CHAPTER 24: THE HENDERSONS

Sol

She didn't know what compelled her to follow a man she had long believed was dead, but the pull toward her long-lost husband was undeniable and fierce. He rushed into their reunion, with no time for pleasantries or nostalgia, immediately requesting her assistance. "It is for John," he claimed, but doubt gnawed at her insides; she couldn't tell if he was being truthful or simply using their son to manipulate her emotions. For Emily, it didn't matter what his true intentions were—she would do anything for her son. If John was in any sort of danger, she had to act. But how could she trust The Legion to help them? The conflicting instincts churned within her. One part urged her to trust Mark and The Legion, while the other screamed of potential peril.

Securing a ship proved to be a daunting task, even for an Admiral wielding authority and ordering medical transport. After three long hours of "negotiating" to secure the transport, Mark and Emily finally boarded a planetary Hopper that departed from Kennedy Spaceport, heading toward New York Mercy Orbital Hospital. Emily had an easier time arranging transport from her home station, commandeering an intersystem hopper originally designed for medical missions to Mars. They burned hard toward the Legion ships at a relentless 10g's, straining the freighter's artificial gravity systems to their limits. She could have opted for an expensive small luxury hopper equipped with a 15g inertia dampener, but that would draw too much attention. With the flight restrictions in effect across the entire system, only military and essential medical transports were deemed authorized.

Mark couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from her, but Emily struggled to return his look. A tumultuous mix of anger and sadness enveloped her; she was caught in a tempest of emotions, unsure whether she wanted to forgive him or lash out. Perhaps she wanted to do both. "Just as beautiful as I remember!" Mark broke the awkward silence, his eyes searching her soul.

"Oh shut up. I'm old. I lost my beauty thirty years ago." She turned her gaze toward the port viewport, searching the vast emptiness for any sign of Alliance ships in the distant void.

"You're still beautiful to me. But why do you say you're old?" Mark pressed, his curiosity piqued.

Emily snapped her attention back to him, narrowing her eyes to allow her anger to surface. "And why the hell do you say that?"

"Well, I mean, why are you showing your age? You're a doctor, clearly you understand the benefits of anti-aging advances, yet you're not using them." Mark pointed out, referring to the medical breakthroughs that had extended human lifespans beyond 200 years. Emily, in her late 50s, had chosen not to partake in these advanced medicines or treatments that could prolong her life. She appeared older than her actual age, looking somewhere between late 50s and early 60s, her short white hair revealing more about her age than the wrinkles beginning to form on her face and hands. In stark contrast, Mark had benefitted from these treatments throughout his life, allowing his physical form to age at a fraction of the natural rate. At sixty, he looked as vibrant as someone barely in their twenties. "I mean," Mark continued, "don't get me wrong, I still think you're just as beautiful as the day I met you!"

Emily averted her gaze from her husband once more, tears beginning to trace their paths down her cheeks.

"Hey, don’t cry. I know I was an ass, and I deserve anything you throw my way. Whatever's on your mind, I deserve it. Let me have it."

"I wanted to live forever." A slight chuckle bubbled up from deep within her as she continued to fix her gaze out the window, the emptiness beyond reflecting her own despair.

"I remember, it was our great plan," he replied, memories of their youthful dreams swirling between them.

"That was until one day, my future, my life, was over."

Mark stared at her, confusion etched across his features. He didn’t comprehend her meaning; she had clearly lived a long and fruitful life, joining the Navy medical division and climbing the ranks to become Admiral, ultimately serving as chief of medicine at one of the finest orbital hospitals in Sol. "What do you mean?"

"Thirty-three years ago, almost to the day, I had a Navy officer knock on my door."

Mark dropped his head, realization crashing over him like a cold wave.

"That was the day my life was over. That was the day I decided I wanted to die."

A look of concern filled Mark's eyes, the pain of her words piercing through him as he understood he was the direct cause of her suffering. "I'm... I'm sorry." He struggled to articulate the words, feeling her anguish seep into him like a poison. "It wasn't easy for me either. I missed you every day."

"Why?" Her voice dripped with venom, laced with years of unresolved hurt.

"Because I love you. I always have."

"Bullshit."

Mark sighed heavily, his gaze falling to the floor as he knew he had to face the truth, even if confessing wouldn’t change anything. He deserved every ounce of her scorn. "I was never a marine."

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"What?" Her anger momentarily gave way to curiosity. Emily had been just nineteen when she met a dashing Mark, who was only twenty-five. They had met on a cruise to Mars, Ceres, and Saturn, and she had believed he was on leave, enjoying some much-needed time off. "When we met, I was on assignment, tracking down a Republic operative who had somehow infiltrated the Saturn defense network."

"What do you mean, on assignment? You told me you were a marine on liberty."

"I work for Federal Intelligence."

Emily stared at him, rendered speechless as the weight of his words settled over them like a heavy fog. "You're F.I.S.?"

"Colonel Mark Henderson, Retired. I was FIS until I botched my operation." She continued to stare at him, needing more pieces of the puzzle to fully grasp the enormity of his revelation. "When John was two, I was approached by what appeared to be a Republic operative, and it seemed he was trying to turn me. So, we decided to play their game and feed them intel. I acted like I was defecting, but to keep you and John safe, I had to die."

"Why did you leave us? Why didn’t you turn down the assignment?"

"I was young, filled with national pride. I thought I could end the war, finally bring peace to all humans. I thought by sacrificing my life, I would save trillions."

"It wasn't just your life, you asshole. It was mine, and your son's too!" She turned away from him, unable to bear the weight of his gaze.

"I deserve that. I realized the mistake I had made a few years in, but by then it was too late. So, I continued to play the part. All the way up until the Invasion. That’s when we realized it was not the Russians I had been in contact with."

Emily turned slowly to face her ex-husband—or soon to be ex—her eyes narrowed in disbelief, caught between shock and further anger.

"It was The Legion. I found out not long ago. And because of that colossal fuck-up, the President himself asked for my letter."

Now, regret for her anger washed over her. Here he stood, a man who had been brainwashed by the government into believing he was saving the universe by sacrificing everything he loved, only to be discarded like trash in the end. She opened her mouth to respond, but the hopper suddenly began to behave erratically.

"That’s odd; I thought these things had military-grade dampeners in them?" Mark noted the slight vibrations coursing through the ship. Emily began to scan the cockpit, keenly trying to pinpoint the source of the disturbance. The vibrations escalated from a minor annoyance to full-on turbulence, prompting Mark and Emily to fight their way toward the cockpit. "Report, Ensign!" Mark yelled over the cacophony to the pilot in command.

"Sir, not quite sure. Graviton sensors are reporting an anomaly just off the port side. It's actually pulling us toward it; the inertia dampeners are struggling to counteract it."

"How far are we from any ships?" Emily pushed Mark aside and took a seat behind the pilot.

"Five hours out from the Legion, sixteen hours from any Federation contact," the co-pilot responded while his partner continued to wrestle with the controls.

"Get on the comms, initiate a general emergency..." Emily's voice trailed off as she caught sight of a blue and white energy dance just outside the port window. The phenomenon grew from a mere speck of dust into a raging inferno that resembled a miniature star. In mere seconds, the light show morphed once more; the massive ball of energy seemed to open up, creating an event horizon with a diameter several hundred times larger than their hopper. The chaos onboard the ship ceased as soon as the void in space formed, leaving everyone in the cockpit utterly bewildered.

"Ma'am, am I still declaring an emergency?"

"No." Mark interjected, somehow sensing the impending danger. Emily shot him a questioning look, torn between skepticism and understanding. Her curiosity was ignited, but she reminded herself that declaring an emergency would do little more than notify the authorities where to search for their bodies. With the nearest Federation ship over sixteen hours away, any help would arrive far too late.

"What in the good goddamn is that?" One of the pilots muttered under his breath; Mark couldn’t tell who spoke, as the view had completely captivated his attention.

"It looks like a black hole," Emily replied, her voice steady despite the turmoil within her. She observed the anomaly, which appeared perfectly round, yet only seemed to occupy a two-dimensional plane, as if the third dimension were somehow absent. The outer ring of the anomaly showcased a violent display of multicolored light and energy, racing in different directions, while beyond the ring lay the true wonder. Inside the ring was a darkness so profound it felt alive—blacker than a child's worst nightmare. No light emanated from it; the stars beyond had vanished, leaving behind a void filled with pure nothingness.

"This defies logic for black holes; why are we not being sucked into it? Or anything else for that matter?" Mark queried, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Before anyone could respond, a long metal beam began to emerge from the black void at the center of the anomaly. The beam expanded as more of it materialized, revealing giant silver claws that followed suit. At an alarming speed, larger elements began to emerge, eventually unveiling a Legion cruiser. A destroyer-sized ship, three more cruisers, and a battleship finally broke through the rift, the last vessel shooting a powerful beam of light into the center of the void, sealing it behind them.

"Ma'am, I think we better declare that emergency now," the pilot said, his voice cracking and stuttering with fear. The young ensign had just graduated from the Academy two weeks before the invasion, never having seen combat, and was now thrust into a harrowing situation.

"Do it," Emily replied, her fear anchoring her gaze on the massive battleship before them. The ship defied all logic, with claws, beams, and tubes everywhere, lacking any discernible solid pressure hull.

"FlightCom, this is Echo Tango Foxtrot six niner five. We are declaring an emergency. Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. Legion forces...." Loud static erupted, forcing the co-pilot to rip off his headphones, interrupting the emergency broadcast.

"Your transmissions are jammed. Proceed to the docking port of ship Yo-yo. Golf. Hotel. Tech Seven. Do Three." The usual robotic voices of The Legion filled the room, their tone eerily calm amidst the chaos. Mark noted their use of ship names and familiarity with Federation military slang and terminology with a sense of unease. "Pressure hull has been pressurized, and atmospheric conditions are viable for human life. Everything you need for your journey has been provided."

"Oddly hospitable for a race of murderous robots," the pilot remarked, disbelief creeping into his voice.

"Maybe they’re setting us up for slaughter," the co-pilot added, fear threading through his tone.

"Shut up, you two, and take us in," Mark barked, issuing an order he wasn’t actually authorized to give.

Emily stared at him, worry flooding her eyes. "I hope you know what you're doing. Because I’m scared shitless right now."

"I know, I am too," Mark admitted softly as he wrapped his arms around his wife, both of them transfixed as they entered the belly of the beast.