Verna led Lucy off the bridge and down a dark passageway as she searched for a way off the ship, but fortunately it would not take her long to find it. The first door they approached had been twisted just enough by the impact that Verna could hear a hissing noise as air escaped around the seal.
“Lucy, turn on your helmet lights and emergency beacon. When this door opens we’re probably going to be sucked right out of the ship. Hang onto me as tight as you can and if we are separated don’t panic. Commander Randall will find us soon.”
“But we only have a few minutes of air, and what about the radiation?”
“I know, and it’s scary but let’s take each problem one at a time. Close your eyes and just try to breathe slowly, and above all stay calm. Trust me and have faith. I promise, he will come.”
“Yes, ma’am, if you say so.”
“Ok, here we go, on three… one, two, three!”
Starr pushed the lever to activate the door, and as predicted they were quickly swept into space along with everything in the compartment that wasn’t screwed down. It took almost a minute to clear the debris floating around the ship but somehow the Lieutenant had managed to hang onto Verna. As the pair tumbled through space a red light began to flash on Penelope’s radar.
“Sir, I have a pair of DSSF emergency beacons moving away from the Emim ship.”
“Pilot…”
“I’ve got them! They’ll be on board before you can say, Pim Ono wears dirty underwear.”
Her statement caught Randall off guard, and he was about to ask for clarification when Sela reminded him they had more than one problem.
“Sir, we’ve lost atmosphere below deck. I’ll need to go below to see what I can do before we can utilize the docking port.”
“Get it done!”
“Aye, sir, it shouldn’t take long.”
“I have visual; moving into position.”
A few minutes later Lucy and Starr were onboard 107, and breathing much better air than they had the last few days. Randall was so anxious to kiss his wife he practically ripped Verna’s helmet off and tossed it aside. Thirty seconds into their first kiss he had no doubt this was his wife.
As the lieutenants watched and smiled, Sela began to nod when Starr’s left foot left the floor. “Yep, that’s her.”
Finally, they took a break, as Randall looked around the room with a silly smile on his face. “Sorry about that. Let’s finish the job. Stations please. Pilot, what’s our best speed?”
“I think I can get us to 40k mph in a few minutes, sir.”
“How long before the fleet makes 50, 000 miles?”
“Twelve minutes for the fleet; twenty-one for us.”
“Acknowledged. Let me know when we reach 40k; standby Eradicator; aft launch tube. This time we aren’t leaving anything they can salvage.”
“Aft tube, aye.”
Behind them they could occasionally see small explosions across the debris field as derelict ships slammed into one another.
“Sir, we are now past 40k miles.”
“W.O., do you have a lock?”
“Aye, locked and ready.”
“Light ‘em up!”
“Eradicator, away!”
“How long before it reaches target?”
“Four minutes, forty-two seconds.”
Now well beyond the Eradicator’s blast range, for the next few minutes they all watched the distance between 107 and the disabled Emim armada grow. On SRN Penelope was also tracking Anakim as he slowly closed on Pandora.
“Five seconds to detonation… three, two, one!”
As the antimatter missile erupted, the image on their screen became a well-defined, brilliant white ball of light expanding in all directions. In microseconds, the once mighty armada and any survivors ceased to exist. As the energy shell developed, smaller explosions could be seen for almost a minute before the ever-expanding ball began to dissipate.
“COM, scan detonation area out to 75k miles.”
“Nothing, sir. The missile is well named. Everything has been eradicated.”
“Anakim?”
“Still chasing Pandora, but he has a lot of ground to make up.”
“Will he make it?”
“His ship is now slowly overtaking Pandora, but it’s still going to be very close with little margin for error. Pandora is no longer a battleship. She’s a missile with multiple warheads and they’ll all deploy well before he can get there. Anakim might stop one and survive but he’ll have to go deep into the kill zone to be in weapons range for all three.”
Randall almost sounded happy as he asked, “Time to target?”
“Approximately thirty-seven hours, sixteen minutes.”
“Keep me informed.”
Less than an hour ago he was feeling completely fatigued, but now Randall was clearly energized. Having Verna safely aboard gave him such an adrenaline rush he was almost giddy.
“Orders Captain?”
Verna was relieved they had won the battle, but as always, her reaction was more subdued. “I need to assess fleet status with Captain Knowles.”
“Very well. COM, request permission to dock with Carl Jackson.” Randall pointed to the door of his quarters and motioned for Verna to join him.
“Are you ok? What’s wrong?”
“A lot of people died today and more will die soon.”
“Are you feeling sorry for the aliens?”
“Mostly for our people, but yes, I suppose I feel sorry for the aliens too. Life is precious, regardless of whose life it is.”
“You do realize they would have done horrible things to you and the lieutenant before they killed you, right?”
“Yes, I have seen their methods; things you could not handle, mentally. You would be so repulsed you could easily lose your mind.”
“Then what’s the problem? You know there’s no way to rehabilitate the Emim.”
Verna looked at the floor a moment then moved on. “Let’s go see Captain Knowles. The battle here has been won but we may have an even bigger battle when we get to DSSF HQ.”
A half hour later Starr and Randall were sitting with Knowles in the officers dining hall as she described her ordeal with the Emim.
“So basically, we were servicing a satellite when I got caught with my pants down. From what I have heard so far, it appears they were just looking for some kind of spacecraft, or anything they could use, to send down a shape shifter to infiltrate HQ. The lieutenant and I were inadvertently captured in the process. They never knew we were aboard until we took over the ship.
“We did see her, the shape shifter, board the Interrogator just before it launched. She looked exactly like me and it really upset Lucy. It took a while but once we had the Emim bottled up she calmed down and has been fine since.”
“But how did you manage to capture them so easily?”
“Part of my time with Kontana was spent going over tactical information on the aliens we would most likely encounter in the future, and the Emim were part of that study. They only employ three types of ships in battle, and I had seen the schematics for all of them. Once we found our way into the ductwork, it was just a matter of herding them into a room large enough to hold them all.”
“Amazing! How did you manage that?”
“The Emim made taking the ship so easy it was sad. The ducts that deliver oxygen throughout the ship were large enough for us to stand, so we simply followed the air flow and quickly made our way to the ventilation controls and shut down their oxygen, room by room, until they were all forced into the hanger where we entered the ship. Once they were there, I terminated power to that part of the ship except for the control center, which left them trapped in the bay.”
“And, flying the ship?”
“Mike, that was the easiest part! Their ships are large, but the crews are small. Every control is voice activated; any voice! All I had to do was tell the ship where to go or what to do and it automatically responded; direction, speed, weapons, any
thing! Of course, you have to know the right Emim phrases and sounds but it works for anyone.”
“No security protocols?”
“Not one. They are so arrogant I don’t think they believe anyone could get aboard much less take over the ship. If you had seen them charging at us out in the open in Russia you’d understand. They think they are intellectually superior to everyone and physically invincible.”
“Well, they should certainly know better by now, but how do you think we should approach the situation at HQ? I’m sure they’ve been monitoring the battle and know we have defeated their armada.”
“Yes, but whoever is at HQ doesn’t know I’m here. Most spies are not placed to be destructive. They want to gather information. If we can keep my return a secret until I get back, we’ll have a better chance of capturing her. Otherwise, she could assume anyone’s identity and walk right through security. The last thing we need running loose at HQ is a spy who can appear to be anyone.”
“I assume you have a plan?”
Verna smiled sweetly as she took Randall’s hand. “Not exactly, but I know an Indian who might be persuaded to help. He’s an expert when it comes to uncovering a conspiracy, or with how to create one.”
“Me? You know the general is always complaining about me and conspiracies and you know who’ll get the blame if we don’t succeed.”
Knowles laughed as Randall shook his head. “Then make sure your plan works.”
“That’s the story of my life. Nobody likes me until they need something.”
Verna smiled when she recognized his sheepish grin. “You already have a plan, don’t you?”
“I will by the time we get there, but we’ll need Kontana’s help, and I don’t think he likes me since we hitched a ride with him to look for you.”
“You what?”
“It’s a long story and you probably don’t want to know.”
“Leave Kontana to me. By the time we’re in orbit he’ll be more than happy to help.”
“I don’t know if I like the sound of that.”
“Just tell me what you need him to do.”
“Fine! Explain the situation and tell him all I need is for his ship to ferry us and 107 to Earth orbit, asap. We have considerable damage and a major loss of power from the battle. It would take us days to get home, but his ship can have us back in less than an hour. Once we’re there we’ll need hooded cloaks and his shuttle to take us down to HQ where I’ll lead a security team to capture the imposter.”
Verna tried not to giggle as she nodded in agreement.
“Did I say something funny?”
“No, I was just thinking this is a little ironic.”
“How so?”
“Well, the Ferryman needs a ferryman.”
“Seriously?”
A short while later Randall and the lieutenants were again staring out a window in the guest quarters on Kontana’s ship while he gave Verna a private tour. Just before they were to enter geo-orbit, the entire crew of 107 could see Kontana and Verna coming down the long corridor with her left arm and hand on top of his right as he escorted her back.
“We are about to enter orbit and your shuttle awaits.”
“Thank you for the tour, it was quite enjoyable and educational.”
“It was my pleasure, Cheveyo. You are most welcome anytime.”
As Kontana and his pupil lingered by the doorway, Randall and the lieutenants stood up. “Will we be invited to the coronation?”
“What?”
“I really hate to interrupt your date but a few of us would like to get on with the mission.”
Verna’s smiling face quickly became a very stern glare. “Thanks to Kontana I now have a very good idea of how we should deal with the shape shifter.”
“That’s great, but since it’s my plan, I’ll deal with him or her or whatever it is, if it’s all the same to you. Sela, you and Penelope are with us. Addison, wait one hour then bring 107 home. Hopefully by then the spy will be captured or dead.”
Penelope and Addison could feel the tension in the air as they waited for Starr to lead them out, but after another moment Sela snapped. “Ladies, you heard the Commander; let’s go!”
“My apologies, Kontana. Randall is not usually rude.”
“There is no need to apologize. I am sure he is merely fatigued. The shuttle pilot has the co-ordinates, and remember, all I have told you about the one you seek. She is extremely dangerous.”
“I will, and thank you again for your help.”
Once they were underway, Verna moved over next to Randall and spoke quietly. “Green isn’t your best color, my love.”
“That’s true, I prefer crimson; blood is crimson. What color is Rigelian blood?”
“That’s enough! There is no reason for you to be concerned. Kontana is our friend.”
“He’s your friend and maybe he wants to be more.”
“That’s silly.”
“Is it?”
A short while later the shuttle set down on the flight line only a few feet from Verna’s fighter.
“Ok, ladies, no one knows we’re coming; cloaks on, hoods up. Penelope, alert security, then go to the hospital and find the general. Do whatever it takes to bring Barrett to Starr’s ship.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Sela, you and I will board 100 first. If we see anyone who looks like Verna, I’ll distract her while you put her to sleep. There’s enough juice in that injector to knock down a rhino. Make sure she gets it all.”
“Trust me. She’ll get it all!”
“And you, my dear Captain, will bring up the rear. Seal the hatch once we’re inside.”
“Yes, sir!”
The small group covered the short distance between the ships without incident or being seen. Once on board 100, Randall and Sela silently stepped onto the command deck while Verna secured the main hatch as quietly as she could.
They had expected to find several people running a make shift Tactical, but all they found was Stevens, sitting at the COM station, and he was watching SRN so intently he didn’t realize they were now standing right next to him.
After they had been there for a while, Randall gave Sela a look of disbelief, and just before she began to laugh he put his hand over Stevens’ mouth. The corporal nearly came out of his skin until he saw who had sneaked up behind him. Randall whispered for him to be quiet then removed his hand.
“Dad gum it, sir, you nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“Is anyone else aboard?”
“No sir, it’s just me at the moment. When did you get back?”
“Just now, on the Rigelian shuttle.”
“Oh, I see. If you’re looking for Captain Starr, she just went to her quarters off ship.”
Verna came forward and removed her hood, so Stevens could see her face clearly. “As you can see, Captain Starr is here with us. The person that has been working with you the last few days isn’t Starr; she’s an Emim shape shifter.”
“She’s a what?”
“A shape shifter, and she can assume any form or look like anyone. We need to capture her asap! Are you sure she’s in the captain’s quarters?”
“I think so. She was on the way there not five minutes ago.”
“Ok, call and tell her General Barrett wants to see her here, asap.”
“Yes, sir.”
Stevens was surprised and shaking so badly he nearly dropped the phone. “Cap… captain Starr, General Barrett wants to see you on your ship right away. Yes, ma’am.”
“She’s on the way.” Verna quickly opened the hatch then went to her quarters onboard.
In a few seconds Tyl stepped onto the bridge of 100 and came face to face with Randall who quickly went to greet her with a huge smile and open arms.
“There’s my angel! Give me a kiss sweetheart!”
For an instant Tyl wasn’t sure how to react to Randall as he quickly took her in his arms and moved in for a kiss, but as he tried to pull her close she forcef
ully pushed him back. Over her shoulder Randall could see Sela moving in from behind.
“Angel, what’s wrong? Aren’t you glad to see me?”
“Of course, I am, but displays of affection should only be for after hours, not while we are on duty.”
“We just had the greatest victory in mankind’s history; the Emim and Nephilim were completely defeated. Surely one little kiss would be ok.”
“No, not now.”
“I see. How’s your head? Are you feeling ok?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“That’s good; tell me what happened to Lieutenant Lucy.”
“I don’t remember.”
“Really? You have a perfect memory with perfect recall, but you don’t know what happened to the lieutenant?”
“No, I told you I don’t remember.”
“Interesting, in all of our years together you have never forgotten anything, not once, and you always kiss me when I come home, on duty or not.”
“The Emim, were they all destroyed, no survivors?”
“To the best of my knowledge there were no survivors. Now kiss me and let’s celebrate!”
“I cannot.”
“You cannot, or you will not?”
Before Tyl could answer, Barrett and Penelope appeared in the doorway blocking Tyl’s only way of escape, and behind him stood ten, armed security officers. Verna also joined them and stood by Randall as she slowly removed her hood.
The scene was surreal as two identical Captain Starrs stood only a few feet apart, each appearing as the other’s perfect reflection.
“She will not, because she doesn’t want to entrap you falsely. Her kiss would leave you intoxicated, almost like casting a love spell. Is that correct?”
“Yes, but how did you know?”
“Because, through the Rigelians I know a great deal about the Emim, and their history is all through the Old Testament. Genesis, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Samuel and other books say that eons ago your people first appeared on this planet east of the Jordan River. The city was called Ashteroth Karnaim and it was near the land of Bashan. After King Chedorlaomer defeated your people in that place, the Israelites called it the Promised Land. You are from an ancient race of giants known at that time as the Rephaim or as they came to be known, the Emim. Like the Phoenicians and Canaanites, your people would have worshipped the fertility goddess, Astarte.
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