Stepping Up (30 page)

I don’t have any oil, but I do have some lotion.  It’s not
the best, but it is a functional facsimile.  I come out of my clothes and lay
across the bed face down. I hear him squirt the lotion into his hands and rub
them to warm it.  His hands begin manipulating the knots in my shoulders. “Oooo
you
are
tense.”
Thank you, Commodore Obvious!
He works
methodically and quietly.  I feel the tension leave my body.  I’m relaxing.

The next thing I hear is my alarm clock.

0730.  I step out of the shower to find a breakfast
platter on my desk and a list of status indicators on my monitor.  I publish a
few orders.

To Aria:  I need Commander Rangee and Ginny Berry, the
new Chief Engineer, to attend the meeting in the conference room this morning
at 0900.

To Chief Sunday:  I need a daily update on the Debi
Athena awakening process please.

Both respond in the affirmative.

0900. As I walk into the conference room, everyone
stands.  I nod to them and start to head to my old chair.  Then I see Ginny
standing there. Aria makes a low coughing sound.
Oops
.  I move to the
head of the table, sit down and look around at everyone. 
Why are they…oh
crap!
“Be seated.” They do.  “As you all know, yesterday I was tapped to be
the interim commander until we pick up Captain Dane on Atlas.  For the record,
I accept the appointment.  Commander Rangee, I want a daily briefing at 0900. 
The first one—tomorrow—will be the longest as I want a full rundown by
department—where we are and where we’re going.  Once I have a handle on that
data, they’ll go much faster as we’ll be briefing by exception.  I would like
to publicly recognize Virginia Berry as the new Chief Engineer.  Ginny—Chief
Berry—congratulations.”  There is a smattering of applause. I wave them down.
“I’ve read the daily status briefs that are collected for 0730 publication. 
What I want now is for you to go do whatever you need to do to give me that
detailed briefing tomorrow. Aria, Commander Rangee, Dr. Traynor, I need you to
stay behind, please.  Chief Berry, send or bring Gorb to me when you get a
moment, I won’t need him for long.  Dismissed.”

When they’ve gone, before I can speak, Aria says, “Not to be
impertinent, ma’am.  But word will spread throughout the ship that you are
interim Commander.  I recommend you carry the microwire cutlass to identify
you.  There are still scores of people who do not know who Sonia MacTaggert is.”

I had looked at the thing, but it’s rather cumbersome for
everyday wear.  Still, she makes a good point.  “I will do that, thank you.”  I
turn to Dr. Traynor, “Doc, the Captain left a living will saying that he wanted
to be euthanized once he was in a coma that, and I quote, ‘didn’t look
promising.’  Are we there yet?”

“He is in a deep coma. I don’t have a clue what caused it.
He can stay in TMOD in that condition for two seconds or two hundred years.
Does he have to be kept alive by a machine? Yes. So by his definition, the time
is now.”

“I trust you will make the necessary preparations.  We will
join you there as soon as possible.  Thank you, Doctor.”  She recognizes her
cue and leaves.  Now it’s just me, the Operations and Executive officers.  “You
two: Why me?  Both of you have been aboard longer than I.  Other department
heads have been aboard longer than I.  This is the only starship I have ever
served on.  I have no military experience.  To my mind, I should have been the
last choice.  Can either of you shed any light on why the Captain chose me as
his successor?”

Rangee breaks the silence. “Aria was disqualified because
Captain Prowse, for all his love of technology, has—had—an inherent mistrust of
computers and androids.  He has seen what an infestation—biological or
cybernetic—can do to a living thing.  And a starship is a living thing.  As for
me, a commander needs to be able to look at someone and give the order ‘go do
this and oh by the way you may get yourself killed.’  I can do that.  But you
and I differ in that you can say ‘follow me on this mission which may get us
all killed.’”  He looks mildly embarrassed.  “I can’t do that.  I’ve come to
terms with it.  Perhaps I’ll be given the Big Chair one day.  But it wasn’t
going to be on his watch.  And having heard his reasons, I can’t fault his
decision about me.”  He looks up. “Or about you.”

Aria adds, “We did discuss this, ma’am, the three of us.  We
agreed that you were the best, most logical choice as vessel commander.  Are
you perfect or flawless? No.  The other department heads are equally flawed but
you do not pretend to be other than you are.  It is your candor and integrity
which make you the ideal replacement.”

“Thank you for
your
candor.  Aria, you and I have a
very unpleasant task.  Commander, I’ll ask you to tend the bridge—or do
whatever you do from wherever you do it—we will be in Medical.”

“Happy to, ma’am.  At your convenience we have some
housekeeping documents for your signature.  Promotions, transfers, other manner
of personnel action.  I’ll have them delivered to your office.”

“You will
bring
them to my office, I will not rubber
stamp anything, and I want to understand what I’m approving or denying. Please
be familiar enough to explain them as we go through them.”

“Of course, ma’am.”  They stand.  They both just stand there
until I realize they’re waiting for me.  I head for the door, Aria behind me,
Malcolm behind her.

Aria and I walk to the Med bay from the conference room.  I
know it isn’t very far away, but it seems like it’s hundreds of miles today. 
When we get there, Avi ushers us to a back room.  Dr. Traynor and Captain
Prowse are already there.  “Dr. Traynor, I know that the first command of the
Healer’s Oath is ‘Do no harm.’  But here is the Captain’s Living Will.”  I show
her the relevant portions of the chip on my perCom.  “That being the case, the
most humane thing I can come up with is a lethal injection to his TMOD life
support system.  Unless you have a better idea, please attend to it or prepare
the chemicals and syringes and Aria will administer them.”

Aria raises a finger, “Actually, ma’am, I cannot.  My
programming will not allow—”

“Got it. I had forgotten that.  I suppose for our safety,
you need to leave the room?” Aria steps out into the waiting area.  I look at
the Doc. She is similarly conflicted.  “I suppose it falls to me then. Doc, if
you’ll tell me what I need to do?”

She talks me through the process.  After the second
injection, alarms begin to sound, which she quickly silences.  I am profoundly
stirred at how easy it is for me to end the Captain’s life.  “Doctor, if you
will verify?”

She calls Avi in.  He makes a brief examination of the
Captain’s body, then takes Dr. Traynor’s perCom and records a message. “I, Dr.
Avinoam Took, pronounce Captain R. W. Prowse dead at 1136 hours.  Doctor?”  He
moves aside and hands the perCom to his mother.  She likewise examines him.

“I concur.” She speaks into her perCom.  “Captain Randolph
Wyckliffe Prowse is pronounced dead at one 1136, this date.”  She puts her perCom
in her pocket.  “Your orders for burial or cremation, Captain?”

He never specified in his will.  “As we can’t cremate, we’ll
have to preserve him…”

Aria has reentered the room.
Probably so she can
interrupt me again
, “I beg your pardon, Captain.  We could not cremate Dr.
Sinnair because of his undetermined nature of infection.  There are no
mysteries about the death of Captain Prowse.”

“Very well.  Cremate him and I will store his ashes in the
safe in the Captain’s stateroom until fitting interment on Atlas.” They nod.  I
could get used to this.  I have to keep reminding myself this is supposed to be
a temporary assignment. “I’ll be moving into the Captain’s stateroom.  If I am
needed, I’ll be somewhere between the two.”

The Captain’s stateroom is a trio of master suite staterooms
converted to a comparatively huge apartment. There are three small double rooms
that Anya and the other slaves share. The Office/Study is where the safe and
library are. When I walk in, I see two women straightening the place and
dusting. “Who are you?” I ask them.

“We are your servants, ma’am.  Commander Rangee briefed us
on…the change of command.”
Did she just wipe away a tear?
“I am Bethany,
this is Clarisse.”

“Did breakfast meet your satisfaction, Captain?” the other
girl, Clarisse, asks.

“Fine, thank you.  Uh…”

“Say the word, ma’am, and we’re invisible.” Bethany states.

“Captain Prowse often asked us to clean only if he was
elsewhere.” Clarisse says.

“Oh.  Well I’ll be moving…”

The door opens and two athletic looking men and two
remarkably fit women enter
carrying my belongings!
Aria is with them. 
“Captain, I took the liberty of directing your servants to move your
belongings.  I had them bring everything that was not a part of the room as
issued.”

I take a deep breath, then a second.  “Thank you.  In the
future, please refrain from so doing without my knowledge and permission.” The
men look at Aria, terror in their eyes. “What’s done is done,” I say. “We can
only affect the future.  Gentlemen, set those down.  Clarisse, was it? Please
arrange my hanging clothes in a closet.  I’ll put everything else away later. 
The rest of you are dismissed.  Get invisible.” They scatter. I crook my finger
at Aria. “With me into the Cap…into
my
study.”

I open the safe and pull out the Amulet and the Tome of the
Ancients.  The Amulet has a green stone in the middle of it attached to a
thirty-inch chain that looks and feels like titanium.

The holoCom unit on my desk beeps.  I answer it. “Captain
MacTaggert, this is Chief Sunday in Robotics.  The Athena unit is operational
and undergoing testing. Shall I send her to you when the diagnostics are
complete?”  His voice is oddly familiar.

“Not until the diagnostics are complete and she is error
free.” I say.

“Of course ma’am.  And congratulations.”

“Chief
Ron
Sunday?”

“Guilty, ma’am.” Last night Johan, now Ron.  It is a small
ship after all.

“Thanks again, Ron.  MacTaggert out.”

I hold the amulet out to Aria.  “Do you know anything about
this?”

“The Amulet was a gift to the Captain from one of the Masters
at the Academy of Ancients. It amplifies a psionic’s ability to send his
thoughts.  If it has other properties, I am not aware of them.  I suspect it is
a telepathic booster of some sort, but psionics are outside my area of
expertise.  If that is the Tome of the Ancients, it is a reproduction of one of
the oldest manuscripts known.  Estimates place the printing of the original at
approximately fifty-two thousand years ago.  If you intend to read it, I
believe you will find the translator program on your personal computer. 
Speaking of which,” she picks up the perCom Ron called on, “this is the
Captain’s perCom.  It already has an assortment of ‘dashboard’ programs that
you will need as well as Captain Prowse’s logs.  If you will allow me, I will
synch the information in your personal unit into your new one.”  She holds out
her hand, I hand her my perCom. “Captain Prowse often remarked that the Tome
was a very difficult read, much like reading a book of riddles with the punch
lines moved around in a pseudorandom pattern.  Ah, the cutlass.  Be careful
with that.  The blue stud is the activator. The thumb slider determines the
length of the blade. The maximum is slightly less than two meters. The green
ring determines the width. I believe he found it to be most effective at six
microns.”

That should cut through just about anything.  It has an
adhesive patch.  It’s most out of the way riding on my thigh.

Aria attaches the two perComs with a small cable. My clerk,
Friday, knocks on the door, “Engineer’s mate Gorb to see the Captain.”  He
stands behind her.

“Send him in.” I say, and she steps aside to let him pass.

“Hi, Shownya!  Do I have to say Miss Captain now? Are you
still gonna be my friend?”

I give him a hug and a piece of chocolate. “If it’s just us,
you may call me Sonia, if there’s anybody else in the room then perhaps it
should be Captain or just Ma’am.  And I will
always
be your friend. 
That will never change.” He beams. “I do have a question for you:  What can you
tell me about your father?”

He’s a little hard to follow around the chocolate.  “I don’t
have a father. He died a long time ago in a cutter crash.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” 
That makes part of it easier
anyway
. We make small talk for a while then I send him back to
Engineering. 

When he leaves, Aria asks, “What are your plans for the
cruiser when we catch it out of Transit?”

“Hopefully, I’ll be able to make arrangements to get Gwen
back.  Not only was that very important to our last captain, but it’s important
to me on a personal level.”

My clerk calls again.  “Athena is here for you, Captain.” 
Aria hands me my new perCom.  I put my old one in the safe as Aria’s sister
enters my study.  I mean, she’s not identical, but the chassis are practically
identical.  There are some changes in the facial structure.  Athena is a blonde
where Aria is a brunette.  But she is just as striking in her beauty.

“My Captain. I am Athena, your servant. How may I be of
service to you?”

“Come in, Athena.  Please sit down.”  We spend a while with
her teaching me what she is capable of and what I need of her.  And I really
don’t know what that is. “It was my predecessor’s decision that you be
awakened,” I tell her. “ I have a First Officer, I have Aria as an Operations
Officer.  How can you best help me?”

“I am built for combat. I can easily defeat any humanoid
opponent hand to hand. I am an expert with small weapons. I can fly shuttles
and cutters. I speak 37,232 languages fluently. I am very skilled at medical
procedures. I have the ability to read instructions and perform the subsequent
task with 99.98% accuracy. I can type 739 words per minute with no errors.”