by Adam Gaffen
“Absolutely, Empress. I serve.”
CHAPTER THREE
TFS Enterprise; Freyr (40 Eridani A c)
Stardate 12008.07
“Is that the planet we’re going to live on, Mom?” Mikki asked from her perch on Cass’s command chair.
It was late in the ship’s day and Cass had bent the rules to bring the girls up to the bridge for the approach to Freyr. Lieutenant Datu was holding the conn for second watch. When Lisa entered the bridge and said, in her little-girl voice, “Permission to enter the bridge,” she’d nearly laughed aloud. Luckily Cass caught her eye and silently pleaded for a serious response, so Datu changed the almost-laugh into a suitably official, “Permission granted, Miss Cassidy.”
“And me!” said her older sister.
“And you as well, Miss Cassidy.”
The evening watch was more lively than usual, given the presence of the two girls. Lisa spent most of her time with her mother, who had tried to stay inconspicuous at the Science station, while Mikki decided she was destined to command. She plopped down in the XO’s seat and proceeded to ask enough questions about the integrated controls to worry Datu.
“Not for a long time, Mikki,” answered Cass with a laugh. “Maybe someday you’ll live there, but we’re just visiting for now.”
“This is where the Freyr’s goats live, right?” asked Lisa.
“That’s right.”
“I want to find a near-cat to bring home as a pet!” she announced.
“I want one too!” protested Mikki, standing and turning in the chair.
“Sit down, Mikki!”
Plop.
“We don’t know what other animals live on Freyr,” Cass started to protest. “And even if we did, you already have a pair of cats.”
“But they’re not near-cats,” argued Lisa. “They’re not the same!”
It was impeccable logic, Cass had to admit.
“We have to find them first,” she temporized. “Then we’ll talk again.”
Lisa, taking the concession as a victory, grinned Kendra’s grin.
“Planetfall in two minutes,” announced Hamby from Helm.
“Planetfall? We’re going to fall?” Mikki asked.
“No,” answered Datu. “That’s what we call it when we enter orbit around a planet.”
“Oh.”
“Shuttlebay,” Datu said.
“Go ahead,” answered Batgirl.
“Prepare to launch Wolves.”
“Prepped and ready, Lieutenant.” Datu could hear the Don’t tell me how to do my job clearly and winced. A little damage control was called for.
“Sorry, Batgirl.”
She could hear Batgirl’s wave of dismissal in her spoken, “No problem, L-A.”
“Thirty seconds. Dropping from warp in five, four, three, two, one, now.”
The planet on the screen, which had been growing visibly larger, slowed in its inflation and then settled into a steady size.
“Orbit calculated.”
“No other ships on my sensors,” said Manco at Tactical. She hadn’t expected any, of course, but Alley, through Cass, had drilled What if..? into every Tactical watchstander. Sensors, shields, and weapons were their holy trinity.
“Conditions on Freyr are nominal,” added Willerman, manning the Science station in between answering Lisa’s questions.
“Orbit achieved. Engines to station keeping.”
Datu was pleased with her crew’s performance, and Cass added to that with a, “Very smooth, everyone. Lieutenant, thank you for your indulgence. Girls, it’s time for bed.”
The half-coherent protests were completely expected.
“Charlemagne, you are clear to launch,” said Batgirl.
“Roger,” Motherlove replied. The lead Wolf lifted smoothly despite the heavy load and cleared the doors. The other five Wolves followed as beads on a string and arrowed for the planet surface.
Despite the late hour the initial landings were going ahead full speed. The Twins tidal lock meant Freyr was just over forty hours into its 132 hours of daylight and nobody was going to let that pass. While they had a month on station, nobody wanted to spend any time shuttling back and forth from the surface. This meant setting up the shelters and getting the bones of the colony-to-be established as quickly as possible. To that end, the first flight of Wolves was loaded down with two fusion plants and the groundside portal.
Aboard Enterprise, Batgirl and Junkyard were busy as well. Coordinating with LJ, they were moving forward quickly on the assembly of the planned orbital station. When the essential framework was complete the Alpha AI and the fabber kernel would be installed. From there, all they’d need to do was feed it raw materials and it would essentially build itself.
By morning, and the official beginning of Cass and Alley’s Day Watch, the Wolves had already completed two deliveries and were being loaded for the third. This concerned Cass.
“Minna, connect me to LJ.”
“Connected, Commander.”
“Lieutenant Berg.”
“Commander? What’s going on?”
“What’s the schedule for crew rest?”
If she strained, Cass thought she could hear cursing. She quirked an eyebrow at Alley.
“Let me guess,” Cass said. “Batgirl and Junkyard are still on duty and they assured you their pilots could handle another flight.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Lieutenant, they were a Wolf team. They’re as gung ho as you’re going to find in the squadron, and they’re likely to go until someone drops.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Tell them to cease operations and order a mandatory six hour crew rest for everyone, then work up a schedule. Don’t let them do it; they’re on crew rest too, right now.” Cass softened her tone. “They may own the birds, but it’s your bay, LJ. Run it, just like you ran Endeavour.”
“Aye, Commander.”
“Good. Cassidy, out.”
“Nicely handled, XO, and I’m not saying that because she’s my wife.”
“Thanks. I think we need to consider bumping LJ a step so she can pull rank on those two, if needed.”
“I’ll think about it. What’s on the agenda for today?”
“Mostly shuttle runs and initial work on the orbital installation. Exobiology is down on the surface in force, sweeping for more life forms.”
“Very good. Carry on, XO.”
“COMMANDER!”
“What, Breena?”
“These new scanners are great! We’re picking up all types of biologicals the old ones simply missed.”
“Good. Make sure you log them as they come in, and take care on the initial taxonomy. Don’t want to set bad precedents.”
“No problem, Commander.”
She was right, Seabolt reflected. While the flora and fauna of Freyr were all related to Earth’s biosphere, they were different enough so they’d been difficult to detect using sensors calibrated to Earth standards. Now, though, they’d had an opportunity to create a new calibration standard. With these they were discovering Freyr was as chock-full of life as Earth and across all three primary biomes: air, land, and water. And this was less than a day after landing; who knew what they’d find in the month they were going to have?
Idly, she wondered if telepathy was going to be a common trait among the fauna before returning to the plants before her.
“YOU’RE SURE?”
Cass nodded. “LJ is, and that’s good enough for me. The orbital habitat has achieved stability, and they’ve brought the initial fusion plant on line. A few hours to warm up and we can install the Alpha core.”
“During Datu’s shift?”
“Yes, Captain. Sebesta will have the duty on Engineering, so he’ll be the one doing the actual installation.”
“And the personality is settled?”
Cass nodded. “Yes. Fjolnir, the son of Freyr and Gerd.”
“Fitting.”
“That’s what Diana thou
ght when she proposed it; once she explained it to Kendra, she agreed.”
Alley noted the new faces on the bridge and checked the time. Shortly before fifteen, which meant the Mid shift was preparing to take over. There was an hour overlap between shifts, providing plenty of time for in-briefing and troubleshooting. Lieutenant Datu wasn’t on the bridge yet, but she’d be there.
The lift door opened and Datu walked out, smiling to her crew and the Day crew alike as she made her way to the center of the bridge.
“Captain, Commander.”
“Lisa-Ann,” said Cass, echoed by Alley’s, “Lieutenant.”
Cass stood; it was her job to bring Datu up to speed. It often involved a brief tour to the various divisions, though today they’d probably spend most of their time in Science; Alley would handle the bridge.
“ANNE, YOU WANTED TO see me?”
The former physics professor looked up from her work.
“Commander, thank you.”
“I always have time for you, Anne.” Cass dropped into a chair next to the specialist. “Unfortunately, I have to pick up my girls in a few minutes, so I don’t have as much as I probably ought to give you.”
“The basic idea won’t take long.”
“Which means the details will probably get a hundred page journal article.”
“More like a book,” Gigluk said.
“Hit me.”
“I’ve been thinking about the warp drive, and how it works.”
Cass had far more than a layman’s expertise with warp theory, but she wasn’t an expert. “Okay.”
“Well, when the warp drive is engaged, everything within the warp field is shifted out of the universe. I know, I know. It’s more complex than I’m saying, but it’s close enough for a discussion.”
“I agree completely with what you said. For purposes of the discussion, yes, we shift out of the universe.”
“And when we shut down the drive we drop back in.”
“Right.”
“Well, since we choose where to drop back in, couldn’t we also choose when to drop back in?”
“That’s crazy!” was her immediate answer, then her brain caught up to her reactions. “Wait. Maybe not crazy.”
“Which is exactly what I said when I first thought of it. But if we accept time as a dimension, one which can be measured, then logically we should be able to manipulate it. It’s simply a question of how.”
“And I assume you’ve figured out the ‘how’?”
“I think so.”
“Anne, don’t keep me in suspense.”
“The key is tachyon radiation. I got to thinking, if the warp field didn’t have a temporal flexibility, why were we detecting it whenever a ship jumped to warp? There shouldn’t be any if we weren’t somehow impacting temporal reality.”
“Oh, of course!” Cass fell silent, considering the possibilities. “You’re right, this is at least a full book. Keep on it, Anne. Do you have any planetary assignments?”
Gigluk shook her head.
“Until the portal is ready for assembly, no.”
“Good. Anyone who isn’t on surface duties you can tap for support; I’ll clear it with Phaedra.”
Gigluk beamed. “Thank you, Commander, but as long as I have time and help from Minna, I shouldn’t need to pull any of the other Division members.”
“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this could be a huge breakthrough, Anne. Maybe as big as warp theory.”
“It’s only logical,” Gigluk protested, but her smile didn’t waver.
Cass stood. “Feel free to bounce ideas off me if you think it will help. But now I have two little girls who are expecting dinner. Goodnight, Senior Petty Officer.”
“Petty Officer, Ma’am.”
“Not after this. Congratulations.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Habitat Njord
Stardate 12008.08
“Double Dip.”
Daniela nearly spilled her coffee jumping to her feet.
“Admiral!” she said in surprise, starting to salute before putting her coffee down and trying again. This time she succeeded.
“Sorry, Danni, I didn’t mean to make you jump.” Daniela didn’t think she sounded at all apologetic, but, well, Admirals.
“No problem, Admiral. How can I help you?”
Kendra looked around the squadron’s small wardroom. “Is there any more coffee?”
“Always,” she answered and hustled to get a mug. “Anything in it?”
By way of answer, Kendra asked, “Is it any good?”
“We like to think so, but we might be biased.”
“Black.”
Social niceties finished, Daniela waited for Kendra to sit before settling back into her chair.
Kendra took a sip and set the mug down.
“I have to admit, I had to ask Diana how to get here,” she began. “I haven’t spent much time down here. Okay, well, none, if I have to be specific.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Shannon! she was desperately comming.
What?
The Admiral’s in my wardroom!
What did you do now?
Nothing, I swear!
On my way. Two minutes.
Thank you!
“...opportunity.”
“Um, yes, Ma’am.”
“You didn’t hear a word I said.”
“No, Ma’am, sorry, Ma’am.”
“Knock it off, Danni. It’s me, Kendra. You know, the person who married you a month ago? I’m not here to bust your chops over breaking another Direwolf. Actually, I wanted to ask you a favor.”
“A favor?”
“I heard there was a two-person version of the Mark II?”
“Yes, Ma—Kendra. For training.”
“Perfect!”
“What?”
“For this to make any sense I have to give you a little ancient history. You have time?”
“As much as the Admiral wants, Kendra.”
“Hmmph. I guess you get away with that one. Ah, Flashdance, I was wondering when you’d make it,” she added as Shannon trotted into the wardroom and skidded to a halt at the tableau.
“It’s okay, Shannon,” Daniela said. “The Ad—Kendra was about to tell me a story.”
“You want to hear it too, pull up a chair and grab a cuppa.”
Kendra waited as a silent Flashdance did just that.
“About fifteen years ago I was able to buy an antique car, internal combustion, cheap. It was pretty much rusted out, but I was making pretty good money and I could pay experts to restore it.” Her eyes grew distant with the memory. “Even before they started I could see the beauty in her. This wasn’t just a car, this was a piece of art, made to be shown off and treasured.”
“What kind of car?” asked Shannon.
“A Bugatti, a Veyron Super Sport. One of thirty of that line, number eighteen. Black body with red highlights and ‘go faster’ stripes,” she said with a fond smile. “I probably dropped a hundred kilocredits into her bringing her back to life, and then OutLook provided me with some little extras. If we didn’t have her, Cass and I never would have survived our wedding.”
“Oh, that car!” said Daniela. “I’ve heard some stories about it. Is it true you had a laser in the car?”
“Absolutely. 1.21 gigawatts. Saved our asses. Anyhow, one of the reasons I loved that car so much was her ability to get up and go; I know it’s not much, but we pushed her to 423 KPH once. Another time, a couple years later, I managed to get her up to 431 KPH, but that was at about 1800 meters altitude, so it probably helped.”
“This is a ground car? Like, wheels?”
Kendra smile grew from fond to predatory. “Yep. One badass car.”
As quickly as it grew, it faded.
“Then Newling had a KEW dropped on our home, and that was the end of her. I haven’t had the heart to find another; it just doesn’t feel right. But that’s why I want the Mark II.”
“Y
ou lost me.”
“The Mark II is the fastest sublight ship ever built, and from what I’ve read it’s the one that makes you feel the speed, more so than the Wolves. No offense, Flashdance.”
“None taken.”
“It’s true,” Daniela said. “The compensators do their best, and the improvements have helped, but, well, the best way I can explain it is you fly a Wolf, and you wear a Direwolf.”
“Exactly! That’s what I miss. So I want you to train me in the Mark II.”
It looked to Shannon as if Daniela were trying to speak, but there wasn’t any sound.
“Admiral, I don’t know if my DCAG and primary fighter commander has the time to take you joyriding,” Shannon said.
“Joyriding?”
“You just told us about how much you miss the feeling of going fast, and you want to use a Mark II to get a thrill. What would you call it?”
“I’d call it a reasonable request from the fleet commander,” Kendra replied coldly, then shook her head.
“No. You’re right, Shannon. But, dammit, I need to do something! This is the first time Cass and I have been apart for more than a couple days in, oh, five years, except for that first deep space mission. I used to deal with it by taking my car out and throwing myself around curves at stupid speed. I can’t do that any longer, so I was hoping this would scratch the itch. It doesn’t have to be Daniela,” she admitted.
“I’m afraid it does. I’m the only one checked out on the Mark II so far. Shannon, thanks, but I do have a little time set aside for squadron drills. I can turn that over to Zero; it’ll do her good to run them through. Okay, Kendra. You’re on.”
Kendra’s grin, the one which made you feel like the most important person in the universe, returned. “Great!”
“Ground rules. You don’t agree, you don’t fly.”
“Agreed. What are they?”
“I’m in charge. You’re not even a cadet. Got it?”
“You’re the pilot, not me.”
“You touch nothing I don’t tell you to touch.”
“I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“You have to wear a pilot’s uniform and skinsuit.”