by James Palmer
“Nag, nag, nag,” Silver muttered, hoping she could not hear him.
Unfortunately for him, she heard him just fine.
Smiling, despite herself, Virginia Harmon climbed up after him.
At the bottom of the ladder Ensign Bailey regarded the other officers from the Pegasus with awe and a good bit of jealousy. He had never served under a superior officer that treated all of her subordinates with the type of respect that Captain Harmon had showed to these two junior officers.
“I’ve got our six,” he volunteered.
“You got it,” Hanover said as he started up the ladder.
As Officer Hanover climbed up the ladder behind his captain and Dr. Silver, Bailey rechecked the charge on his blaster. Eighty percent charge remained.
The remaining officer from the Pegasus reached into her duffel bag and pulled out three spare energy clips. “You might need these,” she said, handing them over to him.
She smiled as she introduced herself. “Stephanie Walsh.”
“Richard Bailey,” he said, offering his hand, which she shook. “Everybody just calls me Bailey.”
“Bailey it is then,” Walsh said as she grabbed the first rung and pulled herself up. “You ready to go?”
“I’m on your six,” he said with a chuckle as he watched her climb. Fully loaded and well stocked with ammunition, he was ready for action. Once Walsh reached the hole where the hatch had once been, Bailey began his climb.
Walsh waited there, scanning the room with her gun in case any uninvited guests crashed through the door after them.
“You’re clear,” she called.
Several floors above them the Operations Center was waiting.
He hoped the lieutenant and the others were alive when they got there.
28
Alliance Starship Ulysis
“Can someone please tell me where in the hell Admiral McKeen has disappeared to?”
Captain William Andrews was a touch irate as he paced back and forth across the bridge. His friend, and commanding officer, had seemingly vanished into thin air. All calls placed to his portable comm unit had gone unanswered. No one could recall seeing him for several hours. Nor had anyone heard from in that time and now the captain was more than a little bit worried.
“How the hell do you lose an admiral on a sealed ship?” he asked. “It’s not like he can go anywhere.”
“It’s a mystery, sir,” communication’s officer, Lt. Commander Andrea Hall answered.
“When was the last time anyone remembers seeing him?”
She scanned the report scrolling across her screen. “Last report had him going into the city zone,” Commander Hall announced from her temporary position at the captain’s command station.
“When?”
“He accessed a computer terminal just outside of the city limits four hours ago, sir.”
Captain Andrews took position just to the right of his seat at the command station. Commander Hall rose to return to her station, but Andrews put a hand on her shoulder, telling her to stay put.
“Get a security detail down there,” he ordered. “Have them look around quietly.” A second passed silently before he rescinded his last order. “No. Skip that. Just find him. If they have to bring him to the bridge flung over someone’s shoulder then that’s just what they have to do. Understand?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll get security on it A.S.A.P.”
“Thank you,” Captain Andrews said before heading back to his office. “I’ll be in my office if you need me, Commander. Notify me as soon as the admiral is found.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Abruptly the captain stopped, turned back to her. “Have the medical bay stand at alert. Have them bring up the admiral’s medical charts. Just in… just in case.”
She noticed the captain’s momentary slip. He was genuinely concerned for his friend, but tried not to let it show. As captain, he probably wanted to keep up appearances, to be a strong leader.
“I understand, sir,” Hall answered.
“Good. And recall Commander Maddox to duty. Have him take charge of the search.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once off the bridge and behind the closed door of his office, Bill Andrews felt a familiar pain in his gut. It told him that his friend was in serious danger. He just did not know what to do about it.
“Dammit Jim,” he whispered. “Where the hell are you?”
“Dammit Bill, where the hell are you?”
James McKeen had had worse days, but he was hard pressed to recall any at the moment. In the past four or five hours, it was hard to keep track, he had been attacked, taken hostage at blaster point, beaten repeatedly, and finally thrown into a small dark room.
Dark did not do the room justice. Black as pitch suited it much better. There was absolutely no light coming through. There wasn’t so much as a sliver from the edge of the door or a window. It was a perfect prison cell.
Sitting alone in the dark, Admiral McKeen could not help but reflect on the irony of the situation. Years earlier he had been held prisoner inside a cell very much like this one. He had escaped then. Had even managed to collect a small measure of vengeance against his captors. He had gotten revenge then and planned a repeat performance this time around. In some small way this was just the continuation of that earlier event. A part of him was still locked up in that cell, unable to escape.
“Just what I need,” he sighed. “Another prison cell. Some things never change.” Although his situation was anything but funny, he could not help but laugh.
His current situation, while unfortunate, spoke volumes.
First, it confirmed that he and Marshal Vortex were on the right track with their theory about the Earth Liberation League and their planned invasion of Earth.
Second, he now knew the Scavengers were involved. The two thugs that had interrogated him earlier used tactics very much like those of other Scavengers McKeen had the misfortune to encounter over the years.
Third, the attack on him only underscored the fact that the planned attack on Earth was happening soon. Possibly, he feared, it was most likely already underway.
Someone connected to the Earth Liberation League must have caught wind of his mission to the Ulysis. But what could they hope to accomplish by taking me prisoner?
His unknown assailants would not have attacked an Admiral in the Alliance military unless they felt certain he posed a specific threat to their plans, whatever they might be. Luckily for James McKeen, he was not the only person with this information. And he wasn’t a random target, of that he was fairly certain. They had targeted him specifically. The only question was why. What do they want from me? he wondered before the answer came to him. Unless they want to use me as leverage against Bill. That’s it. It has to be.
If the Earth Liberation League and a Scavenger faction had indeed combined their resources to invade Earth, it was conceivable they might very well succeed. Should they devise a means to delay the Ulysis long enough to keep it out of the fight, that could possibly turn the tide in their favor. If the enemy had enough ships at their disposal to effectively stand against the marshal’s forces, then the Ulysis might mean a loss for the invaders.
McKeen could not allow that to happen. It was important that the Ulysis take part in the admiral’s mission. This ship might be our only hope, he thought. That’s why they want this ship stopped.
He was determined not to let that happen. But, first things first, needed a way out of his prison cell.
“This may take some doing,” he told the empty room. “Find a door or hatch. Then I’ll show these Bastards just who they’re messing with.”
Despite his injuries, Admiral McKeen went to work.
“Captain!”
At a full run Captain William Andrews entered the Bridge from his office, buttoning his jacket as he moved to his command chair.
“Give me the bullet, please, Lieutenant Commander and go to condition one status. Red alert.”
&nb
sp; “Aye, sir,” Commander Hall replied. “There is an incoming priority message for you from an unknown location.”
“Unknown?” queried the captain.
“Yes sir. All I can tell you is that it is a local comm frequency. Other than that I am not certain. It could be coming from anywhere within fifty light years.”
“Get certain.” His meaning was clear. Find me a location. “Oh, and get Mr. Maddox up here. We’re in a state of alert. The first officer should be on the bridge.”
“Yes, sir. I’ve already placed a call to his comm unit. He’s on his way to the bridge. Should arrive any moment, Captain.”
“Good. Get cracking on that trace, Commander.”
At her commanding officer’s order, Commander Andrea Hall quickly vacated her seat. She had been in temporary command of the bridge since the first officer went off duty. She stepped aside as the captain reclaimed his station. Commander Hall returned to her communication’s console where she quickly rerouted the communication relays back to their previous settings. She then ran a trace on the incoming communiqué as her captain had ordered. She felt Captain Andrew’s eyes watching her, curious, but not rushing her. Once she was ready with the trace she nodded in his direction. “You’re on, sir,” she said softly.
“Go!” Andrews ordered, forceful and in control. The main screen flickered to life at his command.
A shadowy figure dressed in dark colors filled the screen.
From the angle of the camera and the static interference, Captain Andrews was unable to ascertain whether he is facing a man or a woman. Assuming the unclear transmission was intentional, to help disguise the person on the other end, he wondered why this person felt the need to hide his or her identity.
Terrorists usually wanted people to know who they were.
“I’m Captain William Andrews of the Ulysis. Who am I addressing, please?” Standard operating procedure dictated attempting a diplomatic approach first. Under normal circumstances, diplomacy was the course of action he favored. It never hurt to try to diffuse a volatile situation with words instead of torpedoes. The captain, however diplomatic, was also capable of fighting as talking.
This situation, however, was not exactly business as usual.
Without facts to support it, Bill Andrews sensed his friend was in danger.
“Who I am is of no importance,” the gravelly voice said. The audio transmission, like the visual, had been distorted to hide the caller’s identity.
Lt. Commander Hall was not amused. “Filtered,” she whispered, just loud enough so the captain could hear.
Andrews nodded. Message received.
The voice continued. “At present, this vessel is headed toward the planet Earth and will reach said destination in just under five hours.” It was not a question.
The captain’s eyes went wide. He noticed that Commander Hall had much the same reaction.
“That’s right, Captain,” the caller bragged. “We know everything.”
The captain smiled tightly, masking his annoyance. It was a practiced expression. One usually reserved for stuffy diplomats and boring admirals at parties. “Our flight plans are not a matter of Alliance security,” he said.
“Oh really?”
“As to our destination,” Andrews continued. “Well, it is a free galaxy, is it not?” His tone disclosed no hint of surprise at his adversary’s knowledge of the Ulysis and it’s destination, most of which was actually classified as top secret.
“No!” the gravelly voice cried out, then quickly attempted to regain composure. “No, Captain. The galaxy is not free. Living under the auspices of your precious Alliance, we cannot be free. Only those with money and power have any real freedoms. They are the ones with the freedom to move around the galaxy unencumbered. They are the ones that will not share their resources with those less fortunate than they.”
“Are you referring to the people of Earth?” the captain interrupted.
“Earth is but one small step on the path to righteousness. We shall be free and all our brethren across the cosmos shall join us in that freedom.”
“Free to do what?” the captain asked, interrupting again.
The question took the caller back a moment. For a moment, the caller was struck speechless, but as before, quickly regained control of the conversation.
“Why, free to live, Captain. Free to love. Free to be more than we can ever be under the oppressive thumb of the United Planetary Alliance.”
“Yes. Yes. I understand all of that. And I, for one, sympathize,” Andrews said truthfully. “However, there are laws that have been in place for many years that we have sworn an oath to uphold. I may not always agree with these laws, but I have not the power to change or to flat out ignore those laws. Nor do I plan to. That way lies madness.” He leaned back casually in the plush chair, addressing the figure on the screen as if they were old friends.
“Those laws are archaic!” the caller shouted, the calm reserve breaking under the captain’s inquiries. “Your laws pander to the wealthy, Captain! They are...”
“They are the law,” Andrews continued. “Any problems you have with the law can be taken up with the UPA legislature. I’m sure that your case can be...”
“I am not interested in...”
The captain continued talking as if the unidentified caller had not spoken. “Your case can be heard if you present it in a straightforward and concise manner. I’m certain that there are people who will listen to what you have to say.”
“Oh yes,” the caller said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Yes, I’m sure they will listen. That’s all they do is listen. They listen and they talk, but no action is ever taken. We must take another path.” The caller was becoming agitated, losing control. The captain’s verbal sparing was having its desired effect.
“Well,” Captain Andrews continued calmly. “I cannot speak for the legislature, obviously, but I promise you this; if you continue on your foolish plans to invade Earth, then no one will ever, listen to me, ever hear to what you have to say again. I want you to understand that. You are blowing any credibility you might have had. Is that what you want?”
The captain leaned forward, elbows balanced on his knees, waiting on the caller’s response.
“What I want is freedom for my people.”
“Aren’t the inhabitants of Earth human?”
“Human? Yes, but they are not my people.”
“Really?”
“I think you know what I mean, Captain. I’m beginning to think you don’t understand how serious we are, how far we’re willing to go for our cause.”
“Oh, I think I’m fully aware of how serious you are,” Andrews said, his voice never rising above normal conversation level. “I commend you for caring passionately about something. I also agree that something needs to be done in regards to Earth. But this is not the way. There are...”
“Enough, Captain! I do not wish to debate you on this further!”
“Okay.” Captain Andrews took a second, leaned back in his seat, making himself comfortable, buying Commander Hall a few extra seconds.
“Let us cut to the chase then, shall we?” Andrews asked after a brief moment. “What do you want from us?”
On the screen, the figure swiveled his/her head toward the captain’s general direction. Andrews imagined a puzzled look playing across the face of his adversary. This was not a tactic the person expected which was Andrews’ goal.
“What I… what we want is simple,” the voice continued. “I want you to stop this vessel immediately. Or we will be forced to stop it for you.”
“And how do you propose to do that?”
“Do not play games with me, Captain Andrews. We are everywhere. The galaxy is not as large a place as you like to imagine. Believe me when I tell you that we can destroy your ship with ease. And we will if you force us to by not cooperating.”
“How do I know you can be trusted?”
“You don’t. I just don’t think you have any choice in
the matter. Will you comply with our demands?”
“Can I think about it?”
“Of course you may, Captain. I’ll give you ten minutes to stop this ship.”
“Thank you,” Captain Andrews said flatly, standing up from his command chair. “I hope you believe me when I tell you that I want to end this peacefully.”
“Oh, I believe you, Captain. However, I also have one other thing that might interest you.”
Damn, Andrews thought. Here it comes.
“I spoke to a friend of yours earlier. He has decided to help us out, to support the cause as it were. He was something of a handful at first, but I think my associates have him under control for the time being.”
The captain stared into the screen, his eyes burning daggers at the caller. “Where is he?”
“Do you honestly expect me to tell you?”
Walking casually, but quickly toward the large screen at the front of the bridge, Andrews’ gaze never deviated from the distorted image of the person on the other end. He stared intently at the person who had just threatened the life of a respected military leader. “Let me tell you this,” he began, the threat clearly evident in his voice. “If you harm so much as one hair on the admiral’s head I will personally hunt you down and pull your spine out through your nose.”
He paused, his face impassive, showing no sign of the anger boiling just beneath the surface. His stare burned into the screen and the figure upon it. His threat was clear, his point made.
“You can believe that too,” he added, bringing his point home.
Andrews shifted his gaze from the caller to Commander Hall, then back again. He resumed staring at the person on the screen.
The man/woman/whatever feigned hurt. “Captain Andrews, I assure you that there is no need to for thre...”
“Screen off!” the captain commanded. As the image vanished, he made a beeline toward the rear of the Bridge to the communications station where Commander Andrea Hall waited.