by Saxon Andrew
Ka stood up and waved Indie over to cover her console. She walked over to Tal and he said softly, “He’s coming.”
“Are you sure about this, Tal.”
“No! I’ll need to meet with him before I greenlight this.”
“May I be present when you hold the meeting?” she asked.
“Yes, Ka. I can use your insight. However, you will be in command for a while if I decide to do this.” Ka nodded and went back to their quarters to get some rest. Tal joined her thirty-minutes later.
• • •
The command crews arrived in the Brazil’s conference room early and began getting to know each other. There were new officers assigned to the ships and introductions were made quickly. Tal arrived on time and the room came to order as Indie shouted, “ADMIRAL ON THE DECK, ATENN-SHUN!”
They came to their feet quickly and Tal ordered, “At ease! Take a chair!” The crews sat down and saw the Admiral was not happy. Tal turned to the huge wall-monitor and pressed a remote, the crews saw a Brotherhood formation of a hundred warships appear. Tal faced his crews and said, “I rarely criticize anyone publicly, but I am compelled to do it today. Tal pointed at the monitor, “The Pampas ran across this formation of Brotherhood warships moving through open space at a slow-rate of speed. The Captain decided to follow this formation to determine what it was doing.” Tal looked out over the gathering and saw many of them were nodding. After a short pause, he emphasized, “Doing that was a giant mistake with a capital ‘M’!” Tal waited for his statement to sink in. Most didn’t see it initially. Some of them did, but not enough of them.
“Before I continue, I want all of you to ask yourself this question. What would a hundred Brotherhood warships be doing moving at slow speed in open space with their phase fields at full power and their scanners operating at maximum power?”
There was silence until Rachael spoke up, “They wanted to be seen, Sir.”
Tal nodded, “Exactly, Admiral Meadows. And exactly who did they want to see them?”
Jan answered, “Us.”
Tal nodded as he walked across the front of the room, “I told everyone here that the Brotherhood knew that a ship from the Milky Way had been destroyed and they were probably expecting to find more ships from the Milky Way in Andromeda.” Tal pressed the remote again and the active scan taken by the Pampas overlaid the image of the Brotherhood formation. There were several gasps as the hundreds of blips appeared around the formation and Pampas. “This was a trap laid out for one or more of our ships to stumble into. The ambushing ships were powered down and using their optical systems to detect light being blocked out from distant stars by a passing object. The Pampas was detected, and the ambushers began moving in once they determined the Pampas’ course and speed.” Tal ran the video showing how the Pampas managed to escape. He turned and smiled, “I want to thank the crew of the Lincoln for determining our active scans cannot be detected by the Brotherhood’s scanners. Thank you, Captain Gibbons.”
Gibbs nodded, “Glad I could help, Sir.”
Tal continued, “The Pampas wasn’t in a position to make that scan if they were able to detect our active scans. I appreciate your putting your crew’s safety aside to make that determination.” Tal turned back to the room, “If you run across a situation that doesn’t appear right, then avoid it. This won’t be the last time the Brotherhood tries to find us!” Tal turned to Captain Earoth, “I trust you’ve learned your lesson, Captain.”
“I was stupid, Sir. It won’t happen again.”
Tal nodded to Earoth and then continued, “Senior Captain Wolfe is going to discuss with you how to avoid these traps in the future and the means of still determining what is going on. Before I turn it over to him, I have some announcements. All of you have downloaded the data you’ve collected to the Brazil’s main computer and it is being sent back to Fleet Operations for analysis. Dr. Meier says that we should be receiving their analysis in three days and I’m not sending you back out until that information is sent back to us. Admiral Meadow’s squadron will move in and land on one of the Brazil’s cradles and have any stores that’s needed, replaced. During that time, the crews of her six-ships will be given liberty on the Brazil. The next day, Admiral Jee Stevens’ squadron will be resupplied and will have liberty on the Brazil. Admiral Jan Stevens’ squadron will take the third day.”
Tal turned to Rachael, “Admiral, if you will send two of your ships out to relieve the Paris and Yosemite after you’re supplied, I’d appreciate it.”
“Sir, would it be all right to send my entire squadron out to relieve them?”
Tal smiled, “Yes, it would, Admiral. However, I want your crews back at the end of the third day to go over the analysis being prepared by Operations. I’ll send the Paris and Yosemite back out to relieve your ships.” Rachael nodded, and Tal turned to the gathering, “I’m going to turn the floor over to Captain Wolfe and after he completes his presentation, you are excused to go back to your ships.” Tal turned to Ka, “Please come with me.” Ka stood up and left the room with him as Indie began his presentation.
They left the room and Ka asked, “What’s up?”
“Our visitor has arrived early and is waiting for us in Captain Sager’s office.”
“What do you want me to do during this?”
“Ka, just listen and offer your input if you think you should.” Ka nodded and followed Tal to the bridge elevator as she thought about the impending meeting.
Chapter Fourteen
Tal and Ka entered the office and found a handsome young man slouching in a chair in front of a console. He kept his seat as Tal and Ka went around the console and Tal noticed his eyes following them. Ka grabbed a chair beside Tal’s and moved it to the end of the console where she could watch the proceedings. The man saw her and turned back to Tal as he asked, “I trust your voyage out here was uneventful.” The man shrugged, and Tal looked into his eyes, and immediately knew this man was nobody’s fool. The depth in his eyes was fascinating and Tal knew he had to be careful while handling him. Tal took a chip out of his pouch and inserted it into the computer on the console. The computer beeped, and Tal began reading the screen. After a few moments, he looked back at the man, “I see that your name is Jab.” The man nodded. Tal continued to stare into the man’s eyes and knew that he was taking Tal’s measure just like Tal was taking his.
Tal smiled and asked, “Do you know who we are?”
Jab glanced at Ka, then turned back to Tal before answering, “You are Admiral Talent and I suppose this is your wife. It’s my understanding that you’re considered to be two of Earth’s greatest heroes.”
“Do you know anything else about us?”
“I know you went to Earth from the colonies.”
“Anything else?” Tal prodded. Jab shook his head. Tal paused for a long moment and finally broke the silence, “I am the one that asked the Guild Master to find a suitable candidate to carry out an important mission. She provided me a list of possible choices and I selected you from that list. However, you need to understand that the final decision to put the mission in motion has not been made.”
Jab snickered, “Then it would be a huge waste of fuel to have brought me out here and then send me back if you decide not to do it.”
Tal leaned forward, “There will be no going back, Jab.” Jab’s eyes widened slightly, and Tal saw his first reaction to what was being said. Tal smiled, “There is something you should know before you do something really dumb.”
Jab kept his eyes on Tal’s face as he asked, “What is that?”
“Before we went to Earth to assist against the aliens, my wife was the number-one-ranked assassin in the guild.” Jab jerked his eyes to Ka and then back to Tal as he finished saying, “And I was ranked number-two. So, if you think the training you received from the guild before you left to come here is going to do you any good against either of us, you’re wrong.” Jab glared at Tal and he added, “You’ll be dead before you could get out of your
chair.”
Jab glanced at Ka and saw her eyes narrow as she leaned forward placing her arms on the console. Ka said in a steady voice, “I think this is a waste of time, Tal; he’s not suited to do this.”
Tal kept his eyes on Jab and nodded slightly before saying, “I’m starting to agree but I need to determine how I made a mistake about him.” Ka nodded and continued to glare at Jab.
Jab listened to their back and forth and knew that he was in a bad situation. The new training, he received from the guild, made him formidable but he harbored no doubts about either of the two confronting him being able to kill him quickly. He decided to relax and settled back into his slouching. Tal leaned forward a little more, “I thought you were smart enough to make that determination. Here’s how it goes, Jab. I’m going to ask you some questions, and if you want to live, you will answer them honestly. If you refuse a question, then the interview is over, understand?” Jab nodded. “Why did you refuse the contract to kill that young child?”
Jab’s expression changed instantly, “How do you know about that?!”
“The Guild Master sent your file on the ship that brought you here. The captain sent it to me while you were on the way here.”
“I thought our files would never be disclosed?!”
“Not to anyone outside the guild, Jab. Ka and I are still members of the guild. And you’ve not answered my question!”
Jab glared at Tal and then responded, “It was the wrong thing to do.”
Tal nodded, “Very good, and you’re right. However, according to your file you have refused more than thirty-contracts. Why did you refuse them?” Jab continue to glare at Tal and, after a moment, Tal said, “Jab, I am not your enemy! I selected you from that list because you were the only one on it that I would consider carrying out this mission. I need you to help me see that you are who I think you are.”
Jab could see in Tal’s eyes that he was being sincere. He sat up straight and saw Ka raise an arm from the corner of his eye. He raised his open hands and said, “The contracts I refused were also the wrong things to do. The people targeted had done nothing to deserve being killed.”
“How did you get away with refusing them?” Ka asked.
Jab turned to her, “I used health issues for the most part. That excuse finally wore out and I was called into the Guild master’s office.”
“Why did you join the Assassin’s Guild if you didn’t have the stomach to do it?” Ka asked pointedly.
Jab blew out a breath and didn’t answer. Tal saw Ka had hit a nerve. “What was your motivation in joining the guild, Jab?” Tal asked.
Jab shook his head slightly and then looked up at Tal, “I wanted to kill an assassin.” Tal and Ka were both surprised by his answer. Jab saw their reactions and continued, “I was married to a woman that was the closest thing to evil I’ve ever encountered. She deceived me and after we were married a couple of years, she became something I grew to hate. She relieved me of most of what I owned, before she divorced me and left, including my two-year-old daughter. I got the right to have Jilly on a regular basis, but I worried about what she would one day become living with my ex-wife most of the time.”
Jab stopped, and Tal said, “Go on.”
Jab continued, “I should have known it would happen. She chose the wrong man to marry and he took out a contract on her when she tried to take half of his wealth. The assassin that took the contract chose to explode the transport she was driving and ignored the fact that Jilly was in the transport with her.” Jab’s voice became angry as he continued, “He didn’t have to do it that way! He could have done it easily by taking her out at home, but he took the easy route and collected his money. I don’t doubt my ex-wife deserved what she got but Jilly didn’t deserve to die.”
“What did you do?” Ka asked.
“I tried to find out who the assassin was that killed Jilly.”
Tal shook his head slightly, “And you failed.”
“The protection given to the Assassins Guild is phenomenal. The only way I would ever find out the name of my daughter’s killer was to join the guild and get it from the inside,” Jab stated.
“What were you doing prior to joining the guild?” Ka asked.
Jab turned to her, “I was a college professor teaching ancient and modern history.”
“Were you successful in killing the assassin?” Tal jumped back in the conversation.
Jab turned to him, “I was.”
“And?”
‘I killed him quickly, although I’ve regretted not making him suffer for many years since.” Jab paused and shook his head, “But once you’re in the guild, you’re in it for life. I finally decided that killing innocents made me no better than the assassin that killed my daughter. I made a decision not to do it.”
“Why did you decide to take this assignment?” Tal asked. Jab shrugged. “Was it for the money?”
Jab looked up at Tal, “I suppose. I was also goffered an opportunity to get out of the guild. I think that was what helped the most in making the decision.”
Tal looked at Jab and asked, “But you really didn’t have a choice, did you?”
Jab smiled slightly, “There is always a choice, Admiral. The Guild Master insisted this mission would probably lead to my death. Dying on this mission or at the hands of the Guild Master didn’t really bother me. I’m so weary of living without Jilly. All I have left is making sure I do the right thing so as not to tarnish her memory.” Jab took a deep breath and blew it out. He looked at Tal and said, “What is it you want me to do?”
Tal finally sat back on his chair and said, “You remember the child you refused to kill?” Jab nodded. “We are confronting an aggressive civilization of ancient human origin and if we fail in defeating them, every child on every colony and Earth is going to die at their hands. I need you to determine if there is a possibility that we can co-exist with them.”
Jab’s expression turned doleful, “Are you saying my decision could lead to the destruction of this civilization?!”
Ka interrupted, “Jab, if it came down to Jilly dying at their hands or them being removed, what would you decide?”
Jab stared at her and took a deep breath. Tal quickly added, “I need you to make sure there is no possible way for us to live together in peace before we move to destroy them. You need to understand that is what we want out of this, but we have no choice but to confront this radical civilization before they arrive at our doorstep. Will you do it?”
“Are you saying you’ve decided to accept me to go on this mission?”
“I especially want you to do it because you will go in wanting to find a way for us to live in peace,” Tal replied. He looked at Ka, “What about you?”
Ka tilted her head and straightened it back up, “I agree. I was wrong in my initial assessment.”
Jab looked at each of them, before saying, “I’ll do it. But from the sounds of it, I may not survive the effort.”
Tal smiled, “We’re going to give you a few tools to assist you.”
“Like what?”
Tal nodded toward Ka, “For starters, we’re going to train you how to do that.” Jab looked at Ka and she smiled just before she disappeared. Jab fell back in his chair in shock as Ka reappeared. Tal leaned forward and said firmly, “This talent will not be given to anyone that I cannot trust to use it properly. Anyone that I suspect would use it for selfish reasons will not receive it. I believe you are one of the rare people that I can trust to not abuse the power that it will give you.”
Ka added, “There’s more.”
Jab turned to her, “What more?”
Tal smiled, “I’ll show you. But first, I’m going to inject you with a shot that will double your speed and reaction times. It will take twenty-four hours for the soreness to wear off and then you’ll learn how to mimic any person instantly. Along with that, you will learn how to be invisible. The entire process will take about three days.”
“Just how are you so sure I wo
n’t abuse this power you’re offering?” Jab asked skeptically.
Tal smiled, “You loved your daughter and still do. Anyone that loves that much, and still does, I believe will do the right things.”
Jab raised his eyebrows, as Tal came around the console and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt. He injected a clear substance into his arm and he felt like someone had hit him with a wrecking ball.
Jab looked up at Tal and heard Ka say just before he passed out, “Tal was the foremost geneticist in the colonies before he joined the guild.”
• • •
The next day, Jab managed to walk back to the office and found Tal sitting behind the console examining a paperweight in the shape of a freighter. He sat down gingerly on the chair and Tal smiled before asking, “How do you feel?”
“The only difference I feel is an extreme soreness. I feel like I’ve been eaten by a large predator and dumped over a cliff.”
Tal chuckled and suddenly threw the paperweight at Jab’s face. Jab’s left hand instantly came up and grabbed the paperweight in front of his nose. His eyes widened as Tal chuckled, “Sometimes it’s better to demonstrate the difference instead of trying to explain it.” Jab’s mouth was open, and he knew that he should have never been able to grab the paperweight in time; Tal threw it as hard as he could. “You’ll have increased reaction speed and you’ll be able to run at a speed you probably won’t believe. Your strength is also improved and once the soreness disappears you’ll need to be careful shaking hands in the future.”
Jab handed the paperweight back to Tal and asked, “What happens now?”