Wings of Steele - Destination Unknown (Book 1)

by Burger, Jeffrey

  The Shepherd looked different, yet the same. Jack was so stunned, he didn't comprehend the changes. Using CABL (Computer Assisted Biological Lifeform) technology, the surgeons were able to save the dog's life. The right side of his head, from the bridge of his snout, including the right eye socket, to behind the right ear, to about middle of the top of his head, was polished stainless steel. This man made steel exo-skeletal plate, was molded to replace the destroyed part of his cranium. His right eye had been replaced with a color, full zoom, optical cell. Shaped the same as his original ear, his new right ear was a mechanically articulated, polished aluminum composite dish, with a digital pickup that tripled his hearing ability. A specialized CABL microcomputer took the place of the damaged right lobe of his brain, which would actually make him smarter as it aged and stored acquired information.

  Jack dropped to one knee and opened his arms to greet his friend, tears welling in his eyes against his will. The Shepherd ambled past the people and across the room to the man who willed him to live. Still not completely coordinated, the dog's gait was slow and somewhat mechanical in execution, but his determination paid off when he reached the loving, protective arms that encircled him. Jack buried his face in the long, soft fur of Fritz's neck and cried. "Oh, Christ," he sobbed, "I missed you kiddo... I never thought I'd see you again." Jack raised his head to the sound of steady applause. And as he wiped away the tears of joy and relief, he realized thirty people shed the same tears with him. The Shepherd stared up at his master with one sparkling eye, as dark as black opal. It twinkled with a spark of familiar mischief. The other eye glowed blue-green and focused mechanically, producing a faint whirr. Fritz saw Jack for the first time in living color. They stared at each other nose to nose, as if seeing each other for the very first time, until the dog impulsively licked the man across the face. Jack fell backward and laid on the floor laughing. Fritz stood on his chest and wagged his tail. Thirty people laughed with them.

  It was a time for celebration. The group of thirty plus crew and friends filed down the corridors to the galley where more crew waited. Marna, in her effervescent culinary fashion, had created a cake and pastries worthy of presidential consumption. Wine and liquor of all tastes and colors flowed like water. So they had a long day tomorrow, so what? Who cared? So their long day would start a little later than planned, was that any cause for concern? Not in the least! There were toasts to be given! They toasted Fritz's recovery, the Professor's new arm, to Jack as a new Captain, the pilots, the crew, the cook. They moved to toasting their home planets, to victory, even the Queen of England was mentioned. And when they ran out of things, they started all over again because they were masters of their own destiny. And a simple hour or two one way or another, wouldn't make a bit of difference. All was right with their universe. Well, at least until they all got drunk and fell down.

  Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, the celebrating died down and the members of the crew, new and old, dispersed. Trying to find their new quarters in an unfamiliar ship, under the influence of intoxicants and fatigue, proved to be an insurmountable task for some. There were several instances of confused personnel sleeping in the corridors. There were also several more instances, of groups of personnel, in assorted states of dress and undress, sleeping in the same room, even in the same bed. But, the release was good. They had worked hard and it was well deserved.

  Jack almost fell over Maria's prone form, sprawled on the corridor floor, as he made his way to his quarters. "What a lush," he grumbled. "Hey! Are you awake?"

  "Mmmphh..." she mumbled, face down on the carpet.

  Jack dropped down to one knee and attempted to gather her into his arms. It was about as difficult as holding a bowl full of noodles without the benefit of a bowl. Deciding there was no gentle, delicate way of accomplishing this, especially in his reduced capacity, he heaved her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Diligently carrying his load, the inebriated pilot, weaved his way down the corridor. He looked down at the German Shepherd at his side, wobbling his way down the hall. "Geez, I'm bombed," joked the pilot, "what's your excuse?" He didn't expect an answer of course, he just wanted to talk to the friend he'd so dearly missed.

  The dog stared up at Jack as they walked and wagged his tail. There were many things hazy or missing from Fritz's memory, but this man was not one of them. He knew this man was his entire world.

  With Maria still slung over his right shoulder, Jack paused at the door to her quarters and punched the buttons on the keypad with his left hand. The door swished aside and disappeared into the wall, swishing closed again after he and Fritz had entered with their cargo. Jack stood motionless in the darkened room, unsure of the furniture arrangement. He addressed the ship itself, "Computer, ambient lighting please." Slowly, the lights came on, producing a soft, comfortable, indirect glow. Not as large as the suites on the Princess Hedonist, the accommodations on the Freedom were quite adequate and more than comfortable. There was no wall, just an archway separating a small salon from the sleeping area. Jack moved over to the bed and dumped Maria bodily onto the mattress, producing an unintelligible mumble.

  Fritz sat at the foot of the bed, his chin resting on it's corner, and watched Jack struggle with Maria's clothes. The task of removing her uniform, proved to be almost as difficult as picking her up, but with a little perseverance, he succeeded in stripping her naked. He stared at her curvy, cinnamon skinned form, legs and arms akimbo, and wondered how such a desirable woman could be so unappealing. It had been some time since they'd slept together, so many things to keep them busy and apart, so many distractions... Jack had begun feeling the effects. He had hoped tonight they would've had time to spend together, in pursuit of amorous adventures with absolutely nothing between them except their sweat. Damn, thought Jack. He was downright horny. "Well, maybe tomorrow night," he breathed. With a sigh, he mentally shrugged off the thoughts and rolled the dark-haired beauty on her side, then pulled the covers up over her shoulders. Instinctively, the woman curled into a ball and proceeded to suck her thumb like a small child.

  Jack smirked, he couldn't help it. "Goodnight," he said quietly, as he and Fritz headed for the door.

  "Grbnitz..." answered Maria.

  "Yeah," muttered Jack as he and the dog passed into the corridor, "that's what I said... grbnitz."

  The two companions ambled down the silent, half-lit corridor toward the Captain's quarters occupied by Jack. The Shepherd leaned his body into the man as they went, happy to be in his presence. Jack reached down to stroke the dog's ears as they walked and felt the smooth stainless steel plate and the artificial ear. He pulled his hand away as if burned. "Sorry, kiddo," he apologized. "That's going to take a bit of getting used to." He replaced his hand and stroked the dog's muzzle and face.

  The problem was, the surgeons could easily produce artificial skin to duplicate any hue, but on ship, fur was a much different matter. It was extremely difficult to produce, much less duplicate in any accuracy with the equipment on board, so they left the technics exposed, hoping that at this point, function was more important than aesthetics.

  For Fritz, being alive was everything. The thing that bothered him the most, were the constant holes that appeared in his recollections. To him it seemed like he had lost some kind of instinctive edge, but since he could not clearly remember what that was like, he had no solid grounds for proper comparison. What he did not realize, was that the CABL technology was steadily filling in those blanks and eventually he would regain most of what he had lost. Not only that, but it would make him more intelligent on a level somewhat more Human than dog.

  The compartmented doors in the corridors had finally been fixed, the problem mostly being damaged computer components. They opened with a hiss as the two approached, splitting down the center, the halves moving outward to dis
appear into the walls on either side. After passing, the halves would re-emerge and come together, their edges interlocking.

  The Captain's quarters were nearest the bridge and largest of the ship's accommodations, followed by the suite provided for the ship's first officer. Jack had yet to select a first officer and thought about this as he walked past the entrance to the room he knew to be empty. He walked past the door to his own quarters and continued the short distance to the bridge. He stood in the doorway for a moment, surveying the empty work stations, which, in just two days, would be attended twenty-four hours a day. After strolling the upper deck, he stepped down the short, wide stairs that ringed the pit, the control section of the bridge. Standing in front of the command chair, he surveyed the layout from that vantage point, something he had done dozens of times before. "Whaddya' think, Fritzer?" He looked down at the Shepherd who stared back at him, his tail swaying slowly. "She's all ours y'know... take us anywhere we want to go..." The bridge empty, the ship silent, it was then he began to wonder if he was truly ready for all this. It felt lonely.

  He thought about home for a minute. The void of space felt uncrossable, the distance incomprehensible. He thought about all the people willing to put their faith in him, their lives in his hands. So many questions unanswered, so many variables... the condition of the ship... The accumulative weight of the responsibilities suddenly became painfully obvious. He had tried to avoid thinking about it, but there it was... like a big, fat, towering mountain of dirt – and all you had was a teaspoon to dig your way through it.

  "If you sit around all day thinking about something," his father would say, "you'll think of a dozen excuses not to do it. So quit thinking about why it can't be done and just get up off your duff and go do it... nothing's impossible."

  Jack battled the doubts and pushed them from his mind. "Thanks, Dad." He turned to leave, "Cmon dog, let's go to bed. I'm bushed."

  Unlike the other suites on the Freedom, the Captain's and the first officer's were expansive. They held a salon with a bar in the middle, a bedroom on one side and a small conference room with a computer work station on the other. Jack stood at the bar in muted light and poured himself a glass of something that resembled ginger ale, "Voorlak," he said softly, "where are you when I need you...?"

  "Will I do?" asked the soft female voice.

  "Huh?" Jack jumped. "Shit," he cursed softly. He had spilled some of the drink on the bar. He peered at the figure in the bedroom doorway, but the lighting was so low he could barely see the form. He shot a glance at Fritz who laid calmly on the couch, unaffected. "You're a big help," he whispered to the Shepherd. He left the glass on the bar untouched and moved closer to the bedroom doorway. "Who are you?" He felt stupid having to ask.

  "Come over here and find out," cooed the smooth voice. She leaned casually against the doorway, silhouetted against the darkness of the room behind her. She was tall and slender.

  Jack toyed with the idea of just turning up the lights but declined the impulse. This was much more interesting. His pulse quickened as he neared the doorway.

  "That's it..." she coaxed.

  When he got close enough to touch her, she slipped backwards, into the darkness of the room behind her, drawing him into the inky blackness. His senses were alive with electricity, straining to glean a shred of a clue to the mysterious woman's identity. There was a gentle wafting of perfume. Aahhh, he thought, it was wonderfully smooth but warm and spicy at the same time. Unfortunately, it was unfamiliar to him.

  "Follow my voice," she whispered, "I'm over here..." His heart pounded so hard he thought it would explode, but he moved toward where she directed him. He stiffened when he felt the hands against his chest. "Stop there," she breathed. "Mmmm, a little tense, aren't we?" She began to unbutton his tunic and he reached forward in the darkness to touch her arm. "No," she whispered, putting his hand at his side. "Soon enough..."

  "Who are you?" he whispered. It came out more like a croak.

  "You'll find out soon enough," she breathed huskily, pulling off his tunic. "I promise you, you won't be disappointed."

  "But..."

  "Hush!" she scolded, pressing her finger on his lips. She stripped him naked, ran her hands across his body and lay him on the bed where she instructed him to get comfortable. Which he did. Jack piled up the pillows against the headboard and leaned back, pulling the covers to his waist to fight the sudden chill he was experiencing. As he listened in the total darkness, he could hear the lop, lop, lop, of something being poured into a glass. "Wine?"

  It was the way she said it that caused the tidal wave of instant recognition. "Alité?!"

  "Yes," she acknowledged.

  "I..." he realized he had no idea what to say.

  "Computer, ambient light." The lights came up slowly, illuminating the room in a comfortable glow. Alité stood at the side of the bed, a sheer black veil wrapped around her naked form, holding two glasses of wine. She extended one to Jack, "Disappointed?" she asked softly.

  He could not take his eyes off her, taking the glass of wine handed him. He took a sip and attempted to set it on the nightstand behind him. He missed. The glass fell to the floor and bounced on the carpet. He did not notice, nor would he have cared. He took her hand without speaking and drew her to the bed.

  With one knee on the bed, she stopped. "Wait," she said, breathing deeply. Alité placed her glass on the table on her side of the bed and slowly unwrapped the black see-through veil of lace, letting it hang loosely about her shoulders. She was tall, slender and shapely, and Jack was losing his mind. She crawled upon the bed seductively, far more beautiful than Jack could ever have imagined. She pulled his covers off and laid across his legs, reaching up and running her fingernails gently across his bare muscled chest. "I've wanted you," she sighed, "from the minute I first saw you."

  "When was that...?" he asked in hushed tones.

  "The day you took the ship," she replied. She kissed her way up from the flat of his stomach to his lips, sloooowwwly. Her long auburn waves of hair danced across his skin setting his nerves on fire. When she reached his lips, he could take no more. He pulled her roughly by the hair and devoured her mouth. She melted into his arms.

  When he pulled her away to gaze at her body, glistening with sweat, she stared back at him with sparkling emerald green eyes. Jack's eyes narrowed. "Your eyes... I thought they were brown..."

  She smiled and traced his lips with her fingernail. "Brown, green, blue, lavender, they change all the time." Still laying on top of him, she swung her leg over his waist and sat up, straddled him. "But I like your eyes better," she whispered, sliding south.

  "Wh, whhyyy izat..?" Jack stuttered, holding her by the waist.

  Alité closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, "Ohh... God!" She opened her eyes and looked into his. "Well," she sighed as she rocked back and forth. "I've never seen eyes so black..."

  "They're actually br, brownnn..." he managed to counter, gritting his teeth and scrunching his eyes shut.

  "Well they're beautiful," she said coolly. "I want to see them. Open your eyes and look at me... or I'll stop."

  Jack's eyes popped open, "Oh God," he pleaded, “please don't do that!"

  They spent the next several hours with nothing between them but their sweat.

  ■ ■ ■

  "Wake up, sleepyhead!"

  Jack sat bolt upright in bed, still half asleep, "Huh?" He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

  Alité placed a tray full of fruit and breakfast pastries on the bed in front of Jack. "Do you think, just because you're Captain of this ship, that you can lay around all day doing nothing? Get up, lazybones!"

  Jack shot a glance at his watch. "Crap! I already missed my morning meeting. We were supposed
to look over the Nav System and discuss a possible course for tomorrow." He looked up at Alité, she was in full uniform, and it was obvious she had already reported for duty and returned from the galley. She stole a piece of fruit off the tray and walked into the other room. Jack could hear her at the bar in the salon. "Hey..!" he yelled, "were you late this morning?"

  "Just a little," she called back.

  "Did Marna give you a hard time?" He picked up a jelly pastry and took a bite. He handed another to the Shepherd who waited patiently at the side of the bed.

  "Not really," she answered. "I just told her the Captain summoned me and requested breakfast in his quarters this morning."

  Jack grinned, "So you're telling me, you were late for duty, you lied to your superior, and now you openly address your commanding officer in a familiar and un-military fashion?" He took another bite of the delicious pastry.

  "Is this better?" Alité appeared in the doorway holding a chilled bottle of Boolorean Champagne, two fluted glasses, and wearing nothing but her sparkling smile. Her eyes, now bright blue, danced. She held the chilled bottle against her body, making her nipples stand on end.

  Jack's eyes widened and he swallowed hard, "It works for me!" Alité moved to the bed and eased down beside Jack. She poured, they drank, they ate, they explored. It was the most enjoyable way Jack could think of to spend a morning.

  ■ ■ ■

  They laid side by side, their bodies touching, legs entwined, feeling comfortably worn and warm all over. The tangled bed linens lay askew and partially covered their bodies. After a long silence, Jack cleared his throat. "I guess we'd better get up, or people are likely to put two and two together..."

  Alité looked at him. "You are worried about that?" Jack shrugged, he wasn't sure how he felt about it, but he was sure how Maria would feel, and she was not one for tact. "You are worried about Lieutenant Arroyo, aren't you? Is she your woman?" She looked down at her fingernails. "Do you love her?"