Shattered Dreams 

Breaths were collectively held as the remainder of the ExoFleet raced towards
the Homeworlds in the wake of the faster and more powerful ExoCarriers. When
the frantic transmissions from Earth had started coming through, an order
from Captain Marcus, commanding the EFS Resolute in Admiral Winfield's
absence, had sent the ExoCarriers ahead and left the Frigates and Cruisers to
chase after them in an ever widening gap.

Tension among the personnel was high and only built when reports began
trickling down through the ranks that an Exopilot had tried to countermand
the order and was being charged with mutiny. Questions about the validity of
Captain Marcus's decision were a popular 'discussion,' leading to multiple
reports to the medlab.

Aboard the EFS Normandy, emotions were no less volatile than elsewhere in the
Fleet. Fights broke out across the ship, keeping both Dr. Karen Rhodes and
Lt. Rick Konig busy for the duration of the day. Fortunately silence was
slowly falling across the ship as the hour grew late and exhausted
crewmembers sought out their quarters for the night.

The bridge was almost deserted except for the Lieutenant on duty; Captain
Henry having long since retired to his office for a conference with the other
Fleet captains, and a skeleton tech crew. Lt. Amy Hiatt stood silhouetted at
one of the far viewports, gazing out at the rapidly passing darkness. She
braced herself against the sill with an arm against the wall and rested her
forehead against the window, sighing softly. The faint vibrations of the
engines through the soles of her boots was strangely comforting and calming
to her troubled mind. In the back of her mind, she knew she should be back in
engineering, working on the tangled, rerouted mass that was the engine
controls, but she found herself loath to leave the mind numbing emptiness in
front of her for the crowded engine room. There was really no need for her
there anyway. Her staff knew where to find her if they needed something.

A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth but quickly disappeared. Her
staff. Funny how things like her recent promotion to Chief Engineer could so
quickly become so minute. She hadn't even gotten to tell her parents yet.
Then again, things like the Neosapiens attempting a hostile takeover of the
Homeworlds didn't happen everyday. Amy swallowed past the lump in her throat
and irritably wiped away the tears gathering in her blue eyes.

~Worrying isn't going to do me any good so stop it.~ she sternly told
herself. ~I'll know when everybody else does and not before.~

She glanced out the window one last time before turning and making her way
back to the console she'd been working on before the view had distracted her.
She dropped to her knees in front of it and retrieved her discarded
flashlight, sweeping the beam around the dark interior. Amy's nose wrinkled
in distaste, both at the smell of burned ozone emanating from the charred
wires and in aversion to the task ahead of her.

She reached inside and pulled a mass of wires forward for inspection, her
mind already running through the rat's nest. She bit her lip lightly in
concentration and reached toward the metal box sitting nearby.

The tips of her fingers brushed the edge and, with a slight scraping, it
moved just beyond her arm's reach. Surprised, Amy glanced up. A scowl flashed
across her face when she noticed who was standing over her with a grin
plastered on his face.

"Can I help you, Mengele?"

Crow Mengele's smile faded a little at the cold, sharp tone in her voice.

"You don't like me very much do you, Amy?" he asked.

He sounded hurt but Amy couldn't be sure. Her grandfather had always told her
that a man's eyes were a window to their soul. So what did you do when the
person in question's eyes were a flat white that betrayed little emotion? She
felt a twinge of guilt for snapping at him but refused to apologize. She
sighed, softening her voice.

"I never 'liked' you, Crow. I tolerated you because Nik liked you."

What was left of his smile was replaced by a slightly sheepish look. He raked
a hand through his blue shoulder length bangs, fidgeting nervously.

"Well...I was kinda hoping I could...um...well...talk to you about her." He
finally spit out, looking mildly embarrassed as a light blush crept up his
cheeks.

Amy set the ball of wires down, giving Crow her undivided attention, her
insatiable curiosity piqued.

"What about her?"

"I think she's been avoiding me since after Enceladus." he explained.

"I can't imagine why." She snorted under her breath sarcastically.

Crow pretended to ignore her comment. "I just want to talk to her. Could you
tell her I'm looking for her when you see her?"

The look on his face was so serious that Amy took a little pity on him. "I
can but I can also tell you right now; if Nik doesn't want to see you then
you won't be able to find her."

"I know but could you still try?"

"Yeah." She capitulated, shaking her head.

Crow flashed her another of his smiles that Nikki used to tell her made her
insides warm and spun on his heel, whistling to himself as he strode towards
the door.

Amy shook her head, wondering for the hundredth time in the last couple of
days what had happened between her best friend and the current XO of the
Sierra Three Jumptroop.