Messinants

by S. H. Jucha

  Danny chuckled at the memories that flooded back, and Claudia prompted, “Go on. Don’t leave me guessing.”

  “I was determined to shame this idiot at the door who didn’t know I’d lost my legs,” Danny continued. “I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt when I answered the door. I hit the door panel and could have smacked myself upside the head.”

  “Are you telling me Harbour was standing there?” Claudia asked.

  “All one hundred percent of her in her filigreed skins,” Danny affirmed.

  “She does make an impressive sight, that woman,” Claudia agreed. Her eyes tracked Danny’s carefully for his response.

  “That’s true, but my thought, at that moment, was how stupid I must have looked,” Danny replied. “So, I’m standing there, embarrassed beyond belief, and she says, ‘How about you get dressed, and we get some food, while I talk about my offer.’ But you know what I remember most clearly?”

  “What?” Claudia queried.

  “From the moment I opened the door, Captain Harbour never looked at my prosthetics. She stared into my eyes,” Danny replied.

  “Dreamy like?” Claudia teased, imitating the expression.

  “Not hardly,” Danny objected. “The captain has those gray eyes that tend to throw you off. When she looked at me, it was like she was challenging me, like she was saying, ‘I dare you to get off your butt and prove yourself.’”

  “Wow,” Claudia murmured. “How did Harbour become the latest empath leader? I’ve understood from Ituau that the title is passed on.”

  “It is. Captain Harbour was once Celia O’Riley. I’ve been told that she arrived at the Belle as one unhappy child.”

  “Did she lose her parents?” Claudia asked.

  “No, they gave her up. They couldn’t handle her,” Danny replied.

  “Because of her power?”

  “Yeah, the captain learned, as a young child, to manipulate the people around her. She was capable of using her gifts, without being detected, even before she reached puberty.”

  “Scary,” Claudia commented, “a child who could manipulate adults to get what she wanted. What happened after she got aboard the Belle?”

  “From what I’ve heard, it was touch and go for the first few years. Apparently, she was a handful.”

  “So, what brought her around?” Claudia asked.

  “At that time, the Harbour was Lindsey Jabrook; she and the other empaths did the trick,” Danny explained. “According to Yasmin, you can be a willful, powerful, empathetic child, but once surrounded by a host of empaths, you eventually succumb. Over the years, Celia mellowed and took her place among the empaths. Once she was fully trained, she became the Belle’s biggest coin earner. One out of three individuals I transported to the Belle were there to see her. Lindsey kept upping her price, and they kept coming.”

  “Why? Why not go to a less-expensive empath?” Claudia asked.

  “According to Lindsey, the captain’s ministrations lasted longer than others and, underneath her tough exterior, she’s a kindhearted person. She did right by her clients to the best of her ability.”

  “Have you ever seen Captains Cinders and Harbour together?” Claudia asked, switching subjects.

  “Yeah, it’s a strange dance, isn’t it?” Danny replied.

  “Wonder what they’re waiting for?” Claudia asked.

  “I’d say they have more important things on their minds than each other,” Danny replied.

  “So, you don’t think anything will happen?” Claudia pushed.

  “Don’t know, it might and it might not,” Danny said, finishing his caf. “One thing for sure, I’m glad those two met. Pyre has needed a pair like that for too long. Come on. Let’s go check out this new girl.”

  Danny and Claudia made their way to one of the older terminal arms that was reserved for delivery of new ships to owners. It charged the least amount of coin for docking services. New ships took time to complete, and the JOS wanted to help the new owners get their vessels into service, when they would represent much more income for the station.

  Waiting outside the shuttle’s gangway were the architect, the two chief construction engineers, and a fourth individual who Danny didn’t know. After introductions, Danny learned that the fourth person was the pilot, who would familiarize them with the controls.

  “How much flight time has the shuttle had?” Danny asked.

  “None,” the architect replied. “We conducted engine and control system tests at the YIPS. When the hull was finished, sealed, and the engines installed, we shipped everything over here to end the exorbitant assembly charges from the YIPS. It was cheaper to dock the hull here and complete the interior.”

  “We’ve run checks on everything, multiple times,” an engineer said. “The engines, of course, at the YIPS, and the electronics here at the JOS.”

  “Let’s see what you have,” Danny said, turning and heading up the gangway.

  “I’m sure that Captain Harbour will be pleased with what we’ve constructed,” the other engineer said.

  “If you make me happy, the captain will be,” Danny replied firmly.

  “Yes, indeed,” the architect said to placate Danny.

  “Shades of Isley,” Claudia whispered to Danny, as she walked up the gangway.

  Once Danny and Claudia entered the shuttle’s main aisle, they came to a halt. The interior was a complete contrast to the utilitarian nature of mining shuttles and the ancient ship that Danny piloted. The interior was pristine and well lit. The seats were nicely padded and unmarred, awaiting their first passengers.

  “I feel like we should have bought new skins to board this beauty,” Claudia remarked.

  “First impressions?” the architect asked anxiously from behind Danny.

  “Pretty interior,” Danny replied. “I hope she flies as well as she looks.”

  Danny and Claudia made their way forward, both of them casually touching the top of the seats to enjoy the coverings’ texture. They were speechless in the pilot’s cabin but for different reasons. Claudia was enjoying the updated panels, which resembled the array available on the bridge of a new mining ship. Danny was taken aback by the amount of automation that had replaced his outmoded, manual system.

  Rather than display intimidation, Danny said gruffly, “Let’s get to work. Pilot, walk us through the systems, and I mean from passenger loading and dock release through to arrival at a terminal arm. We can work on power, maneuverability, and emergency procedures next.”

  The architect and engineers quietly disappeared, while the three pilots got to work. It was Claudia who reminded the men when it was time for midday meal and that she expected to be fed. Unfortunately, her expectations of a nice meal were dashed when the men selected a standup eatery near the terminal arm’s exit into the station.

  For days, the three pilots went through training exercises, without engine power, letting the terminal arm’s energy supply run their systems. One morning, when Danny felt ready, he slid his comm ear wig into place, strapped in, and contacted terminal arm management. Without a word, Claudia followed suit. The training pilot hurriedly occupied a third seat in the pilot’s cabin.

  The terminal manager wished Danny a safe flight. After days of training, Danny was beginning to enjoy much of the automation. With the touch of an icon on a panel located between Claudia and him, the hatch slid closed and the icon turned green, indicating a seal.

  When the terminal manager indicated the gangway was clear and the crew had released services, Claudia said, “Generator online. All systems go.”

  Danny replied, “Employing jets,” and gently directed the shuttle away from the arm, reversed orientation, and dropped away from the station.

  “Smooth,” Claudia commented, “I love the way the computer calculates velocity and measures the attitude jets’ gas output.”

  “There’s always manual, when emergency conditions call for it,” the training pilot noted.

  “Engines spinning up,” Claudia c
alled out, when the shuttle was clear of the JOS. She smiled at Danny and asked, “Where do you want to go for our first trip?”

  “Circle the Belle,” Danny replied. “Captain deserves to get a good look at her new shuttle.”

  “Appropriate,” Claudia replied. “Should I program the flight?”

  “Yes, I want to ensure that these automated functions will perform adequately,” Danny replied.

  Claudia hid her grin. Danny had never stopped playing Isley’s role. She had to admit it kept the training pilot on his toes. He was working hard to please Danny.

  “Full circle before returning to the JOS?” Claudia asked.

  “I like that,” Danny replied. “Program acceleration at fifty percent power. Invert before the Belle to slow us as we circle, and then invert us again for the return.”

  Claudia rapidly punched in commands to the navigation console. Danny was still becoming accustomed to the shuttle’s automation, and he was doubly glad that he had chosen Claudia as his copilot. She was a whiz on the panels. What might have taken Danny minutes to puzzle through, she could do in seconds.

  “Course programmed,” Claudia said, when she finished.

  “Execute,” Danny replied and watched Claudia touch off an icon that she’d placed on the surface to run the program.

  Danny felt the shuttle accelerate smoothly, and he leaned back in his, oh-so-comfortable pilot’s chair. “I could get used to this,” Danny said, eyeing Claudia settling into her chair.

  “Which part?” Claudia asked, giving Danny a cheeky smile.

  “Belle shuttle two, calling home base,” Danny sent over the comm system, ignoring Claudia’s tease.

  “This is Birdie, at the Belle’s comm. You enjoying your new toy, Danny?”

  Danny smiled to himself, allowing Claudia to reply first. “You bet he is, Birdie. Looks like a kid playing freefall for the first time.”

  “You have my sympathies, Claudia, having to sit second to that grump,” Birdie said.

  “Yeah, but flying this beauty makes up for a lot of it,” Claudia quipped.

  “If you two women are done gabbing, I’m requesting the captain,” Danny said tartly.

  Claudia glanced Danny’s way and saw he was still smiling.

  “She’s aboard, wait one,” Birdie said.

  “Hello, Danny,” Harbour said, after gaining the bridge.

  “Captain, our new shuttle is on her maiden flight. I’m bringing her past the Belle in a flyby. Thought you might want to take a look at what your coin bought.”

  “Thoughtful of you, Danny,” Harbour replied. “When you’re done with your flyby, I want you to communicate with Olivia at the YIPS. She’s been anxious to get a close look at the shuttle’s undercarriage.”

  “Will do, Captain,” Danny said quickly, not wanting Harbour to say anything that the training pilot, who was on the ship’s comm, shouldn’t hear.

  -43-

  Intravertor

  Danny offered an excuse to the training pilot, as to why he was returning him to the JOS before he made the flight to the YIPS.

  “I know these engineers,” Danny told him. “They’re going to pour over this shuttle for days, but you can ride with us if you don’t mind hanging out at the YIPS.”

  “I’d rather not,” the training pilot replied. “But, if I’m not aboard and you’re flying her, the company will consider the shuttle as accepted. Are you willing to sign off on delivery?”

  “Affirmative,” Danny replied.

  When they dropped the training pilot at the JOS, Danny called Harbour. “Captain, we had a company representative aboard, when you were talking to us. To get rid of him, I had to accept the shuttle. The final payment is due.”

  “Not a problem, Danny. You happy?” Harbour asked.

  “I’m happy,” Danny said, breaking into a smile.

  “Then I’m good,” Harbour replied.

  “We’re on our way to the YIPS, Captain,” said Danny. “I’ll let Olivia know. Shuttle out.”

  “Wow,” Claudia exclaimed, staring at Danny, as if seeing him in a new light. “You weren’t kidding when you said Captain Harbour told you to get what you wanted in the shuttle design.”

  Claudia had programmed their flight to the YIPS. It allowed Danny to lean back in his chair and return Claudia’s gaze. “I’m not much for storytelling or outright prevarication. What you see is pretty much what you get.”

  Once they made the YIPS, Danny allowed the engineers several hours to examine the undercarriage, which they did by remote, while the shuttle was docked at a terminal arm. During that time, Danny and Claudia booked cabins, knowing they might be local for a while.

  The next few weeks became a push and pull between Danny and Olivia. She wanted the engineers to have more time to study the shuttle, attach the hooks for the sled, and run tests on the shuttle. In contrast, Danny wanted the maximum time with the shuttle to discover its power, maneuverability, and control systems. Neither of them ended up with what they wanted, but compromises became the norm for the weeks thanks to Claudia’s efforts as chief negotiator.

  The time arrived when Danny was satisfied with the ship’s capabilities, and Olivia announced to Harbour that they were ready to launch the intravertor.

  Harbour, Tacticnok, and Jaktook made the flight to the YIPS for the momentous moment.

  Danny brought the shuttle around to the assembly bay. The engines were shut down, and he maneuvered with attitude jets. The bay doors were open, and the pilots could see the engineers and techs in vac suits, highlighted in the bay’s lights.

  “Position stable,” Claudia reported, when the distance from the YIPS held.

  “Keep an eye on that, Claudia,” Danny said, “The YIPS occasionally fires its jets to maintain position and doesn’t announce it to anyone, except to the pilots on approach or launching from an arm. I don’t think it’s been shared with YIPS management that we’re back here, loading this device.”

  Two jockey sleds were used to nudge the intravertor and its sled out of the bay toward the shuttle.

  Claudia used a central panel to display an external vid of the device. “Why does it look bigger now?” she asked.

  “Because, now we have to carry it, not the YIPS,” Danny replied. He was staring at the same image as Claudia, and he had a sinking feeling about the mission.

  “You know, it’d be a shame to make a successful drop of the intravertor and not make it out of the atmosphere, especially since she’s brand new,” Danny said.

  “Don’t talk like that, Danny,” Claudia fired back. “We’re going to make it work. Besides, you owe me a drink at the cantina, and I aim to collect.”

  “I owe you a drink?” Danny asked. “How do you figure?”

  “Because I want you to buy me one,” Claudia said, smiling invitingly for him.

  “Oh,” Danny replied. “Good a reason as any, I guess”

  “That’s the charmer I’ve come to know,” Claudia said, laughing.

  Harbour and Tacticnok were standing in an adjacent office, watching the proceedings behind the room’s blast windows. Jaktook chose to don a vac suit and record the event from the vantage point of the bay doors overlooking the operation.

  “You know Drigtik is upset with you,” Tacticnok said to Harbour.

  “I know,” said Harbour.

  “Drigtik believes that it’s unwise that an engineer of his caliber isn’t aboard the shuttle for this crucial test,” added Tacticnok.

  “And I understand,” Harbour replied. “However, this is a dangerous flight, and the last thing I need is a member of your race being killed trying to help us, when it can be prevented. If anyone is to die, it must be humans only.”

  “And that’s why you’d make a great emissary, Captain,” Tacticnok said, staring up at Harbour. “You see that the way to forge an alliance must be taken carefully. Let us hope that there is no concern for any of our citizens.”

  The engineers received an acknowledgment from the shuttle. A ship’s pan
el reported solid linkage with the sled and signaled connection to the intravertor’s generator. Olivia turned to Harbour and gave her a thumbs up. In turn, Harbour sent a short message to Jessie, who was in another interminably boring negotiations meeting.

  Throughout the recent weeks, Jessie had all but caved to the demands of the family heads. He allowed their constant pressures to appear to be winning. It was with extraordinary relief when he pulled up his comm unit and read: Charades are over. Tune into our broadcast.

  “Major, can we get the Belle’s broadcast in this room?” Jessie asked, interrupting Idrian.

  “Assuredly,” Liam replied. He jumped up from the table, happy to stretch his legs, swung a wall monitor toward the group, and set it to display the requested channel.

  Due to the colony ship’s proximity to the station, the broadcast contained both vid and audio.

  Around the negotiations table was heard, “This is Captain Harbour. We’re at the YIPS, watching the final moments of the intravertor’s loading under the Belle’s new shuttle. By an unplanned, yet marvelous, coincidence, this recently tested ship is the only Pyrean vessel capable of delivering the intravertor to the surface. The mission requires the shuttle to drop tail first into the atmosphere, release the intravertor, and climb out again. Unfortunately, it’s not known if the shuttle, which is piloted by Danny Thompson and copiloted by Claudia Manning, will be able to complete the maneuver successfully.”

  Pics of Danny and Claudia appeared on monitors across Pyre, and everywhere spacers cheered the courage and incredible roles being played by two of their own in the attempt to resurrect the planet.

  During Harbour’s broadcast, Lise stared at Jessie in anger, and he refused to acknowledge her. From behind Jessie, he heard a polite snicker from Henry, and, in front of him, Liam was trembling, as he tried to control his laughter, which itched to burst from him.

  Lise mumbled several expletives under her breath, and Idrian and Rufus appeared to be in shock at the unexpected turn of events. The only one who seemed to be unperturbed was Dorelyn. Out of the corner of Jessie’s eye, he caught her watching him.

  Harbour managed her commentary via her comm unit, bouncing it through the YIPS to the Belle. On the bridge of the colony ship, Birdie was enjoying herself. On the fly, she spliced together imagery from various views provided by Jaktook, the bay techs, the sled jockeys, and the shuttle for the broadcast.