he adventures of the Star Traveler Andromeda that started in Among the Stars, Beyond the Farthest Planet, and So Far From Home, continues in the final chapter The Voyage Home.
Only two generators remained to be moved and hooked up to the gas pipes. Kacey continued to work long hours to finish the job. Kate did not approach her again. She did however watch as Kacey pushed herself to get all the generators brought on line.
Kacey knew Kate watched her. Several times their eyes crossed paths. Each time Kate started to walk her way, Kacey turned and found a way to postpone the talk she knew was coming. Because it was not in Kate's nature to just give up.
Kate walked up the ramp where Anya and Patricia were waiting. Each had a blanket and basket in their arms.
"Where is dad?" Kate asked.
"He is bringing the food cart and waiting for Natalia. The girls wanted to wait with him." Anya informed her.
"Is Kacey still working?"
"She is always working lately mom." Kate complained.
"Is there something wrong between you two again? Tell me you have not had another argument?"
Kate sighed. "There was no argument, mom but we did talk earlier in the week. I asked her why she was pushing herself so hard."
"What did she say?"
"She said that the faster they finished the job, the less chance there was for her people to, oh what was the term she used?" Kate thought. "Oh yeah, cannon fodder."
"Kacey does have a point Kate. Her Marines are the first ones in a battle."
"I know that mom and I cannot fault her for wanting to keep her people safe, but when I asked her if that was the only reason, she told me that it was the only one I needed to know about."
"What did she mean by that?"
"I told Kate that I thought it all went back to Kacey finding out she would not be able to conceive or carry a baby full term."
"So they are planning on having more children."
"From what I know, they are still in the discussion stage." Kate stated.
"Do you think I should force the issue and bring it up?" Patricia asked.
"There is no good answer for that."
"Were you able to get Kacey out from whatever machine she is working on?" Natalia asked as she joined them near the ramp.
"Not yet. Kate is afraid she will get knocked on her ass again." Anya joked.
"Hey I still have the bruises from that." Kate argued.
"I will get her." Natalia stated as she pushed the stroller down the ramp and over to the area where she could see Kacey's legs sticking out from under a generator.
The Marine who was working with Kacey noticed Natalia and kicked Kacey's foot to get her attention. "Almost done Tony." She called out. Natalia signaled to the Marine and took the children out of their stroller. She placed them so there was no chance they would get kicked when Kacey pushed out from under the machine. Kacey finished checking the connections and brought the shield matrix online when she felt the hands on her legs. "What the Hell? Tony are you bucking for a stint in the Brig?"
"Uh no ma'am. That is not me. There are a couple people here to see you."
Kacey moved carefully out from the machine and smiled when she saw their children. "Hey you two, how did you get here? Where is your mama?"
"I am right here Colonel. We are here to take you to a picnic."
"A picnic?"
"You remember what those are. You get a blanket or two, some cold food and drinks, add in some ants if you can find them."
"I know what a picnic is." Kacey looked at Tony. "Go to lunch Tony, and not one word of this to anyone." Kacey ordered.
"Yes ma'am." Tony stated and hurried away.
"You have to eat, besides they wanted to see their mommy." Patrick threw himself into Kacey's arms. She held him so that her greasy hands did not touch his clothes.
"I see how it is. This is an emotional ambush."
"Guilty as charged." Natalia stated as she picked up Patrick and handed Kacey wet cloths to wash the grease off her hands.
"So tell me, who is going to the picnic?"
"Just the family." Kacey groaned. "Please for me?" Kacey handed the wet cloths back to Natalia and picked up the children.
"Tell me again why I let you shamelessly manipulate me?"
"Because you love me?"
"That I most certainly do. Let's get this over with. I do reserve the right to leave if Kate starts prying or mom starts harping on my long hours."
"Agreed." They walked towards the picnic area together.
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"Looks like Natalia was able to work her magic again." Anya stated.
"Good now let's go find a nice quiet area where hopefully Kacey will relax for awhile." Patricia stated.
"The code word here is relax, right Kate?"
"Yes, I will not give her the third degree."
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Lunch was finished as they relaxed with iced tea and enjoyed the warm weather. Kacey was stretched out doing pillow duty for their children, who much to her consternation, decided to use her for their naps. Patrick laid on her chest and Caitlyn laid on her legs. She raised her head enough to see them peacefully asleep. Natalia motioned for her to lift her head higher as she scooted under her. Kacey laid her head in Natalia's lap. Natalia lightly scratched the dark head after Kate motioned for her to do that.
"Honey that is not a good idea." Kacey whispered.
"Sure it is." Natalia stated as she continued to scratch Kacey's head. "Just relax for a little while. You cannot move anyway without waking the children. You know how cranky they can be when their naps are disturbed."
"Talia, I have way too much work to do."
"Shh, you will wake them up. You can take off an hour or so."
The motion relaxed Kacey. The long hours she had been working for the past two weeks caught up to her and she gave in to the insistent pull of sleep.
Kate watched her relax in sleep and smiled. "Very nice bit of manipulation, Natalia." Kate stated.
"She did not fight too badly. I cannot believe the long hours she has been putting in."
"Why do you allow her to do that?"
"She has her reasons Kate."
"Would you care to elaborate on these reasons?" Kate asked.
"Sorry Captain You do not have the necessary security clearance for that information." Natalia joked. "Honestly Kate she will tell you when she is ready."
"Kate you said no third degree." Anya warned.
"I said I would not question Kacey, but I never said anything about Natalia."
"Katie, she will be telling when she is ready. Do not push her. She will only be fighting back." Liam said.
Kate looked from one person to the other and decided the odds were not in her favor. She shrugged and smiled. The smile faded when she noticed a Marine headed their way. She stood up to head him off.
"Can I help you Sergeant?"
"Colonel O'Malley wanted us to let her know when we were ready to move the last generators into position."
"Does she need to do anything?"
"Uh no ma'am, not until they are hooked up and that will take at least another two hours."
"I will let her know. Go ahead and move the generators."
"But ma'am..."
"Sergeant, Colonel O'Malley has been working double and sometimes triple shifts for the past two weeks. She is relaxing right now. I will tell her. You will not get into any trouble. I will make sure she knows I deflected you from your mission. Dismissed."
"Yes ma'am." The Sergeant saluted and turned crisply away.
"Thank you, Kate. I would like her to stay put for a little while longer. Plus the children will remain asleep longer. She has done this before. If the children are overtired and cranky, she will lay on the floor. They both climb on top of her and within minutes are fast asleep."
"Katie after all the generators are installed and tested, how much longer are ye planning on remaining here?"
"At least another week to ten days to give those working on this project a chance to take advantage of shore leave."
"Tis good to hear."
"I have to admit, I do feel guilty. The original idea was mine and she ran with it. All her Marines and most of the crew have done all the work. All I have done is replicate the parts."
"Tis what she does."
"Perhaps we can have a big cook out and invite the Vidag." Patricia exclaimed.
"Now that is an idea I am liking very much Patsy me darling."
After two solid weeks of work, the final generators were dropped into place and hooked up to the fuel supply. They were all brought on line and gave the Vidag a protected area of four hundred square kilometers. The Vidag were taught how to repair and maintain the generators.
As a reward for all who gave up their down time to help their new friends, a large beach party was planned. Lights were set up and music was piped in through large speakers that were placed around a makeshift dance floor. The scents of cooking meat and fish that were grilled over the numerous campfires filled the air.
A large delegation of Vidag joined the party bringing platters and dishes of food to add to the already laden tables. To add to the festivities, the sky lit up with shooting stars as a meteor shower made their way towards Earth. They were able to find fireworks in the replicator inventory and the sky above them lit up with multi colored bursts to add to the magic of the night.
Andromeda would be leaving in a few days for the next leg of their journey home. The day after the party was dedicated to cleaning up the area to leave the world as clean as the day they had landed. The survival huts were taken down and stored in the cargo bays. Their water supply was replenished again and the trash taken to the recycler.
A final good by was said to new friends with a promise to help get their settlements up and running. Help was being sent from Earth and would arrive in a few months. The crew ended their visit and continued home.
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Several quiet days followed their lift off from Athena. The crew fell easily back into the routine of their flight. The spirits were high after the extended shore leave and with the knowledge that they had made new friends.
The most exciting thing they came across during the quiet time, was the debris field that floated in space. The reminder of their battle with the Megarans. Kacey was seated on the Bridge next to Liam as they started their way through the debris. The smaller ships were inside the Hanger rather than try to maneuver through the damaged ships.
"This is where it happened isn't it?" Kacey asked and walked towards the view screen.
Kate joined her. She did not have to ask what 'it' was. "This is it." Kate stated and placed a hand on Kacey's arm. She could feel the slight tremors. "Are you all right?"
"I can still feel it. It is not as strong but I can still fell that E.M. field."
"Scan the area for any residual electro magnetic fields." Kate ordered.
"There are residual traces of the field, but no new fields." Rhea reported.
"After four years? How can that be?" Kate asked.
"In the vacuum of space with nothing to disturb it, the debris holds residual traces of the field." Rhea stated.
Kate looked at Liam who cocked his head towards the Ready Room. She nodded. "Let's take a walk." She stated and gently pulled Kacey from the Bridge. In her Ready room Kate pushed Kacey into a chair and headed for the replicator. "Two black coffees." The cups materialized. Kate took the cups and opened her desk drawer from which she removed the bottle of brandy kept there for times like these. Kate poured a generous amount into one of the cups which she handed to Kacey.
"Drinking on duty is a court martial offense." Kacey said as she sniffed the contents of the cup.
"No one will know but us. DRINK." She ordered and sat next to Kacey.
Kacey took a sip of the spiked coffee. Her hands shook slightly. "Almost a thousand people on this ship and I am still the only one affected by that damn field."
"We will probably never know why." Kate responded.
"It is frustrating as Hell. Even now I can still feel it."
"We will be out of the area in about ten minutes then you should not feel it anymore." Kate stated. "Do you want to go to Sick Bay?"
"Hell no Kate. I hope to not have to see the inside of Sick Bay for the rest of our journey." Kacey said emphatically.
"It is a good thing you want an Earth bound position."
"That is true."
"Do you still plan of asking for a training command?"
"The General did say that he could almost guarantee any position."
"What would you say to a promotion?"
"A promotion? Do you know something I don't?"
"No, no, no. I am just putting that out there."
"They will not offer me a promotion."
"How do you figure?"
"My age for one. I will not even be thirty two years old with less than fourteen years in the service. There are others older and with more experience that I. No, Kate they will not offer me a promotion."
"You would be the youngest Brigadier General in several hundred years, if not the History of the Corps. As for those other with more seniority, they stayed safely on Earth and did not have the advantage of the experiences of this journey."
"What about you? Would you accept a promotion?"
"I might. You know we could really shake up the good old soldiers network if we were both promoted."
Kacey laughed. "The old boys would not know what hit them."
"You cannot call them the old boys when half of the Joint Chiefs are women. Speaking of the Joint Chiefs, we have a video conference tomorrow at ten hundred hours."
"I will schedule my flight rotation for after the meeting."
"Why not cut back on the flights now that we are close to home?"
"To do what? Sit out our final months in space behind a desk? That will not happen Kate. I am not just talking about myself here when I say that Marines get antsy when we have nothing to do."
"It was just a thought, Kacey. I do not think I can ever thank you enough for how you have stepped in whenever we needed help."
"All part of my job."
"Is that all it was, your job?"
"Hell no it is not and you know it."
"Would you be as involved if you were on another ship without your family and under a different Captain?"
"I do not know. I would not have the vested interest under another Captain."
"You have grown so much on this journey. From the very first mission on Marcus Prime, I have watched you become much more than a Marine Colonel. You have come into your own."
"I have heard that saying before, but what the Hell does it actually mean?"
"To earn or gain respect and achieve success. Or it could mean to become very useful, to become independent and be recognized as an independent and capable person. You have put so much work and effort into everything you do, you make me feel like a slack off at times. You have reached that level of maturity and your talents are fully developed."
Kacey blushed. "Damn Kate you are going to give me a big head."
"Not to worry little sister. If you get too uppity, I will have Anya slap you back down."
Kacey laughed. "I knew you were not big enough."
"Of course I am not. I can admit it now because we are alone. I would never repeat that if others were present."
"Bridge to Captain Jensen."
"Go ahead Bridge."
"We are away from the debris field."
"Thank you." Kate answered. "How are you feeling?"
"A lot better, thanks Kate."
"Finish your coffee and we will go back to the Bridge."
They drained their cups and placed in the recycler before they left the Ready Room.