by A. Payne
By A. Payne & N.D. Taylor
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All material contained herein is Copyright © Payne & Taylor 2015. All rights reserved.
ISBN PENDING
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Edited by EV Proofreading
Cover by Mirella Santana
Formatting by N.D. Taylor
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Glossary
Albion: The center of government for the United Empire. Albion is also the first and oldest successful colony.
ASR: Allied Soviet Republic. Many nations chose not to join the United Kingdom during the fall of Old Earth. These countries make up the ASR.
Astreya: A hot and arid desert planet. Intelligent dragon-like creatures share the sandy dunes with human colonists from the Middle East. The United Empire houses the Royal Archives in the capital city, Cyrus.
berthing: A dormitory or sleeping quarters aboard a military vessel.
bioscanner: A biometric scanner instantly receives vital signs and other pertinent data from a patient. It also identifies broken bones and trauma.
blast: (expletive)
CO: Commanding Officer of a vessel or military installation. This may be an officer with the rank of Commander or above.
cybernetics: Mechanical prosthetics or enhancements that replace or improve a biological body part.
cyborg: The surgical blending of an organic creature with technological equipment create a cybernetic being known as a cyborg. In the future, humans and animals can both receive prosthetic pieces and technological upgrades.
datagram: A tablet reader, like today’s iPad or Kindle.
Elora: A water-covered planet that is home to an aquatic race of humanoid aliens. Pacifica Cove and Atlantica Gulf are two human settlements.
HMS Bridewell: One of three prison ships in the United Empire.
HMS Bulwark: The flagship of the Royal Navy.
HMS Glenn: Victor’s former ship.
HMS Jemison: Victor’s new ship, under the command of his friend Ethan Bishop.
Paradiso: A terraformed planet created to mimic the Old Earth’s Mediterranean climate.
persocomm: A personal communication module. Often worn on the wrist or at the collar.
quid: Galactic form of currency used in every planet’s economy.
rank-tagger: A member of either sex who pursues sexual relations with a ranking officer for the bragging rights.
Royal Defense Force: Military detachment assigned to the Empress and other high ranking members of the United Empire government. Their modern day equivalent would be the Secret Service.
Royal Marine: Elite members of the Royal Navy.
Sargossa: As an early colonization attempt, Sargossa seemed like the ideal planet to inhabit due to its livable atmosphere. Within five generations, residents began to experience changes and are no longer considered human.
splicer: A creature with meshed DNA. This grants unusual abilities to humans such as chameleon camouflage.
stateroom: A two or single unit berthing designated for an officer.
Tallulah: Texans finally made good on their promise to split from the Union. Years after most of the human population began leaving Earth to settle on Albion, the planet Tallulah was founded. They showed their southern hospitality by allowing a few other rebellious states to join.
United Command: Headquarters for the Galactic Royal Navy.
United Empire: Conglomeration of Old Earth nations joined under the former British Crown.
Xiao: Shortly after China absorbed Japan, the nation terraformed its own planet away from Albion.
XO: Executive Officer of a vessel or military installation. Second in command.
Chapter 1
Doctor Victor del Toro meandered through the busy space dock and admired the sleek vessel opposite the glass viewport. The HMS Jemison, named for a 1900s African-American female astronaut, had become his new assignment. After operating a standard galactic year in a tiny naval base on his planet of birth, Paradiso, it was like returning home.
While traveling to his destination, a female dockworker checked him out in passing. She even smiled at him once their eyes made contact, so Victor spared a polite nod to her and picked up a brisk pace. His new commanding officer wouldn’t tolerate tardiness.
Before passing through the decontamination chamber, Victor self-consciously double-checked the shine on his dress shoes and smoothed his neatly tailored military uniform. A combination of sterilizing lights and germicidal gases cleared him to board the vessel and allowed him through the airlock chamber separating the dirty outside world from the ship interior.
“Welcome to the Jemison, Doctor.” Ethan Bishop stepped forward wearing a grin on his usually stoic face.
The CO of the ship greeted his newest officer personally at the entrance. In hindsight, Victor should have expected nothing less from his long-time friend.
Victor’s reflexes provided a prompt salute that Ethan dismissively waved off. “Commodore.”
“Forget the bloody formality. Glad you accepted the position, Victor. Now come here.”
Ethan gripped him in a tight bear hug, bringing back memories of old times as a scared teen on his first naval deployment. His older friend had been a man to revere, an authority figure with a kind heart, and he remained one to this very day. Relaxing, Victor exhaled a breath of relief and embraced him in return. An uncertain smile brightened his weary features once they separated.
“I appreciate the opportunity, mate. You saved my ass from a life of boredom by pulling me off desk duty.”
“And I’m happy to rescue your sorry ass. Again.” Ethan clapped a hand to his friend’s shoulder and guided him inside. “Come on, I’ll show you to Medical. But first, let me introduce you to Jem.”
“Greetings, Doctor del Toro. I am Jem, the artificial intelligence personality of the HMS Jemison,” a seductive, feminine voice announced from the nearest audio aperture.
Victor turned to stare at Ethan. “She sounds sexier than the personality on my new persocomm… but why does she sound like a porn star?”
“That’s because she is a porn star. Or rather, a porn star voiced her. Quite a few of us COs petitioned United Command until they arranged for this. I was bloody tired of the default synthesized robot voice.”
“All right, but isn’t that a touch unfair to the COs of the feminine persuasion?”
“Hardly. They’ve got Lance Seely, some wall of muscle and abs from a popular Telenova show.” Ethan rolled his eyes and gestured for Victor to follow him deeper into the ship. He didn’t have much room to talk, the hypocrite, since he, too, was a wall of muscle. “He loaned his voice for free. Apparently it’s an honor to croon sexy words to the women officers of the United Empire.”
And probably a fair number of male officers enjoyed the sexy actor as well. Victor chuckled and shook his head. “I suppose I’ve missed a lot while stationed at base.”
“You did. Don’t use it as an excuse to slack off though, mate. Let’s visit your new home,” Ethan said, guiding Victor along.
Victor’s towering height placed him five inches taller than the ship’s commanding officer. What Ethan lacked in stature, he possessed in solid muscle and broad shoulders, but he showed prominen
t signs of grey at his temples.
“What’s the cybernetics budget like here? The Bishop I remember was kind of a notorious cheapskate.”
Ethan chuckled under his breath. “You’ll be pleased with it, trust me. I’ve got more personnel coming over in the next couple of days, several with implants of some kind. It should keep you busy.” He glanced up and pointed a finger. “I’m still smart with my funds, but you’ll have no cause for complaint. Top brass wants us field testing their new stuff, so…”
“Sweet deal. Are you ditching me at Medical because you are still as clueless as ever?” Victor grinned at his old friend. For as long as he’d known Ethan, the guy was all thumbs when it came to anything remotely resembling healthcare.
“You’d cry and get lost if I didn’t take you there first,” Ethan jibed back.
“I would,” Victor admitted. “Each ship is so different. You’d think by now there would be some kind of uniform layout, but no, that is not the case. Space vessel architects are masochists in disguise.”
“Well, you can rest assured that all these new cruisers will be the same. They’re built to stay out longer and travel farther before refueling is required. We’ll be hitting up all the border colonies and new terraform projects to check in.”
Concerned, Victor glanced at Ethan. “Is this because of those abandoned settlements they found?”
“Good, you’re keeping up with the news. I have a feeling your long-term experience will be needed. The Empress wants to know where her people are going and why they’re giving up on projects. Or if there are dangers on the planets we aren’t aware of. Stuff like that,” Ethan confirmed.
Despite two decades of exemplary military service, Victor had no inclination to retire any time soon. Over the course of those twenty years, he’d performed his duties on four different stations and three ships. The Jemison was built for deep space patrols and prolonged interstellar combat. Of course, longer deployment schedules required self-sufficient ships outfitted with fully functioning services. The military needed specialized doctors like him aboard to keep its crewmen alive.
Ethan and Victor approached a gaggle of medical personnel collected near the hydraulic doors to the infirmary. Three of the five automatically stood at attention. The jaws of the other two women fell toward the floor where they remained until their associates nudged them in the ribs.
“Some things never change,” Ethan muttered under his breath. “Now I’ll need earplugs for the inevitable cacophony of breaking hearts when you don’t reciprocate their attentions. Maybe I’ll wager money on someone this time.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” Victor replied.
The Jemison boasted an extensive medical suite comprised of multiple rooms, offices, and labs. Artificial solar panes spanned walls covered with cheerful yellow paint. Designed to resemble windows, they replicated sunlight and provided a soothing atmosphere. The illusion within the frame overlooked a lake bordering a flowering meadow. Discrete air vents generated a floral breeze.
“I know. It’s a little girly. But you’ll receive tons of patients anyway.” Ethan crossed his arms over his chest.
“Smells nice in here at least,” Victor muttered. “The rest of your ship reeks like used gym socks.”
“Don’t knock my ship, kid. Military vessels shouldn’t smell like gardens.”
“Oh, don’t listen to him, sir. The Commodore didn’t complain much when he was down here with the twilight flu two months back.” A redheaded woman dressed in powder blue scrubs beneath a white lab coat joined them. She offered her hand. “Kathleen Hart. You must be the new cyberneticist Oshiro is so excited about.”
“That’s me. Pleasure to meet you, Doctor Hart.” Victor glanced toward Ethan, grinning broadly from ear to ear. “He won’t admit it, but he likes the downtime away from command.”
Ethan muttered something unintelligible beneath his breath, then cleared his throat. “Lieutenant Hart is our genetic technician and responsible for the care of our splicers. According to the bunk assignments, you’re also sharing a bathroom with her. So good luck with that.”
Experience with his fellow officers of the female persuasion taught Victor to never look forward to sharing restroom assignments with them. They were brutal when it came to using the last of the hot water and showed no mercy to men who forgot to put the seat down.
“Ah, so he has finally arrived,” a voice spoke from behind them.
The trio turned to face the Chief Medical Officer. Yuki Oshiro barely reached Victor’s chest. In the year since their last reunion, little about Doctor Oshiro had changed. Silver strands glinted against his temples and seemed more numerous, but his brown eyes remained as warm as ever. His smile comforted Victor and eased his building anxiety.
“Always a pleasure to see you, Victor,” Oshiro greeted in his amicable and soothing voice. He glanced at Ethan and allowed a broader grin to surface over his face. “I will take things from here, Commodore. You are relieved from our effeminate infirmary.”
“I’ll leave Victor in your capable hands. But I get him for breakfast.” Ethan waggled a finger at Oshiro and winked at Victor. “I’ll get you officially entered into all the systems so you can have a look at your future patients’ files.”
Victor laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll be there.”
Of course, Ethan Bishop was the only reason Victor had his hard-earned career as one of the military’s best cybernetics surgeons. When they met over twenty years ago, Victor had been a medical technician on a fast-paced battle frigate where Ethan served as a Lieutenant Commander. After hitting it off as friends, mostly because Ethan said that the younger corporal reminded him of his little brother back home, Victor had been surprised to find a missive from United Command notifying him of a recommendation for advancement as an officer. If, and only if, he accepted the equally prestigious opportunity to attend medical school. According to Ethan, Victor was too bright to remain an enlisted man. He deserved more.
So he became more. He became the best military doctor in their region and aspired to make his friend proud. Years later, he was honored to serve on Ethan Bishop’s ship.
If only it were under better circumstances.
“Coming off shore duty, Victor? Ready for ship life or wishing you were boots to ground again?” Kathleen asked after the commodore left.
“I like ship duty. Glad to be with the crew,” he replied carefully. New start. New chance. And this time I have Ethan and Yuki with me, he thought with optimism.
“Well, you can relax. The Jemison’s crew is bloody brilliant, so you have nothing to be anxious about.”
“I think I’ll take Victor around now, Kathleen.” Oshiro touched Victor’s arm.
Disappointment flit briefly over the woman’s features, but she nodded and stepped away. “It’s almost end of shift, so I’ll lead him to his quarters once you’re done, if you’d like.”
“That will be fine,” Oshiro agreed. He gestured for Victor to follow and then led him down the wide corridor.
A uniformed young man strode toward them down the hall. His gelled blond hair must have required at least ten minutes in front of a mirror to acquire the perfect magazine cover model look. Victor stared.
“Doctor Oshiro, I have the inventory check you requested. I just need your signature.”
“Thank you, Jean-Claude. Please welcome Doctor del Toro. Corporal O’Reilly will be one of your technicians, Victor.
“Excellent. It’s a pleasure to meet you, O’Reilly. I look forward to working together.” Victor shook the corporal’s hand firmly.
“An honor, Doctor del Toro. Your work in cybernetics has been inspiring. I heard you pioneered the recent advancements in synthetic veins and live nerve connections in artificial limbs.”
“Jean-Claude has an interest in your field, as you can see,” Oshiro relayed with a smile. He passed the data tablet back to the technician.
“I even read your article in the Galactic Cyberneticists Journ
al about neurocybernetic modification. Do you think they’ll ever repeal the laws prohibiting cybernetic brain enhancement?”
“Ah…” As far as the Empire was concerned, brain modification was a strict no-no. “We made small steps in completely curing Alzheimer's Disease a couple of centuries ago using cybernetics, and I think given some time we can convince the Empire to allow supervised research.”
“Amazing. I hope to be there when it happens. We have lots of cyborgs coming onboard, so I’m really looking forward to working with you, sir,” Jean-Claude gushed with enthusiasm.
“Thank you, Jean-Claude,” Oshiro interrupted kindly. “Please make sure everything is secured for our departure then report to Doctor Matthews before you check out. That will be all.”
“Of course, Doctor.”
“He was certainly eager to meet me. I’m not accustomed to this,” Victor whispered as he and Oshiro walked away toward the lab. “Did you bribe him to do that?”
The older man chuckled. “No, of course not. He has spoken of nothing else since word spread of your assignment to the Jemison. He is a smart young man, if a little… undisciplined. He lacks true focus unless it is in a subject of his interest.
“It’s a nice change from the ordinary,” Victor admitted. “I can’t ask for more than to have a passionate assistant.”
“If it relates to the synthesis of man and machine he has more than enough.” Oshiro brought him to a wide door which opened smoothly at their approach. Lights brightened inside.
“Welcome, Doctor del Toro,” Jem announced.
One glimpse of the spacious cybernetics lab assuaged the remainder of Victor’s worries. Beyond the OR’s concave viewport, a tree-filled view of the ship’s bio-farm provided pleasant scenery for patients going under the knife. An array of lights hung suspended from the ceiling, connected to a retractable beam that repositioned on voice command, fully-automated by the ship’s intelligence program.
It was physician’s porn, the stuff of dreams that doctors like Victor wasted hours ogling on social media and hoped to work with at some point in their careers. For a minute, he simply forgot how to breathe.