by Ricky Sides
“It probably will hurt him to some degree, Jim. He’s still young. Intellectually, he knows his mother’s gone, but it may still hurt a bit. That’s human nature,” Lina said with a shrug. Then she smiled and said, “There are things we can do to minimize the hurt. We needn’t be overly demonstrative in front of Evan, if you think that will help.”
Jim laughed and said, “I made that same suggestion when Evan and I spoke of the matter. He may be young, but he’s very mature for his age. He said, ‘You know, Jim, I just can’t imagine you not kissing the woman you love because I happen to be present. I don’t think you should even try.’”
Lina was on her feet in an instant, causing Jim to wonder if he had said something wrong. “You love me, Jim? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes, Lina. I do love you,” he said, and Lina fell into his arms.
Then they kissed deeply, and as they did, Jim experienced an exhilaration that he hadn’t experienced since the death of Lacey. But the kiss was over all too soon.
Lina broke the embrace and moved back away from Jim. He noted the worried expression on her face and the faint look of fear in her eyes. “What’s wrong, Lina?” he asked anxiously.
“Jim, there are things you don’t know about me. Things that could change how you feel,” she said, and her eyes began to tear up.
“Lina, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” he began.
However, Lina shook her head violently, and said, “No, you don’t understand.” She then surprised Jim as she began to disrobe on the spot. Soon she stood naked with her back to him, and then Jim understood.
Photo by Robert L McCullough Noël Baba’s Fotos, Weatherford, TX
His heart ached when he saw that Lina’s back bore the crisscrossed scars from the whip the slavers had used on her in Texas. Her lower right side bore a scar from a bullet wound. “There’s more,” she warned. Blushing as she did so, Lina turned to face the man she loved.
Jim saw the knife wound scar on her left thigh and several small scars on her upper body, both above and below her breasts. “Gifts from Tom Whitmore,” she said bitterly as she noted his gaze. “I…I’ll understand if you feel differently now,” she said blushing an even deeper shade of red.
Jim walked over to the door and locked it so that it couldn’t be opened from the outside. Then he began to disrobe. When his shirt hit the floor, he pointed to the scar on his chest, and said, “Flavious, and that was through the body armor. The cracked armor actually cut me. Then he turned his side to her and pointed to another scar over his ribs. “This was a gift from a marauder in a small town in Arkansas years ago. Rib deflected the knife.”
Dropping his pants, Jim pointed to several scars on his thighs as he said, “This one was a whiskey bottle in a bar in Louisiana. These two are from a single gunshot wound. The bullet went in here, and came out here,” he said, moving his finger to the two different scars.
Looking Lina in the eyes, he said, “Scars or no scars, Lina, you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. But my body isn’t perfect, so I need to know if you want to back out. You could do better you know,” he advised her.
Lina tackled him, knocking him back onto his bed. Laughing, Jim said, “I guess you’ll take me, scars and all.”
From her position, sprawled across his body, Lina looked at Jim with a smile and asked, “Do you really want to talk right now? I mean, if you do, that’s alright with me, Hon. But I can think of something better to do at a time like this.”
“You’re right. We can talk later,” said Jim with a smile.
***
Lina was just walking out the door of Jim’s cabin when a voice spoke over the intercom saying, “Captain, you’re needed in the control room. It’s an emergency, sir.”
Jim slapped the intercom button and said, “On my way.”
When he emerged into the corridor, he turned and began to run toward the control room. He could see Lina running ahead of him in an attempt to stay out of his way. She bolted into the control room just seconds before he arrived.
“Sir, you have an urgent message from the Citadel. The Peacekeeper is there, and Pete says you are needed for an emergency council meeting. He requests you confirm receipt of the message,” explained the duty officer.
“Pilot, plot a course for the citadel, and make that a low g acceleration please. I have to use the radio,” Jim said.
“Aye, Captain. Course plotted and we are now en route to the base,” Lina responded efficiently. Jim hadn’t even felt them leave their stationary parking station where they had been testing a new parking program Patricia had developed for the Valiant. The aerodynamics of the ship was so radically different that it sometimes drifted worse than the rest of the fleet with the old program. The new program was supposed to address that issue.
“Thank you, Lina. I’ll be at the radio. Take us to a flight speed of four hundred,” Jim said.
“Will do, sir,” she responded.
When Jim returned to his seat minutes later, he fastened his flight harness, and then activated the intercom. “All hands, prepare for a rough ride. I want everyone buckled into their seats, or stay in your racks if you’re in bed. This is going to be a rough ride.”
He deactivated the intercom. “Pilot, maintain our current speed. Give the crew five minutes to prepare. Meanwhile, alter the course to the quickest possible route that you can safely navigate.”
“Aye, Captain, altering course to come to that vector, but it will be rough,” Lina responded. She winked at the gunner sitting beside her who always hated rough rides. She smiled when she noted his weak grin.
When the five minutes had elapsed, Jim said, “Take us to full speed.”
In one minute, the ship went from four hundred miles per hour to their top speed of six hundred. “This should get interesting,” Lina said with a smile.
***
The Valiant set down beside the Peacekeeper in the massive hangar of the citadel. The moment the captain was out of the ship, Lina lifted off and carefully parked the big ship in its storage bay. There was simply too much traffic in and out of the base to leave another massive ship in the bay.
Jim approached the open cargo bay door of the Peacekeeper. The armed guards waved him through, and then resumed their guard duty.
Jim found Tim, Patricia, Pete, Maggie, and Pol waiting in the small mess hall of the Peacekeeper.
“You made good time,” Pete said as he nodded in greeting.
“Welcome aboard, Big Brother,” Tim said with a smile.
“Thanks,” Jim responded as he sat down for the meeting.
Wasting no time, Tim said, “As you probably know, Jim, during the cold war there were nominal plans that in the event of nuclear war, ham radio operators would be utilized to transmit and receive messages.”
Jim nodded in agreement, and then he said, “I’ve heard of the plan.”
“Alright, Patricia, take it from here,” Tim said, yielding the floor to his wife who was the foremost communications specialist in the peacekeeper service.
“We’ve been monitoring the ham radio traffic for years. As you know from the reports, the majority of the traffic has been from the United States with only an occasional transmission received from outside the western hemisphere. The few transmissions from outside the western hemisphere seemed to be nothing more than a few people communicating with friends they’d made over the years via radio. No transmissions seemed to have been sent in the hopes of reaching the American Government. A few hours, ago that changed when we received this message.”
Patricia activated a digital recorder. A moment later, Jim heard a man with a British accent say, “To anyone in the American government, this is a warning from the British Royal Family. A massive fleet of pirate vessels is assembling in the coastal waters of Western Europe. It is the belief of the Royal Family that the fleet will be departing for the United States in a few days. Once they reach your coastal waters, they will disperse and begin to pilla
ge the cities along your coast in a systematic manner. Do not take this warning lightly. These pirates have laid waste to Western European coastal cities for a period of years. We know they will be seeking oil and other raw materials. The Royal Family wishes the government of the United States to know that we have done everything in our capability to defeat this menace, but we lack the resources to defeat the enemy. Our best estimate is that the fleet is comprised of several warships, and a wide-ranging assortment of other vessels, including oil tankers, cruise ships, yachts, and cargo vessels. The exact number of ships isn’t known, but we suspect the fleet rivals that of D-day. Most of those vessels will be heavily armed with weaponry they have captured over the past several years.” When the voice grew silent, Patricia shut off the recorder and sat down.
“That D day reference is implying that there could be up to five thousand ships in the fleet. Could this be some sort of prank?” Jim asked.
“I can only tell you that we do know the message came from a known ham radio operator in England. Over the years, we’ve heard this man contact a few friends here in the States. From their conversations, we also know the man is highly regarded,” Patricia explained.
“Did those friends respond to this message?” Jim asked.
Nodding her head in the affirmative, Patricia said, “Two radio operators heard him and they did respond. Both told the man they would try to get word to the peacekeepers, and they subsequently contacted the ham station we operate at Base 1. The base operator thanked them for their help, and then contacted me in the Peacekeeper. He had already intercepted the broadcast and recorded it. He sent me the message.”
“Alright, what are your thoughts on the matter, Pete?” Jim asked.
“We have no choice, but to take the warning seriously. There’s too much at stake to do otherwise,” Pete said without hesitation.
“Tim?” asked Jim.
“I agree. If a significant fleet of heavily armed ships arrives off our coast, the results could be catastrophic.” Tim paused for a moment, and then he said, “I also think it’s time that we consider whether or not to garrison Washington D.C.”
“Are you thinking that the pirates think they can take the city?” Jim asked in surprise.
Shrugging, Tim responded, “I doubt they know just how easy it would be to take the capital, but do we really want to take a chance on them looting our national treasures?”
“Hell no!” exclaimed Pete.
It was an open point of contention within the council. In the recent past, Pete had suggested they recover many of the national treasures in Washington for safekeeping, but Jim and Tim had felt the treasures were probably safer in their vaults and museums in the abandoned city.
“Alright, we can come back to Washington in a moment. First, we need to get some things ironed out regarding the approaching fleet,” Jim said.
“You’re right, Jim. We need some firsthand information,” Pete observed.
“Do we send the Arizona?” asked Tim. He had wasted no time in bringing up the matter that was on everyone’s mind. All present remembered the story Jack Wilcox had related about testing a new ship over the ocean and encountering a massive fleet that fired on his ship.
“If I may speak, I have something to add to that portion of the discussion,” Pol said.
“Your opinion is always valued, Pol,” Jim said.
“Thank you, friend,” Pol responded. Sitting back on the bench seat, Pol began by saying, “I think we all remember Captain Wilcox’s references to his near death visions. While I realize that we don’t all take such matters as a given fact, I would remind you all that the similarities of that vision and what we know of the approaching fleet are remarkable. I also have a confession to make. After Jack revealed his vision, I made several changes to the planned design of the ship that makes the Arizona the logical choice to send on a scouting mission.”
“Oh? What sort of changes, Pol?” asked Tim.
“The additional battery beneath the upper deck, stronger armor, a more powerful weapons package, six drones rather than the two I’d originally planned, and she’ll float,” Pol said this last with a grin.
“Float? Pol, do you mean the Arizona wouldn’t sink if she landed on water?” Tim asked.
“She wouldn’t, as long as her hull was intact,” Pol clarified. “And she has the strongest hull in the fleet.”
“But she’d be dead in the water and a sitting target for the fleet,” Pete observed.
“Ah, but no, my friend, she won’t be dead in the water. I equipped her with an emergency stern drive. It will steer sloppily, but the Arizona will be able to navigate on the sea at a speed in excess of anything she’ll face in the opposing fleet. They will out maneuver her, because of the sloppy steering issue, but she could easily out sail the fleet.”
“All that’s well and good, but she’d lose a significant advantage by landing on the sea and operating as a naval vessel,” Jim observed.
“Yes, Admiral, that is true,” responded Pol. “However, I should also inform you that by landing and operating as a naval vessel, she can continue to prosecute the battle long after she’d have to withdraw to recharge. You see, the drive system won’t be supporting the full weight of the Arizona, so it is used simply to provide forward momentum.”
“And according to what I can understand of the math, the majority of the energy drain goes into providing lift,” Jim said with a smile. “Pol, you’re a genius!”
“In this case, I believed Jack’s vision. I wanted to do what I could to prepare the ship for the encounter. I didn’t run all these improvements past the council. I should have. I’m sorry,” Pol said.
“Nonsense, Pol. Don’t apologize for that. Years ago, you were granted full council approval to design the ships as you felt best, provided we could acquire the materials in a realistic and timely manner,” Pete said.
Pol nodded his acceptance of what Pete had just said, but then he said, “Based on what we now know about the incoming fleet, I want permission to laminate the strategic areas of her hull with another layer of Huxley alloy.”
“How long would that take?” asked Jim.
“Twenty-four hours, once she’s on the ground at Base 1,” Pol responded.
“Gentlemen?” Jim asked Pete and Tim. He was seeking their opinion on Pol’s suggestion.
“I say do it,” Tim said. “The Arizona will be the first peacekeeper vessel they encounter. They can’t possibly know the full capability of our ships, so letting them think our entire fleet is that tough, has definite strategic advantages.”
“Agreed,” stated Pete. Then he added, “Provided we can get her there today. I don’t want to wait until the fleet is just off our coast to meet them.”
“I agree,” Jim stated firmly. Looking to his brother, he said, “Please have communications send the message ordering the Arizona to Base 1 at once.”
“Are you going blind, Jim? Patricia’s sitting beside you,” stated Tim with a quizzical expression on his face.
“This is your ship. I didn’t want to presume to issue orders to your crewmen in your presence,” Jim explained.
“That’s crazy. This is an emergency. We don’t have time for such nonsense. Besides, you’re the ranking officer here. As Admiral, you have every right to issue orders to the crew. So for the duration of this emergency, let’s save time and take the direct route,” Tim said.
“Alright, we’ll do it your way,” said Jim. Turning to Patricia, he said, “Contact the Arizona. Brief Jack on what’s happening. Tell him we want the Arizona at Base 1, as soon as possible.”
“Is that all, Admiral?” Patricia asked when he paused.
“No. I also want you to contact Captain Young. Tell him I want the Constitution at Base 1, on the double. Then alert the Havana base. Inform them of the recent developments. Tell them to plan to patrol their sector of the sea soon. I’ll get back to them on the details later. Also, get the Detroit base on the line. Tell them I’ll want half their fight
er wing shifted soon. Their orders will follow in a few hours once we get organized. Then, contact all the rest of the peacekeeper air bases and pass along that same message.”
Jim smiled as he watched Patricia using shorthand to take notes on the communiqués that he was ordering sent. He had missed working with his sister-in-law who was always efficient. He found it a pleasure to be working with her again.
Looking up, she noted the warm smile on his face and returned it with a grin of her own. Then she efficiently repeated the messages that he wanted sent and asked, “Will that be all for now, sir?”
“Yes, Lieutenant, and thank you for keeping up,” he said in reply.
“Do you see how much time we just saved?” asked Tim.
“Yes, and I’m afraid you’re right. Before this is all over, there won’t be time to consider pleasantries when the time comes to issue orders.” Then Jim cursed and said, “I should have told her to radio the base and tell them I want lifejackets issued to the crew of the Arizona when they arrive.”
“I’ll make a note of it, Jim,” Maggie said.
“Thanks, and while you’re at it, please act as secretary for the duration of this meeting. Take notes on orders we’ll need to issue in the immediate future.”
“Jim,” Pete said with a slightly embarrassed expression on his face. “Maggie’s a doctor.”
“I know, Pete, and being secretary is really beneath her station, but this is an emergency. I didn’t think she’d mind.”
“Of course I don’t mind,” Maggie stated. Then seeing the expression on her husband’s face, she blushed and said, “Oh, I see.” She placed her pad on the table and shoved it toward Pol. “Read my note, Pol,” she stated.
Pol picked up the note pad and stared at it for several moments. “Oh for God’s sake, Pol, you’re holding it upside down,” she said in exasperation.