by Saxon Andrew
“That was fast. His telepathic talent is developed enough?”
“I believe it is.”
“Bring him to my office. I want to make sure.”
“Be there in a few minutes,” Stoney answered.
Cami felt her reluctance to send Devin out where he might be killed. She looked up and screamed. After a moment, she took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on the fact that sending Devin back to New Sydney was the best way to use him. She sighed and looked up as Stoney and Devin entered her office. “Devin, Stoney tells me your telepathic talent is good enough to risk sending you back to the Colonies.”
“I’ve worked hard on developing it and I think I’m ready.”
Cami stared at him and ordered, “Make mental contact with Admiral Kelli Brown.”
“Where is she located?” Devin asked.
“That’s up to you to find out.”
Stoney looked at Cami, “Is this a fair test? Normally we would know where to look for the one we want to contact.”
“I can do it; he’ll have to do it as well before I approve him risking his life.” Stoney turned to Devin and Cami immediately ordered, “You will not assist him. Either he’s ready to go or he isn’t.”
Stoney closed his mouth and went to a chair. Cami wasn’t being fair, but this was out of his hands now. Devin stared at Cami and said, “I’m going to talk this through so both of you can hear how I’m going to do this.” Devin paused and said, “Ummm…when I go back to New Sydney, I’m going to have to be able to contact the scouts you have observing the planet. I believe you want to determine if I’m capable of doing that, so I believe this Admiral Brown isn’t on the planet but is on a ship. That’s where I’ll start my search and move back to searching the planet if I don’t find her.” Cami kept her expression neutral and was pleased Devin figured out Kelli wasn’t on the planet…but he would still have to find her.
Devin was silent for a moment and then he sent a thought, “Coco, do you know a Kelli Brown?”
“Yes?”
“Who is she?”
“She’s Fleet Admiral Justin Brown’s wife and second-in-command. I like her a lot.”
“Thanks Coco.” Devin saw Cami frowning and he said, “You didn’t put any limitations on how I could search for her.” Devin paused and thought again, “Captain Glennon, can you tell me the name of Admiral Brown’s Flagship?”
“It’s the Red Rock, Devin.”
“Thank you Captain.” Devin looked up and a few moments later they heard Kelli ask, “Why are you trying to contact me?”
“I’ve been ordered to try by Cami Henricks.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Devin McKay.”
“I’ve not met you yet. You’re the spy sent here from the Colonies, aren’t you?”
“I’m one of them.”
“Tell Cami hello for me.”
“I will Admiral.” Devin looked at Cami, “Admiral Brown said to tell you hello.”
“I don’t like you used outside sources to find her,” Cami stated.
“I’ll do the same thing when I get back to New Sydney. I’ll probably depend on my telepathy most of the time, but I will utilize every tool possible if I need to,” Devin replied.
Cami blew out a breath and turned to Stoney, “I hate putting his life on the line but I’m guilty of being too careful a lot of the time. What do you need to pull this off?”
“We’ll need a large military freighter lifting from Britannia tonight to deliver stores to the ships in Britannia’s fleets on station.”
“You’re doing this tonight?!”
“I can’t give the scout tracking me too much time to think about this,” Devin responded. I’m leaving here an hour before that freighter is scheduled to lift and tell the Scout I’ve uncovered critical information only for the Prime Minister. I’ll also tell him that I believe I was detected by a telepath in the building, but they didn’t get a firm fix on me. I’ll say that my time here is over and I can’t risk being discovered by the telepaths here.”
“I can have that scout removed,” Cami offered.
Devin shook his head, “Not without revealing you can detect it and that would give away that we can see their ships. I also believe that if the scout’s ship is destroyed, the self-destruct device in my ship will automatically activate.”
Cami stared at Devin, “You’re sure you want to do this?”
“I am.”
Cami pressed her communicator, “Connie, do we have a freighter ready to deliver provisions to the outer fleets?”
“I have one scheduled to lift in five days, Sir.”
“Schedule it for departure at 6:30 this evening.”
Sir, the crew isn’t on board.”
“Then get them moving Connie! I want that freighter lifting promptly at 6:30!”
“Yes Sir.”
Cami turned to Devin, “What time will you be leaving here?”
“Forty-five minutes before it lifts Sir.” Cami glanced at Stoney and nodded to Devin.
Chapter Seven
Cami contacted Sweets, “Devin is making his escape attempt tonight. He’s following a freighter into orbit and I want his ship left alone if it’s detected!”
“Thanks for telling me. I’ll make sure our sentries don’t take any action for the next four hours.”
“Thanks Sweets.”
• • •
Devin waited inside the front entrance and prepared by getting his mind worked up. He had changed into a jogging suit he kept in his locker and he started running in place to get his heart rate up. He glanced at his wrist and rushed out of the entrance running away from the building. “I’VE GOT TO LEAVE IMMEDIATELY!!”
“Whoa, what’s going on?” The scout responded.
“I’VE UNCOVERED SOME CRITICAL INFORMATION THAT ONLY THE PRIME MINISTER CAN HEAR!! I THINK I’VE BEEN DETECTED BY ONE OF THE TELEPATHS IN THE BUILDING AND I BELIEVE THEY’RE STARTING A SEARCH FOR ME!!”
“You can’t leave without your ship being detected!”
Devin forced his mind to slow down as he continued to run down the street, “I’ve learned from an officer leaving the building earlier that a military freighter is lifting in forty minutes to take provisions out to their outer fleets. I’m going to move in close to that freighter and follow it into orbit. They won’t be able to detect me if I stay close to it.”
“Tell me what you’ve uncovered.”
“Only the Prime Minister can hear what I’ve uncovered! It can’t be trusted to anyone else! I’ll meet you on the other side of the star!”
The scout’s heart started beating rapidly. His orders were to destroy the telepath’s ship and make sure he died on it. But…he insisted he had critical information that the Prime Minister had to hear. He fought with what to do until the telepath contacted him, “I’ve lifted above the forest and moving over to the freighter. If they detect me, I’ll self-destruct my ship.”
The scout knew that destroying the telepath’s ship was no longer an option; now that it was out of the forest and above the planet’s surface, destroying it would reveal its existence; he had waited too long to decide. He blew out a forceful breath and watched the giant freighter on the planet’s surface start to rise into the evening sky.
Devin smiled. The scout expected to be notified before he lifted the ship, but he lifted it without contacting the scout.
• • •
Cami pressed a button and said over the telepathic communicator, “Captain Adams, have you detected anything around your ship?”
“It’s funny that you ask, Sir. There is a small anomaly between the rear stabilizers.”
“You will ignore that anomaly! Continue on your present course!”
“Yes Sir.”
Cami sat back and watched the giant freighter moving into the dark sky. She had done everything within her power to get Devin safely away. Now it was up to him.
• • •
The giant freighter moved into high orbit and acti
vated its gravity drives. Devin moved away from it and headed toward the central star in the system. He contacted the scout, “I’m away and I’ve not been detected. I’m headed toward the star and I’ll be over it and on the other side in an hour. I’ll meet you then.”
“I’ll be waiting,” the scout replied.
• • •
Devin flew the small ship into the warship’s landing bay and exited the ship. He went to the bridge and sat down in a chair beside the scout. “Care to tell me what’s so important?” the Scout Pilot asked.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”
“Why not? You can trust me.”
Devin turned to him and shook his head, “That’s just it; I can’t trust anyone with this information.”
“I was planning to connect you with the Prime Minister and allow you to tell him what’s going on.”
“I will not divulge what I’ve uncovered over a communication frequency. Please set up a meeting with the Prime Minister and I’ll tell him in person what’s going on.”
“I believe Admiral Bellemy will insist on debriefing you first,” the Scout replied.
“If you want to be executed for not taking me directly to the Prime Minister, be my guest.”
“Is it that serious?!”
“Even more than you think.”
The Scout stared at Devin and contacted the Prime Minister’s First Assistant. After a brief discussion with Devin, the scout was ordered to report to the Prime Minister’s office at his best possible speed.
• • •
Cami looked up and said, “Our scouts at New Sydney report that the scout ship took Devin directly to the Prime Minister’s office. He’s on dangerous ground now and it’s up to him to stay safe.”
Stoney nodded and stared at Cami, “What’s wrong?” Cami started to say ‘nothing’…but didn’t. Stoney saw her reluctance and asked, “You’re worried about stopping the Colonies, aren’t you?”
“I just don’t see anyway to make that happen. I’m open to suggestions,” Cami replied.
“You have to wait for the right moment to arrive and show your hand. Until then, you have to prepare for the worst to happen.”
Cami nodded, “That’s exactly what I’m doing.” Cami paused and added, “I do intend to ultimately confront the Prime Minister and show the Colonies what a despicable person he is.”
Stoney raised a shoulder, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Oh? Why not?”
“Do you remember what happened when you confronted me at that bench with the truth?”
“I do.”
“What happened?”
“You refused to believe me.”
Stoney nodded, “I felt that you would lie or do anything to protect Britannia and that your word couldn’t be trusted. Why would the Colonies feel any different? All they’d see is a young woman they know nothing about telling them things that aren’t believable. They’d reject you out of hand.” Stoney paused and then added, “What changed my mind was having the Connors reveal what was happening. The messenger is often times more important than the message. You should keep that in mind.” Cami nodded slightly and Stoney smiled, “Besides, I don’t see anyway you could confront the Prime Minister and Parliament.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Do you think you’re going to be allowed to just land and prance into Parliament? Your ship will be shot down before it entered New Sidney’s atmosphere. The only way you could do that is to defeat the Colony’s fleets and then you’ll enter Parliament as a conqueror; I suspect no one in the Colonies would listen to you under those circumstances.” Cami’s eyes narrowed and Stoney asked, “What?”
“We need to make a trip.” Cami thought, “Sweets, I need you and Coco to come to my office immediately.”
“What’s going on?”
“I need to take Coco with me on a trip to the Core.”
“If she goes, I go!”
Cami nodded, “I suspect Charlie will also insist on going. Bring him to my office with you and Coco.”
Stoney looked at her, “What are you planning?”
“I intend to find a way to speak to the Prime Minister and Parliament. Do you want to come along?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
• • •
Charlie lifted the warship and moved into the tube. He waited for the door to open and he glanced over his shoulder at Cami, “Are you sure about this?”
“It’s time Charlie.” Charlie shook his head and Sweets put her hand on his shoulder. The tube’s door opened, Charlie flew the ship out, and moved in below a freighter that was lifting into orbit to move around the planet. He stayed under it until it left Britannia’s atmosphere and then flew away on a course directly away from the closest Colony Scout. “Where to Cami?”
“Take me to the Triangulum’s Capital Planet. I’ve scheduled a meeting with their elected leader to discuss their transition to living in the Milky Way.”
“Will this take long?”
“Relax Charlie. I have Admiral Tyers taking over your responsibilities. Besides, I need you to know the current situation at the Core. You and Sweets will be commanding the Triangulum Fleets during any conflict with the Colonies. One purpose of making this trip is for you to meet with them and give them a chance to get to know you.”
“You’ve not said anything about that to us!” Sweets interrupted.
“Why do you think I’ve not assigned you and Charlie to any of our fleets? You’ve been involved with the Triangulum Civilization since the start and understand them better than anyone else on Britannia. I suspect that Devin will stir up the Prime Minister and it’s time to start preparing for a possible war with the Colonies.”
“If we’re going to be commanding their fleets, our place is out here getting them organized and ready,” Charlie stated.
“I realize that,” Cami replied. “This is the first step before you move out here. I’ve delayed it because I needed Coco to assist me on several issues. I’m assuming you won’t leave her with me when you move to the Core.”
Sweets glanced at Charlie and his eyes narrowed. Sweets knew what he was thinking, and she turned to Cami, “I’m not so sure that isn’t a good idea.”
Cami’s head went back, “I assumed you would insist on her being with you.”
Charlie stared at his console and said over his shoulder, “She would be safer on Britannia, especially if we are going to lead a war fleet against the Colonies’ Navy. I suspect we’ll also be the only humans working with the Triangulum Galaxy. We will not take her into a combat zone.”
Sweets looked at Coco, “Would you be alright staying with Cami for a while?”
Coco shook her head. “Why not Coco?” Coco hesitated and Sweets encouraged her, “Tell us what’s bothering you.”
“You and Daddy will be with aliens.”
Cami smiled, “And you’re worried they might not be safe with them, right?” Coco nodded. Cami hugged her, “Wait to decide until you’ve had the opportunity to meet them, then you can decide, Ok?” Coco looked up at Cami for a moment and then nodded.
Charlie set the course into the navigation system and turned around, “That’s why you wanted her on this trip?”
“Yes. I need to be sure about the Triangulum Civilization’s intentions and whether or not they can be trusted.”
“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?” Sweets asked. “You’ve given them our technology and they’re building warships that match ours.”
“Yes, but we can now detect those warships and they can’t detect ours,” Cami replied. “This trip is to also determine if we can give them our new dark matter scanner technology.”
“You’re not saying something,” Stoney interjected.
Cami looked at him with a furrowed brow, “How do you figure?”
“You gave them our technology before determining they can be trusted; that doesn’t sound like something you would ordinarily do.”
> Cami rolled her eyes, “I think you’re getting to know me too well.”
“Why did you do that?” Charlie asked.
Cami sighed, “What happens if we lose the war with the Colonies? I want them to be able to defend themselves, the Grang, and DoRen. They have more than two thousand planets and they can build up their forces such that they can hold off the Colonies given enough time.”
“If they can’t be trusted, they would represent a danger to Britannia,” Sweets stated.
“That’s why we’re making this trip now. We can handle them currently and I must decide if we will allow them to continue building up their fleets.”
Stoney shook his head, “Boy! This trip is a lot more intense than I thought. How long have you been planning to do this?”
“About a year,” Cami answered.
“Is there a reason you’ve chosen to do it at this particular moment?” Sweets asked.
“Yes. I have to decide what to do about the Grang and DoRen and I need to know how they’ve been interacting with the Triangulum planets. Now is as good a time as any, and probably better than waiting another six-months.”
“Does the Triangulum Civilization suspect you’re coming to test their loyalty?” Stoney asked.
Charlie snorted, “How could they not; that civilization is not stupid and all of a sudden Cami orders a meeting with them.”
Cami’s mouth pursed, “I didn’t order a meeting; I requested a meeting.”
“They know why you’re coming Cami. I suspect this meeting might be more than you anticipated.”
“Why do you say that Charlie?”
“If they’re sincere about being a trusted ally, then they’ll be doing everything they can to convince you. If they can’t be trusted, they will attempt to hide their motivations.”
Cami smiled, “And that’s why I have Coco here. We’ll learn if they can be trusted and they won’t be able to hide it.”
“I wish you had brought a fleet along with us,” Sweets said with a sigh.
“If I did that, I would be giving away that they’re being tested.”
“They couldn’t detect it,” Sweets added.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Cami replied. “We don’t know much about their technology and it’s not worth the problem of bringing a fleet if they manage to detect it.” Cami turned to Stoney, “Do you agree?”