Making of a Starship Captain Ch. 01

The Making Of A Survey Service Captain

By Gary L.M. Martin

[Note: This Science Fiction story is an intense character study with occasional sex scenes.]

First Prologue: Peak Performance

Ambassador Crodfoller's head fell off his shoulders and rolled off the holoscreen.

By the 23rd Century, holography had gotten so precise that objects rendered in it looked real, or nearly so. So when the Ambassador's head rolled off of his shoulders, some on the bridge of the Survey Service Command Cruiser USS Relentless half expected to see it roll onto the floor of their own ship.

As the ambassador's headless body fell to the ground, out of view of the holographic recorder, the crew could see the holoimage of Murshad, his eyes gleaming, his curved sword raised high, with blood dripping from it.

"Blood!" Murshad cried, his eyes gleaming, a wide smile pasted on his lips. "The Great God of Blood has been honored!" He looked out at them, seeking a reaction.

The crew of the Relentless looked horrified, and rightly so.

But not its Captain.

If Murshad was hoping to elicit an unguarded reaction from the Captain, he was sorely disappointed. Captain Michael Tiberius Taylor of the United Survey Service had no expression at all on his face. He simply watched, and observed.

"Blood, Captain Taylor!" Murshad said again, feeling frustrated by the lack of reaction.

"I see," said Taylor calmly. Earlier in his career, when he had been an Ensign, or a Lieutenant, or even a Lieutenant Commander, viewing such a scene might have been unnerving. But Taylor was a full Captain now, as seasoned an officer as they came, in the United Survey Service.

"Now release the infidels to us, or I will sacrifice the rest of your embassy staff to the Great God of Blood, one by one, right here, right now, in front of you all!"

They all knew what would happen if Taylor turned the dissidents over to Murshad. He would execute them. The bridge crew turned to look at Taylor. Taylor looked unruffled. He looked around a moment, as if weighing, considering. The crew was startled by his lack of immediate response. Wasn't he concerned for the hostages? Wasn't he worried that a lack of a quick response might mean their deaths?

Murshad grew as impatient as Taylor's crew, perhaps even more so by the lack of response.

"Well, Captain?" he asked, in an annoyed tone, his sword still dripping with the blood of diplomats.

"No," said Taylor curtly.

"No?" said Murshad. "Are you ready to watch the execution of the rest of your staff, one by one? Ahmed, bring that one, the girl, the young one with the big melons. Perhaps that will stir more of a response from the famous ladies' man." A young blonde woman with a gorgeous bust came into pickup range. She had panic in her eyes. She squealed as a Ramadhan held her arms behind her back.

"Or... perhaps I will get a different response from you if I blow up your manske," said Taylor.

"My manske?" said Murshad. He looked confused. "Which manske do you mean?"

"All of them," said Taylor.

"All of them?"

"All of them. In two minute intervals, starting now," said Taylor. "Mr. Garrity, lock forward megajoulers on the Laquisha Manske, on the outskirts of Al Sa-Naa."

The weapons officer toggled his display in stunned silence. And then, "Targeting..." and then, "Weapons... locked."

Murshad's eyebrows furled. "You wouldn't. You couldn't."

"I would. I could," said Taylor. And for the first time he smiled, and his smile had real emotion in it.

The holoimage of Murshad stared directly into Taylor's eyes. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Taylor asked. He turned to his weapons officer. "Mr. Garrity, open fire."

Second Prologue: The First Impression

29 years earlier....

The space liner Arcturus was falling into the sun.

Mister Peepers barked, "Arf, arf."

The space liner Arcturus was falling into the sun.

Mister Peepers barked, "Arf, arf."

"Mikey, can't you keep that dog quiet? We're trying to listen to what the Captain is saying," snapped Edwin Taylor.

"Sorry, Daddy," said Mikey. He put a hand over his robot dog's mouth.

Mister Peepers was a robot Pomeranian. Mikey's father Edwin had promised Mike that he would get him a robot dog when he was old enough. But when Mikey turned seven, he decided he could wait no longer. So he went on a hunger strike until Mister Peepers appeared.

It was actually his mother Sara who brought Mister Peepers home. She brought him home in a box that moved! Mikey was so impressed, he always remembered that. And when she opened the box, out came Mister Peepers! He was so small and cuddly and he jumped right into Mikey's arms!

Daddy wasn't happy, though. He thought that having a small robot dog would emas... emascu... do something that would turn him into a girl. He wanted Mikey to have a larger robot dog, like a robot german shepherd, when he was old enough.

"But Mikey wants a robot dog now," said his mother. "And Mister Peepers is just the right size for a boy his size."

"Mister Peepers?" said Daddy, making a face, as he watched Mister Peepers lick Mikey's face with his genuine imitation pink tongue. Mikey cackled with laughter.

"That's the name he came with," said his mother.

"We are not calling him Mister Peepers," said Daddy resolutely.

********

"Arf arf!"

"Shh! Good boy!" Mikey held Mister Peepers in his arms and used his fingers to keep Mister Peeper's mouth shut so he couldn't bark. Daddy was always threatening to disconnect Mister Peeper's battery if he didn't behave. As he worked to silence his rebellious robot Pomeranian, his older brother Darden elbowed him in the arm.

"Ow!" Mikey cried. "Mom, Darden is-"

"Quiet!" his father snapped.

"-engine problems," came the voice of Captain Weatherly over the holocom. "It's nothing to worry about. Our engineers are on top of the situation, and we will be underway as soon as possible."

"Nothing to worry about," Mikey's father fumed. "We start to jump back to Earth, and then we suddenly reduce to sublight speed, the engines are dead, and we are falling into the sun. What a great end to a great vacation." They had come to Vega for their first extrasolar vacation, and the most exciting thing they had seen were alien space frogs. Space frogs! Some vacation. Mikey's father looked out the window at the fiery Vegan sun. No one on the ship had failed to notice that it had gotten larger over the past two hours, nor that the ship had gotten hotter.

Mikey could tell from the expression on his parent's faces that they were worried, but he didn't know why. The captain said he was going to fix the ship, wasn't he? Maybe it would be best if he looked into it himself. He stowed Mister Peepers in the luggage rack and headed for the door of their compartment.

"Dear, don't go far," said his mother.

"I won't, Mom."

Mikey had discovered a place that was perfect for him. It was in the kitchen. Between shifts it was empty, or almost empty and he could come and go unseen. When he climbed up on the counter he could see the vent. The screen door on it was loose and it clattered. It was just the right size for him.

He opened the vent, and stared at the blackness inside.

********

Inside of Mikey's head, a conversation took place, a conversation so discrete, that even Mikey was unaware of it.

"We shouldn't go in there," said Cautious.

"But we were there before," said Curious.

"We almost got stuck, remember?" said Cautious.

"We want to find out what is happening. Something is going on, something bad," said Curious.

"Don't do it!" Cautious said.

"I'm doing it," said Curious.

********

Mikey had tunneled in the ventilation system before. It was a long flight to and from Vega, and he had been bored during the trip. Most places the vents went to were not very interesting, but there was one place, one place full of instruments and people, that was very, very interesting. Mikey went there again. He was careful to crawl quietly so he would not be heard. When he got there, he arrived in the middle of a conversation.

"-Engineering says there's nothing we can do. The flux capacitor is gone."

"Primary and backups?"

"Yes."

"Did you call for help?"

"I did. There are no ships in the vicinity of Vega. I put out a priority distress call for help. The Survey Service responded."

"Thank God! When are they going to get here?"

"They say they can get here in approximately four to five hours, at top speed."

"And how long until we're irrevocably trapped in the gravity well of the sun?"

"It's hard to say; somewhere between seven and eight hours."

"Did you tell the Survey Service that?"

"Yes."

"And what did they say?"

"They'll do their best."

********

The Captain of the Arcturus couldn't conceal the truth from his passengers for much longer. The ship was getting hotter and hotter, and their cooling units were becoming less and less effective, and they were obviously getting closer to the Vegan sun. And so he went online again and explained the situation. The engines had failed. They were awaiting rescue from the Survey Service. Help would come, soon, and tow them out.

When Mikey returned to his seat, even his seven year old mind could sense the tension in the air. Everyone was wondering the same thing: would the Survey Service really arrive in time? It was getting hotter by the moment, and the sun was only getting bigger outside their window.

Mikey started to get really hot. His Mom gave him some water. She also opened her shirt. She had a big belly because she was making a sister for him, she said. Though Darden told him that it was simply a big piece of bathroom stuff that had gotten stuck inside Mom and was clogging her up. He had said it with such seriousness that Mikey wasn't sure what to believe.

Suddenly everyone on the ship started clapping wildly. They could hear it from inside their compartment.

The Survey Service had arrived.

It was a tiny dot, but one that grew bigger and bigger. Mikey's Dad looked out the window. "That's... that's just a scoutship!"

"What does it matter? They'll tow us out, right?" said his Mother.

"I'm not sure that they can," said his Dad. "And they can't fit us all in that tiny ship."

The ship docked, and everyone got excited, and wanted to get up to greet them, until the Captain asked everyone to stay in their seats and not crowd the hallways.

Minutes passed as they waited to hear news, any news. It was all silence.

Mikey decided to find out what was going on.

********

"The engines are shot, sir," said a voice.

Mikey couldn't see who was talking from the vent, not precisely, but he saw people, new people, in black and dark blue uniforms. That must be the Survey Service, whatever that was.

"But... Captain Renton, you can tow us out, right?" That sounded like the voice of Captain Weatherly, the Captain of the Arcturus, talking to one of the newcomers.

"I don't think so," said Renton. "We're too close to the Vegan sun. Solar radiation would probably interfere with the magnetic grapplers."

"Well... why can't you tow us out as we are now? We're connected by the docking port."

"We might have pulled that off if we weren't already in a gravity well," said Renton. "But we're so close to the sun that your ship has acquired mass. If we tried to tow you as we are connected now, the docking port would shear apart."

"Then... what alternative is there?"

Renton was silent for a moment. "We... perhaps we could squeeze fifteen people... or perhaps 20 kids... into our ship."

"Fifteen people or twenty kids?" said the Captain of the Arcturus. "Sir, we have 78 passengers and 24 crew."

"I know," said Renton grimly. He paused. "There is one other possibility. It's remotely possible the tow lines might hold. The EM interference from the sun may not be strong enough to incapacitate the grapplers, especially if we go out there and secure them manually."

"So, why don't we try it?" the Arcturus Captain asked.

"No, Captain, we can't," said another voice, another man in that blue and black uniform. "The solar radiation is too intense. It's not safe for us to go out there."

"Which is why I will go alone," said Renton.

"Sir, it probably won't work! You'll die for nothing!"

"Not for nothing, Ensign Everett," said Renton. "If I don't return, you're in command."

********

They watched the spacewalk from their windows. Everyone oohed and ahhed as they watched Captain Renton, in a spacesuit, place the magnetic grappling hooks on the side of the ship. Because time was short, he didn't use ropes, but rather his jetpack. He seemed to move effortlessly, from point to point, working rapidly to install the lines.

"These Survey Service types are such experts," said Mikey's Mom.

"He's a Captain, he'd have to be," said Darden, Mikey's brother.

"No, he's only a lieutenant," said Mikey's Dad. "They don't put Captains in charge of scoutships."

"But Captain Weatherly called him Captain Renton," said Darden.

There would be time for explanations later. If they survived.

********

Mikey was at the airlock when Captain Renton returned. He so desperately wanted to be sure the Captain was all right. No one noticed the small boy hovering in the corridor, holding his small robotic dog.

The airlock door cycled and opened. A man in a spacesuit came in. He staggered for a moment, and then took off his helmet.

"Captain! Are you all right?" said one of the other Survey Service officers.

"Yes," said Renton. Suddenly he looked unsure of himself. He blinked, squinted, took a step forward, and bumped into a wall.

"What is it, sir?"

"I think I'm blind," said Renton calmly.

********

Everyone clapped madly when the scoutship undocked and started to pull the Arcturus on the magnetic tow lines. And then everyone cried out in terror as one by one, the tow lines snapped. Passengers screamed at the top of their lungs as the last one snapped, sending the Arcturus spinning away from the scoutship.

It took the Arcturus another 20 minutes to align with them and dock again. By that time, they had run out of options.

********

"Each family can send one child," said Mikey's mother dumbly, repeating what they had all heard over the holocom. She looked at Darden, and Mikey. "Oh my God, Ed, what are we going to do?"

Mikey didn't fully understand what was going on. Mommy and Daddy argued loudly for a long moment. Then Daddy turned to Mikey and said, "Mike, you're going to take a trip, on a Survey Service ship."

"What?" said Darden. Darden was only a year and a half older, but he understood much more. "You're letting him go and leaving me behind?"

"You're not being left behind," said his father. "You're staying here with us."

"To die, right? We're all going to die," said Darden.

Mikey's Mommy started to cry.

As Darden yelled and raged, Edwin tried to explain it all to Mikey. Mikey didn't want to leave, but Daddy insisted. "Can I... can I bring Mister Peepers?"

Daddy broke out in a smile. "Of course you can bring Mister Peepers."

"Fuck!" said Darden. "I have to stay behind and die, but Mikey can bring his toy with him?"

"Dear, a toy doesn't take up as much space as a person," said his Daddy, trying to hug Darden. Darden pulled away.

"There must... there must be another way," said his Mother. Her eyes lit up as she saw someone walk by their compartment. "Mrs. Jefferson! Mrs. Jefferson, wait!"

Mother went to talk to a large black lady. They heard begging and pleading in her voice. In a moment she returned, and though her eyes were filled with tears, she was smiling. "It's all right, Darden. You can go too."

"I can?" said Darden.

"The Jeffersons have no children. All they have is a grown son named Lionel, and he's on Earth. Since they have no child to send, Mrs. Jefferson has graciously allowed you to be her family's nominee. You're going with Mikey!"

Mikey's Dad gave her a skeptical look. They all went forward to the airlock. There was a long line of parents and children. Mikey's Mom pushed forward until she found a Survey Service officer with a Pad. "Excuse me, Captain-"

"Ensign, Ma'am," said the officer. "Ensign Michael Everett."

"Yes," said Mikey's Mom, giving a nervous smile. "I'm here to register my two sons, Michael and Darden-"

"I'm sorry, but you can only select one child-"

"But Mrs. Jefferson here has no children, and she agrees to-"

"I'm sorry," said Ensign Everett. "That's not the way it works, Ma'am. One child only."

"Please!" Mikey's Mom cried out. "They're both practically babies!"

"Ma'am, we have room in our scoutship for maybe twenty kids. Maybe," said Everett. "I'm sorry, we can't take everyone."

"But... you can't expect me to choose between my babies-"

"You're right, we can't," said a new voice.

They turned to see Captain Renton, being guided by another Survey Service Officer. "None of you should be made to do this," said Renton, his blind eyes staring into space. "We're all going to stay together."

"Sir?" said Ensign Everett.

"We're the Survey Service. We don't leave people behind," said Renton.

Mikey's eyes grew wide.

"Sir, but how can we-"

"We'll take the flux capacitor from the Zanzibar and install it in the Arcturus," said Renton.

"Our flux capacitor was made for our engines, sir, which are much smaller than the Arcturus's," said Everett. "It won't work."

"It will work," said Renton, with certainty.

"Sir, even if works... it will burn itself out in minutes."

"That's all we need," said Renton.

They all saw an expression of surprise on Everett's face. "It... it just might."

"How long would it take you to install our motivator in the Arcturus?" Renton asked.

Everett slapped his palms against his thighs. "I don't know, sir, maybe an hour or two."

"You have thirty minutes."

"Sir?"

"Go!"

Everett yelled, "Make way!" as he raced down the corridor. Panicked families flattened against the wall.

Captain Weatherly said, "But... what if this doesn't work?"

"It will work," said Renton.

Mikey looked up at Renton. Even blind, he was the picture of confidence.

"Kelly, can you help me find a seat somewhere?" Renton asked his other officer.

"Sit with us!" Mikey cried, pulling on Renton's shirt sleeve.

"All right," said Renton. "Have us sit with this fine young man."

They got Renton seated in their compartment. Then Renton sent his other officer to help Everett.

"Is this really going to work, Captain Renton?" Mikey's Mom asked.

"Of course," said Captain Renton. He still looked supremely confident.

"I'm going to join the Survey Service some day," Mikey suddenly announced.

"Will you?" said Renton, grinning in his direction. "It sounds like we'll be getting a very promising recruit."

Time passed, thirty minutes, then forty, and then close to an hour. The sun loomed large ahead of them. The heat was becoming unbearable.

And then they felt a jerking sound, and they saw the scoutship, tumbling away from them.

"What's happening?" Mikey's Dad asked.

"They jettisoned the scoutship. We can't launch with us connected. The G forces would tear our connection apart."

"But your ship-"

"Without the flux capacitor, it was useless anyway," said Renton. "Now, we'll all share the same fate."

Mikey reached up and grabbed Renton's hand. Renton somehow looked down at him, and grasped his hand back.