Chapter 04

Chapter 4

            Buster was at the hospital to visit Captain Barker when his commpad buzzed.  The message indicated he was to report immediately to the Batpooh.  The mission was going to launch a week ahead of schedule.

            Once he got to the bridge of his new command, he saw the reason for the faster repairs.  Dr. Ruff unplugged a computer cable that went from the helm into a port in the back of his head.  Around him were a half-dozen other dogs with similar cybernetic implants.

            “Greetings, Captain Bulldog.”

            “What’s going on here?”

            “We decided to aid the repair teams in their work.”  Randy put a paw on Buster’s shoulder to steer him over to the helm station.  “Besides repairing the damage, we have upgraded your systems.  You will find the helm more responsive.  We’ve also increased the efficiency of the engines twenty percent, which will give you a slight boost in hyperspeed.”

            “That’s amazing,” Buster said with awe.  “You did all of that in a week.”

            “Not only that.”  Randy led Buster to Jake’s station.  “After what happened on your last mission, we improved the speed and accuracy of the targeting system.  We’ve also upgraded the power conduits for the laser cannons to increase their strength.”

            “That’s great.”

            “And for you we’ve made some improvements to the command chair.  Have a seat.”  The command chair looked different, the armrests narrower but studded with more buttons and displays.  The padding on the chair was so new that it squeaked when he sat down.

            Buster went to tap one of the buttons, but Randy grabbed his hand.  “I wouldn’t touch that yet, Captain.”

            “Why not?  Will the ship explode?”

            “No.  That cues the feed from the ship’s sensors.  There’s nothing to report at present.”

            “Oh, I see,” Buster said, holding back a sigh of relief.  “What else do these buttons do?”

            “There’s still the intercom for the other parts of the ship.  Given what happened on the last mission, we also created an option to allow you to commandeer any station on the bridge.  You can also create a passcode so that you can do the same from any other station.”

            “Convenient.”

            “Yes, it is.  I would suggest you and Commander Mutt come up with a code that either of you can use.”

            “Good idea.  What else?”

            “Besides access to the external sensors, you can also access the ship’s internal records.  With just the push of a button you can find out everything from the location of Commander Mutt to how many steaks are in the freezer.”

            “How many steaks are in the freezer?”

            “Four thousand seven hundred sixty-three.”

            “Sounds like time for a barbecue.”

            “Perhaps.  I haven’t eaten any traditional food in years.”

            Buster nodded at this.  He’d seen the protein paste Randy ate to keep his organic components alive.  He thought back to what his father had said about Randy being more machine than dog now.  Maybe his father was right.

            “Good work, Doctor.”

            “Thank you, sir.  I’m looking forward to this mission.  I have been lobbying Command for a ship of my own to use for research but they say there are none to spare.  This outing will at least help me learn more about uncharted space.”

            “Then it’ll be good for something,” Buster said with a smile.

            “Now if you’ll excuse me, Captain, I need to brief the chief engineer on the changes.”

            “Good luck with that,” Buster said.  Jeremiah saw the ship’s engines as his personal property; Buster didn’t want to imagine the engineer’s reaction when he found out Randy had tinkered with his precious engines. 

            Once Randy and his team left, Buster had the bridge to himself.  He tried to settle into a comfortable position on the chair, but no matter how he contorted himself, it didn’t feel right.  Maybe he needed more time to break it in.  Or maybe he would never feel right in the chair that should still belong to Captain Barker.

#

            Spot saw off the last of the repair team.  Dr. Ruff’s team would remain on board with him, but the rest of the crews would go back to the repair station to wait for their next assignment.  Spot hoped he wouldn’t see any of them again for a long time.

            About a minute after the last repair team left, the elevator door opened again.  This time it wasn’t a repair crew but Lieutenant Ruff.  She had a duffel bag draped over her shoulder.  “I guess this is goodbye, Lieutenant,” Spot said.

            “No, sir.  It’s hello.”  Marshy came to attention and saluted with one hand.  With her other, she held out a commpad to him.  Spot took it and read a memo from Command stating that the helm officer they had been expecting had been detained.  “I’m your new helm officer.”

            “I see.”  Spot looked over the commpad again and then handed it back to her.  “This appears in order.  Welcome aboard.”

            “Thank you, sir.”

            “Any idea what happened to Lieutenant Schnauzer?”

            “He was still on assignment.  They couldn’t bring him back with the new timetable for launch.”

            “That makes sense.”  Spot took out his commpad to check over the housing assignments.  As a lieutenant, Schnauzer had been given his own quarters.  “You won’t mind taking his quarters, will you?”

            “No, sir.  Anywhere you assign me will be fine.”

            He replaced Schnauzer’s name with Marshy’s.  “There we go.  How much of the ship have you seen so far?”

            “Most of it, sir.”

            “Expected to be coming along for the mission?”

            “Being aboard the Batpooh is my dream, sir.”

            “Why is that?”

            “If I may be so bold, sir, the Batpooh is the best ship in the fleet.”

            “And you think you’re the best?”

            “I graduated at the top of my class.  I broke several flight records at the Academy.  If I may be so bold again, sir, the records I broke belonged to you.”

            Spot couldn’t help smiling at this.  “I suppose that answers the question.  How about I show you to your quarters anyway?”

            “I don’t need any help, sir.”

            “It’s no bother.  The rest of the crew has already come aboard.  I was just going to head to the galley for dinner.  Perhaps after you’ve put your bag away I could escort you there too?”

            “It’s not necessary, sir.  I can take care of myself.”

            “Please don’t make me order you to let me show you to your quarters.”

            “Very well, sir.”

            They started out along the winding corridors.  The areas damaged from the meteor shower were easily visible because the silver paint looked fresher than that on the rest of the corridors.  Spot found himself struggling to keep up with the brisk pace Marshy set.  She really did know her way around.

            “There’s no need to hurry, Lieutenant.  We have plenty of time before the launch.”

            “This is how I usually walk, sir.”

            “I see.”  Spot noticed she did slow down a little, though.  “I haven’t had time to look over your dossier with this sudden change.  Perhaps you can fill me in on a few details.  Other than your sterling Academy record and that you’re Dr. Ruff’s sister.”

            “I spent two years on the Hound as the reserve helm officer.  I also served on the security force.  I received a Medal of Valor for my actions during a hostage situation on Pointer Three.”

            “I seem to remember that.  A group of raccoons took an ambassador hostage, didn’t they?”

            “Yes, sir.  They had strapped an explosive device to him.  I was able to disarm the device before it could explode.”

            “Good work.  Hard to believe someone with your résumé was delivering messages on a repair station.”

            To Spot’s surprise, Marshy stopped.  She looked down at the floor.  “There was an incident on the Hound.  They decided to assign me to Command as an administrative aide.  It was a punishment.”

            “I see.  What sort of incident was it?”

            “The captain didn’t approve of the way I conducted myself during the hostage situation.  He thought I was too…rash.”

            “But you saved lives, didn’t you?”

            “Yes, sir.”

            “Then I wouldn’t fault you for that.”  They resumed walking until Spot asked, “The captain did nominate you for a commendation, didn’t he?  He must not have felt too strongly about this incident.”

            “The ambassador sent in my nomination—against my captain’s wishes.”

            “Oh.”  Spot had been in the fleet long enough to have seen the ugly side of administrative politics.  It was especially difficult for female officers.  There were still those who thought the fleet should only be for males.  “But now you’re on board the best ship.”

            “Yes, sir, I am.”

            Spot hesitated before patting Marshy on the back.  He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, but she looked so miserable that he wanted to cheer her up.  “I think you’re going to be an excellent helm officer.”

            “Thank you, sir.  That means a lot coming from you.”

            “You mean from the one whose records you’ve broken?”

            Marshy smiled.  “Yes, sir.”

            They reached her quarters at last.  Spot didn’t try to go inside.  He knew what they looked like anyway.  His had looked exactly the same when he was a lieutenant.  It was more like a jail cell than quarters, except the lock was on the inside of the door.  Marshy dropped her duffel off inside and then turned to face him.  “I am feeling a bit hungry, sir.  Perhaps you could show me where to find the galley?”

            “I’d be delighted, Lieutenant.”

            #

            The Batpooh left the repair station ahead of schedule.  Buster fidgeted in his command chair, watching Lieutenant Ruff work the controls.  He hadn’t had his fate in the paws of a female since his mother had died.  Spot gave him an encouraging smile.  He had said Lieutenant Ruff was more than capable.  If Spot trusted her then Buster would as well.

            The ship cleared the docks easily, both the lieutenant and the ship’s refurbished engines performing flawlessly.  “Very good, Lieutenant.  Once we’ve reached a safe distance, set a course for sector CAT-1.  Start at minimum hyperspeed and then increase our speed at half hour intervals until we reach the maximum.”  Buster looked over at Spot.  “No need to put stress on Dr. Ruff’s engines right away, is there?”

            “No, sir,” Spot said.

            Buster leaned back in the chair.  He found the button to check the ship’s internal systems.  So far everything seemed to be going smoothly.  The engines were running at peak efficiency, with no signs of strain that might cause a catastrophic failure.  That shouldn’t be surprising considering Dr. Ruff’s reputation.

            He waited until they had reached maximum speed without any signs of disaster before excusing himself from the bridge.  He hadn’t slept in over a day from the excitement of the mission.  Before they began exploring the supposed source of the meteor shower, he wanted to try and get some rest.  Now that the ship was safely on its way, maybe he could sleep.

            He had kept his same quarters, rejecting the idea of taking the suite reserved for the captain.  It would have been rude to force Nina out of her quarters, not after what had happened to her husband and with her still pregnant with their puppies.  He didn’t plan to spend a lot of time in his quarters anyway.

            He dropped his uniform jacket on the floor and then kicked off his boots.  He gratefully settled onto the mattress and closed his eyes.  His eyes flew open a moment later when he heard a voice hiss, “Hello, Captain Bulldog.”

            Buster scrambled to find the light switch with one paw and his pistol with the other.  The light came on before he could find it, revealing a pistol aimed at him.  A terrier dressed in a black jumpsuit held the pistol.  His furry gray muzzle twisted into a smile.  “Don’t worry, Captain, I’m on your side.”

            Buster rolled into a sitting position and then put his paws on his knees.  “Who are you?  How did you get on board my ship?”

            “My name is Dodger.  That’s all you need to know.”

            “Who do you work for?  The raccoons?”

            “No, Captain.  I said I’m on your side.  I’m with Fleet Intelligence.”  Dodger put the weapon down.  “Don’t try looking it up.  The name I gave you is only a codename.  My real identity is known to only a select few.  Not even your brother Jonathan knows it.”

            “I see.  What is it you want?”

            “It’s not what I want.  It’s what my superiors want.  They feel that you may need my expertise on this mission.”

            “What kind of expertise?”

            “I have a variety of specialties.”  Dodger’s smile widened.  “They didn’t tell you everything at the briefing.  Tell me, Captain, why do you suppose they call this sector you’re going into CAT-1?”

            “I assume it was picked randomly.”

            “You’ve neglected going to church, haven’t you?”

            “What do you mean?”

            “You are aware that Cat is Dog’s nemesis, aren’t you?  It’s said that one day Cat and her minions will one day rise up in arms against Dog and his angels.  This war will herald the end of everything.”

            “You think we’re going to find an evil deity in this system?”

            “No, Captain.  But just as Dog created us in his image, it’s believed Cat created a race in her image.  A race of miniature Cats.”

            “That sounds more like a bedtime story.”

            “Perhaps it is.  But we’ve intercepted other strange signals from that area of space.  Transmissions.  We haven’t been able to decode the language, but we know it’s not any known in the Bloc.”

            “Aliens.”

            “Cats.”

            “And what are you going to do?”

            “If we encounter any Cats, my job is to gather as much information about them as possible and transfer it to my superiors.  You’re to aid me in any way I require.”

            “According to who?”

            “President Bear.”  Dodger reached into a pocket of his jumpsuit, producing a sheet of paper.  He handed this to Buster, who unfolded it.  On the paper was the president’s seal and signature, along with orders to aid Agent Dodger in his mission.

            “Why didn’t he mention this to me before we left?”

            “The fewer who know about me, the better.  You are not to disclose my presence to anyone.  Not even to Commander Mutt.  Is that understood?”

            Buster looked down at the sheet of paper from the president.  “I understand.”

            “Good.  I’ll be disguising myself as an ensign on your brother’s security team.  I’ve taken the liberty of securing quarters for myself already.”  Dodger stood up.  He didn’t offer to shake paws before heading for the door.  He did turn back around at the doorway.  “One more thing, Captain.  When this is finished, I will be providing a report to my superiors.  One negative comment from me and you’ll be captaining a garbage scow.”

            Dodger stepped through the doorway before Buster could reply.  Buster crumpled the sheet of paper in his hand, throwing it against the wall.  With a sigh he reached for his commpad to look up information on Cat.  There was no way he would get to sleep now.