by Z D Dean
If Zade were to return six days after he left, he would be faced with three very unpleasant scenarios. In the first scenario, Zade would be returned, preferably to Manas, where he would be greeted by senior military leadership, who would be both relieved that Zade was back, and pissed that he had been missing. No one would believe his tale, and under pressure from the major, Zade would be charged with desertion, stripped of his rank, and thrown in a military prison for the rest of his life. The second and equally unappealing option would be that people would hear his tale, and he would either be thrown in a mental health facility where he would spend the remainder of his overmedicated life in a padded room, or in the third scenario, he would be carted off to a secret military facility where he would be interrogated and experimented on. The latter option much shorter than the last two because the military would most likely dispose of him after they were done extracting information and testing him. Any way he cut it, Zade could see no happy ending resulting from getting dropped off on Earth.
As Zade stood to refill his mug of sloop in the galley, Samix’s voice rang over the ship’s intercom system. She was calling Zade up to the command deck. Leaving his unfilled cup behind, Zade headed up to the command deck where he found Samix staring out the windows at the planet below. As Zade made his way next to her he who could tell that she was sad. It was the kind of sadness that comes with telling someone bad news. The kind of sadness he had only seen on his parents’ face when they were about to tell him that the beloved family dog had died. As Zade waited for her to speak, he could feel a shred of anxiety settle in his soul.
“Thank you for what you did for us down there,” Samix said, motioning toward the planet. Clearly it wasn’t what she had in mind, but she couldn’t seem to force herself to say what was bothering her. She looked toward him, and away quickly, trying to avoid eye contact. Zade noticed how beautiful her eyes were in the short time their eyes met.
“No problem. You guys were my ride home. Couldn’t let anything happen to you,” Zade replied, trying to lighten the mood.
Zade could saw a solitary green tear roll down Samix’s face.
∆∆∆
Samix couldn’t figure out how to break the news that there was no way they could get Zade back home. After being freed from the top of the ship, Samix immediately headed to the command deck to try and recover any navigational data on Earth, hoping that, against all odds any data had been stored on the ship. The hope was for naught; after hours of scrubbing through system logs, she couldn’t find any information on Earth.
A deep sense of leader’s guilt settled on Samix. In her mind, she had, although unknowingly, changed Zade’s life, and she felt responsible for his well-being. A myriad of possibilities began to fly through Samix’s mind. What if she had grabbed the location of Earth before the ship jumped? What if she had overridden the evasive jump protocol? What if she had done a better sensor scan prior to landing?
What’s done is done. Beating myself up isn’t going to make anything better, Samix thought as she started to craft options for what to do next. The first thought she had was to ask Zade to stay aboard as the head of the robotics and the security chief. She had looked through his file, and was impressed by his academic prowess. Zade had completed training as a mechanical engineer with a focus on robotics before attending a military academy. Further highlighting his mental acumen, he was able to complete the program, usually taking four years, in half the time. Samix had no reservations about Zade’s ability to manage the lab in the ship. As for the security position, prior to planet fall, Samix had already found that Zade was unknowingly a contender for some clandestine military program on Earth, meaning that he was one of the best warriors on his planet—an assessment solidified by his actions to defend her and Jorloss when they had been attacked by the beasts during the repair stop.
Only once in her life had Samix seen a warrior best such opposition. It was at the Carlas, the gladiatorial games, of Xi’Ga. Xi’Ga was the home world and namesake of Samix’s species, and the planet of her upbringing. As a child, her father would take her to the games, where she would dream about one day becoming a great warrior like the individuals performing for the crowd. The games that Zade’s actions remaindered her of had happened on her 90th birthday. Just out of adolescence, her father took her to the games to celebrate her acceptance into the command program at the Unity Standard Military Academy. The competitor, a Marlog, had bested five ultra-aggressive, 400 pound, poisonous, armored, amphibious creatures from Jorloss’s planet, Lassf, while completely unarmed. The Marlog were renowned across the Unity as the best warriors alive. A large bipedal species that dwarfed the Xi’Ga, the Marlog were a dark grey with black armor plates covering their vital organs. Although the Xi’Ga regularly outfitted the Marlog with the latest weapons, and utilized them as mercenary protective forces, the Marlog were capable of unarmed combat thanks to a retractable claw that ran the length of their forearms. Few warriors could measure up to the Marlog, and those who had the physical prowess to best one lacked the mental agility to adjust their tactics while in combat. Those with the mental agility often lacked the physical prowess. After watching him work planet side, Samix had no doubt that Zade embodied the right balance of strength and intelligence, and would have fit perfectly into the Marlog society; he could greatly augment the survivability of the mission.
The second option she had come up with was the possibility of returning Zade to a planet like his own. Looking through the profile data of the planets found prior to the incident on Earth, Samix found one with an atmosphere that would support Zade, and it had a species similar in both looks and development as humans. Given the right backstory and timing, Zade had the potential to live out a long, fulfilling life amongst the people of the planet. With options at the ready, she had to tell Zade that he might never again be able to go home, resume his old life, or see his people.
“We were able to identify all of the damage the ship sustained from the solar flare,” Samix started slowly, gazing at Zade. “But the data drone we had on Earth was dislodged from its mounts.”
She then began to explain what the drones were used for and why they were a main piece of equipment on exploration vessels. She went on to explain that the only information pertaining to Earth was Zade’s medical file, which was kept in a separate system to prevent corruption or ship wide power outages from disallowing the medical staff access.
“The chance of us running across the signal bubble from your planet is almost zero. There is no way for us to get back to Earth,” Samix said quickly. “I’m so sorry.”
Even after deciding that he wanted to stay aboard and help, the news hit Zade like punch in the gut. Not wanting to go back was far different from not being able to go back, the latter being significantly worse. For Zade, desire was a choice, but ability was not, meaning that any limitation based on ability made him feel helpless. Zade stood next to Samix in silence, stunned by the revelation.
After letting the news sink in, Samix began again, “You do have a couple of options. The first and best option for our mission…” Samix trailed off momentarily.
“I would really like for you to stay on as a crewmember,” she continued. “I have already lost a crewmember to hostilities, and we need someone like you to organize security. Option two is that we can drop you off at a planet whose species closely resembles your own. From there you could do as you like. I know it’s a hard choice, we will stay in orbit until you come to a decision.”
Samix headed out quickly, leaving Zade on the command deck for the first time by himself, where he sat staring out at the stars. Exhaustion finally came, and Zade headed to his quarters. For two days, Zade retreated into the structured, recognizable safety of his own mind, where he mulled over his situation, leaving only to get food from the galley which he carried back to his room to eat in quiet isolation. Finally, the despair and disbelief gave way to anticipation and curiosity, and Zade realized that his vacation in the stars had become his de
stiny. He headed out of his quarters with a new outlook and an answer for Samix.
To his surprise, sitting at the table in the galley was a figure he had never seen before. This miniscule individual, too short to even touch the ground while seated, had rich dark reddish-brown skin covered partially in course thin hair. Atop his head sat two swiveling ears, half as long as his body. Approaching carefully, Zade gave the being a wide berth as he moved to grab a cup of sloop. Turning towards the table, Zade was startled by the being’s face. Sitting where his eyes should have been were two deep pits, and in place of a mouth it had two solid stone plates.
“Unless we picked up another hitchhiker, I’m guessing you’re another crew member,” Zade said as he sat at the end of the table.
“The name’s Axis. Just got out of my quarters, was pretty under the weather. You must be Zade, the only hitchhiker we have picked up,” Axis replied.
“Yup. I was told that you guys couldn’t get me home. I was just heading up to the command deck to talk to Samix about what I want to do.”
“Wouldn’t mind seeing you stick around if half of what Samix has said is true. This ship is full of scientists and thinkers. After the incident with Farn and the incident you were involved in, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone defending us. My thoughts at least. Pleasure meeting you,” Axis said as he jumped down from his chair and headed to his room.
∆∆∆
After finishing his drink, Zade headed for the command deck to talk to Samix. Samix was nowhere to be found, and only Mur was present. Mur was sitting in the captain’s chair and said nothing as Zade entered the command deck. As Zade turned to leave he could have sworn that usually stone-faced Mur was wearing a frown. Zade’s next stop was the medical bay where he found Jorloss engrossed in his work. Jorloss only spared a brief moment from his work to inform Zade that Samix was in her quarters. Zade walked across the hall and knocked on the door to the captain’s quarters. After hearing movement inside, the door slid open revealing how much it paid off to be the captain. The captain’s quarters contained a full bed, a marked improvement from the twins that were in the rest of the crew quarters. Just past the sleeping area was a small living area complete with a couch, desk, and two bookshelves, packed to capacity with different literature. Like the crew quarters, the captain’s room had the utilitarian bathroom area with the addition of a set of linens in addition to the air dryers. Samix was sitting at the desk reading a book from one of the bookshelves. Samix put her book down and turned to face Zade.
“Even if you had the navigation data, I couldn’t go back to Earth,” Zade said vehemently. “I would most likely spend the rest of my life confined or worse. And I defiantly don’t want to be dropped on the next habitable rock like some errant stowaway. I want to stay aboard as part of the crew.”
Overcome with happiness, Samix hustled over and gave Zade a hug. He was pleased to know he had made the right choice in her mind. Leading him over to the couch to sit, Samix began explaining, in detail, the operations of the ship and how Zade would fit in, the excitement in her voice now obvious. The XES01 followed a strict process while exploring. The ship would warp to interstellar space where it would conduct a deep space scan. This scan would identify anomalies and unique planets based on spectrometry and other sensor readings. After the scan data was compiled all unique items and planets of interest were identified, Mur would plot the most efficient warp path to examine each. As the ship arrived at a planet, it would maintain high orbit. The first orbit would map the topography of the planet. The second and third orbits were used to collect the composition of the atmosphere and planet respectively. The fourth and last orbit would catalog any plant or animal life on the planet. Viewing the data, the scientists aboard would decide whether or not they needed to land and collect more information. If a spot of interest was identified, the ship would move into a geosynchronous orbit, staying directly above the point of interest while the crew prepared to land.
These landing parties were going to be led by Zade. As the new security expert aboard, it would be his job to identify any threats, make and outfit the SSILF, and to provide security for the scientists doing data collection. After explaining the main methods of exploration, Samix stood, motioning for Zade to do the same, and headed for the door.
“Now, we’re going to head down one deck, and I will show you your lab,” Samix said, leading Zade out of her quarters and towards the rear of the ship.
Walking past the galley, Samix pointed to a row of innocuous doors explaining that they led to each scientist’s office. The one closest to the outer hull was unclaimed, and Zade could use it if he chose. Pointing to a door across from the offices, Samix noted that it was to the ship’s ready room, where all mission briefings and debriefings would take place. Walking past the ready room, Samix led Zade down the rear stairs to the cargo bay. Turning back towards the front of the ship, Zade could see a standard man door set in the center of the wall with two enormous rolling doors on either side of it. Samix informed that the left rolling door opened to Axis’s terraforming lab, and the right opened to the robotics lab. Walking through the man door, Zade could see four doors down the hallway: two to the left and two to the right. Stopping at the first door on the right, Zade read the placard: “Robotics and Fabrication.” Identifying the other three labs before entering robotics, Samix informed Zade that the front left was the anthropology lab, front right was the biology lab and, as stated before, the rear left was the terraforming lab.
The inside of the robotics lab was a sight to behold. The walls were covered with different blueprints and design sketches. Against the far wall four different SSILF, all clearly different variants, were lined up. Directly in front of Zade, in the corner by the robots, there was a small workstation complete with six displays, three on each wall. Turning clockwise Zade could see tables in the center of the room, one of which had the burnt remains of his army equipment piled on it. His visual inspection finished with the wall closest to the center of the ship. Across from where he was standing, different manufacturing equipment lined up against the wall, near the rolling door at the rear of the lab. Samix explained that the three cylindrical manufacturing machines towards the rear of the lab were for fabrication. They were capable of fabricating any piece of equipment that the ship needed, including fully functional SSILF. The machine next to the tubes was a disassembler, which Zade could use to replicate any equipment not in the lab database. All he had to do was place the device into the machine, where it would be broken down and mapped. After all the required information about the workings and material of the device was logged it would be reassembled. Next to the disassembler was a smaller fabrication machine used to make smaller, more delicate parts for the ship. The last piece of equipment in the row was a modification machine. It was used to improve or modify any already existing piece of equipment.
Walking to the computer station, Samix explained that anything that Zade could draw or design on the workstation could be created in the lab. Zade just had to provide the idea, and the ships material reclamation system provided the materials. Samix explained that after Zade went to see Jorloss, he wouldn’t even need to be in the lab to create things. The cerebral linkage created by the nanites would link him to the design systems.
“Speaking of nanites,” Zade said sarcastically. “Now that I am a full member of the crew, will you be lifting the kill order you programmed into them?”
Trying to convince Zade that he was mistaken, Samix assured him that she had ordered no such thing. Undeterred, Zade explained how during the fight, when he picked up the railgun, he could hear Mur’s voice informing him that his aggressive actions would be met with termination, and how a 30 second timer appeared in his right field of vision. Disgusted by the idea of executing Zade for taking action to protect the crew, Samix assured him that she would look into it after she finished showing him how the lab worked.
“It shouldn’t have done that if you were trying to protect us,” Samix said, flus
tered, and under her breath. “It should have only done that if you had tried to harm us.”
Zade smirked as she went back to talking about the equipment around him. He could swear hear cheeks turned a darker shade of blue as she avoided eye contact. Walking to the pile of his old equipment, Zade could see how much damage he actually took as his body broke through the atmosphere, trapped on the side of the ship. The side of his IBA not trapped against the side outside of the hull was completely burnt away, leaving only the material protected by his SAPI plate. The M4 that had been strapped against his chest had taken enough heat damage to warp the barrel, and the rounds in the magazine had cooked off, leaving only a twisted hunk of metal where the front of the lower receiver should have been.
Not everything was a loss, though. When he got pinned, his leg must have been turned enough to protect his 1911 because the only damage it sustained was a large gouge in the slide. Everything in his butt pack survived as well. Sliding the kit towards him as he flipped it over, Zade unzipped the pack. As soon as he opened it a wolfish grin spread across his face. Inside were two hockey puck demo charges, two extra magazines for both his sidearm and his primary, and most importantly, his iPod. As he removed each item from the pack and placed it on the table, he explained what it was used for to Samix, who seemed particularly curious about the iPod. Things were starting to look up. Now, at least, he could continue his pre-mission ritual of listing to his combat playlist. Turning it on, he flipped to his favorite song and stuck the earbuds in, after noticing Samix inquisitively looking at him, he handed her one of the earbuds so she could listen.