Life on a tech-2 world bored him. Yuri had barely made it off. His parents said he’d never amount to anything. He’d struggled through that hopeless time in his life. If not for his older brother Dimitri, he never would have left.
They all ridiculed him when he talked about flying a space ship someday. Everyone except Dimitri.
Their great grandparents had migrated to that lousy tech-2 world—New Wyoming. Yuri knew from early he just didn’t belong there. That it wasn’t for him. Sometimes, it seemed he was destined to be stuck there forever. It wasn’t easy to hop on some passing freighter and relocate. Some outlaw freighter captain would swallow you up and you’d have to work off some insurmountable debt, living in the dirty lower decks, just to pay off your passage. Then they’d think up all sorts of ways to add to your debt. It could take years.
Then he got a big break. When he was sixteen, a deadly outbreak of triple “E” thinned out the horse population on several worlds in the United Systems. Although New Wyoming was blessed with a healthy horse population, demand exceeded supply.
The first year Dimitri used the income to purchase a personal computing device for Yuri. They’d befriended a cargo ship captain who was planet-side six months out of every year. He showed them how to use it. Dimitri wasn’t really into it.
Yuri studied that thing until his eyes bled. It surprised him as much as anyone, but he had a natural gift for physics, orbital mechanics and warp theory. Then, by the next year Dimitri had saved enough to buy passage off world.
He loved his brother, but Dimitri was content with life on New Wyoming. He’d settled down, found a wife. Good for him. It was hard to leave him behind, not knowing when he’d see him again.
But Dimitri bought him his future. And he intended to live it.
Yuri eventually arrived at Rigel, bouncing around from one cheap lodging to another, and doing odd jobs to keep busy while continuing personal studies. At eighteen he aced a Fleet recruiter’s random aptitude test. Apparently, his score was off the charts.
A year later his joy came crashing down. Raiders struck New Wyoming looking to cash in on the surging value on the demand for horses. They killed his brother while he tried to defend his livelihood. The bastards. The loss overwhelmed him. He couldn’t focus on his studies, and his grades dropped. He almost dropped out the Academy. But he persevered despite his disadvantages.
Yuri was scrawny. New Wyoming was only one third the gravity of Earth. His limbs were longer, and he was slender than persons raised on standard one-g worlds. A scrawny, short kid just didn’t match up to what people thought someone navigating a starship should look like.
It’d been even harder because he was better than the other students . . . students from well-to-do families in the USS. His instructors favored him too, realized his enormous potential and pushed him.
Then the incident with the flaps during atmosphere flight training earned him the infamous nickname. The nickname followed him to Trident. When he first met Lee, he was intimidated. The lieutenant didn’t talk much. He had this hard stare and seemed almost to growl at people. He even gave Yuri a hard time. Then eventually, Yuri decided not to care anymore what people thought.
It was a satisfying decision.
Eventually, Lee warmed up to him a little. They would sit in silence in the same booth in Trident’s lounge for hours. Lee still didn’t say much at first, and still dropped snide remarks every so often, between their seldom exchange of words.
Occasionally, Lee would look up from something he was reading and ask Yuri’s opinion about it and then go back to his reading. But the thing was, no one else could even attempt to grief the “scrawny helmsman, fresh out of academy”. One look from Lee and off they went. Soon they got the idea. If you had nothing good to say to flyboy Flaps, keep moving.
Lee just randomly said to him one time in the lounge—“you know, Flaps, you have the heart of a lion”—then continued reading. Yuri had never seen a lion. He had to research it. That was probably the nicest thing Lee ever said to him.
Still, it took a while for Yuri to realize Lee’s little retorts were his way of toughening him. He wouldn’t quite call it tough love. But sometimes he’d almost felt as though Lee looked forward to their downtime as much as he did. Lee tried sometimes to get him interested in those boring twenty first-century history books.
What was it about the Commander and Lee anyway that they had this obsession with the twenty first-century? They seemed to know a lot about history in general, but particularly that century. What was so special about it? Curious, Yuri had decided to do some reading of his own. The peculiar slang and some colorful phrases piqued his interest. Most of which he got confused anyway, so Lee had suggested he quit trying.
A “knock” at the flight deck interrupted Yuri’s reflections of the way life used to be. Lee was standing there.
“Mind if I join you here?” Lee asked.
Lee never asked if Yuri minded anything.
“Sure, come on.”
Lee took a seat at the tactical station…naturally. He fidgeted. Lee doesn’t fidget. What makes Lee uncomfortable?
Yuri wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
“The hell do you want?”
Lee’s eyes shifted from side to side. “So, Sergeant Dawes. I spoke to him. He’s not a bad guy.”
Flaps shook his head. “No. Stop. Get lost. I’m busy. I’ve working on some new evasive maneuvers the Commander asked about. Specifically, ones to counter blockades.”
“Flaps . . .”
“Damn you. I said get lost, Lee!” Flaps thundered.
It was subtle, but Lee actually flinched.
“Look here, Yuri. I won’t pretend to know all about the issues you’ve had but . . . ok what Dawes did triggered a raw nerve. I get it. But he’s not got a bone of malice in him. He’s just unhinged. It’s their way of testing people they’ll be depending on to save their lives.”
Lee called him by his first name. He only ever did that when he wasn’t kidding around. “Sounded pretty convincing to me,” Yuri said.
“They’re marines, Yuri. They’re trained to compel you to roll over and die, just by looking at you. Look at the reaction he got from me. A momentary lapse. But I get it. I get his doubt. You and I, we’ve been together a while. We know we’ve got each other’s back. The nature of their special training takes those guys from ship to ship depending on the assignment. Never stopping anywhere long enough. Probably shunned and written off as henchmen. Like doing some dirty deed no one wants to do, but everyone needs done. Must be lonely don’t you think? Put yourself in their boots for one second. Every other starship crew may have just made them feel like they were expendable, you know? Like some kind of dirty dozen.”
“So you’re vouching for him and the others?”
“I am.”
Yuri fiddled with some controls on the flight console. “That stunt made me remember things I never wanted to. Things I haven’t thought about in a long time. Things I thought I’d never have to deal with again. I was back on New Wyoming. My parents were telling me to forget dreaming about space ships. I’m not rolling out any red carpets for Dawes. But I get what you’re saying. Still, he can go fu—”
Lee spoke over him. “Good, no red carpets needed. They’re marines remember.” He turned back and shouted down the hangar deck. “Sergeant!”
Sergeant Dawes came through the hatch grinning like an idiot.
Yuri fixed the sergeant with what he thought was his best “you’re an idiot” stare. It probably looked like a smiling kitten to the marine. “So you think you’re some kind of ultimate warrior or something? Well, then I’m . . . the red baron.”
“Red what now?” Dawes asked, still grinning.
Lee answered. “Forget it, probably something he read in some old dusty book somewhere.”
Yuri started to protest. “I fly better than you can fight, Malcolm!”
Lee visibly winced at the use of his first name.
Dawes’ g
rin widened. If such a thing were possible. He looked at Lee and back at Yuri. “Well you’re a cocky one ain’t ya. You sure you weren’t trained to fly by marines?”
Yuri stared at Dawes for a moment.
Then they all dissolved into healthy fits of laughter.
Chapter 13 – Twenty Fifth-Century Mr. Rogers
“I am eternally grateful, Max” – Aaron Rayne
Captain’s Quarters
Phoenix
Aaron pulled up the letter from his mother.
He dreaded finishing it. If he could find some excuse not to, he’d probably be better off.
We, the Immortals (as they called us) were defeated. Our planet-side cloning facilities destroyed. We never stood a chance against the combined military of a United Earth. I was in love with Lazarus and we prepared to flee.
Two hundred thousand of us escaped in five colony ships. Fortunately, Lazarus had seen the end, and we had facilities for cloning aboard our ships.
The fledgling United Earth Space Navy decided there would be no more Immortals. They pursued our ships beyond Sol. They were determined to ensure humanity would never fight an existential war again.
Finally, six months later, believing we were safe, we established our future home in Epsilon Eridani, with the false hope that Earth would leave us alone. We were wrong.
They came. An orbital bombardment destroyed our new home. Two colony ships in orbit reduced to slag. We only survived because Lazarus took the three remaining ships to scout for another colony. The news of their destruction reached us weeks later.
We took a vote. Of the one hundred and fifty thousand left, we would use our stasis pods and set a course for the Outer Rim.
Years later, we finally awoke. A new frontier awaited us. Earth’s so-called refugees, who had fled to the Outer Rim more than two hundred years earlier, welcomed us.
They had done well for themselves. They were somewhat backwards on technology, but we quickly enhanced their technological development.
We kept our origins a sacred secret, lest what happen on Earth, happen again.
The Immortals procreated like any normal society, and all of us had clones to transfer too when or if it was required. We built our new society, and we led them to greatness. But the haunting question remained.
What does one do with forever?
The hatch chimed. Aaron flicked off the handheld and instructed the computer to unlock it.
Max stepped through. He was holding his medical scanner.
Why does he have his scanner?
Aaron narrowed his eyes. “Another check? Anyone would believe I’ve contracted a rare contagion that poses imminent danger to the ship.”
Max barely smiled with a half nod. Unusual creases below his eyes betrayed an underlying tension. Max was a twenty-fifth century Mr. Rogers, despite his front to appear otherwise.
“What’s with you, Max? Don’t try that old ‘you don’t like being on space ships’ line with me. Because you know I know better.”
Aaron knew Max’s true fear was never wanting to give up the adventure once it began, but knowing he had to.
They all had to one day.
Their will would long outlive their body’s ability for duty. That’s the main reason Max was so angry with him when he snatched him off Midea Prime and dragged him on the Border Worlds mission. He’d finally left starship duty behind and Aaron roped him back in.
Max waved him off with a hand. “I’m still a bit out of it. The past few months weren’t easy. I’m still catching up on sleep. Let me check you over.”
Max ran the scanner around Aaron’s temples. Aaron thought it strange he didn’t check the rest of him. He shrugged it off.
“Should I retrieve a bio-suit now to protect the rest of the crew from this contagion?”
Again Max half smiled. “It’s a joke from where you are, put yourself in my shoes caring for you daily these past months.” Max checked the instrument. “Everything reads fine.”
“I am eternally grateful, Max. You know I am. But it’s like you expect something to change.”
“Aaron, you suffered horrific damage to your brain . . . I just want to ensure everything’s fully right with it. Remember the treatment was experimental.”
“Are you saying I’m going to croak soon? Or suddenly die in six months? Has my life span shortened? Will I go insane? Will I begin to lose cognitive functions or some other horrible side effect?”
Max laughed. Finally starting to come out his shell.
“Nothing like that,” he said. “Not even close. I just want to be sure everything is fully . . . repaired and that no residual effects remain which might cause any of those complications you mentioned. By closely monitoring you, I can detect any warning signs early before anything worse develops. It’s all preventative.” Max grew thoughtful. “You should really still be back at HQ in our hospital ward.”
“Honestly, Max, I’ve never felt better. I’m this close to recommending everyone take a shot from a pulse rifle. You get to perfect your treatment, and we wake up feeling more alive than we’ve ever felt. Besides, if my hands and feet fall off you can give me some hardware like Lee.”
“You think bionics are plug and play? Been reading too much old fiction. I’m sure people hundreds of years ago thought we’d just have spare body parts lying around. The body doesn’t work that way. Ninety-five percent of bionics are rejected. Only major breakthroughs recently by yours truly have lowered the rejection rate.”
Aaron changed the subject. “What are the rest doing?”
“Lee and Flaps are with the marines in the cargo bay. They’re playing with all those new toys you brought aboard. Scramble thingies and pulse guns, jump packs, body armor. Most of it the marines brought with them.” He paused as if remembering something. “Oh, Flaps is working on the ships plaque. He says it’s tradition.”
“I see . . . like one happy family then.”
“Quite.”
“And Garrett and his?”
“Garrett hasn’t been seen since he began crawling all over the engines and reactors. If the thing wasn’t shielded, I’m certain he would have disassembled it by now. He was one of the engineers on this new fancy ship of yours. Yet, you would think he’s now seeing it for the first time.”
“Well I imagine it’s like a loving wife. Just because you’ve known her for years, doesn’t mean you love her any less, does it?”
Max threw his head back and laughed. “Even if I didn’t know you, it would be obvious to a stranger you’ve never been married.” He chuckled again and composed himself. “I suppose you’re going to tell me Phoenix is now your wife.”
“Let’s just say I’ve proposed. I’m waiting on her answer. We’ve had one wild date so far.”
“And how, or when, will you know the answer?”
“When she brings me safely back in to port.”
Max winked. “In to port, eh?”
Finally, the doctor unwound and his belly laugh filled the quarters. All was well with the universe.
He’d made Doctor Max Tanner laugh again.
Chapter 14 – Resist
“I still maintain your simple minds could never comprehend our goals” – Ben James
Ben James was creepy. He was also a mystery. And his being here now, deepened that mystery.
He had wide staring black eyes, and a fixed evil half-grin. His dark hair was slicked back. Everything about the man reminded Avery of a snake.
The deadly venomous kind.
“How fitting that Aaron Rayne’s loyal servant is here. You look confused.”
Avery smirked. “Your little conspiracy is a fading memory. We and the Baridian Empire have grown closer than we ever thought possible.”
“Yes an unfortunate outcome. No matter—that was but one battle lost in a war.”
War?
“What war?” Avery asked.
“I still maintain your simple minds could never comprehend our goals. One positive is you and yours s
till believe it was all about you. About forcing a war between the two largest human enclaves. You are narrow-minded people. You think small—always did.”
“You talk as though you’re not one of us.”
Ben James looked deeply disturbed, as though he was truly offended. His snake eyes narrowed.
“We are not. Your ancestors changed all of that.” He paused. “No Avery, our goals are far more sinister than your cultured brain can imagine.
“I will only admit however, that like an animal can outsmart a hunter from time to time, you did surprise us. That damn ship of yours. First, your undetected arrival at the Border Worlds, your continued presence, and then turning the tide of the battle at Atlas Prime. And your captain . . . Aaron Rayne. There are quite a few of my associates who’d like to see him vanish. Others want to make him suffer for our setback. Those are the crazies, the ones you should really be afraid of Avery.
“You’re alive, and your crew is alive because we wish something from you. As long as you give it, you will live. Your futures are short, anyhow. But we will return you to the other side of the wormhole.”
Avery said nothing.
“Not even curious what we want? I’ll tell you.”
“The other ship . . . Phoenix you call it. Built with a smattering of exotic materials. We’ve seen the same in your vessel in orbit, which we intend to reverse engineer. It might take years but it will be done.”
The evil half-grin returned. “The technology isn’t important. What drives it is. The exotic matter and refinement used to power your new technologies, boost your sub-light drives to unparalleled and unmatched acceleration . . . and your missiles.”
Ben James stood and circled. “You’re a scientist, Avery. We both know exotic matter is not something you find on an asteroid. To power your technology with it and in sufficient quantities to yield such results, you must have a very rich source. We have such a source ourselves. But it’s taken one hundred years to siphon a sufficient amount just to power our wormhole technology.”
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