by Knox, Barry
“Who are you? And where am I?” Dr. Bailey demanded
“That’s Doctor Pettway, and I’m Captain Bowser. You’re aboard the United States SRS Stephen Hawking,” Mary said as she walked to the edge of her bed. “I’m sorry about taking you and your son the way we did, but under the circumstances, which I’m sure you won’t agree with, we had no choice.”
“I insist my son and I be returned home!” Dr. Bailey yelled.
“Sorry, but that’s not going to happen, Doctor.” Mary paused for a second and added, “Maybe after the mission, we’ll be allowed to take you and your son home.”
“That’s unacceptable, Captain!” Dr. Bailey said.
“Doctor, if I were you, I’d take some time and think about your situation. I was just briefed by the mission commander who took you. His firsthand assessment of how the New Kalgoorlie government takes care of its citizens sounds atrocious. I bet there’re thousands of citizens in New Kalgoorlie who’d give everything they own to be where you and your son are now!” Mary said in a stern voice.
Dr. Bailey said nothing and continued to hug her son.
“There’ll be a mission briefing for you at ten hundred hours,” Mary said, using a lighter tone. “Doctor Pettway will escort you to the mission control center.”
Dr. Bailey looked at Captain Bowser and snapped, “What if I don’t want to go to the briefing or participate in the mission? What’ll you do with me and my son? Eject us into space?”
“It’s your choice if you participate in the mission or not, Doctor,” Mary said. “If you choose not to participate, you have my word that you and your son will be treated well and taken care of. Unlike New Kalgoorlie, the United States doesn’t force anyone to retire if they don’t want to or can’t participate.”
Mission Control Center, SRS Stephen Hawking
1000—February 26, 2372
Dr. Harper, Dr. Jones, and Dr. Kastriva were seated at the mission control center’s small conference table when Dr. Bailey and Dr. Pettway arrived.
“I’ll take your son back with me to sick bay. I’d like to do a complete physical on him, if that’s okay,” Dr. Pettway said.
“No, Doctor,” Dr. Bailey snapped as she held her son closer, “I won’t be separated from my son again.”
“Very well, Doctor Bailey. Let me know if you change your mind,” Dr. Pettway said and walked out.
As soon as the door closed behind Dr. Pettway, Dr. Kastriva blurted, “Doctor Bailey, I want you to know I was completely against your being taken against your will! I refused to help with your abduction.”
“Thanks for telling me that, Doctor,” Dr. Bailey said as she sat at the table with her son. “Now, tell me why I’m here.”
Dr. Harper briefed her about the mission for an hour, and then he and the other doctors answered her questions for another hour. Dr. Bailey was amazed by what she had heard and learned. Though she was still upset about being abducted, she realized this was the most important expedition she’d ever be a part of. Their findings would be known as the most significant discovery in history, and she’d be remembered as one of the scientists who participated. As she was thinking of glory and fame, the mission control center door opened, and Mary and Gideon entered.
“Doctor Bailey, I hope you’ve chosen to be a participant,” Mary said as she sat in a chair beside Dr. Bailey. Gideon remained standing since all the conference table chairs were taken.
“I’ll participate, and I hope you’ll ask your government to take me back to New Kalgoorlie after the mission is completed,” Dr. Bailey said.
“Certainly, Doctor. I’ll ask that you be returned home after the mission, if that’s what you want for you and your son,” Mary responded.
“I’m not sure why you’d want to go back there,” Gideon said with sarcasm.
Dr. Bailey looked at his green marine jumpsuit and immediately knew he was the marine in charge of her abduction. “I have a life and job there, Lieutenant, with responsibilities and duties just like you,” she answered curtly, paused, and then added, “And since I was taken against my will, my government will welcome be back, and I’m sure I’ll be promoted to a scientific directorate post and maybe be awarded the National Hero Medal.”
“That sounds fine, Doctor. I hope this mission is successful and you’re welcomed back home as a hero and awarded a new job,” Gideon said, gave her a smile and added, “Try not to be late for work on that new job. I’ve seen what happens to workers and their families who don’t show up for work on time.”
Lieutenant Klaxton’s Quarters, SRS Stephen Hawking
2035—February 26, 2372
Gideon sat at his desk, working on details for the upcoming mission to acquire Dr. Qasim from Planet Leonis. He knew this would be the toughest of all the missions to obtain the three scientists. Though the Council of Czars had sent a message allowing the Stephen Hawking into the Leonis system to pick up a replacement scientist, Gideon decided the entire mission would be handled as a black operation mission. He didn’t want to risk the scientist, marines, sailors, or the Stephen Hawking as they had on Gliese.
So far his plan was rather simple: The Stephen Hawking would arrive just outside the Leonis solar system and approach the outermost planet in stealth mode. Then the extract team would use Bernice to slip past space defenses and land on Leonis at a predefined LZ, where they’d make contact with the agent. After talking with the agent, they’d locate Dr. Qasim, acquire her, and leave. He’d take all his able-bodied marines again and possibly Sipes. As he continued to work on the details, there was a knock on his door.
“Enter!” Gideon said.
The door to his quarters opened, and Joseph walked in. The big man stood at attention and reported as the door closed behind him. “Sir, Petty Officer Third Class Joseph Sipes reporting as ordered.”
Gideon was pleasantly surprised to see that Sipes was at least reporting per regulations. “At ease, Sipes.”
Joseph went from attention to parade rest, and his usual smile crossed his face. “Anna told me to report to you, sir. What can I do for you?”
“Sipes, I’m putting together the details of the mission to obtain Doctor Qasim from Leonis. I’ve included you in the mission, but I want to make sure you’re up to it, especially after you hesitated to obey my orders on Corot.”
Joseph looked confused and replied, “Sir, I don’t remember that. I thought I did everything you told me to.”
Gideon shifted in his seat, thinking how to best explain. “Sipes, when I told you too pick up Doctor Bailey; you should’ve picked her up and said anything. I know you’re not a marine, and I’m making allowances for that. But while we’re on a mission, you must do everything I or another marine orders you without question, comment, or hesitation.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I was going to pick the doctor up, but I was just concerned about her son and wanted to take him too. I didn’t want to leave him,” Joseph said as he hung his head.
“Sipes, taking the baby or leaving the baby wasn’t your choice. It was mine. You have to do what I order you to do, even though you might not like it,” Gideon said. “Will you do what I order you to do on this mission? If not, tell me now.”
“I’ll do everything you order me to do, and I won’t wait or say anything about it,” Joseph said as he raised his head.
“Very well. If you don’t have any questions, you’re dismissed Sipes.”
“Sir, I do have a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Sir, I’m confused. You told me not to take the baby, but then you told me to take the baby. Why’d you change your mind?”
“That’s not your concern, Sipes. I’m responsible for the mission, and if I say leave the baby, you leave the baby. And if I say take the baby, you take the baby. Understood?”
“I think so, sir,” Joseph answered, saluted, and then left.
Petty Officer Joseph Sipes’s Quarters, SRS Stephen Hawking
0247—February 27, 2372
Joseph
sat in snow-white sand by a creek and watched crystal clear water flow by slowly. It was late spring, and the midafternoon sun was warm, and birds sang as they flew about. Every once in a while, a fish would strike at a bug floating on the surface of the slow-moving water.
As he sat on the sandbar and enjoyed the view, he couldn’t help but think he’d been here before. There was something about this place that was special. While he was thinking about the place, he heard people talking behind him, and he turned around. He saw several people walking toward him down a trail that led to where he sat. His grandma was leading the way. She was young and smiling as she approached him. Joseph stood as she neared, and she hugged him.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Joseph. This is a very special time for a special event,” she said.
“Grandma, this place looks familiar, but I don’t know where I am. Where am I?” Joseph asked.
“You’re at the creek where you came to many times when you were a child,” she answered.
“Who’re all those people with you? And what’s the special event?” he asked
“These are some of the people you helped save on your mission, and they’re going to show everyone how happy they were to be saved,” she explained.
Joseph looked at the crowd but didn’t recognize anyone. He said, “Grandma, I don’t remember saving anyone here.”
“There’re many here you never met, but you did help save them. Celebrate with us,” she said.
The group of people began singing a sweet song as they approached the water and waded in to their waist. Joseph again hummed along until he awoke.
Captain’s Quarters, SRS Stephen Hawking
0920—February 27, 2372
“The plan makes a lot of assumptions,” Mary said after she finished reviewing Gideon’s mission details.
“Yes, it does, Captain,” Gideon said. “I have very little current intelligence about the Council of Czars and Planet Leonis, and I don’t have any information about Doctor Qasim. The only thing I can do is minimize the risk to the Stephen Hawking and the success of Mission Origin View by planning the extraction where only my marines and I are expendable. If we’re not successful, you should be able to complete Mission Origin View without us and Doctor Qasim.”
Mary thought for a few seconds, “You’re right, Lieutenant. We were lucky on Gliese. I don’t think we could get away as easily from Leonis. Here are the LZ coordinates for our agent,” she continued as she slipped a data card across her desk to him. “His code name is Vaniah. Two hours before you leave, Stephen will send an encrypted message to Vaniah. He should meet you at the LZ when you land. Use sign ‘Zeeb,’ and his countersign will be ‘Wolf.’ After that, it’s up to you. If you and your team aren’t back in twenty-four hours, the Stephen Hawking will depart the system and continue its mission.”
“Yes, sir,” Gideon said.
“Lieutenant, if you don’t get a solid lead on the location of the doctor or you feel you’re sacrificing your men on a mission that can’t succeed, abort the mission and return. Is that clear?” Mary said in a more authoritative tone.
“Yes, sir.”
Marine Armory, SRS Stephen Hawking
1453—February 27, 2372
The marines were checking their equipment for their mission to Leonis. Gunny Xia oversaw their preparation and had ordered the marines to carry full weapon ammo and power packs along with explosive charges and grenades. He had already briefed the men to prepare for anything and to expected heavy resistance.
“Sipes!” Xia yelled. “You’ll be caring plastanium breach patches and extra explosive charges and grenades. If you don’t keep up with us, we’ll leave you behind. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Gunny,” Joseph said.
“Do you think a fat, stupid, poor excuse for a sailor like you can keep up with us if we have to pop smoke and leave fast?” Xia asked.
“Yes, Gunny. I can keep up,” Joseph said.
“Gault, make yourself useful and help this lard-rear-ended squid pack the extra charges and grenades in his pack without setting something off and killing us all!” Xia bellowed as he turned to Gault.
“Sure, Gunny,” Gault replied from his wheelchair and began rolling himself toward Joseph.
“Sipes, hand me a crate of charges and a crate of grenades, and I’ll show you how to pack ‘em in your armor rucksack,” Gault said in a polite tone. Joseph retrieved the crates and placed them by Gault. “Open your rucksack,” Gault requested as he reached for the charges first. Joseph opened the rucksack attached to his armor, and Gault started loading the charges and grenades.
“The charges are the safest to store and can be banged around. The grenades, on the other hand, are a bit touchier. It’s easy to accidently pull a pin if you’re not careful,” Gault explained, and he began to pack. Joseph watched for a while, and then Gault allowed him to finish packing the explosives as he supervised.
“Corporal Gault, front and center!” Gideon yelled as he entered the armory.
“Sir!” Gault yelled back and rolled himself over to Gideon.
“You’ll be in the Triple C during the mission. I requested you be there to advise the captain if something comes up that she might want some clarification on,” Gideon ordered.
“Yes, sir,” Gault said, paused, then said, “Sir, permission to speak freely?”
“Go ahead,” Gideon said.
“Sir, I don’t need some make-believe job to make me think I’m useful. The captain knows how marines operate; she doesn’t need me,” Gault said.
“The captain does know how other marines operate, and you know how I operate. You and I have been together since our first green ops team assignment. You know me, and if something comes up where the captain might question what’s going on, I want you there to tell her what you think. You might just save our lives. Got it, Corporal?” Gideon said as he stood akimbo, looking down at Gault.
“Yes, sir!” Gault responded with a smile.
“Gideon,” Anna said in his ear. “Captain Bowser asked that I advise you that we’ve arrived in the Leonis system and the message to Vaniah has been sent. The extract team is scheduled to depart at twenty-two hundred.
“Send the captain an acknowledgment that we’ll be ready,” Gideon said.
SRS Stephen Hawking, Leonis System
2200—February 27, 2372
Bernice exited the Stephen Hawking hangar bay doors and immediately went into stealth mode. A gas giant blocked the light from the Leonis system sun, and a brief flash could be seen as Bernice engaged her main engines and set a course for Leonis. As Bernice rounded the gas giant, Sergeant Tidwell and Gideon noted the beautiful violet color the gas giant reflected from the distant sunlight.
“Here are the LZ coordinates,” Gideon said as he pulled out a data card and handed it to Tidwell. Tidwell took the card, inserted it into a data card port, and used his console to read the data.
“LZ coordinates loaded. Time of arrival, sir?” Tidwell asked.
“Zero hundred hours,” Gideon answered.
Tidwell entered time of arrival, and Bernice’s AI calculated a course vector and prompted Tidwell to initiate it. Tidwell selected the vector, and the AI engaged the BHP drive. A small black hole appeared in front of Bernice as the main engines switched to antimatter.
“On course, ETA zero hundred hours,” Tidwell said, “Let’s hope the Council of Czars Space Forces hasn’t upgraded their defensive sensors lately to detect disturbances in the time-speed dimension. If so, this could be a short trip.”
“I don’t think they have the resources to upgrade. Since the last war, they’ve only had time to beef up their defenses around Leonis itself,” Gideon said.
***
In Bernice’s cargo bay, Gunny Xia, Staff Sergeant Manelly, Sergeant Kindle, Staff Sergeant Mucha, and Petty Officer Third Class Sipes took off their combat helmets and settled in for the two-hour flight. Mucha laid his head back against the fuselage, trying to get some sleep, while Manelly
and Kindle read letters from home on their forearm Anna display. Xia kept his helmet in his lap, trying to repair a minor audio problem his helmet diagnostic had reported.
Joseph pulled out a data card from a utility pouch and plugged it into one of the two data card ports on his forearm Anna interface. The display showed the data card plugged in and listed its contents. Joseph selected his book and began to read. He had been reading a story about a woman whose husband had died, and she was going with her mother-in-law to live with her and her family in another country. He thought it was sad she had to go through so much sorrow and hoped things would get better for her.
“I didn’t know the navy trained retards to read. Or do you just want us to think you can read?” Xia asked.
“I can read. I’ve been reading since grade school,” Joseph answered, not realizing he’d been offended. “I’ve got another copy of the book on another data card if you want to read it.”
Xia just sat, shaking his head from side to side as he began working on his helmet again. He muttered, “You’re so stupid; you don’t even know when you’re being insulted!”
Joseph thought for a second and realized Xia had called him a retard. “Gunny, my grandma always said I was a little slow about figuring out things, especially when people were picking on me. I think I just got used to it, and it stopped bothering me.” Joseph paused for a few seconds and added, “You can still have a copy of the book to read if you want it.”
“I’ve got better things to do than read a first-grade reader!” Xia replied and continued working on his helmet.
***
Bernice slipped through space in the time-speed dimension until it reached the Leonis inner moon, Loona, and then exited the dimension. Bernice remained in stealth mode as its speed began to slow to enter the atmosphere of Leonis. Tidwell’s combat display started identifying and displaying hostile targets. The planet was surrounded by combat ships and stationary combat platforms. Bernice weaved through the traffic and began to enter the atmosphere. The stealth technology allowed Bernice to enter the atmosphere without being seen or detected. A complicated formula using an assortment of cooling agents, friction retardants, and armor camo technology embedded in her outer skin allowed Bernice to have a cool and an invisible entry.