To The Stars (The Harry Irons Trilogy) (53 page)

Kathleen asked, "Are you ever coming back?"

Fagen shrugged.

Kathleen turned to Blane. "Are you going along with all this, Bart?"

"Are you kidding? I'm in digital heaven. I'm not moving."

Fagen stood and announced it was time for Kathleen and Harry to go.

"How?" asked Kathleen. "If you dock at the Corporation station, they'll confiscate the ship."

"We're not planning on docking," answered Fagen.

"Then how are we going to get there?"

"Let us worry about that."

Harry surprised himself by asking, "What if we'd rather stay?"

Fagen rubbed the bruise on his head. "Somehow, I don't think it would work out. Perhaps someday we'll be in touch... Take care of your family, get your life in order, let the Corporation send you out on more missions. But now it's time for you to return."

Fagen was right and Harry knew it. After Kathleen wished Bart a tearful farewell, they followed the commander to the shuttle bay where they found an escape pod. Harry looked through the open seam and saw that the space inside was large enough to comfortably hold both Kathleen and himself.

Kathleen said, "I really don't like these small spaces."

"Don't worry," said Fagen, "Harry will be with you. Soma state will commence as soon as you're settled. You'll be asleep in minutes. By the time your nap's over, you'll be home."

Harry wondered if it was another ruse. Maybe Fagen did intend to kill them. If that was the case, the commander had gone to a lot of trouble to explain his intentions. No, Harry decided, Fagen was sincere.

Before he climbed inside, Fagen called after him. Harry turned and faced the man for the last time. Fagen extended his hand. "No hard feelings?"

Harry slowly took the proffered hand and shook it. "Where will you go?"

"Not back to Mia Culpa, that's for sure. We'll search for the Bedoran's home planet. We know it's somewhere in the Canopus system."

"Why?"

Fagen looked surprised. "Yes," he said, "I forgot to tell you. We have them all aboard, in stasis, of course. I want to return them to their original home."

Fagen pulled something else from his trouser pocket. He held it in the palm of his hand as he showed it to Harry. It was the Bedoran's magic crystal.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"An energy source the likes of which none of us have seen. I took it from one of our captives. It's my intention to find out how it works; to go to the source if I have to."

Harry didn't know what to say. Fagen was full of surprises.

Kathleen climbed into the cocoon and Harry followed, nodding to Fagen as he slipped inside. The pod sensed their presence and the interior expanded as they situated themselves on contour-forming cushioning. The opening sealed itself as Harry watched. He reached out and felt the cool, solid, reformed surface. A faint light shined from the walls. He would have liked to have investigated further but found himself growing drowsy, so he held Kathleen and kissed her just before seeing she was already asleep. As he nodded off, Harry's last thought was the certainty that someday, somewhere among the stars, he and Fagen would cross paths again.

THE END