by C. S. Harte
“We attract more than our share of unsavory people given the nature of our business. But they’re also the type to spend their credits freely which more than makes up for any inconvenience.”
“I'm not worried about the guests on this ship. I can handle myself.”
“Of course you can. You’re a big strong man, even without your neuromods,” she teased. Quip pulled Jonas close and gave him a warm kiss on the lips.
Jonas didn’t resist.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” She waved goodbye and left.
She knows far more than she lets on. He sat on his bed. The tiredness in his body suddenly felt overwhelming. Jonas lay down with his hands crossed behind his head. What if the simulation wasn’t a dream? What if the bomb is real? I have to check, if nothing else, for my sanity. Jonas laughed. Sanity. Nothing has been sane for a long time.
He tried closing his eyes to sleep, but the image of the rainbow-eyed girl kept floating into his mind. She was someone he had seen before. The rainbow eyes, I would remember someone like that… The connection he had with her felt stronger than just someone he saw in passing. She was someone important to him at one point in his life.
Jonas fell asleep thinking about her. When he woke up, he immediately checked his BIP. I can't believe I slept for two hours. The image of the girl was still fresh in his mind. He focused on the memory of the Peach Pit simulation, forcing it to sharpen, searching every detail of her face. She was standing below a sign. Deck 2. The engineering deck. Whatever tiredness he had before disappeared, replaced with an energetic curiosity. I need to go to engineering. Maybe I’ll find her there…
As he stood, Whisper’s coin fell out his pocket. He picked up the coin and began flipping it between his fingers. What am I supposed to do with this? Whisper said it’ll keep me safe, but never explained how. Is it supposed to get me to Caldia Station? Was I supposed to trade it for something?
Jonas took the decktram to the engineering deck. Quip mentioned he could travel anywhere on the ship, but usually sensitive areas like the bridge and engineering had guards posted at the entrance. What would I do if they find me? Tell them I got lost?
Ding.
The decktram doors opened.
The hallways were empty. No guards, armed or otherwise, were present.
Jonas walked to the first intersection. “Hello?” He peered around the corners. The overhead lights flickered and dimmed, making it difficult for Jonas to see down the corridors.
A child’s laughter echoed its way to Jonas. It sounded female.
Jonas froze in place. Could it be her? I’m losing my mind. Which is more likely, that I’ve gone crazy or there are children on this ship? His self-preservation instinct urged him to go back, return to his cell.
Suddenly, the coin slipped from his hand and rolled down the hallway. It seemed to pick up speed as it rolled.
Jonas sprinted after it.
It finally stopped rolling below the “Deck 2” sign where the rainbow-eyed girl stood in the simulation. He picked up the coin and returned it to his pocket.
The laughter came back.
Jonas turned around, looking for the source of the voice. “Hello?” he called out meekly. His mind wandered. This all can’t be a coincidence. Maybe I never left the simulation?
Laughter echoed again. The loudest yet.
Jonas defied his instincts and followed the voice to a sign that read, “Engineering Bay.”
Something moved in his peripheral vision.
“Anyone here?” He scanned the room. Why is no one here? A ship this size and no engineers on duty? Jonas turned a corner and stepped on something sticky. His eyes widened as he looked down at his shoes.
There were huge pools of blood everywhere on the floor. Ribbons of scarlet streaked along the walls mixing with bright red splatter patterns. It looked as if dozens of people died in this room.
But where are the bodies? He instinctively reached for his Fleet-issued gun before remembering he was no longer a Fleet Officer. This wasn’t part of the simulation… He jerked his head back as a thought burst into his head. … THE BOMB!
Jonas sprinted to where he found the bomb in his virtual world. “No…” the word escaped from his lips in a quick breath. He could hear the ticking of the bomb through the raucous drumming of the ship's engines. The display read:
4 minutes, 36 seconds.
Jonas immediately turned for the exit but halted after one step.
The rainbow-eyed girl stood in front of him, staring directly into his eyes.
“Who… Who are you?”
She mouthed her words, but no voice followed.
“Did you do this? Did you place this bomb and kill these people?”
She shook her head.
He looked back at the bomb.
4 minutes, 12 seconds.
I don’t have time for this. I need to warn others and get to the shuttle bay. No. I don’t have enough time to save anyone. I need to get off this ship. Jonas tried to grab the teenage girl. His hands went through her body as if she was a hologram. “What... What are you?”
3 minutes, 56 seconds.
“Whoever… Whatever you are, you need to get off this ship now! I’m heading toward the shuttle bay!” After escaping the engineering bay, Jonas skidded to a halt.
The rainbow-eyed girl stood in front of him again. “Did you just…” His head swiveled back and forth between where she was and where she stood. “How did you…”
Again, she mouthed something unintelligible.
Jonas noted the time on his BIP. 3 minutes left at most. He looked past the girl, searching for signs pointing to a shuttle bay.
“Do you know where the shuttles are?”
She nodded and pointed her hand down.
“Deck 1?”
She nodded again.
“Are you going to be OK?”
She didn’t respond.
I don’t have time for this! Jonas ran through her and into the decktram.
“Deck 1.”
The decktram made an error sound. “Access is restricted on Deck 1.”
Dammit! He looked at his BIP. Two minutes left. He screamed and punched the decktram controls, splitting his knuckles open.
The rainbow-eyed girl faded in next to Jonas.
“What are you?”
She pointed at his pocket.
Jonas took out his coin. “This? You want my coin?”
She mimed placing the coin next to the decktram's computer console.
When Jonas followed her lead, arcs of blue energy skipped from the coin and into the decktram’s computer. The decktram started descending to the first level.
Jonas laughed at the impossibility of what just happened. He smiled at her. “Thank you.”
She nodded as her body faded from view.
I’m crazy, or I’m dead. He checked his BIP. One minute. If I don't make it off this ship, I’ll be crazy and dead. Jonas sprinted toward the shuttle bay.
Most of the transport shuttles had already left. Rows and rows of empty lots except for one remaining ship.
Can’t be more than 30 seconds left. Jonas gasped for air as he ran toward the last shuttle.
Someone had already started the initialization sequence.
A loud explosion rang throughout the Dante. The shuttle shook violently.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” he said to the transport computers as it lifted off the deck and through the bay force field.
The shuttle barely cleared the ship as a series of explosions tore the Dante into pieces. Massive shock waves slammed into Jonas' shuttle, damaging its stabilizers, causing it to roll uncontrollably.
Jonas bashed his head into the console, knocking him unconscious.
10
Jonas gasped for air as he woke. His throat felt parched. There was a ringing in his ears. He tried to rub his eyes but found his hands chained over his head. What is this? Where am I? He surveyed the dimly lit room. Sacks of root vegetables and grains l
ined the walls. Ancient LED light bulbs swung from overhead. Rusty, brown, iron walls surrounded him on all four sides. There was a bulkhead door with a wheel handle about ten meters away from him. Generational trading ship. Didn’t think these still existed… In the corner to his left, a large pile of toys and pillows were on the verge of tipping over.
Jonas slammed his chains into the ship’s walls. “HELLO! Anyone out there?”
No one responded.
He tried to recall what happened to him and how he got there. Jonas remembered clearing the outer hull of the Dante. Everything else was a blur. Am I the only person to make it off Dante? There was only one shuttle in the bay, but no other shuttle crafts on censors. No way everyone could’ve made it off… A lump formed in his chest. There was no time to warn anyone. I didn't plant the bomb. Their deaths were not on me…
The wheel on the door turned. An older man stepped through. “Finally awake, are you?”
Jonas tried to look into the eyes of his captor but could not see past his potbelly. “Where am I? Who are you? Why am I chained up?”
The man laughed. “I should ask you the questions.” He smiled. “But in the interest of getting along, I’m Captain Armand Campos. You are on the Independent Merchant Ship Santos. You’re chained up because I don’t trust you not to hurt myself and my family.”
If I had my strength neuromod, I could rip the chains off the wall… Jonas looked around the room again. “This is a generational trading ship.”
“Yes, you remember your history lessons.” He held up his chin. “I’m the fifth generation Campos on the Santos. I took over as captain when my father died. My son will do the same.”
“The fifth generation? I’ve heard stories of entire families losing everything when they failed their deliveries.”
Armand pulled up a chair. “There were some hard times for my parents. Some very difficult times…” He stared blankly at the wall above Jonas. “Much harder before the days of faster-than-light travel. With the vastness of space, sometimes cargo would take an entire generation to reach its destination. We lost some people. But we made it through in the end. We’re still here.” He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not a glamorous life, but it’s a life. The trick is to find a role and do that job well.”
“What role are you playing?”
“Well, currently, I’m a passenger ship, and you’re my passenger Mr. Barick. Or should I say, Lieutenant Commander Jonas Barick formerly of the CMS Endurance and escaped traitor to the Commonwealth.”
Does everyone know who I am? Jonas tightened his jaw.
“Your name and face are all over the ColonyNet feeds. There’s a handsome reward for any information leading to your return. A very handsome reward.” Armand grinned. “More than what I would get for the current haul.”
“Then we’re heading toward a Commonwealth outpost?”
“No, we’re not going anywhere near a Commonwealth station.”
“Where are you taking me, then?”
Armand took a coin out of his pocket and held it for Jonas to see.
“That’s my coin!”
“Well, yes and no. It belongs to King Tycho or the Pirate King as many call him.”
“You know about him?”
Armand laughed heartily. “Everyone knows about King Tycho in the Gamma Quadrant and his base on Caldia Staion. He’s the law here and a savior to merchant traders like myself. His patrol ships have helped me countless times whenever this old bucket breaks down. The Commonwealth Fleet won’t bother responding when that happens, you know. King Tycho would always help. Of course, his mercenaries take a small cut off our cargo, but that’s only fair.” He tossed the coin in the air and caught it. “This here, it's called the Pirate Ace and is far more valuable than any currency in this part of space.” He flipped it onto Jonas’ lap. “It’s no different from having a genie granting you a wish. King Tycho will give me a new ship once I hand you over to him.”
Captain Campos’ loyalty to the Pirate King worked favorably for Jonas. He needed to get to Caldia Station and far away from Fleet. Whisper said the coin would get me where I needed to go. Images of Whisper in her form-fitting red and black leather combat suit flashed into his mind. He felt a fluttering in his stomach. She’s probably already there waiting for me.
Jonas studied Armand’s face. That someone would willfully go against Fleet and the guaranteed bounty for a possible favor from a pirate seemed absurd to him. But the Captain didn’t appear crazy. Instead of pressing further and risk having Armand change his mind, Jonas changed the subject. “The Dante. What happened to it? Did anyone else make it off?”
Armand sighed. “Yours was the only shuttle craft we saw in the wreckage. We weren’t sure if you were going to wake up given the knocking to your head. I take it you have a healing biomod?”
Jonas nodded.
"As a Fleet Officer, you probably know biomods are illegal."
"I didn't have a choice," Jonas grumbled.
“How can people do that?” Armand shook his head. “Fight and kill for sport.”
Jonas flashed back to Galen. He recalled the look of fear in Galen’s eyes right before Jonas stabbed him in the heart. “You do what you need to make it to the next day. The option was to either kill him or let him kill me.”
Armand bobbed his head. “And that’s why you’re in chains.”
A little girl peeked her head through the doorway.
“There’s someone behind you.” Jonas wiggled his fingers, approximating a pointing gesture through the handcuffs.
Armand got up from his chair. “I don’t see anyone. Probably just one of my kids running around.” He exited the room. “Nelli, if that’s you, you know you can’t be in here right now! You should be in bed!” His voice echoed down the hallway.
A small white stuffed toy rolled off the pile in the corner. It had beady little black eyes and two orange dots where eyebrows would typically be.
Jonas turned his head, watching the toy tumble slowly toward his feet. Mogie. One of the last memories of his sister Saera was of her wading through a pile of Mogies on Daxu the same day of her vanishing, over a decade ago. Jonas never forgave himself for not watching her more closely. During the Entrent interrogation and memory wipe, Jonas fought to remember that agonizing day. He wanted to recall every detail so he could one day solve her disappearance. But time had a way of dulling memories like an old photo placed in the sun. His stomach churned. I’m starting to forget what my sister looked like…
Armand returned and picked up the stuffed Mogie. “Must have been my girl, Nelli. She loves cute things.” He smiled as he tossed the toy back on the pile.
“I will not hurt you or your daughter,” Jonas said softly.
“I hope not, but if it’s all the same to you, I will still keep you chained.” Armand grinned. “We should reach Caldia Station by tomorrow morning. I’ll see you…”
An explosion sounded from outside the ship.
Alarms blared.
“Captain,” said a voice over the ship’s intercom. “An Alliance cruiser just fired a warning shot over our port bow. They’re asking to board and inspect our cargo.”
“Alliance?” Armand grimaced. He walked to the intercom in the room. “We’re not in Alliance space. Are we?”
“No, Captain.”
“Tell them we are not under their jurisdiction. We do not have to comply with their request. I’m on my way to the bridge now.”
“Yes, Captain.”
He exited the room, leaving Jonas alone.
Jonas never ventured into this part of the galaxy. He always thought of the Alliance as an isolationist government. Stopping independent merchant ships outside of Alliance territory made little sense.
“Attention crew members,” said Captain Campos over the intercom. “Our Alliance neighbors are boarding our ship for a routine inspection to ensure our ship’s safety. How altruistic of them!”
Jonas heard snickering in the background.
&nbs
p; “Please do not engage with them unless spoken to.”
What would they do if they find me? Are they here for me or the cargo?
The door opened.
A young girl, roughly 8-years-old, with white hair and bright red irises, came through. She looked at Jonas for a moment before turning around and peeking through the little crack in the door she left for herself.
Those eyes… So unusual… She was shivering. “Nelli, right? They aren’t here for you. You don’t have to worry.”
She shook her head.
Jonas glanced at the keys above her head. “If you can get me out of these chains, I’ll make sure they don’t hurt you or your father.”
The little girl nodded and jumped for the keys.
“Good!” Jonas cheered. “Now, hand it over.”
Voices and footsteps came from outside the door.
She pushed the door closed, threw the keys into Jonas’ hands, and hid in the corner with her toys, burying herself underneath the pillows.
The fear-stricken image of the little girl triggered a memory of Saera. “I used to have a sister who looked like you.” Jonas tried unlocking his chains. There were several dozen keys to try. “When we were kids, there was this big thunderstorm. It was the first time we’d ever been in one. There was something wrong with the weather regulator, and it sounded like the sky was ripping open. You know how we got through the night?”
The first key wouldn’t turn.
Jonas tried another key while waiting for a reply, but the little girl never stuck her head out of the pile. “Saera, me, and my other brother Nolan, we all slept in the same bed. That night was one of the scariest nights I’ve ever experienced when I was a kid. The thunder shook the entire house again and again. But being around people that promised to protect me took the worries away. Nelli, I promise to protect you if you don’t tell anyone I’m here.”
The second key also did not turn.
“What’s in there?” said a loud, authoritative voice from outside the door.
“Our food and storage closet,” replied Captain Campos.
“Open it.”
The third key didn’t work.