A Hop, Skip and a Jump (Family Law Book 4)

by Mackey Chandler

  "I wouldn't fly it," Lee said.

  "Of course not, you aren't brainwashed," Vic said.

  "That's a new term for me," Lee said. She was punching it in her pad.

  "I believe one gets the sense of it from context," the Second Mother said. "You are saying you are not just dealing with the misinformed, but with fanatics."

  "You're very perceptive. That's exactly the point," Eileen said.

  "Be careful," Lee said, worried. "Dealing with delusional people you can't be sure what they will do."

  "Your concern is touching, but if we wanted to quietly live risk free we'd have never struggled and left Earth," Eileen said.

  "Well, come back," Lee set as a minimum. "I have a lot more of your story to hear."

  The Mothers nodded solemn agreement.

  Outside, the was a crack and a distant rumble as the ship approached.

  "Time to run, excuse us," Eileen said and started for the door at a brisk walk. A young Derf handed Vic two boxes as he chased after her. He tucked them in one elbow and hurried.

  Chapter 28

  "They're trying so hard to look non-aggressive," Eileen said, irritated. "The flight profile is like a merchant ship instead of a cruiser. They jumped short and are decelerating at a half G. They announced system entry way early. Nobody could say it looked like a military strike, jumping deep, hot and silent. I hate it when the Earthies do this passive aggressive theater. It still doesn't excuse the fact they're here, after they were told they're not welcome to make unannounced port calls here."

  "Indeed, it's willful trespass," Victor agreed.

  "If they want to play meek let us see how well they can continue to do so when I interrogate them. I will jump a drone in, paint them with very low powered radar, and then establish voice communications. I'm not risking us at first. I shall simultaneously trade drones as often as necessary to carry the conversation on from a safe distance."

  "I predict they will remain meek, as you say, and just insist on continuing to Derfhome orbit, no matter what you say," Vic predicted. "It fits that old term, passive aggressive."

  "This is a flawed action," Eileen said. "I'm trying to figure it out. If I were going to fire on them rather than let them orbit how did they intend to prove it later? To be useful for propaganda you need video and system scan, or at least audio of the traffic control orders. It isn't very effective to say your ship just disappeared when you sent it to Derfhome and then draw all sorts of suppositions from that."

  "Perhaps they think the Derf aren't sophisticated enough to edit their system scan?" Vic asked, grasping for some explanation.

  "Recording to our drone and I'll jump it in," Eileen said.

  "Hailing the North American cruiser Albany. This is Captain Eileen Foy of the Nation of Central vessel Phantom, on detached duty to the Nation of Red Tree. Please be aware this system and beyond has been closed to military vessels for informal port calls. It is necessary to ask permission before visiting now. This was published to Earth news outlets and nations as well as ship mail to all inhabited systems. Notices to Navigation should have propagated it through your own networks. You need to tell us how you plan to alter course and leave the system to comply with this directive."

  "And . . . sent," Eileen said. They waited a long thirty seconds for the drone to record and response and they traded drones jumping a fresh one in.

  "This is Captain Linda Stein commanding the Albany. I am unable to comply. I have to declare an emergency because we have limited life support and are proceeding on stores rather than recycling. We need to have systems serviced before we can safely jump as far as a system with an industrial base and ship services."

  "Well if you had properly brought that hunk of junk back online with the needed cultures in the tanks there wouldn't be any problem," Eileen said, but only to Vic. She didn't transmit that to the Albany. "Not to mention most captains would announce any emergency the very first thing upon addressing the system scan."

  An unexpected drone materialized near the Phantom and reported.

  "Well, well, well . . . System entry behind her, on the same vector as the Albany. There is your witness to see us abuse our unexpected guest in trouble. Their hail to the system scan says they are the USNA trader High Plains. I didn't know there were any North American registered merchant ships," Victor said in wonder.

  "There are maybe half a dozen," Eileen said. "They have absurd safety regulations and restrictions on what they can carry. It's so uneconomical to operate them that you can just figure any with that registration are actually letter agency vehicles. And I'd bet they don't bother to follow the silly rules either. They killed their launch industry last century by treating spaceships like airliners. They fly over oceans, so these idiots require space capable vessels to carry life rafts. They can't carry a big list of stuff like elemental mercury or certain kinds of batteries, and they still require things like dedicated black box recorders in obsolete century old approved formats that are heavy and useless."

  "Well, the Albany undoubtedly knew they would have a follower, but the wave front has not caught up with them for them to know it has arrived in system. What will you do?" Vic asked.

  "Anyone is obligated to render aid," Eileen said. "Derfhome is such a poor choice for emergency service. We have no real shipyard here, and limited repair facilities. I will inform them we are going to render aid to get them to first class repair facility."

  "Ha! You going to run them to Earth?" Vic asked her, with a huge grin.

  "No, no, no. No need. New Japan is so much closer. With an environmental failure lives are at risk. Time is of the essence," Eileen said, tongue in cheek.

  "Like Fargone, New Japan banned USNA military vessels from visiting their system," Vic pointed out. "Remember?"

  "Yes, but anyone is obligated to help a vessel in distress. They'll fix whatever is life threatening, and then send them on their way," Eileen said cheerfully.

  "And they can charge whatever they please," Victor said thoughtfully.

  "Yes, well if the emergency isn't as critical as they thought that may boost the price."

  "Boost? They're going to price gouge them and file a diplomatic protest," Vic said.

  "One may hope. We'll lurk long enough to hear how they take it," Eileen decided.

  "Why do I keep seeing weird jump signatures every fifteen seconds?" Captain Stein asked.

  "Those are our jump drones relaying our messages between us, and recording what you do to forward to system scan. Forgive our caution but we thought you might be hostile since you are in trespass. So we maintained a few light minutes distance for the sake of safety. But a ship in environmental failure is hardly going to get aggressive is it? We are going to jump in close. Don't be alarmed. We are going to speed up your access to a top notch repair facility."

  "Jump in near her in six or seven decreasing distance jumps," Eileen ordered Vic. "I'd like to end up a hundred meters from her plus or minus about five meters. Then auto jump out dragging her along within a few milliseconds, so she doesn't have time to panic."

  "A jump in isn't as nasty as outbound," Vic said, concerned. "But it will still rattle her."

  "Good," Eileen said.

  The ship jumped in swift sequence, but each one smaller and with decreasing error for end location. The last jump of a thousand kilometers terminating within the five meters requested.

  The cruiser was visible outside their ports, but immediately the star field BLINKED in change, the stars assuming a slightly shifted pattern.

  "WHAT"

  -BLINK-

  "DO"

  -BLINK-

  "YOU"

  -BLINK-

  "THINK"

  -BLINK-

  " - YOU ARE DOING?" Captain Stein yelled. "You're crazy! You jumped so close you thumped me, hard. I heard stuff break." Then beside the flickering star field, the fact there was a planet hanging in front of her penetrated her consciousness.

  "Holy Shit . . . that's impossible."
<
br />   "Reduce radio power, can you get under five watts? Maybe just a watt or two? So New Japan can't hear us?" Eileen requested.

  "I can do a quarter watt and direct it narrowly. We have that for when workers in suits are outside and we don't want everybody to hear what we are saying," Vic said.

  "Oh good, I'll tell her where we've taken her, then jump a few light minutes out-system and we'll lurk and listen," Eileen said.

  "Captain Stein, you are at New Japan. They have excellent facilities to aid you, and are obligated to succor any distressed spacer. Please do not come to Derfhome again, or there's no telling where I shall deliver you if sufficiently irritated. Someplace inside a gravity gradient you can't quite climb out of would be amusing."

  Victor removed them ten light minutes. It was torture waiting to hear Captain Stein's discussion with New Japan traffic control, but eventually it reached them. They used the time to dig into their box lunches.

  "New Japan traffic control this is the USNA Cruiser Albany, Captain Stein commanding. We have an environmental emergency and request aid."

  "Albany, you will alter course to enter a trailing stellar orbit behind New Japan. You will not continue on a course to enter planetary orbit or our defenses will engage you. You will stand down and be boarded and inspected to determine the veracity of this emergency. You entered off a Derfhome vector. How did you transverse the systems between with a bad life support? And why would you even be headed this way, even if it did fail part way here?"

  "It's complicated," Stein admitted. "We declared an emergency at Derfhome but were rejected. They kidnapped us actually, and dropped us here."

  There was barely audible babble of Japanese from several voices in the background then the original speaker said, "Osooooo . . ."

  Vic frowned and keyed an inquiry into his pad.

  "That means?" Eileen asked.

  "Liar, not a gentle euphemistic form, and drawing it out like that is harsh," Vic said.

  "Albany, you will assume the required orbit at least fifteen light seconds trailing our planet," New Japan ordered. "You will assume a stable condition with no roll or pitch and open your outer lock to receive our armored inspection team. It will be delivered by a shuttle and our own forces will stand off in overwatch. Do you understand and intend to comply?"

  "I have fuel reserves to do that and can maintain breathable atmosphere for some hours," Stein said. "Things will start deviate from healthy standards in a few hours however."

  "Not-our-problem, Albany. Breathe slower," the controller suggested.

  "He doesn't sound friendly," Eileen observed.

  "He doesn't sound believing," Victor added.

  "I think our work here is done," Eileen said, satisfied.

  "Shall I take us back to Derfhome, Captain?"

  "Yes, it's going to take hours for this to play out," she decided.

  "To the station and take a shuttle back down, or back to the Keep?" Vic asked.

  "Check that nobody is bothering our freight module, and then back to their lawn. If they object to us taking that liberty, I shall act surprised and say I expected they would want to know the end of the matter quickly."

  "Aye-aye, Ma'am."

  * * *

  "Do you really think they went to the trouble to create a genuine emergency or was it all a ruse?" Lee asked the Foys.

  "I don't know, but if I was Captain Stein right now, and my life support equipment was in perfect order, I'd be down in the engineering spaces busting it up before those Japanese got there and inspected it. They didn't sound like they would have any sense of humor about it," Victor said.

  Vic and Eileen were back sitting in the Keep dining hall, in time to join everyone for the second meal of the day. Vic had another mug of the good Derf beer.

  "Why are you frowning at me?" Vic asked Lee.

  "I just realized you flew after drinking beer," Lee said. "Or that's how you told the story."

  "Before you get too upset with my recklessness, be aware I have a gene mod that makes me metabolize alcohol much faster than normal, and it takes a lot more to impair me," Victor said. "I like the taste of it, but never did like feeling fuzzy. It was a no brainer to buy the mod."

  "Good, because if you hadn't explained I might not have flown with you again," Lee said.

  "It's Heather's ship," Eileen revealed. "We may have enough wealth some day to own our own. I was told you own several ships in the very sketchy briefing they gave me on you and your family. But Heather would not put up with anyone flying her ship drunk. She has very little tolerance for drunks and problem gamblers, among other bad behaviors."

  Lee was reminded how very fortunate she was. The Foys aspired to someday own a ship and she'd just gotten a report how the design of her next star ship was progressing. It wouldn't be as fast as theirs, but it was going to be her very own.

  "I feel the moral climate is much better at Central than Earth, or I wouldn't have advocated any kind of alliance with them," Lee said.

  "Yes and no," Eileen said looking troubled. "Central isn't inhabited by angels. The Three run a tight ship, and will argue and debate passionately whether something is right or wrong right in front of you. That shocked me to see them doing that where anyone could watch, instead of taking it in private, and said as much. Heather laughed and said it's like a ship with three computers. The redundancy is a safeguard and if two of the three get different answers than you it's time to find out why. They get suggestions from advisors, from peers even, they have to reject." That Lee took for modesty, given her recent elevation.

  "There is never a court day where Heather doesn't have something to judge," Vic said.

  Like most of his statements it left room for you to figure out what his point was.

  "People behave better when they aren't oppressed," Eileen said.

  "Well duhhh, of course," Lee said.

  "No 'of course' about it at all," Eileen insisted, actually wagging a finger to make her point. "That is a radical thought, and a call to revolution on Earth."

  "Sometimes, it seems like the more you relieve people of horrible problems, such as not having a secure job, not being secure yourself before arbitrary authority, not being in fear of crime all around you, then they seem to find a hundred petty issues to substitute," Vic said.

  "Like the entitled young woman so full of herself we saw in Heather's court? She wouldn't move out of her ex-boyfriend's apartment like it was hers." Lee said.

  "We don't know that case, but it sounds about right," Vic agreed.

  "Still, I think North America would have just put a missile in one of us if the situation was reversed today," Lee said. "I thought the way you handled it was beyond being patient. It was elegant, artistic even."

  "That's Eileen," Vic said. "I don't have a subtle bone in my body."

  The Third Mother spoke up. "Still, Lee has a point. Any solution that doesn't end in exploding space ships is to be preferred."

  "We gave them another chance to avoid conflict," Eileen agreed. "Now it's up to them to take the lesson to heart and not keep pushing. I know they don't like the new restrictions. It's been a struggle since Home and Central bound them inside L1. We even modified that when they needed to pass out-system with armed ships. At the time Heather was sure they were willing to fight over that issue. She must think this isn't the same, and I hope she's right."

  "It doesn't have to be forever," Lee objected. "When things change we can modify it, just like you did the L1 rules. But for right now I'm pretty sure we need it."

  "I guess that fits the rule that perfect is the enemy of good enough," Vic said.

  "Can anyone ever finish learning English?" the Second Mother complained.

  "No! We are all linguistic sovereigns," Lee insisted. "You have mastered it when you start altering it to suit yourself!"

  "Sometimes I fear you Humans want to change us like you edit and alter and bend your own language," the First Mother worried.

  Lee was growing up and getting smart
er. She said nothing.

  * * *

  "That third candidate compound from the New Japan list looks interesting," Musical said. "There are several ways the ingredients could bond depending on the order in which you combine the metals, adding the same one in batches at different stages."

  "But have you looked at the predicted phase diagram?" Born asked. "It would appear it will be a liquid at normal pressure and temperature."

  "Oh, that rules it out?" Musical asked.

  "We think we are looking for a super-conductor. Current theory says there is no way a liquid like this could be a super-conductor except maybe under conditions like you'd find deep in a gas giant," Born insisted.

  "Current theory, also says what Central ships do is impossible," Musical pointed out. "Why get too narrowly bound to what 'everybody knows' at this point?"

  "You're right," Born decided. "Everything else about it fits our list. Let's include it when we ask Lee for materials funding."

  "You make that presentation," Musical requested. "I can't ask for that much money with a straight face."

  "Do you really think Lee can read Badger faces that well?" Born asked, displaying his amusement. "She grew up with a Derf. She should be able to read me much better."

  "Race doesn't enter into it," Musical insisted, lifting his muzzle haughtily. "A professor gets much more practice asking for money shamelessly than a mere engineer."

  "You're just trying to tweak my snout," Born said, laughing. "It won't work. I'm beyond shame when it comes to pursuing funding. In my trade it's no defect, it's a vital talent."

  "Still, you get the money from Lee, and I'll willingly to put your name first on the paper, and cede you fifty-one percent of any bonus we earn," Musical offered.

  "Deal!" Born said, and offered a true hand to shake, in the Human manner.

  End