Frost woke in a still unfamiliar but comfortable bed and didn't want to move. The morning before he roused from a deep sleep and didn't want to get up either. The mattresses adjusted to the user, the sheets and over blankets were as porous, light or heavy as they had to be. They would also seal around someone if the room were to suddenly decompress, providing a couple of days worth of air and water using a hidden recycler so the crew member would be safe until they were rescued. No more sleepin' in my vacsuit, he thought to himself with a smile. How someone could determine how heavy a blanket had to be was a mystery to him, but as he rolled himself more firmly into it he didn't much care how it was accomplished, he just didn't want to leave.
At first when he found out they wouldn't be going back to the Samson he was a little disappointed. On that ship, whether he was First Officer or not, he was a specialist. No one could run some of those systems quite as well as he could, especially the maxjack. He had decided not to mention how bent and crooked it had become since the Captain used it. Some criticisms weren't worth the trouble. If he had to go out with the whole maintenance staff to recalibrate and repair the system of arms, cutting tools and everything else and it took a couple of days, the Captain would hear about it. That would be as much a complaint as he'd need.
“Requires a certain finesse. Have ta' treat her a little like yer own arms, aye.” he leisurely muttered to himself with regard to using the maxjack.
“What's that?” Called someone from the bathroom. “Talking in your sleep again?” she snickered.
He sat straight up, still wrapped in the sheets. What have ye done now Shamus? he thought to himself, alarmed. Memories from the night before ended at the bar. They had started experimenting with drinks from the materializers as the night went on. His head didn't hurt at all, but he knew he had been seriously inebriated. If my head doesn't hurt now that means I was drinkin' somethin' that cured that particular ailment in advance. And that means we got into drinkin' somethin' engineered, some non-alcoholic brew that had another kind o' kick.
He looked around and realized that he couldn't see anything personal other than his vacsuit and gun belt laying across a chair in the corner of the bedroom. Frost quietly got out of bed and cinched the sheet around his waist. It looked like he was in his quarters, but he couldn't be certain. There was a good chance he was in rooms that looked exactly the same since few people had had a chance to put their own personal touches on anything. He hadn't even had a chance to move his footlocker up from the Samson.
He quietly rushed from the bedroom to the common room and looked out into the hallway as the door opened. To his relief, he was in his own quarters, not on some previously unseen deck on the ship. Now ta figure out who spent the night.
He started turning back towards his quarters but noticed Stephanie come around the corner and immediately avert her eyes. He checked his sheet, found it in place and decided to make a show of it, leaning leisurely against the door jamb and stretching. “G'mornin'.”
“Morning. In case you haven't noticed, you're out of uniform,” Stephanie commented, blushing.
“Aye, but we're not due for another hour or two and my kit's covered.”
He felt slender arms wrap about his middle and the woman from the night before pressed up against his back. She wasn't wearing anything from what he could tell. “Good morning Steph.”
“Good morning, Grace,” she said with a tight smile. “No way do you deserve that. ” Stephanie told Frost with a wry grin.
“Oh, I just thought I'd help him home then didn't want to travel the three decks to my own quarters. Lucky him,” Grace explained.
“See you two later,” Stephanie shook her head as she walked on.
Frost backed away from the door and turned towards Grace. “Guess we skipped over that first date,” He said as he pulled her closer. She was a beautiful woman, a little taller than him, but her long, shapely body felt like a luxury.
“Well, I think we had it, even if it was impromptu and I can't remember it. Judging from how we woke up it probably went well.”
He had been through a few forgotten evenings before, so he wasn't in unfamiliar territory. Best to press right on through it an' see if there's any mornin' magic, Frost thought as he smiled at her. “I lay down with the finest woman on the ship after months of bein' all alone an' I don't remember a second of it. My luck's mixed, that's a fact.”
“Wanna make a memory?” Grace asked against his lips.
They kissed and, to their collective relief, it felt familiar. What the mind forgot, the body often remembered. How designer beverages manipulated the memories of the inebriated was often strange and selective.
She stepped out of his arms, turned and started swaggering back to the bedroom. He watched for a moment then chased after her, tickling her all the way back to bed as she laughed, squealed and squirmed.
Why did I say that? It's true, Frost definitely doesn't deserve that, Grace is beautiful in a sort of fashion model way and I've seen how almost every head turns when she goes by. I don't even remember how that happened, how they got bunked up last night, Stephanie thought as she walked towards the bridge.
Why does this bother me? I tease Frost all the time, but that comment was meant to hurt, she considered with a sigh. Her disappointment and frustration was a surprise and she was sure he could see it. I got absolutely blasted last night, but you don't see me bringing some pretty boy home, s he thought bitterly. That's probably because Grace is all tall and willowy and I'm all short and hard. The girl's probably got genetic modifications that keep her that way, while I take fitness supplements and work weight resistance to keep my strength above average. If I didn't have a chest or hips I'd look like a short boy, s he arrived at the lift door and joined Ashley in waiting for the car to arrive.
“Good morning,” Ashley said with a fading smile. “Or maybe not?” she asked.
Stephanie hadn't realized she was scowling. She relaxed and smiled a little at her friend; “Good morning. Do you remember much of last night?”
“It was a blast.”
“Oh, so you didn't drink whatever it was that wiped my memory pretty much clean?”
“Nope, I learned my lesson with Michnikel a long time ago. Stuff gets you feeling good in a hurry, and by the time you hit the bottom of the bottle you're in full blackout mode.”
“Let's petition the Captain to have it banned.”
“Let's,” Ashley agreed, grinning exaggeratedly. She had changed her vacsuit as well. Her new one was navy blue, she had transposed the dragon she normally detailed her suits with onto it but this time it was line drawn in black. Stephanie also couldn't help notice that she had chosen a very glossy texture.
The new vacsuits the Captain and Liam had added to the system the night before were much better than the ones that they had used previously. Their thickness and texture was more adjustable, hers was matte black and a little thicker than before, half a centimetre in some places, and they were easier to apply. After being shot the day before she could appreciate the tighter weave they had implemented. Even though it looked nothing like combat armour, the new vacsuits were just that. They were so dense that the wrist materializers needed several seconds to create one. A suit had to be made on a relatively flat surface then put on, which was a change she could live with considering the extra protection it provided.
They were also more comfortable somehow. To her it felt like she was really wearing something with substance but it still moved with her. With the addition of the emblem of the ship, the upper half of a silver skull with Triton written in the place of its teeth, they were starting to feel like uniforms. Only proven crew members would be marked with the skull, everyone else only had the Triton letters on their chest. The silence between the pair was thick as they stepped into the express car. It was one of the smaller ones, made for four or five.
“What's wrong Steph?” Ashley asked with concern.
“It's nothing,” Stephanie answered reflexively. “I'd just like to remember where I've been and what I've done.”
“Well, we mostly hung out and got to know the deck crew. Some of the new military folks were there too and then you started conferencing the bridge staff in on the party. You kept on trying to feed their holo images drinks. It was hilarious,” Ashley giggled. “That's pretty much the highlight reel as far as you're concerned. Oh, and you hugged the Captain and Alice a few times.”
“I got mushy?”
Ashley nodded exaggeratedly. “It was cute, helped you make nice with the new people. I was hangin' off of ya for the night though, so you didn't embarrass yourself or anything. As soon as I saw that green and black bottle in your hand I knew I shouldn't stray far off.”
“Michnikel.”
“Yup.”
Silence settled over then again and the doors parted to reveal the main hallway of the command deck. It was built around the bridge, a broad, four meter hall that ran in a semicircle behind both levels of the forward section on deck fourteen and thirteen. To the right of the main bridge was a security and intelligence compartment with work stations, an isolated data storage unit and a fully secure meeting space that neutralized all recording devices. That section was closely tied into the bridge, so whoever was in charge could actually command and control ship security and intelligence services from the bridge as though they were in the room.
On the left hand side of the bridge there were briefing rooms, a secure command area for sensitive communications and the officer's lounge. There were many other rooms along the front edge of the ship but many of them had been locked down for the better part of a decade or more. Across from that side were the Senior Officer's quarters. All but four of them had been closed off completely, Wheeler had disallowed most crew members from enjoying what must have been the most luxurious quarters on the ship. Most of the crew who had seen the command deck were secretly hoping that Captain Valance would start reopening them and offering them to bridge staff and other senior crew members.
Even though many sections of the command deck were still closed it was very busy. There were a dozen or more people going to and from the bridge and they were all wearing the new vacsuits. Each one had a brand new Arm Command and Control Unit, which didn't surprise either of them since the first thing they saw when they looked at the materializer was a menu of different units to choose from.
Stephanie didn't need a new one, but decided she'd get the smaller wrist versions. They did everything the full arm version did, only they were five centimetres wide and one thick and the systems were divided between a pair. Ashley had chosen a version that covered two thirds of her left forearm and was almost invisible when it wasn't in use.
“What is it? You're normally bouncier than me in the morning,” Ashley asked in a whisper.
“Like I said, I don't like forgetting things.”
“Grace could probably fix you up if you go to medical. They have an organic materia-” Ashley stopped, looking at Stephanie's expression. “You remember her and Frost hooking up last night, don't you?” she asked in a hushed whisper.
“No, I saw them in the hall this morning. But that's no-”
“You're jealous,” Ashley giggled. “You couldn't stop looking at them last night, I knew it.”
“I'd be just as likely to sleep with Grace as Frost.”
“Well, I can see why, she's really something.”
“You're completely missing my point. I'm not into that loud mouthed pain in the ass. I mean, Frost?” Stephanie shuddered exaggeratedly.
Ashley laughed and put a sympathetic hand on Stephanie's shoulder. “Aw, next time I see them together I'll hose them down. Would that make you feel better?”
Stephanie gave her a look of frustration and confusion. “Hose them down?”
“Oh, where I grew up the owners had a lot of yard space and a few dogs. When they got, um, frisky with each other we'd spray them with cold water so they'd run off.”
“Oh, well. In that case, make sure I'm there,” Stephanie said with a little smile as they stepped down into the main bridge. “But I'm not carrying a torch for Frost,” Stephanie said in an insistent whisper. “I just haven't run into anyone I really want to bunk up with, I guess I'm just envious. I mean, if he can hook up with someone, what's up with me?”
“Riiight,” Ashley teased, rolling her eyes.
When they arrived on the bridge Stephanie sat down beside Agameg Price, who was the Officer of the Watch. Ashley went straight to the pilot's station to get the update from the night shift pilot, a dull brown furred nafalli who had a musical voice, especially when she became excited or agitated. “I'm Ashley,” she said as she sat down in an observer seat that came out of the floor to the right of the nafalli.
“They call me Panloo. Your Captain discovered my application and since my sleep schedule was already disrupted I was put to work,” her big, deep green eyes seemed to twinkle, her smile came easily and her pink nose would twitch occasionally as she spoke. “I slept all the way from Burr Frimm until I caught my connecting transit, then I slept longer still. If there is something else you must do, I could do another entire shift.”
“If it's all the same I'd rather get to the controls early so the computer can keep running me through the system details. The more I know about this boat the better I'll feel about the Captain keeping me as his lead pilot.”
“You've served under this Captain before?”
“For a couple years, I was his pilot aboard the Samson, ” Ashley brimmed. “He trained me personally.”
“That must have been interesting.” Panloo checked their hyperspace status and locked the controls. “I've never been on a ship like this before. Even when there's nothing really happening we're all running through simulations and tutorials. It's so exciting.”
“Where did you work before?”
“I've worked on the Thissilus. It was a-”
“Two hundred seventy thousand ton tug. Wow.” Ashley's eyes went wide. “We saw that pull a station into place all on its own when we were visiting Fuldo last year.”
Panloo nodded excitedly. “I was the primary on that job! I was supposed to take work on another tug in the Enreega system this week but you know what happened. When the Captain called for people to work here I couldn't resist. Such an adventure, I'll have so much to tell my family when I return home.”
“Have you ever done combat flying?”
“No, but these simulations are a very good teacher. I can't wait for my next shift.”
“You can run them when you're off duty and fly whatever you like.”
“Are you sure the Captain wouldn't mind? We don't have any way to engage in simulations in the upper berth.”
“You're still set up there?”
“Should I be somewhere else?”
“Security should be able to set you up with more permanent quarters. Are you staying long?”
“As long as the Captain will have me I think. I'm very happy to be here, my other jobs were very boring.”
“You do know who Captain is, right? What he does?” Ashley asked quietly.
“I do. Someone in the upper berth had a subscription to Hart News and we were watching his speeches and missions on holoprojectors. He's very good at what he does. I remember seeing you on a couple of them too! I should have recognized you, I'm sorry.”
Ashley laughed. She had met with nafalli before, the younger ones were generally very excitable and chatty. This one was particularly talkative, but she was interesting and pleasant. “I never do anything exciting in those. I'm normally hiding until the Captain tells me to take the controls or running back to the ship.”
“I saw the one where the Captain stormed a small bridge, and while people were still fighting you snuck up to the controls and started flying! That must have been so much fun!”
“It was terrifying to be honest. I try to avoid firefights whenever I can, I'd suggest you do the same,” Ashley said with a smile.
“You're right I suppose, but to come back alive and retell the story. That's something my people prize.”
“I'll tell it to you from my end sometime. Did anything interesting happen on watch?”
“The simulations were the most interesting part, I got to do a decelerating strafe while the deck crew simulated fighter launches. Did you know this ship could launch twenty eight fighters and a gunship at the same time? They drop out of ports in the bottom of the ship while the gunship launches from a main bay.”
“I had no idea. Do we have fighters?”
“I think I overheard them say we don't have any working, but there wasn't much time to chat.”
“Well, I'll take the pilot's seat. You should go see Stephanie in a few minutes. She'll set you up with quarters. I think the Captain is also making sure everyone has a vacsuit and a C amp;C module.”
“C and C module?”
Ashley held up her arm and tapped it so Panloo could see hers. “It's a Command and Control Unit, a computer with one or two small holoprojectors, lots of storage, a couple data interfaces and a two dimentional display.”
“Oh, that's much nicer than my old one.”
“It also makes vacsuits and other clothing with a materializer inside. You'll probably be able to make one once you get into your new quarters.”
“Thank you Ashley, I'll tell you where my quarters are as soon as I'm settled in.”
“You're welcome, enjoy your time off.” Ashley said with a smile as she looked over the ship's hyperspace profile and status. Her copilot was just starting to check in with the exhausted looking fellow he was replacing.
“It's like a city, or a space station in hyperspace, and it's getting better,” Price said to Stephanie from the command chair. She always wished she knew the traits of his race better, she found him so difficult to read. Most of them changed their shape to look more human so they could fit in more easily, but Agameg seemed to care less and less. She remembered when she was first getting to know him aboard the Samson. For the first few months no one even knew he was a shape shifter. He had a very plain default human male appearance he had gotten used to transforming into and used it whenever anyone was around, even in his sleep.
As he spent more time with the crew, got to know them, he used that guise less and less until he would occasionally imitate someone from the crew for fun. He was one of the most good natured people she had ever met, and on a ship that collected misfits and cast offs like a carcass attracts flies, it was difficult to find someone who had a genuinely good heart.
“How is it getting better?” she asked.
“The Captain has been assembling a chain of command, and people are starting to fall into place. Cynthia and Jane have found several security violations, and the brig has a few more people in it, but for the most part the crew are stepping into line and performing their duties. There are many military on board and some of the civilians are following their examples.”
“I'm sure offering everyone a C amp;C helped as well.”
“Only people with their own quarters were offered that privilege. I'm sure the Captain will have them distributed more widely after we've reached port. He expects anyone not tied to a post will be leaving the ship straight away. They're the only restless people aboard according to what I've seen last night. Everyone else has so much to do. The post they're working tells them what tasks they have to perform then they're free to participate in any of the ongoing simulations the Captain and Liam started.”
“Did the Captain sleep last night?”
“I don't know. He spent some time with me last night after the celebrating wound down. Then he went into his quarters until Jane ran into trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“The Captain wanted to tell you about that himself. He's in his ready quarters.”
“You'll be okay while I report?” Asked Stephanie.
“I can stand watch a while longer,” Agameg said with a nervous smile.
Stephanie braced herself as she made her way to the front of the bridge and waited for the door to open. It took a minute, but then the heavy arms pulled the armoured door out of the hatchway to admit her. Captain Valance was looking over an interior holographic scan of a skull. “You're early.”
“So's Ashley, but she's enjoying her new post.”
“And you?”
“I'm pretty sure I'll be happy to work security here.”
“You mean run security. Have a seat Stephanie.”
She sat down in the center chair in front of his desk.
“I'm trying to organize the crew into a military style hierarchy. There have been a few fights and some confusion, so it's necessary. We need order aboard, especially since it looks like we'll be taking on at least another six hundred volunteers when we arrive in port. That head hunter idea you sent me is working out. Almost all the civilians are disembarking and all the military are remaining aboard. They're falling in line well enough, but you'll have to start selecting specific teams and getting to know the people at the top.”
“How many infantry and security specialists do you think we're getting?”
“About a quarter of the volunteers would fit in with your people and won't be used on the gunnery deck.”
Stephanie found herself smiling. “I hope Jane is ready to work with me on this.”
Captain Valance's expression darkened. “She was killed last night.”
“What happened?”
“The night watch picked up a series of encrypted transmission bursts coming from the aft section. Someone had actually gotten our main communications suite working properly without authorization. We still haven't figured out what they were sending, but when Jane Eccleston reported to investigate they tripped an antipersonnel mine. She and her squad were killed instantly. I managed to track down the woman who was behind it, but she killed herself before I could get any useful information.”
“Who was she?”
“Majorel Cillien, One of the crew members we inherited from Wheeler. She was reporting something to Regent Galactic I imagine, but we can't even be sure of that yet. It must have been important if she needed the main comm array, time sensitive. Said she was a West Keeper. I'm sure there's a story behind that, but I have no idea what it is.”
“You should have woken me.”
“I took care of it, you didn't seem like you were in any condition to get on it yourself.”
“Sorry sir.”
“Don't worry about it. Last night was a bad time for people to celebrate, but I think a lot of us needed an impromptu wake. We won't be doing any more of that until we have things settled aboard ship. Part of that is getting you in touch and in command. Are you ready?”
Stephanie took a long deep breath and nodded. “As I'll ever be. I'll be working with Jane's second in command?”
“It looks like, but don't lean on him too much. He had been with Jane for a long time. Use your Lieutenants as much as you can. Just listen to them, delegate, walk the ship and check your watches. You'll do fine,” Captain Valance said with a smile.
“Aye, my training prepared me for this, I just never thought I would be in command on a ship this size.”
“Oh, and you should move into your quarters across the hall. They'll be marked on the roster. I've also assigned quarters to your Lieutenants, anything below that and they're in the ensign berth, two to a room. We'll have single occupant quarters opening up as your teams clear them. I'm thinking you Chiefs can divide them amongst yourselves and use them to reward members of your staff.”
“That's a good idea, I'll see about having the teams sweep those sections, but I'm sure there are higher priorities right now.” She looked for the information on her command unit and found the roster as well as the current watches and living space assignments. Stephanie looked back up to Jake and smiled. He didn't notice, all his attention was back on the detailed internal scan floating above his desk. “Can I ask what that is sir?”
“It's my head. I got paranoid after what happened to Wheeler and Jonas, was wondering if there was anything extra in my system. I found a receiver embedded in the base of my skull. When I highlighted it the computer offered a solution,” he held out a red pill.
“Interesting.”
“It's Freeground technology. Wheeler added it to the materializer database nine years ago. The materializers on Freeground are high resolution enough to create perfect nanobots. Luckily Sol System materializers are the same quality or better, so I made these ones. They'll break the receiver down and it'll be processed out of my system.”
“That's almost too simple.”
“Well, yes and no. I almost missed it, like I said.”
“Going to take that any time soon sir?”
“I will, but I needed you to know what I was doing before I went ahead with it, just in case something goes wrong.”
“Good point.”
“There's one more thing before you go. Today you should take the time to organize, delegate, make sure everyone knows what they're supposed to do and where they're supposed to be. Tomorrow you'll be going planetside to meet with a contact of Frost's, he has some serious intelligence on how Regent Galactic is operating out here.”
“Shouldn't I stay behind to supervise the new crew?”
“That'll be the first test for your second in command and your Lieutenants.”
“A test of trust. A little early, but I could see it working out.”
“Aye, and if there's any major trouble, I can call you back to the ship.”
“Sounds good. Are you going planetside sir?”
“I hope I can handle everything from the ship. I'll be dealing with the Aucharian government, the port authority and the military base here will most likely have something to say to us when their qualified people start boarding the Triton and not returning to the barracks. We're sniping their people with the help of the military that's aboard already. That could get real ugly, wish me luck.”
“You might just need it. How is Alice doing?”
“All right, tired. She's sleeping now. I think she wants to take a bridge watch.”
“Really?”
“Aye. From what I understand she went through officer training with Jonas. That, and she lived through his first and part of his second tour. She might be the most qualified we have. We'll see how she feels when the dust clears. She's been through a lot.”
“A bridge watch though; you just met her yesterday.”
“I know, I'll have someone from the Samson crew on deck with override codes just in case. Something tells me that I don't have much to worry about though, and showing faith in her early on is important. I know I'm feeling a little off balance after yesterday, so I couldn't imagine what she's going through.”
“I know I'd be confused for a start. Maybe a little angry.” Stephanie stood and started to leave. As the door opened she turned around and looked at the Captain, who was just about to take the red pill. “Are we really doing this sir? I mean, Price had it right earlier when he said this is like running an entire city.”
Captain Valance grinned at her and nodded. “Oh, we're doing it and you're the law on this ship as of this morning. Can you handle it?”
“Aye sir, this I can handle.”
Grace Templeton
“How could you let Valent in the same room with Wheeler?” asked Hampon. His angular face was exaggerated thanks to the low quality two dimentional video feed.
“I wasn't anywhere near the brig. Majorel was supposed to be on watch but was retasked. She couldn't exactly take a nap in the next cell. Neither of us knew what would happen.”
“When you were assigned to the Triton we hoped you could handle your people. I'm starting to wonder if we assessed your capabilities incorrectly.”
“I tried to get Valent in stasis after he was exposed to Wheeler, but even he knew there was a chemical reaction under way.”
“Where was your deactivation solution?”
“Regent Galactic never gave me a formula for one. All I could do was send Majorel to get word to you as soon as possible and ensure there was no way to find out what intelligence she was sending. We're doing our best here, but I can only do so much while keeping my cover. This ship is getting organized fast and I'm in a highly visible position. The Minister's failure to gain control was a big setback,” she whispered hurriedly.
“Minister Lorne? He was a peon, a distraction big enough to give your brothers and sisters time to secure their positions. The likelihood of him taking the ship by force was never greater than fifty percent. If we really wanted to use such a grand method of taking over the Triton we would have sent someone Valance would respect for five minutes. Where are they keeping him?”
“In the brig. I was sure he was meant to take the ship so we could exert more control, maybe even keep Jonas and Wheeler apart.”
Hampon sighed and nodded. “The chances of Jonas Valent being present just as Wheeler was detonated were very low, I will grant you. Losing him will cost us dearly. We were hoping he could remain close to Alice and give us an insight into her. Did they discover his data collector?”
“No, there was no autopsy. He died off ship. I was told there was nothing to recover.”
“Considering the sheer size of the explosion that's not surprising.”
Grace shifted in the seat at Frost's desk. His quarters were the perfect place to get some privacy. “We're down to two initiates aboard. Is there a chance you could get us more? He'll be taking more crew members on now that we've made port.”
“I'll see what I can do. The registry is growing, perhaps there's someone trustworthy among them. Until then I need you to stay out of harm's way and collect more data.”
“Anything specific?”
“Just call a general medical assessment of the crew and do a detailed scan of everyone aboard. Work up a profile and send it to me in a burst transmission as soon as you can. We cannot afford to lose our grip on the Triton and with so few operatives left aboard we may have to recruit someone new.”
“It would be better to have someone come in with the applicants.”
“That may not be an option. Things are moving quickly in this sector and we may need everyone we have right where they are. Start feeling people out for interest in the movement. Be discreet.”
“That's asking for trouble.”
“I am making it an order,” Hampon said firmly.
“Yes, Baron Hampon. I'll watch for anyone who might be ready to join the West Keepers. What about Valance? The crew are starting to get behind him, I think you underestimated his popularity.”
“Leave him. We have no idea what will happen now that he's met Valent. If you hear anything about a drastic personality change, or memories from Jonas, send us a burst transmission with as many details as soon as you can.”
“Is there anything in particular I'm supposed to listen for?”
“If he recalls anything about Concordia or the Overlord then he's accessing information we need. Anything else will be incidental.”
“How much do you think he'll remember? If he undergoes any sudden changes should I try to stop it? Put a mental block in place?”
“They are not his memories. He is accessing the Vindyne transfer, you have to remember that. Treating them like externally accessible memories with medical equipment will damage the raw data image we tried to imprint on him.”
“So I shouldn't try to access them directly?”
“No, if you disturb the data it will start to sort itself into a pattern that will suit a digital system. The human brain, as you know, doesn't work that way. If he tries to access the imprint with any electrical instruments you should discourage him. With Valent gone we can't afford to lose whatever he's managed to subconsciously preserve.”
“How much of Valent's memories does he have do you think?”
“Why is that detail so important Grace?”
“I'm curious, it's one of the traits you credit me for, remember?”
“Fine. Our last imprint managed a forty one percent whole transfer.”
“That's not very much.”
“That's remarkable, most transfers didn't start making it past eighteen percent until last year. We performed his imprint seven years ago.”
“I'll take your word for it. Anything else? I have a duty shift coming up.”
“That'll be all. Watch the west to preserve the east.”
“To the east I am true,” she replied automatically as she cut the transmission.
Micromanagement
“There's a group of people waiting to see you in the officers lounge sir. Chief Vega sent them up,” Cynthia said through the secure bridge intercom.
“Did she tell you what it was about?” Captain Valance said as he shut down the log of the Triton's first Captain.
“They're civilians who don't want to leave the ship. She called them believers.”
Jake put on his long coat, wrapped his scarf around his neck and just stopped for a moment. Believers. What now?
“Captain?” queried Cynthia.
“I'm on my way. Thank you Cynthia.”
He opened the private door inside his quarters, just to the right of the ladder, and walked down the slim hallway leading to the command deck causeway. Alice was already there, half way to his ready room. She smiled at him. “Hey you.”
He smiled in return before accepting a brief embrace. “I'm on my way to meet some civilians who don't want to leave.”
“I was just coming to say goodbye before we set off. The Clever Dream is all ready. I can't wait to get her fuelled up.”
“Good luck, don't get too distracted down there.”
“I'll try not to. Good luck with the civvies.”
Captain Valance sighed as they started walking down the small corridor to the main causeway. “I think I'll need it. This ship, as much as I'm enjoying it already, is turning into so much more than I expected. Sometimes I think Wheeler had the right idea; automate most systems so you only have to manage a crew of one hundred or less.”
“And only use ten percent of her weapons, a few rooms and barely even look at most of this?” she gestured to the broad hall of the command deck with her arms upraised and spread out wide. It was busier than ever. The security and intelligence compartment was fully manned. Stephanie had made it the nerve center for managing the crew, on board security and there were even a few people who only worked to collect potentially useful information from unsecured transmissions picked up outside.
There were other crewmembers in the hallway as well. Some of the maintenance crew were starting to work on non-critical systems on the command deck. A number of problems were discovered when they started opening up the officer's quarters.
There were also a number of meetings taking place. With six briefing rooms, the command deck was a place for all the senior officers to gather their people at the beginning of a shift or major operations. With a command structure in place, orientations, training sessions and mission preparations were constantly under way. Every time a meeting was completed a report was filed with the bridge staff, and Cynthia did her best to make sure they were sorted by department and priority with the help of four other volunteers of various qualifications. “I mean, this is a lot more like you,” she said with a smile. “You're different from Jonas, that's true, but some things you can't change. This is where you belong, just as much as him, and I couldn't imagine anyone else who could command an independent carrier. Doesn't watching all this come back online feel good?”
Jake smiled at her. “Sure it does, but it's overwhelming. I'll deal with it though, Stephanie just took on the Chief of Security post, that'll take a lot off my shoulders. Just don't tell the rest of the crew I need to delegate.”
Alice laughed and nodded. “I won't.”
“You're right though. I've never wanted anything more than to see this ship in it's glory. I never thought I'd have an opportunity like this.”
“That's what Jonas thought when he was given command of the First Light. He also had Ayan to think about. She was amazing. Intelligent, disciplined, fun, very pretty.”
“I don't think I'll be getting involved with our Chief Engineer in quite the same way,” Jake said with a crooked grin.
The comment took Alice by surprise and she laughed so hard a few bypassers couldn't help but look and smile.
He waited for her to stop laughing before going on. “But I would like to hear more about Ayan. I think I had a dream about her last night.”
Alice regarded him more seriously. “Really? I thought you didn't have any of his memories.”
“Well, I've never really seen Ayan before but somehow I know it was her. Besides, Jonas didn't know if I had wiped the memories clean or suppressed them. It's strange, I know they're not my memories but that's not the way it feels. We'll have to talk more about this later.”
“We will. Stephanie and Frost are waiting, See you soon.”
There was a guard at either side of the main observation lounge doors, their new black vacsuits with single stripe ranks on their sleeves told him they were ranked as able crewmen. They held Aucharian rifles across their chests and wore heavy impact helmets, the only fixtures that indicated their origin.
“Good morning Captain. Chief Vega ordered us here to manage the crowd, but they're keeping themselves in good order. We compiled a list of whose inside and they insisted that we list their trades beside their names. Chief Grady just joined them.”
“Thank you.” Captain Valance looked at the list. There were over sixty people there, ranging from a few non-speciality labourers to a surveyor, a bellhop, veterinarian and even a speech therapist.
“Permission to speak freely sir?” requested the other guard.
“Yes?” Jake said, not looking up from the chip, scrolling through the holographic list.
“If you could at least find a way to keep Andie aboard, I'd really appreciate it.”
Jake zoomed in her her profile and raised an eyebrow. “A hair stylist.”
“Aye sir. No grooming system has the same touch.”
He turned the projection off, transferred the list into his Command Unit and handed the chip back. “No promises. They're all looking to stay aboard?”
“Aye sir.”
Jake braced himself and stepped up to the double doors. They parted and to his surprise the sound level inside was reasonably low. They were all enjoying materialized food, up to seven or eight to a table, and taking in the broad view looking out into space.
Chief Liam Grady wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood, greeting him at the door. “That was faster than expected.”
“I was in my ready quarters. How's my ship, Chief?”
“Good, we're working on power plants four and five and making repairs to several sections that show some old combat damage.”
“That's not why I'm here,” Captain Valance whispered as he smiled uneasily at some of the people who stared at him. They were different ages, most of them didn't wear vacsuits, and many had their bags with them. The seats in the blue and crimson coloured officers lounge were full and a few security guards stood against the walls. Most of them were quietly talking to one or more of the civilians, the environment was relaxed.
Liam smiled at the Captain. “That's not why you're here,” he confirmed, straightening the collar of his new vacsuit. His robes were loosely closed around it. “Most of these people are from Enreega and now that Regent Galactic has taken possession of the system they don't want to go back.”
“We have a lot of people in the same position in the upper berth. They're signing in with their government so they can be resettled.”
“These people don't want to be resettled. They want to stay here, on the Triton. ”
“This is a ship of war, Liam. Not only that but we haven't even explored the whole thing. It's over seven hundred forty meters long and even wider. That comes out to about sixteen hundred square kilometres of surface area not including the hangars. God knows what's in that much space, especially since she hasn't had a full crew in nearly forty years.”
“That number's actually a little low, Captain. The ship is a little larger,” Liam corrected. He was still smiling calmly.
“My plan here is to crew up, train our people and start hitting Regent Galactic where it hurts. Eventually we're going to get into a fight that costs us, whether we choose it or not. I don't want anyone not ready to make that kind of sacrifice to be aboard when it happens.”
“Pardon me, Captain, but I think we've all thought of that,” said a woman with dark, cascading curls. She was a drastic contrast to her surroundings in a loose skirt that hung down to her ankles and a light blouse that was in no way made for space travel. She was well spoken and had an accent that indicated she most likely grew up near the core worlds. “There are Eden ships out there, Regent Galactic is taking whatever they can and nothing feels safe. I was on my way from Veldin Four because it was too hard to make a living there. I was almost forced to live like a beggar no matter how many hours I put in. I finally saved enough to take a voyage out and almost got killed. I'm sure you've heard the story a few times already, but I've lived it. As far as I'm concerned, this is where I want to be. If I can help here I'd like to. I'll take room and board at the quality it's available, it beats how I was living on Veldin. If there's no need for what I do, then I can learn to do something else.”
“Tell them what you do Mischa,” Liam encouraged quietly.
“I'm a massage therapist with twelve years of certified experience,” she said proudly.
Captain Valance smiled at her and looked back to Liam. “Outside,” He whispered before leaving the room.
Liam followed him out into the hallway a couple minutes later. “They're all anxious to sign up and help however they can.”
“Did they send their requests to the bridge?”
“Most of them did and had them denied.”
“For good reason. What am I going to do with a massage therapist, a tiler, or even a hairstylist?”
“They'll see to the crew's well being. Well, perhaps not the tiler, but I'm sure he'd be happy to move into a related trade.”
“What related trade would he move into?”
“I don't know, there are a lot of options. Ceramic fitter for example, the energy transfer systems use advanced ceramics for insulation and containment all over the ship.” Liam looked to the guard behind Jake. “Soldier, how long is your duty shift?”
“Twelve hours sir.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“Eight. We're doing two long shifts and four short shifts a week according to the schedule that was released this morning.”
“What will you be doing after getting off today?”
“I'm volunteering to help clean up the abandoned sections of the ship for two hours.”
“After that?” asked Liam.
The soldier hesitated a moment. “I have no idea sir. Maybe go to the pilot's lounge, but it'll probably be full. I'll probably end up in my temporary rack for most of my downtime, get some time in the ship wide simulations before I get some shuteye.”
“So on long shift days you have four extra hours you don't know what to do with, and regular days leave you with eight.”
“Yes sir.”
Liam looked back to Jake and crossed his arms. “We're busy now, getting the ship back in shape, running simulations and setting up the departments, but at this rate we'll be fit in a week, maybe two. Then we'll be in training somewhere in dead space if I'm guessing your plan correctly. The Triton will feel hollow without some people at her core bringing some colour and entertainment. People will start getting restless.”
“I can't pay these people what they deserve to earn.”
“They're not looking for payment, they're looking to live in the center of a carrier the size of most colonies,” Liam's eyes searched Jake's expression, which had lightened from its former serious disposition. There was an uncertainty he hadn't seen before. “What's really holding you back from this?” he whispered.
Captain Valance walked across the broad hall to the other wall, where the guards couldn't overhear. “I caught a saboteur last night, she had already killed an entire squad of soldiers. You lost someone in engineering earlier today, and Jonas Valent gave his life for the ship. Taking the Triton is costing people their lives. We haven't even seen combat yet.”
“We can keep civilians at the core of the ship. There are plenty of crew compartments around the botanical gallery The ship blueprints even designate them as family quarters. It's the safest part of the Triton, made to look and act like a town square with three levels of store fronts. This ship was built by people from our homeworld, designed using over a thousand years of spacial and nautical experience for voyages that last decades or longer away from port if need be. It makes sense that they'd ensure anyone aboard could make it a home they can enjoy. As far as combat is concerned, I'm sure some of them would volunteer for training in damage control or be content to hide in the center of the ship. Besides, they all believe in what you're going to do out here and they know you from the transmissions they've seen on the Stellarnet and on Hart News.”
“I don't want to have these people's lives on my conscience if we were to take damage exactly where they're all holed up, or if the worst were to happen and we were to lose her.”
“Then make it their decision. Scare them half to death if you have to, but I'm telling you that allowing them to remain, to make themselves useful will work out. Before long you might just be getting a massage and a haircut. Maybe your pilot, the one who was getting along with Alice the other night-”
“-Ashley,” the Captain filled in.
“Right, Ashley. Maybe she could benefit from speech therapy.”
Captain Valance leaned against the bulkhead and thought for a minute. “Have them elect a civilian leader. You're in charge until then, but don't let it interfere with your duties.”
Liam grinned and nodded. “I knew I'd like you. They've already elected Mischa.”
“Well then, time for me to make it official,” Captain Valance said as he strode back to the observation lounge. “You might just get that haircut after all,” he mentioned to the guards at the door as he strode by.
Silence settled over the observation lounge as all eyes were drawn to Captain Valance. Liam took a seat at one of the front tables.
“I'm willing to allow you to remain aboard on a trial basis,” several of the civilians began to applaud, they were overjoyed. “On a trial basis!” Captain Valance shouted over the building din. The crowd came back under control within seconds. “You'll be responsible for cleaning up the quarters surrounding the botanical gallery and the garden itself. Triton's security force will provide support by way of law enforcement and you'll receive two squads to check quarters before you begin working. Other than that you'll be self governed and each be assigned a living space. Until we get communications policies and security measures in place, there will be no communications with the outside. I expect we'll have that set up sometime this week, then you'll be allowed to send messages to family. If you want to invite someone to live here with you it'll have to clear with ship intelligence, which could take weeks. We'll also go communications silent often, so don't expect to have much contact with the outside universe. I'm sure there will be other restrictions put in place while some will be lifted entirely. Be ready to adjust to changes.
Until everything is settled, I expect everyone to take a basic communicator unit and make themselves a vacsuit. You can wear it under your clothing if you like but I need each and every one of you ready for emergencies. Until further notice you won't be permitted on the command deck without an escort, that includes the officer's lounge. You're also not to access any weaponized or secure section of the ship like the gunnery deck or torpedo rooms. If you're unsure of whether you are allowed to be somewhere, find an officer or a soldier. If you're going to stay on my ship and make a life here, I want you to be as safe and secure as possible. This is a warship and I hope none of you come to harm. I'll do everything I can to prevent it but there's always a chance someone will be injured or killed,” Captain Valance scanned the crowd. Even after his warning and the conditions he had put down most of them were smiling, eager. He relaxed a little and smiled back. “Welcome to the Triton, ” He finished before turning and leaving the room. Staffing a bridge with people who have a hundred hours of learning ahead of them, exploring a ship that's been neglected for forty years, choosing Chiefs of staff and finding out I'm the duplicate of someone eight sectors away I can handle. This city ship business is getting complicated. He thought to himself as the room behind him became filled with the sounds of excited chatter.
“I have Defence Minister Timmer on the comm for you sir,” Cynthia broke in on Jake's subdermal communicator.
“Looks like everyone thinks I'm important today,” he replied as he waited for the bridge doors to part enough for him to walk inside. “Put her up on the main holodisplay on my signal,” he ordered aloud so Cynthia could hear her from the communications station.
She nodded, her and the pair she had recruited from the list of applicants were busy at work. They were only representative of the dozen people she had him approve for communications, the rest were in the intelligence compartment located just down the main hall. Cynthia was growing into her duties quickly despite how she struggled with them.
“Helm, report,” Jake requested.
“We're linked into Navnet and are in port approved station keeping with the planet.”
“Flight deck.”
Paula looked up at him from flight deck control below the main bridge. He could see her at the main semicircular control station just in front of the Captain's chair. “Managed. The Clever Dream just departed. We're using three boarding shuttles left behind by our Aucharian friends to move refugees to orbital station nine. The ships with our new crew members are docking in turn and dropping off the new recruits. It's all ballet so far but one screw up could turn it into a slam dance.”
“Do we have anyone at a gunnery post?”
“We have the bay guns and a tractor station manned. The Deck Chief couldn't spare anyone else.”
“Thank you Assistant Chief Paula.”
She nodded and turned back to her station, monitoring the activities of hangar two, readiness of ships as well as incoming and outgoing traffic. She had a team of eight with her who were from Deck Chief Angelo's crew.
“Anything else to report?” Captain Valance asked the bridge staff.
“Intelligence has gathered data from wireless noise that thousands of Aucharian citizens are fleeing this system. They're afraid Regent Galactic are about to make one big push now that their home system has fallen under their control,” Cynthia reported. “We're getting a lot of applicants from the planet, I'm replying with a standard message detailing our application procedures.”
“I'm wondering, what application procedures?”
“The ones my team put together based on the crew requests from the Chiefs. Frost requested gunners, Stephanie followed suit and requested trained military for a number of posts, then Chief Grady got in on it. Even Angelo, I mean, Chief Vercelli, put a list together. My team put a job posting together along with a clip of your speech to the crew about no one really getting paid but having a place and a purpose and we're sending it out to applicants. Intelligence is screening people using the citizen database and access codes from the Samson. We should be able to go through sixty applicants an hour.”
Jake looked at her, surprised. “Thank you Cynthia. Your team is doing some good work, I'm impressed.”
Cynthia smiled at him wearily, she looked near exhausted, but very pleased with herself. “Would you like me to put the Minister on?”
“Aye,” he replied, straightening his long coat. Sitting in that large Captain's chair, he looked every bit the Master of his ship.
“Captain Valance. Thank you for delivering our refugees,” Minister Timmer said with a smile and a cool tone.
“I have something else that belongs to you. Minister Lorne. He seemed to be under the impression that he had some kind of rights to the Triton.”
“Oh? I was under the impression you took him captive and encouraged his men to join your crew.”
“We're both right. He shot me, killed a number of my people, nearly killed my Security Chief and started a boarding action that resulted in more deaths. All this while demanding I transfer command of the Triton to him. So I had him legitimize my ownership of the Triton and tossed him in the brig. Then I offered his men a place on my ship. The butcher's bill is on his head, and you're damn lucky I don't collect.”
“I see.”
“You look surprised.”
“I'm sorry, I thought you were privateering from the Samson. How you could capture a ship like the Triton is beyond me. The idea of you crewing and managing such a vessel like that is unfathomable. He was acting in everyone's best interest, I'm sure.”
“His decision will cost him. How much is wholly up to you.”
“Are you holding him hostage?”
“No, I'm just undecided on exactly how he'll be leaving my ship. I could send him on a shuttle with the refugees or toss him out an airlock in a plastic bag.”
“What do you want Jacob?” Minister Timmer asked, certain his threats weren't idle.
Jake leaned forward, his long coat made a creaking sound as it ground against the material of the chair. “I want to know why Eden Fleet vessels are disabling or destroying everything in your space. They've never come out this far and normally they kill a lot more people. They skipped over at least a dozen resource rich systems and hit Enreega directly. I'd also like to know why Regent Galactic was just a few hours behind. I need to know everything you do.”
The Minister looked stunned. “Why? What would you do with the information?”
“I'll be honest, I'm looking for a way in. I want to hurt Regent Galactic where I can without getting jumped by anything we can't take on.”
“How would Eden Fleet data help you?”
“If you don't already know then you're in worse shape than we are,” he pressed the interface pad on his command and control unit to open an internal link. “Security. Dress Minister Lorne in a disposable vacsuit and toss him out the airlock with a portable beacon immediately.”
“This won't do much for your relationship with us Jacob,” Minister Timmer warned.
“Then share something that will give us some direction. The worse the risk that I'll get jumped by Eden Fleet ships while we're going after sensitive Regent Galactic assets, the less likely I am to hit more effective targets. In other words, the more I know, the more I'll be able to help.”
“I couldn't clear that with our Intelligence Agency.”
“You're the Minister of Defence, if you can't find a loophole, make one.”
“That's not going to happen. Is there anything else I can offer you?”
“You've lost access to the majority of resources, one of your senior staff has shown a hostile disposition towards my crew and you're in no position to offer the kind of rewards I require. I'm not interested in doing charity work, Minister. You'll know where to pick up Lorne.”
“That's the end of our relationship then?”
“If you're not willing to share intelligence then we're done. A little advice though; don't do anything that could even look threatening, that includes sending spies aboard my ship. I'll send them back, but you won't like the shape they're in. Captain Valance out.”
Cynthia closed the channel and went about her business.
“Sir, the Minister is in an emergency vacsuit, we're ready to follow your orders,” came the message from Security.
Jake sat back in his chair and thought for a moment. “Double check his seals and the beacon then send him out. They'll send a shuttle for him.”
“Aye sir.”
That was either the best or worst decision I've made since boarding the Triton. On one hand dead limbs have to be cut off, and the Aucharians are definitely necrotic. On the other I'm in no condition to turn away a potential friend. The memory of the Minister demanding command of the Triton returned then and he shook his head. I had to make a statement. They have to know I can't be walked on. They're desperate enough to listen if I open communications with them again. Still, watching this play out is going to be interesting. I really have no idea what their reaction will be. Jake thought as he rubbed the end of his white silk scarf between his thumb and forefinger.
“Captain, we're getting very strange signals from the Clever Dream. It's uploading something,” Cynthia said from her station.
“Send me the header,” Jake ordered as he looked at his command unit. The header began scrolling and he brought it up holographically so he could see the whole transmission in all its layers. “Cut power to our receiver!” he ordered. “Shut it down!”
Cynthia floundered for a moment then started working. “It'll take a couple minutes sir.”
“Too long.” He turned to the engineering station. “If you can find a faster way, then do it. I don't care if we have to rebuild the secondary array.”
The woman at the engineering station, assigned by Chief Grady, worked the controls and communicated with engineering directly. A few seconds later she looked up from her station. “It's done.”
The communications station screens went blank, all holographic images disappeared at the same time. Cynthia sat back. “What did you do?”
“We cut power to the array and comms.”
“Navnet's down. We can still hold station just fine, but if port control wants us to get out of someone else's way-” Ashley said, working with Larry to increase the detail of their sensor sweeps.
“Do the best you can.”
“We have docking operations underway!” Paula called up.
“All right,” Captain Valance replied, standing up and glaring at Paula. “That header was some kind of virus. It was already starting to connect with one of the ship artificial intelligences. So here's what's going to happen. We're going to delete any trace of that upload and put a filter in place that will only accept voice transmissions. It will block all operational data files.”
“Aye sir,” Cynthia said as her team started working. “I'll get everyone on it.”
“How long before we have communications?” Paula asked.
“About two minutes,” Cynthia replied.
“Not fast enough. What are my people supposed to do down there? Wave them in?”
“Calm down, I'm sure the Chief knows how to wave incomers off. We have lights and one way emergency transmitters for that.” Captain Valance reassured Paula hastily.
“What kind of ship loses communications in the middle of-”
“Everyone's doing the best they can, and if that was a virus meant to do damage to the ship or crew through our ship artificial intelligences then we'd have one hell of a lot more to deal with. Now get your eyes back on your station or get off my bridge,” Captain Valance said firmly.
Assistant Chief Paula Mendle looked back down at her screens muttering; “aye Captain.”
Captain Valance's personal communicator beeped mildly, indicating he had an incoming transmission. “Yes,” he said quietly.
“It's Liam. One of the on board AI's just tried to take control of a generator. We deleted it and its brother AI. I didn't have time to work on a more elegant solution through communications and intelligence.”
“That's all right. I'm wondering, aren't those artificial intelligences the most basic, minimally functioning thinking programs?”
“Aye sir, but they were infected with something. We had to delete that as well. I'd hate to see what that infection would do to a more complex AI.”
“We might just see it yet. Why are you on private comms with me on this?”
“I wanted to minimize anxiety and I wanted advice on how to proceed with our new intelligence operations department. In previous positions I've found doing another department's job can cause difficulties.”
“Go ahead and tell them what happened. How are our civillians doing?”
“They're working on the botanical garden while soldiers clear apartments for them.”
“Well, wish them luck for me. I'd spend an hour or so down there myself, but the bridge is busy.”
“Oh, I understand. I'm on for at least another eight hours in engineering before I see my bed again. I'll contact the bridge if there are any other developments.”
“Thank you Chief Grady.”
“One more thing. You should start thinking about a memorial service for everyone who lost family on Enreega and for Jonas.”
“When the dust clears Chief.”
“Aye. Chief Grady out.”