The

  Bitter

  Fruit

  Book 6: Beyond the Impossible

  Frank Kennedy

  Dedicated to all those who wish they had more time.

  c. 2022 by Frank Kennedy

  All rights reserved

  ASIN: B09Z8JKGY4

  To my amazing readers:

  Welcome to the SIXTH book in this series. If you haven’t read the previous five, I’d recommend you READ THEM HERE first.

  Every reader is valuable, and I’d love for you to become part of my literary family. Go to www.frankkennedy.org and sign up for my newsletter, which will provide an opportunity to receive free additional material, updates on the next release in Beyond the Impossible series, as well as other offers connected to my work. Additionally, follow me on Amazon for product updates.

  PART ONE

  AETERNA

  “For decades, many scientists argued against classifying the Bouchet immortals as human beings. They claimed the recombinant gene sequence NYL-42 fundamentally altered the properties inherent in homo sapiens. This engineered divergence, along with the immortals’ inability to reproduce, required they be cataloged as a separate species. Or so the experts claimed.

  “They did not take into account that NYL-42 only activated to regenerate the body upon death. It played no role in normal life functions. It did not guarantee strength, intellect, or beauty. Bouchet immortals have no other inherent advantages over mortals, although they are known for their passion and zeal for life. Their role in the War of the Nine reinforces the truth of their humanity.”

  -Dr. Simone Herod

  “Lessons from the War of the Nine”

  1

  Warship Scylla

  10 million kilometers from Aeterna

  Day 2, Standard Year (SY) 5367

  K ARA SYUNG LOVED HOLDING hands with Cando. She pushed aside those awkward perceptions of their love becoming a public distraction. As long as it never got in the way of a command decision or compromised crew unity, a little humanity went a long way. So said Ham Cortez when Kara brought the issue before her captain.

  Besides, hand-holding seemed like the province of corny teenage sweethearts compared to the no-holds-barred displays of affection she saw at night walking the streets of Promise, Aeterna’s capital city. The young immortals – all in their late teens or twenties – sported facial tattoos, rainbow-wild hairstyles, ripped physiques, and libidos unchecked. Their promiscuity was as ubiquitous as the smoke clouds from their digipipes, yet it seemed somehow normal, even expected. The morning after, they went to work with military precision, their devotion to Aeterna and one man unwavering.

  Fanatical, some of Scylla’s crew whispered. Yet they said it out of respect, not fear.

  Today, Scylla worked in common cause with those fanatics to shield Aeterna from invasion. They prepared to participate in the latest round of the System War Games only twenty-six days after stepping foot on Aeterna. The invitation alone showed how far this uncertain alliance had deepened. Kara felt privileged, as did the small contingent of Talons, Hokkis, and their ex-Chancellor Captain.

  In the landing bay, thirty Aeternans stepped off a Scramjet. They wore full-body armor, holstered blast rifles, and jet packs. Kara returned their waves. She remembered a few by name. So far, she’d spoken to a couple hundred only to realize how bad she was at matching names and faces. The distinctive tattoos didn’t help like she expected.

  “We’ve come a long way,” she told Cando, their hands locked. “Four weeks ago, they tried to blow us out of the sky.”

  “Yep. The old ‘shoot and ask questions later’ philosophy. Good thing they missed.”

  “And were willing to ask questions.”

  “We didn’t leave them much choice. It’s amazing what a few healthy sit-downs can produce.”

  She studied the Aeternans’ black-and-copper armor, similar in many ways to the Talons’ body shield.

  “They say the new product will be integrated to the Recons in a few days. The best of theirs, the best of yours.”

  “It’ll have a powerful SI. Not invincible, but one step at a time.”

  “You look like a beast in that armor. Are you going to miss it?”

  Cando studied his armor with a dose of nostalgia.

  “I spent most of the past eight years inside this thing. It was a part of me, like a symbiote. When I crossed the divide and started picturing a life without war, I couldn’t wait to be rid of it.”

  “Now?”

  “I’ll need a moment when the time comes. I’m alive because of this skin. I met the love of my life because of it.” He stopped and leaned in to her. “I did tell you about that whole ‘love of my life’ thing. Right?”

  “You never talked about anyone else, so I assumed.”

  “That’s a big leap. I’ve got a lot of years on my treads.”

  She stifled a laugh. “I don’t care.”

  “Great news.” He kissed her. “I won’t bother telling you my secrets. I’ll file those stories away.”

  “The past has nothing on us.”

  “That’s what we tell ourselves.”

  Kara didn’t want to let go, but it wasn’t her choice.

  “I think they’re waving you forward. We’re behind schedule.”

  “I’ll tell Admiral Kane it was all your fault. You wanted a long breakfast.”

  “Really? I thought it was the shower. If you like, I can tell Kane how I was under the water so long, my fingertips started to wrinkle.”

  “We’re bad, Kara.”

  “Very bad.”

  Most of the Talons boarded the Scramjet before the couple arrived. Chi Baek waited outside, tsk-tsking like an impatient older sister.

  She saluted Cando.

  “Colonel, sir.”

  “Private.”

  “If I may speak freely, sir?”

  “Of course, Chi.”

  She eyed Kara.

  “Be careful of this one. When she grabs hold, she doesn’t let go.”

  Cando laughed. “Fortunately, I have the same problem, Chi.”

  He kissed Kara goodbye and jumped onboard. Kara stopped her best friend from following suit.

  “That was bold. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Chi’s cracking smile said more than words.

  “I’ve never been more excited, K.”

  Chi carried Talon-brand weapons, but she wore Aeternan body armor and jet pack, designed to handle open space.

  “It’s not terrifying?”

  “It’s like being born, except I understand what’s going on around me. Don’t worry, K. I’m good.”

  “I’m sure they’ve trained you well, but the Aeternans … they can die, and it’s OK. They get another try. You won’t.”

  The comment might have given Chi pause a few months ago, but nothing in her demeanor suggested hesitation. Chi moved past her crisis of confidence following the incident in Mumbassa City, where she killed young members of a small Splinter cult. No Talon soldier embraced the Aeternan combat style more than her. She shaved her head but for a bouncy tuft atop her skull and contemplated adding a facial tattoo. She stunned Kara when she volunteered for aerial combat training.

  “It’s all safe, K. We won’t be using live fire, and Col. Woolsey knows what’s he doing.”

  “I hope.”

  Exeter Woolsey promised Kara he’d take good care of Chi, and any other Talons who joined his unit. She had faith in Exeter’s combat experience, but this was his first command. Like Chi, he’d thrown off the insecurities she saw in the first days of their mission. She hoped Aeterna leadership wasn’t pushing him up the chain of command too fast.

  “It’s going to be fun, K. You’ll see.”

  Kara watched alongside the Aeternan team until the Scramjet cleared the landing bay and opened a wormhole aperture. En route to C&C, she passed Hiro Parke. Normally, he handled navigation. Today, he’d oversee operations from the bay.

  “Are you excited?” She said. The question sounded naive the way it came off her lips.

  “Curious,” he said with a small shrug. “These immortals are insane. The Swarm wouldn’t know what to make of them.”

  He was one of three Hokkis on Scylla who joined the Talons after the Swarm invaded his home world. He admired the Aeternans’ uninhibited fighting style but thought them disconnected from reality. They might have gotten lucky during the Last Day’s War, he said, but they never faced a persistent enemy with unlimited resources and a bottomless pit of bloodlust.

  Aeternans held the slight majority in C&C until Kara entered. Red-headed Paul Ochoba worked with the three immortals to set up their stations. They attended to the Talon’s every word as if he were their beloved leader, Michael Cooper. For all their hesitation about hosting a warship with such destructive power, the Aeternans found Scylla’s design fascinating. They had a formidable fleet of their own, but when they learned who designed Scylla – a man they once called Admiral Valentin – the immortals took pride in the ship.

  Kara settled into a seat beside Ham, who long ago found a comfortable fit in the captain’s chair. He studied a series of holos denoting the many zones of the War Games.

  “They’ll return whole,” he said without facing Kara.

  “Watched my sendoff, did you?”

  “It’s my ship. I have to keep an eye out.”

  “You sound paranoid. It’s been what? A mont
h since we got rid of Francois Adobo?”

  “And the hairs on the back of my neck still stand.”

  “I hope I don’t have to get used to saying goodbye before combat missions.”

  She drew a laugh from the captain.

  “Did you forget? They’re the enemy today. In my experience, kissing and hugging the enemy before battle is generally discouraged.”

  “It’s Chi that worries me most. I know Cando will be fine.”

  “He’ll be in a cozy loft just like us. The Lioness command bridge is very impressive. An amazing retrofit. I’m sure Cando and Admiral Kane will make the most of it. They’ve developed a fine rapport. As for Chi? She’s found where she belongs. She should be the last of your worries.”

  “I’ve known her all my life. She’s a new woman, for sure.”

  “What about Cando? Any news on that front?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I thought perhaps … with spending so much time alone this morning … well, he’d been thinking of asking you a certain question.”

  “A question? Such as?”

  He pushed away the holos and made sure no one might hear.

  “I apologize, Kara. Of all my remarkable skillsets, my social amenities surrounding matters of love are …”

  “Awkward. Wordy. Stumbling. Thanks, Ham. But no, he didn’t ask a certain question. It’s not important if he does. We know where we’re headed.”

  “Still, you should prepare. The question might come any day.”

  Kara didn’t want to flatter Ham with her take on how much he’d grown since they met many months ago in a Zozo bar. He struggled to lead during their nightmare at Artemis Station and the first few weeks onboard this stolen warship. Yet he toned down the arrogance and showed a compassionate side whenever he didn’t think it displayed weakness. He made a valiant effort at every stage of the journey and called on Kara first when he needed non-military advice. Though he never said the words, Kara suspected he was the loneliest man on Scylla. He spoke once of the woman he left behind on Huryo but shut down the topic with few details.

  “If our status changes, Captain, you’ll be the first to know.”

  “I hope so. Collectorate Naval Law gives a ship’s captain broad authority in many areas. Yes?”

  Paul made an announcement from his station.

  “Captain, sorry to interrupt. Our new crew are prepped.”

  The three Aeternans swiveled to face Ham.

  “Outstanding, Paul.”

  Ham shared a reserved smile for the immortals. Kara wondered what he thought of this strange twist. The Aeternans bore the Anglo-European features of the Chancellory – indeed, the Bouchets used a genetic pool drawn from their own caste – but carried the names of the cultures into which they were “adopted.” Alma with blue hair and a volcanic tattoo on her left cheek grew up on Catalan. Senjal with long black braids and a crab tattoo escaped from Indonesia Prime. Montrez with a yellow and red crew cut and raindrop beneath his right eye survived a tough life on Encilladi.

  “Down the line,” Ham said.

  Alma: “Comms.”

  Senjal: “Weapons.”

  Montrez: “Engines.”

  Paul: “Nav.”

  Paul and Ham snickered.

  “I hope so, Paul. Now, as for you three. Your files say you’ve rotated through War Games at least ten times, but never before played the role of the invader. Any qualms?”

  They shook their heads without hesitating.

  “Any issues taking orders from a Chancellor?”

  They seemed put off by the question. Did they not expect Ham to take a blunt tack?

  “No, Captain,” Senjal said. “Minister Cooper and Admiral Kane say to treat you with the same respect as them.”

  “Never hurts to make sure. The Chancellors and Aeternans have a painful history.”

  “But you weren’t part of it, Captain,” Montrez said. “Minister Cooper teaches us to be wary of Chancellors but not to hate them. He himself served as a soldier of the Guard for a short while. Without their technology, he wouldn’t have arrived in time to save us.”

  “True,” Alma continued. “Lady Samantha is Chancellor-born. Our Admiral Valentin was a Chancellor before he saw a better path. His parents created us all.”

  “Hmm. One big family.”

  The ironies stacked too thick to measure, but the most prominent was the War Games. The Aeternan system’s many levels of defense – from mines and singularity bombs to orbital weapons platforms and neverending long-range patrols – set a firewall against incursion by one enemy: The Chancellor fleet.

  Today, Scylla played the role of a Chancellor flagship. Michael based his strategy on Chancellor vessels lacking wormhole drives. Scylla’s inability to operate its worm drive inside the Aeterna system – an Inventor safeguard – made it a fine choice. Ham said Michael should upgrade his assumption for future Games. The Chancellors wanted an advantage; they’d stop at nothing to find it.

  “More to the point,” he told Michael in their last strategy session, “Amayas Knight will almost certainly give worm tech to his Alliance. In time, it will become standardized travel.”

  “Way ahead of you,” Michael said with his usual cocky flair. “Ain’t nobody hiding inside that black soup out there. It’s my best design yet, and I’ve done some mighty sweet work. I can find the ants no matter how deep they dig.”

  “Oh?”

  “Play the Games. I’ll show you the secret ingredient when the show’s over.”

  Kara saw Ham’s exasperation. The Michael Cooper they’d come to know carried an ego as staggering as his intellect. He never approached answers head-on. He started with clues, followed with a string of incoherent colloquialisms racing by scattershot, all to conclude in a way guaranteeing he controlled the room.

  The crew agreed: He entertained them. They also understood why not everyone off-world trusted him. Joseph Mogandi’s words still echoed from Zwahili Kingdom, where the regular folk loved Michael but leadership considered him a dangerous narcissist.

  “I do not wish to do business with a man who has killed so many people that he has become cavalier about human life,” Joseph said. “At one time, he was a hero. Now, he rules a planet and holds too much power for one man. … He is paranoid. And a paranoid man with unlimited power should be feared.”

  She had yet to see that side of Michael, but their alliance was young. Now, he stared out at Scylla C&C from his perch in Promise.

  “Minister Cooper, great to see you,” Ham said, expanding the newest holo.

  “What’s your status, Captain? You ready to rock?”

  “If by ‘rock,’ you mean start the invasion? Yes we are.”

  “And what of my people?”

  The three immortals swiveled to face Michael and saluted.

  “Ready to fight, Minister.”

  They said it in unison.

  “Learn to love,” he began.

  “Prepare to kill,” they finished.

  “You’re goddamn right. OK then. I’ll turn you over to Admiral Kane on Lioness. He’ll unlock the guidance net when all the pieces are in place. Let’s have ourselves the best War Games yet.”

  “We’ll give you an enemy worth fighting, Minister.”

  Michael disengaged without reply and did not acknowledge Kara. She tried not to take offense. After all, Michael had much more on his mind than these Games. They all did.

  The first transmissions arrived overnight from the Alliance worlds where Scylla left behind Bluebird drones in orbit. Amayas Knight, previously Valentin Bouchet, went public. The Splinter Alliance no longer hid in the shadows. The object of Scylla’s mission – now shared by Michael Cooper – became much easier to track down. What this change in circumstance meant in a larger context remained a mystery.

  For now, they shoved the news into a dusty corner.

  “What do you say?” Ham asked the Aeternans. “Ready to invade your planet?”

  “Ready, Captain.”

  Their high-pitched excitement surprised Kara.

  “Set course and heading, Paul. Let’s … rock.”

  2

  E XETER WOOLSEY THREW UP TWICE before he deployed to Lioness for the War Games. Fear didn’t roil his stomach; excitement did. His heart raced ahead of his mind all night. He might have slept a couple of hours, pieced in ten-minute intervals. So much, so fast. He never saw it coming: Home, love, respect, and one hell of a promotion.