by K R Sanford
Commander Majors acknowledged with a nod. “Thank you, Yeoman. Begin liftoff.”
The Captain less agitated spoke. “Commander, would you mind flipping on the main viewer, I'd like to see out.”
Ryan reached out and touched a sensor on the command console. San Francisco opened up on the thirty-foot semi-circular screen. The Golden Gate Bridge flashed with commuter cars gliding over magna-rails. Coit Tower looked more like a fire nozzle at fifteen hundred feet. The two round oak trees at its base, confirmed the sight for the city's ancient phallic.
The Transgalactic Pyramid Building vaulted high above the skyline. The clear disk rings at the top jammed with local shuttles. Space taxies and airbuses circled, waiting for a place to dock. Treasure Island's Interstellar Hologram Center dropped below the ship. The Farallon Islands loomed through the transparent dome in the distance.
“Take us up slow, Commander,” ordered Captain Miller. “You know I was born here?”
“Oh,” replied Ryan. “I didn't know that, whereabouts?”
Marco spoke in a quiet reflective tone, “Alameda Medical.”
Ryan touched a blue light in the center of his console. A small window appeared on the main viewer displaying visual below the ship.
“There was a time, Commander,” Marco recalled. “Bridges crossed over this bay connecting one side to the other. Auto-cars and trucks traveled these roads. Ah, this was a long time ago, back in the days of presidents, Thirteen hundred years, Commander. Do you know your history?”
“A little, Captain, I'm from the farmlands of Wisconsin”
“Well, San Francisco has a lot of history,” replied Marco. “This whole area almost suffocated in its own carbon. Then this dome dropped.” Marco pointed at the arc of the dome moving closer and closer to the ship.
“That reminds me,” said Ryan. “We need our final clearance to pass through the window.”
“Yes, thank you Commander. Please take good care of our escape off this planet won’t you.” Marco sat pleased with himself at making a joke about their departure. “Well, I'm hungry, what's on the menu?”
Clorissa turned from navigation. “What would you like?” She replied. “I'll fix you something.”
Hector pointed at the magnavator door. “I'll run to the kitchen and bring you over some fresh fruit old buddy.”
Marco's eyes narrowed, “Damn it, I know what you're trying to do. Stop patronizing me, all of you! You all think I'm sick in the head, don't you? Well I'm not. Hear me!”
Commander Majors spoke with a calm steady voice, “Captain, we didn't mean anything by it.”
Marco challenged the Commander, “Oh no?”
“Hey babe, take it easy,” said Hector. “The hearings, they got to you. You might not think so, but they got to you. You can't fool me old man. As a matter of fact, we can all see it.”
Marco took a deep breath. “Sorry, Clorissa, everyone, I think,” Marco tapped the arm of his chair. “I think I better go to my quarters,” he said, pulling himself from his chair and shuffling into the magnavator.
“Captain,” Ryan called but the magnavator door hissed shut.
“Let him go, Commander,” said Hector. “Let's have a good trip out.” Hector pointed over at a white light on the communication console.
“Commander, it's the Exodus,” said Clorissa.
“Put it on the main viewer, Yeoman?” replied Ryan.
Another small window popped up in the center of the main screen. A young black starship Captain with fiery sapphire blue eyes was smiling. “Welcome to outer space, people of Starship Eagle,” he said.
“Who the hell is that?” said Hector.
“Isn't that the snot nose we had on board here six or seven years ago?” replied Ryan.
“Hey there young fellow,” said Hector. “Do your parents know where you are?”
Captain Clairy, still smiling, tugged at his collar. A silver eagle bristled in the bright light of the battle cruiser's forward helm. The young Captain lifted his chin and replied, “Hector, Mister Majors, Clorissa, good to see you all.”
“Good to see you too, young fella,” said Ryan with an ear-to-ear grin. “How are your bionic eyes holding up; can you still navigate through hyper-light?”
“Well enough to rate me Captain of this starship,” said the young Captain.
“By the way,” Hector, standing at attention, threw the young Captain a crisp salute. “Congratulations, Captain Clairy, they're getting a fine officer.”
“Yes, congratulations, Captain,” said Ryan. “At the rate you're going you'll most likely make Admiral before you're thirty.
Clairy shook his head no, “I've got plenty to learn right here Commander,” he said.
Commander Majors smiled, “Where's Ambassador Gaff?”
“He's in Medical,” replied Clairy. “I don't see the Captain. I understood he would be on board.”
“He's in his quarters,” said the Commander. “He needed to unwind. We got him out of his apartment as soon as we learned we had clearance to raise ship.”
“Very good,” said Clairy, his fiery blue eyes radiated against his black skin. “Would you like to rendezvous with us in one hour? We will debrief on the bridge. The Ambassador is anxious to see the Captain?”
Commander Majors was taking pride at watching his former shipmate. He is now in charge of the war cruiser. “No problem, Captain,” he said. “But we want to test the Eagle first, you know, shake her down a bit.”
“Would you like to make it two hours then?” said Clairy.
“No, no. I mean we'll be there, if everything checks out,” replied Ryan.
“We'll keep a tracker on you,” said Clairy.
“Thank you,” replied Ryan. “That would be good. We'll be going plus light, one pass around the sun, should take us about ten minutes.”
“Excellent, we’ll sit back and watch, Exodus on stand-by status.” Clairy turned his head and gave an order to his crew, a moment later his image blinked off with the main viewer.
Ryan in a low monotone voice said, “Yeoman, lock-in solar orbit and read out sequence, please.”
“Aye, aye, Sir,” said Clorissa, “Flight path ready and locked on.”
The Commander gave a nod and said, “Begin.”
A swirl of light erupted on the main viewer. A path of multi colored ribbons jettisoned in the distance like a neon super-highway. In the blink of an eye the trajectory disappeared into the void. The converted transport left Earth atmosphere in a trail of white vapor.
The Eagle reached one-quarter light. She riffled through the cross currents of flux and accelerated.
Commander Major's eyes fixed on the viewer. “The Eagle doesn't seem to realize she's been sitting around for five years. Yeoman, scan this solar system for any new power sources,” he said, in the same monotone voice. “The Captain will want recorders updated if—
“He'll snap out of it,” said Hector. “He needs a little space-time,”
“Yeah, well, you should have seen him on the planet sitting in front of his viewer,” said Ryan. “It was pitiful. He didn't even recognize me when I came in. He looked like he doped himself with glue or something.”
“I said, he'll be alright,” replied Hector. “How's the ship?”
Commander Majors straightened himself in his chair. “Well, item by item; efficiency, ninety-seven percent, external adjustments, none. Do you want me to keep going? There are no vacuum leaks, no seal fatigue. Power core housing shows no stress lines. Metal couplers remain malleable within tolerance. The ship's main batteries are at one hundred percent capacity. The cooling system is active at three percent with backup margin of two hundred percent. In short Hector, we can pretty much go anywhere we like.”
“Excellent, that's good news, Commander.” Hector turned his attention to Yeoman Clorissa, who was sitting at her console in front of his.
“Clorissa,” he said. “If you would be so inclined, push some more buttons for us and make a formal report on ships
status. I would like to maintain a tight discipline for appearance sake. Any problems with the ship, I want detailed like it's a big deal. If we can keep the Captain thinking about the ship, it might help. Do you agree?”
“I agree,” replied Clorissa. “He loves this ship, but I'm worried. He doesn't have the spark. I mean, he hardly looked around the bridge. He just stared at the viewer. He's lost something and I'm sorry, but it's going to take more than a little space-time as you say.”
“I’m afraid she's right, Hector,” said Ryan.
“There's another thing, Hector,” said Ryan. “I've had no star duty for five years. And, the Interstellar Forces have restricted us from the Middle Corridor. Where are we going to go?”
“Like I said before, let's try to enjoy the trip.” Hector stretched out in his chair. He bent his arms back over his head. Seeing the opportunity to pontificate on parliamentary procedure said. “Yep, business is like that. Sometimes it's best to relax and put a whole new plan together. We've all had time enough to think about what we want to do.
Since we're still a company, we'll wait and hear everyone's opinion. Then, we need to trust who we elect as officers. I've some ideas of my own of course. One I can think of is; what would happen if we tested the restrictions in the Middle Corridor. You have any ideas, Commander?”
“Yeah,” said Ryan. “My idea is to stay out of military business. But I like your attitude about the Middle Corridor. I'm anxious to get with the Exodus to see what they have.”
“Okay, Clorissa, it's your turn, any ideas?” asked Hector.
Clorissa turned and raised a golden eye brow at the puffed up crew member. She said, “It's too early to tell, Hector.” She turned back to her console and continued to study the readouts.
“Okay, Yeoman.” The Commander shot a glance at Hector and said, “Signal the Exodus, let them know we are ready to board.”
“Signal acknowledged,” replied Clorissa. “Exodus reports their main landing bay opened and standing-by.”
The Commander adjusted the controls on the helm. Within seconds, the Eagle was alongside the massive battle cruiser. They drifted inside the bay. They came to a halt in the center of the launch ramp. The landing pads clinked on the deck and the seal of the hatch broke open. The gangway stepped down and adjusted the tread height. The main landing bay doors of the Exodus stayed open while a force field held out the vacuum of space.
Hector was first on deck. He stood with his hands on his hips looking at the blue marbled planet of Earth. “Looks like there is a storm in New England,” he said.
The Commander was behind Hector. He squinted and searched the planet surface thirty-thousand miles away. Yeoman Clorissa was behind the Commander. She too looked out at Earth, and they agreed, there must be a storm in New England.
“What's with Marco?” asked Hector.
Clorissa pointed her thumb over her shoulder “He won't be coming yet; said he wants to do a few things first.”
Hector shook his head. “This isn’t happening. We have a high priority meeting scheduled and we all need to go.”
“I'll get him,” said Ryan.
A moment later Captain Miller and Commander Majors descended the gangway. The Captain looked out at Earth but said nothing, no reply and no expression. He turned to the others divorced of the spark they once knew. “Let's go,” he said, his face drawn and tired. Commander Majors walked across the launch ramp taking lead through the Exodus.
The Interstellar Forces kept a clean ship. The landing bay was vacant of spacecraft. Twenty-four shuttles stacked three high in the honeycomb racks on the outer bulkhead. In the middle of the landing bay was the glass-enclosed dispatch. This was the central flight control. Dispatch suspended one full deck below the four-story ceiling.
It was vacant of the usual bustle of flight personnel. Underneath, three smaller bay doors used for larger shuttle craft and cargo was empty. The entire launch bay was empty and standard flight activity was non-existent. The lights were on but the bay got deserted.
The Captain did not look around. He was not responding to his surroundings. He kept his hands in his jacket pockets and his eyes looked down at the Commander's feet. Under dispatch and between the smaller bays, the magnavator door squeaked open.
“What the hell is wrong with that door?” said Hector.
“I don’t know. Push the button,” replied Ryan. The door jerked its way shut with an ear-piercing screech.
“Boy, someone's gotta fix that thing,” said Hector.
“Oh, I know how to do that,” cried Macro.
Clorissa looked over at the Captain who was fixating on the magnavator door. Hector followed Clorissa's expressions, keeping quiet. Commander Majors stood stalwart. The magnavator accelerated to the upper decks of the ship.
Captain Tomas Clairy of the Exodus sat in the center of the helm, situated in the center of the bridge. Master controls encompassed the Captain's station. Ambassador Joseph Gaff of the planet Ameda hovered at his side. A discussion was taking place. The Ambassador, two hundred millimeters in diameter glowed a soft fluorescent yellow. Bright violet specks spun around his crystalline core. A smooth baritone voice resonated.
The Ambassador, a steady low-keyed celestial being was not prone to vacillating. He was not susceptible to fits of excitement. Only slight variations and intensities were ever note on his exterior. Except, on one occasion, when the Ambassador first joined the crew of the Starship Eagle.
Yeoman Clorissa removed her jump suit and jiggled her melon shaped breasts at his core. The Ambassador groaned off key. Then, when she reached her arms over her head and bent to brush her nipples against his shell, he lit up like a flare.
Clorissa, encouraged by the Ambassador's excitement, continued to undulate and contort her body. She exposed the golden haired arch between her thighs. When she swelled her lips to a generous wet pucker, it was too much. His energy bolts raced around his shell. They elongating in their arc and his voice cooed in a deep vibrato.
It took him several hours to get under control. Captain Miller ordered him to write what he saw and how he felt fifty times on the main computer. He was hoping he would put the experience behind him. The Captain instructed him to not draw attention away from Clorissa's free expression.
He went on to say the Eagle was a private vessel and they did not operate with the military discipline as the Exodus. And, the respect of others needs to be maintained at all times. The Ambassador apologized. He said his compulsion took him beyond the farthest reaches of his imagination. He said he got carried away.
Captain Miller said, he understood, but dismissed the Ambassador as suffering fatigue. And he proved himself a little naive.
The rest of the crew enjoyed Clorissa's sexual expressions. In fact, they identified with her frustrations. This is normal with travelers living together on long journeys in space.
The magnavator door screeched and jerked along its rails until it stuck halfway open. Commander Majors pushed the door back out of the way and stepped out onto the bridge of the Exodus. Hector followed, shaking his head, Clorissa rolled her eyes at the defective door. She patted Marco on his shoulder. Marco stepped out following after his crew.
They gathered around the ship's helm after a lengthy greeting. Clorissa summed up their situation. “I don’t think we have much of a choice, gentlemen. We can’t go back to the Middle Corridor and we can’t stay here.”
“Not officially,” replied the Ambassador.
“Well, even on unofficial business,” said Hector. “The best we can get are third class cargo runs, and after expenses, we wouldn't profit more than wages.”
“That's our situation then,” said Ryan. “Clorissa is right, we have no choice. We will have to maintain a steady routine. Then we wait until Ambassador Gaff finds a way back to normal relations in the Middle Corridor. But, I still feel bad about what happened. I feel partly to blame.”
“It's not your fault, Ryan,” replied Clairy. “None of you are at fault. Greedy
men and women have been pushing their influence far beyond the limits. We can expand our technology but ambitions are not that simple.”
“The Amedan’s are in agreement,” replied the Ambassador. “You folk understand good business. That's why I am authorized to offer Ameda as your home planet for as long as you need. The surface, as you know has peaceful people. As a matter of fact, one of your crew is still living on Shrine Mountain.”
“Chief Spierd,” replied Marco. “He lost the bet. He still owes me five credits.”
“Yes, well,” said Hector. “Since Marco needs his five credits back, then it's settled.”
“Then, there is the majestic forests,” continued Ambassador Gaff, “And, the Emerald Seas, and the snowcapped mountains. The planet has lakes and streams. You will find this world refreshing.”
“I don't care about the five credits,” replied Marco. “But I've heard about Woodland Forest. Someone said the woods are haunted.” Marco pulled his hair away from of his face and shook a finger at Ambassador Gaff. He sat on the weapons sensors and folded his arms over his chest.
Captain Clairy's sapphire eyes began to twitch.
“They're not haunted,” said Clorissa, “There are animals living in the forests, that's all.”
Ryan leaned into Marco and whispered a reminder of where he was sitting.
“No, no,” said the Ambassador, his voice full and hypnotic. “They're haunted.”
Marco used the weapons panel as a slide and hopped down onto the deck.
“What?” Clorissa’s neck stiffened. “I don’t think so, Ambassador, with all due respect,” she said.
Clairy breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the bead of sweat off his upper lip.
“Sounds like we have another bet going here,” said Marco.
Hector, watching all that was going on, broke out in laughter.