Gravity (Jolo Vargas Space Opera Series Book 2) Read online

  Contents

  title

  President

  Hospital

  Inquisition

  Jail

  Merthon

  Flight

  Jessica

  Qualus

  Gravity

  Gravity

  Jolo Vargas Space Opera

  Series Book 2

  Copyright © 2017 by J.D.Oppenheim

  All rights reserved.

  [email protected]

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for downloading Gravity. The Jolo Vargas Space Opera Series should be read in order, so make sure to read Book 1, Velocity, first.

  —J.D.Oppenheim

  The President

  Federation Home Word: Sol.

  Office of the President.

  “Please tell me he's a synth,” said the president, staring down from his suite high atop the Federation’s core legislative building.

  “Negative, sir. The scan says human.”

  “That's not what we need, Johnson.”

  “What do you mean sir,” said Johnson. “I thought that was good news.”

  “Look down”, said the president. “What do you see?”

  Johnson stared down into the mass of lights and people moving about in the city below. “Uh, people.”

  “Yes, it's beautiful isn't it. People moving around. People doing things. Commerce. People not afraid to be on the street anymore.” The president stared down into his glass of synth-whiskey. “That's a hard fought peace. That's what you're looking at. Peace. Jolo Vargas will destroy that peace. He'll stir up the military. Get them thinking they can fight again. And then we’ll lose all of this,“ he said, motioning with his hand toward the people below, ice tinkling against the whiskey glass. Both men stared down into the bright lights in thought. There were vendors selling roasted meats, mothers pushing strollers, couples walking together.

  “I can't risk this,” the president said.

  “There are some who complain about prices,” said Johnson. “About pirates on the edge of Federation space, about the draconian commerce regulations set by the Bakanhe Grana.”

  “Yes, but that is a small price to pay for this peace that we have now. I'll take slightly higher prices over those shiny black bastards and their warships any day.”

  “So, Mr. President, what's to be done with Jolo Vargas?”

  “Maybe he's a synth after all. And then those BG monsters can take care of him.”

  “But Mr. President, Vargas is a war hero.”

  “Yes, I know. But Jolo Vargas died on Regus 5. Another war casualty. There will be an inquisition and I believe the BG emperor himself will attend. The merchants will side with the BG. And so will we. It's all we can do.”

  “And what about the military?”

  “They'll fall in line like they always do.”

  Hospital

  Federation Home Word: Sol.

  Federation Military Hospital, secure wing, level C.

  After being in an escape pod for more than a month, having attractive young nurses bringing food was a wonderful thing.

  "This fried, uh, fried meat is fantastic," said Jolo.

  "You don't even know what that meat is,” said Barthelme. “As a matter of fact, you never liked that highly processed, protein-based, meat substitute crap before.”

  “It's just so salty and warm,” said Jolo with a big mouthful. Barthelme stood there watching, slowly shaking his head. "So what brings you back here? I thought the powers that be had to you out protecting the Federation from the pirate scourge on the edge of space.”

  The former chief eyed his boots for a moment then rubbed his chin with his good hand.

  Jolo looked up at the big man and could tell something was wrong. "Listen, I have been having a blast here for the last week eating this,” he poked his fork into a greenish square of Federation food and held it up, watched it wiggle, then shoved it into his mouth and chewed. "So don't come and give me bad news.”

  “That's called fed green,” said Barthelme. “You hated that, too. How much do you remember?”

  Jolo scratched his head for a moment, looked over at the man sitting in the corner wearing a black suit, shiny shoes and a thin black tie. The man was looking out the window down onto the Plaza of Planets, pretending he didn't care.

  Jolo looked the chief right in the eye and said, “I remember most everything,” which was a lie, but he hoped the chief understood.

  “I just stopped by to give you some reading material. Compared to the escape pod this place must be heaven, but I figure on old western novel from Old Earth might help pass the time.”

  The chief started to hand a small screen to Jolo but suddenly the man in the black suit stood up. "I'm sorry Captain, but you know the regulations.”

  “Yes, I know the regulations you little slime-coated shill. This man is not an alien acquisition. He's one of us.”

  The man in the black suit just smiled and sat down. Barthelme squeezed edge of the chair with his mechanical arm and the wood started to splinter.

  He put the screen back into his pocket then looked down at Jolo and tried to sound cheerful. “Make sure to eat all of your green tonight at dinner. It'll keep you healthy and safe. Plenty of good nutrients there.” He looked Jolo in the eye and smiled. He said nothing to the man in the black suit.

  That night the nurse came to bring Jolo’s dinner. He saw her standing outside the glass door. She had to pass a retinal scan before she could enter. She was always smiling and bright and he looked forward to her visits. She laid down his tray. “Is there anything else I can get for you Captain Vargas?”

  He said no, then thanked her and stared down at his protein meat substitute and fed green wondering what the old chief had meant earlier. He also wondered why the nurses had to have a retinal scan to get in, and why the man in black always had to be there in the room. Even though Jolo’s memory was gone, he still had good instincts. And he was beginning to trust them more: the man in the black suit was no friend.

  So Jolo did as the Barthelme instructed and ate his fed green. And there at the bottom of the tray under the green stuff was a note:

  There's going to be on inquisition. Be careful who you trust. The man in black is a snake. I fear for your life. Can you still handle a gun? You always hated that green. It worries me that you eat it now. I'll do what I can to help. Eat this note. It should taste better than that other stuff.

  Jolo laid his head on the soft white Federation pillow. He knew that his old self had known the chief for many years, but his new self had only known the him for a few days. Even so, he felt like he could trust the man.

  Computer, he thought, give me everything you’ve got on Federation inquisition protocol.

  Instantly, several pages of text popped up as if on screen in his mind. Just before reading he looked over at the Fed in black. I wonder if running computer queries in my head is against Federation protocol? he thought.

  He'd gotten used to the idea that the computer was embedded in his mind somehow. He didn't think the Federation had that sort of technology so it must've been done by his captors. But who had him? Obviously the BG, he thought.

  There were too many questions and too few answers and now he couldn't talk freely with the one man he actually trusted.

  He read the computer synopsis of Federation inquisition protocol and it scared him. An inquisition bypassed all usual Federation laws protecting citizens and was mainly used during war for war criminals and “alien acquisitions,” which meant any person, human or not, that was deemed a potential threat to the Federation. Basically, the inquisition would decide to som
eone was guilty of a crime or if a person could stay in Federation space. One vote each from the Federation president, the head of the BG, the current head of the merchant class, and one final vote from the Federation military alliance, usually the acting admiral, decided the fate of the accused. Persons found guilty were either sent to the edge of Federation space or killed.

  Jolo wondered whether he was better off in the escape pod.

  Computer, who is the acting admiral of the military? he thought.

  Silas Filcher, came the reply.

  The name sounded familiar to Jolo. And then he remembered. Filcher was number two on his boat. So maybe I'll get one vote, he thought.

  Right before bed he always thought about the girl.

  Computer, search for Jaylen Voss.

  No data, came the reply. As always.

  Inquisition

  Federation Home Word: Sol.

  Federation Hall of Justice.

  Jolo didn't have to wait long for the Inquisition. Exactly one day after he saw Barthelme, he was dragged off to the Federation Hall of Justice adjacent to the Federation Plaza. They dressed him in an orange jumpsuit with the requisite prisoner’s collar as if he were a criminal.

  He was escorted by Federation military police, the man in the black suit following close behind. They led him into a large hall and he stood in the middle. It was like a large circular sports arena and he was the star of the show. The merchant class was there with their fine robes, shiny rings, puffy fat cheeks, and looking like they couldn't wait for lunch.

  The president was there with his staff, as was the military. One large section was empty, which Jolo figured was reserved for the Bakanhe Grana. It wasn't long before a long procession of black-robed, metallic BG filed into the hall. At first Jolo thought they were in battle armor but then he realized, they were the BG, the living part of them nothing more than a large worm encased in an alacyte chest plate. There were 20 or so warriors followed by the Emperor himself. He was larger than the rest and wore a long black cape. None of them had eyes, just black slits that housed their ocular receptors. Their arms and limbs were purely mechanical. But they moved with elegance and grace, as if they were made of living tissue instead of alacyte segments and actuators.

  Jolo stared out into the crowd and wondered who his friends were. Did he have any? He searched for Barthelme and found him in the middle of the military section. He caught his eye and could see that the older man was strained.

  Once everyone was settled down, the president stood up and addressed the crowd. "Thank you all for coming, especially on such short notice.” And then the president nodded towards the merchants, and then to the military, and finally to the BG. He placed his hands on his forehead and welcomed them in their language: "Kirekureta arangrada, Grana sama."

  “We are here today to discuss several important matters concerning our new alliance and the health and safety of the Federation. Our hard fought peace has finally been achieved with the gracious help of the BG,” said the president, again bowing deeply towards the emperor with a smile. And then he nodded in the direction of the blue-uniformed military section, “And, of course, with the help of the Federation military.”

  “First up for discussion is the small matter of the alien acquisition which defied Federation regulation by landing on Duval without proper authorization. An offense of this magnitude usually results in immediate eradication, but the wise Captain Barthelme decided to allow the offending ship the right to land. We shall decide today whether this action was born out of judicious counsel or merely just an error by a relatively new captain of the Federation.”

  At this point one of the military contingent yelled out, “The man in the ship is not an alien acquisition, he is one of us. He is Jolo Vargas!”

  The whole room erupted in argument and the president held both hands up. "And that is exactly what we shall decide today. Whether this man is who he says he is, or perhaps something else entirely. I would like to remind the military, our merchant brothers, and all present to please speak when it is your turn to speak. I now have the floor. I would like to also remind all of you of the great threat that was thankfully annihilated by our good allies the BG. Were it not for them defeating the synthetic humanoid invasion, we might not all be here today.”

  Computer, Jolo thought, define synthetic invasion, limit results to last five years and involving Federation planets. Digest version.

  Instantly text popped up his mind.

  Two years ago, in the middle of the Federation’s war with the BG, a new threat to all worlds arose, which was called the synthetic humanoid invasion. Vellosian humanoid synthetic beings were rounded up and accused of a plot against the Federation. This was during the BG and Federation war. The BG and the Federation created an alliance to destroy the humanoid synthetic population. Soon after, the whole planet of Vellos was accused of attempting to create a synthetic army whose mission was to dismantle the Federation and to eliminate the Bakanhe Grana. The BG ultimately destroyed the Vellosian home world and afterwards the Federation peace accord was signed and the current peace became a reality.

  The president continued, “It is our task today to decide whether this alien acquisition is, in fact, the man who he claims to be, or merely a synth spy?”

  And then began a long line of questioning from each faction. The merchants were concerned because an unauthorized space ship made it past the outer patrols.

  “Why did you not respond to the hails?” their leader asked.

  “I had no communication,” said Jolo.

  “Why did you land on Duval?” they asked.

  “My life-support was down. I had to land immediately. Duval was the closest planet.”

  “But why not Tichel?”

  “I'm not sure,” said Jolo. “It just felt right. I looked out the view port and saw the stars there, and I had a good feeling about it.”

  At that, someone from the merchant faction blurted out, “He was attempting to infiltrate the alacyte production operations on Duval. There can be no other explanation.”

  Again the room erupted in argument. Next, the Federation doctor who examined Jolo was brought out. He confirmed that all scans of Jolo indicated he was, in fact, human. But then the president spoke up, “Dr. Johnston, are your scans infallible?”

  “No, sir, they are not.”

  “Could this person here standing before us be a synthetic life form?”

  “Well, I suppose, there is a possibility. Towards the end of the war there were rumors of advanced synth’s that could pass through Federation scans.”

  And then the president quickly dismissed the doctor before he could say anything else. “I now would like to call down our esteemed military advisor, Captain Barthelme, of the recon ship Valhalla II.”

  Captain Barthelme was brought down to the floor. His face was red and sweaty. The president wasted no time. “Captain please state your name for the record.”

  “Franklin John Barthelme, Federation captain, Valhalla 2, reconnaissance.”

  “Captain, were you not a member of the expeditionary force led by Captain Jolo Vargas in the final campaign in the spring two years ago on Regus 5, Annabellas system?”

  “Yes, that's correct.”

  “And did you not fight side-by-side with Captain Vargas against the BG in the final battle on the beach at San Miguel?”

  “Yes, that's correct.”

  “Can you tell us what happened there?”

  “Yes. Captain Vargas was leading a small ground force, myself included, to take out the main power station the BG were using to supply most of their weaponry.”

  “And were you successful?” said the president.

  “At first, yes. We made it to main power station without much issue, but then a large BG destroyer jumped in at the last moment.”

  “And then what happened?” said the president.

  “And then we were defeated.” At this point, Captain Barthelme looked down at his shoes and took a deep breath.
/>
  “And what did you see right at the end before you blacked out?”

  “I saw Captain Vargas.”

  “You saw Captain Vargas? And what condition was Captain Vargas in at that moment?”

  “It was bad.”

  “How bad?”

  Barthelme looked up at Vargas with a pained expression. “Very bad,” he said, finally.

  “And after you made it out, what was your exact comment to then Commander Filcher?”

  Another deep breath from Barthelme. The audience started to grumble. So the president repeated question and waited.

  Finally the captain said, “I said that Vargas was dead.”

  “Could you repeat that so everyone can hear?”

  “I said that Vargas was dead.”

  “And how did you know Vargas was dead?”

  “I saw his body. He was torn up pretty bad. He wasn't breathing. Those of us who escaped barely got out alive. The med bots brought back the wounded, but Captain Vargas was not among them.”

  “So the med bots, who are programmed to recover living comrades and leave the dead, left Vargas on the field of battle?” said the president.

  “Yes.”

  “So you were surprised when you saw him the other day on your reconnaissance mission?”

  “Yes, I was.”

  “But you think it's Vargas?”

  “Yes, I do. I don't know how, but it's Vargas.”

  “Thank you for your testimony, Captain,” said the president.

  At this point the emperor of the BG stood and strolled into the circle. “Where have you been for the last two years?” he asked Jolo with near perfect core world pronunciation, though slightly marred by a very faint buzzing hiss at the end of each sentence.

  “I don't know,” said Jolo.