Darkest Reach

by Eric Warren

  “Any effect?” he asked Zenfor.

  “Nothing I can see, it still has hold of the other shuttle.”

  “Can they disrupt the field with their anti-grav generators?” He looked from Zenfor to Box then back again. One of them had to have an idea.

  “They can try, I…” Zenfor was lost for words.

  “Helicon, overload your anti-grav generator. It might be enough to break yourselves free,” Cas said.

  “We’ll have to eject it first,” Suzanna said. “Then you or the wings will need to tow us back, we’ll be too heavy to move under our own power.” There was palpable panic in her voice, but she was remaining professional. Ejecting the generator first was a good idea, it would make the affected area larger.

  “We’re set to grab you,” Rafnkell said. Each of the spacewings was equipped with grappling hooks. Cas had been on the other end of one of those once, when Evie had caught his hab pod. With the five ‘wings working together they should be able to haul the shuttle back.

  “Ejecting generator now,” Suzanna said. “Pearson, detonate.”

  “Aye,” came Pearson’s voice from further away. There was a flash on the screen as the generator exploded.

  “It has disrupted the field in their immediate vicinity,” Zenfor said. “They can be towed away.

  “Spacewings, you’re go for—”

  “I need you more,” Morrow’s voice said, harsher this time. There was a desperation to it that hadn’t been present before. Cas watched as one of the tentacles that disappeared into the tear in space suddenly reached out and wrapped itself around the shuttle, dragging it back toward the creature.

  “Open fire, all ships open fire!” he yelled.

  “Commander, what do we do?” Grippen blurted.

  “Anything, fire anything you can, detonate anything you can! Tempest, kill that thing!”

  “On it,” Evie said. Blades of energy swooshed by the shuttle, impacting the creature in the center, but it didn’t let go of the shuttle. Explosive missiles shot from Tempest, following the energy blades, hitting the creature all over. Cas turned to Zenfor. She shook her head.

  “Box, do something!” Cas said, desperation in his own voice. Box jerked the controls and came alongside the shuttle, positioning the shuttle exhaust so it would blow right on the tentacle. He did a full burn, but it seemed to have no effect.

  “This one now, the rest later,” Morrow said, his voice becoming less and less human-like.

  “We have to get them out of there,” Cas said. “Suzanna, get your suits on and abandon ship,” he yelled.

  “We’re trying,” she said. “There’s a lot of turbulence.”

  “Box, we have to get over there to catch them. They’re going to jump out of the access port and we have to be there, we’re the only ones who can carry them.” Box nodded.

  “Linkovich, Iavarone, escort the other shuttle. The rest of you keep firing on that fucker!” Rafnkell screamed into the comm.

  Box flew the Parnitha so it was side-by-side with the Helicon. “Engage the force barrier,” Cas said. Box did as he was told and the access door slid open, revealing the blackness beyond. The glowing edges keeping space from sucking out all the oxygen and killing them. Cas could see the Helicon just beyond the door and the massive black tentacle with its slick surface holding the shuttle tight, crushing it in some places. “Are you ready over there?”

  “Just about,” Suzanna said and the door to the Helicon opened. She was in full enviro gear.

  “Not the meat,” Morrow said.

  “The creature has generated a huge electromagnetic wave,” Zenfor yelled. “We must pull back otherwise we’ll be stuck out here. We have to stay ahead of it.”

  “We can’t leave them out here!” Cas yelled, desperate. “Jump! Just jump now!”

  “Boss, the wave!” Box said.

  “I know, they’re almost here!” Suzanna’s eyes were wide with fear, but he could tell she’d already resigned herself to jump. She pushed off from the door, passing through the force barrier into open space. Box had lined them up so all she had to do was grab the side of the shuttle and pull herself in. After she jumped Cas saw Grippen right behind her.

  Another slick black feeler shot out as if from nowhere and grabbed Blohm. Before she even realized what was happening, she was sucked away from the edge of the door faster than he could almost see, disappearing into the darkness with the tentacle. She screamed but it was cut off in the middle. Cas had just enough time to meet Grippen’s gaze before the shuttle itself was yanked down at the same speed and was gone.

  “I’m pulling us around,” Box said. “We have to stay ahead of that wave.”

  Cas could barely think. That hadn’t just happened. “We have to…we can’t…” Arms grabbed him from behind and closed the access door.

  “Go, robot,” Zenfor said. The ship thrusted forward.

  “All ‘wings back to Tempest,” Rafnkell ordered but Cas was barely paying any attention. All he could focus on was the continuous weapons fire coming from Tempest and how if they weren’t careful they might hit the shuttle. They had to go back. They had to go back.

  He struggled against Zenfor’s grip, but her strength was superior and he couldn’t break free, no matter how hard he thrashed. “Box! Take us back goddammit! Take us back in there!”

  “Can’t do that, boss. We have to stay ahead of this wave,” he said. His metal head turned where Cas could only see one of his eyes. “Will we make it?”

  Zenfor lifted Cas over to her workstation, where her glyphs and maps filled the screen. “At your current speed, yes. But don’t slow.”

  “How can you be willing to leave them back there?” Cas yelled, still thrashing. “They’re members of the crew! They’re our friends!”

  “They’re dead, Caspian. There is no one left to save,” she said.

  32

  “You bastard.” Rafnkell stormed toward Cas as Zenfor assisted him out of the shuttle. Box had landed it back in Bay One while the rest of the wings made their way over to Bay Two. But in that short time Rafnkell had ejected from her ship, run across the entire Bay and bore down on Cas like a Calgarian bear. “That was one of my best pilots and my friend,” she said, ripping him away from Zenfor by the lapels. “And she’s dead because of you.”

  “I know,” was all Cas could manage. It was his fault. Attempting contact with the creature had been his idea and now three more crew members were dead because of him. Because of his orders. At least last time it had been because of someone else, at least directly. But there was no one else to blame this time.

  She slapped him across the face. Ryant and Jann grabbed her from behind and pulled her away from Cas as she fought like hell to get at him, her arms swinging. He didn’t care if she beat him to a bloody pulp. It was all his fault. Grippen…Suzanna. He felt an uncontrollable urge to break down right there on the deck.

  Metal hands grabbed him from behind, hoisting him up. “The captain wants to see everyone on the bridge,” Box said. “It was the last order to come through.” Box helped Cas forward until he realized how pathetic he was being and pulled away from his friend. He wasn’t going to be escorted onto the bridge like some waif. He was going to walk up there under his own power and accept the responsibility for what he’d done. But the entire trip he couldn’t help but think about what he could have done differently. If he had just let Greene destroy the creature to begin with, none of this would have happened. Or if Cas had insisted Tyler go instead of Suzanna. Or if they’d just used one shuttle instead of two, but he’d wanted to spread the risk. Deep down he’d known it was probably futile, and he’d pushed all that aside in the name of the Coalition.

  The doors opened to the bridge where Evie was shouting at Lieutenant Uuma, ordering her to continue firing at the creature. On the main screen ahead volleys of weapons spread out all over the darkened area, making impacts in the distance, but Cas couldn’t tell if they were making any headway or not. Greene turned when they entered
and told Evie to hold. “Conference room,” he said, indicating the door to the right. Cas led everyone into the room, not bothering to take a seat. Instead he stood at the far end, running his hands through his hair and trying to figure out what to say.

  Evie and Captain Greene came in behind everyone else, their faces grim. “Unfortunately our weapons seem to have little to no effect,” Greene said once the doors closed behind him. Box had taken one of the seats, as had Rafnkell, while Ryant and Jann stood behind her. Zenfor stood off to the side, watching everyone. “And since the mission to attempt communication was a complete failure I’m at a loss.”

  “Captain, we did everything we could to save them,” Box said. “But the creature knew what we were doing. It told us so.”

  “I’m aware, Mr. Box. We received the same transmissions. They were…unsettling to say the least.” Greene drew a deep breath. “And now we’ve lost three exceptional officers.” Cas caught Evie shoot him a look of pity. It was the last thing he wanted at the moment.

  “I’m willing to take full resp—” Cas began before Greene waved him off.

  “At this point, Robeaux, I don’t care about whose fault it was. I’m more concerned about how we’re going to get out of this thing. We only have a matter of hours before we follow the Helicon into whatever pit of despair it was just yanked into.”

  “I’m concerned with whose fault it is,” Rafnkell said. “Lucia was like my sister. And because this bastard thought he could talk to a space brain, I don’t even have a body to cremate.” She jumped up, almost scaling the table before Ryant and Jann grabbed her again. “Do you hear me, you asshole? I have to give rites to an empty coffin!”

  “She was my friend too! You think I didn’t do everything I could to save her and the others? You act like you’re the only one who gets to mourn!” Cas yelled back. He’d liked Grippen; she’d been one of the only people to accept him as he was. Not to mention Suzanna, whom he’d had a great amount of respect for. Even Pearson, who even when he was a pain in the ass had been a capable officer.

  “Calm down!” Greene snapped. Cas took a step back; he’d never heard Greene raise his voice before. “No one is going to be mourning anyone unless we find a way out of this. Since its obvious this creature—whatever it is—seems determined to kill us all, I’m willing to hear any suggestions. Nothing is off the table.”

  “None of the weapons have had any effect?” Box asked.

  “The blades are barely denting the energy field and the missiles are doing nothing to it. It’s like firing into a vacuum. We need something more sophisticated,” Evie replied. “We’ve been sending down continuous fire ever since it grabbed the shuttle.”

  “What about a trans-dimensional weapon?” Zenfor asked, rubbing her chin. “I have detailed scans of the creature; a trans-dimensional weapon might have an effect, especially if it occupies more than one dimension. Though it would need to be sophisticated.”

  “You’re talking about destroying space itself,” Greene said, his eyebrows forming a “v”.

  “Yes. This part of space would be untravelable. It would cut off a large part of the nebula from the undercurrents,” Zenfor said, matter-of-factly.

  “No. That’s not an option. The Coalition outlawed those a millennium ago, and every other civilization we’ve come up against has agreed. They are too dangerous, even for war.”

  “Mine didn’t. You just said nothing is off the table,” Zenfor replied. “This is a viable solution.”

  Greene shook his head. “No. I will not destroy an entire sector of space for our survival. We’ll send out a probe with our collected findings if we can’t find another solution. The Coalition will be able to collect it and learn from our mistake. They’ll also have to send another ship out to meet the Andromeda threat.”

  Zenfor narrowed her eyes. “You don’t deserve saving. When the Andromeda swarm comes, they will decimate the Coalition and all its inhabitants.”

  Greene slammed his fists on the table. “Our lives are not so important we destroy all future inhabitants’ ability to transverse this part of space. A trans-dimensional weapon will make this entire area uninhabitable. For tens of thousands of years. The answer is no, Consul.”

  Zenfor huffed and stormed out of the room. After a moment Greene indicated Cas go after her while Evie gave him a concerned look. “Keep her in line, Commander, I don’t want her doing anything reckless,” Greene said as Cas trotted out the door back on the bridge, not looking back as he left. There was that phrase again: keep her in line. He needed something else to focus on at the moment. And he didn’t want to see Rafnkell’s accusing face again. It was bad enough already without her reminders. The hypervator doors closed behind Zenfor just as he reached them and he had to run to the secondary hypervator on the other side of the bridge.

  “I’m sorry about Commander Blohm,” Zaal said as Cas stood, waiting for the carriage to come. “You must feel like it is your fault.”

  Cas tried to shake it off, finding little luck. “Yeah, I do.” He grimaced, trying to get the image of Suzanna being pulled down into the darkness, her screams coming through the open comm line.

  “It wasn’t meant as an accusation. I only wished to express my condolences.”

  “No, it’s fine. Condolences for what?”

  “She confided in me her…admiration for you.”

  By Kor, Cas didn’t need to know that. Was that what she’d been getting at? Why she’d wanted to be on a first-name basis? Now all he wanted to do was hitch at the hips and throw up all over the floor. But he had a job to do. He couldn’t let Zenfor out of his sight for long. He’d have to process that later. “Do me a favor and track the consul. See where she’s going.”

  “Internal scans indicate deck twelve.” Cas wracked his brain. What was on twelve? Not her quarters or the weapons lab. What was she doing? “I believe she might be headed toward the bar.”

  “What?” That didn’t make any sense. The Sil didn’t drink alcohol, she told him so herself. The hypervator doors opened and Cas stepped in. “Tell Greene I’ll bring her back. But I don’t want to spook her.”

  “I’ll let him know. Try not to fret, you couldn’t have known the creature was hostile.”

  Zaal needed to work on his tact. Empathy was not one of his strong suits. And the fact was Cas had already suspected the creature was dangerous, and he’d tried to go against his gut and do things the right way. Look where that had led him. He shook it off as the doors closed and he hit the indicator for nine. He needed to get his head straight; he needed to bring Zenfor back, or at least keep her from doing any damage. But what damage could she do in the bar, other than smash some bottles of whiskey?

  Whatever she was doing, he was determined to find out.

  33

  So this was the place. Zenfor took in the space, its dark paneled woods and warm lighting creating what the humans called a “cozy” atmosphere. But she didn’t see the appeal. This wasn’t cozy to her, it was like everything else on this ship, cold, detached and sterile. Everything here was so disconnected; it was a miracle these people even managed to function. How could one be expected to serve on a ship and not be in harmony with it? Not be aligned with everyone else on that ship? The people here, each one had their own set of beliefs and values, and hardly any of them were compatible. And those who were often clashed, such as Caspian Robeaux and Evelyn Diazal. She hadn’t experienced so much discord since before leaving Thislea. Life in space was supposed to be harmonious, not contentious. It was clear to her she only had a few more hours to live. And she had to spend those final hours in a place disconnected from those she knew and loved. It was not the ending she’d wish on any Sil.

  Zenfor shoved the door to the bar open, forcing herself inside. The lights remained dimmed but it was enough she could still see. She made her way over to the bar itself and grabbed the first bottle she saw. It had been difficult getting used to ingesting again after so many years of not even thinking about it. Renglas had taken
care of all her bodily functions, as it did for every member of the crew. So much she’d nearly forgotten about them. But disconnecting from the ship had brought all those familiar sensations screaming back to her and it took some time to learn how to regulate her systems. The Coalition machines managed to synthesize foods she and Mil’less could eat without making them sick, which was all they needed. But even the simplest things like keeping her body clean had become a chore. She’d forgotten how much time was wasted on maintenance and had she not fallen into a regular schedule would have disregarded it. She had Mil’less to thank for that.

  By the Fates of Guise, she missed her. Saying goodbye to her ship and crewmates had been hard enough. But saying goodbye to Mil’less had almost killed her. She truly thought she might die from the pain. But somehow she’d survived, trundled on and managed not to kill anyone on this ship yet. They had known their days were limited on their short trip to the Coalition station and though she’d tried to stay present and keep every moment in her heart, she couldn’t help but become apprehensive at the thought of separating. In the end, it had been worse than she could have even imagined.

  She took a chair on the far side of the room, ripped the stopper from the bottle and emptied it into her mouth, not caring some missed and dribbled down her chin and the sides of her cheeks. It was an interesting taste, like that of earth mixed with fire and it burned her throat as it traveled down but she didn’t stop until the bottle was empty. She set it aside and leaned back in the chair, waiting for the so-called effects.

  “Next time you might want to take it slower.”

  She didn’t bother turning to face him, it was obvious he’d come after her. After all, she couldn’t be allowed to be on her own for very long, could she?

  Caspian took the seat beside her. “I like to sip it, relish the taste. At least that’s what I tell myself so I don’t think of myself as an alcoholic.”

  “Your entire society is going to perish because you can’t see past your own rules,” she said, pushing the confrontation in the conference room out of her mind. These people were so enamored with the society they’d built they thought it was immune to distortion.