by Dave Lemel
“I can’t believe this. We were supposed to be partners until at least our fifties. We still need to talk about this. This decision is not final.” Todd took down his glass in one pull and refilled it.
“There is nothing left to discuss,” said Simon. “It came down to two simple questions for me. Am I irreplaceable as a star marshal? No. Am I irreplaceable as Penny’s father? Yes. Yes, Todd. Penny gets one dad, and I’m it. I get physically ill even thinking about her growing up without me.”
Todd silently stared at Simon for a few long seconds. He reached out with his right hand, grabbed his glass, and finished the contents. He picked the pitcher up, poured some in Simon’s glass, and then emptied the rest into his own. Finally, he spoke, “Okay,” he said while slowly nodding his head.
“That’s it?” asked Simon cautiously. “Okay?”
“Well…what can I say to that?” asked Todd as he shrugged. “You’re my best friend, Simon. How could I possibly say anything unsupportive to that and not sound like a complete jerk?”
Simon looked a little shocked, a lot grateful, and said, “Wow. I was really nervous about telling you. I’ve been sweating it for weeks.”
“Simon, I’m sure some of this is the tequila talking, but I love you, buddy. You have always been there for me. When my dad was killed, you were the person I leaned on the most. Then again, when my grandparents had their accident, you were right there for me. Now you’ve made what I’m sure was a very hard decision about a very big part of your life. I need to be there for you just like you’ve always been there for me.”
“You have no idea how much that means to me, Todd. Thank you,” said Simon as his eyes slightly teared up.
“Now!” exclaimed Todd, raising his glass toward Simon. “A toast to the last O.E.A. of the great star marshal, Simon Cain.”
“To our final assignment together,” said Simon as he clinked Todd’s glass. They both finished their glasses, and Todd said, “Now go put in a pizza. We need to put something else in our stomachs to have a shot at feeling slightly less heinous tomorrow.”
Chapter 11
Quantum entanglement. Einstein was the first human to discover this strange phenomenon in 1935. He called it “spooky action at a distance.” The Bopecans had been putting it to use for tens of thousands of Earth years. Not only had they figured out how to use it for instantaneous communication over vast distances, but also for instantaneous travel over vast distances. They had come up with a two-part system consisting of a port and a key.
Anyone who possessed a Bopecan port key could use it to access any of the ports. This was how they had explored the galaxy so effectively. Once perfected, they sent the ports out in every direction toward solar systems that had looked interesting. Then, as they started using them, they brought more ports with them and sent those out further from the ports they had just traveled to, like stepping stones. They repeated this process over and over, generation after generation, making them easily the farthest-reaching species in the galaxy.
The Bopecans were very protective of the port keys as well as the knowledge of how the system worked. They were, however, much more willing to share their knowledge of how to use quantum entanglement for communication. Humans had already made a decent amount of progress in this area by the time the Bopecans had arrived. Their help had been the push over the top needed to make real time communication over incredible distances a reality for space travelers .
By the year 2074, most homes in developed nations had small rooms called holographic call rooms where the user could make a holographic call to another person or people in another holographic call room. The two parties involved in the holographic call, or hol-call for short, had their call rooms linked, and it was as if they were in the same room talking face to face.
Sasha Cain entered the hol-call room in their home holding little Penny in her arms. Once the door shut behind her, she spoke softly, “Please call Simon aboard the marshal transport the Henrietta .” Ding. A woman’s voice with a robotic tone filled the room. “Calling now, ma’am.”
The Henrietta hurtled outward through the solar system with Simon in the small gym deep in her belly. He was running on the treadmill when his music was interrupted by Todd’s voice. “Call coming in from home for you, Simon.”
Simon stopped the treadmill and took a few seconds to catch his breath. “Tell her I’ll be right there,” he said, wiping the sweat from his brow before taking a sip of water.
“No problem,” replied Todd.
A minute later, Simon excitedly stepped into the hol-call room aboard the ship and shut the door behind himself. “Connect with Cain home,” he said. Instantly, there they were. Sasha and Penny sitting in a chair near the center of the ten by ten room. Simon’s eyes welled with tears.
Sasha rose from the chair carrying Penny and walked over to Simon. “I miss you both so much,” said Simon as a tear broke free of his left eye and fell down his cheek.
“Oh, honey,” said Sasha. “We miss you more.”
Penny’s head and eyes were moving all around as she took in the surroundings. Finally, she settled on her dad and smiled a little toothless smile. “Those big eyes. I just want to hold her and kiss those cheeks so much already, and I’ve only been gone a couple of days.”
“Hey, what about your wife?” asked Sasha with raised eyebrows.
“Oh, sweetie, of course you too. You know, I always miss you like crazy when I’m…”
Sasha laughed and interrupted, “Honey, I’m just kidding. I get it. So speaking of missing us so terribly… Is this still going to be your last O.E.A., or have you had a change of heart now that you’re out there?”
“Definitely have not changed my mind, and…” Simon paused for effect, “I told Todd.”
“What?” asked Sasha, visibly shocked. “I figured it would be on your way back if not after you returned!”
“Well, we were celebrating Ben’s birthday, had a few drinks, and it just kind of came out.”
“How did he take it?”
“Amazingly well, actually.”
“You’re kidding. I did not expect that at all,” said Sasha.
“At first he was shocked and a little angry for sure, but very quickly he came around. After that, he was way cooler about it than I ever imagined his initial reaction would be.”
“Well,” began Sasha, “I know it will be hard, but now you need to try and put us in the back of your mind. You need to focus on the assignment. It’s too dangerous out there for you to be distracted with thoughts of us or any last assignment nonsense. You treat this just like you have every other assignment you’ve ever been on. You hear me?”
“Yes, Mission Commander Cain. I read you loud and clear,” said Simon with a smile.
“Cut that crap out!” exclaimed Sasha with an all-business expression on her face. “I mean it, Simon. You better come back to us safe. This doesn’t work without you. I don’t even want to think about what it would be like to…”
As tears began to fill Sasha’s eyes, Simon said, “Honey, honey, stop, don’t…”
“Don’t honey, honey me! You were laughing and making jokes, and I’m lying awake at night wondering if my husband is safe on his transport ship as it blasts its way through the solar system towards a rock orbiting Jupiter!”
“Sweetie,” said Simon in the most conciliatory tone he could muster. “Let’s calm down a little and bring back my cool-under-pressure mission commander wife. While we’re at it, let’s also correct one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“You’re not lying awake at night thinking about my safety. You’re pacing back and forth with a crying baby in your arms, wondering if all those people who said their babies slept through the night at two months actually just bought earplugs.”
Sasha looked down at Penny and smiled. “Fine. Maybe that’s slightly more accurate. Your safety does creep in there, too, though.”
Simon smiled sheepishly. “It’s so hard to see you two lik
e this and not be able to hug you.”
Sasha looked back up at Simon. “I know, honey. Maybe I need to go back to work sooner than I thought. It’s not like me to crack up like this when you’re on assignment.”
“Things have changed a little,” said Simon. “If that is what you feel like you need to do, talk to Lombargnor. Maybe he’d let you assist a few hours a week on an assignment to ease back in.”
“You know, maybe I will. My folks got here last night, so I’d have a live-in babysitter I trust.” Sasha looked back down at Penny. “I’ll think about it.”
Just then, Simon’s link beeped, indicating he had a message. He retrieved it and typed his response, “b there in a min,” then hit send. “Speaking of mission control, that was Todd letting me know they will be contacting us in five minutes, so I have to say good-bye for now.”
“Okay, hun,” replied Sasha. “We love you and miss you, and we’ll talk again soon.”
“I love you both more than anything and can’t wait to get home to hold you both. Talk to you soon, sweetheart.” Simon blew them a kiss as he opened the door, ending the call.
Chapter 12
“I need everybody on the bridge in two minutes,” bellowed Todd’s voice over the ship’s intercom.
“Right behind ya, boss,” said Ben as he stepped through the doorway.
“Excellent,” said Todd, turning around in his chair. “How’s the ship?”
“All good except for two things,” Ben responded. “Having a bit of a problem with the shield field generator, which obviously needs to be fixed before we get to the asteroid belt.”
“Will it be?” asked Todd, concerned.
Ben furrowed his brow, “I expect to have it working at full capacity in an hour or two, but I’m far more concerned about problem number two.”
Todd took a deep breath, anticipating the worst. “What is it?”
Ben looked at the ground and shook his head slowly before looking back up and right into Todd’s eyes. “The crapper on the lower deck won’t flush.” Ben smiled wide before breaking out in roaring laughter as Todd turned back towards the front and rolled his eyes.
Foggen and Simon walked through the door as the large screens on either side of the massive windshield changed from displaying the course map to Lombargnor’s face.
“Always good to see your beautiful face, boss,” said Ben.
“Yeah, good to see you, chief,” began Todd. “Thought by now you would’ve pawned us off on some lesser mission commander.”
“That was my intent, Marshal Jordan. However, we recently received another message from the source. The nature of this message caused me to determine that it would be prudent to remain at the lead for your assignment.”
Todd and Simon glanced at each other and then leaned forward a little with heightened interest. Lombargnor continued. “The message indicated that there is a machine being constructed at the underground base on Io. This machine is one we have encountered previously in our ongoing battle with the Vikards. It is basically a super mine capable of destruction on a solar system–wide scale. You see, the Vikards believe that as one of the oldest and most advanced species in the galaxy, it is theirs to use as they see fit. They travel the galaxy, devouring all the resources they find. They view all other living creatures as inferior, so they have no concern for species they decimate along the way. We Bopecans see ourselves as their opposite. We have made it our mission to protect the galaxy from beings like the Vikards.”
Todd squinted and rubbed his chin before asking, “So what does this super mine do?”
“It eats everything in a solar system. Everything,” said Lombargnor. “As it takes material in, it separates resources and ships them out to Vikard settlements throughout the galaxy. Once it has completely digested an entire system, it moves on through the galaxy, looking for more systems to gorge itself on. ”
“Sir,” said Todd. “If this is true, should we really be wasting time looking for Benjo?”
“No,” replied Lombargnor. “You will still maintain course for Callisto and head down to the surface there. At that point, you will begin the reconnaissance for the Io portion of your assignment. I feel using the Benjo story as a ruse would be wise. If the information is correct, then the Vikards certainly will have ears to the ground out there. This way you will still have a chance to come in under their radar.”
“Makes sense,” said Simon.
“There’s more,” said Lombargnor. “The source says the super mine is near completion. If this turns out to be true, you need to disrupt construction. The source also says I have a mole at headquarters.”
“That’s why you’re alone in the briefing room right now instead of in the mission control center, isn’t it?” asked Todd.
“Precisely,” replied Lombargnor. “I received this latest message in a manner that only I would get it. The way it was sent also leads me to believe the source is legitimate and the information as accurate as it is worrisome.”
“Do you have any idea who the source may be?” asked Todd.
“I am beginning to form a theory, but I am not quite ready to share it as of yet,” replied Lombargnor.
“What’s the plan?”
“Once a month, a few peddler ships that work the Jupiter moons meet on Callisto. They fly to Io together for safety. They barter with and sell things to the Chinese miners who live in the settlement. You will pay them to allow you to fly in with them. This should mask your arrival on Io. Once you arrive, you will need to act quickly to infiltrate the facility and sabotage construction. On that note, seeing as the focus of this assignment has changed from information gathering to sabotage, I am far more concerned with speed than stealth. Get in. Destroy what you can. Get out.”
“Sounds fun!” said Todd.
“Sounds dangerous,” said Simon, through a grimace under his hand rubbing his forehead.
“Simon is correct, Marshal Jordan. This will be the most perilous assignment you have ever been on. I need you both completely focused on the task at hand at all times to achieve success. Just as importantly, so that you both make it home in one piece.”
Todd fixed a very serious expression to his face and said, “Absolutely, sir. We will not let you down.”
“That’s more like it, marshal. We will talk again once you are on Callisto. Good-bye for now.” Lombargnor’s face disappeared from the screens and the course maps reappeared.
Todd spun around in his chair to look at Ben and Foggen. “Okay, you two go get that shield field generator up and running before we hit the asteroid belt so we have no delays.”
“You got it, boss,” replied Ben. He and Foggen stood and exited the bridge .
Simon sighed, “Could you at least try to act like you’re taking this as seriously as you should be?”
Todd’s head snapped toward Simon with a look of shock before he grinned and responded, “I am taking it seriously, buddy! Can’t I be excited too? This is a much more appropriate final assignment together for Marshals Cain and Jordan.”
Simon’s expression slowly softened. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. Looking for a fugitive goat man is no way for us to end our illustrious careers together.”
“Of course I’m right!” exclaimed Todd. He got up, walked over to Simon, and put a hand on his shoulder. “Now come on, let’s go to the lounge. You can make a pot of that famous jambalaya of yours. I’m starving.”
Chapter 13
Todd eased the Henrietta out of hyper-speed as they made their final approach to Callisto. He picked out an empty spot away from any clusters of satellites or ships orbiting the moon. He then settled the Henrietta into an orbit approximately sixty-five miles above the surface.
“No matter how many times I come out here, I never get used to the way Jupiter dominates your field of vision,” said Simon as he gazed out of the windshield. Over half the visible space was covered by shades of orange, red, cream, and yellow whipping past each other.
“Well, soak it up, Sim
on my boy. This may be one of the last times you experience it,” replied Todd.
As Todd and Simon entered the garage, Ben poked his head up from behind their cruiser. “You fellas ready to rock?” he asked.
“As soon as you have our ride set, we’re heading down,” replied Todd.
“Right on. I just finished loading up the trunk, and Foggen should be back any minute with Shelly. Once we have her locked and loaded, you can be on your way.”
When marshals took their cruiser down to a moon or planet, the cruiser was equipped with a hover droid. These droids were mostly used for reconnaissance and surveillance. Todd and Simon had nicknamed theirs Shelly because she very much resembled a turtle. When in hibernation mode, it looked like a turtle retracted into its shell. When activated, two protrusions popped out from both sides like four legs, and one poked out from the front like a head.
As if on cue, Foggen entered through a small door at the other end of the garage. Shelly was hovering silently alongside him as he walked like a loyal floating dog. “How’s my favorite little droid doing?” asked Simon.
“All systems one hundred percent operational,” replied Foggen. He entered a series of commands into his link, and Shelly hovered over the rear of the cruiser. She retracted her head and limbs and lowered into place just over the trunk. A small “clink” could be heard as she locked into position.
Simon climbed into the passenger side of the cruiser as Todd paused at the driver side door and turned to Ben. “Anything you need from the shops? I have a feeling once we leave Io, it’s going to be in a hurry, so anything we need I’d like to grab on the front end.”
“Actually, we do need a few things,” said Ben. “I’ll have Foggen make up a list and send it down. When Simon goes to re-stock the pantry, you be absolutely sure he gets me two bottles of Sriracha.” Todd smiled, nodded, and ducked under the scissor door and into his seat. Ben put his left hand on the door, leaned down slightly, and held up two fingers with his right hand. “I said two.” Ben shut the door to the cruiser.
