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At age 13, Kyle Robinson is now the youngest starship Captain in the Explorer Program. Every day the rank of Captain moves farther from being a title to being reality.
Monday morning came early for the Robinson family, as it usually did. Kyle had his eight thirty meeting with Hal. He would be riding to Space Fleet Headquarters with his father, Admiral Greg Robinson.
Ronald “Ronnie” Robinson would also be riding to HQ with them. He not only was Kyle’s brother, he was also Kyle’s Chief Engineer on the Heinlein. Ronnie would be joining the other Heinlein senior officers in the D Wing café at HQ for a snack or two and hot drinks until they were called to their first all Senior Officer meeting in Heinlein history. Even though the meeting would be taking place at Space Fleet Headquarters, it was considered by all to be a Heinlein staff meeting.
Danny would be riding with them as far as the Tiberius Space Center where he would be meeting with seven pilots he had already chosen for more training and would then be interviewing more candidates for the four remaining pilot positions. He would also be interviewing candidates for three positions that would be shuttle pilots only. Danny saw this as a great entry position for new Explorer Program graduates.
Koji and Duskin would be riding with Grandma Alicia to the Space Academy where they would be meeting with Ali in an annex at the edge of the campus. Ali had been the boys’ teacher on the Sooloo. Akage and Tei would also be in the class as Ali and the boys worked to keep their schoolwork up to date. Alicia had been accepted as a teacher at the Academy. She possessed a PhD in Extraterrestrial Studies and had been a professor of ET studies at the University of Nevada until her husband’s tragic death in space. She took a three-year sabbatical and was getting bored when she answered Greg’s help wanted advertisement. She became his housekeeper. A romantic relationship between her and Greg grew from there until, to the surprise of nobody, except maybe Kyle, they married.
When she decided to return to work, Greg told her that the Space Academy was looking for an ET studies teacher. He thought she might like working with younger kids who were goal oriented. He told her it might be a good change for her—maybe not as academically challenging but fraught with its own kinds of challenges. She agreed to take the position on a temporary basis and found herself enjoying it more than she imagined she would. Living in a space faring family seemed to be what she had been born to do, even with the tragic death of her first husband.
Alicia had breakfast ready by the time the woozy family wandered into the dining room. Unlike the weekend breakfasts the boys sat at the table fully dressed since they had places to go after breakfast. They preferred the relaxed naturist look on Saturday and Sunday. The look lasted all day Saturday for meals, swimming, sitting around in the house playing games or reading, or helping with chores. They had to dress on Sunday afternoon since they were going out for dinner.
Kyle knew his father would have had a tantrum about the nudity a few years ago, but now he accepted it as “boys will be boys.” He noted the huge physical difference between the different ages, and, in the case of Danny and Kyle, between two boys almost the same age. Danny was much more physically and sexually mature than Kyle. He wondered if that fact bothered Kyle. If he had asked, he would have learned that Kyle accepted it, figuring he would start catching up soon.
After breakfast, they took care of putting on shoes, brushing teeth, and gathering the materials they needed. Danny, Kyle, and Ronnie loaded into their father’s car. Koji and Duskin wouldn’t be leaving with Alicia for another half hour.
Greg dropped Danny off at the space port where he would be meeting with his pilot trainees. When they got to Space Fleet Headquarters, he dropped Kyle and Ronnie at the D wing entrance. The two showed their IDs to the security officer on duty and entered the building. Ronnie headed for the cafeteria and Kyle for Hal’s office.
Since Hal’s office was on the third floor, Kyle decided to get a little bit of morning exercise by using the stairs instead of the elevator. When he reached the second floor, he heard a man’s voice behind him. “Are you Commander Kyle Robinson?”
Kyle turned and saw a man on the landing where the stairs turned halfway between floors. The man was wearing a Space Fleet jacket with the collar of a Space Fleet uniform shirt showing and uniform trousers. He was wearing a baseball cap that was pulled down, hiding much of his face.
“Yes, sir,” Kyle responded figuring there was a good chance that a person wearing a Space Fleet uniform in Space Fleet Headquarters most likely outranked him. Even so, Kyle had a bad feeling about the man standing below him and he pressed the left edge of his belt buckle.
“You should know better than to use the stairs by yourself. These are steep stairs with a long drop, even with the landing to shorten it. You never know what kind of accident could happen to you.”
“I will keep that in mind sir. Nobody told me that I couldn’t use the stairs.”
The man started up the upper section of the flight of stairs. “It’s not a matter of not being allowed to use the stairs, it’s a matter of you simply shouldn’t because of their danger.” He stopped at a step that had his head three stairs below the end of the stairs which was where Kyle was standing. Kyle tried to make out the man’s face, but he kept his head down.
“I was being cautious, sir.”
“Well, you would be more cautious if you were aware that there are a number of people in the building who hate you and your asshole father. People who would have no problem tossing a little boy like you down the stairs to the landing.”
“Thanks for the warning, sir. I’ll be sure to be careful. Now I have to keep going since I have an appointment with Commodore Tietokone.” Kyle turned to exit the stairwell, electing to take an elevator to the third floor.
“Commander Tietokone, another young pissant asshole.” He noticed Kyle reach for the door and said, “Hey, where do you think you’re going, commander? Just because some idiots think you’re a pint-sized star ship captain doesn’t mean you outrank me. You go when I tell you to go you insolent little prick, or I’ll see to it you take an accidental ride down a half-flight of stairs. Those landings are made of concrete and are fucking hard.”
Kyle didn’t turn around. He opened the stairwell door and started out into the corridor, which was empty. “With all due respect, since I have no idea who you are or what your rank is, I don’t owe you a fucking thing.”
“Listen to me, little boy. Try thinking of me as an admiral who’s telling you this: My son should have been named a senior officer on your worthless ship, or better yet the captain. He didn’t apply because he knew he didn’t have a fucking chance to get it. And if he isn’t picked for your crew and given an assistant chief’s position then your ass is mine and being tossed down a flight of stairs will be….” But Kyle didn’t hear the last words as he shut the door and pushed the up-elevator button.
His wait was short, and he stepped into the elevator as the self-professed admiral stepped into the corridor. He made no attempt to stop the elevator knowing somebody could enter the corridor at any time. “I’m not done with you,” he said softly to the door. “And neither is my son if he is picked for your crew.”
He pushed the down button for the other elevator and fought to catch his breath. He rode the elevator to the basement; grateful nobody had boarded on the way. Between the ground floor and basement, he pulled the bill of his hat up and removed his jacket, displaying the uniform shirt of a captain. He looked up at the camera and smiled when he saw the lens was still covered with the black paint he had sprayed on it. The main attraction of the basement was the tram that connected all seven of the wings of the headquarters building. He walked casually to the platform, boarded the first tram and rode it to the A wing where his office was.
Kyle told Hal about the incident as soon as he entered the commodore’s office. “Have a seat and I’ll give building security a buzz.” He was connected to Captain Youngman, the Chief of Security, and told him Kyle’s story. Youngman told Hal he would personally look into the issue and asked if he could interview Commander Robinson. Hal told him to come on up.
Youngman arrived a few minutes later with Commander Harris, the chief deputy of D wing. After a quick interview, Youngman and Harris left to do some investigative work.
“Sorry you had to go through that, Kyle,” Hal said. “I can’t believe that asshole was one of us. But he had to show some kind of ID to gain access to the building— it could have been a visitors’ pass.”
“What I really can’t believe is that he’s an admiral. Even my dad, back when we weren’t getting along at all, wasn’t that big of an asswaffle.”
Hal grinned at Kyle’s use of the archaic term and then said they needed to get down to business if Kyle wanted to get his first meeting started on time.
“And since it is my first official meeting, I’d better be on time, or I’ll never hear the end of it.”
The meeting dealt mostly with Kyle’s agenda, what he planned to tell his senior officers as a group, and what he planned to say to each senior officer during the meeting. The last thing to be discussed was the logistics of the tour and how the tour would be conducted.
The moment Hal and Kyle reached that topic there was a rap on the door. “Enter,” Hal called out and Commander Devin French, the Heinlein’s first officer, entered the office at the exact right moment.
“Were you listening in when you knocked, Commander? Your timing was perfect.” Hal grinned as Devin took the empty seat next to Hal’s desk.
“I knew my report would close your meeting and that the meeting with the senior officers was scheduled to start at 09:30, so I timed my entrance accordingly,” Devin said. Devin then gave his report on the upcoming tour.
“Spoken like a true Astrogator,” Kyle chuckled.
Devin nodded his appreciation and continued. He went through what would be seen on the full tour and where each of the senior officers would be taken when the full tour was completed. “I dealt with Captain Hasegawa, who is project manager for the testing. He was a great help and is going to conduct the full tour until we split the group for their individual tours. The kitchen staff will be supplying lunch for us on our arrival.”
“Thank you, Devin. A very complete job,” Hal said. “Now, let’s take care of making you two and the senior officers official.”
The Heinlein would have the six standard senior officers that all of the Explorer ships were assigned. Kyle had picked five of them; he was still searching for a Chief Science Officer. The five officers had all gathered in the conference room ten minutes before the meeting was scheduled to start, which meant they had arrived on time.
Kyle, Devin, Hal, Commodore Hanson, and Admirals Crusoe, Robinson, and Mirah entered the conference room at 0923. A lieutenant from the Communications Office followed the officers in. The lieutenant would be operating the recording equipment which would save the historic ceremony in perpetuity. Greetings were exchanged, and Admiral Orlando Crusoe asked for everyone’s attention at precisely 0930 hours.
This was the official ceremony, but there was also a formal public ceremony scheduled a few days before the Heinlein was slated to depart on her maiden voyage. The entire crew and their families would be meeting in the banquet room of one of the major casinos. It was more than big enough to feed the crowd expected for the ceremony. The crew would be required to wear their dress uniforms and the officers to wear their sashes.
“Welcome to the first official gathering of the Senior Officers of the SS Robert Heinlein,” Admiral Crusoe announced. “As you all know, as per Space Fleet and Explorer Program tradition, when a new ship is ready there is an official swearing in ceremony of the captain and senior officers before they board their new ship. Therefore, this gathering will begin with the traditional ceremony.” Crusoe paused for a moment to increase the drama and then said, “Captain Kyle Robinson, as Captain of the SS Robert Heinlein, please come forward to accept your Heinlein emblem.”
Kyle left his seat flush with excitement and also aware of Admiral Crusoe’s error in his introduction; even though he was the Captain of the Heinlein, his rank was Commander and not Captain. He decided it was in his best interests to let it ride for now, however. He stood at attention before the admiral.
Admiral Crusoe swore him in as Captain of the Heinlein and then pinned the Heinlein emblem to Kyle’s left breast. When the Admiral finished, Kyle, as he had been instructed to do, saluted the admiral. Crusoe returned his salute and as Kyle started his formal left turn, Crusoe stopped him. Kyle turned and faced the admiral squarely once again and came to attention.
“Captain, you may stand at ease.” Kyle did so. “I would like to ask Fleet Admiral William Mirah to come to the front, please.”
As Fleet Admiral, Mirah was the Commander-in-Chief of the entire Space Fleet program: space exploration, Earth defense, freight and passenger operations, and the Explorer Program. He answered to the Secretary of the Space Administration.
Kyle found himself coming back to attention and saluting Admiral Mirah. Mirah returned the salute and then said, “Commander Robinson, you have been given a great responsibility as the captain of a new ship, one of the three largest in the Explorer program. Space Fleet feels it is imperative that you have the rank an ace commander should have.”
Mirah became informal for a moment, saying, “Kyle, I’ve known you since you were in diapers (his comment drew titters) and I’ve known you when you had an astrogation procedure named for you, as well as when you earned not one, but two Distinguished Service Stars. You are more than deserving of your command and you have earned the right to carry the rank and the insignia of Captain. Congratulations, Captain Robinson.”
Fleet Admiral Mirah then removed Kyle’s Commander rank from his right collar and pinned his Captain’s rank in its place. Salutes and handshakes were exchanged and Kyle, who was fighting back tears, returned to his seat. No one noticed that Kyle wasn’t the only Robinson fighting back tears as Admiral Greg Robinson, sitting in the back of the room did the same.
Commodore Hanson, who had been Kyle’s astrogation instructor as well as his counselor at the Space Academy, also felt a wave of emotion. He remembered the brilliant student who was also a sullen loner and often a troublemaker. The boy had so much potential, if only it could be tapped. He also remembered the starting point guard on the Academy basketball team who was the essential team player on the floor, showing the kind of leadership potential he housed. And then there was Kyle’s love of the stars that inspired him to start taking a more positive outlook and using his brilliant mind instead of letting it lie fallow.
Hal remembered the sullen and sometimes insubordinate twelve-year-old who Dave Bowman, then the captain of the Sooloo, chose not only to be on the ship’s astrogation team, but in a move that was highly controversial but turned out to be brilliant, named him Chief Astrogator. And now, a little over a year later, thirteen-year-old Kyle Robinson was one of the most respected officers in the Explorer Program and the captain of a great star ship. He couldn’t help but wonder what would have become of the boy if not for the Explorer Program and the mentoring of then Commander Hanson, Kyle’s astrogation instructor.
Mirah turned the program back to Admiral Crusoe for the swearing in of the senior officers. Since the officers had been told what the protocols for the ceremony were, they sat in quiet anticipation waiting for their names to be called. Kyle looked them over with wonder as the fact that they were HIS officers became real.
“You have all seen the program and know I will start with the First Officer,” Admiral Crusoe said. “Commander Devin French will you please come forward to be sworn in and to accept your emblem.”
As Devin left his seat to stand in front of Admiral Crusoe, Kyle thought about how he and Devin had despised each other as Astrogation classmates at the Academy. That bitter rivalry became worse when Kyle was called upon to fix an astrogation mess on the SS Endurance, where Devin was the Chief Astrogator. The mess had the Endurance arriving at the wrong destination and was created by Devin’s miscalculation and by his not following explorer program protocols. But a couple of days after that Devin and Kyle were thrust together as part of a rescue operation. Kyle was placed in command, which Devin hated. One of the first things Kyle did was make Devin his second in command, which Devin loved and the two suddenly became partners instead of rivals.
Since then, Devin had become a conscientious officer who worked with his fellow officers instead of against them and who paid strict attention to detail and protocol in performing his duties. How Devin became Kyle’s first officer on the Heinlein is a story for another time.
Crusoe called up Chief Operations Officer Steve Boyer next. For Kyle, appointing his friend as his operations chief was a no-brainer. He had known the bespectacled Lieutenant Commander since they first boarded the Sooloo. Even though he was the assistant operations chief on the Sooloo, Steve pretty much ran the department. He knew all of the ins and outs of how the ship’s operations functioned and was extremely organized and detail oriented.
He had worked under two operations chiefs and both of them usually deferred to him in the decision-making process. Even though Steve was offered the operations chief position after Jordan Rivers was transferred from operations chief to the position of first officer, he turned it down because he didn’t feel he was ready for a leadership position, plus, he loved what he was doing as the assistant chief. When Kyle offered him the operation’s chief position on the Heinlein, Steve felt he was now ready and accepted the position, provided his husband Brad and son Shasho could transfer with him. By Space Fleet and Explorer Program protocols, that was a given, and Kyle even had a position picked out for Brad.
Kyle and Danny had become close friends with Steve and Brad, which included the four of them often having sex with each other—in groups of four, three, or two, depending on the circumstances. The quartet agreed that the sexual aspect shouldn’t be a problem in carrying out their duties. Kyle said he would be following Space Fleet protocols to help insure it wasn’t an issue, which meant their progress reports and evaluations would be written by Devin.
The next officer called to the front was Commander Ronald “Ronnie” Robinson, the Chief Engineer. Kyle first knew Ronnie as his stepbrother, but he had become more. As far as Kyle was concerned, he was his full brother, even if their skin color didn’t match, as well as his friend. Even though he was straight, he was also an occasional lover for him and Danny. Like Steve and Brad, he would be reporting to Devin.
But Ronald was more than Kyle’s brother. He was considered one of the top five Chief Engineers in the Explorer Program. Dylan Beaumont, Ronnie’s captain on the Victorious, was not at all happy to be losing him and was reluctant to sign on the requisite paperwork. However, Hal worked hard to convince Dylan that taking over a new starship and working with a new crew would be a great career path for Ronald. He also argued that having an experienced Chief Engineer would help smooth the breaking in of a new ship and a new crew. Dylan finally agreed and wished Ronald the best in his new assignment.
Admiral Crusoe pinned Ronnie’s pin on his uniform shirt. Ronnie gave Kyle a nod and a smile. Kyle returned his gesture with a quick salute.
Commander Brad Kanye, the Chief Information Systems Officer, came next. Kyle loved Brad as a friend. Brad had been his first friend on the Sooloo. Brad’s calm demeanor had often helped Kyle through rough times and Kyle often thought of him as his big brother as well as a friend. When he had offered Steve the Chief of Operations post, it was his intent to have Brad be his Chief Information Officer, a position Brad quickly accepted.
Lieutenant Enzan Kage was called up next. Kage was sworn in as the Chief of Tactical and Security. He had been the Assistant Chief Security Officer on the Sooloo. Kyle knew that Enzan was more than ready for his new position. He also knew that he would have Enzan as part of his crew for just a little over a year as he would be turning eighteen in December of next year. His 11-year-old brother Akage, who was his ward, would be coming as well, much to the delight of Koji and Duskin who liked Akage as a friend and playmate.
Admiral Crusoe’s last swearing in, Ensign Mituti Tudupe as Chief Astrogator, was another special one for Kyle. Mituti had posted on the Sooloo recently. He was a recent graduate of the Explorer Program at the Space Academy and had immediately shown himself to be a prodigy. He also showed an aptitude for being cool and calm when the going got tough.
Even though Mituti hadn’t applied for the position, Kyle asked him if he was interested. Mituti’s eyes lit up when Kyle approached him and he all but leaped into Kyle’s arms. Kyle took that to be a yes. Just like Dave Bowman, the first captain of the Sooloo had taken a risk on a young, impetuous ensign named Kyle Robinson as his Chief Astrogator, Kyle was taking a chance on a brilliant, but very inexperienced, young ensign to be his Chief Astrogator.
Admiral Crusoe congratulated the new Senior Officers. He told them they had the opportunity as well as the ability to make their new ship one of best in the fleet. “You have a great captain to lead you in Captain Robinson. Now it’s up to you how badly you want to be great. From what I’ve heard and seen, I think you all want it very badly. I know for sure that your Captain agrees and that he is beyond happy with his choices. Your time as Senior Officers begins with your upcoming meeting and will be in full swing when you set foot on the Heinlein in a couple of hours. Good luck and safe travels to you all.”
With the swearing in ceremony over, Hal and the Admirals left the conference room in Kyle’s able hands. “Okay, guys,” Kyle said. “We are now official, which means we have a lot of work to do. And, yeah, I know I still have to find a science officer to complete the leadership part of the crew. Before we start the meeting let’s take a fifteen-minute break to relax and take care of any business that needs taking care of.”
“You mean, it’s for us to take care of pissing I figure,” Steve grinned, creating a loud round of laughter from his fellow officers, who all looked over to Kyle to test his reaction. What they saw was a deadpan expression that brought up a silent chorus of ‘oh ohs’ in the minds of the new staff.
“Yes, it does,” Kyle said in an authoritative voice, “and I would appreciate it if you did it somewhere other than in the conference room,” which created another round of laughter and lightened the momentary tension. They could see that their commanding officer still had the same sense of humor he often had on display on the Sooloo.
Kyle took a seat at the table that had been set up at the front of the conference room and thought about what he had to accomplish, both today and in the future. He still needed to find a Chief Medical Officer who, while not considered a senior officer, was just as important, if not more so.
He also needed to choose a Chief Science Officer. He still had no clue as to whom he wanted for the medical officer position and planned on asking Hal and Admiral Crusoe for assistance. Kyle had put a lot of work into the science officer position, however. The position had attracted more applicants than any other posting. Danny said it was probably because anybody who knew which end was up on a test tube thought he had the makings of a great scientist.
“The enemy’s gate is up; that’s all you have to know,” Kyle grinned as he referred to the ancient science fiction classic, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. The book was must reading for Explorer Program cadets.
After reading a couple dozen applications, Kyle couldn’t disagree with what Danny said, however. He finally narrowed that list down to three, all of whom he would interview tomorrow; one of them in person and two of them virtually.
Kyle’s meeting started on time. He started by passing out an itinerary for the tour of the ship. They would start by taking a Space Fleet shuttle to the Heinlein. They would then go to the officer’s dining room where they would enjoy a lunch cooked by the Space Fleet kitchen staff assigned to the ship. Kyle then went over the visit which would start with the entire group taking a tour led by Commodore Lev Kochanski, who was the Project Manager of the test team that had been taking the Heinlein through its trials. After the full tour each officer would go to his respective station or office to get a feel for where he would be working.
Kyle and Devin would be on the bridge getting acquainted with the layout for that part of the tour. Mituti would be shown the astrogation room by the ship’s navigation equipment expert. He would also be taken to the bridge to see the layout of the main astrogation table. Ronnie would get to see and touch “his” engines for the first time. Brad would get a tour of the computer system and Steve would be shown his office and the operations computers. Enzan Kage would get a similar tour of the Security/Tactical offices.
After going over the tour with his officers, Kyle then gave them their assignments for the rest of the week, which mostly had to do with interviewing the applicants for the Assistant Chief positions. They would then be interviewing and choosing crew members and other officers who would work under them. Kyle had left choosing the pilots to Danny, with Mituti signing off on them as the Chief Astrogator.
“As you know, we will board our ship two weeks from Thursday and the rest of the crew will begin boarding the next day. Support personnel, such as medical and cooking staff, will be boarding with us. You also have the schedule of the trials. Captain Kochanski informed me that on the two days the Heinlein is in orbit, you can hop a shuttle to the ship and work there between 0800 and 1500. You can eat lunch in the crew mess. Also, each of us will be riding on one round of the trials to get a feel of the ship in action.
After taking questions (there were only three) Kyle adjourned the meeting and the officers left to meet the van that would be taking them to the Tiberius Space Center.
The van pulled up under the wing of the Space Fleet shuttle Capricorn which was parked on a tarmac at the Space Fleet terminal. Kyle and his officers clambered out of the van. They were met by Danny and Ensign Jesse Grosse who came from the terminal waiting area.
Danny and Jesse had been invited to join the tour so they could get their first look at the Heinlein’s shuttle bay. Kyle signed Jesse on as the head shuttle bay officer. He had been promoted to the same position on the Sooloo just before Kyle had been given command of the Heinlein. As much as he liked where he was, Jesse loved serving under Danny, who was the Chief Pilot, and Kyle. He applied for the Heinlein’s shuttle bay position before it was posted and was given the position as soon as protocol allowed.
Kyle noticed someone following Danny and Jesse; an Asian female in an Explorer uniform. “Excuse me,” she called out. “I won’t hold you up long. I just need to ask something. Oh, and I am Ling Chang, the Chief Engineer of the Sally Ride and I was wondering if I could ask your Chief Engineer a question.” She looked at Brad and Ronnie who were standing close to each other and were the only two Blacks in the group.
“I’m Ronald Robinson and the Chief Engineer for the Heinlein. What can I help you with?” Ronnie responded.
“Nothing now because I understand you’re all in a hurry. If you could just give me your contact information, I’ll contact you in the next day or so to get some information.”
“Sure, not a problem.” Ronnie gave her his communicator and phone information which Ling dutifully entered into her communicator.
“Thank you. I shall speak to you soon.” Ling turned around and walked back toward the terminal.
“Whoa, Ronnie, she sure had eyes for you,” Brad grinned.
“She was kind of cute,” Ronnie said. “But, whatever, I’ll see what she wants soon. Probably information from an experienced Explorer Program engineer.”
“Either that or your body,” Devin smirked.
“You guys are impossible,” Ronnie grinned.
“Let’s get on board the shuttle so we can get out of here on time,” Kyle said. He was enjoying the developing camaraderie among his officers, especially from Devin. He knew it was vital for a First Officer to have positive relationships with the officers and crew. He was often the good-guy to the Captain’s bad-guy when problems cropped up.
Everyone boarded the shuttle except for Danny and Kyle who exchanged a quick hug. They had agreed to forgo kissing on board the ship and on duty in other locations, but quick hugs were okay.
“Hey, what’s this that I see on your collar?” Danny asked. “It sure doesn’t look like a commander’s insignia.”
“I was presented with a surprise by Admiral Mirah at the meeting. I guess they figure the newest, biggest, and most powerful ship in the Explorer fleet should be commanded by a captain.”
“Amen to that. And now let’s get on board, Captain Robinson. We sure don’t want the captain to make us late.”
Kyle and Danny scrambled up the stairs and onto the shuttle. A shuttle crewman closed and secured the hatch. Up in the cockpit, Commander Leslie Bowen started up the Capricorn’s engines and the shuttle was soon taxiing to the runway. Kyle noticed four Space Fleet officers and two crewmen on board as passengers. They were all members of the test crew.
Leslie opened the cockpit door and took a step out into the cabin. “I understand that Commander Robinson is on board,” she announced.
Kyle and Danny looked at each other with amusement, wondering which one of them she meant. It was doubtful that she had heard about Kyle’s promotion yet. Danny pointed to himself, and Kyle nodded. The two excelled at silent communication between each other.
“I’m Lieutenant Commander Daniel Robinson,” Danny said with proper formality.
“How would you like to ride with Lieutenant Carter and me?” she asked.
Danny didn’t have to be asked twice. He rose from his seat and strode to the cockpit. Leslie stepped back into the cockpit. Introductions were made and he strapped himself into the jump seat. He was about to enjoy a launch from the best place possible—the cockpit.
“Well, will you look at the little boy going to play in the cockpit,” one of the crewman passengers said loudly. “How cute!”
When the ensign sitting next to the crewman didn’t respond to the snarky comment, Kyle did. He unstrapped himself, rose from his seat, and marched over to the offending crewman. He read the name plate on his chest and said with all the force his young voice could come up with without yelling, “Excuse me, Crewman Drake, but that boy who went into the cockpit was, in fact, a Commander being invited into the cockpit! Commander Robinson just happens to be a Senior Instructor for Space Fleet—yes, I said Space Fleet. He could almost fly this shuttle with his eyes closed. So, make sure he is Commander Robinson to you.”
The crewman glared at the slight blond boy who looked to him like he should be playing on the swings. He was about to add an even snarkier remark when he saw the Captain insignia on the boy’s collar. Crewman Drake knew that even an Explorer Program captain was a CAPTAIN and one should not fuck with him if he wanted a future in Space Fleet. “Sorry…Sir,” he said insincerely.
“See to it that you show that officer the proper respect and your apology might mean something.” Kyle turned away, his heart thumping hard. But he had to fight a smile when he heard the applause of his officers as he sat in his seat and strapped himself back in.
Leslie and Avery went through their preflight checklist and told Space Center Control they were ready to take off. They were soon taxiing to the end of the runway, which was the one the space shuttles used. As soon as she received clearance, Leslie jammed the throttles to full, and the Capricorn raced down the runway. Danny’s head was pushed against the head rest of his seat, and he felt a surge of exhilaration as the shuttle lifted off the runway.
The shuttle continued to accelerate, and Leslie kept the nose rising steeper and steeper until it was at 90 degrees putting the Capricorn into launch mode. Even with the gravity dampers on full, the g-forces could be felt as the shuttle sped into the upper atmosphere and was soon in the blackness of space. It had been a perfect launch and Danny felt glad to have been able to witness it.
In the cabin Kyle looked out of his window into the far reaches of space as his racing heart slowed down. Then he saw something that had his heart moving back into high-speed mode, but for an entirely different reason. Out of the shuttle window he saw the SS Robert Heinlein for the first time. The incident with the crewman was kicked right out of his head as the big starship filled the window. The sight made his command a reality.
That huge, complex, powerful machine was his domain and for the first time since he had been named the Captain of the Heinlein, Kyle Robinson knew for sure that he was where he belonged. He was the Captain of the great ship. He reached into the pocket of his tunic and gave a little stuffed penguin a squeeze. Megrez. Yes, Megrez who had been with him since he was a preschooler and who now kept him connected to the stars. Megrez who told him he was where he belonged.
He took a deep breath and watched as the Capricorn drifted closer to the starship. The magnetic clamps were maneuvered into place by the Heinlein and clamped to the handles on the port side of the shuttle. Kyle Robinson was home.
Next: Ship’s Tour
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