The table was mostly silent as the girls began bringing plates out, so Hugh thought he would break the ice.
"Captain Ayres, thank you for joining us this evening. How are things aboard the Invincible?"
"Very well, Captain, thank you. Your parents send their love, and can't wait to see all of you," she replied smoothly. The ploy worked, and people began to chat back and forth. Willie looked at him questioningly. He shook his head and mouthed 'after we eat'. She must have gotten the message because she nodded and turned back to the woman beside her.
"Excuse me, Captain, But aren't you and your wife, cryos?" The woman sitting next to Fallon, a Dr. Isis Tudor asked. A 'Cryo' was the slang term for those people that had been revived from cryo-stasis.
Hugh swallowed the piece of steak he was eating, and nodded. "Yes, my whole family was defrosted just over a year ago. I'd heard there were still a few folks left in stasis; I'd have thought they all would have been out by now."
"Well, originally they were supposed to be, but the work on New Geneva is far slower than predicted. I was wondering, if I may ask, how are you adjusting to the new laws and society? I understand it was quite a different world when you went into stasis," she asked.
Looking around the table, Hugh realized that most of the guests didn't look that much older than he and his sister. "Well, I took my beautiful sister as my wife, so I'd say we're adjusting well enough. I still find it really strange to be treated with as much respect as all of you are giving me. In the time we came from, Both Jenna and I would still be considered children for years to come. My becoming Captain of a starship, especially one as large and important as this one is, would have never been allowed."
Beside Dr. Tudor was one of the men that Hugh didn't get a chance to meet before dinner. "Captain, please allow me to introduce myself; I'm Emmit Carter. Sir, how did you tolerate being treated like that? Or is that the reason there was so much teen-age rebellion?"
Tatyana beeped softly at him and via the small screen she had told Hugh the Emmit was really Dr. Emmit Carter, a triple PhD and specializing in micro-neural cybernetic engineering ... whatever that was.
"I'm pleased to meet you Dr. Carter. It wasn't so much tolerating as that was simply the way things were. No one had full adult rights, independent of their parents, until the age of eighteen, in some cases twenty-one. For example, I couldn't legally have this glass of wine with dinner unless one of my parents had given their consent first. I feel I should mention that, back then, most teenagers weren't emotionally mature enough to handle full adult responsibilities. By and large their major concern was having fun and having sex." Hugh replied.
"Were you like that?" Mercedes asked from her spot next to Jenna.
Jenna snorted and almost choked on her wine. "No! He was a geek of the highest order! He is the only person I know that not only had his schoolwork done every night, he was way ahead in all the classes. When he wasn't studying, he was playing those damn video games."
Isis jumped back into the conversation. "I have no idea what a 'geek' is, but I assume from your description he was a bit of a non-conformist?"
"You could say that, but it was in a good way. He might not be the smartest person I know anymore, but back then he was," Jenna replied grinning at Hugh.
"What are video games?" Fallon asked. By now the whole end of the table was interested in the conversation.
"We didn't have holographic viewers for normal people yet, so everything we did was on flat screens like on a terminal. Most people thought video games were developed as something to keep kids busy while the parents either worked or did other things. What they actually did was improve hand-eye coordination, reflexes, and the analytical portions of the mind," Hugh said.
"They sound like some of our training simulators," Willie said.
"That's exactly what they were. Everything from space and atmospheric fighter craft, to strategy and logistics. A few of them even put you in the position of a general and had you plan out entire campaigns ... and yes Willie; there were even Battle Mech sims," Hugh grinned at her.
"Which were you the best at, Captain Goodwin?" RyeAnn asked far too innocently.
Jenna once again jumped in. "A new game would never last longer than a couple of months with him. It didn't matter what it was, he'd beat it."
"She's got a biased opinion." Hugh said, chuckling. "I was pretty good at all of them really, but I enjoyed the strategy sims the most; they were more challenging."
"Interesting, I'd like to learn more about these sims, as you call them. Perhaps some other time though? I get the feeling that dessert is about to be served," RyeAnn said.
"Captain Goodwin, I thought the Mech was a relatively new weapon in our arsenal," A woman wearing the rank tabs of Commander asked. "I didn't know we've had them that long."
"We haven't, Commander. When the Mech sims were programmed they used fictional Mechs, much like the space fighters in the other sims. We didn't have those either. The first step in development is imagination," Hugh replied.
Holly apologized for interrupting, and asked him if he would prefer cheesecake, or a piece of chocolate cake for dessert.
"I'm too full of that excellent meal for either one, please tell the chef the meal was wonderful. However, could you bring a cup of mint tea instead?" Hugh asked. The girl smiled at him, and headed back into the galley.
Turning back to the table, Hugh said, "Now, while you all enjoy your dessert, I'd like to hear Colonel Willie's long promised explanation, if you're ready, Willie?"
"Certainly Captain." Willie replied as she rose. "Some of you here already have this information, but most of you don't. Almost two years ago, Dr. Abigail Ryan told me of a concern she and a few of her colleagues had about the cryo-chambers. Since I am duty bound to investigate such things, I did so. The following morning I began by requesting a listing of reanimations, as well as the last inventory of the remaining chambers.
"The request was denied. I was informed I didn't have clearance for that information. So, I went to General Stanton and told him what I'd found. He told me he was aware that it all looked strange on the surface, but assured me nothing untoward was going on. When I asked him why I wasn't allowed the data I'd requested he told me simply that it was classified as need to know, and I didn't." She paused to take a sip of her iced tea.
"I didn't buy that BS for a minute, so I started poking around on my own. I broke a ton of regs, and in a lot of cases, had forged clearance to get into restricted areas. What I finally managed to piece together is at best, disturbing.
"I found that in the ten years that the council had been defrosting people, less than two hundred thousand had actually been revived. Yet when I finally got a count on the remaining chambers, there were only three hundred and sixty thousand remaining. Roughly a million of them were missing, and no one seemed to know exactly where they were.
"I had to do a few things I'm not very proud of, but I discovered that they'd been shipped off planet. The shipping tabs list the destination as Icarus Planium, the new medical research facility on the moon."
"I've never heard of it," Dr. Tudor said, softly.
"I doubt anyone's heard of it, Isis, it doesn't exist. The Chambers were all taken to the main lunar facility. We still don't know why they were taken there, or what happened to them. As soon as I discovered they'd been shipped out of Eden II, I posted armed and armored marines at all the entrances to the storage areas. Since then, they've denied access to several cargo teams, and even had to get violent with one very pushy Cargo Master.
"General Stanton tried to order me to remove the Marines, but since the chambers are my responsibility until I surrender it to a replacement, I told him to talk to my mech. So, Captain, we currently have all the remaining cryo-chambers on board. The goal was to take them someplace safe, and out of the reach of the Council and the Breeders." She took another drink of her tea.
Hugh nodded. "Okay, I'm with you so far. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I know we're now in open revolt against Council rule. I also assume that there is a damn good reason for it, since none of you seem like flakes."
Willie nodded. "Through the skills of a friend, we were able to discover some very strange orders and occurrences. For example, the orders for the transfer of the chambers back to the Lunar Facility actually did come from the Council, but they originated with the Breeders Guild.
"A lot of the information was encoded, and all of our smart folks are working on breaking it, but what we've been able to figure out since, is just enough to be scary. The chambers were sent back because of some experiment. From what we can gather, it looks like they might have found a way of reversing the genetic damage caused by the Orlafson Vaccine.
"The big question is; what did they need over a million healthy, undamaged humans for? Are they experimenting on them? Are the people in the chambers even still alive? If so, are they now infected?"
"Anyway, I had my friend dig around in the Corp Command Net. He discovered that the Corp is running a subtle brainwashing program on all of us with neural implants. That right there just pissed me off, and I decided that the Corp had broken faith. I told my people, and all of them agreed with me." She nodded toward Dr. Carter. "Emmit is getting us fixed up. We'd simply have the implants removed, but they're required for the mechs, and the fighters.
"There are also plans for the forced restructuring of our society. We only found the military part of the plan, but it was pretty brutal. Which explained the mind control stuff.
"So yes, we are in revolt against whatever it is our rulers are turning into. As for the contents of this ship; there are the pods full of Cryo-chambers out on F ring. E ring holds the research labs, the brig, and supply pods. D and C rings have my entire combined arms battalion and all of our equipment, ammo, troop housing, and even one whole pod so they can train and stay in shape. B ring holds a complete medical center, two pods of extra fighters, and one pod of extra mechs. A ring is non-military residential and crew quarters and recreation areas, there is also the combat information center. All the ship's weapons are controlled from down there.
"I think I should also mention that the engine room is a bit larger than usual for this class of ship. It's bigger to make room for the extra engine, as well as the oversized translation enabler," Willie finished, and took a long drink from her fresh glass of tea.
"You implicated the Breeders Guild in the transfer orders, but are they involved in any of the rest?" The Commander from earlier asked.
Willie had retaken her seat, but nodded at the question. "Yes, they are. Almost every order the Council has issued in the last six or seven years has originated with the Guild. In some cases, the orders are simply posted directly from the Guild, but with the Council's seal on them. I'm personally beginning to believe that the Guild and the Council are one and the same."
"Okay, I got the important parts; Confederation – Bad, Us – Good. You mentioned weapons, and a CIC. That's highly irregular for a cargo ship, and I feel obligated to tell you, I have no idea how to fight a starship," Hugh said, to a few polite chuckles.
This time, it was RyeAnne that answered. "I think I mentioned before that you were not the voice I expected to hear. There had been an entire crew already picked out for this ship. Willie was our coordinator since she could pass messages, and make sure everything was in the right place at the right time. There was an officer lined up to handle the ship to ship stuff in the CIC for you. Basically, you call 'red alert', and sit back. At that point, she takes over the ship until the crisis is over. Don't misunderstand; you're the final authority on the ship. Think of the TAC as a specialty pilot."
Hugh nodded acceptance and mentally sighed in relief. He looked back at Willie. "So what happened to the crew?"
"Most of them made it; you've met Lt. Handysnack, and Ensign Yummy." Beside her, Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Pretty much everyone planned for made it, except Captain Reynolds, Commander Seneca, and the Engineering team. All of them were serving on the same ship, and should have arrived back at Eden II last week. It looks like they were ordered to the New Bethlehem Orbital Habitat. No one's heard from them since."
"How did you decide to pick us for this? We'd only just met," Hugh replied.
Willie shrugged. "Gut instinct. That and the urgency to get you out of there before you were taken into protective custody."
Dr. Tudor looked stunned. "Why would you take him into custody? Did he do something wrong?"
"Yes, he did. He committed a very horrible crime in our society; he's fathered two male children. Such temerity must be punished!" Willie replied in disgust. "What right do they have to strip a person of their rights, take them away from their family and loved ones never to be heard from again?"
"Before your explanation, Colonel, I would have said that they are working to save the human race. But now, I'm not so sure they even have our best interests at heart," Fallon answered. "I think there is a far deeper evil at work here."
"What do you mean, dear?" Isis asked gently.
Fallon looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm not sure; Colonel, whatever happened to that little bitch that decked the Master Chief?"
"You mean Master Chief Cameron? Who drugged her?" A woman down the table asked. She wore the rank tabs of a Marine Captain.
"No one, damnedest thing you ever saw, Alexis. This little hundred pound rag doll, palm punches Manny right between the melons and sent her flying. It would have been comical if it wasn't so damn scary. On the Doc's advice, Miss Hanna Rene is in an ultra-max cryo cell until we figure out just what she really is," Willie replied.
"She's not human?" Dr. Tudor asked.
"I honestly don't know, Isis. Her base DNA coding is human, but from there, it's anyone's guess. I do know she's pumped full of some weird kind of biocyte I've never seen before. I can only surmise that somehow, those little buggers are hyper-accelerating her on demand; giving her the strength to quickly take out even someone like Manny. Since I couldn't give Willie an accurate threat evaluation, I recommended the ultra-max," Dr. Abby Ryan answered from her place opposite Willie.
"I always knew there was something about that bitch that was just evil," Jenna said. "Even when she and Hugh were just cuddling, you could see the intense insanity in her eyes. I half expected her to reach up and try to break Hugh's neck at any time."
"Well, I should know more once the computers get done analyzing her coding. I gave Emmit a sample of the biocytes so hopefully he can tell us what these little critters are for," Dr. Ryan replied.
Emmit nodded. "I haven't actually had time to do anything with them yet. I put them in shielded containment until we get done here. However, I should mention that even biocytes can't boost a human body that far; our skeletal structure would shatter like untempered lunar crystal."
"I know, Emmit, but how else could that little girl take out someone like the Master Chief?" Abby asked. "Very little about that girl makes sense,"
"I don't mean to change the subject, but if I may ask, Willie, where are we going? Mr. Yumi only handed me an n-space target," Jenna asked.
"I can't answer that, sweetheart. I don't know," Willie replied, and looked to RyeAnn.
"I'll make sure Hugh gets the information, he can pass it to you. Only our ship's Captain's and their Astrogators have that information. No one else knows where our new base is. We're keeping it that way on purpose. We're not sure how many ships the Council has total control over, but even if they aren't in direct control, we are still in mutiny against our superiors. They would send the remainder of their fleet to destroy us. At the moment, they out gun us heavily," RyeAnn answered.
"Oh? I thought we'd gained on them considerably with the Titania?" Willy asked.
RyeAnn shook her head. "We don't have more than scanner ghosts for proof, but there is, what looks like, a very large, well armed, armada on the other side of the Hermes-Owens transit lane. We sent a scanner drone through disguised as a survey probe bound for the Helios system, but it disappeared once it entered the terminus. We couldn't find out why without raising suspicions. It was supposed to have sent a coded pulse before altering course and attempting to jump without a translation computer. We never received the pulse."
Before anything else could be said, Hugh stood motioning everyone at the table to stay seated. He bid Jenna and Fallon join him, and he led them around the table. Once in the seating area the guests had been in before dinner, he reseated he ladies then turned back to the table. "Willie and Mercedes, would you please join us?"
As the pair got closer, Hugh signaled the guards at the door to come closer. Then held out his hand to Willie, "Your pistol please?"
There was some nervous whispering going on around the table, as Willie handed over the heavy weapon. Hugh, in turn, handed it to one of the guards.
"From this point on, no one in this group may leave this room without permission from Dr. Ryan, Dr. Carter, and Captain Ayres. After you acknowledge these orders, you are to no longer accept orders from any of us, until cleared by Captain Ayres. Understood?"
The guards both nodded, and stepped back, readying their pulse rifles. Hugh turned to the four stunned females.