The Hyperon Incident (working title) Chapter 3

"Another raid?" a woman in uniform asked as she set a pad down on the desk in front of her.

"Damn pirates," the forty-ish man grumbled, "Fifth time this week. But targeting an observatory? It's not like them. There weren't any comets anywhere near that station."

"Sir, why were they there?"

"Beats me," the man replied, picking up a cigar and chopping off both ends with an old pocket knife, "You don't mind?"

The woman shook her head. Smoking was frowned upon in some places and downright illegal in others, but people still indulged in that activity despite the dangers it posed to their health, and in military offices, the air would be cleaned and recycled, and odor neutralizers were often used.

The man placed the cigar in his mouth and lit the other end, taking a few puffs until it glowed and gray smoke curled from his mouth, dissolving into the sterile office air.

"Well, we got other, bigger problems," the man continued, taking another puff from his cigar, "The Vuresii Confederation has been demanding that we give them our classified information. Some of the higher-ups think these guys are just paranoid, others - myself included - think they're going to try taking our planets as their own."

The woman pushed a strand of loose, brown hair behind her ear and nodded, looking around the office, at the photograph of her superior with his wife and two daughters, at the simple decorations, the odds and ends and a few crayon drawings his children made that were framed on the wall with great care.

"I've been hearing talk back home about us carrying out a preemptive strike, sir," she said, "I hope to God that we aren't."

"No, Lawdon," the man said as he reached up and ran his fingers over the bill of his hat, "Though I think the Vuresii might be planning one. Same ol' deal. Back in the early days we had a few wars, thankfully they were mostly cold."

"Neither side wanted to take that last step, Sir?" Lawdon asked, arching an eyebrow.

The man at the desk shook his head.

"Some might think it cowardly," he sighed, his brown eyes glancing up at the ceiling, "But I think it's smart - don't wanna fire any missiles, in case the target might retaliate. It's like the Cold War between the former United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics."

"I read about that," Lawdon noted, "They did have a race to get man on the moon, right?"

The man nodded.

"But I hope after all these centuries, and the bloodshed in our past, we won't have to fight another war."

"Yeah," Lawdon said, "Our presidents have been avoiding war almost obsessively, thanks to the way it affected morale. Part of me doesn't know if that's a good thing, because there's always this 'what if?'. What if they are actually planning an attack? We were completely unprepared for that biological attack that took millions, including my parents and aunt."

"Which is why, Lawdon, we are working on our internal security. I am against disarmament, but I hope and pray like hell we don't have to ever use any of our weapons."

"So, do we have any other appointments tonight, Sir?" Lawdon asked.

"Yes," the man chuckled wryly, reaching into one of the oak desk drawers and pulling out a pad, "We both have to sit in at one of those 'important dinners' with the Jerrovin delegates. Then later on, Commander and Chief Kelley will be making a speech. Plus a few others. Read 'em an' weep."

"Well, looks like our day will be filled with fun," Lawdon joked as she took the pad and read over the schedule.

*****

Damn...

His head was still pounding. The man had awakened in the observatory sickbay a few hours after being shot by the pirate. The doctor had given him some drugs for the pain and treated the burns on his legs, but his head still hurt, an after-effect of the energy rifle that had been used on him.

The creature. The creature escaped. It's out there still.

All of the station's crew had been accounted for after the attack, but the creature was gone. He and the others could not rest as long as the creature was on the loose.

The beep of his wrist-comm assailed the man's ears, and he reached over, tiredly, to answer it.

"Yes?"

"Lieutenant Marcos?" a voice said.

"You got him," Marcos replied, "Little worse for the wear, pissed off, but you get the idea."

"You and your crewmates are looking for this creature?" the voice asked.

"Bet your ass. What of it?"

"We may be of help. What do you require?"

Marcos' lips curled up in a slight grin. Luck was changing. Finally, his cousins would be avenged.

*****

"How was school, Janice?"

The girl plopped down on the blue, textured couch and set her backpack down beside her.

"It was okay, I guess, Daddy-Mike," she replied, "Brenda was doing her usual, flaunting that crazy throat-cancer chic look. I don't get these trends. They're just... idiotic."

"Well, how did you do on your test?" Mike asked.

"I did fine. And today, Amy, Liz and I met this older boy on the way to school. I bet he's going to the university... and he has this cute little cockatiel... can I get one - that is if I have the money?"

Mike shrugged and smiled a little, his eyes giving off that twinkle Janice was all-too-familiar with.

"I may have to work it out with Joe," he said, "But I think you know that keeping a pet is a big responsibility, and cockatoos, even the little ones like the cockatiel, can be quite demanding."

Janice nodded.

"Anyway," she asked, "Can I go and visit that guy and play with his bird? She's adorable!"

"We'll have to talk with Joe about that one," Mike replied, "You know how he feels about these things."

"It's not like I'm going on a date," the girl groaned, resting her head in the palm of her hand.

*****

Typing away busily at the keyboard, the woman frowned. She had managed to hack into the Balder 4 military network, and found some unsettling news; someone from the Vurasii delegation was bribing several family members of the Hyperion victims.

God damn. I've gotta find him.

She withdrew from the system and saved the files she had acquired on a data stick, then rose from her seat and went to her closet, going through her wardrobe. She was going to need to steal a lot more than information. 

"Mother," she whispered, "I wish you were here... right now."

The Hyperon Incident (working title) Chapter 2

The sun rose over the wood and metal buildings in the Mitsumasa district. Located in the Province of Valtierra, between the equator and 'South Pole' of the planet Balder 4, the climate was temperate, almost Mediterranean, and the birds and other imported fauna had begun to wake up. An argument could be heard between a flock of love birds and scrub jays over a feeder which had been installed recently on a live oak tree, and the former flock was winning. In another tree, a budgerigar parakeet flirted with an uninterested sparrow, while a nearby spotted owl tried in vain to get some sleep. Frustrated, the night bird of prey flew to a birch, away from its usual roost.

Balder 4 was located at the outer rim of the Federation, and like many of the other frontier planets, made its own eccentric rules. The ecosystems were somewhat like those of Old Earth, yet in other ways, different. Most of the countries had few systems of social welfare, and in one state, police and fire protection was funded on a voluntary basis by the citizens, while the roads and utilities were all privately-owned. Despite recent lobbying and a few riots, the parliament could not come to an agreement and the majority of the citizens voted 'no' on establishing government-run schools. The Prime Minister and her wife, when questioned on their views of the situation, both declined to comment, and covered the face of their young son which the latter was feeding as the photographers began taking their pictures.

The planet had very lax rules of the importation of fauna, as it had only been terraformed a little over a century previously, and the various ecosystems were still regulating themselves. Many colonists had pets, mostly small birds like parakeets, canaries and finches, so they began to spread throughout the planet, changing and adapting due to their short lifespans and prolific breeding habits. Mitsumasa had squirrels, which were considered obligatory for any forest, though there were many settlements of guinea pigs, rabbits and hares. Many of these animals could be considered 'feral' since their ancestors were raised by humans, and many a child would bring home a small fuzzy or feathered animal and ask, "Can I keep him?". Balder, like most colonies, was rabies free and any animal could be imported after a quarantine and examination, so the worst that could happen was the child's parents would answer 'no'.

A red fox waited in a thicket near the live oak tree, her eyes on a brown and white mother guinea pig that was busy chattering away at her three young ones and nibbling on some grass seedlings. A hamster crawled out of his burrow to look for some seeds, while a white mouse scurried by, sniffing the air and smelling danger nearby. Then, the clatter of shoes on nearby pavement startled the animals in the park, and a few of them ran to hide. The guinea pig family stopped to watch as the giants passed by, but had memories of them in their genes from many past generations. The mother was more concerned about the fox hiding in the bushes, and chirruped at her young to follow her away from the area. Seeing her meal run away, the fox let out a little whine and yawned. There would be other breakfast.

"Didja hear?" a girl with brown, wavy hair and blue eyes began, "Josie messaged me last night and she said Lannie's got a crush on me!"

Her companions, both girls, let out a squeal of delight. One of them had brown eyes and red, curly hair which she held back with a headband, and a face dotted with freckles. The other had a dark complexion and her eyes were very dark brown, and her hair was naturally straight, pulled back at the sides with a small ponytail. All of them wore uniforms which consisted of white blouses, plain green skirts and matching button-up shirts, and on their feet they wore brown dress-shoes. Two of them wore plain white socks, while the redhead wore sheer knee-highs.

"I'm so jealous!" the latter companion said, "Maybe I should curl my hair or something... oh I wish it was naturally curly like yours, Janice!"

"It's not all that great, Amy," the redhead replied, "It's hell to comb and style! I'm still begging my mom to get it straightened."

"Don't do that!" Amy cried, "Just don't do that! Your hair is terrific!"

"Aww you're nice," Janice laughed as they went along on their way to school.

"By the way," Amy added, "Did your dads just buy you STOCKINGS?"

Janice blushed at the comment, and looked down at her feet.

"Nope," she replied, "My grandma bought them for me last week, and Daddy-Joe was kinda funny about me wearing them to school... I have my socks in my backpack. Changed into my stockings after I got outta his sight. Daddy-Mike said he was okay with this but I shouldn't tell Joe just yet."

"Well you are lucky just the same!" Amy squealed, "My parents told me I could get my own later... and 'later' in my dad's language is like... when I'm thirty-two or something!"

"My mom and Evelyn told me I might be getting some stockings for my birthday," the wavy-haired girl said, "I hope I get some blue ones... they might clash with my uniform but I love blue!"

"Ooh let's hope you get lots of 'em, Liz!" Amy giggled, "Um... would you let me wear any that you don't like?"

"Sure!" the brunette replied, "I just hope that I can get that job at the restaurant that opened a couple weeks ago."

"You mean Parker's?" Janice asked, her eyes wide, "I'm applying there too! My dads are kinda iffy about me getting a job, but I think I can manage that and school since I'm already doing pretty well."

"Might try as well,"Amy said, "My parents are okay with me getting part-time work as long as I come home in time for dinner and don't fall behind in my studies."

As they chatted, the three friends saw a young man walking down the sidewalk and carrying a square cage with a small, gray bird inside. The man had long, brown hair that was tied back in a simple ponytail, and he wore a brown suit and tie, and new black boots. As he approached, the bird let out a surprised chirp, and flapped its wings a little.

"Oh, how cute!" the girls chorused, "What's his name?"

"Her name is Sunshine," the man replied with a smile, "Would you like to handle her?"

"Sure!" Amy said, looking closer at the bird, which extended her crest and cocked her head at the girl.

The man opened his cage and reached into the cage, slowly, extending a finger which the cockatiel stepped onto, and brought the bird out of the cage.

"Don't make any sudden moves or noises," the man warned as he handed Amy the bird, "Her wings are clipped, but she could still bolt and get hurt."

Amy nodded, and held out her hand, letting the cockatiel step onto her finger.

"Aww, what a pretty bird," the girl said, before letting her friends handle the cockatiel.

"I'd like to get a cockatiel for my birthday," Liz commented, "Does she talk?"

"She only speaks 'cockatiel'," the man replied, "But she does whistle. Can you whistle for us, Sunshine?"

The bird cocked her head a little and preened one of her wings, but didn't seem in the mood to take orders.

"Looks like that was a 'no'," Janice giggled, keeping her voice soft to avoid scaring the man's pet.

"Well, we gotta head for class now," Liz said, giving the man a slightly flirty look, "But can we come see her sometime? I hope we get some wild cockatiels out here like they have in the Austin District nearby!"

"Sure," the man replied, "But I don't know if Sunshine like it outside all that much. I'll have to see if it's okay with your parents, because I live alone."

"We'll hafta ask them then," Liz said, as she handed the bird back to her owner, "Catch you later!"

The man nodded, then placed his pet back into the cage and waved at the girls as they ran to catch up with the others. He walked up the steps of an apartment building, and reached into his coat pocket, producing a card which he slipped into a slot by the entrance. The door opened, and the man took his card and walked into the building.

*****

Once in his room, the man set his bird's cage onto a table and took off his coat, then removed his hair, which was a wig.

"It's going to be very difficult, Sunshine," he said, "But I am going to get to the bottom of this."

The bird let out a chirp, seemingly as a reply, then started playing with a little toy bell that was attached to the side of her cage, while her owner walked into another room.

*****

"In the news," an anchor announced on the subspace viewer, "As you may remember, two weeks ago, Science Station Hartnel-Tennant was hijacked by a group of what is believed to be pirates from the Jellico Sector. Sources indicate that this group of pirates may be linked to a clan of comet worshipers in that area. Travelers are advised to avoid these areas if possible or to take a military escort vessel. Commander in Chief Kelley, head of the armed forces in that sector, has this to say:"

"We will not stand for these people disrupting our commerce and our lives," an old man's voice said, "I and my forces are working around the clock to take care of this situation, and we will update everyone once we start to get things under control."

"When asked if it was in any way related to the biological attacks that happened seventeen years ago, Kelly stated that he would be investigating, though it is unlikely."

A beep sounded, and the viewer turned off. In the dim room, a woman threw her remote-card at the dead screen.

"You lying coward," she fumed, the anger burning in her dark, black eyes, "You bastard. You know what this is about, and yet you keep hiding this from everyone."

She reached over to a touch-sensitive strip on her seat, and raised the brightness of the lights.

"Goddamn cowards," she said, running her fingers through her dark, close-cropped hair, "All of you."

The Hyperon Incident (working title) Chapter 1

The alarms on the station were blaring in the man's ears as he ran down the corridor. It had escaped and taken several men, dissolving them in seconds. He had been lucky enough to keep out of that being's line of vision, and now would have to destroy it before the creature could get off of the station and take more lives.

"Damn that Hackett!" he cursed, coughing from the smoke and fumes.

Seventeen years ago, someone from an expedition, the details of which were classified, had unleashed some strange life form which later went berserk, killing her and most of the staff in the Hyperion 85-b outpost. The being subsequently went on to attack five colonies and thirteen military bases, killing millions of innocent people, including their children.

The man shed a tear, remembering two cousins he had lost in one of those bases. Both of their parents were marines on assignment, and the man's mother was a fleet commander working in the Norton-S9 Sector at the time of the attack. Both his cousins wanted to study the unexplored regions, viewing the beautiful nebulae and exquisite gas giants, potentially making contact with other alien races. Instead, those two boys became just a couple of names on the casualty list of Janeiro 3. People lost loved ones, thousands of parents were childless, and many women suffered miscarriages due to the shock. The man's aunt and uncle's marriage became strained because of the grief over their sons, and ended in divorce.

"Gotta find Ops," he muttered to himself.

Drawing his rifle, the man set it to kill. If he found that creature, it was going to die, but the man had other plans: to get to the Operations center and set the station to self-destruct. None of the organics he knew of could survive the antimater explosion or the vacuum of space. He would gladly give his life to save others from this creature.

Seeing a Lift, the man stepped into it and punched the code for Deck 12. From there, he could get to Ops before that creature could find an escape pod.

Panting from exhaustion, the man wiped the sweat from his brow and pushed back his sandy blond hair. There were a few spots of grime and ash on his face, hands and uniform, as well as a cut from a door control panel that exploded in the crossfire. He had to force the thing open, earning some cuts and scrapes on his hands from the effort.

The door opened with a short chime, and he headed down the corridor straight toward Ops. As he rounded a corner, the man spotted a figure in a form-fitting black suit and matching helmet. He was carrying a small duffel bag and a rifle that looked like one used by pirates and comet worshipers. Most of these fringe groups were not very pleasant folks to deal with, and had caused a lot of trouble with the Jovian colonists in the centuries before the first interstellar settlement had been established.

"Look!" the man called to the pirate, "I don't have time for this! The station's gonna blow in a few minutes. Get off while you still can!"

The figure stepped closer and drew its gun, then spoke to the man.

"You will not destroy this station," the pirate stated in a female voice, "I will not allow you to kill any innocent people! Do you understand?"

"GODDAMMIT!" the man shouted, "Do you realize how many other innocents could be killed if that creature escapes? Of course I will destroy this station and I will kill you if I have to!"

"You don't know what you're doing," the woman insisted, "That creature is my concern, not yours. I will handle him."

"Like hell you will!" the man spat as he aimed his weapon at the pirate, "Just like that goddamned Hackett dealt with it? The way she caused millions of people to die? There weren't even any bodies to bury! Just puddles, torrents of sludge - the handiwork of that thing Hackett brought into our space!"

"You don't understand," the woman insisted, "I'm not going to let you do this! I know this creature, and it's my responsibility to take care of him! Your people have shed plenty of blood as well, and you don't even know it!"

"Don't piss with me!" the man said as he pointed the rifle at the intruder, "Now get the hell offa this station before I have to kill you  - and I don't wanna have to kill a woman!"

As he said this, the man heard a weapon fire and felt a searing pain envelop him. The room grew fuzzy as he fell to the ground, almost losing consciousness.

"This is a warning shot," the woman stated, "And I think I may have to drive my point home a little more."

She changed the settings on her rifle, and shot the man in his legs, using a narrow, focused beam. Screaming in agony, the man cursed at the intruder as his world faded to black.


The woman looked over the unconscious soldier before making her way to Operations. She needed to lock out the system until the others could escape. She found a few other officers on her way there, and promptly stunned all of them, taking their weapons as she did in case her rifle ran out of charge.

Ops was empty, with some pads, styluses and other equipment littering the floor. The intruder went to the panel and reached into her duffel bag, taking out a device and plugging it into a port at one of the panels. She would have to connect directly to the systems using the codes she had stolen from Central, and even with those hacking would not be easy. One false move and the emergency protocols would activate, locking her into Ops and shutting down life support.

She fed the codes into the computer, then sighed in relief as the computer's voice announced the command lock-out. Her work done, the woman unplugged the device and punched the code for the exit. She headed over to Deck 15, where the docking bays were located. She would have to manually override the airlocks as her ship was not in any of the escape pod bays.

Looking around and seeing that the area was clear, the woman ran to Airlock 17, where her ship, The New Holland, was docked. She punched in the command for the airlock to open in two minutes, then opened door to the airlock and ran inside, and pulled out a small object with a few buttons on it. The woman keyed the code into her remote control, and the door to her ship opened, allowing her to enter. A few seconds after she got into the ship, the door closed again and she sat down at the helm, ready to engage.

The airlock opened, and she powered up the engines, then fired the thrusters, maneuvering out a little shakily. She knew there was no time to relax, as the military would be looking for her. The woman had already committed many crimes against the Sol Federation, and would be facing life in solitary if caught. She needed to find that creature, deal with it in a way that would mean a minimal loss of innocent lives, and get some information on the experiment which had taken place thirty years before in the Hyperion Sector.