Bounty's Call

by Max Jager

  "What did you want to do this evening?" Jameson ventured absently as they stopped at one of the overlooks.

  Strange lounged back against the seat dreamily, her eyes unfocused as her mind took her to distant shores. "I wish we could leave the Station. Go for a quick jaunt."

  Jameson smirked. "Well, we are some of the highest ranking officers. I'm sure I could get it approved. Tonight even."

  Strange shook her head, giggling. "Not where I want to go."

  "Well you haven't told me yet."

  She paused for effect, smiling. "I'd like to go to Andorra."

  "The Capitol?" Jameson said, blinking surprised.

  "It's the cultural hub of human expansion from the earliest eras of interstellar travel. Art, music, food…everything you could ever imagine is blended all together there. It has some of the most beautiful scenery in the galaxy. I know it's easily two weeks journey from us, but it still would be nice to go there someday."

  Jameson chuckled, getting lost in those pale aquamarine eyes of hers. "Maybe we can't go tonight, but I think I can make it up to you in time. How would you like to go with me to Andorra? When we get our first real shore leave?"

  Strange smiled deeply, closing her eyes as if off in some vision of their future visit. Jameson could almost see the deep magenta oceans of Andorra now.

  "I think that would be magical."

  Jameson was just content to sit here with Strange for the time being, soaking up in her joy of the moment. But apparently the universe had other plans.

  Footsteps clacked off the tile floor, heralding the arrival of another figure in an Intelligence black uniform. Jameson glanced up with annoyance, recognizing the sneer of perpetual annoyance that accompanied the stiff uniform.

  "Commander Arkus," Jameson greeted coolly.

  Commander Lats Arkus, with his stupid parted blond hair and self-important air ignored Jameson. Instead, he focused in on Strange, hands held behind his back.

  "Strange, you haven't responded to my summonings," he grumbled.

  Strange didn't look up at Arkus, her gaze still focused out the view port into space. "That's not true; I told you to tell Axus I wasn't interested."

  Jameson blinked, turning his focus to Strange. There was a subtle smirk playing on her features.

  "I'm no one's messenger deliverer," Arkus snapped. "Axus sent me now to escort you at once."

  Strange exhaled, turning to face Arkus finally. Jameson couldn't help the red flush washing over his face. So Axus was still trying to recruit Strange? Now that his vote of opposition was overruled by Command, this was his next best attempt to piss on Jameson's day? Try to recruit Strange?

  "You know," Strange began, "for someone who is not a messenger, it seems like that's exactly why you were sent here now."

  Arkus's left eye twitched, his gaze remaining forced. "You are an officer of the Intelligence branch," he began, his words under forced steadiness. "When your superior calls an audience, you will respond."

  Strange exhaled again, getting to her feet. Jameson followed, knowing she had no escape out of this. She could deny Axus's requests to join his Flotilla, but she was obligated to at least hear them out.

  "Sorry, Jameson," she said, leaning in and kissing him once. "I guess I have to go along with the messenger boy for a bit."

  Jameson smirked, catching Arkus fuming out of the corner of his eye.

  "How about we meet up for a space walk in time for Warwick's aurora later?" said Strange.

  "Sounds good to me."

  He watched as she followed obediently behind Arkus back down the corridor, away from the main promenade. Hopefully this would be a short affair.

  Knowing Axus, though, Jameson would have to keep close tabs on whatever happened next. It was really quite irritating how much Axus had gone to such lengths as of late to harass him. Who knew what he was planning with Strange?

  Message

  Chapter 7

  Message

  * * *

  The Mediterranean Expanse

  Aspansiz Star System, Planet Aspansiz

  Uncharted Canyon Complex East of Peoria

  * * *

  Present Day

  She looked different.

  Strange's once short cropped raven hair was now just below her shoulders, flowing platinum blonde. And whereas Jameson had almost always seen her wearing the rigid and intimidating dark colors of Intelligence, she now wore a simple white robe that flowed down around her feet, leaving only her arms bare.

  For a moment, Jameson wasn't sure he was seeing the same person. But those pale aquamarine eyes were still the same. Those and that curt, almost mischievous smile. The rest was so much different.

  After gawking for a moment, Jameson blinked, realizing she was inappropriately dressed for the climate. No one could have hiked this far out into the prairie wearing only those white robes. There wasn't a speck of dirt on her person, let alone a tan or burn from being out in the sun for so long. She almost looked angelic in the glaring late afternoon sunlight.

  "What, don't I at least get a hug?"

  The spry humor was still the same. Jameson walked around the edge of the jetbike, hesitating a few steps from her. Part of him did want to hug her; another part of him wanted to turn away and run now. Who was this strange creature masquerading as an old friend? A dead friend, no less.

  "You're dead, Strange. I saw your name on the list of casualties. You and too many other friends."

  Strange smirked, chuckling slightly. "You did note the part where they said a body was never recovered?"

  Jameson started. "That was an H1 explosion! There weren't any bodies in the debris of the Station to recover! You should be less than ash."

  "Less than star dust," Strange added, her eyes growing distant.

  This was insane. Jameson closed his faceplate's vocal stereo. He then boosted the power to his transmitter.

  "Mathison, please tell me you're getting this. What the hell am I looking at right now?"

  Only static responded to his call. Jameson tried calling a few more times, but whatever was interfering with their signal was impenetrable at the moment. So he did the only thing he could; he lifted his faceplate, staring at Strange with his own eye; the one still intact after the explosion.

  Her expression softened as she saw his face finally. He still wasn't sure how she had known it was him with his faceplate down, but now there was a certain sorrow as she stepped forward, cupping his chin with one hand.

  Strange closed her eyes, sighing deeply. "Jameson…I'm so sorry."

  For a moment he was lost in the touch of her skin against his face. It brought back all sorts of memories; some pleasant, others infuriating.

  He took a step back from her touch, his gaze hardening. "I want to know why the hell you're here. Why you went to all the trouble of disappearing after everything with the Peacemaker Fleet. And…"

  Jameson hesitated, feeling his face flush red again.

  Strange seemed to perceive his last, unspoken question. "And how I could ever have left you for Axus?"

  Jameson growled lowly, breaking her gaze to look out over the gorge. Even more than having seen her name on a list of the dead, it was still infinitely more painful to have that particular memory. The memory of another lover stolen by that bastard.

  "It's because of Axus that I am here."

  That made Jameson whip around to face her again. The usual carefree wonderment on her face was replaced by a stone cold seriousness that demanded his attention.

  "You need to understand something Jameson. My time in the Gibraltar Fleet…it was a sort of break from things. Call it an escape if you will. I just needed to forget about things, and joining the Fleet…well, it was easy. I was already a genius, and for a military that demands little from the geniuses it employs to plan wars, I didn't have to do much. So I conveniently forgot about whatever else was important and just played soldier for awhile.

  "What I didn't realize at the time was that I had been drawn t
o the Fleet because I was being drawn to Axus. He had a certain air of destiny about him that I wasn't aware of at first; but I began to know it with more certainty the longer I was aboard the Station. Axus was going to be a very important person."

  Jameson stared wide-eyed at the woman he thought he had known all those years ago. The way she talked…it was all nonsense. And yet, with the hindsight that he had after six years, he couldn't help but feel some truth to her words. Could she have somehow known the kind of figure Axus would be to history?

  "After that stunt he pulled with the Station, I needed to disappear. I needed to wake up and return to my purpose for being here. With the disarray of the Fleet, I wasn't sure anyone else would pursue him. I tried for awhile, but he is one of the cleverest individuals I have followed in a long, long time. So it's been hit and miss for the last four years.

  "And then, quite unexpectedly, I found out about a relatively new bounty hunter in the Expanse that was making waves. When I heard his name was Jameson…" Strange smiled, chuckling to herself. "I knew it had to be you. So I kept my eye open for the sort of bounty you wouldn't pass up. I knew you would show up here. I knew I would find you."

  "But why?" Jameson said, finally finding his voice. "Why was it so damn important that you find me?"

  Strange's gaze hardened. "Don't pretend innocence. I know exactly why you took the title bounty hunter. You're seeking vengeance. You're rounding up everyone in Axus's little club and bringing them justice. But you're also looking for Axus, and that is the most important part of it all. You must keep pursuing him, because no one else will. History has deemed him a one act wonder. But there is so much more he is planning."

  Jameson gaped, struggling to find new words. "I don't understand. He accomplished what he set out to do. He stopped the Peacemaker Fleet. And what are you doing now? If he's so dangerous, why haven't you found him yet? Why have you given up?"

  Strange inhaled, turning to gaze out over the gorge. Something troubling rested in her expression.

  "It's not my part to play," she finally said aloud. "You two always had destinies that crossed. I think in the end you are the one meant to stop him. Or at least come very near to it."

  She turned back to face him, producing something from an unseen pocket within her robe.

  "My part it seems is to play a messenger. And so I have a message for you, Jameson."

  She opened her palm, revealing a data storage drive. Jameson took it from her, his armor's internal computer immediately downloading the stored data inside. He couldn't see it yet, his faceplate and HUD still retracted.

  "Most of it consists of intercepted transmission from a Draconian operative named Jaxx. You've heard of him, I assume."

  Jameson nodded wordlessly. Jaxx was a famous name in the Fleet; he headed up Draconia's counter-intelligence division and had singlehandedly claimed no responsibility for the destruction of the Peacemaker Fleet. Not that it would have made much difference if he had out rightly said the Draconia paid traitors to destroy it. Gibraltar wasn't in any position right now to wage an offensive war.

  "Jaxx is planning on meeting with someone within Gibraltar; someone who had a hand in the Peacemaker Station event."

  Jameson pocketed the storage drive. "You think it's Axus? You think Jaxx coordinated the Peacemaker event with him?"

  Strange shrugged. "I don't know how involved Jaxx was with that. But the transmissions I intercepted detail the location he plans to meet with this insider. And I believe if you follow them, you will find Axus there. And when you find Axus…it will change everything."

  Jameson stared her down long and hard. Those same feelings that had drawn him out here to Aspansiz and even possibly to Strange came washing back over him. He didn't fully understand everything she had told him or why he should believe her. And yet he did. Something told him that she spoke truth and that his next move would be imperative.

  The best part was that it didn't change anything. Axus was the crowning achievement of bringing in each of the Fleet traitors. Jameson would never be satisfied with thugs like Macormak until he had the one that had tormented him during their years at the Station. Axus would always be his final target.

  And Strange had practically hand-delivered him to Jameson.

  "I don't know why you're doing any of this," he began; "why you didn't just stop Axus yourself. But I have to thank you for saving him for me. You…you don't know what this means."

  Strange smiled sadly. "I have some idea. After all, I let him charm me away from you once. That certainly gives me an inkling of what you feel."

  Jameson shrugged, shuffling on one foot nervously. "Yeah, well… What about you? What do you intend to do now?"

  Her smile transformed, mischievousness filtering into her eyes as she glanced off towards the evening sun. It was very reminiscent of the way she used to smile with him in their private moments a long time ago.

  "I have some more exploring of my own to do," she said. "Some things to seek out and clarify. Who knows, maybe we'll even cross paths again. It was nice getting to bump into you this time."

  She stepped forward, leaning in close to his face, kissing him once on the cheek. Her breath was warm on his face, but Jameson felt no tenderness or fond memories from times before. Scars and terrible memories had burned out any real feeling in his soul. Not even this ghost of a fond friend from years past could undo what horrors Axus had left instilled upon Jameson.

  Maybe this wasn't even Strange. Maybe it was all just a delusion. As far as Jameson was concerned, she had died with everything else good in his life when Axus betrayed the Fleet. This little act of intimacy on her part could all be a nightmare trying to undo his pursuit of a target.

  But at least he had something that might prove this moment was real.

  Strange turned away, wandering off along the edge of the precipice. Jameson watched her for a moment, but then turned and saddled up on his jetbike again. Grade had remained largely quiet through the whole ordeal, but seemed anxious to return to the chase.

  It was time to finish affairs with Giger.

  About halfway around the gorge, transmission opened up again with Mathison.

  "There you are!" the AI quipped. "I have no idea what that burst of interference was, but you're well outside of it now."

  "Where's Giger?" Jameson said, cutting to the chase. "He's riding an inferior bike. He may have a head start, but we can still catch him."

  "I'm uploaded fresh Sat data to your HUD. You won't be back to the Crimson any time soon, but he hasn't gone to ground. We will catch him."

  Jameson watched the fresh data plot a course through the canyons. To his utmost surprise, he saw Giger had stopped in a dead end canyon. Maybe he thought he lost Jameson too well for him to catch up.

  "By the way, what happened down there?" Mathison pressed. "Why did you stop for so long in the interference?"

  "I saw a ghost," Jameson replied simply.

  "A ghost? And it was worthwhile enough to hang around there for so long?"

  Jameson grinned. "Yes. Because now we might finally have a way to Axus after all this time."

  Victorious

  Chapter 8

  Victorious

  * * *

  Gibraltar space

  Columbia Star System, Planet Warwick

  Orbital Peacemaker Fleet Station

  * * *

  Five Years Ago

  "As you can see here, they finally got ship atmospherics working. Which means we can run some war games without having to come aboard with our vacuum suits."

  Blah, blah, blah. Torik sure could ramble when he got excited about something.

  Even though it was interesting to make one of their first tours of their flagship the Victorious this late into its construction, Jameson wasn't in the mood for Torik's lectures. Yes, it was nice they could finally breathe air aboard the damned thing. Yes, it was nice they had so many systems up and running.

  More than anything, Jameson was just trying to stay di
stracted from the throbbing anger pulsing beneath his conscious thought. Part of him wanted Torik to shut up about all of these random details, but another part of him was hanging onto his every word to keep from letting the anger overwhelm him.

  "You okay?"

  Jameson blinked, realizing that Torik had in fact shut up. They were paused at a junction towards a main lift system.