The Khruellian Encounter

by C J Klinger

  In spite of the seriousness of the moment, Jon smiled in gratitude at the admiral’s blessings on his personal life. He actually whistled on his way to Admiral Manda’s office.

  Chapter 15

  Aboard the CSF Andromeda

  Annika settled into her wardroom waiting for departure. She had been tempted to wake Jon when she woke up this morning, but he had been sleeping so soundly she decided not to disturb him. She smiled at the memory of what had made him so tired. The quickness with which they had decided to have sex surprised her. She couldn’t explain it and felt sure Jon would say the same thing. There was no doubt the chemistry was there; not just physical, but something deeper. At least Annika thought so and was sure Jon had felt the same way. By the time she boarded the CSF Andromeda she had decided to just accept it for what it was; an unexpected connection that was meant to be. The thought of having to deal with Secretary Hector Andreas Gavito put a sudden damper of her euphoria. He would be expecting answers, and she was sure he would not be happy with her report. Annika had no idea what the immediate future held for her, but there was no question in her mind she would face repercussions for her failure.

  A knock on her door startled her. When she opened it, a well-dressed young woman smiled at her and said, “Commander Masterson? Ambassador Samantha McKinnah-Carter requests the pleasure of your company for breakfast.”

  Annika stood there too stunned to speak. Finally, she said, “Ambassador McKinnah-Carter?” like an awestruck teenager.

  The young woman’s smile got bigger, and she repeated, “Yes, that’s correct, Commander. Would you care to join her?”

  Annika nodded dumbly and followed the young woman down the corridor to the senior officer’s deck. After two turns the young woman knocked on a door and entered without waiting for an answer. An attractive, well-dressed woman rose from her chair and walked forward to greet them. Annika could see the family resemblance. Ambassador McKinnah favored her mother, Marcia in coloring and facial features, especially her high cheekbones. Her long dark hair was pulled back and woven into a bob. Annika knew Samantha McKinnah was in her late forties, but she could have easily passed for a much younger woman. She was beautiful in a female way but exuded a strong aura of authority not usually associated with beauty.

  “Commander Masterson, how kind of you to join me for breakfast,” she said and invited Annika to sit down. When they were comfortably seated, she said, “I’m sorry I was unable to attend Jon’s ship dedication ceremony or the dinner afterward. One of our member worlds had a trade dispute with Earth, and I was putting water on the coals before they broke out into flames.”

  Annika could see the family resemblance between Ambassador McKinnah and her nephew, Jon. They shared to same dark, penetrating eyes that didn’t reveal what was going on behind them. Once again, she felt the sensation of the great power this family exercised without seeming to try to do so. With a genealogy that included the founders of the CIP, two Commanders-in-Chief of the CSF and an Ambassador, she supposed the aura of influence was natural and perhaps deserved.

  They chatted a bit getting to know each other a bit better. It was obvious the ambassador was sizing her up, judging her worthiness to be Jon’s paramour. It began to anger Annika. She was not some cow to be measured to see if she was worthy breeding stock. What the ambassador said next surprised her.

  “Look, Annika, we probably owe you an apology,” the ambassador said in a lower tone. “By ‘we’ I mean all of us, all the McKinnahs. JonJon is my nephew and the focus of a lot of love and attention by a lot of very powerful people.”

  Annika sat back in her chair. She had mistaken that love for meddling into hers and Jon’s affair. Before she could comment, Samantha continued.

  “That love and affection is a double-edged sword. On the one hand it gives Jon a lot of influence he may not have earned, and on the other hand, it can be a detriment to any effort he might make to form a serious relationship.” She stopped and looked at Annika as if she was really seeing her for the first time. “If you like Jon, and both mom and grandma say Jon certainly likes you, you will have to accept this burden if you wish to go further with the relationship. We McKinnahs come as a group package.”

  “Wow, Ambassador, I don’t know what to say,” Annika sputtered.

  “Call me Sam, Annika. JonJon says I was always the boss and wore pants,” the ambassador said with a smile.

  Annika doubted she had the temerity to call the CIP’s Ambassador to Earth “Sam,” but she was relieved to hear her explanation of the sudden and swift interest in her. “Ambassador, I appreciate you’re telling me this. What happened between Jon and me was sudden and unexpected. I daresay we are both wondering what’s next. The current circumstances will keep us apart for the foreseeable future, but at least I’ll know what to expect if we get the opportunity to carry it to the next step, whatever that step will be.”

  The food came, and the two women talked about their lives. Mostly, Samantha filled Annika in on Jon’s antics as a child and young man. If she were given the opportunity, she would have a lot of ammunition to tease him. When it came time for Annika to leave, they rose from their chairs, if not friends, at least much closer associates on the same subject, Jonathon McKinnah III.

  Arriving at Earth’s Space Station Alpha, still the major transfer point between space and Earth, the ambassador was swept up in the diplomatic formalities associated with her office. She did manage to wave goodbye before Annika entered the military shuttle to the surface. As the shuttle broke loose from its moorings, Annika thought, “What a nice woman, what a wonderful family, what a great burden on a relationship.” For the entire trip to the surface, she looked out the window but did not see a thing.

  Chapter 16

  Aboard the Islandia II

  Jon watched the crew prepare for landing on Islandia. This was the second homecoming of sorts for the spaceship. The first Islandia had been built here and had been based here until the Confederation had been formed. Technically, if you listened to his grandfather, the first Islandia was “Islandia’s Dream,” the legendary sailboat Jonathon Sr. had built and sailed up the ‘Sippy Sound to Gruenwald with his wife, Marcia and four other early heroes of the Confederation. Whichever number the current Islandia was, Jon was sure they would get an impressive welcome.

  He was correct in his assumption; the landing field was surrounded by a throng of people anxious to see the latest version of their namesake spaceship. His great-uncle, Michael Lewis, Dean Emeritus of Gruenwald Labs headed the reception committee. At seventy-two he was still an active scientist and considered by his peers to be the leading theoretical physicist in the CIP. Some included Earth in that assessment. Many years earlier Talo had found a willing and competent student in Michael Lewis, and the result was a quantum leap in technology for the human race. The particle beam weapons were the latest development from the lab’s defense division. The purpose of this trip was to let the lab’s scientists review the results of Jon’s recent shakedown cruise and evaluate the new weapon’s performance. The best part of visiting Gruenwald was getting to visit his baby sister, Barbara, who was now one of Michael’s research scientists. “Barbarian,” as he used to call her gave him a big hug and a kiss and immediately asked him about his new romance.

  “You’ve been talking to Grandma, haven’t you?” Jon said, exasperated with the attention his love life was getting.

  Barbara laughed. “We McKinnah women will not rest until you’re married off.”

  “What about you, squirt?” Jon asked. “You’re still a bachelorette.”

  She smiled and said, “I think Bill’s about to pop the question.”

  Jon had met Barbara’s boyfriend several times and liked him. “Bill will be a lucky man, Sis.”

  Michael Lewis had waited until the siblings were through greeting each other before stepping forward.

  “JonJon, how are you?” Michael said giving his great-nephew a big hug.

  “I’m doing very well,
Uncle Michael. Your new PBW guns are very impressive.”

  Michael Lewis got a pained expression on his face and said, “I wish we didn’t have to devote one second to weapons development, but I understand the universe we live in.”

  Part of Jon agreed with his great uncle’s assessment, but since he was charged with the Confederation’s defense, he wanted the best the labs could produce. “If you think it’s dangerous now, wait until I tell you about the latest planet I landed on,” Jon said with a smile, “Plants and animals with an attitude.”

  The new landing field at Gruenwald was two kilometers from the island where the labs were located. One of the great changes on the planet that radically affected the Islandians way of life was the construction of an elevated maglev system. In the past twenty-five years over ten thousand kilometers of elevated monorail track had been installed that radiated from three central points, Gruenwald, London and Southern Rest. The perfection of the capacitor technology gained from the Muhybas had made the maglev cars self-propelled and eliminated the need for long-range electric transmission. The new transportation system was threatening the clanboats’ way of life. Not everybody was happy about the change.

  Jon took the opportunity to look around and noted the changes on Gruenwald. He had been born here, but his family had moved to Newhope when he was an infant. Regular trips back to spend summers on the family clanboat had made the planet his psychological home. He thought briefly about taking the maglev down to London to visit his relatives who now operated the clanboat as a native cruise ship for off-planet adventurers, but decided he didn’t have the time. His next assignment was due to start as soon as the Labs gave their final approval on the new innovations built into Islandia II. A fleeting thought of showing Annika where his family had originated crossed his mind, but he dismissed it, not being sure when he would see her again.

  By the following morning, the lab had completed the review of the PBW guns, and he got the clearance he needed to get started on his next mission. That evening, he, Talo and Lieutenant Burns sat at his wardroom table and opened the order packet Admiral Dexter had given him before leaving for Islandia.

  Jon read the opening paragraph and said, “Earth has been trying to reach a planet in the Alpha Tau Alpha cluster which they believe has an FTL system similar to ours.”

  Lieutenant Burns rarely expressed a political opinion, but she recognized the potential problem if the Terran expedition was successful. “The Terran Confederation with an independent FTL drive could cause us a lot of problems.”

  Talo said, “They will not succeed. The ship’s Talo in their survey ship will not let them advance any further.”

  Jon read the orders. “We are instructed to intercept the ship and remind the Terran captain that under the terms of admission to the CIP, such explorations were to be conducted by the CSF. If the captain objects, we are to offer him an opportunity to join the expedition, but under our supervision.”

  Jon closed the orders and added, “It shouldn’t be too difficult an argument to win since their ship is incapable of advancing any further toward Alpha Tau Alpha, but Admiral Dexter has made it plain he does not want the confrontation to escalate out of control.”

  At first watch, Jon instructed Lieutenant Burns to take the ship aloft and fly down the ‘Sippi Sound. He did a short commentary for the crew in the command center as the many thousands of islands unfolded on the forward navigation screen. When New Lewistown came into view, he told the crew this was where his grandfather had married his grandmother in the clanboat era before the Constitutional Confederation had been formed. To the young members of Jon’s crew, this was the stories of their legends come alive. They looked at their Captain, the grandson of the founder with new eyes.

  Satisfied with his nostalgia interlude, Jon said, told, “Take her topside, Lieutenant Burns; it’s time to go to work.”

  Chapter 17

  Space Station Alpha, Earth

  Annika looked at the station chronometer for the tenth time wishing she was someplace else. Her report to Secretary Gavito had been received as she had expected; severe disappointment coupled with his corresponding loss of confidence in her ability to command. The outcome was predictable. She was sitting here waiting for a shuttle to take her to her next assignment; a second seat on a light cruiser destined to spend a year patrolling the moons of Saturn against ore pirates.

  By rights of her previous record, she should be accepting command of her own frigate, but the black mark given her by Secretary Gavito was too much to overcome. Her squadron commander, Rear Admiral Plugerton had been understanding, but blunt; she was not destined to have her own command in the Terran Space Force, which, under the terms of the agreement to join the CSF was confined to the solar system. Only the CSF Space Force would have the responsibility to defend the Confederation in interstellar space. What really galled her was that Secretary Gavito had made sure she was not on the list of officers to be reassigned to the CSF for integration into the new, combined fleet.

  She jumped slightly when her com unit instructed her to go to the central console for a message. Her shuttle was not due to arrive for another two hours, so she was uncertain what the call was about.

  At the central console, she touched the panel with her name blinking in red. A woman, a Lieutenant Commander in a Terran Space Force uniform, appeared on the screen and said without preamble, “Commander Masterson, please report at once to Admiral Blockmeir’s office on Level three, Section 2N.” The screen went blank as soon as the message was completed.

  Anita stared at the screen for ten seconds absorbing the unexpected message. She was under orders to report for duty aboard the TSF Manila, but a senior officer, the most senior on Space Station Alpha was ordering her to report to his office. The admiral’s rank and her own curiosity made up her mind. She headed for the elevator tube after putting her duty bag in temporary storage.

  The third level was on the inner rim of the vast space station. It was reserved for administration personnel. The massive torus wheel had been doubled in size twenty years earlier, and the twin rotating wheel could be seen through the view panels scattered along the ceiling of the third level corridor. These twin wheels rotated around a stationary axle containing the spaceship docks. This central axle extended out from both sides of the wheels’ central hubs. The area between the wheel hubs was for smaller shuttles used to transport people and material to the earth’s surface. The axles extending beyond the wheel hubs were reserved for large freighters and visiting starships. More than eight thousand people occupied the two wheels at any one time. Anita noted with interest that one of the visiting starships was a CSF Cruiser. For a second, the sight made her think of Jon, and her heart beat faster. She quickly admonished herself for the relapse and thought, “Get over it Annika; it was not meant to be.”

  At section N2 she recognized the same woman who had messaged her to appear at the admiral’s office. Seeing her, she rose from her desk and offered her hand in a much friendlier gesture. Annika relaxed. “Well, at least she doesn’t act like I’m in any more trouble than I’m already in,” she thought.

  “Commander Masterson, thank you for coming so promptly,” The woman said without introducing herself. “Admiral Blockmeir is expecting you. Please follow me.”

  After a brief knock on the door, the captain opened it and gestured for Annika to enter ahead of her. An older man whom she judged to be Admiral Blockmeir broke off his conversation with a CSF Lieutenant Commander and motioned for her to join them.

  She stopped five feet short of the admiral and saluted him. “Commander Masterson reporting as requested, Sir,” she said determined not to let her nervousness show.

  The Admiral paused long enough to return her salute and said, “At ease, Commander, meet your new boss, “Vice Admiral William Estes. You’ll be his new Executive Officer after a short orientation session with the outgoing XO.”

  Annika was too stunned to speak for a second, but the admiral’s smile brought
her back to the present. She knew enough not to question the change in her assignment. She was certain the ship she was supposed to meet had already been informed of the change in personnel. She just didn’t understand how she had gone from the gates of obscurity to the door to the future.

  Admiral Blockmeir must have sensed her surprise because he quickly explained, “Commander Masterson, let me inform you that Secretary Gavito does not run the Space Force. You’re too valuable an officer to be relegated to such a dismal post as patrolling the moons of Saturn. The combined commands of our two forces thought the best way to integrate the two services was to exchange XO’s. You were at the top of Admiral Dexter’s list of officers he wanted under his command. Congratulations.”

  The rest of the day was a little bit of a blur for Annika, but all through the orientation with the departing XO she kept having the pleasant little thought that now she was sure to see Jon again; they were in the same space force. After one day of instructing her on the finer points of being an XO on a CSF warship, the departing XO deemed her ready to assume the second chair.

  Vice Admiral Estes agreed and reassured her he would help integrate her into the crew. “They’re a good lot, Commander Masterson. Some of them have been with me since I was a green Lieutenant. I assure you they will work hard to make you a success.”

  The following morning the CSF Enderson broke away from Space Station Alpha and departed for her next destination, Islandia, where she was to be fitted out with the latest PBW Guns. Anita knew it was the homeworld of the McKinnah family and she intended to use whatever spare time she had to learn all she could about the legendary clan.