Unity: Survey Intragalactic, #2

By Gina Pond

2023 LESFIC BARD AWARD RUNNER UP IN SCIENCE FICTION!

 

Jack Kirby, haunted by the memories of a failed colonization mission and the loss of his lover, seeks solace in a new position as Religious Program Specialist on a remote PreCol station. Surprised to find a new family in his colleagues– his boss, the enigmatic Chaplain Marsha Brooks, cheerful Ensign Jenny, and determined Ensign Mark– he is able to finally start healing. However, after terrorists target a ship from the AI nation of Survey, Jack soon becomes embroiled in an espionage game that has galactic implications. As the stakes rise and dangers loom, can Jack keep his new family safe?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gina Pond
• Release date: Feb 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215340004

Book preview

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed herein are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

Unity

Copyright (C) by Gina A. Pond

All rights reserved.

Cover artwork, book design and typography by Sarah Thompson.

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This book is for my father, Sergeant First Class (US Army Retired) Alfred Dean Pond, 173rd Airborne Brigade (Sep) who served in Vietnam May 1965–May 1966, and Freddie Giannelli, USMC (in memoriam) who also served in Vietnam, and for all soldiers: past, present, and future wherever they have served. May you find peace wherever you can.

Prologue

01

Marcus, are you done with the programming I asked you for? demanded the man standing at my desk.

Yes, Doctor Mills. I finished it yesterday. Didn’t you get my email? I sighed. Harry Mills was a great physicist, but a crap manager. Why he ended up head of this project, only the government knows. No, that’s a lie. I knew. He was made head of the project because he lowballed all the others who were fighting for the grant money. Most of those folks had gone on to greener pastures. I was grateful that this wasn’t my real job, or I would have quit two weeks in.

Mills pulled out his tablet and tapped it. Oh! Yes, so you did! Sorry, Marcus. Carry on. He walked away, muttering to himself.

Fucking space brain, I thought to myself. This has to be one of the worst assignments I’ve gotten. My department head must hate me. Or, maybe they just haze the newbies? I shrugged to myself and went back to the drudgery of coding the interface for the jump drive. Face it, Marcus Rohner, you’re stuck here for the duration, you might as well accept it. I sighed again, put on my headphones and let myself get lost in the code.

Which is why I didn’t realize something was going on until my computer went out. Shit! I said out loud to the empty office area. Everyone else had been in the lab working on the jump drive. So either Mills and company fucked up the computer again, or... I took off my headphones and heard slow footsteps coming into the office area. I ducked down, then peeked carefully around the edge of my cubicle. A short, old man with a balding head and a dark gray suit was walking steadily down the hall, going into each cubicle for a minute or so, then coming back out again. At the third cubicle he stopped as if listening to something, then said out loud. Keep looking. He can’t be too far. They aren’t allowed to leave the compound, normally.

Shit, shit, shit, I thought. I have to get out of here! I pressed the button on my wristcom that would have normally sent a mayday message to my handler, but when the display said No Signal I froze. Now what? I asked myself, beginning to panic, when suddenly a little silver cube was floating in front of me.

I stared at it, then tried to swat it away, but it evaded my hands. The gray man seemed to come out of nowhere and stood in front of me. When did he go quiet? Fuck. He’s way better than me.

The man tsked and shook his head. Well, it seems that Unity intelligence training isn’t what it used to be. Shame. Oh well. Sedate him. The cube quickly bumped my neck, jabbing me with a needle. The man gave me a disappointed look. My last thought before I blacked out was, Fuck.

I woke up briefly in a gel tank, with a breather over my face and the rest of me wired up for long term, high g sedated travel. I tried to sit up, but I was strapped in. When I looked around, I could see all the other scientists strapped into tanks alongside me. I started to panic, but someone came over to the tank and said, Oh, no, this won’t do. A few seconds later, my body went numb and I blacked out again.

The next time I woke, I was lying on a cot in a large room. Mills and the other four scientists from the jump drive program were also waking up. Bloody hell, Derek, one of the engineers, mumbled. What bleeding truck ran us the fuck over?

I don’t know, Tara, the other engineer, said. My mouth feels like old carpet.

Gail, the deputy director, was the first to try to stand. Ugh, same here. You three ok? she asked the rest of us. Kevin, the mathematician, nodded. Yeah, I replied. Doctor Mills groaned, but waved weakly.

I looked around the room. Besides the cots, there was a large conference table with chairs, something that looked like a food printer on the wall, and two doors. One was open and one was closed. Tara was closest to the open door, so she went to investigate.

Found the loo! she said. I heard a door close. A couple of the others followed.

I stayed seated while I surveyed the room, since my body felt pretty wobbly. There were no other obvious ways in or out. I got up and made my way carefully over to the food printer which thankfully was functional. I dialed in an electrolyte drink. Food printer works, I reported to the others. I dialed in a second electrolyte drink and brought it over to Mills. While the man might be scatterbrained, he was also much older than the rest of us, and the way we traveled here was hard on the body.

Thanks, Mills said, taking careful sips of the liquid. I did the same.

After we had all taken care of necessities and had something to drink, the closed door opened, admitting the bald man I had seen in the lab. He was still wearing a dark gray suit, along with leather gloves and boots, and was carrying a metal briefcase. We all stared at him as he walked to the table, opened the case, and pulled out a small black cube and a larger silver cube. He closed the case and put it on the floor beside him, then sat at the head of the table. Please, sit, all of you.

Who the fuck are you? demanded Derek.

I am John Smith, the Head Librarian. Sometimes I’m called the Gray Man. You are currently guests of The Library, the man replied calmly.

The Library? What the hell is that? asked Kevin.

Apparently the name of wherever we happen to be, said Doctor Mills, surprisingly calmly. All of you, sit down. I’m sure Mr. Smith will give us an explanation of why we were abducted.

No fucking way! said Derek. I want to know who the fuck you are, and where the fuck we are right now! And I think everyone should shut up until we can contact lawyers!

Mr. Smith sighed. As I already told you, you are guests of The Library. To be more specific, you are on board a Survey ship called Sun Tzu.

I felt the blood drain from my face. Sun Tzu? Not many people had been on Survey ships. Fewer people knew that there were seven capital ships, each of which had a specific purpose. While I didn’t remember all of them, there were two that intelligence officers were always briefed on: Musashi and Sun Tzu. These respectively housed the military and intelligence arms of Survey. It was the first time I had ever heard of Sun Tzu being called The Library, but no one in our agency had really good or current information. The legends of these two ships and their run-ins with Unity Fleet definitely didn’t favor Fleet.

Survey? Derek said. Whatever! I don’t give a fuck who you are! Take us back right now!

Derek, shut up, I said.

Oh, fuck off Marcus! He turned back to Mr. Smith. We have rights! I want a lawyer!

I’m sorry... Derek, is it? That is quite impossible. You see, as you were sleeping, we’ve jumped over one hundred light years from where you were.

What?! Derek yelled.

Mr. Smith gestured to the nearest empty chair. If you sit down, I can explain things to you.

Sit, Derek, Mills said. I’d like to hear why Survey has captured Unity government workers from a top secret laboratory and interrupted very important scientific work. Derek obeyed the director reluctantly.

Mr. Smith leaned forward. We have interrupted your ‘very important scientific work’ because if you had continued that work, you would most likely have destroyed the planet you were on, or the solar system, or maybe even the galaxy.

Mills raised his eyebrows. You’re kidding, right? We’re just creating a jump engine! This is ridiculous. This is only because you Survey people are so stingy with giving us engines that we’re trying to make our own!

I was surprised. Mills usually came off as completely scatterbrained, but now he seemed much more astute. Maybe I underestimated him? Or maybe he’s more serious when someone threatens his work? I wanted to shout at him to just do what Survey wanted, but Mills never really listened to me before, so I didn’t think he’d do it now. The others waited to see what would happen next. I had a feeling that Mr. Smith was not impressed with Doctor Mills.

No, doctor, I am not kidding. We have a very good reason for being stingy, as you say. The technology is extremely dangerous and must not be attempted by humans.

Maybe he’s right, I said out loud. The others looked at me. What? You don’t believe him? Come on, we all know that Survey has better tech than we do. I’ve heard some... stories... about Sun Tzu. Seriously, if they don’t think we should be fucking around with this, then they probably have good reasons for it.

Derek started to say something to me, but Gail cut him off. Why shouldn’t we work on it, Mr. Smith? she asked.

The first time a human attempted to experiment with jump drive technology, they destroyed an entire solar system whilst vaporizing themselves in the process. The second time a human’s understanding of jump drives was used, it destroyed two star systems, one of which had proto-sentient life on its fourth planet.

Fuck, I said.

He’s just saying that to scare us! said Derek. They don’t give a shit about us, they just want to make more profit off us and keep their trade exclusive!

Dude, seriously?! I said. Why would they bother kidnapping us from what we thought was a secure facility and transporting us a hundred light years away if they didn’t give a shit about us? Why would they fake this? That would be a waste of resources. Just like bringing you along!

What was that, you little shit!? Derek yelled, standing up.

Activate and mark, said Mr. Smith calmly. The silver cube seemed to melt into six smaller cubes, which suddenly launched themselves from their position in front of Mr. Smith to right in front of our noses. I stayed absolutely still, remembering the last time I encountered one of these. Mills moved his chair backwards, nearly falling over. Gail, Tara, and Kevin moved back as well. Derek, the moron, started trying to catch the little silver cube, but it kept moving just out of reach. At least it kept him occupied enough to shut him up.

The bald man sighed. I suggest you stop that, Derek, and sit back down. I would hate to have to sedate you again. Derek complied sullenly, glowering at Mr. Smith. I am giving all of you a choice. You can stay with Survey, for the rest of your lives, pursuing other work in your field of expertise. Or, you can die. Here, today, right now, in this room. If you choose not to live with us in Survey, we can offer you a quick and merciful death. If you had stayed where you were, things would have gone badly for you anyway. All of those interested in this technology would have attempted to capture you, and, if successful, would have tortured you to find out what you knew. We had intelligence that one of those groups would have been your own government.

Mr. Smith, really... Doctor Mills tried to interrupt.

Yes, doctor. You would like proof. He rapped his knuckles on the table twice, and a screen rose up from the middle. Then he tapped the black cube and footage began to play, of a sun going nova. Rather than the typical collapse followed by an explosion, it looked like a wave passed across the star, consuming it in a massive fireball over the period of about five seconds. The table in front of Mills lit up, and I craned my head to see what it was. It lit up in front of Gail, too, and she scrolled through it. Is this for real? she asked Mr. Smith.

That was real time data that our brother ship, the Musashi, recovered at this event, the second use of human-derived jump equations. As you can see, the output was $10^28$ times more powerful than Earth’s most powerful nuclear weapon, and an order of magnitude more powerful than a Type Ia supernova. As I said, this blast took out two star systems and badly damaged the ship that triggered it.

Gail turned white, as did Mills. Apparently, the data was enough to convince them of the severity of the issue. Derek still looked confused, but watching a sun go nova in an obviously unnatural way seemed to continue to keep him quiet. That, and the silver cubes still floating in front of each of us.

You will have a good life with Survey. There will be no need for you to apply for grants. You can undertake almost any research problem you’d like to apply yourself to. You can pursue other careers if you like. Your needs will be provided for, no matter what you choose. Our society isn’t based on capitalism, and you’ll find our resources more than adequate. Mr. Smith attempted a smile, but it wasn’t reassuring.

It didn’t seem a hard choice to me. I’ll stay, I said. Mr. Smith nodded. Everyone seemed unsure, except for Derek. He stood up again.

No! I won’t agree! Send me back now!

Mr. Smith frowned. Derek, I already told you that we can’t.

I have rights! You can’t force me to stay! I want a lawyer! That footage has to be faked!

Mr. Smith frowned. That is your decision, then?

What?! No! You can’t do anything to me! I know Survey and Earth have a treaty!

Mr. Smith stood, his face as hard as marble. For a short man, he could be very intimidating. Mr. Derek Edgars, all governments have those who work outside of laws and treaties to maintain order. I’m one of those people. Picket six, execute. The silver cube moved so fast that none of us realized that it had gone straight through Derek’s head until it slammed to a stop in the wall on the other side of his skull. A spray of blood and gore spattered the wall behind him. There was a brief look of surprise on Derek’s face, then he fell to the floor. After a moment, I could smell urine. Tara ran for the bathroom, her silver cube following her. I managed to keep my bowels from doing things they really shouldn’t, but it was a close thing.

Aside from Mr. Rohner, would anyone else like to stay? The others agreed quickly, studiously not looking at Derek’s body on the floor. Tara joined us in agreement just as rapidly after she returned to the table. Good. My assistant Jane will be coming in soon to brief you on your options. We believe we’ve found interesting postings for each of you. There are showers in there, with fresh clothing, if you would like to use them. He picked up the silver case and opened it. Pickets, return. The silver cubes merged into a large cube again, one corner stained with blood. Mr. Smith put both cubes back in his case and closed it.

He picked up the case, then walked towards the door, his footsteps echoing in the room. As he reached the door, he turned to look at me. Mr. Rohner, if you would come with me, please.

I stood up and immediately obeyed, relieved to leave the room and the other scientists behind. Mr. Smith led me through a maze of corridors until we came to another door. He palmed it open, and we walked into a workshop area, where a woman sat at a bench repairing some sort of equipment. She looked up as we approached. Ah, John. How’d it go? she asked.

Well, Jo, we lost one, regrettably. He opened the case and handed her the silver cube. Sorry to have to dirty them like this.

Shame. Couldn’t be helped, I suppose?

No.

She looked around Mr. Smith to me. New recruit? she asked.

Possibly, he said.

Good luck, kid, she said, taking the cube away.

Mr. Smith motioned for me to follow him. When we eventually stopped, he palmed open a door to an office. Please, come in, he said. He took his jacket off and hung it on an old fashioned wooden coat rack, then sat at an equally old fashioned desk. He set the case on the floor next to him, then peeled off his gloves and placed them carefully on his desk. So, Sun Tzu, what do you think? Mr. Smith said. I took the chair across the desk from him.

His academy and college scores look good, and, as you say, we can always use more computer experts. Unlike the others, he kept his wits about him. He’ll need some better tradecraft training, but that can’t be helped. He was woefully under-trained by UI.

Um... I’m right here, I said. Not that I didn’t agree with that assessment.

Yes, Mr. Rohner, but you are currently being evaluated by Sun Tzu. You will keep quiet.

I felt my eyes widen. It was true then? The ship was run by an AI?

Yes, John. I will take him in. I’m sure you and Jane will find him useful.

Mr. Smith smiled again, but it didn’t offer any comfort. Congratulations, Mr. Rohner. You are now a full-fledged Survey citizen and are welcomed by Sun Tzu to join the ranks of the Librarians.

That was the AI? They’re real?

I am very real, Marcus. And you may call me Sunny.

Sunny?

Yes. I let all of my people call me Sunny if they wish. I’m not so formal as my brother Musashi, Sun Tzu explained. You could choose to go somewhere else in Survey, but I think your talents would be better suited for projects here. Our work is likely to be much more interesting to you than the other ships.

Sure, I said. Um, can I ask a question? Mr. Smith nodded. What about the black cube? Where is that stored? I’m guessing that doesn’t come out for just anyone. I asked.

Mr. Smith raised an eyebrow. No, Marcus, it doesn’t. That recording is stored in a special vault. My assistant and I will take care of it later. Very observant, Marcus.

What happened to the ship that made that nova?

Mr. Smith frowned. He has exiled himself. Where? We don’t know. He sustained a great deal of damage, both physically and mentally. Thankfully, he surrendered the data he used to create the nova to us.

My brain started putting things together. You think there are people who would want to get their hands on this, who wouldn’t use it for a jump drive, right? That’s why you took us. I’m guessing you torched the lab, too?

The man nodded. Good deduction.

And I can help keep this out of the wrong hands if I stay here?

Among other things, Mr. Smith replied, looking like the cat that caught that canary.

Ok, Mr. Smith, Sunny, count me in.

Mr. Smith gave a genuine smile, stood, and shook my hand. You can call me John. Come. I’ll give you a tour of the stacks.

You mean, there’s a real Library in here?

Of course. Did you think it was just a code name?

Well, uh... I said.

Mr. Smith laughed as he led me through the door.

John Smith

Come in, John. Thank you for coming, said Control through Sun Tzu’s comms output as the door opened to their rooms. Somehow, Sun Tzu had made it sound distinct as if they were actually speaking with their physical voice. This part of their quarters wasn’t really an office, but a control center with multiple screens and consoles from floor to ceiling. How they could read them all, I didn’t know. But then again, they were enhanced much more than the average Captain of a Survey ship. I came quietly over to where they were sitting in front of the consoles. The room was always disturbing to me, but I wasn’t completely comfortable with the idea of enhancements. John Smiths rarely were. I loved Sun Tzu, but to have them in my mind all the time would have been a disturbing lack of control.

I take it you’ve seen the increase in chatter?

Yes.

They didn’t say anything more for several minutes. I could see them looking at the consoles and screens, assimilating information. I waited patiently. Control would sometimes forget that they needed verbal speech. It made me wonder why Sun Tzu bothered with a human captain at all. Then again, there are some leaps of logic that humans make that AIs can’t. Or so Sun Tzu has told me.

You need not lock up the data cube this time, John. We need to move up our timetable. Take the package to Musashi.

Your DMN is prepped and ready to go, said Sun Tzu. Musashi is expecting you.

I was a little surprised. I didn’t ask if they were sure, though, because they were always sure. Do we have all the assets we need?

We will.

Do I need to acquire them?

No. Control turned from the consoles. They are already in play.

Understood. I will leave within the hour, then. I’ll need to brief Jane before I leave.

How is our new asset? they asked.

Useful, just as you both predicted. He’s also been informative about the state of Unity Hub and Unity Intelligence. He’s confirmed some of your suspicions.

Control sighed. I wonder if we should have dealt with the Owenites sooner.

I shook my head. You know as well as I do how that would have turned out. No, we stick with our plan. I turned to leave, then stopped. There’s nothing else I need to know, is there?

The clock is ticking, now, John. We’re running out of time.

Understood. I will see you when I return.

Control nodded and turned back to their consoles. I left the room and the door closed behind me. I tapped my wristcom. Jane, meet me at my airlock in twenty minutes. It’s time.

Acknowledged, she said, and I made my way to my office to retrieve the data cube. I frowned. The fallout was going to be bad, but it would be even worse if things went unchecked. I sighed. If only humans could be less damn predictable, I thought.

Station

02

Jack

The mess hall was crowded, even after the lunchtime rush. Maybe I should have just reported in and gone to quarters, I thought. The room started to shrink as the noise of so many people pressed in. Breathe. Just breathe, Jack. You’re in safe territory. I took a few deep breaths, like the counselor back on Earth taught me, but my heart was still racing and my muscles were starting to get tight. I closed my eyes and rubbed my head with my free hand, sure I was going to find it soaked with sweat. Thankfully, I could only feel a little dampness. I grabbed the handle of my duffel, intending to leave, but that felt like too much.

It was a mistake to come here, I know it. I should have taken a nice desk job back on Earth. Or retired.

There was the click of a tray being set down in front of me, and then the heavier click of a coffee mug on the table. Surprised out of my panic, I glanced up at the tray invading my space. It held a plate of mystery meat and an exceptionally large mug. Across from me, an older, white haired, dark-skinned woman in a lieutenant commander’s uniform sat down and started eating her dinner.

What the... ? Um...

The woman looked over at me and smiled You’re new here, right? She took a long drink out of the large mug. While she did so, one of the waitstaff brought over a mug and set it in front of me.

What is that, Ensign? I asked.

It’s tea, sir.

But I didn’t order any tea.

She ordered it for you, sir. The attendant scurried over to clear a table on the far side of the room.

I glared at the woman sitting across from me. Ma’am, not to be rude, but who are you and why the hell did you order me tea? I was trying to steady my breathing as panic started to flare up again. The sleeping dragon of anger in the pit of my stomach started to uncurl a bit. Oh no! Oh Gods no! I attempted to take another steadying breath. The dragon curled back up, but was wary.

The woman kept her eyes steady on me, as if she was staring into my soul. She nodded to herself, and said, Drink that tea, friend. It’s an old family recipe. It’ll calm you right down.

I picked up the cup and sniffed. Some sort of mint and herb brew. Well, I thought, it can’t be worse than any other medicine I’m already taking. I took a sip, and funny enough, she was right. The herb taste was cozy, a little smokey but also refreshing. It seemed familiar to me, but I couldn’t place why, especially since I’ve mostly had ship’s food printer coffee for the last few weeks. She watched as I took a second sip, then she dived back into her meal again. I took a few more sips, and the panic that was rising in me a minute ago started to recede. Huh.

Um... well, it seems like your family knew a thing or two, I said. It sounded kind of silly after I said it, but the woman didn’t seem to mind.

She nodded. There was a flash of sadness in her eyes for a moment, then she said. You feeling better now?

I... um... yes, actually. How...?

You looked like you needed some help and some distraction, so I gave you both. She finished the last of her food, picked up her mug, and said, Now, I gotta run, but you finish all of that, ok? It should keep you all right for a few hours. And with that, she walked off down the main gangway.

I looked at my own cup and shrugged. Better than showing up all panicked when checking in, I thought, and downed the rest of the tea. Strange, she didn’t tell me her name. I shrugged to myself, grabbed my duffel, and went to find out where my quarters were.

Ah! Lieutenant! You’re right on time! Great! Let me introduce you to your new charge. This is Reverend Marsha Brooks, the station’s chaplain.

I was still feeling disoriented from my arrival when I walked into the infirmary the next morning, so the doctor’s excessive enthusiasm hit me like a slap. Things were still a little too loud, and I hadn’t slept well, but thanks to the woman’s tea it didn’t hit me as hard as it usually did. I paused at the door to see the woman from the mess in the doctor’s office, holding that same mug in her hands. I opened my mouth, then closed it. Oh, that’s just great, I thought. First time my boss meets me and I’m in the middle of a panic attack! I awkwardly started to put my hand out when the woman stood up, crossed the gap, and took it warmly in both of hers.

Lieutenant Jack Kirby, right? she asked. I nodded. Well, you’re still looking a little out of it, but you seem to be recovering ok. Did you finish the tea?

Uh...yes, Ma’am. It helped a lot.

The doctor chuckled. Ah, so she got you in the cafeteria with her tea, I see?

I nodded.

Marsha does that a lot.

Not all the time, doctor. she said, smiling, as she finally released my hand. Might want to consider my Grandmama’s tea for some of your other PTSD patients, since I seem to be handing it out a lot.

The Chief Medical Officer smiled at the chaplain, poked at the tablet he picked up, and then said, So, Jack. I heard back from your counselor on Earth with the mail from the cruiser, and I have your therapy regimen here. We can discuss the details later, but I’ve added Marsha’s tea to the list. I do expect you to keep all your counseling appointments, and I’d like to see you at least every month to go over medication. You’re on light duty for the time being to accommodate for your therapy, but I think you’re in good hands. Well, vicar, I have a senior staff meeting, so I’m sure you can handle things from here. Lieutenant. He nodded and left the office.

I stood there for a moment, unsure what to do, then asked, Uh...why does he call you vicar?

Marsha smiled, It’s an old British term for a minister or priest. Doctor Carr is from London back on Earth, and I suppose old habits die hard. He started calling me that when we got here, and it stuck. Not that I mind. Besides, I think it’s rather sweet of him.

Oh, I said.

The chaplain looked at me again with one of those soul searching stares. Well, come on then, Mr. Kirby, let’s go to my office so I can bring you up to speed. I followed her out of the infirmary, only then realizing just how small she was. I must be at least two heads taller than her! She didn’t seem so short yesterday! Huh...

The chaplain’s office was tucked away in a corner of the station next to the station’s chapel. Being a relatively small PreCol station, the chapel also served as a meeting room, a secondary mess hall for special occasions, and sometimes an entertainment room. Marsha palmed open the door and waved me inside. The room contained a desk, a couple of chairs, a couch, a terminal, various tablets, and some artwork that looked to be from some African tribe back on Earth. There wasn’t a whole lot in her office, which wasn’t a surprise. There’s only so much one can bring with them on a ship.

Take a seat, she started. So, I’m guessing either old Fred decided to send you my way without telling you what a Religious Program Specialist does, or that you didn’t bother to actually read the precis about your new job on the way here, or that you did, but didn’t quite figure out all of what’s expected? She paused.

I nodded. I did read the precis, but I figured there was more to it than the three paragraph explanation.

Right. While you know that nothing is ever really simple on a PreCol station, your job isn’t that difficult. Your primary duties are basically to be my secretary and logistics manager. Mostly, you help me set up for services, keep track of my appointments, and make sure I don’t run out of candles and incense. You’ll also have comms duty up in Ops a few times a week, so make sure to swing by the XO’s office to arrange it. Just remind her that she can’t have you when we’re doing services. Right now we have three regular services a week. One early on Wednesday mornings to accommodate night shift folks, one on Saturday evening, and one on Sunday morning. Oh, and you’ll need to check the chapel’s shrine every day to add fresh candles, or clear out any old offerings. Any questions?

I shook my head. Um... not really. Seems pretty straight forward.

She gave me a look I couldn’t interpret, but moved on. I do regular rotations with the medical staff, since I have a psychology certification, but you don’t need to be with me on those rotations unless we actually have an emergency. Then you’ll be doing the other part of your job.

I nodded.

You do understand that I’m not allowed to carry weapons, right?

I nodded again and asked, But why not? The manual didn’t really explain. You’re a Fleet officer, so it’s not like you don’t know how to defend yourself or anything.

That’s true, and I do know some martial arts, but the Unity Chaplains are forbidden by the New Geneva Convention to carry weapons. We’re meant to be a symbol of peace, even in a military environment, and we’re technically non-combatants. We don’t even get weapons training without special dispensation. Of course, there’s not really any wars that would necessitate any kind of real close quarters combat these days, but you never know. So, are you ready to start now, or would you like to take a day or two to recover from jumplag?

I shook my head. If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather work. I’ve been sitting on my butt for weeks coming from Earth and, well, it wasn’t all that exciting on the cruiser.

Right, then. Your desk is in the back of the chapel, so let’s get you sorted. Then we’ll start with chapel and service duties. She stood up and made for the office door. I followed her, thinking that this might not be so bad after all.

The first two weeks settled into a routine: wake up, eat, go to the chapel to check in for the day. Marsha had a lot of people who came to her for both spiritual and regular counseling, and sometimes a bit of both. As I got to know Marsha, it turned out she was much more to people than just the chaplain. When she asked me to follow her on one of her rounds one afternoon so that I could see the medbay layout, I saw her give of herself to each of the few patients in a way that didn’t even feel like being preached to. She held hands, prayed, or even just sat in silence with one patient, comatose from a station module accident.

It was interesting to me to see her reach out to these people. I really couldn’t imagine giving that much of myself to anyone. And as the days went by, I realized I didn’t have to.

I was just the bodyguard. A grunt.

My therapist, Dr. Adelson, had other thoughts about that. He kept trying to drag conversation out of me, almost bullying me into talking about what happened on my previous mission. It felt like he was pumping me for information, which rankled. At the third session I blurted out, Listen, doc. You want to know what happened to me, ask my doc back on Earth or read my file. I’ll even give you written permission to do so. I don’t want to talk about it anymore, so can you just lay off me for a while?

Adelson gave me a look. Did all psychologists learn that look in shrink school? What the hell? Then he sighed and said, All right. We’ll take a couple of weeks off the daily sessions and see how you do. You have even a whiff of another panic attack though, I want your ass in this office, pronto! But you will see me in a couple of weeks to check in, understood?

Yes, sir!

The older man sighed. Go on, then, you’re dismissed.

I practically skipped out of the office like a kid let out of school for the holidays. My good mood even lasted until I got to my desk in the chapel, when I saw my messages.

To: Lt. Jack Kirby

From: Commander Jansen

Get your ass to my office once you are out of your counseling session. I think you’ve forgotten me?

Jansen

Shit. I quickly acknowledged the email, then checked the XO’s calendar. Thankfully, she was free, so I made my way to Ops. Good going, Jack. Damn this PTSD shit.

Ops was at the fore end of the station, so not only was it at the heart of PreCol operations, it had the best views from its large windows. I didn’t pay much attention to any of that as I rushed through it to the XO’s office, opposite the lift. The ensign in the outer office looked up as I stopped at the door and straightened out my uniform. Can I help you, sir? he asked.

Uh, yeah, the XO sent for me.

Oh, Lieutenant Kirby, right? I’ll let Commander Jansen know you’re here.

He pressed a few buttons on the console. Yes? came a female-sounding voice.

Lieutenant Jack Kirby to see you Ma’am.

Ah. Yes. Our errant Lieutenant. Send him in. The secretary gave me a sympathetic smile, then opened the door. I walked in and the door closed behind me. The office wasn’t all that much bigger than the Chaplain’s office, but had a lot more tech than personal effects. I stopped in front of the XO’s desk, came to attention and said, Lieutenant Jack Kirby reporting as ordered, sir. I waited for my dressing down.

Oh, at ease, Kirby. I’m not going to bite your head off. Marsha let me know that you were learning your RPS duties the last couple of weeks. You’re on light duty anyway, and we had your shifts covered. It’s not a big deal. She motioned for me to sit. So... I know a lot of folks hate night work, but would you be willing to do a couple of third shifts during the week?

I shrugged as I took the chair in front of her desk. Sure. I don’t mind the night shift.

Jansen eyed me for a second. Huh. Well, that’s a first. Most folks hate night shifts.

I shrugged again. I’m a night owl. It was only partially a lie.

All right then. I’m going to give you Monday and Thursday nights. I’ll double check with Marsha, but these shifts shouldn’t interfere with your schedule with her.

Yes, sir. That should be fine.

She eyed him again, smiled, and said, I’m glad to have a real comms officer on board again. Our last one ended up getting recruited by the last Survey ship to come through here on leave.

They recruit PreCol station folks? I thought they didn’t need to do any recruiting? The rumor was that Survey ships were like small traveling cities that roamed deep space, looking for new planets to colonize and raw materials. That was what I’d heard, anyway. I’d never seen one myself.

Well, Jansen said with a laugh, It was more recruitment by shotgun wedding.

I gave a little bit of a smile. Right, I said. I also heard that Survey ships tended to stay at some of the more remote stations for a month or two in order to get news and supplies, and to let their crew mingle with new people. Those kinds of weddings weren’t common, but definitely not unheard of. Most married persons tended to travel together if they weren’t on Earth or a colony. Survey ships were designed to accommodate kids, but families in Unity usually headed for a colony before the kids hit school age. Glad to be of service, sir.

She laughed. You’ll do, Lieutenant. Report to Lieutenant Commander Foster at 23:00 tonight. This Thursday you’ll be working with the Captain. They like to rotate shifts during the week so they can get to know all their Ops staff. Most of your shift will just be triaging messages from the PreCol folks. Inbound ships respect our station night, so they’ll just check in, then ferry folks over during station morning. She stood up and put out a hand. Foster will go over the rest. Welcome to Alpha 4413 Station, Lieutenant.

Thank you, sir. I said as I stood up and saluted. She dismissed me with a wave and I went back to my desk.

03

Jack

I was lighting the evening candles when I heard someone come into the chapel. I turned to see a young woman wearing ensign’s tags, who I’d not seen before. She stared blankly at the altar. When I turned to her, she blinked, and said, "You’re