Death Never Leaves a Calling Card Read online

  Jenell’s face turned red and she said, “Admiral Nettles told me about the loss of someone important to you during your last mission and I went into the database and pulled up the records on what your units accomplished in stopping more than half-million message probes. It would seem to me that the ships to first enter combat with our forces will also be launching probes.” Tommy stared at Jenell with no expression and Jenell said, “Admiral Nettles was right, Sir. Commodore Hashem is one of the bravest, extraordinary women I’ve ever read about.”

  Tommy looked at Netty and saw her face was red as she said, “I needed someone to inspire me to do what must be done, Sir. What she accomplished gave me the courage to do it.”

  Tommy took a deep breath and lowered his head. He managed to say in a shaky voice, “Develop a plan and call me when you have it.” He stood up and quickly left the conference room.

  They watched him leave and George said, “He loved her very much.”

  Oscar sighed, “Death never leaves a calling card.”

  Lynch looked at Oscar, “What in creation’s name do you mean by that.”

  “You never know when Death is going to come calling. One moment you’re fine and the next Death is taking you to the next life.”

  Netty shook her head, “I’ve had a lot of close encounters with Death over my life span.”

  Oscar shrugged, “Yes, but Death didn’t leave you a calling card telling you when he was coming back.”

  Netty nodded and heard Jenell say, “I’m so sorry for putting you on the spot, Admiral.”

  “Don’t be, Janell. He isn’t angry at us.”

  “Then why did he get so upset?”

  “I didn’t know it until this moment but he never told her how he felt about her.”

  George said, “Just how do you know that?”

  “Because I’ve experience the same thing. Seeing her die without ever telling her how he felt haunts him. It will only get worse over time.”

  “Then you need to tell him!”

  Netty looked at Lynch, “Tell him what?”

  “How you got over it.”

  “Who says I’m over it?!”

  “Then it might do you both good to talk about it.”

  Netty said, “Start working on a plan and leave our personal feelings out of this!”

  Lynch shrugged, “Yes, Sir.” After a short pause, he said, “But you should tell him?” Netty’s eyes narrowed and he said, “I’m getting to work, I’m getting to work.” Netty tried not to smile but couldn’t pull it off.”

  • • •

  Tommy entered the conference room the next day with Commander Leb behind him. They heard the officers shouting at each other and Tommy said, “Ahhhh…”

  Netty jumped up and shouted, “Attennnshun!”

  Tommy smiled, “I would say as you were but it appears you were at odds. Take a seat.” The six officers sat down and Tommy said, “What’s all the shouting about.”

  Netty said, “I’ve found that we do our best work when each of us are defending a position. It often leads to loud disagreements, Sir. But not arguments,” she quickly added.

  “Have you come up with a plan?”

  “Not really, Sir.”

  “What have you come up with?”

  “I think we can destroy both Communication Lines but there’s no way to stop a message getting through to the Tronan Leadership.”

  “Why not.”

  I’m of the opinion that the line won’t start at the edge of their territory like the last one did. It will extend all the way back to that Leader’s location.”

  “I suspect it will, Admiral.”

  “As soon as we start taking out ships in the Communication Lines, any information will be passed on over us before we could prevent it. Even if we started attacking in the middle and went in opposite directions, the warships in those lines will be in range of others down the lines.”

  Tommy looked at Leb and said, “I told you they were pretty smart.” Tommy looked at Netty, “So what are you suggesting we should do with the information you currently have?”

  “Is there information we don’t have, Sir?”

  “Just answer the question.”

  “Get underway now and head back home. If we can’t prevent them from getting a message through, we can possibly help in the defense of our space.”

  “But we will fail in our mission if we do that, Admiral.”

  “Sir, I see no other possibility.”

  “That’s due to one tiny bit of information you don’t have.” Netty’s eyes narrowed and Tommy pointed the remote at the wall monitor. The monitor split into two side-by-side images. One was Tommy and the other was a pretty woman sitting at a console. Netty sat down and heard Tommy say:

  “Captain Fowler, I’ve just received a recording Admiral Oliver sent me showing the attack that was made on the Tronan Formation in Heaven’s Star System.”

  “Yes, Sir. I sent it to you.”

  “I appreciate your including everything that transpired and I have a question.”

  “What is that, Admiral?”

  “You mentioned that you blocked the communications between that Senior Leader formation and the Tronan Fleets behind it. How did you manage to make that happen?”

  “I entered the frequency the Tronan were using to communicate and filled the space between them with a high-frequency tone beyond their range of hearing. All they received was static.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re describing, Captain.”

  “I used a boosted signal to overwhelm their frequency.”

  “Would a scout be able to block their frequency.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I only had to block the frequency for a short distance between the two groups. However, it required me to use half of the power from one of the Flagship’s reactors to block it for that short distance.”

  “What if I wanted to block a frequency from moving through a space two-hundred miles wide?”

  “That would require the full power from fifty-reactors, Admiral.”

  “Could fifty-scouts using one of their reactors accomplish the same thing?”

  “No, there would be gaps in the coverage.”

  “Why?”

  “Because the frequency you would be trying to block must be stopped by a single source. Multiple sources could not maintain a continuous field.”

  “Are you certain about that?”

  Captain Fowler smiled, “Admiral, all fifty scouts would have to be in a line without one millimeter difference in the location of their sending units. If any of them wavered, even slightly, there would be a break in the field a clear frequency could get through.”

  “And if those scouts are moving?”

  Lydia snorted, “That degree of coordination can’t be done by machines that are built for the purpose. Moving scouts would have numerous breaks in the field.”

  “One more Question, Captain. You were blocking a frequency in normal space…would doing it in a filament be different?”

  “Absolutely, however, having to use one source wouldn’t change.”

  “What would change?”

  “The static frequency would be much larger.”

  “How much larger?”

  “Ten reactors could push it more than five-hundred light years in a filament.”

  “Thank you, Captain.”

  “Don’t mention it. I’m sorry I wasn’t helpful.”

  The monitor went dark and Leb looked at Tommy, “May I assume that is the reason I’m here.”

  “It is. Can it be done?”

  Leb tilted his giant head and said, “I have a hundred-reactors powering the Maw’s boosters. If I took fifty of them offline to broadcast this frequency, my speed would be cut in half.”

  “That would still be close to the Tronan’s top speed.”

  “Not close enough. They will catch us.”

  Tommy looked at his officers, “It will be up to us to make sur
e that doesn’t happen.”

  Leb shook his head, “Admiral, the moment that frequency is interrupted, their broadcasts will get through.”

  “Get with your engineers and see what they can come up with. Plan to meet with us in five-days.”

  “It’s my understanding the invasion is kicking off in twelve-days.”

  Tommy saw his officer’s eye fly open and he said, “More like eleven but we have some time before they arrive here.”

  “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thank you, Commander.”

  The huge Dragon left the conference room and Netty looked at Tommy. Tommy smiled, “Now what was your plan to destroy both lines.”

  “It won’t work in these new circumstances, Sir.”

  “I suspected as much. I’m going to outline a plan and I want you to take a few days and pick holes in it.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  • • •

  Tommy checked on them the next day and saw them hard at work. He turned and left the conference room to meet with Roger on the preparedness of the scouts. He came back the next day and saw Admiral Nettles standing behind the other looking over their shoulders. She saw him at the door and motioned him not to leave. “How’s the plan coming along, Admiral Nettles.”

  “We should have it ready for you to view by this evening.” Tommy nodded and Netty said, “Sir, may I speak to you in private?”

  Tommy stared at her and took a chair in the back row, “If we keep our voices down, this should afford us privacy.”

  Netty sat down beside him and said, “This involves something personal and I hope you won’t get angry with me.”

  “Do you dislike me that much, Admiral?”

  “No, Sir. But I want to share with you how I ended up in the navy.”

  “Why.”

  “Just bear with me and I think you’ll understand.” Tommy’s eyebrows lowered a tiny bit and he nodded. “Did you know I grew up on Earth?”

  Tommy’s eyes opened a little wider, “No, that’s not in your file.”

  “I was born there and attended engineering school. The courses were incredibly hard and my councilor suggested a tutor to help me with my math courses. My tutor’s name was Mike Simmons and he was a genius in math. He made the difference in my making it through. He insisted several times that he couldn’t teach me anything else but I faked not understanding the principles in my next classes.”

  “Why did you do that?”

  “Because I didn’t want him to leave.”

  “You had a crush on him.”

  Netty shrugged, “Something like that. He was a year ahead of me and he was due to graduate in a month and I was getting desperate. I had to tell him that losing him was not something I wanted. I decided to tell him during our next tutoring session.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He was killed that day when a reactor he was examining malfunctioned. A girder in the ceiling broke loose and fell into the cooling conduits, the reactor immediately went critical and melted down.”

  Tommy stared at Netty and she quickly said, “I was devastated. I left school that day, boarded a commercial trader, and worked my way around several galaxies before settling down on Romania a couple of years later. My personal history in fleet’s records starts on Romania.”

  “Are you telling me this because your records are inaccurate? I can tell you that it won’t make a difference in your promotion?”

  “Sir, I loved Mike with all my heart. I didn’t mention Earth in my records because I couldn’t bear the memory of losing him there.” Tommy stared at her and she said, “Do you know what made what happened so unbearable?” Tommy shook his head. “I never told Mike how I felt about him. I wasted my entire junior year at school keeping it to myself. That omission was too much for me to bear.”

  “Why didn’t you tell him?”

  “Because I felt so small when I was around him. He was so much more than I could ever hope to be interested in me.” Tommy lowered his eyes and Netty said, “I suspect the same thing is what haunts you.”

  Tommy sighed and said, “Gloria thought I was an egotistical kid.”

  “That’s because you were constantly trying to impress her.”

  Tommy looked up with moist eyes and said in a soft voice, “How do you know that?”

  “Because I did the same thing. I did everything I could to make Mike think I was special.” Tommy’s eyes lowered again and Netty said, “Sir, do you believe there is something after this life?” Tommy nodded. “And do you believe that when we go there we keep our selves intact.” Tommy looked up into Netty’s eyes with his head tilted. She quickly said “I believe we do and, if that is truly what happens, then Mike knows how I felt.” Netty paused, “And so does, Gloria.” Tommy took a deep breath and Netty said, “The only way I could get over my immense sorrow was to come to understand that if Mike was seeing me suffer, he would suffer with me. I owed it to him to put my sorrow behind me and allow him to find happiness wherever he is now. I think you should do the same, Sir.” Netty stood up and walked back to the front of the room. The five officers immediately looked at the table and pretended they weren’t watching. Netty sat down and Janell squeezed her hand under the table. Netty jerked her head toward her but Janell kept her attention on the table.

  Tommy stood up and left the conference room. Netty watched him go and prayed she hadn’t hurt him. He didn’t deserve any more pain. He disappeared through the door and Netty forced herself to focus on the plan.

  Three days later, Admiral Cranton still hadn’t come back. Netty silently cursed herself for being so stupid. Who was she to try and offer advice to a superior officer? She felt a vibration through the floor of the conference room and saw the others felt it as well. Lynch lifted his communicator and said, “Jeffe, what’s going on?”

  “Sir, the Ghosts are being brought back on board. The boosters are warming up and I think we’ve moving the ship as soon as they’re all here.”

  Netty’s eyes narrowed and she left the conference room. She arrived on the bridge and looked around. Leb said, “May I be of assistance, Admiral.”

  “Where is Admiral Cranton?!”

  “He’s in his quarters.”

  Netty turned and stormed off the bridge. She moved quickly down the main corridor until she arrived at the Admiral’s quarters. She lifted her hand to sound the entry button and hesitated. Her anger got the best of her and she pressed it. The speaker said, “Enter.”

  The door opened and Netty walked through and went to attention. Tommy was lounging in a tee-shirt and a pair of gym shorts, “Is there a problem, Admiral.”

  “Sir, we’ve been working on our plan continuously and you’ve not given us the courtesy of coming to see what we’ve come up with. Now it appears we’re withdrawing from our mission. My officers deserve better treatment!” Tommy stared at her and she said, “Sir!”

  “In this plan you developed, just where did you decide was the best location to attack their Communication Lines?”

  “At the half-way point, Sir!”

  “And do you think we should go there before the filament is filled with Tronan Warships or before they arrive at our current location?”

  Netty Rolled her eyes and said, “Excuse me, Sir. I appear to have started stepping on my lip just prior to walking in. I apologize for disturbing you.”

  She did an about face and Tommy said, “We’re not done.” Netty stopped her rush toward the door, turned around, and remained at attention. “Take a seat Admiral.” Netty looked around and went to a chair across the table from Tommy. She sat with her back stiff and Tommy chuckled, “You’re tight enough to stop a Tronan projectile. Relax, if it’s possible to move those muscles without breaking something.” Netty took a breath and lowered her shoulders. “That’s a little better.”

  Netty stared at Tommy and he said, “I’ve given some thought about what you told me. I didn’t trust myself with what I was thinking so I discussed it with my Executive Officer.
I loved Gloria but Roger has been my best friend since I entered the service. When I fail to see things, he always does. I told him what you told me.”

  “And?”

  “He says you are wise beyond your years. He once told Gloria that he thought I was enamored with her.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She told him that both of us had a lot of growing to do before either of us was ready for something like that.” Netty thought about it and shrugged. “Did I mention during our discussion that Gloria told me she was impressed with me?”

  “No.”

  “She saw I had grown up and she liked what she saw. Hearing her say that is what is beginning to fill my aching heart.” Tommy looked at Netty, “You’re right; I have to let her go. Thank you for your kindness.”

  “You will never forget her, Admiral.”

  “I don’t want to forget her. It’s the memory of her that makes me a better person. I will take the gifts from knowing her and try to be someone she could be proud of.”

  Netty smiled, “I think you’ve already done that and more, Sir.”

  Tommy nodded and said, “I’m moving the Maw half-a-billion light years on the Death Filament and moving out of Tronan Scanning range. It’s going to take about a year and a half for the Tronan to arrive at Heaven’s intersection and we are going to have to wait until that happens before we can start our assault on their two lines. I suspect there is plenty of time for us to go over your plan and conduct maneuvers to get ready…don’t you agree, Admiral?”

  “I do, Sir.”

  “Before you go, would you mind telling me what Earth is like. I’ve never been there and I’ve always wondered what it looked like.”

  Netty smiled and began talking as Tommy poured her a drink. After a few hours, she asked Tommy about his home world.

  “I’ve almost lost touch with what being on a planet is all about.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Over the last four years, I’ve only spent six-weeks out of a ship.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “No, it’s true. It’s been one mission after another. However…” Tommy looked up and smiled, “I’ll never forget Heaven.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “It was a beautiful planet inhabited by many species that all loved each other.” Tommy began talking and Netty knew in a short time that he was right. If half of what he said was true, the only name for it was Heaven. Finally, her communicator vibrated and Tommy said, “Go ahead.”