Escaping Utopia: Part two of the Renegade Galaxy series.

by Steve Anderson

  Vicky said, “I really don’t like the sound of that. You have a plan for my ship already don’t you?”

  Hands shrugged at the question and said, “Your arrival with the Artemis, even damaged and unarmed, has opened new options for us. I have a friend here in the system. He’s in kind of a bad spot right now, and I feel at least partly responsible. He told me about a place all of us can run to, but we’ll have to help him first, then get as far from Utopia as possible.”

  She thought about that for a second and said, “You just told me there was nowhere safe with the Artemis. Now you’re saying your friend knows a safe place. Those two statements tell me you’re leaving something out, Hands.”

  He sighed, looked down at his lap then back up to her as he said, “You are still as sharp as ever, Sister LeGrande. There is no safe place in human held space for that ship, but the United Nations Space Exploration Agency has known of inhabited worlds in neutral space for years. My friend was one of their Caravel deep space explorers. He knows where some of the major neutral worlds are, out between here and the Core. If we help him, he can lead us to a completely new life. Imagine not looking over our shoulders all the time for the Resistance, or any Earthling factions, or the Mirror Family.”

  Vicky shook her head and said, “It was hard enough convincing my crew to come here. You want them to abandon humanity entirely and head towards the Galactic Core? Are you insane? That’s as close to a death sentence as you could get. Between the deadly region around the Core, hostile aliens everywhere we’d go, and never seeing another human being, what kind of life would that be?”

  This time Hands smiled before he spoke. He said, “That’s just it, Sister. There are already humans out there. Not every spacer to disappear on a run between systems died in the void. Not every colony ship reached its destination or died at the hands of hostile aliens like Paradise. In fact, the Uni’s have cataloged dozens of human outposts from beyond Utopia to systems even further than the region controlled by the Vraxai. Not all aliens are hostile by the way, some of them have even visited here.”

  Vicky said, “You’re not in the Family anymore, Hands. You don’t have to call me sister all the time.”

  Hands said, “Sorry. Old habits die hard, especially when I have so few conversations in general.”

  Vicky shook her head at the thought of leaving human space entirely, but now was not the time to argue with Hands about it. Hands was right about the danger they would face if the USNA found them. She didn’t want whoever ambushed her to know they survived either. They would have to deal with all that later; right now, she wanted help that only Hands could provide.

  She said, “First things first. Let’s get the Artemis fixed and then we can decide what options we have if there are any. I won’t arbitrarily force my tiny crew into what I think is plainly suicide.”

  Nodding, Hands said, “I have plenty of scrap metal to make rail gun flechettes out of. I’ll have to see for myself what size rounds the North American’s planned for her guns. That also means I’ll have to visit your ship. I’ll bring a few drones with us so we can start clearing out those berthing compartments. This is going to be a lot of work. Are any of your crew engineers at all?”

  Vicky said, “I had the best engineer I ever met on board, but he died in the attack. There is only one engineer left from his team. Her name is Daiyu, and she is remarkably good at what she does.”

  Hands grimaced and said, “You may find this hard to believe, but I’m not so good with women, or people in general for that matter. You and Marcus were about the only two people I ever trusted enough to be friends with in person. You see how spectacularly that turned out for me.”

  Vicky smiled at the memory of how he “inherited” this station before she said, “You two will get along fine. You’ll have too much work to do anything else. I’m more concerned about how we’re going to get back to my ship without a command console to steer that stripped down old Soyuz shuttle.”

  Hands smiled at that and said, “The shuttle can repeat that trip and the return over and over. It has the flight path in memory all the way up to your airlock, and as long as nothing bigger than three meters gets in its way, it will never deviate more than a centimeter from the course it flew to bring you to Oz.”

  Vicky shook her head and said, “You put too much faith in your automation. I would hate to be there when it fails. You can’t build a failsafe for everything, Hands. We have a shuttle on board the Artemis, I will have them come get us.”

  Hands tilted his head to the side and said, “If you want my help and are going to learn to rely on automation, shouldn’t we just take the automated shuttle back to your ship? I think it might help sell your crew on that part of our plan at least.”

  Vicky sighed at that and said, “Sometimes you’re too smooth for an anti-social genius, Hands. Fine, despite all the reasons I don’t want to climb back on that metal tube, I’ll give it a chance. But only because you’re going to be right beside me.”

  Hands reached for a nearby comm tablet and began working on something. He said, “I have some of my drones loading up in the shuttle with us now. We can make the return trip anytime.”

  Vicky said, “Let’s at least message my crew that we’re on our way and have them all meet us at the airlock.”

  Hands fiddled some more with his tablet and nodded to the display beside him. The message displayed almost word for word what she wanted. She nodded in reply and he sent the message. Within moments, he received a confirmation reply. The two of them left his workshop together.

  Rather than the stairwell she had used to reach him, Hands led her to a cargo sized lift that took them back down to the hangar she had been in earlier. A motley looking group of drones put together from random pieces of equipment was in a line to board the tubular shuttle. She felt lucky to have survived one ride on that thing today. She didn’t relish another trip.

  Drones were notoriously prone to failure, and no sane person would trust them the way Hands seemed to. He seemed to think his drones were different, maybe even better than the drones she was used to. Vicky wondered if she was putting too much trust in her old friend, or if she was just desperate enough to try one crazier plan than her last.

  The drones on the ramp made way for the two of them, and Hands led her to a spot with clamps for his wheelchair. The other drones in line made their way into the hold and found handholds or tie downs to keep them in place. Once he was sure they were all secure, Hands fiddled with his tablet again and the airlock cycled shut. The whir of repulsion emitters spun up around them and the shuttle lifted off.

  There was still gravity for a moment as the shuttle turned around in the hangar. As soon as she felt acceleration, the shuttle must have left the hangar, and gravity disappeared again. She was now voluntarily at the mercy of the drone shuttle and whatever failsafes Hands had installed. She tried not to think about how many things could go wrong right now.

  For all her worry though, the trip back to the Artemis was quick and uneventful. She looked over Hands shoulder as he watched the video feed from an external camera. The shuttle lined up to the airlock and went through a perfect docking routine. As soon as she felt local gravity reassert itself, she reached down to release his wheelchair from its clamps.

  Hands said, “I’ve put the drones on board into standby. Shall we meet your intrepid crew?”

  He tucked his tablet into a pouch on his wheelchair and waited for her to lead the way. Shaking her head at his whimsy, the Captain stepped through the airlock and back on board her ship. The three survivors of the Artemis were waiting for them as requested. Hands followed her in his wheelchair. Dr. Ezra, Rita, and Daiyu looked from Hands to the Captain and back again.

  The Captain said, “Everyone, meet Hans “Hands” Hernandez. We have known each other for years, and I hope we will all get to know him for years to come.”

  Outspoken Rita said, “Did we come all this way for help from a broken down old Utopia belter? We’re alr
eady dead aren’t we?”

  Dr. Ezra said, “The wheelchair doesn’t mean he’s not capable, Rita. It does make me wonder how well he can get around the ship and Engineering to help us out though, Captain.”

  Before the Captain could even reply, Hands threw off his plaid blanket and stood up. He had a powered exo-skeleton on underneath it and took a softly whirring step in Rita’s direction. He looked from the Captain to Rita, then around to the other two.

  He said, “I am a bit broken, much like this ship. The good news for you is that I am the best fixer in the system. My talent is all that has kept me alive long enough to become an old Utopia belter, despite the efforts of the Family, the Uni’s and the Resistance. Not only can I fix this ship, I can make it better. If you want to live, I’m the best chance you’ve got.”

  The Captain said, “That’s enough. I vouched for Hands before we even got here. He really is the best chance for us. Rather than stand here and worry if he can do the job, let’s just get to it and see him work. Daiyu here will take you to Engineering if that is where you want to start. We will all meet in the galley when you have finished your inspection. Dr. Ezra and DiMarcos, will you join me on the bridge?”

  Hands stepped back and sat down in his wheelchair again. Now that his blanket was off, the Captain could see how it was reinforced to hold Hands and his exo-skeleton. He rolled forward and looked from quiet Daiyu back to the Captain with a raised eyebrow.

  Turning to Daiyu he said, “You are my escort I guess. Did you have a hand in putting the ship back together after it got busted open?”

  She nodded and the two fell in beside each other heading aft towards Engineering. They were already discussing the hull breaches and what she had been able to repair already. The Captain nodded at the other two and turned to walk to the bridge. Dr. Ezra and Rita followed in stony silence.

  Once the three of them were on the bridge and the door sealed behind them, the Captain rounded on the two of them and put her fists on her hips. They could see she was not amused and she could tell Dr. Ezra wanted to be anywhere but on the bridge. She looked at Rita and saw if anything, her first mate was as frustrated, maybe more upset than the Captain felt.

  She said, “All right, you don’t think much of Hands. He might not be much to look at, but he’s a more than capable engineer. I didn’t even know he had an exo-skeleton on, he’s absolutely full of surprises like that. Rita, you looked ready to bite his head off, speak your piece.”

  Rita hardly needed prompting, she said, “You dragged us light-years away from our homes, our families and the movement we all joined to make Orion free. For what? A greasy old spacer in a wheelchair with snap-on legs. That didn’t impress me. Nothing about him impressed me, and I’m starting to ask myself if I put too much faith in you, to begin with.”

  Dr. Ezra spoke up as she wound down, “His physical abilities are certainly a concern, but even I have to wonder about how capable he could be over the long term. He already told us he is socially awkward. How is that going to work out for our small crew while he’s working on the ship?”

  The Captain raised a hand to forestall any more comments and said, “First, his entire station is automated. He built every piece of equipment, every drone and component to keep it running. I fully believe he can fix the ship, improve on the automation we need to operate it with just the few of us and make us combat ready again. He is socially awkward, that is why he lives alone and why he is raggedy looking. He’s also incredibly loyal and fiercely protective, Hands is in that chair and wearing those snap-on legs because he took a bullet to the spine for Marcus and me. Before either of you write him off, see his work, listen to his plan, and maybe the four of us can get over both his awkwardness and his handicap.”

  Dr. Ezra shrugged at that, his passive nature on display once again. Rita seemed to be considering the Captain’s statement as if it was a suggestion. They didn’t have time for that kind of democracy or the luxury of decision by committee. It was time to drive that point home.

  The Captain said, “I didn’t take a vote when I lead us here or decided how our time underway should be spent. I’m not asking you to put blind faith in me, but I do expect you to trust me not to get us all killed.”

  Rita said, “I didn’t mean to sound insubordinate, Captain. We’ve been cooped up together for months, and I at least, thought our would-be savior would be this great figure leading an engineering team to put us back together. Spacer hermits are notoriously unstable. No one wants to wake up to find any of us strangled in our sleep.”

  The Captain said, “Hands is no danger to any of us, he is eccentric, not insane. Let me remind you that there is still a hunt on for this ship by the North Americans. If the Mirror Family finds out we’re here, and how badly damaged the ship is, they will come for us, or sell us out in a heartbeat. There isn’t much of a Resistance presence in Utopia, but all it would take is the wrong set of eyes to see us and pass that back to Orion. Any of that would put us right back on the run. Hands can help us avoid all of that and put the ship back together. We just have to let him do it.”

  Rita uncrossed her arms and nodded at last. Dr. Ezra followed her lead and both turned to leave. The Captain had one last instruction for them though.

  She said, “We will all meet up in the Galley in an hour. That should give Hand’s and Daiyu time to finish their inspection.”

  The two left and the Captain made a summary check of the bridge before she too walked down the slanted access ladder. She walked down the port side passageway, passed the port airlock and made her way into the empty mess deck.

  The four of them still took most of their meals here. Early on in their trip to Utopia, they had painted over all the USNA decorations that once lined the bulkheads. Now, they ate in a mostly white space, amid its bolted down tables with four swivel-mounted chairs attached to them. They were still obviously on a ship though, with almost garish overhead lighting and cable runs above them.

  This compartment was a stark contrast to the almost elegant wardroom on the deck above by their staterooms. The wardroom felt like a meeting room for dignitaries, rather than a place to eat, with its single long dining table, polished wood paneling lining the bulkheads and doorways, and soft recessed lighting. No one ever brought up the idea of eating there.

  The Captain busied herself for the time before Hands and the others arrived by making a pitcher of the Mondo citrus drink mix, the North Americans seemed to love. It was far from her favorite Dragon well tea back home, but it was better than nothing. She filled a pitcher with water, stirred the mix into it, and then carried it and some plastic mugs to a table she picked out so that Hands would have room to join the rest of them in his chair.

  She sat in a swivel chair and poured a mug of drink mix. The artificially sweetened drink was one of Marcus’s favorite drinks. She remembered the story he told of how he grew up with it. As a lightweight powdered drink mix, it was one of the few tangible connections North American settlers like his family had to their old world.

  The thought of Marcus and fond memories of their time together were a luxury the Captain could not afford anymore. She took a deep breath to clear her mind as Dr. Ezra came into the galley. He joined her at the bolted down table and poured himself a mug of the Mondo as well.

  Without even taking a drink he said, “I know this isn’t your favorite drink, but I appreciate you making some. I am trying to keep an open mind about all this.”

  She said, “You’re welcome, of course. I just hope Daiyu and Rita are willing to hear him out as well.”

  Rita said, “I’ll hear him out, but I’m more than skeptical already, Captain.”

  Daiyu pushed Hands in his wheelchair into the galley where the three of them waited. Daiyu took a seat at the table with the others while Hands faced them all in his chair from the edge of the table. The Captain looked over the faces she had come to know so much better since leaving Orion to guess how they would react to Hands and his plans.

  Han
ds didn’t wait for anyone else to speak. He said, “With Sister Wang’s help I have finished my initial inspection. She has done a great deal of work in Engineering and I can certainly build off her efforts there. The main problems left to address are the hull breaches, ammunition for the railguns, weapons loaders and operators, and the damaged repulsion field emitter. There are other projects to address besides these, but those come before anything else.”

  Daiyu spoke up, surprising her three crewmates, and said, “He was very thorough with his assessment of the systems we looked at. I was impressed with how much he could tell about what happened and how I fixed what I could.”

  Rita said, “It’s one thing to have a good eye. Have you got a plan for fixing those problems yet?”

  Hands said, “Yes, I do. I have already sent the specifications for the railgun rounds back to Oz, my station here in the belt. My drones there are already fabricating ammunition now. We will have to remove the repulsion emitter, repair it and replace it. I have everything I need at my station to fix that. The last of those big issues I can solve also, not by taking on more crew, but by building custom drones to man the weapons stations, and perform other tasks throughout the ship.”

  Dr. Ezra asked, “Can drones handle that kind of job? I’m sure loading the weapons is something they could do, but firing the weapons effectively is surely too much for them.”

  Hands shook his head at the question and said, “Drones are capable of much more than people give them credit for. Earthlings make drones unreliable on purpose. I have automated my entire station. I am confident they can be designed to handle almost every function on this ship.”

  The Captain could tell Rita still wasn’t sold. Before she could object again, the Captain said, “I’ve seen freighters that hauled cargo, livestock, and passengers with no more than a pair of spacers at a time. The four of us got to know just how much there is to do to keep this ship operating on the jump out here. I think automation solves two problems at once for us. It will make operating the ship easier for all of us and eliminate the need for people we can’t trust to begin with on board.”