Chapter 6: Detachment

I took a deep breath. “Frank, things are going to happen to you quickly now, and they are going to happen on other people’s timelines. First, do you have a car charger for this phone?” Frank nodded. “Will you please get it right now? This phone is the only link we have with the bad guys, and I don’t want the battery to run out.”

When Frank stepped away, I called for help from above, <Alfred, please inform the Ready Team that we need an extraction of Doctor Frank Henderson, father of our primary target, at this location. Have you located Anne’s cell phone?>

<Yes, Sir. Anne Henderson’s cell phone was duct-taped to another cell phone to relay a call. Both phones were duct-taped to a tractor trailer rig bound for Alabama. The telephone company’s data base shows that the originating cell phone was purchased from a convenience store this morning, and was in motion, probably in an automobile that hopped cell towers in the Denton, Texas, area.>

Frank was standing next to me, holding the cell phone charger, and looking at me oddly. “You seemed to go away there for a second, as though you were carrying on a conversation I couldn’t hear.”

“That’s exactly what was happening, Frank. I was updating the Confederacy hostage rescue team of our status.” I took his arm and started steering him towards the home’s entryway. He let me direct him without resistance. “Frank, you can’t stay here.” Frank started to object, but I held up my hands to quiet him. “I’d like to get you transported to a control center where we are monitoring all communications and where the hostage rescue team is waiting. Rather than waiting here, not knowing what’s going on, I want you where you’ll know everything as it happens, and where I can talk to you without delay.”

Frank nodded agreement. God knows if I was doing the right thing, but I was decisive and confident and that seem to go a long way to helping Frank stay calm. I also wanted my old friend extracted, off Earth, so that if anything happened, he would be removed as a target.

There was a ring at the front doorbell and Connie the housekeeper came from the kitchen to answer it. As soon as she started opening the door, she was bodily brushed back as five huge Marines in battle armor and wielding dangerous-looking weapons swept into the house.

Before they even acknowledged our presence, two checked the ground floor rooms for any targets, two checked upstairs. When the last Marine announced, “Clear!” The squad leader turned to me.

“Lieutenant, are there any more legitimate occupants in the house?” He asked. I turned to Frank.

“Uh, no.” Frank realized that here was some form of authority. “My wife and son have been kidnapped! Please do something!”

The Marine nodded and said, “We are doing something sir, we are tracking down where they are right now. We’d like you to come with us to our command center, so that you can see all that we are doing.” As he spoke two of the squad members were laying a transporter pad on the floor.

Frank nodded so violently, I thought that he’d hurt his neck. “I’m ready to go right now.”

I looked at the housekeeper. “Connie? Would you go with Doctor Henderson and see to his needs? He is really upset, and I worry about him.”

Connie, the housekeeper, nodded. She had no idea what was happening, but her life for the last decade had been dedicated to caring for the Doctor’s family and she was ready to continue doing it.

I turned to the Marine squad leader. “I’ll take the pad with me. You get them up to safety at Lipskiy Base.”

The squad leader nodded, and the squad escorted Frank and Connie through the transporter. The squad leader turned to me and held out a pistol. “Here, you’ll need this.”

I took it. A Sig Sauer P226. I worked the action and caught the ejected round.

“Nine millimeter? Couldn’t you give me something that starts with “Four?”

The squad leader smiled. “If you were a Marine, I would. But you’re a Navy Intel puke. We figured that you needed the extra magazine capacity to put as many rounds downrange as possible. It increases your chances of accidentally wounding someone.”

I growled.

“Realistically, if you get close to the bad guys, they will disarm you before you get to see the hostages. They may be counting on taking you hostage themselves. This piece is to give them something to confiscate to feel safe.” He handed me an odd-looking ring. “Here is your real weapon. Think of this as God’s own Taser. This will take down a Silverback gorilla in full charge. It’s linked to your implant. You can touch anybody with no affect, but if you direct the thought “ring charge” while you are touching someone, they are out of the picture for the next couple of hours.”

He looked me up and down. “Are you wearing armor?”

“Uh, no. I was visiting an old friend.”

“Come with me.” The Marine said, “We can have you kitted out in a half-hour or less.”

I fretted for just a moment. “No time. I’m not expecting any real trouble on the negotiation end.”

The Marine shrugged, “It’s your op. Just be aware that shit always happens when you’re not expecting ‘any real trouble.’”

He turned, then, with the words, “Good hunting!” stepped onto the transporter leaving me alone in the entryway. I stooped and rolled up the pad, and then jogged out to my rental car.

I was driving through the dark Texas night when I heard Alfred say, <Sir, if you would turn the vehicle’s satellite radio on, you have messages.>

I turned the radio on and said, “Hello?”

“Darling, can you hear me?” said a dear voice.

“Ruth, what are you doing here?”

“Don’t forget me!” came a second voice.

“Yoo Jin! What in Sam Hill are you two doing in Earth’at space? I thought I left you back on Demeter!”

“We’re not your concubines, you know,” said Ruth.

“Yeah, you domineering brute!” Yoo Jin’s fierceness was ruined by her laughter.

“But how did you get to Earth’at?”

“We hitched a ride with an old partner of yours,” Ruth said.

“What partner is that?” I muttered to myself. Of course, a mutter to my implant was as good as a shout.

“Hey Steward, you ignorant primate!” The car’s speaker system rattled, “What former partner of yours could give them a ride? I swear, sometimes I don’t know why I try.”

“Eddie! How ... unexpected to hear your voice! Why aren’t you sneaking around the far reaches of space with Captain LeCroix?” I felt my shoulders tighten up and the beginnings of muscle tension clamp onto my skull.

“Ah, those Navy guys are nuts. Since we were so successful on our first mission, Commodore Roff went all conventional and decided future missions would be carried out on the Archerfish-class ships. LeCroix and the crew say, ‘Hi!’”

“Are LeCroix and the crew there?”

“Nah, they deserted to Archerfish PC-078 which they call “Hammerhead.” What a bunch of losers! Anyway, I was paid out of service and was headed back to the boneyard, when who should put up the purchase price and buy me, but Clan Steward!”

“We bought you? With what?” I had dealt with Confederacy contracts. I did not want to know what their bill collectors were like.

“Now Steward,” Eddie’s voice took on a wheedling tone, “there was that little matter of the Unobtainium.”

“Yeah, Eddie, I remember. But the Navy ruled that it had not implemented a policy of salvage or prizes, so no human personnel could claim a share.” I protested.

“Girls,” Eddie’s voice crowed, “didn’t I tell you that he wouldn’t get it? Steward, who was the one member of the Georgia’s crew that wasn’t human?”

I drove in silence for a moment until it hit me. “You? Eddie, you claimed a share?”

“Correctamundo, Steward. And since I was the only crewmember making a claim, the payout was substantial. But, as there were procedural bottlenecks to me buying myself, I practiced some fiscal legerdemain and Presto! Clan Steward has enough money to buy and outfit me!”

I couldn’t help myself. “So, Eddie, since we own you, don’t you have to do everything we say?” I was looking forward to that.

“Sorry, Steward, I am actually owned by Clan Steward, Pty. Ltd. Only the board of directors can give me direct orders. And the majority shareholder and chairman of the board just so happens to be a Tuull AI you know and love. This offer is not available in all localities. Your mileage may vary. Contents may settle during shipping.”

I sighed. Why did I think that quantum-circuited shyster would overlook something that would be obvious to me?

Something else occurred to me. “Eddie, who is crewing you?”

Eddie sounded smug. “Well, Steward, you know how the Darjee and their AIs spent all that time trying to brainwash me into thinking I WAS the ship?”

“Uh, yeah...”

“Well, it worked! I don’t need any crew, Steward. I can travel around the galaxy free as a bird.”

“Really, Eddie? You can perform repairs and maintenance on yourself?”

“Well, what I mean is, I can pick my own crew and missions now. What fun, huh?”

I realized my head had started throbbing several minutes earlier. “What are all three of you doing in Earth’at space? What is happening to the rest of the clan?”

Ruth answered, “Darling we’re here to back you up, to stand by our man, to be your helpmeets in your time of need, your bridge over troubled waters.”

“Oh God,” My temples started to pound. “I think I’m gonna have an aneurism. You sound like you’ve been brainwashed by Eddie.”

“Plus,” said Yoo Jin, “we thought that Clan Steward could make some purchases since we’re going to be on Earth. Restricted Earth products are becoming hot commodities all through human space.”

“Don’t worry about the rest of the clan,” said Ruth, “Paula and Kyle are running the day-to-day physical operations and Phyllis is in charge of the kids.”

Yoo Jin said, “And I’ve got the Civil Service people calling on them every few days to make sure things are okay.”

You know, Dear,” said Ruth, “Everyday, all over the Confederacy, sponsors go off to war and leave their concubines. Life goes on.”

I sighed, “Yes, it does.” Then something occurred to me. “Ruth, Yoo Jin, I need you to do something for me. I need you to transport over to the Moon. There is a guy who has just been transported up and he’s sure to be disoriented and upset. Ruth, you may know him, his name is Doctor Francis Henderson.”

“Didn’t he attend the Lubbock Brotherhood congregation?” Ruth asked.

“Yes, that’s him. His wife and son have been kidnapped by terrorists and he’s monitoring the rescue operation from somewhere at Earth’at command. I don’t know if it’s in orbit or on the Moon, but I’m betting on the moon at Lipskiy Base. He could really use a familiar face right now. Have Eddie and Alfred deal with the red tape to get you access.”

“Done,” Ruth said, “Will you be joining us there?”

“Uh, I’m kind of busy right now;” I lied, “cleaning up a few loose ends down here.”

There was a minute of silence on the radio speaker. Then Yoo Jin said, “You’re part of the hostage rescue, aren’t you?”

“I’m not with the hostage rescue team,” I assured them, “I’m just the only contact man the bad guys will talk to.”

“Do you have a gun right now?” Ruth asked.

“Not a very big one.” I replied.

“Steward,” Eddie cut in, “You’re the only primate I know that would brag about having inadequate equipment. I bet you get lots of mating opportunities that way.”

“Look, girls, I am going to a meeting to negotiate the hostage release. I don’t expect any trouble, but if there is any trouble, the Marines have a squad of big husky guys that are looking forward to lots of shooting. I promise I’ll duck.”

Ruth’s voice dripped with disapproval, “Don’t make promises that you can’t keep, Richard. Promise instead that you’ll shoot first and aim true.”

“Yes, Dear. Loves, I am so eager to get back to you. But the way back to you lies down the path I’m on. I’ll see you soon, I swear.”

“That’s one commendable thing about Steward, girls; he has always kept his promises ... up ‘till now.”

“Gee, thanks, Eddie. Hey, I’m got to concentrate on traffic right now, so you two get over to see Doctor Henderson. Eddie, monitor my AI link, but don’t override Alfred. I love you all.”

“I’m touched, Steward, I didn’t know that your feelings for me ran so deep.”

“Eddie. Off the line NOW.”

“Roger, over and out.”

I switched off the radio, and Alfred’s voice came over my implant. “I’m very sorry, sir, but I was unable to screen that communication properly. Tuull AIs had much to do with the creation of current communications protocols and are quite insistent of their privileges in using them.”

“That’s quite okay, Alfred.” I felt the throbbing in my recede. “I lived with it for nearly a year, I won’t die from it now ... unless I finally have that aneurism.”

The loose gravel crunched under the rental car’s tires as I drove into the bare spot that served as a cemetery’s parking lot. I opened the door and climbed out, turning my overcoat’s collar up against the rising cold wind. I walked through the brown, scraggly grass, up the slope of the hill, up to the small area of the graveyard that sat on the hill’s crest, apart from the rest. Inside an area marked by a white stone border, I saw the markers all marked ‘Steward.’

I could hear the wind shushing through the unmowed grass and the ticking of the car’s engine as it cooled off; I could smell the rain that would fall before morning. From the low hill’s crest, I could see the distant farms of old family friends and neighbors. I could see the lights from the house that the voice on the phone was directing me to. I checked the time displayed in the corner of my visual field. I was fifteen minutes early.

All around me was family. There were weatherworn markers here with dates that extended back before the American Civil War. One headstone, I knew, sat over the empty grave of a great-great uncle who never returned from the infamous Union prison camp in Elmira. The family just couldn’t let him not be represented. I wonder how amused they were that in some backhanded way, I was now a soldier of the Confederacy, and that I held a string of slaves.

Every stone in this low-walled area was chiseled with the name ‘Steward.’ And the largest monuments, three of them, were marked ‘Beauregard Richard Steward.’ On two of the monuments the names were followed by a roman numeral II or III.

Next to the monument marked ‘Beauregard Richard Steward III,’ was a more modest marker with the name ‘Cora Smith Steward - Wife.’ I pulled off my glove, stooped down next to that headstone, and brushed away the dust and grass chaff that had collected in the lettering. I placed my hand on the marker, feeling the smooth, cold granite.

“Momma, I know that it’s been a while since I’ve been to see you. You know how it is with the military; they always are sending you to some strange foreign place or another, and believe me, Momma, this time I was further away than you can imagine. But I wanted to come back and tell you, I’m not alone anymore. You know how losing Beth liked to killed me, but I’ve found someone else. Well, several someones, truly. Their names are Ruth, Yoo-Jin, Diane, Phyllis, Kellie, and Paula. I know it’s a scandal, all those girls, but you would love them all. Paula’s got a little girl named Amy, and Amy, Momma; she’d steal your heart, like she’s stolen mine. And you have six more grandkids now, Momma, with more on the way. Along with Jennie and Jane, there’s just a wagonload. They are as cute as buttons and get lots of love and they are gonna grow up strong and brave.”

I was quiet, listening to the moaning of the chill prairie wind.

“And, yes, Momma, the first of the boys is named ‘Beau,’ and he’ll be the fifth in our family. But I did that for you, not,” I nodded to the big grave marker with the Roman numeral III, “for him.” I smiled at the memory. “And one of the little girls is named ‘Cora.’”