Dana Cartwright Mission 3: Kal-King (20 page)

“Not to worry…and I can get that,” Dana assured.

McHale straightened up, wincing from the pain down his leg.

“It still bothers you?” Dana observed.

“Still…”

“I could take a look,” she offered, “maybe give a second opinion. Serge may have missed something.”

“After the conference, I’m retiring,” McHale admitted. “That goes no farther than this room. Bought a small cabin on a lake north of Capitol City, Earth.”

“Near Estes Park?” She smiled. “That’s my home turf. Look up Doctor Greg Cartwright when you get there. My adoptive brother is an avid fly fisherman.”

“I’ll do that,” McHale grinned.

“Thank you, sir,” she offered.

“My pleasure...” He could tell she was disappointed. “What about you? You could re-up.”

“I’m not ready to make a decision.”

He nodded, watched her leave, then returned to the viewer and called up the full list of the Enturians accompanying the Ambassadorial delegation. Ruling out Gage and Brandenberg, that left Marina Carver, daughter of Terrin CEDA Hale, the former Master Captain.

“Son of a gun…” He remarked, looking at the image on the screen, seeing a very strong resemblance between Marina Carver and Dana Cartwright — except for the eyes or, more accurately, the left eye.

He fingered the COM switch. “Mister Coe, invite the command crew of
LoStar
over for a visit this evening please. Schedule something in my private dining room.”

“Aye, sir.”

Dana returned to sickbay, feeling dejected. She’d hoped to see Terrin Hale’s name on that list of delegates. While Janz slept, she busied herself with running another spinal scan. Then, she reviewed and memorized the new spinal weave device procedures. As she rested her hand upon Macao’s shoulder to reestablish the telepathic link, Shalee’s voice echoed in her mind.
 

Will my love be well if this is done?

Only if he obeys doctor’s orders.

Shalee’s laughter made Dana smile. A flood of memories followed of Shalee and Janz early in their marriage. Dana’s eyes welled up with tears.
 

Your Highness…

Fear not,
Shalee assured.
You and Kieran will know boundless love. Don’t wait. Every day you are apart is lost.

However…

Fear not,
Shalee repeated.
I was not Alphan. I worried and wondered. Love overcomes. Kieran needs. You need. When two hearts join as one, the need goes away.

Dana found herself agreeing.
Should I wake Janz?

He’s here
.

I approve,
Janz added.

Very well…

Dana programmed the anesthesia, pulled the blanket back, rolling Macao onto his right side, taking another deep scan. This weave was far less dangerous than those she’d performed upon him in the past. All the techniques had improved. The weave would be stronger. She estimated about an hour for it to finish and set the device to begin. She then stretched out on the bed alongside — watching his diagnostic readings with her brown eye, resting the blue one.

Thresher
’s engines purred. She fantasized what being back in the Star Service might mean.
 

Maybe, if I were stationed aboard a ship like this…

Shalee countered,
You belong at Kieran’s side. And he should become what destiny would have him become. A commodore is never satisfied until he becomes an admiral, you know.

Dana scoffed, reminding,
There are no married admirals in the fleet.

The truth was, they all had children scattered throughout the galaxy, but no spouses.
 

Well, fane,
Dana mused,
I have siblings scattered throughout the galaxy, too.

Seeing the change in Novem, since Doctor Talon had begun reversing the mutations, Dana wondered if the same techniques could benefit August. Surely, March could help him.
No,
his specialty was eyes.

Why do I have a photographic memory and the others — the clones — do not? Is it simply a gene from Shelby?

The idea of conducting a study appealed to her. Actually, just getting to compare their DNA sounded fascinating.
Such a shame February, May, September and October are gone.

You should do it,
Shalee counseled.

Dana agreed.
Thank you, Your Highness. I rather enjoy linking with you.

And I with you…

The weave device signaled a problem. Janz’s body twitched; the right leg showed signs of a tremor.

Dana jumped into action, checking and rechecking. “Oh, no!” She finally found the cause. As a last resort, she stopped, adjusted, and restarted the weave, but to no avail.

As Janz began to recover and the anesthesia effects wore off, he felt her despair. “What’s wrong?”

“I tried everything. I’m sorry, Janz,” she tucked the blanket about him and eased him onto his back.

He shrugged, wincing from the pain. “It’s not as bad as it was,” he assured.

“Maybe with some aquatic therapy you will experience less pain,” she offered, while moving the spinal weave device to a side counter.

“Dana?” Janz reached and took hold of her hand, squeezing gently. “It really is much better. You did a great job.” He tested his legs and the range of motion.

“Gently!” She warned, “Take it slowly.”

However, he was up and off the diagnostic bed already, clutching a blanket, demanding, “Need a uniform and boots.”

Dana obliged, going to a duplicator, and ordering a jumpsuit uniform and boots for him. Then, returning with the clothing, she helped him as much as he would allow.

He grinned and straightened up. “Let’s go eat.”

“Sir? Something light… You’ve just had…”

“I know.” He took hold of her arm to steady his first few steps. “This is a very nice ship.”

She chuckled, “Yes.
Thresher
is quite a prize.”

“Got a fine Captain, too,” Macao decided. “Are you thinking of re-upping?”

“No... I can’t.”

“I can’t either. I’m dead.”

“Resurrected,” she corrected, smiling. “I still don’t understand all that. Why did Kieran have to shoot you?”

“It was all a ruse, intended to make the mercenaries think he’d abandoned me and the ship. It was to put out some cheese. Put out cheese, and the mouse always surfaces. I know…you hate cat and mouse games…”

Dana led to Nine-Forward. They settled down at a table by the view wall. “You’d think such a ploy would long ago have stopped being effective.”

Janz chortled, settling back gingerly in the comfortable, high-backed chair. He swiveled toward her. “The cat/mouse/cheese scenario always works because men are, by nature, curious critters.”

Dana blinked. “Men? How does that apply to mice and cheese? I would think the correct analogy is: all creatures have cravings; once you know what they are, you can lure them in, in spite of logic and common sense warnings to the contrary.”

Janz Macao grinned. “A little Galt mixed in there, I see. Did you study on Galaxea?”

“I studied with Ambassador Solon.”

“The logical approach never seems to work for me. I go with my gut.”

“Gut or instinct.”

“Same thing really,” he quipped. “My gut says: feed me.” He mocked her order of vegan soup, while he ordered scrambled eggs and whole grain pancakes.

When a yeoman delivered their order, Dana watched, pleasantly amused, as the captain wolfed down breakfast and was preparing to order lunch. She thought even Shalee, his life-mate, was chuckling.

“Didn’t they feed you in sickbay?”

“Just some brown broth and tea.” He wrinkled his nose.

Dana laughed, barely touching her soup, deciding, “What I really need is a stiff drink.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I…” She let out a sigh, “I don’t know what to do. Shalee nearly has me convinced that I should mate with Kieran, and give up my…”

“Your freedom?” Janz laughed. “Oh, Dana, it’s not like that at all when you mate.”

“With Commodore Jai?”

“Oh, yes, well…” He re-evaluated, “Kieran needs to retire; or maybe become an ambassador. That’s it! Ambassador to…say…Enturize… perhaps?”

Now, Dana really sighed. “What about my home, Earth?”

“Is Earth home?” Janz wondered. “Or is the bridge of an ambassadorial shuttle home?”

Dana scowled. He’d hit on the real dilemma.

“Mating with Kieran means a life-star and…”

“That it does.”

“…And his being disowned by your father.”

“Our father is dead now, so no longer a factor. Jad is gone, too. Jorn, I’m sure, couldn't care less. I’m Kieran’s only other living relative, and I wholeheartedly
 
approve of your union.”

“You’re dead, too,” she reminded, and they both laughed, that the conversation had come full circle.

Janz ordered a bowl of noodle soup, but not the vegan stuff Dana liked. He paused before slurping it down long enough to advise, “You could be the commodore’s personal pilot, you know.”

She scoffed. “I just crashed a shuttle on Tonner III. Not likely the Star Service would let me fly for a commodore.”

“You were absolved. There was an explosion. Oh, well, he’d probably protest anyway… Don’t forget, Kieran has crashed a ship or two himself.”

All of a sudden, Janz Macao got to his feet, albeit, carefully.

Dana swiveled to see why.

The woman in the doorway had platinum hair longer than even Dana’s, tied in a tail on the left side. She wore the uniform of the GCE, a sapphire blue tunic down to the knee, covered by a blue wrap jacket with gold sleeves, and gold mesh boots. Except for the woman’s brilliant blue eyes, and the color of her hair, she and Dana could be twins.

“Captains?”

Macao responded. “Captain?”

“Would you follow me, please?”

Dana jumped up and demanded, “Who are you?”

“Marina Carver, Captain of the
LoStar
.”

Janz Macao tugged Dana along. “Where are we heading, Captain Carver?”

“Captain McHale has invited us all to his private dining room. I volunteered to come fetch you so I could prowl about
Thresher
a bit.” Carver chuckled.

Dana noticed Janz Macao eyeing Carver’s legs and had to stifle a snicker, and a bit of jealousy, because her own were not all that shapely.
 

Carver glanced in her direction.
 

“Are you two related?” Janz wondered, but the Enturian Captain shrugged rather than answer.

Carver stepped aside to allow them to enter the dining room first, taking the opportunity to assess Dana’s attributes.

Captain McHale stood at the head of the banquet table with seven of the Enturian command crew already seated, all dressed very similarly to Carver, but for silver sleeves on their wrap jackets.

“Pardon my indiscretion, Captains. I should have sent down an invitation earlier. Please join us. I think you should be in on this.”

Dana surveyed the faces as McHale introduced the bridge crew of the
LoStar
.

The commanders all nodded in introduction, and every single one focused on Dana’s resemblance to Carver.

Like an uninvited guest, Janz Macao nervously waited to be introduced, wondering how Captain McHale would handle it.

McHale pointed to him and announced, “Also, please greet Commodore Jai’s brother and my very good friend, Captain Janz Macao.”

All around nodded to Macao.
 

They took chairs at the foot of the table and Captain Carver settled down between her officers.

“We have a unique opportunity, Dana.”

She blinked at McHale. “Sir?”

“We’re going to catch a rat.” He chuckled.

She knew instantly the plan. “You want me to be the cheese?”

“Not exactly,” Carver responded. “Augustus Kaelin King has requested access to the Enturian delegation. We’re not sure why. I suspect he thinks Terrin Hale is here. We need you to impersonate my mother.”

“Your mother?” Dana stared. “My mother!”

“Our mother,” Marina Carver corrected.
 

Dana shook her head. “What about my eyes?”

“Easily disguised,” Janz assured.

“And my hair,” Dana said, staring at Carver. “You could far more easily do it. You were raised on Enturize. I was raised on Earth. That would surely give me away. August seems quite paranoid.” She watched their faces, realizing such a description — a medical term — as schizophrenic — might not translate for them.

They didn’t seem to understand so she repeated in Enturian the closest term.

All eyebrows rose. Marina Carver nodded. “So, we must proceed very carefully.”

Captain McHale agreed. “I suspect he is far more cunning than we could estimate. To become the kingpin of such an organization as Crown Enterprises, he has the business acumen of a Kentorian.”

All the Enturians scowled.

Dana did not respond.

“Conference security will never permit this,” Janz countered. “King is far too dangerous to be allowed aboard
LoStar
.”

Dana sighed. “I don’t…I can’t.” She got up quickly and left the dining room, feeling an urgency to escape, with the desire to hide.

Instead, she found a remote corner and had a good cry, overwhelmed with emotions that flooded up from deep within.

Janz Macao found her a few minutes later and offered a shoulder.

“Sorry,” she sniffled. “This is tearing me up inside. I’m not sure why. I need that N-Link back. What did Kieran do with it?”

“I think he kept it,” Macao said, patting her back. “We’ve solved the problem.
Thresher
has a virtual reality deck. No one need be placed in danger.”

Dana’s eyes widened. “A V-R? Can they create a holographic Terrin Hale?”

“Captain McHale says he’ll borrow a programmer from
Navitor.
A friend of ours…remember Mackenna?”

Dana laughed. If anyone could pull it off, he could. Her mood changed to one of anticipation. “When do we start?”

“That’s why I came after you.”
 

Macao led the way to the lift, limping just a little.

Carver and Mackenna already had two avatars, and a sim, programmed. Mackenna grinned at Dana and Janz Macao. “Good to see you both again, Captains.”