The games are about to begin. But a lot has to be decided first. As the boys of the Lady Lex once again become a pain the rears of the "Orion", forces are starting to be set into motion that could determine the destiny of the galaxy. Ben and I apologize for the slowness of the posts, but trying to tie up all our loose ends and get the ending the way we want has become quite complicated. Between our busy schedules and trying to get our ending worked out things are going slower than we like. But things are going. Thanks to those of you who have written us. Ben and I appreciate the mail, and will always get it answered, even if our replies end up being as slow as some of our postings.
Boys of the Lady Lex Chapter 44 "Hawking's Planet" Written By Douglas DD and Benjamin T. C.
The calendar read Friday, August 8th. Ships were starting to arrive at Hawking's Planet; SFA ships-of-the line, at the Olympics on assignment, either real or invented; cruise ships, long ago scheduled to arrive in time for the Olympics; chartered passenger ships; private space yachts; cargo and supply ships; SFA academy ships; and the stars of the upcoming two weeks, the SFA junior academy ships. The defending champion "Port Royal" had been the first to arrive, having taken up orbit late Thursday (galactic mean time). The "Orion" arrived early Friday morning and the "Lexington" at noon.
After achieving orbit, Captain Hatcher shuttled over to the "Bon Homme Richard" whose assignment was one of the official ones. He sat in Captain Orrin Watson's ready room, enjoying a glass of wine with the captain of the ship-of-the-line.
"It's interesting how the junior Olympics have become as big as they are," Hatcher mused. "They outshine the academy Olympics, even though the academy ships feature better and more polished athletes."
"It's too bad you missed the opportunity to participate in the junior Olympics, Steven," Watson said. "It's quite an experience for those young cadets. I think roughness, the lack of polish, the unbridled enthusiasm of the young boys, and yes girls, involved is what helped push them to their huge popularity. There's something intriguing about sending young kids into space to become educated. The academy students are all polished, ready to become commissioned officers, ready to make a name of themselves in the lore of space exploration. The junior academy students are just that--students. Kids living close enough to danger that almost every adult wished he or she could take their place.
"The SFA never intended for these games to become this big. But here you have it. Ships find ways to get assigned here for the competition, even if they don't have official business like we do. And even if they aren't assigned, ships with no definite assignment seem to find a reason to be here for at least a few days. The ones that can't make it get every minute of competition broadcast to them. A lot of bets are made by alumni."
"I think my boys are going to surprise a few people," Hatcher said.
"So do I, but I won't be one of them. You've done a great job Steve. I know you have a lot on the line here. Not only the future of those boys but the entire future of the `Lexington' project. I think we can save a lot of young people with your idea. A lot more than the schools ever did, no offense to you, captain."
"None taken. I was one of the lucky ones. You're right. The Lady Lex has turned a few lives around. I think the boys know it, they are proud of it, and they will do anything to keep their family alive."
"I know the crews of some of the academy ships are rooting for you, Steve. And I know two who aren't."
"Let me guess. The Orion' and the Port Royal'."
Orrin Watson smiled and offered Hatcher another glass of wine.
As Captain Hatcher returned to the Lady Lex he could feel a warm glow from the three glasses of wine he had shared with Captain Watson. Ensign Barker, his shuttle pilot, docked the "Lady Hawke" expertly and Hatcher headed to his ready room. He had no official duties to perform, and couldn't perform any after drinking the wine. But he wanted to do some thinking and he did so much better in his ready room than in his cabin. Of course his favorite place to think was alone on the bridge, but he knew a class was going on there and he didn't feel like pulling rank and moving the class.
He sat in his leather chair and looked around his room, full of both personal mementos and official trappings. As he looked at his prized hockey puck his eyes caught a blue flash reflecting off the back of the shelf holding the puck. He reached up and took the puck off the shelf. A blue light was blinking on the far side of the puck. To just look at the puck the existence of the light could not be detected, but when it blinked on he could see how it had been set into the puck. He realized this was not his prized puck at all. It was an excellent duplicate, with all the right nicks, scrapes, and scratches in the right places, but it was not the same puck. Ambassador Ka, the Kriton Ambassador to Earth, had switched pucks on him.
Hatcher could feel his temper rise. Why that asshole, he thought. Why had he done that? So much for the sacredness of exchanging prize possessions. No wonder he was late returning it.
Hatcher grabbed the puck. He wanted to fling it across the office. As he squeezed it his fingers pressed against the flashing blue light. Much to his surprise a voice came from the small opening, surprisingly full considering the size of whatever speaker was in there. It was the voice of Ambassador Ka.
"You have not been listening to my messages Earth captain. Yet I keep sending them out with the hope you might finally listen to one. I hope you have not hidden your possession away, thought that is what I suspect. Kritons never hide their prized possessions, but you Earthers, with your inferior culture probably do such inexplicable things."
"Just shut up and get to the point," Hatcher muttered out loud.
"While I despise your inferior culture..."
"Spare me."
"...I am a man of peace. Each of my messages have outlined what I know of the current crisis. I send these messages to you because you have shown your respect of Kriton culture and traditions. To read earlier messages keep pressing the blue light. Much of it is outdated, but it is good that you know all I had to say. This is where the crisis stands on your August 4th."
That's just four days ago, Hatcher thought.
"Even though the son of your Ambassador was found and rescued by the brave boys on your remarkable ship..."
Now how did he know that? Hatcher thought to himself. "Zjan-Ren!" he said aloud.
"...forces have been set into motion that will be hard to recall. The peace conference on the planet Griffin is in danger of failing. In my official capacity there is nothing I can do to stop this, but I hope I can help defeat those who wish to sabotage the quest for peace. The crisis is here. All will not be as it seems. Listen to those who tell you to do the unconventional. Ambassador Ka, out."
Hatcher was stunned by what he had just heard. . He couldn't believe that in all this time he had never noticed the blue light flash. Perhaps it was flawed and never went on until now, or perhaps it only flashed for a certain length of time. He pushed the blue light and another, older message from the Ambassador played. As he listened to the accumulated messages he realized this. Men in high positions in the military of both countries wanted to sabotage the peace for reasons of ego and power. The Ambassador had mentioned a General Elihu in his own military, but had no name connected to the SFA. But Hatcher didn't need a name. Only one man had the position, ego, and the insatiable desire for power to be able to manipulate events so that the upcoming peace talks would be stalled, and that man was the Chief of SFA Operations, Admiral Peter Whitaker.
The "Orion" looked tranquil as she orbited Hawking's Planet, however the look was deceiving. Inside things were in turmoil as both the crew and cadets tried to remove a virus from their computer system. They all knew how it got there, but even their best computer geeks couldn't get rid of it. Todd was bemused by the entire affair. The virus was a pain to deal with, but overall it had been harmless. He suspected it would even disappear by the time the games started, but he had to act like he was concerned, so he pushed the computer savvy cadets to come up with an anti-virus. He thought back to some of the happens since they had left Earth and gone through their final practicing and maneuvers.
It had all started with Louis Holmes, the cadet in charge of the bridge, giving the order for an adjustment to make a slight starboard adjustment. Everett Adams, the pilot put his hand to the touch screen and the ship made the adjustment, only it was to port.
"Lieutenant Adams, what about the word starboard don't you understand?' Louis asked sarcastically.
"I touched starboard," Everett answered defensively. "But it went to port."
"Whatever. Maybe you should really touch starboard this time. Correct for your mistake plus enter in my adjustment. IF, you can do the math."
Everett grumbled to himself, wishing there was a way to instantly transport Louis back to the "Spirit", the ship Louis had served on the year before. Louis was just as disliked on the "Orion" as he had been on his previous ship, but as one of the few seniors on board he had been given responsibilities and duties he would not have had otherwise. Everett quickly made the proper calculations and hit the touch pad. The "Orion" moved even more to port.
"Lieutenant, are you a total incompetent? Starboard has two syllable. Port one."
"But I hit starboard," Everett said, fighting back his frustration.
Louis got up off the command chair and touched the starboard command. Once again the ship moved to port. He then touched the port command, and the ship made a move to starboard.
"What the fuck?" Louis said.
"See, I told you," Everett said.
"Shut up!" Louis yelled as Rich Zimmer walked on to the bridge, having just finished a morning class. As the bridge doors opened, the speakers on the bridge let out a resounding, "EAT MY SHORTS LOSERS!" in the high pitched voice of a young boy; in this case the voice of Trevor the Hawke.
"What was that?" Rich said as the doors closed.
"I don't know," Louis said, "but we have a bigger problem here." He showed Rich what happened when the screens were touched. Every command gave the opposite result of the one entered.
"Those fucking assholes!" Rich exclaimed.
"Who?" Louis asked.
"The Triple ELs. So that's why they came on board. Stealing the flat was just a ruse. They came on to load in a virus. Well, they just slit their own throats. They just got themselves kicked out of the Olympics! And good riddance to those losing motherfuckers."
Rich and Louis both agreed this was a problem for the regular crew. Captain Hunter was called out of his ready room. As the door between the room and the bridge opened a loud farting sound emanated from the speakers. In spite of himself, Rich had to fight a grin.
"What is going on men?" Hunter asked.
Rich explained the situation. Hunter seemed to be surprisingly calm.
"I guess there's no use the Triple ELs going to Hawking's Planet is there?" Rich said with a wide grin.
"Why is that?" Hunter asked.
"You know it's their virus. And it's keeping us from flying effectively. They're toast."
Hunter turned to Midshipman Roger Emmons, the communications officer on duty and a seventh grader. "Midshipman, we haven't had a full drill in a long time. Sound the red alert."
Emmons opened a covered button, pushed it, and started alarms sounding and red lights flashing. Throughout the ship cadets and regular crew headed for their ready stations. As crew men entered the bridge, with the door opening quietly, Hunter commanded Everett to give the ship a slight starboard turn. The ship responded accordingly. Hunter nodded with satisfaction. After a few more minutes he ordered the alarms turned off. The "Orion's" XO immediately got on the PA telling various station heads to report the times it took to man their stations. Todd, as cadet XO, then did the same with the cadet class department heads. As the times came in, Todd recorded them.
As crew members left the bridge, every time the door opened "EAT MY SHORTS LOSERS" would shout over the bridge's PA.
"Sir, with all due respect, why the drill just then?" Rich asked. "You should be getting hold of Admiral Natter and getting the `Lexington' kicked out of the Olympics. Or worse."
"Cadet Zimmer..."
Rich cringed at Hunter's use of cadet instead of his rank - Captain.
"...did all of the ships operations function properly during the drill?"
"Yes, sir, but I don't see what that has to do...."
"Then as of now no rules were violated. The `Lexington' hasn't done anything to warrant its expulsion from the Olympics."
"But they..."
"..made you look like fools by getting right past you and screwing up the computers."
"But our operations are compromised."
"Not in an emergency situation. Which is the major requirement for an operation like this."
"So then we should just stay in red alert?"
"If you want to listen to those screeching alarms and you enjoy watching red lights flash twenty-four seven be my guest."
"Can't we disable those?"
"CAPTAIN Zimmer, it is your job to know the operating rules of an SFA junior academy ship! It appears you have not done a good job of learning them. Perhaps now would be a good time. It is against regulations to disable any part of the red alert system. Even you should know that?" Hunter could hardly wait until the next academic year when his senior cadet officers would at least be cadets he knew and had been trained on his own ship. Todd Brown was the only senior on board who seemed to really care about his job.
Rich felt himself blush, but he tried one last time, not realizing he was digging his hole even deeper. "But how do we control the ship's operations?"
"You might try getting everybody trained to handle the controls properly until this is fixed. And you might try getting some of our computer geeks up here to see if they can clear this thing out. CAPTAIN Zimmer, you might want to quit strutting around like a pretty boy officer and act like a somebody actually in command."
Todd, sitting at the XO console, calculating response times, stifled a grin. You might be a dork, Richie, he thought, but I'd still love to go up your ass again.
The days between leaving Earth and arriving at Hawking's planet had been full of little irritations. Some of them were one time things, like "The Flight of the Valkeries" blasting over the intercom at three in the morning, or the gravity generators increasing everyone's weight by ten percent for an hour. Some seemed there to stay, like the helm doing the opposite of what it was commanded to do, or the sounds coming over the bridge PA when the main doors or the door to the Captain's ready room opened. Others were intermittent, like warm showers suddenly going cold, or the obvious moans of a boy cumming playing over the speakers in the cadet quarters. For one entire day none of the turbolifts would go to the floor commanded, slowing down operations for the entire day.
Todd couldn't help but be intrigued by the entire virus incident. Yes, the boys of the Lady Lex were juvenile delinquents, kids who had either chronically broken the law or who had done serious crimes. But, there was a lot more to them than anybody seemed to realize. The cadets of the "Orion" sneered at them, ignoring the fact the "Lexington" had gotten the better of them in virtually every showdown except the preliminary games. Like Richie, everybody seemed to focus on that score, and not on reality. The "Port Royal" and the other junior academy ships all looked at the "Lexington" as a nonentity. To Todd, the taking of the flag in the war games showed more than losing badly in athletic contests. He was sure with practice the "Lexington" would get better. No, any group of cadets that could hobble the computer system of another ship the way their had been, was a group to be reckoned with. The boys of the Lady Lex were going to surprise a lot of people next week, and while Todd would do nothing to help them, it wouldn't bother him a bit to see him put some of the snooty, uppity junior academy cadets of the SFA thoroughly in their place.
One cadet on the "Orion" had even more reason to be upset with the Lady Lex than the rest of his crew. David still remembered the note left behind by Douglas after Douglas had taken the "Ramses". The humiliation ate at him. He knew that incident, combined with his forgetting the rules of engagement in the war games, had dropped his status considerably.
He would not forget any of this. Douglas would pay. He would make Douglas pay ever chance he got. No matter what the circumstances were, Douglas would pay.
General Elihu looked satisfied. "A remarkable demonstration Professor Kragh-Xan. You are a genius. The weapon worked exactly as you predicted."
"I never had any doubts General. It's a shame you did," the little bespectacled professor said matter-of-factly.
Elihu ignored the comment. "And now the weapon is set of delivery to Earth?"
"It is. And my payment is in my secret account?"
"As promised. Are you sure you can't make another of these weapons just in case?"
"General, first of all, as you have witnessed, we won't need another weapon. It is unlikely we will ever find more Xantium, or be able to duplicate it, so even if I wanted another bomb, I couldn't make one." This was not entirely true. More Xantium could be duplicated, but it would take at least a half century to do so, and Professor Kragh-Xan did not feel the need for another bomb. There was only so much destruction he could handle. When he died, hopefully so would the secret of Xantium.
"Thank you professor. Your services with me are finished. Enjoy your retirement." He dismissed the professor and turned his attention to other matters. The peace talks on Griffen were stalled. Even though the incompetent Earth Admiral had allowed the Ambassador's son to be rescued, much of the damage had been done, and agents of Elihu were more than willing to use any openings to create more problems. Much of the SFA fleet was tied up at Griffen and even more of the fleet was gathering for their big Olympics taking place on their Hawking's Planet.
Soon his fleet would move slowly on the weak defenses of Earth. The ships not defending Earth would be deployed to "successfully" help with the home planet's defense just as he and the naive fool Whitaker had planned. In the meantime his wormholes would be opened and his flotilla of six ships would accompany the ship carrying the most powerful weapon ever built right through the backdoor to a defenseless Earth, where in one brilliant move Kriton would become the most the ruler of the known galaxy and he would become the most powerful individual ever known.
As he exited the general's quarters, Professor Kragh-Xan was not surprised when two burly guards each grabbed one of his arms and dragged him away down the long corridor to what would probably be the professor's final destination.
Scooter stood before Commander Creevey and Commander McDowell, the security officer.
"Do want to try telling us one more time why you have been looking up information on the Kriton's on the bridge computers Cadet Starr?" McDowell asked.
"I don't trust them."
"None of us do," Creevey said. "But none of us have tried connecting a bridge computer into their communications either."
"I think they're going to try something."
"Cadet, please give us credit for knowing our jobs," Creevey said dryly. "The SFA is completely aware of Kriton military movements, and even with ships deployed to Griffen and Hawking's Planet, Earth defenses are perfectly stationed between the Kriton fleet and our home planet, and the Deep Space fleet has adequate resources to protect the colony planets, though we doubt they are a target. With the peace talks going poorly we are on full alert, Cadet. If you were awake during your history and civics lessons you would be aware of all this."
"I don't think the Kritons are going to attack Earth the way you think," Scooter said stubbornly. "I have a theory that..."
"We are not interested in your theories. Please remember your status as a freshman cadet. Trust our intelligence sources and our SFA military forces to know their job. Then go about doing yours." Creevey glared at Scooter, then added, "Cadet Starr you are no longer to assign yourself to bridge watches. You are restricted from using the bridge computers. Furthermore all of you watches will be restricted to the medical area, which is your primary duty assignment. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," Scooter said, flushing. He hated being chewed out, and that all too often seemed to be his status on the Lady Lex. Sergeant Murphy was bad enough, but now he was getting it from the XO as well.
McDowell held up a small electronic device. "Any idea what this is, cadet?"
"No, sir."
"Really? It was found in your cabin."
"When?"
"Just before the games on Phosphorus Prime. We have held of confronting you on this so we could observe your actions. Now, would you mind telling us what it is and how it got into your closet?"
"I don't know what it is and I don't know how it got there."
"It's a device similar to the ones that disabled the Wonder Boy' and the Raptor'."
Scooter could feel his heartbeat rise. This was more than a chewing out. This was serious trouble.
"Somebody but it there."
"Another of your theories, cadet?"
"No. A fact.....Sir."
Creevey took over the conversation. "I'm going to be honest with you cadet. Commander McDowell and I tend to believe you. While you have reasons to dislike the system and the Lady Lex because of how you got here, your father has been a huge factor in the success of this ship. We also know the respect you have for your father. If it weren't for your forays into the bridge computer system we would have dismissed the idea of you being our saboteur long ago. We have essentially eliminated your roommate because we know of the relationship between the two of you (Scooter blushed yet again) and don't believe he would set you up. Also, we know he never had access to the `Raptor', and while you did, we don't think that during the time you were on her you had the time to connect one of these devices."
"I swear I didn't."
Ignoring his statement, Creevey went on. "Cadet, we have been watching you. We will continue to watch you. But we also believe that if somebody set you up once, they may do it again. We would appreciate you telling us of anyone acting suspicious around you. And while it's not customary, even on this ship with its unique crew of cadets, you may want to keep your cabin locked."
"Yes, sir." As nervous and scared as he was, Scooter decided to take one last try to defend his actions on the bridge.
"I...I...would still like to give you my theory, if I may...Sir."
"Lieutenant Starr," Creevey said, using his rank for the first time, "you have been doing an excellent job of scheduling and monitoring crew watches. I suggest you stick to what you know. You are dismissed."
Scooter left Creevey's cramped office knowing he would soon need to tell somebody of what he learned on the ship's computers. The question was, who could he tell? Who on the ship knew him and trusted him enough to listen to what he had to say. His theory was probably wrong, but what if it was right?
It was Friday night. The Lady Lex drifted lazily in its orbit as more ships approached Hawking's Planet; SFA Deep Space starships, the great ships-of-the-line that carried the might of the Sol Federation Alliance; beautiful starcruiser ships, carrying tourists excited about being in space and of watching all or part of the junior Olympics; private and SFA supply ships and freighters; private yachts of the rich and famous; SFA Academy starships; and of course the SFA Junior Academy ships along with the lone Kriton equivalent to a Junior Academy ship.
The excitement was reaching a fever pitch. All of the junior academy ships felt they were the best and were ready to prove it. Some ships had more to prove than others. The Kritons, while latecomers and not well versed in the ways of Earth athletics and competition were hoping to show that even in a strange and different culture, Kriton culture was so superior they could overcome any obstacle and beat the Earthers at their own games. The cadets of the "Orion", imitating the attitude of their cadet CO had developed a certain amount of arrogance. They were prepared to show that a new ship with fewer seniors, but made up of what many thought was the best of the best, was as good or better than anybody. The "Port Royal", cocky, full of itself, loaded with big, strong upperclassmen, and carrying the tacit approval Admiral Whitaker himself, was ready to defend its championship and start its own dynasty. And then there was the ancient, refurbished "Lexington". The famous Lady Lex, now a haven for boys who couldn't make it in the society of Earth, a ship for which the games were more than just for pride, or arrogance, or bragging rights. It was ship for which the games would be a matter of its own survival.
To be continued........