“Do you have a family on Earth?”
“I do. My wife, Tanya, and three children.”
Just then a middle-aged, spare man walked in the door dressed in the same baggy pants as Terry, though he wore a longer shirt that was tucked neatly into his workout pants.
“Hi, Terry,” he called, as he found a place near Tarn and settled into some stretches of his own.
“Hi, Tom. This is Krys. The guy beside you is Tarn Lukes.”
Tom nodded to both of them, then stood up and leaned over to touch his toes. He wasn’t anywhere near as limber as Terry, and he struggled to place his hands flat on the floor. Krys stared at him, knowing the exercise was not only crude but potentially damaging. She couldn’t help herself. She went over to him.
“Tom, is it?” she asked.
He pulled a translator pin from his pocket and placed it on his ear, and she repeated herself. “It’s Tom?”
He nodded. “I’m Tom O’Brien. Pleased to meet you, Krys.”
He started back down, and she went down into a crouch with him. “Is that the way you exercise on Earth?”
He turned his head sideways to look into her eyes as he held the stretch. “Actually, I’m a runner. I’m not much into heavy workouts, just stretches before I run. Haven’t found anywhere to run here. I’ve decided to try the corridors today.”
“Can I suggest some alternative stretches?” she asked, worry apparent on her face.
“Afraid the old guy’s going to hurt himself? I’ve been doing it this way for years.”
“Then you probably won’t hurt yourself, but there are better stretches.” She sat on the floor and demonstrated a series of stretches that included the whole body by the time she was done.
He frowned. “That looks complicated. If you have time, I wouldn’t mind starting at the beginning.”
He joined her on the deck, and she started over, slowly. “You’re from Earth, too?” she asked.
“I am.”
“What’s your purpose here?”
“I’m the pilot if we run into Chessori. Not much of a chance on this trip.”
“Have you seen any action?”
“No. Not yet.”
“You’re from an emerging world. It strikes me that we’re asking an awful lot from people who’ve never been in space before. Has the training been difficult?”
“No, but it’s been intense. Flying the ships is fun. Your AI’s are the key. They know the stuff that we don’t, and when we join with them in the net, we just have to think. The AI executes everything at our request, and it takes care of the ship’s systems while it’s doing it. We don’t have to worry about air quality or food or how the toilets flush. The AI takes care of those things, and what it doesn’t take care of, your Empire crewmen take care of. Us Terrans are only needed to fight the Chessori, so we don’t have to worry about anything but flying the ship and shooting the guns. As a squadron commander, I learned all that, then focused on managing the ships of the squadron and coordinating tactics with other squadrons. Tactics are different from what we had on Earth, and the battleground is a little bigger, but fighting is fighting and we’re doing okay with it.”
“Is this ship part of a squadron?”
He smiled. “No.”
“I don’t know what ship we’re on, but this isn’t a cruiser.”
“No. Sadly, it’s not. We’re on a trader.”
“We have squadrons of traders?”
“No, not that I know of. We’re on a quick trip to Earth to pick up Alexis and to drop you and your crew off. Admiral Trexler pulled me from my squadron for this mission. I’ll get another one someday.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s a disappointment.”
“It is,” he said, as he copied a leg stretch she was demonstrating. His leg trembled as he leaned across it with his hands wrapped around a foot. He turned his head to her. “I’ll do whatever it takes. We’re not just fighting for the Empire, we’re fighting to protect our home world, and the stakes are the very highest. I’m not after advancement as much as I’m after winning.”
She nodded her head grimly. “We all are. I just hope we’re in time.”
“I’m told our intelligence people believe we have a little time. We’re moving as fast as we possibly can.”
She looked to Tarn with a worried expression. “I hope you’re right, Tom. Intelligence gathering isn’t an exact science.”
“It never is. Don’t worry. A plan’s in place.”
“Are you up to fighting the Chessori?”
A fatherly look came into his eyes. “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t, young lady.”
“Have you left family behind?”
He looked away. “My wife died suddenly about a year ago. I have a son who’s out on his own now, starting his own family.” His expression brightened. “I’ll be a grandfather soon.”
She decided his left leg had had enough. She switched to the right leg and he followed. “I’m sorry about your wife.”
“Thank you. She’s in my thoughts constantly.” His gaze latched onto hers. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t affect my performance. I’m quite focused on beating these Chessori.”
Another man came into the room, and she shot a scathing look to Tarn. This was supposed to have been a private work-out. He shrugged as he continued with his stretches.
“Jacobs,” Terry Washburn called out. “You’ve decided to quit being lazy?”
“No, sir. I’ve been with the ship’s medic.”
“Are you ill?” Krys asked.
He shook his head and pulled a translator from his pocket. Krys repeated her question.
“No, Ma’am. Just getting better acquainted with the equipment. I haven’t had as much time as I’d like to get proficient with it.”
“Are you a doctor?”
“I’m a soldier, Ma’am. One of my specialties is medic. I have a ways to go with all this new stuff, but I’m working on it. I’m Sergeant Jacobs,” he said as he, too, started a round of stretches.
“I’m Krys.”
He nodded, and she studied his movements, finding no fault. Washburn was continuing to clomp about the room, and he looked bored. Krys got up and motioned him to return to the equipment rack.
“I just got started, Krys, though this isn’t much of a challenge. Kind of strange the way the weight on the bottom of my legs makes my shoulders work, too. I’m more accustomed to a backpack.”
“All the more reason to not over work muscles that aren’t used to it. Let’s try something else.” She removed the plates and showed him how to buckle himself into a complex harness that attached to his torso, knees, and feet. “Try this for a while.”
He started pumping his legs, and she could see it took no effort. She dialed up the tension and a look of bliss came to his face. “Ah. Much better!” It wasn’t long before a sheen of sweat covered his face. “Better than doing squats with weights, and with this arrangement, I can do one leg at a time,” he said with a grin.
She called Tom over to the equipment and belted him into another contraption. “Start running,” she ordered.
He did, and he was surprised. “Just like the real thing.”
“But it avoids impact damage to your joints, and it works more of your muscles than just running or jogging. That’s why proper stretches are so important. You might find that some of your muscles aren’t used to it. Let me know if that happens.”
“Sure, Krys. Why are you going to Earth, if I might ask?”
“I’m just a passenger. We’re going to Earth and changing ships.”
“We?”
“Me, Tarn, and a few others.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m not certain yet. She looked over her shoulder at Tarn. “Do we have a list?”
He nodded. “Chandrajuski is on his way to Orion III. It’s the first battle. He gave us a list of district headquarters. We’ll be focusing on Korban’s districts initially. Our job is to distract the Rebels while Chandrajuski
does his best to take back sector headquarters.” He shrugged, then positioned himself for the meditations that Krys always insisted on.
She wanted to join him, but she had to keep an eye on the men. This equipment was all new to them, and she didn’t want anyone to get hurt.
“What do you do if you don’t even know where you’re going?” Tom asked, jogging easily. It looked to her like he could keep it up for hours.
“I’m just a courier.”
“A courier, and you get your very own ship?”
“Well, it’s an important message I carry.”
“You’re just a young woman. Surely there are others.”
“There are, many others. I wish I didn’t have to go. It’s been terrible, but it’s necessary.”
“Oh, so you’ve already done it. What’s so bad about it?”
She looked at him, then at Washburn and Jacobs. “You’re all warriors, but I’m not, and none of my crew is immune to the Chessori mind weapon. We’ve had some close calls, and that’s part of the reason I’m getting a new ship. Our old ship didn’t have the latest upgrades. The new one probably will.”
Washburn, still pumping away with his legs, asked, “How do you deal with the Chessori if you’re not immune?”
“We suffer. How familiar are you with the Great Cats?”
“Pretty familiar.”
“Oh, that’s right. You’re a Protector. You know how strong they are. My crew includes three Great Cats. They draw on inner reserves of strength and are able to fight the scree. They keep functioning, but they have limitations. With their skills and some good luck, we’ve managed to take out a few Chessori. We’ve also had a number of occasions when we were severely outnumbered. We had to jump early, dangerously early. So far our luck has held. Our new ship will be more capable, but we’re still going to have to deal with the scree. We don’t have a good solution for it except to avoid it.”
“Sounds to me like you need some Terrans,” Tom said.
“If you’re truly immune to the scree, you’re right. I wish there were more of you. I think you’re all spoken for. Your job is more essential than mine. You’re going to see lots of action, and soon.”
“That’s what they tell us. Sounds like you’ve already seen plenty of it.”
“Too much, and the Chessori influence is spreading, getting worse. Quite frankly, I’m terrified, but I have a wonderful crew, the very best.”
“Why do you have to go out if it’s so frightening?” Washburn asked. “Surely there are others who can carry your message.”
She looked away from him, then down at the floor. The decision she’d made so long ago to accept Chandrajuski’s assignment still surprised her, and in many ways, it disturbed her. She wished she’d had more of a choice in the matter, but no one else could help her mother the way she could.
“A strong sense of duty runs in my family,” she said, looking back up to Washburn. “What I do for the war effort cannot be done by anyone else. What my crew and I have done has had a direct influence on Earth, as well. It would be fair to say that we’re Chandrajuski’s principal intelligence gathering unit.”
She paused to consider what she knew and decided she was not out of line speaking of it in general terms to Protectors. “Some of the intelligence my crew has gathered is of critical importance to Earth’s survival.”
Three more men came into the room, and from their loose pants, short shirts, and bulging muscles, she knew instantly that they, too, were from Earth. They chose spots near Sergeant Jacobs and started warming up. She kept an eye on them, but there wasn’t much she was needed for. One man started doing push-ups, and after a while, he started doing them with one arm. Another started with sit-ups and looked like he could keep going all day long. She brought pads to him and slid one under his knees and one under his head without asking. He winked at her and kept going.
“Critical to Earth’s survival?” Washburn asked.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not free to discuss the details, Terry. How much do you know about the First Knight’s trip to Earth?”
“We’re soldiers. We do what we’re told, and we don’t always get explanations. I, personally, have no idea what the First Knight is up to.”
“You will, in time. The threat to Earth is serious, but it’s still some time in the future, and he’s taking the appropriate steps to deal with it.”
A look of alarm came into Washburn’s eyes. He locked gazes with Tom O’Brien, then moved his gaze to take in the rest of the men. Exercise stopped. The men all focused on her and Washburn.
He looked into her eyes. “We’re from Earth. If there’s a direct threat, you should share what you know with us.”
Her lips pursed. “I know, Terry, but I cannot. I’m sorry.”
“This is the first we’ve ever heard of any direct threat to Earth. How certain are you?”
“Pretty certain. My crew and I will continue gathering information of this nature, you can be certain. Anything of importance pertaining to Earth will be provided immediately to the First Knight and the Queen. That’s why we’re going back out, Terry, despite the risk.”
Washburn looked around at the men again, clearly upset. “You speak of direct threats to Earth, and you’re looking for more intelligence. Are you likely to uncover anything of significance?”
“Probably. The hard part is staying alive long enough to get the information home. I can’t give you details, but I can tell you that the First Knight is on his way to Earth because of what my crew and I have learned. Protect him well. The future of your world hangs in the balance.”
Washburn started removing the harness she’d put him into. She came over to help him, and he stared into her eyes from inches away. “You’re practically a kid. Surely, you’re joking.”
“I’m not. I wish I was. Know that the right people know, and steps are being taken as a consequence of what we’ve learned. We’re going to protect you, but your people and your planet are going to go through some changes in the next few years. Maybe sooner. If they want to survive, they’re going to have to emerge, because they have to help us to help themselves.”
Washburn looked angry. She left him and went to Tarn’s side. She kneeled down and touched his shoulder. He must not have been very far into his meditation, because his eyes opened instantly.
“Have you been listening?” she asked in a low voice.
“I have. You might have said too much.”
She ignored that concern. “Tom’s right. We could use their kind of help.”
“Him?”
“Maybe. I don’t know him very well, but if Mike called on him to go with them, he must be a good pilot. And look at Terry. He already knows how to work with the Great Cats. He’s a Protector.”
“Na. He’s too big a target.”
“He’s already fought the Chessori, and he prevailed. And Jacobs is a medic. We could all use a medic, Tarn.”
“Of course we could, but them? They look pretty rough.”
“I like them.”
“They’re Mike’s guys, Krys. We don’t have time to go back for more. Maybe we can pick some others up on Earth. I hear they’re quick learners.”
“I can’t pull rank on Mike, but I can ask him. These men are already trained. Do you think he’d let them go with us?”
“Even if he did, would it be fair to them? It’s a pretty dangerous task we have ahead of us. At the very least, you should ask them first.”
Four more men chose that moment to enter the room. They settled around Jacobs and started warming up. The room was getting crowded quickly with the ten Terrans. Why were there so many, she wondered? Were there others?
“How many of you are there?” she called to Washburn.
He had finished untangling himself from the equipment and leaned against it with his arms folded across his massive chest, looking at her intently.
“Three teams of three each, all Protectors, and a pilot. We only brought three more Great Cats, but you’ve
already got three. Your new ship needs eight gunners, a gunnery control officer, and a pilot.” He looked around the room counting bodies. “Hmm, just the right number, wouldn’t you say, My Lady?”
She stood up, not certain she understood. “You call me My Lady? What are you saying? Do you know me?”
“Well, let’s see. Birth place unknown. Raised on Hespra III in an orphanage. They didn’t designate their clients with names, just numbers, so you didn’t have an official name. Your designation was 5397867B. Your twin brother was designated 5397867A. He’s out on assignment right now. I hear he’s a Knight, too. You were pulled from the orphanage at the age of sixteen, spent two years with Sir Otis and a woman named Daughter, who’s now Queen, then went to Rrestriss for seven years of schooling. I hear that’s quite a boon. You have some kind of special skills, skills to which I am not privy, that require your going out into the Empire to spread a message. Actually, I’m more interested in the recruiting and the intelligence gathering you’ve done since it might make all the difference to Earth. We were not given specifics of your mission, but I speak for everyone here when I say that your discovery of direct threats to Earth suddenly makes me more concerned with your welfare than I was. My Lady.”
She stared at him, then turned to study each of the others with a whole new intensity. Her hands went out to her sides of their own accord. “What’s going on here?” she asked softly.
The rest of her crew chose that moment to enter the room. Stven came first, his head towering over the assembly as soon as he cleared the door. M’Sada came next, his upper hands busily preening his two long antennae. Behind M’Sada came Gortlan, Gordi’i and Kali’i.
The First Knight came to the door, but he did not enter the room. He just leaned against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest.
“Some new additions to your crew, My Lady,” Captain Stven said. “If you’ll have them.”
Terry Washburn and Tom O’Brien stood beside the apparatus they’d been working out on, and everyone else had risen to their feet, including Tarn. She went to him and put her arms around him, continuing to stare at the people in the room, her eyes wide.
“You’d go with me, with us?” she asked, staring at Washburn, then O’Brien and the rest of the men.
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