The Last Flight of the Argus (3 page)

“
Beautiful but dangerous. Not unlike many things in nature.”

“
I’ll have to take your word for it. Of all the plants we have, why your interest in this particular one?”

“
The rose plant doesn’t bear any fruit nor provide nutrients, so the Hydro Techs didn’t bother with her when she arrived with the rest of the crops. They alternately starved or drowned or cooked her, yet she somehow survived. When I finally found her, she was near death. It was a pity to see something that could be so beautiful ignored. All she needed was a human touch.”

“
Are we still talking about the rose?”

Angela turned away from the bush. On a metal platform overlooking the Hydroponics level, she saw the elevator doors open. Two security guards exited and came to a stop.

“
Looks like you’re wanted,” Angela said.

Captain Torin offered the guards a wave. They acknowledged him with a salute but remained in place.

“
Must not be terribly important,” Angela said. “Otherwise they’d be dragging you away.”

“
I sent for them.”

“
You did? Has someone been stealing the carrots?” She giggled. “I've had some strange cravings of late, but I swear it wasn’t me.”

“
We’ve been ordered into Erebus.”

Angela Torin’s hand came to her mouth.

“
By the Gods,” she whispered. “Project Phoenix?”

“
We’ll reach the
Monnel
Displacer within the hour.”

“
But the Queen said we were making progress. She said the war would be over.”

“
The Queen tells her subjects what they want to hear. In this case, and unknown to her, she does not lie. The war will be over very soon. It's why you are going to evacuate the ship.”

“
You can’t be serious. I would sooner leave than—”

“
Hush. There’s no need for you...for our child, to go into Erebus.”

“
The hell there isn’t,” Angela yelled. “I will not leave you!”

“
You will,” Torin growled. He grabbed his wife by her shoulders and held her still. “Please don’t make me order the guards to escort you out. I…I don’t want my last memory of you to be like that.”

“
You’re hurting me,” Angela whispered.

Torin released his wife.

“
Angela…I’m sorry.”

They faced each other for several seconds, neither saying anything. Angela finally broke the silence.

“
I can’t leave you. Even if you are going to Erebus.”

“
You’ve put up with so much from me…from my family. The Queen mother, my brothers…they never accepted you as they should have. But you’re everything I’ve lived for, Angela, and that’s why I can’t let you stay. If not for you, then for our child.”

“
What about the others?”

“
If it were in my power, I'd evacuate everyone. Everyone but me. Unfortunately, the
Argus
requires a crew. Even if it is the bare minimum.”

“
Please...please let me join you. Things might yet turn out well.”

“
I wish there was a chance,” he said. “But we both know there isn't.”

Captain Torin pulled a shiny crystal cube from his shirt pocket. When Angela saw it, her face went white.

“
You didn’t—”

“
It’s all there,” he said before placing the cube into Angela’s hands. “I want this ship’s sacrifice to mean something. I want the Empire to live, even as so many will certainly die.”

When she held the cube, a torrent of emotions flooded from Angela. Tears ran down her cheeks. Captain Torin tried to hold back but couldn’t.

“
I love you,” he said. He wrapped his arms around his beloved wife and gave her a deep, passionate kiss. “Promise me our child will have a good life. Promise me my last wish will come true.”

Angela shook her head. Her next words were barely audible.

“
I promise.”

Torin wiped the tears from his wife’s face and motioned to the security guards.

“
They will take you to bay fifteen. An escape shuttlecraft is waiting for you there. It’s…it’s our last one. Controls and course are set. Other than my most trusted guards, no one will know you’ve left. You will be listed as one of those aboard the
Argus
when she departed for Erebus. Within the shuttle you’ll find new identification and enough money to live a quiet, comfortable life. After our child is born and is strong enough for space travel, you should take him to Onia. I was raised there. It is my understanding the world has changed considerably, but I still have trusted friends living there. They will care for you. Say nothing to them about me or the fate of the
Argus
. Take advantage of your new life and make sure our son lives in a world free of wars.”

“
I love you,” Angela said. “Even though making me leave your side is wrong.”

Torin held her hands in his. “There is no wrong or right. There are choices that are made in the hopes they help more people than they hurt. I love you, Angela. I will always love you, as I will always love the Empire. Remember that my actions today were because of this.”

The security guards approached but kept a courteous distance from Captain Torin and Angela. The two embraced one final time.

“
I love you too,” Angela said. “I will wait for you in Onia. I will wait for your return.”

They separated and Angela walked past the guards. Captain Torin motioned to them and they followed his wife to the elevator. Tear soaked eyes stared at her husband until the elevator doors closed.

With
a sharp burst of exhaust Shuttle 15 lifted off the floor and gently floated up into the cold vacuum that filled the
Argus’
primary landing bay. It spun around and let out another short burst of propellant. In seconds the shuttle cleared the bay doors and moved past the
Argus
and into outer space.

Angela Torin watched as the mighty super juggernaut grew smaller and smaller. It wasn’t long before this fearsome war machine resembled a child’s toy. Soon after, it was nothing more than a large white dot in a field filled with smaller white dots. One of them, Angela knew, was the
Monnel
Displacer. The
Argus
gained speed as it headed directly to toward its destination.

A sudden, steady burst of light indicated the Displacer’s massive transportation machinery was powering up. A final burst of tears rolled down her cheeks and her hands settled on her stomach. She felt their child moving within her.

“
You’ll have to be brave,” she told the child and herself. “You will get a chance to grow up.”

Yes, Angela thought. Nathaniel Torin's child would grow up. The Torin name would live on.

Captain
Torin walked the deck of the
Argus
with purpose. His eyes never straying far from the large view screen at the front of the bridge. In its center was the
Monnel
Displacer. The skeleton crew that remained on the
Argus
performed their functions with mechanical precision. There was little conversation or levity. The camaraderie that was usually shared on their journeys was replaced with a sober formality.

This was fine with Captain Torin.

When the particulars of their mission to Erebus were explained, Captain Torin feared his crew might panic. He was pleased to find them responding to their mission like the seasoned professionals they were.

The Argus neared the Displacer.

“
Monnel
Displacer, this is the
Argus
.” The voice was that of First Officer Ryan Mills. “We are on course 0031, distance five point three thousand kilometers. On final approach.”

“
Acknowledged,
Argus
. We have jump coordinates. Displacer is powered up and awaiting your arrival.”

On the bridge’s view screen the
Monnel
Displacer's hollow core pulse with manic energy. Lights flickered and a mighty vortex of white light filled what was black, empty space.

“
ETA is three, I repeat, three minutes.”

“
Acknowledged. All systems are green. Displacer is at full power and wormhole singularity is stable. Good luck.”

“
Thank you,
Monnel
,” Mills concluded. He eyed his Captain.

Torin nodded. All twenty of the men and women seated in their posts on the bridge stared forward, resolute. Though Torin’s face was hard, it displayed tremendous pride in those who stood at his side within the ship. Everyone knew what was coming and they were willing to follow their Captain to wherever he may lead them.

Captain Torin walked to the front of the bridge and turned to face his crew.

“
When I was a younger man, I devoured every news article I could find,” Torin began. “Back then, they proclaimed the inevitability of war between our two Empires. I was eager for the call of battle. But as I grew, I realized the ugly reality. There came a night, not so very long ago, that I had a dream. A dream of peace. I imagined our people reaching out to our rivals and finally,
finally
, putting away all these centuries of hatred. In these times, I’ve seen us move away from my dream and closer to a day of reckoning. Ladies and gentlemen, that day has arrived.”

When Captain Torin paused, the bridge was deathly silent.

“
We go now into a battle that will determine the fate of billions of innocents. There will be loss. There will be bloodshed. But despite the darkness of this hour, I see a shining light. I know that I will never live my dream, but I also know that what we do today, what we do from this very second forward, will ensure this dream becomes a reality. If not for us, then for everyone else. For despite the disappointments, despite the destruction, after today I
know
we will rise above our differences. Our sacrifice is the first step in the journey from darkness to light. We must all hold to that belief, for it is the truth.”

Captain Torin pointed to the view screen.

“
What lies beyond the Displacer is both our fate and that of
everyone
else. Let’s make our next actions something we can be proud of. Forever.”

Many of the crewmembers nodded. Others, their faces stony and resolute, turned from the Captain and focused on their stations. The flickering energy of the Displacer, as reflected on the view screen, was almost blinding.

Captain Torin walked to his chair.

“
Navigator,” he said. “Take her in.”

MERCHANT SHIP “VIRTUOUS”, on the edge of the Erebus Solar System

Doctor
Stephenson sipped the synthetic orange juice and put the thin foil container on the side of his workbench. He straightened his glasses and watched as line after line of information appeared on the monitor before him. It was a maddening display. He rubbed his bearded chin and let out a deep sigh.

When will it end?

A week passed since his men took over the
Virtuous
, and today was looking very much like another day of mind numbing intelligence gathering. Here he was, deep in Epsillon territory at the birth of war, and the most exciting thing he’d done in the past two days was get a couple of extra hours of sleep.

Can’t stay on stims forever.

Then again, Stephenson thought, too little excitement was preferable to too much. Taking over the
Virtuous
was a near perfect operation. After removing the bodies of the Captain and his First Officer, Stephenson’s men, on board the light cargo cruiser
Xendos
, docked and, before any of the few remaining living staff of the
Virtuous
could react, spread out and took them down. Afterwards, all corpses were crated up. They would eventually be ejected into space and likely never found again.

All this was accomplished with only two injuries to his men. Both were serious enough for Stephenson to lock the men in stasis and send them back on the
Xendos
to the hidden Phaecian base. The stasis equipment on that ship would keep them alive and stable for at least a week. Stephenson knew that was not enough time. When he and the rest of his crew finally returned to Phaecian territory, the two men he sent ahead would be in body bags.

Stephenson frowned. His instructors back in the Corps would call this an acceptable loss considering the overall success of the mission, but what the hell did they know about loss?

It was one thing to talk about it in the comfortable confines of a classroom, and quite another to experience it first hand.

The Doctor tried to keep those grim thoughts from his mind and put his focus back on the mission. He was to continue the
Virtuous’
flight path along the periphery of Erebus and collect information on the constantly moving
Erebus Military Prime
Displacer, deep within the Erebus solar system. He was to do this for as long as possible.