To Be A King • 1
The Mission • Part one of a six-part sci-fi fantasy. New chapters every Tuesday.
Vecton is a miserable planet. All desert, with nothing but scrubby vegetation and small harmless creatures that scurry away if you come near them. It is also home to a massive military installation due to its strategic location. But my nine months were up. We had the three-month trip to Earth, and then two months leave. Four months later, I would be free. Retirement. Twenty years and out. That was always the plan, and I could taste it.
Liz and I were packing up everything for the trip to Earth, and my thoughts were consumed with spending time in the mountains. We had lived on eight different planets during my career and saw many more. None of them felt like home. Even Earth seemed foreign to me now—except for Wyoming. Wyoming is the only place where I truly feel at home. My grandfather used to call it God’s country, and I believe him.
My phone rang. It was General Rattar. My head dropped. Anyone else and I would have ignored it, but you don’t ignore General Rattar.
“Cliff,” he said, “I’m on Tokanda. I need you to take your leave here. You can bring Liz. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy yourselves while you’re here, but I have a short mission for you. I’ll brief you when you get here. Wait for my call.”
“Yes, Sir,” I replied.
So much for Wyoming.
Maybe it won’t be so bad, I thought. Liz and I have always wanted to visit the blue sand beaches of Tokanda. I broke the news.
“Sorry, Liz, we aren’t going home just yet.”
She stopped packing. “Now what?”
“We are going to Tokanda.”
We arrived on Tokanda and made our way to the Blue Sand Inn. After checking in and unpacking, we ate lunch at the hotel cafe. In the middle of lunch, General Rattar called.
“Cliff, I’m at the Coast Cafe. Meet me here in 30 minutes, and wear your civvies.”
Why would Rattar want to meet at a cafe instead of the base? And why no uniform? We finished lunch, and Liz said she was heading to the pool. I headed for the Coast Cafe.
The Coast Cafe was a typical tourist cafe. The oceanside wall was made entirely of sliding glass doors, which were open to provide an unobstructed view. General Rattar was sitting at a table looking out at the ocean. I walked over and took a seat across from him.
“Cliff, this assignment is class Z. You report only to me. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied.
“I will pick you up outside your hotel tomorrow at 0630. The mission shouldn’t take more than two days. I know this isn’t much information, but that’s how it must be for now. I have to go.”
Without another word, Rattar got up and left. I was surprised at how short and tight-lipped the General was. And why didn’t he just give me instructions over the phone? I tried to put my anxiety away and drove back to the hotel and then headed to the pool to find Liz.
“Hi, Hon. You’re back soon. I expected you to be gone longer,” Elizabeth said.
“General Rattar made it short and sweet. He didn’t seem himself.”
“Okay, Cliff, give me the bad news. Am I going to see you at all on this vacation?”
“Yes. I have to leave tomorrow morning, but the mission shouldn’t take more than two days, and then we’ll have time for a real vacation.”
I got that familiar look—the look of a woman who had spent far too much time waiting for her husband to come home. I am continually amazed at her resolve to stay married to me.
“Liz, I promise.”
Morning came too swiftly, but I got up, ordered breakfast from room service, and then hit the shower. After the shower, I was awake enough to get dressed. Room service knocked on the door. I had no idea what today would hold or when I would eat again, so I wolfed down the eggs and sausage I had ordered. Liz was still sleeping when I kissed her goodbye and headed out.
It was still dark, except for an orange mist in the southern sky. I found General Rattar waiting by himself in a car. No driver.
“I hate this morning heat,” was the only thing out of his mouth.
I got in the car, and we headed toward the Base. When we got closer, the General pulled over.
“Cliff, I need you to get in the trunk.”
“The trunk?”
“Only until we get to the hanger. I don’t want anyone to see you. It’s for your own protection.”
So I got in the trunk and tried to find a comfortable spot to lay. Fortunately, it wasn’t a long ride.
When we got to the gate, the private on duty immediately recognized Rattar.
“What’s your name, Son,” the General asked.
“McClosky, Sir.”
“You from Toreon, McClosky?”
“No, Sir. Earth.”
“I’m on my way to meet General McClosky in Toreon. Any relation?”
“I don’t think so, Sir. My family is all on Earth, Sir.”
“Very good.”
“Have a good trip, General.”
The private opened the gate and let the General through. Rattar was obviously putting on a show for the private and feeding him false information. He was never that friendly.
After another brief drive, the car stopped. The General opened the trunk, and I got out. We were at a hangar at the end of the complex where a scout ship was waiting. Without saying a word, the General started walking toward the ship and motioned for me to do the same.
“Take her up,” he said.
I ran my checklist, clicked on my reactors, and headed out to the launch area.
As soon we were about three sectors out, I asked the General where we were going.
“Thrawan,” he replied. “Here are the coordinates.”
I had never heard of Thrawan. When I entered the coordinates, the display immediately turned red, and a loud alarm went off. Thrawan was classified as N1—off-limits to all personnel, civilian and military.
The General reached over and turned off the warning.
“It’s all right,” he said.
I looked at him, and he nodded. I activated the hyperdrive, and we were on our way.
Some vacation.
Next Chapter:
Thanks for reading and responding. You make it fun.
Mark
Good to know that vacations and travel will still exist in the distant future. You include elements of contemporary culture in a futuristic context that make it easy for the reader to identify with the characters. Nice teaser of a first chapter, Mark.
That doesn't sound like a good start to a vacation.
Liz is gonna be pissed if he's not back.