Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN








Narrow shafts of sunlight danced magically on the tender, unfurling leaves of the baynan vines. A finer tree did not exist in all of Terrekka’s Jungle. How glorious it would be to greet Orr’s newest hero standing beside this marvelous specimen. Wiping the sweat and grime from her brow she felt her heart pounding proudly in her chest. Covered with dirt from head to toe, Livvevea had never felt more pure in her life. She took a step back to admire her handy work. It was beginning to look magnificent. How regal this marvelous tree was turning out to be. She had spent the entire morning and most of the afternoon on her hands and knees transplanting young baynan shoots. She counted no less than one hundred prickly, twisting vines neatly encircling the massive trunk. She followed with a generous drink of growth hormones for the tender seedlings. By late afternoon the vines had formed sturdy walls that reached far into the forest canopy.

It was better that Soll wasn’t around to see this, she reflected curiously. This centuries old method was far too modern, entirely too feeble for his taste. No matter, she thought, it simply had to be done this way. She had her reasons.

His quarantine was over today. Dakkalia was coming home for the first time! What a sight his eyes would see! She pictured the look on his face as he marveled at her accomplishment. When she looked down at herself she was quickly shaken back into reality. She was filthy. He could not see her like this. She dashed for the transporter where she had stashed a change of clothes and a cleaning wand.

When she heard voices outside her heart immediately sank. She had missed it. She was going to have to force herself to hide her disappointment.

Dakk was already patting his father on the back for a job well done. Soll, despite his smile, looked perfectly bewildered. He stood in silence with his hand unconsciously scratching his head. This was most certainly not the tree he had left her with this morning. When Dakk heard her step down from the deck of the transporter he spun around to greet her. "Livv," he screamed, "have you see what my father has done?"

"Yes," she said laconically, "isn’t it grand?"

Soll stepped in; his eyes fixed on hers. "Wait a minute, I can’t take all the credit here. I may have shaped the foundation, but it was Livv who has made it a home."

Dakk ran to her. Sweeping her from her feet he spun her around until they both landed on the forest floor. "I love it! It is magnificent! Thank you, thank you, both."

After climbing inside and inspecting the interior, Dakk found the two of them waiting patiently outside for him to say something. Dakk’s ambivalent gaze fell upon her pleading face. "What?"

"Well, what happened?"

"I already told my father that nothing happened. The disk wasn’t where it was supposed to be. I never found it. We retrieved the satellite and came home; end of story." His expression belied the notion that it was as simple as that. Dakk grew impatient with their continuing stares of disbelief. "Would you two please let it go. I have taken an oath of secrecy; I cannot discuss the mission. Those are the rules. Father, you should know that. You helped to write them."

"This is true," Soll said with a shrug. "I cannot fault you for obeying the law." Dakk turned toward the tree and with his head down he whispered something. "Pardon," Soll said. "I didn’t quite hear you..."

Dakk turned slowly and whispered slightly louder. "There was something that happened when I was sequestered in my quarantine chamber. I guess by the letter of the law that was not technically part of the mission."

"What? What was it?" Livv begged.

"I received a voice message broadcast in my quarantine chamber. That alone is not that unusual, those infernal voices are forever interrupting my sleep. This, I can assure you, did originate from anywhere on Dass. My trace revealed that it came to me routed through New Pallpoli. That sort of thing is strictly forbidden. Still, the quarantine master knew nothing of it. The voice itself was altered beyond the ability of the sonic filters to distinguish. The source address had also been masked somehow. Who ever broadcast it was very, very clever."

"What did it say, this voice?"

"It told me to access last night's broadcast from Earth. Specifically an American news show where they had interviewed Julia Rayhied." He saw Soll’s interest pick up at the mere mention of her name.

"That was it?" Livv pressed on. With a glance, they both acknowledged Soll's reaction.

"No, it also said one more thing. It said... Look to the stars..."

"What does that mean?"

"That’s what I said at first," Dakk explained, "but when I watched the show I knew exactly what it meant."

"Do tell!"

"Wait, let's use the transporter’s viewer. It would be better to show you than it would be to try to explain it."

"As you wish…"

Inside the transporter they watched the program straight through without comment. The interview took place on the set of S.E.T.I.'s Universe. Situated behind Julia and the interviewer was the now familiar field of stars. Julia was clad in a NASA jumpsuit with the American flag displayed on the shoulder. The interviewer was a young woman with short-cropped hair and an annoying habit of cutting in on the star of America’s favorite television show. Dakk observed both of them as they watched the show. Livv was clearly studying the background, trying to see a pattern in the stars. Soll, on the other hand, never let his eyes stray from the beautiful primitive with an uncanny resemblance to the woman he still loved. Julia Rayhied was describing to the interviewer what it was like to sit atop the launch pad as the mighty rocket engines roared to life. Words, she explained, could not adequately describe the sensation. When the interview was over Livv turned to Dakk with a puzzled look on her face.

"I don’t get it," she complained. "What were we supposed to see in the stars?"

"Ahh..." Dakk said with a tinge of irony in his voice. "I too, was flabbergasted. It made no sense until I ran it through a pattern generator..." He set the generator in motion. The viewer transformed the two dimensional image into a three-dimensional cube. From there he changed the point of view so that they were seeing the program from above.

"I still don’t see anything," Livv moaned.

"Hold on," Dakk urged. "Look carefully at the red dwarf stars..."

"Yeah, so? I still don’t see it."

"Watch as I set all the red dwarfs on a flat plane..." Suddenly it was a clear as the sun in a cloudless sky. Soll gasped as he read the words. Words that only he could comprehend.

Livv, whose knowledge of written English was incomplete, turned to Dakk. "What does it say, Dakk?"

"It says, ‘Papeete by noon’, but I have no idea what it means."

"I do," Soll replied tonelessly.

"Papeete is a city on an island in the Pacific Ocean," Dakk offered.

"That’s right," Soll said. "The island is called Tahiti. Papeete is the capitol city."

"But what does it mean? Papeete by noon?"

Soll walked out of the transporter and stood silently on the deck. Dakk and Livv quickly followed. "What is it, Father? What’s wrong?"

"Are you sure the disk was never found? No - never mind, I know you cannot talk about it."

"What are you getting at?" Dakk pressed on.

"There’s only one other person who knows what that phrase means, and that person is dead."

"Mother?"

"Yes. When we were young and rallying against the preservationist’s early attempts to pass the Earth Doctrine we used to dream about going to Earth. Your mother used to say, ‘We could be in Papeete by noon’. It became our little code phrase. We would use it whenever we felt we were losing."

"Then how did it wind up buried in the props on the set of an Earth television program?" Dakk asked. "It makes no sense."

"It does if Julia Rayhied somehow got the disk after all."

Dakk fell silent. He now understood why Deppopio had insisted on being the one to board the Earth vessel and retrieve the satellite. Strangely enough, it began to explain why the Kylli's penetrating cameras and tunneling spectrometers did not work. The fact was, he never actually saw Depp inside the Patriot. But could it be true? Did Deppopio deliver Soll’s message to Julia Rayhied? What kind of game was the Supreme High Chair playing with Soll's life? Despite what he suspected Dakk knew he could never discuss it with anyone. The law prohibited him from revealing any aspect of his trip to Earth. Finally, he looked into his father’s eyes. "What do we do now?"

"She’s in trouble," Soll declared. "I would not have directed her to use that phrase unless she were in some kind of danger. I must go to her. Now!"

Dakk laughed. "You? Traveling in darkspace? I can’t believe I’m hearing this. And how would you go about getting a lightship to take you there? It’s not like you can go to Viddelio with that sort of request."

Soll smiled instantly. "Yes, but there is someone who may have an idea. I dare say I’ve relied on him an awful lot lately."

"Who?"

"Gellseno."

"That boy from the institute?" Livv asked.

"Yes. He may be just a boy, but he is very resourceful. He’s my friend. And, there is no one who is more knowledgeable about Earth than he. If there is a way to circumvent Galactic’s security he would have heard about it." Soll entered the transporter and opened a comm channel. He waited patiently for a secure channel to initialize. At the ready tone he simply said, "Gellseno."

On the viewer appeared the image of the young man from Terrekka’s City. "Is that you, Sollalia?"

"It is I, my friend. I have a request - a rather large request…"

"Yes," Gell replied with a smile. He was glad that Soll still valued him. "What is it?"

"I need to secure transport to Earth right away..."

"Earth?" Gell laughed, "that’s not a request, that’s a plea for a miracle. It seems to me you should be talking to the Renegade."

"It would be easier to fly to Earth by flapping my arms than to track down the Renegade. Have you no other suggestions for me?"

"Now, wait. I’ve heard rumors that a very good friend of yours has been contacted by the Renegade several times."

"Who might that be?"

"The daughter of the Supreme High Chair - Saffrina."

"That’s impossible. She would have said something to me." Soll snarled. "You’re wasting my time..."

"Have it your way," Gell responded casually. "Do you really think she would say anything to you knowing that every move you make is being scrutinized by Larrvino and his gang? There are no secure channels anymore, sir. The Wave has been compromised; that is a fact. Even the High Council’s private Wave is suspect. Whispering is probably the most secure form of communication left."

Soll nodded. "I apologize for my rudeness. I shall pay a visit to my friend and whisper something in her ear. Thank you."

"There is one more thing," Gell added.

"Yes?"

"Saffrina’s keeping company with Juggheda." He saw the shock fall across Soll’s face. Soll knew a man named Juggheda; it didn’t seem likely that it would be him.

"You don’t mean…"

"Yes, I mean that Juggheda," Gell confirmed. "There’s been a lot of gossip circulating around the Wave about those two. It’s quite fascinating... Listen, I’ve got to go now... See you soon." Gell’s image blipped out leaving Soll staring at a blank screen.

Juggheda? On Orr? How odd. Why would he come back now? The supply lines were in place, a stable Network and Wave had been set up, and if the stories he heard were true, nearly all the Orrian food crops had passed the trials and were in full production. Juggheda’s World was headed toward self-sufficiency a full twenty years ahead of schedule.

"I’m going to New Pallpoli," he said to Dakk. His determination was unquestionable.

"Well, you’re not going alone."

"I can’t ask you to get involved with this. The risk is too great."

"Nonsense! Who is going to pilot the ship? You? Ha… You need me and you know it." The look on Soll’s face was all his son needed. "It’s settled then, I’m going."

Livv stepped up. "If he goes, I go. I will not take no for an answer." She watched Soll roll his eyes in defeat.

He sighed. His head told him not to drag them into this, but he could not say no them now. "All right, then you shall," he said enthusiastically. "And only because I don’t have time to argue!"


***


As the transporter slipped over Terrekka’s jungle toward the distant Pallpoli mountain range, Soll couldn’t help wondering what Juggheda was doing back on Orr. A true adventurer and pioneer, Juggheda left Orr twelve years ago and vowed never to return. His infamous claim that he had found a new garden that would one-day rival Orr echoed in the halls of council for years. They had heard such bombastic claims before and they had always been ignored. It was clear, however, that Juggheda’s World was different from the rest of the pretenders. It was the most Earth-like planet ever discovered. It was that stunning fact alone that gave it special significance and caught the attention of the High Council. Clearly this was a special planet. It was quickly given special consideration and was declared habitable long before the mandatory twenty-year cycle. The council majority believed that if they could get potential colonists interested in Juggheda’s World some of the attention would be taken off Earth. Galactic Mining and Mapping was interested in the planet because it was situated at the outermost reaches of the Orrian Domain and was an ideal outpost for further galactic exploration. All mandatory trials were given the fast track and Juggheda’s World was declared an official colony within eight years of its discovery. Despite his insistence that he would declare his independence from Orr Juggheda was treated as a hero and a visionary. To his credit he had attracted sixteen thousand hearty colonists from Orr and the other colonies, but true independence was many, many years away. Yet, despite his best guesses Soll still didn’t have an answer to his own question. Why was he back? Why now?

The journey to New Pallpoli seemed mercifully swift and soon they could see the beautiful little city nestled in the peaks of the majestic Pallpoli Mountains. The transporter came to rest on the welcome pad at the Network depot. Soll had no intention of being pinned down by the usual band of holowave reporters permanently stationed at the depot. Besides, he was traveling with perhaps the most famous person in the galaxy in his own son. They agreed to separate and meet at the Meridian Building where they would be safe from prying eyes. Soll provided each of them with a different disguise. Terrekka Council’s High Chair, a wily veteran of the game, never traveled to the city of New Pallpoli without them. Each left the depot in a different direction. Soll took the Underground while Dakk and Livv took the strollways. They would converge in fifteen minutes.

When all three were together again in the Meridian Building Soll quickly called Saffrina from his office. She graciously invited them up to her chamber in the tower. As they entered her room they were surprised to see that again young Gell had been right. Juggheda greeted them at the door.

"Sollalia!" Juggheda exclaimed. They had met twelve years ago when Juggheda was lobbying for a declaration of colonization. He was just as Soll had remembered, gracious and friendly to the core. It was no wonder he had been so successful at attracting colonists to his new, untamed world. He then turned to Dakk, "and what a pleasure to finally meet you, Dakkalia..." He embraced the young pilot. The bond between Galactic veterans was magnetic. A pilot with twenty-four missions in the Catalog himself, Juggheda was one of the most famous living light trippers. He stood back and placed his hand over his eyes. Dakk mirrored him in a salute to the trippers who never returned from darkspace. "And you..." He said as he approached Livv. "You must be Livvevea. Your reputation precedes you. Saffrina and her staff think quite highly of you."

"Thank you," Livv said coyly. Saffrina flashed a smile at her and motioned them to sit.

"What brings you here, Soll? Or, should I guess? Perhaps the same thing that found Juggheda ringing the bell when I woke up this morning."

"I don’t understand," Soll said carefully as he slowly turned toward Juggheda. "Why are you here?"

Juggheda smiled briefly. "That’s something I would like to know. Twelve days ago I received an emergency communiqué from Deppopio’s office demanding I proceed to Orr at once. When I got here, accounting for the time shift differential and being detained for ten lousy days in quarantine without a word from New Pallpoli, I learn today that Depp has taken ill and cannot see me. Saffrina has no idea why I’m here. And you? Why are you here?"

"It is a private matter, if you don’t mind."

"That won’t be necessary, Soll," Saffrina said plainly. "I have no secrets. Juggheda is my confidant on many matters. If you speak to me, you speak to him."

Soll didn’t like what was happening. He smelled a set up. Perhaps Larrvino himself was behind the emergency communiqué. As improbable as it seemed it was not out of the realm of possibilities for Saffrina to be involved with him. She was after all the daughter of Deppopio. Larr’s power was considerable but it meant nothing when it came to blood. And Saffrina was not above using her position to achieve her goals. Larr, like many men before him was a means to an end. Juggheda probably knew only the parts she wanted him to know.

"Soll," Juggheda started, "if I may? Let me ask you a question..." Soll nodded briefly. "Is your visit here today in any way related to the Renegade?" He watched Soll’s eyes dart around nervously and knew he had hit a nerve.

Sensing the obvious Soll said, "I guess it would be foolish to deny it now? Why do you want to know?"

"It would seem that there is common thread unraveling here."

"What do you mean?" Soll asked anxiously. Juggheda glanced at Saffrina. With a nod she urged him to continue.

"Let me try to explain the nature of our relationship and I think you’ll understand why all this concerns me." Soll leaned back in his chair, raising his hand to his chin in the perfect skeptic’s pose. "A little over two years ago I didn’t even know Saffrina. Oh, I knew who she was; she was the lovely daughter of his honor, the Great One. Everyone knew who she was. She came to see me unexpectedly on Juggheda’s World with a proposal in hand. My end was simple to uphold. All I had to do was keep my eyes and my mouth shut. Look the other way, if you will."

"Look the other way from what?" Soll asked impatiently.

"Obviously you’re aware of the arrangement I have with Galactic and the High Council. I own sole management of the Jecco, Galactic’s largest freighter. There are only ten in the entire fleet. My agents ferry between Juggheda’s World and Orr as well several of the other colonies. We need certain ores from Tellakka 3 and industrial commodities from the asteroid belt around Naxxalla’s Pulsar - things of that nature. It is when we dock up at certain orbital platforms at Orr there are always several pods I am to deliver to Earth, no questions asked."

"In exchange for what?"

"Earth artifacts. Artifacts that my agents in turn trade here on Orr for luxuries unavailable at home right now. As you might well imagine it can be a very lucrative endeavor. In fact, many of the items never even make it back to Orr. We can boast the second largest trade in rare Earth artifacts in the galaxy. It has turned into an excellent way to attract collectors to Juggheda’s. Many have stayed. We have some very serious collectors..."

Soll abruptly turned to ask Saffrina a question that defied an obvious answer. "And what do you get out of all this?"

She smiled. She had been waiting for this question. "I don’t think it’s any big secret that I favor contact with Earth. I always have, despite my father’s stubbornness. You know as well as I that I have never defied the law to pursue my goals. Right now the Earth Doctrine is the law. I may disagree with it but I will not violate it. When I entered into this venture with the Renegade I made it clear that I would pull out if any direct physical contact were made with the people of Earth or their governments in the name of Orr. The Renegade has yielded. The intent of the law is being honored. To the best of my knowledge no actual contact has ever been made. The Renegade’s ultimate purpose in doing all this is still as much a mystery as is the very identity of this elusive one. What has happened, indeed the best possible scenario, is a renewal of the Earth Party. That, my dear, is my reward. Now, perhaps you’d like to explain what you’re doing here."

"I need transport to Earth."

"What?" Saffrina gasped appropriately. Her mock disbelief fooled no one.

"Some one I care about is in danger..." The intensity in his eyes was nearly measurable.

"Julia Rayhied?"

"Yes."

"You would be contacting her?"

"I would be saving her life."

"Stop! I will hear no more of this..." Saffrina stood and began to walk out of the room. "This meeting never happened. When I come back I expect to find an empty room, am I clear?" She stopped near Soll and bent over to whisper something in his ear. "Good luck, friend."

***


Platform Eighty was bustling with activity. The Jecco, moored at Dock 12, had automated loaders filling the cargo hold with gigantic containers. A kilometer away at the hub station a shuttle from the surface had ferried up the crew that would pilot the freighter to its final destination. More often than not Juggheda’s pilots simply stayed at the hub to avoid spending ten days in quarantine on Dass. This mission however, had seen a crew change; Juggheda himself would fly the Jecco home, alone.

Juggheda grabbed a tramcar from the hub that delivered him seconds later to the dock. The cargo hold was nearly loaded when he arrived. The dock foreman, who orchestrated the movement of hundreds of loaders serving dozens of ships, waved once to Juggheda giving him the all clear to enter. Inside he found four pods sitting in the hold on the open floor. Only one had been sealed. The others were reserved for some very special guests.

One by one they arrived. Juggheda quickly ushered them into the waiting pods. Each pod, more than ten meters long, appeared insignificant beside the giant containers that populated the remainder of the hold. Clearly one pod could easily accommodate all three of them without discomfort. Because they would be traveling in stasis-like state, Juggheda insisted on a separate pod for each; there was always the slightest chance of something going wrong. Soll eagerly agreed and was first to enter his pod. Livv and Dakk entered their pods respectively but paused to ask about the fourth. Juggheda told them nothing, refusing to answer any questions.

The pods were the preferred method of transporting large numbers of people through darkspace. None of the deleterious effects of light tripping were experienced because the traveler passed through darkspace in a state of bio-sleep. Thousands had made their way to the colonies in just such a manner. For the pilots of Galactic tripping the light barrier in a state of hyper-sleep was not an option. Though the disorientation and nausea of traveling through darkspace was overwhelming it lasted only minutes. The incubation after hyper-sleep was at least twenty hours before one regained one's maximum dexterity and poise. A pilot had to be able to react moments after break out. The pods themselves were usually loaded in unmanned freighters and sent to well charted star systems. Soll had never seen the inside of one before. He had no need for one. He had never been further from home than a childhood visit to the moon Jarr on a Convergence Night junket.

The pod was dimly lit as Soll felt his way to the nearest sleep chamber He climbed into the first chamber and allowed the hatch to seal itself behind him. Within seconds a gas would fill the chamber effectively shutting down his metabolism, causing his body to sink into a state of profound hibernation. A person could remain in such a state for years if necessary, as was often the case when populating a new colony. Colonists were ‘thawed out’ in phases as a new colony took shape. As the colorless, odorless gas hissed its way into the chamber he began to feel light-headed and sleepy. A smile crossed his face as he drifted off. When he awoke from this self imposed nap he would be hurtling toward Earth at near light speed. Soon, Julia Rayhied would fear no more.

Juggheda sealed the fourth and final pod and turned to leave the hold for the bridge when a man greeted him from the open cargo door. A man he knew only by reputation.

Larrvino stood alone. Juggheda smiled cautiously. There had been no announcement that a dignitary would be visiting the Jecco and Larrvino certainly had no appointment with him. Despite the toothy grin on Larr’s face Juggheda cringed; everything in his being screamed out trouble.

"Juggheda, I presume?" Larr began as he walked toward the ship’s pilot. "Allow me to introduce myself..."

"That won’t be necessary, I know who you are. Do you mind telling me what you are doing here?" He tried to walk away from the pods to draw Larr’s attention but the uninvited guest simply stopped in front of him.

"I came to ask you the same question." Larr’s cold stare never averted. His piercing eyes stabbed right through Juggheda’s gaze. "What compelled you to return to Orr after vowing twelve years ago that you’d never come back here again?"

At this Juggheda began to get angry. "And what business is it of yours? Can you name a law that prohibits me from changing my mind? Now, sir, may I ask you to leave my ship at once? You are not invited!"

Larr grinned at the audacity of this man. Obviously he had been away too long. "You claim to know who I am... You have no idea who I am! I am a ranking member of the Terrekkan Council and an officer of the law. As far as you're concerned I am the law. I have invited myself to inspect this ship and it’s cargo."

Juggheda said angrily, "Get out! You have no right..."

"I have every right!" Larr shouted. "I know all about your little agreement with Galactic and the High Council. There’s not a word in it about the transportation of illegal Earth contraband." The fire in Juggheda’s eyes vanished as the color drained from his face. "I know all about it. If I wanted to I could have every one of these containers pulled out and inspected one by one. That would put you weeks behind schedule, maybe even ruin some of the experiments you’re conducting. You wouldn’t want that, would you?" Juggheda said nothing. His blank expression neither betrayed his emotions or his inclinations. "But, I won’t do that. You see I’m only interested in these four transport pods. Ironically, four of my friends are missing and were last seen right here on Platform Eighty." Larr made a move toward the first pod. "Now, if you’ll open this pod we can get this over with."

Juggheda was resisting the urge to grab Larrvino by the throat and personally escorting him off the Jecco. He moved hastily to block Larr from the control panel. "I’m afraid I can’t let you do that." For several tense moments they stared at each other in a test of wills. Larr blinked first. "These pods are filled with sensitive and delicate cargo," Juggheda explained. "If you open this door you’ll be setting into motion the premature germination of vital food crops. And there..." he pointed vigorously, "in the third pod simply activating the atmospheric conditioners would release a catalyst into multi-polymers destined for key infrastructure construction in Jugg City. I will not let you destroy years of planning for some hunch you have about your missing friends. There are people back home who are counting on this material."

"The shipping manifesto..."

"What?"

"May I see the shipping manifesto? You must have one..."

A shipping manifesto was exactly what the agreement with Deppopio and Galactic Mining was all about. In order to expedite the formation of a viable colony on Juggheda’s World the ship was given to him with the proviso that no logs or manifestos were ever kept. None of the parties involved wanted to be haunted by what might or might not have been done to speed up the colonization of his Earth-like planet.

Juggheda said confidently, "If you really knew what you were talking about you’d know that I do not have a shipping manifesto. You’re just going to have to take my word for it...." Just then Juggheda’s portacon sounded. Holding it up to his face he quickly saw that it was an ally; something he desperately needed right now. "Yes, Saffrina, What can I do for you?" He saw the look of dread on Larr's face at the mention of her name. Larr, despite his self-declared impunity from accountability, never fooled around with Deppopio or his daughter.

"If you haven’t left orbit yet I suggest you do so right away..."

"He’s here..."

Her face became red with anger. She was too late. "Put me on the screen," she demanded. At Juggheda's command a drop down screen lowered itself in front of Larr. Saffrina’s image appeared as if she was spitting flames from her eyes. "What right do you have being there, Larr?"

"As a citizen who has been witness to a violation of the law it is not only my right, but my duty to expose it."

"The only law I see being broken is your uninvited presence aboard that ship. I demand that you leave immediately!"

"Why are you covering for this guy?" Larr charged. "Is it because you are in it just as deep as he? Does your father know about your cozy little arrangement with the criminal they call the Renegade?"

By now she had lost her patience. Larr had nothing to stand on, the Jecco was off limits and he knew it. This little show was staged to try to force Juggheda into a mistake. "My father knows what ever he wants to know. As for you, I will have the High Council inspectors from the hub forcibly remove you from that ship if you don’t leave on your own. You are violating the agreement we have with this fine man."

"You dare call me in violation when it’s you and Sollalia, and this man, who have walked all over the law to get what you want. You spit on the law. It makes me sick, shame on you. If you disagree with the law you must try to convince people you are right and let them decide. You can’t use your power to tilt the law in any direction that you want... So, go ahead, call your heavies, have them drag me from this ship, but I want it known here and now that I accuse you, Sollalia and Juggheda of conspiracy to subvert the Earth Doctrine. I will not let this rest... You can be assured, my lady, I will be back. When I do, I’m taking all of you down..." Larr spun in place, and without further incident left the ship.

***

First, there was the sensation of sound, a low vibration that made his eardrums throb. The glare of yellow light then penetrated his eyelids, preparing the pupils for the conscious state. Limb by limb he began to feel his lifeless body reawaken. A loud clang, a sudden hiss of gas, flashing lights seems to test his senses one by one. His eyes popped open as if an unseen hand had switched them on. Light bouncing off his retinas triggered the hatch to release. With great excitement he crawled from the sleep chamber, his reborn body feeling remarkably week and fragile. He reached out and stabbed plunger that would release the seal on the main entrance. With a loud pop the main seal was broken and the door winked out. The cargo hold stretched out for as far as the eye could see. Every container was gone. He poked his head out and saw the other pods sitting alone in an immense, desolate canyon.

Suddenly the huge chamber reverberated with a pop, pop, pop. One by one the main seals burst on the remaining pods. Dakk was first to emerge; his cautious first step contradicted his fearless nature. Livv bounced out with a child-like innocence, her eyes wide open her smile bright and genuine.

"Where are we?" She shouted.

Neither man answered her. They had their eyes trained on the fourth pod. The seal had been breached but the door remained in place. Dakk looked at Soll and shrugged. No telling what might be behind that door. The art of deception would have anything other than a person in a personnel pod. Then again, sometimes the obvious can be the hardest thing to see. One can be deceived by the truth as easily as a lie. As Soll approached the control pad the pod door winked out and there standing before him was a person he never expected to see.

"Why, Soll, you seemed surprised to see me," Gellseno said with a touch of irony in his small voice. "You never did pick up on any of the clues I left you..."

"You!" Soll protested loudly. "You’re the new Renegade?"

"I’ve waited two years to see that look on your face," Gell laughed. "You really never had a clue, did you?"

"Wait a minute," Dakk interrupted, "you mean to tell me you’re the Renegade." Gell merely nodded. "That’s ridiculous. The Renegade has been around since before you were even born. What kind of game is this?" Dakk watched in horror as Soll shuffled his feet. "What’s the matter father? You don’t believe this nonsense, do you?" Soll said nothing; his eyes darted away from any contact. "He’s a joker, worse yet, a spoiler. He was probably sent by Larrvino himself."

Livv, who had stood behind Soll, also could not bring herself to look Dakk in the eyes. Finally, she stepped forward and spoke to the young man standing before them: "Why? Why did you do this? Can you tell us that?"

"Why don’t you ask the original Renegade..."

Dakk became angry. "Listen, I don’t know what you’re up to here, but so help me..."

"Wait," Soll said sharply. "I will answer that question..."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Dakk objected. "What do you know about the Renegade?"

Soll held up his hand. "It’s all right, son, I will explain." He turned to Gell, who caught up in a defining moment was grinning from ear to ear and clearly enjoying every bit of it. "But, first, how did you do it? How did you figure it out?"

"You left little clues around the institute. Perhaps, evidence is a better word for it. Once I identified your style I was able to recreate your activities using news reports from Earth for validation. But, ultimately, it was the face on Mars that did it. Although it began to degrade soon after you placed it I was able reconstruct it enough to put a name to a face. The name was Sollalia."

"All right," Soll conceded in the face of total disbelief from his son. "Why did you resurrect a past I tried so hard to bury?"

"Because you were right. The Renegade was right! We can’t just choose to hide any more. We are a curious people, people you can’t put in a bottle and set up on a shelf. Preservationism is a noble and worthy cause but it doesn’t deal with the fact that we are not alone in this quadrant of the galaxy. By the wisdom of the Creator there are human beings living in our galactic neighborhood, people so much like us it’s frightening. Common sense tells us that there is strength in numbers. History tells us that we need each other. And the frontier tells us that we haven’t seen anything yet. The Sirenese are just the beginning. Who knows what danger lies out there in the ninety percent of the galaxy we haven’t charted? We can either choose to live in this galaxy or run from it.

"You were brain washed by Deppopio and his merry band. He convinced you that black was really white, up was really down and green was really red. He may have even believed it himself. But he preyed on your own self doubts until your thoughts and beliefs were not your own anymore. The truth is, Deppopio is riddled with self-doubts of his own. He fears he has made a mistake. And now he uses me and you and his very own daughter to make right what he has done wrong."

"What do you mean. How has he used me?"

"You really are in the dark, aren’t you?" Gell said rhetorically. "How do think we got here today? Do you think it was just fate that Juggheda was on Orr? No, it was Deppopio who called him and ordered him home. I’ll bet one of you got an anonymous call about a certain Earth TV show..." Dakk unconsciously nodded. "It was you, that makes sense. You were in quarantine with him, weren’t you?" Again Dakk nodded. "Do you want to tell him why Deggneba spent ten days on Dass while you went to Earth, or should I?" Dakk merely raised his hand toward the boy with all the answers. "He was in quarantine because Deppopio went to Earth with your son to retrieve the satellite." Soll and Livv stared at Dakk in disbelief. "Was it Deppopio who gave the disk to Julia Rayhied?"

"Yes," Dakk admitted quietly.

"How?" Soll gasped. "Everyone knew he was on Hellinni’s World on holiday."

"A clever deception. Remember that Deppopio is a master. There are none better than he is. He was closer to finding the Renegade than you ever were. I monitored someone trying to trace the calls I placed to Saffrina. I can only conclude that it was him when he fell for a few traps I set for him. To be sure, I also fell into a few traps he left for me; it has been a very exciting game, actually."

"What do you mean, traps?" Livv asked.

"Does the name Victor Delano mean anything to you?" His question was met with three equally blank faces. "Understandable. For the past seven years Victor Delano, alias our own Viddelio, has been doing some business on Earth. He has amassed tremendous wealth and gained high social status all the while procuring untold hard goods and collectibles for trade on Orr. Well, I created Victor Delano. He was a product of a very ordinary American upbringing in suburban Chicago who just happened to make it big in business. Viddelio merely played the part. It could’ve been no one else, really. Who but Vidd could make illegal trips to the forbidden planet? Believe me, Vidd loved the game and he now has one of the finest collections in the world. But it was thrill of living a dual life that was his real reward. Despite the danger of disease, his penchant for primitive women is near legendary. You see I had his wife die giving birth to his only son, making him the most eligible bachelor in all of Phoenix, Arizona. As you might imagine, he was not always as careful as he should have been. By allowing Delano Industries to grow too large too fast he eventually invited the scrutiny of Deppopio himself. Somehow Depp put it all together and was able to blackmail me, the Renegade, and Viddelio into supporting something he wanted done on Earth..."

Soll was confused. "What could Deppopio possibly want done on Earth? This sounds crazy."

"Crazy indeed," Gell raised his eyebrows at the notion of Deppopio being less than sane. "He wanted Victor Delano’s corporation to sponsor a little television program out of San Francisco."

Soll gasped. He felt elated and betrayed at the same time. "S.E.T.I.'s Universe..."

"Precisely! Now you’re getting it. It was a low budget cable show starring none other than?"

"Julia Rayhied," Livv blurted.

Soll was stunned. What had Deppopio done? Why? Was he the sole mastermind behind this whole bizarre charade? Clearly, he could not have done it alone. Was young Gellseno, his friend, and by all appearances his prodigy as well, integral to Depp’s plan or just an unwitting accomplice whose convenience made Depp’s work that much easier? There was also Larrvino to consider. For only he had the motive to tamper with the program that guides the satellites in orbit around Earth. Nobody else hated Earth enough to hand down a death sentence as plaintiff, judge and jury in one. Suddenly everything that had happened to him for the past two years was swirling around in his head. Those who were supposed to be his allies were not. Those ordinarily aligned against him were, instead, aiding him at every turn. Who was he supposed to trust? Who was in possession of the truth? The only truth he was ready to accept was that Julia Rayhied was in trouble and needed him, everything else was a mere distraction.

"None of that really matters," he mumbled to no one in particular.

"Excuse me, sir," Gell said.

"I said, it really doesn’t matter how I got to this point. I’m here, and Julia needs my help. We’re taking this thing to Earth and we are going to get her before someone else does… But there is one thing I must know, Gell." The boy who claimed to be the most notorious criminal in Orrian history simply raised his hand. It was an odd moment; somehow it seemed so natural. "Why did you come here with us? Why have you revealed your true identity to me of all people?"

Gell looked away in a ponderous stance. "I suppose that does seem rather odd. By revealing my identity I’ve rendered the Renegade meaningless, haven’t I?" He looked back, again locking his gaze on Soll. "That would be a big problem if I intended on going back with you. But I’m not going back with anyone... Ever... I am relinquishing my citizenship of Orr. Earth will be my new home. This is my homecoming..."

Silence filled the canyon as Gell’s words drifted away in waves of receding echoes. It was the first time anyone had given up his or her citizenship to the garden. Such a thing was inconceivable; it just did not happen that way. Even when someone moves to a distant colony hundreds of light years away, one is always an Orrian above all else. Every standard is measured against the Orrian model. It truly is the very center of the universe. To forsake the garden was self-depravation gone out of control.

Soll approached the boy. "Why? Why would you do such a thing?"

"I belong on Earth. She is all I’ve thought about since that day I first realized I could never play with those dirty little children. No one could ever explain to me why those people had to live like that. My mother and father tried their best to convince me that it was really for the better. But, everyone knew we could help end their suffering, but the law said we couldn’t. Yet, we could spy on them and study them like insects, build collections from their things and revel in their art. It is the epitome of cruelty to stand by and watch so many of them suffer when it is within our power to stop it. Maybe Larrvino is right - maybe if I had never been exposed to Earth I wouldn’t be here right now. While the primitives and their brutal ways may repulse Larr, I am repulsed by our reaction to them. Who is right? You decide. As for me, I have already decided." He called for a large dropdown screen by punching in a command on the pod’s control panel. When it stopped in front of them Gell waved his hand across the screen. "Welcome to my new home!"

They saw a pale blue dot in a field of stars. Suddenly the image zoomed rapidly until the sphere known as The Planet Earth filled the screen from side to side. Soll’s heart melted. Somewhere down there he had lost his love thirty years ago. He closed his eyes hoping to stop his mind from returning to that dreadful moment. It did not work, it never did. He was transported back in time to the instant he realized that something had gone wrong. The pain did not diminish with the passing of time. What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t have gone to Galactic and demand they send a rescue party. They probably wouldn’t have sent one anyway; what she had done was illegal. He was powerless to help her. Teffiona never did come home. The satellites confirmed her fate. The ship was lost in the Indian Ocean. Thirty years later he still blamed himself.

He forced himself to pry open his eyes. He did have something to live for; someone down there needed him. This time he would be there, he would pull her free from the crush of death, and nothing was going to stop him. Regardless of how this all came to be she needed him now. He didn’t care that it had all been a set up. Julia Rayhied had no part in this conspiracy. She was perfectly innocent. If anything, he was to blame for her predicament. None of this would have happened to her if the Renegade hadn’t planted the seed so many years ago. His drones, each with fully adaptable controllers, could last for decades and carry out hundreds of sorties. They fed and nourished the UFO sub-culture for forty years. Only he was to blame for her fascination with the subject. Whether he liked it or not he was the reason her life was now in danger.