"Yes unfortunately." Kate answered. "All around Engineering, in many of the access tubes, near the sensor array and deflector dish, Deck thirteen,." Kate touched her communicator. "Rhea?"
"Yes Kate, we are about to begin our search. Everyone has been armed."
"Good. Start your searches in all the areas the computer cannot pick up a skeletal match."
"Understand Kate. Be advised at this time we have ninety armed searchers. We will find her."
"Kate we have changed course and are heading to the planetoid. I had Lieutenant Minor increase our speed to warp eight. We will arrive in approximately four hours." Anya stated, as she walked back into the Ready Room."
"Thank you Anya. I need you to stay with Natalia while dad and I go tell mom."
"Kate I want to help search." Natalia stated.
"You will. Let us get mom first. Trust me, you will help." Kate told her. Ready dad?"
"No Katie I will never be ready for something like this, but let's go."
Anya went back to Natalia's side and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Where can she be Anya?"
"She will be found. Andromeda may be a large ship, but there are not that many places she could be that the computer can not find her. Once we land, I believe Kate plans on putting everyone on the search detail."
"She could be hurt. Who would do such a thing as hurt her?"
"Let's put our heads together while we wait for Kate and Liam to return. "Who would be mad at her?"
"The only person I can think of is Devoe, but he is locked in the Brig right?"
"Time to make sure." Anya went to Kate's desk and started her computer. "Computer replay Brig surveillance video from the hours of..." Anya stopped and looked at Natalia.
She shrugged her shoulders. "What time do the shift change over?"
"Zero hundred hours. Computer replay Brig video from the hours of zero hundred hours to zero seven hundred hours today and send it to the Ready Room computer."
"Searching for video." The computer said. "Video located. Replaying." The monitor came to life showing the inside of the Brig. Anya moved another chair around the back of the desk so that they could both watch the video. They were watching as Kate and Liam escorted Patricia to the Ready Room.
"What are you doing?" Kate asked.
"Watching the Brig video. Devoe is the only one who would be mad enough at Kacey to do something like this."
"Great idea. Can you think of any one else who would have some sort of vendetta against Kacey?"
"What about Devoe's friends? They could be angry at Kacey." Patricia offered.
"You are a genius, mom." Kate said, kissed Patricia's cheek and left the Ready Room. She returned a short time later. "His quarters are on deck six. Dad do you feel like playing detective?"
"Aye, Katie."
"What about us, Kate?" Natalia asked.
"Keep watching that video. Look for any little discrepancy. No matter how small or insignificant."
Kate with Liam close by left the room.
"Commander, can you use another hand?" The crewman stated.
"Jessup, you just came off duty."
"Yes ma'am, but I still would like to help search."
"Do you have Gamma shift duty again tonight?"
"I do but I can help search for a few hours and still get some rack time in."
"All right. Grab a weapon and I will find you a partner."
"Commander, How about you have them meet me by Engineering. Colonel O'Malley was on her way to the Hanger right?" Rhea nodded. "If she is injured, time is important."
"Okay. Start with lower level three A by Engineering and head to section D. Check in every fifteen minutes. I will let Captain Jensen know the area you are searching."
Jessup grabbed a pistol out of the weapons locker and headed for the lift. He smiled after the door closed. He recorded Rhea's words and would be able to use them to lure the Captain into their trap.
The next time Kacey woke, she was less disoriented and her head hurt less. She was able to think more clearly. She had no way of telling if she was unconscious for a few minutes, hours or days. She again tried to lick her lips, but remembered the tape. Her shoulders ached from being forced behind her back. With her hands in that position, there was no way she could reach the knife she always carried. Even if she could reach the knife, her hands felt like two wooden blocks from the flex cuffs being too tight.
"First order of business is to get into a more comfortable position." She thought. She slowly lifted her head to take stock of where she was and if there was anything near by that she could use. She sight measured the width of the tube. "Three to three and a half meters. Okay think O'Malley, You need to sit up. Find a way to swing you legs around so you can use the wall to push yourself into a sitting position." With a plan in mind, Kacey rolled onto her side, which caused shooting pains in her shoulders. She groaned against the tape. Keeping her breathing slow and steady, she waited for the pain to level off before she moved again. Curling her legs forward she pushed her top half in the opposite direction. Each move brought a stabbing pain in her shoulders. She stopped briefly to wait for the pain to lessen before she moved again. Each centimeter gained cost her. By the time she was laying across the tube she was panting and sweating profusely. The sweat ran freely into her eyes and stung the cut on her cheek. She fought back the darkness that threatened to overtake her with each move.
Kacey blinked the stinging sweat from her eyes and rolled onto her back which put more pressure on her already aching shoulder joints. Kacey braced her feet against the wall and raised her head and shoulders off the deck as she pushed against the wall. Her body moved as her head and shoulders moved up the wall behind her, until she was in a seated or rather a semi seated position. She braced her feet against the floor and with one final push, moved up until her back rested against the wall behind her. She leaned against the ladder and gave into the darkness once more.
--------------------
The hatch opened and the light from the corridor outside lit up the dim interior of the tube. Jessup crawled into the tube a short ways before he noticed Kacey's unconscious form as she leaned against the ladder.
"Well Colonel, it looks like you woke up and have been busy. Not talkative?" He removed the tape from her mouth. From his pocket he removed a bottle of water and a small container that he added to the water bottle. He brought the water to her lips and dribbled a few drops into her mouth. Reflexively she swallowed and licked her lips for more. Jessup dribbled a few more drops into her mouth. He removed another piece of tape and poked a straw through it. Forcing the straw into her mouth he replaced the tape. "It is a good thing he wants you alive. When you wake up again try not to spill your water. That may be the last I can get to you. Do not waste it. He wedged the water bottle behind the ladder."
Jessup tipped Kacey forward to check the cuffs on her hands. Even in the dim light he could see the blue color due to the prolonged cutoff of the blood supply. "That will not work." He pulled out his knife and cut the cuffs from her wrists. After moving her hands forward, he replaced the flex cuffs with another pair. He made sure not to tighten them as much. He picked up the pieces of the discarded cuffs, and quickly backed out of the tube and locked the hatch.
"Lieutenant Jessup to Commander Torino, I have checked lower level access tube three A . It is clear to Cargo Bay one.."
"Roger Lieutenant. Move on to section E and head towards the Hanger."
"Understood Commander." He removed his communicator and crushed it beneath his boot before throwing the pieces down the trash chute with the used flex cuffs.
---------------
Kate and Liam waited for the door to open to Devoe's old quarters.
"Lieutenant Spire, you shared quarters with former Ensign Devoe." Kate stated.
"Yes ma'am."
"Were you on friendly terms with him?"
"He was all right. We were on different shifts and worked in different areas of the ship. We spoke but he really was not the overly friendly type."
"Do you know if he spent his off time with anyone in particular?"
"I saw him a few times with Adrian Jessup."
"From Security?"
"Yes ma'am he works the Gamma shift also."
"Thank you Lieutenant."
"Ma'am Adrian might be in his quarters at this time catching some rack time as he worked last night."
"Bridge to Captain Jensen."
"Go ahead Bridge."
"Captain we are about to land on the planetoid."
"Understand. Bring us down nice and easy Rich."
"Aye Captain."
"Captain Jensen to Engineering."
"Go ahead Captain. Is there any news?"
"Not yet Bella. We are landing. Once we are down, shut down the engines. Arm all of your people and have them report to Rhea for search assignments."
"Roger Captain."
"Computer locate Adrian Jessup's communicator."
"Lieutenant Jessup is on lower deck three near access tube E."
"Time to find this Jessup, Katie." Liam stated. Kate nodded.
-----------------------------------
Anya and Natalia watched every frame from the Brig surveillance video. They rubbed their tired eyes.
"Did you find anything useful?" Patricia asked as she replaced their empty cups with fresh tea.
"No. Seven hours and the only thing we found was Jessup took a bio break at zero five thirty three hours." Anya answered.
"Anya if we watched seven hours of video why does the real time run counter say six hours?" Natalia asked.
Anya turned back to the computer screen. "You are correct. It states six hours."
"What does that mean?" Patricia asked.
"It means that the surveillance cameras in the Brig were down for one hour during the night."
"How can we be sure?"
"Computer was there any interruption in the Brig surveillance cameras during the hours of zero hundred to seven hundred hours today?" Anya asked.
"Brig surveillance cameras were down from zero five thirty three hours to zero six thirty hours."
"There is our missing hour. Computer what is the nature of the disruption?"
"The video cameras were accessed through lower level three panel twenty seven B section one and shut down."
"That is the Brig?"
"Affirmative."
"Who access the camera controls?"
"Lieutenant Adrian Jessup."
"Commander Jensen to Captain Jensen, return to the Ready Room."
"On my way." Kate replied.
"While you are busy, I will pick up the children from school and day care and bring them to your quarters Natalia."
"Thank you Patricia." Natalia replied.
"I will have dinner sent up for you as I do not expect any of you to remember to eat." She stated and left the room.
----------------------------
Kacey woke for the third time. She was immediately aware of the silence. The white noise from the engines was gone. Then her mind took in other changes. Her shoulder movement no longer caused the sharp pains but was more of a dull ache. The same could not be said for her hands as the circulation was restored. They felt as if a million pins were stuck into her flesh Kacey raised her hands and bumped into the straw that was taped to her mouth. She looked around her and found the water bottle tucked in behind the ladder. "Well they do not want you to die of thirst." She thought. The final awareness was of her damp trousers. She felt her face heat with embarrassment as she realized what the moisture was. Kacey flexed her hands. The pins and needles feelings were fading. With her hands now in front of her she reached up to remove the tape from her mouth. After several tries she was successful. She continued to flex her hands until they felt steady enough to pick up the water bottle and take a long pull of the warm water.
With her thirst slaked for the present, she felt revived as the fuzziness continued to recede. She could formulate her next course of action. Kacey took another drink of water. She took several breaths and tried to judge which way to head. She seemed to be equal distance from both hatches.