by JN Chaney
“That’s right, Sister,” I said, winking. “Quit picking on me.”
“You’re hopeless,” she said, dismissively, and then walked back over to where Lex was sitting.
“That nun sure is something else,” I said.
“She is,” Fred agreed. “Wait until you really make her mad. I heard she killed six men when she rescued Lex.”
“Now that I can believe.”
* * *
“Strap in and hold on tight,” I said over the com, sitting in the cockpit of The Renegade Star. “Siggy, take us up and out.”
“Right away, sir,” said the A.I.
The engines primed and I felt my seat tremble. The ship began to lift off, and I watched the green field fade into a distant blur. We withdrew into the sky, finally, and I leaned back in my seat, thrilled to be done with this place.
The orange horizon turned purple and then black as we entered the thermosphere. A few moments later, we broke orbit.
“Take us to Arcadia, Siggy,” I said.
“Inputting coordinates,” he said, and I watched as the star chart transformed to reflect our route.
A short while later, the opening of a slip tunnel formed before me. As we entered the swirling mass of blue and green slipspace, I suddenly felt exhausted.
I looked down at my hands. They were dirty, covered in grime and, to my surprise, a bit of blood. I need a shower, I thought, then pushed myself out of the chair. “Siggy, call me if there’s an emergency.”
“Yes, sir,” he responded.
In the lounge, several of my guests had convened, with only Abigail and Lex absent from the group.
“Ah, Captain,” said Hitchens, waving at me.
“Talk to Sigmond if you need anything,” I said, dismissively. “I need to sleep.”
“I was hoping to talk with you about—”
“Sleep,” I said, holding my hand up.
He sat there with his mouth partially open, then shut it, nodding.
I went straight into my tiny room and stripped, ready to wash this stench off and pass out.
* * *
I woke up drooling, coming out of a deep sleep. It felt like I’d been dead, my body was so stiff and tense.
“Siggy, how long was I out?” My throat was dry, so I took a drink from my water jug.
“Ten and a half hours, sir,” said the A.I.
“Holy shit,” I muttered. “Guess I needed that.”
“It seems so,” said Sigmond.
I slipped on my pants and left the bed as it was, the blankets tossed and partially on the floor. I didn’t bother putting on a shirt.
The lounge was empty, save for Fred, who sat alone, sipping coffee. “Good morning,” he said with a genuine smile.
“Piss off,” I answered. “Pour me a cup of that, would you?”
“Of course,” he said.
I sat in my favorite chair and rubbed my eyes. “Everyone else asleep?”
“It’s early,” he said, placing a cup on the table.
I didn’t drink any yet. Instead, I took a long sniff and inhaled the aroma, waiting for it to cool. The coffee on my ship wasn’t the best, but it smelled like a drug.
Fred sat across from me, sipping on his own, and continued to read his pad.
“Any news in the Union?” I asked. “You know it’s all propaganda.”
“Oh, I agree. These are just notes. I’ve been researching slipspace technology and theoretical applications for it. There’s some promising papers in circulation.”
I groaned, finally taking a drink. “Let me get my head on straight before you get into all that.”
“Sorry,” he said.
“It’s fine.” I took another drink, and let out a relaxed sigh. “God, this is good.”
“You should try the stuff we have on Arcadia. I’ve never had coffee so good.”
“Oh, yeah?” I asked, suddenly interested.
“They bring it in once a month, along with a bunch of other supplies. All high-grade products from Din.”
I knew the name immediately. Din was home to a merchant organization known as the Dinesian Trading Company. They specialized in consumables, specifically across Union space, and like every other major corporate entity, they had an underbelly. The DTC had its hands in smuggling exotic goods—a business tactic the Union wasn’t keen on. Still, that didn’t stop them, and they outsourced the job to guys like me who were happy to accept the credits. “That’s gotta cost you a pretty credit or two.”
He nodded. “It does, indeed.”
“Let me ask you this, Fred,” I said, taking another sip. “How’s a weird little cult like yours get so much money? Did you trick a few old ladies into emptying their purses?”
Fred laughed. “Have you heard of a man named Darius Clare?”
I said that I didn’t.
“He was a Union archaeologist about a century ago,” said Fred. “He worked for a special department within the government. Their mission was to investigate reports of unknown relics and fantastic oddities, wherever they were found.”
“And?” I said, unimpressed.
“Well, he and his team operated all over known space, traveling to nearly sixty planets in pursuit of knowledge. They uncovered many fascinating antiques that couldn’t be explained. Most were catalogued by the Union, stuffed in storage, and never seen again. A few—” He paused, giving me a sly grin. “—went missing.”
“Is this going somewhere?” I asked, taking another drink, only to realize the cup was empty. I frowned. “I’m not a big history buff.”
“I assure you, it all matters.”
I got up and poured another cup. “Fine.”
Fred continued. “On a certain dig, Darius and a woman named Reslin Gaile, his partner and future wife, uncovered a two thousand-year-old storage device. They thought nothing of it at first, since such machines were common in digs like this and typically yielded nothing of true importance. Usually, you might find a log entry or someone’s personal diary. Historically interesting for scholars, although not exactly pertinent to Darius’s mission.” Fred leaned in. “However, when he and his partner returned to their lab, they began the process of retrieving the stored data within the device. It took several weeks to fully reconstruct the data within. When they finally did, they discovered a message.”
“What did it say?” I asked.
“Earth is restored. Initiate Project Reclamation.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, setting my cup down.
“That’s what Darius wanted to know. He was thrilled about this discovery, so he returned to his superiors to try and get their backing on expanding the project, this time with more focus. He wanted to search for more clues about Earth.”
“Let me guess,” I said. “They told him to piss off.”
“No, not at first. The Union leadership was actually intrigued by the data Darius collected. They continued to fund his efforts and even elected him as the head of the department. He kept working for them for another twelve years, searching for relics related to Earth, expanding his team, and acquiring more leads.”
“What happened?”
“He failed to deliver anything substantial. After a while, his superiors lost faith in him. They let him go.”
I chuckled. “Figures.”
Fred gave me a wry smile. “Does it? Darius knew what the Union was after. He’d found data on Earth’s lost technology, and he knew what the government would do once they had it. He took his research and left the organization, but he didn’t give up on any of it. He and several members of his team continued to search for the truth. They made it their mission to discover the homeworld.” He looked down at the pad in his hand, and smiled. “Years after he left his job, Darius discovered an archive full of information deep inside some ancient catacombs beneath a mountain on small colony world, far removed from Union space. Among the priceless data, there was a single image that stood out.”
He turned the pad around to show me what he
was looking at—a planet, blue and green with expansive continents. I didn’t recognize it, despite my many travels. “What’s that?” I asked, taking the pad from him, and looking closer.
“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Freddie, and I knew that it was. “This is where we all came from, Mr. Hughes. This is Earth.”
TEN
I didn’t believe half of what Fred told me. Hell, I wasn’t sure I even understood it. An undiscovered planet with boundless treasure, hidden for two thousand years, and it just so happened to be the legendary origin point of the entire human race?
Please. I wasn’t your everyday sucker, not like the rest of these fools. I could already see where they were leading me, trying to convince me of some grand lie, just so they wouldn’t have to pay me what I was owed. Help the cause, they’d tell me, only I was no stranger to money schemes. Maybe they really did believe all of this. Maybe they were all good people.
But I wasn’t about to give up my fee for the betterment of mankind, even if it was all true. I had a debt to pay off.
I sat in my bunk, sucking on a piece of candy, replaying the events on Epsilon as they had happened. I thought about Lex as she’d sat in that chair, and the ancient machine that sparked to life, revealing a line of dots from one end of the galaxy to the other.
Bullshit, I thought, lying back and scratching my nose.
“Excuse me, sir,” said Sigmond, his voice coming on over the speaker in my room.
“What is it, Siggy?” I asked.
“We are nearing the end of the final tunnel,” he explained.
“Thanks for the heads-up,” I said. “Tell the cult to grab their shit and get ready.”
“You have a way with words, sir,” said Sigmond.
Siggy wouldn’t say it exactly like that. I knew he’d ease up on the vulgarity. He always did. Sometimes you just have to express yourself, even when no one besides you can hear the words you’re saying.
I slid out of the bed and got to my feet. “Can’t wait to get this job behind me, Siggy. The sooner we get paid, the sooner I can get my debt squared with Fratley.”
“Of course, sir. I know how you hate getting involved with other people.”
“Are you getting a tone with me?” I asked. Despite only being an A.I., Siggy understood me. Maybe it was all the time we’d spent together or the fact he was built to adjust to his owner’s personality, but he knew how to mess with me the way a friend would. He understood my limits.
“I would never dream of such a thing,” he said.
I touched the button next to my door, then waited as it slid open. “Just remember, we don’t have time to be hospitable. We have to get that money and hightail it straight to Fratley. The sooner, the better, lest I lose this boat and everything in it, including you.”
“I’d rather not have that happen, sir.”
“You and me both.”
As I made my way through the ship, I could hear Sigmond telling each of the passengers what was about to happen. They scurried about, trying to gather their things, filling the ship with commotion.
I entered the cockpit and took my seat. It had taken us two days to return. To my surprise, it felt like we’d only just left.
The ship trembled, a sign we’d emerged from the tunnel. I glanced out the nearest window to see the darkness of space, stars in the distance.
Bending slightly, I tried to see if I could spot Arcadia.
As it slowly came into view, I imagined my account filling with credits. Fifty thousand. One hundred thousand. It would all depend on how much I could squeeze out of that council. These people were a gold mine.
Fred had asked me to stay with them for another job once this was done, but I still hadn’t decided. If I took the work, I’d have to leave and return later. I couldn’t let the debt stand for too long. Not if I valued my life. As soon as I could, probably later tonight, I’d go straight to Fratley and give him his money.
The edge of the planet floated across the glass, growing as we neared.
Something was different now, I noticed. The once quiet world of Arcadia now had several ships waiting in orbit.
I stared at them, curiously. Were they a part of the trade shipments Fred had mentioned? No…they didn’t match the design. These were sharp, triangular vessels. Green flames in white circles had been painted along their hulls.
They were ravager ships.
My skin crawled as I stood there, balking through the glass. What were ravagers doing here? Why would they go after a worthless religious group? Were they—
Before I could finish the thought, I felt the entire floor drop, thrusting me against the wall. An explosion shocked the ship and an alarm rang throughout the corridors.
“Sigmond!” I shouted. “Cloak us and get us the fuck out of here!”
“Right away, sir,” he answered.
Abigail came running out of her room from the other end of the lounge. “What was that?!”
“We’re under attack. There’s a fleet of ravagers out there,” I said, pointing in the direction of the planet.
“Ravagers?” she asked. “What did you do?”
“Me?” I scoffed. “What makes you think I did something?”
“Sir, the cloak has been activated, but I’m receiving a hail,” announced Sigmond. “Should I accept?”
“Throw it on speaker.”
Lex joined Abigail in the hall. “What is it?” asked the girl.
“Nothing,” said Abigail. “We’re handling it.”
“I’m handling it,” I corrected.
“Sir, the channel is open. You are receiving, but we are not transmitting,” said Sigmond.
“Let’s hear it,” I said.
A second later, a familiar voice came through the ship’s speaker. “Jace Hughes,” said the man I knew as Fratley. “It’s about time you showed up. I’ve been waiting.”
* * *
Fratley was the last person I expected to hear on the com today. I still had some time on the clock before my debt was due. What was he doing here?
“Jace,” said Fratley, his voice echoing through the entire ship. “Talk to me, you old thief. You think you can hide with the cloak I gave you? You ought to know better than that.”
“Does that mean he can see us?” asked Abigail.
“I don’t know,” I muttered.
“Jace, you done me wrong. You done me so wrong,” said Fratley. “Owing me money is one thing, but you killed two of my men back at Galdion. Did you think I wouldn’t notice it was you? Then you come out here to the Deadlands, trying to hide from me. That’s a coward’s way, Jace, but what should I expect of a man who came asking for a cloak, of all things.”
I felt my chest sink. “Shit,” I said, pressing my knuckles into the wall, cracking them.
“Now, you know I’m a fair guy, Jace. I ain’t one to hold a grudge, except you owe me a heaping pile of credits and I need ‘em bad,” said Fratley. “You shot down two of my ships, and I’ll let it go if you’re willing to pay up twice what you owe. You following me, Jace? You hear what I’m saying?”
“That piece of shit,” I said.
“One hundred thousand. You got that much in creds?” asked Fratley.
“Sigmond, start transmitting,” I ordered.
“Yes, sir. Just a moment,” said Sigmond. “Go ahead, sir.”
“Fratley, it’s me,” I said.
“Ah! There he is!” exclaimed Fratley.
I took a breath. “How you been?” I asked, trying to sound relaxed. “I was just on my way to talk to you. Thanks for saving me the time.”
“Does that mean you have my creds?”
“I’ve got a bit, just not everything. That kind of money takes time.”
“That’s not what I need to hear, Jace. I was hoping to have a good day today, but you’ve gone and disappointed me already. You killed my men, blew up my ships, so now you owe me for my loss. Don’t try to weasel your way out of it, either. I’ve seen the holos. I know that was you at Ga
ldion.”
“Fratley, let’s be reasonable,” I said. “Those two ships attacked me when I was leaving the planet on a job. A job, I might add, that I had to take in order to pay you back. Besides, they fired at me first. What was I supposed to do?”
“I’ll tell you one thing, Jace. You don’t shoot down my fighters. That’s what you don’t do,” said Fratley.
“How about I pay you twenty-five thousand now, then get you the rest later?” I asked. “I’m working a job and about to take another. I can pay you with interest when they’re both done.”
“Oh, now that’s what I like to hear. You know, Jace, I had one of my fighters following you for a while. I had to make sure you weren’t running out of the Deadlands, trying to get away.”
“You followed me?” I asked, remembering the slip tunnel from before and how it hadn’t closed immediately.
“You know it’s just business, Jace,” he said. “Don’t worry. I saw where you went. Some abandoned planet with a bunch of old ruins. I figured you must be pulling an escort job. I can respect that, except…” He paused, and I heard him lick his lips. “I gotta ask you, Jace. Were you working for anyone on this planet? Because that’d be pretty unfortunate.”