Vengeance of Sukesh: John Mason (Legend of John Mason)

by Barbara J Robertson

  “How does it feel to have two powerful women fighting over you, Mason?” Colonel Tyrone asked, looking at Admiral Hanson.

  Admiral Mason was waiting for Mason’s reply, with a cocky grin on her face.

  “Only two women? I think he’s used to it by now,” Admiral Hanson said, downing her drink. Everyone chuckled.

  “I was just doing my job,” Mason offered, trying to placate her.

  Hanson slammed down her glass. “No, you weren’t, you son-of-a-bitch! You never just do your job. You go far and away beyond doing your job, every time. You probably were supposed to only do something impossible, did that, and then went to rescue all seven of them while everyone else stood around with their dicks hanging out. You single-handedly retook that entire space station, rescued three High Councilmen and four idiot Inspectors General, and brought them safely here. That is not doing your job!” She poured all of them another round.

  “And I ordered you to get rid of that moustache!” She exclaimed.

  Admiral Mason was listening to Admiral Hanson’s tirade, realizing everything she said was true. No wonder she was so pissed off to lose him. “An off-hand compliment of the highest regard, Admiral Hanson,” she said with a big smile.

  “I’m surprised she didn’t promote him again.” She looked at Mason’s smiling face. “And stop smiling at me, you son-of-a-bitch!” She threw an ice cube at Mason’s chest, and busted up laughing, and they all joined her.

  Colonel Tyrone was having a ball, watching Mason and the two women. He knew nothing about the escape pod, but anyone could tell there was interesting history underlying the interpersonal dynamics at his table. “Shall we order now?” He asked with a very big smile. They ordered steaks with all the trimmings, and cabernet sauvignon wine. They laughed and talked, and finished off the bottle of bourbon. Colonel Tyrone picked up the tab, vowing to expense their dinners. He dropped off the Admirals at their parked shuttles, and left.

  Admiral Hanson returned to Mars X, and Admiral Mason flew with her husband to the day care for Victor and John David. Mason put his hand on her thigh, gently squeezed, and looked at her. When they landed, he pulled his hand up to her crotch, watching her. He stroked her, and she closed her eyes momentarily. “You’re in for it now, Marine,” she said soft and low.

  “God, I hope so,” he whispered to her. He got out with her and went inside to fetch the boys. Victor saw him and ran into his arms.

  “John Mason! John Mason! You’re back!” He hugged him real hard and kissed his cheek. Admiral Mason went to get John David. They flew home, Mason holding his baby in his arms.

  He played with Victor and JD while Rachel fixed their dinners. He walked to the terrace, and looked out. Rachel joined him as he tried his wrist comm link again. “Major Mason to Colonel Swenson.”

  “Colonel Swenson here. You on Mars Colony III, Mason?”

  “Yes, I’m with my family. I want to thank you for that excellent cross-shot.”

  “I’m always saving your ass, Mason,” she remarked.

  He offered, “Next time you’re in town, the steaks and drinks are on me, Colonel.”

  “I’ll take you up on that, Mason, whenever we get back to civilization,” she laughed.

  “Talk with you soon, Colonel Sweetie,” he said, smiling.

  “I’m going to kick your ass, Mason,” she laughed, and clicked off.

  “Cross-shot, John?” Rachel asked, eyebrow raised.

  “Yeah. A plasma burst torpedo chased me around the sector, until I was able to get back to the formation and get some help. She blasted it in a cross-shot for me,” he explained.

  “I’ll buy her steak and drinks myself,” Rachel stated. She put her arms around him while he held the baby. Soon, Victor joined in the family hug. They all stayed up a while longer, enjoying each other’s company.

  “I need a shower—bad,” Mason said. He felt grimy. He looked scruffy, too. He said good night to Victor, and remembered to order a new class A Special Duty uniform. Just the jacket was different. It had gold-trimmed edges on the lapels and gold-trimmed cuffs, and the gold aglet worn around his right shoulder. He confirmed the order and set delivery for 5:30a.m. tomorrow, and ordered a Special Duty mess dress uniform along with it. He tossed down his com tablet and headed for a long shower. His hair still had dried blood in it, and he washed it all away. Another scar on his head. He needed to visit Dr. Brandt soon; his implants needed replacing again.

  Rachel left two snifters of cognac on the bedroom terrace table. He glimpsed her going into the shower. He thought about tomorrow and his new job, leaning on the terrace wall and looking out at the city, sparkling in the evening lights. How good it felt to be alive.

  “Welcome home, Prime Marine,” Rachel said in her sultry voice, walking slowly towards him. She wore a transparent, shimmering gold negligee, with matching strapless bra and bikini panties. She wore her “smoky eyes” make-up for him, and deep cabernet lipstick; she was his seductress. She went to the terrace couch, sat, and patted the cushion next to her. Mason was transfixed, captivated by her charms.

  “For me? You are so beautiful, Rachel, so radiant,” he softly said to her, took her hand, and sat next to her. He handed her the cognac, and they sipped, with arms entwined. They kissed softly, touching the tips of their tongues together. She was a vision in glimmering gold.

  “I needed to concentrate on your returning to me,” she said. “It helped me wait for you, John.” She sipped her drink, as he lightly kissed her neck.

  “That is a wonderful frame of reference; a completely different perspective,” Mason said, realizing she wanted to talk for a while first. He leaned back on the couch, and put his arm around her. She cuddled next to him and sighed heavily.

  “I have several questions I want to ask Madam Li Yun. Do you think it would be all right to talk with her tomorrow?” Mason asked.

  “Perhaps; let’s play it by ear, John. The reverse-engineering of her DNA alteration will be hard on her, especially at the beginning. Remember?” She looked at him.

  Mason exhaled loudly, belted his drink, and said cynically, “I’ll never forget. But I was sedated and restrained, and kept in the brig,” he reminded her. “Very different circumstances. Right after my treatments, I was stripped, blasted with a cold water hose shower, and put in electronic shackles, still wet and naked. Later, they put on my prison robe, and I received one cold 300 calorie food pouch per day, for four months during my treatments. I was still a prisoner of war. And, I was much farther along in my transformation: 67% human.” He looked down at the floor for a moment, remembering. “The Chief High Councilwoman Madam Li Yun will be treated much differently, I assure you, Rachel,” he said, staring at the empty glass in his hand. The memory brought back painful, negative emotions for him.

  He realized she was never told about his post-treatment circumstances. Oh well; it was ancient history. He was more interested in their time now. Rachel was so beautiful. She was looking up at him, her brow furrowed, waiting for him to continue to speak. He leaned his head down and kissed her tenderly, and took her chin lightly with his finger. He ran his fingers down her cheek. “I want to know what they expect of me. I want to be with you. I’m tired of being an occasional husband. My place is with you, my love, my wife.”

  “We may not have much choice, at least at first, John. They may test your loyalty; test your willingness to serve. You realize you will be serving the highest leader in the URE, or Mars, or the solar system, for that matter. Li Yun is the most powerful woman anywhere. Period,” Rachel assessed calmly. “You are already envied, John, by your peers, your superiors, as well as your enemy, Sukesh. Tonight, your new duty is really going to make them jealous!” She smiled, and finished her cognac.

  “So, maybe I just shut-up tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll wear the fancy class A’s, guard my post, and wait to be their “sword,” like she said at the dinner. And pray I get to hold the most wonderful woman in the solar system in my arms every night.”

 
“Thank you, John.” Rachel kissed him, and then traced his moustache with her fingertips. “This really bothers Admiral Hanson. I think your moustache turns her on,” she said, lightly licking her upper lip. “It does me.” She kissed his lips, and rose up on her knees to face him. Time for talking was over.

  Mason ran his fingers down her throat and gently parted her negligee top. He leaned in to kiss her neck, her shoulders, and her breasts. He ran his hand down to her panties. Rachel kissed him with fire on her lips, greedily touching his body. Mason took her bra off with a quick flick of his thumb and forefinger.

  Mason stood up with her in his arms, and took her to bed, as the breeze from the terrace blew across her open negligee. He could wait no longer; he drove his erect cock inside her firmly. She wrapped her strong legs around him and took control of their rhythm, undulating her hips and torso. After a powerful orgasm, Mason’s entire body shook on her. That was not normal.

  Rachel held him and stroked his neck. “John, it’s all right. I’ve got you now. You’re all right, John, you’re with me. I love you, John. You’re in my arms now,” she whispered into his ears.

  Mason rolled over and began to speak in a few minutes, seemingly dazed, “I never slept or ate while I was gone, Rachel. I flew to SS4; we attacked. Colonel Swenson saved me from that blue torpedo. I obeyed their ‘Vector E, Lone Wolf” orders, and climbed the outer hull of the space station during the terrible laser cannon fight alone, took over engineering, and shut down their defenses. The fighters were ordered to hover and hold. I saw an illuminated, clear path to the room where the officers and crewmen were being altered. I found the High Councilmen, and the four Inspectors General, and took them to safety. I terminated the fifty traitors at the docking station.” Mason sighed heavily.

  “I carried Li Yun and loaded the others in the cargo locker, and left. The fighters were still holding; why? She ordered me to take them to Mars Colony III. I never ate until tonight. I have not yet slept, Rachel.” She held him tightly, listening closely to him. “Why did they hover and hold? They should have boarded the station. I secured it; I should have had some help.”

  “John, it’s all right. I love you so much, John. You can sleep now, it’s okay. You’re in my arms. I love you, John; go to sleep now,” she comforted him. His body shook again, harder than the first time. At last, he fell asleep in her arms.

  There were four Prime Marines in their war birds on that raid, and four full squadrons, 12 fighters in each squadron. Why was John assigned that dangerous ‘Vector E, Lone Wolf’ maneuver? Yes, he took Titan One. Was that the reason, or was there something else? Something else, entirely? Someone was after her husband. Rachel slipped away from his sleeping body, put her robe on, and went to the terrace. She poured another cognac. Why, indeed, were all the fighters hovering and holding? Who was giving the orders? The Joint Chiefs? Sukesh? The Yellow Man?

  Rachel realized there must be a sympathizer among the Joint Chiefs. Her late husband Victor suspected as much; so did Admiral Tomiko. How convenient they both died on the same transport to Mars. Who was left among the current Joint Chiefs who was in office then? Admiral Worthington, Commandant Richardson, General Ling; and Admiral Wilson, who made no bones about his dislike and distrust of her husband. She would not go so far as to call anyone a traitor; but perhaps a sympathizer. Someone jealous of John’s achievements, his selfless bravery, his medals, and his dazzling rise through the officers’ ranks.

  They didn’t mind John’s rise to the top of the enlisted ranks. His medals were the same, but now he was an officer, and a threat to someone at the top; someone with too much power. Someone very jealous; someone willing to send a brave man in alone against insurmountable odds, and lend no support to him whatsoever. Her husband was much better off in his new job, she hoped. At least he would be less visible.

  Rachel finished her cognac and programmed the security screens. She suddenly felt alienated. Her work on the Great Vault Project was important, but she was now out of the loop. She no longer lunched and dined with the other department heads and the Joint Chiefs, or her Senior Command Women friends. She wanted this assignment over by January, and to have both her husband and her on permanent assignment in Houston. She now had her goals clear. John might be their best Prime Marine, but she was the one who knew the inner workings of the top echelons. She quietly got back in bed next to her husband and went to sleep.

  They both arrived at the Mars Colony III base hospital’s protected, private rooms fifteen minutes early. They were admitted directly into Madam Li Yun’s private room. Mason took up his inside guard post. Admiral Mason described the reverse engineering treatment to restore Madam Li Yun’s genome to 100% human.

  “We must first assess the damage done to your cellular structure, Chief High Councilwoman. We will perform extensive tests to ascertain this information. Once this data is analyzed, a progression of restoration will be developed, implemented, and monitored very closely,” Admiral Mason said gently to her.

  “We were there three days only, then we were subdued. I cannot answer how long they worked on us after that time. Please begin your tests immediately, Admiral,” she requested. “And, you may call me Madam Li Yun.”

  Mason’s first day as her Prime Marine was uneventful. He accompanied her to all testing sites, guarded her, and kept his wits about him. Colonel Tyrone arrived after her lunch, when Mason’s lunch hour began. The Colonel gave him keys to his own new shuttle, an eight passenger one. He received a new, highly secure wrist comm link, with much greater range. Mason was also given an appointment in two days on Mars Colony II. “Mason, I’ll be sending you a technical manual. Read it cover to cover. Discuss it with no one, not even Admiral Mason, understood?” Tyrone emphasized. Then he exchanged laser side-arms with him. This one was bigger and lighter, and packed 1 ½ times the punch of his old side-arm.

  “One more thing, Mason. You are in need of new implants. You can have them done here,” Tyrone offered.

  “Can I ask to have Dr. Brandt do it for me in Houston, sir? She’s the best,” Mason asked.

  “Yes she is. She has always done my repairs and upgrades. I’ll authorize it, and the Chief High Councilwoman will approve it when you can be spared,” Tyrone agreed.

  “Where will I be based from, Colonel Tyrone? Our home is in Houston, as you are aware, sir,” Mason asked, trying to get his priorities out in the open.

  “That should not be a problem, Major. The High Councilmen travel periodically, but not all the time. You will have to accompany her on official visits, and when and wherever she requests. The High Council sits in session once every year for three weeks, in a different city each time. You’ll be there the entire time, plus one week beforehand,” he added.

  Colonel Tyrone continued, “You will occasionally be sent on top-top secret assignments, Major Mason. You are now the eyes and ears of the High Council, and the Chief High Councilwoman, specifically. Expect anything and everything, as well as nothing in particular. That was the advice I was given when I was their Chief Prime Marine, and it fit perfectly. Unfortunately, these are very different times, and your duty may include assignments mine never did; assignments never conceived, in fact.” He briefly stared at Mason.

  “You should receive your gear from Mars X this afternoon. Your new fighter is waiting for you on Colony II, Mason,” Tyrone continued, smiling. “Now, go grab something quick to eat and get back there. She is very punctual. See you on Colony II, Mason,” Tyrone said, and left.

  The DNA treatments for Madam Li Yun and the other six victims were completed in less than two weeks. She informed Mason he was to have his implants upgraded by Dr. Brandt Tuesday prior to Thanksgiving. “As we are on holiday that week, you may take your family home to Houston, if you would like, Major Mason.”

  “I would appreciate the courtesy very much, Madam Li Yun,” Mason responded. He couldn’t wait to tell his wife when he got home.

  Rachel was overjoyed. She made plans for her parents and the Baines to get
together with them for Thanksgiving. Mason would fly his family to Houston in his new fighter, a bigger, badder war bird. The fighter could make hyper-space nine, cutting a half day off the flight times. And they no longer had mandatory stops on Moon Base, with Mason working for the High Council now. Three days to Houston. It was a go.

  The official report on SS4 read the battle cruiser cleaned up the rebellious factions, and removed them all from the base. No mention was ever made of Mason, or the fighter squadrons. Mason called Admiral Hanson on one of his days off, and thanked her for preparing him for the “tailored” news and omissions. She just laughed cynically, and said, “Just remember they were the ones who screwed up, Mason. If you failed; oh well, you were only one man. There’s always another hotshot to order up. I suggest you stay where you are, out of the limelight for a few years. We know who you are and your capabilities. Nothing wrong with staying safe, and raising your children in peace. Give my regards to Admiral Mason, John. Hanson out.”

  They were getting used to Mason coming home every night. He and Rachel knew that could change in a heartbeat, but they made the most of it while they could. She was so happy and even-tempered, and Mason loved being a home-every-night husband and father.

  Prior to their trip home for Thanksgiving, Rachel wanted to go to the symphony. They arranged for his nephew Johnnie to baby-sit at Sarah’s house. Victor and Johnnie got along well, and Johnnie didn’t mind Victor taking all his old toys apart. They dropped off Victor and a sleeping John David. Johnnie asked, “Victor, don’t you like my Uncle Johnnie?”

  “Of course I like him. I love John Mason!” Victor answered, surprised at his question.

  “Then, why don’t you call him ‘Dad’? He’d probably love it. I know he loves you,” Johnnie told him.