The Long Way Home

by Darrell Bain

  "Ma'am, the crew is all for you. We'll follow you regardless. But we'd be happier and have more confidence in your decisions if...” Her voice trailed off in despair at her disability to say what she wanted.

  "If what, Juanita?” she asked gently, wondering what on Earth was troubling her.

  "If ... well, everyone knows it already. What I'm trying to say is that the crew would have more confidence in you if they knew you weren't ... If you and Jeremy, uh, Lieutenant Costa ... were able to...” Again her voice trailed off into nothing.

  "Able to what?” Lisa decided to force her into saying whatever she intended to say, since she knew what she was getting at now, anyway.

  "If you and Lieutenant Costa were sharing a cabin,” she blurted out quickly. “So you and he wouldn't be hurting so much."

  Lisa had thought she was beyond blushing by now, but she still felt a tingling sensation on her cheeks. She couldn't see them, but she knew they must be bright red.

  "Lord God,” she finally said, “what a Commander doesn't hear after she's been sitting in that spot very long."

  Juanita simply looked at her. She was embarrassed, too.

  "Was it your idea alone to come talk to me, or did someone put you up to it?"

  "It was kind of like everyone wanted to tell you, but no one wanted to take a chance on you coming down on them. I finally said I would."

  "You told the crew you would see me about this?"

  "Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry if it's being disrespectful, but you look so sad sometimes. Lieutenant Costa, too."

  "I see. Well, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I shall certainly give it some deep thought."

  "You're welcome, ma'am. That's all I wanted to say. May I go now?"

  "Yes, you may go,” Lisa said, barely paying attention to her. She was already mulling over what Juanita had said and wondering if she dared do as Juanita suggested. She sat for a long time, hardly moving. At length, she tapped her forearm.

  "Mr. Shinzyki here."

  "Rufus, I wonder if you could spare the time to stand a watch in the control room for Lieutenant Costa?"

  "Sure, skipper. When?"

  "Now, if it's convenient for you."

  "It is."

  "Good. When you arrive, would you please send Lieutenant Costa to my cabin?"

  "Yes, ma'am. Your day cabin?"

  "No. Send him to my quarters, if you please."

  "Yes, ma'am. I'll be in the control room shortly."

  She could practically hear the smirk in his voice. Drat the man, if I didn't know better, I'd think he's the one behind the whole thing. He probably is, in some roundabout way.

  She walked purposely to her cabin, went inside and closed the hatch. She stripped off her cammies and underwear and freshened herself, and then slipped into her dressing gown. A moment later the cabin com told her Lieutenant Costa was outside.

  "Come on in, Jeremy,” she said. Her voice was as shaky as the first time she'd agreed to have sex, way back when she was a teenager.

  Jeremy pushed the hatch open and stepped inside. He stopped abruptly when he saw her in the gown. She knew how well the pale green robe accented her fiery red hair and green eyes, and how the thin fabric clung to her body.

  "Close the hatch, Jeremy. And close your mouth too, before you swallow a fly."

  He pushed the hatch closed.

  She stepped close to him and said “The crew has determined that it would function more efficiently if we were to share a cabin. What do you think?"

  He didn't answer, but simply put his hands on her waist and drew her to him. She put her arms around his neck and met his descending lips with hers, mouth already open and her tongue searching. Abruptly, she began crying and couldn't stop the tears. It made no difference. Soon Jeremy was out of his cammies, and they were in her bed. Then the crying stopped and she began making other noises. I don't care if everyone in the boat hears me! she thought. It was her last coherent moment for a long time.

  * * * *

  For the next few days, Jeremy noticed that every one in the crew was smiling whenever he saw them. It made him put his worries aside, but the real reason he quit fretting about breaking regulations was in the log, signed by Lisa. In the interests of efficiency and good order by the crew, any personal relationships of a sexual nature between superiors and their subordinates are hereby suspended until the Longboat Hurricane Jack arrives on Earth.

  * * * *

  The rest of the voyage wasn't without hazards. An accident killed Johnny Lann. He was electrocuted when he failed to turn off a switch when attempting the repair of a malfunctioning organics mixer. A marine predator killed Marvin Bullock and savagely wounded Wynonna Jones and Brandon Barker while the boat was taking on water, putting the latter two out of action for weeks in one case, and two months in the other, while their nannites repaired and replaced missing appendages. There were three other deaths, leaving only twenty-two of the crew alive when it finally touched down on New Dallas, one of the home worlds.

  "It's hard to believe you came all that way in a longboat, Commander Trammell,” the Governor said to her. “Almost as hard as believing you found not one, but two other intelligent species."

  "I'm not sure whether or not I'd classify the Monkeyclaws as intelligent, Mr. Rankin. Oh, they are technologically proficient and probably ahead of us in some areas, but they're killers, pure and simple."

  "That, too, is hard to believe. Why, all the experts have been telling us for almost two hundred years how other sapient species must be peaceful and would be delighted to make contact with us, should we ever discover them."

  "They were wrong,” Lisa said flatly.

  "Well, I can't argue with you, but I hope you realize you're going to have to overcome a lot of objections to that."

  "Only until they see our downloads. Damn, I wish you had a ship heading back to Earth in the near future."

  "I'm sorry. There's one due next month, but nothing sooner. The Rings of Saturn should be showing up soon on its outward circuit. Can you wait until it arrives before going on to Earth?"

  "Yes, I think that will be best. We'll let you view the recordings and give them to the ship as well. It should convince anyone but the simple-minded."

  The Governor looked troubled, but Lisa ignored his obvious skepticism and turned to Jeremy, who was sitting beside her. The four officers were being treated to dinner at the Governor's home. It was a modest, two-story, castle-like affair dating back to the first days of settlement on the planet, when large carnivores made fortified homes necessary.

  "Jeremy, what do you think? Are the Monkeyclaws intelligent?"

  "They were intelligent enough to kill two scouts and a longboat and all their personnel and then blast Sam Johnston into vapor,” he said grimly.

  "My opinion, too, Governor,” Rufus said from across the long table. The Governor's wife and several functionaries were also present.

  "And mine,” Casey echoed.

  "You see, Governor, none of us have the least doubt."

  "Perhaps you ... inadvertently instigated the confrontation?” Mrs. Rankin suggested with a supercilious smile.

  "Four times in a row, Mrs. Rankin? No, the Monkeys are stone cold killers, xenopathic to the nth degree. We need to begin immediately building up a war fleet to resist them. They know we're out here now, and they won't rest until they find us. We'll either fight them or cease to exist as a species."

  The dinner deteriorated from there. By the time they were able to excuse themselves, Lisa was holding her temper in check by a thin thread, and she could see that Jeremy and the other two were in a similar state of mind.

  * * * *

  "I wonder what the Governor will think when we spend the night together?” Jeremy asked after they had made slow, passionate love. He could hardly get enough of her, and she responded every bit as enthusiastically.

  "They can think we're playing tiddlywinks, for all I care. I'm not worried about him or those other chowderheads. I just hop
e the authorities back on Earth respond a bit more sensibly."

  The next morning they were obliquely asked to find other quarters by Mrs. Rankin. It was fine by him. He couldn't stand her simpering air of superiority. He and Lisa went together and found a hotel that was glad to have them and the rest of the crew as guests. They stayed there until Rings of Saturn showed up. Its Captain proved to be more sensible about the aliens when he heard how far they had come in a longboat in order to bring news of hostile aliens to Earth. He invited the whole crew to a dinner aboard his ship.

  "I'm providing you with the downloads,” she told him after she had showed him portions of the record of their long voyage, “so that just in case anything happens to us, records of what we encountered will get back to Earth."

  "You're going on after all that's happened to you?” Captain Watson asked in horror. “I'd be glad to have your crew aboard my vessel until we get back to Earth."

  "We made it this far, Captain, and Earth needs to be warned as quickly as possible. We'll make it the rest of the way, if the crew is in favor of going on. I feel as if I have to abide by their wishes, considering all they've been asked to bear so far."

  Watson was utterly surprised when every single member of the crew stood up and shouted to continue the voyage in Hurricane Jack.

  "I guess I can understand,” he said. “May I propose a toast?"

  "Certainly, sir."

  He stood up. “To the crew of the indomitable Hurricane Jack and to its Skipper. May you continue to sail the spaceways so long as you like!"

  Lisa and the crew drank. She then she put the question to them formally.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, we've come a long, long way. I heard you shouting to go a minute ago, but now I'll put it to you formally. Shall we continue in Hurricane Jack and arrive on Earth with our backs straight and standing tall, giving them and our loved ones warning of their mortal danger?"

  "Yes!"

  "Onward!"

  "To Earth, to Earth!"

  The cries mingled together in a cacophony of enthusiastic agreement.

  "You see, Captain Watson, what a fine crew I have, and why nothing could stop them?"

  "Yes, I see. I really do,” he said and wiped at the wetness in his eyes with a napkin.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Jeremy uncapped the bottle at the bar and raised his brows at Lisa.

  "Yes, please. What a day!"

  "I can only agree,” he said as he poured them each two ounces of Jack Daniels Black Label, what Lisa espoused as the only decent whiskey in the world. After sampling it with her the last few weeks following their arrival on Earth, he could appreciate her appraisal.

  The media storm was just now dying down a little. At first, the newscasts and Worldnet had been full of Hurricane Jack and its crew's exploits. Their encounters with the Monkeyclaws had been played so often that the public finally tired of it, but reporters were still after them for “human interest” stories. They had rented the well-guarded apartment in the suburbs of White Sands spaceport, where they were now, partially in order to evade the rapacious craving of reporters for more and more comments from them, as if they hadn't already said everything under the sun already. The other reason was that their debriefing had gone on and on. Such military as Earth and the Home Worlds still possessed were adamant in having them present to answer questions from them and from senators and representatives of the United Worlds Congress, and those too, never seemed to end. They had grown almighty tired of it, but perhaps the gathering they had just left might be the end of the beginning. At least he sincerely hoped so.

  He brought the drinks back over and sat down beside her. “Cheers,” he said.

  She tapped his glass with hers and sipped at the strong drink poured over chipped ice and nothing else.

  "It could have been worse, I suppose,” he said.

  "Uh huh. We really shouldn't complain. We have our three months before reporting for duty again and all our back pay to spend."

  "Our next assignments aren't all that bad, either."

  "No, so long as they keep their word, but face it, Jeremy, lots could change by the time we report in. That's if they ever let us go!"

  "The admiral said we'd be finished with the debriefing and questioning soon,” he reminded her.

  "Well, we'll see. Headquarters still isn't very happy with that order I logged."

  She didn't have to say which one she meant. While affairs such as theirs were known about and tolerated to a certain extent, Exploration Headquarters had qualms about their ever being acknowledged in writing.

  "I suppose not. Still, we've been told we'll both be assigned to the first of the new warships. That was smart of you to ask while we're still being thought of as heroes. Heroes! The ones who deserved all the awards are those who didn't make it back. Twenty-two of us out of seventy-three. I'd give all my medals to their families, if I could."

  "So would I, love, but don't complain. The decorations we received may help us to tie Headquarters down on their promises. It they keep them, I think I'll really like being part of the assigned crew while the ship is being built. You will, too, I bet. That rarely ever happens, you know. We'll be able to give them a lot of input."

  "If you say so. I haven't been with the explorers long enough to know."

  "That's another rarity—a first assignment out of academy that turns out like yours did."

  "Hell, sweetheart, it's never happened, that I know of."

  "Yes, there is that. Would you like a boat of your own, love?"

  "Do you think I'm qualified? Honestly?"

  She laughed. “Probably not, but they're going to be building so many they won't have nearly enough qualified commanders. If that's what you truly want, you should be a shoo-in. And I suppose I'll get the slot I want, too. Tactical Officer of the new warship is another slot where there's little experience. Shit, Jeremy, the crew members from Hurricane are the only ones alive who've fought the Monkeys!"

  "You're right about that. You should get your request, too. You know, that admiral was talking about the new ships being big enough to carry a half-dozen boats as big or bigger than the old Hurricane and much better armed."

  "They'd better be thinking about making the warship being better armed,” Lisa said. “I'd hate like hell to have to come all the way back in a longboat again!"

  The End

  * * *

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