by S. E. Smith
Cassa de Rola’s family has lived for centuries in the quiet valley where they farm. She fervently hopes their valley will stay quiet, but the growing unrest between intergalactic forces makes it unlikely that her family will remain untouched for much longer. When an unusual object falls from the sky and Cassa finds a strange male in the container, she knows that taking him in will endanger the lives of everyone close to her, but she can’t leave him defenseless.
Military forces on both sides become determined to discover the origins of the container and find its missing contents. The dominoes fall, and when the fight between the Legion and the Gallant Order escalates to all-out war, a new rebel leader emerges from the stars that will change the galaxy, and Cassa’s life, forever.
Excerpt:
Lyndon B. Johnston Space Center, Houston, Texas: 0800.
Josh held out his hand to retrieve his security badge and picked up the small bag holding his belongings. His gaze flickered around the huge reception area of the compound before narrowing on an older woman that was walking toward him and Ash. She paused to speak with one of the guards, glancing at the two of them several times before she nodded.
“Commander Manson, Commander Haze, welcome to the space program. My name is Lydia Gaines. I’m one of the senior scientists that will be overseeing your training. Please follow me,” she said with a warm smile before reaching out to take two badges that the security guard was holding. Turning back to them, she held one out to him before giving the other to Ash. “You’ll need to keep that with you at all times. If you don’t, you’ll find yourself locked out.”
“Dr. Gaines, can you tell us what this is all about?” Josh asked with a frown. “The information we were given was little more than an order to report here.”
Lydia smiled over her shoulder as she swept her badge across a lighted post and stepped through. Josh did the same, following her. Ash glanced at Josh with a raised eyebrow as he did the same.
“Everything will be explained shortly, Commander. I apologize for the lack of information given to you so far. I’ve, uh, scheduled a briefing within the hour,” Lydia assured him, pausing outside a bank of elevators. “I think it would be best if the entire team is present.”
“Team?” Ash asked, watching as the doors parted.
Josh watched as Lydia Gaines nodded her head and stepped into the elevator. He followed and turned. Ash raised an eyebrow at him again. It was Ash’s way of asking him if he had figured out anything. Josh gave a barely visible shake to his head.
He stepped to the back so that he was standing behind the woman. She was in her mid-sixties if he had to guess. His gaze swept down over her. She was wearing a pair of tan dress pants and a dark red blouse with a wide, matching red belt around her waist. Her feet were encased in a pair of sensible, tan loafers that matched her pants. Except for her badge, she didn’t appear to be carrying anything else. The lack of information was frustrating to Josh.
“How long have you been in Houston, Dr. Gaines?” Josh asked politely.
Lydia glanced over her shoulder with a smile. “Almost, uh, ten years, Commander,” she replied. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious,” Josh said with a shrug. “I imagine the weather isn’t much different from Louisiana.”
Lydia’s soft chuckle filled the elevator as it began to slow. “Very good, Commander. Can you tell me which part of Louisiana I came from?” she asked with a curious expression of her own.
“Outside of New Orleans, perhaps the Metairie area,” Josh replied. “You have a slight French accent on some of your syllables and often use the term ‘uh’ which is common in the south Louisiana dialect.”
Lydia’s eyes widened and she nodded in approval. “Your files indicated that you were a smart man, Commander Manson. You’ll need to be for this mission,” she added before turning around and stepping out of the elevator.
“I wonder what in the hell that file says about me?” Ash muttered under his breath. “How the hell did you know where she was from?”
Josh’s lips curled into a smirk. “The last woman I dated came from New Orleans and said ‘uh’ in just about every sentence,” he admitted with a mischievous grin. “I immediately recognized it. It isn’t something you forget, especially when it is inserted repeatedly between exclamations of passion.”
Ash chuckled and shook his head. “Only you would pick up on something like that,” he muttered.
Josh walked down the long corridor following their escort. Each room they passed was filled with people. What was strange, they all paused when he and Ash passed by to stare at them before bursting out in excited conversation.
“Something is up,” Ash whispered, glancing at the rooms as they passed. “I swear I’m getting the feeling that we are about to be fed to the lions or something.”
“It’s the ‘or something’ that has me worried,” Josh retorted under his breath.
He slowed his stride before coming to a stop when Lydia paused outside of a room. Her hand gripped the door handle and she smiled at the two of them with a hint of pride and anticipation. Josh was pretty sure she could feel their frustration and curiosity.
“Commanders, I’d like to welcome you to Project Gliese 581g,” Lydia said, pushing the door open and motioning for them to step through.
Josh glanced at Lydia before he stepped through the door. His eyes widened when he saw instead of a conference area, they were in what looked like a huge training room. Dozens of people paused as he and Ash stepped inside.
In the center of the room was a strange looking spaceship, or at least a section of it. He walked forward, his eyes glued to the futuristic design. His gaze ran over the outer hull. Small windows around the bottom gave a hint as to what might lie inside. This was far different from the space shuttles that he had seen.
“What is this?” he asked with a frown.
“It’s a replica of the Gliese 581 Starship,” a soft voice replied. “A long range spacecraft made specifically for an extended exploration.”
Josh turned to watch as a slender woman in her early thirties walked up to him. She was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a white cotton top. Her brown hair was piled up on the top of her head in a messy bun with small wisps fanning her face. Her dark brown eyes were piercing and held a look of curiosity and an intense assessment of them – as if she was evaluating whether he and Ash measured up to her expectations. In her left hand, she carried two binders.
“Dr. Julia Marksdale,” she said, holding out her right hand.
“Josh Manson,” Josh replied, shaking her hand before turning as Ash stepped up.
“Ashton Haze, but everyone calls me…,” Ash started to say with the easy grin that melted most women’s hearts.
“Ash,” Julia Marksdale finished with a smile. “Your reputation is well documented, as is Commander Manson’s. We are honored to have you as part of our team. Lydia, I’ll introduce them to the Gliese’s command center, if you like, while you let everyone know that they have arrived.”
“Thank you. Gentlemen, I leave you in very capable hands,” Lydia replied with a smile. “We’ll meet for the in-depth briefing in an hour.”
Julia nodded. She waited until Lydia had walked away before she turned back to look at them. Josh’s eyes instinctively moved down to her left hand – it was bare and there was no sign of a ring having been on it. His curiosity grew when she turned and looked up at the replica. She waved her hand toward it and gave them a smile filled with pride.
“It is slightly different from the aircraft you are used to flying. Would you like to see the inside?” she asked with a smile when both men nodded.
“Is this replacing the shuttles? It was my understanding that private companies were taking over the development of reusable spacecrafts to ferry astronauts around,” Ash commented, glancing up at the massive circular pod.
“This is slightly different,” Julia replied. “While this has several private backers, this spaceship is designed for an interp
lanetary mission.”
Surprise coursed through him at her words. He glanced at Ash. His friend had a what-the-fuck-does-that-mean expression on his face. He felt the same way as he started forward.
“Project Gliese 581g is an international project that was started six years ago. It is projected to launch in eighteen months, if all goes well,” Julia said as she stepped around to a steep, portable staircase.
“What has to happen for it to go well?” Ash asked.
Julia stopped on the fourth step and turned to look down at them. A small smile curved her lips. Josh could feel that assessing look as she scanned both of them again.
“Whether or not you both agree to accept this mission,” Julia replied, turning to climb the stairs. “The team needs you, but this mission is on a volunteer basis because of its nature.”
“It would be nice to understand what in the hell is going on. Usually the briefing comes first,” Josh retorted behind her.
“I second that,” Ash responded in a frustrated voice, staring back at Julia. “It’d be nice if someone actually told us why we are here.”
Julia bit her lip and nodded. “Let me show you the Gliese 581 and I’ll explain what I can before the meeting,” she replied, turning to finish climbing the steps.
Josh swallowed and looked around the futuristic dashboard. It was like something out of a movie set. His hand ran along the back of the seat as he gazed down at the sophisticated control panel. Julia stood to one side in silence.
“Is this for real?” Ash asked in a husky voice filled with awe.
“Yes,” Julia replied. “It is an exact replica of the Gliese 581 control center. I apologize that neither of you were briefed before coming here. There are a few things that have to be approved before I can discuss them in depth. Lydia and I will try to correct that error as much as we can for the moment. I hope you understand the sensitive position that I am in at the moment. I promise to be open about everything once I receive final clearance to do so. Lydia suggested that you both might be interested in seeing the Gliese 581 trainer while she pulled the team in. Some of them are at other buildings on the compound. She thought it might help give a clearer picture of what we will be going over, as well.”
Josh nodded, not missing strain in Julia’s voice or the hint that there was a lot more to tell then just a mission to space. Whatever was going on, it was larger than a top secret spacecraft. This wasn’t an orbiter. Just as Julia said, this type of technology was meant for long distance travel through deep space.
He paused in front of the console, staring through what looked like a large window at the technicians moving around outside the trainer. The interior glass pane didn’t match with what he saw outside. His gaze ran over the console in front of him and he noticed a small screen that displayed the same image.
“From below it looked like there were just small windows,” Josh commented with a frown.
“What you are seeing is an illusion,” Julia said, stepping forward and touching several icons on the console screen. “It is a new technology the Chinese have developed. This will give us a greater view of what we see and help eliminate some of the feelings of being in a small space over a long period of time. At least, that is what we hope,” she added, turning off the cameras.
Josh blinked when he saw a curved wall appear in front of him. It looked almost like a large IMAX screen without the cameras on. Leaning forward, he repeated the process that Julia had done just seconds before and a visual of the large room reappeared.
“The resolution is the best I’ve ever seen,” Josh murmured in approval. “There’s no distortion that could happen with normal windows. Can you record as well?”
“Yes,” Julia replied. “It will be necessary for this mission to document as much as possible and send it back to Earth.”
“I’m assuming the briefing will cover this mission? In a nutshell, what is it about?” Ash asked, sliding into the seat next to where Josh was standing.
Julia looked down at Ash. “To discover if we are alone in the universe or not,” she replied in a quiet voice.
Josh’s head jerked up from where he was studying the controls. In his peripheral vision, he saw Ash’s head twist around as well. His mouth tightened at her quiet statement.
“Do you think we aren’t?” Josh asked.
Julia glanced at him and nodded. “I know we aren’t. The question is, what happened to the others and where did they come from?” she responded before glancing at her watch. “It’s almost time to meet the rest of the team. I have more information that I would like to go over with you before the briefing.”
Twenty minutes later, Josh and Ash sat in a large room that looked more like a mini-theater than a conference room. Every seat was filled. Julia had escorted him and Ash to the front row and indicated for them to sit down before she had stepped up onto the small platform next to Lydia.
Josh’s mind buzzed with the information Julia had shared just minutes before. He glanced down at the binder in his hand. Julia had explained that he had been selected as the commander and Ash had been selected as the pilot for a very special mission into space. While she did not go into much detail due to the limited time, he was piecing together what he had seen. This was a top secret, international mission, possibly to Mars, definitely deep space. He half wondered if the scientists had found something on their nearest planet that hadn’t been leaked to the news yet.
“Good morning. Thank you for taking time off of your busy schedules. This morning, I’m happy to welcome the last two members to our team,” Lydia announced, glancing at Josh and Ash for a moment before scanning the group. “Lt. Commander Joshua Manson will be the commander of the Starship Gliese 581 while Lt. Commander Ashton Haze has been chosen as the pilot. Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to the rest of your crew. You’ve already met Julia. She is a Mission Specialist and will provide navigation and contact support. While both Mei and Sergi are new to the crew, they are not new to Project Gliese 581g. Dr. Mei Li Hú is from the Chinese space agency. She is a Mission Specialist with a background in computer science, biology, and environmental systems. The last member of the team is Sergi Lazaroff. His specialty is in mechanical engineering, payload, and weapons.”
“Weapons?” Josh asked with a frown as he glanced at the spec sheet in front of him of the Gliese 581. “Will the Gliese be equipped with a weapons system?”
“Only in Sergi’s dreams,” Mei interjected, drawing laughter from everyone.
Lydia smiled at their teasing before she answered Josh’s question. “At the moment the answer is no, but we have not eliminated the possibility. The biggest drawback is the technology. We’ve advanced considerably over the last few decades, but a weapons system is still more science fiction than reality,” Lydia said. “This is a review for many of you, but the countdown has begun. In eighteen months, Project Gliese 581g will depart for the Earth’s first interplanetary mission.”
“Interplanetary,” Ash replied with a slight shake of his head. “This is huge. It would have been nice to have more than eighteen months to prepare.”
Julia turned to stare at Ash with a strained smile. “I understand your reservations, Commander. The tight deadline is unavoidable,” she explained. “The original crew for the mission would have received slightly more time to prepare. It is regrettable that the four of you won’t have the same opportunity. On a positive note, both Sergi and Mei have been on several missions to the International Space Station and have worked on the Gliese 581’s construction. It helps that they are familiar with space travel.”
“What happened to the original crew?” Ash asked with a raised eyebrow.
“They and the backup team were killed when the two helicopters they were on crashed while returning to the compound. There is only one original member of the crew left. I had a meeting in Washington that night and was delayed. It is the only thing that saved me, and possibly this mission. We lost some brilliant men and women in the crash, including my fath
er,” Julia replied in a quiet tone that resonated throughout the room.
“I remember hearing about it on the news, but didn’t realize the magnitude of it. I’m sorry for your loss,” Josh replied somberly after a minute of silence.
Josh studied Julia’s pale face. There was more to the story, but something told him it was personal. He could see the shadow of grief in her eyes when she explained the tragic accident that took the original crew members.
Josh caught Ash’s glance that told him his friend felt it as well. Turning his head, he stared at the others in the room. He listened while different project managers shared reports, progress, and issues they were having. It wasn’t until the end of the briefing, after Julia and Lydia quietly congratulated all of them for their selection as members of the crew, that he felt a nagging suspicion there was still more information being withheld.
“I look forward to the mission,” Josh responded with a sharp nod.
Ash was silent for a moment before he sat back in his seat. “Eighteen months to departure, huh?” he replied with a grim smile. “We have a lot to learn.”
“Yes, you both have a lot to learn in a short amount of time, but I promise you will also have the best team in the world behind you,” Julia said with a relieved expression.
“Does anyone have any questions before we begin?” Lydia asked, stepping up to the front again.
“I do,” Josh said with a twist of his lips.
“What is it, Commander?” Lydia asked.
Josh studied Julia’s face as he asked his question. “Where exactly are we going?” he asked.
Josh leaned against the outside wall of the training compound two days later. He drew in a deep breath and rolled his head on his shoulders to release the tension. He had just come back from his early morning run along the flightline.