Anachron

Conspiracy

I had to plan my next moves very carefully, even though I didn't have much time to consider all the options.

The first person I went to was Jack Martin, the communication officer that had gone with me to the surface of Markad.  We had been through a lot on this mission, and I couldn't think of anyone else who might be more inclined to come with me.

Leftenant Martin hadn't left the Anachron yet, so he was easy to find.  I beeped the door to his quarters and waited nervously for him to answer.  He was the most likely accomplice, but that didn't mean he would go along with it.  I had to admit the possibility he might pretend to go along with it and then turn around and feed the information to the CCP to advance his own career.  There was always that chance.

Seconds seemed like hours while I stood there.  When the door opened, he greeted me apprehensively.

"Subcaptain Davis?  Can I help you?"

"I hope so.  Can I come in?  I need to speak with you privately."

"I have a bad feeling about this."  His words were filled with doubt and confusion, but he waved me into his quarters.  Once inside, he offered me a seat, so I sat.  "Can I get you a drink?"

"No, thank you.  What I have to say is of the direst nature."

He cocked his head to the side, curiously.

"The Anachron doesn't belong here.  The present government is planning to take control of it, and I'm sure that they are already plotting what to do with it.  But it's too powerful a ship to just let them."

"What do you intend to do about that?"

I paused, taking a breath.  Once I told him my plans, there would be no taking it back.

"Before I tell you, I have to be sure.  Have you taken Breiner's deal with the CCP yet?"

"Not yet.  I'm still considering it."

That was a plus, at least.  He hadn't thrown his hat in with the new government yet.

"Before you make your decision," I looked over my shoulder, self-consciously.  I don't know who I thought I might see there, since we were alone in his quarters.  "I have to do something; I just wish I knew what it was.  I need help."  I stopped and waited for his response.

"Let me see if I follow you.  First, you took some simple fortune-telling talk and used it to justify killing Captain Lattimer.  Then, you got me arrested and almost court-martialled by bringing me down to the surface of Markad to speak directly, face-to-face, with Rejjik the Conqueror."

I couldn't dispute any of this.  It was starting to look like I'd been wrong about Leftenant Martin.  My only hope now was that he could keep quiet about this while I tried to find a crew.

"And now, you say you need my help.  Does that sum it up?"

"When you say it like that, it doesn't sound so great.  But yes, that's a fair summary of the situation."

"Are you insane?"

"Perhaps, but that's what Subcaptain Welman said at Jovix."

"Really?"

"Captain Lattimer said the same thing when I tried to stop him at Markad."

"So, you're probably getting used to having people tell you you're crazy."

"It is starting to lose its punch."

"So what do you want from me?"

"There's only one man in the galaxy who would truly understand the situation.  I need to talk to him, but he doesn't speak English."

"Who?"  Leftenant Martin realized the answer to his question before I had a chance to answer.  "Rejjik."

"He was a brilliant tactician in our time, so we know he's smart.  And he was there at the critical moment."

"Yeah.  That's all true, but we have no idea who he is anymore.  For all we know, he might be some unmotivated schmo working beneath his potential.  Heck, he might have met an untimely accident."

"I know, but I have to try to find him."

"We.  We have to try to find him."

"So you're with me on this?"

"What do I have to lose?  I'm sure my wife is married to an alternate me, or maybe an entirely different guy.  And I'd like to see how Rejjik has changed."

After that conversation, we began searching for how to get in contact with Rejjik.  It actually turned out to be much easier than I'd thought.  We just threw his name into a few public searches and we had him.  As it turns out, he had not met an untimely accident, and was not some schmo working beneath his potential.  In fact, he was quite the personality on Markad.

Now all we had to do was figure out how we would talk to him.