Chapter Twenty-Three
Once they were out of the atmosphere, Jack put the ship on autopilot. Madelaine grabbed the unopened package from the cabinet next to her and met him at the table. He couldn’t wait to see what was inside. Part of him was going to miss this adventure once it was done.
She placed the matte black shoebox on the table between them and pressed her thumb into the oval. After a second or two, the lid lifted. Together, they pulled it off.
Inside was another folded piece of parchment paper, along with what looked like a computer circuit board. It was slightly larger than his hand, and made out of a clear substance. Plastic? Or crystal? It was almost two inches thick. He’d never seen such a thick circuit board before.
“Where to next?” Jack asked, placing the lid to one side, his gaze on the circuit board.
“Let’s see.” Madelaine pulled the parchment out, unfolded it and spread it out on the table between them.
Jack listened as he pulled the circuit board out of the shoebox. Not only was it thick, it was heavy. What was this thing made of anyway, transparent lead?
“With this unique circuit card, you have now collected three items, including the blue stone and the petrified wood,” Madelaine read out loud. “The Paladin Courier has two more acquisitions to retrieve and a third destination to find before this task is complete.”
Jack nodded. “Good to know we’re halfway there.” He studied the “unique circuit card” with a bit of admiration. It likely had a high capacity.
“Yes, it is.” Madelaine resumed reading: “This next journey takes you to Galactic Gulag XkR-9 in the Andromeda Galaxy.”
“Really? Galactic Gulag XkR-9?” Jack asked, his gaze leaving the fascinating circuit board to stare at Madelaine. “That’s a surprise. Like all of the locations have been.” He couldn’t imagine a woman would be allowed to enter the gulag.
Women convicted of serious crimes on Alpha-Prime were sent to Galactic Gulag YsV-13, nicknamed The Velvet Citadel.
It was located deep in the lonely reaches on the edge of the Tri-Spiral Galaxy and the Caldera Forte Galaxy, very far away from Galactic Gulag XkR-9, although it was considered a sister facility to the one where men were incarcerated.
The Velvet Citadel housed the most dangerous female criminals from dozens of systems in the known galaxies.
The prison planet was surrounded by perpetual electrical storms and accessible only through a treacherous and heavily monitored wormhole.
He’d once read that the prison’s official motto was: “Distance is the first wall.”
“Truth,” Madelaine said and continued reading out loud. “As with several other places you’ve visited on this journey, women are normally not allowed to enter Galactic Gulag XkR-9. However, since you have a husband, he can escort you and be your personal guard while you retrieve the next package.
“The warden in charge of XkR-9—once notified of your presence at the docking platform—will personally escort both of you to the sequestered prisoner. It is hoped that none of the other prisoners will ever know you were there. Still, you must exercise extreme caution at all times.”
“That sounds ominous,” Jack said. “And given this trip, that’s saying something.”
“Also true. But I know you’re up to the task, husband-of-mine.”
Jack grinned. “Yes. I’m ready to be your personal guard, Madelaine. Always.”
“Thank you.”
They both reread the parchment before Madelaine folded it back up and stowed it with the other packages and instructions they’d collected.
Three packages down, two packages and a location left to go.
Jack couldn’t help feeling like his time with Madelaine was running out. The more time he spent with her, the more time he wanted to keep spending with her, no matter where they lived.
Madelaine hopped into the pilot’s seat and loaded the coordinates for the Andromeda Galaxy and the prison planet, XkR-9.
“How long until we get there, wife-of-mine?” he asked.
“Well, the portal to the wormhole is nearby, so approximately two hours. Why?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.
Jack shrugged and smiled. “I was just wondering, Mrs. Grey, if maybe you’d like to have another honeymoon before we get to the big house?”
“Funny. In fact, I would love to have another honeymoon with you before we get to the gulag, Mr. Grey. Great idea.”
She locked in the coordinates and stood up. Jack took her into his arms and kissed her like another honeymoon was about to start.
“I love you, Madelaine,” he whispered between kisses. He wanted her to know how he felt about her. How he’d always feel about her.
“I love you, too, Jack,” she whispered back. “I always will.”
The passionate kiss reengaged as they carefully made their way back to the scant sleeping quarters aboard the Paladin Seeker.
Two hours later, Jack was back in the pilot’s seat as they approached their next stop for package retrieval. He’d heard of this gulag, of course.
Everyone on Alpha-Prime had heard of the worst gulag in the known galaxies. Jack had even spoken to Draeken Phoenix, brother of The Calderian, about this gulag at a holiday party.
Draeken had gone to XkR-9 while on a secret mission to get some vital information from a prisoner.
His horrific description of this place likely didn’t do it justice.
Draeken said he’d only seen the inside of the gulag and not the actual approach from space, since he’d been locked in the brig and afforded no viewing window, which he thought was very uncool.
The first thing Jack noticed about Galactic Gulag XkR-9 was that it looked absolutely bonkers from space. The closer they got, the more insane the place looked.
The planet hung against the stars like someone had split it into two different worlds and somehow welded them back together.
One hemisphere glowed with fiery orange and gold beneath the relentless glare of the primary sun in this system.
Vast deserts stretched across the daylight side, punctuated by black mountain ranges that looked as though they’d been forged from volcanic glass.
Heat shimmered across the surface and could be seen even from orbit.
The opposite hemisphere was an endless white sphere covered in snow, ice and sporting frozen oceans. Entire mountain chains were entombed beneath glaciers that reflected pale blue light into space.
Right down the middle of the planet ran a narrow band of twilight where neither extreme ruled completely.
That was where Galactic Gulag XkR-9 had been built.
Jack sat forward in the pilot’s chair and shook his head. “Who looks at a planet like this and thinks, ‘Yep, perfect. Let’s build a prison here.’”
Madelaine smiled without looking up from the navigation console.
“The same people who think putting dangerous criminals on an isolated world with limited places to escape to is a good idea.”
“A prison with criminals wanting to escape is expected.” Jack pointed through the viewport. “That planet itself looks criminal.”
A laugh escaped her. “I don’t disagree. There’s a reason it’s labeled the worst gulag in all of the known galaxies.”
“I’ve also heard that said. Now I truly understand why.”
For days, they’d traveled from one bizarre world to another chasing these far-flung packages. At this point, Jack wasn’t sure if the mysterious quest was brilliant or insane. Possibly, it was both. He likely wouldn’t find out for certain until the end of Madelaine’s errand.
Ahead, the prison facility appeared through their front viewing screen.
It stretched for miles along the twilight belt separating fire and ice. Towering walls of dark alloy or possibly weathered stone followed the curve of the planet.
On one side, scorching desert winds blasted the barriers.
On the other, frozen storms hurled snow and ice.
The prison sat directly between both extremes as though daring nature itself to make an escape attempt. They could see from here that there were not many walls or fences on either side of the hot or cold areas between the buildings.
It was clear even from orbit that running away from the gulag in either direction, hot or cold, would be a foolish idea and lead, ultimately, to a quick, painful death sentence.
Lights flashed from a control tower and a transmission crackled through the speakers. “Unidentified vessel, this is Galactic Gulag XkR-9 Control. State your business.”
Madelaine activated the comm. “This is Madelaine Archer Grey. I am the Paladin Courier. With me I have an escort, Jack Grey. We have authorization Tango-Kilo-Seven-Prime for landing here for the retrieval of a package.”
There was a long pause.
Jack imagined someone checking enough databases to make his head hurt.
Finally, the voice returned. “Authorization confirmed. Proceed to Landing Pad Twelve. Your weapons will remain secured aboard your vessel. Once you disembark from your ship, follow the marked path until you walk through the archway, where you will meet your escort.”
Jack exchanged a glance with Madelaine.
“That’s certainly specific. Well, I wasn’t going to bring any weapons, but now I really want to,” Jack joked.
“Prison planets are always specific. And while I also want to bring weapons, I don’t think it would be a good idea on this planet.”
“I’m going on record with a prediction that states there’s going to come a time when we will wish we had weapons while visiting this gulag.”
“Yes, yes. Your prediction is noted and while I also agree, we still are not bringing any weapons with us, right?”
Jack made a petulant face, then grinned and nodded. “Right. For sure. No weapons, not even my Swiss Army Knife.”
The landing pad rose from the center of a heavily fortified compound resting between both of the weather extremes. It had a hot side and a cold side. Gun emplacements lined the surrounding walls.
Several aircraft sat on neighboring platforms. Most looked military. A few looked as though they had survived several wars and lost all of them.