With a roll of his eyes, he sputtered, “Oh, Okay, Captain Fujeint if you insist. Look, I did some rough calculations, and if we don’t curb our population and institute immediate restrictions on food distribution, we’ll all die of starvation before ever finding a habitable world.” He snorted, “If we ever do.”
“How did the fleet get into this state?”
“When the ships reached twenty-six years out, the leaders started a program throughout the whole fleet that encouraged everyone to find a spouse and start a family. They figured they would need a bigger population upon arrival. The larger the population, the better chance of survival on an uninhabited world.”
That sounded reasonable, so she nodded.
“As the kids grew up, our food supply shrank, but no one worried because we planned to farm the new planet. We had several years of food in reserve to get established, but the closer we got, the more we needed for the additional population… and we used up critical resources.”
She leaned forward. “But then you discovered the world was uninhabitable, and now we’re lost light years from known landfall with declining resources.”
He squirmed in his chair. “That about sums it up.”
Knowing him, she raised an eyebrow. “So your solution is…?”
His eyes darted sideways.
Oh, this would be good.
“Sterilization.”
She jerked in her seat. “What?”
“Now hear me out. It’s extreme, but it’s our only hope, and it still might not be enough.”
“Are you serious? How do you think I could possibly convince anyone on this ship, much less everyone on twenty-nine other ships, that they should be sterilized?”
He raised both hands in protest. “Not everyone gets sterilized. They have a choice to enter a lottery for our remaining cryo-units or elect sterilization. I’ve been talking to some people who will help put together a campaign, or I can do it chemically through the water supply without anyone knowing.”
“You’re suggesting I propose a sterilization program as my first act as captain? That’s bound to win the hearts and minds of everyone in the fleet.”
“Elise…” He gave her that melt-her-heart look.
She eyed the reports. She’d found no easy solutions in any of them either. No wonder her predecessor was dead, maybe assassinated. She shivered. That wasn’t a pleasant thought for a newly awakened captain that now realized she commanded a ship that was running blind and scared.
Chapter 4
Rebel Protest
Loud voices sounded at the entrance to her quarters.
“What now?” She tossed a puzzled look at John.
“Check your monitor.”
Squinting into the monitor, she saw a man with short, smoke gray hair and heavy dark eyebrows, wrestling with her guards.
“Goddamn, let me go.”
“Oh hell,” John muttered over her left shoulder as he leaned in for a look. “That’s David Jackson.”
“The leader of the gang who instigated the riot that led to former Captain Townsend and his helm’s death?”
“The one and the same.”
She tapped the comm button. “Bring him in.”
“Be careful, Elise. He’s got a temper, and he’s dangerous.”
“I’m dangerous.”
The door whooshed open, and two of her guards yanked in a struggling figure. He tore loose, swinging around to glare at them while smoothing down a black shirt and finger-combing his thick gray hair back into place. Lifting his face, he said, “I demand…”
She jumped from her chair, strode across to him, and motioned for the guards to back up. Startled, David also took a step back. As she glared up at his taller frame, she became aware of her petite stature. Smart beats size, she admonished herself, gathering courage. “Can you pilot a starship, Mr. Jackson?”
“What?”
“It’s a simple yes or no question. Can you fly this ship?”
Bewildered, the man stared at her. “No, but…”
“Then sit down, please, and behave. John, would you bring over a chair for Mr. Jackson so we can talk?”
David’s head swiveled to where John stood. “Shit, it’s Luttrell.”
“A pleasure to see you, too, David.” John slid two chairs to the front of the captain’s desk and gestured for the man to sit. Elise resumed her place behind the desk as John sat in the other chair, a grin on his face.
David studied the guards and John, then sighed as he, too, finally sat.
She began to paint the picture for him as quickly as she could. “What you have to understand, David, is that I am the last captain out of cryo. You assassinate me, and you’d better have someone who knows how to run this ship or everyone dies.”
David shifted uneasily in his seat. “I didn’t assassinate Townsend. I was set up. Someone else engineered that riot. But I’m not sorry for it. He led us into our current problems. The whole fleet carries too many people for available resources, thanks to Townsend’s mismanagement.”
“I want to fix that.” She tapped the stack of folders in front of her.
“So do I.” David spread his hands in his lap. “We need to weed out the nonessentials. Up until now, fifteen have been eliminated by one means or another, mostly by their own stupidity. Give me more time, and we could be down another ten.”
She pressed her lips into a thin line. “I’m not a fan of managed violence. Mobs get out of control far too quickly.”
David rubbed his face. “Yah, they sorta do. No one meant for anyone on the bridge crew to get killed. We can’t afford to lose them.”
She leaned forward and focused all her attention on him so he would understand her message. “Here’s what you do. You go back and get all the dissident factions settled. As soon as that happens, I’m putting you in charge of distribution.”
His head jerked up. “What!”
She slid a few reports into a stack and pushed back her chair. “I’ll talk to human resources and have them organize an oversight committee, just in case you get any big ideas. Now, I have a great deal of work to do and so do you. I’ll contact the farm and make the arrangements. Bring me a positive report after five shifts, and I’ll include you in future plans. Cross me and you’re spaced. Do I make myself clear?”
She signaled a guard. “Escort Mr. Jackson out, please.” She tapped her desktop computer and began scrolling through the mail, done with him.
After the door swooshed closed, John burst out laughing. “You sure handled him, but are you sure you want him to handle the distribution of our resources?”
She pursed her lips. “I’m willing to give it a try. Don’t you have someone to cure or something?”
“I have a few procedures to perfect,” he admitted as he rose.
The door opened and the guards returned. “John is leaving as well,” she said.
Lattrell leaned over her desk. “It’s good to see you again, Elise. Let’s get together for dinner soon.”
She couldn’t resist his charm, now or ever. “I’ll check my schedule and be in touch.” A small smile danced at the corners of her lips.
“Let me know as soon as you get an opening.” He winked at her and bent in to kiss her forehead.
She jerked back, frowning, and pointed to the door.
The poker-faced guard led her friend and ex-lover out. She heard him chuckle as he left.
Chapter 5
Getting to know you
“Captain on the bridge.”
Elise stole a look at her tall, dark-eyed escort. Maybe if her stoic-faced guard repeated those words often enough, she would begin to believe them.
As the entrance panel whisked closed behind her, the bridge crew turned and straightened to attention. She nodded. “At ease.” Plastering her best captain’s smile on her face, she studied them. If anything, they looked younger than they had since her first encounter. She racked her brain to remember the names as they eased into a more comfortable stan
ce.
I’ll start with the helm. Better take care of him first.
She stepped forward. “Chay T’Sang, I appreciate the comments you made in your report. I understand your specialty is computers and, in fact, several members of the tech team sorely miss you. Thank you for stepping in and taking over at the helm, but you are now relieved. I’m transferring you back to the tech lab as per your request.”
Chay T’Sang’s eyes widen. “Thank you, Captain.” A smile creased his round face, his hunched shoulders relaxed.
She turned to her astrogator. A worried frown formed as she tried to remember the slender blond’s name. Something Nordic … ah yes, Jensen Dane. “Mr. Dane, you, on the other hand, indicated a preference for continuing at navigation and offered some credible suggestions for locations of habitable planets. That job is critical to our survival, so I will offer you help.”
She flicked her hand at the guard, who opened the bridge’s entrance panel and let in a heavy, sandy-haired man dressed in brown baggy slacks with a tan shirt. He stepped up next to her and faced Jensen.
The astrogator studied him.
Placing a hand on the newcomer’s shoulder, she said, “This is Joss Wylie. Joss has a doctorate in astrophysics and is also eager to find us a habitable world. In addition, he will rotate with the bridge crew so all of you can get more free time. That was a major complaint.”
A few feet shuffled at the comment. Faces brightened.
The newcomer stepped up to the surprised crewmember and stuck out a meaty hand. “Just call me, Joss. I’ll help you all I can.”
Tentatively, Jensen put out a pale hand with fine slender fingers. “Welcome to the bridge, Joss.” He offered a wan smile in return.
Elise exhaled, only then aware that that she had been holding her breath.
“Yes, good.” She faced the fiery, red-haired female, Jazz Espirito, who sat the comm position. “I trained with an excellent communicator who came to mind when I read your report. So, I pulled him out of cryo to help us.”
Jazz’s brow wrinkled, turning her normally pert face quizzical.
Raising a hand, Elise considered it important to forewarn her early about the selection. “He comes with a caution.” She shrugged. “He talks too much.”
Some gave a few smothered snorts while others exchanged uneasy glances.
They’ll learn.
“This bridge will have to figure out a way to deal with him. I wish you luck. Bear in mind, he’s worth it, but there may be times when you’ll want to strangle him.” She shot them a grin. “When I was in training with him, I often felt the urge.”
She gestured again to her guard who opened the panel to a gawky, dark-haired man whose hands flailed in an animated conversation with someone outside the bridge’s entrance.
“Tate!” She put authority into the name, or he might not even hear her, due to an engrossing conversation he was having with a fellow shipmate.
His head jerked up, and he paused. Peering at the open door and gesturing guard, he waved at her. “We’ll talk later,” he promised his companion out of the side of his mouth and stepped through onto the bridge.
Eyeing him severely, she said, “Tate, it’s imperative that only one person speaks at a time while on the bridge. If you’re not listening, you might miss important information or distract the crew at a critical moment.”
“Yes, Ma’am, I consider good communications to be…”
“A simple ‘Yes, Captain’ is all I want.” Her hands curled into fists that she made an effort to relax. She smiled again. Her face hurt from all the smiling.
“Er yes, Captain.” Tate stiffened and went silent.
“Bridge, this is Tate Chattam who will be working with Ms. Espirito.” She pushed him towards the young woman who stepped back, unsure of the gift.
Tate sidled up next to her and said in a low voice, “It’s a pleasure to be working with you, Ms. Espirito. Just call me Tate. I…”
“Tate!” Elise exclaimed. The man spun around and saluted.
“Tate, you’re not military. No need to salute.”
“Yes, Ma’am, er sir. Oh. Captain.” The man rubbed his palms nervously down pale blue trousers.
Already exasperated, she could only roll her eyes at him and struggle on. She took a deep breath. “Finally, Joss Wylie will handle systems as Tango Jones is moving to the helm position and will also assume the job of second-in-command.”
A startled expression flew across Tango’s tan face. She almost laughed at him, but she managed to maintain her composure. Served him right for being such a know-it-all and manipulating that de facto captain to bring her out of cryo in order to juggle this mess. She’d promised herself she would make him pay for that indiscretion. Now he would.
As they began to murmur among themselves, she brought them back to attention. “Listen up. The bridge will be guarded at all times. I’ll post a person inside and outside at the entrance. Two shifts from now I’ll be making a controversial announcement. Expect protest from those onboard. So use the full eight hours of your shift to get some rest because you’ll need to be extra alert afterward. Meanwhile, I plan to visit various areas to get acquainted with the people and the ship.”
Tango jerked forward. “No!”
The entire bridge crew made negative noises.
She raised an eyebrow.
He stepped back from her expression and gathered his composure. “As your first officer, I must warn you that it’s too dangerous for you to go wandering about the ship by yourself.”
“Too dangerous for the captain to visit her own ship?” It beggared belief. She had trained with the concept that a captain was safe on board her vessel. She added that to the growing lists of problems to fix.
She watched the crew exchange looks. The guard next to her subtly shifted position.
From the helm, Tango watched him intently. In the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of three fingers low at the guard’s side, followed by a subtle nod.
“Unless…” Tango cleared his throat. “You take at least, um, three guards with you.”
She felt her guard relax.
She thought it over. “Fair enough for now. Then it’s settled. Tango will assign a detachment of three guards to go with me. They’ll meet me here at the start of the third shift.”
“Only three?” Concern filled Joss’s voice.
“Three seems a small number,” began Tate as he scanned the faces around him. “I would think …”
She glared at her crew. Tapping the shoulder of the silent guard on her left, she made her tone firm and final. “Three guards here at the start of third shift.” She turned to him. “And you, come with me now.”
She faced the rest of the crew. “In the meantime, get to know each other because your life may depend on it, especially here on the bridge. If you decide to use first names, I’ll abide by the decision. I want you focused, but I don’t mind informal. We’re not a military ship. All that saluting hurts my arm. Still, my word is law and my decisions final.” She noted the nods of agreement. “Tango, I leave you in charge.”
“Yes, Captain.”
All eyes swiveled to him as he snapped a salute, then sheepishly lowered his hand.
She shook her head. Training would take some time, but they held promise.
“I suggest you put together a roster and schedule. Forward me a copy for final approval.” She pivoted briskly and left them to get to know one another.
Chapter 6
Trial by fire
Later, after another shift had passed, she walked to the bridge from her quarters, arranging a series of planned visits in her mind. Abruptly, a new guard next to her grabbed her, slammed her against the wall, and threw his body over hers.
Laser flares flashed past both sides; one shot creased his back. She smelled burning fabric and flesh. He grunted against her, lifted off, and grabbed her arm. Palming a nearby panel open, he threw her into a closet full of equipment. Dizzy, she heard several thumps and a
scream from the other side. Then all went quiet.
Finally, the door whisked open, and he pulled her out. “We chased off the attacker, might have even wounded a few, but I want you safe in quarters and out of the corridors.”
Out of nowhere, a female arrived, running full tilt toward them. Elise braced herself and fumbled for a weapon that she didn’t have. The tall, angular girl, dressed in black leather, skidded to a stop. “I came from the bridge as soon as you signaled,” she said, breathing heavily.
Elise’s guard took a stumbling step toward her. “We need to get her to quarters.” He appeared to know the girl, so Elise held back. “Watch the corridor while I notify Trajan.”
A frown crossed the woman’s face. “You’re hit. Let me do it.” She pulled out a comm unit and barked orders into it. Evidently, she was part of the captain’s guard.
“What just happened?” Elise faced the wounded guard.
The two exchanged looks. “Rumor is that you’re planning to make an austerity announcement, and a certain faction on board doesn’t want that to happen. They tried to intimidate you with an attack.” He faltered and leaned against the wall.
She noticed blood soaking through the back of his scorched uniform. She touched his arm. “Appears you just saved my life then.”
The girl reached in to support him. Her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened. She said, “He needs to get to Medlab.”
The man straightened, inhaling sharply. He ran a hand through light-brown curly hair. Pale hazel eyes narrowed in pain. “I can make it. Just need to get my breath back.”
“You saved my life, and I don’t even know your name,” Elise murmured, ashamed at her lack of courtesy.
“Kane. Kane Christian.” He offered a weak salute. She nodded. He inclined his head at the girl. “That’s Mika Sojourn, and Trajan Merek is on his way. Mika will stand guard in your quarters while Trajan and I find out who attacked us.”
Mika protested, “Kane, first you need medical attention.”
“It only stings a little.” He wiped at a pale face and swayed against the wall.
Elise shook her head at him. “Nonsense. We can’t have you dripping blood all over the corridors.”
A World Too Far (Terran Trilogy Book 1) Page 2
