“Well, you freed a world with a telephone.”
Trexler knew he wasn’t needed at the moment. In fact, he probably wouldn’t be needed any more at all. He went to sleep. When he next awoke, they were taking him out of the tank.
“Sorry, sir,” the nurse said. “Someone else needs this more than you do.”
They encased his foot in a plastic container filled with goo and settled him next to Waverly who was asleep. Trexler, too, went back to sleep. When he next awoke, he was laying on a table with his foot stuck in a box. Waverly was awake beside him, lifted up on one elbow and staring at him. Stevens was beside Waverly with a small bandage on his leg. Walters was beside Stevens, his whole upper body and head encased in bandages. He, too, was looking at Trexler.
“What’s up, guys?”
“Not us, that’s for sure,” Waverly answered. “They worked on your foot last night. I think that table you’re on is portable, so you can get back to work whenever you want.”
“I have to stay on this table? How am I going to work from this thing?”
“I don’t know, sir, but it’s the best they could do. There’s a lot of equipment under the bed that’s tied to the box on your foot.”
“Jeez, it’s just a few toes. I need out of here.”
“I don’t know, Ray. That doctor is one tough lady, and she’s not brooking argument from anyone. I think she’s been up all night.”
“Are they still bringing in wounded?”
“No. I get the feeling we’re nowhere near the planet. If my guys are done, the hospitals on the surface will be back in operation to take care of them.”
“Hmm. Who’s guys are going to get treated first? We need to address this issue before your next fight. Should we try to get you back there?”
“All in good time. I’m not making any waves yet. Your guys have their hands full, and I have some good officers down there to take care of things. I’m not needed at the moment.”
“Nor am I, it seems.”
Waverly smiled. “My guess is that you gave them enough to do the rest.”
“If you think I’m going to let a few toes keep me from my job, think again. They’ve been going for hours, maybe days, without rest. They need relief.”
The doctor showed up, deep lines of strain showing around her eyes. “How do you feel, Admiral?”
“Fine. I need to get out of here.”
“Maybe in a few days. Maybe.”
“What if I just pull my foot out of this thing and leave?”
“You can’t. You’re well secured in there. If we take you out, you’ll lose the pain relief. Trust me, you don’t want to do that.”
“Can I at least get a communicator? I need to check on things.”
“There’s one right there beside your bed. Didn’t you know?” She lifted a communicator from a nearby table and handed it to him.
“How do I reach the operations center?” he asked.
“Just speak into it and ask. It’s connected to the AI.”
He spoke into the unit, and an ensign picked up on the other end. “Admiral Taylor,” Trexler requested.
“He’s busy, sir.”
“I don’t doubt that he is. Would you let him know that Admiral Trexler would like to speak to him when he’s free?”
“Yes, sir. Standby.”
A very tired sounding Sam Taylor came on the line. “Hi, Ray.”
“How’s it going up there?”
“Actually, I’m going off duty for a few hours. Seeton and Brinson are filling in for me. If you’re up to it, I’ll stop by and bring you up to date.”
“I’m up to it.”
When Taylor arrived, he looked truly exhausted. “How long have you been at this, Sam?”
“Days. I caught a few winks on the way over from my ship. I’m taking a break now before the fighting gets started, then Seeton can take a break. We’re still positioning, but it’s going well. It’s strange though, all this waiting to get into position. I don’t think a shot has been fired yet.”
“Is the plan working out?”
“Beautifully, and if they break up their wings, all the tags are in place. We’ve marked every single cruiser. All our fast ships are manned with Terrans, and we’re almost done manning the rest of the capital ships with our guys. We’re holding the fast ships back for the moment. They can get into position quickly enough that we don’t want to give away our strategy. The slower ships will be as positioned as they can be by tomorrow. The attack will happen all at once, all over the system.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
“It is. We give little away until it’s too late for them to do anything about it. I feel real good.”
Waverly spoke up. “How’s it going on the surface, sir?”
Taylor turned to him. “I really can’t say, but they’ve released some 250 gunners to our fast ships, and they’ll give us another 120 tonight for the cruisers you brought from Orion III.”
“Then they’re just about done. Is there any way I can get in touch with them?”
“Not at the moment. We can’t use normal communications or we’ll give away our position for sure, and the tight beams are in continuous use. Once the fighting starts, a lot of our communications will be in the clear and you can call then, but the tight beams will be very busy. I think we’ll take a hard look at our communications requirements after this is all over.”
“Do you need me up there?” Trexler asked.
“It’s pretty crowded with Chandrajuski and M’Coda in the operations center. I’ve been working from the bridge, but it’s crowded there, too. We might be able to squeeze you in. When you’re ready, we’ll take all the help we can get.”
“Okay, go take your break, Sam.”
Sam looked around the vast room and spied an empty bed. He went to it and appeared to be out cold before his head hit the sheets. Lieutenant Stevens got up from his bed and covered Sam with a blanket.
Trexler thought for a moment, then said one word: “Ship.”
A light on his communicator began flashing, and the unit started an angry vibrating. He picked it up and said, “Trexler.”
“General transmission is not permitted in sick bay, Admiral. How may I be of service?”
“Is there a hook-up to the net in here?”
“No.”
“Are there hook-ups elsewhere that are not in use?”
“Seven on the bridge, two in the captain’s quarters, three in Engineering, one in the landing bay, one in each gun battery, one in the officers mess…”
“Okay, stop. What if the captain is sick? How does he communicate from sick bay?”
“There are provisions for six input stations in sick bay.”
“How do I get them activated?”
“Only the captain or executive officer can authorize activation.”
“Connect me with the captain, please.”
A moment later, “Bridge.”
“This is Admiral Trexler. I’d like to speak with the captain.”
“Standby.”
“Captain Klipgg. What can I do for you, Admiral?”
“Are you busy?”
“Not at all. I’ve been ordered to stay out of things for the time being.”
“I’m in sick bay. Can you activate the net connections in here?”
“I’d be happy to, sir. Someone will be there shortly with the necessary equipment. What kind of helmets do you need?”
“Uh, probably just one for myself, but there could end up being a meeting in here. I guess one for each Admiral, and maybe a few spares just in case.”
“I’ll take care of it, sir.”
Ten minutes later, the Chief of the Boat showed up with two gravity carts in tow. One was loaded with some expensive looking cases, and the other was loaded with cables.
“How’s the bed, sir?”
“I take it it’s a new invention?”
“Yes, sir. It’s as small as we can make it.”
“Aren’t you a little busy to be running errands?”
“No, sir. The guns and shields are perfect, and there’s little else to do except normal shipboard routine. We’re ready to hop if things change.” He started running thick cable from a housing on the wall, bringing it to Trexler’s bed. He attached it to the bed, then brought a helmet to Trexler and plugged it in. “Here you are, sir. Where do you want the others?”