Read Online The Lost Era: Well of Souls: Star Trek by Ilsa J. Bick - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ilsa J. Bick
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“Why?”
“How many expeditions does this make this year?”
“This is only the third.” That same defensive tone again. “It’s not so bad.”
Garrett let it go. She didn’t have a better alternative anyway, though maybe she ought to talk to Kaldarren about not agreeing to so many trips. Uprooting Jase and traipsing across the galaxy at every turn couldn’t be any better for him than following her to every starbase. In fact, when she thought about it, Kaldarren’s dragging Jase with him wherever he went wasn’t all that much different from packing a family aboard a starship—not that anyone did that, of course. Whether you were on a starship or a science transport, space was dangerous.
“Okay,” she said. She paused, at a loss to know what to say next. “Did you get some nice things for your birthday?”
Jase’s face lit up. “Yeah. I got this really cool easel and some new paints from Dad and Nan. You should see ...”
Garrett listened as her son rattled on about his painting, and she felt a tug at her heart. Jase was so sensitive, she knew. He was more like his father. Kaldarren’s work was xenoarchaeology, but what he loved was art. Jase had the same soul, the same ability to appreciate and create beauty, and these were abilities she lacked. Oh, she liked art, all right. But make something? Hell—Garrett almost shook her head—she’d been working on the same piece of bargello embroidery for the past three years.
“I’d like to see your work,” she said, when Jase paused for breath. Her keen eyes picked up how much color there was in his cheeks, how his eyes sparkled with excitement.
Oh, my son, you’re going to be an artist someday, I can feel it, and one day when you’re grown and not my little boy anymore, you’ll have your first show and I’ll be there. I promise.
The shrill edge of a hail sliced into her thoughts. “Wait, Jase,” she said. Muting the audio so Jase couldn’t hear, she punched up another channel. “Yes, Mr. Bulast?”
“I’m sorry, Captain,” said Bulast, still sounding a little shell-shocked, “but you asked to be notified when astrocartography wanted to steal some power from the deflector array for their long-range mapping, and it would have gone all right, but engineering’s having fits because of some problems with circuit overloads and ...”
Yet another thing a first officer would have attended to. Garrett suppressed a sigh. “All right, thank you. Give me a minute, Mr. Bulast. Tell engineering I’ll be right down.”
“Aye, Captain.” Bulast signed off.
“You have to go,” said Jase, when she’d turned back and switched on the audio.
Garrett nodded. “I’m sorry, Jase. There’s something I have to take care of down in engineering. Honestly, they’re like kids, and they need me to ...” She heard what she was doing, stopped herself. “I’m sorry, Jase. I just ... I have to go.”
Jase’s eyes were solemn. They looked very black and much too large for his face. “Okay. When will I see you, Mom?”
“Soon. I don’t know when,” she said, truthfully. “Soon, I hope. When you and Dad get back.”
“Okay.”
“Can I speak with your father?”
“I ...” Jase’s eyes flicked to somewhere off-screen, and then it came to Garrett that Kaldarren must be there, just out of sight. Then Jase looked back at her. “He’s busy right now.” Jase’s hand moved forward to break the connection. “Bye, Mom.”
“Bye-bye, sweetie.” Then she had a thought. “Jase, wait ...” But she was too late. Her companel winked, and went black.
Damn. Garrett stared at the empty screen. How bad had this day been? Let me count the ways. No first officer on board; duty rosters out the wazoo; a justifiably pissed-off ex-husband; her son and his father headed off for God-knows-where; and a headache that was leaking out of her ears.
Enough. The light was too damned bright, and she’d had enough badness for one day. She just wanted to be alone, a
“How many expeditions does this make this year?”
“This is only the third.” That same defensive tone again. “It’s not so bad.”
Garrett let it go. She didn’t have a better alternative anyway, though maybe she ought to talk to Kaldarren about not agreeing to so many trips. Uprooting Jase and traipsing across the galaxy at every turn couldn’t be any better for him than following her to every starbase. In fact, when she thought about it, Kaldarren’s dragging Jase with him wherever he went wasn’t all that much different from packing a family aboard a starship—not that anyone did that, of course. Whether you were on a starship or a science transport, space was dangerous.
“Okay,” she said. She paused, at a loss to know what to say next. “Did you get some nice things for your birthday?”
Jase’s face lit up. “Yeah. I got this really cool easel and some new paints from Dad and Nan. You should see ...”
Garrett listened as her son rattled on about his painting, and she felt a tug at her heart. Jase was so sensitive, she knew. He was more like his father. Kaldarren’s work was xenoarchaeology, but what he loved was art. Jase had the same soul, the same ability to appreciate and create beauty, and these were abilities she lacked. Oh, she liked art, all right. But make something? Hell—Garrett almost shook her head—she’d been working on the same piece of bargello embroidery for the past three years.
“I’d like to see your work,” she said, when Jase paused for breath. Her keen eyes picked up how much color there was in his cheeks, how his eyes sparkled with excitement.
Oh, my son, you’re going to be an artist someday, I can feel it, and one day when you’re grown and not my little boy anymore, you’ll have your first show and I’ll be there. I promise.
The shrill edge of a hail sliced into her thoughts. “Wait, Jase,” she said. Muting the audio so Jase couldn’t hear, she punched up another channel. “Yes, Mr. Bulast?”
“I’m sorry, Captain,” said Bulast, still sounding a little shell-shocked, “but you asked to be notified when astrocartography wanted to steal some power from the deflector array for their long-range mapping, and it would have gone all right, but engineering’s having fits because of some problems with circuit overloads and ...”
Yet another thing a first officer would have attended to. Garrett suppressed a sigh. “All right, thank you. Give me a minute, Mr. Bulast. Tell engineering I’ll be right down.”
“Aye, Captain.” Bulast signed off.
“You have to go,” said Jase, when she’d turned back and switched on the audio.
Garrett nodded. “I’m sorry, Jase. There’s something I have to take care of down in engineering. Honestly, they’re like kids, and they need me to ...” She heard what she was doing, stopped herself. “I’m sorry, Jase. I just ... I have to go.”
Jase’s eyes were solemn. They looked very black and much too large for his face. “Okay. When will I see you, Mom?”
“Soon. I don’t know when,” she said, truthfully. “Soon, I hope. When you and Dad get back.”
“Okay.”
“Can I speak with your father?”
“I ...” Jase’s eyes flicked to somewhere off-screen, and then it came to Garrett that Kaldarren must be there, just out of sight. Then Jase looked back at her. “He’s busy right now.” Jase’s hand moved forward to break the connection. “Bye, Mom.”
“Bye-bye, sweetie.” Then she had a thought. “Jase, wait ...” But she was too late. Her companel winked, and went black.
Damn. Garrett stared at the empty screen. How bad had this day been? Let me count the ways. No first officer on board; duty rosters out the wazoo; a justifiably pissed-off ex-husband; her son and his father headed off for God-knows-where; and a headache that was leaking out of her ears.
Enough. The light was too damned bright, and she’d had enough badness for one day. She just wanted to be alone, a
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