Ghost of the Argus

by E. R. Torre

  The central elevators were on the bow of the Dakota. Inquisitor Cer stepped into the first one available and found a single woman in it. The woman wore a tan leather bodysuit. She had brown hair and pale green eyes. Those eyes were on Inquisitor Cer, her look probing. She was sizing her up.

  For a moment, Inquisitor Cer thought she was about to fight.

  “Location?” the computer voice inquired.

  “Observation Deck,” Inquisitor Cer said.

  For several long seconds the two rode in silence. Inquisitor Cer’s back was to the woman yet she felt her presence and was ready for an attack she was more and more certain would come.

  And then the elevator doors opened. Inquisitor Cer hesitated for a second before stepping out.

  “He’s in the forward deck,” the woman said.

  Inquisitor Cer spun around. The woman’s expression was a blank, though her eyes suggested more than a little mirth.

  “Who?” Inquisitor Cer asked.

  “The one you’re looking for,” the woman said.

  “Who are you?”

  “Latitia,” she said. “Remember the name.”

  Before Inquisitor Cer could again speak, the elevator doors closed and the woman was gone.

  Inquisitor Cer moved on, toward the forward deck.

  B’taav was there just as the woman –Latitia– said.

  He towered over the few people around him, his body athletic and muscular and his face an emotionless enigma. Inquisitor Cer noted his jet black eyes, the most alien feature on him. His eyes contained neither iris, pupil, cornea, nor sclera, the white of the eye. Instead, they were an inky black. In her brief stay aboard the Dakota, Inquisitor Cer overheard officers speculate on why his eyes were like that. Some thought it was a genetic mutation while others believed they were the result of surgery. They speculated he had enhancements which allowed him to see more than anyone else could.

  Still others were certain his eyes were evidence of alien blood circulating inside him.

  Inquisitor Cer also wondered, yet never asked him about it.

  Those black eyes stared past the tinsel glass separating the observation deck from outer space. The Titus station was already visible in the far distance, the largest of the stars beyond the last of the asteroids.

  Inquisitor Cer approached the Independent’s side. She felt the strange emotions bubble up inside her and was frustrated by them. Inquisitors could not afford to lose their edge. And yet, these emotions were so…

  You are happy.

  The Independent hadn’t noticed her.

  Perhaps.

  Inquisitor Cer silently stared at B’taav for a few more seconds before saying:

  “I’ll be leaving as soon as the Dakota docks.”

  B'taav faced Inquisitor Cer. If her presence surprised him, his face didn’t reflect this. His eyes, at first so devoid of emotion, were like pools of warm water. His normally stern expression, to her, revealed a kindness beneath.

  “They’ve finished with your ship?” B’taav asked.

  Just as the Epsillon military would not allow a Phaecian officer free access to all areas of their battleship, neither would they allow a Phaecian ship on board the Dakota without giving it a thorough search.

  “Days ago,” Cer said. “But they had to re-check the Xendos a few more times. Just in case.”

  At that, the Independent smiled and melted yet another sliver of ice within the Inquisitor. She soaked up his smile, knowing it might well be the last one she saw from him.

  “You'll have to pardon our suspicious nature,” B’taav said. The smile faded. “It’s been a pleasure working with you.”

  For a few moments the two watched the approaching space station. Titus was very old and battered. Until recently, she was the only known survivor of the mighty Erebus explosion. With the Argus gone, that title was hers once more.

  “I hope we see each other in the future,” Inquisitor Cer said. “I hope that the… the circumstances for such a meeting don't prove quite this interesting.”

  “Agreed,” B’taav said. “Have a good flight back.”

  Inquisitor Cer could no longer hold back. She reached up and gently laid her hand on B’taav’s cheek. Despite his granite exterior, his skin was surprisingly warm. Surprisingly human.

  Inquisitor Cer’s stony brown eyes lost their harshness in the Dakota’s artificial lights. She held her hand in place and B’taav didn’t move. His eyes stared into hers and she realized he shared her feelings. After a while, she reluctantly retracted her hand.

  “You too,” she said.

  She walked away, leaving B’taav alone on the forward deck.

  By the time Inquisitor Cer reached the elevator, her mind was drowning in thoughts.

  You love him? she wondered.

  I can’t, she countered. I shouldn’t.

  Perhaps you feel lust.

  Vile, whispered rumors proclaimed that even the Overlords were not immune to the temptations of flesh.

  Inquisitor Cer steadied herself.

  No. It isn’t lust.

  Before taking on this mission, she read through the Independent’s files, meager though they were. She had to know everything she could about him. He had a reputation for cold efficiency and was one of the most effective Independents out there. But the files said little else about the man himself.

  Now she knew. She had a deep gap in her soul, a yearning she feared would never be filled. She dared not look back, instead wiping the single tear from her eye while stepping into the elevator.

  The doors closed behind her.

  She sensed the elevator’s other passenger before seeing him. He was a giant of a man, easily six feet five inches tall and covered in muscle. He stood at the elevator’s rear corner. He was young, no older than thirty, yet his eyes hinted at ages-old wisdom. He was dressed in the dark, formfitting jump suit of the Epsillon Military Guard and had a large, multi-pouch belt around his waist. One of the many pouches on this belt had the shape of a fusion handgun.

  The man offered Cer a nod. He reached down, to the pouches, and for a moment Inquisitor Cer feared he was going for his weapon. Instead, he opened one of the smaller pouches and produced a black remote unit. The man pressed a button on it and the elevator slowed and stopped. The electricity within was completely shut off, leaving the dull red glow of emergency lights.

  “We don’t have much time to talk, Inquisitor Cer. I’ll have to restart the cameras and recorders in exactly twenty seconds.”

  “Who are you?”

  The man ignored her question and said:

  “I have something for you.”

  He reached into another of his belt pouches and produced a microchip.

  “You’ll want to see the information on this,” he said. “In private.”

  Inquisitor Cer took the chip.

  “Whatever I see is also seen by my Overlord.”

  “Share it with whoever you want, but I strongly recommend you see it on your own first.”

  “What am I to do with this information?”

  “You’ll know,” the man said.

  He stepped back, returning to the exact position he had at the corner of the elevator. He again pressed the button on his remote device and the elevator returned to life. The man quickly pocketed his device. When the elevator reached its first destination, the door opened. The man stepped past Inquisitor Cer and out.

  “Who are you?” Inquisitor Cer said.

  “If you must know, my name is Delmont. Lionel.”

  “Are you military?”

  “I was, once.”

  “Lieutenant?”

  “No. Sergeant,” Delmont said. “That was a very long time ago.”

  15

  Inquisitor Cer returned to her room.

  Outside her door, she keyed in her lock code and the door slid open.

  There was still time left before the Dakota docked at Titus and Inquisitor Cer expected a few minutes of silent meditation. She looked down. The microc
hip was still in her hand.

  Maybe I can spend a few minutes looking at that, too.

  To her surprise, Overlord Octo and his personal security staff of Inquisitors Deveri and Loalla were inside her room. Overlord Octo was an elderly, thin man. He sat in the chair opposite her bed and watched the rapidly approaching Titus space station through her window. His Inquisitors stood beside him. They were younger than Cer and familiar to her. She had a hand in their training.

  “Ah, you’re back,” Overlord Octo said. He rose, allowing his robe to flutter out.

  “Your eminence,” Inquisitor Cer said and bowed. “Was there something…?”

  “I’ve come to pick you up,” Overlord Octo said. “It is time to board the Xendos and prepare for our return home. I see no need to linger in this Empire a second more than is necessary.”

  Inquisitor Deveri picked up Inquisitor Cer’s backpack.

  “Do you have any other possessions?” Overlord Octo asked.

  Inquisitor Cer looked the room over.

  “No sir,” Inquisitor Cer said.

  She grabbed her backpack from Inquisitor Deveri and, while they weren’t looking, slid the microchip Sergeant Delmot gave her into one of its outer pockets.

  “Then let’s be off.”

  They walked through the corridors of the Dakota and used the elevators to reach the flight deck.

  There, parked in her berth, the members of the Phaecian delegation found the two hundred year old transport craft Xendos. During the very brief Galactic War, it was used as a spy craft by the Phaecian Empire and lay abandoned all the years since in a hidden asteroid base.

  Standing before the Xendos was a small contingent of Epsillon military men. At the front of the group were General Jurgens and Lieutenant Daniels, the senior most officials within the Dakota.

  “Here to see us off?” Overlord Octo said even as he extended his hand.

  General Jurgens bowed before the Overlord. He then grasped the Overlord’s hand and shook it.

  “It’s the least we could do,” Jurgens said. “Speaking for myself and the crew of the Dakota and the Epsillon Empire, we wish you and your group a pleasant flight back home. Perhaps this one, small partnership might lead to better, more fulfilling partnerships in the future.”

  “One can only hope, General,” Overlord Octo said.

  Overlord Octo released General Jurgens’ hand. Without saying another word he walked up the small ramp and into the Xendos, followed closely by Inquisitor Cer and the two person Inquisitor security staff.

  Standing at the far end of the Dakota landing pad and on an upper level balcony watching the proceedings was a brown haired woman with pale green eyes. A large man, Sergeant Delmont, entered the balcony area from a door near her and walked to her side.

  “Did you give her the chip?” the woman, Latitia, asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  The two watched as General Jurgens and Lieutenant Daniels walked away from the Xendos and disappeared into an elevator. The Epsillon Security staff around the ship also dispersed as the ship’s engines came to life. From Latitia’s vantage, she spotted the small metallic box that blended seamlessly in with all the other indentations and equipment on the roof of the Xendos.

  It wasn’t easy attaching that piece of equipment on the Phaecian ship.

  The two watched as the Xendos prepared to lift off.

  After putting away their luggage, Inquisitor Cer sat in her chair before the Xendos’ controls. She was as familiar with these ancient controls and the ship itself, but found a new piece of tech lying on the control panel. It was a gift from the Epsillon Empire, a remote control pad interface linked to the Xendos’ computers. Inquisitor Cer tested the equipment a couple of times while the Dakota was on its way to Titus. She snapped the device over her left forearm and pressed a button. A small holographic display appeared just over the remote panel. It immediately linked up to the Xendos and was ready for use.

  Overlord Octo appeared on the bridge. Next to him were Inquisitors Deveri and Loalla. They remained by the door while Overlord Octo approached the cockpit controls. Inquisitor Cer stood up and bowed.

  “Please, continue with what you’re doing,” he said.

  Inquisitor Cer motioned for the Overlord to sit in the chair beside hers. As he did, Inquisitor Cer couldn’t help but think of the man who sat in that same chair for the past few weeks.

  “What are you doing?” Overlord Octo asked when he noticed the remote unit on her arm.

  “Linking this remote CPU to the Xendos’ computer banks,” Inquisitor Cer said.

  “Oh? I wasn’t aware these ancient ships carried such units.”

  “They didn’t,” Inquisitor Cer said. “The Dakota offered her to us as a gift.”

  Overlord Octo eyed the device.

  “Is it clean?”

  “Yes sir,” Cer said. “I checked it myself.”

  “Is it a standard remote unit?”

  “It’s a little more state of the art than what we’re used to. This device allows me to control the ship from as far as five hundred miles away. Too bad we didn’t have it when we were inside the Argus. It would have helped considerably.”

  She looked over the data displayed on her remote unit and read the monitor displays. She found Overlord Octo staring at her.

  “Sir?” she asked.

  “I’m impatient, Inquisitor. Let’s go.”

  There was an edge in the Overlord’s voice. Despite what he said, his voice betrayed something beyond simple impatience.

  “My apologies,” Inquisitor Cer said. She reached for the radio. “Dakota, this is the Xendos. Request permission to depart.”

  There was a burst of static followed by:

  “We read you Xendos. Systems check?”

  “All systems optimal.”

  “Understood,” the control tower said. “We’re pressurizing your section now.”

  A bright blue light, a compression energy field, surrounded the ship. The energy field shut the Xendos from the rest of the landing deck while air was sucked from her birth. A row of lights extended behind the Xendos and to a bay door.

  “All depressurization is complete,” the control tower said. “Opening the bay doors now.”

  On the right side cockpit monitor was a display of the Xendos’ rear camera. The bay door slid open, revealing the darkness of outer space.

  “Bay doors are open,” the control tower said. “You are free to depart.”

  “Thank you, Dakota.”

  “Gods’ speed, Xendos.”

  Inquisitor Cer shut the radio off. She added thrust to the directional rockets and the Xendos gently lifted off the Dakota’s flight deck before initiating a turn. Once the ship was properly aligned, Cer gave her forward thrust. A string of red lights pointed the way out of the bay.

  Inquisitor Cer followed them while hovering a few feet above the Dakota’s flight deck. It took only moments for the ship to leave the Dakota and enter outer space. Once out, Inquisitor Cer made another turn and the Xendos was lined up with the center of the Erebus Displacer. She began her approach.

  As the ship moved, she stared out the window and to her left, at the Dakota. She spotted the silhouette of a single person on its forward deck. Even from this distance she recognized B’taav.

  “Let’s not linger, Inquisitor,” Overlord Octo said.

  There remained a strange edge in Overlord Octo’s voice. To Cer, it bordered on dangerous.

  Tread carefully.

  “Yes sir,” Inquisitor Cer said.

  She applied thrust and in minutes the Xendos was parked outside the Erebus Displacer's hollow core. Inquisitor Cer requested clearance for departure and offered her destination code. The monitors before her displayed a full view of all angles of the ship. One of them displayed the front of the Dakota. The silhouette of B’taav remained in place. He still watched as the Xendos’ departed.

  For a moment, Inquisitor Cer thought of turning the ship around.
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  And then the Displacer gate came alive with energy. The Xendos' thrusters ignited and the ancient ship moved forward and entered the Displacer’s energy core.

  There was a burst of light and the Dakota, Erebus, and B’taav were gone.

  The bright energy field surrounding the Xendos faded.

  After almost a minute of inter-dimensional travel, the ship was back in regular space. The star field surrounding her, however, changed dramatically. In that short amount of time, the Xendos traversed hundreds of light years. Behind them was the familiar Vera Epsillon Displacer, the Phaecian Displacer closest to Epsillon Empire space.

  “Set course for the Remolla System,” Overlord Octo ordered. He rose from his chair and exited the cockpit.

  “Yes, your eminence,” Inquisitor Cer said.

  The Xendos moved through the rarely used Gobi sector.

  They were the only ship within this section but that would soon change when they merged with the Longshore Space Lanes.

  As with all flights involving Overlords, their exact route was a secret known only to other Overlords. Their destination following arrival at the Longshore Space Lanes was a small, unnamed solar system. Within that system was one of the Overlords’ best kept secrets: a Displacer used only by them which provided a link to Helios, the forbidden fortress world of the Overlords and the center of the Phaecian Empire. Few were privileged to know the location, much less the existence, of this well-defended planet.

  Inquisitor Cer remained at the controls of the ship, checking her sensors and equipment to make sure all functioned properly. Though Overlord Octo retired from the bridge, Inquisitors Deveri and Loalla remained at their post by the cockpit door.

  Inquisitor Cer couldn’t help but wonder why. An odd feeling enveloped her, a premonition of something bad about to occur.

  You served Overlord Octo faithfully your entire adult life. You would gladly die for him and he knows this. Why do you feel so uncomfortable now?

  She double checked the instrument panel and found no problems with the ship. She stole a glance at the door leading out of the cockpit and the Overlord’s Inquisitors. Were they ensuring her safety or were they keeping her here?