Starbound (2 page)

I looked at Dobrina across the table. She remained impassive but there was no doubt her feelings for her lost command still weighed heavily on her, as they did on me.

“And as for
Impulse
,” continued Maclintock, “there is more news I'm afraid, for both Commander Kierkopf and Lieutenant Commander Cochrane. Admiral Wesley wants you both back on Quantar inside two weeks. There's going to be an inquest over
Imp
ulse
called by the Carinthian Royal Navy next month, so you'll both have to be briefed before you go. I'm sure we'll find a way to get you there well ahead of schedule.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Dobrina, again showing no signs of the internal turmoil she must be feeling. I sympathized with her. At least I would be there for support.

“Now, back to Jenarus. Lieutenant Hogan, what's our ETA to the system?” asked Maclintock.

“Well,” said Hogan, clearing her throat before starting in. “It's a much further jump than the local hops we've been making to Levant and Pendax, sir. Probably at least two days of traverse in a hyperdimensional bubble before we emerge at the other end of the line. Jenarus is forty-seven point six light-years from Quantar, a G-IV-type star, binary, six rocky planets and ten gas giants. The Jenarus system has an unusual landscape in that there appears to be a jump space tunnel within the system, which we'd like to avoid. So given all that, I'd make it a two-point-four-day traverse in the hyper-bubble, and if we emerge into normal space at the same jump point that
Valian
t
did, another day to the First Empire station around Jenarus 4, sir.”

Maclintock turned to Layton. “Can we avoid that jump space tunnel, Mr. Layton?” he asked. Layton leaned forward.

“I think so, sir. It could be tricky on the jump-out, though. As
long as Mr. Cochrane can provide me with accurate longscope data, we should emerge near the exit of jump space and be able to leave the tunnel without incident, sir, but it could be tricky. If our HD drive is engaged at all, even one ten-thousandth of a point, we could find ourselves sliding back into the tunnel and emerging at the other end of the line,” said Layton.

“And where is the other end, Mr. Layton?” asked Maclintock.

“Almost in the corona of the Jenarus star, sir.”

Maclintock looked at me.

“So we'll have to completely disengage our HD drive, cool it down to zero, disengage our Hoagland Field and fire the chemical impellers to get us out of the jump space tunnel to avoid ending up in the furnace of Jenarus Prime, all within how long, Mr. Cochrane?” asked the captain.

“I'd say we have about five seconds,” I replied. He looked at me incredulously. “With Serosian's help, that's practically an eternity, Captain,” I reassured him. “And besides,
Valiant
did it.”

He took a long draw of his coffee.

“Let's make sure
we
do it, Commander. I'm holding you responsible.”

“Aye, sir,” I said, confident but not cocky. I was anxious to get back into space and spread my wings some, and this seemed like an excellent opportunity.

“Well then,” Maclintock said, “let's do it. The twenty-four-hour launch clock starts at 0700 tomorrow. Recall the crew and button her up by 2300 tonight. No screw-ups, and no delays, gentlemen.”

“Yes, sir!” came the enthusiastic chorus all around the table. Maclintock stood and departed, and we were all left to our duties, ready to tackle the day.

Departing Candle

S
ta
rbound's
Earth Histo
rian, Serosian, was
back aboard the ship
by 2100. I joined h
im in his library, w
hich was also part o
f a separate vessel,
the Historian's Yac
ht, to go over the l
ast-minute upgrades
to our newly trimmed
-out and fitted-up L
ightship.

“And what do you have to report on your work on the new longscope station?” he asked me in his distinctive baritone.

“I'm pretty comfortable with it,” I said, and that was true enough. The new unit had a reduced footprint on the bridge and a drastically smaller hood. Instead of covering my whole upper body as it did before, it now had just a small cowl for me to lean into. The privacy of the displays was handled by an upgrade to my coronal overlay, which allowed me to see any display I chose, or any display the Historian chose to share with me. A casual observer without the upgrades or security clearance would just see a blank gray screen. “It makes me feel like I'm part of the command deck again, with the captain and the tactical station available and easy to talk to. Plus of course your station is more readily available,” I said.

“That was one of the goals of the upgrade,” he said, “but we will
still be doing much of our communication through the private com and via your displays.”

I nodded. “Understood. What about the new weapons systems? Any surprises there?” He shifted in his chair, seeming a bit uncomfortable at my question and perhaps reluctant to answer, but he answered anyway, at least partially.

“The primary coil cannon arrays have been upgraded to six hundred and sixty exajoules per volley, enough to shake up a continent. After our encounter with the Imperial dreadnought at Levant it was clear we were severely underpowered compared to old Imperial technology. Likewise, we've upgraded the Hoagland Field array to match, as well as the warheads on our atomic torpedoes to increase their yield. The field will now be able to diffuse the effects of any anti-graviton plasma weapons we might encounter, like those at Levant. Our pace through normal space is still limited by Newtonian physics, but we've upgraded the impellers and the sub-light hyperdimensional drive output to give us quicker acceleration and more escape speed, if we need it,” he said.

I was a bit disappointed at this. “What, no new superweapon? A planet-melter or something?”

He looked at me, nonplussed by my attempt at humor. “That's all I'm willing to discuss at the moment, Peter. The rest will depend on our circumstances,” he replied coolly. I eyed my friend and mentor. He was throwing up a stone wall at me, but I wasn't ready to concede just yet.

“The anti-graviton device the Imperial HuK used at Levant is the most worrisome to me. That is a potent weapon. Let's hope the First Empire didn't develop any capabilities of that weapon beyond what we've already seen,” I said.

“The new field will protect the ship,” Serosian said flatly. Again, I wasn't ready to concede and let him off the hook.

“But what about planets like Levant?” I asked. “Who or what will protect them?”

He shifted again in his chair.

“We have developed and deployed a drone network at Levant, Quantar, and Carinthia that will diffuse any anti-graviton energy if they try to use it on a planet,” he said. “I know you have a particular interest in the welfare of Levant, Peter, but the Church has the Founder gateway device there under control and she is safe enough for now.”

I wasn't sure if by “she” he meant the planet itself or its most intriguing resident, the Princess Janaan.

“Thank you for your reassurances,” I said. “But that doesn't answer my question.”

“No,” he said, finally smiling but not giving in, “but it is all I'm willing to tell you for now.”

I nodded. “Very well. I can see your stubborn streak has kicked in.”

“That it has,” he said, then quickly changed the subject. “So, how are things with Dobrina?” he asked casually.

The question caught me off guard. I'd been in a personal relationship with the Commander since my rehab stint on High Station Candle had ended and I'd returned to
Starbound
three months ago, but he and I had never discussed it.

“Things are . . . progressing,” I said cautiously. “Are you going to be the latest to warn me off of personal relationships with superior officers?”

He shook his head. “No. In fact I'm glad you two are enjoying each other's company. Just be aware that it can't interfere with the smooth running of the ship.”

“It hasn't yet,” I said. “And it's been three months already.”

“Three months of repair and refit,” he countered. Now it was my turn to give him the steel-eyed stare.

“Do you have doubts about me, Serosian?” I eventually asked. No one out-stared
Starbound
's Historian. Again the negative shake of the head.

“Doubts, no. But I do have a warning. Like it or not, you have two
roles aboard
Starbound
, Peter. One is as a navy officer, which you handle quite excellently. The other is as a young royal representative of the Union who might be called to assume the mantle of diplomat at any time, as you were on Levant,” he said.

“I understand that.”

“Then please consider one other thing; you are engaged in a personal relationship with a valuable fellow officer. At any time you may be called by duty to relinquish that relationship for the sake of the Union. Are you prepared to do that?”

I thought about that. I had feelings for Dobrina, feelings of romance and respect and possibly even of love, but my standing as the heir to Quantar's royal titles was never far from my mind. “I think so,” I said.

“Then also keep in mind that Dobrina has feelings as well, and though you may be prepared to sacrifice your relationship with her, she may not feel the same way about you. Tread lightly, Peter. She is still a woman underneath the uniform and the duty and the honor,” he finished.

And I had nothing to say to that, so I didn't. I thanked him for the conversation and made my way back to my own cabin to rest. Alone.

Ship's Sunday was filled with checking in on the marines, including my friend Sergeant John Marker, who was now leading a fully integrated team of equal numbers of Quantar and Carinthian troops. Colonel Babayan had overall command (and I had responsibility over her) and her own integrated team. Together the two of them made friendly rivals. I ran the marine teams through several drills and even had them run one in their full EVA suits with the gravity off in the landing bay, deploying out of their shuttles by tether. I wasn't sure they would ever need it, but I wanted them to be prepared just in case.
Deploying on the First Empire station orbiting Jenarus 4 could be tricky, and I wanted to prepare them for any eventuality.

After a couple of hours of drills I let the teams have the afternoon off, but not before heading down to the ship's firing range to get in some practice time. Usually on Sundays I was alone, but today one of the nine ranges was occupied. I checked out a coil rifle and pistol and loaded them with plasma packs before heading over to see who the other shooter might be. I found a small and scrawny young lieutenant practicing his target shooting. He immediately snapped to attention when he saw me coming, but I waved him to at-ease.

“Lieutenant . . . Daniel, isn't it?” I said.

“Yes, sir,” he snapped in reply.

“Practicing your target shooting?”

“I am, sir.” I paused for a second to recall what I knew of the young man. All I could remember was that he was responsible for ship's accommodations and supply, not an active combat role of any kind.

“Aren't you the ship's purser?” I said. He nodded.

“I am, sir,” he repeated.

I smiled as I loaded my rifle. “What brings you here?”

He hesitated at this.

“Well, Lieutenant?”

“Sometimes Sergeant Marker lets me come down and practice with the marines, sir. I like to keep my shooting skills fresh, sir,” he finally said.

“So are you looking for a more active combat role?” I asked him. Again he hesitated.

“Being the purser has its perks, sir. But I've always wanted to have a combat role,” he said. I appreciated his honesty.

“Well, if that's what you want, you should have come to me. I've got final jurisdiction over the marine detachments.”

“Yes, sir.” I looked at him again. Physically there was no way he could measure up to the marines
Starbound
had. Ours, whether
Quantar or Carinthian, were the best of the best. Still, I admired his ambition.

“Let's see you shoot,” I said. He activated a new target and completed ten out of ten on his first run, but missed two on the second. I set it up for a two-man challenge, pistols and rifles both, and set it for a three out of five game. I won the first two rounds in each category easily, but he showed determination and took the third legitimately before I dispatched him in the fourth round. Still, for a noncombat officer, he showed promise.

“I'll recommend to Sergeant Marker that he let you drill with the teams on your off hours, lieutenant. But no skimping on your regular duties,” I said afterward as we cleaned our weapons.

“Thank you, sir!” said Daniel, quite enthusiastic.

“You're welcome, Lieutenant,” I said as I departed, making a note on my com pad to talk to Marker about him.

I turned down Dobrina's offer of an afternoon fencing match via my com, I hoped politely. Serosian's lecture was affecting me, and I was concerned that perhaps I had let things between us go too far, considering all my other responsibilities aboard
Starbou
nd
.

I ate with my senior reports, Marker, Hogan, Layton, Babayan and Duane Longer of Propulsion, for both lunch and dinner. Satisfied we were all ready for launch at 0700 Monday, I headed back to my cabin at 1930 hours to rest and relax before the next morning's events.

I opened my door to find Dobrina on my couch, reading her reports on a plasma display and drinking a bottle of my favorite Quantar shiraz. She was also wearing a one-piece, skin-tight black bodysuit that was no doubt designed to get my attention. That it did.

“Have I no privacy anymore, madam?” I said as I entered and then quickly shut the door behind me.

“Not today you don't,” she said. “Not after giving me the brush-off on fencing.”

“I was busy,” I said, defending myself and taking off my duty jacket as she poured wine into a glass for me.

“Not good enough, Commander. You'll have to do better with those excuses,” she said. I had the rest of my uniform off in a few more seconds, then put on a pair of casual duty coveralls and sat down in a chair as she handed me my wine from across the coffee table.

“And how was your day?” I asked her casually, like we were an old married couple. She smiled and it lit up the room, for me anyway. I found that my ability to hold her at arm's length emotionally evaporated when I got near her. I wondered if that was what love was like.