Intrepid

''You're the captain,'' Kris noted.

''I feel a sudden case of laryngitis coming on,'' Drago said.

''Take a pill, quick,'' Kris said.

The captain shook his head. ''Sorry, my princess, but this is not the part I signed on for. I and my crew will support you fully, but this,'' he said, with an expressive shrug, ''is a matter for ‘one of those Longknifes.' ''

Well, gal, you did want to have all the fun, didn't you, that nagging little voice in the back of Kris's head said.

Yeah, but I was so looking forward to exploring. Who'd have expected Captain Thorpe to be here ahead of me?

Afraid to face your old captain? Scared he'll buffalo you like he did last time? Kris took a deep breath. Yes, he'd run her ragged, but she'd come up for air … and then she'd changed everything. She was the one still serving. He was the one out.

Kris unsnapped her station-chair restraint and went to stand squarely in front of the forward screen.

''Chief, how long before something comes back from Thorpe?''

''Five, maybe ten minutes, ma'am.''

''Tell me before you put it on-screen.''

Captain Thorpe did not keep her waiting. Five minutes later, Chief Beni announced, ''A new message is coming in.''

Kris squared her back, schooled her face to neutral, and said, ''Put it on the main screen.'' And found herself staring into Captain Thorpe's confident smile.

''Long time no see, Ensign. Ah, so it's lieutenant now. Tell me, what could bring you out here, so far from the nearest debutante ball? Over,'' he said, signaling he was ready to yield the connection to her.

''I am Princess Kristine Longknife, commanding the exploration task force on the USS Wasp. We are exploring matters beyond the Rim, and thought we'd drop by Pandemonium for some fresh vegetables. Over to you, Captain Thorpe.''

Kris kept her voice even, allowing no special inflection to either ''Captain'' or ''Thorpe.'' She'd gone over that very carefully in her mind. Chief Beni cut the commlink.

''What do we do now?'' Jack asked.

''Wait to see how he reacts,'' Kris said. ''He said Presley's Pride. We said Pandemonium. With luck, he'll explain the discrepancy. Meanwhile, Mr. Fronour, could you and Chief Beni please connect us with your family? We've got an hour before our next conversation with Thorpe, and I'd like to know something about things dirtside.''

''Lieutenant, I'm getting something from one of the ships in orbit,'' Chief Beni put in.

''What kind of something?''

The chief's round cherubic face looked pained. ''Just a bit of backscatter from a very tight beam it's sending down to the planet. Nelly, could you maybe make something of it?'' It was the absolute first time he'd ever asked Kris's pet computer for help.

''It is very weak, and very scattered. We are only picking up parts of the message. And it is very encrypted. I will need a lot more of the message to crack it,'' Nelly said.

''Have at it, girl. It's not like there's a lot to do. But you, Chief, tell me what kind of noise that planet is making.''

The chief shook his head. ''There is nothing down there. No power plants, no net. Not so much as a ten-watt radio.''

''You sound like Xanadu,'' Kris told Fronour.

''Not us, ma'am. We had dams pumping electricity to lots of homesteads two years ago. There was a full net, voice and video. Where's it gone?'' he asked, voice breaking.

''Someone's closed it down,'' Jack said.

Kris liked the way Jack chose the gentlest option. The place was just closed down. In time, they would turn it back on. And the young man would hold his baby and wife.

''Jack, put your Marines on alert, just in case we need to help folks turn Pandemonium back on.''

''Our pleasure, ma'am,'' Jack said, with a jaunty salute and a quick about-face. ''Mr. Fronour, you want to come with me. The pictures from out here are a bit poor. We could use your help in figuring out the layout of the land.'' The farmer went with Jack, eager to help. With luck, the Marines would keep him busy and his mind off of the many reasons why his home could be so silent.

Kris turned to Captain Drago. ''Check out the lasers. I want the capacitors at full as we approach. Sulwan, could you arrange our final approach to orbit so that we're behind Pandemonium's largest moon for as long as possible?''

''I was about to make the same request,'' Captain Drago said. ''Do it, Sulwan.''

''And what other approach do you think I'd make to a former corvette captain's unidentified ship?'' Sulwan said with a harsh laugh. ''Please, you didn't hire any dumb officers.''

The chuckles around the bridge sounded relieved at that.

''Now, Chief, talk to me. Tell me stories about the ships ahead of us and the planet they orbit. So far, you've been way too quiet for my tastes,'' Kris said, as she pulled her station chair over next to Beni's.