by Ken Lozito
“The sooner we get these fighters out of storage and into regular rotation, the better. I can’t stand seeing them like this, Colonel,” Captain Halsey said. Though he was an older man, his eyes held a glint of eager anticipation, especially when he looked at the Talon-V space fighters. “They’re remarkable machines.”
“Agreed, they have their uses, but they’re not very practical in a long-range engagement,” Sean replied.
Captain Halsey shrugged. “The Vemus used them quite effectively in our war. They’re small enough to sometimes slip past point-defense systems and—oh, hell, I don’t need to explain their capabilities to you.”
Sean smiled and nodded. “Your enthusiasm for them is noted. They have their uses, I’ll give you that, but if it’s all the same, I’d rather neutralize threats from as far away as possible. I hope we never have to use them.”
Captain Halsey arched a bushy eyebrow. “No wish to see the whites of their eyes?”
Sean chuckled at that. “Where do you come up with this stuff?”
“History, Colonel. It’s from a battle that was fought by one of the founding countries of the NA Alliance. The weapons weren’t as well developed at the time, so the order served a practical purpose. They increased their troops’ effectiveness and the accuracy of their weapons by letting their enemies in closer. The order had the added benefit of conserving ammunition,” Captain Halsey said.
“Some things never change, although we do have a lot more ammunition now. Thanks for the history lesson.”
“My pleasure, Colonel. Unfortunately, what’s happening in the forward main hangar is anything but pleasurable,” Captain Halsey said dryly.
Sean glanced at him. “Has it been that bad?”
Captain Halsey stopped walking. “Permission to speak freely, Colonel?”
They were alone, so Sean nodded. “Go ahead.”
“The scientists are a pain in the ass. Put over a hundred of them together, along with their support staffs, and it’s a recipe for chaos. Volker is among the worst of them. This is supposed to be a warship, and our hangar deck should house combat shuttles and Talon-Vs, not Apollo Mission launch vehicles. They wave that mission spec around like it’s a justification for the air we breathe. And they insist on being called “doctor,” all the while referring to this miscreant as Mr. Halsey… Damn it, Volker can call me Captain. That man and some of his staff might be brilliant scientists, and some are even pretty enough to look at, but they’re complete idiots when it comes to organization and logistics. It’s as if they’d never left the lab,” Halsey said and shook his head.
Sean stayed silent for a few moments, both to consider what one of his top engineers was telling him and to allow Halsey to put a cork in his frustration. “Do you know why they’re having delays?”
“Colonel, they don’t listen to me, and Volker chases away most CDF personnel who happen to be in the area. I don’t know why they can’t get themselves organized.” Halsey’s frown tightened. “These are the people who’re going to send a swarm of highly advanced probes back to Earth and our neighboring star systems? I don’t know if I’d trust them to fly me around in a training simulator for a civilian shuttle.”
Sean leaned over and tapped the door controls to leave the darkened flight deck. “It can’t be that bad. The status reports have them meeting their deliverables with minimal lag, which their critical path does allow for.”
“It wasn’t that bad until about a week ago when some of their simulations for the Earthbound probes failed in a total-mission-failure sort of way,” Halsey said.
Sean frowned. This was the first he’d heard about this. It hadn’t come up in his morning briefings with Gabriel or any of the meetings he’d had with his senior staff. To be fair, he did focus more on running the ship and their state of combat readiness. “There are a lot of people working on this. It could be pre-mission jitters. Regardless, we’ll find out the reasons for the delay and get the problem fixed.”
“It would be better if they were off the ship. This whole mixing of military and civilian personnel…” Captain Halsey blew out a breath in disgust and then glanced at Sean worriedly, as if he’d gone too far. “I’m sorry, Colonel.”
Sean drew himself up sternly. “They’re here, and all CDF personnel will conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism. I’ll get Volker sorted out.”
Captain Halsey nodded. “Thank you, Colonel.”
He sounded like he meant it. This crew had only been working together for a few months, and there were bound to be some kinks to work out.
A door opened farther along the corridor, and a thin young man in a gray jumpsuit hastened toward them. The science team’s insignia showed near his right shoulder. Sean was struck with the thought that a brisk wind would blow the man away if he weren’t careful.
“Colonel Quinn, I’m so glad I found you.”
Volker must have become impatient for Sean to get there and sent one of his team members to come find him.
“Apologies, Colonel,” the young man said. “I’m Eugene Eichmann, and I’m on Dr. Volker’s team for the Apollo Mission.”
Sean heard Captain Halsey snort softly from behind him and then mutter something about the Apollo Mission.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Eichmann,” Sean said and extended his hand.
The thin man gripped his hand firmly and shook it. Sean could feel the energy exuding from him and see the youthful intelligence in his eyes. The kid was certainly eager enough, even if he had been tasked with fetch duty.
Eugene smiled broadly and released Sean’s hand. “Dr. Volker and Dr. Wray sent me to bring you up to speed.”
Sean started walking down the corridor, and Eugene kept pace next to him. “I’m just on my way to see Dr. Volker now.”
Eugene nodded, looking relieved. “Oh, that’s great. I’m so relieved to hear you say that.”
Sean got the sense that Eichmann would bounce along the walls if the mood struck him, and he wondered if he’d ever been like that himself. He was only ten years Eichmann’s senior, but he couldn’t ever have been that young, could he? He supposed he had been at one point, and he was sure Connor could remind him. Sean quickly shoved away thoughts of a stuffy storage crate, the howling wind, and the impact that rattled his bones.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on while we walk? Is there a problem with your equipment?” Sean said.
Eugene glanced at Captain Halsey for a moment before returning his gaze toward Sean. “Equipment checks are behind because of the delays in the implementation of the security protocols that govern the probe’s AI. That’s causing the bottleneck. There have also been some conflicts with the CDF staff who work in the main hangar…”
They’d reached the end of the corridor and Sean heard shouting coming from the main hangar bay. He quickened his pace, and Eichmann went silent. Sean was no stranger to the organized chaos of flight decks and airfields for CDF bases, but what he saw on his flight deck raised his hackles. His mouth formed a grim line and he glanced at Halsey.
Irregular rows of large containers lay on their sides. Each of them showed a single engine pod. The panels that protected the launch vehicles littered the floor. A narrow path had been maintained to each of the storage areas were people were loading the Hermes star probes. Each individual probe was a meter square. Aerodynamics didn’t count for much in space, and these probes would travel through interstellar space at speeds greater than the Galileo seed ship that had prepped New Earth for the Ark’s arrival. There were easily a hundred scientists who were part of Volker’s team, and they were all crammed into a cordoned-off area of the flight deck amid a sea of parts that would take at least a day to sort through. Most members of the science team were working on the launch vehicles, while others were running back and forth to other work areas where stacks of star probes waited to be loaded onto the launch vehicles. Groups of scientists gathered around multiple holoscreens, with many having heated discussions about the information shown.
There was one voice that rang louder than the others, and Sean’s gaze swooped toward him. Dr. Allen Volker, a portly man of average stature, could make his voice carry as if he’d taken over the ship’s intercom system.
Captain Halsey leaned in toward Sean and spoke softly. “I knew you wouldn’t like it, Colonel.”
Sean saw a few CDF personnel interspersed among the scientists. Volker was walking amidst workstations dotted with holoscreens that looked to have been quickly set up without any regard for the surrounding area. It would be a wonder if Volker thought they could hit their target deadline in six months rather than the seven days they had. Sean drew in a deep breath as his eyes continued to take in the scene before him.
Throughout Sean’s career, he’d prided himself on getting to the root of problems and then working on solutions. He typically didn’t place an emphasis on laying blame but rather on correcting the problem. In this case, Sean’s nostrils flared as if he could smell the shitstorm this operation was turning out to be. He was ultimately responsible, and part of correcting the problem would be for him to proverbially give more than a few kicks in the right places to get this sorted out. He needed to get the hangar at least halfway operational in the off chance that they would need to use it.
Not helping, Sean chided himself.
First, he’d have to deal with Volker. Then, there were a few officers whose asses he was going to have on a platter before this day was done.
Several CDF soldiers spotted Sean and stopped what they were doing to salute him. Their actions seem to trigger an almost automated response from other soldiers nearby, who immediately stopped what they were doing to acknowledge their commanding officer. Most of them looked to be both relieved and shamed that Sean was there. Volker noticed the change in the soldiers’ demeanor and turned his portly form around. His gaze narrowed. Nearby was an older woman with dark hair that had a bit of curl to it. Her identification appeared on Sean’s heads-up display. Dr. Lyza Wray glanced up from what she was doing and noted Sean.
“Colonel!” Volker shouted and hurried toward him, nearly tripping over some of his own team members to get to him.
Eichmann cleared his throat and went silent. Sean walked toward the edge of the workstations as Volker maneuvered his way toward him.
“Dr. Volker, Mr. Eichmann was just bringing me up to speed about the delays impeding the Apollo Mission,” Sean said.
Volker snorted what sounded halfway between a bark and a snarl. His gaze twitched toward the young man at Sean’s side. “It took you long enough. You’ve been gone for fifteen minutes.”
Eichmann stiffened, and his voice rose. “Dr. Volker, I—”
Volker turned his gaze toward Sean as if sizing up his next meal. “I’ll take it from here. Dr. Wray has something for you. Go.”
Sean hardly glanced over as the young man slunk off. “Why are you so far behind schedule?”
Volker’s puffy cheeks reddened. “Behind schedule! We wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for your crew, Colonel. That and the security protocols we needed to add to the space probes’ primary operating systems.”
Volker’s voice echoed a bit higher than the buzz of the flight deck, but Sean kept his tone even. “What is it about the security protocols that’s having an impact on what the probes need to do?”
Volker sucked in a deep breath. “Your crew—”
“We’ll get to that in a minute,” Sean said, waving the comment off.
Volker glanced up toward one of the walkways at the upper levels, and Sean followed his gaze. More than a few CDF soldiers were up there, watching. Some of them were craning their necks to see who Volker was speaking to, and Sean stepped plainly into view. When they finally noticed him, they quickly dispersed, suddenly finding that they had a task to do.
“There, you see? Most of the time those walkways are full of CDF soldiers. We used to have workstations set up underneath them, but the distraction was proving to be too much,” Volker said.
Sean glanced at Captain Halsey, who shrugged. “The security protocols—”
“Yes, those,” Volker interrupted. “The Earthbound probes must include protocols that will first determine if there’s any Vemus activity in the system. If there’s a substantial force, they’re to self-destruct rather than let themselves be captured.”
“That’s the high level. So what’s the issue?”
“The issue is the qualifications for the self-destruct protocols. How are we to differentiate between unknown Earth ships as opposed to one taken over by the Vemus? They’ll appear to be the same, and this could cause the probe to self-destruct prematurely,” Volker said.
“Those security protocols are nonnegotiable. If we can’t get them working, the swarm slated to specifically return to Earth will be scrubbed. I will not authorize the launch of those probes unless I’m satisfied they won’t lead a potentially hostile force to this star system,” Sean said.
“Excuse me,” Captain Halsey said. “Why is the problem specifically with Earth and not the other star systems we’re sending probes to?”
“Because dealing with a known quantity is sometimes more difficult than dealing with an unknown quantity,” Volker said evenly. He glanced at Sean for a moment. “We need to find out what happened back home. A delay at this point would put those efforts back at least thirteen years.”
“Why thirteen years?” Halsey asked.
“Because that’s how long Gigantor’s orbit will take to be in the position we need in order to use the gravity assist for the probes,” Sean said.
Volker nodded. “You understand the time constraints, at least.”
He said the last quietly, and Sean gestured for them to walk away from the din of the workstations nearby. Volker must cultivate a working atmosphere that advocated shouting as part of his standard protocol. Sean had seen it in the CDF, but he didn’t ascribe to it. He glanced at Captain Halsey. “Captain, I want you to gather your relief crew and have them report here. First, we’re going to help organize this area so we can get the Apollo Mission back on track. Second, I want the deck officer on duty to report to me immediately. Any soldiers loitering on the walkways above will find themselves reassigned.”
“Yes, Colonel. I’ll see to it immediately,” Captain Halsey said and left them.
Sean turned back to Volker.
“Absolutely not, Colonel. I don’t want more CDF personnel here with my team,” Volker said vehemently.
Sean could overrule him. This was his ship, after all, but he preferred not to use the hammer unless he had to. “You need my help in order to launch the Apollo Mission. Regardless of the delays and who’s responsible, you can’t possibly hit your deadline working like this,” Sean said and gestured to the work areas nearby. “Let my people help you. We’ll organize the workspace, which will increase the workflow and get you back on track.”
What Sean didn’t say was that everything he was suggesting should already have been done by Major Brody, his XO.
Dr. Volker seemed to consider this for a moment.
“Trust me, it’s better this way. I’ll make sure you have no more distractions, but I need something from you,” Sean said.
Volker sighed. “Very well, it appears I have very little choice in the matter anyway,” Dr. Volker said and glanced over at his people. “I had the work area more widely distributed—more organized, you would say—but I’ve had to bring them closer together.”
Sean frowned. “Why?”
“Because of your crew,” Dr. Volker said and gestured toward the scientists. “They’re a young team, sometimes easily distracted, especially by some of the advances that have been made.”
Sean looked over and finally noticed what Dr. Volker was implying. The science team was mainly comprised of young men and women. Sean pressed his lips together, realizing the science team would turn more than a few heads. He could understand why his soldiers would invent excuses to walk by this team, and there were no regulations to prevent fraternizing b
etween military and nonmilitary personnel. Sean expected a level of professionalism that he just wasn’t finding here, and at the same time, Volker’s reaction to the situation hadn’t helped matters any. Sean glanced at the far end of the hangar where a group of combat shuttles sat among the CDF personnel who supported them. The pilots, whether male or female, all had a similar psychological profile, which included an abundance of confidence.
Sean turned back toward Volker. “You’re a brilliant man, but if you want the best from the people trying to help you, then you need to treat them with respect. We’re not the enemy. We have the same goal, and I want this mission to succeed. I want to know if anyone survived, and if so, whether they’re capable of receiving the information that will be on the probes. There could be people who need help. Believe me, I want to know what happened back on Earth, even if I have to wait a hundred and fifty years before we learn anything.”
The New Earth star system was sixty light-years from Earth. They couldn’t travel faster than the speed of light, but using a gravity assist from a planet the size of Gigantor could get them pretty close to light speed. Once the probes reached their destination, they would need to do an assessment of the star system.
“You mentioned that there’s an issue with the probes’ AI performing a threat assessment?” Sean said.
Volker’s eyebrows rose, and Sean noticed that the edges of his lips seemed to curve upward for a moment. “You are very much like him, you know. I don’t think I noticed it until now. Tobias was a great man.”
Sean’s father had been the head of the Ark program and the colony’s first governor. He’d had the foresight to trust Connor Gates and create the Colonial Defense Force. There wasn’t a day that went by when Sean didn’t think about his father. He’d mourned his passing, but he still missed him.
