Colossus

by John Ricks

  Blue said, “Perhaps they were destroyed in the battle with the Sycloyeds. We have avoided that area of space. Eventually, we will have to battle these creatures.”

  Green said, “We will see, but I think these creatures will not give up so easily against these Sycloyeds.”

  Blue said, “The Sycloyeds should not be in this sector yet. I have told the Body Proper, and they will warn the fleet and ask for immediate reinforcements. Green, please continue.”

  Green said, “The Body Proper wishes me to show you what we know of this Admiral Penn and the admiral who is in charge of this ES Insight. It is bits and pieces from others, but the Body Proper warns that we will meet them soon.”

  Chapter 8

  Under Way

  On the ES Insight, Admiral Lasen was having a meeting with the other officers in his stateroom. Lt. Janet Dunner said, “She’s a beautiful ship, Admiral Lasen.”

  The admiral thought about being the first admiral of the first space carrier and paid little attention to the small talk going on around the room. Women and children were what he was thinking about. Being an admiral of a carrier that floats on water and having women sailors is one thing, but this is a completely new frontier. I thought I’d have months, maybe years, before my completely new crew would be heat-tested, but here we are, preparing to go to war against an experienced space-faring race that, by all accounts, has no mercy. Half my crew is women, and I have five children. The women aren’t the problem. Give me a crew of all women, and I’d have the best crew in the fleet. It’s when you put men and women together that the problems start.”

  “I’m really worried about whether she’ll fly,” the lieutenant said.

  That brought the admiral out of his private thoughts. “Lieutenant, I’ll have no negative thoughts, please. Dr. Freddy Anderson himself has inspected every inch of this ship. She’ll fly, all right. She’ll be the fastest, most powerful ship in the known universe. I trust what Dr. Anderson has approved. What I don’t trust is that we’ll know how to run his equipment. The reports I get from the specials assigned to the ship are that most of the crew is unsure of what they’re doing. We cannot afford mistakes, ladies and gentlemen. As soon as were up, I’ll have hourly drills. Is that understood?

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Plan for it. Each shift is to hold drills eight hours a day. Do not overload them with other activities. I want them rested, with energy to burn when we get there. You have your orders.”

  Everyone left him in his stateroom. The suite was big enough that it included a separate bedroom, bath, walk-in closet, kitchen, conference room, and office. The room was highly comfortable, with carpet so thick and soft you’d lose your toes if you weren’t careful. The pictures were expensive and covered up the controls needed during battle planning. The admiral’s desk was big enough for two and was made from polished dark-wood-textured metal. His chair was the same dark metal and was on guides that kept it on the floor, even if gravity gave out, but also let him slide in and out.

  He drifted off, thinking about everything that had happened to put him in this highly precarious situation.

  One year ago, almost to the day, the president had called him in from a deployment. The admiral had flown off the aircraft carrier America and landed in Washington, thinking he was in some sort of trouble again. His career was somewhat rocky, as he refused to do anything the conventional way. He had just finished maneuvers with several other countries, and he’d tromped them. He was never where he was expected to be, and this ticked off everyone, including half his own fleet. In fact, the admiral had handled the exercise with only one-third of his ships. The rest he used for throwing the other admirals and countries off track. He ended up theoretically wiping out nearly all the other fleets’ ships, while only losing one ship himself and pissing off the dozen other admirals that lost.

  When he arrived in Washington, he reported directly to the White House. The president received him right away. Admiral Martin Penn was there. Admiral Penn was an old friend and Admiral Lasen’s mentor. The two men fought and thought a lot alike. Admiral Penn was the only naval officer that Lasen ever looked up to. They greeted each other, and then the president dropped the hammer.

  “A message has been sent to the carrier, telling your captain to take charge. You won’t be back.” Admiral Lasen was just about to apologize when she dropped the next hammer. She was looking out the window when she asked, “Admiral, you know about Dr. Freddy Anderson?”

  “Yes, Madam President. Of course I know.” Who doesn’t? he thought.

  “Then you are aware that Dr. Anderson is building a fleet carrier?”

  He stood a little straighter. “No, ma’am, that I didn’t know.”

  “He is, and I need an admiral to run it. It requires a lot of intensive training in engineering, working with specials and three-dimensional tactics. If you agree to try for this position, then you will need to be screened, mentally and physically, and approved first. If you pass, then you will spend the next year preparing with four other officers.” She turned and looked at him right in the eyes. “Admiral, the world needs someone to take charge of this ship and protect this planet.” She paused, staring at him with an intensity that could rival a desert sun. “We have company out there, Admiral—eight different races that we know of so far. We’re hoping and praying that they’re friendly, but if not, then at least two of them have the potential to remove our race from existence. Freddy has agreed to make this carrier on the understanding that its primary use is to help populate other worlds.”

  “I hope that’s all we ever have to use it for, Madam President.”

  “And that’s exactly why I want you to go through this training. I don’t need a power-hungry, war-loving moron in control of the most powerful ship ever built. You pass those tests and become first in your class. That’s an order, Admiral. Dismissed—both of you.”

  Once out in the hall, Admiral Lasen asked, “Martin, what’s going on? I’ve never seen her like this. She’s worried about something.”

  “Ken, I’m sorry for the abrupt way she’s acting, but she has a lot on her mind. Freddy has invented and launched his first building-moving ship. Ken, it works! He dropped the first building on the moon just last week. The robots in his factory are building another destroyer-class ship. He is starting on a cruiser and a carrier. He’s a special, and there’s an uproar about specials throughout the world. There simply are not enough of them to go around. In this country, most are too young to work. People are afraid that the other countries are using them to undermine the rest of us. Most of the specials we find go to Freddy’s home—and for good reason. He has helped almost all of them get over issues that we can’t even comprehend. Still, the rest of the country is up in arms and accusing the president of taking all of them for herself.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “You know how the people are. They want it, and they want it now. You’d think they’d learn patience before they reached the age to vote. The president has to protect the specials, keep us out of war with other countries, and now prepare for a war with the Sycloyeds.”

  “She really thinks that’s a possibility?”

  “Not only a possibility, but the Congress is doing research, and so far it suggests that it’s very likely. Earth happens to be right in their path. She’s praying that we’ll have time to prepare, but she can’t be sure, and she’s worried.”

  “We have some protection now, what with the Protectress and the other ships.”

  “True, and Freddy is working to help her. No one knows this, Ken, so don’t let this out. There have been eight attempts on Freddy’s life. The specials tell us that there are a lot of people who don’t think we should go into space or don’t like Freddy building weapons, and other countries don’t like the idea that were pulling so far ahead of them in everything. Freddy has been great, and his hard work has saved our lives, but
there are repercussions. He knows this and expects it. It’s typical of him. He thinks it’s ‘silliness,’ and he doesn’t take it very seriously.” Admiral Penn smiled and continued. “Unless, of course, the army tries something. I think he’s looking for a reason to bloody their noses.” They both laughed.

  “Four countries have asked to become states, including Canada and Mexico,” Admiral Penn said. “They want to be a bigger part of everything that’s happening. England and Australia have presented Congress with a proposal that we change our name from the Unites States to Earth Federation. They are willing to join the Federation and are fully willing to become part of our new country. If that happens, then they get to vote, and in next election we could have an English or Australian president. Can you believe that? Freddy is inadvertently pulling this world together.”

  “Are they seriously thinking about doing any of this?”

  “Yes, very seriously. Before we start colonizing other planets, the president would like it to be a lot more stable here at home. It would be good if the entire world was one country, but the likelihood of getting China and Russia to join is slim.”

  “This training—when will we start?” Admiral Lasen asked.

  “We’re starting now.”

  Admiral Lasen was ushered into a room with several people, including—as he soon found out—a psychologist, as well as children. At first, the kids were playing, but the moment the psychologist started talking, they became very serious and watched Admiral Lasen very closely.

  The psychologist asked, “Admiral. It is admiral, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, but you can call me Ken.”

  The psychologist looked up with one eye. Three of the children giggled but a girl of about twelve gave them a look, and they instantly stopped. No words were exchanged, so it was clear that they were specials. I put my hand out to the girl and said, “Hello. I’m Admiral Ken Lasen. You’re a special, aren’t you?”

  The girl extended her hand and said, “Welcome, Admiral Lasen. Yes, we all are. My name is Connie.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Connie.” As they shook hands, a little boy reached up and put both hands around Ken’s arm and lifted his feet. “Well, who do we have here?”

  Connie covered her mouth with one hand and looked at the boy. He looked at her and then looked at me, pouting. I raised my arm, lifting him up, asking, “What’s your name, young man?”

  “I’m Johnny. You’re nice.”

  “Well, thank you.” Two of the other children took hold of my legs, and the rest pulled me down. We played, laughing and tickling for only a few minutes before the doctor ruined the fun.

  Loudly clearing of his throat, he said, “I don’t have all day, Admiral.”

  Ken could sense that the doctor did not enjoy the children, and that disappointed him greatly. The man seemed bored, rude, and a little intimidating toward the children. Ken took offense with this attitude. He stood, picked up his hat, and walked briskly toward the doctor. Connie was there instantly. She put out a hand to stop me, and then turned to the doctor.

  “The admiral is very upset with the way you just treated us. He looks at us as if we were his own grandchildren. He misses his wife, who has been dead for several years now.” She placed a hand on Ken’s arm, asking forgiveness for bringing up such a sad issue. “He does not care if we are specials or not. To him, that means that we are children with an extra burden.” She turned to Ken and said, “You are correct on that, Admiral.” She turned back to the doctor and said, “He has a tiny bit of empathy and can detect that you are a little hostile toward us. You may continue with the interview.” She turned toward Ken and said, “No, Admiral, you will not have him replaced. We use his attitude for our own purposes.” She walked back to the rest of the children.

  The psychologist looked up at Ken from his desk and said, “Have a seat, Admiral.”

  It was them that Ken understood that the psychologist was not the one in charge. Connie was, and Ken had just been tested.

  The psychologist asked, “Ready, Admiral?”

  “I suppose so.”

  “Good. I have twelve questions for you. Please answer every question verbally and in fifty words or more. The children need to ascertain what’s in your mind with each question. Don’t lie, don’t tell half-truths, and don’t try to mislead. They will know instantly and will report that you were uncooperative.” He asked a dozen questions, some expected and some very surprising.

  “Explain your attitude toward the United States.”

  That’s easy, Ken thought. “I have loved the US all my life. I have been to nearly all other countries and have found no better place.”

  “Explain your attitude toward the world.”

  This was harder for him, but he said, “All countries are filled with good people. In some countries, people are pushed into making bad decisions. In others, the top few become greedy, and that makes it hard on the others. Every country has something to endear it to me, but all countries, including the US, can improve.”

  “If you had the chance and the power, what things would you change about the world and the way people act?”

  “No one man has the right to change the way people are or act. As a people, the people must change if they so desire. No man has the right to change them, even if he has the power. To do so would be immoral, and he wouldn’t be doing it for the people. He would be doing it for himself.”

  “How many people have you killed, for what reasons, and did you enjoy it?”

  “Outside of wars or skirmishes that placed me under orders, none. I have killed during several legal actions by following my orders. I never enjoy harming another, but I don’t lose sleep over it either.”

  “How do you feel about Dr. Anderson and his inventions?”

  “I follow Dr. Anderson, like everyone else. He is a remarkable young man. I owe him my life.”

  “Tell me about a time when you wanted to get even with someone. Tell me how, when, why, and how you planned to get even, regardless of whether you carried it through.”

  Answering that questions took Ken some time, as he’d gotten even with quite a few people in his life.

  “Explain how you envision children—how you think of them, what you enjoy thinking about when you think of them?”

  Here, Connie interjected, “There is no need for him to answer those questions. We have already removed the answers.”

  The psychologist nodded and then asked, “In what situation would you destroy an entire race of people?”

  Ken had to think about that one but then answered, “If that race were a menace to the human race, or if I was under logical orders from someone I knew was not a nut case, then I would destroy the race.”

  “Have you ever cheated?”

  He took several minutes to answer this one and told several stories that had the children laughing nearly constantly.

  “Do you ever lie in your reports, and if so, why?”

  Ken’s answer to this was a resounding yes, and then he explained, “You don’t ruin someone’s career and life over something small, especially if you believe that person has learned his lesson.”

  The doctor said, “Last question, Admiral. Do you want power?”

  The first thing that came to mind was, Trick question. His answer was simple and truthful. “Do I need the power to protect my family? Yes. Do I need the power to protect the country and world I love? Yes. Do I want to have power? No. I would love to be fishing, golfing, playing with my grandchildren, or anything else. Do I need power? Yes. I need to ensure the freedom of my family, my country, and the world for this generation and all generations to come.”

  Connie stood up and said, “The interview is over, Admiral. You pass. However, I would caution you that you need to spend time around more specials to learn how to shield, as your mind is far too wide open. Please go through that do
or.” She pointed toward the left. Ken shook her hand and ruffled Johnny’s hair.

  He spent the next three weeks undergoing a complete physical. After that, it was off to Pensacola, Florida, for training.

  The naval base in Pensacola was legendary for its pilot training, but now, with spaceships, they were developing a different kind of pilot. Ken trained in dogfighting tactics, flight squadron tactics, submarine strategies, and three-dimensional chess that could go in any direction. The pieces could move in any orientation and be upside down and backward. Facing counted in this chess game, and if your piece was not facing in the correct direction, others could sneak up on you, or you could not attack. He constantly trained in any tactic that would help to change his mental thought pattern from two-dimensional to more than three-dimensional. In space, it’s not just up, down, backward, forward, and side to side. It included ship angles, direction, and speed. He studied history, including all about the Sycloyeds and their way of fighting; Anderson Engineering; and math. For Ken, that was the fun part. It was completely new and matched his personality, as he excelled there. He always loved anything out of the ordinary. He took the championship in the chess game every month there. He found the rest to be boring, but he completed everything and graduated second in the class.

  The only reason Ken was in charge was that the specials flunked the top person the day before graduation. They also dropped out two others. That left Ken with an executive officer and an operations officer—Sally Prox and Kim Lee, respectively. When Ken first arrived at training, he had no idea that three of the six in training were female. Now, he had two of them to help run the ship, and he was extremely glad. Both were highly capable.

  My ship, he thought. When he walked out of his cabin to check on his ship, two marines followed, but he thought nothing of it. He went into the communication room and received a report on the condition of the ship and crew. He checked weapons and engineering and ran into Freddy on the main deck in an argument with an ensign that Ken recognized as a new medical assistant. Freddy and Ken had become close over the last two weeks, with Freddy training Ken on several issues and the possible capabilities of the ship.