Electricity arced from a damaged panel striking Jon in the chest. The pain brought Jon out of his fog as he clutched his chest. Briefly, in his head he heard Andie speaking about getting him back. Jon stood up on shaky legs and looked around the bridge of the Atlantis. The front part of the bridge was gone and Jon could see stars beyond. Sparks and flashes of light let him know that the battle was still raging in the distance. The bridge was empty, a cross beam hung from the ceiling. The end had crushed the planning table in the center of the bridge.
Jon stumbled to the com station but it was dead. He worked from station to station checking for power. Everything was dead on the bridge or broken beyond use. Jon took one last look around and moved to the lift. As he stepped into the lift, he signaled it to Main Engineering deck. The Lift jerked and suddenly started moving as the deck numbers displayed across the main control panel.
The lift jerked to a stop and the doors slid open to reveal a brightly lit hallway. Jon stepped off the lift and looked at the letters stenciled on the identity panel next to the lift, Ghost Station Lift 12. Jon was confused, how could he be on Ghost Station? He had just been on Atlantis. Jon walked down the hallway towards the doors to CIC, he knew this hallway. But none of this made sense, he couldn't be in two places at once, could he?
Jon reached the doors to CIC and stepped through them. What he saw stunned him. Several people in battle armor stood at stations along the walls. In the center of the room stood Gilas, Terri, and Prasuh. They were talking quietly among themselves as he entered. Terri looked up as he stepped into the main room, anger crossed her face as she pointed at him and shouted.
"PLACE THAT TRAITOR UNDER ARREST!" she said, venom dripping from her voice.
Prasuh looked up at Jon as Glias shook his head in disbelief.
"Jon, you have a lot of nerve showing up here after what you have done." Gilas said.
Marines surrounded him placing him in cuffs.
Jon stared at his sister, "Terri, why are you doing this?"
"You'll find out soon enough dear brother." Terri said.
Jon was escorted to a holding cell and roughly thrown in by the marines. They laughed at him when he ordered them to remove the shackles.
"You have no authority any more kid." One of the guards laughed.
"To think we thought so highly of you once." Another said sadly.
Jon slumped to the floor in dismay as he rested his head on his knees. He had to figure out what was going on, none of this made any sense.
Deatra stumbled down the hallway looking for Jon. She knew her time was running out. She could feel his pain and disorientation at the situation he was in. She passed bodies of long dead marines, the signs of battle surrounded her. She was sure she was on the Atlantis somewhere, now all she had to do was find Jon. She walked up to a door marked Main Engineering. As she approached it slid open granting her access.
Deatra slowly crossed into the room as she looked for signs of life. The bodies of engineers lay in various spots all over the deck and railings. Part of a wall was missing, showing the darkness of space beyond. As she passed a body a hand reached out and griped her ankle. She jumped and almost screamed as she looked down into Brad's bloody face.
"Deatra, what are you doing here?" Brad gurgled.
"Oh Brad," Deatra said kneeling at his side and turning him over.
A piece of pipe pierced Brads neck, Deatra almost got sick at the sight of his beaten body.
"Deatra it hurts so bad." Brad whispered.
Deatra felt tears form in her eyes at his pain, "It will be ok Brad."
"Deatra you shouldn't be here, it's dangerous. Why are you here? You should leave while you can." Brad whispered as he clutched her.
"I need to find Jon, I need to help him. He's in a lot of pain and I can help him." She said as she ran her hand through Brad's bloody hair.
"No one can help him Deatra, he's betrayed us. He thought he could lead us and he ended up killing us. He led us to our doom." Brad's grip tightened as his eyes widened.
"That's not true Brad, you know he has saved us many times. We all know that in war there will be losses. No war is without losses and Jon can't be responsible for them all." Deatra was openly crying now.
"He has to be responsible, he's in command. It's his responsibility to make the right choices and save people."
"No, that's not true and you know it. War will have losses, no one person can take blame for every loss. Anyone who has planned a battle or commanded in a battle knows that sometimes you have to sacrifice people for the greater good."
"No, Deatra you don't have to sacrifice people in battle, there are always other ways to accomplish the same goals."
"That's not true. Every time you commit a ship to battle or launch a fighter wing, you could be sacrificing those men and women to accomplish a greater goal. Sometimes only by sacrificing people can you ensure the survival of a planet or system. Which is more important, the planet or system where millions might live, or a ship of a couple thousand that if they gave their lives could save those millions?"
Brad's breath rattled as his chest stopped moving and his eyes stared blankly at Deatra. Deatra started rocking Brad, "My poor Jon, what have you done to yourself?"
Andie stood next to Terri at the side of Jon's bed. She had Deatra on a bed that was pushed next to Jon's. She had been careful not to break the connection between Jon and Deatra. Jon had barely came out of his arrest, but once he did Deatra stopped convulsing and settled down. Terri stood looking at her brother, tears in her eyes, somehow she could feel his pain. A small hand reached up and took her hand in a gentle grip.
Terri looked down through her tears at Sam, who looked close to crying herself. "What are you doing here little one? You should be out in the waiting room with Kayla and Oojoung."
"I want to be here with Daddy Jon and Momma Deatra. I'm afraid for them." Sam said sniffling.
Terri smiled, "He'll be ok Sam, Jon is strong and Deatra is helping him."
Andie looked over at Terri, worry clear on her face.
Sam smiled a brief smile, "That's good, I don't want anything to happen to my new family." She gentle squeezed Terri's hand.
"I promise he'll be ok, Jon's not one to give up easily. Now that Deatra is helping him he'll have more of a reason to be strong." Terri said kneeling down and hugging Sam.
Glias sat to the left of Jon's place at the command staff meeting. Most of the staff was present, he had excused those that he didn't want to pull from Jon's bed side.
Atlantis was standing next to Glias, arrayed around the table was; Mike, Ellie, Rick, Nichols, and Hedgeson. Everyone in the room was on edge over the recent events involving Jon and Deatra.
"Ok, first things first. We'll be exiting fold at Ghost Station in about two hours. What's Atlantis' SitRep?"
Mike spoke up, "We have got the control programs for the guns refined as best as we can without being at Ghost Station. All systems are green, we have also been able to refine the sensors to help in tracking the enemy ships."
"Good. Now as for Ghost Station, we might have a problem there."
"What kind of problem?" Hedgeson asked.
Gilas related the events that happened before he jumped back to assist the Atlantis.
"Carla and Vaes did what?" Mike almost shouted.
"Calm down Mike," Ellie said. "I'm sure this can be worked out."
"Bullshit! That girl has fucked up more times than I care to count. Bill is second in command just under Jon. How dare she refuse to give him access after he transmitted his authorization codes. Hell, even Jon couldn't have gotten in under those circumstances." Mike yelled in controlled rage.
"Mike, calm down. It will do us no good to go off half cocked." Gilas said. "Once we gain access we can deal with the situation."
Atlantis who had been quiet up to this point chimed in, "Oh you can bet this will be dealt with once we arrive. If I find out that what I have heard has happened while Jon has been in the condition he is in, someone's going to pay."
"Atlantis, you need to calm down too," Gilas said looking over at her.
"Oh, I'm calm, trust me. I'll make what Oojoung did to Vors look like child's play." With that, Atlantis faded out of view.
Gilas sighed, this wasn't going very well.
Jon stood as the marines walked up to the force field that was in place at the entrance of his cell. One of the marines motioned to the marine on duty. The force field dropped and the marines moved in and surrounded Jon. One of the marines shoved him roughly from behind, almost knocking him from his feet.
They walked through the station, taking back routes to where ever they were going. Every occasionally a marine would shove him roughly from behind. Finally they ended up in front of one of the cargo bay doors. Jon looked over his shoulder at the marines behind him and received a blow to the side of the head. Jon fell to a knee as his head swam from the pain that flared in his cheek.
"Eyes forward SCUM," The marine that hit him snarled.
Jon slowly climbed back to his feet as his head cleared. He kept his eyes forward, not wanting to give the marine another reason to hit him. The large doors to the cargo bay cycled open. The marine that hit him shoved Jon through hard enough to make him hit the floor face first. Jon felt his teeth cut into his lip as blood spilled from his nose.
"The mighty Jon lying prone at my feet," A voice said.
Jon rolled over and sat up trying to clear his head as he looked up at the man who had spoken. Marc stood over him, grinning as he stared down at Jon.
"It seems I have been given the job of softening you up before the trial. I have to find out why you betrayed us in battle."
"I didn't betray anyone in battle. I did the best I could, you know that Marc. You have always supported me, why the sudden change of heart?"
Marc's boot slammed into Jon's abdomen, knocking the breath from his lungs. "You betrayed us, I would never support a coward like you. Letting our people die while you sat back and watched. Who helped you in this?"
"What are you talking about?" Jon gasped trying to fill his lungs back up.
Marc reached down and roughly pulled Jon's hair back, making him look into his face. "Someone had to help you plan out your deception. Someone had to help you look like the hero. I want to know who was helping you."
Jon grimaced in pain as Marc roughly slammed his fist into the side of Jon's face. Jon's face slammed into the floor as his body slid in the direction of the blow. Jon shook his head, willing the tweety birds to leave as he spit out a mouth full of blood.
"Wonderful thing these powered battle suits. They can pack a wallop when used correctly. Tell me what I want to know Jon and I'll stop, give me a name." Marc said stepping over him.
"You're insane. I have done nothing wrong. You have stood next to me in battle. I have taken Atlantis into battle and came out the victor." Jon said glaring up at Marc.
"Yes you have, I have to admit that, but what was the cost of these engagements? How many people died because you picked the wrong time to enter a battle? How many died because you decided to run when things didn't go your way?"
"I have never ran from an engagement. I have allowed our ships to escape while I stood and defended their flanks."
"All about the glory isn't it? I don't need you guys to defeat these ships, retreat and be safe. I'll just go pick up more cannon fodder from the station to replace the crew I lose."
"It doesn't matter what I say you're going to twist my words as you see fit." Jon snapped back as anger flashed across his face.
Marc reached back and slammed his fist into Jon's chin. Marc reached down and yanked Jon to his feet and slammed him into a wall. "You're going to tell me what I want to know." Marc slammed his boot into one of Jon's knees and a loud snap echoed through the room.
Jon screamed in pain as his kneecap shattered under the force of the blow. The room swam into darkness as he passed out from the pain. Marc called the med-techs in to tend Jon's wounds.
Deatra slowly opened her eyes, expecting to find herself in Engineering she was startled to find herself sitting in the floor of Jon's room. As she stood, she realized she was on Ghost Station. She walked over to the viewing portal and looked out. The sights she saw startled her, Atlantis floated lifeless in view. Large sections of her hull were missing and battle damage scared her once beautiful hull. Running lights flicked as though trying to come to life. Spider bots floated around her, dead in space.
Loud banging echoed through the room pulling her attention from the view. Deatra walked into the reception area and looked at the entry door. A large dent bulged the door in the center. Another loud bang reverberated through the room as another dent appeared. Deatra flinched at the loud noise, stepping back away from the door.
A voice from the other side of the door yelled, "Princess, open the door. Don't make me smash it down."
"Who are you and what do you want?" Deatra replied in a wavering voice.
"Princess enough of these games. Come now, the trial is about to start and you're needed. Please don't make me break the door down." The voice said.
Deatra kept silent as she tried to understand what was going on. Another loud bang made her jump as a tear in the door's metal appeared, followed by another loud bang. Slowly the door was giving way to the force behind it.
"Princess why are you making this difficult? You know you have to come to the trial. You're a primary witness to his transgressions."
"Whose transgressions? I have no idea what you're talking about. You need to leave before I call my guards."
"Your guards? They're out here with me, worried about what he has done to your mind."
Deatra's head swam, none of this made much sense to her. There was only one thing she could do. She walked forward and released the door lock. The doors slid open until the damage prevented them from opening any further. Two armored fists reached through the middle of the door and forced them open enough for her to get through.
Marc stood on the other side of the door in battle armor, her guards sighed in relief as she stepped through the doorway.
"Princess, we were worried for your safety. You locked the doors and refused to come out. We went and got Captain Anders to help us get through the doors. Deatra looked around and noticed there were more than 25 armored marines spread through out the hall.
"Are you ok Princess?" Marc asked.
"Yes, I'm just a bit confused, that's all." Deatra replied.
It was at this point Deatra realized she was dressed in Eutharan Battle Armor. Marc nodded and turned to lead the way down the corridor, her guards fell into a protective cover. Deatra was still trying to wrap her mind around the situation and was failing.
The massive Invaru Titan sped through hyperspace. Scars from her recent battle still fresh on her hull. Captain Heas sat in the command chair watching the crew go about repair duties. The Ge'daes had never been so overwhelmed before and the ship was an eighth of their size. Heas played the better part of valor when the message from Prasuh came in ordering them to fall back.
"Sir, we will be at Ghost Station in 30 minutes," con reported.
"Ok, prepare to send a secure message to the station requesting assistance and asylum as soon as we exit hyperspace."
"Yes, Sir," comm replied.
Unseen behind them a black ship was in pursuit trying to close the distance. Heas hoped Captain Prasuh and Admiral Breq were already there or this could get nasty very quickly.
Deatra stepped up onto the platform in front of a large crowd of gathered people. Terri, Mike, Brad, Bill, Sam, Rick, and Ellie sat on the raised platform. Deatra was directed to take a seat in the center of them. A small table sat in front of her, a gavel laid next to a stack of papers. The heading of the papers made her gasp, Court-martial Documents: Defendant Commander Jonathan Hunter. Charged with High Treason and Dereliction of Duty. She hadn't expected his delusions to reach this far, putting himself on trial for trumped up charges.
The crowd parted as a shackled man was roughly shoved through them. Deatra looked the man over, his leg was in a cast and his face was badly beaten. His clothes were in a serious state of disarray. Deatra gasped as Jon looked up at her and dropped his head once he saw her. Deatra knew she had to gain some time to collect her thoughts and speak to Jon.
"I'm outraged at this display, Captain Anders," Deatra said as she pounded the gavel to quiet the room.
"Princess?" Marc questioned as he looked up at her.
"How dare you present this man to me in this state? This is a formal court and I'll not have it disrespected in this manner."
"My apologies Princess," Marc said bowing to her.
"What has happened to him? Why is he in such a state?"
"Princess, I-I might have..."
"I'm positive this is from the recent battle that took place. You should have allowed the prisoner to have access to medical techs and allowed him to bath and redress in something more presentable."
Marc thankful for the out replied, "Again my apologies Princess."
"Take the prisoner and have him cleaned up and checked out by a tech. I would assume you will make sure he doesn't mysteriously hurt himself and he will be returned in better condition than this."
"Yes Princess."
"This court is recessed until the prisoner is more presentable." She said as she smacked her gavel.
Deatra almost cried out as Jon was led away. For him to torture himself like this showed how much pain he was in. Deatra slowly stood and walked away, holding back the tears that threatened to spill free.