Twilight Serenade, page 23
part #6 of Earth Song Series
“Why do they think they’re building orbital starship facilities, if most humans are unaware we have ships?” Lilith wondered.
“We told them we’re going to build ships to explore other planets in our system,” Minu said. “We won’t have to hide the truth much longer.” At least she hoped they wouldn’t. Humans now had 12 capital ships and 66 Eseel gunboats. Lilith estimated it could take as many as 20,000 crew to effectively man all those ships. It was a daunting figure.
“Highguard Station Alpha, this is Kaatan inbound,” Minu radioed as they slid into a lower orbit a few thousand kilometers away. “This is First Minu Groves returning home.”
“Kaatan, this is Highguard Alpha,” a practiced voice replied. “Welcome home, First Groves!”
“Good to be home, Station. We’ll park at two kilometers and come over via shuttle.”
“Unnecessary, Kaatan. Docking Station #1 is operational. We’re sending a navigational radar beam, now, to guide you in.”
Lilith looked impressed and nodded when she received the data.
“Very well, Station, we are on approach. Be advised, two Eseel will remain at a distance on autonomous control.”
“Acknowledged, Kaatan. A reception party is on the way up from the surface and should arrive at the same time as you.”
“Understood. Kaatan out.”
The approach was simple for Lilith. Maneuvering in combat at fractions of C against multiple enemies was her natural environment. Snuggling up to a station still under construction was no stretch, even with several Phoenix shuttles, a dozen orbital tugs, and a myriad of suited construction people and bots.
The majority of the Eseel peeled off, racing out of sight to take up their long watches. The final two spread out and slowed as they approached the station.
All over the station, reflective helmets turned to gawk at the slowly approaching Kaatan. Minu watched work come to a gradual stop. She could see suited figures pointing and waving. Then she realized why. Most of these people had never seen an actual starship. This is just the first of many, she thought to herself.
The ship nudged the docking collar on the largely skeletal station. A little display window created by Lilith showed the hard dock. The station’s collar changed shape to perfectly match the Kaatan’s lock.
“Looks like human tech,” Aaron said with a gleam in his eye. Minu knew he was hoping Groves Industries had built it.
“We have a good dock,” Lilith said. “And another Phoenix shuttle has just arrived from the surface.”
“We’ll see you at the airlock,” Minu told her daughter and headed out of the CIC, followed by Aaron.
In their quarters, they found Mindy still asleep. Minu bundled the baby up in the sling Cherise gave to her when she first came aboard. Aaron shouldered the baby’s bag and both of their packs.
“Let’s go,” Minu said and headed for the airlock.
The inside lock irised open, showing the more conventional, swinging design used by the humans. That door opened at the same time, revealing the party waiting for them.
Minu stepped into the lock and stopped when she saw Michael Franken, a three-black-star Chosen at the front of the reception party. She’d first gotten to know him as the launch room commander many years earlier, and he had been her suggestion to command the Space Division.
He stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “First, welcome home.”
“Glad to see Dram picked you for Station Commander,” Minu said and returned the bow, tucking Mindy in as she did. “Kaatan returning. Request permission to come aboard.”
“Granted,” he said and gestured inside.
Minu noted that his formerly brown hair was going gray.
“That’s enough of that shit,” growled the deep bass tenor of her second-in-command. Minu tried to bow but found herself pulled into a careful hug instead. “And you brought a future Chosen with you?”
“Not if I can help it,” Minu grumbled as Dram stroked the baby’s hair and placed a kiss on her head.
“I seem to recall your father saying something like that many years ago about his daughter.” Minu harrumphed. “Black hair? I wondered if you’d only have redheads.”
“Blame me for that one,” Aaron said, and the two men shook hands warmly.
“Damn fine to have you back, Son,” Dram said. “I knew the cats couldn’t kill you that easily. Have fun playing hooky with the squirrels?”
“Not hardly, sir.”
“No more of that ‘sir’ crap. Remember, you’re retired. Unless you want to go back to work?”
“I have plenty of work without putting a uniform back on, thanks.”
Behind Dram, Gregg and two of his division commanders waited patiently at attention, resplendent in their tiger-stripe-uniforms.
Minu gently removed Mindy, still sleeping in the sling, and handed her to Aaron. Minu came to attention, and Gregg brought his right hand up in a crisp salute, the two division commanders matching him precisely.
Minu matched the salute, and they dropped it simultaneously before everyone smiled, and the Rangers stepped forward.
“First,” Gregg said and gestured to his two subordinates. “Your two newest division commanders. This is Major Prescott Blackman, Division Three. And this is Heather Mansford, Division Six.”
Minu stepped up and shook their hands. She’d known both were on the list for a potential third star and a division commander slot; however, she left the operation of the Rangers to Gregg, and he made appointments as he saw fit.
“Prescott, glad to see you again,” Minu said. “You worked on the field deployment of the shock rifles, didn’t you?”
“Correct ma’am,” he said.
“Coming into an established division, I hope you didn’t find too much work waiting for you?”
“No ma’am,” he said. “We had some losses to fill after Planet K, but that’s pretty much taken care of. We’re ready for service.”
“Excellent,” Minu said and turned to the woman. She was one of the few women who participated in the Trials before Minu.
Unlike Minu, she hadn’t spent time in deep space where FTL flight slowed the years. Her blond hair was cut short and scattered with gray, but her face still bore the same hard, intense lines. Minu wondered if she had pulled any strings for this promotion.
“Heather, good to see you again.”
“And you, ma’am.”
“Is Division Six ready for service?”
“Not quite,” she admitted. Minu lifted an eyebrow, and she continued. “Fort Kalashnikov is proving difficult to bring online. We’re having local supply problems.”
Minu looked at Gregg who nodded, then shrugged. Minu sighed, and her shoulders fell a bit. The decision to build a fort in Rusk territory had been a necessary part of her master defense plan and a sore spot from day one. They’d resisted it every step of the way, despite the jobs and income it brought to the region.
“Do you need help with that?” Minu asked Gregg.
“No,” he said without hesitation. “We’re behind schedule, but we’ll get it done.”
“Your reports are amazing,” Dram said. “An entire star system, in an impossible to find location, next to a neutron star?”
“Magnetar,” Minu corrected. “Apparently it’s different.” Lilith, who was floating nearby, nodded her head. “The entire system within the nebula is invisible. You could fly around in there for weeks or months and not find anything. But there’s no reason to look around in there, because I have a plan.”
“Don’t you always?” Dram asked, then winked.
* * * * *
Chapter 30
Julast 8th, 535 AE
Office of the First, Ft. Jovich, Peninsula Territory, Bellatrix
Minu closed her office door as the last of the meeting attendees filed out. As it latched closed she sighed and almost fell back against it. In the seven days she’d been home, she’d been putting in non-stop, 15-hour days in preparation for leaving yet again.
She stretched, feeling her back crack, as she crossed to her desk. She missed zero-gravity and she regretted leaving Cherise in Aether with the salvage operation.
Minu had plans within plans, many of them begun dozens of years earlier, long before she was First. They all had the same outcome; increased security for humanity. Ever since the Rasa vendetta, it had been her driving goal.
She passed her desk and went to the side door. It had originally led to a file room, but she’d had it expanded into her workplace nursery. Opening the door, she heard the rich musical tones of a woman singing. Ariana sat with Mindy in her lap, singing a lullaby. The little girl cooed and watched the older woman with her bright jade eyes. Ariana winked as Minu quietly closed the door and continued to enjoy the tableau. The woman had been her assistant for many years, and Minu had joked about her always being pregnant.
Ariana finished her song and spoke. “Glad you finished. She’s hungry.” Mindy looked around. Spotting her mother, she reached out with a pudgy hand.
“Hi baby,” Minu said as she walked over and picked her up. Mindy pulled impatiently at the fold in Minu’s uniform as she settled into a chair and slipped a shoulder out of her jumpsuit. In moments Mindy was suckling busily.
“And you were worried you wouldn’t be able to make enough milk?” Ariana joked as she got up and stretched noisily. “I’m kinda glad I’m done.”
“After eight, I’d think you’d be ecstatic,” Minu said in a fake mocking tone. Ariana shrugged.
“I’m going to head home, if you don’t need anything more.”
“No, I’m fine. I’m going to nurse Miss Hungry here, then make a few notes before turning in.”
“You’re heading for the island tomorrow?”
“That’s the plan. I miss my man.”
Ariana headed for the door, stopping just before she left. “You two can’t let life pass you by. Remember that before you spend the best years of your life in space.”
“I’ll try, Ariana.”
A half hour later, Minu was in her office, and Mindy slept in her crib. She’d opened the connecting door so she could hear the baby if she woke up. The vista overlooking the equatorial sea was, for a change, calm. Romulus cast a green glow across the ocean, and only rare whitecaps were visible.
Minu sat in her chair for a minute, admiring the view, before turning back to her desk. She activated the room’s substantial holographic displays using recessed controls in the desk and brought up a huge map of the galaxy. The map showed the better part of two arms, including the one where home was located. Important start systems oscillated blue/green while others, representing hazards or previous combat engagements, were red or orange.
She stood and moved into the display, using her finger to draw a line between Bellatrix and Serengeti. Then she drew another from Serengeti to Herd Home and from Herd Home to Coorson. She continued for almost an hour, drawing numerous connections that spread across both arms of the galaxy. When she finished, she made a sweeping gesture, brought up a calculating subroutine, and touched the lines.
“Proposed Route Totals,” she typed in. The computer program, created by Lilith, generated the totals.
“Total Distance Outlined—7,200 Light Years.”
Minu whistled. That was quite a space lane she’d laid out. It connected a half dozen major worlds and twice that many minor ones.
She called up the control program again and typed in “T’Chillen.” The computer illuminated a dozen worlds. She assigned them a color and a pattern, then did the same with the Mok-Tok and the Tanam.
Her space lane passed within a dozen light years of ten worlds belonging to the three most aggressive higher order species, which was one of the main reasons she’d made the Beezer her traders.
After the battle on Serengeti, Minu did her research. The Tanam hadn’t attacked Serengeti because of the Beezer; they had been after the humans. Or perhaps, they were attempting to draw out the Tog. Either way, the Beezer had not been the target. As non-defined adversaries, the Ibeen, under Beezer command, should essentially be safe.
There were pirates in the galaxy, at least according to the Tog. They flew ancient or cobbled together ships that mostly preyed on surviving space stations. They also led raids on small, undefended worlds. Only higher order species could afford orbital defenses.
Even though pirates typically targeted small worlds and weak orbital structures, they could set their sights on an unarmed starship. Minu was confident the Ibeen could take care of themselves. They were fast and had adequate shields, although they were lightly armed. They were no match for a capital ship, even a tiny one, but they could hold their own in most situations. Besides, the Beezer could fight, when cornered, and having their ship boarded in space would fall under the definition of being cornered.
Minu next added Nexus, an extremely important world. It was a long way off, more than 10,000 light years from Bellatrix. Then she added Aether which was just over 1,000 light years away. And finally, she added Enigma which was 1,400 light years from Bellatrix. She measured from there to an earlier system and nodded.
“Okay,” she said. “This could work.”
The ancient wall clock chimed 12 times, and she looked up. Made from native wood, it had belonged to her father. That and the sapphire around her neck were the only possessions of her father’s in her office. She wondered how the two hours since Ariana’s departure had passed so quickly.
She gestured to save the map and shut the hologram down. Then Minu went into the adjacent room and closed the door. She slipped out of her uniform and dropped it over a chair. She stood next to the crib and reached out to stroke Mindy’s hair, then flipped off the light before climbing into bed.
Minu preferred to cuddle with the baby at night, but Mindy wiggled, and every time she moved, Minu instinctively woke up. She needed to get some quality sleep in the five hours before she had to get up, so she slept alone.
As she pulled the pillow close, she felt he hardness of her beamcaster pistol under the top edge of the mattress and nodded, glad her housekeeper hadn’t moved it. Surrounded by a fort full of soldiers, with a gun close at hand, she quickly drifted into an almost dreamless sleep.
* * * * *
Chapter 31
Julast 9th, 535 AE
Chosen Administrative Headquarters, Steven’s Pass
Minu woke a couple of minutes before her bedside chronometer went off, as was common for her. Most of the time, she only needed a wakeup alarm when she was on a foreign world where her day-night cycle was interrupted.
She got up and, after checking that Mindy was still asleep, slipped into the shower. She finished and was toweling her hair dry when Mindy turned her head and began looking around.
“Morning baby,” Minu cooed. Mindy pushed with her legs and rolled herself over.
“Wow!” Minu exclaimed, running over to the crib. Mindy was on her belly and seemed as surprised as her mother. “What an awesome little girl you are!” Minu exclaimed and scooped her up.
Mindy noticed her mother’s bare breasts and instantly forgot she’d been about to fuss about being picked up. Minu tossed her towel over a chair and plunked down in it so her daughter could have breakfast.
“Commanders always eat last,” she said, repeating one of her father’s bits of leader wisdom.
At 0530, Minu sat Mindy down in her crib. The baby looked curiously at her unusual surroundings, and that bought Minu the minute she needed. She pulled open her bottom desk drawer and removed a pile of files. The bottom of the drawer looked normal, until she pushed hard in the center of a knot in the wood. The drawer clicked, and she pulled it out, setting it on the floor.
The desk had no bottom. The ceramic concrete floor was visible, and a control panel was inset in it. Minu pressed her thumb to it, and the panel beeped. A keypad appeared, and she entered a code before replacing the drawer and the files.
She moved over to one of the flat-panel displays set in the wall and pulled it open to reveal a safe set in the ceramic concrete. Again, she pressed her thumb against a control panel and entered a code in a keypad. The safe opened, revealing four smaller safes, all similarly secured. She opened the bottom left one, following the same procedures.
Only a couple of people knew that a code had to be entered into the floor keypad before opening the safe in the wall or the results would be catastrophic for anyone in the room. The security of the contents was that important.
The door popped open, and she reached inside, finding what she wanted. “There you are,” she said and dropped the item into a special pocket on her uniform before closing the safes and resetting the monitor.
Minu scooped Mindy up and walked out of her office.
In the hallway, Minu could hear the echoes of drill instructors barking orders and the distant thrum of boots pounding the deck. Morning exercises and training were underway. Minu rode the lift deep down into the massive ceramic concrete fort, until it was no longer concrete but living stone that surrounded her.
The doors opened, revealing a trio of heavily armed Rangers, two of whom manned beamcaster turrets with active energy shields.
“Identification, ma’am!” the leader ordered.
“Minu Groves, First Among the Chosen!” she responded promptly. A console popped out of the floor and rose to waist level.
“Code verification, ma’am.”
Minu punched in her personal access code. The leader took out his tablet and examined the display.
“Thank you, First,” he said and came to attention. “Stand down.” The men at the turrets relaxed and pointed their weapons at the ceiling, though still in the general direction of the lift. “Orders?”
“Open the vault, please.”
The soldier nodded and entered a code on his tablet. The wall split between the turrets and swung inward, revealing the door of a massive vault. In the center stood a portal, shimmering in milky white. Mindy reached out a hand toward it, her eyes sparkling in the reflected light.
