The Arwen Book one: Defender

by Timothy Callahan

  “Thank you, Lysis. I hope to have you back on your planet as a hero as soon as possible.” She looked over at Kel who just nodded. Both knew, at that moment, the plans Kel and Lysis were about to make would go into effect should Merriam build his strangelet weapon.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The first wormhole blinked into life near the third planet of the Ulliam system. The Ender, a small, Card class escort destroyer, entered real space. Moments later another bright wormhole formed and the Bean drifted out. The captains of both ships ordered a scan of the area to be sure it was safe.

  Before their wormholes closed they sent the all clear signal back into wormhole space. Between them a large hole appeared and continued to grow until it was large enough for the Aragorn, the flagship of the second Earth taskforce, to pass through. Like its sister ship, the Arwen, the Aragorn was a Tolkien class battle cruiser, cone shaped, its surface polished to mirrored perfection.

  Above, below, and all around the three ships other star bright holes formed. Ships of all shapes, sizes, and classes passed through into real space. With practiced precision, the fleet formed a sphere around the flagship, guns pointing outward, expecting the worst from a system that seemed to be in total chaos.

  The largest fleet ever assembled had finally arrived in the Ulliam system.

  ~*~

  Captain Cook could not help but smile when she got the news. It was early in the morning ships time but she didn’t mind being woken. She quickly dressed in her formal uniform and briskly ran to the bridge.

  Kel was waiting for her as she approached the elevator to the bridge. “They’re finally here,” he said.

  “Thank God. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”

  “It’s been tough for all of us,” Kel replied. Marjorie placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

  The elevator door opened and they walked onto the bridge and took their stations.

  The communications officer said, “Captain Cook, Admiral Cook would like to talk to you.”

  Marjorie raised one eyebrow and looked over Kel who didn’t return her gaze. Maybe he was trying to hide the sly grin on his face. “Glad you find that amusing,” she said to Kel in a halfhearted attempt to sound annoyed. “Put him through.”

  The face of her ex-husband appeared on her screen. It had been over two years since Marjorie had talked to him. Even longer since the two met face to face. He looked much older than he did two years ago. Gray mixed with his normal dark hair gave him a stylish salt and pepper look. He always had crow’s feet under his eyes; it was something Marjorie found charming when she first met him. They gave him the look of maturity beyond his young age. Now they just made him look old. She wondered if she looked the same to him, the stress of the past week must have worn on her face as well. “Captain Cook,” he started very businesslike. “I would like a quick report.”

  Okay, she thought, if you want to be formal, then I can be formal. Let’s both forget the fifteen years we were together and be two military professionals giving status reports to each other. “I don’t think I can give you enough information in a quick report, but I’ll try. The Gyssyc ship has been in orbit around Ulliam since its arrival. The hero from the first war between the Gyssyc and Ulliam, Merriam, was in hibernation as they awaited the inevitable return of the Gyssyc. We have some evidence that when the Gyssyc ship came into the system they were attacked by the Ulliam and, while defending themselves, destroyed both the Ulliam and Corps fleet.” She paused to let that information sink in and then continued. “We also believe Merriam has some sort of control over the Ulliam population which forces them to do whatever he asks.”

  Admiral Cook’s eyes never left Marjorie as she spoke. She began to feel self-conscience but didn’t break her own stare over him. “Thank you, Captain. I would like to have a meeting with you and anyone else you feel could provide me with more information. Can you get a shuttle over here?”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll come over with Professor Ricter, Doctor Mercury, the Ulliam science advisor Lysis, and Ambassador Simpson.”

  For the first time since they started talking, Marjorie saw a flicker of emotion on Admiral Cook’s face. “Mason Simpson?”

  “Yes,” she replied, trying to suppress a grin. “He’s the Ulliam ambassador.”

  “I knew he was the ambassador, I just didn’t know he was on the Arwen.”

  “There’s a lot you don’t know. I’ll be sure to fill you in on everything when I come over. Captain Cook out.” She turned to Kel, “Kel, you have the bridge. Please tell everyone I just mentioned to meet me in the hanger and be sure there is a shuttle ready to take us to the Aragorn.”

  “Yes, sir,” Kel replied, taking the seat as Marjorie left the bridge.

  Knowing she was going to see Payton again made her nervous. She had no idea the Corps would send him and she wondered why. Surely they knew there could have been some conflict of interest. Their marriage and divorce was public knowledge. It wasn’t a messy divorce and they both agreed to make it such, but there were still some lingering feelings of animosity between them. Being with someone for such a long time then knowing it was over hurt her more than she could ever let show.

  She pushed her feeling inside. This was not the time to worry about that. Her biggest problem would be convincing Payton the best course of action would be to assassinate Merriam. A part of her wished he hadn’t shown up when he did. Kel had showed her a good plan and if she had to authorize it, she would have. That choice was no longer hers.

  She entered the hanger to find the shuttle warming up, its back open and empty. She walked in, took a seat, and waited. Moments later the door to the hanger opened and Mason, dressed in the same suit he wore when she had taken him off the planet, walked into the shuttle. “Captain, it’s good to see you again. I had thought perhaps you had forgotten about me.”

  “I’m sorry,” she replied, “we’ve been busy.”

  “I know. I was just hoping to have at least one dinner with you before the fleet arrived. Tell me, who’s in leading it? Is it someone I’m familiar with?”

  “It’s Payton,” Marjorie replied.

  His face turned a light shade of pink. “Okay, that was unexpected.”

  The door to the hanger opened again and Professor Ricter and Fran entered. Ricter walked briskly, carrying his computer in one hand and a bag in the other. Fran did her best to catch up with the professor. “What’s the rush?” Marjorie asked as he entered. “We still need to wait for Lysis.”

  “I’m anxious to talk to the admiral about our findings,” Ricter said, taking a seat next to Marjorie. He leaned in close to her as he opened his computer and turned in on. “I need to take back my first assumption. It appears Lysis and Doctor Mercury were correct. There are several genetic markers which seem to have been placed there to help the Gyssyc control the Ulliam.”

  “I’m sure Admiral Cook would like to see that information,” Mason replied.

  “Cook?” He looked at Marjorie who simply smiled. “Ah, I see. You told me you two were on good terms. I assume that’s still the case.”

  “I haven’t talked to him in a while, but yes, we are.”

  Fran walked into the shuttle, huffed, gave Professor Ricter a dirty look, and sat on the bench without uttering a word.

  The door opened one more time and Lysis waddled into the hanger and toward the shuttle. “This is exciting,” he said, taking a seat next to Fran. “I can’t wait to show the Corps our findings.”

  “I’m sure they’ll look at them with great interest,” Marjorie replied. Pressing a button on the wall, she said, “Pilot, we’re ready to leave now. Take us out.”

  The butterflies in Marjorie’s belly intensified as the shuttle left the Arwen. She found it hard to believe Payton still held that kind of control over her and she did her best to pretend he didn’t. They had a good life together, plenty of fun times and lots of great memories, but they also had months apart as they fought through many military camp
aigns. She had too many sleepless nights worrying about him when she knew he would be in combat.

  She remembered the final straw clearly. A small border infraction by the Ecollites escalated into a major battle. He was the captain of a carrier and should have been far away from the battle but instead ordered his ship into the fight. It was the right action, of course; Payton always seemed to make the right military choices in lieu of the right personal ones, and his action saved the lives of hundreds and turned the battle around.

  Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication, it was reported his carrier was destroyed. It took him three days before he contacted her. Three days she mourned his death. She knew then he had no regard for her feelings and only thought about himself and his career.

  The next time they met, three months later at the Titan space station, she told him what she thought and he agreed. The divorce was final later that year and they had gone their separate ways ever since.

  This would be the first time she’d talked to him since he became an admiral. They had always carried the same rank; she didn’t expect him to hold his promotion over her, yet she still felt uneasy thinking about taking orders from him.

  It will pass, she told herself. Plus, it’ll be good to see him again. “Captain, we’ll be at the Aragorn in a few hours.”

  She leaned back on the bench and put her head against the wall, then sighed. The next few hours would feel like a few days.

  Mason walked over from where he was sitting and sat next to her. He tried to talk in a quiet whisper, the sound of the engine making it hard for anyone to hear what he was saying. “You look nervous.”

  “I always get this way before I see Payton.”

  “I recall,” Mason smiled. “I won’t tell anyone about nervous Nelly Marjorie.”

  “Thanks. None of these people know about all that and I’d like to keep it that way.”

  “You’re secret is safe with me.” He sat back and looked over at Professor Ricter. “So, tell me, Professor, what do you bring to the game?”

  Ricter looked up from his computer sharply. Marjorie knew he hated to be interrupted while he was working and he was clearly working when Mason asked him the question. “I don’t see why you should know what I bring to the game.”

  “Sorry, I’m just trying to make conversation,” Mason replied. “I’m a diplomat, talking is my job.”

  “My job is to analyze this information to give a cohesive report to the admiral. What I am trying to do, with the help of my assistant Doctor Mercury, will probably be the most important part of this mission.”

  “You think what you’re doing will decide the outcome of this? Do you really think you’re that important?”

  Oh no, Marjorie thought, Mason doesn’t know the depth of Professor Ricter’s ego. At least this should keep the trip interesting.

  “Yes, I do.” He closed the lid on the computer and continued. “You were on Ulliam when this all started, correct?”

  “Yes,” Mason replied cautiously.

  “What did you do to stop this? Did you do any research? Did you read the reports we sent about the Gyssyc before they arrived? I suspect you didn’t because if you had, you may have made the same connections we did.”

  “I did read the reports and no, I didn’t make the connection. It took a brilliant genius like you to make the connections, didn’t it?”

  “Actually, it was Doctor Mercury who made the connections,” Lysis said with an innocent smile.

  “That’s right,” Mason replied. “I remember reading that in a report.” Mason folded his arms across his chest, a sign he thought the conversation was over and he was the winner.

  “Doctor Mercury came up with the theory. It took me, her, and Lysis to confirm everything we suspected about Merriam and how he was controlling the Ulliam. However, my original point wasn’t that, my original point was this: none of this work would be necessary had you done your job instead of sit behind your desk getting fat.”

  “Professor Ricter, that is enough,” Marjorie ordered. “It’s okay to debate who did what, but I draw the line at a personal attack on the ambassador and my friend.”

  Mason put his hand on Marjorie’s shoulder and pulled her back a bit. “It’s okay, Marjorie, I can fight my own battles. Professor, you are correct, I am overweight. Perhaps I didn’t do my job as well as I should have, but it’s hard when you feel you’re being watched all the time. It’s hard when you never know if they’ll take you away. It’s also hard knowing that you have a family far away that depends on you. I could not take any chances knowing I might not be there for them. So, Professor, I’m sorry I didn’t make the connections. I was too busy trying to stay on the job for as long as I could without being killed.”

  The only noise in the shuttle was the deep hum of the engine. The sound was broken up occasionally by a soft wheeze from Mason as he breathed. Ricter flipped his laptop up and continued to work.

  Marjorie leaned into Mason and said, “I think you did the best job you could.”

  “If I didn’t have to worry about my own life I wouldn’t have been so careful. I needed to think about my wife and child.”

  “We’ll get you back to them.”

  “I don’t doubt that you will try, but as to whether you’ll succeed, that’s still up in the air. If something does happen to me, they will be well taken care of. I just don’t want my daughter to grow up without a father.” Mason gave a humorless chuckle. “Although, I’m away so often she might be.”

  “Maybe when this is over you can get a position closer to Earth.”

  “That would be nice. They won’t need me in this system. It’ll be too volatile for someone with my skills.”

  Marjorie let those words hang and didn’t reply. She didn’t want to insult her friend by agreeing to his statement.

  The hours passed in relative silence. Every once in a while the professor would ask Fran a question and they would go off in a whispered hush as they discussed something. Lysis eventually found his way into the conversation and the three chatted away about genetics and behavior. The adrenaline rush from the morning had worn off hours before and she finally succumbed to the sleep she had missed the night before.

  She was startled awake by the not so gentle sound of Professor Ricter laughing. When she opened her eyes she saw, to her horror, Mason, Fran, and Lysis looking over at her. Each had large smiles on their faces. “What?” she asked.

  “Marjorie,” Professor Ricter said, “I was wrong about your friend here. He’s very charming. Especially when he tells us stories of the young Marjorie Sanders.”

  Her eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped as she tried not to imagine the stories he was telling. “What did you tell them, Mason?”

  Mason and the others laughed. Marjorie shook her head, defeated. Normally she’d have something to say but she hadn’t heard genuine laughter in a very long time and she didn’t want it to end anytime soon.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Hundreds of thousands of lights from the fleet created the illusion of a second star field. There were times when it was difficult to tell background stars from artificial light. This was on purpose, because it made it more difficult for any scouts to determine how many ships there were since the fleet blended into the background of stars.

  Every once in a while a ship would glint as light from the Ulliam sun bounced off its mirrored surface. With a fleet this size, it seemed as if a new reflection blinked every few seconds as the shuttle moved closer. The Aragorn led them all.

  Marjorie watched from the shuttle’s cockpit as it made the final approach. The Aragorn was a relatively new ship and didn’t show the same kinds of scars an older ship like the Arwen did. The surface seemed just a bit cleaner and the guns seemed a bit more menacing. It only helped remind Marjorie how old and worn the Arwen really was.

  From the side, a hanger door slid open and the shuttle headed toward it. As the pilot navigated his way onto the platform, Marjorie stood and walked into the back where
the other waited. “We’re almost there.”

  “Do you think the admiral will want to talk to us right away?” Lysis asked.

  “I think I’ll talk to him first while you gather your material.”

  The shuttle bumped as it landed. As the door lowered to the ground, Marjorie made sure she was the person in front with everyone else behind her. The whining sound of the door drowned out anything anyone would say and when it gently touched the ground, Marjorie saw Payton standing there with his hands behind his back. Next to him was his second in command who whispered something into Payton’s ear. Payton nodded in agreement.

  “Permission to come onboard,” Marjorie said.

  “Permission granted,” Payton replied. “Welcome on board the Aragorn. Captain Cook, I’d like you to come with me. Everyone else, please follow my second to the conference room.”

  Payton turned and waited for Marjorie to stand next to him. The two walked off and toward another door. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “It’s good to see you too,” Marjorie replied. “It’s been a while.”

  “I know. If not for this emergency, we might not be seeing each other now. I need to tell you what the Corps has decided. I have a very specific set of orders but before I can enact any of them I need to know more.” In a small, quiet voice that all but hid any emotion, he said, “It was a nice surprise to see you in the system.”

  “You didn’t know I was going to be here?”

  “We thought you might be but we had no way to confirm it.”

  They walked into Payton’s office. She knew her ex-husband well enough to know his moving onto the Aragorn was a quick affair. He loved to decorate his area with awards, cases full of medals, and printed pictures. This office had very little in the way of decoration.

  There was a silence between the two of them. It seemed they had nothing to talk about, as if they were total strangers even though they spent a good part of their lives together. She found it fascinating she could talk to Mason without a problem but with Payton it was nothing more than a series of long, uncomfortable silences. “Did you get a chance to read any of my report?” Marjorie asked finally.