The moral of the ship is the highest it has been with the fact they are almost home. Alexis thinks about relenting on the Warborg’s presence once more as she walks to her cabin.
When she enters there is a message blip. Hitting a key allows only sound on the communication unit. The woman mutters before answering it. “What is it now.”
“Sorry to bother you but there is a situation. Earth has come under a new power.” The communication tech’s disgust at the last part leaves Alexis little guess as what the issue.
“Send it to my display.”
The holotank flickers to life. A man in a gaudy military suit with a lot of metals that makes Alexis’s own bare top seem sterile. “This is Fredrick Vonnerberg, second Emperor of Luna. I control all avenues to the approaches to the homeworld of mankind and you have to pay my tariffs to enter or leave there.” The image moves like a popinjay in his brilliant uniform. “The amount depends on who you are going to and with what. Any attempt to ignore my right will be met with deadly force.” The man bows and then the image goes out.
Alexis, “No country has such right. Our country at the height of power always made it clear that was a right of all on Earth. I want you to send a message to Captain Smith and ask him to find out more.”
“Will do Captain.”
The communication unit goes out putting the room back in the dim light.
Alexis ponders, “Now we need a warship.” After saying that Alexis bolts upright. Her hands come up to her head and the metal one stuns her with the force of the impact. It takes her a second to clear her head from the blow.
The Captain’s cabin seals come down as she hits a command to override the Bridge. The people on the Bridge will be trying to figure it out but they cannot know what she is doing. The hidden controls in the cabin are many and Alexis uses them to take over the sensor and communication arrays leaving them with secondary units only.
Alexis is almost in a trance as she types out a string of non-sense phases and gibberish. Her mind is giving this information up from a source she does not know but still keeps typing almost ten pages of it.
The whole ship trembles as the systems she takes over have to realign it. Programs Greorge did not know hidden deep in the computer system activate and send out the message across the solar system. It is repeated a few times then stops.
A message light is on as the Bridge tries to contact her. She ignores it steepling her hands and waits watching the monitor. The mismatched hands are slanted to a side due to the longer metal limb.
Alexis watches a counter on one of the program count down. The time started at two hours.
Twenty minutes in to it there is a banging on the door causing her to jump. The woman glares over at the door. The security protocols have not activated meaning they are just trying to get her attention. She has to wait for the message, its imperative she learn of any response but the door is distracting her.
After more then five minutes by the countdown she hits her communications terminal, her eyes never leaving the display. The ships speakers crackle to life, “This is Alexis to the crew. The ship is currently running a military operation. It should be finished in 2 hours. I am sorry for the lack of warning but this is imperative.”
The banging stopped and there is silence as Alexis turns off the communication unit and returns to her irrational vigil watching the countdown.
The counter goes all the way down before giving her information. There is a short list of six names. One of them blinks highlighted as operational. The coded message is automatically translated as she reads it in her head, it has multiple encryption codes are not in any of the ship’s computer database. The woman type in coordinates in to the terminal and sends them to her chair on the Bridge.
Unlocking the cabin takes longer then locking it. Alexis does so and heads right to the Bridge. The crew on the Bridge all turn to look at her.
Alexis gives a snap command, “Give me a line to the Captain of the Conformity.”
The crew at the stations start working again seeing how agitated the woman is. She goes to her chair and is typing to find out where the location of Black Base Epsilon is at in the solar system. She is fumbling with how to get there when the main holotank flickers to life and the large bust of the man looks at her.
Captain Smith, “Well nice of you to call. I was going to be calling you in a day to see about those supplies.”
“Will you be paying the extortion to that man from the moon?”
The capitalist man shrugs, “The price of doing business. I have found out the price tag and from what I hear it is not that bad.”
“I am sorry you see it that way. We will be delayed in our arrival to Earth. I will not pay the pirate his fee.”
The crew of the Bridge looks over confused at her declaration.
Captain Smith purses his lips. “I was planning to use those supplies to pay the fee.”
“Those supplies are still yours. It is just we have to go somewhere else first. I am sorry this is cause you some discomfort but our country does not allow us to deal with his likes and has standing orders what to do to such.”
“Your country has no way to stop it. That ship you have is the only one and it is not armed.”
Alexis cuts the communication connection. She then hits the all ship intercom. “All citizens of our great people’s country please listen. Due to criminal action of another power I am forced to conscript you all. This includes crew and colonists, our country needs all of you, as do I. Ranks will be assigned later but now you are all in the military.”
Turning off the intercom Alexis finds the Bridge silent as all of them stare at her. She brings up the numbers.
“Navigation change of course. I am sending you the location to your terminal. Plan two course changes on the way to the location. We will be going in silent so others do not know where we are going. The Official Secrets Act is in place. No one is to know where we are going or doing from now on.”
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
The chime of the coordinates arriving at the navigation station sounds very loud in the silence. The rest stare till her glance at them forces them to break contact and go back to work.
The next day has the first course change. It is rough as the crew takes it nearly to the limit the frame can handle. The ship itself strained some but has no serious damage.
The crew suffered as well with a few needing medical attention. Alexis takes a few pills to help during the daylong burn.
Alexis gets a summons a week later to the medical bay. She is curious what the new doctor wants and arrives.
The medical bay looks spotless and has a male nurse with the older looking female doctor in peach colored clothes. There are only four beds and all of them are vacant when Alexis arrives with the Warborg following her.
“Doctor you called for me?”
“Yes captain. I am doctor Buillia. It is time for your physical.”
“What? I am leading us here and busy. You want to poke and prod me wait till after we arrive at Earth?”
“Captain you are long overdue for your military physical by a few centuries.”
“I do not have to listen to crew commands.”
The woman crosses her arms, “I was crew. Now because of my conscription I am military just like you. I know a bit of your… bloody history but I assure you I am on your side.”
Alexis is taken back having been use to the crew bending over when she gives an order. “There could be a better time.”
“There are no emergencies going on. The ship is flying smoothly without any plans to change course so this is a very good time for it. Take off your clothes and sit on a table.” Buillia looks at the heavy firearm that Alexis has at her waist changed from the diskshooter she use to have. “Please have the tool hold your weapons. It will make us both feel safer, other then my nurse.”
Both of them look to the man who has kept away from the women and the Warborg.
He has deer in the headlights look and says, “I need to check supplies. I will be in the storerooms.” He leaves rapidly.
Alexis looks to the woman, “Giving you an order to wait will not work because you are doing your duty… Ok I relent.” She removes her clothes making sure the Warborg has the weapon secured.
Buillia looks at her metal limb curiously as Alexis disrobe. Once Alexis has stripped the woman begins a physical and a number of tests and taking of samples. The metal arm gets a lot of inspecting and testing.
During the time Alexis really realizes just how much of her body has changed with the trip. Her body lacks much of the fat she had. Her muscles are tone and stronger then she was. Sadly her face did not improve with age leaving her still plain.
Buillia stops the poking and prodding her after two hours. “I am sorry it is taking so long. It seems your information in our computer has been… corrupted. Many of these tests have been done before you left for me to have a baseline of you. Without those I have to do more to get a basis of your condition. Have you had any other issue then your arm?”
Alexis thinks for a second before deciding to say it. “I have felt a bit funny in my head. I know things I never learned.”
The doctor smiles, “Many have that issue. We all have been given subconscious training during the long flight.”
Alexis moves her metal arm but stops before going to close to her head making it look more like raising her hand by accident. “What is that?”
“During the flight while we were frozen the body still was operating but slowly. Theoretical belief, which has proven to work with the previous crews is that you still listen and can learn skills and knowledge for your job.” The woman picks up a dataslate. “I know thousands of medical terms I never studies before this trip. I can diagnose many illnesses that I never knew of. The downside is you do not know all you…” She smiles. “Well know, before you think of it.”
“So my knowledge of weapons is from sleeping?”
“That and more Captain. Each part of the ship and even personal gets a different program of course. I know the basics of ship operations just in case but most of my training was for medical. Colonists were trained in basic level farming and other primitive human endeavors to start a settlement on a new planet. You got more advanced military training in weapon, tactics, and… well killing things. I do not know each persons’ program but I do know that the CIN…” She looks up information on her dataslate. “5564.6548.7544.6687, Greorge, that has been around was of great help getting the hydroponics back in order with his extensive knowledge of plants.”
“But Greorge is a computer expert.”
“He might be but now he has a wide range knowledge that would have helped him with a new life on a planet. A number of which the crew members on the ship lacked when dealing with the plants.”
Alexis mutters, “Yes, a life on a planet or in deep space.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing. Is there more here for me to do?”
“I will have to input the data but you are well. The Brain Freeze that the capitalists told us about is not effecting you.”
Alexis gratefully gets dressed, “Thank you. The chill to the air is most uncomfortable.”
“To you and many of the men. I set the temperature 3 degrees Celsius lower when dealing with them. It reduces male reactions to being touched.”
Alexis laughs at that with the imagery in her head.
The doctor just smiles at the reaction she had.
The weapon is returned and Alexis feels more comfortable having gotten use to it. “Doctor is there a way to speed up the unlocking of the knowledge I have gained?”
“Yes skim information on the subject. If you we given it the information should come to mind allowing you to realize it. It is all there and does help you.”
Alexis thinks for a moment. “Could some of it make you do something?”
The doctor seems taken back for a moment. She looks uncomfortable before speaking. “Yes. On the basic level we are all given a boost in patriotism for our nation but there could be other commands given to use while we were out.”
“That is why I took control of the ship. A command trigger hit and I had to do it.”
“Our country would not do so lightly.”
Alexis looks down, “Our country never would, but misguided people might. Forget what I said, I need to get back to work.”
“Good day Captain.”
The travel time Alexis spends mostly reading to learn what she knows. She is amazed going through data files scrolling through the information to let her know what she was taught. She also finds herself having to do physical fitness. The looking up on regulations for military personal hit a trigger in her forcing her to work out.
The crew has taken the change of status without too much trouble. The giving of ranks to the crew is met with a bit of confusion on how it is determined. The large crew cannot be dressed in the military uniforms due to the lack of such but are given rank insignia.
More are unfrozen as they get to the secret destination. The crew is surprised to find it is a large asteroid covered in radar absorbing material. RX-38 Ship 4,671 the Classless Society slides in once the doors to the base open revealing almost a dozen vessels docked in a hollowed out areas. Most have gantries around them and frightening floating bodies.
The pilot looks back, “Captain it looks like there was a battle in there.”
Alexis nods, “Yes there was. The Warborg rebellion killed the personal and they self terminated following orders from a virus that was uploaded in to our military computer system.”
The bridge crew looks stunned as Alexis casually tells them what information she got a month ago. The ship itself goes into one of the empty docking bays that has no real damage.
Alexis looks around, “Myself and Unit 4 will go out first to update the station computers on the status of the crew now MIN. No one is to leave the ship till I return. Accelerate the unfreezing process to get everyone ready. We will need all to man the station and the ship I will take to Earth, WX-47 Ship 1 the Fateful Hour.”