JAMES STARED AT HIS TERMINAL for a long while before he broke through his contemplation. What had he gotten himself into? Garth had played him, just like he played every one of them. There was never a guarantee, not a word of loyalty from Garth. The suggestion of job security had been self-imposed and hopeful. James felt ashamed of how stupid he’d been, how expectant, even while the situation got increasingly worse. And now it had grown into a full-on sabotage. Shame made him hate Garth even more. He had to break the man, had to turn him in somehow. Stop him from destroying anyone else’s life, even if he had to sacrifice his own.
He jumped from his chair and checked the time. The fighters would be leaving soon. He wanted to get on board at the last minute, as though it was an accident. Was that even possible? There would be pilots, enforcers, maintenance personnel all around the fighters. He rubbed his face and stared at the door. Go. Just go, he told himself. But there was one last thing to do.
James drifted to his closet and removed a high-powered membrane pistol and tucked it into his belt. He pulled his coat over it and buttoned three buttons to hold the garment closed. He took one large breath before he opened the door and rushed down the hall. James purposely stood tall and straight, trying to look as though he was on official business. His long strides made his quick gate appear smooth. A few of those he passed nodded to him, but he continued straight on path without acknowledging anyone. He refused to stop for any reason.
As he approached the launch bay, he ducked into one of the pilot debriefing rooms, knowing that it would be empty. He rounded the oblong table and chairs and rushed directly to the far-side door leading to the launch bay. It had not been sealed yet, which meant that the bay doors were still closed. There was a moment when he thought he hadn’t breathed for his entire walk there. Another deep breath or two and he allowed his shoulders to relax and his head to clear. This was it. He had to go now.
James opened the door to find few workers in the area. Electricians were breaking down the external power units and securing them to the bay floor. The fighters’ engines were all running. Last checks were being placed on the landing gear before the mechanics headed in the opposite direction, toward their stations behind sealed doors.
James jogged past one of the electricians and motioned for the pilot to have the side door opened for him. Each fighter was loaded down with ten ground soldiers as well as the pilot and copilot. One of the ground troopers reached to help James into the ship. “What is it, sir?”
“Close up,” James said.
“But…we’re leaving?” Just after the trooper said that, the bay horn blared.
“We are now,” James said. “Close up.”
While the trooper secured the door, James ducked and walked past the front row of soldiers to where three jump seats lay secured against the fuselage wall behind the pilot’s seat. He waved to the pilot, giving him the go-ahead, then unlatched one of the jump seats, sat down, and strapped in. The membrane pistol barrel rammed into the top of his leg. He adjusted it slightly, but could still feel the presence of the cold metal poking him.
With everyone in position and the bay doors open, James felt a rush of power throw him forward. The soldiers were shoved into the backs of their seats. He heard the pilot say, “Clear,” which was the signal that they were outside the mother ship and the bay doors could be closed again. They were in space heading for C-47. After a long few minutes for them to break into the C-47 atmosphere, he unlatched himself and swung around so that he could kneel between the pilot and copilot just behind the center console.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the pilot said.
“There may be a change of plans,” James said. “Earth Central is on its way and we could be in danger. I can’t explain what’s going on right now, but we’ve got to be on the alert.”
“But our orders…”
“I’m changing those orders directly.” He tapped the copilot on the arm and said, “We’re changing places for now.”
The copilot hesitated as he glanced at the pilot who gave him a nod. “For now,” the man said as he got up from his seat.
James let him pass and took the copilot’s seat. He put on his headset and switched on the radio. He yelled over to the pilot, “What channel is private?”
“Two. Four is just between the fighters, and six is everyone, including the mother ship.”
James switched the unit to the number two position, “Am I clear enough if I talk this low?”
“Yes, sir. How can I help you?” The pilot whispered, but James heard his voice loud and clear in his headset.
“Your name?” James said.
“Captain Stark.”
“Well, Captain Stark, we have a difficult situation here at the moment.”
“And what is that exactly, sir?” Stark asked.
“I have reason to believe that the lander and its crew are setting a trap for us. This is all part of a well-organized plan to make Section 204 of the IPF look as though they are endangering a strategic alliance between C-47 and Earth Central.” He waited for a moment and was glad to find that Stark had no questions, that he was still listening. “There is a conspiracy going on that will affect the lives of everyone in Section 204. I can’t let that happen,” he said. “Any questions?”
The pilot glanced at a light on the console that blinked continually.
“What’s that?” James pointed at the light.
“I’m being hailed by the mother ship.” Stark pointed to a second light. “And the other fighters.” He waited for a moment. “What should I tell them?”
“About me? An accident,” James said. “Tell them that I had some last minute dealings with one of the soldiers and got caught inside after the horn went off.”
“I’m not sure they’ll buy it,” Stark said.
James cocked his head. “It’s all they get for now.”
Stark switched his radio to six and asked what they wanted. With all channels open, several tried to get through at once. “Hold it, hold it. I know what you want to know, well…,” and he told them the lie that James provided.
“We’ll get in huge trouble with this kind of accident,” the man at the main control room on the mother ship announced.
“It’s okay,” James said into the intercom. “A slight emergency. I’m sure the landers will be on the planet soon and that all negotiations will go smoothly. We’re just backup and probably won’t be needed. Let’s look at this as a short ride through the country, a vacation.” He laughed, but noticed that no one else did.
In a moment, the mother ship’s control room came on the air and said that they’d have to create a report.
“I understand that. And you have my full support,” James said. He knew that Garth didn’t plan to return. And at that point, he didn’t plan to return either. They could write all the damned reports they wanted to.
After his short talk with everyone, James settled in to enjoy the scene. Stark continued to run the engines pretty hard as they flew over the planet. Every colonized planet looked and felt familiar, in an Earth sort of way, especially from that distance. On each planet the continents were shaped differently, and the water supply fluctuated from about a third to two-thirds of the surface, but other than that there were mountains and rivers, valleys and deserts. No matter what the colors were, no matter the leaf patterns or textures, vegetation was vegetation, animals were animals. And, of course, each planet had its own weather patterns, so similar to Earth that it was no wonder people would want to live there. Years could go by and the colony’s scientists would still be documenting every plant, animal, and insect. The excitement and adventure lasted for several lifetimes at least. James wanted to be a part of that excitement. “Beautiful,” he said as he daydreamed living on the surface.
“It is that,” Stark said. “I’ve made a lot of runs to planets and they’re all unbelievably beautiful. Especially at this distance.”
“There’s a lot of blue land here,” James said.
“It’s from the rock, some sort of sandstone, usually clear of organic residues,” Stark said.
“But the planet has plenty of plant and animal life,” James added.
“It hasn’t always been like that. At least not enough to discolor the rock and sand that’s on the surface now.”
“How do you know?” James said.
“I try to read up on the planets we work with. To know something about their makeup, their flora and fauna, even the group who chose to colonize.”
James leaned to look down. “Is it dangerous down there?”
“Can be. The biggest danger comes from not knowing how the local beasts will act, whether they’re carnivores or herbivores.” He winked at James. “Most of the time, like everywhere else, they become scared and run. That is unless they feel threatened. That’s when they fight back. That’s when they’re dangerous.” He winked. “Or if they’re hungry.”
James let it stand at that. If there were that many colonists living on the planet, it couldn’t be too bad a place. After all they had small towns with stores and restaurants, women and children. Just the type of place he wanted to live. He’d been cooped up on the IPF mother ship long enough to know how to survive in a limited space, it was time to change that scenario. The thought of living on C-47 came through his mind quickly and could have moved on, but the idea reminded him of Garth and how his decision to go to the planet had interrupted James’ chances of remaining on C-47 as a diplomatic liaison. Well, that would change. He felt a familiar thickness rise in his chest and knew that an emotional plan would not be a good one. He had to calm down, think clearly. If he were going to foil Garth’s plans, he had to be in top form. The situation could change quickly and in any direction. He tapped his fingers on his armrest as he thought. He took a few deep breaths. Anything he could do to relax he tried. Eventually, he simply stared out the window and watched the ground as they flew over.
Stark pushed a few buttons and ran his fingers over a knob. He brought his attention to James and waved, then pointed at a blinking light on the console. “It’s one of the landers,” he said.
“Garth.” James shook his head.
“He’s asking to talk with you,” Stark said, “but I haven’t answered yet. What do you want me to tell him? He’s bound to know that we can hear him. I’ll have to answer.”
“I’ll answer him, then,” James looked around the console. “What do I have to do?”
“I’ll patch you in.”
James knew that Stark would be listening in on the conversation, but that might be a good thing. If Stark got a feel for how crazy Garth can get, it would work in James’ favor. “James here,” he said.
“I told you to stay on the mother ship.” It was Garth, all right, and he sounded pissed.
“An emergency with one of the soldiers. I ran out for a moment and got caught after the horn blew,” James said.
“There’s plenty of time to leave after the horn goes off. That’s why there’s a fucking horn. No matter. It’s too late now. And, I just want you to know that this will cost you. You made a stupid move, my friend.”
“You can’t fire me without the board’s approval,” James said.
“I won’t need the board’s approval for what’s going to happen. You won’t make it back,” Garth said. “You won’t even interrupt my trip, I’ll tell you that. You’re going to be surprised as hell.” A short pause and Garth shouted through the speakers, “Captain?”
“Captain Stark, here.”
“I want you to stay on course according to my orders. Anything less than that and you’re gone. Do you read me?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re done, James,” Garth clicked off.
“What were your orders?” James asked.
“I’m not sure I can reveal them to you. Especially now.”
“You’ve got to. He’s going to be there two hours ahead of us. That’s more than enough time to execute whatever plan he has in place. And if my suspicions are correct, he’s going to make it look as though we’re on the attack. C-47 will have no choice but to fire on us,” James said in earnest.
“They’ll never see us,” Stark told him.
James gave Stark a look of shock. “You’re supposed to hide five fighters? Then, I’m right. You’ve got to see that you can’t hide once you’re in range. They’re a colony, not Neanderthals. One of these fighters will get seen for sure.”
“Why would he want them to fire on us?” Stark asked.
“So that we’re the bad guys when Earth Central shows up.” James watched Stark’s face as he told him what he thought might be Garth’s plan. “I don’t know for sure, but when Earth Central comes through the wormhole, I’ll bet it’s on this side of the planet. They’ll see what’s going on down here even if they can’t react fast enough to take over.” He paused to allow his next thought through. “They’ll engage the Section 204 mother ship first.” He shook his head. He had no idea how strongly his decision to leave would affect him. But if he had stayed on board the mother ship, he’d be arrested and charged for the fighter attack for sure. Garth must have put the plan into place before James decided to go.
Stark’s lips pushed tight and his eyes narrowed as though trying to sort out what James told him and fit it into place with his present orders from Garth. But an instant later he shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “It makes sense, but I have my orders. We stay on course. You heard him. If I deviate at all it could be my job.”
“You’re putting us all in danger. All five fighters could be shot down. A surprise attack.”
Stark turned a big smile on James. “We’re the professionals. Once Garth verifies a clear air space, we appear, land, drop off troops, and get back into the air. I’ve been through these missions a hundred times. Very straightforward. We can handle anything, including a surprise attack.”
“You’ve never run a mission with me,” James said. “We’ve never met. And I’ve run most of the missions for Section 204 for the past decade. And I almost never use fighters.”
Stark shifted his attention back to his flying. “I came here six months ago, hired from Section 390. I’ve flown more negotiation mission back-ups than you can imagine.” He glanced over at James. “I don’t know how you operate, but that’s my experience.”
James sat back into his seat. “Is that how the IPF is operating now? Are their Peace Coordinators always using back-up, always expecting a fight?”
“Where I came from, that’s what they do, but very few negotiations escalate to that level.” He raised his eyebrows. “Probably because of us.”
James put his hands over his face and rubbed blood back into his jaw. He was sure that he had turned pale. “Has it become that routine out of necessity? Have colonies become that volatile? That violent?”
“No,” Stark said. “Colonies are usually more than happy to talk with us. They know the system. Negotiation means that they have access to Earth Central money and research, that they have opportunities for growth. They don’t all want to be independent.”
“Then why?” James asked.
“One out of ten want to be left alone. They fight back. Simple as that,” Stark said. “I suppose independence can look like freedom.”
“Then leave them alone. Help them apply for independence, like C-47,” James said.
Stark shook his head. “Conversation over. I’m following orders.” He grinned at James. “I guess you got that vacation you wanted.”
“Garth has something up his sleeve and we’d better be ready for anything,” James settled in for the remainder of the trip. He leaned his head against the window. “The second Garth lands on the planet, wake me. That means that we’re almost in range, too.”
“I can do that,” Stark said.
James stared out the window and into the variety of blues that made up much of C-47. Earth had literally billions of living things that had been discovered and catalogued. Colonies got to start from scratch. Unlike a race that evolves, they start out with all the right equipment and knowledge. It’s like starting over. They get the chance to make things better. James wanted to be part of something that interesting, that exciting, and this was his one chance.
“You want to be down there, don’t you?” Stark said.
“What?”
“I know the look. I’ve seen it a hundred times.”
James took a breath. “Yes. I was born and raised in a colony just like this one, on a planet with similar landmass. I miss it.”
“What brought you to IPF?”
“Work. Adventure. As lead Peace Coordinator for the colony where I grew up, I got to call a lot of the shots, got to be part of a lot of negotiations. Got to spend a lot of time on the surface. Until Garth showed up. I should still be the lead Peace Coordinator. I have always been good at working things through with colonists. When I first started, the IPF told me that I’d be able to see more planets, more solar systems than I could dream of.” He stopped. “You know, from up there, inside the mother ship, they all look exactly the same. As the years went by, I got homesick. I can’t go home, though. You can never go home,” he let his voice trail off.
“But you can start a new home,” Stark said.
“I hope so.” James leaned his head against the window and let the vibration of the engines lull him to sleep.