Introduction

In 3024 Nordstrum Haliday discovered the phase field. Within two years, the phase-stardrive was developed and mankind had a faster-than-light technology to go out to the stars. The construction of Exploration Starships immediately began, and discovery of habitable planets quickly followed. The many nations on Earth put their differences aside and came together for the first time ever to build massive colony ships to go out and begin colonizing the newly discovered planets. Over population, pollution, and famine made normal life on Earth for most of humanity difficult at best and unbearable for most.

Billions of people from every nation quickly volunteered to go out and build a better way of life on a new planet. The leaders on Earth saw this as a means to reduce the pressures of over population and joined in the effort to build and send the ships out.

Fifty-colonies were founded, and more than three-billion humans left Earth for the stars. The exodus continued for over a hundred-years but barely made a dent in the numbers of humans inhabiting Earth. The leaders of Earth soon realized that Earth’s birthrate exceeded the numbers leaving to colonize. The migration was also causing a severe shortage of scientists and skilled workers. Most of the brightest and energetic people on Earth were being syphoned away to the colonies and the major powers eventually refused to allow it to continue. Ultimately, Earth stopped supporting the colonies and left them to fend for themselves, as the planet implemented severe limitations on family size. At that point, most of the major nations decided to stop working together on colonizing other planets and the colonization of space slowly ground to a stop.

Over the next century, the colonies prospered, while Earth continued a downward spiral into economic ruin. In 3313, the crisis on Earth came to a flash point, when one of the major nations launched a nuclear missile at its most powerful adversary’s capital. That single launch led to massive nuclear retaliation and the ensuing nuclear holocaust ravaged the planet killing more than twelve-billion people.

Fifty-years later, the survivors, struggling among the ruins to stay alive, decided that technology was what caused the holocaust and a wave of anti-technology paranoia swept over the planet. Everything technological was destroyed in the frenzy and the survivors began a primitive existence outside the sites of the big cities, using only basic tools to farm and raise the food they needed to survive. It remained that way for two-hundred years…when starships from the colonies came back to their home world.

Chapter One

The woman sat in silence in a chair in front of the Guild Master’s desk wondering why she had been called in to a meeting. She was considered quite beautiful in the colonies, with her golden colored skin and hair. Her eyebrows and fingernails were blue and didn’t really match her green eyes, but that was the only flaw in her appearance. Her body was incredible, and she carried herself with an obvious sense of poise and self-assurance that was clear to anyone that saw her. She wore a pink and purple billowy outfit that barely covered her chest. She heard the door open to her right and looked to see a man being escorted into the room, who was led to the chair beside her. Her eyes narrowed, and she looked away from him as he took his seat. He noticed her indifference and was silent.

She almost laughed at him; his appearance was ridiculous; he had orange hair and purple eyebrows that seemed to be his only genetic modifications. He wore a matching orange stretch suit and his appearance could best be described as plain. Seemed like a lot of wasted effort to make such small changes in his appearance. She studiously ignored him and stared at the front wall. He had to be of limited intelligence to go around looking like that.

The colonies’ geneticists had discovered genetic manipulation a century earlier and, with a simple injection, every human could radically modify their appearance. They could change their hair color, skin color, weight, chest size, and a myriad of other things in their appearance. The genetic shot would not allow one to change their height or eye color; the government decided that there were some basic things that would be prevented from changing in order to identify the citizens. In a moment, genetic manipulation put the women’s makeup industry out of business and fashion became a rush to see just how flamboyant one could possibly be. The definition of beauty in the colonies changed dramatically overnight. The woman sitting in the office was a perfect example of the new beautiful.

The Guild Master entered the huge office taking his seat behind a large ornately carved wooden desk. He pressed a button and a computer screen rose out of the top of his desk, just as he turned to the two-guild-members sitting in front of him, “Do you know why you have been called in?”

The woman said indifferently, “I assume you have contracts for…” she paused and glanced at the man sitting beside her before finishing, “…us.”

“You are correct, Number One.”

The woman stared at the Guild Master with an expression that was impossible to read and asked, as she nodded toward the man sitting next to her, “Why have you brought him in? I’ve always discussed my contracts in private?”

The Guild Master glanced at the man and turned back to Number One, “There is only one contract and it will require two-agents to fulfill it; you will be working together.”

The woman was silent, as the man asked, “Are you suggesting that neither of us could get the job done alone?”

The Guild Master turned to him, “Number Two, this contract is going to be the most difficult job the Guild has ever accepted; I’m betting my two-best-agents will be able to get it done.”

The woman flinched slightly when the Guild Master called the man Number Two. With that high of a ranking, he couldn’t possibly be as dumb as he looked. The man looked at the woman, “My name is Tal.”

She turned to him and her expression showed nothing, but the man sensed only her disdain for him, as she turned back to the Guild Master without responding to him, “Why don’t you tell me about the contract and let me determine if I need any one else on this job; You know I work alone!” Tal kept his expression neutral and turned back to the Guild Master to hear his response; he didn’t like her attitude but refused to let it show.

The Guild Master’s brow furrowed, “The target of the contract is on Earth.” Tal’s eyes widened slightly before he caught himself. The woman’s expression revealed nothing. “Go on,” she replied.

“The Council received information that a scientist on Earth is close to developing an operational stardrive. The contract is to go to Earth and prevent that from happening. It will require removing anyone on Earth essential in its development.”

The woman shrugged, “You know it’s only a matter of time until they discover that technology. Earth was the first planet to discover a stardrive centuries ago and there might still be a working model on the planet.”

“Phase drive technology is not easily developed, Number One, and Earth destroyed every piece of technology on the planet after the nuclear holocaust,” The Guild Master responded. “The Council is adamant that Earth must not discover it again and is willing to do whatever is necessary to prevent it.”

Tal interjected, “Why would it be a problem? The colonies are light years ahead of Earth technologically; Earth can’t possibly be much of a threat to us. Why not let them have it?”

“That was true in the past, Number Two, but we’re not as far ahead of Earth as you think,” the Guild Master replied. He stared at the two-guild-members and then continued, “I know that most people in the colonies see Earth as a backward, primitive planet that would never pose a threat to them; but they’re wrong. All people remember about Earth is the nuclear war that killed most of the planet’s population more than six-hundred-years ago, the anti-technology paranoia that swept Earth, after the apocalypse, destroying every technological device on Earth, leaving the planet little more than a simple farming civilization. The survivors blamed science for causing the nuclear holocaust.”

“Are you saying that is no longer the case?” the woman asked with no emotion in her voice.

“It hasn’t been the case for more than three-hundred-and-fifty-years,” the Guild Master answered. “Earth started developing technology about three-hundred years ago and have made staggering advances in that time.”

“That’s our fault,” Tal replied.

The woman turned to him, as the Guild Master lowered his eyes, “And just how do you get off saying that, Number Two?”

Tal’s expression didn’t change as he said somberly, “It was about four-hundred-years ago that the colonies started sending starships to Earth, once the radiation levels returned to a safe level, to purchase the food they grew. The traders didn’t negotiate a fair price with the farmers but dictated to them what they would have to accept for their crops. When they hesitated, they were told that they would accept the price, or the traders would just take their crops from them…”

The Guild Master interrupted, “I agree that we were initially somewhat heavy-handed in dealing with them.”

“So, what happened?” the woman interrupted.

The Guild Master turned to her, “It appears the farmers saw the wealth of the traders coming to take their crops and envied it. The nuclear war happened centuries earlier and Earth decided that perhaps technology wasn’t quite as bad as they thought. They started developing basic technology; initially things like electricity, motorized vehicles, and ultimately, nuclear power began appearing around the planet. Not far behind that, they began modernizing their cities and arming the planet again.”

Tal leaned forward, “I’ve never heard anything about that on any of the news wires.”

The Guild Master nodded, “That information has been censored out by the Council. The general population was unaware about it until recently, when several tourist companies began offering cruises to Earth. The visitors to Earth came back telling everyone who would listen that Earth was a great vacation destination with all the modern conveniences. Now word is slowly getting out that Earth is as advanced as any of the colonies and worth the trip. The Council has been keeping a close eye on Earth and they’re worried about what’s happening there.”

“Is Earth as advanced as the colonies?” the woman asked.

The Guild Master looked at her, “They aren’t close to our level of genetic manipulation, but in some ways, they are possibly more advanced.” The woman raised an eyebrow and the Guild Master continued, “In weapon technology, they are, at the very least, our equal.”

“How is that possible?” Tal asked.

“They have a bone to pick with the colonies for the way we’ve treated them over the centuries and are motivated to prevent our intrusion into their internal affairs. The colonies have never experienced a war since they were founded before Earth blew itself up; weapon development has never been high on our agenda. Their warships are now very close to ours technologically.”

Tal shook his head, “But why build warships, they can’t be used outside their solar system without a star drive.”

The Guild Master nodded, “That’s true, Number Two, but they can be used against our warships that go to their planet. That’s why stopping the development of a stardrive by Earth is imperative.”

“Does the nations on Earth still have wars?”

“No, Tal; they do not. The planet is currently united under one government.”

“It makes no sense to build warships,” the woman added. “Without a stardrive, they wouldn’t stand a chance against our fleet, our ships would run circles around them.”

The Guild Leader shook his head slightly in disappointment at her not seeing the obvious, “That’s not hard to figure out, Number One. I suspect they’ve built them anticipating the development of a stardrive in the future. But even barring that, they see us as a threat and the phase-stardrive advantage of our warships doesn’t work inside the influence of a planet’s gravity. Our ships would lose their advantage inside the influence of Earth’s gravity. They built their warships to make sure we can no longer continue to force them to our will.”

Tal smiled slightly, “Imagine that.”

The Guild Master’s expression turned slightly angry, “Look, I didn’t bring you in here to teach a class in ethics. You’re my two-best-assassins and I need the scientist who is close to developing a stardrive eliminated, along with the scientific-staff around him. Going out to do this alone won’t work. Any one going to Earth alone will be targeted and tracked closely by their security forces. We’ve already tried to get single agents in and failed in the effort. Your best chance for success is to go on a cruise ship as a married couple. All I need from you is your signature on the contract accepting the job; now, are you in or out?!”

Tal looked at the woman and she asked him, “I assume you’ve never turned down a contract?”

“If I had, I wouldn’t be ranked number-two in the Assassins Guild. I think it’s safe to say you’ve never refused one either?”

The woman shrugged, “No, I’ve never turned one down.” She turned to the Guild Master, “However, this is one that might cause me to do just that.”

The Guild Master snorted, “There are hundreds of guild members that would jump at the opportunity to rise in rank by accepting it, if you refuse. You do know, if you decline the contract, the royalty percentage you get for each successful contract you make in the future would be more than halved with your loss in ranking!”

She looked at Tal, “My name is Ka. If I refuse it, you would be the new Number One.”

The man shook his head, “If you refuse it, I suspect I’ll refuse it as well.”

“ARE THE TWO-OF-YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MINDS?!” the Guild Master shouted.

Ka ignored him, “Why is that?” she asked Tal calmly. His statement surprised her.

Tal’s eyes showed his amusement, “You didn’t become Number One in the guild for lack of intelligence and talent. Anyone that replaces you would reduce the chance of success in fulfilling the contract. Any idiot can see this contract is trouble with a capital T!” Tal glanced at the Guild Master, as he listened to their back and forth, before continuing, “The Guild Master knows it, too; we’re being sent to a place you and I know nothing about and I suspect we’ve been chosen because the Guild Master has been offered a handsome bribe to open up our slots by other members of the Guild.”

Ka turned to the Guild Master and clearly read his expression. Tal was right. The Guild Master lowered his eyes before responding, “Don’t even try to read anything into my facial expressions! The Council specified the requirements for this contract and insisted on sending my two-best-agents! I had nothing to do with your selections.”

Ka stared at him and then smiled showing her first emotion since she entered the room, “But it gave you the perfect opportunity to accept a few bribes from guild members wanting us removed but are too fearful to do it themselves. If we fail and die in this effort, or if we succeed, you’ll still keep the bribes; you’ll tell them you did all you could to get us eliminated and they can’t fault you for the effort.”

The Guild Master shrugged and smiled slightly, “It’s not personal; we’re all in this business to make a living.”

Tal lowered his eyes, “The Council will be extremely unhappy if the Assassins Guild fails to carry out their contract.”

The Guild Master’s face turned angry, “What are you saying? Is this a threat?”

“No, Guild Master, I’ll accept the job on one condition?”

“And what is that?”

“I want the names of the guild members that paid you off to send us?” The Guild Master stared at Tal, and Tal continued, “You know you’d prefer to not have to look over your shoulder wondering if they’re angry if we survive. I’d be doing you a favor, Guild Master.”

The Guild Master turned to Ka, “Are you in or out?”

Tal turned to Ka, “He’s right, Ka. The reason he’s sending two-agents is because the security forces on Earth know that assassins usually work alone. If either of us tried to do this alone, Earth’s agents would be on us like white on rice. We know nothing about what we’ll be facing on Earth and scouting will be close to impossible. Going as a couple makes sense and increases the odds of success.”

Ka stared at Tal and then turned back to the Guild Master, “I’m in, if you give him the names…” The Guild Master stared at her and she smiled, “before we leave.”

“You won’t have time to do anything about it.”

“Even so.”

The Guild Master took out a business card from a desk drawer and wrote on the back of it. He handed it to Tal and said, “Those are the ones that paid to have you sent on a dangerous mission. Now, sign the contract!”

Tal stood up, handed the business card to Ka, picked up the finger device, inserted his index finger in it, and pressed it on the Guild Master’s computer screen at the appropriate place on the contract. Ka handed the card back to him, took the finger device, and signed the contract. The Guild Master printed the contract and inserted it into a portal on his desktop. “Good, now that’s done.” He took two-large-packets out of a desk drawer and pushed them toward the agents. “You’ll find the identities of the couple you’re going to impersonate inside. The loaded transfer bands to give you their physical appearances and memories are in the packet and you’ll be taking their place on a cruise to Earth leaving the day after tomorrow. If you are compromised when you arrive on Earth, you’ll need to find an image there to mimic someone on Earth.”

“Why don’t you give us some images from the colonies to use if we encounter trouble,” Ka asked.

The Guild Leader frowned, “You know that everyone’s personal image in the colonies is copyrighted and, if used, the violator could be sued for more than a hundred-million-credits. The Guild will not accept that financial risk.”

“How will anyone in the colonies know if we used their image on Earth?” Tal interrupted.

“All it would take is for a tourist from the colonies on the cruise with you to snap a photo with you in it. The news software would detect the duplication instantly and the Guild would be hit with a major fine,” the Guild Master explained.

Tal’s expression was neutral, but he spoke with sarcasm in his voice, “So you place the financial well-being of the Guild ahead of our safety?”

The Guild Master glared at Tal for a moment, and then answered, “The Guild will not allow you to duplicate the appearance of anyone in the colonies. The guild will provide you with everything we possess to help you with your contract but mimicking anyone in the colonies is not something we will allow you to do.”

Ka was listening to the exchange, as she scanned the contents of her packet, and then asked, “If we’re not allowed to mimic anyone in the colonies, why are we duplicating a couple that we’re replacing on the cruise; I see we’re going to look exactly like them.”

“They won’t be an issue,” The Guild Master responded.

Tal jerked his head up from his package, “What did you do to them?”

“The Council issued a contract on them that was fulfilled the moment the-two-of-you signed your contracts.”

“That was rather cold-blooded!” Ka said firmly. “The Guild now kills innocent people.”

“Get over yourself Number-One. Do you think you’ve never fulfilled a contract that killed an innocent person?”

Ka lowered her eyes, “You’ve always told me that the contract deserved to die. Were you deliberately lying to me?”

The Guild Leader’s expression revealed his fear, “No, I told you what information we had on the contract. But accidents do happen, Number One, and if someone can afford a contract, they can have someone targeted. It is possible that the purchaser gave us bad information.” The Guild Leader paused and said, “The Council needed their spots on the cruise for you to take. They couldn’t afford being sued by the ones you’re replacing and decided their demise was necessary to the survival of the colonies.” The Guild Master smiled slightly, “They gave their lives to insure our way of life.”

Tal leaned back in his chair, “How many tourists are going on this cruise to Earth?”

“More than six-thousand.”

“What was it about this couple that made you choose them for us to mimic?” Ka asked.

The Guild Leader shrugged, “They chose to not genetically modify their exteriors and refused to take the shot that would allow them to change their appearance. That will allow you to move around Earth without standing out in the local population.”

“Say What?” Tal responded.

“They never changed their normal appearance!” The Guild Master said forcefully as he repeated himself, “They never took the shot that allowed them to genetically manipulate their appearance. They kept their normal genetic appearance without making any modifications. That will allow you to blend in with Earth’s population.”

Tal turned to Ka and still saw no reaction on her face. The brutal decision to kill two-humans because they tried to make their life simple was a clear insight into the society they were a part of. No one was safe from the government; and the Assassin’s Guild was the government’s most lethal weapon to impose its will. Now, that dangerous guild was turning its two-best assassins toward a scientist on Earth. Whoever they were, their chance of survival wasn’t very good.

The Guild Master turned to his computer and waved a hand at them, “The couple’s transport is out front of this building waiting for the two-of-you to go back to their house. Complete the transfer and mimic process here and get moving; their neighbors think they’ve gone grocery shopping. The groceries they purchased are still in the transport. Keep in mind that you will be going as a married couple, so act accordingly.”

“You must have just taken them out at the grocery store,” Ka said off-handedly.

“As a matter of fact, it was done in the grocery store’s parking lot; we’ve had a team following them for more than a week. We knocked them out in their home three-days ago and used transfer bands in their sleep to provide you with their memories when you accepted this contract. So, hurry up and get the process moving. You’re leaving on the cruise in two-days and you need to get their memories and appearances in place immediately.”

Ka stood up, picked up the package with the transfer and mimic data, walked into a separate room, and closed the door. Tal watched her and sighed, as he picked up his package and walked out of the Guild Master’s office to another room. The Guild Master smiled; this turned out better than he planned. If they failed and were killed, he’d keep the bribes. If they carried out the contract, they would come back and remove the bribers; either way, he came out richer. It was going to be a good day. He didn’t tell them about the danger of Earth’s security forces. They’d find that out on their own.

Chapter Two

Tal waited as the transfer of the man’s memories was being done and wondered what would happen if the colonies’ general population knew about the guild’s advanced genetic modification injection. It was a top secret and only the top-ten-assassins in the guild were given the shot, allowing them to replace another person. It allowed the assassin to physically change their bodies to an exact duplicate of another person along with transferring that person’s memories into the assassin’s brain. The process was called mimicking and only the top-ten-ranked assassins were given the ability. It was this ability that made this elite group of killers so dangerous and deadly. Tal knew that if he and Ka refused the contract and dropped out of the top-ten, there would probably be contracts taken out by the guild to kill them. Ka probably figured that out as well.

Tal finished the transfer first and walked out of the transfer room back in to the Guild Master’s office; the Guild Master was no longer there. A woman with bright-purple hair and lime-green eyebrows was waiting for them. She was wearing a chartreuse, skintight, stretch-bodysuit, which left nothing to the imagination. Tal wondered how fashion in the colonies had gotten to be so bizarre over the last hundred-years. It wasn’t enough that everyone was born strikingly beautiful, they had to mess it up with outrageous colors and outfits. Once the general population were able to modify their genetic structure, everyone made changes to their appearance.

He looked in the mirror before leaving the transfer room and saw he was now six-inches shorter and his hair was black. His normal blue-eyes were unchanged. His powerful frame was also slimmer, and he weighted about thirty-pounds less than before.

Ka stepped out of her room and Tal was amazed at the difference. Gone was the golden colored hair, skin, and blue-eyebrows over her green eyes. She looked…very different. She had long brown hair and fine facial features. She was about two-inches shorter and her chest was more than six-inches smaller. She saw Tal staring at her and cocked her head to the side, “You got something to say?!”

“I think you look a lot better now.”

“Is that so!”

“Those blue-eyebrows didn’t go well with your green eyes.”

Ka shrugged, “All the red-eyebrows were registered to every possible combination.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t remove one of them and assume their look,” Tal responded.

“I’d have had to kill more than four-thousand to get a look with red-eyebrows.” She smirked, “You didn’t have to change much; all you had was orange colored hair with purple eyebrows. Doesn’t really seem worth the effort for that little bit of change.” Tal only shrugged in response.

The woman with purple hair nodded, “I agree with you about red eyebrows; red is a very popular color. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your transport.”

Ka looked at Tal, “We need to operate out of the memories we just transferred until we get to Earth.”

Tal tilted his head, “You are aware that this couple were very demonstrative in their affection?”

“We don’t have an option.”

Tal expression changed slightly, “Why is that?”

“The Guild Master didn’t tell us that the couple we’re replacing is going on a reunion cruise with fifty-couples they know. They are very well known and if we don’t act like them…”

“We’ll be discovered,” Tal completed. Ka nodded. “I’m going into the memories now.” Ka closed her eyes, opened them, and a moment later, went forward and hugged him. He put his arm around her, as the woman led them out to their vehicle.

• • •

Tal was surprised that the woman always did the driving. He knew Ka didn’t like it either; she preferred her hands to be free in the event she needed them. She frowned when she went around to the driver’s side of the transport and Tal said softly, “My mimic doesn’t know how to drive.” Ka rolled her eyes and went back into the woman’s transferred memories. They arrived at the couple’s home and unloaded the groceries. They put the groceries away and went to the bedroom. Ka stopped them there and Tal smiled. Ka saw him and held up a hand, as she walked around the bedroom. She kept her hand up, moved it around the room, and suddenly went to a post on the bed. She wiped her hand over it and said, “That removes the sending device.”

“You don’t think it would have been better to leave it in place?”

“We are going to have to get some things straight between us and it’s better to do it now than later,” Ka replied. “Besides, they expect us to find any devices. I suspect this one was to keep track of the couple we replaced. Did you know about the device?” Tal nodded. “First things first, I am the lead on this contract!” Ka stated. Tal nodded. “I’m serious, Tal! You will follow my instructions to the letter!”

“You’re Number One.”

Ka’s expression turned derisive, “You don’t agree with me!”

Tal shrugged, went to a couch, and sat down. He nodded to the spot beside him and, after hesitating slightly, Ka sat down beside him. He put his arm over her shoulders and he felt her tense up, “You might as well start getting used to it now,” Tal said with a neutral tone. “We have two-days and both of us are going to have to get used to being touched by the other and appear that we like it, right?” Ka exhaled sharply and nodded. Tal continued, “I will accept you as the lead if that is what you want.”

‘But you have reservations about it?” Ka replied sharply.

“I do.”

“Why? I’m have a higher rank in the guild, along with more experience and talent.”

“If you say so.”

Ka’s eyes narrowed, and her expression turned angry, “Oh, you think you’re better?”

“No, I’m just different. Why did you join the Guild?”

“That’s none of your business!”

“Ka, everything about you is now my business; neither of us are accustomed to working with a partner.” He continued calmly, “If we’re going to survive this contract, we need to trust each other and not limit our possible responses to bad situations; why did you join?”

“Why don’t you answer that question first and I’ll consider telling you afterwards.”

Tal stared at her and then gazed at the fake fireplace, “Someone took out a contract on my parents.”

“Why would that bother you? Children are separated from their parents at three-years-old to be educated. You’d have never known them,” Ka interrupted.

“My parents found me when I was ten and I stayed with them until I went to work in the genetics industry.” Ka nodded her understanding and Tal continued, “They were old-fashioned and believed that children should be raised in a family.” Ka’s eyes narrowed. Tal smiled, “I was a genetic engineer and considered one of the best in the colonies.”

“Go on.”

“A very wealthy man tried to get my mother to spend some time with him on his estate; she turned him down.”

“Why would she do that?”

Tal shrugged, “She loved my father too much to have any desire to be with anyone else; like I said, they were old-fashioned.”

“That’s unusual.”

“I think it’s called love, Ka. I suspect this couple we’re mimicking is very much like them. Anyway, the man took it personally and paid for a contract to kill both. The Guild accepted it and my parents died. I decided to do something about it.” Tal paused and then continued, “I approached the Guild Master and asked to join the guild.”

“Why?”

“Because I knew that one day that man who paid for my parents to die would have a contract taken out on him. I aced the Guild’s training and…”

“What was your score?” Ka interrupted.

“Ninety-nine-point-nine.”

“I’ve never heard of a score that high. If you’re telling the truth, that score would have automatically put you in the top-ten ranking.”

“I told the Guild Master that I would not become an agent unless he agreed to my requirements.”

“Agents never make requirements to join!”

“Like I said, I aced the training. The Guild Master really wanted me as an agent and he was willing to bargain.”

“What were your requirements?”

Tal sighed, “That I would only accept revenge-contracts and that half of what I made would go to the Guild if he agreed. Further, if a contract ever came in for my parent’s murderer, he would give it to me.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“I also required that I not be given a high-rank in the guild; I wanted my ability kept secret. I started at the bottom like all new agents.” Ka peered at him in silence and Tal knew she didn’t believe him. “My first contract was to kill a rich man who took a contract to kill a man’s wife, who chose her husband over him. The husband wasn’t rich, but he saved for a very long time to have the funds to take the contract out. You know how expensive guild contracts are and the Guild Master made it my first contract.”

“How long after training did that happen?”

“Three-months, Ka. However, just killing that man wasn’t enough to bring the woman’s husband peace. I developed a poison from the Jaka Snake on New Asia.”

“That poison kills instantly!” Ka interrupted.”

Tal smiled, “Remember, I was one of the best genetic engineers in the colonies. I modified the snake’s poison and changed its properties. The new poison takes six-months to kill anyone infected by it and, there is no antidote! Anyone injected with the poison slowly decays to a very slow, painful, death. Most end up killing themselves before the poison kills them. I eventually killed the man who killed my parents; that contract was the most satisfying I ever accepted.”

Ka, still unsure, turned to the fire and asked, “How did you get to be Number Two?”

“The Guild Master was greatly impressed with what I did on my first contract. Whenever someone discussed a revenge killing with him, he showed them recordings of the man I killed. They instantly demanded that I be the one given the contract. My price was low, and I was covered up in contracts from that moment forward. You have no idea how many people in the colonies want revenge for the death of someone close to them.”

“But to be Number Two in the Guild, you had to make an enormous sum.”

Tal nodded, “Like I said, you have no idea how many deaths are attributed to Guild Contracts out in the colonies. My rank kept going up and I lowered my price again to stay out of the top-ten, but eventually knew I’d have to go into retirement to avoid it. The Guild Master also refused to continue to honor my low price in taking a contract on a wealthy target; he said it was hurting the guild to continue doing it. I’m number-two and I’ve been doing all I can to avoid being Number One.”

Ka’s eyes narrowed, “Are you telling me you would be Number One if you had accepted full-price for your contracts?”

“Ka, I’ve sought out people who wanted a contract but couldn’t afford it. I’d contact them and do it for free.”

“That’s against guild policy!”

Tal shrugged, “Who’s going to challenge me, Ka? The policy actually states that receiving payment for a killing outside the guild is forbidden. I never took a payment for those deaths.”

“Does the Guild Master know about it?” Tal nodded. Ka said quietly, “I suspect that’s why you’re going on this contract with me.”

“Not really.”

“Oh?”

“Ka, I think he’s right about his freedom to choose who goes on this contract being out of his hands; he did say the Council specified that the top-two-assassins would be sent. The Guild Master has been taking full price on my contracts and pocketing half of it. He’d prefer to keep that going as long as possible but has no option when dealing with the Council.”

“That’s also why he hasn’t made an issue of the killings you’ve done outside the guild,” Ka replied. Tal nodded and shrugged. “So, my saying that I have a higher-rank really doesn’t hold weight, if what you’re telling me is true?” Tal shrugged again. Ka’s gaze turned back to the fire and said, “The killing is the easy part of any contract; getting close to the target is what makes it hard.”

“That’s true,” Tal responded.

“And you’ve also been killing very rich citizens that have the best security to protect them.”

Tal shrugged, “I have.”

“How many have you killed?”

“About four-thousand or so.” Ka jerked her head away from the fire to Tal and her expression showed her shock. Tal added, “But you deserve the Number One ranking because of the wealth you’ve made the guild, Ka.”

“I’ve only killed a thousand or so, since I joined the guild!”

“But you were paid an extraordinary sum for them. You’ve also had to get through to some of the most protected targets in the colonies to fulfill your contracts. You deserve your rank, Ka.”

Ka stared at him and then lowered her eyes, “I was called in recently to take a contract on a secret high-risk target. At the last minute, I was called off. Did you take that contract?” Tal stared at her in silence. “Did you?!” she persisted.

“I asked the Guild Master for the opportunity to make the effort and he could keep the payment.”

“And?” Tal was silent, and Ka peered into his face, “The President of the Council recently died from a fall off the top of his residence. The news agencies said it was an accident, but it sounded too good to be true. Did you do that?”

“Ka, the Council has killed more innocent people than any war humanity has ever fought. They’ve also taken more contracts than can be counted to remove anyone working against their plans.”

“That’s not an answer, Tal.”

“Let’s just say that he spilled his drink and slipped on it.”

Ka continued to stare at him trying to read his expressions, “I’m not going to tell you why I joined the guild.”

“But…”

“I know you’ve told me but I’m not telling you. However, I will agree for you to take the lead on this contract.”

“Don’t want it, Ka.”

“What?!” she said in shock.

“Look, if either of us have to wait for the other to tell them what to do, we’re dead. We’ll need to react quickly whenever we encounter a dangerous situation, there will be no time to ask permission. We have our own skills and talents and we need to be free to use them without hesitation.”

Ka hesitated then nodded, “Fair enough. However, it might be good if we share some of our secrets, before we go.”

“Why would you do that, Number One?”

Ka smiled, “If what you’ve told me is true, you won’t seek to take my place. I’m willing to make a trade with you and I believe that I will be better for it. I am bothered by one thing.”

“What is that?”

“This is not a revenge-contract we’ve been given. Are you really invested in doing this?” Ka asked, while staring into Tal’s eyes.

“If Earth is intending to attack the colonies, I won’t need to wait to seek revenge after it happens. The Council is right, Earth must be stopped from developing a stardrive.”

Ka relaxed and leaned in to Tal’s shoulder, “I don’t understand why the Council just doesn’t attack Earth and remove their warships.”

Tal tilted his head, “That’s easy to understand.”

“Oh? Why wouldn’t they do it?’

“Because they’d probably lose, and Earth would have a damaged warship with a working stardrive to study. If the Guild Master says their warships are the equal of the colony’s fleet, then he knows our fleet is not a match for them. I know you also wonder about why Earth just doesn’t take a stardrive off the cruise ships that visit earth.” Ka nodded before Tal continued. “I talked with a naval officer a while back and he told me that every stardrive on every ship in the colonies is put inside three-feet of chronide armor and is set to self-destruct if anyone attempts to tamper with it.”

“Even scans won’t penetrate chronide,” Ka replied. “The use of Chronide has made a number of my contracts extremely dangerous getting to my target.” Ka thought about what Tal said and realized he was right. This assassin was much more than she suspected. The jury was out on whether that was a good thing. She might have to remove him at the end of the contract; she’d worry about that then. Ka turned to the fake fire place and said softly, “We’re going to have to be extremely careful on Earth; the humans there are vicious and dangerous; neither of us have had to deal with that issue in the colonies.” Tal shrugged. Ka sat up straighter, “You don’t agree with me?”

“Not really, Ka.”

“And why not?!”

“You’re saying that humans on Earth are far more vicious and dangerous than their counterparts in the colonies?” Tal asked.

“I am!”

“What are you basing that judgement on, Ka?”

“You need look no further than all the humans that died in the wars fought on Earth. They number in the billions.”

“Let’s examine that for a few minutes,” Tal responded. “How many members does the guild have?”

“That’s a well-guarded secret, Tal.”

“I’m not looking for an exact number; just an estimate. We do know that each of the fifty-colonies have a top-ten ranking locally. And the guild has an overall-ranking of the Elite Top-Ten; that totals five-hundred and ten, right.”

Ka’s lips tightened, “I know there are at least four hundred members on every planet.”

Tal chuckled, “I suspect the real number is a great deal higher than that.” Ka tilted her head and pushed out her lips slightly showing her agreement. “How many contracts do you handle a year?” Ka just stared at him in silence. “Would I be safe in saying it’s more than ten?” Ka’s expression was sardonic, and she remained silent. “I’ll take that as more,” Tal replied. “Everyone knows the top-ten handles fewer contracts than the other guild members because their contracts are more difficult and take extensive planning to complete. I think the rank-and-file members of the guild handle more than twenty-a-month.” Tal looked in her eyes, “I want to be conservative and not over-estimate the numbers of contracts we handle.”

Ka nodded in agreement, “I think you’re on the low side.”

“Ok. Earth doesn’t have an Assassins Guild, Ka. If you want someone dead, you have to go out and do it yourself and you won’t have the training given to our guild members.”

“Like I said, that would make it more dangerous.”

“Now let’s look at the colonies. There are between four-and-five-billion people living on each colony. Ten-percent of the populations are wealthy.”

Ka interrupted him, “What do you mean by wealthy versus rich?”

“The rich work for and get paid by the wealthy. Thirty-percent of the populations are considered rich. The remainder are considered well-off or comfortable.”

“All you’re doing is stating information from the last census, Tal.”

“True, but you need to think about those numbers, Ka.”

“What are you getting at?!” Ka asked impatiently.

“At ten-percent, each colony has 400-million wealthy people that have more credits than they can ever spend in ten-lifetimes. They have everything they could ever want and struggle to make their days entertaining. If they run across someone that angers them, what do you think they’ll do?”

Ka stared at him in silence, but Tal remained silent waiting for her to respond. “Are you suggesting they’ll take a contract out on anyone just because they were angry?”

Tal shook his head, “No, I’m not. They won’t take a contract out on another wealthy person because their survivors could return the favor. But if anyone below their station messes up, it’s nothing for a wealthy person to take out a contract; they wouldn’t even notice the price. And what danger does the contractor have to face from those that he targets that aren’t wealthy or extremely rich?”

Ka raised a shoulder, “Probably nothing. Before I joined the top-ten, I took contracts to kill entire families.”

“That’s the contractor not wanting any survivors coming after them,” Tal interjected and then continued, “Killing the less fortunate doesn’t cost near as much as taking out another wealthy individual,” Tal stated. Ka’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Tal lowered his eyes, “You’re starting to see it now. There are more than twenty-billion-wealthy-humans on the fifty-colonies. If only two-tenths-of-one-percent of them take out a contract each year, and I really think the number that do are a lot higher than that, then 40-million-humans will be killed by our guild every year. And the wealthy paying for those contracts don’t have to face any danger to themselves to kill anyone they choose.” Tal smirked, “Where would you be in greater danger; on Earth or in the colonies?” Ka remained silent as she pondered the numbers and he raised his shoulders, “Think about this. Earth blew itself up six-hundred-years ago and twelve-billion-humans died in the nuclear holocaust. Over the last six-hundred-years since that happened, more than twenty-billion-humans in the colonies have been killed by our guild. Earth has come nowhere near in its long history to the total deaths taking place in the colonies. The Council rules with an iron fist and our guild carries out its agenda. The danger of offending a wealthy person is something we must learn how to live with in the colonies. You know you’d be safer on Earth than here. You should also realize that to kill that many people a year would require a huge number of assassins in the guild. A lot more than we just discussed.”

“You’re sounding very treasonous, Tal.”

Tal laughed, “That would be true if I called what was happening a bad thing.”

“Aren’t you?! It sounds to me like you are.”

“Do you ever intend to have a child?” Tal asked.

“Of course!”

“With our extended life-spans of three-hundred-years, the colonies would be quickly overpopulated and overwhelmed if that many humans weren’t removed every year.” Tal stood up, “The colonies need that many humans killed to make room for the women choosing to have babies each year. I accept this is the system we’ve developed to keep our populations under control; however, it makes us far more brutal and vicious than the humans on Earth. I just wanted to make sure you understood that.”

Tal went to the kitchen to get a drink and Ka couldn’t take her eyes off him. She didn’t realize the magnitude of murders taking place in the colonies and she suspected the clear majority of those living in the colonies didn’t know it either. To kill 40-million people a year, and the real number had to be much hinger, the guild was far larger than she suspected. Tal was trying to tell her something, but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. One thing was certain, this man wasn’t dumb!

Chapter Three

Tal opened his suitcase in the living room and took out two-strange looking devices. Ka saw him, stood up, and walked over to him, “What are you doing?”

“We’re leaving the day after tomorrow. One of the Guild Master’s bribers is on this planet not that far from here, I’m going to remove him now.”

“Why?”

“By doing it now, the Guild Master will be too frightened to do anything that might make us angry.”

Ka shook her head, “You don’t have time to pull that off.”

Tal stood up straight and smiled, “Can I trust you?”

“You can’t trust anyone, Tal, that’s the first thing we’re taught in assassin training.”

“I’m not talking about anyone, Ka; I’m talking about you; can I trust you?”

“No! Why would you ever need to trust me?” she retorted.

“Because I want to give you some things that will help our chances to survive on Earth. If I can’t trust you to not use them against me, then I won’t share them with you.”

“I don’t intend to share any of my top techniques with you, Tal. I’ll share some secrets with you but not my tricks of the trade.”

“That’s because you’re Number One and are forced to be paranoid because of it. Anyway, I really don’t want anything you have; all I want is to know that you won’t use what I give you against me.” Ka kept her expression neutral. Tal smiled, “I’m starting to be able to read you, Ka. You’re wondering if I’m insane.” Ka’s eyes widened, and she caught herself and forced a neutral expression. Tal turned to pull another item out of his suitcase and smiled, “Ka, I do not represent a danger to you. I don’t see any circumstance where that would be a possibility.”

“How do you get off saying that? The Number One Assassin is always in danger from every other assassin in the guild! Most of my life is spent hiding from being found by other assassins.”

“But I don’t want to take your place, Ka, and will actively avoid assuming the title.” Tal replied. “Truth be told, I prefer you survive this contract, so I don’t take the title.” Tal examined the device and continued, “I’ll tell you now that if something happens to you on Earth and you don’t survive, I will abort the mission and tell the Guild Leader it was beyond my skill to complete alone.” Ka glared at him, as he went on. “That failure will drop me out of the top-ten and I won’t have to worry about being number one. I will, however, be forced to run from the contract the guild will certainly put out on me.”

“You are the strangest man I’ve ever encountered,” Ka responded to him. “However, I will promise that if you agree to not pose a danger to me, I will not pose one to you.”

“Are you saying you trust me to keep my promise, Ka?”

“You’ve told me things that no other member of the guild would ever share. If they’re true, then I suspect you probably pride yourself on your integrity. Besides, how do you know I’m not lying to you.”

Tal laughed, “You just told me I couldn’t trust you, that reveals you are basically an honest person. I guess you’ve got me down, too. I will promise that I will never pose a danger to you and, if you need my assistance in the future to protect yourself, I will come to assist you.” Ka opened her mouth and Tal quickly added, “I do not expect the same from you.” Ka’s mouth closed. “I need you to remain at number-one.”

“I’ll agree to your proposal,” Ka stated. Tal stared at her and smiled. Ka rolled her eyes, “Don’t tell me you could see I was being honest?”

“Like I said, I’ve got you down now.”

“You aren’t serious about going out to remove the briber, are you?”

“I am.”

“You don’t have enough time to find him, much less remove him. And I suspect his defenses are not going to be defeated without a lot of scouting; there’s just not enough time.”

Tal smiled, “Do you remember when the last Guild Leader died in a car accident?”

“I do.”

“It happened in a protected community and his car went off a cliff into the ocean.” Ka’s eyes widened, as Tal said, “I was responsible for that.”

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?!”

“He had to go, Ka! He was turning the guild into a personal army and was intending to overthrow the Council. However, before I sent his car over the cliff with him in it, I transferred his memories into a device that I used to steal all the passwords and entry points in the guild’s computer system.”

“Those wouldn’t do you any good, Tal! The new Guild Leader chosen to replace him would just change them when he took power.”

“There’s always a way, Ka. A woman I did a killing for free is the main programmer of the Council’s Computer Network and I don’t believe anyone in the colonies knows more about computers than her. She gave me a virus to install in the guild’s computer before the new Guild Leader was chosen; that virus gives me access, such that I won’t be caught doing it. I have a…backdoor into the current system. I know where the briber is at this moment; you know how the guild keeps track of its members, and I’ll not take long in finding him.”

“Access to the guild’s computer makes you a very dangerous person!” Ka stated. “Possibly the most dangerous member of the guild I know.”

“And you can tell the Guild Master about this, if you choose. But you’ll lose your window into what the guild is up to. You might wonder one-day if the guild is thinking about removing you and I can answer that question for you. Just look at me as a personal resource.”

Ka shook her head slightly before saying, “You told me this to insure I wouldn’t pose a threat to you.”

Tal’s head went back as he chuckled, “Boy! You are starting to read me.”

“I didn’t read that; it’s just obvious!” She snapped back.

“You’re right.” Tal looked at his watch, “Alrighty then. I’ll be back later tonight, after I take care of our little briber.”

“Tal, you can’t just go out and walk right in on him; it could get you killed!”

Tal smiled, “The information about the guild computer was lesson number-one, Ka; lesson number-two is this.” Suddenly, Tal vanished. Ka swiftly backed away and pulled a device out that was hidden in her arm. She swept the room with it and suddenly, Tal reappeared, “Put that away!”

Ka kept it pointed at him and her expression showed her shock, “What…how…”

“I’ll teach you how to do it, later. However, I will just walk up on him and end the threat he represents. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d appreciate a meal when I get back. I suspect it will be before midnight, OK?”

Ka put the device back in her arm and Tal disappeared again. She was starting to feel her fear growing. But if he wanted to remove her, he didn’t have to reveal what he just showed her; he could have waited and taken out the briber when they returned from the contract. This man was…she had no adjective to use to describe him.

• • •

Tal left the house running at his full-augmented speed. He arrived at the highway outside the sub-division and moved over to the massive interstate exit. Cars would move forward, come to a stop, and then merge into traffic. He waited until a medium-hauler pulled to a stop, he went to the back of the hauler, and pressed his hands against the back doors. He felt the points in his palms go into the metal and he scurried up to the top of the vehicle. Forty-five-minutes later, he arrived in the city and worked his way over to the Guild’s Headquarters Building. He saw the briber’s appointment time was nearly over and he rushed into the huge parking garage. He looked at the status board in the master-parking-room and saw the briber was parked on the second-floor. He quickly moved out of the room, being careful not to make any contact with the ten-people working in the small room and ran up to the second-floor.

He waited until the briber came out of the elevator. He took out a transparent tube and inserted a tiny dart in it. The briber stopped to open his transport and Tal blew the dart through his pants’ leg into his leg. The man didn’t feel the dart; it was tiny and was coated in a strong nerve blocker. The briber drove off and Tal looked at the clock on the wall. The poison would activate in twelve-hours. Ten-minutes after it did, it would dissolve into the man’s heart. It would make it appear he had a massive heart attack. It selectively attacked the aorta artery and would cause it to swell and burst, mimicking an aneurism. He moved out of the parking garage and worked his way back to the house of the couple he was replacing. It took longer than he planned but he still made it back by midnight.

• • •

Tal opened the garage door with the outside remote, rushed inside, reappeared, and picked up a garbage can. He walked out and saw Ka enter the garage from the inside door behind him. She watched him empty the trashcan into the underground container next to the street and walk back to the garage. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick kiss. The neighbor across the street was watching them through his window and said over his shoulder to his wife, “That is the kissingest couple I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s not a word, Sig.”

“You know what I mean.”

“You could learn from them.”

Sig shook his head; they made it tough on everyone; he had no desire to kiss his wife.”

• • •

Tal walked in and closed the garage. He smelled the meal wafting out of the open door and smiled, “That smells good!”

“I suppose you pulled it off.” Ka asked.

“The briber is going to die of a heart attack in eight-more-hours; I gave him a slow-acting poison.”

“Another one of your poisons?”

“It’s something I cooked up when I decided to join the guild,” Tal answered.

Ka headed toward the cooker, “Sit down and I’ll bring everything out to the table.” Tal sat down at the dining room table, as Ka brought everything out and put it on the table. She took a drink out of the refrigerator, snapped off the top, and put it in front of him. He took a big swig and she said, “You aren’t worried about me poisoning you?”

“If you do, then that’s just the way the ball bounces. I’ve done everything I can to convince you I’m an asset and no danger to you. I’ve decided to trust you and constantly worrying about it is wasted time and effort.”

Ka sat down, filled her plate, took a bite, and asked him, “Can I trust you, Tal?”

“Absolutely.” He answered without hesitation.

“Why?”

“Because I’m hoping I can convince you that I am a very valuable tool for you to use. If I can get you to see that, then I’ll have the best assassin in the guild as a resource.” Tal took a bite of his meal and smiled, “You are a very good cook!”

Ka sighed, “Not really. I used Jil’s memories to prepare this meal.”

Tal nodded, “We need to start using their names.”

“I know.”

“What’s wrong, Jil?”

“Jil and Zak were very good people. I think after listening to everything you discussed with me earlier, I’m starting to feel somewhat uneasy about the ones that are killed needlessly.”

“Jil, if the killing stopped, we would be ass deep in people in less than a hundred-years. I can see they were good people, but their number came up. You can’t allow your feelings to cause you to lose your edge.”

“You are the most confusing person I know, Zak! It sounds like you’re against the killing taking place but now defend it happening. Which is it?”

“Both, Jil! If I could stop the killing and not cause massive overpopulation, I’d make it my goal. But that’s not going to happen any time soon.”

“You have an idea about how to stop the killing, don’t you?”

Zak looked at his plate and sighed, “Boy! You have me nailed. You’re right. Why did we stop at fifty-colonies, Jil?”

“I don’t know. I guess there weren’t any more habitable planets to colonize.”

“That’s not the reason, Jil; we just stopped looking for them. We got lazy and loved the life here and that ultimately caused the Council to license the Assassins Guild.”

“So, are you saying if we went out and found new planets to colonize, the population threat would go away?”

“No, Jil. Just finding new planets won’t make it happen. Why did all the billions of people on Earth choose to leave and colonize other planets?”

Jil thought for a moment and replied, “There was overpopulation, the nations were constantly fighting wars, some of the weapons being used were deadly viruses, famine was rife in many places…”

Tal interrupted her, “That’s some of the reasons the colonists left Earth. None of those issues are currently present in the colonies; why would anyone in their right mind choose to leave the luxury we live in here? We could find other planets, but not the people with the will to go and colonize them. No one would go.”

Jil thought about it and then shrugged, “The only thing that would cause that is another war.” Zak raised an eyebrow and stared at her in silence. “If Earth develops a stardrive and attacks the colonies, then there would be a massive search for other planets to go and escape it.”

“Would that be a good thing, Jil?”

“You tell me. I’m thinking you might believe it is a good thing.”

Zak leaned back in his chair, “I’m not smart enough to make that determination. A war between the colonies and Earth could possibly lead to mutual destruction before any new colonies could be established.”

“You’re unwilling to tell me what you really think, Zak.”

“Maybe I will after we go and take a look at Earth. Right now, there’s not enough information to come to any conclusion.”

“I’ll hold my questions for later. Are you going to show me how you disappear?”

“Let’s finish eating and I’ll start the process.” Jil nodded and took another bite.

• • •

Tal surprised himself. When the meal was over, he was still in Zak’s memories and he stood up and began clearing the table. He cleaned the dishes and began to see a pattern where Jil and Zak shared the duties of running a home. He finished and found Jil in the living room gazing into the fake fire. He left Zak’s memories and sat down beside Ka, “I told you that I was a genetic engineer, but I didn’t tell you everything. I was considered one of the best on Americas.”

“That’s where the Council is located,” Ka interrupted.

“Yes, it is. And I developed some new procedures that I refused to share with anyone.”

“Why?”

“Because they would add to the Council’s power. I saw how our society operated and I didn’t want to strengthen the iron fist the Council uses to rule the colonies.”

Ka stared into his eyes, “This disappearing talent you have was one of those developments.” Tal nodded. “If this gets out, the assassins and Colony Military would be impossible to defeat or control.”

“The killing would certainly spiral out of control,” Tal agreed. “I suspect the Council would kill enough citizens to limit our population and dispense with the guild entirely; the military could handle it without the guild. I’m willing to give you that talent but you need to know that you cannot allow anyone to know it exists. Even if you must die to prevent it getting out, then you must do it.”

“That’s a difficult request.”

“Think of it this way, Ka. If the guild gets the means of being invisible, then any low-ranking assassin could come and kill you. You would probably die quickly if this technology ever got out.”

Ka nodded, “My rank would cause that to happen.”

“Yes, it would. You should know that I will have to modify your mimicking ability to give the talent to you.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Not physically, but it requires self-control to prevent you from changing your appearance by accident; you’ll need to focus on the process to control it, Ka.”

“Self-control is not something I lack, Zak.”

“All right! I’ll stick to our mimicked names. Will you give me your word that you will protect this from getting out?”

“I will.”

Zak stared at her and then nodded. He went to his suitcase and took out a small pouch. He pulled out a bottle of clear fluid and a hypodermic-gun. He put the bottle in the gun and turned to her, “Are you sure about this? This is not reversible.”

“Will it give us a better chance of surviving on Earth?” Jil asked.

“It will.”

“You’ve decided that if we survive this contract that you intend for us to remain a team, haven’t you.” Zak’s gaze was frozen on her. Jil smiled, “That’s the real reason you accepted this contract and would have refused it if I didn’t agree, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“And if I refuse to remain with you?”

“I only ask you wait to decide until after the contract is completed, Jil.”

“I have no feelings for you, Zak, and never will; I see no reason to link with you; I like working alone. Why do you have feelings for me?”

“I’ve reviewed your contracts in the guild’s computer. You impressed me.”

“I assume you’ll allow me to review yours, as well.”

“I will if you desire it,” Zak replied.

Jil pulled up her sleeve, “Give me the shot.” Zak put the shot-gun against her arm and pulled the trigger. A wave of heat rushed through her body but was over in a few seconds. She looked at him and smiled, “I’ve been wondering something.”

“What is that?”

“How did your clothes disappear; they aren’t capable of mimicking anything.”

Tal smiled, “You’ve probably noticed that I’ve only worn this stretch suit.” Ka nodded. “It’s made from a genetically created material that matches my DNA. It bonds to my body and will mimic whatever my body does. Normally, it won’t change if I’m visible, but…”

“It will turn invisible if you do.”

“That’s right.”

Jil thought for a moment, “What about me; I don’t have that outfit.”

Tal smiled, “One size stretches to fit all. I have more than enough for both of us. However, we will have to wear them exclusively during the cruise.”

Jil shrugged, “Can I wear clothes over it; that suit isn’t fashionable.”

“Are you willing to take that risk?”

Jil looked down at her outfit, then sighed, “No, probably not.”

“You can change the suit to various colors, so you won’t be forced to wear the same color every day. And you now have a body that will get you noticed.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Jil, your normal body with your exaggerated…uh…”

“Breasts?” she added.

“Exactly. Anyway, it doesn’t look nearly as attractive as the body Jil had. All the bright colors you normally wear would only take away from the beauty of your new appearance. Be honest, don’t I look better without the orange hair, eyebrows, and flamboyant colored clothing?”

“I think my thoughts on that are colored by Jil’s pattern in my mind.”

Zak shrugged, “Well, you can have your choice of colors for your stretch-suits.”

“That makes it a little more bearable.”

“I want you to start focusing on your normal image and change from Jil’s image to it. Then focus on Jil’s image and change back.”

“But I’ll need a picture of the two to make the changes!”

“Not any more, only focus on the images in your mind. You might close your eyes to help you focus.” Jil closed her eyes and began changing her appearance.

• • •

Two-hours later, Jil had her eyes closed and heard Zak tell her, “Focus on your normal colony appearance. Get the image in your mind and think, “Change!”

“Why do I need to think that?”

“You need a mental trigger to make the process happen. Without developing a mental trigger, you could end up mimicking everyone around you by focusing on them. You must train your mind on how to make this work when you choose. Now, focus on that image.” Jil kept her eyes closed and suddenly changed into her normal appearance. “Open your eyes!” Zak ordered.

Jil opened her eyes and saw herself in the full-length mirror Zak had set up in front of her. She started shaking her head, “I’ve never been able to do this without staring at an image of myself.”

“Now, before you lose the feeling; close your eyes and focus on the image of Jil in her memories and think ‘Change’!”

Jil focused and opened her eyes. She still had her normal appearance. She turned to Zak, “It didn’t work.”

“It’s not an image you know well. Clear your mind, pull up Jil’s image, focus on it, and think ‘Change’.” Jil closed her eyes and, after three-minutes, she changed back into Jil’s image, “Open your eyes!”

Jil opened them and saw Jil sitting beside Zak. She turned to him, “This isn’t easy.”

“No, it’s not. You must work on getting the proper image in your mind and changing to it as quickly as possible. Speed is critical to using this new talent effectively.”

“What about the invisibility?”

“One-step at a time. You must develop the talent with images you know first and be able to change between them quickly. Work on that, and I’ll check on you when you can do it in less than two-or-three-seconds.”

“What are you going to be doing?” Jil asked.

“I’m going to look at the Guild’s Computer and see what’s going on.” Jil nodded and went back to work.

• • •

Zak went to the bedroom and pulled up the Guild Master’s video-message file on his small receiver and started scanning it. Most of it was answering questions from the various guild locations. After a few minutes, he stopped, scrolled back, and started seeing a video conversation the Guild Master had with the new President of the Council soon after they left his office.

“Guild Master, I’m concerned that the former President’s death may be uncovered as an assassination.”

“That won’t happen, Sir.”

“And how can you prove to me that’s true?”

“I’m sending the one that did it to Earth on a fake mission.”

Tal’s eyes flew wide open as he stared at the small display, “What? What do you mean?” the new President of the Council asked.

“I used you to provide a contract to send our best two-agents to stop an Earth Scientist from developing a stardrive. One of them is the assassin that killed the former president.”

“That doesn’t insure he’ll be removed!”

“No matter how hard they search to find this scientist, they won’t find him; he doesn’t exist. I also had one of my informers tell his contacts in Earth’s Security Unit that we believe they are developing a stardrive and will be sending two-assassins to remove the ones building it. Earth’s security forces will now be on alert and looking for the two I sent.”

“Did he tell them who the assassins will be masquerading as?”

“Yes, he told them the assassins would be in their normal form without all the color modifications most tourists have. Earth’s Security forces are warned, and they will be ready to investigate any colony cruise ship that goes there. They are incredibly proficient and there’s not much of a chance of the assassins escaping.”

“Why did you send your two-best-agents.”

“I couldn’t very well send Number-Two without sending Number One. Besides, I needed to send a couple and they filled that requirement.”

“You’ll be throwing away your best agent.”

“Not really, Sir. She’s held the position far too long and is due for early forced retirement. It’s not good to keep a Number One too long. The top-two spots in the ranking will open and it will lead to every assassin in the guild doing everything possible to take their places. Their loss will lead to a vast improvement in my agents’ motivation level.”

“You know we’ve not authorized a contract at the cost of your top-two-agents.”

“They’ll never fulfill it; the target doesn’t exist.”

“Well, at least the last president’s assassin won’t be here to cause an issue. Keep me informed on what’s going on.”

“I will, Mr. President.”

• • •

Zak moved to the next lines and saw the Guild Leader had immediately contacted an agent immediately after the call. The agent’s face was blocked from the video feed.

“You know who you’re going on the cruise to watch?”

“My two-neighbors, Zak and Jil.”

“You will make sure they don’t survive this contract!”

“Piece of cake, Boss. I saw the two-love-birds taking out the garbage last night. It’ll be my pleasure to take them out.”

“Good. You’ll be our new Number One if you can make that happen.”

• • •

Zak stopped the conversation and remembered seeing the man watching him from his window across the street when he took the garbage out and now knew who had the assignment to kill them. It’s highly unusual to be watching out of a window that late at night. He must have had a spotter trained on his house that warned the agent of movement at Zak and Jil’s house. He thought about not telling Jil about the subterfuge but decided against it. Plans had to be changed and the best plan involved using Jil.

• • •

Zak printed the two-video-conversations and put them in his suitcase. He went back to the living room and was surprised that Jil was changing her appearance back and forth at incredible speed. She was right; she was very good at being able to focus her mind. “Good! Very good! Now we can start teaching you how to change your appearance to being invisible.”

Jil smiled, “Once I got the hang of clearing my mind of everything but the image I wanted, it became much easier.”

“This is going to be harder. You’re going to have to focus on an image you don’t know and can’t see.”

“Say what?”

“I’m going to allow you to read a comic book called the invisible man. I want you to focus on it, especially at the panels with the invisible man speaking. All you’ll see is a dialogue box, but I want you to imagine the one talking. You will read it slowly twenty-five times and let me know when you complete the assignment. Don’t rush it; take the time to focus on those panels.”

“But…”

“Do it!” Zak handed her the comic book.

“Don’t I need to see this character as an invisible woman?”

“If you can make that happen, certainly. But if you can’t, go back to visualizing an invisible man.”

Jil opened the comic book and thought Zak was half-a-bubble off level. This was ridiculous. But she started reading and focusing.

• • •

She was going through the comic book for the eighteenth-time when she started imagining the form of the invisible woman under the dialogue boxes in the panels. By the twenty-first reading, she looked up, smiled, and thought, change! She looked in the mirror and smiled, as she shouted, “ZAK!”

Zak walked into the living room and looked around. He saw empty woman’s clothes sitting up on the sofa, along with a depression in the cushions on the couch, he shook his head, “Were you able to be a woman?’

Jil’s image appeared and she smiled, “I did.”

“Go invisible again and see if you can see me in my invisible form.” Both vanished, and Jill saw Zak standing to her right. He saw her as well, “You can add features to this form if you work on it.”

“What kind of features?”

“I have clear, sharp, points to come out of my hands and feet that allow me to climb walls.”

“Show me.” Zak held out his hands and Jil stared at them. “You added these by focusing on them in your limbs.”

“Yes, but it’s not easy. You must first get the invisible image stuck in your mind. You should now start changing back and forth from your normal colony image and your invisible image.”

“Please explain to me how human DNA can be made transparent,” Jil requested.

“Actually, it’s not really human DNA doing this.”

“Oh?”

“There is a sea-creature on Avalon that looks very much like an octopus on Earth, but instead of releasing a cloud of black ink into the water to hide, it turns transparent. It is the DNA of that creature that I’ve modified to work with human DNA. With all the developments in changing our DNA by mimicking different images, this wasn’t as difficult to develop as you might think. However, it can only be used by those that have been given the shot I gave you earlier. That shot greatly enhances the mimicking ability you received from the guild. Another benefit of being invisible is that scanners just pass through our bodies and don’t detect us.”

“Shouldn’t I be using Jil’s image.”

“No, I’ll discuss why after you can make the change to invisibility instantly.”

Ka’s eyes narrowed, “Something’s going on, isn’t it?”

“There is. But you don’t need to be distracted.” Zak went into the bedroom and came out with a royal blue stretch suit, “Put this on and then get to work, please.” Jil stared at him and then started removing her clothes, after Zak went back to the computer. She looked at the mirror and smiled slightly; Zak was right, she did look better.

Chapter Four

Zak sat back on the sofa, while Jil read the pages he printed out from the Guild Master’s video conversations. She didn’t look up and her expression didn’t change as she read it…but…he saw her anger in the way she held her body under tight control. She finished reading and turned her eyes to him, “This is interesting,” she said with no emotion.

“Do tell.”

“As I see it, we only have two-options.” Zak waited for her to continue. “We don’t go on this cruise and turn down the contracts.” Jil paused for a moment, “Or…we go but we don’t go as Zak and Jil.”

“The first-option is safer for you.”

“Not really, Zak.”

“Ka, I’m the one they want to remove.”

“How will they know you didn’t tell me what you did? They won’t take the chance that I know about it. Besides the Guild Master wants me removed because of my longevity at Number One. The reason option-two must be considered is we’ll be prime targets if we remain in the colonies.”

Tal exhaled slowly, “You’re probably right; the new President is pretty paranoid about the former president’s assassination getting out. I do think the Guild Master won’t make a move against you in the colonies; I saw in the initial meeting that he fears you.”

Jil shrugged, “I guess; however, the new president will force him to act. It looks like our neighbors are the best option if we choose to take the cruise. We’ll have to take their places.”

“I’m surprise that you and I both agree on that,” Tal responded.

“We can’t take their places too early; I’m sure the Guild Master will contact them before they leave to make sure they understand their assignment. That won’t give us much time to mimic them and transfer their thought patterns.”

“It won’t be as hard as you think, Ka; with your new talent, we’ll be able to mimic them pretty quickly just by looking at them. It’s changing back and forth from them to invisibility that concerns me.”

“That shouldn’t be an issue, Zak.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because focusing on the invisibility image is completely independent from their image.”

Zak chuckled, “But getting back into their image could be an issue.”

Jil lowered her shoulders, “You’re right. But their memories should make that easier. We’ll work on it in the dark during the cruise.” Jil paused and asked, “I’m assuming you do have a set of transfer bands available.”

“I do.”

“So, we do it tonight before we shove off in the morning?”

“Works for me.”

“How about around midnight?”

“Do you have a way of getting inside their house unnoticed?” Zak asked.

Ka nodded, “Leave that up to me. You could just walk up on your targets because you were invisible, but I had to break through a target’s defenses.”

Tal smiled and bent at the waist, “I kneel to the mistress. We can cease using Zak and Jil’s names. We don’t need to get them in our minds and mess up.” Tal walked to the bedroom and took a band out of his suit case. He came back and put it over Ka’s head, “I’m erasing Jil’s memories. May I assume we’ll be breaking in invisible style?”

“You might want to leave her memories for the moment.”

“Why?”

“I’m thinking if we mess up at our neighbor’s house, we might have to use Jil and Zak to get on board; we might need them.” Tal thought about it, then shrugged and put the bands away. It was getting dark and they looked around the house, “Are you taking that suitcase with you?”

“I’ll make sure it’s not seen when we cross the street.”

“You know they have a spotter trained on our house?”

Tal nodded, “But it’s not trained on the house next door. I’ll go through their back yard to come up on them from the side. I’ll meet you at the breakin point and go back to get it once we have them under control.”

“Are you going to take them down, Tal?”

“That’s my specialty; just get me in.”

• • •

Tal checked his spy-device and watched for the Guild Master to contact the neighbors. The Guild Master spoke to the neighbor across the street at eleven pm. Tal put the device away and told Ka the contact had been made. He went out the back door at midnight and went over the back fence in an instant. Ka left the house with him but went around the back of their house and crossed the street. This invisibility mode added so much to her bag of tricks; the spotter would not detect her in her invisibility mode. She went to the neighbor’s front door and began inspecting the locking mechanism. She smiled, they were pretty crafty; the old lock had been changed to one of the new state-of-the-art magnetic locks. If the lock was tampered with, it would emit a high-pitched alarm. She tapped her arm and pulled an invisible device out of it. She pressed a small button on it and it suddenly appeared, losing its invisibility. She glanced to her right and saw Tal moving toward her from the house on the right avoiding the spotter from seeing his bag. He dropped his leather bag in the shrub and moved up next to her. He watched what she was doing and saw she had place a cupped shaped device over the magnetic lock. The small green light on the device changed to red and then disappeared. Ka turned to him and nodded. Tal pulled a dart-gun out of his arm and held it in front of him. Ka put both hands on the door and pushed gently as Tal raised the gun. The door began swinging in silently until it moved over the carpet, where it made a swooshing noise. She pushed hard, and Tal rushed in behind her. He instantly scanned the room and saw the male assassin staring at the now open door. He lunged for a gun on the desktop he was sitting behind but Tal hit him with a dart just before his hand reached it. The man froze instantly, and his head fell to the desk. Tal rushed into the living room and headed toward the bedrooms but stopped suddenly; there was a light coming out from under the bathroom door. He silently went beyond the door and waited. Ka lifted on the door to close it quietly. She watched Tal and, after three-minutes, the female assassin opened the bathroom door, stepped out, and headed toward the living room. She saw her partner with his head on the desk and sneered, “I told you to go to bed!” He didn’t respond, and Tal shot her with a dart. She remained standing a moment and Tal quickly moved her to the floor. “Get over here, we don’t have long.”

Ka rushed over, and Tal put a transfer band around her head. He put another one around the paralyzed woman’s head and pressed the green-square on it. Ka closed her eyes as the memory transfer began. Tal rushed over to the male, placed the transfer bands, and sat down in a chair next to him.

Tal’s transfer was completed in less than fifteen-minutes; he took the bands off and put them in his pocket. As soon as they contacted his body, they became invisible. He went over to Ka and she still had her eyes closed. “You need to hurry up!”

Ka responded while she kept her eyes closed, “The transfer is huge. I’m just a little over half-way done.”

“You only have about ten-more minutes before you’re going to have to end it!” Tal said urgently.

Ka shook her head and he saw her eyes tighten. Ten-minutes later, he reached for the bands, just as Ka opened her eyes and took off the transfer band. Tal ripped the one off the female’s head and Ka said, “WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?!”

“Look at her.”

Ka looked at the female and saw most of her legs were missing and the process was moving up her body faster. She jerked her head around to the man at the desk and saw most of his body was gone. “WHAT IN HEAVEN’S NAME HAVE YOU DONE?!”

The dart I used on them has a specially designed virus. It causes instant paralysis and then starts consuming the host’s body.”

“What would have happened if I didn’t finish the transfer?”

“Ka, when the virus reached her midsection, I would have ripped the band off your head.” Ka’s expression turned angry. “No, you wouldn’t have been infected, but you would have felt her mind die when the virus reached her lungs and heart.” Tal lowered his eyes, “That is not something you’d want in your head.”

“Don’t we need to get out of here and away from this virus you’ve released.”

“No, the shot I gave you immunizes you from the virus. Anyway, the virus will die within five-minutes after it completes the destruction of their bodies.”

“What would happen if they were discovered by someone who wasn’t immunized?”

Tal raised his shoulders and tilted his head to the left, “There would be no witnesses.”

“But you’d leave the residue of their bodies to be investigated, Tal!”

“No, not a problem, the virus changes their bodies into oxygen and nitrogen. The virus will then consume itself and leave no traces.”

“Holy jumping genets! Lord save the world from genetic scientists!” Ka responded.

“Hey, I have it under control!”

“That’s what every scientist says before his creation wipes out a continent!” Ka replied sarcastically.

“Why did it take you so long to make the download?”

Ka shrugged, “I wish I didn’t do it!”

“Why?”

“That woman is an evil bitch!” Tal started shaking his head, as Ka continued, “She’s been in the Assassins Guild for more than fifty-years and she enjoyed inflicting horrible pain on the ones she targeted. She even planned to kill her partner before going back to the colonies and take the Number One ranking in the guild for herself.”

“Ka, I only wanted you to take the memories from the couple they eliminated to mimic. I see now why it took you so long. I only took the memories of the man they killed.”

Ka stood up from the floor and remarked, “That might be a mistake. What happens if the Guild Master attempts to contact these two during the cruise to get an update?”

Tal shook his head, “You’re right; I didn’t think it through. If that happens, you’ll have to take the call.”

“There’s also the issue of Zak and Jil not showing up for the cruise; how will the Guild Master interpret that?” Tal was silent as he thought about it. “I think we have no choice but to get Zak and Jil on the ship,” Ka said interrupting his thoughts.

“And just how are we going to do that?”

“Well, we’ll board the ship as these two first. We’ll then use our invisibility to leave the ship and then board as Zak and Jil. We’ll put a do-not-disturb sign on the first room we check in and then leave to board as Zak and Jil.”

“There might not be enough time to make that happen.”

“Tal, think it through and you’ll know we don’t really have an option. We’ll put their luggage in their transport, along with Zak and Jil’s luggage under it. We’ll have to make it work or the Guild Master will know something is not right. He’ll start looking for us in the colonies if we don’t get them on board.”

“Can you still mimic Jil?”

Ka suddenly transformed into Jil, “That’s not a problem. We need to go through the memories of the new identities and leave early in the morning.”

Tal smiled, “I can see why you’re Number One. You see things faster than I do. Let’s go lay down and start the learning process.” Ka nodded and went with him to the bedroom.

• • •

The alarm sounded at five am, and Ka opened her eyes. Tal saw her expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“They kill the best people to mimic, Tal. Zak and Jil didn’t deserve this and neither did Sig and Lis.”

“Nobody deserves to have their life ended, Lis. Everyone in the colonies lives among wealthy predators, and just like ancient humans, they sometimes stumble on a predator. Being a good person, or even a bad one, doesn’t insulate you from any civilization’s predators. Wolves, tigers, and crocs killed ancient humans and it didn’t matter if they were good or bad. Modern humans are killed by other humans.”

“I guess you’re right. I just hate it.”

“You have to see things in the proper perspective to maintain your sanity.” Tal said softly. “Humans have always had predators to deal with; the modern predators just happen to be a lot deadlier.”

“We need to get moving, Sig! By-the-way, it appears this new couple was just as affectionate as Zak and Jil.”

“I see that,” Tal replied. “You might find it interesting that the assassin that took Sig’s place detested the woman partner. They would have never pulled off being affectionate.”

“I can understand why; she was a hard-hearted demon.”

Tal quickly added, “They didn’t have to show affection, Lis. No one on the cruise knows them.”

“How do you know that?”

“That’s why Sig and Lis were chosen, Lis; it’s the only reason that makes since.” Lis thought about it and knew he had to be right.

• • •

They arrived at the cruise terminal and saw the giant starship long before they arrived; it was gigantic. Tal paid for the parking and moved the transport as close as possible to the giant ship and parked between two-large-haulers delivering supplies for the cruise in order to hide it from being seen from the boarding ramp. They grabbed their luggage and walked to the boarding ramp. A porter rolled a cart up and smiled, “Your names, please.”

“Sig and Lis.”

The porter scanned them with a portable device and smiled, “I’ll deliver your luggage to your cabin. Welcome to the Morning Star and enjoy your trip.” Sig took Lis’s hand and they walked swiftly to the boarding ramp. Twenty-minutes later, the officer in charge of the boarding announced loudly, “YOU MAY START BOARDING NOW. YOU’LL RECEIVE YOUR CABIN NUMBERS ONCE YOU ARE INSIDE. WELCOME ABOARD!!”

Sig and Lis were the tenth and eleventh passenger to board and they were whisked up the escalator to the top of the ramp. A bright light flashed, and they heard, “Sig and Lis, cabin number 4012.” A crewmember stepped up and smiled, “If you will follow me, please.” They were taken to their cabin where their luggage had already been delivered. Sig put a do-not-disturb on the door handle.

“Sig, there’s no way we can get down that moving boarding ramp without being detected!”

Sig nodded, “I have the layout of the ship downloaded. We’re going out the supply ramp, but we have to hurry; it’s at the other end of the ship.” They turned invisible and left their cabin. It took more than two-hours to work their way down to the supply ramps and another thirty-minutes to rush down it during a moment of stoppage, while one hauler pulled away to be replaced by another.

Lis looked at the boarding ramp and saw there were very few passengers still boarding. “We’re not going to make it!”

“Get on my back, Lis.”

“What?”

“Just do it!”

Lis jumped on Sig’s back and he sprinted toward the parked transport. Lis was shocked at Sig’s speed. They covered half-a-mile in less than a minute and he wasn’t winded. They got in the transport and changed to Zak and Jil’s bodies. They jumped out, grabbed their luggage out of the transport, and began rushing toward the now empty boarding ramp.

• • •

A sailor looked at the Boarding Officer, “We need to raise the ramp, Sir.”

“I still have some missing passengers. They’re still onloading supplies and I’m going to wait until the very last minute. The company will be very unhappy at losing any revenue.” He looked out from the ramp and saw two-people rushing toward them from the parking lot. He turned to the sailor and nodded, “After these two are on board, you can shut it up, if no one else is in sight.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Zak and Jil arrived at the ramp and Zak bent over and put his hands on his knees faking being out of breath, “We’re sorry, we were slowed by an accident on the 805.”

“That’s all right. At least you made it…barely. You’ll have to take your luggage with you.”

Jil faked being out of breath and the Officer picked up her carryall and put it next to her on the ramp. “NAMES?” he yelled, as Zak and Jill were moving up the ramp.”

“Zak and Jil!”

The Officer nodded and sent the message to the ship’s computer. They arrived at the top of the boarding ramp and heard, “Zak and Jil, cabin number 4013.”

Tal looked at Ka, the other assassin team had been placed in a cabin next to them. The long arms of the guild were once again revealed. Tal picked up his bags and a man in a white uniform stepped forward and smiled, “Please allow one of our crew to carry your bags.” The man picked up Jil’s bag and handed it to a crewman standing close by.

Another crewman picked up Zak’s luggage and smiled, “Please follow me to your cabin.”

They arrived at their room and found a crowd gathered outside of it. “We were wondering if you were going to make it!”

Jil smiled, “Ged, it’s so good to see you!”

Everyone began hugging them and Ged yelled, “We’re on our way to the initial escape pod training and then to the cafeteria to get something to eat!”

Tal hesitated on how they were going to get out of this, but Ka grabbed him by the shirt and opened their cabin door, “We’re going to have to catch up with you later; I need some alone time with Zak!” She pulled him into the cabin by the shirt and slammed the door behind them. Everyone started laughing and Ged laughed with them, as he announced, “They’ll never change! We’ll meet them later.” The crowd moved out of the corridor and went up the ramp leading to the next level.

“How are we going to handle escape training?” Tal asked.

“You go into the next cabin and go as Sig. “I’ll go as Jil and we’ll make excuses why our spouses aren’t present.”

“Do you think they’ll accept it.”

“Tal, I’m telling them you injured your back running to the ship carrying our luggage. You’ll have to come up with your own excuse. Let’s go.

Chapter Five

A sailor walked up to Sig and glanced down at his clipboard, “Where is your wife?”

“She’s in our cabin.”

“She’s required to attend this safety meeting.”

“Why don’t you go and see if you can get her to come.” The sailor’s eyes narrowed, and Sig shrugged, “Are you married?” The sailor nodded. “Have you ever said the perfectly wrong thing at the worst possible time?”

“I have,” the sailor replied with a smirk.

“Well, she throws things when she gets this mad. I suspect she left our cabin when I came here, and you’ll have to hunt her down to get her to come anywhere near me. I suggest you take a stunner with you.”

The sailor snickered, made a note on the clipboard, and smiled at Sig, “You will bring her up here and cover her with the safety protocols.”

“It probably won’t happen until later today.”

“Just make sure you do it.” Sig nodded.

The sailor walked down the line of passengers and stopped in front of Jil. Before he could say anything, she quickly said, “We were late arriving, and my husband hurt his back running to the ship carrying our luggage. He’s in our cabin undergoing treatment.”

The sailor checked his clipboard and saw the couple was a last-minute arrival, “Make sure you cover him on the safety protocols.”

“I will.”

The sailor continued down the line, as they heard a voice over the wall speaker, “Welcome everyone; we’ll allow you to get back to your vacation momentarily.” Sig turned and saw the Cruise Director holding a microphone in front of the long line of passengers. “Before we go over the use of the escape pods, I want to introduce you to Duncan Montana. He is our liaison with Earth’s Cruise Authority and he wants to say a few words.”

The Director handed the microphone to a handsome man dressed in a white-uniform. Sig looked closely at the man’s uniform and saw it was not a civilian uniform; the man was an officer in Earth’s military. He was also the man that greeted them when they arrived at the ship.

The man looked out at the passengers with a smile, “I want to welcome you on your visit to Earth. We have a long list of things for you to do upon your arrival and the list will be available on your cabin’s computer after this meeting. You should select the places you want to visit on Earth as quickly as possible, so transportation can be arranged. There will be a hostess assigned to you when you arrive to assist you in handling your lodging and travel details. We look forward to your arrival and we’ll do all we can to make your vacation special. Thank you for choosing to visit Earth and hope you’ll share your experiences with your friends back in the colonies.”

The man handed the microphone back to the Director and stepped back. Sig saw him stare at Jil, while she was looking at the Cruise Director, and could see something was up. He’d discuss this with her back in the cabin. The Safety Director covered the passengers on the use of the escape-pods and then turned it back over to the Cruise Director. “The ship is about to lift and if any of you want to watch it, go to the outer decks where the cafeterias are located, where you can watch it out of the viewports or on the wall monitors. Enjoy your cruise and my staff is available to handle any of your needs.

• • •

After returning to their cabin, Zak and Jil went to the cafeteria and spent most of the afternoon with their friends on the cruise. Zak was amazed by the giant cruise ship’s departure and focused on the monitors as it silently lifted and moved away from the planet. Four-hours later, the phase-stardrive activated and the distant stars became streaks of light as the ship went to full speed. The technology of a starship was amazing to witness, and it never ceased to enthrall him.

Zak had put a do-not-disturb sign on Sig’s door handle before leaving but knew it was going to be an issue to pose as both couples for the week-long cruise. That was something they’d have to work out later. But for the moment, they stayed in Zak and Jil’s memories and had a great time with their friends. They finally went back to their cabin and closed the door. They were expected to join their friends in the casino before going to the evening dinner.

Jil started undressing to change out of her stretch suit and Zak was surprised she didn’t ask him to turn his back. “We have several problems, Zak.” Zak stared at her and she snapped, “FOCUS!”

“What are they?” he stammered.

Jil glared at him and said harshly, “You tell me! You don’t appear to be paying attention!”

“Sorry, I was surprised at seeing you…without clothes.”

“Get over it! What are our issues?!”

“The first one is that both couples we’re impersonating are going to be assigned a hostess from Earth when we arrive. We can’t play both roles when that happens.”

Jil’s head went back slightly, “Go on?”

“The second issue is that Sig and Lis were not our real neighbors.”

Jil snorted, “I guess you are paying attention. How did you figure out they weren’t our neighbors?”

Jil continued changing clothes and Zak forced himself to look away, “Both of us know that Zak and Jil are very personable people and would have to know the neighbors living around them.” Jil pulled the stretch suit over her legs and nodded. “However, the guild managed to have Sig and Lis assigned the cabin next to ours; there was no way for us to miss running in to them during the cruise.” Zak paused before saying, “That would have to mean that Zak and Jil would not recognize them if they did.”

Jil pulled the suit on over her arms and nodded, “That means that the neighbors Zak and Jil knew had to be eliminated and a different couple substituted for them. The guild killed six-innocent people to make this work; Zak and Jil, the real neighbors across the street from them, and a third-couple going on this cruise.” Zak shook his head slightly, then nodded. “What are you thinking?” Jil asked.

“I’m losing my touch.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I didn’t make the connection. The man that watched me take out the garbage didn’t look like Sig. I suspect the two-assassins changed their images to the couple going on this cruise just before we went in and took them out. You didn’t see them, but I can now see that they don’t match up with Zak’s memory of his neighbors.”

Jil focused for a moment and then nodded, “You’re right. But don’t beat yourself up; neither of us noticed the change when we eliminated them.”

“That’s because we were in our own personas and not using Zak and Jil’s memories when we did it,” Zak added. “Is that all of the issues?”

“No. There’s another one.”

“What is it?”

“The officer from Earth is four-cabins up the hall from us,” Jill answered as she smoothed the stretch suit.

“How do you know that?”

“He put a do-not-disturb sign on the door and it is an active spotter. He is there to keep an eye on us.” Zak’s eyes widened slightly, as Jill continued, “I know the real reason the Guild Master chose Zak and Jil for us to mimic. They are completely different from every other colonist on this cruise because they have not modified their appearance. Since they are unmodified, they can blend in with Earth’s population easily but stand out among the other tourists on the cruise like a sore thumb. It was like shouting to that officer who the assassins are being sent to find the scientist.”

“But there is no scientist, Jil!”

“Zak, they were told assassins were being sent to remove a scientist developing a stardrive. It doesn’t matter if he exists or not; they will be looking for the assassins regardless. They’re not going to allow anyone to spy on their military!”

Zak rolled his eyes and started shaking his head, “You’re right. How do you think we need to handle this?”

“How do you…”

Zak interrupted her, “Stop making this a test, Jil! We’re working together on this and you are far superior than me at handling this kind of situation. I’m struggling with what to do and need you to help me figure this out.”

Jil blew out a breath and then sighed, “I guess I’ve been upset at how superior you are in the things you can do that I can’t; I can’t help but resent it. But you’re right, we need to work together without my insecurities getting in the way.”

“We both have our specific talents, Jil. I need yours here to figure out what to do.”

“We have to know what that officer knows and what he’s planning.”

“Go on.”

“I need you to get close to him and listen in on him; he must be in contact with someone on Earth.” Zak thought a moment and nodded. Jil added, “You need to use your invisibility to stay close until he checks in.”

“Why should I do it instead of you?”

“Zak, you’ve been using your invisibility talent for a lot longer than I have. You should be better prepared to follow him.”

“When do you think he’ll contact his superiors?”

“When he goes in his cabin.” Zak stared at her, as he thought about the suggestion. Jil continued, “He hasn’t gone in his cabin when we’re out.”

“How do you know that?”

“That do-not-disturb sign has not left his door whenever we come to our cabin; I saw him in the cafeteria the entire time we were there. He’ll want to take it in and examine what it’s recorded when he goes to his cabin. You need to be there when he does.”

“He probably won’t do that until we’ve called it a night.”

Jil nodded, “Then you leave the casino before I do tonight and be ready to go out the moment I return to our cabin.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Now, you need to change into a different colored stretch suit.” Zak raised his eyebrows and Jil smiled, “And yes, I will be watching.” Zak sighed and began taking off his clothes.

• • •

Zak was standing beside Jil at a gaming table and saw she was racking up chips. He glanced over her shoulder and saw the man from Earth sitting next to the wall at a table by himself. He wasn’t looking at them, but he could read his expression easily; he was listening to something. It was probably them; he had to be wearing a directional listening device. Zak put his arm over Jil’s shoulder and hugged her, “Honey, I’m worn out. I’m heading back to our cabin.”

Jil reached up and kissed him on the cheek, “I’ll join you as soon as I finish this play.”

“See you in the room.” Zak turned and walked slowly out of the casino. The man glanced his way but kept his seat. Zak arrived at their cabin and immediately turned invisible. He waited at the door and, five-minutes later, Jil opened the door. Zak tapped her on the shoulder as he moved out of the cabin and into the corridor.

He moved down the corridor until he was across the corridor from the man’s cabin. Two-minutes later, the man came out of the elevator and walked over to his cabin. He looked both ways up the corridor and pushed the electronic-fob on his door’s lock. He took the do-not-disturb sign off the door handle as Zak slipped into the room behind him. He silently rushed by him into the room and went prone next to the wall away from the desk.

• • •

Duncan glanced around the room and saw his bed was still unmade; good, no one had come in. He opened the closet behind the door and took out a small-device that looked like a small printer. He took it to his desk, pulled up the chair, and pressed a button on it. Zak pressed a place on his leg activating a micro-recorder. He remained very still and controlled his breathing. The air-handler was a constant source of sound, but it wasn’t loud.

Duncan inserted the door sign into the device and a holographic screen appeared above the device. He fast forwarded through it and only stopped it when it showed Zak and Jil leaving their room earlier. He fast forwarded again and saw Zak enter his cabin, followed by Jil, a few minutes later; good, they were in for the night. He started to put the sign back on the door but saw a flashing red light. He hesitated but pushed the red-button. Zak saw a hologram of a man in a black military uniform appear above the device, “I thought you weren’t supposed to contact me while I’m on the ship!” Duncan stated sternly.

The man quickly spoke, “There’s been some developments and you must be brought up to date.”

“What’s going on?” Duncan asked.

“We’ve received some information from our insider in the Assassin’s Guild. The couple you’ve been watching are on a fake mission.”

“What?”

“It appears that one of them killed the former President of their ruling council and the new President has taken out a contract to remove him. The whole idea of a scientist developing a stardrive was fabricated to get them out of the colonies, so they could be exterminated. That’s why the informer told us that the assassins would not be dressed like the other clowns. They want us to take them out.”

Duncan’s eyes narrowed, as he replied, “If they are going to go looking around our military complex, we’ll have to do exactly that.”

“Hold on, Major; there’s more.” Duncan leaned back in his chair to listen. “They have also sent an assassin on the cruise to kill them if the opportunity presents itself.”

“Sir, if they get off this ship, we can’t wait for that assassin to do it.”

“Major, you don’t know how much grief the Director of Tourism has given us over this. He says that if any colonists are killed while they’re on Earth, and it can be traced to us, the cruise lines will probably stop all cruises to Earth. He says the loss of revenues would be a lot worse than having a few assassins running around on Earth.”

“Not if they find Dr. Meier, Sir.”

“The Tourism Director doesn’t know anything about Dr. Meier. We’ve moved him to a safe place outside Orlando the moment we learned about the assassins. They won’t find him.”

“Did the Insider say anything about the assassin sent to take them out?”

“No, Major. All they know is that it’s a single assassin that will be made the new Number One in the guild, if he carries out his contract. We are going to have to back off and give this assassin room to maneuver. If you’re constantly close to the targets, he may not act before the ship arrives at Earth.”

“Do we know it’s a he?”

“Yes, but the insider doesn’t know anything about his appearance.”

“If he intends to eliminate them, his best chance is to do it before they arrive on Earth. He’ll know that everyone will be watched closely there.”

“That’s what we’re hoping. So back off and we’ll pick up the chase if they arrive on Earth.”

“I wouldn’t allow Dr. Meier to come back to Orlando until this ship leaves Earth, Sir.”

“You’re thinking that all this may be an elaborate hoax and that the single assassin is the one sent to find him.”

Duncan nodded, “Something like that.”

“Major, our insider has never been wrong and is certain that this mission is to remove that couple you’ve been watching. Once that couple has been eliminated, the other assassin will blend in with the other tourists and head back to the colonies.”

“You’re putting a lot of trust in the insider, Sir.”

The man’s expression turned hard, “Major Montana, you can take it to the bank; what we’ve been told is accurate beyond doubt. So, follow your orders and back off trailing that couple.”

“Sir, I placed a remote tracker on the woman’s luggage when she boarded, do you want the frequency?”

“Send it to me and you may keep track of them with the tracker, but I don’t want you anywhere near them.”

“Yes, Sir.” The hologram disappeared, and Duncan muttered, “Idiot!” He sighed and picked up the do-not-disturb sign. He went to the door and opened it. He stepped out in the corridor as he held the spotter and stood staring at it, wondering if he was perhaps being watched. While he struggled with what to do, Zak, slipped around him and out into the corridor. Duncan finally decided and put the placard on the door handle. He could always say he was hoping to see the assassin take out the couple.

• • •

It was a good thing that their cabin was on the same side of the corridor as the Major’s cabin. The spotter on the Major’s door wouldn’t be able to see their cabin door open. Zak stood against the wall twice to allow passengers to pass and waited until the corridor was clear. He knocked on the door once, waited a second, and knocked three-times. Jil opened the door and Zak went inside. He changed his image to Zak and Jil asked, “What did you find out?”

Zak pulled the recorder from his leg, went to his bag, and removed a small player. He inserted the recorder and sat down on the bed as the player showed an image of the Major activating a device on his desk, “Listen and learn,” Zak said as Jil stared at the small display. After it ended, Jil turned to him and Zak said softly, “Zak and Jil are going to have to die on this ship.”

“There’s more than that, Zak. Someone inside the Guild is working with Earth. They know everything that’s going on.”

“Jil, whoever the insider is, they also have access to the guild computer; they may not be a member of the guild.”

“How did you make that determination?”

“Notice that the Insider says that there is only one assassin sent to take out Zak and Jil. They’re wrong about that and, if they were getting their information from the Guild Master, they would know that a couple was sent, not a single assassin. They got this information from the guild’s computer.”

Jil thought about it and then her eyes widened, “You’re right, Zak. The two-contacts the Guild Master made with Sig were only with him and he blocked his image; the woman was never on them. They’re using the guild computer to gather information.” Jil paused and shook her head, “But that doesn’t exclude them from being a member of the guild.”

“I agree, but I don’t think the Insider is an assassin.”

“Why not?’

“Because they would have to have direct constant access to the computer to take information from it. That would require them to always be close to it. If they were an assassin, they would be forced to go out on contracts.”

“They could have a device like yours that allows you remote access.”

“I highly doubt that, Jil.”

“Why?”

“It took the greatest computer mind in the colonies to develop my device. No one on Earth is that good and no one in the colonies, outside of the woman that built mine, could pull it off,” Zak insisted. “I know she would never work with Earth. She only built my device to keep me safe and told me that she believes in the Council and the work they’re doing.”

Jil raised an eyebrow and stood up, “What are you doing?” Zak asked.

“The Major says he put a tracking device in my luggage. That has to go!”

“NO!”

Jil stopped and turned back toward him, “Why not?”

“If we disable it or remove it, he’ll know we’re on to him. Besides, I think we’re going to need it to kill Zak and Jil.”

“What are you thinking?”

“Jil, I think it’s past time I showed you how the escape pods operate.” Jil stared at him and then started laughing. Zak frowned, “I’m not kidding.”

“I know, Zak. I can see what you have in mind. However, it’s time I started trusting you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve shared some of your best technology with me and it’s time I returned the favor. For your plan to work, we need to be able to communicate.” Jill went to her luggage and took out a small leather pouch. She took out a-tiny-round-object and handed one to Zak, “Swallow it.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a communicator. All you have to do is speak what you want to say subvocally, and I’ll hear it.” Zak held the device and Jil asked with a smile, “Do you trust me?” Zak stared at her for a long moment and swallowed it. Zak looked at her and saw her throat moving slightly, as he heard clearly, “Just say the words silently in your mouth and they’ll be sent to me.”

Zak tried and Jil chuckled, “You’re moving your lips. Say your words without opening your mouth.”

Zak focused and said with his mouth closed, “Can you hear me?”

Jil smiled, “Now was that so hard?”

“But will I hear double when you’re speaking normally.”

“No, the increased volume of my voice won’t activate the device. It will only send at a much lower volume.” Zak was staring past her with a blank stare; Jil saw he was troubled, “What’s bothering you, Zak?”

“Why would you need a device like this, Jil? You said you always worked alone. This device would only be needed if you had to communicate with someone else. I’ve seen all of your contracts in the guild’s computer and in none of them did you ever use anyone else to assist you.”

Jil stared at him for a very long moment, then looked away, before answering, “I use it to communicate with my daughter.” Zak’s expression showed he was dumbfounded. Jil continued, “You’ve told me some things about yourself and your actions have proven that I believe I can trust you. What danger would my daughter be in if anyone knew about her, Zak?”

Zak forced himself to think and saw what it meant, “She would be used by other assassins as a hostage to lure you in to kill you.”

Jil nodded, “And I’m taking your offer to protect me in the future to include my daughter. Can I count on you to do that?”

Zak nodded, “You can. However, I never knew you were married. It’s not in your records in the guild’s computer.”

Jil paused and said softly, “My husband was one of my first contracts and my daughter paid for it.” Zak was shocked. Jil sighed, “I guess it’s time I told you why I joined the guild.” Zak sat back against the bed’s headboard and waited for her to start.

Chapter Six

Ka sat at the foot of the bed gazing at the floor. “I graduated first in my class with an electronics degree from New Europe Technical Institute.” Tal’s eyes widened. That was the highest ranked technical university in the colonies. “I was hired right out of school to go to work for a major company on Avalon. I quickly developed several inventions that led to six-patents that made the company a lot of money. The owner came to visit me one day to thank me for my work and I could see he was very interested in me. I’d never met him before, but he began wooing me immediately afterwards. He was extremely wealthy, and I was flattered that he wanted me to spend time with him. He was handsome, well-educated, wealthy, and spared no expense to get my attention. Within the year he asked me to marry him, and I agreed.”

“What company was it?” Zak asked.

Jil turned to him, “Does it matter?”

“No, I guess it doesn’t.”

She looked back at the floor and continued, “Three-years later, my daughter was born. She was, and still is, the light of my life. My life couldn’t have been better, and I was never so happy as that time in my life. However, things started changing when my daughter turned twelve-years old. She looked very much like me and I began noticing the way my husband was looking at her; it began to concern me. One day he tried to kiss her in a romantic manner; she slapped him and forced her way out of his embrace. He hit her so hard he knocked her unconscious. He apologized profusely and said he lost control and didn’t mean to do it…but his expressions didn’t change when he looked at her. I suddenly realized, he wasn’t the man I thought he was. I looked in his personal computer one day, when he was away visiting a company off planet, and discovered he had three other wives on other planets. I used his computer to find out who they were and where they were located. When he returned, I convinced him that I wanted to take a vacation with our daughter and visit some of the other colonies. He was suspicious initially, but I manage to pull it off. I persuaded him that she needed to know about the other colonies and he finally agreed.

I managed to slip security and visited all three-families on other planets. They all had the same story.” Jil turned to Zak. “All of them had lost daughters when they were fifteen-years old. Their sons were left alone but their daughters went missing. The mothers didn’t know what happened to them; one-day they were home, the next they were gone and never showed up again. My husband convinced them that they were abducted to use as hostages to force him to pay a huge ransom. He insisted he never received a ransom request and that the kidnappers must have killed them to avoid being found. He divorced them for their safety, he told them, and left them large sums to live on.”

“Do you know what happened to them?” Jil stared at Zak and didn’t answer. Zak sighed, “It doesn’t matter. Your daughter was close to fifteen and you saw him as a real danger to her.”

Jil nodded. After a moment, she continued, “My daughter and I had large banking accounts in our names and I started syphoning money out of them into a secret account opened under a fictitious name I created for my daughter. By the time she was fourteen, the number of credits in the account was huge and he didn’t even notice them missing. My daughter had listened to the other mothers talk about what happened and knew she was in danger. We arranged a way out.

One day we went out in one of the company’s flyers and I put a remote-control device in it that I had preloaded flight instructions. We landed outside the city, exited the flyer, and activated the remote control. The flyer flew away, then turned and headed back toward the city. It appeared to lose power and then start a long dive where it hit a major electrical transfer station.” Zak’s eyes went wide. Jil saw it and smiled, “The blast could be seen above the planet. The flyer was vaporized, and nothing remained to be examined. I had set up a different identity for my daughter and me more than a month before and we moved into a small home on the outside of a city on the other side of the planet from my husband’s company. We changed our appearances, and no one recognized us. However, both of us realized it was just a matter of time until we made a mistake and he found us. He had to go.”

“So, you joined the guild to hide from him.”

“I joined the guild to kill him, Zak. I passed the training and handled my first assignments easily. My daughter looked older than fourteen and she went to work in a factory near our home. I became quite adept at handling my contracts and my reputation began to gain the attention of the Guild Master. After a year had passed, I went to the Guild Master and told him that someone had approached me to take out a contract. He wanted to know how they knew I was an assassin, and I told him I had no idea. However, the person was willing to pay the contract in credits.”

Zak eyebrows went up, “I imagine that got his attention.”

“It did. He saw it as a way to line his own pockets; he agreed to allow me to take the contract and keep it a secret. My daughter took large denomination credits out of the account we set up for her new identity and I went and killed the son-of-a-bitch.”

“That kill wasn’t in your records,” Zak said softly.

“No, it wasn’t. The Guild Master pocketed the credits and promised that he would keep me in high-paying contracts. He kept his promise and I kept my mouth shut.”

“But now you were trapped.” Jil shrugged and nodded. Tal continued, “You took the only legal route to remove your husband but if you tried to leave the guild, the Guild Master would have been too worried about you using the bribe you gave him against him and he’d put out a contract on you.”

“That’s how I saw it.”

“And if you had reunited with your daughter, she would have died with you.” Jil nodded. “That threat died with the former Guild Master, Jil.”

“Yes, but I had no idea that would happen and accepted the change in my genetic abilities. Now, I’m still trapped. The guild will never allow me to leave with my enhanced genetic skills.”

“How do you feel about all the death you’ve caused?”

“How do you feel about the thousands you’ve killed, Zak?” she replied defensively.

“I guess I don’t allow it to bother me.”

“I do the same. And truthfully, most of the ones I’ve killed deserved it.”

“I understand why you said you will never have feelings for me.” Jil stared at him. “You were fooled once, and you’ll never let it happen again.”

“Zak, you’re a killer extraordinaire. I would never choose to be with a killer.”

“I don’t blame you, Jil. I do understand.”

“I don’t understand why you would want to be with the Number One Assassin in the Guild?”

Zak sighed, “A year ago, you were assigned a contract to kill a wealthy man on Eden.”

Jil’s eyes narrowed, “That contract was called off by the guild.”

“I was there to protect him, Jil. I was there when you confronted him.” Jil’s eyes flew wide open and Zak continued, “That man is my brother and I learned from the guild’s computer that a contract was put out for him. I listened to you tell him why you were there, and he told you about his children. You had a gun in your hand, but you listened to him tell you about all the things he was going to miss if he died. The charities he created and all the good things he was doing on Eden were something he’d regret never completing, along with seeing his daughter married. You turned and left him alive. You then went to the man that took out the contract and killed him. His death removed the contract on my brother. He wouldn’t be around to pay it.”

“How do you know that?”

“I followed you. I was invisible, and you never saw me. I don’t know why I didn’t kill you when you broke into my brother’s office, but I waited until I had no other choice.”

“So, your brother lied to me about all the good things he was doing! He knew he was in no danger.”

“No, Jil, he didn’t know I was there and he honestly thought he was going to die. I’ve never told him I am an assassin; I believe he would never speak to me again if he found out.”

Tal looked away and then turned back to her, “I watched you and I decided that you were the most remarkable woman I’ve ever seen. I never tried to contact you and was excited when I saw that you and I were going to be asked to work together.” Zak shrugged, “I guess I was being dumb and blind. I do understand how you feel and I’ll honor your feelings and not bring this up again. We’ll work together and get out of this box some way, ok?”

Jil slid up the bed and under his arm. She snuggled in and closed her eyes. Zak wished he knew if it was Jil or Ka under his arm.

• • •

The next morning, Jil woke and heard Tal in the shower. She undressed and joined him. An hour later, they emerged and Jil asked as she dried her hair, “So how do we do this?”

“I’ve looked in my database and found a step-by-step instruction on how to operate an escape pod in the event the pilot isn’t available.”

“Is it complicated?”

“No, Jil, it can’t be and have a passenger operate it. There are three-things that must be done to launch a pod.” Jil nodded and listened. “The first-thing is to push the handle on the left-side of the console fully forward, hold it there, and press the red button beside it until it turns green.”

Jil repeated, “Ok, push the handle forward, press and hold the red button.”

Zak nodded, “The next thing you do is press a bright yellow button on the top-right of the console until it illuminates.”

“What does that do?” Jil asked.

“It closes the covering over the pod’s launch tube. It prevents the pod’s engines from blowing into the corridor.”

“Does it close the door to the pod.”

“No Jil, it doesn’t. Pressing the large black button in the center of the console closes the door and launches the pod. I’m working on how to make that happen and allow us to get out.”

“Don’t worry about it, Zak. I’ll handle that.”

“Can you handle it?”

Jil smiled, “I can.”

“I’m going to need some time before we exit the pod.”

“What are you going to do?”

Zak smiled, “Make sure they don’t come looking for us.”

“That sounds exciting.”

Zak laughed, “Doesn’t it!”

• • •

The Morning Star was two-days out from Earth when Tal and Ka implemented their plan. Zak was in the cafeteria for dinner and kept his eye on Duncan sitting on the other side of the huge room. He looked at the clock and saw it hit eight pm. This was when most of the tourists on board the ship left their cabins to enjoy the night-life provided on board. Zak said in his closed mouth, “NOW!”

Ka walked out of her room and went down to Duncan’s cabin. She turned to face it and held out her right hand shaking her index finger at it with a smile. She then extended her hand and the spotting device shutdown. She rushed to their cabin and moved all of Tal’s luggage to the next-door cabin leaving her empty luggage behind. She left the room, went to the elevator, and put an ‘Out-of-Order’ sign on it. She extended her hand and turned off the elevator’s controls. “Get moving,” she said over the communicator to Zak.

Zak stood up and rushed out of the cafeteria. Duncan watched him leaving in a rush and started to follow him but shook his head and followed his orders to stay away from them. Jil waited for him to arrive and moved the empty luggage out of the cabin as he rushed up. Ka activated the elevator controls and they entered together. Ka pressed the top-deck button and the elevator shot up to the escape pod level. Ka was invisible and knew that a guard was on duty that had to be avoided. The door opened, and Tal put his foot in the door preventing it from closing. Ka stepped out and saw the guard far down the corridor, as he walked toward the far end. The corridor was so long, he disappeared around the curve in the corridor and Ka motioned Tal forward. He grabbed the two-bags, rushed across to the Escape Pod they were assigned on the first-day of the cruise, and threw the luggage into the pod. He turned and rushed to the rear of the pod, as Ka pushed the thruster handle forward and pressed the red button next to it. It turned green and she turned to Tal, “What are you doing?”

“Hold off on the tube cover.” Ka watched him very carefully placing seven-strips of green tape in a circle on the back wall. He pasted the last one down and turned to Ka, “Al right, I’m going to press each one of these and after I press the last one, I’m getting out of here. Go ahead and press the tube cover now. I hope you have a way to press the last button and not get caught in here.”

“Relax, Tal. Come up here and take a look.” Tal walked up to Ka and saw her pull a cone shaped device out of her uniform and put it over the last button. Tal’s eyes narrowed as Ka pushed the device down on the console over the last button and it adhered in place. She pressed the top of it and a blue light illuminated.

“Wait before you press it!” Jil pressed the tube cover button as Tal went back to the rear of the shuttle and pressed the strips of tape one-by-one. DO IT NOW, KA!”

Ka pressed the blue button and the center of the cone started moving down, “Time to go!” She jumped out of her chair and Tal followed her out of the port to the escape pod. They rushed out to the corridor and saw the guard coming back toward them. Tal pressed the elevator button and it immediately opened. They rushed in and the door closed before the guard arrived.

Tal looked at Ka, “You know he’s going to see the cover over the escape pod’s launch tube.” Ka smiled, as they heard the engines of the escape pod ignite with a loud whoose. Ka pressed the button for the fortieth-deck and the elevator moved into the ship.

• • •

Duncan heard the alarms go off and he jumped up out of his chair. He grabbed a crewman running by, “WHAT’S GOING ON?”

“An escape pod has launched from the ship!”

Duncan lifted his wrist-chronometer and pressed a button. The face changed, and he saw the tracker he put on the woman’s suitcase was no longer on the ship but was moving away from it at high-speed. “What the hell?” He turned and rushed toward the bridge.

• • •

He arrived at the bridge and the Captain saw him, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON MY BRIDGE, MAJOR? GET OUT NOW!”

Two-armed-guards moved toward him and Duncan’s expression turned angry, “Captain, one of your escape pods has left your ship and is within range of Earth! You are responsible for that escape pod and I will tell my superiors on Earth that your ship may represent a danger to the planet. IS THAT HOW YOU WANT TO HANDLE THIS?!”

The Captain saw a very deadly expression on Duncan’s face and said, “You may stay and observe what’s happening.”

“Are you going to be able to stop the pod, Captain?”

“No, Major, we are not equipped to stop it; this is a commercial vessel.”

Duncan raised his wrist and suddenly saw a huge flash on the main wall-monitor. He turned his head and looked back at the monitor; the escape pod was gone.”

“Sir, it appears that stopping the pod is no longer an issue,” the Navigator remarked.

The Captain turned to Duncan, “You better hope no passengers were on that escape pod.”

Duncan snorted, “Do you think we destroyed it? Why don’t you slow down the video you recorded and see what happened? You’re being ridiculous. Earth would have no reason to endanger any of your passengers!” The Captain nodded to the navigator and he replayed the explosion in super-slow-motion. Everyone on the bridge watched the recording closely and it was clear the pod was destroyed from an explosion on its hull or from inside it.

The Captain looked at his Second, “Order all passengers to their cabins and see if anyone doesn’t show up.” He turned to Duncan, “Take a seat and you can report to your superiors what we uncover.”

Duncan forced a smile, “Thank you, Sir.”

• • •

Three-hours later, the head of ship security reported in, “Sir, two-passengers in cabin 4012 are not present and there is no luggage in their cabin. We’ve searched the ship and I’m certain they aren’t on board.” Duncan knew that the crew would uncover anyone attempting to hide; they knew this ship in detail and if they didn’t find anyone, then the couple in 4012 weren’t on board.

The Captain was shaking his head and Duncan asked, “Do you think we had anything to do with this, Captain?”

“The thought has crossed my mind, Major. Why else would this couple try to escape the ship before arriving on Earth?”

Duncan was quiet for a moment and replied, “Perhaps, they were frightened of something on this ship and wanted to get to Earth safely.”

The Captain glared at Duncan and his expression showed his stress, “What are you suggesting?”

“What would cause enough fear in someone to make them attempt to steal an escape pod? Is it possible that they believed that one of your guild assassins was after them?” The Captain’s expression changed, and Duncan saw this wasn’t something he considered. “Evidently, they thought they could use the pod to get to Earth and be arrested, keeping them safe from an assassin. However, it appears the assassin followed them to the escape pod and put an explosive device on it before it launched.”

The Second asked, “Why do you think that?”

“Because the escape pod’s engines would never cause that large of an explosion alone. Something else was introduced to the pod to make that happen.” Duncan turned back to the Captain, “Have there ever been assassinations on a cruise ship, Sir?”

The Captain nodded, “There have. And the evidence supports that’s what happened here. I’m going to file an official complaint with the Council and protest assassins being allowed on our vessels, but it will probably be ignored.”

Duncan nodded before saying, “I just want to make sure that you know that Earth takes the safety of any tourist that comes to visit very seriously and would not allow this sort of thing to happen.”

The Captain smirked, “I’ll make sure the cruise lines know Earth had nothing to do with this. Now, if you’ll excuse me; there’s a group of passengers that were traveling with them that I need to explain what happened.”

Duncan nodded, stood up, and left the bridge. He rushed to his cabin and snatched the spotter off his door handle. He quickly played it and saw Jil wagging her index finger at it. Then it shut down and nothing else was seen. He leaned back in his chair; she knew about the spotter. Something about this didn’t feel right. What possible reason was there for her to disable it? He struggled with that question as he reported in to his Commanding Officer.

• • •

The next day, the ship was due to arrive in two-hours and the tourists were gathering on the outer deck to leave the ship. Duncan stepped out of his cabin, locked it, and looked up the corridor. He saw a couple pulling their luggage toward him and his brow furrowed; he didn’t remember seeing them during the cruise. He focused and shook his head slightly; he was certain he had not seen them. He waited for them to get closer.

Sig said in his mouth, “He’s on to us.”

“Just be quiet.” Lis replied.

The couple arrived, and Duncan asked with a smile, “Did you have a good trip, so far?”

The woman looked at him and Duncan was surprised to see she was angry, “We spend the bulk of the time in our cabin.”

Duncan’s eyes narrowed, “Why would you do that?”

“I’m a historian and we’ve been studying Earth’s history in the ship’s computer.”

Duncan smiled, “You missed many of the entertainment facilities offered on board.”

Lis lowered her eyes, “Isn’t that a military uniform you’re wearing?” Duncan nodded. “What rank are you?”

“I’m a major; why do you ask?”

Lis looked at Sig, “You’re right; he is a major.”

“I told you the insignia on his collar was a major’s” Sig replied.

Duncan forced a smile and said, “Is that an issue?”

Lis turned to him, “Major, why don’t you stop the fake smiles? You don’t like the colonies or anyone that comes from them. We stayed in our room and, when we went out, we deliberately avoided any place where you were present.”

Duncan’s smile vanished, “Why did you do that?”

“We’ve learned in the colonies that anyone wearing a military uniform represents great danger to anyone around them. We decided to treat you like them and stay away from you. We know that the colonies haven’t been good neighbors to Earth and that Earth doesn’t have good will toward us. I just couldn’t stomach your fake smile and false humor, I found it disgusting. You should feel free to act normally around us.”

Duncan’s expression revealed his growing anger, “If that’s true, why did you come on this cruise?”

“You also don’t listen very well, Major,” Lis replied. Duncan’s eyes narrowed even more. “I told you, I am a historian and Earth is where most of humanity’s history took place. My curiosity got the better of my trepidation at coming here. Besides, my husband is overwhelmed with excitement at visiting Disney World.”

Zig smiled broadly, “Is it true that they have all the ancient rides and exhibits operating?”

Duncan saw his excitement and smiled slightly, “Orlando was not destroyed by a nuclear explosion. Neutron bombs were used across central Florida and all human life was eradicated but the structures were undamaged. Disney World has been restored to its former glory. When the technology purge took place, there were no survivors in central Florida to destroy the machines at Disney; they survived the purge.”

Sig’s smile grew even wider, and Lis shrugged, “I want to see all the old-buildings and the Kennedy Space Center.”

Duncan nodded, “All the old architecture is protected and most of the old buildings are still in place.”

Lis moved to step around Duncan, “We have a host to meet, Major. Have a good day.”

Duncan smiled, “I’m sorry we didn’t meet earlier.”

Lis stopped and turned, “Why is that?”

“I think we would have had some interesting conversations talking honestly with each other. You’re right; no one on Earth likes the way the colonies have treated us. But I respect that you recognize it, understand why, and doesn’t allow it to get in the way of expressing your opinion. Before you go, I want to give you something.”

Lis gave him a suspicious look, “What is that?”

Duncan took a pen and card out of his front pocket and handed it to Lis, “This is my direct contact number. The day before you schedule your trip to Kennedy or Disney, call me and I’ll arrange a free VIP tour for you and your husband.”

Lis tilted her head, “Why would you do this?”

Duncan smiled slightly, “Honesty is hard to find, and I appreciate it when I see it. Please, call me and I’ll set it up for you.”

Lis took the card, looked at it, and looked at Duncan, “Thank you, Major. Perhaps I’m worrying needlessly about this trip. I do have one question before we go, and I hope you’ll answer it honestly.”

“What is that?”

“A friend of mine who came to Earth on a cruise says that the people on Earth call us clowns behind our backs. Why is that?”

Duncan rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. He exhaled slowly and asked, “Do you know where the term clown comes from?”

“I did some research and it was a name given to comedic performers in something called a circus.”

“Were there any images of clowns in your research?”

“No, there were not.”

“Clowns dressed in very bright colors and often had purple, red, yellow, or bright green hair. They had a colored-ball on their noses of varying colors in most instances. The way most of the colonists appear, they remind us of how clowns once dressed.”

“So, it’s a derogatory term?”

“Yes, it is. Clowns were laughed at and never taken seriously in a circus.”

“Thank you for your honesty, Major.

Duncan shook his head, “No thanks needed; you’re right about us for the most part. Just be careful and enjoy your stay.” Lis nodded and headed toward the elevator. Duncan watched them go and sighed. The military on Earth was also avoided by everyone on Earth. He hated that was the case but understood why it had to be.

Chapter Seven

Sig had gotten used to speaking subvocally with his mouth closed and, as the elevator door closed, he said, “You never cease to amaze me.”

“Sig, when in a difficult situation, always resort to some piece of the truth. The mutual dislike between Earth and the Colonies is something that most are uncomfortable discussing; it took him off his guard when I mentioned it. He feels guilty about his feelings and that proves to me that the Major is a decent man.”

“Your idea to wear normal colony clothes over our stretch suit was a good idea. He would have noticed that instantly. He would have connected Zak and Jil with us.”

“We need to delay wearing them again,’ she suggested.

“We’ll wear them on the beach.” Sig paused and then asked, “Are we going to take him up on his offer?”

“We are.”

“Why?”

“Because you and I know that there really is a scientist developing a stardrive and he’ll be in Orlando. That’s why I said you were excited about going to Disney World. You picked up on it quickly and ran with it. I’m impressed.”

“Do you think our room will be bugged?”

“No, I think the early cruises proved that doing that would jeopardize any future cruises. They might do it if they suspected us of being Colony Agents, but I think we’re in the clear for the moment. Why do you ask?”

“I need to discuss something with you.” Lis nodded as they exited the elevator and headed toward the departure deck.

• • •

They finally stepped on the moving boarding ramp and arrived at a large people hauler at the dock. A beautiful woman stepped up and smiled, “I’m one of your hostesses and if you’ll board the bus, we’ll transport you to your accommodations.”

Sig flashed a smile, “Thank you.” They placed their luggage on a large gravity sled and stepped on board the bus.

“You can put your tongue back in your mouth,” Lis commented.

Sig’s face turned red, as he smiled, “She was very impressive. You’re just jealous.”

Lis shrugged, “Yes, I suppose I am. You should keep in mind that she hates you.” Sig was surprised at the admission and wondered again if it was Ka or Lis talking.

• • •

They arrived at their hotel and a porter led them to their room. “Your assigned hostess will contact you to set up a meeting to iron out your itinerary. Welcome to Earth and enjoy your stay.”

The porter left, and Lis raised her hand and moved it around the room. After a few minutes, she lowered her arm, “It’s clear. What’s on your mind?”

“I also believe we’re going to have to go to Orlando to find that scientist. Getting to him is going to be a real problem and I want to make something that might help us.”

“What is that?”

“A new ID.”

“A new what?”

Sig pulled a small printer out of his bag and pressed a button on top of it. A picture appeared on the small display and Lis’s eyes went wide, “Is that an image of Major Montana’s ID?” Sig nodded. “Where did you get that?”

“He laid it on his bed when he went into his room to contact his superior. I made a copy while he was occupied.”

Lia shook her head, “I’ve seen his ID, Sig. It’s not possible to duplicate it! The material it’s made of and the holograms on it make it impossible!”

Sig smiled, “You have your magic hand; I have my devices. I can make a duplicate, but I need a new picture to go on it.” Lis turned to him, “It can’t be any image used on the ship,” Sig statd.

“Then what do you suggest I use?”

“I need you to use your normal genetic image without any modifications,” Sig replied.

“I’m not going to do that.”

Sig’s head tilted to one side, “Why not?”

“I just won’t.”

Sig sighed, “Lis, if you’re determined to find that scientist, then you’re going to have to do this. Otherwise, we enjoy our vacation and head back.” Lis silently glared at him. “Do you have another way to get in a military facility,” Sig asked.

“We’ll be invisible.”

Sig shook his head, “But we’ll still have mass and I know that they’ll have floors that will detect any weight being placed on them. What’s the problem?!”

“If my image is seen back in the colonies, then it will become known that my daughter and I didn’t die in that crash. I can’t take that risk.”

Sig sat down on the bed, “How long ago did that crash happen?”

“Fifteen-years.”

“So, if your image is seen on Earth, what do you think anyone seeing it in the colonies might think?”

“They’ll think I’m still alive!”

“No…they’ll think another citizen on the cruise copied the appearance of a woman that died. You know all the images of deceased colonists are removed from the central computer. Besides, you might need this image to escape the guild putting a contract out on you, if by some miracle we make it back.”

“There’s no way I’ll use it in the colonies. Are you crazy?!”

“Lis! Focus! You were listed as dead years ago and anyone in the colonies can now duplicate your appearance without the fear of being sued. Just change the coloration you use, use your new mimicking skills to make you a little taller, and the system used by the Council will ignore you.”

Lis stared at him and thought about what he was suggesting. “I’ve never used my normal image, since I joined the guild.”

“Did you use it when you joined?”

“No.”

“Then there you go.”

“You can be so, so…”

“Logical?”

Lis rolled her eyes. “Promise you won’t laugh.”

“I won’t! Just make the change and allow me to take an image to insert in my duplicator.”

Lis sighed and suddenly changed her image. She looked up at Sig and saw him staring at her with wide eyes, “Am I that bad?”

“Do you remember that hostess that greeted us at the bus?” Lis’s eyes narrowed and she nodded. “I tell you honestly, she has nothing on you. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“Quit lying, Sig! I’m only five-feet-four inches tall and my body is…” She paused and looked down at herself, “…embarrassing!”

Sig took her by the hand and walked her into the bathroom and stood in front of the large mirror, “Look at yourself, Lis. Take a good look!”

Lis looked at the mirror and was shocked. She touched her face, “Is that me?”

“Yes! Why did you possibly think you weren’t beautiful?”

“I guess I didn’t feel beautiful after my husband betrayed me.”

“He was a pig!”

“But he had three-other-wives!”

“And I suspect he had them before you married him. You need to remember that he took one look at you and immediately decided that he wanted you.” Sig nodded toward the mirror, “That is what he saw, and I have to say if I were in his place, I would have felt the same way. Now come with me and stand up against the wall.”

Lis followed Sig into the bedroom and stood against a clear white wall. Sig snapped a picture and Lis said, “Your turn.” Sig jerked his head around to her. “You’ll need to use your normal genetic image as well, right.” Sig rolled his eyes and handed Lis the imager. He sighed and instantly changed. Lis stared at him and said, “You aren’t as tall as I remember.”

“I’m a geneticist; I was able to increase my height.”

“Your face is nothing like it was when I met you in the Guild Master’s office.”

“I tried to improve it, Lis. Will you take the picture! I know I’m nothing much to look at.”

“I can see what you’re thinking, Sig.” Sig was silent. “You think that after I’ve seen your real appearance, there’s no chance I’d ever be interested in you.”

Sig’s eyes were sad and his demeanor distraught, “You already told me I had no chance. I didn’t think that revealing my appearance would make a difference. I’m far from handsome and I know it. One thing for sure.”

“What’s that?” Lis asked.

“Lis, if you and I are together in our normal appearance, no one will see me.”

Lis snapped the picture and handed the imager back to Sig. She didn’t know what to say. Sig was right; he had a very ordinary appearance. He went to the duplicator, attached the camera to it with a cable, pressed a button and Lis asked, “Have you ever been in love, Sig?”

“Do you mean have I ever been in a relationship?” Lis nodded. “There were women in school that expressed an interest in me, but I saw their real motivation.”

“What was that?”

“They knew I was a brilliant genetic scientist and they saw me as a means to be wealthy. They didn’t want me; they wanted what I would earn. Women that were already wealthy, didn’t even give me a second look. I think that the love of wealth pretty much removes any love a person might possess. I must confess that the two-couples we mimicked on the cruise really loved each other. I believe it was due to them not being wealthy.” They changed their appearances back to Sig and Lis. Sig said over his shoulder as he operated the duplicator, “I’m giving you a major’s rank and I’m going to be a lieutenant. We’ll still be married, and your name is going to be Karen Albritton. My name will be Talon Albritton.”

“That doesn’t sound like Ka.”

“You can pronounce it with a short A if you choose.”

“You know if they scan our IDs, they’ll immediately know we’re not who we claim to be.”

Sig shook his head, “They don’t have a master computer with all the names of their military, Lis.”

“Oh?”

“Earth is still behind the colonies in computer sciences. That’s why they make IDs that can’t be duplicated. If the ID passes a scan as being real, then the holder will be considered real. They honestly don’t believe their ID’s can be duplicated.”

“And you know this because…”

“Remember, I have a direct line into the guild’s computer. The guild has been attempting to duplicate an Earth ID for several years and have failed miserably. The Guild Master learned from his informer that all one needs to infiltrate Earth’s military is a valid ID. I suspect that Earth is not far from developing a computer to track all their forces, but they’re not there yet. These IDs will get us into the Orlando Military Complex, if we can come up with a valid reason to get in. This is our best opportunity to make that happen.”

Lis’s ID popped up in the machine and he handed it to her, as he waited for his to complete and Lis asked, “Sig?”

“Yes.”

“The reason you asked me to wait until the mission was over to decide about us being a team was because you thought I’d never be attracted to you. You wanted time for me to get to know you.”

Sig sighed, “It was wishful thinking, Lis. It’s not who I am or my appearance that prevents you from wanting to be with me…it’s what I am. I’m a killer.”

“So am I, Sig.”

“That doesn’t bother me. But I understand why you feel like that.”

“Tell me why you think so?”

“Because your dead husband was also a killer; I know he killed his daughters by those other women.”

Lis stared at him, as he turned to the duplicator and his ID popped out. He stared at it and sighed. He put it in his leg, put the printer away, and stood up. “We need to go out and purchase some clothing that will pass muster on Earth.”

“Sig, I’m sorry I can’t be what you want.”

Sig shook his head, “That’s just it, Lis. You’re exactly what I want. Let’s not discuss this again, ok?” Lis nodded and looked away. The desk communicator buzzed, and Sig walked over and picked it up, “Yes.” He paused and said, “Now is a good time. Come on up.” He turned to Lis, “Our assigned hostess wants to meet with us about our itinerary.” Lis nodded and saw Sig gather control of his emotions.

• • •

A few-minutes later, they heard a knock on the door and Sig forced a smile before opening it, “Are you Mr. Sig?”

“I am.”

“May we come in?”

“Please.”

Sig stepped aside, and Lis wondered if being a hostess required that they be gorgeous. This hostess was breathtaking and the woman with her was also incredible. Lis stood up and smiled, “I’m Lis.”

The hostess smiled, “It’s a pleasure to be serving you during your stay on Earth. I understand that you’ve requested a tour of the Tampa Bay area.” Lis and Sig both nodded. “I see you’ve also requested a tour of Kennedy Space Center and Disney World, is that correct?”

Before Sig could reply, Lis quickly answered, “Yes, but Major Montana has requested that we contact him, and he’ll set up a VIP tour of Kennedy and Disney World.”

The hostess’s eyebrows went up, and Lis handed her the card the Major had given her, “He asked us to contact him at the number on the card.”

The hostess examined the card, pulled out a communicator, and punched in the Major’s number. “Sir, I have two-tourists that tell me that you will arrange their visits to Kennedy and Disney.” She listened for a few minutes and said, “Lis and Sig, Sir.” She listened again and ended the contact. Lis saw she forced a smile before saying, “I will take you off the schedule and you will need to contact Major Montana for your tour of Kennedy and Disney World. When may I set up your tour of Tampa?”

Sig smiled, “I think we want to just rent a transporter and ride around the city a few days before we take a tour. We’d also like to spend a few days on the beach after we do that.”

The hostess flashed a dazzling smile at Sig and it would have most men falling to her feet, before saying, “What about a week from today at ten am?”

Sig returned her smile, “That would be good.”

The hostess looked at her assistant, “Contact them in six-days and make sure nothing has changed.”

The assistant nodded, then turned to them, “I’ll have a transport arranged to be delivered to you in the morning. The front desk will notify you when it arrives.”

Lis smiled, “That is outstanding service! Thank you so much for taking such good care of us.”

The hostess nodded and exited their room with her assistant. “Sig.”

“Yes.”

“That woman is going to try and catch you alone.” Sig’s brow furrowed. Lis continued, “It’s highly unusual for an officer in the military to intrude into a tourist’s schedule. She’s extremely curious about that and she’s going to try and see what’s going on. She’s also in the military.”

Sig nodded, “She called the Major, Sir. Did you read her?”

“I did. She’s hoping she can blind you with her beauty and get you to lower your defenses.”

Sig tilted his head and then straightened it, “That won’t happen.”

“Oh?”

“She’s nowhere near as beautiful as you are. I’ll look at her and compare her to you; she’ll come up lacking.” Sig said it matter-of-factly and went to unpack. He wasn’t saying it to score points; he was just saying what he thought. Lis stood up and helped him unpack.

• • •

The next day they drove around Tampa and were fascinated with the old buildings from before the holocaust. The towering sky scrapers were amazing and the small round building in the middle of them looked out of place. Lis looked at her tour guide and read, “This building was declared a historical site before the nuclear war. It’s a glimpse into ancient Tampa architecture. It was once considered a tall structure.”

“There’s nothing like it in the colonies,” Sig remarked.

“I wonder if the offices inside it are pie shaped.”

Sig shrugged, “I have no idea. Do you want to stop and see?”

“I’m not that curious about it,” Lis replied. “Most of the new buildings have been built around the old center of the city. According to this guide, the new city extends more than fifty-miles around the old city.”

“They’ve been busy over the last four-hundred-years. Where do you want to go now?”

Lis said subvocally, “Just drive around, Sig. We have to appear interested and I’m reasonably sure we are being tracked.”

“Do you sense anything?” he replied sub vocally.

“No, but I wouldn’t detect satellite coverage and there’s a good possibility that this transport has a tracker in it.”

Sig said out-loud, “Let’s drive around and see what’s here.”

Lis smiled, “That’s a wonderful suggestion.”

The hostess listened to their conversation and shook her head. These two had gaps in their conversation. She guessed it wasn’t really that abnormal, many couples she tracked didn’t even talk to each other very much. She turned the tracking duty over to her assistant and went to meet with another couple. She needed to get the man alone.

Chapter Eight

“Sir, I really think we should wait to bring Dr. Meier back.”

“Major Montana, we have every tourist that went on the cruise alone being tracked. If any of them go anywhere near to Orlando, we’ll be on them like green on grass. Dr. Meier is yelling about being delayed and I can’t give him a good reason to delay him any longer. He has access to the same reports we do and is extremely angry at our delay. Unless you can give me a solid reason to believe he’s in danger, I’m going to allow him to come back.”

Duncan shook his head, “I know the abilities of the guild assassins and something just doesn’t feel right, Sir.”

“I don’t want your feelings, Major. I want facts! You got that!”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Do you have any facts to support your…feelings,” the Colonel sneered.

“No, Sir.”

“Talk with me when you do. You’re dismissed.”

Duncan did an about face and marched out of the Colonel’s office. He left the building shaking his head; was he being paranoid? He sat down on a bench outside the huge building and forced himself to focus. After a few-minutes, he lowered his head, “Why did that woman shake her finger at him before disabling the spotter? What did she not want him to see? He blew out a harsh breath and said firmly out-loud, “FOCUS!”

He thought, what do we know for sure? Ummm…the woman and her husband were on the escape pod. Wait a moment…the only thing known for sure was the bag he tagged with a spotter was on the pod. There was no physical evidence that the couple was on it. He assumed they were on board, but the explosion wiped out any evidence that anyone was on board; any bodies would have been vaporized. If they weren’t on the pod, they certainly weren’t on the ship; the crew’s search turned up empty. He thought a moment more and said out-loud, “Assume they weren’t on the pod. Where could they be?” He focused on that thought. Could they have taken the place of another couple on board? But he saw most of the passengers on board when the couple was out of their cabin. Wait a minute! That couple he met just before leaving the ship weren’t seen. He lifted his communicator, “Captain, I’m wondering if you would look at your billing manifest and let me know how much a couple was charged on the voyage here?”

“Why do you want to know, Major?”

“I want to pay for it. I believe I insulted them and feel bad.”

“Who is the couple?”

“Lis and Sig, Sir.”

“Give me a moment.” Duncan waited, and, after a few minutes, the Captain came back on the frequency, “Their bill is three-thousand-fifty-eight-credits.”

“Isn’t that somewhat low?”

“Not really. If they chose to dine at the free-buffets, it’s in line. We’ve had many passengers that aren’t wealthy enough to use all of our facilities and that bill matches very well with them.”

“Thank you, Sir. Please send me the bill and I’ll handle it.”

Duncan closed his eyes and said forcefully, “FOCUS!!” If they were the assassins, then they’d make sure there was a financial trail during the cruise; they wouldn’t be stupid. He thought furiously and then remembered; the couple had come out of a cabin next door to the missing couple. She had to disable the spotter to prevent him from seeing them move their luggage into the next room.

Whoa, back up! Every piece of evidence says the couple was on board the escape pod. And how would it be possible for them to board as two-different-couples? If he presented this idea to his commander, he’d be put in a psych ward. But it fit and explained why the spotter was disabled. He was forced to admit that it was a stretch…but…he needed to see that couple again. Ummm…would the ship’s manifest show that they were never in the same place as the missing couple? He thought about it and thought, Nahhh. They probably had one of them from the missing couple purchase a meal and one from the other couple make a purchase at the same time and place. That’s what he’d do, and if his suspicions were right, there was no way to prove otherwise. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became. Now he knew he was acting paranoid but didn’t care; that was his job.

• • •

Sig and Lis drove to Clearwater Beach and spent the day out in the sun and swimming in the gulf. The white sand, the cool breeze blowing off the gulf, and a clear blue sky was perfect. Lis fed a cracker to a seagull and the locals yelled at her, as a hundred other seagulls came diving in. She apologized and sneaked another cracker to one seagull that stayed behind.

They stayed the entire day and felt something new, at home. While they were wading in the shoreline, one of the locals told them to check out Pass-a-Grill Beach. The next morning, they followed the computer’s instructions and found the beach at the end of the peninsula. It was incredibly beautiful, not crowded like Clearwater, and had a restaurant right next to the beach. Sig and Lis wore bathing suits that were modest, however, Lis was still quite beautiful. She received a lot of long looks from the locals and the modifications to her appearance didn’t detract from her near perfect shape and fine features.

The next day, Lis decided to go back to the beach and Sig backed out, “I need to get into the guild’s computer to see what’s going on. Will you be ok without me?”

“I won’t stay all day. Let me know when you’re done, and I’ll start back.” She kissed him on the cheek and left the room. Tal went into the guild’s computer and confirmed that the Guild Master knew about Zak and Jil’s deaths on the escape pod. The Guild Master contacted the new President and informed him his worries were over; the former president’s assassin had been killed.

Tal stretched and put on a bathing suit. He went down to the hotel’s pool and started swimming laps. An hour later, he called an end to it, dried off with a towel, went to the elevator, and went to his room. He stopped as he approached the door…the hostess was standing outside his room and she was wearing a blue jacket over a very small two-piece bathing suit. He shook his head, was Ka ever wrong? He walked up to her, and the hostess dazzled him with her best smile, “Mr. Sig, do you have a few minutes?”

“What’s going on?”

“I need to clarify your itinerary in order to set up your accommodations. It won’t take but a couple of minutes.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

The hostess opened her jacket and moved it to fan herself, “Could we do this inside? It’s hot out here!”

Sig nodded and opened his door. He held it open for her and she walked in, “If you don’t mind, I’m going to change out of this wet bathing suit.”

She smiled, “Go right ahead, Mr. Sig.”

Sig took a pair of shorts and a tank-top out of a drawer. He went into the bathroom and closed the door. He said subvocally, “Lis.”

“Yes, Sig.”

“That hostess has shown up at our room and has invited herself in. How should I handle this?”

“How do you think you should handle it?”

“Well, I’m not going to get cozy with her!”

“That would be a mistake, Sig.”

“Why!?”

“Well, that hostess knows how free couples are in the colonies and if you reject her, she will take it personally and try to make you pay for it. It could cause us to be watched a lot more closely and that wouldn’t be good.”

“But I don’t want to do this!”

“Grow a spine, Sig, and take one for the team.”

Sig was silent for a very long moment and then asked, “If you were in my position, would you do it?”

“Sig, I’d have no choice, and neither do you. Just make sure you stay in Sig’s memories and you’ll be fine.”

“Lis, I’ve never done this.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Just do what you can. I’m certain Sig has done it and you can use his memories to guide you.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Lis shook her head and wondered why she had pressured him to get cozy with the hostess. She finally realized she was trying to ease her guilt. Sig was such a dichotomy, a genius, and a young boy all rolled into one. She exhaled and gazed out over the gulf.

• • •

He stepped out of the bathroom still drying his hair with a towel. The hostess had taken off her jacket and was sitting on the end of the bed next to the chair near the desk. Sig looked at her and asked, “What is this about accommodations, Miss?”

“Call me Natalie. When you make your trip to Kennedy Space Center, are you planning to make more than one day out of it?”

Tal entered Sig’s memories and felt his body change. He was instantly attracted to her, “I’m not sure. Does it matter?”

“If you intend to make it more than one-day, you’ll want to stay there, wouldn’t you.”

Sig shrugged, “I guess so. It wouldn’t make sense to come back here.”

“And the same is true for your trip to Disney World. You’ll want to do the same if you stayed there several days. I can tell you that it will take at least three-days for you to visit every park.”

Natalie leaned forward and gave Sig a clear view of her bikini top. Sig stood up and walked away. He rubbed his hair with his hand and turned back to her, “I can’t answer these questions without discussing them with my wife. Can you come back later when she gets back?”

“How long will she be gone?”

“I don’t know. She’s at the beach.”

“Which one?”

“I believe it’s called Pass-a-Grill.”

Natalie put her electronic pad beside her on the bed, “It’ll take her two-hours to get back. She stood up, walked up to Sig, and put her arms around his neck. She leaned in and kissed him hard. He leaned back and asked, “What’s going on?”

Natalie smiled, “I’ve always wanted to kiss a colonist. Sort of a bucket list, if you know what I mean.”

Tal stayed in Sig’s memories and heard himself ask, “Is there anything else on your list?”

Natalie smiled, “As a matter of fact, there is.”

• • •

Ninety-minutes later, Natalie left. Sig blew out a deep breath and said, “She’s gone.”

“How did it go?”

“Don’t ask.”

Did you find out anything?” Lis inquired.

“She’s from Georgia and joined the military six-years ago. She hates her job along with her mother. She says she has been forced to keep track of us and really hates it. She says that she can stop doing that now that she knows me. She says she’s an Aquarius and wants to see me again before we leave. Her commanding officer is constantly harassing her and…”

“That’s enough!”

“Well, you asked!” he replied defensively.

“Sorry I did. But if she’s backing off tracking us, it was worth your spending time with her.”

“I didn’t.”

“What?”

“Sig did.”

Lis was silent and then remarked, “You’re right. You make a good point.”

“That’s what she said.”

Lis burst out laughing, “I’ll be there in a few-minutes; I’ve been driving around waiting for you to give the all clear.”

“I’m going to take a bath, I feel dirty.” Lis sighed and turned into the hotel’s entrance.

• • •

The next morning, Sig sat at the desk in front of his computer, “Lis.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve just pulled up our bill on what we’ve spent so far, and it appears that the Major has paid our bill from the ship.”

“OH CRAP!!” She sat straight up, “He’s on to us, Sig!”

“No, he’s not.”

“How can you say that? You know he’s cross checking our bill against Zak and Jill’s.”

“It won’t do him any good, Lis. You know how many times we made purchases by both couples in the same restaurants. If he knew for certain, we’d be arrested by now.”

“But you agree he’s suspicious?” She pressed.

“That’s clear. However, he paid for our bill personally. If it were an investigation, the military would have paid for it. He’s doing this without support from his leaders. You know how Earth treats all tourists gently and they wouldn’t risk making a mistake about something like this. He’s doing this on his own.”

“So, what do we do about this?”

“He’s going to want to meet us again. We might have to eliminate him.”

Lis sat down on the bed, “I don’t want to do that, Sig.”

“I can make it look like a heart attack.”

“Even so, I don’t want to do it! I’d rather call the whole thing off.”

“Why are you so reluctant?”

“He’s a good person, Sig. He’s only doing his job.”

“Would you hesitate to do this in the colonies?”

“No, Sig. But we’ve abused Earth for centuries and they didn’t deserve it. Neither does he.”

“Have you fallen for the Major, Lis?”

Lis looked up at him, “If one must fall for someone, he wouldn’t be a bad choice.” Lis saw Sig’s instant anger and it surprised her. He glared into her eyes with anger etched in his face for a long moment, then turned and walked out the door. Lis waited a moment and then followed him out.

She found him leaning on the railing just outside their door staring out at Tampa Bay. There was a full moon shining down on the water and Sig was silently staring out at it. Lis moved beside him and stared out over the water with him. Finally, he broke the silence, “Lis, if we go back to the colonies, we’re probably both going to die. I asked you before we came here where would you be safer, in the colonies or on Earth. I think you would be safer here. And you’re right about the Major, he’s a good man and I know he’d take care of you if you chose to stay.”

“Do you plan to stay, Tal?”

Tal shook his head slightly, “This is a strange place and I don’t fit.”

“If you don’t stay, neither will I.”

Tal turned to her, “Ka, I can see your days as an assassin are over. I think seeing yourself in your normal image has taken you back to the time before you joined the guild. You’ve lost the edge you need to remain in the guild.”

“What about you?”

Tal took a deep breath, “I don’t need any more credits. The Guild Master has learned that we died in the escape pod and won’t be searching for us. I’ll go back and blend in.” Ka stared at him and he finally said, “But not before I remove that scientist.”

“Why do you want to do that?”

“If I don’t, your daughter could be in danger if Earth attacked the colonies. I promised you I’d protect her.”

Ka’s eyes moistened, and she kept her eyes on the bay, as she said softly, “And that is what will get the Major killed, Tal. I don’t want to do it, but I can’t allow my daughter to be put in harm’s way. She’s the reason I joined the guild in the first place.”

Tal looked at her, “Make the call.”

“Where do we go first?”

“Disney, he’ll be waiting for us there.”

Ka took the card out of her luggage and dialed the number. She heard his voice and said, “Major Montana, this is Lis, the one you promised a VIP trip to Disney World. We’re planning to go to Orlando tomorrow and was wondering if you could set it up?” Lis listened and then replied, “We’re going to check in a hotel in the morning and then we’ll be able to meet you at the gate.” She paused, “Yes, eleven in the morning is fine.” Ka ended the call and turned to Tal, “Call your girlfriend and ask her to make arrangements for accommodations in Orlando in the morning.”

Tal looked sharply at her, “Do you think I would disrespect you if our roles were reversed?”

Ka closed her eyes and shook her head, “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that.”

Tal shrugged, “I’ll see what I can get her to give us in Orlando. You know how old flames want to make amends, don’t you?”

Ka said, “Ouch! But I deserved it.”

Tal nodded, “If we can’t play around with each other, then we don’t belong together.”

“Make sure you bring the clothes we purchased!” Tal nodded and made the call.

Chapter Nine

The next morning, the desk communicator buzzed, and Sig answered it, “Good morning.” He listened for a moment and then responded, “That sounds wonderful, thank you Natalie.” Sig turned around to Lis, “Natalie just informed me that the Major has booked us a room on Disney property and will meet us there.”

“You were right, the Major wants to see us again. How expensive is the room?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes, Sig, it does. We’re supposed to be operating on a tight budget. We might have to turn the Major’s accommodations down.”

Natalie says he managed to get us the Military rate and the room is only three-hundred credits a day.”

“What is it normally?”

“Two thousand.”

“My, my, the military is highly respected around here!” Lis paused and then asked, “We’re going to have to operate out of Sig and Lis’s memories, but we may have to interject ourselves if things get stressful.”

“It is what it is. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes. Let’s carry our bags down to the transport,” Lis suggested.

“We could call the front-desk to send someone.”

“No, Sig. This way we save the tip,” Lis snapped back.

Sig agreed and opened the door; a porter was standing there staring at him. Boy these people are organized! Sig thought as he stepped aside, and the porter took their bags to their transport. Sig tipped the porter, then activated the guidance program. “Where do you wish to go?” A female voice asked.

Sig thought furiously, “We going to Disney World in Orlando. We’re registered at one of the hotels on Disney property, but I don’t know the name.” Lis looked at him with her mouth twisted and he raised his hands, “I forgot to ask! Give me a break, there’s a lot going on!” he said defensively.

Lis rolled her eyes and the guidance program stated, “You have reservations at the Disney Floridian Hotel. Travel time is twenty-minutes.”

“What can you tell me about the hotel?” Lis inquired.

The program replied, “It’s considered one of the finest hotels in Florida. Please sit back and enjoy your trip.”

The transport pulled out of the hotel and quickly moved out on the Veteran’s Expressway. It left the expressway two miles later and took the ramp to I-275, quickly accelerating to 100-miles-per-hour until it moved out of Old Tampa. The highway grew to twenty-lanes when they moved on to I-4 and the transport accelerated to 250-miles-per-hour. “The ground transport system here is superior to the travel lanes in the colonies,” Lis observed.

“That’s true of surface travel, Lis. Most of the transports in the colonies fly to their destinations.”

“But they don’t fly this fast, Sig!”

“They’ll probably convert to air-transports eventually.”

Lis looked out the window and said in her throat, “Sig, think about how long it would take Earth’s military to move convoys to various sites.”

Sig heard her and flinched slightly at the realization. He asked the guidance program, “What’s the fastest speed on the highway we’re currently traveling on?”

“Speeds of fifteen-hundred miles per hour can be used in the outside four lanes. Those lanes are used by larger transports to move commercial cargos long distances and the gravity is controlled by underground units.”

Sig heard Lis say over his internal communicator, “Or large military vehicles and armored tracks. They could move an entire army from coast-to-coast on this continent in less than two-hours.” Sig nodded slightly and knew any invader would be hard pressed to do the same, even with air-transport. Lis added, “By traveling on the roads, they aren’t in danger of missiles knocking them out of the sky.”

“No, but they could be bombed, Lis.”

“Do you know any technology that would allow a vehicle moving at fifteen-hundred miles per hour to be accurately attacked from the air. And remember, the ship targeting them would not be immune to ground-to-air missiles that could be launched from their convoys.”

Sig’s brow furrowed, “I wonder if the Council knows about this?”

“How can they not, Sig? That’s why they would do everything possible to prevent Earth from getting a stardrive. Attacking Earth is the last thing they’d want to do.”

“I haven’t seen any military forces, Lis.”

“That doesn’t mean they’re not here!” Lis countered. “If their military arsenal is as advanced as these highways…” Lis’s statement trailed off.

“If they attacked the colonies and managed to land an army, the colonies would be devastated.” Sig completed her thought. After a few moments of silence, Sig said over the communicator, “The Guild Master was right about one thing.”

Lis turned to him, “What is that?”

“He said weapon development in the colonies has never been a high priority. The military is large enough to control the populations on the colonies, but that’s about all. The Council uses the Guild to do most of its dirty work.”

After a few minutes of silence, Lis said softly, “That is what would protect the colonies against an invasion.”

“What do you mean, Lis.”

“I think you and I have figured out that the number of assassins in the colonies is in the millions. Any army that attacked the colonies would be targeted by the guild and all the advanced weapons in the universe wouldn’t protect them from a determined assassin.”

“Possibly.”

“What do you mean, Sig! You know how dangerous the members of the guild are.”

“I do. However, most of the assassins I’ve met over the years are only out for themselves. They wouldn’t put themselves in danger to defend the colonies.”

Lis’s brow furrowed and she had to admit Sig was right. Development of a stardrive on Earth had to be stopped. She began to fear for her daughter’s future.

• • •

They arrived at the Floridian and the service was extraordinary. The porters had their luggage sent to their rooms instantly. They were given bracelets that would verbally guide them to their quarters and automatically billed any expenses. Sig looked at his watch and smiled, “Good! The Major isn’t due for another forty-five minutes. We missed breakfast, so let’s go get something to eat before we go.”

“Good idea, Sig. How do we get to the restaurant?”

Sig barely shrugged before hearing his bracelet announce, “I notice you mentioned restaurant. Do you require directions?”

Sig’s heard jerked around to Lis and saw she recognized they would have to be careful what they said. “Yes, I’d like to have breakfast,” Sir answered.

A line of flashing green lights appeared in the floor and they heard, “Follow the green lights to the restaurant.” They followed the lights to a waiter, who greeted them at the entrance, “Please follow me; I have your table ready.” They kept their faces neutral but knew that things had just gotten much more difficult. These bracelets had to go.

• • •

Duncan arrived, and the staff gave him a bracelet to find Lis and Sig. He followed the green lights and found them finishing their meal. He looked at Sig and noticed numerous plates in front of him. That’s a rather large meal, Mr. Sig.”

They both looked up and smiled, “Major, are we late?” Lis asked.

“No, I’m a little early. Do you need to go to the room before we go to the park?”

Lis nodded, “We bought some clothing, so we won’t stand out so much and I’d like to change.”

“I think that may be wasted effort; your hair and skin color will give you away,” Duncan chuckled.

“Even so, I don’t want to be called a clown.”

Duncan rolled his eyes, “Perhaps I should have kept my mouth closed about that. Please allow me to see your bracelets.” Sig and Lis held up their arms and Duncan touched his bracelet to theirs, “My bracelet can keep track of you, but your bracelets will not allow you to find me if we get separated; now you can.”

Lis smiled, “That’s a good idea. Give us a few minutes and we’ll meet you back here.”

“Take your time, we have all day.”

Lis nodded, as they stood up from the table, and followed their bracelet’s instructions to their room. Duncan took a seat at their table as the waiter asked, “Do you want anything, Major?”

“A cup of coffee will be good.” When waiter left, Duncan thought about the couple’s response to learning he could follow them wherever they went. They were surprised but not shocked. He was trained to read expressions and he’d know by the end of the day if his suspicions were real.

Sig and Lis arrived, and Duncan had to admit that their appearance was strikingly different. Without the flamboyant clothes, they really didn’t stand out that much. Many young adults on Earth colored their hair outrageous colors and painted their nails to match their hair. He wondered why they wanted to blend in. Was this a trial run to see if they could get to the Orlando Complex without being noticed? He smiled and stood up, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to Fantasy Land.”

“Major, how much is this going to cost us?” Lis asked.

“Why do you ask?”

“We’re on a budget and I’d appreciate your not taking us to see or do things that are expensive.”

“You don’t need to worry about that, Ms. Lis.”

“Oh, why not?”

“The guests of a member of the Military are not charged for anything inside the parks. Enjoy yourselves and don’t worry about how much things cost.”

Lis showed her surprise and then glanced at Sig. Sig tilted his head a bit toward the Major and tensely asked, “I checked our bill from the cruise ship and I noticed that you paid our bill. Why did you do that?”

Duncan was surprised they mentioned it. He decided to put them under some stress and see how they handled it, “I’m following an investigation and I believe that you aren’t what you appear to be.”

Sig and Lis’s heads both went back slightly at the same time. Li’s expression turned angry, “Are you saying that we’re under investigation?”

Duncan nodded, “I believe that you are two-assassins sent here to carry out a secret mission.”

Sig’s reaction was priceless. Lis grew angrier, but Sig smiled broadly. Duncan looked at Sig and asked, “Do you find this amusing?”

Lis looked at Sig and saw him smiling, “Did you hear what he said, Sig!?” she asked angrily.

“Yes, he thinks that you and I are assassins. Isn’t that a hoot?!” Duncan’s head jerked back this time, as Sig continued, “Imagine, Lis. He thinks you and I are assassins! That’s the best compliment I’ve ever been given. He thinks we’re dangerous!”

“Sig, are you crazy?”

“Lis, I’ve been called a nerd, a blitz, an idiot, and many things, but never anything like an assassin. This is great!”

Lis shook her head and turned back to Duncan, “My husband is being stupid. Will you please explain to him what you do with assassins when you capture them.”

Duncan looked at Sig, “It’s not pretty, Mr. Sig.”

“But that’s assuming we are really assassins.” Sig turned to Lis, “He’ll find out the truth and I hope he’ll give me a note saying we were suspected of being an assassin after this is over!” He looked at Duncan, “Will you?! My friends will be so jealous.”

Lis shook her head, “I don’t know that I want to spend a day with you watching our every move looking for some reason to arrest us, Major.”

Duncan wasn’t getting the response he hoped for. He looked at Lis and lifted one shoulder, “It’s like your husband just said, if you’re not assassins, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Major, if you had someone following you, watching your every move, could you relax and enjoy your day?”

“Probably not. But look at this as an exercise in studying Earth’s history. Treat it as a work trip.”

Lis’s expression showed her anger but Sig quickly said, “Lis, if you don’t want to go, I do. I’ve looked forward to seeing Disney most of my life. Don’t spoil it for me!”

“I’M NOT SPOILING IT, SIG! HE IS!”

Duncan chuckled, “Look, I’ll be your tour guide and I’ll make sure you learn more than you ever could as a regular tourist. Try to relax and enjoy the tour.”

Lis pursed her lips as Sig pleaded, “Come on, Lis! You know he’s acting crazy and will apologize after he sees he’s wrong!”

Lis rolled her eyes and glared at Duncan, “Lead on, Major. My little boy demands it.”

Duncan cocked his head and raised his hand. A Disney cart pulled up and they stepped on board. They drove under the monorail and saw the long lines waiting to board it, “This is the original monorail used by the park before the nuclear war. We’re going straight to the park entrance to save some time.”

“Can we ride it coming back?” Sig asked.

“It will take a lot of time to do that, Mr. Sig.”

“We have plenty of time, Major!” Duncan shrugged and agreed.

Duncan took them to the VIP entrance and they entered the park on foot. He began telling them the history of the park and, after an hour, Lis’s frown disappeared. Sig was all smiles the entire time. They stopped for candy apples and sat down on a bench to eat them. Sig’s face was red around his mouth, as he asked, “Major, what sort of secret mission are we supposed to be on?”

Sig took another bite of the apple as Duncan laughed at his red mouth. Lis’s frown returned when Duncan decided to tell them. “We have it on good authority that the Assassin’s Guild has issued a contract to kill a scientist here that’s supposedly working on a stardrive.”

Sig’s smile vanished, “I hope that doesn’t happen!”

Duncan turned to him, “Why is that Mr. Sig?”

“You mentioned that Earth doesn’t like the colonies. If you had a stardrive, you could attack them.”

“That’s not going to happen. Besides, we’ve also learned that the two-assassins were given a fake mission.”

Lis’s eyes opened wider appearing to now be interested, “Fake mission?”

Duncan looked at her, “Yes. It appears they were sent here in the hopes we would capture and kill them. The story about the scientist was a fabrication.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Duncan looked at Sig somewhat confused. “I mean that says you’re not working on a stardrive, right?” Duncan nodded.

Lis shook her head, “What did those assassins do that would make the guild want them dead?”

“I honestly don’t know, Ms. Lis.”

“Hey, what about that couple that died on an escape pod? Could they have been the assassins?” Sig asked.

Duncan looked at Sig again and saw him expectantly leaning forward to hear his answer. “It’s possible.”

“But you don’t believe it, do you? That’s why you’re here with us,” he pressed.

“Something like that.”

Sig looked around him with a smile from ear-to-ear, “Hey, we haven’t been on any of the rides! Let’s go try them out!”

Duncan saw Lis roll her eyes and he stood up, “Let’s go do exactly that, Mr. Sig.”

Duncan took them to four of the more entertaining rides and began to worry about Sig. He didn’t look good, but he insisted on riding repeatedly. It was the teacups that did him in. Duncan noticed that Sig was screaming to stop the ride and had the ride’s operator stop it. Sig staggered off the ride with Lis under his arm, rushed over to a trash can, where he pulled the top off, and threw it aside. He leaned over and vomited into it. Duncan winced at the sound of Sig’s gaging. It seemed to go on forever. Lis had her arm around his back and held him up until he finally stopped. Sig went to his knees and turned with his back against the trashcan. “I TOLD YOU NOT TO EAT SO MUCH AT BREAKFAST!!” She scolded.

Sig was shaking his head, “It was the candy apple, Lis.” Suddenly, Sig jumped up and leaned back over the trashcan. Duncan knew that many behaviors could be faked, and he was a master at recognizing them. But, there was no faking throwing up like Sig was doing. He saw Lis’s concern and love for him, as she held his hand and whispered to him trying to calm him down. He threw up one more time and a park hostess brought him a towel. He wiped his mouth and smeared the red candy apple sugar across his mouth. He laid back against the trashcan again, this time with his eyes closed.

Duncan realized he was being stupid. He now understood why they had stayed in their cabin during the cruise. He walked up to Lis and asked, “How long has he been like this?”

Lis glanced up at him, “About fifteen-minutes, Major.”

“No, I mean how long has he been like this?”

Lis rubbed Sig’s forehead and said softly, “Major, my husband is brilliant.”

“But?” Duncan asked.

Lis sighed, “He doesn’t do well socially.”

“That’s why you stayed in your cabin.”

Lis turned to Sig and nodded, “I didn’t want to see him barraged by cruel barbs and remarks from the other tourists. Sig wouldn’t have noticed or understood them…but I would.”

Duncan raised his communicator and a cart pulled up a few minutes later. “Let’s get him in the cart.”

Duncan helped Lis get Sig to his feet and walked him over to the cart. Sig immediately shouted, “I’m not ready to go!”

Duncan forced a smile, “Mr. Sig, you should go back to your room and clean up. After you’ve rested, I’ll assign a hostess to continue your tour.” Lis looked at him with her eyes little more than slits. “Your husband was right, Ms. Lis. I apologize for my intrusion into your vacation and I hope you’ll forgive me. I was wrong.”

Sig raised his head, “Will you write me a note!?”

Lis and Duncan burst out laughing and Duncan nodded, “Indeed I will, Mr. Sig.”

Lis lowered her eyes, “I’m sorry you wasted your funds on us, Major.”

Duncan shrugged, “Some lessons come at a heavy price. I’m glad I could afford this one.” The cart headed back to the Floridian and Duncan asked Lis, “How have you been treated since your arrival.”

“I’ve been surprised, Major.”

“Why?”

“You told us that most people on Earth hates the colonies. We’ve been treated very well, even by those that aren’t paid to do it.”

Ms. Lis, we don’t hate you, we just don’t like how we were treated when the traders from the colonies returned to Earth.”

“What’s the difference.”

Duncan raised a shoulder, “We feel like we deserved how you treated us and don’t really hold it against you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Earth abandoned the colonies before the nuclear war and left them to fend for themselves, without our help. Earth would never attack the colonies, Ms. Lis, they are part of humanity.”

Lis smiled, “Thank you for sharing that, Major. That explains a lot.”

Duncan smiled, “You have been booked for four-days. The hostess I assign you will take excellent care of you. Please enjoy your tour.”

Duncan got out of the cart and Sig shouted, “DON’T FORGET THE NOTE!!”

Duncan rolled his eyes and took a pad out of the cart’s dash. He wrote a note on it and handed it to Lis, “Take care of him.”

“I will, Major.”

• • •

Duncan handed his bracelet to the porter and went to his transport. He should have seen that Sig was socially inept during their first conversation, but he missed it. He exhaled a long breath and felt his doubts start to rise again. He snarled at himself, “Forget it! Enough is enough!”

Lis watched as he drove away. She helped Sig stand up and waved off a porter, “I can handle this.” They walked into the hotel and she said in her throat, “That was outstanding!!”

“I wasn’t faking.”

“What?”

“That damn teacup ride did me in.”

Lis started laughing and couldn’t stop herself all the way to their room.

Chapter Ten

That night, while they laid in bed, Lis said to Sig, “If we’re going to do this, it must be now.”

“I agree. How are we going to make it happen?”

“Step one is getting out of here without being tracked.” Lis replied.

“Ok, what comes next?”

Lis took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and furrowed her brow, as she tried to figure out their next move, “We need to get inside the military complex.”

“Do you even know where it is?”

“I do. There’s an area on the map of Orlando that is deemed off limits to civilian traffic.”

Sig thought a moment, then suggested, “I’m going to have to come up sick.”

“Why?”

“You’ll demand to see a doctor in Orlando and we’ll take a transport from here to their office.”

“What about the bracelets?”

“I’m pretty sure they won’t allow us to leave the property with our bracelets.” Sig paused for a moment, “If they do, we’ll lose them at the doctor’s office.” Sig rolled over and smiled, “I’ve come up with a plan for step one, step two is your baby.”

“Let me think about it.” After 15 minutes, Lis finally broke her silence, “What made you decide to act like that with the Major?”

“I took your advice.”

“What advice?”

“To be brutally honest, I saw that I had to cover my behavior by acting…special.”

“You did it perfectly, Sig.”

“My father was like that, Lis. I learned it from loving him.”

Lis fell back into deep thoughts and a few minutes later, Sig’s breathing showed he was sleeping. What an incredible man she was paired up with. She forced herself to calm down and soon fell asleep.

• • •

The next morning, Lis called the front desk, “My husband needs to see a Doctor.”

“What’s the problem, Ms. Lis?”

“He is extremely allergic to some food and I think he ate something yesterday that made him sick and cut short our tour. He needs to see a doctor that specializes in allergic diseases.”

“We have a doctor on premises,” the clerk tried to reassure her.

“Is he a specialist in allergic reactions?”

“No, he isn’t. I’ll call you back in a few minutes.”

“Please hurry,” she said urgently.

“I will.”

Four-minutes later, the communicator buzzed, and Lis picked it up instantly, “Please tell me you’ve found a doctor.”

“I have, Ms. Lis. We have a rental transport waiting for you at the front entrance and you won’t need an appointment to go to his clinic.”

“We’re on our way!”

Lis was under Sig’s shoulder holding him up as they walked to the front, he was wheezing loudly and looked awful. They got in the transport, when a porter apologized, “I’m sorry but you must leave your bracelets here. They’ll be waiting for you when you return.”

Lis took her bracelet off and took Sig’s off a moment later. She handed them to the porter and he said, “The guidance program has been set for the doctor’s clinic.”

“Thank you!” Lis got in the vehicle and it pulled away from the Floridian’s entrance.

“So, what do we do now?” Sig communicated as he straightened up and stopped wheezing.

“We go to the Doctor’s office.” Lis raised her right hand and moved it around inside the transport. “There’s a transponder in the engine.”

“That’s some right hand you have!”

“I’ll share it with you when we get back to the colonies.”

“So, how do you block it?”

“We’ll arrive at the doctor’s office and I’ll shut it down after we turn off the engine. If we make it out of the complex, we’ll go back to the clinic and I’ll restart it.”

“How do we get into the complex?”

“I’m still working on that,” Lis replied.

“We aren’t wearing military uniforms, Lis.”

“Let’s worry about that when we arrive at the complex.” Sig shrugged at her answer and worried about living beyond the day.

They arrived at the clinic and Lis pulled the transport into the back-parking lot. She immediately turned it off, raising her right hand toward the transport’s engine bay. “The transponder is disabled. We need to change our appearance.”

Sig changed into Tal a moment before Lis became Ka. “Do you have a stretch suit under those clothes, Karen?”

“I do. Let’s go see if we can get in.” Karen drove the car out of the parking lot and turned toward the huge military complex just outside Orlando.

“What are we going to do?”

“Try to fake it, Talon.” Tal shook his head and prayed she knew what she was doing. They arrived at the front gate and Karen said over the communicator, “Just follow my lead.” Tal swallowed and felt his mouth dry up.

They drove up to the barricaded gate, where a Sargent came out of the small hut next to the gate and looked in the transport at them, “Show me your IDs.” Ka and Tal handed him their IDs and the Sargent looked at them before turning his back to them. He took a device off a hook at the door to the hut and scanned the IDs before handing them back, “Why aren’t you in uniform, Major?”

“Sargent, my husband and I are on vacation at Disney and I was called in to assist on an electronic problem.”

The Sargent stared at her for a very long moment and then pressed a button on a communication device next to the door. “Sir, I have a Major Albritton at the front gate that says she was ordered here to assist with an electronic issue.”

“They told us that they couldn’t help us.” The speaker was loud enough for everyone to hear what was said.

The Sargent looked at Karen and she smiled as she explained, “My commander requested me to come and see if there was anything I could do. He said he doubted I could but asked that I try.”

“Send her to the main lab,” they heard over the speaker.

“Yes, Sir.” The Sargent took a device out of a box and handed it to Karen, “This GPS will lead you to the lab. Have a nice day.”

Karen took the device and drove through the gate after the barricades lowered into the pavement. Tal asked, “How did you know there was a problem?”

“In a facility this large, there is always electronic problems. If there weren’t any, we would have been told the issue was handled and we weren’t needed.” She turned to Tal, “While we’re inside a building, do not use our communicators.”

“Why not?”

“They use energy, Tal, and even though it’s small, I know those buildings are scanned down to a micron.” Tal nodded and watched as they drove through the giant complex. Everywhere he looked he saw armed military guards that watched them closely as they passed. He knew the device Ka was holding was the only thing that kept them from being fired on.

• • •

They finally arrived in front of a giant building in the center of the complex; the guards walked forward and opened their doors. They stepped out and the guards immediately scanned them for weapons. A General came walking down the front steps and they both went to attention, “At ease. Why aren’t you in uniform?”

“Sir, we are on vacation at Disney World and my commander asked me to come and see if I could help you.”

“Thank you for coming, Major. Follow me.” He turned, and Ka nodded to Tal. They followed the General into a long corridor and Tal saw that every place they stepped, the floor would illuminate under their feet. Their invisibility wouldn’t have gotten them into the building. They passed through three-electronic gates and the General used his ID to open each of them. They finally arrived in a giant room, where Tal saw the walls were covered with monitors. At that moment, none of them were operational. The General led them to the front of the room and said to a man in a white coverall, “George, this is the Major sent to help us.”

“Sir, I doubt she’s going to be able to do anything.”

“Give her a chance and do what she asks.”

“Yes, General.” George replied and turned to Karen, “We’re not getting power through this unit. We’ve checked it six-ways from zero but can’t determine what’s causing the problem.”

Karen looked at the ten-foot long plastic covered unit on the table and asked, “Why don’t you just replace the unit.”

George snorted, “This is the only one of its kind in existence. Don’t you think we would have done that if we could?!”

“The only dumb question is the one you don’t ask,” Karen replied.

Tal looked around and saw most of the men in the room had stopped what they were doing and were staring intently at Karen. He knew what they were thinking, how could someone like him end up with someone as beautiful as her. It was a very good question, but he really didn’t have her.

“What happens when you turn on the power?”

George rolled his eyes, “Nothing.” Karen nodded and reached for a plastic screwdriver, “What are you doing?!” George asked firmly.

Karen looked at him, “Obviously, there’s something wrong inside it.”

But this is not a clean space!” George said harshly.

“GEORGE, IT’S CLEAN ENOUGH! IT DOESN’T WORK SO OPENING IT UP WON’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE. STOP BEING A HINDERANCE TO THE MAJOR!!”

Karen and Talon jerked their heads to the right and saw a young man sitting in a raised chair. He was remarkable. His eyes seemed to look through you and he had a sense of presence that couldn’t be missed. George bowed his head and said, “Yes, Dr. Meier.”

Karen and Talon showed no reaction but had no doubt this was the scientist developing a stardrive; he was the target.

Karen removed the twenty-plastic screws from the box enclosing the unit, then snapped it apart from the lower case, and set it aside. She stared into the unit and moved to the far end. She looked at George, “When I tell you, turn the unit on and then quickly off.” George nodded. Karen stared into the end of the unit and raised her hand, “Now!” George flipped the switch and immediately pulled it back. Karen moved two-feet and stared into the unit again, “Now!” George operated the switch and Karen moved another two-feet. The process continued until Karen was four-feet from the end of the unit. “Now!” George threw the switch and Karen didn’t move. She stared intently into the unit and then looked up, “I believe you have a bad voltage regulator.”

“I checked that regulator before it was installed!”

The young man yelled, “GEORGE!”

“But I did, Dr. Meier.”

Karen looked at him, “Do you a have another regulator on the premises?”

George glared at her and heard, “DO WE HAVE ANOTHER REGULATOR, GEORGE, AND IF YOU INTEND TO CONTINUE WORKING HERE YOU WILL STOP BEING AN ASS AND PLAY NICE WITH THE MAJOR!!”

George flinched, “I’ll need to go and get it.” He turned and walked toward a side door. Karen took the top of the unit and put it back in place.

The young man stood up and walked over to Karen and Talon, “What have you determined?’

“Sir…”

“Call me Doctor or Mr. Meier. I’m not in the military.”

Karen tilted her head toward the unit, “Doctor, the power going into the unit goes no further than the area of the voltage regulator. All the power flows through it and that must be the problem, in my considered opinion.”

“How were you able to make that determination?” he inquired.

“I looked closely at the ceramic diodes and none of them were changing color. They weren’t receiving power. However, the ones located in front of the voltage regulator were changing color.”

The Doctor looked Karen over and smiled, “I don’t see very many officers out of uniform.”

“My husband and I were on a vacation at Disney when I was called in to see if I could be of assistance.”

The Doctor looked at Talon, “I imagine that made your day.”

“She’s working all the time, Doctor.” Talon replied angrily.

“Well, let’s see if we can get you back to your vacation.”

George came back into the room carrying a plastic packet and handed it to Karen. “Do you have a wire connector?” she asked as she put the packet down.

George went to a wall cabinet, came back with a tool, and handed it to Karen. She lifted the top off the unit and set it aside. She looked at George as she held her hands up and asked with raised eyebrows, “Gloves?” He reached in to his top desk drawer and pulled out a set of insulated gloves. Karen put them on, opened the packet, and took out the new voltage regulator. She placed it on top of the plastic packet and leaned into the unit. She gripped the voltage regulator and used the wire connector to cut the three connections. She placed the old regulator aside and picked up the new one. She held it over the computer board and used the wire connector to spice it in. Tal was astounded at how steady Ka’s hands were in performing the process. They were in an extremely stressful situation and his hands would have been shaking like maracas. Once the connections were made, Ka lifted her hands and put the cover back over the unit. She looked at George and smiled, “Give it a try.” George flipped the switch and every monitor in the room came on. Ka looked around the room, as the scientists and soldiers began clapping. She smiled, and George said, “I’m sorry, Major. I was wrong about you.”

Karen put her hand on his shoulder, “Don’t worry about it, George. You were looking after your baby.”

Dr. Meier’s smile was large as he raised an eyebrow and said, “I must say I am impressed, Major.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” She walked over to Tal and put her hand on his arm as he put it in his pocket. He flinched slightly, and Karen said, “We need to get back to our vacation before my husband stops speaking to me.”

“How long are you on vacation, Major?”

“Ten-days.”

Dr. Meier smiled, “Enjoy it. And thanks for your assistance.”

The General glanced at an officer to his right and ordered, “Colonel, please escort them to their transport.”

“Yes, Sir. Please follow me.”

Karen turned to leave and kept her hand on Tal’s arm. She only released it when they went through the first gate.

Dr. Meier looked at the General, “We can use her here.”

“I’ll look into transferring her, Doctor.”

“Wait until their vacation is over. We don’t need to interrupt it again.” The General smiled and nodded.

• • •

When they arrived at the front of the building they saluted the Colonel. He returned their salute and nodded, “Thank you.” He turned to one of the guards, “Take one of your tracks and escort them to the front-gate.” The Colonel looked at them, “Getting around here is not easy. Enjoy your vacation.”

The guard fired up an armored track and said, “Follow me please.” Lis turned on the transport and followed him. Sig was past anger and he started to speak but Karen shook her head. They heard a loud noise overhead and they saw a giant warship moving over the complex. Tal was shocked; the colony’s warships would be useless against the ship he saw moving above them. He remained silent and they finally arrived at the front-gate. Karen handed the Sargent the device and pulled out of the base. She drove slowly up the long though fare and continued to shake her head every time Tal tried to talk. They arrived at the Doctor’s clinic and Karen again pulled into the back-parking lot. She held up her hand, “I’ve reactivated the transponder; change back to Sig.”

Tal made the change and glared at Lis; his anger was obvious, “I could have taken him out, Lis! Why did you stop me!?”

“Sig, I have been seriously considering your offer to team up with you. However, you are causing me to doubt if doing that would be in my best interests.” She turned away and he saw she was angry, very angry. She turned back to him and said sternly between clinched teeth, “I’m giving you 24-hours to tell me why I stopped you. If you can’t figure it out, you and I are over when we get back to the colonies.”

Sig stared into her eyes and his anger vanished, “You’re serious?”

“As a blown voltage regulator!” Sig stared at her and she repeated, “Twenty-four hours!” They drove back to the Floridian and she left him in the room alone.

• • •

Sig laid down on the bed and moved out of Sig’s memories and entered his own. He had missed something very important and didn’t have a clue as to what it was. He knew that she was fine until he reached for the dart tube in his pocket. All right, focus on that. Something she saw in the lab caused her to do that. What could it be? He closed his eyes and focused on everything that happened up to the instant she grabbed his arm. His memory was outstanding, and he replayed everything again. He still came up empty. Ok, if he couldn’t figure it out from what he saw, he’d have to reason it out. They went in to take out Doctor Meier. That changed while they were in the lab. Why did they need to take out Dr. Meier? He represented a clear danger to the colonies and her daughter. If that were still the case, she should have allowed him to fire the dart. Tal opened his eyes. He remembered Major Montana’s last words and then saw the giant Earth Warship moving in to land at the complex. He missed something and still didn’t know how, but he knew what it was. He’d find out if he was right when Lis showed back up.

She didn’t show up until the next morning. It was a very long night.

Chapter Eleven

Sig was still on the bed when Lis came in the room. “I need to change clothes.” She said softly.

“I know what I missed.”

Lis was startled by the comment and stopped in her tracks, “Sig, you have another seven-hours. You should use all the time to be sure. If you’re wrong, I won’t give you another chance.”

“That’s because you think seeing what I missed is so simple. You don’t think I’m smart enough to be a good teammate.” Lis stared at him in silence. “Let’s say I put you in a room with a lineup of ten-people and asked you to determine which one was an assassin. All you could do was examine them visually; do you think you could come up with the right answer?”

“What are you getting at?”

“Answer the question. Could you do it?” He pressed her to answer.

“Probably not, could you?”

“In an instant; that’s where my talent lies. It would be simple for me, but you’d be lost in making the determination. What if I then told you to take 24-hours to decide which one was the assassin and said to you exactly what you said to me. How would you feel about that?”

Lis was silent as she contemplated how to respond. Then she decided to be blunt, “Tal, there’s a lot more evidence you missed than what was in that lab.”

“Where does your talent lie, Ka?” She was silent, and he continued “You see things about technology I know nothing about. Do you not see that?”

“There’s more than technology here, Tal.”

“Ok, I’ll agree with you. But answer one question honestly.”

“What is that?” she asked.

“When did all the pieces fall into place for you? Was it before you went into that lab?” Ka stared at him and then lowered her eyes. “Yet you expect me to see all the pieces without having the benefit of what you saw. I suspect the pieces were obvious and you probably wanted to kick yourself for not seeing them before we risked going in there…am I right?” Ka sighed, then nodded, and looked away, as Tal continued, “Earth already has a stardrive and it’s in all of their warships. Killing Dr. Meier wouldn’t have accomplished anything.”

Ka looked into his eyes, “How did you figure that out?’

“You wouldn’t have stopped me from killing him if he still represented a danger to your daughter.”

“Go on.”

“There is no way you could put a stardrive in that warship we saw without tearing it apart. You saw a working stardrive in the lab, didn’t you?”

Ka took a deep breath, “No, I saw it on one of the monitors when they came on.”

“Which one?”

Ka’s eye brows went up, “The third-row, fourth one from the left.”

Tal focused and saw the object on the monitor in his mind, “Is that what a stardrive looks like?!”

Ka rolled her eyes, “Actually, it’s one that was built at the time the colonies were discovered. It’s ancient but it was glowing showing it was operational.”

Tal glared at her, as his mouth became a tight line, and his eyes narrowed. He stood up and walked out of the room, “Consider us over!!” He said angrily over his shoulder as he slammed the door behind him.

Ka sat down on the bed and realized she had been completely unfair to Tal. He figured out what happened without the benefit of understanding what was on the monitors. She had adopted a holier than thou attitude and used it to lord it over him. She made a mistake and there wasn’t going to be a recovery from this one. She thought about him leaving her and felt something that frightened her. She stood up and rushed out of the room. Where was he? She panicked, rushed down to the lobby, and asked the front desk clerk, “Have you seen my husband?”

“No, but all you need to do is roll your bracelet around your wrist and it will get brighter as you get close to his bracelet.”

Ka lifted her arm to her chest and she moved the bracelet around her wrist. “Not like that. Didn’t you read your information packet?” Ka shook her head and the clerk turned the bracelet inside out. It immediately started glowing. She walked away from the desk and the bracelet grew dimmer. She headed toward the front entrance and it grew brighter. It took three-hours for her to find him; he was sitting on a bench beside the teacup ride.

She walked up behind him and asked, “Thinking about taking it on again.”

Tal’s head was down, and he released a heavy sigh, “No. There are somethings that can’t be tamed. You have to know your limitations.”

Lis walked around and sat down beside him on the bench, “You know you and I will have to stay together until we get home.”

“I know.”

Ka exhaled slowly and lowered her head, “You’re right; I was not being fair.”

“I know that as well. I know it better than you do.”

“Can you forgive me?” she asked in a soft voice.

Tal shook his head slightly, “Ka, you’ve constantly tested me to prove how much smarter you are than me and I’ve endured it. I’ve done my best on this mission and I don’t have anything else to offer. You need to just consider our relationship, if one ever existed, over and done. I’m sure there’s a normal man out there that will meet your expectations. I’m going into Sig’s memories and stay there until we get back to the colonies.” Tal stood up and walked away. Ka did something she hadn’t done in decades, she wept.

Ka finally left the park and went to the room. Sig was already in bed and she undressed, put on a gown, and crawled in beside him. He put his arms around her and she could feel the difference; Tal wasn’t present. He was locked up just a few inches away and she couldn’t get to him. She moved away, and Sig asked, “Is something wrong?”

“No, Sig, I just need some space.”

“Ok.”

Ka thought about all the things they had been through and felt her tears start again. She remembered vividly when Tal convinced her to assume her normal form. His look of admiration was something she would never forget. She never really considered herself beautiful; Tal was right about the genetic modifications hiding her true appearance. He had it right about how beautiful she is. Every man in the lab was leering at her and even Dr. Meier was coming on to her. She shook her head and suddenly sat up straight in bed, “HOLY CRAP!!” She reached over and grabbed Sig, “TAL, GET OUT OF THERE! WE’RE IN TROUBLE!!” Tal suddenly appeared on Sig’s face and he looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Did you notice that Dr. Meier was coming on to me in the lab?”

“Every man in the lab was coming on to you, except George!”

“Tal, I solved an issue none of his staff could handle. What do you think he’s going to do about that?”

Tal’s eyes flew wide open, “He’s going try to move you to his staff!”

“And what’s going to happen when he can’t find me?”

“We’re going to have to leave Disney!” he exclaimed.

“Tomorrow is our last day.”

Tal thought for a moment, “We can’t leave early, that would cause flags to be raised. We’ll check out the day after tomorrow and get back to Tampa. You told him we were here for ten-days. Why did you tell him that?”

“Because that’s when the Morning Star is scheduled to return to the colonies. I wasn’t thinking! I’m so stupid! I wasn’t thinking! They’ll have to make that connection.”

“Calm down, Ka. They will be looking for us in our normal forms we used to enter the lab. They are going to have extreme difficulty finding us as Sig and Lis.”

Lis was frantic, “I’m so sorry! I was too tight and didn’t think.”

“They haven’t started looking for us yet.”

“How do you know that?”

“We’ve not seen any security officers show up looking for us. I suspect we’re going to be allowed to have a week or so to enjoy our vacation before they attempt to contact us.”

“Tal, they’ll try to reach my commander before they try to contact us. And when they find no commander exists with me in their units…”

“That is when the flen hits the fan,” Tal finished her thought. “Still, we have some time before that happens. We can’t check out until our scheduled departure.”

“They’re going to check every hotel to find where we’ve checked in.”

“Relax, Ka. They don’t know if we even checked in a hotel or live in a house in Orlando. We have a few days before things start happening.”

“Tal!”

“Yes.”

“Don’t leave me!”

Tal sighed, “I’ll keep my promise and make sure you’re safe.”

Ka rolled over and wrapped her arms around him. Tal hesitated, then pulled her closer. This time he knew it was Ka in his arms. After a few minutes she said softly, “You’re right.”

“About what?”

“Do you remember when we first met in the Guild Master’s office.”

“I do.”

“I was arrogant and self-assured about my life. I was the best assassin in the Guild and was proud of it. I only felt disdain for you and everyone else around me. I feared no threat and knew I could take out anyone that tried to kill me.” She paused for a moment, and then continued, “But you showed me how many people died each year at the hands of the guild. I started wondering about what I’ve become and how I was perpetuating an evil on the colonies. Then you made me look at my real image and I remembered my life before the guild. Now, I’m a mess and I feel fear all the time.”

“You have to come to terms with it, Ka. You were rock steady in that lab…a lot more composed than I was. You have all you need inside you and that hasn’t gone away. The evil you talk about is not what you think.”

“Tal, millions die every year because of the guild. I’m a part of that!”

“But if they didn’t, Ka, the colonies would implode with the overpopulation that would result. The colonies would degrade into famine and ultimately, civil war to take possession of the essential things needed to survive. Many more would die if the guild didn’t exist.”

“But…”

Tal interrupted her, “Extending life expectancy to more than 300 years is what led to this. It was a mistake and the Council came up with the only tool possible to keep population under control. The guild is an unavoidable evil. Without it, the Council would have to execute huge numbers to keep the colonies viable.”

“But Zak, Jill, Sig, and Lis were good people and they were killed without hesitation to forward the Council’s agenda.”

“They were killed because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Council will use any citizen to insure the survival of the colonies. Zak and Jil died because they were the perfect choice to get us on the cruise ship in a body that would be easily recognized. They really died because of something I did; you can easily blame me for their deaths. If I hadn’t assassinated the President of the Council, none of this would have happened. You were sucked up into this because the Guild Master fears you.” Ka was silent, and, after a moment, Tal added, “Do you know why there is so little crime in the colonies and the number of police officers is pretty much non-existent?”

“I’ve never really thought about it,” Ka replied softly.

“Murder is against the law but never prosecuted. Murder investigations never determine who did the killing. It promotes citizens killing each other. Crimes are left up to the victims to get revenge on the criminal. Police will often give the victims the names of the most likely suspect but tell them there’s not enough evidence to prosecute. It’s that policy that leads to many of the contracts the guild receives each year. The system is out of control, but do you want to know the scary part?”

“I don’t know if I do, Tal.”

“You need to hear it; it will change how you feel about yourself. At the current population growth rate, the colonies will collapse in less than four-hundred years. A lot more people need to die than are currently being killed.”

“Does the Council know this!!”

“Ka, if I could run the numbers on this, I’m certain they could as well. With the extended life-expectancy, more and more of the colony’s wealth is going to fall into fewer and fewer hands. Ultimately, society will collapse when much of the citizen’s income falls below poverty level. The last census already had a huge number of colonists falling into that category. That trend is going to accelerate.”

“Is there anything we can do to stop it?”

“You’ve been doing what needs to be done to slow it down.”

“I don’t understand.”

“When a very wealthy person dies, the state takes eighty-percent of their income and spreads it out to the lower income citizens by building new businesses and starting building programs that gives them high-paying jobs. You killing your wealthy husband was a step in the right direction. By being Number One in the guild, you’ve killed the most difficult targets and their income was collected by society. Whether we like it or not, the guild’s assassins are the only thing slowing down the certain fall of the colonies into civil war.”

Ka thought about what he said and then asked, “Do you think Earth knows about this?”

“If you had to guess, what would you say?”

“They know,” Ka said with a heavy sigh. “They also know that Earth is no longer heavily populated and that if the colonies fell, there would be a mad rush to take control of Earth by the wealthy families in the colonies. They built their warships, not to attack the colonies, but to defend themselves from them.”

“Now you’re thinking clearly again.”

“When did you determine this, Tal?”

“The moment I figured out they already had a stardrive. You were right to stop me from killing that scientist; it could have precipitated a war if we had killed him.”

“We may have precipitated a war any way.”

Tal’s arms tightened up around her and she felt his surprise at her comment, “Why is that?”

“Because once they discover that Karen and Talon can’t be found, they’ll figure out that we were agents sent from the colonies.”

“Why would that start a war, Ka?”

“We used Earth IDs to get in the Orlando complex. They’ll know we can duplicate them.”

“OH CRAP! YOU’RE RIGHT!”

“Maybe it will be a good thing, Tal. A war would greatly reduce the colonies’ populations.”

“It could also lead to mutual destruction. That’s not something anyone can risk happening.”

“Why do you say that. It’s already been proven that a nuclear war won’t kill everyone.”

“Ka, the colonies have viruses that can wipe out every human on a planet. Once those genies get out of the bottle, mankind is doomed. There’s no way the viruses could be kept on one planet.”

“What do we do?”

Tal was silent and then sighed heavily, “We can’t do anything tonight. We need to get some sleep; we’re going to need it.”

“Why?”

“Because tomorrow is our last day here and we’ve not seen three of the parks. If our Major friend gets wind of this, and you know he’ll be checking up on us. He’ll find it highly suspicious that the Orlando Complex was compromised while we were here.”

“Will he find out about it before we leave?”

“I don’t know; I hope not. But we’re going to stay in character until we board the cruise ship.”

Ka agreed and snuggled in tighter to Tal. He pulled her close and closed his eyes.

• • •

They had a remarkable last day at Disney World and the Major didn’t show up looking for them. They arrived back at the Floridian late in the afternoon and spent a peaceful night. The next morning, after breakfast, they found their luggage in the transport they used to come from Tampa. Tal tipped the porter and they drove off feeling very stressed out; they expected to be stopped by a military vehicle, but nothing happened. They arrived in Tampa and Ka looked at Tal, “You need to have another session with your hostess.”

“I know.”

“You’re not objecting this time.”

“I’ve got her down, Ka. If anything is going on, I’ll know from reading her. If something is really happening, she’ll refuse to meet me again. I need to at least see.”

“I agree. I’ll leave to go shopping tomorrow and you can contact her.”

“Ka.”

“Yes.”

“I really don’t want to do this.”

“Why not; she’s gorgeous.” Lis teased.

“Two-reasons; number-one, I’ll be using her and number two, I have no attraction to her.”

“If you’re saying that to spare my feelings…”

“I’m not,” Tal interrupted. “I know that you like me, but you’ve made it clear from the beginning that you don’t have feelings for me. Nothing has happened to change that, and I respect your wishes. I must do this to keep you safe. I made a promise and I will do what’s necessary to keep it.” They pulled up in the hotel’s entrance and the ever-present porters rushed out and took their bags.

Chapter Twelve

Sig picked up the desk communicator and pressed the hostess button. A different voice answered, and he felt a wave of apprehension go through him, “Is Natalie there.”

“Hold on.”

“Sig, you’re back.” Natalie answered excitedly.

“Yes, I am. My wife has gone shopping in St. Petersburg and I was wondering if you had time to go over our itinerary for the time we have remaining.”

He heard the smile in her voice, “Certainly! I’ll clear my schedule and be right up!” Sig hung up and could tell she didn’t know anything…yet.

• • •

“Sir.”

“Yes, Colonel.”

“I’ve been checking on the major that came to the lab and I’m having difficulty locating her commanding officer.”

The General’s eyes tightened slightly, “Where have you checked?”

“All of the local commands that handle electronic issues.”

“Check again.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Go to each of them personally if necessary and take a photo of her with you.”

“What do you think is going on, Sir?”

“They don’t want to give her up. If she’s as good as we suspect she is, her commander will not want to lose her.”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll let you know when I find her unit.”

• • •

“Lis, you can come back now.”

“On my way. Anything going on?”

“Not yet.”

“Good. We still have eight-days until the ship lifts.”

“We can board in seven-days. That’s how long we must hold out, Lis.”

“I’ll discuss it with you when I arrive.”

Sig was thankful for the communication device Ka had given him. Without it, they would have probably run into trouble on numerous occasions. Her mastery of electronics was amazing. He wished he had the device in her right-hand. Well, that would have to wait until they returned to the colonies…if they returned to the colonies. The security forces on Earth were no slouches. He’d know they were in trouble if the Major showed up before they boarded the Morning Star.

• • •

They sat on the beach at Pass-A-Grille and watched the bright yellow and orange colored sun setting the day before they were scheduled to board. Lis took a deep breath as she put her hand on Sig’s arm, “I’ve grown to love it here.”

“There’s nothing like the world humanity evolved on, Lis. This feels so…I don’t know…”

“Like home,” Lis suggested.

Sig smiled, “Exactly. Nothing in the colonies can compare to this. I didn’t feel comfortable here until now.” They were silent for a long while, until Lis stood up, walked down to the water, and let the waves wash over her feet. He joined her and put his arm over her shoulder as the sun made its rapid escape from the evening sky. The stars made their first appearance and they remained silent for a long time.

• • •

The next morning, they went to the lobby and the porters took their bags to the bus. He looked at Lis, “I’m going to say goodbye to Natalie.” Lis nodded, and he went to the hostess desk, “Is Natalie around.”

“I’m sorry, she’s been called in by her commanding officer.”

“Tell her that Sig came by to tell her what an excellent job she’s done.”

The hostess smiled, “I’ll be sure to do that.”

Sig walked away and boarded the bus. He smiled and said silently, “Something’s up. Natalie was called in by her commanding officer.” Sig felt Lis tighten up and they expected the bus to be stopped before they arrived at the ship. But they weren’t stopped. They stood in line at boarding ramp and both kept their senses focused on their surroundings. They boarded the ship and went to their former cabin. Lis unpacked and said, “What should we do?”

“Call the Major.”

“WHAT? Are you crazy?”

“Call the Major and thank him for all he did to make our trip wonderful.”

“But…”

Sig interrupted, “He can’t touch us here without causing an interplanetary incident. This ship is Colony territory and Earth has no authority here. We need to know if he’s on to us. We should also arm ourselves in the event I’m wrong about them boarding the ship. We’ll have to use our invisibility to escape, if they do.”

Lis stared at him, took out the major’s card, and dialed the number; she heard him immediately answer, “Major Montana, I wanted to call you and thank you for all you did for us. Our time on Earth was incredible!”

“Where are you, Ms. Lis.”

“I’m on board the ship.”

“I thought you weren’t scheduled to leave until tomorrow.”

“We lift tomorrow, but boarding started today to avoid the rush tomorrow. Why do you ask?” The call abruptly ended, and Lis turned to Sig, “He hung up. I suspect he’s on the way here now.”

Sig raised his shoulders, “Why don’t we go to the main cafeteria and keep an eye on the boarding ramp? If the ship is boarded, we’ll have to hide.”

“This shouldn’t take long,” Ka replied. Sig shrugged again.

• • •

The Cruise Director saw a military transport come roaring in and land in the parking lot next to the giant cruise ship. He immediately contacted the Captain, and, in an instant, he came down the boarding ramp as troops spilled out of the transport and rushed toward the boarding ramp. The Captain lifted his communicator and the boarding ramp was pulled up and into the ship. An army Colonel rushed up and said, “Captain, you will lower the boarding ramp now!”

The Captain pressed his communicator and a face appeared on the small display, “Sir, my ship has been rushed by Earth Military Forces and they are demanding to board my ship.”

The Colonels eyes narrowed, as he heard, “We’ll be dispatching our fleet momentarily, Captain.”

The Captain turned to the Colonel, “This is Colony territory and if you don’t remove your troops immediately, we will attack Earth with our fleet.”

“We believe there are two-spies on board your ship that have stolen top-secret information from one of our installations.”

“I don’t give a flying flash what you believe, Colonel! You should have captured them before they arrived in Colony territory!”

The Captain stood there, and the Colonel saw he was not intimidated in the least. Matter of fact, he appeared to want the troops to rush his ship. The Colonel walked away and lifted his communicator. After a few minutes passed, he walked back up and looked at the Captain and said, “I don’t want this to get out of hand, Captain. However, we cannot allow these spies to escape.”

“Colonel, they already have! Unless you want to cause a war between Earth and the Colonies, I will not allow any of your forces on board to try and steal stardrive technology! We’ll go to war to prevent that.”

The Colonel showed his surprise at the Captain’s statement and he lifted his communicator again. He spoke quietly and turned to the Captain, “We have no intention of stealing your technology, Captain. We’re simply looking for the spies.”

The Captain smiled, “Colonel, I was against sending our cruise ships to Earth because I feared you’d one-day attempt to steal our technology. The agreement your government made with my company and the Colonies’ Government was that no military personnel would be allowed on board unless they were un armed and preapproved by the company. Your government also agreed to the stipulation that any tourist that violated one of your laws would be punished by the colonies. The Captain looked at his communicator, “Are you getting this?”

“I am. The Fleet is gathering as we speak.”

The Colonel glared at him and said, “Excuse me.” He walked away and looked at the man on his communicator, “Mr. Chancellor, I believe the Captain is telling the truth. If we force entry on his ship, it will precipitate a war.”

The Chancellor looked away from the Colonel’s display and said, “General, it appears we have lost the integrity of our ID system. Are you ready to fight a war with the colonies to protect it?” The Chancellor appeared to be listening and he turned back to the Colonel, “Remove your troops and apologize to the Captain. Make sure he understands that we don’t want to jeopardize our good relationship with the colonies.”

“Yes, Sir.” The Colonel looked at a Major and said, “Pack it up. Everyone move-out and board the transport.” He turned to the Captain, “Sir, the Chancellor apologizes for the display of force. He doesn’t want to jeopardize the good relationship we’ve established with the colonies and possibly stop the cruises that come here.”

“Thank you, Colonel.” The Captain looked at the troops rushing back to the transport, “Why did you bring so many soldiers, Colonel if you weren’t here to steal stardrive technology?”

“We have it on good authority that the two-spies are highly ranked guild assassins, Captain. I’m honestly not sure I brought enough.”

The Captain nodded slightly and lifted his communicator, “Call the Fleet off. They’ve apologized for their actions and are withdrawing.”

“Captain, we are keeping the fleet in formation until you depart.”

“Sir, the Chancellor has personally apologized and I believe this situation is over. He says he doesn’t want to jeopardize the good relations or the cruises that come to Earth.”

“You say the Chancellor offered his apology?”

“Yes, Sir, he did.”

“I’ll order the fleet back to their home ports. Tell them ‘no harm, no foul’.” The Colonel heard the conversation, turned, and joined the others at the transport.

• • •

Lis looked at Sig, “I imagine there were some tight sphincters while that was going on.” Sig nodded. “Do you think they’ll allow us to leave?”

“If they were going to stop us, they would have done it now.” Lis raised her shoulders in agreement, and Sig sighed, “I imagine we’ll see the Major now.”

“That should prove interesting.” Sig nodded as he watched the transport lift, fly away, and the boarding ramp extend out of the ship.

• • •

The Captain was furious. Two-high-ranking guild assassins were on board his ship and he had no idea who they were. He almost wished he had allowed the Colonel to come on board and arrest them. But that was out of the question. The guild was protected by the council and they would execute him if he allowed any Earth forces on board. He shook his head and boarded the ship.

• • •

“How did you know they wouldn’t be allowed on board, Sig?”

“Because the Captain and his commander are completely unaware of the power of Earth’s warships, Lis. The Council knows it and the Guild Master knows, but I suspect the commander of the fleet doesn’t know it. He thinks he could handle Earth’s military easily.”

“Earth knows they couldn’t?”

“I know.”

“What are you thinking?”

“They should have boarded anyway, Lis. They could have handled the colonies fleet easily, but they chose to not push it. Something else is going on.”

“Do you have any idea what it is, Sig?”

“No. Do you?” Lis shook her head and watched the passengers that ran away when the troops arrived start moving back to the boarding ramp.

The next morning, they sat in the cafeteria and watched the boarding ramp. About mid-morning, Lis said, “Here comes the Major and he has company.”

Sig looked at the boarding ramp and saw the Major and a woman walking up the ramp, “Oh crap!”

Lis nodded, “It appears Natalie has been brought in to this.”

Sig watched the Major introduce Natalie to the Cruise Director and she dazzled him with a smile. The Director nodded, and they entered the ship. “Why do you think she’s here with him?”

“He wants to show us we aren’t as good as we think we are.”

“Why would he want to do that?”

“He’s really ticked off that we fooled him.”

“So, you think he’s on to us?” Sig nodded with raised eyebrows. “What gave us away?”

“Socially inept Sig wasn’t so socially inept with Natalie.”

Lis rolled her eyes and exhaled sharply, “This should really prove interesting.”

“Let’s wait for him to find us, shall we?’

“By all means,” Lis responded.

They remained in the cafeteria until the ship lifted later that afternoon. That evening, the Major walked into the cafeteria with Natalie. He sat down at their table and Lis asked, “What took you so long?”

Duncan looked at her with a neutral expression, “I’m training Natalie to replace me and I had to go through the motions of doing that during the day.”

“It was an exciting day yesterday, Major.” Lis commented. “You should have been here.”

“I was. I was flying the transport.”

Sig looked at Natalie, “Sorry about this.”

Duncan jerked his head to Sig as Natalie’s face showed her anger, “You caused me to be reprimanded and demoted.”

“That’s because your leaders don’t appreciate your contribution. I’m sure the Major can straighten that out later.” Sig turned to Duncan, “Right?”

“What are you saying, Mr. Sig?!”

“Would you be here if she hadn’t told you about us.” Duncan glared at him. “Would you?” Sig repeated.

“Probably not.”

“Then she should be rewarded instead of punished.”

“She should have made you!” Duncan said through clinched teeth.

Lis snorted, “Why? You didn’t! What makes her better than you? Does she have more training than you?”

Duncan looked at Natalie and was forced to admit, “I guess there’s a lot of anger over the two of you and she caught the blunt end of the stick.”

Lis smiled, “Well, I hope when emotions cool down you will correct this injustice.”

“Why are you no longer pretending?” Duncan asked with sarcasm in his voice.

“Pretending what, Major? I’m Lis and he’s Sig. I doubt you can prove anything different than that.”

“You’re thumbing your nose at us. There will be a price paid for that.”

Sig shook his head, “Not on board this ship, Major. Both of you were scanned to within an inch of your lives when you came on board. You don’t have any weapons, and do you honestly think you can take either of us on and survive the effort?”

Natalie suddenly looked very nervous. Duncan noticed it too and turned to them, “Why are you discussing this openly? You could remove us and any problems we could cause you would be over?”

Sig tilted his head and raised his shoulders, “My wife happens to like you.”

Duncan looked at Lis and she smiled, “So does Sig. You were only doing your job and you didn’t make it easy on us.”

“It was that fake sick routine at Disney that threw me off.”

“Major, that was not an act. The teacups worked me over and did me in.”

Duncan looked at him, “Seriously?”

“That ride came straight out of hell! You should take that ride and destroy it!”

Duncan stared at him and started chuckling. After a moment he managed to say, “I guess you can say the teacups did me in as well. It stopped me from suspecting you.”

Sig glanced at Lis and said, “Why don’t we take this to a more private location?”

Natalie nervously asked, “Where you can kill us?!”

Sig turned to her, “Natalie, you are safer with me than you could ever know. You, like the Major, are a good person and I will not allow you to come to any harm if I can prevent it.”

Natalie stared at him, then lowering her eyes, she said, “It’s my understanding that assassins are cold-blooded killers.”

Sig smiled, “You can take the assassin out of a person, but you can’t take the person out of the assassin. Major, you’re pretty good at reading people; do you sense we wish to harm you?” Duncan stared at him and Sig added, “If we wanted to kill you, we could have done it in such a way that your death would never be traced back to us. Lis insisted that you didn’t deserve it and insisted we leave you alone. Nothing has changed that decision.”

“Where do you want to do this?”

“Your cabin or ours.” Sig asked.

“Let’s go to my cabin,” Duncan answered.

Lis looked at him, “You should realize that if any electronic devices are active in your cabin, I will disable them.”

Duncan stared at her and then smiled, “Then it looks like your cabin is where we’ll do this.”

Sig stood up, “You can follow us.”

“Why don’t you go ahead, and we’ll meet you there in a few minutes?” Duncan suggested.

“I suggest you might want to delay speaking to your superiors until after we talk,” Sig replied with a smirk.

“Why would I do that?”

“You might find things difficult if you report in that you’ve found us.”

“Why would that be an issue?”

Sig reached into his pocket and handed Duncan an Earth Military ID card. Duncan’s eyes widened, as Lis handed him her card. “If you want to know how we did that, I’d recommend you delay reporting in.”

Duncan looked at the pictures on the IDs and saw they looked nothing like Lis and Sig. He glanced at Natalie and turned back to Sig, “Does she need to be there?”

“She deserves to be there, Major. But if she can’t be trusted, you should come alone.”

Duncan looked back at Natalie and she quickly said, “Sir, I need to know.”

“Can you be trusted, Lieutenant?”

“Yes, Sir.” She looked at Sig, “I’ll only report what you authorize.”

Sig looked at Duncan, “She means it, Major.”

Natalie’s eyes flew wide open and Duncan turned to her, “We should go with them now.” Natalie stood up with him and they all left the cafeteria.

Lis said over her internal communicator, “What are you doing?”

“Are you out of the guild?” Sig asked.

“Are you?”

“I’ll let you decide for me. However, are you out?”

“Tal, you’re being ridiculous!”

“It’s a simple question. If I can get you back in the guild with your Number One ranking intact, would you still leave?”

“I’m weary of the killing, Tal.”

“That’s not an answer, Ka.”

She pressed the elevator button and continued to evade the question, “I’ll let you decide that for me.”

Duncan interrupted from behind them in the elevator, “I can see the two of you are communicating; how are you doing it?”

Sig turned around, “Hold that question.”

The elevator doors opened, and Sig led the way out. Lis was right behind him and Duncan pointed out, “You don’t appear to know what he’s doing.”

Lis turned to him, “I don’t.”

Sig opened the door to the cabin with a smile, “If you want to know, step inside.”

Duncan looked at Lis and she shrugged. She turned and entered the cabin. “Is this a good idea, Sir?” Natalie asked.

Duncan looked at Sig’s smile and turned to her, “You can back out now and I’ll do it alone.” Natalie looked at Sig and felt her anger well up again at being deceived. She stepped forward and entered the cabin. Duncan entered right behind her.

Sig followed them in and closed the door. He looked at Lis, “What does your hand tell you?”

Lis’s eyes narrowed and she raised her hand and moved it around the cabin. She pursed her lips and looked at Duncan, before going to the desk, bed, and bathroom. “That’s all of them.”

Duncan shook his head, “That’s amazing. You can’t blame me for trying.”

Lis rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed beside Sig, “What are you doing, Sig?”

“If war broke out between the colonies and Earth, who would you want to win?”

“Say what?”

“Come on, Lis. You’re avoiding answering any of the tough questions. Who would you want to win?”

Lis maintained eye contact with Sig and responded, “I wouldn’t want either side to lose.”

Sig smiled, “Good answer.”

“Major, same question.”

“Call me Duncan. I’d want Earth to win.”

“Why is her answer different from yours, Duncan?”

Duncan looked at Lis and then turned to Sig, “I have no idea.”

“We’ve spent most of the last month on Earth and got to know the people. We’ve discovered that the people on Earth are friendly, even to colonists, and were willing to help us whenever they could. We grew to like being on Earth and fell in love with the planet where our species began. We wouldn’t want Earth to be harmed if it could be avoided. Now, of the two of you, who could be trusted to be honest, Duncan? You or Lis?” Duncan looked Lis over but remained silent. Sig looked at Lis, “Who holds the military advantage?”

“I’d have to say the colonies, Sig.” Duncan snorted at her response.

Sig turned back to him, “Duncan, we know that your warships have stardrives and they’re far more powerful than any ship in the colonies’ fleet.” Duncan’s face showed his shock. “Lis is aware of that information; why would she say the colonies hold an advantage?” Duncan opened his mouth and Sig raised his hand stopping him from speaking. “The reason we are here, is to have a come to the pearly gates meeting.”

“What is that?” Natalie asked.

“It has been suggested that when we die, we will meet our maker at the pearly gates, where he will ask us what kind of life we lived. If you happen to lie, then eternal damnation awaits you.” Sig looked around the cabin and turned back to Duncan, as he explained, “Here’s how it works. You will ask a question and we will answer it truthfully. Then we’ll ask you a question and you will answer it honestly. The moment someone asks a question and the other side refuses to answer it, or tells a lie, then this meeting is over.” Duncan stared at Sig and saw him lower his eyes and looked at him through his eyebrows, “In case you didn’t know it, Lis is the Number One ranked assassin in the guild; she will know if you don’t tell the truth.”

Lis snorted, “What he’s not telling you is he is ranked number-two and he will see it as well.”

“How will we know if you’re lying?”

“Duncan, Duncan, don’t you trust your ability to determine that?” Duncan stared at Sig’s smile, as he said, “You get the first question.”

Duncan didn’t like this. He thought it over and warned, “You know anything I learn, I’ll be sharing with my commander?”

“That goes without saying, Duncan; however, we will not be sharing your answers with anyone.”

“Do you expect me to honestly believe that?”

“I honestly don’t care if you do. Ask your first question, Major.”

“Why were you sent to Earth?”

Lis saw Sig’s nod and replied, “We were sent to assassinate a scientist that was believed to be developing a stardrive.”

Sig quickly added, “We were unaware you already had the technology.” Sig leaned forward, “My turn. Why do you say that Earth won’t attack the colonies?”

“The colonies don’t represent a threat to Earth,” Duncan answered. Duncan leaned forward, “Why do you say that the colonies have the advantage militarily over Earth?”

Lis looked at Sig again as he nodded. She turned to Duncan, “The colonies have developed some rather nasty viruses that are capable of wiping all human life from a planet.”

Duncan’s eyes flew wide open and he saw Sig nodding “It’s true, Duncan and they have some stealth vessels to deliver them.” Sig asked, “What was Dr. Meier working on in that lab?”

Lis snorted loudly, “That’s a wasted question, Sig.”

“Why do you say that?”

“They’re working on a force field that will operate inside a phase field.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Sig…I was being stupid.”

“Yes, you were and now we’ve wasted a question.”

Duncan listened to them and asked, “How do you know that?”

Sig laughed, “That’s your next question. Tell him, Lis.”

Lis looked at Sig, “Maybe we should call this off.”

“Lis, trust me on this. You need to tell him!”

Lis turned to Duncan and said, “We were in the lab and I saw the small force field model being tested on the other side of the room.”

Natalie and Duncan stared at Lis in silence. Sig quickly added, “My partner here is the colonies’ best electrical engineer.”

“I don’t know about that, Sig.”

“Of course, you are! Look at the communicators you developed and your magic right hand!” Sig glanced at Duncan, “I gave you that information free.”

Lis was troubled, and she looked at Duncan, “Why would you be working on a force field? You can already defeat the colonies’ fleet without it.”

Duncan stared at them and Sig could tell he was about to call it off. Before Duncan could respond, Sig quickly said, “Let me help you with this one, Duncan.” Duncan jerked his head around to Sig. “You said you don’t see the colonies as a threat. If you don’t see the colonies as a threat, then there’s something else that is threatening Earth. That threat is why the troops didn’t force their way on our ship to arrest us and why you’re hiding you have a stardrive. You will not allow your stardrive to be revealed under any circumstances.”

Lis’s eyes narrowed and Duncan shook his head, “You did tell me he was brilliant, Lis.”

Lis’s face showed her shock, “Is he right?!”

Duncan nodded, “Yes, he is. And that threat will attack the colonies before it attacks Earth.”

Sig forced his expression to neutral as he responded, “The aliens will take out the most dangerous adversary first and Earth doesn’t have a stardrive.” Duncan nodded slowly in agreement.

Chapter Thirteen

Lis turned to Sig, “ALIENS?! YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS?!”

“Did you know about the force field and said nothing?” Sig countered. Lis sputtered, and Sig said, “Excuse us for a moment.”

Duncan nodded and sat back, “Go ahead.”

Sig turned to Lis, “Do you remember all the displays on the wall in the lab? Lis nodded. “There was one display on the opposite wall from the others. On it was a blue colored ship in orbit above a planet.” Lis focused and then nodded. “When we made it back to Tampa, I did a search in my computer and asked it to find that planet.”

“What did you find out?”

“Lis, it’s Neptune. That ship is out in the far reaches of the Earth’s solar system orbiting Neptune. It isn’t a colony ship and Earth refuses to use their stardrive. I don’t know how they found it, but they discovered it and it has them worried.”

“Whose ship is it, Sig.”

“You should probably ask Duncan, but I believe that would be a wasted question. I don’t think they know.” Lis stared at him and Sig continued, “I think I can safely say, it’s not a human ship.”

Duncan spoke up, “It’s not. And it, or other ships like it, have been orbiting Neptune for more than forty-years.”

Lis’s expression turned neutral as she focused on the information she saw in the lab. “It’s some kind of scout,” she announced.

“I’ll save you a question and tell you that we only discovered it by accident. Earth launched thousands of probes to explore the planets long before the nuclear war. Our scientists accidently found a signal coming from Pluto and traced it to a probe that was launched centuries earlier. We received its electronic transmissions and managed to make contact and start it taking images of Pluto. Later, a scientist came up with the idea to see if it could view Neptune; it was close by at the time. We discovered that ship in orbit above it. We’ve witnessed that ship being replaced numerous times by other ships over the years.”

“Duncan, Neptune would have left Pluto far behind in its orbit.”

“We caused the probe fire its engines, which remarkably still worked, to leave Pluto and speed up to stay in view of Neptune,” Duncan replied.

Lis was shocked obviously struggling to process the information. Sig watched her and turned to Duncan, “You have one more question you want to ask.”

Duncan nodded and stared at Sig, “I don’t expect you to answer it.”

“Duncan, do you trust us?”

“I don’t think I can. Do you trust me?”

Sig looked at Lis, “Do you trust him?”

“Sig, the first-thing we’re taught is to trust no one!”

“Do you trust me?” Sig asked. Lis stared at him and then nodded. “You did not trust me initially, remember?” Lis sighed and nodded again. “You’ve had enough contact with Duncan to know if he’s trustworthy. Do…you…trust…him?”

Lis looked at Duncan, blew out a hard breath, turned to Sig and said, “I do.”

Sig smiled, “So, do I.” Sig turned to Duncan, “Ask your question.”

Duncan stared at them and asked, “You said you were in the lab. The photo images of the two in the lab look nothing close to your appearance. They were shorter, and their features aren’t remotely similar to yours. How did you pull that off?”

“Sig, you can’t answer!”

Sig turned and put his hands on Lis’s shoulders and brought his face close to hers, “Lis. Earth is working to develop defenses against that alien ship. You understand that, right?” Lis met his gaze and nodded. “What do you think would happen if the Colonies learned about that ship?”

Lis continued to stare into his eyes and replied, “They would send the fleet to investigate.”

“Which would cause the aliens to act and we know nothing about them,” Sig replied. “We are going to have to depend on Earth coming up with a way to take them on. Can’t you see that?” Lis lowered her head and nodded. “The only way to make sure that Earth isn’t stopped or delayed in developing those defenses, is to make sure the colonies don’t prevent them from working on it. They’re defending your daughter, Lis. What do you think now?” Lis raised her head and stared into Sig’s. She turned to Duncan and changed to her normal form. Sig smiled and did the same.

Duncan was shocked silent. Natalie’s eyes were wide open, but she managed to ask, “What did you do!?”

Sig chuckled at Duncan’s shock, “You have no idea of what a guild assassin can do.”

“I thought that the couple that died on the escape pod were the assassins,” Natalie exclaimed. Lis and Sig changed to Zak and Jil’s form. Duncan’s eyes widened, and Sig said, “I know you were told that another assassin was on board the ship to make sure Zak and Jil died. It was actually a couple and we removed them before they boarded the ship and took their identities.”

Duncan forced himself to think and finally managed to ask, “Are you saying you can be anyone?”

“We can copy anyone’s memories into our minds and mimic their appearance.” Lis suddenly changed her appearance to match Natalie. Natalie screamed, and Ka went back to Jil’s image.

Duncan put his hand on Natalie’s shoulder, “Calm down. If they wanted to harm us, they would have already done it.” He turned to Sig, “Why are you showing this to me?”

“Because you can trust no one that goes to Earth on a colony ship. If you weren’t prewarned about our coming, you would have never uncovered us. We made it into the most protected facility on the planet and could have wiped out everyone working there. You are going to have to track every tourist and not allow them out of your sight.”

“There are at least six-thousand tourists on every ship!!” Duncan responded.

“How many are in your armed forces. If you want to continue developing weapons, you’re going to have to do it! If the Council learns how far you’ve developed your weapons, they will take action to remove anyone working on them.”

“But…”

“Duncan, focus,” Sig interrupted, “I have a dart I can fire into you, or Dr. Meier when we were close to him, that you won’t feel and will cause a massive heart attack twelve-hours later. The assassins have tools like that and no one is safe from them. You will have to keep close tabs on every tourist or stop the cruises from coming to Earth all together; there’s no other way. Even then, I suspect a diplomat going to Earth to attend a conference could eliminate one of your diplomats and take their place. They can take the place of an officer working in the Orlando Complex and find out everything they need to know to initiate a war between the colonies and Earth. I suspect that is what that ship out there is waiting to happen.”

“How did you get the IDs?”

“I made them Duncan and I’m the only one in the colonies that can do it. Your ID structure is safe, for the moment.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Duncan, the guild is working hard to try and find a way to duplicate them. They haven’t managed to do it and it could be a while before they pull it off.”

Lis smiled, “I told you my husband was brilliant.”

“Is he being honest about this, Lis.”

Lis looked at Sig and said to Duncan, “He can be trusted, Duncan. Probably more than me.”

“How did you know we were warned about you.”

Sig shrugged, as Lis said, “You might as well show it all.”

“But no one else can do it.”

“It’s the only way to show him we’re telling the truth.”

“Show me what?” Duncan asked.

Sig turned to him, “I was in your cabin when your commander contacted you and told you the information he had received from your insider.”

Duncan’s head lowered, “You were not in my cabin!”

Suddenly, Lis and Sig disappeared. Duncan fell back in the chair, “WHAT THE HELL!!”, as he heard, “You can’t always believe what you see.”

Natalie grabbed Duncan’s arm, as Lis and Sig reappeared. “You don’t need to worry about anyone else being able to be invisible; we’re the only ones that can do it.”

“Why have you shown me all this?!” Duncan asked forcefully.

Sig glanced at Duncan before turning to Lis, “We are coming back to Earth to help you against agents sent by the colonies.” He lowered his eyes at Lis and asked, “Right?”

Lis stared into his eyes and nodded, “I want my daughter to come with me.” She turned to Duncan, “Will that pose a problem?”

“Why don’t you just stay now?” Duncan suggested. “We can arrange having your daughter to travel on the next cruise.”

Sig jumped in, “Two reasons. First, I’m going to go back and destroy the viruses that have been developed by the colonies. Second, we need to transfer our bank accounts to Earth. We want to pay our own way.”

Duncan stared at Sig and started nodding as he thought about all he had just learned, “I trust you. How long do you want me to keep this information secret?”

“Until we arrive back on Earth.”

“I don’t know if that will work.”

“Why not?” Ka asked.

“If it were just your coming back, I could do it. But if you want to transfer your wealth, I’ll need our government’s assistance.”

“Couldn’t we just transfer it to a bank on Earth?” Lis suggested.

“No, Lis. That would cause too many questions. But if you place a rather large order from a business on Earth, it would not be noticed. The government could make that happen.”

“Better make it several businesses.” Sig suggested.

“Oh? How much will you be transferring?”

Sig looked at Lis, “A couple of billion credits?”

“Better make it four or five-billion,” Lis countered.

Duncan was stunned and then chuckled, “Being an assassin must pay well.”

Lis replied softly, “You have no idea!”

“You know if the Guild learns you didn’t die…”

“We’ll have to make sure they don’t, Duncan!” Sig interrupted. “The fact they DO think we died is what will allow us to pull this off.” Sig paused before asking, “When will you need to inform your superiors about us to make the transfers?”

“I can wait until the ship gets back to the colonies.”

Sig looked at Lis’s reaction and turned back to Duncan, “You better do it before then.”

“Why?”

“The first thing we’re going to do is transfer our accounts. Once that’s done, I’m going to remove the viruses.”

“How long will that take?”

Sig’s expression showed his concern, “At least a week.”

“This ship is going to be cleaned before it goes out again. It’s my understanding that it will depart ten-days after landing. Why don’t you book the cruise first and then go about your other plans? I’ll contact my Commander and set up the accounts on Earth you’ll need to use to transfer your accounts into.”

Lis thought about it and turned to Tal, “We’ll need to use our natural forms to do this. And you will have to book a room to yourself.”

Sig’s eyebrows came down and he gave her a side look, “Why is that?”

“Sig, my daughter will be traveling with me.” Sig stared at her with a neutral expression for a moment and then nodded.

Duncan turned to Natalie, “Can you keep this secret?”

“I will. I’ll resign from the military if you think I should.”

“You should!” Sig interrupted. Duncan and Natalie turned to him, “You know you hate the military, Natalie. I’m giving you five-million-credits and you can go and do all the things you’ve wanted.”

“I will not be bought!” she was obviously offended.

“Take the credits, Natalie!” Duncan insisted, “He’s not paying you for anything. He’s trying to spare you the harsh treatment you’ll receive from the officers who will blame you for not stopping them from escaping. Or don’t you trust him?”

Natalie turned to Sig and said with her hands on her hips, “I didn’t spend time with you expecting anything to come out of it.”

“That’s why I’m doing it. Now please do like the Major says.”

“You can’t resign until after you’re debriefed when we arrive back on Earth,” Duncan stated. “Once you weather that storm, you can resign.”

Natalie looked at Sig, “Thank you, I’ll do it.”

Sig stood up, “Is there anything else?”

“I don’t believe so,” Duncan answered.

“Then we should stay away from each other for the duration of the trip back,” Lis stated. Everyone turned to her. “The Captain was told two-assassins were on his ship and we don’t need him thinking it’s us, if you spend a lot of time around us it will look suspicious.”

Duncan nodded, “Good idea.” Sig opened the door and Duncan and Natalie exited into the corridor.

The moment they were out of the cabin, Sig turned to Lis, “You know Duncan knew you weren’t telling the truth?”

“Yes, but he saw Natalie was planning to get with you again. He respected my wishes on that.”

“Why would you want to prevent that?”

“I hate having to stay out of our room for hours at a time.” Tal nodded. Ka probably knew he recognized she wasn’t being honest, but he didn’t call her on it. “Sig, what are we going to do about the Guild Master wanting to meet with Sig and Lis; he believes they’re still alive.”

“You’re going to handle that issue.”

“And just how am I going to do that?”

“I can’t speak to the Guild Master because I didn’t transfer the assassin’s memories when I downloaded Sig’s mind. However, you did. After we depart the ship, you should contact the Guild Master and tell him that your partner has come to an untimely end.”

“Why would I do that?”

Sig continued, “You’re going to tell him that you had an argument with him about who would get the Number One ranking and he lost the argument. Suggest to the Guild Master that it’s one less witness to what happened.”

“Go on,” she replied. This plan had her interest.

“Now this is important. Tell him that you will take the former Number One’s rank but don’t want every petty assassin coming after you because they don’t fear you. Tell him most of any potential problems can be eliminated if he’ll allow you to mimic the former Number One and just take her place. All you need is for the Guild Master to send you an image of her that you can copy.”

“He said he wanted me removed; I’ve been in the position too long.”

“Ka, that’s not the real reason; he’s afraid of you. He won’t be afraid of this woman. Matter of fact, he’ll plan to send Lis on a contract where she’ll probably end up dead. He’s not dumb and will see this as a perfect solution.”

“Why don’t you do the same and take the man’s place.”

“Because the Guild Master agreed to make Sig the new Number One and you know he would never agree to giving that up. This way, he’ll jump on the idea and consider himself lucky.”

“Why?”

“Because he’ll keep half of the contract for himself.”

“I see you’ve thought this through.”

“I have and it’s the only way for us to get back without having a thousand-assassins out to kill us.”

“You know our partnership ends when we arrive at the colony?” Lis reminded him.

“Are you sure that’s what you want, Ka?”

“I am. I work alone.”

Sig stared at her and then lowered his head, “Ok, I’ll need you to do something before we arrive.”

“What is that?”

“Give Duncan one of the communication devices you gave me?”

“WHY?” she protested.

“Because he is going to have to set up the accounts on Earth to receive our wealth. Are you willing to go back and forth between the ship and your banks to make that happen? Besides, Earth will greatly appreciate that technology and welcome you with open arms.”

“Ok.”

“And one more thing.” Ka tilted her head, “You promised me the technology you use in your magic right-hand.”

Ka glared at him, then stood up, and went to her luggage. She pulled out a small pouch and took out a small glove. She handed it to him, “Put it on. It’ll stretch to fit your hand.”

“You had this the whole time we were here?”

“Tal, the technology wouldn’t work with two-people using it, they would interfere with each other. Now put it on and keep it on for an hour.”

Tal put the glove on his left-hand and Ka’s eyes narrowed, “I’m left handed.”

“I haven’t noticed that?”

Tal shrugged, “I’m almost ambidextrous.”

Ka picked up the desk communicator, punched in a number, and said, “I need you to come back for a moment.” She put the communicator down, “He’ll be right here.”

“Do you want me to leave, Ka.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. Besides, you have to keep the glove on.” Sig went into the bathroom and closed the door. He had failed to convince Ka to join with him. He gave it his best shot and there wasn’t much else he could have done. He had chosen her to be the one he would spend his life with…now he needed to put that dream aside and move on. He thought about all that had happened and dropped his head in disappointment, Ka was a remarkable person. He heard Duncan talking with Ka and then heard him over the communicator, “Can you hear me, Sig?”

“I can.”

“This is amazing technology.”

“I’m sure Lis is going to make a huge difference in your defense efforts. Let me know what you find out.”

“I will.”

Tal looked at his hand and the glove had disappeared. He held it up but saw in his mind a white field in the cabin. Ka was right, the gloves interfered with each other. He closed his fist forcefully, and the device in his hand shutdown. He thought about how he knew to do that and discovered that the glove had transferred instructions on how to operate it when it was absorbed by his hand. He took a deep breath, came out of the bathroom, and heard Ka say, “I’m sorry, Tal.”

Tal shook his head, “Don’t be; you’ve been consistent about this from the very beginning. You should feel good that I’m disappointed, but I’ll move on. I’m headed up to the observation deck for a while.” Tal walked out of the cabin and Ka sat down on the bed and stared at the door for a long time.

• • •

Six days later, the ship arrived at the landing dock and Sig carried their bags to the transport they left in the parking lot. He didn’t say anything to Ka as they pulled out of the port and changed to his normal form a block after they exited. He changed his hair to bright green and his skin to a deep olive color. “Let me out here, Lis.”

“Shouldn’t we go back to Sig and Lis’s house?”

“No, you should contact the Guild Master from there and you should tell him you’ve already taken care of me. I’d suggest taking some extra time to arrive.”

“Tal…”

“Don’t make this any harder than it is. Drop me off and go have a good life.”

“But we’ll still need to work together when we get back to Earth.”

“We’ll do that when we arrive there. Let me know if you run into any issues with the Guild Master; I’ll plug into the guild’s computer and see if he’s planning anything fishy. He probably won’t do anything because he’ll covet his half of the contract Sig was going to be paid. If you don’t hear from me, you’re in the clear.”

Ka couldn’t look at him, when she pulled over. Tal got out, went to the rear of the transport, grabbed his bags, turned, and walked away without looking back. Ka watched him go in the rearview mirror and forced her expression to be neutral. Her moist eyes didn’t match up with her expression.

Chapter Fourteen

Sig disappeared and assumed an identity that wasn’t known by the Guild. He took a flight to Americas and went to a residence he had rented years earlier and looked around. It never seemed so stark and barren as it did at that moment. He went out and ate at a local restaurant and heard Duncan over the subvocal-communicator, “I’m having some issues.”

“What sort of issues?”

“My information has been passed up the chain-of-command and they have real doubts about your honesty.”

“Do this, Duncan. They have an insider in the guild; have them contact whoever it is and ask them to confirm the existence of the viruses.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Let me know if we need to call this whole thing off.”

“The only thing that’s giving me credibility is that I insisted that something was going on and was ignored. Natalie has confirmed what we discussed but they’re still uncertain about what to do.”

“Keep me posted, Duncan.”

“Will do.”

• • •

Tal went back to his residence and pressed his hand on a wall painting. The painting swung out revealing an armored safe. He looked through the contents and began taking out several items. If he couldn’t transfer his accounts, then he needed to use the time to remove the viruses. He told Duncan the truth about the viruses’ existence, but he didn’t tell him the whole truth; he was the one that developed them. He was so ignorant back then. He never really thought about the possible consequences of the colonies ever using them. Even if he didn’t go back to Earth, the viruses had to go. He took an electronic sending unit out of the safe and closed it.

He went into the small-attached garage and pulled his air-transporter out. Only wealthy and rich citizens could afford an air-transport and he loved the freedom his gave him. He flipped on the gravity units and the transport rose from the driveway above his residence. He rose to an altitude of a thousand-feet and flew into the traffic moving toward the center of the capital city. As he began to think about the mission ahead, he had to admit that he did a remarkable job developing the viruses. He created a hundred-different-viruses that were designed to only attack humans. He also designed a container that would be frozen until it was dropped into the upper atmosphere of a planet. The heat from entry would heat the container and make it brittle; it would then shatter on impact when it hit the ground. The virus inside it would immediately start reproducing at an incredible rate and would be spread around the planet on air currents. All human life would be dead within a few-weeks.

He smiled as he remembered telling the high ranking military officer that the safe housing the viruses couldn’t be made of Chronide; it would give off particles that would kill the viruses. That was a lie, but the officer didn’t know enough to know any better. So, they built the storage container out of high-strength alloy and sealed it in a room in a small government facility located in the middle of the capital city. Tal shook his head. The colonies, unlike the Lab in Orlando, had limited security defending the colony’s facility. They didn’t even route air-traffic around it. The Security Minister said that the container couldn’t be breeched by a direct nuclear explosion…but they didn’t consider it could be breeched by an electronic signal.

He flew in the traffic lane moving over the group of government buildings in the center of the city and pressed a button on the electronic sending unit when he was directly above the facility, as he continued flying on his route.

Inside the massive, refrigerated armored container, the seals on the top of the small containers holding the viruses twisted slightly. A small hole was uncovered, and several drops of fluid sealed inside the top seal dripped into the virus solutions. Those few drops contained the virus Tal used on Sig and Lis to disintegrate their bodies. The virus attacked the viruses in the containers and devoured them. Once they were consumed, the virus that consumed them would turn on itself and disappear leaving nothing but oxygen and nitrogen in the containers. The killing of the viruses would never be discovered; no one was going to open them to check on them; they were too deadly to risk it. It was possible they might be dropped one day, but now, nothing would happen. Tal doubted they would ever be used but there was no sense in taking chances. He flew back over the facility on the way back to his residence and sent another signal just to be sure.

He hadn’t heard from Ka, so his plan probably worked. He felt his emotions well up but forced them back. Enough! Put this behind you! He landed at his residence and went inside.

• • •

The next-morning, he heard Duncan’s voice, “You’ve been cleared to come back.”

“What changed, Duncan?”

“They did what you suggested. The insider was totally shocked at discovering the existence of the viruses. It took them all day to track them down but confirmed they do exist. The insider says they see no way you can remove them.”

“They also didn’t know they existed, Duncan.”

“You think you can eliminate them?”

“You’ve seen some of my talents, what do you think?”

“I believe that if you say you can do it, you can. I’ve also established the accounts that you can transfer your money into.”

“Duncan, are you sure that your leaders trust us?”

“They don’t trust you. That will have to happen once they have an opportunity to sit down and discuss all this with you.”

“Fair enough. Give me the transfer codes.” Duncan started reading off the numbers and Tal memorized them. Afterwards, Tal asked, “Have you contacted Lis?”

“I have, and she’s started the transfer.”

“Why did you contact her first?”

Duncan responded with some hesitation, “Dr. Meier insisted on it.”

“Ok. I’m booking a room on the cruise ship and I’ll see you on the Morning Star next week.” The contact ended and Tal gazed out the window. “She could do worse,” he guessed.

• • •

The week passed uneventfully, and Tal packed up his bags the day before boarding. He loaded most of his important devices and solutions in his leather bag and tossed a thermite device inside the safe to burn the contents before closing it. The safe was made from chronide and the fire could not burn through it. He used his left hand to make sure he wasn’t being tracked, then went around making sure nothing important was being left behind.

Tal had put a tremendous amount of effort into building this identity and he didn’t think anyone would penetrate it, but it never hurt to make sure he wasn’t being followed. He focused for a moment and changed his appearance. He wasn’t going to use his normal form on this cruise. He chose another identity he had developed but never used before. He made sure the place was clean and called a commercial transport to take him to the local spaceport, where he boarded a ship to take him to New Asia, where the Morning Star had moved to pick up passengers for another cruise. He checked into a hotel and managed to finally fall asleep; he’d see Ka the next day. That wasn’t going to be easy.

• • •

He arrived at the cruise terminal the next day, an hour after boarding started. The commercial driver dropped him off at the boarding ramp and Tal carried his bags to the bottom of the ramp. The Cruise Director looked right at him and didn’t recognize him, “Name Please!”

“Al.”

“Welcome aboard.”

He put his bags on the moving boarding ramp and arrived at the top, when he heard the computer announce, “Al, cabin number 6001.” He was traveling prime-class and his cabin was located close to all of the ship’ major entertainment centers. He was greeted by a crewman, who lifted his bags with a smile, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your cabin.”

“Thank you very much.”

When they arrived at his cabin and he noticed a special elevator was next to his room. The crewman smiled, “Only those with a prime-class key can use this elevator. Enjoy your cruise.”

“How many on this floor can use this elevator?” Al asked as the crewman put his bags in his cabin.

“Only one room on each floor can use it, Mr. Al. That prevents it from constantly opening and closing on each floor.” Al tried to tip him, but he refused it, “I appreciate it, Sir, but we aren’t allowed to accept tips. Have a nice day.”

Al settled in and unpacked. He stayed in his room until he felt the ship start lifting. He took the elevator to the outer deck and stared out of the clear viewport as the giant vessel move away from the surface; he could never get enough of watching this magnificent display of technology. He gazed out of the viewports until they closed to prevent the star’s light from blinding anyone. He looked up at the monitor and smiled. This was so amazing. He glanced to his right and saw Ka staring at the monitor and looking around. She didn’t recognize him, and he could tell she was bothered by not seeing him; she knew he wouldn’t miss this. He turned to the monitor and kept his eyes on it until she left.

After some time had passed, he heard over his communicator, “Are you on board?”

“I am.”

“I looked for you on the upper deck.”

“I’ve changed my appearance. I’ll meet you when we arrive on Earth.”

“Tal, there’s no reason to be like this.”

“Like you said, we ended our relationship when we arrived in the colonies. Enjoy your trip, Ka.” He ended the contact with a heavy sigh and she didn’t try to speak to him again.

He went to his room and remained there until the passengers were called to go over the safety procedures that included the use of escape pods. Natalie was introduced to the passengers and he had to admit she did an excellent job of welcoming them. He saw Duncan watching her and he obviously approved of her performance. He started to leave and heard Duncan, “Sig, are you on board? I haven’t seen you.”

“I’m here, Duncan. I’m using a new identity; I’ll come by at the end of the cruise. You can reach me with the communicator if you need me.”

“I’m sorry about you and Lis breaking up.”

“Duncan, we were never really together. She isn’t my wife; that was a sham that was part of the job.”

“Even so, I’m sorry.”

“Thanks, that means a lot. Do you know how I’m going to be used when we get to Earth?”

“I do. Your revelations about how you can mimic another person has frightened us. We want you to make visits to our units and see if you can turn up any spy that’s infiltrated our ranks. Lis says that you can see the difference; is she right?”

“She is, Duncan. I’ll help anyway I can.”

“Enjoy the trip, Sig.”

“Cal me Tal, that’s my real name.”

“There’s no Tal on the passenger manifest.”

Tal chuckled, “Using a new identity would be pointless if I used my real name.”

Duncan laughed, “You’re right. Just for fun, let’s see if I can find you.”

“How many single passengers are on the cruise, Duncan.”

“Twenty-eight-hundred.”

“That’s good enough odds. Give it your best shot.” Duncan chuckled, and the contact ended. Tal wondered how Duncan could talk to both Ka and him; he could only contact Ka. Oh well, let’s see if he could give Duncan a run for his money.

• • •

Tal was sitting in the casino that night wearing a flamboyant red and black outfit to match his hair and eyebrows. His skin was pale, which made his hair really stand out. He was watching a group of card players at a table when he saw Ka enter the casino. He was surprised and instantly forced his face to remain neutral. The woman that entered with her looked almost exactly like Ka did in her normal form. It was an impossible similarity; genetics dictated that it couldn’t happen. He looked closer and saw that there were some differences. Ka’s eyes were green, the woman’s eyes were blue. Ka’s hair was brown, the woman’s hair was a honey-blonde. Her nose was also slightly different. The differences would be seen if Ka was using her normal appearance, however, she wasn’t. She was using Jil’s appearance with blue hair and eyebrows.

Tal watched the woman and knew she most certainly was Ka’s daughter. She appeared to be in her thirties and Tal started thinking about how old Ka must be. Let’s see…. she married soon after graduating and had a daughter a few-years later. Ok, twenty-two plus, let’s say three. That’s twenty-five. Her daughter was fourteen when they faked their deaths. That makes it thirty-nine. This woman was at least thirty, so that adds sixteen-more years. Ummm…Ka was about fifty-five years old. With her extended life-span, she still looked to be in her thirties. She was at least fifteen-years older than him. Who would have guessed it? Still that difference was negligible. Many couples were separated by fifty-years or more. His father was seventy-years older than his mother. But if you knew what to look for, you could tell a person’s real age. Her daughter was radiant, and her skin gave away her youth. She followed her mother around and was pretty much silent. But he could see in her eyes she didn’t miss much. She rejected several single passengers that approached her, and she did it with class without hurting their feelings. He wondered why she didn’t modify her appearance with colony colors; she was using her normal form. He didn’t want his sorrow to give him away to Duncan, who just entered the casino with Natalie. He turned and left the casino making sure his exit was blocked from being seen by the passengers between him and Duncan. To make sure, he walked out slightly behind a woman headed toward the exit.

He went to one of the other clubs and watched a standup comedian perform, who was absolutely hilarious. One of his jokes hit home.

“Hey, how many assassins does it take to change a light ten-feet off the floor?” He paused and smiled, “Only one. He stacks up the bodies and climbs on top!”

The audience roared, and Tal sighed; the colonists took assassins as a part of their normal existence and found a way to laugh about it. He finally went to his cabin and settled in. He thought about it and wondered if he did anything to give himself away. Ummm…could he find himself if he were looking? He knew Ka and Duncan’s perceptions were highly trained and they would see everything around them and remember every detail.

Ka saw him on the observation deck and she would recognize him if she saw him again. If she didn’t, she might connect the dots. Duncan would be watching for someone that tried to avoid Ka. He reasoned that he had no choice but to get close without running away; he needed to do it several times to throw them off. What the heck, he had a game to play and it would help him forget his feelings.

The second day, he was eating in the main cafeteria, when he saw Ka and her daughter come in and sit at a table near him. He noticed that Duncan came in right behind them and scanned the cafeteria. He took a bite of his breakfast and looked directly at Ka but then focused on her daughter. His expression showed his approval and the daughter noticed it. She smiled and looked away. Ka glanced at him and looked at Duncan. He shook his head and went to Natalie’s table. Good!

Tal finished, stood up, and walked over to Ka’s table and smiled, “I just wanted to tell you that you are incredibly beautiful.”

Ka’s daughter looked at him, returned his smile, and said “Thank you, Sir.”

Tal’s eyes narrowed a bit. Adding the sarcastic sounding sir to her comment told him that she saw him as another dirty old man. He nodded quickly, turned, and walked away.

Ka looked at her, “You hurt his feelings.”

“Better to hurt his feelings nicely than have to be nasty. You taught me that.”

Ka sighed, “I guess.”

“You did, Mom! And told me to never trust a man.” Ka stared at her and then picked up a fork and began eating.

Natalie looked at Duncan, “Lis’s daughter is a real knock-out.”

“Yes, I can see that. But she’s rather…Uhhh…”

“Unapproachable?” Natalie finished.

“Something like that.”

Natalie smiled, “Trust me, Duncan. She must be with those looks. Have you picked out Sig?”

“No, I haven’t. I thought it would be easy but he’s doing a good job of hiding.”

“He’s one of the colonies’ best assassins, Duncan. If he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t.”

“You sound like you don’t like that?”

Natalie sighed, “I really like him. And now that he’s here and single…” Natalie raised her hands.”

“Natalie, I think he feels like he used you and feels guilty.”

“Duncan, I used him a lot more than he used me. He has no reason to feel guilty.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him.” Natalie’s eyes narrowed. “I have a way of communicating with him. Are you sure you want to see him again?”

“I am.”

“You know he’s been hurt by Lis.”

“I don’t care. I don’t want to marry him, Duncan. I just enjoy being with him.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

• • •

Tal was in bed and heard Duncan, “Tal.”

“Yes, Duncan.”

“Natalie wants to spend some time with you.”

“Not going to happen,” Tal replied.

“Why not?”

“You’ll make me if that happens.”

“I promise not to use her to do that.”

Tal was quiet and finally replied, “Duncan, I’ve never been in a relationship with anyone, Lis was my first attempt.”

“Natalie says she doesn’t want a relationship, she just enjoys your company.”

“I know that, Duncan.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“I want more than that and Natalie isn’t someone that would match up well with me. Surely you can see that.” Duncan was silent, and Tal asked, “Are you still there?”

“I am. I’ll tell her you’re just too hurt to do it.”

“Thank you, Duncan.”

“You know I’ll be after you tomorrow.” Tal laughed, and the contact ended.

Chapter Fifteen

Tal laid back and closed his eyes. So far, so good. His thoughts wandered to Ka and he felt his pain coming back but immediately forced it out of his mind. He was close to falling asleep and heard a different voice over his communicator, “You’re doing a good job of hiding.”

Tal sat up straight and asked, “Who is this?”

“I’m Ka’s daughter, Sha.”

“How are you on my communicator?”

“Get real, Tal. My mother made me swallow one of the communication devices when I was a teenager to keep track of me.”

“How do you know about me?”

“My mother told me about everything that happened on Earth and I’m a very curious individual. I questioned her in detail and she answered my questions to shut me up. I’m especially curious about you.”

“Well, don’t be.”

He heard her laugh, “Too late, it’s already happened. I really looked forward to meeting you on this cruise but understand that you’re playing a game of hide-and-seek with my mother and Major Montana. You’re preventing me from asking you some questions that intrigue me.”

“Ask them now.”

“No, I really prefer to ask them in person. How long are you going to continue this game?”

“Until I win it,” he answered.

“You’re only doing this to avoid my mother.” Tal was silent, and she continued, “I really think she is a consummate donkey’s bottom for ending your partnership, but I can’t tell her anything. She shouldn’t have done it, but I understand why.”

“Why did she do it?”

“Why don’t you ask her.”

“I don’t want to hear it from her! Why don’t you tell me?”

“Tal, you have no idea how much my father messed her up. I know she has feelings for you, but she will never act on them. She’s just incapable of doing that.”

“I saw that at the beginning but hoped I could overcome her reluctance.”

“And you got hurt in the process,” she responded.

“Yeah, I guess I did.”

“And because of that, now you’re preventing me from meeting you and I don’t like being blocked from getting what I want.”

“This has nothing to do with you!”

“You don’t think I know that; you don’t know me. However, can’t we meet and talk about it.”

“If I did that, Duncan and your mother would make me in a heartbeat.”

“Come on, Tal. Consider it a challenge. If you’re half as smart as I think you are, you should be able to come up with a way to do it without being caught.” Tal thought about it and snickered. Sha heard him and quickly replied, “I can see you’re thinking about it.”

Tal smiled, “You’ve already met me, Mam.”

Sha laughed out-loud, “Was that you?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Next time I see you, I’m going to make a point of apologizing. That shouldn’t cause any issues.”

“Seems you don’t know how good your mother is at seeing things.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Tal. I know everything there is to know about my mother and I know everything she knows.”

“Surely, not everything.”

“No, I know everything.”

“What about her assassin training?”

“I got all of that before I was eighteen.”

Tal’s eyebrows went up, “You can’t be serious!?”

“I am. I also have her, as you call it, magic right-hand. You need to remember that I had to avoid being found by my father and mom gave me every tool she could to make sure he didn’t find me. I’ll see you soon.”

“Wait, how do I contact you if I want to call this off.”

“She didn’t teach you how to use it?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“I suspect she did that to make sure you weren’t able to accidently contact me. She is quite protective. Anyway, if you want to talk with mom, just start talking. She was your first contact. If you want Major Montana, say in your throat, Alpha-two. If you want me, say Omega-One.”

“Omega?”

“Yeah, you know, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet are alpha and omega. She has always told me I’m the last word in everything.” The contact ended, and Tal wondered if he had made a mistake. Oh well, at least the game would get more interesting…or it would end.

• • •

The next evening, Tal was sitting in the ship’s main lounge listening to the orchestra, when he noticed Ka and her daughter enter and sit down at a table across the room. Her daughter looked around the huge room before she sat down and saw him. Duncan was already in the room looking around. Tal saw the daughter lean in and say something to Ka. Ka glanced his way then turned back to her daughter. It was clear she told her no, but Sha shook her head, stood up, and walked across the lounge and sat down at his table. Tal saw Duncan and Ka staring at them.

The woman flashed a beautiful smile, “Hello, my name is Sha, and you are?”

Tal stared at her with a tense expression, “My name is Al.”

“I wanted to apologize for the way I brushed you off the other morning. I was rude, and you didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. You were only being nice.”

“Forget about it. I know that you’re approached by a lot of men.”

“How do you know that, Al?”

“Because, like I said the other day, you’re incredibly beautiful.”

Sha laughed and looked at the orchestra, “Do you dance, Al.”

“Sort of.”

“Well let’s go show them how it’s done.” She stood up and headed toward the dance floor and he had little choice but to stand up and follow her. Duncan and Ka watched Sha go into his arms with a smile. Tal did a quick pirouette and moved smoothly into the middle of the crowd on the dance floor. Sha laughed as she observed, “You moved into the middle of the crowd so Major Montana couldn’t hear us.”

Tal nodded, “He uses a listening device and he can’t hear us in this crowd. Why don’t you ask your questions, Sha?”

“You do get right to the point!” Sha giggled. “I must admit that I was amazed that you were able to deduce the existence of the aliens. That was incredible. But I wonder why you chose to go to Earth to live.” Tal saw her looking into his eyes and she quickly said before he could answer, “I know your stock answer is that you want to insure Earth is not prevented by the colonies from developing advanced defenses. But that’s not the real answer.”

“And you know this because…”

“Earth’s intelligence service can handle their own security without your help, Tal. Now that they know assassins can mimic another person, they’ll develop procedures necessary to prevent them from infiltrating their military. You have another reason to do it. What is it?”

Tal saw her staring into his eyes and looked away before saying, “I fell in love with the people and the planet. For the first time since my parents died, I felt at home.”

Sha tilted her head slightly, “I really didn’t expect you to answer that question honestly. I’m surprised you did.”

Tal stared at her face, before saying, “You can tell if I’m telling the truth.”

Sha’s eyes twinkled, “I can tell when anyone is telling the truth. It’s a talent I’ve had since I was a little girl. I saw who my father really was early on and tried to convince my mother, but she refused to believe me. She finally came around and saw it.”

“That’s a dangerous skill to possess, Sha.”

“I know. I’ve kept it secret and don’t let most people know when I see they’re being dishonest. Even my mother doesn’t know the extent of my gift.”

“Why are you telling me?”

“I honestly don’t know. However, that’s what got you that rejection the other morning; I could see you weren’t there just to say hello. You had other motivations.” Tal kept his silence, and Sha smiled, “Before this song is over, I need you to quickly tell me about the identity you’ve chosen.”

Tal was surprised that he responded honestly, “I’m a wealthy business man and I recently lost my wife. I’m on this cruise to try and deal with my loss.”

Sha grinned, “That will do it.” Sha grinned. “I’m telling my mother that I will be seeing you again to try and brighten your day.” Before Tal could respond, the orchestra stopped playing, Sha stepped back, kissed him on the cheek, and went back to her table. He put his hand on his cheek where she kissed him and stumbled to his table. He saw Duncan staring at Ka’s table and knew he was listening in to their conversation. He shook his head, stood up, and left the lounge.

• • •

Duncan listened in to Sha and Ka discuss the man she danced with and he looked at the man as he listened. He saw the man’s distress and sorrow before he walked out. He decided that he would also do what he could to brighten the man’s day.

Tal wondered if Duncan had made him. But after two-hours, when Duncan hadn’t yet contacted him, he decided that his cover had worked.

• • •

The next morning, he heard Sha’s voice, “Where are you?”

“Having breakfast.”

“Where?”

“In the Starlight Restaurant.”

“Don’t leave, I’ll be there shortly.”

Tal shook his head and started to leave anyway but saw Duncan enter the restaurant, look over at him, and start walking toward his table. Uh-oh! Duncan pulled up a chair and sat down with Tal. “Mr. Al, I’ve learned from another passenger that you’ve had a loss and I want you to know that if there’s anything you need, just let me know.”

Tal stared at him and said in a neutral voice, ‘Thank you.”

“How have you enjoyed the cruise so far?”

Tal rubbed his chin, “It’s been ok.”

“Have you thought about what you want to do when you arrive on Earth?’’

“Not really. I…just haven’t thought about it.”

Duncan smiled, “I’m going to have my assistant come over and go over your options, she’s an expert on what’s available and I think she can help you decide.” Duncan turned and motioned to Natalie, who walked to Tal’s table and sat down with her electronic pad. “This is Natalie and you’ll find her a great asset in planning your trip.”

Tal wondered if Duncan had sent her over to confirm his suspicions. But, she gave no clue she knew who he was. He decided that this was a great plan he came up with…wait…he didn’t come up with this plan, Sha did.”

“Mr. Al, do you have any idea about what you’d like to see on Earth?” Natalie asked.

“Not really.”

“Well, there’s the ancient sites like the Great Pyramids and the Great Wall in China. Or the surviving cities that weren’t damaged during the nuclear war…”

Tal interrupted her, “Natalie, I really don’t want to think about this now. Could you discuss this with me later?”

Natalie reached over and put her hand on his arm, “Of course, Mr. Al. I’ll be around, and you can call me over any time.”

“Thank you.”

She walked away, just as Tal saw Ka and Sha enter the restaurant. Sha’s eyes widened, and she pulled Ka over to his table, “Mom, this Al. Al this is my mother and her name is Bel. Do you mind if we join you?”

Tal fought to keep his expression neutral and he waved his hands to the two-chairs at the table. They sat down, and they ordered breakfast. Tal ate his meal slowly, as Sha kept a running commentary on what she looked forward to seeing on Earth. They finally finished their meal and Tal looked at Ka, “Pardon me, but you don’t appear to be very happy.”

Ka looked at him with surprise, “Al, everyone has to endure a loss at some point in their life. I understand you’ve sustained a loss and I’m sorry for it.”

“I’m sorry for yours as well. I lost my wife, who did you lose?”

Ka looked at him with haunted eyes, “Someone very close to me.”

Al lowered his eyes, “I’m sorry. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go to my cabin.”

“Come on, Al!!” Sha surprised them both, “All you’re going to do is go back to your cabin and mope around. Get up and let’s walk around the ship and see what things are available for you to enjoy.” Ka looked at Sha like she had two-heads. Al looked at her and shook his head. Sha extended her hand, “Hey, you came over and said something nice to me. I insulted you, now I owe you. I don’t want to walk around alone so come on and go with me!”

Tal rolled his eyes, stood up, and said sullenly, “Lead the way.”

“That’s the spirit.” She took his hand and pulled him out of the restaurant. Ka watched them go and almost wished she could join them. But she didn’t. She sat at the table and thought about Earth and how her daughter was going to get along there.

• • •

Sha and Tal left the restaurant and Sha said over the communicator, “You didn’t have to make me beg!”

“I didn’t want to do this!”

“I guess seeing Mom upset you.”

“You can say that. Why did you bring her to my table?”

“I had two-reasons. It would help our cover at being together and it would allow you to see that you’re not the only one hurting.”

“If she’s hurting so much, she shouldn’t have left me!”

“You didn’t say goodbye, Tal.”

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?!” he said out-loud.

“When I tell you that Mom is incapable of having a relationship, I’m not kidding. But she has deep feelings for you that she knows will never be realized. She hates herself for it but knowing that she hurt you is killing her. It’s what she did to you that is causing her pain. You walked away from her without so much as a ‘see-ya-later’. She saw your pain and it’s something she is not equipped to deal with.” Sha paused and then said, “But her feelings aren’t important any more. Let’s take a tour of this ship and see what we can see.”

Sha pulled him toward the elevator they got off on the next level as he thought about what she told him.

• • •

They spent the entire day exploring the ship and Sha asked, what felt like, a million-questions. Finally, they arrived at the casino and Tal looked at Sha, “Where is your mother?” Sha was silent, and he knew she was contacting Ka.

“She’s up on the observation deck.”

“I need to go and clear some things up.”

Sha smile was mischievous, “You’ll blow your cover.”

Tal agreed, “Somethings are more important.” Sha nodded and stepped aside for him to pass. He stopped and looked at her, “Why are you doing this?”

Sha’s eyes twinkled, “That’s something you’re going to have to figure out. I’m patiently waiting to see if you do.”

Tal shook his head and walked away. He arrived on the observation deck to find Ka was the only one present. She was leaning over the rail just inside the exterior glass of the viewport and staring at the stars as they streaked by. He walked up and asked, “A credit for your thoughts?”

Ka was startled and immediately asked, “Where is Sha?”

“I left her in the casino. What are you thinking?”

“You don’t have the right to know, Mr. Al!”

“I more than anyone on this ship has the right to know, Ka.” Her head jerked back, and her eyes flew open as Tal said, “Yes, it’s me.” Ka’s eyes teared up and Tal took her hand, “Listen, I didn’t intend to hurt you. I was forced to deal with my sorrow and didn’t know how to do it. I don’t blame you for what happened, Ka. I believe that if you could be with me, you would. The time I spent with you will remain in my memories for the rest of my life and I thank you for sharing that time with me.”

Ka rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his chest as her tears fell in earnest, “Tal, I tried, I tried so hard, but something inside me won’t let me do it! I’m so sorry.”

Tal pulled her close and put his head on top of hers, “It’s ok, Ka. It’s ok.” She leaned back and kissed him hard. This time he knew it was Ka doing it. He held her in his arms for a long time and she finally started breathing normally, “How did Sha find you?”

“She contacted me on the communicator.”

“I wanted so much to do that but feared I would only hurt you further. I’m so afraid, Tal.”

“Why?”

“Because I know you are no longer going to keep your promise to protect me and Sha. I’m so frightened of what could happen to us on Earth.”

“Ka, I will stay with you until your fears leave, then I will go on with my life. I will always be a communicator call away.”

Ka held him tightly and he finally said, “That’s some daughter you have.”

“I know.”

“Does she always ask so many questions?”

Ka still held on to him and said ruefully, “You have no idea!”

Tal held her and said, “After being with her today, I believe I do.” Ka burst out laughing and Tal knew she was back. He walked her to her cabin and watched her go in. He stared at the door and thought, “Enough. That’s enough.” He walked back to his cabin and felt his sorrow lift. He needed this as much as she did.

Chapter Sixteen

“Tal.”

“Good morning, Duncan.”

“Bel tells me you spoke to her last night.”

“I did.”

“How did that go?”

“I should have done it sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“Are you, all right?”

“I have to say I am.”

“She didn’t tell me who you are. Is there any reason you shouldn’t tell me now?”

“Other than Natalie, no, there isn’t.”

“Tal, you should talk to Natalie. She deserves it.”

Tal thought about it and knew Duncan was right, “Will you call her to your cabin and I’ll meet her there.”

“I’ll call her after you get here.”

“On my way.” Tal took his elevator down to Duncan’s deck and walked to his cabin. He knocked, and Duncan opened the door, “WELL, I’LL BE A SUCKED DRY OYSTER SHELL!”

“Had you going, didn’t I?”

“Natalie told me I’d never find you; she was right. I’ll ask her to come down.”

“Thanks, Duncan.”

After a few minutes, Tal heard a knock and opened the door; Natalie’s eyes opened wide. “Natalie, it’s me.”

“Me, who?”

“Sig.” Tal stepped aside, “Come in and let’s talk.” Natalie walked in and sat down on the bed. “I’m sorry for avoiding you.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Sig.”

“My real name is Tal.”

“I know that from the last meeting, but you’ll always be Sig to me.” Tal stared at her and she held up her hand, “You don’t need to apologize. I got so much more from spending time with you than you’ll ever know.” Tal sat down beside her on the bed. Natalie looked into his eyes and smiled, “The first time I was with you, you listened to me spill my guts to you and heard me with an open heart. I told you how much I hated my life and you listened without passing judgement. I managed to tell you things I never even admitted to myself.’ She paused and smiled, “I needed to get those things out in order to move on. I won’t be accepting your money.”

“WHY NOT!”

“Because I’ve found something I love doing.” She stood up and he saw her excitement, “Being on this ship and intermingling with the passengers and crew has brought me extreme satisfaction. I love doing this, Sig. And you know that if I accepted your gift, it would cause suspicion that you bought me off to be silent.” Tal thought about what she was telling him, as Natalie continued, “I know that you need more than I can offer…”

“It’s not that!” Tal interrupted.

“Yes, it is!! Don’t lie to spare my feelings. I couldn’t challenge you mentally and, after time passed, it would become a barrier between us. I love you for what you did for me. But you and I aren’t meant to be.”

“I’m so sorry, Natalie. I never intended to hurt you,” he said softly.

“You didn’t. I went in with my eyes wide open and I’m better for it. Thank you.” She went to Tal as he stood up with her. She leaned in and kissed him before she left the cabin. Tal thought about it and wondered if this was also the case between him and Ka. He thought about if for a long time and realized, it probably was. Ka was constantly testing him when they were together on Earth, and he saw that she felt inferior to him. That didn’t help him win her over. The last test where he figured out that Earth had a stardrive probably sealed the deal. He took a deep breath and blew it out very slowly. It was clear that he and Ka was over. He had held on to secret wishes that they would end up together, but it wasn’t going to happen. He had to move on and give his heart time to heal.

• • •

The flight to Earth finally ended and Duncan arranged for their transportation. Tal came down the boarding ramp with Ka and Sha immediately behind him. An unmarked hauler pulled up and Duncan announced with a chuckle over the subvocal communicator, “That is your transportation to a special meeting.”

“Aren’t you going with us, Duncan?” Ka asked.

“No. Natalie and I are going to face an Intelligence Inquiry and I suspect what we tell them will be matched up with what you say in your meeting.”

“I’d feel a lot better if you were going with us.” Ka pressed.

“Lis, just tell the truth. You’ll be fine,” Duncan reassured them.

Tal said, “Let’s go.” They headed toward the transport and Tal said subvocally to Sha, “Now is not a good time to be asking questions.”

“I know that. I’ll behave.”

Tal really hoped she would. The driver was in civilian clothes and he put their luggage into the back of the hauler. He opened the door and Tal sat in the front. As the drove to the Orlando Complex, the driver glanced at Tal and asked, “Is there anything I should know before we go on base?”

“The leather bag you put in the back?”

“What about it?”

“It could get you killed. Be very careful with it.”

“I’ll heed your advice and let the others know.”

“That would be good.”

The driver drove up to the front gate and was waved through. They stopped in front of a different building than the lab where a Major stepped forward and opened their doors, “Please follow me.” He walked up the steps and the three-guards fell in behind them with their weapons raised. They took a large elevator to the top floor and the Major stopped outside a large door. “Only the two of you are allowed inside.”

Ka looked at the Major, “Wherever I go, my daughter goes with me.”

“I’m sorry, but that won’t be allowed.”

“Then we’re not going in,” Ka replied sternly.

The Major’s eyes narrowed, and he looked at Tal, who was standing there with his arms crossed and a small smile on his face. The Major knew they were highly-trained assassins and he suddenly realized he had not brought enough guards. He saw that making this an issue would be a mistake. “Please give me a moment.”

He walked through the door and the guards were extremely nervous. They recognized the deadliness of the man in front of them. Tal looked at them and said, “Nice weather, isn’t it?”

One of the guards replied, “It’s a little hot for my liking.”

Tal nodded, “Well, it’s cool in here. Let’s try to keep it that way.”

The Major came out of the door followed by Dr. Meier. He looked at them and said, “You aren’t the two who came to my lab.”

Ka glanced at Tal and they changed to their normal forms. Dr. Meier didn’t even flinch. He smiled and said, “It appears Major Montana was right. Please, the three-of-you follow me.” The Major stared walking forward with them and Dr. Meier turned back to him and ordered, “Go away, Major.”

“But, Sir. These are…”

Dr. Meier interrupted him, “I told you to go away!” He turned and walked through the door, with Tal, Ka, and Sha following him.

They walked through a huge office and everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at them. Dr. Meier led them through a set of double doors and walked toward the front of a large room. He stopped and motioned toward some chairs in front of a large, raised, dais. He continued up the steps to the dais and took a chair in the center. Tal took a seat and nodded to Ka and Sha. They sat down and looked up at the five-men and two-women staring at them. Their expressions didn’t look good. Tal stretched his legs out and leaned back in his chair. Ka was fighting to keep her expression neutral and his relaxed posture gave her strength and focus. She smiled slightly and leaned back.

The man sitting next to Dr. Meier leaned forward, “I am Chancellor Evans.”

Tal spoke first, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chancellor. My name is Tal, and this is Ka and her daughter, Sha.” The Chancellor was taken aback by his relaxed attitude. The idea that they would be intimidated by the Chancellor’s presence went away like light at sundown.

Dr. Meier spoke up in the ensuing silence, “I understand that you have decided to come to Earth to assist us against the aliens.”

Ka answered first, “We have.”

Dr. Meier smiled, “Why?”

Tal pulled his feet in and leaned forward, “I’m somewhat surprised that you thought we could be fooled by this…” Tal looked around, “…gathering.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“That is not the Chancellor. And the ones sitting at the table with you are holding weapons under the desk pointed at us.”

Meier actually smiled, “You’re able to see that?”

“No, it’s the only thing that makes sense in this situation.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know that we are highly-trained and ranked number one and two-assassins in the Assassin’s Guild. Do you honestly want us to believe you brought us here to be questioned without having some safeguards in place? The Chancellor would never be allowed to be in this dangerous situation. I have to say I’m surprised that you’re present, Doctor.”

“It was the only way to make it appear believable. I insisted on being here. Is it true?”

“Is what true?” Ka asked.

“Are you really assassins?”

“I am, or was, the Number One ranked assassin in the guild. Tal was ranked Number Two,” Ka replied.

“What do you mean by ‘was’?”

“The guild thinks we’re dead.” she answered.

Meier looked at Tal, “Could you have killed me when you came to my lab?”

“I fully intended to do so, Doctor, but Ka stopped me.”

Meier looked at Ka, “Why did you do that?”

“We went to kill you to prevent Earth from developing a stardrive that would allow Earth to attack the colonies. I saw that you already had a stardrive and it made no sense to harm you.”

“Are you sure it wasn’t my dashing good looks and personality that stopped you?”

Ka smiled, “Yes, I’m sure.”

Meier looked over their heads, “Do any of you have any questions?”

Tal turned around and saw five-people sitting, above and behind them, behind a clear glass wall. The man in the center asked, “I’m having difficulty believing you want to help us. Why are you doing it.”

Tal smiled, “How many reasons do you need?”

The man smiled, “Give me four.”

“Let’s see if I can give you five. First, Earth does not represent a danger to the colonies as long as that alien ship is at Neptune.”

“Why not,” the man asked?

Because you’ve gone to great effort to hide that you that have a stardrive. If the aliens attack, they’ll go after the largest threat first, which would be the colonies. If you use a stardrive to attack the colonies, you would be their first target. They’d easily see that your warships are more powerful.”

The man bowed his head in acknowledgement, “Go on.”

“The second reason is that it is in the best interests of mankind that you develop the tools and weapons to possibly stop them if they do attack.”

“So, you place the interests of mankind ahead of your loyalty to the colonies?” another man sitting behind the glass inquired.”

“If you really think about that question you would see that either answer would work. If I were completely loyal to the colonies, I would still want you to succeed in eliminating the aliens. But to be sure, I do put the welfare of our species ahead of all of us.”

Both men acknowledged his reasoning with nods. Tal smiled, “The third-reason we came here is that we know for certain that if the colonies knew about those aliens, they would rush out and poke them with a stick. After all, they’re here in Earth’s Solar System; they wouldn’t be as worried if the aliens were in the colonies. That could be a huge mistake and so the colonies must be kept in the dark about them. With that in mind, the colonies are afraid of Earth developing a stardrive and they could make a nuisance of themselves by sending assassins to infiltrate your military and cause severe problems if they learned the truth about your military superiority. We can help prevent them from doing that.”

Tal paused and waited for another question. When none were forthcoming, he continued, “The fourth-reason is that Ka is one of the best electronic engineers in the colonies. She can make a huge difference in helping you develop your weapons.”

“Why would you do that?” the first man asked.

Ka looked at him and nodded toward Sha, “I have a daughter and I want to see her have a long and healthy life. Those aliens present a real danger to that not happening.”

The first man turned back to Tal, “You told me you would give me five-reasons.”

“I’ll go you one more, I’ll give you six. If we are as self-centered as you believe us to be, where would we be safer if the aliens attacked, the colonies or on Earth.”

The man stared at Tal and turned his head slightly, “What’s number-six?”

“When we were here before, we traveled around Central Florida and got to know the people and the places where they live. We fell in love with the beaches, cities, people…I guess you could say the whole planet. Earth has a way of getting to you I never anticipated. Even if there were no aliens, I’d want to live here.”

The man looked the three-of-them over, for a minute and finally asked, “If you were in my place, would you trust you?”

“Probably not, Chancellor.” Tal noticed the man was obviously startled by his response. “There’s so much distrust between Earth and the colonies that it would be impossible to put it aside.”

“So, you’re telling me there’s no way for us to trust anyone from the colonies?”

“No, I’m telling you something I told someone else recently. It’s not a question of trusting anyone from the colonies. It’s whether or not you can trust us.”

“Dr. Meier, what do you think about this.” The Chancellor asked.

Dr. Meier raised his eyes from Tal to the Chancellor, “Chancellor, he could have killed me, but he didn’t. They could have done massive damage to my lab, and they didn’t. They could have slipped away to the colonies, but they didn’t. They transferred all their wealth here with no assurances that we wouldn’t confiscate it. I trust their motives. They’ve demonstrated that they’re being honest and, quite frankly, I can use her help in the lab.”

“I understand that Major Montana says you can be invisible. Is that true?” The Chancellor asked. Ka and Tal immediately disappeared, and this time Dr. Meier did flinch. They immediately reappeared, and the Chancellor asked his last question, “If you really want to do it, could you kill everyone in this meeting?” Tal looked directly at him and nodded. The Chancellor smiled, “I want to welcome you and your family to Earth.”

“Sir, Ka and I aren’t married,” Tal replied.

Dr. Meier immediately blurted out, “You’re not!!”

Tal looked at him staring at Ka, “No, we’re not,” he confirmed.

Ka saw the Doctor staring at her and smiled. Tal saw it and forced himself to ignore it. The Chancellor smiled, “Well, all of you are welcome to Earth. We can use your help.” The Chancellor turned to the woman on his left, “Please escort our new citizens to their quarters and familiarize them on how they function.” He turned and looked at a man sitting at the podium, “General Lein, provide them with the proper security documents and instruct them on how to get inside our facilities.”

The General smiled, “I’ll just give them the ID cards Mr. Tal created.”

“You have no need to worry about the colonies duplicating what I did. I’m the only one that can do it.” Tal said sheepishly.

General Lein smiled, “If you can do it, it’s only a matter of time until someone else can. We know that this is a temporary solution to maintaining our security.”

Ka smiled slightly, “I’ll build a computer network that will track every scanner used to check your IDs and a database that includes everyone you’ve assigned an ID. I’ll embed a chip that only the scanners can detect so any duplications won’t pass inspection.”

The room was silent, and Dr. Meier finally broke it by asking, “Can you do that?”

Ka turned to him, “That and a lot more, Doctor. The computers you’re using in the lab are pitiful.”

Christoph Meier smiled from ear-to-ear and said, “I’m really looking forward to you working with us.”

Tal sighed slightly and turned, “I will require a new ID, General Lein.”

The General turned back to him, “Why is that?”

“The ID’s I created show Ka and I as being married with the same last name, we’ll need to correct that.” Ka looked over at him, and though she tried to tightly control her expression, both Tal and Sha saw her sadness. She knew this was the final act of dissolving their partnership.

General Lein shrugged, “What name do you prefer to use?”

“My parents kept a history of my family from the time their ancestors left Earth for Americas. The last name of my ancestors was Talent. My parents named me Tal, which is a shortened form of Talent. The first male ancestor’s name was Adam.”

“So, you want to use the name Adam Talent?”

“Yes. I think my parents would be proud of that name.”

General Lein could tell something was going on but had no clue exactly what it was. The man’s eyes showed sorrow, but he wasn’t going to violate his privacy to ask what it was. He turned to the man beside him and ordered, “Produce him a card to replace the one he made.”

“I’ll have it here tomorrow, Sir.”

Tal nodded and continued, “Sir, I understand that you intend to use me to see if there are any infiltrators in the military.”

“I am,” Lein confirmed.

“Does that make me a member of the military.”

Lein glanced up at the Chancellor and saw him nod. “Yes, you will be inducted into the military.”

“In order for me get full access to your installations, I’m going to need a rank that your commanders can’t order around.”

The Chancellor entered the conversation, “What are you suggesting, Mr. Talent?”

“Chancellor, no one likes an outsider to come in and snoop around their domain. Commanders won’t like it and will resist working with me. I wouldn’t blame them, I was the same way when any outsider entered my lab to inspect my operation; it’s basic human nature. I don’t want to keep having to contact you, or General Lein, to make them comply with my requests.”

The Chancellor looked at General Lein, “General, is he right?”

Lein nodded, “I hate to agree but he is.”

‘What’s the highest-ranking officer commanding any of our units?”

“Two-Stars, Sir.”

“Make him a three.” Lein’s eyes widened slightly and the Chancellor lowered his eyebrows, “General, what he’s being charged to do is too important to tip-toe around political expedience! The Commanders can just stuff it, as far as I’m concerned.”

General Lein turned to Tal, “Well, you’re certainly getting a great pay-grade in your first rank, Tal.”

“That’s another thing, General. I will not be accepting any pay for what I’m doing; I can pay my own way. Give the money to a charity or add it to the defense fund.”

Sha suddenly spoke up, “General Tal.” Everyone in the room turned their attention to Sha, as Tal turned to her, “You’re going to need me as a partner to do this.”

Tal’s eyes narrowed, as Ka said forcefully, “YOU WILL NOT DO ANY SUCH THING!”

Sha looked at her mother and laughed, “Mom, you had no trouble walking out on me to join the Assassin’s Guild and you left me to pretty much fend for myself. I decide what I do with my life and that’s been the case for a very long time! I have no intention of sitting around a lab and watch a group of boring scientists working on computers and electrical devices.” She turned to Dr. Meier, “No offense, Doctor.”

“None taken.”

Tal quickly interrupted, “I work alone.”

“Then you’re being incredibly stupid, Tal,” Sha replied. Tal’s face instantly turned angry and he looked at the Chancellor, “May I have a moment?”

The Chancellor nodded, “Go ahead.”

Tal stepped away from the raised dais and Sha followed him. He used the communicator, “I will not allow you to follow me around! I’m not going to babysit you!”

Sha waved a hand at him and laughed, “You’re being ridiculous. I have no need of a baby sitter and you know it. Let’s do it this way, you tell me the reasons why it’s not a good idea and I’ll tell you why it is. We’ll allow logic to decide.”

Tal glared at her and began, “First, I may need to go undercover; I can change my appearance, you can’t!”

Sha nodded, “Go on.”

“I’ve worked alone and I’m not at all comfortable working with someone else where I have to constantly explain myself.”

Tal was silent, and Sha raised an eyebrow, “Any other reason.”

“This could be dangerous! I will not be responsible for you being harmed.”

• • •

Chris looked at Ka, “Are they telepathic?”

Ka shook her head, “No, they’re using a communication device I invented.”

“Are you serious?” Ka gave a quick nod keeping her eyes on Tal and Sha. She knew Tal and he was not going to do this. “I want one.” The Doctor pressed.

Ka nodded, “I’ll give you one. Give me a moment and let me watch what’s going on.”

“Can you hear them?”

“No, Doctor, but I can read their expressions and body language,” she answered impatiently.

“Call me, Chris.”

“Will you be quiet!” Ka sighed, “Please!” Chris nodded and turned to watch Tal and Sha.

• • •

Sha smiled and asked, “Is that all?”

“For the moment.”

“You know that every reason you gave, except for the first one isn’t true.” Tal’s eyes narrowed, and Sha raised a shoulder, “You’re right that I can’t change my shape or be invisible, but you could give me those talents, couldn’t you?” Tal was stubbornly silent as she made her case, “And you say you work alone but some of your best work came while you were working with Mom. You know you enjoyed it! So that’s just an excuse and not a reason. Your fear of me being harmed is also an excuse and you know it! Why don’t you say the real reason, Tal!”

• • •

Ka kept her eyes on Tal and said, “Oh crap!”

“What’s going on?” Chris asked.

Ka shook her head, “Sha has gotten to him. She can wear down a diamond in a day.”

• • •

Tal remembered that Sha could tell when someone wasn’t being honest, and she was right. He was only making excuses.”

“Before I do that, why don’t you tell me why I should allow you to go with me?”

“Because I will know if anyone isn’t telling the truth. Between the two of us, it’s going to be next to impossible for any infiltrator or informer to remain uncovered. You have to consider that not all spies are assassins mimicking another person.” Tal knew he was only making dead air trying to come up with excuses. He lowered his shoulders and sighed, as Sha asked softly, “Tell me the real reason.”

Tal lowered his eyes and quietly said, “You look just like your mother. Every day I’d be reminded of what I’ve lost and getting her out of my mind and heart would be impossible.”

Sha saw his sorrow and placed her hand on his shoulder, “Tal, you’re too focused on the big picture.” Tal raised his eyes and looked into Sha’s face. “First of all, my mother’s hair is brown, I’m a honey blonde. Her nose is slightly wider than mine and our ears are different. Her eyes are green and mine are blue. And for God’s sake Tal, her feet are two-sizes larger!” Tal instantly looked at Sha’s feet and saw Sha was right. He could hear Ka exhale sharply across from them. “You need to focus on the differences and you’ll be fine. After you’ve been away from her for a while you’ll start to wonder why you ever thought we looked alike.”

“But you do!”

“That’s because she’s standing there for you to make a comparison. If you haven’t noticed, I smile a lot more than my mother.”

Tal chuckled, “Why do you want to do this?”

“For the reason I gave, and you’ll have to figure out if there are any other reasons on your own. I can tell you I do not want to spend my time around a bunch of stuffed shirt scientists.”

“I’m a scientist.”

“But you live out in the real world and not in a lab. That makes a huge difference.”

Tal threw his hands in the air, “Will I ever win an argument with you?”

“If anyone can, it would be you, but you better have your facts straight. You know you need me to do this. Admit it and let’s get on with it!”

Tal shrugged and said, “Alpha-two. Duncan, how’s it going?”

“I think I’m going to be drawn and quartered and Natalie will be burned at a stake. The Colonel is being a real jerk.”

“Give me a moment, let me see if I can do something about that.” Tal chuckled and turned around, “Mr. Chancellor, she’s right; I do need her to assist me.”

Ka rolled her eyes and the Chancellor looked at General Lein, “I’ll make her a colonel, Sir.”

The Chancellor turned to Tal, “Just how were the two of you communicating, General Talent?”

“It’s a device Ka developed, Sir. She’ll share it with you first opportunity. However, I just contacted Major Montana and it appears the board of inquiry is going rather hard on him and his assistant. If it weren’t for him, we would not be here, Sir.”

The Chancellor’s expression turned angry. He turned to the man on his left and ordered, “Connect me with the officer conducting the interview of Major Montana.”

• • •

Colonel Spicer glared at Duncan and Natalie and sneered, “The two of you will probably spend the next few years in prison?”

“On what charge, Sir?” Duncan asked.

“For treason. Aiding an enemy of Earth. If it were left up to me, I would have you executed. You drug your assistant into this.”

Natalie spoke up, “No he didn’t, Sir. I worked with him willingly!”

Spicer had a malevolent smile…and then the red phone on the table rung. Spicer was startled by the ring that brought a smile to Duncan’s face, “I believe you should take that call, Sir.”

Col. Spicer picked up the unit, “Yes, Sir.”

“It’s my understanding you are coming down rather hard on the Major and his assistant.”

“Uhhh…Sir, they gave aid and assistance to our enemies.”

“Colonel, you might be interested to know that later today I am promoting Major Montana to General in command of our intelligence services. I believe you are in the intelligence services, are you not?”

Spicer’s eyes grew wider, as he answered, “Yes, Sir!”

“I suspect General Montana will be writing up a fitness report on you from what he’s observing from you and your board of inquiry. I suspect you might want to convince him you aren’t as stupid as I’m thinking you are at this moment.”

Colonel Spicer glanced at Duncan and Duncan saw whatever Spicer heard wasn’t good. He hung up the communicator and announced, “This board of inquiry is over. We find Major Montana and Lt. Gleason not guilty of any infractions of the military code of conduct and they are free to go.”

Duncan and Natalie turned to each other and Duncan smiled, “It appears Tal has pulled another one out of the fire.”

Spicer spoke up quickly, “Major. I hope you understand I was just doing my job.”

Duncan wondered what caused Spicer’s attitude to change so quickly and was angered by Spicer’s comment, “Sir, if this is how you treat your subordinates, I am not impressed with the way you work. You made accusations and did not allow us to explain what we did or offer any defense.”

Spicer deflated and decided that he better go to personnel and retire before noon. He saw what awaited him if he didn’t.

• • •

The Chancellor handed the communicator to his assistant and smiled, “I think that situation has been resolved. I do look forward to your help. I’m highly impressed with what I’ve seen today.”

“Thank you, Sir.” Tal said as he bowed his head toward the Chancellor.

Ka rushed up and grabbed Tal’s arm, “I don’t want you to do this!”

Tal looked into Ka’s eyes, “Do you remember one of the first questions I asked you?” Ka’s eyes closed slightly as she tried to remember. “Will Sha be safer with you, or with me?”

Ka closed her eyes and lowered her head. After a moment she asked softly, “You will continue to protect her?”

“I promised I would, Ka.”

Ka nodded slightly and took Sha in her arms, “I love you, Sha. I’ve regretted my entire life that I had to leave you. I’m so sorry I did.”

“Mom, it’s a dangerous universe and all of us are forced to do things we hate in order to survive. I do not blame you and I know how much you love me. I love you more because of the sacrifices you endured to keep us safe.”

General Lein walked over and smiled, “What name do you want on your ID Colonel?”

Sha smiled, “Sharon Talent.” Ka and Tal jerked their heads around to her. Sha’s expression showed her exasperation, “Get real, you two. If I’m single, every soldier we run into is going to be hitting on me. At least if they think I’m married to a General, they’ll keep their distance. Do either of you see it differently?” Tal raised his shoulders and Ka dropped her shaking head into her hands. Sha turned to General Lein, “Sharon Talent, Sir.”

General Lein smiled, “I think you’re wise to do this, Colonel. You would be a distraction to most men and you would only generate jealousy among the female troops.”

“I can handle it, General but I do get weary of it.”

A woman stepped up, “Please allow me to show you to your quarters.”

Sha smiled, “Lead the way.”

“Just a moment, please!” A soldier held up a camera in front of Sha, “I need a photo for your ID.” He snapped the picture and went to Tal. He snapped another photo and the woman led the three of them out of the office. General Lein shouted to the woman, “Get them fitted for uniforms.”

The woman waved a hand at him, “I’ve got everything handled, General.”

Sha looked at her, “You and the General are…”

She turned to Sha, “Married. He sometimes forgets that, and I have to straighten him out.”

“Go easy on him,” Tal remarked.

“I’ll make him beg me to forgive him. Then we’ll make up and it will be worth the effort.”

Sha laughed, and Ka frowned. Tal was amazed at their different reactions. Sha was nothing like Ka. He didn’t know if that was good or bad.

• • •

Sha didn’t stop asking questions all the way to their quarters. They arrived at the giant building where the lab was located, and the woman said, “Here we are. We’ve assigned three-units for you.”

Sha immediately turned to her, “We only need two-quarters. Tal and I will be sharing quarters.”

“YOU WILL NOT!!” Ka interrupted practically jumping out of her seat.

Sha’s mouth pursed, as she asked the woman, “How may bedrooms are in a married couple’s, quarters?”

“Three.”

“Why that many?!” Ka asked the woman.

“There must be room for children,” she replied.

“We’ll use separate bedrooms, Mom. The only people that know we’re not married were in that meeting and it wouldn’t take the scientists and troops living here long to see if we had separate quarters. They would know we’re at the least not getting along. I don’t need the pressure. Further, when we visit other installations, the officers will call their counterparts here to get the lowdown on us and learn about it.”

Tal looked at her with a slow shake of his head, “Do you miss anything?”

Sha giggled, “This was easy. It’s not something you have to deal with, Tal, but Mom knows I’m right about this.” Sha turned to Ka, “You shared quarters with him for weeks. Did anything happen.”

“Well…no.”

“Ok, it’s settled.

Ka knew if Tal had wanted to…something would have happened, but he didn’t force himself on her. She wasn’t sure about Sha.

The woman looked at her pad, “The married rooms are on another floor. I won’t be able to keep you together.”

Tal quickly replied, “That’s fine.” Ka closed her eyes briefly and knew it was over. She had lost control over what was happening.

• • •

Their quarters were excellent, even better than their residences in the colonies. Some soldiers bought their bags to their room and all three of them couldn’t keep their eyes off Sha. She ignored them, and they walked out with a story to tell about the new General’s wife. Sha took a bedroom with a window and Tal stopped her, “Take the other one.”

“Why?”

“A window is the most dangerous thing in a residence. This building is armored, and no clear window can match it. I don’t care how much a window is designed to take, it isn’t good enough. If you want to look out the window, you can always come in here to do it.”

“Ok.” Sha picked up one of her bags and took it to the other room.

When she returned for the other one and Tal was surprised, “I expected you to argue about it.”

“You had your facts together; there can be no argument.”

“As soon as you get unpacked, meet me in the living room.”

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“I need to start training you.”

“Oh, goody. This should be cool.”

Tal shook his head, “Goody?! Cool?!” He rolled his eyes and sighed.

• • •

He went to his room and pulled a book out of his luggage. He went to the sofa where Sha was waiting for him and sat down beside Sha. “I want you to look at the images in this book and focus closely on each one of them. When you have them in your mind I want you to deliberately think, ‘CHANGE!’ Got it?” Sha nodded and began slowly turning the pages.

After a few minutes, she asked, “Where did you get this book?”

“FOCUS!!”

Sha winced and went back to turning pages. She reached the end of the book and shouted, “I’m done.”

“No, you’re not,” Tal yelled from his room. “Do it again!” Sha rolled her eyes and went back to the first page. Tal made her go through the book four-times and then came in the room with the injection gun. “I’m going to inject you with the solution that will allow you to use the mimicking process. There will be a moment where you’ll experience some heat, but it will pass quickly. Ready?” Sha nodded, and Tal pushed up her sleeve and pressed the trigger.

Sha flinched and then looked up at him, “The heat has passed.”

Tal handed her a grey stretch suit, “Go and put this on.”

“Why?”

“This will stretch to cover any image you choose. The clothes you have on now won’t fit on some of the images.”

Sha went to her bedroom and came out a few minutes later, “I notice Mom wears stretch suits most of the time.”

“You can’t be invisible without it.”

“What about the Uniforms we’re going to have to wear?”

“I’m going to modify them to match the material in the stretch suits. We’ll need to make sure they fit tight.”

“How are you going to pull that off?” Sha asked.

Tal rolled his eyes, “Sha, for the rest of the day, stop with the questions!” Sha rolled her eyes and reluctantly agreed.

“Now, I want you to start focusing on images in the book and only think change when you want to match the image.”

“Ok.” Sha stared at the first image and nothing happened. It was on the fifth-image that she changed.

“Sha, did you intend to change your form?”

“No, I just thought this was a beautiful woman.”

Tal took her by the arm and led her to the bathroom and made her look at the mirror. Sha was stunned. “I didn’t think change.”

Tal stared at her in the mirror, “You’ve not had the benefit of the weaker solution used by the guild. They had to focus for several minutes before they could change their form. You must learn to control this, or you could look at someone and mimic them without intending to do it. That would cause us great problems.”

Sha looked at him in the mirror and then asked, “How do I get this under control?”

“You’re going to have to train your mind to only change when you think change. Go back to the book, focus on every image, and think ‘change’.” Sha nodded and went back to the sofa. Tal watched her and saw her begin changing to match every image she focused on. Soon, she was changing at a faster and faster speed. He made her go through the book for more than three-hours and then called a stop. She looked up at him and he said, “I want you to focus on every image but don’t think change, do it?” Sha nodded, and her image didn’t change as she went through the book. She finished the book and Tal instructed, “Now, go back to the first page, and think change on every other page.” Sha stared at the first page and then looked at the second. She immediately changed, “VERY GOOD! He encouraged, “Keep at it.”

Sha was ten-pages into the book when they heard a knock on the door. He stood up and went to the door. Several soldiers were there with a cart, “Sir, we’ve brought your evening dinner.

“Give us a few moments.” He went back to the sofa and saw Sha was panicked, “I CAN’T GET BACK TO MYSELF!! I’VE LOST MYSELF!!”

Tal sat down beside her, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look at him, “Calm down, Sha! You don’t need an image to do this.” Her eyes were wide open, and Tal spoke with soothing voice, “Sha, you’ve seen your image thousands of times during your life. You know inside what you look like, and you need to focus on that. When was the last time you saw yourself?”

Sha’s terror eased as she tried to answer his question. “I saw myself in the wall mirror in our cabin on the cruise ship.”

“Close your eyes and focus on that memory. Focus on your face, the shape of your body, your hands, arms, legs; get the image clearly in your mind.” Sha was silent, and Tal continued, “When you have that image fixed in your mind, think ‘change’.” A minute later, Sha appeared in her normal form. “What took you so long?” Tal asked with a smile.

Sha shrugged, “I had to make sure my feet were the right size.”

Tal laughed and went to the door, “Bring it in and thank you for your patience.” The Sargent smiled and brought the carts into the room.

After they left, Sha looked at Tal, “I think I’ve got it.”

“What?”

“I see that focusing on an image to change into requires a different kind of focus; I can feel the difference.”

Tal’s expression changed, “Show me.”

Suddenly, Sha began changing into different forms without looking at the book. She changed almost too fast to follow and Tal was stunned at what he was seeing. Then Sha’s normal form appeared, and she stopped changing.” She saw his expression and smiled, “Shocked ya, didn’t I?”

Tal stood up, stepped away from the sofa, stopped, and turned around to face her, “Sha, what you just demonstrated isn’t possible. That kind of control doesn’t exist.”

“Yes, it does, and you can do it, too.”

Tal stared at her and sat back down on the sofa, “Go on.”

“Think about an image you want to mimic but don’t think ‘change’,” Tal closed his eyes and focused on Sig’s image. “Do you have it?” Tal nodded. “Tal feel that image. It’s not a thought, it’s a picture. Thoughts change, images don’t. It’s a different part of your brain that controls images. Can you feel the difference?” Tal thought about Sig and the image disappeared. He focused on Sig’s image and it appeared. He smiled and thought, ‘Change!’” He opened his eyes and saw he was now Sig. “If you’re thinking about what you’ve focused on, you won’t change,” Sha said in a quiet voice, “Now focus on the Chancellor. Get his image in mind and do it again.” Tal closed his eyes and felt his body change. He jumped up and ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Sha was behind him and said, “This talent is much more than you thought.” Tal was looking at the Chancellor.

He turned to Sha and said calmly, “We’re no longer just humans manipulating their form, we’ve become shapeshifters.” He looked into her eyes, “Have you figured out how to become invisible?” Sha instantly disappeared. Tal nodded, “If you can visualize it, you can be it.”

Sha reappeared and nodded, “I’m surprised you haven’t seen this before.”

“It was always there, but…I think your talent of seeing the truth allowed you to see if first.”

Sha giggled, “Now, aren’t you glad you brought me along?”

Tal rolled his eyes and disappeared. Sha disappeared with him and saw a hazy form of him standing in front of her, “I want you to see that we can see each other when we’re invisible.”

Sha stared at him and said, “You learn something new every day.”

“Amen to that!” Tal replied. Tal reappeared, “Let’s eat before it gets cold.” He followed Sha into the kitchen.

Chapter Seventeen

They sat at the table for most of the dinner with no conversation, while Sha was thinking about the new techniques she had just discovered and all she experienced earlier that day. Finally, Sha couldn’t stand the silence any longer, “What’s bothering you?” she asked.

“I think I’ve figured out why you want to be with me.”

“Oh!” Pray tell, what is it?”

“You want me to teach you all the skills and talents I possess.”

Sha’s expression went neutral and her ever present smile disappeared. She took a bite of asparagus and made eye contact with him as she chewed and then swallowed, “Why do you say that?”

“When you contacted me on the cruise ship, you said what your mother told you about what we did on Earth intrigued you. You wanted to meet me and have a conversation; you had some questions, you told me. I know now that you wouldn’t allow me to answer them over the communicator because you wanted to confirm in person that I was being honest.”

Sha nodded, “Go on.”

“You told me you know everything your mother knows including her assassin’s training.”

“I do.”

“You aren’t satisfied to just know everything she knows; you want to be better than she is. To do that, you need my talents and skills.”

“Mom already has those, Tal. You gave them to her.”

“But you know I didn’t give her all of them.” Sha shrugged and looked away. “So, once you’ve milked me of ‘everything I know’, you can end this charade and go your merry way.”

“You certainly have all your facts in order.”

“So, it’s true?!”

“Not even close but I can see why you believe it. You don’t have a very high opinion of yourself, do you?”

Tal’s expression turned angry, “Sha, I know who I am! Unlike all the colonists that were born beautiful, I wasn’t. I’ve seen people turn their heads to avoid looking at me. There is no way you’d want to be anywhere near me unless you had an ulterior motive.”

“Now I see you don’t have a high opinion of me, either,” Sha replied. She took another bite.

Tal sat back, “Show me where I’m wrong.”

Sha finished chewing and asked, “If Mom was sent to Earth alone on the mission, could she have pulled it off?”

“I doubt it.”

“If you went alone, could you have pulled it off?”

“I really don’t know.”

“Well, let’s look at it. You demonstrated on the trip here that if you don’t want to be found, you won’t be. So, you could have made it to Earth. Your invisibility talent would allow you to slip any security forces tracking you and get you close to the Orlando Complex; you could have gotten into the base easily enough. Your making an Earth ID would have gotten you in the lab. You could have used any number of excuses to get in, I’m reasonably certain you could have come up with something. Getting out after killing the good Doctor wouldn’t have been easy, but I’m reasonably sure you could have even pulled that off. My mother was ranked Number One, but she didn’t hold a candle to you. You took her and used what she brought to the table to get it done.”

“What’s your point?” he asked impatiently.

“Tal, do you not see that anyone that could do all the things you did is incredibly interesting? Coupled with the fact that you demonstrated incredible intelligence at figuring out the alien’s existence and determining that your place was on Earth assisting them; well, I was impressed.”

“Sha…look at me! Your mother rejected me because of my appearance…”

“No, she didn’t.”

“Yes…she did!”

“She didn’t but you’ll have to straighten that out with her. You think your appearance eliminates you from anyone wanting to be around you.”

“I know it does.”

“Well, you can certainly change it at will. However, you’ve mentioned how you match up to the men in the colonies, how do you match up with the men on Earth?”

“What?”

“It’s a simple question? How do you match up with the men here?” Tal lowered his eyes and thought about all the men he encountered while on Earth. As he thought about it, Sha started talking, “You know that parents in the colonies can manipulate their children’s genes to get a beautiful baby. Have you ever noticed that the basic shape of most men’s faces in the colonies is pretty much identical? After a while, they look rather common and tiresome. They manipulate their color to make them appear different; it really doesn’t work. Do you think all the men here are ugly?”

Tal answered, “Nooo…I guess not.”

“How would they compare to the men in the colonies?” Tal stared at Sha in silence, “You know they’d come up lacking. Your parents didn’t manipulate your genetics and you were born looking normal. Most colonists are aberrations and not normal. You are very far from ugly and quite frankly, you more than hold your own around here. So, saying your appearance is a detraction is not being honest, even though you think you are. Just like my mother was messed up by my father, your self-image took a massive hit due to the appearance of the men around you in the colonies.”

• • •

Tal continued to look at Sha with a blank stare. “That’s why you felt so guilty about Natalie.” Tal’s eyes narrowed to slits, he sat straight up, and he began to open his mouth, but Sha quickly asked, “Be honest! If you thought you looked good, would it have bothered you?” Tal closed his mouth. His anger dissipated, as he leaned back in his chair. “You just think that if Natalie saw your real appearance, she would have never given you the time of day. So, you felt you deceived her and felt bad because of it. I’m willing to bet that once she got to know you, you could have looked like a troll and she’d still want to be with you. You need to really take a good look at yourself in the mirror and see yourself for who you are. You’re not a movie star, but your appearance is very pleasing.”

Tal glanced away as she continued, “Your problem is that when you’re in your normal form, you’re always frowning and scowling. No one wants to approach anyone looking like that. If you change your form to what you think is a more handsome one, then you feel guilty of deceiving anyone interested in you and refuse to get close. That’s why you wanted Mom to wait until the mission was over to decide if she would pair up with you. If you’d simply smile a little, you’d see that females would want to be around you. Try it.”

“You can’t be suggesting you’re attracted to me.”

Sha’s smile was back, “I’m not suggesting anything. You announced you had everything figured out and I feel compelled to tell you where you’re wrong. You’ve listened to all I’ve said. Give me something that disputes it.” Tal thought about it as Sha took another bite, “I’ll wait for your response. Tal couldn’t come back with anything.

“I’ll clean up,” he said quietly.

Sha shook her head, “Sorry. Generals don’t clean up for Colonels.”

Tal went to the living room and thought about all she had said. She was right about most of it. He went to his bag and removed a pouch. He put the contents on the coffee table and looked up as Sha came out of the kitchen, “Are you armed?” Sha stared at him and nodded. “What do you have?”

“The same thing Mom uses, a projectile tube hidden in her arm.”

“How many shots?”

“Four.” Sha sat down beside him on the sofa.

“Are you good with it?” Sha nodded. Tal nodded toward the table, “These are some of the weapons I carry. I call them darts and they’re fired by using small tubes. This dart will instantly immobilize anyone it hits and will disintegrate their body within thirty-minutes.”

“Mom told me about that dart. You used it to take out the assassins sent to kill you.”

“I did. The dart next to it will cause a heart attack twelve-hours after it hits a person.”

“It’s an assassination tool,” she observed

Tal nodded, “It won’t be felt when it hits and will allow the shooter to escape.” He lifted another tube, “This tube is my main-defense.”

“What is it?”

“It contains a hundred and fifty tiny darts. If you blow into the tube, the darts will come out simultaneously in a fan shaped cloud. It will drop anyone they hit.”

“Will it kill them?”

“No, however, I do have a dart that will.”

Sha looked at him, “Where do you carry them.”

“I have a tube in the joints of every finger next to my palms.”

“They look too long to fit, Tal.”

“They’re compressed when in my hand and when I pull them out, they extend. The first-two-darts are inside the tube and are sealed against accidental release. When you blow on the tube, it extends and releases the dart. They will have to be reloaded to be used more than once.”

Where do you carry the darts?”

“I don’t carry those. If I suspect I’ll need more than one, I’ll bring it with me.”

“What about the larger tube?”

“I carry ten-magazines.”

“Where?”

Tal pressed the index and ring finger of his left hand on the back of his right hand. A small box rose out of his hand and a tiny tube rose out of it. He picked up a magnifying glass and allowed Sha to examine it. She stared at the tiny cylinder and Tal took the longer tube and swept the end over the back of his right hand and the cylinder was gone. Sha looked at him, “You’re telling me there’s more than a hundred-darts in that tiny cylinder?”

“A hundred and fifty to be exact. They are minute in size but extremely effective in knocking down an entire room of adversaries.”

“How are they not seen in a scan?”

“They’re made from a material that mimics my DNA. What you’re going to do for the next several days is learn how to use these at high-speed. First you have to learn how to be accurate.” Tal handed her a tube and a box of darts. These darts are harmless but hit me with one, they hurt.” Tal went to the island separating the kitchen from the living room and set up a carving board between two-books. He placed a paper towel over the board and used a felt-tip to draw a small circle on it. He turned back to her, “You can use a chair and start close. But I want you able to hit that circle from across the room before I give you these to use.”

Sha nodded and inserted the first dart. Tal headed toward his bed room and heard it hit the carving board. He’d find out later how she was doing; having an audience never helped. “Tal.” He stopped just outside his door and turned around. “These weapons have a limited range.”

Tal nodded, “Soldiers use long-range weapons, Sha. Assassins kill from close-range. If you want something with more distance, I’ll get you a gun from the armory.”

“Let me work on these first.” Tal nodded and went into his room.

Tal pulled out his scanner and connected to a communication frequency used between Earth and the Colonies. He tapped in to a connection on Americas and went into the guild computer. He scrolled down the communications and stopped. The Guild Master was communicating with an officer in the Military.

“Guild Master, we found your assassin’s communicator in a dumpster. We did not find a body.”

“It looks like Number One has finally been eliminated by another assassin.”

“Like I said, we haven’t found a body.”

“You probably won’t. That’s what normally happens when an assassin disappears. Let me know if anything turns up.”

“I will.”

Tal activated his communicator, “Ka, do you have a moment?”

“I do.”

“The military found your communicator in a dumpster. The Guild Master has written you off as being killed by another assassin. You’re in the clear.”

“Thanks for telling me, Tal. How is Sha doing?”

“I’m giving her invisibility and she’s working on it.”

“Thank you for that.”

Tal waited, and Ka was silent. “Take care, Ka.” He ended the contact and continued to look through the guild’s computer. He stopped at a conversation where the Guild Master asked, “Have we heard anything from our contacts on Earth?”

“No, Guild Master. One of them expects to be moved into their main defense facility shortly.”

“Keep me informed.”

Tal’s eyes narrowed, and he looked at the date of the conversation. He almost interrupted Sha, but he decided it could wait until morning. He went to his bed and fell on it. He fell asleep with the sounds of darts hitting the cutting board.

• • •

Ka looked at the computer she was given to examine and saw Earth was far behind the colonies in computer science. It wasn’t that their computers weren’t any good, they were just slow and memory storage was rudimentary compared to those used in the colonies. Dr. Christophal Meier looked over her shoulder and asked, “What do you think?”

Ka looked up and shook her head, “If you can get a good computer system, your work would go so much more smoothly.”

“Is there anything you can do about it?”

Ka nodded, “I need you to gather your best computer engineers in one place and allow me to meet with them. I brought some critical parts from the colonies inside some of my instruments; I’m going to take them apart and try to get them duplicated. Can you make that happen?”

“Yes, would tomorrow be all right?”

“My but you work fast!”

“You have no idea.”

“It can’t be here.”

“Why not?” he asked.

“I’m going to assume many of them are not in the military and it would be a mistake to allow an infiltrator inside this building. They would learn quickly that Earth has a stardrive.”

“You’re right. I’ll set it up at our main manufacturing facility.”

“Will that delay you?”

“No, plan for me to take you there first thing in the morning.” Ka nodded and stood up, “Where are you going?”

“Doctor, I’m going to my room to disassemble some of my trinkets.”

“Call me, Chris. May I go with you?”

Ka looked back at him, then smiled, “Sure, why not.” They left the lab and Ka saw Chris was interested in her. She could use that to get ahead on Earth. It might be that she would ultimately replace him; that felt like a good idea. She wondered what Tal and Sha were up to.

• • •

The next morning, Tal woke early and found Sha still firing darts at the cutting board. “Did you sleep?”

Sha nodded as she blew another dart, “I don’t need much sleep. I got up early to work on this.”

“Take a break, we need to go and meet with General Lein.”

“What’s going on?”

“The Guild Master was told that an informer was going to be moved inside this facility. We need to check and see if they managed to do it.”

Sha stood up and headed toward her room, “Do you have any idea who it might be?”

“Not a clue. We can use this as a trial run to see if we can ferret them out,” Tal replied.

“Give me a minute to change.”

“The stretch suit looks fine on you.”

“Too, fine, Tal,” she said as she started out of the room.

“That might be an asset.”

Sha stopped and thought about it. Her expression showed she was thinking about it, and then she turned and walked back into the room, “You’re right. If anyone is not distracted, then we’ll know they are worried about something.”

“Or they have poor vision,” Tal added with a chuckle.

Sha smiled, “Good point.”

• • •

General Lein saw them enter the lab and turn toward his desk, which was located near the gate. They walked up, went to attention, and saluted. Lein returned their salutes and leaned back in his chair, “I do not follow normal rank protocols in here. Treat me like an equal and forget all the saluting and coming to attention. If you’re here to ask about your IDs, they should be here this afternoon.”

“Sir, I’ve uncovered that there is a colony mole that was expected to be transferred to this installation sometime within the last forty-days. Do you have a list of all the new personnel that have arrived here during that time?”

“Where did you learn that?”

“I’d rather keep that confidential, but if you order me, I’ll tell you.”

Lein looked at Tal with a furrowed brow and then turned to his right, “Colonel, pull up a list of all new personnel that arrived here within the last forty-days.”

“Is that personnel in the lab or the entire installation, Sir?”

Lein looked at Tal, “All personnel, Sir.”

Colonel Sato turned to his computer and began making entries. Sha looked around and turned to General Lein, “Where is my mother?”

“She’s gone with Dr. Meier to see about manufacturing the items needed to build a new computer.” Sha glanced at Tal and didn’t see his expression change. She knew he had better control than she did, but there was no way this information didn’t bother him.

Chapter Eighteen

Colonel Sato looked up from his computer screen, “Sir, we have seven-hundred transfers during the period in question. Sha’s head went back slightly and General Lein shrugged, “There are more than fifty-thousand personnel assigned to this installation. This lab is one of many scattered around this base and we have a fully operational spaceport. With that many here, seven-hundred transfers are not that unusual.”

“That needs to stop, Sir,” Tal said as gently as he could.

“Why is that?”

“You have too many doors open for an infiltrator to arrive. I believe that the colonies want to know about what’s going on in your labs here and the level of danger your warships represent. They’ll try to get in both and this constant coming and going of personnel is dangerous.”

General Lein stared at Tal and turned to Colonel Sato, “Is there anything we can about this?”

‘We can change the requirements of working here, Sir.”

“Which ones?”

Sato pulled up a document on his screen and read it. After a moment, he turned to General Lein, “Assigning someone here is viewed as a cushy assignment. Many of the senior ranking NCOs in the Army are granted transfer requests in the last few-years of their enlistments. Half of the replacements are to fill the positions of military personnel that retire.”

“Change the protocol such that any personnel with less than ten-years remaining in their enlistment will not be allowed to transfer here,” General Lein replied. “What about the other transfers?”

“Sir, many scientists come here from various Universities to work on short-term projects and then go back to their teaching positions.”

“Why do you do that, Sir?” Tal asked.

“The program is designed to bring our brightest scientists up to date on the most recent developments we’ve made.”

Couldn’t that program be set up in one of the universities, Sir. Obviously, you’re not sharing classified information with them and it doesn’t have to be done here.”

Lein’s expression showed his discomfort, “We are sharing some information with them that is classified.”

“Why would you even think about doing that, Sir?”

“Tal, we need all of our scientists on Earth working on developing new technologies and most them aren’t here on the base. We screen them carefully and make sure they can be trusted.”

“And what happens if a guild assassin kills one of them and mimics them?”

“We should be able to determine that, wouldn’t you think?”

“Absolutely not, Sir. They not only assume the scientist’s physical appearance but can transfer his memories into their brains. There is no question you could ask that they wouldn’t have the answer.”

“I wasn’t aware of that.”

“It’s true, General. The infiltrator will kill the one he’s mimicking and remove their body. Every physical screen would not detect the difference and nothing you used to question them with would work.”

“Are you saying that we’ve been infiltrated?”

“I’m suggesting you probably have been. We need to start with the recent transfers and work our way through the rest of the personnel here. I suspect some of the crew members on your warships are infiltrators.”

“Why do you think that, General Tal?”

“Because the Guild Master told us that Earth’s warships were at the very least equal to the colonies’ ships and probably better. If he has that information, so does the colonies’ military intelligence.”

“How do you want to do this?” Lein asked.

Tal thought for a moment and Sha spoke up, “Schedule a meeting with all the newly transferred scientists to go over any issues they may have with the transition moving here. We’ll tell them their views are important and we need them to tell us what they are. After the scientists, we’ll meet with the recently transferred military personnel.”

“And you believe you’ll be able to determine if any infiltrators are among them?”

“Yes, General, I believe we can,” Tal responded.

Lein turned to Sato, “Set up the meetings and make them mandatory. I want the names of anyone that doesn’t show up.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Schedule the first meeting in the morning.”

“Do you want guards present?” Sato asked.

“NO!” Tal interrupted. They both turned to him. “We need to track anyone we uncover and determine who they’re working with.”

“If there are any scientists in this lab, they will know we have a working stardrive!”

“The colonies don’t know it yet. That information will have to come from a recent transfer, Sir.”

General Lein thought for a moment and Sha said, “We won’t alarm any we find. We’ll decide what to do about them afterwards.”

General Lein stared at them and turned to Sato, “Schedule the meetings.”

Tal smiled and looked out at the lab, “We need to go and introduce ourselves to the ones working in here.” Lein’s head tilted. “We need to make absolutely sure there are no colony agents in here.”

Lein nodded toward the main room, “Knock your lights out. I’ll be greatly surprised if you find any in here.” He stood up and led them out into the lab.

General Lein stopped at the first worksite and Sha scanned the room. She saw a data-entry clerk stand up across the room and head toward the restrooms. As her gaze crossed the room, she saw a scientist working in another group see them, leave the group, and go to a desk at the rear of the facility. Tal also scanned the room and saw that no one in the room was mimicking. He connected with Sha, “There are no mimics in the lab.”

“How can you tell that so quickly?”

“I put on a special contact lens in my left-eye this morning. It allows me to see any genetic deviation. The mimicking process isn’t perfect, there is always some variance in the guild’s mimicking process.”

“What about the one we use?”

“There are variances inside us, but the outer body is perfect. We won’t be detected. That’s assuming the colonies have the technology I’ve developed in the contact lens; I highly doubt they do. It’s up to you to find any that might be here.”

“Can’t you see if someone isn’t being honest. Tal?”

“Yes, but I could miss someone trained by the guild.”

“Do they train anyone not an assassin.”

Sha, they work with the military and trade training between their organizations.”

“But that would mean that some here would have to come from the colonies.”

“No, a trainer would have to come to Earth and recruit here. There’s no reason to take a chance on my missing someone.”

“Then you need to get out of here.” Tal’s head cocked, and eyes narrowed. “You’ve determined there’s no mimics and your and General Lein’s presence will only make everyone nervous.”

“Wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

“Tal! Even the innocent would be nervous around Generals.”

Tal turned to General Lein, “Make an announcement to the lab that Sha is Ka’s daughter and wants to meet everyone here. We need to go back to your desk and look busy.” Lein looked puzzled and Tal smiled, “High ranking officers make people nervous.” Lein nodded and made the announcement.

Sha went to the first work group and introduced herself. In no time at all, they felt comfortable and tried to stop her from leaving. “I want to meet everyone, and I’ll talk to you later,” She told them with a smile, and walked to the next group.”

Tal watched her out of the corner of his eye and saw that beauty was a real asset and both Ka and Sha used it well.

Sha worked her way around the lab and introduced herself to each person in every work group. She asked them questions about how they came to the lab and how they liked it. Tal left with General Lein and Colonel Sato was ordered to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Sato stared at his computer screen but was looking over it out into the lab.

Sha finally arrived at the scientist’s desk that had left his work group, “Good day, Mr….?”

“I’m Dr. Edmundson.”

“My name is Sha Talent and I’m so impressed with what you’re doing here. Do you enjoy your work?”

“I do, Mrs. Talent.”

Sha’s eyes narrowed, “Are you from here. I think I hear an accent?”

“No, I’m from Scotland. I’ve tried to keep my accent hidden. I get some ribbing about it from my peers.”

Sha chuckled, “Well, I like the sound of it, Doctor.” After a few minutes, Sha smiled, “It’s nice meeting you, Doctor Edmundson.”

“And it’s a pleasure meeting you as well, Colonel.”

‘Call me, Sha. Let’s save the rank for the enlisted, shall we?”

“I look forward to seeing you again…Sha.”

Sha smiled and headed toward the data-entry terminals. The woman that left when they entered was back at her console and Sha took her time getting to her. When she finally walked up, she smiled, “Hello, my name is Sha. And you are?”

“Allison Anders, Sir.”

“Are you enlisted?”

“Yes, Sir, I’m a corporal in the Army.”

“How long have you been in the service, Allison?”

“Five-years, Sir.”

“How do you like it?”

“It has its moments.”

“You don’t like being kept chained to a desk, do you?”

Allison sighed, “I joined the service to see the world and now all I see are these four-walls.”

“I can understand that. Are you married?”

“I was. My husband left me.”

“Any children?”

“Why do you ask, Sir?”

“I’m really hoping to have children one day and everyone tells me I should hold off and enjoy my life before I do that.”

“Children will change your life and priorities, Sir. They demand so much time but are well worth it.”

Sha smiled, “I really think you’re right about that. Who keeps your child while you’re working? I mean, that can get expensive.”

“I have someone that does it for a reasonable price, Colonel.”

Sha saw the instant change and nodded, “You’re fortunate Corporal. Keep up the good work and try to make the best of a bad situation.”

“It’s not a bad situation, Sir. The people here are very nice and make it worthwhile.”

Sha’s smile was instant, “I’ve seen that.” Sha looked out at the lab, “I’m impressed with the people I’ve met here.” She turned back to Allison, “Have a nice day.”

“You too, Sir.”

Sha walked out of the lab and saw Tal and found General Lein sitting in the cafeteria. She went over to the food line and fixed a plate. She came over to their table and General Lein said confidently, “I told you there weren’t any agents working in my lab.”

Sha took a drink of milk and smiled, “You’re right, for the most part.”

Lein’s eyes narrowed instantly, “What do you mean?”

“There are two-agents in the lab, General.”

“WHO!?”

“Dr. Edmundson is one; I suspect he’s doing it because he wants to do it. There is a young woman, but she’s being forced.”

Tal asked, “What do you mean by ‘forced’?”

“I think someone is threatening her child.”

General Lein stood up and Tal said, “General, you shouldn’t act on this now.”

“WHY NOT! THEY’RE A THREAT TO OUR SECURITY!!”

“They’ve been a threat prior to today and we need to see who they’re working for,” Sha explained. “Dr. Edmondson has not had an opportunity to contact his liaison. Why is that, General?”

Lein sat back down and took a breath, “No one working in the lab can leave the base for six-months. Dr. Edmonson hasn’t been here that long.”

“That means his communication device is not on base, Sir,” Sha added.

“What about the woman?” Tal asked.

“She’s been working here for over a year. She leaves the base every day,” Lein confirmed.

“That means she’s not telling the one working her what’s going on in the lab.”

Lein turned to Tal, “And just how do you know that?”

“The colonies aren’t aware that Earth has a stardrive; she’s withheld that information.”

“She’s being forced to do it, Sir.” Lein turned to Sha. “Before we confront either of them, we have to remove the threat to her.”

“Why?” Lein asked.

“I’m reasonably certain that Edmundson knows she an agent,” Sha answered. “We need to prevent Edmondson from leaving the base until the threat is removed. How long before he can go?”

Lein lifted his communicator and asked Colonel Sato, “How long before Dr. Edmondson can leave the base?” Lein listened and nodded. He looked at Tal, “He can leave next Wednesday.”

“Has Dr. Edmondson suggested any scientist to Dr. Meier to join the project?” Tal asked.

“Dr. Laramie is a recommendation of Dr. Edmundson.”

Sha interrupted, “I didn’t meet anyone with that name, Sir.”

Lein turned to Sha, “He’s currently going through orientation and will join the lab next week.”

“Will he be in the meeting tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, Tal, he will. What are you thinking?”

“We’re going to hold the meetings and afterwards remove the threat to the woman. Once that’s done, we’re going to pay a visit to Dr. Edmundson’s residence. May I assume he has off-base housing.”

“We set it up for him on the first of this month,” Lein answered.

“Leave this to us to handle, Sir.”

“I’m extremely nervous about doing that, Tal.”

“If you act, it will warn the colonies to do a better job of getting their agents into our installations. They don’t know we’re here and aren’t worried, at the moment. The next agents will have a means of communicating here inside the lab.”

“Do you think they can do that?”

“Sir, the colonist scientists are magicians at building devices that could make it happen. We must make it too difficult to get in before they can act.”

“All right! I’ll leave it up to you. I’m still uneasy about your loyalty but you’ve not shown me any reason I should feel that way.”

“It’s your job to be suspicious, Sir. I’d probably feel the same way if I was in your place,” Tal replied. “Let us know where the meeting is being held, please.”

“I’ll have someone take you there in the morning at O900.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

• • •

Tal stood up and left the cafeteria. Sha followed him out and contacted him subvocally, “What are we going to do now?”

“You need to go back to mastering the darts. We’ll see what happens in the meetings tomorrow before we decide what to do.”

Sha nodded and was anxious to do something about the threat to Allison.

Chapter Nineteen

The next morning, the recently transferred civilian personnel were sitting in a large meeting room when Tal and Sha entered. Tal entering first, quickly announced, “Keep your seats.”

A man sitting in a front row desk on the far-right asked, “Why have we been called away from out duties to attend this meeting?”

Tal looked at him, “You are?”

“Dr. Laramie. I’m a Hawking Prize Winner in physics.”

“Congratulations, Doctor. This meeting won’t take long but we’ve found a number of issues that concern transferees that need to be addressed.” He turned to the room, “I’m General Talent and this is my wife, Colonel Talent. She will be taking notes and I want you to honest and have no fear that anything you say will be held against you.” He saw Laramie snort but ignored it. “During your transfer here, were there any issues that you found caused you problems.”

A man in the back of the room raised his hand. Tal recognized him, “State your name and tell me the nature of your problem?”

“I find it bothersome that we have to go through such a long orientation; it’s been going on for more than a week and I want to get to work.”

Tal looked at Sha and she nodded, “I’ve got it.”

Tal looked back at the room, “Are there any other issues?”

The civilians began raising their hands and Tal didn’t challenge any of them on what they said. He had Sha make a note and continued with the session. Finally, he looked at Sha, “Do you have any questions about what was said?”

Sha shook her head, “No, I think they’ve been clear in what issues are bothering them.”

Ta looked out at the room and smiled slightly, “I will meet with General Lein and Dr. Meier to discuss your issues. I must tell you that most of your orientation is involved in getting around the base without being challenged by security and shortening that process would cause more issues than you’ve mentioned here. You can be certain you don’t want to be challenged by security; it’s not a pleasant experience. Please return to what you were doing and thank you for your openness and honesty.”

The attendees left the room and Tal turned to Sha and started to speak; Sha contacted him subvocally over the communicator, “Don’t say anything out loud!” Tal closed his mouth, nodded, and then asked, “What do you think about their complaints.”

“Most of them we can do nothing about but there are a few that we can change.” Sha answered as she walked over to the desk Dr. Laramie was sitting in and lifted the top. Tal examined it and Sha pointed to a tiny piece of metal stuck flush in the wood. She raised her right hand, made a fist, and lifted her little finger shutting down her scanner. Tal made a fist, raised his index finger, and held his hand out at the tiny piece of metal; it was emitting an electrical field. He nodded and said, “Let’s take a break until the next group arrives.”

“How long do we have?” Sha asked.

“About an hour.”

“Ok, let’s go get a donut.”

“How you can eat as many sweets as you do and not gain weight is a mystery to me!?”

“That will change with age, Sir.”

“You don’t have to call me Sir.”

“Comes with the territory. Let’s go get that donut!”

“Lead the way.”

• • •

Laramie listened to them over a tiny device in his ear and decided he was being paranoid. The meeting was nothing more than what it appeared to be. He decided to listen to the next meeting and turned off the listening device half-way through. It bored him to tears.

• • •

The meeting with the newly transferred soldiers started slow. They weren’t relaxed with a General in the room but one of them finally raised their hand and talked about his issue. When Tal didn’t bite his head off, the others began joining in. General Lein warned them in advance that if soldiers weren’t complaining, something was wrong. They complained when there was nothing to complain about. He was right. Sha stopped them several times to ask clarifying questions and Tal saw that they were coming up with things to avoid having to report back to their posts. He finally announced, “That’s all. I’m sure you have other issues, but you’ve given me enough to focus on. Thank you for your openness and honesty. Please report back to your posts.”

The room came to attention and Tal announced, “Dismissed!” The attendees left the room and Sha smiled, “They do complain, don’t they?”

“Things wouldn’t be right if they didn’t. Was there anything important they brought up?”

“Twelve-hours on and twelve-ours off is a brutal schedule. It does cause fatigue and could pose an issue in them being sharp while on duty.”

“I’ll bring that up with General Lein. Let’s stop for the day.”

Sha stood up and went to the desk and looked at it again. She motioned Tal over and he looked under the top. The small piece of metal was gone. He knew this was colony technology. He walked out of the meeting room and headed for their quarters. Sha entered and immediately raised her hand. She moved around the room and stopped at the light over the door. Tal saw her pointing at a tiny dot and he recognized it as the same one that was in the desk. “What do we do about this?” Sha asked over the communicator.”

Tal spoke in his throat, “This was put here by the cleaning staff. We’ll find out who did it after we handle the ones we’ve discovered.”

“Dr. Laramie is obviously an agent.”

“Sha, he’s more than that. He’s a mimic and I believe he’s here to kill Dr. Meier. Contact your mother and tell her to keep Dr. Meier away from the lab until we handle this issue.”

“I would have thought you have no love for the Doctor.”

“You say that because he’s obviously after your mother’s attention.”

“It’s pretty obvious. Drooling is unbecoming behavior.”

Tal chuckled, “That’s an issue between them. Let’s go see if General Lein’s quarters has any listening devices.”

• • •

Tal and Sha left the base and checked in a hotel in Orlando. Sha worked on using the dart-tubes and Tal allowed her to keep working until the day before Dr. Edmundson was released to go to his residence. He turned to Sha and saw she was getting incredibly accurate with the darts; he called a halt to her practice, “Come and sit by me.” Sha walked over from the far wall and sat down. Tal took four packets out of his leather bag and lined them up on the coffee table. He picked up the first one and broke the seal, “I want you to take a deep breath and blow it into this pouch.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’m coding your dart tubes to your DNA.” Tal opened the pouch slightly and Sha blew into it. He quickly sealed the pouch and picked up the second. Once Sha had blown into each pouch, Tal turned to her, “The tubes need an hour to be operational. Once they’re ready, I’ll insert them in your left hand.”

“Why that hand?”

“Because you’re right handed and it’s easier to pull the tube and hide it in your right palm.”

“How do I get the tube out?”

Tal extended his fingers and then bent them into each other; he did not make a fist. He squeezed the middle finger on each side and a small tube came out. He grabbed it with his right hand and it extended into his palm. “It’s now ready to be used.”

“What if I change my mind?”

“You shouldn’t pull the tube out unless you fully intend to use it, Sha.”

“That’s not an answer. There may be an occasion where I need to see if I’m in danger and have it available. If I’m not…”

Tal interrupted, “Then at the first opportunity, put the tube over the finger you removed it from and press down on it. It will retract and go back into your finger.”

“What happens if I injure my hand? Could the darts get into my blood stream?”

“No. The seals on the tubes can only be broken by your breath blowing on them.”

Sha smiled, “Clever!”

Tal took a tube out of each pouch and inserted them into Sha’s hand. At the end he held her index finger, “This finger fires the barrage of a hundred and fifty darts.” He took her second finger, ‘This one fires a dart that will instantly immobilize a target. It won’t kill them, but it only lasts for several hours. The ring finger fires a dart that will paralyze a target and cause their body to be consumed by a virus within thirty-minutes. The tube in the little finger will cause a delayed heart-attack. Got it.”

“Where do I put the barrage darts?”

“We’ll put that in later.”

“Why are you delaying, Tal.”

“Tomorrow, Dr. Edmundson will be going to his off-base residence and I’m going to be waiting for him to arrive. You will need to be at that woman’s residence and be prepared to remove the threat you talked about. We’ll have to do this tomorrow and we’ll have to time it such that Dr. Edmundson doesn’t communicate with the one handling that woman.” Sha stared at him and nodded. “Sha, have you ever killed anyone?”

“No.”

“Are you capable of doing it?”

“I believe I am.”

“Sha, you need to come to terms with this! Hesitation can get you killed!”

Sha looked in his eyes and softly asked, “Did you hesitate on your first kill?”

“NO!” Sha was shocked by his response. “The scum deserved it and a lot more!”

“Tal, these agents believe they are defending the colonies. They are not scum.”

Tal shook his head, “You’re right. I’ll handle both of them.”

“THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M SAYING, TAL!”

“Sha, a young woman’s child is being threatened to force her to do their bidding. A Hawking Prize-Winning Doctor has been murdered so that he could be replaced. Two-soldiers in the meeting are mimics and they killed the ones they replaced. If you haven’t figured it out, the war has already started, and people are dying. Three-innocent couples were killed to get your mother and me sent to Earth to be killed. I thought you were pretty smart, but I can see you’re just playing at this.”

“I’ll do it.”

“Sorry, Sha. I don’t trust you to pull it off. I’ll handle them both.”

“If you do that, then Allison and her child could die.” Tal’s anger turned to surprise. Sha added, “I assume you’re going to allow Dr. Edmundson to contact his handler.”

“I am.”

“And if it’s the one threatening Allison, he’ll learn she’s been lying to him and not telling him about the stardrive. He’ll kill them if that happens.” Tal stared at her and Sha continued, “You can’t go to Allison first because Edmundson would contact another handler and tell them about the stardrive. You were right the first time, it is going to take two to do this.”

“I could get your mother to go with me. I know she won’t hesitate.” He immediately saw he had hurt Sha. But this was too serious to take it back.

There was a long moment of silence and Sha walked over to the window and looked out on downtown Orlando. Finally, she turned around and looked at him, “You said that to hurt me.” Tal turned his head to the right and shook it slightly. “I’ve forced myself on you against your wishes. You’ve been hurt, and I know that, despite what I’ve said, every time you look at me, you suffer. I’m going to forgive you for that comment, because you know that can’t happen. You’re just being hateful.” Tal refused to look at her and Sha sighed before saying, “Earth’s leaders would never agree to Mom taking any kind of risk that would jeopardize what she offers them. You know that and were paying me back for forcing my presence on you.”

Tal lowered his head. Suddenly, Sha changed her image to one of the pages she memorized. “Would this be better?”

Tal looked at her and blew out a breath, “Too late. Everyone’s seen you as my wife in your normal form. Any other image won’t cut it. Besides, even if you change your appearance, I’ll see you under it.”

“Then tell me what I can do to stop hurting you. I don’t deserve your hatred.”

“I don’t hate you, Sha!”

“Then what is it?”

“I miss your mother, if you must know!! I’m not getting over her and it’s almost too much to bear! I know she’s with Dr. Meier and I see she’s enjoying it.”

She could see Tal’s heartache. She then walked over and sat beside him on the sofa, “Tal, you need to understand something. I believe you do but you won’t accept it.”

“What is that?”

“My mother is intimidated by you and can’t allow her feelings for you to guide her.”

“I’ve never threatened her!”

“Not that sort of intimidation, Tal. She knows you’re brilliant and she’s verified she isn’t in your league.”

“Yes, she is!”

“NO, SHE’S NOT!!” Tal, my mother is a wizard in electrical technology. She understands mechanics and physics better that most engineers in the colonies. But you were, and probably still are, the best geneticist in the colonies. You also know more technology than most engineers and your ability to see things others miss is extraordinary. I know Mom told you she would never pair with a killer, but that was just an excuse. She won’t partner with you because she feels inferior and the more time she spent with you, the smaller she felt.”

“Did she tell you this?”

“She did! And you probably knew it but tried to ignore it.” Tal fell back on the sofa and closed his eyes. Sha leaned back with him and raised her eyebrows, “You can at least take solace in one thing.”

“What is that?”

“If she decided to pair up with Dr. Meier, you’ll know he’s nowhere near as smart as you are.” Tal opened his eyes and looked at her. She shrugged and said, “You know it’s true.”

Tal tried to smile but failed. Sha smiled at him and he said, “You are going to have to handle the situation at Allison’s house. I would recommend you get there before she does.”

“I will. Contact me if you find out the one threatening her is not Edmondson’s handler.”

“I will. Get some sleep. We need to be sharp tomorrow.” Tal hesitated and said, “I’m sorry.” She punched him on the arm, stood up, and went to her room.

• • •

The following afternoon, Tal parked an unmarked transport in an underground garage a half-mile north of Edmondson’s residence. He looked around and made sure no cameras could see him, before he turned invisible and exited the car. He locked it and put the key on top of the right-rear tire. He stepped back and saw that it was hidden inside the wheel-well. He jogged out of the garage and headed south. He arrived at Edmondson’s residence and held up his right hand. “HOLY GUACOMOLIE!!” he thought. There were twenty-three scanners detected outside and inside the house. Someone had come in and placed all those devices after it was rented. He wanted to be inside before the Doctor arrived, but the risk of setting off an alarm wasn’t worth taking. He sat down on the front steps and waited.

Edmondson arrived and raised the garage door. Tal followed the transport into the garage and waited until Edmondson exited the transport and pointed a remote at the house door leading out of the garage to open it. The door opened, and Tal went through it as Edmondson reached in the transport for his briefcase. Tal stood against the wall as Edmondson pressed a code into a wall security unit. Tal raised his hand and determined all the interior scanners were inactive. Edmondson entered the residence, walked up the stairs, and opened a bedroom door. He appeared bothered when he saw a broom sticking out of a hall closet and frowned. He went to the closet and put it inside and closed the closet door. Tal slipped in the bedroom and sat down against the wall beside the bed as Edmondson came in and locked the door. He raised a device and activated the interior scanners on the lower floor. He took off his jacket and went into the bathroom, opened the door to the vanity, felt inside and found a handle, lifted the fake floor, and took out a black box from under it. He lowered the floor and went to the bedroom, where he put the box on a desk in front of a large window. He pulled the curtains back and raised the blinds, before taking a Line-of-sight communicator out of the box. He oriented the communicator, so it had a clear view through the window, and pressed a red button on top of it. Two stalk antennas started rotating on top of the communicator and stopped when they aligned with the half-moon shining above Orlando’s skyline. Tal stood up and watched what Edmondson was doing. The red button he pushed illuminated and a few moments later, turned green. Edmondson pressed a pad on the device and spoke, “I’m connected, can you hear me.”

“You’re coming in loud and clear.” Tal held out his right hand and rapidly opened and closed his hand turning the communicator off and on at a fast-speed as Edmond said, “Earth has developed a stardrive and all their warships have them in place. They are also working on developing a force field.” He paused before continuing and heard, “I’m…. hearing…. words you….”

Edmondson shook his head and pressed the pad again as the house communicator on the desk rang. Who would be contacting him? He lifted the communicator and said, “Hello.”

“Doctor Edmondson, I’m sorry about sending you a defective shipment and we’ll gladly replace it.”

Edmondson knew open dialogue over a communicator was forbidden. However, his contact was notifying him that his communicator was defective and needed replacing. He forced himself to calm down and said smoothly, “I need it as soon as possible.”

“It will be delivered tomorrow. We had a bad lot of products and apologize for any inconvenience.”

“Thank you and I will look for the delivery tomorrow.”

He turned off the line-of-sight communicator and Tal quit opening and closing his hand. It wasn’t easy to keep the focus of his hand on just the device and not disturb the communicator, but he pulled it off. He activated his subvocal communicator, “Sha!”

“Yes.”

“Is the one threatening Allison there.”

“He just got off the communicator. I’m watching him punch a number into it now.”

“See if he orders a delivery to Edmondson.”

Tal waited, and Sha finally answered, “Yes, he did. How did you know about that?”

“Sha, just listen. I managed to prevent Edmondson from contacting his handler but the first things he reported were about the stardrive and force field development. If he manages to get that information out, Allison and her child will be killed for not telling her handler the truth. Both must go. Did you memorize the number the handler used?”

“I did.”

“Then you’ve got to take him out.”

“You don’t want to try and follow a line on his contact?”

“Duncan will have to use that number to do that. It’s show and tell time, Sha. Focus, I know you can do this!”

Tal broke the contact and saw Edmondson come out of the bathroom after returning the device under the vanity. He looked around the room and Tal hit him in the chest with a dart. Edmondson collapsed to the floor. Tal appeared, lifted him off the floor, and threw him on the bed. Edmondson’s eyes were still open, and Tal bent over him and took a tiny needle out of his left sleeve and stuck it into Edmondson’s cheek. Edmondson’s lips started moving, “WHO…”

“Sorry, Doctor, but I’ll be asking the questions.” Edmondson fought it but was unable to keep anything hidden. Tal questioned him until the destruction of his body reached his abdomen. Tal pursed his lips as the Doctor closed his eyes and died. The Doctor’s handler promised him great wealth in the colonies if he would cooperate. The Doctor was stupid to believe the promise, he would have never lived to receive it. He removed the device out of the Doctor’s pocket and turned off the interior scanners. He turned invisible again and left through the back door and went around the back of the garage. He pressed the device, reactivating the interior defenses and began jogging back to his transport. He wondered how Sha was doing.

• • •

Sha saw the man hang up the communicator and lift Allison’s son by the arm. The two-year old screamed and Allison wailed, ‘PLEASE DON’T HURT HIM!!”

The man sneered at her, “I’ll do more than this if I find out you’ve been lying to me!” The man smiled and slapped the child in the face, just before Sha hit him in the chest with a dart.

Allison closed her eyes and cried out, “Please, I beg you, don’t hurt him.” Her son was wailing, and she opened her eyes to see the man standing, frozen in place. His smile was still there but his eyes weren’t moving. Her son moved out of the man’s hand and was floating in front of him. Suddenly, Sha appeared, and Allison passed out.

When she woke up, she was on the couch and Sha was holding her son and had him giggling. Sha looked at Allison, “Has anyone other than him threatened you?” Allison was still stunned, and she shook her head. Sha walked over to the man still frozen in place and pushed him over. He fell to the floor like a sack of rocks. “We’ve determined that you were being threatened and decided to do something about it. Can you sit up?”

Allison tried, but Sha had to assist her. Allison was terrified, and Sha smiled, “You are in no danger, Allison. We know you’ve not told him any secrets and this nightmare is over.”

“He burned his arm and threatened to kill him if I didn’t do as I was told.”

Sha’s eyes narrowed, and she walked over to the little boy and rolled up the little boy’s sleeve. There were multiple red scars on his arm. Sha tasseled his hair and asked him to go to his room and get a bag of toys together for a little car ride while she and his mother talk. After he was out of the room, she turned to Allison. “I’m going to kill this piece of crap. Do you want to see it?”

“I don’t want my son to see it.”

“I need you to pack your things.”

“Why?”

“You’re moving to a residence on the base. This ends tonight.”

“There’s another one the base that he said would tell him if I’m lying,” she said fearfully.

“I’m taking care of that and it won’t be a problem. Pack what you need and take your son and drive back to the base. Someone will be waiting for you at the front gate.”

Allison stood up, took her son from Sha, and hugged him. Her eyes were closed and when she opened them she started crying. Sha hugged her and said softly, “This is over, Allison. You’re safe now.”

“I don’t want to drive to the base alone! They’re everywhere.”

“How do you know that, Corporal?”

“I’ve seen him pull back the curtains numerous times and nod. Someone is watching.”

Sha immediately said over her communicator, “Tal, I need you to get over here as quickly as possible.”

“What’s going on?” she heard immediately.

“It appears Allison’s house is being watched. If I try to take her out, she could be attacked.”

“On my way.”

Suddenly, they heard a buzz coming from the man’s pocket and Sha rushed back to the man’s body. Sha quickly called out, “Help me!” Allison put her son down, rushed over to the floor, and assisted Sha in lifting the man. They moved him over to the front window and Sha turned invisible, pulled back the curtain revealing the man’s smiling face, and released the curtain. She moved him away from the window. Anyone outside would have only seen one-shadow. Allison looked at her as she reappeared, “How do you do that?”

“You don’t want to know, and this is another secret you’re going to have to keep. Can you do that?”

“I will.”

Sha hesitated and asked, “Allison, had he been abusing you.”

“Countless times. But I had to do it to protect my son.”

Sha’s eyes narrowed, and something changed inside her. She knew she needed to wait for Tal to arrive and she walked up to the man, still propped up against wall beside the window. She knew that though he was paralyzed, he could still hear. She whispered into his ear, “You don’t have much longer to live. You’re going to die a painful death and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it. Think about that!” The man didn’t move but sweat broke out on his forehead.”

“What did you say to him?” Allison asked.

“I told him what I’m going to do to him.”

Allison kept her eyes on Sha and her son tried to move to keep Allison between her and the man. Allison watched him squirm and said to Sha, “My son needs to see him die or he’ll have nightmares about him the rest of his life.”

“Are you sure, Allison.”

“I need to see it as well…for the same reason.”

Sha nodded and waited for Tal to arrive. She needed more training; she didn’t know what to do about those outside.

Chapter Twenty

Tal arrived three-blocks from Allison’s house and parked on the street. He used his right hand to check for scanners and nothing appeared. He slipped out of the transport after he turned invisible and walked down the street. He kept his eyes constantly moving and arrived at the house next to Allison’s. A transport moved slowly up the street from the opposite direction and stopped in front of Alison’s house. Tal saw the curtains part slightly and a man’s smiling face appear. The transport drove away, and Tal went to the front door as he contacted Sha subvocally, “I’m at the front door.” Sha opened the door and heard, “Close it.”

He appeared, and Sha rushed into his arms and hugged him tightly. “I didn’t know how to handle this?”

Tal nodded, “You were right not to kill him immediately.”

“What do we do, Tal.”

“How long was it between your opening the curtains?”

“About an hour.”

“What’s going on,” Tal asked.

Sha looked at Allison and said, “Tell him.”

Tal listened to her and didn’t ask any questions. Allison poured her heart out and Tal only nodded for her to continue. Allison finally ran down and Tal looked at Sha, “Why is he still alive?”

“Because I don’t have anything to really make him pay for what he’s done. My darts can give him a heart attack or dissolve him, but he won’t suffer from those. I want him to feel pain, Tal!”

“Are you sure about that, Sha? That’s a line and if you cross it, you will never be the same again.”

“What do you mean?”

“This piece of crap needs killing; I have no question about that. But if you intend to make him suffer, you become very much like him.”

“You told Mother that you made many of your targets die long slow deaths.”

“And I was wrong to do it! I did it for the same reason you want to do it to this piece of garbage. I wanted their victims to enjoy the death of my targets. I paid a price for that, Sha, and I’m still paying it.” Sha struggled with Tal’s words in silence. He glanced at the man propped against the wall and continued, “I lost part of my soul and I’ll never get it back, Sha. I hardened my heart to my victim’s suffering and I wish I’d never done it. However, it’s your call.”

Sha looked away and slowly shook her head. She sighed and decided, “We should get Allison and her son out of here and should give him a heart attack.”

Tal handed her a tube, “Use your dart and mine. He’ll have an immediate heart attack.”

Allison listened to them discuss what was going to happen, as Tal came over to take them out of the room. Allison said firmly to him, “My son and I need to see this!”

Tal’s brow furrowed, “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes! He’ll have nightmares about this man for the rest of his life if he doesn’t. We need to see this!”

Tal turned too Sha and nodded. Sha turned her back to Allison, lifted her hand and did something. A moment later, the man collapsed to the floor and gripped his chest as he writhed on the floor and screamed. Tal said quietly, “The heart attack dart removes the paralysis.” A few moments later, the man stopped moving and had a grimace on his dead face.

Allison made her son watch what happened and told him over and over, “He’s gone and will never hurt us again.

Tal turned to Sha, “Take her transport and drive them to the base. Have them lay down in the floor behind your seat and go straight through the gate. If you run into any trouble, I’ll be right behind you and clear it up.”

“Pack whatever you need!” Sha quickly said.

“There’s no time for that, Sha!” Tal scolded. “If they’re watching this house you know they’ll be keeping an eye on the base. We barely have time to get there before the transport is going to show up looking for him in the window.”

Allison grabbed a diaper bag, “This will get us by!”

Tal nodded, “Get moving!!”

Tal went to his invisible form, rushed out of the house, and ran to his transport, and reappeared. Sha pulled out of the driveway and turned toward the base. Tal allowed some distance between them to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

• • •

Sha arrived at the gate and said softly over her shoulder, “Keep down!” She pulled up to the guard house, as the Guard walked out to check her ID. He looked at her with a grimace and ordered, “Get out of the transport!”

Tal recognized the guard and pulled up quickly behind Sha’s vehicle. The guard saw Tal’s transport rush up and raised his pulse rifle. Tal stepped out of his transport and walked deliberately toward the guard. The guard saw who it was and went to immediate attention. Tal put his nose one inch from the guard’s face and said slowly and deliberately, “Sargent, is there some reason you’re holding my wife here?”

“Uhhh…”

“I suggest you open the gate!” The guard rushed inside the hut, lowered the barricades, and raise the barrier. Sha drove through and Tal glared at the Guard, “You better have a reason for stopping her, Sargent!!”

“We’ve been told not to trust any one’s appearance, Sir.”

“Did you not see her ID?”

“Sorry, Sir, I didn’t.”

Tal glared at him and went back to his transport. The guard watched him drive through and knew he had failed to search their vehicles. He had received an emergency contact telling him to make sure Allison did not make it on the base. He didn’t think she would be with the General or his wife but wasn’t certain about it. She could have contacted them…but that didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to die for challenging a General. It took him too long to get on the base to throw that away.

Sha contacted Tal, “That guard is one of them.”

“I know. We’ll handle him after Laramie.”

Sha drove to her building and took Allison and her child to their quarters. She saw another guard on duty that was also an agent. That one would report Allison was on the base. They had a lot of work ahead of them cleaning things up. An hour later, General Lein had Colonel Sato go to their quarters and move Allison and her son to their own quarters.

Tal was sitting on the sofa studying the line-of-sight communicator he took from Edmondson’s bathroom vanity. It was two am and Sha came out of her bedroom and sat down beside him. He glanced at her, “Can’t sleep?” Sha dropped her head in her hands and slowly shook her head. Tal put his hand on her shoulder, “I had trouble after my first kill, as well, Sha.”

“I keep seeing that man writhing on the floor.”

Tal put the communicator on the coffee table and turned to face her. “You’d be really suffering now if you made him suffer like you planned. You’re wondering if he had a family or children of his own, right?”

Sha’s eyes widened slightly, “I can’t help it. I wonder if a child is missing a father that will never come home.”

“He doesn’t have a family, Sha.”

“HOW CAN YOU KNOW THAT?! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HIM!”

“I know he took pleasure in inflicting pain on Allison and her son. That is not something he would be able to turn off and on. No one would want to stay with him and, if someone did, they probably did it out of fear. There will be no tears if he doesn’t show back up.” Sha was having a hard time dealing with Tal’s words and she remained silent. Tal said softly, “You saw how perverted he was, and it was only after the fact that you began to feel bad.”

“Why do I feel like this, Tal.”

“Because you ascribe your feelings to him. You believe that most people are like you and don’t want to believe that there are truly evil people in the universe. A very important lesson for you to learn out of this is that if you intend to make this world a better place, men like that must be removed from it. However, if you kill them slowly and painfully, you will lose your soul and become very much like them. Even the repugnant are human and deserve a fast death.”

“Is that how you’ve kept your sanity?”

Tal tilted his head slightly and then straightened it, “I suppose. I always accepted revenge contracts in the guild to take out someone who had caused the needless death of a loved one. I justified it as administering justice.”

“Do you think you made a difference?”

“No! I didn’t even scratch the surface of the killers in the colonies. However, it paid my bills and allowed me to kill the man who paid to have my parents killed. Over the years, I came to accept that I wasn’t really doing anything that made any difference at all. I was just doing a job.”

“So, you’re saying that killing that man tonight was…”

Tal interrupted her, “He won’t be torturing anyone else, Sha. You at least made a difference in Allison’s and her son’s life that will have to be your reward for doing it.”

Sha nodded and moved close to Tal. He lifted his arm and she snuggled in next to his chest. “I need you to hold me…for a little while.”

Tal nodded and pulled her close, “You’ll come to terms with it Sha. And he is only the beginning of those we’re going to have to remove.”

“I know. But let tomorrow take care of tomorrow; tonight, I need human contact.” She finally fell asleep and Tal picked her up, carried her to her bedroom, and laid her down on her bed. He covered her up and went back to the living room. He stared at Edmondson’s communicator and decided to leave it for the morning. He went to his bedroom and went to sleep.

• • •

Sha woke up the next morning around nine am. She didn’t remember going to her bedroom and knew Tal must have carried her to bed. Her mother was right, Tal didn’t take advantage of situations. He could have done that last night but didn’t. He had a good heart. She heard voices in the living room and put on a robe before leaving her bedroom. She saw Tal and Duncan Montana sitting on the sofa examining Edmondson’s communicator, “Duncan, I saw Edmondson use the antennas to align this device with the moon. There must be a colony ship somewhere on the moon’s surface.”

“How did it get there without our scanners seeing it, Tal?’

“I suspect it followed a cruise ship to Earth and left it as it passed the moon.”

“We still should have detected it,” Duncan insisted.

“Not if it moved behind the moon’s shadow and didn’t use thrusters to move it. It has to be a small ship that your scanners are programmed to ignore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Duncan, if your scanners detected every piece of metal floating around in space, they would be overwhelmed with the returns. What’s the size of the smallest metallic object that your scanners will detect and show?”

Duncan lifted his communicator and began speaking, “Admiral Snow, do you have a minute.”

“I’ll make time General Montana. What’s up?”

“Is there a limit to the size of a metallic object our scanners are programed to detect and report?”

“There is. If the scanners reported all of them the displays would be overwhelmed.” Duncan raised his eyebrows and saw Tal raise his shoulders as he listened in. “The objects that are reported must be larger than two-hundred yards. There are thousands of asteroids and meteors floating in open space between Earth and Mar’s orbit.”

“Thank you, Admiral.”

“Is there a problem, General?”

“There is, and I’ll contact you shortly to discuss it.” Duncan ended the contact and turned to Tal. “How would it get to the moon undetected?”

“It would use a gravity drive, Duncan. I’m sure it has normal thrusters to use in the phase field but also has gravity units to pull it toward the moon. Two-hundred-yards is a lot of space to build a ship.”

“So, what do we do about it? There are so many craters to hide in that finding it will be next to impossible.”

‘Take this communicator to Ka and have her develop a means of tracking the frequency it uses to communicate with its contacts on Earth.”

“I can do it.” Duncan and Tal both turned to see Sha standing in the opening to her bedroom wearing a robe. “All that needs to be done is to shut down the transmitter in the device and leave the antennas operational.” Tal was obviously surprised, and Sha raised her hands waist-high, “I told you I know everything my mother knows.”

“But you never went to college to learn electronics.”

“No, I didn’t. But I had every textbook my mother used in school and she taught me how she made all her electronic tools. She is an excellent instructor and I did sit in some advanced classes at the university.”

“How did you get away with that?” Duncan asked.

“You know how large those classes are? It was easy to slip in and watch what was going on,” Sha replied.

“Then do it!” Tal said to her.

“Give me a moment.” Sha went to her room, got dressed, and came back with a pouch filled with tools. She quickly opened the communicator and began making changes to the circuit board. After forty-five minutes, she looked up from the table, “It will now line up with any communication frequency that is used between Earth and the moon or visa-versa.” Sha pressed the red button and the two-antennas on top of the device began turning. After a moment, one was pointed toward the sky and the other one was pointed directly out the door of their quarters. Sha’s eyes showed her surprise, “This communicator operates by line-of-sight and it shouldn’t be picking up any signals in here; there must be a transmitter close by to allow it to be detected in here. Someone on this base is communicating with that ship on the moon.”

Tal looked at Duncan, “It has to be Laramie. Has he been allowed in the lab?”

“No.”

“We need to find him and stop him.” Tal lifted his communicator and contacted Colonel Sato, “Where is Dr. Laramie?”

“He’s outside the lab waiting for clearance to enter. Why do you ask?”

Sha quickly interrupted, “He’s just reported to that ship that he’s been given clearance to enter the lab! However, I’m reasonably sure he’ll wait until this evening to report his findings; the lab has more scanners than any place on the planet; he won’t risk it inside.”

Tal’s eyes narrowed as he thought about how to handle the situation. He quickly asked, “Colonel Sato, has Corporal Allison Ander’s reported to work?”

“No, Sir. She has the week off to get her new quarters set up.”

“I’m sending a Sgt. Simmons to replace her. I’ll need you to meet her at the first gate in an hour and escort her in to Allison’s cubicle.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Tal ended the contact, “What are you planning, Tal?”

Tal ignored Duncan’s question and turned to Sha, “You’re going to have to take down Dr. Laramie. Sha, he is a mimic and is quite dangerous.”

“Why don’t you do it, Tal?” Duncan asked.

“I suspect the moment I show up in the lab, Dr. Laramie will be immediately suspicious and might just start killing every scientist in there.”

“Why would he do that?” Sha asked.

“Removing Dr. Meier would hurt but taking out the scientists working on the projects in the lab would cripple us. You need to get close enough to take him down, Sha, without making him suspicious.”

Sha’s eyes narrowed, as Duncan asked, “Who is Sargent Simmons?”

Tal looked at Sha, Go and get your ID.: Sha went to her bedroom and came back holding an identity card, “Remember the model in the book with the auburn colored hair?” Sha nodded. “Can you match her appearance?”

Sha’s appearance instantly changed, and Duncan jumped back, “I’ll never get used to seeing this done!”

Tal went to the closet and pulled out the printer and camera. Stan against the wall, Sha.” Sha stood in front of a white wall and Tal took an image. He inserted Sha’s ID into the printer and connected the camera, “I’m changing the image on your card to the one I just took. I’m also changing the information on it. You are now Sgt. Simmons.” The Id popped out of the printer and Tal handed it to Sha. Tal looked at them, “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” Sha asked.

“Sha, we’re going to the quartermaster and get you sized for a Sargent’s uniform. Once that’s done, you’re going to the lab.”

Fifty-minutes later, they arrived at the first-gate and saw Colonel Sato waiting. He looked at them and his expression gave him away as he leaned in to Tal and whispered, “General, you do work with some real lookers.”

Sha smiled, “Thank you, Colonel.” Sato was embarrassed that she heard his remark.

“Colonel, take her into the lab to Allison’s cubicle, introduce her as a temporary replacement, and explain to her what she’ll be doing while she’s replacing the corporal.” Tal turned to Sha, “You need to come up with a reason to get close to Laramie.”

“Where is he going to be working, Colonel?” Sha asked.

“I haven’t assigned him to a project.”

“Assign him to the force field team,” Sha suggested. “It’s the closest group to Allison’s desk and I’ll yell after an hour or so that I’m out of work. You will then order me to go to the force field team to see if they have anything to be input into the computer.”

Sato nodded, “Sounds like a plan.”

Tal stopped, grabbed Sha’s chin and turned her face to him, and said very deliberately, “Sha, Laramie is not an assassin mimic! He’s Colony Military and is much more dangerous than an assassin. Have the tube in your hand ready to use!”

“He’ll see that, Tal. Let me see what I can do.” Tal rolled his eyes. “Would you see the tube?” Sha asked. Tal sighed and nodded. “I’ll see what I can do,” Sha said and turned to Colonel Sato, “Lead the way.”

“Is there any way we can get a sniper rifle on him?”

“No, Duncan! That lab is the most fortified place on the planet and there’s no possible way to shut down all the alarms to allow one to be brought into the lab. Anyone that enters the lab that doesn’t have a reason for being there could set Laramie off on a killing spree.” He watched Sha go through the first-gate and knew they were committed to the plan.

• • •

Colonel Sato led Sha into the lab and walked with her to Allison’s desk. He looked up and shouted, “May I have your attention for a moment!” Everyone stopped what they were doing, and Colonel Sato smiled, before announcing, “Corporal Anders is on leave for the next week and Sgt. Simmons will be relieving her during her absence. Let’s all welcome her to the project.” Everyone stood and clapped, Sha smiled broadly, and did a little curtsey. Sato shouted, “BACK TO WORK!” He turned to Sha and said quietly, “This stack of paperwork should be input into the system. You can fake it.”

“No, Colonel. Show me what directories the data needs to be input.”

Sato’s eyes narrowed, and he pulled up the directory on the computer. Sha took the first form and began typing. Sato was stunned at the speed she entered the data. He smiled and walked across the lab to his desk.

Laramie stared at Sha and wondered if she was an intelligence officer. He kept his eyes on her and saw several of the scientists go over and say hello. Sha stopped tying and greeted each of them with a dazzling smile. She’d flip her hair off her shoulders and lean toward the men as they talked. She’d touch them on their hands and laugh with them and Laramie had her figured out. She was a gold digger looking to find a rich scientist to pair up with. He saw the speed she was tying and was amazed at what he saw. This woman was talented, and it made sense to use her to replace the corporal. He needed to find and eliminate the corporal, but that would have to come later. She was incredibly beautiful and was quite different than the colored-up women in the colonies. He went back to work and saw Sha glance his way and smile when she saw him staring at her. He returned her smile and Sha went back to her work.

Sha kept her eyes on her terminal and was aware of Laramie’s interest. If you can’t get Mohammed to the mountain, bring the mountain to Mohammed, she decided and continued to input data into her terminal. Sato waited for her to call for more work, but she didn’t after an hour elapsed. He tried not to get nervous and wondered what she was doing.

Laramie kept looking at Sha and decided that if she was looking for someone, why not him. She could add to his cover. He excused himself from the table and walked over to Sha’s cubicle. “I understand this is your first day in the lab,” he said smoothly.

Sha stopped typing as he approached and ejected a tube into her cupped fingers as she stopped typing. She smiled and fluttered her eyelids, “It is.”

Laramie returned her smile, “This is also my first-day here.”

Sha flipped her hair over her shoulder with her left hand and her smile grew, “We have a lot in common, Doctor…”

“Laramie. I’m Dr. Laramie and I’ve won the Hawking Prize for Physics.”

Sha’s eyes widened, and she drew back her head, “That’s amazing!”

“Perhaps we can discuss it during our lunch break?” Sha lowered her eyes slightly, flipped her hair off her shoulders, tilted her head a bit, and nodded, “I’d really like that, Doctor.”

Laramie smiled and turned to walk away and said over his shoulder “See you in an hour.” He turned his back; Sha raised the tube and blew the dart into his back. Laramie knew for a brief instant that he had made a huge mistake, as he fell to the floor paralyzed.” Colonel Sato shouted, “EVERYONE REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE!!” Duncan rushed into the lab with three-soldiers and carried Laramie out. Sato turned to Sha, “Thank you. You may leave now.”

Sha nodded, stood up, and followed Duncan out of the lab.

Tal met her outside the first-gate, “That was good work. What dart did you use?”

“Immobilizer; I figured Duncan would want to question him.”

‘That’s too dangerous, Sha. If the Doctor regains control of his body, I’m reasonably certain he has an explosive device inside him that he’ll detonate.” Sha nodded and watched Duncan carry Laramie out of the building.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Laramie became aware of his head first and tried to raise it. He barely moved it an inch and let it fall forward. He closed his eyes and, after a few minutes, tried to raise it again. He succeeded this time and began to feel his arms and legs. He tried to raise his arms but couldn’t. He looked down at them and saw his arms and legs were locked in metal restraints holding him to the chair he was sitting in. He looked around at the small lighted room he was in and recognized the walls were the color of chronide; that meant they probably were made of chronide. He felt a pain in the back of his head and knew his communicator had been surgically removed. Looking up, he saw a camera and display monitor were attached to the ceiling. He thought about his options and they didn’t look good. The monitor suddenly illuminated, and an Earth General appeared on it. The General smiled and asked, “Are you comfortable?” Laramie remained silent. The general lifted the communicator that was placed in the back of his head and turned it in his hands, as he examined it, “I must say this new communicator is a real advancement over the old models.” Laramie continued his silence and Tal sat back and began speaking, “I know when you fail to communicate with your contact on the moon tonight, you’re hoping to be rescued. That isn’t going to happen.” Laramie didn’t say a word. “You should know that I’ve got your voice nailed and you will be reporting in as scheduled.”

Laramie’s eyes were little more than slits at this point, but they flew wide open when he saw the General change into an exact duplicate of his form. “WHO ARE YOU!?” he yelled.

“That’s not really important.”

“YOU’RE A TRAITOR!!”

Laramie saw himself smile on the monitor, before saying, “Come on, Laramie! You’re supposed to be intelligent. You learned in the lab that Earth has had a stardrive for quite a long time. If Earth intended to harm the colonies, why haven’t they attacked?” Laramie couldn’t take his eyes off the monitor and he saw himself say, “I’m trying to save the colonies, not destroy them.”

“AND YOU’RE DOING THAT BY WORKING WITH OUR ENEMY!!”

Tal changed back to his normal form, before responding. “I don’t think you really know who your enemy is.” Laramie didn’t respond, and the image on the monitor suddenly changed. Laramie saw a dark blue colored ship orbiting a planet. He heard the General say, “That ship you see on the monitor has been orbiting Neptune for decades. It’s not an Earth warship and it’s definitely not a colony vessel.” Tal paused before asking, “If you had to guess, what do you think it’s doing there?” Laramie stared at the blue ship and shook his head slightly. Tal continued, “I have no doubt that whoever sent that ship knows of the existence of the colonies. If they didn’t know it before, they do now that cruise ships from the colonies are coming to Earth. Do you disagree?” Laramie shook his head slightly. “Now, it’s clear to me that you are in the Colony Military and you should understand that if the civilization that sent that ship intends humanity harm, who will they attack first? Earth, that has never revealed it possess a stardrive, or the Colonies that do have a stardrive?”

“They’ll go after the colonies first.” Laramie said quietly.

“And what do you think would happen if the colonies knew about the existence of that ship?”

Laramie paused and then answered, “We’d be forced to come and determine why it’s here.”

“And what happens if Earth and the Colonies can’t match up with their technology?” Tal paused and added, “I hope you realize that if the Colonies come and attack that vessel, the civilization that sent it would immediately go after the colonies. Can you see that?”

“I think that’s obvious. What are you doing here?”

“I’m preventing the colonies from learning that Earth has a stardrive, which would precipitate a war between them. I believe that alien ship is probably waiting for that to happen; they’ll come in and cleanup what’s remaining afterwards.”

“Why aren’t you assisting the colonies?”

“Because they wouldn’t accept it. They’d ignore me and attack that ship anyway. You should know that Earth’s warships are far superior to any warship in the Colony’s fleet; Earth is also working on developing a force field and other technological advances to take on that civilization. Tell me anything else I could do to defend the colonies against this threat but to assist Earth in preparing to take them on if they attack?” Laramie struggled to answer the question and after a few minutes, Tal asked, “I’m waiting Dr. Laramie.” Laramie remained silent and Tal asked a few-minutes later, “Do you have a family in the Colonies?”

“I do.”

“If you had to decide what to do to defend them against this threat, what would you do? Would you report your findings to the colonies, knowing they would come here and attack that ship without knowing its capabilities?”

Laramie screamed and then grew silent. After a few moments, he asked in a low, spent voice, “Can you prove that ship is really out there?”

“I can show you all the records we have but you can figure it out for yourself it is?”

“How is that?”

“Simply ask yourself why Earth hasn’t attacked the colonies; they’ve certainly been give provocation to do it.” Laramie kept his gaze on the monitor and Tal tilted his head, “I’m going to tell you the real reason Earth hasn’t attacked the colonies, even though the lie would work better for me.” Laramie stared at the monitor in silence. “Earth carries a huge guilt for turning their backs on the colonies and forcing them to fend for themselves before the nuclear war. The general feeling on Earth is that they deserved what the Colonies have done because of that. Earth does not represent a danger to the colonies and is working hard to come to their defense if they’re attacked.” Tal paused and quickly asked, “Do you have a daughter?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because fathers don’t worry as much about their sons. But for their daughters, they have dreams. Do you want to see her die in a war between Earth and the Colonies or that alien civilization? I know the military chooses their agents carefully and high intelligence is required to be selected. Are you intelligent or just a flag waving colony patriot that places glory and duty over everything else?”

“How do you know I’ll answer that question honestly?”

“I won’t; but there is someone with me that will know if you’re being honest and they’re never wrong.”

“I need to think about this!” he replied.

“Take all the time you need as long as you decide within two-hours.”

“Why two-hours?”

“If I am forced to contact your ship on the moon, then I really don’t need you.” Tal paused and smiled, “Come on, Laramie! You know what you must do! I saw it in an instant and knew I had to come to Earth to protect the colonies. You know if I’m right about this, there is only one choice you can make.”

“My real name is Ste and I’m a Colonel in the military.”

“You will remain Dr. Laramie and will continue to work in the lab.”

“Why would you want me to do that?”

“You did transfer the real Dr. Laramie’s memories, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“Then you possess the memories of one of Earth’s best physicists. Killing him should get you executed but you do have his knowledge and we need it. You need to help us develop what we need to confront this threat. You can also make sure no agent penetrates the lab. You will certainly be contacted if anyone else is sent. While you’re working with our scientists, you can confirm beyond any doubt that those aliens are out there. What is your answer, Colonel?”

Ste hesitated before answering, “Like you said, there really isn’t a choice. If what you’ve said is true, I have no option.”

“I need you to say it, Colonel.”

“Count me in. I’ll do what I can, as long as what you’ve told me about the aliens is true.”

• • •

Tal glanced at Sha sitting off camera and saw her nod, “I’m releasing your restraints and I need you to remove all the weapons and explosives you have.” The metal restraints snapped away from the chair and Ste stood up and stretched. Tal said in a soft voice, “All of your devices will be returned to you after we take you to the lab and show you what we have on the alien ship.”

“You trust me enough to do that?” Ste asked with his brow furrowed.”

“I believe you don’t want to see your family die and, like me, will do anything to prevent that happening. We learned in capturing you that we need someone armed in the lab to defend it against a Colony agent. You will have that role in working on the force field. We’ll release a story that we made a mistake in arresting you and have apologized profusely. You’ll need to act righteously indignant about it.”

Ste stared at the monitor and started removing items from his body. The pile grew, and Tal shook his head, “You did come prepared.”

“No, I didn’t! Ste replied. “I was totally unprepared for what you’ve told me.” A few minutes later, Ste looked up, “That’s everything.”

“Colonel…”

STE interrupted Tal, “That’s everything. If you have someone present, then they’ll know I’m being truthful.”

Tal glanced to his right and Sha nodded again. Tal pressed a button on his panel and one of the four-walls swung out. Duncan was waiting outside the wall with a smile, “Welcome to Earth.”

Ste nodded, “I need to start over.”

• • •

Tal and Sha winced as Admiral Snow yelled, “I WILL NOT ALLOW THE PRESENCE OF THAT SHIP ON THE MOON TO CONTINUE!!”

Tal was quiet for a moment and waited. A minute later, the Chancellor opened the door and entered. Admiral Snow came to attention and the Chancellor smiled, “Keep your seat, Oliver. I want to listen in to this meeting.”

“Sir, there is a colony ship on the moon and I demand it be eliminated.”

“Why?” the Chancellor asked.

Admiral Snow stuttered, “It’s…it’s…invaded our territory!!”

The Chancellor turned to Tal, “Oliver is making a good point.”

“And what will be the fallout if we do remove it?” Tal asked.

The Chancellor considered the question and turned to Admiral Snow, “What will happen if we do, Admiral?”

“That ship will be removed, Sir!”

The Chancellor stared at the Admiral and then smiled, “Always the warrior, Oliver.” He turned to Tal, “What do you see happening.”

“Sir, we’ve captured one of their communication devices and we can track any communication to the moon back to its source; it will allow us to find all the agents sent from the colonies. If we take out that ship, then the colonies could look at it as an act of war and possibly attack Earth.” Tal saw Snow’s eyes narrow and his brow furrow; he quickly added, “It won’t matter that they’re on the wrong side of this issue. They could start a war.” He paused and then continued, “If they don’t attack, then they will send another ship that we won’t detect, and it will have a new communicator that we won’t be able to track. I suspect they’ll have it located outside the moon’s orbit next time and we won’t be able to go after it without revealing Earth has a stardrive. If we try to go after it with thrusters, it will simply jump away and continue its mission after our warships are forced to return to Earth. I rather have the devil I know than an unknown demon, Sir.”

The Chancellor thought about Tal’s summation for a few moments, and turned to Snow, “Admiral?”

Snow was furious, but he wasn’t stupid. “I didn’t consider what General Talent just said.”

“And now,” The Chancellor prodded.

“It appears we need to leave it be, Sir.”

“Thank you, Oliver. I know you don’t like doing this.”

“Sir, how did you know about this meeting?”

“General Montana contacted me prior to the meeting and suggested I be here.” Snow reluctantly nodded, and the Chancellor said in his throat, “Thank you for contacting me.”

Tal replied, “Thank you for coming.”

The Chancellor stood up, “Keep up the good work.” He left the room and Admiral Snow glared at them, “That will be all!”

Tal nodded and left the admiral’s office. So much to do. He thought about Ste’s reaction when he saw the tapes of the Alien ship. Ste was trained to see if someone was lying and he quickly saw the scientists just weren’t capable of being deceptive. The one’s watching the alien vessel were proud of their work in manipulating the ancient probe and wanted to share it with Dr. Laramie. Tal returned his weapons that night.

Tal chuckled when Laramie asked, “Where is Sgt. Simmons?”

“That was my wife in a different form.” Laramie rolled his eyes and Tal smiled, “There will be others, Ste.”

“Not like her, Tal.” Tal nodded and left him to rearm. As he walked away, he had to admit, he agreed with Ste.

• • •

Dr. Meier and Ka returned to the lab with a new computer system and things started happening fast. Tal mostly stayed away from the lab, but Sha would go and visit her mother from time-to-time. She assisted in installing the new system and saw that the dew was off the rose for Ka and Dr. Meier. “You’re not smiling as much around Dr. Meier?” Sha casually mentioned.

“He’s really not all that, Sha. I spent enough time with him to get to know him while building the new computer. I have to say I was disappointed. The new Dr. Laramie is more qualified than he is to lead the lab.”

“Keep your chin up, Mom.”

“I will.”

• • •

Sha made a point of working with Dr. Laramie on a project and casually asked, “Doctor, I know you have a family, are you married?”

“I was.”

“What happened?”

“She didn’t like long absences. She moved on.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s ok. My children are grown and out on their own. They sought me out years ago, and I must admit that I’m really proud of them; I wish I had met them sooner.” Sha smiled and left him working on the installation of the computer system in the force field’s area. She later saw Ka working with him and smiled.

• • •

All the guards that were working for the colonies were slowly removed. They couldn’t do any damage; only someone that made it into the lab could do that. The pilot on the ship hiding on the moon saw that Earth’s intelligence agents were becoming quite good and he was losing agents due to small mistakes they made. He never thought that his communications were compromised. Duncan never removed an agent that contacted him until much later. Many of the agents were left in place and Tal allowed new guards that were compromised on the base, but they were never assigned close to the lab. Things were coming under control.

• • •

Tal and Sha were not together very much due to the large number of Colony agents scattered around the planet and Ste would come and have dinner with Tal. They developed respect for each other first on the job and friendship soon followed. Tonight, was a good evening, Sha was back and joined them for dinner. They sat down at the table and Tal saw something in Ste’s expression, “What’s going on?”

Ste looked over at Sha and then turned back to Tal, “You know I’ve been working with the force field team?” Tal nodded. “Our goal is to find a way for a force field to work inside a stardrive’s phase field.”

“Have you done it?” Tal quickly asked.

“Not quite. We’ve come up with something else.”

Tal’s expression instantly changed, “What is it?”

“You know that many metals have a field around them, right.”

Sha responded, “Most of them are magnetic or radioactive.”

Ste nodded, “Exactly right. We discovered, accidently, that if a highly magnetized metal is barraged by powerful radioactive waves, while inside a phase field, the metal takes on the frequency of a phase field.”

“What does that mean?” Tal asked.

“It means the metal doesn’t need a phase field to move faster than light!” Sha answered. “The metal itself is immune to the laws of our universe.”

Tal noticed Ste nod and turned to Sha, “I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying, Sha.”

Sha’s eyes widened, as she asked, “You do understand that a phase field separates anything inside it from normal space in our universe, right?” Tal nodded. “Nothing in normal space can move faster than the speed of light…nothing! The laws that govern our universe prevents that from happening. A phase field is not part of normal space and exists outside it in our universe. Anything inside the phase field is not limited by the normal physical laws that govern everything outside the field. Objects inside a phase field are not limited by the speed of light and can travel thousands, or even millions of times faster than light. It was the discovery of the phase field that opened the universe to humanity. What Ste is saying is that this metal doesn’t need a phase field; the metal itself is not part of normal space, so it’s not limited to light-speed.”

Tal turned back to Ste, “That sounds dangerous.”

Ste chuckled, “Well, yes and no.” Tal and Sha stared at him, “Anything inside a phase field does not make contact with anything in normal space. That’s why a starship will just fly through rocks, comets, asteroids, and other solid objects and not be damaged.” Ste smiled, “No one’s ever had the courage to fly thorough a planet or star and I don’t think that recognition will ever be held by anyone. Even, working on this metal is required to be done inside a phase field.”

“So, what’s the bottom-line on this discovery, Ste?”

“If a ship is built using this metal, it won’t be detected until it’s on top of the scanner looking for it.”

“What do you mean by right on top?” Tal asked.

“Less than twenty-miles, Tal.”

“And it will be able to fly as fast as a ship inside a phase field?”

“Yes, it will.”

“You know what this means?!” Tal said excitedly.

Ste nodded, “We’ll be able to go and take a good look at the alien ship at Neptune.”

Tal’s eyes were locked on Ste and Sha forcefully spoke out, “DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, TAL!!” Ste and Tal turned to her quickly and saw her frown and furrowed brow. She was clearly not a happy pilot.

Tal started smiling again, as he turned to Ste and asked, “You’re planning to go, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

“I’ll go with you. Do you know how to fly a ship, Ste?”

“It was the first thing I did in the military. I commanded a Colony Warship.”

Sha shouted, interrupted them, “STOP IGNORING ME!! YOU’RE NOT GOING TO DO THIS!!”

Tal turned to Sha, “You and Duncan have a handle on the Colony agents. Ste isn’t married, and his children are grown.” He saw Sha’s expression and smiled, “Ste and I are brothers of a different mother. We’ve spent a lot of time together while you’ve been gone.” Tal saw her expression and added, “I’m alone and single. There’s nothing holding me back from doing this. We need a military mind to go and a scientist, as well. Who better to see the alien’s physiology than a geneticist?”

“If you go, I go!” Sha blurted out.

“Sha, that doesn’t make sense.”

“Using your logic, I’m single and alone, too.”

“You have your mother to consider and I have no doubt she’ll exercise her new influence to prevent you going.” Ste looked uncomfortable and Tal asked, “What’s eating you?”

“I suspect her mother may try to stop me from going as well.”

Tal jerked his head back to Ste, “Why would she do that?”

“I think she has a thing for me, Tal.”

Ste’s comment surprised Tal, “Do tell!”

“It happened quite by accident.”

Tal snorted loudly, “Nothing she does is accidental, Ste! I thought she and Dr. Meier were an item.”

“She thinks he’s not that bright.”

Tal rolled his eyes and Sha spoke up, “Mother is interested in Ste.”

Tal turned back to Ste, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Ste timidly replied, “I know she and you were once together and I didn’t want her to come between our friendship.”

“Are you interested in her?” he asked.

“I have to admit I am, Tal.”

“Well…I wish the two of you good luck. I’ll find another pilot to make the trip.”

“Oh no, you won’t. If you’re going, I won’t stay behind,” Ste responded.

Tal smiled, “Well, I guess that’s how it’s going to be, then.”

Sha jumped back in the conversation, “Tal, please don’t do this!!”

“Sha, this has to be done and you know we’re the best ones to do it. What is your problem!?” Sha couldn’t bring herself to answer, and Tal barked, “Spit it out, Sha!”

Sha glared at him and then answered harshly, “The two-men that Mom and I are interested in will be going out to possibly throw their lives away! It’s not fair!!”

Tal stood in front of Sha with his mouth open. She glared at him and he managed to sputter, “You…you…” He paused and gathered his thoughts, “You told me you weren’t attracted to me!”

“No, I didn’t!” she snapped back at him.

“Yes, you did, Sha! You told me when I accused you of only wanting to use me to take my talents and tools to be better than your mother.”

Sha’s head went back, and she crossed her arms, as she moved her head from side-to-side, “Tal, you need to remember what I said, exactly as I said it.”

Tal lowered his eyes as he thought about it and said, “I remember saying, ‘You can’t be suggesting you’re attracted to me.’

“And what was my answer, Tal?”

“You told me you weren’t.”

“The exact words I used were, ‘I’m not suggesting anything. You announced you had everything figured out and I feel compelled to tell you you’re wrong.’”

Tal’s eyes were narrow, and his eyebrows were lowered. He glanced to the side at Ste, who threw his hands in the air, “She didn’t deny it, if those were her exact words.”

Tal turned back to Sha and she was hot. She stepped up close to him and started poking him in the chest with her index finger, “You’re supposed to be so smart, but you never figured out why I wanted to be with you! You didn’t consider that I wanted to be with you because I think you’re the smartest man I’ve ever known and have a heart to match your intellect. You never noticed any of the clues I’ve given you and made absolutely no move to bring me closer to you! Just go on out there being a little boy and get yourself killed!!” Sha stamped her feet, turned, and stormed out the door.

Ste broke the tension, “She’s a lot like her mother, isn’t she?”

Tal raised a shoulder, “Not really; she smiles a lot more.”

They sat in silence and finished their meal. Ste stood up and raised a shoulder, “What’s the problem, Tal?”

“With what?”

“Why are you not out of here chasing her? She’s one of the most beautiful and intelligent women I’ve ever met.” Tal sighed. “Do you think you don’t deserve her?” Ste asked.

Tal exhaled slowly, “Have you taken a good look at her and listened to her for more than sixty-seconds? How could she possibly be attracted to me?”

“You don’t see yourself like others see you, Tal,” Ste responded. “She’d be lucky to have you and she knows it; and that’s coming from an unbiased source. Don’t make her wait.” Ste left the apartment and Tal sat in silence for a few minutes after he left. He shook his head forcefully and then stood up. He stared at the door and said to himself, “Are you an idiot?” He ran to the door and threw it open. He saw Sha standing outside it and she rushed into his arms. She kissed him, then leaned back and asked, “What took you so long?”

Tal smiled, “I had to figure it out.”

“And?”

“I’ve wasted too much time; I need to stop that.” Sha knew he was right, pushed him back inside the door, and closed it behind her.

• • •

Several hours later, Sha sat under Tal’s arm on the sofa. She had her head on his chest and asked, “Are you still going to make the trip?” Tal exhaled softly and nodded. “Why do you have to do it, Tal?”

“Redemption.” Sha looked up at him. “The number of people I’ve killed in the colonies haunt me. I’ve lost most of my soul and I must do this to try and make a difference in saving mankind. Perhaps my ghosts will leave me in peace if I go?”

“Tal, everyone you killed deserved it.”

“Not all of them, Sha; a lot of them didn’t.”

“What are you saying?”

“After I got the tool to allow me to get into the guild’s computer, I learned that the Guild Master lied about many of those he sent me out on. They didn’t kill anyone, and someone took a contract out to kill them. He deceived me into thinking they did.”

“But you didn’t know, Tal!”

“Does ignorance excuse bad behavior? I was a killer and there was always a chance someone innocent could die at my hands. I found out that there were more innocents killed than I ever thought.”

“That’s the real reason you killed the Guild Master, wasn’t it.?”

“It was. It still didn’t bring me peace, Sha.”

Sha was silent for a moment and said, “I have to go with you?”

“No, you don’t?”

“Tal which one of you is the electronic expert?”

“What?”

“I’m assuming that you intend to put a scanner in place to keep close watch on the aliens. You aren’t going to stay out there for years, are you?”

“Well, no. We’d probably run out of food.”

“So, a scanner needs to be developed that can keep track of them and intercept their communications. Can you or Ste make that happen?”

Tal stared at her and finally shook his head, “Probably not. But the scanner can be built prior to leaving and…”

“Won’t work!” Sha interrupted.

“Why not?”

“We don’t have the frequencies they communicate on and the scanner will have to be programmed and placed so the aliens don’t detect it. You can’t do that until you determine what area of space they’re scanning.” Sha paused and smiled, “Show me where I’m wrong?”

Tal sighed, “You should probably go before I do but that’s not going to happen.”

“Just make sure when the ship is being built that it will be designed for a crew of three.” Sha told him with a smile.

Tal was quiet and finally asked, “Are you going to tell your mother about us?”

“Only after the ship is built.”

“Why then?”

“Because she won’t listen to logic and will think I’m making an emotional decision.”

Tal looked into her eyes, “Are you?”

“Probably, but you’ve not come up with a counter to my argument.”

Tal nodded. Truth be told, he didn’t want to find one.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The fight over who would be going on the new ship was huge. Admiral Snow was adamant he would choose the crew from among his best sailors. He slammed his office door on Tal and made it clear in no uncertain terms that the issue was closed.

Tal contacted the Chancellor and discussed the issue with him. “Sir, Admiral Snow is making a big mistake.”

“Tal, he’s the one that is responsible for keeping our space protected. I’ve overruled him once and he won’t accept it if I do it again.”

“Then you need to fire him, Sir!”

Tal heard the anger in the Chancellor’s tone, “Be careful what you say, Tal.”

“Sir, Admiral Snow’s answer to any issue is to settle it with a pulse cannon. He’s not thought through what he’s suggesting, and I believe he’ll be sending some trigger-happy sailors just like him on this mission. That is a giant mistake.”

“Why?”

“Sir, this mission is to find out what we’re up against, not to challenge the aliens. You also must keep in mind that no pilot in Earth’s Navy has ever used a stardrive. Are you ready to allow it to be used by inexperienced sailors with no experience in combat using it? If that vessel is attacked and the attack fails, the aliens will know the ship that attacked them was not sent from the colonies. This calls for patience and a large dose of caution.”

Tell me why you want to send Ste and Sha with you?”

“Ste has flown a warship with a stardrive and knows how to avoid detection. He is better qualified than anyone in the Navy. Sha is going to have to tune the scanner being built to listen in on their communication frequencies and place it where it won’t be detected.”

“What about you, Tal. Why do you need to go? Why should I risk losing you?”

“Because I came here to do this, Sir.”

“What?”

“Sir, I can’t tell you how many people I’ve killed in the colonies. I’ve got to do this to find my soul. I could lie and tell you that I see things most people miss, and I’m needed to make sure no mistakes are made, but that’s just rationalizing, Sir. I need to go on this mission!”

“What happens if you don’t?”

Tal was silent for a long moment and finally replied, “Then I’m lost, Sir. I have to do this and try to save humanity; it’s the only way for me to find redemption.”

“You know that Admiral Snow will resign if I do this?”

“I doubt he will, Sir; he enjoys using his authority too much. But whichever way you decide, he needs to go. The only tool he has in his toolbox is a pulse cannon and he’s determined to use it. It’s only a matter of time until he does.” The Chancellor was silent, and Tal added, “You know I’m right.”

“Who could take his place?”

“General Montana, Sir. He’s brilliant and thinks things through before acting.”

“Tal, I’ve always had some reservations about you.”

“Haven’t I proven myself, Sir?!”

“It’s not that. I really didn’t understand why you wanted to be here, something just didn’t seem to fit. I’ve had you watched since you arrived, and I’ve come to believe you’re sincere in wanting to help Earth. I was prepared to turn down your request, but now I do understand why you’re here. All the reasons you’ve given are true, but they weren’t enough to make me change my mind. There are so many things I’ve done in my rise to power and I understand what you’re going through. I wish I could go with you.”

“Are you going to allow me to go, Sir?”

“I want you to not only redeem yourself but help me find forgiveness as well. I’ll handle Admiral Snow.”

The contact ended, and Tal was left with the emptiness he sensed inside the Chancellor. He put his head in his hands and prayed for forgiveness and success in the coming endeavor. He had to do this to allow his heart to open to Sha.

• • •

The ship was constructed in an underground facility in the middle of the Sahara Desert. The facility was built prior to the nuclear war that decimated Earth and was unharmed. It was inside that facility that the operational, ancient stardrive had been found. It had been refurbished and remodeled a hundred-years earlier and it served the dual purpose of being a secret construction site and a safe haven if another nuclear attack happened. It was heavily shielded, and the heavy radiation used to build the ship wouldn’t be detected. The ship was suspended in a gravity field surrounded by a phase field. No one outside of the construction crew was allowed in the base until after the ship was almost completed. The danger of severe radiation poisoning was real and only the engineers were allowed inside.

Tal and Sha screened everyone involved in the project and no agents from the colonies made it into the work force. Two tried and failed. Tal, Sha, and Duncan continued to keep the colony’s agents under control and Tal wondered how long it was going to take to build the ship. He found the first real happiness since his parents died with Sha. She was absolutely incredible! He saw that he had closed himself off to her and it took her hitting him in the face to get him to allow her into his life. They acted normally outside their quarters but found love inside. Time passed and two-months after Admiral Snow was removed from his duties, Duncan contacted Tal, “It’s time to go and start training on your ship, Tal.”

“I’ve been worried, Duncan. It’s been almost two-years.”

“You know how hard it is to build something no one knows anything about. However, it’s almost completed, and the crew needs to be trained. I’ll have a shuttle land and pick you up around ten tonight.”

“Why that late?”

“The moon will be over the horizon. Pack well and I’ll see you before you leave.”

“Thank you, Duncan.” He turned to Sha, “We’re leaving tonight. We need to pack.”

“Get real, Tal. You’ve had your bags packed from the moment the Chancellor made the decision for us to go.”

“Well, it pays to be prepared.” Sha laughed and hugged him.

Ste joined them at the spaceport and he shook his head, “Ka was past furious that I couldn’t tell her where I was going.”

“You just didn’t want to face the music, Ste. Does she know what’s going on?” Tal asked.

“I’m don’t think she does. However, we need to learn how to operate the ship and get out of here before she does.”

“You don’t want to be with her?” Sha asked.

“That’s all I want to do, Sha; your mother is an incredible woman. But you know what she would do to me if she knew about this mission.”

Tal snickered, “Good luck with that. It’s only a matter of time until she finds out.”

“That’s why we need to get out of here!”

Tal smiled, “Does she know you’re not the real Dr. Laramie?”

Ste rolled his eyes, “You could have gone all day and not asked that question!”

Sha’s head went back, “She doesn’t know?!”

“No, she doesn’t. I’m afraid she’ll drop me like a bad habit if I tell her. And you need to keep in mind Ka was the Number One ranked assassin in the guild; she could hurt me!”

Sha shook her head, “Ste, you need to tell her! It’s better to come from you than someone else. It’s only a matter of time until she finds out everything. Once she learns about the mission, she’ll immediately know that Dr. Laramie would never be chosen to go on it. She’ll figure out you’re not who you say you are.”

Ste nodded, “She can be tenacious. But call me chicken, I don’t want to face her anger.” They looked up and saw the pitch-black shuttle descending on its gravity thrusters. They boarded, and the shuttle silently lifted.

• • •

They arrived at the underground facility and were amazed at the size of it. It was at least three-thousand-feet square on each side and thousands of personnel were moving around it. Duncan walked over and smiled, “Welcome to Arabia.”

“Arabia?” Tal asked.

“It was an ancient kingdom composed of many desert clans. They were primarily nomads and lived out in the open desert. You have to agree this place is pretty wide open.”

“I don’t see any supports anywhere,” Sha commented.

“The structure is shaped like a half-hemisphere and that’s one of the strongest shapes in handling weight. It was built using the metal that later led to the development of Chronide, it doesn’t need supports. Let’s go see the ship.”

They walked away from the elevator and they saw a mass of machinery and personnel two-hundred-yards ahead of them. “Where is the ship, Duncan?” Sha asked.

“You’ll see it when we move closer.”

“Why can’t I see it now?”

“Light doesn’t reflect off it; it mainly passes through. Remember, in space, all one sees of a ship inside a phase field is the field. This ship’s field is too small to see from a distance.”

“How small is it, Duncan?”

“Tal, I wanted to build it smaller than it is, but Admiral Snow demanded that it be armed before he was relieved of command; we were too far into the project to start over. But to answer your question, it’s five-hundred feet long.”

They moved closer to the gathering in the center and Sha exclaimed, “I can see it!” Tal and Ste saw it a moment later and they stopped in their tracks. Duncan stopped with them and smiled, “She is a beauty.”

The ship appeared smaller than it was. Its bow was pointed and swept smoothly back toward the body of the ship. The body was circular in shape and flowed smoothly to the stern. A huge door was opened from the top of the ship and it rested a few inches above the floor. It was the only thing that marred the ship’s lines.

“Why is the landing bay door so large?” Ste asked.

“It’s a safety requirement. It’s not dangerous to touch the ship when it’s stationary, your hand would just go into it. But if the ship is slightly moving, the hand would move with the ship and you’d lose it. The interior of the ship is lined with a thin layer of chronide to prevent anything inside the ship from contacting the hull.”

“How will we be able to see outside the hull, Duncan?”

“Sha, there are more than a hundred-small-tubes scattered around the hull made of the same material as the hull. Those tubes are lined, and an antenna can be extended through them. This ship will have a 360-degree electronic view of everything around it. The front monitor is as wide as the bridge and shows what’s ahead of the ship. It appears to be a viewport, but it isn’t. It can be manipulated to magnify objects or give a wider view if needed.”

“What’s the range of the scanners?” Sha asked.

“Around a quarter of a light year is the estimate, Sha, because the scientists won’t know until the new scanner system is used in open space. Some of them are insisting it could be further.”

Tal’s eyebrows moved down, “I don’t see any thrusters, Duncan.”

“That’s because there aren’t any.” All three of them turned and looked at him. “I know what you’re thinking, the ship’s speed will be limited without thrusters. It takes a powerful push to move a starship to maximum speed and historically thrusters are the only thing that can provide it. That isn’t true with a ship this small. We’ve been working on new gravity units that are larger than any we’ve ever used. Having thrusters on a ship limits the room for gravity units and by removing the thrusters, we can install the new units. You should also keep in mind that thrusters can be detected by scanners, even inside a phase field.”

Sha nodded, “It’s a different form of energy than the phase field.”

“Exactly!” Duncan replied. “A powerful blast of energy can disrupt a phase field and knock the ship out of it. Pulse cannons are the main weapons used in space warfare; missiles are only effective when a ship is in normal space. Missiles would just pass through a phase field without contacting the ship.”

“How will I be able to steer the ship without bow and side-thrusters?” Ste inquired.

Duncan smiled, “Our scientists came up with an ingenious way to do that, Ste. You know that gravity outside the phase field has no effect on the ship inside it?”

“That’s why ships have to have an artificial gravity to prevent free fall.”

Duncan nodded before continuing, “The inside lining of the ship is made of Chronide and the scientists built two-circles of gravity thrusters on the inside of the ship; one circle is at the bow and the other is located close to the stern. A gravity thruster can be energized to push the ship at any point on those circles and make it move the direction of the push.”

Ste’s eyes narrowed, “How responsive will that system be?”

Duncan shrugged, “You’ll have to take the ship out and trial it, but in the tests used to develop the system, it responded more than five-times faster than using thrusters.”

Ste smiled slightly and shook his head, “I doubt that is possible. No gravity unit has ever responded as well as thrusters.”

“That’s been my experience as well, Ste. Let me know what you find out when you trial them.” Duncan lifted his hand toward the ship, “Let’s go on board and see what we’ve done, shall we?’’

Tal nodded, “Lead the way.”

• • •

They followed Duncan up the lowered door and turned to the left. It was a hundred-yard walk to the bridge and they stopped just inside. There were three-cushioned chairs in front of a giant wall-monitor and a console that extended across the front of the bridge. Duncan pointed at the chairs, “The pilot’s chair in in the center and the scanning chair is to his right.”

“What’s the other chair for?” Tal asked.

“That’s the weapon’s panel.” Tal’s expression revealed his surprise and Duncan looked in his eyes before adding, “The Chancellor insisted that you were the only one he trusted to operate them.”

Tal stared at Duncan and then nodded slightly, “Be careful what you ask for.”

Duncan smiled, “You convinced him you were the only one that could be trusted to use them wisely.”

Ste walked over and stared at his console. After a moment, he turned around and it was clear he was distraught, “It just dawned on me that no one, and I do mean no one, can control the speed while in a phase field!”

Duncan shook his head, “Of course the speed can be controlled.”

“Not slow speed, Duncan. The phase field must be removed to maneuver the ship for landing or slow approaches. Even a tiny push will accelerate the ship to light speed.”

Duncan smiled, “You’re right.”

“But this ship is one big phase field that doesn’t shut down!”

Duncan walked over and pointed to a small joystick on the console. “This controls the ship at slow speed.”

“GET OUT OF HERE!!”

“It automatically controls the gravity units to work against each other, Ste. If you want to slow the ship instantly, press the button on top of the joystick until it clicks, then pull back on it. The gravity units will arrest the ships speed and stop it. If you keep the stick pulled back, it will start backing up. It will move at less than one-mile-per-hour if moved slightly forward or backward. It will also move the ship from side-to-side and up-and-down at the same speed. To go back to full speed settings, press the button fully down to release it from its locked position.”

“And how do I fly the ship normally?”

“The lever next to the joystick controls speed. The steering wheel controls direction. Pull back to move vertically, push forward to dive. Steer left or right to move in those directions.”

“This is so much simpler than flying any ship I’ve ever seen.”

“Duncan, can a pulse-blast damage the hull and prevent the ship from using its phase abilities?” Duncan turned to Tal and was silent.

“What are you not telling us, Duncan?” Sha asked.

“This is top-secret at the highest level, but you need to know it. I trust you will not discuss this anywhere.” They nodded. “This new metal was made using a highly magnetic material that was bombarded by high-radiation inside a phase field.”

“We knew that, Duncan,” Tal responded.

“What you probably didn’t know was that the level of radiation used to produce it was hotter than the radiation released by a hydrogen-nuclear explosion. The scientists that developed it tested it by firing simultaneously more than ten-pulse cannons at it. They had no effect on it.”

The three stared at Duncan in silence and Tal finally stated, “The warships are obsolete.”

“Yes and no, Tal.” Tal’s head tilted slightly, and Duncan added, “The hulls of our warships are made of Chronide, just like the lining inside this ship. We can fuse this new metal to their hulls and modify them to use it. We’re going to start that process after you launch.”

Tal nodded; looked through his eyebrows, and smiled slightly, “It looks like our development of new weapons is bearing fruit.”

“Yes, it does, Tal.” Duncan broke eye-contact with Tal and said, “Your consoles are currently shutdown. I have a helmet for each of you that will familiarize you with your consoles. You need to put them on and start going over your panels. We’ll bring you your meals here and if you need anything, let my staff know. Any questions?”

“Where are you going?”

“There’s still the issue of Colony agents and I now have command of the Navy; I have more than I can do. You have two-months to learn how to operate this ship, so don’t waste any time.”

“Why two-months?” Ste asked.

“Earth is currently behind the sun from Neptune. You will need to launch before Earth moves around the sun where it will be visible from Neptune. Even though this ship is extremely difficult to see on a scan, we don’t want to risk the aliens seeing you.”

Tal nodded and reached for the helmet on back of his chair. He put it on his head and sat down in his chair; Sha and Ste joined him a moment later at their consoles. Duncan watched them for a moment, then turned and left the bridge.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The time passed quickly and in six-weeks, the crew were familiar with their control panels. Tal contacted Duncan and told him they were ready to launch. Duncan set the launch to take place in three-days.”

“Why the delay?” Tal asked.

“We’ve not provisioned your ship, Tal. We need to move the air-containers on board and that will take most of two-days.”

“I’ve developed a tool that will make that unnecessary, Duncan.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve seen the space set aside for the containers and I’ve been working on a filter that will be inserted into the ship’s air-returns. It will convert the used air back to nitrogen and oxygen.”

“Are you serious?”

“I have a virus that will do it.”

“You need to leave a sample of that filter for us to use on our warships.”

“Duncan, the filter is dangerous and could kill everyone on board if it gets out of the filter.”

“Then I refuse to allow you to use it.”

“Duncan, I’ve immunized Sha and me from it and I’ll immunize Ste before we launch.”

“Then give us the means to immunize our crews and leave the filter with Dr. Santiago to duplicate.”

Sha was listening in and interrupted, “Dr. Santiago can do it, Tal. He’s Earth’s best geneticist.”

Tal hesitated, and Duncan said before he could reply, “Tal, we have to consider that you may not make it back from this mission. Give us the filter and antidote.”

Tal glanced at Sha and saw her nodding, “I’ll give it to Dr. Santiago. You need to get him here for me to go over the dangers of this virus.”

“I’ll bring him back with me. I’m going to be there for the launch.”

Tal nodded and went off the ship to find an engineer to stop the transfer of air-containers. He did allow fifty-containers to be brought on board but stopped the other four-hundred from being installed.

• • •

The next day, Tal, Sha, and Ste were being fitted for their flight armor outside the ship when Ste looked out at the distant elevator. He squinted and said, “HOLY MOTHER OF SINBAD THE SAILOR!!” He turned and ran into the ship.

Tal and Sha turned toward the elevator and saw Ka walking across the facility with Duncan. Sha raised her shoulders, “Mother doesn’t look very happy.”

Tal nodded, “No, she doesn’t.

Duncan arrived, and Ka walked up to Sha and stuck her nose in her face, “JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!?”

Duncan looked at them, “She used a listening device she developed to listen in on my conversation with General Lein. She threatened to destroy the computer network if I didn’t bring her with me.”

Sha listened to Duncan and turned back to Ka’s angry face, “I’m going on a mission with my husband.”

“HE’S NOT YOUR HUSBAND!!! AND YOU’RE NOT GOING, OR I’LL DESTROY EVERYTHING I’VE DONE!!”

“Mother, stop being ridiculous! You won’t do that and you and I both know that is an idle threat.”

Ka turned to Tal, “YOU PROMISED TO PROTECT HER!!”

Tal shrugged, “Ka, have you ever been able to stop Sha from doing anything she ever set her mind to do? I tried, and you see how well I did in stopping her.”

Ka stared at him and turned back to Sha, as she said, “She can be hard-headed.”

Tal smiled, “You have no idea.”

Ka turned back to him, “I believe I do; she’s my daughter!”

Sha took her mother’s hands, “Did Duncan explain the importance of this mission to you?” Ka glared at her and then nodded. “I’m going to set up the satellite that will be used to keep an eye on these aliens. You know it can’t be set up before arrival and who, other than me, can do it?”

“I could!” Ka answered.

“But you’re not married to Tal, Ka.”

“AND YOU AREN’T EITHER, SHA!!”

Sha sighed, “There’s something you should know. Tal and I are officially married.”

Ste came out of the ship as Sha made her announcement and said, “Ka, do you intend for your daughter to remain single for the rest of her life?”

Ka whipped her head around to him and said, “I’ll deal with you in a moment!!”

“I look forward to it!” Ste said angrily at hearing her tone. “But answer the question. If she’s going to choose a mate one day, who would you recommend? Do you know anyone other than Tal that could match up with her intelligence and avoid being run over by her?”

Ka was silent, as she turned to Tal. He raised his hands, “Look, I was shocked she had feelings for me. I don’t understand how she can, but I’m thankful for them.”

Ka turned back to Sha and she sighed before saying, “Mom, when you told me everything he did while you were originally on Earth, I was impressed and felt admiration for all the things he did. That admiration turned into an attraction the moment I talked with him on the cruise ship. I eventually came to love him. He didn’t notice it and going on this mission forced me to hit him in the head to get him to see it. I tried to stop him from going, but he must go, and I understand why. You need to accept that I am his and I will be going with him on this mission; nothing you can do or say will stop me!”

Ka looked at Tal and sighed, “He can be pretty dense.”

“HEY!” Tal responded.

Sha nodded, “I know it, Mom. But now he knows, and our fake marriage is real. I won’t be leaving his side.”

Ka looked at Ste, “What about you, whoever you are?”

“I’m Colonel Ste; I’m an officer in the Colony’s Military. Tal showed me that the best way to defend the colonies was to help Earth.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was afraid of losing you if I did.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Tal wasn’t able to keep you and I didn’t see you wanting to be with anyone from the colonies. I…I…just didn’t want you to stop seeing me.”

Ka stared at him, looked at Sha…then Tal. “I’m being hit by multiple haulers today. Why didn’t any of you tell me what was going on?”

“MOTHER, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!”

“Sha, I’m not unreasonable.” Tal, Sha, and Ste’s mouths fell open. She saw them and sighed, “Well, not so unreasonable.”

“Mom, you’re an idiot. You try to control everyone around you and use force if necessary to get your way. I learned long ago that I had to break away from your control.”

Ka stared at Sha, before saying, “I guess I deserve that.” She turned to Ste, “And you? How do you feel about all this?”

“I can see that Tal and Sha are a good match.”

“And us?”

Ste took a deep breath, “You are an enigma to me, Ka. I’m really attracted to you but I’m tired of walking around on broken glass to avoid doing or saying anything that would scare you away.”

“You’re pretty smart for a Colony Officer.”

“Mark it up to Dr. Laramie’s memories.”

“No, subject matter doesn’t make one smart, Ste. You’re smarter than anyone I know, other than Tal and Sha.”

“You didn’t mention yourself,” Ste responded.

“I think you hold your own with me, Ste. And I don’t want to stop being with you. What is your normal appearance?’

Ste hesitated and then changed his form. Sha said, “My goodness gracious!” Ste fit the description tall, dark, and handsome perfectly.

Ka stared at him and smiled, “I think you’ll do.” She paused and said, “But I’m afraid I may lose all of you if you go on this mission.”

“Does that include me?” Tal asked.

“Especially you, Tal. You and I would never make it, but I love you more than you know.” She turned to Sha, “Like a brother I never had.” She turned back to Tal, “As long as I know you’re around, I can sleep better at night.”

Tal smiled, “Ka, I’m not going out to start a fight. I intend to do the job and bring all of us back safely. There’s no guarantees in life and the worst could happen. But if we don’t do this, we’re working blind in dealing with the aliens and all of us could ultimately die at their hands…or whatever they use to manipulate things.”

“I want to go with you…”

Duncan forcefully interrupted, “THAT’S NOT HAPPENING!!”

Ka blew out a breath and shrugged, “I had to promise not to go for him to bring me here.”

“She’s too important!!” Duncan added.

Ste walked up to Ka and took her in his arms. He hugged her, and Ka put her head on his chest and softly asked, “When do you leave?”

“Two-days.”

“We need to make the most of them.” Ste nodded and put his head on top of hers as he held her close.

Duncan turned to Tal, “Dr. Santiago is in the lab. I need you to show him what you’ve got.” Tal nodded, and Sha held his hand as they followed Duncan to the lab.

• • •

The launch day arrived, and they stood outside the landing bay door. Ka was holding on to Ste and she turned to Tal, “You promise to keep them safe?”

“I will, Ka.” Ka walked over to Tal and hugged him. Tal returned her hug and released her to go back to Ste.

Ste looked at Tal, “Sir, what is the ship’s name?”

“Sir?” Tal asked.

“Sir, you outrank me. You are the commander of this mission.” Tal glanced at Duncan and he nodded. “I don’t know. Do either of you have a suggestion?”

Sha nodded, “We’ll name her Epy.”

“What in creation does that mean?” Ste asked.

Sha turned to Ste, “It stands for Eye of Providence.”

“Say what?” Tal responded.

Sha pulled a gold chain our from her collar and showed them a small medallion. She handed it to Tal and his eyes narrowed, “This looks like an open eye on top of a pyramid.”

“That’s exactly what it is, Tal. It was an image that once appeared on the back of an ancient nation’s currency. I purchased it in the colonies from a rare coin collector and tried to determine what it was, I failed miserably. But I liked it and kept it around my neck. I discovered while searching the history database here on Earth that the image was called the Eye of Providence and represented the all-seeing eye of the universe’s creator. I figured that our mission is to go out and see everything out there and that it was an appropriate name for the ship. I think we should call her Epy.”

Tal looked at Ste and he shrugged. He turned back to Sha and smiled, “Epy it is.” He turned to Duncan, “How do we get out of here, Sir?”

Duncan raised his right arm and waved it at the far wall. A giant door began raising. There was a huge room behind it that was as long as the facility. Duncan turned to Ste, “You need to use the joystick to move Epy into that elevator-room. It will move you to the surface.”

Ste raised a shoulder, “I’ve only done this on the simulator.”

Duncan smiled, “Then take your time. My understanding is the simulators are as close to your systems as possible.”

Ste hugged Ka and she reached up and quickly kissed him, “Make sure you come back.” Ste smiled and nodded.

The crew went into the ship. The large bay door closed and the gravity field holding it in place was released. The ship hovered three-feet off the floor and then began slowly moving toward the giant door. It wobbled slightly and then straightened out. It moved smoothly across the floor and slid into the huge elevator room. The giant door came down and Ka heard heavy machinery noises. Duncan pressed a button on his wrist unit and Ka saw an image of desert sands. Suddenly, the sands split as two giant doors opened. Duncan remarked, “The sand attached to those doors is artificial.” Ka nodded and saw the small ship rise out of the doors, point its nose skyward, and accelerate away. In a moment it was gone. “We’ve trained them well, Ka. If anyone can do this, it’s them.”

Ka nodded, “I know.” She turned to him, “You will tell me when they’re coming back.”

Duncan nodded, “I’ll tell you either way.”

• • •

The small ship rose above the sands and picked up speed. It was out of Earth’s atmosphere in less than a minute and Ste looked at Tal, “How do you want to handle this?”

Tal looked at Sha and she said, “We need to drop off the receiver.”

“Where?”

“Ste, head directly above the sun. We’re going to put it in a polar position, so to speak.”

Ste moved the joystick forward and Epy took off at incredible speed. Ste raised the nose of the ship and arrived above the sun in seconds. “Boy! This lady has legs!” Ste announced.

“Why are you putting the receiver above the sun?” Tal asked.

“The receiver is made of the same material as our hull. We can put it in place and the Sun’s gravity won’t pull it in. We’re placing it far enough away above the sun where it can see Earth wherever it is in its orbit. That will keep the communication lines open.”

“Only to the northern hemisphere,” Ste commented.

“Orlando is in the northern hemisphere, Ste.”

“I know, Sha. You might consider putting one below the sun to get full coverage.”

“I guess. However, I need you to move Epy above the sun until you can see Earth in its orbit.” Ste moved away from the sun and stopped about 700-million miles above the sun. Sha turned to Ste, “I need you to bring the ship to a complete stop.”

Ste moved the joystick and kept his eyes on a speedometer on his panel. The needle reached zero and didn’t move. “Done.”

Sha pressed a button on her panel and said, Depressurizing the landing bay.” She waited and then announced, “I’m having the robotic arm move the receiver out of the bay; Ste, keep her still.” Ste nodded and kept his eyes on the speedometer. The large receiver moved out of the landing bay. Sha released it and pressed another button on her panel. The arm retracted, and the receiver remained in place.

Tal watched the receiver on the forward monitor and saw hundreds of giant tube-shaped stalks rise out of the satellite. “What are those, Sha?”

“They are antennas that will combine to make an electronic field more than ten-thousand-miles wide. This satellite will be the most powerful receiver ever created. It will hear our transmissions from far beyond Neptune.”

“Can it hear us from the Colonies?”

“If we use a phase frequency, it can.”

Tal nodded, and Sha looked away from the monitor, “It’s your ship, Tal.”

“Ste, take the ship at maximum speed directly away from the sun. Don’t stop until you’re out of the galaxy.” Ste’s eyes narrowed, as he shutoff the joystick and pushed the lever forward. Tal saw Sha staring at him. “We’re going to make sure we’re outside the scanning range of those aliens before we turn around and come down above Neptune. Sha, I need you to determine where their scanners are pointed.”

“They may have them pointed above Neptune, Tal.”

“They could, but I doubt it. They’re focused on Earth and the traffic going to it. They’ll be focused on the Solar System and, even if they’re not, keep in mind Epy will have to get really close for them to detect her.”

Ste nodded and pushed the lever fully forward. The small ship accelerated like a greyhound after a rabbit. He smiled, “Duncan was right.”

About what?” Sha asked.

“These new gravity units are faster than any thrusters I’ve ever used.

They arrived high above the Milky Way and Ste brought the ship to a stop. The gazed out of the front monitor at the beautiful spiral galaxy below them. Sha went over and sat in Tal’s lap, “I’ve never seen this,” She said softly. “It’s beautiful.”

Tal nodded, “It’s home. Let’s stay here and eat before we go back. We may not have a chance to eat if we wait.”

Sha stood up, “I’ll bring it to the bridge.” Tal nodded absently and stared at the monitor. He touched a nob on his panel and the view expanded. He looked off to the left and saw Andromeda in the distance. He stared at it in silence.

• • •

They finished eating and Sha took the dishes to the kitchen. She came back, and Tal turned to her, “Sha, see if you can contact Earth.” Ste’s eyebrows came down and he wondered how that could be possible. They were further away from Earth than the most distant Colony.

Sha extended the antennas from the hull and pressed a pad on her panel, “This is Earth Ship Eyes of Providence, do you read me?”

“You’re coming in loud and clear, Sir.” Sha’s head went back, as Tal smiled. She pressed the pad, “We’re checking in to report our status. The ship has performed marvelously, and we’ll check back in when it’s safe to do so.”

“I’ll pass this on to Admiral Montana and General Lein, Sir.”

Sha pulled the antennas back inside the hull and looked at Tal, “You expected us to be able to contact Earth, didn’t you?”

“There’s not much blocking our view of Earth out here,” Tal replied. “Inside the galaxy there are stars, dust, black holes, and other things that would get in the way if we tried to communicate from this far away.” Don’t you have another receiver on board, Sha.”

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“If we put it here, and directed our communications toward it, it should be able to transfer them directly to Earth no matter where we are in the Milky Way.” Sha thought about it and nodded. “You could also target the spy satellite’s communicator to it and the frequencies shouldn’t be detected by any one inside the galaxy.” Sha’s eyes narrowed, and Tal added, “How often have you ever scanned for communications coming from outside the galaxy?”

Sha stared at him and shook her head, “Never. All the communications take place inside the Milky Way.”

“So, if you’re an alien, would you be looking outside the galaxy to track communications?”

Sha smiled, and turned to Ste, “Have I ever told you my husband is brilliant?”

“Not more than six-hundred times or so.”

Tal laughed, as Sha turned to her panel, “I’m launching the second receiver.” Ste turned and kept his eyes on the speedometer.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ste flew the Epy back into the galaxy on a direct course for Neptune. Tal had him slow down and stop the ship ten-billion-miles above the planet. He turned to Sha, “Can you detect their scans this far away?”

“I doubt it.”

“Can the spy satellite detect them from here?”

“It might. But the scans might not be good.”

“How close does the satellite need to be to operate at its optimum performance?”

Sha hesitated and then answered, “We need to be inside two-hundred-thousand-miles to get everything clearly.”

“What would we miss further out?” Tal asked.

“We’d miss that ship’s internal communications.” Tal’s head tilted, and his eyebrows came down. “Tal, every starship of any significant size communicates via an internal PA system. We’ll probably have to use ours if one of us is in one of the bedrooms in the back of the ship, and this is a small ship compared to that alien vessel.”

“Do we need to hear it?” Ste asked.

“Dr. Patel gave me a program for our main computer before we left. If you don’t know, Dr. Patel is without doubt the best linguist on Earth. He told me if we can collect enough samples of the alien’s language, this program could possibly translate it. I think we need to try to collect their internal communications.” Sha looked at Tal, “Why are you reluctant to get closer?”

“Sha, we’re going to have to open the landing bay door to launch the satellite. That will open us up to be easily detected by the aliens if they have a scanner pointed in our direction.”

“Like you said earlier, Tal, no one scans above the galaxy.”

“But there are scanners that constantly rotate looking at everything around the ship.” Sha’s mouth pursed, as she thought about the conundrum.

“They can’t scan through Epy, can they?” Ste asked.

Sha turned to him, “I don’t think so.”

“Then I’ll turn the side of the ship with the landing bay door away from them, keeping the ship between us and them. You launch the satellite, I’ll close the door, and get out of there.”

They turned to Tal for his thoughts. He shrugged and raised his hands, “We need to know what they’re saying to know what they’re up to. It’s worth taking the risk.”

Ste looked at Sha, “Get an image of that ship on the monitor and let me know when we’re at the right distance to launch.”

Sha pressed a button on her console and an image of the blue ship appeared. It was incredibly small at their current distance, and Ste activated the joystick. He moved Epy slowly toward the distant vessel, as Sha counted down the distance. Tal hesitated but pressed a button on his panel and the four-pulse-cannon barrels rose out of the hull. Sha looked at him with a concerned expression. “Sha, I promised your mother to keep both of you safe,” Tal explained before she could ask.

Sha returned her focus back to her panel and exhaled a slow breath.

• • •

The launch of the spy-satellite was uneventful, and Tal was happily surprised that it appeared on the monitor to be a large piece of rock floating in open space. Neptune’s gravity pulled it along as it moved on its orbit. What’s that satellite’s hull made of, Sha?”

“Ste, if it’s scanned, it will give an identical return of any other rock floating in space.”

“What about its antennas, Sha?”

“Tal, only their tips extend out of the body. They’re too small to be detected at this distance.”

“And you’ll be able to hear them inside that ship?”

“Yes, Tal. It can detect minute vibrations in that ship’s hull. We will hear them.”

“Ste, get us out of here. Sha did you orient the satellite’s transmitter to the receiver we left above the galaxy?”

“No, currently it’s oriented to find us. When we leave, it will search for the receiver and lock on it.”

“That’ll work.”

Ste flew the ship away and Sha announced after a few minutes, “I’m activating the receiver on the satellite and feeding everything into our main computer.” She pressed a blue button on her console and it illuminated. She stayed focused on her console’s display and soon a smiled appeared on her face, as she reported, “Everything is operating perfectly.”

Tal stood up, “Start the recorders and settle in; we’re going to be here for a while.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’ve not slept well in a week. I’m going for a nap.”

He walked off the bridge and then Sha stood up, “I’m going to join him. Call me if you need a break.” Ste watched her leave and shook his head, as he thought, “Oh, Ka. I do wish you were here.”

• • •

Two-months passed, and life became monotonous on the Epy. Sha was leaning back in her chair in front of her console, as Tal walked on the bridge, “Need a break?”

“No, every other place on this ship is just as boring.”

“You’re right about that, Sha. Is the computer still recording their conversations?”

“It’s operating even better than I thought, Tal. It can record their conversations even when they’re not using the PA.” She reached over and turned the volume control up.

They immediately heard, “I’m so over this.”

“Get used to it. We still have a long way to go.”

Their eyes flew wide open and Sha started shaking her head in shock. “IS THAT THE ALIENS, SHA?” Tal asked.

“OH MY GOD, IT MUST BE! I TURNED THE VOLUME DOWN WEEKS AGO AND HAVEN’T BEEN LISTENING.”

“Rewind the recorder! See when this started!” Tal ordered.

Sha put on her headphones and began rewinding the recorded conversation, as she quickly said, “Dr. Patel’s program must have translated their language and began playing their translated conversations.” She’d stop, listen, and start rewinding again. Finally, she stopped and fast-forwarded. She sent the recording to the wall-speaker and took off the headphones. “…much longer before this job is over?”

“We’ll have to wait for the third-planet to move behind the star before we’re relieved.”

“Why has the invasion been delayed so long?”

“The Fleet was reduced in size from the last invasion and had to be rebuilt. Most of the ships have been tied up at other civilizations being invaded.”

“But even so…”

“You know that there are many more than just one civilized planet here. It takes time to build the necessary ships to be successful. It was hoped there would be a war between the advanced planets and the one we’re scouting. That’s the main reason it’s taken so long.”

“Any news on the fleet’s status?”

“I’ve asked many times and I keep getting the same answer.”

“What is it?”

“Soon.”

Tal’s eyes were almost closed when Sha stopped the recording. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Prioritizing the information,” Sha answered. She pressed a series of buttons on her panel, “Computer. Sort through the recordings and prioritize anything that deals with invasion, warships, weapons, and attacks.”

Sha waited and heard, “Instructions completed.”

“Start playing them in the order of importance.”

The immediately heard over the wall-speaker, “What do you mean we’re ordered to remain here!”

“The initial invasion will be taking place at one of the planets that uses a stardrive. You will need to keep us informed if the planet you’re scouting takes any action.”

“They can’t take action; they don’t have faster-than-light capability!”

“You will remain at your station and keep us informed!” There was a pause and they heard, “The Fleet has been launched and will arrive in a week.”

Tal yelled, “STOP THE RECORDING! WHEN WAS THAT COVERSATION HEARD!!?”

Sha looked at her panel and looked up with fear in her eyes, “Eight-days ago.”

“Sha, send these recordings to Earth and tell Duncan he needs to accelerate modifying the warships. Tell him one of the colonies is under attack. Let him know we’re going to head to the colonies to find out what’s happening.”

“Are we going to take out that scout?”

“No, we need to keep them in the dark about Earth’s technology.” Tal pressed a button on his console and shouted, “STE, GET UP HERE NOW!!”

Ste arrived rubbing his eyes a few seconds later and Tal ordered, “Get the ship moving toward the colonies! Sha, keep the receiver open and see if you pick up any news about an attack!” Ste looked stunned, when Tal shouted, “Go! GO! GO!!”

Ste took his seat at his console and turned off the joystick, pushed the thrust handle forward, and pulled the ship’s nose up. He changed course slightly and poured on the power; the colonies were three-days away at maximum-speed.

“Tal, I’m intercepting colony transmissions. They’re fighting at Australia!”

“Change course to Australia, Ste!”

Ste nodded and turned the steering-wheel slightly as he pushed down on it. “Australia is closer than Americas. We’ll arrive in just over fifty-hours.”

• • •

Australia was on the front monitor and Tal ordered, “Sha, put the transmissions you’re intercepting on the wall-speaker.”

“…can’t get near them, Sir. They’re gigantic and covered with missile ports and some kind of huge beam weapons. There’s ten of them and they’ve got overlapping fields of fire around Australia. We’ve lost fifty-warships trying to get close enough to launch or fire on those monsters.”

“Is the planet being attacked?”

“No, Sir, nor yet. There’s approximately 400-warships surrounding the planet but all they’re doing is preventing anyone on the planet from escaping. Hundreds of personal ships have been shot down.”

“Hold off any further attacks until I arrive with the rest……the other five-fleets will be arriving in six-weeks. Consolidate your control of the planet….Yes, Sir. We’ll wait for your arrival, Sir.”

Sha’s eyes widened, and she said while operating her panel, “The middle part of that was a transmission from the aliens. The Colony and alien messages are overlapping each other.”

“Five more fleets will attack in six-weeks,” Tal said quietly.

“What are you thinking, Tal?”

Tal looked at Sha and turned to Ste, “Set a course for Americas. Sha, get Duncan on the channel.”

“I’ve collected some images from Australia, Tal.”

“Be prepared to send them to Duncan.” Duncan appeared on Tal’s display, “Duncan, an alien fleet is attacking Australia. We’ve intercepted a transmission from them that five other alien fleets will be arriving in six-weeks. You need to get moving on modifying the warships.”

“Tal, that’s not something we can move quickly on. We’re working on three-warships but it’s going to take at least six-months to get them ready. To modify them all is going to take years.”

“Duncan, the war is on with an alien civilization. What if you start modifying the fleet at every construction facility instead of only at the one in the Sahara?”

“That’s not something we can hide, Tal.”

“As long as you don’t show them your ships using a stardrive, it won’t matter! The colonies are no longer a threat, they’ve got their own ball of wax to melt before they could begin to consider doing anything about Earth. You’ve got to get the ships modified as quickly as possible.”

“You sound really worried, Tal!”

“Duncan, Sha is going to send you some scans of the alien fleet surrounding Australia. Take a good look at what you’re up against and start moving on preparing the fleet!”

“Tal, it took us two-years to build your small ship. We can speed things up by using multiple facilities, but it will still take several years. However, you need to see if the Colonies can slow them down.”

“I’ll do what I can, Duncan. Have our scientists look at the energy beam the aliens are using. It’s not fired in pulses but is a solid beam. We need to see if we can duplicate it or build one more powerful.”

“I’ll give the scan to Ka and Dr. Meier.”

“I’ll be back in touch later.” Tal ended the contact and turned to walk off the bridge.

“Where are you going?” Sha asked.

“To have a discussion with the Guild Master.”

“WHY?”

“He’s the only one that can get me in touch with the President of the Colonies. I’ll be back.”

Sha yelled at Tal before he left the bridge., “Are you sure about this?”

“Nothing is certain, Sha. Did you manage to get a physical scan of an alien.”

“I did.”

“Send it to my panel. I need to study it and see what we’re up against. Ste, how long to Americas?”

“Four-days, Tal. It’s on the far-side of the colonies from here.” Tal said over his shoulder, “I’ll be right back.” A few-minutes later he returned with a black bag. He put the bag down beside his chair, activated his console’s computer, and pulled up the image of the alien Sha had captured on his computer. It was big, bad, and ugly. It had two-arms and legs. Their knees bent their lower-legs forward instead of back like a human’s and their elbows appeared to be a sort of swivel joint that allowed them to move their lower arms in any direction. Their bodies were thick, wide, and heavily muscled. Their skin appeared dark but that was because of the fine dark hair covering their body.

He didn’t get a good view of the alien’s face; It was looking away when Sha made the scan. He began running queries through the program and waited for the computer to respond.

The scans appeared on his display and he saw they really weren’t that different from humans in their vulnerabilities. Their heads were just as vulnerable as a human’s and their lungs were on one side of their chest and their heart on the other, leaving them vulnerable to any hit on their chest. Their blood was different but was still vulnerable to disease and poisons. They would probably wear armor of some sort while on a planet they invaded…but they were vulnerable.

“Tal.”

Tal looked up from his computer, “Yes, Ste.”

“My children are on Haven.”

Tal looked up at Ste and realized that Haven was the closest colony to Australia. It was probably next in line for conquest. “Do you have a way to get them off the planet?”

“My son has a pressurized air-transport. But I suspect all space travel has been stopped due to what’s happening on Australia.”

“Stop at Haven, Ste. Get you children on that air-transport and have them fly it to maximum altitude.”

“How can I contact them?”

“Do you have one of their communicator’s frequencies?” Sha asked as she entered the bridge.

“It’s in my communicator.”

“Give it to me!” Ste handed it to Sha and she took out a small handheld device from her pouch. She scanned the communicator and looked up at Ste, “Where do they live?”

“Just outside Acropolis.”

“Ste, take the ship above the city and I’ll try to connect you to your son’s communicator.” Ste flew Epy into Haven’s star system and stopped far out from the planet.

Tal looked up, “They won’t detect Epy, Ste. And besides, the fleet has been sent to Australia. There’s no one here to interfere.” Ste nodded nervously and moved the ship in a thousand-miles above the huge city.

Sha pressed several buttons and handed the communicator back to Ste, “I’ve linked it to my panel.”

Ste scrolled through the contacts and then pressed the transmit button. A moment later, a young man appeared on the small display, “DAD!”

Ste quickly interrupted, “JEE! I NEED YOU TO BE QUIET AND LISTEN TO ME!!” The young man’s eyes narrowed, and Ste said, “Where is Jan?”

“She’s at work, just like me.”

“I need you to go and pick her up. Go home and pack a bag for a long trip.”

“What’s going on, Dad?”

“Jee, do you trust me?” The young man stared at Ste and then nodded. “Don’t ask permission to leave, just get up and go! Pick up Jan, go and pack your bags, and contact me when you’ve done it!”

“Dad, I’ve just been promoted, and this could cost me my job.”

“Son, that promotion won’t help you if you’re dead! Do like I’ve asked and contact me when you’re at home.” The young man’s expression instantly showed his fear. But he quickly asked, “Are we leaving Haven?” Ste stared at him with an angry expression and he quickly said, “I want to take my girlfriend.”

Ste stared at him and Sha broke into the call, “Are you her boyfriend?” Jee was shocked at Sha’s face and she quickly added, “If you want to take her because of your feelings for her but see she doesn’t feel the same, then forget it!”

Ste’s face returned to the communicator and he said, “Jee, she’s right. If you aren’t ready to marry her, you can’t bring her!!”

Jee sighed, “I’ll pick up Jan. What if she refuses to go?”

“I’m going to contact her the moment I end this call. Get moving, Jee!”

Ste ended the call and then pressed the button for his daughter.

Chapter Twenty-Five

An hour later, Ste felt his communicator vibrate and Jan appeared on it, “What do we do now, Dad?”

“Put your luggage into the air-transport and fly it out of the city. Head north and go to its maximum altitude and wait for me.”

“Where are you, Dad?’

“Close. Do like I’ve asked, Jan.”

Ste turned to Sha and she shook her head, “Air-traffic above the city is heavy; nothing yet.” A few minutes later Sha pointed at the front monitor, “I have a small craft moving north above the city and gaining altitude. Ste grabbed the joystick and pushed it forward.

• • •

Jan looked at Jee, “What do you think is going on?”

“I don’t know but Dad said if I didn’t do as he asked, I’d be dead.”

“Do you believe him?”

“I’m here, Jan.”

“Just checking. We used most of our fuel getting to this altitude.”

“Jan, we’re going to follow his instructions to the letter; I believe in him.”

Suddenly, a starship flashed in beside them and a large door on the side of it opened. The ship began moving sideways toward them and Jee turned the air-transport and moved it slowly through the door. He lowered the thrusters as it flew into the small bay to prevent the transport from hitting the ceiling. The door swung up, and Ste rushed into the landing bay. His children rushed out of the air-transport into his arms, “What’s going on, Dad?!” Jan asked.

“The colonies are being attacked by an alien civilization. Haven is probably the next colony they’ll invade, and I had to try and get you out before that happened.”

“But…”

“Please hold your questions until later. You can come in to the bridge with me, but I need you to sit against the back wall and be quiet. Will you do that, please.” Jee looked at Jan and then they nodded. “Follow me.”

They ran after Ste and saw a man and woman on the bridge. They sat against the back wall, as Tal stood up from Ste’s console and walked back to them. Tal saw without doubt that the young man was Ste’s son, they looked very much alike, “Hello, my name is Tal and the woman sitting beside your father is my wife, Sha. We’re flying a starship that was built on Earth.” Jan and Jee’s expression immediately turned fearful. “I know what you’re thinking, but Earth is not an enemy of the colonies and may be the only thing that saves them from the aliens currently attacking them. All of us on this ship are from the colonies and we’re doing all we can to prevent the colonies’ destruction. Any questions before I get back to work?”

“Is my father working for Earth?”

“He’s working to save the colonies by assisting Earth to come up with a way to defeat the aliens. Do you doubt your father’s loyalty to the defense of the colonies…and to you?”

Jee looked around Tal and saw Ste flying this ship at incredible speed. “I don’t know what to think.”

“Then do this. Hold your judgement until we get a moment to sit down and discuss this with you in detail.” Jee and Jan stared at him and Jee shrugged before nodding. Jan’s expression showed her doubt, but she nodded as well.”

Tal didn’t see any similarities between Ste and his daughter. She was blonde and blue-eyed and at least six-inches shorter than her father and brother. Tal turned and asked, “Sha, how long before we’ll be close enough to contact the Guild Master?”

“We’ll be in contact range within twenty minutes. Why do you ask?”

“Sha, I don’t want to go all the way to Americas. I want you to connect my intrusion device to your computer and let me know when it connects to a communication frequency on Americas.”

“Give it here.”

Tal went over to his chair and picked up the black bag. He handed it to Sha and she removed the intrusion device. Tal turned to Ste, “Ste, once we’re in contact range, stop Epy and be prepared to head back to Neptune.”

“Why are we going there?”

“We’re going to move the spy satellite from there. to the colonies.”

“What about that alien ship?”

“We’re going to remove it as well.”

• • •

Thirty-minutes later, Sha looked up, “I’m connected.”

“Transfer it to my console, please.”

Tal’s display lit up and he began typing. He pressed the enter button, sat back, and waited.

• • •

The Guild Master was sitting at his desk receiving hundreds of calls from guild members on Australia. He heard a loud ping and saw a flashing light on his computer screen. He lowered the volume of his communicator and pressed the receive button on his computer. A face appeared on the display and he heard, “It’s been a while Guild Master.”

“Who are you and how did you get on my private channel?!”

“I’m sorry. You’ve not seen me in this form.” Tal changed to the form he used as an assassin.

The Guild Master’s mouth fell open, “You’re dead!”

“Far from it, Guild Master. As you can see, I have access to your computer and learned about your plan to kill Number One and me. We removed the ones you sent to kill us and have been on Earth since then removing the agents you’ve sent to spy on Earth’s Military.”

“YOU’RE TRAITORS!!” Jee looked at Jan and saw her tension. This man was an assassin. Who had their father fallen in with?

“Far from it, Guild Master. However, before I continue this conversation, I need you to link in the President of the Council.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because I assume you want to do something about the aliens attacking Australia. You should know they have five more fleets due to arrive in six-weeks. The President should know that as well.”

“I still don’t…”

“Guild Master, in all your dealings with me, was I ever deceitful or dishonest with you?” The Guild Master hesitated and Tal smiled, “Link him in Guild Master; we’re on the same side this time.”

The Guild Master scrolled down a list and highlighted a name. He pressed enter and the President appeared on the monitor, “I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!! ONE OF THE COLONIES IS BEING ATTACKED!!” The President looked at Tal’s image on the display beside the Guild Master and asked, “WHO ARE YOU?!”

“I’m the one that killed your predecessor.” The President’s eyes flew wide open and Tal quickly continued, “You don’t need to worry about that getting out and the Guild Master believed that he killed me however, he didn’t. The point is, the colonies are under attack from an alien civilization and you must decide what to do about it.”

“How do you know about that?”

“I was just close to Australia watching what was taking place and it’s not looking good for your fleet. The aliens have an edge in technology and your warships can’t get close enough to do them damage. There are also five more alien fleets that will arrive in six-weeks to attack five more colonies.”

The President was having a difficult time processing what Tal was telling him, “How do you know this?”

“We’ve translated their language and have been listening to one of their scouts for two-months. I’m going to send a copy of the translation program to the Guild Master at the end of our conversation and you can pass it on to your Fleet Commander.”

“When you say, ‘we have been listening’, who do you mean by ‘we’?”

“Earth, of course.”

“Why should I believe anything you say,” the President sneered.

“Don’t be stupid, Mr. President. Earth has a stardrive and has had it for more than forty-years. If they wanted to harm the colonies, they would have done it long ago.”

“Why haven’t they?”

“Because Earth feels guilt over abandoning the colonies before their nuclear war. Most of them think Earth deserves how your traders treated them. But that’s not important now; what is important, is that Earth discovered an alien ship orbiting Neptune decades ago scouting them. They hid they had a stardrive and started working on developing advanced weapons that could take the aliens on if they ever represented a danger. It now appears they are dangerous.”

“Have them come and assist us!!”

“That’s just it, Mr. President. Earth’s warships could wipe the floor with your fleet, but they aren’t able to take on those giant ships above Australia…at least not yet. They’re close but they’re several years from getting their warships ready to do it.”

“Why didn’t they tell us about that alien scout.”

“They felt that you would have immediately attacked it and the war would have started decades ago before anyone was ready for them. Subtlety is not something the colonies are good at.”

“So, you’re going to stand by and do nothing while we’re being attacked!?”

“Mr. President, the colonies aren’t the only thing at stake here…all of mankind is at risk of becoming extinct. You’ve got to focus on doing anything to insure humanity’s survival and Earth will enter the fight when its warships are ready.”

“When will that be?”

“Mr. President, we’ve made some discoveries that can possibly stand up to these aliens, but we’ve only just discovered them. Earth will need several years to update its fleets. In the meantime, you must find a way to slow the aliens down and start moving populations out of the colonies to search for other habitable planets. We may not win this war and mankind’s survival must be insured. There are millions of huge commercial haulers that can be used to move hundreds-of-thousands of people and the supplies needed to support them to other planets. They’ll have to leave and find another planet to colonize.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Mr. President, you must start moving people out of the colonies!”

“That’s not what I meant. We don’t need to search for habitable planets. We have the locations of hundreds of them and more than a hundred are in the Andromeda Galaxy.” Tal’s expression showed his shock. The President shrugged, “Contrary to what you might think, we aren’t dumb. The search for habitable planets didn’t stop with the fifty that were colonized. The plan was to continue colonizing other planets in the future, but we didn’t have the ones we were living on stable enough to start the process. We continued searching for them but by the time we were ready to make the effort, no one wanted to leave.”

“I’d highly recommend you start sending ships out to the ones you found in Andromeda, Mr. President.

“I’ll see what I can do. But I don’t see anything we can do to slow these aliens down.”

Tal smiled, “I don’t think these aliens are here to kill everyone on the planets they conquer. They’re going to land military forces and take control of the planet. If you can remove those forces, you will slow them down…a lot.”

“And just how am I going to accomplish that?”

“You can’t Mr. President, but he can,” Tal said nodding toward the Guild Master.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Guild Master, you have tens of thousands of assassins on every colony. Have them take out the landing forces. The aliens aren’t that different from us. I’ve mapped the critical parts of their anatomy where they can be easily killed; you send that information out to the assassins on the attacked colonies.”

“You obviously don’t know them very well,” the Guild Master sneered.

“I know them better than anyone in this conversation; I’m one of them. They are not motivated to defend the colonies; you’re going to have to offer to pay them to do it.”

“It would take a huge sum to get them to attack an alien!!” the Guild Master instantly replied.

The President turned to him, “What do you call a huge sum?”

The Guild Master sputtered, “At least…thirty…I mean forty…”

“What about fifty-thousand credits for each one killed?” the President asked.

“Who’s going to pay that, Mr. President?”

“There will be a new Tax on the holdings of the wealthiest people in the colonies. We’ll get the funds to pay them.”

Tal chuckled, “Come on, Guild Master. You know how to position this. The assassins all share the same trait, GREED! Sneak up on them with it. But you better hurry. I suspect all communications with Australia will be shut down quickly.”

The Guild Master thought about the proposal and turned to the President on the monitor, “I’ll handle it Mr. President.” The President disappeared from the display and the Guild Master looked at Tal, “What about Number One?”

“She’s sending her kisses to you.”

“I imagine they’re laced with poison.”

“Guild Master, both of us are better off now than we were. I guess you can say, no harm, no foul. Get this army you command in the fight. You and I are square, and you don’t have to worry about either of us seeking vengeance against you. I’m sending the translation program to you along with the vital places on the alien’s anatomy.”

The Guild Master nodded, and Tal disappeared from his display. He saw the data start coming in and he thought for a few moments as it completed downloading. He turned to his communicator and dialed up a general frequency on Australia. He sent a written message that a verbal communication would follow in ten-minutes. He sat back and though about how to say it.

• • •

Tee sat in a comfortable chair in a concrete room under a parking garage. He had the room built while the garage was being constructed and he killed the contractor afterwards to make sure no one ever learned of its existence. He re-read the message the Guild Master sent and saw at the end that only the highest-ranking assassin on the planet would be allowed to ask questions; everyone else was ordered to remain silent. He thought about it and decided that was ok, Ric was nobody’s push over. He looked at his guild communicator and it activated.

“I’m contacting all of you now because I believe our communications will soon be terminated. I want to update everyone on what’s going on. All of you probably know that Australia is being invaded by an alien civilization and the Colony Fleet is not going to be able to take them out. The military is working on the necessary technology to deal with them but, for the moment, I expect the planet to be invaded by the alien’s landing forces. I’ve been asked by the President of the Council to plead for you to do all you can to remove the alien’s forces that land on the planet…”

“Why would any of us ever take the risk of doing that, Guild Master?” a voice interrupted.

“I could say to do it to save the colonies and mankind.” The Guild Master replied.

Ric replied, “Get real. That’s the military’s job, not ours!”

“The President says he will pay you to do it.”

“You can’t spend it if you’re dead, Guild Master!”

“That’s true, Ric. Did I mention that the Council will pay fifty-thousand-credits for each alien killed?”

The channel was silent. Finally, Ric said softly, “Did I hear you correctly, fifty-thousand credits?”

“Just video all your kills, like you always do, and hold them until we take the planet back from the aliens.”

“And what if you don’t take it back?”

“Then it won’t matter because you’ll be dead with everyone else. But try to look at it on the positive side. When we win this war, you can retire and join the wealthy citizens in the colonies. I think that’s worth taking the risk.”

The contact ended, and an image of an alien’s body appeared on the screen showing its vital points to attack, then the channel went dark. Tee thought about it and looked around his hidden-room. He had enough supplies to last him for years. But, according to this image he pulled up, the aliens were quite vulnerable. Ummm…the image also said the aliens were susceptible to the same poisons as humans. He looked up at the wall-clock and saw nightfall was an hour away. He stood up and took off his clothes. He began putting on his dark, insulated black suit and started arming himself once it was on. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to go out and look around to see if there were any good locations to take a shot at an alien. He’d delay doing anything until a week or so after they landed; they’d be too cautious initially.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Tal turned to Sha, “Send the translation program to the Guild Master.” Sha pressed some keys, looked up, and gave him the thumbs up. Tal nodded in acknowledgement and turned to Ste as he turned Epy around and started back toward Earth’s Solar System, “How long is it going to take us to get back to Neptune?”

“A little over three-days.” Ste replied.

Tal rubbed his neck, “Do you need a break, Ste?”

Ste looked at Jee and Jan, “No, I need to take some time to bring my children up to date on what’s happening. You and Sha take a break. Turn off your consoles so they can sit in your chairs.”

Tal stood up and shutdown his console, as Sha joined him. She turned to Ste, “Call us when you need a break.”

“I will, get some rest.”

After an hour, Tal closed his eyes and held Sha close. It was difficult, but he finally found sleep. Sha was sleeping soundly and was woken by Tal yelling, “NO! NO! NO!” He was writhing in the bed shaking his head and Sha grabbed his arm and shook him forcefully.

His eyes opened wide and his expression showed immense fear, “What’s happening, Tal!!” Tal shook his head hard and looked around the room. He turned to Sha, pulled her into his arms, and held her tight. Sha rubbed his back and softly said, “It was a dream, Tal!” Tal exhaled hard and nodded. Sha continued to rub his back and asked, after a few minutes, “What was it?”

Tal hesitated and began “I saw us all on the bridge. I was standing in the middle of the bridge; you and Ste were sitting at your consoles. Ste suddenly yelled that hundreds-of-missiles were flashing in on Epy and I felt the ship rock under my feet. You and Ste were thrown from your chairs but, somehow, I kept my balance and didn’t move. I looked up and saw the top of the ship blown away as fire rush into the bridge. You and Ste, along with his children against the back wall burst into flames. I heard you screaming but I couldn’t move or say anything. Suddenly, my body was on fire and…that’s when you woke me.”

“It was just a nightmare, Tal. It wasn’t real!”

Tal was shaking his head and he reached over and pressed a button on the headboard, “Ste.”

“Yes, Tal.”

“Stop the ship!”

“What?”

“Stop the ship, now! We’re coming to the bridge.” Sha was confused, when Tal said, “Get dressed!”

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing, I hope. Get dressed!”

• • •

They arrived on the bridge and Tal asked, “Where are the kids?”

“They were worn out from all the stress of what’s happened today. I sent them back to the other two-sleeping quarters to get some rest. What’s going on?”

“Tal’s had a nightmare!” Sha replied with pursed lips.

Ste turned to Tal, “What’s going on Tal?”

Tal repeated the details of his nightmare and Ste listened without interrupting and asked, “Why are you here on the bridge?”

Tal turned to Sha, “See if you can contact Duncan.”

She shook her head, “It was just a dream, Tal!”

Tal’s expression turned angry, “JUST DO IT!!”

Sha flinched and began typing on her console. The bridge was uncomfortably silent. Ste and Sha had never seen Tal yell at her. Finally, Duncan appeared on the front monitor, “I was hoping you would contact us. If I didn’t hear from you, I was going to try and communicate with you.”

Tal lowered his eyes, “Why, Duncan?”

“There’s been a change out at Neptune. The scout has been replaced by one of those giant alien warships. I didn’t want you going back there.”

Tal nodded, “Thank you, Duncan. We’re going to head directly back to Earth in a moment.”

“You need to come back anyway, Tal.”

“Why is that?”

“We want to update your ship with the new force field.”

Tal smiled, “Are you serious?”

“We’ve had a break through while you’ve been gone. I want it added to your ship’s defenses.”

“That’s incredible, Duncan. We’ll be back soon.”

The monitor went dark and Tal’s gaze went to Sha, then to Ste, and then back to Sha; their expressions showed their shock and stress at what they heard. Sha stared at Tal in silence. Ste was keeping his head on the front monitor, refusing to look at Tal. Tal watched them and said, “You two need to relax. I’m not some kind of alien!”

“How did you know, Tal?!” Sha asked.

“What do you mean?”

“How did you know that ship was at Neptune?”

“I didn’t.”

“Your dream says otherwise, Tal!”

“Will the two of you take a breath!! There’s a logical explanation for what happened.” Ste and Sha looked at each other and then back to him. Sha was glowering at him, as she tapped her right foot. Tal thought for a moment, and then said to Sha, “Do you remember when I taught you to train your mind to think ‘Change’ before you changed your form?”

“I do; what does that have to do with this?”

“I’ve always followed a pattern without fail whenever I was going after a target as an assassin. I would always ask myself before I moved in, ‘what am I missing?’ Even if I detected nothing out of the ordinary, I’d always force myself to take another close look. That pattern saved my life more times than I can count.”

Sha glanced at over at Ste and nodded for Tal to continue.

“I didn’t do that this time.”

“What do you mean?” Ste asked.

“I ordered you to head back to Neptune to remove the spy-satellite and the alien scout.”

“So!?” Sha asked.

“My subconscious didn’t accept my issuing that order without asking what I was missing. When I went to sleep, it began working on that question.”

Sha’s expression relaxed a little, “Tal, that sounds…”

Tal interrupted, “Sha, have you ever had something bothering you and you couldn’t get your mind around what it was? The next-morning, you realize what it was you’re missing?” Sha raised her shoulders and then nodded. “My subconscious determined that things could have changed at Neptune while we’ve been gone, and it showed me in a nightmare what it might be. I’ve trained my mind to always ask what I’m missing before I make a decision; I didn’t do it this time. My mind wouldn’t accept it.”

Ste sat back and thought about what Tal had just said, “That’s a good pattern. I need to do the same in the future.”

Sha sighed, “I’m sorry, Tal. I’ve wondered if you were human. You are, after all, a geneticist. I feared you radically changed your DNA into something different.”

“Even if I did, I don’t know any modification that would give me a psychic ability to see the future.”

“Tal, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t understand how you knew about that warship at Neptune.”

“Forget about it, Sha. I realized I missed something and needed to contact Duncan to see if he knew what it was. Ste, take a break and I’ll start moving Epy back to Earth.”

Ste stood up from his chair, took a long stretch, and left the bridge. Tal took the pilot’s chair and turned the ship on a different course. Sha walked over and sat down in his lap. Tal smiled and moved Epy on a couse that would take it high above the Milky Way. It would take longer to arrive, but that was all right, he had Sha in his arms and wasn’t in a hurry.

• • •

They arrived back on Earth and Tal was asked to assist Dr. Santiago in developing the new air filter. He went to the genetics’ lab and began modifying the virus to reduce its danger. He found it more difficult than he thought, and he spent most of his time in the lab. Sha came to see him a few-weeks later, and he took a break. “I’ve missed you, Tal.”

“I’m close to the solution, Sha. It won’t take much longer.”

“I’ve been asked to take Epy out to the receiver we placed high above the Milky Way to repair it. Its transmissions are starting to vary in intensity.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Tal, you need to complete the work on this virus issue you’re working on here; Ste and I can handle it. We’re taking an engineer with us to make the repairs and it won’t take long.”

Tal stared at her, “Can’t it wait until I finish? I should go with you.”

“Tal, I’m bored to tears, and it will be good to do something productive.” Tal’s eyes showed his concern and Sha smiled, “This will be a simple task, Tal. I need to be productive.”

Tal argued with Sha to wait until he could go with her and she pouted that he didn’t trust her. He finally threw up his hands and said, “Just be careful!!”

“I will. Let’s go get something to eat.” Tal agreed and went with her to the cafeteria.

• • •

Ste flew Epy high above the Milky Way and turned back toward the receiver’s location. He glanced at Sha, “Do you detect anything?”

Sha stared at her panel and shook her head, “No, not really. I’m detecting some small asteroids out in interstellar space not far from the receiver, but nothing else.”

“We’re moving in. Edward, you need to go to the landing bay and get the rover ready to launch.”

“On my way,” the engineer replied and left the bridge. Ste flew the ship in and slowed as he moved closer to the receiver. Ste opened the landing bay door and Sha yelled, “MISSILES, MISSILES, MISSILES!!” Ten-large-missiles flashed off a nearby asteroid and homed in on the Epy at high-velocity. Epy couldn’t go to phase-speed because the landing bay door was open exposing the interior of the ship. The missiles impacted the ship’s hull doing no damage passing out the other side of the ship but one of them hit the open door and blew it away.

Ste turned the ship and moved away from the receiver at maximum-speed. Sha looked at her monitor and saw ten-alien-warships come off the largest asteroid and start pursuing them. She saw a giant phase field moving toward them from long distance and knew it would be on them in moments. She pressed the communicator and shouted, “WE’RE UNDER ATTACK! OUR PHASE FIELD HAS BEEN RENDERED INOPERATIVE AND A LARGE PHASE FIELD IS MOVING OUR WAY!!”

Tal had his communicator set to receive any transmission from the Epy; he jumped to his feet and sprinted out of the genetics lab and rushed across the lab into General Lein’s office. Ka arrived right behind him, followed by Admiral Montana. “What’s happening, Colonel Talent?!” Lein said in a raised voice.

“Sir, we’re being pursued by nine-alien-warships that are pacing us. We damaged one alien warship with our pulse cannons and the others are keeping their distance. A large phase field is approaching at high-speed and I suspect it’s one of the alien’s major warships. The nine-pursuers are waiting for it to arrive. Our landing bay door has been blasted off the ship by a direct missile hit and without full hull coverage, we can’t go to phase-speed.”

Tal yelled, “GET OUT OF THERE, SHA!!”

“Tal, they set a trap and we walked right into it. That alien warship is coming here to take possession of our ship and we can’t allow that to happen! The new metal must not be revealed to them. We have discovered that their blasters cannot penetrate the hull and our pulse cannons can damage their standard warships. We’re not going to reveal the new force field; that’s another thing we must keep hidden from them, Sir.”

“PLEASE DON’T DO IT, SHA!” Tal screamed.

“Tal, we have no choice. I love you. Always remember that.”

Ste quickly added, “I’m so sorry, Ka. Please watch over my children.”

Ka’s tears were falling, as she said, “I will, my love.”

Lein looked at the console operator and ordered, “GIVE ME A VIEW OF WHAT’S GOING ON!!” The huge wall-monitor illuminated, as they made contact with the receiver, it immediately began sending video images. The room was silent, as they saw the small ship being pursued by nine-alien-warships. Epy was changing course rapidly, but then a giant alien warship came out of its phase field. It moved in at high-speed toward the Epy and they heard Sha say in a soft voice, “I don’t think they believe our ship is from Earth. We moved in from above the Milky Way and the Epy looks nothing like any ship they’ve seen on Earth; they must believe that we’re from an alien civilization scouting them.” Tal’s gaze was glued to the monitor; his fear and distress were clear on his face. His eyes were little more than slits, his hands were gripped into tight fists, and his body was as tight as a stone.

Sha announced over the speaker, “I’m not going out without taking some of them with me. Tal, please forgive me! You were right.”

Tal screamed, “NOOOOO!!”

The Epy suddenly turned and went to its maximum speed. It flashed in on the giant warship in an instant and Tal knew that Ste had set the self-destruct-circuit to execute at impact. The Epy hit the giant warship dead center; it happened so fast the giant alien warship had no time to fire its blasters in time to defend it. The ensuing massive explosion turned the monitor white, as it overloaded. When it cleared, they saw the giant warship was going up in a giant explosion that was sending a massive shockwave rolling out into the nine-warships that followed the Epy toward the giant. It rolled over them and they went up like a string of giant firecrackers. The shockwave continued and rolled over the receiver, ending the video.

Ka fell to the floor sobbing. Tal stared at the dark monitor and softly said, “This is my fault! I didn’t keep my promise!” He started trembling and Duncan rushed over and grabbed him; Tal’s eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed. General Lein rushed over and helped Duncan lower him to the floor. Duncan looked at Ka and rushed to her. He wrapped her in his arms, turned to a nearby Captain, and ordered, “Get some stretchers here!!” The Captain began speaking on his communicator, as Ka passed out in Duncan’s arms.

• • •

Six-weeks later, Tal sat still on a bench staring straight ahead. He had been sitting on the bench for hours and didn’t hear any of the sounds around him. He was isolated with his thoughts, as he vacantly stared straight ahead. He heard a voice say, “It took some time to find you.” Tal looked slowly to his left and saw Duncan sitting beside him, with Natalie sitting next to him.

Tal asked in a raspy, soft, voice, “How did you find me?”

“I had the satellites trace your communicator. You turned it off, but the transponder was still active,” Duncan answered. Tal nodded slightly and turned to stare straight ahead. Duncan felt Tal’s misery and blew out a long breath. “I don’t know if this will help, but Sha was right. My contact in the colonies has reported that intercepted alien transmissions show that they believe they are being scouted by another alien civilization. Their plans to launch a full invasion of the colonies is being called off until they find out where it’s located.”

Tal continued to stare straight ahead and then asked after a moment, “Are they recalling the five-fleets?”

“No, they’re still coming. But the massive invasion force that was due to follow them has been stopped. They’re being sent out to scout the Large Magellanic Cloud in two or three-months.”

“Why there?”

“Sha’s approach to the receiver appeared to be directly in line with it.” Duncan answered.

Tal nodded slightly and continued to stare straight ahead, “Why are you here, Sig?” Natalie asked.

Tal flinched at the name and turned to Natalie, “The teacup ride defeated me. I didn’t learn from that lesson and thought I was indestructible. Sha is dead because I didn’t keep my promise to protect her. I should have been there with her and Ste.”

“You’d be dead too, if you were, Tal!” Duncan added harshly.

“No, that wouldn’t have happened,” Tal replied softly.

“How can you say that?” Duncan asked.

Tal turned to him, “I would have compared the asteroids close to the receiver with the images we took when we launched it. They weren’t around when we were there the first time. I would have seen it was a trap and avoided it. They’re dead because I didn’t go with them.”

Duncan sighed and hated to admit Tal was right. He put his hand on Tal’s shoulder, “Tal, you can’t do this to yourself!”

“She died because of me, Duncan!” Tal replied in a very shaky voice. “I’ve lost the only love I’ve ever known.”

Duncan looked at his friend and knew there was no getting through his pain right now. Tal lowered his head and fought his tears. Duncan looked at Natalie and nodded, as he stood up and walked away. He realized he wasn’t helping Tal but was only making it worse. Natalie slid over and put her arm inside Tal’s left arm. She remained silent with Tal for a long time as the teacups spun in front of them. Tal managed to pull himself together and turned to look at her; she said softly, “I’m going to stay here with you.”

“Why?”

Natalie looked deep into his eyes before saying, “That’s what friends do.” Tal nodded and turned back to the teacups.

• • •

Natalie eventually convinced Tal to leave Disney and return to the base. He immediately went to his quarters and remained there having all his meals delivered to his quarters. Two-months after Sha died, he heard a knock on the door; he ignored it. He heard a louder knock and looked at the clock, it wasn’t time for a meal and he ignored it again. The knocking started and didn’t let up. He got up, walked to the door, and opened it. Ka was standing there angrily glaring at him and he started shaking his head, “It’s all my fault, Ka!”

Ka walked past him into the living room and he closed the door. She sat on the sofa and he saw her anger. He walked slowly over to her and sat down on the far end of the sofa, as far as he could get from her. She glared at him and he lowered his eyes. “You need to get over yourself, Tal”

Tal jerked his head up, “It’s my fault she died, Ka!”

“You might be right about that and I can’t tell you how angry I’ve been that you weren’t there with her. You made a promise to protect her.” Tal nodded and lowered his eyes again. Ka stared at him and exhaled a large breath, before saying. “You couldn’t protect her from herself, Tal.” Tal’s eyes narrowed, and he raised his face to her again. “Did you ask her to wait until you could go with her?”

“I did numerous times, Ka, but she insisted on going! She refused to wait! I should have gone with her!”

“What were you doing at the time?!” Ka asked harshly.

“Trying to get a virus developed for the new air filters.”

“What was more important, that air filter or the repair of the receiver?” Tal raised a shoulder. “ANSWER ME!!” Ka yelled.

Tal flinched, “The air filter was more important.”

Ka nodded, “Sha decided that she wasn’t going to wait for you to join her. And I’m going to ask you the same thing you asked me a while back, ‘when were you ever able to stop her from doing what she’s set her mind to do?’” Tal could only stare at Ka in silence. Ka raised her eyes and screamed before turning back to him, “I want so much to blame you for losing my daughter, but the truth is, she’s to blame for it and she’s caused both of us immense pain by her stubbornness!” Ka paused and collected her thoughts, “She knew she’d be safer with you, but she ignored it and did what she wanted. She also took the man I’ve grown to love with her. She’s left us with a hollow existence.”

“But I should have insisted I go with her!”

“And leave the air filter development to wait until after she got over her boredom?! I also told her to wait for you, but she was having none of it!” Ka responded. “She thought she knew it all and ignored both of us. She intended to prove she was better than both of us!”

“I would have seen the trap and avoided it, Ka.”

“You know that, I know that, but Sha didn’t and had made up her mind to go. You can beat yourself up and believe that it’s all your fault, but Sha is accountable for her insufferable stupidity! I’ve tried so many times to get her to think things through before making a mistake, but she refused to listen! Her stubbornness and pride got her killed along with Ste and the young engineer. She told you she was sorry because she saw it at the end.”

Ka stood up and sighed, “Tal, she’s left both of us with broken hearts. But I don’t intend to sit around and mope like you.” Tal’s tears began, and Ka’s eyes narrowed into slits, “She was killed by those aliens. But for them, she would still be alive today, or do you not see that?!” Tal’s eyes narrowed, as Ka continued, “They are the ones to blame for her and Ste’s deaths; I’m going to make them pay for her death. You need to get off your ass and make her death mean something!” Ka turned and walked out of the room. Tal stared at the door and thought about what Ka said. After a few minutes, he stood up, wiped his eyes, and headed toward the door. Ka was right, and his enormous intellect began working on how to make the aliens pay for Sha’s death. The first thing to be done was to build another Epy. Then he could begin his vengeance against Sha’s killers.

Epilogue

The President of the Colonies’ Council stood with his arms behind his back staring out the glass that surrounded his office. The Government Building was the tallest structure in the capital city and had an excellent view of the giant megalopolis in all directions. He glanced at the wall-clock and saw the minute hand was ten-seconds away from nine pm. He turned back to the window and thought, “It’s time.”

Suddenly, night was turned into day as four-giant-freighters out toward the horizon activated their huge thrusters and began slowly moving into the sky. The President had to admit that the view was awe inspiring. He watched as they gained altitude and their thrusters became bright glowing dots high above Americas. He kept his eyes focused on the giant ships and saw thousands of small points of light suddenly appear around the four glowing dots of light.

Seven-thousand-medium-sized freighters activated their thrusters as the four-giants moved through them high above the planet. They grew smaller and disappeared thirty-minutes later. They were moving away from Americas to move outside the planet’s gravity field, where they could use their phase drives to go to faster-than-light speed.

The President lowered his eyes and looked out over the giant city far below him. Air-traffic was far below what it was six-months ago. He shook his head and wondered again if he was doing the right thing. After further reflection, he decided he was. The four-giant-freighters were carrying heavy equipment, building material, and food stores to a new city being constructed on a habitable planet in the Andromeda Galaxy. It was their fourth-trip to the new planet and would probably be their last; their next voyage would be to another habitable planet in Andromeda. The seven-thousand, medium-freighters were transporting four-thousand-colonists on each vessel.

Each colony had been assigned two-habitable-planets to colonize and the migration started before the alien-fleets arrived and attacked five more colonies. Panic swept through the colonies and the mad rush to be included in migration came close to overwhelming the military. But it was brought under control and only those possessing a skill needed to start a new-colony were being allowed to leave.

The wealthy in the colonies used all their political power to be included and the Council finally agreed to allow them to migrate, but it would cost them ninety-five-percent of their wealth. The wealthy finally decided five-percent was better than a hundred-percent, if they were dead. Paying the assassins would not be problem.

All communications from the invaded colonies were shut down by the aliens, so the Council had no problem spreading rumors that millions were being killed by the aliens. The truth was the aliens’ intentions weren’t known. The planets had not been bombarded and loss of life was limited. Fear drove millions to leave to the new planets. Now that the aliens had decided to cancel their major invasion to find another alien civilization, there would be time to move billions of citizens out of the colonies.

The aliens were actually saving the colonies, in a weird sort of way. Over population would have led to civil war, eventually. Now that would no longer be an issue. The President sighed heavily and turned toward his desk. A new slate of laws would allow each family to only have two-children during their lifetimes. The fines for having more than two were heavy…very heavy. Even the very wealth would blink before violating the laws. The laws would lead to controlling the colonies’ populations and remove the need of an Assassins Guild. But that was only if the aliens could be stopped. The laws were meaningless if the colonies were invaded and fell under the alien’s control.

He put the packet of laws in his desk and prayed Earth would come up with a way to defeat them. He put the worry aside and forced himself to focus on the mass migration to new planets; time would determine the final outcome with the aliens. For the moment, there was enough to keep his mind occupied and he turned to the schedule of freighters leaving for the new worlds.

The End

Message me at Saxonandrew@msn.com and let me know your thoughts. I treasure your feedback.

Books by Saxon Andrew

The Annihilation Series:

Love Conquers All

The Power of a Queen

A Rose Grows in Weeds

Tommy’s Tale

Searcher

Demon’s Sacrifice

Finding Keepers

(The seven books above are also audio books at Audible.com)

Prequel-Psychic Beginnings

Searching for a Hero

Dahlia’s Deception

Annihilation-The Complete Series Box Set

The Annihilation Saga:

Lost Royalty

The Warrior’s Destiny

No Way Out

Fight… and They Will Come

Ashes of the Realm:

Juliette’s Dream

Greyson’s Revenge

Death of an Empire

The Return of the Realm

Lens of Time:

The Pyramid Builders

Planet Predators

Pray for the Prey

The End of Time

Lens of Time - Star Rover:

The Worst of Time

Running Out of Time

Chosen to Die

The Fight for Creation:

Life Warrior

Scout Warrior

Ultimate Warrior

Star Chase:

The Lost Prince

(Also an audio book at Audible.com)

Nowhere to Run

Nowhere to Hide

Probe Predators

Jesse’s:

Jesse’s Starship

Mike’s War

Joshua’s Walls

Nemesis:

Revenge is Best Served Hot

The Search for Orion

Trapped in Time:

The Time Takers

Taming a Planet

Extinction

Escape to Earth:

Running From Fate

Fighting for Space

Defending Holy Ground

The Legacy of a Conqueror

Living Legends

The Sequel Series to Escape to Earth - Defending Earth:

Searching for Death Feeders

Discovery Means Death

The Death Prophecies:

The Coming of the Prophet

The Prophet’s Eyes

The Unknown Enemy Will Kill You

No Technology is Invincible

Survival is Never Free

The Last Prophecy

Stories from the Filament Universe:

Gregor’s Run

A Pirate’s Tale

Soul of the Swords

The Death Filament

Death Never Leaves a Calling Card

Gregor’s Search

Jimmy’s Dreams Stories:

Jimmy’s Dreams

Jimmy’s Dreams II - A Recurring Nightmare

Other:

The War Against Earth

The Book of Life

(a short story)

Earth Must Be Stopped

Coming Soon:

About Saxon Andrew

Saxon Andrew is a former social worker with a degree in Psychology and Education from Mercer University. He has taught school, managed several sales organizations and owned his own business.

He has devoured science fiction since he first learned to read and his stories are the product of years of personal experience and exposure to the universes created by the genre’s great authors.

He lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife and two dogs who still appreciate his sense of humor after all these years. “Dogs are always ready to smile.”