Kendrick ordered Ronan, Mun and Jax to strip the three uninjured U.P.A. commandos of any armor and any possible weapons, and detain the uninjured men in the Pod Beta security station holding center, as Cyrus shuttled the one he had shot to the Med Bay. With the boarders dealt with, Kendrick propelled himself quickly to the other end of the Nexus to check on Lena. He was concerned, as she was no longer responding to her com. When he arrived, he found her floating, seemingly deactivated.
“Lena!”
He took her in his arms, checking her dataport to make sure she had not been disabled with an R.E.P. device, or an O.S.D. as had been the case with Heather’s sabotage. Thankfully, her port was free of any such devices. He opened her dataport and plugged in, locating her reactivation protocols and activating them. To his relief, she inhaled sharply, her eyelids fluttering. She began looking around, her gaze finally resting on his visage.
“My captain … I blacked out.”
“The G.A.I.S.F. — what happened to her?”
“I … I don’t know. I … I am sorry, my captain. I have failed you.”
“Lena, can you get us moving again”
“I cannot, my captain … I am still disconnected from the ship.”
“Let’s get to the bridge, Lena,” he said, offering his hand. “We’ll get you situated there.”
“Yes, my captain,” the gynoid replied, taking his hand.
He looked at her sidelong for a brief moment, her addressing of him as ‘my captain’ being out of place for Lena. Something in her eyes told him that there was something wrong, but he put it from his mind and propelled himself to the bridge, Lena at his side.
It did not take him long to get to his chair and take command, but by the time he did, it seemed that Keyes had bad news for him.
“Sir, the G.A.I.S.F. had not only escaped, but seems to have made it to the shuttle”
“The shuttle’s fried,” Kendrick noted. “Gifford’s saw to that.”
“Negative, sir,” Keyes replied. “She’s restored its power. We could give chase or fire, but we’d have to turn the ship to do so.”
The military grade shuttle was faster than anything in the civilian sector, having already made Mach-5. In the time it took them to discuss the shuttle powering up, it was already accelerating out of maser range. Giving chase was not an option; fuel spent going back for the Colonel and the time lost fighting Martins had insured that the Selene could make no further course deviations. Kendrick fumed for a few moments, then calmed. What difference did it make? The shuttle could not catch them, even if the G.A.I.S.F were so inclined.
“I’m sorry, my captain,” Lena demurred. “This is my fault.”
“It’s all right, Lena,” he replied. “We’re out of danger. You’re safe now, Lena, though your fight with the G.A.I.S.F. seems to have drained your reserves. Have you reconnected?”
“Yes, my captain.”
“Resume course for Earth. I think the worst is over,” Kendrick declared. “Lena, thank you; you stopped her; and if you hadn’t, she would have probably killed more than one of us. That was brave of you, Lena.”
She smiled sweetly. “I learned from you, my captain.”
Now that it was all over, the three uninjured U.P.A. commandos were locked in the Pod Beta Security station, Cyrus and Ronan taking turns keeping an eye on them. They seemed reasonable, particularly once they found that Captain Royce was not just going to space them or subject them to torture. The one who had taken gunfire had been stabilized in the Pod Beta Med Bay and would recover. The Selene had been returned to full functionality and was once again on course for Earth. Colonel Tracht, Captain Gifford’s and Commander Jax were still on the bridge, along with Kendrick, Lena, Keyes and Mun, making it crowded.
Carol Gifford’s had not known what to expect from Royce’s seemingly thrown together crew. Certainly, she had not expected Royce and his crew to perform so brilliantly under pressure. Royce thought on his feet and had indeed outmaneuvered one of the Alliance’s most decorated generals, escaping a trap that should have been impossible for him to get the Selene out of. Taking advantage of the ship’s heavy shielding to lay a trap invisible to thermal imaging had worked brilliantly. Like a military unit, the suggestion was made and the crew put it into action. This, in spite of the fact that none of them were naval officers and the captain had no military experience whatsoever. In addition, they had gotten the Phantasm back from Martins, a victory in and of itself. With the Alliance crew forced into stasis, the marines at the O.S.P. could board the warship and remove them with no danger to themselves.
“That was impressive work, Captain,” Gifford’s complimented. “You should be serving in the fleet.”
“No, I shouldn’t,” Kendrick replied. “But thanks to your colonel railroading me into it, it looks like I will be. I respect you, Captain Gifford’s, Jax too, but you think about what your colonel here did with Heather and what Fiona showed you in the stasis-chamber; you should know exactly why I didn’t jump to enlist.”
Gifford’s and Jax both nodded wordlessly and she wondered exactly what it was that Tracht had in mind for the civilian captain and his swift silver liner. Whatever it was, Tracht believed in it. Carol hoped that it was something she, too, could believe in. The marines and the fleet had been her life and her family, especially now that she and Donavan had declared their affections. Then they learned about cloning and learned that Donavan was developed artificially as the template for those clones, and about Heather; and Carol felt as though she had just been punched in the gut.
But, seeing Tracht work with Royce, Jax, and herself against the enemy, gave Gifford’s hope and she could see that Donavan felt the same way.
“So, Captain, how did you get the Phantasm to take off?” She had to know.
“I didn’t; it was Amanda who pulled that one off,” Kendrick explained. “She got back into the Phantasm’s system, then had their astrogation system plot a course for Mars. They’ll be on that trip for a couple of years at least!”
Keyes held up her hand and Kendrick high fived her.
Tracht nodded approvingly. “That was a daring piece of work all around. Been a while since I’ve worked in the field. It felt good.”
“I can see now why you wanted to recruit Royce,” Jax said to Tracht. “Too bad you had to railroad him into it.”
“Believe me,” Tracht retorted. “It’s better for him that I did.”
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
“In due time, Commander,” Tracht replied. “In due time.”
I hope so, Carol thought. I hope so.
Chapter 22
The Voyage Home
Gathered in the Pod Beta conference room was Colonel Tracht, Captain Gifford’s, Commander Jax and the now Lieutenant Dalrymple. This was Tracht’s meeting and the first time since coming aboard that he had summoned Kendrick for anything. But with the more than doubling of the crew and passengers, there were decisions to be made, as food stores would not hold them for a nearly one-year voyage at this point. Kendrick, brought Lena and Fiona with him, as instructed, the doctor in a wheelchair now that the exoskeleton was gone. They were not military, but they were part and parcel of the deal. Unlike the Pod Alpha conference room, this room had a traditional rectangular table and it was literally Tracht’s people across from Kendrick and his, with the colonel directly across from the captain.
“All right colonel, we’re here,” Kendrick said. “Let’s get this … whatever it is … started.”
Tracht laughed. “This, Captain Royce, is where you find out what the Promethean Project is.”
Kendrick looked at Lena and Fiona, who squeezed his hand under the table. This was the moment he had been waiting for. The captain only hoped that it would not be something that would turn his stomach.
“’Bout time you told me what it was I’ve been signed up for,” Kendrick said.
Tracht nodded. “I agree, so let’s get the preliminaries out of the way, shall we?” Witho
ut waiting for Kendrick to agree, he continued. “As of this moment, the United States Starfleet is commandeering the S.S. Selene. Due to the situation with food stores, Captain Royce, Commander Jax and Lieutenant Dalrymple will remain on deck, along with the gynoid. The remainder of the crew and passengers, myself included, will finish the voyage in stasis. The gynoid can take care of any medical issues that arise. Commander Jax will ensure that we are all awakened a month before arrival at the O.S.P.”
“Keyes won’t like that,” Kendrick mused.
“Keyes has no choice,” Tracht said.
Kendrick nodded; there was no arguing the point now that Tracht was flexing his military muscles. “Fine,” he said with exasperation. “Would you please tell me what it is we’re doing? What the Promethean project is?”
“Prometheus gave fire to mankind,” Tracht said as he stood. “He stole it from the gods and gave it to his creation, giving them an advantage over the animal kingdom. Fire, Kendrick. It isn’t an element, but it represents the gift of technology, that thing that man can use to reshape his world, to protect it, and to cook food and boil water. With fire, humanity gained a measure of control over their environment. The dark of night could now be pierced by the light, enabling humanity to venture forth, into the darkness.” Tracht looked directly into Kendrick’s eyes. “We will pierce the darkness, Kendrick. We will venture forth. The Promethean Project is nothing less than the opening of the solar system to colonization. We will first travel to Ceres, where we will establish an outpost in the asteroid belt.”
Kendrick nodded. It made sense to establish some kind of way point. He imagined a government controlled installation, rather like Atlas, but with laws and police. But where to after that?
“From there,” Tracht continued, answering Kendrick’s unasked question, “we make for Ganymede. It is the only moon in the solar system with a magnetosphere and it has an atmosphere of oxygen. The moon has water beneath the surface. These factors make it an attractive choice for colonization.
“Colonel,” Kendrick interjected. “Ganymede is only two thirds the size of Mars. The lack of gravity would pose problems for long-term colonization.”
Tracht nodded, grinning. “I know; but we have a fix for that. Remember when I said the Selene would get some upgrades?”
The captain nodded. “Yes,” he said warily.
“We’ve finally cracked it! Artificial gravity; without spin,” Tracht exclaimed. “The Selene will get a major refit. No more spinning, and no more weightlessness in the Nexus.”
The former Liberty crew exchanged glances, as did Kendrick, Fiona and Lena. This was big, no; this was huge. Artificial gravity would forever alter space travel and would free colonization efforts from the need to find a planet with approximately one-g. And for the Selene to be fitted with it? It was a dream come true.
“Colonel, if you had offered me this at the outset,” Kendrick stated, “you could have secured my cooperation without any of the threats.”
“Sorry, son, but it had to be that way,” the colonel replied. “You’ve gotta be on board to know and there was no way to get you on board without coercion. Needless to say, this stays in this room. We can’t let anyone find out until we’re ready to unveil it to the public.”
Kendrick, Fiona and Lena all nodded in unison. “You have my word, Colonel; we’ll keep this to ourselves.”
“Now, we get back to Earth,” the colonel continued, “and we get that port of yours fixed; you can’t fly the mission without it. I believe Doctor Lehrer, who originally did the operation for you, will have the honor of repairing you. After that, you get eight weeks of shore leave. Visit family, get your legal marriage squared away and take care of any personal matters; this is a ten-year mission, so it’ll be your last chance. After that, you go through twelve weeks of basic. Got an old friend at Paris Island; Sergeant Crossly. She’s tough as nails, but she’ll get you into shape.”
“What will I be doing in that time?” Fiona asked. “If you intend to put me through basic, I won’t survive. Without that exoskeleton, I can’t even walk. And what of Lena?”
“Your exo-suit will be repaired and you’ll be getting a crash course on colonial settlement and the medical issues that come with it, and with long periods of time in space. Ten years is a long time. Aside from that, you’ll be brought up to speed and all of your credentials as Fiona Kinsale will be established. You’ll be brought up to date on the latest medical procedures and technology, and you’ll get your own physical training as well. Hopefully, with therapy, you’ll be able to walk on your own by the time of the mission. If not, you go, regardless. You’ll get eight weeks of shore leave, so take your honeymoon.”
Fiona nodded. “And What of Lena?”
“Lena stays with Kendrick and never leaves his side,” Tracht said forebodingly. “She’s his property and thankfully, Escort-7s are considered preferable to sexual liaisons with people; no STDs, no pregnancies. They don’t get to keep them in the barracks, but your husband will have a private residence; not uncommon for celebrity enlistees. When he’s in training, she stays home. Period; no side trips or walks to the park.”
Lena simply nodded and looked down. “My place is to serve. I will do as my captain requires.”
Fiona looked at Kendrick, puzzlement in her eyes, but he just shrugged. Lena’s demeanor had changed, ever so subtly since her encounter with the G.A.I.S.F, but everything had checked out when she was examined after the battle. Perhaps her submissiveness had been precipitated by Tracht’s exertions of authority.
“Gifford’s,” Tracht continued, addressing the Liberty’s former skipper. “You will be the mission commander on this. You will command the Selene. Royce will hold the official rank of junior lieutenant.”
Gifford’s nodded, a look of excitement on her face. “I am honored, sir.”
“You’ve earned it a thousand times over,” Tracht replied. “If anything, you should have been promoted to rear admiral and Jax to captain, but that would break up a winning team.” Then he winked and looked at Jax. “Commander, you will continue to serve as Carol’s XO.”
Jax merely nodded, saying, “Yes, sir,” though the excitement in his eyes betrayed his calm demeanor.
Finally, Tracht got around to Lena. “Lena, you will serve as Captain Gifford’s’ yeoman. During any downtime, you stay at Royce’s side. I cannot over emphasize this. If he hits the head, you remain in his cabin. If you are seen not at your duty station and not in his company …”
“It is my honor to be ever present at my captain’s side, Colonel,” she said, still looking down, but a soft smile on her lips as she spoke.”
“I’m glad we understand each other,” Tracht said. “You will of course, share a cabin with Kendrick and Fiona.” Then he looked at Kendrick and chuckled. “A room with a woman and a sex-bot, a lot of soldiers would be envious of you, you know.”
Gifford’s looked visibly annoyed by Tracht’s comment, as Fiona emitted an annoyed groan. Kendrick rolled his eyes and sighed, knowing that there was nothing to be done about it, but Lena, however, merely smiled, seemingly content with the colonel’s decision.
“As already noted, Lieutenant Dalrymple will continue as the Selene’s engineer. She knows the ship better than anyone except Royce himself.” Then he looked directly at Kendrick. “Royce, you will be a junior lieutenant, so you need to understand that Heather will outrank you.”
Kendrick rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
“There will be a full Starfleet crew,” Tracht continued. “The most important element of the mission, however, is the science team. They’re the brightest minds of the United States. The Selene’s Ai will be repaired and you will spend a year in stasis, awakening a month out from Ceres. Once our work there is complete and the launch window opens, you’ll make for Ganymede, again in stasis until you’re a month out. Then the real work begins. This is not a military mission, though as you can imagine, Starfleet has a substantial investment in this. It’s an opportunity o
f a lifetime, for all of you.”
Tracht then concluded the meeting. “You all have your assignments; if you have any questions, come see me directly. Do not, I repeat, do not ask me over e-mail or electronic communication.” Then he looked at Kendrick, Fiona and Lena. “I know this arrangement is less than ideal, but the three of you will be working closely with Heather for a very long time. I suggest you start preparing for that.”
Kendrick and his wife exchanged glances and nodded, each knowing that this would be a very trying experience, and each knowing that Heather had something more than just professional interest in him. At least Heather would be in engineering much of the time. Then, there was Lena. They had been openly affectionate in her presence, but the idea of intimacy with Lena in the room was something they had not contemplated. If their marriage could survive this, Kendrick imagined that it could survive anything.
As Colonel Tracht had his meeting with the crew of the Selene, another, more informal meeting took place on the bridge between Mun, Keyes, Terri, Ronan and Cyrus. Undoubtedly, Tracht was revealing the nature of the mission and all five of them knew that they would not be on it, and that even with the United States off of their backs, they would all have targets painted on them. They had almost a year before arriving on Earth, so now was the time to begin planning what they would do once they left the Selene.
“I’m gonna miss the Selene,” Kang lamented. “But with Heather ending up like she did, I think it’s best if I find another ride.”
“I know …” Terri began. “Or at least used to know, a captain who was always on the lookout for crew. She runs jobs like Kendrick did; mostly cargo and light passenger duty. The ship’s nothing like this one; no spin gravity, but she’s reliable.”
“If you’re still friends with her,” Mun replied, “I’d appreciate you putting in a word for me.”
“I’ll do that for you,” Terri said. “It’s the least I could do. You’ve been a good friend.”
No Safe Harbor: The Silver Liner Page 30