Bch on the Bridge

[HoD Bch 0]

The buzzing of the bridge chaos droned like a swarm of spring green flies on choH. But like the first warm spring days there, Bch felt at peace here as well. It was more than the comfort of familiarity (for when had change ever intimidated her?): It just… felt right.

 

She sat in the beat-up center bridge chair with an empty raktajino mug in her hand. Her head still spun from the blow of the grenade, or lack of blood, or both. Her ship had no cloak, no warp, a sparking deflector, and various other holes and blowouts. Fourteen warriors would not return to the Qob, and more were sure to die after the doctors got their hands on them.

 

But… the victory was theirs. A slow smile slunk across Bch’s face. The Exbar was a quickly spreading powder that would soon be so much space dust. Her warriors had died with honor. (And if the ones in sickbay did not, neither would the doctors). The Qob was for the most part intact: Anything damaged was in the process of being repaired. The most essential systems would be up soon, and the rest would continue to be fixed enroute.

 

Yes, the Qob was seven million light years from home. Bch couldn’t count the lifetimes it would take to get back if they didn’t find an alternate means. And as they searched, she couldn’t imagine the cunning and honorlessness of the enemies lurking.

 

Her head throbbed, in spite of (or in addition to) her self-medication of caffeine. She closed her eyes for a few seconds to ward off the dizziness. For years she had sought to find peace away from the Qob. She never strove for command or tried to fight her way to it. In all cases it had been laid at her feet and she took that path either for lack of another or to preserve her honor by doing what was needed of her. (It was not the crew’s fault that both HoDs Rojvaj and Kevla disappeared). Twice she’d abandoned her post, once unsuccessfully, and once… well, that had been an irreplaceable part of her life and one she would never second guess. It was also nobody’s fault that she was caught in a temporal instability at the time. Well, perhaps it was Kwalus’ fault for rescuing her and her family…

 

But today… Today Bch felt that her life’s path indeed was meant to return to battle in space.

 

In a week or two they would reach Crapworld (as the crew was calling it), and Bch would willingly give command back to Messner, but for the first time in as long as she’d been serving on the Qob, she wouldn’t be attempting to escape it. She was meant to be here. It was good to be here. Bch wanted to be here.