A World Too Far (Terran Trilogy Book 1)

by Sheron Wood McCartha

  His father glowered at her. “Isn’t there something you can do so this doesn’t happen?” He gestured at the babe. “A husband has needs.”

  Jacob’s mother rose up, babe in arms. “Life is sacred. I would never try to prevent a life. You just have to find a second job to bring in more food or barter work.”

  His father clenched his fists and stepped closer to her. “I’m already working myself into an early grave, woman. I need less mouths to feed, not more work.”

  He turned to glare at Jacob who shrank under his angry gaze.

  Just then the kid let out another shriek.

  “Shut up!” He raised a hand to slap the babe but hit the mother, who turned to shield her newborn.

  With the child in her arms, she fell hard against the wall. A heavy thud sounded as they hit, and the cry rose louder. His Ma shrieked, “You’ve broken my arm.” His Da regarded the crying woman, shuddered, and stormed out of their small unit.

  “Oh. Oh.” Mewing cries came out of his mother’s mouth. A red blotch swelled on her arm.

  Jacob went and put his arms around his mother to try to comfort her, but there was little he could do.

  ***

  Carefully, as he inched forward, Jacob’s hand quested among the greenery. Da had used his pass to slip him into the garden with express instructions to steal food. Guards patrolled for poachers, but Jacob’s smaller size often hid him deep within the dense vegetation.

  He flattened his body against the pungent soil, made even more fragrant by a fresh application of manure, thanks to Da. That would keep the guards away for a while. Or so he thought.

  Thinking that, he jumped when a heavy hand clapped down onto his shoulder, startling him. A loud gasp erupted from his mouth as he was hauled up by an arm and swung around. He gaped into a frowning dusky face with dark eyebrows overtop black scary eyes. Large and imposing, the man wore a black metallic uniform. Thickly muscled arms yanked Jacob up until his toes skimmed the ground.

  “Stealing food is a capital offense.”

  Terror shuddered through Jacob. His mouth moved up and down, but only squawking gibberish came out.

  Before he could catch a breath, the guard was hauling him away from the garden, out of the farm, and down the ship’s corridor. Pulled so fast, Jacob could barely feel the floor under his feet. He staggered forward in a tiptoed hop as he tried to keep up with the man’s long strides. His terror finally became so great he thought he would pee his pants. He was thrust into a small unit with a single table and several folding chairs attached to the wall. The guard pulled two off the wall, opened them up, and slammed him into one.

  “Explain yourself.”

  Panicked, Jacob searched for an answer. “My Ma’s starving to death, so Da got me into the garden where I could…”

  “Steal food.”

  Jacob observed the man’s jacket that looked like it was made of a flexible metal material. An angled phaser snuggled in a holster strapped around one shoulder, and odd bulges in the other sleeve hinted at more hidden weapons. Most unusual were wide bands of gold that trimmed the collarless neck of his shirt and repeated at the cuffs.

  Seeing Jacob note the cuffs, the man thumped both elbows onto the table, displaying the cuffs to full advantage.

  “You know what these mean?” He gestured his head at them.

  Jacob gulped. “Means you’re part of the captain’s elite guard. You carry those new-fangled quantum phasers…” He jutted a chin at the almost hidden weapon.

  Trajan grinned, showing large white teeth. “The phaser’s unique. I can control the intensity of the surge. I can dial in stun, soft tissue or hard steel. It’s a phased response. Depends on the hostile. Which do you prefer?”

  The new captain had recently set some hard rules in place, which had everyone in an uproar. He shivered. A riot had resulted from her speech, and people he knew were either wounded or dead because of it, so this man was needed to protect her and the ship.

  Jacob slid down in his seat and lowered his eyes. He was in trouble big-time. He tried to make himself small.

  The man paused. Jacob could feel the dark eyes evaluating him. Rustling around, the guard pulled out a package and placed it on the table in front of him.

  Curious, Jacob straightened up and leaned forward. The delicious aroma of peanut butter wafted from the package. He grew dizzy with the pungent smell and rubbed his face. “What’s that?”

  “A sandwich. You eat it.”

  “Yeah, I know that part.” He scowled at the man.

  “Go on. Take a bite. I promise it’s not poison.” The guard waved a hand at him and leaned back.

  His shaking fingers had difficulty opening the wrapper. His mouth filled with saliva as he stared at the soft bread with its creamy filling.

  “My name’s Trajan. What’s yours?”

  Jacob stuffed the peanut buttery goodness into his mouth. “Jacob,” he mumbled as the peanut butter stuck to the roof of his mouth. He savored the taste. It had been ages since he’d tasted anything so good. He studied the second half of the sandwich, desperate to eat it, but knowing that his mother needed it more. He wrapped it back up.

  “What? You don’t like peanut butter sandwiches?” Trajan’s voice held total disbelief.

  “My mother needs it more than I do,” he answered, licking the final crumbs from his fingers and stuffing it into a pocket of his jacket.

  “Then here. Give her this one.” Another slightly squashed package magically thumped down onto the table. “This one comes with a job, though.”

  Jacob touched the package with one finger, wary of a trap. “What kinda job?”

  How stupid did this guard think he was?

  “You might get to live if you accept it.”

  Jacob grimaced at the remark, but he didn’t wait for a second offer. The package vanished. Now for the trap. “What’s the catch?” he asked. “No one hires a kid my age; I’m warning you. All jobs require a guy to be over eighteen, and even then, he’s usually related to someone important.” He’d heard of people who got a kid hired and then took eighty percent of the pay. A loser’s deal. Was that the trap?

  “I’ll hire you. You got two ears and two eyes, heh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I want to know if anything out of the ordinary happens in section D. Extra if you cover E too.”

  “What’s the payoff? Sounds like a dangerous job, spying. A fella could get caught sneaking around and be in big trouble. People like their privacy.” He crossed his arms on the table and faked a smile at the guard.

  “Hmmm. True. I’ll admit it isn’t without risk. You’ll need to be careful. But I have connections that might help protect you if you do get caught.” Trajan tapped his gold cuffs again. “A sandwich for any important information. A bonus to be decided if the information results in me taking action. Proofs are important. I don’t do things on a whim. Report back here the start of fourth shift, and I’ll give further instructions. I can’t wait around any more than ten minutes. Got lots to do. If you’re late, I’m gone. Late three in a row and you’re fired.”

  “I could get held up. A kid doesn’t always have a say as to where and when he can get away.”

  Trajan leaned into his face. “Get flexible. Have someone leave word. However, if you put together a team, never mention my name or the Captain’s. You're the organizer. If I hear some kid mouth off that he works for the Captain’s Guard, you’ll find yourself floating in space without a suit. Am I clear?”

  “A team? I should put together a team, too?” Jacob rubbed his face.

  Trajan shifted in his seat and let out a gusty sigh. “Maybe you’re not the guy I need. You seem to have a hearing problem.”

  “No, no. I hear you fine.” He pulled out the second half of the sandwich from his jacket and took a bite, chewing slowly as he savored the taste. He nodded. “Okay. It’s a deal.”

  Leaning forward, Trajan said, “Sometimes, I get called away. Part of my job. I’ll let you know before
we meet if it happens or I’ll send someone.” Trajan stuck out a mammoth hand and they shook. “Now get home and be careful.”

  In a flash, Jacob disappeared. No one but a fool would hang around in case the guy changed his mind and took back the sandwich.

  ***

  “Jacob, let me be in your group.”

  “I don’t have a group, Jennie.”

  Jennie and Jacob sat outside the farm module on a bench, waiting for Jacob’s father to finish work. Jacob fingered a stick that he had been sharpening while he waited.

  “Okay, then let me be on your team.”

  “I don’t have a team either.”

  She leaned in face to face. “We could put one together.”

  “And do what?”

  “Whatever it is that you’re doing. I see you go out after your da goes to work. You slouch around in odd places. You don’t attend school much, but your ma’s not homeschooling you.”

  “How’d you know that?” He had thought no one knew what he did, and here was a stupid girl keeping tabs on him.

  “Asked your mom. She said you weren’t. Besides, she’s not up to teaching kids nowadays. So, let me do what you’re doing. We can work together.” Her eyes lit up and she positively wriggled.

  Jacob rolled his eyes at the insistent pest and made a rude noise. “You’re a kid.”

  “I’m a year younger than you. And I’m smart.”

  “You’re a girl.”

  “Ah, see how smart you are, too. You figured that out all by yourself, I’ll bet.” She pushed back curly honey-brown hair and blinked pale sea blue eyes at him.

  He closed his eyes, not believing her.

  She leaned in and whispered, “Tell me where you go. You got a girlfriend? Those sparkly green eyes of yours get all the girls, I bet.”

  His eyes flashed open. Taking a deep breath, he said, “No. Definitely not. Got no time for any pesky girl or friends.” He gazed away from her pixie face. Admitting it made him realize what a loser he was.

  “Then whatcha doin’?” She wasn't letting him off the hook. He turned back to her as she tapped fingers on the wood bench, waiting for him to come up with a clever explanation.

  “I lookout in case anything interesting happens.”

  She snorted. “That’s it?” Pausing, she hummed a little tune and then peered at him. “You spy for someone.”

  “Now listen here. If you go yapping something like that, I could be spaced.” He stood up and paced back and forth.

  “What kinds of stuff are you looking for?” She slanted her head at him.

  He whirled on her. “None of your business. Leave me alone.”

  “What if I had some important information? Could I be on your team then?”

  He stopped pacing and turned on her. “I don’t have a team. Aren’t you listening?” Exasperation rolled off of him.

  “Okay, a partner then.”

  “Partners? What? Your teddy bear’s gone missing, and you want me to find him?” He snorted.

  “Amy’s mother works for that big shot doctor. She said her mother acted real nervous about something she did recently.”

  Sudden curiosity tugged at him. “Like what?” He sat down, suddenly interested.

  “Amy said she overheard Mrs. Wayfair talk to another med worker about how sorry she was that she put something icky in the water.”

  That was interesting.

  He peered around to see if anyone nearby might be listening. No one was anywhere close, only workers too far to hear. “Did she say what it was?”

  “Had to do with stopping people making babies.”

  “We don’t need any more babies.” He paused, choking up. An image of his father hurting his mother by throwing her and the new one against the wall spun through his mind. He felt sick. Black dots danced before his eyes, and he thought he might throw up.

  “What’s wrong?” She went to put her hand on his shoulder, and he jerked away. “It’s about your Ma and Da fighting, isn’t it?”

  “Leave me alone,” he shouted and left her to sit by herself, dumbfounded by his action. His Da would be mad that he hadn’t waited to help carry stuff home, but he didn’t care. He just didn’t care about anything anymore.

  ***

  Later, after Jacob calmed down, he started thinking about Jennie’s words. If she spoke the truth, it might get that guy Trajan on his good side—and another sandwich as a reward.

  His Da stormed in, threw a bundle of vegetables onto the table, shot him an angry glare, poured that rotgut stuff from the engine room into a glass, and stumbled into the bedroom.

  His mother tightened her lips into a thin line and rose shakily from a chair. “What are you looking at?” she shouted at him. She reached into the cupboard, pulled out an old pan, and turned on a heating element, her hands trembling. She grabbed for a half-empty glass of some awful smelling liquid. Gulping it down, she snapped, “Get washed up and tell your Da to wash too. Stars, that man stinks.” She dumped the vegetables into a sink and began to clean and peel them while the pan warmed.

  He shoved aside thoughts of Jennie and her big secret as he prepared to tell his father to wash, hoping he would emerge unscathed from delivering the message.

  ***

  Jacob skulked near a hidden panel in the ship’s corridor, designated as their meeting place. He imagined that he was all kinds of an idiot. The big guard frightened him, but the lure of a peanut butter sandwich, possibly two, kept him waiting. Mom needed nourishment, and Da, well Da threatened life and dismemberment if his son didn’t bring something to the pot soon.

  Down the hall a soft footfall approached and before he knew, Trajan’s bulk loomed over him. On his shadowed face, an eyebrow raised. “You’re here.”

  “You said to be.”

  “Have any information?”

  His big news shriveled under the guard’s stern expression. It was all hearsay with no proof. He froze.

  “I don’t have time to waste.” Trajan peered up and down the corridor.

  “You got sandwiches?”

  “I got what I need. What do you have?”

  He shuffled a bit and blurted out, “Someone says Mrs. Wayfair put something in the water system a couple of shifts back.”

  Trajan straightened up, looking interested. “Do you mean Amy Wayfair who works for Dr. Luttrell?”

  “Yeah.” He tried to remember the words. “I heard it had to do with stopping babies.”

  Trajan stepped back, furrowing those black eyebrows. “You got any proof?”

  “Now how would I get proof? I don’t have the proper test equipment. That’s your department. Try testing the water and find out if it’s true. If it is, lots of people are already up in arms about the Captain’s new rules. They might get awfully mad if they find out the Captain put drugs in the water.”

  “She wouldn’t do that.”

  “Some might believe she did.” Jacob stuck to his argument, although he knew it might not be a good idea to argue too much with this man.

  “She wouldn’t.”

  “Doesn’t matter, if they think so.”

  Trajan’s eyes narrowed at his comment.

  “About my team…” Changing the subject, Jacob decided he needed to ask first. He didn’t want this man any madder at him than he already was.

  “Your team?” Trajan slanted a look at him.

  “Yeah. Are girls allowed in?”

  A thoughtful expression flitted across Trajan’s face. “If you think she’s up to the task. Some jobs aren’t dangerous if you’re careful. Keep it strictly to listening and watching stuff. Don’t get her involved if you think it’s dangerous.”

  Jacob toed the floor. “I just thought girls might not be allowed.”

  A snort came from Trajan. “The Captain’s a female. She does all right.”

  Well, that shifted a guy’s viewpoint. A girl ran the ship, and this man willingly followed her orders.

  “Here.” Trajan tossed a sack at him. “A bonus. Good wo
rk.”

  Jacob peered in. A sandwich and, golly, an apple and a can of beans. He raised his head to say thanks, but the big man had vanished into the dark.

  Chapter 12

  Date Night

  “You think the water supply is compromised?” Elise couldn’t believe her ears. She pushed back from her desk in her stateroom, aghast at the comment. “Are you sure?”

  “No,” Trajan admitted. “That’s why I think you should order it tested and not by Dr. John Luttrell.”

  She straightened with a start. “John! You think he’s involved?” That would bring about a major complication that she didn’t want.

  He shifted his shoulders and turned his palms out. “I wouldn’t rule it out. You need to test it before making accusations, though. Right now all I have is hearsay evidence, but we’re watching a suspect closely and will question her further if it contains hormones.”

  With an annoyed huff, Elise logged out of her computer. She yanked down on her top and straightened her shoulders. “I need to get to the bridge. We’re headed for an asteroid cluster to fill the water tanks and replenish our metal supply. If we wait too long on your test, any evidence will be diluted. Do you have someone you can trust to do it?”

  Her normally stoic guard’s obvious fidget caused her concern. His eyes slid sideways. “You’ll have to order it.”

  “Do it then. Report what you find. Meanwhile, I’ll see if I can pry out if dear John is up to no good.”

  He nodded and kept a blank face at her comment. He didn’t question how she might do it. Heaving a sigh, she swept out the door, headed for the bridge.

  ***

  The test proved positive for hormones in the water supply, and now she needed to interrogate John Luttrell. Okay, it was as good an excuse as any to have dinner with him. He’d issued a dinner invitation, and now she had a reason to accept.

  Upon entering his quarters, she first noticed the place smelled fragrant with some spicy Asian dish. Music played a soft and sexy song, and the lights flickered with a soft glow. He could have been saving on power, but she didn’t think that was the reason for the low lights. John had always been a romantic when he had the time, when he wasn’t wrapped up in his lab. It was one of the things she liked most about him.