by Ryk Brown
“Theoretically, the new emitters and improved energy storage systems should increase our operational safe jump range. However, we have only performed a few jumps with the new systems. We will need to conduct a few more before I have enough data to perform a proper evaluation.”
“Care to make any guesses?”
“Not particularly, sir.”
“Humor me, Doctor.”
“Without using any power from the smaller ZPEDs in the high-speed comm-drones, we may get as much as twenty-five light years per jump. But again, that is only in theory.”
“Still, that’s quite encouraging,” Nathan stated. “I mean, that would get us home in half the time. That’s what… forty jumps instead of one hundred?”
“Give or take a dozen jumps or so, yes,” Abby said. “Even if it proves to be true, I wouldn’t push the jumps to the maximum range. It might be safer to make twenty light year jumps.”
“Okay, fifty jumps then,” Nathan corrected himself. “That’s still only three weeks instead of six. Make that your priority, Abby. I want that increased range.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Doctor Chen?” Nathan said, inviting the young doctor that headed up the Aurora’s medical department to give her status report.
“Medical is fully stocked and staffed,” she reported. “The Takarans aren’t any more advanced medically than the Corinairans. However, they have more experienced trauma surgeons and better procedures for dealing with wounded. One of the Takaran trauma surgeons has signed on, so along with the Corinairan doctor specializing in nanite therapy and Doctor Galloway who has been with us since the last boarding attempt, we have four doctors on board as well as several nurses and medical technicians. In addition, many of the Corinari security troops under Lieutenant Commander Nash have field medic training as well. I believe we are as prepared as we possibly can be, more so than when we attacked the Takaran homeworld.”
“That’s good to hear,” Nathan said. “We’ll do our best to keep your job as dull as possible.”
“Thank you, sir. That would be appreciated.”
Nathan leaned back in his chair, taking a moment before concluding the briefing. “Well, we’re finally about to begin our journey home, people. It has taken a long time and a lot of sacrifice to get to this point. But make no mistake; we’re not home yet. The Takaran star charts only cover the immediate sector. Once we leave the Pentaurus sector, we’re looking at over eight hundred light years of unexplored space. The only knowledge we have of this expanse of space are observations made by our ancestors over a millennium ago. We’ll conduct deep space scans along our course ahead during each of our layovers while we recharge the jump drive. Hopefully, that will be enough to ensure safe passage. However, as we do not know what is out there, we will operate under the assumption that there are threats out there waiting for us.”
“Hope for the best and prepare for the worst,” Jessica mumbled.
“Exactly,” Nathan agreed.
“My father always says that,” she explained. “Used to drive me nuts.”
“We’ll get under way at fourteen hundred hours after a final inspection of all systems and departments has been concluded.” Nathan looked to each of their faces to see if anyone had something to add. Satisfied that they did not, he added, “Dismissed.”
Nathan watched as his senior department heads filed out of the command briefing room to begin their final inspections prior to departure—all of them except for Cameron who remained in her seat, pretending to study her data pad while waiting for the others to vacate the room.
“Commander?” Nathan queried once they were alone.
“Sir, are you aware of a large shipping container sent over from the Takarans? One whose access is restricted to you and you alone?”
“Tug said he was sending me something special, something to make my life easier.”
“Like what? A private shuttle?”
Nathan looked confused. “How big a container are we talking?”
“At least twenty meters long, four high, and four wide.”
Nathan looked even more confused. “I was expecting steaks or something. Or maybe some of that ale they served in the palace, but nothing that big; I assure you. Any idea what’s inside?”
“Like I said, the locks are programmed to allow access to only you.”
* * *
Nathan placed his hand on the scanner pad to the right of the entry hatch at the end of the Takaran shipping container. The digital display above the pad turned green. The words were in Takaran, but he assumed green was good. His assumption was confirmed a moment later when the six bolts on the hatch slid into the unlocked position with a loud clunk.
“Are you sure you want to go inside?” Nathan asked the commander.
“Try and stop me, sir.”
Nathan swung the hatch open, revealing an inner airlock about three meters square, with another inner hatch on the opposite bulkhead. “Must be an airlock.”
“On a shipping container?”
Nathan stepped inside the airlock, looking about. “Maybe this thing was designed to be carried on the outside of a cargo ship. There was a docking collar around the outside hatch.”
“Perhaps, but we’ve seen more than a few Takaran cargo ships over the past couple of weeks. How many of them had containers on the outside of the hull?”
“Good point. This control pad isn’t responding,” he said after he repeatedly pressed what appeared to be the button to open the inner hatch.
Cameron pointed up at the red light over their heads. “It’s an airlock, remember?” Cameron pulled the outer door closed and locked it. The overhead light turned blue.
“Still not working.” A fine mist began to spray into the room from all sides.
“What the…?”
“I think we’re being decontaminated,” Cameron said as she looked around nervously.
The spray continued for several seconds, after which a ventilation fan in the ceiling quickly sucked the swirling mist up and away, clearing the room once again. The overhead light turned green.
“Ah, it’s working now,” Nathan said, activating the inner door.
The inner hatch sprung free, allowing Nathan to swing it slowly into the container. The inside of the container was dark except for hundreds of small lights along the sides close to the container’s deck. Most of the lights were green, like status indicators on some control console. There was no interior illumination other than the pale green light spilling in through the inner airlock hatch, casting their shadows inward.
Nathan moved to one side, gesturing with his hand. “Ladies first.”
“I’m not even cleared to be here, sir.”
Nathan looked at her with surprise. “What happened to ‘try and stop me’?”
“There could be some type of inner security features in there. It’s probably safe for you, but for all we know, I might get blasted the moment I step through the door.”
Nathan shrugged her off, unsure if she was serious. He pulled a small light out of his pocket and turned it on, shining the small narrow beam of light about the interior of the container. There were two levels inside with only a meter-wide passageway down the center aisle that ran all the way to the far end of the container. Along either side of the aisle, clear cylinders sat atop devices of some type. The devices at the bottom of the cylinders appeared to be some type of control mechanisms with numerous indicator lights on their small interface panels. At the top of each tube were complex, interconnected systems of pipes and conduit running the length of the compartment and connecting all the cylinders.
“What’s inside them?” Cameron asked, peering around Nathan to get a better view of the interior.
Nathan focused his light on one of the closest cylinders, studying it for a moment. At first, he thought the clear tubes were filled with some type of gray liquid, but on closer inspection, it looked more like a heavy fog swirling slowly about within the cylinders. “I don’t know, but I’
m pretty sure it isn’t steaks.”
Cameron gently pushed him forward through the inner airlock hatch. The moment his boot touched the deck inside, pale, blue lights located above each of the clear cylinders began to flicker to life. First, the lights closest to them came on, followed by each one in succession until all the cylinders along either wall were lit.
“Whoa,” Nathan mumbled as he continued forward. “I guess it knows we’re here.” He took a few more steps forward, looking at the cylinders more closely. “There’s something in here, Cam.” He turned back to her and noticed that she was still standing in the doorway. “Take a look at this.”
Cameron entered the container, closing the inner airlock hatch behind her.
“What are you doing?” Nathan asked urgently as the hatch resealed automatically.
“Sorry. Habit I guess. Always close an airlock hatch behind you.”
“Except when entering a mysterious shipping container full of…”
Cameron pointed behind Nathan, causing him to stop mid-sentence. Nathan spun around to see a hologram materializing into view in the middle of the aisle not more than a few meters in front of them. It blinked and flickered for a moment, finally resolving into such clarity that he could hardly tell it wasn’t a live person standing in front of them.
That person was Prince Casimir, the new ruler of Takara, the man they knew as Redmond Tugwell, the leader of the Karuzari rebels that they had helped to defeat the Ta’Akar Empire. Nathan had dined with him on his last night on the Takaran system just three days ago.
“Wow, that’s one hell of a hologram,” Nathan said, taking a few steps forward and passing his hand through Tug’s image as it stood before him adorned in the trappings of his new title as the leader of the Takaran system.
“Why do people always do that?” Cameron asked, rolling her eyes.
“What?”
“Pass their hand through the image like they were seeing a magic trick for the first time.”
“I don’t know,” Nathan said as he withdrew his hand.
“It’s not like you’ve never seen a…”
“Captain Scott,” Tug’s image interrupted.
Cameron stared at Tug’s talking image, feeling somewhat spooked by the realism of the hologram. “It’s so real, it’s creepy,” she whispered.
Nathan gestured for her to be silent as Tug’s image continued to speak.
“I regret that I could not do more to help you prepare for whatever challenges you may yet have to face on your voyage home. Indeed, you and your crew have sacrificed much to help the people of the Pentaurus cluster. No one, not even I, would have seen fault in you had you chosen to abandon us and returned posthaste to help your own world defend against its foes. Had I been able, I would gladly have sent a fleet of warships with you to defend the world of our ancestors, the birthplace of humanity. But alas, it was not within my power, as what few ships we have left are needed to defend and help rebuild the very worlds that they once crushed at the behest of their previous leader.”
Tug’s image turned away from them and began to stroll casually down the center aisle of the container as it continued to speak. “Soon you will be jumping your way across the vast expanse of unexplored space that separates our two sectors. None of us knows what you will find along the way. You may find nothing, or you may find dangers that make those we recently faced together seem like a squabble amongst children.” Tug’s image turned back around to face them once more. “Hopefully, it will be the former. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to provide you with something… something to help protect you along the way. This was a difficult task, as the Aurora is probably now the most formidable ship in the entire sector, quite possibly the galaxy. There was nothing I could provide you that might equal the Aurora.” Tug turned and started to stroll away from them again. “So I chose to provide you with something else, something you did not have, either aboard the Aurora or on Earth. A weapon so powerful that its name strikes fear in the hearts of even the most seasoned warriors.” Tug stopped and turned to face them once more. “Captain Scott, my trusted and loyal friend and ally, to protect you and your crew should your situation become dire, I present you with…” Tug raised his hands to shoulder height, his arms outstretched. “…the Ghatazhak!”
On cue, the gray swirling fog within the cylinders began to drain into the floor of each chamber, revealing their contents. Each cylinder contained a finely chiseled specimen of a man with broad shoulders and massive arms. Nathan and Cameron watched as the fog sank into the floor of each cylinder, slowly revealing each Ghatazhak warrior from the head down.
“Uh, is he going to suck all the fog out of those tubes?” Cameron asked, her face slightly reddening. “Because I’m pretty sure they’re completely naked in there.”
“They must be in some kind of stasis,” Nathan commented.
“Within these tubes are one hundred of the Ta’Akar Empire’s mighty Ghatazhak warriors. As we all know from their attack on the staging point during the battle of Answari, only the fires of hell itself can stop the Ghatazhak from following the orders of the one they are programmed to obey. These one hundred warriors, Captain Scott, have been programmed to obey and protect you, as well as anyone you order them to protect. They have no fear, and they have no conscience. They are, quite literally, human killing machines. They have no hopes. They have no dreams. Their only wish is to serve and to die an honorable death in the service of their leader, which is now you, Captain Scott.”
“You’re right,” Nathan whispered, “this is creepy.”
Tug’s image continued. “It seems a gruesome and savage thing, these men who are bred only for combat, men without souls or self-determination.” Tug hung his head down low for a moment. “The Ghatazhak are an abhorrent thing to behold. The question of what to do with such creatures has not been an easy one. Our scientists are working on ways to deprogram these ruthless men; however, until we are certain that this can be done with one hundred percent certainty, we must keep them in stasis to protect not only the people, but the Ghatazhak themselves. There are more than one thousand of them in stasis on Takara under the absolute highest security. However, considering the unknowns that may lie ahead of you, keeping a platoon of such close at hand seems a logical step, should their need ever arise. Trust me, Captain. As absurd as it may sound, if such a need does arise, you will be thankful that these men are available to you.”
Tug’s image paused, straightening his attire before continuing. “When you require the services of the Ghatazhak, place your hand on the command console here,” Tug explained, his hologram pointing toward a control panel on one of the support pillars in between two cylinders. “It will take one of your hours for them to be fully revived, at which point they will undoubtedly need to be fed…” Tug smiled. “A lot. Twenty-four hours later, they will be ready for action. Their combat armor and weapons are stored in the lockers above each cylinder and are keyed to each of the occupants. Additional supplies and ammunition are stored in lockers accessible at the rear of this container.”
Tug’s image took several steps toward Nathan and Cameron. “Nathan, we can never fully repay you for all that you have done for us. Please accept this gift in the spirit in which it was intended. I only wish to see that you survive to achieve your goals, whatever they may be.” Tug’s image stood motionless as the hologram began to fade out. “Good luck to you, my friend.”
Nathan and Cameron stood in silence. He looked about at the two levels of tubes full of the deadliest men in the galaxy. He tried to imagine a scenario in which he might be forced to utilize such men. One word came to his lips. “Damn.”
CHAPTER TWO
Loki turned his head slowly from side to side, checking to see if anyone was standing nearby. As he’d hoped, everyone on the bridge was busy attending to their respective duties as the Aurora prepared for departure. Satisfied that no one was paying him undue attention, he leaned to his right and spoke in a hushed tone. “Are you nervous?�
�
“What?” Josh replied with more volume than Loki would have liked.
Loki looked about again. “Are you nervous?”
“What is there to be nervous about? It’s not like we haven’t flown this ship before.”
“But we’re about to fly it to the other side of the galaxy.”
“It’s only a thousand light years, Loki,” Josh reminded his friend, “and it’ll take us less time to get there than it originally took you to get to Haven.”
“Maybe, but still, we’re leaving everything and everyone we know behind.”
“Good riddance, I say.”
“Easy enough for you; Marcus is coming, too. But I may never see my family again. And they don’t even know I’m leaving.”
“You sent them word, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, through Tug, or Prince Casimir, or whatever we’re supposed to call him these days. The captain assured me that Tug would get word to them.” Loki scanned his displays once more, sighing at the thought of never seeing his parents and his sister again. “I just wish I could have told them myself, I guess.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Josh told him. “Considering the state of the cluster right now, you may be back before they even get the message.”
“That’s not helping.”
“You know what your problem is, Loki? You think too much.”
“I think too much? How does one think too much?”
“You’re always thinking about all the little, related things. You need to be more like me.”
“You mean charging through life at a million kilometers per second without any forethought?”
Josh grinned. “It is less complicated.”
“No thanks. I’d rather think too much.”
“Suit yourself,” Josh said, “but all that thinking can get in the way. Trust me.”
“How would you even know?” Loki wondered.
“I used to be just like you when I first started flying. Believe it or not, it was Marcus who set me straight. He taught me to use my instincts instead of trying to analyze the life out of everything.”