To Boldly Go...

Chapter 5

Jay slammed his hand into the controls, and suddenly the engine cut out. Sillika almost swallowed her tongue as the bike plummeted towards the ground. A second before impact, Jay kicked the engine back into life. The bike jolted wildly for a second then dived forwards, the acceleration almost sending Sillika flying off the back. Jay floored the pedal and the bike shot off across the rocky ground. Wind whipped Sillika's hair into her face, dust sandblasting her exposed skin. Eyes streaming and stinging, she buried her face in Jay's back. She had no idea where her goggles were, but she could now see all to well why they were supposed to wear them.

Something sizzled past Sillika's ear and Jay swore loudly.

"They're firing at us!"

He jerked the controls, sending the bike into a terrifying spin. Sillika clung on for dear life as Jay sent the bike swerving and twisting all over the place in a bid to avoid the burst of laser fire aimed in their direction. Skeletal tree branches clutched at her hair as the bike skimmed a pile of boulders, cutting into a small canyon at near the base of the cliff. For a second the firing ceased, but not for long. As the bike shot out of the top of the ravine, it jerked violently, spinning out of control down the slope at the other side.

"That hit the engine!" Jay yelled, above the choking roar as he struggled to keep them moving. More laser sizzled through the air as the bike skidded and jerked, rolling almost upside down as Jay wrestled with the dying controls. Sillika glanced up, and managed to see a huge, looming outcrop of rock straight infront of them before her eyes were practically blown shut.

"Watch out!" She screamed in Jay's ear. He jerked at the handgrip, but the bike's path didn't change.

"Jump!" Jay yelled as he dropped the controls. Wrapping his arm around Sillika's waist he flung them off the bike. Sillika tried unsuccessfully to stifle a scream as they hit the ground, skidding and rolling wildly through the dust. Rocks tore at her as she dug her heels into the ground, trying anything to halt their momentum. Her shoulder slammed into a large boulder, sending a blast of pain through her arm, spinning her into the stone with Jay landing on top of her. She pressed herself into the dust; Jay holding her down as an explosion rocked the ground underneath them. Pieces of rock and metal shrapnel scythed through the air, slicing above Sillika's head with a sharp hiss. Small bursts of pain from various parts of her indicated a few hits, but she didn't have time to dwell on them. Jay grabbed her hand and pulled her upright.

"Move!"

"What exactly did you think I was going to do?" She snapped back as they began to run. Before they'd even gone a few metres, the laser sizzled behind them, blasting small pieces out of the rock. Sillika tried to ignore the ever-increasing fire as they ducked and weaved through a mass of Shee-high boulders. Something bright flashed past her face so close the light burned after-images into her vision.

"Look!" Jay gestured wildly towards another huge outcrop to their right. Sillika nodded, it might give them some cover. They swerved towards it, as a barrage of laser blasted the place they'd been standing a second before.

Sillika glanced round and gasped as three dark figures loomed out of the dust clouds. Jay pulled her towards the rock, shoving her behind him with one hand, drawing his gun with the other. He fired at the closest figure, but to Sillika's horror the weapon had no effect. A previously invisible shield flashed around the Borg's body, absorbing the blast. As the figure raised its gun, Sillika yanked Jay backwards. Her foot caught on something, sending her crashing backwards to the ground, Jay landing on her again. He rolled off and back onto his feet in one smooth movement, whipping round, his jaw set in grim determination. It dropped. Sillika followed his gaze, staring up into... A rather heavy-duty blast door? Jay ran his fingers over the surface.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this a cliff-face a second ago?"

Sillika nodded.

"Yup. The question now is, where are we?"

Sillika looked round at their new surroundings. They seemed to be in a corridor of sorts. It was amazingly...Ordinary. The walls were a typical grey-blue, with a white strip light running down the centre of the ceiling. Jay frowned.

"This is like a starship..."

"Maybe it is one. We could always go find out," Sillika started down the corridor. Jay followed her. As they made their way down the corridors, Sillika gradually became more and more confused. How on Albia could they be on a starship? If anything they should be in a cave. Jay tried palming a nearby door panel, but got no response.

"Please make your way to the central bridge."

The computerised voice made them both jump. Sillika glanced at Jay.

"How'd we know where that is?"

"Dunno. See if we can find a door that opens?"

After a few wrong turns, they came to a large set of cream-coloured doors. Jay went to palm the door, but it hissed open before he could reach. Sillika stepped inside. It *was* a bridge... Of sorts. The room was roughly oval, each wall covered in screens and keypads, a large viewscreen dominating the far wall. The centre of the room was a little different; a waist-high handrail dotted with panels ran round a circular depression in the floor. A small, flat-topped cone sat in the centre, surrounded by a mass of panels and slightly odd-looking equipment. Just off to one side of the raised area was a ring of computer terminals. And there was someone sitting at them. Sillika craned her neck, and could just make out a Shee hunched between three different keypads, typing on two of them at once, fingers dancing from pad to pad so fast they were almost a blur.

"Whoa," Jay muttered as they made their way over.

The Shee straightened up, and Sillika could now see that it was female. Short, coppery hair framed a young face with pale turquoise skin and golden eyes. She was clad in a plain grey shirt and black trousers, both of which had obviously seen a lot of wear, and a pair of sturdy brown boots. She flashed them a quick smile as they got closer and Sillika blinked. The Shee had the most fleeting grin Sillika had every seen, one moment it was there, the next it had vanished. The strange Shee's gaze hit Jay, and seemed to be scanning him.

"New Albian Space Corps? Rank of Commander by your pins," she said quickly, raising an eyebrow in Jay's direction. He blinked.

"Yeah. Jay Feral. This is Sillika," he gestured to her. The female nodded.

"Keryl Lokan, Science officer, rank of lieutenant, not that it really matters here. Bear with me for a sec," she spun back to one of her panels, typing furiously. There was a muffled clunk from somewhere down the corridor and Keryl relaxed.

"Okay, we're secure. Sorry about the abrupt intro's, I've only had this damn machine to speak to for two months, my communication skill are probably down the drain."

Sillika smiled.

"Hey, we've had worse," then what Keryl had said hit her, "Two months? You've been here for two months?"

"I've been here for over a year, there's just been no-one else alive for two months."

Jay's eyes bulged.

"Pardon?"

Keryl swivelled round in her chair, facing them again.

"Simple. My ship crashed here a year or so ago, most of the crew survived. The communications were shot to hell, so we tried a different way of getting a signal through. All we attracted were those damn Borg, one thing lead to another, and now I'm the only one left. Clear now?"

Sillika realised her mouth was hanging open and quickly closed it.

"You mean... You're stuck here?"

"Yep," Keryl went back to her panel. Sillika felt a sense of dread hit her.

"Are we stuck here too?" She asked quietly.

"I'll give you a clue, you're in the same place as me, we're surrounded by Borg and there are three cubes orbiting this planet. I'd take that as a yes."

Chapter 6