The Hades Connection

by Gabriel S. Timar

Chapter 24

part 1 of 2

The last things George Pike remembered about his life on Earth were the suntanned, streamlined, naked body of Lynn, the report of a gun, the bullet hole in the wood paneling, and his blood on the white carpet next to the black towel.

The next thing he knows, he’s being welcomed to the Third Dimension, where he has a choice not only of afterlifes but of accommodations and a new body, as well. George signs up with Hades, Ltd., a corporation that seems to be the best of a dubious lot.

George very much enjoys being welcomed by Arabella, who is not only highly efficient but something of a race car driver. And yet she has asked one question he cannot answer: how he died. Neither he nor anyone else seems to know. Now George must meet the head of Hades, Ltd., a certain Mr. Lucifer... and prepare himself for a career as a double agent in interstellar intrigue.

At first I thought I should leave Esther in charge of Earth Two but quickly discarded the idea. She was very clever, highly disciplined and very imaginative, but I was not sure she could handle a major conflict between the terrestrials. In a military conflict, she’d be completely lost. Besides, if someone decided to scan her, her cover would be blown. I had no alternative but to pick one of the two youngsters from Khomu I had on my staff.

I decided to invite them for a drink, and I shared my burden with them. I had Fedorov park the ship on the Moon near the American flag planted by Armstrong, Garfield aptly named the site Apollo Square, and she wanted to erect a sign.

In the captain’s cabin, I gave them a Cardhue from the private stock of Mike Horn and had them sit comfortably.

“Well, my friends,” I started, “we have a problem.”

They gave me strange looks, but didn’t say a word. Captains rarely discussed problems with junior officers. The old man was supposed to solve them and issue orders, which the youngsters carried out no matter how stupid the orders might be.

“I must return to the Nimrod,” I continued, “and I’m worried about our project. I don’t think the people of this planet are very good at keeping their promises. So far, everything is going as well as it should. However, if we leave, I don’t know what will happen. I need someone here who can monitor the situation and, in case of trouble, take whatever action is necessary. Any volunteers?”

Two hands went up.

“Thank you,” I said with a smile. “I never had such abundance of able candidates for a job. Let me tell you what I think, but if you have a better idea, convince me. Afterwards we’ll make the necessary adjustments. Are you with me?”

They nodded in unison.

“Permission to interrupt,” Fedorov said.

“Go ahead, Lieutenant.”

“You have Miss Forrest there,” he started. “Why couldn’t she take charge? I understand she was supposed to handle the negotiations.”

I shook my head: “No, I’m afraid it is not a good idea, because she isn’t what we all thought she is. Ms. Forrest could not handle a crisis and would not know how to react if Kuo decided to attack India or do something equally stupid. One of you could review the situation, come to a decision, and take prompt action. After all, military institutes train lieutenants to act as generals while hoping the sergeants will teach them how to be field officers.”

They both gave me a strange look.

“I think Teri would be much better suited for the job than I,” Fedorov remarked. “She knows more about these antique armaments than I do, and she knows the planet’s history very well. She could anticipate their moves.”

Fedorov certainly had a point.

“Mr. Fedorov has seniority on his side,” Garfield suggested. “By virtue of his experience, he should react much faster than I. He was at the top of the academy class when it came to leadership. He’d make the tough decisions much more easily than I could.”

When you have two people who are both qualified to do a job and extolling each other’s virtues, they are honest to a fault or neither of them really wants the assignment.

“I get the feeling you are not really interested in this assignment,” I stated.

“It’s not that, sir,” Fedorov objected. “I’d love to do it, but I think you will take ‘Baby’ back to the Nimrod, issue your orders to Commander Nelson-Sired, then take off to connect with the fleet. Following that, I am sure, High Command will promote you to admiral and order you to take charge of the fleet. You will need someone to command the ‘Baby’ and later your flagship. That is the job I’m angling for.”

“In other words, Mr. Fedorov, you want to be my Flag Captain,” I remarked with a smile.

“Yes sir,” came the simple reply.

The youngster was obviously ambitious, knew his own strengths and weaknesses. I was sure Fedorov would make a hell of an admiral.

“Okay,” I continued, “the matter is settled. Commander Fedorov will be my Flag Captain aboard the ‘Baby’, and Lieutenant Commander Garfield will be the temporary governor of planet Earth pending the arrival of the Nimrod. The promotions take effect immediately. I hate to promote you so quickly, Garfield, but I cannot leave a mere ensign or a lieutenant in charge of six billion unruly terrestrials.”

“Yes sir,” Garfield replied.

“When the Nimrod arrives,” I added, “Commander Nelson-Sired will be the supreme authority. Is this clear?”

Teri nodded.

“Okay,” I continued, “we have the problem partially solved. Now, Mr. Fedorov, provide Garfield with weapons she can control from the surface. You’re the weapons specialist, so please work out something that would do the job. Then assemble the array, and train and test Garfield in the proper use of the equipment.”

“Aye aye, sir,” he replied.

“When it’s all done, Mr. Fedorov,” I said, “take your ship to Earth and land it on the tennis courts at the Pointe. The Lieutenant Commander and I have a few matters to attend to.”

“Yes sir,” Fedorov said, beaming. The fact that I called the “Baby” his ship confirmed him in the Flag Captain’s position, even though I did not have my admiral’s flag yet.

“After you let us off, resume the parking orbit. I’ll spend some time in Phoenix, because I must introduce Garfield to the Board and read them the riot act. Then pick us up and we will visit Moscow, Ottawa, and Washington. I have to introduce the new governor to the terrestrial leaders. Meanwhile, please prepare a flight plan to intercept the Nimrod.”

“How much time do I have before we start out for the Nimrod, sir?” Fedorov queried.

“I don’t know,” I replied, “I’ve no idea how long we’ll have to stay on the surface.”

In a few minutes, I sent them on their way and withdrew to the captain’s cabin for some well deserved rest.

Fedorov and Garfield started working on the weaponry immediately.

We had to give Teri some muscle to twist the terrestrial arms should it become necessary. We had some equipment on the “Baby,” which Fedorov managed to convert into a formidable array of weapons. Every lifeboat of the Khomu space fleet had to carry at least five probe satellites or marker buoys to use as signaling devices or to survey strange planets.

Each was about the size of a watermelon, had a small computer, a pen ray, and an all-purpose sensor. Teri could activate the probe by using a small, handheld computer and pick up the images on its own screen or her wrist computer.

We put a couple of probes in orbit. Through them Teri could get visual information about any point on the planet. This was as good as an organization born out of the merger of the KGB and CIA.

In two other probes, Fedorov replaced the pen ray with a small laser cannon. To aim the lasers Fedorov converted the general sensor into a very accurate targeting device. The weapons had energy reserves for about three or four minutes of continuous firing. The recharge of their batteries took roughly sixteen hours of direct exposure to sunlight.

The lasers were not very powerful, only as strong as an old-fashioned hundred-pound high explosive bomb, which is not much, but their accuracy made them deadly. For major emergencies, we attached our nuke to one of the probes. It was a rubber-band and chewing-gum arrangement; I was not sure it would fire, although Fedorov swore he could hit any target dead on. Anyway, Garfield had a nuke. Although it might not go off when required, its mere existence was enough to scare the terrestrials to death.

Fedorov gave Teri a short but thorough course in the operation of her weapons systems. When he was sure she could handle them reported that Garfield’s training was completed.

We landed the “Baby” on the tennis courts of the Pointe and entered the main building. Teri was carrying her own duffel bag. The hotel staff immediately installed us into elegant suites.

* * *

Proceed to part 2...