Chapter 14
An Old Friend
Leek woke in a pleasant mood after Lucinda’s surprise ambush when he’d returned to his compartment the night before. It was the first time she’d shown interest in sex since her ordeal in Shisk.
Leek found himself looking forward to the long trip to Earth, and he relished the thought of being with Lucinda and the baby every day. Then he remembered that he’d called an officers’ meeting right after breakfast to work up a training schedule for the rest of the trip. Now he regretted having set the meeting, as he would have preferred to stay in his compartment all day and play with Lucinda and Tokin.
“Do you really have to go?” Lucinda moaned as she watched Leek getting dressed.
“I wish I didn’t, but I do. It’s important that we maintain discipline and train hard for our mission.”
“Couldn’t you take a little time off? Let everybody have a vacation before you start your training.”
Leek laughed. “No. Do you realize how much the body can deteriorate in just a few days? Particularly out here in space with artificial gravity. It’s important that everyone, including you, get plenty of exercise.”
“What about Tokin? You going to make him exercise, too?”
Leek smiled. “You’re funny.”
Lucinda walked over to him and put her arms around him. “Come back to bed. I’ll make it worthwhile.”
“Don’t tempt me. I’ve got to set an example.”
She grimaced and pushed him away. “You’re no fun. Go plan your torture. Tokin and I will play without you.”
Leek leaned over and gave her a long kiss. “You two have fun. I’ll see you before dinner.”
Lucinda nodded and Leek left to go to his meeting. On the way there, he caught up to Lt. Lei who was just coming out of her medical office. “Good morning, Doc,” Leek said.
“Hi, Commander. Did you get a good night’s sleep?”
“It was a good night. I’m not sure how much sleep I got.”
She gave him a wry smile. “Oh, really?”
Leek raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, I think this is going to be an enjoyable trip.”
“Well, that’s good. You two deserve some fun and relaxation. It will be good for Tokin, too. This is a very formative time in his life. Lots of love and stability will be good for him.”
They arrived at the officers’ conference room. Leek opened the door and held it for Lt. Lei. Every seat was filled, and officers were lined up against the back and side walls. Two seats had been left vacant for Lt. Lei and Leek. They went to their places and sat down. Captain Shilling, who sat at the head of the long conference table, opened the meeting.
“Ladies, gentlemen,” she began. “You all have a general idea of why we are here and the nature of our mission. I don’t have to tell you how important that mission is. The purpose of today’s meeting is to plan and begin the implementation of a program to ensure that, when we reach Earth, we are all in top physical and mental condition and have the necessary training and skills to confront and defeat the Intergalactic Fleet. I know that task looks pretty daunting at this point, so obviously, we have our work cut out for us.
“To start, let me update you on the latest news from Tarizon. We’ve learned that the Fleet has now departed Clarion, which means that we have a two-day head start toward Earth. We have this advantage as a result of the bravery of a group of Clarion workers who managed to sabotage many of the Fleet’s ships. These workers were slated to be executed when the Fleet left, but they were rescued by a special ops team led by our own Captain Levitur, known to most of you as Red.”
The officers applauded in delight.
“Even more importantly, the workers, led by engineer Rossi Sincini, managed to hijack one of the Fleet’s attack cruisers!”
The officers yelled and applauded enthusiastically.
“In fact, that cruiser, Earth’s Destiny, is under repair and will be joining us on our mission to Earth. Its presence will greatly enhance our chances of success against the Fleet.
“Additionally, Commander General Lanzia and the Chancellor have come up with a way for all of our ships to stay in communication throughout the voyage to Earth. Beacons will be dropped periodically along the way to Earth to act as relay points and signal boosters for our radios. In fact, our onboard engineers have already managed to build several of these beacons, and we have been dropping them off periodically as we travel.
“Seeding and servicing these communications links between Tarizon and Earth will not be an easy task. It will require a total of twenty-one shuttles that will be launched to maintain the beacons. These shuttles are being fitted for this duty as we speak. In the meantime, because we have been dropping beacons ourselves, we have been able to maintain communications with Tarizon; that’s how we know everything I’ve just told you. So you can see how important this communications link will be to us. It will give us a decided advantage over the Fleet.
“Finally, we’ve learned that our sister shuttles will be bringing along some more advanced fighters than our T-47s. In fact, Red himself will be flying the very latest T-73 right off the assembly line. This fighter is more advanced than anything in the Fleet and will have stealth capability even in deep space.
“So, as you can see, our situation isn’t quite as desperate as it was when we began this mission. That’s why our session today is so important. We all need to work together to come up with the best program to ensure everyone aboard this ship is at his or her peak readiness on the day we meet the Fleet. So, with that in mind, I’m going to turn the meeting over to Commander Lanzia to discuss flight training and tactics. Then, Lt. Lakee will discuss intelligence and shuttle operations, and, finally, Lt. Lei will talk to us about physical training and mental preparedness.”
Commander General Lanzia, Lt. Lakee, and Lt. Lei each outlined their ideas for training, and the group discussed them in turn. By lunchtime they had agreed on much of the content for the programs. After lunch, Leek was called out of the meeting to speak with the Chancellor via the new deep-space communications network. He went to the bridge and was delighted to see Lorin’s image on the big monitor.
“I can’t believe I’m talking to you,” Leek said. “You really moved fast on the beacon idea.”
“As soon as we thought of it I got our scientists right on it,” Lorin explained. “I asked them if there was any way we could stay in contact with ES 26 as it traveled, and they suggested that the beacons be built aboard the ship and then deployed periodically. Fortunately, they’re not too complicated, and it was feasible to do what they suggested. Of course, if the beacons are not maintained they’ll eventually drift out of position and then we’ll lose contact again.”
“I understand,” Leek said. “Say, that’s great news about Earth’s Destiny. Congratulations!”
“Thank you. Rossi Sincini is responsible for that. He’s a genius. He’ll be invaluable to you on the mission. You’ll need to talk to him and probe him for ideas on how you can get to Earth more quickly, and how to better handle the Fleet when you meet up with it.”
“I’ll do that. How are you holding up?”
“The General Assembly is giving me fits, but other than that, I’m fine. . . . Hey, I saw Tehra and Sophilo.”
“Oh, how are they?”
“Fine. You know, Tehra knows a lot about how the Tarizon Repopulation Project was set up. She’ll be a good resource for you when you start planning your contact with the CIA and American government.”
“That’s right. She would know about that, wouldn’t she?”
“Yes, and I’ve been picking her brain. I’m starting to get a handle on it all.”
Lorin told Leek what she had learned from Tehra about the Repopulation Project, and they discussed it in depth. Then Lorin remembered something she’d forgotten to tell Leek.
“Do you remember your father’s psychiatrist, Dr. Gerhardt? He was exiled to Tarizon at the same time as you.”
“Right. Poor D
r. Gerhardt wasn’t even involved with the Tarizonians and my dad managed to drag him into it.”
“Well, when the war was over I promised him he could return to Earth. He’s on the shuttle with you.”
“Really? You’re kidding. I haven’t seen him.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. He’s down on a lower deck. You should go talk to him. He might be useful in helping you figure out what the Purists will do once they get to Earth.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
“Well, I’m so glad we’ll be able to talk each day. It means a lot to me,” Lorin said.
“Me too. Take care. And don’t let the General Assembly bully you.”
“I won’t.”
The screen went blank. Leek couldn’t believe Dr. Gerhardt was aboard ES 26. He immediately found the ship’s steward, Prova Slanova, and asked where he could find Dr. Gerhardt. The steward was so thrilled to meet Commander General Lanzia that he offered to escort him there personally. Not wanting to offend the man, Leek accepted his offer and followed him down to the passenger deck. Dr. Gerhardt answered the door immediately.
“Dr. Gerhardt!” Leek said enthusiastically.
“Peter? Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me. I just found out you were on the ship. I’m so glad to see you alive.”
“You’ve grown and are so much bigger and stronger than I remembered.”
“Well, I’ve been through a lot. . . . So, how are you?”
“I’m great now that I’m going back to Earth.”
“What have you been doing since your abduction?”
“I’ve been counseling Earthchildren, if you can believe that. The sudden change from Earth to Tarizon can be quite traumatic.”
“Yes. I can vouch for that. . . . So, you were working out of the spaceport in Shisk?”
“Yes, until the war broke out. Then I fled with the other Loyalists to Shini.”
“Wow. I am so sorry my dad got you into this mess. You must hate him and me.”
“No. On the contrary, you and your father have afforded me an experience few will ever have. When I get back to Earth I will have so much to tell. I’ve got a book already outlined.”
“Well, I hope things work out so you’ll be able to get it published. I guess you know the Intergalactic Fleet is heading to Earth.”
“Yes, and I’m counting on you to stop it.”
Leek laughed. “Right. Well, in order to do that, I may need your help.”
“My help? What could I do?”
“We need to outmaneuver the Purists if we are to be successful. That means getting into their heads and predicting what they will do when they get to Earth. Since you are an expert on human behavior you could help us do that.”
“That would be fun. I’d be happy to help.”
“Good. I’ll send you as much information about the Fleet’s command staff as we can pull together. You can study it and hopefully get a feel for them. We also have all the writings of Videl Lai and Rupra Bruda, which you can read. You can become our resident expert on the Purist Party and its beliefs.”
“Okay, that sounds good.”
“I don’t know if you ever met Tehra Connolly, my father’s legal assistant on Earth.”
“No, I don’t think I did.”
“She was actually a Tarizonian assigned to him as a guide.”
“Really. I didn’t know that.”
“I’d like you to talk to her, too. She knew a lot about the Tarizon Repopulation Project while she was on Earth, and worked with several of its leaders, like Kulchz and Vice Admiral Brunns. I think she could give you some important insight into the sorts of people we’ll be facing.”
“Yes, of course. That’s a good idea, Peter.”
Leek shook his head and smiled. “I am so relieved that you’ve survived this ordeal. I felt so bad when I found out they’d abducted you, too. It will be nice to be working with you. I know my father thought the world of you.”
“Yes, your father is a dedicated man. A little obsessive at times, if I may say so, but that’s often necessary these days for success.”
Leek laughed. “Okay, Doc, I’ve got to get back to my post. I’ll be seeing you soon. Welcome aboard.”
Leek and Dr. Gerhardt shook hands and Leek left. He felt good seeing his dad’s old friend from Earth, and he felt certain Dr. Gerhardt would be a valuable advisor as they developed a strategy for defending Earth.
As Leek wandered through the maze of corridors to the lift, he wondered if all the incredible effort they were putting into saving Earth would make a difference in the end. Were they just deluding themselves? His stomach tightened as he imagined the consequences of failure. Could Earth really be conquered by the Purists? If so, would they toss aside the Constitution and the Bill of Rights like they had the Supreme Mandate? He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to relax. But the constant, gnawing pain in his stomach would not go away.