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missile tubes, and eighteen plasma launchers, mounted on each of her broad sides were a grim<br />
reminder of what her ship self had been built for. The bow of her ship self though, that was<br />
where she paid the most attention.<br />
The hammerhead design of her ship self was what set the new generation of Guardian-Class<br />
ships apart from the old cigar-shaped ones. The large gravitic lance mounted in that hammerhead<br />
was the core of the ships new weapon systems.<br />
Her engineering crew was still working on a few of the bugs, and she noted that they had pulled<br />
number 14 missile tube entirely. If she really had wanted to, she could have taken an even closer<br />
look at what they were doing, but she trusted them. Lieutenant Sanders, her head Engineer, was<br />
as far as Julie was concerned, a miracle worker. The woman was built like a Scandinavian<br />
goddess, but she knew what she was doing.<br />
Once again she returned to her sensors, and scanned the area surrounding her ship self. North<br />
Star hung like a jewel against the darkness of night, a scant four hundred kilometers away. The<br />
cigar-shaped ship was a beehive of activity. Julie knew that if she looked at herself she'd see the<br />
same flurry of shuttles going to and from the surface bases, which dotted the Earth. It just<br />
seemed more impressive watching them surround the long length of North Star.<br />
The sight brought her a fierce stab of pain and fear. Pain that she could be so close to Emily, and<br />
yet so far away. The fear was for what would happen to the fragile Earth that lay suspended<br />
below her. Before the loneliness could drag her under, Julie retreated into her flesh and blood<br />
body.<br />
"I'll be in my ready room, Mr. Webster. You have the con."<br />
The young man in charge of the com station blinked in surprise and then rose hastily as he<br />
eagerly answered.<br />
"Yes, Ma'am!"<br />
He was one of those people who would have had glasses before the Re-gen treatments, and Julie<br />
had to smile at his exuberance. It had been a while since she'd felt that enthusiastic about<br />
something.<br />
Since New York you mean.<br />
Julie had no trouble at all ignoring the little voice in her head as she made her way to her<br />
sanctuary. Only it wasn't hers alone anymore. Clarice silently followed her through the doors<br />
from the Command Deck. A silent reminder that Emily didn't think she could trust her. It was a<br />
reminder that hurt the most.<br />
"Help yourself to something to drink, Clarice."
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