Starcrasher (Shades Space Opera Book 1)

by Rock Forsberg

  She pressed the screen on the table in front of her a few times. She glanced around. The night of space on the full-wall screen behind Jill faded away and a lush rainforest faded in. ‘That’s good. We’re offline now, but only for a few minutes – anything more than that would become an issue.’

  Tredd dropped his right foot to the floor and perked up on the chair. ‘Offline, meaning?’

  ‘It’s just you and me now. I’ve deactivated the cameras and audio equipment in this room. No one will have access to what we discuss.’

  Tredd looked at the forest view, raindrops falling to the ground from the canopy, and then at Jill. He was not sure if she spoke the truth, or if this was a part of some weird strategy. He did sense her demeanour change into something more womanly than the navy robot she had been a moment ago. Whatever it was, he had nothing to lose, so he played along.

  ‘Let me be brief,’ she said, and rose up from the chair behind the desk. ‘My direct superior, Vice Admiral Vorlar Block, wants to take the girl and hook her into a computer that can multiply her capability to multiple instances, so that there would be a device that can make the stars crash. The procedure will likely reduce the girl to the mental level of a toddler for the rest of her life.’

  If she was for real, she was breaking protocol, and if caught, she would face serious charges. ‘Why are you telling me this?’

  She turned around, her back to Tredd, and took a pause, perhaps to appreciate the forest scene. Tredd remembered that she loved real nature. Then she walked up to the shelf with the foodalator and the bottles. ‘There are others who think differently than Block about the matter, and I’m one of them. Unfortunately, the decision was made much higher up in the hierarchy. It might have gone to the ministerial level. It’s all about the politics.’ She ran her fingers across the ledge.

  Tredd nodded when she met his eyes. He wanted to know where this was going.

  ‘You want to do the right thing, and I want to help you.’ She raised her hands behind her head, and opened her bun, letting her curvy blonde hair fall down on her shoulders. ‘I want you to take the girl away and hide her.’

  ‘Hide her?’ Tredd asked, rising up from his chair. ‘It’s impossible. You’ve got her bio-identification.’

  Jill stepped towards him. ‘I have organised someone to scramble what we got, but you must make sure no more data is uploaded on her default record by your ship. Think you could do that?’

  Hacking public data was close to impossible. Evie might just be able to hack the ship, but anything above that was unlikely to be within her grasp. If that was the case, they might need to pay a visit to his old friend back in Spit City, but that would also mean confronting FIST. ‘I’ll figure out something,’ he said.

  ‘I knew you would.’ She stood right before Tredd, so close that he could feel her breath.

  It was unreal. Tredd was beginning to think he was in a simulation, but there was no way to tell, so he chose to play along. He glanced at the cameras in the ceiling, and then without hesitation, put his hands on her hips. She felt warm.

  She glanced down, threw her hair back, and placed her palms on Tredd’s chest. ‘We don’t have much time,’ she whispered. ‘We are set to jump back to Dawn Alliance-controlled space in a few hours. It will be relatively close to the Dawn Central.’ She ran her hand down Tredd’s chest, and moved her foot forward. ‘Once we are there, you will be in your ship, everything set to go, and I will bring you the girl.’

  Tredd moved his thigh between Jill’s legs, and pulled her close, inhaling the smell of her sweet perfume. He pulled her body tighter against his. This was Jill. It really was her, in his arms. Just like a dream. She was hot against him, her lips moist from her tongue, mouth open just a little, soft eyes looking up at Tredd. There was no past and no tomorrow, only this perfect moment together.

  Tredd opened his mouth, and turned his head to kiss her – but Jill pulled away.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, straightening her outfit.

  ‘What’s going on?’

  She fixed her hair back up in a topknot and then marched back behind the desk. ‘Back to the official agenda, but before we go there, remember to leave your ship open and the ramp down, OK?’

  Tredd nodded. ‘OK, but I don’t—’

  She sat back down on the chair and motioned for Tredd to do the same. Then she took up a small mirror and applied a coat of neutral lipstick.

  ‘Will I see you again?’

  ‘Quiet now,’ she said, and touched the controls on her terminal. The rainforest was gone, replaced again by the cold, dark view of space. Jill’s posture became rigid, and the softness of her gaze gave way to the sharp and powerful stare of an officer. ‘You have not been able to provide us with any further information about the Starcrasher device. You will remain under custody until the matter of your participation has been assessed. You are dismissed.’

  ‘Can I ask a question?’ He wanted to know what they were going to do with Aino, and his team, and what had been the meaning of the play he had been in; was it real or just a simulation?

  She shook her head.

  The door slid open and a faceless soldier in standard black and blue came up to Tredd. Tredd rose up and followed him.

  At the door he took a final look at Jill; no tears, only a cold gaze. Was any of it real? Tredd doubted it; he was being played. The soldier took him by the arm, reminding him to move. He turned around, puzzled about the scene he had just experienced.

  Another soldier waited outside the room, and together they escorted Tredd back to the landing bay where the Rutger was parked, being watched by a number of soldiers.

  The soldiers stopped by the ramp to the Rutger. One said, ‘You are free to enter your ship and use it as your residence while on board the battle cruiser Excalibur. Your ship is not allowed to leave, and even an attempt to do so will result in severe penalties.’

  ‘Whatever,’ Tredd said, and, as soon as he was let go, marched up to the Rutger, the ramp clanking under his heavy steps.

  Walking through the cargo bay he saw the clipped cable ties where they had been holding Tommy. The soldiers had taken him too. Wonder if they can make him talk, he thought. If I ever see him again… Tommy’s story remained shrouded in deranged babble.

  Tredd thought about what it would mean if it had been a simulation, or some other plot to mess with his brain, but most of all he thought about what it would all mean if it had been real. He had to believe it was real or play along – it was the same – and there was no other option. He had to get a drink.

  Tredd climbed straight up to the galley and was surprised to find Evie leaning against the table. ‘How did you get back here so soon?’

  She raised her head and pulled her hands through her messy black hair. ‘They looked at my file and put me on detention to wait—’

  ‘Berossus and Eddie?’

  She was untangling her hair with her fingers in front of her face. ‘Thanks for being interested… No, I haven’t seen them.’

  Tredd hoped that they too would be released to detention on the Rutger. It would have been a shame to leave either one behind, but he surprised himself by considering it. Getting Aino away was the priority. If it came to that, Eddie and Berossus would understand. He opened up the icebox and pulled up an unopened bottle of Kikuchian.

  ‘Wonder how long they’ll keep us here?’ Evie asked, brushing her hair aside. ‘I don’t want to stay a second longer than I have to.’

  ‘Who knows,’ Tredd said as he cracked open the bottle. ‘Was it real or was it just a fantasy that I just experienced?’

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Get this,’ he said, and pulled up a tumbler. ‘We might be imprisoned for treason—’

  Evie pulled in a sharp breath, and sighed.

  Tredd poured cold white liquor into the glass. A twirl of mist rose up. ‘Or… we might leave tonight.’

  Evie scratched her head. ‘Really? What gives?’

  ‘
If it was real, we go.’ He raised the glass to his lips and inhaled the soothing scent.

  Evie tapped the table with both hands, and leaned forward. ‘If what was?’

  ‘We might get inside help,’ Tredd said, and took a sip from the tumbler. ‘I want to make sure this ship is ready to leave on short notice. Check everything and confirm with Berossus and Eddie, if and when they’re back – which will hopefully be soon. Also, Aino might be joining us.’

  ‘She will?’ Evie said with eyes wide open.

  ‘I hope so.’ Tredd twirled the tumbler in his hands and stared in to the whirlpool. He was not sure about anything anymore. The only thing certain was that he wanted to get Aino home. It was the right thing to do, to strive for, whether Jill was real or not. Believe. Play along.

  He turned his back to Evie and headed to the door. Just as he was about to leave, he stopped and turned around. ‘One more thing… Make sure that the cargo door is open.’

  EVIE SAT on the floor of the cargo bay. The platform was down, as Tredd had wanted. The lights in the landing bay had started to dim, and fewer soldiers and robots buzzed around. Once in a while a patrol walked past, peeking inside the Rutger’s open cargo bay. Evie waved and smiled at the soldiers, but received no reaction, like she was not even there.

  Emotionless dummies, she thought. There was no sign of Eddie or Berossus, but neither was there a saviour to take them away or a police squad to lock her up for murder.

  She could not bear the wait. It was difficult to keep still, but her injury still hurt with every move she made. She could have drugged away the pain, but she wanted to stay natural. The pain was the indicator she needed, without it she would lose touch of reality. Bells had suggested active healing by stretching, but it only made it hurt more and besides, she was playing on the wrong side.

  Evie was sure that the navy knew that she was wanted in the Spit City. They could hold her and bring her back, or perhaps have a quick trial and lock her up on the spot. She was guilty of killing Ash Macabre, but she was no murderer. Still, sometimes she thought she deserved to be punished.

  She pushed herself up from the floor, panting because of it. She was small and skinny, and perhaps because of that she looked nimble, but she was stiff as a frozen river. She had always been. She tried standing straight, tucking her stomach in and pushing her chest forward. As she sucked in a breath, the wound on her shoulder sent up a jolt of pain, and she slumped down with a sigh.

  She thought she heard someone coming, and raised her head up. She didn’t see anything, though she felt as if someone had just come in. She looked around. ‘Who’s there?’

  There was no reply, so she walked across the cargo bay floor, looking around. She thought she saw a movement behind a box, and tiptoed quietly to take a look.

  Suddenly, a furious creature with gleaming white teeth jumped out from behind the box and screamed.

  By instinct, Evie jumped back and covered her face.

  Nothing happened.

  The creature looked up at her as if to say, ‘Why did you scare me like that?’ Evie let out a breath and smiled. It was just a fat orange cat. It seemed smaller now as it sat down, and its erect hairs settled down. Evie knelt next to it.

  ‘Hey there, cutie, where did you come from?’ she asked, offering the cat her hand.

  The cat responded by getting up on its feet and pushing its face against her fingers. Then it walked around her, leaning into her as it went. The cat had smooth, light orange fur with uneven stripes of darker shade. Its ears pointed up like arrows above its intent blue eyes. While clearly overweight, it moved gracefully around her, purring.

  Wondering where the cat had come from, Evie took a look at its collar, but there was no tag. ‘Whose little cat are you?’

  The cat responded with an urgent meow.

  ‘No need to get scruffy… Want something to eat?’ she asked, although she was not sure if it was such a good idea.

  She headed up the staircase, leaving the cat behind. When she stopped to look back, she saw the cat had followed her, giddily bouncing up the stairs.

  The galley was unoccupied. She got out a small bowl and filled it with the default cat food from the foodalator. She set the bowl on the floor. ‘Here you go, little one.’

  The cat wasn’t interested in the food; instead, it jumped onto the table.

  She tried to push the cat down, but it avoided her and she ended up running around the table. ‘Get down from there! Bad cat!’

  Tredd burst in with a frown on his face. ‘What’s with the noise?’

  Evie stopped. The cat ran to the opposite side of the table and sat down. ‘This cat… I know it’s a stowaway, but—’

  ‘There’s a cat in here? Let me see.’ Tredd took a few determined steps towards the cat, put his hand under it and lifted it up. The cat settled in his arms and pushed its nose against his shoulder like it had nowhere else to go.

  Evie was amazed how quickly the cat’s behaviour had changed. This was a side of Tredd she could never have guessed. ‘What’s up with you and cats?’

  ‘I had two as a child, black and blue striped Grenovese ladies,’ he said dismissively. ‘This chubby one might have something interesting to tell us… help me get the collar off.’

  Evie scurried around the table, but Tredd had already gotten the collar off. He bent down and let the cat on the floor. It took a few steps and jumped on a chair with a meow. Tredd fiddled with the collar and found a hidden pocket. He pulled out a small piece of paper.

  ‘What is it?’ Evie asked.

  ‘Let me look.’ The paper had some text, which he read. ‘They’ll be here in two hours. We need to hustle.’

  ‘They?’

  ‘Aino, and, um… Jill.’ Tredd pushed the message into his pocket and handed the collar to Evie. He turned around, seemingly miles away, and started wandering towards the door. This was the first time Evie had seen him so nervous and uncertain.

  Tredd had never told Evie his story with this woman, but she had heard enough to understand she meant a lot to him. Even if she was a navy officer, Evie could sense there was something between them, something that was going to manifest itself soon. But an officer… could she be trusted?

  Tredd stopped and turned back to Evie. ‘Make sure we’re ready to leave on a moment’s notice.’

  ‘But… Eddie and Berossus aren’t here.’

  ‘I know,’ he said, ‘and I hope they’ll make it in time. Meanwhile, we must do everything we can to prepare – and not give any sign about it to the tin men outside. Can you do that?’

  Evie nodded.

  ‘Good,’ Tredd said, fingering the stubble on his chin.

  He should shave, Evie thought.

  Tredd continued, ‘There’s one more thing… Would you be able to check if this ship is bugged?’

  Evie grinned. ‘Specifically?’

  ‘FIST. I’m sure they’ve got a tracker, recorder, hidden transponder… something on it. If there is, I wouldn’t mind if it broke down.’

  ‘Roger that, Cap,’ she said with a wink.

  Tredd nodded, looked away, and left towards the cargo bay without a word.

  Evie smiled. She was a real member of the crew now. She just hoped she would not be the only crew.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  THE BATTLESHIP EXCALIBUR travelled through a high-energy pinch, back into the Dawn Alliance-controlled space, somewhere between the stars Liger and YX-2, close to the Dawn Central, the heart of the Dawn Alliance.

  The Dawn Central was a massive space station, the hub of Dawn Alliance power, housing some of the most influential politicians, including the Chief of Military, the honourable Dr Thibault. On the outside, the station looked like an artificial moon, but unlike Spit City, it was built without an existing piece of rock, and its surface was smooth except for the three chasms that divided its surface to eight triangular octants. It was also about five times larger than Spit City, and while bigger human constructions existed – such as the Ringscape of
Darnison – it was one of the most sophisticated ones, built in a record time with combined knowledge and effort of the five races. Perhaps the most curious aspect of it was that while it was very much like a planet, it didn’t orbit either of the stars, but instead was kept constant in the exact midpoint between their pull.

  It was five minutes to midnight. The Excalibur ran on propulsion, and would reach the Dawn Central in a few hours, before the day shift began. Though the notion of midnight was quite different on a battle cruiser, it was a period of least activity. Excalibur ran operations 24/7, but tried to support natural human circadian rhythm by running separate daytime and night-time activities and by adjusting ambient light and atmosphere to correspond. Midnight was a quiet phase in the daily programming: lights were dim, the temperature slightly cooler, and the stations manned with rotating shifts of less experienced personnel.

  Tredd sat in the cargo bay with hunched shoulders, feeling anxious as he waited for the time of his deliverance. There was no sign of Eddie.

  Berossus had returned to detention on the Rutger an hour ago. When Tredd had confronted him about the doctor, his demeanour had become awkward and he had withdrawn. Persisting, Tredd had got him to tell how they had met.

  ‘She contacted me,’ Berossus had explained, shoulders slumped, eyeing his white sneakers as he spoke. ‘With all her the credentials and her willingness to go immediately, what was I to think other than my luck had turned? Time was running out, I was desperate, and she was the perfect match. I should have checked her background better.’

  ‘It wouldn’t have mattered anyway: the special forces have their ways of fooling people,’ Tredd had said, trying to sympathise. It had been a useful reminder to him too: he had to stay vigilant. However, seeing the shame on Berossus’s face had confirmed that he was not the one Tredd should worry about.

  Tredd played with Jill’s note in his hands, opening it and folding it again, looking at Jill’s curvy scribbles. While the note was very brief, its message was clear: Jill and Aino would join them in the ship at midnight. Was it a dream, or was it real?

  Tredd tensed as he saw a group of soldiers approach the ship, but let out a sigh of relief as he saw they were escorting Eddie.