In case you are interested in reading this from the beginning:
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The problem is, just where is Admiral Thomas? Last we knew, he was with the Vanguard fleet of Task Force 'rus. As I left, I believe Task Force 'rus was repairing and rebuilding for another run at 'rus Prime. What confused me was why looking at 'rus prime was such a big deal, and just who was it a big deal to? Sure, 'rus get all upset if you go active on the scanners and hit them too hard with them. So yea, i get it. 'rus like their privacy, but when Pete and I took the 'rus Monks to 'rus Prime, it was abandoned. As far as I could tell, the whole darn star system was abandoned. I was there, lying helpless in the autodoc for a long time. A long enough time that if the 'rus took exception to me being there, it would have been simple to turn me, and the Haul-o-caster to a grease spot from orbit, or for that matter if they wanted to preserve 'rus Prime, wait until I left and hit me in space. I was in no condition to fight back. Sure, they didn't know that, but it was plain that Hauley is a small ship with minimal weapons. Not much of a match for a 'rus ship of any size.
I guess all of that is neither here nor there though. If Task Force 'rus is still poking about the jump point to 'rus Prime, or even poking about 'rus Prime itself after all this time I would be shocked. For that matter, we don't even know if Task Force 'rus still exists.
It occurred to me that I didn't always have to have all the answers.
"OK everyone. Does anyone know how we might find Admiral Thomas?"
"The Fleet Databoard should have his most recently known whereabouts." Shelly suggested.
"Unfortunately, we are fugitives and will not be able to access the Databoard, or any other Fleet network." Lt. Tine answered, "To try to do so could even tell the Fleet where we are."
"Mother, would you be able to use backchannels?" Barnes asked.
"I think not." Mother Ahmisa replied. "Out of necessity, the Mothers work hard at maintaining our neutrality when it comes to politics. This touches upon the power struggle between Admiral Thomas and his family, and Admiral Foster whom I believe is the power behind the issues with the Lightning and the arrest warrants. And I'm afraid to say it, but maybe even the friendly fire incidents during and after the assault on 'rus Prime."
"That went by so quick, I was hoping that was one of your Morganite things that I shouldn't ask about." I said. The bridge got quiet and everyone stared at me.
"One of our Moganite things?" Barnes asked softly. "How could you think that was a Morganite thing?"
"Well, I just thought someone might have broken a rule or something and that's why the Baskins fired on that ship, and I have no idea why the other ship just blew up. I didn't ask because people get upset when I ask too many questions about Morganite stuff."
Quiet.
"What? What did you expect me to think?" Lacking any other evidence, that was the best I could come up with.
"I... Think I can clear up some of it." Shelly offered. "None of this is official, it's all scuttlebutt from a couple friends aboard the Bait and Tackle. I didn't say anything because some people get a little upset when I share stuff that might stir dissention... so..."
"Out with it Shelly." Commanded Cmdr. Barona.
"My boyfriend hosted a chat for me to meet some of his friends from different ships around the supply train, and to mourn some of their friends from ships that were lost. One of those friends was from the Doggeral Tonne, the freighter that self-destructed after the Baskins destroyed the Devil's Tooth. They said that Peitro had been trying to get a transfer off the Tonne because he didn't fit in there. They said that Peitro told them that the Capitan of the Tonne and his officers were all pro-expansion, and the crew were required to agree to pro-expansion rhetoric or be punished."
"Pro-expansionists?" Cmdr. Barona sounded shocked. "I thought those guys died out a long time ago."
"Sadly no." Mother Ahmisa said. "Many of the Hunter Sects moved that direction when the last of the Scientists were gone."
"My boyfriend's friends were all worried about that, a few refused to associate with me because of my family." Shelly said. "It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of my family joined the pro-expansionists. They wouldn't tell me, of course, because they think I would report them. They aren't exactly wrong. I mean, I did hear some casual conversations that went un-reported, but nothing actively seditious, I promise!"
"But why would they blow themselves up?" I asked. "Do they believe in their cause that much? Seems kind of pointless."
"Maybe they didn't." Lt. Tine said. "Capitan, I just took another look at the explosion that killed the Doggeral Tonne. You remember how I was confused at how big the explosion was?"
"Yes, you said there shouldn't be anything on that ship that could make it explode so big." I replied.
"I did, and looking at it now, I still stand by that assessment." Lt. Tine continued. "However, I did not remember the precise time the Tonne exploded, so to find the readings quickly, I glanced through the sensor logs and found something I missed. The Doggeral Tonne exploded exactly thirty seconds after the Devil's Tooth was destroyed."
"That's an odd coincidence." Barona said.
"Down to the microsecond." Lt. Tine added. "Awful big coincidence."
"Surely you aren't suggesting a Fealty Switch." Barnes said rolling her eyes as only Barnes could. "Someone's been watching too many low-class space opera vids. Those things will rot your brain and leave you sexually frustrated. Ask me how I know."
"I'll have you know, young lady, that I do not watch those things, and I'm shocked to hear that you do." Lt. Tine said a little harshly. "I thought better of you."
"Would it help if I said I just watched for the steamy parts?" Barnes asked. It looked like she was poking a little fun at the Leutenant's expense, but I didn't see how. I had never heard of a Fealty Switch, or space opera vids for that matter.
"Would someone please explain?" I asked.
"Well, there is this actor..." Barnes started.
"That's enough Barnes!" Cmdr. Barona cut in. "Capitan, there is a space opera vid that is popular among the younger people where two lovers who are part of a resistance movement are assigned to two different ships. She an engineer, he a helmsman."
"Which is totally bunk, no self-respecting helmsman would ever stoop to dating an engineer!" Barnes cut in. "No offence Smitty."
Barona gave her a sharp look and continued. "The plan is for the hero and a small group his fellow bridge officers to mutiny, then use the ship to strike a killing blow against the Evil High Command. Only the Evil High Command gets wind of it and plants a bomb, a Fealty Switch bomb, aboard the hero's ship that will destroy it if it falls into the hands of traitors. The heroine of the story finds out about the bomb and spends the rest of the movie using sex to bribe her way off her ship and across the galaxy, hoping against hope she gets there in time to save her man."
"It's very exciting!" Barnes added.
"It's smut." Said Lt. Cmdr. Dorn. "And entirely unrealistic."
"Who cares, Gerran Dometry is completely smokin! Although the steamy scenes are mostly de'Naiah Cortes and a long line of no-name actors. There is that scene where Gerran is dreaming of de'Naiah and starts stroking his..."
"ENOUGH I said!" Barona blurted out, cutting Barnes off before she could complete the thought.
"Just sayin, for that scene alone it worth sitting through the whole vid." Barnes said, sounding hurt.
"Um." I asked, "What's a space opera?"
Space operas aside, the important part was that it looked like someone took the idea of a Fealty Switch from a vid and put it into use. The very idea that someone would put a bomb on a ship to ensure they don't switch sides is beyond comprehension to me. I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't believe it.
Didn't stop me from personally searching ever single solitary square inch of my ship though.
I didn't find anything. Well, I didn't find any bombs. I did find a few things someone might consider contraband, but nothing dangerous so I didn't tell Barona or Mother Ahmisa about it. Let's just say, Barnes really does like "Steamy vids" and leave it at that. I also found a few of Pete's stashes around the ship that I didn't know about. The blasters I left where I found them, making note of where they were in case I needed one in a hurry. The booze went into a locked cabinet. It was all Pete's, I could tell, and I don't suspect anyone on the crew of being a lush, but no point in leaving temptations around. Everyone has a hard day now and then.
It's a good thing that Barnes found us a good hiding spot, because it took a few days to figure out what to do next.
"Mother, when we went with the Lightning to get supplies. We stopped at a supply stash, right?" I asked.
"Yes Capitan, and I have been very worried about them ever since." Mother Ahmisa replied.
"Worried why?" I asked. I was a little surprised, what was there to worry about?
"The locations of those supply stashes are generally held in secret. They are only used at dire need." Mother Ahmisa replied. "Admiral Thomas had to give the coordinates of that supply stash to Lightning, and with all that happened, I worry about what he might do with that information."
"Should we try to go warn them?" I asked, "It would be quite a trip. The quick way would take us through the jump point where we almost died. I don't want to ever hit that one again. The slow way would take months."
"No, if the Admiral thought they were in danger, he would make sure they were both warned and protected. I just worry, there is a lot that can happen in space."
"That brings me to the next question." I asked, "Are there any more like that one? Maybe close by?"
"None that I know of." Mother Ahmisa said, "But one of the others on the crew might know of one. We do need supplies. I'll ask around."
"The other question is, what kind of reception would we get?" I asked.
"That depends on the stash." Mother Ahmisa said, "Some of them would just turn us away, assuming the crew are Morganites working Outside. Especially with a non-Morganite Capitan. For others, the crew being Morganites would be enough reason to help. Some are completely sequestered, like the one we went to, and have little to no contact with anyone. While others will have family still living in Morgan space and have open communications with them. Some will know about the warrants already, some won't. Some will care, some won't. There really is no way to know until we get there and see how they react."
It turns out that Chief Williamson knew of a stash a half dozen hops away. He made sure to say he wanted it written into the record that he only provided the location of the stash because he believed us to be in a dire emergency, so that if anyone questioned his reasoning in the future, it was all official. We, of course, so noted.
The good Chief seemed to be on pins and needles as we transitioned into the star system where the stash was located. The system was about as back-water as a system could get. The system's star was nice enough, but the system didn't have any planets even remotely Inhabitable. The stash itself was huge and looked like a retired battleship that the residents had added to haphazardly over hundreds of years.
"Ladies and gentlemen! And you Barnes. I give you the Unchained Fury. Or at least what's left of it." The Chief announced. "My Great Great Great Grandfather was her final Capitan. They retired her here when he retired to give my Great Great Great Grandmother's people a place to live in peace. You see, Lt. Tine, the Scientists weren't the only people persecuted by their fellow Morganites. Granted, My ancestors' people weren't hounded to their deaths like yours were, so I'm not making comparisons. They left Morgan Space of their own free will. My branch of the family were more traditional Morganites so we didn't go with, but we did keep in contact. In fact, I even came to visit a few times when I was a child."
"What should we expect to find here?" I asked.
The Chief laughed. "As long as things are still the same as last time I was here, you are all in for a treat! My many times Great Grandmother's people believed we were made how the Good God intended us to be made. So don't be surprised if we find a certain lack of modesty when it comes to being clothed. I don't think it's needed for this crew, well except maybe Barnes, but counter-intuitively these people are more traditional when it comes to... shall we say... physical affection? So, look but don't touch! At least not unless invited to touch."
"Hey, why did you think I needed to be singled out when it comes to touching!" Barnes said, sounding a little hurt, although it may have been feigned.
"The no touching rule applies to yourself also." The Chief said, embarrassed.
"Ah, I get it. I'll keep that activity to the privacy of Shelly's bunk then."
"WHAT!?!"
"C'mon Shelly, we both know your sheets are so much softer and more snuggly. How do you do it? You can tell me. With all the fun I have in your rack while you're on duty, we're practically married."
Shelly looked like she was about to cry.
"Aw cut it out you big baby. I was only kidding; I don't do anything in your bunk."
"It's kidding like that I'm worried about Barnes." The Chief said, "The people here are uncomfortable talking about stuff like that. The only other potential problem I see is tattoos. They are a major taboo here. Before we dock, I'm going to have the autodoc remove mine. They can be re-applied once we leave. Lt. Tine, you and I have had a few conversations about your tattoos, and I advise you to keep yours. They'll take some explaining, but I believe these people will understand, and respect your decision to keep them."
After the briefing, Chief Williamson stopped by my office. "Capitan, I'm not sure how the people at the stash will react to your cyber device. The use of cyber devices in Morganite space started after this settlement was formed. Most of these people will have never seen a cyber device and may not know what to think."
"What do you suggest?"
"I suggest we handle it like Lt. Tine's tattoos." He replied. "Be up-front. Tell them the cyber device was done without your permission and that it can't be removed without killing you. Frankly, I don't know how they'll react to it. There is some precedent. Scars are treated as part of who you are, although purposely scarring yourself or another is frowned upon. They might see the cyber device similar to a scar given to you by someone. There is also precedent with regards to prosthetics, and to my surprise it was stretched to cover permanent prosthetics. Maybe they'll see the cyber device as a permanent prosthetic."
"Or maybe they'll chop my head off." I said deadpan. The instant reaction of shock and horror from the Chief was worth it. He soon realized I was kidding him and attempted to laugh. I had hoped for more, but I guess you get what you get. The Chief had been running himself ragged trying to think of everything, and I could tell the stress was getting to him. Oh, not like it would some other people, Chief Williamson wasn't falling behind on his work or anything. But I could tell.
We approached the stash carefully. It was - or had once been - a Morganite battleship after all. The Chief let us know that yes, as of last time he was here the guns had been not only maintained and kept functional, they were regularly updated. We were looking down the, well... barrel... of some pretty serious firepower.
"Unchained Fury Station, this is the Haul-o-caster. Request docking instructions." Shelly said into the comms smoothly.
"Hallercastwhatever, please come to a halt and stand by where you are. Please know you are under guns and we will fire if you come any closer without permission."
"Barnes, hold us here." I ordered. "As a matter of fact, back us up a couple meters. Not too far, just enough to put us back to where we were when he told us to stop."
"Already there Capitan. Holy stuff, would you look at those guns? The Baskins didn't even have guns that big." Barnes exclaimed.
"Vessel, this is the chief of the watch, Unchained Station. Could you identify yourself again?"
"Unchained Station, this is the Haul-o-caster, requesting docking instructions." Shelly repeated, omitting the "Fury" part of the name, mirroring how the station chief identified them.
"Haul-o-caster, Unchained Station isn't a commercial station. Please turn around and go."
"Can I give it a try Capitan?" Chief Williamson asked.
"Sure, can't get much worse." I said.
"GUNS Capitan, BIG GUNS! It can get a LOT worse." Barnes said.
"Belay that Barnes. It's not helping!" Barona hollered.
"Everyone relax. Chief, give it your best shot. Barnes, be ready to beat feet if they start shooting."
"Unchained Fury, this is Chief Argencourt Fariday Williamson. Chief engineer abord the Haul-o-caster, and Great Great Great Grandson of Fariday Williamson, who established the Unchained Fury settlement on behalf of his wife, Elenore Williamson to give her people a safe home. If you'll check the records, I have visited the station twice and I am on the list of residents with open permission to return at any time."
"Please stand by."
Then we waited... and waited... and waited. It took a few hours before we were contacted again. This time with video, by an older woman.
"Argencourt? Is that really you?" She asked.
"Aunt Essey. So nice to see you!" The Chief smiled.
"You've gained weight." The old woman said, but kindly. Like only an old female relative can get away with.
"Yes Aunt Essey, I grew a few feet in height too." The Chief's face seemed in danger of splitting in half with how big he was smiling.
"Dear, what is that thing sitting there behind you?" Aunt Essey asked. The Chief was taken aback a little, confused, then realized she was talking about me.
"This is my Capitan Auntie. Capitan Kid of the good ship Haul-o-caster. I know she looks a little different, but she's a good Capitan, and dare I say, a friend."
"Does she talk?"
"Yes, I can talk." I smiled. Most people asking a question like that would have been insulting. I got the impression that wasn't the case with Aunt Essey. She was just one of those people who are blunt, and not very good at realizing how her words might be taken.
"Oh, you do. How nice. I can't wait to meet you in person. Chief Parnett, what do we pay you for, why isn't my favorite grand nephew here getting his cute little face all smothered in kisses? And that cute little Capitan looks like she needs a hug and some good food."
I kid you not. She then started smacking the Chief of the Watch of the Unchained Fury, a man with control of more firepower than I had ever seen in one place, with her giant handbag.
Fending off blows, Chief Parnett managed to hit the right levers and gave us coordinates for a landing bay and permission to approach. The last thing we heard was Auntie Essey yelling "You put them in the far landing bay so I would have to walk didn't you!"
I suspected he did so to get himself as far out of purse swinging range as he could manage.
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