Reunion

by Greg Mutton

  ‘Not as much as you might think,’ JT answered. ‘It’s so fucking big it’s easy to lose yourself.’

  ‘By the way,’ Sol started, ‘where is your house? I can see David and Salina’s… are you hiding it?’

  ‘You’re looking at it. One of the joys of being the eldest, I get to live in that monstrosity. When the second bought the property he originally built a modest home for his family, he was really more interested in his folly. But he decided that it should be the seat of the Abraham family and set it up so that every first-born inherited it.

  ‘Each subsequent owner has added on to it, Dad’s contribution being the two other houses. Prior to that, everyone lived under the one roof. I also have another place … we flew over it … near the old Dubbo site. I might turn this into a research facility or something when it’s my turn; in reality it’s now more a company site than a family home.’

  They walked the last few metres to the front steps in silence. As they opened the front door, John’s mother walked into the vestibule and smiled as she greeted them.

  ‘I thought I heard a shuttle land… thought it might be Jeffrey.’ She walked over to her son and hugged him. She moved to Sol and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.

  ‘So good to see you again, Solomon, how did you get Johnathan to bring you here? He hardly comes home anymore and never brings any guests; you would think he’s ashamed of us.’ She took both men’s arms and guided them through to the Library.

  Sonia Abraham was a tall, elegant woman with a well-rounded face and flashing blue eyes. Her hair was naturally blonde but tonight it was jet black. Her lips were full and her skin a golden brown. Her figure was best described as curvy and she had always been a head-turner. For all her perceived beauty, she was a humble person and exceedingly proud that she and her husband had raised three children together, in a traditional family. She also held a doctorate in Horticulture and headed up the horticultural research department at the University.

  John thought his mother was unusually agitated tonight and turned to her.

  ‘Slow down mum, you’re running round like a dog chasing its tail.’ He moved over to the sideboard and produced a decanter of amber liquid. As he started to pour, his mother spoke again.

  ‘It’s just that I was expecting Jeffrey and I have some unbelievable news for him.’ She always used everyone’s full name, no abbreviations; her philosophy being if parents gave their child a name, then it should be used as given.

  ‘What news?’ JT asked.

  ‘I should wait for your father,’ Sonia replied.

  ‘Come on, you started this.’

  ‘Alright… it’s your Uncle, Aaron. He’s coming here this weekend.’ Her voice was almost a whisper, her words hanging in the air and stopping everyone in their tracks.

  ‘Aaron here… for the party?’ John couldn’t believe his ears. His uncle had been a great childhood favourite, always seeming larger than life. It devastated a young JT when he came home from the academy one day to learn that his father and uncle had had a huge row and Aaron had left, vowing never to return. To this date he’d kept his word.

  His mother held the glass that JT handed her and took a slow sip. ‘I don’t know,’ Sonia said in a quiet voice. ‘I have been trying to get those two pig-headed fools to talk for years, but they’re both as bad as each other.

  ‘Your father won’t talk about it and I still don’t know what they fought over. Anyway, I managed to track Aaron down, on Argos, and every time there is a significant event I always send him an invitation. He has never accepted before this.’

  She turned to Sol. ‘I don’t know if Johnathan told you, but this celebration is for Salina’s latest marine triumph; she successfully released the first Giant Manta Rays back into the ocean. She’s been working really hard for years on this project and it’s finally paid off.’

  Turning back to JT she continued, ‘I couldn’t believe it when I received Aaron’s reply today saying he was leaving Argos tonight and would love to attend. He also added that he was bringing some old friend and thought it was about time that he and Jeffery buried the hatchet.’

  She sat back and drained her glass. Sol stood, taking Sonia’s glass and refilling it for her. JT just sat there as if lost in thought.

  ‘Sounds like I came to the right party,’ Sol said under his breath and sat down again. It felt like an eternity before anyone spoke or moved until JT rose to refill his glass.

  Sonia had regained her composure and looked at them both. ‘David and Salina are out by the lake; why don’t you two go and join them. Don’t say anything, I haven’t told them yet.’

  Both men stood and moved towards the door into the entry vestibule when Sonia took John’s elbow. ‘Go easy on your father; this will be a huge shock for him.’ Her eyes were pleading and John could never refuse his mother, also he knew how hard the separation had been on his father.

  Like his mother, JT had never learned what happened; every time he broached the subject his father would either clam up and walk away or, if he was in a more contemplative mood, he would just say, ‘a stupid fight between brothers’ usually accompanied by advice that he should always keep communication channels open with his siblings. For all this, JT could always see the sadness in his father’s eyes whenever the subject came up.

  ‘Sure, I’ll be good,’ he answered and his mother patted his arm in gratitude. They walked to the front of the house and down the twenty steps to the pathway that wound round a central fountain and down to the lake about one hundred metres away.

  The front garden was his grandmother’s domain and, although she and his grandfather had moved off world, she still checked on its condition regularly. There were over five hundred individual plantings and about half were roses; old varieties, new hybrids, even some that had been bred off world. As a young child, this had always been John’s favourite part of the compound and his grandmother had built it with children in mind. There were hidden paths, secret sitting areas — to a young child it was a place of wonder and adventure.

  JT saw his brother and sister sitting on the jetty; he waved and they returned the greeting. Salina raced up and gave her brother a big hug.

  ‘Hello big brother, care for a drink?’ she giggled.

  David stood and also hugged his brother.

  ‘JT… it’s been a while since we saw you here.’

  There was some rivalry between the two brothers, mainly due to David being head of finance for Abracorp, while his big brother was still off adventuring around the galaxy and not settling down as everyone believed he should. Still, they were brothers and, despite the sibling rivalry, quite close. JT declined the drink and walked to the end of the jetty, another favourite spot in the compound.

  The lake had been stocked with various breeds of fish and offered the chance of some solitude as well as a fresh fish dinner for a lucky angler. He especially loved balmy spring or autumn nights just floating around in the clear, cool water. His thoughts were interrupted by the distinctive hum of a shuttle overhead; he recognised his fathers’ transport and turned back to his friend.

  ‘Now things get interesting!’ he muttered.

  Sol stood beside him and they watched as the shuttle transitioned to vertical operation for landing and disappeared behind the house.

  JT’s thoughts were about his uncle as they walked back to the house, both excited and concerned at the same time. For over thirty years there had been little or no contact between the family and Aaron Abraham. He knew that his mother had been trying to bring about some resolution for many years, to no avail. His sixth sense was working overtime and although he would be glad to see his uncle again, warning bells were going off in his head.

  6

  According to Argos time, Condor was finally cleared to de-planet at ‘26:25’ hours — six hours after filing the flight plan. Even in a society that minimised officialdom, bureaucrats managed to find ways of complicating things.

  Still, it was good to be away and A
aron started to relax a couple of hours later when they were heading to Earth at a comfortable displacement factor of 15. The worm hole was holding firm and the field generator purring like a kitten, according to Dianna. He handed the bridge to Simon Holm, the navigator and acting third officer and went to his quarters.

  Meanwhile back on Argos, Allen Grainger called James to his office.

  ‘Condor away, James?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes sir, as arranged; they were held for a few hours due to an administrative issue, but they were finally cleared at twenty six, twenty five hours. She initiated a worm hole just outside the exclusion zone and is finally away.’

  ‘What time is it, anyway?’ Grainger asked.

  James consulted his console. ‘Two ten am, sir… time to retire?’ he suggested.

  To keep time relative to Earth, all human colonies had adopted a similar time system; sixty seconds to a minute and sixty minutes to an hour. This gave Argos a twenty eight hour day and, due to its proximity to — and orbit around its star — a three hundred and eighty five day year.

  ‘Not yet, we still have a couple of things to do,’ Grainger said as he reached out to his console. He brought up the document they had been working on; one of the reasons that Condor’s departure had been delayed.

  ‘Please transmit this to the Krell Emperor.’ With one key stroke he sent the file to James. At the same time, he brought up another message, this time accessing the secure communication system. Silently he re-read the message, initiated transmission, and then sat back.

  ‘The die is now cast,’ he whispered to himself, ‘I hope this doesn’t come back and bite us on the arse.’

  James looked up from his console.

  ‘The message has been transmitted to the Krell Palace… now to wait.’ They both knew that there would be no sleep this morning, and very little for the next few days.

  Grainger looked over to his assistant — he and James had been working closely for many years and could almost read each other’s mind.

  ‘One more thing… can you contact President Malik and arrange a secure call urgently?’

  James had anticipated this and the call was already being routed through to the Presidential residence at Maputo, in what used to be Mozambique on Earth, using the new sub space communication system — another Eldoran technological advance.

  With most of the northern hemisphere of Earth still covered in ice and snow, continental borders and tribal separations had disappeared. The African continent was one country now; only some islands — like Australia — still held their own identities.

  ‘President Malik is coming on line now, Sir,’ James said as he left and sealed the room.

  The new comm system had only been installed in the Presidential Palace and the Prime’s complex. The beauty of it was negligible communication delay between Earth and Argos; conversations could now be held in real time with only a seven second delay. This one technology — if successful — could revolutionise communications throughout the galaxy.

  ‘Prime Grainger, peace be upon you my friend,’ Malik opened with his traditional greeting.

  ‘And upon you, Mr President,’ Grainger responded. ‘I apologise for the hour, but I have something we must discuss as a matter of urgency. Is your room secure?’ He saw Malik gesture to someone else at his end of the connection, followed by a brief silence then the sound of a door closing.

  ‘It is now. What is the problem?’ Malik asked.

  Grainger started to brief his Coalition counterpart. At the end of the conversation, Malik sat back in his chair, his face solemn. He and Grainger were about the same age but whereas Grainger was clean shaven, the President of the Earth Coalition sported a full and lush beard, as was the tradition of his people.

  ‘This is very concerning but thank for you bringing it to my attention. Be assured, I will act accordingly. Again, thank you. I know this must have been difficult; farewell my friend,’ and the connection was terminated.

  The time on Argos was now four forty-five am. Grainger decided that sleep was not an option, so he stood and opened the door. James was just outside.

  ‘Well, it’s done. I think I’ll head down to the pool… a few laps might just be the best medicine at the moment.’

  ***

  On Condor, Aaron had just entered his quarters when the secure message came through. He sat down and read it, then re-read it to make sure he understood it correctly. He shook his head.

  ‘Politics, fucking politics! Now we’re back in that game.’ He spoke out loud and swore again for good measure. He tapped the comm button on his intercom. ‘Commander Mannix,’ he growled.

  Petra’s voice came back almost immediately, Yes Captain?

  ‘Meet me in the private deck observation lounge in ten minutes?’ Aaron barked.

  Yes, Captain — ten minutes.

  Aaron walked out his door and across the passageway to the cabin opposite and pressed the annunciator button.

  The door slid open and Aaron saw Dokad sitting on a lounge at the far side of the room.

  ‘I hope you are comfortable, Sir?’ he asked.

  ‘Perfectly, this is much better than on any Krell cruiser I have served on. You do look after yourself, and your guests; I thank you.’ Admiral Dokad stood and walked over to Aaron. ‘My arm is much better now, thanks to your doctor. No need for the sling and he tells me I will have my old face back before we get to earth. Might have been better if he could have given me a new one,’ he chuckled.

  ‘Admiral, would you come with me? We have a lounge forward that gives much better views than the cabins, and there are some developments we need to discuss. I have asked my First Officer to join us.’ Aaron stood aside and let the Admiral leave the room first. They headed forward to the double doors at the end of the passageway — these opened to reveal the lounge. It stretched fully across the ship and had an almost uninterrupted view port.

  The sight was spectacular. The swirling patterns and colours that made up the extremities of the worm hole were in constant motion and passing bodies — be they planets, stars or asteroids — were ghosted in the background. It was a sight that never ceased to amaze Aaron, as possibly the most incredibly beautiful spectacle he had ever seen and one he never tired of looking at. The doors opened again and in walked Petra.

  ‘Admiral, may I present my First Officer, Commander Mannix. Commander Mannix, our guest, Admiral Dokad of the Imperial Krell Navy,’ Aaron said as he stood back.

  Petra snapped to attention and saluted the Admiral who, in fine form, snapped the traditional Krell salute where he placed his left fist over his heart. Most Krell were left hand dominant with their primary heart — a two-piece organ for blood flow — being located under their right shoulder. The salute was a show of peaceful intent — weapon hand over the heart — analogous to the human handshake.

  He then relaxed and moved forward to shake her hand. ‘If you are as good an officer as you are beautiful,’ Dokad said smoothly, ‘I may be forced to try and poach you away from my friend.’

  ‘Thank you, Sir,’ Petra replied shyly, looking to Aaron for some help. While a true gentleman, the Admiral did have a reputation as far as women were concerned, as did most Krell males.

  Aaron rose to the occasion. ‘Commander, can you get us all a drink? Admiral, please sit down, we have a lot to discuss.’ He waited until they were all seated with a drink then began. ‘Admiral, it appears that your suspicions of your injury being an inside job may be correct. I’ve had a communication from Argos which indicates that there is a huge increase in Krell presence in our sector. There have also been certain discrete enquiries regarding the incident when you were shot. So, this is how the Prime has handled it.’

  Aaron took a sip from his glass before proceeding. ‘He has sent a communication to Gaddok Prime, stating that there was an incident on Argos involving a Krell subject, and the body… you’re dead, by the way… was badly damaged and that we’re investigating the matter. It won’t hold them for long,
but should give us enough time to get you to Earth. Admiral, I have to ask, what the hell is so important that we are now risking a confrontation with one of our best and most valued trading partners?’

  Aaron realised he had raised his voice. ‘Sorry, Sir, this is spiralling out of control. My ship and crew are at your disposal, but, I will not risk their safety on a fool’s errand! I believe that you owe us at least some explanation.’

  Dokad took a good sip of his wine before he sat forward and nodded conspiratorially. ‘Aaron, I know the risks you face, but the information I have is vital to us all. Secrecy is of utmost importance. How secure is this room?’

  Aaron stood and walked over to the view port. ‘Sir this whole deck is totally secure, even the internal sensors can’t see in here. It’s been designed to be invisible to any sensor probe and I know it works. Anything said in here will stay in here. Now, what is so bloody important that our Prime would risk so much?’ he asked grimly.

  ‘Very well,’ Dokad responded and began to explain why he was here. It took just over an hour for him to impart the information. At the end there was total silence for several minutes. It was a story of intrigue and subterfuge, of plots and rebellion –within both the Coalition and the Empire, a story that, if true, would spell doom for the entire galaxy.

  ‘Are you sure? I mean, rebellions and coups on so many human colonies are bad enough, but political upheaval on Gaddok Prime at the same time?’ Petra asked the Admiral.

  ‘Totally certain my dear Commander. I also believe there is a common influence in all of these political manoeuvres, but more than that I do not know.’ he replied. Another long silence followed.

  Aaron shook his head. ‘Thank you Admiral, if you are correct we must let the coalition know. Now I understand why it is so important we get to Earth. I apologise for my previous reservations.’

  The Admiral stood and looked down at them. ‘Aaron, we are old friends, but even friendship has limits. I know I have placed you in a very difficult position but you said no more than you needed, and I fully understand your frustration. Believe me, we are doing the right thing. Again, thank you,’ Dokad resumed his seat and finished his wine.