Chapter Four

The Hunt

08:00 SET 2195 Dressed in a uniform somehow both familiar and unfamiliar to him, Captain Mansel strolled down the hallway for an alternate UNSF underground bunker.  By the investigative skills of Jim Brungess, it had been earlier found that the UNSF HQ had been hastily moved to Venus just prior to Maradine’s attack.  That gave Mansel the notion that whoever the Commander-in-Chief was, they had probably been aware that the crazed terrorist was planning to attack soon. Mansel was in a long hallway filled with over eight hundred filing cabinets.  He was in a room no one ever visited—the room that contained the written copy of the file of every UNSF soldier, past and present.  These were the handwritten backups that were only touched when a person’s file needed updating or closing.  Bother Mansel and Brungess agreed that it would be the most inconspicuous place to look to find every crewmember of the Stealthlon. Prioritizing the need for competent command, Mansel immediately headed for the B section.  Pulling open the appropriate file drawer, he began his hunt for Beckerd A. Benson, more commonly known as “Blackbird” in his universe. Within minutes, he found his query.  Flipping open the file, he saw a picture of the Admiral, along with his extensive list of awards and accommodations.  Finally, he found what he was looking for: command assignments. Not bothering to look at each ship Blackbird had been stationed on, he immediately found what he was looking for; Blackbird’s current command. What he found both did and did not surprise him. What did surprise him was the fact that Blackbird did not command the Stealthlon, as he did in Mansel’s universe.  Instead, he commanded the USS Force-A, the UNSF flagship in both dimensions.  Mansel was hardly surprised to see his colleague commanding the flagship.  Making a mental not, he closed Blackbird’s files and filed them back in the proper place. Twenty quick minutes later, Mansel knew the whereabouts of all the important Stealthlon officers, with the exception of Commodore Matthew Cain, a Captain in this dimension.  Mansel knew that meant either one of two things: either Cain was on a special assignment, or he was dead. Aboveground now, Mansel was heading quickly for the door, but was spotted beforehe could reach for the handle. “Mansel!  Hey there Mansel didn’t see you come in you old sneaky devil!” Mansel turned to see Captain Cain walking in his direction, his written file in his hand.  Mansel was glad to see Cain alive, but dimly wondered why Cain was holding his personal record.  Immediately, he adopted a false grin and headed back towards the Stealthlon’s Executive Officer. “Having your file updated?” Mansel asked as he extended his hand to greet Cain. The alternate Captain Cain smiled as he shook Mansel’s hand.  “Yeah, with this new command and all.”  He patted his collar rank, and Mansel could tell by the condition of the rank that it was brand new Captain’s rank.  “It’s not the Stealthlon,” he admitted, “but a ship’s a ship.”  He frowned s he looked at Mansel.  “What are you doing here?  I thought that the Explorer was out in the Regent Sector somewhere heading for the Charlie Sector.” Good to know I still have my ship Mansel thought.  “Something’s come up,” he lied.  “We won’t be going to Charlie Sector for a little while longer.  By the way,” he asked, leaning closer to the new starship commander, “what’s the status of the Stealthlon?” Cain frowned even harder.  “Why?  The commanding spot has already been given away.  Though you’ve been innovative in a good number of circumstances, Mansel, I don’t think you’re ready to handle a ship like the Stealthlon yet.  No offense.” “Benson doesn’t have the commanding spot, does he?” Mansel asked, ignoring Cain’s evaluation of him. “Right.  It’s been given to Captain Brungess.  That’s not news, Mansel.  Everyone knows that.” “I’ve been a little out of the times,” Mansel said, straightening up.  “Listen, you free right now?” “Yeah, why?” “Let’s go to my ship,” the Captain replied.  “I’ve got some juicy news and information you wouldn’t want to pass up.”

***

“Let me get this straight,” said Cain for the third time.  “You guys are from an alternate universe?” “Yes,” replied General Brungess, sitting in the briefing room with Mansel and Cain.  They had broken down to him the current situation they were in, what had to happen for them to get home, and how he and the rest of the Stealthlon crew fit in. Cain rubbed his chin and leaned back in his chair.  “And in this alternate universe, what all has happened?” “Benson has the Stealthlon,” responded Brungess, “the UNSF is still intact, Marauder’s persistent attempts to decimate us have all failed with the exception of one.” “What’s the exception?”