Julie turned and motion for someone to come in. John was taken aback when the older woman entered.
John was dumbfounded. “Sally? Sally Cornich?”
The woman nodded. “Hello, John. It’s good to see you again.”
Sally Cornich was the head receptionist at TERRA Academy. She was like a mother to the cadets who passed through that institution over the years. Like so many others, John held her in high regard. As he was routinely sent to the superintendent’s office for his various infractions, John often saw her. She always encouraged him, despite his constant disruptions.
“I…I didn’t even realize you were on this ship,” John started. With so many new crewmembers on board, John focused on reviewing and approving the military officers who applied for positions on this ship. He left the approval of the civilians who wanted to live here to the various department heads.
“I wanted to contact you when my application was approved, but I couldn’t find the right time to reach out,” Sally explained.
“Are you kidding?” John hugged her. “After all the encouragement you gave me when I was in trouble…”
“He’s right,” Julie added. “We would have wanted to see you.”
“I appreciate that,” Sally smiled.
“But what are you doing here?” John asked. “You’ve spent your entire career working at the Academy.”
“And I loved every minute of it, but it was time to move on.”
“I hope it wasn’t because of us,” John worried. He had heard the government had forced TERRA to clean house in most of their divisions, replacing many high-level officers with individuals from Earth Security. That included the Academy. Many of the long-term instructors were forced out. Although Sally wasn’t an officer, she had spent over twenty years working at the Academy and was considered a fixture there.
“It wasn’t,” Sally replied. “I was thinking about making a change for a while. With the Academy now jointly run by both TERRA and Earth Security, it seemed like the perfect time to leave.”
“What about your kids?” Julie asked. “I checked the crew manifest. Neither are serving here.” It was known Sally had a son and daughter who were officers, but she never talked about them. It was odd she never mentioned them, as having family in TERRA was considered quite an achievement.
“I’ve never been close to my kids,” Sally revealed. “They let their positions in TERRA get to their heads and looked down on anyone who wasn’t a high-ranking officer. They weren’t proud that their mother was only a receptionist.” She looked at John. “I did smile when you denied their application to serve on the ship.”
“They didn’t show anything remarkable in their careers to warrant a position here,” John explained, knowing he didn’t have to defend himself. “But I didn’t even connect their last names as being your kids.”
“I hope the best for them, but they’re better off where they’re at,” Sally said. “Hopefully, them being denied working here will serve as a wake-up call to them. They, like so many people at the Academy, wrote you off as a troublemaker who’d never amount to anything. I knew you had it in you and was so proud when you proved all of them wrong.”
It was heartwarming for John to hear those words. Although he only saw Sally the times he was summoned to the superintendent’s office, she always treated him with respect and kindness. He never forgot her.
“I’m glad you’re here,” John smiled. “Julie’s right, you’re the perfect person to help us.”
“Julie’s explained your admin issues,” Sally said. “But I’ve spent my career working at the Academy. I don’t know anything about starship operations.”
“PHOENIX operates uniquely compared to TERRA’s capital ships,” Julie explained. “We do things differently here, but the administrative functions are pretty much the same. You’ll pick it up in no time.”
“You can ask us or any of the senior staff about anything you’re not sure about,” John promised. “You’re the only one qualified for this job. Julie and I are overwhelmed and need help.”
“I appreciate your confidence in me,” Sally said. “I’ll be glad to take this on. Consider me your new admin.”
Both John and Julie felt the pressure immediately off them. With Sally taking over their administrative duties, they could better focus on ship operations. This made sense, having another good person from TERRA on this ship.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
PHOENIX spent six days at faster than light speed. They were far enough beyond alliance territory that real-time communications were no longer possible. Many of the crew took the opportunity to talk to friends and loved ones back home one last time before they got out of range. John didn’t waste the opportunity either. He spoke with Thresha and Chris Anne, who was on Flutori. Thresha was the Yearden, the spiritual leader of the Aldarians. Her entire race, which only consisted of about 300, lived on PHOENIX during the Screen mission. When the mission ended, the Aldarians chose to return to the crystal city on their homeworld. Elected as the new Yearden, Thresha returned with them. She had nothing but good news to report to John.
The talk with Chris Anne was good but bittersweet. The singer lived on PHOENIX and served as the ship’s morale officer. The Senfo asked Chris to live with them on their world as the concept of music was foreign to their culture. John pushed Chris to go, even after learning that the singer had harbored romantic feelings for the captain. Although John did not reciprocate those feelings, he felt a close friendship to Chris. It hurt to see him go.
John told Julie about his talks with both Thresha and Chris on the command deck as they waited for PHOENIX to exit its jump. She was thrilled to hear that both former crewmembers were doing well.
“Chris also sent me the latest compilation of songs he’s composed,” John added as they hung out at the operations table.
“Chris has new songs?” Commander Tim Richardson asked as he overheard them talking. “You’re going to distribute them to the crew, right?”
“Well, I was, but maybe I’ll hang onto them for myself,” John joked.
Tim gave a sad look to Julie. “Do something please.”
“Don’t worry. One general announcement that the captain is hoarding new songs from Chris Anne and the crew will go after him.”
John stuck his tongue at Julie. “You’re no fun. Fine, soon as I finish listening to them, I’ll have Vish make them available to the crew.”
“That’s better,” Tim quipped as the operations table beeped. “Looks like we’re getting ready to exit our jump.”
“You are correct, Tim,” Jufo confirmed from his station. “Approaching system designated J-26C.”
“Exit jump and take us to the fifth planet,” John ordered. “How’s it looking on sensors?”
Julie reviewed the readings. “Still showing significant water on the planet, same as our long-range sensors picked up. I’m detecting several large land masses. They look like continents.”
“The big question is whether there’s any life,” John wondered.
“The planet’s atmosphere is highly charged with electromagnetic particles,” Tim said as he reviewed the readings. “It’s wreaking havoc with our sensors.”
“I can’t even see what the atmosphere is composed of,” Julie added.
“It would also conceal any communications,” Bret added from his station. “I’ve tried looking for any artificial signals, but nothing so far. Also, I’m not picking up any satellites.”
“What about sending a bot probe?” John asked.
Shelly spoke up. “I wouldn’t recommend it. The atmosphere’s influence may extend to the planet’s orbit.”
Julie shrugged her shoulders. “Looks like we do it the old fashion way.”
John agreed. “Take us to the planet and put us in a high orbit.”
“Acknowledged,” Jufo replied. “We should make it there in fifteen human standard minutes.”
“Let’s keep an eye on the systems and make sure the planet doesn’t
mess with any of them,” Tim told Shelly.
“Yes, sir,” the operations officer replied. “I’m issuing recommendations to critical departments to reinforce their systems as a precaution.”
John looked at Julie. “We’ll do some cursory scientific scans on the planet, but nothing too in-depth. I don’t want to deprive people the chance to attend tomorrow’s grand opening.”
Julie nodded. “I’ll let the science departments know. Have you written your speech yet?” She was referring to the celebration for the opening of the remaining portions of Central. During the Screen mission, only a part of the artificial city was opened due to the small crew complement living on the ship. With almost twenty thousand now on board, the remaining areas were open for occupation and business use. They had planned on having the ceremony sooner, but the situation with the Cresorians had put it on the back burner.
“Sort of.” It was a lie. John tried writing a speech but felt it would be disingenuous reading something he had prepared ahead of time. He wanted his speech to come from the heart. He believed the only way to accomplish that was by standing up on stage and saying whatever came to him. “Vish, send the list to Sally of the individuals I’ll want to be seated with me.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Do I get a seat at your coveted table?” Tim joked, who already knew the answer. Captain Roberts decided not to have the entire senior staff seated together during the celebration. He felt it would appear like the senior officers were royalty. Only Julie would be at his side. He wanted the other senior officers to spread out and mingling with the crew.
“Anyways,” John continued, ignoring his commander’s remark. “Anything else about the grand opening we need to take care of?”
“The Cresorians,” Julie reminded. “Ben asked if they could attend the ceremony.”
“I read his latest report,” John said. “I’m meeting him in his quarters tonight to discuss it.” The reports showed the Cresorians’ behavior had been exemplary under restriction, but John didn’t think enough time had passed to trust them fully. Yet he was concerned about how they would react if they were left out of a major celebration. He couldn’t go off a status report. He needed input from Ben, who had been working closely with them.
********
It was late afternoon. With PHOENIX in orbit of the purple colored planet and scans of it underway, Julie felt it was a good time to go down to the botanical gardens to clear her mind. The garden was the one place she could wander around and not feel she was on a starship. She also had another reason to come down here. It was a chance to visit Drix’s grave. Given the problems with the Cresorians on board, she wanted to spend some time with him. It would help her remember when he was alive and living on PHOENIX.
As Julie made her way to the gravesite, she was surprised to find someone already there. She was flanked by two security guards. “Limex?”
The female Cresorian turned around. “Hello, Julie Captain. I learned this was the resting place of Drix, and my curiosity brought me here. I asked your computer what this stone structure is with his name on it but am still confused by its purpose. Why did you not adhere to Cresorian death tradition?”
“Because of her.” Julie pointed to the other gravestone with the name Sulix on it. “When her body was found, Drix didn’t want her to be alone. He asked if we could apply human burial practices. When he died, it seemed only fitting to do the same with him.”
“Was Sulix his mate?”
Julie sighed. “No, Sulix was already dead when we found her ship. She was the first female Cresorian he’d ever encountered. He wanted to serve his people by mating with her.”
“Meetings between males and females were rare,” Lemix admitted. “We still do not have a count of how many of my kind are left. I am certain our numbers have shrunk since our race left homeworld so many cycles ago.”
“Do you have any children?” Julie asked. When Limex gave her a perplexed look, Julie clarified. “Offspring.”
“I have one gogankin,” she replied. “My suhokei perished barely a cycle after hatching. My gogankin is fully mature now. I count myself fortunate for producing offspring. Do you have any…children, captain?”
“I’ll look after her,” Julie said to the guards as she motioned Limex to join her on a walk, which the Cresorian accepted. “I don’t have any kids.…offspring. My husband and I do want children but are going to wait.”
“Husband…that is your mate,” Limex confirmed. “Yes, I have heard that term numerous times here. You humans remain with a single mate for most of your lives.”
Julie chuckled. “If things work out, yes.”
“Does John Captain have a mate?” Limex asked.
“He did. She died when we protected the Ni homeworld from a Screen attack.”
“For his mate to sacrifice herself to protect an alliance race is a selfless deed,” Limex said. “It is the single notion I have impressed upon the others. We must honor the sacrifices this ship made to free us all from the Screen.”
“Can I ask you something?” Julie asked.
“Of course.”
“Drix was the only Cresorian we dealt with before you all came on board. He never had any problem living with humans and adapted to life here very easily. I don’t understand why your people are having so much trouble.”
“There is a lot of anger among us,” Limex explained. “They believe the other alliance races lost very little from Screen oppression.”
Julie took exception to that. “Really? Go ask the Senfo what they think. Most of them were killed off because of the Screen. They’d argue they lost the most out of the entire alliance.”
“But their homeworld was left intact,” Limex countered. “Our entire world was laid to waste. There is nothing left. We look at you other races and see you enjoy prosperity. You have a bounty of goods and luxuries your technologies afford you. We have nothing but hardship for the foreseeable future.”
“We can argue who suffered the most under the Screen, but the bottom line is it was a cooperative effort among the entire alliance that freed us from them. Your people don’t have to rebuild alone. The alliance is more than willing to help you.”
“That is where the problem lies,” Limex admitted. “Cresorians pride themselves on making accomplishments on their own, without the help of others. If they are to be considered equals in the alliance, they believe they must rebuild on their own.”
“That’s a ridiculous notion,” Julie remarked. “The purpose of the alliance is to share each race’s advancements and help each other.”
“I agree with you, Julie Captain,” Limex said. “I believe our future lies in cooperation with the alliance. However, I fear that isolation is the path my people will pursue. We already see it on homeworld.”
She had a point. The last report from TERRA was all communication from the Cresorian homeworld had ceased. They had stopped responding to the alliance races. Whatever was happening, the Cresorian government wanted no outsiders to know about it.
“What do you want?” Julie asked.
The question caught Limex off-guard. “No one has ever asked me that question. What does it matter? I must focus on the welfare of my kind here.”
“It does matter. I understand you have to look out for your people, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up what you want.”
“I spent my existence ensuring the continuation of my race,” Limex explained. “I was never allowed to do what I wanted for myself.”
“You have that opportunity here,” Julie pointed out. “PHOENIX is a place for people to pursue their goals, regardless of their race.”
“I must ponder that, Julie Captain,” Limex admitted. “It will take time for me to reflect upon what I would want for myself.”
The pair came upon the garden pond. Limex spotted various orange creatures moving underneath the water. She approached the edge to get a better look at them. “Are there lifeforms in the water?”
Julie knelt
by Limex at the water’s edge. “They’re koi, aquatic fish native to Earth.”
Limex was mesmerized by how effortlessly they moved through the water. One of the fish came up to the pair and stuck its head out of the water. It seemed to acknowledge Julie and Limex.
“That’s Niko, the oldest koi in the pond,” Julie explained. “I think he’s saying hi.”
Limex was fascinated by the koi as it remained in place, its mouth opening and closing. Limex had no idea if this creature was dangerous, but she extended her furry hand out to the fish. Niko gently grabbed one of Limex’s digits and shook it. It then let go and swam back into the pond with its brethren.
“I think you just made a new friend,” Julie smiled.
Limex said nothing. This brief exchange was something she never experienced before, but it felt good. This ship did indeed hold many wonders.
********
Captain Roberts was looking at the various sculptures adorning Ben’s living room. They were abstracts of the human body made in a variety of materials. Some were made from plaster, some with wire mesh, others composed of metal. It wasn’t John’s first choice of art. He preferred abstract paintings that played with your imagination.
“Sorry, captain,” Ben said as he emerged from his bedroom. “I was meeting with my staff and lost track of time. Thanks for letting me get cleaned up.”
“Not at all,” John replied. “You’ve made yourself quite at home here.”
“Thanks.” Ben made his way to the kitchen to get a glass of water. “It was hard to choose what to bring with me. I had a five-bedroom house and had to get rid of most of my stuff. Would you like something?”
John held his hand up. “I’m fine. I lost pretty much everything when my house was destroyed. All I had was what I brought to the Academy. My apartment is pretty spartan compared to your place.”
“I read about your house in the news,” Ben remarked. “Bad run of luck.”
John didn’t want to dwell on his childhood home. The story released to the public was an energy leak caused the explosion. What really happened was Admiral Johnson destroyed the house while he was on the run from TERRA. Both the military and government didn’t think it was a good idea to have the truth made public, so they came up with a cover story.
Fractured Alliance Page 11
