Ep.#5 - Balance (The Frontiers Saga - Part 2: Rogue Castes)

by Ryk Brown

  “Good to hear, Mirai,” the escort replied. “Continue inbound to Winnipeg as planned.”

  “Understood,” Loki replied.

  “Trailers, close back up.”

  Loki looked at Josh and smiled. “I guess I’m picking up some of your skills, huh?”

  “I’m so proud.” Josh replied, grinning.

  * * *

  The first few seconds had been hair-raising. Passing through a long tail of burning plasma and bits of the extra coating, which Vladimir and Marcus had applied to the underside of the Seiiki’s hull back on Tanna, had seemed like the fires of hell itself. Luckily, it had been short-lived.

  Five seconds after being sucked out the back of the Seiiki, they had passed aft of her plasma wake. At that moment, the Seiiki and her fighter escorts had been tiny dots, all of which faded from view in seconds. After that, it had simply been a long free-fall.

  The Ghatazhak space-jump rigs were completely automated. Although they appeared as if they were nothing more than heavy-duty body armor, they were in fact fully actuated flight systems complete with automated piloting. Servos moved Nathan’s arms, legs, and torso, using them like control surfaces on a guided missile. Onboard navigation computers guided him and Jessica down through the atmosphere, controlling their trajectory, and, as much as they could, their rate of descent, ensuring that they would reach their selected touchdown point.

  The journey through the evening skies over the Pacific Ocean had been incredible. At higher altitudes, Nathan could see the sun to the west ahead of them, but as they descended they eventually fell into darkness as the sun quickly fell below the horizon.

  There was no communication between them on the way down. As planned, their comms had been shutdown prior to departure. The electronics running their jump rigs were sealed, generating no detectable emissions, and their flat-black finish made them invisible once they fell into the predawn darkness.

  As they descended, Nathan was able to make out the lights of Vancouver as they approached. He had not seen the city in which he had been raised since he’d left Earth nine years earlier, just after graduating from the Earth Defense Force Academy. He had never seen it from this vantage point. He suspected few people ever had.

  Eventually, they passed over Vancouver, traveling east of the city. One by one, braking chutes deployed, slowing him from just below the speed of sound down to a speed that would not tear his main chute to pieces. Finally, his main chute opened a mere one thousand meters above the northeast tip of Boundary Bay. A minute later, he found himself touching down more gently than he anticipated, thirty meters to one side of the runway at White Rock airfield.

  A press of a button on his chest control pack reeled his chute back in, preventing the morning breeze off the bay from dragging him across the field. Nathan quickly removed his helmet, taking in the first breath of his native atmosphere in more than seven years. Dripping with sweat, he fell to his knees and dropped his helmet on the ground beside him. He looked to his left and spotted Jessica, who was already removing her chute-pack. He followed suit, flipping both release levers below each shoulder as he leaned back slightly to allow the pack to fall away.

  “You okay?” Jessica asked as she approached, her helmet in one hand and her chute-pack in the other. Despite the remaining bulk of her space-jump rig, she moved with relative ease. He envied her physical condition and made a mental note to start working on his own physique upon their return to the Aurora.

  “Yeah, I think so. Hell of a ride, though.”

  “You can say that again. Drink up,” she instructed, tipping her head to one side and taking the hydration tube sticking up from her collar-ring and taking a long drink.

  Nathan tipped his chin down and right, taking a drink from his own hydration tube, not stopping until he had emptied the bladder.

  “We need to get to cover,” Jessica urged. “Can you walk?”

  “Of course,” Nathan replied, struggling to get to his feet.

  “Where’s your grandpa’s plane?”

  “Hangar B eight,” Nathan said, pointing toward the hangars along the taxiway on the opposite side of the runway from them. “Second row back from the taxiway.”

  Jessica looked around. The sky was already beginning to lighten slightly. “What time does this place open?”

  “Probably just after sunrise, for the public,” Nathan answered. “But people who have hangars here can come and go night and day.”

  “Then we’d better get moving,” Jessica reiterated.

  * * *

  The Seiiki settled gently on landing pad one four at the Winnipeg spaceport’s NAU flight operations center. The four Super Eagles that had escorted them down pitched up and disappeared behind blue-white jump flashes just after the Seiiki’s wheels had touched the tarmac.

  “Mirai, Winnipeg Ground, shut down all systems and prepare to be boarded for inspection.”

  Josh and Loki watched as several security vehicles pulled up on either side of the ship and what appeared to be some sort of tracked plasma turret rolled into position fifty meters away, bringing their barrels around to take aim on them.

  “Holy shit,” Josh exclaimed. “These guys don’t fuck around.”

  “Winnipeg Ground, Mirai. We copy and will comply.” Loki quickly shut down the Seiiki’s engines and reactor, switching her basic systems to run on batteries for the time being.

  “Is everyone in uniform?” Josh asked over his comm-set. “Marcus?”

  “Yeah, I’m ready. You want me to drop the ramp?”

  “Yeah. And please tell me you’re not armed.”

  “How dumb do you think I am?”

  “Deliza? Is Nathan’s cabin ready?”

  “You’d never know it wasn’t my cabin,” she replied. “It even smells like me now.”

  “Oh, Nathan’s going to love that,” Josh chuckled. “Okay,” Josh said, climbing out of the pilot’s seat. “Everyone report to the cargo bay and prepare to be inspected.”

  Josh and Loki were the last ones to make it to the cargo bay, sliding down the forward ladder as an NAU security officer and a squad of armed guards came marching up the ramp. Josh went to the right, standing in line next to Marcus and Neli, while Loki went left to stand alongside Dalen and Yanni.

  “Welcome aboard the Mirai,” Deliza greeted from the center of the cargo bay. “I am Deliza Ta’Akar, heir to House Ta’Akar of Takara, president of Ranni Enterprises, and diplomatic representative of the Karuzari rebellion. I am formally requesting an audience with President Dayton Scott of Earth.”

  The NAU officer did not seem impressed. He signaled his men to begin their search, sending them in pairs up the port and starboard ladders, as well as up the forward ladder behind Deliza. “Is there anyone else aboard this ship?”

  “No, sir. Everyone is here with me. You are free to search this vessel.”

  “Are all your systems powered down, as instructed?” the officer asked.

  “Yes,” Loki replied. “We are running on battery power only. We would appreciate it if you could provide us with a ground line. Our batteries will only last an hour or two, at best.”

  “We will provide one once we are satisfied that your vessel is secure and is not a threat.”

  “I assure you, sir, we are no threat,” Deliza promised.

  “Yet two plasma cannons sit atop your ship,” the officer stated.

  “Recently added for our protection,” Deliza explained. “The Pentaurus sector has become a dangerous place, as of late.”

  “I assume you have forms of identification for everyone aboard?” the officer asked.

  “Yes, although I do not know if they will suffice for your purposes,” Deliza told him. “However, I assure you President Scott knows us quite well. Perhaps you should send him images of us so that he can
verify our identities.”

  “I will decide how to verify your identities,” the officer snapped, unaccustomed to being told how to perform his duties by someone from another world.

  “If I may,” Yanni interrupted. “I am still a citizen of Earth. You should be able to verify my identity.” He looked at Deliza. “It’s a start.”

  The officer turned his attention to his comm-set. A moment later, he spoke. “My men have confirmed that there is no one else on this vessel and my superiors have already sent your images from my body-cam to the president’s aide. She has confirmed your identity.” The officer’s demeanor suddenly changed. “I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss Ta’Akar. As the hour is late, the president’s aide, Miri Scott-Thornton, has arranged accommodations for you and your crew for the night. When you are ready, transportation will be waiting just outside.”

  “We will require time to gather our things and secure the ship,” Deliza told him.

  “Please, take all the time you need,” the officer replied. “Meanwhile, I will see to your ship’s power needs. Is one of you the ship’s engineer?”

  “Uh, that would be me,” Dalen stated, meekly raising his hand.

  “If you will follow Sergeant Turner here, he will provide whatever you need to keep your ship properly powered throughout your stay. He can also provide whatever assistance you need to repair your vessel. I understand you experienced some difficulties on the way down?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle, but…cool,” Dalen exclaimed.

  “Are we going to stay here, on the landing pad?” Loki asked.

  “For security reasons, we cannot allow an armed vessel to park within the common operations area. However, a detail will be assigned to shuttle you to and from your ship and the COA as needed, day and night.”

  “We could use some propellant, as well,” Josh suggested.

  “We will be happy to replenish your propellant stores, just prior to your departure,” the officer explained. “My name is Lieutenant Dupra. I will be on duty until twenty-three hundred hours, local time. If you need anything, please use this comm-unit to contact myself or my assistant, Sergeant Turner.” The lieutenant bowed his head politely. “Welcome to Winnipeg.”

  * * *

  Nathan and Jessica made their way along the row of hangars, moving in and out of the shadows of the dimly lit airport. Finally, Nathan came to a stop in front of one of the control pads next to a set of hangar doors. “This is it, or at least it should be.”

  “What do you mean, it should be?” Jessica asked. “I thought you said your father would never get rid of it?”

  “Yes, but I never said he wouldn’t move it,” Nathan defended. “Either way, we’ll find out in a moment.” He flipped open the keypad cover and typed in his six-digit code.

  Nothing happened.

  “Huh,” he commented.

  “Maybe they changed the code?”

  “The code has been the same since I was a kid.” He tried the code again, but still nothing happened. “Maybe they did move it after all,” he said. He looked at Jessica, thinking.

  “What?”

  “If I punch it in a third time and it doesn’t work, I think it’s designed to automatically notify the owner of the hangar, or set off the alarm, or lockout the control pad… I don’t really know for sure.”

  “Are you sure you put in the correct code?” Jessica asked.

  “I’m sure,” Nathan insisted. “But the system is old and sometimes you really have to push hard, but…”

  “But what?” Jessica asked, looking back over her shoulder to make sure they were still alone.

  “If someone else owns this hangar…”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” she said.

  “Alright.” Nathan carefully entered his code a third and final time, pressing each key firmly, and in an even cadence. After pushing the sixth button, he held his breath, waiting. But again…

  “Shit,” Jessica cursed.

  The red light on the control pad flashed three times, then turned green and the doors began to retract. Nathan turned to Jessica and smiled.

  The hangar doors rolled open to either side, turning into the walls on either side of the hangar as they parted. Overhead lights flickered to life revealing a sleek, white aircraft with swept-back upper and lower wings, each with winglets on the ends that pointed up from the top wing and down from the bottom one. There were two red and gold stripes that came from the propeller hub at the front, ran along the sides and under the edge of the cockpit canopy, eventually turning up across the tail of the aircraft at a forty-five-degree angle.

  The aircraft was small and sat atop three small wheels—one under each wing, and one under the nose—all of which appeared insufficient for the task.

  “This is the plane you were talking about?” Jessica asked in disbelief. “Are you joking? It’s a toy. It isn’t even big enough to hold two people. What were you going to do with me? Strap me to the wing, or something?”

  “Relax, Jess, it seats two.”

  “Where does the second person sit, in the tail?”

  “You sit right behind me,” Nathan explained. “It’s tight, but you’ll fit.”

  Jessica shook her head. “Where do we wind it up?”

  “It’s a high-performance solar-electric,” Nathan explained as he moved around the right wing. “It’s got a battery bank in the bottom wing and solar cells built into the top wing. With a full charge, the engine will produce full thrust for an hour; cruise for an hour and a half. On a sunny day, you can cruise forever.”

  “How fast is it?” Jessica asked, hoping to be impressed.

  “With two of us, maybe three hundred and sixty to three hundred and seventy KPH.”

  “Great, it’s a fucking turtle.”

  “It’s an aerobatic plane, Jess, not a jump shuttle.”

  “And you learned to fly in this?”

  “Yup.”

  “Will it fly now?”

  “If it’s got a charge, it should, but unless it’s been plugged in all these years…” Nathan looked back at the tail, bending over to look under the stabilator. “Damn.”

  “What’s wrong?” Jessica asked.

  “It’s not plugged in.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, if you’re not going to fly it for a long time, it’s better to let the batteries completely discharge. It keeps them healthy.”

  “So, what do we do now?”

  “We plug it in and wait,” Nathan explained. “Doesn’t matter, really. We couldn’t fly until sunrise anyway.”

  “Oh yeah, because it’s solar-powered,” Jessica realized.

  “No, because it doesn’t have any running lights. It’s an aerobatic plane,” Nathan said. “Just as well, really. It will give us time to give her a really thorough preflight. Close the doors, so we don’t attract attention.”

  Jessica turned around and headed for the door controls on the side wall. “I was really picturing something else when you said your grandfather had a plane, Nathan.”

  * * *

  Nathan and Jessica pushed the small aerobatic plane out of the hangar and into the breaking dawn. After closing the hangar doors, they climbed up into the cramped cockpit of the aircraft.

  “You weren’t kidding when you said this was cramped,” Jessica said as she squeezed down into her seat behind Nathan. “You have to be a contortionist to get into this thing.”

  “Needless to say, I didn’t give many rides to friends,” Nathan admitted as he pulled Jessica’s harness over her shoulders. “This goes into the buckle between your legs.”

  “I got it.”

  Nathan moved forward, stepped over the edge of the cockpit, and slid down into the pilot’s seat with ease. It felt m
ore familiar than he had anticipated, which helped to ease his nerves.

  “How long has it been since you flew this thing?” Jessica wondered.

  “Do you really want to know?” Nathan replied as he went through his checklist.

  “What, ten years maybe?”

  “Honestly, the last time I flew this thing was the summer before I started college. You do the math.”

  “You’re right, I didn’t want to know,” Jessica admitted.

  “But I flew the hell out of it that summer. I even entered an aerobatic contest.”

  “Did you win?” she asked, hoping for anything encouraging.

  “Not even close,” Nathan replied. “Actually, I almost crashed.”

  “Not helping.”

  “I’m kidding, Jess. But just in case, you should know that your seat has a parachute built into it. If we have to bail, I’ll jettison the canopy and then you pull the yellow handle to your right to release your pack from the airframe, so you can jump out.”

  “You’re kidding again, right?”

  “Nope. You’ll jump first, then I’ll jump.”

  “I am not liking this, Nathan.”

  “Jesus, Jess, you just jumped from orbit…and that was how many times? Four or five?”

  “More like twenty.”

  Nathan shook his head as he turned on the plane’s main power. He checked his energy levels which indicated he had about an hour of flight time. If he kept their speed down, he could squeeze an hour and a half out of his current charge, thereby giving the sun time to rise enough so that their solar cells would start producing sufficient power to keep them aloft.

  He leaned his head out and hollered, “Clear prop!”

  “Uh, there’s no one out there,” Jessica reminded him.

  “Old habit.” Nathan pressed the engine start button and the propeller immediately began to spin, sending a rush of air across them. Nathan scanned his flight display, checking that all the systems were functioning properly. “Pull the canopy forward over your head,” he told Jessica.