Waking in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 2)

by D Patrick Wagner

  “I have discussed it with Commander Tarunga. He completely supports the concept. He believes it will be a great exercise in discipline and a moral builder. However, he is reticent in your competing. The commander is fearful that this would undermine our two people’s relationship if you were to be injured.”

  “We are all warriors. Being injured is part of our lives. I assure you, there would be no repercussions. Getting me killed, that might be a different story.”

  “We don’t want our Cap to get hurt, Sir Mahajani. He whines a lot and makes us babysit him,” Mack joked.

  Seeing that the two species were building a mutual comfortability, Princess Analyn stepped in. “I’m sure Captain Marston doesn’t complain all that much.”

  “You don’t know the Cap, ma’am. Buster, tell ‘um.”

  “I abstain from replying as it might get me turned into a trash compacter.”

  The humans laughed. The Elonians huffed.

  By this time, Keiko had returned and caught the trail-end of the conversation.

  “What does Captain Marston complain about?”

  “What doesn’t he complain about?”

  That restarted the laughter and huffing.

  “It’s obvious, this crew needs more discipline, more whip, less coddling,” stated Krag, joining in.

  “Gods! I’m surrounded by children,”

  “As are we all, Ambassador Suzume. Speaking of children, I see Chief engineer Varrini squirming.” The princess flicked an ear in what the humans have come to understand as humor. “This usually means that he is very bored or he has some ideas that he wishes to work through. If you don’t have anything else to show us, shall we close this meeting?”

  “I have something,” Mack stated as he raised his hand.”

  “And that would be?”

  Mack grabbed a container that had been sitting to one side and carried it over to the Elonian engineer. Setting it down, he opened the four-sided lid. Engineer Varrini leaned over, pointed his ears at the box’s contents and sniffed.

  “Circuit boards. To get Griffin back to her old self, we need three sets of these. I thought you could look them over to get a jump on things. Providing all goes well with your discussions, you know, well.”

  “What should I do with these, Princess?” Engineer Varrini asked in Mind-Speak.

  “Accept them. Study them. Make one set and test it to insure it is correct.”

  “Thank you, Sir Mack. I will look at these and report to you on the viability of creating copies.”

  “These have been fried, they aren’t functional. So I included a data crystal with all of the schematics and benchmarks. What needs to be tested and what the results should be.”

  “Thank you, Sir Mack.”

  “No, thank you, Mr. Varrini. With your help I can get my girl back to right as rain.”

  “Anything else?”

  No one volunteered any questions or comments.

  “Then let us end this meeting. Shall we meet again tomorrow and begin negotiations?”

  “With your leave, Princess Analyn, may we have a day of rest? The last few days have been very fatiguing.”

  “Of course, Ambassador Suzume. How thoughtless of me. Two of your days from now. Same time?”

  “That would be perfect, Your Highness.”

  “On Wisdom Seeker?”

  “As your wish.”

  Everyone rose. With Ambassador Suzume leading and Krag following, the five Elonians, one being synthetic, left the ward room, descended the stairs, entered the cargo bay and exited Griffin.

  “That went well.”

  “Yes it did, Keiko. Krag said this as he pulled her close, hugged and rubbed her back. “Mack and Sue came through.” Pushing her back and looking into her eyes, he continued, “And you were superb.”

  Pulling closer, Keiko stood on her toes and kissed him. “I’m whacked. Now that this phase is over, I need a stress-reliever. Any ideas?’

  “Good dinner and wine.’

  Keiko feigned a mope.

  “Hot bath.”

  She deepened her mope.

  “Total body massage”

  “Now you’re getting close.”

  “And more.”

  “Finally! Get started, Big Guy. I’m famished!” with a smirk and a wink, she added, “In more ways than one!”

  “Bunches of bushels of TLC coming right up!”

  Aboard Odin

  For the nine days it took to traverse the Bridgelen wormhole, all hands worked frantically to repair and rearm Odin. The crippled Skadi just struggled to survive. When the two survivors of the Dorogon battle broke into Bridgelen space, Odin had succeeded in achieving full battle readiness and Skadi had succeeded in staying alive. For how long, neither ship knew. Both had read their sensors and knew that they were being pursued by the remaining alien fleet.

  As soon as Odin broke through the gate into Bridgelen space, Captain Brewer spun the dreadnaught and pointed it at the gate. Captain Young commanded the Skadi to continue through and establish a rear position, protected by Odin.

  “Captain Brewer, jettison the alien wreck. And contact Skadi for grappling.”

  “Aye, aye, Vice-Admiral.”

  The captain ordered the bay crew to release the derelict and use cargo haulers to push it into space. Once they accomplished their tasks, Captain Brewer commanded his com specialist to contact Skadi.

  “Skadi, Odin Actual. Glad to see you made it. Status?”

  “Skadi actual here. I don’t know how we did it, David. We lost everything in between the bridge and engine room. How Skadi’s spine held together, I have no idea.

  “Rough nine days, Billy?”

  “You have no idea. We could only use Wi-Com to communicate between bridge and engine. The only way to travers was with EVA. We all slept where we got trapped. And, with only first shift still alive, we’ve put in brutal hours. Oh, and we ran out of rations yesterday evening. So we’re all pretty hungry.”

  “I’ll get a care package to you ASAP.” Captain Brewer turned to his coms specialist and mouthed the command. Returning to the screen, he asked, “Space worthy?”

  “She’s got one more in her. Hopefully a leg to a space dock.”

  “I’m sorry to drop this on you, Billy, but we need you to tow the alien wreck back to the yards. If we are going to survive this, our people need that ship.”

  “Understood, Dave. But, no promises. My girl is pretty beat up.

  “Understood. I’ve got a gang getting it ready to be grappled to your ship. Thirty minutes. Then pull out. You’re no good to us dead. But you are good to us getting that bug ship back to the yards.”

  “Understood, Dave.”

  “Get up to speed, set your heading and go dark. I don’t want any bugs chasing you.”

  “Going dark won’t be a problem. But, speed? Not much. We’ll get there.”

  “Also, we’ve put a data pod in the wreck. It has all the intel on the aliens and how the X-cannon performed. We need to build a ton of those and strap them to every ship in the fleet. It’s the only thing that reliably hurt those monsters.”

  “Not raising the stakes, much, huh, Dave. Save humanity. No pressure,” Captain Young joked.

  “You’re good under pressure. You can do it.”

  “You just hold the fort. I’ll send back some reinforcements.”

  “Already ordered. The blast went out the second we cleared the gate. Good hunting, Billy.”

  “More so for you, David. Out.”

  Everyone on board Odin waited. They knew they had about two hours before the aliens came through the gate. An hour to get Skadi loaded and powered up. Another hour for the crippled ship and its tow package to get some distance before going dark. Vice-Admiral hoped that it would be enough so that Skadi could deliver the critical alien ship and Intel. Captain Brewer hoped it would be enough so that his friend would live.

  Tolimar

  Lawrence Gregor, Garman Burkhart and Kevin Roth stood as a group, w
atching the Roth hands sink a well as Burkhart’s lumber jacks used massive saws to cut tree trunks into lumber.

  “Good crews, Garman, Kevin. They’ve done wonders in two weeks. You’ve put together good teams.”

  “They get the job done,” Garman responded.

  Kevin glanced over at his son who stood close to Lawrence’s daughter, talking quietly.

  “Those two seem to be getting along.”

  “Yes, yes they do.”

  “My boy’s never really took an interest like he is now.”

  “I can say the same with Harriet.”

  “Is that a problem?” Roth Senior asked as he nodded towards the couple under discussion.

  “Not only is it not a problem, but it is a good thing. If it grows into something lasting, having our two families inter-related can only help Tolimar.”

  “My thinking exactly. As long as you don’t bring your crime side down here.”

  “Please! I am a Libertarian Capitalist. Crime is the furthest thought from my mind.”

  “Randy, Harriet,’ Kevin bellowed.

  The two, remaining in each other’s space, strolled over and stopped.

  “You two, get out of here. Us old folk have things to discuss.”

  Harriet looked at her father.

  “It’s alright. Nothing’s going on here. Contact Sheldon. Check on his progress. Other than that, I don’t see any responsibilities for you the rest of the day.”

  “Ok, Father.” Harriet looked at Randy.”

  “Skedaddle, you two. Git!” Kevin made shooing motions with his hands.

  Randy waited for Harriet to lead and the two of them headed towards his van.

  The two fathers watched their children climb in and pull out. Then they turned back to watching the construction progress along with Garman.

  “What’s Shelley up to?” Burkhart asked.

  “He and Sean are coordinating with Don and Tony. Don’s bringing in the manufacturing and heavy-duty equipment. Tony’s designing the warehouse requirements.”

  Knowing that the space port would come up sooner or later, Gregor took a sigh and continued. “And they’re laying out the landing pads.”

  “You’re building a space port?” Garman accused.

  “The closest one is two hours away. We need the proximity.”

  “The board isn’t going to like that. Hell, nobody is going to like that. We rely on the revenue from our port. You cut into that, you’re taking money out of our pockets.”

  “It’s not about the money. It’s about efficiency. Let’s call a board meeting. I have an offer to make. I think they’ll accept it.”

  “When?”

  Gregor knew that he couldn’t alienate one of the most powerful people on Tolimar. His response was immediate. “As soon as possible. You call the meeting, I’ll be there.”

  “I’m not liking this new wrinkle.”

  “I promise, you will. Nobody loses.”

  “We’ll see.”

  * * * * *

  The hour drive from the new town to the Roth ranch saw a very at-ease country man working to make a corporate woman comfortable. Each held a bottle of ice-cold beer, taken from the cooler sitting between the seats. With windows down, wind blew through the van, swirling hair and ruffling collars.

  Randy constantly directed Harriet’s attention towards interesting landscapes, different trees and shrubs, and occasionally a wild animal. He talked of the beauty of the Roth lands. He expanded on its history, the territorial wars, the truces, the growth from a wild country to a settled land.

  Harriet always thought of herself as a sophisticate, someone born to luxury and civilized society. All Her adult life she had worked hard at developing a powerful corporate image, establishing a no-nonsense, straight-cut presence. Today she surprised herself. Today she found herself sinking into the comfortable lifestyle of the country. She found herself enjoying the laissez-faire attitude of the man beside her and the world surrounding her. With an arm out the window, she used her hand as an airfoil, letting the warm prairie wind alternately push her arm up and down, riding the currents. She half-listened to Randy’s monologue and sipped her beer as her mind wandered through directionless thoughts, just floating along.

  Randy’s bringing the van to a stop broke Harriet out of her reverie. “Here already?”

  “Yup. I noticed you doing some major wool-gathering. Some poor mental sheep is running around naked.”

  “I heard everything you said, Cowboy.”

  “That’s wrangler to you, city slicker.”

  The two exited and meandered to the main house comfortable in each other’s presence.

  “Have you ever ridden a horse?”

  “No, never.” Harriet drew out the sentence, fearful of what was to come.

  “Well, let’s make this your lucky day.”

  By then they had reached the front doors and been greeted by Chester.

  “Welcome back, Mr. Roth.”

  “Thank you, Chester. Would you have Marcie make up a saddle lunch for two?”

  “Drink preference?”

  Turning to Harriet, he asked, “Beer? Wine?”

  “Let’s stay with beer.”

  “Beer it is. Now, I want to introduce you to the kindest girl you will ever meet. But first you need some riding gear. Thank you, Chester. Have the lunch delivered to the family stable.”

  When Randy took Harriet’s hand, she almost jumped. He led her towards the double doors in the back and out to the pool area. Crossing around, the two arrived at a fairly large guest house.

  “We keep a wardrobe for guests, in case someone decides to stay over.”

  Keying in a security code, he pushed the door open and led her through the sitting room and into a room which could only be classified as a locker room.

  “This is the women’s dressing area. The men’s is on the other side.” Pointing as he spoke, “That cabinet has jeans. That one, shirts. Over there, socks and boots.”

  “Uh, ok.”

  “I’ll be just outside if you need anything.”

  Randy couldn’t believe how long it took to put on a pair of jeans and button a shirt. But when Harriet exited the locker room, he knew it was worth it. All his life he had been around women in blue jeans. But he swore that not a one ever wore a pair like this daughter of an international criminal. She’d rolled up the sleeves of the black and red plaid shirt, kept the collar open and tied a scarf around her throat. Black riding boots filled out the ensemble.

  To keep from acting like a dumb-struck school boy, Randy quipped, “You just can’t get away from black.”

  “That’s the best you can come up with?” Harriet secretly glowed at knowing she had struck a chord.

  “Yes, well. A hat. You need a hat.”

  “If I’m to play cowgirl, I suppose so.”

  “This way.”

  After a trip to a wall rack covered with hats, Randy picked one out and handed it to Harriet. After she placed it on her head, he took two hands and adjusted it, slightly askew.

  “Very country. You’ve got the look.”

  “Why, thank you,” Harriet responded, faking a curtsy.

  “This way.”

  Randy pointed and moved in the direction of the family stables with a newly booted and hatted Harriet following. Once inside, Randy led her to a stall holding a cream-colored mare with a white mane and tail. The horse flipped her tail, bobbed her head and snorted in pleasure as Randy walked up and stroked her head.

  “Hey, old girl. I want you to meet my friend.”

  Stepping aside for Harriet to approach, he coaxed, “This is Buffy. She’s as gentle as anyone can be, Harriet. Just say hello. Rub her head. She likes having the base of her ears rubbed.

  Having never been around a large animal before, Harriet gingerly approached Buffy, held out a hand then rubbed between the mare’s eyes. As Buffy held position, Harriet moved closer and reached up to scratch an ear. Buffy snorted and the city girl jumped back with a ‘yip
’.

  “That’s just horse talk for ‘she likes it’. Don’t be afraid. Try again. No, wait.” Randy reached into a bucket mounted at the side of the stall and took out a carrot.

  “Buffy likes carrots. The hands keep them here so that they can feed her whenever they come through.”

  Breaking the carrot in two, he stepped forward, held a carrot half in the palm of his hand and raised it towards Buffy’s mouth. She sniffed, pulled her lips back and gently plucked the treat from his hand, munched contentedly for a few chomps then swallowed.

  “Your turn.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Chicken.”

  “I like my fingers.”

  “And beautiful fingers they are. Go on. Keep your hand flat. Buffy is careful.”

  “I don’t know if I like this.”

  “Live a little. Learn a little,” Randy coaxed.

  Hesitantly, Harriet placed the carrot piece in the center of her hand, opened it as flat as possible and held it out to Buffy. As though she knew she was dealing with a tenderfoot, Buffy more gently than before retrieved the carrot and again crunched, swallowed and snorted.

  “See that wasn’t so bad.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “Let’s walk her around. Let you two get used to each other.”

  “You’re going to make me ride her, aren’t you?”

  “That’s the plan. But only if you want to.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Reaching above the bucket, Randy pulled down a bridle, and approached Buffy. The mare immediately lifted her head, waiting for the bit. Randy slipped it into her mouth, slid the noseband in place and positioned the cheek pieces.

  “Buffy is fifteen years old. She’s been my field horse since I got back from the marines.”

  “You use her for work?”

  “Not any of the heavy work like herding horses or running down strays. Mostly we go out on medical calls. At fifteen, she’s middle aged, like me.”

  “You’re the ranch veterinarian?”

  “For the minor stuff. For the major work, we call Doctor Meyers. He’s the large animal vet. He’s got an office in town.”

  Randy continued to talk as he slid the head crown over Buffy’s ears and positioned the throatlatch.