“Taking pictures,” Abraham answered. Greg twisted around in his seat to see that Abraham had twisted around in his seat enough to be able to look out the front view port and was photographing the approaching ships.
“Do your boys have cameras too?” Greg asked.
“Yup, and we loaned one to Faye Anne. You didn’t think we were going to miss an opportunity like this to brag to our friends did you?”
Greg laughed. He called to the other ships, “Everyone get out your cameras. It’s recon time! Program navigation for short jump to a round the clock on the tender. Roll your ships so your back seat gets lots of good pictures. Stand off at one kilometer. On my mark, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Mark!”
The four P I ships disappeared from the spot where the interceptors intended to find them and moments later reappeared around the fleeing cargo ship. After a few minutes in place, Greg called, “Close to one quarter of a kilometer.”
When all the ships were in position he called, “Polar Rotate on my mark! Mark!”
Wendy and Rachel rotated their ships around the cargo ship on an axis formed by drawing a line from Avi’s ship to Greg’s. Their passengers were furiously taking photographs. This was a maneuver they had practiced dozens of times. Rachel called it square dancing with space ships.
As they approached their starting point, Greg called, “Program navigation for a short jump to a round the clock on the destroyer. Stand off at one kilometer. On my mark, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Mark!”
This time instead of calling for a polar rotate, Greg rolled his ship so that he was inverted relative to the destroyer. He matched speed with it and approached it head-to-head. He approached close enough that he could see the faces of the crew behind the view port. Abraham dutifully shot pictures as fast as he could. Rachel sang a few bars of “Danger Zone” into the communicator and asked if anyone knew a Top Gun named Tom Cruise. The old movie was one of the boys’ favorites, and they instantly got the joke. Even Faye Anne laughed in spite of her fear of actually being in a combat like situation.
“One more time,” Greg called out. “ Program navigation for a short jump to a round the clock on the P I. Stand off at one kilometer. On my mark, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Mark!” The suspect P I retracted its weapons pods in a gesture of submission. Greg approached as he had with the destroyer, and Abraham took photographs. When he was satisfied that he had enough pictures, Greg commanded the crews to return home and meet at the cargo ship. Wendy left first, followed by Rachel, Avi held position until Greg had passed behind her before she left, and shortly thereafter Greg left.
Once they had stabilized in hyper, Rachel asked Reuben, “How about you drive for a while? I need to use the facilities.”
“What do I do?” Reuben asked.
“You can nap in the chair or play simulations. There’s not a lot to do for about five hours. Once I’m done, if you want to get something more nourishing than those energy bars we’ve been munching, you can come back here. The ship will fly itself until we get ready to drop out of hyper.”
They changed places, and Reuben asked, “What do I do if I want to run a training exercise?”
“See that big red switch in the upper right hand corner of the console?”
“The one labeled Simulation and Normal?”
“Yeah, switch it to Simulation and your displays will read for the simulation, but you won’t do anything to the ship.”
“Very nice.”
“Oh, and don’t turn around.”
“What?”
“Keep your eyes forward!”
“Oh, sure!”
Rachel quickly shucked her suit and jumped into the hygiene unit. Still slightly damp when she exited, she rummaged through her locker for some fresh undergarments. Reuben discovered that he could see her reflection in the view port if he sat in exactly the right place but found that all he could see was her heavily muscled back and shoulders. Disappointed, he sat back down and studied the control console in front of him. After dressing, Rachel selected real meals for them to eat and brought one to Reuben. After eating, she told Reuben she was taking a nap in the sleeping compartment and for him to wake her in about three hours.
Wendy made Rashi the same offer of sitting in the front seat. However, she was not quite as nice as her sister. She climbed into the sleeping compartment and promptly went to sleep. If he wanted food he was on his own.
Faye Anne passed out from the tension and excitement. Avi listened to her quiet snore and smiled. Faye Anne would be all right.
Greg and Abraham talked the whole trip back. Abraham was a wealth of information on the community and how it worked. Greg soaked up as much as he could.
One at a time they dropped out of hyper drive and formed up around the cargo ship. The cargo ship greeted them and advised them that there was some big confrontation brewing on the surface and they should leave immediately. Without taking the time to dock, they headed for the planet’s surface.
ERETZ - CHAPTER ELEVEN
GREG’S SMALL EXPEDITIONARY FORCE had left the planet’s surface at 1400 hours on Sunday and returned at 1700 hours on Wednesday. When they arrived at immigration, they were served notice to appear before the community governing council that evening at 1900 hours. Still in their flight suits, they decided to get dinner rather than changing. Facing the council hungry did not seem like a good idea.
Admiral Sherman met them in the mess hall. He took the cameras and gave them to his intelligence people for analysis. Greg and Abraham quickly briefed him on what they had learned. Sarah and Mimi showed up a few minutes later. Spotting a large fabric bag with her name in big letters at Wendy’s feet, Mimi was torn between sitting next to Rachel or Wendy. Neither Rachel nor Wendy mentioned the bag although Abraham whispered to his wife what was in it. Sarah laughed, her eyes twinkling with the pleasure of a good joke.
Rose, Levonah and the rest of Faye Anne’s family joined the group for dinner. After dinner they headed to the council meeting together. Wendy calmly tossed the bag over her shoulder as they left with a wide-eyed Mimi following close behind. Mimi tried to get Rose to tell her what was in the bag, but Rose, not having been let in on the secret, had to plead ignorance. The council meeting was held in the school cafeteria which had a stage. Tables had been set on the stage for the council members. Microphones had been placed on the tables and chairs were arranged facing the stage.
Since they were early Rachel suggested that they spend the last few minutes before the meeting in the field house. The by now rather large troupe gathered in the field house and Wendy put the bag on the floor. Mimi could not take her eyes off it. Wendy sat down in front of the bag and motioned for Mimi to sit beside her. Faye Anne giggled in anticipation. Rachel, Reuben and Rashi smiled at watching Mimi so excited and so mystified at the same time. They enjoyed the drama as Wendy drew out the suspense. Wendy smiled at Mimi, and with one eyebrow raised pretended to twirl a handlebar mustache. Wendy opened the bag and pulled out a boot. Mimi looked at her with a question in her eyes. Wendy just smiled and reached back into the bag. Wendy pulled out another boot and then the gloves. Mimi was trembling with excitement. When Wendy pulled out the helmet and placed it on Mimi’s head, Mimi almost fainted. When she saw the small flight suit, she let out a high pitched scream and jumped to hug Wendy. Everyone in the room laughed as Mimi held the flight suit which was still too large for her up against her body to show it off.
Avi leaned over to Mimi and said, “When you grow into that suit, you can fly with us.”
Mimi was so excited happy tears rolled down her cheeks.
Sarah took Mimi and the suit home pledging to meet them as soon as they could while everyone else headed for the council meeting.
The meeting started on time. The Rabbi sat in the center of the table. There were three council members on either side of him. The first order of business after the minutes and financial report was a request for funding for additional playground equipment for the school. So many of
the new immigrants had brought small children that the current playground was getting crowded. After checking with the treasurer to verify that funds were available, the request was approved.
The second item on the agenda was a request that the writings of a certain obscure Cabbalist writer be banned from the school’s curriculum. The discussion raged for half an hour before the council finally voted not to ban the works, but rather would make the discussion of this writer voluntary on the part of the instructor. This meant that the one instructor who was comfortable dealing with this writer could do so and the other instructor could avoid the subject if he so desired.
Abraham commented to Greg that he had studied the Cabbalists as a teen, and the Cabbalist writings were responsible for his love of math. Now, as an adult, he considered them fascinating but irrelevant. He felt their real significance was to remind people that even a culture as rational as the Jewish culture did go off the deep end from time to time and could stay there for quite a while.
The third item on the agenda was a request to bring Rachel and therefore her parents up on charges for reckless endangerment with regard to the incident in the cafeteria. The council called witnesses and listened to testimony as to what occurred. David was interrogated as to his participation. Rachel was interrogated as well. Rev Schwartz testified to the punishment he had already invoked. As the questioning progressed it was difficult to determine what each council member thought other than they were diligently trying to determine the truth of the incident. Unlike many government proceedings where the participants’ viewpoints are established in advance of the hearings, this council appeared genuinely neutral and intent on making an unbiased decision. Greg and Avi found the attitude refreshing and hoped that this was a proper indication of the attitudes of the rest of the community.
David’s father interrupted the proceedings at several points to make inflammatory and derogatory comments about Greg, his family, the Admiral and his family and Abraham and his family. Finally the Rabbi asked Greg if he had any further comments. Greg rose and slowly advanced to the podium.
“Esteemed council members, citizens of Eretz, we have come to you as refugees. The planet we called Homestead was destroyed, rendered uninhabitable by a people who have no concern for human life. We helped stop them, but at tremendous cost. Had we not stopped them, they would be here now, and this planet which you call home would already be a wasteland. We do not come as conquering heroes, we come as refugees. Refugees tired of fighting, tired of needing to think in terms of protection and defending ourselves. All our lives my wife and I have fought. We fought until we defeated those who fought against us. We fought until we killed those who sought to kill us. In the Space Force and fought against those who would do harm to others and helped defeat them until a new and more powerful foe arose. We faced them at Homestead and we survived.
“We were instructed to report here by a dear friend charged with the defense of the sector in which we previously lived. We came as refugees hoping to provide assistance to people who would make us welcome and allow us to feel safe and at home.”
He paused to gather his thoughts. “I can’t fault the greeting my wife and I were given by Admiral Sherman and his people. I would have preferred a few days to get acclimatized, but being immediately put to work is better than the greeting my daughters received at the hand of this insensitive young man. Rachel and Wendy wish nothing more than to be treated like normal teenagers for the first time in their lives. David guaranteed that could never happen. They wanted to melt into the background and become one with their peers. David denied them that. They wanted to go to school, spend time with their classmates and have normal dates with normal boys and perhaps even settle down to normal lives. How much of that can they do now? Rather than bringing my daughter up on charges, I would suggest some form of reprimand be issued against David and his father for the irreparable damage done to my daughters. Thank you for your time.”
The only woman on the council raised her hand for recognition. “Mr. Solomon, is it true that you have personally killed over a dozen men in face to face combat?” she asked.
“Yes, it is,” Greg replied.
“Can you name them?”
“Some of them,” Greg answered. “The only ones you would know are Pierre and Anthony LaMarche and Daniel Esperanza. Asking for formal introductions while under attack is not generally considered a brilliant move.”
The councilwoman continued, “Are you were aware that you were tried in absentia and convicted of the murder in the first degree of Daniel Esperanza. You were sentenced to death by firing squad.”
“Where was the trial held?” Greg asked.
“Leda,” the councilwoman replied.
“They have no jurisdiction over the location in which the events took place.”
“The Federation acknowledged the system wide warrant for your arrest issued ten years ago. You are a fugitive,” she stated flatly.
Greg paused before replying. “If it is the wish of this council that I leave, I will take my family, and we will leave.”
“Quite the contrary. We are all fugitives. We are all refugees. We are all under sentence of death somewhere. We have a non-extradition policy that is well known throughout the Federation. You are welcome to stay, but you must realize that we have our rules, and your daughter has broken several of them for which some sort of punishment is in order.”
“I understand,” Greg replied.
“Mr. Solomon, as I see it, there is no question as to the facts of the incident. The testimony is consistent. The only question remaining for this council is the issue of punishment. I do not agree that the punishment invoked by Rev Schwartz is adequate. I would therefore move that all the students involved serve an additional two weeks of detention with Rev Schwartz every day after school. I would be willing to make an exception for Reuben and Rashi on those days when they are competing in Math or Science competition. For each competition they win, they do not have to make up the day they miss. For each day they lose, they make up the day. I would also recommend that in addition to the detention, Rachel be required to teach a marshal arts class in the gymnasium every day after school for the remainder of the school year.”
Sarah leaned over to Avi who had been looking worried through the entire proceeding. “The councilwoman is Rev Schwartz’s wife. She’s an attorney. I wondered what she was up to. Everything will be fine. Rachel is getting off lighter than what the council originally proposed. You can relax.”
The motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.
The punishments were accepted and the proceedings duly recorded.
The Rabbi took the floor. “The next order of business has to do with the unauthorized use of Eretz space craft by under-aged crews in an offensive mission against unknown craft entering our system. Mr. Solomon would you please answer the charges?”
Greg thought for a second before responding, “Rabbi, when I finish testifying, please call Admiral Sherman to verify that the missions were authorized.”
“Missions, plural?” Mrs. Schwartz asked.
“Yes, there were two of them,” Greg replied.
“Were they dangerous?” Mrs. Schwartz asked.
“Space travel is in itself dangerous,” Greg stated.
“Please continue.”
“We took four Pirate Interdiction type craft. Of these, I personally own one and my wife, Avi, personally owns the other. Wendy and Rachel have passed the Federation pilot exams and are fully certified on these ships. Rachel piloted the one I own and Wendy piloted the one Avi owns. Everything they did was legal under Federation Spaceflight Navigation regulations. As to the other ships, Avi and I are certified as advanced instructors on these and on every small attack and scout class space craft that was in service of the Federation Space Force at the time we mustered out. Therefore, once we ascertain that Admiral Sherman had authorized the mission and its crews, you will see that everything we did was legal under Federation regulations.”
The Rabbi called Admiral Sherman to the podium. “Is it true that you authorized this mission?”
The Admiral stood beside Greg and said, “Yes, I did under my authority as commander of the Combined Defense Forces. For the record, both Greg and Avi Solomon are Captains under my command as well as having been recalled to active duty in the Federation Space Force at the rank of Captain. They are not civilians. Therefore, there may be question as to whether this council has the jurisdiction necessary to bring charges.”
“I move that the charges be dropped,” Mrs. Schwartz said.
The motion was seconded and carried on a voice vote.
Greg turned to leave the podium.
“Admiral Sherman, Captain Solomon, not so fast please.” Mrs. Schwartz interrupted them. “We may not have jurisdiction, but we have a right to know what you were doing out there. Could you please tell us about the mission you so suddenly took which involved so many of our youth?”
Admiral Sherman stepped up to the podium. “I received a report that a pilot-less drone had entered our system. This conclusion was verified by long range sensors on the Solomon’s cargo ship.”
“A cargo ship with military sensors?” Mrs. Schwartz asked.
“Yes, from the days when pirates were a serious threat,” Greg replied.
“Please continue.”
“Captain Greg Solomon volunteered to take one of our more sophisticated ships in an attempt to determine who sent the drone. Abraham Abrams offered to operate the mission specific equipment. It made sense to send two vessels in case the drone was armed. Captain Avi Solomon volunteered to accompany her husband in a second identically equipped ship. My daughter, Faye Anne, has been trained on the equipment and we agreed she should join the mission. Wendy and Rachel refused to be left behind. Since their parents own the other two ships that went on the mission, we technically could not stop them from accompanying their parents.”
Solomon Family Warriors II Page 41
