Of course, the 'liberation' of North America still left vast tracks of land-including several metropolitan areas- filled with dangerous predators, keeping the K9/paramilitary 'Hunter-Killer' teams busy. Travel between population centers remained dangerous.
At the same time, Trevor appreciated the growing stockpiles of fuel, munitions, and equipment that resulted from the reduction in all-out warfare. Of course, those stockpiles would soon be called upon to tackle California.
That unpleasant thought caused him to snap shut the binder and slam it on the table next to the easy chair, startling the black and gray Norwegian Elkhound sleeping at his feet. Tyr raised his head, eyed his Master, and then slept again. The dog had aged from vibrant hunter and fighter to a tired veteran whose role as the Emperor’s personal K9 became more a symbol than a true bodyguard.
Trevor rubbed his eyes and glanced around the chamber. The VIP stateroom offered significantly more space than the typical quarters of a dreadnought, but still felt cramped due to the slanted, low ceiling and lack of windows. The decorator had attempted to hide the dull gray walls behind paintings of famous historical battles (Gettysburg, El Alamein, Five Armies, etc.,) and fine furniture such as a sofa and coffee table. Regardless, the dressing could not chase away a claustrophobic feel.
Part of that feel came from the constant low hum carrying through the ship. It did not matter if you walked the catwalks above the building-sized anti-gravity generators, stood in one of the VT amp;L launch pad standby rooms at the stern of the craft or, for that matter, sat reading in the Emperor’s personal quarters, the hum remained constant. Even the crews on the fixed-wing flight deck could hear that hum when not engaged in take off and landing operations.
He stood and walked through a tight archway, leaving behind the main room for the master bedroom: a queen-sized bed flanked by nightstands. In there, the art work was more personal, such as pictures from JB’s kindergarten graduation and a snapshot of the Atlantic Ocean taken from Trevor’s summer beach house in New Jersey.
A suitcase rested at the end of the bed. He sighed, zipped it open, and unpacked despite knowing his stay aboard the Excalibur would be short.
He carried his shaving kit into the bathroom, writing a mental note to remember to cut away the stubble on his cheeks in the morning. He had already cut away a few inches of hair and indulged in a ‘professional’ manicure.
While not quite qualifying as sacrifices, he found such trivialities annoying. However, he knew the Witiko to be a vain people. He knew their ways held influence over the Governor and his cabinet. Investing in extra grooming might pay dividends at the bargaining table.
Bargaining table?
Trevor stopped in front of the bathroom mirror, rewound that thought, and played it again.
What bargaining table?
There would be no bargaining. That had been and would continue to be the story of his rule. The Old Man never said anything about bargaining, but said plenty about fighting, killing, and sacrifice.
Trevor found his eyes in the mirror.
Who you kidding?
The other Trevor-the one who had led an invasion army to an alien world in a parallel universe-never needed an old man to learn how to kill. It had been his nature.
He stared at the reflection and thought about what he knew lay beneath the surface. He wondered if that surface had the strength to keep the monster inside at bay.
Lori had suggested that the difference between the Trevor Stone she knew and the Trevor Stone in that other universe revolved around his friends as well as humbling experiences such as finding Sheila’s diary or…or falling in love with Nina.
He hoped that would be enough.
It is one thing, he figured, for a man to know his limitations. It is another to realize that maybe…just maybe…he had no limitations.
A soft buzz pulled Trevor away from another bout of introspection. Part of him knew he spent too much time dwelling on the revelations of another world. Distractions could be deadly.
He moved out of the bathroom and to the stateroom door to answer the bell, pulling a heavy handle and sliding open the metal door.
Jon Brewer stood there in full dress uniform: gray and black with lines of metals and ribbons. Dress uniforms, a pet project of an Imperial Senate sub-committee, entered circulation a year ago but were rarely worn outside of dinner parties in Washington, D.C. Brewer smiled, Trevor frowned. 'Come on now, it’s tradition for you to eat at the Captain’s table.' 'You’re going to make me wear mine? You can’t be serious.'
'Yes, I’m serious,' Jon insisted. 'I’ve got a bunch of junior officers on board and they’re looking forward to eating with their Emperor. Do I need to give you the speech about how these guys are fighting and dying for you?'
'All right, all right. Give me a sec.'
Trevor's version differed from Jon’s at the collar where gold braids stood out on the black fabric. He dressed carefully, as if handling hazardous materials. Trevor did not feel comfortable with the title 'Emperor' and he felt even less comfortable with the trappings of that rank.
Tyr accompanied the two men as they exited the VIP quarters and walked the corridor.
As with the other two operational dreadnoughts, the Excalibur offered more square footage than the downtown districts of most small cities. The passages resembled those found in naval vessels but somewhat larger, offering room for two men to walk abreast as well as ceilings tall enough for even Jon-at over six feet-to stand straight.
The core building material went by the name of 'Steel Plus,' a composite that would be impossible if not for the matter makers. Omar Nehru had developed his understanding of the machines to the point that he managed to tweak the molecular deconstruction and reconstruction phases, allowing him to combine various materials into something new.
'Steel Plus' offered strength several times greater than its namesake but at substantial weight savings.
The available production of Steel Plus remained earmarked for the dreadnought program. That program envisioned three more of the massive ships to join the trio in service as well as a total of four Super Carrier cargo vessels. Additional uses for Steel Plus would have to wait the estimated five more years for the construction of the floating giants to finish.
None of the ships would be possible without captured alien technology, from those matter-makers blending special materials to anti-gravity technology that not only kept the ships flying but also provided tools that made the building process easier.
They left the executive living section, moved through a dorm area where nearly five hundred shipmates quartered, and continued along a passageway deep in the center of the ship. This stretch was known as ‘the spine’ because the halls there ran alongside the main support tube; a solid rod of Steel Plus' nearly one hundred feet in diameter stretching from bow to stern.
Along the way they passed storage rooms and power junction stations, a galley and a medical bay. Intercoms, fire suppression controls, and first aid lockers lined the gray walls. Every few minutes a harsh, quick tone broadcast over the address system to warn of an incoming message, followed by a synthesized voice. 'Warning, flight operations underway.' 'Attention, Fire Control Drills Scheduled for Section Delta-Four in 30 minutes.' 'Crewman Mangus report to the nearest Security Station.'
Trevor and Jon boarded an elevator and ascended into a wide, tall tower at the ship's stern. One of the upper decks hosted a rectangular chamber serving the dual roles of meeting room and Captain’s mess. While Jon Brewer officially held the title of 'General,' he commanded the Excalibur and hence played the part of Captain.
A half-dozen officers-most of them young enough to qualify as kids and evenly split between men and women-snapped to attention around a table draped in white linen.
Trevor circled the table, making eye contact with everyone in the room. At moments like this, he understood Lori Brewer's assertion that power is given, not taken. He felt it in the way they looked to him. A mixture of awe and fear and respect. They would do anything for him. How intoxicating a feeling and one that scared him.
Before sitting, he gazed out the observation windows facing aft overlooking a series of terraced levels
