Ambition (The Long Haul Book 1)

by Geoff North

  Tor Emin no longer felt like throwing up. His head no longer hurt. Every part of him had gone numb. “Captain… seriously?”

  “Your vote, General.”

  Vin knew he would vote against it. She didn’t know the man well, but Rastaban had said there was more to him than drinking and brawling. Her best friend had said he could be trusted before the scouting trip had set out. That mission had ended in failure, but Tor Emin had brought him back home. He would do the right thing again now.

  Tor closed his eyes and ran his tongue throughout his dry mouth. He knew they were still looking at him, waiting for a centuries-old question to be answered and finally laid to rest. But it was only Chort’s malevolent glare that drew Tor in when he opened his eyes again. The Sciences head was nodding slowly. He was mouthing something—repeating one word with his lips—a name.

  Tor could feel bile working its way up his throat. Ma’s wine had a way of doing that. He swallowed it back down and spoke. “War… I vote for the war.”

  Chapter 11

  Everything had been pitch black the first time Hadar had regained consciousness. This time everything was blaring bright. Cold blue light stung at his eyes and penetrated his brain. Shutting his eyes offered no relief, the light just dug in deeper, working its way past the corneas and climbing along the optic nerves.

  “Please, turn it off… Turn off the light.”

  The light lessened some, but didn’t disappear completely. Hadar squinted through half closed lids and waited for the agony to subside. “More, please lower it some more.”

  The light lessened again by half. It was still bright, but Hadar could handle it. The stabbing agony behind his eyes went away. “Thank you.” He waited for someone to reply. There was no sound. “Hello? Who’s there?”

  He was lying down again, but on his back this time instead of on his stomach. He attempted to sit up but something held him in in place. He craned his head up and saw nothing restraining his bare chest and arms. He tried moving again. Nothing. “Something’s wrong… I can’t move.” But he could move, Hadar realized. He could see his fingers wiggling and the muscles in his arms flexing. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. He could move just fine, something was definitely keeping him in place. The blue light dimmed a little more and Hadar could make out more of his immediate surroundings. He wasn’t lying on a cold floor. He was on some kind of raised platform—silver, metallic. A second light appeared to his right. It was softer and white, not blue. The platform he was on was rectangular, like an operating table. “Let me out of here! Wherever this is, whoever you are, you have no right to hold me down like this.”

  A third light came on somewhere behind his head, soft orange. A fourth appeared down by his squirming toes, bright red. “What is this? What are you going to do to me?”

  The clicking sounds he’d heard before returned. The nails tapping on glass. Hadar wanted to scream again but fought the urge. There was another sound in the background, a slurping noise. It’s what animals sound like, he thought. Hadar had never seen an animal in his life; the last cats and dogs onboard Ambition had died out centuries before he was born. All he had to compare it with were the ancient audio recordings of creatures that lived on earth. The thing or things making the slurping noises and clicking sounds made him think of something amphibious—frogs perhaps. He had seen pictures of the slimy things as a child. He recalled the croaking noises they made. The clicks and slurps were nothing like that, but he associated them with frogs and wart-covered toads anyway. Cold-blooded. Alien. Terrifying.

  “I won’t tell anybody about you, I promise.” Hadar had no idea who he was talking to, or what he was talking about. All he could do was beg for his life, concentrate on the sound of his own voice to try and maintain his sanity. He would say anything, do anything, to make this madness stopped. “Let me go. Let me go. Let me go!”

  The noises only got louder. He couldn’t see the oblong grey faces, but he knew they were all around him. They were communicating with one another, discussing what kind of animal it was lying on their table, shaking and helpless.

  They were going to do awful things to him.

  Something small appeared to his left. A person—a child with huge black eyes. It ran at him quickly out of the blue light and jabbed a sharp piece of metal into his shoulder. Hadar opened his mouth to cry out and a hand appeared directly over his mouth. A cold, wet cloth was stuffed between his lips. He tried spitting it out, but the long grey fingers pushed it in further. Hadar began to gag and the child-thing cut at his left bicep with the sharp metal. It removed a section of Hadar’s skin and disappeared back into the shadows behind the blue light.

  The orange light over Hadar’s head went out. He looked up and saw another huge head looming over him, less than a foot away, staring directly into his eyes. It had a tiny mouth, nothing more than a quivering black slit. That’s where the amphibious slurping sounds were coming from. It was talking. Hadar could feel the warm push of its breath on his face. He could smell the strange alien sourness of it.

  The head pulled back and the orange light returned. The wet cloth slid out of his mouth, leaving his tongue and lips numb. Hadar’s body jerked. Something had grabbed onto his ankles and was attempting to pull him off the table. Hadar looked down towards his feet and saw ropes of glistening black wrapped around his lower legs. Not ropes, they were living things. He could feel the sting of a thousand probing tentacles pinching into his skin as the snake-like monstrosities slithered up further, wrapping tightly around his calves and over his knees. More appeared on his wrists and worked their way along Hadar’s forearms.

  All four lights suddenly snapped off. Hadar prayed that he had lost consciousness again, but the stinging sensation in his arms and legs was getting worse. The clicks and slurps grew louder.

  Can you hear us?

  Hadar caught his breath and held it. The advancing tendrils stopped their movement just short of his crotch and shoulders. He tried to answer, but everything above his neck was frozen and numb. I can’t feel my mouth. I can’t speak.

  You don’t have to speak. Use your mind. What is your name?

  They were inside his head, reading his thoughts. This wasn’t possible.

  Green light appeared all around him. It was dull and pulsing. Hadar felt his limbs begin to relax. The snakes began pulling away. The giant oblong face came back into view above his head and repeated the question.

  What is your name?

  My name? …. My name is Hadar Cen.

  A second face appeared to his left. Cold fingers touched his chest. Why are you here, Hadar Cen? It asked.

  I have come… my people have come to begin a war with the civilization on the second planet.

  Your people will fail.

  The little creature that had cut into his bicep reappeared holding a gun of some kind in its tiny hands. It powered the object up and advanced towards Hadar’s face.

  It wasn’t my idea, Hadar pleaded inside his mind. Please don’t do this!

  A six-inch needle extended out from the device’s end. The little alien plunged it into Hadar’s temple and started to drill.

  Chapter 12

  The gathering of the Baker’s Dozen had begun to break up. Argus Cor, Chort Leo, Zosma Lion, and Hal Gulum had already left the Captain’s quarters and returned to their sections. Those still lingering had clustered into smaller groups, talking about the vote and Ambition’s questionable future.

  Tor was the only one still seated at the table. Vin made her way to him. She stood before the still-stunned Military head with her arms crossed over her chest. “What the hell was that all about?” She demanded. “You’re sending all of us to war.”

  “I… we’ve always been going to war. Besides, the others had a say in it.”

  “But you had the power to stop it. Why didn’t you?”

  Tor didn’t answer her question. He asked his own instead. “You’ve seen Rastaban, how is he?”

  “Damaged.”

&nbs
p; “He’s lucky to be alive. We both are.”

  “He doesn’t seem to think so.”

  Tor knew the two were close. Vin Vir was the closest thing to a friend Rastaban Drac had. “Hal said they’ll be able to patch him up just fine. A few procedures and he’ll be as pretty as before.”

  Vin leaned against the table. “I’m not sure he wants to be fixed. You were the gunner on Nail. You were responsible for his safety.”

  “So you blame me for the upcoming war and now it’s my fault for what happened to Rastaban. Anything else you’d care to throw on my back?”

  Nash joined them before Vin could reply. “I trust the Captain made a wise choice appointing you as Ambition’s new Military leader. I had my reservations.”

  Tor rubbed his aching temples. “Thanks for the confidence boost. I’ll try my best not to disappoint.”

  Nash turned to Vin. “Congratulations on your new posting, Vin Vir.”

  “New posting?”

  “As the Captain’s personal assistant.”

  She was stunned. “Personal assistant? Isn’t that your job?”

  The robot’s head swiveled a few degrees to the left and swung back. “I am Ambition’s assistant. As Ambition’s assistant I advise the Captain. He sees potential in you, and so do I.”

  Vin laughed nervously. “Did Chort put a good word in for me, too?”

  “I was wondering what you were doing here,” Tor said. “Looks like we’re both moving up in our world, hey, Vin?”

  She didn’t know how to reply to that. Vin looked over to Sulafat. He was standing back in front of the observation window with his second in command. I’m the Captain’s personal assistant. What the hell am I supposed to do now?

  Sheratan leaned in close to the Captain until their shoulders touched. She moved her head in closer still. “You’re disappointed in me.”

  “Yes, I am. I’m disappointed by all of it.”

  “You knew how I felt long before this meeting was called. Don’t tell me you were surprised.”

  “We’ve been involved in two historic events today.”

  “I can only think of one. What’s the other?”

  He wouldn’t look at her. “For the first time in Ambition’s long history, a Captain’s second has voted against his wishes.”

  “Why bother with a thirteenth chair at the table at all if there will always be an even number of votes? It kind of defeats the purpose of a tie-breaker, doesn’t it?”

  Sulafat pointed towards Pega and her moons in the distance. “You picked an awful time to break tradition. That planet, our entire world here, and all the people back on Earth will pay for it.”

  “Agle would’ve voted for war. You should’ve made sure his replacement was on your side. Not the wisest bit of political maneuvering.”

  They stood side by side for another half minute without saying another word. Sulafat and Ries had been friends—and once much more—for as long as either of them could remember. They’d spent decades serving together. Their shoulders were still touching, but she could feel the tension there. This was serious, Sheratan knew. They were going to war and there was a good chance none of them would be alive in a few more days. She rarely agreed with the way her old friend ran the ship, but they had remained close throughout everything. This was different. This would change everything.

  “Still friends?” She asked.

  “No, we’re no longer friends,” the Captain grumbled. “If I had my way I’d never allow you back on the bridge… I never want to see your face again.”

  Sheratan stared at Sulafat but he refused to turn her way. He could see her reflection in the window. She was almost smiling, but her eyes were sad. She feels sorry for me…thinks I’ve become a grumpy old man with a quick temper. Maybe she’s right.

  He was about to apologize when a blaring orange light appeared beyond the observation window, blocking out Pega and its moons. His mouth opened but he couldn’t get the word out fast enough.

  Sheratan turned towards the others still in the room and yelled it for him. “Incoming!”

  Vin felt the floor shudder beneath her feet at the same moment Sheratan issued her warning. Moments later a loud rumble sounded from somewhere below. The ship lurched violently. Vin was thrown off balance and fell on top of the table. Tor grabbed onto Vin’s arms and held her there before she could spill into his lap. His face was the color of Zosma’s robes. “The Pegans, they’ve found us!”

  She pulled away from him and got back to her feet. “Great observation, General Emin.”

  Gacrux Crucis shoved his way by Sakan Coro who was holding onto Nair Cran for support. “That felt like a hit to Propulsion.” He ran for the travel tube door.

  Sheratan barked out orders to the others. “Everyone out of here, get back to your sections! Nash, help me with the Captain.”

  Tor was already dragging Vin towards the stairs leading up to the bridge. She could see Sulafat struggling to stand, clawing his way up by the ledge of the observation window. Vin twisted free of Tor’s grip and chased after Nash for the Captain.

  “I’m alright!” Sulafat snapped. He pushed his second in command away. Nash, Vin, and Tor clustered around the two senior officers and watched in horror as three more orange globes of energy advanced towards the ship. Four fighters flew into view from the left. The smaller vessels were part of a ten-ship defense net surrounding Ambition. They’d been on active duty ever since Ambition had dropped from fold drive and entered the Pegan system three weeks earlier.

  Two of the fighters fired concentrated lasers upon the balls of light to no effect. The other two ships were consumed by the alien weapons. Vin threw an arm over her eyes to shut out the explosion of light. Something smashed into the observation window. Two more massive hits into Ambition’s outer hull followed, throwing all of them to the floor except Nash.

  Vin looked up and saw a ten-inch thick slab of steel slowly dropping down from the ceiling. The automated defense system was lowering protective barriers in front of every window throughout the ship. She lowered her gaze and saw a mass of twisted metal plastered against the glass. One of their fighters had collided into it. Tendrils of dissipating energy were running through the ruin, melting into the window. The ship had collapsed nose first, burying itself halfway into the glass. Vin could see grey lines snaking out from the point of impact. It was going to blow out in another moment or two; the bulkhead creeping down at its laboriously slow rate wouldn’t save the Captain’s quarters from explosive decompression.

  As if to emphasize her thoughts, Nash started a countdown. “Partition closure in nineteen seconds.”

  Someone started to scream. Vin looked over her shoulder and saw Mintaka and Nair holding a hysterical Sakan Coro between them. She’s in charge of Education, Vin thought grimly. How do you teach someone to prepare for this?

  Ambition took another massive hit somewhere on its port side. The window cracks spread across the entire surface. Tor grabbed onto Vin a second time—she didn’t fight him as he ran for the bridge stairway. She heard a loud thump and then nothing. It felt as if someone had smacked her hard with open palms over both ears. Her feet left the floor. Tor had made it to the open door. He grabbed onto the edge with one hand and attempted to yank Vin after him with the other. She tried digging into his wrist, but her fingers had grown stinging cold. A million pins pricked at her body. They separated, Tor made it through the door, and Vin was sucked back towards the conference table.

  Sulafat had wound up again on the floor, his legs braced up under the observation window ledge. His arms were wrapped around one of Sheratan’s calves, holding on to his CS before she could be sucked out into space. He would fail. The bulkhead wouldn’t lower in time to save either of their lives.

  I am too old, too weak. Should’ve given up command years ago.

  Something sharp tore into his forehead, the edge on one of his old books, or perhaps a com-pen that had been left on the table. Sulafat’s eyes were shut tight to save whatever mois
ture there was left in the suddenly freezing vacuum. The Captain continued clutching onto Sheratan as more personal mementos and debris whisked past. They smacked him in the face and on the back of his head along the way, before being sucked out of the ship.

  Powerful arms lifted him from the floor. Sulafat instinctively fought Nash’s hold, but the attempt was even less futile than trying to save Sheratan. The woman was torn away from him. He opened his eyes and saw the bottom of her boots disappear through the gaping hole.

  The magnetic plating in Nash’s big metal feet kept the heavy robot upright as he strode for the bridge stairway. He made a quick survey of the room to see if was anyone left. A few had made it through the travel tube exit doorway. Homa Sis, Garnet Ceph, and Nair Cran had been pulled out through the destroyed window along with Sheratan Ries. Tor Emin had made it to safety. That only left Vin Vir.

  He spotted the girl under the table. She was wrapped around one of its big legs, her waist anchored in. Nash adjusted his hold on the Captain and bent down to pick her up as well. The three made it to the bridge stairway. The door slid soundlessly shut behind them.

  The observation window bulkhead clunked down into place three seconds later.

  Chapter 13

  “Could you shift your knee to the right some?”

  Kella moved her entire body over an inch. “That’s all the room there is. Gunner turrets weren’t designed to seat two.”

  “This is ridiculous. You could’ve at least let me sit in the chair.”

  “What’s the matter, kid, you don’t like sitting on a girl’s lap?” Hail didn’t answer her. “Sorry, it slipped out. We’ll switch positions every hour, okay?”

  Hail placed his helmet on the gun control handles next to hers and retrieved a medical kit from the emergency survival console. “Let’s take a look at that nose.” The supplies within the little metal box were meager; a roll of gauze, two bandages, and a canister of disinfectant smaller than Hail’s thumb. He sprayed it onto Kella’s upper lip where most of the blood had gathered and dried. “At least the bleeding stopped. It isn’t broken.” He began wiping at it with the gauze.