Colony One

by E. M. Peters

  “To the docking bay.” He said simply and didn’t stop to give her a second thought. She knew, if she were to be honest with herself, she couldn’t stop him – short of physically restraining him – so she did not expend any more energy on the endeavor.

  Charlie stood, too, but Avery put herself in his way, “We cannot risk the pilot leaving the ship.” She told him with a raised hand.

  “It’s supposed to be the captain who stays with the ship,” he told her and then crossed his arms.

  “Not this time, Foxtrot.” She countered. “Since you’re the only one who can drive this boat, you stay. It’s a reasonable decision, but you can pout about it if you absolutely need to.” She looked at him expectantly. His expression didn’t change, but he didn’t fight back, either. “We’ll stay in communication at all times, scout’s honor.” She held up three fingers, and then clapped her hand to his shoulder before leaving.

  Charlie grumbled before he realized he was, indeed, pouting and felt his cheeks flush. He took the seat at his console and keyed on the short range communications system as well as the command to accept all frequencies.

  Makenna, Niko, Finn and Winston were already at the docking bay when Avery arrived. She gave Finn a look of approval when she saw the camera was missing from around her neck. Finn returned the look with an icy glare.

  Niko was handing out what looked like ski goggles – a pair already sat atop his head. “These will help us navigate the ship. I’ve uploaded the schematic of Colony Two from our database. The goggles will mark your position and the position of everyone whose bio-stamp is within range on a map and display it on the glass interface.” He tapped the goggles on the top of his head. “They’ll activate immediately when placed over your eyes.”

  Avery nodded and took a pair Niko held out to her, pulling them over her head and letting them rest around her neck. “Ms. Krasnov, check that we can communicate with Mr. Foster on the bridge, then crack the seal on this hatch.”

  The engineer nodded once to acknowledge the order and tapped the earpiece she and the others had nested in their right ears. Avery was adding hers as Makenna spoke, “Bridge, acknowledge communications link.”

  “Loud and clear,” Charlie’s voice came through everyone’s earpiece. Winston winced, pulling out his handheld to turn down the volume of his earpiece before another word was spoken. “Good luck and stay safe,” Charlie added.

  “Acknowledged.” Makenna answered and tapped a sequence into the small panel outside the docking hatch. There was the sound of pressurized air rushing through the seal, and then all was calm. Mak pushed the door the rest of the way open and led the way into the compartment that was part of the colony ship. It was designed to pressurize, allowing entry of any docking ships. Mak keyed in a similar sequence into the colony’s panel and the door opened with some effort.

  Air stirred and the smell hit them all at once – stale and damp. The air was cold – not intolerably so, but enough to indicate someone had tampered with the life support thresholds. It was likely the only thing that made the smell tolerable – any warmer and it might have been toxic. The crew of the Hyperion shared looks of concern and mild disgust. Niko’s stomach wrenched with not just the smell, but of what it alluded to.

  The view inside the colony ship was dark and vast. Makenna used the ultralight on her OMNI to see into the space. There was a railing and a network of walkways that led away from the docking bay.

  Avery pulled the goggles over her eyes and pushed her way past Makenna. “Krasnov, Andris – you’re on point. See if you can’t get more than just the emergency lights to work. We’ll follow you wherever you need to go for that.”

  “There should be maintenance compartment nearby.” Makenna said and pulled her goggles over her eyes. She scanned the schematic that automatically generated and looked to the lower left or right hand corners depending on if she wanted to magnify or zoom out from the image. When she found what she needed, she looked up and the image minimized so she could see through the glass. “This way,” she directed and took the lead.

  Avery brought up the rear and let her hand rest on the grip of her sidearm. The colony ship wasn’t just murky and seemingly infinite, it was… she tried to put her finger on the right word to describe the feeling she got. Ominous was the closest she could manage.

  They walked for several meters without incident. Makenna found the maintenance compartment and worked on the manual overrides while Niko tried to get the software to cooperate. Between the two of them, the lights were restored in a matter of minutes. They emerged from the compartment to find the rest looking over the railing at the network of walkways below and above.

  “How many decks does this thing have?” Finn asked. She hadn’t put the goggles on yet – mostly because she wasn’t sure she’d know how to use them even if she did. They hung around her neck like a scarf.

  Niko peered into his goggles and after a moment, answered, “Including maintenance decks, twenty-two.”

  “Are we… going to search every one of them?” Winston asked with slight alarm in his voice. He was a portly man and he had done the calculations in his head quickly – that was a lot of stairs.

  “We start with the cockpit and the largest common area we can find. We have to assume that is where we will find the most… evidence of what happened.” Avery suggested. “Andris, you’re with me. The rest of you, find the common area and keep your comms open. Report anything you find to me and to Mr. Foster.”

  Niko straightened. “If it’s all the same, I’d rather investigate the common area.” That was where, if the ship was in fact Colony One, his brother would be.

  “It is not the same. You’re more useful in the cockpit than you will be anywhere else.” She explained and when he didn’t look entirely sold, added; “I need you.” At this final appeal, Niko’s resolve broke.

  “Fine,” he relented and then turned to Finn. “I’m counting on you to let me know if there is anything I should… be aware of.” He said. He had gotten to know Finn very well – at least in his mind – and he knew she was the most likely to be honest with him.

  She nodded, “Of course.” She said sincerely and before he turned to leave, she reached out to grasp his hand tightly, squeezing it before letting it go again. Niko’s glanced down at the gesture, feeling his heart begin to race at the sensation.

  Avery did not allow the moment to linger. “Let’s go,” she insisted, marching off towards the bow. And with that, he and the Captain parted ways with the others.

  Makenna was already darting her eyes back and forth across the interior of her goggles. “I think I know best way.” She said and began to walk. She stopped abruptly and even though Finn and Winston immediately followed her she turned and emphasized, “Please do not get lost. This is big ship.” She stated the obvious.

  “Wasn’t planning on it,” Finn answered.

  “Khorosho,” She nodded and Finn assumed she meant ‘good.’ Finn was getting remarkably good at picking up key Russian phrases after a month and a half of close-quarter living with one.

  Makenna started walking again, Finn and Winston staying close. Though there were moments Winston fell behind a little, he caught up with a quick jog that winded him. He didn’t mind the jogging as much as he did the idea of being left behind.

  “This is forward section. Close to cockpit.” Makenna explained as her pace slowed. “Passenger quarters should be here, on right.” She gestured and closed the distance. The three rounded the corner and stepped through the doorway one after the other, stopping just inside.

  Makenna pulled her goggles down around her neck as she surveyed the room. It was a large chamber with six rows of bunks cut into the bulkhead and several columns making the space seem beehive like. Some bunks were occupied, but not by the living.

  Winston, feeling an obligation to do so, tentatively paced towards the nearest occupied bunk. When he got close enough, he could see that a man lay in the bed. His hands were crossed over his ch
est and his legs were ridged. His eyes were closed and his pale, dead cheeks were sunken in. Winston went to the next bunk, and then the next. Finally, he turned to address Mak and Finn, “This isn’t a common area,” he said. “This is a morgue.”

  “It didn’t start that way,” Finn said. Her eyes went to the bags that the dead have no need for that were tucked in near some bunks. The tables in the middle space looked used – slightly tarnished and not as shiny as they once were.

  “They look like they were arranged here,” Winston reported. “After they died,” he clarified.

  Finn looked up and around the room, turning in place so she could do so. Every bunk looked filled. She let out a shaky breath and tapped her earpiece to activate an open frequency, “Finn to the Captain and Niko,” she said with numbness in her voice. “We found something.”

  16

  Earth, Present Day, Expansion Manifest Partnership Headquarters

  Lance Richardson was sitting at his desk when the lights flickered above him. The glass interface of his table flickered at the same time and he looked up and away from it in frustration. He hadn’t shaved in days and the result was a scruff building along his jaw line. His normally perfect hair was mussed and ill-kept like he’d had a particularly unpleasant camping trip.

  He stood and closed the gap between his desk and the window. He keyed off the artificial view of a sweeping field and glared down at the real, and starkly contrasting, view of a sea of people who surrounded the building. A mob had been prevented him and many others from leaving for the past several days. Those who tried were chased back inside or beaten badly enough to be rushed off to the hospital. He muttered profanities down at the crowd under his breath and took to pacing the room for what seemed like the countless time.

  The lights flickered again when a knock came at his door.

  “Yes, what?” He snapped and Tom cracked the door. “Come in,” Richardson motioned and then crossed his arms. “Why is this still going on?” He asked bitterly.

  “The police have tried to disperse the crowd, but more just show up.” Tom explained with defeat in his tone.

  “Then start making examples of people,” Richardson snapped. Tom made a helpless gesture – his eyes were just as sunken with the same black circles under them as Richardson’s. He had to remind himself that Tom was in the same boat as him. “Have we heard from Avery?” He asked with a more measured tone.

  “No,” Tom answered with frustration. “It’s been too long. She should have reported back by now and her booster is a one-way device. We can’t call in.”

  “I know,” Richardson grit his teeth. “Not that I expect anything they have to report would help this situation,” he swept his hand out towards the window.

  Tom moved to sit in one of the chairs facing Richardson’s desk. Exhaustion was clear in his posture and he just put his head in his hands. It was clear he was reaching the end of his rope.

  Richardson’s arms uncrossed and he moved to sit beside his friend, “Now is not the time to give up, Tom.”

  “Have you seen the crowd below?” Tom asked. “Have you heard of what similar throngs have done to other research labs and or any other facility with even a vague connection to World Corp?” He paused to let that sink in, “We’re funded by World Corp!” He stated what they both knew.

  As if on cue, the lights flickered, then extinguished entirely. After a moment, the dim glow of emergency lights filled the space.

  “It doesn’t get any worse than this, Lance.” Tom pointed out. He sighed heavily and looked away from the man as he added, “I hope, if we both make it out of this, you don’t hold anything against me.”

  That made Richardson’s eyebrows furrow, “What do you mean?” he asked in a guarded tone.

  “I didn’t have any other choice,” Tom explained with conflict in his voice. He elaborated – “They would have burned the building down. There are innocent people here. Innocent people who have already been hurt.”

  Richardson stood, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck raise with instant fear and dread. “Thomas, what have you done?” He asked and a powerful thud sounded at the double door entrance to his office.

  “We have both done terrible things,” Tom reminded him as voices and a great commotion rose up in the hallway outside of the office. Richardson’s eyes widened and he rushed away from Tom, away from the doors and to the closet where he kept a pistol.

  The doors burst inward as a group of people flooded in all at once and made for Richardson without hesitation. The man wasn’t able to set a finger on the weapon before he was tackled to the ground.

  “Get off me!” Richardson protested, trying to yank himself free of several hands that grabbed for him.

  Tom waited for the flood of people to thin and slipped out through the double doors. He had been granted safety, but he did not expect everyone to have gotten the memo. He left to the sound of his friend’s struggles.

  As Richardson thrashed, the crowd moved like one angry flow of water. The man tried to cover his face and curl away from the violence he knew to be imminent. Instead of a violent beating, he was drug away from the closet and pulled to his feet by many hands.

  “Lance Richardson,” a man spoke and Richardson worked to find the voice among the mass of people suddenly surrounding him. The man stepped through the throng and stood in front of him with his shoulders pulled back, “On behalf of Citizens United, you are being summoned for immediate questioning in regards to the motivation, planning, and execution of the colony missions.”

  “What the hell gives you the right to summon me?” Richardson asked incredulously.

  “We represent all the people of Earth who were sent away to a fate that is, as of yet, unknown.” The man answered simply.

  “I have already divulged everything that has to do with those missions,” Richardson answered with hardened features. “Everything we have to provide is public record.”

  “Lies!” Someone cried and the group buzzed like an angry bee hive.

  “This is illegal!” Richardson called back. “You can’t do this!” He insisted.

  “We already know more than you think,” the leader spoke and took a step closer to Richardson. “Do you think you are the only person who we have summoned? Others have talked. We want to hear it from you, Mr. Richardson, the face of Expansion Manifest Partnership.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Richardson growled, anger becoming the prevailing emotion in him instead of fear in that moment.

  The man shook his head and made a dismissive gesture, “Tie him up and bring him down.” He said and the group jumped into action – ropes were at the ready. “Mary,” he addressed a woman standing somewhat apart from the group. “Get with your contacts. We’re going to want media coverage for this.”

  “No!” Richardson was yelling as the ropes tightened around his wrists. Panic crept into his yelps as the reality and weight of the situation hit him all at once. “Let go of me! Tom! Tom!” He screamed and managed a “HELP!” before someone struck him in the face, causing his body to go limp with the force of the blow.

  17

  Hyperion, Mission Day 46 – Boarding Party

  “We found something,” Finn’s numb voice came through to Avery and Niko’s earpieces. The pair had just pushed open the hatch to the cockpit and was sitting on either side of it with their feet dangling into the space they had just climbed through.

  Avery tapped her earpiece and answered Finn – “So have we.” She said and looked towards the corpse of Captain William Rockford. He sat in the Captain’s chair, but was slumped back with his hands crossed over his abdomen. His skin was pulled tight, indicating he had been extremely emaciated before he had died.

  “It’s Rockford,” Niko added. After a pause, he explained – “He didn’t make it. We can now confirm the ship we have boarded is Colony Two.”

  “Copy that,” Finn’s voice came back over the earpiece. There was relief in the words, though it
was still mixed with a considerable amount of strife. “We’re in one of the bunk compartments. There are passengers, but… none surviving.” She reported.

  “They’re arranged in their bunks as if they were coffins,” Winston’s voice came through after Finn’s.

  Niko and Avery shared a look of mutual befuddlement. “Copy,” Avery finally said. “Keep looking and report your position every ten minutes. Report any findings immediately. Andris and I will report anything noteworthy up here.”

  “Copy,” Makenna’s voice confirmed and the lines between the boarding parties went silent.

  “Time to go to work,” Avery told Niko. He nodded and pulled himself the rest of the way out of the hatch. He was careful to access the console without disturbing the ship’s late Captain.

  Niko keyed on the console and frowned immediately. “It’s locked,” he said and typed in a sequence. The console made a disapproving sound. He tried another with the same results. Finally, he looked towards Avery, “I don’t suppose you have an override code?”

  Avery shrugged, joined him and keyed in the override code she had been given for the Hyperion. To the surprise of them both, it worked and the console lit up with several available options.

  “Better to be lucky than smart sometimes, I guess.” Avery commented and let Niko work while she looked around the small cockpit. There was no sign of a co-pilot. No coffee cups or leftover food wrappers. Stuffed in the corner, there was a blanket and pillow, indicating the late Captain had taken to sleeping at his station. She considered the fact the man probably lost his co-pilot on Colony Beta and had to shoulder the responsibility of navigating and searching for Colony Alpha all on his own. She felt a tinge of something at this thought, but pushed it down to the deepest, darkest recess she could.

  “Find anything?” She asked Niko after what seemed like an impossibly long silence.