by PJ Strebor
A steward hovered behind the bar.
“Oceanian beer?” Nathan ventured.
Without a word from the steward, the beer landed on the bar.
Nathan sighed after the first taste. How the hell do the Pruessens get a hold of beer from the south? The thought of drinking beer that could only have been procured by headhunters soured the sharp stinging taste.
Moe sauntered up to the bar and ordered whisky. “How was dinner?”
“You missed a great meal,” Nathan said.
“I’m amazed by you, Nate. Sitting down to break bread with Pruessens?”
“Yeah, but it comes with the job. Like it or not we have to gain the trust of these people. For the time being I’m suspending my distaste.”
“Then you’re a better man than me.”
Nathan stared fixedly at his friend. “As Adroit’s second-in-command, I will expect you to do the same.”
“I know you’re right,” she said, staring into her drink. “I guess I’ll just have to do what needs to be done.” She finished her drink and ordered another. Turning back toward him she looked down and smiled. “Looks like you’ve got a fan.”
A boy, perhaps a little older than his son, Garrison, stood so closed to him that he almost touched. He didn’t look up or speak. Nathan looked around the room until he spotted a young couple keeping tabs on the boy. Their apprehension shone clearly.
Nathan knelt down but was still well above the boy. “Hello.”
“Hello.” He looked at Nathan with large, curious brown eyes.
“I’m Nathan, what’s your name?” Not original but the basics usually worked.
“Jeremy.”
“Hello Jeremy, it’s very nice to meet you.” Silence. “How old are you?”
He fumbled to hold up three fingers.
“I have a boy who is nearly your age.”
“What’s his name?”
“Garrison.”
Again he appeared to be as tongue tied as any child of his age. His parents followed Nathan’s every move. Right, time to break the ice.
Nathan pointed toward the anxious parents. “Are those your mother and father?”
Jeremy nodded.
“Why don’t I take you back to them?”
He replied with a vigorous nod.
Walking at kid’s pace Nathan escorted the child to his parents. Jeremy remained close by his left leg.
“Good evening,” he said. “I’m Nathan.”
They appeared to be rendered mute.
“I was just having a nice chat with Jeremy.” He chuckled. “I have a boy about his age.”
Nervously they introduced themselves as Cora and Johan Dieter. For the boy’s sake Nathan tolerated the banal excuse for a conversation. Cora tried to disengage Jeremy from his close proximity to Nathan. Jeremy stubbornly maintained his stance. With an easing of anxiety from the parents he made his excuse, disengaged from the family and returned to the bar.
He finished his beer and ordered another. The conversation, although stilted, had given him an idea.
“Lieutenant Okuma, we should mingle,” Nathan said.
“What?”
“You’re going to have to do it eventually, so we start now,” Nathan said.
“What if I don’t feel like it.”
“Then that falls under the I-don’t-give-a-shit clause.” Nathan held her eyes and slapped her on the back.
Moe sighed. “All right. Hey, watch your six.”
Jeremy had returned.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“If he keeps this up we might be mistaken for a family,” Nathan said.
“Great,” Moe groaned.
Nathan wandered around the room with his two cohorts close at hand.
“Good evening,” he said. “Nathan Waugh,” he held out his hand to the nearest male. Tentatively the male shook his hand and introduced himself. “This is Moe Bradman.” Polite nods. He looked down. “And I think you all know Jeremy.” A few cautious smiles was better than nothing.
A few hours later after pressing the flesh of almost everyone aboard Odenwald, the trio returned to the bar. While Moe ordered a nightcap, Nathan scooped up Jeremy who cuddled into him. The little guy was ready to crash so he returned him to his parents.
He’d broken the ice with the crew and their families. The rest would be up to Moe. And them.
***
Nathan entered Odenwald’s sickbay. He hated sickbays but his doctor said it would be good to take advantage of the ship’s advanced medical facilities. Nathan would do anything to lessen the time he had to wear the restrictive cast to his damaged hand.
“Good morning, Nathan,” Doctor Jahn said.
“Luther,” Nathan said.
Doctor Schauble waited by what looked to Nathan to be a very advanced medical scanner.
“Would you step over here, Captain?”
Nathan complied and presented his hand to the Pruessen quack. After removing his cast the doctors scanned his hand onto a screen and examined the detailed image.
“Yes, that suture has healed nicely,” Jahn said.
“That’s remarkable,” Odenwald’s doctor said. “The bone is almost fully knitted.” He stared at Nathan. “Do you generally heal so quickly?”
“Good genes, I guess,” Nathan said.
“Have you been using pain management?”
“Not for the last week,” Nathan said.
“Wiggle your fingers,” Doctor Schauble said.
Nathan did. It hurt.
“And the thumb?”
Nathan moved it gingerly. It hurt a lot.
“Impressive. And after only forty seven-days.”
“Ouch. What the fuck.” Schauble had pricked his thumb with a pin.
“Good, no nerve damage.”
I’ll give you nerve damage, you square headed fucker.
“Well, Luther, the patient looks to be well on the way to a full recovery,” Schauble said. “There’s nothing else I can do for him.”
“Thanks for your time, Doctor,” Jahn said.
“You’re welcome.”
Pruessens and doctors. But …
“Yeah, ah, thanks,” Nathan said.
CHAPTER 41
Date: 12th September, 326 ASC.
Position: Odenwald, traversing hyperspace. Northern Quarantine Zone.
Nathan ordered ham and eggs for breakfast. The supplies from Odenwald topped up Adroit’s withering stocks. The thick slices of ham and fresh eggs made for a pleasant change. He was considering seconds when his comm beeped.
“Captain.”
“Good morning, Captain,” Grace said.
“Morning, Grace. What’s up?”
“All is well. This is an update. I’ve tied into Odenwald’s comms and have touched bases with them. She’s six hours from egression. All systems are in the green. Captain Pitzen would like a word with you at your convenience.”
“Very well,” Nathan said. Moe always joined him for breakfast but not today. “Do you have any idea where Moe is?”
“She’s having breakfast on Odenwald.”
Nathan smiled. Good for you, Moe. “Very well. Tell Pitzen that I’ll be with him in an hour.”
“Shall do. Bridge out.”
Nathan finished his coffee. The stocks from the Pruessen transport included coffee that he considered to be almost drinkable.
As he did every morning, he walked the boat. At alert stand-down the pace of activity had slowed but Nathan knew that the crew appreciated his interest.
After completing his walk he left the boat and two minutes later stepped onto Odenwald’s bridge. Captain Pitzen ushered him into the briefing room.
“Please, have a seat. May I offer you a coffee, Nathan?”
“Yes, thank you, Edwin.”
They sat for a time savoring the fine blend.
“So what can I do for you, Edwin?” Nathan asked.
“I thought you might enjoy a tour of my ship. If you have the time, of course.”
“With Adroit at alert stand-down I have nothing but time.”
“Good.” He keyed his comm. “Good morning, Sarah, would you report to the briefing room.” A pause whilst she replied. “Yes, that’s right. He’s here.” Another pause. “Very well.”
“You’re not conducting the tour?”
“I’ve got a ship to run. You should know how demanding that is.”
Nathan smiled and nodded. He’d just finished his coffee when the hatch opened. Nathan stood as a woman, about his age, entered.
“Hello, Captain Waugh, I’m Sarah.”
Nathan shook her hand. A beautiful young woman with the most mesmerizing green eyes he had ever seen.
“Nice to meet you, Sarah. Please, call me Nathan.”
“All right.” Unlike a lot of women he’d met, Sarah maintained eye contact. No coyness from this impressive young woman. Yet beneath the beauty a hardness lingered. Life in the empire could be brutal for non-citizens.
“The Captain tells me you’re going to show me around.”
“Yes, I’m the tour guide. By your leave, Captain.” Pitzen nodded. “Shall be go?”
Nathan followed her out and into a corridor where they awaited a lift.
“I thought we’d start with engineering. I’ve cleared our visit with the Chief Engineer but don’t touch anything. You know how touchy engineers can be.”
Nathan didn’t care to be handled. Perhaps it was only Sarah’s style but he found it to be off-putting. The lift stopped at deck thirty-nine. They stepped out and walked sternward. The sign stenciled onto the hatch was familiar to Nathan. Engineering. No unauthorized personnel past this point.
Sarah keyed her comm. “Chief Engineer – Maddington.” A pause while she awaited an answer. “Good morning, Commander. I’m ready to show our guest around. Permission to enter engineering.” Pause. “Thank you.”
They waited until the hatch opened. They were met by a tall man, about fifty, with graying hair and a scar running down the right side of his face.
“Commander Spaatz, this is Captain Waugh.”
They shook hands. The Pruessen engineer examined his as if he were a faulty component.
“You’re a bit young to be a Captain, aren’t you?”
“Acting Captain, if you prefer, Commander.” He shrugged. “Circumstances.”
With Sarah in tow Spaatz began the tour. The commander ran a clean section with barely a speck of dust to be seen. Like everything aboard this massive boat the engineering section spoke of an impressive design. Nathan particularly liked the triple redundancies on the critical systems.
Following the engineering tour Sarah showed him some less interesting sights. Finally the school sections.
“Kindergarten, junior and senior levels,” she said as they passed the open hatchways. Nathan paused at the hatch leading to the kindergarten. Kids of this age, his children’s age, made him think of his family. One of the children spotted him and waved. He sent a wave back to Jeremy.
“The teachers are female,” Nathan said. “I thought that was frowned upon within Pruessen society.”
“Frowned upon?” Sarah set her eyes on him, her face turning rigid. “It’s illegal. Women of the empire have about as many rights as a slave.” She shook her head. “I don’t expect a southerner like you to understand.”
“I’m feeling a little hungry,” Nathan said. “How about showing me the mess.”
She continued to stare at him with barely-concealed loathing. Their walk to the mess was made in cold silence. Nathan selected a mince pie and fresh orange juice.
They sat at a table near the hatch. Sarah looked everywhere but at him. She wanted the tour to end.
“You’re angry,” he said. “I hope it wasn’t something I said.”
“You just don’t understand.”
Four years as a slave meant he did, but he couldn’t share that with her. Or anyone.
“Very well, Sarah, help me understand.”
“Very well, Nathan, I’ll try. Before the end of the last war women held positions of authority and power. High ranking naval officers, politicians, business executives, that kind of thing. Then the Republic fell and the Empire rose. And with it the Imperial Reformation Executive. My mother was the manager of a huge tech company, a position she’d fought to achieve through years of grueling work. The IRE decreed that all women of childbearing age must have at least three children. Love, marriage, none of that mattered. Women had only one purpose; procreation. All women found themselves on benefits as their positions were taken by men. The IRE’s fanaticism to repopulate the Empire brought about the end of women’s rights. Centuries of fighting for equality, squashed as if women were nothing better than human incubators.” She shook her head fighting the inner rage. “Naturally, there were protests. It was at this time that we were introduced to the Human Resource Service. I wasn’t around at the time but my mother described them as brutally effective. The new regime would tolerate no form of dissention. Imprisonment, labor camps, and worse awaited a raised voice.
“Years later I was born in a fertility camp. I was my mother’s third child. The HRS forced the issue with any women who did not produce offspring within a specific time period. Fertile men and women were brought together for only one purpose. I don’t know who my father is. The practice is still in place to this day. When I was seventeen my mother died. She had survived the camps but a complete lack of hope was finally too much for her to live with. That is the future that awaited me. I decided to act. Thomas Pitzen was the youngest of his family but still fifteen years my senior. I used my womanly wiles to entice him to bed and from there into marriage. He wasn’t a bad man and he provided for me but there was no love. I knew that going in but would do anything to avoid the fertility camps.” She stared at Nathan, grief and rage reflecting from her glistening eyes. “I will never be a human incubator. I’ll die first.”
Nathan cleared his throat, moved by her heartrending tale. “Within the League of Allied Worlds, women are the equal of men in every way. My first commanding officer is a woman and is now a vice admiral. You can be whatever you want, achieve any success you apply yourself to. Maybe find a man who you do love, and start a family. Anything is possible.”
“I want to believe that,” she said. Her incredible green eyes bored into him. “And I desperately want children, Nathan. Just not Pruessen children.” She continued to stare at him until he felt a stirring of unease. “Do you have children?”
“Yes, a girl and a boy.”
“So, you are fertile.” Her lascivious smile made him squirm internally.
“I also have a wife who I adore.”
“I don’t expect you to love me, Nathan, just give me a child.”
“What?” Nathan was caught off-guard by the audacity of the proposal. “I’m married, Sarah.”
“So?”
“So I will not betray the love I have for her to accommodate your needs.”
“She would never know.”
“I’d know.”
“So you don’t want me?”
“If I was single, yes. I’m not so …”
“Would you consider in-vitro fertilization?”
The word no had almost formed on Nathan’s lips but he thought about it. Aid in the creation of a new life without participation in the child’s upbringing? That notion didn’t sit well with him. He decided to dodge the issue.
“I’ll think about it.”
They continued the tour, stopping at the supply department. As expected the cargo holds were as huge as they were immaculate. The supply officer was an affable fellow who was more than happy to show them around. She took a deep breath, breathing out slowly.
As lunchtime approached the tour ended. He and Sarah strolled in that direction. As they awaited a lift, Nathan’s back flared.
The man came at
him with a knife raised high. Nathan pushed Sarah aside and caught the man’s arm above the wrist. A quick twist and the knife clattered to the deck. He released the man who lunged at his throat with outstretched arms. Nathan struck him a glancing blow under the chin, and he collapsed to the deck.
“Sarah, contact the Captain and tell him what’s happened.”
As she did so the man stirred. His eyes fluttered open then became huge with unadulterated terror. Nathan held his hands before him in a gesture of peace.
“You’re going to kill us all,” the man screamed. “I’ve heard about what southerners do to Pruessens.”
“Kill them on sight?” Nathan sighed.
The terrified man nodded his head with a jerky motion.
“I’ve been on this ship for two days. Heard of anyone dying?”
“But the government broadcasts say you’re all cold blooded killers.”
“What’s your name?”
“Carl.”
“Well, Carl, you shouldn’t listen to propaganda. You just gave me a very good reason to kill you, but still, you’re breathing.”
The lift opened and Captain Pitzen stepped out accompanied by two large crewmen.
“What the devil is going on here?” the Captain asked.
Carl’s face had transformed from fear to curiosity. Nathan held out his hand and helped him to his feet.
“Captain,” Nathan said, brushing Carl down, “someone really needs to let Carl know who the good guys are.”
Later, in the mess he bumped into Moe.
“How did your tour of the ship go,” she asked.
“Great.” A woman wants to have my child and a man tried to kill me. Just another day in the Corps.
CHAPTER 42
Date: 19th September, 326 ASC
Position: Transport ship Odenwald, traversing hyperspace. Northern Quarantine Zone.
Nathan’s restlessness continued to grow. The feeling of impending disaster lingered in his waking and sleeping mind like a darkly menacing intruder. He knew he had to do something, but how could he escape the inescapable. Moe picked up on his disposition.
“What’s up?” Moe asked.
