Wings of Steele - Destination Unknown (Book 1)

by Burger, Jeffrey

  "Sorry about the light my friend," he seemed to read Jack's mind. "At my age, the eyes become very sensitive, quite a bother really." He sipped his brandy then continued. "Young man, you have a destiny far beyond your wildest comprehension..." Jack watched him with interest but was careful to show no emotion. The old man appreciated his restraint, "You would make an excellent `Ruge' player my friend, you mask your feelings well."

  Voorlak stood and moved back to the bar, "You will have your own ship soon. You and you alone will be its commanding officer. Your destiny does not stop there, however, if you make the right choices. If not..." he turned to face Jack and shrugged. "Few men have the opportunity to choose between destinies... " he leaned back against the bar, a fresh snifter of brandy in his hand. "You, my boy, stand at the crossroads."

  Jack wiped his forehead, he was feeling warm.

  "You," continued Voorlak, "can choose to be a man like Herman Shimp, or take a firm hold and step into history like George Washington."

  Jack scratched his head, "Who was Herman Shimp?"

  The old man shrugged, "A nobody... no one remembers, no one cares."

  Ok, thought Jack, I walked into that one. He was not surprised that Voorlak knew about Earth history or George Washington. Many offworlders he'd met so far, knew segments of Earth's history and found it fascinating. Ok, so I'll bite, he thought. "So how do I become like George Washington?"

  "Well..." said the old man, "let's see... it was quite an amazing chain of events back home, that deposited you and your friends on this ship, was it not?" Jack had to admit it was. "Are you a positive thinker?"

  "Well, I like to think so..."

  "Logical?"

  "Yes."

  "Good! Then you believe everything happens for a very distinct reason?" It was a statement more than a question, and Jack agreed, not completely sure where this was all going. "Right, now then," he took a deep breath as if all this was requiring a great effort, "since destiny, fate, whatever you wish to call it, has taken such great pains and effort to bring you here, then isn't it logical to say that you must be fairly important to the general scheme of things?" Jack conceded to this also. "Good, now, the crucial part. Then it is being here that makes you important!" The old man paused to sip his brandy and let it slide down his throat, warming him. "This means your better choice of destiny must be out here. You will choose, Jack, between Captain Steele... or our old friend Herman Shimp."

  For the first time since he entered this room, Jack smiled. "Ok I get the point, but why me?"

  "You are a natural leader, my boy. If you lead, your friends will follow, you will never be alone. But make no mistake, Jack, the course of history is rarely an easy one... just ask George Washington." He smiled and took a moment to adjust his cloak as if he was preparing to meet royalty. "I know you better than you think. You would never be satisfied in a life like Herman Shimp... too boring, no excitement, no risks, nothing to strive for." He put the empty brandy glass on the bar and moved over to the child-pilot, some two thousand years his junior.

  Jack rose from his seat without thinking why and Fritz stood at his side. The pilot stared into the wizened old face and tried to fathom the depths of knowledge that lay behind it, but was able to glean no more than the feeling that he had met this man before, and his words were to be taken as the complete and utter truth.

  The old man bent down and extended his hand to the Shepherd who stared at him with shining black eyes. Fritz leaned into the stranger's hand as it scratched his head and felt no fear or threat. With one last pat, Voorlak straightened up. "He is a remarkable animal... he loves you more than life itself," he shook his head, amazed at the unselfishness. "He would defend you to his death." He could not bring himself to tell the young man that some day this might come to pass. They stood face to face once again and the Ancient pulled the hood over his head in preparation to leave.

  "Wait," said Jack reaching out. There were so many questions, but surely he would know that...

  The old man placed his hand on the pilot's shoulder. "I'm glad we've had a chance to meet, Jack. I know now, you will make the right decisions. Of that I have no doubts." Jack felt a strange feeling of elation that accompanied the hand touching his shoulder.

  "But..." Jack had one last question.

  Voorlak squeezed his shoulder. "Ah yes, your mother and father, I feel your concern. Go see them if you must, for you must reconcile your past before you can live your future." He adjusted his garments, pulling them close as if he was bracing for the cold. "Now I must go... sit, finish your brandy." He turned and moved to the wall of the suite that would face the outer skin of the ship.

  "Will I see you again?"

  "Yes." The Ancient's form seemed to dissolve like a fog as he reached the wall and passed into deep space. "Tell no one of my visit, Captain..." said the fading voice from the darkness. Then Jack was alone, alone except for the Shepherd with the shining eyes, who was sound asleep at his feet.

  All in all it was a pretty spectacular departure, as stage exits go. For some strange reason, Jack expected no less, but was still curious enough to walk over and touch the wall through which Voorlak had disappeared. It was, of course, solid. Jack sat back down and sipped the Ditarian Brandy, felt its warmth, took a deep breath and reviewed the conversation. So, he would have his own ship to command... that stuck in his mind. He'd wanted to ask how soon, when, what kind... but these were just a few of the many questions he had that went unanswered. He somehow lapsed into dreamy thought about home and all the things he missed most. It seemed like an entire lifetime ago.

  "Jesus, dinner!" said Jack, jumping to his feet. He had opened his eyes and in a moment of panic, realized he had no idea how much time had expired. It seemed like hours. He had awakened Fritz with a start and the Shepherd stared at him indignantly. Jack put his empty brandy glass on the bar next to the other and headed for the door, the yawning dog at his side. It wasn't until he stepped out into the well-lit corridor that he realized he was not on Promenade 5. He should be facing the open expanse of the upper Ecosphere because Promenade 5 rings it like a giant balcony. All the Promenades do. Instead, he was looking at the opposite wall of a corridor... his corridor! Fritz looked as confused as Jack.

  Jack turned around and stared at the door to his own suite. Now he was truly confused! Had he imagined it all? Was it a dream? He rushed back inside and turned on the lights. Two empty, but used, brandy glasses sat on the bar. "Too weird," he said to the dog, who stared at him with unblinking eyes. He decided they'd better get up to the restaurant. Maybe somebody else knew what the hell was going on.

  Exiting the lift on Promenade 5, Jack and Fritz hustled past the shops, barely casting a glance to their surroundings. Knowing it would prove nothing but wanting to see a familiar face, Jack looked for the woman selling the living crystals. She was not to be seen. Had he imagined that too? When they had left the shops behind, Jack studied the other doors and entryways they passed, they all looked the same. Which one was it? He felt like he was in the Twilight Zone. He shook the feeling off and with the Shepherd at his side headed to the restaurant just ahead, hoping, by some miracle, everything might return to normal or at least have some reasonable explanation.

  The Maitre d' smiled politely at Jack as he entered the Nova Restaurant and said nothing about the Shepherd who sauntered in wearing the squadron's colors on a scarf tied around his neck. Jack decided there was more to the shiny gold wings on his chest, than he'd originally expected.

  Even in the expansive and crowded restaurant, it didn't take Jack more than a couple of seconds to spot the Captain's table. In fact, it was pretty hard to miss. Four smaller tables had been arranged to form a giant square with the middle open for the food servers. It reminded Jack of a Renaissance painting he once saw, d
epicting King Arthur’s dining hall. The noise and bustle around the table was fairly considerable as the busy waitstaff bought steaming platters of food and the twenty-plus occupants of the table, laughed and joked unabashedly. Food scraps and litter on the floor in the center of the square looked to be remnants of a minor food fight recently subsided.

  Jack scanned the faces seated around the table as he approached. Gantarro was there, of course, sitting at what appeared to be the head of the table, his bridge officers sitting on his left and the group of pilots on his right. Jack saw Raulya and Myomerr sitting among the ship's staff, and Derrik's uncle, Professor Edgars near the pilots. In fact, there were only a few people at the table he didn't recognize. Maria was sitting next to Brian and Jack assumed the empty seat between her and Gantarro was his.

  "Well, that was fast," said Maria as the pilot took his seat.

  "Huh?”

  "You missed it `ol boy," sniffed Derrik. "Too bad, a right bit of fun it was, too!"

  "Got her good!" said Gant through a mouthful of food.

  Jack looked around puzzled. He knew he must be wearing one of those stupid looks but he couldn't help it. He had no fucking idea what they were talking about...

  A waitress, her uniform heavily stained and smeared with food, bought Jack a steaming plate of food and gingerly placed it in front of him. She smiled sheepishly. "I am sorry about your shirt, Commander." She turned and left after clearing some empty platters.

  Jack looked down at his shirt then back up. "Huh?" He didn't know how much more of this he could take... Wasn't anyone curious about the mysterious stranger in the hooded cloak? They acted like he'd been at dinner the whole time!

  "I only got her with a spoonful..." said Maria.

  "Yeah," drawled Paul, pointing to Brian, "but he got her with a whole plateful!"

  Brian smirked as he bit into a dinner roll, "Couldn't let her get away with dirtying squadron colors..."

  "Not without retaliation," added Paul with a mischievous sparkle in his blue eyes.

  "This all happened when I left to change my shirt?" guessed Jack.

  "That and the inevitable escalation," added Professor Edgars with a wave of his pipe.

  "They tried a counter-attack but we had them out-gunned," added Yosha, a tall Alberian woman from the ship's crew, "they surrendered just before your return." The bridge crew chanted a hearty victory cheer.

  Jack's mind rolled his meeting with Voorlak like a film while he listened to the casual banter and jokes. Maria's voice at his side made him start. "Sorry," she apologized, "why are you so deep in thought?"

  Jack shrugged "No reason." He was just beginning to piece this all together.

  "Did the stain come out?"

  Jack nodded, he felt it best to go with the flow of things until this was all clearer to him.

  The pilot was not trying to be rude, but he was only vaguely aware of his companions and the feast of edibles around him. Distracted, he ate half-heartedly even though the food was delicious. In fact, much of it looked and tasted like food from Earth. Then of course, there were the other dishes, the ones he wouldn't touch with a stick. One in particular looked like a bowl full of reddish-brown worms. Jack could swear they were moving. Try as he might, he could not get himself to stay with the conversation at the table. His mind wandered.

  Platters arrived full of fresh, hot food and disappeared empty, as did the flasks of wine and brandy. It wasn't until dessert that Jack had assembled a reasonable assimilation of the events that transpired... Ok, he argued, maybe it wasn't reasonable, maybe it wasn't even sane, but what the hell, it was the best he could do considering all the unknowns involved.

  Jack quickly ruled out that the episode with Voorlak was only a dream. That would be too easy. No, Voorlak was real enough. Real enough to pour and drink snifters of brandy, real enough to touch Jack on the shoulder, these things weren't imagined. But, Jack thought, anyone who could live over two thousand years and could pass through the hull of a ship as easily as walking through a door, was no ordinary man.

  Jack had convinced himself, more or less, that nothing had really transpired on Promenade 5. As far as he could figure, he went to dinner with everyone else, got spilled on and returned to his suite to change his shirt... and met Voorlak. This is where he had a glitch... not only couldn't he remember sitting down to dinner, but his clothes weren't soiled! Other than that, it made pretty fair sense. Ok, admittedly, it was far from perfect, but no matter how you laid it out, Voorlak went through a lot of trouble to arrange a meeting. Doing so, he demonstrated some pretty amazing abilities. Let's face it, thought Jack, there were easier ways to introduce yourself. He decided the whole thing was done to convince him not only the importance of the message, but of the messenger. And, possibly the origin of the message.

  Jack Steele was not an overtly religious man, but he did believed in God. And, while he didn't get the impression Voorlak was God, Jack did not entirely rule out the possibility that the old man could have some fairly direct connections. Jack smiled to himself at a personal joke. Ok, so Moses had his Burning Bush, maybe Jack Steele had his Voorlak.

  "Commander Steele?" Jack turned to see the Maitre d' standing behind him, holding a young girl of about nineteen by the elbow. She was tiny, barely above five feet tall. But it was obvious even in her loose red jumper-dress, that she had a nice figure. Lean and hard, like a skater or gymnast. She had long, wavy, platinum hair that hung almost down to her waist. Some of it fell across her shoulders like rivulets of silvery silk. Fine chiseled features, full round lips and slightly pointed ears gave her a certain Elfen look. But by far her most spectacular feature was her sparkling lavender eyes... smiling eyes.

  All in all, thought Jack, quite attractive. He smiled politely,"Yes?"

  "This, a-hem... young lady, asked to see the pilot officer with the four-legged furry being. I assumed she was speaking of you and your companion." The girl saw Fritz lying under the pilot's chair and nodded.

  "Thank you." Jack waved the Maitre d' away and without getting up, pulled an empty chair over from the table behind him. "Sit down." The Shepherd slithered out from his spot and sat up to get a better look at the young girl. She pulled back. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you. What can I do for you?" Jack took a long draw on his wine.

  "I am Seeta, the daughter of the woman who sells the living crystals on Promenade Five..."

  Jack nodded. So, he thought, some of what he remembered on the promenade was real... curiouser and curiouser. "Go on..." he urged.

  "Well, there was a woman with you... in uniform?"

  "That was me," said Maria over Jack's shoulder.

  The girl suddenly realized she had quite a large audience and was self-conscious about her rather ordinary dress.

  "And..." prompted Jack.

  "And, well... she looked at a Teardrop Crystal of Rhomm." Jack nodded again and the girl pulled a small box from her vest pocket. "My mother would like you to have it." She handed the box to Jack who opened the top revealing the sparkling wonder. When he ran his finger along the cool two inch shaft, he did not see the girl blanch.

  "To what do we owe this sudden generosity?" queried Jack, handing the box to Maria.

  The girl explained that her mother had not intended to offend but felt she had. And although rare, the crystal had bonded with Maria upon her first handling of the jewel and no one else could now touch it without fear of ice burn. In fact, she admitted surprise that it had not frozen Jack's fingertip just then, except that the crystal must have felt Maria's close proximity. At any rate, rather than destroy the crystal, because she could no longer sell it, her mother decided to give it as a gift, in an attempt to make amends.

  "Why didn't your mother come herself?"

  The
girl smiled weakly, "She thought I would have a better chance of getting an audience with you."

  Maria snickered wickedly, "She was probably right!"

  The girl smiled more easily this time and stared into the Shepherd's shining brown eyes. She wanted desperately to make friends with these exciting people and this enchanted animal. She had almost fainted with excitement when her mother had told her they were on the Promenade earlier. Seeta had begged her mother not to discard the crystal. Failing that, Seeta secretly stole the gem out of the refuse decimator before it was destroyed and its particles ejected into space. "I can see why mother wanted him... he is most beautiful!"

  "Thank you," said Jack, stroking Fritz's tall ears. "I don't think your mother understood that he's not just a thing, or a belonging to be sold or traded. He is my friend... and that is more valuable than I could ever hope to put into words."

  Seeta nodded, "Mmmm, yes, I understand. Unfortunately, my mother is a simple dealer of collectibles. In her eyes, everything has a price... it's kind of sad really." Jack found himself agreeing.

  Gantarro handed the girl a glass of wine, "You are obviously an intelligent and sensitive lady. We would be honored if you would sit and help us finish all this wonderful food."

  "Really?" She had never eaten in this kind of extravagant atmosphere before.

  Everyone agreed she should stay. Brian leaned over Maria's shoulder and aided by a little too much liquor, smiled his easy smile and slipped past his shyness. "Listen, Seeta..." She leaned forward and Maria leaned back, feeling like a fence in the way, "Umm..." Brian stumbled but recovered well. "Um, well, you see, we're all going dancing at the Starlight after dinner, would you be my guest?"

  Seeta's head reeled, the personal guest of a pilot! And a pilot with gold wings on top of it! She almost choked on the words, but Brian would never have noticed, "I'd be delighted!"

  Maria traded seats with Seeta and Brian's brain turned to mush. Brian and the young girl chatted comfortably all through dessert, fascinated by each others' eyes. She had never seen hazel eyes before.