Free Alien Enigma by Darrell Bain, Tony Teora Page B

them, but I don't expect you to have many mechanical problems. Even if you do, you have a shitload of spares in your cargo and a machine ship that can repair anything short of being broken in two. At any rate, we're issuing alerts to your crew and your marines. As soon as they're all aboard and you're loaded, you're free to go."
    "Yes, sir. I'm glad I put in all that time studying the new goodies. I ought to be able to understand at least every third word of what Lieutenants Jergens and Wannstead tell me when they're explaining something now. We'll get it done, sir."
    "Good man. Get your ship organized and provisioned. I'll expect you to give me a tentative departure date within three days."
    "Yes, sir," Keane said.
    "Right. I'll say good night, then. We'll talk again before you leave. Oh, wait! One more thing. The Santa Cruz has been diverted from her mission and sent toward the Bolt Cluster. You're to catch up and rendezvous with them. The specific system where you'll meet will be in your departure orders."
    "Do you think I'll need help, sir? From the Santa Cruz? "
    "It's just a precaution. As you're well aware the Santa Cruz is first generation, an A Class, and will be little more than a chase ship there to record and scoot back home if you run into trouble. Its sole function is as backup and to record what happens. Doc Travis will do the initial investigation while Santa Cruz hangs back. If your ship is captured, destroyed or otherwise incapacitated, their orders will be to disengage from the system immediately and return to Earth with whatever intelligence they have. That way we'll get at least an inkling of what the fuck's going on out there. Now, good night, Captain."
    "Good night, sir." But Mullins had already cut contact.
    Keane got very little sleep that night, nor much for several nights to come. He was able to tell his admiral two days later that the Doc Travis could leave Earth in ten days, perhaps nine. It reflected well on the crew and absolved him of a few fears, but there was no getting away from the fact that very shortly his ship would be going in harm's way, and it hadn't even been tested!
    ***
    Marine Captain Cindy Cantrell, Executive Officer of the Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard Doc Travis , thought it fortunate that she would not be interacting much with Captain Keane or Commander Dunaway. Her courtesy rank - she had to follow the silly custom of no more than one "captain" aboard a navy ship - would be "Major", the same rank as Major Rambling, the commander of the marine detachment. But she knew she was in good company. Major Steel Rambling was a straight, no bullshit, get-the-job-done leader. People said he never smiled and that he worked out at the gym two hours each day religiously.
    He wasn't unattractive despite his ears and nose being bit overlarge but Cindy felt that anyone who didn't smile much, even on the off hours, was a little strange. But he did have good instincts. He requested Cindy and others to sneak aboard more ammo than the marines normally smuggled into their ships. He said he suspected 'the excrement was going to hit the rotary impellor' once they arrived at their destination. Shit, if this was a boat, the damned thing would probably sink from all the stores beyond what the specs called for. But she was assured that the new class ship with its modified quantum drives could fly with twice the weight. A good thing since it seemed like every damned person on the ship was trying to find ways to smuggle extra weapons and ammo on board. What was the captain hiding? What had the top sergeant told the troops to get them so stirred up? Where the hell were they going?
    Cindy tried to curb those questions and perform her job. She felt nearly overwhelmed with the manifold duties of getting the rump battalion of marines supplied, armed and berthed in Doc Travis in preparation for a mission that might last as long as two years. It involved many factors not ordinarily necessary for the fighting