Tango delicately toggled a thruster. “Jensen?”
Jensen triangulated their rate, noting a slight decrease. He nodded. The bridge sat back to see if the distortions abated.
After two shifts passed and few reported hallucinations, the fleet breathed a sigh of relief and settled into their new travel routine.
Talk of mutiny drifted away as all ships embraced their new lives. The black hole slowly became a distant memory, although a painful one for too many.
***
“Guided missiles, flak bombardment, rail guns, laser beams…” Across the table, Chet’s finger tapped out a list of space weapons and ported over detailed illustrations and information to the others at the table.”
“Armed drones,” added Carter as he entered the operation area and plopped down between Trajan and Jacob.
Trajan raised a hand in welcome. “Hey, Carter. I just got a message from the captain to look out for you.”
Carter nodded and scanned the group. “Elise mentioned that you were creating a defense system, and naturally, I thought of drones. She asked me to run my ideas past you guys. Appears you’re in charge of putting together a defense. Abbie has harped continuously on how useful drones are for delivery. She’s built a whole system on Bright Dream that can deliver any item, including vegetables fresh from the farm. Those drones can be quickly reconfigured to carry some sort of laser or kinetic mass and then deployed against hostiles.”
Jacob’s brows knit. “Like flying machine guns?”
“Good analogy. I can program drones to target and track missiles and destroy them.”
“Abbie? Are you talking about Abigail?” Chet leaned forward. “Can’t remember the last name, but I’ve heard of her. Black curly hair, dark eyes, real pretty, but a dedicated scientist. A couple of guys I know tried to romance her but couldn’t shake her loose from her work. You ought to check her out, Carter. She’s your type. You’d make a cute couple, and you have a lot in common.”
Carter jerked around. “You can shut up now.”
“What d’ya mean? I only mentioned a pretty girl. For your own good, you should at least meet her.”
“I have. She’s my sister.”
“Oops.” Chet leaned back. “Ah, now it makes sense.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Chet shrugged. “Robots, dedication to work, single … sound familiar? All that focus must run in the family. I don’t see a girlfriend hanging around you.”
Trajan grinned. “Well, Captain Fujeint is known to be quite focused on her job, and unfortunately gets distracted by various “lab” projects.”
“Involving the mad doctor?” Chet grinned. “I heard something about that. Gossip, mostly, huh?”
Carter let out a snort.
Jacob’s head swiveled back and forth between the three.
Trying to get the conversation back on track, Trajan turned to Carter. “Whatever relationship you and the Captain have is your own business, not mine.”
“We’re close friends, Trajan. Nothing more.”
Chet grinned. “Ah, so you are the other guy causing all the rumors that I hear about the Captain.”
“Well, you’ve heard wrong. I wish I could say otherwise, and I entertain high hopes for a romantic relationship with her eventually, but certain parties keep interfering.”
“The doc!” exclaimed an enlightened Jacob.
“Back to talking about a weapons system that I hope to build before old age sets in,” Trajan reminded them.
“Too late.” Jacob smirked.
Trajan glared at him.
As Chet opened up blueprints and a list of materials for various ideas, he asked, “Where can we store this system? Have you talked to Elise about where to put it?”
“Jimbo wants it near engineering.” Trajan smiled at Carter.
Carter groaned. “That man has wanted to expand his territory for years, and now he has the perfect opportunity. We need someone to put a leash on him.”
Trajan slapped down a hand. “Mika! She knows weapons, and Jimbo likes her. She’ll get him under control if we can get her on our team. Study what we have here and text your thoughts. We’ll meet next shift at 2:00. Meanwhile, I’ll talk to Mika.”
***
On the bridge, Jazz tapped her board. “Commander Reardon on your private line, Captain.” She raised her eyebrows.
With a nod, Elise linked in. “Yes, sir.”
“Elise, there’s a rumor I heard that you’re arming your ship. It has quite a few captains in a flutter. Captain Jing Chan Takato, in particular. Those Asians distrust you Americans even more than we Euros.”
Elise shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Sir, if we ever encounter hostile aliens, we have no defense.”
“That’s because we’re an exploration fleet and not a military one …although The Valiant follows a hierarchical style of government. Those German and Baltic states always liked their brass buttons and shiny guns. Elise, we have been exploring this galaxy for more than two hundred years. Granted, you were in cryo most of that time, but there is no record of an encounter with any aliens, much less hostile ones. I don’t see a need to arm your ship.”
“I understand, sir, but there are a lot more worlds out there. Billions that we haven’t explored.”
“Right now, the nearest target would be another ship, and I don’t want a fight started in the fleet.”
“I have no intention of starting one. It’s just …”
Reardon interrupted her, “Any creation of weapons must be stopped or be completely top secret. Do you understand me?”
Elise cleared her throat. “Somewhat, sir. Any weapon we build must be kept top secret?”
“Exactly. We are stretched too thin for any more conflict that could result in deaths. Radiation sickness took out ten percent of the fleet, so we are awash in youngsters, which is proving a challenge. It’s a baby boom greater than the one after World War II on old Earth. This crop will think and act differently, and our generation will struggle to adjust. It’s already happening.”
“Humans are flexible creatures. We’ll need that quality when we reach a new world.”
“Have you heard that your DNA has been used in the making of a male?”
Elise jerked upright. “Excuse me?”
“One of Luttrell’s doc buddies on The Valiant got a hold of your DNA and successfully created a male version of you. I queried Captain Schmitt who told me he supported the experiment.”
“What!”
“Several captains died in the pandemic. We already have one clone of you, and Luttrell wanted to experiment with a male version who they could train to be the captain of The Valiant.”
“I’m going to kill that man.”
“Now Elise, you need to play the long game here. I actually support the idea. We still have to see if the kid survives, and if he’s even capable of handling the position. But if he’s your clone, chances are he will.”
“I still plan to strangle both Luttrell and his scientist buddy.” She clenched a fist and got the attention of the bridge with her outburst. Three pairs of eyes targeted her. She swiveled around, turning her back to them.
“Think of it as a great compliment.”
“Oh, please.”
The Commander sighed. “Go easy on the man. He’s saved the fleet several times. He’s a genius. We need him. Besides, you love him. You won’t kill him.”
She snorted.
“Okay, that’s enough quality advice for now. Commander Reardon out.”
Jerking forward in her chair, she shouted, “Jazz, give me Dr. Luttrell at once. I don’t want to hear that he’s busy or indisposed. Even if he’s in the can, I want him on the comm, ASAP.”
Jazz spun around and started rapidly punching buttons. Before long, she pointed to her headset, indicating that Dr. Luttrell was online.”
“Luttrell here. What is it, Elise?” He sounded disgruntled.
“I just heard the most outrageous rumor. Someone
said you have created a male version of me. Please tell me it isn’t so.”
“Ahh … I told Reardon not to tell you, but that fool went ahead anyway, didn’t he?”
“Abort it, John.”
“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. It’s out of reach on The Valiant and more than six months old. Too late. They’d have you up for murder.”
“What!”
“Leave it be, Elise. The kid won’t be you, but they need your qualities of intelligence and temperament in a few years to captain their ship.”
“If you ever do anything like this again, I swear I’ll make you pay. We discussed the need for permission first, and now you’ve gone and …”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, but it had to be done. Please, forgive me. It won’t happen again. You do know about Jennie?”
“Yes.” Elise tried to modulate her voice into a more authoritative tone. “You need to get approval before you randomly clone whomever you please.”
Another big sigh greeted her. “That was what the list was for. Signing the list gives permission. Jacob wasn’t related to Jennie so he really shouldn’t have a say, but I asked him anyway because of their relationship. He was thrilled. It’s given him a new lease on life. Now, with Abbie from The Explorer to distract him and the weapon program taking up lots of his time, he’ll soon be back to his old irritating self.”
“You’re creating a stewpot of personalities that the fleet will have to accommodate. You need a genetic engineer with a background in psychology to work with you and evaluate how the various personalities will get along before you clone just anyone.”
An exasperated snort came through her headset. “I have two genetic engineers and three psychologists already working with me. Elizabeth, Sally, and Nancy sift through psyche tests and background data before we create any clone. Kurt and Harry are expert geneticists. The Valiant reflects a strong male bias. Their culture is patriarchal. They need a brilliant captain like you, but would never tolerate a woman giving orders. A regendered clone was the perfect answer. Besides, I wanted to know if I could do it.”
“Appears you can.”
“Yup. Twenty to thirty years from now, it will be interesting to see how he develops.”
“I’m going to kill you with my bare hands; I really am.”
Chapter 33
Putting the Past Behind
Jacob cast a secretive glance at Carter’s sister, Abbie. Nice, he thought. Recently arrived, she had ignored him, so consequently, he was intrigued. He saw that she shared her brother’s serious face and passion for work and had a no-nonsense attitude that didn’t abide fools. She reminded him of Jennie.
The sudden memory of her brought on a wave of grief, but it no longer overwhelmed him as it had in the past. That made him feel guilty as if he betrayed her memory, but the agony was fading. Watching Abbie’s intense face surrounded by dark short curls distracted him from dwelling on a past he couldn’t change, and he began to imagine a hopeful future.
“Wake up Jacob. You’re daydreaming again. Doesn’t that child ever let you sleep?” Abbie tapped him on his arm and wrinkled her nose at him.
He blinked, his thoughts returning to the present. “I like Jennie to be home with me, but no,” he rubbed his tired face. “I don’t sleep much. She seems to bounce right up out of the crib as soon as I put her in.”
“You need a babysitter.”
Trajan sauntered in. “No, what the man needs is a wife.” He tipped his head toward Abbie with a grin.
Jacob flinched, unable to conceal his irritation at Trajan. Abbie was shy, and he didn’t want to bulldoze her into any situation that she might not want. He’d heard several men had tried already with little success.
He didn’t want to be one of them. Using finesse was the key to the relationship–if only he wasn’t such a bull in a china shop. So, he frantically tried to shift her attention away from Trajan’s uncomfortable comment. “Ah, this part needs to be tightened. It’s too loose.” He pointed to a connector.
Abbie peered in and waggled the piece while he glared over her head at Trajan.
“Seems a tight enough fit.” She looked up, catching their exchange and raised her eyebrows.
Ignoring her quizzical expression, Trajan consulted his comm. “Amanda is trying to start a coffee shop near the commissary and wanted me to ask you two to try it out. She would appreciate your feedback. I have a coupon I can transfer to you.” He waved his comm at them.
Abbie pushed back a dark curl and gazed guilelessly at Jacob. “Hey, that’s sounds great. I could use a break and some coffee. How about it, Jacob?”
Jacob stared down at a stained shirt that he’d meant to wash, but instead had spent the time with Jennie. “I’m dressed kinda casual.”
With his new project demanding so much of his attention, he and little Jennie didn’t get a lot of time together. The nursery took good care of her, but it wasn’t the same. He didn’t want to abandon her like his dad had done to him, so he made a special effort to spend as much time as he could with her. Besides, he enjoyed their moments together. They were precious.
Loud voices preceded Chet and Carter’s arrival. They were wrapped up in an argument over the kind of projectiles needed to insert into the drones. At the sight of Jacob and Abbie, Carter’s frown deepened.
With a tilt of his head at them, Trajan said, “These two need a break. They promised they would bring us coffee after Jacob changes his shirt.” He smiled innocently at Jacob and handed him some money. “Go now, you two.” He pointed at Carter. “He wants cream and sugar, and I take mine black.”
“Like his heart,” Chet responded. “And I’ll have mine with sugar to keep me sweet.”
“Mission impossible,” Carter muttered.
As he left with Abbie, Jacob heard Carter whisper, “You don’t have to be so flagrantly obvious about it, Trajan.”
“What? Whatever are you talking about, big brother? Stop being so protective. Jacob’s okay. In fact, he’s perfect for her.”
***
Elise tapped a finger on her lips, trying to think. Commander Reardon had indicated that hostilities had abated, but heading into an unknown star system, she still wanted to have some means of defense on board.
Scans revealed several planets in the system, but only one carried a breathable atmosphere and a reasonable temperature. In addition, water was abundant. At first, that was a huge plus. But on closer inspection, it might contain more liquid than they wanted. Magnetic interference within the extensive cloud cover made it hard to observe the surface of the planet. So far, all they had observed was water.
Carter strolled onto the bridge, shaking his head. He handed Elise a plastic cup of coffee. “Hey Captain, that ex-guard of yours is turning into a matchmaker.”
With a smile, she accepted and sipped the offered coffee. “Well, it worked out so well for him, he wants everyone else to be happily married too.”
A serious expression settled across Carter’s face. “When are you going to find marital bliss?”
She rubbed the rim of her cup. “It’s hard to be both a competent captain and a good wife. This new star system consumes all my attention, and I don’t need the added complication of a husband.” She sighed. “I may never be able to settle down and get married. It’s not on my radar at the moment.”
Carter pursed his lips. “Well, you do need to eat. Have dinner with me, at least. I’ll not ask you to marry me right now, but put on your radar to consider.”
The comment startled her. Was he proposing marriage? Her brows wrinkled as she considered the idea and found it intriguing. “I’d like dinner tonight. As to your other idea, let’s hold on it for the moment. However, I’ll give it serious thought. Ask me properly, and I might surprise you.”
With raised eyebrows and a tilt of his head, he finished his coffee and pitched it into the robot’s basket. “Okay, I’ll do that. How about I come get you at your place at the end of fourth shift?”
As the three-fo
ot, canister trundled by on its way to disposal, she dropped her cup in too. “I’d enjoy that. Maybe you can get me up to speed on your program to arm the robots.”
A flash of dismay crossed his face, and then he pulled out a smile. “Sure.”
At the helm, Tango muttered, “Doesn’t always have to be about business.”
“Tango, you say something?” Elise leaned forward.
“No, Captain. Just minding my own business.”
Elise leaned back and drawled, “Well, that makes for a refreshing change.”
***
Elise and Carter dined in her stateroom. Pushing her food around with a fork, she muttered, “I thought we would’ve discover more planets in this system.”
“Didn’t Jensen find any more?”
“No, just five. The farthest out was an ice planet. Next one was a medium size gas world with rings and ten moons. After that, another small gas and two terrestrials. The terrestrials look pretty hammered, except for the second from the sun. They’re battered because, unlike Earth, nothing as big as Sol’s Jupiter protects them from incoming space junk.”
Carter picked up his wine glass and took a sip. “I heard one of them has promise.”
She nodded. “The second one in from the sun has an atmosphere of oxygen and nitrogen that contains the right mix for breathable air. It’s in the Goldilocks Zone of not too hot and not too cold.”
“What about water?” He crossed his arms.
“That might be a problem. In the areas where we could peek past the magnetized cloud layers, we saw lots of it.”
He pursed his lips. “That sounds good. Where’s the problem?”
She rubbed the table unconsciously with her hand. “We thought all that water was good at first; but now, we suspect there could be too much.”
Shifting his shoulders, he looked confused. “How can you have too much water?”
“Jensen can’t find land. The green and brown we thought was land looks like it might be shades of various water levels, or possibly plant life, maybe algae. The Commander is entertaining second thoughts about landing.”
“I see,” he said, “A world with constant cloud cover means no sun and too much rain. Food won’t grow without dirt. They’d starve.”
A World Too Far (Terran Trilogy Book 1) Page 18