“Sorrow builds the spirit with a lasting mortar.” B. E. S.

The day had come. His release from quarantine was moments away. Besh ran his fingers through newly cropped hair. It felt strange. The skin of his shaved face felt cool; his hand felt hot as he explored long-lost contours. Warrior stared at him, it seemed, accusingly.

“I am going to sleep now,” said the parasite.

Taken by surprise, Besh asked, “Is something wrong?”

His question was unanswered except for Warrior, who whined unexpectedly. Besh felt as though something was amiss, but there was no time for introspection. Corporal Langley entered quarantine. With a happy smile on her face, she raised the glass wall and walked to Besh with an extended hand. Besh took her hand and pumped it gladly.

He said, “Good morning, Heaven.”

“I must say,” answered the Corporal. “You look much better this morning.”

Besh rubbed his naked chin with an embarrassed grin. “The Brigadier insisted.”

“I like it,” said Langley, turning to indicate egress with an extended arm. “Shall we? Warrior must stay in quarantine, but you and I are off to the mess.”

Besh turned and stooped to scratch behind Warrior’s ears. “Please behave,” said Besh.

Heaven said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to bring him something to eat.”

The glass wall came down. Besh felt peculiar and a bit guilty to be on the outside looking in. Warrior sat by the barrier with longing in his eyes. Besh waved, turned, and followed the Corporal into giddy freedom.

The mess was not a large room. It was overly bright and noisy, but the smell of food and coffee set Besh on eager toes. He counted five people. He recognized the twins as Heaven pulled him to their table. They paused a game of War to look up with a smile.

“Affe. Aggi,” said Besh.

Aggi said, “You clean up nicely.”

Affe added, “And with just a touch of class.”

Langley asked happily, “Who’s winning?”

Affe sat straight and waved his hand through the air. “Who do you think?” he returned.

Aggi turned a knowing glance to the Corporal. “Just setting him up for the inevitable fall.”

Langley took Besh by the arm and said, “Don’t be late.”

The twins, turning back to their cards, said in concert, “Yes, Corporal Langley.”

Besh said as the Corporal pulled him away, “Sweet kids.”

Heaven, with a smiling nod, replied, “Come and meet the cook.”

The cook stood in the galley looking out over a line of freshly cooked foods with a seasoned glare. His white cook’s hat was cocked roguishly to one side, and Besh thought the picture would be complete with a small burning cigar clenched between the cook’s teeth. Besh stepped up to the line behind Heaven.

The cook grinned at Heaven and asked, “How’s my girl?”

“I’m full and fine,” answered Heaven. “Sargent Cahill, meet our guest, Mister Shuller.”

Cahill replied to the Corporal with a wink, saying, “We’ll get him fat and happy, lass.” To Besh, he said, “You just point to what you want and I’ll serve you up.”

With tray in hand, Besh followed Heaven to a table and was introduced to a couple of neatly uniformed men barely older than the twins. Both stood from their breakfast to greet him. Private Thrush was tall and thin, with brown hair cut close. Private Lurei was shorter, more muscular, and of African descent.

Heaven seated Besh at an empty table as Doctor Brock entered the mess greeting all in an amiable manner. As he passed the Corporal, he asked, “Later?”

Heaven answered with a pleasant nod and touched Besh for attention. Besh smiled and chewed simultaneously as Heaven said, “Please enjoy your breakfast. I will take some food to Warrior, but I’ll be back.”

Besh swallowed and answered quickly, “Thank you, Corporal Langley.”

As Heaven returned to the galley, Brock sat across from Besh with a grin. “You must be glad to be free.”

Besh answered, “You’ve no idea.”

Aggi returned trays while Affe waited by the exit, balling a napkin in one hand. Thrush called to Affe playfully, “Enjoy your exercise.”

Affe tossed the balled napkin at Thrush. It sailed between Besh and Brock to bounce from the Private’s shoulder and fall to the floor.

Cahill called from the galley, “That’s why you kids are always in trouble.”

Thrush leaned over, retrieved the napkin, and hurled it quickly back. Besh raised his hand and caught it without looking up.

Brock turned to Thrush and said, “Perhaps the Private would like to join the twins.”

Suddenly still and wide-eyed, Thrush answered, “No, sir.”

Corporal Langley with scraps and water in her arms, herded the twins from the mess. Besh looked up from an empty tray and asked the Doctor, “Am I allowed seconds?”

Besh finished seconds and spoke happily with the cook and the Doctor. The two Privates excused themselves as they headed to the beginning of their shifts. The Doctor, a very friendly man, thought Besh, excused himself, leaving Besh to work on a second cup of strong black coffee.

Besh lifted the cup high and tapped the bottom. The final drop dropped, and Corporal Langley returned. “Careful,” she warned as she stood over him. “It’s addictive.”

Besh set the cup aside and smiled up at the Corporal. “I hope so,” he answered. “In my excitement, I went for seconds, and now I’m sleepy.”

“Let’s walk,” Said Heaven.

Besh was led to the bridge, where sat the two Privates and the Brigadier. With a dome-shaped ceiling, the bridge was small, yet, adequate. It was quiet and the forward screen showed only the blur of black and white that warned of net travel. Besh and Heaven stood in the door looking in. The Brigadier turned in his seat to view them.

“Good morning, Mister Shuller,” said the Brigadier. “You look much improved.”

Besh answered, “Yes sir. It will take some getting used to, but I do believe you are right.”

The Corporal asked, “Permission to show our guest the engine room?”

“Cautiously,” answered the Brigadier.

The engine room was large, and Besh could smell the electricity. There was a quiet hum between the tall engines. Besh followed the Corporal through an aisle of machines with blinking lights. She spoke in a hush over her shoulder.

“The Thornburg is an older ship,” she said. “We only have one NLS, which is down during net travel for inspection.”

Nothing else was said until they reached the NLS. Heaven stopped in front of the massive star engine, a tubular construct four meters high. The heavy front plate had been rolled aside. Supported from the walls and ceiling, the NLS hung above a railed catwalk that gave access to both sides. Two people worked together pulling the two-meter tray out from the massive coil along the extended guides.

Heaven cleared her throat. A master Sargent and a Lieutenant turned to greet them. Heaven announced, “This is Mister Shuller.” To Besh, she said, “This is Master Sargent Kelly and Lieutenant Briggs.”

A muscular man in his forties, with brown hair and a standard mustache, standing tall in khaki with sleeves rolled up, Kelly took the proffered hand of Besh in a vice-like grip. “Ah!” he said. “The wizard of HP954.”

“Civilian extraordinaire, at your service,” Besh returned with a broad grin.

Kelly laughed and turned to introduce the Lieutenant as his student. “This is the first time for Lieutenant Briggs. This old NLS is a mother to work with. Fortunately, her teacher is almost as old as the engine.”

A short woman in a brown jumpsuit and protective gear, Briggs was a woman in her thirties, if Besh was any judge. With black hair and bright blue eyes, the Lieutenant reached out to briefly take his hand, and Besh noted her skin was cold and clammy.

“You are so lucky we found you,” she said in subdued wonder. “I’m glad you are doing better.”

Besh responded to the pretty Lieutenant, “Thank you, Lieutenant Briggs.”

“So step back,” said Kelly. “Watch and learn.”

Besh and Heaven took a step back as the engineers pulled the square tray into equal halves. It rolled apart smoothly to expose rows of heavy cables. Besh could smell the brass connectors. Working on the left panel, Kelly took cables in hand two at a time, pulled them up and out, then placed them below, pulling them stoutly down into the lower slots.

“This resets the shields for use after we come off the net.” He turned to the Lieutenant, who stood just behind him, and held up his right hand. He took his left hand and gripped one of the cables. He said, “The first thing you got to know, is always grip the cable, never the connector. The NLS carries a static buildup that can kill. So, unless you have a death wish, always grip the cables.”

Kelly nodded toward the panel on the right. Briggs nodded and said, “Yes, Master Sargent.”

The Lieutenant turned to her left to smile at Besh, then turned back and reached for the cables as she stepped up to the panel. Besh had an uneasy feeling about her movements. As the Lieutenant took one cable in her left hand and pulled up, her right foot twisted beneath her. In the time it took to blink, Briggs stumbled against the metal railing, throwing out her right hand for support. Her left thumb touched the connector, and her body stiffened.

Besh immediately jumped forward. He took Lieutenant Briggs by the collar and pulled her from the railing as he grabbed and yanked the cable from her hand. There was a bright flash and a loud popping noise as the connector brushed the skin of his hand. Dropping the cable, Besh lowered the Lieutenant to the catwalk as the Corporal gasped and the Master Sargent jumped to catch the cable.

Corporal Langley spoke into her wrist communicator with grave concern. “Langley to medical,” she said, kneeling beside the inert body. “Officer Briggs is down. There is no pulse.”

The voice of Major Brock returned immediately. “Where are you?”

“Engine room,” replied Langley.

Brock’s voice came across the wrist communicator clearly. “Apply CPR. I’m on my way.”

Bemusedly, Besh looked at his left index finger. A small chunk of meat had been blown out of the finger pad.  From a distance, he heard the Corporal counting off as she applied CPR to Lieutenant Briggs. Certainly, this was not what Besh had expected. Why was he even standing? From the look on Kelly’s face, the same thought had occurred to him as well. Besh looked back at his finger, and the parasite spoke.

“I’m back.”