“I guess it depends on how well we do on the mission,” answered Jeremy, then looking down at his watch he added, “It’s time for us to report to the Command Center, Kelsey.”
Kelsey nodded as she stood up. She really enjoyed the time she spent with Jeremy. But there were things about her that Jeremy didn’t know. Things that could seriously impact their relationship later. Letting out a deep sigh, Kelsey followed Jeremy out of the officer’s mess.
Trace Rafferty watched them leave. His eyes focused on Kelsey, admiring the fine figure the young woman had. If they were successful in their takeover of the New Horizon, all of the women would be kept alive for breeding purposes. Kelsey would be quite a catch. As part of the takeover group, Rafferty would have his pick of the available women. Kelsey was at the top of his list.
Major Maher stepped into the officer’s mess and, spotting Rafferty, he strolled over. “There will be a meeting in my quarters the morning we depart at 0800. Don’t be late, I want to finalize our plans to make sure there are no mistakes. We will only get one shot at this. Make sure you tell Barr about the meeting.”
“I won’t, sir, and I will tell Matt,” Rafferty replied.
“I noticed Strong and Grainger leaving as I came in,” Maher continued, his eyes gazing hard at Rafferty. “Don’t get any ideas about Kelsey Grainger. I believe your buddy Matt Barr already has his sights set on her.”
Rafferty nodded. He had forgotten about Matt. He watched as Maher left and his thoughts wandered to Angela. If he couldn’t have Kelsey, Angela would be a suitable replacement.
-
Jeremy and Kelsey reported in to the Command Center, relieving their counterparts. Jeremy was now serving as Lieutenant Nelson’s second officer and took his place at the plotting table. Kelsey was over at the navigation console, already beginning to run simulations on the jump to Proxima Centauri even though Jeremy strongly suspected that Lieutenant Nelson would be the one plotting that particular jump.
“Are you ready for the mission to begin, Cadet Lieutenant Strong?” Lieutenant Nelson asked from his seat behind the command console.
Jeremy hesitated for a moment and then replied. “Yes, sir. I just hope we find something at Tau Ceti.”
“I do too,” Nelson replied, his confident eyes looking across the Command Center. “If we don’t find a suitable planet at Tau Ceti there are a lot more possibilities close by. There could be dozens of suitable planets out there waiting for us to find.”
“I hope so,” Jeremy responded. Evidently, Lieutenant Nelson was one of those that believed that Earth type planets were quite common, just as Angela did.
“Your father and some other dignitaries will be coming up to the spacedock to see us off,” continued Lieutenant Nelson, looking over at Kelsey who was busy with the navigation computer.
He allowed a smile to break out on his face. Cadet Ensign Grainger was committed to becoming a navigation officer. From what he had seen so far, she would probably succeed. The same went for Cadet Lieutenant Strong. He was as dedicated and determined as his father. Nelson knew that if he didn’t watch it, someday he would be calling Jeremy “sir.” He shook his head as he realized that neither cadet could have a clue as to what was in their future.
“Your father will be coming on board early Wednesday for a final inspection,” Nelson continued. “Commander Tellson has given permission for you to go on the tour with your father if you wish.”
Jeremy was silent for a moment. He would like to speak to his father before they left, but he also knew that if he were to go on this tour it wouldn’t look good to the other crewmembers of the New Horizon. It would make it look as if his father were responsible for Jeremy being on the ship.
“If you don’t mind, sir, I think it would be best if I passed on that,” Jeremy replied in a steady voice.
“I understand,” replied Nelson, nodding his head in approval. Nelson knew this was the correct decision for Jeremy to make and he was pleased the young man had declined the offer.
“We have a number of shuttles coming up from Earth tonight,” continued Lieutenant Nelson, falling into the normal Command Center routine. “Make sure we track them from the time they leave Earth until they arrive at the spacedock.”
“Yes, sir,” Jeremy replied as he stepped over towards the sensor and scanner console where Ensign Roberts was watching the screens. Jeremy would make sure the data was transferred over to the plotting table so he could keep track of the shuttles from there.
Lieutenant Nelson leaned back in his chair. They were at spacedock, and the duty shift should be quite routine.
Chapter Eight
Commodore Rateif stared moodily out the thick reinforced window of his office at the bustling spaceport below him. His office was in a tall tower that jutted high above the spaceport, giving him a grandiose view. The spaceport was located on a desert planet, and looking out over the countryside, everything was the same. Flat ground with sparse plants and very little water. The Hocklyns had chosen this planet as a forward base for this section of space. For ten years, Commodore Rateif had been in charge of this base and the ships that left weekly on exploration missions. In ten years, they had only found three inhabited worlds to bring into the Hocklyn Slave Empire. New honor and advancement had been slow for his family and himself. Recently the Hocklyn High Council had sent a message implying that if more worlds were not found soon to add to the empire, changes would be forth coming.
“You summoned me, sir?” a grating voice spoke behind him.
Commodore Rateif turned and saw First Leader Shrea of the war cruiser Vengeance. Shrea was dressed in simple dark body armor, which was standard attire for a First Leader of a Hocklyn warship. The skin of the First Leader was a light green, and he had a short darker green crest made of bone cartilage going from the top of his head to the back. His body was powerfully built, and his large, powerful hands were held at his side.
“I have a new mission for you, First Leader,” Rateif spoke, his cold eyes gazing at Shrea. “This area of space seems to be devoid of civilizations for us to add to our empire. We have searched for ten years and found little. Perhaps some stellar incident millennia ago wiped this area of space clean of life.” He knew such things were not unheard of.
“It has been slim pickings,” agreed Shrea, clenching his fist and feeling the short claws on the tips of his fingers bite into his hand. “We have not been given the opportunity to bring as much honor to our families as I had hoped since my task group was assigned to this base.”
“I agree,” Commodore Rateif replied with a slight tilt of his head. “Only three small civilizations and none of them worthy of combat. Honor has been slow to come. However, I have a plan that may change that.”
“What is your plan, Commodore?” Shrea asked with interest, his cold gaze meeting the commodore’s narrow eyes. “We must find honor soon, or we will suffer the consequences for failure.”
“I propose to send your task group on a long distance exploratory mission to the extreme edge of our sector,” explained Rateif, walking over to his desk and pointing at a star map that was spread out. “I want you to take your fleet to this section and begin the search for more worlds to add to the empire.”
“That’s nearly two thousand light years,” commented Shrea, feeling appalled at the distance the commodore was suggesting.
They would be completely out of touch with the base at that range. It would take weeks for a message to reach the base. It would almost be quicker to send a ship back rather than an FTL message.
“That should get you out past this dead area we have been searching,” Rateif responded evenly, his eyes unblinking. “Your ships will be well provisioned and armed. In addition, two supply ships will be going with you. Between your war cruiser and the six escort ships that will be at your disposal, I hope you will find new worlds to bring into our empire and more honor to be had by all of us. If you send word back that you have discovered new worlds for our empire, I will make arrange
ments for this base to be moved to the far edge of our sector.”
Shrea was silent for a long moment as he gazed intently at the star map, visualizing the long journey his ships would be making. “You are correct that there is little for us here,” Shrea said finally as he thought over the proposal. “Perhaps we may find honor in what you have suggested. When would we leave?”
“In two days,” Rateif replied. “The supply ships are ready. All we need to do is resupply your task group and you can go.”
“Two days,” Shrea nodded. “That is good. My crews need action, and the possibility of new honor will spur them to find new worlds for the empire if there are any in that area of space.”
“You must succeed, Shrea,” Rateif spoke in a hard and cold voice. “If we don’t find new worlds for the empire soon, we could face a reduction in the honor of our two families. The High Council is already applying pressure.”
“I will not allow that to happen,” Shrea replied as he turned to leave the room. “I will bring honor when I return.”
Rateif watched him go. This was a desperate move he was taking by sending Shrea and his fleet so far. He walked back to the window and gazed down. Numerous slaves from different races toiled across the shipyard. There were several thousand slaves assigned to this world. Rateif looked out across the distant desert and at the emptiness. It was time to leave this world and this section of space; it had so little to offer.
-
Katie was waiting for the shuttle to take her up to the spacedock. She had a small, inconspicuous backpack that contained a few clothes and other items she thought might be useful on board the New Horizon. However, the most important item of all was her small handheld computer, which was nestled securely inside.
“Cadet Johnson, I am surprised to see your name on this list,” Professor Styles commented as he looked down the list and located Katie’s name. “This flight was supposed to be for seniors only, but I suppose since your father is Greg Johnson, it’s not too surprising to find that your name has been added.”
“I could have gone up with Admiral Strong,” replied Katie, keeping her voice calm. “But I prefer to take the tour with the other students from the academy.”
“A good decision, young lady,” commented Professor Styles, nodding his head. “You have done very well in the advanced computer classes, and if you were a senior, there is no doubt in my mind that you would have been nominated for this tour. Take your place on the shuttle; we will be leaving shortly.”
Katie quickly boarded the shuttle. So far, neither Jason nor Lisa had spotted her. Both assumed she was still in her dorm room at the academy being watched over by Ariel.
Finding her assigned seat, Katie stowed her backpack. Then, sitting down, she buckled herself in. Looking around, she watched as the other cadets found their seats. Several frowned at seeing Katie on the shuttle. Katie only nodded and tried to relax. The first part of her plan was working flawlessly. In a few more minutes, they would be leaving the surface of the Moon and flying up to the spacedock. After that, everything would be more difficult, but Katie was confident she could make her plan work.
-
Jason and Lisa were boarding their own shuttle to fly up to the spacedock. Jason planned on a quick tour with Commander Tellson if the commander was available, and then he would leave the commander alone. Then it would be back to the spacedock to entertain the dignitaries that were flying up from Earth. All the tours of the ship would be completed four hours prior to the ship leaving the spacedock. There were only three small tours planned. The one Lisa and he were taking with Commander Tellson, several dignitaries that Lieutenant Nelson was scheduled to show around, and then finally a small group of senior cadets that Lieutenant Nelson would take on a quick tour of the New Horizon after he was through with the dignitaries.
“This isn’t like the old days,” Lisa commented as she buckled herself in and leaned back in the comfortable acceleration couch.
She watched as the flight attendant came by, checking on all the passengers. Lisa could well remember her first trip to the Moon with the research team after learning what Jason and Greg had discovered. Those few days crowded together on the Command Module as it neared the Moon and then the frightening descent to the lunar surface were forever implanted in her memories. Now flying to and from the Moon was almost like being on board a jet liner down on Earth.
“I can still remember the look on your face the first time you spoke to Ariel,” replied Jason, smiling. “You were nearly speechless.”
“She still surprises me sometimes,” admitted Lisa as she looked out the viewport at several of the other shuttles that were waiting to go up to the spacedock. “It’s hard to believe that here we are today, getting ready to launch an interstellar ship built by Earth to the stars.”
“Built with very little help from Ceres,” Jason reminded Lisa. “This is an important first step that we need to take on our own.”
“A pretty big step flying all the way to Tau Ceti,” said Lisa, turning her head to look at Jason. “I just hope everything goes as planned.”
“It will,” promised Jason. “We have a Federation light cruiser that will be shadowing the New Horizon just in case of an emergency. But I don’t foresee there being any problems.”
“What will happen to Jeremy after he returns from the New Horizon mission and you tell him the truth about the Avenger and the Federation survivors?”
“Mathew accepted everything pretty well when Greg told him,” replied Jason, recalling what Greg had told him about that conversation. “I think Jeremy will understand. I would like to send him to Ceres for a few months, perhaps even let him serve on board a Federation ship for a time.”
Lisa was silent for a moment. It would be hard on her not being able to see or talk to Jeremy if he were on board a Federation ship. She knew that Elizabeth was struggling with Mathew being on the shipyard at New Tellus and Katie up on the Moon.
“I spoke to Elizabeth about going to New Tellus last night,” Lisa spoke, her eyes looking back out the viewport. She noticed the shuttle the senior cadets were on had just closed its hatch; they would be taking off shortly. “She said she would consider it. I think she is going to take a little bit more convincing, though.”
“I will speak to Greg. Perhaps between the two of you she can be convinced to go. I think once we reach the resort on New Tellus and she can see Mathew, everything will be fine.”
“I think so too,” Lisa responded. She reached out and took Jason’s hand. “You know, Jason, I’m surprised that Katie didn’t ask to go up to the spacedock with us. I would have thought she would have wanted to say goodbye to Jeremy and Kelsey.”
“She’s been extremely busy with her classes,” Jason answered. He had also been surprised she hadn’t asked. “Ariel keeps a pretty good watch on her through the security cameras, and Katie spends most of her time working on homework or on her handheld computer.”
“She’s doing surprisingly well at the academy,” admitted Lisa glad that she had suggested that Katie be allowed to attend the summer session. “We’ve had no problems, and she has been a model student.”
“I spoke to Commandant Everson the other day about Katie,” Jason ventured. This was something he hadn’t mentioned to Lisa. “He is going to offer her the option of attending as a full time student.”
“Will Greg and Elizabeth go for that?” Lisa asked, her eyes widening at the thought. It would be nice having Katie around with Jeremy gone.
“I spoke to Greg, and he thinks it would be a great idea. Katie is bored with the classes down on Earth. He is going to talk it over with Elizabeth.”
They both became quiet as they saw the hatch close and the flight attendant sit down. The attendant made a short announcement that they would be taking off shortly, and everyone should be buckled in for safety reasons.
A few minutes later, the massive doors to the flight bay slid open, and the shuttles began to depart. There were four of them going up to the
spacedock carrying passengers to watch the New Horizon embark on her historic mission.
-
Katie let out a sigh of relief as the shuttle left the flight bay. She was on her way up to the spacedock and the New Horizon. Trying to relax, she ran through her mind what she needed to do once the shuttle reached the spacedock. She hoped she wouldn’t regret it later, but how often was she going to get the opportunity to stowaway on Earth’s first interstellar mission?
-
Jeremy was in his quarters on the New Horizon with a confused look on his face. Kelsey was sitting at the desk, watching him. For the last few minutes, he had been trying to get hold of Katie and tell her goodbye.
“She’s not in her room,” Jeremy commented after his last attempt. “I would have thought she would be glued to the vid screen like everyone else. Coverage of the New Horizon’s departure is on every news channel.”
“Perhaps she just stepped out to eat,” Kelsey spoke, her blue eyes watching Jeremy. She had suggested that he give Katie a call before they left. “It’s early, and it’s still nearly six hours before we depart.”
Kelsey looked around the small quarters. They were identical to the one that Angela and she shared. Angela and Kevin had gone on to eat breakfast and were waiting on them. Knowing Angela, she probably thought something else was going on. Angela had a tendency sometimes to let her imagination get the best of her.
“Let’s go eat breakfast, Jeremy,” suggested Kelsey, standing up. “You can try to contact Katie later. Did you talk to your father last night?”
“I talked to Mom,” responded Jeremy, getting up from his bunk where he had been sitting. “She’s a little nervous about the mission and really wants to see me today, but she understands the reasons why she shouldn’t.”
“She’s your mother,” stated Kelsey, shaking her head. “I think most of the crew would understand.”
“Perhaps,” answered Jeremy, walking over to the door with Kelsey following. “But there are people on this ship who wouldn’t. Let’s go eat breakfast before Angela gets anymore perverse thoughts in her mind.”
Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars) Page 16