Cygnus Rising: Humanity Returns to Space (Cygnus Space Opera Book 1)

by Craig Martelle

  Briz didn’t know what to say.

  Jolly stepped in. “We start fixing things today!” Jolly said happily. “Help us with our people by grounding their helicopters. Our second shuttle is on its way. We’re going to move the Cygnus-12 to a neutral point above the planet, away from your moon. We’ll rendezvous there and wait for the second shuttle to finish refueling itself. When we’ve recovered both ships, we’ll be on our way. We can come back, but not until the leadership is willing to speak with us honestly. And if we come back, we’re going to bring enough firepower to level Concord.” Briz stopped and looked at the speaker on the shuttle’s bulkhead from where the voices emanated. Jolly had to shut down over the violence on board the ship, but here he was threatening violence.

  The threat of violence was far different than actual violence. The crew had established credibility that they would defend themselves, that they weren’t afraid to kill. Jolly was trying to use that as leverage to prevent more hostility. Briz appreciated the logic of Jolly’s approach.

  “I will pass your warning to the leaders. I think they will take it to heart. They’ve lost two shuttles, four helicopters, and all the men that go with them. They’d like the people to think the government has unlimited resources, but they are very limited. If I could shut down some of the facilities, then the government would collapse. Hungry people would storm the seat of power and take over. But I don’t know if what they’d get wouldn’t be just as bad as what they had. An autocracy is all the people know,” Graham finished, sounding like he needed to go. Maybe his resources were limited and grounding their helicopters would take his full attention.

  “And that’s why we’re willing to bring people back to help you, guide you through what we learned over a century ago. I’m transferring some historical files to you, to share with your people so they are better prepared for our return. I’ve also given you some footage of the nuclear destruction we are capable of raining down on your heads should Concordia try to attack us again. That’s a fair warning, not a threat,” Jolly said, continuing to play his bluff.

  “I will make them aware of what you can do to them. I’m not sure what will bring them around, though. I expect a violent coup, a popular uprising, something of that sort for a real change. None of the people in power will be willing to easily give it up. I expect that they would sacrifice every person on this planet before relinquishing control. Send me a message on a private channel when you return to our system. At that time, we can coordinate and I will set events in motion. Now, if you’ll please excuse me while I attend to the matter of the helicopters, we will clear the air space for you to recover your people.”

  Briz jumped up and down inside the shuttle, pumping his small, fuzzy fist in the air.

  ‘Jolly, can you fly this thing into the hangar deck? I don’t think it prudent to return it to the Concordians, do you?’ Jolly confirmed that he could, and Briz climbed through the airlock, sealing and depressurizing it once he reached the other side. The shuttle detached and using thrusters only, slipped away from the Cygnus-12, letting the bigger ship rotate past until the shuttle was even with the hangar deck. Briz watched over his neural implant as the doors opened and the shuttle eased inside, finding its way as far to the side as it could. The bay was empty, but soon enough two other shuttles would have to squeeze in. They’d fit, Briz was certain.

  Briz contacted both Garinst and Commander Daksha via his neural implant and updated them. The commander could not have been more pleased, seeing hope for Concordia through a future mission to bring peace to the universe, toppling one dictator at a time.

  With Jolly’s help, the crew checked every system that would engage with the EM drive. There were blaster marks throughout the spaceship, but only two relays and one power coupling had been damaged. The coupling was repaired while the relays were replaced. Then secondary systems were checked as the lieutenant commander ordered zero-point-two-gee acceleration. There was too much work going on in the ship for the crew to be confined to their acceleration couches. They’d need to increase speed to reach the rendezvous point ahead of the shuttle, but they could do that gradually.

  Briz returned to engineering while Garinst went to the med lab. When he arrived, the captain was sitting up and aware of his surroundings. He seemed to be feeling no pain, which Garinst chalked up to good medication. He tried not to stare at the stump where the captain’s right arm used to be. A piece of equipment beneath the main table where the captain lay hummed and glowed as it printed a new arm using living biomass and polymers with embedded nanotechnology. It was the latest medical advance that Vii had to offer, deployed on the Cygnus-12 and taken to space for the first time.

  “How are you feeling?” the lieutenant commander asked.

  The captain tried to hold his head steady as he looked at Garinst, but he seemed to be losing the battle. “I feel weird. The med bot won’t let me go to my station. Are we moving? I can’t tell. Do you know what happened to me?” Rand said in a drug-induced stream of consciousness.

  “You fought off the intruders, showed the rest of us how to do it. You saved the ship, Captain. You and Briz saved the ship. We’re back in control, and we’ve sent the second shuttle after our people on the surface. I think we’ve taught the Concordians a lesson or two these past twenty-four hours.” Garinst gripped the captain’s good arm, pride showing in his expression.

  “You should rest. It looks like your new arm will be ready soon. We need you on the command deck, Captain. Listen to the med bots and get better soon.” Tears clouded the man’s eyes as he looked into the dilated pupils of his captain. He couldn’t tell him that they’d lost seven crew to the intruders before the men were stopped, seven more names to engrave on the plaque.

  He’d find out soon enough. In the interim, they had a great deal of work to do to get the ship ready to fly out of the solar system and through interstellar space.

  “We’re taking the Cygnus-12 home, Captain. She’s done us proud, done everything we’ve asked of her and more.” Garinst grasped Rand’s uninjured hand, holding tightly. He let go when the tears started rolling down his cheeks, and he hurried from the med lab.

  There was a great deal of work to do and not enough people to do it.

  Clearing the Pad

  Stinky and Carnesto returned from the helicopter crash site with two blasters. They weren’t able to recover anything else. The craft had come apart as it crashed through the trees. The Wolfoid took his place at the back of the group that trooped down the hill toward the landing pad that Jolly had selected. They walked fearlessly, almost as if on a stroll through the countryside.

  Ellie had been unusually quiet during their time on the planet. Cain kept her close, feeling the need to protect her, even though she carried a blaster and wielded it with great effect. The closer he held her, the most distant she became. Soon she was a distraction, so he stayed on the opposite side as the group moved, ostensibly to cover the flank, though there was no need. The ‘cats assured them that the Concordians were nowhere near.

  When they reached the clearing, they used their blasters to cut through the trees, then leveled the stumps with the ground. They burned through the charges on their weapons as they cut the trees into smaller pieces, something they could manhandle out of the way. They would have worried had Jolly not reassured them that the helicopters, as he called them, were disabled.

  By the end, two blasters held a minimal charge while the others were drained. The Concordian blasters were old and didn’t hold a charge like the Cygnus blasters. The area was clear enough as long as the shuttle touched down precisely. Master Daksha shared his view of the clearing with Jolly so he could make any last second adjustments. Then they sat and waited.

  The ‘cats said that game wasn’t far. Cain and Ellie joined them on the hunt, but Cain had no intention of hunting. The Hillcats would take care of that.

  “What’s going on?” Cain asked when they were alone. Ellie continued to march ahead until he grabbed her arm an
d turned her toward him. He realized that he’d been firmer with his grip than he intended. She looked shocked and jerked away from him.

  “Don’t you ever touch me like that again!” she yelled. Cain looked down, ashamed, and tried to apologize. She was angry, and grabbing her arm was the catalyst that set her off.

  “Why won’t you talk to me?” he pleaded.

  “You know why!” she shot back at him.

  “No. I really don’t know why. You need to explain it so my small, insulbrick brain will understand,” he said sarcastically, then apologized anew. “That’s not what I mean. I don’t know why you’re angry and because of that, I can’t fix it. I want to fix things.”

  She took a deep breath and looked at him as her eyes teared up. “I’m not Micah, and I’m not Aletha. I’m not anything you need me to be. You are living up to the ideals of your great-great-grandfather. If he were here, he’d be proud of you, Cain. But Aletha is your Micah, not me.”

  Cain shook his head. He couldn’t imagine Aletha picking up a blaster. She was a kind soul who made people around her happier. She brought joy into everyone’s lives. She brought joy into his life. And sadness, when he left her behind to prove that he was good enough for her.

  He stood there, having killed a number of Concordians. He’d already lost count. Three? Five? It was a blur. Aim, fire, aim again. Master Daksha had two helicopters and seven men to his credit.

  Credit, he thought. Like the old days when they kept score. Aletha would probably tell him that killing one person was one too many. He agreed and disagreed. He didn’t want to kill. He only did what he had to do to save the ship, to save the crew so they could save the ship.

  He did what he had to do. Just like when he left her behind to go to Space School. He knew that he had no choice. He’d be hollow if he hadn’t proven what he was made of. The not knowing would have eaten away at him. Now he knew, and he wanted more of it.

  Ellie knew that, too.

  “You’re right. I do know why you’re angry. I just didn’t take the time to think it through. And Aletha’s not you, either. She couldn’t do what you’ve done here,” he tried to reason, seeing it fall flat.

  “That leaves us as friends, good friends, but nothing more. I won’t share my husband, and that’s what you’re making me do. That’s what I’ve known from the beginning, that I would always be second. I hoped, though…” Her thoughts trailed off as they heard the ‘cats make a kill somewhere nearby.

  “I expect our two furry miscreants will have no interest in dragging the carcass back to the clearing. We better go help.” He pulled her close for a quick hug, feeling a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. He wanted to be an honorable man and Ellie had helped him closer to that goal. She looked relieved, too.

  Why do couples never talk until they’re ready to explode? he thought to himself. They started jogging in the direction where they’d heard the ‘cats.

  A blaster beam sizzled the air in front of them. Cain jumped backward, covering Ellie with his body as they crawled for cover. The next blast scorched the small pack he carried. He shrugged out of it as he crawled behind the stump of a fallen tree. He pulled his blaster and prepared to fire, then double-checked it. The charge was at zero. Ellie pulled hers. Power remained, not much, but enough for at least a few shots.

  ‘Lutheann, Carnesto, we need you. The Concordians have us trapped not far from you,’ he called over the mindlink.

  ‘We are on our way,’ Master Daksha answered.

  ‘As are we,’ Lutheann added.

  Chirit flew past almost immediately. He’d flown high and dove past the area where the Concordians were hidden. They shot at him as he flashed past, but their beams came nowhere near the Hawkoid.

  ‘I see six of them, in a line facing uphill,’ Chirit told them. He flew wide, guiding Pace and Pickles through a gap where they could approach on the flank of their enemy. The ‘cats circled behind the Concordians and waited.

  Once Pace and Pickles were in place, Chirit made another high speed pass, from left to right directly over the enemy. They weren’t able to shoot. Two had shifted position and were trying to work their way around the side of Cain and Ellie, opposite where Pace and the Lizard Man approached.

  Ellie crawled under a fallen tree, making herself as small as possible. She gave Cain her blaster, smiled, and he furiously crawled away, remembering his days at Space School on the obstacle course. Chirit circled high overhead, a spot in the cloudy sky. He directed Cain to a position where he could ambush the ambushers.

  The Concordians rushed into position, not looking about, assuming their targets had stayed in hiding. When they took aim, Cain fired, raking a narrow beam across both of them before targeting each with short bursts. They both fell. Cain didn’t feel anything about killing them. It was something he had to do. He thought about it as he raced forward, grabbing their blasters and running downhill. As Pace and Pickles opened up on the remaining men, the ‘cats stalked in the branches above, ready to pounce when necessary. Cain shot a man in the back as he fired at Cain’s friends.

  Carnesto threw himself from a branch onto a man as he started to run away. With the hellish scream of a Hillcat, he tore into the man’s face, rode him downward as he fell, rolled, and attacked again, shredding the man’s stomach. One more leap away and a fresh attack finished the man. Lutheann watched from above, letting her fellow ‘cat make his first human kill.

  Carnesto found that he liked it.

  Master Daksha swam slowly toward them, well after the battle had ended. Since using his thunderclap, he was tired and slower than usual. He needed to rest and recover, but there was no time. They took the blasters from their enemy and started climbing uphill. Pace pushed Daksha before him, and only shook his weary head, having come all that way just to turn around and go back. Before they made it back, the shuttle appeared, flying backwards as it used its engines to slow down. Fire filled the sky as the shuttle approached, descending slowly. The thrusters adjusted attitude and speed until it touched down.

  The hatch popped open and the ladder and slide extended to the ground. Pickles slapped Cain on the back, a human gesture that they hadn’t realized he’d adopted. “We go home now, yes?” He bobbed his head as they stayed clear of the area at the bottom of the slide, based on Jolly’s warning that the maintenance bot would be discarding the tanks after they were empty and disassembled.

  Pace tried to climb inside, but there was no room. The blasters, rations, and water were close to the hatch, so he threw those down the slide. The others looked at them and shook their heads, but starvation was the best condiment for any gourmet meal. They ate and drank heartily.

  “By the way, what did you guys kill down there?” Cain asked.

  ‘It was like a boar in how wide it was, but tall, like a deer. Very tasty, for the small bit I had before you so rudely interrupted me,’ Carnesto replied.

  “I agree. That probably would have been pretty good, smoked with some of this oak-looking wood. I can taste it now.” He sighed as he bit into a ration bar, curling his nose and choking it down with a swig of water.

  They knew it was time when tanks were unceremoniously thrown from the shuttle’s open hatch. Commander Daksha floated upwards until he could see in and gave them clearance to board. The maintenance bot was finished with its work.

  Pace was first, then Ellie carrying Carnesto, then Daksha who easily floated to the hatch and swam through. Pickles helped Stinky climb the ladder, then Cain, carrying Lutheann, squeezed in. The Hawkoid flew to the hatchway and landed, not sure how he was going to fit. They pulled him inward, where he climbed over people’s heads to wedge in behind the Tortoid. Cain couldn’t get a hand around to tighten his belt. Pace and Ellie both had theirs on, but no one else could move.

  If the maintenance bot shifted from its position between the bench seats, somebody was going to get hurt. The bot had its magnetic locks engaged, but shifted, clamping itself tightly to the deck and bracing against a bulkhead on each
side of the ship. They collectively breathed a sigh of relief and prepared themselves for a rough ride.

  “Any seat on the bus going home is a good seat, eh, Commander?” Cain yelled. The Tortoid bobbed his head, the sentiment mirroring his thoughts exactly. The shuttle shook as the chemicals flowed through the engines, lifting the vehicle into the air and picking up speed at a constant acceleration of three-gees. Cain hooted his joy while the ‘cats yowled, ears popping uncomfortably. No one cared about the noise. The crew was going home.

  Home to the Cygnus-12.

  Prepare to Leave Orbit

  The crew craned necks and leaned sideways to see their spaceship through the shuttle’s front windows. The approach was unspectacular, deliberate, matching speed and rotation. Jolly took over for the final maneuvers to bring the shuttle into the hangar bay.

  Once it touched down, they were pulled away from the open area and tucked in tightly against the bulkhead. Lights flashed as the external door closed and atmosphere was restored within the bay.

  On the planet, the shuttle was vertically oriented when it landed. On board the spaceship, they were horizontal. It made it easier to disembark, but it still looked like they were taking apart a jigsaw puzzle as they exited, one at a time, walking backwards as they extricated themselves from the shuttle’s tight grasp. They climbed over the maintenance bot and let it fend for itself in getting out.

  Master Daksha swam out and away from the shuttle, finding it easier to move on this deck near the center of the core where gravity was only half that of the outer ring.

  The others moved stiffly, not looking back as they left the hangar and took the corridor to the stairs, where they noted the scorch marks from blaster fire, the hatch that had been burned through, a blood stain on one bulkhead, and charred decking where a body had burned.

  Their high of returning to the ship was dashed as they realized what their crewmates had been through. Cain looked at Ellie and they both ran up the stairs to see Briz. Two flights later, they ran into engineering where Briz worked diligently with multiple computer screens and keyboards. His fur was still dirty and charred. The scar on his chest was pink and healing, the hair just starting to grow back.