by Adam Gaffen
“Sorry, Scotty,” she said, closing Saxton’s eyes. She moved over to Sparks.
To her surprise, Sparks was breathing.
“Mel?” she asked.
No response, so she raised his voice.
“Mel?”
“No, Peggy,” she heard and spun. Lieutenant Luehrs was sitting up, even if she looked dazed.
“Luehrs, where are you hurt?”
“Hurt?” She seemed confused.
“Are you bleeding?” She didn’t see anything, but she hadn’t paid much attention on her way past.
“Bleeding?”
“Just sit there, Peggy. I’ll help you in a minute.” She returned to Starks.
“Mel?” she said a third time, and turned her over.
She groaned.
She checked Starks over. Her leg was bleeding, but not too badly, and there was a burn mark across her cheek.
“Lucky girl,” she said, pressing a torn piece of cloth against the leg wound.
“Captain?” Luehrs asked.
“Lieutenant. Back with me?”
“I – I think so, Ma’am. What’s going on? Why am I on the deck, and why does my back hurt?”
“What do you remember?”
“Shouting. Someone fired a gun? Yes, someone fired a gun, and Ensign Starks fell down, I bent over to look at her and then, nothing.”
“I think checking on your fellow rebel saved your life,” she chuckled. “It sounds like you caught the bloom from a laser bolt but not the full effect.”
She stood. “Can you stand?”
“I think so, Ma’am.” She wobbled to her feet, steadied herself on the bulkhead, then finished pulling herself erect.
“Stay with Mel. Do you have your sidearm? I think there are a couple more loyalists outside Engineering.”
She handed Auburn her pistol. “One shot left, Ma’am. Sorry.”
She shook her head. “Don’t apologize. You held them off long enough.”
Her eyes scanned the corridor, then settled on the loyalists’ bodies and their weapons. It didn’t take long to determine which ones still held charges, and she took those before returning Luehrs’ to her along with the projectile gun.
“Same mission, Lieutenant. Keep them off the bridge.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“I’m going to finish this. Wish me luck.”
Book 1:
The Salted Earth
July, 2120
CHAPTER ONE
TFS Enterprise, 40 Eridani System
“Captain, we’re receiving a message.”
“A message?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Lieutenant Elliott Kay frowned at the display at his Tactical station.
“Send it to my terminal,” Captain Jennifer Martinez, known to her friends as Alley, said.
“Captain, it’s security locked.”
That wasn’t common. Alley looked to her XO.
“In my ready room, then. Commander, you have the conn.”
“Aye, Ma’am,” answered Aiyana Cassidy as Alley stepped into her ready room.
“Minna,” she said, addressing the ship’s AI. “Open the message.”
“I cannot, Captain.”
“By the Goddess, why not?”
“It is security locked to you and the Admiral.”
Alley took a calming breath before triggering her implant.
Admiral.
Yes? came the instant response. There were perqs to being the flag captain, and one of them was a priority on her Admiral’s attention.
Message from Njord. That much was in the clear.
And?
It requires both of us to unlock.
She didn’t actually hear the cursing but could imagine it. All she did hear, though, was, On my way.
She was good as her word and was comming for entry in two minutes, assisted by the fact her cabin was only a deck below the bridge.
“Enter,” said Alley, and the doors opened.
Admiral Kendra Cassidy was, well, rumpled was probably the best word. Her normally pristine white uniform was stained with what appeared to be brightly colored paint, and what was in her blonde, pixie-cut hair?
“Is that jelly?” she finally asked.
“Yes, Alley. It’s jelly. Grape. And it’s all your fault.”
“My fault?”
“Your fault. You and LJ’s.”
Alley couldn’t imagine how this could possibly be her wife’s fault, but Kendra didn’t lie.
“I don’t understand.”
Kendra dropped into one of the chairs across from Alley.
“If you hadn’t given the girls the kittens, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Now things were clearer. Their cats, Theo and Luci (short for Luciferous Dimples) had had a litter of kittens. Two had been given to the Admiral’s daughters. Lisa and Mikki doted on the still-growing animals, but cats, and kittens, weren’t known for their restraint.
Chuckling despite herself, Alley said, “What did the terrors do?”
“Well, Lisa and Mikki were painting. Cleo decided it would be an excellent time to walk across the table, and the still-wet painting. Lisa screamed, and Cleo took off across the cabin, and before she could redecorate the entire thing I grabbed her and dropped her in the sonic shower to get the paint off.” Kendra gestured to the streaks of paint which, yes, definitely seemed to be paw-shaped.
“And the jelly?”
“After the paint was dealt with, I noticed it was lunchtime. I decided to make lunch for the girls, rather than replicate it, but when I tried to open the jelly it dropped and splattered the ceiling. Then you commed.”
“And you rushed right up here,” said Alley, totally losing control.
“And I rushed right up here,” agreed Kendra. “Hey, try to pretend it’s not hilarious!”
But she was giggling too.
After a moment, Alley reined in her laughter and returned to the business at hand.
“We just received a message from home,” she said.
This wasn’t the first time the warp buoy network had been used, but it was relatively new and message traffic was still noteworthy.
“And it’s locked?”
“And it’s locked,” agreed Alley.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Minerva.”
The ship’s AI responded to her proper name instantly. “Admiral.”
Kendra retrieved the current security code from her implant.
“Unlock message. Authorization Cassidy three alpha.”
Without missing a beat, Alley added, “Authorization Martinez five beta two.”
“Message unlocked,” said the AI, and the contents spilled into Alley’s terminal, as well as both of their implants.
“Zeus wept,” Kendra said when her quick skim of the information ended.
“I agree,” said Alley who was reviewing it more thoroughly.
“We grabbed the Averroes?” The ANS Averroes was one of three warp-capable ships possessed by Artemis.
“Did we? I’m still on the revolution in Artemis.”
“Wait, what? Where?”
Alley threw the relevant passages up on the screen. “There.”
“I think we need more eyes on this,” said Kendra.
“Agreed. Commander Cassidy, to my ready room.” In seconds, Alley’s XO had joined them.
“Sweetheart, what happened to your uniform?” she asked as soon as the door had closed. She might be married to the Admiral, but they were careful to keep their personal relationship as out of the face of the crew as possible.
“It’s a funny story, but I’ll tell you later. Read this,” and Kendra opened access to the message. “It’s from Colonel Whitmore.”
“Davie? Why would, oh, my.”
“Yeah, we started there too. Read.”
As befitted a certified genius, it didn’t take Cass long to read through.
“I don’t believe it.”
“The Chief did say Newling’s group was going to be k
icking off soon,” Kendra said.
“She did, and I suppose it all makes sense in hindsight.”
“Oh?” asked Alley.
“The book,” Cass supplied. “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Newling was really taken with it, and one of the important dates is July 4th. I can’t believe nobody picked up on this!”
“I can assure you, Commander, that none of the AI’s noted that connection,” Minerva said. “The idea a revolution could be based on a fictional universe created more than a century and a half in the past never occurred to us, even when they used some of the other key dates from the book. It is an unfortunate oversight on our part.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Minna,” Cass said. “None of us organic types caught it either.”
“The larger point, though, is we’re here, and they’re there, and everything’s happening,” commented Kendra. “What do we do about that?”
“They seem to have things under control,” Alley said. “From this message, the Bean and the Young both eventually came over as well.”
“Oh?”
“Didn’t you see that?”
“No,” Kendra admitted. “That gives us four former Artemis navy ships, right?”
“Five.”
“Damn. We’re going to need techs.”
“Focus, Kendra,” chided Cass. “Techs are the least of our problems.”
“Right, right. There’s a revolution happening on the moon, with the side we’re supporting controlling one warren out of a couple dozen. We have a few hundred people we need to screen. What else?”
“Defiant and Defender have to stay available to trail the two Artemis warp ships, which leaves us thin on the defense.”
“What do we do, Alley?”
“That’s the question we need to decide, Kendra. We’re supposed to be here surveying Freyr for six more days; do we stay for the scheduled duration, or do we return?”
“Well, I think –” Kendra started, but Alley interrupted her.
“Cass?” Alley prompted. “You’re the junior officer, you get to go first.”
“Oh. I don’t know I have enough information. Minna, do we know if this message went to Endeavour as well?”
“It appears to have been; I do not know if the message has been delivered.”
“I think we need to coordinate with Endeavour,” said Cass. “Frankly, they’re better equipped to defend than we are, given their advantages in speed and weaponry. I’d also argue our mission is more critical to complete, but that’s the Science Officer in me.”
“Kendra?”
“I outrank you, shouldn’t I go last?”
“I’ve got more experience.”
“I see. I think we ought to return.”
“Why? No blanket statements, Admiral.”
“Well, if the Lunar Revolution is really kicking off, as the Federation’s perceived leader I ought to be there.”
“Davie’s got things under control,” countered Alley. “And the Chief’s there; she was the main contact with Newling and is probably the person she’s most comfortable with.”
“What if there’s something that we haven’t covered?”
“Minna, how long does it take to get a message to Njord from here?” said Alley by way of answer.
“Virtually instantaneous, Captain.”
“Fine!” said Kendra. “I hate waiting, okay?”
Alley nodded. “I thought that might be in there. You both make good points, but I have to agree with Cass. Our mission to the Twins takes priority. Given the communication ability the warp buoys grants us, there’s no reason to cut that short because of a ‘what if’. Admiral, we have the Endeavour’s schedule. You can send them orders to return to Njord and provide the support they might need.”
“Captain, I have an off-the-wall suggestion,” Cass said.
“I’m listening.” Alley’s tone was wary. Cass had been her XO for almost a year and while she was certainly brilliant, she was in no way a professional officer. Off-the-wall was par for the course.
“We were planning on leaving supplies and some pre-fab buildings. What if we dropped the buildings, assembled them, and left supplies and a small crew? Leave a pair of Wolves so they can get off-planet if they need. I know that every person in the Science Division will volunteer in a heartbeat!”
Alley looked thoughtful, while Kendra looked horrified.
“They’ll be cut off!”
“No,” Alley disagreed. “If we weren’t leaving a Wolf, no, you said two?”
Cass nodded.
“Two Wolves. Each Wolf has Q-Net capability; it’s simply a matter of a software patch so they can connect to the warp buoy. Am I correct, Minerva?”
“You are correct, Captain,” the AI confirmed. “I can make the necessary modifications to their sensor systems to allow interface with the warp buoy.”
“Which means help is a few hours away.”
“One hour forty-nine minutes for Endeavour at warp 9.5,” Minerva confirmed.
“Less than two hours? I hadn’t realized,” Kendra said.
“And it’s only 36 hours for us, round-trip, to bring you back to Njord and return,” said Cass.
“I’m liking this idea, Cass,” Kendra said. “Alley?”
“I agree; it allows us to fulfill all our obligations. We’re not taking more than two days to come back here, though, no matter what is happening. We’ll be able to contact Endeavour and get them to return to Njord.”
“Or come here and pick up the crew,” said Kendra.
“Or that. Hold it, Commander!” Cass had started to stand.
“Yes?”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“There’s so much to organize!”
“That is the job of Lieutenant Commander Seabolt, XO. You remember her? Science Division leader?”
“Aye-aye, Captain,” said a disappointed Cass, and Alley relented slightly.
“You can certainly sit in with her planning, and don’t let her overthink or get too ambitious! She’s got 48 hours, maximum. Make sure that’s clear.”
“Aye, Captain!” Cass said much more energetically, and disappeared out of the ready room.
“And the entire ship will know in three, two, one...”
Kendra just laughed. Alley worked with Cass, and was turning her into a good Executive Officer, but Kendra had known Cass since childhood. They’d been married almost seven years now and little about Cass came as a surprise. Her joy at the prospect of scientific exploration was not one of those rare surprises.
“Admiral, I suggest you start planning as well. While we’re in-system we have access to the Q-Net and you can communicate with Njord and your staff. You can get a jump on planning and hit the ground running when you return. May I suggest something else?”
“Since when do you ask?”
“Send Defiant to bring Smith from Titan and Kumlien from Ceres. You’re going to want them in on any policy decisions, and they’re probably going to have some questions.” The Federation had recently gained two allies, the Asteroid Miner’s Guild and Titan Colony, and their relationship and status within the Federation was still in flux.
“Makes sense. Thanks, Alley. Working dinner tonight? I’ll want to pick your brains, and I suspect Cass and LJ are going to be tied up in planning the away mission.” Lieutenant LJ Burg, Alley’s wife, was in charge of the Enterprise’s shuttlebay and would need to coordinate on the multiple supply drops the sudden mission shift would require.
“Sounds good to me, but where will the girls be?”
“Hanging out with Susana and Deone.” The Organization of American Reporters had placed a news team aboard Enterprise, at Kendra’s urging, several months earlier. The stated purpose was to document the historic exploration of space; in reality, it was because space sold. In the meanwhile the two had become fixtures shipboard, and both Lisa and Mikki had ‘adopted’ them into their ever-growing constellation of honorary aunts and uncles.
“W
orks. Eighteen?”
“See you then.”
CHAPTER TWO
Council of Ministers, Artemis City
It was an ominously quiet Chamber of Ministers.
The quiet was partly due to the emptiness of the room. Designed to hold sixty or more comfortably, there were less than two dozen in attendance now, half of which were the Primus’s personal armsmen.
Daria Pitt, the venerable Minister of the Treasury, sat at her usual place, seemingly absorbed in some report or other. Several seats away, Kreitzer Newling, the Minister of Technology, appeared relaxed, but whether that was genuine or a front was an open question. Next to him was Merry Patterson, the Assistant Minister of Technology, who looked to have taken on all of his concerns. Opposite was Michael Atkinson from the Ministry of War. He didn’t look any more comfortable than Patterson.
Intelligence Underminister Tal Phalkon stood confidently to the Primus’s right, though the two officials behind her, Doug Jones and Deborah Arnett, weren’t nearly as sanguine. They were both from Intelligence as well, and they technically outranked Phalkon. Unfortunately, they were firmly from the camp of the former Minister, Colin Dent, and with his shocking defection to the side of the Federation their lives were in jeopardy.
No other Ministers or officials were present, just a few minor assistants, staying as close to the shadows as they could manage in the well-lit room.
It was Phalkon who began the conversation, and on a surprisingly congenial note.
“Mr. Jones. Have you identified the members of this revolutionary cabal?”
“Yes, Ms. Phalkon.” Jones was the Director of Intelligence in the Ministry, though for the past half-year he’d been seconded to the Ministry of Security, MinSec, to overhaul its workings.
“The leader is Autumn Newling, a disgraced former member of the Production Ministry. She was interred at a Political Rehabilitation Center until this past January, when she and several others disappeared. What little evidence there was suggested she’d perished in the effort. That was obviously mistaken. The other members of this cabal were also incarcerated at the same PRC and escaped the same day. Sharon Mwangi is a career naval petty officer, retired several years ago and apprehended for her ties to a revolutionary group, Simon Jester. Nour Zein-Hutter is a former MinSec agent, tasked with infiltrating the same group. She performed admirably in that role until she was turned and arrested. The fourth, Caitlin Novak, served in the Foreign Ministry until her exposure to off-world cultures contaminated her.”
