Chapter 10
Saturday, October 31, 2111
Space Station ARK
Keplerian Republic Auxiliary Orbital Naval Yard
"Engine room reports all stop and connections being made to station power." Lieutenant Bolton said, hanging up the handset at his station at Operations, next to the helmsman.
"Thank you, Mr. Bolton." Lieutenant Commander Zincks stretched in her seat before rising. "Miss Fields, shipwide address please. Put me on video as well."
"Aye, aye, Captain." The canine looked over at Miles for a moment before opening the shipwide channel. A small red light flashed from a set of cameras fixed to the ceiling.
"Good afternoon, Campbeltown. It is presently approaching three bells and we are linking for station power. Reactor watch is to remain in place in rotation. Ship's company is to muster out for four days of leave. Ensure you return aboard by November 4th. For those of you in a Halloween mood, the fleet at anchor is holding open visitation to the public to non-restricted spaces and the station has an itinerary as well." The tanuki declared. "Also, have consideration for the bloody dental staff." A small smirk came as the bridge crew chuckled.
After gathering up his liberty bag, the fox slowly advanced out through the open-air gangway. The yard was enclosed with a protective shield faintly glowing and emergency door at standby. As other crew members passed by him, he pulled his pipe out and loaded it with tobacco, dry-drawing from it with no light afterwards. He raised his head up and stared out at the next dock, blinking in surprise. There was a new ship's keel being laid out there. Larger than a destroyer, he swept his gaze and measured visually. No, larger than a cruiser at that.
The fox looked around for a moment, bringing his bag up to the public information terminal near the other ship's gangway, setting it down beside it. He activated the terminal with a wave of his hand, a circular crest with gold trim appearing with its interior filled with green, a gold cannon in the center. Looking up, the fox saw a name above the cannon. Warspite.
KRSS Warspite (01)
Dreadnought-class Battleship
Laid Down: October 31, 2111
Estimated Launch Date: November 26, 2112
Pennant Number: 01
"Belli dura despicio"
Construction by: HMNB Devonport Royal Dockyard (United Kingdom) and Naval Constructor, KRSN
Named in tribute of:
HMS Warspite (S103) – Valiant-class fleet submarine, commanded by later Falklands War commander Adm. Sir John Woodward.
HMS Warspite (03) – Queen Elizabeth-class battleship, participant in the Battle of Jutland (1916) in the First World War. Participant in battles at Atlantic and Mediterranean Theatres as well invasion of Normandy in Second World War
A space battleship! Miles smiled and looked at the photographs for both ancestors, submarine and sea-battleship alike. To his knowledge, the largest hull any service had was the Yorktown-class space carriers of the United States Space Navy and the Ark Royal-class of the Royal Space Navy. He stared out at the Warspite's keel again appreciatively and finally lit his pipe.
"Lieutenant Prower?" A soft voice broke his reverie with what he thought was an anxious squeak. The fox turned to face the speaker, eyes widening in recognition.
"Rotarl? Janus Rotarl?!" He looked the mouse over, further surprised to see that she was wearing the very same cadet uniform that he wore in his first year at BRNC.
"Cadet Janus Rotarl, first year, Britannia Royal Naval College." The mouse piped up, saluting the fox. He returned it and pursed his mouth into a smile.
"Any idea as to what your specialization path is going to be?" Miles asked, picking up his bag, gesturing with a shrug for the mouse to follow. The mouse looked at him, wiggling her fingers nervously.
"I-I'm not certain yet, I was thinking maintenance or armory officer." Rotarl cast her eyes down to the deck.
"The Navy has a place for everyone. You'll find yours eventually." Prower reassured her. "So, what made you decide to join?" That evoked an embarrassed blush from the young mouse.
"Well...you did, when you took me off from the Destructrix. I read your public file, I had no idea at first. I stayed at the rooms at Dartmouth you paid for. I-" The mouse reached down and started to unfold an envelope held in a pocket in her slacks. He could see crumpled bills there and held his right hand up.
"Don't you dare try to repay me, Cadet. You needed a leg up and that was by no means going to put me in the poorhouse. Save it, you'll have things to put it for on your graduation leave." He reached into his inner jacket pocket. "However, I do have something for you." The fox fished out a challenge coin and gently placed in the mouse's free hand. "If you are wanting to repay me in some way, graduate."
"I..I will, Lieutenant!" Rotarl looked at the fox, then at the destroyer. "Is it strange that I consider the Campbeltown my first ship?"
"With what you've went through and the time you spent with us on return, I wouldn't say it's strange." Miles turned his gaze onto his ship. Then a familiar scent caught his attention, making him raise his nose slightly, sniffing at the air. He homed in on it, turning to the right and saw Maria approaching him at a slow walk. Different from what he'd seen before in labjacket and powder green scrubs.
"Miles!" The human closed her arms around his waist and leaned into him. The fox wagged his tails around and reached up to run his hands through her hair.
"What are you doing here? You didn't come all the way up in orbit just to see me at patrol liberty, did you?" Miles asked.
"It certainly helped, but no!" Maria straightened up and pressed a finger under an identification badge on a lanyard around her neck. Her photograph, complete with glasses and the look of someone that just rolled out of bed was on it, with the text 'Dr. Maria Robotnik, M.D. M.S.M – Surgical Resident Y1 – Space Station ARK Medical Division' beneath it.
"You got the ARK for residency?" The fox raised his eyes and smiled before pulling her into a hug. Then he became conscious of Rotarl standing there, watching them. With a polite cough, Miles slowly released Maria and stood beside her.
"Dr. Maria Robotnik, Officer Cadet Janus Rotarl of the Keplerian Republic Space Navy." Miles introduced. The mouse stepped closer and held her right hand out which Maria took.
"A pleasure, Cadet." Maria said with a nod. Rotarl's face flushed with some embarrassment as she lowered her hand.
"So, what will you two be doing until leave's over?" Rotarl asked.
"Well one thing's certain, whatever it is, it'll be on a rock with real gravity." The fox said. Maria wrapped an arm around his side and gently massaged it with her fingers.
"How about we take things nice and easy first. The Blue Marble Lounge?" Maria asked.
"The what?" Miles raised his ears.
"It's a restaurant with a bar with a view of Earth." Maria explained.
"Why not, then? Coming along, Rotarl?" The fox asked.
"Oh! I suppose so, I'm not doing anything now." The mouse's face flushed.
Blue Marble Lounge
Space Station ARK
The first thing that Miles and Janus noticed on arriving at the Blue Marble was a large man with ginger-red hair and a great vast beard. Upon seeing the three, his eyes seemed to light up as he gestured to three empty stools at the bar. Maria took the lead, sitting on the one farthest to the right. Miles followed, sitting to her left, leaving the final stool for Rotarl. The man, the Lounge's bartender came up to their part of the bar and held his hand out to Maria.
"Good to see you again, Doc." The bartender said, his demeanor that of someone who knew he was at the right place with the job he wanted.
"Always. Jase, meet Lieutenant Miles Prower of the KRSS Campbeltown and Cadet Janus Rotarl." Maria said as introduction, smiling.
Jase reached out and offered his hand to the fox, who shook it and then repeated the process with the mouse.
"What can I start you off with then? We just got some Dead Guy Ale in from Rogue." Jase advised. Maria looked at the other two who nodded.
"Three of those, and menus please." Maria requested.
"If you wouldn't mind, also a scotch." Miles added in.
"We've got all kind there, Lieutenant." Jase gestured towards the bottles behind him. The fox blinked and tilted his head.
"How old's that Glenlivet?" he asked, focusing on a bottle
"That's a 93 year one." Jase said.
"Fine by me. Anything extra you want, Rotarl?" Miles slid his eyes over to the mouse.
"Aah...uh-" Janus blinked. "Crown Royal Apple for me."
"I'll get on that." Jase said, looking up. "Pretty quiet currently, even for Halloween. Want the TV on?"
"No, thank you." The three almost spoke in unison.
The three seemed to look over their menus as the drinks were made and put before them on coasters. Ultimately, Maria had went for a chicken carbonara with bread, while Miles went for steak and a loaded baked potato and finally Janus.
"There's a smoking area, right?" Miles asked.
"Around the back here, there's disposals all around too." Jase said, watching as the fox pulled his pipe and a beaten pouch of tobacco out. "Huh, nice."
"I'll be back." The fox said, rising from his seat. Jase reached out with the Glenlivet 93 and refilled his glass at which Miles nodded appreciatively, picking it up and taking it with him.
He set the glass down on a table and looked up, noticing the air filters above, a low humming detected by his ears that the others likely wouldn't notice. Knocking it out against a knob on the disposal near him, the fox refilled the bowl of his pipe and then stuck the stem in his mouth, lighting up. Inhaling slowly, he held the smoke in his mouth and then exhaled it out his nose, smiling in reflection.
To his back, he could hear Jase greeting more people. His ears flickered as he caught snippets of the conversation.
"Captain Tower, you look a bit rough." The human said.
"It's just from zero-g training. I'll have a bourbon." The first new voice had a bit of a Rhode Island drone to it. The fox's ears twitched, immediately annoyed by it.
"I'll have a bourbon too." Another man said, he sounded more from the west, perhaps Southern California.
"Hey hey! I'll get your next, Penders." Tower raised his voice, laughing. Miles could hear what sounded like someone being slapped on the back. Sighing, the fox pulled his pipe from his mouth and then took a small sip of scotch. Americans.
"Well, well, well." Penders could be heard, voice going lower. "What's two ladies doing here unaccompanied?"
"We're not unaccompanied, sir." Rotarl's voice seemed to take a 180 from earlier.
"Looks like it to me." Tower could be heard saying. "Army rules, officer and a gentleman get ladies a drink. Especially Dr. Robotnik."
"I'm fine, thank you." Maria said. There was a thunk as a glass was lowered to the bar table.
"Oh, come on, every time I see you here you're alone and you never let a guy sit with you." Tower said. "Never understood that, is that supposed to be some cold fish European thing?"
"Scandinavian and no. I already have someone, Captain." Maria replied coldly.
"Let me guess, millionaire surgeon?" Tower shot out, with Penders chuckling.
Miles tapped his pipe out, refilled and lit it before leaving the pouch and lighter, taking up his glass as he rounded the corner.
"Not quite, but an officer and a gentleman myself." The fox said, narrowing his eyes.
Tower and Penders slid their eyes from the women to the fox, gaping at him for a moment. Tower swallowed the remains of his glass and set it out on the bar.
"Another one." His voice suggested he swallowed something he didn't like.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Jase interjected. Tower reached out and shook his glass. "Another one, damn you!"
Miles looked over at the bartender and stepped closer. "Well, would you rather I pick that one up for you then?"
"I don't want your money." Tower growled and then belched. "Jesus, I can smell the dog breath too."
"You are in uniform, are you not?" The fox inquired.
"I-...what the fuck does it matter to a goddamn walking carpet?" Tower snapped.
Miles lowered his glass to the bar and straightened himself up with a low growl. "Name, rank and service."
"Fuck you." Tower snorted. "You first."
"Lieutenant Miles Prower of the Keplerian Republic Space Navy." The fox studied the other man's uniform with a careful eye. "Was I to guess, an infantry captain, United States Army?" He then looked to Penders. "Well?"
"I-ah-" Penders blinked slowly.
"Fuck him." Tower growled. "You don't have to tell him shit."
The fox stared at the other man, another cursory glance. "A first lieutenant, I believe. Same unit. Perhaps you need a refreshment on rank and etiquette. A full lieutenant of the navy is the equivalent to your captain. Which means I am a superior officer. So, Lieutenant, I will ask you then. Your name, rank and service as well as the captain's."
"...First Lieutenant Ken Penders, United States Army. That's...Captain Abraham Tower, also United States Army." Penders lowered his eyes nervously.
"Thank you Lieutenant Penders." The fox turned to round on Tower. "As for you Captain, I find your manners while under drink to be atrocious, as for your xenophobic comments disgusting. I suggest the two of you return to wherever you came from or at least put yourself in a corner out of my sight and keeping yourself to a whisper. I might feel charitable enough to leave it at that and not put you on report."
Tower growled but Penders moved closer to him, reaching up and running a finger through his mustache nervously. "Captain, I think we should do as he says."
"-You might have a point." Tower growled through clenched teeth. He took up his glass. "We'll buy the bottle." Jase just stared but obliged, holding out the bottle of Jim Beam as the two went to a table at the back. The fox sat back up at his place on the bar and reached into his pocket, setting out some rings.
"Is that enough for their bottle?" Miles asked.
"Yeah." Jase said quietly. "Sorry about that, they come in a lot too."
"I don't get it though." Miles looked over at Maria. "Two and a half centuries of social reform and movements and yet there's these regressionists. Walking carpet, dog-breath. I think I'll let the lieutenant slide by, he seems decent but misguided if that's the company he keeps."
"Tower is a slug." Maria fumed quietly. "He always tried to put himself on me when he's here."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Miles lowered his ears.
"You only just got back, and I hadn't been here for long." Maria sighed.
Tower fumed as he drank straight from the bottle, almost reluctantly passing it to Penders for him to pour some into his glass. Penders was tempted to clean the lip of it with his sleeve but didn't want to set him off any further.
"I can't believe a woman like her is sleeping with a goddamn xeno." Tower growled lowly. "Officer and a gentleman, puh. Navy, even worse. Spit and polish, damn Brits should have made them enter their damn poodle shows."
"He can probably hear you, sir!" Penders' voice was almost to pleading. "It'll be both of our careers in a sling."
Tower looked at the other man and shook his head. "Don't worry about him. I've got an idea and the best part is, we can come out of this like winners."
"What?" Penders blinked in confusion.
"Trust me. Though I have to say in all seriousness, the mouse, Ken? Really? Bad enough Robotnik's-agh, just shut up and follow my lead." Tower got up, grabbing the bottle and starting towards the bar.
"How much for the bottle?" Tower said as he stood behind the fox. Jase had his back turned to them.
"Lieutenant Prower picked up the tab on that." Jase said.
"Oh." Tower looked down at the fox. "Well, all right then." He turned up the charm in his voice. "Didn't have to do that. I suppose we'll have this forgotten then?"
The fox sat up, ears raised. "To be honest, no."
"I'm sure that you will forget about it." Tower palmed the bottle in his hand, Rotarl turning to look only seconds before Tower swung it out to smash it against the back of the fox's head.
The impact made Miles smack into the table and turned his vision black for a moment. Reaching out to brace himself to the table, he wobbled as a new sound could be heard in his ringing ears, Rotarl knocking her seat over as she launched herself at the human.
Tower batted at her with his free arm and snarled loudly as she bit through his green sleeve into his skin. "Get this fucking rabid bitch off me!"
Penders started towards the angry mouse, at first looking like he was going to try to interpose himself but before he could make his next move, he found a standard KRSN issue boot slamming into his solar plexus, sending him down onto his back.
Tower yowled and slashed at the mouse's head with the remains of the bottle in his other hand, causing her to bite down harder. Resistance training however was keeping them both at par. Tower dropped the bottle and tried slamming her into the fallen fox while reaching down for his holster. Seeing the black handgun coming out, Janus released him and felt around as the fox stirred onto his back. He was seeing double but saw the barrel of the gun as Rotarl put herself between the two, pulling the fox's Webley revolver out and holding it out at Tower in one hand.
"Put it away or I'll drop you." Janus snapped.
Tower tensed his finger on the trigger but then he noticed three things that made his base instinct for survival override him. The gleaming noses of the six .455s in the cylinder of the revolver, the sound of a pump action and the sight of Jase pointing a shotgun right at him. Tower started to lower himself down, setting the gun on the floor while Rotarl got up to her feet.
"You got him?" Jase asked.
"I do." Janus walked over and kicked the gun away before pointing the revolver down at the human's head. "Call station security down." Then she looked at Maria. "EMS too."
Medical Services – Level M4
Space Station ARK
"There it is." Maria grimaced as she studied the X-ray displayed on the tablet she held. Janus was looking over her shoulder, easily noticing the crack in the vulpine skull that the human was absently running her finger over. "Subdural hematoma, or at least the beginning of one. They'll crack his head open to remove the clot and repair the dura mater."
"You're not doing it yourself?" Rotarl asked.
"I'm nowhere near operating supervised, let alone on a neurosurgical case." Maria said with a shake of her head. "No, it will be Neurosurgery."
"How bad off will he be?" The mouse asked, looking over at Miles' inert form. Heavily sedated, he was changed out of his uniform and into the standard patient gown, lying on a bed. The only thing separating them from the others in Medical-Surgical Intensive Care was a curtain.
"Bringing him up was the right call after he lost consciousness. Repairing it quickly after the event, he'll bounce back. It's just-" Maria swallowed and lowered the tablet. "Stupid. Stupid, pointless and violent. That man, assuming he's even worthy of being known as in the same species as me, driven by jealousy and contempt. To think compared to Miles he saw himself as better. For a moment, I was hoping you would shoot him."
"I don't think the lieutenant would have wanted me to kill someone in cold blood though." Rotarl sighed quietly. "But if it makes you feel better, he is in our brig. Lots of ruffled greenjackets visiting him, US Army CID has seen him as well as our Special Investigations Branch."
"Look at our modern, forward thinking army." Maria grumbled sarcastically. "We hate aliens and god forbid they mate with our kind, even if they're allies. I wonder how far the fall will be for Captain Tower."
"He'll get what he deserves." Janus said reassuringly. There was a small vibration that made Maria look down at her tablet. Then she heard footsteps and squeaking rubber as a team of three humans in the same color of scrubs that she wore walked up with a gurney.
"Miles Prower?" One of the nurses looked at the fox, then at Maria, who nodded.
"Date of birth?" The nurse asked, looking at her own tablet.
"October 16, 2092." Maria answered.
"Here for a craniotomy for a subdural hematoma repair?" The nurse asked, looking up at the fox.
"That's correct." Maria replied quietly. The nurse leaned in and lifted the fox's right hand up, looking over the identity bracelet clasped to his wrist. Maria and Janus moved back as the team started to detach the monitors and IVs, switching Miles onto portable equivalents before moving him over to the gurney. As they wheeled him away, she looked down at the tablet, reading the updated file as something got Janus' attention.
The surgical team had wheeled Miles out a set of double doors that opened on their approach and the mouse caught sight of another fox with dark blue hair covering his otherwise orange-reddish head. He held a small case in one hand with the hexagonal trefoil of Zenith Defense Industries on the side. The fox seemed to watch them move on before suddenly turning his yellow eyed gaze towards Janus, adjusting his rectangular framed glasses.
"Who is that?" Maria asked. She had noticed where the mouse was looking, scrutinizing Janus as she seemed to freeze for several moments before answering.
"I'm not sure." Rotarl said. "Whoever he is, it looks like he's from Zenith Defense."
"I've never heard of it." Maria raised the tablet, switching out to its Internet browser, initiating a search. Zenith Defense Industries, one of the first Keplerian defense contractors, founded by a Keplerian fox named Dr. Moddex Everest. His academic credentials stood up, largely Earth based institutes. Maria looked back up, finding the fox gone. She was certain that was Everest that they had seen, but why was the chief scientist of a top Keplerian defense contractor interested in Miles? Or was she overanalyzing the situation?