by Bob Blanton
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Chili Powder
Chapter 2 Winter Break
Chapter 3 Board Meeting – Jan 3rd
Chapter 4 The Dutchman and The Princess
Chapter 5 Back to School
Chapter 6 Board Meeting – Feb 7th
Chapter 7 Artemis
Chapter 8 Hello Again
Chapter 9 Murder Most Foul
Chapter 10 Board Meeting – March 7th
Chapter 11 Jump Ships
Chapter 12 Daddy’s Little Girl
Chapter 13 Board Meeting – April 4th
Chapter 14 Excuse Me
Chapter 15 Justice
Chapter 16 Simulations
Chapter 17 Jump Reset
Chapter 18 Board Meeting – May 2nd
Chapter 19 Asteroid Surgery
Chapter 20 Final Simulations
Chapter 21 The Victory Arrives
Chapter 22 Board Meeting – June 6th
Chapter 23 Roadblock
Chapter 24 Graduation
Chapter 24 Well, Now What?
Delphi Publishing
Copyright © 2020 Robert D. Blanton
Cover by Momir Borocki
[email protected]
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Printed in the United States of America First Printing, 2020.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Chapter 1
Chili Powder
“Oh my,” Marc said, rubbing his face with his hands. “You sure know how to spice up a guy’s day.” Samantha, his girlfriend, had just told him she was pregnant five minutes after he had been informed that the aliens heading toward Artemis were the same ones that had attacked the Paraxean colony mission some seventy-odd years before.
“Why now?” he asked.
“Well, Governor McCormack, I thought I’d time it for late summer, just after the harvest,” Samantha said. “I didn’t know we had killer aliens coming.”
“Why after the harvest?”
“Things will slow down then. It’ll be easier to get help with the baby.”
Marc poured himself a glass of scotch. “And does that mean you’ve decided to marry me?” He’d been proposing to Samantha every couple of months for the last year.
“What do you think?”
“I have no clue,” Marc said. “We left Earth, almost two months ago, and you didn’t want to get married then.”
“That’s because I wanted to avoid a state wedding,” Samantha said. Marc was the president and monarch of Delphi Nation, and a huge wedding would have been expected.
“And you don’t think one will be expected here?”
“It won’t be that big a deal. We only have twenty-five hundred colonists, and most of them are not that interested in social gatherings. I think we can get away with a small affair.”
“Oh boy, a wedding and a baby,” ADI piped in. ADI was the digital intelligence that came with the starship Marc had discovered three years ago.
“ADI!”
“I know, private conversation,” ADI said then she whispered “A baby shower and a bridal shower,” as she closed the Comm channel. Of course she was still recording the conversation, but it was being stored in a private area of her memory, only to be accessed under an emergency or court order.
“And Catie?”
“She’s stuck at the Academy,” Samantha said. “I wish she could be here, but the timing doesn’t work.”
“No it doesn’t. You know she’ll think you did it on purpose.”
“What, get pregnant, or set it up so she couldn’t attend the wedding?”
“She’ll know you got pregnant on purpose; but avoiding the big wedding looks suspicious,” Marc said.
“And she’d be right.”
“And she’ll probably want to get even after the big birthday party you forced on her last year.”
“I’m sure Catie and I will be able to come to terms,” Samantha said. Catie had already gotten even for the birthday party by spreading rumors that Marc and Samantha were getting married. After Samantha called her out on it, they’d reached a truce. “I’ll work with ADI and Catie on the wedding, you should start figuring out what you’re going to do about the arrival of our alien friends.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Come in,” Catie called out after her Comm announced a visitor outside her dorm room.
“Hi, Alex,” Cadet Colonel Miranda Cordova said after she entered. Catie was attending the Academy as Alex MacGregor. Her appearance had been altered along with her name to give her a real Academy experience instead of one marked by the fact that she was Princess Catie.
“Welcome, ma’am!” Catie said as she jumped up and snapped to attention.
“Hey, it’s just me, Miranda. I came by to thank you for all your help on the ship design class. I just finished the final.”
“So, you did okay?”
“I think I did. I’m sure I’ll be able to maintain my top-of-class ranking.”
“Hi, Yvette,” Catie said as her roommate came in behind Miranda. “How’d you do?”
“Good, I think,” Yvette said. “I’m glad it’s over. Three more tests and I’m done.”
“I only have two more,” Catie said. “What about you, Miranda?”
“I’ve also got three left.”
“Did you see those four schooners arrive?” Catie asked.
“Yes, I think they’re for us,” Miranda said.
“For us?” Yvette asked, shocked at the assertion.
“They said we’re going to have a two-week cruise after our week off. I was thinking it would be aboard one of the frigates our Navy has, but I’m guessing it’s going to be on those schooners.”
“Why?”
“Lots of academies like to put their cadets on a sailing ship. Without all the technology, things get pretty basic. And there is a lot more coordination needed on a sailing ship. Sails don’t set themselves.”
“Oh, that sounds like as much fun as two weeks in Guatemala,” Catie said.
“Oh it won’t be that bad. I have to go. Thanks again, Alex; I’ll see you after the break.”
“Sailing?” Yvette asked after Miranda left the room. “Who would think of that?”
“Sadists,” Catie replied.
◆ ◆ ◆
“You’re pregnant?!” Catie asked in disbelief. She was in a study room in the library so she would have privacy to talk with Marc and Samantha.
“Yes,” Samantha replied.
“Congratulations,” Blake said. “When’s the big day?”
“You mean the wedding or the birth?” Marc asked.
“Let’s start with the wedding.”
“No fair!” Catie squealed.
“Ah, the penny drops,” Marc said. “What’s not fair?”
“She’s getting out of the big wedding!”
“And what does that have to do with fair?” Marc asked.
“She . . . she,” Catie sputtered. “And I can’t even be there!”
“I’m sorry about the timing, we could hold off on the wedding until you can be here,” Samantha said.
“Nooo, that would mess up your wedding. I can be there virtually,” Catie acquiesced. “You deserve a nice wedding. But you deserve a huge, royal wedding more!”
“Have you told Linda yet?” Blake asked.
“No, we’ll call her right after this,” Marc said.
“And the date?” Blake asked.
&nbs
p; “Next week, on Tuesday.”
“Just before Christmas?”
“Yep, I’ll be able to combine presents,” Marc said. Samantha slapped him on the back of the head just as he finished.
“Apparently not,” Blake said. “And the baby is due when?”
“First week of September,” Samantha said. “I don’t know what that’s going to be here.”
“We have to get the calendar figured out,” Marc said.
“June, so you’re only a few weeks along?”
“Yes,” Samantha said.
“But you’re sure?”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Samantha said. “The Paraxeans have this pregnancy thing down.”
“Well, congratulations,” Catie said with minimal enthusiasm.
“We’ll talk to you later,” Marc said.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Blake?” Marc had called his brother to discuss plans.
“Hey, Bro. How did Linda take the news?”
“She says she’s fine with it,” Marc replied.
“She would, but how did she sound?”
“She seemed to be okay. Ask Catie, I’m sure they’ve talked by now.”
“I will. Now, what did you want?”
“I’d like to discuss options on how to deal with our impending guests. What have you got?”
“Me, I’ve got nothing,” Blake said, “and I see you’re drinking, it’s not that bad. They won’t make it there until June.”
“Oh, this,” Marc swirled his glass of scotch. “Just trying to loosen up the brain cells. Come on, you must have some thoughts.”
“The first one is, you would have received their message by now. That means, you need to decide about a reply,” Blake said.
“Au contraire, dear brother. They won’t expect to receive a reply for another four months. That gives me loads of time.”
“Oh, duh, forgot about that. Well, since we know they’re inclined to be violent, and they tried to look intimidating in their message, you might just want to tell them to stay away.”
“And how would we do that?”
“The Victory will be there; you could just make a point that your ship is bigger than their ship.”
“And if they ignore that?”
“Well, with the Victory, your ship will be bigger than theirs.”
“So, we start a war?”
“A police action,” Blake said.
“We need to analyze possible tactics. We still don’t know much about them.”
“We’ll start running simulations.”
“Okay, keep me posted,” Marc said.
“What are you going to do?”
“Get married, build that governor’s house, and get this colony established.”
“Sounds like a full plate. Have fun.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Captain, they should be getting our reply about now,” the first officer said. He was stationed at the navigation console on the alien starship heading toward Artemis.
“They should,” the captain said. “I will be very interested to see how they will react to it.”
“How could they have beaten us to the planet? We’ve been observing it for two and a half years while we approach,” the first mate said.
“Who knows from which direction they came. And if they have gravity drives like us, we wouldn’t have seen an exhaust plume, and even if there was one, we could easily have missed it.”
“Do you think they’re going to be willing to share the resources?”
“They’re going to have to,” the captain said. “I have not spent three years of my life on this mission to have to return home with nothing. I will not accept no for an answer!”
“Shouldn’t we consider looking for another system?”
“What are the odds that we would find one within four years’ travel?” the captain said. “We need those resources. I’m going back into stasis; I’ll see you in a month. Now, get back to work.”
Chapter 2
Winter Break
“Alex, what are your plans for the break?” Yvette asked.
“I’ve got some personal things to attend to until Wednesday,” Catie said. “After that, I guess I’ll hang around with my Academy Family.” Academy families were local families that provided the cadet a chance for a home experience on the weekends and such.
“I’ve been invited to a party on New Year’s Eve, would you like to come?”
“What kind of people will be there?”
“My Academy Family is hosting it as a mixer,” Yvette said. “Just a few ladies from the Academy and some men from Delphi University; the husband teaches there.”
“Might be fun, what should I wear?”
“Something pretty,” Yvette said.
“So a dress?”
“That should go without saying.”
“Okay, but you have to help me pick it out.”
“Of course, Chérie,” Yvette said. “I was also planning to stay at The Four Seasons.”
“Why?”
“Because, Chérie, in just over two weeks, we will be living on one of those schooners, in a small bunk that we will have to get out of just to scratch our nose.”
“So?”
“A few days in a nice big bed, and a few trips to the spa, will make that so much more bearable.”
Catie shrugged her shoulders. “Why not. Are we going to share a room?”
“But of course. Too bad they don’t have a casino,” Yvette said, harkening back to their stay in Monaco, where Catie paid all their expenses with her winnings from playing cards.
“What are you going to do for Christmas week?” Catie asked.
“I am flying home to stay with my Mama and Papa. They tell me they are missing me. Maybe, that means I will get a nice present,” Yvette said.
◆ ◆ ◆
Catie met Liz for breakfast Monday morning.
“What do you have lined up for the week?” she asked.
“This week, we need to hire the crew for the Dutchman,” Liz said.
“How many?” Catie asked.
“I count fifty-one,” Liz said.
“What about the pilots and ground crew for all those Foxes?”
“That’s Blake’s problem. We’re just ferrying them. We just need to make sure we have enough pilots to handle our four Lynxes. The engineering section should be able to handle the maintenance on them.”
“Okay, so how do you get to fifty-one?”
“Chief engineer, one engineer and three specialists each for environmental, reactors, propulsion, robotics, and electronics.”
“Who’s fixing the plumbing if it breaks?”
“The robotics guys.”
“Oh, that reminds me, we need to build a bunch of bots.”
“Definitely. Nobody wants to have to clean all the flooring, and no one wants to have to go outside and check the hull for damage and repair all those pock marks.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll get on it. You’ve covered engineering, what about the command deck?”
“A first mate and a second mate who can cover communications. Then three specialists and a third mate who can handle security and watch standing. Plus two marine types,” Liz said. “A navigator, two specialists learning to navigate, a weapons officer and three gunners, and three gofers.”
“What about a cook?” Catie asked.
“One chief steward and four bottle washers.”
“Cargo?”
“We have one supply chief and four specialists to handle loading and unloading.”
“Doctor?”
“A medic and one nurse should be enough.”
“How are we going to choose them?”
“Good old-fashioned interviews,” Liz said. “We have a bunch of applicants. We have their service records; ADI was kind enough to sort out the best ones for us.”
“You’re welcome,” ADI said.
Liz shook her head at ADI’s interjection. “We’ll do a quick filter, and invite the ones we like b
ack for a second interview with the other one of us.”
“Fifty-one interviews?”
“It’s going to take more than that; we’ll probably interview four or five per position, but we’re only looking for the officers this week. Once we select them, we’ll let them do the main interviews for the rest of the crew; you and I will just do the second filter.”
Catie sighed. “Whew, I can probably manage that.”
“I’ve got us set up with an office in ring two, an outer office for the reception, and an inner office for each of us. We’ll give them a time slot for coming back for the second interview, we’ll do that together. You do the filter for the engineers, and I’ll cover the rest.”
“We should probably try to get the first mate and chief engineer figured out so they can sit in on the second interviews,” Catie suggested. “And what are you thinking about for the reactor engineer? We’ll probably have to get a Paraxean to deal with the antimatter reactor.”
“I don’t know; Blake’s been putting a few engineers through an accelerated class, and I’m hoping to poach one of them.”
“Uncle Blake will love you for that.”
“He can’t blame us if they like us better.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Hey, Barty,” Liz said as she and Catie entered the office she’d rented for the week. “This is my partner Alex MacGregor.” Catie was staying with her undercover identity to avoid anyone tying Catie McCormack to her new look.
“Hello, Ms. Farmer, Ms. MacGregor” Barty said. Catie remembered him as the son of one of the chemists who worked in the Vancouver Integrated plant in the city.
“What’s he, like twelve?” Catie whispered.
“Yes. And I remember you being twelve once. It’s a pretty simple job. I’m sure he will be able to handle it.”
Barty smiled. “I’ve already got the applicants’ packets ready. I’ll send you the packet for the next interviewee right after you finish each interview. How long do you want to review it, five minutes?”
“He also has good hearing,” Liz said. “Barty, give us two minutes.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
◆ ◆ ◆
Barty sent Catie the packet on her first interviewee. An Arlean Griggs, formerly chief engineer on a U.S. frigate; retired after twenty years at the rank of commander; just completed Delphi Forces accelerated indoctrination course for experienced officers; two children, a boy fifteen and a girl twelve. Married, husband teaches applied engineering at Delphi University.