“A couple of outliers?” Captain Peter Crawford sat at the head of the conference room table, a PADD in his hand as he scrolled. “Henry, these three have the appearance and reading of operators for the Tougun Network. Outliers is underselling this.” He glanced across the table to Captain Samson Bradley, who remained silent. Crawford had warned him that there was a good chance they’d end up doing intelligence work out here. Bradley, usually with a face like placid glass, was frowning.

Samson broke his silence with a question.“Doctor Longfellow – explain.”

Longfellow sighed as he stood at the front of the conference room, his face looking annoyed or possibly exasperated. “Captains, I am in the medical field. We’re healers first. We treat all-friend, foe-adjacent, foe…whoever. I will never betray my patients to an unfair fate. Tougun’s Network has piled its share of bodies in our sickbays across the rimward – I do not deny that. I must still follow my oath with the lives I am sworn to save, even if it means moving the universe.”

Crawford looked the older man in the eye, “My apologies, Doctor. You have a duty.” A quiet nod from Longfellow seemed to accept it. “What can you tell us about them?”

Longfellow tapped at the screen, “We did a complete workup on them. They’re not at the bottom of the operation. We think these are minor lieutenants in the network, but one may be a more major player.” Another tap of the screen. “Lieutenant Pearce assisted with the initial investigation and spoke with the other survivors. Apparently, these three came in just before the attacks, intending to build some connections with the trade operations. The leader had been in contact with the network. Once the attack and occupation began, there was no communication from the network, and nobody followed up.” Longfellow closed the screen report, “All three will recover. Pearce has been working on their devices to see what she can track. Whatever ship they arrived on has long been destroyed.”

He stood at attention and departed on Crawford’s dismissal. The door closed, and Bradley asked, “You think he’s out there somewhere?” Tougun?”

Peter chewed on his bottom lip. “I’ve learned the hard way…never count out an Orion. Tougun is at a special level of hell, and it increases his chances of survival. You’ve read the files on Patra? Or my doppleganger…or hell, the bastardized version of my daughter?” The memories rumbled forward, pressing on his psyche. Shaking them away, he said, “There’s an old Earth saying, ‘Only the Good Die Young’. Something about the devil can live a thousand lifetimes while the goodhearted people die in his wake.”

Bradley’s frown remained, “That’s fairly morbid, even for you.”

“I’m starting to think the rimward is the land of the morbid.”

“You’re going to go looking for him?”

Crawford sighed, “I don’t like loose ends, Sam. I’m not going to make him my White Whale if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Samson’s wry smile peeked out from his face.  “Long as you don’t start dropping references to calling you Ishmael.”

“The day is young, Sam.  The day is young.”