by Adam Gaffen
“What?”
Davie waved her hand at Kendra. “Wait.”
As Kendra’s patience was about to expire Davie broke her silence.
“Kendra, how serious are you about ending this war? Seriously. How far are you willing to go to put your neck on the line?”
“I’m already hip-deep in this sewer; what’s another dunk?”
“Then go all-out. Not just an embargo, but actively knock down anything the Union flies. Support the rebels actively, not just vocally. Take them down and take them down hard.”
“How hard? I’m not willing to cause civilian casualties.”
“Kendra, some civilians are going to die –”
“I know that! What I mean is I’m not going to order orbital strikes on Artemis City, like they did to my home.”
“What about Richardson?”
“It’s not a military target,” Kendra temporized.
“No, but it’s not a population center, either. Scipio City has a civilian population, mostly dependents and suppliers. We could give the Union a week to evacuate them and then strike.”
“I like the idea of a hard strike, Davie. What can we do that’s not going to put civilians under our guns?”
“Then we’re back to the basics: active support for the rebels with all the technology we can provide, and knocking down anything the Union puts up.”
“I think we need to talk this over with Tamara and Kyra. Maybe they’ll have ideas about what we can do to hurt them from an outsider’s perspective.”
Davie stood. “I’ll set it up.”
“Good. In the meantime pass the word to the CAP. Nothing gets off the moon.”
“Consider it done.”
“...WE HAVE RECOVERED ALL the personnel from the Covey. Rescue and recovery efforts in Scipio City are ongoing, though we don’t expect to find too many more survivors.”
“What of the Agent 15? Or, no, you call it BZ.”
Atkinson swallowed hard.
“The lifepod which was reported to contain the agent has not yet been located. It was tracked by Senior Technician Gillaspy-Chang,” he said, gesturing to the woman standing behind him and looking even more anxious.
“Senior Technician,” acknowledged Phalkon. “Do we know where it landed?”
“Within a certain radius of probability, yes,” she said, stepping next to Atkinson.
“Explain. I thought lifepods are designed to be found easily.”
“They are,” interceded Atkinson. “Each has a locator beacon which can be picked up from at least two million kilometers.”
“We’re far less than two million kilometers from this lifepod,” observed Phalkon. “Why aren’t we picking it up?”
“There are several possibilities,” said Atkinson. “The system is designed for automatic activation upon landing, but there is a manual backup since the system has been known to fail.”
“Then why wasn’t it activated?”
“There was nobody in the lifepod, First Councilor.”
“Why not? This mission was critical to our success against the rebels; surely you had the foresight to order one of our personnel to ride with the agent.”
“No, First Councilor.”
Phalkon’s lips pursed but she refrained from saying anything.
“It’s possible, as well, the lifepod landed in the destroyed area of Scipio City, in which case we may yet find it as recovery continues.”
“Is what Councilor Atkinson is saying correct? Is Scipio City within your radius of probability, Senior Technician?”
“Yes, Ma’am, it is.”
“Any other possibilities? We’re certain it landed?”
“Absolutely certain, Ma’am. The lifepod disappeared below the range of our scanners intact. No other ships entered the area it could have landed, therefore it is still there.”
“One more question, Senior Technician. Why didn’t your sensors track it all the way to the ground?”
“Our scanners are designed for deep space tracking, Ma’am. Landing and approach is handled by the local spaceport. The scanners at Artemis City are blocked from seeing Scipio City by a high ridge, and the Scipio City scanners are, well, gone, along with the spaceport.”
“Thank you, Senior Technician. You may go.”
Gillaspy-Chang, to her credit, gave only the slightest glimpse to Atkinson before retreating.
“Councilor, I had a thought. Councilor Newling, I would like your opinion as well.”
Both turned their full attention to Phalkon.
“The Federation lost one of their starships in the same event that destroyed the El-Baz. Councilor Newling, is it likely their damage was from the same cause?”
“It was certainly the interaction between the warp fields which caused the damage,” Newling said. “We have simulated it many times since then. We’re not sure why their drive reacted differently, but it is probable the difference in design is responsible.”
“Could we do that deliberately?”
Newling showed his shock, but Atkinson spoke first.
“We only have a single Scimitar left!”
“I don’t mean using the al-Battani,” corrected Phalkon. “Could you put a warp generator in a hull and trigger it when another warp field approaches?”
Newling’s shock slipped into thoughtfulness.
“It would be a challenging design, mostly for the power consumption. It wouldn’t be capable of running at all times, just a single burst, but our capacitors could handle the burden...”
Atkinson, picking up on the idea, said, “Like a warp mine. A starship gets too close, triggers their warp drive, and suddenly is crippled. Luring them into range in warp will be challenging, but with planning we could do it.”
Phalkon, seeing their enthusiasm, pushed a bit more. “Newling. Councilor Newling!”
He snapped back to this reality. “Hmm?”
“How long to build one? Or many, I suppose. A single mine isn’t much good.”
“Building a warp generator isn’t particularly difficult; the challenges mostly arise in the integration with power systems in a starship. This would be a simpler build, so perhaps a Lunar.”
“Good. Start immediately, and produce as many as you can.”
“Hmm,” was his only acknowledgement, already lost in the technical details.
“Councilor Atkinson, we need an answer for their fighters. Do you have one?”
“Councilor Newling’s team have crafted prototypes, but nothing is in production yet.”
“Choose one and move forward, Councilor. We need to be able to meet them on a more nearly equal basis.”
“Yes, First Councilor.”
“Find that lifepod, Councilor. Or the deaths of all who perished in Scipio City will fall on you.”
She turned and stalked from the chamber, leaving Atkinson to consider the implications of her words.
August, 2120
CHAPTER NINETEEN
TFS Enterprise
“I may have mentioned this before, Admiral, but you’re insane.”
“Since when has that stopped me, Alley?”
“Not yet,” she admitted. “But one of these days it just might. You want to send the Enterprise back to Freyr with a full colonization crew, a load of Wolves, a fabricator kernel, a pair of portals, and an Alpha AI core.”
“Yes.”
“In the middle of a Lunar revolution and the escalation of hostilities.”
“Yes.”
“And a crippled starship.”
“Yes.”
“I know it’s futile, but I’m going to ask anyways. Why?”
“Because it’s going to get some of the people I care about out of the System before everything blows up,” Kendra answered with surprising honesty.
Alley was stunned.
“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you admit to using Starfleet for your own personal benefit. Why now?”
“Because it would have been far too easy for Ent
erprise to have been the ship wrecked instead of Defender. If you’re out of the System, then all you have to worry about are aliens,” she ended, trying for humor.
“And it gets the two people out of the System you’re most likely to listen to,” countered Alley. “What’s really going on?”
“Nothing at all, Alley. Look. Put aside the fact my wife and children live on Enterprise.”
“Ha.”
“Try.”
“Fine.”
“Why shouldn’t you do this?”
“Beyond the reasons I already listed, you mean?”
Kendra nodded. “Exactly. Alley, the Enterprise is built for exploration, not battle. You add almost nothing to our abilities to defend Njord and take the war to the Union. If you don’t believe me, ask Minerva.”
The ship’s AI jumped into the conversation.
“The Admiral is only slightly overstating the case, Captain. With the removal of the Enterprise and twelve Wolves from the System, along with the ancillary crew necessary for establishing a colony, the offensive potential of remaining Starfleet and Federation vessels will be reduced by zero point seven percent.”
Alley’s jaw dropped open.
“That’s all?”
“Captain, the Enterprise was designed as an exploration vessel, as I well know. She is my body, after all. The laser, powerful as it is, was added as an afterthought. The Wolves, too, were intended as utility vehicles, not warships, as has been proven in actions against the Union.”
“Alley, we’ve wargamed all sorts of unlikely scenarios, including Enterprise versus Direwolves. Red Squadron alone is enough to knock you out in less than ten minutes, if you can be kept from jumping to warp.”
“I’ll bet Shooting Star got a kick out of that,” muttered Alley.
“The point, Alley, is that I can get you, okay, Cass and Mikki and Lisa, out of harm’s way without damaging our capabilities. I’d be more than human if I didn’t take advantage of this.”
“You’re the Admiral, Admiral. If this is your order, then I’m going to do my best to carry it out.”
“Good.”
“How long do we have to prepare?”
“I’d like you underway in two days,” Kendra said as blandly as she could manage, expecting an explosion. She wasn’t disappointed.
“TWO DAYS? Are you, no, we covered that. Two days? For a month-plus mission? Do you have any idea how much preparation is required for a long-duration mission?”
Kendra blasted back. “No, and neither do you! Stop thinking submarines, Alley, and think starships. You have water, always, and you’re going to a place where you can get more. You have raw materials for food and other consumables. You have enough fuel for your annie plant, reaction mass for the sublight engines, and can always scoop more if you need. Other than the equipment and personnel, a problem Cass will have to handle, by the way, what do you have to bitch about?”
Grumbling, but conceding Kendra’s logic, she said, “What the hell is a replicator kernel?”
“Minerva?”
“A replicator kernel is the bare bones of a replicator, programmed with all the instructions necessary to bootstrap itself to a full-sized replicator, given sufficient raw materials.”
“How long would it take?”
“Again, assuming sufficient raw materials, approximately thirty days.”
“And you’d be on station until the fabricator is online,” said Kendra. “We’ll send along a basic orbital habitat; you’ll be busy assembling that and providing a base for both the colonists and the Wolves.”
Once she accepted the decision Alley threw herself into the planning. For the next three hours she and Kendra, with Minerva’s input, set out all the parameters of the mission. Finally Kendra called a halt.
“Now, Captain, I have to do the difficult part.”
“Oh?”
“I have to tell Cass that we’re going to be separated for a month.”
Alley winced.
“I’d wish you luck, but you did this to yourself.”
“NO.”
They didn’t fight often. Argue, yes. Disagree, yes. They were too different to always be on the same page. By the same token, though, they’d been together far too long to not value the other’s opinions. They’d grown up together, after all, and been all-but-inseparable from infancy through high school.
This bode fair to turn into a fight, and Kendra desperately wanted to avoid it.
“Cass, Alley’s already agreed.”
“I don’t care. No.”
“Imagine the science!”
“No.”
“I could order you.”
“I’d resign. You’re not sending us away!”
“I’m not sending you away, hon.”
“Sure feels like it to me. Not now, Cleo.” Cass reached down and picked up the almost-grown kitten who was trying to twine herself around her legs.
“Cass. Aiyana. Look at me.”
Her eyes came back up. Ice blue met emerald green. Kendra pulled Cass down to sit next to her. Cleo started purring as Cass stroked her.
“I love you.”
“I love you. That’s not changing my mind.”
“I don’t want you to be away from me.”
“Fine. Don’t send me away.”
“I’m not sending you away.”
“And we’re back here again.”
“Dammit, Cass, all I want to do is keep you, no. I don’t want to keep you safe.”
“No?”
“No. I need you to keep the girls safe.”
“Oh!” Cass’s face shifted. “I hadn’t thought of it quite that way.”
“Neither had I, until just this moment.” She pondered this revelation. “You know, it’s funny.”
“What?”
“I just thought back to our wedding and the chaos around it.”
“Yes?”
Kendra fought back a sniff. “Well, back then I was the one with all the experience and you were depending on me to keep you safe. Now look. You earned your position as XO on Enterprise, we’re raising our girls, and you’ve saved my life at least twice that I can count. You don’t need me to protect you, and it’s, well, it’s a bit surprising. And also sad.”
She closed her eyes and continued.
“I’ve always seen myself as your shield, your armor against the world. Even back before we went to school. Remember your fourth birthday party?”
She didn’t see Aiyana’s nod, but she felt it.
“He did something to upset you, so I found him and tossed him across the kitchen.”
“I don’t even remember what he did,” Cass admitted.
“It’s been like that all our lives, sweetie. And now, well, it’s not.”
She opened her eyes and turned to face Cass.
“That’s why I want you, need you, to back this mission. It’s not because I’m protecting you; it’s because we’re protecting the girls.”
Now Cass was sniffling too.
“Okay. But don’t you dare get yourself killed!”
“Or you’ll kill me too?” Kendra responded with a crooked smile.
“No, I’ll figure out a way to talk to you beyond the grave and never give you a moment’s peace!”
“All Cass, all the time? It’s tempting, oof!”
Cass used her longer arms to push Kendra backwards, then straddled her middle.
“Don’t. You. Dare.” She emphasized each word with a jab to Kendra’s breastbone.
“Okay, okay. No getting myself killed!”
With a sudden arching of her back Kendra flipped Cass from her seat and neatly reversed their positions.
“And remember your place, Commander,” she added, grinning.
“Under my Admiral?”
“Precisely.”
Kendra’s response was cut off by the comm signal.
“I’m not done with you,” she said, smoothly dismounting. “Minna.”
“Message, Admiral. Captain Martin
ez would like to schedule a planning session.”
“Back to the grind.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Habitat Njord
“We’re clear?”
Nods and affirmations went around the assembled group.
“Then board ship!”
The liberated ANS and SUN ships were the ones designated for this operation, and were docked just the other side of the bay. The compartment emptied in moments, leaving just the OutLook insiders: Stone, Jordan, Montana, and the newest potential addition, Colin Dent.
“I wish I was going with you,” Montana said, shaking Stone’s hand.
“I could use your skills at hurting people and breaking things,” agreed Stone. “But we’ll manage.”
“Alyssa.” Montana shook the younger woman’s hand as well. “Keep the Chief out of trouble this time, then get back here. I need you.”
“Oh?” The slight blonde’s eyebrows raised.
“I’ve talked it over with Cass, and your transfer to the Federation is official as of today. Once you finish this mission I start training you to be the number two intelligence officer, though the pay and perqs start today.”
Jordan squealed with excitement and jumped into Stone’s arms, then Montana’s.
“Oh, thank you! I can’t believe this is happening!”
Montana put her down with a bemused expression.
“You’ve earned it. I know you have the basic skills this job needs, and Chief Stone says you’re pretty good in a pinch. If you’re willing to give up the glory of field assignments, that is.”
“Oh, by Titania’s tits, yes! No offense, Chief.”
“None taken.”
“Great. We’ll get started after you return. Good hunting!” Jordan and Stone followed the team being dispatched to reinforce the rebel cause off to the ships, leaving Dent and Montana behind.
“She seems awfully young,” Dent ventured.
“Older than I was when I got this job,” Montana said. “It’s not like she’s coming into it with no experience. She did manage to hold down the Director of Security position at HLC for over five years.”
