“Out of communication is the term that will be best received and that is the one that I recommend we use!” Jolly emphasized his position. Half the crew was in the briefing room on the Command Level. Jolly was represented as a hologram, a young man not much different in appearance than Ensign Cain. He wore no rank, while Cain wore his gold bar along with his service award, the Space Star Second Class, which he had earned during training.
“People,” the mission commander, Master Daksha, said softly as he hovered near the end of the table. The Tortoid’s vocalization device captured his emotional tone properly, conveying that he was in command. “There’s no need to quibble over a single word. So we’ll make it two. We’ll say ‘cut off,’ as that is what we were. Had the boarders taken over our ship, we would have died on the planet without another word from you, Jolly, or anyone else aboard this ship. We couldn’t even tell you that we were okay.”
Everyone from the landing party was at the briefing: Daksha, Senior Lieutenant Pace, Cain, Ensign Ellie, the Wolfoid Gray Leaper, the Hawkoid Chirit, and the Lizard Man Ensign Peekaless. Those from the crew who stayed on the ship and actively engaged the hostile boarders were there, too. Other members of the crew would get a chance to provide input, but space was limited in the room and the commander wanted input from those who’d faced the enemy first.
Even the Hillcats were in attendance, but they watched indifferently. They might talk with their humans, but they didn’t care what any report said. Had they been wearing their collars, then they probably would have already left. Cain looked at Lutheann, the all-white ‘cat, and smiled. Their collars, the access bands that opened doors, had a way of mysteriously disappearing, which inconvenienced everyone else on board who had to open doors for them. But the ‘cats didn’t care in the least about that. Carnesto, a large, black male, sat by Ellie’s side, casually looking at the hatch and trying to will it open. Cain wanted the ‘cats to stay. Their presence comforted him. They were there when the Concordians tried to kill him. They fought side by side with him. So had others in that room.
“Cain, what’s your point? Abandoned, out of communications, or simply cut off, those are all trigger words of some sort. Why is it setting you off? Out with it. What do you want to say?” Captain Rand prodded, pointing with his biomass-printed arm. It had only been three weeks since his arm was ruined by a Concordian blaster, and he was still working to regain his motor functions.
Cain stood and looked around the table, nodding to his good friend, Ensign Brisbois, Briz as they called him. The Rabbit wore an ugly scar across his chest like a badge of honor. He’d been injured when a coolant tank ruptured, and Cain had saved his life, Ellie’s too.
“We need people trained in military actions, and we need the AI to support us, the good guys. No one serves in this military force unless they’re bonded with a ‘cat, and then we go to battle together. Wherever we go from here, no one is going to welcome us. We have to be ready to fight. That’s my point.” Cain exhaled loudly and sat down, not looking at anyone.
Master Daksha looked to Jolly and nodded. “You won’t get any arguments from us. We need trained and well-armed people who can defend us, or help us to protect ourselves, like you did on the planet.”
Cain nodded. If they had more blasters, the Concordians wouldn’t have had a chance. That’s what he thought anyway, but they had been outnumbered from the word go. The key to victory would have come from knowing that the Concordians would try to take the ship. More prudence and more information about the unknown was necessary before engaging with a potential ally. Cain was already putting together a standard operating procedure (SOP) in his head for potential first contact. It included more “verify” than “trust,” but it had to be that way. They’d lost good people on their mission because they’d been too trusting.
Cain was angry. The Concordians had killed DI Katlind. Cain and Ellie encouraged Master Daksha to visit the planet, supported a poor plan that split their resources. The DI fought back against the enemy, when all the people from Cygnus VII wanted was to make new friends.
First Contact. The first chance to fail.
Cain shook his head and clenched his jaw. He was done talking. Exploring the galaxy wasn’t safe, he’d made his recommendation. It was in the hands of others now.
Prepare to Enter Cygnus Space
The Cygnus-12 jumped into interstellar space beyond the Cygnus solar system, far beyond the sun’s gravity well. The crew continued their preparations for EM drive acceleration. They weren’t in a hurry, but they were. They wanted to put the mission to IC1396 behind them. The debrief would be an extensive affair that would inevitably change the strategic policies of the Space Exploration Service.
“Banking dark matter,” Briz reported to the bridge.
“Thank you. Are we in position, Ensign?” Captain Rand asked Ensign Peekaless, who worked with his monitors and systems for a few seconds before replying.
“We are,” the Lizard Man, called Pickles by his friends, said through his vocalization device.
“Lieutenant Chirit, if you’d be so kind, transmit the data packet,” the captain said, looking up toward the microphone pickups scattered across the ceiling. The crew would have heard no matter which direction the captain looked when he spoke.
The Wolfoid, Ensign Black Leaper, found human mannerisms amusing. He stood at the back of the bridge and waited for his orders. As aide-de-camp to Master Daksha, commander of the mission, Leaper, also called Stinky, was usually in motion, running from one issue to another, tying up loose ends, putting out virtual fires, and doing those things that the Tortoid directed him to do. His friends accused him of not having a job while he knew that he had bits and pieces of everyone’s job. He was constantly studying as he never wanted to let the commander or any of his crewmates down.
“Packet sent,” came the reply from the Hawkoid, Chirit.
“I’ll be in my quarters preparing the letters for the families of our fallen.” The Tortoid looked at the plaque on the bulkhead beside the hatch. Eight new names had been added. The plaque was never meant to cover the entire space, but it looked like it was heading that way. “I’ll work on our personal briefing for Admiral Jesper as well. Inform Ensign Cain that I’ll request his presence before we head into the well.” Master Daksha slowly swam from the command deck, opened the hatch, and turned toward his quarters. He was in no hurry to write “I’m sorry for your loss” letters to the families of those who were killed on a mission of peace.
Even if he had been in a hurry, he would have moved no faster. This was his speed. Tortoids were deliberate creatures, long-lived and deep thinking. Master Daksha was embroiled in his own thoughts. He’d overruled the captain and thrown caution out the airlock as he raced to first contact. They’d made contact and were probably lucky to have only lost a quarter of the crew.
Was it worth it? Daksha asked himself. That was what he’d have to justify to Admiral Jesper, the Commander of the Space Exploration Service.
Stinky had gone into the corridor with the commander to make sure that he made it to his quarters. As the Tortoid opened his door, he turned, knowing his faithful aide would be nearby. “That’s all for now, Black Leaper. If you could, please go talk with Ensigns Cain and Ellie. I need them to be okay with being on this crew. I need both of them and since they no longer want to be together, that is fine, a very adult decision, but I can’t have animosity. The captain and I have something in mind for each of them, great things, for all the SES, all humanity.” Master Daksha paused. He often gave motivational speeches, but that wasn’t what this was about. He was vulnerable and could see the crew split up, far more than just Cain and Ellie.
The captain had called the ship the widow maker. That wasn’t a catch-phrase that would bring new volunteers running. He didn’t want to start from scratch, but if the SES allowed him to be the mission commander for the next voyage, the next journey into the unknown, then he would begin afresh and recruit a new crew. It wouldn’t be the sa
me, though. They’d come too far together and were close, like a family, but as Cain and Ellie showed, sometimes families split up.
“Thank you, Stinky, for saving my life.” The Tortoid slowly entered his quarters, leaving the Wolfoid standing in the corridor.
“As you wish, Commander,” he replied to the closed hatch. That’s the first time he’s called me Stinky, Leaper thought before jogging toward the stairs. Cain would be his first stop. He took the stairs two at a time, sometimes three. Stairs were configured for humans, not Wolfoids, and he always found them a little disconcerting. He would have preferred a steep ramp. Maybe he’d ask the commander to recommend that to the shipyard for a future upgrade, but there was only one Wolfoid aboard. Lieutenant Strider had been killed when a containment vessel ruptured. It had happened a mere six weeks earlier.
They’d been gone for barely more than six weeks, but they’d traveled more than twelve hundred light years, and made first contact with a group that decided they’d rather have the people from Cygnus VII as their enemy. That didn’t turn out well for the backward Concordians. Their AI, Graham, was an ally and should Cygnus return, the only surprise would be how much pain the Concordian leadership would have to suffer before capitulating.
The wastewater processing area was where Cain could usually be found. He made runs through the entire freshwater flow as well, because they were shorthanded. When Stinky arrived, his friend wasn’t there. He opened his neural implant.
‘Jolly, where is Ensign Cain?’ he asked
‘Ensign Cain is in the spindle, engaged in repairs of a faulty pump inside systems shunt 7-138,’ Jolly replied happily. Leaper decided to join him there. One never knew how long repairs could take. He vaulted down the stairs and circled the small corridor of the spindle section until he found the one hundred and thirty-eighth radial.
“Cain! Look at you, hip deep into manual labor. What is the universe coming to?” Leaper’s vocalization device sounded flat and didn’t reflect the taunt properly. The Wolfoid shook his shaggy head.
Cain backed out of the access hatch so he could stand and look at his friend.
“What brings you into the bowels of the ship where only the insulbricks hang out? If you stay here too long, you might actually get your hands dirty!” Cain countered, although it was rare that anyone actually got dirty. The spaceship’s systems flushed the air completely every seven minutes, removing dust and particles. The machines were not lubricated with old-fashioned grease and oils, but with polymers and clear, manufactured fluids.
Leaper turned serious, looking down at the deck before speaking. “Master Daksha is concerned.” He didn’t know how to broach the many things that concerned the commander.
“About?” Cain asked, expecting that it was about him and Ellie breaking up.
“You know, you and Briz are getting First Class Space Stars, don’t you?” Stinky offered, seeing his friend’s discomfort.
“What?” Cain asked, surprised, confused, and honored all at the same time. “Then why is the commander concerned?”
“He doesn’t want to lose either you or Ellie. He wants everyone on the crew to return, but he’s afraid that the violence from his last mission was more than anyone signed up for. Well, anyone it seems besides you and the ‘cats,” Leaper said, looking into Cain’s eyes.
Cain chuckled. “That’s a relief. In that case, he has nothing to worry about. I think Ellie and I are better than we’ve ever been.” Cain slapped Leaper on his furry shoulder and continued, smiling broadly, “Neither one of us is leaving. This is what we signed up for, but I doubt she’ll join us in going to any more planets. She didn’t enjoy that at all!”
Stinky visibly relaxed, leaning against the bulkhead, sighing, and nodding. “I’m happy to hear that. The commander would probably like to hear that, too, directly from both of you. I think he’s afraid that he’ll lose his command if the crew bails on him. Your faith and commitment will go a long way in making him feel better. He’s writing the letters now, to the families of the fallen. He feels horrible,” Leaper shared.
“I’ll take care of it, Stinky. Don’t you worry, and tell Master Daksha not to worry. I can’t imagine flying on a different ship. I have a lot more to learn about this one. We weren’t gone long enough for me to figure everything out. Just between you and me, when we were cut off from Jolly, that scared the hell out of me. I realized how much I leaned on him. I think everyone was in the same boat, except for Briz because he knows all this stuff. I want to know it, too, as much as I can. Jolly is helping me study. It’s going okay, but I need more time!” Cain grabbed his friend’s hairy shoulders and shook him as he smiled. “More time, Stinky!”
“You are a lunatic, you know that, right?” Leaper punched his friend in the chest. “You better fix that pump before you’re swimming in black water in your new home.” Cain had moved some of his personal items to wastewater processing, his main work station. He slept in his acceleration couch, awkwardly, but whenever he was finally able to lie down, he was exhausted.
“You know I can’t be bothered with all that domestic stuff. We’re both better off this way,” Cain tried to joke, but he and Stinky knew that Cain considered himself a failure because of it. He was still trying to get his head wrapped around everything that had gone on since they left Space School. “I just need a little more time,” Cain reiterated.
“I understand,” Leaper said, sympathizing with his classmate and best friend. “By the way, the commander called me Stinky today.”
“Progress!” Cain shouted triumphantly, glad of the distraction. “Which is what I need to be making on this pump. Now go bother someone else since that seems to be your job.” Cain crawled back into the shunt and engaged the pump with new vigor.
I’m going to get the Space Star First Class! he thought.
Stinky was relieved. This group had fought together. In six weeks, they’d become the tightest crew in all the space fleet. At least that’s what Leaper thought, but he had limited knowledge of the fleet, only knowing one crew. If he didn’t think his crew was the best, then what kind of aide-de-camp would he be? He was much happier when he climbed to engineering, the third level of the spaceship’s core section.
When the hatch opened, he found Briz fully engaged with numerous computer monitors and multiple conversations. Ellie was running back and forth between her work station and one of the coolant tanks. Leaper saw the fresh repairs from the previous tank’s rupture. He bolted in.
“What do you need me to do?” he offered.
“Sit here and watch these numbers. They are within tolerance, but Briz and I think we can dial it in even tighter, make this thing hum!” she proclaimed. She wore a big smile as she worked diligently to improve the engine’s performance. Ellie adjusted settings and then ran farther into engineering, manually adjusting more digital instrumentation and flows. Leaper called out numbers as they changed. Briz interjected occasionally, but he was distracted by things he was working on.
Finally, Briz cheered and Ellie ran by to slap his hairy hand.
“Point-three percent improvement in efficiency while reducing shear stress by point-seven percent!” the Rabbit proclaimed while hopping happily from one foot to the other. His vocalization device registered his tone appropriately. Briz had worked with Jolly to adjust it and now it reflected his emotions in a nearly human fashion. He offered to work on Stinky’s, but they hadn’t found a time where it was convenient.
No time like the present. The Wolfoid removed his device and handed it to Briz, while switching to the mindlink that the team from Space School often used.
‘Master Daksha sent me here to talk with you—’ Leaper nodded to Ellie. ‘—because he’s concerned that you might leave the ship when we get back home.’
Ellie scoffed.
‘That was Cain’s reaction, too,’ he said, watching Ellie closely to see if she flinched or showed any negative emotions. He was surprised to see her smile more broadly. ‘Briz?’
�
��What are you talking about? Is someone trying to make me leave? I won’t give up my engines! Don’t make me get my laser pistol,’ he cautioned. They’d both seen him shoot at Space School and the instructor suggested that it was in everyone’s best interest if the Rabbit never handled a pistol or blaster ever again.
‘I think he’s worried about other members of the crew. No one signed up to go to war, except for Cain, maybe. He seemed right at home, and that was kind of scary,’ Leaper said. Ellie nodded knowingly, but she was proud that he’d lived up to the ideals of his ancestors. She was more engaged with her job in engineering and felt like her career was hers again. Plus, they hadn’t given up on everything. She made the occasional nighttime trip to wastewater, to see how he was doing, which always ended in raucous clothing removal.
Ellie had joined the SES to be a deep space explorer. She hadn’t wanted a family, but then Cain appeared in her life. She started to question her decisions and herself. With Cain’s revelation, she was crushed, but relieved at the same time. She felt more like her old self. With the addition of a late night visit every now and again, she felt like she had the best of all worlds. She also realized that the bed in her quarters on the Cygnus-12 was small and it was nice to finally have enough room.
She felt selfish, even though Cain told her not to. They were both putting their careers, the vision of their own futures, in front of everything else. Neither would be complete without at least trying to make the most of themselves. She saw her potential unfold in front of her, unlimited in what she could achieve. She couldn’t have been happier.
Cygnus Expanding: Humanity Fights for Freedom (Cygnus Space Opera Book 2) Page 2