ALTERNATE TALES OF THE STAR FORCE
STAR BLAZERS---TREACHERY
Being the second part of
THE NEW COMET--- BY: Frederick P. Kopetz
This Act is being completed with the
Cooperation and Assistance of Derek A.C. Wakefield (as usual)---Freddo
ACT FIVE: TRAINING
I. DUTY AGAIN CALLS
Earth
The Great Megalopolis
EDF Dockyards
Monday, July 15, 2205
0600 Hours: Earth Time
Midshipmen
Deke Wakefield and Jere Marrable reported to the EDF Patrol Cruiser Rio Grande at last for their summer
midshipmen’s cruise; a cruise that would last until late August. They wore
their usual red and white senior-year cadet uniforms.
“You
think they’re gonna search our bags, Deke?” asked Jere “Brew” Marrable in a low
voice.
“Damn
straight they will,” said Deke as they stood in line at the ship’s gangplank.
“You didn’t bring it…”
“Bring
what?”
“You
damn well know what,” said Deke.
“Midshipman
Marrable,” snapped the ship’s Master at Arms, a sergeant who stood there next
to a female Lieutenant named Patricia Steele, who was currently serving as the
Officer of the Deck. “Present your bags for inspection.”
“Aye,
aye, sir,” said Brew with a heavy heart. The Master at Arms opened one of the
bags and pulled out two six-packs of
“Midshipman!”
snapped Steele.
“Aye,
ma’am?”
“Do
you think this vessel is a party
ship?” she said in an amused tone of voice.
“No,
ma’am,” said Brew.
“Then,
why in the name of all that is holy have you brought these here?”
“I
don’t know, ma’am. So’s I can chill between shifts?”
Some
other Midshipmen laughed behind Marrable and
“Aye,
ma’am.”
“And,
by the way, Midshipman, I’ll be keeping an eye
on you,” snapped Steele as she searched the rest of Brew’s seabags. “And bear
in mind that I don’t hesitate to put people on report who play games.”
“Aye,
aye, ma’am,” said Brew as he tried to keep his eyes off this snappy,
brown-haired woman.
“You’re
free to board. Report to the ranking Navigation officer, Midshipman.”
Brew
saluted and left, glad to be away from this woman.
Deke
was the next one to board. “Request permission to board,” he snapped.
“You’ll
get it as soon as we search those bags,” said Bruning. “What’s in that purple
bag? It looks unusual.”
“Some
personal effects,” said
“I
see,” said Bruning. He opened the bag and pulled out DJ. “Excuse me?” he said
as he pulled out the Shetland weapon.
“That’s
one of my personal items. I’m authorized…”
“Midshipman,”
said Steele in a slow, low voice. “We don’t allow you to bring personal weapons
aboard. Did you know that?”
“There’s
ammo here, too, ma’am,” said Bruning. “Looks like projectile clips.”
“Sir,”
said
“Let
me see this,” said Bruning in cold tones as he took the letter. “Ma’am, it’s on
the letterhead of the Commandant of the Space Fighters’ Training School.”
“And
it has the Commandant’s signature on
it?” said Steele as she exhaled a breath.
“Yes,
ma’am,” said
Steele
looked at the letter. “It has the Commandant’s seal on it, his signature,
and…it’s countersigned by Commodore Derek Wildstar?”
Steele
handed the letter back to Bruning. “Midshipman, is this real?”
“Yes,
sir,” said
“I
can’t allow this,” said Bruning flatly. “Ma’am, we’d better confiscate this.
And we’d better put this guy right on report…”
Steele
raised her hand. “Technically, I could allow this…”
“You’re
allowing it?” said Bruning.
“I’d
like to,” said Steele. “These signatures look authentic. But I can’t take the
risk myself. Midshipman!”
“Ma’am,”
said Deke with a downcast heart.
“It
looks like you’ve been ordered to carry this. But I can’t allow this on my own
authority. Secure that bag and give it to me.”
“Yes,
ma’am,” said
“We’re
going to see the Captain. He’s going to have to clear this. Bear in mind that
if he doesn’t, I will have to recommend you be put on report.”
“Yes,
ma’am,” said
I don’t believe this crap, he
thought. A letter signed by two flag
officers isn’t good enough for these people?
A
while later, Deke was at attention before Captain Willis Chen, the skipper of
the
“So,
let’s get this straight, Miss Steele,” said Chen. “This Midshipman presented a
letter supposedly granting him permission to carry this weapon.”
“Yessir,”
said Steele quietly. Deke stood there, looking at DJ, which was before the
Captain on a table in his quarters, along with several clips of ammo, his
drumsticks, a portable music player, and pictures of Dawn, his mother, his late
sister, and, finally, a picture of Dawn’s mother.
“It
looks legitimate enough,” he said. “At least the signature of Rear Admiral
DeLong looks authentic. However, Midshipman, how is it that you know Commodore
Wildstar?”
“Sir,
we met him briefly on leave a few days ago. His wife is an old friend of my friend,
Jere Marrable. We happened to meet in
“I’ll
have to verify this,” said Captain Chen as he took out a small notebook and
flipped through it. “Lieutenant, telephone the Wildstar residence. It’s here in
the Megalopolis; this is the number.”
“Yessir,”
said Steele. She dialed the number, and placed the call on speakerphone. After
a few rings, Deke recognized Nova’s voice. “Wildstar residence, sir,” she said
in brisk tones as she came before the small screen. Nova was in a white
Headquarters uniform, and it looked like they had caught her brushing her hair.
“Commander,”
said Captain Chen. “I am Captain Willis Chen of the
“Oh,
yes, we are, sir,” said Nova. “We met him on leave in
Steele’s
eyebrows went up on this one.
“I
need to speak to the Commodore, please. It concerns an unusual letter that the
Commodore supposedly countersigned on this cadet’s behalf a few days ago. It’s
a letter permitting him to bring a projectile weapon aboard my ship.”
“Sir,
we were about to leave for a meeting with Commanding General Singleton,” said
Nova.
“Then,
if I’m intruding, I’ll…”
“No,
not at all, sir!” said Nova. “I’ll get the Commodore.” Chen then heard the
phone clunk down as Nova disappeared from the screen. A moment later, Commodore
Wildstar appeared on the screen in uniform but with his ascot undone. Chen
immediately saluted.
Wildstar
returned the salute, and said, “Captain, what do you need?”
“Sir,
I have a Midshipman here, one Deke Wakefield. In my hand I have a letter, dated
by you in ink on the thirteenth, which you countersigned below Rear Admiral De
Long. It supposedly grants this cadet permission to carry his weapon with him
on “any and all assignments” on Academy letterhead. Sir, is this…?”
“Yes,
Captain, it is my actual signature.
And the signature of Rear Admiral DeLong is also authentic.”
“Why
did you sign this, sir?”
“Because
in speaking with this Midshipman, I saw the possible need to authenticate the
Admiral’s letter, Captain. You have before you a letter signed by two flag
officers. I suggest you consider it an amendment to Midshipman Wakefield’s
boarding orders, Captain.”
“Of
course,” said Chen.
“Now,
if you’ll pardon me, the Lieutenant Commander and I must be going. We’re wanted
in the Commander’s office at 0800.”
“Yessir,”
said Chen as he saluted again. Wildstar returned the salute, and the call
ended.
Chen
then looked at the letter. “I’m going to grant this, Midshipman,” he said.
“However, you are to keep it unloaded, and you are to use it only on the firing
range. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yessir,”
said Deke, who thought, Finally. Well, I
always knew there was red tape in this Man’s Navy.
“Lieutenant,”
he said to Steele. “Inspect his weapon, make sure there’s nothing in his clip.
Then, let him report to his section chief and get checked in, and get back to
your post as Deck Officer until 0800. I want to cast off once we get these
other Midshipmen processed.”
“Yessir,”
said Steele. She checked the weapon, and said. “Sir, it’s clear. I’m returning
it to him.”
Chen
nodded. “Good luck,
Deke
caught the look in the older officer’s eyes. It meant, Boy, don’t cause me any more problems.
“Yessir,”
said Deke after he gathered up his things and his letter.
“Report
to the acting Navigation Chief,” said Chen. Deke saluted after Chen gave him a
hard look. Chen returned the salute and said, “Dismissed.”
“Yessir.”
Then,
as
“Well,
right now, you’ll be reporting to Lieutenant Pequot. He’s the assistant pilot
you’ll be serving under, but he’s not the department head.”
“Ma’am,
who is the Group Leader?”
Steele
gave him a tough look. “I am, Midshipman. I’ll be lecturing everyone who has
been placed in my Group later after we’re underway and I’m relieved as Officer
of the Deck by the Engine Group Leader.”
“I
see,” said
“I’ve
been in combat,” said Steele. “I’ve seen a few battles, and I know what life is
like out here beyond the classroom. You’ll quickly learn that on board ship, we
have no time for monkey business.”
“I
know, ma’am.”
“You
do?”
”Yes,
ma’am. I’ve also seen combat.”
“When?”
Deke
knew he couldn’t bring up this weekend’s classified incident, so he said, “When
I was in Junior Space Cadet Corps we saw combat during the food riots in the
underground city of San Diego in 2200. I first used this weapon then.”
“I
see,” said Steele. “Did you kill anyone then?”
Deke
went silent for a long time. “Yes…I did.”
“Who
was it?”
“One
of the rioters I killed…was a woman. I…I…don’t want to get into it right now.”
“When
did you use that weapon again?”
“Well,
we saw combat during the Rikasha Incident in
“I’ve
also been in the Rikasha Incident,” said Steele. “I saw combat on the space
battleship Potemkin. The enemy held
me prisoner for a time on our own ship before we were set free. Then, I was assigned
to the ship when we got our revenge on those maniacs. I’ve been around.”
“Well,
I’m glad we can learn from you, ma’am.”
Steele
nodded. “I wish you luck. This will be no pleasure cruise.”
“I
understand that, ma’am.”
“And
tell your friend not to look for that
beer that we confiscated,” said Steele with a hint of a smile on her face.
“Of
course, ma’am…”
II. WORDS FROM GAMILON
Earth
The Great Megalopolis
EDF Headquarters
Monday, July 15, 2205
0800 Hours: Earth Time
Derek
and Nova Wildstar stood at attention in Commanding General Singleton’s office.
They had just exchanged salutes with the Commander, who nodded and said, “You
may sit down.”
The
Wildstars sat down as the Commander opened a folder. “You can probably guess
part of the reason I called you here.”
“The
attack, sir?” asked Commodore Wildstar.
“Yes,”
he said. “Would you let me know what happened there, again?’
At
that, Derek and Nova spent about twenty minutes telling Singleton everything
that had happened in the battle in
“No,
none,” said Singleton. “I have received some slightly disturbing news from the
Gamilon Embassy, however.”
“What
happened?” asked Derek.
“Did
something happen to Leader Desslok?” asked Nova.
“Desslok
was almost assassinated recently at a planet named Ashura. Ashura is a planet
of the Gamilon Empire that Desslok was trying to peacefully urge back into the
Empire when he and Astrena and their son were attacked there. It turns out that
some members of the planetary government were behind the assassination; along
with agents of the Comet Empire.”
“What
happened to the Ashurans?” asked Commodore Wildstar as Nova squeezed his hand.
“Well,
the report says that Desslok attacked their government in reprisal, but then,
it states that the planet fell under attack by the Cometines. The Gamilons then
defended the planet from the Cometine attack. It was a major attack, and the
report states that the enemy used a ship carrying a Magna-Flame Gun there.”
“The
Magna-Flame Gun?” asked Derek. “It sounds like it was a major attack. Desslok
won the battle?”
“Yes,
but at great loss. The report states that Princess Invidia seems to be the
mastermind behind the attack.”
“Invidia?”
said Nova. “I understand she was Prince Zordar’s daughter.”
“Do
you think that we’re going to be attacked again?” asked Commodore Wildstar.
“It sounds
as if that might be a good possibility,” said Singleton as he stood and faced
Derek and Nova, placing a friendly hand on each of their shoulders. “But, as
I’ve seen, nothing else has happened…yet. For now, we’re just going to watch
the situation carefully and keep Venture out on patrol on the
“Sir,
what will we be doing in the meantime?” asked Commodore Wildstar.
“The
refit of the Argo will continue; and
I’ll keep the
“Yessir,”
said Derek. “When do you think we might be going out again?”
“Sandor
has told me that the refit might be done early next year. I am thinking that I
might assign the Argo as a training
vessel in the spring as part of her shakedown cruise.”
“It
sounds like a great idea,” said Commodore Wildstar. “That way, it would fit in
beautifully with our teaching duties. What will I be assigned to teach? Combat and Tactics?”
“Yes,”
said Singleton. “And I’d also like you to take some courses at the
“And
what will I be teaching?” asked Nova.
“Life
Sciences Operations and Survey Operations,” said Singleton. “I am thinking that
if this crisis calms down, I may give you permission to enter medical school in
September 2206, so, maybe, you can consider this teaching tour as preparation
for medical school.”
“Thank
you, sir,” said Nova with a wide smile on her face.
“That’s
if things remain peaceful out there,” said Derek. “And that’s if this crisis ends…”
“Oh….”
But,
Nova was still smiling.
III. DEREK AND NOVA MAKE
A DESPERATE DECISION
Earth
The Great Megalopolis
The Vicinity of the
Wildstar Residence
Tuesday, July 23, 2205
1849 Hours: Earth Time
A
few warm, lazy days passed.
Derek
and Nova were having a little trouble adjusting to being home with nothing to
do for the next four weeks, even though they were simply enjoying some
long-accumulated leave that they had earned and hadn’t used since about 2202.
Since
there was no need for them to report to Headquarters, or anywhere else, for the
time being, they reverted to civilian attire full-time. It was warm and humid
most of the time, so Nova would usually either wear a short skirt or shorts
with a loose top, a halter, or just a bikini top, except when they went to
church. She also got hubby into shorts and a selection of different t-shirts of
polo shirts most of the time. In the warm, hazy days, they gave up wearing
socks since they either wore sneakers, sandals, or just went barefoot
(especially with the inviting bayfront beach that was near their house).
One
day, Derek was taking advantage of his new-found leisure time to sit on the
beach on a towel in his swimsuit reading a newspaper and drinking a soda.
This feels weird, he
thought. I haven’t thought about work the
past few days…for like…a week? Slept late; got up, found a note that Nova was
shopping and that she’d be back. Wonder how she got out of the house, though?
Her car’s still here, same with her bike…and why’d she just let me sleep?
Wildstar
sipped at his soda and then he turned on his radio. After some contemporary
music played, a brief news report came on.
“And
now, the afternoon update,” said the announcer. “A joint communiqué from the
Gamilon and Iscandarian Embassies was released today. In that report, the
recent difficulties at the edge of the Garuman-Gamilon Empire were dismissed as
a “minor border incident” by the Ambassadors of both Gamilon and Earth. Both
governments deny that any further incidents have been taking place in deep
space, and they state that the planned three-power talks for next year should
still take place as scheduled. The Federal Government of Earth expects that
either the Argo or the 
second…”
Derek
turned off the radio. “Yeah, Nova and I have a bet going on that game. I wonder
where she is?”
A
few minutes later, Wildstar heard a jet speeder bike flying up the beach. He
smiled as soon as he recognized the slender, bikini-clad blonde who was on the
bike.
Nova
pulled up right in front of him about a minute later, clad in a yellow and
black bikini. “Hi, Derek!” she called.
“Where
were you?”
“Shopping.”
“Uh…in that? It looks
cute, but…”
Nova
giggled. “I had one of those little Indian sundresses I have on over this in
the store, and flip-flops. You don’t need to be overdressed on the beach.”
“Yeah,
especially not on a day like today,” said Derek. “Uh…what did you pick up?”
Wildstar looked at the small saddlebag on the front portion of the bike, and he
concluded Nova couldn’t have been carrying much in that.
“Some
beer, some snacks, and something else.”
“What?”
“I’ll
tell you later,” she said with an impish smile. “Wanna jump on with me? I’ll
drive us home.”
Derek
gathered everything on his up on a mesh bag, and he got on the bike behind
Nova, hugging her tightly and nuzzling her neck and bare shoulder as he kissed
her. That made her giggle. Then, he stroked his foot
over her bare instep, and that made Nova giggle even more.
“Let’s
go,” said Derek.
“Yes.
If I can stop laughing, that is…”
They
sped off for home.
About and
hour and a half later (Derek thought
this might happen, but he had no complaints), he and Nova were lying together
on a bigger beach towel in a part of their yard they made sure was hidden by
trees and foliage. They were finally enjoying the beer; now, they were both
nude, with very rumpled hair, and they were enjoying the afterglow of a very sweet private time together in the
yard.
“So,
what’s in the bag?” asked Derek as he sat up to cuddle Nova some more in the
sunset while they drank together from a can of
“Something
we need for a little operation,” said Nova softly as she caressed her husband.
“You think we might have peace, at last, right?”
“Yeah,
if this crisis with the Comet Empire remains copasetic, that is. So, what’s in
the bag?”
“You
know my prescription for the latest shot with Doctor Sane?” said Nova.
“Yes?”
said Derek, who was both excited and a little scared by this.
“I tore it
up this morning,” said Nova with a smile as she sat in the shade not far from
their pool cabana.
“Nova,
you mean…we just did it…uh…?”
“Umm…hhh,” said Nova with a devilish little smile.
“You
mean…uh…my wave motion gun may have hit a…?”
“Uhhh..huhh,” said Nova with a little smile.
“And
you want to…?”
Nova
then grinned and opened the bag. She was dangling a small, stuffed stork.
“Let’s just say that I think maybe he should pay the Wildstar household a visit
sometime next year.” Then, Nova got out another little bundle. It was a
pregnancy testing kit. “And I’ll check in a few days to see if he’s on the way.
Do you mind?”
Derek
swallowed at this. Should have expected
this, he thought. She’s a nurse;
gonna be a doctor. She never has been coy about this stuff. “What do you
wanna try for?” he said after a minute. “A boy or a girl?”
“Actually,
I’ve been praying for twins,” said Nova playfully as she played with Derek’s
hair. “Mom had twins, you know.”
“You
weren’t twins.”
“But
they run in the family,” said Nova in a sweet voice. She sat up again and held
up her breasts. “You know, if it is twins, these thingies are going to get a
lot of work.”
“Now,
I wonder how you’re going to do that if you’re working?”
“If
it goes right, I’ll be a medical student next year, remember? The Commander
already said that my Reserve Commission can revert to regular reserve status
while I’m in school. I’ll be a weekend warrior at last. “
“Yeah,
I remember that you have a reserve commission,” said Derek.
“Yes,
and I’ve been on active duty since 2199,” said Nova. She picked a daisy and
brushed it against Derek’s stomach. “If everything goes right, don’t you think
we finally deserve a slower pace of life? A chance to act
like plain old married people; a time of rest where we’ll argue about my
spending money on things rather than about who’s on duty as Officer of the
Deck?”
“Yeah. You know, if the Argo goes out next year and you’re well
along the way with a baby, I wouldn’t want you coming with us…”
“I
know. I wouldn’t want to be there pregnant on the ship if we can avoid it,”
said Nova.
“You
know, if this succeeds, you’ll look cute in a maternity uniform at the Academy
this fall.”
“Thanks,”
said Nova as they hugged. “Want do you want to call our…new
endeavor?”
“You’re
agreeing to it?”
Commodore
Wildstar nodded.
“Operation
Stork,” said Nova. “And I’ll hang this little stork doll up in the living room,
under a picture of Our Lord. After all, we have to be fruitful and multiply sometime.”
“Operation
Stork it is,” said Derek, as he kissed his wife again. Nova smiled and said,
“Hmmm…you look happy,” as she looked her husband up and down.
“I’m
lying here hugging a very beautiful young woman whom I happen to be married
to,” said Derek. “Hey…to make sure Operation Stork works…”
“Let’s
try again?” said Nova as she stroked his hair. She held him close. “I thought
you’d never ask!”
At
that, they fell sighing contentedly into each other’s arms against the sunset,
and Nova dropped her daisy as her mind turned to…other things in her husband’s
arms.
IV. INVIDIA’S ANGER
Main Operations Room
The Eritz Gatlantis
Wednesday, July 24, 2205
0849 Hours: Earth Time
“I…I…cannot
believe your ineptitude!” yelled
Princess Invidia as Dyre, Gorse, Gernitz, Turpitz, and Yvona Josiah stood
before her throne on her Comet ship. “Gernitz, you told me that the capture of
Ashura was a certain victory! But, you, Turpitz, and this mad, treasonous Earth
woman come back empty-handed?”
“I
am not an Earth woman any longer!” snapped Yvona.
“I
understand you were born on the Earth,” bit back Invidia.
“I
was not. My foremother, who is now dead, was born on Earth. I was cloned by her
in a clone tank on the Grand Technomugar Fortress,” said the clone of Yvona.
“As such, I consider myself Technomugar, and I am the highest remaining
official left of what is still a mighty Empire in the Blackeye Galaxy. As such,
you address a Sovereign, and not a commoner, Princess!”
“Such
arrogance,” snorted Invidia. “And is not your foremother, the original Yvona,
dead, as you said? And are you not a poor duplicate?”
“Yes,
where is your foremother?” mocked
Turpitz.
“In
hell, for all I know,” said the clone of Yvona. “I am not broken up by that. I
shall succeed where she failed. I am greater than she ever was!”
“Princess, does this sound familiar?” asked Dyre.
“You
may be useful, but Desslok was a tool who failed me,” said Invidia. “Why were
you unable to assassinate the Gamilon like you said you would?”
“I
was outclassed, but it shall not happen again,” hissed Yvona.
“Were
it not for the intelligence I have received from your fleets and from those
damned R’Khells, I would have already have beheaded you,” said Invidia. “As it
is, go, and make certain your forces lend us some aid in the next battle.”
“Where,
Princess?”
Invidia
made an image come up on a vast screen that made up the floor of this room. “As
we have damaged the Gamilon Fleet at Ashura, this should be easy. This is
Planet Rotella. It was one of Father’s domains captured during his original
reign on our way towards the Milky Way Galaxy. They were conquered again by you
some years ago after you destroyed their capital, but they have declared their
independence from us again and have turned into rebels. I cannot allow that.
Gernitz, I want you, Turpitz, and this clone here to attack Rotella. I think
you should easily be able to take it and crush it, and teach the rest of the
Empire that I am not to be trifled with!”
“Yes,
Princess,” said Gernitz with a smile.
“Yvona,
you said that the forces of R’Khell are great?”
“They
are, Princess,” replied Yvona.
“Very well. Test them. Lead some of
your fanatics into battle at Rotella to assist us as we enslave that planet.
Show their little native Fleet no mercy. I want Rotella crushed in thirty
days.”
“My
pleasure,” said the clone of Yvona with an acid smile.
“Then,
with Rotella secured, we will then plan the deaths of Leader Desslok, and, our
Terran friend Derek Wildstar. I’m sure you will like that.”
“Yes.
I would like to kill Wildstar’s wife, Nova, too. She was my forebear’s niece,
and we hated her with a passion. She was the one who killed the original me.
She also turned Desslok from your allegiance, Princess.”
“Very well. Kill both Wildstars. But
first, earn me a victory at Rotella.”
“We
will, Princess,” said Gernitz with a bow.
V. RE-ENTER JONATHAN
Earth
The Great Megalopolis
The Iscandarian Embassy
Saturday, July 27, 2205
0912 Hours: Earth Time
On
a nice, warm, pleasant morning, Derek and Nova Wildstar climbed out of their
jet recon boat on the island off the shores of 
Iscandarian
Embassy, a complex made of crystalline buildings like those on Iscandar, mixed
with stone and brick buildings similar to those on Earth.
Astra
Wildstar, who was serving for a time in the post of Iscandarian Ambassador to
Earth, stood there in a blue dress with her young husband Conor coming up the
path with Jonathan. After having been on Iscandar for a while, she, Conor, and
Jonathan were back on Earth. The blueness of the sky and the gleam of the
crystalline tower in the distance in the haze made the island off
“I
am so sorry we cannot come with you, today,” said Astra. “My fear, and my
mother’s fear, is that we might be recognized…”
“That’s
all right; we understand,” said Nova. She wore a pink dress, hose and pumps;
while Derek wore one of his EDF uniforms. But, they looked wonderful together. 
“Can
my sister be there?” asked Astra.
“No,
unfortunately,” said Derek. “Sasha is in
“Where?”
asked Conor as he came up in a blue top and grey slacks.
“An
EDF training base called
“I
see,” said Astra. “I’m so sad that my sister can’t be here.”
“I
would have loved to have met Aunt Astra,” said Jonathan as he came up, clad in
a black suit with a vest and slacks that fit him very well. He wore a white jacket
over it, and he carried a small Bible.
“You’re
sure you’d like to go through with this?” asked Conor.
“I’m
sure. I had studied the Shintoism of my mother, and the Episcopalian beliefs of
my father, but I liked the books that Derek and Nova left for me, so I decided
I’d like to be baptized into their church,” he said proudly.
“Well,
may Destiny bless you, then,” said Astra as she hugged her adopted son. Tears
ran from her eyes as she thought: he’s
growing up, and all too fast, too…he was just nine when he came to us; now he’s
twelve, not quite a boy, but not quite a man, either.
Nova
put a friendly arm on Jonathan’s shoulder and said, “Like to come with us? We
have to be there at eleven.”
“No,
I can’t,” said Astra. “I know you’ll have him back by this time tomorrow,” she
said as she handed Derek a bag that contained everything he would need for
overnight, such as pajamas, a change of clothes, toothpaste and his brush, and
that sort of thing…
“Bye
mom, dad,” said Jonathan as he hugged his adopted parents. Then, he left with
Derek and Nova.
After
the jet boat took off into the sky from the beach, Astra sat down in the sand
and began to weep.
“Why
are you crying, Astra?” asked Conor.
“That…premonition
I had,” she said. “The premonition that in a few years, not
long from now, we’re going to die in a war. And, again, before Jonathan
reaches his adulthood, he’ll have no parents…”
“I
know,” said Conor as he sat down and held Astra. “Maybe it won’t come true.”
“Not
one like this,” sobbed Astra.
“But,
I think he will have parents, even if we are doomed,” said Conor as he held
Astra.
“Whom?”
“Nova and Derek.
They are taking vows today to make sure he is raised in their religious faith…”
“Yes,
they are..,” said Astra. “What is the word for what they are becoming, today?”
“Godparents,”
said Conor. “I’ve done some reading on this…”
“Fits
my premonition, then,” said Astra. “They will become his parents, but, only, I
think, when Nova is carrying her own children in her womb at that time…or, is
it when she has already had them? The premonitions aren’t certain….”
“Well,
let us enjoy what time we have left,” said Conor as he kissed his despairing
wife. “After all, we will be alone all day…”
“I
know,” sobbed Astra. She smiled when Conor kissed her again and took her into
his arms…”But, Conor…”
“Yes?”
“Jonathan…he
must not know…not yet…”
“Of
course…”
Later that morning, Derek and Nova held
Jonathan’s hands as they stood along in the third row of pews in the
Cathedral’s Chapel of Saint Matthew with the other young and old candidates and
their parents as they recited the baptismal vows that would show their
commitment to join (or to be raised in) the Christian faith…
“Do you,” asked the pastor, “Do you
renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this
world, and repent of your sin?”
“I do,”
repeated Jonathan in a sincere voice.
The
pastor then asked, “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist
evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?”
“I do,” said Jonathan in chorus with the other
candidates who could answer for themselves, and the young parents who were
answering for their babies.
“Very well,”
said the priest. “Let us pray…”
During the
pause, Nova kept her head bowed, but she smiled with a gentle expression at a
delicate young mother next to her who had a tiny baby girl in her arms; the
baby was fussing, and she was trying to quiet her as best she could. Nova
smiled again when she heard the young father saying, “She’ll need milk, soon…”
“I’ll give her
dinner in the grove behind the church when we’re done, Brent,” whispered the
young mother, who smiled as the baby reached for her bosom, which showed a
little in her sundress. “No, not yet, Felicia,” she whispered. “I can’t nurse
you here. Not in God’s House.” The
young mother was trying to show some reverence, even though she was aware that
current Earth culture considered the repopulation of the Earth to be a priority
and were, as such, tolerant of young children and the breastfeeding often
needed to make sure they were adequately nourished and received the vitamins
and antibodies they needed for proper growth.
“I understand,
Brandi,” said Brent with a smile as he touched his young wife on the arm.
“She’s
beautiful,” whispered Nova.
“So’s your
son,” said the young woman named Brandi. “He’s so handsome.”
“He’s not
ours,” said Nova sadly. “We’re about to become his godparents, though. His
parents…well, they can’t come to church very often.”
“I see,” said
Brandi.
The priest
turned back to the congregation. “The remaining questions shall be asked of the
parents, godparents, and candidates as they present themselves. Would you
please begin to come forward?”
At that, Baby
Felicia really began to cry and wail. Some in the pews smiled; others looked at
Brandi and Brent with minor looks of annoyance (even as they tried to deal with
their own children).
“She’ll need
that milk,” whispered Brent.
“Darn; we
didn’t bottle anything,” whispered Brandi. “Guess I’ll have to be…discreet…hope
no one minds much…”
Before long,
Jonathan went up with his godparents. Nova looked behind her, smiling softly
again as the young mother had discreetly undone her sundress a little, just
enough to let the fussing Felicia have just a little milk so she would be quiet
during her baptism. Brandi smiled at Nova with a little embarrassment, wiggling
her toes in her open sandals as she went forward. Nova just smiled back,
understanding Brandi’s predicament.
What Nova did
not know was that in almost exactly three years to the day in the future, she would be in the same predicament
with her own baby twins. But, she didn’t think of such things as she and Derek
came up before the baptismal font with their hands on Jonathan’s shoulders and
the priest said, “Commodore, Nova, I recognize you.”
“Father
Likanski!” said Derek with a smile; he was the same man who had married them
about three and a half years ago. “How are you, Father.”
“Fine,” he
said. “Did you and Nova decide to adopt?”
“No,” said
Nova. “Jonathan here has expressed a desire to enter into the Faith. His
parents are in an important government post and couldn’t be here today, so
we’ve decided to stand as his sponsors and godparents.”
“You are aware,
of course, that this involves a solemn vow to see to it he is raised in the
Faith if his parents cannot do so?”
“We are,
Father,” said Derek.
“We also intend
to become godparents in the most traditional sense,” said Nova, “And we intend
for our vow to be construed before God in the sense that we intend to be able
to take him in and raise him if his parents ever cannot do so. His current parents…are
his foster parents. He’s lost both of his.”
“I see,” said
Father Likanski as he looked at Jonathan, who wiped away a tear as he
remembered the loss of his parents. “Well, we’ll take the vows with that in
mind, then. Do you, Derek and Nova Wildstar, of good faith and morals, swear
before God and Man to raise this child in the nurture and admonition of the
Church?”
“We do,” they
said.
Then, the
priest looked down at Jonathan and took his hands. “Please recite your full
name.”
“Jonathan
Hartnell-Iiyama Wildstar, Father.”
“Do you, Jonathan,” asked the priest as he looked at the young teenager, “Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in His grace, and promise to serve Him as your Lord, in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?”
“I
do,” said Jonathan.
“Then,”
said the priest as he got a handful of water out of the font as Jonathan bowed
his head over the waters “I bury you in the waters of Baptism, in
identification with the Death and Burial of our Savior,” he said as he immersed
Jonathan’s head and shoulders with the water. After drying him, he took
Jonathan by the hands and helped him to stand, “And, thus, I raise you to a
life of Resurrection and Righteousness in union with Christ, Whom you have
professed as your Savior and Lord. Welcome this day to the Fellowship of His
Church.”
The
priest hugged Jonathan, who then hugged both of his godparents. They smiled and
thanked the priest as they turned to leave; Nova looked at Felicia’s mother and
was relieved to see (for her sake) that she had quieted her baby daughter and
made herself wholly decent again before going up to see the priest with her
husband.
Later
that day, at the Wildstar home, Jonathan (who had changed into gym shorts and a
t-shirt; like the Wildstars, none of them wore shoes in the house) sat at the
dinner table talking with his godparents about how he had come to be interested
in Christianity.
“I
read a couple of books on Iscandar, and I made my commitment there, right after
the end of the school year, before I came with mom and dad to Earth on the
spacecraft carrier Wasp, that is.”
“I
see,” said Derek. “You’re aware you’ll have to come to church with us
tomorrow?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Do
they have a church on Iscandar, yet?” asked Nova.
“Yes.
They started one at the
“Do
you think you’ll be going to school on Earth?” asked Derek.
“No;
we’re supposed to leave in about a week; that’s dad and I. Mom will be here
until the end of the year. I’ll miss her,” said Jonathan.
“Would
you like to stay on Earth for a while?” asked Nova. “I can ask your parents
tomorrow…”
“But
then, I’ll miss Dad...and Iscandar. It’s always warm there; it’s fun. Feels
kind of like I’m back there now, matter of fact, with it being summer and all,”
he said as he looked at the balcony, and walked out to look at the Megalopolis.
He looked up the hill at the glittering houses, and his eyes filled with tears
when he recognized one of them.
Nova
came up behind him and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I
see my mom and dad’s old house. And someone else is living in it now. That’s
horrible! Who owns it now?”
“Believe
it or not,” said Nova in as soft a voice as she could manage. “You do, now.”
“I
do?”
Nova
nodded. “My father’s law firm…they managed your estate and I was appointed
executor to the will when it was finally probated, since my niece, Astra,
couldn’t handle those legal matters from Iscandar. We have tenants living
there; renting the house. I’ve arranged it for you so that the house can be
taken care of and for it to be rented out to provide an income source for you,
for your future education, if you want it. After whatever expenses are
administered that have to be by my father’s partners, the rest of the rent
money is yours, along with what you got from your father, mother, sister, and
their death claims against the cruise line company,” said Nova softly. “It’s
being held in trust for you until you turn eighteen, but you are a very rich
young man now.”
Jonathan
cried at that. “I know, but it won’t bring mom and dad back! Or
Michelle!”
“Do
you want us to let the house sit empty when the lease runs out at the end of
the year?” asked Derek.
“Yes…I
mean…no…if I can’t live there, that is…might as well make money from it, until
I can,” sobbed Jonathan.
Derek
and Nova smiled softly and sadly at each other, and then they held Jonathan as
he forgot his age and cried.
I wish we could do
more to comfort you, thought Nova. But what can we do? God, please guide us…
“No,
no, no, NO,” cried Jonathan as he tossed and turned in his sleep in his bed
that night in one of the Wildstars’ guest rooms. “No, please, stop doing it…no,
please! Stop that, NO!!!!”
In
his dream, Jonathan was reliving the following horrible scene:
January 10, 2202--0318 Hours-Space Time
The panicked boy had just been
separated from his sister when more of the bulkheads in the area had collapsed.
He had no idea if she was alive or not as he ran towards the bridge to look for
his parents, huffing, puffing, and freezing in only his pajama bottoms and
flip-flops since the ship's temperature was dropping due to the failure of many
of the atmospheric control units. It was actually a good thing that this
section of the liner still had some heat, air and gravity. Otherwise, Jonathan
might have already joined many
of his fellow passengers in death.
Please God, please let Mom and Dad still be
alive, he thought as he looked into the liner's bridge.
What he saw there was chaos. The
Captain and most of the crew were dead...and, as he noticed with horror, his
father seemed to be dead, too. Sadly, that section was empty, although the
chairs had been torn apart by some force.
"Dad?" he cried. "DADDY?"
The boy tiptoed closer. He looked
down at his father's body and promptly felt very ill.
With a scream, he ran back down
the stairs to the main corridor, and tripped over his mother.
She was lying face-up on the
carpeted deck, staring at the overhead light with eyes that were too wide,
fixed, and far too vacant for her to still be alive. Her dress had been
partially torn off, and the exposed parts of her body were covered with blood.
"Mommy?" he cried as he
ran over. "MOMMMY?" he cried as he shook his limp, unresponsive
mother. "Wake up! Please!
Are you dead? NO!"
"Damned right she's dead,
you stinking pile of SCUM! " yelled a rough voice
that suddenly came from down the corridor.
"Who...?"
Then, the alien raider who had
recently murdered his mother was upon him like a demon from hell….
Jonathan
began to twitch and moan in his sleep as the horrible nightmare continued, and
grew even worse…
In
their bed, in a dim room, Derek Wildstar kissed his wife as she lay on top of
him with her light sleep shirt open. The Commodore wore pajama bottoms, which
were currently a bit less than fully closed, shall we say.
“So
how are the tests going?” asked Derek in a whisper.
“Nothing,
yet,” said Nova as she lay almost skin-to-skin against her husband. “But maybe
tonight’ll do it. Oh God! You don’t think…”
“Jonathan
heard us?” said Derek. “He’s down the hall, Nova. And we have thick walls and
heavy wooden doors in this house. We did a test with a tape recorder, once,
remember? No one can hear anything in here, unless we turn on the intercom…”
“Thank
God,” said Nova as she smiled. “So, then…?”
“What?”
“Shall
we try again, for good luck?” said Nova in a tiny voice.
Derek
smiled, but, before he could answer, a blood-curdling scream filled the whole
house. It was coming from Jonathan’s room.
“Oh no!”
Nova said. “Jonathan!”
Derek
said, “He must be having a nightmare. When the event does happen, this’ll be
good practice for parenthood, Nova…”
“Uh…yeah,”
said Nova as she tried to make herself as decent as she could as she jumped out
of bed. Most (but not all) of her sleep shirt was buttoned as she jumped out of
bed and tore out of the room, followed by Derek, who got his pajama bottoms up
and closed just in time. He had no top on.
“Jonathan!”
cried Nova as she and Derek tore into the room and saw the boy thrashing and
crying out in his pajamas; which were shorty pj’s with the Star Force arrow on
the short-sleeved shirt. “Jonathan!”
“Nooo…get
away from me, Kranel!” he screamed in his nightmare as he scratched at Nova,
who ignored the cuts she got in her forearms as she and Derek tried to hold the
thrashing boy. “NOOOOO! Noo…nnnn…”
Then,
he woke up, and found he was sprawled in Nova and Derek’s laps. “I…uh….”
“It’s
all right,” whispered Derek softly as he tousled Jonathan’s hair. “It’s all
right, Jon…”
“I…oh,
God, no, I peed myself! I wet your bed, I’m….”
“It
happens,” said Nova gently as she tried to finish buttoning her sleep shirt as
she realized (with a deep blush) that more of her was showing than she desired.
Jonathan
noticed and felt another pang of pain; he had seen his mother like this, once
with her dress open, bloody and dead. Nova’s body, at least, was strong, whole,
and alive. “I’m sorry,” he said as he buried his face in Nova’s bosom
Nova
held him close; she was decent enough now, and she
decided that the boy might need to feel the soft warmth of part of her chest
for a moment. “It’s okay, Jonathan. We’ll deal with
the bed in the morning…right now, we just have to get
you cleaned up…”
“I…”
“I
know you wet yourself,” said Nova as she hugged him. “It’s all right…”
“I…I…”
“I
have nightmares about my parents dying, too,” said Derek tenderly as Nova
gently pulled Jonathan’s soaked pajamas off and tossed them onto the carpeted
floor.
“But
you don’t…”
“Don’t
ever tell a soul,” said Derek tenderly, “But I’ve done that, too…when those
nightmares hit me. Once, I even did it in bed with Nova…nothing to be ashamed
of…”
“But….you’re seeing me, like…”
“I’m
a nurse, I’ve seen worse,” said Nova with a soft smile. She stroked Jonathan’s
naked back and said, “You are very
cute and big for twelve, you know…from the top of your head to the tips of your
toes…”
“Thanks,
but I’m growing up…not even sure where I am…I….”
“We
can see that,” said Nova dryly as she looked his trembling, shivering
adolescent body up and down as he quickly covered himself with his hands. “Now,
let’s get you in the bathroom and get you washed up…Derek, get him another set
of pajamas or underwear from his bag? I’ll dress him in there when I’m done
helping him wash up. His hands are shaking, poor dear…”
“Right,”
said Derek softly as Nova gently urged Jonathan into the bathroom. Derek handed
her a clean set of boxers for Jonathan, and he began pulling up the bedclothes
as Nova shut the door to Jonathan’s small bathroom. Derek heard the sound of
the water coming on and he was comforted by knowing his gentle wife had
everything under control with the confused and sleep-fogged boy.
A
while later, Jonathan grew drowsy as clad in only a fresh pair of boxers, he
lay in bed between Derek, who was warm and strong as he lay there tousling his
hair and telling him the story of how his parents had died, and Nova, who was
warm and soft as he practically lay in her lap. Her sleep shirt was soft, silken,
and smelled sweet, like she did. Fluffy, Nova’s little white cat (who stayed
with her parents when they were away in space) lay purring in a semi-sleepy
state between her mistress’ ankles, occasionally yawning as she looked up at
the little family that lay there trying to comfort each other in their loss.
“So,
you lost your parents, too, during the Gamilon War,” said Jonathan as he looked
at Derek.
“Yes,
I did,” said Wildstar.
“We’ve
all lost people that we loved in these horrible space wars,” said Nova. “That’s
why we’re hoping and praying that things will finally stop.”
“Are
you two hoping to have your own kids?”
“We
are; very soon,” said Derek. “And we’ll be honored to have you with us
tomorrow…”
“Can
I ask a favor?” asked Jonathan as Fluffy meowed. Nova reached down to pet the
cat, and then she picked the little animal up and let Jonathan play with her as
she purred.
“What?”
asked Nova.
“Can
you take me to the Argo again
tomorrow?” he asked. “Before I go home?”
Nova
looked at Derek, and he said, “If we call Sandor and give him enough notice, I
think we can visit the ship.”
“Great,”
said Jonathan. “You know, I’ve always wanted to join the Earth Defense Forces? Or the Iscandarian ones?”
“What
do your parents think?” asked Derek.
“Dad
thinks it’s cool. Mom; I don’t know about Mom yet. She’s pretty, but she says I
should know…”
“The
ways of peace?” said Derek.
Jonathan
nodded.
“Someone
has to defend that peace, you know.”
“And
you have to do it,” said Jonathan.
“Yes,”
said Derek.
“Although
we’re praying that we can have a little break,” said Nova.
At
that, Jonathan nodded. Then, a short while later, he went to
sleep between Nova and Derek. He didn’t know it, but this would not be
the last time they would have to comfort him after a nightmare…even though he
would soon be returning to his foster parents…
VI. THE LAST TRAINING
DAY
The Solar System
Between Jupiter and Mars
Space Patrol Cruiser
Monday, August 26, 2205
0847 Hours: Earth Time
On
the
He
tapped occasionally on the console with a finger. He wasn’t allowed to have his
drumsticks with him on watch, and it drove him out of his mind.
“Helm,”
said Captain Chen. “Twenty degrees to port.”
“Helm,
twenty to port,” repeated Deke as he changed course.
“Mister
Marrable,” said Chen. “Are our main guns up and on-line?”
“Affirmative,
sir,” said Brew from Combat.
“Tracking
three approaching asteroids,” said Lieutenant Patricia Steele from the
cosmo-radar. “Range, six megameters, speed of first object, six space knots,
speed of second asteroid, three space knots, speed of third asteroid, four
space knots.”
“Combat,
assume that all three asteroids are enemy ships,” said Captain Chen. “Bring us
to battle stations.”
Brew
hit the switch and the klaxons came up. “All hands, to combat stations, repeat,
all hands, combat stations!”
“Securing
all hatchways and passages,” said a Midshipman named Damon who sat at
engineering.
“No
communications from enemy vessels,” said a Midshipman named Nicole Bennington
from Communications.
“Damage
control teams are ready,” said a Midshipman named McMahon, who was sitting at
the Mechanical Engineering post.
“Range
of enemy vessels, between four and five megameters,” said Steele.
“Helm,
adjust course, ten port,” said Captain Chen.
“Ten
degrees port,” said
“Ready
main guns,” said Captain Chen.
“Main
guns being prepared,” said Marrable. “Correct bearing, fifteen degrees to port.
Adjust vertical angle, plus five degrees,” he said as he called out the gunnery
solution and the cadet at the Artillery post began to make sure the guns were
laid on target. The Rio Grande’s
forward turrets turned, and then locked into place as the guns hummed onto
target, locking to with loud clanks.
“Gunners
report ready,” said the Midshipman at Artillery.
“Seek
permission to fire,” asked Marrable.
“Granted,
fire at will,” ordered Captain Chen.
“Open
fire!” barked Brew as he hit the firing pickle.
The
guns went off, blasting towards the first two asteroids with two energy beams
for each asteroid. The asteroids blew apart.
“Last
ship is evading,” said Steele from the radar as some fragments from one of the
asteroids knocked it off course. “Bearing changed to three hundred degrees,
heading, above the ecliptic in block Alpha Tango!”
“Change
course, twenty-two degrees port, ten degrees yaw,” said Captain Chen.
Deke
looked at the Astro-compass and began to work the proper thrusters.
“Come on, Midshipman!” barked Chen.
“Where is that course change? We’re in combat,
Mister!”
“Sir,”
said Deke as sweat ran down his back. “Course change
complete! We need more power to catch up!”
“Order
engineering to increase power!” said Chen.
“Engineer,
increase power!” said Deke.
“Aye,
sir, increasing power to wave engine!” said Damon. “Increase to third space
speed!”
The
ship soon caught up with the asteroid and again opened fire. It blew apart the
asteroid.
“
“Yessir,”
said Deke.
“What’s
our ETA at Mars, Mister?” said Chen in a deceptively casual voice.
“1300
Hours, sir,” said
“Good
show. At 1300, make preparations for our final space warp. I’d like to dock in
the Megalopolis by dinner time.”
“Yessir,”
said Deke with a broad grin. And this is
the end of the cruise, he thought. Not
a bad couple of weeks, learning how much we really don’t know. Whoopee.
We don’t know shit.
Upon
landing at 1930, Deke and Brew found they had a 24-hour liberty before they
were to report back to the Academy on Wednesday the 28th.
“So
what do we have to do at the space school this week?” asked Deke as he and Brew
walked around the dockyard area, watching some of the larger space warships
coming in for landings as they waited for their airbus. They were shouldering
their seabags and carrying their gear bags, but they had little problem with
the weight, being in good physical shape.
“You
know, man, the usual “harass the plebes” shit,” said Brew in an amused voice.
“Yippee,”
said Deke. “Like I really feel like harassing a bunch of new greenies this
week. Let the juniors do it. That’s their job.”
“What’s
with you, Dekesticks?” asked Brew.
“We have to uphold our reputation as the gods in red and white for those
screwups. I kinda had fun doing that last year.”
“It
got old for me really fast,” said
Deke.
“So
what’s your problem, bro?”
“You
know! I was hoping they’d hold off on report date until after Fleet Day next
week,” said Deke. “I was hoping…”
“To go to
“Damn
straight,” said Deke. He stopped near a pier support and leaned against it,
looking off across the bay to the gleaming light that was on top of the Heroes’
Hill Memorial in the distance at College Point.
“Why?”
“You
damn well know why, Brew,” said Deke
as he stood there in his red and white Senior Midshipman’s uniform. “I was
hoping to see someone I haven’t seen in too damn long, and…”
“You
and the squirrel again, huh?” said Brew.
“Yeah,
me and the squirrel again,” said Deke as he saw the bus pulling up. “C’mon,
let’s get on the Goddamn bus…”
After
the bus ride to the Academy and the usual procedures that had to be followed
with checking into their billet and the like, Deke and Brew went out for a walk
on a particularly steamy, humid night. Humidity hung around the light globes as
the sounds of laughter, music, and the occasional discordant yells of a plebe
getting racked rang across the campus.
“So,
what’s on your mind?” said Deke as he stopped at the top of a hill and tapped
on a fence rail with his drumsticks.
“Going
to the club and getting some brew before the night is out,” said Brew. Juniors
and seniors were allowed access to a small Rathskellar
(Bar) on campus, but the beer ration was strictly limited for Midshipmen.
Officers could stop by the “Rat” and have as much as they wanted. Of course,
sophomores and plebes were not allowed past the doors of the Rat; a cadet guard
watched the entrance and checked ID cards, since far too many sophomores had
attempted the little game of borrowing a junior’s blue and white uniform to try
and sneak into the Rat.
Deke
stopped as Brew noticed something down the other side of the hill.
“What,
Brew?”
“Down
there. Don’t you hear it?”
Deke
listened. He heard a junior yelling at some plebe. “And you’d better call those
pushups out even louder! C’mon, can’t hear you, son! Spout off!”
“C’mon,
let’s get out of here; I don’t need this crap tonight,” said Deke.
“That’s
Caruthers testing his leadership skills,” said Brew.
“Oh,
not that asshole,” said Deke as he
rolled up his eyes.
“Hey,
he sees us, he’ll be expecting senior backup,” said Brew. “Let’s go down and give
him a little hand, OK?”
Deke
rolled up his eyes. “Okay.” As he walked down the hill, he heard the harried
plebe continuing to do pushups and yelling, “Sir! Thirty six! Sir! Thirty-seven!”
“I
can’t hear you, Fourth Classman!”
barked Caruthers.
“SIR!
THIRTY-EIGHT! SIR! THIRTY-NINE!”
“Still
can’t hear you!” yelled the junior.
“SIR! FORTY PUSHUPS, SIR!” yelled the plebe,
whose voice was breaking.
“All
right, you piece of crap, get up!” yelled Caruthers. “GET UP!”
The
quaking plebe stood up as Deke and Brew approached.
“What’s
this Fourth Classman’s problem, Mister Caruthers?” asked Deke.
“Shoes
unshined, belt buckle has green crap on it I can see from here…” said
Caruthers.
“Cadet,
do you know what Brasso is for?” said Deke mildly.
“Sir,
no excuse, SIR!” yelled the Fourth Classman as he braced.
“What’s
your name?” said Brew as he circled around the Fourth Classman.
“You
know your name,” said Caruthers with
a sneer. “Pop off!”
“Sir!
My name is Shitbird R. Condom, sir!”
Oh, Caruthers you are
a real jackass tonight, thought Deke irritably.
“Is
it?” said Caruthers.
“Sir,
you said that was my name, sir!”
“I
don’t think that’s his name,” said Deke. “Midshipman, state your real name.
Remember, we are now under the Honor Code, son.”
“Sir,
my name is Midshipman Fourth Class Decker, James R., sir!”
“That
ain’t your name!” yelled Caruthers.
Deke
raised his hand for silence. “I don’t believe it,” said Deke dryly. “This
Midshipman can actually talk in something like a normal voice if spoken to normally.
And its mother gave it a normal name. Ain’t that funny, Mister Marrable?”
“Yeah,
it’s real amusing,” said Brew.
“I
have some advice for you,” said Deke. “Like to hear it?”
“Sir,
yes, sir!” barked Decker.
“Go
shine your shoes tonight, and go fix up that gross belt buckle. Then Midshipmen
like Mister Caruthers will have no excuse to yell at you and play, and officers
won’t be giving you slips to walk punishment tours. Is that understood,
Mister?”
“Sir,
yes sir!” cried Decker.
“I
can’t hear you, Fourth Classman!”
yelled Caruthers.
“I
can,” said Deke irritably. “And I did. That’s all we need.”
“Are
you telling this man to ignore me?”
barked Caruthers.
“You
got that wrong,” said Deke. “That should be, “are you telling this man to
ignore me, sir?”
“Sir,
are you telling this man to ignore me?” barked Caruthers.
Deke
got in close to Caruthers’ face and whispered, “I’m saying this has gone far
enough. There’s a difference between discipline and hazing, Caruthers. I see two officers coming up the hill. Unless
you want them to catch you hazing this poor shitbird and end up doing
punishment with him, I suggest you stop this.”
Caruthers
stared at Deke with an angry expression and whispered, “I’m gonna remember
this,
“Then
get the hell out of here before I make you look worse,” said Deke in a low
voice as he stared into Caruthers’ eyes for a minute.
“Aye,
aye, sir,” said Caruthers. Caruthers
then said, “Midshipman Fourth Class Decker, get
the hell out of my sight!”
“Sir,
yes sir!” said Decker.
“And
fix those items!” said
“Sir,
yes sir!” said Decker. He snapped to,
saluted the others, and got out of there as fast as he could.
As
soon as he disappeared over the crest of the hill, a low, alto female voice
said, “Mister Caruthers, are you losing your voice?”
Then,
Deke and Brew were relieved to see Derek and Nova Wildstar (in the red and
white uniforms of Academy professors) coming out from the humid haze. But,
remembering protocol, Deke yelled, “Company, ten’shun!”
All
three Midshipmen came to attention as the two Wildstars looked them over. Derek
then said, “Mister, Mrs. Wildstar was asking you a question. Losing your
voice?”
“No, sir.
Dealing with a stupid plebe. Bad
belt buckle, sir. Gross shoes.”
“I
don’t see any plebes here, do you,
Derek?” said Nova in a mild tone of voice. “Funny, I can still remember wearing
a green and white uniform in ROTC first year. Didn’t it make you sort
of…uh…stand…”
“Yeah.
It made you stand out,” said Derek as he played “dumb” and looked back and
forth, swiveling his head ostentatiously. “Two of these Midshipmen have on red
and white uniforms. One of them has on a blue and white uniform. Where did the
plebe go?”
“Did
you eat him, Mister?” said Nova. “Or did you put him in a beer can and drink
him, Mister Marrable?”
“Ma’am.
Mister Wakefield thought he got the point,” said Brew. “Mister Wakefield
dismissed him.”
“Now
why would you do something like that,
Mister Wakefield?” said Derek in a mock mournful tone.
“Sir,
I thought that the plebe had gotten the point, sir,” said
“And
you didn’t want Mister Caruthers to strain his voice any more?” said Nova.
“Ma’am,
I didn’t want the plebe to strain his voice any more. He had some minor uniform
infractions. We corrected them and felt he could go on. That was it, ma’am.”
“I
see,” said Derek. “At ease, gentlemen,” he said.
The
three midshipmen relaxed to at-ease.
Then,
Wildstar said, “We need to train these men and women hard, people. They need to
break out of their civilian habits and learn to snap to. I know damn well you
don’t do that by coddling people. But you don’t break their spirits or their
minds, either. And Second Classmen, the last time I checked, are responsible
for keeping discipline and responding
to the orders of First Classmen. When a senior tells you it’s gone far enough,
Mister Caruthers, it has gone far enough.
Game over. Got that?”
“Yessir,”
said Caruthers, who gulped as this flag officer looked at him with calm, steely
eyes above his gold collar and bars.
“I
just want to make sure we understand each other,” said Wildstar. “You’re
dismissed, Mister Caruthers. Carry on.”
“Yessir,”
said Caruthers as he saluted and left.
Derek
Wildstar took a deep breath as Nova leaned against the wooden fence. “So, how
was your summer cruise?” asked the Commodore
“Sir,
while we were out there, we learned everything that we didn’t know,” said Deke. “We don’t know it all.”
“You’re
learning,” said Commodore Wildstar. “You’ve just passed the first lesson of
senior year. And the most important.”
“What
are you two doing here in faculty uniforms?” asked Brew.
“We’re
faculty for now,” said Nova. “Derek, I remember people like Mister Caruthers.
Don’t you?”
“Yes,
They were named Randy Parmon,” said Commodore
Wildstar.
“Sir,
what’s a ‘Randy Parmon?’ asked Brew.
“They
come from the same species as a person named Mickey Stovall,” said Nova
quietly.
Deke
immediately perked up his ears and took notice. “Ma’am, you know him?”
“Yes.
A nasty Marine who got busted out of here for something some
years ago. He tried something with me and ended up in the brig in
“Ma’am,”
said Deke as everything that had taken place in regards to his association with
that man poured through his head. “We
met here. It…well…it was not pleasant.”
“I
knew his brother Lance when I was a Midshipman,” said Derek. “That guy was another piece of work.”
“Sir,”
said Deke nervously. “Do you know about how we met?”
“No,
I don’t,” said Commodore Wildstar mildly. “I’ve heard your record has some
interesting notations in it, but I’ve never actually read it, myself. And, as
your Carrier Air Group Tactics instructor this fall, I don’t think I’ll have an
opportunity to, either. After all, I’m just going to be a professor here, not a
tactical officer or disciplinary officer. As a professor, they usually don’t
let us look at cadet personnel jackets. I’m only going to be concerned about
your grades and conduct in my class. I probably won’t see your full record
until you graduate and you end up in a command of mine.”
“I
see, sir,” said Deke as he released a mental sigh of
relief. Good, he won’t know, he
thought. He won’t know I almost blew my
career down the toilet once for Dawn because of that prick Stovall. He won’t
know about
“What
are you teaching, ma’am?” asked Brew.
“Basic
Radar and Survey Operations, mostly to lowerclassmen,” said Nova. “I also have
a section of First-Year Biology that I’ll be teaching. Yes; I’ll get to scare
some plebes,” said Nova sadly as she looked down at her boots for a minute.
“Yippee…”
“I
see,” said Brew.
“We
just wanted to thank you for…this summer…and wish you guys luck,” said
Commodore Wildstar. “Who’s your Advanced Flight Training and Tactics
instructor?”
“Jefferson
Hardy, sir. I also had him last year for Basic Flight Training and Tactics,”
said Deke. “Great guy, sir.”
“Wonderful,”
said Commodore Wildstar. “If you’ll excuse us, gentlemen, the Lieutenant
Commander and I were on our way home. Carry on.”
“Yessir,”
said Deke and Brew. They saluted, and promptly headed off down towards the Rat,
leaving Derek and Nova alone.
“I
called it right,” chuckled Commodore Wildstar. “On
their way down for some brew, I bet. Hey, Nova, want some? We spent a long day
with those lesson plans.”
“No,
I don’t want any beer tonight, Derek,” said Nova in a depressed, quiet voice.
“Nova,
what’s wrong?”
“My
little test that I’m taking in the mornings?” she said sadly. “Still
negative…when I…I…want it to be…positive…and Jonathan’s home with Astra and
Conor, but…I…I want children of our own,
Derek, I….”
She
then held him and began to cry softly.
“Oh,
I’m so sorry, Nova….I’m…”
“I
know you’re trying; you’re so patient with me,” she sobbed. “Maybe we should go
see Doctor Sane about this? There…there must be something wrong with me!”
“I’ll
call for an appointment in the morning, Nova,” replied Derek softly as he held
his wife and stroked her hair.
“Thank
you; I love you…”
“I
love you, too….”
TO BE CONTINUED....
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