fanfic_name = The Sit. Room Incident

chapter = 18

author = Dwparsnip

Rating = AP15

Type = Angst

fanfic =



Rick and Miriya had talked for hours about Lisa, about their memories of her, good and bad. Rick had done as she had asked and told her about the Lisa that he knew, and except for the obvious intimate and physical elements of their husband and wife relationship, his Lisa was the same as the Lisa that she had come to know, respect and love. Much to her delight Rick had fallen asleep sometime during one of her stories about her friend. Even more important to Miriya, was the fact that he seemed to be resting comfortably. She got up from the couch and lid Rick down on his back. She went to the closet, got a couple of blankets and returned to the living room. ‘He is beyond exhausted’, she thought sympathetically as she placed one of the blankets over him. She sat down in the recliner, leaned back in it and spread the other blanket over herself. She looked over at Rick and saw that he was still sleeping peacefully. As she fell asleep a few minutes later in the recliner, a small smile graced her lips.

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As Rick slept on the couch in their comfy quarters, Lisa slept on the thermal blanket in her uncomfortable prison. She had worked on removing the shackles for hours, taking only the quickest rest breaks, and she had managed to undo the one on her right leg before her body screamed for sleep.



She lay down on the blanket, the hard surface of the cave floor easily negating the cushion of the blanket, and stared up at the ceiling of the cave. Her mind ran over the events of the day, replaying them again and again.



Her thoughts turned to Rick and Roy. She had no idea what they knew of her situation and what they were going through. Did they believe she was missing? Did they think she was kidnapped? Did they think she was dead? Either possibility meant that her son and husband would be in terrible pain right now, and that filled her heart with an unlikely mixture of sorrow and anger.



Lisa rolled over onto her side and tried without success to get comfortable. She held out her left hand so that the symbol of her and Rick’s promise to love each other forever glistened in the low light. Her wedding ring was as shiny now as it was when Rick had slipped it onto her finger years ago, and despite the situation, she felt comfort when she looked at it. She missed Rick and Roy terribly, and not knowing what they were doing and how they were feeling was eating her inside. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and she felt a terrible sadness for going as long as she had without thinking about the two most important people in her life.



She let the anger take control even as the tears flowed, letting it override everything else so that it could feed her desire to return to those she loved so much, and she resolved to do whatever she had to do to see them again.

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Rick woke up to the smell of coffee and burnt toast, and he wasn’t sure because he was still half asleep, but he thought that he heard a familiar voice utter some Zentraedi curse words. He sat up on the couch, stretched, rubbed his eyes and remembered that Miriya had stayed with him all night. She had told him some wonderful stories about Lisa that showed aspects of her that even after all these years he didn’t know she had, and while he was very glad to hear those things about her, it made him miss her even more.



If that was possible.



He got up and moved to the kitchen doorway and when he looked inside, he couldn’t help but smile. Miriya was putting more bread in the toaster, and according to the pile of black toast on the plate next to the toaster, it was her third or fourth attempt.



Before she put down the bread he said, “Good morning, Miriya.”



She whirled around, obviously startled and brought up a butter knife in a defensive pose purely out of reflex. Rick instinctively ducked when he saw the flash of the knife in her hand, and when he looked up at her and their eyes met, they both laughed.



As Rick stood up he said, “I’m sorry, Miriya. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He moved to the toaster, adjusted the toasting setting to a lower level and turned it on.



She placed the butter knife on the counter and scratched her head, more than a little embarrassed by the situation. First off, she was embarrassed that Rick had startled her, and secondly she was embarrassed by the pile of burned up toast sitting on the counter. She said sheepishly, “It’s okay, Rick. I’m sorry I woke you. You appeared to be having a peaceful sleep.” She looked at the pile of charcoal on the counter and said quietly, “Max had one of the engineers limit the settings on our toaster.” She looked at him and smiled. “It comes out perfect every time.”



Rick’s eyes became distant and he smiled. “Lisa always has trouble…had…trouble with this toaster.” He hesitated for a second to stave off the flood of emotions caused by the memory. “You didn’t wake me, Miriya.” He popped the toast and placed it on a plate. He put in another couple of bread slices and turned to face her. “Miriya, I want to…”



Miriya closed the distance between them and placed her index finger on his lips to stop him. It was a maneuver that worked particularly well when Max did it to her, and she was happy that it worked on Rick as well. “Do not thank me. I did what any true friend would do. Besides, I should thank you. You shared your memories of Lisa with me, and…and I really appreciate it.”



She removed her finger and Rick asked, “Even?” She smiled and gave Rick a hug. He hugged her back as she whispered, “Even.”



He broke their hug and popped the toast, and placed it on top of the other slices. Miriya picked up the cups of coffee, Rick picked up the toast and they headed to the table. They placed the coffee and toast on the table and sat down. Miriya nibbled at a piece of toast and Rick just sat there, staring at nothing in particular. He thought of the last time he and Lisa ate breakfast together the day before. ‘She had scrambled eggs’, he thought absently. ‘What was it she said? ‘I can’t go another day without those famous scrambled eggs a la Hunter.’’ He smiled even as his eyes welled up with tears. Lisa loved his scrambled eggs.



Miriya looked at Rick and she could see that he was not totally with her. She wanted to leave him alone with his thoughts, which she knew had to be of Lisa, but still…”Rick?” He looked at her and she said, “Please eat something. If you do not want toast I’ll get you something else.”



Rick looked at Miriya. He was about to tell her that he wasn’t hungry, but he saw the deep concern in her green eyes, so he took a piece of the toast and chewed on it for her sake. He just had the first bite taken out of it when there was a knock on the door. He put the toast down on the plate and was about to get up when Miriya said in a semi-stern voice, “Eat. I will get the door.”



Rick picked up the toast and took another bite as she got up to head to the door. As she reached for the door, she knew that her husband was on the other side. She didn’t know how she knew, she just did.



She opened the door and there stood Max. She quickly scanned his features before hugging him tightly. ‘He looks like he got some sleep’, she thought. She leaned back and looked at him, and when she did Max kissed her gently.



“I missed you”, said Max quietly. She smiled and he asked, “How is Rick?”



She could feel the sadness fill her eyes, and when he saw that, she knew he didn’t need an answer. “We talked for a while last night about Lisa, and he fell asleep. He seemed to sleep well. I’ve been trying to get him to eat for a few minutes, but he’s barely picking at his toast.” She hugged him again and whispered, “He misses her so much.”



“I know”, he whispered back.



“Good morning, Max”, came Rick’s voice from the living room. Max released Miriya and looked at his friend. He still looked tired and shell shocked even though Miriya said he did get some sleep. He watched as Rick headed for the couch, and Max was taken aback by the absence of the swagger in Rick’s step that was usually present. It wasn’t a swagger borne of arrogance or even rank or self-confidence. It was something else. Rick didn’t always have the swagger, and Max had often tried to pinpoint when Rick developed it. It wasn’t until just that moment that he realized when it was. ‘It was when Rick realized he loved Lisa and they got together’, he thought sadly. ‘That was when it started. Now Lisa was gone, and so is the swagger.’



As Rick sat on the couch, Miriya went to clean up the kitchen and Max sat down in the chair opposite the couch, placing two folders he had brought with him on his lap. Max waited for Rick to start a conversation. As was often the case over the years, where Rick would lead he would follow…gladly and without hesitation.



Finally Rick said, “Have you checked in with Vince, or the Sit. Room? Any news?”



Max finished Rick’s question in his head. ’Any news about the investigation?’ One of the folders on his lap was given to him by Vince Grant. Max had no intention of even mentioning the folder or its contents to Rick, but in the end he figured Rick would want to see it, and perhaps Max thought, he needed to see it. “I talked to Vince a little while ago. He asked me to give you this if you felt up to reading it. It’s the timeline of the events preceding the…the explosion.” He held out the folder to Rick, and for a moment, he hesitated.



Rick stared at the folder in Max’s hand. ‘What are you afraid of Rick? It’s only a report on the death of the woman you love. No big deal.’ He took a deep breath and took the folder from Max in his trembling hand. As he opened it, Miriya entered the room and sat on the arm of the chair that Max was sitting in. He slipped his arm around her waist and she put her arm around his shoulder.



Rick opened the folder and began to read the preliminary report. ‘An Alpha exploded on the base…sabotage suspected but no trace of explosives…Marques said Lisa headed for the shuttle, and the pilots told the tower she was aboard…Shuttle exploded almost seven minutes after takeoff…no evidence of mechanical failure according to the shuttle’s telemetry readings…sabotage suspected…two Alphas got caught in the explosion.’



Rick read the report again, and by the time he had finished, his eyes were moist with tears. He looked at the addendum to the report, which contained the names of those lost. ‘Commander Hunt, Lt. Montgomery, Lt. Styles, Lt. Cmdr. Finch and…and Lisa.’ He rubbed the tears out of his eyes before they had the chance to fall and closed the folder.



He handed the report back to Max and said quietly, “I want to talk to Marques. She was the last person the see Lisa…”, he swallowed and closed his eyes as he finished the sentence, “…to see Lisa alive.”



Max nodded his head and said, “She’s still on the planet, but we’ll get her up her in a couple of hours.” He took the other folder off his lap and held it out for Rick to take. Rick looked at Max, asking what it was without saying a word. “There are numerous, and I mean numerous, messages of condolences inside”, Max explained of the folder. Again, he had not really intended on letting Rick deal with it right now, but once he decided that Rick should see the report, he figured it was just as well to keep going with the condolence messages. Rick didn’t move to take the folder, so Max opened it up and listed some of the many organizations, leaders and people who sent their sympathies to Rick. Max went through the list, randomly selecting examples and reading them, and when he came to the end of the list he swallowed. He looked at Rick and said in a surprised voice, “There’s even one here from Minmei.”



Rick looked up and showed interest for the first time since he started reading them. Max handed Rick the note, and as he read it a smile came upon his face. He handed it back to Max and said, “The place of origin is listed as Tirol. I didn’t know she was so close. She always was a good friend.”



Rick got up off the couch and headed for the bathroom. “I’m going to freshen up. Get a shower, a fresh uniform. You guys can go on home, and I’ll see you in a little while.”



When Rick shut the bathroom door, Max looked at Miriya and said, “I’ll stay here with Rick.” Miriya nodded her agreement and said, “I will go and get Marques.”



Max shook his head and said, “No. Marques is a pilot, she can fly up herself. Call down and tell Pearson to give her an Alpha. Give her an hour or so to freshen up when she gets back and then go and tell her that Rick wants to see her.”



Miriya hugged Max tighter and said, “That, my husband, sounds like a plan.”



Max looked at the folder in his hand and said with amusement, “Minmei.” He noticed the scowl on Miriya’s face and couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Come on, Miriya. She’s his friend…their friend.”



It was Miriya’s turn to laugh, and as she gently shook her head she said, “Ah Maximillian. Minmei is many things, but I do not believe for one second that she is Lisa’s friend. Not by a long shot.”



Miriya kissed Max’s forehead before getting up. She headed for the door and said, “I will see you in a little while, Max.” He replied, “You bet, beautiful.” She smiled and closed the door behind her, and when Max heard the shower turn on in the bathroom, he opened the first folder and read the report for himself.

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Angela Marques climbed out of the Alpha she had brought up to the SDF-3 from Tirol. She had been granted permission to return to ship, as had O’Brien and Santana, but the shuttles were still grounded which meant that they had to remain behind while she could commandeer an Alpha and fly up herself. She hadn’t actually commandeered the Alpha, it was given to her by the base commander, but either way she wasn’t complaining.



Rumor had it that Admiral Hunter nearly collapsed when he heard the news and that Commander Grant had to take him to his quarters, where he had stayed since except to go to Tirol to see his son. The only visitors to his quarters were the Grants and the Sterlings.



The Grants and Sterlings were Hunter’s closest friends, so after Rick had secluded himself in his quarters the flow of rumor information had ceased. The Grants and Sterlings would tell no one anything.



The twenty-plus hours after Lisa’s “death” had been hectic for Marques. Captain Michaels held interrogation sessions almost every hour after the shuttle explosion. It was the same routine and same line of questioning every time. His theory was of course, that if they were lying about anything that eventually they’d trip up and he’d have them. It didn’t work on O’Brien and Santana of course, they were innocent. And Marques was intelligent enough not to fall into the trap.



She checked in with the flight crew chief and then with Flight Control. After being dismissed, she headed straight for her quarters, where she intended to have a very hot bath.



She was tempted to stop by Graham’s quarters to check in, but she was too exhausted. She turned the corner and headed for the door to her quarters. She opened the door when she reached it and once inside, she closed the door and started taking off her flight suit in the living room.



Having admitted to herself a long time ago that she was very self conscious about walking around in the buff, she thought to herself, ‘I wouldn’t care if the entire crew were in here right now, this suit has got to come off.’



The zipper moved freely down the flight suit and within seconds, she was going into her bathroom in her underwear. She turned on the water for her bath and as the tub filled, she looked at herself in the mirror.



‘I look like hell’, she thought to herself with some amusement. She was tired, but that wasn’t all. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but she had a good idea. It was easy to see the effect that the “death” of Admiral Hunter had on the crew. The personnel on Base Alpha were saddened and upset by her loss, but the SDF-3 crew members were devastated. She could see it in their faces and hear it in their voices the second she got out of her Alpha, and the profound sadness that everybody she had come in contact with emitted, made that nagging feeling become stronger and stronger. It was almost unbearable.



She shook her head as if to clear her mind of any such feelings and turned off the water. She looked in the mirror one more time, finished getting undressed and got in the water. It was really hot, but it was what she needed, and a short time later, as the hot water relaxed her aching muscles, Angela Marques fell asleep.

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Lieutenant Jonathon Roberts approached Commander Sue Graham as she performed her preflight check. She was bent over, looking underneath the starboard wing, and his eyes settled on her shapely figure. He had been trying to work up the nerve to ask her out, but it was proving more difficult than he had anticipated. Sure, he was everything that a fighter jock was stereotyped as: confident, cocky, outgoing, and everything else. He usually never had a problem with women, and he figured that he had even been with more than his share.



But something about Sue Graham was different. He wasn’t sure if it was that she seemed immune to his charms, that she was a little older than he was, or that she was a superior officer. Whatever the reason, he couldn’t be himself when he talked to her.



He stood behind her now admiring her attractive curves as she continued with her check. Even before he had seen her in a flight suit, he was sure she had a gorgeous body. The flight suit just highlighted it.



He cleared his throat and asked, “Everything all right down there, Commander?”



She stood up and looked at him, and he couldn’t help but notice a little grin in her face. “Yes Lieutenant, everything seems to be fine.”



He smiled. He deliberately avoided looking at anything but her eyes. “Yes, well everything looks fine from here.” He saw her narrow her eyes and he said quickly, “Good. We take off in ten minutes, Commander.”



Her black hair waved to and fro as she nodded. “Very well. I’ll be ready.”



“See you out there, Commander.” He turned and began the walk to his own Alpha. He thought to himself as he walked, ‘I bet you’re always ready, Sue.’

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Sue Graham watched Lieutenant Roberts walk away, and for the briefest of moments, she thought he was hitting on her. She shook her head and finished her pre flight check. She had asked if she could join this patrol to get a shot at checking on her guest on the MED moon. There was no trouble from Woods; he had his hands full with the investigation, even though most of the investigating at this point was occurring on Tirol.





She picked up the bag she brought to the flight deck. In it was an assortment of field ration packs, water packs and a few other items. ‘Bread and water’, she thought amusedly as she tossed the bag up into the cockpit.



She turned to look at Roberts as he announced, “Okay Pegasus wing, we’re ready to go. Head to your Alphas and be careful out there.”



She put on her helmet, and as she put her hand on the ladder to board her aircraft she thought, ‘Was it just me, or did he look at me when he said to be careful?’ She began the climb up and her eyes fell upon the freshly painted decal underneath the canopy. When she had first seen it a little over an hour ago, she thought it was a very nice design, although she didn’t have a clue as to why it was there. That opinion turned extremely sour when one of the regular pilots told her what the decal represented and that it was put there out of respect for Admiral Hunter. She had nearly lost it and screamed in the pilot’s face out of frustration and anger, but she instead kept the smile on her face. She tore her eyes from the detestable image and got into the cockpit.



When she made herself comfortable in her seat, she carefully stored her bag along the side of the seat and buckled her safety harness. After completing that task, she turned her attention to initiating the pre flight sequence. ‘Power plant…check. Navigational computer…check. Hermetic seals and life support…check. Weapons systems…check. Radar…check. Communications system…check. Threat alert system…check.’



As she finished the start up routine, she heard a voice come through her communication channel. ‘This is Pegasus One. Sound off.’



She heard the rest of the squadron say their number and status. She couldn’t wait to get off the ship. The melancholy atmosphere was killing her. When her turn came she said calmly, “Pegasus Five, ready and standing by.”



Five minutes later, it was her turn to leave. She glanced over the gauges and readouts, and when she was totally satisfied that everything was as it should be she moved the throttle forward. Seconds later, she was in standard formation with the rest of the Pegasus squadron.



She thought about the events of the past twenty hours. With the help of Grace and Marques, she had managed to hood wink the entire REF into believing that a xenophobic group of Tirolians had managed to infiltrate a REF base and somehow sabotage Admiral Hunter’s shuttle. She didn’t have anything to do with the group; it was just their bad luck to be at the top of the REF watch list. The investigators found no trace of any explosive materials in the wreckage of the Alpha on the base, or the pieces of the destroyed shuttle that had already been salvaged, just as she knew they wouldn’t.



She followed the flight leader as he made a course adjustment, and into the coldness of space, she laughed.

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Angie had just put on her uniform when someone knocked on her door. ‘Must be Sue or Andrea’, she thought as she went to answer the door. She took a second to tuck her still damp hair behind her ears, forced a smile on her face and opened the door. The smile quickly disappeared when she saw Miriya standing there with her hands clasped behind her back.



Angela came to attention and stammered, “Captain Sterling…ma’am. What…ah, what can I do for you, ma’am?”



Miriya eyed the young Lieutenant, and seeing that she apparently had sufficient time to gather herself said, “I wish you to follow me to Admiral Hunter’s quarters, Lieutenant. He would like to talk to you.”



Marques’ eyes opened wide and she swallowed hard. ‘Admiral Hunter wants to see me?’ She said hesitantly, “Of course…Captain.”



Miriya stepped back and waited as Marques closed the door to her quarters. When she was ready, Miriya looked at her and said, “Please follow me, Lieutenant.” They began the walk towards Rick Hunter’s quarters, and Angie tried desperately to figure out what was going on. She knew that they hadn’t figured it out, or a security squad would have come to get her, not Miriya Sterling. She couldn’t see how they even suspected anything, especially after the constant grilling at the hands of Captain Michaels turned up nothing. Her thought process came to a halt when she stood in front of Admiral Hunter’s door.



She just stood there, not knowing what would happen next. Miriya turned to face her, and Angie saw for the first time a softness in the eyes of the Zentraedi. “Lieutenant, Admiral Hunter is…well, as you can imagine he is taking the loss of his wife very hard. He may seem…very emotional. Be prepared.”



“Yes, ma’am”, said Angie quietly. That nagging feeling was starting to swell.



Miriya opened the door and walked inside. When Angie saw her nod her head, she went inside as well. Max Sterling was sitting on the right side of the couch, and when he saw her he stood up and said, “Welcome back, Lieutenant. Admiral Hunter will be out shortly. He’s in his room talking to one of the counselors from his son’s camp. Have a seat.”



Angie sat down in the chair that faced the couch and replied with, “Thank you, sir.” Miriya sat in the recliner and Max leaned back into the couch. They sat in an awkward silence and Angela resisted the urge to wipe her brow and loosen the collar of her uniform and thought, ‘Is it just me or is it really hot in here?’



She was about to ask them why Admiral Hunter wanted to see her when he appeared in the bedroom doorway. Her military training made her stand up. It was subconscious instinct, not conscious action. Military protocol was the farthest thing from her mind when she saw him, in fact the only thought going through her mind was, ‘Oh my God! He looks… destroyed!’ He looked at her with eyes that seemed to be little more than empty holes. ‘They  aren’t lifeless’, she thought, ‘but they’re close.’



He moved to the couch, sat down and brought his eyes up to look at her, and he seemed to notice for the first time that she was standing. “Please Lieutenant, sit down.”



She obeyed and lowered herself into the chair. ‘Even his voice is little more than a whisper.’ She didn’t know what to expect, so she waited.



Finally Rick said, “I wanted to talk to you, Angie, because according to the reports, you were the last person to see Li…Admiral Hun…Lisa, before she got on the shuttle.”



Angie swallowed hard and said, “Yes, sir.”



He leaned forward and she could see that he was upset to the point of tears. “Can you tell me what happened, Lieutenant?”



Angie hesitated as she felt that nagging feeling surge into her chest like a tidal wave. She opened her mouth to speak when he said, “I know it’s hard for you, Angie, but I need to know.” His faded eyes caught a hold of her brown eyes. “Please.”



She couldn’t look away from him, no matter how hard she tried. “Of course, sir. I’ll tell you what I can.” She watched him as he sat back in the couch, and when he was settled, he cast the smallest glance over to Max. If she weren’t looking at him so intently, she would have missed it. Sterling didn’t and he asked her, “Can I get you anything, Lieutenant? Something to drink perhaps.”



She forced herself to look away from Rick and looked at Max. “Yes, sir. Water would be fine.” She looked around the room and was astonished by the sheer number of diplomas, awards and certificates on the wall. ‘She was first in her class. Awards for valor, meritorious service, distinguished service, combat service, purple hearts.’ She looked to another part of the wall and saw almost as many pictures, pictures of the Admirals and their son. There were even pictures of the Sterlings and the Grants. She looked over to Rick, who was looking at his hand and rubbing one of his fingers. It took her a second to realize that he was looking at his ring finger, and he was reverently caressing his wedding band.



“Here you go, Lieutenant”, said Max as he handed her a glass of water. She had to concentrate hard to keep the glass from shaking in her hand. She took a sip, and she placed the glass on the coffee table.



She took a second and told them the story that she, Grace and Graham had come up with. “We were in the conference room, Captain Perkins was rambling on about the supply requisition process and Admiral Hunter seemed to be, well sir, not totally listening.” She paused as Rick smiled at the image of Lisa being bored silly. “Well sir, the explosion sounded, and everyone shot out of the room going to their posts or to secure locations. Except for the Admiral. She wanted to know what was going on, so she went to the window. O’Brien and Santana went to make sure the way was clear, and I told Admiral Hunter that we she had to go.” She took a sip of water, going over in her mind the same story she had fed to Michaels. She replaced the glass on the table. “There were still people milling about in the corridor and we got separated by a group of security people running along to their stations I suppose. She said to head for the shuttle and she’d meet us there.” She lowered her gaze to the floor and whispered, “That was the last I saw of her, sir.” She looked up and added, “By the time I got out and met up with O’Brien and Santana, the shuttle was taking off.”



She watched as Rick leaned forward, placed his elbows on his knees and rubbed the tears from his eyes. He stayed there like it for several moments, and when he spoke, he barely kept control. “How was she, Lieutenant?”



Angie wasn’t sure what he meant, but she said, “She was fine, sir. She wasn’t afraid, sir, she was in total control. She wanted to know what was going on and what she could do to help.”



He seemed satisfied with her answer, and she was relieved. He got up and she stood up as well. When he approached her, he held out his hand and said as she took it, “She liked you a lot, Lieutenant. She enjoyed your company, and she thought very highly of your professionalism.” He released her hand and said quietly, “And I want to thank you for telling me about her last few moments, Angie. It couldn’t have been easy for you.”



She was amazed. ‘Here he is totally devastated by his wife’s death, but he still shows concern and compassion for me.’ “You’re welcome, sir. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything to save her, sir.” The nagging feeling was almost overwhelming.



Rick smiled a very small smile, almost saying that he wished the same thing, but he said, “There was nothing you could have done, Angie. Nothing at all.”



She looked past him to the pictures on the wall and said softly, “No, sir. Nothing I could do.” She turned and headed for the door. When she got there, she turned and said, “If there’s anything I can do for you, sir, just let me know.” She turned to Max and Miriya. “Sir. Ma’am.”



They both nodded to her and she opened the door and stepped outside. As she closed the door, she released the breath she had been holding and started walking towards the quarters of Sue Graham.

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Sue sighed as she flew her Alpha on her assigned patrol route. Her route would take her very close to the Med Moon of course, and that was the way she wanted it. In a few minutes, she would contact Roberts and give him the usual story about wanting to visit the moon. She looked in the direction of the moon and smiled.

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Angela walked up to the door and knocked. She was still reeling from her visit with Admiral Hunter, and she needed some reassurance that she, along with Graham and Grace, had done what was necessary. The door opened and she looked into the face of her friend, Andrea Grace. She had decided to try Grace when she found no one home at Graham’s quarters.



“Angie!”, she exclaimed excitedly. She reached out and gave Angela a big hug, and when she stepped back she said, “When did you get back? Come in! Come in!”



Angela walked into Grace’s quarters and quickly noticed the wine bottle and two glasses on the table. It dawned on her that Andrea may already be entertaining so she turned around and said quietly, “I didn’t know you had company Andrea, I’ll come back later.”



Grace laughed as she realized what Marques meant and said, “No Angie, there isn’t anyone hiding in the bedroom.” She gently prodded Angie towards the couch. “These”, she said as she pointed to the empty wine bottle and glasses, “were for me and Sue last night. We started in her quarters and ended up here.” At Angela’s perplexed look she said, “In celebration of a flawlessly executed plan.”



Marques sat back on the couch and quoted, “’Flawlessly executed plan.’ I guess it was at that.” She again looked at the wine bottle and said, “When I saw the empty bottle I figured you were with your Lieutenant Montgomery.”



Grace laughed hard and fell into a chair. Marques didn’t know why what she said was so funny, and as she watched her friend try to reign in her laughter, a queasy feeling came over her.



Finally in control, but still smiling broadly, Grace said, “Scott’s dead, Angie.” Marques was shocked, not only by the information but also by Grace’s cavalier attitude as she delivered it. “He was one of the two Alpha pilots who got caught in the shuttle explosion.” She leaned forward and looked at Angie. “You didn’t know?”



Angie shook her head and whispered, “No.” She looked at Grace and said louder, “No. I knew that two Alphas were destroyed but I didn’t know who the pilots were.” She had met the Montgomery a few times while Grace was getting her hooks into him, and she had liked him. She caught herself from asking Grace if she was okay with it. Her reaction as she explained the situation more than told the story.



She stood up and looked at Grace. “You look like you’re heading to work, and I’ve got to check in with Dr. Grant, so I’m going to take off.” She headed to the door. “I’ll talk to you later, Andrea.”



She opened the door and Grace asked, “Are you okay, Angie?” She turned to look at her friend, and even though Grace had asked her the question, she didn’t see the same compassion and concern that she had seen in Admiral Hunter’s eyes a short time earlier. She smiled and replied, “I’m great, Andrea. I’ll see you later.”



She walked through the door, closed it and headed towards the infirmary. While she walked through the ship, she couldn’t stop seeing the pain in Rick Hunter’s eyes, and contrasting it with the sheer joy in Andrea Grace’s. She thought about the genuine concern for her feelings and well being from Admiral Hunter, while she could see that Grace’s concern was out of a sense of self preservation. As far as Grace was concerned, if she was having doubts or feelings of guilt, it would mean trouble for her and Graham.



And as she thought about these things, that God awful nagging feeling just throbbed in her chest without lessening one little bit.

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Jean Grant was in her office, and though she had plenty of work to do, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. No matter what she tried, her thoughts went back to Lisa Hunter, and every time she thought of Lisa she cried. Lisa was one of the closest friends she had ever had. As if crying for the loss of Lisa wasn’t enough, Jean cried for those Lisa left behind, her husband and her son.



Those close to Lisa and Rick knew of the special relationship between the two, born of years of friendship and hardship. They survived nearly insurmountable odds just in getting together, and they were a part of each other more than any other couple Jean knew. She wasn’t sure Rick could recover from losing Lisa like this. She just hoped Rick could pull it together for the sake of his son, who would need him now more than ever.



Roy. The darling little boy loved his mother so much. Jean was sure Roy would be fine with time and love, but it would scar him terribly. Miriya told her of Rick’s trip to see Roy, and much to her surprise and relief, Roy took the news better than she expected.



She took another tissue out of the box on her desk and wiped her eyes. When she was done she tossed the used tissue in the trashcan on the floor, but it was already overflowing with tear stained tissues so it bounced off the top of the pile and fell to the floor.



She was about to reach down and get it when she heard a voice say, “I’ll get it, Dr. Grant.”



Angela Marques stooped down and picked up the tissue, and after placing it on top of the pile she sat down in the visitor’s chair. Jean looked at her and said, “I’m sure I look pretty bad, Angie, but you look absolutely terrible.”



Marques looked at her commanding officer. “I just came from…Admiral Hunter’s quarters.” She stopped and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.



At Jean’s surprised look she explained, “Captain Sterling came looking for me not long after I got back. She said that Admiral Hunter wanted to see me.” She lowered her voice. “He wanted to talk to the last person to see his wife.”



Jean nodded her understanding. He wanted to talk to the last person to be with her, so he could be closer to her himself. Jean studied Marques. She was deeply shaken by the visit. “How was he, Angie?”



Angela looked at Jean and said in a quiet voice, “He’s…he’s so hurt, Doctor. He’s devastated. I haven’t been around Admiral Hunter that much, but whenever I did see him he was civil, confident and…happy. But the man I just saw, it’s not the same man.” When she finished she looked at the floor.



Jean put her hands together on her desk and remembering her earlier thoughts she said sadly, “And he won’t be, Angie. He will never again be the Rick Hunter we used to know.”



Marques looked up at her with confusion in her eyes. “I don’t understand.”



Jean smiled. “Lisa and Rick. Rick and Lisa. The Admirals Hunter. How often, Angie, did you hear people talk about just Rick or just Lisa? I’m willing to bet that more often than not, when you heard one of them mentioned the other was close behind in the conversation. They are…were, a unique couple, Angela. You often hear that when people fall in love they become a part of each other. Well, Lisa and Rick personified that expression. Before they became a couple, Rick was a fly by the seat of his pants pilot, prone to outbursts, confident and somewhat ill disciplined. He was outgoing, to a point cocky, and his emotions often got the better of him.”



Jean saw Marques raise her eyebrows in surprise, and she continued on with her smile still in place. “Lisa on the other hand, was the army brat. By the book and disciplined like no one you have ever seen. She kept her emotions in check and bottled up, especially in public. She was strict, and outside of work, she was quiet, insecure and to herself mostly, except with her closest friends. The only time she really got passionate was about work. Until she met Rick.”



Marques looked at the floor again and Jean got the feeling that she couldn’t look at her for some reason. She said softly, “You’re not describing the Admirals that I know, Doctor.”



“No I’m not, am I?” She leaned back in her chair. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you, Angie. When they got together, after a long time of dancing around their feelings for each other, both of them changed, in positive ways. They took the part of the other that they were missing and became better people. For example, Rick learned from Lisa how to be more disciplined and keep his emotions in check when it was necessary. He learned from her how to be a great leader. Don’t get me wrong, Rick didn’t get to be Skull leader without leadership ability, but Lisa gave him that extra push he needed. Lisa on the other hand, learned from Rick how to be more confident in herself as a person, how to be a little spontaneous and that sometimes the book needed to be thrown out.”



Marques closed her eyes for a second and thought, ‘Sue thinks he is a born leader. What else is she wrong about?’



Jean’s smile disappeared and her voice took on a somber tone. “With Lisa gone, so is a part of Rick, a very important part that he will never find again. The same holds true for those people close to her. Max and Miriya. Vince and me. She was more than our commanding officer, she was much more.” Her voice faltered a bit as she added, “We won’t be the same without her.”



Marques looked up at Jean quickly. She stammered, “I…didn’t realize you were so close…I’m so sorry Doctor.”



She stood up and went to the door, but when she got there Jean called out, “There’s no need to apologize, Angela. It’s not your fault.”



Angela Marques turned around to look at the person she admired most and said in a very quiet voice, “No… not my fault. Good bye, Dr. Grant.”



Jean nodded to her and said, “See you later, Angie.”



Angie walked out of the infirmary as fast as she could, lest that nagging feeling catch up to her and engulf her. But even as she almost ran through the corridors of the ship, she knew the feeling would be wherever she went.

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Lisa was trying to undo the shackle on her left leg when she heard a familiar sound. A Guardian mode Alpha had landed close by. Hope flared in her heart, but she forced herself to be wary. Her military mind went over the options, and she concluded almost immediately that whoever was coming was most likely the person responsible for her abduction and imprisonment. ‘In other words’, she thought bitterly, ‘it could be Sue.’  She used a damp ration pack napkin to clean the dirt from her face and raked through her hair with her slender fingers. To keep her successful work hidden, she reattached the one restraint she had already opened, without locking it, smoothed over her uniform, tucked her hair behind her ears and waited.



Lisa could feel a sudden chill in the air and resisted the urge to hug her arms around herself to stave off the cold. Seconds later she saw a light dance off the walls of the cave. Someone was coming, and when she finally saw the wide smile of the woman who had become her nemesis, Admiral Lisa Hunter cleared her mind of all emotion, put her hands behind her back, and vowed not to give Sue Graham the satisfaction of seeing anything but defiance and strength.

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Graham landed her Alpha on the Med Moon not far from the cave. It had been easy to get permission from Roberts to make this visit. All she had to do was bat her eyelashes and feed him the usual story. She opened the canopy, picked up her bag and climbed down the ladder. She looked at the cave, took a deep breath and began the short walk up to it. When she got to the entrance of the cave, she took a high powered flashlight out of her bag, turned it on and moved inside



She walked in slowly and saw light from within the cave. She turned off her light, placed it back in her bag and moved in just enough to look at the cave’s only resident…the woman she despised so much.



The second Sue laid her eyes upon Lisa, her hatred for the woman flared up like a nova. The Admiral looked at her now as she stood with her hands clasped behind her back, exuding an air of confidence. Despite the events of the past day, Graham could see no evidence that Lisa had so much as shed a single tear, and much to her consternation, aside from the torn and dirty uniform, Admiral Lisa Hunter still looked every bit the embodiment of the REF. More than that, she still had the grace and beauty of the wife of the man Sue loved so much. Graham tried to read Lisa’s eyes, but they would reveal nothing to her about Lisa’s frame of mind and emotional state.



That made her blood boil.



She pushed those thoughts aside, lowered her bag to the floor of the cave and smiled broadly as she said, “Good morning, Admiral. How are we doing today?”





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