The Cockroach Crusade, page 32
“Okay,” she said, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender. “Do they have any family that you know of, these people you’ve mentioned?”
“I don’t know about the others, but Holchuk’s daughter Madeline is aboard this ship. She’d been looking for him for a long time and never got a chance to know him. I think it would mean a great deal to her to be able to remember him with pride.”
“I see.” Nelligan got to her feet. “I think you’re wrong, Drew. There are heroes among the living.”
Then she left.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
FROM: Drew Townsend, Manager of Station Operations, Daisy Hub
TO: Patricia Chen, Chair, Earth High Council
EARTH DATE: October 9, 2402
SECURITY STATUS: Restricted
First, I want to thank you for your kind words regarding Daisy Hub’s contribution to the defeat of the Corvou. It’s always good to be appreciated. Thank you as well for your condolences, and for the offer to reward us survivors by decommissioning Daisy Hub and letting each of us choose our own next posting.
After conferring with my crew, I am prepared to give you our collective answer: Without exception, we wish to be reposted to Daisy Hub. The fact that we dug in and fought to defend the station when we could have been evacuated to safety by the Marco Polo tells you how deeply we feel about this place. It’s our home. It may be damaged, but it can be repaired. In fact, if you really want to reward us, you can put in some upgrades while you’re at it. There’s a list of suggestions attached to this memo. I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s not much to ask in exchange for saving Humanity.
Dr. Deneuve, the Supervisor of Medical Services aboard the Marco Polo, has diagnosed us as suffering from post-traumatic stress, and is recommending that we receive psychological counseling aboard a medical services hub, and then spend a standard year in “a peaceful environment, surrounded by friends and family”. (You do see the irony here, I hope.) Eighteen to twenty Earth months should provide sufficient time for Daisy Hub and Zulu to be fixed up and reinstalled in shared orbit, perhaps not around Helena, but certainly together; because the Rangers in that detachment have become de facto members of our crew as well.
(Be advised that Captain Rodrigues is sending a separate memo to his superiors, echoing this sentiment and requesting a continuation of his own and his detachment’s assignment to Zulu.)
As for the rumors you’ve heard about Daisy Hub “going Nandrian”: They’re true, but only up to a point. Everyone involved in this war did whatever they had to in order to win it, regardless of how it might appear to those on the sidelines. And, as everyone should know, both rumors and appearances can be extremely unreliable.
Sincerely,
Drew Townsend
Station Manager, Daisy Hub
APPENDIX
RESIDENTS OF THE SIC TRANSIT TERRA UNIVERSE 2401 C.E.
The Battle of Daisy Hub in 2402 C.E. marked a turning point in the history of Humankind. It was the first time Earth had fought alongside other races in an interstellar conflict. Although the Fleet was decimated, losing more than half its fighters and nearly two-thirds of its larger vessels, our participation in that war won Earth many alien allies, laying the foundation for our recognition by the Galactic Great Council.
— Sic Transit Terra, An Unauthorized Planetary History
(2673 C.E.)
DAISY HUB
(Station crew complement – 47)
Station Manager: Drew Townsend
Assistant Station Manager: Ruby ‘Mom’ McNeil
Supervisor of Medical Services: Dr. Marion Ktumba, M.D., Ph.D., F.T.C.P.S.
Asst. Supervisor of Medical Services: Dr. Ivan Petroff, D.D.S.
Nurse Counselor: Ellen Fermi, M.N.S., M.S.W.
Head of Security: Orville (Orvy) Hagman
Security Officers: Oswald (Ozzie) Deniro, Schuyler (Sky) Tate
Chief Cargo Inspector: Gavin Holchuk
Cargo Inspectors: Teri Mintz, Lu Xensiu, Robert O’Malley
Dockmaster: Jeff Racine
Dock Workers: Simon (Shim) Rothstein, Ronald (Ronnie) Kowalski, Ben Nguyen
Station Chef: Friedrich (Fritz) Jensen
Sous-chef: Nora Duvall
Agronomist/Nutritionist: Ajda Gray
Supervisor of Engineering and Maintenance: Jason Smith
Waste and Water Management: Tannis Walker
Small Craft Maintenance and Propulsion Systems Management: Lucas Soaring Hawk
Communications/Data Systems Management: Lydia Garfield
Electrical/Field Generator Management: Devanan Singh
General Maintenance/Structural Integrity Engineer: Spiro Gouryas
Exterior Maintenance Specialists: Will DeVries, Niles Detmar, April Yorke, Carla Phillips, Juan Ramez
Interior Custodial Team: George Lewis, Eve Bosse, Chris Flanagan
Technical Support Staff: Masha Arkady, Park Sun, Vera Beale, Jill Wing, Raymond Oolalong
Floating General Staff: Doug Mossman, Ulli Leininen, Marty Fehr, Eli Gross, Hammond (Ham) Averil, Mahmoud (Mo) Sallah, Thomas Johansen, Ella Verplanck
Alien Spy in Residence: Vin Trager, a Stragori moderate using the name Max Karlov
Friendly alien visitors: Odysseus (a Mitradean), Agnosk ban Sitgaram and Nagor ban Nagoram (Nandrian warriors commanding warships), Vixor ban Jorisam (the Nandrian warmaster)
OBSERVATION PLATFORM ZULU
(Detachment complement – 15)
Commanding Officer: SIS Captain Paul Rodrigues
Second in Command: Lieutenant Stuart Carlisle
Sergeants: Jacques Dupuis, Norman Shuster, David Orlov
Constables: Edward (Ned) Baker, Alvin DeGroot, Samir Gabel, Daniel Weissman, Luca Almadoro, John Grover Pitts, William (Bill) Diaz, Jimmy Phan, Pao Deng Li, Ari Kanitz
THE FLEET STAR CRUISER MARCO POLO
(Ship’s complement – 200)
Commanded by: Captain Hiromasu Takamura
Second in Command: Senior Watch Commander Gael Dedrick
Dedrick’s ward/cousin: Lania Dedrick
Third in Command: Watch Commander Leslie Eberhart
Supervisor of Medical Services: Dr. Sylvie Deneuve, M.D., Ph.D., F.T.C.P.S.
Supervisor of Counseling Services: Dr. Emil Marchenko, M.D., F.T.C.P.S.
Chief Engineering Officer: Lt. Victor Tsieng
Landing Deck Controller: Ensign Dawn Petersen
Decontamination Team: Chief Petty Officer Marilyn Eames (leader), Able Spacer Alex Topsias, plus seven other crew members
Communications (Bridge): Ensign Gerald Brandt, Lt. Liam Hammersmith, Lt. Karine Leblanc
Tactical (Bridge): Ensign Christopher Harding, Lt. Dale Gardner, Ensign Evelyn Aubrecht
Ship’s Botanist: Professor Jordan Tam
Ship’s Field Physicists: Dr. Klaus Hesl, Dr. Charles Kuzinski
THE EARTH INTELLIGENCE SERVICE
Chief of Intelligence: Juno Vargas (formerly Olivia Townsend, Drew’s older sister), also Chief Adjudicator for New Chicago
Vargas’s Executive Assistant: Angeli A. Angeli
Chief of Operations: Barry Novak (formerly Tommy Novotny, aka Rex Regum, leader of the Warrior Kings street gang), also CEO of SecuriTech Incorporated
Locally assigned operatives: Zane ‘Man Mountain’ DeWitt, Silas ‘Bad Boy’ Croft, Alfredo ‘Cheech’ Mendez, Dooley Robinson, Nate Eastman, plus other members of the original Warrior Kings gang, now employed by SecuriTech
Head of Research and Development: Dr. Randall Chin (formerly Dr. Nayo Naguchi, a world-renowned geneticist and medical researcher)
Confidential Advisor: Melville Ridout, Chief of Security for New Chicago, member of the District Council, voting member and past Deputy Chair of Space Installation Security Covert Operations
Civilian employee: Sam Eberhart (Leslie Eberhart’s brother)
Alien spy in captivity: Nestor Quan, a Stragori radical being held by Earth Intelligence Ops
EARTH HIGH COUNCIL
Arbo Lugaparathan, Supreme Adjudicator for Indo-Asia
Lynette Ellenshaw, Supreme Adjudicator for Americas
Rhys Amis, Supreme Adjudicator for Greater Europe
Darwin Buru, Supreme Adjudicator for the League of African Nations
Patricia Chen, Chair of the High Council and Supreme Adjudicator for Pacifica
Flag Admiral Corbin Wickes, Fleet Liaison to the High Council
Dr. Dermot Rhodes, liaison between Earth’s government and the Stragori Directorate
FLEET COMMAND
Chief Admiral Bryce McPherson, Commander in Chief
Admiral Harlan Tang, Commander, Fleet Control
Admiral Monica Jacobi, Commander of Operations
Vice-Admiral Kendra Nelligan, Operations Supervisor, Fleet Control
PLANETARY SECURITY FORCE
Captain Keith Axelrod, commanding the Planetary Security transport vessel Priam
General George Bascomb, Commander in Chief
ALIENS ABOARD THE MELKARIT
Ixbeth Minegar, Docent of Human Studies at the Kularian Archives
Gorse Pirrit, Ixbeth’s mate, an inventor and engineer
Yorell Enne, Prime Docent at the Central Archives on Reyi’it and a Reyot High Councilor
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Details
The Cockroach Crusade
Sic Transit Terra Book 5
by Arlene F. Marks
Copyright © 2019 by Arlene F. Marks
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published by
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HADES PUBLICATIONS, INC.
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e-Book ISBN: 978-1-77053-195-6
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Arlene F. Marks, The Cockroach Crusade
