“Braxton.”
“Sorry?” Miller looked up.
“I’ve noticed you don’t tend to use ranks or titles on this ship.” He extended his hand. “You can call me Braxton.”
“Actually, I’d prefer to stick with Commander for now. I don’t know you well enough for a first-name basis yet.” Miller shook his hand anyway.
“Suit yourself.” Braxton shrugged. “I’m sorry if I rattled you in the meeting last night,” he said. “I had to speak up. I mean, that’s why you asked me to join your crew, right? To advise.”
“Members of the crew are always welcome to speak their minds.”
“I think I understand why you were against my idea. It’s the risk, isn’t it? You want to avoid risk. Trouble is, risk is unavoidable in a situation like this. You have to make strategic decisions. You have to choose which risks you think are worth accepting.”
“I understand risk all too well, and I know we’re going to face our share of it. I’m sending us into unknown space for the foreseeable future. If that’s not risk, I don’t know what is.”
“Fair enough, but why don’t you see grabbing those guns as an acceptable risk?”
“Regulations.”
“Huh?”
“Regulations, Commander. Regulations say the ship must avoid military confrontations at all costs. We’re not to get involved. Heading towards that ship takes us into a military situation.”
“So you’re following the rules.”
Miller nodded.
“Sounds more like you’re married to them.” Braxton gripped the table. The rules might say you stay away from the ship, but this is no longer a cruise. It’s a military situation. It’s time to throw the rule book away or adopt different rules.”
“The regulations are all we have, Mr White. Without them, we’re flailing about in the dark with no direction.”
Braxton rubbed his scalp. He couldn’t afford to lose it in front of Miller, not if he wanted the captain to change his mind.
“I think you need to loosen up a bit.”
“You amaze me, Commander.” Miller shook his head. “In one breath you talk about going on the offensive, and in the other you talk about loosening up.”
“Sorry. I call it like I see it. You need to stop thinking things through and go for it.”
“Surely a military man like you can appreciate the rules. You live by rules.”
Braxton smiled. “Some would say I never made a very good soldier. I always had a problem with the rules.”
“Doesn’t surprise me.”
A plate of macaroni and cheese appeared on the table in front of Braxton. He looked up. Maya beamed down at him. “Hey, boys. I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave you to it. Something’s come up. I’ll grab a bite later.”
She hurried off before either of them could reply. So much for fuelling the body. He turned to Miller. “You get the impression we’ve been set up?”
“Undoubtedly Maya wanted to get us together to hash out our differences.”
“Seems that way.” Braxton leaned forward across the table. “Look, Captain, I can see you’re a by-the-book kind of bloke. That’s cool, it really is, but this situation isn’t in your job description. You’re too inflexible. You need to adjust your way of thinking, and you need to do it now. Otherwise you’re gonna snap.”
Miller dropped his fork. It clattered on the plate. Several people on nearby tables turned.
“And you, Commander White, are reckless. If I let you go unchecked, you’d get every man, woman and child on this ship killed before dinner time. You’re a menace, and I’m already regretting bringing you onto the team. You need to open your eyes and realise where you are. This isn’t a warship. It’s a flying hotel. We have to get these people out of the war zone as quickly as possible. If you can’t support me in that, you can go back to sipping martinis by the pool. Are we clear?”
“Yeah, I got it.” Braxton stood and picked up his plate. “I‘ll take this back to my room, if you don’t mind.”
“Seems like a good idea.”
Braxton turned and stormed out of the mess. He was going to have to do something about Miller. The man was a danger to the ship.
Chapter Twelve
Braxton strode down the hallway of the administration deck. Walking off his frustrations wasn’t working. He had to talk to Maya, had to do something about the captain. He swiped her name from his contact list and placed a call.
“Braxton?”
“I need to speak with you.”
“Okay. I can give you a few minutes. I’m on the bridge.”
Braxton closed the line. He strode back the other way, ran up the stairs, and stopped to catch his breath. Age was catching up with him. His current fitness level would never have been tolerated on the Hobart.
When he’d stopped panting, he proceeded down the hallway and onto the bridge. Maya was engrossed in a screen no one but her could see. He stepped towards her and cleared his throat. She glanced up.
“One moment, Braxton.”
She swiped her finger across the air and nodded to a crewman. She then gestured towards a metal door at the back of the bridge. “We’ll use the Captain’s ready room.”
Braxton followed Maya into a room the size of a wardrobe. There was barely enough room to close the door behind them.
“Okay, what’s on your mind?”
“It’s the captain.”
“You have a good chat over lunch?”
Braxton snickered. “Yeah. Thanks for setting us up like that.”
“I figured you boys needed to talk, get to know one another. Understand each other’s point of view.”
“I’m afraid it didn’t work as well as you hoped.”
Maya frowned. “Sorry to hear that.”
“The truth is, I don’t think Les Miller is qualified to be captain of this ship.”
“He started on merchant ships when he was a teenager.” Maya’s eyes narrowed. “Cruise ships for fifteen years. He’s one of the most qualified captains in the business.”
“That’s all well and good, but this isn’t a merchant ship or a cruise ship. Not any more. We’re in a military situation now, and Miller has no military experience.” Braxton took a deep breath before going on. “But you do.”
“What are you suggesting, Mr White?” Maya crossed her arms.
“I’m suggesting you should be running things. You know what we’re dealing with. You’ve experienced it before. I’m sure Miller is a fine cruise ship captain, but we need somebody who knows how to make the tough calls.”
“For a moment I thought you were going to suggest yourself.”
Braxton laughed. “I don’t have that much of an ego. I don’t know this ship. I’ve never worked on a vessel like it. You have the combined experience that neither Miller nor I can claim. You need to ask him to stand down.”
“Mutiny? That’s what you want?”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. It could be a mutual agreement that he’s no longer the man for the job. If anyone can convince him of that, it’s you. He respects you. I’ve seen it in his eyes.”
Maya unfolded her arms and leaned forward. “You know why the captain respects me?”
Braxton shook his head.
“Because I respect him back. We’ve worked together for years. We have each other’s backs. We have a chain of command on this ship, just like any other. As a military man I would have thought that you’d understand that. The captain has my full support.” Her voice took on an icy tone. “If you ever suggest something like this again, I’ll see to it that you’re removed from the crew immediately.”
Her eyes blazed. Her nostrils flared. She had fire and spirit. She was definitely the captain they needed. But she’d never take the position. She was too loyal.
Braxton swallowed and nodded. “I understand.”
“You are dismissed, Commander.”
#
Les took several steps up the stairs. He panted. Damn tha
t full stomach. The elevator would be easier, but there was no way he was taking it. Living in space made men soft.
He shouldn’t have taken that lunch break. He had to get this ship to safety. If only he could make the old girl go faster. He kept climbing.
Les reached the last flight up to the bridge door as it opened. Braxton White. What was he doing on the bridge? Les stepped back down onto the deck and moved aside to allow Braxton to pass. Les nodded at him.
“Commander.”
Braxton returned a stiff nod. “Captain.” He disappeared down the hallway.
What was with that guy? Such a mystery. Career military man weren’t supposed to be so contrary. Weren’t they used to taking orders? Les tried to imagine the man standing in line, being yelled at by a drill sergeant, but all he saw was Braxton decking the sergeant. Les chuckled.
He climbed the rest of the stairs and stepped onto the bridge. Maya conversed with the second officer at the helm. Les waited until she was finished, and made eye contact with her.
“What was Braxton White doing up here?”
“He just … came to chat, Sir.”
“Please keep an eye on him, Maya. I’m already regretting bringing him into the team.”
“I understand, Captain, but I believe he has something important to contribute. He’ll come around.”
“I hope so.” He motioned to the map permanently projected on the back wall, next to his ready room door. “How’s the path looking?”
“All clear so far, Captain. We’re not seeing any—”
“Captain!” The second officer’s face was pale. “A new contact has come into range.”
Miller turned back to the map. The display showed their course plotted all the way out of Earth space. A red icon appeared near their destination. An alien ship. His heart clenched.
“I see it. Are you sure it’s one of them?”
Maya pinched the map and it zoomed in.
“Same hull profile. Same energy signature. It matches the ships we detected in the Alpha Centauri System. It’s them, Captain.”
Les planted his face in his hand for a moment, then drew it away.
“Then we have a serious problem. Our way is blocked by the enemy. If we continue towards our destination, no matter what route we use, the enemy will intercept us before we get out of Earth-controlled space.”
Chapter Thirteen
There was an oppressive air in the conference room this time. Les plodded in and took his seat. The eyes of his senior staff stared back at him.
“Sorry I’m late.” He’d needed a few moments in his office to steel his thoughts before joining them.
He surveyed the haunted faces of his crew. They were all counting on him. So were the passengers. He had to keep them safe, but was he up to the task?
He cleared his throat. “I assume you all know what’s happened?”
Maya nodded. Her eyebrows arched to the top of her nose.
“Then you know our worst fear has been realised. You also know that my original plan isn’t going to work. We can’t slip quietly into deep space without being noticed.”
His officers stared at him, their expressions blank. Confused. Both. All except Braxton. Was that a hint of smugness? No, something else. Braxton had known this might happen all along.
“Some might say that it’s inevitable that the aliens catch up with us. We can only delay for so long. I’m not willing to accept that. I’m still determined to get this ship to safety.” He locked eyes with Braxton. “Which brings us to Commander White’s plan.”
Braxton’s face loosened but he showed no pleasure. He nodded back at Les.
“So tell us, what are your thoughts?”
Braxton stood. “I’ve been studying the abandoned warship we saw on sensors. There are no alien ships in the vicinity. They seem to be more interested in live targets. We should be able to reach the ship without being intercepted. I estimate we’ll have a window of at least two hours before they catch up. We can’t ignore the possibility that our going to the ship might attract their attention.”
“And what do we do when we get there?” Les asked.
“The ship is the USS Boston. It carries a directed particle cannon and several rail guns. Given that the structure of the ship is largely intact, I believe the enemy strategy was to incapacitate the vessel, then drown her.”
“Drown?” Doctor Clarke asked.
“Sorry, old naval term. When the hull of a spaceship is breached and all internal atmosphere is lost, the ship is referred to as drowned. The crew inside will be dead because they have no air to breathe. It’s a good way to kill the people without destroying the ship. Pirates sometimes do it.”
“Pirates I can understand,” Clarke said. “But why would the aliens drown a ship?”
“Maybe they wanted to study our technology, or maybe they thought this was the quickest way to neutralise it before they moved on.”
“That makes sense,” Les said.
“In any case, given the lack of exterior damage, I think there’s a good chance at least some of the weapons are intact. We take a small party on board, dismantle the weapons and bring them aboard our ship. At that point, we can go to warp if necessary. We flee and hide for as long as it takes to install the weapons.”
“How difficult will the weapons be to dismantle?” Les leaned back in his chair. “And do we have anybody on board qualified to do it?”
“You have a ship’s engineer.” He gestured towards Sarah.
Les turned to her. “You think you can do it?”
“I don’t have any experience with weapons sir, but I’m sure I could figure it out. Although getting them installed may be challenging.”
“And if you get killed over there, we’ve lost our engineer. As a community living on a spaceship, you’re possibly the single most important person on board. Simply put, we can’t afford to lose you.”
“I’m sure I’ll be all right with Braxton here to protect me.” Sarah grinned.
“What’s to say we’ll be able to defeat an alien ship even armed with a cannon and maybe a rail-gun or two?” Les crossed his arms. “We’re still just a cruise liner. Our own warships couldn’t win against them.”
“Our warships weren’t fighting one-on-one.” Braxton smiled. “They were outnumbered. And we have the element of surprise. They won’t expect this bloated whale to have weapons. We can use that to our advantage, and strike at the opportune time. If we play this right, we could destroy one of their ships and get to safety.”
“That’s a trick we’ll only be able to use once.”
“Once may be enough to get us into deep space.”
“At this point, we don’t have any better options.” He pulled his head back and pushed his shoulders forward. “But I’m reluctant to send Sarah on this mission.”
“Captain.” Glen spoke up. “I received a message from one of the passengers. She’s an engineer by the name of Haylee Scott. Works on military contracts. Says she’s worked with some of the weapon systems used by the US Space Navy. She’s offering her expertise if we need any help in the engineering department.”
“Sounds like divine providence to me.” Doctor Clarke clasped her hands.
Les tossed the thought around in his head.
“There you go, Captain,” Sarah said. “If I kick the bucket over there, you’ve already got a replacement ready to step in.”
“Actually,” Braxton said. “I think our new friend should go on the mission instead.”
“And I just stay here where it’s safe?” Sarah frowned.
Les locked eyes with Braxton. “You want to send a passenger into a hostile environment?”
“No, I want to send an experienced weapons engineer. Face it Captain, this woman is perfect for the role.” He glanced at Doctor Clarke. “The good doctor here was right when she called this providence, although I’d dispute the divine bit. It’s basically a miracle. A weapons engineer in the perfect place at the perfect time. How can we not t
ake advantage of that?”
Les stood. “Risking my crew is bad enough, but to put a passenger in harm’s way? It’s unthinkable, Commander.”
“She’s not a passenger any more Captain. This isn’t a cruise. This is a bunch of people stuck on a ship trying to stay alive.”
“I’m with the captain,” Sarah said. “I can’t ask a passenger to risk themselves instead of me. This Haylee can instruct me as I go.”
“I’ll think about it,” Les said. He turned to Maya. “In the meantime, please plot a course to the USS Boston and take us to warp.”
#
Les sealed the door to his office, closed his eyes, and took a huge breath. He held it and then let it leak out like a balloon with a hole. This whole situation was getting out of hand. They were endangering every passenger on board by going near that derelict warship, but to actively take a passenger on board? It was unconscionable.
There had to be another way. He collapsed onto his chair and tapped the keyboard. He opened the regulation book and scrolled to a familiar passage.
The safety and well-being of passengers is of paramount importance. Under no circumstances may they be placed in any danger.
How could he ignore that statement, after living his life according to it all these years? Space could be a hazardous place, but not on his ship. Never on Jewel of the Stars.
So what was the alternative? He could send Sarah instead. If anything happened to her then Haylee Scott could take over her duties on the ship. Was Scott qualified for that? Maybe. But nobody knew these engines like Sarah.
One of the most basic tenants of leadership was that you delegated the right job to the right person. And Haylee Scott was the person for this job. No doubt about it.
Les mashed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth. This was a betrayal of everything he believed in.
He tapped on the keyboard again and selected Maya’s name from the floating screen.
“Maya speaking.”
“Please approach Haylee Scott and extend to her our request.”
Chapter Fourteen
Jewel of The Stars - Season 1 Episode 1 - Earth's Remnant Page 6