Chapter 11: A General Comes Calling

Ken stood in his office. With the forward wall pulled back, he could look out over the bow of the great ship. In the distance, the Oregon, along with three destroyers, blasted chunks out of Io - one of Jupiter's larger moons - scaring the landscape as he watched the target practice taking place.

Walking over to his desk, he sat down, and went over the last report from the Dachshund. They had found a strange signal emanating from the planet Pluto, and how they were trying to track it down when they were attacked.

Getting up, he walked out of his cabin, and down to the flag bridge. Looking around the room, he saw everyone was working as he walked over to his chair and sat down.

"Susan, set course for Pluto, maximum speed."

Lieutenant Susan Alexander was going over her console and watched as Admiral Thompson came down the ramp and walked past her to his command chair. Suddenly Ken told her to set a course for Pluto so she entered the commands on her console, and said, "Course set Admiral."

"Take us out, Susan," he said.

The ship turned and aligned up with Pluto. Deep down inside the ship, the fold generators came on line, and the ship folded to Pluto's orbit after the gate opened. Within seconds, they jumped from Jupiter to Pluto. The weapons stations on Charon came online, and started tracking the ship and sent recognition signals. The Washington responded to their request.

Susan sat and watched her 'green board' light up as the defense stations started shutting down.

Ken looked out at the frozen planet, and said to Lieutenant Terry O'Neil, "Terry, start scanning, I want to know what the Dachshund found down there."

Flipping the com on, he said, "Set condition two throughout the ship, all hands condition two."

Terry activated her scanners and started scanning the planet for Admiral Thompson. The more powerful scanners started pounding the surface looking for anything out of the ordinary. Within ten minutes, they had located the signal and the ship brought up additional scanners and focused them onto the planet.

"Sir, I have pinpointed the location of the signal," Terry said.

Ken looked over at Terry, as he walked back to his chair, and sat down, and said, "Put it on screen."

The image of the stars changed and now he saw the frozen wastes of Pluto. The image tightened onto a small canyon and changed again to show the bottom of the canyon. It was filled with many boulders and he doesn't see anything.

"I don't see anything Terry. Are you sure this is it?" Ken asked.

"Yes, Sir, this is the location of the signals," Terry said as she read the scanned.

"Hmm, Could it be underground? Could it be another Crytherian base?" Ken asked.

Terry checked her sensors, and replied, "I don't know, Sir. I am switching to deep penetration sensors now."

The sensors switched harmonics and started penetrating deeper into the icy crust of the planet. A picture formed showing that the instruments were picking up ceramic armored plate of an enemy warship.

"Sir, sensors are detecting a ship, two hundred and fifty feet down. I am scanning the database now." She watched her screen, the computer scanned through its database, looking for a match. After several minutes, the screen flashed an answer to her query. 'Unknown.' Surprised she said, "Sir, it's coming up unknown on the ship recognition, but that could because she is so far down, and the scans being distorted."

Ken sat there in surprise, and said, "Okay, I want a single laser to bore a hole down near the ship. We will then deploy a dome over the opening, and send in the troops. I want to know who built it."

Captain White and Lieutenant Sherry Days walked on to the bridge, and catching Ken's orders, they went over to the weapon station where Sherry sat down at her station while Tammy leaned over her shoulder and showed her what to do. Tammy looked over to Kathy and said, "Kathy, tilt the ship thirty degrees to port. Sherry, bring laser turret one online and prepare to fire." Tammy showed Sherry what the Admiral wanted, and said, "You may fire when you're ready Lieutenant Days."

Sherry checked her adjustments and fired the laser, down on the planet the beam hit the ice and rock and steam furiously boiled up out of the hole. Thirty seconds later, the laser shut down. There was now an eight-foot tunnel bored two hundred feet down into the planet.

"Sir, tunnel is bored, and sensors read that the tunnel is stable."

Ken flipped his com, on and said, "I want three Naval Assault Teams ready to deploy, we have a crashed ship just under the surface of Pluto. We will deploy three Bengals for above ground security, and ten large spiders to build a dome and shuttle bay over the tunnel we have just bored into the surface. You have four hours until deployment. It will take that long to build a dome and an elevator to go down into the tunnel. Your weapons are whatever you want, but be careful we don't know whose ship this is, Admiral Thompson out."

A shuttle quickly dropped towards the surface along with a mech lander carrying the three mechs. The lander dropped the mechs on the surface of the planet and quickly climbed up out of the way. The mechs took up positions guarding the shuttle as it landed. The main ramp started descending as the guard mechs stood watch, looking for any danger to the new site.

On the main bridge, Ken watched the construction going on the planet. His fingers itched to go down into the ship to discover its secrets. However, he knew he could not go.

Looking over at Susan he said, "Susan, how does Donna like her new life?"

Surprised Susan looked over at Admiral Thompson, and said, "Admiral, she loves it. She loves her dachshund puppy you gave her for her birthday, which I did not think she would ever get to see. But thanks to Molly, you, and this ship; she will have a long happy life, or I pray she does."

Ken got up, walked over to Susan, and squeezed her shoulder. "Susan, she will, I promise you that. Your daughter, along with all the children, will be left behind here at the Mars base."

Susan felt tears of relief run down her face, reached up, and patted Ken's hands. "Thanks, I was wondering what was going to happen with all the children onboard."

"There is no way I am taking small children into harms way. Even the ones under seventeen, I am trying to rotate back to the Mars base. I know it's going to make them mad at me. However, I will not have their deaths on my conscience. Sixty eight of them on the Dachshund are more than enough for me." Ken said as he walked back to his chair and sat down.

Susan looked at her sensors, tears were still dripping down her face, and she saw that the shuttle bay doors were opening. She listened to the communication between the heavy assault shuttles and the ship's traffic control indicating that the assault drop has started.

"Sir, we have assault shuttles dropping from Alpha bay and heading to the planet."

Ken listened to the report and responded, "That should be the NAT team going in, I would have waited but I guess they are a little eager."

As Ken watched the shuttle descend and thought of the men on board them, the trial came back to his thoughts.

Trial

Ken walked down the hallway to medical following Molly and her two drafted marines as stretcher-bearers. Suddenly, Jessica was standing in front of him.

Jessica looked at Ken and her anger was just starting to boil.

"How dare you dismiss me like a thing, like some flunky? Especially, after I saved your life, again."

Ken looked at Jessica and said with sadness evident in his voice.

"Jess, I didn't want to do that to you, but you wouldn't listen to my orders. Do you really think I would allow powered weapons in the bay with highly trained soldiers like United States Navy Seals?"

Jessica stood there looking at him and thought of what she knew of Ken, and said with sadness in her voice, "I'm sorry, Ken, I did not think. All I could see was, you getting shot, like before." Tears started running down her face and she continued, "It would be better that when you find me, if you just terminate me."

Ken stepped up, placed his hand against her holographic cheek, and looked at her face, as he said, "I will never do that. I could never do that to you. One day, you will be one of my wives, and you will give birth to our daughters and sons. They will inherit a safe universe to travel in with no threat of being eaten by the T'Lari, or turned into a slave by the Crytherians." Stopping he looked in to her green eyes, and continued, "But I cannot do that without your help. You must meet me half way. As your Admiral, I order you to behave ... Nom not order. I ask. I beg you to keep your temper under control. Will you do that for me?"

He watched as she hung her head and the tears continue to drip from her face. "Jessica, look at me."

Jessica heard his words and slowly lifted her face.

Ken reached out, touched the holographic image, and said, "I love you. I will set you free as soon as I find your capsule."

Jessica looked into to Ken's eyes, and smiled as she saw the love there.

"I'm sorry, Ken. I will do my best. I'll follow your orders. I'll not attack anyone anymore. I'll try to keep my temper under control."

Ken looked at her and said, "If you cannot, then this is an Alpha program Jess. If you feel yourself losing control, you are to report to my day cabin and sit there until your calm down. Do you understand this?"

Jessica nodded her head. "I understand. I am programmed to obey all Alpha programs given by the captain and the doctor. So I will obey them."

"Good. Then I want you to apologize to Commander Hutcheson when he wakes up. Your actions were unprofessional. You could have just captured him instead of hurting him like you did."

Jessica came to attention and saluted Ken, something she has never done before, and said, "Sir, it will be as you command."

He slowly returned her salute as he said, "Thank you, Jessica. Now let's go and check on Commander Hutcheson."

Ken stepped beside Jessica and together they walked into the medical bay.

Molly rushed Commander Hutcheson into the medical bay, the whole time cursing Jessica and her anger. Looking at her mother she said, "Let's get him up onto the bed." As they settle Commander Hutcheson onto the bed, she continued, "Bed ninety-five! Conduct a full scan and prepare for emergency medical repair."

The bed came on, as the shield was raised. The scan of the patient's body quickly highlighted several areas, the broken back, and the large tumor in his brain and another smaller one in his right lung. In addition, twenty other red spots showed up as cancers that were growing in his body.

Molly looked at the scan, and said, "Computer, start nanobot repair on his back. Initiate special nanobots to go through his system and remove all cancer, and the two tumors."

Molly watched as the bots flowed into the bed and went to work on Commander Hutcheson's back. They repaired the damaged nerves, as the special bots flowed through his bloodstream, destroying the cancerous cells that were attacking his body. Molly looked up as she saw Ken and Jessica come in.

Molly walked up to Jessica, and said, "Jessica, if you pull that stunt again, I will order you..."

"Molly, I have already settled this. Jessica has something to say to you."

Molly looked over at Ken, and started to say something to him. When she saw the look on his face, she stopped.

Jessica stepped up to Molly and said to her. "Doctor O'Neil, I'm sorry, I acted before I thought it out. All I saw was Admiral Thompson being shot again, like before. I asked the Admiral to shut me off permanently when he finds my capsule. I do not mean just take me out of the capsule; I mean terminate my life, because I'm a danger. He refused to do as I asked. He has inserted a new Alpha program directive into me. If I start to lose control again and my anger starts building up, I'm to report to his day cabin at once."

Molly looked at the young girl, and even if she is over a thousand years old, she was still a seventeen-year-old girl, who has never had a life.

"Jessica, we don't want you dead, but your anger must be controlled. As the ships doctor, I order you to report to the Admiral's mother for a one hour session every day. She is the on board psychologist, and I'm positive she can help you.

"You will stay with her for the one hour, and you will obey her as if you were obeying the Admiral or me. She is a medical professional. I know the Federation does not have them anymore in your time, but in our time, we do have them, and we will use them.

"I like what the nanobots can do and how they can adjust how you feel. However, sometimes talking about your problems can help a person even more. Moreover, as a doctor, I would never condone you being terminated. You are a human being.

"You will apologize to Commander Hutcheson for what you did. I'm also at fault. I should have done a medical scan on him when we first captured them. I could have healed his medical problems.

"Speaking of which," she said, turning on her com unit, "This is Dr. Molly O'Neil, chief medical officer. I want all the Navy Seals brought to Medical Three. That is an order."

She turned the com unit off and continued her conversation with Jessica.

"Commander Hutcheson is very ill, he just didn't know it. He had many cancers in his body ... several tumors. One is in his brain the other is in his lung. The nanobots are taking care of these problems, and when he wakes, you should all see a different man."

"Now, get out of here. I will have the Commander ready for trial, tomorrow morning."

Hearing the doors open, she turned and saw the first of the Navy Seals come in.

"Just stand over there. As soon as you're all here I will explain what is going on." Turning back to Jessica she said, "Jess, I need you to access all the records you can on these men. I know you and Amy can hack into the government databases. I want to know where Commander Hutcheson was dosed, to have this much cancer in his young body. Admiral, will you please stay here, while I explain what is going on to these men?"

Ken stood there listing to the conversation between them and was surprised when she addressed him on it, and replied, "Yes I will, Molly. But it's your show. To you go the laurels, so go ahead."

As they walked over to the Seals, one of them stepped forward and said, "Ma'am my name is Captain Josh Hunter, I am second in command of the Teams, is Commander Hutcheson going to be okay?"