"I'd be proud to lead the Marines in a recovery effort, but only if the Captain approved the action first."
"What kind of advice are you looking for?"
"Where can I find out if we're on legal ground with this? Where exactly does the Clidepp space end and the GA space begin with relation to that ship?"
"I honestly don't know. I've never heard of a case where such precision was required. Normally, we maintain a strictly hands-off posture with respect to dip ships. I could ask Commander Bryant if you wish."
"Only if he won't immediately tell the Captain. If my idea is absurd, I'd rather the Captain didn't know I was behind it. I'm already on his shit list. He told me after the shooting that I would probably spend the rest of my career dirt-side on some obscure planet or moon."
Milton chuckled. "Only here a few months and you've already been given the dirt-side speech, eh? You're a fast worker. Most of us were here a year before we got it."
"You got it too?"
"Everybody gets it the first time they screw up. The old man seems to think it keeps us on the straight and narrow from then on. Maybe it does."
"But mine was delivered before he sent a report to SHQ."
"I didn't see the report, but I can guarantee one thing. It was a fair and unbiased description of exactly what the old man saw. He doesn't try to color them and always reserves his personal opinion unless they solicit it. You said you were cleared, right?"
"Yeah."
"So there you go."
Chapter Ten
~ Feb. 4th, 2285 ~
"Captain, how much longer will it be before your repairs are complete?" Lidden asked the com image of Captain Surrosso.
"Our engineers have encountered more difficulties than originally expected. I've asked for a revised figure, but they say they won't know for sure until they can remove more of the damaged equipment. Unfortunately, we carry only a few engineers on the ship— just the number normally required for basic maintenance."
"Space Command has too few ships in this area. We can't continue to provide protection for disabled ships indefinitely. My superiors are pressuring me to return to our interdiction activities."
"We did request that one of our destroyers come to serve as protection, but they were denied entry into GA space."
"That's understandable. At present, we believe there are two rogue Clidepp Empire destroyers operating in our space, so we will immediately engage any that we encounter. We would hate to destroy a legitimate ship and crew while believing we're attacking one controlled by rebels."
"We could establish some sort of recognition code."
"Did you have recognition codes at the facility where the ships were being refitted?"
"You can't assume that because they got one set of codes, they'll get another."
"And we can't assume they won't. Someone had to have leaked that information."
"I'm sorry, Captain, but the repairs will take as long as they take. Please don't leave us defenseless out here."
"You're hardly defenseless. You fought off the Clidepp destroyer who attempted to stop you."
"That was a lucky shot. They outgunned us twenty to one."
"Perhaps my engineers can assist your people to get you underway sooner. I'm sure I have a much larger engineering staff than you have available on that small ship."
"The Ambassador forbids any further entry into the ship by Space Command personnel."
"Are you having engineering difficulties inside?"
"Ah, no."
"Then there's no need for my people to enter your ship. I was only offering assistance with the repairs to your temporal envelope generator. Your warships will not be allowed into GA space until we've found and destroyed the two that are already here, and we can't stay here indefinitely simply because you have inadequate engineering staff to handle your problems."
"I'll have to discuss it with the Ambassador."
"Do that, and then get back to me. Perry out."
"Darrapralis out."
* * *
"Lieutenant(jg) Sydnee Marcola reporting to the Captain as ordered," Sydnee said as she braced to attention in front of Lidden's desk.
"Do you recognize that young female, Lieutenant?" Lidden asked as he pointed to the large bulkhead monitor. The image of a young girl about age nine or ten was being displayed.
Sydnee studied the image for a few seconds before saying, "She doesn't look familiar, sir."
"That's an image of Carla Taft. She was just ten when the ship on which she was a passenger was taken by Raiders."
"The woman from the Darrapralis, sir?"
"The very same."
"Now that I understand the age of the image, I can see the facial similarities."
"The feed from your helmet cam has enabled SCI to positively identify five of the six women we saw. They believe they know who the sixth is, but they won't release that information until they're sure."
"Does this mean we're going to free the women, sir?"
"No. At least not yet. But I do have an assignment for you. I'm offering it to you since it sprang from your idea."
"My idea?"
"You asked Lt. Milton to define where Clidepp space ends and GA space begins, relative to the hull of a spaceship. He asked Commander Bryant, and Commander Bryant asked me.
"I've offered to assist the Clidepp ship with their repairs, and they've accepted, with the provision that we not attempt to enter the ship. I'm offering you the position of shuttle pilot for that operation."
"Of course, sir. Is there anything else I should know about the mission objectives?"
"We will attempt to have the Clidepp ship send out as many people as possible to assist in the work. When that happens, we'll try to ascertain if any are Terrans, and, if so, whether they're slaves. If they are, we shall offer them their freedom. Of course, I don't expect there will be any women among them. The women seem to be used for serving duties— and possibly— other activities."
"Yes, sir."
"Your role will be to function as shuttle pilot and nothing else. You will not leave the shuttle. Is that clear?"
"Perfectly, sir."
"SCI believes that if we can produce one former slave who will testify in court to his or her captivity, we might be able to secure the freedom of the others. Right now, it's only our word against theirs."
"But we have the helmet cam images."
"They only prove that the women are there, that one was tortured, and that the one who was shocked was wearing a Raider captive collar. We couldn't see the collar until she fell to the deck because the clothing the women wore hid their necks, so we can't be sure anyone else was so outfitted. Normally, the prima facie evidence of just one collar might be enough, but if the Clidepp Diplomatic Corps offers a rebuttal, the situation could become murky. They could say that the woman was under contract, and that the contract required her to wear a collar. Yes, I know it's weak, but they could offer that as explanation, and say that the woman was simply trying to break her contract. If we manage to get one slave away from the Yolongi, one who can testify in court, then we’ll have a much stronger case that the women are being held against their will."
"I understand, sir."
"Good. You'll be notified when you should report to the shuttle bay for this mission. That's all. Dismissed."
* * *
"We've arrived," the navigator stated as the helmsman put the warship into orbit around the second planet from the sun.
"And none too soon," Currulla wheezed. "The air in the ship is so foul I can barely breathe." Turning to the tac officer, he said, "what else have you been able to find out about this planet besides that it can sustain life?"
"It's extremely hot and humid. A number of indigenous species are deadly, so we must be careful. I've selected what I understand to be the safest landmass, but I still suggest creating a wide clearing for a campsite as soon as we land so we can see any danger coming while we wait for the pickup ship. I've downloaded what
data we have available into viewpads so everyone will know what's safe to eat and what isn't. We have testing equipment, so all liquids, even the processed ones, should be checked before anyone drinks them. I've issued instructions to the crew on what equipment and supplies we should bring down. And I recommend we begin making shuttle trips as soon as possible."
"I didn't need to hear that last part. I'm ready. Let's get outta here."
* * *
Sydnee completed her scheduled time in the simulator and reluctantly shut the power down. She wished she could spend another hour but she had to get some sleep before her watch began, so she headed to her quarters.
After setting a wakeup call time that would allow her to grab some chow before going on watch, she climbed into her rack and fell into a deep sleep.
"Okay, computer, I'm awake," Sydnee said aloud, then realized it wasn't her wakeup call. She glanced at the barely discernible chronograph on the bulkhead and saw there were almost five hours before third watch would begin, so she touched the face of her SC ring and said, "Marcola."
"Lieutenant, this is the Captain. Get down to your shuttle."
"Aye, Captain. Marcola out," she said, then jumped from her bed. In seconds, she was pulling on the padding she wore under her armor, then pulling on the armor itself. She knew that orders called for her to remain on the shuttle's flight deck, but standing orders required the wearing of personal body armor when leaving on any mission, and she would have worn it on this trip regardless of standing orders.
It had been three days since the Captain had informed her of his plan, and each night she had watched Space Command engineers shuttle over to the dip ship and work with the Yolongi engineers on the repairs. She had begun to wonder if the mission had been called off. Perhaps SHQ had ordered a halt to the plan. But now it seemed as if it was a go, unless there was something else in the works.
When Sydnee arrived in the shuttle bay, she found a half-dozen people already assembling near her shuttle. Several were Space Command engineering techs wearing EVA suits, but the other half were Marines wearing EVA suits with Space Command insignia and engineering insignia.
Marine Captain Burrows entered the bay and walked directly to Sydnee. He nodded and said, "I'll be leading this mission, Lieutenant. The Captain wanted the senior Marine there in case things go less than smoothly."
"Aye, Major. You won't have to worry about me acting like a loose cannon. My orders are to remain on the flight deck."
"I was never worried about you, Lieutenant. You're one of just two Space Command officers aboard the Perry who enjoy the privilege of full access to the Marine Combat Range, with my blessing. I've seen your scores. They're very impressive for a Space Command officer."
"Thank you, sir. I'm grateful for the privilege that's been extended to me."
"We'd better get on with our preparations now."
"Aye, sir."
After Sydnee completed her walk-around with the mechanic, she boarded the ship and began running through her checklist. She had just completed her work when Burrows entered the flight deck and sat down in the co-pilot seat.
"We're all buttoned up back there and ready to go."
"Aye, Major," Sydnee said as she confirmed acknowledgment that all hatches were closed, locked, and sealed.
As the shuttle exited the Perry, Sydnee said, "I was beginning to think this mission had been canceled."
"It took a couple of days to develop a degree of trust that we weren't going to storm the ship once we were inside their laser array umbrella. Our engineers have also convinced the Yolongi that we need every hand they can spare for the next stage. As you probably know, the generator sits in a protected repository until needed. It then extends up and out so that the envelope can be formed. The generator rises on a shaft like that used for the periscope on a submarine, but it's a single-piece shaft that extends fifteen meters into the ship. The length is required to provide the strength and absolute stability necessary for envelope generation.
"Our engineers have convinced the Yolongi chief engineer that the shaft seems to be either bent or damaged in some way and so must be removed and checked. That work is almost never done outside of a shipyard where they have the proper equipment. Since it's a weightless environment, it's possible to do it without a boom, but the shaft must be raised straight up, then laid down on the hull where lasers can be used to check that it's perfectly straight to within three microns. It will take a lot of hands to do it in this environment. This will be the best chance we have to see if they have any Terran male slaves."
It took just minutes to travel the twenty-five thousand kilometers to the Clidepp ship once the Sub-Light engines were engaged. Sydney established a parking position some twenty meters from the ship and then sat quietly as her cargo of engineers and Marines disembarked. Rather than using the one-person airlock, the flight deck was sealed from the rest of the ship and the two large hatches were opened after the pressure inside the cabin area had been reduced to zero. Sydnee was able to watch the departure and then the activity on the dip ship using the numerous onboard cameras.
Five hours later, the generator shaft had been checked and restored to its shaft housing. After the Perry personnel returned to the shuttle, the cabin was pressurized and Marine Captain Burrows unsealed the flight deck and entered wearily. He pulled off his helmet and then flopped into the co-pilot chair.
Sydnee waited in silence for several minutes, but when the Marine officer didn't say anything, she asked, "None of the slaves wanted to come back with us, Major?"
"There wasn't a Terran in the lot. They were all Yolongi. We did the work and wrapped it up for this watch."
Sydnee felt anger rising up inside. All those female slaves and not one male, she thought. All this time wasted.
The trip back to the Perry seemed to take little more than the blink of an eye. As Sydnee let the shuttle settle into its regular parking spot, she said, "Thanks, Major. I guess it just wasn't to be."
"We're not going to give up, Lieutenant. We'll find a way to get our people back, even if we have to declare war on the whole damn Clidepp Empire to do it."
"It's just not right that dips can flaunt the law the way they do."
"That's the way it's always been when a nation wants to protect certain diplomats. There have been cases in history where a diplomat has committed cold-blooded murder while in a foreign country. All the country could do was order them out. However, there have been a few times where, in the face of overwhelming criminal evidence, the foreign power revoked their representative's diplomatic status and allowed the government of the country where the crime was committed to arrest the former dip before he or she could flee the country. I wouldn't count on that happening in this case though. We believe the slavery issue is too systemic."
It was several hours into the third watch and Sydnee hadn't gotten a lot of sleep, so she was excused from the watch. She decided to go back to bed and try to forget her disappointment, but she couldn't sleep. After tossing and turning for a couple of hours, she got up and went to her com system. She used the Marine access code assigned to her to see if there was any free time on the Combat Range. She was delighted to see that no one had scheduled any time during the next several hours, so she booked an hour.
When she arrived down at the Range, she found the area deserted. She retrieved a laser rifle from the weapons cabinet and walked to the control console. Until now, she had been using the Basic Training setting, but for this session she selected Intermediate. She started the game and then stepped up to the start line. She took a deep breath, released it, and moved onto the 'city' course. She hadn't gone more than a meter before two enemy soldiers confronted her. One popped up through a sewer hole and the other was on a rooftop. She shot the sewer rat first and then dove forward, shooting at the roof pigeon as she fell. She saw the roof target go down, but she didn't think she scored a killing shot. As she got to her feet and began to move forward again, she scanned the windows of the buildings but
kept an eye on the roof. Sure enough, the roof shooter popped up again, but this time Sydnee scored a killing shot and he dropped out of sight. When another shooter appeared, this time at a first floor window, she dove into the building and shot him while lying on the floor as he turned to face her.
By the time Sydnee reached the end of the city course, her armor was working at full cycle trying to keep her cool. She didn't even glance at her score; she just started the clock running on the jungle course and moved in.
"I saw your name on the schedule when I checked availability," Lieutenant Kelly MacDonald said as she entered the Marine Combat Range antechamber, "but it listed you as coming in several hours ago."
Sydnee was relaxing on one of the sofas and looked up. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep."
"I heard the mission was a bust. Too bad."
"Can you believe it? Not one single Terran male was sent out to help."
"Well, we don't actually know that they have any male slaves on board. The slaves might all be female." Looking up at the board in the anteroom that showed the start time, participants, level, game run time and score for each of the courses, Kelly whistled. "You went through each of the courses three times at the Intermediate level? Your scores are fantastic."
"No one else came in, so I figured it would be okay."
"It's okay— it's just— unusual. You must be dead on your feet."
"I had a compelling urge to destroy something and I decided it was better to work it out down here than wreck my quarters."
"Yeah, I've felt that urge from time to time."
"I'm better now."
"Nothing chases that urge away like killing something," Kelly said with a grin.
"The only thing I have an urge to kill is that Yolongi Ambassador. But I'll control my temper. He'll get his eventually, and we'll get our people back."
"Yeah, but I was kinda hoping it would be sooner rather than later."
"Me too."
"Got enough energy left for another walk? We can do a tandem."
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