John muttered, almost to himself, “I should be working for him.” Karl asked, “Sir?” John said, “I said, gunnery sergeant, ‘I wonder how you could be so dim’.”
That evening John and Jessica took her sisters to the Bistro, accompanied of course by Karl. Much had changed over the months since he first wandered in. Tonight, the owners and their daughter came out to greet them. Jennifer and Jordan had been there before, and had become instant friends of the patrons’ daughter, who was a year older, but not as tall or pretty, creating a sort of feminine social balance. The daughter, Genevieve, quietly asked her parents something, and they performed a sort of two-second huddle before agreeing. Genevieve asked if the two sisters would like to go upstairs to their home. John was instantly on guard – he’d never once allowed the girls out of his sight – and looked a look at Jessica, who managed not to look worried. She calmly ensured that her sisters wanted to go, then asked an eminently good question, “Will there be anyone else with them?” The owners were of course aware of the identity of their guests, and were also parents of a daughter, so they understood the questions, plural, “No Madame Chamberlin, they would be alone, and the home is quite secure.” John noted that Karl looked even more uncomfortable than he probably did. Their hosts quietly noticed that John did not intervene, but hopefully didn’t see just how difficult it was. There was a lot of undercurrents, but considering the situation, it was remarkably warm.
The girls zipped through the kitchen entrance and upstairs. John said to his hosts, “It’s been a long five years, and as you’ve just noticed, I find it hard to allow my sisters-in-law out of my sight. I think that the effects of the war will persevere for some time, but as long as humanity possesses people and families such as yours, we will one day be whole again.”
They drank some very strong coffee – a gift from Jessica – and talked about the remarkable progress made by the shuttle consortium, by the return of the city hall to the city, the election of a new mayor and the first faint signs of a return to life of an economy that had fallen on very hard times. John talked, once again, about the hummingbird he’d seen, and the potatoes that he’d eaten. This led to a discussion of the introduction into planetary ecologies of new species. At one point Jessica mentioned, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Grenoble could make a gift of hummingbirds and potatoes to Maya? And, I know that Maya has a number of fruits that I’ve not seen on Grenoble; John?”
John said, “I’m a history professor, not an agronomist, but I see no reason why not. Why don’t you look into it? Perhaps we could look at what the other new worlds have that could be exchanged. From my standpoint, I don’t see a downside.”
He had a thought, “You know, we could set up a clearinghouse of agricultural products, maybe manufactured good as well, so that all the developing worlds could exchange their strengths.”
She looked uncertain, and he smiled, “Honey, you are almost well educated, so you might be up to it.” Jessica grinned at John before looking at her perplexed hosts, “What my husband means is that I have a Masters in modern history, almost exactly the same degree he earned, although his was awarded somewhat earlier, and probably entailed a small monetary exchange, and was a doctorate or some such.” John laughed with delight, and even Karl smiled.
Chapter 43
A message was waiting for John when they returned home: the admiral had died. Congress declared a day of mourning and made permanent the appointment of Admiral Ybarra. The very next morning John received a notice that his appointment as Federal Commissioner was suspended. He was ordered to remain on until his civilian counterpart arrived to take up her duties.
John promptly visited the shuttle factory. He met with the foreman and the consortium president and bluntly said, “I’ve been relieved of my appointment; I’ll remain only until a replacement arrives, possibly a matter of a handful of days. How long until your shuttle makes its first test flight?” Mr. Picasso, an oddly non-French name, said, “A week at least.” John shook his head, “Sir, I ask you to move heaven and hell to get that craft into orbit, not in a week, but now, today. Get it up, and make a public announcement, send couriers to every possible customer. I have no idea what the new commissioner plans to do, but if Grenoble has publicly tested a shuttle and announced that it is now accepting orders, it will be far more difficult to cancel or impede the project. Even so, you might just expect that he or she might make things difficult. I can’t say with any degree of certainty that that is what is going to take place, yet I greatly fear it will happen. Your people have accomplished much in my short time here, and I can honestly say that you have deeply impressed me. I am now asking for one more miracle: get that craft up into orbit!”
John looked at his circle of stunned hosts, and asked, more quietly, “What, if anything, can I do to help you?” The foreman was talking hurriedly and agitatedly to someone on a comm channel, and looked up at John, “Sir, we can power up in six hours.”
John took a deep breath, “I will return in six hours. With your permission, I’d like to be a passenger on that flight, and I’d like to make it live to the entire planet. That’s, first, a request that you allow me to be on board, and second, a suggestion that your entire planet be on board.”
The foreman said, “Sir, just because we can power up doesn’t mean it’s at all ready for flight.” John nodded, “You have six hours to make it ready. Sir, please understand: I am not your boss, and you have very little obligation to me; if you cannot safely test that craft today, don’t try. But, please, try to make it happen.”
John went down onto the clean room where the shuttle sat. It was approximately ten percent larger than most, and looked significantly different. Where the vast majority of shuttles had two large opposing hatches, this one was six-sided. The design offered multiple benefits, and had one drawback – it’s hatches couldn’t accept oversized loads. The designers already had a second design that was triangular, with three huge hatches. The only difference between the two craft was the cargo compartment, meaning that as soon as the first design finished its series of test flights and was accepted, the second would be a walk in the park.
John shuttled home, asking to be informed of any developments. Jessica was already packing, and working with the Marine dependents, just in case they had to depart suddenly, a not-so-unusual happenstance with Marines and their dependents.
John sat down with Rachel and said, “Miss Schwartz, I have but a few days left in which to make things happen. I am requesting, not ordering, that you leave immediately for Maya. I have an order for twenty shuttle engines that Grenoble badly needs if it is to secure and fill any near-term orders. In addition, I want to know if you might consider remaining behind on Maya. I’ve already sent a message to James, who has accepted a position with Padilla. He assures me that you have a job waiting for you, should you wish to accept. I should mention that the offer of transportation would include your mother and father; we both think that your parents could easily find employment on Maya. I will understand if you do not wish to accept my offer, but I do want you to know that it is sincere and that in my opinion you have given me exceptionally good advice and assistance, as have your parents. I know that you are not happy with me personally, and I regret that, more than you know; however, please don’t allow that to prevent you from accepting what might be an opportunity for the three of you.”
He finished his very long speech, and casually watched very intently at the expression on her face. She was looking down at her lap, making that task difficult.
She looked up and he saw tears streaking her face, “Sir, Mr. Chamberlin, you have never behaved other than honorably. I shall speak to my parents as soon as I leave your office. I will of course accept your assignment. Do you have any idea what you and your family will do once the new commissioner arrives?” John shrugged, “If I’m asked to stay on for a short period of time, I’ll accept, but after that, I hope to be able to go home and “demobilize”, to use a historical term.” She asked,
a little carefully, “What are your plans, sir, for after you leave the military? I ask as…I would of course continue on in whatever capacity I am able.” To say he was surprised was an understatement. That, and she was now the second person to imply that he had a ‘destiny’ beyond teaching undergraduates, a task that didn’t come close to requiring the assistance of a gunnery sergeant or an aide who was both highly efficient and cute as a button.
John said, his voice suspiciously husky, “Thank you very much, Miss Schwartz. You should know that my plans are in flux; but if there is a way for us to continue to work together, I would be thrilled. In the meantime, you need to pack. Figure a long stay, and that I’ll probably arrive within a week or so after you do. I’ll comm you with any changes. I’ll have a shuttle at the field by the time you arrive; in fact, my family may leave on the same flight.”
Three hours later Karl escorted Jessica, Jennifer, Jordan and Rachel to the shuttle port. Her parents were highly conflicted, but were informed that if they chose to emigrate, they would find a home. John already felt the pang of separation.
Three days later Lt. Komanski commed John, “Sir, a destroyer is en route from the system periphery, carrying a Minister Nabuki and his staff. They are scheduled to dock at Grenoble Customs in approximately forty-two hours.”
John had less than two days.
He commed the shuttle factory, learned that they were fueling the shuttle engine. He told them, “I need to speak to Mr. Picasso immediately. I don’t care if he’s in a meeting, I need to speak to him now.” John closed the call.
Five minutes later Mr. Picasso commed him. John said, without preamble, “My replacement will arrive in orbit within roughly forty hours. Where are we?” Mr. Picasso said, “That was fast.” John said, “They were prepared ahead of time, which could simply mean they were prepared ahead of time. I fear however that it’s not good. Sir, you need to get that shuttle fueled and flying. I’ve cleared my schedule, and I’m coming over. I have some expertise that may be useful, and I don’t mind getting dirty. See you in thirty minutes.”
Karl and John were picked up ten minutes later and were transported to the port, where a Navy shuttle lifted off into a cold drizzle. The shuttle would remain at John’s disposal for as long as required. John had informed General Chin of the impending change, but hadn’t heard back, an unusual breach of protocol, and one he failed utterly to be bothered by.
John hustled straight to the assembly building, where he changed into a clean suit and entered the huge structure. The shuttle was now fueled and they were using ground power to bring up the containment field on the fusion bottle. Once it was ‘hot’, it would normally remain powered up unless it went down for major maintenance or it suddenly lost containment, which during the previous five years happened when it was hit by enemy fire.
John verified that the process was on schedule, and then went around the ship, checking with the various foremen. The only system to have passed all tests was flight. Navigation was still running diagnostics, and of course the power systems couldn’t be checked until they actually had power. Cargo was something short of a disaster, mainly because it was the least likely to prevent the ship from lifting.
John asked about the systems that controlled the cargo bay. Modern shuttles could virtually load themselves, and this ship was no exception. He was told, “Sir, we’ve been concentrating on the other systems, and we still have a great many steps to get through.” John said, his impatience showing, “Now would be an excellent time to resume those tests.”
The foreman, actually a woman, said, “Sir, you are not authorized…” John held up his hands, “Madame, I apologize if I stepped on your toes, but you must understand that your planet’s future hinges on getting this shuttle off the damn ground.”
She asked an interesting question that revealed that at the least, his warnings had gotten through, “Sir, what can you tell us about your replacement?” John said, “From what I can tell, she is a career diplomat, no military service. She was appointed by a man who has routinely taken a hard line on the conditions to be offered the sixteen worlds. You must assume that she is going to be tough to deal with. She is not going to be interested in making nice, she is not going to be interested in anything save for extracting a pound of flesh. Frankly, Grenoble doesn’t have much left, so you can understand when I say she is not good news. Now, I’ve lived most of the past five years in space, and around small craft. What can I do to help you? I don’t mind getting my hands dirty.” She smiled, “Sir, if you get your hands dirty in here, I’d be greatly surprised. However, if you want to help, report to that tall, lanky man over by the shuttle landing gear. He’s working on a glitch in the software that extends the gear.” John waved and trotted the length of the shuttle to the meter-thick stanchion that supported the craft when it was in a gravity well. He’d deliberately run, hoping that would emphasize the need to push.
The ‘tall lanky man’ turned out to be monitoring a software program that as debugging one of the systems. John introduced himself, and the man said, “We modified some older software to work with this gear, and it’s proven to be a little buggy. Figure, ten more minutes to trace the fault, another few to clean it up.” John asked, “That the only problem?” He snorted, “Sir, we’ve got dozens.” John said, “Thanks.”
He ran from there to the lead foreman, another woman. He said, “They’ve got problems with the landing gear. Is there any reason why we can’t run the flight test with the gear extended? On this first flight we’re not conducting tests with the cargo loading equipment, just the flight gear.” She held up her hand, something he usually did to other people, and consulted an actual printed list. “Yes. That system has no connection with the flight or power systems.”
John continued to trot from foreman to foreman, doing what he could to push everyone. Eight hours later the system came to life and began generating power. After ten minutes of steady output they disconnected the power leads from the factory floor.
It took another forty minutes to verify that all flight and nav systems were operational. The one hundred meter-long shuttle was closed up and pulled out of the clean room and into a now heavy downpour of cold rain. They brought up the drive system and slowly raised power until the craft quivered and began to rise up. They brought it back down and shut the system down. Problem.
It took a mere ten minutes to trace the problem and solve it. Once again the ship powered up its drive. John boarded the craft, joining a large number of technicians, engineers, programmers and the two pilots. John was allowed to observe from the flight deck. The Navy shuttle would follow what they were now calling X-CS0019, a civilian cargo shuttle. It was a very low designation, but Grenoble had a very short history in the manufacture of shuttles. Its history with fighters was five years long and bloody.
They ascended up through the rain, through the clouds and into a brilliant evening sky full of stars and an astonishing number of small commercial craft. It seemed that virtually every space worthy craft in the system was on hand for this maiden flight. John had primed the pump to ensure that happy circumstance.
The shuttle’s systems remained nominal and the craft continued to climb out of the atmosphere. At a command from ground control the pilot added in power and it began to accelerate forward, chasing the string of orbital structures that provided the link between the earthbound humans and their stars.
The shuttle docked, matched pressures with the huge station, and a crewman manually opened the hatch. To date, nobody built an automatic system for opening a hatch to empty space, which is what would one time or another happen with an automatic system. They filmed a brief interview with the shuttle crew, and ten minutes later the shuttle undocked and dropped back toward the rainy surface.
It took less than an hour to land. John ensured that the moment the craft was on the ground, it was towed into a different hanger where crews began working feverishly on the cargo systems. The problem was in the grapples that moved the freight. Pr
oblems.
The commissioner was now twenty hours out, and John was already tired. Oddly, his family should be about twenty hours out as well, going in the opposite direction. Going home.
It took ten hours to unkink everything, button hatches and move the shuttle back outside. It lifted off, it’s landing gear retracted, and soared into a brilliant, sunny sky.
They completed a third highly successful test that included loading and offloading cargo, just hours ahead of the commissioner’s arrival at an orbital installation, where he would officially take the oath of office and assume virtually dictatorial authority over several million people. John hadn’t received any communications from the incoming commissioner, something he found…odd.
Ahead of time the consortium prepared announcements and initiated communications with vendors on all the (former) rebel worlds, as well as a number of federal worlds. The announcement, including video of the craft, plus full specifications and pricing went out via the increasing flow of shipping that was slowly, painfully returning Grenoble to life.
John went back to his headquarters, and talked to the assembled Marines. He told them, “We, you and I, have fought the rebel worlds, including this one. We have all suffered loss, and yet somehow survived. Many of our comrades have fallen, as have many of the people of this planet; yet, when you were called to come and to serve the cause of peace, you came, and you carried out your new duties with as much devotion and care as any man could hope for. Because of you, I was able to attempt to make a difference in the future of the people of Grenoble, help bring it back into the federation. Early tomorrow morning the new civilian commissioner is due to take over from the military commissioner, the one you’ve been saddled with these last few months. As you are aware, you have been reassigned. Some of you will be getting out, some of you will not have any choice since the Marines will be downsizing. Gunny here probably has some brig time to serve, and I am going to Maya.”
Hawk Genesis: War (Flight of the Hawk) Page 45