"You couldn't drag me from it."

Together, they left Operations, trusting in the competency of those inside to perform their jobs to the best of their ability without supervision.

They took the conveyor tube up to Michael's office, and once inside, sat on the long couch.

Michael had produced two gla.s.s tumblers of vintage brandy, and they tapped their gla.s.ses together in a silent toast to events gone well.

Luna Station : Luna : Chinese Sector:

Over two-hundred thousand kilometers from Earth, a teenager named Klaus Vogelsberg watched a pirated-link broadcast of the NASA transmission to SMD Ottawa from his computer DMR on Luna Station and knew fear. kilometers from Earth, a teenager named Klaus Vogelsberg watched a pirated-link broadcast of the NASA transmission to SMD Ottawa from his computer DMR on Luna Station and knew fear.

Hands shaking, he pressed the auto-dialer on his video communicator to his superior, Chow Yin. A somber oriental face appeared in the communications cas.e.m.e.nt, dark eyebrows heavy with concern and anger.

Chow Yin had the resources to do just about anything he wished inside Luna Station with impunity. One of those actions Klaus feared was to make him disappear. Klaus had no wish to become an anonymous statistic.

He had screwed up, and knew it.

"Have you seen the transmission, Boss?" Klaus asked, his voice cracking. He did not need a reply to know that the other man had watched the same broadcast on a slaved channel.

Clearing his throat, Klaus apologized, "I am terribly sorry, Boss."

It was Klaus' task to monitor all scientific-related broadcasts from Earth, hunting for any hints of discoveries of new products, elements, or any kind of invention that might prove of future value. Klaus would then pa.s.s along the information to another, who would quickly fill out worldwide patent forms and have it automatically registered with the World Patent Office under front companies set up by Chow Yin.

Once the real inventors, be they individual or organization, got around to processing their paperwork and applying for a patent, they would discover the previous claim. At that point, Chow Yin and his society would sell their bogus patent back to the original research company for an outrageous amount.

It was a lucrative swindle, one of dozens Chow Yin had running.

Currently, his task was to monitor all transmission to and from Pluto and the Orcus 1 Orcus 1 mission. It was a top priority. mission. It was a top priority.

The night before, Klaus had intercepted the distress EPS from Macklin's Rock, but had thought nothing of it, and had not pa.s.sed the information along to his boss. How could he have guessed that an asteroid would spontaneously develop the ability to travel to Pluto in less than five hours? It was an oversight that could possibly cost Chow Yin billions in extortion moneys, now that the implications had become clear.

With the discovery of Dis Pater Dis Pater, coupled with the seeming light-travel journey taken by Macklin's Rock, Klaus easily put two and two together. Interstellar travel was within Earth's grasp, and he, Klaus, may have let the technology slip right through his organization's fingers.

Before long, USA, Inc. and Canada Corp. would have all possible patents locked up. The fact that Chow Yin would be furious was an understatement, but the eerie calm with which he spoke to Klaus made the young man's stomach clench as if he had an intestinal cramp.

"Of course you are sorry," Chow Yin said, his words coming slowly, methodically. "If you had handled your responsibilities correctly, we would be in a position to capitalize on this now. I am not merely speaking of a payoff. If there is a secret element that is capable of FTL travel and if we control it, then we could control the entirety of outer s.p.a.ce. Instead, there is every possibility that Luna Station will become nothing more than a milestone in the conquest of the solar system with no mention of me or my contribution. Luna Station's global and interplanetary position will be completely undermined, all because of your blatant incompetence."

"Yes, Boss." Klaus averted his eyes.

Chow Yin took a long, deep breath, and regarded his young protege with the predatory eyes of a shark. "There is a slim chance that we may yet come out of this intact. It is a long journey home from Pluto; am I wrong?"

"Yes, Boss. I mean, no, you are not wrong. It is a long journey, perhaps as long as six months or more...and fraught with dangers."

Chow Yin tightened his lips in what pa.s.sed for a smile. "I see that we are once again aligned in our thinking. After all, possession is nine-tenths of the law, is it not? Contact some of those 'friends' that you keep bragging about; offer them anything they want to get the job done. I want all the secrets from the Orcus 1 Orcus 1 mission in my hands by the New Year. If luck is on our side, we will come out of this unscathed, and very rich. It would be a sweet victory to dominate the world-in the forefront, this time, instead of hiding behind Luna's dark side." mission in my hands by the New Year. If luck is on our side, we will come out of this unscathed, and very rich. It would be a sweet victory to dominate the world-in the forefront, this time, instead of hiding behind Luna's dark side."

With that, Chow Yin severed the communication, leaving Klaus' DMR cas.e.m.e.nt blank. A full minute pa.s.sed without Klaus moving even the slightest.

At first, the only hint of the coordinator's reacting to the remonstration from his superior was a slight quivering in his cheeks. Then all his emotions spilled out. He punched his open hand and cursed, "d.a.m.n it all!"

He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Anger would not solve his dilemma.

Opening the bottom drawer of his desk, he removed a small quart bottle of German whiskey he had stolen from his father, and poured a thumb's depth in a plastic tumbler he also kept in the drawer. After throwing it back, his face grimacing from the burn as the hot liquid tore down his throat, Klaus poured himself another, and sat for a long while holding the tumbler in his hand. If Chow Yin caught him with alcohol, he would turn Klaus out.

He stared out the window of his room onto the org-garden and contemplated. Was he doing the right thing? How could they be so foolish as to think they could harness the underlying power of the universe in their puny hands? The implications were clear to him. He was a student of technology, and knew that the scientific community regarded faster than light travel as a theoretical impossibility. They had their same old arguments, and would use them at every opportunity to discredit the notion that the stars were within human reach.

Now, Klaus knew, they could stick their theories in their event horizons. That thought made him feel better. Once lauded as great men, those so-called experts would now be scrambling to come up with alternate theories to prove FTL was real, and pretend they had never been on the other side of the argument. Hypocrites.

Still, there was a knot in his stomach when he contemplated his task. He had to ensure he could hire someone to hijack the NASA s.p.a.cecraft. Even as Klause did this, Chow Yin would see to it that he would never be able to slip out from under his Chinese master's authority. Klaus would be as imprisoned on Luna Station as Chow Yin.

But, if he did not do as Chow Yin directed, Klaus would soon be numbered among the dead.

It would have been better if his father had never been posted to Luna Station, though his job with the European s.p.a.ce Agency dictated it; better still if his father had never touched a drop of alcohol. Klaus shuddered, remembering the drunken beatings his father would dish out to him.

He had had no choice: either run away from home or suffer the abuse. Klaus had run away, and straight into the waiting snare of Chow Yin's network of teenage thugs.

The anger in him surged. His father, and all those like him would pay dearly. Chow Yin would make them suffer; and Klaus would make that suffering possible.

With renewed determination, he opened a link to his EarthMesh account and began to make inquiries.

NASA Orcus 1 Orcus 1 : : Sol System : Flight Path Pluto-Luna:

Excerpts from the Official Flight Journal of Captain Justine Churchill Turner -transcribed from voice: *

Captain's Journal - August 21, 2090 Confirming the reality of the sudden appearance of Macklin's Rock, we shuttled the Orcus 1 Orcus 1 to the asteroid, abandoning our previous two missions: the first of which was to explore Pluto; the second, to study the alien object we called Dis Pater. to the asteroid, abandoning our previous two missions: the first of which was to explore Pluto; the second, to study the alien object we called Dis Pater.

Upon arrival on the displaced asteroid, we discovered the sole survivor and rescued him.

Young Alex had enough time to secure himself in the receptacle-floater, and to all outward appearances, arrived quite unharmed. I waited to perform an exhaustive physical examination on Alex to determine his state of health the moment we brought him on board. There are people on Earth who are anxious to receive that report. Alex understandably pleaded exhaustion and First Mate Helen Buchanan concurred.

"If he feels all right," she said, "then there's nothing that can't wait. Once we brought it back on-line, the biometrics on his security receptacle indicated all readings within normal range. I'll set up a cot in the medical bay, and hook him up to the electroencephalograph AI while he sleeps. It will report any abnormalities to my belt monitor. I know if I'd been through what he's been through, all I'd want is a quick nutrishake and a dozen hours sleep."

I bowed to the first mate's recommendation on the medical matter. Helen set up a bed for Alex, procured a protein and carbohydrate-intensive drink, and saw him fast asleep.

Dale, Henrietta, Sakami, George and I saw to the dismantling of the TAHU. Helen returned to her post and continued to monitor the command consoles. Johan Belcher and Ekwan Nipiwin used the ship's ATV to travel to SMD Site 14 in an attempt to obtain a specimen of Element X. According to the NASA-SMD report we received eight hours after liftoff from Pluto, which might have been the catalyst for the asteroid's incredibly swift journey through the solar system. If they do not find evidence of the element, they are to perform a complete spectroa.n.a.lytic survey of the entire area, and collect a cross-section of specimens for return to NASA.

Addendum: They did not find a trace of Element X (I wish they would come up with a less mysterious name for it). The spectroa.n.a.lysis proved completely useless. The specimens they collected reveal no evidence that anything untoward occurred.

Once the TAHU is loaded, we will have to liftoff immediately, or miss our window. A lost day on this end could mean an extra two-hundred days of travel before reaching earth.

n.o.body would be happy about that.

Captain's Journal - August 22, 2090 An odd thing occurred this morning; something that I'm sure I will ponder at great length during the trip home when we finally lift off.

Our ward, Alex Manez, slept the rest of yesterday afternoon, all evening and night, and woke early this morning. Helen had rigged the electroencephalograph AI to notify her upon Alex's awakening and she quickly dressed and found me in the dining area eating breakfast.

"He should be awake," Helen told me.

"Great." I stood and dumped the remainder of my coffee in the vacuum refuge receptor. "Let's go see how he is. Mission Control on Earth is practically yelling for a report on Alex."

"I'll grab some food and meet you there," Helen offered.

I wanted Helen along for two reasons: first, she's Canadian, and I thought that might set Alex at ease to have a fellow compatriot there even though they are of two different ethnic origins; second, as part of Helen's job description, she is skilled in first aid and rudimentary medical techniques. The first mate is a registered nurse, and she is qualified on the bio-a.n.a.lysis equipment. She can make diagnoses and recommendations usually reserved for those with M.D.'s.

Stepping inside the medical bay a few minutes prior to Helen's arrival, I cleared my throat when Alex did not immediately turn around.

He was awake, dressed, and playing with a stethoscope. I said, "Good morning, Alex. Do you remember me? I'm-"

"Yes, of course. Captain Turner." Putting the instrument down, the ten-year old turned and regarded me for the first time that morning. His face was solemn, unreadable. I felt a momentary shudder of apprehension, as if the intelligence behind those eyes were ages old.

"Good morning." He was the epitome of detached politeness.

"That was quite the sleep, Mr. R.I.P. Van Winkle," I commented, trying to sound jovial and friendly. "You've been in here a while."

"Fifteen hours, thirty two minutes, and seventeen seconds," he replied with easy confidence, his tone one that brooked no disagreement.

"Why, that's about right. How did you know-?" I began, and then realized the answer. "The EEG." I pointed a thumb at it.

The machine would have a running record of statistics on Alex. Heartbeat, respiration, blood pressure, every stage of his sleep and wake periods.

"Where did you learn to read an EEG?" I asked, as I found a chair and sat down, waiting for Helen to arrive with breakfast.

Alex shrugged, but did not reply.

"I guess it's not that hard to figure out." I said. "You must be good with computers and stuff."

Another shrug.

"Well, if you are technically minded, are you going to follow in your parents' footsteps when you're older, and join the Canadian s.p.a.ce Exploration department?"

"My parents are dead," was his answer, plain and simple.

Speechless, I stood there in stunned silence as Alex calmly sat down on the cot, folded his hands in his lap, and watched me with the eyes of ancient experience.

I wished fervently for Helen to arrive and alleviate my discomfort; perhaps Alex would warm to a fellow Canadian. It was ridiculous, but this young boy intimidated me.

Inhaling deeply, I closed my eyes and composed myself, recalled my senior leadership training. I willed myself to keep my wits about me and not let myself be cowed by a child.

"Well, Alex. How did you come to that conclusion?" With tacit agreement from Helen, we had refrained from informing Alex of the demise of his parents.

"It's not a conclusion; it's a fact. They are dead."

I struggled to come up with a response. Alex was being impuissant about the knowledge of his parents. "How do you feel about that?"

"How do you think I feel?" he returned.

"I'm not certain. You strike me as a very special person. You are correct: your parents did not survive, Alex. I'm sorry to confirm this for you. They were outside of the TAHU, on the asteroid's surface when-"

"When the asteroid, at near the speed of light, traveled here to Pluto."

"How do you know all these things?" I asked.

"I was there. It's a little hard to miss."

I had to take a deep breath and collect my thoughts. "Do you feel sad about your parents, Alex?"

"Of course."

"You seem to be taking this all very well; either that or you're hiding your emotions from me. You don't have to hide from me, Alex. I'm your friend."

Alex did not reply to that.

"It's all right to let out your emotions, Alex. If you want to cry, you should."

"Thank you for the offer, Captain Turner, but I'm fine."

He was being irritatingly polite. If I didn't feel so sympathetic for his predicament, I would have felt the urge to slap him across the face, just to get him to show some emotion...even anger.

Whatever else I might have said to him remained unspoken as the hydraulic door unlatched, and opened to reveal Helen backing in, holding a large tray of food in her hands. It smelled wonderful.

Helen smiled to Alex. "Breakfast. I hope you like eggs, toast, and orange juice."

"Yes. Thank you very much," he replied, looking at the food eagerly. It was the first sign of any emotion in the boy this morning. Therefore, he was human, I thought wryly. Not an alien changeling or simulacrum.

"Coffee for you, Captain?" Helen offered me a sealed cup of the warm caffeinated liquid. "Aspartame and non-dairy creamer."

"Thank you, Helen."

"You're welcome." She turned to Alex. "How are you feeling this morning? You had quite a rest."

"Fine," he mumbled around the crust of the toast he had consumed in one bite.