4: Roomates

Part 4 : Roommates, Double Duty, Liftoff!

The base was filling out, or up rather, with the personnel assigned to the SDF-4. It was mid-October and Roy had now been assigned a roommate, and everyone was on base restrictions. It was early in the morning when the door was flung open and a duffle bag tossed into the room. Roy had been asleep on his bed, but was instantly awake.

“Right this way Lieutenant Nex.”

Roy groaned, he wasn’t ready to get a roommate yet, especially not this early in the morning.

Lieutenant William Gregory Nex was coming off of two tours of duty on the Lunar Base and had been asleep until his shuttle landed three hours ago to get on earth time. He was tall, and definitely a charmer when he was at his best. He was Roy’s height and of a little bit thicker build, which was part of the reason the two had been assigned as bunkmates for the duration of the “down time.”

Nex entered happily, having no idea who his roommate was or what he was in for living with the admirals’ son, but smiling because he had just secured his dinner plans. He strode in, flipping on the light and smoothing the pleats in his uniform as he moved to unpack.

Roy groaned and caught Nex’s attention. Nex walked over and peered at his new roommate. “Oh god!” He said.

Roy, not overly annoyed to be awoken in this manner, stretched and got out of bed. “You must be my roommate.” He extended a hand towards the Lieutenant.

“Uh-uh…” Nex stammered as he looked at Roy, who looked him straight in the eye as he pulled his pajamas straight around him. “Nice to meet you…”

“Name’s Roy Hunter. You?”

“William Nex…but everyone just calls me Nex.”

“Pleasure to meet you Nex.”

Nex, for his part, was so stunned that Roy wasn’t stuck up or conceited or angry was impressed by the Lieutenant and they became good friends on the spot. Nex went to unpack and Roy went off to shower.

* * * * * * *

Next door, the Commander was being returned to her room, and there was a new set of orders awaiting her on the desk, as well as a roommate unpacking. “Hello Commander McCalister.” Her roommate, Lieutenant Commander Ariel Johnson, said to her.

“Hello…”

Ariel saluted her roommate, “Lieutenant Commander Ariel Johnson reporting.” She smiled at Amethyst.

“A pleasure to meet you.” Amethyst lied to the girl, shaking her hand firmly as she moved to her desk.

“That came for you just after I arrived. Said it was confidential…”

“Yea thanks.” Amethyst snapped. She had just been through a session of adjustments to her implant and was not overly cordial with anyone, including bridge officers. She sat and opened the packet on her desk.

‘Due to the nature of the technical difficulties with your implant, Commander Amethyst McCalister, you are hereby reassigned to Bridge Control until such time as your implant can be made completely operational or your psychic abilities can be developed to such a point that would allow for its complete deactivation. You will accompany the SDF-4 on its tour of duty and will see Doctor Louie Nichols, who will be accompanying the ship, for the adjustments to your implant. You are still required to attend all pilot training sessions and report to Admiral Hunter’s courses in space flight strategy, but will also be required to attend all the bridge crew training sessions and strategic reviews with Admiral Hayes-Hunter.’

Amethyst quietly folded the orders and replaced them in the envelope once more. She changed from her daily uniform to her work out uniform and left without a single word to Ariel, she wanted to be early to the daily PT sessions she had missed while she had been on medical release.

* * * * * * *

Hunter, Nex, and McCalister continued physical training for the pilot program, but Nex and Hunter could relax and tone down afterwards, while McCalister was forced to run in circles to get to bridge training sessions. Finally, Lisa had enough.

“Commander McCalister, please explain your repeated tardiness to these sessions.”

Amethyst stood from her desk in the seminar room and saluted. “I would like to apologize, Admiral, for my repeated tardiness, but I come as quickly as possible from PT.”

Lisa was appalled. “PT?! Why are you going to PT?”

“As per the orders I received after my stint on medical leave Admiral. I am attending both…”

“That will be all. Let us continue the testing on console usages.”

Mentally Lisa took a step back. Commander McCalister had a sterling record left and right, but this dual training had to be straining her in some way, she just wouldn’t show it. It didn’t add up. She had seen, written the request for a transfer of the Commander to the Psychic Development Academy, and had put it in the hands of General Wolff himself. It was unfair for the girl…no the pilot to be forced to do double duty at this juncture. Space flight was demanding and the training rigorous, but so was bridge operation. It had taken Lisa herself a year to learn the operation controls of the SDF-1, and the SDF-4 was light years ahead of that technology. What amazed Lisa the most was that it seemed to come naturally to her.

Lisa vowed to find out who had decided that the Commander would be on double duty.

November 2056

“All personnel assigned to the SDF-4 are to be moved out of the barracks and into the ship by 1200 hours or face closed quarters for the rest of the week.” Amethyst announced over the intercom. All of the bridge crew had been moved to the ship the week before, for bonding purposes, and Commander McCalister had been given the order to cease pilots’ training.

Lt. Com. Ariel Johnson, Lt. Beatrice Watson, and Lt. Com. Catherine Shelling, already being affectionately called that ABCs, were attending to their duty stations, while Amethyst and Lt. Com. Erica Williams were at the stations Lisa and Claudia had held respectively.

“D Block reports 75% transfer.” “A Block reports 63% transfer.” “Blocks C and D are now at complete attendance.” Each station reported.

“Commander McCalister what about the pilots’ barracks?” Lisa asked in an emotionless voice.

“Alpha and Beta Units report full attendance, of the special squadrons all but Neon Squadron reports full attendance Admiral.”

The bridge crew had all come to know that Amethyst McCalister was not a bridge officer, in fact most of them knew she was a skilled Valkarie and veritech pilot, but only Lisa knew she had been assigned to Neon Squadron, the personal defense wing of the command center. Amethyst did a good deal of hiding that hurt because she couldn’t understand why she wasn’t allowed to fly anymore.

Lisa relaxed in her chair and smiled to herself. Rick was on his way up, and that usually seemed to cheer Amethyst, even if it terrified the other bridge officers. He was due to accompany the SDF-4 for its maiden voyage, and no one had been able to come up with a reason why he could not.

“Erica time remaining until 1200 hours?” Amethyst asked.

“Approximately half an hour Amethyst.”

Amethyst looked at Lisa, who nodded. She flipped up the intra-barracks intercom and said, “Those personnel not already relocated to the SDF-4 have one half hour to complete the transfer before corrective action is taken. I repeat one half hour.”

“D Block reports complete relocation of personnel.” Ariel said.

“A Block also reports complete attendance.”

“Erica how is Neon squadron doing?”

“Neon squadron is minus one pilot, but other than that are complete.”

Lisa smiled, thinking of the names of the 20 members of the Neon Squadron. “Who is the missing pilot?” She asked.

“Lt. Commander Richard Exegram.”

“Broadcast it Amethyst.”

Amey laughed as she said, “Would Lt. Commander Exegram please report to the Neon Squadron barracks? You are holding up the liftoff schedule Commander. I repeat…”

The doors on the bridge slid open and Admiral Rick Hunter entered in his duty uniform, a handsome dark blue jacket over dress whites and a hat that he rarely wore. The bridge came to attention. “At ease.” He said, returning their salutes casually. He walked up and looked out the front window from between Erica and Amethyst. “Who is this Exegram that is missing?”

Erica was too scared to answer, so Amethyst said, “Lt. Com. Richard John Exegram, highly decorated for peacetime efforts against the unknown dangers of deep space off of Optera. Currently assigned to the Neon Squadron in charge of defending the command center of the SDF-4.”

Rick did not turn, but Lisa started to smile as she watched his shoulders and saw the look he favored McCalister with. “So you flew with him?”

“Yes sir.”

“He any good?”

“For the circumstances sir?” Rick nodded. “Completely average.” She said with no smile.

“How many of your comrades were decorated as you two were?”

“Excuse me admiral, Lt. Com. Exegram is highly decorated, for precision laser firing. He never engaged anything off of Optera, and received no bravery medals sir. I was the only one to receive the Platinum medal, and there was one other pilot who received the Titanium.”

“Who was that?”

“Lieutenant William Gregory Armstrong Nex sir.”

“What unit is he in?”

Amethyst worked the controls and brought up his statistics. “Lt. Nex is currently assigned to the Narnia Squadron in charge of the front line defense sir.”

“Hmm…” Rick said, “Thank you Commander,” and turned to join Lisa at her chair.

Amethyst’s headset beeped and she received word that Exegram had reported in. “Admiral Hayes-Hunter, all sections report 100% attendance. Lt. Com. Exegram has graced the Neon barracks with his presence.”

After the bridge chuckles died down, Lisa said, “Inform the crew that the countdown will commence and then begin at T-minus 15 minutes.”

The crew got to work, and soon they were at the one minute mark. “T-minus 10 … 9 … 8 … 7 … 6 …5 …4 …3 …2 …1 …commencing liftoff procedures.” The SDF-4 began its first ascent into the sky.

“Commander, engines 5 and 7 report malfunctions of common usage error. Engines 6 and 8 are operating properly.”

“Engines 1 through 4 report perfect working conditions.”

“All reflex engines are operating normally, achieving liftoff power…now. Admiral, the SDF-4 is ready for liftoff.”

“Commence launch procedures.”

“All stations commence launch procedures.” McCalister said into the microphone on her headset. “Admiral all stations report liftoff is proceeding as expected.”

Lisa smiled. “Music to my ears.”

Rick chuckled. “Nothing like the SDF-2.” Lisa threw him a playful glance at that and the SDF-4 lifted into the sky.

“Where are we going today Admiral?” McCalister asked, though she had read the flight plan as well as anyone else on the bridge.

“To the moon and back Lt. Commander. To the moon…” She looked up at the pale disk. “Take us up…begin atmospheric conversions. Sound general quarters.”

McCalister did just that and soon the stations were reporting all go for entry into space. “Initiate atmospheric breakthrough procedures…”