“I can’t say I’m too happy with the stress tests,” Anderson said. “The modified Puller Drive is developing power fluctuations at odd moments.”
Ted studied the display, wishing he knew more about how the system actually worked. The math, he’d been told, was too complex for the average spacer. Even engineers only mastered the bare bones, although they knew the hardware inside out. Or maybe the boffins were just keeping it to themselves to ensure they weren’t subverted by someone from outside the system.
“I see,” he said. “What will this mean for us?”
“At best, we may have to replace the whole system when we get back home,” Anderson said. “At worst, we may lose the modified drive in the heart of alien territory.”
Ted swore. Humanity’s Puller Drive had been heavily limited, compared to the alien drive system. The ships had been modified after an alien system had been captured intact, but Ark Royal had never been designed to have her drive modified. If they lost the alien drive system, they would have to pick their way home — if possible — along a course that would be easily predicable. The aliens would have no trouble intercepting them before they could make it back to human space.
“That could be bad,” he said. If they had time, he would have ordered an immediate return to Earth. But that would have delayed the mission for weeks, perhaps months, and crippled the ship as they tore the drive housing apart to replace the drive. “Can you keep it in check?”
“I think so, but if we take another pounding the drive might come apart completely,” Anderson said. “It won’t be good, sir.”
“No,” Ted agreed. “It won’t.”
He looked at the starchart, thinking hard. The tramlines they needed to use to reach Target One were alien; they couldn’t be accessed without an alien-designed drive. But if they didn’t use them, they’d have no hope of reaching Target One without travelling through too many unexplored and potentially occupied star systems. They had to rely on a drive system that was on the verge of breaking down.
“Keep me informed,” he ordered, finally. “What about the other matters?”
“The sealed compartments have been assigned to the research teams,” Anderson assured him. “But we don’t have any idea what the aliens would consider acceptable quarters.”
“We know they like it hot and moist,” Ted said. The alien captives had been given temperature controls and shown how to use them. They’d been happiest, it seemed, in temperatures that made Australia seem cool. “Make sure you separate their system completely from our own.”
“Aye, Captain,” Anderson said. He reached out and rubbed the bulkhead. “The Old Lady will do her duty.”
Ted had to smile. He’d been assigned to Ark Royal because the Royal Navy hadn’t wanted the embarrassment of sacking a knighted hero. Anderson, on the other hand, had been assigned to Ark Royal simply because there was nowhere else for him. His skill with the outdated systems — to say nothing of jury-rigged spare parts from every interstellar power — wouldn’t fit on any of the modern carriers.
“I know she will,” he said. So far, there had been no sign of the aliens, but he was sure that would change. In their place, he’d picket the systems between Terra Nova and Target One, if only with a couple of starships. “I have faith in her.”
The hatch bleeped, then opened. Ted lifted his eyebrows when he saw both the CAG and one of his squadron commanders, looking like naughty children. He half-expected to see a Marine escorting them into the office. But they were alone.
“Admiral,” Schneider said. “We need to talk with you.”
Ted had a sudden sense of doom. “Very well,” he said. He nodded to Anderson, who picked up his terminal and left the compartment. “Talk.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Let me see if I’ve got this straight,” Ted said, once the halting explanation had come to an end. “You’ve been having an illicit relationship since Alien-1, you’ve continued with the relationship ever since returning to Earth… and you are now being blackmailed. Correct?”
“Yes, sir,” Schneider said.
“You absolute idiot,” Ted said.
He shook his head in disbelief. Everyone knew that the regulations on sexual relations onboard ship were skirted more than anyone cared to admit, but there were limits. A relation between two people of different ranks would always suffer from a power imbalance, raising the prospect of coercion and naked force being used to push someone into bed. How could a relationship develop properly when one party could punish the other at will? And that, he knew, didn’t even take into consideration the damage it would do to morale.
Everyone would be looking at Schneider’s past decisions now, hunting for any signs of favouritism he might have shown towards his lover. She’d survived when so many others had died, Ted knew. Had she been deliberately kept out of the line of battle? And how many others had died when she should have died? He might have done nothing to help or hinder her career and it would still be disastrous to both of them. They should both be thrown into the brig, pending an investigation and court martial, followed by dishonourable discharge.
“It’s at times like this,” Ted continued, “that I wish we’d kept the lash, rather than rum and sodomy. What the hell were you two thinking?”
Rose Labara met his eyes evenly. “We were thinking we were about to die,” she said, simply. “We did not believe there would be any future for either of us.”
Ted understood. He’d almost crawled into a bottle when it seemed the aliens had them trapped in a dead end. Schneider and Rose had found what solace they could in each other’s arms — and if it had stopped there, it would probably have gone completely unnoticed. But instead, they’d kept up the affair and finally run into real trouble. Someone was using their affair as a weapon against Ark Royal and her crew.
“There may not be,” he said, bluntly. He silently awarded them both points for coming forward, even at the cost of their careers. “I doubt either of you can look forward to a comfortable life in future.”
“Yes, sir,” Schneider said. Oddly, he sounded a little relieved. “We will face whatever judgement you choose to mete out.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Ted said, dryly. “I’m going to call the Captain and Major Parnell. The latter, in particular, has some counter-intelligence experience. You are going to sit down with him and go through everything that happened, right from the start, in the hopes of locating whoever is trying to blackmail you. Once this affair is finished…”
He paused, meeting their eyes. “Once this matter is finished, I will make my decision concerning your future,” he warned. “I suggest you don’t try to hold anything back.”
“Yes, sir,” they said, together.
“I can’t afford to take either of you off active duty and toss you into the brig, no matter how much you deserve it,” Ted added. “However, I will expect you to remember just how much trouble you’re in and refrain from doing anything that might arouse suspicion. You will not meet in private for any reason. Do you understand me?”
The two lovers exchanged glances, then nodded reluctantly. Ted was old enough to be Schneider’s father — barely — but he wasn’t so old he’d forgotten what it was like to be in love. They had to have developed feelings for one another or they wouldn’t have stayed together after their first return to Earth. Being told they could not see one another would hurt.