by Saxon Andrew
Tee chuckled, “The only thing you ever beat me at was winning the girl both of us wanted. If I had won that competition, my life would have turned out quite differently. But, the better man won, Beanie. And I’m doing this for her as much as you.”
Beanie smiled slightly, “Kat is still amazing.”
“So are you, Beanie. Thanks for all you’ve done for me and give Kat my love.”
“I will, Tee. You’ll receive the items you’ll need within four days. Please! Stay safe!”
Tee smiled, “I’ll do what I can.” Beanie smiled, and the call ended.
Tee fell back on the bed and remembered the argument he had with Beanie. It was the closest time Beanie had ever come to punching him. “ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY OUT OF YOUR EVER-LOVING ASSASSIN MIND!!”
“It’s something I have to do.”
“FOR THE SAKE OF CREATION, WHY?!”
“Beanie, I’ve lost myself. I don’t know who I am anymore, and I’ve got to find out before it’s too late.”
“But this can get you killed, Tee.”
“I know. But the happiest I’ve ever been was fighting for a righteous cause in the pipes under Australia’s capital city. I need to find that feeling again. As it is…”
Tee’s voice trailed off and Beanie put his hand on Tee’s shoulder, “Is losing Mer the reason for this?”
Tee sighed, “It’s part of it. But I felt this coming when we were still together. I realized that she wasn’t capable of being everything in my life; I need more.”
Beanie looked into Tee’s eyes and then nodded, “Do what you have to do, Tee.”
• • •
Tee blew out a hard breath. He had been through all the classes on combat space maneuvers and had scored high on all of them. But they didn’t feel right; something was missing, and he didn’t know what it was. He remembered his lair in the pipes under the city. He was king there and ruled it with an iron fist. He used the pipes as weapons and no one could defeat him in his domain. He was confident, and Mer only added to his sense of invulnerability. But now, even though he showed a confident exterior, he felt unqualified for what he was expected to do.
• • •
He stood up and walked out on the balcony of his hotel room. He checked in to get away from the military base to take time to reflect on his life. He looked out at the giant city extending to the horizon with a sea of bright lights on top of it. He shook his head and looked up at the sky. The light from the city drowned out most of the stars but the brighter ones still shown through. He took a breath and suddenly realized the sky reminded him of the pipes; they were pitch-black except for the small lights he installed in them. It was just like the stars and the blackness of space above him. Suddenly, he had a realization; space was just one giant pipe. He smiled as his mind suddenly saw ways to use that giant pipe. The things filling his mind did not match up with any of the tactics he learned in class, but they felt right. He went back in the hotel room and laid down on the bed. Sleep had been difficult since he arrived on Earth and he stared up at the ceiling. He should have confronted Mer before. He felt closure on their relationship and some of his tension was gone. He closed his eyes and fell asleep immediately.
• • •
Two-days later, he came out of the shower and heard a knock on the door. He opened it to find a courier standing there with a small package and a pen held out to him. Tee signed the bill and opened the package. He smiled and shook his head, “Boy! If nothing else, Beanie was efficient; he did it in half of the time he stated. He opened a note inside the box and it read, Sold your house for seventy-million. He smiled and tossed the package on the bed, went to the closet, and pulled out some casual clothes. He dressed and sat down on the bed just as he heard another knock on the door. His eyes narrowed, and he went to the door to find Lori standing there in a colorful dress, “I thought you had gone to the colonies for your liberty,” she announced.
“How did you find me here?”
Lori waved a hand, “I contacted the ship’s computer and asked it where you were; it directed me here and since you chose to remain on Earth, I thought you and I would go out and I’d show you around Orlando.” Tee’s expression turned serious and Lori waved a hand, “Get real, Tee. I’m not coming on to you!”
“Then why are you here?” he asked.
“Well, you and I have not had time to get together to discuss the role you want me to play on our ship. I thought it would be better to go out and talk about that while looking around Orlando than doing it in a stark barren training room. Besides, you need to get out.”
Tee smiled, “I’ll do it, but I insist on paying for everything.” Lori’s face tightened, and Tee added, “People get paid for two things, Lori.” Lori’s head tilted as Tee continued, “They get paid for what they can do and for what they know; what they know costs more. How much would it cost me to hire a tour guide to show me around? I suspect it will be a lot more than what we spend while you’re doing it. I pay, or I don’t go.”
Lori shrugged, “Ok, have it your way. We need to get moving.”
“Don’t we need to rent transportation?”
Lori smiled, “I checked out an Air Shuttle from the base’s inventory. We can park it anywhere we choose. Ready?”
Tee turned and went to the bed. He took a card out the package then put the package in his bedside table. He made sure he touched the two cards in the package with his thumb. “Lead the way!” Tee announced, and they headed out of the hotel.
• • •
They arrived at the front entrance and Tee chuckled; Lori had parked the shuttle in a VIP parking place. But it was clearly a military vehicle, and no one challenged her on it. She rolled out from the hotel and immediately lifted it above street level. She headed toward the center of the city and Tee said, “I had an epiphany last night and I want to discuss it with you.”
Lori moved into a line of vehicles flying toward the city and nodded, “Go ahead.”
Tee began, and Lori continued flying away from the city as she challenged him on his statements. She arrived at Miami before she turned the shuttle around and started back to Orlando. They finally arrived above the Orlando Space Port and Lori shook her head, “You realize that all of our attack and evade software are worthless if you do this?” Tee nodded. Lori flew the ship into Disney World and landed outside fantasy land.
She was silent, and Tee asked, “I need to know what you’re thinking, Lori. Is this a bad idea?”
“I honestly don’t know. I don’t have the mind to see the formations you’ve described much less how you’d place them. But your logic is sound.”
“I’ll tell you what I need and leave it up to you to get our wings in the proper position.”
“And you will tell me the positions you want them?” Lori pressed.
Tee smiled, “I will.”
“We need to discuss this with our wing commanders and run a few trials before we bite this off.”
“We’ll do that the first day back on duty, Lori.”
Lori turned to him, “Let me think about this. In the meantime, let’s go to the Floridian Hotel and have some lunch, we’ve missed breakfast.” Tee exited the shuttle and followed her into a remarkable building.
• • •
Tee used a black colored card to pay for the meal and Lori’s eyes widened slightly, “That’s a rather exclusive card you’re using.”
Tee quickly replied, “I brought it with me from the colonies. My account is just about empty, and I want to use all of it before the bank suspends it.”
Lori chuckled, “That should take a while. Once we launch for Andromeda, you won’t be spending anything.”
“That’s why I insisted on paying for everything today, Lori. If you see any souvenirs you want, let me know.”
“And what happens if you run out of funds in the process, Tee?”
“Then we might have to give them back. But I believe there’s enough to get us through today.” Lori stared at Tee and he
smiled, “You’ll be helping me by spending the last funds in this account.”
“Fair enough, but next time we go out, I’m paying.”
Tee laughed, “Thank you.”
Tee ended up buying an XL Mickey Mouse tee-shirt. She insisted she wanted to use it as a nightgown on the ship. Tee purchased three for her and came back from the cashier and asked, “Do you have two-credits?”
“Why?”
“It appears I’ve done it and exhausted the account.” Lori handed him the bills and saw him go to the cashier and hand them to her. She accepted them, and Lori figured Tee was telling the truth. She thought he was attempting to fool her about the black card, but the evidence showed he was being truthful. Ka told her than many assassins were joining the military because the Guild was not giving out contracts in the aftermath of the alien invasion. It appeared Tee was one of those that had fallen on hard economic times. They spent the day talking about what was coming and Lori dropped him off at the hotel at nightfall.
“See you at the ship!” Lori shouted as she drove off. Tee watched the transport lift and headed back toward the base until it disappeared. He looked around and decided the night was too young to call it a day. He checked out and took a taxi back to the base. He changed into his uniform and had a transport take him to his ship. He walked on the bridge and chuckled. Lori was sitting in her chair wearing the Mickey Mouse tee-shirt. Lori heard him and turned around. Her face turned red and Tee held his hand up. “You’re fine.”
Lori rolled her eyes, “What are you doing back here? You still have three days off.”
“I could ask you the same question, Lori.”
“What we discussed today has me thinking and I’m rethinking how I’ve set up my console.”
“Don’t let me interrupt you; I’m going to do the same.”
Lori nodded and turned back to her monitor. She didn’t have anything on under the tee-shirt and she remained at her chair until Tee left the bridge. She immediately rushed to her quarters and wondered if he had seen her. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone on board, Tee surprised her.
Tee left to give Lori an opportunity to leave. She didn’t realize that he could see her in the reflection off her console’s monitor and he was forced to admit that Mickey never looked so good.
• • •
Commodore Higginson entered Rachael’s office and came to attention. “Please, sit down, Dan,” Rachael requested. Rachael saw his nervousness and quickly added, “I’ve asked you to meet me today for the purpose of clearing the air. I can see you’re nervous about being under my command again and it’s important to me that you recognize everything that happened in the past remains in the past.” Dan nodded but remained silent. “Dan, I need you commanding one of my attack fleets! However, if you can’t accept being under my command, I will allow you to transfer back to Admiral Talent’s fleet.”
“Sir, when I was directly under your command before I learned that you hold grudges and are quite spiteful at those who cross you.”
Rachael nodded, “Go on.”
“I threw you under the transport with Admiral Talent that led to your being busted back to Lieutenant,” Dan continued. “It’s only a matter of time until you get an opportunity to get even.”
“Have you discussed this with Admiral Stevens?”
“I have, and she’s tried to reassure me that you’ve changed; I just don’t believe it, Sir.”
Rachael saw he meant it. She thought for a moment and asked, “There were a lot of things that came out of you telling Admiral Talent the truth about me; being busted to Lieutenant was only one of them.” Dan stiffened slightly and thought here it comes! “Would you agree that when you reported to me that I was dangerous.”
“Absolutely Sir!” Dan agreed.
“Not only to myself but to anyone under my command?”
Dan hesitated, “I’m not sure what you mean about being a danger to yourself.”
“Answer this question honestly, Dan; if I was given the best crew in the fleet, I could very easily get them killed due to my stupidity, wouldn’t you agree?” Dan hesitated and Rachael quickly added, “Be honest, Dan.”
“Sir, I believe you had the best crew in Dorman and me.”
“But I made dumb decisions that endangered us when we went to the LMC to join Admiral Talent, right?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Rachael leaned back in her chair, “So let’s really examine what you did to me by pointing out to Admiral Talent what a waste of an officer I was.” Dan’s tension increased; Rachael could see it. “Being busted back to Lieutenant was the most embarrassing moment in my life, but it was only a demotion of one rank. It allowed me to serve on Tal’s ship and get a chance to see what a professional officer really looked like. He forced me to take a good look at myself and see who I really was, and I have to confess, it wasn’t pretty. Out of that demotion, I learned how to become a good commander. I was promoted to Admiral and my unit led in enemy kills in Andromeda. Now I’ve been promoted to be Fleet Admiral commanding the Colony’s Fleet. If you and Dorman had not thrown me under the transport, where do you think I’d be?” Dan was silent and didn’t answer her question. “If I remained in command of my ship in the LMC, all three of us would probably be dead.” Rachael paused and raised her hands, “Growing pains got the name from the hurt you get from them. If you and Dorman hadn’t told the truth about me…well…I certainly wouldn’t be here today. I thank the Creator for what you did; I know it took courage to stand up to a lunatic like me. Now, you and Dorman are two of the finest officers in my fleet and I’m praying that you won’t hold against me who I was in the past. I desperately need officers like the two of you to make my fleet into something special. Please, stay with me.”
Dan stared into Rachael’s eyes and said after a moment, “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely!”
Dan lowered his eyes and then looked up, “I’ll stay, Sir.”
Rachael smiled, “What made you change your mind?”
Dan exhaled a long breath, “I really don’t know if I could make myself do it, Sir. I’d be forced to leave Jan and Dorman behind and I owe both of them a lot. Your reassurance is what put me over the line to stay.”
“Thank you, Commodore. I appreciate your honesty.”
• • •
Dan left the meeting wondering about Rachael Meadows. Something was changed but could anyone really change that much? He forced himself to stop second-guessing his decision and took a shuttle back to his ship. He thought about the new wing commanders in his attack fleet and worried about their readiness. They were certainly gung-ho and were impatient to go into action; a few Berserker attacks should clear that up. He’d need to be careful selecting his first targets. There would need to be a clear avenue of escape available so that they wouldn’t be trapped. He sighed and wondered about Rachael again. There was something in her expression he didn’t understand. He shook his head and put his doubts aside; it was too late now.
Chapter Eight
Tal sat in his command chair and looked at Ka sitting next to him, “Have you heard who Rachael promoted to command the defenders?”
“Samantha Onda, Tal; she was the scanning officer on Rachael’s ship.”
“Was this a promotion for her?”
Ka turned to Tal, “Rachael promoted her to command her flagship. Rachael told me that she deserves it. She promoted a wing commander to be her new commander on the Americas. Which reminds me, are we going to use the same name on this ship?”
“I see no reason to change it, do you?”
“No, I just thought you couldn’t have two ships with the same name in the fleet registry.”
“All fifteen of the Sha’s we brought back from Andromeda have been scrapped, Ka. Maintenance tells me they have no idea how half of them were operational.”
Ka exhaled sharply, “I hate that! She deserved a better end.”
“She kept us alive, Ka. What better end is there?”
> Ka nodded and turned back to her panel, “The fleet is forming up and Rachael says she’ll rendezvous with us on the way to Andromeda. Jee and Indie are in formation waiting for the order to launch.”
Tal looked up at his tactical monitor and touched his console, “Jab, Jeri, are you ready to launch?”
“Waiting on you, Sir,” Jab replied.
Tal touched his console again and announced, “Launch in two-minutes. My unit will move between your two fleets prior to launch.” Tal turned to his new pilot, “Captain Robinson, if you please.” The Zak’s Jil accelerated out of orbit to the two fleets holding position and the three ships arrived in the center of their formations thirty seconds later. Tal glanced at the chronometer and announced, “All ships, launch!”
Tal looked at his new bridge crew and still wasn’t accustomed to the new arrangement of their stations. The Pilot and scanner were in the center of the row of consoles next to each other. Their consoles were directly connected making the transfer of data instantaneously. To the right of them was the forward weapons operator, who controlled fourteen pulse cannons that defended the front of the ship. Right behind the weapons operator was the forward missile tubes operator. On the left of the bridge was the rear weapons and rear missile operator. The coverage officer’s chair was directly behind the pilot and scanner controller. Ka sat beside him and there was still a lot of empty space on the new Ste Warship. The three-engineers were in the rear of the ship making sure all systems were fully functional and operational. Tal shook his head, his original Epy Warship could land in this ship’s landing bay. He really hoped bigger was better; he missed the close quarters of his first warship. He looked at his tactical monitor again and realized he missed seeing Earth disappear behind him. But the stars were streaking by at incredible speed and soon, he began to see the spiral arm Earth was located in; it was beautiful. The Sha’s took three weeks to make the voyage to Andromeda. This new ship would take two weeks without using their new thrusters.
This new ship was also stealthier than the Sha’s even though they were sixty-percent larger. The gravity thrusters were now constructed of a new polymer material that did not reflect scanner radiation. The new coating was able to withstand more powerful blaster hits without melting and the thrusters were hidden inside the ship until they were activated.