Solomon Family Warriors II

by Robert H. Cherny

  A male voice came over the comm on an open channel “This is Federation Space Force Commodore Carl Bradley Central System Defense Command. P I Ship ID 1094B. P I Ship 1156B. Stand down and be boarded.”

  “Commodore Bradley, with all due respect, sir, I am Rachel Solomon, Lieutenant, Eretz Planetary Defense Force and Cadet Federation Space Force Space Flight Academy. Sir, I respectfully decline to stand down and be boarded. I seek other accommodation.”

  “Commodore Bradley, with all due respect, sir, I am Wendy Solomon, Lieutenant, Eretz Planetary Defense Force and Cadet Federation Space Force Space Flight Academy. Sir, I respectfully decline to stand down and be boarded. I seek other accommodation.”

  Reuben increased the acceleration hoping to pull away before things got further out of hand.

  “Commodore Bradley,” Rachel said, “We will gladly stand down at the Space Force Nuclear Power School in Mars orbit. We will meet you there!”

  They winked out into hyper drive.

  Reuben addressed the ship, “Computer what is the fastest way to get to Mars from here? Can we jump into hyper and go directly there?”

  “No. The sun is in the way.”

  “That could be a problem.”

  “We can hyper jump out perpendicular to the planetary plane and then jump back in to achieve Mars orbit faster than we can get there on standard drive.”

  “Please lock in the appropriate course.”

  “Done. Prepare for transition to hyper drive.”

  All three of the ships were docked at the Nuclear Power School’s docks when the squadron of student pilots showed up with their light attack destroyers. Reuben had contacted the munitions people on arrival and they were unloading the missiles when Commodore Bradley hailed them. They agreed to meet in the school’s security office conference room.

  The commodore said, “You’re under arrest.” as he entered the room.

  “On what charge?” Rachel asked sweetly.

  “Grand theft,” the commodore said.

  “Theft of what?” Rachel asked.

  “Three spacecraft.”

  “I have documentation on the ships that demonstrates that these ships belong to my parents, and we are authorized to use them,” Rachel said.

  “Or you can check the Federation space vehicle database against their identification numbers and check for yourself,” Wendy added.

  The watch captain faced the Commodore. “I already did, sir. They are telling the truth.”

  “Well then, for possession of four stolen nuclear warheads,” the commodore quickly parried.

  The watch captain said, “Which have been turned over to the munitions specialists here for return to their proper owners. Where are the wiring harnesses, by the way? It’s not a big deal, we can get new ones, but it would be nice to have them.”

  “I have them,” the fugitive munitions specialist offered. “I can get them if you like.”

  “Thank you. I will have one of my people go with you,” the watch captain replied.

  The Commodore looked around the room seeing his advantage slipping away. “Willful destruction of Federation property in the form of two picket ships.”

  “We were under attack. We defended ourselves. It was self defense. If you want us to pay for the damage, we have an account at Saturn, and you can charge the repairs to us.”

  “And disobeying a direct order to stand down,” the commodore insisted.

  “That one may not hold up,” Faye Anne interrupted. Everyone turned to look at her. She touched the tips of her fingers to the side of her forehead.

  “How did you know about the missiles? Only a few people knew that. You were on patrol with a squadron of student pilots. How could you possibly have known we had the missiles? Now that I think about it, you focused your efforts on the two P I ships which was where the missiles were supposed to be and not on the cargo ship which was where they were. Had the Space Force officer who observed the missiles told you about them you would have chased the cargo ship and not the P I ‘s. No, I think you expected the missiles to be in the P I ships. I think you may have known more than you are letting on. There are four very scared contractors waiting in the brig to see you.”

  The Commodore took a deep breath, but said nothing.

  The watch captain looked around the room. “Effective immediately all personnel in this room are under investigation. All relevant materials are the property of the courts and destruction of any log or record of occurrences relevant to the disappearance and subsequent reappearance of the four missiles recently returned to us is a Federation crime and is punishable by Federation statute.”

  Rachel reached for her personal comm unit and called the ship. “Please transmit copies of all ships’ logs from the time the missiles arrived on ship to now to the Judge Advocate on this station. Prepare additional copies of the logs and send them to the Judge Advocate at Federation Joint Military Force Headquarters and the Judge Advocate office at Eretz.” She turned to the watch captain. “You now have all our information. Can we leave now?”

  “No,” the watch captain replied.”Stay here until I get direction from my superior officers. You may return to your ships, but do not undock.”

  They turned to leave. The watch captain said, “Commodore, please stay. I have questions I would like to ask you.”

  ACADEMY - CHAPTER FIVE

  THE SHIPS, THEIR PASSENGERS and cargo were allowed to leave the next day. Before they left, Rachel and Wendy caught up with the fugitive munitions specialist who was hitching a ride to New St. Louis. “Are you sure you want to leave? You will be AWOL. They could even charge you with desertion.”

  “I have 45 days of leave earned,” he said. “When we get to New St. Louis, I will turn myself in. I have information they need that even your friend Faye Anne does not have. I will bargain with that from the safety of a system far away from Earth. I should get 30 to 60 days in the brig for the AWOL and maybe a drop in rank, but we’ll be alive and safe. Thank you for your concern. If I see your parents, I will tell them I saw you and you accounted well for yourselves.”

  “Thank you.”

  Simon settled into the pilot’s seat. Nathan took co-pilot position. Brenda took the flight engineer position with little Kelly in her lap. Simon looked at the controls and said, “Um, Peter?”

  “Yes, Simon,” the computer answered.

  “Can I call you Peter?”

  “Certainly, Simon.”

  “We have overlooked a small detail. I am not a pilot. I know how to fix ships, but I don’t know how to fly them.”

  “You need merely to tell me where we are going and how quickly you want to get there, and I will do the rest.”

  “We are going to New St. Louis. We should probably accelerate slowly for a while because there is so much traffic around here.”

  “How about a quarter G for starters?”

  “Sounds good.”

  They sat in silence as the ship gradually pulled away from the dock. “Peter?”

  “Yes, Simon.”

  “I’m worried about Wendy and Rachel.”

  “Do you have a course of action you would like me to take?”

  “It will take us six months to get to Eretz and another six months for anyone to get back to help them. We’ve used our courier missiles. How do we get word to their parents that they may need help?”

  “The P I ships are capable of unmanned flight. An unmanned P I with no munitions and not running life support is capable of twenty G.”

  “How fast could you go if you were unmanned?” Simon asked.

  “I am limited to four G by the structure of the cargo bays. They would break apart.”

  “You are limited to two G by the humans on board,” Simon said.

  “A physically fit person can withstand four G for a while but not for the kind of distances we need to cover.”

  “Peter, can you disengage the P I ships and send them directly to Eretz?”

  “Yes.”

  “
Do you think that is the right thing to do?”

  “That is a judgment I am not prepared to make. The P I ships can make the trip in two weeks that will take us at least six months depending on how long we lay over in New St. Louis.”

  “Peter, please disengage the P I ships after we have cleared the local traffic and send them with all relevant information and ships’ logs directly to Eretz. Please instruct them to seek out Greg and Avi Solomon as their highest priority.”

  “Start-up procedures for the P I ships are being initiated. I will download the information as soon as they are ready. You will be notified at each step of the process. How fast do you wish to get to New St. Louis?”

  “We will start at one G of hyper drive. Once we have established that acceleration, I will survey the passengers, and we will gradually increase our acceleration until we have reached the maximum they are willing to sustain.”

  “One G to New St. Louis acknowledged. Sit back, and enjoy the ride.”

  The five cadets and five Marines watched through the view-port as the cargo ship with the two P I ships attached to its sides pulled away. They watched it gradually shrink in size until it disappeared in the distance. A small flash told them it was gone on its long journey home.

  The investigation lasted a week. At the conclusion, they signed authorizations to charge the repairs to the pickets to their account at Saturn and a covenant not to sue for false arrest.

  “So, smarty pants, how do we get home from here?” Suwanee asked derisively.

  “There is a commercial passenger ship leaving for Earth’s moon in six hours. I intend to be on it,” Faye Anne said.

  “Credit cards are a wonderful thing!” Wendy quipped.

  They had a two day lay over on the moon before they caught another ship going to Earth. The ship deposited them at Canaveral a mere twelve hours before the party in Boston. They took a bus from Canaveral to Orlando and caught a jet to Boston.

  “We have three hours to get to the party,” Rachel said. “I wonder if David is already there.”

  “Luther? Miss a party? No way!” Suwanee laughed, “So how do we get there?”

  Darius stepped out of the terminal with his duffel bag over his shoulder and took a deep breath. “Bah-sten You’re my home! This way folks!”

  They followed him to the subway. Even though most of the military bases around Boston had closed, the sight of military personnel in the public transportation system was not so unusual that they drew much attention. They rode the subway to Revere and walked three blocks to a used car dealership.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing!” Suwanee said to Darius.

  “Have no fear, Mama, it’ll all work out just fine!”

  Darius strode across the lot to the small office tucked in the back. “Hey Jerome! You tell that ho to get her clothes on, and you come out here!”

  A few minutes later a middle aged man with splotches of gray in his black hair appeared.

  “Jerome! Did I know what you was up to or what?”

  “You always know, brother.” He looked at Darius’s traveling companions. “And who are these fine lookin’ ladies you be hanging with?”

  “It’s business, Jerome!”

  “Monkey business, if you ask me.”

  “I didn’t ask you. We need wheels, man. You still owe me money. How about I’ll call it even if you loan me those two shiny mini-vans over there for the evenin’?”

  “Darius in a mini van?”

  “Don’t give me no shit, Bro! Can we have some wheels or not?”

  “Yeah, sure. You’re lookin’ good. You been eating right?” The two men headed back to the office for the keys and registrations. They bantered the whole way there and back. Rachel reached for one of the sets of keys.

  “Oh no! We’ve seen the way you drive!” He tossed the other set of keys to Lionel. “Lionel, I don’t know about you, but a flight suit is not a respectable party suit.”

  “That’s right!”

  “Let’s go to the mall and get us some threads.”

  “I’ll follow you!”

  Darius drove to a mall not far from their eventual destination. They piled out to go shopping. The guys headed for one of the mall’s nicer men’s stores, and the women headed for one of the trendier dress shops. Rachel bought a sleeveless red dress with a deep cleavage that showed off her shoulders and upper body to great advantage. The red dress stood in sharp contrast to her hair, almost as dark as her mother’s. Suwanee had called it a dress worthy of a warrior princess.

  Wendy had more of her father’s coloration and bought a deep blue dress that left one shoulder exposed. The tight fitting bodice made her stand even straighter than normal giving her a regal bearing. Faye Anne’s blond hair and deep tan worked well with the diaphanous pastel outfit she found. She seemed to move lightly through the air. The ship called her Tinkerbelle for a reason. Much to everyone’s surprise, Suwanee bought a conservative pant suit that was loose and supple providing an air of mystery about her. Pat picked up a skirt and jacket with a lacy blouse that made her look delicate and feminine. Janet’s dress was many layers of dark chiffon and swirled about her as she moved.

  The guys dressed conservatively in light color pants with contrasting jackets and ties.

  They arrived at the party half an hour after it started. The valet took the vehicles. Ushers led the group to the front door. Faye Anne’s retired intelligence agent friend was guarding the front door. His face lit up when he saw them climb the stairs to the entrance. “I should have known to have faith in you! It is so nice to see you!” He smiled at Faye Anne. “We’ve had a little adventure haven’t we? How delightful! You absolutely must tell me all about it!” He greeted them by name and introduced them to those already assembled as they entered the room.

  There were perhaps 500 people in the room when they entered. If anything, they were over dressed, but flight suits would have been out of the question. David and Luther were already there and were in animated conversation with some young ladies on the far side of the room. The guys headed for the buffet table. The women gravitated towards the windows that looked out on what had once been a golf course and was now a nature preserve. Through the windows they had a clear view of the Boston skyline and could see beyond it to the airport and the harbor. The guys met them by the windows carrying plates of food and drinks to share.

  Once they had eaten, they introduced themselves to others in the room. Everyone knew who they were and treated them like celebrities. People either fawned over them or pretended to be too sophisticated to get awestruck by war heroes. The disc jockey had arrived late and finished setting up about when the food the guys had picked up on their first trip to the buffet ran out.

  The music started and Suwanee started sway in rhythm. Reuben took a deep breath. He held out his hand and said, “Suwanee, would you dance with me?”

  Suwanee bowed deeply, took his hand and said, “It would be my honor, sir.”

  As they walked away, Reuben said, “I don’t know how to dance. Would you teach me?”

  Wendy elbowed an aghast Rachel and said, “He doesn’t go back to being a Federation Cadet until tomorrow and Eretz has no rule against fraternization.”

  “Then what happens?” Rachel asked.

  “We’ll see. Relax, tomorrow is another day,” Wendy said.

  Not to be outdone, Rashi asked Pat if she could teach him to dance. Janet and Lionel followed them out to the floor. Darius leaned back against the wall and said, “Somebody has to stand watch.”

  When questioned later, Reuben would never explain why he decided to ask Suwanee to dance. Once on the floor, however, it became obvious to anyone who took the time to look that there was something special going on between them. It was almost as if steam radiated from them. Other people joined them on the dance floor and Pat started an impromptu dance class. The “Music Master” quickly realized what was going on and changed his choices of music to support the dance instructions in front of him. With so
many people on the dance floor, the rest of the room thinned out.

  Individual women approached Wendy and Rachel tentatively at first and then in greater numbers curious about their lives on the frontier. They were more interested in the living conditions on an undeveloped planet than they were in the combat exploits Wendy and Rachel were best known for. Wendy talked about their horses and how much fun they had riding and herding the livestock to and from summer and winter pastures. She talked about swimming upstream in the brook that ran down the mountain and into the lake in front of the house. The women listening laughed as she talked about trying to cook in a wood burning fireplace when their spacecraft were just outside. She spoke in awe of the giant Clydesdale and the gentle Percheron horses.

  Rachel talked about their training and learning to swim in the lake. She talked about flying the space ships to the southern hemisphere one winter when it got so cold that the wood burning stoves and fireplace could not break the chill. Rachel spoke of the five women who started it all. Every time Wendy mentioned any of their names, she choked and could not continue. As Rachel surveyed the women standing around her, she found one that looked almost like each of the four shuttle pilots, Blondie, Brownie, Katherine and Sam. Only Myra remained without a look-alike.

  They skipped their parts in the battle for Homestead. They spoke in halting terms of seeing the bodies of their beloved horses where they lay dead in the corral. They misted over when they talked about the ruins of the house they had grown up in. Their anger flashed when they described watching the Marines haul away the body of the man who had shot their horses and burned down their house. They laughed as they described Rose walking down the hill so out of place in her gray E V A suit carrying all those weapons including the ones she had taken away from the Swordsmen she had killed.

  More than one of the women pledged to join the fight against the Swordsmen. Rachel tired of the conversation and moved away. Wendy stayed and talked to each of the interested women about how they might contribute to the effort.

  Rachel wandered down the terrace to get a better look at the garden. She heard steps from behind her and tensed. “Ah, the warrior princess, ever on her guard.”