Border Worlds (United Star Systems Book 1)

by J Malcolm Patrick

  “Don’t get cocky, Flaps—stand by!”

  Three. Two. One.

  “Now, Ensign, punch it!” he said, as he initiated an emergency deceleration on Star Runner.

  At a very specific point, obviously calculated and triple checked by the human operators with assistance from the computer, Phoenix began hard acceleration and Star Runner fired a hard deceleration. By the time the two ships were within a thousand kilometers of each other, they had matched speed—for a brief moment, before Phoenix began to accelerate away. A few further adjustments on both ships and Star Runner docked in the single auxiliary craft bay located on the stern ventral section of Phoenix.

  If the calculations had been more than a few seconds off, the prototype ship would be a prototype slag of metal.

  Miroslav’s voice filled the deck again. “Welcome aboard, Commander!”

  “Nice to be here, Ensign. Flank speed for the heliopause. Fire a few warning shots from the aft railgun at that destroyer, just in case he’s thinking about pursuing.”

  “Aye, Commander!” the Ensign acknowledged.

  “Somehow,” Rachael said to Aaron, “after what he just saw, I don’t think he’ll be very eager.”

  “Commander,” Miroslav called over the comm, “I have a message for you from Supreme Commander Shepherd. It wasn’t much, sir, but he said to inform you your timeline has drastically shortened. Two days ago, an Imperial warship was destroyed by USSF ships when it crossed into United Star System space claiming to be responding to a distress call from a registered Imperial civilian ship. Another Imperial battle group is preparing for deployment. Destination—Atlas Prime—estimated time of arrival is thirty-three days. USSF is responding accordingly.”

  Thirty-three days.

  It would be thirty days at high warp to the Frontier. That left three days to do what little they could. Their timeline hadn’t drastically shortened.

  It had shattered into a million tiny pieces.

  Chapter 13 – Honor Guide Us

  Imperial Warship Phalanx

  Interstellar Space

  Quintus squinted at the disheveled appearance of the figure on the monitor.

  Brother, I barely recognize you!

  “Platus,” he said instead, “you have seen better days, brother.”

  Platus blew out a heavy breath, the comm interference gave his voice a gritty sound. “I’ve felt better on those days, Quintus,” he said, swiping his wispy dark hair from his eyes.

  “What happened on Rigel?”

  Platus paused a moment to compose himself.

  “As you know I attempted to make contact with the United Fleet’s team here when another group attacked them. Quintus . . . those agents, they’re good. I never spotted the Imperial counter surveillance on me. I don’t know the status of the USSF operatives but I know they were injured, and they eliminated some of the agents.

  “Some crazy operative then dropped a high-speed courier right on top their position and extracted them. Never seen anything like it. Whoever ordered that maneuver is just as reckless as you, Quintus, remember when you—”

  “Brilliant, Platus . . . the citation on the award from the Emperor said brilliant, not reckless.”

  “Right,” Platus said, ignoring the correction. “I’ve been tracking the USSF operatives from Rigel, there’s no doubt any longer, they are indeed heading to Atlas Prime. Just as your source indicated. Unfortunately, I have been unable to identify them.”

  “Despite that, Platus, you did good. My contact in the USSF has not revealed the team’s identity to me. You need to find them on Atlas Prime before the Imperial fleet arrives and warn them about their own people’s treachery. Make best speed for Atlas Prime,” Quintus said.

  “I should arrive shortly before them. For some reason they are not warping at high speeds. Another thing, Quintus,” Platus said, as his eyes shifted from the screen. “The ship the United Fleet operatives are aboard. I got a decent scan prior to its departure from Rigel and my ship’s computer does not recognize the design.”

  “Very interesting indeed, Platus. Forward the data through the link. I will have Intel over here analyze it and see if they can provide any useful information about it or its origins.”

  “Sending the data now. Honor guide us, brother.”

  “Honor guide us,” Quintus said, and closed the link.

  Chapter 14 – No Shenanigans !

  Lower Orbit—Midea Prime

  Aaron didn’t flinch.

  “Fine,” the miserable doctor finally said.

  Aaron didn’t think it was possible the irate physician could be any more sullen than he already was. Mainly because it seemed the skilled medical practitioner already embodied the aura of a grouchy old medicine man.

  “Great!” Aaron said, smacking the doctor’s shoulder.

  Dr. Max Tanner looked at Aaron over his reading glasses. “I’m just going to come aboard your rusted bucket of bolts, fix your man and I’ll be off. No shenanigans you hear me?”

  Aaron nodded. “That’s all we need. No shenanigans.”

  ****

  Aaron strode along deck three, accompanied by Max. Similar to the bridge, sickbay was located near amidships, which offered the most protection. A far more ideal location than having one of the nerve centers of ship operations—the bridge—sitting on the outer hull where it could be used for target practice. He never understood why early starship designers had exposed the bridge to such dangers. A few vaporized bridges later—they’d reconsidered.

  Initially, Aaron planned to deliver Lee into the care of a United Systems hospital, however, the best one was five days off their current course setting. They couldn’t afford to delay their arrival at the Border Worlds any longer. The leading bionic surgeon in the USS, Max Tanner, was attending a conference on Midea Prime. Aaron would have preferred not to guilt Max into helping, but this wasn’t for him. It was for Lee.

  And the deviation to Midea Prime would only alter their ETA to the Border Worlds by two days and Lee deserved two days. They rounded the middle corridor and into the medical bay where Lee lay hooked up to machines, which monitored his condition, and kept him sedated. The sight made Aaron’s chest hurt each time. Aaron set down the unknown package he’d been carrying as Max placed his equipment bag on a nearby station and began unpacking immediately.

  When Max finished he said. “I’m going to need an assistant.”

  Aaron had just the person in mind. “Miroslav, Rayne here. Get down to the medical bay.”

  Several minutes later Miroslav burst into the room gasping. “Commander, how can I help?”

  “Lee is about to undergo surgery, Dr. Tanner here is going to need a good assistant,” he said.

  The pilot’s shoulders drooped. “I’m not sure how I qualify, sir,” he said.

  “You have an advanced first aid certificate, Flaps.” The cocky space aviator was about to argue further and Aaron held up his hand. “And you’re a pilot, you have steady hands. Assist the doctor. No more questions.” He turned back to Max. “Is there anything I can do, Max?”

  Max snorted—a very unpleasant sound. “You can get out of our way and don’t disturb us for another six hours.”

  Flaps seemed about to burst. Aaron silenced him with a glare.

  “Six hours,” Aaron said. “Then we drop you off and we’re gone.”

  “No shenanigans you, little rascal, I know you.”

  Flaps looked at Aaron. “Rascal?” he enquired.

  Aaron almost snickered but kept his tone neutral. “Quiet, Flaps, unless you want to fly paper planes from here on out.”

  The helmsman had a look of confusion. “Aye, sir,” he said.

  One hour after the operation commenced, Aaron sat on the bridge in the command chair as Phoenix jumped to high warp. Max would never notice the slight vibration throughout the decks and bulkheads as the ship jumped to light-speed. The initial jump always had that telltale sign, however, once at light speed they could increase to higher multiple
s of c without further signs of acceleration. He waited and prepared for the verbal assault Max would unleash when he found out Aaron tricked him—again.

  ****

  Aaron’s comm buzzed—it was Max. “Aaron, get down to sickbay. Your boy is awake.”

  Aaron vaulted off the bridge and down to deck three, nearly running head first into the sickbay doors before they parted to admit him. Someday, he was going to crack his skull on those slow doors.

  Relief washed over him. He was surprised to see Lee sitting up in a recovery bed and staring at him.

  Max approached and began his tirade. “Surgery was a success—I repaired his internal injuries caused by the projectiles to the back. That was easy. Then I prepped his arm and attached the prototype we brought aboard.”

  Aaron raised an eyebrow. “All that in six hours?”

  Max cackled. “Five hours and twenty minutes, actually. What? You think this is the dark ages of medicine? Cracking open a man’s chest to repair and unblock an artery? I’m a doctor, not a butcher. It took two hours just to adjust and test the link between his brain and the arm. That’s the hardest part of attaching a prototype bionic.”

  “Max, you didn’t mention a prototype. You think Lee is an experiment?”

  “No,” Max said. “But I have some theories on certain neurological mysteries plaguing medicine for some time. I could use a brain like yours to test it on since obviously it’s not working properly.”

  Aaron put on his most harmless and innocent face. “What are you on about now, Max?”

  “You thought I wouldn’t feel the jump to warp—I did. I was too concerned with my patient, however, to abandon him mid surgery. Not that I had anywhere to go. I said no shenanigans. I demand to know where you are taking me.”

  Aaron grinned. “Well, Max, truth is after what happened to Lee, we need a physician on this mission. And he needed immediate help. Unfortunately, our timeline necessitated our prompt departure from Midea while you performed your magic.”

  “Rayne! What mission? You know I hate prolonged spaceflight. I am going to cut your nuts off without anesthesia!”

  “Well, that seems mildly inappropriate for such a minor transgression on my part. I wouldn’t have brought you along if I had another choice, you know that!”

  The doctor’s voice raised several octaves. “Brought me along? You didn’t bring me anywhere, you’ve abducted me!”

  “Calm down before you get a stroke or worse,” Aaron said.

  “The only reason I don’t strangle you here and now is because I hate those stupid conferences, anyway. I have to endure them each year just to receive funding from tech-5 corporations. You have guest quarters I assume?”

  Aaron nodded. “Ensign, show the cranky Dr. Hyde here to some suitable accommodations.”

  The doctor fell in step with Miroslav and the two moved toward the exit. As they walked away, Aaron could hear Max issuing demands to the hotshot pilot.

  “—Keep this ship steady now hear? No sudden course changes, full power on the inertia compensator thing. No flying in atmosphere and­—”

  They were gone. Aaron turned his attention to Lee. He couldn’t help but stare at the arm. Its smooth metallic finish reflected the overhead lights. The servo in the elbow was barely noticeable.

  “How’s the karate kid feeling?” he asked.

  Lee pushed himself up a bit. “Truthfully, Commander, I feel fine. A bit stiff in the back, but the doc said that’s a side effect of the medical nanites. It’ll pass within a day. They didn’t tell me anything when they woke me. Just summoned you. How’s Vee? What happened? Who attacked us?”

  “Vee’s fine. We used a dose of nanites on his leg, repaired it within six hours of boarding Phoenix.”

  “Phoenix?”

  Aaron filled in Lee from the moment he dragged him and Vee into Star Runner and ending when he “abducted” the doctor.

  Alvarez sauntered in.

  Lee laughed hard. “I feel special.”

  “Special? What’s the joke?” Alvarez asked.

  “You guys space-jacked a doctor just for me. I’m really touched,” Lee said.

  Aaron snickered. “Yeah well there’s only one Rigellian Stallion, and he’s my tactical officer, my crew and my friend.” Immediately he wished he hadn’t mentioned the fighter’s nickname.

  Lee held up his new arm. “I don’t think I’ll be competing anymore.”

  “Lee, you could take it off and you’d still win!” Aaron said.

  A long moment passed. Lee just stared. Was the joke too morbid—too soon?

  Then he laughed hard again.

  “I’ll get an assistant to hold it for me when I take it off—I’ll give it to Vee,” he said.

  Vee looked like someone shot his pet poodle. “That’s not funny at all.”

  Lee waved him off. “Come on, Vee. This is nothing. The doc says I could lift up to one ton with this new arm. I could launch a man clear across twenty meters or something. A human shot-put.” The fighter grinned maniacally. “Just imagine what I can do to anyone who tries anything in the future.”

  “I’m sorry, Lee,” Vee said.

  “For what, Vee?”

  “It’s just the last thing you said to me was, you’d make sure I kept my limbs . . . and now here you are missing your—original one.”

  “Vee. Stop,” Lee said. “If you’re going to mope about my arm, you’re gonna be the first person I swat with it. End of discussion, I mean it Vee . . . Aaron . . .”

  Aaron threw his hands up—these two constantly argued like a worried parent and child. “Vee, if you feel so strongly about it, just have the doctor give you one too!”

  Another long moment stretched. Then laughter filled the medical bay.

  Chapter 15 – Shenanigans!

  Phoenix

  Four weeks didn’t exactly warp by.

  When there’s a virtual clock counting down the time to your destination, it slows your perception of the passage of time­—similar to approaching the event horizon of a black hole.

  The first week Aaron had immersed himself in the technical specifications of Phoenix. More than once he spent a few hours with Lieutenant Delaine discussing the ship. He realized he enjoyed Rachael’s company, more than he’d like to admit. He wasn’t comfortable with that realization. He still cringed at the reaction he had every time the memory of her touch surfaced. He caught her staring at him at least once since then, looking almost like she had something to tell him. To avoid any uncomfortable conversations, avoidance was the only course of action. So he had decided to avoid her where possible. Alvarez had finished rigging their fake transponder, which would signal to anyone looking they were a Border Worlds passenger-liner. Vee also configured the equipment he and Lee obtained in the Luyten system and distributed the untraceable personnel devices amongst the team.

  The second week Lee had started training sessions in the ship’s gym. The upbeat bionic man only used one hand when sparring, yet he still knocked Aaron flat. If Lee had sensed anyone was trying to go easy, the impulsive youngster was likely to whack the offender with his new arm. Lee wouldn’t accept any pandering or pitying.

  Even Vee joined the training sessions. If the XO felt any misplaced pity for the tactical officer, he quickly lost it when the latter tossed him across the gym floor each day.

  Whenever Rachael had joined the sparring sessions, Aaron had blabbed an excuse about checking on an imbalance in the power actuators and some other “very important work” and exited the gym. From then on before going back, he’d called Vee to make sure the coast was clear. On one occasion, the conniving XO had tricked him. She was there when he said she wasn’t. But Aaron wouldn’t be suckered so easily. He had quickly feigned some nonexistent injury to his rib from sparring the day before, and mumbled a few curses under his breath at Vee on leaving.

  The third week they’d all pretty much settled into a routine. The ship was running surprisingly smooth given the skeleton crew. Even with impressive advanc
es in automation aboard starships, a complement of seventy-five was the ideal number to crew the ship. With just the six of them aboard, they had to jury-rig some remote functions and each person controlled more than they should. Outside of combat or other starship related duties, the difference in crew wouldn’t be telling. They had established an ordinary twelve-hour work shift with one person on watch on the bridge each shift and one person off rotation each day.

  The fourth week, Lee was instructing them in advanced shooting drills. The tactical officer wasn’t just a champion martial artist—he was a crack shot. Lee used the fabricator to build some projectile weapons and ammunition. The sharpshooter eagerly busted open the armory for the pulse laser weaponry—pulse pistols and rifles. He was trying to train his arm to be sensitive enough to handle a weapon. The first couple of times he tried he crushed the weapon outright and with a few more adjustments he’d mastered it.

  Flaps had popped in from time to time but didn’t spar. He stuck to a rigid cardio program given to him by Lee. The rest of the time, he could be found down in the auxiliary craft bay tinkering with the ship’s complement of auxiliary patrol craft.

  Max didn’t take part in weapons or physical training but he sure did provide moral support. He usually sat in during sparring sessions. He’d had himself a good laugh on the firing range when Lee crushed several weapons with the bionic arm—all while reading his paper books. Lee was all too happy to print them for the doctor from the ship’s library using the fabricator. No one knew what the doctor was reading. The cover was blank.

  In twenty-four hours, Phoenix would arrive outside the Atlas System.

  ****

  Avery Alvarez swore as he hit his head for the third time underneath the control panel he’d disassembled.

  His head throbbed. Either from the knocks against the console or the frustration of his failed tinkering the past few weeks. He wasn’t sure. He was so close now. He could feel it in his bones. He was resolute in his determination to gain access to the locked off systems.