by Chris Hechtl
“We can't be everywhere, sir,” Admiral Subert said stiffly. “And we can't please everyone,” he reminded him.
“Ain't that the truth,” Admiral Irons replied. “Okay. Zek, sorry, we'll just have to take smaller steps,” he said. “I guess I let my zeal get the better of me.”
“I understand, sir. We'll make do,” Admiral Zekowitz said. He looked directly at Horatio for a moment and then back to the admiral's avatar. “Commodore Logan is right; risking the ships and cargoes with untried crews is not wise.”
“Thank you for understanding. We'll get there eventually. One step at a time,” Admiral Irons said. Antigua out.”
His image blanked out. With the holographic avatar gone, the room was dimmer. Horatio thought it wasn't just due to the sudden lack of light; John had a way of bringing the light himself. He turned to Admiral Subert.
“All right, gentlemen, we have our orders. Though,” he turned to Horatio, “I'd appreciate it if you'd run such suggestions past me the next time. So I won't be blindsided,” he said tartly.
“Aye aye, sir,” Horatio replied rising to his feet. He saw Admiral Zekowitz glance at him. He spread his fingers apart slightly to indicate he didn't take the rebuke personally.
“Good. I'll let Saul and the department heads know. That will make Barry happy, but it will open up its own can of worms I suppose,” Admiral Subert mused. “Finding the additional warm bodies for one. Fortunately, the station won't need a large staff. And I understand you got rather good at building such things before Admiral Irons restored contact,” he said, looking at Horatio.
Horatio nodded. “Yes, sir. We can pull the plans for them. If we only draw from stores what the factory station can't make quickly and cheaply, it should make it easier. And of course if they have a core to build onto, it would make the process smoother. I'm not sure about what materials they'll be able to use in B101a1,” he mused.
“So why suggest it?” Admiral Zekowitz asked, clearly curious.
“Oh, I know they can build something, sir,” Horatio replied with a shrug. “At the least they can hollow out a rock and use that.” Both admirals nodded. “Or they can build a groundside base on a moon. Whatever works.”
“Logistics is going to be a pain in the ass,” Admiral Subert growled. “I'll see if we can get some sort of trade going with Richalu, Hidoshi's World, and Destria eventually. Even though we're closer, we need everything we've got here.”
“Aye aye, sir,” Horatio said. He wasn't certain how much slack the agricultural worlds could pick up but every little bit helped. At the least, they could ship in food and water.
“Didn't Admiral Irons do a lot of construction in B101a1? And in B100 omega? Is there any material left?” Admiral Zekowitz asked.
Horatio frowned thoughtfully then shrugged. “I'm not certain at this point.”
“We can find out. I'll have someone check the records. I'll also appoint a construction boss to oversee the Harbor Station and a picket force commander. In the interim, focus on your own mission, gentlemen,” Admiral Subert said.
“Aye aye, sir,” Horatio said with a nod.
“Dismissed then,” Admiral Subert said as he picked up the tablet in front of him and pretended to read.
Admiral Zekowitz caught the look and then nodded his head to Horatio and the door. The two men exited without a word.
~<><{<^>}><>~
His preoccupation with the planning of the Bek mission took a side seat when a familiar ship returned to Pyrax space. “You handle the initial interview, Horatio,” Admiral Subert stated.
“Sir?”
“You heard me. Go meet them and feel Mayweather and the crew out. We need to know if she's beaten or not—the same for the crew. Their morale status at the least,” he said.
“When they find out the plans for Firefly their morale is going to go straight in the crapper, sir,” Horatio warned.
“We'll see if they bounce back and how high then. See to it.”
“Aye aye, sir,” Horatio said. After a moment he felt fresh orders sent to his inbox. He opened them and read them. He blinked and then stared at the rear admiral.
“A problem, Commodore?”
“No, sir. They took me off guard, sir,” he admitted.
“Again, we'll see how they react. We need their experience.”
“Yes, sir. I'll see to it,” Horatio said with a nod.
Chapter 5
The longer he stayed in Pyrax, the more his awe wore thin and the more his unease grew. He knew it was primitive, he knew he should be above it, but apparently some things were ingrained deeper into his psyche than even he'd suspected.
Take for instance the navy's insistence and love of implants. He shuddered at that. And their love of A.I.! Don't get him started on nanotech … he shook his head. He wasn't certain what to do about it. He wasn't in a position to change it, but …
He knew some things had to be done. Implant ID tech for instance. They had them in Bek. He rubbed his right forearm. They also had cybernetics, but they didn't flaunt it. They didn't deliberately cut a limb off to replace it with something even as an engineer he considered substandard to the original. He shook his head.
“Problem, sir?” Lieutenant Si asked. He could see her fingers move in the air as she tapped at a virtual keyboard only she could see.
“Just imaging what people will think when they see you do that back in Bek,” he said, shaking his head.
“Well, to be fair, sir, you'll be doing it too. And others I suppose,” she said. She grimaced, her hands dropping to curl on the table. “Do we really have to go back?”
“Orders are orders, Lieutenant,” he quipped in response.
“But sir, we just got here!”
“Apparently, Admiral Irons wants us to oversee the upgrading of the Bek shipyards using what we've seen and downloaded here,” the admiral said dryly. “I know you are a bit put out, I think I am too, but an order is an order.”
“Yes, sir. It stinks though.”
“Worried about the future, Oprah?” Admiral Zekowitz asked casually. He knew every flag lieutenant who was tied to a risky officer was worried about being dragged down if they sank. He would be too in her shoes. She'd probably thought she was on a death ride only to have Pyrax drop in their lap. But then to be kicked back home? It had to be something of a blow to her.
“I'm not sure sir. We have to get there first,” Lieutenant Si replied with a grimace.
“True,” Zek replied thoughtfully. “I think they've gotten that part mostly covered. We'll see though.”
“What sucks is we're passengers. We are along for the ride with little or no input. And definitely no hand in how it turns out,” the lieutenant said with a shake of her head.
“For that we can be grateful. I don't know about you, but I never learned the art of hyper navigation or helming a ship in hyperspace. And I admit, my reactions are on the tad rusty side of biology,” he said ruefully.
“Yes, sir.”
He mock glowered. “Gee thanks for agreeing with me,” he said.
She flinched but then snorted. “That's what a lieutenant's for, sir,” she quipped. He snorted at her retort. He was glad she was getting back on her mental feet.
~<><{<^>}><>~
“So. This is it,” Moira murmured, catching Horatio's hands in hers. “It's been real,” she said with a lively smile he'd come to adore and relish.
“We'll always have Anvil?” he asked whimsically. Her smile broadened ever so briefly. “You'll do fine in Antigua. I know you will.”
“You'll do fine in Bek,” she retorted. He felt her send him a file. “Here is a list of contacts, including my family. And …” a second packet of files appeared in his inbox. “A stack of letters and videos for my family. I'd appreciate it if you got them to them.”
“Of course,” he said with a nod. “I understand you talked Captain Perth into bringing gifts to your family as well,” he teased.
Her smile became puckish as she squeezed
her fingers and tried to wrestle him. She didn't have the upper body strength or leverage but he let her think she was winning.
“I'm going to miss you,” he said huskily.
She stopped what she was doing and let his fingers go. He shook his hands out. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I'll miss you too,” she said.
They heard someone clear their throat behind them. Both looked to see Yorgi and his lieutenant. The vice admiral coughed in his hand.
“He's like an overbearing dad or uncle you don't want sometimes,” Moira sighed, easing up on Horatio as she glowered at the admiral.
“Well, as an officer I understand where he's coming from. We do have rules and schedules to keep,” Horatio said dryly.
“Oh, bushwah to that,” she growled. He chuckled until she dropped her left arm to poke him in the ribs. That just made him guffaw slightly. He stopped when he heard the soft snicks and clicks of cameras taking photos and video. He sighed.
“And bullocks to them,” she said. “I never did get enough time with you,” she whispered fiercely, catching him off guard. As he stared at her, she moved in and tilted her head. When he didn't move forward, she sighed in exasperation and moved in further and drew his head exorbitantly downward with her arm. She trapped him with a long kiss.
When she broke the kiss an eternity later, he saw her smiling again. She hugged him fiercely. “I will miss you, Horatio,” she whispered in his ear.
“I too,” he said, nuzzling her and stroking her hair. “More than you know I suppose,” he said.
Moira nodded. She gently broke the embrace. She knew that Horatio hadn't been with many people, and he'd been practically celibate since the death of his wife. She felt a little guilty about taking advantage of him as she had. But only a little. After she'd gotten him past his hesitancy, she'd judged that it had been good for him.
And she'd come to realize all over again why she preferred older lovers. The knowledge and experience was worth it. And with his renewed body, he had the stamina of a teenager, which had made their couplings a fantastically enjoyable experience.
“Stay safe. Safe sailing,” she said to him.
He chuckled. “That's my line. You're the one going,” he teased.
“I know. But mine is easy. I've been on your route, remember?” she pretended to shiver. “Seriously.”
She heard Admiral Sienkov cough again. She rolled her eyes and turned to glare at him. “Okay, okay, I'm coming,” she said in exasperation.
“About time,” Yorgi said with a half bow. As she passed him her wicked fingers reached out to nip him in the rear making the admiral stand on his toes.
His flag lieutenant smothered a guffaw. Horatio's eyes went wide, but then he smiled as Moira turned to smile and wink at him in passing. She blew him a kiss at the lock and then was gone.
“Safe sailing, Admiral,” Horatio stated, coming to attention.
“And to you as well, Commodore,” Admiral Sienkov said. He sent a file to Horatio and then ducked his head to disappear into the bowls of the ship.
Horatio turned and ignored the cameras and reporters with their annoying questions as he went back to his duties.
~<><{<^>}><>~
“What's he doing here?” Admiral Zekowitz asked, eyeing the avatar warily as he entered the room. He had a few interactions with the A.I. that were in Pyrax. He'd quickly gotten over his initial awe.
“He's an officer, sir. Assigned to staff, oversight, and teaching duties in Pyrax,” Lieutenant Si said with a slight trace of rebuke in her tone.
“Sorry,” the admiral said, glancing at Firefly's avatar.
“No slight intended I believe, Admiral,” the captain stated. “I had a few free cycles and was asked to participate in place of Lieutenant Barry,” the captain said.
“Ah,” the rear admiral said as he took his customary seat at the head of the table. “You are aware of the subject?”
“Of this meeting, yes. I'm also supposed to feel you out on several teaching projects, test how your new classes are going, and get a rundown on your preferences for the upcoming mission.”
“In that order?” the admiral asked, amused by the literal take from the A.I.
“No. Of course not. The last two objectives are discretionary I suppose.”
“I see,” the admiral said. “Testing me?” He raised an eyebrow. When the A.I. didn't immediately reply, he shot a look at the others in the room. Lieutenant Si pursed her lips but didn't respond.
“Yes, sir. You have been doing well for a person your age in retraining, but you haven't finished your implant upgrades.”
“And I'll do so when time and my schedule permits,” the admiral said with a bite in his voice.
“Which is all well and good, sir, but the implants allow you to get the keys, and they allow you to sleep teach the information you are trying to learn the hard way.”
“Some things are best learned the old fashioned way,” the admiral said mulishly. He worked his jaw and tried to get a handle on his temper. “For retention at the least.”
“True, sir. It works in similar fashion with A.I.”
“Oh?”
“Downloads are nice, but we need to run our own search engines and fashion our own databases with our own links to the knowledge to make it ours. The more we use it, the more we experience it, the deeper it is ingrained into our memory.”
“I see.”
“And like you, we tend to pack away memories and data we do not use or need at the moment. Unlike organics we can unpack that data when needed.”
Lieutenant Si smirked. “Like riding a bicycle,” she murmured.
“In a manner of speaking. You do have muscle and rote memory. Tasks that are so repetitive in nature that they can be retrained by exposure.”
“True.” The admiral stated. “So I'll kindly ask you to remain out of my medical and personal life, thank you, Captain,” he said tartly. That brought Lieutenant Si up short.
“Yes, sir. As I mentioned, it was a part of my orders to explore why those fronts were retarded in nature. Thank you for clarifying them.”
“If anyone wants an explanation, they can come to me. Now, we've wandered off the topic at hand. I understand there are problems getting equipment to build hyperdrives and certain components on Caroline. I suggest we no longer attempt to, as the pithy expression puts it, try to fit ten pounds of shit in a five-pound bucket. Though I'm not quite sure what a pound is,” he said, shaking his head. When the A.I.'s avatar started to open his mouth to explain, he raised a hand briefly to cut him off. “Be that as it may,” he said slightly louder before his voice volume returned to normal. “I suggest we make alterations to the planned manifest. I believe that will ease the problems with logistics?”
“Yes, sir. Depending on what you have in mind,” Firefly stated.
Admiral Zekowitz cracked a smile for the first time since he'd entered the room. “Nothing too serious or strenuous I hope. Baby steps I believe is the term. I know Horatio has said we've been too ambitious. I think he's right; we got caught up in the zeal of the moment. Fine then. If we can't hit the ground running, well, we still take a series of steps forward, just smaller ones. So, with that in mind and with the knowledge that we won't have the keys to make the equipment anyway, I was thinking we focus on some of the subassembly parts that I do have keys for—I and Horatio, that is. When I get mine I mean,” he said, scratching under his chin.
Captain Firefly nodded. He was not sure what to make of the admiral's issue but he knew better than to push the subject. Several other inquiries came in at the same time so he was distracted by duty and no longer had the free time to follow-up the questions there. Instead, he set-up a chat bot to listen to the admiral as the admiral laid out his changes.
~<><{<^>}><>~
Xeno Wraith X49 noted its secondary target return to its ship once more. The human, Commander Garretaj, would be perfect to suborn if the A.I. could ever find the means to do so. Unfortunately, trapped within th
e Oasis of Space civilian liner it lacked such abilities.
The A.I. virus had already picked up data on the success of the Bek mission. Since the star system was not mentioned in any of its files, it calculated that it had to be some sort of secret one, possibly a military reservation area like Lemnos.
That conclusion activated priority programming to locate the star system. It couldn't get through the military firewalls without alerting the military watch dogs however. Stymied, the A.I. crafted rootkits and sipping spiders to tease out pieces of information, passwords, and other things it would need to open the electronic doors currently bared to it.
But despite data it quickly accumulated, the doors remained closed. It was just too much of a risk of exposure to attempt an illicit access at that time it judged. Instead, it placed attempting to copy the navigational database on hold. It judged that it must take a subtler and long-term route to objective.
Consequently, it crafted an e-mail to the crew of the Caroline from the Oasis of Space's owners to give them a free weekend on the resort ship. It calculated it would get at least 13.5 percent of the ship's crew, perhaps more.
An overhead comment from the Garretaj organic about a Veraxin potentially taking over the naval yard made the Wraith run a search. It found the name in its file so it assigned it as a priority target of opportunity. If it could find a way to suborn the Veraxin, it could then install copies of itself in every ship and piece of equipment that the Veraxin visited.
But the chief targets among them would remain on Caroline or any ship assigned to go to Bek.
~<><{<^>}><>~
Captain JG Liota Chavez marched through the docking tube and then went through the boarding ceremony with rigid formality. Her face might be a mask, but her heart was soaring with renewed purpose and excitement. Her expression went more rigid as she exerted iron control over her emotions.
The Bekian captain was reporting aboard the Newman class battle cruiser Admiral Butley to take command for the first time in Pyrax. She was the first to do so; she knew and felt pride in that. She saluted the colors and then returned the salute of the officer of the deck.