Inadvertent Adventures

by Jones, Loren K.

  Sterling raised his hand to get her attention. “Ma, how much did you spend on this?”

  “Everything together cost four hundred million credits. The Silver City made that last year. The construction crew will just cost another six million. It’s not that much, really.”

  Balder whistled. “That’s a lot to us.”

  “Today, perhaps,” Harriet said with a smile, “but in a few years you’ll shrug off such a sum with hardly a thought.”

  “She’s got a point,” Carrie-Marie said as she looked around the table. “I’m in favor of the proposal.”

  “Wait,” Bart said, holding up a hand. He looked Harriet in the eye and asked, “We get a prefabricated space station in Frisland orbit, but what do you get?”

  “Immortality, young man.”

  “Huh?”

  She giggled. “It’s the Harriet Fairmont Space Port, dear boy. The first in Frisland orbit.” She grinned at the stunned look on Ann’s face. “That’s why I named the ship Narcissus.”

  Ann whined, “Oh, Mom!” as the rest of the crew laughed.

  *

  Brandon Von Rubenstein’s trial was short and bitter. He never denied what he’d done. He never showed the slightest hint of remorse. He maintained that he had a right to Katrina’s portion of Farflung and Frisland. He was, after all, her father. His blood ran through her veins. Eliminating Ann and Sterling was just a way to increase his share. Killing Bettina would have been a bonus that would have allowed him to reclaim his ancestral home. He was, after all, Brandon Eric Von Rubenstein.

  It was over in just three horrid hours. Brandon was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

  Bruno Windholt was a different story. He maintained that he was just following his employer’s orders. It took seven days, but in the end he was convicted of committing the same crimes, and was given the same sentence.

  The news reached the Admiral Ann’s Revenge just before they left orbit. Once again, they were headed to Beloofte. “And so it ends,” Sterling said as he sat back in the helmsman’s chair.

  “So it does,” Ann agreed. “Countess Alexandra informed Katrina that Brandon’s shares have been divided between her brothers and sisters. Johan is taking Brandon’s seat on the Board of Directors and voting their proxies.” She shook her head slowly. “Kat didn’t receive any. The paperwork disinheriting her was upheld.”

  Sterling nodded. “I think they made up for it.”

  Ann chuckled. “Her new chemistry set?”

  “If you want to call that fully-equipped chem-lab that is now inhabiting the E-1 Level berthing compartment a chemistry set.”

  “You know, we are going to have to hire a new cook in Beloofte, Sterling. Kat is going to be too busy working on Frisland to spend any time in the kitchen.”

  Sterling nodded without looking around. “I’d been thinking along those lines as well. We might want a few extra personnel in other areas as well. Especially engineering.”

  Ann stretched in her seat. “I’ve been thinking about who we need with us to explore Frisland. Kat is our bio-chemist. I’m not about to take that away from her. But we need other scientists as well: botanists, organic chemists, straight-out biologists, even ichthyologists and marine biologists. Frisland has a lot of oceans to explore.”

  Denise chuckled. “What we need is a full university science department.”

  “That isn’t a bad idea,” Ann mused. “Or even several.” Ann hit the com button on her panel.

  “Wardroom,” Katrina’s voice answered.

  “Kat, which university did you get your degree from?”

  “Berlin University, Dresden Campus. Why, Ma’am?”

  “I’ll explain later.” She clicked the com off, and then looked at her husband. “Sterling, before we’re out of range, see if you can get me in contact with the dean of Berlin University.”

  “Aye, Ma’am,” Sterling replied, already punching buttons. It took five minutes and three repeats of his identity to get a line straight to the Dean.

  “This is Dean Von Braun. To whom am I speaking?”

  Sterling looked over at Ann, so she answered. “Dean Von Braun, this is Captain Annette Stevenson of the Admiral Ann’s Revenge. We are boosting out for Frisland, and a thought occurred to us. Would the university be interested in establishing a research post on Frisland?”

  There was a moment of silence on the com, then the dean replied, “Very much so. Under what terms?”

  Ann looked at Sterling and said, “Helm, reduce power. Nav, get us a high orbit and coordinate with the helm. We may not be leaving yet.” She clicked her com back on and replied, “Dean Von Braun, we hadn’t really considered this until now. My thought, on behalf of my crew, would be to allow you to establish a small research station to investigate the native flora and fauna, and the sea life as well.”

  The dean was silent for a long moment before he replied, “It would be quite expensive to establish such a post. I had hoped the Frisland Government would be willing to finance it.” He paused as Ann shook her head. “I was afraid of that when I heard some of the news reports. I would have to present the idea to the board of trustees for approval, and arrange a sponsor to pay for it. And I would have to locate sufficient staff to man it. I could not give you an answer in less than ten days.”

  Ann gave Sterling a silent shrug. “Dean Von Braun, on behalf of the Farflung System Government, I invite Berlin University to send a one-hundred person research team to Frisland. This will not, however, be the only invitation we will be extending. If your university decides to create such a station and you can arrange funding, you may send your people at your convenience. I recommend a ship capable of making landfall to provide both facilities and habitat for your people. Frisland is a cold place, and there is no infrastructure in the system to accommodate them.”

  “Thank you, Captain Stevenson,” the dean replied. “Since there is no hurry, I will have my professors work up a proposal to present to the board. I personally favor it. It’s not often that a new habitable biosphere is discovered, and I imagine that the rest of the trustees will agree.” He smiled briefly. “Several of them are involved in pharmaceutical research concerns that regularly fund such expeditions. I would expect at least one, if not several of them, to jump at the chance to explore what your planet has to offer. If that is the case, our ship will probably be two or three months behind you. And once again, thank you.” He chuckled. “I had actually been trying to find an opportunity to approach you, but you’re a hard person to get in to see. It seemed that every moment of your time was taken up with other matters.”

  Ann sighed. “Yes, Dean Von Braun, it sometimes seemed that way to me as well. Very well. Admiral Ann’s Revenge, out.” Sterling cut the connection and turned to face Ann. She shrugged. “Resume course when our orbit brings us into position.”

  Sterling and Denise answered, “Aye, Ma’am,” and began their calculations.

  Chapter 36

  THE REVENGE WAS GOING TO BELOOFTE to load up on supplies, especially non-perishable foodstuffs. Being so far from the rest of the Confederacy, the entire crew had agreed that someone needed to have a reserve stockpile on hand. And, as the system government, that duty fell to them.

  Their emergence in the Nuwe Vaderland System caused quite a stir among the local news services once they were identified. It seemed that every local news fax and holo-station wanted an interview, and the requests began pouring in right behind their vector instructions.

  Ann sighed and cursed under her breath as Sterling sorted out the requests. “I think two news conferences will do,” he said as he looked over the messages. “They are all asking the same things.”

  “I don’t want to do any,” Ann muttered.

  “You’re the System President, Ann,” Sterling pointed out. “We elected you a week ago.”

  “Do you really enjoy sleeping on the sofa?” she asked as her eyes narrowed.

  “It was fair!” he protested. “It was a c
hoice between you and me, and you won.”

  “By a vote of nine to one, and I didn’t vote for myself.”

  “Still fair.”

  Mandy was in the Navigator’s position and couldn’t control herself anymore. Her giggles were punctuated by snorts as she pointed first at one, then the other of them. “You two have got to be the happiest married couple I’ve ever known.”

  Ann asked, “Oh, really?”

  “Yep!” she squeaked. “Sometimes I think you argue just so you can kiss and make out. I mean make up.”

  Ann shook her head. “It’s a conspiracy. You’re all in this together. Sterling, inform all of them that we will be holding two press conferences, but not until our third day in port.”

  “I thought we were only staying two days?” Mandy said as she looked over her shoulder.

  “Yep.”

  “That’s mean, Captain. Really, really mean.”

  Sterling chuckled and sent the messages.

  They once again docked at the Jan Smuts Station, but this time they were greeted by a squad of armed guards. A woman in an impeccably tailored suit stepped forward as soon as the hatches opened.

  “Captain Stevenson, I am Rothea Henning, Secretary of State for Beloofte. President de Villers invites you and your cabinet to Government Huis for a conference.”

  Ann paused, then nodded once. “Very well, Madam Secretary. My husband and I will be happy to accompany you.”

  Madam Henning smiled at the ease with which Ann dealt with the situation and motioned for them to join her. “I have a government shuttle just down the way.”

  The Beloofte shuttle was a bit more spartan than the CSS shuttle had been, but not significantly so. When they launched, Sterling pointed out the window and asked, “Who are they?”

  “Security interceptors. They are a standard precaution for visiting heads of planetary governments.”

  Ann and Sterling shared a glance, then Ann put her head back and closed her eyes. Sterling was the only one who knew her well enough to read the curses on her lips that she silently muttered.

  Johannesburg, the capital city of Beloofte, was a wonder to behold. While most cities had followed the Earth example of building up, Johannesburg had built out. There were few buildings that stood over five stories tall, but the city covered more than three hundred square kilometers. Much of that space was devoted to parks and botanical gardens. Very few buildings had another building adjacent to them. Most were separated by a full city block from their nearest neighbors. Some had several blocks surrounding them.

  Adriaan Van der Stel Government Huis was a neo-classical building, along the lines of the Parthenon in Greece. Here, as with the rest of the city, there was an abundance of open space between the buildings. The manicured lawns and hedges were of native Beloofte species, but it seemed that every one of them had been chosen for their brilliant flowers. Ann and Sterling walked up the front steps of the capitol building through a gauntlet of reporters to find President Inid de Villers waiting.

  “On behalf of my people and planet, I welcome you to Beloofte.” She smiled as Sterling stopped to let Ann advance one step closer.

  “Madam President, on behalf of my crew and system, I thank you for your welcome,” Ann replied. “Given that Beloofte is the closest planet to Frisland, we hope to form a close association for both our benefits.”

  President de Villers smiled. “We also hope for a close association, Captain Stevenson.”

  Ann bowed her head then let the president lead her into the building. Once they were clear of the press, Ann spoke softly and said, “Madam President, during our voyage my crew elected me President of the Farflung System.”

  “Indeed?” President de Villers asked. “Good. We can negotiate president to president.”

  “Yes. We are opening Frisland to limited colonization and exploration. We have also signed several agreements with mining concerns other than Maritz. I would expect traffic to the Farflung System to increase over the next month or so.”

  “And they’ll all need fuel and supplies,” President de Villers murmured. “Beloofte benefits immediately.”

  “Supplies are one of the things that I had hoped to discuss. Most of the ships going out there can only carry six to nine months of supplies for their crews. That means that they will have limited time in the system unless supplies can be shipped in from somewhere else. And, as we noted, Beloofte is the closest system.”

  “It is,” President de Villers agreed. She was guiding Ann to a conference room that was already full of people. Only she, Ann, Sterling, and Rothea entered. Everyone else, especially the reporters, was stopped at the door.

  Once the door closed, President de Villers led Ann to a seat, and then sat next to her. Sterling took Ann’s other side. “President Stevenson, on the issue of supplies for your system, what are you asking of the Beloofte government?” If anyone in the room was surprised by hearing Ann addressed as President Stevenson, none of them showed it.

  “We ask the Beloofte government’s aid in negotiating with system suppliers. Given the distances and time lag, ship’s stores are going to be the ideal form of supplies for Farflung. Supplies for the mining crews are being shipped by their companies, but there are bound to be ships that don’t come as well prepared. And there are always accidents.”

  President de Villers looked down the table. “Trade, Agriculture, what are your thoughts?”

  A tall young man stood and bowed slightly. “President Stevenson, I am Durk Krige, Secretary of Trade. What benefits can we use to encourage our supply companies to ship to Farflung?”

  Ann thought for a moment before answering. “I can’t guarantee that they’ll sell everything they bring. However, we are going to have a spaceport in Frisland orbit in about two years. We are willing to offer any company who ships to Farflung a contract to establish a supply station there once the port is complete, free of charge for two years. They will just have to pay for their own consumables, and then start paying rent after that.”

  An older woman stood and curtsied. “President Stevenson, I am Doelien Luttrell, Secretary of Agriculture. What you are proposing will require an increase in our food production and processing. Is the Farflung Government going to be supplying any native foodstuffs to the system?”

  Ann shook her head slowly. “That we can’t say for certain yet. No one has ever tasted any of the vegetation or protein sources from Frisland. While the samples showed nutritional values comparable to several Earth plants, and the test animals ate them, we don’t know if they will appeal to a human palate.”

  “So it may be that you will need to import all of your food,” another man said.

  “Yes,” Sterling answered. “We hope not, and we’re going to see if the nova wheat we have on board will grow there, but it’s a question we can’t even begin to investigate without securing supplies for the system first.”

  “That is another matter,” Ann continued. “Frisland is a nearly complete unknown. We would appreciate the Beloofte government’s aid in negotiating with your universities about establishing research stations on Frisland.”

  “Education?” President de Villers asked.

  A woman all the way at the other end of the table stood. “I’m surprised to be involved with this discussion, but pleased. President Stevenson, I am Karlea Neumetzger, Secretary of Education. There are twenty-seven state-run universities on Beloofte. Several are specialty schools, such as Peter Blum Literary College, or Pelsenburg Agricultural. What kind of research facilities are you looking for?”

  Ann glanced at Sterling, so he answered. “Agricultural will be one of the major fields of research, both to investigate the potential of farming native plants and of importing species from other planets. In all honesty, we are probably going to need someone from just about every discipline, from Agriculture to Zoology.”

  Secretary Neumetzger smiled as she replied, “Well put.”

  *

  Carrie-Marie had her orders ready when she
left the ship several hours after Ann and Sterling. She found fifty Beloofte System Security guards at the dock. When she stopped, a major stepped forward.

  “Ma’am, I am Major Randlehoff. May we escort you somewhere?”

  CM was caught off guard by being called “Ma’am” by a man her father’s age. “Why sir?”

  “President de Villers ordered that any of you who leave the ship are to have a security detail with you, Ma’am. You are, and are to be treated as, visiting dignitaries.”

  CM thought about that for a moment, then shrugged. “I’m just going to a ship supply office up the way.” She waved her right hand in the direction of the station.

  The major snapped his fingers and ten women came to his side. He looked the leader in the eye and ordered, “Escort the ambassador wherever she wishes to go.”

  All ten women snapped, “Yes, sir!”

  CM shook her head, but didn’t even consider arguing. She’d spent too long in uniform to think it’d do any good. “Very well, ladies. Our destination is Epsilon Ring, 1358. Wolvaardt Supplies Unlimited.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” all ten of them replied. Four of the guards led off, then CM followed with a guard on either side of her, and the other four followed. The crowd melted aside as the guards advanced, watching wide-eyed and wondering who CM was.

  Two guardswomen entered the office first, then came back out and let CM go in. “Miss Chanticlair?” old Martin asked from behind his desk.

  “Hello, Martin. I’ve come for a large loadout of supplies.”

  “What was that all about?” Martin asked as he looked out the window of his office at the guardswomen.

  CM shrugged one shoulder. “Your President de Villers ordered honor guards for any of us who leave the ship.”

  Martin looked at her, then back out the window. “Not just for honor, young Miss Chanticlair. A woman of your wealth would be a tempting kidnapping target. Are we trading again?”

  CM smiled and shook her head. “No. Straight purchase.”