Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Series

by Hystad, Nathan

  The other colonists were gathered now, Jun quietly filling them in on what was occurring. “I’m in,” Val said; then Jun, and finally Kristen.

  “Looks like we’re going to need a ship, Doctor,” Brandon told Nee.

  ____________

  “What a day,” Tom said as he slumped onto the couch.

  “You’re not kidding. I can’t wait until my ship returns. I’m getting tired of being grounded like this,” Rene told him. “Why couldn’t Shu have been given the Nek modifications?”

  “Not enough to go around, and we weren’t expecting her to leave Earon Station.” Tom patted the cushion beside him. Rene had just showered and wore a bathrobe, her hair loose and damp. She rarely let him see her out of uniform and at rest, but each day, he learned something new about her.

  “We’re really going to do this, aren’t we?” he asked.

  She used a towel to squeeze a length of her hair. “Fight the Ugna?”

  “No.” He set a hand on her leg. “This. Us. The baby.”

  Rene squinted, as if silently judging him. “I don’t know, Tom. I was finally in charge of my own ship, with a great crew, and everything was looking up. I only wanted a little fun with you.”

  Tom pretended the comment didn’t sting. “I agree, but things have changed.”

  “They don’t have to. I can have this baby and still be the captain I already am, and you can…”

  “What? Stay on Ridele? See my child once a year when you happen to dock at Nolix? Or do you want me to come with you and be a silent advisor, nurturing the baby while you lead Shu on victorious missions?” The second option made the corners of his mouth form into a grin.

  “The second thing. The one where you stay with the kid, and I keep working. I like that.” She leaned closer, letting her head rest on his shoulder. It was a rare moment of intimacy with Rene. Maybe he was pushing through the cracks.

  “I’m being serious.”

  “I know. Can we just survive the next month and figure it out after that?” Her voice was low, vulnerable, and Tom kissed her wet hair.

  “Deal.”

  “How was Lark, by the way?” she asked.

  “You heard about that?”

  “Word travels fast in the Concord capital. I also heard that Starling and Douglas are on a date.”

  Tom didn’t believe that one. “Lark was remorseful.”

  “I would be too, if I had nothing to lose. Do you believe any of it?” Rene rose, walking to the kitchen.

  “Lark Keen has been a thorn in the Concord’s side for over two decades.”

  “I remember the cocksure kid before he turned on his own people. I know you two were close.” She pointed at the cabinets. “Want anything?”

  Tom declined. A drink would give him a headache, and Raca would keep him up all night. They all needed to rest while they still could. “I see a change in him, but it’s born of desperation. I let him see Seda and Luci.”

  “Another one of the great Tom Baldwin’s ex-flames. Should I start worrying?” Rene laughed while pouring a glass of berry-infused water.

  “Not quite yet,” he told her. “It feels like Lark wants to help.”

  Rene set the pitcher down and stared at him. “What did you do?”

  “What makes you think I did anything?”

  “I can see it in your eyes. You did something, and you don’t want to tell me. May as well spit it out now. You know how easily I find rumors, right?” Rene sipped her drink and watched him with sparkling eyes.

  She was quite the catch, and Tom reminded himself not to screw up this relationship like he always did.

  “I asked Keen to join my crew,” he whispered.

  Rene nearly dropped her glass. “You did what?”

  “I asked him to join Legacy. Look, I don’t have a full crew, and when Shu arrives, Kan will be gone, as well as you. I need people I can trust—”

  “And you’re going to trust Keen?”

  Tom stood, walking toward the kitchen. “At least I’ll be able to watch him.”

  “Just make sure this isn’t another one of his ploys, Tom. He’s been known to go over the edge without warning.”

  Tom nodded, wondering if Rene was right. Maybe asking Lark to team up with him in this war was going to end up a poor decision. Up until now Tom had gone with his gut on most major decisions, and it was telling him to trust Lark at the moment.

  “You’re not wrong, but I have a feeling Keen is ready to make amends for all the trouble he’s caused. Plus, I believe that people can change. Because if we don’t have that basic principle, what are we even doing each day?” Tom noticed the light blinking on the tablet he’d left on the table.

  Rene walked over, her eyelids heavy. “That’s a trait we don’t share, but I appreciate your thought process. I’m going to call it a night.”

  She’d been staying with him over the past few days, and he was finding it nice to have someone around all the time. His gaze drifted toward the tablet as she started away. “I’ll be in shortly.”

  The door to the bedroom closed, and Tom checked the message. It was from Admiral Benitor, and he played it.

  “Baldwin, I heard what you did with Yup’ren of Itheria. I’ve pulled Admiral West off the project and need you to contact the last five partners. Use the fact that she’s sending a fleet as leverage. Don’t bully them, but gently convince them it’s a good idea. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you how to accomplish your goals. I’ve attached the names and direct links.” Admiral Benitor spoke with confidence, and Tom noticed Xune working on a tablet behind her. They were on Shu a few days out of Earon, making their way toward Nolix with their entire fleet. If anything were to happen to that envoy, they’d be in a lot of trouble. Tom paused the message, rubbing his forehead. It was late, but war didn’t sleep.

  Tom moved to the desk, smoothing out a wrinkle on his uniform, and propped the screen to face him. He scrolled through the data, finding the first contact’s details. It was time for some reinforcements.

  Ten

  Reeve was far better at figuring out the inner workings of a Bentom drive than tweaking energy emittance variances, but she was adapting well to the job. It had only been five days since they’d begun the experiments, which meant they had less than two weeks before the enemy was knocking at their door. It wasn’t enough time.

  “I want to run a test,” Aimie said, flipping her goggles over her eyes.

  “We’re not ready,” Reeve told her, but she was the expert. Aimie was a well-respected Tekol woman, and Reeve was almost disappointed she and Tom hadn’t worked out. It was obvious the doctor liked Tom and knew her stuff, but at the moment, all that mattered was figuring out how to get this project off the ground. It was late in the afternoon, and half of the staff had departed for the day, leaving the two of them alone.

  “The latest tests show the beam capable of disturbing the bond between the chemicals and the oxygen in the subject’s blood. If we can make it work, we might have a chance,” Aimie said, but Reeve could only glance at the artificial organs pushing blood through organic veins.

  “Okay, but I still say we’re too early,” Reeve said, flipping her own goggles down. She wore thin gloves and picked up a sample of En’or, using a needle to inject a few drops into their experiment. The drugs were laced with dye, and Reeve watched as they pumped into the bloodstream. Their ray emitter was the size of a water glass, flaring out on one end, with a narrow trigger on the other.

  “We’ll give it a minute to let the drug seep in, as if they’d just been injected, and hopefully, we can neutralize the effects,” Aimie said.

  The lab was bright and took up half of the second to top floor of the Ridele R-Emergence building. It was clear the company was well-off, with all of the equipment appearing brand new and state-of-the-art.

  “What other kinds of experiments was R-Emergence undertaking covertly?” Reeve had heard about the cloning tests, as well as the fact that they’d used Treena as an example for th
eir android avatars, attempting to push the technology into the mainstream. Of course this meant Treena had been screwed over for their profit. At least she’d recovered now and could move on with her life.

  “I’m not at liberty to…”

  “Don’t give me that, Gaad. I’m a Concord executive, and you’re still working for us,” Reeve said.

  “Then I won’t tell you about the tests near Ulipreen, where one doctor managed to crossbreed a Zephyr with a Nanotroll.”

  Reeve grinned at the image. “That would make a…”

  “Fire-breathing winged monster,” Aimie finished.

  “What happened?”

  “The tests were performed on an unused Class Zero Nine world, but the creatures thrived within the confines of the world’s limited atmosphere. They eventually took over, breeding faster than should have been possible,” Aimie told her.

  “Are you saying there’s an entire planet covered in dragons?”

  “Dragons aren’t real, but fire-breathing Zephyrtrolls are.” There was a mischievous smirk on Aimie’s face, and Reeve realized she’d been kidding.

  “Stop messing around,” Reeve muttered.

  “I’ll send you pictures later.”

  A timer beeped, bringing their attention to the task at hand. Aimie picked up the device, offering to hand it over to Reeve, who shook her head. “It’s your experiment. You try.”

  The dyed En’or was visible in the bloodstream, and Reeve rolled her chair farther away from the long dark tabletop. “Scared of a little ray gun?” Aimie asked.

  “Nope. I’m scared of the reaction of the En’or to the ray.” Reeve hugged herself, rubbing life into her arms.

  “Here goes nothing.” Aimie began to record the test and aimed the emitter at the sample. She pulled the trigger, and an invisible wave shot from the device. For a split second, nothing happened, and then the liquid began to dissipate. “We did it!”

  Reeve thought she might be right, until she noticed the smoke rising. “Turn it off.”

  “What?” Aimie asked loudly.

  “Turn it off!” Reeve shouted, but it had already happened. The sample exploded, blood shooting past the broken glass tubes the veins had been running through. Pieces of it dripped down Aimie’s goggles, and Reeve wiped streaks of blood off her own lab coat.

  “Okay, so it didn’t work. But it was close,” Aimie said.

  “Only next time, let’s try not to do something that will cause the Ugna to detonate,” Reeve said. “On second thought, maybe keep that one for the records. We may need to use it as a last resort.”

  Reeve cringed at the idea of a fleet of the Ugna being erased so cruelly, but perhaps it was no worse than what their enemy had in store for them. She only hoped it didn’t come to that.

  “I think I see what we did wrong,” Aimie told her, and set to work. Reeve glanced at the window, feeling like today was going to be a long one.

  ____________

  The Itherian ships came in as suggested, and Tom had already met with Yup’ren’s guard captain. He was a thick-set jowly man, with more experience in space combat than Tom would have assumed. The Itheria were near the Border, and they’d been forced to protect themselves over the centuries, which had honed their skills as well as their space vessels. The addition of the twenty vessels bolstered Tom’s confidence.

  After private discussions with the last of the partners who were undecided on which side to take in the upcoming battle, he’d been able to convince four of them to send any ships they could spare to Nolix, and the last had requested staying neutral. Tom tried to see it from their point of view and calmly accepted their detachment. They were a timid bunch, early to space travel and uneasy with conflict.

  He walked the corridors of Legacy, which was slowly filling with crew members being filtered by Brax Daak and Conner Douglas. He’d charged them with the task while they waited for the rest of their Earon fleet to arrive. So far, Legacy had one hundred capable members, some clearly lacking experience, but you had to start somewhere. He wasn’t in a position to be picky. This entire replica ship had been forced on him, and in a hurry.

  The bridge was ahead, and Tom entered it, instantly feeling at home when he stepped into the open area. It looked empty, but he heard something from the far side, wishing he’d brought his PL-30 with him.

  “I’ll never get over how fancy these ships are.” Lark Keen emerged from the shadows. He’d been sitting in the weapons officer’s seat, staring toward the viewscreen, which was active, showcasing Nolix through the camera feed.

  “I seem to recall fighting you on Constantine fairly recently,” Tom reminded Lark.

  Lark had been captured, and one of his crew members had taken her own life rather than live with her actions. It was all this man’s fault. Tom deflected his own guilt, not willing to take any of it for the man across the bridge.

  “Look, Tom. You asked me to help, and I said yes, but we can’t start every conversation like this,” Lark told him, crossing the floor.

  “You’re right. What are you doing here?”

  “I heard you were interrogating Basher, and I was hoping you’d allow me to join,” Keen said.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” The Invader and Earth president was being held on an unmarked third-party freighter a few thousand kilometers away. They wanted to ensure he was mobile in case they needed to separate him from Ridele. Innocent people were likely expendable to the Invaders.

  “Let me come, and if I impede you in any way, send me out of the room,” Lark suggested.

  “Fine. Did you ever suspect you’d be working on the bridge of a starship with me?” Tom asked. Despite their differences over the last twenty years, Tom found himself at ease in the other man’s presence.

  “You know I did. I always dreamt we’d be exploring space as a team—me as the captain, of course. You as the trusted sidekick.” Lark shot him a close-lipped smile.

  “Sure. I can see it now.” Tom fought the urge to laugh, not quite ready for the camaraderie.

  “Seriously, though, I did want that for us. I got lost along the way. Maybe I’ll have a new start when this is over,” Lark said.

  Tom led them to the attached duplicate expedition ship. “Come on.”

  “Have you named her?” Lark asked.

  “The expedition craft? No. Not yet.”

  “Are you going to?”

  Tom entered through the doors, climbing the last rungs before stopping. “I don’t know. This ship… it’s not really mine. I’m not a captain any longer, and this is all temporary, with an end date. Why bother getting a custom AI and naming anything?”

  “You gave the ship a great name,” Lark said. “Legacy. It’s almost inspiring.”

  Tom couldn’t tell if the other man was kidding or not, so he didn’t respond as he took the pilot’s seat. Lark sat beside him, and he detached, guiding them toward the freighter holding President Basher. The injection Brandon and his allies from Earth had given them worked wonders, and R-Emergence had already cloned the recipe. He wished they could use the drug against the incoming Ugna, but it needed to be inserted directly, which made it an impossible task.

  Not long after, Tom was entering the freighter through the hangar doors, Lark right behind him, and they passed three ominous Tekol guards who let him through on sight. They entered the interrogation room, where Basher was tethered to a desk with energy bracelets. His head lolled forward, and his shoulders slumped.

  “Admiral Keen, how nice of you to visit your old friend,” Basher said. “I was beginning to wonder how I got here.”

  Tom bristled at hearing the false title given to Keen. “We didn’t come for a cup of Raca, Basher.”

  “And who might you be?” Basher asked. He looked like a normal human, but Tom had been told he was indeed a powerful Ugna.

  “I’m Admiral Thomas Baldwin, and I’m seeking your help,” Tom told him.

  Basher went silent, and a mirthless cackle escaped his lips. “And why
would I do such a thing?”

  “Because you’re human, and you’re fighting for the wrong side,” Tom assured him.

  “I’ve never met High Elder Wylen, but I’ve been promised many things for my assistance. I have no affiliation to you, Admiral, and yet you demand my loyalty?” Basher asked.

  “That’s a fair point.” Despite who the man was, Tom appreciated his candor. “What if I give you a reason to trust me?”

  Basher was on the opposite end of the room, with nothing inside but the dark table he was tethered to and a solitary chair across from him. Keen remained standing with Tom, who noticed the man’s gaze drifting to the empty seat, as if wondering who was supposed to be sitting there.

  “What kind of reason could you possibly give me?” Basher asked.

  Tom stared into the man’s eyes, keeping his own expression impassive. “Do you believe in the Code? The Vastness and all it entails?”

  “We know of the Vastness, yes. But we do not follow any Code that you speak of.”

  “So you haven’t heard any of the sayings? Be steadfast, be vigilant, be strong. Or perhaps the classic: The Vastness welcomes all. Without the past, there is no determining the outcome of the future. Or one of my personal favorites: Our actions pave the roads to consequences, good or bad.” Tom watched for any reaction but didn’t see recognition.

  “They sound like sage advice, but what does this have to do with anything?” Basher asked.

  “The Ugna… you were once associated with them closely, correct?” Keen asked.

  “That’s right. We were one and the same, hundreds of years ago, perhaps longer.” Basher started to look uncomfortable in his seat.

  “Then they abandoned you. Told you to occupy a planet of innocents. Not you, per se, because you were a human, tweaked to their design. A mutation, I’m told,” Tom told the man.