Well-Traveled Rhodes (Kinsella Universe Book 6)

by Gina Marie Wylie

  Admiral Fletcher waved around him. “Once upon a time I thought Sophie Heisenberg was going to be my shadow. Events prevented that.” He nodded at Cindy. “I'm an equal opportunity employer. Now I'm thinking that perhaps Commander Rhodes might qualify to take her place. If you want to shadow her, I'll see to it.”

  “Sir, I'd appreciate that.”

  “Good. There are a couple more things, Commander Rhodes. Tiger has prepped a shuttle to take you and Lieutenant Farmer back to Grissom. Admiral Booth will be forming his crew in the next day. Still, I don't want you to be surprised. President Van de Veere will be putting your name forward tomorrow for the Federation Star.”

  Cindy squeaked. “Me? I was a puppet!”

  “And you cut the strings, Commander. Never forget that! You cut the strings! Moreover, Captain Hall told me that your sim scores never wavered, even after Pixie was disabled. We'll find something useful for you to do, after you and Dennis finish your task.

  “Do you really believe Tiger that I did all those things?”

  “Actually, there's a simple answer to that. It is my understanding that you derived the latch-frame buoy idea on your own. That and the IFF method that the Fleet now employs.”

  “I thought that was Pixie.”

  “No. You have to understand one significant thing about your IFF idea.”

  “Sir?”

  “You postulated that we could, by modulating a ship's fans, transmit a code to identify a ship to everyone around, identifying the vessel.”

  “Yes, sir,” Cindy said, mystified as to what his point was.

  “The first time a communications officer looked at your idea, he laughed. We don't have a very wide bandwidth, but it's enough for voice, Commander Rhodes. We can now communicate between ships... whether or not they are on High Fan. If the aliens were to come back to Earth like they did for the Big Battle, we'd destroy them utterly.”

  “Oh,” Cindy said, surprised. “I never thought about it.”

  “It is inconceivable that an AI would have made that omission. No, Commander, that was honest insight. I believe Tiger when she says that you were never blessed with special insights originating with Pixie - at least, not until you went on patrol.”

  *** ** ***

  A few minutes later Cindy and Tam reached the shuttle bay. Tam was unprepared when Cindy gave a strangled shout and charged off. Tam raised an eyebrow when Cindy grabbed a full captain.

  “Commander Shapiro! Oh! Oh! I thought you were...”

  The captain lifted her arm. “I have now achieved the exalted rank of Fleet captain, Ensign. I'll have to ask you to unhand me, because my bone structure isn't what it once was.”

  “You're alive!” Cindy said, letting go of her former commander.

  “I could say the same thing about you, Ensign Rhodes. Your ship is top secret and all of that -- but it's listed as overdue and presumed lost. Obviously, there's been a lot of presuming going on.”

  “Sir! Chief Shinzu is with me! Well, she's back on Earth and we're both fine!”

  Captain Shapiro grinned. “Now that is good news! She's just listed in the database as 'missing, presumed lost.'”

  Captain Shapiro waved at the shuttle. “I pulled some strings so that I can shuttle you back to Grissom. I understand that these days I can completely trust you to deal with Master Start, right?”

  Cindy felt tears on her cheeks. “Yes, sir! I'm a master pilot these days.”

  “Goodness! Are you telling me that the Fleet examiners are all stoked on something?”

  Cindy laughed. “Evidently, sir.”

  “Well, I'll tell you this... If you behave, I'll let you push Master Start.”

  “Aye, aye, sir!” Cindy said.

  Abruptly, two people appeared in the shuttle bay. Cindy recognized the ship's doctor and the other person was also in medical red. The ship's doctor appeared grim. “Captain Shapiro, I need a few moments of your time.”

  “I'm scheduled for Grissom, Captain. It will have to wait.”

  “Captain Merriweather has said that you can't depart the ship until a certain procedure is performed. Please, Captain, this isn't a good thing to dispute.”

  Lynn Shapiro studied the woman. “And the fact that you have a bandage on the back of your neck? What am I to draw from that?”

  “Nothing, Captain.”

  Cindy spoke up. “Captain Shapiro this is tippy, tippy, tippy, tippy, tippy, tippy, tippy, tippy, tippy, tippy top secret.”

  “A tippy top secret to the tenth?” Captain Shapiro laughed. “I'd better pay attention!”

  A few minutes Cindy undocked the shuttle from Tiger with assurance and set the course for Grissom.

  “Obviously, you've learned a few things, Commander Rhodes.”

  “Do you remember our first flight?”

  “I was thinking of that myself, just now.”

  “I have achieved my heart's desire. I have the ear of the top leadership of the Federation. Except I find that I have nothing to say. Nothing. I know my ignorance these days.”

  “You were never stupid, Cindy -- but you were indeed ignorant. I take it, that's not so much now?”

  “I can't talk about, sir. I wish I could.”

  Captain Shapiro laughed. “Like I can't figure it out for myself? I'm not allowed off the ship with an implant? Where half of the senior officers on Tiger have suddenly fallen off the net?”

  “Tippy, tippy, tippy, etc,” Tam offered.

  Captain Shapiro looked at her and then at Cindy. “A shadow?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I never thought you were like that,” Captain Shapiro said, laughing. “I still am. Tell me, has Shinzu gotten lucky?”

  “Yes, sir... I'm not sure what she's going to do now that we're back.”

  “I'm not following you, Cindy.”

  “She and Commander McVae are pretty tight. I'm pretty sure all of our brevet ranks are out the window.”

  “A commander? I can't imagine her with an officer.”

  “Alis McVae is good people, sir. She's a Portie BuShips commander, serving as a brevet full lieutenant.”

  “Obviously you had a very exciting trip. I take it, that it's all secret?”

  “I'm sorry, sir, yes.” Cindy told her.

  “And I won't ask you to explain. I just wanted to see you again, Commander. My god! A commander! You're catching up!”

  “Sir, Admiral Fletcher reminded me that I have a ways to go to match Admiral Wolf.”

  “Fletcher?” Captain Shapiro shook her head. “I'm not surprised.”

  They reached Grissom and Captain Shapiro led them once again into the bowels of the station, seeing that Cindy and Tam were assigned a compartment.

  Cindy was profoundly grateful when she could put her head down on a pillow. She emptied her mind of the events of the day... even if the “day” had been close to thirty hours long.

  *** ** ***

  It seemed like Cindy had hardly closed her eyes when she was shaken awake again. “Tam! Enough!”

  “Sir, you have to wake up and come with us.”

  Cindy opened her eyes and saw three Marines, weapons drawn and loosely trained on her. Her eyes lit on Tam, trussed up and gagged.

  “And you are here on what authority, Sergeant?” she said with her finest aplomb.

  “The station commander, sir. He has issued an order for your arrest.”

  Fatigue faded away. For a second Cindy wished she had access to Pixie. She put the thought away. No, she didn't want that at all.

  But, she'd had a lot of time to study the regulations on the trip home.

  “Sergeant, I protest your authority. I'm here under entirely a different order authority than anyone on this station. You need to send the protest up your chain of command.”

  “I'm told to bring you forthwith to the station commander's representative, sir.”

  “Sergeant, surely you know the regulations. If you violate my order authority you'll be considered equally as guilty as those who or
dered it violated. What time is it?”

  “0200, Ensign.”

  “I'm not an ensign, Sergeant. I'm a lieutenant commander. You send back to whoever ordered this that I've protested and cite my order authority.”

  “I don't know your order authority.”

  “My original order authority was Admiral of the Fleet Nagoya. Now it's President Emil van de Veere.”

  The sergeant blinked. “How does an ensign get an order authority like that?”

  “That's because when I was last here I was an ensign; now I'm a lieutenant commander. Three years, nearly four, Sergeant. Trust me on this: if you don't protest this order and by 1200 you'll be dead, shot for dereliction of duty.”

  “Sir, this isn't my choice.”

  “Check with your officers, Sergeant. You are dicing with your life and those of those under you. You simply have to report the protest... better, report the protest up the chain of command to my order authority.”

  “I can't call the Federation president!”

  “Sergeant, your choice. You either make the minimum protest, or you're dead in less than twelve hours. Without that minimum protest, all of those under you will be executed as well for carrying out an illegal order.”

  Cindy turned to Tam. “You okay, Tam?”

  Tam nodded, but couldn't speak.

  “Tam, I've been here before. Trust me.”

  Tam nodded.

  Someone new entered. He looked around, and then listened to the sergeant report. “You have, of course, registered the lieutenant's protest?”

  “Sir, I was told to ignore anything she says.”

  The newcomer chuckled. Suddenly Cindy recognized him. “Zodiac! You're an officer!”

  “I have a friend I desperately want to emulate, Lieutenant.”

  “Lieutenant Commander,” Cindy said, unable to stop the reflex.

  “Ah!” Lieutenant Zodiac turned to the sergeant. “I, for one, don't intend a chance of being shot because I violated regs and didn't pass on a protest. Please pass Commander Rhode's objection up your chain of command.”

  “Sir, I'm told she is a rogue officer, and that she can't talk to anyone and is a junior officer promoted illegitimately.”

  “And what was I just saying? Did it sound like a fart to you, Sergeant? It sounded like an order to me! This officer is personally known to me, Sergeant. Either pass the protest up your chain of command or I'll shoot you dead and pass it on myself.”

  The sergeant waved to his corporal and the man vanished.

  A few minutes later the man returned. “Sergeant, Lieutenant Rudesheim says that the subject is not to be allowed to speak to anyone, that her protest is denied and that she is to be brought to the command section forthwith.”

  Lieutenant Zodiac spoke in level tones. “I'll say this just once. You've registered the protest. That you comply with an illegal order is going to get you more purple rockets than you will ever be comfortable with, from officers who will see your career has reached its limit. That's the butter side. The up side? You'll be able to go to the mess at lunch and eat your fill -- instead of facing a firing squad.”

  “I can't disobey my orders, Lieutenant.”

  “No, but Commander Rhodes has quoted her order authority to you. You are legitimately authorized to notify that authority of what's going on.”

  “You want me to call the president? At this time of night?”

  Lieutenant Zodiac was patient. “He has people to take the call. If the authority is bogus, it will come right back as bogus. Contemplate the extreme butter side if the authority is legitimate.”

  “I'm screwed, right?”

  “Yes. You were screwed the moment you accepted what is clearly an illegal order. I can't help you here, Sergeant. You have a duty, however, to your people. They shouldn't have to suffer from your mistake.”

  The door to Cindy's compartment slammed open. A fat Port officer stood in it. “Get this person to the command section this instant! If you delay further, you'll be boarded as well.”

  Cindy saw the realization in the sergeant's eyes. She spoke quietly. “Sergeant, do your duty.”

  The man flinched, and then understood the message.

  “Sir, if you would accompany us.”

  “I've never resisted, Sergeant. Only properly objected.”

  “Aye, aye, sir.”

  She went through the corridors of Grissom Station once again. Cindy made a vow she'd never be back.

  She was led to a room with five officers sitting at a table. Four of them were Port, only one was Fleet.

  She was led to a chair on the right side of the room and motioned to sit. She glanced around. The man in the center of the table was a Port captain, the rest were all commanders. To her left was a table with a single Fleet commander, who was sitting erect, his face blank. She saw that he was wearing the insignia of the Judge Advocate General Corps.

  She'd had courses on military law, back before they'd disabled Pixie. Courses on the return were more limited, mainly coming from Tin Tin Roeser and Alis McVae. She'd read Shakespeare now; there was indeed something indeed rotten in Denmark.

  A voice was raised at the door. “Let me pass!”

  Cindy turned and saw it was Zodiac's cousin once again.

  A Marine at the door swallowed and said, “Sir, my orders are to admit no one.”

  “And I'm here as an authorized observer of Grissom Station's Provost Marshal, Brigadier Peter Wentworth. You can continue to deny my entrance for about another three minutes, then the Provost Marshall will be here himself. I do not think he's going to want to hear how one of his Marine corporals barred his designated representative from entering this compartment.”

  “Sir, please! I have conflicting orders. The orders I have came from a Port captain... I have to obey those, sir.”

  “Two and a half minutes, Corporal. I might add that Vice Admiral Litvinik is a minute behind General Wentworth. You might seriously want to reconsider who has the senior order authority here.”

  The corporal reluctantly moved aside. Cindy was surprised when Zodiac moved just one step inside the door and drew his pistol. “By order of General Peter Wentworth, Provost Marshal of Grissom Station, I hereby forbid anyone to attempt to leave this compartment. I have been authorized the use of deadly force to prevent that.”

  “You are insubordinate!” the Port captain in the middle of the table said. “That's absurd!”

  “Sir, you should be aware that all utterances in this compartment will be subject to judicial review. I remind you, sir, that the Provost Marshal speaks with the station commander's authority, and his orders are to be considered those of Vice Admiral Litvinik.”

  Cindy remembered where she heard those words before and couldn't help leaking a few tears.

  “Commander Rhodes, are you okay? Do you need a medic?”

  “Lieutenant, the first time I heard those words were from your cousin. Two days later the officer he warned was executed for desertion in the face of the enemy -- she didn't listen. I hope you are more convincing.”

  They could hear it then. The thud of running feet... not just a few, but a lot, running in step.

  A few moments later more Marines arrived. The sergeant who had escorted her was forced to surrender his weapon, as were the others of her escort. It was done politely, formally, with nothing but the gravest expression on all of the faces of the Marines present. Then the sergeant and his three men were moved towards the right, towards the corner.

  There was a rushing sound, from out in the corridor, and Cindy turned to see what it was. It was an electric runabout, with a portly Port Vice Admiral, being driven by a master chief petty officer.

  She was startled when the admiral stepped from the vehicle. He took one step, then a second. As his second foot touched the ground, there was a wooden “Thud!” Step, thud, step, thud... right up until he was standing in front of the panel of five officers.

  As he'd passed Cindy, she'd been unable not to notice that the four
Port officers were ashen pale, and every thud increased their pallor.

  The admiral reached the table and spun around to face the room, his back to the five officers. “I am Vice Admiral Vassily Litvinik! I command Grissom Station. Is there any here who doubts that?”

  The room was silent, not the faintest rustle of sound.

  After a full half minute, the admiral spun around, and speared a finger at the Fleet commander on one end of the panel. “You sir, your name. What is your duty station and what is your understanding of why you are here?”

  “Sir, Commander Zivka Greenberg, I am the assistant weapons department head. I was awakened about an hour and a half ago and told that I was to sit on a Special Board for an insubordinate officer. I was brought here and when I asked questions, I was told that I didn't need to know at that point.

  “When I inquired as to the exact charges and specifications, I was told that the convening authority had decided on some changes to Special Board procedures and that first we would hear testimony, and then develop the charges and specifications. Sir, I objected once again.

  “When I found out when the event happened, nearly four years ago, I consulted with Grissom Station's computer and learned the details of the event. I protested again. When that officer arrived,” he indicated the JAG officer, “I asked what he was doing here. Again, I was told it was the convening authority's intention to streamline procedures. I protested again. When I was told that I would be Boarded as well for insubordination if I didn't comply with my orders, I alerted my chain of command -- and agreed to serve under protest.” He laughed nastily. “I’ve protested to my entire chain of command. My department head, Admiral Litvinik, Admiral Booth, Admiral Jensen and Admiral Fletcher.”

  “Commander, please stand and repair forthwith into the corner behind Commander Rhodes.”

  “Aye, aye, sir.”

  He stood and went to stand behind Cindy, with the four Marines already there.

  “You!” Admiral Litvinik pointed to the officer next in line with a meaty thumb. “Your name and duty station and your appreciation of why you are here.”

  “Sir, Commander Richard Jayne, assistant BuPers officer for inbound personnel. I was told that I was to sit a Special Board for an insubordinate officer.”