| Caleb's
communicator signaled, the soft, warm, security
of his bed never felt better. Totally secure, the
outside world couldn't threaten here... Caleb
acknowledged that he had received the communique.
Jess
was sitting at the breakfast table when Caleb
emerged from his quarters, travel bag in hand.
Jess knew the visit was over. "I hope ye
won't stay away so long ~ gets pretty lonesome
here you know," Jess muttered into his
coffee cup, just loud enough for Caleb to hear.
Caleb nodded in agreement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caleb had just been
given a very dangerous assignment... more than
search and destroy, this involved rescue. He
didn't like the feel of it. His was extremely
proficient at blowing up things, but rescue...
getting in out and insuring safety for another
was more than he had bargained for.
The communique' had
revealed that several prominent politicians from
Ephysia Main were being held as political
prisoners on the primary moon of GOG. Caleb knew
the small world... There was enough atmosphere to
sustain life but not enough to support the
strenuous movement that rescue would likely
involve, that is, without the support of clumsy
life supporting equipment. Probably the reason
they were there. The "limiting"
environment made it somewhat secure.
The Gogean Outpost
there was said to be as pretty as Alpha's
original garden. The difference... Mesmerizer
created this one. As usual, Caleb would go by
himself, always preferring to work alone, only
the unseen presence of Alpha was with him. The
renegade had become accustomed to those
feelings... dreadful loneliness! Caleb had
learned many years earlier that Alpha was always
with him in spirit. An ancient writing inspires
him, "Be strong and of good courage, I am
with you wherever you go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The trip back to Epysia
Main was a quick one, Caleb had pushed "Big
Red" well into warp-factor-3. Instructions
from command indicated that Caleb should expedite
the mission with extreme urgency.
Upon landing Caleb was
met by two enforcers of the most elite squadron
in Ephysian Defense. Caleb began to get the idea
that there was more to this mission than they had
told him. Two sharply dressed Commandos of the
"Creme Della Creme" rushed him into the
awaiting Board of Defense which was comprised of
the most authoritative people on the planet.
Caleb felt a chill when finally realizing the
magnitude of emergency.
All eyes were fixed
upon him as they scanned his retina for
positive
identification. The President of Ephysia stared
coldly at Caleb, cleared his throat and
solemnly began in a monotone voice. The two
officials of Ephysia who were kidnapped have
enough top secret defense knowledge to
"bury" every defense installation in
Ephysia's Military Command. The GOG kidnappers
would trade these two for you!" Caleb's
heart jumped into his throat when he realized
what he had rushed home to... His own funeral!
He understood all too
well! The very existence of his home was on the
line and he was the bait on that line! Caleb
solemnly asked, "when and
where do we make
the trade?" The President looked wild eyed
as he bellowed, " We don't trust
them to honor the trade, they may have
already broken
these two gutless politicians, then we lose all
the way around... they would have the
information and you!
YOU! The best strike commander in the Force! You're
the only hope we have to win in a combat
situation! It's in your hands, you must get them
out dead or alive and destroy GOG Command
Headquarters! We are prepared to honor any plan
you can come with, money is not a consideration,
we will spare nothing! The very existence of
Ephysia is at stake!"
The President turned
and looked out across the stars. "We know
you answer directly to Alpha." He continued,
"We have
heard of and have seen some of the miracles Alpha
has granted you... we all feel that this is the
only way Ephysia can survive." Caleb
inquired, "Have you contacted the Alpha
Outpost Society?" The President hit the desk
with his fist, "yes, they will pray but
suggested we make the trade and hope that GOG
will honor the
agreement, You for them! I'm afraid they don't
understand that
GOG has never honored an agreement."
Those two
political lilies are the most gutless sell-outs
ever elected to
political posts of Ephysia ~ why, they probably
have already given them what they
need to know just for a position in the New Gog
Order! Time is critical because they know more
than they realize, some of the information they
have and think is minor is actually very
critical. They have information they're not even
aware of. Given enough time the Federal Bureau of
GOG will extract it all and put it together. For
instance ~ these lilies know that the Star Runner
is an extension of you
~ they know that we actually "grew" the
nervous system of the craft from Your own DNA.
Given enough time, the Federal Bureau of GOG will
ask the right questions and realize what they
have. If they ever realize that the ship will
only respond as it does for you and nobody else ~
we'll see suicide missions galore until they get
you. We can't chance it! The time has come to hit
GOG Military Command, in other words ~ We're
declaring war and you are the one who must
lead the strike! We hope you will present
our case to your "Alpha".
The
plan...
We are going to tell
GOG Command that we are going to accept their
offer. We will go on to tell them that you
however are currently in slumber on an extended
deep space probe for a private company ~
the next time we communicate with
you we will have you return for assignment ~ then
we'll make the trade. That should give us enough
time to put the plan together. In the meantime
you've got to get Big Red 3 out of here and you
lay low.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The night was
exceptionally cool. Caleb pulled his sweater
tightly about his neck as he walked down the
loading ramp where Big Red 3 was being armed. He
thought of all the mistakes he had made and wished
he could make them right. He was not sure of
himself where this mission was concerned,
"don't go with your feelings" he kept
telling himself... "trust Alpha, not your
feelings. It's just another mission, you know
what you're doing." The loneliness was
smothering, he wished he had someone to bid
goodbye, that was the hardest thing about
leaving, there was no one to leave ~ Or come back
to.
Big Red
3 would be disguised...
This mission would
require a lot of drive time, he would leisurely
drive from station to station, looking like a
defenseless courier on the GOG spotter screen ~
giving the Ephysia Intelligence Agency time to
gather the needed information to fine tune the
strike. Ephysian spy satellites would monitor the
position of the prisoners and movement on the
Gogean Moon. Command would design the strike
according to Caleb's master plan. Caleb had
agreed to lead a strike force if he determined he
couldn't do it alone.
While the stage was
being set and the strike being planned, there
would be lots of
time for thinking, maybe too much time!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Caleb ~ enveloped by
his command chair eased the gleaming Star Runner
into the outer atmosphere, he looked back at the
Main planet... perhaps the last time. The awesome
ship broke free of Ephysia's gravity ~ Caleb
eased the progression stick to minimum warp,
"take it easy, gotta look like a courier
shuttle," he reminded himself.
He began to
recall "the experience" as he settled
in for the trip.
|
