The Commander (23 page)

Roth stuck his head into Luke’s office. “Everybody aboard?”

“Just about,” Luke replied. He zipped up the knapsack that contained gifts for Rosanne and Linda. “They have another few hours. Tyler said anyone not aboard at 4:00 p.m. is going to be left behind.”

The two men headed to
Lulubelle
’s main hangar. It was filled with more people than normal. Shuttles were going back and forth to Moonbase in a continuous stream. Groups of four and five people milled about, saying good-byes and exchanging hugs.

Luke commented on it. “You’re taking a big hit to your population today. My fault.”

Roth smiled. “All part of the master plan. I’m not too worried. Your departure seems to have increased interest on the planet. Amanda tells me that recruiting numbers are back up.”

“I’m going to take
Sadie
with me, you know.”

“I figured as much,” Roth said. “I take it you’re headed planetside?”

“I feel like I need to say a couple of good-byes. It won’t take long. Want me to drop you on Moonbase?”

“No, thanks. Don’t get into trouble while you’re out there. That’s all I ask.”

Luke stood at
Sadie
’s side door. “I promise. Roth, take care, man.”

Roth grabbed his longtime friend in a bear hug. “Come here, buddy,” he growled. “You take care too.” He suddenly released Luke and walked quickly away.

Luke blinked away the unexpected moisture in his eyes. He stepped into
Sadie
’s cargo hold and took his seat in the cockpit. Suddenly, his voice was too choked up to speak. He felt like an idiot for the sentimentality.

“Course set, Commander. Headed to Baggs.”

“Thanks,
Sadie
,” Luke muttered.

“A lot of people are going to miss you, Commander. But you’ll be back.”

Luke nodded but didn’t speak. It was strange that he found this little AI so comforting. After a moment he said, “You’re a good friend,
Sadie
. I hope we stay together a long time.”

“Thanks, boss. I’d like that.”

Soon enough,
Sadie
set down on the tarmac in Baggs. A vehicle and driver waited. “Take me to Rosanne’s Diner,” Luke instructed.

At the diner he found Rosanne serving a slice of pie to a newsie-looking woman. He handed her the wrapped present.

“I’m outta here, Rosanne. Just wanted to say good-bye. Sorry I lost my temper a while back. I know it’s not your fault.”

Rosanne gave him a teary-eyed hug. “I’m gonna miss you, big boy,” she said. “Have you heard from her at all?”

Luke shook his head. “No. She cut herself off quite effectively. I’ve got some things to take care of, and then maybe I can track her down. It’s going to be a while, though. In the meantime, you keep this place going.”

“I will, hon. Business has never been better. Promise you’ll be careful and come see me when you get back.”

“I promise.”

Luke left the diner and headed to the airport. The terminal was as deserted as ever. Somehow, it had been sidestepped by the extraordinary events that had come to the airfield. All the aircraft that arrived and departed each day were private aircraft or charters, so no one used the terminal building.

Linda’s desk was covered with knitting when Luke walked in.

“Hello, boss. You come to say good-bye?”

“I sure did, Linda,” Luke said, giving her the present. “You taking care of everything around here?”

“
Trying
to.” She put her knitting paraphernalia down and came around her desk for a hug of her own. “You gonna sort things out up there?” she asked.

“
Trying
to,” he replied.

“That’s all I ask, Luke. Let me know how it all turns out.”

A few moments later
Sadie
lifted off, taking Luke back to the
Lulubelle
.

# # #

“
Lulubelle
, this is
Sadie
. Commander’s shuttle requesting authorization to dock. Commander Blackburn is aboard.”

Luke felt a stirring of pride as they approached the massive spacecraft. He took no credit for any part of its design or construction; that was the work of other people. But still, he was part of the team that had made it happen.

Riley Stevens had contributed the most, constantly redesigning the vessel and everything in it right up to the time construction started.
Adding
and subtracting features altered the exterior significantly. The ship didn’t look like one big cylinder anymore. It had a more elegant look, like modern skyscrapers he had seen around the world.

The analogy fitted the function of the ship. To help Luke understand, Riley developed the habit of always displaying the interim design changes while the ship was in a vertical position, not horizontal. The ship’s gravity system was oriented so the stern, at the very back of the ship, was the ground floor. For the most part, the six-thousand-foot vessel was divided internally into twenty-foot levels. Each level was the equivalent of one floor of a skyscraper.

Some levels were much more than twenty feet in height. The hangar bays for the warships were over a hundred feet high, allowing plenty of elbow room for the ships to arrive and depart. The largest section of the ship was the recreation level at over three hundred fifty feet high. With a diameter of almost fifteen hundred feet, the recreation level provided a green space that was as close to nature as Luke could imagine.

The army training center was not quite the same size as the recreation level, but it was close. Luke appreciated the irony that more space was allocated for fun than war. The stern, of course, was the widest section of the ship. It provided plenty of space for the massive gravity drives that would propel the vessel at unimaginable speeds.

But the hull, or the fuselage, as Luke sometimes thought of it, had a tiered configuration. In some places, large, flattened areas narrowed the hull on one side or another. Halfway between the nose of the ship and the back end, huge curved panels flared out. They looked like massive jet engine intakes, but in fact were additional gravity drives used for braking and steering.

Tyler Robertson had taken the ship out for five trial runs. He assured Luke that
Lulubelle
handled just as sweetly as
Sadie
. Luke thought that was an exaggeration, but if Tyler was happy, he was too.

Luke’s job, as mission commander, was to establish strategic goals. To help him achieve those goals, he had one subordinate. That was Tyler Robertson, now Captain Robertson. Tyler commanded
Lulubelle;
his job was to make sure everyone aboard carried out Luke’s mission.

Lulubelle
’s weapons systems were fully functional. Missile launching systems had been tested. Procedures for the launch and recovery of the
Ambrosia
-class warships were established. Drone systems were integrated into every facet of the operation. The ship was ready.

Crew members had been moving aboard for the last two weeks; even while the ship was under construction. The bed-down of fifty thousand people didn’t happen overnight.

Kathy Lyons had recruited nearly fifty senior stewards from cruise lines around the world. She’d stolen the hotel manager from the Palazzo in Las Vegas, along with hundreds of cooks, entertainers, and every other conceivable job description. Everyone working together got
Lulubelle
fitted out in record time.

Luke had also moved into his assigned quarters. The apartment had an open concept, spacious far beyond his needs, with a broad step leading to a sunken living room. The kitchen was fit for the master chef of an upscale restaurant. His apartment had two bedrooms and two luxurious bathrooms.

He thought it needlessly generous but the layout was standard for senior crew members. The apartments for middle managers were almost as lavish, and those below would still be considered luxury digs by most of the people on Earth. The accommodations had helped Kathy Lyons recruit the best people for the upcoming mission.

George’s voice filled
Sadie
’s cockpit, breaking Luke’s reverie.

“
Sadie
, you are cleared for landing. Welcome back, Commander.”

A tiny door appeared in the side of the enormous flagship. Floodlights illuminated the interior of the shuttle’s hangar bay. As they approached the seemingly small door grew larger until it was fully the size of the hangar at Moonbase One. Even though Luke had docked several times before, he never tired of seeing the how enormous
Lulubelle
was.

“
Docking
complete, Commander,”
Sadie
informed him as the shuttle set down.

“Thanks,
Sadie
. Who’s that waiting?”

“Chief Petty Officer Dean Rogers. He was just assigned as your personal assistant.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“No, Commander, I am not.”

“Is he going to take care of my saddle or something?”

“You have a saddle? I didn’t realize.”

“No, no. Stop. That was a joke. Nevermind.”

“Understood.”

Luke stepped out of
Sadie
’s cargo bay. The elderly gentlemen wore a uniform Luke had not seen. He snapped to attention. “Commander aboard!” he shouted.

Luke looked around the hangar. A few startled faces looked in his direction. “Hi, Chief, I’m Luke Blackburn. How you doing?” Luke stuck out his hand in greeting.

“Very well, sir,” Rogers replied firmly.

“Listen, I don’t want to step on any toes, but I’m an informal kind of person. I’d just as soon you not announce my coming and going.”

“Understood, sir. I wasn’t sure which way you leaned, so I thought I’d best go a little extra on the formality.”

“Enough said,” Luke acknowledged. “Let’s find Captain Robertson.”

“Sir.”

# # #

Luke joined Tyler in a conference room two doors away from the bridge. The wall displays were filled with star charts. Enigmatic designations were sprinkled across each chart.

“What are you looking at there, Tyler?” Luke asked.

“Just second-guessing star system J64,” Tyler answered. “Too late to change our mind now.”

“I understand,” Luke said.

“Everything we’ve studied says the Bakkui will hit it next. If we leave now, we might just get there first. Just under fifty days, according to George. But I can’t stop worrying, anyway. This is all guesswork, with a heavy emphasis on
guess
.”

“I know. I have the same doubts every single day. When the stakes are this high, it goes with the territory.

Tyler shut down the wall displays and turned to Luke. “I need you to okay the mission before we set out.”

“You are officially authorized,” Luke said with an understanding smile. “No turning back now.”

“Why don’t you come with me to the bridge? I’d like you to give the order.”

Luke nodded. Such ceremonies were important for morale and camaraderie. He followed Tyler down the corridor and into the command bridge.

When they entered the bridge the crew stood at attention as though waiting for this moment. An officer sitting in the command chair was the quickest. “Captain. Commander.”

Tyler turned to Luke, inviting him to speak.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Luke said. “This is it. We started this journey almost five hundred days ago. We had one goal in mind: To go out into the universe and save our planet. It’s taken us this long just to set off on that journey. That we’ve overcome such incredible obstacles so far is nothing short of miraculous. Even greater challenges are waiting for us. But with this crew, this ship, and the spirit that I see in everyone aboard, I am certain that the final victory will be ours. Navigator!”

“Sir!” a young woman responded loudly.

“Set course for star system J64.”

The navigator touched the panel at her station. “Course set, Commander.”

Luke looked at Tyler with raised eyebrows.

“Go ahead, Luke. I know you're dying to say it.”

Luke grinned widely. “Engage,” he commanded, pointing forward.

The crew gave an enthusiastic cheer while the navigator touched the panel once more.

There was no feeling of motion on the bridge, but the oversized screen at the front of the bridge began changing, filling with streaks of multicolored light. On other displays, views of the moon, the earth, and the sun quickly receded. Within seconds the familiar locations were no longer visible and the sun shifted to a dark red.

Luke’s heart filled with pride. When he was much younger, he had occasionally dreamed that someday he would engage in a noble endeavor. That feeling was partially responsible for his stint in the military. He liked the idea of being a warrior, of serving the public in a just cause. Those feelings died with his wife a long time ago. Back then, he thought it was forever.