"The end is in the beginning and lies far ahead."
— Ralph Ellison
*
Cavare, Capital City
October 2297
Moonlight cast the man's wife's skin in ghostly silver as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. He hadn't meant to wake her, but she stirred before he could slip away, blinking to reveal bleary, unfocused irises.
"It's okay, Frannie, don't get up. I'll be home in a few days."
She nodded sleepily, mumbled, "Love you...good luck at the symposium," and rolled over. When her breathing evened out in slumber once more, he tiptoed out of the bedroom and down the hall to crack the door to his daughter's room. A mess of curls poked out of the bedcovers to fan out on the pillow. He smiled to himself and eased the door shut.
He didn't attempt to sneak a peek into his son's room. The boy had developed preternatural senses and would be wide awake in an instant. In truth he'd probably awoken the instant there was a sound in the hallway...but if so, he didn't emerge to inquire as to the reason for his father's early departure.
It was for the best. At fourteen, his son was not only no longer a child but also disconcertingly clever, and he would likely pose too-astute questions the man didn't dare answer.
Once outside he tossed his bag onto the passenger seat of his skycar. The first steel-hued rays of dawn breached the mountains in the distance as he lifted off.
Twenty minutes later he stepped up to the security checkpoint entry for the Alliance outpost military base on the periphery of Cavare and waved his palm at the identity check. The officer on duty examined the readout briefly. "You're cleared for entry, sir, but may I ask what your purpose here is today?"
He canted his head at the young man. "Check your screen again, Lieutenant."
The lieutenant's brow furrowed, but he instinctively obeyed the implied order. "Uh, right. Sir. You're cleared for...whatever your reason is for being here." Squared shoulders preceded a crisp forward hand motion.
It wasn't unusual behavior for the man, as an Intelligence agent, to visit the Earth Alliance's largest military base on Seneca, and he'd done so multiple times for legitimate reasons. And as an Intelligence agent he wasn't required to disclose the purpose of his visit to anyone who challenged him.
He gestured a thanks and walked through the checkpoint, a wry smirk hovering on his lips.
My purpose is to start a war. Have a nice day.
YOU ARE READING
Apogee
Science Fiction"Its leaders believe the Alliance is powerful enough to be both-a democracy on election days and a dictatorship on every other day-but they're wrong. No government should be so powerful. It's time someone demonstrates the error in their thinking." T...
