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AD 2505 Term 2
Mission Briefing: Investigate Star System JUC-3920 for suitability for colonization. Prepare survey results, make formal recommendation.
Ship: JSS Extrapolator, Corvette Class, Hyperdrive mkII
Pilot: Liza Kantry
Ground: Sodo Coetzee
Sensors: Corra Voors
Specialist: Roman LaRoche, Biologist (replacing Dr. Abbantine Leeds, Geologist)
Previously: A mysterious signal warrants an investigation, and the risk of danger
In This Episode: Some surprising news changes the dynamic on the ship, and everyone must decide how to react.
INDEX | Mission 1 | <(Mission 4) Previous | Next (Mission 6)>
Loyalty Test
The clock counted down the time to their first jump of this new mission. For the first time, Liza was actually looking forward to going on the survey. The months between missions were long, and tense. Even on Mars, as near as one could be to the center of the Jovian Union, all anyone could talk about was Theyst. The plebiscite had concluded with nine systems opting for the vote and only four agreeing to form a local governing body.
The result, in the news at least, was a push and pull of diplomacy. Tsar-Comrade Novak personally reaching out to the regional governors whose jobs were now redundant due to the “election” of a “president”. Plenty of folks Liza talked to around the Dome Farms thought it was absurd. She was sure there were plenty of Jerricks and Corras out there who would cheer it on.
Liza sighed, returning her focus to the controls of the ship. Even if the missions were stressful, at least it was away. At least she was doing something. And that felt good.
The crew were all in their jump harnesses, the countdown clock was ticking away, the coordinates were locked in, everything was ready. A small chime rang out on her dashboard—she made a note, and proceeded with the count. Time to go. Three…two…one… Jump!
As the effects of the jump wore off, Liza got to work. First—astronometry. Make sure they are in the right place—and make sure no one else was around. She’d gotten the hang of the Observation and Astronomy equipment and got that started before the rest of the crew filtered to their stations for their post-jump checks.
The chime sounded again from her console as she worked—oh yeah!
She returned to her station to see what it was. On her dashboard was a message notification—not commonly used but it came in handy every now and again. It was titled “Urgent Notice.”
Can’t be that urgent, Liza reasoned. If they needed to redirect us it needed to be before we jump.
She opened the message, and she read.
At 23-97:45:82 GST, early this morning local time, The Jovian Union has entered a state of war against the Theysian traitors. Intelligence suggests illegal Theysian fleets have been occupying uncolonized star systems to prevent maneuvers by the Jovian Navy. At least one Survey Ship has been destroyed with two others missing recent check-ins. Theysian Sympathizers have shown a willingness and enthusiasm for targeting research and exploration vessels such as the Jovian Survey Ships. Proceed with caution. If a Theysian presence is detected at any point on your survey, evacuate without hesitation and return to Sol II for debrief.
A chill ran down Liza’s spine. This was…complicated. Corra was an outspoken Theysian, and now had no idea her homeland was technically at war with her employer. Sodo’s home system was near the rebel systems and would undoubtedly be affected by the war. Their new specialist, Roman, he was from an old backwater colony on the Iris system, it wasn’t clear he would care. Liza was the only one from a Jovian core system. There was no predicting how any of them would react, but Liza was responsible for the crew. She briefly considered waiting, but it quickly became clear that it only delayed the inevitable. To Liza, the only thing she that seemed to check the box of both ‘honest’ and ‘responsible’ was facing it head on, and telling everyone right away. At least then they could let figure it out while the hyperdrive was charging.
She listened to the dull hum of her three colleagues hard at work. No time like the present.
It was confusing to call an assembly in the mess hall without explaining why. No one here had been on the Extrapolator for the earlier incident in interstellar space, but Liza briefly wondered if they all had, on some previous mission unknown to her, encountered some terror in interstellar space as well. Everyone wanted to know what was up and Liza just shook her head and said, “Wait.”
In the mess hall, Sodo took up his usual post loitering on the back wall. Corra and Roman were sitting opposite each other at the square table in the middle of the room. Roman was inspecting the winged horseman carved into the table, Corra was fidgeting nervously, unsure what to expect.
“I received a message just before we jumped,” Liza began. “There’s no way to sugarcoat it—the Jovian Union is at war with Theyst.”
Sodo stroked his chin thoughtfully; Roman glanced nervously at Corra and then refocused on the winged horseman. Corra had a strained look on her face.
“I had to tell you all because it felt dishonest to wait until the end; and if we encounter Theysians again we are now obligated to treat them as hostile and dangerous. Corra, you are from Theyst. I don’t envy the position you’re in. Sodo, Roman, I don’t know how this affects you either. If you feel you cannot work together, I need you to tell me quickly. We have a bit of time before the Hyperdrive is charged—if we make the next jump we are going to work together as a team. None of you will surprise me with some objection, do you understand? I’m not asking you to choose sides in a war, I am asking you whether you can keep working on this ship for this mission only. Do you understand?”
They all three nodded.
“Does anyone have anything to add?”
Liza tried not to stare at Corra, and Corra looked like she was trying not to stare at Liza. Corra was the wildcard here, as the most outspoken Theysian—but then they could just circle back and drop her off and try again.
It ended up being Corra who spoke first: “How long until the jump?”
“Call it twenty hours. No one has to say anything now, go chew on it and if you haven’t come talk to me privately, I will find you before we go. I need an answer from everyone. Got it?”
Silence.
“Good. Let’s get back to work.”
Sodo was the first to visit Liza at Navigation. He rapped politely on the door, “Miz Liza? I have one question before you, and then I will tell you my answer.”
Liza turned around and reclined in her chair, “Go ahead!”
“Something you said caught my ear. You said, if we encounter Theysian ships we should treat them as hostile and dangerous. Is that really necessary? We are a civilian ship, surely they would respect that?”
“There was more than what I said in the message. Theyst apparently regards the Surveyor Corps not as explorers but as intelligence. So they have attacked survey ships, destroyed one and there are two others missing.”
Sodo frowned—deep in thought, more than anything.
“Like I told you—I will do what I can, and then see what happens. The war makes me nervous, but it is not a problem I can solve. I am all in on the mission, and we will see what unfolds between them.”
Liza smiled, “I’m glad to hear it Sodo. We’ll see what we can do to keep you safe on the ground—start thinking about that, I want to be ready for anything.”
“Yes, Captain!” Sodo gave a casual salute, rapped on the door to mark his exit, and walked down the hall.
Roman came to see her next.
“Captain Kantry?”
“You can call me Liza, no need for stuffy titles.” Liza said.
Roman had a sad looking face even when he was smiling, lined with worry or good living in between missions, it was hard to say. He kept his hands together in front of him, as if supplicating. He said, “Thank you, Liza. I came to talk to you about your request earlier today. I am from Iris—these things, they are not so much a concern for me. My system is far from both systems, we have our own ways. But—this is my first tour on the Extrapolator, and knowing Ms. Voors—Corra—is from Theyst gives me some pause. I have not worked with her before, but I understand this is not your first tour with her?”
Liza nodded as he spoke, she saw the direction of his question before he finished speaking. “We’ve had one mission before. In our previous mission, we encountered a Theysian fleet, and got away safely. Corra made no objection and didn’t put us in any deliberate danger. If she says she is committed to continuing the mission, we can believe her.”
Roman nodded with more enthusiasm than was warranted, “Very good, very good.” he said. “Ah, one thing, though. If she says she is not committed to the mission?”
“Then we will probably go home. Can’t have someone like that on board even in times of peace. With a crew this small, every person has to count.”
He nodded again. “Very good. I, uh, I will eagerly await hearing how…Corra decides. But, for my part, I am committed to this mission.”
“Very good. Thank you, Roman.”
The more time passed, the more nervous Liza was that Corra was going to be trouble. She decided to go and force the matter.
She found Corra sitting alone in the mess hall. She was grateful—she wanted to be able to talk to her privately. She pretended she came in to get a drink of something and went about busying herself with that, and said casually over her shoulder, “I’m glad to find you here Corra, have you given any thought to…you know?”
Liza focused on the cup in her hand, letting Corra answer before turning around. Corra said, “I’ve been thinking an awful lot.”
“Talk to me, what’s the decision look like for you?” Liza filled her cup and brought it to the table, sitting down next to her.
“It’s—well, it’s easy, and it’s hard. I left before I knew this had happened—I almost wish I knew before we departed, and I could have done something different. Now we’ve already left, and I feel stuck.”
“You’re not stuck. You tell me you don’t think you can perform the mission and we go home. As simple as that.”
“It’s NOT simple though. Everyone will hate me. And anyway it’s not that I can’t perform the mission, I can—and I know I’m good, too. It’s uncomfortable looking at Theysian ships as an enemy.”
“Does it make it easier knowing that as long as you’re on this ship they’re looking at you as an enemy?”
Corra gave her a look, but said nothing for a moment. “It sucks to feel like a traitor either way. I love my home—but when I left, this was my surveyor corps, you know? Now midway through, it’s not mine anymore. The ground shifted under my feet before I was ready.”
“Maps are never final,” Liza said. “They’re just moments in time. You just happened to have one foot on both sides when it changed.”
Corra nodded.
“My concern, Corra, is that you will make a decision that will get all of us, or at least me, killed. If we encounter Theysian ships, like we did last time, what will you do?”
Corra looked offended for a moment, but Liza’s face was set and Corra knew not to fight. She looked down, and nodded, “As long as I’m on the ship, we’re on the same team.”
“There’s no us vs. them in here, okay? When we get back you can pick which side you want to be on, if you have to choose at all. But I just want to make clear—no one on this ship is allowed to treat you differently for being Theysian. You are not allowed to treat anyone on this ship differently too. We are the same team until the moment you disembark. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“We’re good?”
“We’re good.”
Liza took a sip, and stood. “Thanks, Corra. I knew I could count on you.” Liza started walking back to navigation.
“Wait—” Corra called.
Liza turned, “Yes?”
“Are you going to tell anyone?”
“What’s to tell? We’ve got a mission to do. Finish up here and then get back to work. I’ll announce the jump to our target system shortly.”
To be continued…
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AJPM
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"The ground shifted under my feet before I was ready."
Given the, ah, real-world events of the last few years, I have to say, that line really resonated with me.
It seems to me that Liza should have told them that if they encountered Theysian ships, they were to return immediately, not just "to treat them as hostile and dangerous." Knowing that they would avoid all contact would, at least to my mind, have made their decisions easier.