AOL is being balky, ergo, the splitting of this into two posts.
Even though these things give you about as much legal coverage
as a G-string on a stripper, I am going to include it anyways.
Most of the charecters in this story are the property of Harmony
Gold, and a whole lot of other companies who's names escape me at the
moment, and are used without their permission. However, since this
is a not for profit undertaking, I dont think its neccecary to worry
about it. At any rate, I'm so broke suing would be a waste of time.
The few original charecters in here are mine, so please ask before
using them in a fic of your own.
Comments and Criticisms welcome: E-Mail Starrngr@aol.com.
Flames will be promptly filed in file 13 and ignored. Previous
parts of this story can be found at: Ranger HQ:
HTTP://home.talkcity.com/TheSanitarium/Da_Muck/Libr/wndr/
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Tales of the Wanderer: Book Two: Wandering Aces: Episode 2:
Reactions.
Lieutenant Commander Claudia Grant's smile was warm and genuine
as Commander Lisa Hayes and Captain Gloval ducked through the hatch
to the bridge, though it faltered a bit at their grim expressions.
She couldn't help but wonder at what had happened during the meeting
at Alaska base, but at the moment she was more concerned with
welcoming her friend and her captain home.
Vanessa, the communications specialist got the first word in,
however, with a relayed message. "Captain, CIC reports the Minmei
special is on final. They will be aboard in five minutes." This
information only increased Gloval's dour expression as he settled
into his chair.
"Thank you, Vanessa," Gloval replied. "Now I just have to find
a way to break the news to the population of Macross that we can't
set them ashore." This grim statement evoked a chorus of gasps from
the bridge crew even as Lisa confirmed the bad news.
"The council declared everyone dead after the fold mishap,
so we have been ordered to keep everyone aboard indefinitely,"
she confirmed with a voice that revealed a despair her expression
had not.
"But that's not fair!" protested Kim Young, the quartermaster
of the watch.
"Yeah! Its like we're prisoners here!" chimed in the impetuous
Sammie, and Gloval could only feel his worries deepen. During the
past two years in space these five young women had become the team
that solved far too many crisis. If they were dismayed at these
events, he could only expect a more severe reaction from the citizens
of Macross City itself.
As usual, it was Claudia who managed to put things into perspective
first. "Orders are orders, even if there are a lot of idiots up at
headquarters who have no idea of what they are doing!" she observed.
Lisa couldn't help but nod at this basic summation of military
life, but Sammie was not yet ready to relent. "But there must be
something you can do, Sir! Please tell us your not going to accept
this quietly. You will change their minds, won't you sir?" the young
tech pleaded.
"Won't you Captain?" Kim added.
Gloval's face grew even more somber as he dropped into the
command voice he used when giving orders that absolutely would be
obeyed. "You lack of discipline is only compounding the problem,
so get back to your duty stations immediately. I appreciate
your concern, but right now I have to begin deciding how to break
the news to the surveyors of Macross," he declared, his shoulders
stooping slightly as he stood and made his way to the bridge hatch.
"You will excuse me."
Even the timid Vanessa felt compelled to try and add something.
"But Captain, Cant you..." But Gloval cut her off stiffly.
"That will be all, Vanessa," he declared curtly, and the young
communications tech bowed her head meekly.
"Yes, sir," she mumbled as the hatch slid open and Gloval stepped
through, and paused again.
"Please, try to understand," he asked softly over his shoulder
before the hatch slid shut behind him.
* * * * * * * * *
Captain Gloval had just gotten his pipe drawing smoothly when
the knock came at the door to his quarters. 'Well,' he admitted
to himself, 'I was just wondering what else could possibly go wrong,
and it looks as if the universe is going to oblige me.'
"Enter", he commanded, not quite surprised when he swung his
chair around from his contemplation of the broad view of the Pacific
Ocean to see Commander Grant standing there.
"I hate to disturb you with this, sir," she began hesitatingly,
her usually cheerful face quite concerned.
"That's quite all right, Claudia. I know you wouldn't unless
it was important," Gloval reassured her as he indicated for her to
sit down.
"Has Colonel Maistroff said anything to you about an incident
on the Prometheus hanger deck?"
"No, he hasn't, why?"
"I'm not sure, Sir. When I took over the watch this morning,
I noticed that MP's and paramedics had been dispatched to the
Prometheus hanger deck, but there was no follow up reports filed.
And there is someone being held in the sickbay under guard, under
Maistroff's personal orders."
"Hmmm. Yes, you were correct in bringing this to my attention.
Maistroff didn't say anything about this to me when I came back
aboard," Gloval agreed as he reached for the phone on his desk.
"Communications? This is Captain Gloval. Please contact Colonel
Maistroff and have him come to my quarters immediately."
Claudia stood. "Thank you, Sir. I should probably go now,
sir."
"No, Claudia. You're the one who brought this to my attention,
so its only right that you should find out what it's all about."
As she sat back down, Gloval half turned back to the large window
that formed one wall of his quarters and took a long draw from his
pipe. A deep silence descended over the room for a long moment,
before Gloval broke it once more.
"What do you think, Claudia?"
"About what sir?"
"About our orders."
"Disappointed, Sir. We did our best to get them home safely,
and now we have to expose them to danger again. But, unless High
command changes our orders, we don't have any choice in the matter,"
Claudia admitted.
"More to the point, do you agree with Sammie and the rest that
I should try to get them off anyway, Commander." Gloval pressed.
"I would feel better if we didn't have to take them back into
space with us, Sir. Our oath was to defend the people of Earth,
not endanger them."
The conversation was cut short by the hatch opening and Colonel
Maistroff entered. He glowered briefly at the presence of Lt.
Commander Grant, then focused his attention on the Captain. "You
asked to see me, sir."
"Yes, I did. Commander Grant was kind enough to inform me there
was an incident of some kind on the Prometheus while I was away.
Since you were the Command Duty Officer at the time, I thought it
would be best to hear about it straight from the horse's mouth, so to
speak." Claudia managed to hide a grin at the tone of the captain's
voice. She'd heard that calm and reasonable tone before... right
before the captain dropped the hammer on some poor soul at Captain's
Mast.
Colonel Maistroff paled slightly, but quickly composed himself.
"Yes sir. I didn't mention it because we still don't know that much
about it. I was waiting until I had all the pieces before telling
you, sir."
"Of Course," Gloval replied, his tone now about as warm as a
Siberian blizzard, "And of course you never had any intention
of using that information to undermine my authority." The threat
in his voice was implicit. Such actions could, in wartime, be
considered Mutiny, and under wartime conditions it was a capitol
offense. Maistroff blanched, even as Gloval continued in a slightly
warmer tone. "But, since it has come to my attention, why don't you
tell me what we do know."
"Yes sir," Maistroff replied as he struggled to regain his
composure. "Basically, at about 1545 two days ago, we captured
what I believe to be an enemy agent. He set off some sort of flash
device and attempted to escape along the length of the Prometheus
Hanger deck in an antique four-wheel drive vehicle. In the
confusion, he collided with one of the deck vehicles and crashed,
sustaining a blow to the head which rendered him unconscious.
At that point he was taken into custody. He is presently being held
in Sickbay under guard but has not yet regained consciousness."
"I see." The ice had returned to Gloval's voice. "And what was
the basis for making this decision, seeing as how the average enemy
stands some 50 feet tall?"
"Well sir, his fingerprints don't match those of anyone in the
crew or the population of Macross. In addition, he was carrying
an outdated form of identification under the name of Micheal
Thunders, a legal resident of Japan. Japan has no records of him,
but the prints DO match one Commander M. Thunders of then United
States, reported KIA during the endgame of Operation Desert Storm
at the start of the global civil war, sir."
"So it is your belief that the Zentraedi somehow kidnapped
this man over 22 years ago and then somehow inserted him into the
SDF-1 without our knowing, even though we have no indication
that they even knew where earth was until they first appeared in
orbit two years ago. Is that correct, Maistroff? And this wasn't
important enough to bring to my attention immediately?" Gloval's
eyes were as cold and hard as the tone of his voice. Maistroff
found himself automatically drawn to attention by Gloval's demeanor
and swallowed nervously before nodding.
"Very well, Colonel. You are to hand over all materials
about this incident to Commander Grant immediately. After that, you
will return to your quarters and consider yourself on report until
such time as Commander Grant's investigation is complete and I decide
if your actions were warranted. Is that understood, Colonel?"
Maistroff's voice deserted him, forcing him to nod again.
"Dismissed, Colonel." Maistroff swallowed once more before
turning and exiting the cabin, still at attention, while Gloval
turned his attention back to Claudia. "I apologize if this changes
your plans, Commander, but we need to get to the bottom of this as
soon as possible."
"Of course sir. I'll get right on it," Claudia replied as she
stood and saluted.
"Have our 'guest' transferred to Macross General as well. I
want them to give him a complete going over. At the very least it
will prove if he is human."
"Yes sir," she replied and turned to the hatch. Just before
she stepped through, Gloval's voice stopped her once more. "And
Claudia? Thank you."
Just for what she wasn't sure, but to her that didn't really
matter. "Your welcome, sir." As the hatch closed behind her, Gloval
was reaching for the phone once more.
"Communications, this is the captain. Please inform Mr.
Fortespiel that I will have a ship-wide announcement for him to
distribute in about 15 minutes."
* * * * * * * * *
Lisa Hayes' stride faltered for a moment as she entered the
waiting room of Macross General and saw Lieutenant Sterling and
Corporal Dixon already ensconced within. She considered leaving
for a moment, but before she could Ben noticed her and waved her
over.
"Hi Commander. The doctor just told us that Rick's in the ICU.
He's pretty banged up, but they expect him to be ok," the young
gregarious flight officer noted. Lisa half mumbled something
along the lines of 'that's good' as Ben continued on. "That was
pretty spectacular flying he did, too. I don't think anyone else but
maybe me an ol' Max here could have pulled it of." Lisa's wan smile
faded as the guilt of her being the one responsible welled up again.
It was the more perceptive Max who noticed that and took steps
to keep his wingman from sticking his foot so far down his throat
he could taste his kneecap. "It's kind of late, Ben, and we need to
get back to base. Why don't you go on down and get the jeep and I'll
be down in a minute, willya?"
"But the doc..." Ben's protest died as he caught the look in
Max's eyes. "On it, Max", Ben agreed and headed for the elevator.
Max waited until Ben was out of earshot before turning back to Lisa.
"I'm sorry about that, Commander. Ben's good people, but
sometimes he just doesn't think," the blue haired pilot observed
apologetically.
"It isn't anything worse than I've said to myself," Lisa
admitted, caught off guard by Max's candor.
"They were about to let us go in and see him for a moment,
Ma'am. Why don't you go instead, and see for yourself. Rick Hunter
is a survivor Ma'am. You'll see." Max gave Lisa one of his quirky
half smiles before heading to the elevator himself. He paused at the
door, and looked back over his shoulder. "And Ma'am, it really was
an accident. It could have happened to anyone... Even me." And with
that, Max was gone, leaving Lisa alone with her thoughts.
The doors to the elevator dinged just as Max reached them, and
disgorged two MP's and an orderly pushing a stretcher holding the guy
from the hanger deck the other day. This small gaggle of people
was presided over by none other than Lt. Commander Grant herself.
Remembering the MP's grizzly warning from the other day, Max quietly
stepped out of the way before taking the elevator down to meet Ben.
* * * * * * * * *
--
Starrngr -- Ranger HQ
HTTP://home.talkcity.com/TheSanitarium/Da_Muck/
"You wear a Hawaiian shirt and bring your music on a RUN? No wonder they
call you Howling Mad..." -- Rabid the Pysad.