by Chris Hechtl
There was another shiver of dread in the room. A few people broke protocol and began to murmur about what was said. Senator Grassley tapped the gavel to get them to be quiet once more.
“But, it’s all water under the dam now I suppose. Under, over, whatever,” he said with a wave of a hand. “What matters now is where we go from here, and more importantly, like Admiral Irons said, what we learn from it,” Senator Grassley stated.
“Yes, sir. And that is?” the professor asked cautiously.
“I'd say damned if I know, but …,” the senator looked up thoughtfully and then shrugged. “I personally wouldn't want to be in the same city as one of those Pocket things if they failed. Would you?”
The professor shook his head emphatically no. He'd run the models on a containment collapse. He'd tried to find a safe way of shutting it down in an emergency. So far, they hadn't found one; a breach in containment was too violent.
He'd considered putting it in a weapon. Such destruction would be latched upon by the navy. But they had enough weapons. Take for instance the Nova bomb.
“You see? And I don't want our enemies to get this technology either or have a terrorist break into a lab and set something off that way either,” the senator stated as he considered the situation.
Senator Falconi froze. He turned his head to the Neochimp and frowned thoughtfully. He'd heard of a few incidents where someone had tried to steal tech and had ended up causing a disaster. Fortunately, not many had been killed, but their luck could only hold out for so long. This tech would be an inviting target to a lot of people.
So, perhaps it wouldn't be safe on his homeworld. Should he push to let Eternia have it knowing that if and when it failed they'd go down and it would be one less competitor? He wasn't certain how to play it so remained silent.
“Or have someone use it as a portal to another dimension. That'd suck,” the aide said. “They could open another demon portal. None of us want that,” she said. The professor gave her a disgusted “who's side are you on look,” but she ignored it.
“I don't know if that's possible, but yeah. You see my point,” the Neochimp senator stated.
“Yes, sir.”
“So, we need to look into this carefully and maybe pull back or make sure the research is purely theoretical,” Senator Falconi interjected. “We also need to make sure they've got the right security in place.” The senator almost bit his lip in annoyance at himself after he said that last sentence. One of the goals was for his corporate backers to get a hold of the tech.
“Yes, sir. We'll see what we can do.”
“Yes, you do that,” Senator Grassley said. “For the moment, our time is up,” he said as he checked the clock and tapped the gavel on the desk. “That's time people,” he said as he gathered his notes and rose slowly. “Damn. I think we either need more comfortable chairs or more breaks!” he said as a few people who had also been seated chuckled in agreement.
~~~^~~~
The science team was clearly not happy about the negative press and being blindsided when they regrouped at Eternia University the following day. They had been politely informed that the matter had been tabled by the Science Committee, most likely indefinitely. “I have to admit I hadn't seen it from the negative perspective at all,” Gwildor said in grudging admission.
“Short sighted …”
“No, they are right. There are a lot of risks involved,” Gwildor said thoughtfully.
“But that hasn't stopped people from using tech that is dangerous! Nuclear power …,” Professor Heather Callahan persisted.
“With safety systems. But we don't operate a hyperdrive near a planet, do we? The idea is nice in theory, but I'm reminded of some of my student's ideas that were great on paper but didn't make a lick of sense in practice,” Gwildor said heavily. The Cosmic key was one such idea. The very idea of opening a wormhole with a handheld device? Ludicrous!
“So, that's it, we quit? Give up?” another professor demanded.
“There are competing projects,” Professor Eldor, their cyber professor, stated from his holographic avatar. “I realize you've been focused on your own proposal, but you have to understand that although this technology is tempting, it has to compete with other projects like the proposed Dyson sphere project.”
Professor Callahan shook her head. “Like that is ever going to happen,” she scoffed. “Not in our lifetime certainly.”
“And your program will?” the cyber asked patiently.
“It's not my program. I'm here as a representative of Antigua University,” she said firmly.
“With sufficient funding I'm sure we can lick the problems that have been brought up. It's just a matter of figuring it out,” Gwildor said, though he sounded unsure.
“Sure,” Professor Eldor stated. “Did you honestly think we'd get this far? Or were you planning on horse trading for a science vessel?”
“We've been promised one multiple times. It never seems to happen. There is always an excuse,” Professor Callahan said clearly frustrated by the situation.
“Well, there is a war on last I checked,” Professor Eldor drawled.
“So they remind us. Over and over again. So, wouldn't new technology be of use? That is usually how it goes!” Gwildor said firmly. “War sparks innovation. Barriers are set aside in order to find a tool to break deadlocks and win while reducing casualties!”
“And will this work in that regard?” Eldor asked patiently.
“I don't care! When you give someone your word, you honor it!” Gwildor said peevishly.
“And is there any indication that Admiral Irons won't honor his word? He never promised when he'd get us the ship, right?” Eldor persisted, playing devil's advocate.
“I …”
“Based on past observed behavior you think he won't give us the ship,” Eldor persisted. “You think that by making a pest of yourself he'll do it just to get rid of us?”
“I … I want it now, okay? To get moving now! We're wasting valuable time sitting on our asses teaching high school chemistry when we should be out there studying the stars!” Gwildor growled, waving an angry hand to the ceiling.
“I get that you are impatient. But we've got to wait,” Eldor stated.
“Damn it …”
“What else?” Eldor asked.
“Well …”
“Come on, out with it,” Eldor said, knowing there was more. Gwildor couldn't hold a secret very well.
“Okay, it's the nova bombs if you must know,” Gwildor said when Heather looked at him curiously.
“Nova bombs?” Heather asked curiously.
“Yes! Think about the energy released in a super nova. Some of them were practically next door to occupied star systems but they weren't burned away! Why? What happened to that energy? We see the pulses of light, or the astronomy and astrophysics groups were until they ran out of funding ….” He was clearly aggrieved by that.
“Well, write it up in the next proposal. Maybe it will be the spark that gets us interest,” Eldor suggested.
“It might have been a better idea to lead with that,” Heather murmured. “I tried the terraforming angle, that didn't work. That might though. Just knowing if a shockwave is coming so we can prepare and evacuate a system …”
“Or they'll think we've cracked up permanently or we're grasping at straws trying to find a reason to get what we want,” Gwildor said peevishly. The others looked at him in annoyance. “Yes, I know, not helping,” he sighed.
If there was a way to find and tap that power, then perhaps a hand-held device like the cosmic key or the dimensional pocket projector weren't so far out of reach after all …he thought as he stroked his beard.
~~~^~~~
April tried to judge if her subject was vulnerable enough to be tricked into agreeing to what she wanted. He wasn't quite sleepy, that was easier to get things out of him, though she had to be careful because he sometimes got testy when she pressed him.
But, she knew he wa
s in a good mood. They had just come down from on high, and the sweat was mostly dried. She knew they had a couple hours to go before they had to get up and rejoin the world. Sleep could come later; hell, that was one reason she'd installed a small couch in her office anyway.
“I want to interview you again, honey,” she murmured as his breathing eased to a relaxed state. “You're okay with that, right?”
“Hmm?” he asked drowsily.
“A talk,” she said. “Nothing formal, a nice talk. No hard questions, all softball ones initially. Lay it out.”
“We are laid out,” he murmured.
“Just say yes and I'll let you sleep. If sleep is really what you want,” she said in a husky voice. That actually woke him up enough to open his eyes and begin to move his hands. Uh-oh, now you've done it, gal, April thought to herself.
“I thought pillow talk was as intimate as it gets?” he asked, propping himself up on one side to look down at her in amusement.
“I mean on camera. Sit down, you and me, maybe a fire in the background …”
“Oh, that'd be nice. A bonfire or a house burning …”
“I meant a fireplace. Something warm and cozy. Some nice easy chairs, coffee …,” she shot him an amused look.
“Yeah, no. Not on camera. That scenario's just a little bit biased. It would harm your credibility as much as my own,” he said, rolling back onto his back.
“I don't know. I think you have a growing credibility problem,” she said in all seriousness.
“Excuse me?”
“I'm serious! You aren't accessible to the everyday man like you used to be. You are more reserved.”
“I'm the president. Statesman goes with the job,” he said in an aggrieved tone of voice.
“I know that. Look, just hear me out,” she said, suddenly rolling on top of him. He smiled up, suddenly amused by her antics.
“I want to clear the air. You need to clear the air.”
“You just want to scoop miss what's her name over at GSN. Make her gnash her teeth and rip her hair out,” he teased.
She grinned down at him. “Well, maybe that too,” she drawled, kissing the tip of his nose then nipping it ever so slightly. “Promise you'll think about it?” she asked in a husky voice as their hands began to move on their own volition.
“Hmm.”
“John, I'm serious here. Pay attention,” she said in a you-better-be-paying-attention tone of voice.
“I thought I was,” he said in a teasing voice as he leaned up to kiss her. She moved her head up and away to prevent it, so he settled on a series of kisses on her neck and collarbone that made her purr.
“Um …”
“You know I hate being on camera,” he murmured, hands toying with her.
“This will help I promise. It'll make you more comfortable. I'll be there,” she whispered.
“Hmm, well, if it's intimate we might as well have you naked too,” he said with a grin.
She stopped and stared down at him, her red hair framing his face. “You are not serious,” she said as he grinned up at her.
“Oh, I'm very serious,” he said in a mocking tone of voice. “If I've got to be uncomfortable, you do too. Besides, I'd enjoy the view.” He looked down at her naked body as she blushed. He could see the heat rising and making her freckled cheeks almost as dark as her hair. “Hmmm …”
“You are not …,” she began to sputter as he chuckled. She smacked him on the chest as she sat up right. “You are not going to get me to go buck ass naked in front of the entire galaxy in an interview with you!”
He grinned. “Wanna bet there are some perverts out there who already have seen as much as I'm getting to see now?” he asked, hands caressing her sides as they fell to her hips.
She flushed again, but more out of anger this time than just embarrassment. “I'm the lucky one; I get to see the real thing. They can just keep dreaming,” he said, teasingly as one hand started to inch to naughtier areas.
She inhaled and exhaled. His grin only widened. “You know you are cute when you are angry, right?” he asked wickedly.
That instantly deflated her. Well, that and the tickling fingers on her unprotected ribs. She smacked him on the chest then they rolled, forming a tangle of sheets and giggles as she tried to pummel him with a pillow in retaliation.
~~~^~~~
B101a1
Captain Firefly was pleased when the orders came through. He had to wait until the latest convoy arrived in order to restock from a convoy ship and then take his assembled force to New Horizon. The A.I. was pleased to be given a command and a chance to prove himself.
There were only six ships in the force, his two cruisers, two destroyers, one Dora class tender and a single oiler. They weren't what he'd requested, but they would have to do the job. There was a CEV and escorts already on station, so they should be able to hold the star system as planned, though it would be tight.
~~~^~~~
B-102c
As the yards in Bek got up to speed, more ships arrived in the B-102c Sargasso system. The rapids were proving to be the usual bottleneck, however, since there were only four helm teams available. Five warships, two battle cruisers and three heavy cruisers waited patiently for their turn to chance the rapids. As they waited their ship's companies worked on working-up exercises and trained.
Some might wonder how they were turning out cruisers so quickly. Admiral Irons knew however. Prior to Logan's arrival, Bek's naval contractor logistics used 40 percent of produced parts in common. They just needed to be updated and pushed to produce other components for starships. Now that their industrial plant had been retooled, they were beginning to build up a stockpile and keeping just ahead of production.
A lot of their production successes were due to the basic design of the cruisers themselves. Admiral Irons had made certain that there were a lot of parts in common between the Resolution and Newmann class ships to make logistics in building them as well as supporting them later easier. Modules could be plugged in easily.
If Admiral Irons thought the water habitat in the system would be an incentive for more water dwellers to take up residence, he was sadly mistaken. The selkie families were slow to react to the news. The ET water dwellers hadn't seemed interested. Many had established jobs and lives where they lived and were reluctant to pull up stakes and move. And then there was the question of just what they would do in the station. Many were grounders with little technical knowledge or interest in living in an artificial environment. Others saw it as a trap, that in moving to the station they would be seduced into becoming helmsman for the navy over time.
Some of those accusations made it to the media when the navy put forth positive stories about the habitats. Lieutenant Commander Micheala Lafleur and her team did their best to weather the storm of criticism. She was grateful that it came through the ansible and not in person.
She was getting used to the cruisers that were coming in. It was exciting to see them. She was envious of the personnel who were headed to the outer Federation; they were going to fight the war.
Her thoughts were cut off when a fresh ship appeared on the station's long-range sensors. She smiled as it set off a tachyon IFF. “Well well,” she murmured happily as she made certain Echo was gathering information for her next report. “I think that just made someone's day,” she said as she passed on orders to prep additional living quarters for the transients who were going to board her station in a few days. The ship was days ahead of schedule but a welcome sight. A welcome sight indeed.
“Some days I feel like a damn hotel manager,” she muttered.
~~~^~~~
Pyrax
Admiral Subert had his own issues with the Bekian ships. Each ship that arrived freed up some of his older HCs in the fleet for other duties. They were sent to B-87R with the intention of reinforcing TF 3.2 or for pirate hunting or other missions. The Bekian officers of the incoming ships protested at being stuck in fleet duty rather than getting into the
war.
The admiral was quick to point out that they were unfamiliar with their ships still. “Besides, an order is an order.”
He was still coming to grips with dealing with the Bekian transplants. Fortunately, most stuck to their ships; he had few Bekian staff officers. Those who did come over were confined to teaching positions in San Diego or were enrolled there as students playing catch-up.
There was still some resistance in getting them their full implant packages as well. All of them had ID implants, apparently the Bekian Admiralty was firm about that.
When Phil heard more of the story about what they'd put Horatio through, he shook his head. “Damn,” Admiral Subert said. “He had it rough.”
“I know, sir,” Lieutenant Commander Jeremy Lavot stated. He'd gotten the download and had consulted with a few of the Bekians who had been there and endured Childress's mutiny.
“He's all right now though; I've read the reports. And Admiral Irons saw fit to make him a rear admiral—no doubt to help him deal with the Bekians,” Admiral Subert growled.
The commander shrugged such considerations away. He had his own headaches dealing with the trial of the former captain of Ilmarinen. A plea deal was in the works, but he refused to countersign letting the man off with just a dishonorable discharge. Admiral Subert and Admiral Irons were both in agreement with him, so the trial was moving forward despite attempts from the defense to get it transferred to Bek and a friendlier court environment.
If they only knew what was going on there with the trials of Childress and his ilk, they'd want to stay put he thought in amusement. Perhaps he should clue them in? No, if he did they'd be suspicious of it. Perhaps they should let someone else know and let osmosis work the knowledge to the defense team? That might work, he thought with a mental frown.
“The mission to B-87R is underway, as well as the picket force to New Horizon. Or I should say the reinforcements to New Horizon,” Barry stated. “It will be some time before we have sufficient units to blockade Finagle successfully, sir.”
“At least that damn A.I. is out of my hair,” the admiral grumbled. He paused and noted the amused look from his personal A.I. on his HUD. “You know what I mean,” he grumbled.