Guardians of the Galactic Sentinel 1: The Deimos Artifact (17 page)

Chapter 20.
Decisions and Preparations.

Nova York Orbital Station, July 8, 2676.

Zack and Ariane left the
Capri
and the docking area at six-thirty the following morning. At seven, they were to meet Ariane's father and his two assistants at the Dockside Café, a restaurant located in the station business district not too far from where the ship was docked. The cafe was a busy place where they were pretty sure their small party would go virtually unnoticed.

When the two of them arrived, they found that Professor MacPherson and his two colleagues had gotten there before them and had already taken seats in a six-person booth. The Professor's companions were having coffee and it appeared that the Professor himself was savoring a cup of tea. There was an insulated coffee pot on the table and two undisturbed place settings, each of which included an empty, inverted coffee cup.

"Good morning," said MacPherson, getting up from his spot near the outside of the booth to greet the newcomers. The other two scientists remained seated across from each other at the closed end of the booth but smiled politely. Zack and Ariane slid into the booth across from each other, Zack next to Arnold and Ariane next to Kathryn. The Professor slid back into the booth next to his daughter, "Help yourself to some coffee," said MacPherson "I'm told it's really quite good."

"The best on the Orbital Station," ventured Arnold.

Zack turned over his cup and reached for the coffee pot. Seeing that Ariane had also turned her cup over, he poured for her before filling his own cup. He took an experimental sip and found himself agreeing with Arnold. It was indeed excellent coffee. As a grunt in the Marine Corps, he'd had way more than his share of the bad stuff.

They all took a moment to choose something from the menu while Kathryn input their choices onto the touch screen centered in the wall above the table next to her spot in the booth. She then used her University credit chip to pay for everyone's selections. In the meantime, Ariane pulled out her personal tablet, swiped it out to full-size and tapped in a few commands. After consulting with the output on her screen and tapping in some additional commands she declared, "I can't detect any evidence of monitoring devices. Seems as though a random booth in a busy restaurant was a good choice for a meeting."

With those preparations done, MacPherson opened the discussion. He came right to the point, "Do you have any further thoughts on our proposal?" he asked Zack.

"I think you know the answer to that," Zack replied, giving the Professor a calculating look from across the table,

"I'm not sure what you mean?" said MacPherson.

"Really?" replied Zack. The Professor's deliberately evasive response kindled a small flare of anger in Zack's chest. It was time to cut to the chase. "Let's get one thing straight right now, Dr. MacPherson. If we're going to work together, we'd better start by being upfront with each other. You know damned good and well exactly what's going on with me. Not only do you have legal access to my ship, last night I was ordered to become part of the mission. Ariane and I have been charged with the task of protecting the three of you during this...expedition, circus or whatever the hell it is. That job will be one hell of a lot harder if you aren't straight with us. That kind of bullshit gets people killed. Not only that, that kind of bullshit stops now!"

The Professor, accustomed to a certain level of deference from his students and associates was rocked back by Zack's rather vehement response.

Several emotions seemed to war with themselves in the Professor's expression. From his reply, he apparently had settled on contrition.

"I apologize, Zack," replied a somewhat humbled MacPherson, "It's just that I'm not used to speaking openly on this subject."

Zack decided to leave it there, no sense getting the whole business started on a sour note, "I understand, Dr. MacPherson; but you seem to have chosen me for some reason and I'm afraid that means you're going to have to trust me. So, let's start over. As you are well aware, Ariane and I will both be going on this mission. She mentioned that you have grant money to fund provisions and fuel for this trip?"

"Yes, our grant contains a more than adequate allowance for outfitting the ship."

"Does that include enough to fund a healthy insurance policy?"

The Professor's laugh was only a little forced as he replied, "Actually the terms of the University's contract contain provision for a pretty decent policy designed to protect all parties."

"Good," said Zack, "Sign me up. Now, what about supplies?"

At that moment, a genuine human waitress brought their food and distributed the various selections around the table before thanking them and scurrying off. Everyone took a few moments to get squared away and all of them began eating. Zack was surprised at how hungry he was though it didn't hurt that the food, like the coffee, was top notch.

"We were talking about supplies," said Zack, picking up where they had left off.

"Ah...yes. I've been planning on this trip since your uncle left here a month ago. We could have the ship loaded and ready to go later this morning if we are, in fact, going on this trip." The Professor paused at this point and asked, "Have you made any progress on the...item in question?"

Zack gave the Professor a long, calculating look. He then looked over at Ariane who gave him a slight nod of consent. Zack replied, "Marv had stashed it onboard the
Capri
. We located it last night when we got back to the ship after our meeting."

The eyes of the Professor and both of his companions suddenly grew larger.

"That solves one really big problem," said MacPherson, visibly relieved. "Now we can get on with the rest of our preparations."

"Cliff is also making up a list of stuff he says we'll need," said Zack.

"I'll contact him," replied the Professor.

There was a lull in the conversation while everyone got a little more serious about eating their breakfast. Zack, who was used to eating fast, and the Professor, who had only ordered a croissant, finished at almost the same time. Zack poured himself another half cup of coffee and sat back while the Professor took a few minutes to savor what remained of his tea while he made some contacts using his tablet.

"If you'll come with me back to the University," said MacPherson, blotting his lips with his napkin and laying it down on the table next to his plate, "we can sign the necessary papers and get this project officially underway without any further delay. Ariane and my two colleagues can head over to the
Capri
and help with the preparations, which can start immediately."

"Does that include the paperwork to register the weapons system?" asked Zack.

"It does," replied the Professor, "Since he's making up a list of supplies, I assume that Cliff Bernard will be coming with us?"

"Actually, I think Cliff is part of the ship," replied Zack.

This time the Professor's laugh sounded more natural, "Excellent," said MacPherson, "He should be in charge of the loading." The Professor made several more entries into his own personal tablet and tapped the return icon. "There," he said, "the supplies and other provisions are on their way. I also told Cliff to order anything he thinks we need that's not on my list. You coming, Zack?"

Zack got up and followed MacPherson out of the restaurant. The others packed up their personal items and left shortly thereafter.

Outside the restaurant, Zack and the Professor took a short walk before hopping on the magtram that would take them to the University Offices. This early in the morning, they found themselves all but alone in the car they'd chosen.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, MacPherson finally spoke up, "I deeply regret that we seem to have started out on the wrong foot, Zack," he said, "That was never my intention. I take full responsibility for the somewhat heavy-handed way that I've handled this affair so far. Can we put this..." he paused for a second to hunt for the right wording, "...less than ideal beginning behind us?"

Zack thought back to the file he and Ariane had accessed the night before wherein his Uncle had described MacPherson as someone who could be trusted and decided to follow Marv's advice. "We can, Professor," he said, "but don't expect me to call you 'Harold.' It just doesn't feel right to me."

MacPherson grinned at that and continued, "No problem, Zack, you may address me in any way that makes you comfortable." They rode again in silence for a minute or so before the Professor spoke up again. "I must say that I am more than pleased that you'll be coming with us. Trust me when I say that I don't think there is a better person for this job than you. Besides, Ariane speaks very highly of you."

The Professor's off-the-cuff remark caught Zack by surprise. What was just as surprising was the disproportionate amount of pleasure he took in the revelation.

"How about we keep that our little secret?" he said.

"My lips are sealed," replied the Professor.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the University facilities.

***

By the time Ariane, Arnold and Kathryn got to the
Capri
, about a half hour after leaving the Dockside Cafe, they found Cliff already busy directing what looked to be some rather involved loading operations. The openings to the ship's several cargo holds were all open to space and various crates and other containers were being ferried on board by a small army of robot workers under the control of several very busy human operators. Cliff, in a patched and battered spacesuit, was directing the operators regarding where he wanted the various containers to be stowed.

The three newcomers decided, correctly, that Cliff had the supply situation well in hand and that they would only be in the way if they hung around. Ariane went back up to the bridge and began performing a mandatory series of preflight operations on the ship's systems. The Professor's two companions went about the business of getting settled into their quarters in preparation for what could well prove to be a fairly lengthy trip.

The
Capri
was large enough to comfortably accommodate at least three times the number of personnel that would make up her current complement. The two academics appropriated two of the well-appointed cabins on deck three, leaving one of the cabins closest to the front of the ship for the Professor.

Zack and Professor MacPherson joined the rest of them about two hours later. MacPherson went to see about getting settled into his quarters while Zack went to the bridge to consult with Ariane. He found her sitting at the Captain's console, monitoring readouts as the startup sequences continued to run.

"How's it going," asked Zack.

"So far, so good," she replied, "I should be done here in another few minutes. How did things go with my father?'

"Everything is arranged," he said, "You were right, the agreement with the University isn't anything special. But, after this mission, assuming we survive, I'll own the
Capri
free and clear with no strings. Not only that, the weapon is now officially legal."

"Congratulations, Zack," said Ariane.

"Yeah, thanks," he replied.

At that moment, Cliff called Ariane on the ship's intercom, "Cap'n? This is Cliff."

"Bridge here. What's up Cliff?"

"I need you to come down to the main cargo bay for a minute, Ma'am. There's some stuff here you have to sign for."

"Be down in a minute," she replied. She looked back at the command console and discovered that the startup operations were just finishing up. "Ah, good," she said, "Everything checks out just fine."

She looked at Zack, "Would you mind coming down to the cargo area with me?" she asked. "I think the materials Cliff needs me to sign for are probably the weapons and the armor we requested. I'd like you to have a look at them."

"No problem, Captain," said Zack, "After you."

The two of them threaded their way through the
Capri
back to the main cargo compartment at the rear of the ship. Upon arriving, they could see that the bulk of the loading was finished and there were only a few minor items that still needed a home. Cliff had closed and sealed the rear cargo doors and re-pressurized the bay. He had set aside the helmet of his suit and was having a conversation with the senior robot technician.

The two of them were standing next to five sturdy shipping cartons stacked up on the deck, each about a meter and a half long with a cross-section some thirty centimeters square. Each container bore a Federation Navy logo and the latching mechanisms on the containers were secured with official government seals. There were also four brand-new spacesuits in various sizes and two sets of light-duty battle armor, also brand-new, hanging from a wheeled rack. One set of armor was somewhat larger than the other.

"They need you to sign for this stuff," said Cliff.

"We'll have to verify the contents of these cases first," said Ariane.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Ma'am," said the dockworker, "I'll hand you my tablet when you're ready. It has a list of the inventory and a space for you to sign when you're satisfied."