Meanwhile back at the medical facility, Calara thrashed around violently on her bed, gripped in a terrifying nightmare.

It had been such a relief to see her two saviours again, and she had felt safe and protected when in their presence. When they had gone, she found herself fighting off waves of exhaustion, and had curled up on the bed to try to get some sleep.

The nightmare started as it normally did. The horrific screams gurgled to a halt as the second crewmate died horribly at the hands of the Largath.

"It's all my fault Calara berated herself.

“Those women, and all the other crew died because of me!"

The twisted faces of the surrounding pirates loomed large before her dazed eyes, leering at her and baying for blood. A crude spear was thrust into her hand, and she was dropped awkwardly into the pit to face the hideous creature. Her back was a sheet of agony from where she had been flogged by that demented cyborg, and she struggled to find her footing again as the Largath approached.

She waved the metal pole in front of her, desperate to keep the rampant beast at bay. It was deceptively fast for something so huge, and she had to work hard to keep out of its grasp, as it lunged at her time and again. She misjudged one strike, and the Largath whipped it's arm to the side, catching her in the chest. There was a sickening crunch as her ribs broke, and she sailed through the air before Landing on her back, the wind knocked out of her, Frantically trying to regain her breath, she struggled to her feet as the creature came forward, roaring to the cheering pirates, showboating for them...

“Bzzzzt!"

The insistent buzzing of the intercom woke up the terrified girl, and she was desperately relieved to escape from the nightmare, her heart racing and her chest heaving for breath. She steadied herself before answering the call, and was overjoyed when It was the receptionist again, informing her that John and Alyssa were back. Her heart lifted at the thought of seeing them, and she darted over to the door to watch out for their arrival.

John and Alyssa left the elevator, and turned to walk towards room 347. They saw Calara's hopeful face looking around the door to her room, and she beamed a big smile when she saw them. She stepped out into the corridor, and ushered them in to her room.

They walked into Calara's room, and John turned her to face him. "It's over," he stated simply, looking into her big brown eyes as she stared up at him hopefully.

“You won't have to face any charges, and there's not going to be a Court Martial. None of what happened was your fault."

Calara's face crumpled with relief as she fell into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. He held her in a warm embrace, being careful not to aggravate the young woman's healing wounds. Alyssa stood at his side, and stroked the brunette's Long dark hair comfortingly, her face filled with compassion. They stood like that for some time, until Calara was able to regain her composure. She Looked up at them both, with sincere gratitude on her face.

"Thank you," Calara said fervently.

“You're welcome," he replied, as he held her in his arms.

John felt a Lump in his throat. This poor girl had been through so much, and then that asshole Grant had made things so much worse. This was serious, he realised suddenly. He needed to report what had happened, and he couldn't do it from here using the Port Heracles comm network, as Grant might be monitoring outbound traffic.

"I need to report what happened here," John said apologetically, as the blonde and brunette looked up at him. "Grant isn't going to get away with the way he's treated you."

"It's ok, I'll look after her," Alyssa said kindly, as she smiled at the other young woman.

They agreed that he would come back to meet them after he had visited the ship, and he left Alyssa hugging Calara, murmuring to her soothingly. He made his way back to the Invictus, so that he could use its powerful communication relay to contact Terran Federation Command.

A short while Later, John stood deep in thought, as he took the elevator back up to the Space port. He had made his report and recorded his detailed allegations against Commander Rupert Grant. He had lost some friends to PTSD in the past; good men, their lives taken by their own hand. He would be damned before he Let anything Like that happen to this young woman. The elevator door opened, and he was surprised to run into Calara and Alyssa as they walked towards him from the space port.

"Second Lieutenant Calara Fernandez reporting for duty, Sir!" The pretty Latina said formally, before snapping a sharp salute and standing rigidly at attention.

"What...?" John said, surprised by her actions. "I told Calara we had a vacancy in our ship's roster, after my recent promotion," Alyssa told him, her beautiful blue eyes flashing mischievously. "She just agreed to join us!"