Chameleon 4

“My yeoman informs me that Huntington York has no immediate kin to take her to Earth. Do you have any satisfactory explanation as to why an alternate guardian wasn’t enlisted to accompany her to Earth in advance of our arrival?”

The woman was taken aback at Jackson’s interrogation. She didn’t have an answer readily available. The captain took a sip of the fine coffee while he waited for her response.

“I believe her kin on Earth declined to authorize her travel,” she stammered, looking at the case file on her hand-held reader. She tapped the panel several times. Jackson waited. He glanced at Ms. Stone and back to Ms. Lee. “Yes, here,” she said, handing him the information pad. He looked it over. An image of the word ‘declined’ in red capitals occupied the line above the word ‘signature’. That’s all he needed to see, so handed the reader back.

“Four more months,” he muttered. “I wanted her to be reunited with someone she knows. She lost her mother on this mission.”

“I read the file.”

“She hasn’t been through enough; her relatives won’t take her?”

“I’m not sure that’s the conclusion you should draw, sir. I understand they’re elderly.”

“I’ll keep her aboard and deliver her myself, then.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t be of more help.” Jackson had a bit more coffee and nodded to Stone. She stood up, by his side.

“So am I. Director.”

Jackson strode out with his yeoman. Once in the corridor, he returned to his ship board demeanor, finished off the last few mils of coffee, and handed the cup to Stone.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“I’m sorry for Honey. The dynamics of my family are going to change and she’ll just have to endure more instability.”

“It would be easy for me to set her up with Bailey and Keith. In fact, they’re staying on Earth at the end of this mission. Maybe she can stay with them until it’s all sorted out.”

“I’ll talk to them myself, Zoe. It’s not your responsibility. Go have a nice shore leave.”

“Are you sure, sir?”

“Dismissed, Stone.” She gave him a salute and dashed off before he even thought to return it.

He still had a little time to kill before his date. He thought a moment and decided to check on the communication refit schedule. That would be another couple of decks down, closer to the service bays, off the spindle. He expected to find Mr. Lee in there ahead of him, but when he arrived, he couldn’t find his lieutenant anywhere.

“Sir, how can I help you?” he was greeted by a familiar species, a Kiian, a short, furred primate, in this case, a female.

“Captain Thomas Jackson, S. S. Maria Mitchell.”

“Fes,” she introduced herself. “The communication upgrade, yes. Your lieutenant was here and left. My team is aboard and should be done in perhaps eighteen hours, but it could be nineteen, or it could be seventeen, it depends on if they come across any difficulties with the quantum receiver.

“Actually, it’s not your receiver. It’s your sending unit. You can receive all day and night, you—”

“I’m aware of the system upgrade conditions. I was just looking for my officer, and wanted to be sure this had gotten off the ground. You don’t need me to sign anything, or approve a parts list, things like that?”

“Certainly not, Captain. All Earth ships are top priority and we never write up payment terms for the crew. It’s all billed at the Embassy and we are always promptly compensated for our work. I never have a problem with putting your ships to the front of the line, and they’re such beautiful ships. Not like some of the cargo ships or battle ships or passenger ships—”

“Thank you, Fes, thank you. I’ll be on my way then.”

“Please drop by and talk anytime you wish, Captain. Always happy to service Earth ships, yes. Thank you!” she called as he scurried out. He put some distance between the office and himself before he slowed down and looked back with a chuckle. Fes had made him smile, validating his patience with her unnecessarily detailed details.

Returning to the ship, Jackson stopped at a sweet shop and picked up two squares of Auchsonian fudge for the girls and a Draconian delicacy, a chee-chee cake, for Rianya. She’d braved the unknown one day and tasted one of Bailey’s creations, at Quixote's urging. She remarked how the fruit filling reminded her of flaumas from home, and wouldn't give the apple-sized breadfruit back to xe.