“Within the week.”
“Excellent. I would think the Federation will be pleased to have it off their hands.”
“Instructions?”
“Move her to low orbit transfer station 738. Proceed with the program of repairs and modifications I forwarded to you last month. I’ll be up to supervise within the week.”
“Understood. Markem out.” Markem and the desk vanished.
Rosa climbed out of the pool, smiling as she toweled herself off. Her one-piece outfit rippled with an ever-changing array of colors that complemented her olive skin. She was framed against the charming prospect of the Boston skyline, manicured green below and blue sky above. Karic was struck again by her unblemished beauty.
She walked toward him. “You got her?”
“Yes!”
“Congratulations. But you know there are better ways to spend your money.”
“I know. But I need to do something off-world. At least for now.” Karic took another sip of his drink.
“You will need to change Timezone,” said Rosa. Her voice was flat, failing to conceal her disappointment. Karic’s decision meant that an irrevocable divide would open up between him and those he had come to know on this new Earth — as they aged and he did not. But he would not be alone. He would be now encouraged to form social bonds within the new Timezone. He had other plans.
Karic put down his drink, slipped off the odin and walked across to Rosa. She stiffened as he embraced her.
“I’m soaking wet,” she said.
Karic broke away and smiled up at her — she was as tall as walkway model. “Thank you for everything. I could not have done it without you.”
The corners of her mouth tugged up into a smile and she touched his wet shirt. “Look at you now.” She walked toward the open glass doors of the tower level beside them, calling over her shoulder. “Honestly, Karic. I’ll get the servants to bring you a towel and something dry.”
Alone now, Karic looked up at the blue sky, as though to force his vision up through that concealing vault to the welcoming darkness beyond. To the stars.
The Starburst was his. With a few repairs and modifications, she would be ideal for the rapidly growing He3 trade out of Saturn. Reserves on the Moon were already getting scarce. It seemed like packhorse duty for an old thoroughbred like her, but it was that or being sold for scrap, and he could not bear that. Besides, he knew her intimately. He could feel useful on her, while he brought himself up to date on almost two centuries of scientific advancement. He would transform her into his own yacht, cruising with her across the Solar System, building his wealth.
Long hauls like that would let him leap-frog into the future via the miracle of suspension technology, waiting for the years to go by. Waiting for his chance.
Above him, like a distortion in space, hovered the Fintil device. It was always with him. He knew that now. Forever invisible, spinning endlessly, forever waiting. It was likely quiescent — its original purpose as programmed into it by the Fountain now halted by his command — yet he could not forget the terror of those last few hours on Starburst before they reached Earth. He could never think of the ghostly device as harmless; no, it was more like an executioner on standby, waiting for its next command. All his attempts to work it had proved fruitless. Yet, somewhere within it, was every piece of information the Starburst had gathered. Memories. Proof.
Transversing Free Colonies space was risky — but lucrative. Earth was thirsty for fusion power, and hungry for the He3 that fuelled fusion space-drives.
And he was hungry for space.
EPILOGUE
Karic jerked awake. It was years now since his return from Cru. Since he had left Earth on Starburst for the outer system. Yet still the dream would return.
He was trapped in the punishment pit. Alone with the heat. The pain. The insects. The stink of refuse. Utar would come to taunt him, his huge head morphing between Imbirri and Fintil as he spoke to Karic mind-to-mind: This time, there will be no escape.
The huge form of the Imbirri Queen would appear, her mouth opening in a dissonant scream before her huge body smashed down at the bars of the pit, snapping them like twigs …
He wiped the sweat from his eyes.
“What is it, Karic?” came the sleepy voice of Kat, his lover. She had been with him since their stopover on Titan. Hitching a ride back to Mars in comfort. She was sweet and young. He tenderly lifted a strand of her dark blonde hair with his fingers and brushed it behind her ear. His eyes fell to the jagged scar on her left cheek and he smiled. The fiercely independent and egalitarian people of the Free Colonies despised Earth’s decadent leadership. They eschewed the cosmetic perfection of Earth’s elite, viewing it as an outward sign of moral weakness. That did not mean they avoided genetic enhancement — if anything, they were more adventurous in changing themselves for their challenging environments. Kat had no Timezone marker — registration was voluntary in the Free Colonies.
“Nothing. Just a dream. Go back to sleep,” he said.
They were in the main stateroom of the Starburst, docked at Free Colonies Jupiter Station, orbiting well outside the deadly radiation belts of the gas giant. Merchant ships, led by entrepreneurial captains like himself, were given free passage to allow the movement of vital supplies and materials. Starlight filtered in through the wide panels above them. He could hear a lonely cricket in the biodome nearby.
He heard Kat’s breathing slow and knew she had drifted back to sleep.
“Captain Zand?”
Karic rolled over and grabbed his comband.
“Captain Zand. Come in?”
Karic slipped the band over his wrist and raised it to his mouth. “Yes, Conroy.”
“You have visitors. SF brass.”
“Out here?” said Karic, puzzled. “You serious?”
“You bet.”
Conroy was his third in command. He was hard-case, tough, but competent. He was running the ship while Karic took a well-earned break, and the rest of the crew took leave on Jupiter Station. “How many?”
“Two.”
“Weapons?”
“None show up on the scan.”
What could the Federation want with him? “OK. On my way. I’ll meet them at the entry port.”
Karic dressed, then made his way up through the ship to the main dock. A telescopic access corridor joined Starburst to Jupiter Station at her axis, allowing her to keep spinning her habitat.
He stood at the airlock, his heart racing.
“They are requesting access,” said Conroy, across the link.
“Let them through.”
“OK.”
The inner airlock hissed open.
It was Andrai and Mara. Both of them were wearing the black and gold uniforms of a colonel in the SFSS, the Solar Federation Space Service. Hair cropped close in military style. They had married soon after joining the corps. Karic had lost touch with them after leaving Earth, but had followed their progress through his own contacts in the service. The couple had two young girls back on Earth, five and seven by now. To swing two successive birth permits, they must have certainly impressed their superiors.
“I see you haven’t wasted any time moving up the ranks,” said Karic.
Mara smiled. “I think you forget how much time you spend in suspension, Karic. It’s been ten years.”
Andrai and Mara pushed themselves forward through the hatch, moving easily in the zero-g. They looked around briefly at the Starburst, turning back to him without comment. He felt like embracing them, but their stiff manner and the SFSS uniforms held him back. Besides, he did not know what they wanted. Yet.
“Well, why don’t you come down to the main floor?”
“You have made some changes, I see,” said Andrai as they negotiated their way through the central hold to the main accessway. His manner was self-assured, and he wore his authority naturally.
“Yes. We had to lose most of the hold space to make room for the He3 storage.”
“I
t’s strange being back on this ship,” said Andrai.
Mara’s brow creased with tension, and she looked at Andrai in disapproval. He caught the look and remained silent.
Karic led them to his private office which, like his staterooms, adjoined the biodome. Through the big polymer-glass panels, they could see the ranks of greenery, recently watered, glistening in the artificial light.
“Take a seat.” Karic patted Andrai on the back. “How have you been?”
Andrai shot a quick look at Mara, but said nothing in reply.
Karic cleared his throat. “Can I get you anything? Drink?”
“No, thanks,” they chorused.
There was a period of uncomfortable silence.
“You are a hard man to find, Karic. We have been trying to contact you for the best part of a year,” said Mara.
Karic shrugged. “Saturn’s a long haul. You know that. What brings you out from Earth? I imagine SFSS officers are a bit unwelcome this far out.”
Andrai and Mara exchanged a grim look.
“The Federation reached an agreement with the Free Colonies for an amnesty. But that’s not what we are here to talk about,” said Andrai. His voice was harder, more serious than Karic remembered. But then it had been years. Ten years in which Karic had spent less than a year out of suspension.
Andrai reached into his coat and drew out a sealed envelope. “This is a commission for you as a full captain in the Solar Federation’s off-world program.” He placed the envelope on Karic’s desk. “We are offering you command of the Stargazer.”
Karic was stunned. “But why now? Why me?”
“We have lost contact with the colony on Kestrel. Transmissions ceased from the colony five years ago. We need a brave and capable Commander, Karic,” said Mara. “Someone with special skills. Special … experience.”
They looked at him in silence.
Mara’s gaze hardened. “We pushed hard for this, Karic. We need you to lead this one.”
“But you have capable commanders. Experienced commanders. There’s more — what aren’t you telling me?”
“The last transmissions were … strange,” said Andrai. “We have only fragments, but it looks like there was some alien contact. Something got to those colonists.”
“But they were well defended on Kestrel.” Karic thought rapidly. “You need more than a capable commander. You need someone desperate enough for a suicide mission.”
Mara gave Andrai a quick look. He nodded.
“Karic, only we know what really happened at Tau Ceti,” said Mara.
Karic studied her. “Have you remembered more?”
She shook her head slightly. “Enough.”
“Enough to know that we would never have made it off Cru without you. We need someone who can deal with — and communicate with — whatever they find,” said Andrai.
“And someone who will take a mission despite the risks,” said Karic.
Andrai and Mara did not reply. They knew what the answer would be.
“Where is she?”
“In Earth orbit. She can be prepped and ready two weeks after you take command,” said Mara.
“What is she running?”
“State of the art anti-matter drive. Magnetic breaking. 0.53C,” said Andrai.
Karic’s heart thumped in his chest. This was it. The chance he was waiting for. He looked out through the viewport.
At the stars.
“Sign me up.”
THE END
About the Author
Being able to escape into the realm of the imagination was handy growing up as the youngest in a family of eleven. Chris continues his fantasy and SF writing habit from his home town of Brisbane, where he lives with his lovely wife Sandra and three children, Aedan, Declan and Brigit. He has a third-dan black belt in Moon Lee Tae Kwon Do and also enjoys movies and exploring narrow alleyways. Chris is very passionate about music, if a little inconsistent, and loves singing and playing classical guitar.
Website: www.chrismcmahon.net
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
LIST OF CHARACTERS
GLOSSARY
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
EPILOGUE
The Tau Ceti Diversion Page 41