14. Red tapes never change

Hours passed by without anyone taking a break, not even a short bathroom visit as all of them deeply focusing on their tasks, their minds not even registering the time passing until at last.

• “I got it!” — the high pitched voice of Maria cut like a chalk on the blackboard, Vince almost fell off his chair in surprise — “I can’t believe it, I got it.” — Maria could not take her gaze off of the transparent screen in front of her, a flashing coordinate just zoomed out and now they all could see the nearby stars, rouge planets and a few ships icons, a red target in the middle.

Light years from their position, the calculation perfectly lined up with a direct route from Kodiak station to the planned destination of the Giant of the Stars. Concentric circles emanating from three science stations with gravimetric sensors perfectly cross with the line at one spot, their second spot totally off of it. Both Vince and Eddy succeeded to gather the necessary data packs for Maria, though Vince had a slightly awkward visit planned with an assistant of the science directorate when they get back to their Earth-bound way.

• “I checked it a dozen times, this must be it!” — Maria gasping for air as the realization sinks in, she just rewrote a little piece of astrometric science, earning a permanent place in history.

Then the second wave of realization, this time hitting the entire crew freezing their cheers to their throats. They all knew what the method of locating the ship probably meant. They will find a large dust cloud and nothing else after those immense Alcubierre-rings ran off.

• “Zodiak-12 station, this is Perseus Train, we are sending coordinates to Giant of the Stars, we believe they are not on their planned route. We are changing course to render assistance immediately.” — Vince took the comm as the first to regain composure and without a second thought, opened the navy’s open emergency channel.
• “This is Zodiak-12 station operator, state your identifier and state your reason to use the emergency channel.” — Vince was taken aback for a moment as the response made barely sense, he just provided both information in his. He repeated his message, just in case.
• “Perseus Train, all ships in the vicinity ordered to the given coordinates in earlier message, permission to change course not granted.” — the monotone voice of the operator came with a rythmic, a slightly excited under-tone of noise from the background, suggesting that the station’s operators are under high load.
• “Zodiak-12, we have clear evidence where the cruise liner is and that they are in grave danger, we will waste days searching the wrong location. We are changing course.”
• “Perseus Train, you are under orders from the Federal Navy, if you disobey, your license to operate in Federal space will be suspended and your ship impounded until court marshalled.”

Vince and Maria looked at each other for what felt like an eternity. Though Maria wished to settle down somewhere, not like this, not like tearing Vince’s and their life apart.

• “Dear, do you believe in those coordinates?”
• “Yes, I am sure they are correct.”
• “That is enough for me, change course, estimate arrival.”
• “8 hours.” — Eddy, still way too young, yet proficient at navigation took them out of faster-than-light speed and reengaged on the new course. Vince double checked the configs and let out a long satisfied whistle.
• “That’s my boy.” — switched back to emergency channel — “Zodiak-12, we are en route to the new coordinates, if you are actually interested, we are open to show our work, otherwise we will keep you posted.”
• “This is Captain Victoria Sebes from the FNA carrier “Irondome”, is this the Perseus Train?” — here it comes, direct coersion from a navy officer, thought Vince prepared to handle the berating he expected.
• “We were monitoring comms and asked Zodiak-12 to patch us through, my people checked the attachment and they say it is an outstanding work. Though risky, there was no successful application of gravimetric sensor location yet in history.”
• “Thank you ma’am, the lady who did it heard you.” — Maria’s face like a radish with a smile while Vince continued. — “My name is Captain Vincent Pier, and the calculations thanks to Maria.”
• “Captain Pier, how far are you from the coordinates?”
• “Around 8 hours. Will check in when we arrive.”
• “Please do, Zodiak-12, register new field orders for Perseus Train, proceed to new coordinates and report findings.”
• “Admiral Haggardt in line, his orders are to proceed to the original coordinates and do not diverge under any circumstances.”
• “I will handle the admiral, Irondome out” — Victoria stepped away from her chair, her fourth coffee of the last 6 hours steaming in the cup left there. She won’t need a coffee for this shouting match.

Few minutes later she returned and threw herself down to the chair, caressing her cup of italian dark coffee and grinning to herself. None of her bridge staff commented on the loud altercation, everyone served under her long enough to know, she will do as her values dictate and the admiralty can take the highway. Some wondered how she could keep her ship for so long, yet the seniors knew the dynamics and her track record. The Federation was not in any position to let their competent captains go, not when the arms race already began.

• “Your orders, Captain?” — her old friend stepped up, waiting a few minutes to let his captain enjoy the taste of bureaucratic victory, he knew this face too well.
• “We wait until Perseus Train arrives, ask them visuals and all possible sensor data, get an analyst team ready by they arrive, and tell them they have ten minutes to decide on if they are right or not. The admiral will wait for the last moment, but our crossing will force him.” — Victoria’s gaze in the distance as her mind raced through the steps. Steps like in chess, one by one, initiatives and reactions. — “Captain to all sections, prepare for prolonged FTL travel on maximum.”
• “You have decided. The colonies may retaliate.”
• “They won’t, my friend, if they are warned of our rescue mission in time. Haggardt and his hardliners may want war, still I bet he knows it is not the time.”
• “Hope you are right, or we will be the reason for the colonies to start.”
• “Me too. Still, that ship, and the crew deserves help.” — silence fell to the small bridge cramped with the two dozen officers responsible for the safe operation of their vast military asset.

The navy carrier that held a crew complement of seventy thousand, and at least the same amount of navy marines, ready to be dropped into a hot zone any time. A formidable force capable of swiftly overrun any colonial planetary defense and take over a capital with direct assault, supported by dozens of deep space cruisers and frigates. Usually they represented the might of the peaceful Federation, Earth’s power projection and acted as a police force. During the last decades, the outer colonies increasingly resented their presence and public sentiment shifted toward regarding them as agents of Earth political and commercial interests, the tension was obvious in the senate.

• “At least a few of you should know why.” — continued Victoria — “The Giant of the Stars was the only capital ship that evacuated my home world. I could not be there, but thanks to that ship’s crew, my parents survived.”
• “I read the official reports. Amster Prime was torn apart by gravimetric waves five years ago.” — helmsman Peter hanged eyes on his captain.
• “They barely had a few hours but that ship held for the last moment to jump away, taking on board as much refugees as they could. We have to take care of each other, crew to crew, out in the cold space, we would expect the same if we were them.” — Victoria’s voice was almost gone with the end of her thoughts, leaving the bridge in silence.