Chapter 94

" ... Care to enlighten me?" Phip Battenberg asked. There was no undercurrent of threat or fear. Just a request among equals for the sharing of information.

Clare giggled,

"Damn, I hate it when I do that. Suits. From the bit where you went off to your cabin...

Cedric had accelerated the first scout up to SOL 6..."

"SOL?"

"Speed of light. "Sundowner" can only manage SOL 2 in hyper but the scouts can manage six for a short burst..."

Phip's eyes bulged as her cortex did the sums.

" ... and came up alongside the Chens. We've always known where they were; UVAs in cosmic have been constantly monitoring their progress and the UVAs have FTL coms fitted as standard so the vids came down the chain in real time. Cedric raised "Morning Cloud" on guard – yah, we've got FTL coms, its actually TJ and his friends' work bye the bye...

Cedric used an old identity of ours from another voyage as we don't want the Chens knowing too much. Appears the ships are out of water. Combination of not enough for what was on board them and poor water discipline. Nobody thought it through; shoehorning twenty thousand into a ship set up for four thousand max short time don't 'pute. The Chens were scared of what McCock was going to do and McCock probably wasn't feeling kindly disposed to them, not after Settlement..."

Phip decided not to ask – filed for later reference.

" ... The reclamation plant was overwhelmed and the tanks were depleted. As the passengers began dying off, the reclamation plants caught up somewhat and there are about two thousand survivors on " 'Cloud". "Morning Mist" had reported an outbreak of influenza and hasn't been in coms for three days but someone activated the distress beacon...

We matched velocity with " 'Cloud" and transferred two thirds of our water into her and put a quarter into " 'Mist"...

Thanks, Sandra, put the stuff in the pantry and we'll help ourselves. How do you take it, Phip?"

Clare had walked to the small galley and made the concoction to Phip's directions – the brew was almost a hot paste, chewable rather than drinkable, made with copious cocoa powder, creamer and sweetener and stirred with difficulty.

The women returned to their chairs and Clare continued as they sampled their respective brews,

"TJ commed Charles Lightoller. He's manager of SHOW's Orbitals and Shipping division. Ramsgate, his earlier line, has the contract for the Moon's water and uses bladders to carry it. We got back to the hyper point and Charles turned up about an hour later. He keeps the bladders full just in case there is a Lunar emergency and they want water yesterday; happened once, he told me, and the previous firm took something like twenty seven hours to moon orbit most of which was filling ship's tanks. Charles also grabbed the orbital's portable decontamination unit..."

Clare glanced up at the telltales,

" ... and we're on the way back, working up to SOL 2 for about ten minutes, ballistic for thirty or so and then turnover for about another twelve...

You? As soon as Cedric told us of the details of the emergency, we knew we had to go to SOL velocities and you would have worked it out. So we had to silence you – no! We never even thought of killing you – didn't enter our heads. TJ and Morg both know you are a descendent of GEMs, Hannover line, TJ recalled. Both of them agreed you'd not been woken. And don't ask me what it means, I'm not a mutie – well not a GEM descendent in the strict sense. That wouldn't ensure your silence as you'd still have your loyalities so we got the Matriarch to bite you – Hazel is a bit pissed off with us for borrowing her but we thought it was needed as we had to be sure of the block...

The Matriarch is Hazel's Companion. Lost you, have I?..."

Phip's expression was that of one who was around the bend and lost in the zigzags.

" ... To control the super soldier muties, just in case they went berserk, Geatland Laboratories developed mutant spiders who would, on being exposed to a coded message, attack the supersoldiers. The spiders were also telepathic to GEMs unless the GEM had learnt how to block. TJ does that very well, by the way. To mind read norms, the spiders have to be in physical contact. Also the spiders can block a person's ability to inform others of the spider's existence and that now includes "Sundowner's" secrets. Causes all sorts of nausea, quite literally; just ask the Gennies, some of them learnt the hard way when they nearly let slip some detail. You'll be able to discuss things with others "in the know" and no, I haven't got the foggiest how its done...

We got the spiders when we got the silk; you've heard of the little black things?..."

"I was exposed to them or was it you were exposed at the Army Navy ball that time."

"Oh, yes. They are truly spectacular little things. The spiders ended up joining us. Fortunate, that, with the Chencons wiping Harbouria clean..."

"You truly believe those vids?" Phip questioned.

"Oh, absolutely. Not a doubt. We know McCock and he laid in the UVAs. The FTL is our technology and we've been using it for a while as gave it to the Mounties...

Wangfor was just a bit premature about the destruction of Harbouria and it wasn't McCock what done it, it was the Chens. McCock took out the Peep home fleet, orbitals and targets of military opportunity in New Liege but basically the planet was intact when he left. 'Teeth, "Bethune" berthed after that raid and had Wangfor as passenger and the idiot talk shows didn't make the point that if Harbouria was destroyed how come Wangfor is alive. Well, he's got a bit of answering now."

"Can I observe that you've dumped a load of shit on me" Phip commented, "I'll probably take a year or five to come to terms with it."

"Try the rest of your life. TJ, Morg and the Windsor Women are still learning and they've had near two decades at it... (seven chimes sounded) Let's head for the mess."

Clare didn't mention to Phip that she had been infected with the Comminantes nannites. Enough was enough.

Phip was slightly bewildered but somehow accepted what Clare had said and wondered how she could and still retain her sanity,

"Uh. How will this effect me?"

"Haven't a clue. How do you feel?"

"Different?"

"That's probably an understatement but there you go."

They joined the throng at the serving tables and joined Shirley and the Middies. Introductions were sort of made around the middies desire to deplenish the ship's victuals' stores in one sitting.

(Never, but never get between a Middie and food; it can prove painful.)

"Do you hear there, turnover in three minutes; do you hear there, turn over in three minutes."

Conversation continued until turnover when it stilled as bodies adjusted to the change in velocity and then resumed as things stabilised.

The meal finished and crew began moving to the lounge areas, Fifteen minutes later TJ called

"Boarding party. Briefing, such as it is, in the Gym in five."

Threep and Art joined the bodies in the gym as TJ led the brief which explained the situation as it was understood. Two scouts would cover the operation. 737 would lock onto " 'Cloud" and Threep would check for disease and if clear 'Nita plus seven, side arms only, would enter and offer assistance. 737 would move to " 'Mist" and lock on. If no assistance from internal, Art would over ride the safeties on the hatch and Threep and Art would enter the ship, resealing as they entered. If safe TJ and party would enter, fully armed, to explore the ship. The Saints would be called as required.

And, it wasn't us who pumped the water in; we just happen to be passing,

"Suits? Boat bay in fifteen."

The gym emptied with crew dispersing to the cabins about the mess; the Middies went past at not quite a run heading for the lifts. Shirley explained

"Their quarters are up in A aft."

Male and female spacers in armoured suits with helmets on leash or under arms trickled down to the mess exit, noses were counted and when the last one joined, the party moved off to the lifts. At Clare's invitation, Phip joined Shirley and her on the bridge. A holo of the local area was glowing ahead of the console showing the three ships and five scouts. Dorothy had the watch and Clare instructed her to continue. Eva Porter was in the left seat and Susan Gort in the right. Cedric was hovering over the EW console.

Dorothy adjusted the thrust so as to match the velocity of the Chencon duo in the opposite direction with only two commands with virtually no strain on the inertial compensators. Phip was impressed and said so to Clare.

Dorothy called the ships, got a reply from " 'Cloud" with the explanation given previously and then notified them assistance was on its way,

737 cleared "Sundowner" and Cedric put two scouts with her.

"Mother Hen, this is Chick, coms check."

"Five by five, Chick."

Wendy with Clare's approval had the Boat Bay control coms relayed over the tannoy – kept everyone informed.

"Chick locked on" Madame O's laconic tones were recognised and acknowledged by the double click.

"That's not a Mounty accent" Phip observed.

"Gennie. Madame O is a Gennie" was Clare's reply.

"One of those schoolgirls?" Phip's eyebrows took the voice up with them.

"The oldest and of course she's two generations older as far as we can work it out but they all joined at the same time; look you, it's a bit of a story."

"So! Have you got anything better to do?" Phip gently enquired.

Clare hadn't. Clare told briefly of the capture of the slaver and the rescue of the Gennies, The story of Madame O got an honourable mention. The socialisation classes with Naomi Dahlgren caused some cackles from ABs Elizabeth and Frances S.Downer accompanied by the good natured categorisation of the Trainees as wimps for not being able to keep up sexually with the bred eye-candy. Clare quelled further comments with a hard glare at the miscreants who grinned back but did cut down on the comments. Shirley Wood's and Dusty Miller's training and its results were covered but not in specific detail.

Phip was a naval flag officer and signal's specialist and was able to make the comparisons.

"You march in raw recruits" Phip said incredulously "and in two years you end up with watch trained spacers who double as small craft mission pilots?"

"Don't forget we design our own clothes, fashion pieces too" Liz S.Downer interjected.

"And we are all chefs; don't forget that" added Frances

"All the necessary feminine talents" laughed Phip.

Both ABs slumped and went po-faced; a dead hand settled on the atmosphere. Phip caught it immediately.

"I've somehow put my foot in it. I do apologise."

"You weren't to know" Clare somewhat sadly informed her "the Gennies were bred sterile."

"Boss that ain't quite the case." Cedric corrected Clare. "They can be artificially impregnated with one of their own fertilised eggs. Derrin and Threep's investigations show their tubes(?) are not open, ah ... never opened. Threep says their tubes are im ... im ... Liz, what's the word I want?..."

"Imperforate."

" ... That's the one."

"How come you know all this" Clare demanded.

"Threep got me to make a nano-vid and he used it to back up the scans Derrin got by sending it up the ... ah, ... ah, passageways. The genetic engineers somehow interfered with the canalisation of the cranial end of the paramesonephric ducts ... Don't ask me to explain – that's what Threep said – I'm just repeating it."

"Threep says we have a second hymen" Francis informed them.

"Chick undocking from " 'Cloud" for " 'Mist" this time."

"Chick."

"Boss, TJ."

"Go"

"" 'Cloud" is under control of its crew. Those that didn't die from dehydration are coping well, Threep said. I've left 'Nita plus five to help out and start the talk about not going back. Also told them to remain fully armoured at all times and work in pairs – I don't want a hostage problem. Ain't likely, but why take chances."