Pilcher, sitting in his office was now devoting up to eighteen hours a day to his work. In fact, the Divisions base was his full time home now. He never got to see his wife or family. She spent more time with her friends than with him and at last, he could understand that now.
S.U.E.P. had ordered Divisions to keep the Odyssey Bourne Force project in full flight, not to let any setback or failure from one team stop the continuing exploration. S.U.E.P. emphasized the field personnel’s contracts clearly stated the risks involved. They may yet hear from them.
He gloomily interpreted their official memo as expect collateral damage.
Pilcher threw himself into his work and carried out their current mandate for other teams to explore new places and build up their technology and alliances with different races, especially searching for possible colonies of humans scattered amongst the galaxies.
During his normal, hectic business day, there were countless forms to fill out, reports to read, staff meetings to attend, personnel files to study, training courses to set up, let alone planning and approving schedules for the best usage of the BSP. Ahmadeus was slowly recovering and Earth had set up a permanent base to keep the lines of communication alive.
Over the past two weeks, late at night, when only a skeleton crew were on shift, Pilcher would obsessively read every computer file, recording and team report, including Pete Reynolds’ notes and stare at the picture of Queen Leah in Reynolds’ book on the Kingdom of the Old World. So little was written about this enigmatic figure, and yet, she was so damn significant. Especially now.
He had concluded the Trimadians would once more invade his beloved Earth, judging not by Kalvich’s past behavior or the recent devastating attack on the Cantals on Ahmadeus, but from the reports flooding in via their allies from the galactic grapevine. The Trimadians had exponentially increased their attacks on other races, mostly unknown to the humans throughout many galaxies, including the Quelain, Omicron, and even the Nextraprime. Increasingly desperate pleas for help would filter through. The Trimadians were cutting off lifelines. Each world’s respective BSP and crystals had been removed, preventing any escape, or practical help from coming through. Pilcher’s forces tried to help with limited resources and weaponry that seemed nothing short of pathetic. Sometimes they were too late and the worlds were plundered and they barely escaped back through the door themselves. Most times they could not connect due to the sudden absence of the star door.
All was quiet where the humans were concerned, they had been virtually ignored.
Pilcher needed to know more about this Kalvich, whom he termed “The ultimate mastermind of control.” He had made it a one-man crusade to know everything there was to know about this insidious enemy. Find their Achilles’ heel. He knew deep in his bones Kate Willard was the key to all this.
He glanced at the “eyes only” file regarding their latest experiment that he was about to pull the plug on. Divisions had sent through to Ahmadeus a protocol portable laser, and synthesized crystals in an attempt to open the star door and connect back to Earth. They still could not risk sending through their original crystals—the risk was not worth it. The experiment was a total failure. Life for the OBF project may continue, but he just could not put his one hundred percent into it. Even reports of the Locum did not stir him much into action. As far as he was concerned, the Trimadians were the number one foe. His team had been captured by them; this was personal.
Pilcher was torn between intermittent bouts of rage towards Kate, because if she had all these wonderful powers with the stones, why the hell was she not helping the fight against their enemies? He would rapidly reprimand himself for accusing her of things he himself could not understand or do anything about. For all he knew, she could be building up a resistance somewhere, or she could be dead.
It was not just the mounting frustration of not knowing what was happening with his team, but the cost of waiting, and the cost of life lost all around the cosmos.
His thoughts of impending doom and black thunderclouds bathing his thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing. The sharpness of the noise cleared his mind and brought him back to the real world.
“Pilcher! What now? Can’t it wait until tomorrow? Alright, I’ll be there in five minutes.”
This was interesting, what could be so vital to call an S.U.E.P. meeting at such a late hour?
Twenty minutes later, Paul Pilcher walked into his briefing room. Denver Calham and the same two representatives from the last meeting with Kate were present.
Paul nodded at Calham. “Denver.”
“Good evening, Paul. I hope this meeting isn’t inconveniencing you at all. It shouldn’t take long.”
Oh Christ, what are they up to now?
Paul politely acknowledged the others and sat in his chair at the head of the table.
Calham handed him a manila file with “Eyes Only” and the black and red OBF insignia on the cover. “Before you open the file we need to discuss the progress of the OBF1 mission.”
“Of course,” Pilcher replied, hands open.
“It is my understanding that you have not had word for over two weeks from your team or Ms. Willard.”
“That’s correct, I’m assuming all went well, simply because we are still here and not under attack from the Locum or Trimadians. My theory is Kalvich wanted Willard and the stones all along.”
“That may be correct, but do you know for sure if they are still alive?”
Pilcher took a deep breath, and said quietly, “No.”
Calham looked at the two other representatives, then placed the tips of his fingers together and pulled them apart as if about to start conducting some music.
“What if I was to tell you that we have a source on the inside that has been in contact with the S.U.E.P. for the last week?”
Pilcher stared at him. “My response to that is why the hell have you not told me until now? I am responsible here!” Pilcher was livid.
“Calm down, Paul, it is nothing personal, simply protocol. We just had to do our precautionary checks to make sure the source was not a trick by the enemy. And I can say with certainty he is genuine. Your latest report stating that the Trimadians have been systematically removing the BSPs and their respective crystals over the galaxies is a big concern. My hope for Willard to obtain a ring device that could give us an advantage is now out the door. I want you to change all our external security codes from this point on.”
Before Pilcher could open his mouth, he carried on, “I have called this meeting as we have been provided with some up to date intelligence. They are even more dangerous than we realize.”
Pilcher felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. “So you have a direct link with someone in the Trimadian ranks?”
“Yes, deep in Kalvich’s fortress. And this source could be in extreme danger if he is caught. The file in front of you has all the information we can obtain at the moment. It has been confirmed that Kate Willard is very much alive and is now referred to as Queen Leah.” He paused watching Pilcher’s face. “Kalvich has her inside his fortress, but apart from that, details are sketchy. Anything pertaining to Kalvich and whatever he is up to only Kalvich would know. He is, by nature, cautious and keeps his plans to himself and his inner circle. He is one who takes no chances. Most of his technology, secret plans, and schemes he may hold only in his head.”
“My team?”
“Yes, I was getting to that. They and a small group of the rebel Cantals were aboard the same ship as Willard. From what our source can tell, they are now serving Kalvich in his mines on Heliostronus. It sounds like your theory is correct, the Supreme Ruler, is only interested in Kate Willard, or rather, Leah and her stones. Also, I must stress, very importantly, Leah’s mentor, Cemel the alchemist, is still very much alive, and has been apparently in the service of Kalvich.”
Paul felt the blood drain from his face. Kalvich must have Cemel under his power. Legend stated he was meant to be a good guy. That was th
e trouble with legends; who and what do you believe? According to Reynold’s notes and reports he had read on this subject, Kalvich would want Leah to continue her learning from Cemel, building up her ability to learn about her powers. Sataal had diligently provided information on Kalvich and his planet Heliostronus. After the kidnapping of his team and Sataal, plus the atrocious attack wiping out the Cantal rebel base, everyone assumed the human’s communication lines had ended.
Now a new line of communication had been established–to Calham?
Pilcher took a deep breath. “He must have Willard against her will as she would never do anything to harm the team.”
“Not necessarily, Paul. Kalvich is very powerful, believed to be immortal, can read, and manipulate minds, and there is a rumor he has cloning technology, way beyond what we can only dream about. Unfortunately, we do not have much on that. What I am saying is anything is possible. Leah, and for arguments sake I will refer to her as Leah from now on, could be in the company of a cloned team and be none the wiser.” Calham rubbed his temples. “Now we have an insider that can supply us with much needed information. This has woken us to the fact we should have paid more attention to those reports Dr. Reynolds submitted about his meetings and taken her abilities more seriously. The ancient writings in those books about Queen Leah and the Kingdom of the Old World, the alchemist and the invasion of the Trimadians six thousand years ago are not a bedtime fable. That picture of her in the book is a true likeness. Just the fact that Cemel is alive means Leah can pick up where she left off—but can Cemel be trusted? Very little is known about him. If it is him, he must be immortal; perhaps he could be a reincarnation. Nothing is certain that information has been accurately interpreted because, as I said before, Kalvich’s secrets are closely guarded.”
Pilcher was developing a headache, which lately was not unusual. “Crap, this is going from bad to worse. Hold on, how did this source know who and how to initially contact you?”
“He was given my name by our allies and used our own satellites. Kalvich’s security would not be monitoring any of Earth’s frequencies because as far as the Trimadians are concerned, Earth’s communication technology is largely primitive, therefore ignored. However, he has chosen to remain anonymous and his communications have not been recorded at his request.”
Pilcher rubbed his chin. “Okay, so what does S.U.E.P. want us to do?”
“Get a small team together. We are going to attempt a rescue mission. We are going to go in as quickly and discreetly as possible. Paul, if we have to sacrifice OBF1, then so be it. They knew what they were getting into when they signed on the dotted line and walked through that Black Star Portal. The mission objective is to bring Leah back, alive at any cost. We have grossly underestimated her. My source has stated that Leah, known as the Chosen One, is all part of a prophecy believed to have been created by what he called the Elder Gods and the alchemist was employed to watch over and guide her. The true Chosen One must have free will for the culmination of her powers. This means Leah, must act willingly, without anyone forcing her hand. Kalvich may find a way around it, subtle brainwashing, magic, who knows? Your guess would be as good as mine, Paul. Apparently, there are a total of three bloodstones. We gave Leah two, and I stake my life that Kalvich has the third. Combined, no one knows for sure what could happen. I am a gambling man Paul. I bet my bottom dollar Kalvich has used or will use his stone to influence Leah. In my opinion, worst case scenario is if Kalvich finds a way in winning Leah over, gets a hold, or control of her powers, then his evil armies would dominate all, and I hate to fathom what else. And that is something we and none of our allies can allow. He’s been waiting six thousand years for Leah to come back to him, and that means he’s had plenty of time for planning strategies. He will not let Leah leave him again. I am not being melodramatic, Paul, when I say this could mean the end of the world as we know it–if he gets his way.”
“What if we manage to kill Willard, Leah, I mean. That would stop Kalvich.”
Calham shrugged, “She may reincarnate again; it may or may not slow down Kalvich. But I think with or without the queen look at what is going on now. Planets are toppling to the Trimadians. Yes, he wants her power. God only knows what more that will give him as we don’t even know exactly what makes her so unique, only some vague notion of a change in evolution.”
Paul glanced at the “Eyes Only” file. Calham continued, “I have provided a dossier on Kalvich—unfortunately not too many details as I explained. Amazing how he is one closed book, unlike the nature of most Trimadian warlords that like to get their name out in the Universe. But his immortality, enormous powers, and cruelty are great, unpredictable, and far reaching, and we are witnessing the proof. If, no, when he attacks Earth‑well all the religions will agree on one thing‑End of Days. I tell you again Paul, my source has stated he wants dominance over the universe at all costs, and to do this, as stated in Cemel’s prophecy, he needs Leah and her stones. Six thousand years ago, luckily for us, he was thwarted, but now, to put it concisely, if the Trimadians attack Earth, it is estimated half the population would be enslaved and the rest would die fighting them.”
“How delightful,” Paul scorned. He opened the file scanning it. “Call me a pragmatist but first things first; can you ultimately state we can trust this infiltrator?”
“At this point, yes. But, what choice do we have?”
“Right. And I gather you have made an agreement?”
“As long as we set out to do what we must achieve, let’s just say for now, to quote Leah, we are ‘winging it.’”
“So you have paid this source lip service only?”
Calham stared at him. “I am more at fault than anyone for not seeing more into this, and not stopping it from happening.”
That was well practiced Denver. “Are you apologizing?”
Calham’s eyes narrowed.
Paul was furious. You fuckin’ bastard, now you just give me lip service. Fuck you.
Paul knew Denver of all people could have prevented all this with some extraterrestrial help, but he had not believed or trusted Kate Willard, and to a degree, nor had he. And to their detriment, they let her go. The matter was not worth discussing at this point in time.
Paul skillfully changed the subject and began perusing the papers in front of him. “I see we have the coordinates of Heliostronus in the Nextraprime galaxy. Judging by these figures, hold on…” He walked up to a computer and started typing. A star map appeared and he began a search procedure. Ten seconds later, he shook his head. “Heliostronus is around one hundred and eighty million light years away. The computer can provide the BSP’s crystal coordinates once I study the atmosphere and how safe it would be to mount a rescue, and a time frame can be…”
“No need, we already have all the data and are inputting into the CASP as we speak.”
Pilcher frowned at him. Calham may technically be his employer, but he ran Divisions on a day to day basis and OBF was his project. He called the shots.
“Is there anything else I should know before you go ahead and do it?” Paul snapped angrily.
Calham ignored him.
“Is there the possibility of using the BSP to Heliostronus? I assume there is one there?”
“Of course, but it is only for Kalvich and located deep in his Fortress. It is monitored, guarded, and protected by an impenetrable force field. You walk through, you won’t be walking out the other side intact. That will not be the recommended route to the planet.”
Paul walked back from the computer and sat in his chair.
“We are ready to launch the Mizzen Taurus,” Calham quietly stated.
“You are kidding me!”
“The only ship we have that would be capable of such a long journey on our limited resources is our F-35 skyscraper.”
“I heard it still hasn’t reached the trial stage yet.”
Calham sat back, clasping his fingers together again. “You may be in charge
of OBF, but I oversee all sections. My job is to know what is going on at all times. The F-35 is ready. The source did say he will help us, if we help him.”
“So you have made an agreement, care to share?”
Calham ignored his sarcasm. “His freedom, he wants to come to Earth and escape the tyranny. He claims he has been in Kalvich’s service too long. But, of course, I could not guarantee how successful we would be. We are up against so many unknown factors.”
Paul sighed and scratched his head, watching a single grey hair float down in front of him. “Okay, so he is close to Kalvich to know this valuable intel. It won’t take long for Kalvich to realize he’s been betrayed. He’s going to be awfully pissed and will want revenge. Your sources’ actions just may bring his wrath on us quicker than we realize.”
“Probably, but we are willing to take that risk. You are forgetting one important detail.”
A heavy silence fell on them.
Paul said, “Leah.”
Calham grinned. “Exactly. He will want her back at all costs, but he will not jeopardize her life. I feel I should tell you that if the rescue mission is to succeed, our source will procure a Trimadian warship to escape to Earth. I have also asked for him to obtain a ring to see if we can modify and use it for off world BSPs. But of course, that is only secondary. Leah is the hot priority. If not, the only other way is Kalvich’s BSP, which is highly unlikely. Whichever way back they come, it is going to be a one-way ticket to Heliostronus via the F-35. I don’t need to tell you that due to our limited energy resources, even with our allies technological input, it will never be able to come back. However, it will be worth it when we have a ship powered by their revered Zymergillian crystals. We could learn so much if we had one of those babies in our grasp.”
“So we are going to send more men out, risking their lives, based on sketchy information provided by a mysterious source and you are willing to lose a valuable ship and you may just happen to get your hands on some friggin’ crystals, and, blow me over, perhaps even get Leah back.”
“Yes.”
“I thought you would say that. Okay, where is the F-35? I thought it was stored in the Simpson Desert in Australia?”
“It has been crated up and brought over as we are speaking. I want to get this underway within a three, perhaps two-week time frame if not sooner. You need to brief the team that will mount this rescue mission. I suggest you get some sleep and report back here tomorrow at 0800.”