This made Thomas, Gabriel, and Jones the perfect assets to recruit and deploy. Their recent exodus through deep space for the past eighty-some-odd years guaranteed they weren’t part of the conspiracy.
They agreed to help.
Not only did she, Gabriel, and Jones detest the idea of an all-powerful government, they agreed that any attempt to exert total control over humanity would, one way or another, lead to civil war. The universe was a dangerous place, and the luxury of old rivalries that had divided mankind for millennia and scarred its history simply couldn’t be afforded.
Frost didn’t know the extent of the conspiracy but had a theory on how to find out. Intercepted net and com-link chatter pointed toward a central location through which the treasonous agents filtered most of their communications. The Center, as he called it, would then scramble and reroute the message to frustrate any efforts to track the messages. The constant shifting encryption greatly complicated efforts to gather actionable intel. If the Center could be taken whole, the resulting success could open the information floodgates. However, this was easier said than done.
The Center was likely a compact collection of highly advanced virtual intelligence computer processors. To avoid capture, it probably stayed in continuous movement, a tactic aided by its relative small size. Frost could only narrow its location at any one moment to within a square city block. The Center’s actual appearance remained a complete mystery. It could be a car, a truck, a mobile vending machine – anything.
For a week, the team of unlikely spies moved from location to location, following the Center’s general movements, looking for anything that might betray a clue as to the true nature of the target. The trouble was that modern nano- and holotech allowed whatever encased the Center to randomly change its appearance. It could be a car one minute and a hot dog stand the next.
After going dark in Detroit, the Center reappeared in Chicago.
Thomas casually strolled downtown outside the Water Tower. The landmark had been the only structure to survive the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, and centuries later, it still stood strong. She almost felt uncomfortable in the sundress she wore. It felt alien to appear so feminine after adhering for so long to the military’s supposed gender-neutral environment – which nevertheless had a distinctly masculine tilt.
“Anything?” Jones thought-spoke to her.
“Nothing other than what I saw last week. Which is not much.” She glanced at the river of people flowing by. The small scanner in her hand conducted a detailed analysis of anything suspicious.
Fidgeting with the scanner, she took a deep breath to calm herself. Blending into the civilian world was harder then she’d expected.
Pull yourself together, Thomas. Just pretend you’re the woman Momma always wanted you to be.
The pep talk brought her back to her roots. She’d come from old Texas money. Oil revenue of the past had been wisely invested to ensure future generations of Thomases could enjoy the benefits of wealth long after the downfall of its original source. Being the only girl of five children meant her doting father spoiled the east Texas princess with fine clothes, horses, and jewelry. Life had been easy for Jane Thomas, there was no denying that. Still, she was not a person content with drifting through life on a pillow of her father’s money, destined to marry a man of similar means to then float along on his money. She craved a challenge, an adventure.
Following an Ivy League college education that had given her the chance to get rid of her Texas twang, she joined the Air Force without consulting her family. Her mother was furious, but as always, her father backed her decision. She believed he took great pride in having raised a daughter who wanted something more than a life of leisure. It also probably didn’t hurt that he believed the odds of her seeing any real action were slim to none. For the most part, he was right.
Thomas flew her share of combat missions from the inside of an orbital bomber, outside the reach of enemy fire. She left the service with a spotless record and a feeling of underachievement.
Upon returning to her life of privilege, she again found it wanting. When the call for Legion recruits came, she applied on a whim, figuring an Air Force pilot was the last person they’d want for a ground force. Unknown to her at the time, the mission op called for an experienced pilot and she was the best of the ones that volunteered.
This time her father objected, strongly. In the end, the decision was hers and the rest was history. Literally.
Why haven’t we found this fucking thing yet?
She grew tired of examining parked cars and random objects and found herself focusing instead on the faces of passing pedestrians. Her eyes moved randomly from face to face when a particular one grabbed ahold of her attention.
A pale, almost albino, man slowly walked toward her. His cleanly shaven head made him stick out of the crowd. He didn’t notice Thomas’ transfixed gaze as he walked past.
I’ve seen him before.
She turned to follow him.
Increasing her pace slightly, she came up behind. The active scanner in Thomas’ hand flashed an alert in her mind’s eye when she got close. Target located.
Holy hell!
She checked the scanner. The indicator tracked perfectly on the sickly looking man.
“Major,” Thomas thought-spoke, “I, I think I have our man.”
“What do you mean, man? Is he carrying it?”
“No, sir. He isn’t carrying anything. I think he is the Center. The scanner is locked on him tight and something doesn’t seem right about him. It’s hard to describe, but once you see him, I think you’ll understand. I know I’ve seen him before in the past week. No wonder we didn’t find him earlier! Who knows how close we’ve come to discovering him? But we were looking for a thing, not a person.”
“Okay,” Jones replied. “Let’s grab him and figure out the details later.”
“Roger that, Major. I’ll stay with him.”
A block ahead, a car pulled up to the corner as Gabriel came alongside Thomas, matching her stride for stride. The bald man paused to wait for a light to change when Gabriel and Thomas stepped up on either side of him. Gabriel tapped his ribs with a concealed shock stick and the target went limp, but the kidnappers caught him and casually walked the prize to the waiting car.
Jones drove away quickly, mixing into the traffic.
The Center was theirs.
***
It’s difficult to recognize the passage of time while trapped in a windowless prison. Not that a window would have made any difference on a spaceship. The Bearcats had confiscated Trent’s helmet, depriving him of any clock. He thanked them for that, though, since it probably would’ve make time move more slowly.
The worst part of his captivity was the isolation form Amanda. Their cells were set next to one another, but a solid wall hid her from his sight and the guards forbade any verbal conversation. They’d also jammed their neural nanos from transmitting.
Not knowing Amanda’s condition weighed heavily on his spirit. He had to take whatever comfort he could in Hido’s assurances that she was well taken care of.
He’d witnessed Hido fight to prevent their abuse. Fortunately, Hido’s ground forces rank of High Commander was above Ship Leader, giving him the necessary pull.
The days it took to travel to the Bearcat home world provided the two unlikely co-conspirators valuable time, and they made the best use of it. Hido spent hours educating Trent on Bearcat history, culture, and certain protocols. Despite the gigabits of data they carried containing humanity’s entire history of interaction with the Kitright, Hido assured him he would need to deliver convincing testimony before the Warrior’s Forum.
The Bearcat home world bristled with predatory animals. For countless generations, they scratched out a meager existence, a few rungs from the top of the food chain. Only the clans with the most furious fighters survived. Over time, both biological and cultural influences promoted and enhanced these warlike characteristics.
> Over the years, the Bearcats’ superior intellect gradually provided them with the edge they needed to truly flourish as a people.
On Earth, historians praise the inventors of the printing press, the telephone, penicillin, or the fusion generator as heroes of the ages. The Bearcats, on the other hand, held the creator of the first reliable firearm as the father of their modern society.
Necessity is truly the mother of invention.
Once properly armed, the small Bearcat population exploded, quickly dominating their world. However, becoming masters of their domain only replaced one set of problems with another.
The warlike instincts that had served them well now threatened to destroy them.
Finding no more challenges in nature to exorcise the shadows of their souls, the Bearcats turned on each other, unleashing a storm of war and death that lasted centuries.
Endless war raged across the massive jungles and forests of their planet. Millions perished as genocide became an accepted form of punishment for those clans that allowed themselves to be conquered due to weakness. Better to exterminate weakness than let it breed was a common anthem. Each clan fought to prove their superiority through violence. Their once-lush home burned as it descended into a fascist hell.
The arrival of nuclear weapons ushered in a horrific, but thankfully brief, pivotal period in their history. Following a few tactical nuclear exchanges, the
Warrior’s Forum was created to regulate the new weapons. Not because of their destructive power, but rather because their use took all the fun out of war.
Once science showed such dividends on the field of battle, Bearcat technology progressed at an astonishing pace, eventually carrying them to the stars.
While individual clans explored the great void for something of strategic value, a chance encounter with a ship of the Kitright, or Calths, as they called themselves then, changed the course of Bearcat history, much as it did for mankind.
The prospect of external conflict, of a challenge beyond their own race, both thrilled and united their species. Marginal, overarching governing authority fell to the only body to ever wield global power, the Warrior’s Forum.
Mass depression broke out when the Bearcats learned the Calths suffered from a most peculiar mental disorder, pacifism. Since there is no honor in fighting a people who do not fight back, they reluctantly accepted friendship between their two species.
Despite the lack of a galactic threat against which to channel their violent impulses, the Bearcats didn’t seem eager to restart the continuous world wars that had pledged them. Such conflicts now seemed petty.
Save for minor border wars among the clans from time to time, more a result of boredom than anything else, an uneasy peace ruled their lands for nearly one hundred and fifty Earth years.
When the Calths asked for help against an aggressive foe, honor demanded they march once again to the sound of war horns. Of course, they didn’t need their code of honor to encourage them to fight. That was in their blood.
***
Hido entered the holding cells, not responding to the guard’s salute of crossed arms held close to the chest. A soldier of his rank only responded to salutes from fellow officers and distinguished non-commissioned officers.
Trent stood to meet him.
“I bring you good news, my friend,” Hido said. “This leg of your journey is almost complete.”
“Really?”
“Yes. In less than one of your hours, we will enter orbit around my world.” Hido’s face radiated excitement. “Then you will be transferred, under heavy security, to a secret location.”
Trent nodded. “I expected as much. How long has it been in Earth time?”“
“No more than a few months, and please, do not misunderstand. The security is not for you. It is to ensure the Calths do not become aware of your presence. I’ve given the Warrior’s Forum my personal assurance you and the sergeant will not try to escape or be uncooperative. As long as you obey the orders of all military personnel, you will not be restrained or placed in a cell once we arrive.”
“Really?” He raised an eyebrow.
“By giving them my personal assurance, I’ve extended my honor and reputation to include your actions. This carries great weight with the Forum. Without it, I doubt they’d have taken my request for the three of us to meet with them seriously. I’ve told them as little as possible for fear the signal could be discovered and decrypted, but they are intrigued and understand the need to keep your presence secret.”
“Thank you. We will do our best to not scar your honor. When do we meet with the Forum? I still can’t believe they’ve agreed to meet with us so easily.”
“I believe that, like your government, they have their own suspicions. We will meet with them as soon as we can. It will take a few days to prepare you and the sergeant for the meeting.”
“How so? What do we need to do?”
“General, you don’t expect them to meet with an outsider? The Forum speaks for the clans and only meets with clansmen.”
Trent cocked his head. “Then how am I going to testify before the Forum?”
Hido stepped forward and straightened his posture. His face broke into a grin. “It’s simple. You will become a member of my clan.”
Chapter Nine
Their Ways
Once their ship was in orbit, a shuttle rose from the planet’s green and blue surface to dock with the destroyer. Hido, Trent, and Amanda boarded the craft alone, never making visual contact with the pilot, who steered the vessel unaware of the unusual passengers. A squadron of dart fighters formed around the shuttle to escort it down.
From a viewport, Trent watched the destroyer fire its engines to head back out into space.
“Where’s it going?” he asked.
“Back out to the gate to join the defensive fleet. Now only the Forum, a few top military commanders, and a handful of trustworthy Elders of my clan have knowledge of our presence.”
Amanda asked, “Why the Clan Elders?”
“If you are to join my clan, then you must go through the rite of passage, and for that, we need the Elders.”
Amanda and Trent locked nervous eyes.
Hido bellowed with laughter at the sight. “Don’t worry, my friends. Only a few don’t survive the rite.”
***
Trent paid careful attention to the planet below. A brief glimpse confirmed they orbited a yellow star, similar to Earth’s. He had no way of knowing its size or the planet’s distance.
The surface appeared dominated by massive continents. If he guessed, he’d say it was the reverse of Earth, seventy-five percent land, twenty-five water. The oceans, or large seas, sparkled with the same brilliant blue but a lighter tone than back home.
They might be shallower than Earth’s oceans.
A layer of green covered most of the land masses. Only a few desert areas and white-capped mountain ranges broke from the theme.
“Beautiful,” Amanda whispered. “Reminds me a lot of Earth.”
“Thank you, Sergeant.” Hido’s chest puffed out. “I take that as a compliment.”
“As it was intended to be.”
“I think our peoples will discover we have many things in common.”
Amanda turned away from the window. “May I ask where we’re going?”
“To my family’s estate.”
“Estate?” she asked.
“It’s isolated deep within the hills of my clan’s homeland. It has been emptied except for the necessary Elders to administer the rite. It’s perfect for such secret activity.”
She crossed her arms. “What exactly is involved in this rite?”
“First, as outsiders you will perform a ceremony to be adopted into the clan as if you were a lost child from our world...”
“Adoption,” Trent interjected. “Will that make you our father?”
Hido bounced his head from side to side. “In a way, yes. I’m your sponsor. But do not worry, I do not intend to,
how do you humans say, spank you.”
Amanda’s snort cut into the cabin.
Hido continued, “Then, as adults, you must perform a hunt.”
“Hunt?”
“You will go into the wildness with nothing more than a blade. You will track and kill one of my world’s many predators, bringing home a portion of the beast to be cooked and eaten during the Warrior’s Induction Ceremony. Only then will you be of Clan Kazi.”
Amanda tapped her ear. “What does Kazi mean? The translation didn’t come through.”
“The translation to your language is difficult. I would say it means...” Hido gazed off into the distance. “People of the Hills.”
“Okay.” She shrugged.
“Once that is complete, all we have to do is perform a Bonding Ceremony between the two of you, and then you will be ready to meet the Forum.”
Trent perked up. “A what? Bonding Ceremony? You mean, like, marry us?”
Amanda smiled from ear to ear.
Hido’s eyes darted back and forth from the two of them. “This word marry is not translating. You two mate, do you not? I’ve seen the way you act around one another and it appears you mate on a regular basis.”
I thought we were a little better at hiding it.
He cleared his throat. “Yes, Hido, we mate.”
Amanda blushed.
Hido waved his hand. “Then you must become Bond Mates in our culture. To mate without bonding is a scar on one’s honor, and the Forum will not dare meet with one who mates with another outside bondage.”
Trent and Amanda glanced at each other out of the corner of their eye, laughing at the awkwardness created by the cultural differences.
“Are you two not – married, by your ways?” Hido leaned forward.
Trent sat too stupefied to respond.
Amanda gripped Trent’s hand, squeezing tight. “Yes, Hido, we are married.”
The Last Revenge (The Last Hero Trilogy Book 2) Page 7