by Kris Powers
Without bothering with a shower, as her time was short, Nadine pulled on a uniform from the closet in her bedroom. She hurried in the dark to make herself ready. Nadine briefly fixed her hair and strode towards the imposing exit of her quarters.
The guard hurried to keep up with her as she flew towards the Ferine’s quarters. Her walk to and from their quarters had taken only a few minutes the previous evening, but today she made it in less than sixty seconds. She pressed the bell with her thumb and waited a few moments before pressing the button again under added pressure. After a minute, Lathiel stood behind a sliding door. A look of interrupted sleep was on his face.
“Yes?” he asked, his eyes squinting in the light. He was tying the belt to a bathrobe supplied by the Alliance which was too small for him, having been made for Humans. The robe came down to a position six inches above his knees. She repressed a momentary shock at the lithe, spotted body that he quickly covered with the robe.
“Lathiel.”
“Nadine? It’s a little early for refreshments.”
“I’m not here for that.”
“No?” Ranik inquired from behind his cousin. He hefted a thick bathrobe onto his striped shoulders.
“No Ranik, I’ve received new orders and I think you should be aware of them. I wanted to tell you immediately,” she said.
“Your nation has made Ruby Brandy illegal?” Ranik joked.
“It should be, but I am serious about this. The Coalition, my nation, is demanding an inquiry.”
“An inquiry?” Lathiel asked.
“It is a request by my superiors to determine the extent of the Ferine government’s involvement in the events that culminated in the loss of the Moon and the affected region on Earth.”
“As I understand, the consequences to your government were minimal. Shouldn’t the Alliance be doing this?” Ranik asked.
“Probably, but we did lose resources on the Moon. I didn’t recommend this, but these are my orders.”
“I thought something like this would happen,” Lathiel said.
“I am sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Lathiel said to reassure her.
“It will take at least three weeks to put the trial together so you do have time to prepare,” Nadine said.
“It’s alright. Do your duty,” Ranik said taking her hand in his. She held his hand for a moment before releasing it.
“Delegates of the Ferine,” she said casting her gaze to the floor, “you are requested to attend a formal hearing to determine the extent of your involvement in the events leading to the destruction of Earth’s satellite as well as the destruction of approximately eight hundred thousand square miles of Earth’s soil.”
“We accept,” Lathiel said, shoulder to shoulder with his family.
“Thank—you,” Nadine said.
A figure of a man emerged into the hallway and hurried towards the trio at a frenzied pace. Ranik covered her hand with both of his as Elliot approached them at a furious pace.
“How dare you!”
“It is the right of the Coalition to demand an inquiry, Admiral,” she said to his fury, “even if I don’t agree with their decision.”
“Bullshit! You did this, all of this, on purpose.”
“I assure you, I have not.”
“Treat them like friends and then stab them in the back, just like a Coalition officer.”
“I was unaware of this. I only got the link a few minutes ago,” she said.
“It was our loss, Nadine. Where do you get off accusing them of these crimes? This incident affected us, not you.”
“There is no policy regarding legislation against extraterrestrials,” she said.
“A perfect loophole for you to exploit!”
“This will be a fair hearing where I am sure the Ferine will be exonerated.”
“Elliot, we accepted the request for a hearing. It is judicious considering the circumstances,” Lathiel said.
“I assure you, you will keep both your current lodgings and freedom,” Nadine said to the Ferine.
“Until you dispense more demands,” Elliot said.
“You are so pigheaded!”
Ranik interrupted the two officers before they could continue sparring.
“Both of you, get a bed!” Ranik said to a look of repulsion from both of them. “Lathiel and I have agreed to the inquiry, Elliot. If you have a problem with it, get your government to have a representative appointed.”
“I’ll do better than that,” Elliot said to Nadine’s flustered look. “There may be no mutual agreements regarding extraterrestrials but there are regarding extraordinary events. The hearing will have a member of the Alliance on the board.”
“There will be twelve members on the board of inquiry,” Nadine said, crossing her arms.
“Six of them will be Alliance dignitaries.”
“Three.”
“Six,” Elliot reiterated.
“It won’t happen with six. My government would resort to a war first.”
“Then what?” he demanded.
“I can probably pull off five.”
“Five is not even enough to hang the vote.”
“I am aware of that Admiral, but at least it will happen that way,” she said. “I am open to other suggestions.”
“Full media coverage. The public will see this.”
“All citizens in the Coalition will see it.”
“On both sides. You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.”
“Fine,” she conceded.
“The Ferine delegates will stay with us during the proceedings.”
“And I will stay on as an envoy,” Nadine stated.
“Fine.”
She nodded towards him and looked back to her friends. “I am sorry about this, I didn’t want it.”
“I know, Nadine,” Lathiel said.
“Please accept my apologies.”
“We already have,” Ranik said.
Nadine nodded politely to her friends and gave a momentary glance to Elliot before plodding back to her quarters.
“You were very generous with her, more than I would have been,” Elliot said to the two.
“Perhaps we understand her predicament in all of this. We don’t believe she was lying to us just now or last night,” Lathiel said.
“Maybe, but she is a Coalition officer.”
“And you are an Alliance officer. Should we have reason to trust one more than the other?” Ranik asked in defense of Nadine.
“I guess you have a point. My experience would say otherwise, though.”
“You have spent years in rivalry with this nation. Are you sure you’re not blinded by your past experiences?” Lathiel asked.
“I guess I never really thought of it that way.”
“To someone on the field of battle, victory can overcome the greater scope of the war,” Lathiel said.
“I thought your species was passive?”
“We are,” Lathiel said.
“So where does that come from?”
“An old axiom of ours from over a millennium ago when we were a much more aggressive race. It’s one of the few remaining relics from that time,” Lathiel said.
“And still has meaning today,” Ranik said with a slow shake of his head.
“There is wisdom to it, though,” Elliot said. “Who were you at war with a thousand years ago?”
“Each other,” Ranik replied and walked back into their dark quarters.
“Excuse us, we do need another hour or so of sleep,” Lathiel said.
“Yes, I was going to suggest you get some rest.”
Lathiel gave him an appreciative, but fatigued smile before closing the door.
Maria looked at the door with a forkful of food halfway to her mouth. The chime was not entirely unwelcome but surprising considering she had no reason to expect any visitors. Maria had never served on Outpost Fourteen and knew of no one from her past serving there now.
“Come in,” she sai
d just before the fork entered her mouth. She was chewing on a piece of chicken breast from her dinner tray when the door slid open. Fleet Admiral Nelson stood at the threshold. His coal colored eyes seemed to absorb the light of the overhead lamp lighting her meal. She nearly upended the tray as she scrambled out of bed to stand at attention.
“At ease,” Nelson said. “Sit down Maria. It’s alright.”
“Yes, Sir,” she relaxed onto the raised backrest of the bed.
“How’s the food?”
“Not bad for hospital food, Sir,” she replied.
“There’s no need to stand on formality, Maria. This is just a friendly visit.”
“A friendly visit all the way to Outpost Fourteen?” Maria asked.
“It was on my way.”
“To where? Antares?” she asked, doubtfully.
“Okay, this isn’t entirely a friendly visit.”
“What are you really here for?”
“I wanted to give you the informal version of this before you received the official one.”
“The Fleet Admiral has come all this way to hold my hand.”
“Do you have the crystalline implant yet?”
“Don’t change the subject,” she replied.
“I’m getting to it. Do you have the eye yet?”
“Yes. I have depth perception again. Now get to the point.”
“Same old Maria,” he said and sighed. “We’ve called for a court martial.”
“For what?” she asked.
“You know better than to ask that question. A ship was lost under your command. It is standard procedure.”
“Sacrificing that ship won the battle,” she said.
“I know that and I agree with your decision.”
“Then call it off,” she said.
“Even I can’t do that. It would violate military law.”
“Fine.”
“This is just a formality. I’ve got half a dozen Admirals that want to pin a medal on your chest for God’s sake.”
“I said fine.”
“Why are you acting like this?”
“Is there anything else, Admiral?”
“It’s not happening for a couple of weeks. You will have time to recover,” he said.
“When am I expected?”
“In three weeks. Will you be well enough to attend?”
“Yes, Admiral. Where is it being held?”
“Honolulu, Hawaii,” he replied.
“Yes, Sir.”
“No bikini or beach jokes?” Nelson asked. Maria regarded him with a cold stare and said nothing. “Good—bye, Maria.”
“Fleet Admiral,” she said and gave him an official salute. A disappointed Nelson turned away from her and left the hospital room.
Peter traveled by ground car to Phoenix Base. The great body of water was showing signs of life, thanks to the many rivers entering and exiting from it. Peter had been one of the supporters for physically connecting the island to the mainland. The idea gathered more momentum when it was discovered the growing sea had a large collection of tiny islands dotting its surface. The process of using them to link the base with the rest of civilization was difficult but rewarding. Nearly twenty islands were connected by a series of bridges that began near Minnesota and ended at Black Hills Island. Peter was on the last one in an open ground car speeding towards the islet on a foot of air. He had called in a favor from one of his ex—Excalibur crewmates in order to ensure he would have it all to himself.
He breathed deeply of the natural, non—manufactured air. Three gleaming white domes some five hundred yards in diameter at their foundations appeared on the horizon. As he closed the distance to the pristine complex, the large multi—tiered connecting structures rose into view.
With the completion of the base, the Excalibur crews had been kept on with the promise of a permanent assignment in the near future. The brass had been elusive as to exactly what this new posting was despite numerous polite inquiries as to what had been planned. Peter had carefully manipulated the Alliance network in an effort to uncover the information. After hours of effort he had discovered their secret.
A prototype.
That was all he could uncover without further investigation into the files. They were of such a high level of classification that only the admiralty had full knowledge of it. Any attempt by him to access those files would bring a slew of security forces on him. It took him far less effort to manipulate the system into a posting that would allow him to remain at the base. Peter was now one of the officers that would handle incoming and outgoing communications once the base was completed.
He looked up into the sky as he neared the massive installation. The last debris of the Moon had been forced into a ring around Earth now visible as a silver band across the sky.
The INN had spent weeks reporting on the changes to Earth as a result of the now absent lunar tides.
He shifted the car to a lower gear and entered the Phoenix Base through a large garage door. The concrete tunnel led him into the underground area of one of the three domes. The vast area beneath this portion of the base housed parking for the fleet of assorted vehicles stationed at the base. The other dome had a large engineering complex beneath it, and the final one had the four story command center.
Peter felt invigorated as he shut off the engine and walked towards an elevator that would be the first step toward his quarters. His first assignment was to finalize last preparations for Admiral Frederick’s inspection tomorrow. He thought of the many chores to complete as he whistled to himself in the empty parking garage.
Elliot exited the shuttle that had taken him and Joshua to the completed Phoenix Base. He squinted in the bright light of the afternoon sun. An officer greeted him on one of several tarmacs for visiting craft. Joshua came out of the shuttle behind Elliot and stood beside him as the officer approached the two.
“Admiral,” The officer said and saluted them. “I am Lieutenant—Commander Peter Stuart, formerly of the Excalibur.”
“Commander, I take it you served with Maria Peterson,” Elliot said, extending his hand.
“Yes, I had the pleasure of serving with Admiral Peterson,” he said, shaking Elliot’s hand. “We are all very proud of what she did to win the battle against the Coalition. Shall I show you the base? I think you’ll be very proud of what we have accomplished in the short time given to us.”
“Please show us the way,” Elliot said to his new acquaintance.
Peter brought them through a small access way into the innards of the nearest white dome. The corridors were bright and smelled of fresh paint. He took an abrupt left into a small elevator. Joshua gave Peter a questioning look as he pressed a button for one of the underground levels of the base.
“I know it seems odd to start in the basement, Captain, but I think you’ll want to see the command center first. It’s definitely the most impressive part of the complex.”
“Lead on,” Elliot said. The elevator stopped its downward movement and chimed arrival to a subbasement level.
Peter led them down a long corridor with several doors which led into the many corners and crevices of the large structure. After several minutes of walking down the corridor with Joshua taking note of the many small signs indicating barracks, lavatories, generator rooms and a plethora of other locations the trip ended with a large double door at the end of the hallway.
Peter tapped a code into a small panel on the wall next to the doors. They parted to reveal a four storey open area three hundred feet long and eighty feet wide. Every level had a wide surrounding deck lined by a railing and each deck had a row of stations on every wall. The head station of each floor looked out on the large space and rose no higher than the railing so as to not obstruct the commanding officer’s view.
The bottom floor was covered in horseshoe shaped consoles. A raised platform was at the far end of the room. A grey, cushioned chair sat on the platform and was surrounded by four wedge shaped consoles.
“That is the command chair,” Peter said, following his gaze. He led them through the many stations on the main floor of the command area and finally, to the center seat. For the first time, Elliot noticed a railing around the edge of the platform. Peter swung open a small section of it, allowing the two to pass onto the platform, and closed it behind the three of them.
“I like this part the best, Sir,” Peter said and tapped a small button on the armrest of the chair. A surprised gasp escaped Elliot’s lips as he felt himself accelerated upwards. He looked around to discover the platform was hovering next to the top floor of the command center.
“Does it fly around the room or what?” Joshua asked.
“Just directly up and down,” Peter said. “It will give you quick access to the other decks if there is anything that you need to personally view.”
“And I don’t have to take the stairs.”
“This place is big enough to command the whole fleet,” Joshua said.
“If necessary,” Peter said in a calm, steady voice. “The brass decided that Phoenix should be a backup to command operations if necessary.”
“All the better for you,” Joshua said to Elliot.
“Thanks. Peter, when will the center be up and running?”
“It is now.”
“I thought the deadline for full operational capability was tomorrow. I was willing to extend the deadline if necessary.”
“We were able to finish ahead of time,” he replied.
“Very good, Commander.”
“Are you going to get off my ship now?” Joshua asked Elliot.
“No.”
“You are supposed to take command,” Joshua said.
“I am, but I’m still the lead diplomatic envoy to the Ferine and I have to accompany them to the hearing. So, I guess I have double duty,” Elliot sighed.
“Keeping you busy?” Joshua asked with a smile.
“Want some of the workload?”
“I’ll be quiet now.”
“I thought so. Thank—you for the tour, Peter.”
“Sir, we just started.”
“I’ll get to it later. I’ll leave the rest in your capable hands.”
