With care, she turned her chair around and opened the hatch. With a whoosh the atmosphere in her pod escaped into the vacuum in the hallway. “Command Centre, I’m responding to your request,” she said. “The hall behind my turret is depressurized.”
“Woone? Thank goodness you’re still alive. That section was heavily damaged,” her aunt said. She was the Tribe matron, and the woman Woone admired more than any fictional or real person in the universe. “Is there anyone else nearby? Any sign of other survivors?”
Woone looked down the hallway in both directions. The strange shifting white and blue light of starlight reflecting off of particles in the nebula, amplified by the wall of their wormhole was the only illumination in the broad hallway. The light was coming in through a broad rip in the hull that ended three paces away from her turret pod. It was so still and quiet, it made Woone wish she’d never opened her pod. People were lost somewhere behind. People had died. It was the reality of war, but she wondered who she’d never see again.
Woone shook her head solemnly as she concluded that there was only torn deck plating and the remains of a half-slagged reactor to her right, and an empty hallway to her left. “I don’t see anyone, there aren’t even any remains.”
“We can confirm that a few got into a secure room before that area was damaged, but if what you’re seeing is right, most of them were pulled out into space,” Loashi said. “Can you see the Junction Panel? Is it still intact?”
Woone saw it right away. Several paces down the undamaged end of the hallway there was a black panel with red stripes across it. “I can get to it.” The ship emerged from the wormhole, and she pushed off from the hatch of her turret pod.
“We have to shut down now,” Loashi said. “It’s going to get very quiet and dark down there, Woone, so stay calm until we can get to you. In the meantime, you can use your personal scanner to see if there are any other crewmembers stuck back there. Do you think you could do that?”
“Pfft! Don’t worry about me, my suit didn’t take any damage, so I can look for crewmates for days.”
“Okay, be careful,” Rikin said.
“Is my father all right?” Woone asked, dreading the answer.
“We’ll discuss that when you’re safe,” Loashi said.
“No, is he safe?” Woone asked, making contact with the Junction Panel and opening it.
“Woone –”
“Tell me, I need to know.”
“He was killed when the port shields failed,” Loashi said. “I’m sorry.”
Woone found the control that would cut off most of the ship’s power. “Ready to go dark?”
“He died a warriors’ death, and didn’t suffer,” Loashi said. The light flickering around her dimmed. They were out of the wormhole.
“Are we ready?”
“Yes, Woone, go ahead.”
Woone pushed the mechanical button in and it sprung back with a click. She knew the entire ship lost power then, they would be difficult to detect using long range scanners. She turned back towards the rip in the hull, it was broad and long, and she hadn’t noticed it thanks to the position of her turret. What did that damage was so close to killing her too, she found herself wondering if her family had been cursed. First, she’d failed to find a good mate, then the Order of Eden raided their world and killed most of the humans there along with her mother, and now her father was gone.
Through the hull breach she watched three of their lesser armed ships go dark, the lights in their portholes flickering then going out. It suited her. Let everyone feel as alone and lost as she did. They would work in the dark, repairing whatever it was that kept them from trying to escape the Iron Head Nebula.
A small green light appeared on her visor, indicating that there was someone alive down the corridor, just past the breach. Woone took a deep breath. “Father and Mother are both watching now,” she said, feeling a tear roll down her furred cheek. “I will show you how I can save people.”
Chapter 1
Pride
Captain Jacob Valent, Captain Ayan Anderson, Commander Stephanie Vega and Lieutenant Liara Erron went aboard Freeground Alpha with Minh-Chu Buu as their pilot. The five of them rode in one of the oldest transit cars any of them had ever seen. Jake looked from one member of his team to the next. There was Minh-Chu, comfortable in his light armour and pilot bomber jacket – a new one since he’d given his original to Ashley Lamport nearly a year before. His shoulder length dark hair was loose, he watched the surfaces of the tunnel go by as though he was riding through a ghost town.
Lieutenant Erron was studying everything she could to finish learning about Freeground’s history, people and organizational structure. Jake couldn’t see exactly what she was looking through from second to second, but those holographic images were flipping by so quickly he could scarcely believe that she was absorbing anything. In a short amount of time she’d proven to be a highly valuable communications officer. She didn’t seem comfortable in her heavy armour yet, struggling against the thick suit covered by horizontal bands of protective metal. The flexible strips overlapped each other for protection, and to hide emitters inside that could provide minor propulsion in space, or more commonly, a personal shield.
Commander Stephanie Vega was right at home in her black armour. They didn’t need her for security, the group could handle themselves, but Jake, Minh-Chu and Ayan needed new eyes with them, and those would be Liara’s and Stephanie’s. Jake had come to trust Stephanie Vega, one of the few people who had stuck around for almost all of his bounty hunting years, when he wasn’t even aware of who he was supposed to be. She watched him transform more than once, following along, supporting him without a complaint or question. Her trust and loyalty to Jake was proven, and he knew she would notice if something wasn’t quite right on Freeground Alpha. She was his first officer, a post she assumed with gusto, studying the responsibilities of the position, the crew under her command and the details of their ship – the Revenge – late into every evening. It was about time she was given a clear path to her own command, but Jake wasn’t ready for her to leave just yet.
Ayan flashed him a smile, noticing that he was looking at his people, or that he was quiet, well, noticing something. He didn’t think she should be on the first trip to Freeground Alpha, but he wouldn’t tell her that. With her along, he was afraid that they would become more involved with the station’s politics than they could afford to be. Time was not on their side, if it were up to him, they would make a quick statement about Triton Fleet’s intentions, find out if Freeground Alpha had any objections, then take every action they could to assure that the massive station got out of the Nebula. Politics would definitely complicate matters.
Even still, Jake had learned not to underestimate her. They’d had time away from each other, and he could see that she’d changed, she’d grown in ways he was slowly discovering. Ayan was one of the strongest women he’d ever known, and he didn’t just love her, he admired her for all she had accomplished and for her unbreakable spirit. She may have been made to replace an earlier version of Ayan, named Ayan Rice, but Jake firmly believed that Ayan Anderson was an improvement on the original. She wore the same style of combat armour, but hers was blue, designating her as a member of the Triton Fleet Engineering Department. She was the highest ranking member, technically a Captain but with more responsibility than any master of a single ship. It was her task to supervise the upkeep and upgrading of every Triton ship within her live communication range.
Ayan tucked her curly red hair into a bun, then sighed and undid it – perhaps because she thought it was too sloppy or loose, then tried again, leaving her second attempt as it was. He idly wondered how much time they’d actually have together when they returned home.
“Unearthing strange memories?” Ayan asked him. Her warm smile lightened his mood.
“It’s strange,” Jake said. “I’ve never been here before, and I can tell all my memories of this place are from Jonas,” he shrugged. “I
t’s like seeing someone else’s home after hearing them describe it over and over again.”
“I know how you feel,” Ayan replied. “I’ve never been here before either, but it’s like Ayan Rice is with us, welcoming me in.”
“Maybe she is,” Stephanie said. “My people still believe that our ancestors watch over us. To me, Ayan Rice and Jonas Valent are your ancestors.”
“It’s like genetic memory, maybe?” Liara said. “The Soojoun have a genetic memory, you might want to look into them. They stay away from humans and most of the other species because they see them as immature, but who can blame them. They have a perspective of centuries. The traders who ran into them also said they were really big snobs, they didn’t want to deal with humans at all but they needed parts.” As though she just realized who she was speaking to, she returned to her work.
“Are you all right, Minh?” Ayan asked.
“Just got a case of the welcome back jitters. When I left here last time, I was technically an escaped mental patient.”
That drew surprised glances from Stephanie and Liara. Ayan only laughed. “I’m sure they won’t put you away, they’ve got to be past it by now.”
“I hope so. I don’t know why I came though, I don’t have family here anymore. The notes in the system say that everyone but my youngest sister found a Lorander Colony Ship and they’re not even in the same galaxy anymore. I didn’t even have to come aboard to download their last messages to me.”
“I’m sorry, Minh. I know how close you were with your family.”
“It’s all right, I still feel like I drifted too far from them,” Minh-Chu said. “Most of them hated the idea of me serving in the military, I know I was severing ties when I left the last time. I miss them, but I know they’re safe, so I’ll go visit some day when I’ve saved the galaxy.”
“When you’ve saved the galaxy?” Stephanie asked with an upraised eyebrow.
“Of course, I’m thankful to all of you for your assistance, but we all know I’m the hero here, right?” he replied with exaggerated self-assuredness.
“Oh yeah, you’re an escaped mental patient, all right,” Stephanie said.
“Maybe you’re here for your little sister?” Jake asked.
“She left me a note saying she didn’t think I’d ever be back to Freeground, but to be sure I’d be seeing her soon if I did come back and read the message. It didn’t say where or how or when though.”
“She was always sneaky,” Jake said.
“And loud,” Minh-Chu added. “How she made those two things work together, I’ll never understand, but that’s the way she is. I hope she’s okay.”
“I remember her being smart and resourceful too,” Jake said. “I’m sure she’s fine. For all we know, she’s tracking your route through the galaxy right now.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Minh-Chu replied, his mood brightening.
“I’m wondering,” Stephanie said. “Did any of you expect to see Freeground again?”
The question surprised Jake, and he was still pondering when Ayan replied. “No,” she said. “Once I’d found Oz, and found out that Carl was my father, I didn’t see a reason to return. The politics here have cost the station its viability, it’s not the place I remember from Ayan Rice.”
“You didn’t know he was your father?” Liara asked.
“I had no idea. I loved him like one, he was around a lot when Ayan Rice was growing up, was her family doctor, and even joined us on the First Light, but I had no idea. To be honest, Ayan Rice worshipped him a little because his career was so diverse, he’d had so many secret adventures and he was also a scientist.”
“That sort of explains your attraction to mysterious older men,” Liara said. The colour drained from her face. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up Liam.”
“We’re all officers here,” Ayan said. “And I’ve paid for the wrong turn I took in my personal life. I’d appreciate a little more discretion, though.”
Jake could see that Ayan was making a real effort to be kind to the new Communications Officer. In his experience, Liara was normally graceful, clear and what she said was well thought out, but she seemed nervous around Ayan and Stephanie. Ayan was blushing, Stephanie and Minh-Chu were watching the exchange with interest.
“Thank you, Captain,” Liara said to Ayan. “I have to say, I admire you for everything you’ve done with Haven Shore and the Fleet. I think you’re really amazing.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant.”
“There’s something else,” Liara said. “I’m getting a data dump from Freeground Fleet via the Triton, not from Freeground Alpha. It’s navigational and observational logs of the nebula from their journey so far and from limited scouting missions.”
“Take a quick inventory of the data but focus on the meeting once we get started,” Jake said.
“Aye, Sir,” Liara replied.
“When I heard my family were off the station,” Minh-Chu said, returning the conversation to the previous topic, “I didn’t think I’d ever be back. I loved what I had here after the All-Con War, but I was restless. Seeing more of the galaxy, even though it was dangerous, was more interesting to me. I was the black sheep after I left on the First Light, no one said it, but I knew I was the brother everyone relied on before then. I disappointed them, and I couldn’t handle it, so I left. I’ll have to find them someday, I don’t know how, but I will.”
The car stopped, several people on an old grey and white platform tried to enter the car, but the doors were locked. The people there, most of them in plain, clinging vacsuits of various colours, regarded the locked doors with irritation but stood back as the car began to move again. They were only a few stops away from the command section of Freeground Alpha.
Jake decided it was time for him to answer. “I never thought I’d see Freeground. There’s nothing for me here, even Jonas didn’t really care about Freeground much by the end, his friends were home to him more than any place,” he took a breath and shook his head. “Okay, it’s time to focus on the present. We know what we’re doing here, right?”
“Oh, yes,” Ayan said. “We are not offering anything but a way to the Rega Gain system.”
“So they’ll have no ranking in our fleet or government, they’ll have to earn it? Will they abide that?” Liara asked.
“They’ll have to,” Ayan replied. “The Haven Shore Council is finally under control, I’m not going to let whoever’s in charge here throw it off again.”
“I have to admit I wish Oz was here,” Minh-Chu said. “Just because he’s probably the only person who would want to see the inside of Freeground again.”
The transit car passed into a section of the station that had taken massive damage. The outer hull was gone for a stretch of more than a hundred metres, and the rooms behind it were destroyed. The transit tube was the first thing to be repaired, it seemed, and it passed through open space. The white, blue and rust coloured hues of the Iron Head Nebula were visible through the large gap. There were crews removing sections of plating that was too damaged to be repaired and others working on critical components. A large shield emitter was being moved into place, it looked newer than everything they’d seen on Freeground Alpha until then.
The transit car continued into the undamaged section and began to slow down. “How old is this part of the station?” Stephanie asked.
“Over three hundred years, maybe even older,” Ayan said. “There have always been rumours that this was the main ring on a large ship that ran through the middle and provided main power and propulsion.”
The car stopped and the station they arrived at was filled with Freeground Officers who greeted them with applause. The space was built like so many other main hallway intersections, only the floor was worn down by so many feet over the centuries that it shone with the steely silver of the original metal. The rest of the space was coloured white and grey, and it was spotless. Memories of a lifetime spent growing up in modules that looked very sim
ilar were instantly revived, and it felt like Jonas was watching from within.
“This is kind of eerie, right?” Ayan asked him quietly.
“So glad it’s not just me.”
“If you’ll follow me, please,” said an ensign who looked too old to wear the uniform. They were led down the left hallway only a few steps before entering a narrower corridor that led directly into a conference room. There were no chairs around the waist-high table, and the transparent metal windows along one side overlooked the main control room of Freeground Alpha. “The members of the High Command wanted to meet you at the secure station, but the risk was too high,” the Ensign explained. “This contained Control Centre is the most secure area of the station now. No attacks have been able to penetrate it.”
“There have been internal attacks?” Liara asked.
“You haven’t been briefed?” the Ensign asked.
“We’ve only had time to review the information you provided in summary, we’d appreciate some details, especially if you’re having difficulty with security.”
“I’m sorry, I haven’t been cleared to give you any of those details. The members of High Command should be with you soon. Please wait here,” he told them before exiting through the opposite door set into the transparent wall.
He swiftly made his way through the busy command centre, where at least a hundred crewmembers worked at their posts. The work stations looked like they were built with three-hundred-year old technology. Flat gel screens with switch and button controls that blinked with colours that corresponded to the systems they were attached to occupied the broad control desks. Jake remembered being trained on that ancient operating system, they were Jonas’ experiences, even the First Light had better control interfaces. There were no visible upgrades in sight with one exception. In the middle of the control centre was a shielded tube with the liquid quantum core of a massive computer system.
“Oh my God,” Minh-Chu said. “Some nightmares never cease to haunt.” He said, pointing at the computer core.
Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10 Page 2