by Isaac Hooke
“They’ll never find you,” Rade said.
“Not me, perhaps.” Ganye nodded toward Surus. “But her.”
“The governments of humanity won’t take kindly to an incursion by these Quantus,” Rade said. “They’ll never get her.”
“We’ll see,” Ganye said.
“We will, but you won’t.” Rade glanced at Surus. “Do it.”
Ganye floated into the air and began revolving in place. A rising hum filled the air as he rotated faster and faster, becoming a blur. Purple liquid began to flow upward, coalescing into a ball above the Artificial.
When all the liquid was drawn from the body, the purple sphere moved upward into the black box connected to the ceiling. The container shut with a thud of finality.
A DAY FROM the exit Gate, seven United Systems warships emerged. Apparently, the distress signal Bax had sent when the alien vessel arrived had been taken quite seriously.
Rade exchanged several back and forth messages with the admiral, explaining the situation. He also dispatched his entire video archive of the battle. In one of the messages, the admiral asked if Rade had captured any of the aliens, or their technology. Rade had said yes—he had half a dozen spider corpses sitting in deep freeze in the hold, remnants from the last battle. The admiral responded by saying he would dispatch a shuttle to pick up the bodies. He wanted the Phant, too.
“Unfortunately, my present employer won’t allow me to give up the Phant,” Rade replied. “We intend to hurl it into a star, trapping it for all eternity. But you are welcome to the spider corpses.”
The admiral took some time to reply. Apparently he decided that he didn’t really want a rogue Phant aboard his ship, nor did he want to anger a Green, because he agreed to take only the Quantus bodies.
Rade added a further stipulation at that point: the United Systems had to pay them twenty thousand digicoins per body.
The admiral accepted without bartering, and wired the requested amount to Rade’s account. He sent one final message.
“Thank you for catching that Phant,” the admiral said. “I always thought our governments should be doing more to deal with the threat they pose. I admit, I had been curious as to the fate of the Green that had remained in our space. It’s good to see she still fights for us. Though I admit to mixed feelings. The Phants: our greatest enemies, and yet some of them are our friends, or at least claim to be. In any case, thank you. We’ll take it from here.”
The shuttle arrived to retrieve the alien corpses. Rade had ordered hangar bay two cleared of debris earlier, so there was room for the craft to dock. When it landed, Centurions in hazmat suits entered, wordlessly retrieved the cargo crates, and departed.
Rade had kept the original alien body he had captured from the Quantus mothership of course: he wasn’t going to give up all the fruits of his labors.
The alien craft passed through the far Slipstream twelve hours later. Though Ganye said they were Tech Class III overall, the Quantus obviously had the ability to traverse wormholes without Gates, so that put them ahead of the humans in that regard.
The United Systems fleet proceeded on a direct course toward the uncharted wormhole, obviously intending to guard the Slipstream in the event the aliens should ever return. Likely a Builder would soon join the fleet, and they would create a Gate to the neighboring system, perhaps to bring the battle to the enemy. The United Systems was known for such behavior—any aliens that ever dared trespass human space were usually met with a terrible counterattack on their territories, as the United Systems senior command was a big proponent of “preemptive” strikes.
A few days after the Argonaut passed through the Gate into the adjacent system, Rade and Tahoe went to the cargo bay to visit Surus. She had set up another tank beside the Phant containment device. In it resided the alien body Rade had kept.
“So?” Rade asked her. “What news? Are you able to copy their quantum technology?”
“No,” Surus said. “At least, not readily. The ability seems graven into the DNA. It will take several years, and hundreds of test subjects, to design a retrovirus we can inject into someone in an attempt to bestow the ability.”
“So what you’re saying is you can’t distill it down into a device we can wear?” Rade pressed.
“That’s what I’m saying, yes,” Surus replied.
“Too bad.”
“Do you plan to hang onto it?” Tahoe asked Rade. “The body?”
“Why not?” Rade said. “We can keep it as a war trophy. Maybe someday I’ll hang it over my fireplace.”
“Ha!” Tahoe said.
“Besides, it’s valuable,” Rade said. “Alien bodies go for a small fortune on the black market.”
“We’re going to have to hide it, you know,” Tahoe said. “As we get deeper into United Systems space, the customs officials will start using their more invasive scans. And they liberally employ boarding parties, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“I haven’t,” Rade said. “But that’s why we have the hidden alcoves.” Those were a series of compartments in the passageway near the bridge, concealed underneath panels in the deck.
“You’ll have to cut the body into smaller parts to fit,” Tahoe said.
Rade shrugged. “I’m fine with that. Maybe I’ll let Bender do it.”
The Argonaut proceeded to the closest station in the next system so that the crew could get some much deserved liberty time. Rade gave them all bonuses for the job, and set them loose on the station.
Rade dropped off Kato and Batindo at the station, too, where they met with a Kenyan delegation.
“Thank you for what you have done,” Batindo said. “I promise to pay in full by tonight, or tomorrow at the earliest. As soon as I finish securing the funds from my government.”
Kato gripped Rade by the hand. “Thank you for saving my life. I just wish...”
“You have to go on living,” Rade said. “Like I told you before. Otherwise she died for nothing.”
Kato nodded. “Everyone died back there. So many good people. A whole colony. For what? To satisfy an alien species’ craving for technology? Seems like a terrible waste.”
“Greed has seen the destruction of many empires,” Rade said. “Sometimes from the outside in, other times the inside out. Move on, Kato. Do what you can to get over the loss, but move on.”
Kato gave him a hug, then departed.
Rade also set free the Artificial Ganye, as promised, though perhaps not in quite the manner the former governor had hoped: Rade delivered him into the custody of Batindo, for transference to the Kenyan government. He would be interrogated, no doubt, and likely decommissioned. It was a fitting punishment for abetting a Phant, however, and nearly seeing Rade’s Argonauts killed.
Rade joined his crew in the station’s gym for a quick workout. It was a good change from the cramped setup aboard the Argonaut.
“Ah, nothing like a modern, high-tech, fully equipped gym to get the blood flowing,” Tahoe said.
“Hey, check out that jacked fool,” Bender said, in reference to a giant of man who calmly ambled by. He looked like a professional wrestler. “His bitch tits look like Manic’s.”
“I don’t have bitch tits,” Manic said flatly.
“Dude,” Bender said. “Those certainly aren’t pecs you’re carrying.”
Bender grabbed a barbell weighted down with four plates per side and began shrugging the bar upward, keeping his arms straight.
“Hey Bender,” Manic said in a tone that hinted he was up to no good.
Bender didn’t answer, as he was in the middle of his set.
“Bender,” Manic pressed.
“What!” Bender said.
“That’s right, work those traps,” Manic said. “Trapezius masturbation!”
Bender scowled angrily. He kept doing reps, shrugging repeatedly, and stared at himself in the mirror. But then his features softened and he cracked up. Laughing, he released the barbell a meter from the floor, and it landed with a
loud crash, earning a stern rebuke from the robot on duty, which wheeled over to tell him not to drop the weights.
The giant wrestler was working out nearby, and he gave Bender a dirty look; Rade suspected Bender would be having a word with the man later—a talk involving thrown fists.
Rade finished his workout and bid the crew farewell, telling them to enjoy their extended liberty. “And Bender, try not to hurt that wrestler too badly, please?”
“I’ll only break a few of his smaller bones, I promise,” Bender replied.
Shortly thereafter, Rade, Shaw and Surus hired a small charter carrier and departed the station. The Argonaut remained behind in dry dock for repairs.
The charter proceeded toward the system’s sun. A day into the journey, Rade heard the characteristic ding notifying him of new money in his account. He accessed the bank interface and was surprised to find a two hundred K deposit. A note attached to the amount thanked Rade for saving Kato. It was digitally signed by the Kenyan king. That money, combined with the digicoins Rade had earned by selling the alien corpses to the United Systems fleet, would be enough to replace the lost Dragonflies, telemetry drones, and Raptor, plus replenish the Argonaut’s supply of Hellfires.
When the charter was four million kilometers away from the sun, Surus placed the black box containing the Phant into one of the lifepods, and launched it toward the star.
Half a day later Rade and Shaw tapped into the charter’s external cameras to watch the lifepod plunge into the star.
Rade felt Shaw’s hand grip his.
“Do you think that Phant has started another Alien War?” Shaw asked.
“Probably,” Rade said. “But the good news is, I won’t have to fight it.”
“But someone will,” Shaw said.
Rade considered that. “The next generation.”
“Yes.” Shaw released his hand, then averted her gaze, touching her belly.
“Why did you do that?” Rade asked her. “Why did you place your fingers on your belly when I mentioned the next generation?”
“I—” She dropped her hand, slouching in defeat.
And then Rade knew.
“You’re pregnant,” Rade said.
She nodded slowly, finally meeting his gaze. “I stopped taking the contraceptives a few months ago. I’m sorry. I’m... a selfish bitch. You’re angry, aren’t you? You hate me now.”
He stared at her for a few moments, stunned.
“You hate me,” Shaw repeated.
Rade blinked, then forced a smile. “Hate you? Angry? No to both. I’m not angry. How could I be angry? We need to create life for once, to make up for all the lives we’ve taken. I’m just, well... surprised, but mostly afraid. I still have all the reservations I told you before, regarding raising a child in this sort of environment. I just wish you would have talked to me about it first.”
“I’m sorry,” Shaw said. “I knew you’d say no. You always do. But sometimes, you don’t know what’s best for you.”
Rade frowned. “And you do?”
“I just wanted you to have something else to live for,” Shaw told him. “Because I’m not enough, apparently.”
“You are enough,” Rade said. “I don’t need some kid to give me a reason to live.”
“But down there, you kept throwing yourself into the spiders,” Shaw said. “Ahead of the Argonauts. Not staying back, like you’re supposed to do. Risking your life for all of us.”
“Shaw, it was the heat of the moment,” Rade said. “I was doing what I could to survive. We all were. And yes, I may have occasionally taken the point position, but it wasn’t because I wanted to throw away my life. You have to know that. You of all people should know how strong my desire to live is. I never give up. Never.”
She had turned away from him entirely, and her head was down. “If you want to leave me for betraying you like this, I’ll understand. I can raise the next generation on my own. I’m just proud, so proud, to have you as the father, no matter what you decide.”
“You’re not hearing me.” Rade grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her to face him. He forced her chin upward with one hand so that she met his eyes. “Don’t talk like that. I’m never leaving you. You’re my astrogator in this life.”
She smiled sadly. “Okay.”
“There’s another reason I’m afraid,” Rade said. “And that’s... I’m not sure I’ll be a good father.”
“Oh, my warrior, you’ll be the best father,” Shaw said. Her eyes were moist. “I know you will.” She hugged him tightly.
“We’ll find a way to make this work,” Rade said, squeezing her back. “I don’t know how, but we’ll find a way. A kid. I’m a father. Tahoe will be tickled silly when he finds out.”
“It isn’t a kid,” Shaw said.
Startled, Rade pulled away. “What do you mean? It’s not an alien-human hybrid or something, is it?”
Shaw had to laugh at that. “No.”
“Well then what are you talking about?” Rade said.
“It’s not a kid,” Shaw said. “I carry twins.”
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postscript
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about the author
USA Today bestselling author Isaac Hooke holds a degree in engineering physics, though his more unusual inventions remain fictive at this time. He is an avid hiker, cyclist, and photographer who sometimes resides in Edmonton, Alberta.
acknowledgments
THANK YOU to my knowledgeable beta readers and advanced reviewers who helped smooth out the rough edges of the prerelease manuscript: Nicole P., Sandy G., Amy B., Lance W., Myles C., Lisa A. G., Gregg C., Jeff K., Mark C., Jeremy G., Doug B., Jenny O., Bryan O., Lezza M., Gene A., Larry J., Allen M., Gary F., Norman H., Eric, Robine, Noel, Anton, Spencer, Trudi, Corey, Erol, David, Charles, Walter, Lisa, Ramon, Chris, Scott, Michael, Chris, Bob, Jim, Maureen, Zane, Chuck, Shayne, Anna, Dave, Roger, Nick, Gerry, Charles, Annie, Patrick, Mike, Jeff, Lisa, Jason, Bryant, Janna, Tom, Jerry, Chris, Jim, Brandon, Kathy, Norm, Jonathan, Derek, Shawn, Judi, Eric, Rick, Bryan, Barry, Sherman, Jim, Bob, Ralph, Darren, Michael, Chris, Michael, Julie, Glenn, Rickie, Rhonda, Neil, Claude, Ski, Joe, Paul, Larry, John, Norma, Jeff, David, Brennan, Phyllis, Robert, Darren, Daniel, Montzalee, Robert, Dave, Diane, Peter, Skip, Louise, Dave, Brent, Erin, Paul, Jeremy, Dan, Garland, Sharon, Dave, Pat, Nathan, Max, Martin, Greg, David, Nancy, Ed, David, Karen, Becky, Jacob, Ben, Don, Carl, Gene, Bob, Luke, Teri, Gerald, Lee, Rich, Ken, Daniel, Chris, Al, Andy, Tim, Robert, Fred, David, Mitch, Don, Tony, Dian, Tony, John, James, David, Pat, Jean, Bryan, William, Roy, Dave, Vincent, Tim, Richard, Kevin, George, Andrew, John, Richard, Robin, Sue, Mark, Jerry, Rodger, Rob, Byron, Ty, Mike, Gerry, Steve, Benjamin, Anna, Keith, Jeff, Josh, Herb, Bev, Simon, John, David, Greg, Larry, Timothy, Tony, Ian, Niraj, Maureen, Jim, Len, Bryan, Todd, Maria, Angela, Gerhard, Renee, Pete, Hemantkumar, Tim, Joseph, Will, David, Suzanne, Steve, Derek, Valerie, Laurence, James, Andy, Mark, Tarzy, Christina, Rick, Mike, Paula, Tim, Jim, Gal, Anthony, Ron, Dietrich, Mindy, Ben, Steve, Paddy & Penny, Troy, Marti, Herb, Jim, David, Alan, Leslie, Chuck, Dan, Perry, Chris, Rich, Rod, Trevor, Rick, Michael, Tim, Mark, Alex, John, William, Doug, Tony, David, Sam, Derek, John, Jay, Tom, Bryant, Larry, Anjanette, Gary, Travis, Jennifer, Henry, Drew, Michelle, Bob, Gregg, Billy, Jack, Sandra, Libby, Jonathan, Karl, Bruce, Clay, Gary, Sarge, Andrew, Deborah, Steve,
and Curtis.
Without you all, this novel would have typos, continuity errors, and excessive lapses in realism. Thank you for helping me make this the best military science fiction novel it could possibly be, and thank you for leaving the early reviews that help new readers find my books.
And of course I’d be remiss if I didn't thank my mother, father, and brothers, whose untiring wisdom and thought-provoking insights have always guided me through the untamed warrens of life.
— Isaac Hooke
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