Year three in the Voyage of Andromeda. The adventure that started in Among the Stars, and Beyond the Farthest Planet continues in Far From Home.
CHAPTER 22 A
The survival hut was built and stocked with food and drinks. A small generator hummed near by. Shock sticks surrounded the hut and gave them a twenty meter safe area around the hut. A ten meter wide safe strip led to the lake. Coal and wood had been collected for a camp fire and lay near the new fire pit. The Marines had set up a two person swing near the hut as well as a small table with two chairs in case they wanted to eat their meals out in the open.
A second safe area was set up for the shuttle a half kilometer away giving Rhea and Bella protection under the shield. The area mirrored that of the survival hut.
Kate and Anya stood with their family as they waited for Rhea to finish her preflight checks. Each held one of their girls as the said their goodbyes. Kacey gave them their final instructions.
"Stay under the shields at all times. Check in three times a day. Keep your weapons within reach. I know Govan said there are no insects on his planet, but you do have your pens right?"
"Kacey we will be fine. I have a dozen pens with me and I will make sure Kate is safe." Anya stated. She put down her daughter and pulled Kacey away from the group. "Do you trust me?"
"Of course I do."
"Do you think I will not do everything in my power to keep Kate safe?"
"I know you will Anya, but it's just..."
"Your orders. Those God Damn orders." Anya swore. "The Chiefs will have to run from more than one person when we get back to Earth. I will make sure she does not do anything foolish."
"Thank you Anya."
"Try to relax while we are gone. This is a vacation from her looking over your shoulder all the time."
"I did not think of that." Kacey laughed. They walked back to the shuttle. "Give me one minute, I have to talk to Rhea." She walked into the shuttle.
"You girls be very good for your aunts and grandparents." Kate told them.
"We will mummy."
"They will be fine Kate." Natalia stated. "We have a bunch of stuff planned don't we?" The girls nodded.
"Do me a favor, keep Kacey busy also so she does not drive everyone crazy."
"I will do my best Kate."
Kate knelt down and put her arms around the girls. "I love you my darlings and will miss you both."
"Captain, we are all set to go." Rhea came down the ramp followed by Kacey.
Kate stood, hugged her parents and Natalia before she turned to Kacey. "Try not to drive everyone including yourself crazy."
"Be safe Kate." Kacey said softly.
"I will little sister" Kate whispered then continued in a louder voice. "Take care of my ship. I have counted the dents and I hope there are no new ones."
"You are leaving your children with me and you are more worried about your ship?"
"I know you will take good care of our children, but there are trees around that I would rather not have you back my ship into."
"Do my best Kate." The sisters hugged.
Kate and Anya climbed into the shuttle for their short trip to their vacation hut. They watched Kacey pulled the girls back as Rhea started the engine. They waved from their seats. Kacey watched long after the shuttle was out of sight.
"I will take the girls inside." Natalia stated.
"Okay. I need to speak to my people. I will be in right after I give them their orders." She leaned over and kissed Natalia's cheek. She pressed her communicator. "All Marines meet me at the hanger ramp in five minutes." The Marines gathered at the ramp with in the time limit. "Govan informed me that the Liamri are still mining Trilithium so be on your toes. I want three cloaked Stingers to fly over the hut through out the night from the hours of twenty two hundred hours to oh six hundred hours. You will fly at a height of one kilometer and not one meter lower. Use night vision and infra red to search the area. I also ask for a squad of volunteers to walk the area one half kilometer from the hut during the night. I also want six extra Stingers in the air around the clock. Make your flight area the one hundred fifty kilometers that the shields cover. Stay away from the area the Limari are mining. Hopefully they will leave us alone if we leave them to mine the ore. Keep your shields up and weapons charged." Kacey ordered. "Any questions?"
"If we come under fire do we fight back?"
"Yes, but let them make the first overt move. Andromeda's shields will be up with only the Hanger left open. Sentries will be posted at the base. I will ask Security to help with the sentry duty. Any other questions?" She looked at her troops. "Dismissed."
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Rhea brought the shuttle down near the hut. The four carried the bags into the hut before they lifted off leaving Kate and Anya alone. They took in the preparations that were made for them. The fire pit with extra coal and wood stacked, the swing and table and chairs that were set up. Inside the refrigeration unit hummed softly. Next to that was a small cooking unit and heater in the event the nights were cold. Anya opened the refrigeration unit to find it well stock. Inside a box of the counter they found food that did not need cooling, and bottles of wine and brandy along with a bag of coffee and tea.
Inside the bedroom the inflatable bed was already set up with pillows and blankets. They unpacked those items they trusted to any one else to carry.
"Kacey and her people seem to have thought of everything." Kate atated.
"Right down to the music." Anya said as she turned on the music player. They went to a large box that stood unopened in the corner. "Kate this notes states that you need to open this."
"ME?"
"Your name is Kate is it not?" Anya asked with a smile.
"Why would...? Wait, this is probably some sort of practical joke. That is her hand writing. If I open this I will end up with a face full of something nasty."
"Kate." Anya stated, her tone scolding, "After everything Kacey did to make this perfect and possible for you, do you honestly think she would pull a practical joke on you?"
"She can be very devious and wants to get back at me for the video at her party."
"She would not do something like that." Anya broke the strap holding the box closed. She opened the flaps and withdrew a single sheet of paper that she handed to Kate.
"Kate, I know that being Captain has left you no time to do something you love. Maybe while you are on this vacation you will be able to.
Enjoy, Love, Kacey." Kate read the note out loud.
Anya pulled out an easel from the box followed by several blank canvasses, a paint pallet, box of paints, a smock, large glass containers, brush cleaning solution, and a large supply of brushes. "Oh my God." Kate exclaimed. I can not believe she ..." Kate went to the computer and turned it on. "Captain Jensen to Andromeda."
"Go ahead Captain."
"Is Colonel O'Malley near?"
"She is in her office. I will transfer you."
Within seconds Kacey showed on the screen. "What's up Kate. Is everything all right?"
"Every thing is fantastic. Thank you, for the paint supplies you crazy kid.."
"Kate thought it was booby trapped and was afraid to open it." Anya told her.
"Nah, if I did that she would never take another vacation. Kate paint me something for our quarters will you?"
"You got it little sister. Thank you again."
"Younger, Kate. Talk to you later." The screen went dark.
Kate went back to the art supplies and smiled at the care and thought Kacey put into picking the items out. "These are the paints and brushes I like to use." She said a lump forming in her throat.
"I know just the spot to set up your easel." Anya stated and carried the easel out side.
Kate unwrapped the paint pallet and brushes. She placed the brushes into one of the jars. She carried her treasures out side to where Anya had set up the easel. Anya had also moved the table and chairs next to the easle so Kate would have a place to put her paints.
"This is perfect darling. You have a good eye."
"Of course, I fell in love with you my Kate."
"For that I am very, very happy."
"Now sit and start creating a work of art." Anya stated and kissed the top of Kate's head. I will fix you a cup of coffee.
Kate looked at the view before her as she planned her picture.
CHAPTER 22 B
Kate looked at the view before her as she planned her picture. She laid the paint tubes in a row on the table and began to select the ones she would need. She took each tube and squirted a glob onto the palette. She blended the colors until she felt they were perfect. One last long look at the scene and Kate let her hands create. With bold strokes, she started with the deep cerulean blue of the sky and added the snow white wisps of clouds as they floated past the sun. She worked steadily and quickly lost track of the time she painted.
Kate finished the sky and worked on the mountains when Anya brought their lunch outside.
"You talk about Kacey getting lost in music, you do the same when you paint. You did not stop long enough to drink the coffee I brought you."
"I am so sorry my darling." Kate said apologetically. I had forgotten how much I love painting. There is never time when we are in flight. I need to find time when things are quiet."
"We can work together to find time for you to paint." Anya stated.
"That is just one of the reasons I am so incredibly in love with you." Kate said, as she placed her used brushes into the cleaning solution and wiped her hands on the wet cloth Anya handed her. Kate turned her chair around to have lunch.
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Kacey sat in her office and watched Kate and Anya. She mentally patted herself on the back for replicating the art supplies for Kate. She could see the lines of tension lessening on Kate's face.
While she had no idea of the subject she knew it would be spectacular. "There has to be a way to lessen the demand on her time to give her a chance to do her art." She said to herself. The door chimed. Kacey looked up at the monitor. "Come in Talia." She called out. Natalia walked into the office.
"Can you break for lunch?"
"I certainly can." Kacey locked her computer and pushed away from her desk. "Would you mind going to the Mess Hall? I need to speak to mom and dad if he is there."
"Is there a problem?"
"No but I hope to recruit their help."
"Did Kate open that package?"
"She did and that is what I want to talk to everyone about." They strolled into the Mess Hall where Patricia and Liam were eating their lunch. "Do you mind if we join you?"
"Of course not dear." Patricia stated.
They sat down and selected their meals. With in minutes the servers brought their lunches.
"I hoped you were both here because I want to enlist your help in a little project that I have in mind."
"If we can be helping ye lass of course we will." Liam stated. "What is on your mind?"
"This will not get you into another argument with Kate will it?" Patricia asked.
"I hope not mom because the project I have in mind has to do with Kate. I sent a package for her to use while on vacation. It contained art supplies. Since we lifted off she has not been able to spend any time painting. I know what I would feel like if I could not or did not have the time for music. I watched her after Anya set everything up for her. The look on her face while she was painting was... was... I am not sure how to describe it. She did not even notice when Anya place a cup of coffee near her." Kacey stopped long enough to eat a bit of her lunch before she continued. "I watched the tension that always seems to be present, leave her face. It lessened with every brush stroke."
"What is it ye are wanting us to do lass?"
"I hope that between the four of us, five if I can get Anya on board to help take some of the bull shit off her shoulders to give her time to be able to indulge in something she loves."
"She is the Captain. Everything that happens on this ship lands on her lap."
"I know that, but there has to be something we can do. If you could have seen her face. It was like ten years disappeared."
"How do you proposed we do this?" Natalia asked.
"Establish channels between the crew and Kate. To divert some of the little decisions. When my people have an idea or problem, I make the primary decisions. If it is something big, then I take it to Kate, but only after every thing has been planned. There has to be some way to funnel the decisions to the Department heads. Let them make the decisions and only bring it to Kate if it is something earth shattering. Would that be possible?"
"Katie would have to change her orders to the crew before we could even begin to implement that."
"We could try to talk to her or I could talk to her. I really want to do this for her." Kacey stated adamantly.
"When she comes back we will try talking to her Lass." Liam assured her.
Kacey smiled at him.
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Kate worked on her painting through the afternoon until the sun started to disappear behind her. She cleaned her brushes and covered her painting. Kate picked up her supplies and carried them into the hut.
"Done for the day my Kate?" Anya asked.
"I am. Anya I am so sorry for neglecting you today. Time got away from me."
"Did you neglect me?"
"Of course I did. I got so involved with having a brush in my hands again I..."
"Kate stop." Anya interrupted. "I watched you for a long time, and it brought back some very pleasant memories for me. You looked so much like those early days. We were twenty again in my mind. No you did not neglect me today. I was more than content to watch you. To see you relaxed and happy is a treasure." Anya stated softly and took Kate in her arms. "I am angry about one thing though."
"What is that my dearest?"
"That we have not thought about this ourselves. You have not had the opportunity to touch the art supplies we packed."
"There is always so much going on with the ship, there just never seemed like a good time for taking them out."
"I think we should try to be able to schedule some time for escaping the pressures of command. Even Kacey has time each day for her music. You are the top two people on the ship."
"When our vacation is finished, I will ask her how she does that."
"Good now get cleaned up dinner is almost ready. Do you need me to bring your easel in?"
"Thank you darling. Shall we eat outside by the lake tonight?"
"That is my plan so go get cleaned up." Anya ordered.
"Yes ma'am." Kate stated and kissed Anya before going into the small bathroom.