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“I’m glad you agreed,” said Stone to Newling.
“I didn’t think we had much choice, and as much as I hate to leave my people, you’re absolutely correct.”
“Always nice to hear. About what?”
“Needing to meet Kendra, and the timing. If my cousin is going to try anything sneaky against our people, it’s going to be soon, and I’m going to be busier than I am now.”
She glanced about her, looking for eavesdroppers, but the Wolf was relatively empty. Only one of her new bodyguards was accompanying her, and he was professionally ignoring their conversation. Stone had vetoed any other members of the rebellion joining them, which left just a single Marine in the back, returning to Njord with a broken leg for medical treatment.
“What can you tell me about her?” she asked, quietly.
“What d’ye mean?”
“What is she like? Oh, I read the bio, but it doesn’t tell me anything about Kendra Cassidy, the person.”
“Ah. Well, when I met her –”
“Attention, in-bound Wolf, identify yourself,” came a voice over the internal speakers.
“This is CM Adams on the Zhukov; identify yourself!”
“Direwolf 1314 on intercept course.”
“1314?” asked Stone. There was something familiar about the voice, but why wasn’t the Direwolf assigned to a squadron?
The same question apparently occurred to Hangover, and she was comming the Njord.
“Njord, Zhukov.”
“Go ahead, Zhukov.” Stone thought this was Colona, but she couldn’t be sure.
“I have a Direwolf demanding identification.”
“That would be the CAP, Zhukov.”
“Negative, Njord, not the CAP, not part of a squadron.”
“Huh? They’re all part of a squadron?”
“She identified herself as Direwolf 1314, Njord. Please advise.”
“Hold one, Zhukov.”
There was a long moment of silence.
“Zhukov, be advised, Direwolf 1314 is piloted by Admiral Cassidy.”
“What?” exclaimed Stone and Adams at the same time.
“She’s a fighter pilot?” said Newling.
“Not last I knew,” Stone answered, reaching out with her ‘plant.
Kendra, what are you doing?
Oh, hi, Mikki, are you on the Wolf?
Yes. Why are you in a Direwolf?
I learned how to fly; they’re a blast! I’ll escort you in.
You learned to fly.
Yeah! I was bored. Wait a minute, Njord is messaging.
“Apparently she was bored,” Stone said to Newling.
“Bored.”
“Yes.”
Newling shook her head. “And I thought my family’s eccentric.”
*
WOLVES AND DIREWOLVES had different bays within the larger landing bay which comprised the top third of Njord.
Kendra ignored it, pacing the Zhukov all the way to touchdown before pirouetting and settling in on the port side of the larger Wolf. The bay had barely repressurized when her canopy popped open and she was climbing down, fully dressed in what looked to be proper gear. Stone and Newling watched, waiting for their airlock to open.
The OutLook agent exited first and immediately dropped into a fighting stance when he saw the unexpected figure.
“Whoa, whoa, stand down,” placated Kendra, raising her hands to her shoulders. “At ease. Mikki, a little help!”
“Maybe you shouldn’t jump the queue, Admiral,” Stone said, putting just a hint of emphasis on the rank. The agent relaxed and took a place next to Newling who had moved slowly onto the deck.
“Thank you; I’ll keep that in mind. Hi!” Kendra turned to beam at Newling. “I’m Kendra. I run this lash-up, despite all my efforts to get out of it. And you are?”
“Surprised? You’re nothing like I expected,” Newling answered.
“I have that effect on people,” Kendra said. “Hi Mikki. What brings you back?”
“Her,” said Stone, pointing to Newling. “Admiral Kendra Cassidy, I’d like you to meet Autumn Newling.”
“Damn. Sorry, Autumn, I should have recognized you from your avatar.” She stuck out her hand. “Welcome to Njord.”
Newling tentatively stuck hers out and grasped Kendra’s, nearly toppling in the process.
“Whoa!” Kendra caught her and steadied her. “Diana, reduce gravity in the bay to Luna normal!”
Newling straightened as the gravity lessened. “Thank you. I didn’t know you could do that.”
“We can do lots of things people don’t expect,” said Kendra. “I think the first order of business is a visit to sickbay and get you an implant and a booster.”
“Booster?” This was moving far too quickly for Newling.
“Protect you against disease and give your nanobots a head start. Can’t have the first leader of Free Luna dying from a cold.”
“Nanobots?”
“Relax; it doesn’t hurt. Diana, adjust gravity as needed between here and sickbay.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“Diana? Is that...?”
“The station AI. A friend of Mike’s.” This was the right thing to say, as some of the panic left Newling’s face.
“Don’t worry,” Stone said as they started to move towards the hatch. “It’s quick and easy, just like I told you. Your jaw will ache for a couple days, but nothing a basic painkiller won’t fix, and then you’ll be good to go.”
“So, Autumn. Nice to meet you, finally. Sorry if I scared you, but I saw the Wolf coming up from Luna and couldn’t resist.”
“Why were you out in a Direwolf again?” asked Stone.
“I told you, I was bored, so I learned how to fly one. They’re lots of fun. Oh, Autumn, I have a second seat. If we have time, I can take you out for a quick run. Whaddya say?”
Stone spoke first.
“I think you should let the lass get her bearings before you shoot into space with her.”
“Fine, fine. What about you, Mikki?”
“Oh, no. I’m not climbing into a ship you’re piloting. I rode with you in the Bugatti, remember?”
Kendra didn’t have a quick reply for that.
*
“HOW DO YOU FEEL?”
She opened her eyes. Pity; she’d been quite enjoying her nap.
The doctor; well, she assumed he was a doctor. He was in what she recognized as official Starfleet uniform, with blue highlights. Whoever he was, he peered into Newling’s eyes, checking for reactions.
“Pretty good. My jaw hurts.”
This drew a sniff from the doctor. “Naturally. Your implant has been placed in the left side of your mandible. That’s your lower jaw,” he added with a note of disdain.
“Doctor,” came a warning voice from behind Autumn. She turned to see Kendra, hands on hips and glaring at him.
“I was only trying to be helpful,” the balding man said, turning away.
“She’s our guest, Doc,” Kendra said more calmly. “Be nice.”
“It doesn’t matter. She’s free to go in any case.”
“Good. Thanks, Doc.”
He nodded absently then, to Autumn’s surprise, disappeared.
“I’m seeing things,” she groaned.
“No, that’s Doc Zimmerman, or at least a Doc Zimmerman. He’s the AI who runs the HMO program.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“Holographic Medical Officer. It was a workaround for us to get more medical personnel; for some reason, we can’t seem to recruit the really good doctors. So we made our own. I can’t really take credit, though. It was mostly Mac’s idea.”
“He was supposed to disappear?”
Kendra agreed.
“I don’t feel a whole lot better about this.”
“Come on,” Kendra said, obviously wanting to move past the discussion of the HMO. “Let’s get you to my office. It’s only a couple levels away, then we can sit and talk.”
Kendra offered her a hand off the chair but Autumn waved her away, surprising herself by stepping lightly off it.
The AI, Diana? Diana. Must be doing the gravity trick for me.
She smiled, pleased at the little touch of thoughtfulness, and followed Kendra out and through the corridors. A few minutes later she said, “I thought you said it was only a couple levels away?”
“Yeah, about that. Njord’s kinda big. We still have to go up two levels, but this deck isn’t as busy as the one my office is on, so I thought it would be easier to navigate.”
“How big is kinda big?”
“She’s two kilometers across at this level, and we’re going to have to walk most of that. The long way. Sorry, I didn’t design this habitat, it was done by professionals and they were insistent the corridors be concentric. Something about efficient use of space. Feel like chatting?”
Autumn shook her head. “I think I’d better concentrate on walking.”
“Suits.”
Eventually they reached the promised office, and Autumn dropped into a couch without prompting.
“Feeling okay?”
“Surprisingly good,” she answered. “Remind me to thank your AI; she adjusted the gravity perfectly.”
Kendra grinned.
“What?”
“Well, a couple things. Diana’s always listening, everywhere, unless you tell her not to, so she’d already know. But she didn’t actually do anything.”
“She had to have! I didn’t have any issues walking.”
“That’s the nanobots, already hard at work.”
“What?”
“You got an injection before your surgery, remember?”
“I got a few.”
“Right. One of those was a booster load of nanobots, all tasked with helping your body adjust to the ¾ g we keep on Njord. They work fast, but these have just the one job so they’re even faster.”
“We’re in, wait, you’re saying this is four times what I’m used to?”
“Near enough.”
“How?”
“Nanobots. I told you. You want more details, you can ask Diana, or Doc Zimmerman. Which reminds me. Diana?”
“Yes, Admiral?”
“Schedule a time to review Q-Net implant functions with Autumn. I’m afraid it will have to be the condensed version; she’s not going to have much time aboard.”
“I will do so.”
Newling boggled. “What sort of rabbit hole have I fallen down?”
“The good kind,” Kendra assured her. “Are you feeling up to a serious discussion?”
“As you just told your electronic henchman, my time is limited.”
“Henchwoman, if you please.”
“I appreciate the clarification, Admiral,” Diana added.
“Where are my manners? Autumn, you want something to drink? Eat?”
“I don’t know; my body’s telling me it’s time for bed, but I know it’s fairly early here, I think. Not bedtime at least.”
“Right; you’re on Greenwich, we’re six hours behind. Mid-afternoon, almost sixteen. How about an early slash late dinner and we talk while we eat?”
“Sounds fine.”
Ordering the food through the replicators was a quick process, and soon they were seated.
“Chief Stone has kept me in the loop. Poisoning the citizens of the warrens, and Mike thinks that Tycho is next on their list.”
“Pretty well sums it up,” Autumn said around a mouthful.
“I’ve been talking this over with my advisors, and the other Federation leadership, and we think there’s one more card we can play to keep the Empress from pulling the trigger.”
“I’m all ears.”
“I think you’ve heard this before. Join the Federation.”
Autumn choked on the bite she’d just taken.
“Are you serious?” she finally managed.
“Completely. We’ve got an interdiction on all flights, but they can attack Tycho through the tube network. We can’t intervene if they do, not from space.”
“And you can’t do anything if we’re part of the Federation, either! You have the single company of Marines, right? You don’t have troops to send us, so how does joining up help?”
“If you join, then your citizens become citizens of the Federation. We can then legitimately protect them by any means, up to attacking Artemis City from space if necessary. The Empress might not be impressed, but maybe enough of her advisors will realize what a bear trap they’re stepping in and convince her to back off.”
Autumn thought for a moment.
“I don’t think they can talk her back from the edge,” she finally said.
“Maybe they can remove her.”
“My cousin might be, almost certainly is, crazy, but she isn’t stupid. She gets one whiff of an effort to thwart her and there will be bodies for the recyclers, no matter who they might be in the government. You know she arrested the entire Whitmore family?”
Kendra was astonished by this information. “No. I didn’t know.”
Her face twisted as she thought of Davie, then she set it aside. Later; Autumn was still talking.
“...didn’t do anything to stop the revolution, so she judged him ineffective and removed him. Combined with her former Minister’s failures and she found it a politically expedient time to eliminate a potential threat.”
“The point, Autumn, is we can get the backing of the UE and the other Earth governments, if Free Luna’s citizens, non-combatants, are under threat. They’ll have to remove the pressure they’re putting on the Federation, now, under the Artemis Accords, which takes another weapon out of the Empress’s hands. And who knows? Maybe the people will take it upon themselves to finish the job you’ve started.”
“Perhaps,” mused Autumn. “Even if they don’t, though, you’re right about the rest. And we’d be an equal partner in the Federation?”
“As equal as Titan or the Guild. Yes. We’re still working out a permanent structure, but you’ll be fully involved in those discussions.”
“Then I agree.”
Kendra beamed.
“We should make this official. Diana, official recording session, Federation business.”
“Recording.”
Kendra’s tone grew formal. “Autumn Newling. As the acknowledged leader of the movement and government called Free Luna, do you commit yourself and your nation to join with the Terran Federation as an equal partner in our endeavor?”
“I do,” she replied with equal formality.
“Then, effective Stardate 12008.16, also known as August 16, 2120, the Terran Federation officially welcomes Free Luna as the newest member, with all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities as any other member state. Congratulations. Diana, end recording.”
“Recording ended and logged. Notification to the UE, Admiral?”
“Yes, and to the Union of Artemis. Make sure that bitch knows the gloves are off: if she strikes against our citizens, we will respond with equal force.”
“I will have the message for your review momentarily.”
Kendra’s attention returned to Autumn, whose face displayed a mix of awe, shock, and optimism.
“I’d heard about you and how quickly you move, but even the Chief’s stories didn’t prepare me. That’s it?”
“That’s it. Diana’s memory is legally admissible anywhere in the UE and Terran Federation, which takes care of most of the planet. The other nations will accept it once we provide a written version, which should be, ah, there it is.”
A whirring noise came from the wall, and a drawer extended.
“This is all the legal felgercarb which goes with that simple ceremony,” Kendra said. “I’ll sign, then you. Kyra’s and Tamara’s signatures are done by proxy, given their distances. It’s all legal and proper, though.”
“Wow.”
“Yup. Davie already knows, and she’s going to work with Nicole to coordinate our response to anything that happens, moving forward.”
Autumn was still stunned by the speed with which everything progressed and said so.
“A long time ago I learned to grab opportunities when they appear and not wait until everything was perfect. ‘Say yes first,’ my mom taught me. I’ve been doing it ever since. Drives my wife nuts sometimes.”
“I imagine. Will I get to meet her?”
“Not this trip. She’s on a mission and I don’t expect her back until next month.”
“Pity. Anyone who finds you a bit much is probably fairly sane.”
“Hey!”
Autumn snickered.
“I have to admit, it feels good to belong again.”
Kendra’s nod was enthusiastic. “I’ve been chasing the feeling of ohana my whole life.”
“Ohana?”
“My word for family, something I picked up when I was young. Nobody gets left behind, nobody gets forgotten.”
“Ohana. I like it.”
“Welcome to ours.”