A Galaxy Unknown 10: Azula Carver (7 page)

A lift took the party to the third floor and they walked to an enormous sitting room. Once inside, more hugs and friendly banter replaced the stiffer formality of the first greeting.

"So what's going on, Jenetta?" her mother asked sternly. "I got a message from you yesterday telling me that you were arriving today for an extended stay. How can you stay for an extended time? You're the Commander of the Second Fleet and the military governor of Regions Two and Three. What did you do? Get yourself fired?"

Jenetta was shocked by the forthright question. "What makes you think I got fired?"

"I've been a military wife long enough to know that when a commanding officer loses their command it's either because they did something wrong or they're getting a promotion. Oh my God, you're not getting promoted again, are you? The only higher position is Admiral of the Fleet."

"Not if I can help it."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that the GA Senate has confirmed the Admiralty Board's recommendation that I be appointed as Admiral of the Fleet to replace Admiral Moore when he retires this year."

Jenetta's sisters-in-law immediately jumped into the conversation.

"Admiral of the Fleet?" Marisa said. "Oh, Jenetta, what an honor! And at such a young age. You've only been an officer for what, thirty years?"

"It's been thirty-two years since I graduated from the Academy."

"As far as I know, no one with less than sixty-five years of service has
ever
become the Admiral of the Fleet," Regina said.

"And I fully intend to
not
be the one who breaks that tradition."

"You don't want the rank?" her mother asked.

"It's not the rank, Mama. It's the job that goes with it."

"Oh. I understand," her mother said, knowingly. "You still want to be the captain of a ship in space."

"Is that so bad?"

"Not for a man."

"That's sexist, Mama."

"No, it's not. I'm not talking about talent and ability. I'm talking good old practical biology. The Admiral of the Fleet rarely travels beyond a quick commuting distance. That makes having a satisfying family life infinitely more possible for female officers. That is, if you want a family."

As Jenetta's face reflected the shock she was feeling from her mother's last sentence, she turned to face away from the three women. Following a few seconds of silence, she turned back, having recovered her normal, staid expression. "I can't believe I've been so focused on what I saw as the terrible aspects of the position that I never even thought about the positive aspects, such as raising a family. Of course I want children, Mama. But until now it's been a distant dream."

"Of course you don't
have
to be around to raise your children. They could even be born in a test tube and raised in an incubator until they were old enough for a nanny to take over. Then you could visit them once every five years or so until they go off to college and leave your life forever."

"Or I could marry someone who will take responsibility for raising the children."

"Yes, but while men can be excellent fathers and can be great substitute mothers where the mother is gone from the home, do you really want to miss the experience of raising your own children? I wouldn't give up even one minute of memories from my years raising you and your brothers. And if I might say so, quite proudly, you've all turned out wonderfully. People back in the twenty-first century learned to their sad chagrin that children are far more likely to turn out badly where they have little daily contact with a loving mother."

Jenetta looked over at her two nephews playing gleefully on the floor with the Jumakas. Thor was even being included in the playtime now and seemed to be enjoying himself. Cayla and Tayna were making sounds that Jenetta assumed were instructions to Thor not to be too rough. Until now Thor had mostly lived a solitary life in an
Ares
hold except when Jenetta or Eliza dropped by to feed him or simply give him some companionship. And while in a Hudeerac zoo he never saw anyone except for a few moments each day at feeding time or when they came to clean his cage once a week.

Sights like the one playing out in front of her never failed to tug at the heartstrings of any woman who wished to have children one day. The question for Jenetta had to be: would the rewards of motherhood be adequate to overcome the unhappiness of being planet-bound until her children were all off to college? And Jenetta wasn't even sure she or her sisters could bear children, given the changes imposed on their bodies by the Raiders. The entire Dakistee race of women of childbearing age were reputed to be fertile, with eggs just yearning to accept sperm but which had so far been unable to produce a single fetus. If Jenetta discovered that she couldn't bear young, she would be devastated. And if she reversed her position regarding accepting the promotion in order to offer a stable home life for progeny that would never be born, how long would she have to wait before she could resign? Five years? Ten? Twenty? If it was only five, she could do it. She had spent five years chained to a desk at Stewart, after all. The decision to ultimately resign in the near future definitely warranted a reevaluation.

Jenetta managed to slightly change the direction of the conversation at that point by asking Marisa and Regina about their lives as mothers. As the women gushed on and on about how wonderful their kids were and the trouble they were always getting into, Jenetta's maternal desires were growing like never before. But as the old saying goes, it takes two. Which reminded her that she owed Hugh a vidMail.

The reunion with the family was wonderful. Jenetta enjoyed it, her mother was pleased no end, and Marisa and Regina didn't want it to end when it was time to prepare for dinner. To say the kids enjoyed their time with the Jumakas would be a considerable understatement.

As their mothers tried to pull them away with promises that they could play with the kitties again tomorrow, Arturo, the older of the boys asked, "Can I keep the kitty with the white spot on her front paw?"

"I want the other black one," Berl, the younger of the two, said quickly.

"No, dear," Regina said to her son. "The kitties belong to Auntie Jenetta. They're a family, and we can't break them up. But I'm sure that Auntie Jenetta won't mind if you play with them again tomorrow."

When Arturo looked at Jenetta for confirmation, she said, "Cayla, Tayna, and Thor love children, and I'm sure they'll be just as anxious to play with you tomorrow as you are to play with them."

That seemed to satisfy the young man, and he went with his mother without further resistance, as did Berl.

Once the two moms and their progeny had vacated the room, Jenetta's mother said, "That was very deftly handled."

"What was?"

"You know— the way you maneuvered the conversation away from a discussion of your future plans for children."

"Would you expect less from the Admiral of the Fleet?" Jenetta said with a grin.

"I'm not talking with the Admiral of the Fleet. I'm talking with my daughter, whom I hope will make me a grandmother someday."

"You're already a grandmother twice over. And when Andy and Jimmy finally find the right girl, you'll no doubt be a grandmother again— perhaps many more times."

"And what about my three daughters? Is there no hope for children? Or are all of you just so fixated with a life in space that you have no time for romance?"

"Don't be too quick to judge Christa and Eliza with the same yardstick you use with me. They've seen how dedication to duty above all else can harm chances for romance. Which is not to say they won't wind up in the same situation I'm in."

"Which is what, exactly?"

"Being in love with someone you can only see once every twelve years."

"Has it been that long?"

"Twelve and half years, actually."

"I think you need to find a new man. Preferably one that's located in the same region of space."

"Oh, Mama, you know you can't dictate to your heart. It dictates to you."

"You can't dictate to your heart, but you can narrow its selection to viable candidates."

"It's not Hugh's fault anymore than it is mine. He has no more control over where Space Command posts him than any of us. We go where assigned. Just have faith that it will happen when it happens, Mama." Looking to change the subject, Jenetta asked, "Are we dressing for dinner tonight?"

"I thought it would be nice. I asked the butler to serve in the smaller of the guest dining rooms tonight rather than the family dining room."

"Are we expecting company?"

"No, it will just be the six of us."

"Then I'd better get going. I have to feed Cayla, Tayna, and Thor first."

Reaching out and pulling her daughter to her for a tight embrace, her mother said, "It's so nice to have my baby home for a visit."

"I'm happy to be here too, Mama. It's wonderful to be with my family again." As they separated, Jenetta turned towards the Jumakas and said, " Okay,
kitties
, it's meal time."

The three Jumakas jumped up and raced to her sides as she turned and left the room.

As she expected, a palace housekeeper had seen that her luggage was brought to her room, unpacked, and the clothes pressed and hung in the closets. A meal cart containing the specially prepared food for the Jumakas was waiting against the wall near the bathroom they would have for their exclusive use. Cayla and Tayna already knew how to use the systems built into every bathroom for the use of pets, and they would now teach Thor. Jenetta had already decided she wouldn't separate them anymore. Thor would stay with her and the girls now that they were at the estate, and the Jumakas would have the run of the palace grounds.

As happy as she was to be with her family, Jenetta couldn't stop thinking about the Dakistians. The Galactic Alliance had done so much to help them, and now they were conspiring with the Raiders. She suddenly rushed to her office and sent off messages to both Christa and Space Command SHQ.

~     ~     ~

"Madam President, Commander Carver wonders if you might be able to spare her a few minutes." Madu Ptellewqku's secretary announced over the com system.

"Is she here?"

"Yes, ma'am. She's here in the outer office."

"Send her in."

"Yes, ma'am."

A few seconds later the door opened and Christa entered the lavish office. The government office building had been the first built on the site of the new city. In fact, the entire center of the city was dedicated to government space. At first, only the buildings for which there was an immediate need would be constructed, with the remainder of the government space being devoted to enormous parks and walking areas, but the plans were already drawn for a government complex that would eventually use most of the space in a six-kilometer-square area.

"Christa, come in," Madu said, smiling as she rose from her chair and walked around her desk to greet her friend and guest.

"Good morning, Madu," Christa said, returning Madu's smile. "I hope I'm not interrupting your schedule too much. I see you have others waiting in your outer office."

"Let them wait. They're all contractors hoping I'll adjust our established plans to suit their needs or schedules. So, is this a social call?"

"Partly. We haven't seen one another in two full lunar cycles."

"I know. I've been meaning to invite you to have dinner with me, but my schedule has just been so erratic."

"When things calm down, perhaps we can enjoy an evening together to discuss less important and completely trivial matters."

"Meaning that you have something of vital importance to discuss now?"

"I suppose that will depend on your answers."

"That sounds ominous. Come sit down."

Once the two women were settled in the informal area of Madu's office, she said, "Now, what is it you've come about?"

"Probably the most important issue facing your planet— the sterility issue."

Madu nodded. "I'm listening."

"The GA scientists continue to work on the problem following an established agenda of careful research and testing, but to date they can claim no real progress. The reports I've received tell me they've eliminated several causes but still have no real clues for why the reproductive systems of your citizens reject procreation. But my visit here today is for a related but different reason.

"I've heard a rumor that you've been negotiating with a certain pharmaceutical research company that has been remotely linked to the Raiders in the past. Some intelligence people believe that Trigenetics Galactica Pharmaceutical is actually a wholly owned subsidiary of the Raiders, although they've so far been unable to prove that."

"Christa, I can't be concerned with unproven allegations about corporate ownership or behavior, or we'll never get anywhere. When there's proof of wrongdoing or criminal association, I'll remove a company from all consideration. But until then I must be free to negotiate if there's any chance someone might succeed where the GA scientists can't. TGP is a highly successful company with enormous research and development facilities scattered around GA space. I can't just dismiss them out of hand."

"I understand, Madu. I realize the importance of the issue and that you must seek answers from every possible source. Let me just say one last thing, and then I'll let you get back to work. If you make any
financial
arrangements with a company that is merely suspected of collusion with— or of being owned by— the Raiders, you will not later be held responsible. My purpose in coming here today was simply to alert you to the fact that TGP has long been the subject of SCI investigation, and to warn to you be careful what you agree to. And be especially careful what agreements you might
sign
."

"Thank you, Christa. You're a good friend. And if SCI ever does prove that TGP takes direction from the Raiders, I will terminate our association immediately. In the meantime I must use every avenue available to us as we work to cure my people's sterility."

Christa nodded. "Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule to hear my concerns, Madu."