Planet Bound

by R. A. Mejia

  © 2018 Ramon Mejia

  All Rights Reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  From the Author

  Dedication

  Thank you everyone that has contributed to this work. Whether you helped me brainstorm ideas, found spelling and grammar errors, made suggestions for improving the story, or continue to support my writing with words of encouragement, you all helped to make this novel better. Thank you.

  Chapter 1

  Why does this blasted space station have to be so big? My wife’s going to kill me if I miss Marie’s birthday party. The thought, like the rest of me, moves sluggishly through my mind as I rush through a space station. Alien smells and sounds assault my senses as I race past a host of creatures. Aliens with tentacles instead of legs, some encapsulated in bubbles of gas, or hulking four-armed beings that look like they belong in an intergalactic gladiator pit all seem to reach out to impede my progress to the ship that will take me home.

  My lungs heave and my legs burn with effort as I run, but I feel like I’m not getting anywhere. Alien squeaks, bleeps, and mechanical-toned translators mix with calls from the station’s com system. I glance out the clear station windows to my right at the vast open expanse of space. Dozens of ships of all sizes are coming and going from the station. There are boxy freighters, some small arrow-shaped personal craft, several large balloon-like transport ships, and even a few military vessels that seems to flicker in and out of existence.

  All thoughts about the space station flee my mind as my implant highlights the sign for loading bay 30-C and I reach the robotic boarding attendant outside the bay. It quickly scans my boarding pass and calls the ship to hold for one more passenger. I race down the hallway and into the hanger where the freighter ship Argonaut is lowering its loading ramp.

  The ship is two hundred feet long and has two large thrusters at its end. Its boxy design indicates that it's meant for shepherding goods between planets and stations and taking on the occasional passenger too.

  "What took you so long, Mr. Espinoza?” a whip-thin young woman with jet- black hair in overalls asks from the top of the loading ramp. “We were just about ready to leave without you."

  Suddenly, I walk through the front door of our residence on Luna. It’s a small place, but it’s all ours. Annie greets me at the door in that green dress that she looks so sexy in. The color and print make her red hair stand out, and I pause mid-stride to admire her. Before I can even give her a proper kiss, I feel a tug at my pant legs, and there is little Marie, my soon-to-be two year old. She has her mother’s blue eyes but my tan complexion and dark hair. She reaches up with her chubby little hands and yells, “Daddy! Up!” and my heart nearly breaks. Picking her up, I hug her to my chest and spin her around. Marie squeals in delight, and I tell her, “I’ve missed you, sweetie.”

  Annie smiles at the spectacle and puts her fists on her hips in mock anger. “Oh, and did you miss me too?”

  I gently put my daughter down on the floor and watch her try to stagger away, dizzy and giggling. Then I grab my wife by her waist and pull her toward me. My left hand gently cups her chin, and I kiss her with as much passion as I did on our first date. I feel her body press into mine, and she pulls away breathless.

  She looks up at me with a mischievous half-smile. “Mmm . . . I guess I’ll take that as a yes.” She leans in and whispers in my ear in a sultry tone, “I’ll be sure to show you how much I missed you after we put the kid to sleep.” I feel my cheeks redden, and I’m about to say something back to her, but a beeping sound catches my attention. I look down at the digital assistant on my watch to see who’s calling, but nothing is there.

  Now new people have appeared. My parents, Annie’s family, and her best friend Heidi are all there talking happily. I’m confused for a moment, but when I see the birthday cake on the table, I suddenly remember that it’s Marie’s birthday party. The next moment, we have gathered around our small dining room table. Marie is standing on one of the chairs, wiggling in her mother’s arms and reaching out for the cake with two lit candles. Everyone except for me is singing happy birthday to Marie. I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. That beeping is getting louder, but no matter where I look, I can’t find the source. Everyone is staring at me now. I’m disturbed by their dead eyes and slack expressions. I reach out to my wife and daughter across the table from me, but as one, everyone at the table open their mouths and yells, “Mr. Espinoza, you have to wake up! NOW!”

  __________

  A painful jolt of electricity makes my eyes pop open, and every muscle in my body spasm momentarily. My lungs automatically take in a deep wheezing breath. I can make out a shadowy form beyond the icy lid of my cryo-pod, and I can hear a muted voice for a moment before someone yells, “His vitals are normalizing, but the lid is stuck. Help me.”

  The two figures move to the side of the pod, and I hear them struggling with something. My mind is still a bit numb, and it takes me a few moments to realize that something is wrong. I shouldn’t still be lying here. They don’t normally wake you up like this. I push against the frosted lid of my pod, and it finally opens with a pop. White vapor leaks over the edges of the chamber as the lid rises, and I get my first look at two people in thick black space suits. Their helmets cover their faces with an opaque bubble, and they look quite menacing until they tap something on the side of their helmets, making the visors become transparent. One is a man with a scruffy black beard and tanned hair that I’ve never seen before, and the other is the same woman who was in my dream. No wait, she wasn’t just in my dream. My hazy mind tries to separate the dreams from real memories. Then it clicks that she’s the woman who greeted me at the real space station and helped me get into my cryo-pod. Her name escapes me until my implant identifies her as Crewman Yoe.

  She makes calming gestures with her hands and says, “It’s okay, John. You’re safe.” The ship shakes as a small explosion goes off somewhere. She looks around and shrugs. “Well, relatively.”

  “What’s happening? Are we at Luna?” I ask.

  “No, the ship was pulled out of faster than light travel by something, and now we’re being attacked by pirates. They’ve demanded that we surrender, but the captain has refused and is fighting back.

  “Darn fool. He’s going to get us killed,” the other person says.

  Crewman Yoe turns and glares at him. “Joseph, don’t you speak against Captain Reynolds. He fought in the war, and he knows what he’s doing.” The ship lurches again, and she mumbles, “I hope.”

  My implant automatically records the other crewman’s name as they help me out of my cryo-pod, but my muscles and joints are
stiff, making it hard to move. As I stomp my feet to get feeling back in them, I see that all of the other pods are already open and empty.

  “What happened to the other passengers?”

  Joseph looks guilty but answers, “I initiated the emergency release program for all the pods when the fighting started. Yours was the only one that didn’t automatically release. Crewman Yoe noticed you were missing from the passengers, and she came back to pull you out manually.”

  My legs are starting to work better now, and I don’t have to lean on the two crewmen. I guess that, even if Joseph made a mistake, he did come back to get me. “Well, thank you both for coming back for me. I don’t know how long I would have survived in that cryo-pod.”

  “Two days if the power went out,” Crewman Joseph answers.

  Crewman Yoe elbows him and glares again. “Why don’t you get Mr. Espinoza a spacesuit so that we can get him to the escape pod?” Joseph nods and walks away.

  “What do I need a spacesuit for?” I ask.

  “One of the sections we came through lost environmental control. There’s no atmosphere or gravity in the room.”

  That doesn’t sound good. My stomach tightens at the news. “Are we going to be alright?” I ask. Then, without thinking, I smile slightly and ask, “Think my boss to shell out hazard pay for this?” Even as the question leaves my lips, I wince inside. Now is not the time for jokes.

  She smiles slightly, but there's a large boom before she can answer, and the ship shakes so violently that I'm thrown to the deck. Crewman Yoe manages to stay on her feet, but the lights in the room turn red and a blaring horn sounds. A robotic female voice says, “Attention all crew. Attention all crew. The captain has initiated evacuation procedures. Please head to your assigned emergency escape pods.”

  The message repeats twice more before cutting off.

  The knot in my stomach tightens another notch. “What does that mean?”

  “That means that the captain couldn’t fight off the pirates, and we’ve taken too much damage. We need to leave the ship.”

  Crewman Joseph returns, carrying another spacesuit. “All I could find was one that the engineering crew uses when they need to make repairs outside the ship. It has a bunch of tools built in, but it only has a three-hour oxygen tank.”

  As he hands it to me, I notice that the fabric is noticeably thinner than theirs and is bright orange. But the metallic backpack attached is also less bulky, and the forearms have several displays on them. I gladly take it. After all, it beats the alternative.

  I pull the space suit over the legs of my silver bodysuit. There’s another explosion somewhere, and I feel myself start to float off the deck.

  “Uh-oh. Artificial gravity is down. Quick, Joseph, help me get him into the suit so that we can get out of here.”

  Images of floating off into the empty void of space flash through my mind. Fear and adrenaline race through my body as I flap my arms around, and the room seems to spin around me. “Uh? Help, please. Flappy passenger here.”

  The two crewmen activate something, and their boots clamp to the floor with a metallic clunk. They two make forceful steps towards forward and grab me, stopping me from floating off into some other part of the hold. My heart is still racing as they pull me toward them, and the two help me get suited up. Finally, Crewman Yoe hands me the fishbowl helmet. I place it on my head, and she adjusts it until a locking click secures it in place. The moment the helmet is fully attached, blue lights start to shine inside of it, and a heads-up display appears on the inside of the visor. There are a bunch of numbers and bars that I don’t understand, but there is one that I do. In the bottom right-hand corner, there is a dial-like image labeled O2 that monitors the oxygen I have left. I’m glad to see that it’s at 100% right now.

  “Turn on your magnetic boots, Mr. Espinoza,” says Crewman Joseph, his voice sounding distant and a little tinny.

  I look over the many readouts and icons, and I do see one that looks like a pair of boots among them. I focus on it with my eyes and blink twice. The icon flashes red, and I feel a pull on my feet as they are drawn to the metal deck. A moment later, I feel a thunk as they stick to the deck. Looking down, I see green lights on the side of my boots and only now notice that the crewmen have similar lights on theirs.

  Yoe slaps my shoulder and says, “Good job, John. Now, let's get out of here.”

  The two crewmen turn and walk away quickly, an odd lurch to their gait as they as they work against the magnetic pull of their boots. I imitate their actions as I catch up and find the experience odd. I struggle to take each step, and as soon as I step forward, my boot is drawn right back down without any effort on my part.

  The three of us walk through the corridors, the ship shaking around us as the battle continues outside. Objects float through the air, sometimes requiring extra effort to move aside before we can continue. We make our way to the beginning of a long hallway filled with loose debris, and I can see that there is another room with rows of seats just past the bulkhead.

  Crewman Joseph points and says, “There. That’s the last emergency escape pod. There’s just the one left for us. Everyone else is already gone.”

  “Except the captain. He’ll stay till the end with the ship,” Yoe adds with a sad note to her voice.

  The two crewmen expertly make their way through the debris and cross the threshold to the escape pod, but I have trouble. Somehow, my right foot has gotten caught in some loose netting that was used to strap cargo to the wall. I kneel and tug at the straps, but my gloves are just too cumbersome for me to untangle myself. A fear of being abandoned surges again as I struggle with the netting.

  “Here, let me help you.”

  I look up and see Crewman Yoe standing over me. I feel a sense of relief at the sight of her. “Thanks. For a minute there, I was afraid I was going to be done in by some rope.”

  She smiles and opens her mouth to say something, but the same robotic voice from before comes on over the speakers and yells, “All hands! All hands! Incoming missile fire. Brace for impact!”

  The rest of the sentence cuts off as the ship is hit by something so violently that both Crewman Yoe and myself are knocked over, and not even our magnetic boots are enough to keep us upright. The universe seems to slow to a crawl, and my vision is clouded by a red warning haze as an explosion down the hall sends fire and shrapnel toward us. Warning bells blare all around me, and even inside the suit, the concussive blast pounds against me so hard that I feel the force in my teeth. I’m thrown backward against a wall, and my breath is knocked out of me. But worse, there’s a gaping hole where the emergency escape pods were a moment ago. Now exposed to the vacuum of space, we are sucked toward the gaping black maw like jetsam toward a whirlpool. I’m sure this is the end, and the brief look I get at Crewman Yoe’s face tells me that she is thinking the same thing. There is true terror in her eyes, and her mouth moves silently, the air in the section of the ship no longer there to carry her fearful screams. We reach for each other, but I feel a firm tug at my leg that stops me from both reaching her and flying out into the cold dark void of space. I look down and see that the same straps that had trapped me are now the only thing keeping me in the ship. Crewman Yoe has no such luck and is hurled out into space.

  The warning lights and alarms in my suit are going haywire, the sounds a cacophony in my ears. I can feel my heart pounding in terror as everything in the room is sucked out of the ship at incredible speed. My leg throbs as the bindings wrapped around it are snapped taut against the pull of space, and it is wrenched to the side as my body twists about. Flashes of my life race through my mind as I stare out into the great emptiness and as I prepare to die. My greatest regret is not having a chance to kiss my wife and daughter goodbye. But then a heavy metal door slams down in front of me, cutting off the pull of space.

  The robotic voice speaks again. “Emergency bulkheads have been activated, but we’ve lost thruster control! We’re being pulled into the gravity fie
ld of the planet below us. Brace for emergency atmospheric entry!”

  The mass of the planet below restores the pull of gravity as we begin to descend, and I fall to the deck. Unfortunately, all the stuff that was floating above me also falls, including the big heavy canister that hits my helmet. My head shakes around inside the helmet like a bean in a maraca, and the world turns black.

  Chapter 2

  My eyes pop open, and I’m confused. My head feels like an elephant sat on it, the left side of my body feels like one giant bruise, and my leg feels like it’s going to fall off any minute. My breath echoes in my ears as I look through a cracked transparent screen of some kind. There are flashing lights and numbers all around the edges of the screen, and past that, there’s some bright source of illumination shining down on me.

  A familiar muted, emotionless voice says, “Mr. Espinoza, my sensors tell me that you are awake now. Please get up. We have an emergency.”

  Emergency? The word jars my addled mind, and flashes of memory come back to me. “I was on a ship, heading home to my family, and it was attacked.” I try to sort through the images of spaceports, explosions, cryo-sleep, and the faces of the ship’s crew.