“Save me a dance, will you please?” he asked, again saying the sentence as fast as he could before the fear in him had a chance to prevail. He hoped that it didn’t sound like he was begging, but as a human male he was fully prepared to do so if necessary.
“I most certainly will, Thomas Roh,” she said cheerfully before idly wandering back to her desk. He watched her attractive, slim figure recede in absolute male awe and then noticed Julie was studying him just as carefully.
“Okay, Dr. Markham perhaps you’re right,” he said, trying desperately to clear his fogged head. “I think that the rest of my survey can wait.”
“You pounce and then you run!” Julie replied, laughing so hard her shoulders were shaking, “You men are all the same… every last one of you!”
“Well, no offense Doctor, but dating is an imperfect process,” Thomas commented, leaning one arm against her desk. He whispered into her ear, “It can be even more intimidating when trying to initiate a romantic encounter while in the presence of an older woman.”
Astonishingly, he nearly made it out the hatchway before she caught him.
* * * * *
Adam fumbled around in Thomas’ kitchen, searching desperately for the dry kibble he needed to feed George. The black and white kitten, now about ten pounds strong, was watching him suspiciously from the living room. Every now and then Adam would look up in frustration and George would catch his eye and respond with a loud “Meow!”
“I know – trust me – I’m looking for your damn food, cat!” Adam said. “And this is the last time I waste part of my day off stopping by to feed you, that’s for sure!” Behind him Nori laughed loudly while watching him continue to hunt for the food. She carefully picked up George’s other bowl and washed it out in the sink before replacing its contents with fresh water.
“Meow,” George yowled again, flopping over on his side to watch Adam from a more comfortable position. His long black tail whipped back and forth, signaling his curiosity.
“Where is Thomas, anyway?” Nori asked. “Has he been returned to duty?”
“On a limited basis,” Adam informed her, pulling a box of dry cat kibble out from a cabinet beneath the sink. “Aha! We’ve found the cat food,” he grinned, carefully refilling the cat’s bowl. “He’s going to start coming to the Council meetings and also work part-time in the Observatory. The Captain feels that’s enough for now.”
“Council meetings, huh,” she replied. “Word is the Brotherhood spy was sentenced today… what was his name – Warren?” She paused but couldn’t resist asking. “Did you decide to toss him out an airlock?”
“He’s going to live,” said Adam firmly. “We discussed it for quite a while, but death is always the easy way to deal with situations like that.” He put the box of cat food back into its cabinet and shut the door. “His face has permanent scarring from the illness he recklessly brought on board so he’s going to have to live with that, first of all. We also decided to assign him to work in one of the restaurants on deck four.”
“Is he going to be safe there?” queried Nori inquisitively. “Even if he himself isn’t guilty of murder, I’m sure he’s going to take a lot of heat for spying on our ship and for what his people did to ours back on Earth. That hangar four crew is a tough crowd, especially when they’ve been drinking the ‘stuff they don’t have on board’.”
“He more than earned exposure to a little personal danger, don’t you think?” responded Adam. “Warren has agreed to continue to cooperate with Dr. Simmons and her efforts to learn more about his unique… biology. The Captain has ordered her to create a high-level security file to document everything she finds out. That’s all I can tell you for now, the rest is considered classified by the Captain.”
“I can always find out what I need to know by withholding sex,” she told him, stepping up behind him and wrapping her arms around his stomach.
“That weapon is rapidly vacating your arsenal for the time being, woman,” grinned Adam, turning to face her and patting her rapidly growing tummy. “Seriously though, what can our Brotherhood spy do?” he asked. “As long as he works in the restaurant, right in front of God and everybody, the Captain has authorized a marine guard to protect him. The rest of the time he’s confined to his quarters, which are thoroughly searched twice a week the same as if he was in a prison cell.”
“Sooner or later, someone’s going to take a swing at him,” predicted Nori. “I’ve been tempted to myself, considering what he was planning to do to our ship.”
“From a security standpoint, we need to find out who the hotheads and trouble makers are,” said Adam. “So he’s kind of doubling as a flash point. If anyone attacks him, they’ll be prosecuted the same as they would be if they assaulted anyone else.”
“You keep saying him. Are you even sure it is a he?” she wondered. “I’ve heard these Brotherhood people have had lots of… work done.”
“The Doctor is pretty certain,” he replied. “She says he’s a human being – probably cloned – with genetic enhancements to improve his brain power, senses and strength. Other than that, she really can’t tell us more because it all goes in the Captain’s classified file… at least for now.” He stopped and thought carefully for a moment, deciding how much he was authorized to tell her. “His advantage is gone now. When we leaped away from our home star system he lost the connection he had with his powerful friends. He’s quite alone now, at our mercy and very scared.”
“As long as he doesn’t hurt anyone, I’m satisfied. Although I’m not sure some of the civilians on board will agree with your decision.”
Adam watched her smile nervously and grinned back reassuringly. “Well, now that we’ve taken care of George I think we should go and get ready for the Fourth of July celebration.”
“What a great idea,” decided Nori. “I want to dance the night away, Mister.” She kissed him and he held onto her warmly.
“By the way – how is our friend Lieutenant Douglas dealing with the fact that he’s our new air group commander?” asked Adam curiously.
“Walter is just fine,” she replied. “He loves the Pathfinder project and is truly glad we got to come out this far to snoop around.” She smiled. “The best part is that he’s more of a brain like Thomas than a gifted pilot. He spends a lot of his spare time reading and therefore is not the hotshot flyboy who’s likely to win my job away from me.”
“Nobody is going to take your job,” Adam said confidently. “I’ve seen your flying and there isn’t anybody that crazy left on the ship.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere, sir,” she said, fluttering her eyelids at him. She took his hand and they headed toward the doorway together.
“Don’t eat too much of that food, there, George,” Adam suggested as they walked past the cat on the floor. “You’ve grown too much already in just three short weeks.”
“Meow,” the cat replied between cat food crunches, just before the door slid shut.
* * * * *
Several large areas in the Garden wing had been roped off and decorated in reds, whites and blues specifically for the evening party. The main staging area was currently occupied by a group of musicians playing swing music when Mary arrived… she quickly surveyed the crowd looking for Glen. Frustrated, she headed over to one of the tables by the side of the nearest walking path and poured herself a glass of punch. Lots of people were already dancing and she watched them curiously while she waited. She knew he had worked most of the afternoon but was not in the mood to forgive him for tardiness – she had not come here just to watch other people dance. She wanted to step right up and get things started.
“How are you, Lieutenant?” Kaufield said from behind her. “Or should I have said… how are you doing there, oh beautiful lady in a bright red dress?” She turned and smiled, sipping punch from her glass.
“Half of us are here, anyway,” she commented as he stepped up beside her and turned to do his own survey of the crowd.
�
�Don’t be too hard on Glen,” smiled Dennis. “I’ve had him checking and double-checking the Canary probe data very thoroughly prior to each and every PTP transit. The rest of his staff has done a really great job taking over for Thomas but they still need some time to beat the learning curve. That’s a pretty sophisticated singularity we’ve got burning beneath the ship.”
“Blah blah blah blah blahh,” Mary said, setting her empty cup on the table. “If you won’t ask, I will. Would you like to dance, Captain?”
“I’d be delighted,” he said cheerfully, taking her by the hand and guiding her arm to his.
They stepped out into the area reserved for dancing and began a conservative two-step. As they danced, the Captain glanced over to the kids’ corner, where a clown was clumsily handing out animal balloons while trying to avoid tripping over his huge shoes. Joseph was in there somewhere amidst all the kids, clamoring with the rest of them for the entertainer’s attention.
“Who’s manning the Command Dome?” Mary asked.
“Adam is up there with a skeleton crew for now,” responded Kaufield. “And after a few quick dances and a ‘how’re ya’ doing’ or two I’m headed right back up there so he can pick up Nori and head on over.” He chuckled. “You should see him – he’s sitting up there in my chair wearing all his formal stuff. It looks like he’s waiting for a party to find him!”
“You should have snapped his picture and E-Noted it to all the officers,” Mary said. “I can see the caption now… new fleet uniforms required while on duty!” She smiled in relief as she saw Glen walking toward them, all dressed up himself.
“Why Captain, I do believe you’re making moves on my woman,” he said cheerfully. “Must I challenge thee to a duel?”
“I defer to you, sir,” the Captain replied, holding up his hands and backing away. “I’m going to go check on Joseph and see how many balloons he’s stuck to the roof. From what I hear, he’s getting pretty good at decorating the ceilings in here.”
Mary couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Balloons are new,” she commented as Glen began dancing with her. “Usually Joseph uses the fruit from the trees.”
“I know, I have been reading the reports from Jeffrey’s maintenance staff,” Kaufield said with a smirk. “Please enjoy yourselves, folks. You do good work and I’m proud to have you as part of my crew.”
Mary leaned out slightly from behind Glen’s large frame to watch the Captain as he walked over toward the children’s area. “He’s sure in a good mood, isn’t he?” she said. “I wonder what’s so special in his world these days.”
“Maybe he’s happy to see everyone having a good time for a change,” suggested Glen, spinning her once while holding onto just the fingertips of her left hand. She completed the twirl and he pulled her close again. “Why don’t we sneak away real quick for a romantic walk through those trees behind you?” he whispered into her ear.
“Now that’s a great idea,” she decided.
If anyone noticed them leaving they didn’t say anything. The couple quickly ducked behind a grove of nearby trees and Glen led her steadily further back into the woodsy area of the Garden wing. They continued on for quite a ways, and Mary found it hard to believe just how much room there was for grass and growing things. It was a spectacular sight, and they weren’t even in the area for growing crops yet!
“Are you into the spirit of the party yet?” Glen asked, beginning to dance with her again. The music in the background had faded, but they could still hear it and he pressed his cheek close to hers. She closed her eyes and just danced with him for a few minutes before noticing just how far into the Garden wing he had led her.
“Oh Glen…” she said, looking out the open window they had neared. As far as she could see, clouds of brilliant white stars and intertwining, colorful nebulae dotted the blackness beyond. “This is beautiful… I knew we had moved the Pathfinder close to a cluster of galaxies, but I never expected to be able to see so much of it from in here!” She just stared in admiration, soaking in the spectacular view of the heavens outside.
“I dare say there will be a lot of people checking out the scenery from up here later this evening,” decided Glen. “But I wanted to share it with you first.” He kissed her softly and, almost immediately, she began to blush.
“How long have we been going together, anyway?” he asked, looking into her beautiful brown eyes. “Has it been over a year already?” She drew back her hand to smack him and he held up his left forefinger. “Actually,” he said, his brow furrowing intensely as he thought things carefully through, “My guess would be 627 days, 15 hours and 12 minutes.” He glanced at his watch as if to check his facts and she finally did lightly slap him on the shoulder.
“You’re more accurate than you know,” Mary said, mocking a bit of irritation. “It is actually closer to two years now than it is to one.”
“I know that… facts and figures are my specialty,” he said. “I checked very carefully this morning so that I would be correct with my facts at this evening’s celebration. It’s been 627 days, 15 hours and 11 minutes now since we first met…” He trailed off talking as she reared back to slap him harder this time. She stopped in mid-swing as he humbly lowered his head and dropped to one knee. “…And during that 1.7 years I knew from the start that it was only a matter of time before I worked up my courage and asked you to marry me. So why don’t we make it official right now!” He pulled a small black box out of his pocket, opened it, and held the diamond ring out for her to look over.
“Glen, are you serious?” she asked, attempting to hide her elation. The diamond in the ring sparkled brightly in the soft starlight winding through the dimly lit woods surrounding them. Her brown eyes were so wide with astonishment that he laughed heartily.
“Mary Hastings, will you marry me?” he asked, kissing her softly.
She reared back again and slapped him harder. “You had this planned all along, didn’t you?” she said, laughing so hard that tears ran from her eyes. She nervously wiped them dry, smiling happily the entire time.
“Of course I did Mary,” he said, rising back to his feet. “And when a fellow asks a lady a question like that, he’s usually feeling very vulnerable, scared, and extremely worked up with anxiety until she answers…”
“Yes,” she said, lowering her eyes. “Yes, I will marry you, Glen Fredericks.” She held out her hand as he put the ring on her finger and then they tenderly kissed again.
He resumed their slow dance and quickly earned a third slap from his bride-to-be. “Let’s get back to the party pal,” Mary said, her normally soft voice deepening with determination. “I’ve got some serious gossiping to do with my friends.” She laughed as she grabbed his hand and began pulling him back toward the distant sound of the music.
They walked past the tree rows and headed back toward the party area. The overhanging branches were quite thick so Mary was surprised again as they emerged from the trees to see everyone gathered around. The crowd began applauding as soon as the couple emerged back into the light and Lieutenant Mary Hastings promptly turned and whacked her boyfriend on his shoulder for the fourth time.
“Already the honeymoon is over,” he said, shaking his head. “And the abuse begins.”
“Everybody on the ship knew about this except for me?” Mary asked. Glen nodded and couldn’t help reacting to the expression on her face. He pulled a chair out from one of the tables, sat down in it and began laughing as loudly as he could. He could hear cameras clicking in the background and pointed a finger at her.
“I forgot my camera,” he said. “So I’m glad there are people out there who thought ahead and are preserving our first of many precious moments!”
“Congratulations,” Captain Kaufield said, walking over and heartily shaking Glen’s hand.
Joseph stood next to him with a huge smile on his face and handed Mary a bunch of brightly colored balloons. “Congratulations, Glen and Mary!” the twelve year old grinned.
“I�
��m glad you could be here, Captain,” Mary said, taking the balloons and holding them close to her. She smiled at the ecstatic grin on Joseph’s face and glanced around, picking out all the friendly faces in the crowd. Thomas was there, standing next to the really pretty brunette who lived directly across the corridor from her. She also spotted Adam and Nori, along with many of her other good friends. Dr. Simmons was also present along with Jeff Mathison, Corporal Henderson and his daughter Lucy. She hadn’t expected Julie to make it, and the thought of her friend and shipboard duties caused her to suddenly swirl around with a puzzled look at Kaufield. “Adam is here now, Captain. So who’s minding the store up in the Command Dome?” she asked, unable to restrain her curiosity.
“A couple of raw ensigns I found down below,” Dennis replied with a smile. “Actually I will be, in a few minutes anyway.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world, Lieutenant.” He glanced over at Adam. “I have to go back on duty after one more dance with Glen’s blushing new bride. I hope I can count on you to get Joseph home safely and keep the fruit off the ceilings.”
“Yes sir,” Adam promised, trying not to smirk as Nori elbowed him expertly.
The Captain turned around and proudly raised Glen and Mary’s clenched hands into the air. Everyone shouted and hooted their approval and began to applaud again. The Captain expertly waited for the crowd to quiet down and then shouted as loudly as he could, “What’s everybody waiting for? It’s the Fourth of July… let’s get this party going again!”
Later that evening found Dennis sitting comfortably in his chair on the Command Dome carefully studying the latest status reports. Several ensigns manned the stations normally helmed by Adam and Mary, but other than that the room was very quiet except for the background noise of the active equipment. He noticed on the overhead monitors that there were a couple of star systems in the immediate vicinity, but the Pathfinder currently sat very quietly in space near one of the few vacant areas thus far mapped in the Centaurus super-cluster. Dr. Markham needed darkness for her telescopes in order to minimize the star shine and use them to gaze as far as possible deeper yet into the space beyond.
The Pathfinder Project Page 21
