Star Wolf (Shattered Galaxy)

by David G. Johnson

  That last comment Molon took in stride. Sometimes idioms or cultural sayings, translated literally, didn’t always come out smoothly in Galactic Common, but he expected Draco was only talking about joining the crew, not cohabiting.

  “Welcome to the nest, Draco,” Molon said, eliciting a fearsome-looking toothy smile from the Dractauri. “See the sergeant over there and he will find some way to fill out your forms. You will report to Chief Dubronski, my chief engineer.”

  “I quiver with anticipation,” Draco replied. Molon wondered if sarcasm existed for the Dractauri.

  And just like that, they were done. There were still a few open billets, but they had a few more stops at quality worlds before they flew into the danger of the Occupied Worlds. Molon expected to have a full crew complement before he took the ship into danger. He only wondered if that crew would find a way to include Twitch. Doc and Dub were working hard to come up with a solution, but the rest was up to her.

  An hour or so later, with their gear packed up, the chosen recruits had been led to the docking pad where Star Wolf’s cargo STS was parked. As Banger and a couple of other marines loaded the last of their gear and supplies into the STS, Molon addressed the new additions to the crew.

  “Listen up,” Molon barked in a commanding tone as he walked up and down the line of new recruits. “You came looking for work and have been selected for service aboard the unaligned mercenary destroyer Star Wolf. If you wanted a safe, stable, milk-and-bread runner, this ain’t your ship.

  “Star Wolf, after a stop or two along the way, is heading to the Occupied Worlds. I aim to take this ship directly into the conflict to assist the cause of the Theocracy. Anybody not looking for danger in your next billet, feel free to step off now and I wish you well. Anybody that stays and boards this STS is voting with their feet to become a part of this crew and to be willing to pull their weight against any trouble that finds us.”

  None of those lined up so much as twitched nervously, much less stepped out of line. That was a good sign.

  “This is my ship,” Molon continued. “You will follow my orders and the orders of my command officers. You will respect the chain of command inasmuch as you are under orders. Should the situation arise where you are not able to receive orders from a superior, you will be expected to use your judgment and experience to carry out the mission to the best of your ability.”

  That brought a cacophony of responses from hu-ahs, to amens, to emphatic nods.

  “Star Wolf is not just a job,” Molon continued. “It is a family. You fight for your family the way you would fight for yourselves. Expect the same in return. As a member of this family, you give your all. If a time comes when you no longer wish to be a part of this family, let me know and we will put you ashore at the first possible port-of-call. Until then, do your job, earn your keep, and you will have a home aboard Star Wolf as long as you like. Any questions?”

  Not a single sound came from the line of recruits. None stepped away either, so Molon took their silence as assent.

  “Very well. Step aboard the STS, and Lieutenant Sarum, call sign ‘Mel’, will have your billet agreements for you to sign as well as your rack assignments. Welcome to Star Wolf.”

  *****

  As Molon piloted the STS back toward Star Wolf waiting in orbit around Zaros, John slipped into the copilot’s seat. He had been on Zaros picking up a few more components from a medical warehouse there while the rest of the command crew had been hiring new recruits.

  “So then,” John said. “I have the cybernetic prosthetics and mobility chair all set for Twitch, and Dub has some nifty ideas about how to utilize her CID to do even more. I found the biomechanical interfaces he asked me to pick up on Zaros, so that’s about all we can do until we get to Sarren and see what is available there. She’s no longer looking to toss herself out an airlock anymore, at least as far as I can tell, though I daresay she is a long way from fully adjusting.”

  “It will take time, John,” Molon replied. “Thank you for all you have done. Do you really think the folks on Sarren will be able to do more?”

  John scratched his head, but the look on his face was not the doctor’s usual cheerful optimism.

  “I made full use of Dr. Merriam’s library while we were planetside on Furi main world. There have been some pretty stunning recent advances. Honestly though, Molon, I won’t know for sure until we get there and I can talk to their chief of cybernetic surgery.”

  “So you’re saying she is going to need to be like our new Cybertrooper, or worse yet like Simmons?”

  “Not necessarily. I haven’t ruled out a surgical solution completely just yet. It is hard to say to what degree until the top spinal surgeons at Sarren examine her for themselves. Even if they are able to restore some permanent functionality, she won’t ever be the person she was again. She is going to have to get used to that at some point. Hopefully Angel can help her adjust.”

  Molon rubbed the back of his head as he let the STS’s autopilot controls take over. Twitch might have gotten over her despondency, but Molon wasn’t sure if she would ever get over her anger at him for not letting her die on Revenge.

  “I don’t know, Doc. Twitch is one of the strongest people I have ever met, but she has a long way to go. You and I have to be ready. She’s got a lot of anger that needs to go somewhere, and we are likely to get the brunt of it.”

  “I expect as much,” John said, nodding. “Given her situation and your desire to keep her as XO, are you sure it is wise to head to the Occupied Worlds after we leave Sarren? Maybe some of those milk-and-bread runs might be a better choice until she gets used to things.”

  Molon shook his head emphatically.

  “Doc, I appreciate your concern, but I’ve known Twitch most of my adult life. If there is one thing she needs, it is feeling needed. The best thing I can do for her is get her somewhere she will be too busy surviving to mope about what she can’t do.”

  “I guess that’s it then,” John said.

  “Yep, Doc. We head for Sarren. After you wrap up with whatever those fine folks can do for Twitch, then we are off to the Occupied Worlds.”

  “Looking for trouble, I imagine?”

  “Yep, if we’re going to get Twitch back, I’m aimin’ to pick a fight.”

  Glossary of Technology and Terms

  Anti-gravity systems—Anti-gravity systems are generally vehicle mounted and allow ground transportation to function as gravatic hovercraft. STS-capable craft use anti-gravity systems for initial liftoff. These, in combination with thrusters or other more conventional propulsion systems, work together to achieve flight. Anti-gravity ground vehicles lack the vertical propulsion systems of STS craft and are generally not sealed to withstand the vacuum of space or pressure differentials that STS craft are built for. Dawnstar among others have toyed with the idea of self-contained STS suits, similar to the old diving bell suits for early deep sea exploration, but the inability to carry enough power for both flight and any meaningful offense/defense have made this line of research and development largely impractical.

  Battle Carriers—these large, skeletal structures are little more than giant voidspace drives. They have docking bays large enough to transport several smaller ships, such as destroyers, pocket carriers, and pocket battleships, through voidspace to a deployment location. They allow for combat ships to be built less expensively and with more space for crew, fighters, or armaments by foregoing internal bulky VS drives and instead depending on battle carriers to transport them to other star systems.

  Battle dress—Battle dress is fully powered, military-grade combat armor. There is a small, self-contained power system in the suit that drives not only the computerized and scanning functions, but can also be used to power heavier energy weapons without bulky external power packs. It is bulkier than combat armor, so not quite as well suited for boarding actions aboard smaller ships. This armor really shines on planetary missions as it not only offers a full array of environmental and hostile-
atmospheric conditions but offers the best protection against a broad spectrum of weaponry as well. Due to its slightly more bulky dimensions, boarding parties will generally intersperse no more than 20% of personnel in battle dress, with the remainder protected by unpowered combat armor. The tradeoffs for the bulk, however, are much greater physical strength due to the powered servos built into the suit. Battle dress is the pinnacle of personal defense armor.

  Brightworlder—Slang term for someone who grew up on a high-light world, possibly with multiple main stars in the system or otherwise highly proximate to their system’s star. Their vision tends to require higher concentrations of light to function and is often completely blinded in lower-light environments, requiring light-enhancing optics or other technical aids to function in low-light environments.

  Combat armor—Unpowered military-grade vac-suits reinforced with armor to be highly resistant to physical and energy weapons. They are also shielded from radiation and provide a range of protection for different environmental conditions. They contain a full six-hours of independent life support. Combat armor is agile and only slightly bulkier than normal clothing. It is much more flexible than lower TL vac-suits and allows mobility around even the tighter corridors of smaller ships.

  Coreward—A galactic “direction” indicating space located closer to the galactic core than one’s current position. Space is three-dimensional, but on a galactic scale, space as we know it in our little section of our little arm of our little spiral galaxy is relatively flat. The Milky Way is a rotating disc that is itself in motion throughout the universe. There is no such thing as fixed points of reference. Normal terrestrial directions are meaningless in space, so galactic directions are used in order to indicate direction relative to one’s current position.

  Cybertrooper—A soldier who has undergone major external augmentation. Almost all Cybertroopers were in some way related to the Barton Rebellion.

  Darkworlder—Slang term for someone who has lived for a considerable time on a low-light world. Their vision is likely to be adapted to lower light, and they may even require light-restricting goggles to function in normal or high-light environments.

  Denseworlder—Slang term for someone who has lived a considerable time on a high-gravity world. If they are indigenous to a high-gravity world, their physiology is often much shorter and stockier than normal, with them exhibiting much greater physical strength in lower gravity environments.

  ECM—Electronic counter-measures. Electronic jamming devices designed to proactively interfere with the targeting systems for ship’s weapons and/or missiles.

  GalSec—Galactic Security Force. This was the intelligence arm of the Old Empire that was inherited by Zarsus and the Provisional Imperium. While they technically reported to the Emperor, they were historically run with a considerable degree of independence under command of the Overdirector of Galactic Security. The OGS has been even less inclined to take orders or report more than basic data to High Archon Zarsus since the Shattering. It is almost an independent shadow organization with access to Imperium ships and data but run largely as a separate quasi-military intelligence organization with its own goals and ends.

  Gravatic stabilizers—An adaptive technology based around the principles of anti-gravity systems. These are ship-mounted systems designed to regulate gravity aboard ship, even during intense maneuvering and variable gravity conditions near large planetary bodies or stars. These, combined with inertial dampeners, are what allow crews of ships to function during space battles or exploration of varying interstellar conditions. They serve to help “normalize” gravity and inertia aboard ship. Extreme maneuvering or external conditions, such as those within the gravity well of a black hole or hypergiant star might overload the compensation abilities of these systems.

  Lightworlder—Slang term used to describe someone who has lived a considerable time on a low gravity world. Generally their physique is unaccustomed to standard gravity, and depending on how far below standard gravity their world is, may even require mechanical accommodation to function in higher gravity.

  Pocket Carrier/Battleship—All carriers and battleships are classed as capital ships, but smaller versions, commonly called pocket ships, are small enough to be transported in a voidspace-capable battle carrier. The use of battle carriers allows pocket carriers, destroyers, and pocket battleships to forego the tonnage and internal space required for VS drives in favor of extra armaments, crew space, or fighter capacity. Pocket ships generally serve as system defense boats that can be deployed further out if needed, with the assistance of a battle carrier.

  Proximity jump—A maneuver where a voidspace-capable ship uses unmapped rabbit hole voidspace entry points to quickly close and launch a sneak attack on another ship. This deprives the attacked ship of the time to prepare, depressurize the hull, or utilize other defensive measures before attacks are launched against them. This requires extensive knowledge of rabbit holes within a system, as well as monitoring beacons directly in front of rabbit holes that can communicate with ships preparing to transition but still in voidspace. The Prophane in particular have been known to utilize this tactic to ambush enemy patrols. Their affinity with voidspace allows them to do this even in systems they have not previous entered, and apparently without the need for pre-set monitoring beacons.

  Rimward—A galactic “direction” indicating space located closer to the galactic rim or edge than one’s current position. Space is three-dimensional, but on a galactic scale, space as we know it in our little section of our little arm of our little spiral galaxy is relatively flat. (See Coreward, above.) The Milky Way is a rotating disc that is itself in motion throughout the universe. There is no such thing as fixed points of reference. Normal terrestrial directions are meaningless in space, so galactic directions are used in order to indicate direction relative to one’s current position.

  Ronin—A top freelance soldier for hire with no military, corporate, or team affiliations. A true lone wolf. Generally these are ex-military or former GalSec enforcers, but can be former gang members as well. They are frequently enhanced with cybernetics designed to improve combat or infiltration abilities. There are no mediocre ronin, as mercs without some type of team or backup don’t last long enough to make a reputation. Ronin are the best of the best in the mercenary trade, and are feared and respected even by military commanders and top corporate security.

  SEC-COM—Military term for “secure communication”. SEC-COMs can take the form of heavily encoded electronic messages, secured courier delivered communiques, or even personal messages sent via emissaries or spies, all according to the particular needs of the situation.

  Shade Mercs—Freelance mercenary teams that operate outside military, security, or gang structures. They are self-contained soldier-of-fortune teams and generally consist of members with a widely variable skill set, equipping them to complete a wide range of infiltration, espionage, or security assignments. Generally shade mercs focus on jobs for corporations, usually on core worlds, although some shade merc teams have retained a more deliberately military bent. Unlike merc ships or merc crews, shade mercs tend to be based on a single world, or at least within a single core system as opposed to the unaligned merc crews who have their own ships and who focus more on smuggling or interstellar assignments.

  Shadows—Leaders of shade merc teams. Shadows are usually former military officers or security heads who have far-reaching connections to the corporate or mercenary world. Shadows are what make the difference between effective shade merc teams and regular hired muscle. They are strategic planners and excel at finding and organizing individuals of widely varied skill sets into effective mercenary units.

  Shattering—Once all of Humaniti existed in a single, massive star empire. There had been a legacy of cooperation and expansion for centuries. Emperor Zariah Halberan and Empress Rhia Sagum-Halberan had four children, fraternal quadruplets, three sons and one daughter. Tradition dictated that a chosen Halberan heir was given con
trol of a large part of the Empire to govern for the four years prior to their coronation and appointment as heir-apparent. This was to demonstrate they were fit and able to take over the throne of the Empire of Humaniti. Since Zariah had four potential heirs, he decided to give each of his children a different segment of the Empire to govern. After their testing period, he would evaluate each and choose an heir.

  On the night this was to happen, Zariah and Rhia were assassinated before naming an heir. It was unclear who was behind the assassination, and suspicion was raised against each of the four potential heirs. Per legal precedent, High Archon Zarsus, Commander in Chief of the Empire military, enacted marshal law and established the Provisional Imperium until the guilty party could be determined and a suitable successor named. Extended delays in the investigation protracted Zarsus’ control, and each of the Halberan children returned to their respective governing seats for the section of the Empire they had managed.

  Once it was clear that Zarsus had no intention of surrendering the throne, the Empire was split into factions following each of the four heirs, plus the tailward core of the Provisional Imperium that remained under Zarsus. Tubal aligned the area under his control with Zarsus, in hopes of currying favor and being named the rightful heir to the Halberan throne. Seth and Phoebe, their sections of the empire sharing a large border, aligned and put their support behind Seth as the rightful heir.

  Enoch, an ordained priest of the Lion of Judah, and leader of the religious movement called the Faithful, seceded from the Provisional Imperium and established the region under his control as a religious protectorate for all members of the Faithful. Enoch has expressed no desire to seek his father’s throne, but was drawn into the conflict as a consequence of incessant attacks by Tubal and Zarsus, as well as the Provisional Imperium’s alignment with Humaniti’s ancient enemy, the Daemi.