by Saxon Andrew
Josey fell back on her cot and Jan said, “I don’t think you’ll be able to help us.”
“Why? Why are you here?”
“Jan, don’t tell her!”
Jan looked at Josey and shook her head, “They have figured it out.” Jan looked at Katy and said, “Once the Admiral gets her legs back under her, she’ll see it as well.”
Katy’s eyebrows came together and she tilted her head, “Figure what out?”
Jan sighed, “You did watch that video?”
Katy looked at her and then started nodding, “What the two of you did isn’t possible.”
Jan looked at Josey, “See! I told you.”
“How could the two of you do those things? You’ve never done well in any of the Fleet Competitions.”
Jan sighed, “That was intentional.”
“What?”
“We made a pact that we would only do enough to not be noticed.”
“Why would you do that?”
“We did not want to be promoted to command other pilots. We agreed to do what was needed to simply remain pilots. Our efforts worked and we haven’t been noticed until Josey was caught clearing the way for that heavy.”
Katy stared at them and laughed. She fell back on her cot and had to hold her ribs. Josey looked at Jan and they shook their heads. Josey said, “What’s so funny!”
Katy fought to catch her breath and finally sat up, “Every one told me I was insane to trade Johnson and Benning for the two of you. And now you tell me you are better than they are.”
“We didn’t say that.”
“Are you better?”
Jan smiled, “We could kick their backsides six light years across space.”
Josey shook her head, “More like ten.”
Katy blew out a breath and said, “I’ve always considered myself lucky and if I hadn’t been so stupid I would have had the two best pilots in the fleet. Now, I guess my luck has run out.” Katy looked at them, “Have either of you ever been in love?” They looked at each other and then nodded. “Well, I think you know how love can make you do some pretty ridiculous things. I apologize for what I’ve done to you; you really didn’t deserve it. I was acting insane.”
“From what I saw, you lost all your chances to ever get the First Commander’s attention.”
Katy looked at Jan and nodded, “I don’t want it anymore.”
Josey’s head went back, “What? Why not?”
“He just scared me enough that I don’t want to be anywhere near him ever again. I saw his eyes and whatever I felt for him is gone. I think I finally pushed him too far.”
Josey looked at Katy, “What have you done?”
“For starters, I intimidated every girl in our classes to stay away from him all the way through graduation.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me?”
“It gets worse.” The three relived all the things Katy had done along with all the mistakes Josey and Jan made growing up. When they finally went to sleep, they knew each other in a personal way that is extremely difficult to achieve. Josey and Jan agreed that they now understood why Fifth Fleet loved their Commander. She was more than either of them thought.
• • •
Ten days later, Michael and Audrey entered the brig and Michael stared at Katy, “I have gathered the Senior Officers necessary to conduct your Court-marshal. You should choose an officer to defend you.”
Katy saw Michael was still angry. Audrey looked at her and then turned to Michael, “Sir, Fleet has received a petition from every sailor in Fifth Fleet asking that Admiral Greenwall be returned to command them.”
Michael looked at Audrey, “They don’t like how I’m treating their Admiral?” Audrey shook her head. Michael’s rage was immediate, “Notify Fleet Personnel to issue dismissal orders to everyone in that fleet. I want all of them washed out of the service.”
Katy fell to her knees in front of him, “PLEASE DON’T DO THAT!! I’LL PLEAD GUILTY TO ANYTHING YOU WANT. THEY DON’T DESERVE YOUR ANGER, IT’S MY FAULT!”
Michael looked at Katy on her knees and sneered. Audrey said, “Can you think of another time and place where someone’s rage caused them to do things they later regretted?”
Michael snapped his head up and Audrey just stared him in the eyes. Josey and Jan remained silent behind them and wished they were somewhere else. Michael finally said, “What makes you think this piece of trash is worth saving?”
Audrey looked at Jan and Josey, “Do either of you want to be transferred back to your former fleet?”
Michael turned around and looked at them. Jan looked at Josey and then turned to Audrey, “No Sir. I prefer to stay with Fifth Fleet.”
Michael was shocked. “After all she’s done to you?!”
Jan looked at Katy still on her knees and said, “It was a misunderstanding, Sir. We’ve worked it out.”
Michael looked at Katy still shaking her head. He looked at Audrey and rolled his eyes as he threw his arms up. He looked at Katy still begging him not to punish her sailors and turned to Audrey. He shook his head and said, “Fifth Fleet are your children now. Make them behave.”
Audrey nodded, “And Admiral Greenwall?”
Michael looked at Katy, shook his head, and said, “She’s part of Fifth.” He turned and walked out.
Katy looked up and then turned to Audrey, “Sir, what does this mean?”
“Admiral, you have your command back. I do hope you never do anything to draw my brother’s attention your way again.”
“Sir, I no longer want to be anywhere near your brother.”
“Stand at attention.” Katy stood up and Audrey reached in her front pocket and took out the two stars Michael had torn from her collar. She handed them to Katy and said, “Don’t disappoint me, Admiral.” Katy nodded and saluted. Audrey returned her salute and Katy looked at Jan and Josey, “When will I get my pilots back?”
Audrey shook her head, “I don’t know that you will.”
“May I keep them on my fleet rolls to use them in Fleet Competitions?”
Audrey smiled, “I suspect they won’t give you their best, Admiral.”
Katy looked at them and said, “Sir, I believe they will and I believe they are worth everything I gave up to get them.”
Audrey looked at the two Lieutenants and saw them staring at Katy. She didn’t know how Katy did it, but it was clear these two would give their all for their new Admiral. “I’ll see what I can do. However, the First Commander wishes to have a discussion with your pilots in the morning.”
Katy walked out of the cell and looked at them. She stuck her hand through the bars and shook both of their hands, “I will always have a place in my fleet for either of you. Good luck and keep me posted on what’s going on.”
Josey smiled, “Yes Sir, we will.”
Audrey walked Katy out and went with her to change out of her prison uniform. Katy stepped out of the room in an Admiral’s uniform and looked at Audrey, “You don’t have to worry about me chasing your brother. He frightens me more than I can say. I nearly lost it all and I’ve seen how he sees me now.”
“Some lessons come hard, Admiral. Go and make Fifth Fleet the best fleet in the service.”
“That I will, Sir. I know you didn’t have to do it but thank you for coming to my defense. I will never forget your kindness.” Audrey nodded and Katy walked out of Fleet Operations.
• • •
The next morning, Jan and Josey were in uniform when they were led into Michael’s office. Audrey, Josh, Jinks, and Laney were sitting along the wall in silence. They came to attention and saluted. Michael returned their salutes and said, “Sit down.” They sat down in two chairs in front of Michael’s desk and he stared at them, “Initially, I thought that Lt. Bartolo was just an extremely lucky pilot who exhibited extraordinary bravery in attacking those four battleships. After examining the recording of your two actions, there was nothing brave about it.” Michael stared at them and neither of them denied what he wa
s saying. “As a matter of fact, both of you attacked much larger groups of enemy vessels prior to the final attack that cleared the way for the heavy to fire. Now, I want to know what you’ve done to your ships to allow you to do those things and an explanation as to why you did not share this information with us. Six thousand pilots lost their lives in that battle that might still be alive today if you had been open about what you’ve developed.”
Josey looked at Jan and nodded. Jan turned to Michael and said, “Sir, we are extremely reluctant to discuss this.”
“You’re worried that the third member of your team will kill himself if I bring him in and question him.”
Jan and Josey’s eyes went wide and Michael nodded slowly, “Both of you should understand that I’ve watched everything you did in that battle and it didn’t take long to see that there were three of you working together, not just two. I’ve not gone after the third member because I have it on good authority that he is hanging on by a thread and might do something stupid if I brought him in.”
“He would, Sir.”
Michael stared at them for a moment and said, “That’s why you haven’t shared what you used or did anything to stand out?” Both of them nodded. “What is it you’ve developed?”
Jan looked at Josey and she sighed. Josey turned to Michael, “We’ve moved one of our computers from controlling the top disruptors to controlling the barrier control and the scanners during combat operations.”
“Surely there’s more than that? Budge tells me that he tried every possible combination of computers when he designed the new systems.”
“I suspect he didn’t develop them to handle deliberate suicide runs.”
“What?”
“The system works best when used inside large groups of enemy ships. The larger the better.”
“How is that?”
“The enemy ships won’t fire through their own ships. Our computer looks for hits to our force field and hull and automatically goes into the barrier when two quick hits are recorded. I don’t have to think about avoiding beams or missiles when flying my pod. I just look for a route through them so that my weapons can hit them.”
“What about the disruptors on top that are no longer computer controlled?”
“I set the front disruptor to fire ahead of my ship at a forty degree angle; the middle disruptor to fire directly overhead; and the rear disruptor to fire at forty degrees above the rear of the ship. “When one disruptor fires, all the top ones open fire and continue to fire until the barrier control is activated. I can also start them firing with a button on my steering wheel.”
Josh looked at Josey and said, “Why does this work best inside a heavy concentration of enemy ships?”
“Because if you’re out in the open, large numbers of them have a clear shot at you and a large number of disruptor beams and missiles could hit simultaneously. As small as our Battle Pods are, inside an enemy formation, only the closest two ships can fire. It’s much safer to fight that way.”
Jan looked at Josey and then turned to Michael, “However, it won’t do any good to share this.”
Michael looked at her, “Why not?”
“Because our fleets’ computers are programmed to avoid going into large concentrations of enemy ships. They resist doing it and that resistance can get you killed.”
“How did you get your computer to do it?”
Jan tilted her head, “We linked it with a computer that didn’t really have a problem with getting its pilot killed. That link broke through our computer’s prohibitions and allowed us to attack large concentrations of enemy warships.”
Michael stared at her, “And without that link?”
Jan nodded, “The entire system falls apart.” Michael stared at her and Jan said, “And if you approach the pilot that is linked to that computer…”
“He might kill himself.”
“Or worse.”
“What’s worse than that?”
“Killing you for violating his privacy.”
Michael stared at them and leaned back in his chair. “He obviously has a relationship with the two of you.”
Josey nodded, “I think we’re the only reason he’s still alive.”
“Then the two of you will bring him here to have a conversation with me tomorrow.” Both of them shook their heads at once. Michael leaned back in his chair, “I’ve done some research on him and I’m not going to tiptoe around him if he’s as unstable as you say. Tell him I have a message from Eric.”
Jan shook her head hard, “Sir, you can’t even joke about that!”
“I knew him. Tell him that.”
They looked at each other and Josey said, “We need to go talk to him.” Michael nodded as they left the conference room.
• • •
Jay looked at Josey and shook his head, “No, I am not going to meet with this First Commander.”
“Jay, please don’t do this. We need you and this is something he’s asked nicely for you to do.”
“Just how is he being nice?”
“He could have come here and drug you away in irons.”
“I wouldn’t have allowed that to happen.”
Jan shook her head, “And how many would die with you if you resisted?”
“Does it matter?”
Josey looked at Jan and then sighed. Jay said, “What?”
“He said he has a message to you from Eric.” Jay’s eyes narrowed instantly and his rage was incredible. Jan quickly said, “He told us he knew Eric!”
Jay’s head whipped around and he glared at both of them in an expression that had both of them worried about what he might do. Jay stared at them and said, “Yomo, tell these two that the freaking Commander is a liar!”
“Actually, he may not be lying.” All three of them looked at the computer console. “The First Commander is Michael Stone. He and Eric attended Fleet Academy together and according to my data, they both had ten advanced classes together.”
“That’s not possible!”
“Why not?”
“The Fleet Commander has to be much older than Eric. They wouldn’t be in the same classes.”
“Actually, the Fleet Commander was four years younger than Eric and was allowed to skip several years of formal education due to his test scores.”
“How could he have a message for me from Eric?”
“That is something that you’ll have to ask him.”
“Is it possible he’s telling the truth, Yomo?”
“Someone went into Fleet’s files recently and pulled all the information they have on you. I have watched this particular Commander for a while and everything I’ve seen does not lead me to believe that he would say something he knew was untrue.”
“But why would Eric leave a message for me with him?”
“That is something…”
“That I’ll have to ask him.”
“Well, it is.”
“If I go to his office, I’ll lose the means of taking my life.”
“Get real. You know more than forty ways to do it on your own without the aid of an outside agency.”
Jay stared at the location of his main computer and blew out a breath. Jan said, “What if he’s right about the message?”
Jay looked at her and shook his head, “ALL RIGHT! I’ll go! Now get out of here and leave me alone!” Josey and Jan left his ship and both of them knew their friend was probably going to die the next day.
Chapter Six
Michael sat in his office and waited for his guest to arrive. “Michael, Jan and Josey are taking him to your office. He’s told them they will not go in with him.”
“Is he planning something stupid, Averel?”
“If you’ve lied to him, he is planning something very stupid.”
Michael shook his head and leaned back in his chair. Two minutes later, the chime to his door rang and he pressed the speaker button, “Enter!” A tall young man came through the door and Michael wondered if it were possible
for anyone to be that tall and skinny and still be able to walk around. This man had to be deliberately starving himself. The man walked up to his desk and stood a little straighter but it was far from being at attention. He raised his hand to his head in a mock salute. Michael didn’t return it, “Take a seat.”
Jay pulled a chair out from the desk and sat down. He extended his legs and slumped in the chair as he put his right arm over the back. Michael stared at him in silence and Jay finally said, “I believe you have a message for me.”
Michael leaned back and said, “How long did it take you to push the memory of Eric out of your mind?” Jay’s eyes narrowed and his arm came off the back of the chair. Michael said, “I knew him and you are nothing more than an embarrassment to his memory. Where were the three dots?” Jay’s anger almost overcame him but the question made him pause. He stared at Michael trying to remember and his mouth came open. He started to speak and then his mouth closed. Michael said, “The three dots were his three nieces that were all named Dorothy. Each of them were named after his mother. He loved those babies so much. Tell me he never told you about them?”
Jay stared at Michael and his eyes went down to his lap. “Who was Lappy?” Jay looked up and his eyes were moist. “You don’t remember. You’ve forced everything good you knew out and left nothing but anger and pain in its place.”
Jay blew out a breath and looked at Michael, “Who was Lappy?”
“His younger sister who loved sitting on his lap and listen to him sing to her.” Jay lowered his head again and Michael said, “But I bet you do know who Fred was!”
Jay’s eyes narrowed again and he sneered, “The Father who disowned him.”
“You remember everything bad that ever happened to Eric and nothing good. You’ve erased the true essence of his being and left nothing but a dark hole in its place. Let me show you who Eric really was and how I remember him.”
Michael pushed a button on his console and the wall monitor came on. Jay turned around to see it. He saw Eric standing in a small park at Fleet Academy and smiling, “Will you hurry up and get that camera going.”