Energize (From the Logs of Daniel Quinn Book 1)

by Thomas R. Manning

  Once I opened the door my sense of smell was overwhelmed by numerous scents. A hickory flavor loomed in the air as well as the smell of onions and garlic. My mouth watered and my stomach growled at me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had an actual meal as opposed to rations and dry food. Neptune’s Tavern was one of the best places in the galaxy for grilled food and exotic drinks. It took every ounce of strength not to pounce on the nearest plate.

  Every piece of furniture in the place was mahogany, at least I think that’s what the owner once told me. There was a long bar on the far side of the room with twenty stools in front of it. All of the tables were square with four chairs on every side. There was an old fashioned pool table and dart board, which were very popular among the human crowd. There were also a couple alien games, though I never took the time to learn how to play one. The bartender, who was also the owner, was smiling at one of his customers, an alien with grey skin and sharp corners. I wasn’t sure, but I think his race was called the Rokor.

  Derrick Kenton, the man behind the bar, imported every piece of furniture from his establishment on Earth. Despite the tavern being on a space station he wanted it to feel like home. When he saw me his expression went from inviting to grimacing. He excused himself from his customer and walked to the opposite side of the bar, nodding me over. I took a deep breath and walked over to him.

  “What are you doing here Danny?” His voice was low, with the rasp that would accompany a heavy smoker’s voice. I couldn’t stand the name Danny because it sounded like a child’s name, and that was what Jason called me when we were younger. By using that name for me, he was telling me that he was talking down to me like a parent would to a disobedient child.

  “Derrick,” I said, my voice breaking slightly. “It’s good to see you!”

  He raised his hand to me.

  “Save it, you know you’re not welcome here, at least not until the large sum of money you owe me is settled.”

  I winced. He continued talking before I could even think about it.

  “Not to mention you have made a lousy reputation for yourself which could potentially hurt mine!”

  He wasn’t wrong, though I didn’t want to admit he was right. Derrick had helped me get on my feet when I first came to him looking for jobs. He showed me the system that was the Starcade and how to use it. Over the years he provided me with small loans of money, which I would in turn pay back to him after completing my jobs. The problem wasn’t that I didn’t complete my jobs, but I didn’t do everything that was required of me during said job.

  “Listen please,” I said quickly. “I know I’ve botched a couple jobs, but I wasn’t willing to kill someone.”

  “You do whatever you damn well are ordered to do!” He barked at me. “If your employer wants you to eject someone out an airlock, if your employer wants you to vaporize someone, or if he says stab them to death, then you better damn well do it!”

  At the word stab my mind became infected with images and memories of a bloody bed, a slender, lifeless figure with multiple stabs wounds in her abdomen. My heart pounded and my hands trembled. Derrick made a grunt of disgust then walked away from me as unwanted images continued to invade my mind. I tried to think of something else, anything else, whether it was a happy memory or a terrible one, but nothing could close the floodgates.

  Derrick reappeared a moment later, placing a small drink in front of me. I took it and quickly drank it all. The liquid burned my throat as if it was engulfed in flame and continued down into my stomach. I let out a violent cough. Whatever I just drank consumed my entire being. All I could think of was how much it burned, but then later realized that it managed to make the unwanted memories disappear. When I opened my eyes Derrick and the bottles and decorations behind him appeared to be swimming.

  “Flux!” I coughed. “What was that?!”

  He didn’t respond to me, at first. Instead all he did was spit where the glass previously sat.

  “You’re pathetic Quinn. You’re a lousy merc and a terrible customer. Get out of my sight.”

  He walked off without another word. I made one more attempt to stop him.

  “Derrick wait!” He stopped. “Let me just say one word about what I found. If I’m right, you of all people should know what it is and what can be done about it. If you’ve never heard of it, then I will leave and never return. Even when I manage to pay you back, you’ll never see me again.”

  He stood there thinking it over. I wouldn’t have been surprised one bit if he shook his head, walked away and that was the end. I hoped that curiosity would get the better of him. After a moment of consideration he leaned forward and muttered, “Try me.”

  That was all I needed. I leaned into him until our noses were a mere inch apart, and whispered to him, “Empyreus.”

  Derrick’s left eye twitched, and without any movement from his neck or head, both eyes began surveying everyone surrounding us. His posture eased up and he poured himself a drink of the same stuff he gave me. The man didn’t even blink after he swallowed.

  “Take a seat in the back,” Derrick said to me, his voice surprisingly soft. “If you can pay for a meal, you’re welcome to one. I’ll be along to talk to you.”

  Without another word he turned and walked into the kitchen. I signaled Derrick’s one and only waiter over and gave him my order, paying up front as a sign of good faith. Then I stood up and, still under the effects from the drink, stumbled and wobbled my way past the bar and into a narrow hallway. On the other side was a small, darkened room with three tables. This was infamously known to be the place where Starcade and other operational discussions took place. The walls were soundproof, and there was no electronic devices allowed due to the possibility of conversations being bugged or recorded.

  No one else was there, so I sat down at the far table and waited. Minutes felt like hours. When Derrick finally entered the room, he carried a tray of food in one hand and a large glass of soda in the other. A large slice of beef, pink and tender, and a serving of french fries was placed in front of me. I’m not going to go into details of what happened next. The scene wasn’t pretty. Suffice to say I destroyed and devoured the food until nothing remained. Derrick sat across from me the entire time watching me eat. I would have said it was awkward, but my hunger at the time didn’t give a damn.

  “Do you ever think about the past?”

  I gave him an inquisitive look as I wiped away the salt and grease from my face. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly.

  “I’m an old man,” he continued. “When I was young, living on Earth, governments had just passed the bill to construct starships. If you ask a child living in the here and now why our people traveled to the stars, he would tell you that mankind was looking for the next great adventure, the future of human evolution. I don’t know where they get that shit. You lived on Earth didn’t you Quinn?”

  “Yes,” I said quietly. I don’t remember Derrick ever opening up to me before.

  “You probably don’t know the truth as much as I do, as young as you are. Building starships and launching into space had nothing to do with evolution or seeking adventure. It was about power, and who held the power? Anyone who had the wealth and the land, that’s who. For years every nation fought for money and power, smothering the entire Earth with war and destruction. Eventually on Earth nothing mattered but the conquest of your adversary. Outer space was the only logical place humanity could expand so we didn’t suffocate or destroy ourselves. Setting out into space . . . it was an escape. There was nothing majestic about it, and now, those same problems are beginning to rise again. We have an entire galaxy to explore, yet the same groups of people are out here with us now, building armies and gaining territory. And to do this, they need the power, and the resources.”

  Derrick looked up into my eyes at that point.

  “Do you have any idea of the implications of what you know? How dangerous it is to hold information like that? You must have foregone the Starcade. I dou
bt you’d still be alive at this point.”

  “I have reason to believe it’s been compromised,” I said to him, neglecting to mention the part where I probably would have posted it had the ESA not interfered.

  Derrick tried to restrain a chuckle, putting his hand to his mouth and trying to feign it as a cough. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long narrow pipe and a case of tobacco. He stuffed the pipe full then used a lighter from his opposite pocket to light it, then took a slow long drag, expelling the smoke from his mouth towards the ceiling.

  “I don’t know why, but I’m not surprised at all. Just as well . . . you wouldn’t want that kind of attention.”

  “That’s why I’m here Derrick,” I said to him, leaning in close even though the room was empty. “I know our relationship is strained right now, but there’s no one else in the galaxy who I could talk to or trust with this information.”

  His upper body twitched for less than a second as I said that. I didn’t understand what it was at first, but then the cogs in my head turned. The unbelievable change of tone in his voice and the fact that he didn’t ask how I found out about empyreus all pointed to one thing. Just like I had recently done to Sarah King, Derrick was stalling, waiting for something.

  The door behind him opened and two absurdly large men were standing there. They both crossed their arms which were the size of tree trunks, looking tough enough to lift a shuttle and toss it three city blocks. They were staring daggers right at me. I muttered a curse to myself and turned to look back at Derrick. His expression was apologetic.

  “Never trust anyone son. The information you have is priceless, and you’re not the only one who owes debts.”

  I closed my fists and raised my arms up in a combat stance. Both of the giants smirked at me, clearly amused. It wasn’t hard to deduce they were here to rough me up, and at the time I had to force myself to believe I didn’t care. They blocked the only exit and I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I pushed my fear as far to the side as I could manage and gave them a smirk of my own.

  “Sorry boys, didn’t anyone tell you this was a private meeting? Invitation only?”

  They didn’t move, nor did they blink.

  “I can guess why you’re here, and I’m telling you now that I’m tougher than I look.” Still nothing. “What’s the matter? Scared to get your massive hands dirty? Let’s go!” With that last statement I advanced towards them. That’s when they reached behind their backs and pulled out plasma blasters, pointed straight at my head. My courage and anger dropped into my stomach, and I let myself go, shoulders hunched and head hanging down.

  “I’m guessing you missed the sign out front that said ‘No Weapons’?” I said to them in defeat.

  “Quite the contrary!” The voice came from behind them, rich and baritone. An elderly man wearing a dark blue business suit stepped in between them. His head was either shaved or bald and he had a delightful expression on his face.

  “They saw the sign Mr. Quinn, but at my command they ignored it.”

  FOUR

  “My name is Raymond Erebos,” the old man said. He joined me at my table along with his two cohorts. Derrick was excused by Erebos. Apparently whatever debt he owed was settled. Derrick Kenton intimidated me and he was intimidated by Erebos. Suffice to say, I was not comfortable in my current situation. I wasn’t given the names of the two giants sitting on either side of me, but I didn’t care to know. Their unbelievably close proximity to me combined with their overbearing body odor was enough. I named them smelly one and smelly two.

  Everyone was staring at me. I guess I was supposed to introduce myself as well. Erebos already knew my name. If he was aware of that, how much else did he know? Did Derrick give him my name? Did he look it up in a database? Who knew?

  I trembled. I didn’t want to look like a wimp, but when you have two men twice your size staring at you like they want to make painful physical alterations to your body and their boss who seemed to be studying my very soul, well, I think anyone would be a bit creeped out.

  “So,” I finally said. “Have you tried the food here? It’s amazing! And Derrick has some kind of drink that can clear out your sinuses in seconds!”

  I know, not the most intelligent thing to say. Erebos arched an eyebrow at me, and folded his hands on the table.

  “You don’t like confrontation, do you Mr. Quinn?”

  “Captain, actually...” I found myself spatting out. “Captain Quinn.”

  “Yes of course,” he said, one corner of his mouth turned upward in a half grin. “Captain of the Kestrel Belle. An old model cruiser. If I’m correct there are only a handful of them left roaming the stars.”

  I had a hunch that he was correct. The way he carried himself and spoke, the way his cohorts sat still like statues focusing their guns on me despite full attention on him, told me this was a man who got what he wanted whenever he wanted it. I couldn’t think of anything else to say except to answer his original question.

  “I don’t have a problem with confrontation,” I said.

  “Don’t you?” he quickly asked. “I would think a man in your situation would start by asking the important questions, such as Who am I? Why am I here? What do I want with you? Instead you attempt to use humor and sarcasm to diffuse your tense situation, very poorly I must add.”

  Erebos was beginning to crack the remaining shell I kept over my fear. He was so calm and collected; so sure of himself. I wanted to know who he was and what he wanted with me, but I didn’t want to outwardly admit that I was letting him walk all over me. As nervous as I was, I needed to stand my ground, or in my case sit.

  “Is that all? Should I piss my pants in your presence as well? Maybe you would like me to squeal like a terrified animal?”

  My entire core rumbled with nerves as I waited for his reaction. Maybe he would decide I wasn’t worth the trouble and would just put a plasma round in my brain here and now. To my surprise, and relief, he smiled. The smile was warm too, not devilish or evil. He held up his hands in submission.

  “That will not be necessary Mr. Quinn. I am pleased you don’t break under a little pressure. You have courage, but feel fear. Smart.” he said.

  Now he was paying me a compliment for being afraid?

  “Did you know fear is actually an endearing quality?” He asked. “If you stop and think about it, fear acts as a warning system assisting us in being rational during dangerous situations. Without it, humankind would rush to their demise without a second thought.”

  He paused for a moment, studying my reaction to his words. So far I had succeeded in keeping a straight, slightly bored expression.

  “Additionally, you can use fear to control.”

  “You don’t say,” I said. His grin grew wider.

  “You see, with a simple nod to my associates, they would break both of your arms. If I wanted, I could end your life and the lives of every other person in this establishment with one simple order simply because I make sure my employees fear me.”

  I would have thought smelly one and two would have argued over being afraid of their boss, but they stared at him with intense loyalty. I even swore I saw one of them shudder at the mention of the word employees. Suddenly I thought of Derrick and his conversation with me only moments ago. I had been convinced up to this point that he was stalling for Erebos and I was sure that still held true, but could he have been warning me at the same time? All the talk about control, power, expansion, and here I sat in front of a man who I assumed wanted all of the above.

  “Is that your intention? To control me through fear?” I asked him, barely containing a stutter.

  “That is up to you,” he said. “You are a mercenary are you not? Maybe it’s simply a matter of hiring your services. What would you say to that?”

  “I suppose that would depend on the job and payment,” I replied. “I can’t guarantee I will accept, but you’re welcome to explain it to me.”

  “Can you afford to do that?” he asked
me, leaning back into his chair and lifting his eyebrows. “I’m sure you’ve surmised by now that I’ve done my research on you Mr. Quinn. In the last three years you’ve failed a handful of jobs you were hired for. Your reputation is less than favorable to any employer in the galaxy. At this point you would be lucky if you could get hired to escort a waste disposal barge.” He paused to let me think on it. Unfortunately all I could think at the time was ‘he’s right’.

  “So why would you trust me with your job?” I asked him. He nodded at me as if that was the right question to ask.

  “Because you have what I want. Information. You have discovered possible coordinates for empyreus and I want it. More specifically, I want you to get it for me. If you are willing to do this, I will pay you a substantial fee. In addition, I will also wipe your slate clean off the Starcade.”

  The offer was incredible, I couldn’t deny that. A brand new start? A large sum of money that I could use to live comfortably for years? It’s everything I wanted, everything I hoped for when I landed on the station. Sure, I wasn’t terribly interested in finding the empyreus myself, but wouldn’t it be worth it? All I had to do was deliver one of the galaxy’s most powerful sources of energy to the most mysterious man I ever met, a tycoon of sorts who was bent on controlling whatever he wanted. If he held the power of empyreus, who’s to say he couldn’t control everything.

  I decided to play along, regardless of what I thought.

  “That’s very tempting. What if I refuse to sell the information and my service to you?”

  Erebos didn’t answer right away. He didn’t blink, nor did he flinch. He let out a soft sigh and his mouth pressed into a hard line.

  “Mr. Quinn, I’m not an unreasonable man, but when I want something I get it. I am kind enough to let you personally help me and reap the benefits. If you choose to refuse my genuine offer, then I will let my associates here have their way with you and I will strip your vessel piece by piece until I have recovered the information I require. The choice is certainly yours.”