Solomon's Arrow

by J. Dalton Jennings

  But … but what if she wasn’t being paranoid? What if the one person everyone onboard the Arrow looked to for unwavering, uncompromising leadership was no longer fit to command? There was nothing for it: Mona couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t find out for sure.

  •

  Richard was torn. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t keep delaying his upcoming meeting with Lorna: they would be working together to implement the details of the planetside transition. However, there was an irksome part of him that wanted to see her, that ached to hold her in his arms again, to be inside her. It made him angry to feel such things for a woman who, so calmly, so cavalierly, sent one of his shipmates to a “Room of Atonement.”

  Determined to keep the meeting professional, Richard programmed the supplied coordinates into the foldway and stepped from his apartment into Lorna’s office. The room was smaller than he expected.

  From behind her desk, Lorna looked genuinely pleased to see him. Rising from her chair, she gestured for him to take a seat across from her.

  “You’re looking well, Richard.”

  “Thank you, Lorna,” he replied. “I must admit, you’re looking gorgeous, as usual.” Richard cleared his throat and averted his gaze. He felt a sudden twinge of discomfort; the compliment he’d given sounded like a come-on.

  Lorna’s laughter, though lyrical and not the least bit mean-spirited, added to his discomfort.

  “Forgive me, Richard,” she said, still chuckling. “You act as though we’re strangers. There’s no need to feel embarrassment because you find me attractive.” Stepping away from the desk, she twirled around; the hem of her ankle-length, shimmering yellow dress billowed out like a flower. “Do you like it? I wore it especially for you.”

  Richard felt somewhat lightheaded as he watched her; the woman was definitely a sight to behold. “I understood this meeting would be strictly business, Chancellor.”

  Lorna stopped twirling and leaned against the desk. “It is, Commander. But is there a reason I shouldn’t dress nice?”

  She was obviously teasing him. “I suppose not … it’s just that … um …” she’d sidled up closer to him. “I think we should discuss the logistics of transitioning the Arrow’s passengers and crew into the populace of New Terra. For instance, living arrangements should be first on the list of topics up for discussion.” Her scent was intoxicating, like a peach-flavored liqueur, wafting into his nostrils and coursing straight to his brain. A part of him wanted to back away from her; yet he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—he wasn’t sure which. Another part of him wanted to stay where he was, and that part was responding on a basic physical level.

  “I want you to be my personal liaison during the transition, Richard,” she breathed, her voice sounding husky. Slowly lifting her hand, she placed her index finger on his chest and looked deeply into his eyes. “Can I get you anything? Would you like something to eat—or a drink, perhaps? Anything you want, just ask.” Her eyes flicked down then back up; they were sparkling with delight as the tip of her tongue darted out to lick her lips.

  Oh, hell, Richard thought, knowing where her eyes had traveled. He was sporting a hard on, which Lorna obviously noticed, judging by the gleam in her eye. The next thing he knew, his lips were pressed against hers, his pulse pounding. He was lifting her up onto the desk and pushed her dress back. Before another nanosecond had passed, his jumpsuit was down and he was inside her, moaning with pleasure.

  “Yes!” she cried exultantly, grabbing hold of his firm backside with both hands.

  •

  The pain …

  •

  “With all due respect, Dr. Levin, I think you’re out of your mind.”

  Floyd had been congratulating Jeremy Fletcher on the young man’s promotion to the rank of lieutenant when Dr. Levin’s call arrived. After Gloria’s tragic death, Floyd needed a good right-hand man. It helped that the kid was exceptionally smart and followed orders to the letter.

  “OK, tell me this, Lieutenant,” she bristled. “As head of security, wouldn’t the admiral ensure that you’re informed of all eminent threats?”

  Floyd snapped back, “Of course she would, Dr. Levin. What’s your point?”

  “If so, then you must know what’s in the fourth decrypted file.”

  Jeremy’s eyes grew wide. “The fourth file? Then you’ve cracked it?”

  “Is that Ensign Fletcher?” Mona asked.

  “Yes,” Floyd answered. “Only now it’s Lt. Fletcher. Field commission, you see.”

  There was a short pause. “A field commission, eh? Well, it seems that congratulations are in order, young man. But I thought field commissions were awarded only in the event of a higher ranking officer’s death.”

  Floyd exchanged uneasy glances with Jeremy. “Haven’t you heard the news, Dr. Levin?”

  “News? What news?”Floyd’s stomach dropped at the thought of what he had to tell her. “Um … there was an accident. Four of our people were killed.”

  “Oh, my God,” Mona gasped. “How did–who was it? Who was killed?”

  Floyd swallowed the rising lump in his throat. “A small group of our people went to inspect a harvesting operation in the forest. Their vehicle crashed. Lt. Commander Albans, Bram Waters, and Lt. Muldoon were killed, which explains Fletcher’s promotion.”

  “But that was only three. What about the fourth person? Who was it, Lt. Sullivant? Who was the fourth person?” Mona looked on the verge of panic.

  “I’m sorry to be the one who tells you this, Doc,” Floyd said, steeling himself, “but it was Dr. Chavez. He was the—”

  “No!” Mona’s face disappeared from the screen. The image jerked back and forth, finally stopping to show the room’s ceiling and part of Mona’s heaving left shoulder. She’d dropped the PID and fell to her knees, sobbing.

  “Doc! Dr. Levin,” Floyd reacted. “What just happened? Are you all right?”

  When her tearful face came into view she looked angry. “Of course I’m not all right, you idiot! I just found out that one of my best friends is dead.”

  Floyd bit his tongue to keep from snapping back, reminding himself that it was perfectly understandable for her to lash out. “I’m sorry for your loss, Dr. Levin.”

  Her image jerked around again. Mona had picked up her PID and herself. After a moment, she groaned, “Thank you, Lieutenant,” while sniffing back tears. “I’m sorry to have snapped at you. This news came as quite a shock.”

  “Think nothing of it, Doc. I understand how you feel.” His eyes filmed over with mist. “Gloria … um, Lt. Muldoon … was not only a colleague, she was also a dear friend. Sadly, I wasn’t close with Lt. Commander Albans, nor your friend, Dr. Chavez. However, I’d grown quite fond of Bram Waters. Naturally, each individual will be missed in their own unique way.”

  Mona closed her eyes and took a deep breath, appearing to steady herself. “Yes, yes they will,” she rasped. When her eyes reopened, they were hard and tight. “I’ll have to mourn later. We have other matters to discuss.”

  “Ah yes, the admiral’s … condition.”

  “Don’t patronize me, Lieutenant,” Mona fumed. “You’ve not been made aware of the fourth file’s contents, so there must be a reason for that.”

  Floyd said, through clenched teeth, “Have you thought that maybe, just maybe, you’re putting too much stock in its importance, Dr. Levin? If that file is even half as important as you claim, the admiral would’ve—”

  “Dammit, man!” she shouted. “Listen to me! The file is earthshattering! It changes everything. The only reason the admiral is keeping it quiet is that she’s been compromised. I’m sending you the file. Examine it and then tell me I’m wrong.”

  The woman was infuriating. “Very well, Dr. Levin. I look forward to doing just that.”

  With a disdainful snort, Mona severed the connection. Seconds later, Floyd’s SID informed him that the file had finished downloading.

  “This had better be good,” Jeremy chuckled, which
garnered him a reproachful frown.

  Opening the file, Floyd began to read. His frown changed to doubt then disbelief and then, as he drew near the end, abject horror. “Good lord! This–this is unbelievable.” He handed the SID to Jeremy and stood blinking, barely able to think.

  “My God! Is this for real?” Jeremy exclaimed. “This is … it’s—”

  “Extraordinary, to put it mildly,” Floyd admitted. Reaching up, he ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair.

  “You don’t think the admiral really is—”

  “I don’t know what to think, Fletcher,” Floyd snapped. “As unbelievable as it sounds, this city is …” He glanced around his apartment, a worried look on his face. “We shouldn’t talk about this, not in the open. Do you catch my drift?” He received an answering nod. “I do know one thing: Commander Allison needs to be apprised of the situation, without delay.”

  “If Dr. Levin is right about the admiral, we need proof.”

  “What do you have in mind?” Floyd could see the wheels turning in the young man’s head.

  Leaning in, he whispered in Floyd’s ear, “I’ll enter the Basilica of Knowledge and download the most recent files from the Prime Keeper’s office. If the admiral has been compromised, one of those files should contain the relevant data.”

  Floyd was concerned. “What you’re asking is dangerous. You’re not trained in espionage.”

  “I realize that, sir. I think Ensign Ogeto should accompany me. She has more experience in such matters, and she’s good in a fight should the mission go south.” He began to whisper again. “The moment I’ve retrieved the data, I’ll send you the file; either that or route the data through Dr. Levin, if it requires decryption.”

  Floyd took a moment to consider Jeremy’s plan. “You’re right. We need more information. But if it starts looking dicey, get the hell out of there before you get hurt—or worse.”

  “Aye, sir.” Jeremy headed toward the apartment’s foldway, his fingers a blur across his SID as he composed a message to Ogeto.

  Floyd was composing a message of his own, this one to Commander Allison.

  •

  Zipping up his jumpsuit, Richard felt guilty. Unable to meet Lorna’s eyes, he heard her sigh and say, “I could get used to that.” She sounded happy and satisfied, a combination he was sadly lacking at the moment. Feeling her fingers touch his cheek, he instinctively pulled away.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Richard shook his head and forced a smile to his lips. “No … I’m sorry, Lorna. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  Moving around behind him, Lorna wrapped her arms around his waist. “I think I do. You had that same look on your face after we made love for the first time. From what I’ve studied of ancient male/female dynamics, I think that a part of you feels like you’ve been cheating on your wife. You’re feeling guilty, that’s all.”

  Richard was beginning to feel more like a test subject than a lover. Angry at her and himself, Richard unhooked her hands from his waist and stepped away. Just then, his CID chimed. “Excuse me,” he told Lorna, trying to act nonchalant, “I need to take this.”

  With his back turned, he read the text. It was from Floyd Sullivant: An emergency has come up; inform no one; come immediately to Calvary Park.

  How odd, Richard thought. However, the highly competent security officer wouldn’t send a message this cryptic without good reason.

  “I’m sorry, Lorna, but I have to go. Please reschedule our meeting for another time.”

  “Of course,” she said, studying him closely. “I hope it’s nothing serious.”

  “Same here.” Without another word, he entered the code Floyd provided, stepped through the foldway, and found himself standing on the edge of a normal, average-looking park.

  25

  As Jeremy had hoped, the white-noise generated by the outdoor bistro was covering up his and Ogeto’s conversation. Leaning across the round, two-person table located on the bistro’s portico, he tried to act as though they were on a date, not an espionage mission.

  “During our initial visit, I recorded the access code to the Basilica of Knowledge on my SID,” he explained. “When we leave here, take my arm and pretend we’re an item.” He received a dubious look from the dark-eyed beauty with the pixie haircut and the café au lait skin. “You’re not that far out of my league,” he snorted. “Anyway, to access the Basilica, we’ll use the same foldway that brought us here. I know it’s risky, but with any luck we’ll access the Prime Keeper’s office, download the files, and be out of there with no one being the wiser. If by chance we are caught, we’ll pretend that we got lost on the way to my apartment.”

  A sly smile crossed Ogeto’s face. “It’s not that I think I’m out of your league, Lieutenant,” she teased. “You’re good-looking … in your own, super-smart, geeky kind of way. It’s just that I think it might attract a little too much attention, is all.”

  Jeremy took a sip of the ruby-red juice he ordered and casually glanced around at the bistro’s other patrons. A woman sitting at a nearby table quickly averted her gaze. They weren’t receiving as many gawking stares as when they first showed up; however, people being people—their exit would definitely be noticed.

  “One way or another, our every move is going to be scrutinized,” he contended. “They may as well think we’re just a couple of lovebirds taking in the sights than a pair of security officers heading out on a secret mission, don’t you think?”

  Ogeto chuckled. “A secret mission, huh? You’ve been watching way too many of those spy movies from the twentieth century. We don’t have a utility-belt at our disposal should we run into trouble, just our brains, our fists, and a pair of pulse-guns. So, let’s hope your plan works, ’cause neither one of us looks like Batman or James Bond.”

  “Batman was a superhero, not a spy,” Jeremy noted.

  Ogeto rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”The waiter approached to refill his glass, but Jeremy waved him away. “Thank you, but my girlfriend and I are leaving for a stroll in one of your fine parks. Please pass along our appreciation to the manager for her hospitality.” Jeremy stood up from the table and held out his hand. “Shall we, darling?”

  Ogeto’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Of course, you handsome stud-muffin,” she said, affecting a girlish lilt.

  A trace of blush colored the waiter’s cheeks as he lowered his head and scurried away. A number of the bistro’s patrons frowned unabashedly at Jeremy and Ogeto as the two exited the portico and strolled leisurely toward the nearest foldway. The area’s perpetual twilight was more pronounced in the city and required a continuous run of low-illumination lightstrips embedded in the fascia on both sides of the street. The atmosphere would’ve been romantic had they been on a real date.

  “I don’t think they’ve ever seen a male take charge,” Ogeto whispered. “However, it suits you, Lieutenant.”

  Now it was Jeremy’s turn to blush. He stayed silent, knowing that if he opened his mouth the only words to emerge would be a torrent of idiotic drivel, not anything suave or debonair like one might expect from Mr. Bond. When the two arrived at the foldway, he cleared his throat. “This is it, so stay focused.”

  At that moment, the blackness of the foldway shimmered. A group of five women, all with close-cropped red hair and wearing long, yellow robes, appeared on the other side. One by one, they stepped through, taking little notice of Jeremy and Ogeto. Behind them were row upon row of soybean plants. They obviously worked in the hydroponics buildings, Jeremy concluded.

  Before the foldway returned to its dormant state, Jeremy entered the code for the Basilica of Knowledge. The view changed from one of green plants to the interior of a huge cathedral. A young, bald-headed woman, dressed in a long, dark robe, was walking past the entrance. She saw Jeremy and Ogeto and stopped; a puzzled frown crossed her face.

  “May I help you?”

  Jeremy began to speak: “I’m sorry, we—”

&
nbsp; Ogeto immediately cut him off. “Yes, I believe you may,” she answered sweetly. Taking the initiative, she stepped confidently through the foldway. “We have an appointment with Morvan Godley, the Prime Keeper. Could you please direct us to her office?”

  The young acolyte eyed Jeremy as he stepped through the foldway to stand one pace behind Ogeto. His colleague was playing a dangerous game, he knew, one complicated by great risk yet comforted by high reward—if successful. Jeremy held the young woman’s gaze, though he kept his face impassive, trying to mimic the blank stares of the New Terran males. He looked nothing like them, of course, but it was better for his and Ogeto’s cause to stay within familiar parameters than to assert his leadership and make the woman uneasy.

  Her gaze shifted to Ogeto. “Follow me,” she commanded. Without further ado, she spun on her heel and strode in the direction of the Prime Keeper’s office. The two followed in her wake.

  Jeremy imagined each step taking him closer to the gallows pole. He couldn’t put his finger on why he felt this way, only that a growing sense of dread shadowed his every step toward the Prime Keeper’s office. He wished Ogeto had stuck to the plan. Had she done so, it would’ve cost them another minute or two before trying the foldway again, with the possibility of entering the Basilica without anyone knowing. Now he had to come up with a cover story to explain why he and Ogeto needed to meet with the Prime Keeper, should she be in her office when they arrived. Perhaps he could say they misunderstood Lt. Sullivant to say that she’d asked for a meeting when in actuality they were to request a meeting with her. He shook his head. Not even his own, long-dead, ever-trusting, grandmother would believe such a flimsy excuse.

  Jeremy’s nerves were stretched tight as a drum when they stopped outside Morvan Godley’s office. It was a good thing he was letting Ogeto take the lead; anything he might say would reveal his strain and come across as sounding suspicious.

  The acolyte pressed a square button beside the door and waited. Nothing happened. Shooting a quick glance in their direction, she pressed the button again and, after receiving the same result, turned to face Ogeto. “Are you certain you were supposed to meet the Prime Keeper here in her office, and not somewhere else?”