Chapter Five

 

Jeron sealed the hatches and sat in the pilot’s chair. He studied the controls, checked the computer. Only then did he relax. “She did it!”

“What?” Corree asked.

“I’ll explain when we are away. Go ahead get the pistol and strap yourself in. We are going to have a rough ride for a while.”

She did as she was told; making sure Dr. Verin couldn’t get himself loose. The take-off was smooth enough, but Corree could see Jeron gripping the control stick with both hands once they hit the higher winds of the upper atmosphere. Very quickly, though, they were in the lower reaches of space and the turbulence weakened.

“Won’t they figure you are heading toward Mendel?” she asked.

Jeron chuckled as he worked at the console. “The nice thing about orbits is that planets do not always line up in a nice, neat row. The home planet is in a position that makes it feasible to reach it by swinging out instead of straight toward the sun.” He saw Corree’s perplexed look. “I’ll show you what I mean when we’re safely out of the solar system.”

“Won’t someone figure it out after a while?”

“Friends of mine programmed the computer so that no one could hack into it…or take it over. So yes, someone will figure it out eventually, but won’t be able to do anything.”

“But why are they doing this? Your friends don’t know me.”

Jeron flashed a half smile and pointed to the still sleeping Verlin. “Several reasons. One, because we despise the way the Federation leaders are wantonly grabbing what they want, regardless of who is in the way or who might be hurt. That operation against the Ologrians was the last straw.”

“But I got the impression that the Federation leaders didn’t know about it.”

“I suspect someone near the top did know and either ordered it or simply let it happen. Convenient that way. A possible rival in the galaxy goes down without a fight. The politicians, including those who knew, scream for investigations in the high government and sigh with relief when the population forgets about it, when something else grabs their attention.”

“Still, your friends don’t know me. Apparently your cousin doesn’t even like you.”

Jeron sighed. “No, she doesn’t. She has complicated reasons for wanting to help you, none of which include me. I think part of it is because you more or less told the Federation where to go.”

Corree didn’t have a clue what he just said. Her expression must have shown that.

“My friends and I admire your courage in standing up for what you believe. I think some of them, as well as some of our enemies, are a little afraid of you, too.”

“What? Why would they be afraid of me?”

“Corree, this is the most ambitious program ever undertaken. When Lena saw what you could do, I think she was scared to death.”

“I still don’t understand. I wouldn’t try to hurt anyone. I only mutate….”

“They don’t know that, my dear. To my friends, you represent someone powerful who is better off on the world you were created to inhabit. To our opponents you are someone with a unique power that could be used against them. The Lena’s of the world are afraid of things they can’t control. She wanted you examined by Federation scientists to see what your limitations are and how you could be neutralized.”

Corree shuddered. That made a horrible kind of sense. “What’s going to happen to them—to you?”

“I think the others have covered their tracks well enough. Me?” Jeron shrugged. “I’m not worried about that anymore.” He turned back to the console. “Just watch; don’t say anything. I need to concentrate on this until we’re safely out of the Federation’s reach.”

Corree doubted that was possible, but if she could get back to Mendel, her chances would be better.

Verin slept as they swung through the outer reaches of the solar system. Only when Jeron guided them out of solar influence, into a seeming void between systems did the scientist awaken. His complaining reminded Corree of Windemere’s, except Verin ranted as though he had the entire force of the Federation behind him.

Something was happening at the guidance console, which gave Verin reason to complain more loudly. Jeron did his best to ignore their prisoner, but Corree could tell it was distracting him. She approached Verin and hissed, “I will choke you again. Keep quiet.”

“You’re going to kill me anyway, so why not get it over with.”

Corree gaped at him. Killing was the last thing on her mind. She understood more fully what Jeron had told her. “I wasn’t planning on it, but if you get too annoying, I might.” Verin shut up. Corree sat in the chair next to Jeron.

His hands flew over the console, pushing buttons, typing in information. At times he consulted with something written on a very small reader. She had no idea what the symbols were saying, but could guess they were instructions of some kind.

Finally, Jeron sighed and pushed away from the console. “Unless they send a battle cruiser, we should be in great shape to Mendel.”

“But they had battle ships when the Ologrian refugees were fleeing from Alogol. They would still be there, wouldn’t they?”

Jeron frowned. “Do you remember how many?”

“I believe there were three. One was a little bigger than the other two.”

“And then you will both be taken back home,” Verin crowed.

“Corree, help me get our passenger to a cabin.” He pointed the pistol at Verin’s head. “You aren’t going to give us any trouble, are you?”

Verin gulped and shook his head. They escorted him into a small cabin. Jeron produced the same kind of restraints that had been used on her. She couldn’t help but smile. Jeron took the further precaution of strapping him down on the bed.

“I will come and check on you occasionally,” he promised.

When they were back in the control room, Jeron took out a device similar to what he had used when he was recording her words. This one was smaller.

“Just a precaution in case Verin was able to put a spy device in here. I’m not recording anything; this just makes it impossible for anyone else to listen in to our conversations.” He leaned back in the pilot’s chair. “Now where were we?”

“Uh, the battle cruisers.”

“Yes, I remember that in the report. I believe they left one of the smaller battle cruisers. I can’t imagine why just one unless they felt the Ologrians were no longer a threat, which verifies my theory that someone in charge knew what Windemere was doing.” He leaned back and rubbed his chin. “I also read the report about how the Ologrians rebuffed them. That part was a bunch of side-stepping garbage that said almost nothing. If your friends have a weapon that powerful, maybe the Federation leaders figured it was futile to keep three ships nearby.”

Corree cocked one eyebrow, not sure what Jeron meant by side-stepping. “So you’re sure that thing of yours will keep what we say private?” At his nod, she continued, “I am not sure how I did it, but.…” She hesitated. Should she tell him?

“I am taking this ship all the way to Mendel. We’ll get you home somehow. Trust me, please….” Jeron did a double-take. “Did you say you did it?” Jeron stared at her in amazement.

“I have found stones, on Mendel and on Alogol that seem to have some kind of energy in them. I kept one in a mutated skin pouch under my rib cage. Finally, after a while, it sort of became part of me.”

“Assimilated? You mean it’s inside your body?”

She nodded.

Jeron whistled his amazement. “And how did it help you?”

Corree paused.

“You don’t have to tell me how it worked if you don’t want to. Just be ready if we’re challenged.”

“I really don’t know how it worked,” she admitted, grateful Jeron didn’t press her. “It was as though I was traveling through the ship; like some kind of energy. There was so much power; it knocked me out.” Corree paused and studied Jeron. “Why are you doing this for me? There is no advantage for you taking me home.”

“Like Brekal said, you don’t belong on the home world.”

“I was made to adapt.”

“You would die there. We both know they would never let you leave. You’d be a prisoner. Besides, you were born to lead. You must go back, bring your people together.”

Before she could say anything, Jeron swiveled his chair around to work at the controls. He typed figures into the computer and flipped a switch. “Buckle in. We’re going to have a rough ride for a short while.”