Year three in the Voyage of Andromeda. The adventure that started in Among the Stars, and Beyond the Farthest Planet continues in Far From Home.
CHAPTER 35 A
"You want me to do what?" Natalia asked loudly.
"I need you to take the children and go to Kate's for a couple hours."
"Why for heaven's sake?" She demanded. "Kacey talk to me. What is going on? You won't tell me what the doctor said. Then you ask me not to ask the Doctor. Now you just expect me to take the children and go to Kate's. I refuse. Unless you want to tell me what is going on. I refuse to go anywhere." Natalia stated angrily.
"Talia, I have to do this. Please I need you to trust me."
"Are you planning on doing something crazy?"
"No I swear there will be nothing crazy, dangerous, foolish or any of those things like that. Sweetheart, I have to do," she paused. Something and I have to be alone when I do it."
"All right. Give me ten minutes to get the children ready and we will go."
Kacey put her arms around Natalia and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you sweetheart. I will let Kate know you are coming over."
She release Natalia who went into the nursery to put the items she would need into the diaper bag while Kacey pulled the stroller out of the nursery closet. She placed the children in the stroller and took them into the living room. Natalia turned on the baby monitor. She checked where Kacey was before she grabbed the monitor off the table next to their bed and stuffed it into the diaper bag.
Natalia hugged Kacey. "What ever you are planning to do or going through, remember you are not alone. I love you."
"Talia, I love you too. I told Kate I would tell you the reason why I have to be alone. The doctor gave me the okay to start playing the violin again."
"That is wonderful. Why do you need to be alone."
"I cannot have anyone listen to that first time. I have to be alone."
"Let me know when you are finish."
"I will come get you because I have to talk to Kate later."
Kacey walked them to the door and kissed Natalia again.
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..."So Natalia is coming over to give Kacey the time she needs." Kate told Anya. "You know what a perfectionist she is when it comes to music."
"I know Kate, but this is Natalia. You would think she would let her wife stay. I can understand not having anyone else around, but Natalia?"
"Anya it has been almost two months since she was injured. She does not want anyone to hear her first attempts. This is the longest time she has gone without playing. No one is allowed to be with her. To hear her be less than perfect."
"It is a good thing she is not a perfectionist when it comes to flying."
Kate laughed. "We would all have to close our eyes."
"What else did you talk about today?"
"She made me promise that if she were to die out here, that I would take her body back to Earth and not shoot her into space." Kate's eyes filled. Anya took her into her arms. "She knew how close she came to dying this time. She said," Kate stopped as her voice cracked. "She said she felt the death coach prepare for it's journey."
"Oh Kate."
"She has not told Natalia about that."
"That is one Hell of a secret to keep. What about your parents?"
"They don't know either. Please darling do not say anything."
"I will not say anything." The door chimed. Anya looked at the monitor. "It is Natalia and their children. I will get refreshments while you get the door."
Kate left the comfort of Anya's arms and went to the door. She pushed the button to open the door. Natalia pushed the stroller in. Kate took the diaper bag from her.
"Thank you Kate. I am sorry for barging in. Kacey told me I could not stay in our quarters."
"Did she tell you why?"
"Just before I left she did. Sort of."
Kate took the children out of the stroller and placed them on the floor with their toys. The girls came out of their bedroom to play with their cousins. Anya brought drinks into the living room.
"Have a seat."
"Natalia, this is important to her. Once the doctor gave her the okay to play again, she has to be alone. She is worried that the music is, as she put it, no longer there. It has been two months. Her first attempts will be clumsy and she will make mistakes."
"I have heard her make mistakes before when she played the piano and guitar."
"Think have you ever heard her hit a wrong note on the violin?"
"I do not think so."
"The violin is her primary instrument. She could not admit to being scared and insecure about her ability. It was the same when she dislocated her shoulder and that was less than two weeks of not playing. This time it has been two months. She will not show anyone that her playing might not be perfect."
"Then I guess I should not have brought this." Natalia stated as she took the baby monitor from the diaper bag.
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Kacey poured her self a brandy and took a healthy swallow before she opened the closet door. She reached in a took out the violin case and stand. The case was lovingly placed on the table and she set the stand up. Her hands shook when she opened the case.
Kacey caressed the wood before she picked up her violin. After checking the condition of the strings and that it was still in tune, she flexed her hand before picking up the bow. For several minutes she practiced scales. Her fingers felt clumsy on the strings and several times she winced at the less than pure notes that sounded. The more she played the less clumsy her fingers felt. The notes became more fluid. Satisfied, she tried a few simple tunes that she learned as a child before she worked her way up to the more complex melodies.
After an hour she felt more comfortable, and tried more challenging pieces. Satisfied that she did not sound too bad, Kacey programmed several selections in the music machine, closed her eyes, took a deep breath before she started the music. The scores shown on the wall. Warming up helped, at least on the slower pieces. The faster scores offered a challenge as her fingers still fell clumsy. This was a problem she hoped would go away in time.
She felt her hand get tired and sore before she even reached the two hour mark. Kacey felt discouraged in her less than stellar ability to play longer. But as the doctor reminded her, she would have to get her hand back in working order. It would take time and patience. Kacey placed the violin on it's stand and turned off the music machine. Picking up the forgotten glass she finished the brandy.
Kacey went to touch her communicator, but changed her mind, and went to collect Natalia and their children. Within seconds she was at Kate's door and rang the admittance chime.
CHAPTER 35 B
Kate looked up at the monitor. "Put that away. It's Kacey."
Natalia quickly buried the baby monitor in the diaper bag as Kate went to the door. She looked over her shoulder before she opened the door.
"Kacey, come in." Kate stepped aside to let Kacey enter. All your demons under control?"
She gave Kate a half smile and shrugged. "Getting there Kate."
"Have a seat." Kacey sat next to Natalia and held her arms out for their children. Patrick toddled over and smiled up at her. Anya brought her a coffee.
"I have the okay to return to duty on Monday."
"Full duty or desk duty?" Kate asked.
"Full duty." Kacey handed to required form. "So is this where you hit me with all the rules I have to follow or will you just cut to the end and ground me?"
"I will not ground you." Kacey smiled. Kate continued. "However, there are conditions." Kacey's smile faded. "You can be no more that two thousand kilometers away from Andromeda at any time. I mean it not one meter more."
"That is agreeable."
"Number two, if at any time you are told to return, you do so immediately without any sort of argument or discussion."
Kacey hesitated but a poke from Natalia forced her to answer. "Also agreeable. Anything else?"
"That is in addition to all the regular rules. Kacey one more bout of insubordination and you will be place in the Brig. You have gone beyond my tolerance for that. You can argue all you want when we are alone, but when it is done in front of the entire Bridge crew, it will no longer be tolerated. Do I make myself clear?"
"Perfectly clear, Kate. Any other rules?"
"Not at this minute but I reserve the right to add them at a later date if the need arises."
"All right I agree, but do not get carried away with this power."
Kate looked at her. "All right, who are you and what have you done with my sister." She joked. "My little sister would never have given in that easily."
"Kate do not go looking for problem." Anya warned.
"Accept the fact that I am not giving you any sort of argument and leave it at that." Kacey stated with a smile.
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Kacey sat in the cockpit of her refurbished and repaired shuttle. She gazed at the expert work the mechanics did. Her systems were all new. They had even upgraded her music system. She smiled as her restless spirit found peace as she soared through the stars.
A quick check of all her systems, she stay inside the distance limit Kate had set down. She relaxed into her seat as the peace continued to descend on her. Her fingers tapped with the music that played. The peace was disturbed when she heard, "Andromeda to Shamrock" in her headphones.
"Go ahead Andromeda." She responded.
"Do you have anything to report?"
"Nada, Kate. Not even a stray ion trail to wonder about."
"That is good to here."
"I fully agree with you there." Kacey replied which surprised Kate. "Bet you never expected me to say that did you?"
"You did surprise me. How much longer will you be out?"
"Another hour before I head back in. Although with all the reports that are waiting for me, I might stay out her indefinitely."
"Do you think that is a smart thing to do?"
"I was joking, Kate." Kacey stated. "Besides I would run out of coffee and the reports would still be waiting for me."
"Be careful." Kate ordered.
Kacey looked directly at the camera and smiled.
"Tis good to see her back." Liam stated.
"That is very true Dad." Kate replied. "She came so close this last time, too close."
"Aye Katie. Now we just have to concentrate on the future. What happened in the past should be left there. Use what we have learned and move on."
"Shamrock to Andromeda."
"Go ahead Kacey."
"Be advised my sensors have just picked up an asteroid belt approximately one million kilometers from my position."
"Hold position Shamrock until we verify." Kate ordered. "Anya anything on the boards?"
Anya switched her station and adjusted the view. "There is a very large asteroid belt."
"How large?" Kate asked.
"One point five million kilometers in length and seventy three thousand kilometers in width."
"All stop." Kate ordered. "All craft return to Andromeda.
"Roger Kate." She responded. "All right ladies and gentlemen, you all heard the Captain. Return to Andromeda."
"Kacey report to the Bridge after you land."
"Will do Kate. E.T.A ten minutes."
"On screen."
The view screen lit up to show the asteroid belt. They watched the rocks bang against each other.
"Some of those rocks are huge." Lieutenant Minor stated.
"That they are boyo." Liam answered.
"Anya plot a course around them."
Anya worked her boards and charts as she plotted their new course. After several minutes she looked up. "Course plotted, Captain."
"On screen." Their new course showed on the large screen. Kate studies their new course.
"This will put us fifty thousand kilometers closer to our original course after leaving Gellary the last time." Anya reported.
"Send the coordinates to the helm."
"I have them Captain." Rich stated.
"Hold until the Stingers have landed."
"Colonel O'Malley to the Bridge."
"Go ahead Kacey."
"All craft have landed."
"Roger. Shields to full, engage new course warp seven."
"Yes ma'am warp seven."
The lift opened. Kacey strode onto the Bridge and took her seat.
"Going around the asteroid belt?"
"We are" Kate answered quickly to avoid and discussion.
"I am not arguing, Kate, so relax. I do have a question."
"Sorry I jumped the gun. Ask your question."
"When we left Gellary on our way out, I do not remember an asteroid belt being out here. Are we on a different course?"
"We are on a different course for a change of scenery. We are explorers after all. Why go over the same area again? This course change will bring us closer to our original course."
"Okay so what did you need me to come to the Bridge for? Did you miss my smiling face and sparkling personality?"
The Bridge crew laughed. "No, but I have a question for you."
"To borrow a phrase, ask away."
"Your shuttle's sensors shows both short and long range at the same time, correct?"
"They all do. So do the Stingers."
"Is there a way to adapt that to Andromeda's sensors so that we do not have to toggle back and forth from short and long range. Our sensors should have picked up that field before you did."
"Probably. I will have to talk to my engineers to say definitely, but I think it can be done. Between your engineers and mine, they should be able to come up with something. Why now?"
"Shouldn't Andromeda have the same protection as the smaller ships?"
"Yes it should. Kate if they can come up with a way, Andromeda should not be in flight when we change over as we would have to take the sensors off line to make the switch."
"We could go into station keeping and rely on the shuttles and stinger's sensors for that time. Would it take a lot of power?"
"I do not think so and short of landing, station keeping will have to do. I will put more flyers out while we change over."
"Do ye really think it can be done lass?" Liam asked.
"The engineers have not let us down yet dad. Between Andromeda's engineers and mine, we have the best. They will get it done."
"Get on it." Kate ordered.
Kacey nodded and left the Bridge.
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The engineers worked for several hours which quickly stretched into days trying to adapt the technology from the shuttles to Andromeda. They finally were able to develop a sensor that would show both long and short range on one larger monitor.
Andromeda went into station keeping while the engineers changed the equipment on the Bridge. The number of protection flyers were doubled as the engineers worked. Kacey worked in the Virtual Reality Rooms with Anya, Natalia, Rhea and all the Security, Navigators and Science officers and their relief people to teach them how the new equipment would work. Eventually all the Bridge officer would be trained to operate the new system. Kate and Liam joined the Alpha crew to be schooled in the operation. Kacey was in full teaching mode as she explained how the new technology worked.
"What the new monitor will show is both long and short range on a split screen. The range has been extended to five point seven million kilometers and will have an three hundred sixty degree sensor range so that nothing will be able to sneak up from behind or the side of Andromeda."
"What made you decide to go for a three sixty?" Kate asked.
"We took several things into consideration like the ambush the Megarans laid for us, and more recently the Limari when we were developing this. Also time will not be wasted manually switching from one view to another."
"We will be better protected and have a larger reaction time." Anya stated.
"Correct. In addition, you will be able to put it on the view screen with just a flip of a switch. The sensors will be routed through not only the scanner array, but also the deflector dish."
"Why route it through both?" Kate asked.
"That is a fail safe where one or the other can go down and you would still have full sensor protection."
"Well that sounds like you have everything covered."
"There is one little problem." Kacey told the group. "It will take twelve amps of power. Right now the sensor need seven amps to work."
"Where would you get the additional amps from?" Kate asked.
"We figured we would kill the replicator in your Ready Room." Kacey said with a straight face. Kate's jaw dropped. Before she could say anything, Kacey continued. "Relax Kate, we found that there are forty amps of power that has been held in reserves for back up."
They all held their breaths waiting to see if Kate would get angry. When she started to laugh, they all relaxed.
"Excellent job Kacey. The engineers came through again."