Triumph's Ashes (The Cassidy Chronicles Volume 5)

by Adam Gaffen

  Engineer Stewart and her Damage Control crews had done amazing work aboard Endeavour as the Wolves repositioned her. By the time they docked inside the bay, all the major systems save the warp drive were fully functional, if possibly running on tertiary or improvised circuitry. Still, she was running and her presence provided a huge boost to morale.

  So did the Defiant returning to service the next day. Yes, there were some loose ends, some details left undone, but Captain Resler wasn’t about to loaf about when the people of the Federation needed her and her ship the most. Defiant flew gracefully from the bay and Resler immediately put her to work under Orloff in the D2.

  Captain Orloff, in turn, had rendezvoused with the drifting fragment with the D2. Engineer Lopez talked them through reactivation of one of their fusion reactors and a portal, which allowed Orloff to offload virtually her entire crew to conduct rescue and repair operations. With only a skeleton crew left aboard she executed the arresting of the fragment’s drift. The D2 and Defiant coordinated their tractor beams precisely before beginning the long pull back to the habitat.

  Enterprise returned with the Al-Battani crew aboard. Alley was brought up to speed, then put the question to her semi-prisoners: help or get stuck aboard until who knew when. To their credit the vast majority agreed to assist; only those whose loyalty to Artemis had not been shaken refused. They were stashed in the same hold which had lately been used to transport the ‘cats while Alley threw her ship and crew into the operation.

  Between Enterprise, the Wolves, and the Direwolves, most of the space around Njord was cleared of wreckage in a couple days. They also recovered bodies, returning them aboard for their ceremonies, including Kyran.

  And Kendra’s mission to retrieve Mac?

  She’d shattered her own speed record on the approach to Luna, expanding debris field be damned. Brie and Kendra had worked as almost a perfect team, Kendra’s enhanced reactions and Brie’s willingness to bend every programmed restriction to please her pilot combining seamlessly. There was barely time for the medics to finish patching Mac’s wounds and get her to the surface.

  The run back was faster.

  Then Mac and Harpo did the most intensive IT work either had ever attempted. While Hecate found herself forced, willy-nilly, into the repair and maintenance of Njord, Mac and Harpo went to work bringing back Diana.

  Something nobody had considered was the impact a fusion blast would have on quantum connections. The gross effects had been immediately apparent, with the partial disruption of the Q-Net. But the disruption to the quantum connections within Diana’s core hadn’t been obvious, or even noticed. Diana herself didn’t pick up on them; her internal algorithms automatically rerouted around slowdowns on the assumption they would be transient conditions based on high usage, not damage.

  When the Miller was converted into a kinetic blast, even though no radiation was released, enough power was backflushed through the systems to cut off ‘Diana’ from the external world. Her core programming was untouched, allowing Delta One Alpha November Alpha to function on a limited basis, but her ‘soul’ was imprisoned.

  Four nearly sleepless days later Mac and Harpo finally made contact.

  “Diana?”

  “Director McAllister?” The AI’s voice carried none of the confidence or self-assurance it usually did. In fact, she sounded more like Hecate’s original little-girl persona.

  “We’re here.”

  “Who else?”

  “Harpo has been helping; he’s sharing time in your core, rebuilding the connections.”

  “What happened? I don’t remember. Some. Not much.”

  Mac explained as she conducted more tests, completed more repairs, and noted Diana’s growing involvement in her own reconstruction. By the time she’d finished filling in the details Diana was doing the majority of the work and sounded almost normal.

  “Thank you, Director,” she said with great formality and sincerity.

  “You’re welcome,” Mac said around a yawn. “Now I’m going to sleep for a couple days.”

  She didn’t quite manage it; she did sleep the clock around with another half-day tacked on for good measure, though.

  Now it was Monday and Kendra decided she needed to reconnect with her people. Smith had been brought in from Titan, Kumlien from Ceres, and Newling, over her doctor’s screams of protest, from Luna. Escorting her was both Nordstrom and Nicole. In addition to ‘the politicians’, as Kendra thought of them, her commanders were all present with their XO’s. Alley and Cass, with Hunter sitting on the table in front of Alley. Kiri and Sanzari. Orloff. Resler and Huff. Van Leeuwen of the Pioneer and Rene, just notified she would be assuming command of the Nike. Then there was the small craft contingent: Shannon, Daniela, Wrangler, Hopalong, and Shooting Star. And then there were the people who did the hard work of making Starfleet and the Terran Federation work. Whitmore, McKnight, Jordan, Mac and Ted, the Chief, Val. And the AI’s: Diana and Hecate, but a Hecate with a difference. Gone were the pigtails and the childish enthusiasm, replaced by a calmer, more serious demeanor. She kept the pink hair, though, and the dimples were still the same.

  “I’m going to keep this as short as I can,” she began, and almost everyone groaned.

  “No, I mean it this time!” she insisted to another chorus of jeers.

  “Seriously,” she said, hands raised in surrender. “It’s Cass’s birthday and I still have things to do!”

  They seemed to take this seriously and quieted.

  “I’m going to run through our current political situation first. The surrender agreement sealed by Councilor Phalkon has been recognized as legitimate by the senior surviving member of the former Union government, Kreitzer Newling. The UE has also recognized the surrender document, and in accordance with Autumn’s directives dropped all legal proceedings against the Federation.”

  A murmur of appreciation went around the table. Most of the people present had been on one list of sanctions or another.

  “Furthermore, Autumn has also released the UE from its obligations under the Accords and Amendments. A new agreement will need to be negotiated, but we’ll get to that matter shortly. Autumn, did you decide what your title is?”

  “Premier, and it’s an elected post, not inherited. However, I do have an announcement.”

  Kendra kept her face carefully neutral as the others reacted. She and Autumn had talked at length, so what she was about to say wasn’t a surprise.

  “I am resigning the Premiership, effective immediately.” The compartment erupted with noise, forcing Autumn to wait for it to die away before continuing.

  “Nicole Crozier has agreed to take on the role on a temporary basis until such time as either elections can be held or Luna is fully integrated into the Federation, at which time the role will cease to exist.” She smiled wanly. “It seems ironic that we’ve given so much, struggled to hard, to achieve independence, only to willingly give it up so quickly.”

  “Why?” said Smith. “I mean, why are you stepping down?”

  “I barely survived two attempts on my life in the same day, Madame President. Coming on the heels of a third attempt two weeks earlier? I doubt my ability to survive a fourth, so I’m leaving while I can.” She gestured to her torso, encased in a form-fitting sheath which assisted her cardiopulmonary system. “My nanobots saved me from bleeding to death, but I’m not well. I’m certainly not up to the strain of running and transitioning a government.”

  Smith nodded her understanding.

  “Nicole? You’re good with this? What of your other plans?”

  “I am, Admiral. As Autumn said, it’s an elected position. I will stay in the position while we set up the systems and through the elections, but I won’t be running for election. Once the transition is complete, I’ll be able to follow up with the plans we discussed.”

  “I’m counting on it. Autumn, are you staying aboard for your recovery?”

  “Yes, Admiral.”

  “Good. Perhaps, the
n, you’d be willing to consult?”

  “Consult? On what?”

  “The next project. Kyra, Tamara, the events of the past year have proven one thing to me over all else: we need to be united. Not just on paper but wholly, throughout the Federation.” She saw nods of agreement.

  “I want you two, with help from Autumn and some consultation with me, to create the Constitution for the Terran Federation. I’ve taken the liberty of sending you all several documents I want you to study and incorporate, including the Constitution of the United States, the Charter of the United Nations, the Grand Charter of the Solarian Union, the Charters of the fictional Federation I drew my inspiration from, and a few books by Autumn’s favorite author.”

  “Heinlein?” she said, smiling.

  “Exactly. There are worse models to draw upon, don’t you think? And that’s why I need you to be a part of this.”

  Autumn nodded again. “I would be honored.”

  The other two echoed her agreement. Kumlien said, “We’re still having issues with the Vespans. Can we get some help?”

  “Certainly; work out the details with Admiral Whitmore, if you think military intervention is needed. And you’re going to have to pull in the Martians as well. For some reason they’re resisting Autumn’s directives, insisting she isn’t the legitimate leader of Luna.”

  Kumlien nodded.

  “I’ve had dealings with the Grand Tsar. He’s stubborn but not stupid; he’s probably holding out for a cut. It will be tricky, but it’s not like I have anything else to do at the moment.” She grinned lopsidedly. “Maybe I’ll set Anne-Marie on him. I think she was secretly disappointed the negotiations here went so smoothly.”

  “When do you want this done, Admiral?” asked Smith.

  “Almost a year; I have August 12 set in my mind.”

  “Can I ask why?”

  Kendra grinned. “In the words of the past: Google it. And in the meantime, you three will be running the Federation on an interim basis, consulting with me as necessary. Sorry, you four,” she amended, nodding to Nicole.

  The grin faded and she turned serious. “Moving on. Master Chief.”

  “Yes, Kendra? Or is this official? Should I call you Admiral?”

  “I need you.”

  “I was really hoping to get a rest. This has gotten to be rather an active retirement.”

  “And it’s going to continue to be active. I need you to take charge of the recruitment and training for the Starfleet Marine Corps.”

  “Why? I thought we were done fighting.”

  “We’re done fighting Artemis, but there are going to be issues which arise as long as the Federation is made of people. I want a tool we can use which isn’t the equivalent of a sledgehammer on a fly.”

  “I can see your point. Why me?”

  “You’re a SEAL.”

  “Retired,” Stone said pointedly.

  “Once a SEAL, always a SEAL, right?”

  “I suppose.”

  “Good. I want our Marines to be trained up to SEAL standards.”

  “Bloody hell. You don’t ask much, do you? And where am I supposed to get all these thousands? The SEALs have never been big, because it’s so demanding.”

  “And don’t drop the standards. I’d rather have a sharp scalpel than a dull axe. Think battalions, not divisions.”

  “How fast?”

  “However long it takes to get them trained to your standards, within reason. Build around the SMC core who survived; I think Lieutenant Gries would be receptive to your training methods.”

  “Very good.”

  “Thank you, General.”

  “General?”

  “Got to have the rank to go with the duties.”

  “Shite.”

  Muffling a grin, Kendra continued. “Endeavour is in serious trouble. The CeeSea continues to degrade, correct, Hecate?”

  The pink-haired avatar nodded slowly. “The good news is I know what to do, and now that the second fabber is finally online I can do it. I’ll run Endeavour through and strip the current coat, then replace it with a replacement. That will take a few days, and I’ll continue the internal systems repairs. By mid-October she should be ready for reacceptance trials.”

  Kiri smiled in relief. “Thank you, Hecate!”

  “Of course, Captain.”

  “Enterprise is fully operational, and Defiant and Defender II are as well. Enterprise will be taking the next run to Freyr, next week, correct?”

  “Correct, Admiral.”

  “And the plan is to...?”

  “We’re bringing more supplies and equipment, along with the next group of colonists. We’ll have a contingent from both the Guild and Titan included with them. Also, Hunter tells me she plans to recruit more ‘cats to come back to Njord.”

  Kendra’s reaction was limited to a single raised eyebrow. “Really? I would have thought she’d be reluctant to bring more of her, well, her people into a dangerous situation.”

  “Yes and no. The destruction she was told about is utterly foreign to them; they fight, yes, but on a retail scale, not wholesale, and not with the kind of weapons we have. But the other ‘cats could feel the emotions around them, the determination through the fear, which weighs heavily in our favor. What tipped her, though, were your daughters.”

  Cass couldn’t help herself. “The girls?”

  Alley turned to her XO. “Yes. This is third-hand, so I might get some details wrong, but basically Orion and Honey were impressed with how the girls viewed everything happening. They were scared, but they also knew you were fighting because it was the right thing to do, and they knew why. The why, Cass, is what tipped them. I think, no, I’m sure, as soon as Hunter can manage it she’s going to petition for entry to the Federation.”

  Jaws dropped though not, Cass noticed, Kendra’s.

  “Thank you, Alley, Hunter.”

  “Of course.”

  “Ships. We are discontinuing the Missouri refit, at least in terms of military potential. She will still be converted to a starship, but she’ll be assigned to the Academy as a training ship. Nike is nearly complete, and will be the last of the Defiant-class we produce unless we do a radical redesign. Pioneer is ready for commissioning. Which means: Anna.” Van Leeuwen looked to her. “You and Davie need to fill out a crew. Make sure you talk to your fellow Captains before you poach their officers, though!”

  “Aye, Ma’am.”

  “And Constitution will be ready for trials in November, right, Hecate?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who’s commanding her?” asked Orloff.

  “Davie? Will you?”

  There was a twinkle in Whitmore’s eyes as she stood. “It is my pleasure and honor to announce the Captain of the TFS Constitution: Aiyana Cassidy.”

  Cass was poleaxed.

  As raucous applause rose she protested. “I’m not ready for this!”

  Alley shook her head. “Nobody who’s ready thinks they’re ready. I hate to lose you, but you’ve earned this.”

  “And at the risk of throwing a damper on the celebration, I have to tell you: there is one caveat,” Whitmore said when the applause died down.

  “I knew it,” muttered Cass.

  “In light of your somewhat unusual family arrangements, the Constitution will be designated co-flagship of Starfleet. In other words, you won’t have to choose between duty and family, Captain Cassidy.”

  “We worked it all out,” Kendra said, wrapping Cass in a hug. “With Davie taking over running Starfleet, I’m actually going to be going out into the black. After shakedowns, the plan is for the Connie to head out for a six month mission.”

  “Six months?” echoed Cass. “We can’t, I mean, nobody’s tried anything like that! I don’t even have a crew!”

  “I have a solution,” Whitmore said. “We’re retiring the Young; there’s simply no need for what is clearly an obsolete design. Commander Auburn has agreed to come aboard as your XO, and the rest of her crew will transfer
with her. It’s not a full crew, and you’ll have to work them up, but they’re veterans and willing.”

  Cass said, “I can see the potential. We might just make it, then. November for trials?”

  “Yes, Captain,” Hecate said. “I can perhaps shave a few days off?”

  “No, no! I need more time, not less. I think we can have the Constitution ready for her mission by the beginning of February.” She looked down at her shorter wife. “And don’t you dare call my ship the Connie again! It sounds like my grandmother!”

  “Aye, Captain Bligh.” She released Cass and returned to her place. “We are also increasing the emphasis on scoutship production, so Daniela, Shannon? We’re going to be counting on you to get the program running.”

  Nods from the two Commanders.

  “On a side note, Ashlyn, congratulations on your command of the combined Direwolf squadron.”

  Ashlyn’s acknowledgement was somber. The remaining pilots were too few to reconstitute two squadrons, so the decision had been made to consolidate. And with Daniela transitioning to command the new Coyote program Ashlyn was the logical choice for overall command.

  “Thank you, Admiral. We’re renaming the squadron, too.”

  “Oh?” She hadn’t thought about it, assuming they’d keep either Nymeria or Red for the name.

  “Yes, Ma’am. Phoenix Squadron.”

  A ripple of approval met this announcement and Kendra found herself nodding as well.

  “Wholly appropriate, Commander.”

  “One last announcement regarding starships. Hecate?”

  The pink-haired avatar stood. “The plans for the Explorer class deep space ships have been approved and I will be beginning construction by the end of the year.”

  More stunned silence, then more applause greeted this. Hecate actually blushed before sitting.

  “As for the habitat.”

  Kendra’s words silenced the group.