Tymber Dalton - Out of Bight, Out of Mind

From the personnel files of Dr. Louis Graymard, Deep Space Mission Corps Chief Personnel Acquisitions Officer:

Mission Debriefing Summary #1

File #20-8720.2

Ship: DSMCV Tamora Bight

Base of Origin: New Phoenix, Arizona, Earth

Crew: Captain Aaron Lucio; First Officer Caphis Bates; Mate Ford Caliban; Medical Officer Dr. Emilia Hypatia

Following a stint of R&R on the Martian base, the crew was sent out on an exploratory mission. Unfortunately, a distress call and request for assistance from a Kalmoran ship diverted them. They towed the ship back to the Kalmoran space station. Through a series of events, the Moran leader asked them to the surface. Having been ordered to indulge diplomatic interaction, the crew went.

Apparently, the daughter of the Moran leader constructed a plot to frame Bates and Caliban in an attempt to take ownership of all three men from Dr. Hypatia. Fortunately, Dr. Hypatia perpetuated a ruse during the fight that allowed her to win and exposed the charade. All four crew members were released and allowed to return to their ship. The Kalmoran leader issued a recommendation that the crew be given commendations for their work, which under the circumstances we certainly will take under advisement.

Their next mission is to

Before her, the greenish-blue swirls of Daxious Theta 2 resembled a marble suspended in the middle of a sea of black velvet. Dr. Emilia Hypatia sat in the command chair and stared out at the planet. Having the bridge of the Tamora Bight all to herself during nighttime watch allowed Emi plenty of time for contemplation. The planet, the fourth from its sun, was only five percent larger than Earth, had an iron core, a healthy mix of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and other gasses for its atmosphere, and was only fifty percent saline ocean. Also, the largest life-forms on the planet were mammals equivalent to bears back on Earth. No intelligent life-forms.

In other words, it looked like a valid prospect for a settlement colony.

Emi knew somewhere on the backside of the planet orbited the Kendall Kant, another Deep Space Mission Corps exploration vessel that had arrived hours earlier to assist with the mission. On board, her best friend and roommate from college, Dr. Donna Stephens.

Emi wouldnt mind the company. After their past couple of assignments, she looked forward to having backup close at hand in case something went wrong. It also didnt hurt that she and Donna would be able to chat in real time instead of back-and-forths delayed by hours, or even days in some cases.

All three of Emis men were asleep in their shared quarters. Emi had volunteered to take the night watch once theyd stabilized their orbit around the uninhabited planet. Her scientific curiosity wouldnt let her fall asleep. This wasnt the first planet shed been to outside of Earth, but it was her first true exploration mission. She enjoyed watching the automated scanner output screens and paused the results every so often when something caught her eye.

This was what shed signed on for. What shed trained for. It didnt matter where in the universe the DSMC sent them, as long as they were together.

Her men, her family, were her home. The Tamora Bight was her home. Nowhere had truly felt like home since Bozeman, Montana, where she grew up with her parents. Before they were killed in an accident at their lunar research station.

Since then, emotionally, shed been adrift and wrapped in her studies.

Now, she had a family.

Home.

And after their tenure in the DSMC ended and the Bight wasnt their home any longer, that would be okay, too. Together, they were home, regardless of where they lived.

She drifted into thoughts about Bozeman, about tending the small garden theyd had at their house. Looking back on her childhood always made her smile. And made her miss her parents that much more.

The com link let out a whistle, startling her from her reverie. She hit the button. DSMC Vessel Tamora Bight. Dr. Hypatia speaking.

A womans voice sounded over the link. Tamora Bight, this is DSMC Vessel Kendall Kant. Hey, girl. Whassup?

Emi giggled. Chicken butt.

From somewhere on the other side of the planet, Donna also giggled. Ive missed that.

Now all we need is Sophie and none of the guys stand a chance, Emi said. Sophie being Dr. Sophie Vanderlin, now assigned to the Braynow Gaston. Sophie and her three men had been sent to Earth for training since Sophie joined them after Emi solved the crisis at the Aroykin colony. In the short time theyd known her, Emi and Donna had become fast friends with the woman. You have night watch? Emi asked.

Yeah, Donna said. I had to order my hubbies to get their cute asses in bed. They dont mind sharing a bunk if Im there, but they still get a little weirded out sometimes if they have to all sleep together and Im not there. Emi had signed up for the DSMC before Donna. She had also metand rejectedthe crew of the K-2 due to their boorishly militaristic attitude.

Emi thought the conditions medical term was acute stick-up-the-ass-itis, but she might have been mistaken. Fortunately, Donna had a more compatible attitude, allowing her to whip her former ISNC military men into a friendlier lot. It didnt hurt that Dr. Graymard of the DSMC had sat the men down and had a heart-to-heart talk with Rob about them being assholes, and showed them videos of their sim sessions.

Donna had also demanded they build a group cabin for them to all share, much like Emi and her men had. It made sense for Emis guys, because they had been lovers with each other for years before Emi joined them.

The crew of the K-2not so much. It had been a pretty big adjustment for Donnas hunky hetero men.

Not for a lack of trying on Donnas part. Even her considerable powers of persuasion apparently had their limits. At least theyd entered into a group marriage with her.

Theyll get over it, Emi assured her with a grin she was glad Donna couldnt see. Its only been a few months. Go easy on them.

Yeah, I know. Emi heard Donna let out a wistful sigh. So, whatve we got down there?

Im doing the prelim scans now. So far, the data Im seeing backs up whats in the records from the primary expedition party that orbited the planet.

This is so cool, Donna said. We are in fricking space!

Emi smiled at her friends excited tone. The ships werent a clue? And youve been in space for a while now.

Yeah, but Aroykin and Mars dont count. This is exciting! This is the last fricking frontier. This is what people hundreds of years ago felt like settling the Old West back on Earth. When do we get to go down there?

A cold chill swept through Emi. She rubbed her arms to smooth the gooseflesh rippling up them. Not yet. She couldnt help but think of the terrifying spiderlike talstophk creatures shed seen up close and personal, which inhabited the areas outside Kalmorans protective city walls.

Deadly poisonous. Even though it was five weeks earlier, she could still hear the creatures dying screams in her memories.

We have to take precautions, Emi continued as she shoved that horrifying memory away. Believe me, Ive seen bad critters firsthand. We wont know more about the fauna until the drones and robotic landers do close-up scans. We also have to test the flora. Make sure its not poisonous.