Earth Ship Protectress: Book Two in the Freddy Anderson Chronicles (17 page)

Yellows said, “Understood. Please continue.”

Chapter 22
First Manned (or Woman-ed) Ship to Actually Fly

W
e walked to the shuttles, and I took the security off the first one. A team of SEALs were standing by. The rest were looking a little disappointed, so I asked, “Saving the rest for next time, Master Chief?”

“We have enough people for two crews, and that’s the second crew. They have the duty on the next flight.” She looked at the commander and said, “I was hoping you and I could switch too.”

“I think that’s a good idea, Master Chief,” the commander said, “but I can’t afford the time, so you will probably have to share the duty with the lieutenant.”

I could feel her happiness at this. I think she thought that she would be left out.

“Aye aye, Commander. Will do.”

“What’s her name, Master Chief?”

“She’s
Air Force One
until the president disembarks. Then, since she’s the first of the ships to actually carry the president, we’d like to call her
America’s P
ride
.”

I said, “I like that. Who thought up that one?”

“Colleen did.”

“Tell her thanks for me, and let her know that I want the team to figure out names for the rest of the ships. Try to give them names that fit a category. All shuttles need to be named something with either America or Pride in the name.”

“Will do, Freddy.”

We boarded, and everyone settled down. Marian Smith was at navigation, Betsy Donet had weapons and science, Katie Swanson had communications, and Denise Potter had systems and shields. Melanie was sitting next to the president, Susan was sitting in the middle at the captain’s spot, and I sat next to her. The admiral and the civilians wanted to stay at the base for a while.

Susan said, “Smith, set a course for the White House.”

“Captain, we have presidential priority all the way and clearance to land on the White House lawn any time within the next two hours.”

“Very good, Swanson. Smith, I want to drop on the White House lawn in exactly 1.5 hours.”

“Plotted and set in, Captain.”

I looked over at the president and said, “I think they watch too much TV.”

The front screens came up, with a small insert at the bottom of the screen showing the sides and back. The shields came up, and I heard Katie ask the base for permission to depart.

“Permission granted. The shield door is open, and everything is clear up to ten miles. Good luck, friends.”

“Thanks. Captain, we have clearance from home base for takeoff.”

“Engage, and make me proud, girls.” The commander was close to tears.

I reached out and touched her shoulders. “Good job, Captain.”

She smiled but kept her eyes on the screens.

Air Force One
/
America’s Pride
lifted up slowly and smoothly. They had practiced long and hard on this. Each one of them must have felt as if she had flown around the world a thousand times, but that was nothing compared to the real thing.

We drifted almost straight up, just going to the side enough to align with the door in the base shield, and then we ascended at an alarming rate.

It took only three seconds before Marian reported, “Captain, we’re at eighty thousand feet.” She pushed the controls forward, and we shot out like a bullet. There was no noise and only a little feeling of movement. Thank goodness I had set the dampening controls correctly.

“Captain,” I said, “please, on the first flight of any ship, start out slowly. If I’d set the dampers wrong or not matched up the shield velocity modulators, then we’d be mush right now.”

“My fault. Got that, Marian? Everyone?”

“Understood,” they said in unison.

“I trust your work, Freddy. But it’s nice to know that you believe you’re human.”

“Captain, now that you’re going to get reports from Shop, you’ll see just how human I am, and you can look back on this takeoff and thank God for the blessing he just granted all of us.”

She looked at me with shock. I was sweating and with good reason. I had seen what the wrong settings did to an apple. There had been nothing left but sauce, not even seeds.

After things were going well, the captain turned to the president and apologized for her error in judgment.

The president said, “Do that again, and I’m going to need a change of clothes! Apology accepted, but please be careful.”

“Yes, ma’am. Now, Freddy, please explain to me why we don’t feel the pressure of acceleration.”

“Oh, that’s easy.” I spent the next hour going through the math. When I start talking shop, I forget that others have no idea what I’m saying. It was an hour before the commander stopped me and said, “Could you please go back to the point where I lost you?”

“Sure. Where was that?”

“When you said that it has to do with tricircular molecular physics.”

“But that was
…
”
I blushed. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay.” She turned to the president. “I did that to show you why he has to go with us on the destroyer.”

“I get your point,” she said. “I doubt anyone in the world could keep up with him.”

I said, “Dorothy Pendelson’s father, Professor Jim Pendelson at MIT, and his team could. He was the main reason I invented tricircular physics. Some of it came from his ideas.”

The president said to Susan, “Didn’t she say that her father wanted to visit?”

“Yes. Very much.”

“If he and his team can pass the screening, then I want them at the base, learning.”

I said, “After the mission. I’ll have no one except the commander in my shop again until I get rid of those bombs.”

“I understand, Freddy, but he could stay at the base and learn on the ships you bring out.”

“I guess so, if the commander agrees.”

“Sorry, Madam President, but I think that’s a bad idea. Freddy doesn’t have time to teach the professor much at this point, and his stuff is not patented yet. We need to keep the distractions down as much as possible, and I can just see what would happen when the professor got there. Three days later, he and Freddy would still be deep in a mathematical discussion that had no chance of ever ending.”

I put my hands on my hips and said with a little indignation, “And what’s wrong with that?”

They both looked at me and said at the same time, “Everything.”

The president said, “I see what you mean. I bow to your expertise.”

“Thank you.”

“Captain, we’re almost above the White House,” said Marian.

“Swanson, do we have communications with the White House yet?” Susan asked.

“Yes, ma’am. They’re ready and waiting for our landing.”

“Carry on, navigator.”

They were all smiling. This group was so happy, they were almost giggly, and this made me very happy. I couldn’t help it. This kind of emotion is very contagious for an empathic person. It was easy to see that Melanie was the same way.

Melanie pathed in almost childish laughter.
“Freddy, do you feel
that?”

“Of course I do.
Fun, isn’
t it?”

“
I’ve never felt like this be
fore.”

Katie pathed, “
You’re empathic, then; so is Freddy. I’m not, but the joy is so thick in here that everyone feels it. Look at the smile on the president’s face. She’s beaming. It’s not just that they’re flying this ship for the first time, but this proves that the ship works. For the first time in months, the president is allowing herself to be happy
…
hopeful
…
and she’s transmitting this to ever
yone.”

“She’s not telepathic, Melanie,”
I added, “
and she doesn’t receive emotions at all, but she transmits her emotions, and when she does, it affects everyone. You need to attune yourself to this, and let her know when she’s doing it. Teach her to use it. It’s a powerful weapon for her if she can learn to contro
l it.”

“I
will.”

“Good girl,”
said Katie.

“Captain, landing in five, four, three, two
…
we’re down.”

“Good job, team. Donet, scan for issues, and report.”

“All appears clear, Captain.”

“Stand by to open the hatch.”

The girls gathered their weapons from the weapon storage locker. “Set on lowest stun setting. I don’t want an incident that we can’t reverse,” said Susan.

I put my hand on Susan’s arm. “I haven’t tested them yet, ma’am.”

“We have, Freddy, and we had to readjust them a little. The ones you left in the trainer were adjusted so that stun meant ‘cooked well done.’ At the lowest setting, it disables at a distance of about one hundred and twenty feet. Anything higher, and your target is toast or complete dust. In addition, they have a charge that lasts for seventy full power shots. We tested out what ‘full power’ means, Freddy.” She looked right into my eyes. “If you would have used that stunner at the airport last year, you would have killed all those men and removed the building and several other buildings! We need to talk about limiting the power of this design.”

I blushed.

She turned to the team and said, “If everyone is ready, then open the hatch, Potter.”

Two of the girls preceded the captain and me down the open hatch. When they were in place, the president and Melanie came down. We shook hands and thanked her, and she returned the thanks, all formal like. The president walked up to the White House with new Special Service personnel, and we reentered the shuttle.

Susan said, “Job well done, team. Now let’s go home.”

We talked about many things on the way, including opinions on everything that had happened in the last two days. When we were almost home, we received a call from the president.

Katie said, “Captain, the president would like us to know that the generals have already found seven planets that look promising.”

I said, “Ask her if there were any signs of intelligent life on them.”

“She says yes, on two of them, possibly three.”

“Tell her that they found only five and possibly four, then. But let her know that trade contacts may be a possibility.”

“She says she understands, and a team will be established to determine what our proper conduct should be.”

“Hold on to that connection, please.” I sat there in thought. After a few minutes, I said, “Tell the president that I am sorry for holding her up, and put her on speaker.”

“Hello, Freddy.”

“Hello, ma’am. I was thinking it would be a mistake to believe that any contact with another species is going to be mundane. The possibility of our wiping them out or their wiping us out is very real when you think on the microorganism level. On your team, I would suggest that you include a microbiologist, medical specialists, military, and someone who can hold to some form of morality without getting fanatical about it. I believe that some people will not listen to reason on this subject. People are going to want to put their hands on everything, as that is our nature, and that may not be the best idea. Please add in a telepath, if you have one, with orders that the political and secondary agendas are to be reported and canceled out. I know you’re good at this kind of stuff, but Congress is not the right group of people to set this up. Also, I think it would be a good idea to send out probes to monitor these planets. I’ll make some up and send them out after this current project is finished, and I’m back from vacation.”

“Good ideas all, Freddy. I’ll take them into consideration. Thanks.”

“That’s all I can ask. I’m glad you’re the kind of person who will listen. Thanks.”

The captain stepped in. “Madam President?”

“Yes?”

“How many people can I take away from NASA? I don’t mean
borrow
either. I mean take and keep. I want them to belong to us.”

“As many as you want. If you want the whole group, they’re yours. Just say the word. I’ll contact them and let them know. By the way, Captain, your new rank will be waiting for you when you get home. Good night.” She hung up before anyone could say a word.