Wings of Steele - Destination Unknown (Book 1) (74 page)

"Yeah
but with all the different life on all the different planets
out
here," said Paul, "how could you possibly hope to find the
right one?"

"Well
it's even worse than that, my boy, there are thousands of
planets
out there that have died but held life previously..."

"Sounds
kinda hopeless to me," said Jack.

"Not
quite," corrected Walt, "you just have to think like a
detective
and
look for clues." He re-lit his pipe and savored the smoke
before continuing. "You see, everything goes through a cycle;
birth, life, death and rebirth. Planets, continents, civilizations,
even solar systems... over different time periods, of course, but
they all tie in with one another."

"I'm
not sure I understand, Uncle," said Derrik, his brow furrowed.
"How
did life get to the other planets?"

"Well,
plant life existed in one form or another on many planets, but
intelligent
life started on Base Alpha. By the time the Alphans' civilization
had progressed to the point of space travel, their planet was dying.
So they ventured outward, looking for new planets to colonize and
preserve their existence. As this occurred, the new civilizations
they created went through a degeneration and rebirth process, losing
then relearning technology. As this happened, their planets aged and
began to die. Again they moved outward." He puffed his pipe as
everyone sat quietly waiting for him to continue. "If you think
of each one of those civilizations as a pebble and the reaction it
causes when you drop it in a pond, you will remember that they
produce outwardly moving ripples. Well soon there were three
pebbles, then ten, then fifty, later a hundred... all moving out and
about. As planets die, others are born and yet again others reborn.
The cycle goes on."

"So
then you are saying all intelligent life descended from one race,
one
planet?" asked Paul.

"Yes,"
was the Professor's simple answer. "We've changed, of course,
adapting
to our unique environments. But we're all brothers under the skin,
so to speak."

"And
somewhere in there, all those civilizations, the key to the
prevention
of eventual extinction was lost," guessed Jack.

“
Correct."

"And
you truly expect to find it?" To Jack it sounded more hopeless
than
before.

"All
we have to do is track those civilizations backwards to Base
Alpha,"
said Walt confidently. "The answer will be there."

This
was a lot to absorb in such a short time, destroying most of the
theories
they were taught and grew up with. Hell, most people didn't even
believe in extraterrestrial life, and here they were, finding out
they were even related to it. The pilots sat quietly and sipped
their drinks.

Walt
glanced at his watch. "Oh, heavens, I'm due on the bridge! I've
got
to go." He headed for the door trailing puffs of sweet smoke.
"Oh, by the way," he said pointing with his pipe, "I'm
guessing you all have those little Acrilee or Baltec tracking
buggers stuck on your heads, go see Doc and have them removed."
The door swished closed behind him.

He
was right, except for Derrik, they all had them.

FREEDOM:
TONTURIN SPINDLE SPACEPORT, TYREEA SECTOR

The
Freedom had been docked at Tonturin for almost a week, taking on
supplies
and trading some of what they'd recovered from the pirate depot for
Interstellar Trade Credits or ITCs as they were called. (A monetary
unit that was constant almost anywhere). From the profits, the crew
was paid a comfortable salary and was happily spending it at the
hundreds of shops and restaurants on the station.

Tyreea
was a quiet sector, rich in trade and completely neutral in
UFW/pirate
conflicts. Jack compared it with WWII era Switzerland and wondered
how that precarious position was mastered and maintained.

Strange
dreams plagued Jack's sleep for a week or two after the
removal
of the Acrilee's homing beacon and control chip, but the truth was
not so shocking or uncertain as it would be for someone back home.
His mind quickly accepted and regained its normal equilibrium, as
did Paul, Mike and Brian.

The
four pilots sat in the sand and watched the waves roll in from
the
artificial ocean, watching Fritz run through the water. "Y'know,
I was hoping to be home by Christmas," said Jack, watching a
handful of sand run through his fingers.

"Yeah,"
said Brian, "but who knew that star in Pitkin would go super
Nova..."

"Or
that we'd have to escort that Brugarian freighter two weeks out
of
our way," added Mike.

"Yeah,"
interrupted Paul, "but they paid us good money for that."

“
I
guess for the most part," said Jack, "we're not doing too
bad." He
watched
Ragnaar practice hand to hand combat with an invisible opponent,
further down the beach.

"So,
what did you get her for Christmas, Jack?" asked Brian,
changing
the
subject and breaking the silence. Jack dug a small box out of his
jacket pocket and opened it for all of them to see. The large
triangular stone sparkled with an intense fire.

Mike
let out a low whistle. "Nice rock! Is it a diamond?"

"Well,"
said Jack, "they have another name for it, but basically
yes,
it's a real diamond. Think she'll like it?"

"Hell,
yeah!" exclaimed Paul, "give it to me and
I'll
marry you!" He
made
a kiss face and Jack pushed him away as the others laughed.

"Hey!"
whispered Mike urgently. "Put it away, here she comes!"
Jack
stuffed
it back in his pocket.

Alité
strolled up, a small shopping bag in her hand and Jack gave
her
a hand as she lowered herself to the sand. She sat cross legged next
to him and rubbed her round belly. "Only two more months,"
she announced, "I'm not sure I can wait that long."

"You're
lucky," Mike told her. "Human women carry for almost twice
as
long."

She
shook her head. "I can't imagine it. It must be torture."

"That's
what I hear," said Brian. Everybody laughed.

"Merry
Christmas," Jack told her. He pressed the small satin covered
box
into her hand. He had explained the reasons and customs of Christmas
about a week before.

"For
me
?"
she squealed. "What is it?"

"Open
it and you'll find out."

The
little box protested with a tiny squeak and her eyes sparkled
a
curious green as she lifted the lid. "Oh my," she sighed.
A tear ran down her cheek.

Jack's
heart dropped. "You don't like it..." He should have known
better
than to try to buy jewelry for a Princess.

"Oh
no," she breathed, "it's beautiful."

"But..."
He indicated her tears as he pulled the ring from the box to
put
on her finger.

Alité
smiled as he slipped it on her. "I never had a ring before...
a
Princess is not allowed to wear one until she's betrothed or
married." She kissed him. "It's simply the most beautiful
thing I've ever seen."

Paul
nudged Mike and Brian. "Let's take a walk," he whispered.
The
three
men departed quietly, and Fritz followed them down the beach.

"Now
you," said Alité, handing Jack the bag she held.

From
it, Jack drew out a robe of heavy blue satin, detailed with
dark
blue velvet and richly embroidered in gold on the breast pocket and
around the cuffs. His initials and a crown adorned the pocket. It
was unquestionably the finest robe he'd ever seen. He smiled broadly
and held it up,
"Truly
a robe fit for a k..."

"
Prince
,"
she interrupted, her eyes now a sparkling azure blue. "
My
Prince."

"Well
isn't this sweet..." Sitting in the sand, neither Jack nor
Alité
had seen or heard LaNareef approach. Jack turned. "No, no,
Captain, don't get up. I want to remember you just like this..."
a Mercon blaster dangled from his right hand. "You aren't
worthy of this woman. You disgust me. You aren't even Velorian."
LaNareef raised the barrel of the blaster and pointed it at Jack's
chest. Jack had the strange feeling he'd been there before, but in
the stress of the moment could not pinpoint why.

"What
are you doing LaNareef..?" asked Alité cautiously.

"I
am going to kill him," he replied bluntly. "Then I will
kill
his
bastard child..." He pointed the gun at her. "Because in
the eyes of the Royal court, you are not really married..."

LaNareef
was well out of Jack's reach and rock solid. Completely
cool.
Jack had no expectations of being able to draw him off guard. He
looked around the beach for help but saw no one, the stretch of sand
was completely deserted, artificial dusk was approaching.

"And
then," continued LaNareef, "I will kill
you
,
Princess. Because
you
are a dirty slut and have disgraced our people. You are a traitor."
The hair on the back of Jack's neck stood up and he shifted his
position. LaNareef smoothly moved the blaster back to bear on Jack.
"Please, Captain, I would enjoy that." He clicked the
blaster's safety off. "It would give me great pleasure to kill
you in an attempt to attack me." He sighed. "No? Oh
well..." He appeared to be thinking for a moment, then added,
"You know... perhaps I would let you go if you begged me to
spare your life... of course, I would still have to dispose of her."

"Keep
dreamin'," growled Jack. His fingers dug into the sand, he
wondered
how fast he could throw it and roll. He worked his other hand out
from Alité's grasp.

"Say
goodbye, Captain..." said LaNareef coldly. He rested his
finger
against the trigger.

Jack
tensed and held his breath, his hand clutching the sand, unsure
how
to time his actions.

There
was a brief fraction of a second when a large shadow crossed them...
Jack's mind raced ahead, all time slowed down. LaNareef squeezed the
trigger and the beam of the blaster lanced
out...
his feet levitating off the sand. The hot crimson streak passed
above Jack's head and he could hear the electric sizzle. The couple
looked on, as the hapless LaNareef continued to rise from the sand,
arms flailing, the blaster dropping to the sand.

Ragnaar
snarled, a sound equal to that of a full grown male lion as
he
lifted LaNareef from behind. LaNareef screamed in agony as the
fingers that pierced the muscles of his back squeezed his spine like
a pneumatic vice. His cry cut short to a strangled gurgle as
Ragnaar's other hand crushed off his windpipe.

Raising
LaNareef above his head, Ragnaar violently wrenched his
helpless
victim, crushing and breaking his neck and snapping his spine
simultaneously. He tossed the lifeless body into a heap on the sand.
"Traitor," he snarled. He turned to Jack and Alité
who still sat in the sand, stunned. "Are you alright, Captain?
Miss Alité?"

"Fine,"
said Jack in amazement. He took the hand offered him and
rose
from the sand. He pulled Alité up with him. "How did you
do that, Lieutenant? I never heard you." He wiped LaNareef's
blood from Ragnaar's hand on his own pants.

"Practice,"
said Ragnaar. "I couldn't let you see me either, or he
might
have known and killed you before I reached him." He leaned over
and picked up the blaster off the ground. He straightened up and
kicked sand on LaNareef's body. "Honorless trash," he told
the corpse before turning away. "You were never alone," he
assured them, as they walked across the beach. "Ever." He
pointed at Fritz, the other pilots and three of the Freedom's
security personnel who ran towards them through the sand.

"As
you know," explained Ragnaar, "weapons are not allowed on
the
station.
We knew he would try for you today when one of our security people
saw him purchase the blaster from a black marketeer this morning.
All we had to do was give him an opening to get him to commit
himself..." He handed the confiscated weapon to a security
woman from the space station. "Sorry I could not tell you what
we were doing..."

Jack
wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Don't apologize for
success,
Lieutenant.
Not ever." He extended his hand. "Thanks. I owe you one."
The story of the Lieutenant carrying him into the sickbay after the
collision flashed through his mind. “It occurs to me that I
owe you two...

Ragnaar
paused and shrugged, smiling, “Who's counting?”

■ ■ ■

The
crew of the Freedom thoroughly enjoyed their time off at the
spaceport,
recreating, studying or sending messages to family and loved ones.

Slivers
of information on InterGal News suggested warring religious
factions
on Alité's planet had split the population into several main
segments. It was thought but unproven that LaNareef may have been a
member of a fanatical organization dedicated to the preservation of
racial purity on Veloria. Alité had chosen to believe the
conflict between their friendship and his strict beliefs drove him
to the point of madness. After the Freedom departed, the incident at
Tonturin Spindle Spaceport was never mentioned again.

Time
came and went and so did the Genesis Gates and systems, mostly
unnoticed
as the crew strived to maintain and perfect the Freedom. With the
aid of Professor Edgar's software abilities and Hecken Noer's
hardware wizardry, the Freedom's sensor array improved to exceed
even UFW technology and her engines could match the speed of even
the newest ships.

The
fighter squadron had taken on a confidant and fluid appearance,
becoming
more cohesive and practiced. As a point of pride, each pilot had his
or her own fighter, complete with their names and kill badges listed
on the fuselage near the cockpit. Several new pilots had been
recruited from the crew and could be seen training daily in the
flight bay.

The
sectors were fairly quiet and other ships were for the most
part,
few and far between. From time to time, this uneasy quiet gave Jack
a feeling of great foreboding for which he had no concrete reason.
Several times they passed warships from one side or the other,
hustling off to some urgent destination. But never once was the
Freedom considered a threat or challenged. A yellow alert was an
occasional occurrence. A red alert was a rarity.

The
only sector of any consequence was the Verondo Sector. A UFW
convoy
stretched for about two hundred miles, patrolled by destroyers and
heavily armed gunships. The Freedom's crew counted close to seventy
vessels of all sizes. Something monumental was going on and it was
uncomfortable for Jack to think about how close it was to home.