by Saxon Andrew
• • •
The Light Ship appeared at the manufacturing facility and Rocky stood up, “I’ll keep my mind open so you can both listen to what’s being said.”
“Thank you, Rocky.”
“Contact me if you think of anything that will help, Willow.”
“I will.”
Rocky walked to the port and exited the ship. He stepped out on the ground and saw Commodore Jekins walking toward him with a young woman being led behind him by two security guards; his expression wasn’t good. “Captain, I have another crew member for you.”
Rocky looked at the female and said, “I understand she doesn’t wish to go.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“You know the talents of the computers you put on this ship.” Jenkins stared at Rocky and blew out a breath. “They are also of the opinion that once the trials are completed, we are going to take this ship into combat. Are they right?”
“They are.”
“When were you going to tell me?”
“After the trials were completed. If the ship isn’t ready, there would have been no need to tell you anything.”
“Why is that?”
“Because we’re looking for someone else to go instead of you.” Rocky stared at Jekins and remained silent. The woman heard the exchange and quit struggling against her guards. Jekins shook his head, looked at her, and then back at Rocky, “Captain, you were chosen for this mission because of your mental ability to be psychically invisible. We’ve not found anyone else that possesses that talent, other than this woman and her brother. You are not who we would normally choose to do this.”
Rocky actually smiled, “Becauseeee?”
“You’re unreliable. You are prone to ignoring orders and making excuses for ignoring them. We want someone that will do as they’re told.”
“Why are you telling me this? It could make me refuse to go.”
“You can’t refuse. The Council has ordered a state of war and no one can refuse to follow their orders.” Jekins looked at the woman, “Including this brat and her brother.”
Rocky looked at the woman. She was really fit to be tied. She stood about five feet six inches and her face was incredibly beautiful. At the moment her blue eyes were little more than slits and her shoulder length black hair was a mess. It looked like someone had forced a helmet on her head and then took it off roughly. “Do you understand what he’s saying?”
“He’s said it enough times.”
“But do you really understand the consequences of not doing as you’re directed?”
The woman’s head tilted and she looked at Jekins, “He says I will go to prison.”
Rocky shook his head, “Why didn’t you tell her the rest?”
“We’re hoping to spare her that when her brother comes in to take her place.”
Rocky looked at the woman, “Do you want to tell him?” She looked at him and shook her head.
“Tell me what?”
“How is he going to know?”
Jekins looked at the woman, “She’ll tell him.”
“How?”
“She’ll open her mind and contact him.”
Rocky shook his head, “If he’s closed his mind, he won’t hear her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Can a human that’s not telepathic hear your thoughts?”
“They can if I direct my thoughts at them.”
“But you have to remember that this new brand of telepath won’t hear your directed thoughts if they don’t deliberately open their minds to it.”
Jekins stared at Rocky, looked at the girl, and said, “She knows where he is.”
“She probably did when you took her into custody but that is no longer the case. You’re going to have to wait for him to attempt to contact her. If she’s with me, that won’t happen.”
“You’re trying to stop her from going with you.”
“I am. I don’t want a reluctant crewman. However, you’ve not told her what will happen if she refuses to go.”
The girl looked at Rocky, “What is he not telling me?”
“You will be arrested, put in prison, and tried for treason. The penalty for that is death.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me; treason? I’ve not committed treason!”
Rocky shook his head, “Earth has been attacked numerous times in the past and one of those invasions eradicated all human life on the planet. Any human not willing to fight to defend the planet is lawfully committing treason. You will be executed.”
“How is that fair?”
“You should have learned from your history lessons that the universe isn’t fair. We’ve been at peace for hundreds of years but the enemy that can destroy us again is out there looking for us.” Rocky looked at Jekins and turned back to the woman, “Quite frankly, I should resign my commission and tell this pompous Officer to shove it…” Jekins’ eyes narrowed as Rocky said, “But, if the Alliance has issued a state of war declaration, resigning is no longer an option. I will go only because I have no desire to be executed.”
The woman shook her head, “But Jack isn’t a warrior. He’s more of a scientist. He’d be lost trying to fight.”
Jekins smirked, “He could learn just like all of us.”
“Commodore!”
Everyone stopped what they were doing and Jekins said, “Yes Sir!”
“Send the two of them to my office immediately.”
“Uhhhh, yes Sir.”
“You will report as well. I’ll speak with you after I finish with them.”
“Is something wrong, Sir?”
“We’ll discuss it later. Send them now.”
Jekins looked at them and blew out a breath, “High Leader Claudrel has ordered you to report to her office.”
Rocky looked at the woman, “What is your name?”
“Jill.”
Rocky’s eyes narrowed, “Jack and Jill. Are the two of you twins?”
“Yes, we are.”
“Well, just keep in mind that you don’t have much room to operate under the current circumstances.” The guards pushed her and they boarded a shuttle that had skipped in to the front of the building. It rose above the tarmac and disappeared. It reappeared above the roof of Fleet Operations. Two armored guards met them and escorted them down the steps to the huge elevator. Rocky knew things weren’t looking good.
Chapter Two
Rocky walked into the huge room and saw High Leader Claudrel sitting behind her desk staring at her desk monitor. She glanced up and waved them forward, “Guards, go and stand by the door. Commodore Jekins, wait outside.” Jekins nodded and left the room. Rocky walked forward and Jill soon joined him. He came to attention in front of the huge desk and Jill just stood normally. Claudrel looked up at her and smiled, “Honey, you are now in Earth’s armed forces and I would advise you to follow proper protocol for my position in the Alliance. I know you were taught how to do it in elementary school.”
Jill stared at her and saw something in the old woman’s eyes. She came to attention and Claudrel smiled, “Now was that so hard? At ease and the two of you take a seat.” Rocky went directly to a chair in front of the desk and, after a brief hesitation, Jill followed his lead. Claudrel stared at her monitor and didn’t look at them for more than fifteen minutes. Jill stirred slightly and Rocky shook his head. She saw him and forced herself to sit still.
Claudrel leaned back in her chair and looked at them. “Captain Stone, it appears you have some rather uncomplimentary evaluations in your fleet performance records.”
“Yes Sir.”
“Explain why that is.”
“I deserved them, High Leader.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t follow my orders.” Jill’s eyes narrowed as she listened to the exchange. “What orders did you specifically refuse to follow?”
Rocky took a deep breath and blew it out, “I refused to fire on a warship that was fleeing a planet that Fleet was attacking.
”
“It says that this planet was an aggressive species that had invaded more than ten other worlds.”
“That is true.”
“Why did you not open fire?”
“The ship didn’t open fire on me, Sir.”
“So?”
“I believed that I could stop it without killing everyone on board.”
Claudrel looked at her monitor, “This says you convinced the crew to surrender.” Rocky nodded. Claudrel looked at him, “Who was on that vessel?”
“A small crew and two thousand children of the planet’s leaders.”
Claudrel looked back at her monitor, “It doesn’t say anything about that in the report?”
“Fleet determined that piece of information should be classified.”
“Classified doesn’t mean leaving it out of our records.”
“That decision was made by my Fleet’s Commanding Officer.”
“What is his name?”
“Admiral Whitaker, Sir.”
Claudrel stared at him for a moment and then turned back to her monitor. Suddenly, Admiral Whitaker appeared on the giant wall monitor. “Yes High Leader, how may I be of assistance?”
“Is it common practice that you deliberately leave important information out of your reports?”
Whitaker’s face froze and he quickly said, “I’m not sure what you’re referring to, High Leader.”
“I have Captain Stone in my office and he says that he stopped a Treget Warship moving more than two thousand children off the planet. Is that true?”
Whitaker saw Rocky sitting in front of the High Leader and said, “Yes.”
“Why was that omitted from your report? I also see that the Treget quickly called a truce and surrendered after that vessel was stopped. Did that ship’s capture have anything to do with their surrender?” Whitaker hesitated and Claudel said, “If you do not answer my questions immediately, I will have you court marshalled.”
“The Treget agreed to surrender if we returned the ship.”
“Why was that not placed in the records?”
“I determined that the leaders of the planets they conquered would have rebelled at the idea of returning them.”
“And just how would they have known? Do they have access to our records?”
“No Sir.”
“It appears to me you deliberately left them out to give Captain Stone a low evaluation.”
“He disobeyed orders, Sir.”
“And if he had carried them out, the war would have continued with high loss of lives on both sides of the conflict.”
“We could have destroyed all of their warships without much damage to our fleet, Sir.”
“What about loss of life on the Treget Planet?”
Whitaker hesitated and saw Claudel’s expression turn hard, “We would have been forced to bombard the planet to remove their defenses. There would have been loss of lives if we did.”
“Admiral, you will report to Fleet Headquarters to face a board of inquiry. You will be charged with misusing your authority for personal reasons.”
“But…”
“Don’t force me to have you arrested. Board a shuttle and place yourself under Admiral Ambrose’s jurisdiction.”
“Yes Sir.”
Claudel looked at Rocky, “How did you know there were children on board?”
“Sir?”
“You knew. I’ve looked at your records from fighting against aggressive civilizations in the Coma Cluster and you’ve fired on many ships that didn’t fire on you. Why was this ship different?”
“I could feel the fear of those on board. It was different from the fear an adult feels during danger. I knew it had to be coming from beings that were very young.”
“So you made a decision based on the information you had before you?” Rocky nodded. “Are you aware that you have been passed over for promotion four times due to these evaluations?”
“Actually, it was five times. I was up for promotion when it happened.”
“What do you think about that?”
“I did refuse to follow orders, High Leader.”
“That is what will lead to our destruction, Captain; following orders blindly instead of making good decisions. I must confess that I was concerned about sending you out on this mission but now I feel much better about it.”
“Sir?”
“Are you aware of what’s happening in Feeder Territory?” Rocky’s eyes narrowed and Claudel waved her hand, “Of course you’re not aware. That idiot Jekins didn’t tell you.”
“He was evasive.”
“The Feeders have been searching space far away from us looking for a ship that invaded the planetary system of their leaders. They are now recalling those fleets and are going to start searching on a line that will lead them to us.” Rocky started shaking his head and Claudel nodded, “We have to prevent that from happening.”
“We need to attack them again.”
“That’s how I see it.”
“With just one ship?”
“How did you know only one ship was going to be used?”
“Amber and Willow think that’s how it will be done.”
“What do you think?”
“I agree with them.”
“Did you see it before they suggested it?” Rocky hesitated and nodded. Claudel smiled, “Whitaker is going to pay a heavy price for his arrogance. You should have been promoted long ago. How do you feel about being sent out on this dangerous mission?”
“I know what we’re facing.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“If I can slow them down, it’s worth the sacrifice.”
Claudel turned to Jill, “I’m tempted to have you arrested for treason and be done with you and your brother. I agree with Captain Stone that sending a reluctant crewmember with him will only cause issues that could get him and his ship killed. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just execute the two of you?”
Jill stared at the High Leader and the gravity of the situation finally hit her. “I’ll willingly go with him and do my best to make the mission a success if you will just consider doing one thing.”
“You’re in no position to ask any favors!”
“High Leader, my brother has a gentle heart. He’s never been able to kill a bug much less an intelligent being. He’s fascinated by technology and has spent all his life studying how things work. He is not a warrior. I’ll go gladly if you will spare him and put him where he can make a difference.”
“What possible difference could he make?”
“He isn’t able to close his mind.” Rocky turned and stared at her and Claudel’s eyes went wide. Jill shook her head, “I can do it but he can’t.”
“Then why haven’t we found him?”
“He’s developed a device that emits a field that blocks his mind.”
“Why did he do that?”
“Because I could do something he couldn’t, High Leader. That’s why you won’t find him.”
“Is this field detectable?”
“No, it isn’t.”
Rocky looked at Claudel and shrugged. Jill said, “You need him here working with your scientists more than you do me.”
Claudel stared at her and then nodded, “If what you’re saying is true, I will grant your request. But you will keep your word about doing your best to make this mission a success. How do I find him?”
Jill sighed and said, “Do you promise to not harm him?”
Claudrel rolled her eyes, “If he can do what you say, he’s more precious than his weight in silver hull material. He will be protected more than you know.”
“Put a guard up at Genève Rodrigues’ residence on the south side of Boston.”
“Why is he there?”
“He loves her and she will hide him.”
Claudel looked at Rocky, “You are promoted to Full Admiral and will have all the benefits of the rank. It will be made retroactive to the time you stopped that ship. You
and this woman need to go and slow the Feeders down.”
“High Leader, I don’t need a higher rank. Captain is fine with me.”
“You may have to issue orders to our fleets and I don’t expect them to listen to a Captain.” Rocky stared at her and then nodded. “Now get out of here and make me proud.”
Rocky stood up and Jill stood with him, “We should go.” She nodded and they walked out of the room. Claudel looked at the guards, “Send that idiot Commodore in!”
• • •
Rocky and Jill walked out of the huge room and Rocky looked at her, “How old are you?”
“Nineteen.”
Rocky shook his head and blew out a breath, “You’re not much more than a child.”
Jill looked at him, “How old are you?”
“Twenty four.”
“How old were you when you chose not to fire on that ship?”
Rocky’s eyebrows went down, “Eighteen.”
“So you’re five years older than me and you think I’m a baby?”
Rocky shook his head, “Touché.”
Jill continued walking up the steps to the roof and said, “I’m not like my brother.”
“How is that?”
“If you threatened to harm him, I would kill you without hesitation.”
Rocky smiled, “Well said. That’s the sort of Weapons Officer I’m going to need on this mission.”
Jill threw her hair back, “We’ll see.”
“How much do you know about the ship?”
“The Commodore tied me to the couch and force fed the tutorial to me. I need to go through the simulator to get a feel for the systems.”
“You’ll have to do that on the ship. We’re leaving immediately.”
“Why so suddenly?”
“If the High Leader is right, we need some time to scout the Feeders to determine where we’ll make our initial contact with them. You can learn your systems while that’s happening.”
“I don’t have anything to wear. They hauled me out of my house without packing.”
“We’ll stop by and pick you up some uniforms on the way. You’re going to need them to wear your armor. Have you been fitted?”