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  “Point taken, General,” Torn said. “Now, let me make mine. When you cough, you should cover your mouth. I oversee the UEC’s expansion budget, which includes all military provisions. Think of me as the crook of the arm that covers the cough of your expenditures.”

  “And this is why I won’t ever try to win a debate against you, Ambassador,” Jennings said, chuckling. “Your mastery of my own metaphor is proof of that.”

  Jennings looked at the rest of the dignitaries and elites that accompanied Torn on her trip to the outer reaches. Sycophants and toadies of the current political culture every one of them as far as he was concerned. Torn was the only true threat.

  “How about we break for lunch?” Jennings asked. “We can discuss the latest discoveries while I show…”

  Jennings trailed off as a chime rang in his earpiece. It was a channel the tour could not hear and a tone that told him he was going to be skipping that lunch.

  “If you’ll excuse me for a minute,” Jennings said.

  He nodded at a corporal that had been standing unobtrusively out of the way. The corporal hurried to take the tour from the general.

  “Is everything alright, General?” Torn asked.

  “Of course,” Jennings replied. “Corporal Stern will show you to the mess level and make sure to answer as many questions as he can. Corporal?”

  “If you will follow me please, ladies and gentlemen,” Corporal Stern said and waved his arm towards the hatch at the end of the catwalk.

  Jennings watched them leave then answered the chime. “Jennings. Go.”

  “General, we’ve received a message from the Dorso. It’s not good.”

  “Explain not good, Major,” Jennings replied.

  “I’d rather not do that over comms, sir,” Major Tappa Nomo said.

  Jennings’ eyes strayed to the hatch that was just closing as the tour left the catwalk.

  “I’ll be right there, Major,” Jennings said. “What precautions have you taken?”

  “Command deck is locked down and only need to know personnel are present, sir,” Nomo said.

  “Jesus Christ,” Jennings swore and pinched the bridge of his nose. “That bad?”

  “That bad, sir.”

  “On my way.”

  ***

  “Station Beta Eight, this is Colonel Las Meera of the Orbital Command Ship Dorso. You will be receiving this message two weeks after I have sent it. As of this moment, we have lost all drop ships to an unknown threat on the planet Hrouska. We were forced to take cleansing measures, something I am not proud of. At this moment, we are still analyzing all data, but my Chief Science Officer believes we are dealing with an aggressive sentient race. One that has the capability to defeat our best infantry squads within minutes of landing.”

  “Did she say she was forced to take cleansing measures?” Torn asked. “As in killing our own?”

  “What the bloody hell?” Jennings shouted as he held up a hand for the transmission to be stopped while he whirled around to face the ambassador. “Torn, you overstep your authority. The command deck has been closed to need to know personnel only. I have to ask you to leave immediately.”

  “Now it is you that has overstepped his authority,” Torn said as she walked further into the command deck and presented her wrist. “If you will scan me, please, General, you will see that as of the moment I stepped on board this station, I became the highest-ranking civilian here.”

  “Good for you,” Jennings snapped. “But the highest-ranking civilian is still under my command.”

  “A quick scan, General?”

  Jennings sighed and took the ambassador by the forearm and waved her wrist over a sensor set into the side of his console. There was a quiet beep and a light flashed green then the ambassador’s information appeared on a vid screen.

  “Son of a bitch,” Jennings muttered as he stared at the words “Full Access Granted.”

  “I believe you have a message to listen to?” Torn said, taking her arm back from the general’s firm grip. “Please proceed.”

  The command crew stared at Jennings, their eyes locked onto his face, waiting. He finally nodded and the comms officer continued playing the message.

  “Currently, we are maintaining orbit until we hear further. We have two remaining drop ships, but only four squads of infantry left on the Dorso. Despite my soldiers’ insistence that they be allowed to go down and hunt for survivors, I am keeping them aboard ship. There is zero evidence that they will not face the same fate as the squads already lost.”

  “I am sorry to interrupt,” Torn said.

  “Then don’t!” Jennings snapped.

  “But did she say the message was sent two weeks ago?” Torn continued, walking to the comms console. “If that’s the case, then there is either a glitch in the system or this message was delayed.”

  “I was going to inform the general of that as soon as he finished listening to the message,” Major Nomo said.

  “Shouldn’t he have been informed first?” Torn asked.

  “If my XO thinks I should listen to the full message first, then he has a very good reason, Ambassador,” Jennings said. “If you continue to interrupt, then I will remove you from the command deck, authorization to be here or not. Kindly sit down and shut up.”

  All eyes went to the ambassador and she nodded then found a seat against the wall.

  “We have completed six full scans of the planet and do not detect any signs of survivors. Worse yet, we do not detect any signs of civilization or proof that there is a sentient race on the surface. My Chief Science Officer believes the creatures, whatever they may be, are subterranean. However, I am not convinced. The attacks on our drop ships came too fast and were too coordinated for the creatures to have been waiting underground. They were ready for us. I do not know how. But they were ready for us.”

  A loud squeal of static filled the command deck.

  “Confirm! … But, how? … Yes, immediately! … Evasive maneuvers! Evasive–!”

  Another loud squeal then a neutral voice stated, “End of transmission.”

  “That’s all we have, sir,” Nomo said. “It took six weeks for it to arrive, not two, as you can see. I’ve already had the message traced, and it appears it was stuck in a data loop within the wormhole portal comms relay for three weeks.”

  “It should only take two weeks for it to reach us,” Jennings said. “How do you account for the lost week?”

  “I don’t, sir,” Nomo said. “There is no accounting for the lag other than equipment malfunction on the Dorso or the ship was on the planet’s opposite side and the message was bounced around the system for a week before reaching the wormhole relay.”

  “May I ask a question now, General?” Torn asked.

  “No,” Jennings said. “Nomo? Talk to me.”

  “We can have an MEU there within a week if the ship burns the engines hard and they come through that wormhole hot,” Nomo said.

  “General? I believe my question is relevant to the issue at hand,” Torn said.

  “Not now, Ambassador!” Jennings shouted. “Nomo, if they burn hard and come in hot, they risk a hull breach upon exit.”

  “Yes, they do, sir,” Nomo said.

  “We have one MEU Command Ship that can handle that,” Jennings said.

  “Yes, we do, sir,” Nomo said.

  “Are they close enough to rotation to risk the trip? I do not want burnouts being sent into an unknown like this,” Jennings said.

  “They are two rotations out, sir,” Nomo said. “Not ideal, but it is the Jethro. If any MEU can handle the stress, they are the ones.”

  “I know, but still…” Jennings rubbed his forehead.

  “General?” Torn said. “I am going to insist you listen to my question.”

  “Break the news to Colonel Parveet, Major,” Jennings said, ignoring the ambassador. “She’s going to be pissed, but you know that’s only a front. That woman loves this sort of thing.”

  “That she
does, sir,” Nomo said and smiled. “That she does.”

  “I’m just going to ask the damn question then!” Torn snapped. “Listen or don’t! Can anyone tell me what those voices are saying in the static?”

  All heads turned to regard the ambassador then turned to regard the general.

  “Voices?” Jennings asked then snapped his fingers.

  The comms officer isolated the static bursts and played them.

  They were faint, and the words were almost impossible to make out, but there was no mistaking the fact that within the static bursts there were voices. Panicked, terrified voices.

  “That’s the Dorso, sir,” Nomo said. “What are they saying?”

  “Too hard to isolate,” the comms officer replied. “I’ll clean it up as much as I can.”

  “Did she say they were landing?” Jennings asked.

  No one could answer.

  “Good catch, Ambassador,” Jennings said after a few seconds of fruitless listening. “My apologies.”

  “I appreciate the apology, General,” Torn said. “Now, if I can be so bold, may I request a private audience with you? Perhaps we can adjourn to my cabin for lunch while we discuss your decision to send a MEU Command Ship against an unknown threat?”

  “Ambassador, with all due respect–”

  “That wasn’t really a request, General,” Torn said. “I will expect you in my cabin within the half hour. Thank you.”

  The ambassador left the command deck. All eyes made a point of not looking at General Jennings that time. Major Nomo cleared his throat.

  “Speak,” Jennings said.

  “Sir, she holds the purse strings to everything outside the Sol System,” Nomo said. “As you know, my family is well connected and…”

  “I said speak, Nomo,” Jennings growled.

  “Her family is more connected than mine, sir,” Nomo continued. “Much more. Whether you want to or not, you will have to listen to what she has to say.”

  Jennings sighed and rubbed his forehead vigorously before moving towards the command deck doors. He left without saying a word.

  3.

  Jennings nearly sprayed water across the small table set with food delicacies he hadn’t seen since leaving Earth to command Station Beta Eight a dozen years earlier. Nearly sprayed. Water was precious enough; he didn’t need to waste it and also taint the dishes set out before him.

  So he choked and coughed, kept his mouth shut, then finally managed to swallow the sip he’d taken just as Torn said, “I plan on accompanying this MEU to Hrouska.”

  Taking a couple deep breaths through his nose, just to make sure he was good, Jennings smiled and cleared his throat.

  “I’m sorry, Ambassador, but did you say you are requesting that I allow you to accompany the Jethro to a planet where an aggressive sentient race may have wiped out a first wave expeditionary force?” Jennings shook his head. “Because, there is no way I could have heard that. There is also no way I can authorize that to happen.”

  “General, we have established that your authorization is not needed when it comes to my actions,” Torn said. “I am cleared to carve my own path in this complex situation.”

  “And how is it complex?” Jennings asked. He took a quick, cautious sip, set the water glass down then looked at the savory dishes in front of him. “I am sending an MEU to ascertain the fate of the Dorso. As with all MEUs, I will leave the decision to attempt a planetary landing with the officer in charge. In this case, that would be Colonel Jala Parveet. Having you in her way could inhibit her decision-making abilities. When a commander’s decision-making abilities are inhibited in a complex situation, as you say, like this one, then good people die. Wave your wrist at any scanner you want, but there is no way I will allow you to step foot on the Jethro.”

  “Your disapproval will be noted for the record, General,” Torn said. “But it stops nothing. While my colleagues are here on a simple tour which will help them inform their decisions regarding their specific realms of influence at the United Exploratory Coalition, I however, am here to decide whether continued exploration, and expansion into systems, is even necessary.”

  “Necessary?” Jennings asked, plucking a pickled something from a plate and popping it into his mouth. He grimaced, but chewed and swallowed. “Ambassador, of the planets we have found that are possible candidates for the human race’s expansion, only two can be considered viable. And of those two, only one has the water resources needed for colonization. Exploration is vital if we are going to survive as a species past the next century. Need I remind you that–”

  “No, General, you do not need to remind me of anything,” Torn interrupted. “Earth will be unsustainable by the middle of next century. We have approximately four decades to find an alternative planet or our species will die out. Not to mention the few other species that are left on Earth. We have already lost 99% of the plant and animal life that existed at the beginning of this century.”

  Jennings eyed the ambassador for a few seconds then pushed back from the table and crossed his arms.

  “You want to keep exploring,” Jennings stated.

  “Yes,” Torn said. “I want to keep exploring.”

  “But the UEC doesn’t.”

  “But the UEC doesn’t.”

  “Jesus,” Jennings said. “They’ve already made up their minds, haven’t they?”

  “Precisely,” Torn said.

  “How many people have you pissed off in making your little trip happen?” Jennings asked.

  “None,” Torn said and smiled. “Let’s say my presence here is not widely known among the UEC. My colleagues will report when they return, but by that time your MEU, with me accompanying it, will have surveyed Hrouska’s viability thoroughly.”

  Jennings returned Torn’s smile.

  “You’re sneaky,” Jennings said.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Torn replied, smiling wider.

  “You will do everything and anything that Colonel Parveet tells you to,” Jennings stated. “Non-negotiable.”

  “From what I’ve heard, Colonel Parveet is your best officer,” Torn said. “I’d be suicidal if I didn’t listen to her.”

  “I don’t know a lot about you, Ambassador, but my XO says your family has wealth that puts you in a very different strata from an old soldier like me,” Jennings said. “Being an old soldier, I know how to take orders. But you being from your background, I believe orders are more concepts to you than hard realities. You will learn some hard realities on this mission. Some of those could be quite painful. And I mean that literally.”

  “I will not interfere with any aspect of the mission,” Torn said. “On one condition.”

  “You see, we already have a problem,” Jennings said. “A civilian cannot set conditions on a mission like this.”

  “It is a condition I think you can agree to,” Torn said.

  “Maybe I will, maybe I won’t,” Jennings said and shrugged. “Doesn’t matter because once the Jethro leaves Station Beta Eight, it’s up to Parveet what conditions are set. She is not a woman that will hesitate to jettison your privileged ass out an airlock if it means saving one single life from her crew. You sure you want to play in that kind of sandbox?”

  “You are all over the place with your metaphors, aren’t you?” Torn chuckled. “May I state my condition?”

  Jennings nodded.

  “I will hold zero authority on the Jethro–”

  “That’s already been established.”

  “–but I will insist that I am privy to any and all intel. All Colonel Parveet will need to do is keep me informed. That’s it. The mission is hers, but the data is mine. Do you think she’ll agree to that?”

  “No,” Jennings said. He smiled so wide that it looked painful as he leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table. “This is what I am trying to tell you, Ambassador. On the Jethro, Parveet is God. And she is not a merciful god. Not in the slightest.”

  Torn slid her chair b
ack and stood up.

  “Then perhaps you should introduce me to her,” Torn said. “Where would she be now?”

  Jennings watched Torn for a moment then shrugged and activated the comms.

  “Nomo?”

  “Yes, sir?” Nomo replied.

  “Where is Colonel Parveet located currently?”

  “Let me see, sir… Ah… Well, sir…”

  “Have you broken the news to her that the Jethro is going out?”

  “I have, sir.”

  “Was she as angry as we expected?”

  “More so, sir.”

  “So she would be in the cages?”

  “She would be in the cages, sir.”

  “Thank you, Nomo. I’ll call you if I need you further.”

  “Sir?”

  “Yes, Nomo?”

  “They’re all down there, sir. All of them. They’ve taken it over, sir.”

  “Good. I believe this is exactly what the ambassador needs to see.”

  “The ambassador, sir? General, please do not–”

  Jennings killed the comms.

  “What are the cages?” Torn asked.

  Jennings smiled and smiled and smiled.

  ***

  Two of Torn’s senses were assaulted as soon as the lift doors opened onto the level of Station Beta Eight that housed the cages: the intense smell of sweat, blood, and piss, and the roaring noise of voices screaming for more sweat, blood, and piss. The sensory assault almost took her down.

  “Where have you brought me?” Torn gasped as Jennings placed a careful hand in the small of her back to keep her from tumbling over.

  “Reality,” Jennings said and shrugged. “Sort of.”

  The ambassador tried to turn around and head back into the lift, but Jennings firmly, yet respectfully, moved his hand from her back and took her by the arm, steering her around the side of the massive room that took up an entire deck of the station.

  “You want to go on the Jethro? Then you are going to have to not only see this, but accept it,” Jennings said. “You don’t get a choice anymore. Unless you want to go back to your cabin, wait out the three days remaining on the tour, then go home to your cushy world of diplomacy and debate. Is that what you’d rather do, Ambassador? It’s a decision you’ll need to make now.”