First Contact (Galactic Axia Adventure) (22 page)

“To bring you two up to speed,” she said to the two young troopers, “Sherry has a rather long list of injuries. We feared she might have a broken back, but it’s not as bad as we first expected. Her left leg, including both the knee and ankle are broken. Both shoulders were dislocated but not fractured, and her left forearm and wrist also suffered fractures. She’s suffering from a mild concussion but no internal injuries.  She has a number of cuts and abrasions caused by broken glass, but those will heal in time.”

The doctor noted their shock as both Stan and Delmar realized just how seriously Sherry was injured. She continued. “Don’t be too concerned. Her strength of will is amazing. She was quite a mess but came through the surgeries surprisingly well. We were able to repair and augment all of the various fractures, so they should heal up quick enough. What we still have doubts about is the damage to her knee and ankle. Initial tests show there’s still some minor nerve damage in her leg but it remains to be seen if she will have any significant problems.”

“What about doing some of those new nerve regenerative procedures?” Delmar asked anxiously. The thought of the energetic Sherry confined to a wheelchair was almost too much for the young trooper to bear.

“Unfortunately, the nature of her injuries preclude that,” the doctor replied evenly. “In cases such as hers, we can help speed things up, but that’s about it. We’ll have to let nature take its course and see what happens.”

“So there’s the possibility she may be not be able to walk again?” Stan asked, his face ashen with fear.

“That’s a possibility. But in her case, we don’t think so,” the doctor answered. “We won’t know for some time yet.”

“So where do we go from here?” Delmar asked.

“Right now you all have the hardest job,” the doctor said evenly. “You have to be patient and wait. I suggest Jake go in to be with her while the rest of you go eat or something. It’s going to be pretty rough for the next several days.”

Jake nodded at everyone and then followed the doctor back into the intensive care unit. After the door closed behind him, the rest of the group just sort of looked at each other until Agnes took charge. “Moping around here won’t help Jake or Sherry right now,” she said with gentle firmness. “Let’s go down to the cafeteria for coffee.”

Seated around a table in the cafeteria outside garden, small talk seemed almost impossible. As much as they wanted not to think about their friend struggling to survive, it was the one overpowering subject on all of their minds.

“So what does the Axia have you doing?” Agnes asked Stan in an attempt to open the conversation.

“Oh, just playing with computers like you’d expect,” Stan replied. His mission was classified so he could not discuss it openly in public. Dissecting the Red-tail technology in an effort to unravel their attack strategy could prove invaluable to their efforts to protect the Axia. It wasn’t that he mistrusted the Hassels or Delmar, but you just never knew who else could be listening.

“Must be pretty serious stuff,” Robert said, weighing in. “Not even the liaison officer could trace you.”

“I was on special assignment in support of an attack on a Red-tail position. Nothing special.

“Is that part of the recent operation where they found Red-tails congregating a few sectors over?” Robert asked.

“You know about that? I thought it was pretty hush-hush from the way my commander was talking.”

“Very little is kept secret about Red-tails,” Agnes volunteered. “Plus, we have our own sources.”

“As far as finding me, you have Delmar and Ert to thank for that miracle,” Stan said. “It was Ert that first told me about the accident and the emergency leave.”

“Who’s Ert?” Leatha asked. Stan and Delmar looked at each other and grinned. Finally, Stan cocked an eyebrow toward his friend.

Delmar nodded and then faced a puzzled Leatha. “Ert is a friend of ours here on Mica,” he said. “We met him while we were both here in the computer school.”

“It sounds like he must be pretty well placed in the Axia to find Stan and arrange emergency leave so quickly.”

“He’s well placed, alright,” Delmar said with a mischievous chuckle. “But he isn’t exactly in the Axia.”

“What do you mean?” Leatha asked. “Is he an independent citizen?”

“Independent, yes,” Delmar replied. “Citizen, no.”

Leatha looked more confused than ever. Robert and Agnes knew about Ert but decided to keep quiet and let the scene between the young people unfold on its own.

Finally Stan interjected. “What Delmar is trying to tell you is that Ert is a computer.” Leatha looked at him but didn’t speak. “A living computer.”

“I’m listening.” She was not quite believing what she was hearing. “I think you’re pulling my let, but I’m listening.”

“Ert is originally from Horicon, a planet that expired thousands of years ago,” Delmar began. “He was part of the central computer system on the planet and lay dormant after his handler and the rest of the Horicon population became extinct. He was discovered during an archeological excavation and transported here as a simple artifact. We met him while working on him at the computer school.”

“I heard about the archaeological digs on Horicon,” Leatha said. “It was all over the news service. But they never said anything about a working computer.”

“That’s because they didn’t know Ert was operational at first either,” Stan replied. “He was just a dead artifact to them. Somehow while in transit, he reactivated. After observing humans for a while, he finally figured out the language and contacted us. He broke into the school computers and caused all kinds of havoc while using Delmar’s personal identification number. He was the first person Ert spoke to.”

Leatha looked at her fellow captain and her eyes grew wide. Delmar decided to take up the story before she could ask more questions.

“I more or less lost contact with Ert when I left Mica,” Delmar began. “But Stan kept in touch with him after his graduation from computer school.  We exchanged words a few weeks ago when I was on my qualification cruise. He has some strange ideas about religion.”

“Religion?” Stan asked.

“Yeah, he’s a computer and he believes in the Unseen One.”

“We all believe in the Unseen One.”

“I know,” Delmar said. “But Ert seems to be on speaking terms with him.” Everyone laughed.

 “Ert contacted me right after I received my captain’s plate and reminded me that I still had a family and friends. I’d kept it all in the back of my mind while I pushed myself at Survey and Flight school. Hearing from Ert brought it all back. Then when I needed to find Stan in a hurry, I just called Ert and asked him to help. The rest is history.”

Leatha just shook her head. “I don’t know about you two,” she said. “You’re both full of surprises.”

Just then Jake came through the cafeteria and out into the garden. Agnes and Robert exchanged worried glances. The three young people stood, expecting the worst.

“I thought I’d come down and check on you people,” Jake said. “I have some good news. Sherry has regained consciousness and is now just sleeping. I’m going to spend the night here, so why don’t you all stay at our house? There’s plenty of room.” He handed Robert his house keys.

“I’ll stay in
Aurora
,” Leatha said. “I need to move her to the spacefield anyhow.”

Agnes gave their friend a much-needed hug. “Sherry is one tough trooper and is going to pull through this just fine. You make sure to get some rest and we’ll see you in the morning.”

“How about you two?” Robert asked Delmar and Stan.

“We’ll stay with you and mom at the Sender’s house.”   

Much later that night, Stan and Delmar went about settling into the same room Delmar had stayed in over two years ago when he’d first met Jake and Sherry. Leatha had taken Stan and Delmar to the spacefield so they could pack their supplies from
Cabbage Patch
then returned to the Sender’s house.

“Think Mom and Pop are still up at this hour?” Delmar asked as he hung his clothes up in the closet.

“Don’t know,” Stan said from where he was setting up his portable computer. Just then there was a knock at the door. Delmar went over and opened it to discover Leatha.

“May I come in for a minute?” she asked. “Robert and Agnes have already called it a night and it’s kind of lonely.”

“Sure.”

“Is he always like this?” Leatha asked Delmar, motioning toward Stan. “Does he always have a computer with him?” Stan looked up from what he was typing and grinned.

“I’ve gotten so used to it that it has become an extension of me.”

“He was the same way in computer school,” Delmar agreed. “Just give him a computer and get out of his way.”

“Could you show me this Ert thing?” Leatha asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Stan answered. “But don’t call him a thing. He really gets bent out of shape about it.”

“Sorry.”

Stan turned back to the computer. Leatha moved her chair closer so she could see the screen. She and Delmar watched while Stan accessed the computer net. After he was logged on, he simply entered one word—ERT.

 The screen went blank for a moment and then a response appeared. HELLO STAN. I’M HAPPY YOU MADE IT TO MICA. IS SHERRY DOING BETTER? I DECIDED NOT TO INTEROGATE THE HOSPITAL COMPUTER DIRECTLY. IT SEEMED CONFUSED BY MY APPEARANCE.

Leatha was astonished that this computer knew or cared about the injured woman.

YES, SHE IS, Stan entered. SHE’S OUT OF THE COMA AND SLEEPING NOW. JAKE IS STAYING WITH HER TONIGHT.

THAT’S GOOD TO HEAR, Ert replied. BUT YOU CALLED ME FOR ANOTHER REASON, DIDN’T YOU?

YES I DID, Stan replied. I WANT YOU TO MEET A NEW FRIEND.

IT MUST BE CAPTAIN LEATHA, Ert replied. They were all surprised that Ert knew about the young woman.

HOW DID YOU KNOW? Stan typed.

SIMPLE LOGIC. SHE IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP AURORA WHICH BROUGHT THE HASSELS TO MICA. SHE WENT TO SCHOOL WITH DELMAR WHO IS THERE WITH YOU. IT ONLY FOLLOWS THAT LEATHA WOULD BE THERE AS WELL. Stan laughed at the reply.

“I will never cease to be surprised by this guy,” he said as he got up out of his chair. “Come over here Leatha and get acquainted.”

Leatha traded chairs with Stan. She cracked her knuckles and poised her fingers over the keyboard. “Here goes nothing.”

Chapter Fifteen

Piercing the thin pre-dawn clouds, patroller AR-111, the
Windrunner,
left the surface of Maranar behind and reached for space. Again, careful piloting by Captain Taver maneuvered around the native detection fields as she carried her charges safely toward the mothership waiting far out in the void. Strapped in behind her were Commander Tess and the Maranar scientist Dr. Garret, each lost in their own thoughts.

Commander Tess found herself reflecting on the long night of meetings that had just ended. It had proven far more productive than she’d first expected. Someone had given serious thought to the prospect of visitors from space and it showed in the preparation on part of the representatives from Maranar.
It’s nice to find someone else on their toes for once
, she thought.

 The commander was most impressed with the scientist whom she’d previously met via the comm system. Garret seemed to have more understanding than he let on about the inherent dangers to his planet’s culture by contact with aliens from outer space. She decided she would need to query him further about that when they reached the mothership.

Glancing sideways at their passenger, the commander decided that he was a good choice to represent Maranar. They’d left Tim Errel and Diane Zubbe on Maranar to begin their evaluation of the native society. Although he didn’t know it, the scientist was along to evaluate the Galactic Axia. The commander noted that Dr. Garret was intently studying all he could see about the patroller from his seat. To see active curiosity in another pleased her and could be valuable later. She chuckled to herself to think of what his reactions would be once he was aboard the mothership.

Commander Tess stepped over next to the captain in the control chair. After conferring for a moment she turned and addressed the Dr. Garret. “Would you care for a quick tour?”

“Could I?” Garret replied incredulously.

“Sure. Captain Taver will be with you in a moment.” The commander and Captain Taver traded places so Tess could keep them on course to the mothership.

“Can she fly this thing?” the scientist asked.

“Of course,” Captain Taver replied, “Commander Tess is a qualified pilot and captain in her own right, although the ship she is used to is many times larger than this little thing.” The older man’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment as his eyes tried to take in the ship around him.

“You mean you have ships bigger than this?”

“Most certainly,” Taver replied calmly. “This is just a scout. We have ships with over a thousand crewmembers and that can transport a hundred ships like this one. They’re kind of like the aircraft carriers your navy uses.”

“I suppose they’re confined to outer space,” Garret said.

“What makes you think that?”

“Because of the tremendous amount of energy it would require to lift it out of a gravity well,” the scientist explained. “Not to mention the problem of protecting such a vessel from atmospheric friction upon re-entry.”

“How much mass do you think my ship has?” Captain Taver asked.

“Twenty tons at least.”

“Close,” Captain Taver said with a smile as she reached up and patted a bulkhead. “But
Windrunner
and I will take that as a compliment. Guessing a lady’s weight is bad form. You always want to guess her weight lower than you think it is so she’s not offended.”

“Do you always feel so personally about this ship?” Garret asked. “I mean, it’s just a machine.”

“But it’s not,” Taver countered. “This is my home. It’s also my personal ship. In our service, ships and captains are matched for compatibility and stay together sometimes for generations. I’ve been flying
Windrunner
for over ten years now and I expect to fly her for at least another twenty.” The scientist’s eyes widened as he considered the ramifications.