by Robert Boren
“I was going to ask you something,” Elizabeth said.
“What?”
“How come you came out of the other Universe in the Clan Zone?”
“Oh. Good question. That big solid shell rotates, like a planet. It wasn’t oriented the same when we entered as it was when we left.”
“Oh. That makes sense. Did you know you’d be in the Clan Zone?”
Ecason laughed. “First, I wasn’t driving. The creatures were. Also remember that I didn’t expect any of us to live through that trip. It’s just an accident that I’m still here.”
“There’s no such thing as an accident,” Elizabeth said.
“The mind tricks us into that. We want to organize everything, and show cause and effect. Sometimes things just happen. You’re a scientist. You know this.”
“I’ve seen a lot of things I can’t explain. Don’t you wonder about this other Universe? Why is it there? Are there more? Who sets the rules of physics, and why? Why were you the only person on your ship to survive? Hell, why did you develop the ability to go there in the first place?”
“Human vanity,” Ecason said. “That’s why I did it.”
“You had a drive to create, to explore. That’s not just vanity.”
Ecason sighed. “Well, perhaps, but I got a lot of self-satisfaction when I pulled it off. I wish I’d failed. I lost my wife and most of my dear friends, plus many other innocents who didn’t deserve to die that way. And look what I did after I was rescued. I gave the Razor ship design to the Clan.”
“You were forced into that.”
“I should’ve killed myself. Thought about it, of course, but I lacked the courage.”
“You didn’t know Aeon was going to do what he’s doing now.”
“Yeah, it was worse than that. The Clan is just as dangerous to humanity as Aeon is. Perhaps more dangerous. They’ve lost their social consciousness. That loss put them over the edge.”
“Where’s XC22272? He should’ve been here by now.”
Ecason shrugged. “He probably told people the story from yesterday and got committed to the looney bin. I can call him. I’ll do that in a little while, if he doesn’t show up. If something happened to him we might be in trouble, you know.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure anybody other than him and his four guards know about us being here.”
“He’s only got four guards?”
“Correction, I’ve only seen four guards. There might be other people outside.”
“So we could starve in here.”
Ecason picked up his cup and took it back to the machine, making another cup. “Possible. Hope the coffee lasts for a while.”
{ 8 }
Plague
C yrus sat in the Captain’s chair of his new ship, almost to Ozarander.
“Three minutes, Captain,” Sasha said.
“Thank you. James, call battle stations please.”
“Done,” James said. “Shall I clear the secondary bay?
“Please do,” Cyrus said.
“We’re coming out now,” Kip said from the pilot’s seat.
They felt the static charge as they settled to a stop next to Ozarander.
“Samson, contact Commander Klemperer and have him send the flight suits.”
“On it,” James said. “Video on main screen.”
“Not so far,” Kip said. “Scanning wide.”
“Wow, those things load in fast,” James said, watching the video from the bay. “They arrange themselves, too.”
“Who’s Estes?” James asked.
“Head of the Samson Corporation plants on Earth,” Cyrus said. “Interesting guy.”
“I was glad to hear there were still plants there,” James said. “Bay doors closed.”
“Shall we leave, Captain?” Sasha asked.
“Yes, get us out of here. Thanks, Commander Klemperer. We’ll have to get together for a couple beers.”
They felt the dizziness as Animus jumped away.
“Beautiful job, everybody,” Cyrus said. “James, take over the First Mate position please.”
“Yes sir,” he said.
“Something wrong, Captain?” Sasha asked.
“Follow me,” Cyrus said, getting up. “You’ve got the ship, James.”
“Aye, Sir.”
Cyrus led Sasha out into the hallway. “Let’s go get a bite to eat.”
“Am I in trouble?” Sasha asked.
Cyrus chuckled. “We need a new Captain for Tristar. I’d like you to take that command.”
She smiled. “Really?”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course, my goal was always to become a captain,” she said. “I’m thrilled. Thank you. What about you?”
“I’ve been given this ship.”
“Really? Congratulations, Cyrus. Are you happy?”
“I am. Animus is a fine ship, especially after all the improvements she’s gotten from Nolan and JJ. It’s not as fast as your ship, though.”
“My ship,” she said, beaming. “I can’t believe it.”
“Think about who you want as First Mate and Pilot. Sorry, but I’m keeping Kip on this ship.”
She smiled. “No problem, you guys work well together. James gets First Mate?”
“It’s what he did while Simone was Captain,” Cyrus said. “Seems like a good fit, and it’ll be good for morale also.”
“When are you going to announce it to the crew?”
“When we get back, so keep this to yourself until then, please.”
“No problem,” she said, staring at him.
“What?”
“We can see each other socially now, can’t we?”
“Huh?”
“Come now, Captain, surely you noticed that I was interested.”
Cyrus stopped walking and looked at her. “No, I didn’t know. I knew you liked me, but not like that.”
She eyed him for a moment, her face flushing. “Oh, geez, I’m so sorry, Cyrus.”
Cyrus looked both ways in the hallway, then took her into his arms and kissed her. He broke it, looking both ways again, his hands still around her waist. “I didn’t say I wasn’t interested, I said I didn’t know you were interested.”
She looked into his eyes, hers blinking slow, a smile growing on her face. “I think we should go discuss this someplace more private.”
“I like that idea,” he said. They walked down the hall together.
***
Captain Clarke sat in the private dining room, waiting for JJ and Nolan to arrive. His stress level was down, thanks to the walk. The door opened, JJ and Nolan coming in.
“Sorry we’re late,” JJ said. “Taco Tuesday. The transit system is a mess.”
“Oh yeah, it’s that Tuesday. We can get that instead if you’d like.”
“They serve it here,” Nolan said. “Remember the party for Tac? I set it up through them. They told me it’s always available here on the same day.”
JJ sat on one side of Captain Clarke, Nolan on the other.
“This is nice, Captain,” Nolan said. “We’ve been too busy to have social time together.”
“This isn’t just social, I suspect,” JJ said.
“It’s mostly social,” Trey said. “I do want to turn you loose on a new project, though.”
“Really?” JJ asked. “What about the refinery waste pods.”
“That will keep,” Captain Clarke said.
The waitress came in and took their drink orders, then left.
“I’m intrigued,” Nolan said.
“Me too, I guess,” JJ said.
“What’s the matter?” Trey asked.
“I hate to leave jobs partially done, but it’s okay. What do you need?”
Trey told them about the issue with heat signatures, and fuel pickups by the Zephyrus from Amberis.
Nolan eyed him. “This is much more critical.”
JJ nodded. “Okay, I agree. We can’t lose that fuel supply, or we’re done.”
“I’ve got some ideas,” Nolan said. “This will be a fun, challenging task. We can apply it for other purposes as well, if we can figure it out.”
“I have a couple ideas myself,” JJ said. “Anything else going on?”
“You guys know about the meeting with Pentant Simtar,” Captain Clarke said. “That’s the most important thing going on at the moment, from a non-technical point of view.”
“Do you trust them?” JJ asked. “Off the record?”
“Simone trusts her old friends Katerinolia and Prime Minister Peteralinia. That gives me some confidence.”
“You trust Simone completely now, don’t you?” Nolan asked.
“I do. Do you have doubts, Nolan?”
“No, not at all. She’ll need a higher position eventually.”
Captain Clarke nodded. “I agree. She should have a position equal with mine, at least.”
“At least?” JJ asked.
“She’s been a good captain, and she’s held political office. She’s been the leader of a major party as well.”
Nolan leaned back in his chair, thinking. “She was born to be a captain. Perhaps an admiral eventually, but it would be too costly to take her out of the captain role at the moment.”
“I agree,” Captain Clarke said.
“What are your long-term goals, Captain?” JJ asked.
Captain Clarke chuckled. “You know that already.”
Nolan looked at him blankly.
JJ shook her head. “What are you talking about?”
“I told you before. I want to settle down in a free and stable Zone with you, and have a family.”
JJ smiled. “Okay, I remember you saying that. You’re fooling yourself. If we win, you’ll have a leadership role in the Central Authority. Things look bleak now, and it calms you to think of settling down.”
Captain Clarke shrugged. “We’ll see. There’s lots to go through before we get to that point. What are your long-term goals, Nolan?”
“Rescue my grandfather,” Nolan said.
“Ecason,” JJ said. “Do you think he’s still alive?”
“I feel he is, and I have to believe it,” Nolan said.
The drinks arrived. Captain Clarke raised his glass. “I’ll drink to that.”
They clinked glasses and drank.
Nolan chuckled. “Do you know how close Ecason was to Alexander Carlson?”
“I’ve read they were close, but adversarial as well,” JJ said.
“He told me once that Alexander Carlson was the greatest Earthling that ever lived. I think he’s probably right about that.”
Captain Clarke smiled. “You hope to introduce him to Drake.”
“Let’s not mince words,” Nolan said. “I hope to show him that his friend is still very much with us.”
“Wonder if Simone has had a chance to chat with Drake about the family?” JJ asked.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Captain Clarke said.
“I’d love to be a fly on the wall,” Nolan said.
“That war in the 21st Century,” Captain Clarke said. “The repercussions were huge for Earth. It changed the direction of the planet in ways nobody expected.”
“In good ways and bad ways,” Nolan said. “You’ve got to admit that. They still don’t have planetary governance.”
“You think that’s bad?” Captain Clarke asked. “I don’t.”
“The jury is still out, but it did keep many in poverty for longer than needed.”
“I’ll agree, but the liberty that survives in that society today is a good thing,” Captain Clarke said. “You understand that… remember our original mission together?”
“That is the reason for my great affection towards your planet,” Nolan said, “but keeping that situation may be counter-productive now. Too much bickering between the separate countries still happens.”
Captain Clarke chuckled. “It keeps us on our toes, and that’s good for creativity. Natural competition.”
“That is a good point,” Nolan said.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come on in,” Captain Clarke said. The waiter entered. “Ready to order some food, or would you like another round of drinks?”
“I’ll take the tacos,” Nolan said.
JJ and Captain Clarke glanced at each other.
“Those are bad for my figure,” JJ said, “but no matter. Tacos it is.”
“Same,” Captain Clarke said.
“Coming right up,” the waiter said. He left the dining room.
“A male waiter all of a sudden?” Captain Clarke asked. “You didn’t suggest that, did you JJ?”
Nolan burst out laughing.
“And what if I did?” JJ asked.
“Better be careful answering that, Captain,” Nolan said.
“I’ll just leave it alone. It’s okay, honey. You know I only have eyes for you.”
“Good answer,” Nolan said.
JJ smiled, and took another sip of her drink.
***
Ecason paced the lab, Elizabeth watching him.
“Call him,” she said. “It’s way too late.”
“You’re assuming I really want to talk to him. He’s our captor, not our friend.”
Elizabeth was silent for a moment, thinking. “What planet did they take you too after the rescue? It wasn’t here, was it? This is too far from the boundary.”
Ecason stopped pacing and took a seat. “C1121-B.”
“Aren’t all of the C planets home to leadership bases?”
“Yes,” Ecason said. “Why?”
“Do you think they collected the wreckage from the Ophelia?”
“What are you suggesting? That those eggs survived? They wouldn’t make a good weapon, trust me.”
Elizabeth eyed him. “What if they were brought to the surface of C1121-B and hatched?”
Ecason thought about it for a moment. “Well, XC22272 did rush out of here quick after that story. That troubles me.”
“Call him.”
Ecason nodded, going to the communications station. He waved his hand in front of the terminal to wake up the system, then focused his eyes on the screen for the retina scan. The screen presented him with a list of contacts. He clicked on XC22272. The system showed the call being attempted, and came back with a message saying not available. “That’s strange. I usually get a message from his comm device.”
“He’s not on the planet,” Elizabeth said, her brow furrowed. “He’s gone to C1121-B.”
“You’re jumping to conclusions.”
“Maybe,” Elizabeth said. “What if I’m right?”
“Then he’ll be gone for a couple days, and will leave us in peace. It’s not that far. A 16-hour jump.”
“If he’s jumping there, he’ll be unreachable for another 10 hours, give or take,” Elizabeth said.
Ecason shook his head. “You’re assuming he left right away. He might not have access to transport. He might have left ten minutes ago. Also, don’t forget that it’s likely none of the eggs survived to be collected, and even if they did survive, it’s not likely they’re still viable. They were inside a ship destroyed by a nuclear explosion. That’s rough on biologicals.”
Elizabeth sat down. “Can you get with the guards? Would they tell you if he left the planet?”
Ecason sighed, then got up. “Stay here.” He walked to the door, opening it, going into the staging room, letting the lab door shut behind him. Then he pushed the red button next to the door. It flashed un
til there was a click over the sound system.
“What is it?” asked a gruff voice.
“Where is XC22272? He hasn’t been here today, and I can’t connect to his device with the comm unit.”
“Are you in need of something?”
“We give him progress reports,” Ecason said.
The exit door clicked. Ecason pushed it open, and went into the hallway. A tall, thin man with no hair on his head came out to meet him.
“XC22475, how are you?” Ecason asked.
“What were you and XC22272 talking about before he left the lab yesterday?”
“You look worried,” Ecason said.
“Nobody can find him, and one of our ships left the dock yesterday.”
“Oh,” Ecason said.
“What were you talking about?”
“My rescue.”
“The Ophelia,” XC22475 said. “What about it?”
Ecason sighed. “I told him what really happened, and he left.”
“Can you tell me about it?”
Ecason shook his head. “Not without permission. Can you put me in touch with him?”
“Like I said, nobody can find him,” XC22475 said, looking impatient. “Where might he have gone, given your conversation?”
“He might have gone to C1121-B.”
XC22475’s eyes got wide. “The first plague planet. That’s restricted. All of them are.”
“All of them?”
“I’ve said too much already,” XC22475 said. “Thank you for the information.”
“You’re crying.”
XC22475 looked at him, then down at the floor. “He’s my brother.”
“Oh. I should’ve guessed, based on your name.”
“How much danger is he in, Ecason?”
“I don’t know. What is this plague?”
“We’re not allowed to talk about that.”
Ecason’s brow furrowed. “Who am I going to tell? Elizabeth and I are captives. You have us under your control.”
“Follow me,” XC22475 said. He opened the first door to the right, holding it, ushering Ecason inside. “Take a seat.”
Ecason sat on one side of a small table as XC22475 closed the door, taking a seat across the table from him.
