by Charles Lamb
Jake awoke to find Becky lying next to him, watching him as he slept.
“What?” he asked, surprised to see her up before him.
“I’m worried about Sandy.”
“Me too,” Jake replied as he rolled onto his back so Becky could slide up beside him, resting her head on his chest. As she did so, she wrapped her arm across him, squeezing him tight.
The two lay in that position for several minutes before Dallas interrupted their intimacy.
“Jake I am sorry to interrupt, but Patti and Colonel Banks are attempting to contact you. They say it’s urgent.”
“Put them on audio,” Jake replied, as he watched Becky slide out of bed after kissing his cheek. He watched her as she rounded the end of the bed and headed to the bathroom, her bare butt the last thing he saw as he heard the shower start.
“Jake?” he heard Patti ask over the audio link.
“What’s up granddaughter?” he asked in that condescending tone only a parent seemed to master.
“I’m sorry if we bothered you,” she replied, catching the tone in his voice but pushing through.
“Colonel Banks and I have run across some information we thought you might find interesting. Apparently, the British and the Australians were working on a joint project to replicate the facility here in England. They were concerned about the Chinese expansion in the South China Sea, so they built one in Kakadu National Park, outside of Darwin in the Northern Territory.”
“The project was not completed before the NeHaw attack, but it was far enough along that the Australian SAS had established a training center there and was covertly operating from there in the South China Sea,” Banks offered.
“Are you suggesting there may still be an Australian SAS unit there?” Jake asked.
“Exactly,” Patti replied, “we were hoping you would agree to a search team investigating that possibility?”
Now Jake knew Banks did not need his permission for such an excursion. As part of the power sharing agreement they had established, he had every right to approve this without Jake’s prior knowledge. It would normally just show up as a line item on the daily reports they all exchanged, Colonel Chao included. Privately, Jake relied on ALICE to insure no hanky-panky was in play.
“You want to go along, don’t you?” Jake asked Patti.
“I assure you, she will be protected by my best team. I believe you have met Leftenant Atkins already,” Banks offered.
“Patti, why you?” Jake asked, recalling the lieutenant. He heard a heavy sigh before she replied.
“Because of Sandy. If I can help make Australia a success, it might help bring her out of her funk.”
Jake considered her statement. While he doubted her participation would matter in the least, everyone was looking for ways to help Sandy recover from the trauma of her China experience.
“Stay out of trouble,” Jake replied, adding her mission to the growing list of things he needed to track.
----*----
Brian had scraped enough personnel together to create a respectable crew for Kola, without robbing ALICE-3. Even though this was supposed to be nothing more than space trials, the equivalent of the nautical sea trials a new ship went through, he wanted to be prepared.
Jake had come aboard for the final review of the test plan, receiving the grand tour in the process. Brian had the impression that Jake was astounded with all he had accomplished. Admittedly, he had been quite creative with some of his crew choices, selecting transport and patrol craft officers for his bridge crew.
They all seemed delighted with the opportunity, and Brian had run them ragged, drilling them on everything he expected from a deep space officer. The same standards were placed on everyone aboard, and with Kola looking over their shoulders, it was doubly important that they do well.
Now, with a decent complement of fighting spacecraft in her hangars, Kola was headed to the edge of the solar system. With a four-day trip to the edge, Brian began the first in a series of tests designed to evaluate the space worthiness of the carrier and her crew.
----*----
MeHak had trials of her own to contend with. While not a plan she endorsed as even remotely likely to succeed, the High Council was considering a motion for a blockade. Some imbecile had formed a strategic think tank to address the crisis the NeHaw military seemed incapable of handling.
Though she did not dispute the military’s lack of success in removing this thorn in their collective side, a blockade of an entire sector, much less several adjoining sectors, was unlikely to succeed without a serious commitment of ships and wealth. She suspected this was no more than grand standing, to placate the masses and reduce her standing among the elite.
Without a plan to counter the motion, she felt obliged to let them try as a distraction. Unfortunately, it meant turning over a significant number of resources, otherwise the resulting failure would be attributed to her.
Bowing to the inevitable, MeHak approved the plan, while secretly activating her back channel resources. It was time to take this threat seriously, before it ended her career.
----*----
Patti, and the SAS team she was to accompany, were traveling to Hawaii. Jacob was preparing one of the patrol craft to act as their home away from home. The changes in the craft helped in case they needed a place to stay while looking for the Australian facility, if it even still existed. Nigel and his wife, Helen, had joined the group as far as Lanai, hoping to surprise their daughter there.
Lieutenant Atkins informed Patti prior to their departure, that the real reason they were coming along was to put to rest rumors that their daughter had a boyfriend there. In addition, Patti had received a message from Jacob, excited to hear she was coming and looking to introduce her to his new love interest.
Patti was starting to wonder what they put in the water there that so many people were finding love.
“So your brother is in Lanai as well?” Nigel’s wife asked as they chatted.
“Yes, he is the facility's commander there. Like me, he has no official rank; however, Jake assigns all the commanders the rank of major to reduce confusion. Technically, I am a major as well, but I wouldn’t presume to command troops,” she replied while looking at Atkins as she said it.
“Oh Nigel, does that mean you are a major as well?” Helen asked her husband.
“I supposed so,” he replied with a smile. He then winked at Patti as his wife beamed with pride.
At that moment, all could feel the craft slow its speed, the blue Hawaiian waters visible out the windows of the modified jet. Patti marveled, with the repulser motors, these things were fast and quiet.
Both Nigel and his wife grabbed a window to watch their decent, while Patti noted the six SAS and Lieutenant Atkins did their best to look bored. Once they cleared the overhead doors and it got darker in the hangar, everyone started to rise in anticipation of leaving the craft. Patti delayed long enough to catch a glimpse of Jacob, with his arm around a darling little red head. They were both smiling and Patti thought Jacob looked very happy. Something about that girl nagged at the back of Patti’s mind, but she dismissed it as she got in line.
No sooner did the door open with Helen leading the pack, when Patti heard through the open doorway, “Mom?... Gemma!”
----*----
With no set schedule, the reception in the hangar suggested Patti stay overnight to help smooth over the mother-daughter conflict on behalf of her brother. Once everyone had deplaned, Jacob had made introductions to a scowling Helen. Nigel seemed calm if not secretly delighted with his daughter’s selection. Gemma gave Patti a welcoming hug.
The Lieutenant and his men were given a guide to the waiting patrol ship, while Jacob and Gemma led everyone inside for a tour. Patti noted several times during the next hour, Gemma took every opportunity to show her affection for Jacob. Holding hands, a kiss on the cheek and a hug, all well timed and genuine. Each time, Jacob reciprocated while downplaying the public display of affection fo
r Helens benefit. He needn’t have bothered.
Helen wasn’t looking at Jacob, Gemma was her target. It wasn’t until Nigel and Helen were shown to their quarters that the dam burst.
“Excuse me major, might we have a word privately with our daughter,” Helen asked as the entered their room.
“Oh please, just call me Jacob. Certainly,” he replied as he and Patti retreated from their quarters.
“As you say, Jacob then,” she replied curtly as they closed the door.
Standing in the hallway, outside the closed door, the muffled sounds of a screaming Helen made their way to the pair.
“What is that all about?” Jacob asked his sister.
“Let me buy you a drink and I’ll explain,” Patti replied as she turned and led Jacob to the nearest dining facility.
----*----
Ivan took several men with him to explore the city, while the others worked on refueling the destroyer. After confirming the water was deep enough and free of obstructions, they had tied the ship off at the refueling island in Elliot Bay. It had taken over a day to set up the re-refining equipment and they estimated it would take several more before the ship's tanks were again full.
The time was not wasted though, as Ivan led several explorations of the abandoned city and adjacent local communities. While they found evidence of habitation, no one came forth to challenge them. Although his English was passable, their hails came back unanswered.
They wandered up the waterfront, eventually passing two large sports stadiums. Ivan had a hard time envisioning either filled and active. They halted at the spire labeled Space Needle, investigating a weirdly misshapen building beyond. Inside they found musical instruments.
Using the gig, they traveled south until they reached another port with a larger fuel tank farm than the one they were scavenging from. The map Ivan read, labeled it as Tacoma, whatever that meant in English he had no idea.
With no leads on the location of the giant flying ship, Ivan and his men returned to the destroyer, to assist in the refueling, eventually returning to the coast and southbound.
----*----
Patti was the first to see Gemma as she entered the dining room, obviously looking for Jacob. Spying the two in the corner, away from the others, she headed directly toward them. Kissing Jacob hard as he stood at her arrival, both sat heavily as she heaved a sigh.
“God, I hate my parents,” she proclaimed before stealing the beer in front of Jacob. Drinking deeply, she set the glass down.
“Thanks, I needed that.”
“What’s the problem?” Jacob asked, attempting to get her rendition of Patti’s explanation.
“My father thinks you are lovely. My mother says you aren’t English. Our family has a history of marrying only the finest lineages in all of England. I am their only daughter and thus would be severing a tradition going back to the 1700’s.”
“While not English exactly, we are Jake’s descendants. That’s as close to American royalty as you are going to find,” Patti offered as a counterpoint.
Gemma turned in her seat, facing Jacob.
“You are related to Colonel Thomas?” Gemma asked pointedly, leading Patti to believe Jacob hadn’t shared that bit of family information earlier.
“We don’t talk openly about that,” Jacob offered, pointing to his sister as he did so, “It makes people nervous and….”
“And prevents women of questionable motivations from pursuing my brother,” Patti finished.
“You think I am like that?” Gemma said rather than asked.
“No Gemma,” Patti again interceded before her brother said something wrong, “but some might think you are,” she finished while pointing to the others in the dining room.
“Now, you can honestly say you like my brother for who he is, not whom he is related to,” she finished, “besides, what would you have thought had Jacob introduced himself as the King’s grandson?”
“King?” Gemma asked in confusion.
“King, President, Fearless Leader, grandpa Jake is all of the above. It’s a long story; just know my brother didn’t tell you with the best of intentions.”
Patti watched as the redhead considered her explanation. Eventually a smile appeared as she considered everything Patti had said.
“I suppose I can’t be angry at you for that. My mum certainly can’t complain about you being a Sovereign’s grandson,” she said with a smile.
“Besides,” Patti added, “this won’t be the last time Jacob pisses you off, as his sister I can tell you he excels at it!”
Chapter 25
Sharon’s analysts watched the Russians as they explored the Puget Sound area for several days. It was clear they were looking for something, and had taken that opportunity to refuel their ship. As the search patterns were a bit haphazard, they could only make a guess at what they were searching for.
It was noted that there were several opportunities to generate conflict with the locals, all were avoided. Apparently satisfied that what they searched for wasn’t there, the ship turned and headed back out to sea, on a southern course. Sharon alerted Nevada of the turn of events, suggesting she keep her fighters on standby and proposing they do the same.
----*----
Once back at sea, a discussion arose on the destroyer around choosing their next port of call. With full tanks, there wasn’t a need to hit every US port, scrounging fuel. As such, the decision was made to forgo stopping in Portland, and San Francisco was chosen as the next stop in their search.
Ivan went with the consensus, not overly concerned about the number of stops they chose to make. Secretly, he suspected that at some point, a Russian destroyer crossing the American coast would attract attention. His hope was the owners of the sky ship would eventually reach out to them. In the meantime, they would continue their search of American cities, as post-apocalyptic tourists.
----*----
The trip from Hawaii to Darwin had taken less than two hours to cover the five thousand miles. The plan was for Patti and the SAS team to come in under the cover of darkness, it shielding them from any unwanted attention. In addition to the eight from London on-board was a four-man crew to man the patrol ship, courtesy of Jacob.
As Patti was leaving Lanai, Jacob had thanked her for the assistance with Gemma and her parents. It turned out the Sovereign reference, while not technically relevant to England, had a placating effect on her mother’s anger. Neither Nigel nor Helen had known Jacob’s relationship to Jake, and as such, were more accepting of Gemma’s choice. Well, at least Nigel was.
During the trip, Patti had noticed the SAS troops were not using the combat suits Jake had provided for their entire unit.
“Lieutenant….. what is your first name anyway?” Patti asked as she was attempting to inquire about the uniforms.
“Daniel,” Atkins replied, appearing a bit uncomfortable at the familiarity she was displaying.
“May I call you that?” Patti asked, realizing she couldn’t recall him ever using her first name. It was usually Miss, or Ma’am.
Atkins seemed to pause, considering the request. Finally, he nodded, and smiled
“It would please me greatly.”
“And I’m Patti,” she added.
“Patricia?” he countered. Patti actually blushed at the way her proper name sounded with the accent from his lips.
“If you like,” she replied coyly.
“So how might I help you?” Daniel asked, returning to the unasked question.
“Oh, yeah. Why aren’t your men in the combat uniforms we provided?” she asked while indicating the men around the two, who were doing their best to ignore the flirting.
“While we absolutely love the bullet proof undergarment, your entire ensemble comes across a bit alien for our tastes. The Special Air Service has a tradition of adopting whatever attire the locals use. It helps us blend in and move about,” he offered.
“Ok, so why am I wearing the alien suit then?” she asked while i
ndicating the traditional combat uniform she had on.
“Ah, that is quiet simple Patricia,” Daniel replied with a smile, “You will be not doing anything these men are about to do!”
With that, Patti and Lieutenant Atkins went up to the bridge to watch their approach, as they went feet dry. Once over land, they headed to the general spot the English documents had referenced as the location of the facility. If anyone noticed Patti was standing a bit close to the Lieutenant, they had the good sense not to mention it.
----*----
Jake was still in Texas, currently holding court in a large conference room with all the facility commanders and ship captains in attendance. Both Colonel Banks and Colonel Chao were also linked in via holograph communicators, provided for just such occasions.
“Ok gang,” Jake started, “by now everyone should know we have a NeHaw visitor in hangar five. Thanks to his navigation computer, we also have the location of the NeHaw home world.”
With that statement, Jake heard a lot of rumbling, nods, and smiles everywhere.
“The question is, what are we going to do about it?” he asked.
“Are you suggesting an attack on the NeHaw home world?” Sara asked from the command center of the Nevada location. Jake was actually surprised she hadn’t chosen to join him in Texas, but with the NeHaw here, he was relieved she hadn’t. The alien appeared harmless; however, he was pleased Sara kept her distance from him.
“I’m not suggesting anything, I am asking for input,” Jake replied cautiously. He had sensed a certain volatility in Sara since announcing her pregnancy.
“While an attack might be possible, I suspect our entire fleet would not bring them to heel so easily,” Banks offered.
“And to what ends?” Colonel Chao asked, “We are currently unmolested, or so I have been told. An attack right now might bring unwanted attention, at a time when we are just beginning our global expansion and stabilization”
Jake laughed privately, as that was certainly a topic near and dear to Bo’s heart. From his daily reports, the Colonel was hip deep in organizational issues. To ask him to go to war now was unrealistic at best.
