by S. H. Jucha
Tatia imagined a new fleet organization. The massive city-ship would be on its own, often far from the squadrons and would require independent operational control. In addition, the vessel would be in charge of its own defenses. That would include Mickey’s rail-capable beam weapons and a hefty squadron of travelers. The fighters would need their own wing commander, maybe even a group leader.
“I think Commodore Cordelia would be a good place to start,” Tatia announced.
Cordelia glanced at Alex, who was smiling and replied, “Couldn’t have said it better.”
“Admiral,” Cordelia said, snapping a salute at Tatia, who smiled and returned the honor.
“You might need to rethink the commodore’s title, in the near future, Admiral,” Alex said. “There’s the question of what supply ships Haraken and the Confederation might send to accompany their warships. Our new commodore will need to have command over the support fleet.”
“Agreed, Alex. If that happens, it’ll be time to bump our new commodore again,” Tatia replied.
Tatia shook hands with Cordelia. “Welcome aboard, Commodore,” she said before leaving.
Renée hugged Cordelia and congratulated her, and Alex walked Julien and Cordelia to the suite’s cabin door.
Cordelia halted in the doorway and turned to Alex. “From box to commodore in two decades. Thank you for freeing us,” she said, pausing to gently kiss Alex’s cheek.
* * *
Alex took the remainder of the day off, switching comm calls between Julien, Cordelia, and anyone else he considered appropriate to handle his queries. Later, Renée and he went to stroll in the ship’s central garden, watch the fish in the ponds, and enjoy a couple of reality vids from Cordelia’s display.
Long ago, Cordelia upgraded her reality vid suite to include bio ID recognition for key personnel. When Alex and Renée walked through the door, they weren’t offered the menu from which to select a routine. Instead, lights dimmed, music played, and the couple was whisked away to a mysterious land of incredible landscapes and fantastical beasts that inhabited their scenery.
When the routine ended, Alex and Renée wandered out of the suite in a daze.
“That was incredible,” Renée said, hanging on to Alex’s arm for support.
“Didn’t see that one coming,” Alex said. “I think this calls for a drink.”
Success, Cordelia thought, reviewing the cam vid taken at the suite’s entrance, when she saw the couple’s expressions. It had taken an extraordinary amount of computing time to research the concepts, configure the terrain, and design and animate the beasts. She had been determined to present Alex and Renée with an incredible memory. Unbeknownst to her, that vid routine would become one of the most popular pieces of entertainment for as long as the city-ship sailed.
Alex and Renée entered a small café on the other side of the grand park. They enjoyed a drink and decided to order a meal rather than join others for evening meal. After a night of entertainment and relaxation, the first thing Renée asked Alex to do, when they regained their suite, was to accompany her into the refresher. It was over an hour before they climbed out, exhausted and happy.
* * *
The following morning, Alex met with Olawale and Francis. Julien and Renée sat with Alex and listened with rapt attention to the story of their journey through Sol.
“An elected government with a constitution that they call the Idona Accord,” Alex said, shaking his head in amazement, when the ex-Earthers finished their story.
“I loved hearing how well our friends, Patrice and Nikki, are doing,” Renée added. “A colonel and a rim governor.”
“Interesting details, concerning the probe,” Julien commented.
“Esteban thought you might find the telemetry data fascinating,” Francis said.
“It was the engineering team who believed the probe to be a later version than ours. In their opinions, design, maneuverability, and decision making pointed to a superior model,” Olawale said.
“Let’s put the probe and its destruction aside for a moment, Sers,” Alex said. “I’m more interested in your summations about Sol.”
“Astonishing changes,” Francis commented. “I wouldn’t have thought it possible.”
“You clearly started a societal revolution, Alex. I think the greatest trigger was the economic turnaround of Idona Station,” Olawale said.
“Not to mention that rebels and militia were working hand-in-hand with stationers,” Francis added.
“Sorry to interrupt the conversation, Sers, but is the gemstone dedication still there at Idona?” Renée asked.
“I’m sorry to say, it isn’t,” Olawale said, his hand to his face, shielding his reaction.
“No?” Renée asked indignantly. “I loved that tribute.”
Olawale unveiled his face, displaying a grin. “It was moved to Earth, Renée. It sits in the main rotunda of the building where the Assembly Representatives work and meet. According to Nikki, every representative must pass it on the way in or out of the building.”
“You risk my wrath, Ser,” Renée said, grinning, while pointing an accusing finger at Olawale.
“Protect me, my leader, from this vengeful woman,” Olawale said, appealing to Alex and holding up his hands in terror.
“You’re on your own there, Olawale,” Alex said, laughing. “Back to business, Sers. What’s your final opinion on Sol?”
Olawale and Francis glanced at each other in confusion.
“If you haven’t guessed, Sers, Alex is requesting your decisions on whether Sol has achieved a level of democracy that warrants extending our technology to them,” Julien said.
“If we don’t help the Earthers and we lose to the Nua’ll, Sol’s present level of technology would doom them when the sphere arrived in system,” Alex explained.
“What technology are you suggesting, Alex?” Olawale asked, with concern.
“Access to our medical nanites, crystal technology, comm probes, and traveler design without beam access. That sort of thing,” Alex replied.
“But no weaponry?” Olawale asked.
“No, definitely not,” Alex replied. “The technology I’m talking about will disrupt Sol’s industrial base, much as it did New Terra’s, when Méridien technology was introduced. But better to do it now, while the Earthers are rebuilding rather than later.”
“I would concur with that,” Julien added.
“Should I assume that you want us to go back, Alex?” Olawale asked.
“Unless you have something better to do,” Alex said offhand.
“Who knew what I was getting myself into when my friends and I abandoned our explorer ship,” Olawale said, chuckling.
“A fascinating life,” Francis said, grinning at him. “I’m ready, Alex. How do we outfit this trip?”
“I’m thinking you’ll need a Trident escort. I want the Sol government to have a vision of technology’s future,” Alex replied.
“Won’t that infuriate them?” Olawale asked. “Seeing what’s possible but not having access to it?”
“What do you think, Sers?” Alex asked. He waited while the two men exchanged thoughts. It took them a while before they came to a conclusion.
“No,” Francis replied. “It will push them harder to employ their technology evenly across new industries and in support of their population. They’ll want to impress you so that you extend the next level of technology to them.”
“That was as Alex and I thought,” Julien said.
“You already decided all this?” Olawale said, glancing from Julien to Alex and back.
Renée was laughing quietly, while Julien said, “It was one of our considerations.”
“You’ll need Edmas, Jodlyne, and Esteban,” Alex mused. “They’ll be familiar individuals, and you’ll need SADEs, engineers, techs, and supplies. Julien will provide Esteban and the SADEs with a list of allowed items. The Rêveur and Trident’s controllers will contain the design specifications and manuals that the E
arthers will need.”
“What?” Francis asked, noticing Julien was grinning.
“We’ll be breaking out the GEN machines, once again,” Julien explained.
“The what?” Olawale asked.
Renée delivered a fresh cup of thé to Francis and took a stance behind Julien’s chair, placing her hands on his shoulders. “What seems like a lifetime ago,” she said, “Julien and I made the momentous decision to lift up New Terra’s technology in order for them to manufacture the material necessary to repair the Rêveur, which was damaged by the attack of a dark traveler. From his box on the bridge, Julien communicated with engineers on planet to build a series of machines, with three increasingly complex levels. The final stage was able to produce many of the items we needed. They were dubbed the GEN machines, and Alex and I have carried sets of them around with us ever since.”
“You never know when they might come in handy,” Alex added.
-27-
Haraken
“Ellie’s ship has been upgraded with the new crystals, Alex,” Tatia said, during an evening meal. “Any reason that you’re selecting her Trident?”
“A couple,” Alex replied, attacking a fresh serving dish with gusto.
“Would you care to be less enigmatic?” Tatia asked, reaching for a handful of rolls.
“Yumi Tanaka, for one. She can visit with her parents, while I’m there,” Alex replied.
“Any others?” Tatia asked, pausing to catch Alex’s eyes.
“An evaluation,” Alex replied.
Tatia regarded Alex a moment longer and resumed consuming her meal. She ruminated on the sort of evaluation that Alex might be considering. It wouldn’t be testing Ellie’s capabilities as a Trident captain. She was outstanding, in that regard. It occurred to her that Alex had the same concerns she did. If a fleet, many times the size of their squadron, was formed, Tatia would want to assign groups of the new warships to operate under her Trident captains.
Those thoughts brought up the question of what officer levels would accompany the new warships. Only New Terra had been told that Tatia must approve their senior commanders. And, in that regard, she wouldn’t worry about Haraken, who would put their captains through a rigorous selection process before they were elevated. However, the Confederation’s senior officers would be question marks.
“I’ll be interested to hear your evaluation, when you return,” Tatia said, mopping up a serving dish with the remains of a roll.
While Alex finished his meal, he signaled Ellie to prepare the Redemption for launch to Haraken the following morning.
The next morning, Alex wasted no time boarding the warship with Renée and Julien. Alex had ordered the twins to remain behind, so they could spend time with their partners. “We’re headed for Haraken,” Alex told them, “not the deep dark.”
When the three Omnians walked through the Redemption’s corridors, they found it alive with the hustle and bustle of crew. Alex had mentioned to Ellie that a full crew wouldn’t be necessary. Obviously, she had ignored his suggestion, or her senior commander had. Nonetheless, he decided to keep his thoughts to himself.
“The captain’s on the bridge, Ser,” a New Terran-built lieutenant said to Alex, as he led them forward once they attained the main deck. “You have the ship’s guest quarters. Your baggage is already there.”
Each Trident had a more-than-comfortable suite, designed to accommodate a squadron’s commodore or visiting admiral. The rooms weren’t as expansive as the couple’s suite aboard the Freedom, but they were luxurious compared to the small cabin they had inhabited for nearly a year on the Liberator.
Once Alex and Renée were shown to their cabin, the lieutenant asked Julien, “We have a choice of accommodations for you to consider, Ser. I can show them to you now, if you wish.”
“Don’t worry about me, Lieutenant,” Julien replied. “I can always find a closet or supply room, if I need some privacy.”
When the youthful lieutenant’s mouth hung open for several moments, Julien took pity on him, patting his shoulder, and saying, “I’ll be fine, Lieutenant. I don’t tend to sleep much.”
The lieutenant exited in a bewildered state, and Renée said to him, “Julien, you’re incorrigible. That young man doesn’t know whether you’re teasing or not.”
“I thought to give him an interesting story to tell his crewmates. Somewhere along the line, someone will disabuse him of the notion that I sleep in a closet.”
Alex raised an eyebrow at Julien, making a note to talk to him later. His friend was usually gracious and understanding with humans.
The flight to Haraken was uneventful, and, as the warship transited into Hellébore space, Julien issued several messages.
“I’m sorry to say, Alex and Renée, the Sojourn is on assignment, and Teague and Ginny are aboard.”
“Oh, I’m disappointed that we’ll miss them,” Renée said.
“President Lechaux is looking forward to your landing, Alex, and will clear her schedule for an extended meeting, if you so desire,” Julien added. “On another note, there’s a new orbital station dedicated to ship construction. It sits outward of Haraken, short of the inner belt.
“Size?” Alex asked.
“The configuration indicates three large bays and two small ones.”
“Recently built to fulfill the agreement,” Alex postulated.
“Undoubtedly,” Julien agreed.
“Tridents in the system?” Alex asked.
“Underway,” Julien replied, indicating he was tallying the Tridents, while reviewing the telemetry data on all ships in the Hellébore system. “Nine in system, Alex, and possibly more under construction.”
“Nine,” Alex echoed in surprise. “That’s a good thing,” he added, but he didn’t sound enthused.
“A more robust economy and greater population,” Julien commented.
“Alex, Omnia started from scratch,” Renée said, intuiting the reason for Alex’s reaction. “And the Dischnya weren’t much help constructing our platform.”
Alex chuckled lightly, his mind conjuring an image of Dischnya warriors in environment suits, assembling the station’s girders in place.
Three days later, Alex’s traveler set down in front of the home that the Swei Swee had built for Renée and him many years ago. Its blue, green, and white luminescent walls appeared as if they were laid yesterday.
“I never thought I would miss those colors,” Renée said, as Alex’s father, mother, and sister charged out of the house.
After hugs and kisses all around, the group moved into the house.
“Where are Julien and Cordelia’s children?” Renée asked.
“At university, all of them,” Katie said, laughing. “They live on campus. It saves them commuting time.”
“Look what you miss, you three, while you’re out saving our worlds,” Christie said glibly. She meant it as a tease, but instantly saw that her jibe had struck at the emotions of the threesome. “I’m sorry. That was a terrible thing to say. I’m jealous of the exciting lives you’re leading.”
“Christie, those exciting lives you think we’re leading have periods of pure terror, which sometimes fall to levels of quiet desperation,” Renée replied quietly.
“Yes, well, Alex,” Duggan said, attempting to change the subject, “tell us which of the reports we’ve received are true. The only common theme is that you located and destroyed a second sphere.”
“Which goes to show you that you often can’t believe what you hear,” Alex replied.
“We cornered the sphere, Duggan, and it blew itself up and took one of the New Terran Tridents with it,” Renée said.
The family members murmured their surprise. The thought of the Nua’ll sacrificing themselves and their monstrous sphere rather than being captured seemed unnatural.
“So why are you here, Alex, and for how long?” Katie s
aid, with interest.
“Researching a theory,” Alex replied.
“Alex shares his dreams with me,” Renée explained, which had the family members’ mouths dropping open. “It’s true,” she added, shrugging her shoulders, as if to excuse the oddity. “Anyway, he dreamed of a strange division of lights and no lights in space, and I sent him to Julien.”
“Alex shared his dream, or rather he shared Renée’s report of his dream with me,” Julien continued, picking up the narrative. “We believe that he’s struck upon an idea of how to pinpoint where the Nua’ll territory might begin. We’re here to check on his concept via the observatory’s accumulated telemetry data.”
“Is it my imagination,” Christie asked her parents, “or has my usually less-than-voluble brother become more taciturn lately?”
“Hush, Christie,” Duggan said, eyeing his son. “What aren’t you telling us, Alex?”
Alex stared at his father. Somewhere in the intervening years, after he’d left the Oistos system, he’d become his father’s keeper, along with the rest of humankind, without realizing it. It made him feel much older than his years.
Duggan glanced at Julien and then Renée, who ducked her head.
“Oh, black space,” Duggan whispered, worried about the reason his son was reticent to speak.
“This isn’t about a single sphere, is it?” Christie asked. “Something about the probes has frightened all of you.”
“We’re finding them in every system, operational or not, Sers,” Julien explained. “One was destroyed by our people at Sol.”
“You sent a ship to Sol?” Katie asked.
“Olawale and Francis returned with Edmas, Jodlyne, and Esteban, their SADE partner,” Renée explained. “And they were pleased to report there’s been an incredible burgeoning of democracy that replaced United Earth.”
“A probe in every system,” Duggan murmured, dropping his head to think. “That takes a long time. It takes a commitment to the future, which means an ancient civilization,” Duggan said, looking up at his son.
