Broken Horizon

by Charles Nall

  Edwin White was sitting in the lounge alone. The other members of the crew were elsewhere.

  Edwin White stared at a half-eaten meal. Some sort of white paste with a side of green leafy things. Edwin shook his head in disgust.

  Knave Gunner walked into the lounge and sat down in the chair opposite to Edwin.

  “Hey,” Knave said.

  “Hi,” Edwin replied.

  “You doing okay, bud?” Knave asked.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Edwin remarked.

  “Doesn’t look like it.”

  “Well. I don’t know. That last mission...”

  “What about it? You did well. You took down quite a few pirate ships.”

  Edwin pushed his plate of it-might-qualify-as-food away. “I know, I know. Just... how many people did I kill?”

  Knave shrugged. “Pirates don’t count as people.”

  “Sure they do. They may have families.”

  “You did their families a favor then.”

  Edwin was silent.

  “Listen,” Knave said. “I should be busting your balls right now. There was a time where I was always rough on new blood. I’ve mellowed out a little bit after the loss of my crew.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You’ll do fine, kid. You are a damn good shot.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Stop thinking about pirates and if they do or do not count as people. Or anybody you shoot down in a starfight,” Knave said. “You won’t get anywhere contemplating morality after pulling the trigger.”

  “Pirates killed half of your crew, right? You must hate pirates.”

  “Yes, but I hated them before that, too.” A small trickle of blood escaped Knave’s nose. “It was absolute carnage during the raider attack. I’m thankful to be alive.”

  “Thank Terra,” Edwin said.

  “Never mind all of that grim shit, let’s change the subject,” Knave said. “So... How are you and that...”

  Knave wanted to make a joke about the extremely tall girl that Edwin had been flirting with. She was born and raised on Sudeten III, an outer rim planet with lower gravity than the standard Earth-based artificial gravity settings. This caused the girl to be about seven feet tall.

  He refrained to make any sort of joke. “... girl you met at the Wormhole? You know that night we made you drink too much?”

  Edwin chuckled. “Oh. Temira? She got mad at something I said... I think it’s over.”

  “Well that’s too bad, you should really hit that...”

  Don’t make a joke. Don’t make a joke.

  Knave laughed. “If you can even reach it.”

  Couldn’t help it.

  Edwin grinned. “Nice one. Hey, she’s cute. In truth, it never works out. I’m pretty frustrated with girls. I really need to lose my... Uh. Never mind.”

  Knave raised an eyebrow. “Lose?”

  Edwin blushed. “Shit.”

  “Oh... lose your virginity?”

  Edwin gulped.

  “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter when you lose it, just keep at it. I lost mine when I was older than you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Everyone on Tyson VI was ugly as sin, though. So that might have had something to do with it. You just need to show some confidence. Girls like that more than any physical attraction. Go get her.”

  Edwin thought about something. He finally built up the courage to ask. “I have to ask. Are you and Teresa...”

  Knave rolled his eyes.

  “No?”

  “Me and Teresa go way back. She’s more like a sister to me, honestly. We like to get on each other’s nerves, but that’s just how we are. Teresa doesn’t interest me like that.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  “What, why? Are you wanting to bang Teresa?”

  “What?! No!” Edwin exclaimed.

  Knave smiled. “Hey... I’m not judging.”

  “She’s like, what, at least fifteen years older than me? And my boss!”

  Knave shrugged. “So? I think she likes them young. There was this one kid... Jacob. A little older than you, I reckon. She’s practically stalking that kid. Always checking up on him, making sure he’s okay...”

  “I’m not interested.”

  “Hey, I bet she’d give you a good time if you just asked.”

  “Not interested...”

  Knave chuckled. “Well, keep trying with that tall one. And hey, don’t worry about it, no one ever dies a virgin.”

  “What do you mean?” Edwin asked.

  “Life always finds a way to screw you.”

  Dome 4, Chryse Planitia

  Mars

  Orion Confederation Space

  Riko Maeda listened to the preaching from Zebediah. A majority of the population of Dome 4 all crowded around a raised wooden platform. Everyone was standing under the shadow of the water tower. Zebediah preached in front of a scavenged piece of metal plating, a makeshift pulpit.

  “My brothers,” Zebediah said. “We’ve all done terrible things. Terra knows our true hearts. You didn’t choose to be who you were. There are many reasons you fell into your path. Bad parenting, bad influences. It wasn’t completely your fault. Yes, we all fall down. There is no shame in that. There is shame in refusing to pick yourself up. You must get up! Leave your old life behind! Kill your old self, be reborn in Terra’s glory, just as Terra will one day be reborn.”

  This was the typical sermon. Self-worth, redemption, atonement. Zebediah’s words spoke to the people under the dome. Terra would accept them, no matter what. It didn’t matter if the god was real or not, it gave peace to some of these former criminals.

  Zebediah slammed his fist into the metal pulpit. “Wake up! Cast off your chains! You, yourself, made some terrible choices. The chains were supplied by others, and you willingly chained yourself to despair. You shackled yourself; you can break out. You can break your chains. Be reborn in the glory of Terra. Earth will return. Terra will return. Do you realize how close we are to Terra’s former home?”

  The two men that attacked her were also here listening to the preaching. They had spent nearly two weeks in the pit but had been released. They tried not to make eye contact.

  There was a time Riko didn’t want to sit in the crowd of people. There were eyes on her constantly. Now most of the men stared straight ahead at Zebediah. She wanted off this planet, but she was thankful she landed near Dome 4. She was happy that Zebediah found her.

  Zebediah told her that there were five domes within traveling distance of Dome 4. Crude space suits were provided to each dome, mostly to allow the prisoners to actually receive the goods delivered by the transport craft. These space suits had little oxygen reserves, and as such one could not travel far from their associated dome. Zebediah was out scavenging in a spacesuit when he saw Riko’s fighter streak out of the sky. He managed to get her back to the dome before her body succumbed to the harsh Martian environment. She was so thankful for that man.

  The majority of scrap metal that fell from the sky were relics of an ancient war. The Burroughs space station orbited Mars before the Cataclysm. This space station was destroyed during the Sol Wars. These wars occurred long before the formation of the Interstellar Federation. The majority of debris was found by junk traders, but there was still plenty of relics from that ancient war drifting in the Sol system.

  “We are at the doorstep of the ashes of Cataclysm,” Zebediah said. “We will be the first to see the rebirth of Terra. Won’t you join her? Won’t you cast off your chains?”

  A younger man rushed up to the wooden platform. “Sir? Sir?” he called out in distress.

  “Yes?” Zebediah responded.

  “There are a group of men from Dome 5 here... They are looking for whoever is in charge.”

  Zebediah eyed the other two members of his council who were in the crowd. The council members shook their heads. Zebediah nodded. “Tell them we are not trading today. Tell them to head back to their dome, they’ll be
out of oxygen soon if they linger here.”

  “No, sir. No. They have... weapons? Rifles? I don’t know, they looked real.”

  The crowd was confused about this reveal. They began shouting questions at each other and the council.

  Zebediah was equally confused. “Rifles? Alright, alright. Calm down, everyone. I’ll go meet with these men.”

  “Yes—yes, sir,” said the young man. “The leader—The leader called himself Raj.”

  Zebediah frowned. “Raj Sarin. Of course.”

  He hopped down from the platform and made his way through the crowd. The crowd followed behind him.

  Riko ran up to the side of Zebediah.

  “Raj? Who is that?” Riko asked.

  “My sermon was about how men can change from their evil ways. This man never changed. In fact, he probably got worse. He is the despicable leader of Dome 5. The worst of the lot.” Zebediah groaned. “And now they have weapons.”

  Zebediah and Riko approached the airlock that led out into the Martian landscape. The airlock chamber was inset into the side of the dome, the only way out of the dome. The Dome 4 crowd followed closely behind Zebediah and Riko.

  “Open the airlock,” Zebediah said.

  One of the prisoners ran up to a panel near the airlock and pressed a button.

  The airlock opened and three men stepped forward toward Zebediah. The men had their rifles resting against their shoulders.

  Riko whispered to Zebediah, “Those are Confederate Gauss Auto-Riles. GA-15s. Extremely deadly, they are basically personal automatic mass drivers.”

  “Noted.”

  A man that seemed in charge stepped up to Zebediah. “Oh, Zebby-Zebby-Zeb-Zeb, how have you been my friend?” said the man.

  Zebediah eyed the rifle. “Raj Sarin. How are you? It seems you have come across some very nice equipment lately. Good for you.”

  Raj Sarin smiled. “Ah yes.” He raised his rifle to the air and looked it over. “Quite the beauty. A Confederate transport craft recently crashed hard near our dome. Military supplies. Our lucky day.”

  Raj Sarin had dark brown skin. His messy black hair hadn’t been washed in days. Riko imagined there was an attractive, fit man buried somewhere underneath the grime.

  “Best be careful not to abuse your new toys. You don’t want the Orbital Guard finding out.”

  Raj grinned. “I’m not afraid of the Guard. Not when we have real weaponry. We can start a war now.”

  “With who?”

  “Whoever gets in our way. So, tell me, are you in our way?”

  Zebediah shook his head. “Don’t start something foolish.”

  Raj feigned aiming the rifle at the crowd then placed it back on his shoulder. “You have a choice. You can cooperate or stay in our way. There’s something we want. Just give us a percentage of your rations and we’ll...”

  Raj glanced over at Riko. Her eyes met his brown eyes. He smiled. The smile sent shivers down her spine. She felt violated.

  Raj spat on the ground. “On second thought. Hand over the girl and we’ll be on our way.”

  Zebediah stepped in front of Riko. “She’s not for sale.”

  Raj shook his head. “We’re not bartering. We’re taking. Hand her over.”

  “Over my dead body,” Zebediah said.

  “That...” Raj smirked. “That can be arranged.”

  Riko stepped out from behind Zebediah. “Zebediah, no. I’ll go.”

  Raj grinned. “See? The bitch is smart. One girl isn’t worth starting a war over.”

  Zebediah glanced at Riko. “This one is.”

  Raj rolled his eyes. “If the girl comes with us, we’ll stay away from Dome 4 for the time being. We’re gonna take this planet, and then we’re gonna take on the Orbital Guard... And we’re gonna win.”

  “Hardly,” Zebediah replied. “If there is any sign of in-fighting, the Guard can easily shut it down.”

  Raj walked up to Zebediah, shoving Riko out of the way. Raj got right up in Zebediah’s face. “Nothing. Nothing can stop us.” He spat in Zebediah’s face.

  Zebediah wiped the spit away.

  Raj grabbed Riko by her arm. “This baby girl is coming with us,” Raj said. “You and your cult better effing stay away, Zeb, or you are gonna have bullet holes where your eyes used to be. Let’s get out of here.”

  Raj’s grip was hurting Riko. He dragged her up to the airlock.

  Raj called out, “Open this effing door, and get the princess a suit. Be a shame for her to die on the way to her new home. She’s gotta meet more of my friends.”

  Zebediah ran towards Riko.

  “No, no,” Riko said. “I can handle myself.”

  Zebediah stopped. “I know. But I can’t let this happen. I’ll get you back,” he shouted.

  The men from Dome 5 forced Riko to put a space suit on to protect her from the Martian environment and then dragged her out of the dome.

  I can handle myself.

  March 5, 0270 AC – 13:45

  Eclipse

  Orbit of Euphrates, Commonwealth of Perseus Space

  Switch tapped a command into the console.

  A man that looked sleep-deprived appeared on the display. His dark hair was frizzy and in a mess. His pockmarked face had sunken rings under the eyes. “Listen, listen, I’ll get the readings, just—” He looked toward his own display. “Oh. I’m... Who are you? I thought...”

  “Um, my name is Switch Austrinus. I’m trying to find someone... Who are you?”

  “Barrek Lepus. I’m the listening post operator here on Ceres. Sorry, just... thought you were somebody else. How can I help you?”

  “I need your logs from February 27, 270, please.”

  “Why is that?” Lepus asked.

  “I have my reasons. Just please hand them over.”

  “I cannot just hand these logs over. These logs belong to the Orion Confederation and you must go through the proper channels... How did you find this link address?”

  “Just hand over the data. I don’t have time to go through ‘proper channels.’ Besides, the Confederation is falling apart. Just give me the logs.”

  Lepus shook his head. “Sorry miss. Closing this link. Have a good day.”

  The transmission ended.

  Switch cracked her knuckles. “Alright, you wanna play this way?”

  She hastily typed into her console. Barrek Lepus reappeared on the display.

  “Wait, what? How... What are you doing? Are you hacking my station?”

  Switch nodded. “Yep. Now give me what I need or I can make your life miserable.”

  “Miss, I can’t... It’s top secret.”

  “Oh now you just piqued my interest.”

  “Damn.”

  “You should have just gave me the data.” She skimmed over the data she was siphoning from the station.

  Lepus sighed. “Wow, you are damn good. Shit. They’re not gonna be happy about this.”

  “Who?” Switch asked.

  “This is a Confederation post but I’ve been in contact with an organization on Urbania for quite some time. They pay me well, okay?”

  “Noted. Go on.”

  Lepus groaned. “Look, I don’t know what they do. Just take the logs and leave me alone. I don’t want to talk about them.”

  “Who?”

  “Some guy named Fornax. A scientist or something, I don’t know. Azrael research station. I’ve said too much. Please just leave me alone.”

  “What do they research?”

  “They take my data of the anomaly. They are very interested in that.”

  “The what?”

  “Eff. I said too much. This isn’t supposed to get out!”

  “Might as well tell me.”

  “Fine, fine. Only a handful of people know about it, you can’t tell a soul. Dammit. The Cataclysm. A Double-Crescent destroyed Earth.”

  “Yeah, and?”

  Lepus continued, “This listening post was in operation all those years ago. This post didn�
�t detect any major disturbances in hyperspace. It detected something odd, though. Chronotons. A lot of them. The space where the Double-Crescent arrived is still warped. Up is down, left is right. Physics are all messed up in that little patch of standard space.”

  “Chronotons? Aren’t they theoretical particles that enable time travel? I’ve heard it takes ridiculous amounts of power to do any sort of time travel.”

  “Yes, but a Double-Crescent blew up Earth with some sort of beam weapon. I think they might have enough power. The interesting thing is that the amount of chronotons peaked around year 138 After Cataclysm. They kept building up and building up and then... started dissipating.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “They’re not sure. The theory is that there was some sort of time travel event from the future. We are monitoring the anomaly to try to figure out when the ship came from.”

  “How would you figure that out?”

  “The peak was at 138 AC. They think the ship travelled back anywhere from 275 to 278 AC. Like a wave going back in time with one crest. The crest ‘happened’ at 138. The chronotons are returning to the levels detected on the Cataclysm. Once that happens the circle will be complete. That means the event will start—the ship will go back in time to destroy Earth.”

  “I don’t get it. Okay, these ships are time travelers now. What’s the point?”

  “I’m not sure, but think about it—we could end the Cataclysm before it even started.”

  “That’s... something.”

  “I know.”

  “Well, what about Khamsin Prime. Were there any chronotons detected there?” Switch asked.

  Lepus shrugged. “Not from what I understand. That attack was... different.”

  “Weird. Well, alright, I got the logs I needed. Thank you.”

  Lepus grumbled. “Have a good day,” he said sarcastically.

  Switch smiled. “You too!”

  April 10, 0271 AC – 15:29

  Bridge, Madcat-2

  Silver Cove, Neutral Space

  Teresa Day was leaning back in a chair next to the communications console. Her coat was draped over her face.

  Knave Gunner climbed up into the bridge.