Osirion's Ascent

by J. L. Stowers

  Cruz walked into the room with an extra bounce in his step and a big smile on his face. He did a lap around the table before doing a spin in the middle of the room, ending with a tap-dancer’s finish.

  “Cruz!” Cassia leapt up from her seat. “You got new prosthetics? They look great.”

  Cruz pulled Cassia in for a hug, then signed to Dani, “Thank you so much. These don’t bother me like the last pair. I feel like a new man.”

  Dani smiled and nodded as she finished bandaging her cut. “I’m glad Patrick pulled through on that one.”

  “Patrick hooked you up, eh?” Jag lifted his eyebrows as he checked out Cruz’s new legs, visibly impressed. “I guess we’ve got a few things to celebrate then.”

  Dani sat back and watched while her crew finished preparing dinner and placed the feast on the table. “You guys are too much. Thank you.”

  Jag held up a cup of water. “I wish I had something a little stronger to do this with, but rules are rules. So here goes... To Dani, the finest captain I’ve ever had, despite the occasional lapse in judgement. Thank you for being you and for bringing us all back together. Now let’s stay that way.”

  Dani pursed her lips at Jag for the jabs in his speech. She thought his friendliness after sobering up meant he’d forgiven her, but maybe he hadn’t completely. She made a mental note to bring it up to him later. The last thing she wanted was to have him sneaking in verbal assaults randomly. Although she didn’t like to enforce the hierarchy unless she had to, she was still the captain and he was her subordinate. Even if they weren’t in the military branch of the GC any more, she still felt she deserved respect from all crew members. Still, she couldn’t help but loose a smile as the rest of the crew lifted their glasses.

  “And to Zadria,” Jag continued. “May you place your trust in our hands... our warm, strong, willing—”

  “Jag,” Dani warned.

  “Er, welcome.”

  The crew bumped their cups together again after a brief hesitation, and a few shared awkward glances.

  Dani took the opportunity to mouth an apology toward Zadria, who was flushed with embarrassment.

  “Let’s dig in,” Dani ordered, redirecting the attention off of the embarrassed girl.

  “This looks great! Thank you guys,” Cassia chirped as she dished up her plate with a heaping spoonful of mashed potatoes before retreating to a cupboard to produce a second small container of food for her cat. “Reminds me of that time we had a big dinner after the PS467 mission.”

  “Isn’t that the one where Jag shot up the asteroid?” Cruz signed.

  Howard snorted as he took a drink, sending himself into a coughing fit.

  “I had forgotten about that!” Dani laughed.

  “It was on a collision course with that moon.” Jag looked less than amused.

  “If by collision course you mean ‘orbiting around,’ then yes, yes it was.” Dani winked at him.

  “Hey now, don’t forget when Cruz got us lost.”

  “I did no such thing.”

  “Well then why did we end up in the middle of nowhere instead of at the resupply outpost?” Jag pointed his fork at Cruz.

  “They neglected to inform the system that they moved the outpost. That was not my fault.” Cruz shoved another bite into his mouth.

  “Suuure...” Jag laughed.

  “Hey, none of us are perfect. That’s why I love all you guys.” Dani smiled and glanced toward Zadria, who was smiling and taking in the conversation.

  “Some are more perfect than others,” Cruz signed quickly before shoving another bite of food into his mouth.

  Dani squinted slightly before following his gaze over to Cassia.

  Cassia, suddenly aware the two of them were eyeing her, blushed. “I screw up just as much as the rest of you. Don’t you remember when I accidently recorded and translated Dani’s report into Vaerian before sending it in? GCHQ had a field day with that one.”

  “I can just imagine their faces.” Jag laughed. “Thinking we were working with the enemy or something.”

  The laughter quickly died down, blossoming into silence sprinkled with the occasional clink of utensils.

  Howard cleared his throat. “Well, Jag, you’ve always had a talent for making things awkward.”

  “That’s not my only talent, you know.” Jag winked at Zadria again.

  “And we’ve come full circle.” Dani laughed and gently patted Zadria on the arm.

  “Speaking of awkward,” Jag said as he peeked under the table, “what is this furry, vibrating thing doing in my lap?”

  “Carl!” Cassia stood and carefully retrieved the furball from Jag’s lap. “Sorry, they gave him to me when I was... away. He’s supposed to... oh, you guys probably don’t care.”

  Dani watched Cassia as she laughed nervously and retreated to her seat, holding and stroking Carl. “Hey, it’s alright. I think we all came out of that whole mess with a little baggage.”

  Jag caught Dani’s eyes, and she couldn’t help but note the hint of sadness in them before he quickly looked away.

  “He looks soft,” Cruz signed as he reached over to pet Carl.

  Carl instantly stood, arching his back and extending his fur to double his size. A hiss escaped his toothy mouth, and Cruz slowly withdrew his hand, eyes wide.

  Cassia cringed. “Sorry, he’s just a little protective.”

  Cruz nodded but kept his eyes on Carl as the cat nestled back down into Cassia’s lap.

  Dani stood and started gathering the dishes. “Alright, well, I’ll clean up in here. You all can go get settled in for the night.”

  Dani cleared the rest of table as the crew said their goodnights and headed off to their quarters. She was thankful to have the brief solitude. As much as she loved their company, on a ship this size it would be hard to get any alone time. Her mind was still riddled with confusion about the last few weeks.

  “Do you need a hand?” Zadria asked from the doorway.

  “Oh, hey, you’re still here.” Dani smiled. “I think I’ve got it, thank you.”

  “Okay, well do you mind if I hang out in here for a bit?” She shuffled her foot and looked down as she spoke.

  Dani nodded, a little bummed to have lost her moment of alone time, but happy that Zadria was putting in some effort to spend time with her. “Sure, have a seat.”

  Zadria sat at the table, hands folded in her lap as she watched Dani.

  “Jag’s harmless, really. He likes to put on a show, but I’ve never seen him really act on anything first. But if you’re interested—”

  “Fraternization is against the GC handbook.”

  “Right, of course. I think sometimes they make exceptions though.”

  Zadria nodded but seemed unconvinced.

  “One thing about being out here... well, out there... in space, you can’t control everything. Things are going to happen that will screw everything up, and there’s just nothing you can do about it. You’ve just got to roll with the punches and focus on what you can control, like your reaction to the situation.”

  “Like how you took the blame for the rest of the crew when you were arrested?”

  Dani frowned. “I’d rather not discuss the events that got us here. Instead, let’s just focus on the future. Deal?”

  Zadria nodded after a moment. “Okay, deal.”

  Dani felt relieved not to have to explain her side of the story yet again. “So, do you know what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?”

  “Just the normal system checks and a brief test run. Nothing too exciting.” Zadria shrugged.

  Dani couldn’t help but smile. “We’ll see.”

  Zadria’s eyes widened.

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure it will all be pretty routine. But this group, well, they’re always exciting.”

  Zadria laughed nervously and stood. “Well, I better go settle in.”

  “Goodnight, Zadria. And welcome aboard.”

  Dani watched as Zadria shuffled out of the kitchen,
then slid her hands over the surface of the table. She shook her head, thinking back to the advice she gave Zadria. It sounded good in theory, but practicing what she advised was much more difficult. And she’d learned the hard way that acting on instinct didn’t always turn out well. Sometimes it caused a lot of worry. She felt like all she did was worry anymore.

  With a sigh, Dani stood and made her way to her own quarters. She sealed the door after entering and flopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. As she rolled her head around the room from her new vantage point, she noticed something on the bottom side of her nightstand table.

  Dani rolled over and reached under, feeling the loose corner of a piece of paper. She peeled it away and held it up to read it.

  S802-P825-C1106-66d.

  It was the same set of coordinates Meg had passed to her in the cell. Dani immediately crumpled the paper in her hand and propped herself up on her elbow, her eyes darting around the room. She swung her legs off the edge of the bed and sat up, placing her head in her hands. A burning heat started to spread through her body, causing her chest to tighten and a light sweat to break out on her forehead. She stood and steadied herself before she made her way to the door. The air felt thick, and despite her best efforts, she couldn’t stop the wave of emotion washing over her. She had to look.

  Dani had wanted to keep this to herself, but coming across the coordinates twice, in two very different situations, made her desperate. Once in the hall, she headed for Cruz’s quarters. She knew he would help without asking questions. As she raised her hand to the buzzer, she stopped. Cassia’s muffled laughter made its way through the door.

  Dani took a few deep breaths. The last thing she wanted to do was bring the whole crew into her drama. She looked down at the crumpled paper and found the strength she needed to investigate the coordinates herself. She quickly turned to make her way to the bridge, and once inside, she approached the holographic display and entered the coordinates. The area above the display lit up the dark room. A brilliant star surrounded by three planets and little else appeared.

  Dani knew the star system well, though the last time she looked it up there were still bits of debris drifting around. The wreckage was gone now, but it seemed like little else had changed. She checked the timestamp of the last mapping scan and frowned. The sector hadn’t been scanned in several years.

  “Why?” she muttered quietly under her breath as she circled the display, zooming in and out.

  Her concentration broke when the doors to the bridge slid open once more, Zadria appearing in the entrance.

  Dani quickly cleared the display and erased the search history.

  “Zadria.” Dani cleared her throat as she shut down power to the display. “What are you doing here?”

  “I got an alert that you entered the bridge. I wanted to make sure...” Zadria stepped into the bridge, looking around. “That everything was okay.”

  “Why would you get an alert that someone entered the bridge? I thought that system was set up for the captain.”

  Zadria didn’t answer. Instead she looked down at the tablet she held in her hand and poked at its screen.

  “I see,” Dani said, breaking the awkward silence. “Well, I was just getting used to the new tools. I’m heading back to my room now.”

  Dani stepped out of the bridge, past Zadria, who was still silently jabbing at the tablet in her hands. She was nearly back to her room when she realized she was no longer holding the coordinates in her hand.

  “Shit.” Dani turned and headed back to the bridge, nearly bumping into Zadria on her way down the hall. “Oh, sorry, I just forgot something.”

  Zadria opened her mouth as if she was about to say something, but instead side-stepped around Dani and headed to her quarters.

  Dani waited until Zadria’s door shut before making her way to the bridge. This time, when she entered her code into the keypad, the doors didn’t open.

  Access Denied.

  Chapter 6

  “What the hell?” Dani punched in her code again.

  Access Denied.

  Frustrated, Dani hit the wall next to the keypad.

  “Easy there, killer.” Jag came around the corner from the kitchen, holding a tray of food.

  Dani jumped at the sound of his voice. “Shit, Jag, you scared me half to death.”

  “What are you doing?” He eyed her quizzically.

  “I... think I dropped something in the bridge, but I can’t seem to get in. I think Zadria locked me out.”

  “Well, that’s weird, right? I mean, how can she lock the captain out of her own bridge?”

  Dani shrugged and shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ll talk to Patrick about it tomorrow. Does your code work?”

  “Here, hold this.” Jag thrust the tray at her and entered his code.

  Access Denied.

  “Doesn’t look like it.”

  “What are you doing with all this food?” Dani peered down at the stack of leftovers and other snacks.

  “A guy’s got to eat.” He grinned. “Oh, hey, is this what you’re looking for?”

  Jag bent down and pulled the slip of paper out from under Dani’s boot. As he stood, he read it, worry spreading across his face. “Dani, what are you doing with this? I thought you were past this.”

  Her shoulders sank and she shoved the tray back into his arms, snatching the paper away. “I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”

  Jag was still frowning. “Okay, but I don’t think anything to do with those coordinates is a good idea. It took you so long to let go; don’t let it suck you back in now. Not after you’ve come this far.”

  “Relax, it’s fine. I’m not doing anything. Do me a favor and don’t mention this to anyone, though?”

  “Alright, but I want you to steer clear of there. No good can come of this.”

  Dani ripped up the coordinates; she didn’t actually need the paper anyway since they were engraved into her memory, but she hoped the act itself would be enough to push Jag’s suspicions aside. “Agreed. Let’s just forget this happened.”

  “Okay.” Jag’s charming smile returned. “Would you like to join me for some late-night munching?”

  “Not tonight. I’m going to turn in. I’m pretty worn out.”

  He nodded. “Alright.”

  Dani turned and headed back toward her room.

  “But, Dani,” Jag called from behind her, “if you need to talk about it, my door’s always open.”

  Dani forced a small smile before picking up the pace.

  Once she was back in her room, she started searching every nook and cranny. She didn’t know exactly what she was looking for, but she didn’t want to come across any other surprises.

  * * *

  “Rise and shine, Captain.”

  Dani’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of Jag’s voice on the intercom and the door buzzer’s relentless noise. The memory of where she was quickly returned to her and she hopped up and out of bed, quickly throwing on her jumper.

  The previous day’s troubles had melted away overnight thanks to a mild sedative Dani dug out of the medical supply closet. Now they were replaced by excitement for the checks and test flight. A quick stop to freshen up at her sink and Dani slid open her door to Jag’s smiling face.

  “Hey, Cap. Brought you some breakfast. Thought you might want to talk about those coordinates.”

  “Nope, but thanks!” Dani grabbed the tray from Jag as she squeezed past him out the door. She shoveled the food into her mouth as she made her way back to the kitchen to drop off her tray. “Where’s everyone else?”

  “Out in the hangar.” Jag pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, seeming a little hurt that she didn’t take him up on his offer.

  “Thanks again.” Dani patted him on the back. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

  Dani and Jag made their way out the loading doors to find Cassia, Cruz, and Zadria standing next to Patrick.

  “Well, this is
embarrassing. Why didn’t anyone wake me up?” Dani held out her hands, palm side up to the group.

  “We know you barely sleep when we're on a mission, so we figured we better let you rest up now.” Cassia smiled and handed Dani a cup of coffee.

  “Fair enough.” Dani sipped the drink, which had cooled to precisely the perfect temperature. “So, where are we on this? What’s the plan?”

  “The team is running a diagnostic on Osirion as we speak. They’ve already visually inspected the exterior and, now that you’re up, they’ll go over the interior once more.” Patrick took a swig of his coffee once he finished updating Dani.

  She eyed him suspiciously; something felt off. Bags had developed below his eyes and his voice sounded tense.

  “Patrick, can I have a word with you?” she asked, gesturing to the side of the hangar.

  Wordlessly, Patrick started walking and didn’t stop until they were out of earshot of the others. “Look, I know what you’re going to say.”

  “You do?” Dani raised an eyebrow.

  Patrick’s eyes shifted from side to side. “I know you got locked out of the bridge last night. I read through the codes this morning.”

  “Uh-huh.” Dani folded her arms across her chest.

  “Yes, Zadria has the authority to do that. In addition to being your mission coordinator, she’s also been tasked with the responsibility of ensuring GC equipment is properly cared for.”

  “I figured as much, but I think that was a bit extreme. What? Did you think I’d just take off without authorization?”

  Patrick didn’t answer; instead he sipped on his coffee.

  “Look, you might not believe me, but I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not a criminal. I’m not a thief. I’m not the enemy.”

  Patrick’s eyes narrowed at her.

  “I’m not going to run off into the night with your precious prototype.”

  Patrick sighed. “Look, if anyone knows how tempting the other side can be, it’s me. I witnessed the struggle in your father when your mother...” He trailed off, looking down at his feet.

  “All I’m trying to say,” Patrick raised his eyes and continued, “is that sometimes people do things they never thought they would do because of their circumstances.”