by S. H. Jucha
On board the Trident, the captain, crew, and SADE witnessed the blinding light of the probe’s detonation.
“It appears, Captain, that Nua’ll technology detects our style of intervention as artificial,” Miriam said.
“So long as we keep our distance when these things go off, I don’t care what they detect,” Darius replied. He’d been nervous about this experiment, having just survived a similar affair with the Omnian probe.
“Danger zone for our ships, Miriam?” Darius asked.
“Twelve point eight million kilometers, Captain,” Miriam replied. She wanted to tease him about his desire for extra insurance, but her senses had registered his heightened biorhythm levels, indicating anxiety. Instead, she asked, “Omnia, Captain?”
“Indeed, Miriam,” Darius replied.
* * *
Killian transited the OS Redemption into Oistos space. The Trident sailed alongside the Rover, a mere 35 kilometers separating them. “Too close for your preferences, Captain?” Killian asked Ellie, when he noticed her frown.
“What if the Rover’s controller had erred in its settings or the captain had chosen a different exit point?” Ellie asked.
“Your pardon, Captain, I eliminated potential errors by linking our ship’s controller with the Rover’s. The New Terran captain might have thought he was responsible for the exit from Celus and the entry into Oistos, but he wasn’t.”
Ellie laughed at Killian’s response. “It’s easy to see who you’ve spent too much time with, Killian. The man is a bad influence on you.”
“I do enjoy the manner in which Dassata eliminates many of the superfluous discussions and bureaucratic processes around him,” Killian replied, proud to be recognized as a close associate of Alex.
“Superfluous discussions. I must remember that one,” Ellie replied. “Contact Admiral Tripping, please, Killian.”
“Captain Thompson,” Morney replied cordially, “we’re ready to take possession of whatever solution you’re delivering to eliminate the probe.”
“Envoy Gonzalez,” Ellie said, giving Maria a heads-up, as to the formal nature of the conversation. “There seems to be some confusion as to who will manage the elimination of the probe. Captain Morney believes they will handle the operation.”
“Hardly,” Maria replied gruffly. She was one of the few individuals who didn’t handle transit in and out of systems well, and she was in no mood to cater to a Tripping sycophant. “Get me the admiral, Captain,” Maria ordered.
“The admiral is indisposed, at the moment, Envoy Gonzalez. I can tell you that Admiral Tripping has had extensive conversations with President Grumley and has cleared this exercise with him.”
“Exercise?” Maria ground out. “You call ridding our system of a dangerous alien probe that when detonated spreads a powerful energy wave that can destroy ships within 10 million kilometers or more an exercise?”
“Perhaps that was an unfortunate choice of words, Envoy Gonzalez, but I can assure you that we have the capabilities to manage any process. We’re merely requesting the Omnians to hand over their solution with whatever instructions that accompany it.”
“Do you want their SADE too, Captain?” Maria asked.
“I beg your pardon, Ma’am?”
“You said you wanted the instructions, Captain. Who do you think will handle the exercise for the Omnians?”
“Perhaps you had best speak to Admiral Tripping, Ma’am. I’ll have him contact you, when he wakes.”
“Don’t bother, Captain,” Maria said, cutting her comm link.
Immediately, Maria placed a comm call to Government House, New Terra’s residence for the president, located in the heart of the New Terra capital, Prima.
“Envoy Gonzalez, its 4.85 hours in the morning. The president is asleep,” the Government House comm operator replied.
“And I’m awake. Harold can join me,” Maria growled.
“I’ll contact security, Ma’am. Please wait,” the comm operator replied.
Maria fumed for nearly a quarter hour. She thought better of her desire to straighten out the admiral at this hour of the morning, but it was too late now.
“Maria, what’s happening?” the president asked, his voice nervous and slurred.
“My apologies, Harold, I should have waited until later. You know I don’t handle transit too well.”
“My sympathies, Maria; what’s got you riled?”
“I thought I was clear in my message, Harold. Why does Captain Morney, quoting Admiral Tripping, believe they should handle the operation to remove the probe?”
“Ah, well, after Tripping located the probe, the fear level of the populace ratcheted incredibly. Tripping made the pronouncement over and over again that he and his crew would remove the probe. He said they were only waiting for some simple item from the Omnians, who were late in delivering it.”
“Late? Why that trumped-up little excuse for an officer,” Maria fumed.
“I know, Maria,” Harold replied, trying to clear his mind and think of a way to mollify her. “I’ve been under pressure from some Assembly members, who want more separation between Harakens and Omnians, but the majority have been in favor of closer ties.
“Well, Harold, I tell you what. Maybe you should hear the Omnians’ side of the story. I’ll connect you with Captain Thompson of the Trident warship, OS Redemption. She’s the amenable sort.”
“That’s fine, Maria. I’m sure the captain and I can come to some agreement.”
Before Harold Grumley could think through the implications of Maria’s offer, the Rover’s controller linked him to Captain Thompson.
“Apologies for disturbing you so early in the morning, President Grumley,” Ellie said graciously.
“These things happen, Captain … the price of leadership. What would it take to transfer your technology to our Trident, Captain?”
“Actually, it could be accomplished fairly easily, Mr. President.”
“Fine, Captain. When can you begin this process?”
“My apologies, Mr. President, you asked what it would take. You didn’t ask whether I would do it.”
Maria bit a finger to keep from laughing. If Grumley were more awake, he would have considered the possibility that any Omnian Trident captain would be someone who had been with Alex from the early days. Odds were good that they would be a Libran, who were fierce supporters of Alex Racine and not easily dissuaded from following his directives.
“What’s stopping you, Captain?” Harold asked.
“I’ve been ordered to remove the probe, Mr. President … my ship and no one else. This was supposedly made clear to you in your envoy’s message.”
“This is the Oistos system, Captain. As president, I have the right to overrule your admiral’s orders, concerning any action you might take here.”
“To be clear, President Grumley, it was Alex Racine, who gave me these specific orders. Now, if you don’t wish me to remove your nasty alien probe, that’s your right. Killian, turn this ship about. We’re headed home,” Ellie ordered in a clear voice, winking at the SADE, who grinned at her.
“There’s no need to be hasty, Captain. I’m sure that we can resolve this matter amicably, with a little effort on both our parts. Give me a moment, if you will, Captain.”
Maria was close to biting through the skin on her knuckle. Even good politicians like Grumley were used to considering everything negotiable. Every one of them were required to learn, at one point or another, that Alex Racine and Admiral Tachenko weren’t politicians.
Grumley was wrapped in his dressing gown and seated behind his study’s desk. He indicated to his comm operator, who was seated at a small console to the left of his desk, to silence the connection with the ships.
“Get me Admiral Tripping,” Grumley ordered.
The comm operator located the controller code for the Geoffrey Orlan and sent the request.
“President Gru
mley, this is Captain Morney,” came the response over the president’s desk unit.
“Captain, I believe the request was for your admiral,” Grumley replied.
“Yes, Mr. President, it was, but the admiral is asleep.”
“So was I, Captain.”
There was a pause before Morney caught on. “I’ll wake him, Sir. Shall I comm you back?”
“I’ll wait, but only briefly, Captain.”
Morney turned to a second lieutenant and said, “Wake the admiral. Tell him the president is on the comm.”
The lieutenant hurried off, as directed, loathing the captain’s decision not to call the admiral on his reader. Whoever woke the admiral would receive a negative mark in his book.
“This is Admiral Tripping, Mr. President. Is there an emergency?” Tripping was seated at his cabin’s desk to take the call. He had been startled awake by a pounding at his door and wondered why he didn’t receive the contact via his reader. A muffled voice spoke a message about the president on the comm, and, in Tripping’s hurry to answer the call, he forgot to ask the crew member to identify himself. Odd that he didn’t, Tripping thought.
“Of a sort, Admiral,” Grumley replied. “You made a point of saying to one and all that Envoy Gonzalez’s message was her opinion and not to be taken as a directive from the Omnians. Captain Thompson has entered our system aboard the OS Redemption. She’s stating unequivocally that you were directed to locate the probe and then stand aside. Your Captain Morney has stated otherwise to her.”
“With all due respect to the Omnians, Mr. President, they continually overstate the importance of their role in matters.”
“Do they, Admiral?”
“Continually, Sir. It’s frustrating at times.”
“I take it you’d like to press for being the one to destroy the probe. Is that it, Admiral?” Grumley asked, beginning to realize what Maria was up against in attempting to guide the senior officer.
“It’s a New Terran probe; it should be a New Terran ship that eliminates it,” Tripping replied, congratulating himself on the pithy summary, considering that he’d just been woken from a deep sleep.
“And here I thought it was an alien probe. Silly me,” Grumley replied.
Tripping swallowed with difficulty. His mouth had suddenly gone dry. Grumley was noted for resorting to humor when his patience was exhausted.
“Here’s what you’re going to do, Admiral. You contact Captain Thompson and give her the coordinates of the probe … never mind that. Her SADE probably already has them off your controller, if he or she hasn’t found it by some other means. You be a good naval officer. Apologize for the confusion and stand aside. Do I make myself clear, Admiral, or do you wish me to address the Assembly Leaders when they convene today and request that they rescind your appointment?”
Tripping drew breath to object, but his comm light winked off. The president had cut the connection. Instead, the admiral called the bridge. “We’ve been ordered to stand down, Captain. Relay that message to Captain Thompson, and follow her directions concerning where you should station our ship.”
Tripping didn’t give Morney an opportunity to reply. He cut the call and returned to bed, angry that a golden opportunity to promote his career had slipped through his hands.
When Ellie received Captain Morney’s brief message of acquiescence, she frowned. “That was unexpected,” she commented to Killian.
“Perhaps it was due to the admiral’s conversation with the president,” Killian replied.
“And how would you know about that, my nosy friend?”
“I thought it expedient to gather the probe’s location from the Geoffrey Orlan’s controller and begin my calculations, as to when would be the opportune time to intercept the probe. I might have lingered long enough to overhear the conversation of the president with the captain and then with the admiral.”
“Imagine that,” Ellie said, in mock surprise. “The SADE, who is to conduct this critical operation to destroy an alien probe is so slow, regarding communication, that it takes him the length of two conversations to capture a tiny piece of data from a ship’s controller.”
“My excuse does seem farfetched,” Killian replied with a grin.
“That’s your role model at work again, Killian,” Ellie admonished. “Store those conversations with mine for the admiral’s review.”
“Already done, Captain.”
“Fine. Let’s go kill an alien probe.”
-14-
Decision Time
After the OS Redemption returned to Celus, Ellie transferred her files to the Freedom and sent a link to Tatia. Immediately, she received a comm request.
Ellie sent. She detected Tatia’s rapid breathing and could guess at her choice of exercise. It made her ache for Étienne’s embrace.
Ellie replied, and the two women laughed.
Tatia briefly joined Alain in the refresher before she went to her study and listened to Ellie’s recordings.
Tatia could hear Renée’s snickers.
Tatia replied.
Alex said. He discovered that Tatia’s reply to his final comment was an abrupt ending of the comm link. He chuckled, slipped deeper into the bedclothes, and Renée wrapped around him.
* * *
“Theodore informs me the tests of the banishers were successful at Haraken and New Terra, although the probes blew up on contact,” Gino said, as he took a seat at the head table with Alex and many others.
Alex eyed Gino, while he picked up his mug and took a deep swallow of his thé. Then he resumed his morning meal.