Voyagers: SS Robert Heinlein

CHAPTER 15

 

BECOMING HOME

 

By Douglas DD

Assisted by Zarek Dragon

 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2122

 

 

 

0525

 

When Kyle awoke before dawn, he knew that the day before was the last time he would spend an entire day off ship for—well he didn’t know for how long. What he did know was that even on his last day, a supposed day of rest, he spent most of the afternoon being a ship’s captain    and dealing with a problem. He was beginning to wonder if he would be a lot happier manning the astrogation table of the Sooloo as it entered Earth orbit that morning. The “he’s too young to be a starship captain” criticism was haunting him right then.

 

He looked over at Danny who snorted awake when the alarm went off at 0530. He wondered what his life would have been without him. Probably not as successful and certainly not as happy. He had an uncanny way of helping him though his dark moods and lighting them up. Kyle understood that the Darastixian blood flowing in his veins allowed him insights into people’s moods. Danny didn’t have that mix of blood, but he still had a way of reading his moods.  

 

“Good morning, Danny my love,” Kyle said with a loving smile.

 

“Good morning, Captain,” Danny said drowsily.

 

“Captain? Not Kyle, or something lovey?”

 

“Yep, Captain.” Danny paused for a few seconds to shake off the last of his sleep and get his complete bearings. “Because that is you today. It’s going to be, like, your first full day as a starship captain, with a full schedule of watches and your complete crew flying off to a rendezvous with Space Station Helios 6.” Helios 6 was a scientific observation station that orbited Saturn. “That will make three days and two nights and your first multi-day voyage. Now, let’s get serious and shower. We’ve got a lot to get done this morning.”

 

“And this afternoon, and tonight, and, whoa, it’s going to be a long, long day. But I guess it’s what we signed up for,” Kyle said.

 

“That we did, my love. That we did.”

 

The boys traded a wet good morning kiss, got out of bed, showered, dressed, and headed for breakfast.

 

 

 

0700

 

Kyle and his top three officers met in a conference room to review their roles in getting the Heinlein crew on board. Each crew member had received a message on Saturday giving them their shuttle assignment and their time of departure to the Heinlein. Devin, as first officer, had the task of herding the crewmembers to their assignments. Steve, as second officer, would be assisting Devin. Brad, as third officer would be taking the Capricorn along with Jesse Gross, Orlando Rodriguez, and Colby Douglas to prepare the Heinlein shuttle bay for the onslaught of shuttles.

 

Brad and Kyle’s job when the shuttles started to arrive would be to greet the crew as they boarded the ship. Kyle would be arriving on the Gustav Holst, piloted by Danny and A.J. Crowly, along with his senior officers who didn’t have boarding tasks, and their assistants, who would help get everyone situated when they arrived.

 

Ali, who was the headmaster of the ship’s school, was also on board since he would be meeting the children who would be attending the ship’s school full-time as they boarded the Heinlein from their shuttles. He had his program for the day mapped out. He arrived on an early shuttle so he could start the welcoming program which was a fun and educational program that would be loaded in a holodeck room. Kyle was certain everyone had their tasks well-organized; it was a procedure that had been successfully used in the past to complement what Ali does in the classroom.

 

As the scheduled group of crew members started arriving, Danny and his pilots had gone to the tarmac where the Heinlein’s shuttles had been parked. The pilots had their assignments and their scheduled departures. Danny and A.J. Crowly boarded the Holst. The ground crew had already started the engines and the shuttle was ready to be taxied to the terminal. Danny did so and parked the shuttle where Kyle and the senior officers would board. Mark and Matthew Wilson, the orphaned twin brothers of Chief Science officer Logan boarded with him. Koji and Duskin were on that shuttle as well, traveling under the supervision of their brother, Ronnie, the Chief Engineer.

 

They were soon speeding along the runway for a take off and launch departure where the shuttle took off like an airplane and then at the proper speed and altitude did a ninety-degree vertical turn and started straight up and out of the Earth’s atmosphere.

 

After tying down in the shuttle bay, the Holst unloaded its passengers. The officers headed for their scheduled workstations. For Kyle, that was in the foyer of the shuttle bay where he would be greeting the incoming crew with Brad, who had finished supervising the preparation of the shuttle bay for the morning’s busy schedule.

 

The next shuttle to arrive was the Brahms with its load of crew members. Kyle and Brad went to work to make everyone arriving feel welcome. Kyle was ready to flash his best smile, which he wouldn’t have to fake. He was genuinely happy to be starting his true duties as ship’s captain. He was so ready to greet the incoming crew and then prepare the ship and the crew for their flight into deep space that would span 48 hours. While there would be four Space Fleet officers on board for assistance if needed, the actual crew of the ship would be on a full watch schedule and would be running the show.

 

The culinary staff and six other crew members arrived on the Brahms. The culinary staff had first call on a crew shuttle so they could get the kitchen organized and fully operational so they could start preparing lunch. Another of their duties would be carried out after lunch was served. That was when the Bubba Saur would be unloading the controversial food shipment from Kristof Food Service. The staff would empty out the incoming freight sleds operated by two shuttle bay staff members and put the food products into their proper storage bins.

 

Kyle and Brad gave the culinary staff an especially warm greeting since it was always a good idea to keep the food preparers and servers especially happy. Ian and Jackson Davis were the first to disembark. Jackson looked totally awestruck as he boarded a starship for the first time in his young life. Hal and Ian had picked up Jackson and his gear at his aunt and uncle’s house. Jackson was so excited he had babbled even more than usual.

 

“Welcome aboard, Jackson,” Kyle grinned.

 

“Thanks Kyle and Brad and it’s so cool that you’re here to welcome me on board. It’s okay if I call you Kyle and Brad isn’t it? Or should I call you Captain Robinson and Commander Kanye?” Jackson asked.

 

“Kyle and Brad works in this case,” Kyle responded. “Ian will be giving you a lesson on shipboard etiquette and Steve Boyer will give you a crew manual to help you out.”

 

The other staff members were filing out of the shuttle. Ben Maxy, the chief baker, stopped and addressed the greeters. “I see you’re meeting Jackson,” he said, forgetting the fact that  Kyle had to have met Jackson Earthside when he hired on the new member of the staff.

 

“We’ve met,” Kyle said. “I did have to interview him after all.”

 

“Yeah, I forgot that important little fact. Well, from what Ian tells me, Jackson bakes up some killer chocolate chip cookies and he tells me Ian is right.” He looked over to Jackson and said, “We should each bake up a batch of cookies and have Captain Kyle, here, pick a winner.”

 

“I have a better idea. How about we have a CCC Bake-a-thon,” Kyle said. “You and Jackson each bake up a batch of cookies for the crew to sample and they cast their vote. Winner gets a day off.”

 

Ian liked how Kyle took himself off the hook to possibly upset one of the cooks while at the same time coming up with a great special event. Ben and Jackson were impressed as well and readily agreed to the idea.

 

“When is it going to take place?” Ben asked. “It’s going to be pretty busy the next few days.”

 

Kyle had come up with a time as soon as he made the suggestion. “How about three days after we leave Mars on our first deep space mission, whenever that will be,” he told them.

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Jackson said. “Are you good with it Ben?”

 

“Totally. But what are the rules going to be?” Ben asked. “You gotta have rules to make sure it’s a fair contest.”

 

“I think you and Jackson should sit down with Ian and write your own rules. After all, you guys should know how to make a bake-a-thon fair,” Kyle replied.

 

Everyone agreed it was a great idea. Ben headed for the kitchen, while Ian escorted Jackson to Operations where Jackson would meet with Lieutenant Junior Grade McKenzie Rice, the temporary assistant operations chief, who would help Jackson register with Space Fleet personnel.                                                      

 

Commander Lucias Hayes, the official assistant chief, was currently on board the SS Endurance, which was in Earth orbit close by the Heinlein. Lucias was a voluntary transfer from the Endurance. He had asked for the transfer so he could be close to First Officer Devin French, who had been a close friend of his on the Endurance.  

The next shuttle was the Beethoven. It brought the Brown brothers, Caleb and Bobby, among others. Caleb was 12 and an ensign. Bobby, who was a cadet, was 10. He would be working on his ensign exam as well as some regular school subjects in the ship’s school. Caleb could work on most of his remaining school basics online. They were both assigned to the science department, where Caleb would be the horticulturalist, a position he assisted on the Darastix. Bobby was the ship’s botanist, had  been attending the Space Academy before being accepted to the crew of the Heinlein. The brothers lived on a farm before entering the Academy and were very familiar with growing and attending to crops.

 

Caleb and Bobby were excited to see Kyle, whom they had gotten to know during the early crew orientation and training days on the Heinlein. They liked that Kyle respected their knowledge of farming in spite of their youth. He had been nice to them from their first meeting, and the brothers were willing to crash through bulkheads for him. Even though they knew it was bad form, they each gave their captain a hug before leaving for the quarters they would be sharing.

 

The Capricorn, the regular Space Fleet shuttle service, docked at the outer airlock just as the Beethoven unloaded its last passenger. Commodore Hal Tietokone was the only person to board the Heinlein. The Capricorn was also carrying Space Fleet personnel for the Endurance and the Sooloo. The Pegasus was being serviced by its own shuttle.

 

Kyle, who knew Hal would be boarding, left the shuttle bay foyer to greet his commander. Hal was on board to participate in the lunch that the Heinlein was putting on for the captain and a senior officer from       the Endurance, Sooloo, and Pegasus.

 

This would be the first time the Heinlein would be hosting a lunch for a group of officers. Needless to say, Ian and his crew were excited about the opportunity to impress the captain and a staff officer of three other starships, one of them a Space Fleet ship. When they learned that Hal would be at the luncheon as well, their excitement amped up a notch. They were confident that what they were preparing would impress the brass coming on board.

 

“Welcome on board the Heinlein, sir,” Kyle grinned as he maintained a semblance of formality he normally didn’t show in private around Hal. Hal had been the first officer of the Sooloo when Kyle reported to the ship. He became his mentor as he worked to prove that even at the young age of 12 and carrying the reputation of being a troublemaker, he could succeed as a senior officer (Navigation Chief) on the starship.

 

“It’s a pleasure being here, Captain,” Hal grinned. “Where would you like me to go until lunch?”

 

“Hey, you’re the boss. But if you want my thoughts, you can either go to the lounge we have set up on the holodeck or join me in welcoming the crew arriving on the last three shuttles.”

 

“I think I’ll use the ready room and take care of some unfinished tasks. I don’t want to steal your thunder—this is your ship and you’re the boss here. The spotlight should be on you, not on me.”

 

“Thanks, Hal. You’ve always been special. I’ll let you know as soon as the last shuttle has discharged its cargo, so to speak. Then you can surprise everybody by making a grand entrance into the lounge.” Kyle gave Hal a quick salute, buzzed the shuttle Schubert, and hustled back to the shuttle bay.

 

The crew members on board the Schubert were starting to enter the foyer when Kyle returned. “Whew, I’m glad you’re here,” Brad grinned. “I was afraid everybody was going to wonder why they weren’t welcomed by the captain, as is traditional for the first complete boarding.”

 

“I had the time figured out. Plus, Maverick knew not to open his main hatch until I buzzed him,” Kyle said. Maverick had piloted the Schubert from Earth to the Heinlein.

 

“I should have known you’d have the procedure organized.”

 

Shasho Boyer, who was Brad and Steve’s adopted son, was one of the first to enter the foyer. He walked up to his dad, placed his hands on his hips, and scowled at him. The 12-year-old Darastixian was almost as tall as Brad and was taller than Kyle but had around six inches to go to catch Steve, who would be arriving on the last shuttle.

 

“Hello, son. You certainly look happy to be here,” Brad said with a hint of sarcasm.

 

“Since I am the captain’s yeoman, I should have come with him and at worst I should have been on the next shuttle after his,” Shasho huffed. “What if he had needed my help for something?”

 

“What were you going to do, help him shake hands or pat shoulders, or accept hugs?”

 

“Who hugs a captain?”

 

“Ask around. You’ll find out. The captain’s yeoman never can have enough information about his captain. As for your schedule, all he’s been doing is greeting and I assume Operations figured he wouldn’t need you for that. Besides, the person you should complain to is his Operations Chief, who would be your Steve dad.”

 

“I already complained and he told me to settle down and have fun,” Shasho said.     

 

“Sound advice. I say the same thing. Now, all that said, when does your schedule tell you to report to Kyle?”

 

“As soon as the first shuttle from the Endurance, Sooloo, or Pegasus leaves for the Heinlein.”

 

“Great. Until then you can go clean up your quarters.”

 

Sasho was aghast. “Clean up my quarters? No way they’re dirty!”

 

“But you won’t know that for sure until you check them with your own eyes.”

 

Shasho got the hint, turned around and greeted Kyle hoping he had work for him to do. Kyle winked and gave him a quick wave and Shasho took off for his quarters in a huff. Kyle stepped over to Brad and grinned. “Good job, dad.”

 

“Hey, I’ve been learning watching you and Danny deal with Koji. Be fair but let them know you’re in charge.”

 

The two went back to welcoming the last two crew members off the Schubert. The Mozart was just coming into the shuttle bay and Kyle knew that Donald Nixon was on that flight. He wondered how the sullen lieutenant would react to a friendly greeting.

 

Kyle was surprised to see Everett enter the foyer without Donald. Usually, the two were inseparable. “Good morning, captain,” Everett grinned.

 

“Good morning, Ensign Belmont,” Kyle responded. He didn’t know whether to be pleased with or suspicious of Everett’s cheerfulness. He decided to be pleased but wondered what Donald’s demeanor would be like.

 

Donald was the fourth crew member after Everett to enter the foyer. His greeting was almost as pleasant as Everett’s. “Good morning. It looks like we’re all but official now.” Donald’s greeting lacked the friendly smile of Everett’s giving Kyle the impression that his friendliness was forced. Kyle immediately doubted Don’s sincerity. He gave himself a mental chewing out for feeling so negative about one of his officers that he couldn’t accept a friendly greeting. While Everett’s greeting might not have been sincere, it definitely seemed like it was. Donald just didn’t give off any kind of feeling of sincerity.

 

Kyle held out his right hand and grinned. “Good morning, Lieutenant Nixon,” he said as Don gave him a limp handshake with a clammy hand in return. He walked away before Kyle could respond to his comment. 

 

The last person other than the crew to leave the Mozart was Mark Winters from Security/Tactical. Kyle recalled that he liked hanging around Don and Everett. Hanging around those two really didn’t mean anything. While Kyle sensed trouble emanating from them, other than some sarcastic comments and sullen looks from Don he hadn’t seen an overt issue that could mean trouble from Don and Everett.

 

The others Kyle had seen often hanging around Don and Everett had arrived on an earlier shuttle. They were Wade Greene and Terry Broxton from Engineering, and Jim Maxwell from Operations. Jim Maxwell was the assistant recreation director, among other assignments, and the friendly Lieutenant seemed to hang out with everybody. He had seen nothing off about them as he greeted them and welcomed them back to the Heinlein.

 

As the Bach, the last shuttle from Earth, berthed, Kyle once again kicked himself for his suspicions. I wonder if I’m going become one of those paranoid captains I’ve heard about, he thought. Fuck, I hope not. Nevertheless, he decided to casually check with their department chiefs when he had the opportunity. There was one person who had been hanging around with Don and Everett that Kyle hadn’t noticed and that was d Vanover in Information Services.

 

Some of the crew members arriving on the Bach had tasks related to getting the crew onto the six shuttles. But most of them drew the final shuttle flight. Crew members were able to request being paired with another crew member, which was a best friend except for Caleb and Bobby Brown, who were brothers. The process had been well planned out and efficiently executed. The crew of the Heinlein had been transported from Earth to the starship in just over two hours. Even though crewmembers had the option of spending the night on the ship, only two crewmembers elected do so. The ship was manned by two members of the Space Fleet crew.

 

Devin French and Steve Boyer were the last passengers to disembark from the Bach and were followed by Hunter “Red Devil” Sparks and Navigation Chief Mituti Tudupe, who were the pilots. 

 

“I see you survived the long morning,” Devin grinned.

 

“I’d say you were the busier one,” Kyle said.

 

“Hey, all I had to do after Stevie Boy made his professional boarding announcement was point to the shuttle on the tarmac in case somebody couldn’t figure out where it was. It was a professional job of announcing by our Operations Chief.”

 

“I took lessons from my hubby, Brad,” Steve said. “That dude is the pro.”

 

“It was crazy here. Just about everybody figured they were making their official boarding of the first official voyage of the Heinlein,” Kyle said. “Nothing official today—it’s their first voyage using a regular watch schedule and their first overnight trip. It’s all very cool, but not official.” He placed “official” in air quotes with his fingers.

 

“But today has the feel of being official,” Devin pointed out. “Think about it, when has every crew member been greeted by the captain as they boarded the ship? Never. Let’s not nitpick words—to them it’s official and it can’t hurt to let them think so.”

 

“And that way the first official day will be like a party,” Kyle grinned. The first “official” day was the official launch on Sunday the 25^th, two days after the big formal party for crew, friends, and family, at the Las Vegas Convention center. At that point the crew would be on its own as all of the Space Fleet staff would no longer be assigned to the Heinlein.  

 

As Kyle had kidded a few days ago, when his crew took over the Heinlein it would be, “Mine, ALL MINE!”. He and Devin laughed.     

 

<SS Sooloo, Captain’s ready room>

 

0845

 

Ensign Benjamin Ryan Kennedy was early for his appointment with Captain Jordan Rivers, as was expected on the Sooloo. He took a chair next to the captain’s desk and settled in for his arrival. Like most of the Sooloo’s crew, Kennedy had become a Sooloo team member as it was being readied for its initial launch.  He served briefly in Navigation under Kyle, who was the Navigation chief.  Ben had earned above average grades in navigation and astrogation at the Academy. One of the things that attracted him to the Navigation Department was that he would be eligible to train as a shuttle pilot. However, the numbers said one person in Navigation would have to be transferred to Information Systems.

 

Kyle recommended Ben for transfer, more because of his sometimes sullen attitude than for the quality of his work. Dave Bowman, the Sooloo’s first captain, transferred Ben to Information Systems, where he served under Brad.

 

Ben had an average mastery of computers, mostly because he only took the required computer classes at the Academy and none of the advanced classes that were needed to be a top IS team member. Average mastery was not good enough in Information Services, even if a crew member worked mostly in the communications aspect of the department.

 

Brad recommended that Ben take online instruction, but Ben dragged his heels. Plus, Brad often found Ben difficult to deal with, particularly because of his deep dislike of Kyle, whom he blamed for washing him out of the Navigation team. One of Ben’s resentments was that the pilot training he was slated to receive as a Navigation team member would not be happening since IS team members were not given that training.

 

His second resentment was against Brad because Brad had made a derogatory comment about him and his computer skills. Brad had jokingly said to Jace Blackwell before a senior officer’s meeting, “Ben has more BaRK than byte,” using Ben’s initials on which to base his joke. Someone had overheard Brad’s remark and dropped an anonymous note on Ben’s computer desk. Since Brad and Kyle were obviously best friends, his resentment against Kyle doubled and now he had one against Brad as well. To put it simply, Ben hated Brad and Kyle. 

 

When Space Fleet personnel gave Ben an involuntary transfer to the Heinlein, the move suited Ben just fine. He was happy that he would be free of the ignominy of serving under the likes of Kyle Robinson and Brad Kanye. Ben had developed a prickly attitude because of the resentments he held. He isolated himself from his crewmates. As a result of his attitude and behavior his crewmates shunned him in return. He paid little attention to the happenings on the Sooloo outside of what affected him directly.

 

He knew that Kyle had undeservedly been named the captain of a ship which, thankfully wasn’t the Sooloo. It wasn’t until after he’d passed the deadline for protesting his transfer that he discovered Kyle was going to be the captain of the Heinlein, the ship he had been transferred to. At that point he submitted his protest, asking for an exemption from the deadline. He claimed personal hardship for his change of mind. The resultant hearing was the reason he wasn’t dropped off when the Sooloo arrived at Earth to disembark its transfers.

 

On Tuesday the 5th, his exemption was denied by a three-officer admiralty panel. As a result, his protest was denied as well. Ben Kennedy was now slated to be dropped off at Earth on Saturday the 17^th when the Sooloo would also be dropping off Kai Daniels, who had accepted a promotion to Assistant Chief Engineer of the Heinlein.

 

 Ben stood when Captain Jordan Rivers entered the captain’s ready room. “Be seated, Ensign,” Jordan grinned. Ben obeyed and Jordan took his chair at the desk.

 

Jordan went directly to the issue that had Ben Kennedy sitting beside his desk. “You’re here to make another complaint regarding your transfer, correct?” Jordan asked

 

 “I still don’t think it’s right,” Ben growled. He was trying with little success to not wound whiny.

 

“Ben, we’ve been through this countless times. And I’ve said almost every time, there’s nothing I can do about it. And the times I didn’t say that, I did try. Obviously with no success.”

 

“But this is my last chance for help getting this changed.”

 

“I’ve done all that I can. You’ve had two legal hearings before an Admiralty panel and both times they upheld the transfer,” Jordan reminded him.

 

“Even though I can’t stand the captain and one of his senior officers? I thought the fact that they applied for positions on the Heinlein and got their transfers would make my life better here on the Sooloo. Jordan, I love the Sooloo, it was those two ninnies I couldn’t stand. So, once again, why did I get an involuntary transfer to their ship when it’s obvious they don’t like me either? And don’t tell me it’s all about bureaucratic bullshit.”

 

“Well, it IS about bureaucratic bullshit, Ben. The names for involuntary transfers to staff the new Heinlein were randomly chosen from a pool of qualified officers serving in the Explorer Program. Kyle could have used his veto power to keep you out of the pool, but he didn’t. That is one factor that makes you qualified. The other factor is that despite your feelings, your evaluations from Kyle and from Brad gave you a highly satisfactory rating. Yes, Brad said you need to get serious about doing a couple of online computer workshops and Kyle mentioned you as a candidate for possible promotion.

 

“If they hated you, as you claim, then I would think they would have screwed you on your evaluations. Yes, they said you could complain a little less and be a bit less sullen. But this is a program made up of adolescent boys who have a tendency to gripe and be sullen. You’d be surprised at the personnel who see that on their evaluations at times.”  And, yeah, at one time that would have included a certain Kyle Robinson, Jordan grinned to himself.

 

“But…,” Ben began, but he was cut off by Jordan.

 

“Ensign Kennedy, as I’ve already said, we’ve had this discussion way too many times. What I suggest you do when you board the Heinlein later this morning is accept your position and put all of your effort into making the best of it. I can somewhat understand that you have an issue with Kyle since I know you liked your assignment in Navigation and had been looking forward to shuttle pilot training. What I’ve never understood is your resentment towards Brad. He seems to have been nothing but fair to you.”

 

“That’s not true,” Ben stated emphatically. “He said something to Commander Blackwell that made me look stupid.” Jace Blackwell was the First officer of the Sooloo.

 

“And what would that be?” Jordan asked.

 

“Brad said when Commander Blackwell asked him how I was doing in Information Services that my ‘Bark was worse than my byte’ and Commander Blackwell laughed at it. Between Kyle moving me out of Navigation and Brad saying crap about me I know I had to leave this dump.”

 

“I’m not sure what Commander Kanye meant by his statement.”

 

“It’s easy to figure it out. My name is Benjamin Ryan Kennedy and that makes my initials BRK. Stick an a in there and it becomes BaRK.”

 

“How did you find this out?”

 

“A crewman who overheard it told me. And before you ask, I’m not gonna give you his name, but it’s somebody I trust to tell me the truth.”

 

“Did Commander Blackwell say anything to Brad?”

 

“Not that I’m aware of. I was told he just laughed,” Ben said.

 

“When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

 

“To be honest, I heard about it back when Brad was choosing his assistant. I didn’t tell you because I figured that if your First Officer laughs at shit like that you wouldn’t care and wouldn’t do anything about it.”

 

“That was back when Dave was captain. Still, I will have to talk with Jace about it, even though it’s old news,” Jordan said.

 

“But, captain, he couldn’t help what Brad says to him, but he was wrong to laugh.”

 

“I will deal with the issue with Commander Blackwell and with Captain Robinson since Brad is no longer under my command. As for you, I think the best thing you can do is your job to the best of your ability. Put yourself into your work. Then, when you're next eligible to transfer, if you decide to, it will be easier for you to request a ship of your choosing.”

 

Jordan stood up, indicating that the meeting was over. Ben followed his lead and stood up. “Thank you for listening to me, Captain. I will do the best I can. I promise.”

 

As Ben left the ready room Jordan hoped that Ben meant what he said. And even if he did mean it, will he be capable of following through on it?

Jordan sat back at his desk and gave Ben’s story some more thought. Assuming he was telling the truth, and Jordan had no reason to believe otherwise, Jordan knew he would have to talk about avoiding private conversation topics about crew members in the corridors. It wasn’t asking Brad about Ben that was Jordan’s mistake, it was asking in a crew accessible place.

 

Jordan knew he would also have to talk to Kyle about Brad’s comment. He was aware Kyle and Brad were close, but Kyle needed to know about this major source of Ben’s resentment toward Brad and to see what he could do to rectify the situation. He didn’t envy Kyle for having to deal with this situation so early in his command, but problems like this come with the territory. Kyle had shown his ability to solve tough personnel problems when he was given command situations, which was a big reason Jordan had given Kyle a high recommendation for the Captaincy of the Heinlein despite his youth and relative inexperience.

 

<SS Heinlein>

 

1100

 

A shuttle from each of three different ships was scheduled to arrive that morning. Each shuttle would be carrying at least one new member of the Heinlein crew as well as the captain of the originating star ship and one of his senior officers in response to Kyle’s invitation to enjoy lunch aboard the glistening new starship.

 

The first shuttle scheduled to arrive was the Secretariat from the SS Pegasus. Their shuttle theme, not surprisingly, was great racehorses. The Pegasus was a Space Fleet starship. That meant the ship was coed and all crew members were 18 or older. The ship was bringing Dr. Riku Tatsu, the Heinlein’s Chief Medical Officer, who was transferring from the explorer ship Galileo. Since Dr. Tatsu’s replacement was transported to the Galileo by the Pegasus, it was decided it would continue its transportation service by taking Tatsu to the Heinlein.

 

Riku was met by Kyle, Devin, Steve Boyer, and Dr. Benjamin Okoye, the assistant chief of medicine. The good news was the Heinlein was fortunate to be the only Explorer ship to have two doctors. The bad news was the Explorer fleet was having a problem coming up with competent medical personnel, doctors in particular, and Benjamin’s stay might be a short one.

 

Riku fist bumped Kyle, Steve, and Devin and traded hugs with Benjamin, who then led Riku to his quarters. Pegasus captain Calum Roasch and first officer Henry Masters, who had been waiting for Dr. Tatsu’ welcome to finish, then entered the foyer.

 

Kyle, Steve, and Devin waited in the foyer for the next shuttle, which was the Rainier coming from the Endurance. Brad showed up just as the Rainier was tied down. Captain Eric Garcia entered the foyer with Lucias Hayes, who would be Steve’s assistant in Operations.

 

Lucias had been Operations Chief and second officer on the Endurance. But on the last day to apply, he put in an application that would have meant a demotion if it was accepted. But he and Devin had become partners after Devin reformed his ways and they missed each other terribly. Both claimed to be straight and said their relationship was merely a fling, albeit a serious one. The fact that both had gone the distance with a girl cemented that claim in their heads. But when Lucias took a demotion to be with Devin, they had to admit that maybe they were bi. Whatever, the feelings they felt for each other were serious and that was all that counted as far they were concerned.

 

Nobody could miss the hug and then serious kiss that Devin and Lucias shared. Since everyone in the foyer was a senior officer who knew their story, they had no problem sharing a quick, but passionate kiss in public. Ironically, it was their first public kiss.

 

Devin and Lucias left for what would be their quarters. Kyle was surprised when Eric shared a quick but heartfelt hug. But he also knew the emotion behind it. Kyle’s visit to the Endurance had been a watershed for the careers of Eric, Devin, and Kyle. Eric learned what he needed to become a better captain, Devin learned how to be a serious officer not to mention a better human being, and Kyle had his first true leadership position. A lot had happened because a huge astrogation mistake by Devin, who was the Chief Astrogator, had the Endurance winding up at the wrong planet.

 

(Note to readers: For the full story of how things turned around for Eric, Kyle, and Devin go to Chapter 18 of the original “Voyagers”. In fact, all three parts of the “Voyagers” saga would be a great read if you haven’t done it yet.)

 

First Officer Jules Zapphire waited patiently for the emotional greetings to play out. His stoic demeanor had served him and the Endurance well as the wheels started to come off for the ship’s captain and navigation chief. When everyone was ready, Steve escorted Eric and Jules to the holodeck lounge, where they would meet Captain Roasch and First Officer Masters.

 

In the shuttle bay control room, Jesse Gross, the head shuttle bay officer, cleared the Sooloo shuttle Leonardo to enter the shuttle bay.  The shuttle was expertly piloted to its berth by Lieutenant Junior Grade Javier “Thumper” Garcia. Sawn “Shawndrome” Quinn, the required co-pilot, made himself useful by reading off the distances between the shuttle and the berth.

 

As soon as the Leonardo was successfully berthed Sooloo Captain Jordan Rivers, Chief of Navigation John Luke, and Ensign Ben Kennedy disembarked. Kyle grinned when he saw Jordan and John Luke. John Luke was another person who played a big role in turning his career around.

 

When Ben stepped into the foyer and saw Kyle and Brad he wanted to vomit on the polished floor, but he maintained his composure. He didn’t want to spoil any chance he might have of securing a last-minute transfer off the Heinlein.

 

“Welcome aboard the Heinlein, gentlemen,” Kyle said. He would have been much more informal if Ben hadn’t been there, but he understood that dealing with Ben would require him to be formal at all levels.

 

“Thanks, Captain Robinson,” Jordan responded. He understood the reason for Kyle’s formal demeanor. “I can’t wait to sample a lunch prepared by your culinary staff. I’m sure that Ian has trained them well.”

 

“Oh, you bet he has,” Devin said. “We’re going to eat really well here on the Heinlein, and today’s lunch will be a great example of that.”

 

Kyle turned to Ben, who was sporting a sullen look, and said, “A special welcome to the crew, Ensign Kennedy. We’re going to do all we can to make sure it’s a great experience for you.”

 

“I doubt you can make it happen,” Ben scowled as Kyle’s young, high pitched voice disgusted him. I can’t believe that pipsqueak is the captain of the biggest ship in the Explorer fleet, he thought. He looked to see Jordan’s reaction to what he had just said and saw the Sooloo captain glaring at him and shaking his head. After the discussion they’d had that morning, Ben wasn’t surprised by Jordan’s reaction.

 

“Commander Kanye will show you where your quarters are,” Kyle said to Ben. That comment brought back Ben’s thoughts about puking on the deck.

 

“I’d prefer a different escort,” Ben said. 

 

“Ensign Kennedy, one way to make being a member of the Heinlein crew a great experience is to follow the wishes and orders of the captain and the rest of the senior staff,” Kyle said in a firm voice that suddenly sounded much more mature in its timbre.

 

“Yes, sir,” Ben mumbled. He walked up to Brad and said, “Well, let’s go. The quicker the better.”

 

Brad turned and signaled Ben to follow him. He wasn’t surprised how things were going down.

 

“Sorry you had to get stuck with that, Kyle,” Jordan said. 

 

“As my dad is fond of saying, it is what it is. I’ve sent another request to honor Ben’s transfer request. I tried to put it all in a positive light, saying that it would be in ‘Ensign Kennedy’s’ best interest.”

 

“He and I had a chat after breakfast this morning. I did the same thing after we concluded our little talk.”

 

“If I may say something,” Devin said.

 

“Of course you may,” Kyle said.

 

“Being an example of how you have the ability to turn around shitty attitudes, I can’t think of anybody in the Explorer Program better qualified to get Ben Kennedy back on top than you are,” Devin told Kyle.

 

“Thanks, Devin, you don’t know how much I appreciate that. Now, how about escorting John Luke to the holodeck. The two of you can solve the mysteries of astrogation on the way. I’ll take care of Jordan.”

 

“It would be a pleasure.” Devin led John Luke out of the foyer and the two disappeared into the main passageway.

 

“Thanks for your message this morning,” Kyle told Jordan. “Your support means a lot to me.”

 

“As a fellow captain who I love and respect, you deserve nothing less than my total support.”

 

Javier Garcia, Shawn Quinn, the Leonardo pilots, and Jessie Gross and Orlando Rodriguez, who had coordinated the shuttle bay dockings, stepped into the foyer. “We’re off to see what Ian and his gang have cooked up for lunch,” Jesse grinned.

 

“Welcome to the Heinlein, Javier and Shawn. It’s great to see you two. I’m glad you found your way here.” Kyle knew the two pilots well since they served under him on the Sooloo.

 

“Thanks, Kyle. It’s good to see you, too. We appreciate the map you sent us, even though it had us in orbit around Darastix,” Javier grinned.

 

“But my superior navigation brought us straight to the Heinlein,” Shawn said.

 

“I have a feeling my telling you which planet you were orbiting helped you out some,” Jesse said. “Orbit Control might have helped out some, too.”

 

“That sounds like a good exit line for letting Jesse navigate you to the dining room.”

 

“Oh, I like how you think Kyle. You’re the best and the Sooloo was lucky to have you as a senior officer,” Javier said. Shawn nodded in agreement. What they said was totally sincere. The crew serving in Navigation/Astrogation all loved and respected Kyle, with Ben Kennedy being the exception.

 

“We need to talk before you return to the Sooloo,” Kyle told Jordan.

 

“Agreed. Now let’s go make sure we talk on a full stomach.”

 

 

 

1155

 

Lieutenant Commander Perry Fox, who was the holodeck manager had done a masterful job of setting up a comfortable lounge for the Heinlein’s guests. The room had a thick carpet, a sofa, and eight overstuffed chairs. The culinary staff had added to the welcoming atmosphere by setting appetizers out on a rectangular table.

 

There were three ship’s captains in the room: Eric Garcia of the Endurance, Calum Roasch of the Pegasus, and Jordan Rivers of the Sooloo. According to the invitation, each captain could bring one senior officer from their ship to the luncheon. This was the standard operating procedure for an inter-ship luncheon.

 

The senior officers were Jules Zapphire, first officer of the Endurance, Henry Masters, first officer of the Pegasus, and John Luke, Navigation Chief of the Sooloo. The reason John Luke accompanied Jordan instead of the Sooloo’s first officer was that John Luke and Kyle had worked closely together during Kyle’s tenure on the Sooloo. Jordan felt having John Luke be the senior officer accompanying him would be a special gesture for both Kyle and John Luke. He was correct on that account—the gesture was indictive of what a special captain Jordan Rivers was.

 

Kyle and Devin entered the lounge and received cheers and applause from the guests.

 

“The lounge was a wonderful gesture,” Calum grinned. “The Heinlein’s first captain’s luncheon is very special indeed. It’s a beautiful room.”

 

“You can all thank Lieutenant Commander Fox,” Kyle said. He opened a side door revealing Perry Fox, who had hustled down from the holodeck control center at the behest of Kyle. There were more cheers and applause. Perry grinned, gave a quick wave, and headed back to the control center.

 

As soon as the noise died down, Hal entered the room. He had been holding the door slightly ajar and was waiting until after the guests had finished showing Perry Fox their appreciation for a job well done. Everyone had been standing and was starting to take their seats when they noticed Hal’s entry. They quickly stood up straight and gave the commodore their full attention. None of the guests knew he had been on board.

 

“Be seated, gentlemen,” Hal grinned. He took a seat as well. He knew things had to move quickly since lunch should be close to ready in the executive dining room.

 

After everyone was seated Kyle stood and welcomed the guests. “Thanks for joining us as we prepare for our official launch,” he said after his opening words. Like Hal, he knew that lunch was close to ready. “Do you have anything to add, Commodore Tietokone?”

 

 Hal stood up and thanked Kyle and the Heinlein staff for putting on the luncheon. “Think about it, your official launch and first mission won’t be until Sunday, and here you are hosting a special luncheon for visiting captains and officers. That all bodes well for the future of this beautiful ship. And all that said, how about Kyle and Devin leading us to the dining hall.”

 

He didn’t have to say more. Everyone stood and followed Kyle out of the holodeck and to the executive dining room, one of the three dining rooms in the beautiful dining hall. They entered the room and saw a buffet set up. They might all be officers in the Explorer Program, but they also were all adolescent boys with the accompanying appetites.

 

Executive Chef Ian McFlynn was standing proudly by the buffet table, welcoming the guests to the luncheon. Jackson Davis, Andy Stovey, and Tony Perez, the assistant sous chef, were prepared to help at the table and to bring drinks to the guests at their table.

 

The camaraderie among the crew members of four different ships as well as an executive officer in the Explorer Program was special and the food and drinks were consumed with gusto. As the dessert was brought up, Hal stood and asked for everyone’s attention.

 

“I have a special announcement to make,” he said. “Eric Garcia asked me to inform you that he has commanded the Endurance for the last time.” That brought a murmur from the officers, although they weren’t surprised. “I know all of you saw this coming, but actually hearing it still hits hard. Captain Garcia would like to say a few words.”

 

Eric Gracia explained he was leaving the Endurance because he had aged out. He was too old to serve in the Explorer fleet. “My wonderful first officer, Jules Zapphire, will also be leaving for the same reason. I thank him for doing a fantastic job.  On Friday, I will officially turn command of the Endurance over to Corbin Hoffman, who is currently Operations Chief and second officer of the Constellation, which will be entering Earth orbit tomorrow. I will be taking a six-week leave and then depart for my first Space Fleet assignment, which has yet to be determined. Jules will be following the same schedule. I hope to see you all on board the Endurance for the ceremony if you’re still in orbit.

 

“I would like to wish Kyle Robinson and the crew nothing but the best. Kyle had a lot to do with making the last year of my command the best ever. You’re lucky to have him as your captain. I think of it this way. The oldest captain, at the ripe old age of 19, is ending his command in the Explorer Program the same week the youngest captain at the young age of 13 will be executing his command’s official launch.”

 

Eric walked to Kyle’s seat, put a hand on each shoulder, looked down at him and said, “May the wisdom you showed me even though you were a young boy hold you in good stead.” He then returned to his own seat to the applause of his peers.

 

Hal thanked Eric for his service and the luncheon then ended and the guests were escorted to the shuttle bay where they boarded their shuttles for the quick flight back to their ships. Kyle and Devin congratulated each other on the success of the event. Kyle, who wasn’t feeling particularly wise, went to meet Danny for a dose of his brand of wisdom.

 

 

 

1140

 

Brad and Ben said nothing to each other as they walked side-by-side to Ben’s quarters. They said nothing to each other until they reached the quarters.

 

“Place your palm on the screen next to the door and it should unlock,” Brad told him.

 

Ben shrugged and did as he was told. The Sooloo didn’t yet have finger or palmprints or retina scans for entry. An entry code was needed, which had some advantages over the biological unlocking system. The door unlocked and he and Brad entered the quarters.

 

Ben saw that his roommate had moved in. He knew his cabinmate’s name was Caden Jamison, that he was a twelve-year-old ensign just out of the Academy, and that he was assigned to Astrogation. Ben knew that for somebody that young to be assigned to Astrogation he not only had to be extremely bright but a person who worked hard to get the most out of his intelligence. That certainly isn’t me. Figures I’d get some cabinmate who’s a fucking genius and hard-working ass kisser. There’s a reason I’m not a lieutenant yet and that’s because the big cheese officers don’t like me because I won’t kiss their asses.”

Brad’s voice interrupted Ben’s thoughts. “Your possessions should be delivered sometime after lunch,” Brad said. “You’ll be notified when that happens.”

 

“Fine. Now take me to crew dining,” Ben said.

 

“Which we call the main dining room.”

 

“Whatever. Just show me where I can dump you so I can get something to eat.”

 

“Before you dump me, I have something I want to say to you.”

 

“Then I’ll find my lunch without you.”

 

“Don’t force me to make this an order, Ensign.”

 

As much as Ben wanted to tell Brad that he could shove his orders up his ass he stopped and waited for what Brad had to say. If he was going to end up having to serve on the Heinlein, he decided he didn’t want to make things worse than they already were. Besides, maybe if he kissed an ass or two it might help when his transfer was reviewed.

 

“So, say what you have to say,” Ben said.

 

“I know why I’m on your bad side.” Ben started to say something but stopped when Brad held up his right hand. “What I said was wrong. I had no business saying it where it could be overheard and probably shouldn’t have said it at all. I want to apologize for a terrible mistake and promise to do everything I can to keep my foot out of my mouth.”

 

“There’s more to it than that, and you know it. Like maybe my last review.”

 

“I’m not sure what you mean. Other than comments about needing to improve your work habits it was positive. You didn’t dispute anything that was on the review during our conference. I felt it was good enough to recommend that you take the Lieutenant’s Test to get yourself eligible for a promotion. I saw no evidence of that happening before your transfer.”

 

“I took the test.”

 

“And failed it royally when with some effort you would have had no problem passing it. You certainly didn’t fail it because you lacked the ability to pass it. What you lacked was the skills you would have picked up by reading the manual and taking the virtual study course. I don’t know if you put your nose into the manual, but I know you never logged in to the course.”

 

Ben could see he was getting nowhere. Brad thinks he was doing me a big favor by recommending me for promotion knowing there was no way I could pass that fucking test. Which is why I never studied for it because he would have found some way to flunk me. “Okay, you made your point. And I’ll accept your apology even though I know you didn’t mean it. Now, about that lunch.”

 

After Brad escorted Ben to the main dining room where he introduced him to the officers near the main door, Charlie Fuckets, who was staffing the buffet table, came up to Ben. He had served on the culinary staff of the Sooloo and welcomed him on board the Heinlein. Ben felt a sigh of relief to meet somebody he knew and liked. A couple of officers introduced themselves as Charlie led Ben to a table that he knew was expecting him.

 

A lieutenant sitting at a corner table with two other officers greeted Ben and invited him to sit with them. “Thanks for bringing him, Charlie,” the Lieutenant said. “If this was a public restaurant I’d leave you a big tip.”

 

“My pleasure, Don. Ben’s a good guy like you are.” Charlie looked back and forth between the two a couple of times. “I think you’ll be good friends. Now I gotta go back and make sure the sandwich section is stocked.”

 

“Welcome aboard the Heinlein, Ben. My name’s Don Nixon. The dude sitting next to me is Everett, who is my best buddy, and is with me in Science. And sitting next to you is Wade Green, who’s in Engineering.”

 

“Glad to meet ya. It’s gonna be nice to make some new friends,” Ben said as he felt a wave of happiness for the first time since he’d boarded the Heinlein.

 

“You got the look of a guy who’s hungry, so how about attacking the buffet and then we want to talk to you about some things you might be interested in.”

 

“Sounds good to me. I’ll be right back.” Ben rose from his seat and beat a path to the buffet. He figured the rules of etiquette were the same as on the Sooloo and if they weren’t Charlie probably would have told him.

 

Ben soon returned with a tray full of food. Charlie was right behind him and asked what he wanted to drink. Ben asked for a cola, and a glass of cola was soon set in front of him.

 

After eating and exchanging small talk, Don came to the reason he’d picked Ben to have lunch with. “I hear you and Kyle Robinson didn’t get along too well on the Sooloo,” Don said, “which led you to want to transfer when you found out what the situation was going to be like here.”

 

“Where did you hear that?” Ben asked. He wasn’t about to bare his soul to someone he hardly knew, no matter how nicely that person was treating him.

 

“Donny has his source,” Everett answered. “None of us know who that is, but what the dude says has always been spot on.”

 

“I second what Everett says,” Wade said. “You can trust Don a thousand percent. He has good things to say, and they will change how you look at stuff on the Heinlein.”

 

“These guys are some of my best friends,” Don said. “We have a discussion group that is looking to see how we can change the way things are being done on this ship.” Ben gave him a skeptical look. “I know, I know, we haven’t even made our first official voyage. But there’s some serious problems on this ship that need to be dealt with.”

 

“What kind of problems?” Ben asked.

 

“How about we finish lunch, grab dessert, and go to Everett and my quarters where we can discuss this in private. We’d like to keep our group as private as we can.”

 

“How many are in your group?”

 

“There’s six of us, and I’d love to make you the seventh.”

 

“Does your group have a name?” 

 

“We call ourselves the Cabal. We consider ourselves to be the guardians of the integrity of the ship. I’ll tell you what all that means when we meet in private. If you’re interested, of course.”

 

“This sounds really interesting. Anything I can do go get at Kyle Robinson and Brad Kanye interests me.”

 

“I heard Brad’s on your shit list, too.” Ben nodded. “The Cabal will keep that in mind.”

 

“I don’t know what Cabal means. It’s kind of a strange word,” Ben said. “But if you guys are the guardians of integrity of the ship, like you say, how come you guys didn’t call yourselves the Guardians?”

 

Don was taken aback by the question. He was about to give his answer when Everett said, “Dang, why didn’t we think of that. It’s a great name. Think about it, a Cabal is like a secret gang or something that could be up to doing bad things. But Guardians makes us sound like what we are. Guys, I think the name is perfect. What do you think Wade?”

 

“I agree with Everett.”

 

Don didn’t like Everett taking the spotlight and was about to object when he remembered his daddy admiral saying they might want to find a better name. Maybe this was it. I bet daddy admiral would agree. He decided to change his tack. The name isn’t that important. And it makes me look like a good leader if I listen to their ideas on what’s not important, so when we get to the important things, they’ll follow me. While it wasn’t his intention, Don found himself following the dictates of the leadership class he’d taken at the Academy.

 

 “Let’s ask the other three guys and then take a vote,” Don said. He looked at Ben and grinned. “You might have earned your spot with that idea. Now let’s put our dishes away and go to my quarters.”

 

 

 

1305

 

The Heinlein not only had a captain’s ready room, which was essentially his office, it also had a staff meeting room where the senior officers could gather. While temporary meeting rooms could be created on the holodeck, it was more efficient to have a permanent meeting room for senior officer meetings. There were two other meeting rooms in what was known as the executive corridor.

 

Kyle was meeting with his senior officers to make sure everything was ready for their scheduled departure from orbit, which was scheduled for 1640. They all reported that the crew would be ready. Kyle kept the meeting short so everyone could put their remaining time to good use.

 

For the first time, I really, truly feel like the captain of this ship, he thought. We’re all on the same page and everyone is eager to leave orbit and head out into space for two overnights. The first watch (0000-0300 and 1200-1500) had started their first official watch at 1300. The late start had been scheduled to account for lunch.

 

Because of its larger crew size, the Heinlein was Beta testing the scheduling three-hour watches as opposed to the standard four-hour watches (as was the Sally Ride). Years of studies showed that adolescents function better with longer sleep times, and the Heinlein’s watch schedule would demonstrate if that helped improve ship’s performance. The experiment wasn’t permanent and if necessary, the Heinlein could change to traditional four-hour watches.

 

The Heinlein was becoming a true starship. For Kyle, the senior officers, and the crew, the ship was becoming home, which, in a way, would be its most important function.

 

Kyle dismissed the officers and saw that Brad was holding back. He knew that Brad most likely wanted to talk about his chat with Ben Kennedy.

 

“I had my chat and made my amends,” Brad said.

 

“What was Ben’s reaction.”

 

“I don’t think he was impressed. But he didn’t totally reject what I had to say. There is one thing you need to know.”

 

“Do tell.”

 

“I happen to know he had lunch with Don Nixon and two of his lackeys.”

 

Kyle felt his mood drop. While it didn’t surprise him, he did have to wonder how Don knew that Ben would make a good target. For a moment, his feeling of family left him. Then he remembered from leadership class that many families, and therefore crews, had some form of dysfunction. He knew that from growing up in the Robinson family. And on a starship, that dysfunction was something a captain had to deal with. So, yeah, the Heinlein is becoming home in more ways than one. I just hope I have what it takes to deal with it.

Next: Becoming a Starship