Part 49 (2/2)

”The Wasp has changed a lot since you were last on her,” Drago said, ”but she's not a whole lot bigger than when you stole her.”

”I captured her fair and square,” Kris grumbled, but a schematic of the s.h.i.+p appeared on the table before them and it held her attention.

The s.h.i.+p was designed to pa.s.s for a vulnerable five-thousand-ton freighter. The command and crew s.p.a.ce was forward. Amids.h.i.+p was a long spindle where s.h.i.+pping containers were attached to honest merchant s.h.i.+ps. The Wasp could actually take quite a few.

Aft was the engine room that Kris remembered only too well.

Now, a large structure ballooned out to cover the length of the s.h.i.+p. And that was its secret. Smart metal could be rotated along the side of that outer skin, absorbing laser hits and radiating the heat back into s.p.a.ce.

The Wasp had a wars.h.i.+p's hide on a sheepskin cover.

”And that's not all. Nuu Research made a breakthrough. Our new reactors can strip electricity directly out of our fusion drive. No more having to use magnetic coils to coax electricity from the plasma blasting out our engines.” Drago grinned. ”Next time we get in a fight while in orbit, somebody's going to be very sorry they went for us.”

”How many people can you handle aboard?” Kris asked.

”Still only thirty. Maybe forty if they're friendly.”

”I've got a hundred, hundred and fifty marines I need to get out of here.”

Drago paled at Kris's words. ”I'd never count on a Marine to be friendly.”

”There's a Nuu s.h.i.+p repair and modification facility here on High Eden,” Nelly said. ”It lacks a full yard capability but it has some tools.”

”For what?” Drago said.

”People are using containers to s.h.i.+p colonists out on merchant s.h.i.+ps,” Ruth observed innocently.

”But Eden never sends out many colonists,” Drago answered. ”No one here makes those kinds of containers.”

”I have the designs in my innards,” Nelly said. ”I could direct the robot shops to make what we want.”

”Thank you, Nelly,” Kris said.

Drago still shook his head at the thought of loading his wonderful s.h.i.+p full of big, hairy Marines.

But they were ready to sail four days later.

60.

Captain Drago avoided asking Kris the obvious question until they were boosting for Jump Point Delta at 1.5 g's.

”Where do I set a course for?”

Kris had been considering that quite a lot.

She turned to Abby, Jack, Penny, and Gramma Ruth. Penny, along with thirty-six bandaged, walking wounded had come aboard the day before the Wasp sealed locks and got under way.

There were other wounded that did not make it aboard. Captain DeVar's legs were a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle. The docs were still debating whether to fix him up or amputate and install metal. The wounded that did come arrived in twos and threes, anything not to draw attention. Kris was none too sure that mattered.

The newsies dirtside had a lot to report...and they were reporting it all.

The opposition party had used a rarely applied option for them to actually put a law on the table. Now, after the slaughter, they had the votes to see that their proposal to give the voting franchise to every man or woman in American Eden was not sent off to die in committee.

Any option for the ruling party to hold the line on the vote vanished when Lieutenant Martinez pointed out that he and his Fraternal Order of Proud Caballeros had not fought that night for those of Spanish blood, but for everyone on Eden. If people could fight for everyone's freedom, shouldn't everyone be free to vote?

Kris feared the man was too logical for a life in politics, but it looked like he was headed that way.

So full voters rights were pa.s.sed and moments later, an election was scheduled. Eden certainly needed to fill plenty of seats. The presidency was vacant, as well as the prime minister position. And all three of the vice presidents also ended up vacant.

As it turned out, the woman who survived with the third vice president was not his wife, and they had been in his office the whole time, not skulking under a table. He admitted to being an alcoholic and signed himself into rehab.

She admitted to being an aspiring actress and offered to portray herself in both a family version of their adventure...and a version for mature audiences only.

Kris did not look back as she left Eden with little or no plan to ever return.

But that did leave the question of where to go.

”Abby, have you filed your report on my misadventures yet?”

”I need to send it out today. Do you want to review it?”

”Nope, just send Nelly a copy.”

Jack raised an eyebrow at how Kris was avoiding Captain Drago's question. ”You should check back in with General McMorrison on Wardhaven.”

”Yes, I imagine that I should,” Kris said with a sigh. ”But I've got this s.h.i.+p and a batch of Marines. Why should I let Mac or Grampa Ray decide what I do next?”

”Isn't that what Naval officers usually do: whatever kings and generals decide?” Penny said.

”And look what that has got us,” Kris pointed out.

”There is that,” Penny agreed.

”I think my little girl done grown up.” Gramma Ruth beamed.

”Anywhere you'd like to go, Gramma?”

”I been a lot of places. Some I can even go back to,” Ruth said with a sly smile. ”Why don't you surprise me?”

”Set a course for Chance,” Kris decided. Then she glanced at Abby. ”I suspect if Grampa Ray or Mac don't like it, we'll hear soon enough.”

Admiral Sandy Santiago at Chance had orders waiting for Kris by the time the Wasp docked. Neither Kris nor the admiral felt any rush to comply, so they spent a pleasant morning bringing each other up-to-date on the recent happenings in their lives. Kris found several interesting things in Sandy's report on the comings and goings of her command, Naval District 41, out here on the Rim.

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