Solomon Family Warriors II

by Robert H. Cherny

  “Sometimes I wonder,” Rachel sighed.

  She called Isaac. The two women sat in silence staring across the table until he arrived. Isaac looked at the darkness under his wife’s eyes and instantly keyed on her mood. Faye Anne stood when he entered the room. “Eh, what’s up doc?” Faye Anne said pretending she was chewing on a carrot.

  Isaac jumped right in. “The yard dogs are saying we ship out in a month. Would someone please tell me what’s going on?”

  “We just became the Lone Ranger in space,” Rachel said sarcastically. “We are to be the white knight that rides off to rescue the delusional planet that does not want to be rescued from extermination by an errant comet.”

  “You’re not serious,” Issac said.

  “Deadly,” Faye Anne replied.

  Isaac shook his head as the enormity of the task sank in. “Where is this place?”

  Faye Anne took four water glasses and arranged them on the table in something that resembled a gentle curve. “We’re here. New St. Louis is here. Eretz is here and two weeks further out is Everest. That’s where we’re going.”

  “With two stops and flight time in between we won’t be there for nine months,” Isaac said. “How long before this thing hits and how bad will it be?”

  “That depends on who you talk to,” Faye Anne answered. “According to Federation Astrological Survey, the planet is in no danger. The comet will pass inside the orbit of the planet’s moon and create a magnificent meteor shower, but will cause no damage. A team of Astrophysics graduate students from Fed Tech disagrees. They studied the system as part of a doctorate thesis. They say the collision will be an oblique hit with the body of the comet sweeping across the planet’s atmosphere not far from the equator raining debris as it spirals down to impact the surface. Some of the chunks of rock falling to the surface could be as big as a kilometer across. They both agree that the pass will occur fifteen months from now.”

  “My money’s on the grad students,” Isaac said.

  “Yeah,” Rachel agreed. “We all know how good Survey is. Survey said that Homestead was uninhabitable and I grew up there.”

  Faye Ann said, “the problem is that the local population believes Survey and was completely bent out of shape that the graduate students surveyed their system without notifying them. They were especially angry that the students were there for six months without being detected. They do not take kindly to visitors, even visitors who could help them.”

  “I suppose this means we can’t just show up in their space, tell them who we are and start an evacuation?” Rachel said.

  “Nope. They have fortified since then. It means we can expect to be shot at for the privilege of rescuing their sorry butts,” Faye Anne said.

  “Which is why we have an armed hospital ship. Sometimes the best medicine is painful.” Isaac added. “Well gang, we need a plan. Let’s recruit who we can from here. We can send couriers to New St. Louis and New Boston and let them know we’re coming. One of my instructors retired last year. Let me see if I can drag him along. Admiral Stonebridge approved most of my org chart for the medical staff so let me start there.”

  “I’ll see who Lt. Swanson in Staff Allocation can scare up,” Rachel said.

  “Do you want me to get the boys?” Faye Anne asked.

  “Reuben and Rashi?” Rachel asked.

  “Who else?”

  “If you would, yes, please. See who they can bring with them.” An hour later Captain Rachel Solomon sat across the desk from Lt. Gloria Swanson in the Space Force Staff Allocation Division complex attached to the shipyard.

  “Captain Solomon, so it’s real. You’re going out.” The strawberry blond lieutenant who looked too old to still be a lieutenant said as soon as Rachel was settled.

  “Yes.”

  “All Right!!” She shouted, her eyes glistening. “It’s about damn time! Let’s get to work!”

  “How did you know?”

  “You wouldn’t be here for any other reason. Everyone in the office knows how much I’m interested in this project. Really, it’s about damn time you came to see me.”

  Rachel smiled. “I guess that’s why the folks in the office wouldn’t let me see anyone else.”

  “I would have killed them if they did. We have work to do.”

  “I brought an org chart,” Rachel started tentatively as she brought out a large paper document.

  “Kinda look like this?” The lieutenant projected an org chart on the screen next to her desk. It did look like Rachel’s except that it had more names filled in.

  “Yes.” Rachel was stunned by the woman’s level of preparedness.

  “We’re going to have to move quickly to get the people we need. But, before we get started, I want to cut a deal with you.”

  “Deal?”

  “I’m coming on your ship.”

  “In what capacity?”

  “Education officer.”

  “Done.”

  “And my husband.”

  “In what capacity?”

  “Spacecraft maintenance. When I met him, he was flying helicopters dirt-side. He’ll fly anything. He’s flying passenger shuttles and he’s gone half the time. I would like to have a husband that’s around more. He’s actually better at fixing ships than flying them, but pilot pay is better.”

  “Done.”

  “And our son.”

  “In what capacity?”

  “Paramedic. He’s a first responder airborne paramedic with ten years on the job.”

  “Done. Anyone else?” Rachel laughed.

  “No, that’s it. Our daughter wants to stay dirt-side. She’s still in college. We’ll come back for her later.” Lt. Swanson handed Rachel a data module. “Homework. I have collected staffing data on every person who even so much as inquired about the project. Everyone in the office knew to forward the requests to me.”

  Rachel took the module and stepped to the displayed org chart. “I see you have my sister on the chart. Isn’t that against regulations for us to be in the same chain of command?”

  “Admiral Stonebridge said not to worry about it. He knew that when the time came you would want her on your team. He’s asking for a waiver of the rules on your behalf.”

  “I see you have both Reuben and Rashi listed. Do you think they’ll come?”

  “Girl, you don’t know who your friends are! Damn straight they’ll come! We will have to pry their current commanding officers off them, but they’ll come.”

  “If Reuben comes, then Suwanee comes. That’s good. I miss her.”

  “She’ll keep you out of trouble, that’s for sure!”

  “What about Esther?”

  “Esther is a civilian. We can’t order her to do anything. We have to be careful with our civilians. They need to be on the med side. That’s one of the reasons I suggested my husband not be a combat pilot as much as he might like it. He’s a civilian. Esther is a pilot and could also fly med-evac. I hear she loves to fly and flying med-evac is almost as tough as flying combat.”

  “You have Faye Anne listed. She’s already told me she wants to come. You have David listed. I know he’s the sixth point of our star, but he’s in law school. I don’t think it would be fair to him to pull him out. Have you talked to him?”

  “I haven’t. I thought since he was such a strong part of your team, you would want him back.”

  “I do, but he has a more important mission. We’ll let him know how much we’ll miss him, but he needs to finish law school. I’ll bet Commodore McGuire has a protege he would be happy to send.”

  “I’ll look into that.”

  “Thank you very much. I will take this and read it. Shall we meet again tomorrow?”

  “It would be my honor, Captain!”

  Captain Rachel Solomon stepped out of the office feeling much lighter than she had going in. Staff Allocation Division had a reputation for being verbally cooperative, but slow moving. They agreed to virtually all requests made in person and then always foun
d reasons for things to take longer than anticipated. Rachel hoped that she had found a live one.

  Rachel was about to step out of the staffing complex reception area when a Commodore called to her. “Captain Solomon, could I see you a minute?” Rachel turned to face the officer who was half her size, but had a strong bearing and aura of determination about her.

  “Certainly.”

  “Please step into my office.”

  The nameplate on the desk identified her as Commodore Helga Burkhalter. As soon as the door closed Commodore Burkhalter addressed her, “Captain, I suppose you think you’re something special because of your parents.”

  “No, ma’am.” Rachel was instantly defensive.

  “Then why do you think you can break a list of staffing regulations as long as my arm?”

  “Because Admiral Stonebridge told me it was the only way I would be able to accomplish the mission he gave me, ma’am. With all due respect, ma’am, I am doing what I need to do to guarantee the safety of my crew and the success of my mission.” Rachel was getting a little hot under the collar.

  “And how do you propose to do that? By stealing a member of my staff?”

  “She asked me if she could come. I did not recruit her. She said she was interested in the project and wanted to be part of the crew.”

  “Ever since she got busted for insubordination!”

  Rachel stopped for a second before responding, “Insubordinate to whom, ma’am and what was her rank before she was busted?”

  “Insubordinate to me! Captain! She outranked you before she was busted!”

  Instantaneously, for a second, Rachel had the urge to dispatch this woman with the throwing knife secreted behind her neck under her uniform. It was strictly against regulations, but there nevertheless. Some habits die hard especially when tied to survival instincts. She quashed the emotion and stared at the irate Commodore.

  The Commodore spotted the fleeting thought and stepped back, her eyes wide in fear.

  Several seconds passed in silence.

  Rachel finally spoke. “I will review the personnel data I have been given and will select my crew. Commodore, I thank you in advance for your assistance in expediting this project.”

  “Captain, that will be all, thank you.”

  Rachel left the office stunned by her own reaction as much as she was by the Commodore’s assault. She wasn’t the one who had the shortest fuse. Her mother was. Or at least, she thought she had her temper under control. The time she shot Shawn with the arrow and the time she threw her knife at David were ancient history. The idea that she even thought, however briefly, of killing a superior officer was frightening. The more she thought about it, the more she realized the wisdom of her grandmother’s advice that she and Wendy stay together as a pair.

  DEPLOYMENT - CHAPTER TEN

  ONE WEEK AFTER MEETING with Rachel, Commodore McGuire, Admiral Stonebridge, the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of Federation Joint Military Force and the Chief of Staff for the Space Force met with the Federation President. She scanned the men standing before her.

  “Let me see if I understand you gentlemen correctly,” she said. “There is a planet settled by neo-isolationists not far from the extreme edge of human expansion which is in danger of extermination due to a pending collision with a comet and the only ship we have in our entire fleet that can help is the kluge of a battleship grafted to a hospital ship now sitting in dry dock?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Admiral Stonebridge replied.

  “And you want me to order a mission that sends an untested ship assembled from derelicts based on an untested concept with an unproven crew lead by an inexperienced commanding officer into a hot spot because we have no other ships that can do the job?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Admiral Stonebridge replied.

  “Actually,” the Chief of Staff of the Space Force interrupted, “what he wants is for you to request the J M F to authorize the mission and for me to order it.”

  The President sighed. “Sometimes I am glad that this is my last term in office. I can do what I believe is the right thing to do without worrying about the political consequences.”

  The men looked at her in varying degrees of confusion. “The party will nominate Brendan and he’s been a great VP, but he will get absolutely clobbered in the polls. We will all be out of jobs this time next year.”

  “Maybe the publicity from this humanitarian effort will help. If not, I am sure there is a planet out there that would be thrilled to have you retire in their community and use your influence on their behalf.” Admiral Stonebridge suggested.

  “Of that I have no doubt. The problem will be finding a planet that will not be involved in the war the Conservatives are about to launch on the Swordsman as soon as they are elected. They are opposed to the secession negotiations. They want to force the Swordsmen to stay in the Federation.”

  “Don’t they realize that the Federation Charter prohibits such a war for five years after the signing of the secession documents?” Commodore McGuire asked.

  “The Conservatives have a way of ignoring those parts of the charter that are inconvenient to them this week. Free speech is only free if it agrees with them. Privacy is only private if it’s theirs. They will take us to war and there is nothing we can do about it. They will force most of the current senior military staff into retirement and replace them with their toadies. Officially the justification is that the people being retired are not aggressive enough or loyal enough to the Federation when in fact their only crime will be trying to prevent us from launching an illegal war.”

  “How do the Swordsmen feel about this?” Admiral Stonebridge asked.

  “They don’t want a war any more than we do. They want to abandon the rest of the Federation to our sinful ways and wait for the Almighty to annihilate us for our sins. Then they can take over the planets we have left behind. That’s why they are so interested in concluding the secession negotiations while I am still in office. If the agreement is not ratified before the election, it won’t ever be ratified.”

  “Do you think the Conservatives are trying to build a ‘Star Wars’ style empire?” Commodore McGuire asked.

  “They have as much as said so. They advocate strong central government and tighter control on personal freedoms. They expect their series of what they believe will be limited scale wars will drive their economies and make them all rich.” She scanned the men standing before her one more time trying to decide if she should do as she had been asked. “Admiral?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You have a reputation for not being entirely forthcoming or informative when you want something. What are you not telling me?”

  “The complexity of the mission, the risk of failure, the difficulties that lie ahead for the crew. I have spared you those details. What else would you like to know?”

  She shook her head. “You have your permission. I will request that the Space Force take on this risky mission. Further, I will request that young Captain Solomon be given a free hand in choosing her staff. I suspect that she will want her sister to be part of her team. You are going to have to make some exceptions to the rules about family serving together, but since I established the precedent with their parents, you can blame it on me. My only condition is that everyone who goes on this mission must be a volunteer. No conscripts and no coercion. Even if they have a grand and glorious success, the news won’t reach us until after the election. Gentlemen, you have your orders. Thank you.”

  Once out of earshot of the office, Commodore McGuire leaned over to Admiral Stonebridge as they walked and said, “At least you didn’t lie to her.”

  “Fat lot of good that’s going to do if they fail.”

  DEPLOYMENT - CHAPTER ELEVEN

  RACHEL WAS ON THE SHIP studying the materials she had been given in what would eventually become the Captain’s conference room once the rest of the furnishings arrived. Files and data modules floated around her. The ship was weightless in the yard
to facilitate the work being done on it. A stocky man with curly black hair, a close trimmed thick black beard wearing a flight suit and captain’s bars floated effortlessly into the room. “This ship is a shit pile.”

  “Welcome to the Federation Space Force Hospital Ship 28 Albert Schweitzer. Whom do I have the honor of addressing?”

  “Captain Grant Curra, your new executive officer.”

  Rachel looked up at him. “And what makes you think I want you for my exec?”

  Captain Curra laughed. “Commodore McGuire said that would be your first comment.”

  “How can you be my exec because I’ll bet you outrank me?”

  “And that would be your second.”

  “What does Commodore McGuire have to do with this?”

  “He is good!”

  “Start at the beginning. Who are you? Why are you here? How can you be my exec if you outrank me and what does McGuire have to do with all this?”

  “Commodore McGuire said he’d keep me out of the brig if I promised to join your crew. He said you would need my special talents. He called. I came. I don’t outrank you. I got busted. I was a good exec. I will be again. You need a great exec and I will be that. I am Captain Grant Curra, former executive officer on a series of ships which increased in size at each step. My most recent assignment was exec on the battleship Attila the Hun.” He handed her a data module.

  “Do I get any choice in this?”

  “Yes and no. You could send me away and I would be released from my promise to Commodore McGuire, but you would be stupid to do so, and you do not have a reputation for stupid.”

  Rachel debated which question to ask next. “What did you get busted for?”

  “Unauthorized procurement of Federation equipment.”

  “As in theft?”

  “No, the equipment was in Federation possession. It was merely on a ship other than the one for which it was intended.”

  Rachel paused to think about what he had just said. “Is this the special talent that Commodore McGuire referred to?”

  Captain Curra brightened. “Yes, ma’am.”