Freedom

by Maureen Toonkel

  “This is outrageous. I am a captain in the United Galaxy Command. I should not be treated this way,” wailed Captain Victor Torgenson, his legs shackled in iron chains and his wrists bound in handcuffs.

  “Quiet,” ordered Ensign Ben Rubin, pushing the tip of his zip gun into the Captain’s backside.

  “How dare you!” howled Torgenson. “I will have you court-martialed, young man. You do not threaten a high-ranking officer.”

  “Like you threatened Captain Stoner? We heard that you had him chained up in an abandoned construction site. And you threw Commander Andrews and Dr. Berg into a slave cage. Was that any way to treat UGC officers?” retorted Bonnie. “So, don’t expect any leniency from us. Now shut up and keep walking.”

  Bonnie turned to Ben and flashed him a big smile, obviously enjoying her new role as a temporary security guard. About an hour ago, she had received a stat phone call from the Captain himself. He said that he was using Seaman Neil Chase’s phone because for some inexplicable reason that phone was working. The Captain told Bonnie, he was assigning her and Ben Rubin, to escort Victor Torgenson back to the Gladiator. She was instructed to enlist Commodore Naper’s assistance in securing the prisoner. Captain Stoner also asked her to tell the Commodore, to have Wayne Shasta’s body and belongings brought up to the surface, and made ready to be loaded into the John Glenn, which was presently in transit with Dennis Pearson aboard. Bonnie found herself feeling very apprehensive at the idea of approaching a commodore with word of mouth orders, which under the circumstances could not be confirmed. She located Naper at the Construction Site. Surprisingly, he was very polite and accommodating. Colin Evans and two additional officers from the Architectural Engineering Team were charged with preparing Captain Torgenson for transport, and then doing the same for Shasta’s body.

  Finally, the trio arrived at the Boulder Entrance. Looking up, Bonnie gazed skeptically at the long ropes suspended through the hole in the roof. They swayed lightly in the warm breeze coming from up above. “Any suggestions?” she asked Ben.

  “Just the obvious one,” he answered. “We all simply pull ourselves up. The Captain will just need to take it slow and careful.”

  “I cannot do that with my feet and hands tied up,” whined Torgenson.

  “Yes, you can,” said Bonnie. “I will take the last rope on the left. Captain, you go up on the rope right next to mine. Ben will go behind you on the same rope. Now let’s go.”

  The Captain protested some more, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Seeing that he had no choice, he grabbed the thick rope and began hoisting himself up. Bonnie pulled herself up on the rope alongside, and Ben brought up the rear. Halfway up, a voice shouted down from the surface. “You’re looking good. I’ll help when you get to the top.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Pearson. Your help is greatly appreciated,” Bonnie yelled back.

  As they approached the opening, Bonnie heard a gasp coming from the rope on her right. She looked over and saw a look of terror upon Captain Torgenson’s face as he peered down the shaft. “Hold on, sir, you are just about at the top. Please don’t look down.” The Captain looked up and momentarily locked eyes with the Lieutenant. Then he removed both his hands from the rope and began shrieking as he plummeted to the ground. The sound of his body crashing against the hard silver lined floor below the ropes echoed loudly as it traveled up the shaft.

  Bonnie and Ben scampered down the ropes landing next to the Captain’s limp body. Blood leaked out of Victor’s nose and mouth. There was no movement or sign of life. Dennis Pearson jumped off the rope he had hurried down and dashed over to the bleeding body. He bent over and checked the Captain for a pulse. There was none. “He’s a goner,” announced Dennis. “It looked to me like he let go.”

  “He did, sir,” said Bonnie. “He let go on purpose. But why? He had to know that a fall like that would kill him.”

  “I suppose we will never know what he was thinking,” responded Dennis.

  “Right before he let go, he looked at me, and I could swear he was terrified. Almost like he knew what he was going to do, but was very scared all the same.”

  A group of officers came up to the Gladiator crew. They were pushing a hand cart with a black body bag lying across the top.

  “What happened?” questioned Lieutenant Evans.

  “He killed himself,” blurted out Bonnie. Tears streamed down over her cheeks. The horror of the situation had just hit her. “He let go.” She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her uniform. “He let go of the rope.”

  Dennis Pearson dispatched Ben Rubin to find a doctor. They needed one to officially declare Captain Torgenson deceased. Ensign Rubin returned shortly with Dr. Tobias Carter. After checking vitals and getting statements from the three Gladiator officers, Carter agreed that the Captain was indeed dead as the result of suicide.

  Working together, the two crews managed to get everyone including the two bodies up the ropes to the surface. The bodies and a trash bag filled with Wayne Shasta’s belongings were placed into the Glenn. Colin Evans and his crew returned to Brisula City. Dennis established contact with Ensign Saad. Thereon, he closed the pod’s hatch door after Ben and Bonnie took their seats. The John Glenn lifted off as Beverly Glenna opened the door of the James K to admit Dennis.

  Captain Stoner switched off the video screen. After receiving a message from Dennis Pearson informing him of the disturbing death of Captain Torgenson, Josh had spent the past three hours making calls, nearly all of which involved difficult conversations. The most heart-wrenching one was to Murray and Agnes Hampton, Keith’s parents. It was only a month ago when he had called them to say that Keith had died on Brisula. Miraculously, that turned out not to be true. This time he had to inform them that while Keith was not dead, his chances for a full recovery were extremely slim. Whereas it should have brought some comfort to the couple to hear that their son was injured in the line of duty; it didn’t. But Keith was a hero who had risked his own life to save a fellow human being, and no matter what the outcome, his parents should feel proud of the exemplary life their son had led. The call to Mr. and Mrs. Shasta was also an unpleasant task, in that Josh did not know if Wayne was the person Keith had rescued or the person Keith had killed. He decided to tell the parents that Wayne had been rescued from a dangerous situation, and unfortunately he was severely injured in the rescue operation. Like the Hamptons, they were devastated. Mr. Shasta asked if the Captain could be the one to notify Wayne’s girlfriend, Becky, as they were too distraught to do it themselves. Josh agreed and made the tough call to Becky who took the news extremely hard. Next came the call to Admiral Wilcox. Talk about tough, Josh said to himself as he punched in the classified number to the Admiral’s personal stat phone. This call is probably going to be a life changing event. My career as a spaceship captain will most likely be kaput.

  To Josh’s dismay, after only three rings the Admiral’s voice came through the speaker, and his image appeared on the video screen. A part of Josh was hoping the Admiral would not answer thus delaying this conversation. The Admiral did answer, however, forcing Josh to divulge all the details, many personally unflattering, of the past ten days. He left nothing unsaid. He started from the very beginning with the troublesome calls from Lieutenant Shasta and ending with the apparent suicide of Captain Torgenson. In the middle, he confessed to turning the ship around without proper authority, abandoning the Gladiator’s mission to repair the telescope on Lexter, and ordering his crew to be deceptive to UGC. When there was no more to tell and no more apologies to offer, Josh ceased talking and waited anxiously for the Admiral’s response. To Josh’s utter surprise and relief, the Admiral was a lot more understanding than he had anticipated. Wilcox told Josh that whilst he did not condone deception and acting without official approval, he understood why Stoner had taken the extreme and somewhat unethical actions. In that Wilcox had not received any messages alerting him to the occurrence of unorthodox procedures aboard the Gladiator, he took that to mean that the crew
went along willing and in support of Josh’s decisions.

  “Your actions resulted in the rescue of the two Skybounder officers. Of course, if the telescope camera on Lexter had been repaired, we would have known sooner what happened to the spacecraft. But the outcome would have been the same, the ship would still have been overtaken and the officers seized,” Wilcox told the Captain. “Additionally, you have unearthed a very devious and dangerous game that the Tradians are playing—manufacturing artificial bodies and planting explosives in key UGC installations.” Wilcox paused, obviously contemplating what to say next. Finally his voice came through the speaker again. “I am here on Space Station 17 preparing for the conference scheduled for June 30, two days from now. I will need to have the conference canceled, and all the potential attendees must be alerted. We will also need to deploy bomb squads to all our facilities and ships.” He paused again before continuing. “Captain Stoner, please conclude your activities on Brisula as quickly as possible. Proceed to Lexter and get the video system repaired. It is imperative to have it functioning. I will be dispatching auxiliary UGC personnel to Brisula to assist with the medical needs, the rebuilding, and the relocation of the slaves. We need to ensure the safety of the airspace in that sector.”

  “Yes, sir, understood,” replied Josh.

  “Very well, carry on. I will be in touch. Oh, and I will keep your two young officers in my prayers.” The phone clicked off.

  The mood in Sick Bay was somber. Josh sat at Commander Andrews bedside chatting about their lives over the last couple of months. Andrews repeated the story that Colonel Flax had told in reference to the Flax family’s true background, this time with more details. Like Paul, thought Josh, I never suspected Flax was a Tradian in disguise. He, too, was a spy. A traitor turned traitor. He began by duping the Brisulans but ended up turning against his own people. Could that be true of Paul too?

  Next, Dave spent a great deal of time gushing over Marlana Berg. He obviously was attracted to her and was exhibiting all the symptoms of a schoolboy crush.

  “How does the doctor feel about this?” Josh asked Dave Andrews.

  “Marlana feels the same way I do. We really fell for each other down on Brisula,” answered Dave smiling broadly.

  “I thought you were a confirmed bachelor. A military man for life.”

  “Even bachelors can have some fun.”

  “Marlana does not seem like the type of woman who just wants to fool around. She would want a commitment. I don’t see you as the marrying kind.”

  “People change. Until Marlana came into my life, I never pictured myself getting married. But now, the notion of taking a wife is actually appealing.”

  For some unexplained reason, Josh felt a wave of jealousy come over him. Why am I feeling this way? The doctor and I have done nothing but butt heads with each other. Yes, she is attractive and intelligent, but she is also stubborn and opinionated. He looked over at Andrews. I should feel happy for Dave. Instead, I am worried about him. Marlana is not the right woman for him nor him for her. I don’t want to see him get hurt. But is that really what I am feeling, or is it that I am envious of their relationship?

  “So, any idea when you will be ready to return to work?” asked Josh, changing the subject.

  “Paul thinks I should be released in another day or so.”

  “Speaking of Dr. Loring, he’s running late. I wish he’d hurry. I really need those results.”

  Josh had now been waiting in Sick Bay for over a half hour, and he was growing inpatient. After the call to Admiral Wilcox, Josh had stopped in at Sick Bay. Dr. Loring reported that Shasta and Hampton were holding their own, although they were still in critical condition. Bess Tremont was also in serious condition. Paul was treating her with antibiotics, anti-nausea medications, heated blankets, and oxygen. He felt she should make a full recovery. Since everything in Sick Bay appeared to be running smoothly, Josh asked if Paul could step away from Sick Bay to perform two autopsies. While Paul thought he could do that, he said he would feel more at ease if there was another doctor on call. Josh had actually expected that response, hence he had summoned Tobias Carter to return from Brisula. Dr. Carter arrived back on the Gladiator shortly after Josh’s conversation with Paul. Josh instructed Tobias to report for Sick Bay duty, and he ordered Dr. Loring and Dr. Louis Johns to begin the autopsies. Paul anticipated the procedures to take about two hours. Josh told them he would be waiting in Sick Bay at 2100 hours.

  Finally, after another fifteen minutes of waiting that were filled with idle conversation, Josh heard the Sick Bay doors open. Seconds later the two doctors strolled into Dave Andrews’ hospital room.

  “Josh, you can sleep easy,” announced Paul Loring. “As I surmised the Shasta body is a fake. The zip gun shot caused several circuits to short out. It’s a remarkably well-built replica, accurate down to every chromosome and gene. It even bleeds synthetic blood. I’m impressed with—”

  “What about Torgenson?” interrupted Josh.

  “His body is the genuine article,” answered Paul.

  “Do you have any clue as to why he killed himself?”

  “As a matter-of-fact, I do,” said Paul. Looking at Dr. Johns, he pointed to a folding chair propped up against the wall and then sat down on a wheeled stool that he pulled over from the small alcove at the side of the room. “This is incredible. Louie and I were about to finish up. I was preparing to drape a sheet over Torgenson’s body when something caught my eye. I saw a tiny reflection in the scalpel I was holding. Something was sticking out of the brain stem. Using tweezers, I pinched the little object and was able to extract it.” Paul reached into a pocket on his scrubs and removed a small, glass test tube sealed with a pink, rubber stopper. The shiny, miniature cylinder shimmered as the light from the bedside lamp streamed through the glass.

  “What is that?” asked Josh.

  “It’s a transmitting receiver,” declared Paul. “We found one in the Shasta clone also.”

  “A receiver?” questioned Josh. “What purpose would that serve?”

  “It can be used to send messages or give commands.”

  “You mean from the Tradians? But why would Torgenson follow ridiculous commands?”

  “He would if he was under the influence of a mind control drug like Xanthommatin,” answered Dr. Johns. “Following a hunch from Paul, I performed a preliminary drug analysis, and both bodies tested positive for Xanthommatin.”

  “My hypothesis,” stated Paul, “is that both the Shasta clone and Torgenson were injected with a dose of long-lasting Xanthommatin. The two were following orders relayed to them through the receiver implanted in their brains. I’m betting that at some point either Monks or Platt implanted the final command to Torgenson by instructing him to kill himself if he was captured by the UGC. They wanted him to commit suicide rather than have us discover the truth.”

  “So, where did the Tradians get—” Josh started to ask. “Oh, of course, the Skybounder. There were three doses of the drug aboard the ship. If two doses were used then where is the third dose? We have to find it.”

  “I understand that all the Tradians we rounded up were searched. Therefore, I would assume the last dose was in the Headquarters medical lab, which is now underwater. The drug has probably been dissolved, or it is floating around.”

  “Dr, Loring, you are probably right. I will send the divers down to look for any remains of the drug,” said Josh, standing up. “Anything else I should know?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Dr. Johns. “I’ve completed the analysis of the water samples from the freezer units. They definitely were the source of the Legionnaires’ disease. The apple sample and hypodermic syringe contained the same water. You also might be interested to know that Captain Torgenson did not appear to have any apple remnants in his system. Additionally, the analysis of the core from one of the apples you and Lieutenant Hampton ingested tested positive for fragments of somnusozide, more commonly known as the Snoozing Drug. It is medically used to tre
at a variety of sleeping ailments, most notably insomnia. The drug found in the apple core contained an extremely potent dosage of somnusozide along with traces of other sleep inducing agents. The combination proved very effective in knocking you out so quickly.”

  “Very good work, gentlemen,” complimented Josh. “I will expect thorough reports that I can forward to UGC. Have Torgenson’s body moved to the morgue. Place the clone in a locked storage bin and prepare it for delivery to Space Station 17. We can let the robotics specialists there figure out what to do with it.” He said good night to Dave and swiftly exited Sick Bay.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  June 29

  The day was rapidly flying by. The Gladiator crew were slowly concluding their duties on Brisula and would be returning shortly to the ship. The Architectural Engineering Team was resuming its work on the planet’s surface. Those infected with Legionnaires’ disease were exhibiting improvement as they continued to receive antibiotic injections. Dennis Pearson was back on board having located the final blockage and thereby resolving the communication malfunctions. Captain Stoner had been spending his time writing, reading, and filing reports along with answering and making intergalactic phone calls. Calls with progress reports were placed to Shasta and Hampton's loved ones. Josh had received a follow-up call from Admiral Wilcox informing him that Space Station 17 had been evacuated. A bomb squad was going over the station inch by inch searching for the alleged bomb. The conference had been rescheduled for July 20. Wilcox was ordering the Gladiator to be at the station in time for the conference as Captain Stoner had been added to the agenda as a presenter on the recent activities of the Tradians.

  On the whole, Josh was pleased with the reports from Dennis Pearson. Dennis had done a very commendable job commanding in Josh’s absence. However, Josh was concerned about the report from Dennis regarding Diane Pearson’s eavesdropping activity. Obviously she was worried about her husband, and she was not eavesdropping for any malicious reasons, but still it was a blatant abuse of her position. He called her into his office and chewed her out but then soften his tone. He told her that he understood her motives, but she needed to remember that her emotions and personal issues could not interfere with her duties. He informed her that he was giving her a verbal reprimand, but if there were no further violations of this nature over the next six months, he would remove the reprimand from the record. Diane nodded affirmatively and actually thanked him for being so lenient. She promised that she would not repeat this infraction ever again.