Topper said, “Boss, by now we know to take your funny feelings seriously. If you’re hinky, we’re all hinky.”
Sally said, “It may not be the Navy way, but it’s kept us flying this long.”
“Your confidence in me is appreciated. Let’s hope I’m wrong.” We cruised along, until Ruth went over the intercom with, “Transition to normal space in five minutes. Secure loose gear.”
Topper put up the countdown. When it rolled over to zero, we eased into normal space. I said, “Nicely done, Ruth.”
Sensors called out, “I have a boarding on visual. The early warning net says the confrontation is over in real time.”
I replied, “On screen, please.”
We saw a flight of four fighters, surrounding a Squirrel ship that looked as if it were built for war. A freighter came up and docked with the Squirrel ship, and after a bit, all the ships went back to the planet. I asked, “Does anyone know what to make of that?”
Topper said, “No, Boss, but Morning Flower is on the line, she can probably explain it to you.”
I said, “Hi, Morning Flower. How are you today?”
“Bawb! It’s good you are back. We need to know what to do with all these Squirrels who came here to kill you. We have them cleaning outhouses, but they are small and weak. It takes them a long time.”
“How many of them are there?”
“I don’t know, they just keep coming. We’ve caught three shiploads, so far.”
“We’ll be in to take them off your hands in a few minutes. Thanks for taking care of them for us.”
“We tried to be friends with the first bunch, but then they said they were here to blow you and the Gene out of space. We don’t let things like that happen to our friends.”
“How are you getting their ships to the planet? Aren’t your pilots too big to fit in their ships?”
“Chaw-lee is a good pilot. He learned to fly their ships quickly.”
“Sounds like a plan. See you on the planet.”
“See you soon, Bawb.”
Dingus walked onto the bridge. “I heard the Captain had a funny feeling. I came to watch the fireworks.”
I replied, “I think Morning Flower already has it well in hand. Sorry to disappoint you.”
He asked, “How do you mean, Bob?”
“She has three shiploads of Squirrels shoveling outhouses, down on the planet. She took offense when they showed up saying they were here to kill me and destroy the Gene.”
“She out-fought three shiploads?”
“My understanding is that they were silly enough to come in one ship at a time.”
“Good training for her and her pilots. They give her much trouble?”
“We saw the tail end of the latest capture. Didn’t see any damage to the Squirrel ship, so I’m guessing she got the drop on them before the shooting started.”
“So, they were dribbling in here, thinking they could set up an ambush without any resistance, and they found Morning Flower ready to stick up for Bob?”
“That appears to be what happened, yessir.”
“And now, they are, quite literally, in deep shit?”
“Indeed. What do you think about us taking the Roland Evans and a squad of Marines, and picking you out a few folks to talk to?”
“Are we going to wash them first?”
“I think that would be best, don’t you?”
“Sounds like fun. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say about that ‘infamous monkey’ now.”
“Working on your collection of Squirrel cusswords, are you?”
“Everybody needs a hobby.”
“Go round us up some help, and I’ll be down to the landing bay in a few minutes.”
Dingus left, and I said, “How long is one of our fighters good on patrol?”
Sally said, “As long as it has a robot pilot, it should be good for at least a month. After that, we would need to start rotating them in for maintenance.”
“Set up a patrol, all through the arc facing Squirrel space. Don’t use over two-thirds of our fighters.”
“What orders do you have for them?”
“Any ship coming in from the direction of Squirrel space is to be assumed to be hostile, until proven otherwise. Capture all such ships, doing as little damage to them as is consistent with their own safety.”
“What should they do with the captured ships?”
“Make sure the crew is stunned, and call it in. We’ll send a freighter to bring them in.”
“Anything else?”
“You might let Morning Flower know, so she’s not worrying about guarding the approaches.”
Sally said, “She replied, ‘Thanks. These people are no fun. They are too easy to catch.’ Does that mean the Squirrels don’t think the Sasquatch are a threat, or they just aren’t well trained?”
“From what I’ve seen of their manuals, I would think it’s a lack of training. You have the conn. I’ll be on the surface, if you need anything.”
“Would it be acceptable for us to keep the ship in the outer system, so we could respond more quickly to any captures that may occur?”
“I don’t see why not. If we were to need you farther in, you could jump quickly enough that it wouldn’t make a difference where you started.”
I took off for the landing bay. I was surprised to find Nikki waiting on me when the transit opened. She said, “You didn’t think you could slip off the ship that easy, did you?”
“Truth be told, I hadn’t thought about it that way. Just going to pick up some Squirrels for your Grandpa to question.”
“Oh yeah! And then Charlie will need to show you all the walnuts he’s bought for you, and Will needs to talk to you about jerky production, and I’m sure Bugling Elk will need something. Just a quick run to the planet. Be back in no time. You’re half right, Caveman. I was born
