The door to the conference room slid open and Wenceslaus strolled in, hopped onto an empty chair, then climbed onto the table where he flopped onto his side. Micky watched the cat lick a paw to clean his face.
“Smedley? Where have you been during all of this?”
“My apologies, Captain. I have been preoccupied with work tasks from Plato. Many of Ted’s projects are coming to fruition, and the final details are most critical to get correct. Between the two of us, I believe we’ve nailed down optimal manufacturing processes and will be turning out miniaturized gate and communications technology in short order.”
Micky leaned back, letting his chair support him as he kicked his feet to the top of the table. They’d wiped it down before he’d arrived, but the snow was on the floor, and numerous footprints showed. Cat prints joined the footprints in a testament to the traffic that had passed in and out of the captain’s briefing room.
A gate engine on a shuttle pod that also had shields and could cloak itself. The immensity of the future lay before the Bad Company, but he was quagmired in a single inch of snow. He hung his head and decided to embrace the absurdity of the situation.
“You know what happens when you get snow, don’t you?” he asked. No one answered. No one even moved. “Smedley, give me ship-wide broadcast, please.”
“The comm is yours, Skipper.”
“All hands, this is the captain speaking. The weather has created unsafe conditions throughout the ship, so I am declaring a snow day. Enjoy your day off. Captain San Marino out.”
He glanced around the room before standing. “You four need to figure out how to get rid of the snow without it destroying any of our equipment. Now, go forth and do great things.”
Wenceslaus rolled onto his back and stretched his paws in Micky’s direction. The captain sauntered to the table and scratched the cat’s soft belly fur. He picked up the good king, cradling him like a baby while he continued to scratch his belly. Wenceslaus settled in to the captain’s arms and closed his eyes as if ready to fall asleep.
“Carry on,” the captain ordered as he stepped softly through the snow on his way to the bridge, cat in hand.
***
“Nathan Lowell, you are a huckster and a charlatan!” Felicity said, smiling toward the screen. The camera didn’t show that Christina was in the room, kicked back in one of the station director’s oversized chairs.
The Bad Company’s president looked at Felicity from his office in a remote part of the galaxy.
“You want to build a gate and open Keeg Station for commercial traffic. It’s big, but not big enough to be a commerce hub. It’s meant to be a secret station from which the Direct Action Branch can operate. Why do you want to blow their cover?”
“You don’t think blowing up planets hasn’t already revealed their existence?” Felicity stood so she could put her hands on her hips. She tossed her head to throw an errant strand of her newly platinum-dyed hair out of her vision.
“They haven’t blown up any planets,” Nathan countered. He stopped and pointed an accusing finger. “I’ve negotiated with you before and can tell when you’re playing the emotion card. This is different. You’ve already started building the gate, haven’t you?”
Felicity feigned shock and batted her eyelashes at Nathan. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Those Dark Tomorrow fuckers tried to blow up Frontier Station 11. Once Keeg is on the map, they’ll try to make their mark there, too.” Nathan ran his fingers through an unruly shock of hair. It looked like he’d been awake for too long.
“When’s the last time you slept, Nathan?” Felicity drawled softly.
“Too long ago. It’s like the next crisis is the one that will tear the Federation apart.”
“I don’t think it’s as fragile as all that,” Felicity replied. “You are surrounded by good people. Trust them to help you and go get some sleep.”
Christina wasn’t able to see her father. She stood and hurried around Felicity’s desk. “Holy shit, Dad! You look like crap.”
“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” Nathan said with a smile.
“Every time I see her.” Christina waggled her fingers and Nathan waved back.
“How are you doing?” he asked as his eyelids drooped.
“Better than you, clearly. I’ll call you tomorrow. Felicity tells me that I know people who can help me get the bandwidth and the time, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out who they are.”
“Nathan,” Felicity said, looking down her nose at the screen, “we’re going to finish the gate and with a word from you, we’ll activate it with a direct link to Onyx Station. We need this link and lifeline. We will become everything you need from the Direct Action Branch and more. We will be more than just self-sustaining, we will provide excess profit to the Bad Company’s coffers.”
Christina moved out of sight of the camera so she could wrap her hands around her throat and fake choking herself. Then she stuck her finger in her mouth and fake-gagged. Felicity tried to ignore her, but couldn’t as she leaned close from behind the screen.
“Go get some sleep. We’ll finalize the details later.” Felicity clicked off before looking up. “This is the sexy stuff, dear, because this is about power. Not that your father is giving up any of his, but that we are mutually expanding our base, creating a need for products, filling that void, and then expanding further. You want to be a part of a dynasty? Well, this is how you build a dynasty.”
Christina stopped goofing around and stood up straight. She studied the woman before her. “I see the wisdom behind it. On Earth, you did something like this?”
“Ted and I flew the skies in the greatest luxury possible. People held parties in our honor so they could get two minutes of our time. We will have that once again, dear. All it takes is building wealth. There’s a lot of wealth in this universe.” Felicity stood and walked to her window. Spires Harbor lay in the distance. “I’ve found that helping others is the greatest way to help yourself. Through new ships and upgrading old ships, we will help the universe to expand.”
“What do you need from me?” Christina asked, standing shoulder to shoulder with the director as they looked out the window.
“I need you to keep Terry and Char alive so they can keep everyone else alive, including my Ted. Whenever they go into battle, he’ll go with them. If anything happened to those two, I believe that all we’ve worked for will come undone. There are few in this universe around whom things revolve. Bethany Anne and Michael are the key to all of it, and next are General Reynolds and your father. There are the Rangers, the FDG, that Ghost Squadron that no one talks about, and others, but Terry and Char, as much as they won’t admit it, give people hope. As long as they live, they will bring a positive energy to our corner of the galaxy. You keep them alive!”
Felicity took Christina by the shoulders, gripping tightly, her blue eyes piercing.
“I understand,” Christina replied softly. “I will protect them with my life, all of them, because that’s what Terry’s deputy is supposed to do.”
“So that has come to fruition?” Felicity asked.
Christina smiled. “You know it has.”
“I don’t want you to think that I’m all-knowing. I am, but I don’t want you to think it.” Felicity laughed as she glanced back at the shipyard. “I like you a lot, Christina. You’re one of us. Old school but new school. The inner circle. I’m glad you’re here.”
Christina nodded. She wasn’t sure what to say. She one-arm hugged the director before leaving. She had a great deal of work waiting for her if she was going to fill Marcie’s shoes.
***
“What is this thing?” Ted asked, miffed at being dragged to the hangar bay. The smallest of the Harborian frigates, looking long abandoned, sat on blocks in a far corner. Dionysus had to dispatch a maintenance bot to activate the lights in that section because they’d been cannibalized sometime in the past.
Joseph
, Petricia, and Bundin appeared from behind the warship. “It is the next best ship in the budding Direct Action Branch fleet.”
Ted’s face twitched in confusion before he turned to walk away.
“Woohoo!” Ankh’Po’Turn yelled from somewhere within the vessel. After two clangs, three metallic screeches, and four bangs, the Crenellian strolled from the ship’s open hatches.
Ted looked over his shoulder. “There you are,” he stated the obvious. “I need you in the lab.”
“This ship is going to be the fastest and best in the whole fleet. It’ll be able to do things that even the War Axe cannot.”
Ted turned around, walked to the ship, and started inspecting it from stem to stern. “Why are you working on this?” Ted asked while making faces at a torn fitting on the outside engine housing.
“Because Miss Cordelia asked me,” Ankh replied simply, standing close and looking up at his mentor. “She needed a ship that would take her back to Earth.”
“Why didn’t she ask me?” Ted wondered aloud as he fixed the Crenellian with his gaze.
“Because she knew you were busy, but that you would drop everything to help her,” Joseph interjected.
“That didn’t work out because now that I know, I am going to drop everything, and we will have this ship operational and on its way in no time. Plato!”
“I installed two of the Etheric power supplies, just in case,” Ankh stated, puffing out his small chest as he attempted to replicate the human gesture.
Ted held up three fingers. “Plato, bring a full complement of maintenance and service bots to the hangar bay, I will be retasking them from whatever less important job they are currently assigned to.”
“Are you sure you should be doing that?” Joseph asked. Ted didn’t bother with a reply.
“What can I do?” Bundin offered, his mechanical voice echoing off the deck of the bay.
Ted looked up. “Probably nothing,” he said.
Bundin’s tentacle arms drooped.
“Provisions!” Petricia declared. “If we’re taking this ship back to Earth, we need to have supplies. Let’s talk to Oscar.”
Bundin waved his tentacle arms wildly as his stalk-head bobbed back and forth. He ambled toward the door leading into the station. Petricia winked at Joseph and followed Bundin out.
“We?” Ted asked.
“Of course, we,” Joseph answered. “We’re taking Cory to find her children.”
Ted stamped a foot. “I can do that all by myself.” He looked at the deck and shuffled uncomfortably until Felicity joined them. “Who else is going?”
“Anyone who needs to.” Joseph held one hand in the other and waited patiently while Ted struggled with the ambiguity of the answer.
“I am not going, if that puts your mind at ease,” Felicity told him. Ted smiled at her. “I want you to deliver those boxes of yours to our children so I can talk with them. I’m not saying to find our kids first, but you find our kids next. I miss my family, and now Marcie is going away, too.”
“No…” Ted looked forlorn as he dragged the word out. Tears welled in Felicity’s eyes, but she didn’t let any escape. She blinked them away before composing herself. Ted sighed in relief.
“You do that for me, Ted,” she told him.
“We will all do that for you. Sarah Jennifer, Sylvia, Terrence, Charlita, and Billy. We will leave no door closed in our search for them,” Joseph declared.
Felicity smiled as she mouthed the names of her children. “You find my children and show them how to use that device of yours.”
“It’s an IICS, the Interstellar …”
Felicity interrupted him by putting her finger over his lips. The muscles stood out in his cheeks from clenching his jaw so tightly.
“I’m sorry, my dear. You can tell me, but I won’t remember any of those technical terms. That’s not my thing. The IICS. I need one in my office, too, so I can talk with them whenever the spirit moves me.” Felicity shimmied.
Ted’s expression turned blank as he withdrew into himself. Felicity smiled at him. “I love you, Ted. Let me know when you’re leaving so I can wave good-bye.”
There was no benefit to remaining behind because Ted needed to be alone, disappear into his work in order to recharge. Emotions closed in on him. If they were in their quarters, he’d be able to better deal with it, but not here, not in the open.
“I’ll help with the provisions,” Joseph said at Felicity’s nod.
Ankh and Ted remained behind as a small army of bots trundled toward the ship. Ted sat down where he was, in the middle of the deck. He closed his eyes as he communed with Plato. Ankh sat on the deck facing Ted. He joined the link with the AI and together, they built the project plan and started tasking the maintenance bots to repair and upgrade the small frigate.
CHAPTER FOUR
The War Axe
Terry, Char, and Dokken walked from the pod. Aaron and Yanmei had joined them. Two other pods with Bad Company warriors were disembarking. They strolled through the hangar bay and stopped. The second the hatch opened to the ship’s interior.
Micky, this is TH, Terry said using his comm chip. Is there something you didn’t tell us?
We thought since it was Christmas, we’d try to get in the spirit, Micky replied.
“It’s not Christmas, is it?” Terry asked. Char shook her head.
“Back on Earth, it’s July.”
Micky, it’s not Christmas.
Fine. HVAC is broken and we’ve been drying the ship out so the snow sublimates instead of melts. It’s taking longer than we like but should have it all cleaned out in another four days. In other news, extra blankets are already in your quarters.
Ugh, Dokken grunted as he was first onto the snow-covered deck. Enough feet had walked through that a path was clear down the corridor.
“You’re a dog. You’re supposed to like the snow,” Terry said.
Dokken stopped, turned, and ran. He jumped at the last minute. Terry instinctively ducked. The German Shepherd sailed by Terry. The dog’s eyes shot wide as he tried to backpedal in mid-air right before crashing into Char. The two tumbled to the deck.
Sorry, Dokken apologized as he rolled off Char and into the snow. He stood and shook. Terry took a face full as he was stooped to pull Char to her feet.
She gave the hairy eyeball to Dokken as she stood before turning her attention to her husband. “What?” he stammered. “He started it?”
“That’s how this is going to play out, huh?” Char reared back and threw the snowball that she had secreted in her hand. Terry turned his head as the snowball clipped a few errant hairs. He dove to the side, where the snow was untouched. He scooped up a handful but not quickly enough. Char landed on his back, driving him face-first into the deck, where she rubbed his face in the white mess.
“Uncle!” he shouted through a mouthful of snow.
“Smedley, is this your doing?”
“I can’t imagine what you mean,” the AI replied.
“You’ve been icing the corridors for months now, just to watch people take diggers. Are you conducting some bizarre study?” Terry wondered aloud, standing and brushing himself off. Char was also interested in Smedley’s reply.
“I fear that I have been found out. With my ascension to consciousness, I find that I get bored easily. I see how the crew comes together in various crises, and you should have seen them play! They were so happy, Colonel Walton. Right now, the captain is on the bridge with Wenceslaus sitting in his lap. And there’s a snowman in the middle of engineering.”
The warriors from the other two shuttles crowded the doorway, wondering at the snow within, waiting for the colonel and major to give direction.
“Well, General, I’m going to need you to fix this within the next couple hours. I like the ambient temperature to be above freezing because I’ve grown accustomed to life on the warm side.” He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows at his werewolf wife. She blushed as she smiled back.
Dokken
harrumphed and shook once again.
“As you wish,” the AI said languidly, projecting through the speakers in the corridor.
The air vents kicked into overdrive, pulling air into them.
“How long has this been going on, Smedley?” Terry asked.
Music started to play.
“Smedley?” Terry asked above the sound of a calming violin concerto. “SMEDLEY!”
“I’m sorry, were you talking to me?” the AI replied, chuckling.
“I think we need Ted to dumb him down. He was so much nicer before,” Char suggested.
“I’m still me,” Smedley sulked. The music changed to a funeral dirge.
“I don’t have the words,” Terry said. He turned to the group wedged into the doorway and gave the order. “Carry on.”
They powered through, down the corridor, and scattered like quail.
“I miss Jenelope’s cooking.” Terry pointed a finger at his mouth as he rubbed his stomach.
“I married a twelve-year old.” Char couldn’t help but smile.
“About a million years ago,” Terry said as he looked at the deck. He reached down and scratched Dokken behind the ears. “I can remember everything from before, but the twenty years was a blur, and then from the moment you and your pack chased me from the mountains is clear again.”
“It wasn’t my pack way back when.” Char touched his arm, gently. She knew where his mind had gone.
“It’s been such an incredible time, but it’s a whole new life. Different from before and it feels like it’s been better, and that makes me feel guilty.”
“It seems better only because it’s fresher in your mind,” Char suggested.
“Will Cory take twenty years?”
“No. When your wife and daughter died, you didn’t have anyone, only a world that was crashing down around your head. Cory has all of us. She has a stable home in which to stay grounded. She has everything you didn’t have.”
“It still sucks.”
“I know, but it can suck a whole lot less.” Char’s purple eyes sparkled above a serious expression. She didn’t like seeing her daughter in pain. It was frustrating and made her feel helpless, but it didn’t mean that she wasn’t helping.
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