by Randal Sloan
“I know you’ll need to talk things over between yourselves, but if you believe that we can agree on principle to go forward with this, I’ll start things moving on our end. I suspect that Zeke will need to meet with Morgan and Paul sometime soon to see what they’ve come up with for design specs. I believe we’ll all be surprised.”
Roger looked at his companions, who all nodded at his unspoken question. “I don’t believe we need to talk about it. You’re offering us a lifeline, when from our viewpoint things look pretty bleak. Talk with Scott and his family and just let us know what we can do to assist with that.”
#
Julie’s next step was to go visit Tim in the Space Force section of the station. She left behind a rather preoccupied Zeke who was already thinking up ideas for the work with Future Tech Unlimited. She was very happy herself that one had worked out even better than she had hoped. Now it was time for the rest of it.
Julie didn’t get very far into the Space Force complex before she was surrounded by a considerable group. They had all basically claimed her as one of their own, so she enjoyed the opportunity to see them in a more relaxed atmosphere than the last time. At least no one saluted her this time. Tim was not one of the ones that greeted her, so that gave her an idea. “Guys, I need a little favor, but you’ve got to keep it from Tim. Do you think you can do that?”
Of course they all immediately nodded assent. Tim was a favorite among all of them. Everyone knew of his family situation and they as a group helped out as much as possible. When she explained what she wanted, they were even more enthusiastic. Julie had to laugh at some of their suggestions. “Let’s try to keep it a little simpler than that. Remember now, mum’s the word. I want this to be a surprise.”
Julie knocked on the door of the room that was Tim’s quarters. Really it was just a cubbyhole, but every member of the Space Force teams had their own quarters, something they all considered a luxury on the space station. “Come in,” came his muffled response, but he looked up in surprise when he saw who it was.
“I’ve come to collect on that hug,” she told him.
Tim was just a little tentative, but Julie would have none of that. She collected her hug in no uncertain terms. When she finally released him, she told him, “You’ve never had a sister, have you? Well, I’ve never had a brother, but I’ve got dibs on claiming you as an honorary brother. You have no idea what it meant for me when you helped me out the other day, carrying me to the ship.”
Tim just shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll accept the honorary sister, but I told you then I’d do the same for any one of the team and I meant it. But I’m glad that I was able to help you, and I’m very glad that everything worked out ok.” He laughed, “Although, if I’d known what a ride I was going to be in for, I’d have bought a ticket at the door. Either that, or run. Still not sure about that one.”
Julie laughed with him. She had been rather frantic at the time, flying her ship like she had never done before. She knew she would never be able to duplicate it again, ever. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I had only one goal and nothing else mattered at the time.”
“Too bad for that pirate. He picked the wrong day to get in your way.”
Julie smiled at that. She barely remembered the pirate who had tried to interfere with her flight. “He picked the wrong job to be in, but yeah, definitely the wrong day.” Julie had literally obliterated the pirate ship when it had fired on her, almost without conscious thought. And ignored his missiles, simply blowing past them in her frantic flight.
Julie looked around the room a moment, finally sitting down on the edge of the little cot. She wanted to get this right. “Tim, it’s time for me to complete a promise I made you. I want to fly your little brother up here to visit.“ Tim started to say something, but she didn’t give him a chance. “I thought he could spend some time in the no gravity and low gravity areas to see how he could handle it. I want to bring your whole family up. I’ve already worked out a deal with your father’s company to ‘borrow’ him for a little while. And I intend to give you paid leave to spend time with them too, especially with Brian. I’ve got a couple of ideas for him, and I’m going to depend on you to help.”
Tim had been originally planning to argue with her that she didn’t owe him anything. But when she suggested the no gravity idea, his eyes lit up. His brother should be as capable there as anyone else. When Julie explained the rest of her ideas, his eyes were practically gleaming. Might have been a tear or two, but neither one would bring that up. Julie knew she had a few of her own.
Much later, Julie left Tim as he was putting a VR call through to his family. One of the things Julie had explained to Tim was her plan to seriously limit the g force exposure to Brian. Even a normal takeoff in a shuttle might expose him to too high of a g force, causing his bones to break. She’d made great progress on building a personal field generator that Brian could sit inside and it would protect him from the acceleration. As she entered the lab to do her testing, she had another thought. If she could get the field generator even smaller, a Space Force soldier could wear it with his armor and would be practically invincible. She would have to think on that another day.
#
Two days later, Julie commandeered a shuttle flight. Her Space Tech security people had wanted to send some men to watch over Julie and her charges, but the Space Force teams would have none of that. They finally had to draw straws to limit who went, or Julie would have had to carry the whole lot of them. The two teams had really come together and Julie was quite proud of them. She also loved the fact that they considered her one of them.
The flight down went without incident, Joe flying beside them in the corvette until they reached atmosphere. There a couple of friendly US jets met them and joined them as their escort. Julie was listening on the com, so she overheard Joe, the shuttle pilot, and the jet pilots talking.
“Space Tech shuttle, we request the honor of joining your escort. We are here to oversee your final leg of your flight into the Space Tech facility.”
Joe had answered for the shuttle. “US flight, we gladly accept your assistance. Please position yourselves in the forward flight positions on either side of the shuttle. I will maintain overflight position.”
Technically considered an honor position, the pilots in the jets knew that also meant Joe was placing them in their assigned positions so that he could keep a close eye on them. Nevertheless, they accepted his request, moving carefully into the assigned slots.
The lead pilot followed up with what Julie could tell was a heartfelt response. “Please know that we wish to express our regret for what our fellow pilots did in their attempted attack against Miss Randolph in her ship. Although it was not deserved by them, please pass on to her our thanks for her efforts in sparing their lives the way she did. Know that we swear we will protect her with our lives.”
Julie was caught by surprise. Before she could answer, Joe answered for her, “In her name, I accept your service.” Not done, he went on, “I also will be sure to make her aware of your statements. As a fellow pilot, I too appreciate what she was able to do to preserve their lives. Knowing now what this ship can do, I know how easily she could have taken them out. Those men were very fortunate.”
That brought a sad smile to Julie’s face. That one had worked out a lot better than it might have. But if it had been necessary, she would have shot them all down. She would have regretted it, but she would have done it. Since Joe had said it so well, she didn’t add herself to the conversation.
Landing at the Space Tech shuttle-port, their shuttle immediately taxied over to the passenger terminal. This flight was only for one special passenger, so Julie had decided to forego the transport of any cargo. Barely letting the passenger stairs connect to their shuttle, Tim rushed out to find his little brother, the rest of them following at a more sedate pace, although they all had a bit of spring to their step.
By the time Julie and the rest of them made it to the terminal,
Tim was holding Brian in the carry position, much as he had carried Julie that day she had so desperately needed help. Julie’s nanites had been still fighting the paralytic drug that had been injected by Jon Rupert. As their mole in the Organization, he had been very helpful in her battle against them, but Jon had gone off the deep end, trying to kidnap her and shooting Zeke in the process. Tim had carried her to her ship, holding her exactly in that same position.
Smiling Julie came up to them, eager to finally meet Brian. She had read so much about him. All of his medical reports and some of the local write-ups that talked more about his life and struggles. He was a strong young man to not give up, she knew. A lot of that was due to his brother. She vowed to do everything in her power to protect Tim and the rest of her Space Forces. They all had families that depended on them.
Tim surprised her with his introduction. “Bri, meet our new adopted sister. She’s proclaimed herself my sister, so that makes you her brother too.”
His eyes gleaming, Brian said, “Cool. I’ve always wanted a sister. Mom and Dad wouldn’t cooperate, so I guess we had to find her ourselves.” He laughed at that, a soft pleasant laugh.
Julie had practically melted on the spot. With tears in her eyes she told them, “I’ve always wanted a brother. Now I’ve got two of them. An older brother who looks after me, and a younger brother to spoil. Come on, Tim, let’s get him onboard in his special seat. It’s time to get my little brother up in space, where he can fly.”
She didn’t have to tell Tim twice. He rushed forward, back up the ramp, and onboard their shuttle. Julie did take the time to introduce herself to the Moores, a nice couple she immediately liked. As soon as she saw Scott, she could see where Tim and Brian got some of most prominent characteristics. She talked with them as she walked down the ramp to the shuttle, telling them how she’d found out about Brian while working with the Space Force teams. Julie tried to downplay her part, but she saw Scott eyebrows go up a time or two. He knew what it meant to go toe-to-toe with special forces. After all, he had been one.
When she told them about Tim’s immediate assistance when she needed help, they both nodded. “Guess we raised that boy right, didn’t we Scotty?” was Tim’s mother’s immediate response.
As they boarded the shuttle, Julie explained to the Moore family about how they planned to get Brian safely up to Space Tech Station. As his brother strapped him in, she said, “Brian has a very special seat. We need to protect him from the possible g forces in the flight up. Although we take off pretty much like an airplane, it can still get pretty intense. His chair has a personal field generator, powered by one of our new power systems, and it will negate 90% of the acceleration. It should feel less than what he feels in a car ride.”
Checking the readings on the unit, Julie powered it on. “How does that feel, Brian?”
He laughed, again with his soft pleasant laugh. “It’s like sitting in a bed of cotton. It’s just awesome.”
Julie realized that she would have to be calling the marketing department. They could sell the units as a perk to First Class passengers of airlines, to the companies that built limos, who knows where else. They could do it themselves with VIP shuttles. But all she said aloud was, “Great! Let’s all get situated and as soon as our pilots are ready, we’ll get this shuttle in the air.”
As she took her seat, Julie overheard Tim whispering to Brian. “Luckily your sister is not flying. That’s a trip, I can tell you.”
He went on to give his brother an account of the flight back to the space station carrying Zeke and the rest of them to the medical team. Julie wanted to tell him he was exaggerating, but unfortunately she couldn’t.
#
Their arrival at Space Tech Station went just about like Julie expected it would. The shuttle as usual docked at the center spindle of the station, a necessity due to the spin of the station. But instead of moving the shuttle up to the outside rim in the space station elevator, where Brian would have had to deal with the full simulated gravity, they exited directly at the docking point, which meant zero gravity. Brian’s reaction when Julie shut down the field generator and unstrapped him from the seat was joyous. His whole face radiant, Brian immediately pushed off his seat to float toward Julie.
“This is super,” he told her. “Thank you so much.” He caught up to her, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and immediately started pushing forward. It was like he had been born with his space legs, as all the long-term station personnel called it. He caught a handhold on the wall waiting on Julie and his brother to catch up to him. “I can’t wait to see everything. I’ve been reading all about it since I knew we were coming up here.”
Herself with a few tears in her eyes, Julie told him. “Let’s go then, little brother. I’ve got a lot to show you.” The whole group disembarked, Brian in the lead with Julie and Tim right behind him. Julie was pleased that they all were doing well, with Scott helping his wife and the Space Forces guys helping as needed.
They didn’t get very far, before they met their reception committee. Uncle Ted was in the front, and he quickly introduced himself. “I’m Doctor Ted. I’ll be the doctor in charge of your case while you’re on board our station. We have a lot to offer you and I am excited about the opportunity to help you.” He smiled. “Since Julie is your honorary sister, you may call me Uncle Ted.”
Uncle Ted turned to indicate his companions. “This beautiful lady is Carla. Someday I hope she becomes your Aunt Carla.” He didn’t miss the gleam in Carla’s eyes, but he went on with his introductions. “The blond troublemaker is Julie’s assistant, Caitlyn and the man beside her is Joe, also a troublemaker. Beside him is Zeke, Julie’s fiancé and probably the chief troublemaker, next to Julie here. The bunch of out of control soldiers behind me are the the rest of your brother’s Space Forces.”
He gave Brian a big smile. “We’re all here to work with you, and also I hope, to help you have a little fun.”
Brian smiled even more, if that was possible. “Yeah, I read all about you guys. I had to dig to find some of it, stuff you don’t put on your public VR site. It’s going to be great.” He pushed forward until he stopped right next to the group, catching the handrail. His space legs were astounding.
Uncle Ted gave him a look. “I think some of us want to know what you found out about us and how you did it. Particularly Zeke here, since he has algorithms running trying to cover up some of that information.” By this time the rest of the group had caught up, including Brian’s parents.
Ted continued with his explanations. “But for now, let’s talk about your sleeping arrangements. Due to the detrimental effects of sleeping in zero gravity, we have your sleeping quarters set up in a low gravity area, which is actually good for everyone. Don’t worry, you’ll get to spend plenty of time in zero gravity.”
Uncle Ted pushed a button on a medical transport to activate its systems. It was very similar to the one Zeke had used a few days prior. “This is a medical transport designed to work on the space station. It is able to handle all environments from zero gravity to full gravity. You’ll need to use it for now when not in zero g.”
UncleTed saw the look that passed between the ones that caught the emphasis he used. “Yes, for now. We’re working on an alternative solution, which we’ll get to in a few days.” He pointed to Julie, “It was all your new sister’s idea. She came up with the idea that we possibly could alter the armor like your big brother wears to support your body so that you’ll be able to walk wearing it. I don’t want you to get your hopes up until we start testing it, but we have your sister working on it, so I know she will figure it out.”
Tim looked at his brother, tears in his eyes. “Bri, that means you’ll be an honorary Space Force member! I can’t wait to tell the rest of the guys.”
Julie looked at the two of them through own tears. “Sorry, Tim, I sorta blabbed the other day. They already know. But the guys all pitched in together and have built something special for Brian, so I hope that makes up
for it. Call it a welcome to Space Forces present.” She pointed to a doorway just beyond where they were all congregated. “I haven’t seen it. Let’s all take a look, shall we?”
Brian’s excitement level had already been off the charts. When he heard the last, his excitement bubbled over, his huge smile a beautiful thing to see. “Oh boy,” he said. “Is it some kind of space toy or a space VR game?”
Julie laughed. “Close, but much better than that. Let’s go, little brother.” She tapped a button on her VR, the door opening on her command. Pushing off from the wall, she headed toward the door. Not surprisingly, Brian beat her to the door, where he stopped in amazement.
Before him stretched a huge room, all in zero gravity. It had all kinds of arrangements with which a young boy might entertain himself. Coming up behind him, Julie gave him a half hug, the type of hug one had to give in zero g. “Come on, brother, let’s take a look.” She led the way, Brian right behind. Most of the group stopped at the door, but Zeke and Tim followed them in.
A huge VR screen was the first thing they came to. It did indeed have a space VR game set up. Zeke explained it to him, “I bet Tim has told you about his little flight in Julie’s space corvette. I was there too, but I don’t remember anything. I was a little out of it. Anyway, among a number of VR games you have available, you have a special kid’s size version of the simulator for flying Julie’s corvette out in your own VR space. Try not to show Julie up too much or you’ll hurt her feelings.”