The Forsythe family vessel was beyond anything Denton had ever seen. Narrow and long like the tip of an arrow, it was a ship built for speed and maneuverability yet it was large enough to allow for travel between solar systems and large enough for hundreds of people. Yet, more than just a ship, it was the mobile command post for Jonythan's empire. As they entered the ship, they were greeted by robotic servants as well as Quinsby, who flashed a wide, white smile at them. He then guided them through the various sections of the ship, pointing out architectural elements typically not found on a ship and priceless art that in Denton's opinion had no place in space. Just minutes later, Denton had tuned out the droning voice of Quinsby. He had little interest in the features of the ship. His mind was occupied with more pressing concerns than artwork and arches.

He couldn't shake the feeling that somehow he had crossed paths with the Forsythe's before. Jonythan was familiar, somehow, yet he didn't yet have enough information to put all the pieces of that puzzle together. He didn't even know what questions to ask to fill in the blanks. What bothered him the most was not knowing whether the context of his memory was something he should be concerned about or not.

Gabi's sudden appearance also bothered him. Although he was glad that she was alright, he still grumbled internally about her complete disdain for the law back on Proxima b. It made her look guilty, there was no doubt about that. At the very least, she appeared involved. If she hadn't provided him with so many of the answers, he would have been inclined to arrest her on the spot, regardless of her family.

As their tour took them into Jonythan's private living area on the ship, Quinsby was suddenly called away, leaving Denton, the Admiral and Gabi alone. Denton noticed that the room resembled Jonythan's library. Circular in nature, a fire crackled in a fire pit in the middle. The absence of the smell of wood burning made Denton conclude that the wood or the fire, or both, were artificial in one way or another. Why all the firepits? Around it, four red leather sofas shaped like quarter circles formed a loose circle around the fireplace. Denton plopped down on one of them and let out a sigh.

Straight ahead, the front half of the room provided a majestic view of the outside. He could see the front part of the ship stretching out in front of them, a long triangular shape, pointy at the very tip, not unlike a dagger. He couldn't really tell whether the view was real or projected, but it didn't matter. The designers of the ship obviously had intended to create a room with a view, and they had succeeded. It was as if they sat at the edge of space. Denton could only imagine what it looked like during high-speed travel.

Gabi sat down on the sofa next to him and looked tentatively at him. She sighed deeply, her eyes on the fire. The Admiral sat down on his right, a glass already in hand from one of the attentive robo-servers. He leaned back, sipped on his brew and closed his eyes, traces of a smile on his face. He was taking advantage of a few minutes downtime, that was clear.

"You know, I didn't mean to cause so much trouble," Gabi said, breaking the silence, her eyes still on the fire. "When I ran into you in Jarrell's apartment, I panicked. I didn't know what to do, and when I did what I did, well, there was no turning back."

"You could have stopped," Denton said.

"I know, I know, but that's easier said than done when you're running, when you're scared."

"What were you scared of?"

"Of being caught. I didn't want to embarrass my family. I didn't know who I could trust."

"Not even me, after what we went through? Wasn't it obvious that I had Jarrell's best interest at heart? I did launch myself from space to the ground in a Descent pod to save him, after all. Or did I dream that whole thing?"

Gabi looked down at her hands, sniffled and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I know, I know. When I get stressed, I don't always think rationally, I just go with my emotions. It always gets me in trouble."

Denton sighed and shook his head. Was she telling the truth or pulling his leg? He was leaning towards the truth, but he had learned long ago never to take what he saw at face value. He decided he would give her the benefit of the doubt but keep his eyes open.

"We'll find him," he offered.

At that moment, the doors into the room behind them slid open, and Quinsby entered, a smile on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Admiral," he announced, "We will be docking momentarily at the military depot. I understand you need to collect a few items before we continue to Mars?"

Denton and the Admiral stood up at the same time. "Yes, thank you, Quinsby," the Admiral said. "Have all the arrangements my friend requested been made?"

"Yes, sir, every request has been fulfilled as specified," Quinsby said with a bow. "When should we expect departure?"

The Admiral looked at Denton. "How long will it take to load Tanner and his equipment?"

"That depends. How quickly can your men get him on board?" Denton said with a smirk.

The Admiral laughed and put the glass he was holding in his hand down on the table between the couches. "Before you can even blink, my friend," the Admiral said and rapidly walked out of the room.

Denton walked over to the front-facing window panels. The military complex he and Tanner had arrived at when they first came to Earth had come into view. Although he had preferred to go directly to Mars, he needed Tanner and his analytics. Since the outcome of their visit to the red planet was highly uncertain, he didn't want to end up on some other adventure which made it even more difficult to retrieve Tanner from Earth orbit. The decision had been made shortly after they boarded to first load Tanner and his cores onto the Forsythe ship and then continue to Mars. 

Jonythan had assured him that he had the needed comms links for Tanner to still be able to do most of his remote queries if needed. In fact, Jonythan had not been shy to express his confidence that his ship was likely more suitable for Tanner than any of the ships in the Admiral's navy. The Admiral had also expressed a desire to shadow the Forsythe ship with a navy ship, as a secondary layer of protection. Once Tanner was aboard, the Admiral would take command of a navy vessel and follow close behind.

They watched in silence as the ship docked. Denton eventually left Gabi to assist with the loading of Tanner onto the ship. He wanted to make sure his friend was properly connected, and no pieces were forgotten. If Tanner was assembled incorrectly, he could end up unusable, and Denton couldn't afford for that to happen. Not now.

A few hours later, Tanner's hardware had been stowed in the belly of the Forsythe ship. A holo-display had been placed in a conference room not far from the circular room they had occupied on the trip there. As Jonythan, Gabi and Denton took their seats, the Admiral joined them via video link, and Tanner's head appeared, hovering over the table.

"There you are," Denton said and flashed a smile. "Good to see you, my friend."

Tanner furrowed an eyebrow and shot a glance towards Denton, a smirk on his lips. "Are you insinuating that my physical appearance is preferred as opposed to voice comms?"

Denton couldn't help but laugh at the clunky attempt of a joke. "Of course not. I just...well, it doesn't matter. Any updates on the hacks?"

"Sidney accepted the jobs, per your directive, and has been working non-stop. The code appears to be of a similar nature as the Descent pod hack. It targets certain parameters for replacement and modification in the host system."

"Which system?"

"I am unable to tell you at this moment in time. The references to the host system are much more vague this time around, so Carter is making it more difficult for us."

"Assuming it is Carter," Jonythan threw out there.

"Yes of course. Innocent until proven guilty, naturally," Tanner said with a straight face. "I suspect that the hacks once again reference objects or structures on Proxima b."

"Proxima b? Why?"

"There are no recognizable connections to Terran structures, and I see little reason so far to suspect our friend is attacking settlements in any other solar system. It also fits with what we know about Carter and his motivations."

"So what do you propose?"

"We need to return to Proxima b as soon as possible. I need to compare what I know with schematics of structures on Proxima b, and I have no access to those here."

"What about Mars?" Gabi suddenly asked. "Are we not stopping there?

"It's on the way to Proxima b, is it not?" Tanner asked.

"There's your answer," Denton said with a smile. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Tanner, but you're as hopeful as I am that we'll get some answers from Carter on Mars."

"Yes. Direct input from the subject would be ideal at this juncture. That would help pinpoint exactly what future actions we need to take, if any."

"What else can you tell us about Sidney's efforts?"

"It would appear that the two patches are targeting different systems, as suspected. This means that the risk is also higher as is the uncertainty. If two areas are targeted, whether it is at different times or the same, the potential for mass casualties and damage is concerning.."

"How are these patches triggered? After a certain amount of time?"

Tanner's virtual head shook sideways above the table. "No. All the conditions required for trigger the code appear to parameters within the system itself. Until we return to Proxima b, I won't be able to identify these systems."

"So, for the time being, our best shot at solving this riddle is finding my son," Jonythan said as he shifted on his chair across from Denton. "Let's hope he's still on Mars."

~~~

Will Mars hold the answers Denton seek or will there merely be more close for him to follow? Will he finally get to interview the elusive son of Jonythan or is his visit to Mars just another diversion? What do you think?

As always, if you like what you're reading, please vote and do leave a comment! :)