by Jim Rudnick
“Good to know,” lieutenant commander Sheldon said, “as that kind of tech could be used to protect other items that they might value higher than a door to the bridge,” he said dryly and that got some heads all nodding.
A light rain had begun to fall on the beach and while they were protected by those huge mushroom leaves above them, it still was not so much fun to sit in the rain.
Out on the waters of the sea itself, the rain was like a blanket of tiny droplets that looked like a curtain of water as it made seeing more than a few hundred yards out impossible.
Ghayth…planet of grayness continued on…
#####
On the BN Exeter, the captain was not a happy captain. It had been his own ego that had caused the problem, his XO had reminded him at least twice today. And the fact that he was right, still bothered him more than he cared to admit.
He looked over at the helmsman for the ninth time today and said “and the next lucky star is…” and he sat back in the captains chair to hear again about a new destination he never imagined he’d ever want to visit.
It had happened just a week ago, when he’d been Ansibled by a lieutenant Kiraz, the admiral’s aide and told to report to the admiral’s office at nine hundred hours the next day. He’d done just that and had been dressed down by the admiral for that test of the Barony Drive in their trip to the Earldom of Kinross and the planet Branton.
The fact that it would be the admirals own home planet was never mentioned.
The fact that the Exeter had just gone thirteen hundred lights without any safety backup was never mentioned.
The fact that the Exeter had gone that far relying on a brand new drive was never mentioned.
The admiral had asked only a couple of questions, Mel said to himself, and that he’d not been able to parse….was he in the penalty box or not. No answer to that came from the rest of the short meeting.
Instead, he’d been given this mission over a ten day period.
Each day he was to go to ten new stars—a list had been provided.
At each of the stars, he was t launch a satellite that the Exeter would then use to get back to the RIM.
They were also to map the systems, take intel on all the system planets and yes, note anything at all.
On day one, they’d gone to the ten stars on the list—and all had lain between one and two thousand lights. Not a problem at all.
Day two again, another ten stars and between two and three thousand lights. Not a problem at all.
Today, was day ten and they were going on their ninth planet today out as far as ten thousand lights. That was the end of the test at ten thousand lights.
He looked at the helmsman and said “fine, Helm…go for it…” and watched as his lieutenant hit the red toggle.
The view screen was centered on a red dwarf star past ten thousand lights away inwards and the Exeter jumped that far in less tan a minute. Forty eight seconds it said on the sidebar.
The red dwarf appeared and they slowly turned to look at the system planets. There were six of them, three huge gas giants that were well out of the Goldilocks zone—and three that were in same.
“Take us out to the #3 planet and give it a scan too,” Mel said as he watched the sidebar display.
Not a single system wide scan showed any networks up and running. Not a single scan showed any traffic on any frequency at all…the AI showed that it had used it’s algorithms to decide that there was no sentient race with any degree of maturity to have space travel in the system.
As the Exeter moved out to the #3 planet, the bridge crew watched and there were no changes. Nothing. The system was empty of any kind of civilization at all. As they moved to the #2 and #1 planets, only the #2 one was habitable, they noticed. Blue oceans and green continents, white clouds and beautiful red sunlight.
They moved over to #1 and noted that it was too close to it’s star, living on it would be impossible as the sidebar display noted that the average temperature on the sunny side of the planet was over 800 degrees centigrade. Far too hot, the AI reported and they all nodded in agreement.
“Let’s place the satellite and scoot,” Mel said and he sat back to wait.
One more star to go to and that was done, mission I mean, he said to himself.
He watched as the view screen spun to center back on the red dwarf star and a smaller video window opened along the bottom of the screen. It showed the port on the Exeter where in a moment, a probe jetted out of the port and it flew off towards the star. A camera on the Exeter continued to follow the probe and in less than a minute it wheeled, and from inside it, the satellite was launched and it positioned itself at the proper co-ordinates.
It sent Ansible co-ordinates to the Exeter, who matched it and then the AI on the sidebar reported that the satellite was in the proper location and ready for use. It also, as a bluff for anyone who ever came upon the satellite, gave off regular Ansible broadcast messages that it was simply monitoring the star and sending the data to Gallipedia. That was how the Barony had decided to position it’s satellites needed to make the Barony Drive operate. And yes, the satellite actually did monitor the star, the red dwarf in this instance, for all types of scans. Gathered together it sent them off via an Ansible message to the Gallipedia galaxy-wide WiFi and as such the cover was perfect.
He looked over at the Helmsman and said simply “…lets go home…” and the Exeter was homeward bound in a few seconds.
Behind them, over on planet #2…a ship uncloaked, suddenly becoming visible.
It had sat and watched the Exeter and with far superior technology, had not been discovered.
It had scanned their AI, computers, databases and all…and archived the data on board.
It also had scanned the satellite and had intercepted the message to Gallipedia as the Barony had arranged…and had also learned more than had been planned…
#####
Tanner hadn’t had a scotch now in almost a year—even though the ones he’d had since his ninety day sojourn on the Barony Hospital ship had provided the cure for his alcoholism hadn’t done a thing to him. He’d had a few with Alver and others and had enjoyed the evening’s bonds with others in the Barony navy, but that hadn’t really meant much as he found his own drinking led to nothing.
Others in the group, yes, got louder, funnier and the life of the party-styled camaraderie. He, on the other hand, sat and watched and felt oddly left out.
But tonight, for some reason, he thought he might actually feel like a part of the group still to arrive…it had taken his aide, lieutenant Kiraz had taken almost the whole past month to contact his list and get them all to Neres and this evening’s special dinner event.
First, from the Barony navy, he had lieutenant Bram Sander, his Adept Officer on the Atlas.
Next, Prime Minister Kondo Lazaro, the ‘stand-in’ over on Amasis, who’d taken over the PM job while his father recuperated.
Next, was admirals McQueen, Childs and Higgins too. McQueen came all the way from Juno—but on the Barony Drive, he knew that he’d be back in time to sleep in his own bed. Childs and Higgins, both on Eons at the RIM Confederacy Naval Academy, had come together again, using the Barony Drive had made this all so easy. Dinner anywhere on the RIM, compliments of the instant travel afforded by the new Drive, meant that events could now be done in minutes.
With those five already on his list, Tanner knew that the other five were just as important, just newer friends is all, the way that he put it to himself.
He’d also requested that captain Craig Templeton be there, currently the captain on the BN Marwick and a friend truly.
Also attending would be his favorite marine, major Alver Stal, a friend he’d trust to watch his back now and forever.
The sort of ‘odd’ one, was a new friend, but one that had definitely helped him, his Doctor from the Hospital ship, Dr. Sam Etter, the one who’d helped so so much with alcohol and PTSD issues.
Next, was Ahanu—the Ikarian
alien whom he’d immediately taken to liking and in fact respecting more than many humans he knew too. Ahanu, was the representative of the planet Throth, and usually sat behind the Baroness at RIM Confederacy Council meetings and his command of how things work at the topmost levels was astounding. That, Tanner felt came from some kind of alien racial genetic memory—rather than the fact that he was about 240 years old or so. Tanner grinned at that point as he wondered what ever happened to that Ikarian vaccine that was supposed to make life longer.
Lastly on his list, was the one human on the RIM, that he owed his life too— the Duke d”Avigdor. On a big game hunt about seven years back on Anulet, they’d been hunting Jaels, those huge bigger than a grizzly bear carnivores that run like lightening. One had ambushed Tanner who’d fallen and even though he had been pumping the Jael with bullets, it had not stopped and had taken him by the leg. Only the opportune appearance of the Duke himself, who drove a big slug into the Jaels head had stopped the attack. While both of them had slowly gotten their breath back, the Jael’s mate appeared and was driving at the Duke when Tanner had shot him right between the eyes and the Jael had fallen just short of killing the Duke.
That had made them friends and friends for life.
Hence his place on the list of his Wedding Party.
Tanner said to himself, as he swirled the scotch in the rocks glass, that the simple fact that he listed the Duke last—meant something.
He didn’t know what it meant.
But he did know that these were his ten groomsmen.
From which he had to pick his Best Man.
He had talked about this to his bride—Helena, and they had agreed it was his choice. He knew that she leaned towards Bram and that was fine. He did too…but then the talk that the Baroness had come by to deliver in person had spoken more than the words she had used.
She had simply walked into the Officers Mess at lunch yesterday on the Atlas, and gotten in line behind him and had gotten the Salisbury Steak dinner. She took an extra roll and it was with great pleasure that he noticed that she mopped up the gravy from all over the plate during their meal.
She was chatty and very friendly, the fact that there were four EliteGuards at the ready only feet away was something that obviously never bothered her. He had sat with her and they had talked about Barony Drive issues, and personnel at the Naval Base and the new buildings that he was responsible for too. She hadn’t made a comment negatively at all on anything, he had realized so he wondered about the real reason she’d dropped by and it had taken the whole lunch to find that out.
She had asked nicely, as she sopped up the final bit of gravy and popped the final part of the roll into her mouth, about his list.
She did not ask any names—said that she couldn’t of course, as that was private between him and his bride.
But, she had added, should any of those names be Royals—then he should make sure that the Royal not be ‘less’ of a groomsman than the others.
He had nodded. He took what she said to mean that he could ask a Royal—she really meant the Duke of course as their friendship was well known, but that it should be to be his Best Man. Nothing less, he thought.
He had stood of course to say his goodbyes and she had simply clasped him on the shoulder and said that she’d love having lunch with him—the first of many many more. And that she knew he’d do the right thing, for the Barony.
Which was still sticking in his craw.
For the Barony, she had said and that meant that he—like any other Royal, was expected to make changes in how he lived and how he made decisions. Or so he thought. That’s what the lunch had been for, he thought…message sent and message received.
He had thought long on this still for the next week, almost all the time, between his trips to Ghayth and Juno and Eons. While the Barony Drive had meant that one could literally visit dozens of planets daily—what that had also meant was that projects now did not have the older time constraints since travel was instantaneous.
He swirled once again and then rose as he got a short vibration on his PDA.
He looked around and caught the senior stewards eye and nodded.
He rose and downed the shot of Black Scotch straight. Same taste, same wonderful mouth feel—but de-caf, he said to himself, not a kick there at all.
He turned towards the far doors here in the Captains Council room and walked towards them. Behind him the table was laid for this special dinner by invitation only and he got to the door at the same time as the Duke d”Avigdor did, both men smiling broadly at each other.
“Admiral Scott—may I say right up front, what a privilege it is to have been invited to help you celebrate your upcoming nuptials to the Lady St. August! Well done….lad, very well done!” he said as he shook Tanner’s hand with vigor.
“My pleasure, Duke—and there is no other RIM Confederacy Head of State I’d rather have—than yourself, Sir,” he said.
The grinned even more at each other and walked arm in arm towards the temporary bar off to one side.
“Sir, I have a special single malt that I had brought in from Quaran—it’s a seventy year old vintage…” he said as he nodded to the bar steward who poured two generous shots of same and slid them towards the only two guests in the room.
“Tanner—a toast to you and to your happiness. You do realize that by marrying a Royal—that you become one too. And when your bride inherits the Baroness role, you’d become the Baron Consort. No real power mind you….but the title is yours! From captain to admiral to Baron…you have not surprised me at all, Tanner—I’m proud to know you. I owe you my life and that’s for sure!”
Tanner nodded and smiled as he sniffed the bouquet of the scotch and swirled it about the rocks glass. At the same time, both of the men threw back the drink and slapped the now empty glasses back onto the bar.
“David, I have a real favor to ask you—if I may?” Tanner said and he faced the Royal squarely, his voice low so he couldn’t be overheard.
“I have asked you here this evening for a special dinner—to help celebrate my picking out my Groomsmen—there will be ten of you here this evening,” he started with and was in full breath to continue when the Duke held up his hand to stop him.
“Tanner—my privilege would be to be a Groomsman for your wedding. This it not a favor you ask, but an honor you bestow…” he said as he tapped the bar for the steward to refill their glasses.
Tanner smiled, but then he reached out to grab the Duke’s arm.
“But David—I also need a Best Man—and that is what I wanted to ask you to do for me, Sir” he said quietly and beneath his hand he could feel the Duke’s forearm muscles suddenly tense up.
David looked at him, then down at the scotch still moving in his glass.
He reached for the glass and tossed it down, and then whirled to face the far wall opposite the big glass windows that the bar was resting against—and hurled the glass to smash on the wall.
“Done, Sir! I am yours” he said and he smiled at Tanner.
Tanner followed suit and a second later his now empty glass smashed into the same wall and they grinned at each other.
As he led the Duke over to the table to show him his seat directly to the right of the groom, he waved at his senior steward to clean up that glass and smiled as the bar steward had been smart enough to follow the two of them and placed a full bottle of that Quaran Scotch on the table between them and let Tanner know that he’d keep his eye on the two of them, that they’d never run out of Scotch.
In less than half an hour, the carefully planned arrivals of the rest of the groomsmen happened and soon all ten of them were seated and talking and laughing too. The table had been made into a circle of eleven of them, and Tanner enjoyed getting up at first and went around the table to thank them all for coming and how much he enjoyed having them here this evening.
Prime Minister Kondo seized the moment by clinking on his glass with a spoon and rising.
“Most
of you know me—lieutenant commander Kondo Lazaro, of Amasis. My father took ill recently, so I am on a sabbatical from the Barony Navy—as the acting Prime Minister on Amasis—just to help my father. That all said, what I wanted to say first tonight, was that I am so happy with my new Barony Drive that allowed us all to be here. Kudos to Tanner for the find,” he said as he tossed off big slurp of his drink and was followed by them all rising and drinking to Tanner.
He held up his hands and said “sit…sit….and wait a moment...”
He looked over at Kondo who was just sitting down and said “on Ghayth, the real find of the technology was not mine—but a shared discovery. Alver,” he said as he pointed at his marine, “was with me and only because our CWO Hartford had dug out the truth of what had been overlooked by the shuttle craft crew. Many many people found this—and while we thought what we’d found was a simple anti-grav device—as if anything having to do with anti-grav would be simple—it was lieutenant Hartford who went way past the pale and found out that those copper and blue plates would drive our ships, thousands of lights in less than a minute,” he said as he knocked on the table.
Many did the same and the clanging of the cutlery against the plates and even the centerpiece of some kind of flowers jumped too.
Tanner rose and held out his hands to quieten the group.
“You might be wondering why each of you was asked to come here for dinner. I will not bore you with the back story nor for that matter with more than this. I have to pick-out my ten Groomsmen—and I pick you all. All you need to do, is to say yes,” he said quietly now as the mood had just changed in the room.
Everyone looked at each other. Not a word was said, till Bram stood and began to slam his glass into the table top. In less than a couple of seconds more, all were standing and the sound of the glasses was loud!
“I”m in,” admirals McQueen and Childs yelled in unison and Higgins was only a split second behind them.
Ahanu, the Ikarian alien gave Tanner his own sign of respect, touching the back of his right hand to his forehead and holding it there for almost a minute. Kondo, Dr. Etter and Alver were chanting “yes, yes, yes” in unison and Craig was dancing back and forth on his long legs and nodding at the same time. And the Duke was saying the same chant too…”yes, yes, yes!”