I got out my comm and dialed. “Sergeant Darning.”
“Can you talk, Mike?”
“Not at this time. Getting ready to go investigate some primitive who we got a tip is talking to aliens, of all things.”
“Who are you working for on this one?”
“Ensign Whittum will be in charge this trip.”
“That’s a relief. I’ll give you a call back when your dry cleaning is ready to be picked up.”
“That dog of yours had her pups, then?”
“She did. I’ll save you one.”
“You’re so kind. Thanks for calling.”
“Later, Mike.”
Dingus asked, “What did you find out?”
“Sounds like Tina is in charge of the mission, but Mike acted like there was somebody there he didn’t want to talk in front of. I’d guess they have some privates with them we haven’t met.”
Jane said, “Still, you should be able to put on a good enough show that they can put in a good report, without too much trouble.”
I asked, “How long does it take to get out here from Patrol Headquarters?”
Dingus said, “With their drives, three days at least.”
“I don’t think they would bring Proud Mary on official business, so we ought to have at least that long. I better get with Sally and get a plan worked out. Grandma, can you take care of rounding up as many people as you can that want to spend a few days on the planet?”
“You can call me Beatriz, Captain. I would be glad to help.”
“Thanks, Beatriz. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name before.”
“It’s from back home, in Peru. I haven’t met anyone with the same name as me since I came north.”
“Let me know if you have any trouble. I’m headed to the bridge.”
I grabbed a transit. Dingus jumped in as the door was about to close. “Mind if I tag along? I need to talk to Tex, remember?”
“Nope, I forgot.”
We walked across to the bridge. Topper and I exchanged greetings, Dingus went to talk to Tex, and I went over to Sally. She said, “Hi, Boss. Did you want the conn?”
“No, as a matter of fact, I need you to give it to Topper, so we can have a little chat in the ready room.”
“Mr. Topper, you have the conn.”
Topper said, “My ship, yes Ma’am.”
Sally and I went across to the ready room. I said, “Sally, I have to ask you to do something you may not think you’re ready for. I need to go to the planet for a few days. You will be in command while I am gone. I need you to hide the ship, so that people coming into the system won’t be able to tell it is here. Recover the fighters, and let Morning Flower handle any intruders. Only intervene if it looks like more than she can handle without you.”
“You’re not leaving Mr. Branham in charge?”
“He doesn’t have the skills and knowledge you have. You have a proven ability to fight the ship. He doesn’t.”
“Mr. Richards is progressing well.”
“You are second-in-command for a reason, Sally. You have the skills and knowledge to do the job.”
“You trust me with the ship and crew? Thanks, Boss. No other human ever trusted me that much.”
“I trust you because I know you can do it. You do too, if you would just let yourself believe it.”
“When are you leaving the ship, Boss?”
“Soon, but I don’t know exactly.”
“What ship are you taking with you?”
“I was thinking the Ronald Evans. It’s a ship the Patrol is aware of, so there won’t have to be any explanations of where it came from.”
“Might I suggest you take Mrs. Wilson’s Audi, as well? It would help sell the idea that you were settling in.”
“Good idea.”
“If you don’t need anything else, I better get back. I want to make sure I don’t need to ask you about anything before you leave.”
“Go ahead. I need to call Morning Flower.”
Sally left, and I dialed Morning Flower. “Bawb! Are you coming to see us soon?”
“I should be down this afternoon. That’s kind of what I called about. Mike and Tina are coming, and we don’t want to have to explain the Gene to them, so Sally is going to hide it. She’ll be close enough she can help if you need it, but she won’t come out unless you do.”
“Like she was teaching us to hunt.”
“Just like that. Is that going to be okay with you?”
“That’s fine. Mike and Tina are friends, we don’t want to make them keep secrets they don’t have to.”
“I’m glad you understand. I’ll be down there this afternoon.”
“See you then, Bawb.” I hung up and headed for the transit. I asked Gene, “Can you take me to Mrs. Wilson, please?”
“Sure, Boss.”
When the doors opened, I found a light trail waiting for me. Following it, I found Nikki, who was helping Janet understand the finer points of Galactic history. She said, “Hey, Caveman. What’s up?”
“We’re taking a little vacation, I’m afraid.”
“Only you would be afraid of a little vacation. Where are we going?”
“Shaved Ape Key.”
“What brought this on?”
“Somebody tipped Bill Rottum that we were in contact with aliens. This somebody has enough rank that he can’t just ignore it, so he has to send Mike and Tina to check it out. He asked me to try and keep them from seeing anything they might have to report.”
“Since they will be here on official business, they can’t see the Gene, right?”
“It would work out better that way.”
“So, Sally is going to take the Gene and hide, while you pretend to be clueless about aliens?”
“That’s the plan. Do you have a better idea?”
“Nope. I’m guessing that’s why Beatriz called Janet and asked if
