by Amy DuBoff
“What is it, Haersen?” Banks asked.
“Communications picked up an interesting transmission from a small planet in Sector 14 called Arnca,” Haersen stated. “They were chatting with a sister planet about a visit from the TSS. However, we have no known ships in the area.”
Could it be them? “When was the transmission sent?”
“A couple of hours ago,” Haersen replied, “and then another just came through stating that the TSS ship was still there.”
“It’s a solid lead.” Banks crossed his arms. “Were you able to confirm the ship?”
Haersen frowned. “We scanned all around Arnca, but we couldn’t find any undocumented ships on the communications network. The radio chatter is only about visual accounts of the vessel.”
“Maybe something went wrong and they had to stop for repairs. I guess we’ll have to wait it out.”
Haersen’s face twitched. “Is there anything else for now, sir?”
Banks shook his head and sighed. “No, thank you. Well done picking up the message. Just keep me posted.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
Cris couldn’t take the waiting any longer. “I’m going to see how Matt’s doing,” he told Scott and rose from his command chair. Every minute we’re delayed, the greater the danger to Wil.
“Hopefully they’re close,” his friend replied.
“Hopefully.” We’ve been out of communication for far too long. I need to get in touch with Headquarters.
Cris took the lift down to the Engineering level near the bottom of the Vanquish. The lift opened to a long hall, which connected to various mechanical rooms. Each segment was separated by a bulkhead and containment lock. The main engine room was positioned at the aft of the ship, so Cris had to walk nearly half the length of the vessel to reach his destination. He palmed open the double door at the end of the hall.
The doors parted to the side, revealing the heart of the ship. Containment locks sealed off the access tubes to the main conduits of the jump drive at either end of the room. Control panels for every system in the ship covered the side walls. In the center of the room, a massive table with a holographic display projected a rendering of the Vanquish with the status of all structural and mechanical components.
Directly across from the door, at the back of the room, was the distribution relay for the jump drive. Matt and his engineers were huddled around the cluster of cells, testing readings via their tablets.
“We’re still working on it,” Matt said with barely a glance up from his tablet. “I’m having to learn the new system on the fly. There’s stuff in here I’ve never seen before.”
What did they do to it? “I know. How long until we can restore subspace communications?” Cris asked. He had seen Matt pull off some impressive repairs on the fly in their time together, but nothing quite so critical as a patched distribution cell.
Matt sighed. “Communications?” He scratched his head. “I might be able to get you a basic comm channel in a few minutes, but it won’t be terribly secure or robust.”
That’s better than nothing. Banks needs to know we’re okay. “I’ll take anything I can get.”
“Okay. Consider it done.” Matt went back to work.
Cris shifted on his feet. “Do you need anything?”
Matt lowered his tablet. “No, it’s just slow going. We can work faster if you aren’t staring over our shoulders.”
Cris retreated. “Of course. Thank you, Matt. Everyone. You’re pulling off a miracle here.”
There were nods of acknowledgement from some engineers, but most were too engrossed in their calibrations to even notice Cris’ presence.
“We’re not done yet.” Matt looked back at his tablet. “No, we can’t bypass that relay,” he said to one of his engineers. “Cris, you’ll have temporary communications by the time you get back to the Command Center. I’ll need to reset everything when we do the final initialization sequence for the jump drive, but send whatever messages you need to until then.”
Cris nodded and left them to their work. It’s a good thing he came along. I don’t think anyone else would have been able to adapt an antique cell this quickly. He took the lift back to the Command Center.
“We should have communications any—” Cris began as he entered.
“Communications are back online!” Kari beamed.
Good job, Matt. “Alec, what will be our transit time to the border of Bakzeni Territory?”
Alec referenced the navigation console. “It’s just a guess from the nav simulations, but it should be around five and a half hours.”
At least we’ll be on the move again soon. Cris sat back down in his command chair. “Send a message to Headquarters. Say we were delayed and are back on track.”
“Do you want me to add any specifics?” Kari asked.
Not until we know more about the security breach. “Not yet. Matt indicated the channel might not be entirely secure—he was working some magic to get us communications before the drive is fully initialized.”
“Okay.” Kari made a few quick entries on her console. “Message sent.”
Cris settled back into his chair. Now we wait.
* * *
Wil awoke in a dimly lit room. He was strapped to a metal chair welded to the smooth metallic floor. It was a bleak space—cramped, sterile and devoid of any adornment. Directly in front of him was a door recessed in the riveted wall. Only a single grated duct served for ventilation. Even if he were able to free himself from the chair and thin wire binding his hands behind his back, there would be no covert way to escape from the chamber.
His head still throbbed. Through the fog, he was also aware of an ache along the back of his left hip. I guess I hit the ground pretty hard. Next time they’re going to knock me out, I may as well sit down first.
A harsh buzzer sounded. Wil tensed.
The door shot up into the ceiling, revealing two tall, muscular men in tan uniforms. They stepped through the threshold into the room. Both were bald and had severe jaws set in a constant scowl. There was an orange tint to their rough skin, and one appeared to have some kind of rank indicator on his uniform.
Wil shrank into the chair as the door closed. Stars! Who are they? He felt very alone. What do I do?
One of the burly men, apparently a security guard, remained next to the door. The man with the rank mark on his jacket walked forward until he was several paces in front of Wil. A deep scar ran from his right eyebrow to midway down his cheek. “So, we meet again, young Dragon,” the officer said in New Taran. “I hope you’ve been preparing yourself for a long and painful death.” He grinned with malice at his bound prisoner.
Is he the one who attacked me in Headquarters? Wil reached out with a cautious telepathic probe and sensed the same power that had chilled him during his attack. Does he want to torture me for information, or just for sport? He fought to maintain his composure. The last thing he needed was his captors sensing any fear. “I regret to inform you that I won’t go down easily.” Wil’s cerulean eyes met the sorrel of the soldier’s.
“You’ll need more than determination to stay alive.”
Right now, it’s all I have. “I have much more than that.”
The soldier assessed Wil, his eyes narrow with loathing. “It’s hard to believe that you will be the Primus Elite.”
Wil swallowed. How do they know who I am?
“I’m Colonel Tek,” the officer continued. “I think you will soon consider me your individual worst enemy rather than taking the entire Bakzen race as a whole.”
The Bakzen! The race at the edge of the outer territories, their forces growing stronger. Wil shook his head, not wanting to believe. Like any trainee, he had been told that the conflict may turn to war, and the TSS would fight on behalf of the Taran worlds. But if the Bakzen had captured him, the war wasn’t just imminent—it had already begun. Shite. What do they want with me? In his shock, he was slow to connect his own experience with past assumptions. With h
orror, he tried to comprehend the nature of his enemy. The Bakzen have telekinetic abilities. It took everything for Wil to not cower in his chair.
The Bakzen officer leaned closer so he was eye-level with Wil. “We’re all much stronger than you anticipated. Perfection of an already superior race is a wonderful thing.”
“I welcome the challenge.” Wil attempted a smile to go along with the remark, but it came out more like a grimace. Fok. Stronger than anticipated? Tek could probably take on five Primus Agents. There’s no way they are letting me out of this alive. Stars!
“So young and foolish. Soon you will learn your place.”
Wil centered his mind. Keep it together. “Don’t underestimate my ability.” Without thinking, he summoned up all his energy and sent a direct telepathic stream to the colonel. The intensity of it continued to grow as his captor assessed it with his own mind. Knowing that it wasn’t wise to push himself too close to his straining point, Wil released the tension building between them. If he was to get out alive, he needed to act like he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Impressive. I’m surprised that you could handle that much already—more than 8. Maybe you are stronger than we thought.” Tek faltered for the first time.
It was that intense? I didn’t know I could do that. “And growing stronger.” Wil managed a real smile. He’s calling my bluff.
Tek sneered. “I would relish the chance to face you one day, unrestrained—not like our trivial sparring earlier. Though it was a departure from the mission protocol, I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to see how you handle yourself, and why everyone seems to think you’re so special. But, I can’t say I was impressed. Then again, the only true test is an unrestricted battle of pure spirit and wills.”
All of Wil’s confidence evaporated. I’m foked. “A battle of telekinesis?”
“Indeed. The greatest of battles. I don’t believe you’ve even begun to live up to your full potential.”
He swallowed, barely able to keep a straight face. “Then we’ll have to see what I can do.” Stars! I’m not ready for that. He knows his limits, but I don’t.
In an instant, Tek rounded on him, his eyes locked on Wil’s.
Telepathic spires shot into Wil’s mind, an iron maiden closing around him. His vision exploded into a dark purple electrical storm. The spires burned as they drove in him, leaving his skin on fire. A cry of agony was trapped in his throat as he convulsed against the onslaught. It was too much to take. No escape—
The spires vanished.
“You have a long way to go, Dragon,” Tek stated as he backed away.
Wil panted. His wrists stung from where the wires had dug in as he struggled against them.
“As much as I’d like to keep playing, my commander has other plans for you.”
Wil blinked hard, woozy from the assault. He took a deep breath and his mind started to clear. Plans for me? It would almost be more reassuring if they just wanted me dead. “When will I meet this commander?”
“In time,” Tek replied. “You must be patient.”
I have to get out of here!
* * *
Kate examined the results from her cross-reference analysis. The results supported her initial findings: the mole was definitely in the TSS command ranks. And with some of the original list ruled out, the remaining list was frighteningly short. How could any of them do this?
The Agents and senior militia officers were all old friends. Family, really. Some had trained her, others had been her classmates. They’d been through battles together and celebrated the happiest moments in her life.
Encrypted communication logs were buried deep within the TSS Mainframe. Someone was talking to a contact outside the TSS and didn’t want anyone to know about it.
Kate didn’t know what to do with the information. Eight names, and Banks was one of them.
* * *
Cris was restless. The hours of waiting for Matt to finish the jump drive modifications felt like an eternity. How much longer is this going to take? He stood up from his command chair to yet again pace the room.
Alec, Kari and Scott looked equally anxious.
“They have to be getting close,” Scott ventured.
What’s taking so long? “I’m sure it’s more complicated than it seems.” Cris crossed his arms, then immediately uncrossed them. There was no way to get comfortable.
“We just lost communications again,” Kari reported.
Another reset? “Maybe they finally got the right combination.” Cris bit his lower lip in nervous anticipation.
The tension in the room was palpable as they waited for the navigation and communications systems to come back online. After three minutes of anxious anticipation, there was a brief flash as the controls refreshed.
Alec looked over his console. He smiled. “Jump drive is idling.”
Thanks the stars! Cris collapsed into his chair. “Get our course locked in.”
“Aye.” Alec got to work.
There was a buzz at the center console. Cris accepted. “Command Center.”
“Everything look good on your end?” Matt asked over the intercom.
“Whatever it is, they don’t pay you enough,” Cris replied.
“Be sure to note that in my next review.” Matt paused. “Now, for the record, I must again state that I advise against a quick start of the jump drive.”
“Noted.” Cris took a deep breath. At least if it blows, we’ll be obliterated before we know something went wrong. “Kari, let Headquarters know we’re on our way. Alec, head out when ready.” He ended the communication with Engineering.
“Course locked in,” Alec said. “Let’s hope this jump is less eventful than the last.”
* * *
The message from the Vanquish was simple: “Jumping now. Talk to you on the other side.” It was everything Banks needed to know for the time being. Thank the stars they’re back on course! He breathed a deep sigh, the weight lifted from his chest. But what am I going to tell Cris when he inevitably asks me why all this is happening?
Banks lay down on the couch in the center of his office, a new unease taking hold. He stretched out and stared up at the plain gray ceiling. He tried to clear his mind. I really should install a holographic projector for the ceiling. I spend enough time in here.
Letting out a long breath that was almost a groan, he took off his tinted glasses and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. Everything could fall apart at any moment. I can’t avoid it. He shifted on the couch but couldn’t find a satisfactory position. What had started as a dull ache in his gut had grown into a queasy sickness that had left an acrid taste in the back of his throat. The more he tried to suppress the feeling, the more the underlying thoughts intruded his mind.
They’re heading straight into a war zone and don’t even know it. Admitting the reality only intensified the feeling. Banks wrapped his arms around himself and pressed into the couch. The enemy has the Cadicle—our Primus Elite. Without him, we’ve lost the war. It was too much to accept. There was hope, there had always been hope. The Primus Elite would turn the tide in the war and finally give them the edge they needed. Not right away—it had been such a long time to wait for everything to come into place—but it was finally coming together. Another decade and it could have been over. But without him… There’s nothing we can do.
Banks knew he needed to tell the others about what had happened. The Primus Elite’s capture changed everything. But telling them means I’ve given up on Cris, too. I can’t do that, not yet. He sat up and took a deep breath. There’s still a chance.
A buzz at the door startled Banks. He rose to his feet and quickly restored his tinted glasses. “Come in.”
Haersen entered, carrying a tablet. “Hello, sir. I finished my secondary review of the entry logs like you requested.”
Right, we still have a traitor among us. Banks suppressed a wave of nausea. “Did you find anything?”
“How much do you know a
bout Matt Nomalor?” Haersen asked.
What about him? “He’s a fantastic engineer. Exemplary record. Cris always spoke highly of him.”
Haersen nodded slowly. “Do you know why he left the Vanquish previously?”
Banks shook his head. Not as a traitor… “I don’t recall. I know he took some remote assignment. I hadn’t seen him for several years until he volunteered for the rescue mission.”
“His return this morning struck me as more than a coincidence. I looked into where he’s been stationed in the Kaldern System, and it’s near some of the newer reports of Bakzen activity.” Haersen brought up a holographic map on his tablet and showed it to Banks.
“That doesn’t prove anything.”
“No, but it starts to look suspicious when his arrival at the spaceport corresponds with the timing of the break-in to Headquarters,” Haersen continued. “He volunteered for the mission, and then there was a mechanical system failure on his watch.”
Banks crossed his arms. “Sabotaging a ship he’s on?” That doesn’t make any sense.
“Well, that part might just be an unfortunate coincidence,” Haersen conceded. “The ship hadn’t been through thorough field testing since the maintenance. Any number of things could have gone wrong.”
“Still, the rest…”
“Sir, it does fit,” Haersen continued. “He returns just in time to help the Bakzen gain access to Headquarters, and then immediately gets on a ship that will take him directly to his conspirators.”
“It’s all circumstantial.” Are they being led into a trap? Stars! Who can we trust?
“Circumstantial is all we have, sir,” Haersen countered. “The logs are all wiped. And top Militia credentials and the right engineering know-how are what it would take to do that.”
I still can’t believe Matt would work with the Bakzen. If he could be turned, so could anyone. “What would be the motivation? I don’t see it.”
Haersen shook his head. “I couldn’t begin to speculate. Sometimes it’s surprising how little is needed to put a person over the edge.”
Too many improbable things have happened to rule out any possibility. “I’ll pass on the information to Cris. It’s his friend, his crew. We can’t do anything from here.”