The berthing area of the Warbler was, to put it bluntly, full of noise. Celia stood by the door, watching the scene unfold.
“Shan’s full of bull.” Sadira Caspar said, summing up what everyone was thinking perfectly. “I don’t know about anyone else, but one of the first things she said to me was that she ‘never lied to her crew’, because ‘we’re too close for that’. And what’s the first thing she does? She betrays us.”
“And what the hell is actually going on with the comms blackout?” Richard Tvorik demanded, glancing to Elise Henrick
“Shan’s full of bull.” Sadira Caspar said, summing up what everyone was thinking perfectly. “I don’t know about anyone else, but one of the first things she said to me was that she ‘never lied to her crew’, because ‘we’re too close for that’. And what’s the first thing she does? She betrays us.”
“And what the hell is actually going on with the comms blackout?” Richard Tvorik demanded, glancing to Elise Henrick
“We cannot raise any other ansibles on the network.” Elise confirmed. “As our own ansible appears to be fully functional, it is logical to assume that yes, there is an ansible blackout of some sort.”
“Or we’ve lost the war.” Mary Wentworth said, voice unreadable.
“Or that.” Elise conceded.
“What about the fold we made? We wound up light-years away from Saray-could that have damaged the ansible?”
Elise shook her head. “A fold shouldn’t harm an ansible-and even if it did, we’d spot it immediately. Regardless, we know exactly what happened-we entered into an ansiblic arrhythmia with another ansible near the ship. Having reviewed some of the records, it looks like the ansible may have been aboard the ship-I honestly don’t know. If it was, that would make next to no sense, and it would have to be miniscule, but it hypothetically could be the case.”
“Look, this is neither here nor there-we’re still stuck with a Commanding Officer who’s lied to our faces.” Sadira cut back in.
“So what do you propose we do?” Celia said, finally speaking up. As the only Deck Officer in the room,-Norton was with Shan, Ali was on the bridge as Officer of the Night, and Kalkus was off in the Deck Officer’s Berth-she felt that it was time that she stepped back in to take control.
Sadira, however, wasted no time in making her opinions known. “I say we frag her.” She said immediately.
Well, that killed the conversation. Celia thought as the general hubbub immediately halted.
“So what exactly are you proposing, Midshipman?” Celia asked. “That we just open the Arms Locker, take out some high explosives, and lob them at Captain Shan?”
Sadira stuck out her chin. “Yes.” The scary part was that the rest of the crew seemed to agree with her.
“You’re talking mutiny. As much as I may sympathize with your point, I will say that your superiors, myself included, will not aid you in this. Furthermore, as a fold-capable warship, the Warbler has at least one Tactical Agent aboard. Do you really want to cross them?”
“I’m not afraid of them.” Sadira spat out. “I’ve been around them all my life-they’re imposing, but they bleed just like a normal person. And I’m not entirely convinced that they wouldn’t help us.” She gestured around the room. “There’s what, fifteen of us here? So, Agent, you’re probably in this room. If you’re going to uphold your ‘sworn duty to the Republic’ and stop me right now, why haven’t you?” Sadira stepped into the center of the room, hands out to her sides. “Shoot me now.”
No-one moved.
“There’s no Republic anymore.” Sadira said, curling her lip. “And were there one, I’d be the last to go against it. But there’s not. So yes. Let’s put someone we trust in charge.”
“Like who?” Surprised, Celia glanced around to find the speaker-it was Cassidy Freeman. “Norton’s not actually a Commander-he held that rank up until a few weeks ago, when it was revoked for conduct unbecoming of an officer. Believe me, if you knew who Ali was, you’d absolutely hate him. Kalkus too-neither of them is fit to command a Fleet ship. And DO Abrams...” Cassidy turned to Celia, unsure of how to proceed.
“Regardless of what my flaws may be, neither I nor any other officer aboard this ship would accept command from a crew that had already shown itself capable of mutiny.” There was no way that Celia was baring her soul right now-not in a thousand years.
“Commander Shan’s not a bad person,” Cassidy continued, “She’s just... Well, just like all of us, she’s very confused. She’s been given a lot of responsibility, and, well, it’s going to grate on even the emotionally strongest people, which she isn’t.”
“And how do you know so much about everyone on this ship, Freeman?” That was Hans Henrick, Elise’s brother. “You’re sounding an awful lot like an Agent right now.” There was a murmur of assent throughout the chamber.
“What?” Cassidy looked astonished. “No, I’ve-.” She stopped short. “I’ve just read their dossiers. It’s all in there.”
“Enough.” Celia stepped forwards, putting her hand on her sidearm-one of the privileges of holding a commissioned rank was to be able to wear a firearm aboard ship. Now she knew why. “This line of thinking is not going to be continued. There will be no mutiny. If you do not give me your word that this will end, we’ll have to take steps to prevent it, and none of us want this. Am I clear?”
The steps taken to prevent a mutiny were highly draconian. They involved the public execution of any suspected ringleaders by the ship’s Tactical Agent, the spacing of all weapons aboard the ship that weren’t held by a commissioned officer, and draining the air out of the corridors between bulkheads at night.
In short, they were highly undesirable.
“Yes ma’am.” Sadira mumbled.
Celia looked around the room, taking in every crewmember. “Louder. And all of you.” She commanded.
“Yes ma’am!” Every crewman and woman in the room shouted it, mostly grudgingly.
Celia nodded. “Wonderful. Just understand that we will not hesitate to initiate a lockdown if you continue to act rebelliously.” With that, she turned and left the berth, hoping that this debacle was over.
She doubted it.
In the mess, it was dark. It was just the two of them, Kim and Ervin, and, obviously, tensions were high.
“Apologies for that, Commander.” Well, in Ervin’s opinion, that was more or less all he could say.
Shan spun on him, eyes ablaze. “Oh, you apologize? Wonderful, all these problems are now resolved because you apologize for publicly undermining and humiliating me in front of my entire crew? I suppose that this is all fine now, isn’t it?”
Ervin swallowed. “I am deeply sorry, Commander. However, I feel that your actions were unconscionable. The dynamic between oneself and one’s subordinates is fundamentally based upon mutual trust and respect. As officers, we cannot afford to jeopardize that.”
“Which is why you were demoted for using stimulants, I assume?” Shan spat. “Because that’s entirely acceptable for a soldier.”
Ervin breathed in deeply. “With all due respect, that’s ad hominem, Captain.”
Shan paused. “You’re right. Regardless, I expect you to avoid drama like what occurred tonight in the future.” Oddly, that statement seemed to have calmed her down.
Ervin nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” Sometimes, you just had to tell your Commanding Officer what they wanted to hear.
“Thank you.” She still seemed to be angry, but at least not dangerously so. She had just put a gun to one of her crewmember’s heads though.
“Please, why don’t you sit down?” Ervin invited, gesturing to a chair opposite him. “It’s the first day of a new command. Always stressful.”
“No.” She replied. “No-it’s not the first day of a new command. It’s the first day of the end of the world.”
“Commander Shan, please. You’re going to need to trust your officers. We’re the only people who’re actually going to be watching your back. I have Celia in the enlisted berthing area, keeping an eye on them, but it doesn’t take a genius to tell that they’re going to be unhappy.”
“Really?” The sarcasm was evident in Shan’s voice. “They might have become angered by your actions?”
“They would have been more angry if they had found out that you had been withholding the truth later.”
“It’s almost as if they put you in command of the Warbler, Mr. Norton, isn't it? Oh wait, no, I think that that might have been myself.” Shan’s voice sounded hollow.
Ervin looked her in the eyes. “Ma’am, I’m going to be honest with you right now. You’re what, nineteen? You lack the experience to command a crew on your own. You may be the protege of the First Citizen, but that would mean jack to the crew, even if he was still alive. You’re probably scared, primarily of failing them. Am I right?”
Shan made an obscene hand gesture.
“That’s a yes, isn’t it?”
She turned back to face him. “You’re not wrong.” She said, face no longer angry, but controlled.
Ervin nodded. “Why don’t we sit down and talk?”
“No, Norton. I don’t want to interact with you at this time, as I’ve already lost my self-control once this evening with Ensign Freeman. I am still incredibly angry, and considering how best to go about disciplinary action against you without jeopardizing my ship and crew.”
Ervin sighed. “Yes, ma’am.” He hesitated as she stood in the doorway, unsure of whether to proceed. “Ma’am? I lied to them, too.”
She froze. “Explain.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘Protocol R’. It was a simulation we played out once on the Warden. It wasn’t even that relevant to this-it was an attempt to use the Strike Group for hit-and-run warfare. It failed horribly, but it was memorable, and when I saw the situation falling apart, it was the first name that sprung to mind when I attempted to regain control.”
“So you lied, too.”
“Yes.”
“This all makes much more sense now. I’m not sure whether this makes me more or less likely to take action against you. I will say that my already low opinion of you has dropped even lower-you are now also a hypocrite in my mind. Perhaps we will continue to discuss these things at some point in the future. However, this conversation is over.” She stressed the last word, admittedly with good reason-it was now what, the third time that Ervin had tried to continue it?
Shan left. Ervin tried to turn in for the night himself, but couldn’t sleep. She was correct in her assertion that he was being hypocritical, and, honestly, whatever respect she had lost for him, he probably deserved. Ervin had never been one to let life happen to him though-when his officers pulled stupid stunts, he stood up to them. That wasn’t what the military encouraged, or even tolerated-but he honestly didn’t care.
He doubted there even was a military to care, anymore. None of them had been lying about the Ansible’s readings. There was no more United Terran Republic or Fleet. They had lost the war.
After almost a hundred years fighting the Xon, and a decades-long civil war, the Terran species had fallen apart in less than two months.
There was a macabre irony in that, Ervin reflected, as he drifted off to sleep in one of the bunks in the Deck Officer’s Berth. Celia Abrams was asleep above him, Kalkus across. Ali’s bunk was empty-he had the bridge for another hour, at least.
He thought of his chest, at the foot of his bed, and of the syringe contained within. It was a way out, if things got too dark. He hadn’t been entirely sure why he had brought it along to begin with-no, that was another lie.
He knew exactly why. He was just ashamed to admit it.
“Greetings, crewmembers of the United Terran Fleet Ship Warbler. It is the twenty-ninth day of December in the Thirtieth Year of the Republic, approximately the sixty-sixth day of the war, and second day of the Warbler’s official combat status. All crewmembers will report to the Common Area in full Shipboard Uniform in the next ten minutes, where you will be briefed for the day's operations. Super Nos.” Commander Shan’s voice was one of the single worst things on the ship, in Jane’s opinion, second only to Commander Shan herself.
She struggled upright, clearing her head. Today would be an interesting day. She had the distinct impression that Sadira was going to do something dumb, probably rebellious, and likely fail at it. Honestly, Jane was so confused by the last night’s events though, that she wasn’t even sure what an act of rebellion would look like.
She sat up in her bunk just in time to catch a glimpse of Sadira as the door slammed shut behind her. “What is that girl’s problem?” She asked, glancing towards Chase Burton, across the room from her own bunk. The Midshipman’s Berth had four bunks, even though the ship only had three Midshipmen aboard at the moment. Regulations, however, said that the bunks had to be allocated in such a way that male and female crewmembers of all grades were kept as far away from each other as possible.
“Sadira Caspar?” Chase replied, zipping up his collar. “In my opinion, simply an excess of attitude. She’s a transfer from the Recon Corps-look at her rank insignia next time you see her. She didn’t go through the same basic training as the rest of us.”
Jane laughed half-heartedly. “I don’t think you could call what we went through any kind of training-we were stuck onboard ships and told that if we didn’t break anything of ours, that was passable, and if we broke something of the other guy’s, that exceeded expectations.”
“Yeah, that was more or less it-for the Recon Corps, I hear that having their own stuff intact is what exceeds expectations.”
Jane smiled as she finished tying her boots. “Let’s go.” She said, nodding towards the door. “We’ve got a meeting to get to.”
The Mess and the Enlisted Berths were deliberately close to each other, but the Middie Berths were tucked away, right behind the Weapons Control Room, which put them directly in front of the Munitions Storage. Not that, in the hypothetical event of a major munitions malfunction, any of the Warbler’s crew would make it out alive, but still, it was the principle of the thing.
Adjusting their uniforms-Fleet jumpsuits were stiff in all the wrong places, making them incredibly hard to wear comfortably-they skirted the edge of the Command Center, cut through Sensors/Comms, and into the Mess.
Most of the crew was already there, save for Alan Kalkus-as the last Officer to stand watch on the bridge that night, he was allowed to sleep in. Regulations required that at least one Commissioned Officer be available on the command deck at all times, which was apparently taxing with only five of them aboard the ship. Honestly though, given the perks of their position, such as edible food, Jane didn’t feel too sorry for them.
“Good morning, UTFS Warbler.” Jane shifted to be able to see the Commander where she stood at the front of the room, hidden from view by the fact that the entire crew was pressed into the Mess. “The absolute first thing that we’re going to accomplish is getting a meal into each of you.” Shan said, gesturing to a dark grey, collapsable box in the center of the table. “FlashHeat rations aren’t the best, but we all missed at least one meal yesterday-you’ll all need the calories.”
Mentally, Jane sighed. It seemed like Shan had a real tendency to treat people like they were absolute idiots sometimes. Obviously they needed to eat.
She couldn’t deny that it felt good to have food in her though. The FlashHeat rations were simple. They were composed of various freeze-dried foods, to which one added water, then activated a one-use heating element that rendered it palatable. It was nothing like eggs, but it was calories.
“The second thing that we-that I-must attend to this morning is an apology.” Jane looked up, surprised. “I spoke with several of you over the past few days about how trustworthiness and mutual respect were paramount to the cohesion and function of this crew and ship. As we are all aware, I lied to you last night-something for which I am deeply sorry. As my Officers will attest, as of this point, the understanding that Terrankind has likely lost the Species D War is true, to the best of our knowledge.”
Commander Shan paused to allow that to sink in for a moment, before continuing, “I can not expect you to immediately forgive these actions, but I will say that I am deeply sorrowed.”
There was silence. Then, Sadira Caspar spoke up. “Freeman.”
The Commander glanced over to Sadira. “I’m sorry, but what?”
“Apologize to Ensign Cassidy Freeman.” Caspar demanded.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jane could see Cassidy’s hands clenching into fists, though Jane almost got the feeling that her anger was directed at Sadira, not Commander Shan. The general feel of the room which had previously been almost approaching lightening up, was immediately plunged back into tension.
Shan breathed in deeply, and closed her eyes for a moment. Jane was unsure if it was to calm herself, express frustration, or both.
Then, turning to Cassidy Freeman, she said, “Ensign Cassidy Freeman, I extend my most sincere apologies towards you for my actions last night. While you may have, technically, transgressed Fleet regulation, you were certainly ethically justified in doing so. I am deeply sorry.”
“Thank you, Commander.”
And like that, the situation was diffused. Deck Officer Norton, who had been perched on the edge of the counter he was sitting on, relaxed. Jae Ali’s hand moved off his pistol, back to meet the other one behind his back. Commander Shan almost smiled, and glanced back down at her tablet, probably looking over further notes for her address or something. Honestly, Sadira was one of a very small number of people who seemed to be holding onto their grudges.
“On to the business of the day.” Shan said, voice once again businesslike. “We’re moving the Warbler into orbit around the system’s primary planet. Ensign Freeman, will Ensign Hudson be ready for duty today?”
Freeman nodded. “Yes ma’am, he likely will be-he’s made an excellent recovery.”
“And Midshipman Steele, as the person who resealed the Engine Room, did it appear to be usable to you?”
Jane nodded. “Yes ma’am, the Engine Room suffered hull damage, but it will likely be usable after a thorough inspection, and minor repairs.”
“Make that major repairs-I don’t want any risks taken with several tons of Antimatter on board, am I clear?” Nods. “Deck Officer Norton, assign three of your Ensigns to help Ensign Hudson in the Engine Room. Take the rest to debrief yesterday’s combat. Deck Officer Abrams, once again, debrief of yesterday. Ensign Freeman, I want every crewmember of this ship given a once-over in the sickbay as soon as possible. Finally, Deck Officer Kalkus, your section will be aiding in repairs for the Engine Room, as well as checking over HVAC, the Ansible, Ansible Sinks, and Antimatter Reactor. Any questions?”
There was silence. “Very well then. After you finish your meals, please report to your assigned duty areas as soon as possible. Deck Officer Ali or myself will check in at various points throughout the day. Super Nos.”
That motto meant something entirely different to Sadira than what it had meant just a day before. Previously, it was a declaration of fealty, of service to the Republic. Now, it was a sentence. Upon them was, quite possibly, the future of the species.
Jane made her way into the Enlisted Berth, just forward of the mess. The mess was, theoretically, where the crew ate, but it was cramped. The Enlisted Berth, on the other hand, was theoretically off-limits to the Midshipmen, but Sadira and Chase had both entered, and it seemed to be where most of the crew was heading, so she followed.
She wondered how much sleeping had been done the previous night. Sadira, for instance, had definitely stayed in the Enlisted Berth after Jane had gone back to their own.
“So, what do you think of what just went down?” She heard Chase’s voice in her ear, and shrugged. “I was impressed on one level, because she realized how utterly despised she made herself in one night. On another, she still lied to us, and, well, the only reason I even believe this is because Elise Henrick hasn’t spoken up about anything.”
Chase nodded, sitting down on one of the bunks and pulling her down next to him. “See though, that’s assuming that Elise is trustworthy to begin with. She didn’t protest last night, after all. Still though, you know they’re in trouble when they apologize.”
Jane pursed her lips. “True. Want some eggs?”
He grimaced. “Oh, those were eggs? I assumed they came out of a vat somewhere.”
“Is that a no?”
“Eh. There’s still calories in them-I’ll take ‘em.” Smiling, she handed him the half-full packet.
“You know...” She hesitated, wondering if she should actually say what she wanted to. “What was it like, flying a drone in combat like that?”
He paused for a moment. “I expected it to be more intense, honestly. It was no different from flying in a simulator or something, which I’ve done literally dozens of times before. You can even fly a drone from your tablet-those big VR Cockpits they put us in are almost just to use up space. Sure, it’s useful to feel what the drone is, but it’s not essential. And the D... I mean, we don’t understand them, but from what I’ve heard, it sounds like they’re not even alive in the classical sense.”
Jane frowned. “What?”
Chase hesitated. “Some of the intelligence reports we received from Tantaline indicated that they’re not biological. We absolutely know that they’re unlike any life we’ve encountered before-the Grey were humanoid, and the Xon insectoid. The D are hard to quantify. Our best bet is that they’re robotic or mechanical. It’s also possible that they’re cellular life that’s much less centralized than us.”
“Huh.” It wasn’t like that changed the situation or anything, but it was fascinating to know. As she was about to ask him another question though, she saw Deck Officer Ali’s face in the doorway. “It’s seven-thirty. Wrap it up, get to your duty stations.”
Regretfully, Jane glanced to Chase. “See you in a little while.” She said, quickly kissing him on the cheek.
He smiled. “See you in a few. Heck, I’m in Combat Systems, so we’ll see where Norton sends me.”
As she emerged into the mess, she saw Alan Kalkus rounding up the other Shipboard Systems crewmembers. “ESS, over here!”
Entering their circle, she noted Victor’s absence.
“Ensign Hudson will be joining us at the Engine Room.” Kalkus said, nodding towards Jane. “We’re going to be busy today-the Commander wants us to be fold-capable by 1700, which gives us ten hours to conduct complete checks of the Antimatter Reactor, the Antimatter Storage Compartment, the Engines, the Ansible, the Ansible Sinks, the Atmospherics, and, if possible, survey the hull. To be honest, be prepared to skip lunch. Elise and Hans, I need you in your areas. I’ll be in mine. Jane, I need you with Victor in the Engine Room-not only is that where the majority of our work is going to have to be done, but that’s where we’re going to put whoever Ervin Norton is able to spare. Keep an eye on them, stop them from breaking anything too important. Clear?”
“One thing, Sir.” Elise Henrick spoke up. “I ran all the Ansible diagnostics yesterday, and everything checked out. I actually did it several times, at Commander Shan’s request. Do you need me somewhere else?”
Alan nodded. “Yes, thank you. Did you also check the Ansible Sinks?”
She shook her head. “No, just the Ansible itself.”
“Change the dates to today, then check the Sinks. After that, I want you to take a couple of people out and check out the hull and engines from the outside.”
“I could do that.” Jane said, raising her hand. “I did it yesterday.”
Alan nodded. “And we’re very happy that you did.” He honestly sounded patronizing. “But you’re not rated for spacewalking, and I’ve had a talk with Cecilia Abrams about that. Now, we’re rather busy, and you have a job to go do. Why don’t you go back to the Engine Room and get started?”
“Yes, Sir.” She said, saluting. Privately, she seethed, but there was no reason or place to show that to an officer.
She found her way to the Engine Room, and, though she was the first one there, there was a clearly marked box on the wall with the words ‘ENGINE ROOM MANUAL’ written on it in large block letters. Sighing, she unlatched the cabinet, and placed the book on the bare metal table in the center of the room. She placed her tablet next to it, turned on a Meriam Tomich song, hit shuffle, and cranked the volume up.
The guide was written in a no-nonsense style, meant to enable any crewmember to perform more or less any task in the engine room. It was almost as warships occasionally suffered losses, and had to be prepared to have people fill in for positions they normally wouldn’t approach with a ten-foot pole.
She flipped to the page on diagnostics, then stopped, looked around, and laughed. The room was filled with tools, papers, pamphlets, trash, and various detritus. Somehow she guessed that it had been a mess even before it had been exposed to vacuum, but that almost definitely hadn’t helped.
“It’s a beautiful mess, isn’t it?” She turned, seeing Victor Hudson standing in the doorway. She stood, turned, and snapped to attention.
“Midshipman Jane Steele reporting for duty!” She said, saluting.
He smiled. “At ease. Are the people from Combat Systems here yet?”
“No sir.”
“Good. Let’s get to work.”
“Are we starting with cleaning up?” She asked hopefully, but with a sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t going to say yes to that question.”
victor grinned. “Who do you think we are, SENCOM? We’re Shipboard Systems, Middie. We’re not as picky as them. Now, how much do you know about not blowing yourself up with antimatter?”
Jae was tired. The last night had been hellacious. Admittedly, he had designed this crew to be more than capable of doing more or less exactly what they had, but he hadn’t planned on the end of the world.
Cassidy Freeman in particular was going to be problematic. She was probably going to have to be killed. Sadira Ibn Caspar could be either highly useful, or highly problematic, depending on how things went down. He really didn’t want to kill Sadira-he had spent far too much time serving, fighting, and dying alongside her father to want that, but if it was necessary, he knew that Caspar Ibn Ali would pull the trigger himself.
Jae glanced at his watch again. The Ansible flickered. There was nothing else out there. It picked up exactly one other Ansible, the Warblers own Class Three. Even the second watch had been disabled-he would have to be more careful with this one.
He looked at the course that Shan had set. It was simple, just dropping the Warbler into a high-energy orbit around a warm superterran just barely inside the local habitable zone. He adjusted the calculations slightly, ordering the AnsComp to take them into the orbit of the gas giant that orbited a few dozen light-minutes further out.
He knew this system. Tac Team Three had spent a week chasing down an Imperiata destroyer around that very gas giant in the early stages of the Republic-Imperiata war. They had used these very Ictarid gunboats, in fact. There was a Foldspace Relay in orbit around the gas giant, part of the top-secret network that Tactical operated. It was supposed to give the Fleet an advantage in a war, allowing it to reposition its assets faster than any invader. That clearly hadn’t helped.
There was an outside chance, however slight, that there would be survivors there. Tactical was very, very good at hiding. If there were not though... He would have to take steps. This crew would tear itself apart if it was allowed to continue as it was. Something had to change.
Hopefully that wouldn’t involve much death.
“Or we’ve lost the war.” Mary Wentworth said, voice unreadable.
“Or that.” Elise conceded.
“What about the fold we made? We wound up light-years away from Saray-could that have damaged the ansible?”
Elise shook her head. “A fold shouldn’t harm an ansible-and even if it did, we’d spot it immediately. Regardless, we know exactly what happened-we entered into an ansiblic arrhythmia with another ansible near the ship. Having reviewed some of the records, it looks like the ansible may have been aboard the ship-I honestly don’t know. If it was, that would make next to no sense, and it would have to be miniscule, but it hypothetically could be the case.”
“Look, this is neither here nor there-we’re still stuck with a Commanding Officer who’s lied to our faces.” Sadira cut back in.
“So what do you propose we do?” Celia said, finally speaking up. As the only Deck Officer in the room,-Norton was with Shan, Ali was on the bridge as Officer of the Night, and Kalkus was off in the Deck Officer’s Berth-she felt that it was time that she stepped back in to take control.
Sadira, however, wasted no time in making her opinions known. “I say we frag her.” She said immediately.
Well, that killed the conversation. Celia thought as the general hubbub immediately halted.
“So what exactly are you proposing, Midshipman?” Celia asked. “That we just open the Arms Locker, take out some high explosives, and lob them at Captain Shan?”
Sadira stuck out her chin. “Yes.” The scary part was that the rest of the crew seemed to agree with her.
“You’re talking mutiny. As much as I may sympathize with your point, I will say that your superiors, myself included, will not aid you in this. Furthermore, as a fold-capable warship, the Warbler has at least one Tactical Agent aboard. Do you really want to cross them?”
“I’m not afraid of them.” Sadira spat out. “I’ve been around them all my life-they’re imposing, but they bleed just like a normal person. And I’m not entirely convinced that they wouldn’t help us.” She gestured around the room. “There’s what, fifteen of us here? So, Agent, you’re probably in this room. If you’re going to uphold your ‘sworn duty to the Republic’ and stop me right now, why haven’t you?” Sadira stepped into the center of the room, hands out to her sides. “Shoot me now.”
No-one moved.
“There’s no Republic anymore.” Sadira said, curling her lip. “And were there one, I’d be the last to go against it. But there’s not. So yes. Let’s put someone we trust in charge.”
“Like who?” Surprised, Celia glanced around to find the speaker-it was Cassidy Freeman. “Norton’s not actually a Commander-he held that rank up until a few weeks ago, when it was revoked for conduct unbecoming of an officer. Believe me, if you knew who Ali was, you’d absolutely hate him. Kalkus too-neither of them is fit to command a Fleet ship. And DO Abrams...” Cassidy turned to Celia, unsure of how to proceed.
“Regardless of what my flaws may be, neither I nor any other officer aboard this ship would accept command from a crew that had already shown itself capable of mutiny.” There was no way that Celia was baring her soul right now-not in a thousand years.
“Commander Shan’s not a bad person,” Cassidy continued, “She’s just... Well, just like all of us, she’s very confused. She’s been given a lot of responsibility, and, well, it’s going to grate on even the emotionally strongest people, which she isn’t.”
“And how do you know so much about everyone on this ship, Freeman?” That was Hans Henrick, Elise’s brother. “You’re sounding an awful lot like an Agent right now.” There was a murmur of assent throughout the chamber.
“What?” Cassidy looked astonished. “No, I’ve-.” She stopped short. “I’ve just read their dossiers. It’s all in there.”
“Enough.” Celia stepped forwards, putting her hand on her sidearm-one of the privileges of holding a commissioned rank was to be able to wear a firearm aboard ship. Now she knew why. “This line of thinking is not going to be continued. There will be no mutiny. If you do not give me your word that this will end, we’ll have to take steps to prevent it, and none of us want this. Am I clear?”
The steps taken to prevent a mutiny were highly draconian. They involved the public execution of any suspected ringleaders by the ship’s Tactical Agent, the spacing of all weapons aboard the ship that weren’t held by a commissioned officer, and draining the air out of the corridors between bulkheads at night.
In short, they were highly undesirable.
“Yes ma’am.” Sadira mumbled.
Celia looked around the room, taking in every crewmember. “Louder. And all of you.” She commanded.
“Yes ma’am!” Every crewman and woman in the room shouted it, mostly grudgingly.
Celia nodded. “Wonderful. Just understand that we will not hesitate to initiate a lockdown if you continue to act rebelliously.” With that, she turned and left the berth, hoping that this debacle was over.
She doubted it.
In the mess, it was dark. It was just the two of them, Kim and Ervin, and, obviously, tensions were high.
“Apologies for that, Commander.” Well, in Ervin’s opinion, that was more or less all he could say.
Shan spun on him, eyes ablaze. “Oh, you apologize? Wonderful, all these problems are now resolved because you apologize for publicly undermining and humiliating me in front of my entire crew? I suppose that this is all fine now, isn’t it?”
Ervin swallowed. “I am deeply sorry, Commander. However, I feel that your actions were unconscionable. The dynamic between oneself and one’s subordinates is fundamentally based upon mutual trust and respect. As officers, we cannot afford to jeopardize that.”
“Which is why you were demoted for using stimulants, I assume?” Shan spat. “Because that’s entirely acceptable for a soldier.”
Ervin breathed in deeply. “With all due respect, that’s ad hominem, Captain.”
Shan paused. “You’re right. Regardless, I expect you to avoid drama like what occurred tonight in the future.” Oddly, that statement seemed to have calmed her down.
Ervin nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” Sometimes, you just had to tell your Commanding Officer what they wanted to hear.
“Thank you.” She still seemed to be angry, but at least not dangerously so. She had just put a gun to one of her crewmember’s heads though.
“Please, why don’t you sit down?” Ervin invited, gesturing to a chair opposite him. “It’s the first day of a new command. Always stressful.”
“No.” She replied. “No-it’s not the first day of a new command. It’s the first day of the end of the world.”
“Commander Shan, please. You’re going to need to trust your officers. We’re the only people who’re actually going to be watching your back. I have Celia in the enlisted berthing area, keeping an eye on them, but it doesn’t take a genius to tell that they’re going to be unhappy.”
“Really?” The sarcasm was evident in Shan’s voice. “They might have become angered by your actions?”
“They would have been more angry if they had found out that you had been withholding the truth later.”
“It’s almost as if they put you in command of the Warbler, Mr. Norton, isn't it? Oh wait, no, I think that that might have been myself.” Shan’s voice sounded hollow.
Ervin looked her in the eyes. “Ma’am, I’m going to be honest with you right now. You’re what, nineteen? You lack the experience to command a crew on your own. You may be the protege of the First Citizen, but that would mean jack to the crew, even if he was still alive. You’re probably scared, primarily of failing them. Am I right?”
Shan made an obscene hand gesture.
“That’s a yes, isn’t it?”
She turned back to face him. “You’re not wrong.” She said, face no longer angry, but controlled.
Ervin nodded. “Why don’t we sit down and talk?”
“No, Norton. I don’t want to interact with you at this time, as I’ve already lost my self-control once this evening with Ensign Freeman. I am still incredibly angry, and considering how best to go about disciplinary action against you without jeopardizing my ship and crew.”
Ervin sighed. “Yes, ma’am.” He hesitated as she stood in the doorway, unsure of whether to proceed. “Ma’am? I lied to them, too.”
She froze. “Explain.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘Protocol R’. It was a simulation we played out once on the Warden. It wasn’t even that relevant to this-it was an attempt to use the Strike Group for hit-and-run warfare. It failed horribly, but it was memorable, and when I saw the situation falling apart, it was the first name that sprung to mind when I attempted to regain control.”
“So you lied, too.”
“Yes.”
“This all makes much more sense now. I’m not sure whether this makes me more or less likely to take action against you. I will say that my already low opinion of you has dropped even lower-you are now also a hypocrite in my mind. Perhaps we will continue to discuss these things at some point in the future. However, this conversation is over.” She stressed the last word, admittedly with good reason-it was now what, the third time that Ervin had tried to continue it?
Shan left. Ervin tried to turn in for the night himself, but couldn’t sleep. She was correct in her assertion that he was being hypocritical, and, honestly, whatever respect she had lost for him, he probably deserved. Ervin had never been one to let life happen to him though-when his officers pulled stupid stunts, he stood up to them. That wasn’t what the military encouraged, or even tolerated-but he honestly didn’t care.
He doubted there even was a military to care, anymore. None of them had been lying about the Ansible’s readings. There was no more United Terran Republic or Fleet. They had lost the war.
After almost a hundred years fighting the Xon, and a decades-long civil war, the Terran species had fallen apart in less than two months.
There was a macabre irony in that, Ervin reflected, as he drifted off to sleep in one of the bunks in the Deck Officer’s Berth. Celia Abrams was asleep above him, Kalkus across. Ali’s bunk was empty-he had the bridge for another hour, at least.
He thought of his chest, at the foot of his bed, and of the syringe contained within. It was a way out, if things got too dark. He hadn’t been entirely sure why he had brought it along to begin with-no, that was another lie.
He knew exactly why. He was just ashamed to admit it.
“Greetings, crewmembers of the United Terran Fleet Ship Warbler. It is the twenty-ninth day of December in the Thirtieth Year of the Republic, approximately the sixty-sixth day of the war, and second day of the Warbler’s official combat status. All crewmembers will report to the Common Area in full Shipboard Uniform in the next ten minutes, where you will be briefed for the day's operations. Super Nos.” Commander Shan’s voice was one of the single worst things on the ship, in Jane’s opinion, second only to Commander Shan herself.
She struggled upright, clearing her head. Today would be an interesting day. She had the distinct impression that Sadira was going to do something dumb, probably rebellious, and likely fail at it. Honestly, Jane was so confused by the last night’s events though, that she wasn’t even sure what an act of rebellion would look like.
She sat up in her bunk just in time to catch a glimpse of Sadira as the door slammed shut behind her. “What is that girl’s problem?” She asked, glancing towards Chase Burton, across the room from her own bunk. The Midshipman’s Berth had four bunks, even though the ship only had three Midshipmen aboard at the moment. Regulations, however, said that the bunks had to be allocated in such a way that male and female crewmembers of all grades were kept as far away from each other as possible.
“Sadira Caspar?” Chase replied, zipping up his collar. “In my opinion, simply an excess of attitude. She’s a transfer from the Recon Corps-look at her rank insignia next time you see her. She didn’t go through the same basic training as the rest of us.”
Jane laughed half-heartedly. “I don’t think you could call what we went through any kind of training-we were stuck onboard ships and told that if we didn’t break anything of ours, that was passable, and if we broke something of the other guy’s, that exceeded expectations.”
“Yeah, that was more or less it-for the Recon Corps, I hear that having their own stuff intact is what exceeds expectations.”
Jane smiled as she finished tying her boots. “Let’s go.” She said, nodding towards the door. “We’ve got a meeting to get to.”
The Mess and the Enlisted Berths were deliberately close to each other, but the Middie Berths were tucked away, right behind the Weapons Control Room, which put them directly in front of the Munitions Storage. Not that, in the hypothetical event of a major munitions malfunction, any of the Warbler’s crew would make it out alive, but still, it was the principle of the thing.
Adjusting their uniforms-Fleet jumpsuits were stiff in all the wrong places, making them incredibly hard to wear comfortably-they skirted the edge of the Command Center, cut through Sensors/Comms, and into the Mess.
Most of the crew was already there, save for Alan Kalkus-as the last Officer to stand watch on the bridge that night, he was allowed to sleep in. Regulations required that at least one Commissioned Officer be available on the command deck at all times, which was apparently taxing with only five of them aboard the ship. Honestly though, given the perks of their position, such as edible food, Jane didn’t feel too sorry for them.
“Good morning, UTFS Warbler.” Jane shifted to be able to see the Commander where she stood at the front of the room, hidden from view by the fact that the entire crew was pressed into the Mess. “The absolute first thing that we’re going to accomplish is getting a meal into each of you.” Shan said, gesturing to a dark grey, collapsable box in the center of the table. “FlashHeat rations aren’t the best, but we all missed at least one meal yesterday-you’ll all need the calories.”
Mentally, Jane sighed. It seemed like Shan had a real tendency to treat people like they were absolute idiots sometimes. Obviously they needed to eat.
She couldn’t deny that it felt good to have food in her though. The FlashHeat rations were simple. They were composed of various freeze-dried foods, to which one added water, then activated a one-use heating element that rendered it palatable. It was nothing like eggs, but it was calories.
“The second thing that we-that I-must attend to this morning is an apology.” Jane looked up, surprised. “I spoke with several of you over the past few days about how trustworthiness and mutual respect were paramount to the cohesion and function of this crew and ship. As we are all aware, I lied to you last night-something for which I am deeply sorry. As my Officers will attest, as of this point, the understanding that Terrankind has likely lost the Species D War is true, to the best of our knowledge.”
Commander Shan paused to allow that to sink in for a moment, before continuing, “I can not expect you to immediately forgive these actions, but I will say that I am deeply sorrowed.”
There was silence. Then, Sadira Caspar spoke up. “Freeman.”
The Commander glanced over to Sadira. “I’m sorry, but what?”
“Apologize to Ensign Cassidy Freeman.” Caspar demanded.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jane could see Cassidy’s hands clenching into fists, though Jane almost got the feeling that her anger was directed at Sadira, not Commander Shan. The general feel of the room which had previously been almost approaching lightening up, was immediately plunged back into tension.
Shan breathed in deeply, and closed her eyes for a moment. Jane was unsure if it was to calm herself, express frustration, or both.
Then, turning to Cassidy Freeman, she said, “Ensign Cassidy Freeman, I extend my most sincere apologies towards you for my actions last night. While you may have, technically, transgressed Fleet regulation, you were certainly ethically justified in doing so. I am deeply sorry.”
“Thank you, Commander.”
And like that, the situation was diffused. Deck Officer Norton, who had been perched on the edge of the counter he was sitting on, relaxed. Jae Ali’s hand moved off his pistol, back to meet the other one behind his back. Commander Shan almost smiled, and glanced back down at her tablet, probably looking over further notes for her address or something. Honestly, Sadira was one of a very small number of people who seemed to be holding onto their grudges.
“On to the business of the day.” Shan said, voice once again businesslike. “We’re moving the Warbler into orbit around the system’s primary planet. Ensign Freeman, will Ensign Hudson be ready for duty today?”
Freeman nodded. “Yes ma’am, he likely will be-he’s made an excellent recovery.”
“And Midshipman Steele, as the person who resealed the Engine Room, did it appear to be usable to you?”
Jane nodded. “Yes ma’am, the Engine Room suffered hull damage, but it will likely be usable after a thorough inspection, and minor repairs.”
“Make that major repairs-I don’t want any risks taken with several tons of Antimatter on board, am I clear?” Nods. “Deck Officer Norton, assign three of your Ensigns to help Ensign Hudson in the Engine Room. Take the rest to debrief yesterday’s combat. Deck Officer Abrams, once again, debrief of yesterday. Ensign Freeman, I want every crewmember of this ship given a once-over in the sickbay as soon as possible. Finally, Deck Officer Kalkus, your section will be aiding in repairs for the Engine Room, as well as checking over HVAC, the Ansible, Ansible Sinks, and Antimatter Reactor. Any questions?”
There was silence. “Very well then. After you finish your meals, please report to your assigned duty areas as soon as possible. Deck Officer Ali or myself will check in at various points throughout the day. Super Nos.”
That motto meant something entirely different to Sadira than what it had meant just a day before. Previously, it was a declaration of fealty, of service to the Republic. Now, it was a sentence. Upon them was, quite possibly, the future of the species.
Jane made her way into the Enlisted Berth, just forward of the mess. The mess was, theoretically, where the crew ate, but it was cramped. The Enlisted Berth, on the other hand, was theoretically off-limits to the Midshipmen, but Sadira and Chase had both entered, and it seemed to be where most of the crew was heading, so she followed.
She wondered how much sleeping had been done the previous night. Sadira, for instance, had definitely stayed in the Enlisted Berth after Jane had gone back to their own.
“So, what do you think of what just went down?” She heard Chase’s voice in her ear, and shrugged. “I was impressed on one level, because she realized how utterly despised she made herself in one night. On another, she still lied to us, and, well, the only reason I even believe this is because Elise Henrick hasn’t spoken up about anything.”
Chase nodded, sitting down on one of the bunks and pulling her down next to him. “See though, that’s assuming that Elise is trustworthy to begin with. She didn’t protest last night, after all. Still though, you know they’re in trouble when they apologize.”
Jane pursed her lips. “True. Want some eggs?”
He grimaced. “Oh, those were eggs? I assumed they came out of a vat somewhere.”
“Is that a no?”
“Eh. There’s still calories in them-I’ll take ‘em.” Smiling, she handed him the half-full packet.
“You know...” She hesitated, wondering if she should actually say what she wanted to. “What was it like, flying a drone in combat like that?”
He paused for a moment. “I expected it to be more intense, honestly. It was no different from flying in a simulator or something, which I’ve done literally dozens of times before. You can even fly a drone from your tablet-those big VR Cockpits they put us in are almost just to use up space. Sure, it’s useful to feel what the drone is, but it’s not essential. And the D... I mean, we don’t understand them, but from what I’ve heard, it sounds like they’re not even alive in the classical sense.”
Jane frowned. “What?”
Chase hesitated. “Some of the intelligence reports we received from Tantaline indicated that they’re not biological. We absolutely know that they’re unlike any life we’ve encountered before-the Grey were humanoid, and the Xon insectoid. The D are hard to quantify. Our best bet is that they’re robotic or mechanical. It’s also possible that they’re cellular life that’s much less centralized than us.”
“Huh.” It wasn’t like that changed the situation or anything, but it was fascinating to know. As she was about to ask him another question though, she saw Deck Officer Ali’s face in the doorway. “It’s seven-thirty. Wrap it up, get to your duty stations.”
Regretfully, Jane glanced to Chase. “See you in a little while.” She said, quickly kissing him on the cheek.
He smiled. “See you in a few. Heck, I’m in Combat Systems, so we’ll see where Norton sends me.”
As she emerged into the mess, she saw Alan Kalkus rounding up the other Shipboard Systems crewmembers. “ESS, over here!”
Entering their circle, she noted Victor’s absence.
“Ensign Hudson will be joining us at the Engine Room.” Kalkus said, nodding towards Jane. “We’re going to be busy today-the Commander wants us to be fold-capable by 1700, which gives us ten hours to conduct complete checks of the Antimatter Reactor, the Antimatter Storage Compartment, the Engines, the Ansible, the Ansible Sinks, the Atmospherics, and, if possible, survey the hull. To be honest, be prepared to skip lunch. Elise and Hans, I need you in your areas. I’ll be in mine. Jane, I need you with Victor in the Engine Room-not only is that where the majority of our work is going to have to be done, but that’s where we’re going to put whoever Ervin Norton is able to spare. Keep an eye on them, stop them from breaking anything too important. Clear?”
“One thing, Sir.” Elise Henrick spoke up. “I ran all the Ansible diagnostics yesterday, and everything checked out. I actually did it several times, at Commander Shan’s request. Do you need me somewhere else?”
Alan nodded. “Yes, thank you. Did you also check the Ansible Sinks?”
She shook her head. “No, just the Ansible itself.”
“Change the dates to today, then check the Sinks. After that, I want you to take a couple of people out and check out the hull and engines from the outside.”
“I could do that.” Jane said, raising her hand. “I did it yesterday.”
Alan nodded. “And we’re very happy that you did.” He honestly sounded patronizing. “But you’re not rated for spacewalking, and I’ve had a talk with Cecilia Abrams about that. Now, we’re rather busy, and you have a job to go do. Why don’t you go back to the Engine Room and get started?”
“Yes, Sir.” She said, saluting. Privately, she seethed, but there was no reason or place to show that to an officer.
She found her way to the Engine Room, and, though she was the first one there, there was a clearly marked box on the wall with the words ‘ENGINE ROOM MANUAL’ written on it in large block letters. Sighing, she unlatched the cabinet, and placed the book on the bare metal table in the center of the room. She placed her tablet next to it, turned on a Meriam Tomich song, hit shuffle, and cranked the volume up.
The guide was written in a no-nonsense style, meant to enable any crewmember to perform more or less any task in the engine room. It was almost as warships occasionally suffered losses, and had to be prepared to have people fill in for positions they normally wouldn’t approach with a ten-foot pole.
She flipped to the page on diagnostics, then stopped, looked around, and laughed. The room was filled with tools, papers, pamphlets, trash, and various detritus. Somehow she guessed that it had been a mess even before it had been exposed to vacuum, but that almost definitely hadn’t helped.
“It’s a beautiful mess, isn’t it?” She turned, seeing Victor Hudson standing in the doorway. She stood, turned, and snapped to attention.
“Midshipman Jane Steele reporting for duty!” She said, saluting.
He smiled. “At ease. Are the people from Combat Systems here yet?”
“No sir.”
“Good. Let’s get to work.”
“Are we starting with cleaning up?” She asked hopefully, but with a sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t going to say yes to that question.”
victor grinned. “Who do you think we are, SENCOM? We’re Shipboard Systems, Middie. We’re not as picky as them. Now, how much do you know about not blowing yourself up with antimatter?”
Jae was tired. The last night had been hellacious. Admittedly, he had designed this crew to be more than capable of doing more or less exactly what they had, but he hadn’t planned on the end of the world.
Cassidy Freeman in particular was going to be problematic. She was probably going to have to be killed. Sadira Ibn Caspar could be either highly useful, or highly problematic, depending on how things went down. He really didn’t want to kill Sadira-he had spent far too much time serving, fighting, and dying alongside her father to want that, but if it was necessary, he knew that Caspar Ibn Ali would pull the trigger himself.
Jae glanced at his watch again. The Ansible flickered. There was nothing else out there. It picked up exactly one other Ansible, the Warblers own Class Three. Even the second watch had been disabled-he would have to be more careful with this one.
He looked at the course that Shan had set. It was simple, just dropping the Warbler into a high-energy orbit around a warm superterran just barely inside the local habitable zone. He adjusted the calculations slightly, ordering the AnsComp to take them into the orbit of the gas giant that orbited a few dozen light-minutes further out.
He knew this system. Tac Team Three had spent a week chasing down an Imperiata destroyer around that very gas giant in the early stages of the Republic-Imperiata war. They had used these very Ictarid gunboats, in fact. There was a Foldspace Relay in orbit around the gas giant, part of the top-secret network that Tactical operated. It was supposed to give the Fleet an advantage in a war, allowing it to reposition its assets faster than any invader. That clearly hadn’t helped.
There was an outside chance, however slight, that there would be survivors there. Tactical was very, very good at hiding. If there were not though... He would have to take steps. This crew would tear itself apart if it was allowed to continue as it was. Something had to change.
Hopefully that wouldn’t involve much death.
See below for some thoughts on Sophomore Slump, and why this chapter may have been slightly different from the previous ones.