Mueller’s eyes finally wavered, and she took a sip of her coffee. “I’m listening, Commander.”
“If we’re to send an expeditionary force to Seeker space, we might as well tell the crew to say their final goodbyes to their families now.”
“You believe we’ll fail?”
“To be blunt, Admiral, it’s a suicide mission. No doubt you’ve read all the reports on these guys at Orion V and Psi-Aion. We got lucky defeating them. The Seekers are killers, pure and simple.”
“And that’s the reason President Jarret wants to send this force. To see what we’re up against.”
“We already know what we’re up against.” Jason shook his head in frustration. “The real reason we’re doing it is to deflect away from his crappy presidency.”
“Do you believe the people who died deserve justice?”
Jason’s mind turned to Tyler. He asked himself if he knew he was still deceased, would he think the same way. “The people who died are dead. They’re not coming back. I understand that more than most, I assure you. But sending more people to die isn’t the answer to that.”
“So, you’d have us roll over.” Mueller’s hard-lined stare returned. “Appeasement has never been the answer.”
While Jason didn’t disagree, it wasn’t as simple as that. “We have no idea if the Seekers will come knocking on our door looking for revenge. But if we go out there and kick in the hornet’s nest, we’ll guarantee it. They’ll open those trans-space vortexes of theirs and rain holy hell down on us.”
Jason waved at the beautiful Florida view out the window behind her. “You can forget about this. It’ll be gone. All of it.”
Mueller put her coffee cup down, taking in his words. “You must understand the decisions are made in offices much higher than this one.”
“Then I would hope, Admiral, you would exploit your clout to make the people in those offices see sense.”
She frowned. “Is there anything else, Commander?”
“There is. A request actually.” Mueller’s eyes told Jason to continue. “I’d like to propose an alternate use for Nora.”
“The trans-space actuator?”
Jason nodded. “Instead of waging interstellar war with it, let me take it to the Horizon Cluster to rescue my brother and Captain Marquez.”
Mueller put up a hand. “Commander—”
“It was difficult to send rescue before. Now it’s a whole new ballgame.”
Mueller glanced at Foster and then back to Jason. “I’ll absorb everything you’ve told me today and see how far my clout takes me.”
“That’s all I ask, Admiral.”
Jason stood and saluted, leaving her office behind, realizing he’d probably never get invited back again.
Chapter 3
Tokyo, Earth
“Just like that?”
Jason stared out from the terrace of Doctor Tai’s Tokyo apartment, not impressed with what Admiral Foster was telling him on the other end of the commlink. “I wish I could say I was surprised.”
“Admiral Mueller and I had a meeting at the Ministry of Defense in the afternoon,” Foster said. “They were rather equivocal in their stance that the mission go ahead.”
“Of course they were.” Jason rolled his eyes. “So, I guess that means a no-go for my journey to the Horizon Cluster?”
“TIAS have informed us it’ll take three months to build another trans-space actuator to the required specifications. Should the expeditionary force not require it, Minister Takashi has promised he will consider it for use in the rescue of your brother and Captain Marquez.”
“By that stage I’ll be dead somewhere out in Seeker territory.” Jason shook his head. “I’m sorry, Admiral, I realize you tried.”
“We’ll talk soon, Commander. Foster out.”
Jason deactivated his commband and opened the glass door. He strolled into the living area of the apartment where Doctor Susan Tai and Proefessor Javier Petit were sitting across from each other in quiet conversation.
“I apologize,” Jason said to them. “I forgot how problematic it was dealing with the brass.”
“Anything we can help with?” Petit asked.
“I’m curious, how long will it take you to build another Nora?”
“I’ve projected three months.”
“Well, I guess they weren’t lying about that.”
Petit looked at him with concern.
“Don’t worry, Professor. I’ll sort out my own problems.” Jason sat beside them. “Now tell me, what can I do for you?”
“We’ve tracked down where Kione is,” Tai said.
Jason was hoping for good news. “Where?”
“A secure facility in Edinburgh. They’ve put him under the supervision of a Doctor Charles Whitlowe.”
“What’s so special about this Whitlowe guy?”
“I have no idea. I can’t find out one shred of information about him.”
“That’s worrying.”
“It’s as if he doesn’t exist. He’s not a part of any medical association throughout the commonwealth, and after contacting everyone I know, no one else has heard of him either.”
“What about Kione?” Jason asked. “How is he?”
Tai looked to Petit before turning back to Jason. “When I got to sit down with him…”
“What?”
“Something wasn’t right. They drugged him.” She bit her lip. “And when the meeting ended, he touched me. For a moment it seemed he contacted me. Mentally.”
Jason remembered back to his time incarcerated on the Seeker weapon ship and the experience he’d shared with Kione. It was still vivid in his mind.
“But how? There’s no sphere.”
“I’m not sure.”
“What did you see?”
Tai took a breath. “He was screaming out. He wanted my help.”
Jason rubbed his forehead. In that moment he was ashamed of humanity. He’d rescued Kione from the Seekers just to hand him back to monsters of the same ilk.
“There is a segment of the media pushing to know what happened to Kione on his return from Outpost Watchtower,” Petit added.
“All of which is being drowned out by the news of Jarret’s expeditionary force.” Jason stood and walked to the window.
“We could reach out to them. Tell them what we—”
Jason shook his head. “They won’t let this get out, Professor. Even if it did, a part of the community blames him for what happened at Orion V, so he wouldn’t be safe. The xenophobic fires have well and truly been stoked.”
“Then what’s your suggestion?”
Jason moved back toward them. “Let’s see if we can find something out about this Whitlowe character to start with. I know a guy.” Though he wondered. “That’s if he’s still alive.”
His commband alerted him to an incoming commlink. “Cassidy here.”
“This is Captain Shila. Commander, I need you to report to the Sabre.”
“Captain, I—”
“That’s now, Commander.”
Jason sighed. “On my way.”
He turned apologetically to Tai and Petit. “I’ll give you this guy’s name. It’s somewhere to start at least.”
*
UECS Sabre
Jason stepped onto the command deck and drew his eyes toward the command pit. Captain Shila signed off a data tablet and handed it to a junior officer. She spotted Jason and motioned him to her office.
He walked in and stood in front of her desk. But instead of taking a seat behind it, Shila gestured to the two sofa-style chairs in the corner.
“Sit down, Jason.”
Jason? She’d never been so informal. What have I done wrong?
“There’s no easy way to tell you this, but it’s about the Argo,” she said to him.
His chest tightened. “What—”
“Six hours ago, Ganymede Station detected the cargo ship on an irregular course. They sent out a pod to investigate. Her thrusters were
firing erratically, so they boarded her and got her under control.” She gazed deep into his eyes. “They found no one aboard.”
Jason swiveled his head and stared blankly out the viewport. “When you say no one aboard—”
“There were no bodies. No airlocks were blown.”
“So someone has taken them?”
“That’s what the authorities on Ganymede Station believe. However, at this point they’ve turned up nothing giving them a definite answer or their potential whereabouts.”
Jason stared back to her. “And the Argo?”
“At Ganymede Station. They’re going over it with a fine-tooth comb.”
Doctor Tai once asked Jason how many lives he had, but in truth it was the Argo that had the fortunate luck. As its crew kept dying or disappearing, the humble old cargo ship continued to survive. It would almost be funny if it weren’t for the fact his friends were missing.
“Captain, I realize I have no leave clocked up yet, but I’ll need to take some time to sort this out. With these war games coming up, I’m sure it’ll piss off the brass but—”
Shila stopped him in his tracks. “I’ll take care of them. Go to Ganymede and find your friends.”
Jason smiled as best he could in the circumstances. His new captain was quickly rocketing up his list of favorite people.
Chapter 4
May 28, 2214
Transport Pod
It’d been years since Jason had passed through the Jovian system of moons. While very much a part of humanity’s home, it’d always appeared so alien to him. Centuries after Earth’s first unmanned probes traveled through, many still regarded it a mysterious expanse of the abyss.
His transport approached the Ganymede moon and its orbiting station. During his voyage he’d barely got a wink of sleep. However, when he had, he’d always seen Aly and Kevin. Even Althaus popped in from time to time.
“Stand by for landing, everyone,” the pilot announced over the speakers.
The pod made a beeline for the hangar deck of Ganymede Station and touched down. Through the crowd of other passengers, Jason’s welcoming committee declared itself in the form of a weedy-looking young man.
“Commander Jason Cassidy?” he greeted him, no doubt recognizing his CDF uniform as it was the only one amongst the other passengers. “I’m Detective Marcetti.”
Jason stared at him, wondering if he was still popping pimples. “This isn’t your first case, is it?”
Marcetti bristled but ignored the comment. “Come with me, Commander.”
Jason frowned and followed him from the hangar deck into the central administration hub. “What can you tell me so far, Detective?”
Marcetti led him up a flight of stairs into a fanatically tidy office and flicked on a wall monitor behind his small desk. “The Cargo Ship Argo arrived at Ganymede Station on May twenty-first to drop off a consignment of medical supplies.”
He brought up a timetable of their arrival, the cargo manifests, and images of their landing on the hangar deck. “Later that night, Kevin Rycroft reported his daughter missing.”
“Wait.” Jason hadn’t heard that part of the story. “What happened to Aly?”
“Kevin Rycroft and Conrad Althaus returned to the ship and found Alyssa gone. Surveillance cameras showed signs of tampering. I’ve since discovered both men visited one of Ganymede Station’s computer technicians and beat a confession out of him.
“Seems a person by the name of Darius Lok paid him off to alter the footage during the time Miss Rycroft went missing.”
Jason smiled, knowing how resourceful the pair were. “What happened next?”
“Darius Lok’s ship, The Thor’s Hammer, logged a flight plan to Europa Station. The Argo followed sometime later, but Lok’s vessel never arrived.”
“He’d filed a dummy flight plan?”
“Correct.” Marcetti revealed a scanning log. “The last sighting of the Argo was her leaving Europa Station heading toward Io.”
“Io?” Jason pondered. “Something must’ve led them there.”
“I came to the same conclusion and sent a pod out there to investigate. Unfortunately, nothing so far has come up.”
“So, that’s where we’re at?”
Marcetti nodded. “I’m still following up on a few leads, but I believe concentrating on Io is our best bet at this stage.”
“Very well. I think it’s time I had a look at the Argo.”
The Detective gestured toward the door. “She’s in the hangar deck.”
Jason walked to the exit but then stopped and turned. “Hey, kid.”
“Yeah?”
“What I said earlier, I didn’t mean to be an ass. I just…” He trailed off. “You’ve done good work so far.”
Marcetti nodded, and Jason headed to the hangar deck where he boarded the Argo.
He searched throughout the empty cargo bay for any clues, followed by everyone’s quarters. From the frugalness of Kevin’s room, to the neatness of Aly’s, and then finally to the downright smelliness of Althaus’s. Nothing seemed out of place.
Up on A Deck, he explored the engine room, the galley, the infirmary, and even the rec room. All the pieces on the chessboard were in their starting positions as if no one had ever lived there. He grabbed the board and threw it into the bulkhead. The pieces clattered over the deck.
Where are you guys?
He made his way to the bridge through the hatchway. Like the rest of the ship, it was eerily quiet. Jason stared at the empty chairs and sat at the helm.
He put his head in his hands in hopelessness.
An alert beeped on the console. “DNA detected,” the computer chirped. “Cassidy, Jason Benjamin.”
He opened his eyes, and the lights blinked off, bathing him in darkness. What the hell?
“Hello, Mister Cassidy.”
Jason jumped from his seat at the female voice and peered around the bridge. No one was there.
“Up here.”
He glanced at the speakers, realizing someone was communicating across a commlink. “Who is this?”
“Who I am is irrelevant.”
Jason hastened over to the operations station and checked the comms.
“I assure you, you’ll be unable to trace this commlink.”
That didn’t stop Jason from trying. Though he quickly realized she was right.
“I need you to listen carefully.”
“Seems I have little choice.”
“We have an opportunity to help each other, Mister Cassidy. There’s something I require. In exchange, I’ll return the crew of the Argo to you.”
Jason clenched his fist. “What have you done to them! I swear, if you’ve harmed—”
“Mister Cassidy, getting emotional will only hinder the situation. Now listen. One week ago, an associate boarded your vessel in the hope of retrieving a DNA sample of the life form known as Kione.”
Jason furrowed his brow, remembering what Marcetti had told him. Darius Lok…
“He retrieved the DNA, but our scientists deemed it unfeasible for use. Luckily for us, our associate brought aboard the Argo’s captain.”
Aly!
“After her crewmates rescued her, we took all three captive.” The woman cleared her throat. “This is where you come in, Mister Cassidy.”
Jason gritted his teeth. “I want to see them!”
On the operations station, an image of the three sitting together in a holding cell appeared. He put his hand on the monitor.
“As you can tell, they’re uninjured and being taken care of. However, that could change…”
“What do you want?” Jason asked.
“That’s the spirit, Mister Cassidy. Now, since the last DNA sample of Kione wasn’t up to scratch, we’ll want the real thing.”
“You want me to get you Kione? What do you want with him anyway?”
“That’s ir—”
“Irrelevant. Right.” He rolled his eyes. “How do you expect me to get him?”
“That’s not my problem. I know you’re very resourceful and will find a way.”
The image of Aly, Kevin, and Althaus was replaced with a star chart. Prominent were the inner planets of the solar system. Crosshairs singled out a point in space beyond the orbit of Luna.
“Once you’ve retrieved Kione, I’ll be waiting here. You have ten days.”
“Ten days! How do you expect me—”
“Any funny business, and your people die. Do you understand?”
Jason sighed. “Understood.”
The star chart disappeared, and the bridge lights came back on. A few moments later, Detective Marcetti arrived through the hatchway.
“What happened?” he asked. “The rear entry ramp wouldn’t open. It’s like the whole ship powered down.”
Jason moved to the helm and began preflight checks. “How soon can I get clearance out of here?”
Chapter 5
August 15, 2188
Tokyo Institute of Advanced Sciences – Tokyo, Earth
Twenty-Six Years Earlier
“The Mesopotamia civilization was situated on and around the Tigris-Euphrates river system as early as five thousand BC. The Sumerians and Akkadians ruled the region up until five hundred and thirty-nine BC.”
While Kione talked, Doctor Benjamin Tyrell beamed with pride at the six-year-old boy. Gone was the infant brought to him from an abandoned craft in the Galilei system. Instead was a strong, confident young man. How time flies…
Though sometimes Benjamin had to remind himself Kione wasn’t human. He may have spoken and acted like one, but his exterior and interior were very different.
As the boy continued to rattle off his assignment on the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia, Kione’s teacher leaned toward Benjamin from the chair beside his. “What do you think?” Miss Deane asked.
“Phenomenal,” Benjamin said. “This is something I’d expect from a high school student.”
“He’s come a long way in just two years of schooling.”
Kione finished up the last of his presentation, and they both clapped. He smiled and hurried over to Benjamin and hugged him. “Did you like it?”
The Call of Destiny Page 2
