Unknown Earth Volume 2

by Frank Wallace

  “It’s fake, Captain. All of it” Symone says, wiping her eyes. Alondra tuts.

  “Not fake, technically. This ship is real, but it is a prototype class. It wasn’t nearly ready for combat deployment, so someone decided to create an elaborate back-story to stir up loyalty and increase popular momentum for spending increases. As you all have discovered, it is little more than a flying tin at this stage. The proper roll-out of this class has been delayed for another year” She informs Nemmy.

  “So, the crew?” Nemmy whispers.

  “Actors. Well, most of them. The important ones, certainly. There are a few ISF advisors assigned to the production. I should point out at this juncture that I did not support this decision. However, the ship is not part of my resource list, so I can do nothing except facilitate their travel through my space” Alondra says. The annoyance in her voice is clear. A consoling glimmer of amusement to Nemmy, that there are things her mother can’t control. It instantly fades as the depth of this façade becomes clear.

  “So, all the stories about this ship and crew are fake as well?” she asks.

  “Most of them are fabrications, yes. Some of them are real events that have been…edited. The raid on the pirate base was true, but it was a flotilla of thirty ships, rather than the Imperial Avenger alone” Alondra says. This just gets worse and worse, Nemmy thinks.

  “The Commander, or whatever, is up there taking drugs,” Nemmy says, sinking into her chair. Alondra frowns heavily.

  “Their manager is supposed to prevent such things. Again, they are a special exception, therefore I can’t do anything. Zolero at least always maintains his professionalism. You may even have noticed his voice modulation strip. His natural speaking voice was considered too...regional. He was all too happy to oblige a request for change” Alondra explains. This is all too much. Nemmy understands why her crew are all devastated. The best ship, the best crew. It was all a sham. A propaganda piece and they had all bought into it. She can only imagine how crushed the likes of Alonso would be at this news. As if reading her thoughts Alondra stands up.

  “Of course, the five of you join a very small group of people who know this truth. For obvious reasons, we cannot share this information with anyone. I assume a large payment to each of your own accounts will suffice?” Alondra says.

  “Pardon me, Admiral, but I don’t like accepting gifts. Or bribes.” Amira says with vigour. Alondra smiles.

  “A respectable stance, Major. You are an exceptional officer by all accounts. You may consider it a…performance related bonus. You can all return to your ship now” Alondra says, sweeping out of the room before anyone can ask anything else. The five of them look at each other. Even Amira seems aggravated by this revelation. Zhang puts a comforting arm around Symone. They all feel the same deep disappointment, so there’s nothing to say. They wordlessly leave the meeting room and trudge back to the shuttle bay. The reception is still in full swing. Zavien walks through the crowd, glad-handing various officials and smiling for recordings with starry-eyed ISF personnel. Alonso practically skips towards them, with Emily and Alaba in tow.

  “I can’t believe I met Captain Zolero! I got a great recording, we all did!” He squeals.

  “It should be worth a lot of money” Emily jokes, nudging him. He laughs and holds the little cube tightly.

  “You couldn’t pay me all the money in the Universe for this! Did you meet him, Captain?” he asks. Nemmy glances at the others behind her. They all studiously avoid eye contact.

  “I did. I’m glad you had an enjoyable time, Alonso” she replies, forcing a smile onto her face. Alonso nods happily, and the excited trio head back towards the docking area. Symone, Zhang, and Lynsey follow them, exchanging forlorn looks with each other. Nemmy sighs deeply, rubbing her face.

  “I can’t keep doing this, Amira”

  “Doing what?”

  “Going against my own feelings on things, to follow ‘the greater good’. I’m sick of having to lie to people. Poor Alonso would be crushed if he knew the truth, and he’s not the only one”

  “Deifying real people always leads to heartbreak”

  “People need heroes, Amira”

  “People need the truth. A false hero isn’t a hero at all, is he? I’d rather have a villain. At least it would be honest” Amira sneers, pointing at Zavien. Nemmy doesn’t know what to say. She knows the Imperium has rougher edges, that it isn’t all gleaming ships and upstanding officers. But the longer she serves as a Captain, the more elements she discovers that concern her. Even more worrying is the number of people, including her mother, who bend and even break rules regularly to further their own ends. She herself has lied, made promises, caused people pain. It’s becoming disturbingly routine. To her dismay, dishonesty is the increasingly easy option. Amira was still aiming scornful glares at Zavien and the show in front of them. Nemmy suddenly realises how much she admires Amira. She is a rare bastion of strength and truthfulness in an increasingly murky world. The Boomslang is lucky to have her.

  “As always Amira, you know best. So, what will you do with your payoff? I mean, bribe? I mean, performance bonus?” she says, trying to lighten the mood. Amira rolls her eyes, dismissively waving her hands.

  “I don’t want it. But if your mother insists, I’ll probably donate it to Zavien’s clothing fund. Can’t disappoint the fans, after all,” She snaps, making a fluttering gesture with her hands. Despite her sadness, Nemmy laughs loudly. She doesn’t need any fake heroes, she realises. She has a real one right in front of her.

  A Working Holiday

  “I am not getting on that!” Lynsey wails, crossing her arms.

  “Don’t be a baby, you’ll be fine” Angela replies, dragging her into the queue by the arm. She is determined that Lynsey will loosen up on their last day on holiday. This entertainment station wasn’t quite Sanctum – an Imperial station never could be - but there has been a lot to see and do. Those odd flying worms from the icy Adenthya, a mining planet not too far from the station, had been the highlight of the animal centre. One of the rare activities Lynsey hasn’t moaned about. In truth, Angela enjoys their usual game. Lynsey often moans about how boring or dangerous something will be, Angela will pester her, and eventually, she will surrender and do it. Lynsey secretly enjoys it as much as she does, Angela is certain of that.

  Angela knows Lynsey will enjoy this experience as well, despite her usual exaggerated warnings. The idea is to give humans the experience of being a birdlike being, soaring over a projection of a forested landscape. In practice, it is firing people through a giant gun over a wide chasm into a gravity-controlled landing area. They zip through the queue and take their place in the shimmering launching device. It did indeed look like a giant pistol, a fact that isn’t lost on Lynsey.

  “So, this is the end” she quips. Angela laughs as she lies down on the launching platform.

  “Just pretend you’re being thrown away by a giant,” she says, slamming the launch button before Lynsey has even kneeled. They spurt into the air, soaring high above the projected forest lands below. Lynsey screams in terror the entire way, wildly flailing her arms and legs. Angela glides smoothly in a T shape, fully experienced in this activity. Within seconds they ‘land’ in the gravity net. It slows their descent to a complete stop, before allowing them to be lowered to the floor. Lynsey’s crimson cheeks are a source of amusement for Angela and various others nearby.

  “I wasn’t prepared! Plus, it’s quite warm in here” she moans, causing laughter.

  “Alright gorgeous, let’s go. I just wanted to get one more in before we head back” Angela says, taking Lynsey by the hand and leading her out of the landing area. They leave the entertainment centre and head towards the large shuttle they’ve been allowed to borrow from the Boomslang. Lynsey had sprung this surprise trip on her. She had even managed to get the Captain to let them have the shuttle without Angela discovering this
until she stepped onto the shuttle to find baggage already prepared. Lynsey always makes a fuss over her, which is one of the reasons Angela loves her so deeply. Inside that crusty, grumpy old soldier is a passionate, adventurous, young babe who is desperate to get out. She moves her hand up to Lynsey’s forearm as they walked through the throngs of people leaving the landing bay. She squeezes the toned forearm gently, and Lynsey pats her hand and smiles in that lopsided way that makes her warm and giddy inside.

  “Did you get all your gifts delivered?” Lynsey asks. Angela nods.

  “They should all be on the shuttle. I got Zhang that little grav-tube thing he wanted. I can only guess what he wants with it”

  “I think we both know” Lynsey replies instantly. Angela bursts into laughter. She has a witty comment for every situation. Angela silently gazes at her wife as they walk arm in arm towards their shuttle. They swipe in at the security station and climb aboard. An automated note confirms that all their luggage and purchases have been stored on the shuttle. Angela goes to the main control console.

  “Hmm, there is a message for you. You’ve to contact Fleet Captain Roger Novo as soon as we depart” she reads out. Lynsey takes her hand and pulls her to the seats where the commandos normally sit.

  “It can wait for a bit. I want to say something first” she states.

  “Oh heavens, what have I done now?” Angela jokes, prodding Lynsey in the ribs. Lynsey shifts uncomfortably. She was about to say something truthful and embarrassing. Angela knows that look on her face. She adores that look on her face. Lynsey takes both of Angela’s hands in hers, glancing around awkwardly before finally fixating on her wife’s eyes.

  “Look, I know I don’t say certain things as much as I should. Things happen; you learn things you thought were true aren’t, people aren’t what they are supposed to be”

  “Honey, you’re rambling”

  “Shut your noise-hole, I’m trying! The point is…I love you, Angela. You’re the most important person in the galaxy to me. You excite and inspire me every single day, and I’m lucky to have you. You make my life worth living” she says earnestly, pulling Angela in for a long kiss. Angela enjoys the warm feeling for a while before speaking.

  “You’re so cheesy sometimes”

  “Shut up!”

  “You know I live for you, Lyns. I couldn’t do anything without you to protect me and look after me. I adore you so much” she breaths as they gaze lovingly at each other.

  “Now who is being cheesy?” Lynsey jokes, getting up. “I suppose I should check that message,” she says. Angela grabs her arm. She gets up and flicks her foot against the bottom of the chairs, causing a bed to jut out from the wall of the shuttle. She slowly starts unzipping her shirt.

  “We don’t actually need to take off for another hour, you know,” she says with a wink.

  Nearly two hours later, the shuttle departs the centre and heads out into space. Thankfully, the bigger shuttles have a limited warp-space capability. The Captain was generous enough to let them use it for Lynsey’s surprise trip. Perhaps being drained from another one of Amira’s combat lessons had befuddled her mind. As Angela flies the ship, Lynsey settles into the second pilot chair and activates the message. The mini-holo projector creates Roger Novo’s slender face above the console.

  “Lieutenant Taylor. We have a task for you. We have reason to believe the station you are at is being used as a hub for the group responsible for the recent terrorist attacks. Since you are already in the vicinity, it has been decided that you should recon the site. If you can confirm the presence of these ships and individuals, we can move in force. A data packet is attached to this message; it will have the specifics for you. Use standard marking techniques, then get out of there and leave the rest to us” Novo explains. The message cuts off as soon as he stops speaking.

  “How charming” Angela quips. Lynsey exhales loudly.

  “Really? We’re not even away from the station and we’re back at work” she moans.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll make it fun” Angela says, turning the shuttle around.

  “Oh yeah. Getting our brains spaced out by some terrorist maniac. You heard what happened to Amira, right? I don’t want to get shot in the back. I like my back completely un-shot” Lynsey says.

  “I’ll tell you what. I’ll fly the shuttle naked, will that cheer you up?” Angela says with a chuckle.

  “Don’t you start. Although you should probably try it, and we’ll see how it pans out” Lynsey says, putting her hands behind her head. A ding prevents Angela from following through on her offer.

  “Oh! There are two of the ships right at the station right now” Angela informs Lynsey, reading over her console. Lynsey groans, cycling through various holo-images of individuals.

  “I’ll still have to positively identify at least one of these goons. I’m going to have to go down there, probably to get shot at, kidnapped, cuffed and tortured”

  “Oh my”

  “Behave yourself! I think we’ll need to call in some help for this” Lynsey says. Angela shakes her head. Lynsey is always so conservative.

  “Nah, I’ll zoom in, drop you right on the hull. You get the close-up scans, and then just jump back on the shuttle. They won’t even know we were there” Angela says casually. Lynsey glares at her as if she has grown an extra head.

  “This is a military shuttle. We can’t just float over there without being spotted”

  “We can. It’s easy, trust me” Angela says, again in that slightly condescending tone. An exasperated Lynsey leaps out of her seat to remonstrate.

  “You really need to try being serious for once! You’re going to get yourself killed one day with this attitude. And don’t forget, I outrank you, Sergeant” she tuts. Angela rolls her eyes and chuckles.

  “Look, we’re almost on top of the first ship. You can play commander later” she quips, ignoring the annoyance on Lynsey’s face and smoothly gliding the shuttle into position over the docked ship. It is too large to enter the station, and there doesn’t appear to be any external weapons or any cybersecurity setup. Lynsey is worried about nothing as usual. She is cute when she was angry though.

  “See? We’re on the first ship, no scramblers, no weapons, no problem. I even noticed an old-style module slot on their hull. Stick a scanner there, you don’t even need to leave” Angela grins. Lynsey fumes, but she says nothing, activating a small scanning unit on the shuttle. Within seconds, the ship gets the all clear.

  “Nothing on this one. Luckily” Lynsey gripes.

  “You are paranoid, babe. In twenty minutes, we’ll be finished, and I’ll set the auto-pilot and we can have some real fun” Angela says, switching on some music. Lynsey immediately switches it off.

  “We can have fun when we are safe. Not before. Next ship” she barks.

  “Of course, Mum!” Angela grumps. She still can’t see what the problem is. Even if these guys were part of this terrorist Swinefleet thing, they aren’t going to attack an ISF shuttle right in front of the station. They would just be signing their own death warrants. She locates the other ship easily, another bulky transport docked to the outside of the station. As they drift towards it, she is struck by how poorly maintained it appears to be. The other ship was basic enough, but this one is heavily scarred, with next to no paint or colouring at all. It looks little more than a hunk of debris with an engine attached. A sad sight for an old girl, Angela thinks. People should take better care of their ships. She spots what looks like a similar module slot from the last ship and brings the shuttle to a stop a mere foot above it.

  “Alright, next one,” She says, and Lynsey begins the scan. At the exact moment Lynsey frowns, Angela notices something on her console.

  “There’s a pretty big energy reading from this….oh God!” she shouts. The shuttle violently shudders, knocking Lynsey off her feet.

  “What’s
happening?” she snaps. Angela struggles to reach her console.

  “We’re being pulled inside the ship!” she gasps, switching on a viewer. The module slot has opened, and the shuttle is indeed being wrenched into the innards of the ship. It’s in much better condition internally than the outside would imply. A rookie mistake, she mentally scolds herself. Civilian ships don’t always have standardised design plans. After several seconds of ferocious shaking, the shuttle hits solid metal with a loud clank and stops. Angela frantically tries to get the shuttle moving, but to no avail.

  “We’ve been clamped by the auto-docking system,” Angela says. Lynsey curses angrily and rushes to a locker. She pulls out a couple of pistols, chucking one at Angela. She takes another one and attaches it to her belt. The shuttle lights go out for a couple of seconds. They flicker back on.

  “They might be trying to take control of the shuttle” Angela realises out loud.

  “If they come aboard, stay behind me” Lynsey orders, moving in between Angela and the shuttle door. Before Angela can even move, the door slides open.

  “Spying on us, are you?” A woman’s voice asks. Lynsey instantly raises both pistols at the door. The speaker enters the shuttle. She also has a weapon; a large rifle of a sort Lynsey has never seen before. She is quickly followed by three other individuals, all carrying weapons of some sort, pointing them all at Lynsey.

  “I’m a security officer. I’m training this person on piloting. Unfortunately, we got lost. You can leave our shuttle any time” Lynsey says. The woman snorts.

  “Is that right? I was going to say something similar. We’re just re-stocking, no need for any inspection. It’s interesting that you have the time to scan our little ship with a shuttle, but you apparently can’t stop the pirates that attacked us twice in the past fortnight” the woman says sharply. Lynsey raises a disdainful eyebrow.

  “Is that right? What I see is someone stepping onto an ISF vehicle with an obviously unlicensed weapon. If you plan to rob someone, maybe you should create a more interesting back-story?” She says with a smirk. Angela looks at the sole man in the group. His face is familiar. Gasping before she can stop herself, she realises he is one of the people they were sent to locate.