by Jason Hutt
“Just wait a few weeks, Samir. You can have my seat when Demeter collapses and I join Batwa on the refugee train. Now, let’s get on to other business, I have an interview in an hour. I need to show the Republic we’re behind this.”
Maria slid into the back seat of the hovercar. She stretched her neck. Nervous energy caused her head to twitch slightly, a genetic tremor she never bothered to have corrected. She rolled her head around slowly, and took several long, slow breaths.
Hunter watched her thoughtfully from the opposite seat, gently rubbing at his temples.
“Are you okay?” Maria asked.
“Yes, just a headache. You did well, Maria,” he said, “I appreciate the public show of support. With the outer colonies supporting, there will be only a few who don’t see this as a step in the right direction.
“Thanks,” she said, “I hated every minute of it.”
Hunter laughed. “You were a natural in the interview chair. You played to the base and gave your opponents a warning shot. Right now a thousand algorithms are parsing your words into sound bites that both sides want to hear. A legion of talking heads will spin up to pick apart the implications of every word you uttered and every word you never intended to say. And in the end, you know what it will mean?”
Maria gave him a half-hearted laugh.
“Nothing,” he said, “Our folks will use it to move the balance just a little bit in our favor. Nothing more, nothing less and we’ll all play this game again tomorrow. You did nothing but get stronger in there. Positioned yourself well for future public forays. People will be watching for you now.”
“Ha,” she said, “That’s not my focus.”
“Someday, that’ll change. Someday, you’ll want to be the bright center of the galactic core. Then the heat’ll be so intense, you’ll be able to look back at moments like this and smile about how easy it was.”
“Quit blowing sunshine up my ass, Hunter,” Maria said, “We both know I’ll be lucky to be here in three weeks let alone three years. I can’t afford to be playing games with so much at stake for so many.”
“Oh, relax, Maria,” Hunter said, “You’re starting to sound like that ol’ coot in your caucus. The sun will come up tomorrow just like any other day. Besides, you’re good enough at this that even if Demeter goes under you can just move on to Valhalla. I bet you could win races on a dozen other worlds without breaking a sweat.”
Maria smiled politely as she looked out at the setting sun. She could make out the slight green tint of the environmental shield that surrounded the city. Just beyond the shield, the lights of the city abruptly ended. She had to squint to see lights from the apartment complexes that were at the edge of the horizon.
“Oh say, Maria, I do hope you’ll be joining us on the inspection tour tomorrow. I hear that there’s a guest of honor there that you’ll be very interested in meeting.”
Maria looked over at him with a questioning glance.
“Eleanor Shaw is being moved to Ceres. Shaw was the key to Cabot’s dealings. If anyone can help us track him down, it’s her.”
Maria shook her head. “I’m already heading out of town next week, headed back to Demeter. I have some things to wrap up here first.”
“Oh come now, Maria,” Hunter said, “I hear we’ve already started pulling her memories. If I remember right, this young woman was one of the last to lay eyes on your son.”
Maria stared out the window for another moment. “You remember right.”
“It’s not just an inspection tour you know. Admiral Kersey has promised me an up-to-the-minute report on Cabot’s pursuit. The dogs are on his scent, Maria. This fox is about to feel the fangs of the Republic sink into his neck. Now, I can’t imagine any place more important for you to be.”
Maria was looking at her schedule. “What time does the shuttle leave?”
“Seven sharp,” Hunter said. The aircar came to a stop on the Capitol building landing pad. The door flew open and Maria exited. A cool wind whipped around her, leaving a slight chill on her cheeks.
“Well?” Hunter asked, leaning forward in his seat.
“I’ll be there.”
Chapter 4
Max ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He blinked again and again and then sat back in the chair staring wide-eyed at the vast field of tiny stars that dominated the cockpit view.
For the thirtieth time in the past hour, he checked the tactical display for any other approaching ships. It didn’t matter that he had set the console to issue an alert if another ship entered the system. It didn’t matter that the ship’s computer would transmit the data to Reggie and the trusted robot would alert him of anything unusual. He just had to check again.
All clear. The system was quiet.
The Guardian floated in deep space. The only other thing in sight was the Bounty, drifting no more than a couple of hundred meters to starboard. The old, yellow freighter was battered and dented in a dozen places, its hull dotted with rust and oil stains. The only thing that mattered, though, was that it could hold air and get its cargo of frightened and battered families to their next safe port.
Max stared at the old ship and felt his eyelids get heavy. His head bobbed and he snapped awake. Max stretched his neck, felt the popping of his vertebrae between his shoulders, and stood up, stretching his arms to the ceiling. He winced as something in his shoulder burned while his arm was fully extended.
Max stepped out of the cockpit and into the passenger section. The Guardian had originally been designed as a troop transport, a short-to-mid range spacecraft designed to carry fifty bulky, armored soldiers from one point to another. It wasn’t intended for a long duration voyage and, despite heavy modifications over the last decade to make it more accommodating, Max knew it was never meant for something like this.
Several years ago, Max had scavenged passenger seats from the wreckage of a passenger liner. He and Reggie had managed to cram in seventy seats that would offer a little more comfort to their passengers than the backless benches that used to line the cabin. After that, Max scrounged together some leftover components to provide basic galley services. They had a food dispenser, hot water, and a recycler; there wasn’t a lot of variety, but Max never intended for anyone other than him to be on the ship for more than a day or two.
When Max looked across the many tired, dirty faces of his passengers, he could hear the ticking of the clock in his head. There were eighty-three people on board, eighty-three people who were tired, hungry, thirsty, scared, and otherwise miserable. Max heard the wail of three or four babies somewhere in the cabin; a few of the older kids were crying as well.
A line of about twenty people were waiting to use the only head; suddenly the most critical piece of equipment on the ship. An unrecognized older woman was back by the water dispenser, filling up anything that could hold water, and quickly passing the makeshift containers out to tired moms, dads, brothers, and sisters who were then taking their ration back to the rest of the family.
Max checked his wrist computer; even with the waste recycler running at full capacity, the water supply would be drained within a matter of hours. The food dispenser was already empty. The cabin was littered with dirty containers and other less pleasant trash. The solid waste recycler was also running at full capacity, but the pile of garbage at its mouth continued to grow and spill out into the cabin.
Several of the passengers looked at Max expectantly, looking for some sign of hope. Max met their expectant gazes with as much of a half-hearted smile as he could muster and then made his way to the back of the section. Hannah was sitting in the back row being tended to by the same young man who had treated his chest. Max made his way over to the two of them and patted the young man on his shoulder. He looked back at Max with a blood-spattered face and Max couldn’t help but wonder whose blood it was.
Hannah’s face was swollen and bruised, dried blood still covered the side of her chin. The young man had gotten a
hold of a torn up shirt and was using it as a makeshift towel. He slathered some blue-tinted gel on the cloth and then began gently pressing it to her wounds. Within seconds, swelling began to subside, cuts bubbled with white foam and began to fade, and her face started to look normal again.
Max moved his hand from the young man’s shoulder, hesitated when he realized he was about to put it on Hannah’s, and then quickly moved it to the back of the chair next to her. He struggled, unsure of how to bridge a twenty year gap with a few words of heartfelt condolences. He saw the weary nervousness in her eyes and couldn’t help but wonder if she was nervous at their overall predicament or at having to talk to him. After another moment of silence, he sat on the edge of the empty seat opposite her and the young medic.
“What’s your name, kid?” Max asked the young man.
“Durjaya,” he said as he finished treating the last bruise on her face.
“Thank you, Durjaya,” Max said, “Thank you for taking care of me back there.”
The young man looked at him and then cast his gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”
“You did all you could,” Max said.
Durjaya nodded silently, then closed his first aid kit and walked away. Max watched him sit down next to another young man with a nasty scrape on his arm.
“He’s going to treat people until he collapses,” Max said and then looked back at Hannah. She was still staring straight ahead, not looking in his direction.
“How are you?” Max asked.
“Fine.”
“I hear you took on that agent…soldier...whatever he was. Snuck up on him. Kept him busy long enough that he could be taken out.”
“I did.”
“You’re a hero,” Max said, “You saved a lot of people today.”
“Thank you.”
Max clasped his hands in front of him; he had to press them together to keep them from visibly trembling. His mouth felt suddenly dry. His tongue swelled. He was tempted to get up and walk away, but she needed to know.
“The, uh, Republic agents had a little android-robot-thing with them. Looked just like a little girl. They, uh, they made it to look like you. They used your face, your eyes. Knew I wouldn’t be able to turn it away.”
“I heard some of that. Durjaya told me. Didn’t tell me it looked like me though,” She said. The impassive stare had drained away; her cheeks became flush. “Fuck them for that.”
Max saw the taught tendons in her neck and the white knuckles from the way her fists were balled and he leaned back slightly.
“Hannah,” Max said softly, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I brought them there.”
“You were stupid. They played you. They knew what you would do. You couldn’t see past their little lie because you were too blinded by your memories of a little girl that died twenty years ago.”
“Hannah, please,” Max said, looking around for help that wasn’t there, “Hannah, that thing was trying to take over the ship. It was trying to crack into the computer and ground the ship. The Republic would’ve been able to get all of us, not to mention get their hands on the ship’s drive.
“I…we…couldn’t let that happen. I tried to take it out, but I couldn’t. Sharon, your mom…she rushed in. There were four of them and that damned thing took them all out. Your mom, she…she didn’t make it.”
Hannah closed her eyes. When she opened them, she looked back at him with a clenched jaw. Tears sprang to her eyes.
“I knew she wasn’t here,” Hannah said, “She would’ve been next to me right after I woke up. I was hoping she was over there.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she slapped it away.
“Don’t touch me,” she said. Tears started rolling down her cheeks.
“I…”
“Don’t say another word,” she said.
Max stood there. He wanted to grab her and hug her close. “If you want to talk, I’m here for you,” Max said. The words sounded weak even to his ears. He sat there, mouth open, saying nothing for several moments.
She let out a single, bitter laugh. “Just leave me alone.”
Max nodded and stood, leaving Hannah as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back on the seat. He hesitated as words floated around the tip of his tongue - apologies, entreaties, and desperate pleas to say that he was wrong and that they needed to work together to get through this. His mouth was suddenly dryer than a desert in the mid-day sun and his hand squeezed around a bottle that wasn’t there.
A chime came from his wrist computer; Victor was calling. Max looked at Hannah as she put an arm over her tear-streaked face. Some of the other passengers glanced in her direction, but people were crying in all corners of the room and no one stepped in to comfort her. Max’s heart sank but he turned and made his way to the cockpit.
“Glad to see you’re okay,” Max said, his voice cracking slightly.
Victor offered a weak smile in response. The man had bags under his red-rimmed eyes and streaks of blood and soot on his cheeks.
“Locke just picked this up,” Victor said, “You need to see this.”
Victor tapped a spot on his wrist computer and a news report started playing on Max’s cockpit console.
Eleanor’s picture was in the top right corner of the broadcast.
“Republic forces in New Roosevelt announced the capture of Miss Eleanor Shaw,” the anchor reported, “Miss Shaw is believed to be a key figure in a child-smuggling operation that spans the last decade. Information revealed by Miss Shaw allowed for a raid on what is believed to be one of the largest child trafficking operations in the Republic. The smuggling operation had taken up residence on the biological preserve of Maisha, violating Republic exploration statutes through the colonization of a world with primitive indigenous intelligent life.”
Max leaned heavily against the bulkhead and balled his fingers into a fist as he listened to the young, blond-haired anchor. A Republic Naval officer appeared on-screen and Max turned away from the broadcast. His fingernails dug into the palm of his hand as his fist shook with frustration.
“I am joined now by retired Admiral-”
Max paused the playback. He couldn’t listen any further.
“What the hell do we do now?” Max asked.
“What’s your headcount?”
“Just over eighty,” Max said, “You?”
“One thirty-five,” Locke responded.
“What’s your consumables situation?” Victor asked. “I want inventories of supplies – food, water, medicine, and anything else you think is worthwhile.”
“I’m sending it now. It’s not pretty. We’ve got less than a day before things start to get ugly. Real ugly,” said Max.
“We’re in similar shape. We need to find our next stop pretty quickly.”
Max leaned back in his chair and rubbed the gray scruff on his chin. “We’re not going to find another place like Maisha.”
“We could hit up one of our other safe houses on Maxis or Terra,” Locke said.
“No, we don’t know how badly we’ve been compromised. We need to go someplace different,” Victor said, shaking his head. “The Republic will be looking for us. They know they have us on the run. We’re weakened, scared, tired. We have to assume they’re going to come after us hard. We need some place off the beaten path to settle down, catch our breath, and then figure out our next move.”
“It’s going to take time to setup a colony on an unsettled world,” Max said, “We can’t take a chance on any established colonies. They’ll be on us in a heartbeat the second they pick up one of our ID chips.”
“This is a fine mess you’ve gotten us into Max,” Locke said, “How could you be so damn careless?”
Max frowned but didn’t respond.
“We’re not going to do this, Louis,” Victor said, “If it wasn’t Max, they might’ve gotten you on your next run. We’ve always known we were living on borrowed time.”
&nb
sp; “No,” Max said, “Louis is right. And I’m sorry. I should’ve-”
“Enough,” Victor said, “We’re not doing this. What’s done is done. We can review security protocols later. We need to focus on the solution to our current problem.”
“The Republic abandoned plenty of outposts and stations when it scaled back its exploration and colonization efforts. There are plenty of functional settlements scattered throughout the Republic,” Reggie said as he entered the cockpit.
“There are plenty of squatters out there, too, who won’t take kindly to us invading their home,” Max said.
“We’ll be lucky if it’s only squatters,” Louis responded, “If we cross the wrong group of pirates, drug smugglers, or gun runners, we won’t have to worry about the Republic anymore.”
“I’m uploading a list of all known abandoned settlements,” Reggie said.
The names started popping up on the console. Max scanned the names. “What about Evergreen Station?”
Victor arched an eyebrow at him.
“It was an old observatory setup to study the Eagle Nebula. I used to run supplies out there. The station was big enough that there was a businesswoman – what was her name, uh Palitino- who wanted to convert the place to a hotel. She dumped her life savings into it but went under within a year or two of being opened.”
Victor shrugged. “Locke, any better suggestions?”
“Not from me,” he said.
“If the structure is still intact, it’ll give us a place to spread out a bit,” Victor said, “How long will it take us to get there?”
“We’ll have to jump a little ways out from the station but if we push it we could be there within about twelve hours.”
“All right,” Victor said, “Let’s do it. Who knows what the food and water situation is there. We need tight rationing of any food or water until we can see if there’s anything on hand.”
Max nodded and began to plot a wormhole jump.
“One more thing,” Victor said, “I need to know if we have a functioning executive council. Max, let me know if you’ve got any members on board. Brief them on the plan and let them know I want to have a council meeting in about two hours.”