Dana Cartwright Mission 1: Stiletto (30 page)

Soon, they were standing at the viewport and he pointed past the Alphan shuttle to another next to it, a far more unusually designed, sleek, silver vessel.

“That’s the Enturian Ambassador’s,” Korwin announced.

There were guards at the hatch wearing the emblem of the GCE. A dozen more officers were tending the ship inside the hangar.

Korwin led down there and announced, “Prince Korwin of the Elect.”

They let him and Dana pass.

When the hatch opened, she instantly knew their mission. There was Doctor Kris Tracy and Major Nicholas Gage. They were fussing over an older model C-FIIN.

Both looked up and stared at her and Korwin.

She knew. “They lied. He’s not gone. You’re taking him…”
 
She demanded to know, “Where are you moving him?”

Tracy stared daggers at Korwin, but answered calmly. “For security reason, I cannot disclose that information, Doctor Cartwright.”

She moved closer to the coffin to check the readings, peering in at Shepherd, who was sleeping in sweet repose.

“Have you sedated him for the trip?”

Tracy scowled, “He’s not your patient, Doctor.”

“He’s my father!” She snarled, “I had a hair sample triple-checked. His DNA and mine match; he’s my father!”

Major Gage nodded.

Tracy gruffly admitted, “Aye, he is, but Frank has been in a coma for twenty-five years, Doctor. He has no knowledge of you or anyone else for that matter. There’s scant little brain activity.”

“Have you tried…”

“We’ve tried everything, Doctor,” Tracy chastised.

Dana felt exasperation. She glanced to Korwin,
 
then took off the N-link about her neck and handed it off to him.

“No, you haven’t tried everything. Let me!”

Tracy protested, “No,” thinking she was about to use some form of Galaxean mind-link technique. “Solon already tried that!”

“I am not Solon,” Dana reminded. “I’m his daughter.”

Tracy growled, but finally agreed. “At least wait until we’re inside the ship, where it’s private.” He motioned Gage to push the coffin aboard the Enturian shuttle.

In the quiet and privacy of the rear cargo bay, Tracy programmed the lid of the coffin to open.

Shepherd was nestled inside, under a warm blanket, hair and beard trimmed as it was in his Star Service formal portrait, though obviously years older and grayer.

Dana closed her eyes and reached in to touch his hand as she had the previous night. The flicker of a connection, like an electrical current, flowed through her fingers.

“Please monitor his vital signs,” she whispered to Tracy.

“I am, Doctor, I assure you.”

Empathically she felt a surge, a connection far stronger than that she’d experienced with Alley Song.

“How do I know this brain activity is his and not yours?” Tracy grumbled.

“When I take my hands away, you’ll know,” she returned. With the calmness of her martial arts training, she gave Frank Shepherd her strength, and let it flow all down her arms and into his. When it seemed to be accepted, she sent more along with loving, soothing thoughts.

Shepherd’s eyes opened.

Dana’s remained closed.

“Heart function is increasing,” Tracy mumbled. “Respiration, too.”

Dana smiled. In her mind, she felt him waking up. A word flowed from him.
 

“Who?”

She responded, “I’m a doctor.”

Shepherd’s eyes blinked and focused. “Tracy?”

His voice was raspy and stilted, but he formed the words, “My friend?”

Dana took her hands away.

The Enturian Master Surgeon responded, “I’m here, Frank.”

At first Shepherd seemed not to hear, but after a lengthy pause he called out to Major Gage, “Nick?”

“Here…”

The Commander focused next on Korwin, blinking numerous times without comment.

Then his gaze fell on her.

Dana stared back, mismatched eyes to mismatched eyes.

Doctor Tracy called out some readings.

She nodded approval.
 

Korwin slipped the N-link back about her neck.

Tracy scolded, “What just happened?”

Korwin responded, “I put the N-link about Dana’s neck. It blocks her empathic and telepathic energy from being transferred.”

“Ah,” the aging doctor exclaimed. “The readings are good, for a man who’s been comatose for twenty-five years.”

Shepherd frowned, though he tried to move his hand and reach for Dana’s. His limbs seemed unwilling to obey.

She cautioned, “Gently, Father. Your muscles have atrophied. You’ll need physical therapy,” she turned to Tracy, “Preferably, aquatic therapy.”

Tracy nodded. “Agreed. I know just the place!” He came to stand beside her.

Dana sighed, fighting tears, “I wish I could come.”

“Not wise, I’m afraid,” Tracy countered. “I will keep you apprised of all progress.”

“No,” Shepherd moaned, flailing and struggling to reach for one or both of them.

“Frank,” Tracy reassured, “Your daughter is in Star Service Academy. She has duties.” He patted Shepherd’s shoulder. “Be patient, my friend.”

“Daughter?”

“I’ll tell you everything during the flight,” Tracy turned to Major Gage. “We should get underway.”

Dana backed away a step; her heart was torn between wanting to accompany them and duty.

Korwin gently rested his hand on her shoulder. “We should withdraw to our shuttle.” To Gage, Korwin offered, “We’ll fly escort, if you like, until you go interstellar.”

Major Gage nodded in appreciation. “That would be a fine send off.”

Dana took her father’s hand and squeezed a silent good-bye, then turned and followed Korwin down the ramp to the deck.

They went to the Alphan shuttle and Korwin used a code to open the hatch.

A stern voice came from within, “Who’s there?”

“Prince Korwin and Doctor Dana…” Korwin responded, “How are you, Captain Skein?”

The man jumped up from a rear bunk and came to meet them.

Korwin offered a plan. “We’re going to escort the Enturian shuttle,
Sheath,
for a short distance.”

Skein nodded. “Your father said you needed some flying hours.”

He made a sound, bowed to Dana, and then settled down at the COM station behind the pilot and co-pilot chairs, watching out the viewport while they went through the preflight checklist.

“That GCE shuttle is a beauty. Hale-Star Yards certainly builds them with an eye for exterior design.”

Korwin caught Dana’s gazed and rolled his eyes, clearly disturbed by the distracting chatter.

Dana responded, “Shall I request clearance?”

“Please,” Korwin said, glancing at Skein. “We’re quite a team. Feel free to comment as you please.” The invitation, of course, was bogus; it was just Korwin’s way of manipulating the conversation.

Skein reacted just as Korwin expected, by protesting, “Oh, I’ll only jump in if you run into trouble.”

And that would never happen.

Sheath
received first clearance and
Trident
was cleared to follow.

Korwin flew flawlessly. Dana co-piloted just as they practiced on the simulators.

“No drones?” she wondered.

“Oh, forgot to tell you,” Korwin answered. “All drone systems are ordered off-line since
Stiletto
crashed. Still researching the disruption to the system and how it can be prevented.”
 

Dana nodded.

Korwin tapped the com, as the Enturian shuttle prepared for impulse power. “Major,
Trident
is ready for escort.”

“Roger,
Trident
. On standby. Give us a moment. Securing our passenger.”

Korwin blinked. “What does that mean?”

Dana guessed, “Probably sedating Commander Shepherd and securing the coffin. It has a magnetic lockdown mechanism,” she reminded. “Enturian ships have a very sensitive electro-static balance.”

“Right! Can’t disturb the flow,” Korwin remembered.

And then it became clear on the viewer, an image of Major Gage at the controls and Commander Frank Shepherd was seated in the copilot’s seat, wearing a civilian jumpsuit.

Dana blinked. “Wow! He’s sitting up! Amazing progress.”

“Major Gage to
Trident
. We’re ready now. Engaging engines.”

“Roger,” Korwin returned, “Standing by to engage.”

“On three, two, one…” Major Gage offered.

Korwin warned Dana as he engaged their engines.

“Wow!” She exclaimed, “Amazingly agile.”

“Your first time in a Blade Class?” Skein asked.

“Yes! Amazing,” she repeated.

Korwin grinned. Into the COM unit, he offered, “Patempore, Salakarik!”

Frank Shepherd weakly responded with a deep, throaty, “Bedmaspore.”

“Be well!” Dana told him, choking back emotion.

“And you, my dear,” Shepherd blinked.

Korwin broke off their escort just past Saturn. They slowed and watched the Enturian shuttle engage their interstellar drive and vanish.

A tear trickled down Dana’s cheek.

Korwin blinked and, thinking to distract her, offered, “Want to take the con?”

She sniffled and nodded. “I have the con.”

“Aye,” Korwin removed his hands from the console and sank back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest them.

Skein took that as an opportunity to say, “I heard you had eye surgery. Does it feel different?”

Korwin admitted, “I’m still experiencing some double vision.”

Dana scowled, “That could be a nerve palsy. I should check it.”

He chuckled and told Skein, “Dana was my surgeon. She’s my hero…um, heroine? I’m going to become an eye doctor, just like her.”

Skein sighed, “You know, when I was a boy, I wanted to be a heart surgeon. Maybe someday…”

Dana chuckled. “My adoptive brother is a cardiologist. He’s pretty heartless.”

“Well, when it came time to choose, I chose flying.”

“I’m doing both,” Korwin announced.

Dana smiled but gave no comment.

“You have the talent,” Skein praised. “Runs in your family, of course. In your genes, in your DNA.”

Korwin glanced at Dana. “In Dana’s, too. That’s why we make such a good team.”

They heard a chirp and Skein checked his COM board. “Skein here.”

“Ambassador Kord is at the Presidential Palace and ready for pickup.”

“Roger. On our way,” Skein returned.

Korwin scrambled to calculate a course change. “ETA twelve minutes.”

Dana looked his way. “Do you want the con?”

“No, you’re capable of landing her,” Korwin answered. “Do you realize there was a time when it took months to return to Earth from Saturn?” He grinned. “Here’s the course change.”

She entered it and they headed back toward the third planet from Sol.

As Earth loomed larger and larger in their viewport, Korwin chuckled again.
 

“What?”

“Just musing about that foolish question from one of the Galaxean twins at class this morning.” He told her and Skein.

“A flat, no, would have sufficed,” Skein grumbled.

“Aye.”

Korwin mused, “We’ll fly circles around them at first solo.”

Skein cautioned about the approach to the Presidential Palace and got the proper clearance for their landing.

Dana took a deep breath, glanced at Korwin, got a nod of approval, and made her first real life shuttle landing.

“Like a feather…so gentle!” Skein offered as praise.

Korwin began the postflight checklist but Skein countered, “We’re not staying, so don’t power down the engines.” Then the Captain went to the rear of the shuttle to drop the hatchway and greet Ambassador Kord and his security detail of three bodyguards.

Korwin and Dana overheard the Ambassador’s growl as he came aboard and exchanged looks of disbelief.

“Blasted Betelgean! Bloody Imperials! Sending
Starlight
to hobnob with the likes of Gorman! Foolishness! Absolute foolishness!”

“Sir?” Skein waited.

“Take us back to space dock. I’ll visit my son before we return to Centauri Prime.”

“Your son is here, sir,” Skein offered, pointing forward.

Korwin took that as his cue to leave the cockpit and go aft.

Skein came forward and took the controls. He nodded to Dana. “Get us clearance, if you will.”

Dana did and they were soon airborne, returning to the space dock and the private bay. Skein did all the flying, clearly not trusting the ship, with a VIP aboard, to a cadet.

Korwin came forward and fell into the vacant chair at the COM station, as Skein and Dana went through the landing post-flight checklist. This time, Skein did power down the engines.

Korwin whispered to Dana that he would need to remain behind and asked if she minded MAT’ing home alone.

She assured, “That’s fine.” After saying good-bye and thanking Captain Skein, she tapped her voice-badge and asked for a transfer.

At the apartment lobby, as she rode the lift up, she began to wonder about Ambassador Kord’s rant. It certainly sounded disrespectful of the President of the Republic. Only when she checked her viewer for messages and to scan the news did she understand his emotional rant.

Imperial moon destroyed. Republic President offers assistance. Star Service at tactical alert.

Dana sank down on the sofa, dazed and confused, and more than a little exhausted by the emotional turmoil of the day’s events.

Quayle’s words haunted her. “Toughen up.”

“Yes, I need to toughen up,” she muttered, as she took up her padlet and blanket and went out to the patio to rest. She called up the image of Commander Franklin Shepherd, saving it to her private photos.

“My father! I’ve found my father!” She grinned. “I’ve found him!”

She studied the image. “It wasn’t easy. Finding my mother will be much harder, no doubt. It’s a big galaxy.”

She called up the DNA report the lab had given her, of Shepherd’s and her own DNA, showing the matches and the discrepancies. Her Enturian/Galaxean DNA came entirely from her mother or mothers, apparently.

The genetics lab must have used Galaxean DNA to make her mother’s Enturian DNA compatible with human DNA from Shepherd.