I called a special meeting for everyone and we gathered in the large meeting room. Only Hailey's mother Monica wasn't included, since she didn't have knowledge of everything that had been going on, nor did she have any idea of the sheer scope of my operation.
“I think we don't have a choice now.” I said and everyone gave me a grave look, then nodded. “Simone, if you would.”
Simone brought up the command on the console and I plugged my broadcast device into the available port. She filtered out the last two systems with training camps and they dropped out of the map on the holographic table.
“There's no guarantee that this won't make it to those two systems as well, and we won't know until we go there.” I said and reached for the activation button, then paused. “I know this is going to paint a huge target on us and I'm sorry that it's come to this.”
“So are we.” Gleas said. “It was almost fun how we were hunting them down and dealing with them covertly.”
“Kara's already looking into the disappearances, so it's only a matter of time before she comes for us.” Simone said.
“No, she's coming for me.” I said. “You are all to tell her that it was all me. This was my idea and I'm the one that executed it.”
“We helped.” Jelly said.
“I'm claiming full responsibility for it, no matter what.” I said. “None of you are to volunteer to accept the blame.”
“What about the focusing crystal factory?” Hailey asked.
“I ordered it.” I said. “I even have the recordings to prove it was all me.”
“You said we shared the blame and the guilt.” Hailey said.
“We do... and I love you even more because you understood that.” I said. “The responsibility for it is still all mine, however.”
“We're all in this together.” Simone said. “If you go down...”
“...you'll all stay here and wait for me to come back.” I cut her off before she could complete her sentence.
“You're going to give yourself up after this!” Hailey said, surprised.
“That's stupid, Hunter.” Sheph said. “If you give yourself up, they could sentence you to years of imprisonment... or even death.”
“No, they won't kill me.” I said with a smile. “I'm too valuable of a resource now.”
“You're more trouble to them than you're worth.” Simone said with a chuckle. “You taught them that before you escaped.”
“I also know some techniques that they don't.” I said. “I've also developed techniques that allow me to teach Presence use to others that couldn't manipulate it enough to push a button.”
“Hey! That was my first time!” Simone exclaimed and a few of the others let out a laugh.
“We're sending this over every system the satellites are in, so even the assassins that have already been infiltrated into all the places they were going, will succumb to it.” I said. “What it won't do is hit ships that are still in hyperspace. Once I activate it, it's going to send out a pulse once a week.”
“What about the last two training camps?” Isabella asked. “If you give yourself up, how are we going to successfully assault them and rescue the prisoners?”
I put a hand on her shoulder. “Normally I would say you and Simone could handle it on your own; but, I'll be taking care of it myself.”
“What? How?” Isabella asked.
“He's going to tell them about it and give them a copy of the data.” Hailey said in a flat tone. “They can't refute the evidence and will have to send someone to investigate, probably Kara, and since he will be with her, they will rescue them.”
I left my spot and walked around the table to her, then knelt. “Hailey, don't worry.” I said and took her hand, then placed it on the spot above my heart. “I'm yours and you are mine. I can be all the way across the galaxy and I will always be with you.”
“What if you die?” Hailey asked.
“I've died before.” I said and used my free hand to rub my hand through her four inch long golden hair that was starting to curl on its own. “That last time, I'm pretty sure it was you that kept me here.”
The Presence didn't waver, and Hailey's eyes teared up.
“You see? You won't let me go, so you don't have to worry.” I said and wiped at her eyes, then I gave her a gentle kiss. “I love you, Honey.”
“I love you, too.” Hailey said and gave me the same kiss back.
I smiled at her and stood, then I walked back around the table. I gave everyone a look as if to say that this was it, then I pushed the button.
*
Over the last year, Hunter and his crew had raided a lot of businesses and killed a lot of people... on a small scale. Eighty people here, a hundred there, and it didn't make a huge difference or cause a ruckus. It was almost as if they didn't happen until someone went to see it for themselves and saw that the buildings had been abandoned. No one actually searched for the missing people, since those people had been using fake identities anyway.
When Hunter pushed the button, though... the signal was sent out to over twelve hundred satellites in twelve hundred solar systems, most of which had multiple planets and habitable moons. The training camps and businesses were not the only places that the trained assassins were located. It was just where a majority of them worked to get their assignments easier.
Losing a hundred people from a single business meant almost nothing in the grand scheme of things. Losing all of the assassins spread out over a thousand solar systems and several thousand worlds and almost double that in moons? It was significant.
If the average population for a moderate world was five billion people, which is a very conservative number, considering anti-gravity technology and space habitats, stations, spaceships, and asteroids, then twelve hundred systems with an average of three planets and two habitable moons becomes a total of thirty trillion people.
Thirty trillion.
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If only one percent of one percent of one percent of that significant number were assassins, then the signal had killed no less than thirty million people. Instantly.
They all dropped dead wherever they were as the suicide charge in their heads detonated. Most people around them didn't notice the fainting people at first, then some tried to help and others screamed. Panic quickly spread as word of people mysteriously dropping dead for no reason spread. Alerts were sounded and the authorities were called. Order members were also alerted, since a few of their own numbers had also mysteriously dropped dead and they were asked to investigate.
No set pattern seemed to emerge. The dead people were from all walks of life, all different species, and lived on different planets. No one could explain the disaster and the fear and enmity rose among all the people in those systems, since they all wondered if a calamity like that was going to strike again.
*
Mortals weren't the only ones to notice that it happened, either.
“It's starting.” Black Laura whispered as she felt a shift in the Presence.
It was only a minuscule amount, and yet it wasn't something that could be ignored, because something significant had to happen for any kind of shift to happen. She used the borrowed connection from Maleketh to look in on her investment. She pulled time back and watched it again, then smiled.
“Ah, dearest. You knew you were a bit too soon and did it anyway.” Black Laura said and stopped herself from touching the image of Hunter. “Perhaps we will see each other much sooner than you thought.”
*
“Send the message, Simone.” I said and walked around the table. I gave hugs to everyone, even though they refused to acknowledge that I was actually leaving.
“Hunter, it's going to take Kara a month to get back here.” Sheph said.
“I know, and I plan to be in the next system before that to wait for her.” I said and gave her a hug. “Jelly, can you drop me off at the station?”
“Yes, but I don't want to.” Jelly said, almost in a huff.
“I can take a shuttle and you can remote pilot it back if you want.”
Jelly sighed. “No, I'll take you.”
“Thank you.” I said and turned to Hailey. “Remember what I said.”
Hailey bit her bottom lip and gave me the cutest sad face I had ever seen.
“I feel the same way; but, I'd look ridiculous trying to make my face like that.” I said and caressed her cheek. “I'll see you later.”
“You're really leaving us?” Beatrice asked as tears came to her eyes and Sandy hugged her.
“I have to.” I said and walked over to her, then hugged both Beatrice and Sandy. “It's the only way I can protect you all from what happens next.”
“What... what if they come for us?” Sandy asked.
“They won't.” I said. “As far as anyone else is concerned, I did this all myself.”
“You can't shoulder all of the responsibility!” Sheph said. “We were all involved in...”
“I asked you all to come with me. None of you are responsible for my decisions.” I said.
In a rare show of affection, both Beatrice and Sandy gave me a kiss on the lips. That surprised me and everyone else.
“You were the first one to accept us for who we are and didn't judge us.” Sandy said in explanation. “Allowing me to come along while Beatrice worked was something I never expected... or even dreamed was possible on modern spaceships.”
“Sandy...” I started to say.
“We love Hailey like a daughter, one we haven't had the chance to have ourselves.” Sandy said. “You trusted us to help take care of her, and that was something we hadn't encountered before.”
Beatrice rubbed her hand over my four inch long hair and smiled. “You let us be ourselves and that is more precious to us than your personal shield gifts.”
“Although, those are awesome.” Sandy said and smiled. “We're not giving them back!”
I chuckled. “I've only got a few thousand crystals left to make more, so you better not waste them.” I said in serious tone, and everyone laughed.
“I sent the message to her.” Simone said, her voice full of sadness.
I led Beatrice and Sandy go and walked over to Simone. “I'm not sorry that we didn't do the tour of the system in Adona.”
Simone laughed for a moment, then she started to cry.
“Hey, it's all right.” I said and took her into my arms. “Believe me, I'll be closer than you think.”
“I already miss you.” Simone said through her tears and all four of her arms hugged me.
“Hey, you're getting better at getting normal reactions from your extra arms.” I said.
“You wouldn't let me practice like I wanted to, though.” Simone said.
“We've been too busy for you to have that kind of fun.” I said and gave her a normal kiss and not the subdued one we normally did. Everyone noticed, even Hailey. “I promise that when I come back, I'll think about letting it happen.”
Simone laughed at that, then she gave me another kiss. “Goodbye, Hunter.”
“No, it's just a 'see you later'.” I corrected her, then I walked over to the doorway to the meeting room. “I'll see you all later.” I said, then I left. Jelly came right behind me and I somehow managed to not be overwhelmed by the sadness and regret from the meeting room. I went to my room and changed my clothes to basic robes, packed a few things that I knew they would want, and made sure that I had multiple data backups on me in case they took the first one and claimed that I didn't give them anything. I followed Jelly to the shuttle bay on the space habitat and we boarded a normal shuttle.
Jelly flew me over to the station and dropped me off. She walked me to the shuttle's hatch and wanted to tell me so many things and also wanted to ask me so many things, so I held a hand up to stop her. She gave me a stern look for a second, then sighed.
I stepped close to her and gave her a hug. “You tasted delicious.” I whispered in her ear, in reference to that time we were on a mission and Simone had taken a particular liberty with her and then stuck that finger in my mouth.
Jelly blushed so hard that I thought she was going to pass out, so I used a calming technique on her.
“When I get back, maybe I can taste it directly?” I asked her as I let her go.
Jelly gave me a very stern look, held it for several seconds, then nodded and stepped back into the shuttle. I smiled at her reaction, because she wouldn't say out loud that she really liked that Simone had let her cross that line without actually crossing the line.
I walked across the boarding part of the station and booked passage to the next system, then had to wait for six hours for it to leave. I boarded it just in time, because The Order member that manned the station office ran over to where I had been and looked around for me.
Messages seem to travel slowly on the normal network. I thought and sat down on the slow passenger transport. It would take three weeks to traverse to the next system and I would only have a few days to a week for Kara to show up, assuming members of The Order weren't already waiting for me when I arrived. Either way, I was giving myself up for what I did and nothing was going to change that outcome.
*
Kara had been shocked when she received the message from Hunter. He admitted to all of the disappearances and also to all of the current unexplained deaths that had terrified over a thousand different star systems. The problem was that he claimed that he had an explanation for those deaths and would only tell her in person. She relayed the message to The Order's home planet and waited for a response.
They would send a response team immediately to the system in the message and to all systems surrounding it to look for him. Kara knew that was a mistake, since Hunter claimed he would wait for her in that system, then that was where he would be when it was time.
Kara told her pilot to divert from their next destination and to head to the Dirman System. He told her how long it would take to exit hyperspace and to make the new calculations and to jump again, and she nodded. She had no problems waiting for almost a month to see Hunter again.
All that remained was how he would react to meeting someone other than her when he arrived.
*
The Wise One sat behind his desk and read Kara's forwarded message again. He was both surprised and not surprised at the information it contained. It seems her instincts were correct and Hunter has been behind the things happening in the civilian businesses. He thought. Now I wonder if she was also right to suspect him in the destruction of the focusing crystal sacred site.
The Wise One chuckle coughed and closed his console down. He needed to meditate on things and he hoped that his personal garden would give him a much clearer picture of things, now that he knew the cause of some of The Order's problems. He wouldn't hold his breath for it, though. He knew how difficult it was to try and predict anything that involved the free will of individuals and their impact on large scale operations.
The Wise One decided to try anyway, just in case. Perhaps this time, he would be surprised and actually receive an accurate picture of things to come. He cough chuckled again and left his office to head to his garden.
*
The scaly alien, Kralish, sat at his personal terminal and looked over a copy of the message sent to The Wise One. Hunter. He thought. It was Hunter!
He typed up some new orders and sent them to the Dirman System and The Order temple there. Hunter was to be subdued with as much force as possible and then contained. He could not be allowed to escape or to cause even more chaos within The Order. With those high priority orders sent, the scaly alien relaxed in his chambers and let out a sigh.
He would soon have the elusive rogue in his grasp.