“I read your FTL trials went off without a hitch.”
“There was the odd kink to iron out, but for the most part was a smooth transition from the old Mark IV.”
“Good. The admiral will be pleased to hear that.”
Nicolas stared at his old teacher with concern, remembering the different tones of his voice. “Anything I should know before going in there?”
Foster squirmed at the question, but he kept a straight face. “You’ll be informed once we’re inside.”
Nicolas eyed him suspiciously all the way to Admiral Mueller’s office. Foster opened the door, and they both walked in. At the end of the room was a large granite desk in front of an oversized window that overlooked the grounds of HQ. On the left was a sitting area with a pair of sofas in front of a small library of old leather-bound books. And on the right, a bank of several monitors with fleet readiness information scrolling down them.
From a side entrance, Admiral Janice Mueller entered. Nicolas stood at attention as she passed, sipping away at her mug of coffee. Taking little notice of him, she sat in the chair behind her desk. Nicolas had only met the admiral on a few occasions. He found her blunt. Cold. Not much of a conversationalist. And not exactly laissez-faire.
Mueller put her mug on the table, and Nicolas saluted. “Captain Marquez, commanding officer of the Vanguard, reporting as ordered, Admiral.”
She eyed him much like Foster had on the landing pad, yet this wasn’t a friendly ribbing by a mentor. He felt like he was being interrogated. Nicolas was never one to be intimidated, but Mueller had an aura about her that made him feel more than a little uncomfortable.
She pointed at the chairs in front of her desk. “Take a seat.”
Both Nicolas and Foster did so.
Mueller put her hands together and rested them on the desk. “No doubt you’re wondering why you’ve been summoned here today?”
It was atypical to be called to the top office unless it was important. And as far as Nicolas knew, the Vanguard’s next mission had already been locked in. “You could say that, Admiral.”
“You have new orders.” Mueller pressed a button on the panel in front of her. The windows behind her tinted to black, and a holographic image of a planet materialized above the trio. “What do you know about Orion V, Captain?”
Nicolas looked up at the holographic representation of the dead ball of rock. “Home to a decium ore mining operation, and near Frontier’s Reach, if I’m not mistaken.”
“Indeed.” The hologram zoomed out to show a topographical representation of the United Earth Commonwealth, with Orion V near the very edge and Frontier’s Reach beyond.
Mueller deactivated the hologram, and the windows returned to their normal shade. The light of the sun once again soaked the office in a beautiful warmth. She took a data tablet from her desk drawer. “The Vanguard will be taking a little trip.”
Hardly a little trip.
Even with their new engine it would take six months there and six months back. “What’s our assignment?” he asked.
Mueller slid the data tablet across to him. “You’re to deliver a package to Orion V.”
“What are the contents of this package?”
Mueller glared at Foster, then returned her gaze to Nicolas. “The contents are classified.”
Nicolas waited for her to elaborate, but she wasn’t forthcoming. “Surely as commanding officer of the Vanguard, I have clearance.”
Her brows furrowed so much they almost knitted together. “I’m sorry, Captain.”
He tried to put together his words as diplomatically as possible. “You want me as the captain of my ship to deliver… something having no knowledge what it is?” He turned to Foster whose eyes told him to tread carefully. “It’s highly irregular, Admiral.”
“Perhaps so, but there are allowances for it in the regulations. And under the delicate circumstances, it is necessary.”
Nicolas opened his mouth to say something else, but Mueller cut him off. “You’ll also have a team of Marines accompanying you to ensure the security of the package.”
Stompers. Great…
“From what I’ve read of your reports, the Vanguard will be operational in seventy-two hours.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
“You will depart in forty-eight hours. Is that attainable?”
Nicolas knew it wasn’t a question. He nodded to the affirmative.
“Oh, and one more thing.” Mueller fired another data tablet over to him—a personnel file. “Doctor Susan Tai of the Tokyo Institute of Advanced Sciences will join you on your voyage.”
Nicolas froze. The eyes of the woman in the file photo on the tablet stared up at him as if they were probing deep into his soul.
“Admiral Foster will brief you on all the other relevant matters pertaining to the mission,” Mueller said finally.
“Aye, Admiral,” Nicolas uttered, still unable to look away from the tablet.
Foster stood and led Nicolas out of the office. “It was touch and go for a while, but for the most part you did pretty well in there,” his mentor said with a cheeky grin.
“I know you couldn’t tell me any of the mission parameters before going in there. But to not tell me I’d have to take my ex-wife along to Orion V. That was low.”
Nicolas glowered at Susan’s face on the tablet. And I thought the war was hard…
Five
Odyssey Station
As Jason moved among the hundreds of vessels on the station’s expansive hangar deck, it was then that it hit home what he was doing.
What am I going to say? Maybe I can turn back.
He took in some deep breaths.
No.
He knew it was the only way he’d get to Frontier’s Reach.
He walked toward one of the many computer terminals and was nearly bowled over by a hover lifter operator, who thought he was some sort of pod racing champion.
“Hey! Watch it!” Jason flipped him the bird and shook his head.
“What can I do for you today, Jason Cassidy?” the polite voice of the computer said to him as he placed his hand on the console.
“Where can I find the Cargo Ship Argo?”
The terminal processed his request. “The Cargo Ship
