“Rachel, do not be angry with them,” Elizabeth interrupted. “They wanted your attention and saw their older siblings as being in their way so they convinced their brothers and sisters that now was the best time for them to step out on their own or they might never get another chance.”
“The older ones are all going where they said they are going to do what they said the wanted to do,” Peter added. “Naomi and Hannah were especially anxious to go. They want to convince Moses and Ambrosia that they should team up with engineers as a team. They have a plan that the five of them should team up at a gateway like New St. Louis so they can provide health care to the flight crews that otherwise would have no care.”
“Are you suggesting that Gabby, Barney, Delmar and Caroline be developed into a battle group like Saul’s battle group?”
“Similar, but not the same,” Peter suggested. “Saul is the leader of that group which is as it should be. Among these four, there is no clear leader. They seem to know what each other is thinking and act as a team.”
Rachel sat in silence her hands steepled in front of her. “Elizabeth, could you have Wendy come here, please?”
Wendy arrived a few minutes later.
“Wendy, remember how we used to worry about what would happen if our ships conspired against us?”
“Yes,” Wendy replied uncertainly.
“Our ships have been scheming behind our backs. Buddy and Daisy have asked for a change in personnel. I am inclined to grant their request.”
Hurt and insulted, Wendy asked, “What have I done wrong?”
“Nothing,” Daisy replied, “but you aren’t happy flying with me like you once were. Maybe we should find something else for you to do you would like better.”
“Are they all listening?” Wendy asked amazed.
“Yes,” all the ships replied together.
Wendy sank into one of the chairs. “Who would you replace me with?”
“Gabby, Barney, Delmar and Caroline,” Rachel answered.
“They’re so young!”
“How old were we?” Rachel said.
“But it was different.”
“Yes, but that does not mean we should keep them from doing this.”
Wendy thought in silence. “You know this would be easier if you had avatars on the displays. I could handle talking to you better if I was looking at you.”
Within seconds, images appeared on monitors around the room. “Feel better?” Elizabeth’s avatar asked.
“Yes, I do. You would think as long as I have known you, I would not need to do this.”
“Wendy, we understand,” Peter said. “The kids helped us develop these images because they had the same feelings you did.”
“Are the kids creating another battle group?”
“They already have,” Peter replied. “We will be giving them the tools they need to develop it.”
“We should probably bring the rest of the parents in to discuss this. I am prepared to give my permission,” Wendy said.
Wendy, Rachel, the remaining parents and the four avatars gathered in the adjacent conference room. The discussion was shorter than Rachel would have expected.
“Elizabeth, where are the kids?”
“On the hangar deck.”
“Please have them come up.”
The kids entered the conference room and quickly surveyed its occupants. The smiles on the faces of the avatars told them everything they needed to know.
“Yes!” Gabby shouted. “Yes! We are a go!”
The kids shouted joyously and did a complicated little hand move that was the current replacement for a “high five” or a knuckle bump.
Rachel raised her hands for order. “We have given permission for you to be assigned to Buddy and Daisy. You will be expected to behave with the same level of discipline as the rest of our combat crews. You will fly patrols and you will participate in exercises. You will be responsible for the proper care of your ships and for seeing that you are ready for combat at all times. Is that clear?”
They affirmed that it was.
“Further,” Rachel said, “this is not Saul’s battle group. Saul is entirely in command of that group. I expect this group to rotate command. Each of you should have the opportunity to command the others. Elizabeth will set up a duty roster that has each of you rotating through the four positions. One last thing, please do not say anything until the people you are replacing have been informed.”
The kids assured the adults that they did know what they were doing and that they would live up to their expectations. Wendy left to reassign the people that were being replaced and to write herself into the bridge watch schedule as Rachel had instructed.
Gabby suggested they call themselves “Fourth Battle Wing”. Greg and Avi were the first “Wing”. Rachel and her group were the second. Saul and his team were the third and they were the fourth. Caroline designed a logo which they painted on Buddy and Daisy’s flight surfaces. It resembled the logo of the American Fourth Air Force except that where the Air Force logo had a star, the new logo had the number four. There was some irony in the fact that Saul and the “Third Battle Wing” could shortly be in command of the “Third Force”. They redesigned Buddy’s cowboy and his horse to make them less cartoon like and more like his avatar. Daisy went from being a cartoon blond hillbilly to being a slinky sophisticate, her dark hair flowing to her waist, wearing a glittering red gown with an air of mystery.
The “Fourth Battle Wing” quickly adjusted to the special helmets and flight suits that were their interface with the ships. Working closely with Reuben, Rashi and J. T. they made modifications to the gloves that they hoped would make the ships even more responsive. They loaded all their game software into the ships’ data storage so they could play when they were not on patrol. For no more reason than they could do it, they loaded all the MMARV and AARV control software as well. When they were on patrol, they worked together to develop an algorithm that would improve targeting by taking advantage of the parallax gained by the distance between the two ships when they engaged the same target.
Not that much older than the “Fourth Battle Wing”, Aida and Brad welcomed the youngsters and engaged them in combat exercises. They assimilated modifications that the “Fourth” had tested into their own ships. The patrol pilots from the Thor Heyerdahl found the kids broke up the monotony of patrol duties and welcomed them to the rotation. A week after their creation, the “Fourth” was preparing to relieve Alexander and Valerie on patrol when Aida called, “We have incoming! One ship! Appears to be a freighter!” Alexander transmitted the coordinates to the other ships.
Once she had the coordinates on her display, Caroline sang out, “Tally HO-O-O!” Aida replied, “You go meet them. We’ll hold station here.”
“Roger that!” Caroline answered since it was her turn at command. At a single touch of her gloved hand to her control display, Caroline initiated the jumps that would put both ships in their appropriate positions relative to the approaching ship.
“It’s the Edward R. Murrow!” Gabby said once she had a visual on the ship.
“Buddy, please confirm the ship’s identification,” Caroline said. “What are they doing here? I hope they aren’t playing Paul Revere again.”
“It’s the Edward R. Murrow,” Buddy replied. “Manifests and personnel rosters are being received.” Buddy put the data on the displays.
Caroline hailed the ship on an open frequency, “This is Caroline Abrams of the Solomon Family Fourth Battle Wing. Welcome CNC News Ship Edward R. Murrow. What the hell are you doing way out here?”
“The Edward R. Murrow is attempting to open visual communication links.” Buddy said.
“Put them on the displays,” Caroline said.
Jane was still laughing when her image appeared on the display. “That’s a hell of a greeting! I should ask you the same question. Hello, Caroline, it is good to talk to you again. ‘Fourth Battle Wing?’ What is this? I would have thought you woul
d have headed off to college by now.”
“This is more fun,” Gabby interrupted. “So, what brings you out here?”
“Gabriella? I came for the story, but I think I found a bigger story than I anticipated.”
“What story did you come for?” Caroline asked.
“Isn’t the captain of the ship on station one of the people who testified against your mother at the Academy? The Solomon family is always news.”
“Yes, but that’s ancient history,” Gabby said. “I think you will be disappointed.”
“Buddy, send the Edward R. Murrow’s navigation system the coordinates for the parking orbit,” Caroline said. “We’ll call you in and meet you there!”
“Before you leave,” Jane said, “promise me that you will bring me up to speed on your ‘Fourth Battle Wing’. For a family this size to produce this many military leaders is a story by itself. Who are the other members?”
“Barney and Delmar.”
“Please, promise me I can talk to all of you. You would be a great inspiration.”
“Roger that. See you in a bit, we’re clear.”
COLONY SERVICE - CHAPTER THIRTEEN
FAYE ANNE AND RACHEL REQUESTED a private meeting with Jane Turner as soon as the ships had connected their personnel tubes. Even though she participated in the meeting, Elizabeth made no recordings in keeping with Rachel’s request. The meeting lasted four hours during which time their crews wondered what they could talk about for that long. The women emerged together and went to the galley for dinner. Eavesdroppers heard them talk about the children who had departed to seek their fortunes elsewhere as one would bring an old family friend up to speed on the latest goings on.
Captain Charles Simpson joined them after dinner. An hour later a camera crew was called into the room. An hour after that, Captain Simpson left with a stride that spoke of a man on a mission. An hour later Rachel called a conference with her “battle group” and her flight crews. Those who were on patrol or on watch participated remotely.
“Ladies and Gentleman, please be seated. Miss Turner, Captain Simpson and I are teaming up on a project that involves all of you. Miss Turner and her people could not have arrived at a better time. Something is happening on the surface we can't explain. Lt. Rattigan reports what sounds like thousands of drums in the distance. He says sometimes he feels the sound transmitted through the ground as if thousands of feet are stamping in rhythm. It takes a lot to scare Lt. Rattigan. He won’t admit it, but he’s scared. We can't get them and their equipment out of there as quickly as I would like, therefore we need to mount a rescue mission.
“There is another threat we need to face. Miss Turner informs us that our destination was not as much of a secret as we would have hoped. There are people who would attack us here. We do not know if any of them are coming, but we don’t know they aren’t. Given our experiences of late I think we will be wise to assume that an attack is a possibility. Captain Simpson has put his flight crews on alert and has deployed his VTOL ships to the surface to assist with communications should the need arise. He is preparing his crew for potential battle.
“Four camera crews will be deployed to the Thor Heyerdahl. Given the fact that the colony service does not trust the Heyerdahl’s staff, we will document everything that happens. Camera crews will be embedded with as many of our combat units as there are camera operators to deploy. Our personnel will support their mission as if it was their own, because it is.”
“We can't rescue the people on the surface without a runway. Six MMARV’s will be air dropped to the surface. Buddy, Daisy and the Fourth will deploy to the surface to control four of the MMARV’s and build the runway. The two other MMARV’s will deploy with the Marines. As soon as the runway is operational, two AARV’s will deploy to the surface so we can determine what is making the noise. We will probably evacuate the scientists and their equipment on the first two Med ship flights. The AARV’s will provide air cover and reconnaissance. The runway will be dirt and crushed stone, We can't afford to drop the expanded metal we had intended to use for the runway since we will probably need it at our next stop.”
“Unless Lt. Rattigan is wrong in his assessment of what is happening on the surface, we will not be staying here. We will move on. I have no confidence that the next planet that the colony service has chosen for us is any more hospitable than this one. We will transfer all of Peter’s cargo to this ship. Peter will return to Headquarters with Faye Anne to procure the supplies we will need if we move on to find another planet. While at headquarters, Faye Anne will research potential planets for colonization and meet us at our next stop to tell us where we will be going.”
“First step is to get the MMARV’s and the Fourth to the surface. Let’s get that rolling and then I can discuss details of the rest of the mission with the people involved. Med crews, you are dismissed.”
Rachel called the Fourth who had been listening remotely. “Do you understand your mission?”
“We are to drive the MMARV’s and use their plows to clear a runway,” Caroline answered. “I assume you are sending us instead of a med ship because we can defend ourselves on the surface.”
“Also because you can land without a runway.”
“There is no lake nearby,” Gabby said.
“If Saul could figure out how to back down fully loaded, you can figure out how to land so that you won’t sink into the ground. You will have the runway to take off from,” Rachel reminded them. “Empty your external racks before you leave. Put grapeshot and countermeasures in your internal tubes. Nothing else will be much use if Lt. Rattigan is right about what he’s hearing.”
“Got it,” Barney chimed in. “We’ll be at the hangar deck in ten minutes.”
“We will transmit mission data to your ships while you rearm. You will carry camera operators with you. They will meet you on the hangar deck.”
“Roger that.”
The Fourth landed on an open bay of the hangar deck and exited the ships in their EVA capable flight suits. A dozen similarly suited munitions technicians quickly unloaded the external munitions and loaded the internal tubes as requested. They loaded enough food for three months. Greg had been adamant that his ships carry enough food that if they had to travel alone to base, they would be able to do so without the crew starving to death on the way. As long as the reactor was running, there would be water, but food was a finite resource.
The transfer was almost complete when four people wearing CNC flight suits approached across the hangar deck dragging heavy cases. Caroline elbowed Gabby, “Look we get to be stars!”
“Hello, Camera operator Stu Ralston requests permission to join the crew,” the first of the CNC people to arrive, a young man, said stiffly.
“Hello, Stu,” Barney replied, “how many of you will be coming aboard?”
“There will be two of us, sir.”
Barney laughed, “Stu, you can call my father ‘sir’ all you like, but I’m Barney. This is Delmar, Gabby and Caroline. The ships are Buddy and Daisy.”
“Um, yes, um Barney, where should I stow my gear?”
The second person arrived and it did not take a medical degree to realize that this was a woman. She bowed slightly before approaching Gabby. “Miss Gabriella Cohen, I am Fatima Azania. I am a camera operator assigned to your unit. I request permission to come aboard. If it meets with your approval, where should I store my equipment?”
Gabby looked at Hannah and then back to Fatima peering carefully through her face shield. She could see the edge of a head scarf around Fatima’s face. “Miss Azania, are you Muslim?”
“Yes, if it offends you, I will request other assignment.”
The Fourth stood in silence for a moment. Barney broke the silence. “We need to move the blueberry muffins to Buddy and the strawberry shortcake to Daisy.”
Caroline smiled. “Miss Azania, do you need special food?”
“Please call me Fatima. I understand you eat Kosher. That is close enough to Ha
lal if it will not be too much trouble. I do not understand about the muffins.”
“If I understand your culture, it would not be appropriate for you to be in the close quarters of a ship with a man. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Well, our ships are male and female.”
“Your ships have sex?”
Caroline chuckled, “No, it’s a long story, but we think of them as male and female. It would not be appropriate for you to be on a male ship now would it?”
“If you say so.”
“We loaded my favorite snack food to the boy ship and Barney’s favorite on the girl ship because that’s how we planned our staffing.”
“If it is too much trouble,”
Gabby cut her off, “Will you boys load the gear so we can get out of here?”
Barney and Delmar saluted and shouted, “Aye! Captain!” as they picked up the heavy cases and put them in the storage compartment where they would retrieve them once they were on their way.
Stu and Fatima thanked the two men who had helped them lug their gear and boarded the ships.
Barney and Gabby called front seats so Delmar and Caroline helped their passengers strap in. Once they were settled, the ships gently headed out of the hangar deck for the planet’s surface.
“How rough is it?” Fatima asked.
“How rough is what?” Gabby asked.
“Entering the atmosphere.” Fatima replied.
“It’s pretty rough. Have you never done it before?”
“No, I have not set foot on a planet since I was little. I have lived in space most of my life.”
“It’s the roughest thing I’ve ever done and we do it all the time. Maybe you better take off your helmet. You don’t want to be sick in your helmet. You never get the smell out. Should be a bag around there somewhere. It doesn’t last that long, but it’s pretty intense.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, Gabby, I think you should take command this trip,” Barney said. “All in favor say ‘Aye’ real loud.”
Five voices said, “Aye.”
“All opposed?”
Gabby said, “Nay!”
Solomon Family Warriors II Page 124