The Jumpgate

by Robert Stadnik

  “I’m fine, sir. I want to thank you for promoting me to the senior comm position. I’m sorry I came across as unappreciative.”

  Jacob waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. You’re more than qualified given your experiences. I just did what was in the best interest of this ship and crew.” David invited him to sit down at the desk, which Jacob accepted. “I came here because I wanted to learn more about you.”

  “Everything you need to know is in my personnel file,” David replied.

  “Not quite. Your file doesn’t explain why you left PHOENIX, or why you chose to leave the Mars communications center and stop working with your friend.”

  David sighed. “Commander Pedia isn’t my friend, not anymore.”

  Jacob didn’t expect to hear the despondent tone coming from this young man. “I’m all for officers keeping personal reasons for their career choices to themselves, but you’re just not anyone. If I’m to have confidence in your abilities and commitment to stay, I need some idea of what motivated you to come here.”

  David contemplated whether to come clean with the commander. He had become so jaded and distrustful of people. Ever since leaving PHOENIX, it seemed he had been treated as an inferior officer by everyone. “Promise me this doesn’t go to the captain. This is only for you to hear, no one else.”

  “You have my word,” Jacob promised.

  “I should have never left PHOENIX. It was a mistake.” Such an admission surprised the commander, but David continued. “Living and working with all those aliens was too much for me. I didn’t know how to handle it. I thought working with John would be enough. As much as I tried, I couldn’t get used to life there. He made living on that ship effortless. I tried to emulate him, but I couldn’t do it. Leaving made sense to me at the time.”

  Jacob was sorry to hear about David’s struggle. A few of PHOENIX’s crew that Jacob had worked with couldn’t handle living with aliens either. Some of them even tried to usurp Captain Roberts’s command because of it. Jacob never had a problem working alongside the Aldarians, Onixins, Senfo, or Quix. He enjoyed it and made friends with many of them.

  David continued. “I thought it’d be okay working with Billy on Mars, but I was even more miserable there. I watched Billy get promoted and given command authority while I was left to rot in my entry-level position. My family used to hold a lot of influence in TERRA, but when dad was court-martialed everyone loyal to him turned against me. Even my own family blamed me for my dad losing his career. Then the story of the PHOENIX Movement started changing. My name was left out. It’s an accepted narrative now that it was Billy who single-handedly started the entire movement.”

  Jacob didn’t know how to respond. All he could do was let David continue to vent his frustrations.

  “Staying on Mars became too much. I realized the only refuge I had left was back on PHOENIX. I sent a message to John asking to let me come back, but even he turned his back on me. He had the audacity to try and justify why he wouldn’t come back to get me.”

  “John…Captain Roberts,” Jacob clarified.

  David looked disgusted hearing that name. “At school, he always acted like he was the underdog, but as soon as he got what he wanted he forgot all about me.”

  This was contrary to what Jacob knew of Captain Roberts. Everyone on PHOENIX admired and respected him. The commander saw him a few times during his time on PHOENIX but never actually met him. He couldn’t validate what David felt towards the captain; it didn’t seem right. He could only sympathize with how the lieutenant was feeling. “I know what it’s like to be ostracized. I’ve experienced that since leaving PHOENIX.”

  David felt better hearing that the commander had also encountered resentment from others. “It seems like being associated with that ship in any way puts a black mark on you.”

  Jacob stood up and offered David some advice. “You can’t let that bother you. You must give it time. Eventually, TERRA’s way of thinking will change. For now, just be the best officer you can be, that’s what counts. In the meantime, if anyone gives you any problems, you let me know.”

  David appreciated Jacob’s words. “Thank you, commander. I’m sorry for unloading this on you. It did feel good to get it out.”

  “Think nothing of it. Have a good night, lieutenant.”

  Once the commander was gone, David moved back to lying on his bed. Commander Diego was the first person David had confided in about what happened. He not only felt better after talking about it but also better now that Diego knew of David’s recent history. It was the best he could hope for in this situation. But as he started thinking about his family, Billy and John, the lieutenant got depressed. He finally decided to call it a night. Some sleep would give him a temporary escape from his woes.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Jacob was right. Before the SOLARA was to jump out of the solar system, the captain got on the ship’s internal communications system and made a grand speech about how they were about to make history. SOLARA was in the vanguard of TERRA’s new frontier exploration and would blaze a trail of accomplishment for others to follow. His speech went on for a good ten minutes. The commander tried to maintain a calm demeanor, but he caught David rolling his eyes at the captain’s speech. Jacob had to bite his lip from laughing. Fotell was enamored by Dewis’s words. To her, these humans were remarkable in their abilities to rally those around them. It was this trait that allowed them to bring the Aldarians, Onixins, Quix, Senfo, and Cresorians together to fight the Screen.

  After the ship jumped, the captain sat back in his seat. “Status.”

  Jonas checked the engineering systems. “The hyperdrive is operating normally.”

  “Our course is steady towards Alpha Centauri,” Nalus added.

  “Captain, there is a minor disruption in the top port thruster emitters,” Fotell reported. “It appears to be affected by the hyperdrive energy field.”

  Jacob checked the data. It was a minor issue. “Shut down the emitter. The residual plasma will bleed off. That’ll solve the problem.”

  Fotell did as the commander instructed. “Confirmed. The disruption has resolved itself. Muko.”

  “Estimated time to Alpha Centauri?” Dewis asked.

  “Three hours, sixteen minutes at our current speed,” Nalus replied. Since this was only a scout mission around the local area of space, they weren’t in a hurry.

  “Very well.” Dewis got up from his command seat and looked over to Jacob. “Commander Diego, join me in my office.”

  Jacob wasn’t sure why the captain wanted to see him in private. The jump out of the solar system went without a hitch and they were all caught up with ship business. He hoped the captain wasn’t going to berate him again from some perceived slight.

  “You have the command deck,” Jacob told Fotell as he followed the captain to his office. He never connected that this was the first time an alien was handed command of a TERRA vessel. Protocol dictated that the operations officer assume command when neither the captain, first officer, or security chief was present.

  “Since you’re in command, you can sit in the command chair,” David told Fotell.

  “It is not necessary. I can handle such duties from my current station.” Fotell had a reason to stay at her location. It was difficult hopping in and out of her chair at the operations station. Given her small stature, she’d have the same problem trying to climb up in the command chair. During SOLARA’s retrofit, it was never considered that an alliance military officer might serve on the ship. Even if it was known, the engineers would have been challenged trying to accommodate a Senfo barely a meter tall or a two-meter Quix. Fotell was having no trouble getting around the ship and wasn’t about to ask for any special accommodation.

  “You are familiar with our command protocols, right?” Nalus asked the Senfo.

  “I am familiar with every procedure expected of a TERRA officer in command of a starship. Thank you for asking.” Fotell appreciated that the lieutenant was looking out
for her, except that Nalus didn’t ask out of kindness. The lieutenant was hoping to create some friction with the alien and catch her admitting to being unfamiliar with TERRA protocols. She was caught off-guard by the Senfo’s pleasant response and didn’t know what to say next. She lowered her head and focused on her navigation screen.

  ********

  Jacob said nothing as he followed the captain into his office, choosing to let Dewis start the conversation. The captain took a seat behind his desk. “Have a seat, commander,” Dewis said as he picked up his DAT.

  Jacob obliged and sat down. “Has something come up?”

  “I was in contact with TERRA this morning. Our mission has changed.” He handed Jacob his DAT. “We’ll be rendezvousing with that alliance group heading to the Screen jumpgate.”

  Jacob had read the briefing about that mission. It was the PHOENIX that found the jumpgate. After spending a bit of time studying it, the ship transmitted the data it gathered to TERRA before continuing its deep space exploration mission.

  Jacob was confused by this sudden news. This mission was scientific. SOLARA didn’t have the necessary equipment to conduct such an endeavor. “Why does TERRA want us there?”

  “They didn’t. I convinced them.”

  That did nothing to clarify anything for Jacob. “I still don’t understand.”

  “We’re the only capital ship currently equipped with a hyperdrive,” Dewis pointed out.

  “I thought the JORDAN had successfully installed their hyperdrive.”

  “They’re still going through final testing. They won’t launch for another six weeks,” Dewis revealed. “We need to have a ship there representing TERRA’s interests. A couple of private science vessels are not going to cut it. We need a military presence there.”

  The captain’s words caught Jacob’s attention. “TERRA’s interests? Don’t you mean humanity?”

  Dewis was surprised the commander would ask such an ignorant question. “Are you that naïve, commander?”

  Jacob folded his arms. “Assume I am. Explain it to me.”

  “Those of you who served on PHOENIX like to think you cobbled together an alien alliance that defeated the Screen. That’s very idealistic, but let’s look at reality. The aliens only banded together out of desperation from the Screen’s oppression. Do you think any of them were going to pass up the chance to have a massive starship fight on their behalf? Now that the Screen have been eliminated, the alliance races are going to start looking out for their own self-interests. The Cresorians have already broken away from the group. How long before the others decide that the alliance doesn’t serve their interests?”

  Jacob was amazed at how simplistic Dewis’s thinking was about the relationships the aliens had with one another. It was more than just fighting for survival. John Roberts managed to cement a strong relationship in creating the alliance. Its foundation was solid. Jacob personally witnessed, through his interactions with the aliens who lived on PHOENIX, what the alliance represented. Dewis dismissing Captain Roberts and the entire PHOENIX crew’s accomplishments was insulting.

  The commander needed to correct Dewis’s perception. “Excuse me for having a difference of opinion, but I lived with the aliens on PHOENIX. They worked with us for the collective good of everyone. It was more than just trying to survive. They believed in all the alliance had to offer, a chance to learn about each other and collaborate in a variety of areas. It may have started with defeating the Screen, but it’s turned into something more.”

  Dewis was unimpressed by the commander’s words. “Maybe those who worked on PHOENIX truly believe that, but that ship is gone, along with their idealism. We’re left dealing with alien governments who are going to start looking at how they can gain an upper hand. We need to be diligent and make sure they don’t acquire any new technologies they can use against us.”

  It was that exact thinking that was keeping TERRA officers from embracing this new world of freedom and co-existing with aliens. Jacob wanted to point that out to the captain, but why bother? This was a career officer set in his ways. He wasn’t willing to listen to a different perspective. TERRA was still its own worst enemy and still acted as if it was a lone entity.

  Jacob changed the subject. “What about this mission? We’re not prepared for it. SOLARA was prepped for a patrol mission. We have all of two science officers and only rudimentary equipment on board to conduct any sort of scientific survey. If we’re to participate in a scientific mission, we should return to Luna and have the ship properly retrofitted.”

  Dewis shook his head. “It’d take two weeks to get the necessary equipment installed. The alliance ships will be at the jumpgate in seven days. We need to be there to represent TERRA. We’ll have to rely on what we have here. I’m depending on your expertise to make good use of our resources.”

  Jacob didn’t like this course of action. SOLARA was not set up to handle a scientific mission. The commander suspected the captain was using this new mission as an opportunity to make a name for himself. A lot of that was going around. Even though John Roberts didn’t have a good reputation with other officers, it wasn’t stopping those same officers from trying to set themselves up as the next great commander now that PHOENIX was away on its exploration mission. It was hypocrisy at its finest.

  Jacob recommended what he believed was the best course of action. “We should return to Luna for proper refitting if we’re to provide meaningful participation in the mission.”

  Dewis got annoyed by the commander’s statement. “Did you not listen to me? We’re not returning to Luna.”

  “I’m merely giving you my recommendation, like any good executive officer.”

  “We’ll proceed as I outlined,” Dewis insisted.

  There was no further need to try to explain the captain out of his decision. SOLARA was heading to the jumpgate, no matter what. “Yes, captain. I’ll notify the crew and make the necessary preparations.”

  “I also want us there in five days. I want it to be clear to the other alien commanders that SOLARA intends to take the lead. Arriving there first will establish our authority as leaders of the mission.”

  Jacob wanted to reply that the Onixins, Senfo, and Quix didn’t operate as opportunists. But he was talking to a brick wall, so there was no need to point that out. Let the captain learn firsthand how the alliance races operated. “Getting to the gate in five days will tax the hyperdrive to maximum, but we’ll be able to do it.”

  “Very good, commander. I’ll expect an update by the end of the day.”

  Jacob got up and left without saying anything more. He was looking forward to an easy patrol mission. Now he had to plan a comprehensive scientific survey, something they weren’t equipped to handle. On top of that, he’d be coordinating with a hostile crew to work with the other alliance races. No one on this ship was expecting to engage in this sort of joint mission with the alliance. Jacob wasn’t confident that the crew would be receptive. It was frustrating to be working for a ship commander who was using his ship to further his career interests.

  His career...Jacob hadn’t given it much thought, but Captain Dewis was overdue for a promotion. He had served as SOLARA’s captain for eighteen years. Given all the vacancies opened because of the cleaning out of the old guard, he should have been promoted to admiral. SOLARA’s three months in drydock was the ideal time to promote him and install a new ship commander. Dewis was absent from SOLARA most of those three months. What was he doing during that time? From what Jacob recalled in the reports, the captain had spent most of it at headquarters on Luna.

  The more Jacob thought about it, the more it wasn’t making sense. If Dewis wasn’t drummed out of the fleet, he should have been promoted. Something must have happened to explain why Dewis was still commanding the SOLARA. Going to survey the jumpgate implied to Jacob that the captain needed to still prove himself to TERRA to get a promotion. Did the captain somehow fall out of favor with the council? It was something the commander intend
ed to find out.

  ********

  “This is bullshit,” Chief Gimron muttered as she tossed a DAT on the pile strewn across her desk. She liked running a tight ship and having procedures in place that worked. Since their departure, all that had been thrown out the window. She had a great respect for Captain Dewis, but recent developments were making her question his motives. Sending the SOLARA on a science mission and having to work with other aliens was happening too soon. She had no formal training dealing with aliens. Hell, she could barely interact with the one Senfo they had on board. On top of that, the ship wasn’t equipped to handle a scientific mission. Now she was supposed to implement new security procedures without the necessary resources. The first batch of protocols she entered in the ship’s systems glitched so badly she had to erase them.

  The doorbell to her office rang. “What!?” she blurted out in annoyance. She didn’t like being bothered when she was upset. She liked to be left alone to stew in her anger.

  “It is I, Fotell.”

  “Sure, come in. Whatever!” Let’s make this day even better by interacting with an alien Michelle wasn’t comfortable being around. She had no idea what weird idiosyncrasies the Senfo had as part of their culture. The chief didn’t have time to read up about their culture. If she insulted the alien, so be it.

  “Is ‘whatever’ another way humans invite others into their personal spaces?” the diminutive Senfo asked as she came in.

  “What?” Michelle was confused. She quickly realized Fotell was referring to how she replied to the door ring. “No, you just caught me off-guard. Sorry, I didn’t mean to confuse you.” Great, now she had to watch how she phrased her sentences. Wasn’t the micron supposed to translate languages so aliens could understand each other?

  “Your apology is not necessary.” Fotell climbed onto the chair in front of Michelle’s desk. She had to hoist herself up to get enough leverage to get into the seat.