Republic of Fire Excerpt

Lee Adams woke up feeling like someone had tried to drive a freight train through his skull. He stared at the ceiling, his head pounding unpleasantly. The dream. He’d had it again last night, for what felt like the millionth time. He hated the dream.
It was a nightmare. At least, he thought it was. He knew it was vivid, and it was terrifying. It never failed to wake him up in a cold sweat, fighting the urge to scream. It sure sounded like a nightmare to him. The problem was, he couldn’t remember a thing about it.
With a sigh of irritation, he rolled out of bed, and hunted about clumsily for a pair of socks; he realized some time later they were on his feet. He grabbed a few mismatched articles of clothing from the rubble heap that served him as a bedroom, trying to build something that at least resembled an outfit, and stumbled down the hall to the bathroom. His reflection greeted him, looking much paler and more disheveled than he really wanted to admit he felt. He glared at himself for a moment or two, trying to decide whether this was really his reflection, or perhaps a clever ruse meant to scare him, before he woke up enough to realize how ridiculous this was. Readjusting the mirror to better see his bristles, he shaved hastily and jumped in the shower.
As the hot water streamed over Lee, waking him up fully, he concentrated hard on the dream. He squeezed his eyes shut and did his best to bring it back, but it lingered maddeningly just out of his reach, on the periphery of his consciousness. A brief ghost of an image flickered to mind; a girl. She was not anyone Lee had ever met, that much he knew for sure. The image was unclear, and Lee couldn’t get a good look at her. As soon as it had come, the image was gone. Frustrated, Lee lathered shampoo in his thick curls, and scrubbed with unwonted ferocity, attempting to rid himself of the dream altogether. Stupid, useless things.
A buzzer on the shower wall jolted Lee out of his thoughts, alerting him to the fact he had used almost all the hot water. Sheila wouldn’t be happy about that. “Yeah, yeah all right,” Lee muttered ungraciously. “I’m getting out.” The buzzer chirped in satisfaction and fell silent.
Reluctantly, Lee shut off the water and grabbed his towel from the rack. He dried himself slowly, feeling just as sour, if not more so, than before. His attempt to scrub away his vision had been a complete failure. So much for extra strength shampoo, Lee thought glumly.
His mood was not at all improved when he stepped out onto the landing and caught sight of the dreary weather outside the window. Rain drizzled against the frosty glass, and a dense screen of white fog obscured his view of the yard outside. Two weeks until Christmas, and not a snowflake. Lee shook his head dully. Just all this miserable mist.
It was the thought of Christmas that brought the memory of last night’s heated argument with his father rushing back to Lee. The whole reason for his dark mood in the first place. Lee’s father, General Donavan Adams, was not an easy man to live with. As Commander in Chief of the Coalition for the Advancement of Humanity’s armed forces, General Adams was often considered the most influential man in the galaxy; certainly the most prominent human face, if nothing else. This was largely due to his celebrated status as a war hero.
Years ago, when Lee was still entertaining himself by drooling on everything within reach, a religious zealot by the name of Olek Goshen got the crazy idea in his head that the Akonian race was the rightful heir to Galactic rule. He set out conquer the galaxy for himself. The galaxy did not take kindly to this idea, and a bloody war between Goshen’s horde, the so-called Origin, and every other faction in free space ensued. Goshen was, unfortunately, much more prepared than he at first seemed. And he was winning. By a lot.
In their desperation, the Galaxian turned to a small, backwater planet on the edges of their borders. Earth. The human race had finally achieved world unity and were taking their first wobbling steps into space when the Galaxian begged them for help. It was Colonel Adams of the United Nations that came forward with a deal. In exchange for help in achieving faster than light travel, and Earth having a say in Galactic politics, humans would enter the fray. With no other choice and Goshen’s Nightmare Troopers breathing down their necks, the factions agreed; the Coalition for the Advancement of Humanity was formed.
The decision proved to be wise. The newly promoted General Adams, a brilliant tactician and military commander, renowned for his part in uniting Earth, formed a rag-tag army of Commandos, pilots, soldiers, and pirates; the Protectorate. Adams believed the only way Goshen could be defeated was not in outright combat, but through guerilla war. The Protectorate was matchless in its persistence and creativity. The Origin forces, trained in more traditional forms of combat, were unable to withstand the violence. Slowly, the Origin Military collapsed. Realizing what had happened, the top leaders fled, leaving their “prophet”, Olek Goshen, to fend for himself. Goshen was killed, or so legend told, by General Adams himself, and his young lieutenant Jonathan Carrd.
Their Prophet dead, the Origin morale evaporated like a morning dew under a hot sun. Their soldiers fled rather than fought. Things began to return to normal.
Almost.
In the final days of the war, as the Origin ground forces surrendered their last hold on the conquered Galaxian Capital, Lee’s mother, Allena, was murdered as she and a handful of others defended the Galactic Archives from being sacked.
Stricken with grief, a change came over General Adams. Unable to deal with the loss of his beloved wife, he threw himself into his duties in the Coalition. He sought justice for the few Origin leaders captured with an almost fanatical passion. He became the voice of humanity among the species that remained hostile to them. It seemed there was nothing Donavan Adams couldn’t do.
Yet, successful as he was, he slowly drifted away from his son. Donavan and Lee had never really been comfortable with each other. The General was not sure, it seemed, how to be a father. Lee had always been very independent. As the years went by, General Adams was home less and less.
On the whole, Lee felt he should be congratulated on the way he’d supported his father all these years. He had essentially raised himself, and never once complained. Awkward though things might be between them, Lee always looked forward to the times he did get to spend with his father. Christmas. Lee’s birthday. Coalition holidays. Lee had been thrilled that the General would be coming soon, as Christmas loomed ever closer.
That was, until last night. A tired faced General Adams had called. Lee was propped up on his elbows in the living room, watching some mindless sitcom when he heard Sheila, his surrogate mother, answer the call. They both spoke too softly for him to hear what was being said, but a knot formed in Lee’s chest. He had a hunch it was bad news.
“Lee?” his fears seemed to be confirmed in Sheila’s pained expression as she called to him from the kitchen door. “It’s your father.”
There was no mistaking the exhaustion in the General’s face, or the edge to his voice, but all Lee heard were the four words the man spoke.
“Son, I’m not coming.”

As Lee thumped moodily down the stairs, his stomach twisted guiltily as he remembered the look on his dad’s face as Lee yelled at him. All he asked was for a couple times a year. All he wanted was to spend time with the man that claimed to be his father, and the General couldn’t even give him that much. Amidst the barrage, Donavan had tried to explain himself. Tried to explain what had come up to prevent the trip, but Lee was having none of it. Nothing could be that important. There was not excuse for it. None at all.
As always, the house was surgically clean, and almost nauseatingly bright. The robots that worked in the Adams manor had little to keep them occupied. Since the death of Allena, the manor rarely, if ever, saw guests. Lee was the only organic resident of the house, and he generally kept to his room, which the little robots were expressly forbidden to go. As a result, they cleaned incessantly. Lee was mildly surprised that they still hadn’t managed to scrub the place out of existence.
Lee did his best to tiptoe past the kitchen door, but it was no use. “Lee Adams! Is that you?” Sheila’s voice was like a thunder clap. Lee winced.
“Yes?” he said tentatively, peeking through the doorway.
Sheila was standing at the sink, hands on her slender hips, her expression thunderous. To the casual observer, Sheila Adams was a strikingly beautiful woman of about twenty-four. Her flame bright hair flowed from her marble brow, curling delicately at her chin. Look closer, however, and one might notice that her eyes were a brilliant, metallic silver; that she hummed softly when she moved. Push her, and one would find her stance solid as a boulder; touch her, and it would be obvious that her skin was much too cold for any human being. Because Sheila was not human.
She was a robot.
Donavan Adams could not be accused of not trying to do what was best for his son. After the death of his wife, Donavan knew that Lee would need a mother, and the result was Sheila. She was an amazingly advanced robot, from her incredibly sophisticated emotion processor to her ability to cook a plate of scrambled eggs perfectly. Donavan had spared no expense to insure his son was well taken care of. Lee didn’t remember his real mother hardly at all; in his opinion, Sheila was his mother.
“Young man, did you use all the hot water this morning?” she demanded. Lee hesitated before answering.
“Um…well, yeah but see-”
“Yes or no.”
“Yes, I did, but-”
“Do you pay the water bill in this house?”
“No, I don’t. But-”
“Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to try and wash dishes with only water that feels like it’s been sitting in Antarctica over night?”
“I can’t imagine-”
“So do you mind explaining to me why you thought it appropriate to waste every ounce of hot water this morning then?”
“I had a nightmare,” Lee admitted sheepishly. “The hot water felt really good. I’m sorry Sheila…”
Her expression softened visibly. A shrill beep sounded from the stove behind her, and she spun with a low muttered curse. Lee stifled a grin as she plucked a smoking pan up off the burner and dropped it in a sink full of water, where it sizzled in a disgruntled fashion. “Stupid thing needs replacing,” she growled in disgust. “That’s the third batch of hash browns ruined this week.” She turned back, examining Lee with a shrewd expression. “What was your nightmare about, kiddo?”
Lee shrugged, and flopped into a chair at the table. “That’s just it, I can’t remember it. Just images of it. Flashes really. I know there was something about a girl, but that’s it.” Sheila grinned at him, and Lee felt himself blushing. “It wasn’t anything like that! I don’t even know who she was, but she felt familiar to me…”
Sheila sat at the table opposite him, her eyes narrowed very slightly. She appeared to be searching his face for something, but didn’t seem to find it. “Do you think it has something to do with you being disappointed about your dad not coming home?” she questioned carefully.
The honest answer was no, not at all. Lee had only just found out about that last night, and this dream had been plaguing him for much longer than that. He didn’t feel like explaining this to Sheila. She’d just think he was crazy. Arranging his features into what he hoped was a sincere expression, he nodded fervently. “Yeah, I think that’s probably it.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Lee shrugged indifferently. “What is there to talk about? I’m just not as important to him as his work. I just have to accept that.”
Sheila frowned in concern. “What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Ever since mom died it’s been all about the Coalition. Legislation this, and campaigns that. Even when he is here, it’s all he talks about. I’m just an afterthought. His soldiers are his real family now.”
“That’s not true!” Sheila protested, but Lee just shook his head emphatically.
“Yes it is. I’ve done my best to be a good son and support him, I really have. I’ve never whined about it, but it’s not enough is it? All I want is a week of my dad’s time, and I can’t even have that. It’s not fair!”
Shelia grasped his hand and squeezed it gently. Lee returned the pressure gratefully, embarrassed his eyes were suddenly stinging. “Your father loves you Lee. He’s a hard man to understand, and I don’t think he knows how to show you how much you mean to him. But I know he loves you.”
“I know,” Lee wiped his eyes furiously. “I know he does, I just wish I was as important to him as the Coalition. I wish he was as interested in me as he is in everything else he does.”
The tiniest shadow of a smile tugged at Sheila’s perfect mouth. Her voice was soft, understanding. “Lee, your father is a great man. I know I’m just a machine. I know I was made in a factory. There’s no heart beating in my chest, no blood flowing through my veins; but that doesn’t mean I don’t love you and your father with everything I have. You’re my family. You have both been my world for twelve years, and I know your father well enough to know he would never do anything to intentionally hurt you. There must be a good reason why he felt compelled to cancel. You must trust him enough to believe him, and forgive him for it. Can you do that?”
Lee managed a weak smile, but his insides were boiling with rage. Forgive him? Trust him? Donavan broke his promise, and not for the first time, with only the vaguest of explanations. As it had always been, the General saw his son as little more than a child; one to be sheltered and protected from the world around him. In Donavan’s eyes, Lee was not worthy of knowing the business of the world the adults played in. Not like the soldiers under the General’s command. The brave young men and women that meant a great deal more to the General than his son. No, Lee decided. He could not trust his father. Because his father could not trust him.
The smile, however, fooled Sheila. She grinned at him, squeezed his hand a final time and winked roguishly. “I do have good news though! Trey called earlier. He and his family are back from vacation, he wants you to come over as soon as possible.”
Lee’s smile was genuine this time. Trey and Jessi Thomas were two of his absolute best friends. The pair were twins who lived with their father, Milton, in a giant old house just up the road from Adams Manor. Milton operated the house as a cantina/inn, catering to off-worlders and other shady individuals wishing to avoid the crowds of downtown London. The house was, without exception, a fascinating place to pick up tidbits of information.
Sheila refused to let him leave without breakfast, so Lee bolted down a quick bite of cereal without tasting it, threw his bowl into the steamer, and grabbed his coat. “Can I go now Sheila? Please?”
She favored him with an appraising glare, eyebrows lowered slightly. “After nearly causing my fine china to develop hypothermia this morning? You should stay here and help me scrub the rest of these dishes!” Lee favored her with his most winning smile, and her expression softened. “Oh all right you rogue! Get out of here! Be back for dinner!” she called after him as the door slammed shut.
The weather outside was every bit as dismal as it had first appeared from the window. A fierce wind howled across the cobbled street, driving the freezing rain sideways. Bits of ice stung at every inch of exposed flesh on Lee’s body, and Lee had to keep his head bowed as he walked. Few others had dared brave the gale, and those who had were not wasting any time. No one stopped to talk, or even raise their heads in greeting. They merely hurried to their various destinations, eager to be somewhere warm and dry.
The Twin Star Inn and Cantina was nearly a half mile from Adams Manor; sitting atop a hill overlooking its neighboring homes. The place, named after the twins, was infamous around London, and had a reputation for being an all around queer place. The strange and often questionable clientele the establishment catered to was not alone to blame for this. Whispered rumors had long passed between the neighbors, all speculating the old house was haunted. Old Milton was, after all, little more than a hermit. He had very little to do with anyone but his customers. The family’s recent vacation was thought to be the first time the man had stepped foot outside his home in years.
As a result of this, no one knew for sure what had become of Milton’s wife, Trey and Jessi’s mother. Legend had it that Milton killed her for one reason or another, and that her ghost still lingered. General Adams himself, who was very fond of Milton Thomas, was very outspoken in defense of his friend. This fact alone seemed to quiet most people. The General’s veracity spoke for itself. Still, the rumors persisted.
Lee, while far from believing that the fat, good natured Milton had killed his wife, could not deny that something was very strange about that house. The way it creaked and moaned, even when no wind blew, and the way a room seemed to be there one day and gone the next…it all reeked of the supernatural and mysterious. As kids, Lee and the twins had spent many endless days exploring the massive house, and were all three convinced they had not yet uncovered all its secrets.
Surprisingly, Lee could hear the low rumble of voices on the other side of the Inn’s heavy wooden door. The cantina was rarely occupied so early in the morning; not when a majority of its customers preferred to arrive under the cover of darkness. The blast of warm air that rushed to meet him felt wonderful. Gingerly, Lee peeled off his soaked cloak and hung it on a hook by the door, shaking himself to get the water off.
The cantina’s clean, well lit bar was warm and inviting. Most of the scrubbed wooden tables were empty, their candles flickering pleasantly. Over against the back wall, however, was a different story. A group of about twenty had pushed tables together, and were huddled together. They were mostly humans, a handful of Akonians, and a Martian or two. Two beings, which Lee recognized vaguely as Muleeshans, seemed to be guiding the conversation. The two were brutish looking reptilians; muscular and lean.
Milton himself was leaning casually against the bar, wiping a mug with an oil stained rag. He seemed to be only half listening to the conversation, but the smirk playing at his mouth told Lee that the man was paying plenty attention. And he didn’t like what he was hearing.
“Lee m’boy!” Milton beamed as he caught sight of Lee approaching the counter. “What a surprise! Wonderful to see you.”
Milton’s enthusiasm was hard to resist. Lee couldn’t help returning the smile. “It’s good to see you too Mr. Thomas. How was France?”
“Ghastly,” Milton shuddered dramatically. “Mark my words lad, we could be a united planet for a thousand years, and those Frenchies would still consider themselves superior to the rest of us. Two weeks with those cheese eating bastards, being reminded constantly how uncivilized we British are. It’s enough to make a chap lose his faith in humanity, and that’s a fact.”
“If it was that bad, you could always have come home earlier,” Lee pointed out with a grin. “You didn’t have to stay.”
Milton winked, and patted the expanse of belly now putting a fair amount of strain on his silk shirt. “Aye, we could have, true enough. But the food was marvelous. It seemed a shame to waste it.”
Lee laughed along with the old inn keeper at that one. “Okay, that makes sense. Is Trey around here somewhere.”
“Just missed him, but he’ll be back in a bit. I sent him out to the store for a few things.” he squinted out the window with a pained expression. “Hope the lad knows how to swim.”
“So what’s all that about, then?” Lee lowered his voice, nodding to the group still huddled against the wall.
Milton’s expression drooped comically. He eyed the assembly balefully, as though their presence in his bar was offensive to him. “Oh. Them. The two big brutes, Muleeshans I think…well they’re star traders of some kind. Just dropped a load in the city, something illegal no doubt.” he added bitterly. “They’ve been in here all morning telling a bunch of wild stories.”
Lee’s curiosity was instantly piqued. “Really? What kind of stories?”
Milton sniffed in a dignified manner. “I have no idea whatsoever. I have better things to do than listen to those bloody lizards spout a pack of lies. If you’re that curious, go listen to them yourself.”
Lee held up his hands in mock surrender. “Excuse me you pudgy old windbag! I’m going!” he grinned impudently as he dodged the barkeep’s rag, and sidled casually over to the whispering group. He did his best to be inconspicuous, hoping no one would notice him. He wasn’t at all surprised when he failed completely.
The largest Muleeshan’s eyes snapped to Lee’s face almost immediately. The alien bared his ivory fangs in a Muleeshan smile. One that was downright bone chilling. “Lee Adams! Well this is certainly a pleasure yer honor!”
“You know this guy, Lee?” one of the guys Lee recognized from school called out. Truthfully, Lee had never met a Muleeshan in his life, but this didn’t surprise him either. When your father was famous the galaxy over, you tended to catch some residual attention.
The Muleeshan didn’t wait for Lee to answer the question. “We’ve never actually met. When you know General Adams as well as I do, you’re bound to recognize ‘is son.”
There were a few skeptical sniggers, and one of the Akonian’s snorted in outright derision. “Come off it, you great lump. You’ve never met General Adams in your life!” Lee was inclined to agree. He didn’t recall his father ever mentioning being friends with a Muleeshan.
“Shaddup ya snivelin idjit, afore I carve you a new grin…right across your stupid throat!” the Muleeshan snarled so savagely, the Akonian looked taken aback. The Muleeshan glared along the table, lips quivering over his vicious, glittering fangs. Once he was sure there would be no more interruptions, he turned back to Lee and smiled. His sudden change of demeanor was distinctly unsettling. “Anyway, as I was saying afore this lot so rudely interrupted, it’s a fair delight to finally meet ya.”
“Yeah, same here. Look, I don’t mean to be rude, so don’t be offended or anything, but you seem to know who I am, but I’ve never even heard of you.”
The Muleeshan slapped his forehead dramatically. “Bless me soul, but yer right of course! Where are me manners? The name’s Ferret; Captain Ferret to be precise. This here,” he indicated to his so-far silent partner, who merely nodded, looking bored. “Is me brother Weasel. So, what can an old friend of yer family’s do for ya?”
“Call me nosy, but you guys are like…space traders right?”
“Aye, that we are. Traders, pirates, smugglers. Whatever the occasion calls for.”
“Then I’m sure you have some really good stories. Some real action packed stuff. Would you mind telling some?”
Ferret blinked up at him in evident surprise. “Kid with a father like you’ve got? Ya wouldn’t think you’d have any shortage of exciting tales. Probably more thrilling than anything we could tell ya, simple as we are.”
Lee laughed, but it sounded empty, even to him. “My father is not exactly the kind of man that sits around and tells stories. Not his style I guess.”
Ferret grinned in understanding, and Lee shuddered. He hadn’t been entirely honest when he claimed his father didn’t tell stories. He remembered one incident in particular, Lee’s fourteenth birthday. Trey and Jessi were spending the night, and General Adams had gathered them all in the living room to re-tell some of his experiences from the war. The three of them loved to hear about the great battles, the brave heroes, the tragic losses. This particular story had featured a Muleeshan quite prominently. As the villain. That was usually how they figured into tales, as monsters. Their strength and ferocity were infamous. Eyeing Ferret’s sinewy muscles, bulging against his sleeves, and the curved fangs jutting from his heavy jaw, Lee sincerely hoped this specimen would remain friendly.
“Now that ya mention it,” Ferret began slowly, glancing fleetingly at his brother. Weasel continued to stare lazily into the flickering candle, acting as though he hadn’t heard a word. “There is one pretty remarkable little tale we could tell you.” all present leaned forward eagerly, and the Muleeshan’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “On our way here to Earth, we ran into some engine trouble; had to drop out of subspace to do some minor repairs on our aft pulse engines. Not a big deal of course, just a pain in the ass. We dropped out in the Zeerian system; nice quiet little system, pretty sure we wouldn’t be bothered. Imagine our surprise to find three Coalition starships already in orbit around the planet!”
“That’s not entirely true,” Weasel interjected. His voice was soft, light. They had to strain to hear him as he spoke. “It was more like two and a half.”
Ferret shot an irritated glare at his companion before continuing. “Aye, true enough. It was pretty obvious that one of the cruisers was in…well, less than perfect shape. Frankly, it was pretty bad. Naturally, we was curious and we tried to swoop in and take a look. Just our luck, the Coalition patrols in the area wasn’t feeling in the mood for visitors. They escorted us out with all haste; wouldn’t even let us take a peek.” his eyes darted to his brother again; this time Weasel nodded fractionally, as if giving his permission. Lee got the feeling the two aliens were enjoying the suspense. He was sure they were keeping something back.
The others around the table looked at each other restlessly, waiting for Ferret to continue his story. He seemed to be playing up the drama of the moment, enjoying the attention. They all were beginning to get impatient, but no one seemed willing to say anything to the fierce looking creatures. Lee, on the other hand, knew that Trey would be back sooner or later; and, best friend or not, Trey was not the most tactful person in the galaxy. Lee desperately wanted to hear what had happened to the ship. So, throwing caution to the winds, he demanded, “So what’s the point?”
Ferret’s laugh was a husky growl the rumbled deep in his throat. “Patience young human! All in good time, I assure you. Ya see, the officer that was escorting us felt the need to give us a lovely long spiel about how a damaged drive core caused a massive explosion in the cruiser’s engine. Of course, this made the area quite a hazard, and we had to leave immediately.” the Muleeshan looked incredibly smug for some reason.
One of the Akonians blinked in disbelief. “Is that it? A damaged drive core and a ship explosion? That’s your exciting tale?”
Ferret didn’t even bother snarling at the intrusion this time. He simply stared at the Akonian with wide, unblinking eyes until it began to look distinctly uncomfortable. When it finally looked away, Ferret shook his head. “It’s freakin’ amazing just how bleedin’ stupid you lot are.” Lee had to suppress a grin at the Muleeshan’s tone of genuine awe. “If you would shut your sewer holes for five seconds and let me tell the damn thing, you might actually learn something!”
The other Akonians began to shift anxiously, and the interrupter spat in Ferret’s direction. “Don’t talk down to us mongrel! It’ll be a cold day in hell when a smuggler calls an Akonian warrior ‘stupid’ and lives to brag about it.”
For the first time, Weasel looked interested. His yellow eyes narrowed at the speaker, leaf-like ears flattened against his skull. Ferret growled a true growl this time, his bared fangs no longer a smile. Lee watched the exchange in alarm. Akonians were not famous for their patience or their even tempers. They were formidable fighters, and if they were to come to blows with the Muleeshans here in this small space… He eyed the others seated around the table and shuddered. No, he realized. That would not be good at all.
Just then, one of the humans perched next to the head Akonian laid two fingers on the snarling alien’s forearm. Lee was impressed that the man knew Akonian etiquette; three fingers would have been a challenge to fight. “Let’s not get carried away,” the man cautioned in a deep, slow voice. “We wouldn’t want no one to get hurt now.”
The touch seemed to jerk the Akonian out of his aggressive mood. His face relaxed into a cold smile. “No, of course not. You’re absolutely right Archie.” he nodded to Ferret, his eyes not mirroring his smirk. “A thousand apologies for my rudeness. I was…overly sensitive. Please, continue your story.”
At first, Lee was afraid the Muleeshans would not be so quick to let the matter drop. After a tense few seconds, Ferret shrugged, and Weasel’s expression lapsed back into boredom. “No harm done. Now, where was I? Ah yes. Well, the officer was goin’ on and on and his speech sure did sound pretty. Convincing too. I might have believed it if I hadn’t been flying from one end of this galaxy to the to the other since the day I was born. Even from the distance we was at, I could tell right away that the damage to that cruiser didn’t come from no drive core. It came from outside. It was combat damage.”
Again, glances were exchanged up and down the table, this time of genuine panic. Who would attack a Coalition starship? Who would dare? There were very few hostile factions left in the Galaxy that would even consider attacking a Coalition vessel, and none that were prepared to do so. The ships of the Coalition fleet were some of the best anywhere, and their officers had been tried and tested in the most intense situations time and time again. That one had been attacked, and severely damaged, was disturbing news indeed. One question hung in the air; the question that everyone present was terrified to ask. Was it possible that a massive, powerful faction, such as the Akonian Trinity (with which the Coalition had always maintained a very tenuous relationship at best) had finally decided to declare war on the Coalition? Judging by the smug expression on Ferret’s face, the Muleeshan knew the answer.
“That wasn’t the only little discovery we made either. Not by a long shot. The scanners on my ship picked up something very curious floating around the debris, something unexpected. There was Onyxx Radiation in the area, you mark my words!” he looked around impressively, obviously expecting this to have a profound influence on his audience. Instead, they all looked back at him blankly, totally nonplussed. Ferret looked crestfallen. “You’re telling me that not one of you bleeders has ever heard of Onyx Radiation before?”
The name stirred something in Lee’s memory. Something his father, or maybe Sheila, had mentioned to him years ago. Just in passing. “Wasn’t that the energy that the Origin used to power their ships back during the war?” he guessed.
“Yes!” Ferret exclaimed triumphantly. “That’s it exactly!” Almost immediately, the tension broke. The group grinned at each other in obvious relief, a few even laughed. The Origin? Attack a Coalition cruiser? The idea was absurd. Not even the simplest of them believed it for a second. Olek Goshen was dead, the Origin he left behind no more than a semi-organized clan of misguided zealots that fought so violently among themselves, they could no more attack a Coalition warship than redecorate their conference rooms.
“Wow,” a thickset, dark haired man chuckled appreciatively. “You really had us going there for a second Ferret. You are quite the convincing storyteller, I almost believed you!” There were murmurs of agreement from some sitting around him. Ferret, on the other hand, did not look the least bit flattered by the man’s compliment. He was staring at him in absolute bemusement; looking as though he had been struck. Shaking his head vigorously, like a dog trying to rid itself of water, Ferret threw a disbelieving look in Weasel’s direction. Once again, the quieter Muleeshan did not return his brother’s stare. He was merely staring at the man who had spoken as though he were a mildly interesting television program.
Ferret spoke with deliberate slowness, his expression unhappy. “I don’t think I made myself clear enough. That wasn’t some dramatic fiction. Every word I spoke was the truth, I promise ya that!”
“Yeah, right!” a young human, not much older than Lee, shook his head in amusement. “And I’m Olek Goshen, back from the dead, here for a drink. Damn you, clever Muleeshan, you spoiled my coming out party!”
“Better be careful what you say there friend!” a merry faced youth said with a wink. “I’m General Adams you know!” He ribbed his girlfriend, who giggled.
Ferret was looking back and forth between them as though unable to believe his ears. “What is wrong with yeh nutters? This isn’t some sick joke! The Coalition has suffered a major loss today, and you bastards is sitting here laughing like lunatics! The Origin has resurfaced, and young humans have lost their lives because of it! That doesn’t seem very funny to me.”
“That’s enough.” It was a woman who spoke. She was middle aged; maybe in her early forties. There were streaks of gray in the nut brown hair she brushed behind her ear. Her eyes were the color of cold steel, and the withering glare she bestowed upon Ferret made it clear the Muleeshan did not intimidate her. “You’ve had your fun, but it’s gone way too far. You Muleeshans were safe and secure, snug in your own little corner of the galaxy during the last war. You don’t know what it was like. I lived through it. I lost my husband and both my sons to those origin bastards. So before you come in here, spouting your lies, you’d better be sure you’re prepared for the consequences, you slimy coward.”
A feral snarl tore from Ferret’s lips. The enraged Muleeshan hurled himself to his feet, fangs bared in true Muleeshan fury. “Yeh shut yer face yeh stupid little-”
Now the human men were on their feet as well. The Akonians stood, looking grim. There was eagerness in their eyes; eagerness that this would turn to bloodshed.
“Don’t you talk to her like that you bastard!”
“Who the hell do you think you are, coming in here upsetting people like that?”
“Maybe we’ll have to teach you a lesson in manners you overgrown lizard!”
“No one calls me a coward!” Ferret roared, saliva flinging from his jaws. The men and some of the women were screaming over each other, jabbing accusatory fingers at the Muleeshan. The altercation rose to an ear shattering level, but Lee was not listening. His mind was elsewhere; lightyears away. A cold realization had suddenly dawned on him. Thinking on the talk with his father the night before, Lee could clearly see the look on the General’s face. He had been too angry at the time to pay much attention, but it was now obvious how very tired his father had looked. It had showed in every line in the man’s face, the slump of his once powerful shoulders. A darkness, a pain could be seen behind his eyes; pain and something else. Something less definable. With a jolt, Lee understood. It was fear. His father had been afraid. What in the name of the stars could have scared General Donavan Adams?
Lee gazed at the furious Muleeshan in horror. Ferret hadn’t been lying. Something awful had indeed happened. A something serious enough that it required the attention of the Coalition’s Military Supreme Commander. And something dark enough to terrify that same commander. Bubbling guilt chewed at Lee’s insides. He remembered how the pain in his father’s face only intensified as Lee screamed at him.
What had he done?
Amidst the chaos of the argument, only Lee noticed the door to the cantina swing open again, and three newcomers enter, shaking sleet from their heavy overcoats. Lee hoped Trey was among them; he suddenly wanted nothing more than to discuss this shocking turn of event with his best friends. Trey was nowhere to be seen. Once all three had removed the coats, Lee recognized the uniforms immediately. These men were from the fleet.
At the forefront of the trio was a short, bald, black man, a commander’s insignia glittering at his collar. He had a round, harassed looking face, and winced uncomfortably at the shouting coming from the tables. This two companions were obviously Marines, their faces concealed by armored plates. Only their eyes remained visible, darting around the room anxiously.
Curiously, Lee watched as the commander approached the bar and shared a whispered conversation with Milton. Lee had no hope of overhearing what was being said, not over the racket this lot was making. Milton shrugged and shook his head, jabbing a fat thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the boarding rooms. Whatever Milton said appeared to disappoint the commander, and he simply nodded in a resigned manner. He took a coin from his pocket, slapped it on the bar, and made as if to slip out of the cantina before anyone noticed him.
“WAIT!” Ferret’s roar was so loud that Lee jumped and nearly toppled out of his chair, and the two Marines drew their side arms in alarm. All remaining trails of discord trailed away as ever soul stared at the Muleeshan in confusion. Even Weasel looked puzzled by his brother’s outburst. “Commander! A moment of yer time if yeh can spare it! I realize you must be a busy man, but we could surely use someone of your experience.”
Lee felt genuinely sorry for the officer. It was painfully clear that he had no desire to get involved in this hostile debate, but seemed to have no idea how to avoid the strange request. He bounced on the balls of his feet in indecision for a moment, then flashed a very unconvincing grin. “Whatever I can do to help!” he replied, falsely cheery. “I think I could do with something to drink anyway.”
“What can I get you Commander?” Milton questioned him from behind the bar. “We have Zeerian Ale, a number of Akonian beverages; couldn’t pronounce the names if I wanted to. And of course, the good ole’ homegrown stuff.”
“No, no, no. Thank you, but just tea if you don’t mind. I’d go for something stronger, but I’m on duty still and it’s more than my life’s worth.”
As Milton bustled about behind the bar, preparing the drink, Ferret hastily pulled out the chair beside him, patting it in a friendly manner. The officer hesitated a moment, looking unsure (the Marines looked downright panicked) but planted himself in the seat with reasonably good grace; and found himself face-to-face with Ferret’s outstretched claw.
“The name’s Ferret, Commander, and it’s a great pleasure to meet such a distinguished officer of the fleet such as yehself, it I may say so. I’m a bit of a space faring man meself, Cap’n of a freight trader I am. Seen about all there is to see in this ole galaxy.”
Clearly bemused by the voracious alien, the Commander managed to take it in his stride. “Is that a fact? I’m very glad to meet such an accomplished traveler. Ferret did you say? Reginald Barkeley, 309th Naval Intelligence Division.” whispers broke out in response to this, but Barkeley ignored them. “I’m actually here on Earth for a bit of a break. The Military lifestyle tends to take its toll on a person. It’s nice to be back home.” He took a sip of the tea Milton sat on the table before him, and sighed in contentment. “See there? Perfect example. You can never get a decent cup of tea in space.”
“Ah, it’s a crying shame the way they got you chaps running about up there, that’s what I say. The space life is no life worth living, and that’s a fact.”
“Really?” Barkeley was smiling behind the cup. “I wouldn’t have expected that attitude from a ‘space faring man’ such as you, Captain.”
Ferret was completely unabashed. “Aye, tis a cruel life, make no mistake. I shares yer pain commander. ‘s cuz I never had a proper mother to raise me right I s’pose, the reason I does it.”
Lee almost laughed aloud at the Muleeshan’s look of morose self-pity. He wondered, as Barkeley obviously did, what Ferret was trying to appeal to the Commander for. It didn’t take Ferret long to play his hand. “I hate to impose on yer leisure time, yer honor, but we was having a bit of a friendly discussion here-”
“Mmm, yes. I’m aware of that. I’m fairly certain the entire city of London has been listening to your ‘friendly discussion’.”
Some of the patrons around the table at least had the decency to look somewhat shamefaced, but Ferret plowed on, ignoring the mild rebuke. “Well then I’m sure yeh won’t mind helping us get a few things straight. You seems like a decent human being, smart too no doubt-”
Barkeley held up a hand, cutting the Muleeshan off mid-sentence. His expression was suddenly stern, and Lee got the feeling the rotund little officer was not quite as soft as he first appeared. “Let me be abundantly clear on something here with you people. The rumors have already spread like wildfire; we’ve been dealing with them ever since we got planet side. I was hoping I’d be free from citizen interrogation out here, but since it’s obvious that won’t be the case…any information regarding the investigation into the destruction of one of our ships is strictly confidential. Am I understood?” He glared pointedly at each face around the table, as if daring them to disagree. No one looked pleased, but none appeared willing to press the issue. Not even Ferret, who was looking the most disheartened of the lot, and Lee couldn’t blame him. The Muleeshan had been counting on the officer to confirm his story in front of the doubters. Lee himself fought the urge to argue the point himself. If anything could be worse than his father rushing off into a potentially deadly situation, it was the simmering dread and suspense of not knowing.
Barkeley raised the steaming mug to his lips again, continuing to stare at them all over the rim, a curious expression on his face. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he set the mug down sharply in its saucer, and leaned forward. “Still,” he continued, looking almost shocked with himself. He immediately had the undivided attention of everyone in the cantina; even Milton stopped wiping the counter to listen in. “I suppose it could be much more dangerous for the wrong rumors to be floating around than the right ones, right?”
There were at least a dozen voices of agreement, but Barkeley held up his hands to silence them. “I’m going to be breaking about a million regulations by telling you all this, so if I’m going to do this, I need you all to just be quiet an listen. No interruptions. I’ll try to answer what questions you have when I finish, but don’t expect much.” Barkeley took a deep breath and began.
“As I’m sure you’ve all figured out by now, the official story about the damaged drive core, was complete bull shit. Anyone familiar with the way our ships are built knows that. Hell, it’s obvious to anyone with eyes and an IQ over twenty. We knew it was a weak story when we came up with it, but we had to say something!” He sounded as though he were pleading for them to understand. “You have to give the government credit for trying I suppose. The truth of the matter is, the CSS Hammer of Justice was attacked.”
This revelation prompted a sharp intake of breath from the audience. Ferret looked smug, but no one was paying the Muleeshan any attention. “It’s galling really. The Justice was one of the newest ships in the fleet, and she was a real beauty. I had the privilege of accompanying the fleet Admiral on her inspection, and it took my breath my breath away. Almost literally, as the life support systems had a few bugs in it still.” he chuckled at his joke. “I would have given anything to have served aboard a ship like that…” his voice drifted off, his eyes gleaming in the candlelight, a faraway look in them. Lee wondered vaguely if Barkeley was really enjoying having a captive audience more than he let on. Whether the look of wistful longing was merely playacting or if it were genuine, the effect was good. Weasel cleared his throat significantly, and Barkeley came to with a start. “Erm…anyway…the ship’s maiden voyage was incredibly simple. A standard escort mission to the Zeerian system, babysitting a couple of minor diplomats. The Zeerian system is in Coalition space, out of the way, secluded. Should have been a piece of cake. Should have been nothing to worry about…”
“Right, nothing at all.” Ferret remarked dryly. “Hence the reason your baby is floating around Zeer in pieces.”
The Muleeshan’s words drew a few sharp looks and angry hisses, but Barkeley didn’t seem to mind. He hardly seemed to have heard the interruption. His expression was thoughtful. “Yes, that’s true. We were too confident. We knew it the moment the distress call was received by fleet command. The Justice was under fire, and there was nothing we could do about it. We knew, right away, she was doomed. She was running on a skeleton crew, most of her systems weren’t even operational yet. We, in our arrogance, sent almost six hundred dedicated men and women to their deaths.” the commander’s voice broke, and this time there was no doubting his sincerity. Lee felt as though they were trespassing on something private, watching this warrior mourn the loss of his comrades. Barkeley passed a shaking hand over his face, voice still trembling as he continued. “Even though we knew it was too late then, we still tried. God, we had to try! For the families, for our friends on that ship! We couldn’t just do nothing! We disseminated the call throughout the fleet, hoping against all hope that there was a ship close enough. That maybe we were wrong, that they could be saved. When the fleet responded, our hopes sank. No ship was close enough. No ship, but perhaps one.
“The Fiery Nova.”
Lee’s heart jumped in his throat. The Fiery Nova was his father’s personal flagship. A few of the listeners shot Lee curious glances, but he ignored them. Finally, he would get some answers.
“General Adams was conducting troop inspections when his crew received the distress call. The Nova immediately abandoned its course and proceeded at full speed towards the Zeerian system. At 2304 hours, communication from the Justice ceased. We begged the General to hurry. Some of us allowed ourselves a glimmer of hope. General Adams was the hero of the Coalition after all. He was known for doing the impossible. Maybe he, if no one else, could save the Justice.
“Our hopes were in vain.
“By the time the Nova arrived in the Zeerian system, it was already too late. The Justice was derelict, and the attackers had fled. The Nova spent a few hours poking around the debris, doing routine investigation, waiting for the other ships to arrive. Unexpectedly, General Adams reported in, saying he had found something of great interest, something he needed to have analyzed at the Solar Station archives. Shortly after that, the Nova entered subspace, and we lost contact with her.”
By this time, Barkeley had regained his composure, and was sipping his tea quite calmly. His audience was watching him breathlessly, waiting for him to continue. He didn’t seem inclined to say anything more on the subject. Lee felt a definite sense of anticlimax. Was that all? Was Barkeley seriously going to tantalize them with this little bit of information, and not even have to decency to give any real answers?
“That’s it?” he demanded incredulously. “Come on, what did General Adams find? What was so important?”
Barkeley raised his eyebrows in polite surprise. “I have no idea. He would not say. If I was going to hazard a guess, I’d say it had something to do with the identity of the attackers.”
Ferret caught Lee’s eye, and gave him a significant look. Lee nodded fractionally, willing the Muleeshan to ask the question. He had to know. “You mean, perhaps, the Origin, Commander?”
It was as if the temperature in the room suddenly plunged. The glare Barkeley fixed Ferret with was downright glacial. “At what time did I once mention the Origin, Captain?”
“Yeh didn’t yer honor, I didn’t mean to imply it was you what told us. You see, on my trip here…”
“I wish to make myself quite plain. I want there to be absolutely no possibility of a misunderstanding on this fact, so you’d all better listen carefully.” Barkeley’s tone was a thinly veiled snarl. “The Origin is gone. Olek Goshen is dead. Dead. Without Olek Goshen, there is no Origin. To pretend otherwise, or to spread unfounded rumors is a good way to start a panic. A completely unnecessary panic. And that is something that I will not stand for. I am warning you all, and you especially Muleeshan, if I start to hear rumors about the Origin, I will know where they originated from. And I will act as I see appropriate to handle it.”
“Is that a threat?” Ferret purred dangerously.
Barkeley met the alien’s gaze without flinching. “You would do very well to consider it one, Captain. This was a tragedy, no doubt, but the government has full confidence that it was merely an isolated incident. The work of disgruntled terrorists or pirates, taking advantage of a vulnerable target. Certainly not the work of an extinct religious cult!”
“But Commander!” Ferret was obviously not going to let the subject drop peacefully. “We found traces of Onyx Radiation around the site! You know as well as I do what that points to, don’t pretend otherwise!”
“ENOUGH!” any doubts Lee had of how this soft faced man became a Naval officer were immediately dispelled. The command was a thunderclap the rang through the rafters of the cantina, and even Ferret looked cowed by its ferocity. But Lee wondered if the others also noticed the little beads of sweat that had begun to gather on Barkeley’s bald head. Barkeley was nervous, alarmed even. He was hiding something. “The Origin had nothing to do with this attack! Nothing! They haven’t been seen in years, and you have no proof! So help me, Muleeshan, if I have to arrest you right now for fear mongering, I’ll do it. Don’t test me.”
The Marines suddenly seemed much more interested in the conversation, fingering their rifles eagerly. Ferret eyed them sullenly, and fell silent, defeated. Before anyone else could interject, a distraction arrived in the form of a pile of sliver cans, supported on two thin legs. “Calling anyone within the sound of my voice…help! This may come as a major shock to you all, but canned corn is incredibly heavy!”
Grinning in spite of himself, Lee rushed forward to help his best friend. Relieved of his burden, Trey glared ruefully at his father, rubbing his joints. “You might have mentioned that I’d need to build an ark to get back home, dad. It would have given me time to get all my animals together.”
“Quit your whining boy,” Milton growled playfully, counting his cans. “You did your old man proud. Don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure I’ll go down in history as the boy that sailed canned vegetables through London.” he flashed Lee a grin. “Heya buddy. Did ya miss me?”
Trey was at least a head shorter than Lee, with a halo of golden curls framing his round, boyish face. He had narrow, almost elfish features; eyes that twinkled merrily with some secret mischief, and a mouth that was almost perpetually turned up in a satisfied smirk. Growing up, Trey had been the mastermind and architect behind the trio’s exploits. He was a genius at inventing new ways to have fun; ways that almost invariably lead to something getting smashed, pulverized, or shattered (which, often as not, included body parts). Reasonable minded Jessi had served as the voice of quiet caution, first discouraging anything too insane before finally being drawn in by her own impetuous sense of fun. In the aftermath, after someone’s private property had been victimized, it came down to Lee to reason with Milton or the General, and reduce the sentence. Lee smiled at the memory. It was a good combination. It worked.
“We need to talk,” Lee said so only Trey could hear him. By this time, Trey had caught sight of the Commander and Ferret over Lee’s shoulder, and his mouth was hanging open in awe.
“What? But…wait! Who’s that-”
“Now!”
With a last, wistful look at the crowded tables, Trey reluctantly followed Lee out of the bar. Once the hall door closed behind them, Trey rounded on him. “What was that about? Why couldn’t we have stayed for a few minutes? Did you see those Marines? Aw, man! That was so cool!”
“Boring conversation, trust me on that,” Lee told him, not altogether truthfully. “I’ll fill you in, don’t worry. Where’s Jess?”
Trey rolled his eyes in disgust. “The same place my sister always is on a weekday afternoon during a school holiday: her room. Probably reading, or doing algebra, or committing some other act of teenage heresy. Why?”
“We have some things to talk about.”
“Does it have anything to do with the dudes downstairs?” Trey wondered aloud, eyes shining eagerly.
“Yes.”
“Oh. Cool. So, I think we need to work on getting Jess a life. Or at least a boyfriend as nerdy as her. It can’t be good for her to sit around learning all the time can it? At least not by herself.”
Lee did a double take, surprised by the sudden change of subject. “Ah…she seems happy to me.”
“Yeah but that’s just it. She shouldn’t be! She’s a teenage girl, you know? She should be out with friends and stuff. All she did on the trip was keep her nose buried in some novel. What good are romance books if you’re not going to actually go out and be in love yourself? Booooo-ring!”
Lee shrugged indifferently. “Did you ever think she might think the same thing about us and video games? It’s not like either of us are actually going out and killing bloodsucking aliens ourselves either.”
Trey chewed his lip thoughtfully, not convinced. “Puh-lease. Videogames are an absolute good. There’s nothing about them not to like!”
Shaking his head in exasperation at his irrepressible friend, Lee just started climbing the stairs in the direction of Jessi’s room. Trey followed, still chuckling to himself. “Like anyone would really actually rather read Pride and Prejudice than play Army of Destruction: IV. Yeah, right.” Lee ignored him. He had other, more important things on his mind.
Jessi’s room was at the top of the old house, in what had once been the attic. Lee remembered the day Milton decided to remodel the space into a room for his daughter very vividly. Trey had been downright scandalized that such a fantastic opportunity was going to his “nerdy” sister.
“Why does she get the attic dad?” he had demanded. “All she ever does is sit around and study all the time. That would be the coolest place for a party ever! Could you imagine how popular I could be?”
Milton had grimaced at this. “Aye kid, that’s why Jessi gets the room. At least I won’t have to worry about the house collapsing around me ears with her living up there.”
Trey had lapsed into sulky silence for weeks afterwards, but Lee couldn’t help agreeing with Milton on this one. The attic had definitely gone to the most deserving party.
Quietly as he could, Lee pushed open the trapdoor leading to the attic. The space was enormous, but Jessi had definitely put it to good use. The entire back wall was lined with shelves, each weighted down with books of varying sizes and thickness. A desk, strewn with papers, starship models, and forlorn looking writing instruments was pushed up against the opposite wall, nearest the door. Maps of Earth and other Coalition worlds occupied every empty spot of wall, adorned with little jewel bright pins that glittered in the dusty sunlight filtering in from the skylight.
“Jessi?” Lee called softly to the room at large. No answer he hauled himself up through the door, followed closely by Trey. The room, Lee decided, was not really a comfortable place. It felt too much like a classroom, or a library. Someplace to be quiet in.
Looking around, he spotted Jessi standing at the far end of the room. She had drawn the shades, casting her into semi darkness; she was surrounded by a million, tiny points of light. Lee gaped at the scene, not entirely sure what he was seeing. The lights bathed Jessi in an almost otherworldly glow, gleaming off her dark curls. Lee stared, open-mouthed, trying to make sense of it, before realizing that she was standing in the middle of a holographic star chart, and an impressive one at that. Lee grinned to himself, feeling rather foolish. Lee had seen star charts before, in school. They were used in every class from astronomy to Coalition history. He had just never seen one used in such a confined space before. The effect was somewhat overwhelming.
Caught up as she was with whatever she was doing, Jessi had not yet noticed her two visitors. Lee slipped beside her noiselessly, staring over her shoulder at the whirling stars. “Hi Jess.”
Jessi looked around in surprise, her eyes wide. She surveyed him unblinkingly, almost seeming to not see him. Finally, her face relaxed into a smile. “Hello Lee. You startled me.”
Her tone completely belied her words. Lee rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. Jessieka Lynn Thomas was as different from her twin brother in looks as she was in demeanor. Her short, spiky dark hair feathered around her heart shaped face, red highlights gleaming in the sunlight. Her bright, chocolate brown eyes and dazzling smile had long wreaked havoc on the hearts of boys in the London area. Her aloof and detached nature had broken a good number of those hearts as well.
“Where the hell did you get this thing?” Trey demanded, frowning.
Jessi sighed, and shook her head impatiently. “I found it when we were cleaning out the garage, right before we left for France. If you had been helping me, like you were supposed to do, instead of chatting up that complete cow, Paula Reynolds, you might remember that.”
Lee raised his eyebrows at this unexpected tidbit of gossip, throwing Trey a questioning look. Trey returned it with his “we’ll talk about it later” grin, before retorting. “Excuse me for not paying more attention to your archaeological finds in the garage. I do have something called a life.”
“No, what you have is called a personality disorder.”
“Hey, guys…” Lee tried to interrupt.
“Oh please,” Trey rolled his eyes. “I bet dad won’t be too happy when he finds out you took that thing. They’re expensive you know.”
“Guys…”
“For your information, dad said I could have it for my room, since I, unlike you, don’t feel the need to destroy everything within a ten mile radius.”
“GUYS!” Lee roared. Trey and Jessi looked round in surprise, their argument faltering. “I’m really sorry to interrupt what I’m sure will be the most important debate in the history of forever, but we really need to talk.”
Jessi raised an eyebrow, but didn’t retort. With a faint sniff, she switched off the star chart, and opened the shade. She motioned to the three, squishy bean bag chairs kept for just such an occasion. What they affectionately referred to as the “round table”.
“Let’s talk then.” She jabbed a finger in Trey’s direction. “This discussion is not over.”
Trey shuddered in mock terror and grinned petulantly at her. “Bring it on little sis! I’m shaking in my high tops.”
Jessi bristled again immediately. “You’re older than me by two minutes! A hundred and twenty measly seconds! Don’t start your crap with me-”
Lee cleared his throat pointedly, and Jessi faltered again into an irritated silence. He was beginning to feel that this would be much more difficult than he had counted on. Once they were seated comfortably, Lee filled them in on everything. He told them about the argument with his father. He recounted Ferret’s story, as close to word-for-word as he could remember, and then Commander Barkeley’s. Trey and Jessi were two very different audiences. Trey was dynamic; he gasped and moaned at all the right places. He would breathe an occasional “No way!” or a “Wow…” and when Lee mentioned Ferret’s theory about the Origin, his face paled. Jessi, on the other hand, listened in complete silence, her eyes never leaving Lee’s face. Her own face was an impassive mask, but Lee could almost hear the gears whirring away under her dark hair. Understanding. Drawing her own conclusions.
When Lee finished, neither of his friends spoke for a long time. Trey looked a bit ill, and Jessi’s lips were pursed, deep in thought.
When Jessi spoke finally, she spoke slowly and deliberately. “So you think your dad couldn’t come back because,” her mouth twisted on the words, as though they were bitter. “the Origin is becoming active again?”
Lee shrugged helplessly. “I don’t want to believe that. I don’t think there’s anything more horrible to imagine, but there just seem to be too many coincidences. My dad can’t come home, but he can’t tell me why. A Coalition cruiser gets blown to pieces. A star trader just happens to pick up traces of Onyx Radiation around the site. And a Coalition Intelligence Officer comes into one of the most out of the way inns in London. He talked to your dad before he sat down. I think he was looking for someone. It doesn’t take a genius to see something’s going on around here.”
“The commander denied that the Origin was involved?”
“That’s putting it lightly. He practically had an aneurysm when Ferret mentioned it. That’s another thing. He was way too defensive about it; almost panicky it seemed. Ferret’s theory shook him up, it was weird. It was pretty obvious he was hiding something.
“But-but no! The Origin can’t be back!” Trey spoke at last, his voice hoarse. “We defeated them. Goshen is dead!”
“That is potentially problematic,” Jessi admitted with a frown. “That’s the piece of this puzzle that doesn’t seem to fit. Olek Goshen was the heart and soul of the Origin, the core of their philosophy. Without him, it’s very unlikely that the Origin could function properly. There’s nothing at all in Origin scripture about replacing the Prophet if he were to die. I don’t think any of them considered it a possibility.”
Lee gaped at her, horrified. “You’ve read the Origin scriptures?”
Jessi rolled her eyes at him. “Yes Lee,” her tone was maddeningly patient, as though she were explaining something to a child that should be obvious. “Haven’t you ever heard of knowing your enemy?”
Lee ignored the jab. Before he could reply, Trey spoke again, seeming to continue his previous train of thought as though he hadn’t heard them. “What if Goshen isn’t really dead?”
Jessi shook her head, looking skeptical. “That would solve that problem, but everyone knows he is. It’s practically legend the way he died.”
Trey looked up at them, his eyes slightly out of focus, as though he had come out of a trance. There was a look of absolute horror on his face. “What if that’s all it is?” When they looked confused, he continued. “What if it is just a legend? I mean, how do we know for sure he died? There was never a body or anything. We learned at school how hard it is to kill Akonians, remember? They have like…a million backup hearts or something, right?”
“Jonathan Carrd knew that though,” Lee protested, starting to feel a little sick to his stomach. “He wouldn’t have made that kind of mistake.”
He met Jessi’s gaze, and found understanding there. She knew that he needed to hold on to the belief that his hero was infallible. It couldn’t have been a mistake. Carrd had killed Goshen, he had saved them all.
Hadn’t he?
There was something else in Jessi’s face. Something Lee didn’t like at all. A dawning realization. “Oh…oh no…” her voice was a hushed whisper. “I don’t think he did! We didn’t know as much about Akonians during the first war. We didn’t know much about anything. I think…I think Trey must be right. Nothing else makes sense. Olek Goshen must still be out there somewhere.”
As she spoke, a chill that had nothing to do with the dismal weather settled into Lee’s chest. They all stared at each other, at a loss for words. Lee’s imagination was racing at a million miles an hour, struggling to keep pace with his heart. He pictured Olek Goshen awakening alone, stirring feebly on Quantum Prime’s frozen desert. He could almost see him pulling himself weakly from the carnage, struggling away from the battlefield. Had a retreating squad of Nightmare Troopers found their wounded prophet, and carried him to safety? Or had Goshen stumbled, bleeding and incoherent through the field of death he had created, until he found a ship on which to make his escape?
The hairs on the back of Lee’s neck prickled uncomfortably. Maybe Trey and Jessi were right. Maybe out there somewhere among the stars, a dark force had reawakened. A force that had come close to wiping Humanity from the pages of history forever once before. Lee could only imagine Goshen’s snarling desire for revenge, and he knew that the Akonian prophet would try again. If he was alive, he was out there now, every human life on this planet in his crosshairs.
And no one on this planet knew it.