by Dietmar Wehr
“My father was killed fighting the Star Wolves, just like his father was a generation earlier. My father joined to avenge his father. I guess I joined for the same reason.”
Corso stopped walking as did his officers and Strider. “Well, then, Captain Strider, it might interest you to know that I and my two officers here have also lost loved ones to raider attacks. We joined our Navy for the same reason. Regardless of the fact that we come from two different planets, we have that in common, and that’s no small thing. Would you agree?”
Strider was moved by the personal nature of the Commander’s admission. “Yes, I agree. It would be very satisfying to me personally if I could stand in front of my father’s and his father’s grave to tell them that the Star Wolves have been destroyed and that I was able to help bring that about.”
“Then let’s do exactly that,” said Corso as he started walking again.
Strider was tired by the time he had escorted the officers to their ship and then reached Fearless. The ship would remain on the ground for the present, but he suspected that Fearless would be ordered back to her patrol station in the morning. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
He was wrong in his expectation of a quick return to orbit. When he woke up the next morning, he sent a query to PDC asking them if Fearless should stay on the ground or return to orbit. The response merely said to stand by. Five hours later, he received orders to turn command of Fearless over to Tomonaga and to report to General Terrington for further instructions. At the same time, Tomonaga received orders to take Fearless back to the patrol station in orbit and complete the rest of the tour. By the time Strider had his things packed, an air car was waiting to take him to the Base. Strider left his luggage in the General’s outer office and was shown right in. He was surprised to see Commander Corso with a cigar in one hand, sitting in a chair that faced Terrington’s desk. The General was also holding a cigar. Strider was glad that he had decided to wear a less utilitarian and more decorative uniform. Since there was a guest present, Strider saluted the General before shaking Corso’s hand.
“Nice to see you again, Captain. I told General Terrington that I was still recovering from last night’s drinking, which is why we’re smoking cigars instead of holding glasses,” said Corso in a playful tone.
“Good to see you again too, Commander,” said Strider as he sat down in the other chair. Both of them turned their gaze to Terrington.
“Commander Corso has been meeting with senior PDC and government people this morning, and discussions about trade and co-operation have gone about as far as they can given Commander Corso’s limited authority to commit his government. Now that contact has been established, Commander Corso’s orders are to return with a delegation of our people. That delegation will consist of three people. One will come from the Finance and Commerce Department. The second will come from the Planetary Science Council and the third will come from the AF. Since military co-operation is going to be quite limited for some time, the AF representative will not be expected to negotiate any military agreements but is being sent more as an observer of Haven military capabilities. I was given the discretion to name that officer, and I’ve decided to send you, John. You should expect to be gone for perhaps as long as several months, so you’ll need to go home and pack more fully. Commander Corso is prepared to wait another forty-eight hours, so you’re to report back here by noon the day after tomorrow with all the gear you’re going to need. I’ll have a brief for you to read on your trip. It’ll tell you what kinds of information we expect to get back when you return. Any questions?”
“No, sir. Not right now anyway. I may have some when I report back.”
“I understand. I’ve sprung this on you without any warning, so you’ll have a chance to think about it over the next two days. Give my regards to your wife and son, John. You may go.”
Strider stood up, saluted the General, shook Corso’s hand again and left.
Samantha was surprised to see him come home so early. Her joy quickly turned to disappointment at the news of his next assignment. Troy was fascinated by the retelling of the events of the previous 24 hours.
“You’ve never been away for that long before,” she said sadly. Strider considered pointing out to her that if the AF did build its own jump-capable ships, and if he was assigned to one of them, he would be gone for long periods of time on a regular basis, but he decided that would not make her feel any better.
“I know, but I still think I’ll end up commanding a desk afterwards. It’ll just be a few months from now instead of next week.”
“Will the ship be fighting Star Wolves while you’re on it, Dad?”
Strider was surprised by the question. That possibility hadn’t occurred to him. His initial feeling was one of being conflicted. Engaging a Star Wolf ship in combat was a tempting prospect, but dying in another star system was a chilling possibility too.
“I think it’s very unlikely that their ship will encounter Star Wolves while I’m aboard. It’s a big galaxy, Troy.”
“Will you bring me something back from their planet?”
Strider laughed. “Absolutely.” He looked up at Samantha. “How about you? Do you want me to bring you back something from their planet? The latest fashion maybe? The other pilots’ wives would be jealous, you know.”
Now it was her turn to laugh. “I’m not sure I want you looking at how Haven women are dressed, but if you see something unique that we don’t have on this planet, or something decorative for the house, then that would be lovely.” She paused as she looked at Troy.
“Troy, how would you like to have a sleep-over at your friend, Gary’s house tonight?”
“Yeah! That would be stupendous!”
“I’ll call Gary’s mom and ask her if it’s okay. That means you’ll have to do your homework now though.” Troy nodded and went to his room.
Strider looked at his wife. “Stupendous? Is that the popular word the kids are using these day?” She nodded. “Next thing you know they’ll be saying ‘awesome’ for everything. I think I can guess why you want us to have the house to ourselves tonight,” he said with a grin. “Think Gary’s mom will say yes?”
“Oh, she will. Remember when Gary stayed over here that night a few weeks ago?” Strider nodded. “Rochelle wanted to do the same thing and offered to reciprocate any time I chose. So, I’m calling in that favor. Do you need a nap now to get rested for later?”
He laughed. “I think I just might.”
Chapter Nine
Two days later, Strider was on a short flight to the Savannah. He and Terrington had met for a few minutes just before the departure, and Terrington had given him the memory chip containing his official Brief. What the document basically said—in far too many words—was that he should keep his eyes and ears open, record anything too important to trust to memory and look for ways that the militaries of both planets could help each other. He was not expected or authorized to negotiate or sign any formal agreements. In the unlikely event that the Havenites offered him a chance to participate in combat operations against the Star Wolves, he was to politely decline. PDC needed him alive in order to report back. Strider was disappointed that they hadn’t left up to him the decision on whether or not to join a fight, but he knew that Samantha and Troy would be relieved that he didn’t have that choice.
When his air car landed in front of Savannah’s ramp, he saw Karl Jaeger, Savannah’s Executive Officer, and another crewman, who was not an officer, waiting for him. Jaeger greeted him warmly.
“We’re very pleased that you’ll be coming back with us, Captain Strider. Commander Corso is tied up in conferring with the other two Delegation members who are already inside. Pierre here will take your luggage to your quarters. I regret that your quarters aren’t as large as someone of your rank deserves, but it’s all we have available. We’ll be taking off in about an hour, which leaves enough time for me to show you around the Savannah.”
Strider li
ked Jaeger. He like him even more than Corso, who was friendly enough in a formal sort of way. Jaeger, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have to work at being friendly. That was just the way he was all the time. With his gear on its way to his quarters, Strider followed Jaeger into the bowels of the ship.
His first surprise was the elevator they entered from the lowest level. Enclosed in transparent aluminum, it enabled him to get a good look at the ship’s engineering spaces as the elevator moved up through those levels. He could see now why Savannah had to be so big. The power plants—he could see at least three—were huge, as was a very large toroid device that had to be the jump drive. Their first stop was the ship’s Command Deck, which Jaeger called the Bridge. It was impressively large and well organized. The main display in front of the Command Station was huge compared to the one on Fearless.
The tour next went to the crew quarters and recreation area, the officers’ quarters and their rec area, which Jaeger called the Wardroom. Strider was impressed by the wood panelling and indirect lighting in the corridors leading to the officers’ quarters. Savannah was certainly more comfortable for everyone aboard than Fearless was, and he understood the reason why. Savannah could be in space for months at a time. Fearless, on the other hand, was never more than a day’s transit time from home no matter where it went in the system, and each patrol lasted only a few days. Jaeger managed to finish the tour with about 10 minutes left before lift off. He showed Strider to his quarters, which turned out to be only a bit smaller than his quarters on Fearless, and then made sure Strider knew how to get around.
“I have to return to my lift-off station, Captain. The Commander has told me that you’re welcome on the Bridge during lift off. We’ll talk more later, I’m sure. Now please excuse me.” Jaeger gave Strider a nod as he turned to leave. Strider made a quick check of his quarters to make sure all his luggage was there and then headed to the Bridge.
Corso was now on the Bridge and sitting at the Command Station. He glanced up as Strider entered. “Welcome to the Bridge, Captain. You’re just in time. We’ll be lifting off in less than a minute. You can stand beside my station if you wish.” Strider took him up on his offer.
The liftoff itself went smoothly. Based on what the main display was showing, Strider estimated that Savannah had taken off with an acceleration of three or four Gs, and the artificial gravity had compensated for that acceleration perfectly. Fearless had artificial gravity too, but a lift off that quick would have been felt as the artificial gravity struggled to keep up. Strider waited until the overall level of crew chatter had died down a bit before he deemed it safe to say something.
“I’m very impressed by this ship and her crew, Commander. That was a nice liftoff.”
A big smile appeared on Corso’s face. “Thank you, Captain. I’m very proud of Savannah and her crew, as I’m sure you are of Fearless and her crew. Someday, perhaps not that far off, your planet will build ships like this one. It’ll take another couple of hours before we get to the point where a hyper-jump is possible. Once the ship is in hyper-space, a lot of the officers will be able to leave their stations and congregate in the Wardroom. You’re welcome to join us. No one expects you to stay in your cabin for the entire trip. Do you know how to play chess, Captain?”
“I do, although not well, but I have a feeling I’ll be getting a lot of practice in the days and weeks ahead. When will we arrive at Haven?”
“I’m not completely certain, because we’re not heading directly back there just yet. My orders are to check out two more colonized planets before heading home. But if your question was intended to ask how long until we reach our next destination, the answer is approximately six days. By the way, chess isn’t the only pastime in the Wardroom. You’ll always find a card game going on. It varies: sometimes it’ll be Bridge, Rummy, occasionally poker with limited stakes. Don’t hesitate to ask to join a game even if you don’t know how to play. I should also mention that the ship’s library is well stocked. There may be a few books that were in circulation pre-Collapse that your planet still has, but the vast majority will be books unique to Haven, and you are, of course, welcome to borrow any of them.”
“Thank you, Commander. That will make the time pass much more quickly. I think I’ll return to my quarters now and unpack. I’d like to return to the Bridge to watch the jump to hyper-space if that’s allowed.”
“Captain, you may come to the Bridge whenever you wish. I have no concern whatsoever that you’ll be tempted to touch controls the way some civilians have a habit of doing. It’s so refreshing to have a fellow professional on board for a change. I swear to God, having politicians and their families come aboard to gawk at everything and ask stupid questions while their spoiled children try to activate every possible control is the least favorite part of my job. I’d almost”—he paused to emphasize the word—“rather be in combat with raiders than go through that. By the way, the other two members of your delegation do NOT have Bridge privileges.” They both laughed. It was not unheard of for New Caledonian politicians to want to impress friends and family with a tour of the latest AF ship, and Strider understood exactly how Corso felt.
Strider thanked Corso and returned to his quarters. It really wasn’t much smaller than what he was used to, and it was well laid out and quite comfortable. In addition to the bed and a desk, there were three comfortable chairs around a low table. The washroom was not only well-engineered, it even incorporated certain aesthetic qualities and, more importantly, included a shower. There was also more than adequate room for clothes and personal gear.
With still an hour to go before the ship jumped, Strider looked for and found the library. There seemed to be a good selection of fiction, and he knew he would want to sample that at some point, but right then he was more interested in books on the history of Haven before, during and after the Collapse. Not only was he personally curious but he also knew that the more the military and civilian leadership back home knew about Haven, the happier they’d be. He wondered if he had brought enough material to make notes. It didn’t take him long to find a book on general Haven history, as well as an atlas for the planet itself. That was mostly maps and wouldn’t take long to go through. He returned to his quarters and settled down at the desk to peruse the atlas.
A few minutes later, he heard Corso’s voice over the intercom. “Captain Strider, we’ll be jumping in roughly five minutes.”
“Thank you, Commander. I’m on my way now.”
The activity level on the Bridge was no different than when he’d left it. That surprised him because jumping through hyper-space seemed like it deserved to be a special event. Apparently travelling many times faster than light had become routine for Savannah’s crew.
“We’re crossing the no-jump zone boundary now, Commander,” said Jaeger, who was now also on the Bridge. Corso nodded but said nothing. Jaeger was standing behind and slightly off to one side of one of the technicians, looking over his shoulder.
“Jump drive is spinning up. Reactors are at one hundred percent of normal output…jump drive is ready, Commander,” said Jaeger calmly.
“Very good, XO. Alert the ship and begin the countdown.”
Jaeger activated a control on the console in front of him. “Attention, all hands and passengers. This ship is preparing to jump and will do so with a five second countdown. Five…four…three…two…one…now.”
Strider had tensed up almost unconsciously but felt nothing. He wondered if something had gone wrong.
“We are now in hyper-space, Commander,” said Jaeger with just a trace of satisfaction.”
“Excellent. Non-critical personnel can stand down. The Bridge is yours, XO. I’m going down to the Wardroom to check on our other passengers.” As Corso got up and headed for the exit, he looked at Strider. “Will you be staying here or accompanying me to the Wardroom, Captain?”
“I’m coming with you, Commander. I haven’t actually met the rest of the delegation yet.”
Th
e Wardroom was literally down the corridor from the Bridge. There were already several junior officers there, chatting with two men wearing civilian clothes. They noticed Corso’s arrival and gave Strider a cool look that, while not hostile, was not what he would describe as friendly either.
“I believe some introductions are in order,” said Corso smoothly. “Captain John Strider, this is Assistant Deputy Minister for Finance and Commerce, Manfred Ogilvy; and Head of the Capital University’s Department of Aerospace Engineering, Professor Isaac Heppner. Gentlemen, Captain Strider is my opposite number in your Planetary Defense Force.”
The two civilians shook hands with Strider and murmured the usual pleasantries.
“We were hoping to observe the jump to hyper-space on your Bridge, Commander Corso,” said Heppner. “In particular, I was hoping to observe your jump drive technician at work, perhaps ask a few questions during the jump.”
Strider couldn’t help smiling as he looked at Corso, who kept his expression friendly.