by John Walker
“They’re hungry for it,” Vincent said. “Maybe they believe going into space will enhance their career.”
Desmond shrugged. “I’m more inclined to believe they’re all keenly aware that going into space with us is like putting your name in the history books. Others are going to come after us and very likely do more but no one can say they were the first to go into hyperspace and leave our solar system … or encounter an alien race.”
“What’s that tell you about these candidates?”
Desmond smirked. “That someone’s talking who shouldn’t. What we’ve been doing is secret. The fact we have so many means the rumor mill gave them hope.”
One of the most important roles to fill was another Lieutenant for the marines. Desmond set up an appointment with Captain Darren Gabriel to sit down with the three men who might take the job. They’d be meeting with them at Gamma Alpha. Each of the men served there for over two years and their letters suggested they were ready for a change of pace.
They’ll definitely get it on these cruises, Desmond thought. I can’t imagine finding more action on Earth right now.
Military high command had yet to announce to the people of Earth what they were up to. As far as anyone was concerned, the Gnosis continued to fly training missions. There were conspiracies floating around, all generated from the usual suspects. The AIA was quelling the most probable of them but some would be proven true when a press conference was finally held.
Desmond wondered why they were waiting so long. Did they truly believe the planet would be swept up into a panic? Someone must’ve done some studies or polling to support the silent treatment but it seemed like getting the support of civilians would help a great deal. Especially for the men and women of the Gnosis who wanted to visit family.
Keeping quiet about their activities had to be difficult.
Speaking of civilians, one of the contractor companies would be meeting with Desmond on Earth. They were responsible for building some of the advanced systems the Gnosis used and they operated on Gamma Alpha under strict confidence. Reach’s notification stated they wanted to have a chat with the man in charge of the ship.
Desmond didn’t know why considering how little he could tell the person. His least favorite parts of the job involved making nice with vendors and going to lavish parties. Fortunately, they’d been too busy for that type of thing lately but of course, as soon as time permitted, he was thrown back into the fray.
I’d rather be facing down a Kalrawv ship again than try to beat around the bush with this civilian.
Desmond made his way to Gamma Alpha the next day and stowed his gear in his quarters before heading out to meet his full docket. Many of his meetings involved security planning for the admiral while he was aboard the ship. They were concerned about his safety though no one could specifically state why.
After six meetings, someone finally said they were worried about spies aboard the Gnosis who might try to disrupt the alien talks. Desmond found the notion absurd. No one had attempted to sabotage the ship and they had plenty of opportunities. Nevertheless, the accusation put a huge strain on psychological operations, who had to run profiles on every crew member.
Twenty men and women boarded the Gnosis so they could get the evaluations done before they left in only a few days so they ended up working some pretty crazy hours. Of course, psi-ops didn’t have a whole lot to do during this potential conflict, considering they couldn’t exactly study their opponents so Desmond didn’t feel too bad.
The next morning, he and Captain Gabriel met in their conference room to interview the different lieutenants. Gabriel looked particularly severe with his dress uniform and buzzed haircut. His square jaw made him look like a character out of some kind of nineteen-fifties atomic science fiction movie and he carried himself with ramrod perfect posture.
“Morning, Darren,” Desmond said. “How’d you find the trip?”
“Jeb’s a good pilot,” Darren replied with a scowl, “but the bastard doesn’t need to fly so fast. We could’ve gotten down here five minutes later. I had half a mind to tell him so.”
Desmond chuckled. “He saved a lot of lives with that crazy flying last mission.”
“Yeah, when something’s about to blow up, I’d take him any day but next time, I’m grabbing someone who isn’t in such a damn hurry.”
Their first interview arrived, a Lieutenant Yancy Lipkin. His record looked impeccable but in the first few minutes of their conversation, it became clear that he was too green for their needs. He’d graduated from the academy six months earlier and simply didn’t have the field experience they needed to lead the team.
Desmond was thinking about an officer having to work with a man like Gunnery Sergeant Geoff Heathrow. Heading down to alien worlds was stressful enough without the men lacking trust in their leaders. When Yancy left, Darren completely agreed with Desmond’s assessment. The young man needed time to develop.
Lieutenant Brent Fielding came in next, a twenty-seven-year-old soldier with a slightly less impressive academic record than Yancy but he came hot off a campaign taking on terrorists in Asia. He came with commendations from his superiors and positive testimonies from the men who were under his command as well.
“Welcome, Lieutenant,” Darren said. “Why do you want to join the Gnosis?”
“Sir,” Brent began, “I want to see the stars but more importantly, I’m the best person for the job.”
Desmond’s brows lifted. “Extrapolate on that. There are some pretty talented young people coming in here today. What makes you believe you’re better?”
“I saw Yancy leave,” Brent replied. “He’s a fantastic bureaucrat. Understands every form we’ve ever made someone fill out. If you were having trouble with your quartermaster, I’d say you’d be crazy not to bring him on board. But the only trigger time he has involves a shooting range. He can shoot straight in simulations but he’s never really been shot at.”
“You think that’s the key to success in our operations?” Darren asked. “The ability to shoot straight?”
“Keeping a cool head under fire is one of the most important things a soldier can do,” Brent answered. “That and ensuring your men have a solid leader who will be right there with them in the thick of things. No one wants to follow a guy who’s hesitant or doesn’t know what to do next. I shook off combat jitters a long time ago.”
“I’ve got a scenario,” Darren said. “You’re in a foreign facility far from any support. It’s just you and four men. There are enemies on either side and the only way to take them out is to hit them in the head. Coms are down and you have to get to an LZ in thirty minutes or you’ll be left behind.
“Add to this scenario that you still haven’t finished your objective which is inside the facility somewhere. What do you do?”
“Get inside,” Brent replied. “Conserve ammo with superior marksmanship, secure the cargo then head back outside using jump jets. We might not be able to kill our targets easily but I doubt they’re going to enjoy having half a ton of armor plunging down on them as we hop through their ranks.”
“Sounds like someone I know,” Desmond muttered. “What’s your tech experience? You good with computers?”
“I have an A rating with computer systems, analysis and access.”
“Means you can hack them, right?” Darren asked.
“Yes, sir.” Brent nodded once. “Essentially.”
“Your record’s pretty solid.” Desmond looked it over again. “Let’s get into some more semantic questions.”
They quizzed the young man for another half hour, mostly about protocol and various regulations. Desmond wasn’t surprised that he nailed every question though true to his words, he wasn’t as knowledgeable about the red tape as Yancy. Still, he seemed like a solid choice and the kind of man who would be able to win the loyalty of the other soldiers.
When he left, Darren cleared his throat. “I think he’ll be the one. Did you notice he didn’t immediatel
y go to the academy? He served as a sergeant before he applied for school. He’d already done a tour before he got a commission.”
“Is that why he seems worldly?”
Darren nodded. “Definitely. I admit, I did the same. I fought in the eastern campaign of Russia before I went to school. It helped in more ways than you can imagine.”
“I understand. I was a fighter pilot before I took the bridge of the Gnosis.” Desmond hummed. “We need to talk to the third candidate and see how he compares. And here I was worried we would have to go back to the pool to find someone.”
“Marine officers tend to be pretty solid,” Darren said. “Not to say that other branches aren’t that way but promotions are a lot harder with us.”
Lieutenant Davy Prosser entered next, offering a crisp salute. Desmond peered at his record again and noted that he had a few demerits. One of them for public fighting and the other for intoxication. Both incidents were over eight months earlier but they didn’t paint a positive picture, certainly not for a man about to go into space.
“I’m looking at your troubles here,” Desmond said. “Would you care to explain?”
“A couple moments of stupidity, sir,” Davy replied, “they won’t be happening again.”
“I’m sure you can see how we’d be concerned about this though.”
Davy nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“How much trigger time have you had?” Darren asked. “When was your last op?”
“A year ago,” Davy said. “It was a training mission into Alaska.”
“Any real combat?” Darren looked at his record again. “Off the books, I mean. I don’t see anything official.”
Davy shook his head. “No, sir. I’m ready though. I’ve been preparing for a real fight for five years now.”
“Why do you want to go into space?” Desmond asked. “What’s your motivation?”
“I think it’s the future of humanity,” Davy said. “I’d like to be part of it.”
“You have a certification in astro navigation.” Darren seemed impressed. “Why’d you go for that?”
“You never know when you might be stranded somewhere and need to get home.”
“Fair point.” Darren set the record aside and hit him with the same questions as the others. Davy seemed uninspired, as if he didn’t want it as badly as the other two men. He might’ve been able to do the job but with the demerits, Desmond wasn’t convinced. Besides, without the fire in his belly, he wouldn’t be able to lead the men they already had.
Not effectively at least.
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” Darren said. “You’ll be informed of our decision in the morning. Dismissed.”
Davy saluted. “Thank you, sir!” He spun on his heel and marched out.
“Seems like a clear winner to me,” Desmond said. “We’re going with Lieutenant Fielding, right?”
“I’d like to,” Darren replied. “Lieutenant Prosser’s father is on the military council, so we’ll have to let the boy down easily … Probably tell the old man before we do. But otherwise, yeah, I think we’ve got the right man waiting. Want me to draft up the orders?”
Desmond nodded. “I’ll be happy to sign them. I’m glad we’re good to go.” He glanced at his computer and sighed. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take back some of my time to grab some food before the next meeting.”
“Don’t let me stop you, sir.” Darren shook his hand and they parted ways. One of their bigger concerns was taken care of and now they only had to finish shoring up the security concerns. Once that was over, the Gnosis would be ready to leave and Desmond could finally get a little rest.
I barely remember what relaxing even is. Just another full day and I’ll find out.
Chapter 3
Cassie’s computer chimed as a new meeting popped up and she groaned at the sender. Her superior, Beaumont Dulain, acted as the director of the AIA. Typically, she would’ve worked through a handler, someone far beneath a man of Dulain’s stature but this situation warranted special attention.
Contacting aliens, traveling to foreign worlds and engaging in a new type of intrigue turned out to be events the AIA wanted direct involvement with. Cassie thought they’d relieve her once they finished their first mission. She possessed plenty of tech experience but hadn’t been in the field nearly as much as others.
It’s probably why they picked me. I can relate to the others easier and they don’t smell an old spy who’s there to steal their secrets. Indeed, her wide-eyed enthusiasm for her job must not have seemed like an act and in all honesty, it wasn’t. However, considering the paranoia level of some people, she fully expected to be confronted sooner or later.
This time, Dulain wanted to meet her in a conference room instead of the hangar so the conversation must’ve been more ‘official’ than the last chat. What’s he plan on putting on me now? The ability to start a war on Earth’s behalf? He gave her a code during their previous talk which allowed her to take operational command of the Gnosis.
They wanted to ensure opportunities were taken. Cassie couldn’t imagine an instance when she would take command or even tell Captain Bradford what to do. The man might’ve seemed like an easy going sort but there was something about him that suggested he would not take kindly to being usurped.
She told Desmond about the code, as Dulain suggested, and while he seemed good with the conversation, he wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. Tipping her hand to him might’ve been a bad idea and maybe the captain complained. He might’ve raised enough of a stink to have her pulled from the operation. It would probably be fitting all things considered.
But she didn’t want to leave. Not yet at least.
Cassie arrived a few minutes early and flopped down in one of the seats. She couldn’t wait for the day to end so she could get some sleep and do something besides work on computers or talk about alien technology. Much as she loved both, the hours weighed on her and, like the others, she needed a decompression period.
Dulain showed up alone, closing the door behind him. The fact he lacked an entourage bothered her but she couldn’t place why. He wore a fancy, retro suit with lapels and a black shirt underneath with gold trim along the seams. By contrast, she wore her white uniform that made her look like an especially stuffy lab technician.
The AIA has multiple looks depending on the situation. The uniform allows us to work closely with the military because they’re comforted by that sort of thing. Others wear the fancy business outfits to give them some respectability but the real field types throw on whatever helps them blend in. Cassie remembered one of her classmates giving the assessment.
Back then, she thought they were just being dramatic and that clothing didn’t nearly matter so much. After working in the AIA for a year, she realized how important appearance could be. Controlling a person’s perception allowed one to exert power over them. Her innocent behavior on the Gnosis made the crew trust her, granted them security with her presence.
Had she been clever enough to be pretending, it would’ve been her choice to bring about that outcome.
“Senior Agent Alexander,” Dulain said, “thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I’ve got some important news about your next mission.”
“Yes, sir.” Cassie somehow bit back a snippy comment. The director made her uncomfortable and her natural reaction involved rudeness.
“We know the Gnosis will be transporting Admiral Reach to meet with the Pahxin. He tried to keep us out of the loop by meeting you in space but we’ve had someone working as an aide for a while.”
“Why would he want to keep the AIA out of this?”
“Reach is one of those old soldiers who thinks spies are always on the lookout for the next war,” Dulain explained. “He believes that it’s in our best interest to start trouble with the Pahxin so we can make ourselves useful. What he fails to realize is the best espionage is never reported, no one knows it happened and it prevents countless catastrophes in the process.”
/> A line straight from one of the text books. Cassie nodded her response. “I understand.”
“I’m going to give you her identity and if she requires support, she will be contacting you directly. She’s a top priority asset and one of our best field operatives. There’s a good chance you won’t even interact but if you have to, if something goes down, then be prepared. Reach can be a stubborn bastard but we can’t afford to lose him right now.”
“Why is she being sent?” Cassie asked. “Is she a … a bodyguard?”
“No,” Dulain replied. “She’s been giving us information from the admiral and now, this is our opportunity to gather some intelligence on the military capabilities of the Pahxin. Through her observations, we can determine just how outmatched we are and what we should plan to do about it.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Cassie asked. “If they find out …”
“How would they?” Dulain shrugged. “As far as anyone but you knows, she’s simply an aide. When she gets back and talks to us, she’ll prove to be an especially observant one. Anyway, her name is Christina Dawson.”
“This feels like unnecessary internal intrigue,” Cassie said. “Can’t we sit down and have a conversation? Tell him what’s going on? He seems like a reasonable man. I’ve been to several meetings with him.”
“Each time you’ve seen him, he’s been in control. You’re in his environment. Believe me, I’ve been in rooms where he is not the dominant force and you see a different individual emerge. We have to be cautious and we can’t exert our will directly on him. Even if it saves his life. Now, I won’t placate him if it means compromising the security of the Earth … but we’re not there yet.”
God, I hope we never get there. Cassie once again kept her thought to herself. “Thank you for the head’s up. Is there something else we need to discuss?”
“I’d like to talk about the vision you had from the Orb. We have a theory about it.”
“It happened while we were studying the second one. In fact, it showed me a glimpse of what likely happened to the planets we researched on this last time out.”