The Fractured Void

by Tim Pratt

  Felix wasn’t particularly claustrophobic, but tight spaces and darkness and a mission to retake a stolen ship and the low-level discomfort of wearing an environment suit all combined to make him sweaty and tense. He waited, vibrating himself with tension, while Tib unsealed the access hatch to the service tunnel. They moved on into that objectively cramped but relatively generous space. They were still in the dark, though. Hmm. That wasn’t right.

  Once the hatch was closed behind them, they took off their helmets and shrugged out of their suits. “Why are the lights off?” Felix said. “There should at least be safety strips on in here. Did those assholes break my ship?”

  “There’s still air and artificial gravity,” Tib said. “Maybe they just wanted mood lighting.”

  “It is very romantic,” Felix said.

  “Do you think everyone makes jokes before they walk into possible death, or is that just a Mentak Coalition thing?” Tib said.

  “I’m not convinced the L1Z1X or the Nekro do it, being partly or wholly mechanical, but otherwise, I’d guess it’s a pretty universal urge.”

  “I know a Nekro joke,” Tib said. “Want to hear it?”

  “I might not be alive to hear it later.”

  “Knock knock.”

  “Who’s there?”

  “Zero.”

  “Zero who?”

  “Zero one one zero zero one zero zero, zero one one zero one zero zero one, zero one one zero zero one zero one–”

  “OK, I get it. We’ve had the laughter. Let’s move on to the tears. Stay quiet on comms until there’s something to report. I’ll get the bridge, and you secure the armory.”

  Tib went dim, just a shimmer in the corner of Felix’s eye, and the access hatch opened seemingly by itself. Felix crawled out after he was sure she’d had time to get clear.

  He was in a corridor, not far from the ladder that led up to the crew quarters, but he only knew that because he’d spent so much time down here playing hide-and-seek with Tib, and could navigate the space blindfolded if need be. The lower deck was totally dark. Had there been some electrical fault?

  “Last chance, Sev!” a voice called. Felix went still. Was that Azad? “If I find you down here, I’m going to stab you, and that’s way down on the list of things I want to do with you.”

  Oh, no. Or… oh, yes? Severyne and Azad were trying to kill each other now? That explained why they hadn’t noticed the approach of the Endless Dark. Felix considered. He could just climb up to the next deck, lock the hatches, and leave them trapped down here to kill each other in peace. He opened his comms to suggest that idea to Tib.

  Then light glimmered – someone had opened a hatch on the deck above, letting illumination in. “Are you idiots down there?” Thales bellowed. “There are alarms going off up here, it’s distracting.”

  “What alarms?” That was Severyne – and she was very close to Felix, it sounded like, right around the corner.

  “Something about a hull breach, though it stopped saying that a minute ago, and now there’s a call to repel boarders – not that I’ve seen any boarders. I think your sensors are malfunctioning. This is not my job, ladies. I’m trying to work up here. You’d better not be having sex down there. Duval’s bed isn’t enough for you?”

  “Sev!” Azad called. “Truce? Just while we make sure we aren’t being attacked? By someone other than each other, I mean?”

  A long, long pause, and then, “Truce,” Severyne called. She walked right past Felix and into the shaft of light. Azad joined her. “It’s always something, isn’t it?” the human said.

  Severyne ignored her and clambered up the ladder, bickering with Thales as she vanished from sight.

  Azad started up the ladder, then paused and looked around in the dark. “I know you’re there,” she said. “You may as well come out.”

  Felix twitched, but didn’t move.

  Azad waited a moment longer, then snorted. “Worth a try.” She climbed up the ladder.

  Tib let her get almost all the way to the top before shooting her with a stun charge, so Azad had farther to fall. Tib shimmered into sight next to her supine form, peering up the ladder. Severyne and Thales were gone, and hadn’t noticed Azad’s tumble.

  Felix hurried out of concealment and began binding Azad’s arms and ankles with tape while Tib kept lookout. Azad groaned but didn’t wake up. “I got the drop on her twice,” Tib whispered. “She only got me once. I win.” Tib plucked a kitchen knife from Azad’s belt, frisked her, then held up the blade. “This is the only weapon she has on her. What were they doing down here?”

  “Playing hide-and-seek,” Felix said. “Just like we used to. But for somewhat higher stakes.”

  They dragged Azad to one of the store rooms and propped her between a pallet of chemical toilets and stacks of shelf-stable mayonnaise. “Did Thales say they were having sex?” Tib asked. “In your bed?”

  “I haven’t even had sex in that bed. Now I have to set the whole thing on fire. I’ll be moving into your cabin. You can have Cal’s. Cal can sleep in the gym.”

  Tib looked at Azad’s limp form. “I guess it wasn’t true love, if they were still trying to kill each other.”

  “They were trying to kill each other over who got the privilege of keeping Thales,” Felix said. “Can you imagine?”

  The electrical locks weren’t working down here for some reason, so they blocked the cabin door with about fifty bags of mulch, piling them up nearly to the ceiling. It probably wouldn’t hold Azad back for long, but for now, it was the best they could do.

  “Now we go for Severyne,” Felix said.

  •••

  “Leave me alone, Thales, I’m trying to read this. I thought you had work to do.” Severyne stood at the security station in the bridge, though she hated having her back to the door. Where was Azad? Shouldn’t she be doing this? Was her “truce” just a trick to make Severyne let her guard down? The ship had detected a hull breach, but now it didn’t – which either meant it was a glitch in the system, or someone had breached the hull and covered their tracks. “Shipwide scan,” she said. “I want to know everyone who’s on board.”

  “Two sapients onboard,” the ship replied.

  “Just two?” That didn’t make any sense. “Does that include the lower deck?”

  “Lower deck systems offline. System rebooting.”

  So Azad was still down there. But why? Severyne was sure she’d been right behind her –

  Something cold struck her back, and then her vision went white, and then dark. Some unknowable moment later she returned to herself, her face pressed into the smooth floor, her arms bound behind her. She wriggled and rolled over – and saw Duval sitting in the captain’s chair, his horrible Yssaril second-in-command leading Thales off the bridge. “Ambush,” she spat. “A cowardly strike from behind. The Coalition has no honor–”

  “Probably true,” Duval said. “But I still won. You know the old saying, Severyne: Who wins, wins.”

  “That is not an old saying. You are a very stupid person who is also annoying,” Severyne said. “And unattractive. And you need to shave. Your haircut is a disgrace. You–”

  “The Letnev,” Felix said. “Magnanimous in victory, gracious in defeat.”

  Chapter 29

  Severyne and Azad were in the ship’s brig, secure behind a set of bars and an energy field. Severyne sat on a bench, dressed in hideous soft pants and a plain gray shirt. Azad was similarly garbed, but she was shackled by wrists, ankles, and waist to the wall, and wore a metal collar with an ominous blinking red light on the front. Severyne was annoyed that she wasn’t considered enough of a threat to bother restraining so thoroughly.

  “I’m glad I didn’t have to kill you,” Azad said.

  That was the first time either of them had spoken since being locked up here. Severyne considered ignoring her, b
ut what was the point now? “I am glad I did not have to kill you, too. What is your plan to escape and retake the ship?”

  “Oh. Babe. I have no such plan.”

  “You escaped a Coalition dreadnought, did you not?”

  “They didn’t have me in shackles and a collar that explodes if I leave a ten-meter radius. Sometimes, Sev, you’re just beat.”

  “A Letnev never admits defeat.”

  “That’s a funny thing about defeat. It’s still defeat, whether you admit it or not.”

  Sev considered. “If I can neither escape nor fulfill my mission, I would like to accept your offer to defect to the Federation now.”

  Azad chuckled. “My ability to follow through on that deal depends on various factors, like us not being Mentak Coalition prisoners forever, but I’ll see what I can do.”

  “I might have bested you, on the lower deck. I found a screwdriver down there. I was not unarmed.”

  “Lovers turned deadly enemies, armed with screwdriver and knife, fighting for their mutually exclusive futures in the dark. It’s kinda romantic, in a way.”

  “You are a ridiculous person, Amina Azad. If we had not let our personal rivalry distract us, we might have stopped Duval from retaking the ship.”

  “You’re not wrong.”

  “Perhaps there is a valuable lesson there.”

  Amina belched. “Probably. Let me know when you figure out what it is.”

  “You disgust me.”

  “I love you too, Sev.”

  Severyne blushed.

  •••

  “I mean, I guess, since we’re already here, we might as well let him do his test.” Felix was back in his ready room, because he wasn’t ready to face his defiled cabin.

  “You’ve gone this far,” Jhuri said. “No reason to stop here. At least if his device malfunctions horribly, no one is likely to get hurt.”

  “Except us.”

  “Except you.”

  “What if the Creuss show up and declare war on all the biological entities in the galaxy when we switch this thing on?”

  “What if the kelp fairy appears and wraps you all in ropes of kelp?”

  “Is the kelp fairy even a real thing?” Felix said. “Like from Jol-Nar folklore or something?”

  “How should I know?” Jhuri said. “I’ve never been to Jol-Nar. I hate long space voyages. Maybe if you can open a wormhole from my office to Wun-Escha I’ll finally take the trip. I’ll let you get to work.”

  “Wait! I wanted to know… What do I do with the prisoners?”

  “What prisoners?”

  “What do you mean, what prisoners?”

  “I mean, I wish the human and the Letnev had died in a dramatic firefight. This whole situation is a potential diplomatic nightmare. A probable Federation operative, and a definite Barony security officer, knowing all the things they know about our own covert activities? I don’t want a whisper of either one on the official record.”

  “Then what should I do with them?”

  “What should you do with who? Let me know how the test goes.” Jhuri flickered and vanished.

  OK. Severyne and Azad were a problem for later. Other problems came first.

  •••

  “I’m ready,” Thales said simply. Thales, Felix, Tib, and Calred – who’d shuttled over from the Grim Countenance – stood together on the bridge. The huge viewscreen showed the expanse of empty space before them.

  Thales had his torpedo-shaped device resting on top of a workstation, attached to the stolen power supply, and wired into the ship’s weapons systems – he’d be using some of the focused energy weapons to direct the force he was about to unleash. “We’ll open the wormhole, and then launch a probe into it,” he said. “I have programmed the other end of the wormhole to open a safe distance from the wasteland world Xanhact – the probe should be able to confirm that location from the configuration of stars, and return to us with data on the journey.”

  “Oh, good,” Calred said. “I was afraid you’d want us to drive into the wormhole to test it.”

  “I’d love to jettison all of you into space,” Thales said. “All this pointless to-ing and fro-ing and fighting and stealing you’ve dragged me through. I understand I’m valuable, but this inter-faction squabbling has been a grievous distraction.” Thales gazed at the empty screen. “Would you transmit an image of this screen to the brig, captain?”

  “What? Why?”

  “So Dampierre and Azad can witness my triumph.”

  Felix scratched his chin. “Huh. I’m not opposed to a little gloating, I guess, but why do you care?”

  “I want more witnesses, captain,” Thales said. “More eyes on the moment I transformed the galaxy. More voices to tell the tale of this achievement.”

  Felix sighed. “Cal, go ahead and give the brig a screen. I don’t need them on comms, though. I’ve heard enough out of both of them.”

  Thales cleared his throat. “I’ve prepared a few words for this occasion–”

  “I’ve heard enough out of you, too,” Felix said. “Just push the button, Thales.”

  The scientist glared at him. “This is history happening, right now, you ignorant thug. The occasion must be marked–”

  “I promise we’ll make sure the official records reflect whatever long speech you wanted to give, Thales. Let’s just get this over with.”

  “We’re not getting anything over with. This is a glorious beginning–”

  “Shut up, or I’ll push the button,” Tib said.

  “It’s not a button,” Thales muttered, but he turned his attention to his terminal. The power cell began to emit a faint hum. They all looked at the screen expectantly.

  “Shouldn’t beams of coruscating light be shooting from the cannons?” Calred asked.

  “The energies involved aren’t visible.” Thales spoke through gritted teeth. “Don’t ruin my enjoyment of this moment.”

  They watched, and nothing happened… until something started to happen.

  At first, Felix thought it was just his eyes inventing things, an optical illusion caused by staring too long at emptiness, but there was a flicker, like a snake slithering through the grass, only the snake was space-time and the grass was more space-time. Thales made more adjustments to his terminal, and a sinuous bright line appeared, gleaming yellow like a thread of gold. “Pretty, isn’t it? That’s the sort of visual the idiot masses will appreciate when they watch this recording in their classrooms for all time going forward.”

  “I’m sure they’ll appreciate being called idiots, too.”

  “You already said you’re going to manipulate the record. I can say what I please.”

  “That doesn’t look much like a wormhole,” Calred pointed out. The golden thread rippled. “I’ve been through a few wormholes in my time. They’re big, bulgy, and round. Not a wavy line, golden or otherwise.”

  “I’m still adjusting the calibration,” Thales complained. “Give me a moment. Altering the fundamental physics of the universe doesn’t happen in an instant.”

  “I always thought going through a wormhole was like passing through a giant water droplet,” Tib said. “You know, the way it shimmers a little, and you can faintly see what’s on the other side.”

  “I never understood why they call them ‘holes’ at all,” Felix said. “They’re more like… crystal balls.”

  “Because ‘wormballs’ sounds disgusting,” Tib said.

  “Fools,” Thales muttered, still adjusting his controls. “If space were two-dimensional, then yes, wormholes would appear as circles punched in the surface of space. Passing through those circles would lead to a three-dimensional shape, a cylinder, and you would emerge from another flat circle on the other side. But space isn’t two-dimensional, so instead we perceive wormholes as three-dimensional spheres, and
they lead to a four-dimensional space that your minds can’t visualize, until you emerge from another sphere.”

  “That is not a sphere,” Calred said. “It’s more like a rip. A tear in a piece of cloth.” The gold thread widened, becoming a ribbon of uneven width, and the light became less yellow and more white.

  Thales grunted. “I would expect it to start coalescing into a sphere by now.”

  “Do we need to abort the experiment?” Felix said.

  “Of course not,” Thales barked. “I think I see the problem. The other end of my wormhole isn’t where it should be. Damn it. These readings about the far end of the wormhole are just gibberish. The other side must have opened in the Shaleri Passage – that’s the only place I know of where normal physics are twisted, and it’s where the Creuss live, so they must be meddling, trying to ruin my triumph!”

  “You think the Ghosts are doing this?” Felix demanded.

  “They must be. There’s no other explanation. It’s called deductive reasoning, captain.”

  “So, what, the Creuss are going to come out of that hole?”

  “That tear,” Calred said.

  “I am trying to determine–” Thales said.

  The light brightened, and suddenly the ribbon became a yawning chasm, a ragged tear big enough to swallow their ship.

  Felix scrabbled for the device, but Thales hunched over it, blocking him with his body. “Turn this thing off, Thales!” Felix shouted.

  “No, I can get control back, I just need to boost the power.” Thales twisted the controls, glaring out the viewport at the shimmer in space. “This is my moment – I won’t let some aliens who don’t even have bodies spoil it.”

  “We’re going to get murdered by the Ghosts of Creuss,” Tib said. “You find such interesting ways for us to die, Felix.”

  The power source started humming much more loudly, and – was the spherical case vibrating? “There!” Thales said. “The connection is stable! It – no, that still doesn’t make any sense. Why isn’t the wormhole opening where I told it to?”