Cold Call - [Sibby-verse 1]

10

Because Endeavors is high traffic, I take us out further than necessary but no less dangerous since we're running black without that sail to let people know our general position and presence. Increases the odds of running into unexpected objects on both sides of that equation – collisions are everyone's nightmare for good reason. We could be in the pathway of both inbound and outbound traffic. So, I'm going to eyeball the spacetime continuum as best as I can, looking for those characteristic trademark bubbles or wobbles in the fabric that usually indicates it's a ship. There's plenty to be seen of course however, there's a rhythm and rhyme here, an ebb and flow and I'm confident that I'll time our exit just right...

I flip the light-cycle to red-red-red off yellow-yellow-yellow with a longer, single klaxon burst and announce over all-ship, "Gate exit! Orient check, region scan, sail up!"

It's just too dangerous to keep the sail off here but we have a brand new callsign to divert attention.

                "Shortrange clear."
                "Outside established lanes but clear, no ships, no objects in our direct path!" Trippy sounds astonished.
                "Long-range got inbound and outbound ships in the lane but our path clear, for now."
                "Endeavors sounds pretty pissed, demanding the CO, right now, sir." Lito says.
                "They can wait, request lane priority on emergency, my auth." Eds orders.
                "Trimming up, no lane assigned yet, initiate braking." I state.
                "Position orient with Endeavors."
                "Got the lane, co'ords shift in five."
                "V-dump, I got the comp." I state. Any further ruse of my actual rating with my navboard probably just went out the airlock. They'll never believe I'm only star4 now.

I dodge the usual rocks, debris and miner vessels who're probably mad with that maneuver. But I didn't hop in a regular lane on a guesstimate – might've been a ship already there. Once I hit the sail, I had enough room for everyone to avoid us or get outta the way, with only a slight potential near-miss. Eds can explain that to the station brass. Regs are in place for a reason, after all. We assume normal star station approach maneuvers on yellow lights and eventually dock to Endeavors, get sealed in and connected but Eds wanna maintain our own power.

                "Act on orders, Commander, till further notice." Eds states, looking at me.
                 I nod. "Yessir." And I unjack off the boards and leave the bridge.

I have every intention and plan to follow my orders but, right after I check on stuff first. I order up a crew manifest of all who we have aboard and have it placed under a command level seal. I head to the bays to check on the dropship and skiffs we have aboard to ensure their stats – we might need to use them. Only twenty can fit on the drop and you can at max stuff fifteen on a skiff for a tight fit. Nowhere near enough capacity we need to evac everyone off this boat. However, Twink is reliable and I've no doubt he'll get most of these peeps outta here on Endeavors.

It takes me about twenty minutes to get stats on the drop and skiffs – all good and green. My crew manifest report finishes around the same time. I get some updates on how its going with Medbay and although harried, hustling, and mad, Twink and Ra-Ra are handling it. I decided to head for my office, turn the corner down that corridor and nearly collide into Addie-Lit. I stand stock still.

                "Just the man I was looking for!" she grins while I remain still, unsure what to do exactly at this moment. "Relax. I'm not gonna slap ya."
                "Good."
                "Aren't you s'posed to be in the brig?"
                "I will be." I keep a straight face.
                 She deeply grins. "I like you. Too bad we've never officially met before. I trust you've ensured things are set if we need to get off this boat?"
                "For the most part." I nod. "I'm not sure of your intents though."
                "Not answering y'all's cold call is high on my priority. I already answered mine. How're you gonna get all these peeps off this ship?" she folds her arms.
                "Well, changing Eye sigs on our peeps and my med chief has a plan in place to offload 'em at Endeavors."
                "And the rest of you?"
                "Haven't quite gotten that far yet." I say.
                "Hmm. Well, my only oth' uninjured subordinate is my mainhelm who's laying low and acting injured...which Twink'll let you know about shortly, I'm sure. I'm aware, I ordered it. You should know, I love Eds, but he isn't gonna change his mind or redirect this boat. I'm gonna force his hand."
                "Understood."
                "I have your support?" she asks.
                "Yes..." I unintentionally pause. She raises an eyebrow. "What's happ'ed that The Gaian is burnin' us?"
                "Don't know any specifics but because of the nature of the fall-out, it's poss that Trip-C got clips of the Revolution, especially if some-else happened before they were ready – cold calls to disavow. At least on paper."
                "So...we may still all die anyway?" I ask.
                "Since we're already dead, I don't think anyone's gonna notice, Commander. Your choice – die today or maybe two days from now?" her hands now land on her hips.
                "Although Eds wanna expose Sibby?" I hazard a question.
                "Look, we might survive these cold call shenanigans but if you're feelin' suicidal, exposing Sibby is the way to go about it." She holds up a finger seeing my mouth open. "No Eds isn't suicidal. He's a fool. Exposing Sibby isn't new, ok and Eds and his band of idiots aren't and won't be the first or last. What they will be is dead, for real this time. You wanna join 'em?"
                "Uh, no ma'am."
                "Good answer. Look, we gotta second chance to live by being Sibby. They didn't offer us public redemption or go home, or even go to prison. They gave us life, anonymity and the opportunity to make up for what we did that ordinarily warrants death. It is what it is. You can't get with the program, well you can just get iced, space cadet." Addie-Lit sums up succinctly.
                "Well, I'm more than happy to declare Eds incompetent, you take Command. We've orders to run skill-sess on ev'one aboard, which I'm not doing."
                "And why you're s'posed to be in the brig?"
                "Correct." I nod.
                 She paces back and forth in the corridor, chin in her palm, pensive. Then stops suddenly and faces me. "Eds complains 'bout you mightily, how he can count on you to disobey, your predictability, that you're this jock kisser and everything...I'm fine with it. You're a top-notch officer in my book and very capable with three separate roles here. I say all that to say, you've gotta good plan."
                I exhale. "Thank you."
                "I'll do the rest; you work on that incompetent declaration justification while I force Eds' hand. He's gonna be pissed. I'll relieve you outta the brig. Its my intent from Endeavors that we meet up with Three and Four and go EarthSolwards." She nods at me and heads off down the corridor.
                "Yes ma'am." I nod, hopefully she heard me while leaving me with a new opinion of her. Her and Eds are an oddball couple, that's for sure. I head onwards to the brig to follow orders and get some rest.

~~

                "Sir."
                 I startle upright out of a half-sleep, blank mind zone    I'm laying down on the bench in cell two, my favorite cell here in the brig. It's Trippy. "Whadda'ya doin' down here?!" I frown at him. I notice it's 1930 on the wall clock...that's all?
                "You first." He smiles, folding his arms behind his back.
                "Well...I've disobeyed orders."
                "Again."
                 "Well...yeah."
                "Look – I realize this is some weirdo secret op, maybe classified to the hilt but y'all ain't merchies and you're no star4 kisser runnin' boards like that. Prob' a six and I've never met a star6 kisser who's also the XO and CMO either. As your second kisser, you owe me, common courtesy."
                 Hmph. He's smarter than I thought he was. "You're mili or used to be."
                "Still am. Getting side experience to graduate to star5. You can't get that assigned to a stay."
                "Huh." I grunt, genuinely surprised. Explains the skill-set. "Well, you're right. This op's top secret and going left."
                "What can you say without breaking clearance?" he asks reasonably.
                "Not much, of course, but we're gonna run into a fire fight sooner or later."
                "I've gathered that much."
                "Look, that's all I can say. Anymore and you'll regret it. Stay up-n-up but, if you and yours can get off this boat, do it." I advise. Eds wants them off anyway so, no harm in that.
                "What's Sibby?" he asks, innocently or not so innocently. "You're the most alive dead peeps I ever met. That's some-else."
                 Errr... "Why're you asking me?"
                "One, peeps defer to you. Two, you didn't ask when Eds mentioned it."
                "Well, it's need to know and none of your know. Forget you even heard it." I stand.
                "Is this when – if I tell you, I'll have to kill you – applies?"
                "Yes." I say as soberly, serious, 'not playin' around here' as I can, to get it across to him to stop. No facial expression, hopefully, as I lock eye contact with him and stare.

Trippy sobers up.

                "Like I said, this op's going left. I'm in the brig. If you and yours can get off this boat here – do it. Now can it and get back on post, pilot."

Trippy nods understanding, reluctantly. I raise my eyebrows at him, and he salutes. I nod and salute him and he leaves. Phew. Trippy's too keen. All that means is another problem, pending.