Connor's Gambit

by Z Gottlieb

  Brad struggled to push himself up to follow Shinny but couldn’t budge with both Connor and Griken holding him firmly down. “Let me go, I have to help her. We can’t stay here and just do nothing.”

  “Brad stay still! We need to maintain contact or the shield will lose its integrity and we will no longer be protected. She knows what she is doing. You will only be a distraction to her.”

  Brad helplessly watched Shinny’s shield hit the shooter. “What are you talking about? We need to help her,” he yelled, still struggling to break lose. It was bad enough to watch part of Connor’s screened porch destroyed and to be shot at, but he felt completely lost watching his wife rush toward the shooter without him being able to help her. What would he do if anything happened to her?

  “Shinny isn’t a Fleet officer, like Griken and me; she belongs to a small cadre of personnel known as Special Combat Officers. Her training is along the lines of your Seal Teams or Rangers. I know it is hard to lie here and do nothing, but she is well trained to handle situations like this. Helping her would just complicate what she needs to do.”

  The three of them watched Shinny grab the shooter’s shirt and hold her against the shuttle.

  Shinny hated doing what she was about to do, but she had no choice as she held the shooter against the shuttle and forced her hand into the shooter’s mouth. She immediately recognized the false teeth and pulled out the shooter’s four back molars one by one. The woman wouldn’t feel anything, since her chip probably began injecting an analgesic immediately into her system to deaden the pain when the shield pushed her against the shuttle. Shinny finished pulling all of the teeth before a shuttle door opened and someone stepped out. Shinny quickly put the molars into a pocket then grabbed her praser with her bloody hand and pointed toward the commander.

  Commander Kiraine Janeque, seeing the praser pointed toward her, raised her hands with her palms out in the universal surrender position, showing they were empty. “Major Shin N’Klaftin, I’m Kiraine Janeque, Admiral Griken’s aide. I have been briefed on your status as Connor’s daughter and as a Special Combat Officer.”

  Shinny looked at the woman she gripped with her hand and recognized the vehicle insignia on her chest. She held onto the pilot’s shirt while continuing to point her praser toward the commander with the Explorer insignia. “Forgive me for being cautious, but I need to verify your identity with the admiral.” Shinny nodded toward the house. “I would appreciate if you would lead the way.”

  Kiraine kept her hands raised as she walked toward Griken’s shield. “I understand your concerns and would take the same precautions. I’m sorry I was not able to send a warning signal. The pilot jammed my communications in the shuttle and locked me in the convenience room.”

  As soon as Kiraine passed her, Shinny reached around the unconscious pilot’s waist, carrying her bent body against her side. “Assuming what you are saying is true, what is this pilot doing flying the admiral’s shuttle?” She followed Kiraine.

  “She’s one of the station pilots. Admiral Griken had me check the pilot’s record. Not only was it clean, but she was well regarded by her superiors.”

  “Then the station commander will need to do better when explaining why an Aneplé infiltrator was allowed to fly the admiral here.”

  Kiraine inhaled a shocked gasp. “I don’t know what to say, although I’m not completely surprised. I’m not even sure how the pilot was persuaded to become a traitor, but we are seeing more and more of these traitors in the Fleet. The protocols have not changed since you arrived on this planet thirteen solar cycles ago. Very few people are aware of this planet. If the Aneplé are here, the infiltration is being done at the highest level. Admiral Griken will want to pass information on the pilot to Fleet Intelligence to investigate her, as soon as possible.”

  Shinny transmitted the information to Connor. He would want to know immediately that the threat had reached Earth. She stopped in front of Griken’s shield next to the commander then kicked the shield in rage, creating a loud bang. “The threat has been neutralized. It’s safe to drop the shield.” Shinny continued to hold the pilot and maintain her praser on the commander as Griken released the shield. “Admiral, do you know who these two Fleet officers are?”

  Griken looked up and quickly stood. “The commander is my aide. I can vouch for her. The pilot is from the station. Nee, I saw you place your hand in the pilot’s mouth. Were you able to remove her molars?”

  Brad looked at Griken and up at Shinny. “The stench from the woman you’re holding is unbearable. She smells like a dead animal. I can’t take it anymore.” He scrambled to his feet and ran to the fence, where he gagged and vomited.

  Shinny responded immediately to Brad’s illness, dropping the pilot and the molars from her pocket. Ignoring Griken, she turned to the commander. “Ask Nan for a baggie.” Shinny ran to Brad. She grabbed him and held onto him while he continued to wretch. She steadied him as she worried he was reacting to the violence. “Brad, are you all right?”

  Brad motioned to her to step away and took off his t-shirt to wipe his face. “My first experience with aliens from outer space and I throw up. I get it, not a good strategy for first contact. Other than being sick as a dog, I’m fine. Not only did the kid you dragged over stink like a dead animal, you’re not smelling very nice either.”

  Shinny was perplexed and had no idea what Brad was talking about. She looked at her hands, still bloody from pulling the pilot’s teeth and wiped them on her pants, thinking it was her bloody hands Brad must be smelling. “What do you mean she smells like a dead animal? She isn’t dead. If anything, the pilot is lucky. I was ready to literally pull the pilot’s head off for shooting at my family, but I held back to keep the pilot alive for interrogation.”

  Brad was annoyed with her. First, no one saw the UFO and now they had all lost their sense of smell. It was more craziness, but he wasn’t sure if it was them or him. “Never mind, I’ll accept that you don’t smell anything unusual. We have more important things to talk about. Damn it, Shinny, why couldn’t you have said something to me before?” Brad spat out. As soon as he said it, he regretted the tone in his voice, but he was angry with Shinny’s lack of trust in him. “Do you have any idea how it felt being held down by Griken and your brother, watching you run into the line of fire? Not only that, I’m wondering who the hell did I marry?” He was certain the uncomfortable stabbing pain in his chest was from the stress and not a heart attack. He closed his eyes briefly, taking a deep breath to calm himself. The puzzle pieces were always in front of him, but he was never able to make any sense of them. Even now, looking at his wife, the truth seemed too far-fetched for even him to believe. “Is there anything else I should know?”

  “I’m sorry. I never intended for you to find out this way. We had been talking to a counselor to help me explain the truth to you as soon as I received approval for your immigration.” She took a few steps closer as if waiting for the right moment to hold him.

  “Step back. Now. I’m serious about the smell, it is making me sick,” Brad demanded. Although a spotlight from the roof lit the sad expression on her face as she stepped back, Brad was too angry to care about it. “Couldn’t you have trusted me? It would have helped in explaining some of the issues between us. Who would I have told?”

  “It was never a trust issue. I couldn’t tell you. My mistake was not seeking approval to tell you sooner. I have been hurting as much as you are from keeping the secret for as long as I have. I hated not telling you, but I can’t explain why I didn’t try to fix this sooner.” Her eyes flickered with silver filaments. “Connor has asked us to return. He has reconsidered the invitation to return to the Fleet. I may need to join him sooner.”

  Brad looked at Connor and watched Griken hand Connor an object with a silver gleam that shone in the darkness. Connor stood at the house next to Nan and Griken, about seventy feet away. Although Brad could see movement, he could not hear what they were saying. “Connor is at the house. How
would you know this?” He wondered if she was just looking for any excuse to avoid discussing their problem.

  “Did you see my eyes flickering or flashing?”

  Brad nodded an affirmative.

  “Connor was transmitting the information to me through his chip. Personal communications are limited between mated couples and parents and their children to avoid brain hacking. However, there are exceptions to this rule, but it is strongly recommended limiting opening a channel to only trusted individuals. There are also special encrypted bands similar to radio announcements. The Fleet uses a number of the encrypted bands to share information. If we are to have any hope of moving past this, I need to start sharing everything, and I will.” She turned and walked back toward the house.

  Brad followed her. His chest tightened and ached again as she spoke, and subsided when she stopped and turned toward the house. He was beginning to believe Connor and Shinny were serious, yet he still felt as if his insides had been ripped out. He still wondered whether she had told him the real reason for not telling him sooner. He couldn’t help but suspect she had been planning all along to leave him. The thought just kept eating at him. He was torn, furious with her and wanting his space to work through this on his own, yet not wanting her to leave with Connor. The closer they got to the house the more confused he became.

  Connor watched Shinny and Brad approach. Brad looked as if a truck had run over him. When he asked Shinny if Brad was okay, she transmitted back that he had been sick but now seemed fine. Connor wasn’t sure what to think. He understood seeing the UFO and learning it was real put some people in shock until they had accepted it. He was perplexed by Brad’s reaction. He thought Brad would have easily accepted the truth, but also being shot at and learning that his wife was from another planet may have been too much for him to handle in such a short time. He watched Brad walk cautiously behind Shinny, remaining standoffish. Connor was not happy the time schedule on his project had literally been shot up by the Aneplé in his backyard, but the decision he had made resolved for him what his next steps would be. Now he needed Brad to snap out of his shock and pull himself together.

  Connor waited for Shinny and Brad to stop walking before he spoke. Shinny had stopped within the conversation circle but Brad stood away from their circle for some strange reason. “Because of the fire fight, I’ve decided to accept the CIG’s invitation to be recalled to active duty. It was too close for comfort. I need to go back and find out what the hell is going on, and work toward keeping Earth from being compromised. Neither Griken nor I want to wait for the station commander to find another pilot to pick us up and fly the shuttle back, so I will fly him and his aide, and take the prisoner back to the station.” Connor pointed at the lifeless pilot. He stared at Brad to watch his reaction to his next statement. “With the change in plans, we won’t be able to give you a ride tonight.”

  Brad kept an impartial expression. He had already prepared himself to be let down and didn’t expect he would get a ride on the spacecraft. He hadn’t been sure how they were going to turn down his ride, but he had already convinced himself they would come up with an excuse. He nodded. “Understood.” Actually, he didn’t, but it was getting late and he was ready to go home and try to sleep. He was done with whatever was going on and assumed it had nothing to do with him. He continued to stand there and focus on anything but the smell coming from the pilot. With Connor’s voice droning in the background, he thought about the projects he needed to address and clients he needed to contact in the morning when he woke up.

  “Brad, did you hear anything I said?” Connor asked.

  Brad jumped slightly, startled from hearing his name called out loudly from Connor. “Sorry, no. I started thinking about the office.”

  “He seems easily distracted. Are you certain this is what you want to do?” Griken asked Connor.

  Connor looked at Griken, “Yes. I’ve known him for about half his life. It’s the right thing to do.” He turned back toward Brad. “I asked you if you would like to join us when we report to Griken’s Battle Cruiser.”

  Brad looked at each of them. “Let me see if I understand what you are asking. You are asking if I wanted a ride on your starship.”

  “No. I’m asking if you would want to sign up for duty on a starship and join us.”

  Brad stunned by Connors offer, “You are asking the caveman if he wants to join your space fleet. Did I hear you correctly?”

  “If I thought you were a caveman incapable of adapting and growing in our society, I wouldn’t be asking you to join us,”

  Brad hadn’t seen the object in Connor’s yard fly yet, and still had doubt as to whether they were from another planet. This could be an elaborate joke, he kept telling himself, but there was still the “what if it is true” factor. “I’m confused. How would I fit in, coming from an environment that is not as advanced as yours?”

  “If you decide to join us and apply to the Fleet reserve, a chip will be implanted in your brain. The chip will assist you with knowledge gaps. Medically, it is safe. The real issue will be your ability to adapt and use it correctly. If I didn’t think you were capable, I would not be asking you to join us.”

  “If I leave with Shinny and you, who will take care of Dane?”

  “Nan has offered to watch Dane along with Ben and Sarah,” answered Connor.

  Brad wasn’t sure what he was agreeing to and was nervous committing himself, but everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to make a decision. Maybe it wasn’t real and they would have the last laugh. Or maybe it was, and he was in for the ride of his life. “Sign me on.”

  “Be prepared to leave tomorrow evening,” Connor informed Brad. “Shinny, could you help us get the pilot back onto the shuttle?”

  Shinny walked up to Nan. “As far as I am concerned, CIG’s Fleet screwed up. Someone else needs to drag the pilot back to the shuttle without my assistance. At this moment, Dane’s needs rank higher than yours or the pilot’s. I need to take him home and tuck him back into bed.” Shinny took Dane from Nan.

  Dane squirmed away and screamed. “No, Mommy, you smell bad. I want Daddy.” He reached out to Brad. “No, no, I want Daddy.”

  Brad ran toward Dane when he heard him scream. He took Dane from Shinny and cradled his son. Glaring at Shinny, “Back off, I told you that you smelled. It’s probably from your impromptu dental procedure on the pilot.” He took a few steps away from Shinny, who appeared dumbfounded at their son’s reaction. “At least he hasn’t thrown up.” He held his son firmly. “Dane, we will go home as soon as your uncle flies that machine.” He pointed to the object at the far end of the yard.

  Shinny looked back at everyone. “Since I no longer have a competing requirement, I’ll take the pilot back to the shuttle. Could someone get a rope to tie her hands and feet? I don’t think she will get up in the next few hours or be in any shape to cause more damage, but it will be safer to tie her up.” She walked over to the pilot and grabbed the pilot’s waistband.

  “Agreed,” Connor confirmed watching Shinny, Griken, and the commander walk toward the shuttle. Connor walked back into his house to get the rope.

  Brad watched his wife carry the woman as if she weighed no more than a sleeping bag. He had always suspected she was capable of far more than she had demonstrated in the past, but this evening had been a real eye opener for him. He was amazed watching her, but continued to be truly pissed she had hidden so much from him. The anger welled up again followed by tension in his chest. A stabbing pain erupted there again. He needed to focus on what was going on.

  Connor returned with the twine and walked up to Brad. “Brad, you could move closer, however, it would be safer to stay here with Dane. I’m not sure when I’ll return, but I’ll talk to you more about this tomorrow.”

  “Have a good flight,” he responded as he watched Connor jog toward the vehicle. As he approached it, Shinny stepped out and jogged toward Brad and Dane. She walked past them and stood next to Nan.

 
; “Daddy, can we go home now, please?” his son whined.

  “In a moment. We need to watch the spaceship take off.” He pointed toward the vehicle near the back fence. Or not, he muttered to to himself.

  Brad watched the shuttle light up brighter and begin to hum. So far, it was similar to what he saw and heard on the lake. However, he still needed to see it fly before he would be convinced. Slowly the stubby wings unfolded and the intensity of the hum increased. The aircraft slowly lifted. It hovered for about fifteen seconds, and then flew in the direction of the house. As the aircraft passed over the house, it disappeared.

  Brad looked at Shinny. “Where did it go?”

  “Connor is flying in stealth mode. Normally takeoff on this planet would be done in stealth, but he wanted you to get a glimpse of it flying.”

  Brad nodded. He had to admit, it was amazing to watch. “Seeing is believing.” The concept was daunting; he would need to begin accepting everything Connor had said to him. However, he remained angry and hurt over Shinny’s deception.

  “Cool, Daddy. Can we do that?” Dane asked pointing to the sky.

  “Maybe one day, but we are not going to ride in it tonight. It’s past our bedtime. We are going home,” Brad explained as he walked toward Nan and stopped. “Thank you for agreeing to watch Dane for us.”

  “Of course, Dane is my grandson,” she responded smiling.

  Brad smiled weakly at Nan’s response, thinking it was going to be hard to get used to looking at her young face and thinking of Connor’s wife as Dane’s grandmother. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I need to get the big guy home.” Brad walked into the house toward the front door, leaving Shinny behind.

  Chapter 5

  Brad ran at full speed trying to keep up with the people in front of him. Although the room was dark and filled with a heavy green dust, he could still see the outlines of the people in front of him. He was in great shape, but couldn’t remember the last time he ran this hard, pumping at full speed with his arms, legs and hair soaked from his sweat. Although his lungs struggled for oxygen and his sides hurt from the exertion, he kept pushing himself, hoping adrenaline would kick in to help him keep up with the pace. He only had a clear vision of the backsides of the people he was running behind. They were so damn tall he couldn’t tell where they were running to or what was in front of them, he just knew he needed to keep up with them.