by Bob Cooper
Aidan stopped in mid-sentence, but everyone knew what he meant.
“Let me help,” Acey said, firing up her computer.
“My code deciphering software might work better. We can eliminate some of the noise.”
She analyzed the output from Aidan’s vision intensifiers and narrowed it down to two frequencies. She ran into the same challenge Aidan had—she wasn’t sure which one opened the device, or which one detonated it. Dirk checked his watch and looked at Raina, who was panting heavily. Only twenty-five seconds left before her life ended. She lay down on the ground and closed her eyes.
“Everybody just get away from me!” she screamed.
Aidan ignored her as he continued to analyze the frequencies.
She closed her eyes and accepted her fate.
“You need to pick a frequency and go with it,” Dirk said.
Dirk brushed Raina’s cheek with his hand comforting her.
Aidan and Acey chose the frequency that seemed the most likely to them.
“Five seconds. Activate it now!” Dirk yelled.
Aidan pushed the keys on his computer and activated the frequency through the vision intensifiers.
Dirk’s watch ticked the seconds away as he stepped back and shielded his face.
He heard a click as the device unfastened and fell to the ground just as Aidan scooped it up and hurled it over the ledge.
Raina opened her eyes and looked around to make sure she was in one piece. Aidan took a minute to catch his breath. Hillary and Acey helped Raina up, while Dirk gave Aidan a hand. He was still visibly shaken by the whole ordeal. Raina hugged him and Acey before they started back towards the temple where the King waited in the ship. The King watched as the group said their goodbyes to Chi and Tai-Som.
“You are always welcome here,” Tai-Som said.
“Perhaps someday you can visit us on Earth,” Acey replied.
“I would like that very much. Thank you for helping me free my mother.” Chi said.
As the craft lifted over the Temple, Hillary whispered goodbye and thanks to the Guardians.
The King turned to Hillary as they were landing. “May you someday return and visit us,” he said, smiling.
“Thank you,” Hillary replied with one more courtesy.
“He still has the hots for you,” Aidan teased.
They disembarked and were dropped off by the cruiser. It looked undisturbed from when they left it. Dirk entered the code, and the door opened followed by the gangplank unfolding to the ground. They rushed in and immediately prepared for takeoff. Dirk and Aidan were at the controls while Hillary and Raina secured their personal belongings.
Acey went to the farthest corner of the ship and sat out of sight of the others. She opened up her pack and saw the letters neatly tied with a red ribbon. The sight of them caused a deep, sinking feeling in her stomach and brought tears to her eyes. She looked around to see if anyone noticed, but they were busy getting the ship ready to leave. Untying the letters, Acey began to reread them, looking for any clues that she might have overlooked. Could Raina really be her half-sister as Dirk had said? It would be easy enough to test her genetic makeup to prove it one way or the other. Acey wanted to feel the kinship that Dirk felt, but she didn’t. At least not like Dirk did. Halfway through the letters, she looked up to see Dirk watching her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Did you read these letters?” she shot back without answering his question.
“Yes, I did. And even though I didn’t want to let you see them, I felt you had a right to understand for yourself about your parents. Granted, these letters don’t show them in a way a child should know a parent, but I hoped it would bring you closer to them. The fact that Raina is now part of our family could never change the relationship you and I have.
Acey needed to hear that from Dirk, and she felt more at ease.
“Try to understand what she has gone through,” Dirk continued. “I want Raina to be a part of our lives. I know you have some problems with that, but I believe down deep she is a good person.”
“We’re ready to launch, Aidan said realizing his lousy timing.
“I’ll be at the console when you’re ready.”
Dirk helped Acey up and hugged her. She felt very secure in his arms.
“Let’s just get home as quickly as possible,” she said.
“Buckle up! We’re out of here!” Dirk yelled, signaling Aidan to start the engines.
The star cruiser shot towards the horizon and then straight up. The G-forces kept everyone pinned to their seats as Dirk leveled off the craft.
“Any signs of O’Malley,” Dirk asked Aidan.
“Not yet. But I’m quite sure he’s looking for us.”
Acey studied Raina motionless in her seat. She looked devoid of any emotion, yet Acey knew she was in turmoil. The high cheekbones and jet-black hair were like she remembered from pictures of her father. Her hands and slender fingers also were similar.
***
O’Malley slammed his fist into his computer when the reports came back that Dirk had escaped and was heading back to Earth. Unable to locate Raina’s body, he assumed she somehow got away. He needed to get those tapes, and he needed Raina dead. Actually, he wanted them all dead, but then there was the matter of the Antares Codex. He needed to get it. But this was of secondary importance to eliminating Raina and the tapes. Without them, he would not be implicated, and Acey and the others would be put away for helping Dirk escape.
Franz signaled O’Malley that he had a bearing on their ship and that he better get back on board if they were to intercept them. O’Malley and his men rendezvoused with their ship and boarded just as Franz displayed the star cruiser on the big screen.
“There they are! They haven’t made the jump to hyperspace yet, but I suspect they will soon.”
“Lock in on their ion signature. That’s all we’ll have to follow them while they’re traveling in Warp speed. Make sure all the ships armaments are loaded and ready for use,” O’Malley ordered.
“Aye, Aye, Captain! Buckle up!”
***
Acey watched as Antares Proper faded into a big patch of black as a steady stream of stars whizzed by. She sat back in the nicely contoured and cushioned seat feeling secure and comfortable. Phasing out, Acey saw images of her parents. Dirk was the only parent she knew, and she wondered how her life would have been with her mother and father to raise her.
A gentle jarring sensation woke her from her thoughts. Aidan watched her coming back to reality.
“Hey! You’re needed at the con,” he said.
Acey noticed a worried look to his half-hearted smile.
“Is everything all right?” he asked.
“Yes. Dirk needs you upfront,” he said before walking away.
Something was clearly bothering him. He disappeared down the hatch as she walked over to Dirk. Hillary and Raina huddled around the main screen with him.
“What’s going on,” she asked.
“We intercepted a communication from the Citizen Guard. There is a fleet of ships waiting for us to enter Earth’s perimeter. We won’t be able to land without being captured.”
“Did O’Malley alert them?” Acey asked.
“I don’t think so,” came a voice from behind them.
They turned to look at Aidan.
“They want me.”
18
Acey looked at Aidan in horror, realizing his predicament. He broke the code of honor with the Citizen Guard and helped a suspected felon to escape. Acey felt terrible as Aidan pretended not to be concerned. Helping Dirk was always first on her mind, and then there was the revelation about Raina. She had not given much thought to Aidan’s situation, until now.
“Get ready for the hyperspace jump,” Dirk said feeding the last of the coordinates from Aidan into the computer.
They scrambled to their seats and buckled in. Raina sat next to Hillary. Acey and Aidan stayed close to Dirk. Acey closed her eyes and felt t
he rush of blood flood to her head. She reached out and held Aidan’s hand.
***
“I got a reading!” Franz yelled to O’Malley. “Their ion trail fits the signature we recorded earlier.”
“Good. Lock on to them and get ready to follow. We can’t let them get away this time. Are the weapons ready?” O’Malley asked.
“Yes, but we can’t use them until we come out of hyperspace,” answered one of his men.
“We’re ready. On your command, Boss,” Franz said.
“Get them!” O’Malley shouted.
***
Coming out of hyperspace to sub-light speed was always unsettling for Dirk. For all the times he’d done it, it still made him queasy. Most of the times, he was fine, but this time he blacked out and slumped over in his chair. Raina saw him first.
“Dirk!” she yelled, rushing out of her seat to him.
Aidan helped her get him out of his seat. They laid him on the floor until he finally came to. Dirk let out a string of curses as he became conscious.
“I’m alright,” he said, testing his balance as he stood up.
He wasn’t up for long when an explosion sent the cruiser reeling on its side and knocked out the artificial gravity generator. Aidan bounced off of Hillary as floated to the controls. Acey maneuvered to his side. Another blast hit them on the starboard side, crippling their ion drive system.
“It’s O’Malley!” Aidan shouted.
O’Malley brought the ship directly in front of the cruiser. Aidan put it on the main screen for all to see. They waited for what was to happen next. Dirk moved to the con. Life support systems were functioning. They had limited engine use, but warp drive was crippled.
O’Malley initiated communications and stared at the disabled cruiser. This had to look like an accident. There could be no evidence to the contrary. He had hatched a plan with Franz before they ever left Earth, and now it was time to execute.
“The probe is ready,” Franz said as if reading his mind.
“Good. Launch it on my command.”
O’Malley studied the ship as it leaned to its starboard side. He opened a channel and waited for them to beg for their lives.
Dirk saw the open channel and spoke first.
“O’Malley, it’s me you want. I’ll come aboard but let the others go.”
O’Malley smiled, hearing Dirk’s plea.
“You know I can’t do that. You all know too much. Besides, it would be less complicated if this is all settled here instead of on Earth.
He nodded to Franz to launch the probe. Aidan noticed a small blip coming from the underbelly of the ship.
“Something’s coming at us!” Aidan yelled.
Dirk cut off communications and pushed the existing engines to their limits. The cruiser responded by lurching in a forward motion sending them bouncing off the interior walls.
“It’s still coming at us,” Aidan shouted.
Dirk watched the object on the screen.
“That’s not a missile. It almost looks a scientific probe.
Aidan scanned the incoming projectile.
“We can’t outrun it. At our current speed, it should hit us in six minutes.”
Acey became nauseous from the weightlessness. She had experienced a loss of gravity several times before and never liked it. She headed over to Aidan and put her arm around him.
“It seems that the probe is packed with explosives,” he said to Dirk.
“Are our weapons functioning?” Dirk asked.
“Negative. The missile and laser systems are disabled. Two minutes to impact!” Aidan shouted.
“Don’t we have probes of our own on the cruiser? Maybe we can send them out as a decoy,” Acey asked.
“This is not exactly a scientific vessel,” Dirk replied.
Dirk feverishly examined the weapons cache on the cruiser. It was built for speed, not to fight. He noticed three torpedo bays that were empty and one that registered as loaded but not with a torpedo. He pushed himself off the con and sailed through the ship to the open hatch leading down to the cargo level. Diving down the hatch, he caught himself just as the bottom approached. Looking at the torpedo bay, he saw what he suspected and made his way back to the con.
“Thirty seconds to impact!” Aidan yelled.
Dirk launched the contents of the torpedo. It belched metal scrap and waste along with a bunch of incendiary and stun grenades. They ignited as they left the bay and lit up the surrounding space like a New Year’s Eve fireworks display. The shock waves rocked the cruiser. When the debris cleared, the probe had veered off track but was not destroyed. Their momentary relief didn’t last long.
“It’s coming at us again,” Aidan said.
Dirk uttered a curse and calculated the impact time.
“We have another five minutes before impact.”
“What do we do now? Raina asked.
“I have an idea,” Acey said.
“If we can use Aidan’s computer to analyze the electronic signature of the probe, we might be able to divert it.”
“I can feed the scanner output into the computer,” Dirk replied, giving the commands to the scanner.
Acey fired up Aidan’s computer holding it steady on her lap while Aidan swung around. He referenced a database of signatures and their propulsion systems.
“Scanning,” Dirk said, looking to see if Aidan was getting the signals.
“Got it! I’m sending the frequency to the ship’s computer now. You need to transmit it to the probe,” Aidan said to Dirk.
Dirk locked in the frequency and gave the computer the command to send the frequency. They held their breath as the probe continued towards them.
“Thirty seconds to impact. It’s having no effect,” Dirk said.
Aidan swung around and looked at the communications monitor. The signal needed to be amplified.
“Ten seconds to impact!” Dirk screamed.
All eyes focused on Aidan. He channeled all auxiliary power to the communication computer in an attempt to boost the signal. Warning lights flashed as the power drained from the life support systems. That did the trick. The probe stopped dead in its tracks. They cheered and hugged Aidan.
“Hold on. I have an idea,” Aidan said feeding instructions into the communications computer.
“What’s he doing?” Hillary asked.
“I’m not sure,” Acey replied.
On the monitor, they saw the probe start up again towards them.
“What are you doing?” Dirk shouted.
“Watch,” Aidan said.
The probe made a sharp turn narrowly missing their cruiser and headed for O’Malley’s starship. Aidan increased the speed, and it impacted the starship underneath its belly. The explosion sent blinding light to the monitor, knocking it out of commission momentarily. When it returned, the starship was smoking and leaning on its side. They each congratulated Aidan. He never did enjoy being the center of attention, and Acey could see his uneasiness.
“Let’s get out of here,” Dirk said, returning the power levels to normal.
“It’s going to take more time to get home with just impulse power. Probably another twenty-four hours,” Dirk calculated.
Aidan stared at the monitor. He was in no hurry.
***
O’Malley struggled back to the con and surveyed the damage. Through the thick smoke and shrieking sirens, he couldn’t see or hear anyone. Life-support systems were still functioning, but the main engines were not. Franz stumbled over to him and activated the main monitor. A black screen appeared.
“Can you get this thing steady again?” O’Malley asked, holding his head.
Franz queried the computer for a report on all systems. Propulsion and the gyro-sync systems were the most affected. There was a hull breach at the detonation spot, but the ship was built to automatically repair itself temporarily. It still needed attention to provide a permanent solution. He was able to restore communications to the monitors, and they blinked
continuously as they went through their re-boot scenarios. O’Malley saw an empty starfield—the cruiser was gone.
“Get this damn thing steady!” he barked at Franz.
Franz gave him a dirty look and left to rectify the situation. O’Malley knew he had to get to those tapes before they arrived at Earth. It was now a matter of survival, and nothing could stand in his way.
***
Dirk restored the anti-gravity systems and plotted a course through as many asteroid fields and gaseous nebulae as he could find. It was extremely dangerous, but if they were going to escape from O’Malley’s clutches, they needed to hide as much as possible. Acey watched his dexterity as he pushed buttons and glided his hands over the appropriate sensor screens. He was back in his element, doing what he did best. He made many treks with the Academy’s Star Ship, and he could recount every one.
Raina and Hillary helped Dirk read the navigation maps. Acey looked around for Aidan, but he was nowhere to be seen. The hatch was open, and Acey walked towards it, calling his name. When no answer came, she climbed down the ladder and found him in the storage area. He was deep in thought.
“Hi,” he said, smiling at her.
Acey walked in and sat beside him.
“You know, they’re waiting for me,” he said.
His tortured expression revealed his pain. Putting her arm around him, she snuggled into his warmth. He responded by pulling her closer and kissed her hard making up for lost time.
***
From her seat next to Hillary, Raina watched Dirk working the con, feverishly pushing buttons and monitoring the computer displays. The subdued light from the deck softened the wrinkles on his forehead as he worked. The silhouette of his trim and fit body defied his age. Hillary watched him too.
“He’s been like a father to me,” Hillary said almost knowing what Raina was thinking. “He and Acey have been there for me during some of my not-so-good times.”
“I really am sorry for what I did to him. If we get back to Earth, I will make sure that I testify the truth. He is the only family I have.”