Author's Note: Okay, I admit. I started on this story years ago. Truth be told, I'd just read Dune for the first time and the desire to pen an epic was in my blood. Sad to say, for those who may want a short story, this thing is LONG. And this is only the beginning. On the bright side. Much of it is written and only needs to be cleaned up. If you, brave soul, still have no fear, and wish to tread further into what is the result of my love affair with Frank Herbert, continue onward. I hope you enjoy the journey.

Destiny

FORWARD

The founding years of the Galactic Organization for Interstellar Expansion were a time of uncertainty for the newly colonized worlds. Despite their physical separateness from the mother planet, colonies found that they were still subject to the political and economic whims of the Homeworld. Many saw expansion as a means to get out from under such a stifling yoke. But the mother planet would not relinquish her control so easily.

The Mission Charter of the G.O. grew to encompass the more ominous 'insurance of unity among loyal citizens'. To accomplish this, new laws were set in place, laws which inhibited common folk in subtle ways. A special permit was required to travel outside of the planetary home system, and only G.O. sanctioned vehicles were granted such permits. Further complicating matters, the special engines necessary to travel great distances were forbidden to private owners, as well as smaller corporations. Only the G.O. and its partners had the financial means, or technology to travel further. So the outer reaches, which had once spelled freedom for many, were effectively out of reach.

The G.O. however, not completely ignorant of the plight of the citizenry or the necessity of having workers to man the expansion effort, proposed a solution. Those who wished to sign on became indentured servants to the cause of Expansion. The Mining Colonies which were developed were allowed to establish their own governments, but the G.O. was to receive the lion's share of the precious ores which such planets and asteroids produced. And so, this hands off policy proved very beneficial to the G.O., allowing the organization to grow at an unprecedented rate.

The G.O. University Stations within the planetary system provided training for the crews and the more advanced workers for the expansion. Many of the teachers were official members of the G.O., but there were still a few with exceptional backgrounds who were civilian teachers. One such teacher was Marcus Carter.

Marcus, a quiet, unassuming man was an engineering instructor for the University Station at Charon. His passion, though, was quantum physics. The combination of the two had earned him his position with the G.O. The position was of little importance in Marcus' mind. He was simply happy to have the freedom to go about his small projects without much hindrance for the G.O. Physics was poetry, poetry he shared to some degree with his wife Elena.

Marcus and Elena had been working with a specific equation for years, one that Marcus had often tormented his students with. But then, one day, while working in his home lab, Marcus found the solution. The simplicity and beauty of it struck him with awe. Marcus Carter had found a way to cut galactic travel times to a fraction. Hyper sleep would no longer be necessary. Wanting only to test his theory, Marcus began to request the necessary parts to build an alpha test unit.

The Office of Investigations was uninterested in the goings on among the teachers at what was one of many universities, and not even a major one at that. Thus Marcus was able to build his prototype engines and acquire the special parts that were typically off limits to others.

Within several months, Marcus was able to install the engines into his personal shuttle and reinforced it for stress and added radiation. It was not until a routine audit that the investigatory agency discovered that the name Marcus Carter was listed as requisioner for many 'useful' components that had been labeled for non civilian uses.

The Office of Investigations became interested. A query was sent to the university requesting information on the engineering department's current projects. The University Station at Charon Headmaster had not been in that day, and so Marcus himself was in the office when the urgent communiqué arrived.

Dalina Mackey, the headmaster's new assistant, aware that Marcus was available, gave the communiqué to him. . .