by Chris Hechtl
His reasoning was sound; after all, why have those ships idle waiting on a call? They could be waiting months before the courier came with the all clear to move forward into Nuevo Madrid or Protodon! It was only fitting to put them to work. And Commander Abernly had a point. In pulling the passengers off the transports, he'd managed to fully outfit the star system's repair yard. They'd even been able to send down the least capable of the draftees to fill other positions in the process.
Manning the yard had allowed him to finally make some long overdue overhauls of the ships nominally under his command. It had also allowed him to make some repairs to passing ships, which was important given De Gaulte's other bombshell.
Concern over the structural cracks had made the engineers double check Ma Deuce and all of the other older ships. Ma Deuce's engineers had indeed found such cracks in her frame, which had led to some concern that pushing the ships up the octaves might lead to catastrophic failure. Hence the need for a replacement ship and a need to do a full thorough inspection of every inch of each and every ship that wasn't new construction.
“I think … yes. After all, Friar Tuck isn't going anywhere for a while. If you can get her turned around, hopefully with additional personnel and equipment mind you,” the commander said, “in Horath, we'd be ever so grateful.” He smiled. “And of course, any work you could do to rectify BUPERS oversight on my behalf would also be deeply appreciated.”
“I'll definitely work on that. It is overdue given what you are handling now. And my report will reflect how well you are doing it.”
“Ah,” Commander Abernly nodded sagely. “I'd like a copy of that report before you depart.” He smiled. “And I'll pass on a few of my own reports as well. Since you'll be taking some of your passengers with you, and from what I understand they work their passage, I suppose we can strip out some of her crew to be used here. I'll need any additional personnel you have as well.”
Rick frowned ferociously, but the admiral nodded. “I'll certainly do that. I've already left most of my staff in Nuevo Madrid you understand. I have only my senior staff and the doctor's staff here now. And they'll be coming with me.”
“Oh, of course,” the commander purred. He rose and extended his hand. The admiral rose at that signal and took it and shook it. “So, we have an understanding, sir.”
“That we do. I'll have Commander Rousou work on the paperwork as well as pulling the helm gear off of Ma Deuce. If your engineers could help, it would make the process go smoother.”
“My engineers are swamped with the inspections going on, including on Ma Deuce I'm afraid,” the commander said as the handshake disengaged. “But I think we can scare up a couple ratings to help if it is necessary.”
“The sooner we're done and out of your hair, sir, the better,” Rick said.
The commander nodded as he waved and then followed them out. “Lunch, gentlemen?”
“Certainly,” the admiral said with a smile. “I'm afraid we didn't get a chance to lunch with you the last time we were here. Our orders were to get in fast.”
“I know. So, let's rectify that too,” the commander said with a small smile as he escorted them past his Yeoman and out into the staff room.
:::{)(}:::
Admiral von Berk was glad when he was finally clear of the commander's clutches. Being nice to the subordinate seemed … wrong on so many levels. But the man could have been more obstructionist, and he needed to expedite their movement, not get bogged down by a damned petty bureaucrat.
But the delay and the issue of all the engineers being busy had forced him to rethink his plans. Transferring the grav tanks off of Ma Deuce to the Friar Tuck proved to be a headache of logistics and engineering. It had been stalled twice just getting the damn thing to the boat bay. He didn't understand the problem; they'd gotten them inside the ship and to the bridge, why they couldn't simply reverse the process …
But that was over. During the process Doctor Milgram had found out that the transport ship had an Olympic-sized pool. That had meant some additional unplanned changes. Just getting the life support techs to convert it to salt water had been a monumental pain.
“There is a lot of foot dragging going on, sir. We're working on it. The good news is, give us another day and we'll be able to move everyone back on board,” the chief of staff said. “So, there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
“If I have to get out and push, I will. If I have to step on some feet, let me know whose, and I'll make sure it's as painful as possible. Preferably with broken toes if I can arrange it. Get it done. This shouldn't have taken two weeks to get done. It shouldn't have taken a week.”
“Yes, sir,” Rick replied, judging the admiral was losing his patience. That wasn't good he knew. Trying to do it in a hurry didn't help.
It was just as well that they were leaving behind some of his staff to help with the activation of the shipyard. Major Eichmann, Doctor Milgram, and the medical staff, along with Rick himself were going to be the only ones other than the captives on the ship. All of the marines assigned to guard them had been reassigned, which made the chief of staff a little nervous. Doctor Migram might have faith in his conditioning process, but the commander didn't.
He frowned thoughtfully.
“What now?” Admiral von Berk demanded.
“Just concerned over the security situation with our … guests, sir.” Rick answered truthfully.
“The doctor has them in hand. I know he's not happy about having the additional hands, but he insists they are okay. I quite frankly agree, since they've been helming the ships for us without incident. But you disagree?” the admiral asked mildly.
“I … I admit; I'm not a fan of the psychological sciences, sir. To be honest what can be done can be undone as well. We've seen that with that guy on the homeworld didn't we?”
“You are talking about Vinatelli?” the admiral asked. The commander nodded. “I agree that was a troubling incident, and I admit it is a pointed reminder we can't put our full faith in them. We have positive action locks to monitor them. The doctor and staff will monitor them and update their conditioning. He has also been in the habit of isolating those who seem ready to break their conditioning so they don't infect the others.”
“That's not comforting, sir—knowing they have been breaking it I mean,” the commander said nervously.
“They've gotten us this far. Trust in Doctor Milgram to get them to get us the rest of the way home,” Admiral von Berk stated. “He's busy fusing over the samples and the subjects he has in stasis. Make sure he's settled,” the admiral ordered.
“Aye aye, sir,” the commander replied with a nod. “Should there be anything else?” he asked.
“Yes, let me see that file on the recommended promotions and medal list. I'll undoubtedly want to update it.”
“Yes, sir. And don't forget you need to draft that letter for Commander Abernly,” the commander replied. At his boss's sour expression, he sighed internally. “Or I can draft it for you and you can review and sign it, sir.”
The admiral nodded. “Good idea. Get it done by the turn of the watch, Commander,” he ordered.
“Aye aye, Admiral,” the commander replied, mentally rearranging his calendar once more.
He was dubious about getting accolades and medals after losing their fleet. He would settle for another assignment, preferably away from the admiral. It would be nice to get his own command, though he doubted it.
If he escaped getting tainted, it might be a minor miracle. Then again, he might be wrong. The admiral might get the hero's welcome he was expecting. Stranger things had happened, he thought as he exited the compartment and went to his temporary office. He had a lot of work to do in a short amount of time and no one to dump it on he thought in annoyance.
:::{)(}:::
Mara wasn't certain what to think as she saw the surface of Dead Drop for the first time. Her people were kept under escort at all times when they were shuttled down and then placed in holdin
g while waiting transfer to the transport. Why they hadn't sent them direct to the ship like they had in Nuevo Madrid … but then again, they'd been allowed outside to see the sun for the first time in … Her mind shied away from the time and its connection to the past.
They had even let them take dips in a pool. The water had been brackish but refreshing. Now they were back to waiting, this time for another shuttle so they could go back into space. For some reason it had been delayed. Of course no one knew why or bothered to tell them if they did know.
“Hey you! Blue lady!” a voice called out from the fence line. She turned her head and looked at a guy. “Come here a minute,” the guy said, motioning her over.
She frowned and then wandered over to the fence. “Yes?”
“What are you doing with these freaks?” the guy asked, spitting to one side.
Mara frowned. The guy was in uniform. She was supposed to be polite. “I don't know what you mean,” she said.
“The freaks! They headed to Horath to fight in the games?” the guy asked.
“Games?”
“Yeah! The gladiator games!” the guy said rolling his eyes. “Are you a noob or what?”
“I'm sorry. I'm not from …”
“You there, what are you doing. You were told to stay with the group,” a guard said waving to her.
She turned suddenly anxious and feeling a little guilty.
“Wait, you're one of them?” the guy said suddenly disgusted. “Oh frack, you're a freak too?” he demanded, seeing the gill slits on her collar and neck. “Oh my gods in heaven, why?” he demanded.
Mara frowned, suddenly confused by what was happening. Roughly the guard grabbed her by the arm and manhandled her over to the other group. She frowned as he stuck her in the group. Her frown intensified as the guy she'd been talking to started to jeer and point a finger at her and the others. Workers came from all over to see them and point fingers. Mara looked up to see the hating glaring eyes. She immediately ducked her head.
“The emperor needs us. The empire is our friend,” she murmured the mantra the doctor had been drilling into her head. “Service is life. Serve and you will be rewarded,” she murmured. Others in the group also began to murmur the mantras. They seemed to take comfort in it. She started to rock in place, but when she felt a sudden blow she looked up. A rock flying through the air made her dodge and push a girl aside. She scowled. “Take cover,” she ordered as more rocks came their way.
The guards saw the motion. “Back in line,” one barked, pointing a truncheon to them and then back to where they were standing.
“Do something about them!” Mara urged as she ducked and covered the girl with her own body. They tried to get away, but they were out in the open.
“Hold,” the guard snarled, waving to them. “Don't make me use this,” he said coldly, pulling a whip out.
“Yeah! Whip the freaks! Burn them! Burn them alive!” voices called out from the sidelines.
“Why do they hate us?” the girl asked.
“I don't know,” Mara said quietly. She felt another hit on her shoulder from a rock. The pain momentarily burned through the fog in her mind, made her aware that something wrong was going on around her.
And that there was something very wrong with her that she was so casual about accepting it up to that point.
:::{)(}:::
Once they were on board, Mara got her people organized into shifts. Some were happy to explore the pool deck, which had been turned over for their comfort exclusively. It even had a series of hot tubs, which seemed a bit over the top. There were some minor jokes about being boiled lobsters.
“Do you have a moment, Doctor?” she asked tentatively when she saw a familiar Terran coming down the companionway.
“Yes, Mara?” the doctor asked, smiling.
She felt an odd sense of relief. She always felt comforted by the doctor's voice and presence. She wasn't sure why. He was always there, an anchor to help them, a comforting hand to help sooth them when they felt their emotions roil out of control. “Well, it's just … there was an incident on the ground and well …”
“I heard. I am so sorry such people bothered you,” the doctor said, tucking her under his arm as he walked her back to her room. “It bothered you … oh dear, I see some bruises!” He tisked tisked.
“They threw rocks. They taunted us with names too,” Mara said. “I had strange dreams last night after that; it didn't make sense,” she said in a child's voice.
The psychologist frowned thoughtfully. “That is troubling that they bothered you so much that it made it hard for you to settle in. Is anyone else having such issues?”
“A few. I'm the main one since I talked with that … fellow,” she said.
The doctor grimaced internally but externally he kept up his front and rubbed the woman's bicep to help comfort her. “Don't worry about them; they are ignorant and don't know how special you are,” the doctor soothed. “How important you are to the empire. One day we will all be indebted to you and the others.”
“The freaks they called us,” Mara sniffed.
“Now, now,” the doctor said. “Do put the mutterings of small-minded people out of your mind. They are petty and cruel—like children. Focus on taking care of the others and in your new home. Do you like it? It took a lot of effort to convert the pool to salt water!” he said.
“Thank you, Doctor, you are so kind,” Mara said smiling. “It is so good of you to do that; we've had so many problems with just the occasional bath or shower. It is a relief to swim!”
“What about the god sea?” the doctor asked.
“Oh, we love that too! But swimming for real reminds us how better the god sea is in so many ways—the god sea for our minds and the pool for our bodies,” she said. She held out an arm. “And see? No skin problems!” she said with a grin.
“That I see. Very good. I'll arrange a checkup once we're under way. Have you tested the grav tanks yet?” he asked.
“No. The commander said they are having trouble connecting them to Friar Tuck's helm systems. I hope they get it done soon,” she pouted.
“I do as well, my dear,” the doctor said, rubbing her arm again before he released her in front of her door. “Now, you get some rest, and I'll check in with you in the morning. Okay?”
“Okay, Doctor,” she replied dutifully. She nodded.
Once she was inside he stopped at the duty nurse. “That incident was more of a problem than we needed,” the psychologist growled.
“Yes, Doctor.”
“Any behavior incidents?” he asked as he held out a hand. She inserted a tablet into it.
“No, Doctor. Some brief hesitation and long looks. No break out.”
“No external signs then,” the doctor said nodding.
“Doctor, we've had some inquiries about them from the ship's crew and some demands to use the pool facilities.”
“I've arranged for us to use them exclusively. I want contact with the crew kept to a minimum. Bridge watches are to be minimum discourse, only discussions about duty. They are supposed to be escorted to and from each watch as well,” the doctor ordered.
The nurse grimaced. “Doctor, they are on six-hour rotation. We don't have sufficient staff to handle that and maintain a watch here,” she warned.
The doctor frowned. “I'll see what I can do,” he said with a sigh. “Damn the situation,” he muttered.
“Yes, Doctor.”
The momentary break in conditioning pissed off the doctor a bit more than he'd like to admit, but he knew such things were bound to happen. Even insulated their conditioning was fragile. Repetition would dull it. He frowned thoughtfully. He was tempted to go to the admiral but he knew the man was busy and rather frustrated by various things. He shook his head. “They are classified, so make certain the others know they are to maintain minimum interaction with the crew and other passengers. The pool deck and their quarters are off limits for the duration of the voyage. Have someone make a sign
or something,” he said as he scanned the charts with a careful eye. He flipped through them. The vital signs were all normal.
“If the nightmares continue, we'll have to dig out the equipment for a refresher in sleep teaching to re-indoctrinate the water dwellers and reinforce our earlier conditioning. I don't want that though. It's a hassle at this point, and getting the facilities to do it, not to mention the support, would be tricky.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I'll see if I can get the ship's doctor or SBA to lend a hand. I'll read them after I check with them. Perhaps they have a couple orderlies we can borrow for the escorts.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
“Get me that watch rotation.” He frowned as he tapped at the tablet. He brought up the internal security feed and watched as the water dwellers interacted in the pool. The adults were content to float or swim against the current in the swim pool. The younger set enjoyed the water slides and even the surfing pool. He scowled. “I don't want any accidents or injuries,” he said. “Have them shut those down.”
“Sir, it will cause some discontent,” the nurse warned. “They seem to love it, and it's a good distraction for them.”
“They are prized subjects. I don't want any head or other trauma. We will continue to baby them as if they are our own children. That means minimizing risks. Shut them down. That's an order.”
“Yes, Doctor,” the nurse replied.
“And don't question my orders again,” the doctor said, handing the tablet back.