At the tender age of 40, Jonathan Eagle found himself a decorated and pensioned veteran. He had retired gracefully from the UEEN on disability, had a new wife and new career to look for. He bought an old small personal cargo transport with his lump sum and put his piloting skills to work, trading about the known systems. In this endeavour “Longsword Eagle”, his Military Call sign that he carried over into civilian life, used his skills of observation and his knowledge of the star systems he had visited, to discover new potential mining and colonisation sites, which he then sold onto the appropriate authorities.
Fast Forward 37 years…
Jonathan Eagle sat on the threshold. His Harrier hummed beneath him as if awaiting the command to take that leap into the unknown. Throughout his life Jonathan had taken risks; from leaving Terra to join the UEE Navy 70 years ago at the fragile age of 17 to that last headlong battle where he had held his position in the vain attempt to prevent the loss of the carrier to the Vanduul strike. Then though, he had had a Gladius, a honed fighter with fire power and manoeuvrability. Now he was on a ship almost as old as he was, a ship designed for research at a time when the enemy was space itself, sure she had had some retrofits, and Jonathan had outfitted a couple of lasers to give him some form of defence. This time though he hoped that he was headed for virgin territory, a Valhalla that would prove both peaceful and profitable.
He had done the right thing by his family; he had left them with an explanation of his plan and more than enough credits to set them up in their chosen professions. Clark, the hot head had taken after him and when the twin’s mother had died, he had packed up and joined the Navy. Kara though, she had wanted to be a Doctor, a noble profession, Jonathan thought, and one whose services he had been more than once been welcome of. He moved his right arm; flexing the bionics that made up the lower two thirds of it… he had lost that at Kraveed, just about the same time as they had lost the carrier, and most of his friends. That had been the end of his career, sure the navy still used people with prosthetics, hell it would grind to a halt if they didn’t, just not as front line jet jockeys, and to Jonathan that was what he lived for.
He eyed up the scanner again, he was right, the readings were off the chart, this was a worm hole all right and an uncharted one. He had first got a hint that it was there doing a cargo run about 20 years ago, it had been a dodgy deal and he was unable to break off the trip to further investigate, he had had to get to Stanton in three days. Since that time commercial employment and a few other dodgy deals had kept him away from the system and his wife and twins. When Carol had died two years ago, he realised that he had wasted the time he could have had with her. It saddened him and made him determined to do something with his life, even if it meant ending it.
The twins didn’t need him anymore, Clark was now callsign “Broadsword-Eagle” and flying Hornets in Squadron 36, and Kara was at medical school on Terra, why she had chosen to go back there to study he had no idea, but he was happy for her. He was happy for both of them; Carol had done a good job and raised fine kids while he had been scouring the verse for credits to give them the life he knew they deserved.
The Harrier hummed a little louder for a few seconds and he scanned the instruments to see if there was a problem, “Carol, checks please.” He barked, he always called his ship computer Carol, it made him feel she was there with him.
“Hull 100%, Shields 100%, Quantum Fuel 70%, Hydrogen Fuel 65%, Weapons armed and ready, Landing gear raised, all scans negative, no threats in immediate vicinity. Tractor beam is still faulty and will need repair at our next dock. I am sure you have noticed that we are on the verge of a worm hole with unknown destination. I do hope you are not thinking of taking this rust bucket there.”
Jonathan chuckled he liked the sassiest program for his onboard computer. “Sure am Carol”
“We are doomed” she said back and he smiled again.
“Carol, send the message packet to the twins now please.”
“Sending, you really are going to do this aren’t you?”
“Yup, This is Longsword-Eagle charting the unknown or… who knows”
He eased forward on the throttle and the Harrier picked up as the engines began to throb.
“Start the charting Carol this is going to be quite a ride”
“Jump”
The space around him began to distort and as it did the kaleidoscopic tube opened up in front of him he felt the G’s and fought with the controls to keep the old rust bucket in the centre of the stream…. Space swallowed up Jonathon Eagle AKA Longsword-Eagle.