by S. H. Jucha
“He enjoys the commandant’s support, which means it’s long been suspected that he has a downside patron.”
“Now, who do you think that could be, or should I say was?”
“More than likely the patron has changed but the support hasn’t, Harbour. All I’m trying to say to you is be careful. Don’t give Corporal McKenzie any excuse to confront you.”
“I thank you for your concern and your warning, Sergeant,” Harbour replied, and sent him soothing sensations.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Miguel replied, as the delicious feelings flooded his mind.
Harbour smiled at him and continued toward the exit.
-25-
Spryte
“We’re standing off the Annie,” Nate announced to Jessie, when the captain arrived on the bridge. “We arrived about two hours ago.”
“Good work, Nate. Get some food and rest,” Jessie replied. “You’re relieved.”
“Aye, Captain, you have the bridge.”
“This is the Spryte calling the Annie,” Jessie called over the bridge comm system.
“Yohlin here, Jessie. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to see the Spryte.”
“And here I thought it was me you missed,” Jessie teased, but a response from Yohlin wasn’t forthcoming. It gave him an indication of the pressure she was under.
“I’ll be taking a shuttle over to you, Yohlin. We’ve a lot to discuss.”
“Do you think that’s wise, Jessie? Right now, you’re completely isolated aboard the Spryte. If you come here and return, you’ll share the possibility of exposure with your people.”
“Is your crew displaying any maladies or unexplainable symptoms, Yohlin?”
“No, none as yet.”
“Putting aside the fact that Rules detected a power source beneath the site, has there been any indication of activity there?”
“Belinda had the good sense to leave a cam, overlooking the site, which has been feeding back visuals. To increase the definition, we’ve resorted to having it send a still every few seconds. So far, we’ve seen no change in the site.”
“Then it sounds safe enough to me, Yohlin. I’m coming over.”
“Aye, aye, Jessie,” Yohlin replied, and Jessie heard a faint amount of relief in her voice.
“Captain, ready to relieve you when you’re ready,” Ituau said from the hatch. “The pilot’s in a vac suit, has the shuttle prepped, and is waiting aboard.”
“Then you have the bridge, Ituau,” Jessie said, clearing out of the command chair and ready to leave.
“Captain,” Ituau said.
Jessie watched his first mate hesitate. It wasn’t her style. He often couldn’t prevent her from expressing her opinions.
“What’s on your mind, Ituau?”
“What are we supposed to do if something happens to you, Captain?” Ituau asked in a rush.
“You do what you’ve always done.”
“Which is what, Captain?”
“The best you can Ituau, which is what you’ve always given me.”
“Aye, Captain, good luck!”
Jessie hustled around the wheel to a spoke, which led to the equipment room, and climbed into his vac suit.
“Spryte, systems check,” Jessie requested. As with all suit checks, the wearer was required to visually toggle the heads-up display to ensure the vac suit wasn’t triggered by the use of its name in a comm call.
“All systems at one hundred percent functionality,” Spryte replied.
“Let’s get this done,” Jessie muttered to himself. A small part of him wanted to run back to his cabin and lock the door, but it wasn’t the way he’d lived his life, and he wasn’t about to change now.
Jessie exited the gravity wheel and his mag-boots clicked on the surface of the axis corridor, as he made his way to the Spryte’s single shuttle bay. He transited the airlock, climbed aboard, sealed the hatch, belted into a seat, and called the pilot to launch.
During the flight, Jessie considered his options again, concerning the discovery. It was the same line of thought he’d run through his mind a thousand times since he’d first heard of the find from Yohlin. The primary question was whether to warn Pyre’s leaders. He saw the answer to that question was fraught with problems, no matter which way he chose to go. The second question was whether to investigate the site. There was an opportunity for tremendous technical discoveries and, quite possibility, incredible harm. After these two questions, the remainder of them lined up like spacers at a cantina, demanding another drink and refusing to take no for an answer.
The bump of the shuttle against the Annie’s hull shook Jessie out of his reverie, and he called the pilot. “You clear on the routine, Claudia?”
“Aye, Captain, I maintain vacuum in the main cabin. After you exit the craft, I detach and perform a blow out before I return to the Spryte. Then the shuttle is to be maintained in vacuum within the bay.”
“No deviation from this routine, Claudia.”
“Understood, Captain … and Captain, good luck.”
“Thank you, Claudia. Sail safe,” Jessie replied. He accessed the deck hatch after the telltale confirmed vacuum in the airlock. He slipped through the double hatches, locking first the shuttle and then the airlock’s hatch. He signaled Claudia that she could detach after he was safely inside the airlock.
When the airlock was pressurized, Jessie dropped into the Annie’s axis corridor. He paused. The corridor resembled each of his ships. While he’d returned many times, since leaving the Annie to serve on the Pearl, it always felt like coming home. He expected to see Rose clumping down the corridor toward him. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, he made his way to the Annie’s gravity wheel.
Once in the wheel, Jessie shucked his vac suit. A spacer was standing by to hang it up and charge his tanks, while Yohlin waited for him. Behind her, Jessie spied Aurelia. The teenager was bouncing impatiently from foot to foot.
“Jessie, it’s good to see you,” Yohlin said, shaking Jessie’s hand.
“You’ve kind of outdone yourself this time, Captain. I send you for metal and slush, and you bring me an alien site instead.” Jessie kept trying to lift Yohlin’s spirits, but it didn’t seem to be working. Worry lines furrowed her brow.
When Jessie stepped aside, Aurelia took it as her cue, and she rushed forward, slamming into Jessie, and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, thank you, for my mother and sister,” she gushed.
“Decorum, spacer,” Yohlin admonished.
Aurelia immediately released Jessie, but her broad grin said she was unrepentant. “I believe, Captain Erring, that my status is that of a trainee without contract or coin. Until that’s changed, I prefer to treat Captain Cinders as a friend … a really good friend.”
“I take it, Captain, you and the crew followed the trial,” Jessie said.
“Courtesy of the Belle’s transmissions. We probably have Harbour to thank for that.”
“You do,” Jessie agreed.
“It was tough to get regular maintenance shifts conducted, while the trials were on,” Yohlin said. “The entertainment really started with the arrest of the governor and his chief of security. That’s when the crew discovered our Rules was the missing Aurelia.
“Your secret is out?” Jessie asked, eyeing the girl.
“Sorry, Captain Cinders,” Aurelia replied. “I couldn’t help myself. I was so happy to see my mother and my sister rescued that I blurted out who they were to me. Besides, later on, they showed my picture and identified me.”
“I think some of the crew had their suspicions before then, but since we haven’t made the YIPS or the JOS in more than a month, no one saw the commandant’s alert about the hunt for Aurelia,” Yohlin added.
“To be fair, Aurelia, I can’t take credit for their rescue. You’ll have to thank Harbour when you see her. She instigated it.”
“Understood, Captain, but it would never have happened, if you hadn’t bought time for those events to unfold
by hiding me.”
“I have to agree with that assessment, Captain,” Yohlin said.
“I take it everyone knows about the convictions of Markos and Sestos?” Jessie asked.
“Do they ever, Captain!” Aurelia exclaimed. “We celebrated when Markos pled guilty and again when the Board convicted Giorgio.
“And, as if the crew wasn’t happy enough about the governor’s downfall, Rules added her version of celebration.”
Aurelia ducked her head in embarrassment, when Jessie’s penetrating gaze held her. “It gets away from me sometimes,” she admitted.
Jessie chuckled at Aurelia’s characterization that her power was similar to a child’s pet escaping from its enclosure. “Before you return to duties, Aurelia, let me adjust your understanding of your circumstances aboard this ship. Your no-contract status ended when you first set foot on Triton. That day, you became a working member of this crew. I couldn’t set up a private account for you, but I have a subaccount under the company account where your weekly coin is deposited.”
“I’m earning coin?” Aurelia asked, even more excited than before. “Okay, last hug,” she said. This time she whispered, “Thank you for everything, Jessie,” and kissed his cheek before she released him and hurried off.
Jessie and Yohlin walked around half of the giant gravity wheel to reach the captain’s cabin. He passed spacer after spacer, who smiled and warmly greeted him. Most were jovial in their mannerisms.
In Yohlin’s cabin, Jessie said, “I expected to find your crew scared out of their wits, having found an alien construction, and my concern doubled when I noticed the worry on your face, Yohlin. What’s up with the crew?”
“That’s Rules’ doing, Jessie. I wish I could partake of her empath largesse, but I’m wondering where all this will lead. I can tell you one thing. If we … when we make dock again at the JOS, security will have their hands full when they come to arrest Rules. For this crew, there’ll be no polite stepping aside at security’s request.”
“Is it because she’s that strong?” Jessie asked.
“I don’t know how to judge her power, Jessie. She’s the first empath who I’ve been close to for any length of time. But, it’s her personality. Despite all that she’s been through, she’s a beam of starlight to this crew … always up. Even now, though they know her real name is Aurelia, the crew continues to call her Rules. To them, it’s a sort of private name by which they know her.”
Jessie absorbed the implication of what Yohlin was saying, blinking a couple of times at the incredible discovery. “Maybe I should hire an empath for each ship,” he finally said. “Think of all the trained spacers we’ve lost through the years to dementia or personal conflicts.”
“Well, you’d have to find a pair of sensitives who take to space like Rules and who come with her positive personality, if you want it to work.”
“Of course, I could always rotate Aurelia among the ships.”
Yohlin laughed. It was the first time Jessie had heard that from her since he came aboard. “You could do that, Jessie, and I guarantee that you’d have riots, if not mutinies, faster than you could believe.”
“You’re really serious about the crew’s adoption of Aurelia?” Jessie asked.
“I’d tell you to hang around this crew for a few days and you’d see for yourself, but, on the other hand, I’m saddened that you chose to come aboard.”
“Speaking of what’s bothering you, Yohlin, I want to see the images of the site.”
Jessie and Yohlin moved to her desk to view the large monitor. Jessie scanned the images quickly and discovered that Yohlin had directed the cam to be occasionally turned and zoomed in on details at the site.
“No one crossed the ring, right?” Jessie asked, when he finished his perusal.
“No. However, a tech did test the ring with a mass spectrometer when he couldn’t obtain a sample.”
“Did he scratch it?”
“Negative.”
“What we couldn’t do with the knowledge to make that type of material,” Jessie said, staring wistfully at the image.
“All this doesn’t frighten you, Jessie?” asked Yohlin, with incredulity.
“A little … I think I’m more curious than scared. What are the lumps scattered inside the ring?”
“Probably rock outcroppings.”
“Hardly,” Jessie replied. He flipped through the images again. “There aren’t any closer views of these supposed rocks?”
“What are you thinking, Jessie?”
“Inside the ring, the floor, or deck, whatever it is, is perfectly flat, except for the platform and the instrumentation. So, why would these little rock formations be left there for the aliens to trip over. That makes no sense.”
“Well, your guesses couldn’t be any further afield than some of the ones I’ve heard.”
“Such as?”
“You don’t want to hear.”
“Oh, but I do,” Jessie replied with a grin.
“The best one is that aliens came out here to perform for their audiences in low gravity. The platform was their stage, and the instrumentation was used in some way to aid the show.”
“A performance stage?” Jessie asked incredulously. “For the love of Pyre, Yohlin, you’re giving me images of naked aliens dancing under the stars.”
“You wanted to know, Jessie, and I did warn you,” Yohlin chuckled.
“Okay, what about any serious ideas?”
“One engineer believes that because Rules is able to detect the power below the surface, it must be substantial. He thinks it could be some sort of beam weapon that could be directed into space against adversaries.”
“The platform looks solid. How would they direct the beam, if they couldn’t rotate the platform? Not to mention that a weapon anchored to a moon can only be deployed, at best, in a hemisphere. What about defending the other one hundred eighty degrees of arc?”
“A couple of engineers agree that the platform is able to transmit a beam. The other concepts are that the beam could have been used to power an exploratory vehicle via microwaves or that it was an experiment that was never fulfilled and was terminated.”
Jessie left a wide image of the site on the monitor and stared at it.
Yohlin let Jessie absorb the impact of what he’d seen. It had taken her days to come to grips with the thought that they’d discovered alien technology … an intelligent, nonhuman species existed. But what struck her hardest was the possibility of contamination by virus, parasite, or some unknown thing that could infect and wipe out humans.
“Well, whatever this site is or was, I’ve come to the decision that I’ve got to notify Pyre’s leaders,” Jessie announced. He opened his comm unit and said, “Bridge, get me the Belle.”
“The Belle, Captain?” came a questioning voice.
“Never mind. Patch me through to Ituau aboard the Spryte.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
“Ituau here, Captain.”
“Ituau, I need the Belle.”
“Aye, Captain. One moment.”
“You speak regularly with the Belle, Jessie?” asked Yohlin, one eyebrow lifted in query.
“Often enough," Jessie replied.
“Dingles here, Captain Cinders.”
Jessie grinned, and Yohlin’s mouth dropped open.
“How are you faring, Dingles?” Jessie asked.
“Tight as a new hatch, Captain. Couldn’t be better.”
“Taking a turn on comms, I see.”
“Yeah, Captain, it’s been hectic lately with all the …”
“You can say it, Dingles. Only Captain Erring is with me.”
“Good to hear your voice, Dingles,” Yohlin said.
“Thank you, ma’am. As I was saying, Captain Cinders, it’s been busy what with the ship’s preparations. All systems are checking out. Some have needed work, but we’re bringing them up to ready, ready.”
“By the sound of your voice, Dingles, it must be good to b
e a spacer again,” Jessie said.
“And I never suspected I’d crew on a ship this big, Captain.”
“Congratulations, Dingles,” Jessie said, and laughed at the thought of his retired navigator crewing again on an even greater ship.
Seated next to Jessie, Yohlin mouthed the word “crew” to him, a frown on her forehead, but Jessie waved off her question with one hand.
“Dingles, I need Harbour. Is she aboard?”
“Negative, Captain. She’s on the JOS with Sasha. She has that one with her at all times. It’s best to keep the little one occupied. We found out the hard way that if Sasha doesn’t sleep so good … nightmares, you know … then those sleeping near her don’t either. Harbour has commented several times about the incredible power that Sasha possesses.”
“Does she make you nervous, Dingles?” Yohlin asked.
“That’s a big negative, Captain. She’s a child who’s had it tough, and she’s angry about it. But, I think if we give her some time and attention, she should be fine. Hold, Captain Cinders, I’ll connect you to Harbour.”
“Jessie, how are you?” asked Harbour.
The warmth in the empath’s voice had Yohlin lifting both eyebrows at Jessie, the hint of a smile forming on her lips.
“Harbour, Captain Yohlin Erring of the Annie is on speaker with me. I need a favor.”
“Whatever you need, Jessie,” Harbour replied.
“This is to be a conference call with Commandant Strattleford, Captain Stamerson, Major Finian, Governor Panoy, and yourself. I need it to happen now, if not sooner.”
Silence followed Jessie’s request, and he asked, “Did you copy, Harbour?”
“I did, Jessie, sorry. Your request sounded so ominous that it took me aback.”
“Can you make it happen, Harbour?”
“Most assuredly, Jessie. I’m not far from security administration. I’ll start there.”
“Once you have the group together, Harbour, add Dingles to the mix, and he’ll connect me to the conference link.”
“Be back to you soon, Jessie,” Harbour said, ending the call.
Yohlin eyed Jessie, who tried to ignore her. Not to be denied, she said, “That was the all-powerful, intoxicatingly beautiful Harbour, who just said, ‘whatever you need, Jessie,’ wasn’t it?”
