Chapter 31: Finding the Plot
"I've found another one!"
Light suddenly invaded my field of vision, and my head pounded furiously in protest. My cybernetics complained, too, but I completely ignored them. I couldn't make out the faces hovering over me, not right away. A hand grasped my wrist and pulled. I responded by holding onto theirs. I got up, wobbly on my feet, vision slowly clearing up. Beams of sunlight poured through numerous fissures in the command deck's hull. The entire room was twisted, destroyed. The consoles were all dead.
The ship was ruined. It would never fly again. The whole deck was sloped toward the port side--rough landing. It took me a minute to realize who stood before me, as I took in the damage that surrounded me.
"Admiral Sellis," I rasped.
"Captain Maxwell. I'm surprised to see you here."
The Admiral had his hands clasped behind his back, staring sternly at me from a couple meters away. Yeah, don't get too close, you bastard. I wanted to claw his eyes out.
"Surprised to see me alive, I'll bet," I said. "I'm harder to kill than you think."
A couple other men in Navy field uniforms flanked him. He dismissed them, leaving us alone. He wanted me all to himself.
He leaned against one of the consoles, folding his arms. "I must say, I'm disappointed to find you in the company of pirates. I recognized them almost immediately. Conviers, and their Vansara lackeys. Don't you remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians? 'Wicked friends lead to evil ends.'"
I eyed him warily. "You know, I never could get through that book. Got lost somewhere between the 'begats' and the gnashing of teeth. You've been hanging around my parents too much."
He stepped forward, away from the console, toward me. "Speaking of your parents, they said 'Hello.' They wanted me to give you this."
Son of a bitch took a swing at me. I ducked, and he got nothing but air. I spun away from the wall and backed out of his strike zone. "What the hell are you doing, Sellis? Did the Koraxians get to you?"
He shook his head. "Things are a little more complicated than you realize. Right now, you must tell me how this ship came to Earth, to this very location."
"And if I don't feel like sharing?"
He smiled the kind of smile I'd only ever seen on men who'd completely lost it--detached from all sense of decency or ethics. Lunacy. "We're all alone in here. We'd already rounded up the others by the time we found you. If only one of us walks out of here alive, so be it."
He came at me again. What the hell did he think he was doing? His head caught my abdomen, and he slammed me into the wall. It hurt, I'll give him that. I pounded on his upper back until he recoiled. If I was really on Earth, then I could reach Jack.
Jack, are you out there? I reached out into the global network--by voice or by text, I'd get him, if he was available.
He took another swing, and I caught his fist in my hand, pushing it back. "Who are you?" I groaned through my teeth. "Admiral Sellis is not a crazed psychopath, so what have you done with him?"
He stepped back, moving out of range of my arms, keeping his distance. "You're smarter than I thought. Maury Sellis has been dead for some time now. It might surprise you to learn that I never actually lied to you, except by omission. The Koraxian rebels are just that. Their government has marked them for death."
"And the Oolian Cruiser? Why do they need that? And why did you have my parents airlock me? And how do they fit into this whole thing?"
"As I said, it's complicated. If you cooperate, you may yet see your parents again. If you don't, I can always say you'd lost your mind, traveling around with pirates, and you tried to attack me. I only defended myself." He drew a sidearm and aimed it at my chest. "Make your choice, Captain. I don't intend to dance with you all afternoon."
"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I? But I don't even know what you need me for."
"Don't play stupid. I'm talking about this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver chain. Still attached to it was my little charm--the gray square with the protruding nub and the hole in the center.
"Okay, what about it? Other than the fact that you stole it from me."
"I believe it's a homing device, meant to help locate a particular structure in this area. Do you know anything about that?"
"Uh, no, as far as I know, it's just a family heirloom. Doesn't mean I'm not pissed about you stealing it, though. I want it back."
Robert? Are you out there?
Finally!
Jack! I'm in Newfoundland with Sellis. You've gotta tell me what's going on. He's asking me weird questions about that charm I always wear.
"Dammit, Maxwell, I couldn't beat the information out of your parents--they wouldn't last five minutes. So, I'm asking you. You're a smart man. I'm sure you've done your research. What's the significance of this little piece of metal?"
How the hell did you get to Newfoundland? Weren't you just in the NAR?
Never mind how I got here! Sellis is out of his fucking mind! You need to get up here and do something!
I don't have any authority over him. You know that. Something else is happening right now.
Oh, great. What?
"Pay attention, Maxwell! You're going to help me find the facility I'm looking for. This thing will lead us to it, but you are involved somehow."
"Then you already know more about it than I do. I don't see how I can help."
An Oolian fleet has just come into orbit. Seems they were watching over Earth, and noticed a very unusual FV signature.
Unusual?
Yeah. As in, a fold vector signature they hadn't seen in a very long time.
Must be the one I took to get here. I'm not sure. We just blindly activated the FV drive, and wound up here.
From where?
The Koraxian homeworld.
Sellis grabbed my arm. "Let's go, Captain. As far as everyone's concerned, you're in my custody, pending a full investigation into your involvement with these pirates."
Jack? Did you hear what I said?
Yes, the Koraxian homeworld, I heard you. I was just trying to process it. You vectored from there to here in one go?
Apparently.
Robert, whatever you do, figure out what Sellis is up to and don't let him get away with anything. The Oolians say they're coming down to observe what's going on. Things might get messy.
"Messy" is where I live. Don't worry about me.
Sellis led me out of the ship. I looked like I was cooperating, although I really just meant to bide my time. Jack knew more about what was going on, it seemed, and I needed to stay in touch with him.
We stepped through one of the emergency exit hatches, and I saw the surviving Darrex crew--plus Byron, Lana, and Theo--detained and under guard, sitting in the grass. Yeah, they all stared daggers at me. It was all my fault.
Robert, I've been eavesdropping some more on the President's communication with the Oolians.
And?
However you got there, whatever Sellis is looking for, it all has to be connected, and whatever it is, the Oolians want it. Bad. They're demanding the President let them quarantine the area and remove whatever they deem necessary.
I don't like the sound of that, Jack. We both know they've been holding out on us. Whatever it is we're talking about, it must be damn useful. Sellis wants it, the Oolians want it. That means we want it.
I hate it when you're right.
So, what are you going to do about it?
Something crazy, I think.
Yeah?
I'm giving serious thought to storming the President's office. We can't let this happen.
Oh, Jack. I love you.
"I've found another one!"
Light suddenly invaded my field of vision, and my head pounded furiously in protest. My cybernetics complained, too, but I completely ignored them. I couldn't make out the faces hovering over me, not right away. A hand grasped my wrist and pulled. I responded by holding onto theirs. I got up, wobbly on my feet, vision slowly clearing up. Beams of sunlight poured through numerous fissures in the command deck's hull. The entire room was twisted, destroyed. The consoles were all dead.
The ship was ruined. It would never fly again. The whole deck was sloped toward the port side--rough landing. It took me a minute to realize who stood before me, as I took in the damage that surrounded me.
"Admiral Sellis," I rasped.
"Captain Maxwell. I'm surprised to see you here."
The Admiral had his hands clasped behind his back, staring sternly at me from a couple meters away. Yeah, don't get too close, you bastard. I wanted to claw his eyes out.
"Surprised to see me alive, I'll bet," I said. "I'm harder to kill than you think."
A couple other men in Navy field uniforms flanked him. He dismissed them, leaving us alone. He wanted me all to himself.
He leaned against one of the consoles, folding his arms. "I must say, I'm disappointed to find you in the company of pirates. I recognized them almost immediately. Conviers, and their Vansara lackeys. Don't you remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians? 'Wicked friends lead to evil ends.'"
I eyed him warily. "You know, I never could get through that book. Got lost somewhere between the 'begats' and the gnashing of teeth. You've been hanging around my parents too much."
He stepped forward, away from the console, toward me. "Speaking of your parents, they said 'Hello.' They wanted me to give you this."
Son of a bitch took a swing at me. I ducked, and he got nothing but air. I spun away from the wall and backed out of his strike zone. "What the hell are you doing, Sellis? Did the Koraxians get to you?"
He shook his head. "Things are a little more complicated than you realize. Right now, you must tell me how this ship came to Earth, to this very location."
"And if I don't feel like sharing?"
He smiled the kind of smile I'd only ever seen on men who'd completely lost it--detached from all sense of decency or ethics. Lunacy. "We're all alone in here. We'd already rounded up the others by the time we found you. If only one of us walks out of here alive, so be it."
He came at me again. What the hell did he think he was doing? His head caught my abdomen, and he slammed me into the wall. It hurt, I'll give him that. I pounded on his upper back until he recoiled. If I was really on Earth, then I could reach Jack.
Jack, are you out there? I reached out into the global network--by voice or by text, I'd get him, if he was available.
He took another swing, and I caught his fist in my hand, pushing it back. "Who are you?" I groaned through my teeth. "Admiral Sellis is not a crazed psychopath, so what have you done with him?"
He stepped back, moving out of range of my arms, keeping his distance. "You're smarter than I thought. Maury Sellis has been dead for some time now. It might surprise you to learn that I never actually lied to you, except by omission. The Koraxian rebels are just that. Their government has marked them for death."
"And the Oolian Cruiser? Why do they need that? And why did you have my parents airlock me? And how do they fit into this whole thing?"
"As I said, it's complicated. If you cooperate, you may yet see your parents again. If you don't, I can always say you'd lost your mind, traveling around with pirates, and you tried to attack me. I only defended myself." He drew a sidearm and aimed it at my chest. "Make your choice, Captain. I don't intend to dance with you all afternoon."
"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I? But I don't even know what you need me for."
"Don't play stupid. I'm talking about this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver chain. Still attached to it was my little charm--the gray square with the protruding nub and the hole in the center.
"Okay, what about it? Other than the fact that you stole it from me."
"I believe it's a homing device, meant to help locate a particular structure in this area. Do you know anything about that?"
"Uh, no, as far as I know, it's just a family heirloom. Doesn't mean I'm not pissed about you stealing it, though. I want it back."
Robert? Are you out there?
Finally!
Jack! I'm in Newfoundland with Sellis. You've gotta tell me what's going on. He's asking me weird questions about that charm I always wear.
"Dammit, Maxwell, I couldn't beat the information out of your parents--they wouldn't last five minutes. So, I'm asking you. You're a smart man. I'm sure you've done your research. What's the significance of this little piece of metal?"
How the hell did you get to Newfoundland? Weren't you just in the NAR?
Never mind how I got here! Sellis is out of his fucking mind! You need to get up here and do something!
I don't have any authority over him. You know that. Something else is happening right now.
Oh, great. What?
"Pay attention, Maxwell! You're going to help me find the facility I'm looking for. This thing will lead us to it, but you are involved somehow."
"Then you already know more about it than I do. I don't see how I can help."
An Oolian fleet has just come into orbit. Seems they were watching over Earth, and noticed a very unusual FV signature.
Unusual?
Yeah. As in, a fold vector signature they hadn't seen in a very long time.
Must be the one I took to get here. I'm not sure. We just blindly activated the FV drive, and wound up here.
From where?
The Koraxian homeworld.
Sellis grabbed my arm. "Let's go, Captain. As far as everyone's concerned, you're in my custody, pending a full investigation into your involvement with these pirates."
Jack? Did you hear what I said?
Yes, the Koraxian homeworld, I heard you. I was just trying to process it. You vectored from there to here in one go?
Apparently.
Robert, whatever you do, figure out what Sellis is up to and don't let him get away with anything. The Oolians say they're coming down to observe what's going on. Things might get messy.
"Messy" is where I live. Don't worry about me.
Sellis led me out of the ship. I looked like I was cooperating, although I really just meant to bide my time. Jack knew more about what was going on, it seemed, and I needed to stay in touch with him.
We stepped through one of the emergency exit hatches, and I saw the surviving Darrex crew--plus Byron, Lana, and Theo--detained and under guard, sitting in the grass. Yeah, they all stared daggers at me. It was all my fault.
Robert, I've been eavesdropping some more on the President's communication with the Oolians.
And?
However you got there, whatever Sellis is looking for, it all has to be connected, and whatever it is, the Oolians want it. Bad. They're demanding the President let them quarantine the area and remove whatever they deem necessary.
I don't like the sound of that, Jack. We both know they've been holding out on us. Whatever it is we're talking about, it must be damn useful. Sellis wants it, the Oolians want it. That means we want it.
I hate it when you're right.
So, what are you going to do about it?
Something crazy, I think.
Yeah?
I'm giving serious thought to storming the President's office. We can't let this happen.
Oh, Jack. I love you.
Hahaha. Nice.