Méridien (The Silver Ships Book 3) (11 page)
Read Méridien (The Silver Ships Book 3) Online
Authors: S. H. Jucha
Tags: #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Science Fiction, #Alien Invasion, #First Contact, #Space Opera
Eric had told Tomas that Tomas should lead the conversations for the two of them, and Eric would follow. He still didn’t trust that he knew how to behave with an entire planet full of Independents.
“We are most grateful for your assistance, President Gonzalez,” Tomas said. “And your sentiment for our loss is truly appreciated.”
“We are pleased to help, Director,” Maria replied. “You and Director Stroheim must dismiss the political upheaval of the past days from your minds. We start fresh today.” Then she whirled around, striding toward a conference room. “Come, people, we have much work to do.”
In the conference room, Alex was pleased to see Ministers Drake and Jaya. It would make their efforts so much easier with the original Transfer Team in place. They sat around a conference table and hammered out problems. In most cases, Maria assigned her two Ministers the work of opening the T-Stations, reviewing the trade of Méridien technology for the services of the city-ship contractors, and ensuring the safety of her visitors. On the latter issue, she eyed Tatia.
“And how do I call you, Ser?” Maria asked, using the Méridien honorific.
“My rank is Commander, Madam President,” Tatia responded.
“Admiral, is it appropriate that the Commander manage your security and transport with my TSF appointee?”
“Most appropriate, President Gonzalez. The Commander has been keeping my people alive ever since we left.”
Maria looked down the conference table at her ex-Major, who sat with a small smile on her face. Maria was pleased Tatia had found someone who appreciated her unique skills.
Ministers Drake and Jaya requested the communication and organizational structure for Alex’s staff regarding the T-Stations and Barren Island.
“We had a solid organization on Libre, and I want the same thing here,” Alex replied. “Andrea has overall command. Mickey, who is on the
Unsere Menschen
at this time, is our Chief Engineer. Sers Monti and Stroheim will oversee their city-ships. Commander Tachenko will reinvigorate the T-Stations and Barren Island, and Commander Reynard will manage fighter training.
“The T-Station Managers as well as Commander Jameson, Admiral, were replaced. Is that going to be a problem?” Maria asked.
“Your pardon, Madam President,” Alex replied. “We need the original people who understood Méridien production quality and training. Furthermore, our present circumstances are unlike that when we repaired the
Rêveur
. Commander Tachenko, status, fighters and parts?”
“The
Money Maker
has twenty-two fighters and the parts to build thirty-one more, Admiral.” Alex wasn’t surprised to hear the number of assembled fighters had grown.
“You see, Madam President,” Alex continued. “We need Barren Island to assemble our remaining fighters and polish our pilots’ training. Most of the work done by the T-Stations will be for parts they have not previously made and will be supplied to the contractors to complete the work on the
Unsere Menschen
and repair our shuttles.” Alex sat back in his chair for a moment and regarded the entire table. “My next comments will be news for my people, President Gonzalez. Please excuse us a moment.”
Maria was surprised by Alex’s imperiousness, thinking he was asking her to leave the conference room. Then she noticed that all of Alex’s people had entered the fugue state that indicated they were deep in communication via their implants. She exchanged glances with Will and Jaya while the three of them waited.
After a while, Will whispered to Maria, “Must be a special announcement.” He glanced at Darryl. His fellow Minister had a wistful look on his face as if he couldn’t wait to have an implant of his own.
is properly outfitted, the fighters are assembled, and the shuttles are repaired.>
in the care of our good people here. We will be taking the
Rêveur
, the
Outward Bound
, the
Money Maker
, and the
Freedom
back to Libre as soon as possible. We will have to accommodate a transfer of crew onto the
Freedom
and move families off the city-ship. Tomas, you need to work with Andrea, Tatia, Sheila, Eric, and the SADEs to determine what type of crew you will need to operate as an alternate base for our fighters, including their rearmament. Also, we need to know how many people will need transferring off your city-ship.>
is completed? The silver ships will not be going anywhere for many years.>
There was a long silence.
Alex reached under the table to grasp Renée’s hand and sent her a vid of her in Cordelia’s holo-art—the pasture, sunshine haloing the trees, and a soft wind blowing through the grasses and her hair.
Alex sent to the group.
Maria and her Ministers were still waiting patiently when Alex’s people twitched in their chairs. Several broke out of their implant fugue with surprised exclamations.
“Well, Admiral, I see I’m not the only one you can surprise, or should I say shock?” said Maria, leaning forward on the table and observing the heightened emotions washing through Alex’s people. “Is this a secret, or are you allowed to share?”
Alex was watching Tomas, who despite his Méridien training was on the verge of tears, anguish written across his face.
“Madam President,” Alex said, “as you are aware, 2,200 of Ser Monti’s people were left behind on Libre. You will understand why most here are finding it difficult to comprehend me when I say we must rescue the inhabitants of the silver ships.”
The group broke out into individual discussions, but Alex continued to focus on Tomas as the Libran brought his emotions under control.
Andrea restored order, requesting it through her priority mode, and then said, “Madam President, as the Senior Captain, it is usually my duty to ask the obvious question when the rest of us are confounded by the Admiral’s new directions. Would you care to do the honors?”
A sly smile crossed Maria’s face. She had missed this group of wonderful young people. “I would be happy to, Captain. Well, Admiral, I believe an explanation is in order, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Alex was ordering his thoughts, wondering where to start. Once again, the decision seemed obvious to him, but the evidence was tenuous at best.
Renée readily agreed.
Julien had tapped into Government House’s FTL comm station to monitor his charges. Similarly, Sheila Reynard, who was told by the Admiral to stand down from over-flights, had launched a “training exercise” for her and Hatsuto that just happened to occupy the upper atmosphere over Prima.
The conference group heard Julien’s voice emanate from Renée’s harness. “Greetings everyone, and congratulations on your election, President Gonzalez.”
“Thank you, Julien,” Maria replied.
“I wished to say that I concur with the Admiral’s thought that the inhabitants of the silver ships are in need of an intervention. Whether they are slaves or are a harnessed aggressive species, the two may not be mutually exclusive. I would ask our people to consider our second encounter with the silver ship in Bellamonde. First, we destroyed one, then others were sent our way, including one too far to help. And consider Captain’s Azasdau’s vids of the single entry port and the control exhibited by the mother ship, limiting the silver ships to entering one at a time. There are many more subtle clues, but it amounts to domination of one species over the other.”
“Admiral, what’s the alternative if you’re wrong?” Tatia asked.
“That’s why we go fully loaded, Weapons Master,” Alex replied. “If I’m wrong, then we wipe the silver ships from space.”
Weapons Master … Tatia thought over the title and found it suited her.
“Just how do we test your theory, Admiral?” Andrea asked.
“That part I have yet to work out,” Alex replied. “But my sense of things is that the defeat of the silver ships in the Arno System is fresh on the minds of our enemy … the inhabitants of the silver ships and the mother ship. The sooner we return, the sooner we can leverage the impact of our encounters with them.”
Maria looked to her right at Eric. He had been quiet throughout this critical part of the discussion.
When Eric saw the President gazing at him, he decided it was time to share a bit of what he had learned. He leaned toward Maria and pitched his harness audio quite low. “This is the part, Leader, where I find it best to sit and observe to prevent any untoward contact with airlocks.” He smiled graciously at Maria, happy to have been able to impart wisdom to a new Leader.
* * *
Maria called a halt to their discussions to break for lunch. On their way to the dining room, Renée calmed Tomas and Eric about what they were about to eat, telling them it would be a little bland but it was wholesome and all the protein was cultured.
Alex asked Maria for a private moment, and she ushered him into a side room, a clerk vacating the office for her.
“Madam President—”
“Alex,” Maria interrupted him, “don’t you think you and I can dispense with titles when we’re alone? It will make the conversations go so much faster.”
“Short is good, Maria,” Alex said, laughing with her. It was good to work with Maria again. Alex had been bothered by his decision to remove Downing, unsure of whether he had done it because he hated the man or because he truly believed it was for the good of his world. His uncertainty existed despite the fact that Downing was a thief and cared not one wit for the people.
“I have three immediate personal needs, Maria,” Alex said. “One, I need the salaries for my crew reinstated. Downing and his Minister of Space Exploration canceled them.”
“Done. What else?” Maria said.
“I have been using my personal funds to pay Joaquin Station for services, and I’ve just about exhausted them.”
“Again, not a problem, Alex. Have Hezekiah bill the Ministry going forward, and send me a total of what you have paid. I will reimburse you. And your last concern?”
“The first year’s installment for the purchase of my g-sling program has not been paid. Under the circumstances, you may find that program obsolete within another year with your adoption of Méridien technology. I will settle for the first year’s installment and cancel the obligation for the final two years.”
“Very generous of you, Alex. I accept your offer and will see you paid for the first year immediately. Anything else?”
“No. I thank you, Maria,” Alex said, relief in his voice.
“Well, we can’t have the man who’s trying to save the human race going out into the deep dark broke,” said Maria. She hooked Alex’s arm and led him to the dining hall.
* * *
At the dining table, Darryl Jaya paused in the middle of a bite as a thought occurred to him. He swallowed it and began chuckling to himself. He regarded Alex down the table. “Do you recall my final comment to you, Admiral, before you left for Oikos?”
Alex thought through his farewell comm with President McMorris, the Transfer Team, the T-Station Managers, and Commander Jameson, then he burst out laughing and Darryl joined in. When they settled down, Alex looked at the expectant faces around the table and explained, “The last thing Minister Jaya said to me was that he hoped I would bring back more friends.”
The room joined in the laughter. Alex had brought back more friends … an entire world of them.
The flotilla’s leaders set to work duplicating their Libran efforts. Sheila, Robert, and Hatsuto led three flights of Daggers to Barren Island. A shuttle delivered the Libran pilots right behind them. Upon landing, Sheila discovered that the previous Commander and every Striker pilot had deserted the island when Downing was removed from the presidency.
Robert volunteered to test a Striker, and after a half-hour flight, pronounced them excellent children’s toys. Sheila then had the seven Strikers exiled to a pad behind the engine-test warehouse.
Shuttles in need of heavy servicing were also flown to Barren Island. Two of them barely completed their trips. They would require major engine overhauls before they could lift again.
Commander Jameson arrived with the original T-Manager, and they reoriented Barren’s engineers and techs, who were ecstatic to return to assembling Daggers. They had grown weary of building sub-standard fighters. Libran engineers, who had accompanied the shuttles and wearing ship suits and harnesses, joined the Barren techs and engineers. Both groups had worked with each other’s people before, and since they were tech people talking to tech people, the two groups fell together as if at a family reunion.
Over the days, shuttles were returned to service, and they launched skyward to rendezvous with the
Money Maker
, loading crates of Dagger parts and returning to Barren Island. The process started slow, but as more shuttles were returned to service, the work accelerated. At one point, a group of Barren engineers and techs journeyed to one city-ship and then the other, working on shuttles in too poor a state to make the trip to Barren.