Chapter 2

We had only walked a short distance up the corridor leading from the Partners’ hold when we were met by a female crewman.

“Are you ready to go to your cabins now, sir?” she asked after saluting.

“Yes, the Partners are settled and fed for now, so we can get settled ourselves,” the Colonel told her after returning her salute.

“Follow me, sir,” she said, and led the way to an intersecting corridor. We continued down it for a time, eventually coming to an elevator. It was large enough for the five of us, and the crewman took us up two levels to a deck lined with cabin doors in groups of four with a small recreation and kitchen area between each set of them.

“The Officers cabins are on the right, and the Enlisted cabins are on the left side of the corridor. You’ll find directions and maps on the computer outlet in each cabin. There will also be a list of mealtimes and locations, as there are several separate mess areas; some are only for the crew. There will also be a schedule of classes and meetings that you will be expected to attend, plus the location of your Team’s equipment will also be listed. Do you have any questions at this time?” she finished.

“Classes?” Luther asked.

“Yes, there is a mandatory class dealing with ship procedures and safety. Additionally, there will be classes about your assignment on Ainalhai III, and remedial classes on Special Operations procedures. They are a requirement for all Teams traveling on the Aegean,” she informed us.

“Are you aware of any other Teams being picked up on this voyage? I ask because our Partners are currently on the loose, and if there are other Teams, we would need to confine them at least part of the time,” the Colonel asked her.

“Not that we are aware of, sir,” she answered.

“Thank you. We’ll get settled now if there isn’t anything else,” the Colonel told her, and she saluted before departing.

“Everyone check out your cabins and get your things set up. We should also check the computer to see where things are, and what they have us scheduled for,” the Colonel told us, and we all moved to our respective rooms, which already had our names on the doors.

The cabin that I was assigned was just that. A cabin large enough to sleep in with a small desk and a computer monitor above it, and the outline of a keyboard on the desktop. There was a closet to hang uniforms in plus a small toilet and sink area, but no shower. After checking the computer, I learned where the combined shower area was for our rooms. There was a male and a female area. Our luggage had been delivered and was on the bunk ... Thankfully, the bunk appeared to be large enough for me to sleep on comfortably.

After hanging my uniforms in the closet, I put most of the rest of my things away in the storage drawers under the bed. I also needed to reset my watch to ship’s time. On doing that, I noticed that it was nearly mealtime, and looked up the nearest mess area. Having accomplished that, I knocked on the Colonel’s door.

“Are you interested in eating?” I asked when she opened the door.

“Is it mealtime?” she asked.

“It will be shortly, and we’ll need to find the mess area,” I reminded her.

“Yes, I guess that we better had, as the next mealtime will be some hours away,” she agreed. I went to see if the others were ready to eat, while Trish got ready to go. The others were also ready.

The mess deck wasn’t hard to find as the directions had been very precise. When we arrived, there were people already eating. The set up was basically that of a cafeteria, with a serving line and a number of small tables scattered around the room in groups. The people that we saw eating were all in Special Operations uniforms. I didn’t see anyone in a Navy uniform and presumed that the crew had a separate mess area.

We picked up trays and moved through the serving line making selections from the various items available before moving to a table for four to eat. From the selection of food available, it appeared to be dinner time on the ship. We were down to the dessert when a Special Operations Lieutenant approached our table and saluted.

“Colonel Royal would like a few minutes of your time, sir,” he informed the Colonel.

“All right,” she agreed before turning to us. “I’ll see you back at the cabins,” she told us before rising to accompany the Lieutenant to an area at the far end of the room where a number of high-ranking officers were eating.

Later back in the area near our rooms, Luther had a comment.

“Those cabins are all right for sleeping and maybe studying, but there isn’t room for anything else. You couldn’t even get a card game going, it’s so cramped,” he complained.

“Well, there are these recreation areas,” I pointed out, and indicated the area with a sofa, a couple of tables and chairs with a small kitchen area for fixing snacks and drinks.

“There must be somewhere to buy or procure snacks and drinks, or the back area would be worthless,” I pointed out.

“Maybe even some cards,” Luther added with a grin.

“What about makeup, soap, and other necessities?” Miranda asked.

“We’ll need to look it up on the computer. It seems to have everything covered. That reminds me, have the two of you checked your schedules yet?”

“Yes, and it’s way too crowded for my liking. I thought we and the Partners were going to get to rest on this trip,” Luther told us.

“You know that we never get to rest for long, and you had all of that time between the cessation of hostilities and when Colonel Royal arrived to rest,” Miranda reminded him.

“Yes, but I had the Eagles and their chicks to worry about,” he told her.

“Aw ... poor baby, he had to get up to feed the Eagles. It’s not like they weren’t off on their own hunting half of the time,” Miranda reminded him with a giggle.

“You two having trouble getting along?” the Colonel asked, as she approached us.

“No sir, just a little good-natured ribbing. Luther is all worn out from taking care of the Eagles,” Miranda told her.

“We should check on all of the Partners before going to bed. Also, there is that mandatory class on ship procedures in the morning, and the Navy apparently gets up early,” she reminded us.

“What time do we want to check on the Partners?” Luther asked.

“Maybe in an hour or so. We just fed them before leaving them, and they need to adjust to ship’s time also,” the Colonel pointed out. She went to her room. We sat around and checked out the area and what was available; which wasn’t much just some music, which wasn’t the kind any of us enjoyed.

The mandatory meeting the next morning concerned ship procedures, what to do and what NOT to do while on the ship. It also covered emergency procedures and where our escape capsule was located. There were also procedures for evacuating the Partners.

At the meeting, we also learned where the ship’s store was located and visited it when it opened a short time after the meeting. They had all of the things that we had discussed the previous evening and more. Some of the items were free and others you had to pay for, like alcohol. The amount was debited from your pay electronically.

It turned out that officers received a small daily ration of alcohol for free. The Colonel chose wine, and I chose ale. Enlisted personal needed to pay for their drinks and the amount was rationed. They could get a six-pack or a case of beer or ale; but, couldn’t get any more until the time restraint for that size package had expired. Officers could also purchase more alcohol, but again the amount was limited and timed.

They also had all of the other things needed for daily existence on the trip such as soap, shampoo, perfume, snacks of all kinds, as well as cards and other types of games. There was also a limited supply of clothing available for those who had made a hurried departure or needed to replace certain items before reaching our headquarters.

That evening and many others, we sat around in the lounge listening to music, playing cards, and having a few drinks. Every so often, we would reminisce about things we had done, or places we had been before becoming a Team.

“What was your first experience with Partners?” Luther asked me on one particular night, as we sat around drinking, tired of playing cards.

“I was introduced to Partners by Sergeant Tracy. He had a pair of Mountain Lions as Partners. I thought they were the most amazing things I had ever seen. That was until he brought in Bob and Susie after a couple of weeks spent working with his Partners and a couple of others.

“It was definitely love at first sight, though they were both a lot younger and smaller at the time. Still they made his Mountain Lions look small. They had been paired with another Human Partner prior to that, but he hadn’t been able to handle the two of them together and had requested just a single, smaller Partner. During the time we were in training, they both continued to grow and fill-out. They weren’t old enough for sex yet, but that didn’t keep Bob from trying. Susie would snarl and fight when she wasn’t ready. Eventually they worked things out and have had several sets of kittens.

“I was on another Team for a while, but it was broken up when there were serious problems with the Partners getting along together. It wasn’t too long after that, that Tiger Team was formed,” I told them.

“What about you?” I asked Joel following that.

“My introduction to Partners was with old Sergeant Hubbard. He had a pair of Falcons and wore leather sleeves on both arms as well as a reinforced shoulder piece that covered both shoulders. The Falcons were a little on the light side for carrying equipment, and he had a rig that split the regular equipment in two. The male carried the camera and it sent the pictures to the female who was carrying the transmitter. He didn’t seem to mind having two Partners, but when I saw Samson and how much larger he was than the Falcons, that was what I chose.

“We too were on a couple of different Teams for short periods of time, but they all seemed to have a problem with me having an Eagle. They were used to the smaller birds like Falcons, Hawks, and some Harriers and Kites. They thought Samson was too large. When they assigned me to your Team, which was called a Heavy Team at the time, I knew that I had found the right one,” Luther told us with a smile.

“What about you, Miranda?” Joel asked on finishing his story.

“After Special Operations Basic and the Advanced Course, I was sent to study Magic under the tender mercies of Master Sergeant Mary Whelan. She was a rough old Irish woman and a hard drinker. She had what I thought at the time was a huge Talent. She taught me and the other students a lot. There were only three others in my class, and the others got along with her very well, but I didn’t. She thought I was too pretty to be a Special Operations Team member. To a certain extent, I guess I am.

“After finishing my training, I was on several Teams but never stayed with them long. It wasn’t my abilities that were the problem. It was my looks. The other women on the Teams were jealous of me, while many of the men just wanted to have sex with me. Finally, one day Mary came to me with a proposition.

“‘I know that you have had problems with the other teams, but there is a new and different Team being formed. It’s called a Heavy Team. There are only two men on the Team. Their Partners are a pair of Tigers and an Eagle. You would be their Magic support section. I’ve heard good things about the other two on the Team, and think you would be happy there,’ she told me. A week or so later, I was assigned to Tiger Team,” she finished.

The Colonel emerged from her room to join us shortly after Miranda finished.

“What were you discussing? I thought you were playing cards,” she asked, obviously having listened from behind her door for at least a short time.

“We’ve been discussing how we met our Partners, and how we all come together to form Tiger Team,” I told her.

“When did you meet Sara, sir?” Joel asked.

“Oh dear, that’s a rather long story. I was teaching at the University on Wallhaven, when a Special Operations Lieutenant Colonel came to see me. He said that they were interested in recruiting someone in my specialty. However, most of those who had the knowledge were older or not enhanced. Since I wasn’t too old and was already enhanced, as I had been born that way, I was the only one on their short list. ‘Was I interested?’ he asked.”

“As you might expect, I was a bit shocked by this and asked for time to consider his proposal.”

‘I’ll be here for another week before my ship returns,’ he told me, but added, ‘Our second choice was less desirable. If necessary, we can go with him.’

“I had been teaching for several years at the time, and while I enjoyed it, it was very demanding of my time. I wanted to get out and see more of the world and enjoy myself. I had no idea then just how demanding working as part of Special Operations was at the time. After three days, I went to see him and agreed to join Special Operations. He was delighted until I added the qualifications.

“When I told him that I wanted field experience before becoming an Officer and being stuck at their headquarters, it nearly broke the deal,” she told us.