Chapter 710

Ship

Emma had asked to remain with her patient in Sick Bay, which led to a discussion about Ship’s abilities to heal.

“Come on. I, for one, am hungry,” Jeff told her.

“After what you’ve told me, there’s no reason for me to stay with him, I suppose. It’s just that a patient who has lost that much blood...”

...”Will wake up ready for a big meal,” Jeff inserted with a grin. “Seriously though, I was very concerned about him on the way back here, but he’s in one of Ship’s healing chambers now. He might wake up with a faint scar that will disappear in the next couple of days ... unless Ship thinks that he would want to keep the scar for bragging rights.”

Emma shot Jeff a glance to see if he were kidding, but he just raised an eyebrow and grinned at her.

Emma felt her body respond. Oh, crap. He’s the sexiest man I’ve ever been around. No wonder he has so many wives, but I will not just be another notch on his bedpost, she thought with determination. When I marry someone, I’m not going to have to wait my turn to be with him.

Jeff saw the look on Emma’s face and guessed at her thoughts while adding a wink to confuse her.

As she stared at him, “Ship,” Jeff projected.

“Yes, My Prime?”

“I want to talk to everyone. Relieve the Bridge and Engineering Crews and have them and everyone else aboard meet us in the lounge. Also, bring us to orbit twenty thousand miles out from the planet. As always, notify me if anything unusual happens.”

“Yes, My Prime.”

As they entered the lounge, Helen and several others were waiting for him. When she saw her husband, she rushed to him, grabbed his head and pulled him down for a deep kiss. A moment later, Ship projected, “I have relieved everyone, and they are on their way to the lounge.”

“We were worried about you...” Helen began, but stopped as Adrienné took Helen’s place to glue her mouth to Jeff’s.

When the kiss was over, “We’ve met the others, but who is this?” Helen asked while smiling at Emma.

After introductions, Jeff said, “Emma is going to be our anthropologist and also our medic. She saved the General’s life.”

“No. I just...” Emma began.

“Excellent,” Helen interrupted. “I’m sure we will get along splendidly, and you can bet that the General’s wives will be forever grateful for what you did, as will all of us.”

I don’t remember saying that I would take the job, and he knows it,” Emma thought. Oh, well, I’ll make that clear later.

Jeff and all Ship’s personnel were in the lounge. Jeff introduced Emma and the Science Team, as well as the two Security Officers, to everyone there. Then quietly to Emma, “Don’t worry about names; you’ll remember all of them in time.”

Jeff and the rescue group were seated at the same big table as the Science Team and the two Security Officers. Emma leaned closer to Helen and whispered, “But I haven’t said that I’ll take the job.”

Helen just chuckled and asked if she were ready to order.

“I don’t...” Emma began, but there was suddenly a menu on the table in front of her.

“What would you like to drink?” a voice quietly asked as if its owner’s mouth were only inches from her ear.

Startled, she turned her head, but of course, there was no one there. “I apologize,” Ship said. “Sometimes it is simpler to speak to each person more discreetly so as not to interrupt other conversations.”

Not only does this ship heal people, but she waits on us as well.

“If you are worried about your patient, I can assure you that I am involved in his healing even as we speak,” the voice continued quietly.

“Iced tea, unsweetened. If you have it,” Emma stumbled out.

“I have all common drinks, and I can make anything that you can describe in detail.”

Even as Ship spoke, a tall glass of iced tea appeared in front of Emma.

“I’ll have ... what Colonel Matthews is having, only about half as much,” Emma hurriedly said as she saw a heaping plate of food appear in front of Jeff.

The food was there almost before Emma completed the sentence.

As soon as everyone had food in front of them, Jeff stood to say the blessing before going around the big table to speak to the two Security people who had been beaten.

“Sir, we let the Doctor and her people down,” the first Security Officer said.

“Sorry, Sir,” the other Officer added, “We did our best, but it wasn’t good enough.”

The Doctor told me that you two fought to protect her team until you were beaten totally unconscious. She says that she will write a letter recommending a commendation for both of you. You make us proud, Troopers. I’ll write a commendation for each of you after she writes her letter.”

“Sir,” both said as one, but the first Security Officer continued, “That isn’t necessary. We just got our asses kicked. I don’t know what they used —

I couldn’t see it or them — but, according to what Doctor Emerson told us, they pretty much split our heads open, broke one of my arms and both of Ted’s, not to mention the internal injuries. Sir, we really appreciate the thought, but if we get a commendation for getting our asses kicked, our buddies will never let us live it down.”

Jeff chuckled along with them. “I see your point. We’ll make sure the commendation doesn’t reflect your version of the happenings and sticks with the Doctor’s description of the events. Oh, and you heard about the General?”

“Yes, Sir. We’re just waiting for your Ship’s okay before we go see him.”

“He was protecting the civilians when he took that energy burst.”

“Yes, Sir. We heard.”

“I’ll see your immediate supervisor when we get back to the base. You two need some R and R before you are sent on another assignment.”

“Sir,” the second Security Officer said, “This, uh, Ship healed us completely. There is no reason for us to be off duty. But thank you for thinking of us, Colonel.”

Ship had given Jeff a complete rundown on the Security Officer’s injuries and told him that both would have died if her mechanicals had not gotten them to her in time.

“Two weeks R&R,” Jeff said with finality. “Your supervisor will make it official when we get back.”

As Jeff returned to his seat, Ship said in his mind, I kept your food warm.

Thank you.

Anytime, Lover, she returned as he felt a kiss on the back of his neck.

When the meal was over, Jeff stood. Within a moment, everyone was silent. “We are fortunate that we all made it out of that cavern alive. And for those of you who think we should go back in and repay them, well, if we had known there were intelligent beings still on this planet, we would not have been here at all. As Doctor Emerson has reiterated, the artifacts they found were thousands of years old. Until then, she and her team had not uncovered any evidence of present-day intelligent life on the planet. The intelligent life turned out not to be on but rather in the planet. What their food source is, or how their society functions, is something that we aren’t going to investigate, at least at this time or with this group.

“The General does research past societies and interacts with current ones to obtain new sources of revenue, but our purpose isn’t to steal wealth from primitive societies — if there even is any here. There were two groups of people in the cavern: one advanced with the other still primitive. There are other worlds for us to explore — thousands, maybe even millions of them. It generally doesn’t take a great deal of research before we can find a planet rich in the ores or technical items that we can obtain free or trade for. We’ll do that. If we had been here first, we would fight, but not under these circumstances.”

A hand went up, and Jeff laughed.

“We’ll leave the area when the General is healed and says it’s time for us to go home. In the meantime, I’ve asked Ship to put us into orbit a couple of thousand miles up from the planet. That way, we should have ample warning if the aliens with the powered hand weapons have a ship nearby. And before you ask, no, I don’t think they do, but neither did I expect to meet invisible beings when we entered the cave,” he finished with a chuckle.

“Doctor Emerson, Ship has prepared quarters for you and your people. When you’re ready, just ask her to show you the way. For any of you who are new to Ship, if you want to speak with someone, just ask Ship, and she’ll connect you or else guide you to that person. Should you be in an emergency, she can teleport you, but don’t abuse the privilege. She is a thinking, feeling being. If I’ve missed anything, just ask any crewmember or Ship.”

As everyone was leaving to go back to their duties or their quarters, Doctor Emerson came over to Jeff. “I have heard a lot about Ship at Headquarters, but I never thought I would have the chance to be aboard her. I didn’t even know she was there until we were suddenly aboard. Who should I ask for a tour?”

“Could I join that tour, also?” Emma asked.

“Tell you what; I’ll have the First Officer give you a guided tour of some of the most relevant areas aboard her. Stand by one,” he said as he had Ship contact his First Officer.

After a moment, Jeff turned back to the others just as Ship announced a tour in one hour.

“Is that quick enough, Ladies?” he asked the two.

“You speak to her mentally, don’t you?” Doctor Emerson asked.