by J G Clements
“That’s another thing I don’t get, then. You have a title, but she asked us to just call her Helen. Anything you can tell me about that? You know, it’s going to be easier to discuss this on the floor of the House if I could refer to her as something other than Helen. Is there something you can tell me?
“Well…her title is something longer, and I think she will start using it once you’ve made up your mind. She really has two goals here. One, she needs to convince you that there are Space-going races. That’s why this atmospheric craft was rushed here. But her second challenge is more difficult. She has to convince you to take sides, and that this is the right side. But that won’t be too difficult. You see, the Swarm will destroy you on sight. I bet she plans to take you to some of the wasted worlds. Let you see for yourself.”
“What about we just stay neutral?
“My understanding is, the Swarm will destroy any world with life on it. Doesn’t even have to be intelligent life. So Earth would still be in danger.” I wondered if they got the dig about intelligent life, but I sort of didn’t care.
He snorted, a sort of “I’m thinking this over” sound. Thanking me, he walked off with the Majority Leader. As he was a few feet away, I called after him. “Mr. Speaker….if you get a chance to ride in a spaceship, take it.” He gave me a non-committal nod and left. With nothing to do, I stood as immobile as I could, and just waited. The Agent probably thought I was making fun of him, and maybe I was.
It took another four or five hours for everyone to get organized. It ended with Helen, two of her crewman, the President, Speaker and Leader leaving together in the Limo. A third crewman stayed by the ship while Air Force personnel practically dismantled it. And Jack Sullivan came over to me and said he was personally responsible to Helen for my wellbeing and happiness, and how could we get a jeep or hummer to drive around in?
The Secret Service agent overheard, and explained he had been instructed to take care of the needs of me and the crew. I resisted the urge to say I have been instructed to take care of the needs of the Secret Service, trying to complete the circle of needs. Instead, by unanimous agreement, we all decided that a large meal was needed. So which way to the Base mess-hall? I was also curious to see if Jack actually ate. He looked human…I just didn’t know.
Inertia applies to the government the same as to physics. Once it was overcome, things actually moved quickly. A couple MPs or whatever got tossed from their rides, and Jack almost pushed the Agent out of the way to take the wheel himself. The Agent gave me a look…no, I wasn’t going to intercede…and off we drove. Jack seemed to be having fun, trying to make it look necessary to swerve as much as possible. I had my belt on. The Agent probably wished he had his on. I resisted the urge to remind him he couldn’t draw his weapon while both hands were gripping the vehicle.
With the Agent’s guidance, we were outside the Officers mess in a few minutes. The two agents following behind us in a black SUV had also swerved as much as Jack, so maybe they did have a sense of humor after all.
The place was empty. I think Jack was disappointed but I’m certain it was emptied while we were on our way. They weren’t sure yet if we were going to be allowed to meet the civilians. Well…not civilians…but you understand. They obviously had no idea how Helen worked. In fact, I bet the McKinsie Fleet was already being entertained by members of the Crekie. She really would like the U.S. government’s help, but she had it figured out that is was the American People she would appeal to. I could see why she had brought Jack along. He was a natural leader. Let him speak to a crowd and he’ll convince them.
The meal was good, and Jack seemed to eat everything I ate, only more. The long day got longer, and we were offered Officer Quarters for our sleeping accommodations. It sounded good to me, but Jack said the two of us had berths on the ship, and we’d stay there tonight. I was surprised to hear that, having never been on a spaceship before, but was curious. I could only imagine what the base accommodations were going to be and decided I had nothing to lose. I also knew the base probably didn’t have beer or wine. Yeah, I’d take my chance that the spaceship did. Beer. Or wine. Or, since this day had been so long already, double martinis? To be honest, I’ve never had a martini but if they could make me one, I’m sure I’d want a double.
On our way back to the ship, this time the Agent drove. Good, cause my meal hadn’t settled yet. Arriving without incident…that is, having not hit anything or rolled the vehicle, we loitered outside the ship for a few minutes. There were a bunch of guards stationed around it, but no one had a second thought about letting us through. As we walked up the steps, Jack gave one last wave to Dan. Dan was the name of the Agent I had been with all day. I had never thought to ask.
I expected Jack to close the ship, but when I asked about it, he had a good answer. “Don’t worry. Our ship will be the most closely guarded thing on Earth tonight. And leaving the hatch open is a sign of friendliness. You were never in the military, were you?” I shook my head but didn’t say anything. But I had the snarky thought that I bet submarine captains don’t leave hatches open. “Come on. Helen said you’ve never been onboard a ship, have you?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Its pretty much like every Navy ship ever built. The command functions are in the front, the weapons and engines in the aft, with living quarters in the midship areas. Got it?”
The interior of the ship seemed to be about half metal and half….some sort of plastic. The floor was rubber like, almost tacky. The walls were definitely metal but very smooth with different sections being differently colored. If you knew what the colors stood for, you’d know where to go to fix stuff. The ceiling was just…bright. As if the whole ceiling gave off a nice illumination. “Am I allowed to go anywhere on the ship, or am I confined to the living quarters?”
“Normally, you couldn’t get to the Bridge or the Engine areas unless you were escorted. The ship is pretty smart, but you could probably manage to break something if you weren’t careful. Helen, however, wants you to have VIP treatment. So…anything you want, boss, and it’s yours.”
I was a bit stunned. I didn’t feel like a VIP, and I certainly didn’t see myself as Jack’s boss. Quite the opposite. “How about a tour tomorrow, but I’d just as soon find a bed for tonight?” My fatigue was catching up to me, and I didn’t even ask about a beer. The part of my mind that wanted a beer was calling me a ‘loser’ but I didn’t care.
He agreed to a tour tomorrow, so several bulkheads and a flight of stairs later, I was in front of my door. “This ship is outfitted for Earth-normal folks so everything will be pretty familiar. The computer, the A.I. is pretty good so ask her any questions and she’ll answer and get stuff for you. He glanced at his watch…it was a cheap one, the kind you’d get at a discount store. No one wore watches…we all used our cell phones. Jack had never gotten that memo. “Eleven thirty. Yea, it is late. I’ll tell the A.I to wake us at 7:30, and I’ll see you outside your door around 8, then we’ll breakfast aboard, ok?” I can be a very agreeable person when I am getting exactly what I want, So I nodded and entered my room.
It was larger than I had thought it would be. And more nicely furnished too. I expected barracks, but this was more like a mid-range hotel. I poked around…even a minifridge. But no mini-bar. Dang. Usual bathroom fixtures if somewhat small, a desk, and even a TV screen. And yes…it was getting cable. I laughed at the absurdness of that. I poked into the closets and there were clothes for me. “For my Recruiter, with thanks.” It made me realized how orchestrated this whole day had been, but the thoughtfulness of her supplying clothes touched me.
Thirty minutes later I was in bed watching my favorite news channel. Everyone was falling over themselves explaining how friendly aliens were rescuing the McKinsie fleet, and were now being thanked by the President of the United States. I wondered how the McKinsie fleet felt about that.
I was still mulling that over when a voice in my head said hello. I knew she was busy, but I had to tell her what I felt she needed
to know. “Helen…you must insist that the United States allow you to build a spaceport, but somewhere along one of its borders.” I knew that she wanted a spaceport, but I only realized how the whole thing would break down. Puzzlement and confusion leaked into my mind, but also unconditional trust. Even without knowing why, Helen was ready to insist on my demands. I was pleased beyond belief at her trust, but felt I owed her an explanation.
“Helen…if we are land-locked, then possible volunteers from other countries will be kept away. Insist on something along the coast, and insist that the US government may search applicants for weapons, but they can’t keep people away from us. They don’t have to allow foreigners into the United States, but they do have to let them get to our spaceport. Ask for a 99 year lease.”
I sensed that pause again, the one that I’m certain is caused by her checking some data-base. “Oh, I see it.” Then another pause. “Do you think taking Ambassadors to the wasted worlds will help us convince them this is for real? We are afraid if we do, groups will form some sort of voting blocs or alliances that will make us negotiate only with a single entity. We don’t wish to do that.”
Divide and conquer. She was smart. “Let them each bring an assistant or two.” I could sense I had totally lost her so I continued, “Most of the Ambassadors will be too busy trying to make sure their assistants see them as loyal to their own countries. They will be afraid to make any overtures if their hired-hands sees it as a sell out. I suspect many of the assistants themselves will be even more toxic toward the forming of any alliances.” I was ready to explain further, but sensed that I didn’t need to. Helen understood it.
Another second went by, and I though I could feel her presence, she wasn’t’ saying anything. Then, “I chose so well with you, Recruiter. Thank you”. Gratitude flooded my mind.
“You’re welcome Spacegirl.” Then as an afterthought, “Try to steal some silverware from the White House if you can, OK?” Leaving her to try to figure that out, I was content to close my mind and fall asleep.
Chapter 7. Earth Fleet
Ceres Report: Algae
I actually got several of the algae tanks started. My heating and lighting have been pretty reliable, so it was time. Some guy at NASA figured out you can eat algae. Fortunately, McKinsie found a Frenchman who taught me how to grow Snails. I hope I can get this to work.
The Captain practically begged the women to let him bring them back to the Fleet personally. They agreed, and after suiting up, boarded the skiff. They noticed that a lot of the free space was taken up by a dozen crates of food. Captain Jack explained that there was no reason for the rest of the Fleet to go hungry, and the crates can take short periods of no pressure without spoiling. He waved them away from the passenger seats and motioned them to sit in the two vacant navigation seats. During the trip back he gave a lesson in how to pilot a skiff. It wasn’t hard, though the propulsion was some odd combination of gravity deflectors and normal rockets. Sue was torn between being asked to try it herself, or making a fool of herself if she did. The idea of driving the skiff into, and probably through, the Earth Fleet was enough to confine her to being a spectator.
Captain Jack split his comments between lecturing on how to pilot the skiff, and asking her if she was willing to let him meet the rest of her Fleet. Sue thought any resistance here would be pointless, and had already decided that free mingling of the Fleet with the Oddjob was going to happen anyway. “Captain, I was wondering. There is no place in our Fleet that everyone can be in the same room at the same time. Would you like to have us convene everyone on your ship? Use that to brief us on exactly what you are here for?”
Jack was pleased and accepted. “How about tomorrow morning, say 7 a.m? I’d like to offer a hot breakfast to your fleet members? Coffee, sausage, pastry, maybe eggs. I’d have to check about the eggs, though.”
“You had me at ‘coffee’. It was Jennifer, almost to herself. The Captain overheard her and laughed.
“How do you want to dock? I assume you need to EVA, right?” And that was true. Some of the ships were actually bolted together making it possible to travel ship-to-ship. But the ones that were still capable of flight had to be entered via EVA with a spacesuit.
“I’ll show you where you should park. Someone will throw a line, not to tether the skiff, but to give us a guide line for our EVA.” Sue thought about it for another moment. “If Jennifer waits here, she can probably attach the crates to a line and we can take possession that way”. Jack said nothing and put the skiff right where it was requested.
Sue followed the tether line back to her station, then had Jennifer send the crates toward her, one at a time. Surprisingly, the whole process took less than twenty minutes. As Jennifer was about to unhook the tether, then ride it herself to the fleet, Captain Jack tapped her on the back. Turning to look, he held a glove up to his helmet and made the universal sign of saying ‘shush’. Handing her a bottle, Jennifer saw the label, and the proof, and her expression gave Jack a laugh. “You earned it. Thank you for gracing my ship today”. With no further ado, he pushed her out the lock and let whoever was on the other end pull her in. He hung in the doorway for a minute, making sure she got safely aboard the Earthfleet. By the time Jennifer turned around to wave, he was already gone.
It was just as well, too. There was pandemonium over the food, demands of what happened on the Oddjob, and a couple envious looks at the bottle Jennifer held. Un-suiting as fast as possible, no one seemed to care about the condensation that formed when the cold exterior of the suits were brought into the warmer quarters. There were easily a half dozen folks in the small area that Sue and Jennifer directed the fleet from. Crowded, and made more so as they tried to open the crates. Sue thought briefly about trying to bring order to things, then just let it go. Tonight, it didn’t matter what went on. But she did have a duty to get on the horn and let everyone know about the Breakfast invitation.
She transmitted her carrier wave, then made her announcements. The Oddjob was friendly, and everyone was invited over to it tomorrow for breakfast. That caused some chatter, and she waited for it to calm down to drop the big news. “Coffee, sausages and pastries”. Laughter from everyone, yet with there were some reserve to it. Yeah, that was fine. This was happening fast. It could be a ‘good fast’, or it could be a ‘bad fast’. But either way, it was going to be fast.
It took only a few minutes for most of the groceries to find their ways to various ships…though it appeared kale still wasn’t much sought after, even in space. Everyone settled down and there were lots of inter-ship chatter, but mostly one-on-one or in small groups. Satisfied, Sue contacted the Moonfleet. Exactly the same treatment she had received, and yes, a breakfast for them at the same time. Prudence would have suggested one of the two Fleets, hers or the Moonfleet, should be delayed pending the outcome of the other one. An ambush normally can’t be staggered.
Sue thought about this, then decided against it. They were so hopelessly outmanned, out-equipped, out-supplied. But before she turned in, she sent a short coded message off in the direction of Ceres. No reason everyone shouldn’t know what was happening. What did Captain Jack say? Everyone should have all the facts. That alone made her like him. Three or four raw carrots, she turned in.
*****
By six am, the Earthfleet was virtually abandoned. Several dozen spacesuited figures had all EVA’d over to the Oddjob, and had been escorted off the flight deck and into a mess hall. Sue had stayed on her ship, ostensibly to help with any last minute problems, and to check off the names as being accounted for. She next read a short coded message that had come in from Ceres, then deleted it. Closing her suit, she made the EVA. For the first time, the Earthfleet was completely unmanned. She didn’t like it, though she understood.
Her trepidation was short lived, however by the appearance of her friends, all happily overeating and enjoying each other’s company. Sue was struck with the thought that they had never even tried to make a meeting hall large enough
for everyone to mingle. That had been a mistake, but one that could be remedied. It didn’t stop her from fixing a large plate of food, and yes, there were eggs. And coffee, which washed away her feelings of foreboding.
There were no signs of stopping their eating, though it was slowing down. Jack had been mingling with everyone, his appetite every bit as voracious as the Fleet’s. Some of the crew, human but with faces that lacked definition, were also present and seemed to fit-in well. Sue’s sense of foreboding was gone, and Jack walked over to greet her.
“Sue, I need to know. I know you run the communications for the Earthfleet. Is it your job to call a meeting, or do I treat each Captain as equal and call the meeting myself?”
Sue didn’t hesitate. “We are all equal here, Jack. Ever tried to herd cats?” He nodded, getting it immediately.
With a command voice, Captain Jack called everyone to order. Over two dozen folks put their plates down, giving him their undivided attention. McKinsie had personally chosen each one of them, and none of them would do anything but act professional. That fact was not lost on Jack, and he realized that these folks were every bit as disciplined, no, more so, than any crew he had ever served with. He motioned them to chairs, and the mess hall was transformed into a war room. Just like that.
“Hello. My name is Jack Sullivan and I am Captain of the Oddjob. Thank you all for coming this morning.” He seemed to make eye contact with everyone, and Sue took note of that ability. “I was a commander of a diesel submarine in World War II, and I was recruited by the Crekie and their associates a number of years ago. I know some of you wonder about why some of the crew have such baby faces, so let me explain that first. The Crekie more of less grow or build bodies by somehow organizing cells, cells that don’t have DNA. When I was recruited, I was more or less inserted into this construct, then as my DNA colonized it, it assumed the appearance of my original body. I don’t understand it very well, but it takes about five or six years for the process to be complete, where all the cells have been colonized by DNA.”
