The Navigator 2: We the People Page 10

  "Okay, if that's true, then why was she in Colorado Springs that time when those agents started following us?" Joe asked.

  "I brought my own team in to stop them. Who do you think cleaned up the bodies of the two you killed?" Sharon said. "I didn't find out until later, but they weren't there to kill you. They were supposed to observe and evaluate you for possible retrieval. After that mess was cleaned up, I was called on the carpet for my actions. I explained that you have a chronic, incurable disease that would only get worse and showed them the proof that they missed.

  "They tried to argue that you were still viable since you had taken out two operatives without injury or detection. I countered by telling them the only reason you succeeded was because my team was covering and assisting you. That wasn't the truth, but I made sure I could prove it. They believed me and decided to leave you alone," she finished.

  Joe wasn't sure if he believed her, but her story did explain a few things. "Okay, I'll accept that."

  Laura nodded, but turned to Sharon. "What are your thoughts? You've always said you wanted to get out of the life. This sure sounds like a good way to do it."

  Sharon smiled at her. "I'll go if you decide to join. If you don't, someone will need to stay here and protect you."

  Laura sighed and looked at Joe. "What do we need to do?"

  Joe smiled. "Just get your stuff and come with me. I have a… 'plane' waiting."

  When Joe and the two women got back to the plane, Joe opened his brief case and handed Sharon a file on The Citadel, what they were planning for it, and why.

  She had only read the first page when she looked up. "Mental abilities? You only mentioned Navigation, and I thought that was more of a skill than an ability?" Sharon asked.

  Joe shook his head. "No, the ability to Navigate is a mental ability. It can be trained into certain special individuals, but only with limited success. I am a natural Navigator. I'm told I'm one of the strongest so far discovered. You will be working directly for the Council and charged with overseeing Navigator training and our general well-being. There is a lot more to the story, but I'll leave that to others to explain."

  Joe touched a switch on the arm of his chair. "Shana, can you let Alpha team know to proceed with the mission? You can also prepare to return to the station, and can you connect me with the Admiral, please?"

  "Certainly Colonel. We should be taking off very shortly," Shana replied. "Our flight time will be thirty-one minutes. The Admiral is on holo-comm two."

  "Excellent, thanks Shana," Joe replied.

  A hologram of Admiral Hawklings took form in one of the comfortable chairs, surprising Sharon and startling Laura. "I take it your mission was a success, Colonel?"

  Joe nodded. "It was. Sir, please allow me to introduce my wife, Laura Anderson and her lover, Major General Sharon Sorenson." He turned to the two astonished women. "Ladies, I am honored to introduce you to my immediate commanding officer and friend, Admiral Abraham Hawklings."

  "It is a true pleasure to meet you, ladies. Colonel Anderson has spoken highly of both of you. Now that I know you are joining us, I'll make the arrangements for your arrival," Hawklings replied. "Colonel, one of the new precogs has seen the capture of one of the gifted. She said it'll be tomorrow evening on the east coast of the United States. How do you want to handle it?"

  "I'll talk to her after we get the ladies set up in medical. Maybe we can go in early and just avoid the agents all together," Joe replied.

  Hawklings nodded agreement. "That would be the best solution. I'll let you handle it when you get here."

  Joe nodded. "Thank you, Sir, we should be seeing you in about a half hour, I see we're getting ready for takeoff."

  "We'll see you then," Hawklings replied and closed the channel.

  "Holographic display, huh?" Laura said. "That's pretty snazzy."

  Joe chuckled. "Honey, you haven't seen nothing yet"

  "So, if we're on a plane, how are we going into space?" Sharon asked.

  "Yeah, we're going into space. The answer to your question is this isn't just a plane," Joe replied.

  Sharon raised an eyebrow at him but went back to the file when he didn't elaborate.

  Laura asked. "So what was all that about going into medical?"

  "Well, for starters how would you like to be free of those migraines you have?" Joe replied.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean? This isn't going to be some experimental surgery shit is it, 'cause you can turn this plane around right now if it is!"

  Joe laughed. "No, it's not experimental anything! It's advanced medical technology that's been suppressed on Earth. Just ask the Doctor about it when you get there. He'll explain it to you far better than I can. It is kinda scary, but they really do know what they’re doing. After all, they cured everything that was wrong with me and even helped me get back into shape. I'm completely healthy now, probably more than I was even when I was young!"

  Sharon closed the file and handed it back to Joe. "That is going to be a major project. I'm not talking about rebuilding the Citadel either; the whole thing will be an ongoing challenge."

  "I recently had to pay a professional visit to the old Citadel. The leader had developed a very limited mind control ability and was using it to try and take over. I met him; he was totally insane, classic megalomania at its finest. Anyway, the Council asked me to take care of the problem by eliminating him and any of his minions that couldn't be otherwise helped. The Citadel was destroyed due to hostile action, but we managed to evacuate most of the personnel first. The leader, Jared Small, and his minions were still on the station when it was destroyed." Joe replied.

  Sharon nodded. "I'm certain the community would have ordered your death if they were in this situation, but thankfully they aren't. However, I would like to know what is being done to make sure that a situation like that doesn't happen in the future?"

  "Putting you in charge of the Citadel is one of those precautions. The Citadel itself will be undergoing a few fundamental changes in the way it functions in an effort to prevent the abuse of our abilities by anyone, including us. We will be raising our own children. We will create schools for them that will teach ethics, morality, and duty with regards to our abilities and how we use them. We will be allowed to police ourselves with regard to our abilities: to that end we will be working out a few rules for our people." He frowned. "Unfortunately, I have a feeling I will end up being the enforcer of those rules.

  "Right now, there are not that many of us, and most of us are of a like mind on the issue. We have a duty to help our fellow humans to work together for our mutual benefit. Manipulation or control of others is not to be allowed unless it is in defense of life." Joe paused. "That's really what my mission is about; to stop that sort of thing before it can take root."

  "Where will you fit into the scheme of things after the new Citadel is built?" Sharon asked.

  "I'm told my ability ranks me as a senior Navigator equal to or higher than Smalls. Originally, they wanted to put me in charge of The Citadel, but I convinced them a 'normal' human would be better suited for that position and suggested you," Joe replied. "I'm not certain, but I imagine I will simply be a Senior Navigator with extra duties as a Colonel in the Terran Marines."

  "Terran Marines? We have a military?" Sharon asked.

  "Not really, there are only a couple hundred of us so far, if I count the guards on Darkwater station." Joe grinned.

  The dog, Merry, was spending the trip in Joe's lap. Shortly after they had left the airport, she raised her head and whined a little, looking around. Joe just petted her lovingly to calm her. He knew she had felt the antigravity engines come online and was only responding to that.

  Laura smiled at him. "I think someone else missed you too."

  Joe nodded. "I missed her. She always did seem to know when I needed a cuddle. I guess it's my turn to give her one."

  "So are you going to tell me about your girlfriend before we get there?" Laura asked
, grinning.

  "Be nice to Becka! She did a great job helping me get used to all of this. She's said many times that she is looking forward to meeting you. I imagine she's going to be nervous enough as it is. She knows you're first in my heart and accepts that. All I ask is that you give her a chance, please," Joe said.

  "Okay, I'll be nice. After all, she obviously has good taste in men. Does she at least like girls, too?" Laura asked.

  Joe chuckled and nodded his head. "Yes she does, and she is a very pretty red-head. Keep in mind that she's only a couple of years younger than you, no matter what she looks like."

  "Really? How old does she look?" Laura asked.

  "When I first met her, I thought she was maybe twenty or twenty-one. She's been a Navigator for twenty years," Joe replied.

  "Just how long has this place been running?" Sharon asked. "How is it that no one knew about it?"

  "It started out as a Japanese commercial space project, but took on a life of its own when they discovered faster-than-light travel. At that point, the scientists in charge broke away from the corporation and became a semi-private, multi-national project. It's still a little touch and go when it comes to the different governments and intelligence agencies, but for the most part, they support us. As long as we remain autonomous, the various countries leave us alone. If one of them tries something to take control of us, we tell the rest of the world about it and the issue goes away." Joe explained. "The problems would be the tech we've developed, most of which came from Earth anyway, but the fact that we actually developed it, and in some cases improved or expanded on it, would very quickly put us at odds with the rest of the planet."

  "What about funding, who's paying for everything?" Sharon asked.

  "We're self-sustaining now. In fact, we export a lot of food and materials back to Earth. Not all of it is hidden very well either, after all how many Iron mines does Micronesia have?" Joe asked.

  "Micronesia is a group of small islands in the Pacific Ocean. As far as I know, they don't have any mines," Sharon replied.

  Joe nodded. "Yet they are exporting several thousand tons of magnetite and taconite a month. Of course it actually comes from either the asteroid belt or one of the moons in the Centauri system. We keep what we need and sell the rest on Earth."

  "Holy shit, how many people are involved in this?" Sharon asked.

  "I don't know exactly, but at least a couple hundred thousand. They are also taken from all over the planet, regardless of religion or political ethos. They all work together pretty well, too. I heard of a rancher that works very closely with a few of the farmers to keep his herds fed correctly. They supply him feed and vegetables, he supplies them with meat and fertilizer. The rancher is a Christian from the United States, and the farmers are Muslim and Irish Protestant. They all get along just fine. The only major problems so far have been this deal with The Citadel."

  A chime sounded and Shana spoke over the intercom. "We'll be docking in a couple of minutes, Colonel."

  Joe touched the control on his chair. "Thanks Shana."

  "It was my pleasure, Sir," the captain replied and closed the channel.

  Joe sighed, "Well, ladies, we're here. Laura, I didn't get the time to explain everything, but you need to know, Becka is pregnant."

  Joe saw the spark of anger in her eyes at that. It was one of the things she had always wanted; to give him a child. "Now, before you get pissed, you need to know some things. Part of my duty, as I explained before, was to pass on my genetics. Becka actually is a part of that. Also, once you get through medical up here, there is a damn good chance you will be able to give birth again too, so will Sharon." He paused as she thought about what he was telling her. "Yeah, she got pregnant first, but you will be able to have the child you've wanted as well. Laura, she's happy as hell with the pregnancy, please don't condemn her for it."

  "Colonel, you've only been gone for two weeks. If she is part of the breeding program, are you sure you are the father?" Sharon asked in her blunt way.

  "Jared Smalls ordered The Citadel doctor to use only his semen for the inseminations. Most of the women refused to allow the procedure, I say most, because he used his power to 'convince' some of them. Becka was not one of those women. Since I am the only other man she has been with, it kind of limits the possibilities," Joe replied as he felt the ship set down in the big landing bay.

  "So if it's only been a couple of weeks, how do you know she's preggers?" Laura asked.

  "Actually, it's been less time than that. Part of the medical treatment up here is medical nanobots. They reported her condition to the medical computer when we returned to the station two days ago," Joe explained. "The doctors will explain the whole thing to you when we get to medical. For now, there are some pretty important people waiting to meet you."

  True to his word, Admiral Hawklings was there to meet them, as was a nervous looking Becka. When Laura saw her, she hugged the younger looking girl and said thank you.

  "For what?" Becka asked, taken by surprise.

  "For taking such good care of our man. I'm glad you were here to look after him since I couldn't be," Laura replied.

  Recovering her wits, Becka replied, "Well, it is a full time job!"

  The group guided the two new women down to the medical section and introduced them to Doctor Ortigon.

  "Ladies, we have just gotten your complete medical histories, and we should have no trouble assisting either of you," Haviar began. Joe interrupted him.

  "Excuse me Doctor, I must be leaving soon and so will leave them in your care. Please treat them as you would any married couple."

  "Ah, they are together?" He smiled and nodded. "I will treat them as I would my own daughters, mi amigo."

  "Wait, where are you going?" Laura said with a little fear.

  "There is something I urgently need to take care of, Dear. I'll be back before you know I'm gone, I promise," Joe said.

  "I'll stay with them, Joe," Becka volunteered.

  "I really appreciate the offer, Becka, but I might need you this time. A breakout has been predicted tomorrow evening, and an empath would be good for what I'm planning." Joe said.

  "Right! Juno's prediction; I forgot about that. Uh, you should consider taking Abby instead. She's combat trained, as well as empathic. The girl that will be breaking out is young, Joe. Abby would be better able to speak to her than I would," Becka suggested.

  Joe thought about what she said. "Is she healed up? It's only been two days…"

  "Haviar released her for light duty this morning. The wound is healed but the muscles that were damaged have to be strengthened," Becka replied.

  "So you're leaving us?" Laura asked, a little fearfully.

  "Sweetheart, I have to; a young girl will be killed if I don't," Joe said in an effort to get her to understand.

  "Mrs. Anderson, in reality, you will be unconscious for the first couple of days as we treat you," Haviar explained. "However, if the Colonel has not yet returned when you do regain your surroundings, I would be more than happy to keep you company." He was smiling winningly.

  "Laura," Joe said. "This place is not the scary intelligence agency I told you about so many years ago. I trust these people with my life; you can too."

  Haviar nodded. "Si, it is not because of what the Colonel is I offer this, rather because of who he is; and that is someone I can call amigo."

  Joe grinned. "Besides I promised him three whole Pesos to look after you!"

  Without missing a beat, Haviar retorted in mock outrage. "Three! You said four earlier! What of my starving children?"

  Both Becka and Hawklings burst out laughing at the teasing banter.

  "Haviar! You're not even married! You don't have any starving children!" Joe replied.

  Haviar nodded. "That is true, but how am I supposed to find a good woman on such meager pay?"

  Now, Laura and Sharon were laughing too. Joe looked back at Laura. "See? They're not evil people. They're good people that care about ot
hers. You can trust them," Joe said and took the smaller woman in his arms. "I won't be gone very long, two maybe three days. If I'm not back here when you wake up, I'm sure the Admiral will let you call me."

  "Of course!" Hawklings said. "Why wouldn't I?"

  Laura sighed and nodded. "Okay, but you better be back here to get us buster, or I'll track you down again!"

  Joe kissed her tenderly on the lips. "I will. I love you."

  Since he was looking her directly in the eyes, she looked back. "I love you too. Be safe."

  "I will be, I have a few new tricks to help," he said and turned to Sharon. "Take care of her please,"

  "You know I will, Colonel. Good luck, and God speed," Sharon replied, using the same phrase she had always used when he left on a mission.

  As Joe headed for the door, he heard Haviar begin the explanation of what was going to happen to the two women. He stopped and looked back at his wife. Becka caught him looking and smiled at him. She winked and waved for him to go.

  Admiral Hawklings left with Joe as a guide and to speak to him. "We've got a pretty full house up here at the moment. We let Becka keep your quarters, but you're sharing them with Cassie and young Abby," he explained. "Laura and Sharon will have to remain in Medical until it's time for them to depart for BC IV. I've talked to the shipwrights and gotten them to release two of the new larger ships; the liner was to be the first off the line, but the other ship is a cargo vessel. The liner will be here tomorrow, but the other ship is still being built, it'll take at least two more days."

  "I thought all the new ships were going to be cargo only?" Joe asked.

  Hawklings shook his head. "Every fifth ship is going to be a passenger ship. We wanted to have them available to increase our population as well as when we open a new planet for colonization. When we do establish a new colony, we'll send a small fleet of these ships instead of a larger ship. These are easier and faster to build, and can be used for other purposes."