Kendrick took a week of bedrest as the Selene orbited Venus, but the morning of the eighth day found the captain back on the bridge and Lena at the helm. His gunshot wound was healing very nicely and in the weightless environment, he could dispense with the sling. More importantly, his energy had returned in part and Fiona had declared him fit for duty. With the doctor’s approval, the captain had wasted no time in getting back to work.
The Selene was heading to Phoenix Station on Mars; and while Kendrick was not entirely comfortable with that heading, with Mun badly needing hospitalization, he could not see any other alternatives. Nevertheless, if he continued to bounce between the Earth, Mars and the Moon, they would eventually be caught. He needed to come up with a long-term plan and he hoped that something would present itself between now and their arrival at Mars.
With Venus set to pass Mars, the ideal time to make the voyage would be within a month, but he still had no idea what they would do after they arrived. For now, they were stuck orbiting Venus on minimal power. He did not dare maintain an active internet connection, as a savvy hacker could use that to locate them, but at least they had ample time before any military presence could get there.
As Kendrick sat in the captain’s chair enjoying the panoramic view of Venus laid out before them, Fiona came floating in and took a seat in the com officer’s chair, the very place she sat months ago when she had offered to be “more than friends” with him. It was a pleasant memory, particularly in light of their openly declaring their affection.
As the Selene orbited Venus, Fiona reached over and put her hand on Kendrick’s. He gave her a kind look and a pleasant smile, and she looked back at him lovingly.
“Good morning, my love,” she said.
“Mm, good morning to you too, Fi.” He took her hand and kissed it.
“I see the two of you have finally entered into a formal relationship,” Lena observed. “I approve; it is long overdue.”
“Thanks, Lena,” Kendrick said, giving Fiona’s hand a squeeze.
“You’re welcome.” Lena smiled, then unbuckled. “If it’s all right with you, Captain, I would like to visit with Heather.”
“Sure thing, Lena.”
“And Captain,” Lena said coyly, “seize the opportunity while I’m away.” She elbowed him gently and winked as she floated past.
“Thanks, Lena. You know I will.”
“Make it count,” the gynoid said as she exited the bridge.
Kendrick knew exactly what Lena had been hinting at and was impressed that she had come up with the idea of leaving him and Fiona alone on the bridge. Moreover, the view was beautiful; a perfect place to be “parked” with a girl.
Kendrick locked the bridge, removed the flask from his pocket, and offered it to Fiona. “May I share a drink with my lady?”
“But of course,” the doctor replied, accepting the flask. She took a draught, then capped it, making a face as the strong whiskey went down. “What is this? It’s stronger than Heather’s bourbon!”
“Jameson,” Kendrick replied as he drank deeply. “Beautiful out there, ain’t it?”
“Magnificent,” Fiona agreed. “May I join you?”
“Never had a girl in my lap on the bridge,” he laughed. “Come on over.”
Fiona unbuckled and came to rest in Kendrick’s lap, though being weightless, she remained by virtue of his putting an arm around her. She kissed him passionately, then sat with him and gazed out at the Venusian panorama. “So … we’re here for a month?”
“Give or take a couple of days,” he confirmed.”
“So … I’m all yours, my captain. For as long as you want me.”
He kissed her and asked, “How about forever?”
“Ooh, I’d like that … my captain,” Fiona purred.
The two sat on the bridge, enjoying the beautiful view and each other, as they settled in, waiting for the planets to align. In about a month, they would be blasting away at Mach 30. Until then, they could simply enjoy the peaceful lull before the storm resumed.
Epilogue
Xing received the final transmission from the Orion. Lorgen had scuttled the Enigma and had taken the Orion down with it. All those people, he thought. And poor Keyes; he had finally given her the respect that she had well and truly earned, only for her to be killed in the scuttling of the Enigma. Perhaps she made another miraculous escape, he thought, but he doubted it. On top of it all, Doctor Keane had gotten away. With Lorgen still on the loose, he was beginning to think that Captain Royce was not really the one the UPA should be chasing.
It did not matter. He expected that he would receive disciplinary action regarding the handling of the doctor and Royce. With a G.A.I.S.F. unit aboard the Selene and two ships lost, the situation had quickly spiraled out of control and Xing would be blamed for it.
Lorgen’s killing of Agent Keyes and the crew of the Orion—that really bothered him. Of course, the United States denied involvement, and hung Lorgen out to dry. Now, Lorgen was a fugitive as well. Xing had to laugh. Had Lorgen not been such an ass to Royce, he might actually fit in on the Selene.
Frustrated, Xing shut off his computer. He was reaching for the O.S.D. when he felt a sharp pain in his neck. His body went limp as he was lifted from his chair. Someone had grabbed him from behind and bit into his neck. He could not struggle, as if he were under some kind of spell.
Xing’s body gently lowered into the chair, his head falling back exposing his wounded neck. Velos took the OSD from the computer. He then produced a tube of Nano-gel and poured it onto Xing’s body.
“Thank you, Agent Xing. This information is just what I needed. Kendrick Royce … you, the Doctor and that assassin of yours … I look forward to our next meeting.”
Velos then vanished into mist as Xing’s body was slowly, but thoroughly processed into ooze by the Nano-gel.
As Xing’s life ebbed away, Colonel Tracht sat in his office on the OSP, contemplating the repercussions of all that had happened. He knew that Lorgen would not let this go. Siegfried Tracht knew people and he knew when someone had broken bad. The colonel had hoped that Lorgen could hold it together long enough to get the job done properly, but with the Enigma not responding since Tracht’s last communication with the vengeful captain and the UPA accusing the U.S. of destroying two of their ships with the stealth warship, the colonel knew that Lorgen was off the rails. It had become clear that Lorgen did not intend to return to base. Tracht was furious. It was time for the colonel to bring Lorgen to heel and perform damage control, which meant that the Enigma might well be destroyed in the process. It mattered not to the colonel; his project was more important than any single ship and Tracht would kill Lorgen himself if need be.
He sent orders to Captain Carol Giffords of the U.S.S. Liberty. Giffords was someone he could trust; both her and her XO, Commander Donavan Jax, had served under Tracht during the Colonial Conflict of 2102.
Tracht only hoped that the Liberty could get there in time and scolded himself for getting into this position. He had relied on Lorgen precisely because of the truculent captain’s willingness to break the rules and to eliminate any Alliance obstacles. However, that very trait that had just backfired in Tracht’s face. Lorgen was set on killing Royce and if that happened, it could seriously affect Tracht’s project; and Tracht would see Lorgen hang in that event. He crossed his fingers, hoping that his intervention was not too late.
More importantly, Captain Kendrick Royce was now squarely in Siegfried Tracht’s sights. As a wealthy investor in many of the large corporations, including NessCorp, Tracht had his fingers in many pies, but one project was his passion. Tracht’s military career facilitated it and his investor clout brought him the resources needed to make it happen. This project was Tracht’s magnum opus and a very important part of it depended upon the perfect pilot. Could Royce be that man? Tracht was beginning to think so.
With this possibility having presented itself, Tracht now determined to protect his investment. The colon
el had already taken steps to monitor viable candidates, including Royce, but none of them had thus far panned out—except for the aging rocker with the fastest ship in the stars. With Royce the leading candidate, Tracht needed firsthand information about the man and he knew just how to get it. He sat down at his terminal and typed out a carefully constructed e-mail.
He inserted an OSD into his terminal and attached one of its files to the e-mail, sending it through an untraceable series of terminals and servers so that when it finally reached its destination, the recipient would be none the wiser. With that done, he poured a glass of bourbon and reclined in his chair to enjoy the smooth drink, toasting his own cleverness.
Agent Keyes had managed to jump into an escape pod before the Enigma was completely lost. She had been adrift now for over a month, and food, water and breathable air had dwindled to precariously low levels. The crafty agent refused to give up, however. She had waited a full week before activating the beacon, time enough for Lorgen to be well on his way and knowing that at some point, Royce would be coming through on his way back from Venus.
Knowing Royce as well as she thought she did, Keyes was sure that he would come to her rescue … just as he had for the gynoid months earlier. She settled in, hoping that Royce would not take too long … and that he would get to her before Lorgen got to him.
To be continued
Table of Contents
Dedication
Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Epilogue
To be continued
The Silver Liner: Takes Flight! Page 29
