“I took a chance that you wouldn’t be far from your wife.” Pike smiled. “I knew she was here on Arcadia developing the new crew training program for the ships Orbital Command is getting, or whatever the hell they’re calling themselves this week, so I parked in the system for the last six days and monitored all the com traffic and outbound flights. Given the secrecy of the project and the assumption that you were the principal I made the leap of logic that you would prefer a facility that wasn’t planetbound. So when I followed that resupply drone out here I knew I was in the right place … there was no way it was random chance that the drone flew up and docked to one of the two remaining Raptor-class destroyer hulls left.”

“I knew that choice was going to come back to haunt me,” Jackson said with a half-smile. “But, the Pontiac was still completely intact since New Sierra Shipyard had never gotten around to decommissioning her once the Phage War kicked off in earnest. The powerplant is more than adequate for what we need and I know how to keep her running with a minimal crew.”

“Is she fully functional?” Pike asked, surprised.

“More or less,” Jackson said. “We had the missiles taken out of the magazines but everything else is as it was when she was parked out in the boneyard.” The pair fell into an uncomfortable silence for a moment, each knowing what had to come next.

“What the hell are you doing out here, Wolfe?” Pike asked. “If it makes you feel any better, I really am operating under direct authority of the President.”

“It does, marginally,” Jackson said. “I’d have felt better if Marcum had given his blessing as well, but since this project would technically be operating under the new CENTCOM charter it looks like the admiral has been trumped. It’ll be easier if I show you.”

Jackson knew that the secret was exposed even if he didn’t show Pike what it was they were working on aboard the Pontiac. The spook now knew what ship they’d set up shop on, and even if he repositioned her the old destroyer couldn’t be hidden forever, at least not within practical range of the project’s logistical support. So he would roll the dice and hope the agent came to the conclusion that, for the time being, Prometheus was better kept a strict secret, even from the new Federation President.

“Is that what I think it is?” Pike asked flatly as they walked through the hatch into the forward cargo hold.

“It is,” Jackson confirmed. “It’s the stasis chamber the Vruahn gave us. Cube, this is Agent Pike … go ahead and say hello.”

“Hello, Agent Pike,” a voice said, unmistakably coming from the stasis chamber. “I have heard of you. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”