The Long Way Home

by Darrell Bain

  "Under normal circumstances, no. More coffee?"

  "If you're having some, ma'am."

  She nodded. He got quickly to his feet and poured while trying to keep his hand from trembling. In the meantime, he did his best to keep his inordinate interest in where she was going with this conversation from showing. Was Hurricane Jack really going to tangle with the Monkeys rather than trying to escape? It seemed like a quick way to commit suicide if they did, he thought. He sat back down and looked attentively to the XO.

  "All right, to satisfy your curiosity, yes, we're going to fight the Moneyclaw ship. Apparently, it's the only way to keep them from following us to Earth. Their ship has presumably been stocking up on water and organics occasionally, probably on the other side of the planets after we land. Commander Brackett and I believe that's the only way they could stay with us so long. At any rate, we're going to fight them. Whether we win or not is another question. You're being brought into this because it is barely possible that it would fall to you to do the calculations and run the boat during the battle. Here's what Commander Brackett has proposed. As soon as we transit into a star system that meets all his specifications, we are going to take action to initiate the fight. Here's how we're going to..."

  He listened carefully. The Commander's plan seemed feasible if everything went right, but he knew from bitter experience that things seldom did. He said so, and then held his breath while waiting for a rebuke. Instead Chambers laughed.

  "I like you, Jeremy. You're not afraid to speak up. Yes, the confrontation could go terribly wrong, but we have little option. Unless you have a better idea?"

  "Oh, no ma'am! It sounds like the best possible plan, considering what we have to work with. Will that controller thingy handle the disc from a distance, though?"

  "We don't know. It's a backup, anyway. We're depending on surprise for success. And besides the bomb on the disc, Lieutenant Wong has managed to jack up the power of the warheads in the missiles some more. It will be a battle fought at close range, and we just have to hope our surprise is complete. If not ... well, no one can say we didn't try our best."

  "I understand,” he said. It was a bare-bones roll of the dice—an all-the-eggs-in-one-basket sort of thing, anyway. When they transited into a suitable star system—one with a life-supporting moon circling a Jovian planet—Hurricane Jack would use the big gas giant for cover while pretending to be heading for orbit around its moon. While the Jovian planet blocked them from view, they would then reverse thrust until they were headed back the way they'd come. They would then release the disc, giving it some momentum, and once again brake just enough to be out of range when it went off. If all the vectors had been calculated correctly, including that of the alien starship, they would then fire all four missiles possessed by the longboat on vectors designed to be in the path of the enemy ship just as it rounded the Jovian planet. The two plasma pulse cannons would then begin firing continuously at it. If everything went exactly right, the alien ship would run into the converging fire before it had time to react with its own weapons. At the same time, there would be the huge bomb on the disc hopefully greeting the Monkeyclaws almost simultaneously with the missiles and pulse cannons.

  Jeremy leaned forward. “Ma'am, I don't want to seem ... ungrateful ... for being included in the planning, but I still don't know exactly what my role will be."

  Chambers crossed her feet and sipped her coffee before answering. “If all goes well, you will be little more than an observer and possibly not even that, if you're off duty at the time and it all goes down quickly. However, suppose for some reason Lieutenant Commander Chambers isn't available and Lieutenant Whistler ... um, doesn't act as expeditiously as he should?"

  "Uh...” He thought rapidly. “I guess I would be expected to intervene?” He hoped he wasn't going too far out on a limb with that statement. It didn't seem possible that he would be put in that position, but he couldn't think of any other reason for being included in the plan.

  "Exactly. To put it another way, Commander Brackett trusts you, I trust you and COB Shinzyki trusts you. Just remember, Jeremy, we are placing that trust on your head in case it becomes needful. When the ball drops, and it will, be prepared to act if necessary, and then do the best you can. That's all anyone can ask."

  "Yes, ma'am. I'll do my utmost if it ever comes to that."

  "That's fine. Now I believe you have some new chevrons to attach to your cammies, so I'll let you get to it."

  Taking that as an indication that the interview was over, he got to his feet. “Thank you, ma'am. You can count on me."

  She nodded, and he returned to his cabin. On the way back he had a pleasant little daydream about the pretty Executive Officer, extending from her statement saying she liked him, on into wildly improbably events. It made him laugh silently at himself.

  Franica was still in his cabin and now she had all her clothes off. Thoughts of Trammell disappeared immediately. He stepped inside and closed the hatch. Damn it, he thought, why couldn't we have finished before I got promoted? On second thought, perhaps it was better they hadn't. What he had to tell her would have hurt both of them all the more.

  "About time you got back. I've been waiting.” She sat up in bed and smiled brightly at him. The sheet fell into her lap. She gazed appealingly at him, unembarrassed at her nakedness.

  Shit. “Uh, Fran, I have some news."

  "Can it wait?"

  "Um, no. I just got another promotion and a transfer to go with it. I've been made a Chief with the Spacers."

  "What does that ... oh. Goddamn, can't anything go right on this stupid fucking trip?"

  "I'm sorry, Fran. We can't be together this way. Not now."

  "It's not as if it isn't already ... yes, I know. Oh, hell. I hope you have fun sleeping with ... no, sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have said anything."

  Jeremy didn't answer. He knew what she must have been thinking, but he had no idea if Juanita was interested in taking up where they had left off. Probably not. Lately he had seen her in company with James Randall, the other Spacer Petty Officer. Promotions were nice, he decided, but they sure played hell with a person's love life.

  * * * *

  COB Rufus Shinzyki had his feet planted firmly in both the enlisted and the commissioned ranks of the boat. He had come up through the ranks to Master Chief and then been promoted to Warrant Officer. From there he became COB in a succession of longboats. He refused a commission and assignments to larger ships, preferring the livelier action found with the longboats, and his standing had earned him a berth on the new starship's longboat. He had to admit that he had seen a bit more action during this voyage than he'd bargained for. And sometime soon a turning point on it would come—one that would either end the trip and all their lives or give them a chance to continue on and hope enough of them lived to warn Earth.

  "Sorenson, is this duty satisfactory? Can you handle it?” he asked Siegfrer in her new role as Lieutenant Wong's assistant and in particular his alternate handler of the alien disc and its cargo.

  "Yes, sir, Mister Shinzyki. I like new things, and this is about as new as we have on the boat. I just wish I knew what it was for, originally, and why it retained its power when hardly anything else in that city did."

  "Another exploration can answer those problems. Our duty is to get home, and we have to go through the Monkeys to do it. Your job is to be Lieutenant Wong's backup and take over if anything happens to him, or if he can't report for duty, for some reason, when the shit hits the fan. Your secondary duty is to keep your mouth shut about this until it does happen. That's probably just as important."

  "Yes, sir. No one has ever accused me of being a blabbermouth."

  "Good. There are too many people in on this little detail already, if you ask me. Do you know why you're to keep silent?"

  Siegfrer looked the Warrant Officer in the eye. “Yes, sir. Do you want me to say it?"

  "You'll do, Sieg. You'll do. Whenever you have
time, Lieutenant Wong and you will practice with this thing on the simulator. Just make damn certain that you keep the program protected with your own personal password. He's doing the same. The crew can hoorah about the detail all they want once it's over, but until then, Commander Brackett feels like only those who have to know should be in on it."

  "Yes, sir. When do you think it will happen?"

  "No telling, but probably within the next six months. Oh, I almost forgot. Congratulations. You're going to be promoted to Acting Chief."

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jeremy found that his new duties left him with even less time for sleep than before, but he jumped into them with a will. He asked the COB for study material for noncommissioned officers and received the download of a manual for Chiefs. He perused it assiduously while trying to sort out all the ambiguities of the regulations. Most promotions to Chief during an exploration voyage were brevet, with the person in question assigned to NCO leadership school immediately afterward. In his case, he figured, he had about another year and a half to serve as a Chief before getting that chance, if he got it at all. It wouldn't hurt to learn all he could about a Spacer Chief's duties in the meantime.

  He saw the indulgent expression on Shinzyki's face when he asked for study material and received the manual, but he didn't let it put him off. As with astrogation, he knew he had to learn his new duties and responsibilities on the job and was fiercely determined to do it well. He had already seen enough incompetents in the academy washouts or the ones who barely graduated. For that matter, there were still a few in Hurricane Jack.

  The first time he was sent to supervise a work detail, it was one ordered to work outside the boat. He was grateful then that he'd had the previous experience in vacuum work. It went well, and afterward he found he had more respect than ever. That in turn led to an even better rapprochement with Juanita.

  "It's too bad we didn't know this would happen in advance, or I'd have waited,” she said during an exercise break in the gym.

  "Yeah. We still have a long way to go, though."

  "Don't borrow trouble, Jere. I wouldn't feel right, and the crew wouldn't respect me if I broke up with Randall right after you made Chief. That wouldn't be good for morale, would it?"

  "Not according to the manual, it wouldn't,” he admitted. “To quote, ‘Personal relationships must be approached with care in order to preserve the respect and dignity of the rank. Actions in personal relationships leading to disruption of morale or efficiency are precluded.’ Don't you love the wording? Precluded!"

  Frown lines appeared between her brows. “Where did you hear that, Jere?"

  "Huh? Shucks, right after I learned I was a Chief, I asked Mr. Shinzyki for study material for the rank. He let me download a manual. I figured he'd have one, since he was a chief before he got his Warrant."

  She shook her head. “Jeremy, only you would think of something like that."

  "Is it bad?"

  "No, not in the least. In fact, I wish I had thought of it. If you'd care to share, I'd appreciate it."

  "Sure. Glad to. Ready to go again?"

  "Yup. I'm gonna really kick your ass now. Precluded! I love it!"

  * * * *

  Lt. Whistler sat in his cabin and brooded. He was even more aggravated than usual. He knew something was going on around him from which he was excluded, and it irritated the hell out of him—even more than that young little shit being promoted to Chief and calling himself an astrogator. It was bad enough being shoved out of his spot in the control room so the kid could practice, when he needed to go over figures and vectors and such himself. And Chambers! That bitch was looking for his job. He knew it, and she knew it, but apparently Brackett didn't. Or did he? He certainly was complicit in letting those kids into the control room and having her as their instructor. Whistler couldn't understand. He was the astrogator, and there was no need for another one. Perhaps replacing him was the objective of all the secrecy lately. He considered what to do about it and wondered if any of whatever they were up to was on the boat's computer system.

  Turning in his chair, he tapped into the computer and began searching. After spending hours at the chore he hadn't found anything specific, but he had found several references to subjects that were protected by passwords. He was due in the control room, but later he could return and search some more. Perhaps he could put some password-breaking algorithms to work and see what they turned up. Sooner or later, he would find out what was happening, and by God and by damned, if it had anything to do with stealing his job, he intended to confront the Commander. There were rules and procedures for replacing officers, and if Brackett didn't follow them he, Whistler, would see to it that Brackett suffered.

  If they ever got back, that is. Taking the long way home still rankled him. He thought if that blond-haired bitch Chambers hadn't interfered, they would be more than half way there by now. He was sure that if they had taken his route, the Monkeyclaws wouldn't be following them now. Instead, that damned ship was right on their tail, and all because of the path she had convinced Brackett to take.

  He hurried off to his shift in the control room. As soon as he entered, a conversation between Trammell and Chambers broke off abruptly. They had been talking about him. He just knew they must have been, or maybe gabbing over whatever little secret they were keeping from him.

  "Good afternoon, Joe,” Trammell said.

  He mumbled something in passing and went directly to the astrogation station. He began going over the vectors, trying to find something wrong. He frowned as he worked. His face tightened even more when he saw Chambers doing some astrogation at the other station. Probably checking on me, he thought. As is he didn't know what he was doing. Presently he became absorbed in his work and barely remembered whether or not Chambers had greeted him right after the XO. He wouldn't have answered anyway. Bitch.

  * * * *

  Jeremy headed from the Chief's day room with his supervisory work assignment. Strangely, it actually felt good to get away from the control room with its secrecy and undercurrent of conflicts, for a change. It was almost like a day off, except he'd had to study flow diagrams and pipe fittings and pressures for two hours in order to acquire some semblance of knowing what he was doing and to supervise the explorers for the scheduled maintenance and cleaning of the first set of environmental tanks. He stopped by the larger crew dayroom to pick up the detail: Johnny Lann and Brandon Barker. He spotted Lann first. The explorer greeted him amiably.

  "Hello, Chief. Barker is waiting by the galley. We can grab him up on the way."

  "Hi Johnny. Good deal.” As the walked along he decided it wouldn't hurt to say what was on his mind. After all, no one could know everything. “Say, you may have to uh, give me a hand here. I've studied up on this stuff, but you've actually done it, haven't you?"

  "Um, yeah, a few times. Sure. Glad to help.” Lann looked at him peculiarly, as if asking for help was the last thing he'd thought the new Chief would do.

  "Thanks. How's Barker? What does he know?"

  "Ah, he's still a cherry, but he's a good kid. He likes to learn."

  "Good. We can all do that while we're working."

  They walked a moment is silence then Lann spoke up. “You know, Chief Shinn would never have admitted he didn't know all there was to a job where he was the honcho."

  "As far as I'm concerned, we can't know enough about the boat,” Jeremy replied. We've still got a long way to go."

  "How much longer, Chief? You ought to know, being as you're in astrogation now."

  It was the type of question he'd become used to avoiding giving a direct answer to.

  "I don't know, Johnny. We just have to take it as it comes. The records of which stars have planets were lost with the ship. That means all new calculations when transiting out of a system. We sort of make it up as we go."

  "That must take a lot of smarts."

  Jeremy laughed. “It's more a matter of keepi
ng your nose in the books and your hands on the simulators. I've about forgotten what sleep is like."

  Lann chuckled with him. Barker came into sight where he was waiting, and they picked him up. Soon all three were up to their elbows in pipes and brushes.

  "Why isn't more of this scut work automated, Chief?” Barker asked.

  "It was, once or twice, and then someone noticed how many longboats crapped out forty light years from nowhere. I don't care how many automated corrosion gauges you have installed, it takes a human eye to pick up some kinds of damage. Like right there. See it?” He was glad now that he'd read so assiduously for the job.

  "The different color?"

  "According to the manual, that's an indication of impending damage. Isn't that right, Johnny?"

  "You bet. Here, Barker. Use this brush. Just touch it up gently and then spray a little more solvent. Wipe that off, apply the bonding gel, and we're ready to move on."

  The detail used up three hours, all of it passed in harmony. All three learned some more about the innards of the boat. Lann some new theory, Jeremy now knew some practical matters that the manual didn't cover, and Barker knew some of both.

  "Okay, I think that does it, guys. Know what's next?"

  "I thought that was it,” Barker complained in an injured voice.

  Jeremy and Lann grinned at each other.

  "What would the COB say, Barker?” he asked him.

  "Huh? Oh. ‘Always check your work’ “.

  "Right. Get to it. We'll watch and see that you do it right."

  * * * *

  A few months later, after another transit into hyper, Jeremy returned to his cabin for a couple of hours sleep. He then proceeded to the eternal simulator for more practice, spent an hour on study and another hour on sleep, and then went to the control room. The first thing he always did upon arriving was look to see who was there. Most of the time, he was happy to see that Lieutenant Whistler wasn't present. Chambers and the commander must still be keeping them separated. He could only be thankful and enjoy it. Soon enough he'd have a shift where the astrogator was on duty, and that would make the time seem to drag.