END of LINE: Humanities Last Stand - part 3

by John Short

  Chapter Three

  Captain Claudi had one of the crewmen show Jon to his stateroom and as he entered what was to be his home for the trip back to Haven he was shocked. He wasn't sure what he expected, but this luxury suite was not it. There was a sitting area that was larger than the six man team barracks back at the training camp with richly carved wooden columns and beams balancing off the white marble walls. Not the fake plastic stuff either. This ship had real marble sheets for the walls of its passenger stateroom. The sleeping area had a large bed with two small tables near it, a large dresser and a closet, plus more of the wooden beams on marble walls. The floors were covered in thick blue carpeting with golden borders. Then there was the relief chamber. This one room was bigger than his entire personal area back at camp. Not only did it have a four-nozzle shower that used real water, it also had a tub large enough for him to stretch out in along one wall. The sink and actual relief vessel were behind a half wall so if someone was taking a shower and another had to use the vessel; they were hidden from each other perfectly. The walls in this room were mirrored, so that if you looked across from one mirror into another you saw endless copies of the chamber going back into infinity. Jon imagined seeing hundreds of copies of himself taking a shower and it brought a smile to his face.

  “I'm sorry that we don't have a full time steward sir. So you'll have to take your own towels and bedding to the laundry at the end of the hall then get fresh ones from the closet just outside your rooms.” the crewman told Jon. “I've taken the liberty of having your duffel brought up here but I haven't unpacked anything, not knowing what you'd need for a three week trip on a cargo vessel. Despite what this stateroom looks like, this is a working ship. Sometimes this space is used to haul extra cargo. Seems to me, that's what you are on this trip, unless you'd like to take a turn at the flight controls. They told us you were FTL qualified.”

  “I am, and I certainly would love to fly this boat if your Captain will let me.” Jon smiled. “Otherwise, I think I'll be fine. Just let me know when its time to head down for chow and I'll try to stay out of everyone's way.”

  “Will do sir. Oh and Welcome aboard, sir. I never met a corporation owner before. For a stuffed shirt, you ain't half bad. Sir.” With that last remark the crewman left. Jon decided the man was probably off to tell the entire crew that their “cargo” was willing to fly their bird and had promised to handle his own dirty sheets.

  Phillmma was waiting at the air lock when Jon and Captain Claudi arrived. Jon had changed out of his Peacekeeper uniform into a pair of black leggings, knee high boots and a tight fitting silver pull over shirt with black trim. Phillmma took one look at the magnificent male with muscles everywhere and instantly knew that she would do anything he asked of her. Whoever the female was that had marked this male had better claim him soon or Phillmma would make her own claim on him.

  “Phillmma, I have a couple of serious questions I need to ask you.” Jon started off, “Do you really want to go back out among the stars?”

  “Yes, Warrior Connell. I'd like almost nothing more than another ship to call my home.”

  “I would like to offer you the position of Flight Engineer on this ship. Interested?” Jon asked.

  “Oh yes sir. I am very interested. How will you accomplish hiring me with my guild standing at such a low level?”

  “You let me worry about the Guild Chief.” Captain Claudi told her. “How long before you can close up your shop, bring any parts that you think we can use onboard along with whatever other tools and personal gear you need and move over to the ship?”

  “I can be ready to go in ten hours. Lets say first thing in the morning we can schedule our departure.” Phillmma said with a look of pure joy on her face. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart Warrior Lieutenant Jon Connell. You don't know how much I've dreamed of having a ship of my own to live and work on again. This ship will be the best ship in the entire fleet.”

  “Now, here is my next question.” Jon continued. “Do you know of two more qualified Engineers who might like a position on one of my ships? They would need to be people who you trust and who you know to be your equal. Apparently I own two more ships exactly like this one that both need Flight Engineers onboard.”

  “Well sir, there are no FTL Engineers with my qualifications, but I might know of a couple of beings I'd trust. One of them isn't exactly like the rest of us, but it is great with slip drives.” Phillmma told them.

  “What is IT?” Jon asked.

  “It’s a cyborg, part living flesh, part machine. He was once part of a failed experiment to enhance infantry soldiers. You almost can't even tell what he is until he gets into a fight, then the machine takes over and he just starts killing things. I once saw him grab a sand snake and tear its head off with his bare hands. He’s a great Engineer though and usually very gentle.”

  “OK, find out who is available and how soon they can be ready to leave. They will each pick a ship, either the Venus or the Mars and I'll have the ships swing through here to pick them up.” Captain Claudi told her. “Meanwhile, I'll have you assigned to quarters back near the engines. You'll have plenty of privacy back there. The males don't like the smell of the engines enough to spend much time there. Maybe you can figure out why she always smells of burning flesh whenever we hit the slipways.”

  “That should be fine Captain.” Phillmma told her new CO. “I'll make some calls and try to find two more Engineers. How much are you paying?” she finally asked.

  “Phillie, I need good people I can trust.” Jon said. “Remember that I have sworn to a three year contract with the Peacekeepers. So I won't be running things first hand until I receive my discharge. Then my own dream involves commanding one of the FTL Cargo ships myself. I'll never be good at sitting behind a desk. So, you tell me what a fair rank is for yourself and make anyone else who you hire one rank lower. That puts you in place as the head of my Flight Engineers. You'll not only be taking care of this ship, but also checking to make sure the others are up to standard. When my contract is up and I buy my own ship, I'll want you onboard as my Flight Engineer. So that means you'll be hiring someone to replace you here when I call for you to come over to my boat.”

  “I guess that means I should be a Master Chief with an additional 15% pay increase. I've got the qualifications, especially on these older ships.” Phillmma told Jon. “Everyone below me should be made a Chief with a 10% raise in pay just to sweeten the deal and maybe pull the really good ones away from bigger companies.”

  “Done.” Jon noted. “Now go do whatever you need to do to get ready to hit the slip tomorrow no later than 1200 hours. I'll be down to check on you after we've pulled away from the station and entered the slipway. I'll want an update on our readiness no later than 11:30. If we've got anything wrong that you can't fix in flight, I want to know before we slide out. Oh and I'd like it if you could join the rest of the crew and myself at Jamie's Place for evening meal. That's a request, not an order.”

  “I'd love to join you and the crew tonight.” Phillmma told Jon. “Will 1900 be OK?”

  Jon agreed to the time before he and the Captain turned away to go back up to the command center. Jon had some messages to prepare and transmit before that 1900 deadline.

  “By the Goddess” Phillmma thought as she watched the magnificent male specimen that was Jon Connell walk away. “That is one male who definitely has potential.” She could not believe how her simple life had changed in just a few hours since she had met him. One minute she was sitting alone in her shop, barely earning enough to let her keep it open if she slept on a cot in the backroom. If not for Kelesro taking her in as a roommate and paying her tab at Jamie's Place, she'd be showering in the public showers and living like a beggar. Now she was Master Chief onboard one of Burton and Billy's Interplanetary Transport Company's FTL ships and about to be put in charge of two more as soon as she could find the right people to hire. Jon had even told her of his hopes to buy an FTL vessel for him to comman
d when his contract with the Peacekeepers was up and he wanted her as his Flight Engineer. She found herself wondering what kind of ship he would buy in three cycles time when he was discharged and what it would need to keep it flying straight and true.

  Often called BBITCo for short, Burton and Billy's was widely known as one of the most trusted companies in the entire cargo system. Its few FTL ships were always on time, always well kept, always balanced their manifests, charged fair rates, and also treated their crews with the respect every good crew earned each time they moved away from a surface berth. Despite all the advancements in space travel over the long centuries since its beginnings, it was still a very dangerous adventure. Taking one step outside the controlled environment of a ship into the hard vacuum of space would spell disaster for a fully clothed being without the proper precautions. Phillmma would make doubly sure she did her very best to give the ships given into her hands the best care anyone in the galaxy could give them. She would become that person who Jon Connell could trust to look out for what he had given her.

  Rushing past her shop and down the tube-way to Jamie's Place, she excitedly knocked on the kitchen door almost hopping up and down in her excitement as she waited for Kelesro to answer.

  “Hello dear. I suppose you're here to find out what I learned.” Kelesro said when she did answer Phillie's knock. “Hey, slow down little furball. What has happened to have you so disquieted?”

  “Let me in, I can't stand still out here.” Phillie begged.

  “Come,” leading her over to a small office, Kelesro pointed to a chair and ordered her to sit in it. When she did, Kelesro reached out to take Phillie's hands but Phillie refused to allow the touch.

  “Not yet my dear friend. You must first tell me what you learned about him.”

  “This won't be easy to hear. I already know that you like him much more than you should. He is far too young for you.” Kelesro stated in a very clinical manner though her friendly smile never faded. “First and foremost your young warrior is an honorable male. He would rather die in unarmed combat with a mature sand lizard than lie, cheat, or take advantage of an innocent. He carries a real hatred for any who do those things. If he says he will do something, he does it, period. It may take a while for it to happen, but he will find a way to keep any promise he makes. That is why he makes very few promises. If he ever makes one to you, believe him. He will make sure that he makes it happen. While he is not totally fearless, his real limits have not yet been tested. I feel that he will always do what he must to try to protect those he has charge over, but even he does not know how to protect against everything. Some of his solutions may not sit well with others close to him, but he will do his best, always. He knows nothing else.

  Those are all good things. Are you prepared for the bad?” When Phillmma nodded that she was, Kelesro continued. “He has suffered great loss. Both of his parents died when he was very young. Then his uncle died and now the only female that ever showed him love has gone off to Sanctuary. All that is fully recorded in his official records. Still, for him the loss goes much deeper. He is the last surviving member of his race. When his day comes, human beings will cease to exist in the universe. All that will be left are the offspring of Human/Lexonian mates. Even those will thin and fade away as the inhabitants of Haven move out into the stars. This also weighs heavily on his soul.

  He has been made to believe that he is somehow unwanted because of his physical differences from the rest of us. His height and build are examples of how most humans once grew. They were a strong proud race that truly knew what it was to love with their entire being. I saw that in his racial memories buried deeply within his mind where even he doesn't know how to reach. He will find that pride again, but for him to understand love, I mean really understand it in his soul, will take a miracle. Everyone whom he has ever loved has left him in someway and he feels the loss deeper than even I can find. As a result he holds his own heart so tightly that it will take more than a single female to soften his grip on his feelings. It will take a miracle from our beloved Goddess. But he cannot ask for or even openly accept her help because of how much he feels the hurt of his loss. He may secretly blame her for that loss.

  He trusts no one. Every time he has placed his trust in someone who was not part of his family, they used it against him and he ended up paying the price. If he offers anyone a position of trust, they had better be ready to earn it everyday. Because even after a lifetime, he may still be just waiting for that person to use his trust wrongly. If that ever happens, he will turn on the person he wanted to trust as fast as the lighting flashes across the night skies with just as much power and vengeance, perhaps more. He carries a strange genetic code I've only seen once before and I've tested many humans in my three hundred cycles of life so far. I've only seen it one other time in my youth, in a human Dragon Warrior during the time of his great ancestor and namesake. That male questioned his own worth until a well known Warrior tested him.” Kelesro remembered that fight in vivid detail even all these cycles later. A confused human warrior had doubted his own worth after the loss of a leg in battle until another warrior tested him and showed him the true meaning of courage. “I believe he may be part Umin, but he isn't aware of that part of himself yet. That other one had lost a leg in battle and doubted his own worth. This one of yours may never find his true self or his real value to the rest of us.

  He is trapped inside himself. He may never find the way out. If he does, he will accomplish a great many wonderful things. If he doesn't, sadly his life will never see happiness.” Kelesro ended giving her report to Phillie and sat back in her chair. “So your turn now little one. What has you so excited?”

  “I may have given myself more than I thought.” Phillie told her friend suddenly sobered. “He offered me the job of Flight Engineer on the Pluto. He just learned that he now owns BBITCo. And he wants me to lead his flight engineering section on not just one ship, but on two more right now and possibly another once his Peacekeeper contract has expired.” Stopping to take a breath she then went on, “He told me he needed to find people he could trust. I told him I would earn his trust however I needed to make sure his ships were ready for anything.” Sobbing she went on, “He is bringing the entire crew of the Pluto here tonight for late meal and asked me to join them. I need to find two more really good flight engineers before then, and I must pack up my shop and move my gear to the Pluto, then notify the Station Master that my shop will be available for lease to another, all before morning, and check the ship before we enter the slipway. By the Goddess Kel, I may have already failed him.” Having spilled her list of things that needed to be done, Phillmma openly wept.

  “No my dear sweet friend. You haven't failed him yet. You just haven't looked beyond yourself.” Kelesro softly told her friend as she laid her hands on the smaller female's shoulders to gently calm her. Quickly connecting with the child-like mind of Phillmma, Kelesro was able to offer comfort and confidence to her friend. “Time enough for doing things on your own later. Right now, get yourself out there and start looking for those Engineers. I think if you can at least tell him that you have spoken to a few people he will be satisfied with your efforts. Don't you worry about the rest, I'll have Gabby come and he and I can pack your shop and have everything moved to Pluto before mealtime. Later, you and I can have a fun time packing your belongings at the apartment. Then we'll have to go shopping in one of the better shops to get you some proper clothes to wear when he needs you to present reports on the conditions of his ships in front of his other Commanders.”

  “OH GODDESS NO! Kel, you know how frightened I am of dealing with those corporate types.”

  “Would you still be afraid of them knowing that the giant who owned the company was standing behind you for support?”

  Smiling again Phillmma declared, “With Jon Connell behind me I can do anything!”

  “See the effect that one human male has on you after just one shared meal? Just imagine how others will re
act to him! Phillie you must promise me that you will help me pray to the Goddess for him every day. He can bring such peace to our troubled worlds if he will only just try to find himself.”

  “I promise my dearest friend. Whatever stupid female marked him better make her claim soon though or he is mine!” Phillmma laughed. “I have calls to make!”

  And so it was that Jon Connell's remake of BBITCo began with such a simple thing as giving new hope to only one small unknown female.

  After a week and a half of meetings with bankers and the department heads of BBITCo, Jon decided he needed to take some time for himself. This owning a company thing was not an easy job. Thankfully he'd known Chief Commander Edwards for many cycles. His uncle Bill had introduced them way back when Jon was traveling with his uncle on school breaks. The product of a human father and Lexonian mother, the man was only a few inches shorter than Jon and had been given a stern upbringing with a mixture of the best both races had to offer. Jon felt he could trust the man to continue to run things while he was away in the service.

  The Comptroller had been a totally different issue. When Jon told his Chief Commander about what he had learned from the Captain of the Pluto, that none of the FLT ships had Flight Engineers and about the surprise inspections with cargo missing along with some unexplained shipments coming in undocumented, Commander Edwards starting demanding answers and when he didn't get the ones he wanted to hear, he dismissed the man on the spot. Turned out the Comptroller was a low ranking member of the Lexonian Royal's Household. The son of one of the lesser servants at the Summer Palace. He had done a good job in hiding his tracks for the last few cycles. He'd fired the Engineers on all three FTL ships hoping to cover up their loss with more scheduled maintenance stops. Then he transferred their salaries into a hidden bank account for himself while changing names on the company roster to make it look like Engineers were still flying with each ship. He'd also estimated the amount he'd saved on parts no longer being changed out while on missions and taken half of that amount while reporting the other half as savings in the maintenance reports. The Company was able to have all of his accounts at the bank frozen, including his savings, and all the records turned over to the law enforcement. The money that he had stolen was recovered from the bank and given to the families of the people the criminal male had fired. Edwards offered the men jobs but they had all taken slots on ships with other companies and were locked into contracts. All said that they would love to come back once their contracts expired. It was looking like the company might need more FTL ships soon anyway even without Jon's dreams of enlarging the business.