Starkiller Chronicle Bundle Part 2: Parts 4-6

by Lon E. Varnadore

  Garret came to attached bound in a chair. It felt like a cold metal chair, and the fact he felt anything was the first real worry. He looked down, finding his head was restrained and he could barely move it. But he could see down enough to see that his suit had been removed and he was in his skivvies.

  He took stock of himself and where he was. His head hurt from the stunner, cold from the cool air of the room itself and his throat parched from the dry air. He was breathing without difficulty which was a good sign. The greys had pumped in Earth’s oxy blend into the room, or into the complex. Garret thought the Eridani were able to breath the air on Earth before the war started.

  He gulped. “Well, this is going to be interesting.”

  “Yes, it will be interesting,” a voice said from the door. There was a small hiss and chime as the door opened. When the door opened, the strange Eridani walked in. The one that had stunned Garret.

  Garret licked his lips. “How are you—”

  “Walking? Not stuck in a grav-chair like the rest of the pathetic grey skinned freaks?” The Eridani asked, a smile on his strange bulbous head. The elongated diamond eyes held a malevolent red glint to them. “I am the pinnacle of the research of this facility, even at half capacity. The Eridani Brotherhood turned their back on my brethren. The Unity will succeed where the anemic Brotherhood failed.”

  Garret had no idea what the Eridani was talking about, and was sure he didn’t want to find out.

  The creature strode forward and Garret was surprised by how tall and strong this thing was. The body was six foot seven, rippling muscle, and without a stitch of clothing. One thing it did share with all of the other Eridani Garret had ever come face to face with was the lack of genitals. “So, why am I tied up? You into something kinky?” Garret asked with a rasied eyebrow. “Because my safeword is mustard, just so it is out there.”

  The sneer of the freak Eridani disappeared. Fuck with him and maybe I can find out where I am. And maybe give Yamahara some time to get me.

  “I don’t think that your captain will return any time soon. You and I are quite alone here. And very safe. At least for one of us,” the Eridani said, smiling in a cold way that sent shivers down Garret’s spine.

  The Eridani moved closer to him. “You are here to fulfil a purpose, nothng more. There is a reason you are still alive. For now.” He stepped behind Garret’s eyeline. Then a cold liquid dipped down his shoulder along his right arm to his elbow. “Once your DNA is harvested, you’ll be of little use to the Unity.”

  Alastair looked up from his star maps to his visitor. “What do you want, Reynolds”

  Reynolds squeaked when Alastair said his name. He moved forward, pulling out a piece of paper from a thick dossier folder. “Leader we need to deal with—”

  “Reynolds I don’t want to hear about Starkiller.” Alastair waved a hand to ward off the lackey.

  “Leader we need to talk about it,” Reynolds said, placing the sheet on top of the multiple star charts.

  “Reynolds so help me God I will kill you if you ruined my calculations.”

  Reynolds stepped back not wanting to risk his wrath. Alastair smirked smugly.

  “Is there anything you wish to discuss Reynolds?”

  Reynolds shook his head quickly. “No Leader. May I be excused, please?”

  “You’re dismissed Reynolds.” Alastair waved a dismissing hand at Reynolds.

  Reynolds left the office, though Alastair really didn’t care or really pay attention to his leaving. With him gone Alastair went back to the maps to settle the last figure to pinpoint Starkiller. He’d poured over the maps and charts for most of the day.

  He’d used charts like this for fifteen years before he had trust a computer enough to use their calculations. He had needed their speed in the Battle of the Line. Yet, he was the one who knew exactly;y where to attack the former I.S.S. Collective to shatter them. Granted the Eridani had choose that moment to stop and retreat as well. So, it was truly a win-win for him. But he was sure that had the I.S.S. Put on a strong enough force during the Battle of the Line, they would succeed. Of course, with the former collective gone. He had stepped in and then power. And, he was close to having complete control. Yamahara, Garret—that throwback, and rogue AI Cerberus were the last of his roadblocks. Without them, he’d made sure his allies were in place. Even if Yamahara came back, she’d be seen as someone who fled. No one would remember Garret. And Cerberus…if the Eridani did their job, that AI would be his ace in the hole for everything. He was sure that Yamahara, was lost somewhere in wild space. That was part of the plan the entire time. Get rid of Yamahara and he would leave all of enemies in the dust. No one would be able to forestall his ascension anymore. His full ascension. He had that sycophant Narrows patrolling the border where Starkiller had last been in contact in case Starkiller showed. Better not fuck it up.

  A message icon appearedon his wrist datalink. He tapped it and settled back. The room fell away in his vision. He sat back, looking at the projected image of Narrows on his retina. The man’s heavy frame stood at a poor man’s attention. Narrows had been eating, Alastair could see the remains of some meal on Narrows’ uniform and on his chin. Alastair was thankful the hologram didn’t input smells. “What do you have to report, Narrows?”

  Narrows jump into a slightly less pathetic attentive stance. He worked his lips for a few moments before answering. “Leader, I have to report she slipped away.”

  “Where?” Alastair hissed. So help me Narrows, if you’ve…

  “Back into Wild Space, Leader.”

  Alastair felt a smirk bloom on his face. “Good. Stay there for now, if she returns…destroy Starkiller.”

  “Leader, I tried.”

  “Do better,” Alastair said. “Or I’ll find a less bloated captain to fulfil the duties.”

  Narrows stammered, “I need an order, Leader. Otherwise—”

  “Consider it an order. Starkiller will be listed as a rogue ship. Attack on sight.”

  Narrows gave Alastair a nod. “Yes Leader.”

  When Narrows disappeared and his room refocused itself, Alastair felt a bit better. He was close. So very close.

  He smirked thinking of what Yamahara was dealing with. The renegade Eridani were causing her trouble, he knew. His spy on board reported as much. The idea that he had snuck a spy onto Starkiller and that Yamahara had no idea who it was made him laugh. It was a loud peal of laughter that he allowed himself to relish for a handful of moments before killing it and straightened himself to continue his planned ascension. He had claimed his title and for all intense and purposes, he was the Emperor of the I.S.S. Yet, there were a few holdout territories and colonies that wanted to talk about a more republic government. The reports from these places were enough to make him shake his head. The only one that would cause a headache was Stardock-08.

  It was a long time holdout and one of the few places that was not technically in his sphere of influence. It was one of the far flung stations in the Oort Cloud. And they had their own ships that are a match for anything that the I.S.S. could access. Unless Starkiller comes back. The Eridani better fulfill their end of the deal.

  There was a part of him that wanted Starkiller to fail. To get destroyed in Wild Space. It meant he wouldn’t have Yamahara or Garret to deal with. Yet, the Eridani were duplicitous. It was very possible they would take Cereberus for themselves and not return him in a guise of the old Starkiller , as an Eridani made ship.

  If they did, he had other assets to tap to help him achieve his final goal.

  Emperor of the Inter Solar System.

  Two

  Part V

  “Shipwide,” Yamahara ordered. The whistle echoed through the ship, snapping up everyone’s attention. She knew that the small crew on Starkiller would be listening. She took a deep breath and settled herself. She closed her eyes to see her words before she spoke.

  “We are on our own trying to find Lt Cyrus, PFC Justin, and PFC Garret. The Eridani that were
on the station disclosed that Garret was the target. I don’t know what’s going on, but we’re heading back to the rogue planet. I know everyone will do their jobs right and do what they need to do.”

  Taking a beat to gather her thoughts, she needed to put together a team, and besides Jennings and Knapp on the bridge, there was one more person she needed. “Ensign Miln, please report to the command deck.” She then gave Knapp the cutting motion, and the commlink was shut off.

  Moments later, Miln strode in with a hastily pulled-on uniform. He looked around bored, stifled a yawn, and stood at attention waiting. “Ensign Miln—”

  “At ease. Miln, you, Knapp, and Jennings will be joining me on the surface of the planet.” Yamahara waited, gauging his reaction.

  Miln nodded. “When?”

  “When we get to the planet, be ready.”

  Miln stifled a yawn. “Can I go back to bed then?” He asked, the yawn finally escaping his slack jaw. He scratched at the three-days-growth of beard as well.

  Part of her wanted to dismiss Miln, scratch the mission, and give up. There was no chance with such a broken crew. “Yes, go,” she said with a wave and a sigh. She clenched her fist and felt ready to tongue-lash the next person to confront her about anything for the next week. If we survive that long.

  Jaime heard, “Captain?”

  She turned to see the teen troublemaker, Trevor. “Yes?” She asked, balling up her fists.

  “With you gone, who’s going to be in charge?” Trevor asked.

  “Not you.”

  “I believe I can—”

  “Cerberus, I really don’t think you should—”

  The drone head swivelled and skittered closer to Yamahara. “In the event the captain is gone and no other senior ranking officers are onboard, the AI can—”

  “Did you just quote regs at me?” Yamahara asked, cutting Cerberus off.

  “Yes,” the AI said simply.

  She let out a sigh. Fuck it, why not? What’s the worst that could happen? “Fine.”

  Yamahara looked at the few people she had that she could trust with the mission to get Garret and the others back. Miln had left, but she knew he’d be ready when the time came. Jennings was green, but sounded eager. Knapp was not ready at all, and Yamahara saw that. It could be a mistake. Since Cornelio she’d been quiet and sullen. But, she needed people to watch her back and a pilot. Knapp was the best pilot, after Garret and the rest of the team on the planet’s surface. Still better than herself, Jennings or Miln. Hell, Yamahara hadn’t touched a stick in years, and she knew it.

  “Dismissed,” she said. Jennings disappeared, and Knapp went back to the communication station.

  “I need a word,” Cerberus said. There was a beat as Yamahara waited. The eyes of the drone head turned to look at Knapp and then back at Yamahara. “It’s private.”

  Yamahara put Knapp in charge and turned to the lift which swept her to her ready room. A smaller drone head appeared out of the small opening in the room and moved to hover on the other side of the small metal desk that was her only furnishing. She sat with her legs crossed, her hands clasped, and on the propped up knee. “Well?”

  “Captain, you can’t be serious,” Cerberus moaned.

  Yamahara looked at the small drone and shook her head. “What’s wrong, is the big bad ship afraid I won’t come back?”

  “That is exactly my issue,” Cerberus hissed. “This is my own survival here. If you get killed. I am going to be destroyed.”

  “Then, you had better make sure we don’t die,” Yamahara said, a sharp smile and a wicked glint in her eye.

  “Humans are insufferable,” Cerberus said, though the volume was low and from Yamahara’s point of view, was the best the AI could whisper.

  “Is that the only reason you had me come to my ready room?” She asked with a heavy sigh.

  “Yes.” The drone started to move back to its alcove.

  Yamahara sat there for a few more moments, conflicted. She could call the mission off, go back to Alastair, and pledge obedience. Get reinforcements and get Garret. But she knew that was a stupid idea. Alastair would never fully trust her. She was the Old Guard, from before he gained power. She knew what he was. A snake.

  She stood up and took a deep breath before nodding to herself. “You can do this.”

  Yamahara walked onto the command deck and looked at Knapp. She was still in a dress uniform. “Get suited up. Trevor, get ready to take us to the planet.”

  “What about the ship that chased us off?” Jennings asked from his station. He, at least, had put on the “bug suit” uniform, all he needed to do was get into it.

  She smirked. “I have a surprised for them,” Yamahara said.

  “How?” Jennings asked.

  “Slingshot.”

  “What are you talking about?” Trevor asked, though the look on his face told Yamahara he knew what she meant.

  “She’s talking about coming out of FTL while accelerating around the nearest gravity well: in this case, the rogue planet itself,” Cerberus said. “You are talking about ripping me apart.”

  “There goes that complication, huh?” Yamahara said with a sneer to the drone.

  “I like to continue to exist, Captain Yamahara,” Cerberus said. There was a silence on the command deck for a heartbeat.

  “We can do it,” Trevor said. He turned to his portable console and tapped away at it for a handful of moments. “I know we can.”

  “How?” Cerberus asked, the drone’s head swiveling towards Trevor.

  “The worst that could happen is you lose an engine,” Trevor said. “Not a complete—”

  “Let me remove your leg, and we will see if you still feel like it won’t be a ‘complete’ loss.”

  Yamahara looked between the drone “head” of Cerberus and Trevor and wondered what had happened between the two. When he had first come on board, Trevor scared Cerberus. Yet, it seemed the young brat had lost his hold on the computer. File it away for later, Jaime. Focus on one problem at a time.

  “But that doesn’t stop the Eridani from firing on us,” Jennings said, speaking up from his position.

  “We would get in so fast,” Yamahara said, “That the Eridani wouldn’t know were there until we were in range and firing on them.”

  “Sensing more than a few ‘ifs’ Captain,” Knapp spoke up from her position.

  “That is if I allow it,” Cerberus said.

  Yamahara looked at Trevor. “You going to let him say that?”

  “I don’t know how he is doing it now,” Trevor said. “Frankly, I’m irked by it,” He turned to his little console and began to tap away on it.

  “Don’t try it, boy,” Cerberus said. The drone’s head swiveled towards Yamahara. “I want to save PFC Garret as much as you do. More so.” There was a pause. “I also want to survive the journey as well.”

  “Why?”

  The drone stopped. Then, there was a long pause. “He knows where I stand, and I know where he stands.”

  “That’s rather cryptic,” Yamahara said.

  “And where is that?” Knapp asked at the same time.

  “He’s one of the crew,” Cerberus said. “All of you are part of my crew.”

  Yamahara quirked an eyebrow. “So you are going to help without having to be forced to?”

  The drone moved a little closer on his track. “Captain Yamahara. PFC Garret is part of my crew.” The drone turned to Trevor. “Make sure your calculations are precise.”

  “You know who you are talking to?” Trevor asked, an aggravated look on his face.

  “I do. That is why you need to make them precise.” The drone’s “head” slid away into its main housing of the command deck.

  “Are we ready?” Yamahara asked Trevor.

  “Ready as we’ll ever be.”

  She nodded, walking behind the back of the command chair. “Full ahead.” She sensed the slight thrum of Starkiller’s engines. She counted out to twenty and knew when the rippling thrum
disappeared, they’d achieved the full speed. Trevor nodded when Yamahara looked at him. There was a tense but excited look on his face. He is looking forward to this. That makes one of us. She gripped the back of the command chair. “Spool up.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  Alerts started to sound on the command deck, as well as the throughout the ship, Yamahara was sure. The warning lights came with an announcement in the deadpan voice of Starkiller’s usual AI, “Warning, the ship is under engine control. A spooling up of the FTL is likely to cause death and—”

  “Sorry,” Cerberus’s voice said, cutting through the warning. The lights went off, and Yamahara saw the controls unfreeze.

  This is going to be interesting. “Go.”

  Going through FTL usually was something Yamahara had taken for granted. A ship’s FTL drive spooled up, there was a flash of light, and the ship disappeared from one place in space-time and was in another place in a moment, light-years away. That was if the ship was stationary. Starkiller was already under full engines when the FTL was spooled up, which was dangerous, to say the least. The ship rattled, and Yamahara heard before she saw the cracking of beams and three of the forward monitors blew up. With the skeleton crew, no one manned those stations which was a small blessing. The loud groaning and moaning of the starship under the increased stress echoed through the ship in that slice of a moment between one second and the other. Time itself slowed to a crawl in FTL. The noise roiled Yamahara’s stomach. Hold together, dammit.

  The entire process through FTL was done in an instant. One moment they were in the middle of Wild Space, the next, Starkiller was hurtling towards the rogue planet. Knapp and Jennings helped Trevor and Cerberus make calculations and trying to shift the mega-tonnage ship from slamming into the planet. Yamahara watched as the planet came hurtling closer and closer. The ship shuddered, and a strange moaning echoed through the ship. It also started to alter course as the ship followed the path Trevor and Cerberus had set up. They swooped around the planet, and Yamahara smirked when she saw the two Eridani ships that had chased them off before in orbit, unaware of Starkiller swooping towards them.