Alpha One - Chris Burton [102]
“Well, we have to let her get on with it. I am sure she will be back in a few days.”
“For God’s sake, Steve. She disappeared without telling her parents or either of us here she was going. She is probably half way to the Tri-Star system by now, and if that’s the case she could be in real danger.”
“I don’t see what we can do. We have the Top Gun final in four days. I am sure she will be in contact before then. Let’s see where things lie in a week.”
“I don’t get it Steve. I thought you were committed to get her back. Aren’t you even worried?”
“Yes, I am, but I have long since learned that Carla sometimes needs to be left to her own devices. We have to let this go and concentrate on the Top Gun for this week.
Jake spent the rest of the day trying, but failing, to heed Steve’s words. He felt the wrath of Winterburn and he didn’t like it. He didn’t trust the man, could not begin to contemplate what Winterburn’s ultimate intentions were. He tried to study but could not concentrate, and was beginning to regret the decision to stay at home. Ultimately he knew if she didn’t make contact soon, he would have to do something, even if it meant missing the Top Gun final. He was just about to reboot his server for the umpteenth time today when he finally received a message from Carla.
The message came in the form of a delayed portal message. Carla left it on Sunday morning, with a delay meaning it would not be delivered to Jake’s comm server until Tuesday evening. The message was curt and lacked feeling, apart from the final sentence, where Carla said she missed him. This was not the Carla Jake knew.
“Hi Jake. By now you will have spoken to my parents and persuaded our tutor to divulge the contents of my message to him. I have to go to Joely. She needs me. I have delayed this message to you because I don’t want you to follow me. I will be fine. I will contact you again in a few days. Please don’t follow. I miss you and I will be home soon.”
This left as many questions as he had answers. So she had followed Joely. Jake reflected further for a few moments, and decided he would heed her request for the time being. He would leave it until Friday, and if she hadn’t made contact again by then, then he would review the situation and decide whether to take further action.
He opened a comm link to Carla’s parents, who were grateful for Jake’s update. Initially they urged Jake to go after her, but backed off when he insisted he must heed her request not to. Carla’s father was all for following himself, but was dissuaded by his wife and Jake. He offered Jake the use of his yacht, which with its SD3 capability would minimize any journey time should they decide Jake should follow after all.
Jake felt better about things. Carla made contact and he knew he had the use of a fast ship should he need it. He decided to turn in early. Tomorrow was another day and he needed to get back to his academic life. This was still important after all.
He returned to the Academy on Wednesday and immersed himself in his study. Geometric Math, jump ship training, Parade and Quantum Mechanics left Jake feeling jaded at the end of the day, so he declined Steve’s offer of a trip to the bar and opted again for an early night.
On Thursday, most of the day was taken up with Sabre jump ship training, close quarter attack strategies and low terrain hugging across the African plains. Again Jake was tired, but the day was enjoyable, not least because he was able to pit his wits against Steve and some of his other close adversaries. The Sabres were Jake’s favorite, and for most of the day he allowed his thoughts to drift away from Carla. He opted for an evening out with Steve, because he knew Steve would not drop after being in such a high. They both consumed too much alcohol, but stopped short of total inebriation. Steve spent much of the evening flirting with some fresher’s but backed off when Jake prompted a return to their apartments. As they