Chapter 6

Chapter 6

C assidy sat back in the copilot’s chair and chewed on her thumbnail as Titus navigated the asteroid field. They’d followed the two ships they’d been tracking into one of the most challenging locations to travel through. She’d told Branson Titus was the best pilot in the sector; now the feline had to prove her words were true.

“I can’t believe our lives are dependent on a cat,” Wendell Parker said before launching into a sneezing attack.

If she wasn’t mistaken, Titus purred for an instant. He may not have understood the soldier’s words, but he heard his tone. She figured her cat would’ve generated more dander to further stir up Wendell’s allergies if he could.

Branson pointed to the massive rock to the right of their ship. “There is a large asteroid the other ships plan to land on. We’ll do the same, docking with the larger of the two. Cassidy and Reg will accompany me. The rest of the crew will prepare the ship for immediate departure upon our return.”

She hadn’t expected to be part of the team that would meet with the informant. There was nothing in her skill set that would make her a valuable member of the team. Diplomacy was never her forte.

Cassidy opened her mouth to question Branson’s decision when Reg jabbed her in the ribs. When she looked at the other woman for an explanation, Reg shook her head. It was clear, the female soldier didn’t want her to challenge the commander’s orders.

The thought of accompanying Goody and Reg to another ship caused a shot of adrenaline to course through her system. The primal flight or fight mode was alive and well in her system. She held back her desire to verbally withdraw.

“I’ll be damned, it looks like the other ships plan to land on that gigantic asteroid,” Titus said.

She hadn’t communicated the new orders to Titus. Her surprise surrounding Goody’s orders had stopped her from translating their discussion to the cat.

“We’ll be doing the same, Titus,” she informed her pilot. “Follow the larger of the two ships and prepare to dock with it upon landing. Niles will come to the bridge and translate any orders to you in my absence.”

Titus turned and glared at her. That look communicated a variety of thoughts that didn’t have to be translated. The cat’s whiskers twitched.

Branson didn’t have to tell her they’d be docking with the ship that had no insignia to identify where it was from. If she were a spy, she’d either leverage an enemy’s emblem or carry none at all.

“Are you sure you want to leave the ship, boss?” Titus asked. “I’d feel more comfortable if you were aboard.”

Titus basically communicated that he would have left Goody and Reg behind if he believed The Fury and her crew were in immediate danger. With her on the other ship, that avenue was cut off to him. Even so, she’d never left anyone behind and wouldn’t start now. Cassidy wondered if that had been the reason Branson wanted her to accompany him to the other ship.

“Commander Goody wants me along for some reason and my orders are to follow his,” she explained. “Since we’ll be docked, it’s not like I’m going very far.”

The tabby looked at her and growled. She petted his head, communicating how much she loved him. Titus was as loyal as they came. He’d have VIC and Elon busy in weapon control covering their return to the ship if the enemy discovered their presence.

She watched as the two other ships landed. The larger of the two turned on their docking lights. Titus would know exactly where to land and her cat didn’t hesitate to fight through the asteroid’s gravity to put the ship down with ease.

Titus had docked them against the other ship using the bridge’s portal. Wendell stopped sneezing long enough to release the locking mechanism to the exterior door. It was only a matter of seconds before the door on the other side opened.

None of the soldiers drew their weapons, which she thought was odd. Their intelligence must have been flawless not to be concerned that they’d flown into a trap. She wasn’t as trusting. Her hand rested against the laser pistol she had secured to her hip.

A middle-aged man with graying brown hair around his temple stuck his head through the entryway. “Branson, you and your team are welcome to board my ship.”

The stranger’s greeting surprised her. He’d used the commander’s first name. There was no telling which organization he belonged to since he wore no uniform. It wouldn’t surprise her if the consortium had commandeered another ship.

Branson approached the man with his hand extended in greeting. “Alec, it’s been a while. Thank you for arranging this meeting. I’m only going to bring two women aboard your ship to meet with my contact. Regina Sharpe, my second-in-command, and Cassidy Ryan, the ship’s captain. Ladies, this is Alec Deevers, an old friend.”

Cassidy followed Reg’s lead, which she planned to do for the duration of her time aboard the other ship. Now that they were there, she wasn’t as comfortable in her role as she imagined she’d be. There was too much at stake.

“Since when are you in the spy business?” Alec asked. “I thought you liked blowing things up.”

She bit the inside of her cheek not to react to what Alec had said. It appeared she was going to learn more about Branson if she remained alert and kept her mouth shut.

“We all do our part to keep the galaxy safe,” Branson replied. “I want to meet with my contact and then get the hell out of here.”

The other ship’s bridge was larger than The Fury ’s, but it contained the same technology. There was a lot of wasted space, where her ship was built for economy and speed.

“Understood, old friend,” Alec said. “Your contact is in the conference room. Will the ladies be joining you there as well?”

A glimmer of a grin showed on Branson’s face. “They will accompany me. I figure the spy will be more at ease in the company of women rather than three strange men demanding the information he possesses. He wouldn’t know that Reg is as lethal as commandos get. I haven’t known Cassidy for very long, so I can’t comment on her current capabilities other than she’s got potential.”

Alec chuckled as he led them off the other ship’s bridge and down a narrow corridor. They passed three doors and then Alec knocked on the fourth. A blond-haired man opened the door and then backed away so they could enter. There was no one else in the room. The blonde was either their contact or he was a go-between them and the spy they’d come to see.

“Please, sit down,” the blonde said. “Would you care for something to drink before we begin?”

Her mouth was uncomfortably dry, an indication of how nervous she was. “Do you have any water?”

Cassidy’s question was met with a smile. “How refreshing, most people would say no and demand we begin our discussion. While I pour this lovely woman a glass of water, why don’t we introduce ourselves. My name is Ulysses Franklin.”

She accepted the glass offered and took a sip. The cool water felt wonderful running down her parched throat. There wasn’t a metallic tinge to the liquid. The ship had a wonderful filtration system.

“I hope your journey won’t take as long as the other Ulysses experienced,” Cassidy commented.

“Are you familiar with The Odyssey ?” Ulysses asked. “It’s unusual to run across someone who knows the ancient epic poem.”

“I grew up on Epsilon Three,” she replied. “There wasn’t much to do there but read.”

A frown marred his otherwise handsome face. “Did you say Epsilon Three?”

His reaction startled her. No one she had ever talked to had been aware her home planet even existed. It possessed no distinction that would bring it to anyone’s awareness. The barren landscape didn’t make it a vacation paradise and they had no marketable national resources that brought wealth and commerce to the planet.

“Yes, Epsilon Three,” she replied. “Have you been there?”

“No, but I met someone along the way who had been,” Ulysses replied. “What’s your name?”

He continued to set her apart from her companions. She felt paranoid about discovery when there was nothing for him to discover. The whole situation didn’t make sense.

“I’m Cassidy Ryan and I’m the captain of The Fury . I’ll let the others introduce themselves.”

She wasn’t sure who Ulysses Franklin was and didn’t want to give away any information Branson wanted kept secret. If Goody was disturbed by Ulysses’s behavior, he didn’t show it. Cassidy’s own discomfort reinforced her feelings that she should’ve stayed aboard The Fury .

Branson maneuvered himself between herself and Ulysses. “I’m Commander Goody and my second-in-command Regina Sharpe. Captain Ryan is not in the military. Galactic Solutions allowed us to borrow The Fury and her crew for this mission. We should finalize our business before we’re discovered.”

Ulysses nodded and pulled out a chair. “Captain Ryan, I believe I’ll sit beside you.”

Not believing she had a choice, Cassidy sat in the seat Ulysses had assigned her. She didn’t like how the man had singled her out. It was either a means to throw Branson off his game or something she’d shared had sparked something of interest within their contact.

Reg took the seat on the other side of Ulysses and Branson sat beside her. She would’ve expected him to have sat across from the spy, not beside her. An uneasy feeling kept its grasp on her. Something wasn’t right about Ulysses and attending this meeting had been a terrible mistake.

***

As the meeting progressed, Cassidy got the impression Ulysses wasn’t being totally transparent in what he communicated. They’d been in the room for over thirty Earth minutes and he hadn’t disclosed the location of the hidden base. Cassidy got the impression she was the reason he held back turning over what he knew.

She turned her head to glare at Branson. If only he possessed neurotransmitter capabilities, it would’ve made clandestine communication easier. Branson had to be beyond frustrated at this point. Every minute they sat listening to Ulysses pontificate, they were placed in greater danger of being discovered.

“Do you have the coordinates for the base or not?” Branson growled.

Ulysses pushed back his chair, stood, and began to pace. “I don’t know any of you. Alec has risked his own life for the two of us to meet.”

Reg pounded her fists on the table. “Oh, for God’s sake! If we were spies for the alliance we would’ve killed you already. Instead, we’ve had to sit here and listen to you lecture about nothing. What’s your problem?”

Cassidy could feel Ulysses’s stare bore in the back of her head. It was either her name or where she’d been raised that caused concern with the spy. She’d never felt more exposed in her life.

Her own chair was turned and she glared into the eyes of a furious Ulysses. Branson rocketed from where he’d been seated and pushed the aggressive spy away from her.

“If you touch her again, you’re a dead man,” Branson growled. She believed his threat to be very real, unlike the one she’d made directed at him not long after they met.

Ulysses spat on the floor. “Are you in contact with your father, Captain Ryan?”

It took her a moment to digest his question.

“My father?” she asked in disbelief. “He died on one of his freight runs over twenty years ago. I don’t know who you think my father was, but you’re mistaken.”

Branson returned to his chair and took possession of her hand. “Cassidy, they never found a body.”

The touch of his skin on her own relaxed her. There hadn’t been an instant when she didn’t react to any action Branson took.

She released a frustrated sigh. “Who do you imagine my father is?”

“Gregory Ryan, the commander of the base you’re here to blow up,” Ulysses said.

Cassidy blinked several times. If by some miracle her father had survived, he would’ve returned home. He never would have joined the alliance. Even in her sector of the galaxy, they were viewed as the enemy.

“Neither name is unique,” she commented. “I assure you, this Gregory Ryan isn’t my father. If he claims to be him, the man stole my father’s identity.”

“Regardless of who the man is, he’s a stranger to Captain Ryan,” Branson said. “She’s been with Galactic Solutions for almost thirteen years and has one of the best records in their organization.”

She turned to face Ulysses who was several shades paler than when they arrived. He truly believed the enemy combatant was her father. It was time to end this stalemate.

“I’ve got the best record,” she mumbled under her breath. “This is crazy. If Commander Goody and Reg had come here without me, we’d have the coordinates and my ship would be on its way. Your paranoia regarding who this man claims to be is just that. I’ve got three bombs aboard my ship and I want them off it. We either deliver the bombs to you and you complete the mission or allow us the opportunity.”

Branson crossed his arms across his chest and nodded with approval. “Sounds like a plan to me. We’ve wasted enough time and I’m already down one man. We will be returning to our ship. If I don’t have the coordinates within five Earth minutes, I will dispose of the bombs and we’ll return to Earth and Galactic Solutions headquarters.”

They stood in preparation to leave. Ulysses gave no signs of giving in to their demands. It had been a wasted trip. The only question that remained was if Branson would turn over the bombs for his friend to complete the mission.

Alec blocked the door. “This is absurd. You’ve got a mission to complete.”

“What do you expect me to do?” Branson asked. “You don’t think Galactic Solutions and our government are aware of whoever this Gregory Ryan is? Cassidy Ryan is an extremely competent captain and they gave us their best to take care of this situation. The two of you are the ones making an issue out of nothing.”

“Turn over the coordinates to Goody,” Alec commanded to his associate. “We’ll accompany them on their mission if it will make you feel more comfortable, Ulysses.”

“That isn’t what I agreed to,” Ulysses sneered. “I want to be long gone before any of the explosives are planted.”

Cassidy wondered how Ulysses obtained the information about the base. She doubted it involved him risking his own life. If it were her, she’d want to make sure the base was destroyed, witnessing it with her own eyes at a safe distance.

“Fine, I’ll have the other ship take you wherever you want to go,” Alec said. “I’m sure Commander Goody would appreciate the additional firepower this ship and my commandos will offer.”

Ulysses returned to his chair and pulled a knife out of his jacket pocket. He pushed back his sleeve and cut into his forearm. A blood-covered computer chip was handed over to Alec. The bleeding man could be a spy, but he wasn’t too bright. If he’d been captured, it wouldn’t have taken any time to have found the information in his arm. She would’ve hidden the data in her navigation system with all the other coordinates it contained. Maybe she would have categorized it as a recreation planet.

“You’ve got an additional five days to travel to reach your destination,” Ulysses said.

“It’s not in this asteroid field?” Cassidy asked in disbelief.

The informant shrugged. “I wanted to see how badly the Cosmic Consortium government wanted the information. No one in their right mind would enter an asteroid field.”

“So, I’m not only the daughter of some alliance high-ranking official, but crazy to boot?” At this point, she would’ve released her cats to scratch up the bastard.

“We’ll meet again one day, Cassidy Ryan, and we’ll see who’s crazy and who has told the truth,” Ulysses said. “I want transport to the other ship and get the hell out of here.”

Ulysses stormed out of the conference room. Alec stayed behind. She figured Ulysses would find his own way to the other ship without the other man’s assistance.

Alec sat beside her. “I saw your name on the information sent by GS. If you’d like, I can have someone do a deep dive into Gregory Ryan’s background.”

She shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. Had my father survived, he would’ve come home. If Gregory Ryan’s origins lead back to Epsilon Three, then he’s an imposter who stole my father’s identity.”

Cassidy wouldn’t consider any other possibility. If she was the biological daughter of the monster who ran the secret base, they’d both go to their grave never knowing the truth. There was no sense in wishing for the man to be alive and a happily ever after occur between them.