Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars)

by Raymond L. Weil

  “Good decision, Jeremy,” responded Lisa, sitting down in a comfortable chair at the small table in the room. “I wanted to come over and talk to you about Katie now that you are finished with your finals.”

  “Katie!” Jeremy exclaimed, his eyes narrowing. He couldn’t imagine why his mother would want to talk about that impetuous teenager. “What has she done now?”

  “Nothing,” replied Lisa, trying hard not to laugh. “It’s just that she has asked to come up during the summer and take part in the academy’s summer computer program.”

  “The entire summer!” Jeremy blurted out with a shudder.

  He couldn’t imagine what it would be like for Katie to be around all the time now that she was a teenager. His life would be a nightmare. He could still remember vividly what it had been like living with the Johnsons down on Earth when he had been attending school. Katie had been underfoot the entire time.

  “Don’t worry, Jeremy,” Lisa said with an understanding smile. “Your dad and I will watch her most of the time. We promised Greg and Elizabeth that we would make sure she is well supervised.”

  “I suppose,” replied Jeremy, thinking it over. He didn’t know if his parents really understood what they were getting into. “I know Katie is extremely good with computers, so I guess spending some time here at the academy would be good for her. But she has a knack for getting into trouble at times.”

  “I’m glad that you agree about the academy,” responded Lisa, nodding her head in approval. “We managed to raise you, I’m sure your father and I can handle Katie. Now, the other reason I came over is that we will be having a party for you after graduation. We will be inviting some of your classmates, including Kelsey and Angela since their parents can’t make it. Commander Tellson from the New Horizon will also be there.”

  “Commander Tellson,” repeated Jeremy, intrigued. He had met the commander a couple of times when he had come down to the academy on official business.

  In a more serious tone, Lisa looked at her son and then spoke. “Jeremy, you should finish high enough in the rankings to qualify for the New Horizon mission. So should Kelsey and Angela. Your father and I have talked it over. If you qualify, we won’t stop you from going.”

  “Even if some people say the only reason I got on the ship is because my dad is the admiral?” asked Jeremy, knowing that some stubborn people would think exactly that.

  “We aren’t worried about that,” responded Lisa, firmly. “If you make it, you will have earned it. We won’t interfere, no matter what some people may think.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” Jeremy replied, pleased that his parents would support him in this.

  “Another thing,” Lisa added with concern for Jeremy showing on her face. “Matt Barr will probably also qualify. Is that going to be a problem?”

  “Not for me,” Jeremy answered with a slight frown, wondering how his mother had found out about the problem with Matt. He suspected that one of the instructors from the academy had spoken to her. “It probably will be for Matt, and I will have to find some way to deal with it.”

  “Just be careful,” Lisa cautioned, as she stood up and gave Jeremy a motherly hug. “We are very proud of you.”

  Jeremy walked his mother back to the door. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “Tell Dad thanks.”

  “I will,” replied Lisa, smiling. “We will see you at graduation.”

  Jeremy shut the door and sat back down. He hadn’t actually thought about how hard it would be to be on the New Horizon with Matt Barr. The ship was a large one, so it shouldn’t be a problem as long as they weren’t working together.

  Lisa paused outside of Jeremy’s door. Instructor Branson had told her about the problem between Jeremy and Matt. Branson was from Ceres and had been keeping an eye on the situation. Lisa let out a heavy sigh. So much had changed over the years since she had gone on the original mission to Ceres. Falling in love with Jason, getting married, and having Jeremy. Then of course there was Ariel and the Avenger. She still loved working with computers, and she had learned so much from Ariel.

  It would be difficult letting Jeremy go on the New Horizon mission since he was their only child. Perhaps she should speak to Jason. She had always wanted a little girl. It still wasn’t too late for that using the medical technology available from the Federation survivors on Ceres. Lisa smiled at the thought of having another child, and then her thoughts turned back to the New Horizon mission.

  There would also be two Federation officers secretly on the New Horizon. Perhaps she should mention this issue between Jeremy and Matt to one of them. Jason would not approve, but he wasn’t a mother. Turning, she began walking down the corridor toward the elevator. She had a lot to think about.

  -

  It was graduation night, and Jeremy stood rigidly at attention as Commandant Everson looked over the two long lines of graduates. The commencement speech was over with, as well as speeches by several others, including Jeremy’s dad.

  Commandant Everson looked over the two lines of graduates. “It is my pleasure tonight to introduce a very important man. I speak of none other than the commander of our first interstellar mission, Commander Tellson of the New Horizon. He has a special announcement to make.”

  Commander Tellson walked out to the speaking platform and looked over the group of graduates and then he smiled. “This is a special year for the academy and for Earth. This year, the New Horizon will be leaving on the first interstellar flight. I am pleased to announce that the top ten cadets from this year’s graduating class will be invited to go along on the mission.”

  Jeremy felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. He wondered if Commander Tellson was about to announce those ten. He wanted this so bad he could taste it. He had no idea what his final rankings were. They would be posted tomorrow. He hoped he was at the top, but he wasn’t sure. He risked a quick glance at Kelsey who was just to his left. She had an excited and expectant look on her face as she listened to Commander Tellson.

  “I am pleased to announce that the following cadets have been selected based on their grades, their attitude, the recommendations of the instructors, and their final rankings in the class.” Commander Tellson paused as his eyes moved over the cadets. “I will announce the names in the order of their current and final class rankings.”

  “Cadet Lieutenant Matt Barr has the privilege of leading this year’s class of graduates. I am also pleased to announce that we have two other students that are tied in rankings and finished just barely behind Cadet Lieutenant Barr. They are Cadet Lieutenant Jeremy Strong and Cadet Ensign Kelsey Grainger.”

  Jeremy let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t realize he had been holding his breath. Both Kelsey and he had made it! They hadn’t beaten Matt, but it sounded as if they had come extremely close. He looked over at Kelsey and saw her looking at him with a big satisfied smile on her face. He barely listened as Commander Tellson read the rest of the names. He did notice that Angela’s name was called out as being ranked number six in the class. All Jeremy could think about was that Kelsey and he were going on the first interstellar mission.

  -

  Major Maher was also attending the graduation. He frowned heavily as he heard Jeremy Strong’s name called out. The few connections he had at the academy had been unable to prevent Jeremy’s name from being added to the ten cadets that would be going on the New Horizon mission. He was just ranked too damn high! If he had been lower or toward the bottom of the group of ten, it might have been possible to manipulate the grades on the finals to move him out of that elite group. Unfortunately, that didn’t occur. This was another unfortunate problem he would have to deal with. The damn boy was just too smart. Fortunately, Barr had made it, as well as three others from his handpicked group.

  He would use Barr to keep Strong under control. Taking a deep breath, he turned and left the graduation ceremony. Maher wanted to get back up to the New Horizon as soon as possible. There were a few things he needed to do while the commander wa
s down at the academy. It was very seldom now that Commander Tellson left the New Horizon.

  -

  Jeremy, Kelsey, and Angela were all standing together in the private dining room next to the academy cafeteria. Jeremy’s mother had reserved the room for their graduation party, and it was full of festive and laughing people.

  “We all made it,” Angela said with a satisfied and excited smile on her face. “We’re going on the New Horizon mission!”

  “Yes,” replied Kelsey, nodding her head and smiling, then her look changed to a more serious one. “But so is Matt and three other members of his group. We will have to watch ourselves.”

  “I’m not too worried,” replied Jeremy, seeing his dad and Greg heading over in their direction. Greg and Elizabeth had flown up for the graduation. “Commander Tellson is a good commander and will keep Matt and his group under control.”

  “Congratulations,” Jason said to the three with a big approving smile on his face. “Commander Tellson was just telling me how pleased he is to have all three of you on the mission.”

  “That’s great!” Angela spoke, her eyes glowing with excitement. “We can’t wait to go on board the New Horizon and begin our new assignments.”

  “That will be another month yet,” spoke Jason, understanding their youthful enthusiasm. “Once the sublight trials are finished and Commander Tellson feels the ship is ready for its full crew, then you can board. You will have two months to familiarize yourself with the ship before we test the FTL drive. When everyone is satisfied the drive is working properly then the mission to Tau Ceti will begin.”

  “Do you think there are any habitable planets in that system?” Angela asked, her eyes glowing with excitement at the prospect of doing some real exploration. She had always dreamed of traveling to the stars.

  “It’s a G class star, so there is a possibility,” Jason replied evenly. “From the latest astronomical observations there are at least five planets in the system. Hopefully there are more in the liquid water zone. That’s one of the reasons we’re sending the New Horizon to Tau Ceti.”

  “What if we find an Earth-like planet?” Kelsey asked, her eyes gazing inquisitively at the admiral. “Will we colonize it someday?”

  “I would hope so,” replied Jason, smiling. “We are already talking about terraforming Mars, but the Earth’s population is still growing. We need some empty space to move people to. A couple of new planets to colonize would be a big bonus for the mission.”

  “We would have to build some colony ships,” spoke Jeremy, thoughtfully. “Probably a large number if we wanted to move a lot of people.”

  “The spacedock could be used for that,” responded Jason, recalling the additional plans that had been made. “We will be starting construction of the second construction bay in a few more months.”

  He didn’t want to reveal that the designs for the first colony ships were already finished. The colony ships would be 400 meters long and able to transport 1,000 colonists on each trip. Current plans called for the construction of ten of the large ships over the next five years. Construction of the first would begin as soon as the New Horizon returned.

  “This mission is really important, isn’t it,” Angela commented as she realized what finding some habitable worlds would mean to Earth’s steadily growing population. Her mother down on Earth was constantly complaining about how crowded it was becoming and how long she had to stand in lines to get everyday items.

  “What if we don’t find any habitable planets?” Kelsey asked. She knew that just because a star was the right size and type didn’t necessarily mean it would have planets that people could live on.

  “There are fifty-five stars within sixteen light years of Earth,” responded Jason, looking at the three. “I suspect we will find some decent planets around a few of them. If the New Horizon doesn’t find anything at Tau Ceti, she will return to Earth and, after a quick systems check, she will be sent out to explore some of those systems.”

  “Will we be allowed to stay on the New Horizon and be part of that?” asked Angela, wanting to experience the excitement of being on those future missions.

  “That will be up to Commander Tellson,” Jason answered, his eyes focusing on Angela. “If you do well on the mission to Tau Ceti there is a good chance you could be included on the others.”

  “Also keep in mind that even if we move people to new planets to colonize, that won’t solve Earth’s overcrowding,” Greg broke in. “There will still be far more people being born everyday than we can safely move off the planet.”

  “My mother said the government is already talking about stricter population controls,” commented Angela, recalling what her mother had told her the last time she had been able to return to Earth.

  Her mother hadn’t been able to come up for the graduation. Angela could hardly wait to call her mom and tell her the exciting news. She would be thrilled that Angela and the others had been selected for the New Horizon mission.

  “The Earth can only support so many people,” explained Greg, recalling one of his recent meetings. “Very soon we will reach the point where the Earth will not be able to support the human population. That’s why we’re terraforming Mars and trying to initiate some limited population controls.”

  “I know it’s necessary,” Angela responded with a nod of understanding. “We just have to find some new worlds to live on!”

  “That’s one of the reasons we built the New Horizon,” Greg answered in a serious tone. “She represents our future.”

  The small group continued to talk about the mission and graduation. Jason wished that his brother and sister had been able to come up. However, both of them now had important jobs on Earth. Trevor was currently working in Europe helping to introduce new industrial technology. Jason knew that Katherine and her husband were still in the United States working with the health department to bring in more advanced medical technology.

  What many people didn’t know was that the Federation survivor’s medical technology was capable of extending a person’s lifespan by twenty to thirty years. Jason and a number of others crucial to the program had already been subjected to the advanced medical treatments since they were so heavily involved with the Avenger Project. Once news of these advanced medical treatments got out to the general public, there would be a huge demand for them. That would also cause additional problems due to Earth’s growing population.

  -

  A few hours later, Major Maher was back on board the New Horizon. There was only a skeleton crew on board as many had been allowed to go down to the academy to attend the graduation ceremony. Maher was in his quarters when there was a knock on his door. Reaching forward, he pressed a button on his desk and the door to his quarters opened.

  Four men came in, all with determined looks upon their faces. All four had been carefully chosen by Maher for the New Horizon mission.

  “Sit down,” spoke Maher, gesturing toward the four chairs in front of his desk.

  “Everything is going according to plan,” Lieutenant Reece Sandusky reported as he sat down and looked over at Major Maher. Reece was Maher’s second in command of their small group.

  “Barr and three other members of his team qualified for the trip,” announced Maher, gazing at the others.

  “That gives us eighteen that we can count on,” Reece spoke not caring for the odds. He had hoped more of Matt’s group would make it. Their plans had called for a total of twenty to be able to carry out the hijacking of the New Horizon.

  “But we will have the only weapons,” Maher pointed out. “Once the command crew is eliminated, the rest will do as we say. We will also have full control of the FTL drive once we upload the new computer program. Remember that a portion of the crew will be civilians wanting to explore Tau Ceti. They won’t try to resist us. Actually, there are six or eight of them that might just join us with the right inducement. Our people down on Earth have paid a lot of money to the right people to ensure certain individua
ls who might be sympathetic to our cause are included on the mission.”

  “That would give us around twenty-five that we can count on,” Reece spoke thoughtfully. “That should be enough.”

  “I’ll be ready to take care of the FTL drive,” Ensign Bates reported. “I have the necessary program disks ready. Once we make the jump to Tau Ceti, I won’t have any problem downloading them into the computer core. That will give us complete control of the FTL drive.”

  “The hard part will be the Command Center officers,” Maher reminded them all as he looked over the small group. “They all have to be eliminated. We can’t leave anyone alive for the crew to rally around.”

  “What about the other cadets that are coming on board?” one of the other men asked.

  “That might be a problem,” Maher conceded. “One of them is Jeremy Strong, the admiral’s son.”

  “A bargaining chip if something goes wrong,” Lieutenant Sandusky suggested, his eyes narrowing. “If we have him as a hostage then the admiral won’t be able to move against us.”

  “Perhaps,” commented Maher, seeing the wisdom of using Jeremy as a hostage if necessary. “But let’s make sure nothing goes wrong; too much is riding on this. Besides, once we reach Tau Ceti, what can they do? We will have control of the only ship with a working FTL drive. It will take them at least a month to equip one of the smaller exploration cruisers with a drive so they can come after us. By that time, we will be long on our way toward the galactic core where they will never be able to find us.”

  -

  The next few weeks passed rapidly by. The New Horizon went out for her sublight trials escorted by the Columbia, and everything went as planned. The ship was brought back inside the spacedock for a complete systems check. This took an additional two weeks, with surprisingly few problems found. Once everyone was satisfied that the ship was ready, it was moved back outside the spacedock to its former position. It was now time for the rest of the crew, including the cadets, to be brought on board. Commander Tellson had two months of grueling drills planned.