fed the Jumakas at meal time, but now the kitchen staff took over that duty. The big cats were fed at the same time every day in a small dining room near the kitchen area. Jenetta's instructions were that the Jumakas were to receive all they could eat at meal time, with no extra food between meals.
~ ~ ~
Jenetta had begun marking the days off a calendar she'd printed that showed when Hugh would arrive. Among the many things occupying her mind, the arrival of Hugh was by far the most important to her. She was brought up out of her reverie when the phone on her desk rang.
"Azula Carver," she said as she picked up the receiver.
"Your Grace, this is Captain Pwuhvasqu. We've just been contacted by a GSC ship in orbit. They say they're coming down to the palace and request landing instructions."
"They're landing?"
"Yes, your Grace."
"A shuttle?"
"I don't believe so, Your Grace. They identified it as a CPS-14, and asked if our shuttle pad could accommodate it. I told them to stand by while I checked."
"Ahh. A CPS-14 is an enormously large deep-space tug, Captain. It's a bit too large to be properly accommodated on our shuttle pad. Have them land in the open field outside the palace walls. And extend them every normal visitor courtesy while they're here."
"Of course, your Grace."
~
Roughly thirty-five minutes later, a CPS-14 settled onto the large empty field to the west of the palace walls. Jenetta walked out to the craft with a detail of her security people. She didn't treat it like a state visit because no one of importance had been identified as being aboard the ship.
The CPS-14 had been assembled with four of the half-width cargo containers beneath its keel, and it was on these that the entire weight of the small interstellar ship rested. The containers had been specially designed to function as undercarriage support for a CPS-14, and they were well suited for the job. Each container had a hydraulic leg in each of the four bottom corners. The sixteen legs would extend out once the craft was near the ground and keep the ship level at all times. If the ship sensed that the ground might be too soft to provide good support, it would alert the bridge crew before the oh-gee power systems were shut down. Once settled on the ground, the top area of the ship, usually referred to as the sail, was some thirty meters above the ground. The ship appeared fairly small when alongside a destroyer in space, but here on the planet it seemed enormous.
As Jenetta and her security force reached the ship, a hatch near the bottom of one of the center-located cargo containers opened and two Space Command officers stepped out. Seeing the security detail approaching, they straightened their uniforms and waited near the ship. When the detail reached them, the senior officer took one step forward, both came to attention, and then saluted. "Admiral Carver, I present to you a new CPS-14 to use as your personal barge while you are on leave from Region Two."
Jenetta returned the salute and said, ""My personal barge?"
Extending a viewpad, the lieutenant said, "Yes, ma'am. Here's a message from Admiral Moore."
Jenetta accepted the viewpad, and said, "And what is your name, Lieutenant?"
The lieutenant became a bit red-faced. Officers and enlisted were supposed to identify themselves immediately upon meeting or encountering a superior. But Jenetta was used to such responses from junior officers when they met her for the first time. Meeting a general officer face to face was a bit intimidating for a junior officer, and meeting a four-star— not to mention one as famous as Admiral Carver— could be a bit overwhelming.
"Uh, sorry, Admiral, ma'am. I'm Lieutenant Clancy McDonnell, and this is Lieutenant(jg) Brandy Pfeiffer. We're a third of the bridge crew for your new barge, Admiral."
"And your orders are just to standby until I wish to go somewhere?"
"Yes, Admiral. The ship is fully stocked and we can remain here for up to five years
~ ~ ~
Jenetta had begun marking the days off a calendar she'd printed that showed when Hugh would arrive. Among the many things occupying her mind, the arrival of Hugh was by far the most important to her. She was brought up out of her reverie when the phone on her desk rang.
"Azula Carver," she said as she picked up the receiver.
"Your Grace, this is Captain Pwuhvasqu. We've just been contacted by a GSC ship in orbit. They say they're coming down to the palace and request landing instructions."
"They're landing?"
"Yes, your Grace."
"A shuttle?"
"I don't believe so, Your Grace. They identified it as a CPS-14, and asked if our shuttle pad could accommodate it. I told them to stand by while I checked."
"Ahh. A CPS-14 is an enormously large deep-space tug, Captain. It's a bit too large to be properly accommodated on our shuttle pad. Have them land in the open field outside the palace walls. And extend them every normal visitor courtesy while they're here."
"Of course, your Grace."
~
Roughly thirty-five minutes later, a CPS-14 settled onto the large empty field to the west of the palace walls. Jenetta walked out to the craft with a detail of her security people. She didn't treat it like a state visit because no one of importance had been identified as being aboard the ship.
The CPS-14 had been assembled with four of the half-width cargo containers beneath its keel, and it was on these that the entire weight of the small interstellar ship rested. The containers had been specially designed to function as undercarriage support for a CPS-14, and they were well suited for the job. Each container had a hydraulic leg in each of the four bottom corners. The sixteen legs would extend out once the craft was near the ground and keep the ship level at all times. If the ship sensed that the ground might be too soft to provide good support, it would alert the bridge crew before the oh-gee power systems were shut down. Once settled on the ground, the top area of the ship, usually referred to as the sail, was some thirty meters above the ground. The ship appeared fairly small when alongside a destroyer in space, but here on the planet it seemed enormous.
As Jenetta and her security force reached the ship, a hatch near the bottom of one of the center-located cargo containers opened and two Space Command officers stepped out. Seeing the security detail approaching, they straightened their uniforms and waited near the ship. When the detail reached them, the senior officer took one step forward, both came to attention, and then saluted. "Admiral Carver, I present to you a new CPS-14 to use as your personal barge while you are on leave from Region Two."
Jenetta returned the salute and said, ""My personal barge?"
Extending a viewpad, the lieutenant said, "Yes, ma'am. Here's a message from Admiral Moore."
Jenetta accepted the viewpad, and said, "And what is your name, Lieutenant?"
The lieutenant became a bit red-faced. Officers and enlisted were supposed to identify themselves immediately upon meeting or encountering a superior. But Jenetta was used to such responses from junior officers when they met her for the first time. Meeting a general officer face to face was a bit intimidating for a junior officer, and meeting a four-star— not to mention one as famous as Admiral Carver— could be a bit overwhelming.
"Uh, sorry, Admiral, ma'am. I'm Lieutenant Clancy McDonnell, and this is Lieutenant(jg) Brandy Pfeiffer. We're a third of the bridge crew for your new barge, Admiral."
"And your orders are just to standby until I wish to go somewhere?"
"Yes, Admiral. The ship is fully stocked and we can remain here for up to five years
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