The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: Call Sign Reaper (36 page)

“Marine!” the general yelled. “Change of orders. Take the admiral to the med bay. Captain, get your doctor on the com.” She did so.

“This is Dr. Mathews, go ahead.”

“Doctor, this is General Grey. A marine will be bringing you the admiral. She fell down and is unconscious. I will be down to see you shortly to give you instructions on her care.” He cut the com.

“You people going over to the ship need to get moving so the people who are leaving us will be gone by the time she wakes up later,” he said.

“Chief Miller, report to the bridge. Chavez, report to shuttle one,” the captain announced ship-wide.

They all left and headed for the shuttle. The captain cornered the chief in the corridor.

“Go to the bridge. Take a look at the vid. Get a team to the bridge for some diagnostics. While that is going on, I want you to remove about a minute of the bridge log,” she said.

“Captain,” Miller said, surprised, “you know I can’t do that.”

“Chief, when you see it you will know why I am asking. It’s a long story, but right now you will be helping a friend of yours.”

“A friend of mine?”

“Yes, and when you’re done I will arrange for you to get a tour,” she said.

“A tour of what?”

“You will see. Just get going.”

The chief did as he was told.

They were all aboard the shuttle and sitting a hundred meters from the warship. Reaper held the remote box in his hand. He pushed button two. Two doors on the rear of the ship opened. The lieutenant piloted the shuttle inside and sat it down.

“Is there atmosphere and gravity, Lieutenant?” the captain asked.

“No, ma’am,” the lieutenant answered.

Reaper hit button 2 again and the doors started closing. Once they closed and sealed, the systems began to come on.

“We have oxygen and gravity all adjusting to levels we can work in,” he said. He unlocked and opened the shuttle doors.

Back on the Warhammer, the chief was trying not to drool all over himself.

As they moved through the ship, the lights came on and stayed as long as someone was in an area. Once they moved on the lights dimmed. The prime minister and E’Aria translated as they went.

“This is the captain’s state room and living quarters.” She waved her hand in front of a sensor and the door slid open.

There was a large common area and kitchen and a large bedroom with a very big bed. There was no shower, but there was some kind of cleaning stall. There was also a large conference room with very ornate designs around the doors

“E’Aria, go sit in one of those chairs.” Reaper motioned to the ones at the table.

She pulled it out and climbed up into it. Her feet dangled a foot and a half off the floor.

“Looks like we will need to redecorate or cut everything down,” he said.

The major was looking the bedroom over and gave him a wicked smile. The captain caught the exchange. “Looks like there is room for three or four at least,” she said. “Think you can handle that, hero?”

Before he could answer, the major said, “He can handle it; he just better not try in my absence.”

“Let’s get out of here,” he said. “You two are worse than teenage boys.”

The bridge was beautiful. All of the metal was polished and the layout had a good flow to it. The chairs were just too tall, even at the lowest level. If they lowered the bridge seats the controls and displays would be too high. They would have to build a platform elevating the floor at a later date.

Standing, E’Aria could operate everything just fine. She went to each station, turning all the systems on.

“Reaper, there is a message waiting for you,” E’Aria reminded him.

“Save it, Captain. I will listen to it later.”

“Captain?” she asked, puzzled.

“I was talking to you, E’Aria.”

“But this is your starship.”

“Yes,” he said, “I own it and now I am demoting you from princess to Captain of this ship. If you don’t want the job, I am sure I can find someone else.”

“Shut up! You couldn’t find someone else,” E’Aria informed him in an official tone.

“Well, Captain, would you inform the Warhammer we are coming alongside to load up the other two ships and our passengers?” he said.

E’Aria moved her hand gently along the top of the console and the ship moved effortlessly across the short distance.

All of their belongings had been loaded on the gunship and both it and the shuttle were fully fueled, stocked and ready to go. E’Aria parked about 500 meters from the Warhammer. She was staying on board. Reaper and the rest were returning to the Warhammer.

Natalia and Lorelei were waiting by the gunship. Lorelei looked nervous. She was technically about to become a fugitive. Somehow it felt different than when she had been a pirate. She didn’t care then, but now she did.

The team was there. They, along with everyone else on the ship, were looking at the ship that was parked so close to the Warhammer. They had an excellent view through the force field of the cargo bay.

“How the hell does he do it?” Gunny was saying to no one in particular. “When we picked him up he had some clothes, a sword and a knife. Now he owns four ships, some custom armor and weapons, and has at least four women who want to have his babies. I hear now that our little lieutenant is a real princess.”

“No shit!” Snake said. “In three weeks she has turned into a badass.”

“He wants to talk to all of us when he gets here,” Sergeant Major Kim informed them. They all watched as the shuttle departed the warship and landed back on the Warhammer. The passengers departed, smiling and talking in different small groups.

“Where is Lieutenant Princess?” Snake asked Reaper as he walked up.

“The captain is getting herself familiar with her new starship,” Ben said, “She will be here to say goodbye in a little while. I want to extend an offer of employment to all of you once your term of enlistment is up. List Anubis or somewhere close to it as the world you want to be relocated to.”

“Why do you have to go now?” Ronnie asked she looked sad.

“It’s as good a time as any,” he replied. “There will always be something coming up to keep me here, and if I stay here I may end up in a lot of trouble. I still haven’t gotten over what they did to me. It comes to the surface every time someone in authority tries to tell me what to do.”

“Yeah, I hear from a friend on the general’s cruiser your old buddy is over there, Colonel Dipshit,” Ronnie said. “He has been bugging the XO ever since we moved to the asteroid to find your starship. They can all see it but no one will tell them anything.”

“It’s none of their fucking business!” he yelled, not meaning to but getting angry all the same. The groups of people all talking stopped to stare at him. They decided they would rather be somewhere else. The general, captain, major and prime minister walked over to see what was going on.

“What was that all about?” Andrea asked.

“I hear that Colonel Thomas is on your ship, General,” Ben said to Grey.

“Yes,” the general said. “I don’t know if you will understand this but it is better that I keep him close to keep tabs on him. I can’t have him out there on his own and I can’t get rid of him without a shit storm of trouble.”

Reaper believed every word of that. He cut the general some slack. “I do understand,” he said. “That makes sense. Andrea,” he said, turning to her, “this also goes along with what I wanted you to talk to the general about. Someone is feeding information to the admiral.”

“What are you talking about?” the general asked.

“I expressed to the major that I felt you had a mole or spy in your organization before I found out he was on your ship,” Ben said. “Now I feel even more strongly about it. I am trying to be objective, but it fits. I doubt he has any loyalty to you; you’re keeping him on a very tight leash and he can’t play his games. I think he found a new game to play.”

“He does have a reputation, sir,” the captain said, and the major nodded her head in agreement.

“He could be trying secretly to ruin you,” Andrea said. “There is no need for the head of Military Intelligence to be tagging along with you on your ops. Getting rid of you would get him off your leash.”

Lorelei used the distraction to get aboard the gunship. Natalia walked up the group and put her hands on her hips. “Are we ready to go yet? I’m tired of standing around,” she said.

“Who are you, and where did my sweet little girl go?” Reaper joked.

“I want to go to my new home.” Her pouty face was adorable.

“Lieutenant Chavez, could you zip over to the Claymore and bring the captain here for me?” Ben looked at his captain for confirmation and she just nodded.

“Can I go?” the chief asked as he walked up.

“Yes Chief, go on over and check it out. Have E’Aria give you the nickel tour,” he said.

“Get going before Natalia starts beating someone,” the captain added.

They all milled around for another hour after E’Aria and the chief got back. Natalia, the prime minister and Mr. Antonio were aboard the Claymore.

“Let’s go, Captain Aok,” he said. “Our passengers are waiting.”

They walked through the portside airlock. Captain O’Shaughnessy and the major followed them. He pushed the door closed but didn’t lock it. The captain threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the lips. She pressed herself against him. It was a great kiss, and it was too bad he couldn’t participate in it fully, he thought. She stepped back with misty eyes.

“I will miss you,” she said. “If this one standing behind me doesn’t show up at your door in the next couple of months, send me a message. I have five years’ worth of leave and pay saved up. You could probably convince me to stay very easily.” She spun around and walked back through the door.

Andrea stood in place looking at him. He could tell she was trying to decide what reaction to take. He didn’t give her a chance. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her with passion, even though she stood rigid in his arms. He didn’t stop and she couldn’t stay that way for long. She relaxed and kissed him back until she started sobbing.

“You know where I will be,” he said. “Don’t make me wait forever.” He wiped her eyes with his finger. “I will send you a com tonight before we get too far out of range.”

She walked out and he pushed the door shut and locked it. “Let’s go, Captain,” he yelled. E’Aria lifted the gunship and headed over to the Claymore. They sat down in its docking bay and shut the doors. E’Aria headed for the bridge to get them underway. Ben decided on an officer’s quarters. It was nothing fancy, but the beds were all huge, which he liked.

“Where is Lorelei?” he asked. “She isn’t still hiding on the gunship, is she?”

“She is still hiding,” E’Aria replied. “I think she is waiting for you to tell her to come out.”

“Okay,” he replied. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

He walked to the gunship. The door was still open so he just yelled. “Lorelei, we are underway. I want you on the bridge learning every station.”

He heard footsteps moving down the corridor. “Let’s go, slowpoke,” he said. She smiled at him and nodded.

“We are about to go to FTL,” E’Aria said when they arrived at her station. “Once I get that accomplished I will go over each station with her. Would you like me to teach Natalia as well?”

“That’s a good idea, Captain. It may help with the boredom. I will go get her.” He walked off the bridge.

“Just so you know, I can read some Trillond,” Lorelei told E’Aria. “It shouldn’t take me long at all to learn the stations you want me to work.”

“I want you to learn them all,” E’Aria replied. “There will be only two of us on this trip who can pilot this starship. We will have to work two shifts and have some overlap in the middle. If anything happens, we have to be able to act immediately.”

“Aye aye, Captain.”

“Once we get to this planet Anubis he calls home, will you stay around, Lorelei?” E’Aria asked.

“I would like to, if he will let me.”

“He won’t send you away. Once I determine your skills, I think I will make you my first officer. I know you spent a lot of your life in space. What I am looking for now is the trust I need to find in you to be worthy of the position.” E’Aria paused. “I am not Ben. I cannot look at a person and just decide they are trustworthy. You do seem to have changed and I want to see the changes in action. And one more thing. Never ever lie to me or him. I will know.” E’Aria turned back to the console she was working on.

Lorelei stood looking at her back.
How will she know if I’m lying? I’m pretty good at controlling my face,
she thought.

“Because I will know,” E’Aria said out loud, never turning around. “And I don’t need to see your face.”

Lorelei went white as a ghost. “You read my thoughts,” she gasped.

“I just wanted to show you that I am not making idle threats. I am not going to sit around reading your mind. Believe me, it is really no fun. I’m happy to get away from the Warhammer. I will have some peace for a while.”

“I can understand that,” Lorelei chuckled, and changed the subject. “There is still a message pending on this com, Captain. Should we listen to it?”

“We will when he gets back,” E’Aria answered. “Work your way from one station to then next. Look it over and ask any questions before going to the next one.”

The doors opened and Ben and Natalia walked in. She ran and gave E’Aria a big hug.

“Is it true you are a real princess?” she asked. That got Lorelei’s attention.

“Yes Natalia, it is true but right now it doesn’t matter,” E’Aria said. “I am the captain of this warship and that is all I want to be.”

“You don’t want to wear pretty dresses and make everyone do whatever you tell them to?” the girl said.

“No, I have you for that,” E’Aria smiled. “When we get to Anubis we will get you some pretty dresses, and you can order everyone to do what you want.”

“E’Aria, stop it,” Ben said. “Natalia, you can have lots of pretty dresses but you do not get to order anyone around. That is not how it works on Anubis. People there work hard and are good to each other. Just be nice and they will probably do what you want.”

“You have a message to listen to, Ben,” E’Aria said. “Do it soon before we get too far away.”

“Could one of you bring it up on the vid?” She did so and the Trillond prime minister appeared.

“Reaper,” he said, “I wanted to update you on the movement of the Cjittan. Our long-range sensors have tracked about 50 ships of different classes headed in your direction. The file I sent has a breakdown of the classes of ships. The scouts we tracked already should be very close to Hyson by now. I would recommend you take your ships and move farther back into your territory and get reinforcements. Good hunting.” The message ended.

“Captain,” Ben said, “can you get that file to the Warhammer?”

“Already transmitting,” she replied