Everyone took seats while Mary began to pour coffee.
Regan took the lead.
"Charlie, thank you for coming up, I think you know we probably had another agenda for getting you here?" She smiled warmly.
Charlotte laughed. "I'm hoping you're going to offer me a job on station, because if you're not I'll have to be dragged kicking and screaming back to the Pod."
"So - you'd like to be working in space?"
"Who wouldn't? Honestly Regan, there wouldn't be a team member at Riverside who doesn't dream of the chance to be up here, much as we all love our jobs down there."
"Hmm, well, sadly it's not a job for you here on Hillary that we have in mind." Regan paused; interested to see Charlotte's reaction and the woman seemed to deflate with disappointment.
Mary couldn't stand it. "Oh for goodness sake Regan, don't tease it out, you've already made your mind up I can tell. Put the poor girl out of her misery."
Regan smiled, and with a sweep of her hand raised an image that filled the huge lounge screen. It was the liner Fair Passage, hanging in space just off the earthward end, flanked by the Behemoth and the Ascendant. Moving between the huge vessels tiny dots could be seen shuttling and Regan could see Charlotte's eyes following them.
"The small craft you can see are ADF's, and shuttles, moving the colonists around."
"My god . . ." Charlotte's mouth dropped open. "Those ships must be huge." She turned slowly back to Regan and behind her she could see Leah smiling, it was a knowing smile that gave her pause to think. "Regan, you want me to be a colonist?"
"No Charlie, we want you to command the Fair Passage, it's the centre vessel, the large one." Regan turned to face the screen drawing Charlotte's eyes there with hers, and they were quickly awestruck.
Mary clapped her hands in excitement. Hilary, who had said nothing to this point, seemed to shimmer with pleasure.
Charlotte shook her head in disbelief and stood to walk toward the screen. They waited until she turned back to them. "Command . . . seriously? What do I know about commanding a Starship? Regan, I can drive but I know nothing about flying." Nevertheless her eyes were drawn back, locking on the ship and the craft shuttling to and fro, all looking miniscule in comparison. She appeared shocked, and her lower jaw seemed to tremble.
"Sit down Charlie and let's talk about it. I'm not going to deny this is a huge ask but it's your people skills and leadership we're looking for, not any kind of technical ability. You don't need to fly - Lucas, he's the ship Mind, he operates the vessel. The Commander has overall responsibility for the ship yes, but largely it's a people management role and we think you have all the skills to do it well."
Charlotte looked slightly weak at the knees and returned shakily to her seat, seeming to collapse there into the cushions. "I can't believe it, you've completely blindsided me because I did not expect anything like this - and how come you need a Commander so close to leaving; you're supposed to be under way soon aren't you?"
The room became quiet for a few seconds and the other women exchanged concerned looks. Charlotte missed nothing.
"What?" She prompted.
"Hil', perhaps we could introduce Charlie to the last Commander; its best she know the truth, and the background." Regan turned to Charlotte as she spoke. "You don't strike me as a person who likes people to pull their punches and I don't want to hide anything from you."
A change on the screen drew Charlotte's eyes back to the wall, the image of the Commander’s contorted body floating slowly across the face of a ship hull behind. She gasped.
"Shit . . . what happened?"
Regan screwed up her mouth. "Hmm, that's part of our problem - we don't know what happened. The suggestion is suicide; apparently he lost his wife recently, but we're not sure."
Hilary spoke for the first time. "Charlie, you need to know that Lucas, the ship Mind, has some important gaps in his memory. Those gaps mean we don't know for certain at this stage how the Commander got out there or why."
"How is that possible, that the AI has gaps?" She asked.
"Charlotte." Leah interrupted. "Before we go down that track, I'd be interested in your immediate impressions about what you see and the death. You are looking at this through fresh eyes, so what are your thoughts?"
Charlotte settled back, not at all concerned about the audience she now held. Her eyes were on the screen, the tumbling body. "I guess suicide is an option, but the gaps in the AI memory hint at something more sinister. And there's something else . . ." She cocked her head, still looking at the images. "Correct me if I'm wrong but that looks like a dress uniform, certainly it looks like he was ready to go somewhere."
They all turned back to the screen, peering more closely at the tortured form. Apart from the obvious scrunched limbs, the uniform did look formal, clean and tidy.
"Ham?" Regan spoke to the ether.
"Hmm, he does seem to be prepared for something." Even Ham sounded interested.
Charlotte nodded. "Was he due to go anywhere, you know, did he have any appointments?"
"Hilary?" Leah asked.
"I'm just checking with Lucas . . ."
Regan turned to Charlotte. "I'm amazed how easily you've slipped into this, particularly talking with Hilary here and Ham in the background."
She laughed huskily, "Oh we three talk all the time, Hilary's a great friend and Ham, he always likes a ribbing."
Mary laughed now and stood, "I can see my work here is done. I'm going to get fresh coffee," she hesitated. "You see Regan, I told you, Charlie is perfect." And she was gone.
"I've checked with Lucas." Hilary came back. "The Commander was ready for the crew meeting in the afternoon, but it appears he intended to come over earlier. He wanted to talk with you personally Regan, but Lucas doesn't know what he wanted to talk about."
"So . . ." Charlotte continued, "does it seem likely that he would have taken the time to prepare himself for seeing you, clearly taking the time to dress for the crew meeting, only to top himself on the way?"
"No, it doesn't." and Ham materialized in front of the screen. "Regan - I recommend Charlotte for the Commander’s role."
Regan laughed. "We've already offered her the role Ham, catch up will you?"
Charlotte raised her hands in surrender. "Whoa, whoa, I still have concerns, what is it you really want me to do here, and am I going to be in danger?" She looked past Ham to the dead Commander.
Regan frowned in concern. "Seriously Charlie, we don't know, and we'd like to play things quietly, not making our suspicions public at this point." Regan gestured toward Hilary. "You came with some high recommendations; Mary reckons you have all the management and people skills for the job and I've seen nothing to dissuade me from that view. And Hilary's recommendation comes from an entirely different perspective. She has another role in mind for you, and I'm already seeing why; you could be perfect for that too."
Charlotte turned to Hilary who looked incredibly excited. "And what role is that Hil?"
"You and I - we solve the murder!"
"Whoa!" Regan interjected. "Charlie, first of all we don't even know there was a murder - but it's true, there is a mystery. My instincts tell me no one takes an action without a reason. If the Commander's fate was the result of a deliberate and sinister action then there is a reason for it and something's going on here; we need to find out what. Maybe the best way to do that is to have someone in there, someone unlikely to draw too much attention, and one with a mind for puzzles."
Leah was watching Charlotte's hands and she smiled, catching Regan's eye and nodding toward them. Regan too looked down and saw Charlotte was rubbing them together with obvious excitement, even though her face was quite neutral. They waited, keeping silent and it was Charlotte who finally spoke.
"I'm not going to lie, I'd love to be involved, but you must know I'm way out of my depth here. I know absolutely nothing about starships or space, I'd need lots of help and I'm still concerned about the danger." Her eyes slipp
ed back to the screen, the Commander frozen there before them. Hilary grimaced and flicked back a hand quickly, blanking the image from view.
Regan stood and reached out a hand. "So I take it, if those are your only objections, and supposing I can satisfy both of them - that we have a deal?"
Charlotte looked at the hand, but only for a second, and then grasped it firmly. "If you can satisfy my concerns, we have a deal." And she broke into a broad smile.
Regan, Leah, Mary and Hilary waited in the lounge with eager anticipation for Charlotte to return from Mary and Kevin's private rooms. After a few wines the mood was celebratory and there was a good deal of laughter at the prospect of the unveiling. They had also laughed earlier as Charlotte held up the proffered ship suit with a look of genuine shock. She had dangled it from one hand as if it were the skimpiest item of lingerie and snorted at the suggestion it might satisfy her safety concerns. At the prospect of having to wear it she displayed the first signs of panic on since being offered the job. Even a dead contorted body hadn't drawn the look they saw on her face as they handed her the skimpy one piece and they laughed like drains at her reaction.
Regan didn't see the problem. Sure, Charlotte had a fuller figure but she was gorgeous with it and while not as tall as she or Leah she knew the result would make her happy. In any case, the suit was a lifesaver, it was an essential.
"Oh my god!" It was Mary who first caught sight of her as she came through the door and her mouth had dropped in amazement.
All eyes swung to the doorway where Charlotte stood, more confident now that she was wearing the skintight suit, but still modestly covering strategic areas with her hands. There was truly no need.
Mary stood to slowly walk over and Regan exchanged smiles with Leah, both knowing Charlotte was in for a prodding and pulling of fabric that would embarrass her further.
"Girl, you look magnificent! My god, you had the booty in the first place but doesn't that thing enhance it in all the right places." Mary turned to Hilary. "Seriously Hilary, can we make more of these suits?"
"Of course I could make you some, but would you want that?" Hilary looked doubtful.
"You don't think I'd look good in it?"
"It's not that Mary, but from my observation your existing look produces all the right reactions in Kevin already; would you want to change it? And you often seem to need extremely quick access for him if you know . . ."
"Okay!" Mary laughed and held up her hand. "I think we get the picture. Actually I was thinking more that we could sell millions of these, start a STEIN Fashion line type of thing."
"Ladies, please," Regan intervened, "perhaps you could discuss that later. Charlotte, you do look great but I have to say, the look is the least important of the suits attributes so let's talk about those concerns you had. First, safety; you were asking about that. Well, the truth is I can't guarantee anyone's safety, and people have died on my watch. Some of them were very close to me; I won't lie to you about that. But we know a little more now and these suits are state of the art as far as protection goes. Leah, Marin, Jared, myself and all our ADF crew wear them all the time at work. They'll stop a bullet or a knife; nothing will get through that fabric although you may be bruised or suffer the odd broken bone. But most importantly, you won't be dead. Second, in the unlikely event that you get thrown into vacuum like the unfortunate Commander, the suit instantly covers your head providing protection from vacuum and giving you air for a short time until rescue."
Charlotte looked doubtful. "That wouldn't have helped the Commander; no one seemed to know he was even missing."
Regan stood and walked to her, reaching up and fingering the Chinese collar. "And in answer to that concern Charlie, this I think will be the clincher for you; you will not be alone on that ship. The suit collar houses a processor, so you will be carrying a passenger all the time, a partner, a brilliant Mind and a rat catcher who will help you with everything on ship and work undercover."
Charlotte brightened, "Ham?"
Hilary looked crestfallen.
Regan shook her head. "No babe, your passenger will be the redoubtable Hilary."
"Oh . . . even better!" The genuine reaction and brilliant smile made up for lost ground and Hilary beamed widely.
Regan smiled. "Ham will continue as the Mind of both Behemoth and Ascendant while engaging with Lucas, AI of the Fair Passage, as if nothing has happened. He may even be able to distract Lucas from time to time as Hilary might need. But Hilary's presence with you is for your knowledge only and ours, okay; at least for the moment?"
"Absolutely, so how do I engage with you Hilary?"
Hilary stepped forward and pointed to her ear, "You will have a tiny ear piece dear, so that I can communicate with you audibly and you'll get special contact lenses to replace your existing ones. They're much better than yours and won't need replacing from day to day. They will allow me to give you a heads up display of anything I choose, or that you might want to see."
"And how do I communicate with you?"
"Aaah, now that's your next appointment. We need to get you to the STEIN Traveler; Ham does all his dentistry there."
Charlotte slowly paled and opened her mouth to speak but before she could protest there was a small 'pop', and she was gone.
The remaining women looked at each other and exchanged smiles. It was Leah who finally broke the silence.
"Hmm, that went well."
Hilary laughed delightedly . . . and disappeared.
* * *
Regan also wasted no time and with Leah, immediately displaced to the Medlab to check on Jared. The operation itself had gone well, however he was typically proving to be a difficult patient while resting in recovery. He was a teenager not used to sitting still and knowing the two women were on their way Ham had taken matters in hand, using a small arm to reach up from under the gurney and jab Jared's buttock as he rolled to get to his feet. It was a painful jab, coming totally unexpected and the boy hardly had time to consider what hit him before collapsing back comatose. Now, as Regan and Leah emerged in the room he lay somewhat askew, clearly having lost whatever fight he had tried to put up. A sheet covered most of his body however from the chest up he was bare, along with his arms.
Regan's eyes were immediately drawn to the familiar coating on Jared's head, the clear plastic like film that covered the boy's skull and revealed skin beneath that seemed unbroken. It was only then she noticed the coverage of the film extended further than she expected.
"Leah?"
"He looks good doesn't he babe?"
"Leah, why does the film extend down over his chest and arms?"
"You didn't know about that?" Leah looked surprised.
"I didn't know about what?" Regan stepped forward to gently pull back the sheet. She was careful to preserve his modesty but the extra area uncovered showed the film extended down over the stomach. A tug at the feet and she could see there was more covering one leg; she didn't bother checking the other one. Her eyes rising to the ceiling, a non specific searching look that burned with anger.
[Ham!]
He didn't respond.
Now it was Leah who had the concerned look and she reached out to gently take Regan's arm. "Babe, Ham said you'd discussed this."
"What has he done Leah?"
She looked nonplussed. "Hell, I don't know, there's something implanted under his rib cage, and those are fibers extending down the limbs, but I've no idea what they're for; it all seemed to go in so easily. Ham said they executive incisions or something."
Regan growled knowingly, "He meant decisions . . . executive decisions . . . so help me Ham, I know you're there, what - have - you - done, I should have been consulted on anything like this."
"Like what Regan?" And the beautiful man materialized with a shimmer, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"This . . . this!" She gestured wildly at the head, the shoulders, and the arms and then flicked the sheet off the boy's legs, " . . . and this! We
did not agree on this!"
"Regan, we agreed that this was Jared's body and that he should decide for himself, and he did. I fail to see what the problem is here."
"Ham, he's thirteen. He's not old enough to make decisions like this for himself."
"I cannot agree with you Regan; I was most impressed with all the research he did and the consultations he entered into before coming to the decision."
Regan stopped there and exchanged incredulous looks with Leah who just shrugged her shoulders in resignation.
She rounded on Ham again, "Research . . . consultations? Tell me Ham, where could he possibly research this stuff and who would he consult with?"
"Well, now you're being really silly Regan, you know the boy is smart enough to get the best advice available; of course he consulted with me."
Regan was wringing her hands in frustration. "Show me the hologram thing; I want to see what you've done."
"Of course babe, it was great, Leah will tell you, everything went perfectly."
"To be fair Ham," Leah held up her hand sheepishly, "I didn't have a clue what you were doing, I just dabbed and wiped."
"Well, you could see there were no problems."
"Not real . . ."
"Let's have a look then." Ham cut her off before she could finish and with a wave of his hand, an image appeared; standing upright in holographic form, it was Jared. "Now, you can see here the boy’s form, I'll start with the head."
And immediately they could see a tiny shape, like a rod penetrating the left brain, and from it fine strands extended that appeared to be spread throughout both hemispheres.
"The strands are already making connections as we speak and will continue to extend and merge with the brain proper."
"No neural web?" Leah noted.
"Ahem," he coughed uncomfortably, "well spotted Leah. No, Jared wanted to go with something more advanced, something like Regan's original implant, so we've dispensed with the neural web, instead we have a processor, power source and wireless device all encompassed in that tiny tube, it's much more advanced than your model Regan."
Regan's Reach 4: Avarice Page 8
