The Silver Liner: Takes Flight!

by Daniel Sullivan

  Fiona never did find a soul mate, though. Instead, she found a demanding medical career that led to her getting caught up fighting the biotech firms, a situation that caused her to mistrust everyone around her. After years of virtuously and faithfully living for the cause, she was still a virgin, too old to have children and on the run from the United States government and the Alliance.

  And now I’m falling in love? What horrendously bad timing, she thought. While there were many younger men who enjoyed dating older women, one of the appealing reasons was that older women were frequently more experienced lovers. Instead, Doctor Kinsale had no sexual experience whatsoever. A prudish woman past the age of child-bearing, broke and in trouble with the law was not something that a forty-year-old dashing musician-captain would fall for. Put this from your mind, she thought. Put this from your mind!

  Nevertheless, no matter how hard Fiona tried, she could not. Her emotions had begun to unravel at his gig, where he had opened up to her and they had developed a closeness, particularly on the ride back, on which he had held her the entire way as she had dozed off, her head on his shoulder. His visit to the Med-Bay did her in, however. It was that brief, sweet and tender moment that had thrown her into inner turmoil and Fiona wrestled with the dilemma, until sleep eventually came to her.

  Terri Jenkins reported for work feeling used. She awoke in Amanda’s arms feeling loved and cherished, but those feelings evaporated when Amanda brought up the favor she needed. Amanda still knew how to push all the right buttons and in spite of not seeing one another for over a year, the agent had no trouble getting Terri into bed and making love to her. Terri refused to call it just sex. She had to retain some shred of dignity, some small hope that Amanda had made love to her because of what Terri meant to her, and not just to manipulate her.

  Despite her reservations, Terri had dutifully taken the O.S.D. that Amanda had given her and had brought it to work. She wondered what part Amanda was playing in the events of the rock and roll Captain of the Selene. First, the two U.S. interceptors had gone after the liner, only to end up crashing into each other as Royce handily outflew them. Now Amanda, an Alliance agent of some kind, Terri knew not what, had asked her to implant a virus into the departure codes for the Selene and her opponent, the Fujin. Aside from saying that the Captain of the Selene was not in trouble, Amanda would not give up any information. She assured Terri that nobody would get hurt and that she would try to get back and see the lonely air traffic controller soon.

  Terri knew deep down that Amanda was playing her; Amanda had never really been a ‘one woman gal,’ and was always good at using sex to grease the wheels and get what she was after. Nevertheless, Terri still loved the beautiful Alliance agent in spite of it all. She inserted the O.S.D. as surreptitiously as she could. Nobody noticed as she executed its directive and whatever program the O.S.D. contained attached itself to the two captains’ departure codes.

  She quietly hoped that none of this would come back to haunt her as she removed the O.S.D. from the terminal. Terri had a very bad feeling about this whole thing and for some reason, she became very worried for Amanda. She did not know why, but Terri knew that this job was going to prove more troublesome than the confident Amanda thought. I don’t even know the nature of the job, she thought, but I know that it’s trouble. “Good luck out there, Amanda,” she said quietly.

  5

  Though just a half an hour before eight, Tranquility Base was abuzz with activity. Most of it centered at docks where the Selene and the Fujin were berthed. Each ship had a crowd surrounding it, both captains being well known and popular. Fujita had long been a fan favorite on the racing circuit, known to many as the fastest man in the stars. Kendrick’s fans knew him as a musician and much of his popularity centered on his days as a teen idol. However, more than that, he was a genuine rocker. Strangely, as musical trends came and went, and genres were born, lived and died, rock and roll had never died. Though no longer actively recording, Kendrick Royce was considered by many players to be one of the genre’s finest exponents.

  Nevertheless, it was his ship and his skill as a pilot that had brought him to the race. Fujita had been challenging Captain Royce because he was literally the only challenge left for the Japanese pilot. Today, Fujita was intending to cement his reputation, and the preflight tension was palpable, in spite of the festive atmosphere that pervaded. The two men finally met, face to face, for the first time in their rivalry. A food vendor at the harbor was their chosen meeting place, both ships in plain view outside the dome and when the two men stood to face each other, a crowd gathered around, pressing close to see these iconic captains.

  Standing face to face, Captain Isao Fujita and Captain Kendrick Royce were like iconoclastic characters from rival comic books. Fujita wore a stylized uniform, consisting of a black flight suit and a red V-shaped stripe that went from his shoulders to his belt, a gold dragon emblazoned on his left breast, and the Japanese Flag on his left shoulder. A gun belt with an EM pistol at the waist and tabi boots completed the look. He looked like some kind of ninja with his mask off. His crew was similarly dressed.

  Royce, on the other hand, was clad head to toe in a black leather jumpsuit, open to the navel and shirtless underneath, displaying a toned and taut physique, confirming that the muscular shape suggested by the cut of his clothes was real muscle and not merely padding in the jacket. He wore a gold lightning bolt pendant, resting between his pecs and drawing attention to generous chest hair. Though a decade Fujita’s senior, the eyes of every woman and a few men, were on the rock and roll captain. Standing confidently, hands on his hips and looking down at his shorter rival, Kendrick Royce oozed masculinity and raw sexuality. His pompadour haircut and low sideburns were a stark contrast to Fujita’s sleek low bangs and fully shaven face. At a hundred and seventy-eight centimeters, Fujita was tall for a Japanese man, but Royce stood a full hundred and eighty-three centimeters and had a more substantial build than the sleek Fujita.

  “That’s your crew?” Fujita was genuinely shocked. “Your lovechild and your Aunt Agnes? I thought you were serious!”

  Heather bristled, but remained silent. Fiona, however, began to protest, but Kendrick surreptitiously swatted the doctor on the rump, eliciting a gasp and cutting her off. Indeed, Fujita had a first officer, a top rate engineer, three assistant engineers, a navigator, a gunner, a communications officer, a doctor, two nurses, four security officers, one of whom looked like a sumo wrestler, and a dedicated cook. Fujita’s crew was laughing openly.

  “Got all I need,” replied Royce as he shook his head and laughed. “Now, let’s git this over with, Fujita. I’m just here to shake your hand and wish ya luck.”

  “I need no luck,” Fujita said with a growl.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I shoulda known,” replied Kendrick in a low, husky baritone, shaking his head. “Just bein’ polite, but I guess I’m just wastin’ my good manners on you. See you on Mars. Don’t be late.”

  “You will lose,” Fujita hissed, but Royce just smiled his crooked smile, maintaining an air of cool confidence. Fujita was clearly on edge, while Royce was unflappably calm.

  “We’ll see ’bout that, baby.”

  Fujita bristled at Royce saying, “baby,” but the exchange ended there. The two men shook hands in spite of Fujita’s trash talk, and then both captains and crews bowed to each other before turning and walking to their ships.

  “You spanked me!” Fiona complained, trying her best to sound mortified.

  “An’ you smiled,” Kendrick countered, Heather giggled at the exchange.

  “I was hoping you wouldn’t see that,” the doctor said, blushing slightly.

  He just laughed. “Come on, Fiona, I got a delivery to receive and a race to run.”

  The delivery awaited them when they arrived at the Selene and Kendrick simply had it placed on the loading pod lowered to the cargo docking tube. Once the tube was sealed with the pod, the teamsters merely placed the skid of supplies on the lowered p
latform. Kendrick had inspected it and signed off and the pod was raised, merging seamlessly with the Selene’s outer plating.

  The teamsters all wished Kendrick luck, announcing that they were betting on him. “Kick that fucker’s ass,” one of them said.

  “Do my best, man,” was all Kendrick said in response, shaking the man’s hand.

  With the delivery received, Kendrick, Fiona and Heather ascended the boarding ramp to the passenger docking tube and entered the ship. The three went to the bridge and were soon strapped into their seats, awaiting the starting signal. Kendrick’s delivery had shown up before meeting their opponents, so there was nothing left for them to do on Tranquility Base, except begin the contest with Fujita.

  “Remind me again why we agreed to this,” requested Fiona, recalling Kendrick’s conversation with Casey.

  “Mainly to shut Fujita’s obnoxious trap,” answered Kendrick. “An’ considerin’ the terms of your employment, Doctor, ’cause I said so.”

  Heather rolled her eyes at Royce’s comment, but smiled broadly. “Finally, I get to see what she’ll do! This ship is amazing. If she’s even half as fast as she looks to be…”

  “Imagine the fastest ship possible,” said Kendrick. “Then double it.”

  Heather just stared at him, but he ignored her and looked back at Fiona, addressing the doctor’s question in greater detail.

  “Incidentally, there’s a good chance that a hefty amount of money will be comin’ our way. We win, we git to eat well and you gals can go shopping.”

  “And if we lose?” Fiona did not like gambling.

  “Relax,” Kendrick assured. “It’s more of a pool. A lot of us have put in a little, so nobody loses enough to be financially ruined. What? You don’t think I‘m stupid, do you?”

  Fiona chose not to jump on the opening he gave her; insulting him in front of a new crewmember would be highly disrespectful, especially given how kind he had been to her.

  “Besides,” he continued, “maybe a bit of notoriety will help to expand the crew. The Selene can carry a full complement of astronauts.”

  “How many?” Heather asked. “I mean, you’ve been running this ship with just a doctor until I came aboard, near as I can tell.”

  “She can carry up to three-hundred people if I open up the cargo hold,” he said, “But really, she’s designed for about fifty passengers and a crew of less than thirty. I can do everything myself in terms of flying the ship, but the ship has duty stations for a navigator, communications officer, a gunner, a helmsman, and the ever-popular science officer.”

  He removed a flask from his top left pocket and took a swig. Returning it to the pocket, he continued; “The intended engineering compliment is five, including the chief engineer, which at present, is you. The Med-Bay is outfitted for a doctor or two and up to five nurses. The kitchen can handle up to five people, including the head chef and that leaves seven or so nebulous positions which could be security, wait staff, room service, or whatever, depending upon the nature of the mission the ship is deployed for. Space truckin’ was never her intended purpose.”

  “Chief engineer at twenty-one,” Heather boasted. “I can dig that.”

  “Works for me,” said Kendrick “Now, let’s get this show on the road.”

  Conversation was over as Kendrick plugged in, instantly at one with the ship. The AI gently brushed his consciousness to let him know that she was there. He smiled warmly at this.

  “Hey, baby,” he said aloud, barely noticing Heather look at him, raising an eyebrow, then at Fiona who simply shrugged. Kendrick ignored the two of them and brought the engines online. The com crackled to life and a woman’s voice from the control tower addressed him.

  “Captain Royce, please head to the starting point. Coordinates have been sent. When you receive your departure codes, you may both begin.”

  “Acknowledged, Lunar Control,” he replied. “Royce out.”

  Kendrick now had full power at his command, ready to jump to Mach 30 as soon as he received the signal. He disengaged from the docking hub and taxied to an outcropping visible from the dome of spectators. Fujita did the same, the two ships hovering side by side, their engines powered up, systems checked and both captains impatiently waiting for the departure codes so that the long-awaited contest could begin in earnest.

  Heather sat impatiently in the gunner’s seat, anxious to see what both ships could do. This was the young mechanic’s first stint on a ship of this magnitude, and the speed of the Fujin was legendary. If the Selene was as fast Captain Royce was claiming, then she must be even faster than the Fujin. The two ships were a stark contrast to one another. In contrast to the graceful Selene, the Fujin, was sleek and angular, full of scoops and ducts. Apparently, the fighter jet look was back. Like the Selene, the Fujin was atmosphere capable and had wings, but where the Selene had some of her engines mounted outboard of the fuselage with one at the tail, the Fujin’s engines were all clustered at her tail. The wings terminated in cylindrical barrels that contained the Fujin’s masers; focused microwave radiation cannons. Like the Selene, her bridge was mounted at the very front of the vessel.

  Captain Royce sat calmly in the captain’s chair, waiting for the transmit codes to start the race. Too calmly for Heather’s tastes. She and Fiona sat at the edge of their seats, visibly nervous. Fujita had a full crew, while Kendrick was essentially a one man show. She looked over at the Fujin, the other ship close enough that she could actually see Fujita and his bridge crew. Heather pulled out a small, leather-bound spyglass that her father had given her and took a closer look at them. Fujita was … nervous! For all his trash talk, he was nervous and his bridge crew looked anxious as well. Kendrick by comparison, looked like he was checking over his grocery list one last time before going to the convenience store.

  Heather pocketed her spyglass and looked over at Fiona. “Either Captain Royce’s the very best there is, or he’s just a wanker with a hot ship.”

  Fiona opened her mouth to answer, but never had the chance.

  The loudspeaker crackled and the feminine voice of tower control addressed the captains. “Selene, Fujin, sending your departure codes in three, two, one. Good luck.”

  “Thanks, Tranquility Tower,” Kendrick replied.

  The console beeped its approval at the reception of the codes and instantaneously, Selene’s engines were at full power. The ship surged forward with a force that Heather had never felt in a starship. The engines roared deafeningly. Usually, the ship’s dampers suppressed any feeling of acceleration, but the Selene was capable of acceleration that was well beyond the capability of even the best dampers in a ship of this size to fully mask.

  Pinned to her seat, the stars looked to Heather like white lines outside and Selene’s engines roared even louder. She had no idea where the Fujin was; Heather could see nothing discernible outside of the windows. Connected to the ship’s AI as he was, Kendrick had complete control of the vessel and could react to changes in conditions instantaneously. She was truly amazed; Selene’s speed was breathtaking and Kendrick’s command of the vessel was astonishing.

  Suddenly, the engines quieted down and all that could be heard was a droning sound. Then quiet. Selene had broken free of the Moon’s gravity and was now hurtling through space at roughly Mach 30.

  “Amazing,” gasped Fiona, visibly shaking from the experience and trying to catch her breath.

  “Yeah,” agreed Kendrick. “Well, y’all can relax now; the most exciting part of the race is over; just steady cruisin’ from here on out. We should see the red planet in roughly two months.”

  “Two months?” Fiona asked aghast.

  “Welcome to slower than light travel, Doc,” replied Kendrick. “Warp drive, hyper drive, jump gates, wormhole tech, an’ all that jazz are make-believe. This is reality, baby.”

  Fiona just glared at him.

  “Relax,” he admonished. “I make this trip all the time. It’s no biggie. You know, there’s a reason that early star s
hips had cryo-sleep for the crew. Back then, this woulda been a longer voyage than just a couple of months. An’ this is the only time we coulda done this. Why do you think I took the challenge when I did? Mars an Earth ain’t gonna be that close together forever you know.”

  “You mean the distance isn’t constant?” Fiona asked, puzzlement in her voice.

  “He’s right,” said Heather, surprised that Fiona did not know. “Both planets orbit the sun in elliptical orbits. The Earth is closer than Mars, so the two planets do not stay at a constant distance from one another; the Earth has the inside groove, you know. Right now, both planets are at their closest distance of about fifty-five-million kilometers from one another. Since they’re moving, they’ll get further apart as the days go by. Glad this is a big comfortable ship.” Heather then looked at Royce sheepishly. “Sorry about the wanker comment, Sir. You’re clearly not.”

  “No worries,” Kendrick laughed. “I knew you’d have your answer soon enough.”

  “Oh yeah,” Heather agreed. “I’m gonna head to engineering now, if you don’t mind; get settled in and, well, do my job.”

  “Thanks, Heather,” he replied. “Lunch is at noon. See you then.”

  Heather unbuckled her restraints and floated off to her quarters to get settled in, leaving Fiona alone on the bridge with the Captain.

  Once the bridge doors closed, Kendrick turned to the doctor, a thoughtful look on his face.

  “Fiona, I reckon it’s time to make good on that promise of yours,” said Kendrick, unbuckling and floating out of his seat. “Come with me.”

  “Promise?”

  Fiona was puzzled and a bit concerned, but she unbuckled herself and followed him through the bridge doors as they opened. The two floated to the lift and Kendrick selected the medical section. Once the lift was in the rotating portion of the ship, gravity made its presence known immediately. Fiona stumbled, still unused to the experience, but Kendrick caught her, gently lowering her feet to the floor.