by Bob Cooper
“Whoa, that sounds like heavy stuff. What do you need?” Tom asked again.
Aidan showed Tom a copy of the communiqué and explained about the artifact on Eris. “I need to get more information about why the artifacts found on Eris have national security implications,” Aidan continued.
“Jeez, Aidan. You know the Guard, and the IIA don’t play nice together. I really want to help you, but I’m not sure I can.”
Aidan knew he was asking a lot. Sharing information between the two agencies always proved difficult at best.
“Hey, whatever you can do, I appreciate it.”
They chatted for a while more before Tom left. Aidan finished his coffee and stared out the window.
***
The Brothers anxiously sat patiently on Acey’s sofa as she poured over the books to determine the financial impact of the cease-and-desist order on the company. Joe was also there. Jose’ finally broke the silence.
“So what is the bottom line? Are we going to stay solvent?” he asked, fidgeting.
“Let her finish,” Ignacio replied angrily.
Acey paid no attention to either of them as the financial numbers churned. The overhead monitor solidified into a cash flow analysis with a lot of red numbers popping up. The reports didn’t need much explanation.
“We will have enough income to pay our expenses and meet payroll for the next three months. After that, we’re in the red. And that doesn’t include the legal expenses for any lawsuit that we initiate.”
Ignacio looked at Jose’.
“We are screwed. How can they do this to us?
No one answered him.
“Okay, so why not halt our operation on Eris and let us continue elsewhere,” Ignacio said.
“I have a hunch. Joe, can you get a copy of the planned mining applications you sent to the mining bureau?” asked Acey.
***
Aidan announced to the receptionist that he had an appointment with Dirk Saunders. Dressed in a black business suit, sporting a new haircut and a clean-shaven face, he took a seat and clutched a leather briefcase.
“Mr. Saunders will see you now,” she announced.
Aidan walked into the office where Dirk met him with a handshake and a firm embrace.
“It’s so good to see you. How have you been? Dirk asked.
“Good,” he lied. “I’m back in town. Things are going good,” Aidan replied, reluctant to go into too much detail.
Dirk was forever grateful to Aidan for believing him and helping him to find the evidence needed to clear him from false murder charges. In the process, Aidan was dishonorably discharged from the Citizen Guard. Then there was Acey. He decided to let Aidan broach that topic when he was ready.
“So what can I do for you?” Dirk asked.
“Well, Raina hired me to do some investigative work for the case involving the mining company. She asked me to find out about why the IIA shut down Acey’s expedition and all other mining operations. I have some good friends at the Guard, and they were able to get some information for me from their contacts at the IIA,” Aidan said, taking out a folder from his briefcase.
“Shouldn’t you be discussing this with Raina?”
“After reading the information I received, I thought it best that I talk to you first. What Acey stumbled into is a highly classified initiative called the Progenitor Project. The details I have are very sketchy, but if Raina pursues the lawsuit and brings focus on this project, she and Acey can be in serious trouble. I would like your take on how to proceed with this,” Aidan said, handing the folder the Dirk.
“Yes, I see your point,” Dirk said, after skimming the file briefly. I’ll see what I can find out and get back to you.”
Aidan didn’t stay very long. He made up an excuse that he was late for a meeting. Dirk sensed Aidan wasn’t ready to talk about the past year, but he left the door open to him.
“We should talk more when you have the time,” he said, as Aidan got up to leave.
“Thanks. We will.”
He waited for Aidan to leave and then activated his com link.
“Give me General Coburn’s Office, please. Yes, Dirk Saunders. Thanks, I’ll hold.”
“Hi, Blair. We have to talk. They know about the Progenitor Project.”
***
Tim and Acey reviewed the application made by the mining company.
“This is the only application we have outstanding,” Joe said.
“Dysnomia is one of Eris’s moons and has the same mineral properties as Eris,” he added.
“Was there any preliminary onsite investigation done?” Tim asked.
“No. We are waiting for approval, but we did a fly-by and sent probes to the surface. The prospects looked promising, so we made an application.”
Acey studied the probe’s data displayed on the monitor. Dysnomia held the same geologic features as Eris, including an extensive cave system. She zoomed in on several of the larger cave systems.
“Are you thinking that these artifacts might also exist on Dysnomia?” Tim asked.
“Why else did they halt all further mining expeditions? I would like to go there to see for myself,” Acey replied.
“And how are you going to do that?” Joe asked.
“Don’t know yet. But I will get out there.”
Tim waited patiently for Joe to leave. Pretending to respond to a com link message, he watched as Joe chatted with Acey while helping her pack up. Finally, Joe left. He caught Acey struggling to pick up her overloaded satchel.
“Here, let me help you with that,” he said, easing the strap over her shoulder.
“Thanks. I’ve got to learn to travel more lightly,” she said, somewhat self-consciously.
“I was thinking we might stop for some lunch and discuss how I can help with getting us to Dysnomia.”
Acey looked at him, not sure what to say.
“I, uh, I have another appointment….”
“We won’t have to take long. We’ll get some fast food and talk about how we can pull this off.”
Acey didn’t like the “we” comment, but really had no idea how she would get back to Eris or Dysnomia. She was upset with herself for suggesting aloud that this would be a good thing to do, knowing full well how much trouble she could bring upon herself and the others.
“Look, I really don’t think this would be….”
“Oh, come on — just a quick lunch. You can hear me out, and if you don’t think I can help, I’ll say no more,” Tim pleaded.
Acey really didn’t want to have lunch with him, but she wanted to hear what he had to say.
“Okay,” she relented, but no more than thirty minutes.”
***
Dirk read the report Aidan gave to him. It was sketchy, at best, and didn’t reveal much. If the Brothers pursued the lawsuit, this would end careers and possibly put lives in jeopardy. He contacted Raina and Robert for a meeting to discuss Aidan’s discovery.
The next morning, they assembled in Dirk’s office. Raina asked Aidan to come along.
“Where’s Acey?” Raina asked.
“I didn’t invite her. I wanted to discuss this matter with all of you first,” Dirk replied.
Raina looked puzzled.
“Look, I’ll come right to the point. I contacted a colleague of mine who is working on this Progenitor Project. She is sworn to secrecy but told me that the artifacts Acey uncovered on Eris were the tip of the iceberg. She implied these artifacts have significant implications regarding the beginnings of life on Earth and possibly throughout the galaxy. I don’t need to tell you how this would impact our society and religious structures. That was probably more than she should have told me. The IIA will do anything it needs to keep this a secret.
That is why I did not invite Acey to this meeting. You all know her. You don’t think that this setback is going to stop her from thoroughly researching these artifacts. Besides, this was to be her first expedition; she’s probably planning some way to get there as
we speak.”
***
In thirty seconds, the food replication machines produced two burgers, tofu fries, and some fortified red juice. Sitting outside in the less populated section of the fast-food restaurant, Tim took out his com link and accessed pictures of his last expedition. It was a group picture of the entire team in front of an M-Class Star Cruiser. He showed it to Acey.
Acey looked at the picture and then at Tim.
“Looks like a well-staffed group,” Acey said, recognizing some of the scientists in the picture.
“No. Look behind the people,” he said.
Acey saw the Star Cruiser and then looked at him.
“I know where to get one of those,” he said before Acey could say anything.
“How do you propose to do that?” she asked.
“Let’s say I know people who are also very interested in knowing more about the artifacts and would be willing to lend us a Star Cruiser.”
“Who are these people?”
“I’m not at liberty to divulge their identity at present, but trust me when I say they are completely above board.”
Acey finished the last bite of her burger not sure whether to trust Tim or not. His bright eyes and wide grin helped put her at ease.
“I’ll have to think about it. I’ll call you later,” she said, getting up and walking away.
“No problem. I’ll pick you up at eight tonight, and we can discuss it over dinner.”
Acey stopped and turned to refuse the offer, but Tim was already out of the restaurant and on the street.
***
Hillary locked up the Gallery and waited for Billy to pull the brand new, black land cruiser around. They bought it two days ago. It was the latest model with a quiet, transverse, hydrogen engine that could move effortlessly on land as well as the air lanes above the road system. As the vehicle pulled up, the metallic purple and green exterior glittered in the moonlight. The Gallery logos were emblazoned on the hood, and on the sides and back of the vehicle. The door swung up, and Hillary got in. The interior went dark for a second before a 360-degree, panoramic view of the surroundings painted the entire interior.
At first, it was really freaky, and it took some getting used to for the couple. It was like gliding down the street without feeling or seeing the confines of the vehicle. The soft, classical music calmed her as Billy pulled away from the Gallery. He put the land cruiser on autopilot and leaned over to kiss Hillary.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“A little, but mostly tired. Let’s go home,” she said yawning. The vehicle lifted into the air lanes and sailed through the night sky. Billy pushed a button, and the cooler unit popped out and opened. “I had the deli make up sandwiches for us. There should be a bottle of Champagne and two glasses in there too,” he said.
She looked at him, trying to figure out what he had planned. The vehicle swooped down onto the road lanes that led to a scenic overlook on a desert mountainside beyond the town. The city lights below twinkled, and the stars blended into the horizon.
“What in god’s name are we doing here?” Hillary said, getting annoyed.
Billy fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small red box. As he opened it, the sparkle from the gemstone made it look as if it were on fire.
“Will you marry me?” he said, showing her the ring.
***
Raina watched nervously out her office window as Acey approached. Robert, Aidan, and the Brothers waited in the conference room as Raina greeted Acey at the front desk.
“Hey, how are you doing?” Raina asked, giving Acey a hug.
“Well, I’ve been better,” Acey replied.
Entering into the conference room, Acey stopped suddenly at the sight of Aidan. Raina gently ushered her in while she explained his presence. “I hired Aiden to do some investigative work on this case.”
Acey smiled politely and took a seat at the opposite end of the table.
Trying to eliminate any awkward dead air, Robert started his summary of Aidan’s findings. “Thanks to Mr. Aidan Carter, we now have some clues as to why the IIA wants to halt your mining operations,” Robert said, looking at Jose’ and Ignacio. “It seems the artifacts are part of a highly classified project known as the Progenitor Project. We also found these artifacts scattered across other planetoids in our solar system. Most likely they exist on Dysnomia, and that’s why your permit to mine there was canceled,” Robert continued.
Acey seethed with unresolved emotion as she stared at Aidan, finding it hard to focus on what Robert was saying. Aidan could feel her piercing look and kept his eyes on the monitor.
“We were told if we file this lawsuit and bring attention to this classified project, we can all be tried for violating national security laws. So you all know, the maximum sentence is thirty years of incarceration and loss of citizenship. So, we recommend dropping the suit,” Robert concluded.
“So we are screwed! By the time we find new areas to mine, our creditors will put us out of business,” Ignacio said.
The room went silent before Acey pounded her fist on the table, spilling several coffee cups. Startled, everyone looked at her as she stood up, kicking the chair out from behind her.
“I absolutely do not agree. Just because we have some sketchy information from some questionable source about some classified project doesn’t mean we have to run and hide from these bullies,” she screamed, looking directly at Aidan.
She looked at the Brothers. Do you want your company to fail?”
Jose and Ignacio looked at each other and then at her.
“Well do you?” she asked again before they could answer.
“Uh, no. Of course not,” Ignacio replied.
“Well, then I say let’s proceed with the lawsuit. They have no right to shut us down, and I believe the courts will see it our way.”
“Acey….,” Raina tried to interject.
“And if our attorneys do not wish to represent us, we’ll get others,” she said, staring at Raina.
Acey stormed out of the room, and Raina ran after her.
“Look, Acey, hold on for a moment.”
“And don’t ever invite him to anything that involves me ever again!” Acey said, gritting her teeth as she stormed out the door.
6
With tears streaming down her face, she headed back to her apartment. Everything was imploding. Sitting on the balcony overlooking the city, she calmed down enough to realize the root cause of her meltdown—Aidan. She had to put him out of her mind. It is over. He made that clear when he left and never contacted her. It is over; it is over; she kept telling herself. Guilt pains came on strong as she realized how she acted in Raina’s office. Picking up her com-link, she contacted Raina.
“Hi, Acey. I’m so sorry…” Raina said before Acey could say anything.
“Hey, it’s me that should be sorry. I made an ass of myself and disrupted your meeting. It won’t happen again.”
“You’re forgiven, but you can’t let Aidan get to you like that.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m moving on.”
“I’ve got to go. Call me later.”
“Okay. Take care,” Acey said.
Acey no sooner hung up with Raina when she heard the door chimes. Looking up at the apartment monitor, there was Tim standing outside. She glanced at the clock and gasped. Dinner at eight—she forgot all about it. Her gut instinct told her not to do this, but then maybe Tim is what she needed, she reasoned—a fresh new face, someone that shared her need to explore, and someone who had the means to do so. She buzzed him in and waited by the door.
Driving towards Acey’s apartment, Aidan rehearsed what he would say to her. Aidan thought Raina told Acey about his involvement in the case, but apparently, from the outcome of the meeting, she didn’t. He would tell her the real reason why he didn’t contact her. He would tell her how sorry he was. He would tell her that he loved her. He arrived in time to see Acey walking to Tim’s vehicle. Aidan noticed Tim’s arm around
her waist.
***
At the restaurant, a bottle of Aurigan Brandy was appropriately placed next to a bouquet of flowers. The table overlooked a cluster of Saguaro Cacti at the base of a small mountain range. Space music played, piped in through hidden speakers. As the waiter showed them to the table, Tim moved around to pull the chair out for Acey. She sat and smiled at him.
“Wow, I’m impressed,” she said.
“Nothing but the best for you,” he replied.
Silence fell.
A few seconds later, the uneasy silence ended when Tim took a piece of paper out of his briefcase and pushed it towards Acey. She looked at him before lowering her eyes to read it.
“Star Cruiser number X34789-B shall be leased to Tim Arden for a term no more than one week providing all terms as stipulated in the lease agreement filed with Galaxy Leasing Company are adhered to and followed without deviation….”
Acey stopped reading and smiled at Tim.
“You did it. I can’t believe you got it. Who paid for this? It had to be expensive.”
“Let’s say there are those interested in knowing what you found. The financials are in order. We can leave anytime you want.”
They made plans as they ate. When they finished their meal, Tim asked her to dance. There was no one else on the dance floor. The Brandy worked its magic as Tim put his arms around her. They danced slowly to the music with Acey resting her head on his shoulder. A slender, petite, young woman at the bar watched the two swaying to the music. Tim gave her a thumbs-up as he swirled Acey around. All was going according to plan.
***
Dirk waited impatiently in General Coburn’s outer office. She came out to greet him and then ushered him into an elevator. Neither said a word as it took them down to the parking level, where they got off. They walked to the back of the parking lot to a small door. Dirk could see recording devices scattered about.
“Please stand back,” she said to him.