by JN Chaney
I heard a knock at the front door, and my father flinched, startled by the sound. “That must be…” He looked at me. “Uh…sorry, kid, but I gotta get going now if I’m gonna make the flight tomorrow. Gotta travel all the way to Vernin City. Remember when we went there a few years ago?”
Another bang on the door. “Hello?” called a man. “Someone call about a ride?”
My father got to his feet. “Be right there!” he barked, and in a softer voice he said, “Sorry to go like this, Jacey, but I’ll see you real soon, got it?”
“Got it,” I echoed, trying to keep my smile.
I watched him head to the door, then pause to look at me. His eyes lingered on me for a moment, a distant expression in his face—one I didn’t recognize. Then, he smiled at me with the same charming grin he always had. “Someday you’re gonna learn, Jacey…what it means to be a man. Someday, you’re gonna know what it feels like to be me.”
He smacked his chest and closed the door.
Off to better prospects.
* * *
“Jace,” a faint voice called.
I stirred in my suit.
“Jace!”
My eyes broke open, and I was suddenly gasping. “Fuck!” I snapped, instantly confused about where I was and how I’d gotten there. “Holy goddamn fucking shit!”
“Jace, are you okay?!” shouted a woman in my ear.
It took me a second to realize who the hell this person was. “Abby?” I said, trying to get my bearings. I turned my head as much as I could, only to realize that I was trapped inside a goddamn spacesuit. Oh, right, I thought, remembering the thing about the bomb.
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring the ship back around to you,” said Abby.
“I’m afraid that may prove difficult,” interjected Sigmond.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Our thrusters were damaged in the blast,” he explained. “We are only operating at 30%. It will take several minutes to retrieve you. I do apologize, sir.”
“I’m not going anywhere, but you’d better move your asses,” I said.
I was still spinning from the blast, so I reached for my arm control panel and activated my suit’s stabilizers, attached on the left and right shoulders. Each compartment only contained a small amount of compressed nitrogen to correct my velocity, which meant it was only for emergencies. I supposed this counted, then tapped the command to activate the unit.
The gas released in spurts, a little at a time, gradually killing my momentum until I was mostly immobilized. No more spinning, no more spiraling in a random direction. I still had enough gas to help me turn around or send me flying in another direction, should I need it.
I couldn’t see The Renegade Star yet, but I didn’t expect to in so much darkness. Space was vast and empty, with only stars to guide your path. I wouldn’t be able to spot my own ship until it was right up on me. Titan might have been a different story, but that ship was long gone now, completely out of reach.
“Sir, I am detecting multiple incoming vessels, breaking off from the fleet,” said Sigmond.
“Strike ships? How many?” I asked, staring in the direction of the fleet. I couldn’t see anything, not even the bigger ships, but that didn’t keep me from trying.
“Eight, sir,” he responded.
“Fuck,” I muttered. The Renegade Star could handle two, maybe three strike ships, but eight? Not a goddamn chance. “How long until they get here?”
“Two minutes,” said the A.I.
“And how long before you pick me up?” I asked.
“Three minutes,” he answered.
I bit the inside of my mouth, twisting my lip as I continued to watch the void in front of me, towards the system’s sun, which shone with an intensity I was only just noticing. A white glow, much like one on Epsy. “Siggy,” I said, after a moment. “Open a tunnel. I want you to take Abigail to the coordinates Athena gave you.”
Abigail answered before the A.I. could respond. “Jace, what are you talking about? We’re not leaving you behind. Don’t be an idiot!”
I ignored her. “Siggy, you do as I say. Understand? Captain’s orders. Don’t make me use the goddamn command password on you.”
“Siggy, don’t listen to that fool! We’re not leaving him here,” insisted Abigail.
“Sir, are you certain?” asked Sigmond. “A quick analysis concludes that there is still an 8% chance of success, should we continue on our present course to procure you.”
I smirked. “I appreciate the optimism, Siggy, but get that fat ass of yours in gear and go. Your priority now is to protect the nun. You got it?”
“Jace!” shouted Abigail. “You can’t just order me to leave you behind! Don’t be such a—”
I cut the com off. She was probably screaming at the console right now, but oh well. It was for her own good.
* * *
The Union squadron of strike ships arrived shortly after I gave the order to leave. The came to a quick halt right in front of me, so close I could see them and they could see me.
I knew they wouldn’t shoot me, not without first dragging me into a prison cell and interrogating me for information. I wasn’t stupid enough to think otherwise.
That didn’t mean I wouldn’t kill as many of these fools as possible in the process, though. If they wanted to take me in alive, it was going to cost them. That was for damn sure.
The nearest strike ship moved in, closing the gap between us, until it was hovering a hundred yards away. It could have been less or more. Hard to tell in space.
The side hatch of the ship opened, its door sliding up to reveal two men, each wearing a spacesuit. One of them pointed toward me, then pointed at the ship. I guessed he was trying to tell me to come inside, but I wasn’t about to make this easy for them. That asshole would have to come and get me first.
After a few fruitless attempts to communicate, he seemed to say something to the person beside him, and the two leapt free of the ship and headed in my direction.
When they were about halfway to me, I reached for my wrist and tabbed the thruster controls, turning myself around. With my back at them, I burst forward, floating away. With my momentum set, I used the last of my nitrogen to twist myself around so I could see them, and then waved.
The two men stopped where they were, doubling back to their ship. “That’s right, you little fuck nuggets,” I muttered. “You want me, you’re gonna have to work for it.”
Three of the ships came closer, gaining quickly on me. Each of their doors opened this time, rather than just one, and I saw several suited individuals emerge, each ready to take me in.
That was more like it.
I continued floating away from them, toward the empty void at my back. It was satisfying, watching them squirm. I expected I’d get the beating of my life in a few minutes, once they had me inside one of their ships…but fuck if it wasn’t worth it.
Right as three of the soldiers were getting close to me, with one angry-looking asshole at the forefront, something happened.
A green glow came over us, which I could see reflecting off their helmets and suits, coming from behind me.
The soldiers stopped where they were, motioning to each other to return to their ships. They scurried like crabs on a beach, a mad panic in them.
To make matters worse, the glow had grown stronger and brighter. It was beginning to encapsulate my own suit. I raised my arm, trying to look at the reflection of the tiny dash on my wrist.
A split in space had formed, creating an opening to slipspace. The swirling emerald shined brightly against my plating.
That was when the ship emerged, its massive circular hull squeezing through the lightning walls. At first, I didn’t recognize it. The panel on my wrist was shit for viewing, with its dents and smudged surface, but after a moment I began to piece together what I was seeing.
It was Titan, coming back to the fight.
One of the strike ships burst forward, towards me, probably
in a last-ditch effort to pick me up, but before it could get too close, a ray of blue light overtook us.
Nearly all of the strike ships were caught inside of it, along with me. I began to drift upwards, away from the enemy ships, which seemed to be totally motionless. The ship that had been on its way to me was frozen in place, immobilized and unable to either attack or flee.
Meanwhile, I continued to move at a 45-degree angle, the blue light encapsulating me as it brought me closer to the source.
Closer to Titan.
Realizing my com was still turned off, I switched it back on. “Hello? Anyone reading me?” I asked.
“Welcome, Captain Hughes,” answered Athena. “I apologize for the delay.”
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought I told you to run.”
“I did as you asked, but changed the plan mid-flight. I shifted the tunnel to curve back to the edge of the system, hoping to assist The Renegade Star.”
“Where’s Abigail? Did she get away?” I asked.
“I sent a command to Sigmond the moment we arrived. He was in the process of opening a tunnel, not far from our present location,” she explained. “Ms. Pryar should return momentarily.”
I let the beam carry me deeper into the megastructure. It only took a minute or so before I was brought inside one of the docking bays—different from the one The Star typically parked in. I floated over the floor, the blue light surrounding me, and gently came to a rest, right on my ass.
I got to my feet and, before I could say anything, a display appeared on the nearby wall, showing the ships outside, still trapped in the beam. “Captain,” said Athena, appearing in the corner of the screen. “What would you prefer I do with these vessels?”
I briefly considered telling her to slam them together, until each of the strike ships was nothing but a piece of metal and flattened Union soldiers between them, but then decided against it.
Not because I didn’t want to. I would’ve loved to watch those assholes get what they deserved. It was just that we had to get our asses out of here before the rest of that fleet caught up with us. They must have certainly noticed Titan by now, so it wouldn’t be long before they were all over us. “Let’s head out. Open a new tunnel, and as soon as The Star is here, set a course and get us out of this godforsaken system.” I twisted my helmet, snapping it off. “And Athena, one last thing.”
“Yes, Captain?” she asked.
“If any of those strike ships tries anything, use one of those heavy cannons of yours and blow them straight to hell. Don’t leave a scrap of metal behind.”
Fifteen
The Renegade Star docked a few minutes after I was back on Titan. The second it landed, we were already pushing into a new tunnel, well on our way to anywhere-but-here.
Abigail found me a few minutes later. I could see she was steaming, before she even got to me. “Jace Hughes! How dare you force me to leave you behind! Do you have some sort of death wish?!” She marched straight up to me, sticking her finger in my face. “You can’t just throw your life away and expect the rest of us to let you do it! What sort of idiot are you? Answer me, goddammit!”
I stared at her as she glared up at me. “You sure let yourself get worked up, don’t you?” I asked.
“Don’t try to change the subject! I could have handled those ships! You can’t just make all the decisions, Jace! So what if I’m in danger? You don’t give yourself up to save me!”
I started to walk past her, towards The Star. “Who said I was saving you?” I asked. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to save up the cash to buy this ship? It’d take ages to get a new one.”
She let out an angry snarl, which made me chuckle. “You’re hopeless!”
I climbed aboard my ship and sealed the lift so I wouldn’t be disturbed.
“Welcome back, sir,” said Sigmond. “I’m relieved to see you’re still alive.”
“Thanks, Siggy,” I said, taking a sip of my drink. It burned the part of my lip that I’d chewed, but I didn’t care. “Athena, you hearing me?”
“Yes, Captain,” she answered.
“I want to be alone for a few hours. Don’t bother me unless you have to.” I paused. “Don’t bother me at all. Bother Freddie or something.”
“If you wish,” she answered.
I grabbed a bottle of whiskey and collapsed in my sofa, pouring myself a drink and putting my feet up.
I raised my cup. “Here’s to nearly getting caught and killed, Siggy.”
“Here, here,” said Sigmond.
I lowered the cup, staring down at the swirling liquid. “Here, here,” I muttered, but didn’t take another drink. Instead, I sat it on the table in front of me and watched it. I stared into it, although I couldn’t say why. I started to reach for it, but dropped my hand to my side instead. For some reason, I just didn’t want it anymore.
* * *
I managed to fall asleep pretty quickly, all the energy drained from me. When I finally awoke, it was the early morning, which meant I’d slept for nearly ten hours.
I showered and pissed, then tossed my jacket on and holstered my gun on my hip.
No doubt, everyone was probably still asleep. It would be the perfect time to take a walk and stretch my legs.
“Enjoy your stroll, sir,” said Sigmond.
I shot him a rude gesture as I exited the ship, then made my way into the nearby corridor.
The sleeping quarters for the rest of the crew were along this hallway and one other, which allowed each of them to stay in close proximity, should anything need their collective attention. The only exceptions were me and Dressler, who was still on my ship in Abigail’s old room.
It had been my idea originally to have everyone’s quarters nearby. We’d encountered an alarming number of emergency situations before now, so we’d be stupid not to expect more of them, as today had proven. The closer their rooms, the faster they’d be able to mobilize, or so the hope had been. You can never predict how anyone will react in an emergency—not until it actually happens.
Titan had a cafeteria, which used long-term stasis pods to keep various amenities intact, including meals and drinks. There were far less now than when Titan had first switched to emergency power, two thousand years ago, and many of the pods had stopped working by this point. Still, we had enough food and water to keep us going for the next three centuries. There were only eight of us, after all.
I entered the cafeteria and walked up to the dispenser, pressing the button I knew produced a hot plate of eggs and bacon. It arrived in less than a minute, steaming and smelling like the real thing, although I knew it was simply reprocessed organic matter, adapted to fit a certain kind of taste and texture.
I took my seat in one of the ten, thirty-seat benches, and had a bite. Not bad for a two-thousand-year-old omelet, I thought.
It sort of reminded me of the food in juvie, back on Epsy. They used to feed the kids there the same meals every week, most of which was disgusting variations of the same soy compilation. Breakfast was different, though, because it was hard to mess up eggs, even the fake stuff. It was one of those foods that they’d somehow managed to replicated and genetically modify without losing the flavor. Some of the kidshad doused theirs with ketchup and mustard, but not me. I always ate them plain, no matter what. I took another bite, letting the synthetic yellow egg melt in my mouth, and smiled. This shit was even better.
I finished my meal and set it to the side, then sat there for a while, just enjoying the quiet. No sassy nuns, no noisy kids, no Freddie pestering me with questions. Only the gentle quiet of a mostly empty megastructure, spiraling through a slip tunnel.
Before I could relish in the thought for much longer, I heard the pitter patter of tiny feet running through the nearby hallway. I glanced up at the open door, only to see little Lex shuffling into the cafeteria. "Mr. Hughes?" She asked me. "What are you doing here? How come you're not asleep?"
I could ask you the same thing, kid.
"
She gave me a mischievous grin, one that told me she was clearly up to no good. "I was just exploring." She walked over to the other side of the bench, throwing her feet over it and dangling them.
"It's a bit early for you to be exploring, don't you think?"
"I couldn't sleep. I don't know why," she said.
I gave the kid a slight nod. "I know how you feel. I've been there." I thought about my own insomnia, back in Juvie. The other kids and I used to stay up late, telling stories about where we'd been before we got there. Most of the time, they were all just made up, make-believe little tales we told to impress the others, and we all knew it. None of us came from an exciting life. None of us had ever left the planet. Personally, I used to say that I was the son of a Renegade, and that somewhere out there my dad was flying around, kicking ass and getting rich; that someday he'd come back for me, and we’d do it all together. Part of me wanted to believe, but the other part knew the hard truth of it. Some nights I stayed awake thinking about the old man, wondering where he was and what he was doing. It was nights like those when I thought too much about it, the possibilities of what might have happened to him, where he might have gone. It kept my mind from winding down.
All that worry fades when you get older, and it stops happening every time you shut your eyes, but everyone still has nights like that. They just happen less often than they used to. For me, I poured myself a glass and the problem took care of itself. Too bad for Lex, because I wasn't about to give her any booze. "Do you go exploring every night?" I finally asked.
"Yeah, almost," she said, grinning.
I laughed. This whole time I'd been passed out, thinking this kid was fast asleep, but all the while she was out and about, wandering all over this giant ass ship. "What areas have you been going to?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Um, I like to go to the 12th deck, mostly," she said tapping her chin, appearing to think about it. “It’s pretty there.”
“Pretty, huh?” I got out from the table, back on my feet. "What say we check it out and you show me?”