New Liberty
18 October 2643 Alliance Standard
Two Days After SS Exiles' Attack
The apartment building was a collapsed ruin, scoured down to ground level by a near-miss from a disruptor fired from orbit. The only reason the single weapon impact hadn’t turned all of New Liberty into a semblance of Hiroshima or San Diego was the fact that the Nazis didn’t want to obliterate their own troops with a full power barrage. They were more intent on causing terror than actually destroying the colony; but for all that, no one on the ground floor or above could have possibly survived the thermal flash and shockwave that close. Colin could still feel the traces of their souls, the shattered imprints of minds and whatever it was that passed beyond the portal at the moment of death. They died in a state of incomprehension, their final moments of surprise and confusion etched briefly in the shattered brick and mortar that had been their homes. The basement was another story though.
Colin closed his eyes and stretched out with his mind in an active scan for minds buried in the basement apartments. Someone might have survived. He felt pain, anxiety, hopelessness. There were people trapped down there; if he just focused, he could isolate each mind and separate them from the surrounding mental chatter around him and from each other. He started to localize each one, get a feel for who they were and more importantly where in the wreckage they were trapped. Then, and only then, did he make contact with all of their minds at once. Even the ones who were unconscious would know they were going to be fine.
Just hold on. I’ve found you and we’ll have you out as soon as we can. I’m noting each of your locations down for the excavation teams. One of the minds responded back, no, it was two of them gestalted together. A married couple, they’d taken shelter under the kitchen table when the roof collapsed. He figured they were both around P5.
We can’t sense our son. His name is Tantiral, is he alright? Colin relayed those projected thoughts to every other mind and found him.
Mom! Dad! I’m okay! I’m in the bath! Colin thought that was a smart move on his part. Bathtubs were pretty strong structurally, there was a reason people hid in them during tornadoes.
Thank the Light was the echoed sentiment from the parents, confirming for Colin they were Gersallian.
Just hold tight, and don’t move. I need to go let people know where to dig. He replied back. There were ten others, out of an apartment building that must have housed upwards of sixty. He sketched out their rough locations on a datapad and turned around. Max was busy gestalting with a few other local telepaths, teaching them how to do Search and Rescue scans, while Golmar was soloing the whole endeavor. He could sense the power of the mind behind the governor of the Byron Free Colony. It outstripped his own, but wasn’t as refined. All he had to do was look to see what and who was inside an adjacent building. It felt like ground-penetrating RADAR. Rabbi Liebgott was keeping himself busy too. The old man had incredible energy, and was shuttling emergency relief supplies, mostly blankets and oral rehydration salts for those pulled from wreckage who were on the lower-priority for triage evac.
The wreckage in the streets was cleared enough to allow an aircar to approach. The figure that emerged was a man of brown complexion with Hispanic features. He was wearing a work jumpsuit with his graying dark hair joined by stubble on his chin. He approached Colin and called out, "Doctor Meier?"
Colin gave him a once over before responding. “Yeah? What can I help you with?”
"I am Council Chairman Gabriel Reyes," he replied. Upon hearing it, some of the other workers around them looked up with interest, recognizing the name. Gabriel Reyes was an old name for the Colony, the appointed spokesman for the very first group of refugees aided by Robert Dale and the others when they'd first acquired Darglan technology. He had since served as one of the Facility Council members in the pre-Alliance days before the loss of said Facility to the Daleks led to his joining his family on New Liberty. Had he run for Governor, he would certainly have won, but he openly preferred leading the Colony legislature, and only by request after the failure of efforts to elect another.
Whatever his political standing in New Liberty's government, Gabriel looked little different from the other relief workers. His eyes had bags under them, his expression was worn, and a black armband of mourning was wrapped around his upper left arm. His jumpsuit made clear that like many in the Colony he was pitching in with the labor of the recovery.
"I would like to thank you for your assistance, first of all," he continued, even if such was unnecessary. His gratitude, wearied by mental and physical weariness, was evident to every telepath nearby. "Governor Rankin asked me to see you while I was out here. She would like to see you at your earliest convenience regarding your ride home." His formal speech was not so much stuffiness as it was recognition that his office required a certain formality, even in these situations.
Colin’s feelings on that were mixed. He didn’t want to abandon these people, but at the same time, his own people needed him and he still felt like part of him was simply void.
“A pleasure to meet you Chairman Reyes. And you’re welcome.” he stalled for time as he wrestled with the various competing interests inside his mind. He made a decision fairly quickly though. “We’ll be joining her as soon as we wrap up our current engagement."
"I will inform her. Again, you have my thanks." As he spoke, it was clear that beyond his fatigue and grief was worry. Colin easily realized what it regarded. Julia Andreys, Captain of the Aurora, had been a fellow Council member back in the Facility, and he valued her as a comrade. And she was missing in the aftermath of the attack. "You also have my personal thanks for saving Beth from those monsters. I have already lost too many friends and loved ones."
“It was our pleasure.” And he emphasized that part. Killing Nazis, he thought, would never get old. And Beth was well-worth saving. “Governor Rankin is a good person. Also, and pardon my intrusion but… rest assured the Corps will do what we can to assist in the recovery of Captain Andreys and taking out the Nazi trash. If we find any intelligence, we’ll share it. I only wish we could afford to send ships and troops."
"I am pleased to hear it. If she lives and they have her…" Gabriel brought that thought to an end. He nodded to Colin, grateful for the voiced consideration. "May you have a safe voyage back to your home, Doctor. Adios."
“Vaya con dios.” Colin replied. As the Chairman departed to take a survey of recovery efforts, Colin felt a familiar set of eyes on him. It was Max.
<Time to go?> Max asked, and he felt a bit like he might want to stay. Not to leave the Corps or anything, but to help kill the natural enemy of his people. Colin concluded he enjoyed that perhaps a bit too much.
<Yeah. We need to go talk to Beth. And Max?>
<Yes?>
<We have fascists at home we need to kill. You know I can’t spare you…>
<I know Colin I know. But hey, they’re like cockroaches. There will always be more.>
The Government Building still bore the wounds caused by the attack, but those wounds did not take away the structure's ability to serve as center of the Colony government. On their way in Colin, Max, and Isaac passed by workers fixing structural damage, clearing away remaining debris, and the staff going about their business. An escort in the blue uniform of Colony Security, an African man of medium height, led them through to the Governor's office.
The office hadn't escaped the blasts entirely. One wall was still being prepared for reconstruction, and there were gaps where broken furnishings had yet to be replaced. Nevertheless a couch and some comfortable chairs were available for the guests, as was a tray with what looked like lemonade and other drinks in pitchers, and another tray beside it with glasses. A stand nearby had a waiting pitcher of coffee.
Seated at her desk, Beth Rankin looked exhausted. Her business suit of blue and dark green was frumpled and worn. Modern medical technology mostly obscured the fact that just a couple days before, she'd been savagely beaten by the Schutzstaffel invaders. Only some tell-tale swelling on her temple and jaw remained of her injuries.
At least physically.
For the two telepaths, the wounds were still a part of her. The memory of the pain from the blows was still on her thoughts, as was the unreal feeling on being alive. Her attackers had hated her, a lesbian, with personal zeal and she'd seen that hate in their eyes. She'd seen their intention to murder her the moment her being alive was no longer of use. Fassbinder's order for her to be shot still echoed within her. And then there were the people who'd trusted her to lead them, and how many of them were dead...
Regardless of these thoughts, Beth looked up from her digital reader. A small smile formed on her face. "Doctor. Rabbi. Mister Cohen. Good to see you."
“Governor.” Max greeted her. “Your mind feels like you could use a hug. I have one for you if you want it.” Colin for his part would have offered but Max beat him to it. Every telepath alive in 2248 knew what a mock execution felt like. This one wasn’t on a planetary scale, but it was no less real for that. That didn’t even touch the survivors guilt.
"I could use one, yes," she admitted. "A lot of us could." Sensing her mental receptiveness to it, the two provided it via the same medium. Once the moment passed she added, "For myself, and on behalf of my people, thank you for helping us with the search and recovery efforts. Your help has been invaluable. I've called you here because I'm aware that your… internal situation requires you to return home as quickly as possible."
“You’re welcome. Honestly it wasn’t any trouble.” Colin started “We figured we’d be here for a few days, we might as well help.”
“Plus, it is the obligation of any guest to protect and defend their host in the event of attack. This certainly qualifies.” Max added, invoking ancient guest-right traditions. “But yeah, we do need to get home.”
Beth nodded. "Between the attack itself and the damage to the spaceport, civilian liners aren't running right now. So I've pulled a few strings in Portland. The Starship Maimonides will be leaving this evening for your home universe, and they will drop you off at Teyan Station on the way to their next assignment."
Isaac didn’t disguise his joy that a ship had that name. “That sounds perfectly reasonable.” he said, trying to regain a certain professionalism from his nerdy enthusiasm. “From there we should be able to arrange transport back into Earth Alliance space.”
Beth nodded in agreement. "Since transporters are being devoted to the recovery efforts, you'll be going up in one of the Maimonides' cargo shuttles. They'll pick you up at the landing zone in the Lake Park in a couple of hours. I've already informed Colony Security and they'll get you into the landing area." She stood up and extended a hand. "Thank you again for everything, and despite everything, I hope your visit to the Colony has been a fruitful one." Her thoughts turned toward the agreement forged the evening before the attack, and that she'd already begun implementation of their side of that agreement.
“Thank you for that.” Colin replied, and it was for both things. “Plus your hospitality. For the two of us, it isn’t a common thing to be welcomed like we have been here. We won’t forget that.”
Beth nodded and, after the handshakes, leaned down to remove three containers from her desk. She placed them before the three. When opened, each revealed a bronze medallion fringed with silver, on a ribbon in the blue and green colors of the Colony, depicting two hands clasped together under a caduceus insignia overlaying a shield. "For your efforts, the New Liberty Volunteer Aid and Rescue Medal, for providing aid even at personal risk. You've more than earned them."
Colin caught the implication. It wasn’t just for volunteer work, but for those who risked their lives in doing that work, be it colonial defense or medical aid. And they had. Even Isaac risked his life tending to wounded during the Nazi attack. “We are honored deeply Governor. Thank you.”
She returned the nod.
The Lake Park's simplistic name did no justice to the beauty of its lush grass fields and towering trees, some transplanted Earth specimens, others native to the planet. The biosphere was completely compatible with Earth's, allowing for such a mixture. The trees served as pleasant shade for the paved walkways to and around the vast freshwater lake itself, which seemed to shine with crystal blue clarity in defiance of the devastation that had recently been reflected on its surface.
The fields were not so open at the moment. Pallets of emergency supplies abounded, as did the desks for the clerks managing them, the workers going to and fro with anti-grav pallet jacks to move those pallets off of arriving shuttles and the transporter stations spread across the field. One corner of the field, the size of three American football fields, was dotted with shuttles and runabouts of various make.
The telepaths were escorted by a woman in the blue Colonial Security uniform and a matching headscarf. Yasmin al-Tikriti's surface thoughts brimmed with anger and lingering fear. She was from one of the first worlds liberated from the Reich, a desert planet the Reich forcefully transplanted Arabs to as labor for the mines of valuable ores on that world. As soon as she was able, Yasmin emigrated to New Liberty, and now her former oppressors had attacked her new home.
“They can conquer your worlds, they can kill you. But they can’t ever conquer you.” Max said to her in Arabic.
The reply was not verbal, but an agreeing nod. She only spoke when a pair of Alliance Stellar Navy security personnel blocked their entry to the shuttles. "Patrolwoman al-Tikriti, Colonial Security, escorting these gentlemen to their shuttle," she said, activating her omnitool. "Clearance and instructions."
The Alakin male who stopped her considered it with his intent, yellow eyes. His feathering was copper-colored, the skin beneath ash gray. His partner was a Dorei male, blue skin, teal spots, purple hair and eyes. He remained quiet as his partner examined the order. "Very well," said the Alakin in a chirping voice. "Second row, third shuttle back."
They were let through. The shuttle they were brought to was one of the larger models, a full-sized cargo shuttle. Twin warp nacelles at the bottom rested on the grass, pressing it down. Inside a man of light olive complexion sat at the controls. He was of a slight build, with dark hair kept long and in a looped ponytail, and facial hair long enough that it too was pulled into a simple tail below his chin. His blue eyes met their's. Immediately Colin and Max knew that their pilot was one of their own: a telepath, probably P6 or P7, wearing the black-and-burgundy red of an Alliance officer assigned to starship control and command, the branch that included shuttle and runabout crews. A single gold strip, slanted, was pinned to his collar, marking him an Ensign.
“Good day Ensign.” Colin said cheerfully. He was in Metapol uniform naturally, but at that point unarmed. He was expecting to have to make assurances he wasn’t going to try and drag the guy back to the Earth Alliance.
"Doctor. I'm Ensign Miltiadas Topakos of the Maimonides," he answered. Ensign Topakos' accent sounded off to their ears. It was almost Greek, but the tones were off, giving the accent a unique cast they'd never heard before. "We're about to lift off, so I've already pulled out your passenger seats." Said seats lined the wall toward the forward end of the cargo hatch. They were clearly meant to fold upward.
They sat down in the seats. It was only polite, but what got to Colin was the lack of apprehension.
His accent doesn’t sound… exactly Greek. It’s close. Max mentally remarked.
I know, it’s weird.
“A pleasure to meet you Ensign Topakos.” Colin said, partly as a segue. “If you don’t mind my asking, where are you from? I’ll admit when I first saw you I thought we’d have to promise not to drag you back to our home universe or something.”
Topakos seemed momentarily confused, until he sensed their surface thoughts and chuckled. "Oh, yes, you are one of the Psi Cops of the E5B1 universe," he said. "I am from Kerkyra of the S0T5 universe. My people are descendants of the psions who fled the purges after the Reignfall, so virtually all people of Kerkyra are psions of some capability."
Colin had no idea what the Reignfall was, but he could pick it up from context. “I take it telepath rule over mundanes went about as well as can be expected?”
"Mundane… oh, mutes. Yes. I think." Topakos shrugged. "Nobody remembers anything about the Reign. The histories are lost. The minds of those who survived were warped by what happened. Everyone says it was psions who caused it, but that's just mute jealousy if you ask me." He continued checking his board.
“...Okay, worse than expected. Still, good cautionary tale; jealousy aside.”
"Sending our final launch request now," said Topakos. "The inertial dampeners are fine, so should be a smooth trip."
The three passengers were ready for the shuttle's soft liftoff. They might be riding in a bullet-train for all they knew, as Topakos' promise of a smooth trip was fulfilled. The blue of the garden planet's atmosphere faded to the black of space. But it was not an empty black. Shattered starships appeared through the cockpit window, a depressing number of them civilian, all victims of the SS exiles' squadron that launched the attack.
One ship that became prominent was of a far different aesthetic than the three were used to. The Excelsior-class Federation starship, the Charleston, looked little different from the dead hulks around it, save a few lights to show she was not entirely dead. The vessel barely survived the fight. Beside it was the kilometer-long four-nacelled form of the Starship Aurora, also marked with some battle damage, but clearly intact. Colin, Max, and Isaac knew the vessel and her crew had been wounded in other ways, however, as her captain was among the missing, either dead or a captive of the attackers.
The connection between her and Robert was still active the last time Colin saw his friend, it was subtle, but their souls were still connected through Roberts sensitivity. He Knew she was still alive and so did Colin. Fassbender’s intentions had been plain as day in his mind. He intended to inflict unspeakable things upon her before he finally let her die, and either draw Robert into a trap or corrupt his soul in the process. Not that the political forces in the Alliance listened to him. He’d warned Robert about it but it was cautionary. Not an attempt to stop him. If Gene or Zara were in similar trouble Colin knew he’d tear the galaxy apart with his bare hands. The thought itself filled him with dread, and Max put a hand on his shoulder.
It’s not going to happen. And if it does, the entire Corps will back you up.
I know. Max can you feel it? Colin was referring to the dull thrum of a mass death-trace. All the minds, thousands of them, dead in orbit. Vaporized in the prime of their lives or thrown out into the void by explosive decompression.
No. I’m not as sensitive as you are and these are orbital distances… For me right now it’s a strange silence. Just the void. It’s comforting in a way. Colin knew that too well. On Omega VII, after a week of rescuing children from the most vile gut-wrenching slavery imaginable, the silence and perspective of orbit helped him and Gene piece themselves together. It was strange how that worked.
It’s about all I can feel around me right now. There are so many. If it were just Nazis I could be happy about it, but so many brave people sacrificed themselves here. I can’t isolate them. I can’t give the individual consideration they all deserve.
Isaac was looking out the window at the hulked spacecraft from a multitude of nations and bowed his head, praying the El Malei Rachamim in Hebrew. “God, full of mercy, Who dwells in heaven, give rest on the wings of your Divine Presence, amongst the holy, pure and glorious who shine like the sky, to the souls of the slain on New Liberty and Gersal, who lost their lives or gave them in defense of others in a brutal attack by Nazi assassins and their helpers. Therefore, the Merciful One will protect their souls forever, and give their souls eternal life. The Everlasting is their heritage, and they shall rest peacefully in their resting place, and let us say: Amen.”
“Amen.” Both telepaths replied in unison. Colin didn’t speak Hebrew, nor was he religious in a traditional sense, but Max translated for him in his head.
The shuttle flew on, past the Aurora and Charleston, past the Quarian ships still working to recover debris from orbit, and toward another ship. Its azure sheen and general shape gave away that it was an Alliance vessel like the Aurora. Although less than half the Aurora's length, it had the same general shape of the primary and drive hulls having a high area of contact, meaning the vessel had no visible neck like the Charleston and other Federation ships of similar layout. Its deflector dish, set at the front of the drive hull and directly below the centerpoint of the primary hull, was a great gold eye with blue light circling it.
Unlike the Aurora, the ship only had two warp nacelles, mounted on the end of hinged pylons that were currently sloped downward, giving the nacelles the appearance of being like sled rails for the rest of the ship. The biggest structural difference, however, was a triangular pod that was held up on a forward-slanted rollbar built into the back of the primary hull. It had little in the way of visible windows, but there were running lights, and the azure surface was broken up by gray strips and elements. In size it was at least twenty meters wide and fifty meters long.
“Hm.” Colin considered the ship. That pod on the dorsal surface was interesting, he hadn’t seen one like it before. It would be a good place for forward torpedo tubes, but it wasn’t that. “What’s that pod on the dorsal surface?”
"The pod is for some of the ship's advanced sensors," answered Topakos. As he spoke the other telepaths got the feeling of a lingering awkwardness, like an adult might feel if they were suddenly acting like a child. It was only a faint thing, the evidence of a once stronger feeling weakened by time and practice. "It keeps the delicate sensors clear of any interference from the navigational deflector or the warp nacelles while they are facing downward. The pylons can raise the nacelles to where they clear the primary hull instead, that is the optimal warp flight configuration. This configuration is for optimal sensor operation."
I think he’s nerding out a little and trying not to show it… Colin remarked.
He’s not the only one. Max replied, glancing over at Isaac who was outright giddy. Twitching in place. Afterall, it was a science ship named for not just his favorite theologian/philosopher/scientist, but the most important in all of rabbinical Judaism. With Topakos though it felt different; then Colin got it. Miltiades’ entire society was full of telepaths. Why on earth would they speak? It was like a hearing child of deaf parents who learned how to speak in school, they might have some idiosyncrasies no matter what accent was culturally native.
Wait, no. I don’t think that’s it. Colin thought at Max. Then he turned his attention to the Ensign. If you prefer, we can converse mentally. We tend to speak when mundanes/mutes are around unless we want to keep something private. We’ll just keep Isaac in the loop for public conversations.
I have gotten used to speaking verbally with the mutes I serve with, replied Topakos. But I thank you for the consideration. On Kerkyra only children without manifested psionics speak verbally, so our society sees it as a sign of childhood. It becomes awkward for some of us to do so as adults.
Understood. When we’re by ourselves we tend to switch back and forth fluidly. But give it a few millennia, right?
The response was a glyph of understanding.
The ship grew much larger, large enough that the detail on the hull could be made out. The registry entry ASV-4685 was visible along a stripe of green painted on the azure hull. Gradually the ship moved to the right of the cockpit window and out of sight. The shuttle made a slow, leisurely turn to face the top of the drive hull. There, several decks below the big port for the ship's main impulsor drive, a set of doors were open. Topakos finished getting his final landing clearance and brought the shuttle back to its place in the ship's main shuttle bay.
The shuttle bay was mostly empty at the moment. Only two shuttles and a runabout were present, and all were being loaded by crew. Topakos brought the shuttle into one of the berths and powered it down the moment it landed. With a press of a key the rear hatch opened, showing the berth, and a pair of figures standing and waiting for them. Both were wearing the same uniform type as Topakos, black with burgundy red trim, with three and four slanted strips upon their collars to mark their ranks of Commander and Captain respectively. The Commander was an African man, bald, with curious brown eyes and medium height, while the Captain was a woman of Middle Eastern extraction, a light olive tone to her complexion. Her eyes were a lighter brown, intelligent, perceptive, and not hiding a certain passionate intensity. She was a head shorter than her subordinate, with a solid build, but there was no denying she was the one in command. When she spoke, it was with an Arabic accent. "Doctor Meier, Rabbi Liebgott, Mister Cohen, welcome to the Alliance Starship Maimonides. I am Captain Nasira Fanous, and this is my First Officer, Philippe Duwala."
“A pleasure to meet you both.” Colin replied “And thank you for the ride home.”
Isaac couldn’t help himself. He just couldn’t. “We don’t really have dedicated science ships back home. Might I ask about your mission profile?”
"The Maimonides is a Juvap Ky-class science cruiser," Philippe answered. His accent was distinctively Franco-African, Cameroonian from the area of Douala to be precise. "Our ship is meant for scientific missions. Exploration, surveying, and research, with five science labs aboard dedicated to various fields. We have the most sophisticated sensor package in the fleet, and our science department, both uniformed and civilian, is the same as that on a full-sized star cruiser like the Aurora or the Enterprise."
Colin considered that the Huáscar might be within that listing, but if he knew Zhen’var, she wouldn’t want civilians aboard and they’d all be military. Her general attitude was far more Earth Alliance or Dilgar with respect to how a ship should be run. Isaac nodded along. He didn’t have much context for an Alliance warship, but he knew they had a tendency to have large science divisions because of their multi-role operational priorities.
"Because of our enlarged science department, we have a crew of six hundred and fifty individuals," Nasira added. "Comparable to a Discovery or Nehru-class star cruiser, which are about ten percent larger than this type."
“Hmm. What does the name actually mean?” Isaac asked. “It’s not a language I’m familiar with.”
Nasira nodded. "Juvap Ky was the first Alakin scientist to discover gravity, and as a result she discovered the heliocentric nature of her world's solar system. She also advanced mathematical principles and refined the theological laws of her nation's dominant religion. You may think of her as something of a composite of Copernicus, Newton, and Maimonides, although the comparisons are not complete."
“Definitely an over-achiever that one. If such a concept is even possible. But I think I have a handle on the naming conventions. Good choice.” Isaac nodded. “I’ve always marveled at the ancient polymaths. How did they manage that? Had the Alakin even discovered caffeine or its equivalent yet?”
"Lieutenant Commander Treepk tells me that nakhtep was already known on the continent of Neekan at the time," said Philippe, who smiled at Isaac's query. "So Juvap undoubtedly had the benefit of it."
Behind them more shuttles were coming in for landings. "Commander, would you mind showing our guests to their quarters?" Nasira asked politely. "I will be on the bridge overseeing our departure preparations."
"Of course, Captain." Philippe nodded to her and looked to the others. "This way, please. We have the guest quarters on Deck 5 waiting for you."
“Thank you for your hospitality.” Max replied, as Colin made to follow Philippe. It was still so strange actually being welcome somewhere. Isaac didn’t catch it; he couldn’t, but they both shared a thought.
It can’t be like this everywhere in this Alliance. It just can’t be.
After settling in, Philippe returned with an offer that none of them could refuse.
Minutes after the offer was made, they followed him out of the turbolift onto the bridge of the Maimonides. The bridge was rimmed with displays and controls, the latter using a combination of touchscreens and hard-light displays, with three seats in the center (albeit closer to the stern wall). Nasira was standing beside the central seat and Philippe was already thinking of the one to her right as his. Those same thoughts revealed the one to her left as a seat for guests or senior officers visiting the ship.
Colin went for broke. “With your permission Captain?” he nodded toward the chair. She nodded and he sat down, taking in the room from Isaac and Max’s eyes.
Fanning out forward of these seats were three stations. Directly ahead was the helm, occupied by a tan-complexioned humanoid with burgundy red trim. To the right of the helm was a station with a blue-haired, purple-skinned humanoid with long ears, wearing an Alliance uniform with beige branch trim to mark Operations/Engineering. Colin and Max easily sensed the alien's slight telepathic potential, marking him as a Dorei and thus a touch-empath.
To the left of the helm was an officer with a brown branch trim uniform, marking tactical, a Human of tanned coloration and dark hair. Colin in particular could note the little surge of joy that Philippe got at looking at the man, with the name Rodrigo in the thought. A moment's further consideration made clear the link between them.
Hm. Surprises me that their military regulations allow shipboard romance like that.
Ours do Max replied matter of factly. Colin wordlessly acknowledged the point. Not everyone on the ship was a mundane, so things like coercion could be checked for if it ever came up.
Aside from these three stations were two more along the port and starboard walls of the bridge. The port station was marked Engineering and showed displays of the ship's systems within a large side-profile of the Maimonides, manned by an Asari of lavender complexion. To starboard was "Primary Science", where a green-and-red-plumaged, blue-complexioned Alakin was seated.
Colin didn’t think it was a very tactically efficient bridge configuration. On Psi Corps ships, the Captain had line of sight on everyone without having to turn their heads so they could easily check the content of consoles and the like through the other person’s senses, even if their rating was only a P5. Then again, without universal telepathy, he supposed that having the various stations arrayed around the commanding officer might be the only way to manage it.
"My bridge command crew," Nasira said, indicating each of the five bridge officers in sequence. "Lieutenant Commander Tanata Oparan, Operations Officer. Lieutenant Commander Treepk Ka, Science Officer. Lieutenant Rodrigo Vega, Tactical Officer. Lieutenant Latamrilam, Navigation, and Lieutenant Tasina T'Seris, Assistant Chief Engineer. I have already informed them of your identities, Doctor."
“A pleasure to meet everyone.” Colin replied cheerfully, burning all the names and faces into his memory. He knew he should say something, given that he was effectively head of state, or one of them because the Psi Corps didn’t operate with a single head of state, but it was still new to him. He thought he had it though. “The kindness your Alliance and now you have shown us is not something we’re entirely used to, and neither me nor the Corps will soon forget it. Thank you.” The more he thought about it, the more he was becoming convinced that given its leadership becoming an ISA member state might be a dead letter, but joining or affiliating with the UAS might be a possibility.
“This ship is amazing too.” Isaac added, picking up on Colin’s diplomatic overture and the thrust of what he was going for. “It and your mission are a credit to it’s namesake.”
"I'm in agreement with you on that, Rabbi Liebgott," Nasira said. She turned her attention to her right. "Commander Oparan, set jump drive to the Eta Serpentis anchor in E5B1 and take us out," Nasira ordered.
"Aye Captain," the Dorei man answered. "Setting for Eta Serpentis E5B1."
"Impulsors set to .15," added Latamrilam from the helm, his accent a thick Gersallian lilt. "Engaging and ready for jump acceleration."
"Jump set to Eta Serpentis, spatial aspect is good." After another few moments Oparan added, "We are clear of orbital space. Activating jump drive."
Ahead of the Maimonides a single point of brilliant green light appeared and, after a moment, expanded into a swirling green vortex in the void. Colin, Max, and Isaac noticed some similarity to the hyperspace jump points they were familiar with, although the pattern of the swirling was distinctive and different. The vortex expanded on the viewscreen steadily and then, as the space around it finally disappeared from view, the ship accelerated into the vortex and the screen rapidly filled until there was nothing but a flickering nothingness. For a brief moment the entire ship was outside of normal space-time, at the transition point between universes.
Then that ended and they were in a solar system with an orange star, with a rocky planet's dark side facing them.
"We've arrived inside the anchor zone," said Latamrilam.
The moment they were inside their home Universe, the soul-void Colin had been feeling for days was replaced by the sensation of a familiar mind re-entering his. Jubilation and relief, both his and Gene’s filled both of their minds and it only took a fraction of a second for Colin to feel Gene’s arms wrap around him and for him to return the embrace, as real to them as if they’d been in the flesh; to kiss his husband across the void of interstellar space. He knew he’d interrupted a strategy meeting about the PCS Fenrir, and that Gene was discussing fleet and ground-troop deployments with Commodore Rhee.
I’ve missed you. Gene told him, not in words, but in raw concept. There was something else there too, fear and dread. The Corps had the news about the attack on New Liberty and Gene had not reacted well. Colin knew Gene had paced almost to the point of wearing down carpeting.
I’ve missed you too Lover. Nazis can’t kill me that easily.
Are Max and Isaac okay? Gene asked. In response Colin recalled the memories and showed Gene exactly how okay Max was. The explosions began during a meeting with Golmar, while Max was in session at the convention center in the Jewish Quarter. They went to rescue him, assuming the Reich troops would hit it hard as a matter of principle, but Max had it well in hand. They got there to find a pile of swastika clad bodies and watched as Nazis simply died, shot themselves, or turned their heavy weapons on their own troops. All the while Max shouted invective in Yiddish and Hebrew at them, and forced mental images of Hitler committing suicide and the subsequent Nuremberg trials into the minds of the living. Max taxed himself doing it, and was bleeding from his tear ducts by the time Colin and Golmar cut down the remainder, but he was otherwise just fine and Isaac had never once been at risk. He also showed Gene their rescue of Robert and Beth Rankin. Colin felt the pride in Max swell in Gene’s mind. Excellent. Is that Golmar?
Yeah. Reconciled a bit. I suspect our relations with the Byron Free Colony might improve somewhat, especially now that we’ve changed posture toward the Alliance and the colony. How are things on your end?
Well, that damned unofficial pipeline made things pretty bad. It was already being exploited when you left; there are definite leaks to slavers within EarthGov, but we knew that already. Bloodhounds are looking into it and certain people are going to be having accidents, strokes, and sudden changes of heart in the next few weeks. We got notice from the Alliance by way of Beth Rankin though, and we’re making arrangements to set up a presence on Teyan Station and flagging known friendly ships. Between that and Lyta calling off her campaign, it’s giving us a chance to breath and redeploy. He let Colin look through his eyes at the strategy board and take it in, and Gene was right. The deployments were much more favorable; Transport Division could concentrate it’s forces along known slaver routes instead of having to do terrorist interdiction, and the deployments of Metapol and Security divisions followed suit. I figure we’ve bought ourselves a few months to a year. Gene finished.
That was good, to Colin’s mind. Before he left the talking heads on ISN were already starting to speculate on a ‘resolution to the telepath problem’ which Colin knew wasn’t just pundits spitballing, but was actually the state putting out feelers and prepping the ground. Every month was increased readiness, and Gene p’heard his inner monologue.
Yeah. In other good news, we managed to get our grubby mits on a new ship design. One of the competing designs for the Omega. A few updates to the reactor and drive systems, no rotating section, and we have a pretty capable cruiser with the firepower of an Omega that costs less to build than a Hyperion. Sueng is salivating at the prospect of being able to turn out six of them in the next four months. No one tell her that it looks like something of the old game Homeworld. I think someone might have been indulging a retro-fetish at the engineering firm that designed the thing. Gene furnished a mental image and Colin liked what he saw. It wasn’t quite the flying brick that was a typical Earth Alliance design. It actually had rounded lines and curves, but it was still recognizably human.
Very nice. Is that an improved defense grid tracking system I see in those specs?
And shields, yes. That mundane engineer Indiri found is doing good work. She even knows who she’s working for and why. God what was her name? Freddie?
Yeah that was it! Colin confirmed. Excellent. Good news. I needed that, thanks.
Any time I have it. Though I suspect you have to go before the crew of the Maimonides notices you’re staring into space and I have this meeting basically paused. Love you sweetheart. We’ll talk again soon.
Love you too you sexy manbeast. We certainly will. And Colin had certain ideas about what that would entail. At that point, the two stopped actively communicating but weren’t separate. Both could feel the other’s presence as if they were in a very small room together. Each doing their own thing, but not very far apart.
The whole conversation lasted bare seconds, unnoticed by the crew, who busied themselves with the usual process of gauging their surroundings post-jump. Colin returned his attention to the others in time for the next verbal order to be given. "Set course for Teyan Station, Lieutenant, cruise speed," said Nasira. "Lieutenant T'Seris, set configuration for optimum warp."
"Yes, Captain," the Asari maiden answered, along with Latamrilam's "Yes sir". T'Seris tapped at keys and, though no viewer showed it, the Maimonides's warp nacelle pylons went into motion. The machinery of their joints moved, raising the pylons and their nacelles so that they were now held above the primary hull, although still not quite as high as the sensor pod. "Nacelle configuration set for warp performance, Captain."
"Course laid in," added Latamrilam.
Like all of the old Facility officers influenced by Carlton Farmer, Montgomery Scott, and Nicholas Locarno, Nasira gave the order as it was done in Starfleet. "Engage."
The Maimonides' bank of naqia reactors went to near-full capacity once more, providing the energy now being funneled through specially-constructed conduits to the two warp nacelles. These energies steadily increased until, with a bright flash of light, they formed a warp field around the Maimonides. On the holo-viewer those on the bridge watched as space seemed to warp and distort briefly until it was replaced by visible streaks of light.
"We are now at our cruise speed of Warp factor 7," said Latamrilam, for the benefit of their guests. "ETA to Teyan Station is six days."
Looking to Colin, Nasira said, "Reynar is closer, but it has no jump gate, and given the attacks transport schedules are probably a complete mess. Finding a warp-capable liner isn't guaranteed. Teyan has the new jump gate and regular travel to the Earth Alliance so you should make good time once you're there."
“Excellent. I may have a bit of business there anyway, and can arrange for Psi Corps transport for the final leg.”
It’s already arranged. Gene mentioned as an aside in his mind. <One of the Olympus corvettes is en route and they’ll be sending a shuttle.>
Nasira acknowledged that with a nod. "Since you've been working with the relief efforts, I'm sure you would like some rest. The crew lounge on Deck 8 and the galley are available, and your quarters have replicators if you'd prefer to dine alone. And before you go, Doctor, would you and your friends like to have a tour of the ship tomorrow?"
“Wild horses couldn’t stop me from touring the ship if offered!” Isaac interjected.
“I think that’s a yes Captain.” Colin agreed. “But I wouldn’t mind getting to know the crew a little bit. Isaac, Max; what do you think about the crew lounge?”
“I’m in. Never have been a fan of dining alone.” Max agreed.
“And leave you two without the guidance of your rabbi? Perish the thought.”
18 October 2643 Alliance Standard
Two Days After SS Exiles' Attack
The apartment building was a collapsed ruin, scoured down to ground level by a near-miss from a disruptor fired from orbit. The only reason the single weapon impact hadn’t turned all of New Liberty into a semblance of Hiroshima or San Diego was the fact that the Nazis didn’t want to obliterate their own troops with a full power barrage. They were more intent on causing terror than actually destroying the colony; but for all that, no one on the ground floor or above could have possibly survived the thermal flash and shockwave that close. Colin could still feel the traces of their souls, the shattered imprints of minds and whatever it was that passed beyond the portal at the moment of death. They died in a state of incomprehension, their final moments of surprise and confusion etched briefly in the shattered brick and mortar that had been their homes. The basement was another story though.
Colin closed his eyes and stretched out with his mind in an active scan for minds buried in the basement apartments. Someone might have survived. He felt pain, anxiety, hopelessness. There were people trapped down there; if he just focused, he could isolate each mind and separate them from the surrounding mental chatter around him and from each other. He started to localize each one, get a feel for who they were and more importantly where in the wreckage they were trapped. Then, and only then, did he make contact with all of their minds at once. Even the ones who were unconscious would know they were going to be fine.
Just hold on. I’ve found you and we’ll have you out as soon as we can. I’m noting each of your locations down for the excavation teams. One of the minds responded back, no, it was two of them gestalted together. A married couple, they’d taken shelter under the kitchen table when the roof collapsed. He figured they were both around P5.
We can’t sense our son. His name is Tantiral, is he alright? Colin relayed those projected thoughts to every other mind and found him.
Mom! Dad! I’m okay! I’m in the bath! Colin thought that was a smart move on his part. Bathtubs were pretty strong structurally, there was a reason people hid in them during tornadoes.
Thank the Light was the echoed sentiment from the parents, confirming for Colin they were Gersallian.
Just hold tight, and don’t move. I need to go let people know where to dig. He replied back. There were ten others, out of an apartment building that must have housed upwards of sixty. He sketched out their rough locations on a datapad and turned around. Max was busy gestalting with a few other local telepaths, teaching them how to do Search and Rescue scans, while Golmar was soloing the whole endeavor. He could sense the power of the mind behind the governor of the Byron Free Colony. It outstripped his own, but wasn’t as refined. All he had to do was look to see what and who was inside an adjacent building. It felt like ground-penetrating RADAR. Rabbi Liebgott was keeping himself busy too. The old man had incredible energy, and was shuttling emergency relief supplies, mostly blankets and oral rehydration salts for those pulled from wreckage who were on the lower-priority for triage evac.
The wreckage in the streets was cleared enough to allow an aircar to approach. The figure that emerged was a man of brown complexion with Hispanic features. He was wearing a work jumpsuit with his graying dark hair joined by stubble on his chin. He approached Colin and called out, "Doctor Meier?"
Colin gave him a once over before responding. “Yeah? What can I help you with?”
"I am Council Chairman Gabriel Reyes," he replied. Upon hearing it, some of the other workers around them looked up with interest, recognizing the name. Gabriel Reyes was an old name for the Colony, the appointed spokesman for the very first group of refugees aided by Robert Dale and the others when they'd first acquired Darglan technology. He had since served as one of the Facility Council members in the pre-Alliance days before the loss of said Facility to the Daleks led to his joining his family on New Liberty. Had he run for Governor, he would certainly have won, but he openly preferred leading the Colony legislature, and only by request after the failure of efforts to elect another.
Whatever his political standing in New Liberty's government, Gabriel looked little different from the other relief workers. His eyes had bags under them, his expression was worn, and a black armband of mourning was wrapped around his upper left arm. His jumpsuit made clear that like many in the Colony he was pitching in with the labor of the recovery.
"I would like to thank you for your assistance, first of all," he continued, even if such was unnecessary. His gratitude, wearied by mental and physical weariness, was evident to every telepath nearby. "Governor Rankin asked me to see you while I was out here. She would like to see you at your earliest convenience regarding your ride home." His formal speech was not so much stuffiness as it was recognition that his office required a certain formality, even in these situations.
Colin’s feelings on that were mixed. He didn’t want to abandon these people, but at the same time, his own people needed him and he still felt like part of him was simply void.
“A pleasure to meet you Chairman Reyes. And you’re welcome.” he stalled for time as he wrestled with the various competing interests inside his mind. He made a decision fairly quickly though. “We’ll be joining her as soon as we wrap up our current engagement."
"I will inform her. Again, you have my thanks." As he spoke, it was clear that beyond his fatigue and grief was worry. Colin easily realized what it regarded. Julia Andreys, Captain of the Aurora, had been a fellow Council member back in the Facility, and he valued her as a comrade. And she was missing in the aftermath of the attack. "You also have my personal thanks for saving Beth from those monsters. I have already lost too many friends and loved ones."
“It was our pleasure.” And he emphasized that part. Killing Nazis, he thought, would never get old. And Beth was well-worth saving. “Governor Rankin is a good person. Also, and pardon my intrusion but… rest assured the Corps will do what we can to assist in the recovery of Captain Andreys and taking out the Nazi trash. If we find any intelligence, we’ll share it. I only wish we could afford to send ships and troops."
"I am pleased to hear it. If she lives and they have her…" Gabriel brought that thought to an end. He nodded to Colin, grateful for the voiced consideration. "May you have a safe voyage back to your home, Doctor. Adios."
“Vaya con dios.” Colin replied. As the Chairman departed to take a survey of recovery efforts, Colin felt a familiar set of eyes on him. It was Max.
<Time to go?> Max asked, and he felt a bit like he might want to stay. Not to leave the Corps or anything, but to help kill the natural enemy of his people. Colin concluded he enjoyed that perhaps a bit too much.
<Yeah. We need to go talk to Beth. And Max?>
<Yes?>
<We have fascists at home we need to kill. You know I can’t spare you…>
<I know Colin I know. But hey, they’re like cockroaches. There will always be more.>
The Government Building still bore the wounds caused by the attack, but those wounds did not take away the structure's ability to serve as center of the Colony government. On their way in Colin, Max, and Isaac passed by workers fixing structural damage, clearing away remaining debris, and the staff going about their business. An escort in the blue uniform of Colony Security, an African man of medium height, led them through to the Governor's office.
The office hadn't escaped the blasts entirely. One wall was still being prepared for reconstruction, and there were gaps where broken furnishings had yet to be replaced. Nevertheless a couch and some comfortable chairs were available for the guests, as was a tray with what looked like lemonade and other drinks in pitchers, and another tray beside it with glasses. A stand nearby had a waiting pitcher of coffee.
Seated at her desk, Beth Rankin looked exhausted. Her business suit of blue and dark green was frumpled and worn. Modern medical technology mostly obscured the fact that just a couple days before, she'd been savagely beaten by the Schutzstaffel invaders. Only some tell-tale swelling on her temple and jaw remained of her injuries.
At least physically.
For the two telepaths, the wounds were still a part of her. The memory of the pain from the blows was still on her thoughts, as was the unreal feeling on being alive. Her attackers had hated her, a lesbian, with personal zeal and she'd seen that hate in their eyes. She'd seen their intention to murder her the moment her being alive was no longer of use. Fassbinder's order for her to be shot still echoed within her. And then there were the people who'd trusted her to lead them, and how many of them were dead...
Regardless of these thoughts, Beth looked up from her digital reader. A small smile formed on her face. "Doctor. Rabbi. Mister Cohen. Good to see you."
“Governor.” Max greeted her. “Your mind feels like you could use a hug. I have one for you if you want it.” Colin for his part would have offered but Max beat him to it. Every telepath alive in 2248 knew what a mock execution felt like. This one wasn’t on a planetary scale, but it was no less real for that. That didn’t even touch the survivors guilt.
"I could use one, yes," she admitted. "A lot of us could." Sensing her mental receptiveness to it, the two provided it via the same medium. Once the moment passed she added, "For myself, and on behalf of my people, thank you for helping us with the search and recovery efforts. Your help has been invaluable. I've called you here because I'm aware that your… internal situation requires you to return home as quickly as possible."
“You’re welcome. Honestly it wasn’t any trouble.” Colin started “We figured we’d be here for a few days, we might as well help.”
“Plus, it is the obligation of any guest to protect and defend their host in the event of attack. This certainly qualifies.” Max added, invoking ancient guest-right traditions. “But yeah, we do need to get home.”
Beth nodded. "Between the attack itself and the damage to the spaceport, civilian liners aren't running right now. So I've pulled a few strings in Portland. The Starship Maimonides will be leaving this evening for your home universe, and they will drop you off at Teyan Station on the way to their next assignment."
Isaac didn’t disguise his joy that a ship had that name. “That sounds perfectly reasonable.” he said, trying to regain a certain professionalism from his nerdy enthusiasm. “From there we should be able to arrange transport back into Earth Alliance space.”
Beth nodded in agreement. "Since transporters are being devoted to the recovery efforts, you'll be going up in one of the Maimonides' cargo shuttles. They'll pick you up at the landing zone in the Lake Park in a couple of hours. I've already informed Colony Security and they'll get you into the landing area." She stood up and extended a hand. "Thank you again for everything, and despite everything, I hope your visit to the Colony has been a fruitful one." Her thoughts turned toward the agreement forged the evening before the attack, and that she'd already begun implementation of their side of that agreement.
“Thank you for that.” Colin replied, and it was for both things. “Plus your hospitality. For the two of us, it isn’t a common thing to be welcomed like we have been here. We won’t forget that.”
Beth nodded and, after the handshakes, leaned down to remove three containers from her desk. She placed them before the three. When opened, each revealed a bronze medallion fringed with silver, on a ribbon in the blue and green colors of the Colony, depicting two hands clasped together under a caduceus insignia overlaying a shield. "For your efforts, the New Liberty Volunteer Aid and Rescue Medal, for providing aid even at personal risk. You've more than earned them."
Colin caught the implication. It wasn’t just for volunteer work, but for those who risked their lives in doing that work, be it colonial defense or medical aid. And they had. Even Isaac risked his life tending to wounded during the Nazi attack. “We are honored deeply Governor. Thank you.”
She returned the nod.
The Lake Park's simplistic name did no justice to the beauty of its lush grass fields and towering trees, some transplanted Earth specimens, others native to the planet. The biosphere was completely compatible with Earth's, allowing for such a mixture. The trees served as pleasant shade for the paved walkways to and around the vast freshwater lake itself, which seemed to shine with crystal blue clarity in defiance of the devastation that had recently been reflected on its surface.
The fields were not so open at the moment. Pallets of emergency supplies abounded, as did the desks for the clerks managing them, the workers going to and fro with anti-grav pallet jacks to move those pallets off of arriving shuttles and the transporter stations spread across the field. One corner of the field, the size of three American football fields, was dotted with shuttles and runabouts of various make.
The telepaths were escorted by a woman in the blue Colonial Security uniform and a matching headscarf. Yasmin al-Tikriti's surface thoughts brimmed with anger and lingering fear. She was from one of the first worlds liberated from the Reich, a desert planet the Reich forcefully transplanted Arabs to as labor for the mines of valuable ores on that world. As soon as she was able, Yasmin emigrated to New Liberty, and now her former oppressors had attacked her new home.
“They can conquer your worlds, they can kill you. But they can’t ever conquer you.” Max said to her in Arabic.
The reply was not verbal, but an agreeing nod. She only spoke when a pair of Alliance Stellar Navy security personnel blocked their entry to the shuttles. "Patrolwoman al-Tikriti, Colonial Security, escorting these gentlemen to their shuttle," she said, activating her omnitool. "Clearance and instructions."
The Alakin male who stopped her considered it with his intent, yellow eyes. His feathering was copper-colored, the skin beneath ash gray. His partner was a Dorei male, blue skin, teal spots, purple hair and eyes. He remained quiet as his partner examined the order. "Very well," said the Alakin in a chirping voice. "Second row, third shuttle back."
They were let through. The shuttle they were brought to was one of the larger models, a full-sized cargo shuttle. Twin warp nacelles at the bottom rested on the grass, pressing it down. Inside a man of light olive complexion sat at the controls. He was of a slight build, with dark hair kept long and in a looped ponytail, and facial hair long enough that it too was pulled into a simple tail below his chin. His blue eyes met their's. Immediately Colin and Max knew that their pilot was one of their own: a telepath, probably P6 or P7, wearing the black-and-burgundy red of an Alliance officer assigned to starship control and command, the branch that included shuttle and runabout crews. A single gold strip, slanted, was pinned to his collar, marking him an Ensign.
“Good day Ensign.” Colin said cheerfully. He was in Metapol uniform naturally, but at that point unarmed. He was expecting to have to make assurances he wasn’t going to try and drag the guy back to the Earth Alliance.
"Doctor. I'm Ensign Miltiadas Topakos of the Maimonides," he answered. Ensign Topakos' accent sounded off to their ears. It was almost Greek, but the tones were off, giving the accent a unique cast they'd never heard before. "We're about to lift off, so I've already pulled out your passenger seats." Said seats lined the wall toward the forward end of the cargo hatch. They were clearly meant to fold upward.
They sat down in the seats. It was only polite, but what got to Colin was the lack of apprehension.
His accent doesn’t sound… exactly Greek. It’s close. Max mentally remarked.
I know, it’s weird.
“A pleasure to meet you Ensign Topakos.” Colin said, partly as a segue. “If you don’t mind my asking, where are you from? I’ll admit when I first saw you I thought we’d have to promise not to drag you back to our home universe or something.”
Topakos seemed momentarily confused, until he sensed their surface thoughts and chuckled. "Oh, yes, you are one of the Psi Cops of the E5B1 universe," he said. "I am from Kerkyra of the S0T5 universe. My people are descendants of the psions who fled the purges after the Reignfall, so virtually all people of Kerkyra are psions of some capability."
Colin had no idea what the Reignfall was, but he could pick it up from context. “I take it telepath rule over mundanes went about as well as can be expected?”
"Mundane… oh, mutes. Yes. I think." Topakos shrugged. "Nobody remembers anything about the Reign. The histories are lost. The minds of those who survived were warped by what happened. Everyone says it was psions who caused it, but that's just mute jealousy if you ask me." He continued checking his board.
“...Okay, worse than expected. Still, good cautionary tale; jealousy aside.”
"Sending our final launch request now," said Topakos. "The inertial dampeners are fine, so should be a smooth trip."
The three passengers were ready for the shuttle's soft liftoff. They might be riding in a bullet-train for all they knew, as Topakos' promise of a smooth trip was fulfilled. The blue of the garden planet's atmosphere faded to the black of space. But it was not an empty black. Shattered starships appeared through the cockpit window, a depressing number of them civilian, all victims of the SS exiles' squadron that launched the attack.
One ship that became prominent was of a far different aesthetic than the three were used to. The Excelsior-class Federation starship, the Charleston, looked little different from the dead hulks around it, save a few lights to show she was not entirely dead. The vessel barely survived the fight. Beside it was the kilometer-long four-nacelled form of the Starship Aurora, also marked with some battle damage, but clearly intact. Colin, Max, and Isaac knew the vessel and her crew had been wounded in other ways, however, as her captain was among the missing, either dead or a captive of the attackers.
The connection between her and Robert was still active the last time Colin saw his friend, it was subtle, but their souls were still connected through Roberts sensitivity. He Knew she was still alive and so did Colin. Fassbender’s intentions had been plain as day in his mind. He intended to inflict unspeakable things upon her before he finally let her die, and either draw Robert into a trap or corrupt his soul in the process. Not that the political forces in the Alliance listened to him. He’d warned Robert about it but it was cautionary. Not an attempt to stop him. If Gene or Zara were in similar trouble Colin knew he’d tear the galaxy apart with his bare hands. The thought itself filled him with dread, and Max put a hand on his shoulder.
It’s not going to happen. And if it does, the entire Corps will back you up.
I know. Max can you feel it? Colin was referring to the dull thrum of a mass death-trace. All the minds, thousands of them, dead in orbit. Vaporized in the prime of their lives or thrown out into the void by explosive decompression.
No. I’m not as sensitive as you are and these are orbital distances… For me right now it’s a strange silence. Just the void. It’s comforting in a way. Colin knew that too well. On Omega VII, after a week of rescuing children from the most vile gut-wrenching slavery imaginable, the silence and perspective of orbit helped him and Gene piece themselves together. It was strange how that worked.
It’s about all I can feel around me right now. There are so many. If it were just Nazis I could be happy about it, but so many brave people sacrificed themselves here. I can’t isolate them. I can’t give the individual consideration they all deserve.
Isaac was looking out the window at the hulked spacecraft from a multitude of nations and bowed his head, praying the El Malei Rachamim in Hebrew. “God, full of mercy, Who dwells in heaven, give rest on the wings of your Divine Presence, amongst the holy, pure and glorious who shine like the sky, to the souls of the slain on New Liberty and Gersal, who lost their lives or gave them in defense of others in a brutal attack by Nazi assassins and their helpers. Therefore, the Merciful One will protect their souls forever, and give their souls eternal life. The Everlasting is their heritage, and they shall rest peacefully in their resting place, and let us say: Amen.”
“Amen.” Both telepaths replied in unison. Colin didn’t speak Hebrew, nor was he religious in a traditional sense, but Max translated for him in his head.
The shuttle flew on, past the Aurora and Charleston, past the Quarian ships still working to recover debris from orbit, and toward another ship. Its azure sheen and general shape gave away that it was an Alliance vessel like the Aurora. Although less than half the Aurora's length, it had the same general shape of the primary and drive hulls having a high area of contact, meaning the vessel had no visible neck like the Charleston and other Federation ships of similar layout. Its deflector dish, set at the front of the drive hull and directly below the centerpoint of the primary hull, was a great gold eye with blue light circling it.
Unlike the Aurora, the ship only had two warp nacelles, mounted on the end of hinged pylons that were currently sloped downward, giving the nacelles the appearance of being like sled rails for the rest of the ship. The biggest structural difference, however, was a triangular pod that was held up on a forward-slanted rollbar built into the back of the primary hull. It had little in the way of visible windows, but there were running lights, and the azure surface was broken up by gray strips and elements. In size it was at least twenty meters wide and fifty meters long.
“Hm.” Colin considered the ship. That pod on the dorsal surface was interesting, he hadn’t seen one like it before. It would be a good place for forward torpedo tubes, but it wasn’t that. “What’s that pod on the dorsal surface?”
"The pod is for some of the ship's advanced sensors," answered Topakos. As he spoke the other telepaths got the feeling of a lingering awkwardness, like an adult might feel if they were suddenly acting like a child. It was only a faint thing, the evidence of a once stronger feeling weakened by time and practice. "It keeps the delicate sensors clear of any interference from the navigational deflector or the warp nacelles while they are facing downward. The pylons can raise the nacelles to where they clear the primary hull instead, that is the optimal warp flight configuration. This configuration is for optimal sensor operation."
I think he’s nerding out a little and trying not to show it… Colin remarked.
He’s not the only one. Max replied, glancing over at Isaac who was outright giddy. Twitching in place. Afterall, it was a science ship named for not just his favorite theologian/philosopher/scientist, but the most important in all of rabbinical Judaism. With Topakos though it felt different; then Colin got it. Miltiades’ entire society was full of telepaths. Why on earth would they speak? It was like a hearing child of deaf parents who learned how to speak in school, they might have some idiosyncrasies no matter what accent was culturally native.
Wait, no. I don’t think that’s it. Colin thought at Max. Then he turned his attention to the Ensign. If you prefer, we can converse mentally. We tend to speak when mundanes/mutes are around unless we want to keep something private. We’ll just keep Isaac in the loop for public conversations.
I have gotten used to speaking verbally with the mutes I serve with, replied Topakos. But I thank you for the consideration. On Kerkyra only children without manifested psionics speak verbally, so our society sees it as a sign of childhood. It becomes awkward for some of us to do so as adults.
Understood. When we’re by ourselves we tend to switch back and forth fluidly. But give it a few millennia, right?
The response was a glyph of understanding.
The ship grew much larger, large enough that the detail on the hull could be made out. The registry entry ASV-4685 was visible along a stripe of green painted on the azure hull. Gradually the ship moved to the right of the cockpit window and out of sight. The shuttle made a slow, leisurely turn to face the top of the drive hull. There, several decks below the big port for the ship's main impulsor drive, a set of doors were open. Topakos finished getting his final landing clearance and brought the shuttle back to its place in the ship's main shuttle bay.
The shuttle bay was mostly empty at the moment. Only two shuttles and a runabout were present, and all were being loaded by crew. Topakos brought the shuttle into one of the berths and powered it down the moment it landed. With a press of a key the rear hatch opened, showing the berth, and a pair of figures standing and waiting for them. Both were wearing the same uniform type as Topakos, black with burgundy red trim, with three and four slanted strips upon their collars to mark their ranks of Commander and Captain respectively. The Commander was an African man, bald, with curious brown eyes and medium height, while the Captain was a woman of Middle Eastern extraction, a light olive tone to her complexion. Her eyes were a lighter brown, intelligent, perceptive, and not hiding a certain passionate intensity. She was a head shorter than her subordinate, with a solid build, but there was no denying she was the one in command. When she spoke, it was with an Arabic accent. "Doctor Meier, Rabbi Liebgott, Mister Cohen, welcome to the Alliance Starship Maimonides. I am Captain Nasira Fanous, and this is my First Officer, Philippe Duwala."
“A pleasure to meet you both.” Colin replied “And thank you for the ride home.”
Isaac couldn’t help himself. He just couldn’t. “We don’t really have dedicated science ships back home. Might I ask about your mission profile?”
"The Maimonides is a Juvap Ky-class science cruiser," Philippe answered. His accent was distinctively Franco-African, Cameroonian from the area of Douala to be precise. "Our ship is meant for scientific missions. Exploration, surveying, and research, with five science labs aboard dedicated to various fields. We have the most sophisticated sensor package in the fleet, and our science department, both uniformed and civilian, is the same as that on a full-sized star cruiser like the Aurora or the Enterprise."
Colin considered that the Huáscar might be within that listing, but if he knew Zhen’var, she wouldn’t want civilians aboard and they’d all be military. Her general attitude was far more Earth Alliance or Dilgar with respect to how a ship should be run. Isaac nodded along. He didn’t have much context for an Alliance warship, but he knew they had a tendency to have large science divisions because of their multi-role operational priorities.
"Because of our enlarged science department, we have a crew of six hundred and fifty individuals," Nasira added. "Comparable to a Discovery or Nehru-class star cruiser, which are about ten percent larger than this type."
“Hmm. What does the name actually mean?” Isaac asked. “It’s not a language I’m familiar with.”
Nasira nodded. "Juvap Ky was the first Alakin scientist to discover gravity, and as a result she discovered the heliocentric nature of her world's solar system. She also advanced mathematical principles and refined the theological laws of her nation's dominant religion. You may think of her as something of a composite of Copernicus, Newton, and Maimonides, although the comparisons are not complete."
“Definitely an over-achiever that one. If such a concept is even possible. But I think I have a handle on the naming conventions. Good choice.” Isaac nodded. “I’ve always marveled at the ancient polymaths. How did they manage that? Had the Alakin even discovered caffeine or its equivalent yet?”
"Lieutenant Commander Treepk tells me that nakhtep was already known on the continent of Neekan at the time," said Philippe, who smiled at Isaac's query. "So Juvap undoubtedly had the benefit of it."
Behind them more shuttles were coming in for landings. "Commander, would you mind showing our guests to their quarters?" Nasira asked politely. "I will be on the bridge overseeing our departure preparations."
"Of course, Captain." Philippe nodded to her and looked to the others. "This way, please. We have the guest quarters on Deck 5 waiting for you."
“Thank you for your hospitality.” Max replied, as Colin made to follow Philippe. It was still so strange actually being welcome somewhere. Isaac didn’t catch it; he couldn’t, but they both shared a thought.
It can’t be like this everywhere in this Alliance. It just can’t be.
After settling in, Philippe returned with an offer that none of them could refuse.
Minutes after the offer was made, they followed him out of the turbolift onto the bridge of the Maimonides. The bridge was rimmed with displays and controls, the latter using a combination of touchscreens and hard-light displays, with three seats in the center (albeit closer to the stern wall). Nasira was standing beside the central seat and Philippe was already thinking of the one to her right as his. Those same thoughts revealed the one to her left as a seat for guests or senior officers visiting the ship.
Colin went for broke. “With your permission Captain?” he nodded toward the chair. She nodded and he sat down, taking in the room from Isaac and Max’s eyes.
Fanning out forward of these seats were three stations. Directly ahead was the helm, occupied by a tan-complexioned humanoid with burgundy red trim. To the right of the helm was a station with a blue-haired, purple-skinned humanoid with long ears, wearing an Alliance uniform with beige branch trim to mark Operations/Engineering. Colin and Max easily sensed the alien's slight telepathic potential, marking him as a Dorei and thus a touch-empath.
To the left of the helm was an officer with a brown branch trim uniform, marking tactical, a Human of tanned coloration and dark hair. Colin in particular could note the little surge of joy that Philippe got at looking at the man, with the name Rodrigo in the thought. A moment's further consideration made clear the link between them.
Hm. Surprises me that their military regulations allow shipboard romance like that.
Ours do Max replied matter of factly. Colin wordlessly acknowledged the point. Not everyone on the ship was a mundane, so things like coercion could be checked for if it ever came up.
Aside from these three stations were two more along the port and starboard walls of the bridge. The port station was marked Engineering and showed displays of the ship's systems within a large side-profile of the Maimonides, manned by an Asari of lavender complexion. To starboard was "Primary Science", where a green-and-red-plumaged, blue-complexioned Alakin was seated.
Colin didn’t think it was a very tactically efficient bridge configuration. On Psi Corps ships, the Captain had line of sight on everyone without having to turn their heads so they could easily check the content of consoles and the like through the other person’s senses, even if their rating was only a P5. Then again, without universal telepathy, he supposed that having the various stations arrayed around the commanding officer might be the only way to manage it.
"My bridge command crew," Nasira said, indicating each of the five bridge officers in sequence. "Lieutenant Commander Tanata Oparan, Operations Officer. Lieutenant Commander Treepk Ka, Science Officer. Lieutenant Rodrigo Vega, Tactical Officer. Lieutenant Latamrilam, Navigation, and Lieutenant Tasina T'Seris, Assistant Chief Engineer. I have already informed them of your identities, Doctor."
“A pleasure to meet everyone.” Colin replied cheerfully, burning all the names and faces into his memory. He knew he should say something, given that he was effectively head of state, or one of them because the Psi Corps didn’t operate with a single head of state, but it was still new to him. He thought he had it though. “The kindness your Alliance and now you have shown us is not something we’re entirely used to, and neither me nor the Corps will soon forget it. Thank you.” The more he thought about it, the more he was becoming convinced that given its leadership becoming an ISA member state might be a dead letter, but joining or affiliating with the UAS might be a possibility.
“This ship is amazing too.” Isaac added, picking up on Colin’s diplomatic overture and the thrust of what he was going for. “It and your mission are a credit to it’s namesake.”
"I'm in agreement with you on that, Rabbi Liebgott," Nasira said. She turned her attention to her right. "Commander Oparan, set jump drive to the Eta Serpentis anchor in E5B1 and take us out," Nasira ordered.
"Aye Captain," the Dorei man answered. "Setting for Eta Serpentis E5B1."
"Impulsors set to .15," added Latamrilam from the helm, his accent a thick Gersallian lilt. "Engaging and ready for jump acceleration."
"Jump set to Eta Serpentis, spatial aspect is good." After another few moments Oparan added, "We are clear of orbital space. Activating jump drive."
Ahead of the Maimonides a single point of brilliant green light appeared and, after a moment, expanded into a swirling green vortex in the void. Colin, Max, and Isaac noticed some similarity to the hyperspace jump points they were familiar with, although the pattern of the swirling was distinctive and different. The vortex expanded on the viewscreen steadily and then, as the space around it finally disappeared from view, the ship accelerated into the vortex and the screen rapidly filled until there was nothing but a flickering nothingness. For a brief moment the entire ship was outside of normal space-time, at the transition point between universes.
Then that ended and they were in a solar system with an orange star, with a rocky planet's dark side facing them.
"We've arrived inside the anchor zone," said Latamrilam.
The moment they were inside their home Universe, the soul-void Colin had been feeling for days was replaced by the sensation of a familiar mind re-entering his. Jubilation and relief, both his and Gene’s filled both of their minds and it only took a fraction of a second for Colin to feel Gene’s arms wrap around him and for him to return the embrace, as real to them as if they’d been in the flesh; to kiss his husband across the void of interstellar space. He knew he’d interrupted a strategy meeting about the PCS Fenrir, and that Gene was discussing fleet and ground-troop deployments with Commodore Rhee.
I’ve missed you. Gene told him, not in words, but in raw concept. There was something else there too, fear and dread. The Corps had the news about the attack on New Liberty and Gene had not reacted well. Colin knew Gene had paced almost to the point of wearing down carpeting.
I’ve missed you too Lover. Nazis can’t kill me that easily.
Are Max and Isaac okay? Gene asked. In response Colin recalled the memories and showed Gene exactly how okay Max was. The explosions began during a meeting with Golmar, while Max was in session at the convention center in the Jewish Quarter. They went to rescue him, assuming the Reich troops would hit it hard as a matter of principle, but Max had it well in hand. They got there to find a pile of swastika clad bodies and watched as Nazis simply died, shot themselves, or turned their heavy weapons on their own troops. All the while Max shouted invective in Yiddish and Hebrew at them, and forced mental images of Hitler committing suicide and the subsequent Nuremberg trials into the minds of the living. Max taxed himself doing it, and was bleeding from his tear ducts by the time Colin and Golmar cut down the remainder, but he was otherwise just fine and Isaac had never once been at risk. He also showed Gene their rescue of Robert and Beth Rankin. Colin felt the pride in Max swell in Gene’s mind. Excellent. Is that Golmar?
Yeah. Reconciled a bit. I suspect our relations with the Byron Free Colony might improve somewhat, especially now that we’ve changed posture toward the Alliance and the colony. How are things on your end?
Well, that damned unofficial pipeline made things pretty bad. It was already being exploited when you left; there are definite leaks to slavers within EarthGov, but we knew that already. Bloodhounds are looking into it and certain people are going to be having accidents, strokes, and sudden changes of heart in the next few weeks. We got notice from the Alliance by way of Beth Rankin though, and we’re making arrangements to set up a presence on Teyan Station and flagging known friendly ships. Between that and Lyta calling off her campaign, it’s giving us a chance to breath and redeploy. He let Colin look through his eyes at the strategy board and take it in, and Gene was right. The deployments were much more favorable; Transport Division could concentrate it’s forces along known slaver routes instead of having to do terrorist interdiction, and the deployments of Metapol and Security divisions followed suit. I figure we’ve bought ourselves a few months to a year. Gene finished.
That was good, to Colin’s mind. Before he left the talking heads on ISN were already starting to speculate on a ‘resolution to the telepath problem’ which Colin knew wasn’t just pundits spitballing, but was actually the state putting out feelers and prepping the ground. Every month was increased readiness, and Gene p’heard his inner monologue.
Yeah. In other good news, we managed to get our grubby mits on a new ship design. One of the competing designs for the Omega. A few updates to the reactor and drive systems, no rotating section, and we have a pretty capable cruiser with the firepower of an Omega that costs less to build than a Hyperion. Sueng is salivating at the prospect of being able to turn out six of them in the next four months. No one tell her that it looks like something of the old game Homeworld. I think someone might have been indulging a retro-fetish at the engineering firm that designed the thing. Gene furnished a mental image and Colin liked what he saw. It wasn’t quite the flying brick that was a typical Earth Alliance design. It actually had rounded lines and curves, but it was still recognizably human.
Very nice. Is that an improved defense grid tracking system I see in those specs?
And shields, yes. That mundane engineer Indiri found is doing good work. She even knows who she’s working for and why. God what was her name? Freddie?
Yeah that was it! Colin confirmed. Excellent. Good news. I needed that, thanks.
Any time I have it. Though I suspect you have to go before the crew of the Maimonides notices you’re staring into space and I have this meeting basically paused. Love you sweetheart. We’ll talk again soon.
Love you too you sexy manbeast. We certainly will. And Colin had certain ideas about what that would entail. At that point, the two stopped actively communicating but weren’t separate. Both could feel the other’s presence as if they were in a very small room together. Each doing their own thing, but not very far apart.
The whole conversation lasted bare seconds, unnoticed by the crew, who busied themselves with the usual process of gauging their surroundings post-jump. Colin returned his attention to the others in time for the next verbal order to be given. "Set course for Teyan Station, Lieutenant, cruise speed," said Nasira. "Lieutenant T'Seris, set configuration for optimum warp."
"Yes, Captain," the Asari maiden answered, along with Latamrilam's "Yes sir". T'Seris tapped at keys and, though no viewer showed it, the Maimonides's warp nacelle pylons went into motion. The machinery of their joints moved, raising the pylons and their nacelles so that they were now held above the primary hull, although still not quite as high as the sensor pod. "Nacelle configuration set for warp performance, Captain."
"Course laid in," added Latamrilam.
Like all of the old Facility officers influenced by Carlton Farmer, Montgomery Scott, and Nicholas Locarno, Nasira gave the order as it was done in Starfleet. "Engage."
The Maimonides' bank of naqia reactors went to near-full capacity once more, providing the energy now being funneled through specially-constructed conduits to the two warp nacelles. These energies steadily increased until, with a bright flash of light, they formed a warp field around the Maimonides. On the holo-viewer those on the bridge watched as space seemed to warp and distort briefly until it was replaced by visible streaks of light.
"We are now at our cruise speed of Warp factor 7," said Latamrilam, for the benefit of their guests. "ETA to Teyan Station is six days."
Looking to Colin, Nasira said, "Reynar is closer, but it has no jump gate, and given the attacks transport schedules are probably a complete mess. Finding a warp-capable liner isn't guaranteed. Teyan has the new jump gate and regular travel to the Earth Alliance so you should make good time once you're there."
“Excellent. I may have a bit of business there anyway, and can arrange for Psi Corps transport for the final leg.”
It’s already arranged. Gene mentioned as an aside in his mind. <One of the Olympus corvettes is en route and they’ll be sending a shuttle.>
Nasira acknowledged that with a nod. "Since you've been working with the relief efforts, I'm sure you would like some rest. The crew lounge on Deck 8 and the galley are available, and your quarters have replicators if you'd prefer to dine alone. And before you go, Doctor, would you and your friends like to have a tour of the ship tomorrow?"
“Wild horses couldn’t stop me from touring the ship if offered!” Isaac interjected.
“I think that’s a yes Captain.” Colin agreed. “But I wouldn’t mind getting to know the crew a little bit. Isaac, Max; what do you think about the crew lounge?”
“I’m in. Never have been a fan of dining alone.” Max agreed.
“And leave you two without the guidance of your rabbi? Perish the thought.”