All That Glitters Ch. 23

She waited a moment for the reply, but it was not what she was expecting. "Noor, this is Ramison. Open the belly of your beast, dammit! The boss wants to come aboard."

Noor blinked, but she recognized the voice, and the attitude, as that of Ramison's.

"Authentication confirmed, sir," Noor replied, to the amusement of the bridge crew. "You may board at the forward shuttle bay at your discretion. Both sides are available, there will be plenty of space for all of your vessels in the two sides of the shuttle bay. We have a commercial gantry that will allow entrance to the ship without having to wait for atmospheric pressurizing."

"Navy One, roger. We will be in position in five. Out."

"Comms O, contact the owners and advise them of what is going on, then give me ship-wide broadcast. Number One, you have the Con."

"Ship-wide ready, ma'am," the Comms O advised.

"Attention all personnel, this is the Captain. We are about to receive an inspection from the President of the Union, this is not a drill. All ships personnel except duty personnel are to dress in Navy Number One dress. Marines are to dress in Marine Number one, except for a security detail. Major Thom, I need a Presidential Honour Guard formed for five minutes. The President's fleet will be arriving at that time. The fleet will be housed in Shuttle Bay One for the duration, Honour Guard in the receiving room. Receiving line of senior ship's personnel ready in five. I repeat, this is not a drill. All ships personnel will be on their best behavior. That is all."

"Number One, the bridge crew, the engineering crew, and the mess crew will retain their duty clothes. I'm off to change," she advised.

Henadi moved to her quarters and swiftly arranged herself in Navy Number One dress. She arrived in the receiving area just as the first ships of the mini-fleet landed in the shuttle bay. Raymond showed up beside her, dressed in formal wear but wearing his miniature medals and some of the accoutrements he was awarded as a Combat Engineer. Liea was dressed in a formal gown, her smile the only accoutrement she needed. Beside her was Ayesha Seito, wearing the formal white of the medical staff. Her fiancé Sean Murphy was there, wearing the black outfit of ship's security, his formidable size an intimidation all on its own, never mind the black outfit.

They heard someone coming up the gantry passenger ramp to the reception area and senior personnel formed a line to the side. They immediately recognized Wilford J. Holloway, the President of the Union, Adm. George Ramison, Chief of the Navy, Gen. Alex Drall, Commander of the Union Marine Corps, and Jason Canter, the president's Chief of Staff and almost as famous a face as the President himself, as they topped the rise into the reception area.

A Presidential Honour Guard of Marines in Marine Number One dress formed two lines either side of a hastily set up red carpet between the President and the ship's receiving line.

Members of the media began filing in behind the President when Mr. Sucre, the ship's Boatswain, ordered them to cease all recording and to stay in the reception area. Marines in EVA suits immediately surrounded the media and moved them into a corner.

"What is the meaning of this?" shouted one of the media, most likely the senior representative of the group.

"My apologies to the media," Raymond said. "However, you were not invited aboard this ship. You may remain in the reception area or return to the ships you came off of, but you will not be permitted to leave this area.

"This is a private vessel, and we have the right to our privacy. I ask for your cooperation on this matter, but I insist you remain here and not record anything you see. Please note, I am filthy rich, if any of you decide to find a way further into this ship and record the ship's interior or security features, I will take you and any media group who publishes your story to court for a sum so large you will be paying for your mistake for rest of your lives."

The Boatswain returned to the reception line and Lt. Mbibo ordered the honour guard to present arms. The precise snap of the movements brought their weapons into perfect line in front of each Marine. The President, flanked one pace behind by Adm Ramison and Gen. Drall, moved up the red carpet to the ship's receiving line.

Henadi gave a proper Navy salute. "Mr. President, welcome to The Wanderer. I am Capt. Henadi Noor, commander of this vessel. To my right is Mr. Raymond Clark, retired Navy captain, and co-owner of this vessel. On my left is Liea Samson, retired miner and co-owner of this vessel. They are the partnership of Samson and Clark.

The President shook all of their hands and then moved over to the receiving line. "May I introduce our ship's doctor, Doctorate Nurse Practitioner Ayesha Seito," Henadi started down the line. "Beside her is her fiancé, Sean Murphy, part of our security team."

"By the Gods! He could BE the security team on his own!" the President quipped, to a ripple of laughter. The President was no small man, but he was dwarfed by the two meter tall and very broad shouldered Sean. When Sean took his hand, the president's hand disappeared completely into Sean's.

"Wait a minute," the president started. "The Sean Murphy of Liramor-23 fame who lost his legs last year?"

"That is correct, sir." Sean confirmed. "While I would never wish that on anyone, it did allow me to find Ayesha, the love of my life," Sean said with a grin.

The President noted the blush on the diminutive Asian beauty beside him. He gave her a grin and a wink. "You are a very lucky man, Mr. Murphy."

"Aye, sir, that I am," Sean acknowledged.

The President was quickly introduced to the key members of the crew, with the exception of the ship's Number One, who was manning the bridge.

They moved into the ship, leaving the media behind, while the boatswain set up some tables and provided refreshments for them, mostly to placate them. The media was not noted for being patient when they had little to do. Although they smelled a story, they were well aware of who Raymond Clark was and did not want to tempt his wrath especially with the recent incident in Stockholm fresh in their minds.

The president was quickly shown around the ship. Adm. Ramison advised him of that The Franz Muller was built around the same interior design as The Wanderer. "You will never have to worry about getting lost on either ship, Mr. President," he quipped.

They eventually wound up in the combined mess, with all non-duty personnel present. The crew were giving Kim veiled looks that she began to worry about. She looked around for something odd and noticed that Riley was cooking crêpe on a round hot-stone just in front of the serving line.

Crêpe was Kim's Achilles heel. She loved the food, especially the way Riley made it. As Kim watched, Riley filled it in with sweet treats that caused Kim to almost drool. She looked up to see Riley smiling at her. Riley knew exactly what Kim was thinking.

Riley deliberately looked down at her creation and flip a third of it over into the middle. She went opposite and did the same. Then she went to the ends and flipped them into the center. Riley flipped the crêpe over to sear/seal it together and that was when Kim got the first inkling of something interesting.

There on the now upper side of the crêpe was a Kanji that spelled out Happy Birthday Kim. She looked up in surprise at Riley as the entire crew burst into song for her, while Riley slipped the now completed dessert crêpe onto a plate for Kim.

Riley took the plate to a table and pulled out the chair for Kim, who sat in front of the crêpe with a huge grin on her face. A grin that slipped a little when little gifts started appearing around the table, given to her from the crew. Kim's was the first birthday of the year for the ship, so the crew went all in.

The table quickly filled up. Kim was so moved, she almost forgot the crêpe in front of her, until Riley brought her a fork and knife. Kim quickly cut a piece of the crêpe and, eyes closed, savoured the flavour. Once she finished her mouthful, she quickly stood and gave Riley a hug, thanking her profusely for her favourite dessert. When she sat back down, she noticed Raymond and Liea standing opposite her, holding a long, red-lacquered box, with formal Hiragana script that read 'Travel Box Kim' with Kim's personal version of the Oshiiru family crest beside her name.

They placed the box on the table in front of Kim as she kept looking between them and the box. Finally, her curiosity got the better of her. She slid open the lid of the box. She had only opened it a fraction of the way when she saw the handle of a weapon inside.

She quickly slid the top off and took in a set of exquisitely made matched weapons. She pulled a Katana of exceptional beauty from the travel box. Breaking the seal on the Habaki, she slid the weapon part way from the green lacquered Saya blade side up. The first thing she saw was the swords name in gold, 'Destroyer of Evil'.

Kim turned the sword over and noted the name seal of Hajime Tatsuya a renowned master swordsmith. Kim drew the weapon completely from the Saya and flicked her fingernail against it. The weapon sang with a distinctive sound. There was no other sound like it. The metal was a unique blend of traditional Japanese sword steel and modern metals that would protect it from rust and other damage. It was far stronger than traditional steel, but just as supple and flexible. There were only a handful of swordsmiths in the Union who made traditional weapons with this material, each was a master sword maker and each weapon a functional work of art.

Kim performed a tradition Noto to return the sword to the Saya, using her thumb to close the weapon with a distinctive click, the entire movement gracefully done. The weapons were exquisitely made to tolerances that were remarkable, as the Tsuba slid into place around the Kozuka or handle of the small utility knife known as a Kogatana which had its own slot in the Saya of the Katana. She placed the weapon on the table to her left.

She pulled a matching Wakizashi from the box. It was sized specifically for her, as all proper Wakizashi should be. In the old days, Wakizashi were known as 'the indoor weapon' and were shorter than a Katana so they could be used in a room. She opened the sword and read the name, 'Protector of the Destroyer'. It was unusual for a Wakizashi to be named, but not so unusual in a matched set.

She closed the weapon and admired the beauty of it. The pastel green lacquered Saya had what appeared to be a gold Kojiri at it's base, that was beautifully worked with the Oshiiru family crest. The Kashira at the top of the hilt, had Kim's personal version of the family crest.

The Tsuba, the sword's guard, was worked in coloured metals to show off a beautiful blue-green peacock, part of her family's crest. She looked down at the Katana, and saw the red dragon, another part of the crest, reflected on the Tsuba of the Katana.

She reached into the box for the last weapon, a beautiful Tanto, what appeared to be a knife of some seventeen centimeters but was in fact a short sword. Like the other two weapons, the Kashira, Kojiri, and the Tsuba all had the family crest worked into them but on this weapon, it was Kim's personal version of the crest. This weapon was not named, but it did have the makers name seal on it, and the same distinctive sound of the metal to it.

Raymond slid the top back in place and then flipped the box over. He slid the bottom off the box and showed the parts of a traditional Japanese sword display rack. He swiftly put it together using the wooden pegs provided and placed it in front of her on the table. The rack was lacquered in a reddish-brown and had Kim's personal crest on it.

With a bow to Kim, he placed the three swords on the rack in their correct order, the Katana on the bottom and the Tanto at the top, and orientated with the Tsuka, or hilts, to the left as Kim looked at them. Before placing the Tanto, he simultaneously pressed his finger on the Kashira and the Kojiri and held them there for the count of three. The Tanto suddenly lost all of its colour and turned a mat black. Kim looked into Raymond's eyes, and smiled. The were perfect weapons for clandestine activities.

Kim admired the three weapons on the rack, the Tsuka of each exquisitely wrapped in alternating blue and green silk Ito. She noted a Menuki of a blue-green peacock under the Ito on the Katana, and a red dragon under the Ito on the Wakizashi. The Tanto did not display a Menuki, but that too was not unusual for a Tanto.

The beautifully lacquered Saya of all three weapons had a blue-green peacock or red dragon on either side. Kim had never seen a more beautiful set of matched swords outside of a museum.

The display suddenly became blurry to Kim, and she realized she was crying. Riley led those in the mess in the traditional three cheers as everyone came forward to give Kim a hug and admire her swords. Even President Holloway got in a hug. Much to Kim's surprise, he apologized for not having a gift for her birthday.

VIP Conference Room, The Wanderer, Liramor Prime, Liramor System

Adm. Ramison, Gen. Drall, President Holloway, Jason Canter, his Chief of Staff, Daniel Logan, his head of security, Capt. Noor, Maj. Thom, Raymond Clark, and Liea Samson were all in the conference room for Adm. Ramison's brief. He was informing the president as to the true nature of The Wanderer and what it had already accomplished by assisting in defeat of the pirates in the Second Battle of Liramor-23.

"I see now why you were reluctant to allow the media further onto your ship, Mr. Clark," the President said. "It becomes obvious, even to a dullard like me, that the ship is unusual once you get passed the reception area."

Raymond wasn't fooled. The President might want to appear as a dullard; however, he was anything but.

"How are you planning on using this ship, George?" he asked of Adm. Ramison.

"Sir, the ship can go where no other Navy ship can go without causing a stir. It will be going to New Hadria in the Frogus System to find out what it can about slavery in the system. We don't expect much success, but if we sent a Navy ship into a non-Union system, we would get absolutely nothing but hostility from the locals. There will come a time when we will need to send the Navy in to New Hadria, sir. For now, we will send in The Wanderer instead. She can handle herself if need be.

"I would respectfully require that you ask nothing further of her use, sir. That will give you plausible deniability in the event of an unusual occurrence," Ramison finished.

"So, this ship works out of the Liramor System?" Jason Canter asked, to deflect the mood from the President.

"No, sir," Raymond replied. "We use Liramor-23 as our formal contact point, for now. That allows us a lot of flexibility, sir."

"Yes, I could see how it would," Holloway returned, "being out of the way of prying eyes. This is most ingenious, George. Your idea?"

"Actually, sir, it was Raymond's," Ramison told the President. "Mr. Clark was forced to leave the Navy because of his accumulating wealth, but he didn't want to go, so he came up with this rather special idea for sticking around."

"Plausible deniability in unusual circumstances, eh? That suggests you are going to use The Wanderer to do a lot of these sneak and peak mission, possibly even check out the aliens I've heard about. Yes, I've been briefed," the president told them. "But I'm going to want to see the sites myself. It is time for me to start my pilgrimage of Union Planets, which is the reason we had the Muller built. During those visits, we will slip into the Piscium system and see for ourselves what is happening.

"I believe you mentioned something about an awards ceremony, George, now that all the competing claims have been ironed out on the Second Battle of Liramor-23," the president asked.

"Yes, sir. I think it would be a wonderful thing if you yourself were to make the Union level presentations. Although, we should invite President Lapierre as Liramor Holdings is from his planet, as are many of the people on Liramor-23."

"Jason?" the President looked to his Chief of Staff.

"Next month at the earliest, Mr. President," Jason replied. "We are committed to the current schedule of planets and won't have a break in that schedule until mid February at the earliest, Sir."

I will inform Annette Liramor of Liramor Holdings," Liea said. "She's a good friend of mine and she can be discreet, which I believe is what you would want in this situation. President Lapierre could kick off things by awarding those people still in hospital or retired due to medical problems from the attack. He has already provide for those families who have lost loved ones."

"I like that plan," Holloway said. "Jason, I would like to be here to personally make the Union awards to those in hospital or retired receiving them. We can then take President Lapierre with us to Liramor-23. I believe he has a new Valour Class as his Presidential transport. We can take that aboard with us on the way to Liramor-23. Should be an interesting time."

"We better get back soon, Mr. President," Jason slipped in. "The media types will be getting frustrated by now, and we don't need them working against you."

"Indeed. Wish I could tell them off like you did, Mr. Clark. That was interesting for me to watch. You don't know how many times I've wanted to do something like that.

"For now, I must go and take possession of my new vessel. I would welcome you, Raymond, Liea, your bodyguards, and that lovely little lady Kim can bring her new toys with her, Maj. Thom, and Capt. Noor to the ship's naming ceremony tomorrow as my special guests. Jason, make sure they are included on the list and that their bodyguards can openly carry weapons."

"Are you sure that is wise, Mr. President," Logan asked.

"I trust Raymond, and he trusts her to have those toys, so I want to show her, and this ship, that I support them. That will do more for the morale of this ship than any other action I could think of," the President finished. Getting a knowing nod from both Clark and Ramison.

NS Franz Muller, Liramor Prime, Liramor System

The naming ceremony for the new ship followed in the lines of the naming ceremony for The Wanderer, with the exception that it was the President alone who would name her and delegates from many Union planets were present.

Kim stood to the side, dressed in a formal plum-coloured kimono with her personal crest on it, her swords strapped to her side, the green swords standing out prominently against the plum colour of the kimono. As traditional as it looked, the kimono was specially designed not to interfere with movement. She could fight quite well despite the cumbersome looking outfit.

Ship's security had initially tried to stop her from entering with her weapons but, to the delight of the media recording the red carpet entry, she swiftly disarmed the three men who rushed her without harming them too much. The head of security immediately apologized, being aware that Kim and Analisa had access with their weapons though Analisa's weapons were far less prominent.

The people at the ceremony were the who's who of the Union, with the leaders of fourteen different planets, members of the ultra-rich families, well known sports and media personalities, and of course representatives of all the major news networks. The only difference was the food service, which was not up to The Wanderer's standards, the Muller's VIP chef not used to cooking for more than fifty people at a time.

Both Kim and Analisa had refused to sit down, scanning the VIP figures from where they were moving along the edge of the seating area. Analisa caught the first suspicious movement. Someone was huddled over doing something they were concealing, stopping all action as she approached. Analisa was loath to believe that someone dangerous had gotten aboard the ship, but she kept an eye on the person and silently signalled Kim his location.