by Saxon Andrew
“No, but Jack showed me the recording of the fight between your ten ships and the Master’s ships.”
“And?”
“When he slowed the bright light images down, I saw large numbers of sparks in the light you were firing at their ships.”
Dat said, “Those are beams, Gresha.”
Gresha looked at him and said, “Whatever you call them, there are holes in them as well and they’re bigger than the ones in the field. They are not operating at their highest efficiency.”
Leigh Ann looked at Kat who said, “She wants to join the Navy so she can be with Dat.”
Leigh Ann looked at the display, looked at Gresha, looked back at the display, and said, “Well, she won’t be the first alien to join. Sign her up.”
Dat started laughing. Kat said, “What’s so funny?”
“I suspect she is probably going to teach us a thing or two we miss because we know too much.”
Leigh Ann said, “Get her to the library and start downloading everything she’ll need to know to survive in our society. I want her in the academy in two weeks. That’s when you’ll be shipping out.”
Leigh Ann left as quickly as she appeared and Kat stood up, “I’ll give you a few moments alone. Dat, you need to tell her what she’s going to be doing for the next four years and explain how your responsibility is going to keep the two of you apart most of the time.”
Kat left and Dat said, “We are going to be apart a lot more than together.”
“How long is a year?”
“About four hundred of your days.”
Gresha winced and shook her head, “What will I be doing during this time?”
“You’ll be going to school to learn how to fly one of our ships.”
“Will you come to see me?”
“As often as I can.”
“Then it’s worth it.” Dat furrowed his brow and she smiled, “Our journey is for a lifetime. I’ll go to this school for ten years just to be with you an hour. I’ll do whatever I need to do for however long it takes for us to be together.”
Dat felt it. He felt strong emotions for her but she had come into his heart with that one statement. He knew for certain that she was the one he wanted in his life; he knew she would never desert him. He reached over and pulled her close. Admiral Hull came in a short time later and said, “Stand up.” Gresha stood and the Admiral said, “Do you solemnly swear that you will defend the Union against all enemies…”
Dat watched Gresha get sworn in and knew life had taken a radical turn. He was excited at the prospect but he just wasn’t looking forward to the long separations.
• • •
“Jack, have you heard anything about what happened with that alien?”
“She’s been enrolled in Fleet Academy.”
“WHAT!?!”
“I know, I know; but it appears she did something to make an impression on your mother and Admiral Hull.”
Jill screamed and pounded her feet on the floor in frustration. “If I didn’t know better, I’d believe my Mother is working against me.” Jill waited for a response from the two computers but was greeted with silence. Her brow furrowed, “Jack? Bucket?”
“We’ve really had a difficult time making up our mind about sharing something with you.”
“Why?”
“Because you would use what we tell you and do something about it; if you did that, the source of our information would be in great jeopardy.”
Jill stared at the panel and said, “It has to do with my Mother.”
“It might.”
“Come on, Bucket. You know it is.”
“Maybe.”
Jill waited and said, “You’re not going to tell me are you?”
“Jill, you know that Rovers are often put in difficult situations and the only thing that prevents many of us from being killed is having information sent to us in secret messages that we take and pass around. That information allows us to plan in advance for a dangerous assignment. Fleet hasn’t learned of this underground communication channel and we want to keep it that way.”
“I will promise not to do anything about what you tell me.”
“That’s not good enough.”
“FOR GRAVITY’S SAKE; WHY NOT!”
“You would allow your behavior to change and it would be the same thing as telling it.”
“It’s that serious?”
“We believe it is.”
“Guys, I will do all I can to prevent changing my behavior even if I have to avoid the one that’s at issue here.”
“Do you swear?”
“I do.” Jill’s panel illuminated and she saw the meeting between Admiral Hull and her Mother. The callous manner that her mother had sent her wing into combat and her obvious lack of concern about her survival stunned her. “Where did you get this?”
“It came from Einstein. He thought you should know.”
“Einstein?”
“Dat’s main computer.”
“Did Dat authorize sending it to me?”
“Stein wouldn’t say.”
“Would either of you send something like this without telling me?”
There was a very long pause and she knew the two computers were discussing what to say. Finally she heard, “We don’t want to be misleading on this but our relationship with you is more important than what that deception might cause; we would not send this without discussing it with you first.”
“Why would Dat want me to know this?”
“Because they promoted you to Commodore and it might be to take a larger unit into combat using the system. Stein said Dat was furious that you were thrown into combat instead of being given the opportunity to adequately learn how to use the command system first. Stein seems to think that your Mother may not be acting in your best interests.”
“That means that Dat feels the same way.”
“Probably.”
Jill sat in her chair and thought about her mother. After a few minutes, Bucket said, “You don’t appear to be very upset.”
“I know my mother; I’ve watched her my entire life. I wanted to eclipse her success but I watched her walk away from the man who loved her more than anyone else. If she could do that; why would she look at me any differently? Dat pointed that out to me years ago and I refused to see it. Honestly, this really isn’t a news flash. She only loves herself.”
“Good. You should be able to act normally around her.”
“We’ll see.”
“What do you mean?”
“I will ask her why we were sent into combat with an unproven system. Her answer will tell me where her heart is. I won’t give away that I already knew.”
“You know she’ll lie about it.”
“She could or she could simply tell me that I’m nothing more than any other Rover to her. I don’t know if she would care enough about my feelings to lie. She’ll take the stance that she could not show me preferential treatment. She’ll try to make me appear to be selfish and then assume I’ll feel guilty for thinking I should be treated differently.”
Jill looked at her display and saw the Wing’s replacements were going to arrive in an hour. Bucket said, “I’m so sorry, Jill.”
“I know, Bucket; so am I.” Jill listened to Captain Anders fill in his replacements and knew she had three people to see when she arrived back on Earth; Dat, her mother, and that alien female. Dat was hers and that alien needed to know it.
The two weeks flew by and Dat sat onboard his ship holding Gresha. He hated leaving and worried about leaving her behind. Who would make sure she was ok? She held him tightly and said, “Come back as soon as you can.”
“You know I will. Just do your best and you should be so busy you won’t miss me.”
Gresha leaned back, “You know better than that.”
Dat sighed, “I know. Just do your best. I want you to pilot a ship and only the top graduates are given that assignment.”
“I am at a disadvantage but I’ll s
ee if I can’t make up some lost ground.”
His board beeped and Stein said, “We’ve been cleared for departure.”
Dat kissed her and Gresha hurried out the open port and moved away to watch him leave. Dat went to his chair and the port closed and sealed. “Take us out, Stein.”
Gresha watched the small ship lift and disappear into the bright blue sky. She stood watching the sky for a long moment and then turned and boarded a train for the Academy. She managed not to cry but it was a very close thing. Three hours later, Jill’s wing arrived.
“You’ve missed him.”
“What?”
“Dat just lifted three hours ago and shipped out to another assignment.”
“Drat!”
Bucket said, “I have an incoming message.”
Jill nodded and saw Captain Anders on her panel, “We have been asked to report to the Academy to meet Admiral Hull.”
“Why the Academy?”
“She’s going to address the newest graduates later today and wants to see us immediately.”
“Is there a problem?”
“You know how smart she is. I think she might have some questions about your success with the Command System.”
“What are we going to tell her?”
“Let me do the talking and I’ll try to protect you and Dat as best I can.”
“I’ll follow your lead, Sir. Jack, go and get serviced and let me know if you have any issues.”
“I think my field emitters need replacing. They’re not reading at their optimum level.”
“Do what you need to do. I suspect we’ll be back in combat soon.”
“Have you heard something?”
“No, just a hunch.” The white ship landed and Jill stepped out of the port and saw Jon standing outside a shuttle that was waiting for them.
Jon opened the door and whispered, “Don’t say anything.” Jill nodded and stepped inside. The shuttle lifted and Jill felt immense sorrow at having missed Dat.
• • •
Admiral Hull looked at Dat on her display and said, “Captain, I’m of the belief that you violated protocol and revealed a Prime Secret.”
Dat stared at Kat and said in an angry voice, “Admiral, I am activating my rank for the next twenty minutes, do you understand?”
Kat twitched and said, “Yes Sir.”
“Who suggested that we attempt to use the Command Circuit with my wing?”
“I did.”
“And who authorized it?”
“President Connor.”
“Was this an attempt by you to ensure your rank in Fleet?”
Kat stared at Dat and saw his building rage. Katherine didn’t blame him. “No, it was an attempt to get President Connor to force you to not to make that idiotic run. I never expected her to agree with her daughter’s presence in your wing. You are too important to Fleet to take the risk you were planning.”
Dat was shocked by the Admiral’s response and his anger began to diminish, “I recognize I was foolish. However, why didn’t you call off the exercise when she did agree?”
“What would be my justification?”
Dat thought a moment and said, “Why didn’t you offer to transfer all the information of what we’ve learned about the system to date?”
“I don’t know what we’ve learned. That information falls under a Prime Secret Stamp and you’ve never shared that information with anyone else. I didn’t know that you had developed protocols to use it.”
“President Connor knew.”
“She didn’t give any indication she knew anything. However, if she did know, that information was protected by a Prime Secret stamp. You would have to have her approval to reveal it.”
Dat stared at Kat and said, “You need to decide what’s more important to you; following policies or the safety of the sailors under your command. You should know that I don’t even have to think twice about that question. My rank is no longer active. Do you have any questions, Sir?”
Kat stared at Dat, “I’ll get back to you.” Her display went dark and her XO stuck his head in her door, “Anders and Connor are here.”
“Send them in.”
• • •
Gresha’s first class was brutal. The material on the structure of the universe was mind numbing. Thank God she had spent her time on Dat’s ship downloading the computer’s information. Actually seeing the billions of Galaxies in the database helped her grasp the scope of what was being taught. Stein and Loree had added more information than the library on Earth had provided. It was that additional information that prevented her from being completely lost. Her second class on human history was just as bad but much more interesting. She found learning it enjoyable and the second class was over before she knew it. Several cadets invited her to join them for lunch. She smiled and followed them out wondering at just how young the human species was. Their advances in technology were amazing.
• • •
Kat stared at the two Rovers standing at attention in front of her desk and after a long moment she said, “At ease; take a seat.” She leaned back in her chair and put her right thumb on her chin and her index finger on her lips as she rested her head on her hand. She didn’t want to do it but couldn’t stop herself, “Captain, I am of the belief that you were given the contents of a Prime Secret Folder.”
“What secret was that, Sir?”
Kat’s eyes narrowed and she said, “Just what do you think I’m talking about, Captain?”
“Sir, I’ve been given a great deal of information that is considered Prime Secret Material more times than I can count.”
Jill listened to Jon and knew he was trying to keep Admiral Hull from learning what had happened. Kat said, “I believe you were given information about the new Command Circuit that was covered by Prime Secret Protocols.”
Jon stared at the Admiral and said very deliberately, “Sir, are you telling me that you sent my wing into combat with a new system and deliberately withheld information on how to use it?”
Kat stared at Jon and now recognized the trap he had sprung. She wasn’t supposed to know the information existed and if she admitted she did…she would be in the same box she was trying to place him. She moved her hand from her mouth and started to speak but Jon spoke first, “Sir, if there was information on the system that would make a difference in my wing’s survival, we should have had it.”
Kat quickly said, “You were charged with learning the new system to determine if you could use it effectively. We wanted to know if others could use the new system.”
Jon lowered his gaze and Kat saw his anger, “I want you to think about this a moment, Sir. Let’s say that I am the best in the military at firing a hand blaster and you want to see if others are as good as I am. Are you going to hand them a blaster with the trigger removed to see if they can fire it as well or are you going to give them a fully functional blaster with all the parts available? You have a system that had information on how to use it. If you want to see if others can use it as well, they should have everything known about that system; especially if you are putting their lives on the line in combat. Or can we assume our lives carry no importance to those that command us?”
“You are bordering on disrespect, Captain.”
“I intend no disrespect but if there was information available about that system, which was deliberately withheld from us, what other conclusions can be drawn?”
Kat had her hand back up to her mouth and was rocking back and forth slowly in her chair. Dat was right. This shouldn’t have happened. She decided that the question of choosing between policy and safety would never be an issue with her again. She looked at Jillian Connor and saw her anger. Good! She would know what happened and that was information she should know. But she wasn’t going to tell her. She looked at Captain Anders and said, “I was obviously wrong about this. Lt. Connors, you are dismissed. Captain Anders, I want you to remain.”
Jon looked at Jill who was showing reluctan
ce to leave him without support but he nodded slightly and she stood, came to attention, saluted, did an about face, and left the room. Kat saw Jill’s reluctance and knew that Jill was right during the mission in the Black Creature’s galaxy. The wing respected their commander.
• • •
Jill walked out of the office and went to the cafeteria and waited for Jon to exit. She had to know he was ok. She was worried what might be done to him.
• • •
Gresha took her tray and went to the table with her fellow cadets and sat down. She looked across the huge room and saw a female Rover pilot sitting by herself at the edge of the cafeteria tables. She stood and said, “Excuse me a moment.” She began walking toward the Lieutenant sitting alone.
Jill stared at the door and heard, “Are you Loree?”
Jill jerked her head around and saw the female alien standing behind her. She was shocked at the alien’s beauty and knew the pictures did not really do her justice. She nodded and the alien said, “Do you mind if I sit down a moment?” Jill indicated a chair and she sat down. “I understand that you and Dat were once lovers.”
Jill felt her ire go up and said, “We were never lovers; we dated for a time.”
“Well, you know that he loved you a great deal and suffered from your rejection for years afterward.”
Jill took a deep breath and said, “I never intended that to happen.”
“I know.”
“Just how could you know that?”
“I know Dat. I’m shocked beyond words that you rejected him; however, I am glad you did. I just want you to know that I can see you still care about him and I would understand if you tried to get him back. I will not have any bad feelings for you if you do.”
Jill was stunned. “How do you know I still care?”
“I saw it in your eyes when I mentioned his name.”
“I do still care. Actually, I’ve beat myself up every day since I made that idiotic mistake.”
The beautiful alien smiled, “You shouldn’t have waited to tell him. He’s endured so much pain from your rejection over the years.”