"That can't be helped. We leave as scheduled and Space Command HQ will have to figure out how to get the crew members to us."
"Aye, Captain."
"Commander, I've been keeping a very close eye on your activity during the past week."
"You have, sir?" Jenetta asked apprehensively.
"I wanted to see how you would meet the demands of an extremely difficult administrative situation, so I purposely didn't help out. I admit that I was more than a little concerned about having an ensign that had just been advanced three grades, functioning as my acting first officer. In fact, for two days before you reported aboard, I intentionally let problems accumulate so that you'd have a real mess to unravel."
"Things did seem a bit backed up at first, sir."
"Well, I'm not going to be watching you so closely anymore. You've proven that your administrative skills are just as good as your reputed tactical skills. You have everything running like a shipboard chronometer."
"Thank you, sir. I learned quite a bit during the months that I functioned as captain of the Prometheus."
"No doubt," he said, letting his eyes drop momentarily to the pip on her collar. "I've noted your superior administrative performance in handling the difficult task of preparing a new command, in your file. I no longer have any reservations about your being my acting first for the trip ahead. Good work, Commander. That's all."
"Aye, sir. Thank you, sir."
Jenetta returned to her duties with a slight smile on her face and felt good for the rest of the day. The Captain's involvement in the ship's preparations had been conspicuously absent during the week. Even her access to him had been severely limited. Now she understood why. It wasn't personal, as she'd begun to fear; he was only testing her ability to handle the job.
* * *
As the Prometheus' bridge crew made final preparations to depart the spaceport at 1300 hours on Sunday, a call came from the deck officer in the forward cargo bay. The lieutenant responsible for securing the airlock reported that a large, unexpected group of Space Command personnel had just arrived. The officer in charge was requesting to be admitted. Jenetta told the deck officer that she'd be right down, and hurried out after turning over bridge responsibility to the next most senior command officer.
When she arrived at the cargo bay, she found a group of about twenty-five GSC ratings, noncoms, and junior officers already standing inside. Jenetta immediately recognized Commander Keith Kanes of SCI, who stepped forward as she approached. The five-foot eleven-inch intelligence officer with brown hair and piercing steel-grey eyes saluted and spoke up first.
"Permission to come aboard, Commander?"
"Granted," Jenetta said after returning the salute. "Welcome aboard, Commander. What is this? We're about to get underway."
"I've brought you some passengers for the trip to Earth. And I have special orders for the captain."
"Passengers?"
"Yes, including one for your brig."
Jenetta's gaze flew to the group and she scanned the faces. Her eyes opened a little wider when she recognized Commander Pretorious, the Raider officer that had been in command of the Prometheus when she led the assault to recover it. As tall as Kanes, but with curly black hair and dark bushy eyebrows that gave him a certain comical look, he was manacled with prisoner transport chains.
"Can you accommodate us?" Commander Kanes asked.
"I'm sure that we can, sir. Is this your entire party?"
"Yes."
"Will you be traveling with us, sir?"
"I will."
Turning to the officer of the deck, she said, "Lieutenant, seal the airlock so the ship can get underway, then contact Lieutenant Shelton and have her arrange quarters for our passengers. You will personally take charge of the prisoner, with suitable Marine guard, and see that he is secured in the brig. High security while he's aboard."
"Aye, Commander."
The Lieutenant moved to a control console and initiated the process that would seal the enormous outer and inner doors of the bay's airlock. Jenetta remained until both hatches had been closed, locked, and certified as being sealed by the computer. She then turned to Kanes.
"This way to the bridge, Commander. Your people are in good hands."
"As am I. Thank you, Commander." As they walked, Kanes said, "You seem to be getting on quite well."
"Yes sir. I've been very happy. This is where I want to be, where I've dreamed of being for as long as I can remember. There was a time when I believed that I'd never make it."
"When you were adrift in the escape pod after the Hokyuu exploded?"
"Long before that, sir. I was designated as a science officer because they felt I didn't have the aptitude for command. I was sure that I'd never have a chance for a posting like this."
Commander Kane, intimately familiar with Jenetta's file, looked at her appraisingly. In his twenty-two years as an Intelligence officer in Space Command, he'd never met anyone quite so enigmatic as this young woman next to him, and she intrigued him. "It's funny how situations change."
Captain Gavin was sitting in his command chair, facing the full wall monitor at the front of the bridge, when the two officers entered from the corridor behind him. It was his watch and he had relieved the officer Jenetta left in charge of the bridge when she went to resolve the issue of last minute arrivals. As Jenetta reached his side, he glanced over in her direction and asked, "Is everything secured, Commander?"
"Aye, Captain, the airlock is sealed and all is ready for departure."
"Excellent. Take us out, Commander."
"Aye, sir," Jenetta said, as she climbed into the first officer's bridge chair. "Astrogation, have we received clearance for maneuvering and departure?"
"We've received clearance and the space is open, ma'am."
"Helm, has the airlock ramp been vacated and the station airlock door secured?"
"Aye, Commander. The ramp is empty, and the station airlock control indicates red. The station dock master has approved our request to undock."
"Tactical, is the ship sealed?"
"Aye, ma'am. The computer reports that all access hatches are closed, locked, and sealed."
"Helm, depressurize the starboard airlock ramp at the forward cargo bay."
The faint sounds of rushing air could be heard by the ratings and noncoms standing by to handle any problem in the forward cargo hold as pumps were engaged and the atmosphere evacuated into onboard storage bottles. After about thirty seconds the helmsman said, "The starboard airlock ramp at the forward cargo bay is fully depressurized, ma'am."
"Release all docking clamps."
"Docking clamps released— airlock ramp is retracting— airlock ramp is retracted. The ship is floating free, and clear of all obstructions."
"Reverse thrusters, twenty ticks."
"All reverse thrusters operating, twenty ticks."
The display screen at the front of the bridge that had shown the space station appearing to move away, shifted to show the view from the stern. A small inset image near the top right of the screen now showed the view in front of the ship as the ship backed slowly away from the dock.
As the nearly two-kilometer long ship came clear of the docking pier and other docked ships, Jenetta said, "Starboard bow thrusters, ten ticks."
"Starboard bow thrusters operating, ten ticks," the helmsman repeated.
The ship began to revolve slowly in a counter-clockwise motion. As it achieved rotational apogee, Jenetta said, "Larboard bow thrusters, five ticks."
"Larboard bow thrusters operating, five ticks."
The ship stopped turning but was still moving away from the space port dock when Jenetta said, "Helm, sub-light engines at minimum power until we clear all station traffic. Engage sub-light engines."
"Aye, Commander, engaging sub-light engines, power at minimum."
The enormous ship began to glide forward slowly, reaching ten meters per second as the helmsman maneuvered around traffic in the port. In add
ition to the docked ships, there were numerous ships in planetary orbit or in close proximity to the station. Once clear the helmsman called, "Clear of all vessels, Commander."
"Astrogation, is our course laid in, and our heading correct?"
"Aye, Commander."
"Tactical, what's the status of the AutoTect grid?"
"The AutoTect grid is green, Commander. The board is clear."
The sizeable tactical station aboard the Prometheus was designed to accommodate no less than seven tac officers. The lead tactician, usually a commander, or at least a lieutenant commander, sits amid an almost complete circle of displays and electronic control consoles. Facing him or her, on the outside of the circle, are six stations for the rest of the tac team, although most seats are normally only occupied during general quarters. A bevy of holo-screens hang suspended over the encircling hardware so the lead can see exactly what each tac team member is seeing.
The ship's ACS, or anti-collision system, has the potential to detect another vessel that's hours away, even when both ships are proceeding at top FTL speed towards one another, if both vessels are transmitting a proper AutoTect code. The signals travel on an Inter-Dimensional Band in hyperspace at a speed of point-zero-five-one-three light years per minute. Green means that no other ships are reporting a course that intersects with Prometheus' projected course in such a way as to present a danger. Until recently, use of AutoTect systems had been discontinued because the Raiders could use it to identify plump targets. As a result of Jenetta having discovered and destroyed the Raider base operating in this deca-sector, Space Command was once again requiring its use by all vessels in transit.
"And the status of the DeTect grid?"
"The DeTect grid is also green, Commander."
The ship's DeTect equipment uses a special frequency in hyperspace to detect everything within four billion kilometers of a ship, much as radar and lidar serves planetary vessels. The quality of the image isn't especially good, but the computers can identify the movement of any ships, extraterrestrial bodies, or miscellany that poses a threat to the ship's navigation.
"Tactical, is the Chiron out of port traffic?"
"She's just clearing the port now, Commander," the lead tactical officer said.
"Helm, disengage the sub-light engines and build our temporal envelope."
After two minutes the helmsman said, "Envelope complete, Commander."
"The Chiron reports that their envelope is complete," the com operator said.
"Helm, engage the Light Drive to Light-375."
"Aye, Commander. Light-375 engaged."
The viewscreen showed the ship moving forward with steadily increasing speed while the small inset showed the Chiron off the starboard stern. The helmsman called out the speed variations as the ship accelerated gradually to its top speed. Although capable of almost instant acceleration to the maximum rated speed of the ship, SOP was to accelerate very slowly for the first minutes whenever leaving a space station, planetary orbit, or any RP where other ships were assembled. The temporal envelope eliminated the need to engage the gravitative inertial compensator required when accelerating or decelerating in normal space.
Jenetta turned to the Captain. "We're away, Captain."
The captain had witnessed the entire procedure, but it was traditional to report the departure when the Captain wasn't handling it.
"Thank you, Commander."
"Aye, sir. Sir, Commander Kanes has come aboard to see you. He states that he has orders to accompany us to Earth."
Gavin turned in his chair to look over his shoulder at Kanes, who had been standing behind and out of the way as the ship departed. "Commander Kanes, come into my briefing room," he said as he climbed down from his chair. To Jenetta, he said, "You have the bridge, Commander."
"Aye, sir," Jenetta said. "I have the bridge." She watched as the two men disappeared into the briefing room. With the ship now under way, there was little to do, so Jenetta called the housing officer.
"Lieutenant Shelton," the lieutenant responded when the call went through.
"This is Commander Carver. Have our guests been accommodated, Lieutenant?"
"Aye, Commander. All have been shown to available crew quarters, and we have suitable VIP quarters prepared for Commander Kanes when he's ready."
"Very good, Lieutenant. Carry on."
"Aye, Commander."
Jenetta leaned fully back in the first officer's chair, took a deep breath, and relaxed. Relative to the workload that she'd had during the past week, there should be little to do during the next few months as they made their way to Earth. On a personal note she was looking forward to finally having enough time during meals to sate her runaway appetite so she wouldn't have to spend the day snacking on fruit. Within a couple of days they should settle into a placid routine that would continue until the end of the voyage. Of course, the arrival of the senior Intelligence officer assigned to Higgins SCB, with twenty-five personnel in tow, just minutes before departure, was more than a little unusual. Although she appeared to be innocently staring at the front viewscreen, she was actually thinking about the rank insignia and shoulder flashes of the ratings and noncoms that had come aboard with the intelligence officer. Virtually all were weapon specialists.
* * *
Chapter Four
~ February 29th, 2268 ~
Following recovery of the two battleships from the Raiders, all ship's systems were restored to shipyard specifications. Then Space Command databases with asynchronous update capability were installed. The cranial transducer or ID chip of every Space Command officer, noncom, and crewman on active duty would now be recognized when they're aboard. While the CT is used principally for communications, the computer can instantly locate any officer aboard ship by emitting a high-pitched signal, far above the range of human hearing, on the officer's carrier frequency, and triangulating the echo with shipboard sensors.
Subcutaneously implanted against the exterior of the skull, just behind the left ear, the CT creates the impression when receiving a message that someone is whispering directly into your ear. Every officer is assigned a unique carrier frequency, so in a room full of Space Command officers, only the intended recipient will hear the computer-forwarded message. A minute electrical charge produced by the host's body powers the unit, but being insufficient to generate a signal of sufficient strength for transmission, the CT relies on the ship's main computer to establish the carrier wave for the receipt or delivery of messages. To transmit a message, the officer lightly presses thumb or forefinger to the face of their Space Command ring. This action generates a signal to the central transceiver to establish the required frequency wave assigned to the officer.
Noncommissioned officers and enlisted personnel carry a similar device, also implanted against the skull in the same subcutaneous location. Referred to as their ID chip, it lacks the two-way communication capability of a CT. Although limited to receive only mode, the ID chip can also be used by the ship's computer for locating personnel, allowing entrance to secure areas, or unlocking equipment without further identification. High security areas and certain specialized equipment still require retinal image, voice identification, and/or handprint verification.
Jenetta was lost in thought when she received the CT message from the Captain. "Join us in my briefing room, Commander," she heard in her left ear.
Touching the Space Command ring on her right hand with her left forefinger, Jenetta said, "Aye, Captain. Carver out."
As she climbed down from her chair, she said to the helmsman, "Lt. Kerrey, I'll be in the Captain's briefing room. You have the bridge in my absence."
"Aye, Commander," he said. "I have the bridge." Since she would only be twenty-meters away, he remained at the helm console.
Jenetta paused at the briefing room door as the computer identified her and notified the captain of her presence. When the doors opened she walked to his desk.
"Yes, Captain?"
"Have a seat, Com
mander."
Jenetta settled into the soft comfort of the only available chair that faced the desk. Commander Kanes floated in the other overstuffed, ‘opposed gravity' chair.
"Commander Kanes, would you be so good as to enlighten Commander Carver with the information regarding your mission?"
"Yes sir," he said. Turning slightly towards Jenetta, he said, "Commander, prior to your court-martial, you told us about Commander Pretorious' attempts to secure his release in exchange for certain information?"
"Yes sir."
"After learning that, I had several long conversations with him. He desperately wants his freedom and we've agreed to release him if his information is accurate. That's why you were barred from testifying about the meeting during the court-martial."
"Commander, he's a senior shipboard officer in the Raider organization and presents a serious threat to the safety of our ships and citizens. Do you really think that he's going to give us accurate information?"
"The Kinesthesian Truth Analyzer indicated that he was telling the truth while making his statements, and he doesn't get his freedom until after the information is verified. Additionally, data found in the computer files retrieved by you at the Raider space port support his statements."
"Did he give you the location of any of the other Raider spaceports?"
"No, he refused that and said that he wouldn't divulge them under any circumstances. Our deal was only for this one piece of information."
"I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw Space Command Supreme HQ, but it's your call, Commander. What does this have to do with me?"
"According to Commander Pretorious, the Raiders will purportedly attack a freighter underway from the planet Mawcett to the planet Anthius."
"All that Raider preparation and firepower for a single freighter?"
"It's being escorted by a dozen destroyers from Peabody Protection Services. As I'm sure you're aware, they're each equivalent to one of Space Commands light destroyers."
"A dozen warships protecting one freighter? What's the cargo?"
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