The remaining systems came online, one by one, and Kendrick’s mental screen showed system after system checking okay, Selene verbally announced each system’s restoration on the speakers. Finally, she said, “All systems checked and ready. My logs are updated from my last shutdown. Updating crew roster. Crew roster updated. Updating astrogation. Astrogation updated. Please select a destination.”
“Phoenix Station, Mars,” Kendrick replied. “And welcome back!”
“Destination selected, Captain. Launch window open, course locked in. We can leave anytime.”
Kendrick keyed up the intercom and selected engineering. “Heather, you there?”
“Ready and waiting,” replied the engineer.
“Going to maximum burn in three … two …”
Before he finished the countdown, Selene interrupted him.
“Captain, sensors have detected an escape pod beacon. Its transponder signal matches the Enigma’s profile. Shall we respond?”
“It could be a trap,” Kendrick observed. “God knows we’ve walked right into our fair share … but it wouldn’t be right not to respond.” He tuned to the pod’s frequency and keyed up the microphone. “Enigma escape pod, this is Captain Kendrick Royce of the S.S. Selene. We’ve picked up your signal and stand ready to assist. Over?”
Agent Keyes had boarded an escape pod before the Enigma was completely lost. Adrift now for over a month, food, water and breathable air had dwindled to precariously low levels. She had sent out an S.O.S., but the Alliance response was that the agent was being disavowed, with no help forthcoming. The stolen biotech had been recovered by the United States and Keane’s organization had been betrayed, resulting in the capture and incarceration of most and the killing of those who refused to be taken alive. A handful remained at large.
Keane was no murderer and was believed dead; tracking her was more bother than worth. The loss of two ships coupled with the lack of actually catching the Selene had rendered Amanda expendable, leaving her bereft of the protection of the UPA. The message had not come from Xing, so she figured that he was now onto either another assignment, or was in hot water.
Though Amanda had orders to contact the Alliance if she should be picked up, the Alliance would not spare a ship to retrieve one agent. While Keyes was still technically an Alliance Interplanetary Intelligence agent, without the Alliance sending a rescue ship, she would die in space. The old saying that when death comes, one does not regret things they did, but the things they neglected to do, and Amanda was really regretting that she had not spent more time with Terri. Suddenly, the agent was missing the quiet blonde more than she ever thought she would. Amanda had always been a player, but Terri was special; the one girl she occasionally considered settling down with.
As an Interplanetary Intelligence agent, settling down and starting a family like Terri had wanted was a pipe dream, but if she could have that with anyone, it would have been Terri. Now, that would never be. By herself with no one to see, Amanda had cried until she had no tears left to cry. She was considering ways to take her own life rather than starve to death, when her radio crackled to life, jarring her from her baleful thoughts.
“Enigma escape pod, this is Captain Kendrick Royce of the Selene. We’ve picked up your signal and, despite your repeated attempts to screw us, we stand ready to assist. Over?”
When she heard the incoming transmission from the Selene, she looked towards the pod’s ceiling and shouted, “Yes!” Rescue from the very man she had been pursuing. She tearfully responded.
“Thank you! A thousand times, thank you! Assistance is most welcome!”
“All right,” Captain Royce replied. “Identify yourself. And no funny business; I’ve had about enough of you people and while I won’t leave you to die in space, I won’t hesitate to kill you if you threaten the safety of my ship or my crew. Do you understand?”
“This is Lieutenant Amanda Keyes of the United Planetary Alliance, and I would be eternally grateful!”
“Your transponder matches Enigma’s profile.”
“Enigma is scuttled, sir,” Amanda explained, “taking the A.M.S. Orion with her.”
“Yeah, well, same goes for you. Any funny stuff and you can float on back to Earth.”
“Understood.”
Amanda could hardly believe her luck, though the loss of the Orion and her crew was devastating. She had thought that this would be the end of her pursuit of the Selene, but now, the Selene had come for Amanda. At long last, the agent would be within reach of her quarry, Doctor Joyce Keane and would come face to face with the elusive Captain Kendrick Royce.
Captain Royce could not go into space to secure the pod. Instead, he opened the cargo bay and positioned the Selene so that he could scoop the pod into the bay. Once the pod was aboard and the cargo hold pressurized, Fiona, the priest and the Captain entered the bay, standing two meters from the pod’s hatch. Ronan and Kendrick drew their weapons as the hatch opened. Stepping out of the pod was a comely woman in Alliance Starfleet light body armor. Agent Keyes was tall, with a robustly handsome face framed by corn row braids pulled back into a pony tail. The agent greeted the crew of the Selene with a broad smile.
“Captain Kendrick Royce, I presume?”
“That’s me,” he said.
“Keyes,” she said, shaking his hand. “Amanda Keyes. You changed your look; I like it.” Keyes flashed a coy smile at her rescuer as she looked him over. Kendrick got the distinct sense that she was undressing him with her eyes. Keyes then turned to Fiona. “And Doctor Joyce Keane.”
“Doctor Fiona Kinsale,” corrected the doctor.
“The alias won’t fool me, Doctor,” said the agent. “I know who you are; I was tasked with bringing you in.” She put her hands up in gesture of surrender. “Don’t worry; I’m not after you now. The Alliance washed their hands of you now that the formula and stolen biotech are recovered. For now, it looks like I’m stuck with you, or you’re stuck with me, depending on how you look at it.”
“How I can trust you?” asked Kendrick. “If you’re the one who’s been chasin’ us, then you probably planted the virus like Lorgen said.”
“Because I wasn’t under orders to kill Doctor Keane, or to do harm to you and your crew,” she replied. “Frankly, you were a serious challenge. I enjoyed having what I thought of as a friendly adversary. The Alliance has no further interest in Keane and once I turn in my report, you’re off the hook.”
“What do you mean by that?” Kendrick asked warily.
“It means they’re only interested in prosecuting you if I tell them that you’re a planetary security risk,” Keyes explained. “You’re not and I’ll say as much in my report. They’ll know as soon as I can contact my superiors and report in, which thanks to your timely rescue, I might actually be able to.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” said Fiona with alarm. “What did you mean when you said the biotech was recovered? I already made the drop!”
“And your contact had already been bought by the United States government,” replied Keyes. “They’ve hunted down and either captured or killed the entire G.L.F. You’re probably all that’s left; and they think you’re dead, gunned down at Atlas Station. But don’t get too comfy; there are quite a few private bounties on your head should you turn up. Given you’ve never killed anyone, I’m happy to exonerate you.” Then she turned to Royce, “And Captain, you just saved my life!”
Fiona stumbled backward, running into a bulkhead and collapsed on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
“They’re … all dead,” Fiona said between sobs. “All for nothing.”
Kendrick knelt next to her, putting an arm around her, but looked over at Ronan.
“So, what do we do with an Alliance agent?”
“If you’re concerned that she might be too much of a risk,” the priest said hesitantly, “put her in cryo-stasis until we reach our destination.”
“Look, Royce,” protested Keyes, “I pose no threat to any of you. I haven’t
tried to kill you; and like I said, I’m on your side. I’m hungry, thirsty and I’ll happily pay you for passage to wherever you’re putting into port. Please don’t put me in stasis; I get violently ill when I’m thawed out.”
Kendrick helped Fiona from the floor. “Keyes, I’m gonna to confine you to quarters. I know you’re an agent, an’ you’re probably trained to get outta sealed cabins, but I ain’t gonna kill you an’ I’m not sure I want to freeze you just yet. When I got time, I’ll come by and talk to you. Father Ronan will take you to one of the cabins in the passenger section. I see you runnin’ around before I let you out and you’re dead. Understand?”
“Thank you, Captain,” Keyes replied, relief plain in her voice. “You have my word; I’ll behave and stay put.”
Agent Keyes was taken to one of the first class cabins in the passenger section, and provided with a hot meal and a cup of the finest coffee she had ever tasted. She was surprised at the sumptuous room she was provided with. Amanda had hammed it up a bit with Captain Royce, but what she said was the truth. Keyes was stuck with them and Royce had not only saved her life, but treated her with more than reasonable kindness.
For now, she decided, I’ll throw in with him. If he turns out to be everything I think he might be, I’ll make some recommendations to the Alliance; we could use a man like him. She lay back on the comfortable bed and relaxed. This was a far better ending than she had expected only a day ago. Not only that, she was certain that Royce made for Mars.
Once there, Amanda could use her contacts to learn more about what was going on. Spice Randall had proven reliable and with the promise of time alone with the open minded informant, Amanda could do more than just get back on the job.
In spite of the pleasant memories of her last visit with the informant, the thought of Spice Randall did not excite her like it had a few weeks ago; and getting back on the job would require an assignment, something she would not have until she could contact the Alliance. Also, they needed to know about Lorgen, preferably sooner rather than later. Somehow, she just knew that Lorgen was going to continue to be a problem. Keyes could not imagine how; the man had no ship after all, but somehow, she knew that it was not over. She silently vowed vengeance on the sociopathic captain for what he did and made a mental note to find a way to contact the Alliance from the Selene.
She began to contemplate Terri. Less than an hour ago, Amanda thought that she would never again see the girl who loved the UPA agent unconditionally. Keyes had been so smug in her control of the lovesick girl, but when she thought herself lost to the void of space, Amanda Keyes realized how much she had hurt her lover. She hated herself for manipulating Terri’s emotions, but now, she could make things right.
Amanda had not really “loved” Terri, not the way Terri thought of love at least, but she had been fond of the girl. Suddenly, she could not help but love the forlorn traffic controller. She hoped that Terri could forgive her. Tears came to Amanda as she thought about her high school sweetheart; and soon, tears gave way to sobs as Operative Keyes came to terms with how she had treated that sweetheart.
Kendrick carried Fiona to her cabin and sat on the love seat, still holding her. He gently stroked her long, gray hair as he held the sobbing woman, occasionally kissing her forehead, whispering, “It’s all right, it’s all right.”
“They all … died,” Fiona sobbed. “Lena … she nearly died and Mun is in a coma because of me! And all for nothing! I put everyone at risk to make the drop and my contact was already corrupted. I … I even had an OSD with my formula in the container. It was all for nothing; they got the embryos and the formula. I … I’m worthless.”
“That ain’t true, Fi,” he said as consolingly as he could.
“That’s very kind of you,” Fiona spoke weakly, removing a handkerchief and dabbing at her eyes and nose. “But I know the truth. I’m a failure, Kendrick. I’m nothing but trouble to the people around me.”
“Now that definitely ain’t true, Fi,” comforted Kendrick. “You’re a good doctor and your contact selling you out wasn’t your fault, anyway. Don’t beat yourself up over the past. The circumstances don’t matter no more; you’re a part of this crew and I love you, Fi.”
“Thank you, Ken,” she said, managing a weak smile as she wiped her nose. “I love you, more than you can imagine. You will always be my gentleman captain.”
Chapter 2
Let the Games Begin
The small flotilla of shuttles, all that remained of the once proud U.S.S. Enigma, had reached Venus only to find the facility a smoking ruin. It appeared that only a platform covered in debris and wreckage remained. They landed the shuttles, but could not leave them; Venus’ atmosphere was toxic. He ordered the beacon activated and sent out an S.O.S.
Enigma’s coms officer looked around, his eyes wide. “What the hell happened here?”
“Royce must be dead,” observed his first officer, Commander Myers.
“Maybe,” replied Lorgen, “but I doubt it. That man has more luck than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
“Sir,” exclaimed Levin, “We’re being hailed!”
“By who?” Lorgen hoped it might be the accursed Selene; that he might have his revenge. But to his disappointment, it was not.
“Ness Frigate Ramos, Sir.”
The Ness Corporate Frigate had arrived, though they had no means of landing with the dock destroyed. The captain awaited Lorgen’s response.
“Put it through,” Lorgen ordered. Levin complied.
“This is Captain Reginald Beaumont of the Ness Frigate Ramos. Identify yourself.”
“Captain Beaumont, this is Captain Lorgen of the U.S.S. Enigma. Our ship was destroyed. We came seeking safe harbor and transport to either the O.S.P. or to Earth. What the hell happened here?”
“That,” replied an agitated Beaumont, “is something I would very much like to find out. We’ll open our shuttle bay, but we can only receive one shuttle. Have your men put on space suits and gather on your shuttle, then dock with us.”
“Roger that,” Lorgen replied. A plan formed in his mind, one he would waste no time executing. He closed the channel and looked to his men. “All right, you heard the man, let’s get cracking!”
After an hour, all of the remaining crew of the Enigma was aboard Lorgen’s shuttle, loaded with as much gear as they could carry. It was a very tight fit, but they managed to get all thirty of them on board the tiny craft. Lorgen crossed his fingers as the shuttle lifted off from the platform, relieved that they were able to take off in spite of being overloaded.
Captain Beaumont awaited the arrival of Lorgen’s shuttle. He had heard of Captain Lorgen and was not pleased with the idea of bringing him aboard. Beaumont hoped that in debriefing Lorgen, he might learn more about the fate of the facility. He did not expect Lorgen and his men to come out fully armed and ready for a fight.
The frigate carried a small crew, while Lorgen’s men outnumbered them and were all decked out in hard-suits, assault weapons at the ready. Beaumont sent a hasty transmission declaring that Lorgen had taken over the ship and was the one responsible for the destruction of the Venus facility. His message was sent as the bridge door opened and Lorgen shot him.
With none of the Ramos crew willing to defect to Lorgen’s employ, Lorgen took the ship in low and deposited them on the platform, then took off, leaving them choking and gagging, consigning them to a slow, painful death in Venus’ toxic atmosphere as the Ramos departed.
“According to the Ramos’ records,” said Levin, “the Selene’s transponder was picked up prior to her arrival here and probably after the facility’s destruction. She was recorded as heading back towards Mars.”
“All right,” said Lorgen, “Royce has a head start of nearly a month. We’re gonna find that bastard and take him down. I will have my revenge!”
The Selene was on course to Mars, speeding at Mach 30. With the Enigma destroyed and Amanda Keyes picked up, Kendrick predicated no more delays along the way. He simply ne
eded to decide what to do about the Alliance officer residing in a first class cabin in Pod Beta. Amanda Keyes represented a lot of potential, to be either beneficial or troublesome … but which would she turn out to be?
Lena sat pensively at the helm. The normally social gynoid had been uncharacteristically quiet ever since Keyes had come aboard. The comely Alliance agent represented mortality to Lena, as the Alliance systematically exterminated self-aware androids. Normally, androids did not get nervous or anxious, but Lena was alive and had already demonstrated developing emotions.
“Lena, you okay?”
She sat still for a few moments, contemplating an answer. Finally, she turned her chair to face him. “Captain, I want to be here — with you; and I will be. Nothing can change that. Still, I have concerns about the future; my future. If Lieutenant Keyes tells the Alliance about me, they will seek to capture me. There is no trial for me, no proving my innocence; my life is forfeit simply because I exist. I know you will do all you can to protect me, but if anything were to happen to you …”
“Yeah, I thought of that. Don’t exactly give me warm fuzzies.” Kendrick removed the flask from his left shirt pocket and took a long draught of the whiskey, feeling its warmth radiate down his esophagus and into his stomach.
“What course of action do you recommend?”
“Don’t know yet,” he confessed. “I think I need to talk to her, a lot. At this point, I’m inclined to keep her confined and deposit her at Phoenix Station after we’ve refueled. My only concern is that as an agent, she probably won’t be easy to keep locked up on a ship that has no real facility for … well, locking people up.”
“This ship is equipped with a brig, Captain,” Lena protested. “The schematics show one.”
“Yeah, but the only thing my brig locks up is my booze. Besides, it’s not designed to deal with a spy; it’s mainly for detaining drunken party guests who get out of hand and requires a dedicated guard staff, which we ain’t got.”
No Safe Harbor: The Silver Liner Page 2