Outcasts of Gideon

The Whiteness of the Whale : Part 2

By the time Lieutenant Ulkos killed the main engine, The Aion was nearly within the gravity well of Titan. He activated thrusters to spin the vessel and engaged the anti-grav drive. From here he could no longer see the system McAfee, but he knew another ship was preparing to transit.

When he landed at Huygens Space Port, Sergeant Tori was there to greet him. She was an unnaturally tall woman, probably a product of Titan's low gravity. She approached him, nodded, and walked past into the Aion. Leaving her to handle processing of the shuttle, he rushed off to confront the Captain.

Unlike the Sergeant, Captain Abadan Aram was a short, slight woman. For many, this invited the mistake of confusing her size for weakness. Lieutenant Ulkos had similar experiences with people. Neither he nor the Captain left much doubt about their resolve regardless of their size. The Captain shied away from no challenges and suffered no fools. These were redeeming qualities in his book.

Sadly, she also embraced the decline of the Patrol, a point where they diverged. In her words, the Damasos was a "sign of greater things." She made no secret of her intention to champion that transition when it came. She also made clear that Lieutenant Ulkos represented an obstacle to that realization.

Lieutenant Ulkos made his way brusquely through the Patrol headquarters. When he reached her office, he stopped at the doorway without announcing himself. Captain Aram was reviewing logs from The Aion. She didn't look up. "Lieutenant Ulkos, can I expect your report on the shuttle before or after you file your grievance?"

"Captain, I just spent a day chasing after a hijacked shuttle. I fail to see how limiting my ability to pursue this case helps you or the Patrol in any way."

Captain Aram looked up from her screen. "Lieutenant, you are well aware of our limitations. Despite this, you choose to ignore them. I do not have that luxury."

"The fact that The Saturn Patrol has been kept from doing its job should concern you." He couldn't remember how often he'd said something like that to her since her arrival two years prior. It was an argument that worked for him over much of his career. It failed to make any dent in this commander's resolve. "Why send anyone out to retrieve a stolen shuttle if we are not going to do all we can to close the case?"

"We are authorized to pursue anyone within our jurisdiction, Lieutenant Ulkos. Nothing further."

"The system McAfee is within our jurisdiction." It was the next step in their familiar dance.

"Operation of the system McAfee is not within our jurisdiction. Nor is the space immediately around it."

The dance had several more maneuvers but he knew better than to bother. In the end, a predictable stalemate would result, with his wishes unmet. No longer possessing the patience to wait for that inevitability, he turned from the room.

"You may be pleased to hear that we tracked another ship. It appears to have come from Odyssey Omega."

He stopped and turned, waiting for more.

"We don't have confirmation of any relationship, but what are the odds? Long range scans identified a single vessel under power. It headed for Dione. You can probably intercept it there. Dione is about six or seven hours away, if you push it."

"Will I have to requisition a pilot?"

"No, I think one white whale hunter is sufficient. I'm sure you'll let us know if you require assistance."

He didn't appreciate the slight, but bowed his thanks and turned from the office. She was just keeping him busy, and he was okay with that.

As he made his way past the scattered desks, he took in the relative lack of activity in the office. The thought came over him that this might be his last hunt, at least for the Patrol. A twinge of anxiety caught in his chest. He wasn't planning anything, but he felt somehow on the precipice of something new.