Only she had carefully set up the console to trap additional evidence while she was in coldsleep, and if she touched it now she’d be confusing her own system.
And what if it wasn’t a Fleet vessel? What if it was an ally of her assailant? Or worse, suppose it wasn’t a ship at all, and the pod was falling into a star?
In that case, she told herself firmly, you still don’t have to worry; you can’t stop it, and it’ll all be over very quickly. She found the override switch for the proximity alarm, and cut it off. Now it was a matter of deciding whether to ride it out blind, or try to communicate. She decided to save her careful work, and then realized this meant she wouldn’t know if whatever it was could rendezvous before her air ran out. It wouldn’t take much error, on either side: ten minutes without oxygen would do as well as four days.
Ten minutes left. Five. She had left herself that safe buffer: dare she use it now? Zero. Sassinak looked at the syringe, but didn’t pick it up. She’d feel silly if she lost consciousness just as someone came through the door. She’d be flat stupid if she died because she cut it too close. But she could - and did, quickly - tape an addition to her log.
Now she was using her safe margin. Minute by minute went by with no clue from without, of what was happening. She had just picked up the syringe, with a grimace, when something clunked, hard, against the pod. Another thump; a loud clang. Sassinak put the syringe down, lowered the lid of the coldsleep cabinet, and sat on it. She could not - could not - miss whatever was going to happen. What happened first was total silence as the blower in her oxygen system went out. She had a moment to think how stupid she’d been, and then it cut in again; the readout flickered, and shifted to green. “Exterior source” it said now. “Unlimited. Tanks charging.” It smelled better, too. Sassinak took a second long breath, and unclenched her fingers from the edge of the cabinet. Other lights flickered on the control console. “Exterior pressure equalised” said one. She didn’t trust it enough to open the hatch… not yet. “Exterior power source confirmed” said another.
Finally she heard various clicks and bangs from the hatch, and braced herself, not sure what she would do if she found enemies when it opened. But the first face she saw was familiar.
“Ensign Sassinak.” Familiar, but not particularly welcoming. The captain himself had chosen to greet her, and behind him she saw both friendly and scowling faces. And a squad of marines, armed. Sassinak stood, saluted, and nearly fell as the hours of inactivity and fasting caught up with her all at once. “Are you hurt?” Fargeon asked when she staggered.
“Just a knock on the head,” she said. “Excuse me, sir, but I must warn you - “
“You, Ensign, are the one to be warned,” he said stiffly, that momentary warmth gone as if it had never happened. “Charges have been made against you, serious charges, and it is my duty to warn you that anything you say may be used in evidence against you.”
Sassinak stared at him, momentarily speechless. Had he really believed Achael’s (it must have been Achael’s) accusations? Wasn’t he going to give her a chance? She caught herself, shook her head, and went on. “Captain, please - it’s very important that this pod be sealed, and all contents handled by forensic specialists.”
That got his attention. “What? What are you talking about?”
Sassinak waved her hand at the pod’s interior. “Sir, I’ve done my best to secure it, but I really don’t know how. Someone knocked me out during evac drill, dumped me in this pod, jettisoned it, and planted it full of items I was supposed to handle, to incriminate myself. I believe those same items may carry traces of the perpetrator - “ She nearly stumbled over the word, catching sight of Lieutenant Achael in the group behind the captain. His face was frozen in an expression of distaste. Then it changed to eagerness, and he leaned forward.
“That’s exactly what she would say, sir. That someone tried to frame her - “
“I can see that for myself, Mr. Achael.” Fargeon’s expression soured even more.
“I could hardly have planted someone else’s fingerprints on the interior of the console while disabling the beacon,” Sassinak said crisply. Achael paled; she saw his eyes glance sideways.
“You disabled the beacon?” asked Fargeon, missing the point.
“No, sir. I realized the beacon was disabled, and also realized that if I made an attempt to repair it, I would destroy evidence pointing to the person who did disable it. That evidence is intact.” She looked straight at Achael as she spoke. He flinched from her gaze, took a step backward.
Fargeon’s head tilted minutely; she had surprised him with some of that. “There’s a document missing,” he said.
Sassinak nodded. “There’s a classified document envelope, not quite sealed, in this pod. I found it when I woke - “
“Likely story,” said Achael. This time the captain’s response was clearly irritated, a quick flip of the hand for silence.
“And did you handle it?” asked the captain.
“No, sir, I did not. Although it’s possible that whoever dumped me in there put my fingers on it while I was unconscious,”
“I see.” The captain pulled himself up. “Well. This is… unexpected. Very well; I’ll see to it that the pod is sealed, and the contents examined for evidence of what actually happened. As for you. Ensign, you’ll report to Sickbay, and then to your quarters. I’ll want a full report - “
“Sir, I taped a report while in the pod. May I bring that tape?”
“You did?” Again this threw him off his stride. “Very good thinking. Ensign. By all means, let me have it now.”
Sassinak picked up the tape, and started forward. Her vision blurred, and she nearly hit her head on the hatch rim. A hand came forward, steadied her arm. She ducked under the hatch, and came out into the chilly air of E-bay. It smelled decidedly fresher than the pod. Fargeon peered at her.
“You’re very pale - are you sure you’re not ill?”
“It’s just not eating.” The bulkheads seemed to shimmer, then steadied. She was conscious of having to concentrate firmly on the here and now.
“You - but surely there were emergency rations in the pod?”
“Yes, but - to make the air last - “ She fought to stay upright, with a soft blackness folding itself around her. “I didn’t - trust the coldsleep cabinet - if the same person had tampered with it - “
“Gods!” That was Cavery, she realized as she looked toward the voice. But the blackness rose around her, inescapable, and she felt herself curling into it.
“Don’t forget the blood samples,” she heard herself say, and then everything disappeared.
The medician’s face hung over hers, suspended in nothingness. Sassinak blinked, yawned, and found the rest of the compartment in focus again. Sickbay, clearly. An IV line ran from her left hand to a bag; wires trailed across her chest.
“I’m fine,” she said helpfully.
“You’re lucky,” said the medician, pinching back a smile. “You came close to the edge - you can’t use Discipline like that and not eat.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t try to tell me you weren’t using it, either - nothing but a crash from it would have sent you that far down’. Here - have a mug of this.” A flick of the hand, and Sass’s couch lifted her so that she could take the mug of thick broth the medician offered.
“What did the blood samples show?” asked Sassinak between sips. She could practically feel the strength flowing back into her.