by DJ Morand
“I lost my family! I lost my home! I lost my future! You want me to just forget that your father groomed me to be his secret weapon!? Forget that he was using my intelligence and lack of social understanding to manipulate me into a tool! I never wanted to be a part of the EFNF. I just wanted to find a way home. Then! Oh ho ho, then, I was nearly killed by Alek Vale. Did you know he was a Commander!? Part of your EFNF. Your father, the great Admiral James David Shade, let him out of quarantine! Your father is the cause of all this glitching nonsense!” He motioned to the world around him, but seemed to indicate the entirety of the universe.
“Don’t you flakking cry, don’t you dare!” Abel was furious and he wanted to unleash his fury on the one person who represented the EFNF.
“Captain Abel Cain!” The voice was Zee’s. “Stand down. It is not the girl’s fault.” Abel turned dagger eyes toward Zee, his logic making far too much sense.
“Fine! She wouldn’t understand anyway.” Abel said sullenly as he slammed back into his seat, throwing a tantrum like a child scolded.
“Oh I wouldn’t would I!?” As if something snapped, Echo lit into Abel. “Your betrayal killed my father! If you had been there between the two of you--” she fumbled for the words, “you could have figured it out! He wouldn’t have blown the shield like a flakking glitch and he’d still be alive, as would my mother!” She had not meant to reveal that last bit, but she was into it now.
“Elara Shade was a grand woman and would not leave her husband to die alone. No Quintarran would! So you say you lost your family, so have I! Get over it! You, as well as I, and everyone else have to live in this universe, just the way it is. The way we made it!” She was openly crying now, but she was not sobbing.
“Grow up Abel Cain, you’re no more a Captain than you are a man. Step up and do something about the EXOs. You can drop me off at the nearest planet, I’ll find my own ride!”” she said biting off the last words and her last hope of enlisting his help.
“Fine!” Abel shouted at her his face red with anger.
“Fine!” she shouted back. Zee sighed. Humans and their emotional struggles never ceased to amaze him. He noted that the Kodiak was coming into view.
“Captain, I have visual on the Kodiak.” Zee said.
“About time! Let’s get the flak off this rock.” Abel exulted.
“The sooner the better.” Echo spat.
KODIAK RISING
Eden - Kodiak: Command Deck
2972 ESD - Thursday, November 5th 23:31 hours
Abel sat impatiently on the command deck of the Kodiak watching the digital display of the gremlins scrubbing and repairing his starboard nacelle. He watched the gremlins travel through the oval shaped engine clearing and cleaning out debris. They’d been back for over an hour and he was still impatiently watching the view screen. He knew he owed an apology to Echo, but he didn’t feel like getting into it. He was also considering her and the help she had come to ask for. He wasn’t sure of the reception the other humans in the inner system would give him; if it was anything like those on Eden he was going to have a bad time. So were they – he vowed to himself. The viewer he was watching alerted him the gremlins were complete and clearing out the back of the nacelle.
“Time to flex,” he said quietly to himself then louder. “Zee! Let’s get this bird off the ground. Plot a course for Quintar VII. Exodus Union members settled there after a dispute with the EFNF. It’s mostly civilian - last time I checked - but they should have a few personal ships we can secure and provide Echo with her own. I’m not sure she should remain aboard the Kodiak.” He was rambling and he knew it. “Once we reach seven we’ll decide what to do.” Abel said. Zee nodded and plotted the course.
“Captain, if I may, I think you should consider what Captain Shade has to say.” Zee said calmly. “She went a long ways out of the way for our help. Also, I am curious as to what she has heard about the EXOs and why they want you.” Zee finished.
“It may be as you say Zee. I’ll think about it, but if we do anything we do it our way, the Kodiak way. Understood?” Abel declared.
“Understood Captain.”
* * *
Eden - Kodiak: Crew Berthing
2972 ESD - Thursday, November 5th 23:40 hours
Echo Shade lay in her bunk in crew berthing and contemplated how she was going to explain what was happening in the Quintar Prime system, especially the inner system, let alone what she knew about Abel and the Kodiak. She wanted to tell them how the EFNF was falling apart. How several factions had split from the EFNF and formed their own fringe militaries.
She didn’t even know how to begin to describe what was happening in the inner rings of the system other than ancient history repeating itself. Echo especially had no idea how she was going to broach the subject about the Quintarran nanites and the research aboard the Kodiak.
She contemplated the Exodus Union. They still preached peace and knowledge over power struggles, but they had little voice in the government or even in the EFNF. The increasing presence of the EXOs led to political fallout. As much as she hated to admit it, the actions of her father resulted in an outright schism between the factions of the EFNF government.
The core stations around the moons of Quintar V still held the host of the EFNF forces and law. The other planets away from Quintar V had their own government rulers now. Echo was a part of one of those separated factions. The EFNF she served had a base on Quintar IV. She had seen the effect of a divided union on Eden, the people turned to hate and what the ruling bodies did with power or fear, or both. She did not want to see what would become of her home system if someone didn’’t help. She laid this at the feet of the EXOs, ultimately, and at the feet of Alek Vale.
Echo knew she had to be honest with Abel, maybe even see if she could grant him a commission in the EFNF.
No, he would never take it, she thought. Abel was a capable fighter and gunship captain, but he was not an officer. She desperately wanted to tell them everything, but the sudden outbursts and rage that she witnessed in Captain Abel Cain made her think twice. Echo knew that within Abel and the Kodiak laid the keys to unlocking the EXOs and in defeating them.
She sat up in the bunk and contemplated the events that led her here. Her father had warned that seeking out Abel Cain was a mistake; yet she knew that the hero the Quintarrans revered was still in the man. Echo decided she was going to speak to him once they were off Eden. This planet was too dangerous to stay on and she did not want to distract them.
“Captain Shade, your presence is requested.” It was the voice of Zee calling her from the main communications system. Echo looked up, slightly startled.
This is your last chance E, don’t blow it. She motivated herself internally, knowing that if she failed, Humans and Quintarrans in the Quintar Prime system were doomed.
* * *
Eden - Kodiak: Command Deck
2972 ESD - Thursday, November 5th 23:31 hours
Abel sat in his quantum locked captain’s chair once again and felt perfectly at home. All statuses on his viewer read positive and they were ready to lift off. He turned to Zee and requested power output, while he adjusted the angle of the nacelles.
“Zee. Give me full power in the nacelles, and prep the aft engines for fire. Once we’re airborne I want to blast out of here like a bat out of hell.” Abel used an old euphemism, one he wasn’t sure he was using correctly.
“Understood Captain. Igniting the starboard and port nacelles in 3 … 2 … 1” The oval cylinders flared to life as the anti-matter fuel generated energy and subsequently lift. Within moments the URSA GS-I - call sign Kodiak - lifted off the planet Eden.
Despite his assurances to Zee that he would consider hearing Captain Shade out, he still felt it was necessary for her to have her own fighter. Too much happened on his ship that he had to monitor and entertaining another pilot - let alone Echo - was not something he was prepared to do. He knew it was the feelings he was starting to develop for her.
“Zee do we have any unmanned stations on our baby here?” Abel asked, using the odd colloquialism earthlings liked to assign to inanimate objects. Zee looked at him with a pained expression, then searched for any available stations.
“Yes Captain. Two stations. A secondary modulator station for maintaining the quantum plating, and a targeting station. I remotely control these stations, but we have not built in the server or Transteel command stations into them.” Zee stated.
“Alright. Hail crew berthing, give Echo her choice. We need a capable pilot on those stations and I have a feeling that we’ll need to manage both simultaneously.” He knew he might be offending Zee with this comments, but his co-pilot did not seem to mind.
“Captain Shade, your presence is requested.” Zee said into the communications system, directing the request to crew berthing. A moment later Captain Echo Shade appeared in the entry way to the command deck.
“You asked to see me?” she inquired of both Zee and Abel.
“What stations were they Zee?” Abel asked.
“Alpha Zeta, and Bravo Tango. Sir.” Zee responded.
“Take your pick Shade,” Abel began, “one is a relay for defenses, keeping the external quantum plating in motion. The other is targeting for the secondary weapons array. I need Zee to focus on one or the other. We could use your help on the other station.” He had the courtesy to turn around and face her at least.
“Very well Captain.” She acquiesced. She had hoped it would have been an opportunity to talk. “Zee which would you prefer?””
“With my implants I can focus on either to utmost efficiency. However, I prefer defense.” Zee said. Abel gave him an odd look.
“Defense? Really?” Abel quipped. Zee and Echo ignored it.
“Very well, targeting array it is.” Echo stated. “Which way?”
“Bravo Tango, it is the station opposite the Captain.” Zee proffered.
“Alright, now that’s settled. Let’s get our frozen asses off this heap.” Abel said as he pushed the throttle up. The nacelles angled forward adding lift to their propulsion. At first the ship refused to budge. Abel increased the throttle and they could all hear the faint cracking beneath them.
“Don’t worry, it is just the ice on the landing gear. We let her sit too long.” Abel called back and with a final thrust gave them full power. The Kodiak lurched forward and leapt into the air.
“Captain. I am showing that the landing gear is frozen, I am unable to retract.” Zee informed Abel. Abel Cain grimaced at the news, then entered a few commands on his view screen. The ship leveled out and the nacelles angles changed from slightly horizontal to vertical. The heat from the exchange melted the ice below them.
“I have landing controls once more Captain.” Zee intoned with a bit of surprise.
“Ha! It worked.” Abel said with a bit of surprise himself as Echo shook her head in disbelief. The Kodiak lurched forward again as Abel angled the jets to launch the ship into the upper atmosphere. “Zee give me power on those main thrusters!”
“Thrusters in 3 … 2 … 1.”
The ship balked at the sudden change in propulsion then tore through the lower levels of the upper atmosphere, clearing the near ever-present storm clouds in short order. Echo watched her targeting array, waiting for contacts. She noticed a small blip on the screen indicating that at least one contact was near them.
“Captain.” Echo said in a shaky voice, “I’ve got one on our six, and three more closing in on nine.” She added as more blips appeared on the screen.
“How fast are they closing in? Interception course or inbound traffic?” Abel asked.
“Looks to be interception.” Echo clarified.
“I have a communications hail sir.” Zee piped in. Abel’s face froze, he turned to Zee and with a very serious expression he spoke slowly.
“Do not answer that! Zee, scan the ships incoming, let me know if they have EXO onboard.” Abel yelled to his co-pilot. Zee faced his station, as always seeming inattentive but actually controlling the ship stations with his nanites. The scans targeted and channeled through the incoming ships.
“All contacts have EXO virus onboard sir. They are hostile.” Zee said.
Without waiting for confirmation of orders, Echo began targeting the incoming ships, temporarily ignoring the one following on their six. The pulse laser turrets on the port side of the ship flared to life and arced out towards the incoming EXO ships. Abel turned his entire chair towards Echo’s station.
“What the flak are you doing?” he demanded.
“Taking care of the enemy sir.” She bit off the last and Abel couldn’t help but chuckle. He had been about to give the order, but Echo’’s zeal beat him to the punch. The zeal is what threw him off. The pulse lasers hit their mark damaging two of the incoming ships immediately. One of the birds descended back through the clouds and, Abel assumed, to the ground.
“Nice shooting Shade. Keep it up.” Abel praised her. He had to admit, she had a certain amount of gusto when it came to battling.
Sort of odd for a woman, he thought to himself. He had to admit he liked her and her gusto.
“Zee, activate the inertial dampeners and grav emitters. I’m about to give these EXOs a ride!” Abel said with a mischievous grin.
Abel waited for the computer to display gravity emitters and inertial dampeners were active, then he punched the throttle to full and blasted through the planet’s atmosphere. The front of the Kodiak blazed with blue white flame as they cut through the thick atmosphere far faster than their initial descent. The white of the sky instantly transformed into the inky blackness of space dotted by points of light.
Before the EXOs could react to the sudden burst of speed from the Kodiak, Abel twisted the ship around and brought his primary cannon to bear. He targeted the exit vector of the EXO ships and activated the cannon. A brilliant flare of the white-green beam of anti-matter blurred from the Kodiak directly into the exit vector for the enemy ships.
“Flak staying here to see our handiwork. Echo keep an eye on our rear, shoot anything that clears Eden’s atmo. Zee, drop a tachyon burst and let’s get the flak out of here.”” The tachyon burst flared behind them as Abel steered the ship away from Eden.
“That is how it is flakking done! Well done folks.” Abel congratulated his crew as they cleared Eden’s orbit and made their way towards Quintar VII.
That felt too easy, Echo thought.
* * *
Eden – Border Towns: Silence Territory
2972 ESD - Thursday, November 5th 18:00 hours
Mercury Frinz stood in the desolate plaza, the body of Breaker Jones was barely recognizable, but somehow the man was still breathing; albeit raggedly. Burned and torn Breaker couldn’’t have possibly survived, but he had. Mercury motioned for a medic to tend to the wounded noting that it looked like a warzone. He walked the plaza that was filled with derelict and dilapidated ships. The man walking beside him was different. He wasn’t human and he was certainly not Quintarran. His pale skin reminded Mercury of death. He looked at Mercury with something akin to disdain, as if he were looking at a cockroach that had crept into his home.
“Mercury,” the man hissed. His voice was like metal scraping against metal, but it was somehow charged with electrical current.
“This is disappointing. Your last message told me that Abel Cain was here on Eden. This looks like either he was blown away, or he managed to escape. If it is the former you will suffer a fate worse than your precious Talia.” The EXO spoke, his voice grating.
“I am judging by your examination of that man there, it is the latter.” The EXO turned setting his glowing blue eyes upon Mercury. “I have an exit vector for the Kodiak. I am going to send a little surprise. Come with me we are going to Quintar VII.”
The EXO walked away from the yard without looking back. He stopped for a brief moment, turned and pointed to Breaker Jones, “See that he has the medical attention he needs and then inject him with the virus. I
may yet have a use for him.” Mercury merely nodded. He was grateful that the EXO had not taken his head - or worse, exed him instead. Exing Breaker Jones was a small price to pay to save his own neck.
* * *
Quintar VII Orbit - Kodiak: Command Deck
2972 ESD - Monday, November 9th 09:52 hours
The rest of the escape from Eden was uneventful, something that gnawed at Abel. Zee had set the course for Quintar VII and then retired to take rest. Abel was left alone on the command deck watching space. The stars, normally points of light sped past the Transteel canopy in a beautiful display. Abel always liked how the universe was so vast and yet so unquantifiable. Not in any way most could understand, but he viewed things differently.
Time was indeed relative. He had only to look at his own life to know this. He had been trusted and loved by his family, had been taught by the greatest scientific minds in the Sol system, and had become the most renowned scientist in the Quintar Prime system, all in what felt like eons at times and what passed in seconds at other times. He could not quantify the number of stars, systems, and galaxies in the universe, but he could quantify his place and his worth in it.
He knew he was a genius and he knew he had the means to help Humans and Quintarrans alike. The decision he had was whether or not to do so. Humanity had shunned him and twice cast him out, thrice if you counted Eden. However, his closest friend and confidant was Zee, a Quintarran who had taken Abel as he was. Abel contemplated that relationship and decided he had a duty to protect the Quintarrans, despite his feeling for humanity. If that meant saving humanity in the process then so be it.
The Transteel viewer gave a single blip as the auto-pilot on the ship dropped from FTL, he had not wanted to use the Warp T-Drive for such a short distance. It was old technology - the Warp-T drive - and it used a vast amount of fuel for each jump; fuel they did not have to spare. As they came out of FTL the planet Quintar VII came into view below.