Most of the crew wanted to take a short break on the station before returning to help with the upgrades.
Pace’s workstation was changing the most significantly. “I’m moving to the command deck, join Pickles and the captain, fly the ship from there instead of the usual place between sensor suites. I think it’s going to be a great upgrade. I’m staying aboard to help facilitate that part of it.”
“It looks like you’re leaving to me,” Ellie observed. “What’s happening with your old space?”
“I’m just running to the station to get a few things. I store stuff there, and I’ll be back later today,” he replied to her first point, hesitating and looking down before answering the rest of the question. “My space, you ask. That will be the new weapons station. We’ll fight the ship from there if we have to. I guess it will be unmanned most of the time. Let’s say, I hope we have no need to put someone in there. Ever.”
No one was a fan of arming the Cygnus-12, it seemed. The change in mission took them far out of their comfort zone, beyond the risks inherent in space travel. Ellie’s injuries weren’t because of the Concordians, but because of the stress they’d put on their spaceship. And they’d keep straining the ship to get every bit the Cygnus-12 was willing to give. There’d be more failures and she could only hope that there wouldn’t be more deaths.
“Cain!” Ellie called. He was pacing outside the hangar bay, which meant he was pulling his weightless form back and forth using the handholds while waiting for the shuttle to return so he could get to the space station. He wasn’t pleased that he’d missed the first one, but there had been an issue with the wastewater processor that needed his attention. Then he had to clean up because he’d been splattered with waste. He couldn’t get into the shower fast enough, but it still made him miss the first flight out with the commander, the captain, and a couple others with urgent business on the station. One of the maintenance technicians had a new baby waiting for him. He’d gotten a priority seat on the first shuttle.
The three ‘cats floated almost helplessly through the air. They couldn’t wait to get somewhere else. They hovered by the hatch to the hangar bay, ready to be pushed through to the next shuttle.
“Cain!” Ellie yelled again, louder this time. He blinked away from his own thoughts and looked at her. She left the others behind as she approached him. “How are we going to tell our parents?” she asked abruptly.
“I don’t know, hadn’t thought about it,” he answered with a shrug. “Do you have any ideas?”
“I think I’ll just blame my dad for making you feel so unwelcome,” she started. “Maybe the lifesaving part. It puts others on the ship at risk. Careers and discovery. We’re a good fit, but not here, not now. I won’t tell them that you’re only kind of in love with me.” She stopped him from making a rebuttal.
“You should go see her. And I know what you’re going to say, so don’t. You make the time!” she emphasized with a finger poke in the chest, before storming away, as much as she could in zero-g.
“Thanks for the conversation,” he said quietly. He hadn’t thought about it, figuring he’d simply call his parents, tell them, then brush it off as he returned to work. If he could see Aletha, that would make the trip worthwhile. He’d try to work that into a recruiting trip.
Aletha.
He’d been thinking about his schedule and actions, tenuously building a plan of attack within his mind. Instantly, his planning was thrown into disarray as he forgot everything he’d been trying to put together. He glared at Ellie, trying to get her attention as the shuttle arrived.
They lined up, pulling their meager belongings. Cain muttered something about “women messing with his head.” Ellie smirked and tried not to sit next to him, but the shuttle was cramped and inevitably, the others cleared the way. They strapped in for an immediate departure. Pace was flying the shuttle, as he greatly enjoyed flying. He’d make a few runs before joining the others at the station for a meal made without a fabricator.
“What’d you do that for?” Cain asked angrily as the others looked at him, expecting the young couple to provide the entertainment during the short trip to the station.
“Do what?” she said innocently, batting her eyes at Cain. He grunted something unintelligible and then yelled at the ceiling.
He continued to grumble before finally settling on something to say. The rest of the passengers couldn’t wait. “Women are going to be the end of me!” The others snickered, which he didn’t take well.
“If it weren’t for women, my lover, there would have been no start to you, either,” Ellie said in her best bedroom voice, emphasizing her point by caressing his arm.
Cain shook. Tandry and Mixial watched him with an almost academic interest. Lutheann and Carnesto seemed to be laughing as they enjoyed the banter between their humans, although they couldn’t make heads or tails of the relationship between the two.
He was outnumbered and it appeared that he was outgunned, too. Calling on his tactical mind, the first advice was to run, but being trapped in a shuttle, that wasn’t an option, so he settled on keeping his mouth closed and trying to regain his plan. He’d start working it the second he landed at the station. Then he could put the female wiles behind him.
But Aletha was now on his mind and he remained confused. First thing, first thing, he chanted within his own mind, pinching his eyes closed. Contact Holly, yes, that’s it. Contact Holly. Determine the force and training, then he’ll figure out how to sell it to recruit people.
Cain opened his eyes, seeing everyone look quickly away. “I know what I need to do. The power of a focused mind has brought my plan raging back to me,” he said triumphantly, cocking his head toward Ellie’s ear.
“Let me guess, you’re going to talk with Holly?” she asked. His mouth fell open, and he looked crushed. She leaned close to him as they were buffeted during their final approach to the space station, working to match rotation. “Cain, you are a genius at tactics, when you have no time to think, but time is not your friend. The more of it you have, the worse you are. Relax and enjoy life. Commit your thinking time to when you really need to make a decision. You talk with Holly. You go to the Traveler and then to Vii. I’ll see you there. If you aren’t married to Aletha by the time I show up at the space center, then we’ll talk again, maybe watch the stars.”
Cain looked at her and reiterated, “I don’t deserve you.”
“I know.” She smiled as she unbuckled and walked out of the shuttle, heading in the opposite direction that Cain was going. Carnesto danced after her while Lutheann went with Cain. Unlike her human, she looked at the others as they departed.
‘I’m going to miss them,’ she told him over the mindlink. Cain bent slightly so he could scratch behind her ears.
“I know, Luthie. Me, too. I can’t be satisfied with what I have, can I?”
‘You most assuredly cannot. You can be a real ass, you know that, don’t you?’ Lutheann added acerbically.
“I am not!” Cain stated emphatically. To anyone watching, it would have looked like he was talking with himself.
‘Tolerance. Compromise. Appreciation. Do these words mean anything to you?’ she asked. Cain looked at her, not understanding her point. He turned and headed toward the matter transfer chamber. He needed to get to the Traveler so he could start his conversation with Holly. Once he reached New Sanctuary, he’d be running.
Ellie had no business in the direction she’d gone but wanted to let Cain go his own way. She’d enjoyed distracting him, but it hurt her to see him leave. Once the tears started, she was powerless to stop them. Carnesto became overly affectionate as she sought a corner away from the rest of humanity. “Good luck, Cain. I miss you already,” she told the wall.
‘You have the whole universe in front of you. You will be fine and Cain will be fine. We won’t let anything happen to either one of you. You are my favorite, you know,’ the ‘cat said soothingly.
Ellie wiped the tears away and looked
askance at Carnesto. ‘I’m supposed to be your favorite!’ she exclaimed in her thought voice.
‘Yes, but I thought you’d like to hear it,’ the ‘cat replied. ‘Do you think they have any squirrels about that I could hunt?’
The Marines!
‘The Marines, Cain. I’ve researched my databases extensively and they were the best fighting force with the greatest longevity and flexibility to task organize for a mission of any size and scope. I think you want to model your forces after the Marines,’ Holly told Cain via his neural implant.
Cain sat in the engineering section of the Traveler, formerly the Resettlement Vessel, now the Space Station Traveler. The transfer from the shipyard took a mere four hours and Cain was waiting while the system prepared for his transfer to the planet surface. He was surprised that there wasn’t a queue. Maybe his mission was more important than anything else going on. Executive treatment and he was only an ensign! He knew it was probably pure dumb luck, but he accepted either answer. While he waited, he chatted with Holly.
‘Marines? Sounds like a coastal guardian of some sort,’ Cain answered, unsure of why Holly was so in love with the term. It didn’t sound impressive at all.
‘Let me show you a few videos that I was able to find in the archives.’ Holly proceeded to show Cain a number of clips from ancient earth movies about the Marines The DI, Sands of Iwo Jima, Siege of Firebase Gloria, the Wind and the Lion, Full Metal Jacket, and a number of others. Before Cain knew it, hours had gone by and someone was tapping him on the shoulder.
“The chamber is ready for your immediate transfer, Ensign Cain,” Lieutenant Simonds informed him. Lutheann rolled around on the deck as if she was being tortured. The ‘cats didn’t like the deep space exploration vessel, the space station, or the Traveler. He shook his head at her, knowing that they would be on solid ground soon enough and then, he’d probably not see her until they had to return to space.
“Simonds! It’s great to see you.” Cain stood to shake the other man’s hand.
“Damn, Cain! You are already some kind of legend. Would you look at that–two Shooting Stars and three Space Stars, two of them First Class. Damn!” Simonds couldn’t contain his excitement. Besides his double bar attesting to his rank, he had no awards on his uniform. Cain was embarrassed. “When you took on that Android, I knew you were different. I’ve never met another person who would have done that.”
Cain was happy for the distraction from the trip to Concordia, although he expected he’d better get used to people wanting to hear the story. “I am still convinced that it was coming after me. No one will be able to tell me differently,” he countered.
“I’m sorry that you have to leave so quickly. It would be great to set up a banquet, have you tell us a little about deep space exploration. We have to live vicariously through people like you since we don’t go anywhere,” Simonds said, sounding more forlorn than he intended. He and Cain both knew that he was right where he was meant to be and where he was most comfortable.
As Cain was getting ready to enter the matter transfer chamber, he stopped. “Have you asked that ensign out yet?” he asked the lieutenant, who brightened appreciably at Cain bringing the issue up.
“I have!” he responded proudly. “We’ve already been out three times together, and I think there’s a lot more of that coming my way.” Lieutenant Simonds smiled devilishly as he thought about the ensign and the progress they’d made as a budding couple.
“Don’t give up, my friend. Treat her well and all will be right in your world.” Cain slapped the man on the shoulder as he turned away.
“Wiser words were never spoken,” Simonds said to Cain’s back as the ensign found a couch to recline in. Lutheann jumped into the one next to his, crouching to get comfortable for the most uncomfortable process.
‘I’m going to build the New Marines. What do you think of that, Luthie?’ he asked.
‘If I puke, I’m going to make sure I get some on you,’ she replied.
‘What? I’m taking you home to Vii. I’m the good guy here. Maybe just this once I can be the good guy, Lutheann?’ He squirmed in his seat, trying to get comfortable but he was too anxious. He only had to sit still for the first few seconds of the transfer process. After that, he’d wake up on the planet, wretch uncontrollably a couple times, then walk out as good as new.
‘We are going to the planet, but do you really want “New Marines?” How about just Marines or Cygnus Marines or maybe Boneheads with Blasters, to be most descriptive,’ she said condescendingly.
“Cygnus Marines, I like that,” he said out loud. Only the two of them were in the chamber, surprisingly. Cain continued to feel special as the wall shimmered and he disappeared into the dark.
To wake up a moment later with the familiar walls of the New Sanctuary matter transfer chamber looking back at him. “Boneheads with Blasters? Where did that come from? I think we acquitted ourselves rather professionally on Concordia. We only shot what needed to be shot!” he dodged, seeking to defend his honor.
‘Were you not watching the Lizard Man during your so-called ambush? The safest place to be was where he was aiming,’ Lutheann sniped. Cain had a hard time not laughing at that. Lizard Men were formidable warriors, but with their tridents in hand-to-hand combat, not with blasters.
“Add that to the list. We need people who can become proficient with blasters in a short amount of time. Good call, Luthie,” Cain continued the banter, afraid to move and summon the nausea that would bring up his last meal. He tried to think when he last ate. Had it been just a few hours, right before he boarded the shuttle from the Cygnus-12? Before he started the repairs? He had no idea how long it had been since he last ate.
He finally swung his legs over the edge of the couch and let his feet rest on the floor. He stood slowly and took one tentative step, then another. Lutheann jumped down and froze, gagging. Moments earlier, Cain thought he’d make it. At the ‘cat’s first sound, the bile raced into the back of his throat and he coughed. The first chunks hit his sinuses and he winced at the burn, then lost the rest of it. Lutheann walked around the mess and from the chamber. He stood with his hands on his knees, spitting on the floor to clear the taste from his mouth.
The ‘cat hadn’t gotten sick at all. ‘That’s low, Lutheann, really low,’ he told her over the mindlink. She didn’t bother to answer. She’d made her point, whatever that was. He walked around the mess and stepped into the corridor. The server bot was already waiting and scuttled past him to do its duty. “Better you than me,” he told it as it entered the chamber.
Cain was surprised that no one was there to meet him. He didn’t know why he was expecting it. Letting your stardom inflate your ego, he thought. Humility is always a good lesson.
‘Holly, I’m heading to the Command Center. I’ll be there in two shakes of a ‘cat’s tail.’ He and Lutheann continued to the elevator that ascended to the Command Center. They arrived to a standing ovation.
‘Oh, brother. I’ll be outside if you need me. Send me up, human,’ Lutheann commanded. Cain told the elevator to take the ‘cat to the top and he stepped out.
Dr. Johns led the way for his colleagues as they congratulated the ensign through cheers and clapping. He waved them away, but they formed a half circle around him, wanting Cain to say something. So he helped them to help him as he was learning to do.
“I don’t know what to say,” he told them simply, hoping someone would tell him what they wanted to hear.
“Taking the big ship into the well! What was it like?”
There it was. They cared about the technical stuff. Briz needed to be there, and then Cain would be free to work with Holly.
“It was great! We had everyone with us and once in system, the flights from the Cygnus-12 were short and easily managed. I can’t imagine going any other way. Artificial gravity messed with us, though. Under a long acceleration, one gee, we were pulled sideways between the spin of the ship and the acceleration. We need to look at the s
hip design to see how we can make movement around the ship possible under either or both forms of artificial gravity. Ellie and I got caught in the stairway during one of those times. I wouldn’t want to do that again. You built us a great ship and now, I need to spend some time with Holly and Dr. Johns, talk about what we need to make sure that we don’t have any problems like we had with the Concordians.” Cain waved as he finished his short speech. The scientists turned away and started talking excitedly about whatever area of the ship they thought most important. Cain was quickly forgotten as the ship was the center of their universe.
Cain realized that he liked the spotlight, but he also didn’t like it, not when he had work to do. The clock was counting down and he had yet to find his first recruit.
“What can I help you with, Cain?” Dr. Johns asked kindly.
“A military force on the spaceships, specifically on the Cygnus-12. I was thinking twelve plus me. I know there’s space to billet that many additional people and since the missions are far shorter now, ship’s stores will last. I need help setting things up, and, I think this is the most important, I need people to be good with it. We go in peace, but we have to be ready to fight. The Concordians took seven of our people’s lives. We can’t ever let that happen again.” Cain looked Dr. Johns in the eye, to show his determination to secure the members of the SES against all enemies they might find in deep space.
Cygnus Expanding: Humanity Fights for Freedom (Cygnus Space Opera Book 2) Page 5
