Jack of Harts

Watching people is an occupation I will never tire of.  People surprise me you see.  There are days when they do things I would never have expected of them.  Sometimes they are good.  Sometimes they are bad.  Sometimes they are amazing.  Sometimes they are terrifying.  I’ve seen it all in my life.  Some people fall, and some people ascend to heights I would never have imagined of them.  I just love watching that happen.

 

 

Ascendant

 

The hatch opened into the hangar bay and Jack stepped out with a smile into the football field-sized compartment.  Natalie followed and their eyes swept from one side of the bay to the other.  Through the left bay door Serenity floated in space, a beautiful blue-green pearl in the darkness.  Stars shown through the other large door, sprinkling space with their pinpricks of light.  The sounds of repair work echoed off the bulkheads and the damaged remnants of war machines filled the space.

“Ah, hell,” a voice he knew well said.

Jack turned to see Charles leaning against a bulkhead and scanning the bay.  He followed Charles’ eyes to a mountain of a man he didn’t recognize.  A new shuttle with a stylized H on its flank he knew far better sat next to the energy curtain that held the atmosphere in.  This was going to be an exciting day.  “I gather you know him?”

Charles frowned like he’d just eaten something that tasted terrible.  “Yes.”

“So who is he?” Jack asked in a tone pitched only for Charles to hear.  Then he turned his gaze back to the mountain as the man walked through the hanger bay like he owned it.

“That is my Dear Cousin Lenny,” Charles whispered for Jack’s ears only.

Jack looked back to Charles in surprise.  “Real cousin?”

Charles shrugged.  “My family ties are complicated.”

“I’ll bet.”  Jack echoed Charles’ action and looked to Lenny again.  “So what’s he up to?”

“Nothing good,” Charles growled as Wyatt stepped in front of the man.

“Do you think we need to help her?” Jack asked.

“Yes.”  Charles pursed his lips rather than moving.  “But first I want to see how she reacts.”

“Get off my ship,” Wyatt ordered.

“Looks like a good start to me,” Jack said with a smile.

“Possibly,” Charles returned but continued to study the standoff.

“Now there is no need to be rude,” Lenny said with a patronizing smile that Jack instantly hated.  “I am just following orders.”

Wyatt’s eyes narrowed.  “Your orders.  Not mine.  Now get off my ship.”

Jack raised an eyebrow at Charles.  “I don’t think Lenny realizes how dangerous she is.  Maybe he’s the one that needs help?”

“Possibly,” Charles said with a slow nod.

“You have been ordered to surrender this ship,” Lenny began to growl like an avalanche finally on the roll again.  The rumbled started somewhere south of the deck, rolled up through his legs, and Jack recognized the sound of an angry mountain about to explode.  He pulled an official looking paper out of his suit coat, unfolded it, and shook it out.  A holo projection of the signatures of the Joint Chiefs hovered in the air for all to see and Jack realized just how serious this was.  “My authority has been authorized at the highest levels,” Lenny finished with a victorious smile.

Charles stepped away from the wall and approached the two.  “What is going on here?” he asked with a boom in his voice to get their attention.

Lenny turned towards him and his eyebrows rose in surprise.  “Ah.  Hello, Charles.  I did not realize you were here.”

Charles smiled and Jack could see the looseness in his limbs.  Charles was ready for whatever came next.  “You know me.  I never announce myself until I am ready.”

Lenny nodded in agreement.  “Very true.  What is your business here?”

Charles shook his head.  “My business is my own and not the family’s.  Now what is going on here?”

Lenny’s smile drove Jack away from the edge of the hangar and towards the confrontation.  It was not a friendly smile.  “This is family business,” Lenny said as if that was all he needed to say.  But when Charles didn’t step away, the larger man frowned.  Charles just stared at him and the mountain shifted from foot to foot.  Finally the man cleared his throat.  “It is a routine reassignment of naval assets to more reliable commanders.”

Charles’s face broke into a smile at that and Jack recognized the signs of his commanding officer playing just a little bit slow.  “Ah.  Then what are you doing here?”

The mountain’s cheek twitched like he’s just been slapped.  “Captain Wyatt is not reliable,” the man rumbled back with a tone filled with anger.

“Interesting.”  Charles rubbed his jaw as if he didn’t have a care in the world.  Especially not an angry man well over two meters two and built like a house.  “Might you tell me how not?”  His voice was polite and soft, and Jack almost shivered.  Most people were most dangerous when they were loud and angry.  Charles was not most people.

Lenny crossed his arms and looked down at the other man for several seconds before explaining.  “She exhibited supreme cowardice in the face of the enemy, resulting in the loss of nearly every ship under her command.”

Jack’s jaw fell open and he couldn’t help himself from blurting out, “She saved an entire star system!”

Lenny frowned at him for a moment and then turned away as if dismissing the rabble.  And in that moment Jack regretted every time he’d thought of Charles a rat bastard.  Dear Cousin Lenny was an entirely different class of rat bastard.  “Admiral Bainsworth’s report is clear,” Lenny said to Captain Wyatt.  “And you have been given your orders.”

“And I’ve given you mine,” she growled back.  “Get off my ship.”

Lenny let out a long, rumbling breath.  “This is not your ship anymore.”

“This ship is property of the Republic of Texas,” she said.  “You have no authority here.”

Lenny blinked.  So did Jack for that matter.  That didn’t make any sense.  He turned to Wyatt in surprise but she had no time to return his look.

“One second please,” Charles interjected before anyone else could say anything.  “This ship flies the American flag, not the flag of Texas.”  He waved a hand at the American flag on one bulkhead as if in proof of his statement.

Wyatt smiled.  “The United States Navy leased her,” Wyatt explained.  “But Texas can recall her without notice if they feel her best interests are not being taken into account.”

“What is the method of this recall?” Charles asked in his best reasonable tone.  Charles could do a very good reasonable tone.

Gabrielle flickered into being, twiddling her fingers and smiling like the cat that had just gotten the canary.  “Hi.  Name’s Gabrielle,” she introduced herself.  “And I’m, authorized by the Republic of Texas to assure that their interests are taken into account.”  The seal of Texas flickered into view before her, significantly larger than the seal of the Joint Chiefs in front of Lenny.  Jack smiled.  Texas always did have to do things bigger than everyone else.

Charles took in a long breath as he considered the competing claims of authority.  “Do you question his authority under the Joint Chiefs?” he finally asked with a furrowed brow.

“No,” Gabrielle answered for Wyatt.  “But per ‘USS Austin vs. the United States’ a starship can act as an official representative of the owner of record.  And per the eighty-first ‘Republic of Texas vs. the United States’ a starship’s owners have final say on the captain and crew of their ship.”

“Interesting.”  Charles frowned and shook his head.  “But those were peace time lawsuits.  We are at war now.  Surely that changes matters.”

Gabrielle smiled.  “It might.  We would be happy to take it to the nearest military court to adjudicate the matter.  I believe it would be located on…Serenity?”

Jack laughed.  Not one person on Serenity would rule against Los Angeles today.

Charles chuckled.  “It does take a certain mental…flexibility to pursue this.”

“Flexibility is what they’re known for,” Jack quipped.  Then he felt Wyatt’s gaze on him and turned to see her narrowed eyes.

“And you will never know how right you are,” she said with a touch of levity.

Jack chuckled and turned to Charles.  “I told you she was good.”

“Indeed,” Charles answered.

Lenny simply gave her a thin smile.  “I had hoped that you would follow the lawful orders of your superiors faithfully,” the man said in a voice that categorically disagreed with the words he was saying.  “But I see you have no intention of doing so.  On the off chance of such a reaction, your superiors assigned over three dozen warships of the Pennsylvania Star Fleet to my command to…clear up any misunderstandings.”

Wyatt’s eyes narrowed.  So did Jack’s for that matter.  And even Charles turned a disbelieving look towards Dear Cousin Lenny.

“Are you threatening me?” Wyatt asked in a dangerous tone.

“I am merely informing you of the balance of…authority,” Lenny returned with a smile.

Jack’s contacts showed a rundown of the fleet on the edge of his vision and he swallowed.  This man flew with a fleet of Pennsylvania starships.  They weren’t going to tell a member of his family to frak off.  Most of the commanders had probably been approved by his family after all.  Los Angeles was a good ship, but she couldn’t hold out against five squadrons of warships before Epsilon Reticuli and Serenity shot her all up.

“I see.”  Wyatt nodded very slowly.  “Is that your…final offer?”

Lenny’s eyes narrowed at her tone of voice and Jack had to admit she had a spine of iron.  “These are your orders,” the mountain said in a tone that demanded acceptance.

Captain Wyatt nodded once and turned away from the man.  She said a single word.  “Gabbi?”

The ship’s holoform smiled back and Jack had a feeling that they’d rehearsed this.  Wyatt had something up her sleeves.  “Yes, Captain?”

Wyatt nodded again as if in thought.  But Jack knew her far better now than he had two weeks ago.  She’d already decided her actions.  Now she was just playing to the audience.  Jack looked over at Charles to see if the other man saw it too.  Jack blinked as the man’s stance registered.  He was ready too.  He knew what was going to happen.  Dear Cousin Lenny was well and truly fraked.

“Would you make the call, please?” Wyatt said in a tone far more conversational than the situation should call for.

“Of course, Captain,” Gabrielle answered and closed her eyes.  She opened them a second later.  “The call has been made.”

“Thank you, Gabbi.”

“My pleasure, Captain.”

Lenny’s eyes had narrowed to slits during the performance and now a low rumble that reminded Jack of a volcano about to explode rolled out of his body.  “What are you doing?” the man asked in a tone that showed he had no more patience for her.

Wyatt just smiled and raised one hand to forestall any further words.  “You might want to wait a moment.”  Then she winked.  “We’re still on the line.  Busy day today.”

Lenny’s nostrils flared and Jack could have sworn he looked like an angry bull about to charge.  “Now just you wait-”  He cut out as the communicator in his ear began to buzz angrily.

Jack raised one eyebrow in Charles’ direction.  The man held a studious expression in place that should have told Jack nothing.  But he knew the man too well for that.  The man was ready to pounce.

Jack’s contacts flashed and a view of Serenity filled them.  Dozens of starfighters rose from the planet on plums of flame and Jack smiled.  Reinforcements were coming.  And now might be time for a few more.

“Girls?” Jack said and looked questioningly at the cybers standing around him.  They returned his look with studious gazes and he smiled. “Warm us up.  Get ready to launch.”

“That won’t be necessary, Jack,” Captain Wyatt called out.  “We’re all one, big, happy family, aren’t we?” she added with her eyes on Lenny.

Lenny’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak.

She interrupted him with another hand.  “You might want to wait a few more seconds to answer that,” she said with a Cheshire smile.

Then space outside the hangar bay exploded in rainbow light and Jack turned to see what was going on.  A dozen eruptions of light spilled into normalspace and a warship rose out of each one.  His contacts filled with information and his jaw dropped.  The eight frigates, three destroyers, and one single heavy cruiser proudly displayed the symbol of the rising sun on their glowing prows.  Names scrolled down his contacts but he already knew every single one of them.  The tears in hyperspace sealed, space became an infinite blackness again, spreading out to the stars, and Jack realized that Aneerin had been in on it all along.

He’d said that Hollywood would remember him well.  He hadn’t meant the city.  The Los Angeles-class heavy cruiser Hollywood, flagship of the Free Japanese squadron that sailed with Aneerin’s fleet, came about in a graceful arc to stop near her sister ship.  A moment later a holoform flickered into existence near Captain Wyatt.  She was the very image of a stereotypical Japanese schoolgirl crossed with a California surfer girl.  Which was to say that she was the perfect stereotypical Free Japanese, and once again Jack wondered how in all the worlds she could pull off that look while in a perfectly tailored military uniform.

“Holly,” he mouthed and the new holoform winked in his direction before turning back to Lenny.  A flicker to the side caught his attention and Jack turned in time to see a copy of her holoform bounce into view with arms outstretched.

“Jack!” she exclaimed, her holoform buzzed as it went to full power, and she wrapped her arms around him in a very big and very solid hug.  “I’ve missed you!”

Jack answered her with a laugh and a hug.  “So you were Aneerin’s little ace in the hole this time?”

“Totally,” she answered in a singsong tone, disentangled herself from him, and nodded towards where Captain Wyatt and Dear Cousin Lenny stared each other down.  “Now we get to watch the fun.”

Lenny opened his mouth to say something but Wyatt cut him off.

“I will not surrender my ship.  And if you push this to a fight your casualties will be catastrophic.”

“And yours will be total,” Lenny spat out.

Wyatt smiled.  “The Chinese thought the same thing when we arrived.  Now they are all dead.”

Lenny’s nostrils flared and he opened his mouth to respond but someone else spoke first.

“You might want to stop right now,” Charles said in a deceptively soft tone and everybody froze.  Even Jack, because this was not the Charles he knew.  Charles Edward Hurst stood in the hangar bay, taller and more commanding without saying another word than Jack had ever seen.  The heritage of one of the Great Families of Earth radiated from every pour of his being and even the mountain stopped at the sight.  Charles’ head snapped up to look Dear Cousin Lenny in the eyes.  “You have been outmaneuvered.  You should leave before you do something you will regret.”

The mountain blinked, and Jack saw the man back down.  “Yes, Mister Hurst,” the man said and turned away.

Charles Edward Hurst let out a long breath as Dear Cousin Lenny walked away.  He let out another breath, and the scion of a great family faded away.  He turned back to them and just Charles looked at them.  For the first time Jack truly understood the difference between the man Charles had been trained to be and the man he had become.  He thanked God in that moment that he’d never crossed the first man.

“You command him?” Wyatt asked.

“No,” Charles answered Wyatt’s question with a shake of his head.  She gave him a disbelieving look.  “Very rarely,” Charles temporized.  Then he shrugged and passed a hand over his face.  “I know what he regrets.”

“Oh,” Wyatt whispered.  “So you know him.”

“He is my cousin.”  Charles shrugged again.  “For flexible definitions of the term.”

“So.  You really are one of them?”

“You doubted me?”

Wyatt sighed and shook her head.  “Maybe I hoped you were delusional.”

Charles rocked his head to the side in a silent question.

“Think about it.  Someone walks out of no where, saying he is from one of the richest families on Earth, and he just so happens to have a grand plan and has picked me and only me to invest his riches in?”  Wyatt snorted.  “I’ve seen those scams before.  Would you believe it in your position?”

Jack had to admit she had a point.  He’d gotten those mails too.  Though they were usually bankers from Occupied Japan with promises of richest if he let them use his accounts to smuggle their money out.  They always seemed to snag someone without the common sense to realize they were going to have their accounts emptied and then be stuck with all the overdraft fees.

Charles glanced at Jack and they exchanged an impressed smile.  She surely was a smart cookie.  “I would certainly doubt my words in your position,” Charles said.  “Do you trust me know?”

“It’s either trust you or believe this is all an elaborate ruse to fool me.”

Charles smiled.  “And how do I convince you that I am trustworthy?”

“Your family does not serve in the military,” Wyatt said.

“They do not.”  Charles gave her a thin smile.

“Why do you?”

Charles breathed in and breathed out very slowly as he considered his response.  “The universe changed when the Peloran made Contact.  It changed again when the Shang attacked us.  My family has not yet acclimated to the new universe.  They follow the rules of the old one, and I cannot abide that.”

“I see,” she whispered, eyes straying to Lenny’s back.  “Which rules do they follow that you don’t agree with?”

“Many,” Charles answered with a sigh.  “Enough that I volunteered to serve.”

“And once again we are at the why.”

Charles examined her for several seconds before answering.  “Because Admiral Aneerin did not trust my family and would not speak with anyone from my family and I needed to speak with him to acquire resources I needed to complete my project.”

Wyatt nodded and considered his frank answer.  “You’re wading in dangerous waters.”

“Trust me,” Charles said with a nod.  “I know well the waters I wade in.  This is a temporary win you know.”

“I won’t let them have my ship.”

“I know you will do everything in your power,” Charles said and nodded towards Holly.  “And Aneerin aided you today.  But he has few ships to spare on errands like this.  And I know the power my family will bring to bear on you.  You have made an enemy today and he will never sleep until he breaks you.”

“Then I’ll make him die of sleep deprivation.”

Charles laughed.  “I like the way you think.”  Then he sobered.  “But my father will bring allies.  My entire family will side with him.  And everyone who owes them will follow.  You cannot win.”

“I won’t give up.”

“They will destroy you.”

Wyatt’s eyes challenged his.  “I won’t give up my ship.”

Jack raised a hand to stop Charles.  “Excuse me, Ma’am.  But if the Hurst family decides they want this ship, I’m not sure even the Republic of Texas will stand in their way.”  He shrugged and nodded towards Holly.  “And she’s only here because Aneerin asked her to be.  Right?”

Holly nodded with a wince.  She didn’t like this any better than any of the ships, but she knew the politicians might not support them.

“I’m betting in the end someone in Austin will get a bribe and they’ll give the ship to the Pennsylvania Star Fleet.  And just like that, the ‘owner of record’ will remove you as captain.  Will you continue to fight this then?”

Wyatt looked towards Gabrielle and the cyber nodded.  Wyatt let out her breath and shook her head.  “But why would they want this ship that badly?”

Jack nodded towards Charles.  “His father was instrumental in ramming through the political force to give you the resources to build this ship,” Jack said.  “Perhaps he feels like he…owns her?”

“He’s wrong,” Wyatt growled.

“I never said he was right,” Jack said with a shrug.  “But Aneerin’s right.  And so is Charles.  You’re good.”  He looked back and forth between Wyatt and Gabrielle.  “Both of you are.  But if the United States Navy and even Texas decides you aren’t worth fighting for…well…I’d rather you be doing something worth your skills than languishing away at home wondering what happened.”  Jack pulled out the small pin Aneerin had given him and showed it to Wyatt.  “He trusts you.  I trust you.  And I will gladly take advantage of their stupidity and give you a goal worthy of your skills.”

Wyatt crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side.  “Now you’re just buttering me up.”

“Olivia.”  Jack smiled and shook his head.  It was time for another approach.  One he’d never used with her.  It was time to get serious for once.  “Can I call you Olivia?”

Wyatt frowned at him.  “I won’t stop you.”

“Good,” Jack said with a warm smile and stepped closer to her.  “Olivia.  I love my country.”  He met her gaze with a sincere look.  “But sometimes I really hate our government.  I don’t trust it.  And I don’t think the president can clean it up no matter how hard she tries.  Sometimes I wonder what I’m fighting for.”

Wyatt smiled.  “No you don’t.”

“Oh?”

“Girls and parties, of course,” she said and aimed a cocked eyebrow at him.

Jack laughed.  “Olivia.  That is a very useful fiction,” he said with complete honesty.  “And it is best if most people believe that.”

“Really?”

Jack sighed.  “OK, OK.  So I do love girls and parties, but…not exclusively…”

“I don’t think anyone would accuse you of exclusivity,” Olivia said in a wry tone.

Jack rubbed his forehead.  “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”

“Is there any reason to?”

Jack shook his head.  “I suppose not.  Look.  I didn’t volunteer for the right reasons.  They were pretty bad in fact.  And I’m still trying to figure out the right reasons for all this.  But I think Charles is a lot closer than me.”

Olivia folded her arms and gave him the floor to continue.

Jack looked at Natalie and she smiled at him.  And that gave Jack the right words.  “He wants to build something new.  Something better.  Something we can all be proud of.  Six hundred years ago we crossed a cranky ocean in rickety wooden ships to do that.”  Jack looked around the hangar bay with a smile.  “We built some amazing things since then.  But would be proud of our nation if John Hancock…George Washington…or Thomas Jefferson could see us now?”

Olivia looked around the hangar bay and chewed her lip, but she didn’t answer his question.

“Do you want me to throw in John Adams and Benjamin Franklin?  Maybe quote some Federalist Papers?”

“You could?”

Jack snorted.  “Olivia.  I assure you that I have read far more than I would ever admit to in public.  Enough that I recognize the rot at the heart of government.  Enough to know that even this President can’t clean it up.  The Hurst family will beat you if you stay.  But if you go to this new world, you can help build something better.  Something as far removed from Earth as America was from Europe when our ancestors came.”

“You make it sound like an amazing opportunity.”

“It’s the chance of a lifetime,” Jack said with a wink.

“What about you?” Olivia asked, concern written on her face.

“Me?”  Jack shook his head.  “No.  The project relies on not being found, and I’m far too public a person to be involved in it.  I’ve got a job to do.  Blowing stuff up.”  Then he glanced back and forth between Olivia, Natalie, and Charles.  “Maybe when I’m done with all that I can see what you’ve built.”

Natalie smiled at him.  Charles nodded a promise that he would be welcome.  Olivia just sighed.

“You do know how to push my buttons,” she finally whispered.

“That’s me,” Jack said with outstretched arms.  “Always happy to push your buttons.”

Olivia shook her head.  “And there you go again.  Just when I thought you could be serious.”

“What can I say?  I take my insincerity seriously.”

“You do know you’re the only person I know who could say that with a straight face?”

“I’m a unique human being,” Jack said with one of his best smiles.

“Thank God,” Olivia whispered under her breath.  The words were soft enough that he could pretend he didn’t hear while being loud enough to ensure he did.  She was getting good at this.  She turned to Charles and shrugged.  “I’m not giving up,” she said with a wave around the hangar bay.  “But I’ll talk about your project.  I’ll even make plans should you all be right.  But you have to be completely honest with me,” she said and aimed her finger at him like a weapon.  “You hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” Charles answered.

“And with that magic word, I’m afraid I really must go,” Jack said with a bow.

“Magic word?” Olivia asked.

“Plans,” Jack said with a theatrical shudder.  “I really can’t let anyone think I partake in such…forethought and such.  It would absolutely ruin my reputation.”

Olivia laughed out loud at his words.  His first thought was that she had a nice laugh.  His second was that he hadn’t heard it nearly enough.

“Besides,” he continued and turned to see Natalie, Betty, and Jasmine standing against the bulkhead in their dress whites.  “I have something I need to do planetside.”  Which reminded him.  He had something to do up here as well.

“Oh?” Olivia asked.

Jack smiled and lashed out at Charles with a single punch.  It impacted directly on his bicep and the man recoiled in a mix of shock and pain.

“Ow!” Charles exclaimed.  “What was that for?”

Jack smiled at him.  “Natalie.”

The indignation on Charles’ face fell away.  “Oh.”  He cleared his throat.  “Right.  Touché,” he finished with a sheepish look.

Olivia looked back and forth between the two of them.  “Do I have to separate you two?”

“Nope,” Jack said with a smile that professed total and complete innocence.  “I think we understand each other completely.”

“Indeed,” Charles added and rubbed his bicep with a wince.

“Boys,” she whispered under her breath and rolled her eyes.  “Fine then.  Go,” she ordered with another laugh.  “Get out of here before you ruin my reputation as a hard-as-nails captain.”

Jack aimed one of his best smiles at her.  She’d done well today.  She had since Epsilon Reticuli actually.  He’d thought her just another cruiser captain back then.  Not that there was anything wrong with that, but he’d seen a lot of starships in the last two years.  But Aneerin was right.  She was better than most.  And if she could avoid eating a bullet she might just prove herself better than that.  She just needed some friends to keep her from eating that bullet.  Not that she needed protection.  He’d never suggest that, even in the privacy of his own mind.  But maybe he could be a friend.  He didn’t say that though.  He just said, “Yes, Ma’am,” and turned away.

He really did have a very important date down planetside.  And he did not intend to be late for it.  Natalie, Betty, and Jasmine smiled as he approached them.  “M’ladies?”

The cybers glanced at each other and turned towards his Avenger.  He followed in their wake and sighed.  Today was going to be a seriously long day.  He looked forward to every minute of it.