John eyes widened. "This ship is designed to leave the solar system? TERRA actually commissioned the construction of such a ship?" The admiral only nodded. Building the ship for such a purpose seemed contrary to TERRA's public stance on handling the Screen threat.
"You're looking from the point of view that this ship is an explorer," said the admiral. "TERRA sees this ship as a final option to save the human race. Call it an escape craft or a generational ship, the name really doesn't matter."
“Isn’t twenty years a little long to build a ship that’s supposed to save humanity?” asked John. “What if the Screen attacked before you were ready?”
“We designed the program to allow EXODUS to be habitable craft after six years of construction,” explained the admiral. "Each additional year allowed us to add more systems and expand the ship's capabilities.”
“Modular ship design,” commented Julie. It was another concept that TERRA discussed at the Academy but never implemented into practice. A capital ship spent months going through a refit, a downfall of having fully integrated systems.
“TERRA eventually concluded that an invasion was unlikely and over time the building of EXODUS became less urgent,” said the admiral. “The command council directed the ship be used as a platform to test new technologies. Its intended mission to depart Earth and venture into deep space was abandoned. TERRA actually believes the ship is incapable of leaving Earth.”
"What about saving humanity?" asked Julie.
"TERRA believes so long as we stay in the solar system the Screen will not bother us," replied the admiral. John rolled his eyes.
“It’s a lot of resources you put into building this ship,” commented John. “Too bad TERRA is too narrow-minded to allow this ship to fly.”
“I never said this ship couldn't fly," said the admiral. "This ship is space-worthy and I intend for it to launch into space the day after tomorrow.”
“What!?” said Julie. She was caught off-guard by the admiral's blunt admission. “Why?”
“I believe that hiding in the shadows from the Screen is no longer viable to our future,” said the admiral. “Rather than try to determine why the Screen has bottled us in the solar system TERRA has forced on us an unconditional surrender. I am unwilling to let this ship sit here because our military is too scared to take action. We need to know why the Screen has contained us.”
“Admiral, I must be honest when I said that you’re the first TERRA official who’s talked with any sense at all,” said John. He never thought he’d see the day when a command level figure was disagreeing with the status quo.
“I know that you hold the belief that we should be out there amongst the stars,” said the admiral. “At the very least we should determine what the Screen has planned for humanity. At some point I believe the Screen's approach to us will change and we must learn what they're intentions are before they have a chance to act.”
“Admiral, I’m a little hesitant of what you’re proposing to do,” said Julie. “TERRA views may come across as passive, but it has kept us at peace with the Screen.”
John was prepared to challenge Julie, eager to point out how naive she was, but the admiral spoke before John could utter a word. “My dear, it is difficult for an established institution to change its ways. TERRA is a military entity, but over time it has transformed into a social, political, and economic institution. People look up to TERRA and holds fast to what it represents. No one out there seems willing to stand up to make a change. You say TERRA has kept the peace with the Screen. How do you know it's the Screen who has chosen not to attack us yet?”
"I don't," replied Julie. "But TERRA hasn't done anything to prompt hostility from the Screen."
The admiral flipped through the stack of reports on his desk and pulled out two files. He knew he wouldn't win the cadets over with a philosophical argument. He handed a file to each of them. “Those are your assignments after you graduate,” he said. “As Cadet Roberts already knows he will not be serving in TERRA.” John read his file and saw nothing new in it. He chuckled as he read some of the opinions given by the Academy faculty in his file. The list of his infractions and insubordination was lengthy and read like a good book.
Julie opened her file and read its contents. Her mouth dropped as she read her assignment. “This can’t be.” Never did she expect for her file to contain such a shocking revelation.
“What is it?” asked John as he looked over at her file. She handed him it to read, humiliated by its contents.
“Tourist Information Specialist of the TERRA Museum of History,” read John aloud. He looked up at the admiral. “Is this a joke?”
“I’m afraid not. Miss Olson has been assigned to be a tour guide of a museum,” said the admiral.
“But, I’m fourth in my class. I’m the first person to win the Academy Flight Tournament as a freshman. I've never received a bad evaluation from my instructors. How can they do this?”
“Because you wield no influence in the fleet,” replied the admiral. “TERRA can no longer support placing all their graduates in fleet positions. It's simply become bloated with staff. Only those with family or friends in the higher command structure get a position. It doesn’t matter how good you are, what matters is who you know. The only reason you weren’t placed in the reserves is because you ranked so high in your class.”
John felt sympathy for Julie. Although he was upset about what happened to him, he understood why he was targeted. But Julie? She was an ace cadet and a model example of how an officer should act. She had not done anything to deserve such a demeaning assignment.
The admiral stood up from his chair and approached the cadets. “I’ve watched the two of you during your time at the Academy. You’re both gifted and have the will to reach your goals. You do what you believe is right rather than be dictated how to best improve your careers. I brought you here because I want the two of you serving on EXODUS as officers when it departs for space.”
It was the words John thought he would never hear. The chance to serve on board a ship was being presented to him. And not just any ship, but the most advanced ship ever built. This was better than serving on a capital ship. John's suspicions about the admiral had melted away. For the first time in years he was willing to put his faith in someone.
“What positions would we serve?” asked John. He hoped he would be given a position on the command deck.
“John, I want you to serve as commander of EXODUS, and I want Julie to serve as executive officer.”
“Come again?” It took a moment for John to process the information. Did he hear the admiral correctly? He couldn't have just heard him say he wanted John to command EXODUS.
"I said I want you to command this ship."
He did hear the admiral right the first time. “You can’t be serious,” said John. “I know I'm good, but not good enough to command a ship as a first assignment. No one is. Julie and I are only cadets. We don’t have any real world experience working on a ship, especially a starship. What we learned at the Academy about ship operations is completely inadequate to run EXODUS.”
“You are the only two I’ve watched who are not career minded opportunists," said the admiral. "The other cadets are only interested in the perks and status of being a TERRA officer. But you John have the instincts of a leader. You can anticipate when to take chances and is willing gamble on your gut. You don’t let anyone intimidate you."
The admiral said nothing that John didn't already know in his heart, but it was refreshing to hear it come from someone, especially from an individual John respected.
"Julie," he continued. "You don’t let your emotions cloud your logical thinking. You are level headed, even under the most intense pressure, and can readily make difficult decisions. Your motive for a career in TERRA is to serve and protect. Together you make a formidable team and I firmly believe that this mission will only succeed with the two of you at the helm.”
"A formidable team?" John thought th
e admiral was spouting nonsense. "If our interaction back in New York didn't give you a clue, then let me clear it up for you. We fight every time we try to have a conversation. She is nothing but a thorn in my side and I can't stand the sight of her."
"Admiral, I have to agree with John, except for the thorn in his side comment," said Julie. "But put aside the fact that I don't have the qualifications to be an executive officer, I can't even fathom working under him."
"Nonsense," replied the admiral. "Neither of you realize it but you have the makings of the perfect command relationship."
"Sure," said John as he winked and gave the admiral a thumbs up in a sarcastic motion. "Together I'm sure we'd be great at setting off the ship's self-destruct system." He stood up and slowly paced to the other side of the room. It was one thing to serve on this ship, but as the ship commander? With Julie as his executive officer? The only thing that would come out of such a relationship would be the downfall of the EXODUS with John and Julie strangling each other on the bridge as fire and brimstone erupted around them as the ship crash on some rock.
“What about the officers on board?” asked Julie who was more receptive to the admiral's analysis of them. “Are they willing to do what you ask? How can we expect them to follow us?”
“I’ve spent my life overseeing this project. The people working here share my dream of seeing EXODUS leave the solar system. They believe that we shouldn’t be confined here and have spent their lives preparing for the day to leave Earth. They trust my decisions and they trust me when I tell them you are the only ones qualified to lead them.”
"You've already told them?" said John.
The admiral looked at John with a stern look. "Would it matter if I have? The decision ultimately lies with you."
“Well, I’d be lying if I said I needed time to think about this,” said John. “Exploring space is all I ever wanted to do and this is my only chance to do it. I think it’s a little weird that you believe Julie and I can work together, but what the hell. I've done crazier things in the past. I'm in.”
The admiral smiled and nodded. He never doubted John would accept his proposal. “Thank you Cadet Roberts, or should I say Commander Roberts.” He turned to Julie for her answer.
“I, I don’t know,” she stammered. “This is all so sudden. On the one hand I want to do this, especially after reading what TERRA has planned for me. But TERRA has always been good to me. I don’t think I could betray them.” The admiral was prepared to try and persuade her, but John spoke up first.
“Loyalty is a two way street Julie. It’s admirable that you’re still willing to stand by TERRA despite what they want to do to you. But when someone gives their heart and soul to an institution they believe in that person deserves to be given the same level of respect.
“You’ve worked your whole life because you wanted to make your dad and hometown proud of you. And what has TERRA done? They’ve ignored all your accomplishments with no regard for you. This is your chance to prove they're wrong. Don’t let them step all over you. You deserve better.” Although John didn't see it, the admiral recognized his leadership qualities come out in that speech. The admiral had no doubt in his mind that John was the right person for this job.
“But what if the Screen comes here and attack our worlds because we tried to leave?" said Julie. "I don’t want to be the one responsible for humanity’s destruction.”
“TERRA’s been feeding us that same crap for years," replied John. "They’ve done such a good job scaring us that no one is willing to take a risk. Who knows what’s going to happen. Maybe the Screen will come in and attack as soon as we leave orbit or maybe they’ll run scared at the sight of EXODUS. I’d rather go out there and find out once and for all who they are and what they want. This is our chance to change the course of human destiny.”
"Now you're just laying it on thick," said Julie. John could be quite persuasive when he was passionate about something. Despite their differences and clashes in the past Julie had always admired John’s conviction in his beliefs. But she did buy into TERRA's philosophy and was afraid of the Screen. She was taught they were a powerful and destructive force that could not be fought. It was difficult to push a lifetime of teachings aside. But if she stayed on Earth she was guaranteed a life of mediocrity, giving tours to civilians in a museum. She didn't go to the Academy to be a tour guide. On this ship she had the opportunity to put her training into use. This was her only chance to keep her dream alive.
“Alright.”, she said, standing up. “I’m in.”
After they agreed to serve on EXODUS Admiral Johnson escorted the cadets to separate quarters on deck seven. The plan was for them to be introduced to the senior staff in the morning. The news sent a surge of nervousness through Julie's body. She expected the staff would be unimpressed with them as their commanding officers, despite the admiral's assurances that they supported his decision. Julie believed she would need to display absolute confidence if she was to convince them she could handle the position of executive officer.
John hardly blinked when he was told. He looked forward to the meeting and was curious to see how the staff would treat him on their first encounter. He had become accustomed to being looked upon with disdain at the Academy. If the senior staff didn't accept him, so be it. He was to be their commander and as long as they followed his orders he could care less about being their friend.
The admiral requested that John and Julie remain in their quarters for the evening. The main computer was being taken offline for final upgrades and therefore would be unavailable as a guide. EXODUS was enormous and it would not take much for John or Julie to get lost within it.
The downside for joining the crew was that they could not leave the EXODUS Project to return to New York, but the admiral assured them their personal belongings had already been retrieved and would be delivered to the ship by morning. Given the critical nature of this mission no one who worked on the EXODUS Project left the Tormented Valley, ever. It minimized the chance of a security leak and TERRA uncovering what was truly going on in the project. The admiral was aware how dramatic it was for John and Julie to be pulled from their lives and confined here. He provided a little something to make the transition a bit easier.
Julie sat on the couch in the main living area of her quarters looking at the DAT sitting on the coffee table. A single lamp was all that was providing light to the room, barely illuminating the blue color on the walls. Julie stared at the DAT for a long time, hesitant to use it. Each time she began to reach for it she would pull back. The admiral had arranged for her to contact her father without the call being traced back here. Julie wanted to make the call, but was afraid of what to say. What would she tell him? He was expecting her back home tomorrow. Instead, she was going to have to tell him she was leaving with the possibility of never seeing him again. How was she going to explain it?
She couldn't tell him about the EXODUS Project. If nothing else he had to be kept in the dark in order to keep him safe once they left Earth and all hell broke loose with TERRA. This could be the last time they would ever speak. He deserved more than a vague explanation. Her dad was her biggest supporter and sacrificed a lot to help her prepare for the Academy entrance exams. He took her to every prep class available in Nebraska, driving her countless times to Lincoln and Omaha and never complaining about it once. He always encouraged her, but never coddled her. When she failed he would be there as support, but she had to get up and try again on her own. They weren’t wealthy, but somehow he always found a way to scrap enough money together to pay for her classes.
Enough of this, she had to call him. Julie swallowed hard and activated the DAT, inputting the code the admiral gave her. She sat and waited what seemed an eternity for the call to go through. There was no turning back now. In a few moments she saw her father appear on the small screen.
“Hello?” He blinked his eyes, trying to get a better view of the monitor.
“Hi daddy,” said Julie as she watc
hed her father rub his eyes. She immediately wanted to blurt out everything to him: the ship and its mission. He deserved nothing less than the truth, but she knew she had to be strong and remain silent about the EXODUS Project. It was in his best interest.
“Julie, sweetie,” he said smiling as he recognized his daughter’s voice. “How are you? I’m surprised you’re calling so late since you have an early morning flight.”
“I’m ok. I just needed to talk to you.” She was fighting the emotions welling up inside of her as she maintained an outward calm demeanor.
“Finals went ok, didn’t they?” He was concerned that some of her exams were more difficult than she anticipated. She had mentioned back in September that this semester would be the toughest yet for her.
“Finals were fine, but something’s come up that I need to talk to you about.” This was more difficult than Julie realized. She did her best to keep herself composed, but she felt she wasn’t successful. Try as she might she couldn't keep the thought of never seeing her dad out of her mind. All she could do was to get through this conversation quickly before she succumbed to those thoughts.
“Honey, you seem upset. What is it? Is your roommate giving you a hard time again?”
Tears started to stream down her face. This was an impossible task. She never missed the holidays with him. He raised Julie as a single parent and they shared a close family bond. She wanted to maintain a strong appearance, but the knowledge she may never see him again pierced her heart. It was because of him she wanted to become a TERRA officer. She wanted him to be proud of her and now felt she was abandoning him.
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