by M. R. Forbes
The pod came to a stop, and they climbed out. There was no direct route from the settlement to the Magellan. They would have to take a transport to the starship.
They hurried from the loop station to the hangar. Bay Six was occupied, and Choi steered them toward it.
"How long do you think it will take for you to be missed?" Gabriel asked Diallo.
"We're supposed to report in when we have you." She pulled a handheld from her pocket and checked the time on it. "I suppose we should have you by now." She held down a button on the device. "This is Diallo. We have Captain St. Martin in custody, and are en route to HQ."
"Affirmative, Diallo," Owens replied.
She pocketed the handheld. They reached the airlock for Bay Six, and Choi put her thumb on the scanner to open it. A transport was waiting inside, with Captain Sturges and his wife Siddhu standing on the ramp leading into the BIS.
"General St. Martin," Sturges said, snapping into an attentive salute.
"Captain Sturges," Theodore replied. "Siddhu. It's good to see you both."
"You too, Theodore," Siddhu said, leaning down to kiss his cheek.
"We don't have any time to waste," Sturges said, waving for them to board the transport. Theodore wheeled himself up, looking to Gabriel as if he were getting stronger with each passing minute. "I've got clearance for a supply run to Delta." He pointed to the pallets of food and materials to bring to the station. "I think that stuff will come in handy on the Magellan, don't you?"
"Damn handy," Theodore said.
Sturges hit the control to close the ramp and headed toward the cockpit. Gabriel followed him, taking the co-pilot seat.
"You could have told me about this sooner," Gabriel said.
"And ruin the surprise?" Sturges replied. "Your father said you needed to understand before we could count on you to bring your best game. We have no margin for error here, Gabe."
"I know. Whatever happens, thank you for being part of it."
"I'm loyal to your father and you to the day I die, Gabriel. Thank you for giving this old pilot one more mission that will mean something."
"Are you sure it will?"
"Absolutely. Now, let's steal a starship."
FIFTY
"BIS Two, this is Control. You're off course. Is everything okay, sir?"
Sturges looked over at Gabriel. "I guess they noticed that I'm not headed toward Delta Station." He leaned over and tapped the comm. "Control, this is BIS Two. I appear to be having a vectoring thruster malfunction. One of the venting ports may be jammed. I'm investigating."
"Roger, BIS Two. Do you need recovery, Captain?"
"Not yet. I'll let you know if I'm about to float off into space."
"Yes, sir."
"How much time will that buy us?" Gabriel asked.
"Enough."
Gabriel looked through the viewport. The Magellan was already below them, but Sturges was letting the transport drift past it to keep up the ruse.
"The bigger problem is that there's already a transport docked to it," Sturges said, pointing to the rear of the ship, near the port-side slipstream nacelle. It was tiny compared to the starship.
"Who is that?" Gabriel said.
"No idea. I've been keeping an eye on the work orders. There isn't anything scheduled to start until next week."
Gabriel pulled the gun from his waist. "I hope I don't need to use this thing."
"Me, too."
"How long until we dock?"
"Five minutes."
"I'll tell my father about the other transport and get everyone ready."
"Roger."
Gabriel moved to the back of the transport. His father was already holding court, positioned in the center of the group and telling the assembly about Gabriel's mother.
"Dad,' Gabriel said, cutting him short. "Sorry to interrupt, but we're almost at the Magellan. There's a small problem. Another ship is already docked there."
"What?" Siddhu said. "There were no work orders on her this week."
"That's what your husband said," Gabriel replied. "I guess plans changed."
"Or someone else is trying to take her before we do," Theodore said. "I'm glad we picked you up on the way over, Sergeant."
"I don't want to kill any of our own," Diallo said.
"Me neither," Theodore agreed. "Although I have found that an active plasma rifle pointed at your face can be a very effective negotiating tactic." He spun his chair toward Gabriel. "I want you to take point with Diallo and Hafizi."
"I'm a pilot, not a foot soldier."
"I think I've been asleep a little too long, son. You used to recognize when I was asking, and when I was giving you an order. Or has this old gator lost your respect?"
"No, sir," Gabriel said, snapping to attention. "My apologies, sir."
"Good man. Sweep the corridors up to the bridge and clear a path. If whoever is on the ship ain't there and they get stuck riding along, too damn bad. Major, if you would do me the honor of escorting myself and Mr. Mokri here to the bridge, I would be much obliged."
"Of course, General," Choi said.
"Siddhu, wait for your husband and stay with the transport, just in case."
"Yes, sir," Siddhu said.
Gabriel joined Hafizi and Diallo near the docking collar on the side of the BIS, a rounded rectangular hatch with an airlock between them and the vacuum outside. He could see the side of the Magellan growing larger ahead of them, the massive scale of the starship stealing his breath. He had only been on the ship a few times before, and not since before he had gone to officer training. He had forgotten how majestic the Magellan was.
"Wow," Hafizi said beside him.
"First time?" Gabriel asked.
"Yes, sir. I've only seen her from a distance."
"Imagine what she would look like with guns," Diallo said.
"I don't want to imagine it," Gabriel replied. "I want to make it happen."
"Yes, sir."
They stood and watched as the ship drew close enough that the matching docking collar came into view. Captain Sturges guided the transport expertly, getting it aligned right next to the collar before the vectoring thrusters pushed the two together. Gabriel pressed the control pad next to the airlock and felt the slight vibration as the clamping mechanism shifted into place, taking hold of the BIS and pulling it the last few inches to the collar. Once the two ships were joined the outer hatches of each opened, revealing similar airlocks on both sides. Gabriel waited while the two corridors pressurized, and then those doors also slid open.
"Stay close, don't shoot anything unless it shoots at you," Gabriel said. "These are our people, and they probably don't know why we're here."
"Yes, sir," Hafizi and Diallo replied.
The three of them walked through the joined airlocks, passing from the transport into the Magellan. The inside of the starship was dark, with only emergency lighting providing a dim glow.
"They didn't even turn the lights on," Diallo said.
"They probably can't," Gabriel replied. "Only a registered officer has control over Maggie. I don't know which Major is assigned to the retrofit."
They moved out into the corridor. The Magellan would be a maze to anyone who was unfamiliar with her layout, due to hundreds of corridors that all looked nearly identical. While there were plenty of physical signs indicating the current floor and the direction of the passage, even that was of limited help when everything looked the same.
Fortunately, the route to the bridge was one of the easiest, and Gabriel still remembered it from his last time on board. He led the two MPs in that direction ahead of the rest of the group.
"I can't believe this ship was made on Earth," Hafizi said, reaching out and running his hand along the cold metal walls. "So much history."
"What's it like, Captain?" Diallo asked. "Earth, I mean."
"It's beautiful from a distance," Gabriel replied. "White clouds. Blue oceans. When you get closer, you can see how much it's hurting. The Dr
ead haven't been kind to the planet. Their structures litter most of whatever landscapes they didn't burn from orbit. It's home though. Our true home. Not some far away place that half of us might never see. It isn't too late to fix it, if we can get it back from the enemy."
"Yes, sir," Hafizi said.
They reached one of the three dozen or so elevators sprinkled throughout the ship. This one would bring them up into the quarterdeck. The bridge was on QD3. Only the sensor equipment and a maintenance level that had been converted to a damage control buffer sat above the large, open layout of the ship's command center.
Gabriel put his hand to the control pad of the elevator, expecting it to light up with a list of destinations. Instead, a red 'X' flashed on the interface above a message that read, "Access denied. Security lockout."
"What does that mean?" Hafizi asked.
"The elevators were locked out the last time a crew was in here working on things."
"Can we still get to the bridge?"
"Yeah. We have to take the stairs. It's only twenty floors."
"It figures," Diallo said.
"We could wait here for the General," Gabriel said. "His fingerprint should override the lockout. Of course, I don't think he would be too pleased to find us hanging out here."
"I'll take the stairs," Diallo said.
"Sounds good to me," Hafizi agreed.
The emergency stairwell was in an adjacent corridor. They opened the manual hatch and ascended quickly, not wanting to arrive behind the rest of the group. They exited into a second corridor and turned left, taking a short walk to the bridge's entry.
As they neared, Gabriel could hear low voices speaking inside. He raised his hand, ordering the MPs to a stop.
"This is going to be our salvation," one of the voices said. A man, judging by the tone of voice.
"For some of us," a female voice said. "Not all."
"You can't back down now, Sarah. Not when we've made it this far."
Sarah? Gabriel took in a sharp breath. He recognized Guy Larone's voice. Was this a joke? Were they going to be everywhere he went?
"I'm not backing down. It's just. It's troubling. You heard Captain St. Martin. I'm sure he isn't the only one who feels that way. I bet most of the military does, and they're the ones with the weapons. If General Cave can't reign him in, he can make a lot of problems for this trip."
"General Cave will get him under control. Take a look out there, Sarah. What do you see?"
"Gas clouds, stars, the usual."
"But no home."
"No."
"That's why I wanted to bring you here. I wanted you to see. I wanted you to be able to picture it more clearly. In six months, we could be staring out this same viewport at a pristine oasis of life. A perfect blue and green marble. A new home for humankind."
"I hope so. I want to see it. But the sacrifice-"
"There are no easy decisions left, love," Guy said. "The Dread took them all away. My father used to tell me about the invasion. About the pillars of fire, and how every military in the world was powerless against them. He was so grateful to have escaped, and yet so pained by what we had all lost. In two or three generations, no one will remember the ones who were left here or on Earth. No one will remember ever living in Calawan at all. Even Earth can be erased from people's memories. Destroy the videos and images, and in time it becomes nothing more than a myth. A bad dream. That is the beauty of time. A beauty matched only by your own."
Gabriel glanced over at Diallo and Hafizi. Diallo made a face like she was about the vomit, while Hafizi rolled his eyes. Was Guy trying to solidify his wife's resolve, or was this foreplay? And where was the pilot who must have brought them here?
"I love you, Guy," Sarah said.
"I love you, too."
Gabriel stepped quietly forward, pausing as he reached the open archway onto the bridge and looking up at the engraved plaque hanging above it. "IN GOD WE TRUST. U.S.S.S. Magellan. 2264." He could hear the couple kissing just out of his view.
He was going to enjoy this part.
He held up Diallo and Hafizi, stepping around the corner on his own, raising the gun and pointing it at Guy and Sarah's interlocked faces. They didn't notice him until he let out a soft cough.
"Hello, Guy. Sarah."
The scientists broke their embrace, their faces turning pale with sudden fear.
"Captain St. Martin? What are you doing here?"
"Apparently, we're stopping you from erasing as much of human history as you can. You had good reason to be worried about me before. You have even more reason to be worried now. We're taking the Magellan before you can fulfill your dream of leaving innocent people to die so that you can reach your Utopia."
"On what authority?" Guy asked. "You don't have access to this ship's control systems."
"He doesn't," Theodore said, rolling around the corner, flanked by Choi, Reza, Diallo, and Hafizi. "But I do. Good evening, Maggie."
FIFTY-ONE
The bridge jumped to attention in front of them. First, the lights that ringed the large space faded on to a comfortable brightness. Then the screens in front of each of the stations flashed to life like a row of dominoes, starting with the smallest screen on the right side of the raised Command chair and dropping down into the pit in front of it, running right to left across half a dozen pods organized around a large starmap station that dominated the forward position ahead of Command.
"Good evening, Colonel St. Martin," the ship's computer replied in a neutral female voice.
"It's General now, Maggie," Theodore said. "I know it's been a long time."
"Twenty two years, six months, eighteen days, twelve hours, forty-seven minutes, sir," Maggie replied. "Congratulations on your promotion."
Theodore chuckled. "You're a little late, but thank you. Gabriel, you'll take the helm. Reza, that pod over there is navigations. Go sit there and don't touch anything. Vivian, I expect you'll be my XO."
"Yes, sir," Gabriel said.
"I'm honored, sir," Vivian said. "What about Colonel Graham?"
"If the Colonel joins up, he'll be in charge of operations, same as he is on Delta."
"You can't do this," Guy said, remaining stationary with the gun aimed at him. "I'll have you arrested."
"Are you some kind of dumbass, boy?" Theodore said. "You're alone on a starship that I control, with no way out except past the gun pointed at your head. How exactly are you going to have me arrested? By the way, Gabriel, you can lower the weapon and get us underway."
"Yes, sir," Gabriel replied, lowering the gun. "Sir, you need to clear the security locks."
"I do, don't I? Maggie, can you clear all security protocols?"
"Protocols cleared, sir," Maggie replied.
"Thank you."
Gabriel stuck the gun back in the waist of his pants, grinning at the Larones as he descended the raised platform into the pit and took a seat in the front pod. The seat was very similar to that of a starfighter, as were the flight controls. The Command chair had a similar setup, as it was typically the ship's Commander who did the most intense piloting. The helmsman generally served as a backup when the Commander was attending to other duties, and to keep the ship on course during more mundane travel.
He dropped his right hand to the control pad there, navigating through it without looking until he brought the systems status up. The software on the Magellan was identical to the operating system on the starfighters, except a little more complex.
"Vivian," he heard his father say. "You've read the technical manual, correct?"
"Yes, sir. It was at least fifteen years ago."
"I'm sure it'll come back to you. I'm an old gator, and I still remember how it all works. Can you take the engineering pod for now? We need to heat the reactor up, and she can be a little temperamental. I need you to monitor the subsystems to make sure we don't go killing ourselves."
"Of course, General."
Gabriel looked back and up to where the Larones w
ere standing near the edge of the pit.
"As for you two," he heard his father say. "We don't have a brig, or I'd lock you up there. We also aren't about to go shooting people because that would make us killers like you. I can't let you leave, since you've already threatened to have me arrested, and I didn't like that. Let me see, what's left?" There was a pause while Theodore considered. "I'll tell you what. You promise to follow my orders, and I won't ask Sergeant Diallo here to rough you up a bit."
"You just said you wouldn't hurt us," Guy said, sounding frightened and angry.
"I did not, boy. I said I wouldn't kill you. Hurting is another matter entirely, and if you keep testing my patience I will proceed with putting it on. Are we clear?"
"You won't get away with this," Guy said, remaining defiant.
"Guy," Sarah said before Theodore could respond. "I'm sorry, General. We'll follow your orders."
"Your wife is a smart woman. Pretty, too. It's a shame you two are so cold. You could be such a boon to the colony. I'm taking her word as yours. I hope it's good."
"It is, General," Sarah said. Guy remained silent.
"Go on down and join Reza at the nav station. If he tells you to jump, you damned well better jump. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Sarah said. She and Guy appeared on the steps a moment later. She was pulling him by the arm, with Hafizi staying close behind.
"Maggie," Theodore said, his voice shifting as he moved to the Command Station. "Initiate startup series."
"Yes, sir," the computer replied. Immediately, the ship began to hum and shake.
"I don't remember that from last time," Theodore said. "Vivian, do we have an issue?"
"We blew a power converter on the secondary reactor," Major Choi said. "Diverting power through the alternates. I hope."
The ship stopped shaking, the hum vanishing as well. From the bridge, there was little indication that the starship was waking up.
"Main positron reactor stable," Choi said. "Secondary and tertiary stable. Quantum phase generator online."