David Kantrowitz's Blog, page 12

Reckless Faith V: Chapter 7

 

The crews of the Faith and the Fox, save for Cane, had front row seats at the arena, as Tomoyasu had reserved those spots ahead of time. Unlike the last time Evangeline had visited this space, the arena was filled to capacity. Over 200 people had managed to squeeze inside, and some were forced to stand on the stairs of the bleachers just to get a view. The arena was ovoid, 50 meters on its long side, and despite the asteroid’s need to save power, Tomo had ordered the lights to be raised to full brightness. Even with the lighting, motionless stars could be seen through the dome that covered the arena.

A sense of anticipation hung in the air, though the atmosphere was solemn. There was no sport in this fight for the citizens of the Eagle, and no one seemed happy to be there. And yet, the guards had to turn many people away. The duel was being broadcast to anywhere with a screen, so those not fortunate enough to get a spot could still see the action in real time. Down on the floor, only the combatants and those they chose as their seconds were allowed. When Eva had fought Takeda, the previous Daimyo had allowed Taiko drummers to provide some additional excitement. Tomo had declined to use them.

The hushed conversation dwindled as the duelists and their companions entered from opposite sides. Tomo was dressed in a simple gray gi top and black hakama pants, with his favorite sword tucked through his belt on his left side. With similar attire was Ikari, his chosen second. Across from them were Cassie and Richter. Few words were exchanged between them as Richter handed Cassie the Tarsus blade, already unsheathed. She was wearing her normal clothing; form-fitting black pants, boots, and a black t-shirt, but had discarded her fur-rimmed jacket.

John whispered to Eva, who shared a bench with him. “Richter told me that he said very little to try to dissuade Cassie from this fight. He’s not happy about it, but agreed to stand by her side anyway.”

Eva nodded, and Tomo held up his hand for silence. He spoke, his voice easily carrying through the arena’s excellent acoustics.

“As most of you already know, Lyra Cassiopeia has challenged me to mononofu ketto, as is her right as a citizen. My official declaration is that if I am killed on this day, she will earn the rank of Daimyo and become your next leader. You are all witnesses to this declaration. That is all.”

Tomo drew his sword and handed the scabbard to Ikari, then strode forward to meet Cassie at the center of the arena. They remained separated by about three meters. He bowed to her, so she awkwardly returned the gesture. Her gaze was like stone, while Tomo seemed perfectly calm. He grasped his sword with both hands and held it forward. Cassie kept her weapon in one hand, down by her side. The arena was dead quiet.

“Begin!” bellowed Ikari.

Cassie ran forward with a shriek, raising her sword to her shoulder. Tomo didn’t move until she was almost on top of him. He sidestepped, easily avoiding a diagonal strike from her, and whipped around with a sideways counter. Her momentum carried her away from the blade, but the tip managed to nick her shoulder. She spun around and didn’t even glance at the wound.

Though both of them moved like demons, Tomo was better at dodging. After several exchanges, Cassie bled from minor cuts on her arms, legs, and left hip. The injuries weren’t slowing her down, and after a full minute of dancing around each other, both fighters were getting winded. For the first time yet, their blades actually contacted each other, the dull metallic report echoing through the arena. Cassie seemed willing to use her sword as a blunt object, but Tomo was making an effort to let her strikes slide off of his blade. During a lull in her recovery, he found the opportunity to land a front kick on her chest. She reeled back, in obvious pain, and at last an expression of doubt crossed her face.

As Tomo had hoped, her pain made her sloppy, and she lunged forward without thinking of her footing. When Tomo blocked her downward strike, she wasn’t able to shift her balance quickly enough, and stopped cold. Before she could step back, he severed her right leg at the knee. As she fell, Tomo planted the pommel of his sword on the ground and braced the spine with his left hand. Cassie fell on the blade, and ran it through her abdomen all the way to the hilt.

The audience gasped. Tomo allowed her to topple over, and gracelessly withdrew his sword from her body.

“Fuck,” said Cassie, and stopped breathing.

Richter rushed over and knelt at her side. The life was already fading from her eyes. Tomo bowed again, and accepted a rag from Ikari to clean the blood from his sword.

Speaking softly, Richter put his hand on Cassie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry your questions had to be answered like this.”

“I took no pleasure in this fight,” began Tomo. “I wish I could have convinced her that she would’ve had peace here. What do you want to do with the body?”

Richter picked up his sword and stood up. “Cassie was so sure she’d win, she never even considered where she wanted to be buried. I guess it will have to be here.”

“I’ll make the arrangements. Everyone deserves a final resting place.”

In the stands, the audience had begun filing out on either side of the arena. John shook his head.

“Such a pointless death,” he said.

“She never even landed a blow on Tomoyasu,” replied Eva.

“None of us ever really trusted her. Perhaps our sympathy after the destruction of the Vulture was misguided, but after that she never showed us any animosity. At least she died in a manner of her own choosing.”

John, Ari, and Eva left the stands and joined Richter by Cassie’s body. Four Eaglite citizens wearing dark blue overalls entered, carrying a stretcher. An unzipped body bag was on top. The four visitors stepped back while the workers collected the corpse. One of the workers spoke.

“Is she carrying anything you want to take before we go?”

“No,” said Richter.

Without ceremony, the workers zipped up the body bag and carried her out, leaving nothing but blood.

John looked at Richter. “I noticed you didn’t come back to the ship last night.”

“Yes, I stayed at the dojo with Cassie. It seemed like the least I could do.”

Ari asked, “So did either of you get any sleep? Talk all night?”

“Oh, there was very little conversation, really.”

John and Ari looked at him with mild surprise. He remained inscrutable.

“Okay, bud,” said John.

“Anyone want to go grab some lunch? I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

“No thanks,” said John and Ari.

“I’ll go with you,” said Eva. “John, what’s our current time table?”

“Christie and Cane are still working on the overdrive device for the Fox. Everyone is free to do what they want until they’re done. Just stay within contact, and I’ll give the word when we’re ready to head to Dellal.”

“All right then. I guess we’ll see you later.”

John and Ari headed to the exit where most of the others were waiting for them, and Eva and Richter went towards the opposite side.

“I didn’t know you had feelings for Cassie,” said Eva.

“She had stronger feelings for me than vice-versa. I was mostly concerned that she was making a rational decision going up against Tomoyasu. It was pointless since her rationale was perfectly sound to her.”

“And you didn’t think you were taking advantage of her, considering her state of mind?”

Richter looked at her. “Are you asking that because of what happened between us?”

“No, it just seems like an odd choice for you.”

“She offered, I declined. I was just screwing with Scherer. Under different circumstances, maybe.”

“I gotcha.”

The pair exited the arena and paused on the street. At the center of the city, there were any number of places they could easily find a meal. After a brief discussion, they decided on a new sushi restaurant that had just opened. Prior to opening up trade with Primus and Secundus, the idea of fish on the Eagle was just a feverish dream. Eva had a pretty good idea of its location, so they resumed walking. Richter renewed the conversation.

“After that shit in San Diego, and you joined the CIA, we were too focused on our careers to allow for a relationship. I had always hoped that our paths would cross again. When I joined the crew of the Reckless Faith, I figured I’d never see you again. How odd that we’ve been reunited so far from home. Devonai always saw you as a sister, but I’ve always been attracted to you. I don’t regret what happened between us, Eva.”

Eva blushed slightly, the effect invisible due to the low light. “What if Cassie had been the victor today?”

“Then she would be far too distracted by her new role as Daimyo to pay me any mind. Just for the record, I never agreed to be her mate, First Gentleman, or whatever you want to call it. I found her suggestion that I could rule a civilization with her to be perverse. My role here is to win battles and to keep my people alive, and my allegiance is to the Reckless Faith.”

“Anything could happen from here out, and we’re assigned to different ships. My allegiance is to the Fox, just so we’re clear. As long as our goals coincide, then we’ll be allies. Since you seem to be asking for a relationship, all I can say is that I’m open to the idea, but we both have far more pressing priorities right now. I haven’t forgotten what you’ve done for me, Chance.   And I’d be lying if I said our personal time together meant nothing to me.”

Richter sighed. “I’m not asking for a relationship, Eva. I just want to clear the air. I haven’t forgotten that from your perspective, a lot of time has passed since we went our separate ways. Hell, technically you’re older than me now.”

Eva smiled. “It is confusing. How old are you now?”

“29.”

“Heh, you’re right. I’m 36. Funny how the universe works.”

“The universe flipped the script! You’re a cougar now! Sweet.”

Eva rolled her eyes. “Just for that, you’re buying lunch.”

 

Four hours later, Daimyo Kitsune and his senior staff stood with the crews of the Faith and Fox in the Eagle’s frigid main hangar. It was time for the ships to depart, and Tomoyasu was there to give them a proper send-off. With the Secundian engineers left to design a new reactor, and the overdrive device successfully installed on the Fox, there was nothing keeping them on the Eagle any longer. The overdrive device was projected to boost the top speed of the Fox by a factor of 25, meaning the trip to Dellal would take 8 days, but they also suspected the boost would put additional wear and tear on critical systems. So they hoped that after the initial journey, it wouldn’t be needed again until the return trip.

Maoko had joined the group on the landing platform. She, Tomo, and Vecky were sharing a tearful farewell. Though neither of her parents had spent enough time with her for their liking, the girl was adamant about her new mission. Most of the crew of the Reckless Faith had already boarded, leaving just John, Ray, and Ari, and Evangeline waited with Cane and Talyn by the ramp to the Fox’s shuttle.

While Vecky and her folks exchanged their goodbyes, Ikari got a call on his radio. He waited until his boss and his family were done before speaking quietly to him. Tomo nodded, and turned back toward those on the platform.

“I feel foolish asking this question, but I have to. Did you decide to take Cassiopeia’s body with you?”

“Not us,” John replied.

“Same here,” began Eva. “Why, what’s up?”

Tomo said, “Her body is missing from our morgue.”

Vecky looked ashen. “We’re sure she was dead, right?”

“There’s no chance she survived that,” said Ari. “Her only genetic enhancement was longevity, not Wolverine regeneration powers. Richter almost killed her before, with a much less grave injury. No way she got up and crawled away.”

“You don’t have surveillance cameras in the hospital?” asked John.

Tomo shook his head. “Just on the exterior and in the lobby. We’ll begin a search and check the recordings. Most likely someone stole the body, for what purpose I have no idea.”

“Do you want our help?”

“No thank you, I have plenty of people for that. You should be on your way.”

With a final round of farewells, Tomo and his contingent headed back toward the city. The others stood on the platform, befuddled. John looked at Vecky and Eva.

“Tell me again what happened a couple of hours ago,” he said.

Eva replied, “Vecky, Miriam and I all got lightheaded and felt the presence of the Kira’To. For any one of us individually, it might have been nothing, but for all three of us? I bet they took the body.”

“What would they want with a corpse?” asked Ray. “And don’t you want to tell Tomoyasu about this incident?”

“No clue,” said John. “As far as the Daimyo, he already knows what happened. I left it up to him to bring it up, if he had any suspicions about the Kira’To.”

Cane said, “If they still have the ability to take people from the Eagle, even without one of their own present, then that’s troubling, to say the least.”

“If I had to guess I’d say it’s the 60kg of neptunium we brought aboard. We think it may be one way for them to reach beyond their dimension.”

“What else can we do?” asked Eva. “They need the neptunium. We won’t get any answers here, John. It’s time for us to find the Swan.”

 

 

__________

 

It was a monumental day for the People of the Swan, and Acolyte Dann was beside himself with anticipation. He stood in the small personal chamber that was adjacent to his offices, painstakingly scrutinizing his ceremonial vestments in the mirror. It had been 117 years since the last Visitor had arrived, so there was no one left alive who remembered the last occasion. However, the procedures for the ceremony were meticulously described, and his role as Acolyte was clear.

In those many years since the arrival of the last Visitor, the Galactic Union of the Swan had expanded considerably. While the ceremonies and celebrations would be of little interest to the outer settlements, it was a pretty big deal at home. Dann smoothed out the front of his robe, and returned to his main office. His new assistant, another Kau’Rii by the name of Latael, stood out on the balcony. He joined her, and they wordlessly checked each other’s garb. Her robes were identical to his; resplendent crimson, hemmed close to the shoulders and hips, with wide, bell-shaped sleeves. As Acolyte, Dann also wore a royal purple sash. The colors did not work well together, but tradition was more important than aesthetics. She nodded at him, and they gazed out over the capitol city.

The oracle’s announcement of a Visitor has already been made public, but so far there was no visible change in the city. The Visitor would need several days of orientation before the parade could be held, so there was plenty of time to set up and decorate. The city was already a beautiful place, assiduously maintained and monitored, and the celebratory adornments would only add to the spectacle. Unfortunately the capitol was too small to accommodate all of the expected visitors, so aside from the required dignitaries and representatives, there would have to be a lottery. That was not, however, Dann’s problem; his role in the daily operations of the government was limited. All he had to worry about was the Visitor, and if everything went smoothly, he wouldn’t even have to talk to God.

Dann fidgeted with his communicator earpiece. In addition to keeping him connected with the command center, it would provide instantaneous translation of whatever language the Visitor spoke. If God wanted to talk to him, he would simply hear His voice in his head. Fortunately, God seldom spoke directly with Dann or anyone else, which was a good thing. God could frequently be quite a pain in the ass. Dann thought about this as he looked out over the city; the architecture and layout of the capitol was a perfect example of this.

For such a normally passive deity, His keen interest in city planning was strange, almost as if He treated it like one of those civilization simulator games. Every building, no matter how small or insignificant, was built with marble and alabaster, and the roofs were made of gleaming imported copper. In the mornings, once the sun rose over the dome, Dann couldn’t even stand to be on his balcony, the glare was so intense. It was pretty, to be sure, but if a terrestrial city tried the same thing then nearby pilots would be augering in their ships on a daily basis. Other than that, He laid out plans for every square inch of block, street, and yard. Every so often He would even order a building torn down and rebuilt elsewhere, with a new structure or park replacing it, for no apparent reason other than boredom. Such was the privilege of being God, Dann supposed.

A familiar voice buzzed in his ear. “Acolyte Dann, this is Commcent. Something is happening down here.”

“Acknowledged,” he replied, then turned to Latael. “It’s time.”

“I hope it is a nice person,” she said.

“Me, too,” he said, heading for the hallway. “We’ve never had a problem here, but there are stories of difficult Visitors from the other asteroids.”

Latael followed him, and they descended the stairs to the street. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but my parents used to tell me stories that were different from what I learned at school. They say that a Visitor revolt is the real reason we lost contact with the Eagle. Is that true?”

“Unofficially? Who knows. There’s no conspiracy behind it, as much as the Proles in the pubs would like there to be. We only know that a Visitor earned his citizenship, and sought to become their leader. If he succeeded, then obviously God would have to be okay with it. Either way, an asteroid in transit could suffer from a damaged transceiver and not find replacement parts for centuries. I wouldn’t assume an explanation any more complicated than that.”

“And the Vulture?”

Dann looked at her grimly. “We know even less about what happened to the Vulture.”

It was a five minute walk to the command center. They encountered few citizens on the street on the way there, but earned the stares of those they did. Dann couldn’t blame them for their attention, the ceremonial vestments were rarely seen. It bothered him a little, though; even as Acolyte he was normally a very private person. He found himself wishing that the day would hurry up and be over.

They arrived at the command center, and the guards quickly ushered them into the ground floor lobby. They were met by General Redcliff, a native Cygnian and a normally dour man. Today he was wearing his formal military dress uniform and a big smile. The uniform consisted of a dark blue suit, a crimson shirt and tie, golden epaulets, and his sidearm in a white leather flap holster. Standing beside him was Chief Medical Officer Herlen, another Kau’Rii. She was wearing her considerably less formal light blue surgeon’s gown and overcoat, and carried a full medical kit on her shoulder. They exchanged brief greetings, and headed for the elevator.

The four of them were the only ones authorized to enter the arrival chamber, so they began their descent immediately. The chamber was about halfway between the surface and the reactor at the heart of the asteroid. A humming vibration could be felt before the elevator even stopped moving. They stepped out into a cold, dark hallway, a feeling of excitement obviously mutual between them. They breathlessly traversed the hallway and, after the general had entered an access code, stepped into the chamber. The room was divided in half, with a large observation window and a sturdy door separating the sections. It had been recently cleaned, but still smelled of ancient dust.

The humming sound increased in volume. A point of light appeared in the exact center of the segregated area, and grew in intensity. The contingent stared in awe for as long as they could, until it was too bright to see. They shielded their eyes as the vibrations built to a crescendo. The room shuddered violently, and the noise and light abruptly ceased. They blinked and waited for their eyes to adjust. Dann felt all of his fur stand on end.

On the floor in the center of the room, there was no person, just a small, crumpled black and red object. The group glanced at each other in confusion. Herlen accessed a small panel on the wall, and spoke almost in a whisper.

“I’m getting a trace amount of ionizing radiation, nothing dangerous. It’s safe to go in.”

Dann stepped up, it was his job to make first contact with… whatever that thing was. Of course they expected it to be a humanoid, but one had to keep an open mind, of course. Air hissed past the door as he opened it, and he cautiously approached the object. He poked it with his foot, then bent over to pick it up. He recoiled in horror, utterly confused.

“It’s a leg.”

Reckless Faith V: Chapter 6

 

Daimyo Kitsune was having a busy morning.  So far, his walk with Maoko had been the only peaceful part of it.  Even though he had only been leader of the Eagle for a few weeks, he had quickly fallen into a routine of meetings, visits to areas that were experiencing problems, and, of course, martial arts practice.  The arrival of the Reckless Faith was a welcome change to his routine, despite the awkwardness of his conversations with Vecky.  He was proud of her, and wanted to get to know her better, but there was still lingering guilt over his decision to leave her with his brother Aoba all those years ago.

Tomo walked through the city on his way back from the library, where he had dropped off a trio of Secundian engineers with Eva and John.  To his right walked Cassie, who said little as they headed to the control center.  Their meeting would be brief; there was no need for too much formality for her to become a citizen, other than a simple explanation of her privileges and responsibilities, and her signature on the parchment.  Ikari had agreed to be a witness.

As planned, the trio gathered in Tomo’s common room.  The Daimyo sat behind his desk, and offered a squat bench for Cassie opposite him.  Ikari stood in the corner, silent.  The proclamation of citizenship, written out longhand, was already on the surface of the desk.  Its text, in kanji, was well beyond Cassie’s ability to read, so she sat down and waited for Tomo to begin.  The man pushed a clay inkwell toward her, which sported a genuine eagle feather quill.

“Shall we begin?” asked Tomo.

Cassie nodded.  “I’m ready.”

“Lyra Cassiopeia, by signing this document you are agreeing to all the privileges, immunities, and burdens of a full citizen of the Eagle.  Until your death, or you renounce these vows, you will always have a home here, as well as the responsibility to hold the welfare and safety of our citizens above your own, to meet any threat to the Eagle with complete devotion to us, and hold our reputation in the highest regard wherever your travels make take you.  If you agree to these terms, you may sign where indicated on the document.”

Cassie signed with a flourish.  “Done.”

“Then as Daimyo of the Eagle asteroid, one of the three great Stymphalian Raptors of Our Progenitors, I declare you a full citizen.”

Standing up slowly, Cassie looked Tomo in the eye.  There was an intensity to her gaze that he couldn’t understand until she spoke again.

“Daimyo Kitsune Tomoyasu, I challenge you to mononofu ketto.”

Tomo almost laughed before shock set in.  He gaped at Cassie, stunned into silence, before looking at Ikari.  His second in command was just as frozen, and seconds ticked by before Tomo could think of anything coherent to say.

“You can’t be serious,” he finally managed.

Cassie’s eyes bored a hole through his skull.  “I am.  Do you accept?”

Tomo stood up.  “I let you sign that document in good faith.  Was this your plan from the beginning?”

“What does it matter now?  I already had every right to challenge you, but I thought I’d be patient and play by your rules.  Besides, an assassination wouldn’t have gained me anything.”

Again, Tomo reeled with confusion.  “Why?”

Cassie walked toward the impressive collection of swords on display.  “My whole life, I’ve been beset by traitors, interlopers, tragedy, and defeat.  I was the only humanoid left alive on the Vulture, after a thousand years of glory.  Even after my home was destroyed, I survived.  I’ve earned a special place in the eyes of Our Progenitors, and fate has brought me here.  I’m owed the Eagle.”

Tomo stood up.  “They owe you peace, and you can have that here.  You’re a citizen now, you’ll be accepted.  Look, I can only assume that Reveki told you about mononofu ketto.  You are aware that it’s a fight to the death, right?  Once this challenge goes public, there’s no turning back.”

“I know,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.  “This is the only way I can be sure whether or not I’m still in favor with Our Progenitors.”

“I disagree.  If I can’t convince you otherwise, perhaps your friends might.  Will you at least do me the courtesy of talking to them before you commit to a duel to the death?”

Cassie turned away.  “I already know what they’re going to say.  This is the only path left for me.  How long before we can get this done?”

Tomo sighed.  “I’ll need at least 24 hours, will you be ready this time tomorrow?”

“I’m ready now.”

“Very well.  The announcement will go out shortly.  This challenge must be met with the blade.  All of these swords are suitable; you may choose one now to acquaint yourself with by tomorrow.”

“I already have a similar weapon, thanks.  I would prefer to be left alone until the duel.  Is there somewhere I can prepare in solitude?”

Tomo looked at Ikari, so the other man replied.

“The main dojo will have several classes before tomorrow at noontime, but I believe the aikido dojo will remain vacant until then, barring any other citizens who may wander in for some personal practice.”

“Fine,” began Tomo.  “Escort her there, and make preparations for any meals she may want.”

“Respectfully, sir, I’ll have Daisuke do it.  I would like to speak with you.”

“Cassiopeia, Daisuke is in the control room.  Ask for him, and he’ll take you to the dojo.  Can I assume your weapon of choice is on the Faith?”

“It is,” she replied.

“I’ll contact the crew and have one of them bring it to you.  At the appointed time, you’ll be escorted to the arena.  Until then, I implore you to reconsider.”

Cassie nodded.  “I’ll see you in the arena, Daimyo.”

Without another word, Cassie exited.  Tomo and Ikari looked at each other in disbelief.

“Sir,” began Ikari, “I admire your commitment to the traditions of our home.  However, you’ve ushered in a new era for the Eagle.  If there was ever a time to rethink old ways, it’s now.”

“That may be, but the changes we’ve made are hardly being accepted universally among our citizens.  To refuse this challenge would call into doubt my own ascension to power.  I suppose I could have tried to silence Cassie, but that would have required either murder or imprisonment.  I’m afraid the challenge must stand.  Of course, I don’t need to tell you that I’ll take no pleasure in killing her.  It saddens me that she feels like this is her only option.”

“I wonder if Reveki also told her about your training.  Either she’s reckless, or confident enough in her own training to hope to win.”

Tomo huffed.  “I don’t care one way or the other.  If she’s inferior to me, then her supposition about the will of Our Progenitors will be correct.  I’m certainly not going to take the threat lightly.”

“Of course not, sir.”

“In the meantime, I’m far too busy to obsess about this fight.  I’ll be ready when the time comes.  Right now I need lunch, then we’ll check in on our Secundian engineers and see what they were able to glean from Adeler and Scherer.”

“And hopefully something about the location of the Swan.  You know, it’s too bad Cassie didn’t have the patience to find it.  She probably stands a better chance at taking it over than the Eagle.”

Tomo smiled wanly.  “Either way, Ikari, I’ll never know.”

 

 

__________

 

The conference room on the Reckless Faith was once again crammed past capacity, though with a different mix of people compared to the last time.  The crew of the Fox had joined them, but Cassie and Richter were absent.  After giving the newcomers a tour of his ship, John had called the meeting to share what he and Eva were able to find out about the Swan from their time in the library.  Before they could begin, however, there was something that needed to be stated first.  Vecky knew about the news already.  John stood by the large wall-mounted monitor and waited for the chatter to die down.

“This meeting is to share what we learned about the Swan.  First, though, you may notice that Richter and Cassie aren’t here.  Cassie has challenged Daimyo Kitsune to a duel for leadership of the Eagle.  By their traditions, any citizen may challenge the leader.  This is a fight to the death.  Richter has agreed to loan her the Tarsus blade for the duel, and he’s currently bringing it to her.  Cassie has requested that she be left alone until the fight, which is tomorrow at noon.  Despite my urging, she’s only agreed to see Richter until then.”

Ari leaned back in her chair.  “Does this really surprise anyone here?  Cassie was always a bit touched in the head.”

“Delusions of grandeur doesn’t even begin to describe it,” said Miriam.

“Whatever her motivations are,” began Vecky, “I believe this was her intention from the moment I told her Eva’s story.  It’s still a huge gamble; Tomoyasu is a formidable opponent.  In fact, I don’t think he can lose.”

“Richter and I can tell you, Cassie’s no slouch herself,” said Ari.  “I wouldn’t bet against her so quickly.”

“It’s pointless to speculate,” said John.  “Cassie believes this is the only way she can know the true will of the Kira’To.  Like myself, I’m sure many of you don’t think they give a shit at all.  Besides their genetic infusion program and the occasional cryptic dreams some of us have experienced, they don’t appear to have done anything but set up an elaborate string of dominos and knocked over the first one.  Anyway, we’re all invited.  For the newcomers to our crew, I’ll leave it up to you if you want to attend.”

Aldebaran said, “I don’t think Richter stands much of a chance of changing her mind.  It’s too bad that one way or another, we’ll be losing a member of our crew.”

“Richter is the last person who would try to talk her out of it,” said Ari.  “I doubt he’ll even offer his opinion.”

“I’m sure Tomo is regretting his decision to take her on as a citizen,” said Eva.  “A challenge for mononofu ketto from a non-citizen can simply be ignored.  You can be sure he’ll be more cautious from now on.”

“All right,” said John.  “Let’s not get too sidetracked.  There will be ample time to talk about it until tomorrow.  As to the purpose of this briefing, Eva, would you do the honors?”

Eva walked to the monitor, and brought up a star chart.  “Sure.  Okay, right now you all know some of the history of the asteroids.  Part of that history is that all three had the same starting point.  From what Cassie told us, that starting point may have been the star we know as Tarazed, or the Beam of the Scale, which is in the constellation Aquila, here.  John and I were able to find several references to the same star in the Eagle’s archives.  Beyond that, there wasn’t much to go on.  However, if we draw a line back to Tarazed from the Vulture’s location before it was destroyed, and the Eagle’s current location, we can see the dispersal of their travel paths.”

Eva pressed a key on her PDA, and lines appeared on the star chart.  John spoke again.

“As much as I hate to embark on a wild goose chase, we can only assume that the Swan followed a vector on a similar angle of dispersal that we see here.  Given the maximum possible speed of the Swan, and that it wouldn’t have headed toward empty space, we get two regions of interest.  Delta Sagittae, here, and 1 Vulpeculae, here.  Now, we’ve already been to Alpha and Beta Sagittae, and had access to the archives on Hayaku and Freedmen.  There are a few references to the Vulture, but none to the Swan.  So, we propose that 1 Vulpeculae be our starting point.”

Vecky said, “According to that chart, 1 Vulpeculae is (distance) light years from here.  It would take months for the Fox to traverse that distance.”

“Yes, and that leads to the next matter.  Ari?”

Ari stood up.  “When I was on the Almagest, we obtained an engine overdrive device.  I downloaded the schematics to our database.  The Faith doesn’t need it, but it may be possible to integrate it into the Fox’s stardrive.  If successful, you would be at least fast enough to cut the trip down to a week or less.”

Vecky shrugged.  “It’s worth a shot.”

“What’s 1 Vulpeculae called in our local parlance?” asked Cane.  “I’m not used to looking at the chart from this perspective.”

Eva accessed her PDA for a moment.  “Dhil Al Thaelab?”

Talyn laughed.  “We just call it Dellal.”

“Anything there of interest?” asked John.

“Sure,” replied Cane.  “I’ve never been there, but I know there’s a solar community that sprung up around a habitable moon of Dellal IV a couple hundred years ago.  Word is they’ve terraformed other planets in the solar system since then.  I never had a reason to venture out that far.”

“Do you know how they feel about visitors?”

“No, but a quick search of the ‘net would answer that question.”

“Okay.  It sounds like we have a plan.  Christie, I would like you to assist Ari and the crew of the Fox with fabricating and installing the overdrive device.”

“No problem,” said Christie’s voice.

“Thank you.  Now the last order of business.  If the overdrive device works, here are your ship assignments.  On the Faith we’ll have myself, Christie, obviously, Bailey, Andrews, Richter, Aldebaran, Zukova, and Sparrow.  On the Fox will be Kitsune, Adeler, Venator, Talyn, Ferro, Colchester, Devonai, Penrose, Ehrlich, and Hawkes.  For dismounted missions, we’ll have three teams of four if dividing by three, and two squads of six if dividing by two.  The team and squad assignments are on the shared drive.  Eva, please put a copy onto the Fox’s computer.”

“Can do,” Eva replied.

“So not everyone has a slot for dismounted missions,” said Ehrlich.

John nodded.  “Correct.  Andrews, Zukova, Colchester, and Penrose will stay on the ships unless they’re needed in the field.  Our ships should be available for air support and overwatch at all times.  Kitsune has agreed to train Colchester and Penrose on the Fox’s systems.”

“Makes sense.”

“That’s it, then.  If you have nothing else to do, you can relax or go explore the city.  I imagine I’ll see most of you at the arena tomorrow.”

John exited to the bridge.  Ari and Eva followed him.  Friday jumped off the console and meowed at John.

“Do you really think Cassie stands a chance against the Daimyo?” asked Ari.

“I’ve seen him in action,” replied Eva.  “The guy knows his shit.  Then again, Cassie feels like she has nothing to lose.”

John leaned against the console.  “I don’t get it.  I’ve done everything I can to make her feel like a member of this crew.  I gave her space, too, since everybody knew she was devastated by the loss of her home.  When I asked her to participate in training, she did, albeit quietly.  If not for masamune keto, I wonder what she would have done with herself.”

“Mononofu ketto.”

“Yes, that.  I mean, is the Daiymo an elected position?”

“No.  It’s either an appointment by the retiring leader, or by inheritance.  I don’t know what they would do if a Daiymo died without an heir.  I suppose he would have chosen a successor before then.”

“My bet,” began Ari, “is that she had no idea what she was going to do before Vecky told her about the dueling option.  But I can’t image she would have been happy as a mere citizen of the Eagle.”

John looked out of the window at the darkened interior of the hangar.  “It doesn’t matter.  She made her choice.”

Reckless Faith V: Chapter 5

This latest entry puts me at 20% of the total projected length of the book.  My other novels have been doing well, and the encouragement is helping my motivation.

 

Arianna Ferro was happy to see the feverish reunion between Vecky, Devonai, Richter, Evangeline, and the two other crewmembers of the Fox, though the sight also came with a sense of melancholy. Too long plagued with both extremes of emotion, she had taught herself to, in most circumstances, feel nothing at all. Even though few situations within the last month required her to quash her feelings, it was the only way she felt like she could redeem herself in the eyes of her crew, despite that none of them expected her to carry on like an automaton. However, the depth of her betrayal kept her reactions muted to satisfy her toughest critic: herself.

She didn’t doubt the sincerity of the forgiveness that had been offered by the crew of the Faith, and by all outward appearances, they trusted her. Still, her frequent nightmares presented anger and mistrust by the shadowy avatars that her subconscious believed were her friends. It was a gut-wrenching feeling, and usually followed her well into her waking day. So, measured and rational even when joy and mirth were warranted was the mask she wore. If she was to let her emotions slip, it would most likely be with Richter, the one man aboard the ship that she truly trusted in return.

He was a true friend to her, and could have been more, if the thought of a physical relationship didn’t make her irreparably self-conscious. She knew this was due to the devastating injuries she’d sustained back at the Umberian System Way Station, and the cybernetics that the Zendreen had used to repair her shattered body. She no longer felt human, especially because the Zendreen had healed her not out of benevolence, but to make her their pawn. It was for this reason that she went by the name Coma Veronice for a time, until convinced to attempt to embrace her true identity by John and Richter. Overall, it remained a constant source of cognitive dissonance for her to be able to empathize with the struggles of her friends who had fared at least as poorly as she, while at the same time allowing herself little room for the vestiges of her own humanity.

Ari smiled at the scene before her, the façade of stoicism crumbling for a moment. After so much strife, it was rewarding to see something go right for a change. It also pleased her to see the city of the Eagle. It was like looking into the Vulture’s past, before its civil war, and it made her happy to know that one asteroid civilization had survived intact. It was beautiful, having been modeled after 19th century Japan, though Ari knew that high technology hid beneath the classic structures. The darkness that enveloped the city may have made its low buildings and lantern-style streetlights all the more charming, but everyone knew the reason for the dim light. Ari wouldn’t have known it by the mood of the people she saw; life seemed to continue on as normal for the Eaglites. For the moment.

For the newcomers to the Faith, setting foot on an alien world certainly made it a red letter day for them. They were certainly as interested in the city as they were in the reunion that was playing itself out on the street corner. Vecky, Devonai, and Richter all had their own reasons for wanting to see Evangeline again, but Devonai had been the one to wait the longest. He had been Eva’s partner on the mission to Sochi where she disappeared, and from his perspective, twenty five years had passed. It must have been shocking for Eva to see him as an older man, as so recently in her own memory, he had been young. Ari and Richter had a similar experience with Devonai upon returning to Earth, but without the emotional attachment that was clearly on display now. For Vecky, she had told Ari that she saw Eva as the big sister she never had. This endearing sentiment only served to make her more apprehensive about her burgeoning relationship with Miriam.

Miriam was Ari’s half-sister. Their father had divorced Ari’s mom and moved to England, where he began a new life with Miriam’s mother. They had only met a few weeks ago, and still had no idea they were siblings until a genetic scan proved it. Because of the extreme effects of time dilation on the Faith’s long journeys, they were only separated in physical age by nine years. Others on the crew thought they could see a familial resemblance, but Ari maintained that Miriam got most of her appearance from her mother. While Miriam had been devastated by the loss of her parents, Ari was mostly just wistful about losing her dad. She had been an adult when he divorced her mom, and all but disappeared when he moved overseas.

As if sensing her thoughts, Miriam found Ari in the gaggle of crewmembers, and stood next to her.

“This is delightful,” the girl began, “if a little awkward for the rest of us.”

“They’ll have plenty of time to catch up. We haven’t even begun to search for the Swan. It’s an important alliance, Miriam. The Fox is every bit as good as a ship we could have built for ourselves, except for its top speed. I’ll be glad to move as many people as possible off of the Faith, though I’m still not sure how Scherer and Kitsune intend to divide us up.”

“I’m not sure some of these military people will be happy serving under such a youthful captain.”

Ari shrugged. “If her stories are to be believed, she already has a ton of combat experience, both in space and on the ground. It’s a lot more than I can say for myself and the original crew of the Faith when we first started out. Besides, she’ll have older and wiser people with her on the bridge.”

“I suppose. I’m glad it’s her responsibility, not mine.”

It was dinnertime by the Eagle’s clock, so Daimyo Tomoyasu had made arrangements for a meal at the city’s best restaurant. Their large group, which had been standing in the middle of the road, began to make its way toward the establishment. Tomoyasu was an impressive man, more so as Ari knew the manner by which he became leader of the asteroid. Cassie, who normally carried herself morosely, seemed rather enamored by the Daimyo. She was obviously eager to speak with him, and lingered by his side as the group walked.

The restaurant was indeed large enough to accommodate the group, and differed from the architecture typical of the city. Instead of Japanese, it was styled after a traditional English pub. Though more modern in appearance, Ari could sense that it was much older than the structures she’d already encountered. She recalled that Vecky had told them that the Japanese influence that dominated the city was only a few decades old. This pub evidently survived from an earlier time. Several oak tables had been pushed together, and a small cadre of wait staff was ready. Oil lamps had been placed on the tables to help brighten the interior. Cassie made sure she sat next to Tomoyasu, and Ari, curious about her intentions, did also. Once everyone had found a place, and the first round of drinks had been ordered, conversation resumed.

Ari sipped an ale and listened to Cassie give the Daimyo an abbreviated history of the Vulture, a story that was only interrupted when food was ordered. She already knew that Cassie was over 80 years old, her longevity having been boosted by genetic alteration, but caught some new details about her history not previously revealed. Tomoyasu listened with fascination, and only spoke when Cassie wrapped it up.

“It is truly a tragedy that the citizens of the Vulture chose to destroy themselves,” he began. “It sounds like you did everything you could to prevent it. It can be difficult to discern the intentions of our Progenitors, but ultimately I believe we are free to seek our own destinies. The future looks bright for the Eagle, despite our current attempts to conserve power. We’ve hired several highly qualified engineers from Secundus to help build a new reactor. If all goes well, soon this city, Altair, will return to its former glory, and we hope to rebuild the old city, Aquila, on the other side of the asteroid. You would be welcome here as a citizen, if that would appeal to you.”

Cassie nodded. “It may. It remains to be seen whether or not the Swan is still a viable civilization. If they’re close to ruin, my time may be better spent there. Your offer is very much appreciated, Daimyo. If I were to accept, what would the citizenship process entail?”

“The only non-citizens ever to be naturalized were the people brought here by our Progenitors. You don’t need to go through the same process. I can grant you citizenship by fiat. Even if you do end up on the Swan, I can grant you that status here. It may hold some sway with the people of the Swan.”

“Then I accept.”

“Excellent. Before the Faith and the Fox depart again, I’ll draft a document for you to sign. It’s as easy as that.”

“I look forward to it.”

Tomoyasu flagged a waiter down for a refill on his beer, and Cassie seemed to withdraw into her own thoughts. By the time food arrived, the group was getting rather animated. Ari found it easy to get caught up in everyone else’s enthusiasm, and again managed to smile in the company of her friends.

 

 

__________

 

In the Daimyo’s common room, Evangeline awoke with a mild hangover. She sat up slowly and tossed her blanket aside. Even in the dim light, she could tell she was alone. A quick check of her PDA told her it was 0700 local time. She rose, pulled on her boots, armed herself, and walked to the door to Tomoyasu’s bedroom. After confirming he wasn’t there, she used his bathroom to freshen up.

The celebration the previous evening had culminated around 0100. Eva had gone easy on the alcohol, unlike some of the other revelers. As far as she knew, Cane was the only one who had abstained from drinking, as Vecky had expressed a desire to return to the Fox after the party. Someone had to pilot the shuttle, and Cane had volunteered. It was a rare act of selflessness from the man, but he had dutifully flown Vecky and Talyn back to their ship for the night. As far as the crew of the Reckless Faith, they had all returned to it to sleep off the booze, a much simpler option as the ship was parked inside the Eagle’s main hangar.

Eva had stayed behind because she wanted to get an early start on research. The Eagle’s library and archives could hold some clue as to the location of the Swan. If she couldn’t find the answers she wanted in their computerized database, she would have to take on the ponderous task of leafing through the tomes in their library. As a last resort, further clues might reside in the old city somewhere. John and Cassie had offered to help, whenever they managed to drag themselves out of bed.

Vecky’s decision to return to the Fox was unsurprising, except that she made no effort to visit with Maoko first. Then again, her mother had also stayed away from the party. Eva knew that their relationship was still developing, and the strange circumstances of their reunion only made that effort all the more awkward. Eva hoped the girl would approach Maoko today.

Once she’d washed up and taken a long drink of water, Eva went to the command center. Ikari was there, along with two of his subordinates.

“Good morning,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“Mostly normal. Where are the Daimyo and Maoko?”

“They went for a walk around the city, which they’ve been doing most mornings since the battle. It’s been difficult for him to get her to come out of her shell.”

“I can imagine. Any sign of Scherer and Lyra?”

Ikari raised an eyebrow. “Lyra?”

“It’s the surname Cassiopeia gave to herself. Lyra is the constellation from my home planet that represents the Vulture in our legends.”

“I recognize the name, I just wasn’t sure it was in the same context. Anyway, no, they haven’t yet returned from the Reckless Faith.”

Eva noticed a large bowl filled with fruit, and pointed at it. “Is that for anybody?”

“Help yourself. We got it on our last trip to Primus. It’s nice to have some produce that wasn’t grown in a hydroponics lab for once.”

She grabbed something that looked like a pear. “How do you feel about opening up trade with the nearby planets?”

“I think it’s good. There’s no reason we can’t maintain our traditions while interacting with the outside. Once we get our reactor back up, we can even start accepting immigrants. Cassie would be the first; in fact, we’re expecting her later today to complete her citizenship paperwork. Of course, her former status as ruler of the Vulture has prompted the Daimyo to expedite it.”

Eva mumbled around a mouthful of the fruit. “That seems a bit hasty to me, but it’s his prerogative.”

“Speaking of newcomers, our shuttle is due back soon with some Secundian engineers we hired to see about integrating Venator’s material into a new reactor. The Daimyo was hoping you could brief them on what you know about it.”

“I already told Tomoyasu everything I know, but that’s fine. Better straight from the horse’s mouth. Anyway, what time does the library open?”

“Soryu Maaya lives there, and the doors aren’t locked. But if you go now, she may not be available to help you until some time later. I don’t know what her morning routine is like.”

Eva finished her fruit and tossed the core into a trash bin. “That’s fine, I might as well get out of your hair. Thanks, Ikari. If I’m still in the library when the technicians show up, send them my way.”

“No problem, Adeler.”

After taking the elevator down to ground level, Eva made her way through the streets of the city. The library was easy to find, as it was one of the largest buildings. Its three story pagoda design presided over a park. What had once been grass had been transformed by neglect into dirt, and a disused fountain at the center of the park gathered dust. As much as Eva was sure the Eaglite citizens would have enjoyed it its former splendor, practical concerns kept it from being tended. She walked towards the library on a dirt path, though there was little to distinguish it from the surrounding terrain. Unsurprisingly, the park was vacant save for her.

She paused to look at a bench before climbing the stairs to the library’s main entrance. Someone had carved a short message on its graying planks, but her kanji was severely lacking and she had no hope of translating it. It looked like it had been there for a long time. Her PDA started beeping at her, so she answered an incoming call.

“Adeler.”

“Good morning, it’s Scherer,” John’s voice said. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Not at all, I’ve just arrived at the library and was about to go inside. Are you and Cassie still planning on helping me out?”

“Of course. We’re just about to depart the Faith now. I expect we’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

“Sounds good. I won’t wander to far from the entrance.”

“Cool. Scherer out.”

Eva put her PDA away, and went inside the building. Immediately, she was hit with the smell of old paper, which was not unpleasant. The interior was on low lighting just like the rest of the city, so she waited for her vision to adjust. An older woman, who had to be Maaya, nodded at her from behind a large counter after their eyes had met. Eva crossed the voluminous lobby to the counter, her footfalls echoing softly. Maaya was wearing a sky blue kimono, and had her hair up in a simple bun. The light from her computer console made her counter the brightest spot in the lobby.

“Good morning,” she began, “you must be Soryu. I’m Adeler Evangeline, here to do some research.”

“Ah, yes. You couldn’t have known, but I was in the stands at the arena the day of your duel with Takeda. You did well for yourself.”

Eva shrugged. “I didn’t die.”

“I knew Takeda by reputation only, which wasn’t flattering. I have heard of your adventures since coming here. Your reputation is significantly better.”

“That’s a plus.”

“Anyway, what can I help you with today?”

“I need to research the historical archives to see if there’s any clue as to the location of the Swan.”

Maaya smiled. “Is that all? For a moment there I thought you were going to ask me something difficult.”

“Second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning?”

After working at her console for a minute, Maaya shook her head. “There are 376 references to the Swan within the context of the Stymphalian Raptors. Only five have been transcribed into digital format. The rest are on the shelves.”

Eva sighed, and pulled out her PDA. “Send them to my device. You should see it on the wireless network as ‘Unmarked CIA Van’.”

“Very well,” replied Maaya, frowning. “Okay, I think I got it.”

“I’m receiving the data. Thank you. I guess I’ll read through these five entries first. Is there somewhere I can sit?”

“The reading room is opposite the lobby from here. I’m afraid it’s somewhat gloomy in there right now, but I can bring you some tea in a little while to help keep you awake.”

“That sounds lovely. I’ll let you know if I have any questions. More than likely I’m going to have to hit the books if I want to find anything useful.”

Eva got halfway across the lobby when John and Cassie entered. She greeted them and told them about the data on her PDA.

“Well, shit,” began John. “I guess it was wishful thinking that the librarian had that info in her ass pocket.”

“Let’s go over what we have online, then start with the most recent book and work backward from there.”

Cassie said, “I’m glad to help, but I have an appointment with the Daimyo to sign my citizenship papers at noon.”

“We’ll see how far we get by then. Maaya said there are chairs through here.”

John gestured at the backpack he was wearing. “I brought two Thermoses full of coffee and some snacks. It sounds like we’re going to be here for a while.”

Eva smiled. “I know we only just met, but I think you and I are going to get along just fine, Commander.”

Book Review: A Happy Bureaucracy by M.P. Fitzgerald

I’m not usually a fan of post-apocalyptic sci-fi. This book caught my interest because of its unusual but thoroughly plausible premise – that in a United States ravaged by a nuclear apocalypse, the Internal Revenue Service would be the only governmental entity to survive.

Fitzgerald excels at juxtaposing a ludicrous scenario with fast-paced storytelling and humor. Unlike anything I’ve seen before, this book was refreshing for its originality and accessibility. In a world where violence is the rule of law, we can always rely on one constant – the IRS, and its stalwart agents.

The protagonist undergoes a predictable character arc, and his weathered, hard-boiled companion is a trope by herself. These foibles are easily forgiven due to the enjoyable story and clever narrative. The author also makes a few grammatical errors, undetectable with spell check but pernicious nonetheless. Still, these problems hardly detract from the story and will probably go unnoticed to all but the most IRS auditor-inclined readers.

4/5 Stars

New Fiction in the Reckless Faith Universe

The last three months have been a boon for my books.  The Fox and the Eagle has been doing particularly well, and my other titles are doing better than average as well.  With so many new readers, I’ve decided to revisit past ideas for a fifth book in the series.  As usual, I’ll be posting the content as I create it.  The first draft of the prologue and first chapter are below; if the prologue seems familiar it’s because I’ve posted it here before.  However, it concludes differently now.

Prologue

 

“Hey, Agent Smith!”

 

Val was on his way from the front desk to the elevators when he heard someone call his name. He turned to his right and looked into the lounge area. His contact, Special Agent Ben Jones, was sitting at a small table near the bar. Val approached him.

“Agent Jones, nice to meet you,” he began, “I wasn’t expecting to see you until tomorrow morning.”

 

“Please, have a seat. Unless you’re absolutely bushed.”

 

Val moved his luggage to the side and sat down. Jones was a man in his forties, with glasses and a small moustache. He was wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants, and had his windbreaker draped over the back of his chair. The jacket was the type with concealable lettering, which was handy for traveling. He grasped a glass of brown liquor, and looked like he’d just arrived from the airport.

 

“No, that’s fine. What are you drinking?”

 

“Oban. Want one?”

 

Jones signaled the bartender and pointed to his glass. The tired-looking woman smiled briefly and brought over another. Smith took a small sip and let the smoky liquid roll over his tongue. The lounge area was much nicer than the lobby, with wood paneling and well thought out lighting, and seemed to speak of a heyday for this location at some time in the past. Val considered the other man for a moment before speaking.

 

“I must admit I’m rather curious as to why they sent someone from DC over here for this case. From what I read in the initial report…”

 

“Hold on,” said Jones, and removed a small device from his jacket. It looked like a black egg on a small wire-framed stand. “Can’t be too careful. Go ahead, please.”

 

“Is that the new short-range jammer? I heard about it, but my office hasn’t seen them yet.”

 

Jones smiled. “It’s more than that. It also dampens audible sound up to a one meter radius. I just want to be sure that this is a private conversation.”

 

Val looked around at the vacant lounge, then at the bartender, who was far more interested in the television than her patrons. “Of course. Wasn’t there some concern that our phones will be blocked?”

 

“Yours is, but the device has been programmed to allow my phone to work properly. Tomorrow I can add yours in case we need to do this again.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Jones sipped from his glass. “Anyway, you were wondering why they sent me in from DC. I’m aware that your office is perfectly capable of investigating this case without oversight. Rest assured that’s not the reason for my presence. Tell me what you know so far.”

 

Val leaned back in his chair. “Someone claiming to represent the CIA has been recruiting former special forces operatives for a mysterious mission, using Flagstaff as a base of operations. One man, formerly with Marine Recon, was offered a job, but had second thoughts and decided not to take it. He approached the CIA because there were a few things about the recruitment process that he thought were suspicious, mostly that the interviews were conducted out of a hotel conference room and the supposed CIA representatives had nothing but pre-paid cell phones as a means of contact. He also recognized one of the men from his days in the service, whom he identified as Chance Richter. While Richter was in fact once a CIA operative, the agency says they were running no such recruitment. Then, for reasons not specified in the report, the entire case was handed over to the DIA. So here we are.”

 

Jones nodded. “Agent Smith, I hate to add to your curiosity, but the DIA’s involvement is on a need-to-know basis. Suffice it to say for now that I’m here because of Richter, and if it becomes necessary, I’ll brief you on why. So, what’s our next move?”

 

“Well, sir, unless you’ve changed it, the plan is to show up at the appointed time and see what’s going on. The only problem I have is that we could be walking into a gigantic shit sandwich. I take it you read the packing list these people gave to their recruits?”

 

“Yup, they’re showing up ready for war. Smith, we’re not going to try to bust up the whole operation. It’s just recon. Based on the location given for the meeting, all we have to do is claim we took a wrong turn off of Route 66. Then we can make a determination if backup is necessary. If we go in too strong at first, we could scare them all off, or get killed. That’s why we’re going in hiking clothes. We’ll still be armed, of course.”

 

Val frowned. “It would have made a lot more sense to put a wire on that Marine and send him in first.”

 

“We asked, he said no.”

 

“I still think…”

 

Jones held up his hand. “Hold on, I have a call coming in. Special Agent Jones. Yes, sir.”

 

Val sipped his scotch and waited as Jones spoke on his phone. The older man was asking a lot of questions and obviously getting few answers. After a couple of minutes the call ended.

 

“Everything all right?”

 

Jones took a deep breath and gave Val a hard look. “How much do you know about the Portland Incident?”

 

Val had to think about that for a moment. “You mean the USS Portland in 2003?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“The same thing they tell everyone, I guess. It was scuttled by an unknown terrorist group. Nobody ever claimed responsibility. Navy divers carved it up and the whole thing was sold for scrap.”

 

“Agent Smith, I’m about to raise your clearance level.” Jones pulled out his PDA. “Place your thumb on the bottom of the screen and look at the top, I’m going to do a retinal scan. When you hear the beep, please state your full name and title.”

 

Val did so, then said, “Special Agent Val Michael Smith, Defense Intelligence Agency.”

 

Jones messed with his PDA for a second. “Your first name is Val? Is that short for anything?”

 

“No, that’s the whole name. My parents named me after a character in a Heinlein novel. It was originally Valentine.”

 

“That’s fascinating.” Jones tossed a twenty dollar bill on the table and stood up. “Have your bags brought up to your room. We’re going mobile.”

 

“Now? Where are we going?”

 

“The Humphreys Peak Observatory.”

 

 

Five minutes later, Val and Agent Jones were headed north toward the mountains in Val’s ’27 Ford Endurance. The evening air had grown quite chilly and Val wished he had grabbed more than his goofy department-issue windbreaker. Smith seemed unaffected, but didn’t object when Val turned the heat up to 68.

 

“What I’m about to tell you is the reason why I had to increase your clearance level,” began Jones. “It will probably be no surprise to you that the story about the Portland is just a cover. However, the truth is much more bizarre. In 2003, a group of civilians came into contact with some sort of extraterrestrial probe. The probe contained technology that allowed them to construct a spacecraft. They disintegrated the Portland as a source of material for the construction of that craft. The CIA and DIA attempted to intercept this group before they could complete the construction, but were unable to stop them from leaving the planet. They haven’t been heard from since.”

 

Val looked at Jones, expecting him to be smirking at him. “You’re putting me on.”

 

“You want to keep your eyes on the road there, Ace? I’m perfectly serious, Smith. May I continue?”

 

“By all means.”

 

“So, two of the CIA operatives assigned to investigate the case ended up joining forces with the group. One was captured, the other escaped on the ship. The latter man was Chance Richter.” Jones showed Val a picture of the man. “He had been a Marine Scout Sniper before joining the CIA, which is how the man from our case recognized him. That’s why I’m here; this is the first hint of anything in over 25 years. That also leads us to why we’re going to the observatory. Initially, the CIA was able to track the alien technology thanks to signals identified by a group called ASTRA, the American Space Transmission Research Association.”

 

“Are they like SETI?”

 

“Yes, but funded entirely by universities and academic organizations. Ever since then, we’ve had a standing order with both groups to contact us the moment they receive a similar signal. The Humphreys Peak Observatory just did.”

 

Val nodded. “That can’t be a coincidence.”

 

“I doubt it is. I think the most logical explanation is that the ship is back, and they’re trying to recruit new crewmembers. Anyway, I wish you had time to read the full report, it would be helpful. For now I’ll just try to keep to the summary. Let’s see, I guess I can tell you about the Portland itself. Now at first, we thought that this group had chosen this decommissioned ship simply because of its proximity to Boston, and that it was composed primarily of the type of material they needed. It turns out that the Portland was the repository for sixty kilograms of a mysterious radioactive metal discovered after the end of World War Two. Military scientists tried unsuccessfully to figure out what it was, or how to make use of it. The Portland was the second of two ships to act as a mobile laboratory. Sometime after 1970, the project lost funding, and the entire project was buried in the Pentagon’s voluminous paper record database. By the time the Portland was decommissioned, everyone who had worked on the project was dead or retired. The stuff was simply forgotten.”

 

Val steered the truck onto the road that would gradually lead them up to the observatory. “So the spacecraft needed this mysterious metal in its construction?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Where did they find it in the first place?”

 

“That’s where the story gets even weirder. You’re aware that the Third Reich amassed a huge collection of artwork from around the world, right? Well, after the war the allies found a sandstone tablet in Berlin that dated to ancient Sumeria. Inexplicably, the tablet translated into modern celestial bearings for several stars. Some of the Nazi leaders revealed that they were planning on investigating the coordinates of the stars terrestrial counterparts before the defeat.”

 

“That’s like, Indiana Jones type stuff right there.”

 

“Are you making fun of me, Smith?”

 

Val stiffened up. “No, uh, of course not, sir!”

 

Jones laughed. “Relax.”

 

“Er, right. So which stars? And what do you mean by terrestrial counterparts?”

 

Accessing his PDA, Jones read off a list. “Excuse my pronunciation, I’m not an astronomer. They were: Alpha Cepheus, or Alderamin, Alpha Lyrae, or Vega, Alpha Ursae Minoris, or Polaris, and Gamma Draconis, or Eltanin. These are all stars that have been or will be the North Star. Next were Alpha Crucis, or Acrux, Beta Crucis, or Mimosa…”

 

“Like the drink?”

 

Jones glared at Val. “I don’t think so. Gamma Crucis, or Gacrux, and Delta Crucis, which is unnamed. Those are the four stars of the Southern Cross. So there was a code after the coordinates for these stars, which apparently wasn’t too difficult to decipher. It transliterated the celestial coordinates into terrestrial coordinates, with an accuracy of 100 meters. Once the tablet fell into our hands, the Army set about looking for anything they could find at those locations. Two were underwater, so that didn’t work out, and at two more they found nothing. But at the other four, they found 15 kilograms each of this mysterious metal. They spent the next 25 years trying to figure it out, and never did.”

 

“So, ancient aliens? Is such a thing even possible?”

 

“I don’t know, Smith. I was really just a hatchet man before I got involved in all of this. Oh, here’s some more information on the metal. It says here that it was some sort of stable meta-state of Neptunium, whatever that means. You wouldn’t happen to be a nuclear physicist on the side, would you?”

 

“Not even remotely. I like astronomy, though. That’s really interesting. I wonder who put that stuff there and why.”

 

“Probably the same aliens who helped build that spacecraft in 2003. Maybe that was their plan all along.”

The truck rounded a corner and the observatory came into view. The dome was open, and there was a man smoking a cigarette standing outside the front door. Val parked the vehicle and they got out. Away from the city lights, the night sky was spectacular. Val zipped up his windbreaker and followed Jones over to the man. He was in his mid-twenties and was wearing an ochre-hued down jacket. His long hair was tied into a ponytail, and his cigarette smelled like cloves.

 

“Doctor Morgan?” began Jones. “I’m Special Agent Jones, this is Special Agent Smith, we’re with the Defense Intelligence Agency.”

 

“Agents Jones and Smith?” Morgan scoffed. “Is that the best you can come up with?”

 

Jones glanced at Val and the two men pulled out their IDs. Morgan shrugged, threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped on it.

 

“Sorry to bother you at this time of night,” said Val.

 

“Well, come in, I’ll show you what I have.”

 

Morgan led them inside and underneath the massive telescope to a bank of apparently obsolescent computers. The doctor obviously spent a lot of time there, as the only desk was covered in old snack wrappers. His hands were shaking as he sat down and began working at one of the computer stations.

 

“Nervous about something?” asked Jones.

 

“Of course I am. Every person who works for ASTRA gets the same briefing when they’re hired. Detect this type of waveform, call this number, and cooperate with the people that show up. Don’t ask questions and don’t expect an explanation. The policy has been in place for 25 years, and as far as I know this is the first time this has happened. So yeah, I’m a little nervous.”

 

Jones shrugged. “I wish I could set your mind at ease, Doctor Morgan, but that’s exactly right. What have you got?”

 

The computer screen displayed a waveform and a few diagrams. “There you go. A waveform that fits the specified parameters. The signal was detected twice, once at L2, and once on the surface not far from here.”

 

“What’s L2?” asked Val.

 

“Don’t they teach you guys anything? It’s Lagrange Point 2, which lies on a point on the Moon’s orbit, opposite the Earth from the Sun. It’s a great place for astronomical observations due to the… you know what, forget it. The important thing is that whatever object transmitted this waveform ended up here in Arizona not fifteen minutes later. Nobody has a space vehicle capable of landing that quickly, not us, not the Russians, and certainly not the Chinese or Indians.”

 

Jones nodded. “Doesn’t it stand to reason that interested parties would want to keep that technology a secret? Besides, it’s not your job to speculate on the origin of the transmission. Just give us the coordinates to the local iteration.”

 

Morgan ruefully handed over a piece of paper with the requested info.

 

“You’re doing your country a great service,” said Val.

 

“I suppose I’m prohibited from discussing this with my colleagues,” Morgan said spitefully.

 

“Since you don’t know shit,” replied Jones, heading for the door, “knock yourself out.”

 

Val followed him back out to the truck and got in. Jones entered the coordinates into his PDA and harrumphed.

 

“So, where is it?”

 

Jones frowned. “It’s not the same place as tomorrow’s meeting. I suppose that would have been too easy. It’s on the opposite side of Flagstaff from here, out in the boonies. Let’s check it out.”

 

Doctor Morgan came out and ran over to the Ford. He had a PDA tablet in his hands. Jones rolled down his window.

 

“It just occurred to me,” puffed Morgan. “If that thing moves again, you’re going to need my help tracking it.”

 

“You’re right,” said Jones. “Here, take down my number, and call us if that should happen.”

 

“I’ve got the software linked to my tablet. I can give you that information in real time, if you take me with you.”

 

“I appreciate your adventurousness, kid, but that just ain’t gonna happen.”

 

“Did you miss the part where I introduced myself as ‘Doctor’ Morgan?” came the angry reply.

 

Val said, “Come on, sir, he has a good point. I’ve got the standard boilerplate NDA with me, he can fill it out and sign it on the way there.”

 

“Get in,” Jones said tersely.

 

Morgan got in the back, and Jones rolled his window back up.

 

“Thanks…” began Morgan.

 

“Shut up and listen to me, doctor. A standard non-disclosure agreement isn’t going to cut it. If you come with us, and if you see anything that remotely resembles classified or sensitive information, your career is over. You tell your friends, family, and colleagues that you’re retiring, and you all but disappear. Forget about ASTRA, or teaching astronomy, or anything in that related field. You’ll be lucky if you end up bagging groceries in South Bend. So you need to decide, right now, if coming with us is worth it.”

 

“I’d rather take that chance than live the rest of my life not knowing what this is all about.”

 

“Fine. You keep your face glued to that screen and follow our instructions precisely. Smith, let’s get going.”

 

 

Thirty minutes later, the trio arrived at an abandoned gas station far outside of Flagstaff. A couple of old signs indicated that the station was probably last in service back when Route 66 was still an active US highway. The station was alone except for a couple of small outbuildings. Val parked the Ford about seventy yards away and the three men got out. Two abandoned cars flanked the drive up to the station; their rusted hulks seemed a fitting tribute to the glory days of the highway. Morgan looked at his tablet one more time, and shook his head.

 

“Okay, Doc,” began Jones. “You stay here. Smith and I will check out the buildings. If you see anything, lean on the horn.”

 

“You’re the boss,” replied Morgan.

 

The sky was even clearer here than on the mountain, and Val couldn’t help but stare upward for a moment. He was able to identify Polaris and Vega easily enough, but didn’t know the other two that Jones had mentioned.

 

“You want to get your mind on the job at hand, Smith?” growled Jones.

 

Val and Jones took fewer than five steps toward the station when a bright light streaked from near the gas pumps and struck the Ford, smashing the front passenger window. A split-second later, a very loud flanging ‘whump’ followed the shot. They barely had time to seek cover behind the wrecks when more shots impacted the engine compartment and turned the front end of the Ford into a smoking heap. Both men swore as more shots whipped by. Val had no idea what kind of weapon was being used against them, but it was obviously very powerful. He glanced to his left and noticed Morgan crouched in a very small ball by his feet.

 

“We’re going to have to rush him!” yelled Jones from behind the other wreck.

 

“Across seventy yards of open ground?” replied Smith. “Are you crazy?”

 

“There’s a carbine in the trunk, right? Cover me and I’ll grab it.”

 

Val drew his S&W J-frame .38 from the small of his back and offered it to Morgan. “Do you know how to shoot?”

 

“This is Arizona, everybody knows how to…”

 

Morgan’s reply was lost in the noise, but he took the revolver. Val drew his primary weapon, a Sig P-229 in .40, and watched as Jones produced his own sidearm. The other agent wasted no time putting a few rounds downrange, and went for the rear hatch. Val covered him with a few errant shots, and Jones returned to his previous position with a Colt M4A1.

 

“Get ready to leapfrog it!” Jones yelled.

 

Val glanced out at the station again. There was some scrub brush, which could provide concealment if not cover. It might work if he also had a rifle. Or a diversion.

 

“Morgan, listen carefully,” he began. “Jones and I are going to work toward the station. When I get halfway there, I need to you fire off all the rounds you have and run as fast as you can back toward town. Take cover when you get winded, and keep going when you catch your breath. Call for help when you can. Do you understand?”

Morgan nodded, so Val readied his pistol.

 

“Moving!” cried Jones.

 

“Move!”

 

Jones sprinted forward as Val fired steadily toward the gas pumps. After a few seconds, Jones dove down and opened up with his rifle. Val sprinted forward as familiar words echoed through his head.

 

“I’m up, they see me, I’m down…”

 

Their opponent continued to trade shots with Jones as Val repeated his bounding movements. With his lungs burning, his last effort got him to the shadowy remains of the station’s main building. In the gloom, he spotted a silhouette by the gas pumps, and fired his pistol until the slide locked back. He sprinted toward the corner of the building to reload, then glanced back toward the action.

 

Silence had returned to the desert. Val pulled out a small flashlight and slowly approached the pumps. He could see a body lying face down on the dusty pavement. He crouched behind a nearby pump, activated his flashlight, and shouted at the figure.

 

“Federal agent! Show me your hands! Jones, move up!”

 

The figure didn’t move, and Jones didn’t respond. Val crept up and kicked an unfamiliar rifle away from the body. The back of its head was a bloody mess. Val repeated his call for help, and again there was no reply. He used his leg to roll the body over, and was shocked to find that the figure had the head of a cat. Logic failed him at that point, but he could at least see that his opponent had been shot through the neck and forehead.

 

Val picked up the strange rifle, and backtracked to the abandoned cars. Jones and Morgan lay dead, each hit with a round that both penetrated their flesh and seared it black. He swapped the rifle for the Colt, noticed that it had a spare magazine in a pouch on the buttstock, and reloaded it. Returning to the station, he pulled out his phone and began to take pictures of the creature he had killed. It was at the same time that he noticed he didn’t have a cell signal.

 

Satisfied enough with the pictures of the giant feline humanoid, he returned to the Ford. Everything inside was toast. Again, his phone indicated no signal. That meant his choices were to leave the corpses behind and hike back to town, or sit tight and wait for somebody to figure out he was missing. He didn’t like his choices. He went back to search the body, but found himself hesitating. Even though he could see brain matter on the pavement, the creature still frightened him. Even more terrifying was the prospect that it had friends who might show up looking for it.

 

In the end, protocol dictated that he keep the scene secure. Val resigned himself to spend the night at the gas station, though he was sure he would not sleep.

 

 

 

1.

 

 

It was a beautiful sunny day in the high desert, and Milena Zukova was nervous. She was riding in a 44-passenger bus with six men, all of whom were mostly strangers to her. The extra room on the bus was partially filled with rucksacks, duffel bags, and rifle cases. Her mood was doubtlessly shared by the four other recruits, although they were considerably more chatty with each other.

 

There were also two CIA handlers on board. The one driving had introduced himself as Chance Richter. He was a man in his early thirties, with high cheekbones and an intense stare. He had the build of a military man, and carried himself just like the others on board. Milena knew the other men were soldiers even before any introductions, that much was obvious. Only one recruit stood out as being a little bit different, and he was subsequently identified as a Navy surgeon. Milena’s own bearing was much like his, evidence of different training priorities for those not primarily concerned with ground combat.

 

The other handler sat directly behind the driver. He had introduced himself as John Scherer, mission commander. He had longer hair than the other men, and a softer expression. He had spent most of the bus ride staring out of the window. Milena wondered if he was worried about the recruit who was a no-show, or something more pressing. The total secrecy of the mission so far made it impossible to tell.

 

The entire recruitment process seemed unusual, but without any real knowledge of the CIA’s standard operating procedures, Milly could only take it at face value. The requirements were pretty straightforward, and just a little bit of small talk confirmed they had been the same for all of them; top secret clearance, a Special Forces background or a highly desired skill set, the ability to travel for long periods, and the ability to remain out of contact with friends and family for an extended period. The packing list required both civilian and military clothing, a laptop computer, and a PDA/smartphone of current manufacture. Optional items included an individual first aid kit, field gear, combat gear, and a pistol and/or rifle of choice. Since it also said that weapons would be provided otherwise, Milly hadn’t brought any. The other recruits obviously had.

 

All together, the recruits had made a rather impressive sight at the airport. They had been told to tell anyone who cared to ask, such as TSA officers, that they were attending a rifle course at the nearby Gunsight Academy. Apparently such students were a common sight at Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, as none of them experienced any problems. Richter and Scherer had shown up with the bus, and with a rather grave warning from the latter man that this was their last chance to decline the mission, they’d loaded up and departed.

 

Richter pulled the bus off of the hardtop and onto a dirt road. The vehicle rumbled across another five miles of empty desert before they stopped. A group of people were waiting for them, just standing out in the middle of nowhere. Milly counted four men, four women, and a German shepherd. She only recognized one of them, a woman by the name of Ferro, who had been present at her interview.

 

“Last stop, everybody off!” said Richter.

 

There was a flurry of activity as everybody jumped off the bus and unloaded their gear. Richter and Scherer joined the other group and waited for everyone to gather around. Milly only had one bag, so she overheard a brief exchange.

 

“Where’s the fifth guy?” asked Ferro.

 

“He never showed up,” Richter replied softly. “Let’s not stick around any longer than we have to.”

 

Once all the recruits were standing there expectantly, Scherer addressed them.

 

“Gentlemen and lady, you’ve already met Richter and I. Some of you have also met Lieutenant Ferro.” The woman nodded. She was attractive, with shoulder-length black hair and green eyes, though she looked like she’d been through hell and back recently. Scherer continued. “Let me introduce the rest of our team, then we can finally reveal the mission. This is Ray Bailey, Dana Andrews, Seth Aldebaran, Miriam Colchester, Cassie Lyra, Reveki Kitsune, and Kyrie Devonai. Oh, and the dog’s name is Tycho.”

 

Milly couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard such an unusual collection of names. Each of the team members stepped forward when their names were mentioned. Now that they were together, she noticed that Colchester and Kitsune couldn’t have been a day over 18 years old. Either that or she was starting to lose perspective. On the other end of the spectrum was Devonai, who looked like he was in his fifties. Everyone else fell somewhere between 30 and 40. There was something different about Aldebaran and Lyra, but Milly couldn’t put her finger on it at the moment. All in all it was a very strange combination of people, and nothing like the nearly homogenous group of recruits.

 

“We’ll get into our individual duties later,” said Richter, seeming to anticipate the reaction. “Now I’d like each of you to briefly introduce yourself, including your relevant experience.”

 

Milly found Richter looking at her first, so she cleared her throat. “Hi, I’m Major Milena Zukova. I just finished up ten years with the United States Air Force. Most of that time I was an F-35 pilot out of Elgin.”

She looked to her left, and the rest of the recruits went down the line.

 

“Commander Jim Penrose, I was a cardiovascular surgeon for the United States Navy out of Bethesda.”

 

“Sergeant First Class James Ehrlich, United States Army, detachment Delta.”

 

“Tech Sergeant Grayson Hawkes, USAF Pararescue, formerly with the 563rd out of David-Monthan.”

 

“First Lieutenant Marc Sparrow, Marine Force Recon out of Alameda.”

 

Richter nodded. “Okay, thank you. As you can see this team brings a lot of very valuable combat operations experience to the mission. Penrose, don’t feel left out, your skills will almost doubtlessly be needed as well. And Zukova, you’re about to find out why we recruited a pilot.”

 

Scherer smiled. “Christie, we’re ready out here.”

 

A building materialized out of nothing in front of them. Milly’s brain struggled to catch up to what her eyes were showing her. She quickly realized it wasn’t a building, but some kind of vehicle. It was a least ten meters in height, and about thirty-five meters long. It strongly resembled the fuselage of a C-5 Galaxy, but without the nose cone, wings or tail section. It had a front ramp that was lowered to the ground, but the rest of the fuselage appeared to float a couple of meters above the ground. There was no rear ramp; instead the aft section was squared off with two sections jutting out slightly on either side. Above the ramp, just like the C-5, was a flight deck of some kind. Just below that, the unmistakable business end of a GAU 8/A 30mm cannon protruded from the hull. There were also top and bottom gun turrets midway down, each mounting a yet-unidentified weapon system. Along the hull, mostly on the top deck, were hourglass-shaped windows. Just below the flight deck, there was a striking painting of a blindfolded woman firing an arrow. Milly looked at the others in shock, which was obviously the universal reaction. Sparrow eventually broke their silence, and said what they were all thinking.

 

“It’s a God damned space ship,” he said.

 

“May I introduce to you the Reckless Faith,” began Scherer, “the first Earth spacecraft to leave the solar system. And before you think that your government has been lying to you all these years, it was built with a combination of Earth and alien technology by a private organization. The agreement was to build the ship and help liberate that alien world from an invasion force, which, I’m proud to say, we did. In fact, this ship has seen several major combat actions, and most of her crew are veterans of battles you can hardly even imagine. It turns out, to the surprise of nobody, that the galaxy is a very dangerous place. We have already eliminated one alien threat to Earth, but one more remains. That’s why we brought you here. This threat could range from a mere annoyance to an extremely grave problem. Unfortunately, we just don’t have enough information right now; only that the threat exists. However, our experience has taught us to prepare for the worst. Tomorrow, we’re departing for the region of the Vulpecula constellation to reunite Captain Kitsune with her ship, which has more than enough room for half of us, and together we’ll begin our investigation of the threat. But be warned! You may die in the black void of space, or be gunned down on some God-forsaken rock by hideous alien soldiers. So, anybody want to back out?”

 

“I have a million questions,” began Hawkes, “as I’m sure we all do. Let me start with this one: You said the ship was built by a private organization. How did the CIA come into possession of it?”

 

Ehrlich shook his head and spoke up. “Look around you, man, and think about it for a minute. These people aren’t with the government.”

 

“I apologize for misleading you,” replied Scherer. “But it was the only way we could possibly interview potential recruits. You would have dismissed us as lunatics long before we could prove ourselves. And if this ship isn’t proof enough, how’d you like to get an up-close look at Saturn? We can be there in five minutes.”

 

“This is the opportunity we’re offering you,” began Richter. “Take a tour of the ship. Accompany us on a quick tour of the solar system if you want. If you decide it’s too much for you, or you’re deeply offended that we lied about being with the CIA, then we’ll drop you off and you’ll never see us again. Or, take your leave now. The keys are still in the bus.”

 

The recruits looked at each other, and stared at the ship. No one said a word for almost a full minute.

 

“Well, shit,” said Sparrow. “At the very least I’ve gotta see the inside of the ship.”

 

Scherer smiled again. “Grab your gear, load it up. I guarantee none of you are going to want to go home after this.”

 

 

Twenty minutes later, Milly stood on the bridge of the Reckless Faith, staring at the rings of Saturn from less than five hundred miles away. The other recruits were crowded around her. It was all so overwhelming for her, almost to the point of physical collapse. She hadn’t felt that way since her first solo flight in an F-35 eight years ago. Scherer sat in the pilot seat, and let his guests gaze at the incredible vista.

 

They had toured the entire ship before the flight, and received more background information about the ship’s previous exploits as well as the upcoming mission. They were even further surprised to find out that the ship’s computer contained the consciousness of a crewmember whose body had died, but whose mind was saved. Her name was Christie Tolliver, and she seemed nice enough considering she was a disembodied voice being piped in over the intercom system. She was capable of piloting the ship herself, but had deferred to Scherer’s manual control.

 

The ship itself had been designed primarily by Scherer, though certain aspects of it were subconsciously introduced to him by the extraterrestrial entity they’d first encountered. That entity now resided inside the body of Seth Aldebaran, who turned out to be, along with Cassie Lyra and Reveki Kitsune, aliens. Milly had noticed minor physical differences but wouldn’t have guessed they weren’t human. They, along with the rest of the original crew, were simply staying out of the way during the tour of the ship, so she hadn’t had much of an opportunity to talk to them.

 

The Faith had a relatively simple layout, but contained incredible technology. As Scherer had indicated, its design was of rather conventional aircraft architecture but enhanced with essential alien hardware. The stardrive worked on cold fusion, though no elaboration was initially offered, and could provide a maximum speed of 1.5 million times the velocity of light, or c. Milly couldn’t do the math in her head during the orientation, but she was sure it made the local galactic neighborhood well within range. That speed, however, was only practical in extreme emergencies due to the effects of time dilation: the faster they went, the more time would pass for the rest of the galaxy. Peak engine efficiency was at 900 c, with far less deleterious effects, and was used for most operations. Other features that were mentioned during the tour included anti-gravity plating, an energy-negating hull, non-organic matter replication and transportation, and, of course, the formerly human entity inside the main computer. Scherer had saved the topic of most interest to the newcomers until they’d arrived back on the bridge. He activated an elaborate heads-up-display on the forward window, which was visible from anywhere on the bridge.

 

“The Faith is very well armed,” he began. “Many of you no doubt noticed the GAU 8/A 30mm up front. We also have plasma cannons mounted fore and aft. For offensive operations, the combination of the 30mm munitions and the plasma bursts have proven to be very effective. We originally had a GAU 8 facing the rear, but it was removed to make room for the aft plasma cannon. Our articulated defensive weapons are a pair of GAU 19/A fifty-caliber guns in the dorsal and ventral positions, and a pair of high-yield lasers along the port and starboard. The lasers are not very powerful by themselves, and are generally only effective against lightly-armored targets and electrical components. Their efficacy is improved if the target is also hit with the fifties, though hitting anything with both simultaneously is a challenge. It almost goes without saying that all of our weapons systems are extremely effective against ground targets. Captain Kitsune’s ship, the Fox, has different but equally formidable armaments.”

 

“How much soundproofing do you have between the bridge and the Avenger?” asked Milly.

 

“Not much, and we’re actually going to add more. Touching off a burst of thirty-mil isn’t exactly a serene experience up here at the moment. You’ll all get a chance to hear it soon enough. Anyway, all of our weapons systems can be controlled from the bridge or from the dorsal and ventral stations I showed you. We usually have those positions manned, because while the 30mm can be reloaded in situ, the fifty-cals must be reloaded manually.”

 

“How do the conventional weapons perform in space?” asked Hawkes.

 

“There’s no bullet drop or air resistance, so the rounds will travel straight to the target. There is no maximum effective range per se, but if you touch off a burst from too far away the enemy ship can simply maneuver out of the line of fire. We’ll also be beating up on some poor defenseless asteroids as part of our training. As I said before, we can simply replicate more ammo, so you’ll all get a chance to play with this stuff. You’re going to love it, trust me.”

 

“How does she handle?” asked Milly.

 

“Compared to what you normally fly? I don’t know. She’s nimble, though a bit slow through the Z-axis. She can aileron roll 360 in less than a second.”

 

“Most of you are going to puke the first time we put her through her paces, especially in atmosphere.” said Bailey.

 

“Challenge accepted.”

Christie’s voice filled the bridge. “John, before you start with gunnery practice, there’s something you should see.”

“Whatcha got?” he replied.

“I’ve been reviewing the EM sensor logs from back when we were on the ground in Arizona. Check out these readings from last night.”

Christie put a graph on the main screen. There was an obvious spike in one of the bands, which repeated several times over the course of a few minutes.

“Explanation?”

“It’s plasma rifle fire. I can’t triangulate its origin point, but I can tell you it was approximately twenty miles due west of our position on the ground.”

“I take it that wasn’t one of yours?” asked Sparrow.

John shook his head. “Nobody else on Earth should have access to that kind of technology. If there are other aliens back home that we don’t know about, we could have a big problem. Christie, get us back there immediately.”

“I’m setting a course,” she replied.

Saturn swung out of view as Christie got the ship moving. Sol became the only obvious feature among the stars, and grew in apparent size until they arrived back at Earth.

“Wow,” began Hawkes, “we got home a lot faster than we got to Saturn.”

John said, “Normally we wouldn’t exceed 900 c for a trip that short, but this seems urgent.”

The Faith entered the atmosphere, and bright orange flames licked at the edges of the windows until North America appeared. Within minutes, they were five hundred feet above Arizona, twenty miles west of where they started.

“I’m running every scan imaginable, John,” said Christie.

“Okay. Let us know when you…”

“Got something! That was easy. I’ve got a trace amount of uranium hexafluoride near a structure about a mile from here.”

“I’m guessing there’s no chemical plant or something like that at that location?”

“Not according to my database. The last satellite photo shows a gas station.”

Christie put the image on the main screen.

“Sure looks like a gas station. Get us over there.”

It only took the ship a few seconds to arrive at the station. It was immediately evident that something had happened. A truck was smoldering by the main road, lazily wafting a thin stream of smoke into the calm air.

“I’m reading one life sign, human, inside the main structure. I can also see two corpses near the road.”

“Let’s check it out. Ray, Richter, Aldebaran, you’re with me. Ferro, Lyra, Devonai, you’ll provide overwatch. Grab your gear.”

“You’re leaving us out of the action?” asked Ehrlich.

“With all due respect, Sergeant, we haven’t had a chance to train together yet. I’m not doubting the skill of any of you, but we have to go over SOP for comms, hand and arm signals, fire teams, et cetera, before we can integrate you into our operations.”

“Fair enough.”

“Colchester, Kitsune, Andrews, you’ll man our weapons stations. Christie, stay sharp. We don’t want any more uninvited guests.”

Infinity Publishing has gone dark. Consider my books with them as out of print.

Due to a messy merger with a new company called FastPencil, Infinity Publishing is no longer responding to communications, nor are they fulfilling orders.  As such, I’ve re-published The Fox and the Eagle directly on Amazon.  Please be sure you are ordering the correct version, especially the paperback.  The easiest way to distinguish these versions are that the new versions are significantly less expensive.

I’m taking action to have Infinity’s versions of my books officially listed as out of print, which could take a few months.  For now, all five of my novels are available directly through Amazon, both in Kindle and paperback.

Here is the link to The Fox and the Eagle, new Kindle Edition.  The link to the paperback is in the sidebar.

 

Dun Ringill is Live on Amazon

I’m pleased to announce that Dun Ringill is now available for the Kindle on Amazon.  Thank you to everyone who helped me edit and refine the final version.

Dun Ringill: First Draft Complete

The first draft of Dun Ringill is complete.  Next begins the process of editing, and finding a source for cover art.  Until the book is ready to be published on Amazon, I’m making the first four chapters available to a wider audience.  If you would like an advance copy of the whole thing, please let me know, and thank you to all who provided feedback so far.  Below are links to the first four chapters.

Prologue and Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four