Teardrops In The Night Sky (Steven Gordon series)

by Murison, J W

  Matt nodded, ‘he accepts your apology; however he requests that you stay back from his command consol while I’m near it. Neither does he want you to touch anything on board him again.’

  Andy held up his hands in supplication, ‘you have my word that I will never touch you again without your express permission.’

  Matt nodded, ‘ok let’s go.’

  Andy followed matt through to the bridge where he initiated the transfer of materials they had already stored and told Stevie what was happening on the way.

  It took about half an hour for the ship to repair itself. Matt replaced the drive coupling and they made their way back to his own ship with Andy hard on his heels. By the time Matt sat Andy down to a meal and a coffee, he had caught Andy up on their adventure so far.

  Andy eyes had taken on a determined look, ‘I want to join you.’

  ‘Ain’t as easy as that Andy.’

  ‘Come on, who’s the best damned engineer you know after yourself?’

  ‘You are.’

  ‘So can’t you put in a good word for me?’

  Matt shrugged, ‘I can try, but I’m not promising anything.’

  ‘Better than nothing I suppose. So what's this Captain guy like?’

  Matt shook his head, ‘I don’t really know him yet, none of us do I suppose, except for his number two, Buzz Anderson and that Colonel Howe.’

  ‘Yeah but do you like him?’

  ‘Aye, I do. He seems to know what he’s doing, has a special empathy with the ship, that’s why it chose him as Captain.’

  ‘The ship chose him?’

  ‘Aye so they say.’

  ‘You said he isn’t an American national either?’

  ‘Nope, Scots like me.’

  Andy grinned, ‘that must really stick in the Presidents craw.’

  ‘Like a Louisiana chicken bone.’

  Andy laughed, ‘serves the shit right.’

  ‘You don’t like the President?’

  ‘Not really, or more to the point I don’t like some of the orders he’s been giving me since he took office.’

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘He doesn’t seem to have much of a conscience. Like this job, I told them after I watched the tapes I didn’t think I could do much good and they should just sit back and wait for the scientists to finish their job first.’

  ‘They didn’t listen?’

  ‘Do they ever? All they ever want is results and they want them yesterday.’

  ‘You should never have left us Andy.’

  He shrugged, ‘I was bored, looking for a little adventure. You were asked before me, why didn’t you go?’

  ‘I wasn’t bored.’

  Andy laughed, ‘I should have known, but look at you now. You can’t tell me this isn’t the biggest adventure to hit mankind since we first crawled out of the ooze.’

  Matt waved his coffee mug in his old friend’s face, ‘what did I always tell you, everything comes to he who waits.’

  Andy laughed, ‘you’re a shit.’

  ‘So you always told me.’

  Andy took another sip of his coffee, ‘God that feels better. All we got was water and something that tasted like grass, made us all puke.’

  Matt grinned, ‘it was grass. Turns out the previous hosts were herbivores. The ship had thirty different varieties of alien grasses on board.’

  ‘No wonder we puked.’ A more serious look entered his eye, ‘do you know where they took Mary?’

  ‘Why what's your interest?’

  ‘I just want to know how she’s doing. That’s a proper Lady that is, happily married with a kid. Didn’t know she had two though, only mentioned the one to me.’

  A twinkle appeared in Matt’s eyes but Andy never spotted it, ‘bit strange, what did her son do?’

  Andy shrugged, ‘a security guard at the institute; was a genius until he was fifteen. Then he took his mate’s bike and ran it under a truck, almost killed him. Never mentioned this one though.’

  ‘The captain you mean?’

  ‘Yeah, well he called her Mum; bit strange though, was as though she never recognised him. Maybe he’s the black sheep of the family. Must be a pisser being rescued by the errant son and him the new captain of an alien space ship.’

  Matt couldn’t take any more and burst out laughing, ‘the Captain isn’t the errant son dimwit, he’s her only son.’

  ‘Can’t be! He was only a security guard and disabled.’

  ‘Well he isna disabled anymore. So I would watch myself around the mother if I was you.’

  ‘Hey!’ Andy protested, ‘that’s a proper lady, so watch your mouth you Scots git.’

  Matt stood laughing, ‘come on, let’s go see if we can find her and get you a shower and change of clothes, you stink.’

  Andy stood and clutched his stomach, ‘actually do you think you could find a toilet first, one that’s not four feet off the deck.’

  Matt roared with laughter, ‘aye, I think we have a few that’s already been modified.’

  Steven’s voice came over the intercom, ‘listen in everyone. We are now heading back to the asteroid belt so the other ship can take on board essential minerals and ores. Once we are finished there, we will head back to our spot on the Moon.

  It’s been a long day so I would advise everyone to try and get some sleep. There will be someone on duty all night, and everyone will eventually be given shifts. If you haven’t been informed yet then you aren’t on watch. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, so good night and sleep tight.’

  Steven retired to his own quarters but never went straight to bed. His mind was hungry for information and the ship had set up a small workstation for him. He sat for hours working on complicated mathematics that had never seen the light of day on Earth.

  His study was interrupted by a cautious call. The ship informed him that the Chief Engineer wanted to see him on a private matter. This was the one part of the ship that no other member of the crew could enter without his express permission.

  It was the first time any of the crew had been in his personnel quarters, and Matt tried not to stare. Andy was hard on his heels and he noticed the Captains mouth pull down a little at the corners. It didn’t bode well.

  Steven stood up and indicated for them to take a seat and sat in the easy chair opposite. Matt sat down but Andy had to feel around a little. Matt pulled him down.

  Steven began the conversation, ‘what can I do for you gentlemen?’

  Matt made his pitch, ‘sir I would like to sponsor Andy Myers for a position on board this ship.’

  ‘Would you now?’

  ‘Yes sir.’

  ‘And exactly what position would you like to sponsor him for?’

  ‘Assistant to the Chief Engineer.’

  Steven could see both men were nervous but he wasn’t going to make it easy on either of them. He smiled but it never reached his eyes, ‘and why on Earth would I possibly want to do that?’

  Matt took a deep breath, ‘because he’s one of the best damn engineers you'll ever meet.’

  ‘I see, I though you assured me when you came on board that you were the best damn engineer on the planet.’

  Matt shifted uncomfortably, ‘I am sir …’

  Steven sat forward aggressively cutting him off in mid sentence, ‘then why the hell would I want second best?’

  Andy tried to put his own case forward, ‘sir if I may…?’

  ‘No you may not, once I have listened to my Chief engineer’s petition, then you may say something on your own behalf but not before. Now Chief you were saying?’

  Andy sat back with a sinking feeling in his gut; there was no way this man was going to take him on, but Matt wasn’t finished, and he was growing angry, ‘sir this is one of the finest men I have ever worked with. Not only is he capable of doing everything I am, he is also the best I have ever came across at backward engineering, a skill we are going to be in great need of.’

  Steven sat back, ‘my main concern
is the morality of the man, not his skills as an engineer. He is after all an agent in industrial espionage. To whom does such a man pledge his loyalties?’

  Sweat beaded on Matt’s forehead, this wasn’t going well at all, ‘I can’t answer that sir. All I can say is that he was loyal as a friend and as a friend he is the best that any man can get.’

  ‘Do you have many friends Chief?’

  ‘Very few sir I am very particular to whom I offer my friendship.’

  Steven eyes swivelled towards Andy, ‘so what have you got to say for yourself Mr. Myers?’

  Andy sat forward, ‘I work for my Government sir. I will admit I sometimes found the work I did as distasteful, but I carried out my duty.’

  ‘Duty, that is a word that humanity loves to use to cover up its crimes Mr. Meyers, did you ever refuse to carry out that duty?’

  ‘No sir.’

  ‘Did you ever have to take life while on those missions?’

  ‘On a number of occasions.’

  ‘Innocent lives Mr.. Myers?’

  Andy paused before answering, ‘yes sir.’

  ‘I presume you were only doing your duty, Mr.. Myers?’

  Andy looked him straight in the eye, ‘I’m not going to sit here and try and validate my actions; I will only say that I never took any life needlessly, and only took life when that of my own or my companions were directly threatened.’

  A cold smile played across Stevens face, ‘as from say … security guards?’

  Matt visibly cringed, but Andy never baulked from the question, ‘yes sir.’

  Steven nodded, ‘your orders were to procure technology from these ships, in any manner possible I presume?’

  ‘That’s right sir.’

  ‘So how would I know that you weren’t still on that mission, and the moment our backs were turned you would run back to your masters with as much as you could carry off?’

  ‘It would be a waste of time; we don’t even have half of the materials necessary to begin building a ship like this. They just don’t exist on Earth.’

  ‘That’s true, but in time and with understanding, I’m sure you would be able to backward engineer, some of the ships systems, things that could be hugely profitable back home.’

  Andy shrugged, ‘possibly, but why would I want to be sitting on my butt at home when there’s a whole universe out there just waiting to be explored.’

  The truth of his statement shone from his eyes. Steven paused for a moment as though considering a point. ‘That leaves only one thing to discuss Mr. Myers, the simple fact that the ships don’t really like you. You hurt one of them and they have a really long memory. Why should they trust you now?’

  Andy shifted uncomfortably, ‘I understand their concern and have already apologised to the other ship. He did accept my apology, but if they don’t want me near them then I will understand and abide by their decision. I will also promise for the remaining time I am here not to touch any of their systems or try to take anything off the ship.’

  Steven paused again before answering and Andy suddenly realised he was listening to the ships and their concerns. ‘I will tell you something now Mr. Myers, if we accepted you as a member of this crew, then I would expect your complete and unquestioning loyalty, to this ship, to this crew, and to me. Do you see these bracelets we wear?’

  ‘Yes sir I have noticed but no one would tell me what they’re for.’

  ‘These are small factories; they produce nanobots which they inject into the blood stream. They perform many different functions, one of which is to place an implant on our optic nerves so we can actually see the insides of the ships. These devices regulate the behaviour of the nanobots in our blood stream. Without it they could kill us. Slowly I believe and with much pain. The ship itself supplies power to the unit to keep it functioning, after six months or so away from the ship the system will slowly wind down and become inoperative, they will wind down the nanobots putting them into a form of hibernation.

  There will be only one punishment for treachery aboard this ship Mr.. Myers, banishment. If you are banished I will have the unit switched off or removed not wound down. Are you beginning to get the picture Mr. Myers?’

  ‘You mean you will leave the active nanobots in my blood stream without direction.’

  ‘That's right; they have enough power for about seven days, long enough to tear your body to pieces from the inside out. They of course can be removed, not that we have the equipment to do that yet and I can assure you even if we had I wouldn’t. Do you understand?’

  ‘Yes sir.’

  ‘Does it dampen your enthusiasm a little?’

  ‘Not even slightly.’

  They waited for a few minutes, while the ships finished discussing the matter with Stevie. Although he never spoke a word both men realised he was communicating with them directly.

  Eventually his eyes focused back on Andy, ‘Ok Mr. Myers, you’re in.’

  Both friends jumped up laughing and shook hands with one another.

  Matt was delighted, ‘welcome aboard mucker.’

  ‘It’s gonna be great working with you again Andy.’ He turned to Steven and offered his hand, ‘thank you sir, may I ask what swung it for me?’

  Steven stood and took the offered hand, ‘my mother actually. She told me how you saved her life and how you conducted yourself afterwards. That was enough for me Mr. Myers; however the ships had their own concerns.’

  Andy had a flash of intuition; the roasting had been a test of his moral fortitude, not his moralities. He was glad now he’d answered every question honestly.’

  ‘Thank you again sir.’

  ‘If I was you two, I would try and get some sleep now.’

  They left Stevie alone and he decided it was time he turned in too.

  Chapter 28

  It was strange waking up to the lunar landscape, but Steven got up with a cup of coffee and soaked it all in while he drank it. He emptied his mind for a few minutes just enjoying the scenery, but then thoughts slowly began to creep in.

  She had provided him with a small toilet suite, and although she assured him there was plenty water he only took a short shower. His big surprise came when he went to shave. She had told him there was no need for razors because she had removed all the hair follicles from his face, but it somehow still came as a surprise and he found he was beginning to miss the ritual already.

  He warned her not to do it to anyone else before getting their express permission. The uniform he had hung up the day before was now as fresh as the moment he had put it on. On quizzing her he found that the nanobots had been hard at work while they slept.

  He spent another hour with her discussing some of the things on his mind before she announced Buzz’s arrival. He met him with a grin and got him a coffee. They sat quietly for a few minutes enjoying the scenery.

  Buzz put his cup down first, ‘I like your quarters Stevie.’

  ‘Yeah me too, what are yours like?’

  ‘A little smaller, but my outside wall becomes transparent too. It’s really cool.’

  ‘Has every room got that kind of view?’

  ‘Seems to; so what are we going to do today?’

  ‘Try and get some kind of dialogue going with the authorities back on Earth.’

  ‘We’re gonna have bit of a job there. Have you heard the latest news from Earth?’

  ‘No not yet.’

  ‘The President has threatened sanctions against any nation that helps us. Colonel Howe, his men and any other American, if captured will be tried for treason. The rest of you will be tried for crimes against the United States and there’s some huge rewards being offered.’

  ‘How much are we worth?’

  ‘You’re worth two million, the rest of us one and the capture of the ships a billion apiece.’ There was a bitter tone to his voice.

  ‘That’s a fair amount Buzz.’

  ‘It means we probably won’t be able to trust anyone. That’s a lot of money Stevie.�
��

  ‘Any good news?’

  ‘Yeah the Prime minister of Scotland told him to piss off.’

  Steven laughed, ‘really?’

  ‘Yeah seems your people are all as proud as punch of you. Trouble is the Presidents already threatening an embargo of all Scots goods coming into the country.’

  ‘Not so good. Is our website ready to go online?’

  ‘Yeah but they want us to get closer to the planet first. Less chance of the data stream being corrupted or something.’

  ‘That’s a good idea. We can sit just outside Earth’s atmosphere and do it. We shouldn’t have any problems there.’

  ‘What else have you got in mind Stevie?’

  ‘A few things, but first I want to discuss it with some of the others.’

  ‘Like our command elements you mean?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  Buzz grinned, ‘so who are our command element?’

  ‘God knows, because I don’t.’

  Thirty minutes later Stevie’s room seemed crowded. Ideas were slung back and forth for over an hour but eventually a plan of action began to form. Another hour passed before they finalised everything, but when they left everyone knew what they were going to do.

  Steven went up to visit his mother. Her wounds were almost completely healed, but she wasn’t in a good mood.

  She scowled at him, ‘what do you mean the ship won’t let me join you?’

  Steven grimaced, ‘sorry Mum, the ship says it’s a no no.’

  ‘Why not? I thought these ships were originally built for families.’

  ‘Yes they were, but after what happened to the last crew, they aren’t prepared to let that happen again.’

  ‘That’s not fair Steven, your father and I will both want to come.’

  ‘I know Mum, and Dad will be as mad as you are but they’re not going to let it happen.’

  ‘I’m not mad just disappointed. What about the other ship, won’t it take us on?’

  ‘No because they always travel in pairs, what happens to one normally happens to the other. So they’re not having it.’

  ‘That stinks Steven.’

  ‘I know Mum but all is not lost. You'll have your day in space, both of you I promise.’