The Firestorm Conspiracy by Cheryl Angst Read Free Book Online

Kessler’s cargo vessel and leaving the ship behind to make its way to the nearest colony unescorted.”
    Pity for the crewmembers assigned that task tempered her own excitement. Whoever went over to Kessler’s ship would be missing out on the mission of a lifetime. She hoped her diplomatic training would be valued more highly than her organizational skills. She didn’t want to find herself filling the chief cargo technician’s position on the trader while everyone else gallivanted off into the history books.
    “We will collect the professor from a civilian transport just outside Alpha. Once on board, we are to travel quickly and quietly--no personal communications home, folks--to the Cerces system.
    “After he has his meeting, we are to return him to Earth ASAP. The sooner we get him into instantaneous transmission range, the happier HQ will be.”
    “Captain, are we expecting to meet with hostile forces?” asked Targersson.
    “I don’t know.”
    “The briefing notes order--”
    “I am aware we’ll be on high alert, Mr. Targersson. Before you get your troops ready to start a war, let me remind you we’re trying to prevent hostilities here.”
    “So, combat is a possibility.”
    “I hope not, but yes, we need to prepare for anything.”
    Rebeccah felt his eyes turn to her.
    “Is this a diplomatic mission?” she asked.
    “It’s not hostile.”
    “Sir?”
    “If you’re wondering if it’s sanctioned, the answer is no. Consider this black ops.”
    That wasn’t the answer she hoped for. The odds of her remaining on the Firestorm weren’t necessarily in her favor. The thought of being sent over to Kessler’s ship sucked her enthusiasm for the mission out through her feet faster than a decompressing airlock. Rebeccah typed in the name of the VIP and began pulling up files. She had less than two hours before the Firestorm abandoned the cargo vessel, and she had to be prepared to argue her case.

Chapter 10
    Earth dwindled in the rear window of the passenger compartment of the transport hurtling toward the UESF base on the moon. Moonbase Alpha-Zero-One-Zero Solsys, nicknamed Alpha by those living and working in the station, was the first operations platform constructed by the UESF in 2125. Located on the edge of the Sea of Tranquility, the base enjoyed twenty-four hours of sunlight per day, as well as a spectacular view of the planet twelve billion people called home.
    John sat rigid in his seat, thankful for the tight straps across his chest. Surrounded by UESF personnel, he was one of only three passengers on the shuttle not in uniform. Several young officers joked about their upcoming assignment, trying to mask their nervousness about being posted off-Earth for the first time. The shortest officer, two seats down and across from John, kept darting glances out the rear window. A wave of sympathy penetrated John’s own anxiety as the young man’s face registered fear, longing, and finally, a grim determination.
    The possibility of another war made John ill. He focused on his conviction that hostilities must be prevented at all costs as a means of suppressing his terror of being back in space. But space didn’t cause his pulse to race and sweat to form on his brow; the memories the void triggered did. He’d spent six heavily medicated months in a psychiatric ward unable to get the images of atrocities out of his mind. The visions had been so strong he swore he could smell the charred flesh and acidic residue from the plasma weapons. Part of his therapy required him to remove himself from anything associated with the UESF and the war.
    Two decades later, dreams depicting the loss of his family in an avian attack still haunted him, but otherwise he seemed to have recovered. His biggest fear was that a journey into space would bring everything flooding back, unleashing a torrent so intense he wouldn’t be able to function. Despite his frayed nerves, he proudly noted his steady breathing. The terrible