Family Law 2: The Long Voyage of the Little Fleet

by Mackey Chandler

  Captain Fenton was really loosening up to joke over comm.

  The only thing worrying them was the alien. It didn't leave. Offering no further radio traffic and it's hatch closed now, it was still a looming massive presence.

  "Mr. Wong," Probity said in unusually formal tones. "Might I see the note you made about the vase now? Or is it to remain a mystery?"

  Wong passed it over. A bit of a stretch but neither had to leave their station.

  "The vase will be like new and we won't have any idea how," It said.

  Probity looked at him funny. Wong could have rewritten it easily, but he didn't think he'd do that.

  "Thank you Mr. Wong," Probity said, and passed it back. Nobody else asked to see it.

  * * *

  Lee assured Talker she could take him to the bridge without formally asking Gordon's permission. "I own two thirds of the ship and offered to buy Gordon out anytime he wants. I guess I can jolly well have a guest on the flight deck if it pleases me."

  "A week? Can you really cram enough stuff in two ships that fast to last you a year safely?" Gordon asked on hearing Talker out. "Do you even have all the things you'll want to take on Far Away? I know it's been settled a few years but it's still the edge of your frontier in this direction, right?"

  "The things for which we'd have to wait are people," Talker explained. "Look, I've looked up the words and expressions I need for this conversation very carefully. I spent longer researching this than we'll take to discuss it, because I wanted to express it well. Lee opened my eyes to a lot of the psychology involved."

  "Is that why you are here with her?" Gordon asked, giving her a bit of a fish eye. "Has she become an unspoken advocate to your interests under your influence?"

  Gordon noticed Lee looking at Ha-bob-bob-brie at the com console. He'd have to discuss that with her later too.

  "Yes, she has a certain, what do you call it? I thought I was ready," he said, exasperated. but stopped and studied his computer. "She has declared friendship not just to me but I see by her actions with my daughter. Also, she has a certain economy of expression," he finally said. "She may also help me express myself clearly. She's getting better at Trade than I am with English," he admitted.

  "She can cut right to the heart of a matter," Gordon agreed. "Did she however advise you to have her present?" he asked.

  "Gordon! Would I do that and not just say so right up front?" Lee said, indignantly.

  He considered it briefly. "Probably not. You just plow straight ahead and have no patience for sneaky, but you may need to learn how some day. On occasion it does have value.

  "You haven't discussed this with Prosperity?" he asked Talker.

  "I lack trust in Prosperity at this level. Prosperity might have divided loyalties outside your fleet. I'm afraid I'm the one who wants to be sneaky today," Talker admitted. If ever Gordon was certain a Badger looked embarrassed, Talker was now.

  "Indeed? And why do you look so upset over it? Is it so foreign to Badger culture to be a little – circumspect?" That word made Talker go back to his computer.

  "So many synonyms," he sighed. "If I were dictator I think I'd make it a law that there can't be more than six words for a thing. Surely that would be enough?" he asked.

  Gordon just waited for him to get to the point. Obviously he was avoiding doing so.

  "Are you recording this?" Talker asked abruptly.

  Oh-ho. That was a shift. Gordon lifted an eyebrow theatrically. A learned human gesture but very effective.

  "I'd like to speak... "

  "Off the record?" Gordon asked.

  "Exactly!"

  "For whom are you speaking off the record?" Lee asked. Talker looked a bit stricken.

  "See what I mean?" Gordon asked. "I bet you didn't even ask yourself that yet, did you?"

  Talker shook his head no as he'd learned. Saying nothing aloud.

  "We are recording it because we put all our conversations with you into the data base to be processed and improve the translation program. Would you like to disconnect for a bit?" Gordon asked.

  Talker nodded his head yes.

  "Thor, we'll be going to my cabin to have an intimate little conversation," Gordon informed him. "You have the watch. If the star goes nova or the Biters attack with a massive fleet you may disturb us."

  Thor looked at each of them in turn with a sour look, unhappy to be cut out of the loop. "I'm glad you are taking a chaperone," he said, nodding at Lee. Talker was checking his computer as they left.

  * * *

  Gordon's cabin was luxurious for a star ship. That meant it was about enough room to park a ground car and a private bath just big enough for a Derf to turn around to use the shower although he kept banging his elbows on the walls. About a half meter smaller and he'd have to back out and turn around to get the other side wet. He called for a steward to bring coffee and some Badger safe snacks and they waited until that was left before starting a conversation that would have just been interrupted.

  After the steward left Gordon got in his clothing drawer and got a shallow tin, and a small case.

  "High Hopes, disable all recording of this cabin until notified from the bridge I wish it to resume."

  "All recording terminated," the generated voice said.

  "Computer, we wish no sensor output from this cabin whether recorded or not," Lee added.

  "I must advise you that creates an unsafe condition for fire and requests for help," the AI said.

  "See? It still had a mic feed out even if it doesn't archive it in records," Lee said. "Computer, verify instructions. This is Lee Anderson, password delta, delta, bingo, top."

  "Verified and processed," it acknowledged.

  "Computer, send emergency medical aid to the captain's cabin," Lee said.

  There was no response.

  "Just to make sure... I don't think it is smart enough to lie to us by omission. But still... " Gordon said. He dug a wad of silicone putty from the tin. One small blob he pinched off and stuck over a mic hole on his comm console. The larger part left he squashed over the camera lens above. Then he unfolded the little case and pressed a power button. A grid of nine lights blinked yellow until one by one they all turned green.

  "OK, I'm pretty confident we have privacy," Gordon told them. "Would you pour?" he asked Lee.

  "I like coffee," Talker said after a sip. "But this is so good it doesn't even need syrup."

  "This is my private stock, not ship's instant," Gordon informed him. It's upland estate Fargone beans, ground right before they're brewed. It was twenty eight Fargone silver dollars a kilo when we left, so it damn well better be better than instant."

  "Those are the fifty gram coins you had?" Talker asked Lee.

  "Yep. Fine silver too. Not nine tenths like Earth coins."

  "Thank you, it's an experience." He sighed. "I want to ask a favor," he directed at Gordon.

  "Really? And it has to be a secret?"

  "Yes, for several reasons. One is selfish. If I did it on my own I'd be 'ruined' as you said, Far Away is the frontier. Bluntly, I'm Speaker, but in the larger picture I'm a minor official in the boondocks. Do I have that usage right?"

  "Yeah, boondocks, sticks, country. You have the sense of it."

  "So, knowing all sorts of high powered politicians are scrambling to cut each other out and get here to go back with you or at least send their handpicked deputy... If I managed to make us leave early, and leave them behind, can you see it would be a problem? My career would be over. I'm sure my father's reputation and estate would be harmed even though I hate to admit to you that Badgers can be that petty and vindictive. Not to mention it would confirm Lee's worst expectations about any government. That's the selfish part."

  "Wanting Lee's good opinion is selfish?" Gordon asked.

  "Yes, in..." he made a big sweeping gesture.

  "Ah, the grand scheme of things, we'd say."

  "Thank you. I like that expression. But I feel it also serves both my species
and our associated species. Or races in the vernacular."

  "Yes, I've given up fighting that usage too," Gordon agreed. "By associated species do you mean the ones you knew before we arrived or all of us now?"

  "I meant the old ones, but I was about to expand it to include you too. I think the people we have now to send are practical people who will get the job done to protect us from the Biters and blend our cultures without serving their egos first. The people coming from the home world... I'm afraid they are more like what Lee described as the norm for Earth. I mean, why do you think we are out here on the frontier? We had our fill of the crowded home world and regulations and the rigid mentality. How do you think things would be working out between us if instead of you – Fargoers and Derf mostly – we were dealing with Earth Humans?"

  "Slowly, at best," Gordon admitted. "My own clan Mothers had to negotiate an end to the war we had with them recently. Instead of addressing issues they mostly want to engage in ritual... " He stopped and looked at Lee. "Well the usual terms a sailor would use are so vulgar I don't even want to say them in front of Lee."

  "Why Gordon. You're always trying to expand my vocabulary," she objected.

  "There are better directions to expand it," he assured her. "Your point is well taken," he told Talker. "We are probably more like each other on the literal fringes of our cultures. But if it will be so damaging to send the expedition off without the bureaucrats isn't it just putting off the damage until later when they'll try to dismantle it and put their own imprint on it?"

  "If I do it yes. But if the crazy aliens who they have never met and are probably afraid of dictate it, what can they do? What can I do? Just make the best of the situation. After all they are terrifying huge carnivores with devastating weapons. I'd just have to make nice-nice as best I can." He made a gesture of both hands thrown up in frustration that had to have been learned.

  "Rrrrright," Gordon growled halfheartedly, and made a pathetic little mincing claw swipe in the air. Nice-nice is in our data base?" Gordon wondered.

  "Lee used it actually. The Bills use a double word for emphasis so it had a familiar ring."

  "So basically you want me to be the bad guy so it doesn't fall on you?"

  "That sounds so harshly judgmental... but yes, please."

  "They'd be smarter to be afraid of Lee, but I can see I'd be an easier sell. I've seen misdirected blame work well on other occasions. Fine, I'll do it."

  "It's really," Talker started to say, and then stopped at Lee's single index finger held up.

  "Once you've sold something – shut up – all you can do is mess it up and undo what you have accomplished," she advised him.

  Talker nodded mute agreement and re-booted his thoughts.

  "I'll issue a note to you and the station authorities saying we leave in seven of your standard days, and get your butts in gear or be left behind," Gordon told him. "Blunt enough?"

  "That will work. I'll try to get them to commit a third ship to go with the idea in mind it can be sent right back within a week or two to carry news of how our early negotiations and deals go," Talker said.

  "Send the Dart if you can," Lee suggested. "I was told they have fuel mining gear just like our ships and she is fast. The sooner they get back here with word things are progressing, the less chance they will send a follow on expedition that might mess things up."

  "I'll make sure Captain Henry on Murphy's Law knows he should obstruct and generally be a pain in the butt if they try to get him to quickly lead a second expedition after us. He'll stand on his orders and be unpleasant about it too. Let them think we're generally disagreeable. We'll, as you say, save the nice-nice for you." Gordon said. "He's a good man, he'll follow the script as ordered without being part of our conspiracy."

  "Oh neat. I don't think I've been part of a conspiracy before," Lee said, smiling.

  * * *

  "Why?" Prosperity asked waving the printout he'd brought along in his hand. "This isn't what we arranged. It's very disruptive. How can we plan anything if the deadline keeps moving up?"

  "Be glad he didn't give you an hour deadline," Thor said. "I'm not comfortable with that great hulking spaceship sitting there watching us. The sooner we're gone from his sight the better as far as I'm concerned. I keep wondering if he's waiting on friends, or if the Biters will come do something stupid that will entangle all of us with them like almost happened before."

  "I honestly had grown accustomed to them observing us. They haven't done anything all this time. I don't see what would make them act differently now," Prosperity said.

  "Just let me say, it's different when you have the burden of command. I've had a small taste of it," Thor told him. "You don't risk ship and crew on casual assumptions and ignore unknowns. If it wasn't really important to keep the start we have with these new people, I expect we'd be headed for jump in the time it takes to sound the acceleration warning."

  "You won't say anything to Gordon about it then?" Prosperity asked.

  "You want me to try to influence him? If I were to say anything at all, it would be – "Are you sure you don't want to bug out of here right now?"

  "Thank you for the perspective. I'll prioritize and get whatever I can accomplished," he decided.

  And what is Gordon's real program? Thor wondered. That must have been a very interesting meeting in his cabin. If he wasn't telling him yet he must not need to know to support it. He'd just done that pretty easily hadn't he? It was a horrible itch not to scratch, but he was sure he'd find out in time. Should he ask Lee what was going on? He considered briefly. Very briefly. Yeah, and look to Lee like Prosperity just had to him? – Right after I take up Russian roulette for a hobby, he thought.

  * * *

  "Sync your clocks with Brownie while we are at rest to each other," Gordon told them. "He'll give you our vector and projected jump time. We won't do a close mass jump with this mob like we do alone. You can spread out at hundred kilometer gaps. If you are really sloppy about timing that spacing may give you a thump, but it won't do any damage."

  He said that mostly for the Dart, the Badger Deep Space Explorer Wonder, the Bill DSE Green, and the mixed crew freighter Cash Only. His boys knew the drill. Gordon gave a nod to Ha-bob-bob-brie that they were ready.

  "Far Away control, departing at intervals on filed flight plan by your leave," Ha-bob-bob-brie said very formally, but in English. It was his first act of duty in his new job. It was amazing they had progressed to good enough translation programs to follow normal traffic procedures on their first departure.

  "On your own clock count, Little Fleet. Be careful out there."

  That was a nice homey touch. I wonder who told them we say that at home? Gordon wondered.

  The High Hopes led, and the rest followed and matched velocity and position. The clocks agreed again in motion. They boosted at a comfortable one point two G and the new ships seemed to be calibrated to their standards just fine. There was no unnecessary chatter and just a few comments on systems deviations. Nothing critical enough to prevent jump or make anyone turn back. The bridge crew had a light lunch at the normal time and would go off shift after jump without doing a long day.

  "Sir! System scan catching up with us. The Big Boy is maneuvering. Looks like he is going to follow us. Sending the feed to your screen," Jon Burris said.

  "Well, isn't that interesting?" Gordon said. "He'll catch up with us just about the time we're committed to jump. I'd say he has our capabilities and performance envelope figured out pretty well."

  "You think he intends to go with us?" Thor asked.

  "He has the legs to stop short after we're past the point of no return, but what would the point be?"

  "Oh, this is going to be fun when we pull into Derfhome and he's with us," Lee said. "People are going to absolutely freak out."

  "I'd be much happier about that if we could just talk with them a little bit," Gordon admitted.

  "He's with us for this jump. It's a stretch to assume he'll fol
low us all the way home," Thor objected.

  "Want to bet?" Lee challenged him.

  "You've been around the Fargoers too long. I could bet all my shares against you and you'd never notice the debit from your accounts if you lost."

  "Still, that's what he's going to do," Lee insisted. After she considered the problem a little she told Thor. "You're right, it isn't fair. Instead of a set amount, a tenth percent of our net worth," she offered.

  "Ha! You're on," he agreed.

  "Wow, look at him go," Brownie said. calling their attention back to the plot. They watched in wonder and silence for a long time, watching.

  The alien didn't follow them. It sprinted ahead on the same vector at impossible acceleration and jumped out ahead of them.

  "Well, I'd say we have an escort," Gordon said. Implicitly agreeing with Lee.

  "I have to talk with those guys," Lee declared. "I want a ship that can do that!"

  "Well, they like soft point pens and wool blankets," Brownie reminded her of the report. "A small gift can't hurt as the basis to open a dialog. They breath air and have eyes. If you ignore the tentacles and concentrate on the similarities surely you can communicate some way. Try sign language or sit and draw them pictures. They must be using those pens for something."

  "Yes! I'll start practicing. I mean, I can sketch a little, but I'll learn to do it better and fast to carry on a picture conversation. I'll want a link to them where we catch up."

  "Why such a rush to get a faster ship?" Thor asked. "It will be nice in time to have them. Now that we see it can be done we're part way there. Especially if that gravity plate turns out to let us do what we see them doing for acceleration. But the High Hopes got the job done," he said proudly, patting the console.

  "I'm fond of the High Hopes too," Lee assured him. "After all, it's been my home most of my life. But we bumped up against the Badgers and Company in this direction. The Caterpillars or whatever we end up calling them are also in the same general neighborhood out this way. If we go the opposite way to expand our frontier as widely as possible and find fresh open territory we have to cross the entire sphere of Human exploration before we even start to hit virgin territory. That's what makes sense to me, more than just going off at a different angle on this same side. We can do it with what we have now, but if we can get their tech to do it faster it will sure save us some time and effort."