Death Haunts the Stars Read online

  "Great! Let's do it. I'll send out a ship-wide message for the teens and their parents to be in the arboretum at 1500. Would you mind contacting our division heads, while I wade through this mess on my desk?" Rivers asked.

  Bradley acted pained then flashed his usual, charming smile. "You bet!"

  "What else do you have for me, Mac?"

  "Holcroft's and Shields' time in the brig is about up. They've behaved themselves. Do you want to talk with them before we let 'em get back to work?" Bradley asked.

  Rivers nodded. "Definitely! They hired on as crewmembers. Bring them to me in the morning and I'll have a little chat with them. I don't want anymore BS from either one of them! What else?"

  "The tox screenings from Delacroix has come back negative for any common poisons. It's looking more and more like natural causes...even though the docs say there was nothing in his records to indicate a risk of heart attack or stroke. I'm tempted to close the book on this one..." Bradley said with some uncertainty in his voice. Rivers caught it.

  "Mac, you do what you think is right. I'll back you," said Rivers. "Well, let me know if I can help with anything." Rivers didn't want to be dismissive of his friend at the moment, but the number of reports he had to review had grown exponentially during his brief honeymoon.

  Bradley understood Rivers all too well. He rose from his chair and tossed the captain a jaunty salute. "Hey, don't let those reports wear you down. Meet me in Cargo Bay One this evening and we're run some laps!"

  "I'll do that, Mac! You take it easy," said Rivers returning the salute.

  Bradley waved to Meaghan O'Reilly at the command console on his way across the bridge. She nodded her head in reply then returned to her scan of the bridge read-outs. The elevator took Bradley back to Deck 4 where he stepped out and walked to the Security Section and the brig.

  In the brig, he waved Holcroft and Shields over to the bars separating their cells from the freedom of the corridor. "Okay, fellows, the Skipper's going to let you return to duty tomorrow. I'll take you to meet with him first thing in the morning. Make sure you've cleaned up, shaved, and put on fresh uniforms. This is your chance to convince him you'll behave." Bradley started to turn and walk away then stopped. "Guys, I'm telling you...don't screw up again. Captain Rivers is a fair man and great to work for. But you mess with him, he'll have me put you in stasis until we return to Earth and then he'll let Fleet deal with you."

  Bradley paused and let his features harden. "Now if the Captain orders me to have you put in stasis, I want you to remember something. I just might get lost along the way and accidently shove you out the nearest airlock...without a suit! You read me, gentlemen?" Holcroft and Shields nodded, wide eyed and mute. Bradley turned and walked away...a smile stretched across his face. Gets 'em everytime, Bradley thought.

  **********

  Captain Rivers contacted his Second Officer, Lieutenant Commander Raphael Ramos, and asked him to join him in the ready room. Ramos was highly intelligent, well respected, and another up and coming young commander. Tall, stocky, with handsome features and dark hair, Ramos cut quite a dashing figure amongst the ladies in port. He reported to the captain within 5 minutes of being sent for.

  "Grab a seat, Rafe! I'm almost done with the last of these blasted reports. There!" said Rivers as he signed the last digital document with a tired flourish! "Thanks for coming so quickly! Commander Bradley and I think we've hit on a solution to the horde of teenagers plaguing our ship. I want to bounce this idea off you, get your input, and then I want you to take the lead on this one. Okay?"

  Rafe smiled. "Yes sir! Coming from a large family and being the eldest, I get along pretty well with teenagers."

  "Excellent!" responded Rivers. He quickly outlined the idea that he and Bradley had come up with and asked Ramos for his input. The two officers discussed the plan for the better part of an hour. Finally, Rivers said, "I think that's about it, Rafe! As I said, we've got the teens and their parents informed about the meeting. Mac's getting the rest of our folks together. If you'll put together a briefing paper and get it out to our division heads, we'll use it as part of our meeting at 1400."

  "Will do, Captain!" Ramos said as he rose from his chair. Rivers could already see Ramos thinking about the various roles the teens could perform, who the best mentors would be for those roles, and a dozen or more other possible permutations of the plan. "I'll get right on it!"

  "Thanks, Rafe! With you on the job, it's a load off my mind...and my terminal. I'll see you at 1400 then," Rivers said and smiled as LTCDR Ramos left the ready room. I am truly blessed with some good folks on this crew, Rivers thought.

  Rivers called the Colonial Liaison Officer and his ship's JAG and asked them to drop by his office. He explained his plan to them. Both listened carefully then readily agreed to the plan. Rivers thanked them for their time and support then glanced at his watch. He rose from his chair to walk the others to the elevator. Time for a little lunch with a fair-haired doctor of exquisite beauty and talent! He left the bridge whistling a happy tune.

  **********

  Captain Rivers and his division heads were waiting in the arboretum when the teenagers began arriving with their parents. Bobby Stilson and Katie Bennings were escorted in by two security personnel and their parents arrived moments later. LTCDR Ramos took the name of each arrival and checked that person off a list on his tablet.

  At 1500 hours, Rivers was ready to begin. Ramos reported that three teenagers and their parents were not present. Captain Rivers asked his Second Officer to give those names to Security and that those individuals were to be found and delivered to the arboretum as soon as possible.

  Some of those present found places to sit on benches or large rocks in the small amphitheater in the center of the massive chamber. Others milled about and still others talked of leaving. Rivers had told Security Chief Bradley to post personnel at each entrance to prevent anyone from leaving. Security personnel were indeed there and turned back anyone attempting to leave.

  At 1508 hours, a female security officer escorted a girl of about 15 into the arboretum. They were followed a few minutes later by a young boy and his parents with their security detail. A couple of minutes more and the remaining parents arrived. Finally, at 1521 hours a security officer delivered another boy into the chamber. Lieutenant Commander Ramos double checked his list then reported to the captain that one set of parents was still absent. Ramos pointed to a young boy standing by himself to one side of the group. The captain decided to proceed and to have a serious talk with the absent parents later!

  Rivers stepped up onto the small stage and cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentleman, I am Captain James Rivers, commanding officer of the TCV Conestoga...the vessel you find yourself in at the moment. Some of you have already met me; for others, it's apparent you either don't know who I am or why you should care. Well, let me help clarify a few things for you."

  He looked at the sea of faces before him and took a deep breath before continuing. "Since Earth departure, we have had a number of incidents involving our teenage population getting into trouble. General mischief, in some instances; but in others...much more serious violations of Fleet and ship's regulations. Some of you teens have been playing an increasingly dangerous game. Gaining entry into sensitive and secure areas of the ship, interfering with ship's operations and personnel. This has moved beyond being a nuisance. This vessel, its crew and passengers, cargo, and its very mission have been hazarded. And this cannot and will not stand."

  Rivers paused again to see if the message was sinking in. Some of the parents and the teenagers seemed to understand what he was saying. Others either didn't...or didn't care. "I have to take some type of action to protect my ship, my crew, and our passengers...to include each of you! Now, pursuant to Colonial Fleet Regulation 144.8.3a, it is within my authority to have anyone I deem a hazard placed into the brig or into stasis. I don't want to have to do that. But I will, if someone violates our security again. And that person will b
e returned to Earth at the end of our voyage and face charges for hazarding this vessel, attempted sabotage, and whatever other charges are appropriate to the transgression.

  "We have a much larger than normal population of children and teenagers on this voyage. You seem to have large amounts of spare time on your hands and are looking for some way to use that time to burn off some energy. I don't want you restricted to quarters...I'd rather put your youthful...exuberance...to good use. Good for you and for us!" Rivers paused again. The parents were now onboard with the direction he was going. Obviously, some of them had been looking for a means to keep their children occupied.

  "My division chiefs and I have devised a plan. Eventually, each of you teenagers will find some way to contribute to the colony on Camadin. Some of you will become farmers or ranchers, others will become equipment maintenance personnel, and still others computer technicians or security personnel. We're going to set up an apprenticeship program aboard the Conestoga. Each of you will be encouraged to work alongside our crewmembers in an area or areas you are interested in.

  "Lieutenant Barkley here is in charge of our Hydroponics 'Farm' and the arboretum. Commander Bradley is our security chief, Commander Pat Deckard is our chief engineer; and Lieutenant Shelton is our cargo master. My wife, Dr. Charlotte Rivers is our chief medical officer; Lieutenant Commander Ramos is my second officer; and Lieutenant Commander Slade is our flight deck officer. They are willing to teach you valuable knowledge and skills working alongside our personnel a couple of hours each day. Knowledge and skills you will need to survive and excel on Camadin.

  "Parents, let me assure you that my personnel will not be acting as babysitters. We have important work to do keeping everyone alive and this ship on course! My personnel will serve as mentors and teachers. This is a chance for your children to learn valuable life lessons and skills while staying out of trouble. It's this or more stringent options, some of which I've already mentioned. Teens, here's your chance. Think about it, talk about it with your parents, and make a decision. As a captain, I'm used to making critical command decisions with limited information in a very short period of time. You haven't been trained as I have, so I'm going to give you a little time to think this over. It's now 1539 hours. You have until 1600 hours to decide what you want to do." Rivers stepped off the stage and walked over to stand next to Bradley.

  Several parents approached Rivers and his officers. Some offered their thanks and support; others to complain. Rivers promptly thanked the supporters. He then told the complainers that they and their children had the following options: participate in the program, be subject to further restrictions aboard ship, be placed in the brig, or be put into stasis. Rivers paused for a moment then returned to the stage.

  "Excuse me. Some of you folks still don't seem to fully understand what I've just said. Let me explain it to you in the simplest terms possible. The universe is NOT fair. Space can be deadly if your spacecraft becomes damaged. Some of your children have already endangered everyone aboard this vessel. I DO indeed have the authority to do what I said I could and would do, contrary to any space lawyers among you. This is neither a joke nor a game. I will do whatever it takes to protect my ship, my crew and my passengers! Now...make up your minds before I pull this option from the table...permanently"

  Bradley chuckled as Rivers walked back over to him. "Well done, Skipper! I see they touched a nerve and ruffled your feathers. But I think you did a great job shutting them down. Now, let's see if they can get their shit together!" Rivers simply nodded, his jaw tight with anger. Looking around, he could see parents and teens talking, teens and teens talking, and parents talking with other parents. He looked at his chronometer...their time was quickly running out.

  One of the space lawyer types finished talking with his teen and some of the other parents, broke away from the group, and approached Captain Rivers. He stopped in front of the ship's commanding officer then extended his hand. "Captain, I apologize for my earlier remarks. We've discussed your offer and thinks it's generous, prudent, and extremely viable. My daughter will be participating. She asked if she could work in the Medical Center, if that's possible?"

  Captain Rivers shook the man's hand. "Thank you, sir! Why don't we have your daughter step over here and chat with my wife."

  Other parents and teens approached. Each thanked Rivers and accepted his offer. He accepted their thanks and then directed them to the appropriate division head to speak with. This continued for a while until only three youths remained. One stood off by himself, a young woman stood arguing with her mother, and a young boy was ignoring his parents as they tried to speak with him.

  Rivers signaled Commander Bradley to step over then nodded towards the holdouts. "Mac, go talk with them!"

  "Will do, sir!" Bradley replied then stepped briskly over to the small group.

  "Howdy, folks!" He said amiably enough. "Looks like you have some doubts as to Captain Rivers' sincerity. Let me help you grasp the severity of the situation. If you youngsters don't want to be part of the apprenticeship program, we can start with one of the other options right now! I'm sure your parents won't appreciate Option #1. My personnel won't want to wait on you, so Option #2 looks weak. And I'd be more than happy to stuff each of you into a stasis pod, slam the lid shut, and let you ride out the rest of the trip as a human popsicle. Of course, that means you and your parents will be returning to Earth, which of course will upset the Colonial Offices on Camadin and back on Earth. Oh, and you'll have no further chance of leaving Earth...ever! Ah, such a pity. So it's your choice. Make it...NOW!"

  The blood drained from the faces of the teens and parents present. They suddenly realized this was no joke...and the teens had limited choices. The couple with the young son gripped him by each arm and walked him towards Captain Rivers. The mother of the young girl did the same. The unaccompanied boy stared at Bradley.

  "What's your name, son?"

  "I don't have to tell you! And I'm not your 'son'," the boy replied angrily.

  A tight, grim smile appeared on Bradley's face as he looked the boy in the eyes. Not breaking the stare, Bradley called out, "Lieutenant Commander Ramos! Sergeant Freeman!" The Second Officer and a security specialist converged on the security chief.

  "Sergeant Freeman, please take this young man into custody and restrain him. Commander Ramos, please identify him then tell Security when they find his parents to me at this location ASAP!" ordered Bradley. SGT Keith Freeman slipped zip-tie cuffs over the young man's wrists and bound his hands behind his back. Ramos consulted his tablet computer and found the teen's name and photo, then pulled his comm unit out and contacted Security again.

  A few minutes later, Ramos reported back to the security chief. "Commander Bradley, your personnel have finally located the boy's parents and will bring them here forthwith, sir!" He looked at the young boy and shook his head as if to say, You and your parents have pissed off the wrong people, kid!

  Bradley nodded and said, "Thank you, Commander! Stick around for a bit please. This could be fun!" Ramos nodded and stepped over by Freeman and the teen. Several moments later, two security personnel escorted a man and woman into the arboretum and over to Bradley. One officer saluted Bradley and reported, "Sir, Dr. Alexander Wilson and Mrs. Katherine Wilson." Bradley nodded his thanks then turned to the boy's parents. Before he could speak, they did.

  "Now see here, mister," Dr. Wilson began, "we don't appreciate being dragged about this vessel by your thugs. And why is our son in handcuffs? I'll report you to the captain for this!" Mrs. Wilson began to make a show of blubbering over her son.

  Bradley held up a hand to stop the man from saying another word. Bradley took a deep, calming breath before speaking. "Dr. Wilson...Mrs. Wilson, your son's presence, and yours as well, were requested by Captain Rivers; as was the presence of all of the other teenagers and their parents. Your son failed to appear when requested and had to be escorted here. You did not accompany him and had to be escorted here as well. We hav
e been experiencing a serious problem with the teens on this vessel and are trying to offer them and their parents...options...to relieve their youthful exuberances."

  The Wilsons tried to interrupt again but Bradley held up both hands this time and glared at the couple intensely. They wisely held their tongues. The security chief slowly, carefully explained the problems being encountered and the options available to the boy and his family. As Bradley finished talking, he saw Captain Rivers walking over.

  Rivers introduced himself and the Wilsons turned the full force of their invective upon him. The Captain stood quietly listening to the boy's parent rant at him. When it appeared that they were not getting through to the ship's commanding officer, Dr. Wilson began to threaten Rivers.

  The Captain listened for a couple of minutes then spoke in a deep, quiet voice. "Dr. Wilson, if you say one more word, I will have you and your family taken to the brig under arrest. You have failed to heed my orders, you have argued with my security chief and with me, and now you have threatened me. Three strikes...you are out! Now...we can discuss this quietly, in an adult manner, or I can and will exercise my command authority and have your son...and both of you...hauled off to the brig in handcuffs. If you resist arrest, I'll have you put into stasis. Do I make myself clear?"

  Rivers glared savagely at the husband, the wife, and the son in turn. Each backed down from his intense gaze. "Good! I'm sure Commander Bradley has explained our problem and the plans we have put in place to deal with them. I have the support of the Colonial Liaison Officer and the ship's judge advocate general. So it comes down to you. What do you want to do? I'm sure Commander Bradley and his personnel would be more than happy to escort you to the brig or the stasis pods, whichever would make you happiest. Or your son can show some maturity and initiative and join the apprenticeship program."