by T. J. Jones
He jerked a tablet from his uniform top and shoved it at Adrian who took it dumbly.
“Um, thanks.”
Tiaahl nodded. “You’ll be pleased,” he repeated as if Adrian did not just hear him. Then he turned, went back to his table, and sat down as if the whole exchange had never occurred. It left Adrian standing there blinking. He stumbled toward the bar feeling more than a little confused and numb. He lifted a hand and the barkeep, a woman, approached him. She was blue skinned with several small tentacle-shaped formations pointing back and down her head. He had seen them before. She was a Shaelan — a telepathic race. The tentacles were actually made of cartilage and helped with their psionic resonance.
“What can I get ya, sweetie?”
He shook his head, unsure. She smiled and patted his hand. “Let me guess, you met Jarod?”
He looked up at her and nodded. “He’s a trip, that one. Been here for a bit. On one hand, I get the notion he is a little imbalanced. On the other he seems very capable and on his shit.”
“What gives you that impression?”
She shrugged “I had a peek.” He tapped her head. “Got two different pictures though. One of them was very well collected. The other seemed scattered. Jumbled. If I didn’t know any better I’d say his symbiont had gone through some kind of trauma with a previous host.”
Adrian stole a glance over his shoulder back at Tiaahl and nodded. “Yeah. I’d have to say I agree with you.”
She offered her hand to him. “I’m Linara. Your ship’s barkeep for this mess hall.”
“Commander Adrian Rain. Ship’s executive officer.”
Linara smiled at him and nodded. “I know. I read it from ya.”
“Right. Telepath.”
She held her hands up. “It’s ok. I don’t go deep unless someone asks me to.”
“Have you done counseling work before?”
“For a coin, of course. No good work is ever done free.”
He nodded. “Well, I’m not sure if we have a ship counselor or not. Would you be against the position?”
Linara thought about it for a moment. “I’ll get back to ya.”
He nodded. “I understand. Are you in your Journey years? Or Matron phase?”
She smiled coyly. “Why, Mr. Rain. You never ask a woman her age.” She winked. “Now, what can I get you?”
He thought the question over for a moment. What did he want? It was near time for him to have some chow anyway. Best eat now while he was here so he was not backtracking and wasting time. He angled his head to the side in thought.
Linara smiled. “A Near beer and a rib eye medium rare coming up.”
“That is quite the Talent, Ms. Linara.”
She smiled. “You don’t even know the half of it yet.” She turned and went to the food printer to place his order.
“Oh, I bet,” he whispered below the thrum of conversation going on around him. Shaelans being a sexually homogenous race, had developed a reputation for a lot more than just their well-developed telepathy. She came back with his meal and some silverware. “Enjoy, Commander.”
“That I’ll do.”
Chapter Four
Commander Adrian Rain was settling into his meal as the captain sat next to him in the mess. She leaned over and inspected his meal with approval. Gesturing Linara over, Garrett pointed to his plate. “I’ll have what he’s having.”
Linara nodded and went back to the food printer.
“Jarod says you two spoke a bit ago,” she said with an amused smile.
“When was his last psych eval?”
“He’s an acquired taste. Something about his symbiont being different. The host is one of the sharpest men I’ve served with in the fleet. The worm inside him? Well…” there was a calculated pause, “even the Tanaens think the Tiaahl symbiont is a bit eccentric.”
“That much is pretty obvious. He’s a tough one to follow.”
“Socially yeah. When it comes time to work? He’s one of the best at what he does,” Garrett said. Adrian could almost hear pride in her voice.
“I’d read in his record that you two have served previously. Was he always like this?”
She tilted her head and nodded. “Yeah, I suppose so. We served together during the Dominus War. I was just a Lt. Cmdr. at the time. He was actually an ambassador for the Alliance. He was an older man then. Corvus Tiaahl. He gambled excessively well and had an intimate understanding of the Milsarian culture, even to the point of becoming the godfather of a Milsarian child to a very notable clan. Corvus was extremely cultured and when you were able to cut through the haze of his silliness, he was a great man. I was honored to have served with him.”
Adrian nodded. He could tell she respected him greatly despite his nuances. If that were enough for her, it would be enough for him.
“He seems to think pretty highly of you. He has gone over your file and viewed much of the data from your service history. He admires something about you. He called you a bit of a maverick.”
Adrian grinned sheepishly. “It was my call sign.”
“Well, that certainly makes sense after hearing what he’s had to say about you.” She chuckled.
That perked his brow with interest. She seemed to be going out of her way to find him and interact with him. Perhaps establish a close relationship. They would be counting on each other quite a bit in the future if his experience working on bridges in command were anything to draw from.
“Well, I’m hoping it was all good things.”
She nodded to him. “It was. Jarod said he could see a spark of leadership in you. You care about the people under you. You think unorthodoxly when it comes to executing plans. You never lean too heavily on playbooks and like to work on the fly in tough, challenging situations. When you do fail, you shoulder your responsibility and work hard at ensuring you do not make the same mistake again. He’s noted several times in your career that you’ve passed on leadership opportunities because you felt you weren’t ready yet. He likes that you know what you want. That you are not afraid to try new things. That you welcome change, and you’re flexible.”
“Flexible?” Adrian asked. He was following her right up until that comment.
She held her hand up with a wry grin. “Relax; it’s his way of saying that you don’t let who you are remain rigid. You change — both your mind and personality — when it is right. You aren’t just a wishy washy people pleaser. You have principles that guide you. Honor, integrity, duty. Selfless service. Responsibility.”
All he could do was stammer. He was not used to getting compliments of this caliber. Alternatively, evaluations that are this in depth. The essence of who he was had effectively been laid bare at his feet.
She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “It was his review of you that got you the position. Well, him and Admiral Howell.”
Adrian turned back to see Jarod Tiaahl drinking something and playing a game by himself. He turned back to face the captain again.
“He may not seem like it, but he’s got a very keen eye for talent and knows his stuff. I’m lucky I was able to get him back from Tenae when he became Jarod Tiaahl. Jarod busted his ass in everything. He’s kind of like you, but laser focused. That is where a lot of the battiness comes from. The two personalities mixed and so you get a sharp, shit hot officer who has moments of oddness. But if you spend time with him long enough, you start to see the genius of Jarod and the experience of Tiaahl.”
Linara returned with another nonalcoholic beer and a rib eye steak medium rare. “Here you go, skipper. Enjoy.”
The captain nodded and began to cut into her steak. “So, we have our coronation ceremony to deal with tomorrow before we can set out.”
Adrian continued to eat, waiting for the “and” of the topic.
“Given my past with Admiral Shorn and the little display in the engine room, I want a close eye kept on him during the ceremony. Make sure he doesn’t try anything suspect again.”
“Like what?�
� He was getting uncomfortable with where all this was going.
“You know, nosing around areas he’s not allowed, doing anything that if he were an ensign would look suspicious.”
“You really don’t trust the man, do ya?”
“Not as far as I can throw him.”
“Can you throw him?”
She shook her head but did not laugh. Adrian could tell this really had her concerned. It was so uncharacteristically odd to find someone in the chain of command so naturally untrustworthy. Becoming an admiral was a career-crowning achievement. Normally he thought of them as being as poised and graceful as Admiral Howell. Now that woman was the biggest shark in the sea.
He could recall each and every time he had been around her. She commanded attention just being in someone’s presence. At least, that is how it felt for him. Shorn lacked that gravitas. Maybe he was just an uncharismatic asshole. Well, no, there was no maybe about it. He just was an uncharismatic asshole. There was something more though. Something deeper about him that unsettled Adrian now that he pondered it himself.
“Don’t worry, ma’am. He’ll be kept at arm’s distance.” In fact, he just had a perfect idea. “What if we assigned him a dignitary from the crew to be his personal liaison for the ceremony? Someone who could answer any questions he might have about the ship or her crew?”
“Go on,” Garrett said with a dip of her head.
“Someone like, say, Lt. Tiaahl?”
She grinned and patted him on the back. “Mr. Rain? I knew I liked you for a reason. Or twenty.”
He shrugged. “Shucks, ma’am, it was nothing really.” He sipped his beer after finishing off his steak. “Besides, you said yourself. Tiaahl has eyes sharper than a Milsarian hawk. If anyone can see through Shorn’s bullshit, it will be him. And that can give us something to work with.”
“Keep this up and you’ll be getting my seat before I’m ready to give it up, Mr. Rain.”
“Adrian. Please, ma’am.”
She nodded. “Alright, Adrian. And since we’re going to be informal, you can call me Lara.”
“I like that.”
“Thanks, me too.”
She finished the last of her steak and slid the plate forward satisfied. “Shall we hit the bridge? I’d like to do a walkthrough of the rehearsal for the ceremony.”
“Sure.” He slid his dishes forward and pushed his chair back. He was already getting excited to hear where the ship’s first mission would be too. As they made their way for the doors, Jarod fell in stride next to Adrian behind Lara.
“How do you find the crew, Commander?”
Adrian smiled proudly, “Quite exceptional, I’d say. I can’t wait to see what comes our way.”
Jarod looked satisfied with his reply. When the trio got to the bridge, Solamen Kaine went rigid. “Captain on deck,” he said loudly to step on top of any conversations and call the room to silence.
Lara broke for her chair waving her hands dismissively to both sides of the bridge. “At ease, at ease. So, has everyone had a chance to settle in and evaluate your workstations?”
North and south cranial movement all around. She smiled. “Good. Now, as everyone should be aware, we have a coronation ceremony tomorrow morning sharp. I expect everyone on the senior staff to be present and wearing your dress whites. It will not be a terrible stuff affair. Just an opportunity for some admiralty to give some speeches and look important before we go do some real work. Mr. Tiaahl, I would like you to be Admiral Shorn’s liaison during the ceremony. Stay close to his side and if he needs any help with anything, give him your absolute best cooperation. Rain, you will be with Admiral Howell. Same goes for you.”
Adrian gave her a questioning look but thought about the assignment for a moment as she briefed the rest of the staff about the remainder of the ceremony details. She needed Shorn kept complacent. At least defensive. Giving him an escort might seem questionable if it were just him. However, giving Adrian to Admiral Howell would make it look like Lara was just being thoughtful about the process and wanted to keep the command staff on the best page possible. That was cunning. He liked it.
“Any questions?” Lara asked, dragging Adrian from his musing. He shook his head, as did everyone else.
“Good. Then let’s do some simulations. Computer. Load: Training Simulation Garrett 1.”
The computer chirped and beeped a few moments as it processed the string of commands and loaded subsequent files.
“Alert: All workstation inputs will now be simulated.” That was the computer’s way of telling you it had just initiated the control safeties on all the workstations so no one accidentally sent the ship into warp speed while she was still dry-docked to Star base One. Alternatively, firing off a cruise missile right into the Hab wing of the station would be equally undesirable.
Captain Garrett glanced around the bridge to the crew. She input a command and the terminals all seemed to wink with acknowledgment.
“Alright, we’ve just been given departure access from the station’s Primary Flight control wing. Helm; take us out at one-quarter max subluminal speeds. Heading two zero three point one mark four five. Bearing three one. Initiate.” She gestured her hand as if doing so would will the ship forward.
After Lt. Vail input the commands, the stars on the screen swirled for a moment as the ship oriented itself fictionally using the maneuvering thrusters and the engines engaged. “Heading locked. Speed locked. The ship is underway at one-quarter max subluminal speeds, ma’am.”
Lara nodded. “Good work, Lt.”
Vail nodded silently as she monitored the altered readings from her terminal. Lara sat back a moment, settling into her chair. Adrian did so as well. It was a simulation but even pretending to get underway seemed to drain some of the stress from him.
“When we’ve reached the clearance buoy for warp travel, take us at Warp 9 out of the system for two hours, and then spin up the Quantum Tunnel drive booster with a course plotted for Deep Space One.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Vail input the commands and the computer chirped an affirmative receipt of the orders.
Eventually, the warp buoy loomed into view, even though it was artificial. Shortly after the stars streaked across the screen as the ship compressed space in front of them and stretched it out behind them in the Alcubierre warp field as the Odyssey traveled in its simulation. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until it was time for the QT drive to spin up and the simulation went a little crazy. The screen went to static and then blue screened.
“Error: simulation mode canceled.”
Lara, Adrian and everyone else on the bridge staff blinked. He glanced over to her. “The hell was that about?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Mary Jo lifted a hand silently before speaking. “If I may, ma’am. It might be possible the computer could not accurately depict what would happen when the quantum tunneling drive was to initiate. This will be its first effective field test after all.”
Adrian nodded though not entirely satisfied. If his brother put that drive in the ship, it was tested. Lara deflated with a sigh. “Fine, that’ll have to do I guess. So much for striking while the iron is hot. We’ll just have to wait and see if anything turns up. Go ahead and finish unpacking or doing whatever else it was you needed to take care of before the ship casts off tomorrow morning. After that, it’s going to be a long walk back to the nearest exchange.”
The bridge staff all got up and proceeded off the bridge leaving just Adrian and Lara. She rubbed her temples with a sigh once the bridge emptied.
“How long has it been since you got any sleep?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
He was not amused, nor did he look it. “Lara. Go get some rest. I know this stuff with Shorn has been nagging at you, but we still have a ship to run, and I can’t do it all myself. Not yet anyway. If I’m going to start, I may be taking that chair from ya much sooner. So sleep. We’ll do this thing tomorrow and
it’ll be fantastic.” He had risked taking an authoritative tone with her, but it was more brotherly than anything was.
She sighed and nodded. “You’re right. I won’t be much use to anyone if I’m so worn out I can’t think right. Ok, Mr. Rain. You win this time. But don’t expect this to be a continuing trend.” She smiled wryly and it occurred to him just how tired she finally looked now that she was starting to loosen up.
When she disappeared through the lift doors, he called up the records of the simulation and replayed them while watching the data flow from the computer’s side of things. He was curious for his own sake just where things went wonky. Maybe it was something Danny could help him out with. He rested his chin on his thumb and index finger as he watched the replay. The computer’s audio pickup was superb, and its command log prompts were all operating nominally. Therefore, it was not a confusion or an incorrect command input.
“Something wrong with the simulations for the QT drive itself maybe?”
“Please restate the question.”
He blinked. “Huh? Oh, no. No question, computer. Sorry. Well…” he paused and thought for a moment. “There is one actually. Could you successfully simulate an activation of the quantum tunneling device for a ship traveling at Warp 9 maintaining a current and clear heading?”
The computer chirped, beeped and buzzed as it processed the question. “Insufficient data to comply.”
He nodded. “Hmm, I was afraid of that.”
The Kaku Institute had run all the simulations they could and felt confident in the ship’s ability to power and use the device. Danny was personally involved in it, which meant it was surely safe, right.
Not wanting to leave anything to the chance, he opened a comm line to his brother. He put it on the main screen.
“Danny! Hey.”
His brother glanced up from something to look into the broadcast point for his end. “Hello, Adrian.”
“Still got your head in the clouds, huh?”
Danny shook his head. “Space is far roomier. How is the Odyssey?”