by Ted Iverson
The men quickly made their way to the FESC chamber. The room was bustling with activity. Motioning again for the captain to follow, Orion hurried down a flight of stairs and onto the main floor.
“They’ve been working nonstop, constructing a smaller scale model first to ensure the material is what was used before. They’ve a long way to go, but it’s impressive. I’ve been letting them use my shuttle to get the material from the asteroid belt.” Orion grabbed a small piece from a workbench. “This material is incredible! The durability is unmatched.”
Lyet laughed “Orion, thanks, but in all your excitement you’ve forgotten that I’m familiar with this composite. Believe me, you haven’t seen anything yet. I’ve seen all this already, but it does do my heart good to know how excited you are over this.
“Orion, I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve had a long trip and would like to go clean up. I’ve got a lot to do before the rest of our crew shows up so I’ll be in my office later. Come by and we’ll chat, make a plan of attack, so to speak.” Little did the captain know how appropriate his choice of words was.
“Sorry,” Orion said, red-faced. “The excitement just got to me. I’ll catch up with you later and we’ll have that chat. I’ll be here if you need me before then.” He shook the other man’s hand warmly. As Lyet exited the room, Orion turned back to all the activity taking place before him. He knew deep down that he’d have to leave this in Lyet’s hands and return to face the same dangers his brothers were experiencing. He’d left Zach alone at the Lab long enough. Orion shook the thought away for now and walked over to a droid to discuss structural issues.
Ty decided that the time had come to contact Orion and Zach and inform them of the situation. His brothers needed to know that by continuing work on FTL, they would be in violation of the new law. If they did continue and then paid a visit back to Earth... well, that was a thought he couldn’t bear. Because of Ed’s and Alec’s actions they were already in too deep.
“Joanne, could I please see you for a moment?” He eased up on the holocom.
“Yes, I’ll be right in.” After a minute or two the door to his office opened and Joanne strode in. “What can I do for you?”
“I have to contact Orion and Zach and let them know about the grant. I need a little support. Could you be here? You don’t have to do anything, just sit here with me.”
Blushing, she answered, “I’d be happy to. Why don’t you boot up the holocom and I’ll get us some coffee?”
Feeling a little more relaxed, he flashed a grin and said, “That sounds great.” As she left the office, he touched a plasma button on his desktop and watched it ripple slowly. The holocom appeared and he punched in a few codes and waited. It seemed to take forever for his brothers to get the page and appear for the conversation. Just as the two figures emerged from the static, Joanne returned with the coffee, placed his in front of him, and sat in the chair out of the view of the incoming feed.
“Zach here. Hello, Ty!”
“Orion here as well. Been a while, brother. How are you?”
Ty decided to dive right in. “Guys, we’re not good, not good at all. I’ve talked to Alec and now I need to brief you both. We’re not getting the grant.” He went on to explain the whole ordeal: the hearing, its outcome, the ensuing run-in with the guards. “Alec is now, most certainly, a wanted man, along with Ed,” he said, finishing up.
“Ty,” Orion spoke up, “you’re telling me that we can’t build another ship?”
“That’s right, not with FTL capability.”
“Not really going to happen here,” Zach said with conviction.
Orion nodded. “I have to agree with Zach. We’re almost ready to test a scale model for strength of the hull. If that goes as expected and repairs on the docking port get finished, we’ll be ready to begin the actual shell construction. Though that’s still many weeks away, I have an entire crew arriving here in two days. What am I supposed to tell them? Sorry for having you return. My bad. I don’t think so.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Zach retorted. “We’re well on our way to finishing the schematics for the SMES power systems, as well as the navigation systems. We still have a lot more to cover, but we’re making incredible headway. I’ve tapped everyone from both bases to work on this. We’re just supposed to stop? Just like that?”
Ty tried to calm them. “Hey, how do you think I feel? I’m responsible for the entire corporation. You’ve both forgotten one really important matter though: Who’s going to pay if we continue? Guys, we’ve been done in, by law and by money—or, really, lack of it. Even if we continued on our own, we’d be bankrupt in no time.”
“Ty,” Zach broke in, “you know you’re my older brother and I have always listened to you. Well, maybe not all the time.” He chuckled with sly grin on his face, then immediately became serious. “It’s time you listen to me. I don’t know where the money will come from, nor do I care about breaking the law. I, for one, am continuing. Orion?”
“I agree with you, Zach. Mom and Dad wouldn’t have stopped. There must be a loophole in this new so-called law, and even if there isn’t, it’s our duty to continue. The money issue? I have a feeling that won’t be a problem. I may have a way to solve that. No questions on that issue right now. I’ll fill you all in later about that. One thing we need to do is decide if we’re going to continue the project. I vote yes,” Orion announced.
“I second that with a big yes. We go on!” Zach said loudly.
“This is just nuts, but if you two are that determined, okay. We’re all going to be in some really big trouble though. I just know it.” Ty shook his head slowly. “It’s a pact then. We continue! I’ll come up with some sort of press release saying that we will abide by the decisions the OEC has made and will be discontinuing the project. It will be up to you to inform those extremely close to the project to continue. You must use volunteers, as everyone who continues with us will be in violation of the law.”
“Not an issue here. Zach, I’ve decided to head to Luna and help with the internal plans. Captain Lyet is well qualified to lead the project up here, and I’ve appointed DES to head up the structure project.”
“DES?” Ty interrupted.
Laughing, Orion explained: “DES is the name of the droid I’m leaving in charge: Droid Executive Supervisor. Only name I could come up with. Could have called him Number One, but that was taken.”
They all broke out in laughter. No doubt their father’s sense of humor was showing in them.
“Orion,” Zach broke in, “I won’t be at Luna. I’m leaving later to head back to the Lab. You can meet me there and we’ll make plans. We’ll need to disguise the whole thing somehow.”
“Stay put at Luna, Zach, until I get there and we’ll shuttle to the Lab together. See you in a couple of days. I should make better time on the way back since I’ll be driving the ship instead of it driving me!”
Another quick round of laughter. Ty was beginning to feel better. “Guys, be safe in your travels. Be ready for anything, anywhere, any time. Bad things could and most likely will happen. Contact me when you both arrive at the Lab.”
“Will do,” Orion said. “If you learn of any new developments with Alec or Ed contact us immediately.”
“Done. Ty out.” With the images now gone, Ty sat in silence, pondering the decision they’d just made. Breaking the law really didn’t bother him that much. Axion finding out that it was now a race to perfect FTL, now that bothered him. He let out a deep sigh then remembered that Joanne was in the room, sitting very close to him. She hadn’t moved. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
“You didn’t ignore me. Ty, what you just decided, it’s a very dangerous thing. You—we—could all be in serious trouble.”
“Joanne, you don’t need to be involved. I can reassign you so you won’t have any knowledge of what we do. It would be okay. I’d understand.”
“No, that’s not what I want, not what I meant. I just don’t want to see
any of you hurt. I’m not going anywhere.” Her look told him she meant every word.
He couldn’t look away from those deep-brown eyes, but he knew he better do so before he did something he might regret. He was becoming attached to her in a way that was more than that of a boss and his assistant. The thought of a deeper relationship was appealing, but with all that was happening, now was not the time. He broke the gaze between them by standing and taking a few steps toward the door. Uneasily he spoke, “Haven’t had lunch yet and it’s already late afternoon. How about you?” He turned and headed out of the room.
Her eyes followed him. She was disappointed, but she understood. He was trying to protect her. The thought made her smile. As she followed him toward the cafeteria, she decided to just be patient.
Before leaving the station, Orion met with Lyet and DES. He discussed with them the brothers’ decision to continue the FTL project and made clear all of the possible ramifications of that decision. Both the captain and the droid understood the importance of moving forward and expressed their willingness to do so.
DES exited the room, leaving Orion alone with Lyet. “Cyrus, what about those funds you mentioned earlier?”
“Orion, your father felt a time would come when they would need to fund projects themselves and not rely on government funding. As a result, he invested wisely, and he sold many smaller inventions to companies for large amounts of money. These sales were separate from the work of Space Tech. The revenue from them is still flowing in and is being put away. The government has no knowledge that this money belongs to Space Tech. It’s all been done electronically from the Outpost.
“How much are we talking about?” Orion asked.
“Billions, many, many billions,” was all Cyrus could get out. After a pause, he went on. “The money is available at any time, but it can only be wired to one person: Paul Spencer.
“Paul inquired recently about having the funds transferred to Space Tech’s accounts, but he let me talk him out of it. With all that’s happening right now I felt that it wasn’t wise. He agreed to keep the account separate. If you need some of it, we can always transfer some to Space Tech. But I would recommend requesting only what you need and letting your Uncle Nate know about our conversation. I’m sure he’ll want to handle the creative financing.”
Orion realized the wisdom of Lyet’s statement. He thanked his friend and left the Outpost with the knowledge that they had the finances necessary to continue the project.
Now, mid-flight on his way to the Lab, Orion pondered those events, letting them all sink in. He felt it was time to update his brothers and Uncle Nate on the new-found funds. He touched a few buttons and three flickering images appeared. “Uncle Nate, sit down. This may surprise you. Guys, about the money issue and the solution I mentioned...”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Orion arrived at Luna Base. Zach greeted him with a big embrace and an enormous amount of relief at Orion’s having made it back safely. It had been twenty-two days since Orion had left the Orbital Lab and begun his crazy journey. Finally, here was here at Luna, his original destination.
They’d just finished a walk about the base and Orion, duffle at his side, now sat in a chair facing his brother. He was ready to get back to the Lab.
“So what do you think of the progress we’ve made? I think the SMES team is coming along nicely with the testing. I know there’s a long way to go, but I’m happy with it so far.”
“Absolutely. Your team here is moving right along and it looks like they’re headed in the right direction. I am concerned about the time frame though. If Meteoric has their hands on any kind of plan—”
“You mean Mom and Dad’s plan.”
“Zach, I didn’t say that.”
“No, but it’s what you meant.”
“It makes no difference what plan. If they’re ahead of us, it’s a disaster.”
“I don’t know if they are or they aren’t, but it seems to me that if they were that much ahead, all the ‘accidents’ that are happening wouldn’t be needed. We have to be close to them progress-wise for someone to go to all that trouble to stop us.”
“You mean Axion.”
“Orion, I didn’t say that.”
“No, but it’s what you meant.” Orion smiled at his brother.
Zach waved his hand at his brother. “It makes no difference.” Just as he did so, Orion voiced the same words. They both laughed. These small moments they shared always broke any tension.
“You ready? I know I can’t wait to get back to the Lab.” Orion grabbed his duffle, bolted from the chair, and headed to the hatch. Stopping short, he turned to see Zach gathering some files and stuffing them into his briefcase.
“Well?” Orion motioned. “You coming? Get the lead out!” With that, Orion turned and headed out toward the shuttle bay.
“Hey, wait up! What’s the hurry?” Zach tossed his duffle over his shoulder and began a slow jog toward the bay.
The Turtle sat at the end of the isolated runway, nestled among the battered and rundown aircraft that had long ago seen their best years. The craft graveyard was the perfect place for cover while Alec tried to sort things out.
He was preparing the Hare for a flight when he heard the sharp shrill of his holocom. As he approached the cockpit, he saw Ed’s image waiting for him. Alec quickly swiveled the seat around, sat, then grabbed the headset and placed it on his head. “Ed, it’s good to see you. How are you holding up?”
“I’m doing fine, Alec. It’s just like old times, being undercover. Of course, then I was doing the hunting instead of being hunted. But all is well. I have some news on Meteoric.”
“Do tell,” Alec said, raising an eyebrow.
“First off, the place is guarded like a fortress. You have gates with armed guards—actually, everything has armed guards. The fence line around the perimeter is, oh... nine to ten feet high I’d say, and it’s electric. There are more buildings here than I can describe. In all honesty, it looks more like a military complex. Pretty impressive. I’ve noticed one thing that may pique your interest.”
“What would that be?”
“The uniforms.”
“Expand, please.”
“Camouflage—they’re identical to that of your assailant at the airstrip. Alec, Meteoric must have been hired to kill Ty, and now I’m certain they’re behind all the other attacks. It would also explain how they got the grant.”
Normally Alec might have been stunned, but this didn’t shock him. It did explain a lot though. “So if they’re behind this, someone had to enlist them. I’d be willing to make a big wager that I know who.”
“You may be right about that. I was able to break into the complex last night. I actually made it into the admin structure, but I didn’t have long in there. I was, however, able to access their computer long enough to see that someone by the name of Sax has been meeting with them for many months about a project called ‘TechDancer.’ It was classified, but, you know me, I had to take a look-see. It clearly resembles the StarDancer. I got bumped and had to get out, so they know someone is on to them. We’ve got to get more info. I’m going to try aga—”
The holoimage faded for several minutes, then Ed’s image came back, but with several figures surrounding him. Ed was being led away—bound! There was a sudden flash followed by a larger one, and Alec saw Ed look back at the holocam just before his image disappeared for good.
Alec tried desperately to reconnect. It was no use. He replayed the recording several times. Then he ran it through the computer, requesting an interpretation of the flash.
Finally the computer responded, “Analysis complete. Based on video evidence, a large explosion has occurred. Infrared analysis shows a small conventional explosion followed by a massive plasma explosion.”
Alec smiled briefly. Ed had had one final trick up his sleeve. He must have found a way to remotely blow the hover to smithereens as he was being led away. Alec secretly hoped that the blast had also ta
ken out more than a few guards. He was worried about his friend though. Now he’d have to find both Meteoric and Ed—and he’d have to find out exactly who was behind this. It would be a difficult task. At least they had a new name now: Sax. Yes, he’d find out what was going on, and then he’d find his friend.
Alec got up from his seat and hurried back to the Hare. He’d need supplies. He wasn’t planning on returning to the Turtle until he had answers and Ed.
Ty was in his office going over some paperwork when the com came to life. It was Joanne.
“You have a call coming through. Would you like it patched in?”
“Any idea who it might be?”
“She says her name is Sam. I haven’t heard you mention a Sam before.” As soon as the words left her mouth, Joanne felt ridiculous. She had no reason to speak as she had. She and Ty weren’t an item, though she hoped that someday they might be.
Ty caught the tone in her voice and gave chuckled. “I met her while I was in the capital and we became friends. She’s a waitress at the hotel. And she’s Senator Thoma’s daughter.”
“I don’t like Thoma. He seems too close to Senator Axion. I know he looks all right, but I’m not so sure.”
“Thank you, Joanne. He did fight for the grant for us.”
“Still, I don’t like him.”
“Well, you have a right to your opinion. Please patch Sam in now. One last thing,”
“Yes?”
“Joanne, Sam and I are just friends.”
Embarrassed, she realized that he’d correctly interpreted her tone. Trying to regain her composure, she got back to business. “Patching her through.”
“Ty?” Sam’s image appeared, floating on the holopad. “Did I interrupt a meeting or something important?”
“Oh no, just doing some paperwork. How are you?”
