The main lift was crowded. It was a freight lift sandwiched between four other personnel lifts at the main hubs on each deck. It eventually led to three points on each deck except for the Command Deck, where it only reached the center. There were half a dozen mechanics, four soldiers and a few other people behind him. As soon as he had stepped inside the car silence settled over its occupants.
His thoughts were still turned inward, his conversation with the Chief Engineer had helped far more than he had expected. He felt different, the same things were important; taking care of the crew, going against Regent Galactic, and helping who he could but there was less anger. At the same time he was feeling young for the first time in his entire life.
He turned towards the doors and nodded. “Good morning,” he said clearly but quietly.
At various volumes and levels of enthusiasm, everyone in the car replied; “Good morning,” or “Good morning Captain,” and the silence returned. He stared at the doors, not focusing his attention on anyone until they reached the command deck. He walked off the lift with four soldiers and one other person, a civilian from what he could tell in his periphery.
He caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye and turned to face the woman in the hallway. She was wearing a loose, high necked black dress over a mostly transparent vacsuit. The command and control unit she had chosen for herself from the materializer was made to hang down as a long necklace. At a glance it just looked like a one centimetre wide, four centimetre long piece of silver jewellery, but it had a small interactive holoprojector and split down the center to reveal an interface pad that stretched.
Mischa smiled at him. “Took you long enough. I was wondering if you'd notice me at all.”
“I didn't see you behind me, I'm sorry,” Captain Valance apologized quietly, mindful of the crewmen and women passing all around him in the main concourse.
“I'm getting used to it. Is there somewhere we can talk?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I have an office just off the bridge,” he invited.
“I've heard of it, your ready room. When I asked where I could find you the soldiers said you'd probably be there. They also tell me you almost never leave the bridge, you even sleep within a stones throw.”
“Most of the bridge officers do, half the command deck is officers quarters. It's almost as safe as the Botanical Gallery.”
The main entrance to the bridge opened, and she was very quiet as they made their way through. Alice was near the end of her shift on the bridge, she was splitting the day with Jake, each doing twelve hours. She looked up and smiled at him then grinned a little wider at Mischa who nodded back at her with a reserved smile.
They arrived at the ready room, and Jake moved to stand behind his desk, taking his coat and scarf off. “What can I do for you?”
She stood behind the middle chair in front of his desk, resting her hands on the top of its back. “I hear there was a meeting of the Chiefs and I wasn't invited.”
Captain Valance hung his coat and scarf on a peg by the ladder leading to the ready quarters living space. He had completely forgotten that the civilians had chosen a representative by vote. Instead of sitting down he turned to face her and nodded. “I apologize, you deserved to be there as much as everyone else.”
“An apology after the fact doesn't change how the decision was made. I heard that you're taking the ship back to the Enreega system on personal business.”
“Part of it is personal, I'll admit. It's important to note that this could also be the first step in making ties with an ally that could be very helpful to us.”
Mischa sighed and sat down, crossing her legs and idly kicking her foot back and forth in the air. “Captain, I could do with a few more details. Remember, I need to be informed enough to answer questions from my people, otherwise they'll start going around me. That's something you and your departments don't have time for.”
Captain Valance couldn't help but be impressed. He'd met hardened criminals with less confidence than this woman. If he intimidated her at all, it didn't show. “I've been reading the logs from the first Captain who ran the proving tour for this ship, and from Wheeler, the most recent Commander. He had loose ties with a large independent space station called Freeground. It turns out he was born there and I have my own loose ties with Freeground as well. They've been independent for at least a century, and could make for the perfect home port.”
“Why don't we set a course and pay them a visit?”
“They're about two months away by standard faster than light speed, and we haven't even started work on our wormhole generator.”
“It would give us time to settle in on the ship. For people to get to know each other and form a community. I'm sure my people wouldn't object.”
“That would take us too far from the fight. Most of the military and volunteers are here to do some damage to Regent Galactic, even Eden ships, though I'd rather steer clear of the Eden Fleet.”
“That's something I can agree with,” she said, her eyes widening.
“But a few days ago I received a communication on the line dedicated to my old ship, the Samson. Since that ship is down I had the priority transmissions forwarded to my personal comm.”
“And?”
“It turns out some people from Freeground are going to Enreega under the assumption that it's still a peaceful system and my home port. They also think I'm Jonas Valent.”
“The man who took a bomb out the airlock with him,” she filled in. It was a growing misconception on the ship that Jonas had disposed of a bomb personally and was caught in the blast, not that he was himself the explosive.
He let it pass. “He was. Jonas was also a very close relation to myself and Alice.”
“I understand. Can I see the message?”
Captain Valance hesitated a moment.
“If it's too personal, that's all right. I think I've reached an understanding of your need to help,” she said sympathetically.
He brought the message up on the holographic menu hovering above his side of the desk. “You should see it,” Jake said quietly.
A holographic image of a woman with long dark brown hair sitting in a small, dimly lit craft came up. “This message is intended for Jonas Valent or Jake Valance. I'm Lieutenant Laura Everin of Freeground Special Projects Division. I'm with Major Ayan Rice who was close to you some time ago. I don't know if you remember her, but at one time she was very important to you. By contacting you I'm breaking an unofficial treaty between Freeground and Regent Galactic, so you understand that I don't do this lightly. Ayan, rather Major Rice, is not in good health. Even with the help of our most advanced medical technology she only has a few days left to live. Her dying wish was to see you again in an attempt to remind you of who you are, where you come from.
Earlier today she slipped into a coma. I could wake her, but her life will be sustained longer if she remains in her current condition. I'm sending this transmission through a high compression microscopic wormhole in the hope that it will reach you before we arrive in the Enreega System. I need you to meet us there, Ayan needs you to meet us there. She doesn't have much time left. I look forward to seeing you again Jonas. It's been too long.”
The transmission faded out and Mischa looked at him with sympathy.
“If the Samson were in shape or the Clever Dream were still available I would leave the Triton here so the crew could continue safely training and working on the ship.”
“I understand. You have to meet them. When will they arrive?”
“The embedded information in the message notes that they'll be in the Enreega system in just under twenty eight hours. We'll have to be in hyperspace in twenty.”
“We'll be retrieving them and leaving?”
“That's the plan. Do I have your support?”
“I'll tell my people where we're going. They'll be satisfied if I tell them this could lead to a possible alliance. I won't bring up the personal side, Captain. This is something you owe to Jonas, I understand.”