“TINKERBELLE!! Because of the way she flits around the cabin!” David laughed.
Faye Anne sank into her chair.
“Elizabeth,” Rachel said, “please link Buddy and Daisy into the meeting. Bring them up to speed on the proceedings.”
Hammersmith turned to Rachel. “I demand to know if this is an exercise or a real mission.”
Rachel leaned into his face. “It is an exercise unless and until I tell you otherwise. We will treat it like all other exercises in that we will make it as close to being real as possible. Do we understand each other?”
“Yes, Captain.”
David stepped between them. “Rachel, what about the other ships? Are they programmed?”
Elizabeth answered, “Peter did not think it would be a good idea to program the destroyers or the other two P I ships and asked me to refrain from doing so.”
“I have to respect Peter’s judgment.”
Buddy and Daisy called in and greeted the humans in the conference room. As soon as things had settled back to normal, Captain Alina Darwin and Lt. Sabrina Mahoney entered the conference room followed by a small detail of Marines carrying several cases of adult beverages.
Rachel looked at the entourage whose entrance made the previously crowded conference room positively claustrophobia inducing. “Alina, I thought you weren’t drinking.”
“I’m not. You are. We are going to get you positively smashed. Then we’re going to lock you and your darling husband in your quarters until you get over this stupid rescue mission thing.”
David roared with laughter. “They love you, Rachel, but they don’t understand you do they?”
“Who are you?” Alina challenged.
“Lt. David Shapiro, formerly of Space Force legal at your service, Captain Darwin.”
“Oh My God! There is a David!” Alina gasped. “You must be number six.”
“I would have phrased it differently, but yes.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be at Harvard?”
“Yes and no. Too long a story to repeat. Let’s say we tie one on before we get into the serious business of planning this alleged exercise we are in the midst of developing.”
Rachel’s grin was positively evil. “David, after you get finished, get with Lt. Swanson in staffing. Please prepare the documentation to have you assigned as my executive officer.”
Hammersmith sputtered. “I outrank him!” He pointed to Captain Darwin. “She outranks him!”
“I don’t care.” Rachel spat back. “Find an open position Natasha can fill and prepare documentation for my signature when we return. When we return, I will expect to see the complete exercise plan on my desk in hard copy. There will be only one hard copy made and it will be for my eyes only.”
She raised her voice to call out, “Buddy! Daisy! Are you two up for a trip to the surface?”
Of course they were. They were always ready to go anywhere.
“Wendy, Joshua, Isaac and I are going to visit relatives on the surface. We will be gone exactly three days. When we return, I expect everything to be ready. Is there anyone in this room who is unsure of how to prepare for this exercise?”
Buddy and Daisy had completed their pre-flight checklists and warmed their engines when Wendy and Rachel strapped into the pilot seats. Isaac and Joshua had never flown a P I before and needed some coaching on dealing with the fire control seat.
“Where to, Captain?” Buddy asked.
“How close can you get us to Rose’s apartment?”
“Walking distance.”
“Do you need my assistance?”
“Call traffic control and let them know we’re coming.”
“Buddy, you’re wonderful.”
“Thank you. We’re off!”
DEPLOYMENT - CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
THE FOURSOME SPENT TWO DAYS with Rose, Tanya, Astrid and Kenneth before telling them of their intentions. Much of that time was spent in the hospital nursery playing with Rose’s preschoolers.
“Are you sure you should do this?” Rose asked when Rachel finished explaining her plans.
“Yes, Grandma. It is important. This is what we do. This is who we are,” Rachel said quietly.
“Wendy, how do you feel?”
“Grandma, there is always the possibility something could go wrong. I want you to know that if something does, we knew what we were about when we decided to do this. We love you and would do anything for you. We need you to understand that this is not about you. It is about us. We are who we are because of what we do, and this is what we do.”
“Please be careful.”
“Grandma, we need to take someone with us who can identify our missing cousins.”
Kenneth stood. “I’ll go.”
Astrid stood and faced him. “You don’t have to go. It’s not like a guy thing. I think I should go.”
“Would you like me to come with you?” Tanya asked.
“Tanya, you need to be here if Mom shows up.” Rachel said. “I’m not explaining that one to her. In fact, I’m not sure I want to be here when it happens.”
In a last halfhearted attempt to dissuade the girls from their undertaking, Rose turned to Isaac. “Could neither of you boys talk any sense into them?”
Isaac took her hand. “No, Rose, we knew better. Besides, I think we should go. This is exactly the kind of mission the ship was designed for. We have worked hard to get here. We can’t step back now.” Isaac’s tone was calm and determined with a gentleness he normally reserved for his patients.
Joshua added, “We are merely carrying on Greg and Avi’s legacy. We have work to do.”
Turning to her cousins, Wendy said, “So, you two, get your flight suits and meet us at the ships in two hours.”
The P I ships docked to the Schweitzer and the six humans made their way forward. When they arrived at the passenger gate, they found long lines of well-behaved people being managed by the entire contingent of Marines. Animated light conversations and laughter could be heard from the assembled crowd. Rachel found Suwanee in the midst of the mass of bodies.
“What’s going on?” Rachel asked.
“They want to come.” Suwanee replied.
“All of them?” Rachel asked.
“Yup.”
“Do they know where we’re going?”
“Nope. Don’t care. Came from all over this part of the Galaxy to ship out with you.”
Rachel shook her head in amazement. “Do we need them all?”
“David thinks so. He needs Isaac to look over some of the files and make the tough calls.”
“Where is David?” Isaac asked.
“Passenger galley,” Suwanee said.
“Josh, we should go,” Isaac suggested.
“Right behind you,” Joshua answered.
Suwanee turned back around. “You’re Kenneth and Astrid.” It was more of a statement than a question. “You got luggage?”
“On the P I ships,” Kenneth answered.
Suwanee grabbed one of the Marines. “Take these two to the galley and get them assigned to quarters. Then go to the P I ships and help them with their luggage.”
The three disappeared into the ship. Rachel and Wendy proceeded to the bridge. They entered the command suite via the conference room. “Elizabeth!” Rachel called. “I’m home!”
“Welcome back, Rachel,” Elizabeth responded.
“How was the party?” Rachel teased.
“Disappointing,” Elizabeth said.
“How could that be?”
“Look under the conference table.”
Rachel stooped down to discover all the cases of beverages neatly stacked under the table. Not one seal had been broken on one bottle. If anything the room smelled of coffee and not of the contents of the cases stashed under the table.
“Amazing.”
“The document you requested is on your desk.”
“Elizabeth, please make coffee. We’re going to be at this for a long time.”
&n
bsp; “Fresh brewed in the pot. I made it when you docked.”
“Thank you, Elizabeth.”
Three hours later, Elvira showed up with dinner for Rachel and Wendy. They were engrossed in the tactical plans and did not realize they had not eaten for several hours when she arrived. The coffee was making their insides growl.
Elvira sat between them. “Secret’s out. When do we leave?”
“Soon.” Rachel said. “Soon.”
“We’re ready. It’s clobbering time.” They laughed. Rachel and Wendy returned to their analysis.
David came to the conference room a couple hours later.
“We’re fully crewed,” he said. “Would you like to review the roster?”
“Do you think any of them are ringers? Plants? Spies? Checking up on us?” Wendy asked.
“Probably. Faye Anne and Sonya Martini spotted a couple of Swordsman spies. We sent them packing. As for the rest, I think if we play our cards correctly, that won’t matter.”
“If you say so,” Rachel said.
“When do we leave?” David asked.
“How soon can we go?”
“Close the doors, and light the candle. I’m ready to blow this pop stand. Less than an hour.”
“David, I want Lt. Chin, Lt. Tyndall and J T on bridge watch. Assign a Marine guard and have them patrol in their EVA suits. In two hours, I want everyone else in quarters except you, Natasha, Wendy, Isaac, Joshua and me. We will be in the conference room. Elizabeth!”
“Yes, Captain?”
“We are going to seal the ship in two hours. At that time, I would like you to add a mild sedative to the ship’s atmosphere everywhere except the bridge. I want everyone to sleep well tonight. We leave one hour after the ship is secured.”
“Aye, Aye Captain!”
Precisely three hours later, the ungainly ship gracefully lifted itself out of its cradles without the assistance of harbor tugs. Slowly pulling away from the dock, unlike the departure from Earth orbit, the only observer not on the ground was a lone picket ship on patrol. He flashed his running lights in a gesture of good wishes. The Schweitzer returned the salute in kind.
Officially a combat preparedness exercise, Operation Rose Parade had begun.
Wendy had the helm. Rachel was in the Captain’s seat as they pulled away and into free space. Wendy turned to her sister and said, “It’s that time folks. Let’s go.”
The hop to Brainerd’s Folly was scheduled to take two weeks.
Two days after departure, Sabrina and Alina were sitting down to eat when Alina glanced at an adjacent table where Isaac and Joshua were sitting with two other doctors. One of the doctors was a man she did not recognize, but the woman had a distinctive shape and a strikingly familiar tattoo on her right bicep. Alina stood in shock until Sabrina, who had already taken her seat said, “You eating or you playing Julie Newmar all night?”
Alina put down her food and slowly walked over to the other table. She looked at the woman doctor for a moment before softly saying, “Tyrannosaurus Doc?” The amazement she felt was obvious in her voice and her expression.
The woman looked up. “Captain Darwin?” She looked around to where Sabrina was coming to her feet, “Lt. Mahoney?” She started to stand but wavered and supported herself on the table. Tears flowed from her eyes. The woman who had terrorized the crew of a small task force stood and cried in public. “We thought you were killed.”
“Almost,” Alina said as he reached out to the woman.
“Almost doesn’t count,” Sabrina added.
“What brings you here?” Alina asked. “It wasn’t us if you thought we were dead.”
The woman looked to her male companions, “Do you gentlemen mind if I go sit with them?”
None of them minded.
“I have bad news,” the doctor said softly once she was seated at their table. “Commodore Townsend and your friend Beauregard Boucher are both dead.”
“What happened?”
“Third Force attack. About a year ago. The usual cylindrical formation. We were obviously the intended target. There was simply no way we could win and no way to retreat. Commodore Townsend ordered all non-combatants into Beauregard’s ship and sent us away. We ran as fast as we could, but they caught up to us before we could hyper jump. The combat crews fought valiantly to the last man. I guess we killed three quarters of the drones. We killed the control cruiser, too.”
“We had many casualties from the attack on the cargo ship. Most died before I could help them. We were hit too badly to run anymore, Beauregard ordered the survivors into the escape capsules. I didn’t want to go. Two orderlies pushed me into a capsule and jumped in behind me. The drones went after the cargo ship and destroyed it. They ignored the escape capsules. A few days later a task force responding to our distress courier missile came by and rescued us. I was hanging out at New St. Louis waiting for a new assignment when I heard about this ship. Here I am. It is good to see you.”
They chatted for a long time.
The next day, Alina broke from her mission simulations long enough to seek out Rachel. “Captain, I think I have a better candidate for your inspector.” In a matter of a few hours, “Tyrannosaurus Doc” became her old self, Dr. Constance Terrell, MD, PhD, with the new title of “Medical Investigator”.
DEPLOYMENT - CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
AS PLANNED, THE BIG SHIP, accompanied only by its pickets, dropped out of hyper well outside the system’s defensive net and requested permission to send a diplomatic delegation to the planet’s surface. All but the worst rogue regimes routinely granted such requests. Federation warship crews have, on occasion, been willing to buy substances at a high premium that might not be available elsewhere. Other crews could be bought off with bribes. The mere presence of a Federation warship did not necessarily mean an impending attack, although it never hurt to be careful.
The defense net quickly went into stealth mode except that it was already too late. The P I ships and the destroyers had entered the system in advance and already analyzed the system’s defenses. Hammersmith was correct in his assessment that what they did not know about the system outweighed what they did know. The differences could be problematic if they had to fight their way out.
Rachel parked the ship in as low an orbit as possible without encountering the planet’s atmosphere. She wanted the planet’s sensors to see that there were no offensive warships attached to the Schweitzer. The only apparent armed ships were the four pickets which she deployed around the big ship’s aft section. She rotated the ship so that the rounded battle armor faced the planet and the propulsion system pointed out to space. The ship’s battle face was certainly imposing, but it was only one ship against a fortified planet.
The medical delegation descended to the surface in two ships. Lt Swanson’s husband piloted the shuttle. Mimi piloted the med-evac ship with Esther as her co-pilot. They headed for the space port at the planet’s only settlement. The runway was well built and comfortably long enough for a shuttle. The med-evac ship, designed for much tougher conditions, touched down smoothly.
The medical delegation was met by a squad of heavily armed security personnel. Isaac instructed everyone to put down their cases and put their hands away from their sides where the soldiers could see them. The guards opened the cases for inspection and once they were satisfied that the cases contained only medical equipment, they were escorted into the port’s reception area.
“Tyrannosaurus Doc” held out her hand to greet the man who appeared the most senior of the contingent that waited for them. He declined to reciprocate. “Greetings from the Federation Surgeon General’s office. I am Dr. Constance Terrell, MD PhD Medical Investigator.”
“Why are there no military personnel with you?” the man asked.
“The Captain was concerned that we would give you the idea that this was a cover for a military operation if we sent military personnel. We have sent only civilians because we are not from the military. We are from the governmen
t and we are here to help you.”
The men in the reception committee laughed.
After a polite pause, she continued, “Please allow me to introduce the rest of my team. This is Dr. Isaac Cohen MD advanced emergency medicine. This is Dr. Joshua Cohen, PhD advanced emergency medicine.” She then proceeded to introduce the rest of the team. What she did not say was that the “orderlies” were, in fact, Marines.
“What brings you to our fair planet?”
“We have determined that several shipments of grain exported by Trans Stellar Grain Exporters were tainted with the bacteriological pathogen ZX401B5W. We have traced several of their shipments to this planet. Many of them were relabeled in shipment. You may have imported them under a variety of names.” She then named every possible exporter from whom they might ever have purchased food. “Have you imported grain from any of these people in the last two years?”
“I will check our records. You may return to your ship. You have done your duty.”
“Not so fast. Do you know what the symptoms of the disease are? Or its prognosis?” She noticed a little redness and puffiness around his eyes.
The man looked at his colleagues.
“No.”
“The first symptom is redness and puffiness around the eyes followed by a burning sensation.”
The man rubbed his eyes. He pulled his hand back quickly, blinking rapidly.
“The next thing is a general lethargy.”
“Lethargy?” One of the other men asked.
“You get real tired, dip shit!” Another answered and yawned.
“You fall into a deep sleep and you die. No pain or anything. You just go to bed and next morning you’re dead.”
“What can we do about it?”
“I need a sample of your blood. Now, here’s the good news. If you have it, I submit the paperwork and the insurance company will pay one half of a year’s salary as compensation.”
“Half a year pay ain’t much good if you’re dead.”
“We have the vaccine on the ship. It’s completely curable if we catch it in time. We’ll take the blood samples back to the ship. We have to analyze them in weightlessness for the test to work. We have to document every sample we take and every dose of vaccine we give out. The deal is the more people we find who have it, the bigger paycheck you get. If we check everyone and find everyone has it, that’s a lot of money.”
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