The Gabriel, orbiting a gas giant, un-named system
‘The communication drone just arrived back,’ called Phil.
‘Ah, okay,’ whispered Ed. ‘I’ll be there in two.’
Without waking Pol, Ed dressed and crept out of the cabin. He arrived on the bridge to find Phil in conversation with Callon.
‘Are you still not sleeping well?’ he asked her.
‘I’m similar to Phil,’ she said. ‘I don’t seem to need as much rest as some. Which is useful at the moment, as I can sit with Phil for some of the night period and learn more of the ship’s systems.’
‘Excellent,’ said Ed, as he slid down onto his couch. ‘Just don’t burn yourself out though.’
The three of them watched the report from Bache in silence and it was Phil that spoke first when it concluded.
‘Seven ships?’ he said. ‘Is that all? Doesn’t he realise how serious this is?’
‘To be honest, I’m surprised he managed to assemble that many in the current situation,’ replied Ed. ‘He’s coming along to command the operation himself too, which demonstrates to me he’s definitely seeing the threat as significant.’
‘Hmm, let’s hope so,’ said Phil.
‘How long will they be?’ Callon asked.
Phil touched a few icons and grimaced at his screen for a few seconds.
‘The drone was despatched just over six days ago, so they’ll be about two days behind,’ he announced, looking up again.
They all turned as Cleo appeared.
‘Just letting you know it’s Rayl’s birthday,’ she said.
‘Ah,’ grunted Phil, raising his eyebrows at Ed. ‘We’d better wake Andy.
‘Don’t rush,’ said Cleo. ‘It’ll take me a couple of hours to release her from the fluid chamber and get her cleaned up and dressed. I’ll need to assess her mind state too. Make sure she’s not going to harm anyone or herself.’
‘Oh, dear,’ sighed Phil. ‘I don’t know if I’m looking forward to this or not.’
‘You carry on, Cleo,’ said Ed. ‘Don’t call us until you and Rayl are good and ready.’
Cleo nodded and vanished again.
The two hours had become almost three as everyone congregated in the blister lounge on the top deck of the Gabriel. Ed couldn’t remember Andy ever looking so terrified as he paced around the sofa area for the hundredth time.
‘Cleo asking us to meet here is a good sign, Andrew,’ said Ed. ‘It means she’s not sedated in an autonurse.’
‘Hmm,’ Andy grunted, wringing his hands and turning to glance at the door again. He stopped suddenly, seemingly rooted to the spot as Cleo appeared in the doorway.
There was a collective gasp from everyone in the room as Rayl followed her into the room. Her hair was very short and darker than before. She was very thin and a little gaunt in the face, but unmistakably Rayl. She wore a ship suit that was a little too big for her and blue training shoes.
‘Rayl has no memory of her previous life,’ said Cleo. ‘I’ve spent the last hour explaining who she is, where she comes from and that she was a popular member of this ship’s crew. Nothing more.’
‘Hello again, Rayl,’ said Ed. ‘Welcome back.’
‘Hello,’ she croaked, stopping a few metres into the room. Standing a little awkwardly, she let her eyes dart from person to person, until she reached Andy, where her gaze lingered a little longer than the others.
‘Come in and sit down,’ said Ed, waving for everyone to do the same as he realised she must be feeling extremely self-conscious.
Pol patted the sofa next to her, Rayl obliged and perched herself there. She glanced up out of the domed glass ceiling at the huge planet below and stars beyond.
‘Are we in space?’ she asked.
‘Indeed we are,’ replied Ed. ‘This ship is the Gabriel, you were a member of our crew and a few months ago you disappeared from the ship, only reappearing recently having been brainwashed by an alien race. They were trying to use you to commandeer one of our ships and all its technology.’
‘Did they succeed?’ she asked, nervously.
‘No, fortunately they didn’t, but unfortunately you died in the attempt and have been reborn using some amazing Theo technology and a memory chip in your neck.’
‘But I have no memories,’ she said. ‘Did something go wrong?’
‘The aliens reprogrammed and damaged it. We’ve managed to remove most of it, but some of their technology remains which is causing your amnesia. In time, some of your memories may return, that remains to be seen. In the meantime, remember we all love you and we’re here to help you recover and become Rayl again.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, shyly and peered around at all the faces again.
Ed noticed her gaze linger on Andrew once again. He was sat fidgeting with his hands and knowing his friend as he did, he knew Andy was aching to say something and decided to help him out.
‘Andrew here was, is, your husband and is extremely nervous too,’ Ed said.
‘Oh,’ she said, giving Andy an embarrassed smile. ‘I had a feeling I knew you somehow.’
Ed stood. ‘I think it might be prudent for us to give these two some privacy and time to talk,’ he said, pointing towards the door.
Rayl stood as everyone introduced themselves and gave her a hug as they left. Ed was pleased to see Cleo walk out the door instead of disappearing. As of yet, Rayl didn’t know she was a hologram, that piece of information could wait for another occasion.
Ed gave Andy’s shoulder a squeeze in passing, hugged Rayl, and made for the door, only to stop and pause for a second.
‘Be gentle with each other,’ he said. ‘You’ve both been through a lot. Take your time, it’s not a race.’