Space Rescue One Read online

  ***

  "This isn't right. We're not supposed to ever be used to fight wars. We're supposed to be strictly space rescue. I can live with us having to face down gunmen on board luxury space liners, but not with engaging in wholesale slaughter," Richard said.

  "It's not going to get to that, Richard," Isaac said.

  "Yes, it will. I've paid attention to Jimmy and Alex talk about the population in the colonies reaching a critical mass to where they're self-sufficient and capable of doing everything for themselves. It's one thing when the colony is only a few hundred people. Any loss of life hits it hard. It's another when there are thousands. Losing a few people means almost nothing to the society then," Richard replied.

  "We're only defending the stations and enforcing the embargo, Richard," Shelly said.

  "The embargo won't work. Mars and Venus both have freighters with crews loyal to them. They have a network of contacts on Earth to see that any supplies they might need are made available. Our one ship can't enforce the embargo for this entire planet. You know just as well as I do that when we confront one of the rebel freighters, we're not going to have any choice of action. We'll have only one option. That's to smash them with our guns. If we don't, they'll certainly shoot at us even though we outgun any one freighter. However, I'm worried that we'll run into more than one when the time comes. If we do, we'll lose any gunnery advantage we have because they'll be able to outmaneuver us," Richard said.

  "We'll have other ships helping us enforce the embargo. We won't be alone, Richard," Isaac said.

  "That's even worse. We'll be scattered about while the rebels will approach in a formation of strength. Any ship that tries to face them by itself is committing suicide," Richard said.

  "They don't have to face them by themselves. They only have to notify the rest of the fleet and stand off out of range until the fleet forms for an attack," Isaac said.

  "Chief Dickson's right, Richard. There's nothing to be overly concerned about. The embargo will work. Won't it, Chief? Besides, our main responsibility is to protect the space station from attack. We only enforce the embargo in this area," Shelly said.

  "An embargo won't work. We're going to see a lot of fine men and women die for no good reason when the rebels come in force," Richard said.

  Shelly asked, "If you're so sure of that, then can anything be done to prevent it? Can you prevent it from happening? Are you God? If so, command them to stop. If not, then tell me if you have any good ideas. I'd like to hear them if we can use them to save lives. I'm not looking forward to jetting through space to board an enemy ship."

  "I don't want to see you boarding an enemy ship. Unfortunately, I don't have any ideas to put forth. I'm not God, either. I don't have that kind of power to command all those men and women not to kill each other," Richard replied.

  "Someone must have the power. I wish it was you, Richard," Shelly said.

  "Why?" asked Richard.

  "Yeah, why?" Isaac asked.

  "Because Richard only wants to save lives. If he had that power over those men and women, he wouldn't be tempted to use his power badly. That's why," she answered.

  "Well, I, uh…don't know what to say," Richard said.

  "In that case, shut up while you're ahead, Richard," Isaac said.

  ***

  Damon moved close to Richard as he served him his usual fruit juice. "There's some ugly talk going on among the Merchant Spacemariners. I don't like the sounds of it."

  "What about?" asked Richard.

  "Taking over a ship so they can switch sides," Damon answered.

  "You're right. That doesn't sound good at all. I'll look into it. Thanks."

  "Be careful. I don't want to lose a good customer."

  ***

  Richard closed his cabin door, having overheard more than enough while in the bar. He pulled his chest from under his bed and opened it, letting the lid dangle from the broken padlock. He didn't notice anything out of place. He rummaged about for a few moments before he found what he was after. He felt the smooth, cold metal between his fingers as it brought back good and bad memories. Richard tucked the metal object into a pocket before going through the chest once more for other things he wanted.

  ***

  "Chief, I want to talk with you and the rest of the team," Richard said.

  . "What about, Richard?" asked Isaac.

  "About this ship and us being drafted. I don't like the idea. None of us signed on to be in the military."

  "I don't like it either, but there's nothing we can do."

  "I think that there is and we can do something about it," Richard said.

  Jimmy came running up. "Hey Chief! The rebels are broadcasting a message that involves us."

  "Oh? I guess we should all gather around the monitor then to hear what's going on," Chief Dickson said.

  ". . . and the Venusian Parliament has offered the United Nations space stations orbiting Earth, Mars, and Venus the privilege of neutrality provided the Space Rescue Service promises to remain neutral in the upcoming conflict. We make this offer to each station individually rather than being pig-headed and insisting on all or nothing. In making this offer, the Venus-Mars Alliance promises not to attack any ships making a stopover at any neutral space station to drop off wounded and dead for their return home."

  "Any ships plying space with their running lights on will be considered to be neutral. This goes for the Space Rescue Service ships as well. To put it plainly, the VMA promises not to attack any ships with their running lights on. However, if such a ship fires on any VMA ship, that ship will be dealt with severely. There will be no quarter given to any of the crew of such ship that violates these proposed rules of engagement."

  The announcer said, "In case you missed the Venus-Mars Alliance broadcast, here it is again."

  "The Council of Mars and the Venusian Parliament challenges the governments of Earth to accept these simple rules of engagement in order to limit the loss of life and property in space during the inevitable upcoming conflict. Any ship in battle that offers to surrender is to turn on its running lights and cease fire. All ships are to accept and respect any such surrender when offered by an opposing ship. If the opposing surrendering ship is disabled, then assistance should be offered by the victor if it isn't otherwise engaged in conflict or disabled itself. Prisoners are to be accorded humane treatment. Any personnel from either side violating these guidelines will be considered to be war criminals. Accordingly, the VMA states now that anyone from either side who is convicted of being a war criminal is to face the death penalty if tried in a joint VMA court. VMA armed forces personnel are being instructed to take action immediately against anyone behaving as a war criminal."

  "The VMA acknowledges the Moon as a neutral party and will honor that neutrality to the best of its ability. Any VMA ship which crosses into the realm of Moon jurisdiction will immediately intern itself for the duration of the war."

  "The Council of Mars and the Venusian Parliament has offered the United Nations space stations orbiting Earth, Mars, and Venus the privilege of neutrality provided the Space Rescue Service promises to remain neutral in the upcoming…"

  Chief Dickson said, "Computer command, volume down." The monitor's volume went down almost immediately. Isaac said, "Well, it appears like the rebels are afraid of our ship and the other two. I can see why since ours have more guns and better armor than any freighter."

  "I don't think so. I think they just don't want to see the space stations destroyed by either side. They're probably thinking about trade with Earth after the war is over. If there aren't any stations, then trade isn't likely to restart very soon," Richard said.

  Isaac replied, "Well, I think they're afraid of us. What other reason is there for that offer?"

  "Maybe they just don't want us using the stations for resupply and repairs of any ships. That's an advantage Earth has over them, in addition to having more ships and the Space Rescue Service ships. Personally, I'd like to see our se
rvice remain in the rescue business. None of us signed on to be space warriors. I joined strictly to save lives, not take them. So far, I've done only that," Richard said.

  "I've got to admit that I agree with Richard on one thing. I didn't join to kill people. Making us part of the US Space Navy is an abomination of our purpose. I've already got a lawyer on Earth checking into what my rights are under the circumstances," Shelly said.

  "I thought you felt it wasn't too bad just defending the station?" Richard asked.

  She answered, "I reconsidered my position, Richard. I've got a right to do that."

  "I'm glad you did reconsider your position. I reconsidered my own position in light of what you said," Richard said.

  Shelly exclaimed, "Me?"

  "Yes, you. You asked me if I had any ideas. Well, I've got one. I was asking the Chief to convene a team meeting just before the announcement came over the Internet news," Richard said.

  "Why Richard?" asked Shelly.

  "I wanted to ask all of you if you would support me in refusing any orders to fight. Maybe I can't keep this ship out of the fighting, but there's nothing that says we have to honor our service commitments after the service was changed into a killing machine. I figure the worst they can do to us is imprison us for a few years. I'd rather spend time in prison than kill someone. At least, when I get out, I'll still have my dignity intact knowing that I didn't participate in a mass killing," Richard answered.

  Isaac said, "You might be willing to throw away your career. I'm not so sure about the rest of us. In fact, I think some of the team lacks your experience in knowing just what they're in for. They might not be ready to have people spit on them as cowards. They aren't going to be ready to have people constantly challenging them to fights. Can they stand to have their families hounded because of their conviction about what's right? If any of us marry sometime later, assuming that we're able to find someone willing to overlook our stand on principle, will our children be allowed to live normal lives?"

  Richard replied, "This isn't anything I've done before. What you're saying is probably true. In fact, I didn't think of some of those disadvantages when I made up my mind. Now that I'm aware of them, I'm still willing to refuse to fight. I'm only asking if any of you will stand with me. You don't have to decide right now. It took me some time to reach this decision, so take some time yourselves, but please let me know within the next day or two."

  ***

  "Well, what do you think of Richard's idea?" Shelly asked.

  "It could be that Richard's still running away from his problems. I'm not sure that I can sign on with his idea. Personally, I don't think we're going to see any action. It's probably all going to be fought by the ships and not by boarding. Most likely, we're getting too nervous over what we think is the worst case scenario in which we have to act like marines. I just don't think that will happen," Chief Dickson replied.

  "You don't, Chief? Are you sure?" asked Shelly.

  "I think the Chief is probably right. At the speeds we're traveling, there's just no way for us to board the enemy. The most we might have to do is escort some prisoners to the brig," Jimmy said.

  "Well, I joined for excitement. I'm not sure about killing someone, but I'm not a coward, either. There's one thing I do know. My folks won't forgive me if I go to prison," Tim said.

  "I don't know if prison is such a good thing, either. I once read that people who went to prison rather than fight were often abused by the other prisoners. Some were even killed. That doesn't sound like much of an improvement in the odds. At least, Space Rescue One is heavily armored and well armed," Alex said.

  ***

  "Damon, I need a favor," Richard said.

  "Sure Richard. What is it? You want a bottle without anyone knowing?"

  Richard answered, "No, it's much more serious than that. Besides, there's an unopened bottle in my cabin anytime I want it. I need information. You're probably the only person I can trust to get me the information."

  "What sort of information? Are you asking about who's conspiring to take over the Space Rescue One?" Damon asked.

  "Not exactly. I want to know who's caught in the middle. I need to know who's against fighting for both Earth and the VMA. Am I asking too much?"

  "Actually, no. Do you have something in mind?"

  "Well, I must have or I wouldn't be asking, would I?"

  "No, I guess you wouldn't, at that. Do they have to be solidly in the middle?"

  "I'd prefer that they were. I had another idea, but I failed to convince anyone. I could see it in their eyes when I made my suggestion. That leaves me little choice but to try something else," Richard said.

  "I hope you're not getting in too deep. I'd hate to see you get in trouble."

  "Trouble? I've never been out of trouble, it seems."

  ***

  "This is Commodore Shortner speaking. So far, we haven't been called upon to do anything yet against the rebellion other than to give up some of our luxuries while we prepare our ship for war. It might be an inconvenience to double up our accommodations, but that's the only way possible for us to have enough personnel for round the shift operations of all essential positions. I know that the news has been heavily censored since yesterday, but that's a precaution to protect our lives. Similarly, you haven't been permitted to communicate freely when you want with anyone outside the space station while what you say is monitored. Again, that's in the interest of security."

  "As far as the rebellion goes, the rebels are busy preparing their own ships. Even though communications are broken between the colonies and Earth, rest assured that we're not operating in the dark. We have our sources of information to alert us as to rebel plans and actions. In the meantime, continue to study, exercise, and prepare yourselves for defending our world."

  "While most of you aren't looking forward to this upcoming fighting, I know that you'll perform your duties in a conscientious manner. I commend you for your efforts thus far and remind you that we outnumber the rebel forces in space by ten to one, now that several other nations on Earth have committed their corporate freighters to Earth's defense. The battle we expect to happen should be brief and one-sided. We shall win that battle and with it the war."

  "Remember, we terraformed those worlds to take care of our starving billions. It isn't right for a few people to steal those worlds from us for themselves so they can become rich. The food and other resources they steal should be going to your families and friends on Earth so they won't have to live their lives as poor beggars with no hope of happiness."

  ***

  "Thanks, Damon, for coming through with the names. I think this will be enough for what I'm planning," Richard said.

  Damon said, "Uh, do you want my name, too? I'm not much in favor of fighting, either. I think that both sides should have been willing to negotiate instead of taking up arms. The United Nations idea of outlawing war in space was a good one. Now it seems like we're throwing away all our best intentions."

  "There might still be some fighting, Damon. If there is, it's going to be up close and personal. I hope that no one will be killed, but I'm a realist about this. I know that the odds are against that. I'm just hoping that only a few people get killed in order to save lots of lives."

  "I see."

  "Well? Do you still want in?" Richard asked.

  "Yeah, I might as well. I'm already suspected of being a spy for both sides by just about everyone. I really don't have much to lose," Damon replied.

  "Maybe. I do know that if we succeed, you've got a lot to gain."

  ***

  Richard said, "Well, I understand that you don't care much for fighting on either side. Is that true?"

  "Who are you to ask?" asked the Merchant Spacemariner.

  "I'm someone who feels the same way. The only difference is that I have a plan to make it possible," Richard replied.

  "Maybe you do and maybe you don't. For all I know, you're here just to feel me out so I can be tried as a traitor.
You need a lot more than just a plan to convince me to throw in with you on anything. Now, unless you've got something more to say, I suggest you move on."

  Richard reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a short, thin object. He held out his hand to the man while saying, "Maybe this will convince you that I'm sincere." Richard opened his hand for a moment before closing it.

  "You're still alive?"

  "Yes, I'm alive and I'm asking for your help. As one shipmate to another shipmate. Can I count on you to back me up?" Richard said.

  "You better put that name tag away before someone sees it, shipmate."

  ***

  Richard said, "Okay, we're almost there. Once we get in, there's no turning back. Are you both still with me?"

  The two women nodded.

  "Then let's get into our act," Richard said.