of mind.” Sheppard began to focus on his Star Knight meditation.
***
In the meantime, Ares had been playing a game of Kosho, a Tyrian game reminiscent of a cross between basketball and soccer with a few small trampolines. As with several other sports, there was a yearly tournament among ship, task force, and fleet. After the practice, Ares soaked in a tub of hot water in the spa area of the main exercise facility complex onboard the Phoenix. For the most part, the water would be recycled. She realized she was being indulgent, using water to rub soap onto her skin and then to rinse it off. As she stood naked for a moment, she noticed a bruise; she did not worry, however, as she healed rapidly due to her genetics. She essentially had a perfect body, yet she worked to not flaunt that with others.
Ares stood, walked a few paces, and grabbed a towel, drying off the beaded water. She wrapped herself in the towel before she passed some of her teammates in the exercise facilities’ changing room as she headed for her clothes container. She was not the only transhuman in the fleet or in the sport. The Phoenix team was mixed; not all were human like her. Some species had senses or agilities or strengths as good as or better than hers, but not usually all aspects together.
“Good game, Diana,” Lyra Darani said, smiling. Commander Lyra Darani liked to play Kosho, as well, but she was not on the Phoenix’s official team, which had been cobbled together as the construction of the Phoenix was finished only three months ago. She was a fairly good player, and as a Quarlusian, she was the only one of her species onboard who tried to fit in with other groups. She had played against Ares’s practice group today.
“Thanks, Lyra; I aim to win,” Ares replied. “If you really like Kosho, you could join the team. Just ask Benson; as coach, he could arrange it.”
“I will think about it,” Darani said as she continued to dress.
Ares continued changing back into her nonduty clothes. Originally, she had thought the Quarlusian, Darani, was a security risk, since she was of the same race of shape shifters sent by the Varlon to sabotage Star One. A group of Quarlusians had worked with some Androsynths sent by the Accad, and both groups had sabotaged Star One and assassinated senior officers and ministry staff. Ares headed back to her quarters. On the way, she would pick up a quick meal in the galley and then head to the bridge to continue her work.
***
On the bridge, Captain Wilder was reading and organizing his briefings from the crew and reports of the other captains in Task Force One. He knew several ships were in position and were using long-range sensors or linking with the hyperspace COMNET system to better locate the Star City. The Talcon ambassador was observing the officers and had even been helping plot probable intercept courses for the Star Cities.
“The information you provided us with is somewhat different from the telemetry we have obtained,” Wilder said.
“The Star Cities I am familiar with are not the same class as the ones approaching; you have scanned data from one passing your sensor stations at the galactic rim,” Renjir said. “This is larger and from my home galaxy. I was there only as a child; that was decades ago. I now live in a planetary system in the irregular galaxy those of you from Earth call the Magellanic Cloud.”
“You mentioned it is larger and a different class than what you are familiar with,” Wilder said.
“Yes, Captain Wilder, these Talcon Star Cities seem to be multicolony facilities, which means there has been a migration from the home systems,” Renjir replied. “I cannot speculate as to why, although usually such an exodus is because of excessive population growth or perhaps stellar instability.”
Wilder nodded, taking in the Talcon’s explanation.
“Sir, the battlecruiser Nautilus in task force four has a long-range reading on the Star City,” Sterling said. “I was just updated by Fleet Captain Sherman.”
“How far is that from our maximum trans-light velocity?” Wilder asked.
“It’s one thousand, six hundred, and fifty light years from our present position; that’s going to take us approximately three days to reach, Sir, with the augmented engines,” Commander Zachary stated.
“The Star City is still moving right, so it could be less or more if it changes course,” Wilder replied.
Acting Commodore Sherman used his interlink. “The Nautilus is under one hundred light years from the Star City and is the closest to it. I will order Captain Grant to set a matching course and follow the Star City until the Phoenix and the equivalent of at least three task forces can rendezvous with the Star City.”
Wilder looked around the bridge as Ares and others took their stations and other officers shifted out. “I think we may need to shift into two-duty shift mode as we approach the Star City,” Wilder stated. “Mr. York, make a log notice.”
“Aye, Sir,” York replied. “I will make the necessary duty adjustments.”
Wilder nodded at York as he watched Ambassador Renjir Felkestaar observing his crew. This Talcon was an officer in his people’s space navy and evidently enjoyed being on the bridge. Ambassador Felkestaar had moved over to the science section and was conversing with Commander Andor, who alternately spoke to the Talcon in his native speech and in the Alliance standard language, which was composed of the languages of the founding members. Unlike other more formal ambassadors, this Talcon was friendly and getting along well with the Phoenix crew.
“Yes, our science division is large for a starship with military activities,” replied Andor to a question the Talcon had asked in his language. “And yes, we do have a large bridge crew, because manual actions sometimes became necessary during battle or if there were shield failure; in addition, although this happens rarely, interlinks and other computer interface devices might not function properly due to potential Varlon jamming.” Renjir nodded and then asked another question in Talcon. It seemed Renjir was still practicing his Alliance standard and seemed more at ease speaking to an android, and Andor seemed to enjoy practicing his Talcon. Renjir eventually began conversing with Commander Taylor as well.
“Yes, essentially I am in command of inter-task force science projects for Task Force One, and Commander Andor, who is a degreed science officer, is in charge of science department administration. Of course, both of us also perform the science officer bridge duty tasks.”
“Now that we will be running a two-shift day again, only one senior science officer will be on duty at a time,” Andor said. “The three-shift period may allow some overlap, since scientific results and procedures occur at all times.”
“I have noted onboard the Indefatigable and at Star One,” Renjir said, “that, on the whole, artificial intelligences such as yourself, Commander Andor, are not given excessive responsibility, whereas perhaps my people sometimes give our AI’s too much responsibility.”
“Interesting,” Andor said. “True artificial intelligences in the Alliance have to serve a token twenty-one years and, upon passing requirements, are given citizenship. It is done that way because most biological life forms are juvenile citizens of their home worlds and, after certain amounts of time, are granted full citizenship privileges; for most humans and their colonies that age is usually between eighteen and twenty one.”
Renjir nodded. “I understand; your citizens do not want to grant instant rights, as they themselves do not obtain full rights and privileges until they are of appropriate age.”
Acting
