Grant stared at Willi for a moment. Willi was staring at Johnny, and Clyde and Sydney, on the Flight Deck, were staring at each other. But only for a fraction of a second.
Then they were executing Johnny’s orders. Johnny was watching his communicator intensely. Even more so than usual, Willi realized.
She felt the changes in the shuttle, and then the hard acceleration that the compensating seats in the passenger area of the shuttle only partly dampened.
Willi, Johnny, Grant, and the two Spacemen ratings all heard Sydney’s and Clyde’s curses. They had not even tried to suppress them. “The bastards fired on us! They fired on us!” Sydney shouted.
“That was a full broadside spread, Syd!” Clyde said, sounding shaken. “There are three nukes in that mess!”
A much more subdued Sydney added, a moment later, “If we’d been where they thought we were… Should have been, whether we had changed course or not to vector in to them… There wouldn’t even be subatomic particles of us left back there. I can’t believe they fired on one of their own shuttles like that.”
Grant, at least for Grant, Willi saw, was pale. And she felt a shiver go through her. For some reason this was worse than when they had barely gotten away from Johnny’s hide that had been nuked. There had been only one nuke then.
According to Clyde, the Confederation Space Navy Flagship had fired three, as well as at least fifty other types of weapons, from projectile weapons to high intensity electronic pulse weapons.
Willi was thankful for Johnny’s hand that was suddenly holding hers. “I am sorry,” he said almost too softly for her to hear.
She shook it off, angry now. “How is this happening, Johnny? Why is this happening? It does not make any sense? The governor… She was working with the pirates and the Ecronians. But we are on the Confederation side.”
“There are several other factions,” Johnny said, glancing from Willi, to Grant, to Cherokee, and then back to Willi. “It would seem that they have made some inroads into the inner workings of the Confederation more quickly than I was told was possible. We do not have the luxury of time, little as it was, that I had thought up until this moment.”
Johnny stared into Willi’s eyes for what seemed like a very long time to Willi. And then he opened his mouth to speak. And she already knew what he was going to say. Probably knew it the moment he thought it.
“I am not going to the Trinity Home. I am staying with you. And we are dealing with this, not matter what this is, how long it takes, or what we have to do.”
Johnny nodded. And held back a smile when Willi addressed her Uncle Grant. “You, though, Uncle Grant, are going to protect Momma, and our family, no matter what it takes.”
Without waiting for a reply, Willi looked at Johnny again. “How long before we can get Uncle Grant to Trinity Home? Or close enough for them to send someone for him, if we shouldn’t rendezvous ourselves?”
“Now, see here, young lady,” Grant growled. “I am…”
“You are head of Family Security, Uncle Grant. And you may be second in command aboard the Trinity Home, but I am still in line to take over the Family when Mother retires. So, you actually report to me, in matters of policy, even out here. And I want you protecting Mother, and my home. I can take care of myself, and even if I can’t, Johnny can take care of me, if necessary.”
Johnny could tell Grant wanted to argue. He really wanted to argue. But he also knew Willi was both right in the sense that it was what he should do, as well as right in the fact that, the way the family command was structured, she was technically his boss when he was with her, and her mother was not around.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Grant said.
Johnny noted that there was no disrespect intended, either in Grant’s words or delivery. Willi relaxed. Slightly.
With a quick look at Cherokee, who had been taking everything in with his normal quiet, intense, analytical thoroughness, Johnny addressed him. “Go forward and ask the Lieutenants to join us.”
Cherokee stood and headed for the Flight Deck. Johnny addressed the two Spacemen ratings. “Please join Cherokee forward. And do not worry. You will not be implicated in any of this. Your lives and careers are intact and will be protected.”
Neither man spoke, but they did salute Johnny, which brought smiles to both Willi and Grant, and a frown to Johnny’s face, though neither Spaceman could see it.
Chapter Seven
-
Sydney and Clyde came hurrying into the passenger section of the shuttle, expectant looks on their faces.
Willi put a hand on Johnny’s arm though, before he could speak. Then she motioned for Sydney and Clyde to get closer to her, Johnny, and Grant.
It was all both Johnny and Grant could do, to not burst out laughing, when Willi reach up with both hands, and took one of Sydney’s ears in one hand, and one of Clyde’s in the other, to pull them even closer, both of them emitting low howls of protest.
Willi released both of them, and then held up her left hand right in front of Sydney’s face. He jerked back slightly, expecting a punch in his nose, which Willi had done on more than one occasion.
But she did not hit him. And he had to make a bit of an effort to focus his eyes on what was in front of his face now. Willi got a great deal of satisfaction out of the sudden look on Sydney’s face when he recognized the ring for what it was, and Willi made very sure that he knew exactly what it meant, by saying, “I AM ENGAGED! Any further attempts to marry me off, much less sell me to someone, will be handled by my intended.”
She gave a pointed look at Johnny, to make sure Syd knew exactly who she meant, and then looked back at Syd to add, “And believe me, there is nothing I have ever done, or could even dream up, that could come close to what he will do to you if you try. You got that, Syd?”
Willi turned her glare toward Clyde. “Clyde?”
Clyde was no dummy. He raised both hands in the air and backed up several steps, his eyes going from Willi to Johnny, back to Willi, and then back to Johnny, where they stayed. “I would never…”
“See that you don’t,” Willi told Clyde, and then her attention was back on her brother. She forgot what she had intended to say, because of the look on Sydney’s face.
She could not quite make it out. It was not just a different look, but seemed like look after look after look flashed across his face as he looked at Johnny, not her.
“What is the matter with you?” Willi finally had to ask, when Sydney opened and then closed his mouth several times, obviously wanting to say something, but not able to either decide what, or if what, how to say it.
Almost thankfully, Sydney put his eyes back on Willi, so he would not have to look at Johnny, or see Johnny looking at him, with whatever was in his eyes, there.
“I just…” Sydney blanched a bit when Willi’s eyes narrowed.
“It’s not that. No. Not that. It is just…” He glanced at Johnny, but quickly looked back at Willi. “I won’t. I promise. Never again. But… Jeez, Sis! How am I supposed to put the fear of God and Mother into him about not ever hurting you? He is Johnny Oneshot, for crying out loud! He could disappear me just like that!” Sydney tried to snap his fingers, but could not make them work, as they were shaking too hard.
“And I have to! You’re my sister! He has to treat you right, or else…”
A soft look came over Willi’s face, surprising Sydney no end. “Oh, Syd! That is the nicest thing you have ever said to me!”
Willi was out of her seat, and hugging her brother so tight he almost could not breathe. After a moment, seeing the amusement on Johnny’s face, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged back, accepting that Johnny was not going to ‘disappear’ him. Or anything.
Sydney even managed to smile slightly when Johnny gave him an almost imperceptible nod in acknowledgement of his brotherly duties, with which Johnny had no problem. Sydney actually felt a bit proud of himself.
And then nearly got himself smacked in the back of the head again w
hen Willi released him, he stepped back, and shot Johnny a look as he said, with attitude that Willi heard very clearly. “I’m glad we understand one another.”
Grant was ready to intervene when Sydney stepped into it with his sister the way he usually did, but Johnny’s light hand on Willi’s wrist calmed her right back down, and she decided that she did not have to cut the LIEUTENANT down to his correct size.
Instead, she sat down again, Johnny’s good hand firmly in one of hers, and asked “When did you two join the Space Navy, anyway?”
Johnny let brother, sister, friend, niece, and uncle catch up with each other for a few minutes, appreciating the calm before he had to break to them the plan he had come up with just a few minutes prior.
The discussion seemed to be winding down anyway when Willi jerked around to look at Johnny with panic in her eyes. “Telstar and Isis! The attack…”
Her eyes were huge and round, and Johnny could see tears forming. So he spoke quickly.
“They are fine, Willi. I vectored them away once we were clear of the atmosphere. They should be back on base after their training mission.
Relieved, Willi had to smile at the way Johnny had said “training mission.” “Okay. Good.” She was obviously calming down, but Johnny saw her tense again. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of them sooner. They just never entered my mind once we lifted.”
“It’s okay, Willi,” Johnny said, rather soothingly. “I know things have happened unexpectedly, and quickly, and I have put so much pressure on you, that I am not at all surprised, that even with your quick and thorough mind, that one detail slipped past your conscious mind.”
Willi began to relax again, until Johnny added, “And I made sure they knew the risks. I actually tried to dissuade them from helping. For this, and for what I have planned. But they absolutely insisted.”
Johnny sighed. “I do rather hate putting people in danger. Good people. People that can make a difference whether I was around or not.”
“Oh, Johnny…” Willi said very softly, her hand on his good hand applying soft pressure to reassure him. “It must be terrible for you, doing all this. But you have made such a huge difference in so many ways, in so many places, for so many people…”
Johnny nodded, closed his eyes with head back, and took several deep breaths. When his eyes were on her again, Willi asked, “Pain?”
A tiny shake of his head told Willi that though the pain he was in was not the prime reason for his actions, he was fortifying himself for something. The thought ran through her head that if he was going to try to talk her out of staying with him, he had better get ready for a tirade.
But it was not that at all Willi realized shortly after he spoke again. Johnny did not address her, but Cherokee, in the cocpit. She had to release his hand when he reached out to pick up the communicator from his thigh.
“Cherokee, would you aim a directional antenna toward the following coordinates…” Johnny reeled off the three-dimension spatial coordinates.
Willi noticed the sharp look that her uncle gave Johnny. When she turned to look at Johnny again, he was working on the communicator. But only for a couple of seconds. Then Johnny asked for the appropriate steerable antenna to be aimed for another set of coordinates.
When Willi looked over at her uncle to see his reaction, what she saw puzzled her, for he looked puzzled. As if he knew something, but was not sure about what it might have to do with the situation. She could tell he wanted to ask Johnny something, but held off for some reason.
Now her curiosity was a burning feeling. “Johnny, what were…”
Johnny cut her off with a smile. “I will get to it in just a moment.” When she nodded acceptance, if not a great deal of it, Johnny continued.
All four of the others noticed Johnny look carefully around the compartment, and then even motioned them to gather round even closer.
“What I am about to tell you will put all of you in additional danger if our enemies even have a hint of what I am planning. Feel free to excuse yourselves from this conversation.” Though Johnny waited at least four seconds, not a one of the other four had made any motion or tried to speak. “Thought so,” Johnny murmured and then was speaking in a low voice.
Willi realized just how good an actor Johnny was by the way he could be heard by those around him and would not be heard from more than a few feet away. It was low, but it was clear and powerful.
“Now, though I had not made prior plans specifically for this situation, I have made some general plans which, with a bit of modification, will work very well for what has developed.
“One of the reasons you all will be in danger is the fact that though I do most of my… hm… work… at the auspices of the Confederation Space Navy Intelligence Office, I also work with an agency within the government that is not an official agency, but a group of people in positions that can be of great influence to how the Confederation continues to develop.
“I will not give you the names. I had myself go through a… lets call it a conditioning program… that allows me the comfort to know that I cannot disclose any of those names, as well as quite a few other things that I know. I cannot intentionally say the names, accidentally say the names, let them slip out, or say them under the influence of any…”
Willi saw Johnny’s eyes cut to her, but quickly went back to his communicator as he continued. “…any type of persuasion.”
A gasp, tiny as it was, and Willi’s face draining of color told Johnny and the three others that Willi fully understood just what Johnny was saying. One of her hands went to Johnny’s upper arm and she seemed to just want to hold on to him.
“Go on,” she managed to say softly, with a slight tremor in her voice.
“Yes. Of course,” Johnny replied. “This group cooperates to gather information to me, as well as some of the hardware and supplies of which I have need occasionally, and see to it that I receive them.”
“The Dominators?” Willi asked.
“Those two, and some of the munitions. But many other much more mundane services and such. Support of my various identities for one, in both the active records, as well as archived records.
“They will tell me of situations of which they are aware that cannot be handled by various due processes. And I have made them aware that I am willing to look into the situations and try to resolve them in a way that will bring the situation to a conclusion that is acceptable to them.
“Everyone in the group is loyal to the concepts of the Confederation. A few of them played an active part in getting it established in a way that would be, as many of them I have heard say privately, ‘looked upon favorably by those that helped create what became the United States of America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. And then created the Constitution that codified what free people do that makes them free.’ Even a couple have said that or similar publicly.
“I trust each of them, though I have not had direct contact with any of them for many years, other than my three specific contacts, who have access to the group, and with whom I maintain contact.
“The signals I beamed were requests for certain things I… We… will need to get the current situation rectified. The second was to… hmmm… how do I say this without…”
“Just say it, Johnny,” quietly urged Grant. “It will make no difference to us, I am sure.”
Willi saw the sardonic smile. “Very well,” Johnny replied. “I have certain contacts within several of the guilds. Including the Galactic Family Traders Guild. The Galactic Manufacturing Guild, the Galactic Mining Guild, and the Galactic Transport Guild. As well as a few others, much smaller in scope, but still very important.”
“How?” a very impressed Sydney asked.
Johnny really did not want to explain some of the ways the contacts came about, and how he used them, but Clyde said something that prevented him from needing to do so.
“Man, Syd! He’s Johnny Oneshot! He knows people! All over. You know that. You’ve heard
the stories.”
Syd actually looked a bit embarrassed for having asked the question. He nodded and said, “Yeah. Don’t even know why I asked.”
When Johnny did not come back with the answer Willi had always heard when people said something about his exploits, she gave him a curious look.
Johnny either did not see the look or chose to ignore it. He was not about to give up the out Clyde had given him. He simply resumed speaking.
“All that by the wayside, the second transmission was to a Scanlon Galactic facility off the normal space routes.”
“So, it is true,” Grant said in response to Johnny’s mention of Scanlon Galactic. “Scanlon does have a place out that way. It has been rumored for some time that they had a secret plant providing the Confederation military with specialized gear, in addition to their regular contract with the government and military.”
“Let’s see,” said Johnny, a noncommittal look on his face. “How did the pre-Dark Time officials put it… ‘I can neither confirm nor deny that’ I think it was. It applies aptly here.”
Grant nodded. “I was just thinking out loud. Please go on.”
Johnny did smile slightly. “I have worked with and through Scanlon Galactic, some of their subsidiaries, and have close ties to the family. Which usually is a positive…”
The way he trailed off, all four understood that sometimes family could be less than fully positive.
“To minimize the chances of my communications being intercepted, as unlikely as that is, since these were burst transmissions, and encrypted as well, what I sent to Scanlan will be passed on to the others, letting them know that I will be making contact with them shortly. All have proven themselves to me, and I trust them all.
Mission to Sector ZZ1219 Page 20