Fear and Aggression (9 page)

“
Captain, do you need me
on deck right now?” came the reply over the intercom.

“
Bob, we’re flying through
outer space at a pace faster than light can go in the third
dimension. We need our navigator on deck.”

“
I’m sorry, I just got
hungry, and I was thinking about this casserole that Mom makes. So,
I was showing Danny how to make it.”

“
Are you with Merick,
Danny?” Steve asked.

“
Yes sir, Captain
Jenners.”

“
Does this casserole sound
like it will be good enough to justify Kenny flying without a
navigator for another half hour?”

“
If it’s good eating it
will be worth it!” Kenny interjected.

“
I don’t know, sir,
I...”

“
Oh, it will be great,
Kenny, Captain, you’ll love it,” expressed Bob.

“
You’ve got a half-hour,
and I need you up here.”

“
Thanks,
Captain...hey—don't cut it too small...” Both men laughed a
little.

Steve looked at his watch. “When’s James due
back up here?” asked Steve.

“
Not for a couple of
hours. He put in a long shift, and was pretty tired. I want to let
him sleep as long as he needs.”

“
Are you alright on your
own for a little bit?”

“
Sure,” said Kenny
reassuringly.

“
Call Mike if you need
him, I'm going to check on Tammy.”

One of the primary problems with space
travel, in the past, was how much energy it took to move large
ships such long distances. Now that the energy required was quite
minimal, it didn’t make sense to skimp on the proportions of the
ship. For a seven-person crew, the galaxy charger was very large.
Each crew member had comfortable quarters. The galley was
particularly nice, with food a-plenty. Freezers were filled with
all of the delicacies. There was even an internal greenhouse with
fresh vegetables growing. The research lab was of particular
stature. It was immense and filled with state-of-the-art equipment,
all organized such that one individual could effectively run it
smoothly.

While the entire ship and crew were under
the direction of Captain Jenners, the lab and research specialist
had a somewhat different relationship. Tammy, their research
specialist, was a civilian. As a member of the crew she took orders
from the Captain, but in regards to her daily role and mission, she
received her direction from Central Command. It wasn’t as though
the Captain wasn’t privy to what was going on in the lab; it was
just that the orders didn’t come from him. This all made sense,
considering that everything else going on, aboard the ship he had
knowledge and understanding of; in fact, he had served in most of
the capacities and positions before. He had no experience or
expertise in medical or research, nor did any of the other fleet
Captains, so it made sense that they were under a different chain
of command.

It’s unlikely that this
would have presented him any concern, or much thought, if the
research specialist would have been some guy who kept mostly to
himself and his work. But Tammy was the most beautiful, attractive,
and intriguing woman he had been near before. Though, to be fair,
he had been in space, on missions, for quite some time, and there
were very few young attractive females around. But Tammy was
something special, independent of the immediate scarcity of
beautiful women. As he made his way down the final corridor towards
the research lab, he thought about his relationship to her.
I wish I completely understood our professional
relationship—it would help in understanding a personal
relationship...
were his final thoughts as
he reached the door to the lab.

Tammy was standing at the other side of the
room with her back to him. She was wearing dark green shorts that
went down about mid-thigh, a tan shirt, and a pair of brown
open-toe sandals. Her skin tone was a lovely olive which gave her
exceptionally shapely legs a tan appearance. Whatever was occupying
her attention had her sufficiently engrossed, such that she was
unaware of Steve’s approach to the door. He stole a couple of
moments admiring the view before he made a quick sharp rap at the
door frame.

“
Hi, Captain Jenners,”
Tammy replied with a genuinely bright smile as she turn to see who
knocked, “I was wondering when you would stop by to inspect the
lab.” This she said with a pleasant tone, and a bit of anticipation
which gave Steve a feeling of both calm and excitement all at once.
She started towards him, but he didn’t move. Her sapphire eyes and
illuminating smile had captured him; no, she wasn’t the most
beautiful women he’d seen in some time, she was more beautiful than
anything he had laid eyes on before.

“
Come in, come in, no
aliens in here to cause concern; at least not yet,” she said with a
smile. Steve stepped in, meeting her just inside the door. It was
true that this lab, like all of the labs in the new ZX-120’s, was
built with the intent to examine extraterrestrial life, the
existence of which still lay undetermined before them. This mission
seemed particularly unlikely to yield alien life forms, as they
were headed into uncharted and unanalyzed domains.

“
I’m sure you were
disappointed to learn the nature of our mission,” Steve commented
trying not to sound too apologetic.

“
Well,” she said cocking
her head toward her left shoulder, “I’m sure I’ll be able to make
the most of my time. This lab is a dream come true. I’d love to tap
out all of its resources, but I'll just have to be patient.” In
reality she was not the least bit disappointed to be on this
mission, simply because this was where Captain Jenners was. But she
didn’t need to make that too apparent just yet. Yes, she was
itching to find and discover alien life. But that was not likely to
happen on this particular round of missions anyway. And, if that
did occur on any mission, she had assurances from her higher-ups
that she would be brought in immediately, Tammy being the best and
the brightest in her field, not to mention always enjoying favors
from those around her.

“
I’m pleased to have you
here. Anyway, you’ve brought a breath of fresh air to the crew,”
Steve said kindly, blushing a bit.

“
Do you have some time? I
could show you around the lab.”

“
That’s what I was hoping
you would do.”

“
Assuming no little green
men appear,” Tammy grinned, “this lab will serve as a very
expensive mobile continuation of my research into genetic testing.
Ideally, we want to be able to genetically analyze any life form
within hours or days at the most. Of course, this assumes that
these life forms are based on genetics, at least something like
earth life genetics. That’s where the heart of my research lies.
I’m trying to come up with algorithms that could look for patterns
similar to what DNA accomplishes without necessarily coming from
DNA.”

“
So life doesn’t have to
have DNA in its cellular structure?”

“
On earth it does. In
fact, viruses and prions that do have some properties of life are
considered non-living entities because they don’t have DNA and RNA.
What constitutes a living being is a debatable question. Some of my
colleagues hold strictly to the view that life and the DNA/RNA
structure are inseparable. I have to admit that I lean in that
direction myself. But what, if anything, we find out there may
challenge our assumptions in ways we can’t imagine. My job is to
imagine the unimaginable, and try to set up the programs to not be
based on human bias that may not be correct.”

“
So that we don’t discover
what appears to be a living creature, only to have our lab useless
in analyzing and understanding its makeup.”

“
Exactly,” she said with a
charming smile.

“
How is it coming so
far?”

“
I’ve figured out how to
turn most of these machines on,” she said dryly, and they both
chuckled.

Tammy led Steve into the lab and around the
corner to the left. “This is where all of the rumors are coming
from on earth—that we have already discovered alien life.” She
pointed to an area that looked almost like a prison cell. “If they
built this lab just to analyze plantlike or fungus-like life forms,
or even small animal-like creatures they wouldn’t need that.”

Steve looked at it curiously for a few
seconds. He had already inspected the ship top to bottom before its
departure, and had seen the large caged area before. But the way
Tammy was talking gave it new meaning. “I suppose that even if we
find some type of alien life form, the chances of it being large
and intelligent are very remote.”

“
So it would seem. But
from a scientific standpoint, it would be marvelous, whatever was
found and analyzed. Either, the powers that be, know more than they
are letting on, or they are not as interested in life in general as
they are in intelligent life.”

“
James, our computer
specialist, has been very critical in analyzing some of the
planetary systems discovered. It was his impression that some of
them had real potential for harboring life. But, beyond that, what
he was analyzing would be signs of intelligence: radio signals, et
cetera.”

“
So, rather than waste his
skills in going to those areas that he’s already analyzed, just to
see what, in fact, is there, he’s being used to his utmost in
analyzing this area here, wherever we are,” Tammy replied
contemplatively. “Captain, if you don’t mind me asking, how fast
are we heading in the direction we are going?—I mean, relative to
the ship’s capacity?”

“
Very slowly; I would
think less than ten percent. Our job is not to get to a destination
so much as it is to chart and analyze this area.”

“
Then if anything of
interest was discovered, the Space Force could have as many ships
as are in the fleet there with in a matter of days.”

“
I suppose that’s true;
maybe I ought to mention that to James,” Steve muttered
rhetorically.

“
I wouldn’t,” Tammy said,
out of place, “no sense in in distracting him.” To which Steve made
no reply.

Realizing that this conversation had gotten
too deep, too quickly, she motioned her Captain over towards the
large, prison-like specimen chamber. This lab could be open to the
ship’s air, or it could be sealed off from it entirely. Large
canisters nearby could be used to gather up an alien atmosphere and
then keep that atmosphere, correctly pressurized, in the lab. It
was built such that one could observe everything that went on
inside of the chamber from the outside, and also it had been built
for whatever might be inside to communicate with those in the lab.
The assumptions made in it being built as it was were
mind-boggling.

It had bothered Steve a little, a few
moments ago, when Tammy had suggested how he do his job. That was
not how one addressed a Captain. She was a civilian, he reasoned,
and the last thing he wanted with her was a power struggle.
Nothing, he felt, needed to be said. She had softened her demeanor
noticeably after that comment, and she seemed to take in his
unspoken communication and body language perfectly. As he watched
and listened to her explain this large specimen cage, he could not
help but notice her pretty features, and graceful movements. Her
explanations were spoken with a confidence that was unquestionable;
so much so, that it was not overdone, and she seemed comfortable
exposing whatever weakness and vulnerability she may have, too. His
momentary tightness quickly loosened, and he began to feel as soft
as butter as she continued to demonstrate her domain.

Tammy had felt non-verbally chastened a few
moments ago, and worried that Steve had become Captain Jenners for
good. His blond hair, dark blue eyes, and strong yet approachable
demeanor had attracted her to him. But now she saw a coldness and a
stiffness that she had never before seen in him. She had no desire
to be in control of him, and reflexively displayed submissiveness
to him while still carrying on with her natural confidence. What
impressed her most was how quickly he softened. His response had
been appropriate, yet as soon as he felt his message was understood
and respected, he could loosen up and be approachable again. A rare
quality indeed, she determined later that evening when she lay in
bed and contemplated the delicious events of the day.

Steve was given a thorough tour of the
specimen area, and the research area. He did grow tired of all the
detailed scientific descriptions of each piece of equipment, but
never did he grow tired of her voice and presence.

“
Now, Captain, seeing that
I have no alien, I shall need a sample of your blood,” she said
with a smile, and held up a finger-sticking device. Steve forced a
smile, and headed with Tammy to the portion of the lab that would
serve as a sick bay, should it be needed. A shot in the arm never
caused him a second thought, but a finger prick…now
that
was a different
story. His first thought was to act tough, but then thought better
of it. She was so genuine; she deserved nothing less than his
honesty.
Besides, I can’t pull that
off
. He sat in the chair that she motioned
to and instinctively looked at the floor. His color was now several
shades paler. She gathered her things and then headed towards him.
Steve looked up at her.