Starhawk

Chapter 55

DRAKE PEIFER, IN the Baumbachner, needed another two days to get back to the Wheel. Priscilla had just finished conducting a tour and was on her way to her office when she received a call from Morgan White. “They’ll be here in about thirty minutes,” he said. “We thought you might like to come down and be the comm op who brings them in.”

She needed a boost. “Yes. Absolutely, Morgan. Should I dress for the occasion?”

“Just come as you are, beautiful. We’ll have champagne for the occasion.”

She called Frank’s office and left a message letting him know where she was going. But he and Patricia were already at the operations center when she arrived. And, as usually happens when a ship comes in, a crowd of sightseers had shown up. Appropriately enough, Yoshie was the op on duty, but she got up and gave her seat to Priscilla. “Live mike,” she said.

“Starhawk,” she said. “Get ready to turn control over to us.”

Drake laughed. “Hi, Priscilla. Ready when you are.”

“How’d you know it was me?”

“Who else calls this happy wreck Starhawk?”

“I’ll drink to that,” said Morgan, looking at the champagne.

She pushed a white pad, and the launch doors began to open. The Baumbachner was visible on one of her screens, silhouetted against a full moon. She relayed the ship’s ID information. “Okay, Drake,” she said, “we’ll take it.”

“All yours, Ops,” said Drake.

An amber lamp blinked on. He’d relinquished control. She transferred it over to the AI. And they watched as the ship made its final approach, slowed, and eased into the bay. All engines shut down, and it floated directly to delta dock, where the magnets took hold and locked it in place. An access tube reached out to it and connected with the air lock. Then, after a few seconds, the hatch opened, and they came out, Denise and Mary, Tony, Brandon, Samantha, and, finally, Drake.

They exited the tube, and everybody applauded. There were smiles, embraces, and laughter all around. Drake came over to Priscilla. “Good show, Hutch,” he said. “I think you have a new career, if you want one.” He saw people headed for the champagne and joined them.

“You know,” said Denise, “you enjoy referring to that”—she indicated the Baumbachner—“as the Starhawk. But you’re the starhawk. You and Drake and Preacher and Easy and the rest of them. And Jake—”

Morgan popped the cork.