The Last Spartan 1: Different Paths

by A. E. McCullough

  Anything and everything that wasn’t bolted down had been knocked down, including his shrine and books. The whole ship listed to starboard and the smell of smoke filled the air. It was obvious that the Nemesis had taken heavy damage, the question was how damaged and was anyone hurt?

  Grabbing an emergency rebreather pack from a nearby rack, Iaido took several deep breaths of pure oxygen before moving to the starboard turret where he last saw Talia. Once again placing the back of his hand on the hatch, it was cool. Iaido gritted his teeth and opened it.

  As soon as the hatch opened, Talia leapt into his arms and shrieked, “Iaido!”

  Iaido lifted her clear of the hatch and enjoyed the warmth of her embrace for a moment before reluctantly stepping back. He looked her over. A dark smudge of grease marred her alabaster skin and several strands of her silver hair had fallen out of her ponytail but there were no obvious signs of injury.

  “Are you alright?”

  Visibly shaken, Talia nodded. “Yes. Just a bit frightened.”

  “Let’s get to the bridge and check on everyone else.”

  Putting action to words, Iaido moved up the short ladder which led to the command deck. Entering the bridge, flashing red warning lights lit up the control panels. Iaido scanned the gauges with an experienced eye. Judging from the readings, the cargo hold and aft cabins were open to space. Emergency bulkheads had slammed shut sealing off the affected areas. Fire Control, Main Computer and Environmental Systems were all damaged. However, the reactor and engines were still fully functional. It was a testament to the toughness of the ship’s design that the Nemesis was still underway.

  Pulling his eyes away from the instrument panels, Iaido looked around the bridge. Jay was sitting in the co-pilot’s chair, fighting with the controls to keep the ship as steady as possible. The blood on Jay’s forehead didn’t look serious but Iaido asked anyway, “You okay?”

  Without taking his eyes off the instrument panel, Jay answered. “Yea. It’s just a scratch. Xerxes is aft checking to see how bad the damage really is and if it affected our structural integrity. If not and we are jump capable and will be at a jump point in ten minutes.”

  Talia pushed past Iaido and moved up to Jay. Without asking permission, she pulled out a green silk handkerchief from her pocket and placed it on his wound. Closing her eyes for a moment, she concentrated on the wound and let the mystical nature of her heritage flow into her hands. In her mind’s eye, she could see the gash; it was over an inch long but not too deep. Forcing some of her energies into the wound, she visualized the ruptured capillaries and vessels constricting more and more until it completely stopped the blood loss.

  Opening her eyes, she said in an effort to hide her powers. “This gash may require several stitches.”

  Jay reached up and gently pulled her hand away from the wound. “No offense ma’am but it’s nothing more than a scratch.” He added with a grin and a wink as he pointed to his missing legs. “I’ve had worse injuries. I think I’ll survive.”

  Talia felt herself flush with embarrassment but both men were too much a gentleman to make a remark concerning her actions. So she busied herself by wrapping her silk handkerchief around Jay’s head.

  Iaido asked, “Can we make it to Haven?”

  “We should be able to,” Jay said, “as long as the O2 generators are working. Of course, without Pax we have to do all the calculations by hand but since we will be using a jump point, the calculations are almost a moot point. I’m sure we can manage it.”

  “Good. Make the jump soon as possible. Once we are safe in hyperspace, we need to talk.” Turning toward the exit, he added, “But first things first, I’ll go see if Xerxes needs any help.”

  “Iaido!” Talia said taking an involuntary step towards him.

  Pausing in mid-stride, Iaido looked back. “Yes?”

  Talia chewed on her lip slightly before saying, “Be careful.”

  With a grin Iaido added, “Don’t worry. I’ll be okay.”

  * * * * *

  Less than an hour later when they were safely in hyperspace, the small crew gathered on the mess deck. The Nemesis was still listing slightly to starboard but only about five degrees off center.

  Talia had kept herself busy by straightening the mess deck. She had moved several large crates to the center of the deck to act as a table with smaller crates for chairs. It was the best they could do until access to the upper or lower decks were restored.

  Iaido was the first to arrive. Pausing at the access panel, he studied her handiwork before entering. Shifting his gaze to Talia as she worked at tidying up the room, he couldn’t help but notice the gentle curves of her body. Talia had removed her black leather jacket which revealed the green silk blouse she was wearing; it was loose fitting but still provided an ample view.

  Clearing his throat to announce his arrival, Iaido dropped in from the access hatch above deck. Landing cat-like he said, “You know, I should apologize for the rough accommodations. I wasn’t really expecting company.”

  Talia was in the process of moving a small crate when he entered. Setting it down, she turned ever so slightly enough to pull the fabric of her shirt tight over her breasts.

  “It’s not a problem. We Sylvans don’t all live in the lap of luxury like you Terrans think.”

  Swallowing hard at the vision of her loveliness, Iaido knew he needed to change the subject. Pulling out an old brass whistle, he cupped it in his hands and blew three notes; low, high, low. The clear sound echoed through the ship.

  Tilting her head slightly Talia asked, “What is that?”

  “It’s a bosun’s pipe,” he said holding the instrument up for display. “It was used in ancient days to call muster on sailing ships. This one was a gift from Major McDowell. It was supposedly a gift of consolation after the loss of my brother.”

  “What do you mean supposedly?”

  “Hector didn’t die in a starship accident like I was told ten years ago.”

  Jay came rolling in from the infirmary and asked, “Really? That’s what I was told.”

  Iaido sat down at the makeshift table as his friend rolled up beside him. “Let me ask you a question Jay.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Do you recall an Operation Lodestone?”

  Jay looked off into the distance for a few seconds before answering. “Not that I remember. Of course, Omega was a long time ago and we ran so many missions, I’m not sure I even knew all the codenames.”

  “It would’ve been the mission where the Major, the Sgt. Major and the Ten were pulled off for some special mission. Only myself and the two commanders returned alive.”

  Jay nodded his head. “I do recall that mission, well sort of. I wasn’t involved in any part of it but I do remember how fast it was organized. The orders came in and in less than an hour later, you guys were gone.”

  “That’s the one. What do you remember about it?”

  Pulling out a pinch of snuff, Jay packed his lower lip. Swirling around the juices for a moment, he spit in his cup before continuing. “You guys were gone for almost a month. I recall that time well, we spent it on leave in Hawaii. Damn, surfing was fun.” Jay grinned at the memories but seeing the serious look on Iaido’s face he came back to the subject at hand. “When you four returned you were more dead than alive, the Sgt. Major walked with a limp and the Major always had a haunted look in his eyes.”

  “Four? I was told only three of us returned.”

  “Only three of you were alive but Aeneas’ body returned with you. I’ll never forget the look of his body; it was so full of holes, tiny… like those of a needle and his skin was waxy green. Evidently, Aeneas shielded the Major from some sort of needle bomb that injected him full of some sort of alien poison.” Jay paused for a moment. “There was never an explanation concerning his or the rest of the team’s deaths; just the ‘official word’ that they died during a starship accident in a remote region of space.” He paused before adding, “Why?”

&nb
sp; Iaido rubbed his neck, “Here’s where it gets weird. The General told me that everyone associated with Operation Lodestone has been systematically hunted down and killed over the last few months. Only the General, the Major and I are left alive.”

  Jay glanced over his shoulder as Xerxes entered the mess deck and sat down on the far end the mess hall. “Okay, so someone has a vendetta about Operation Lodestone. What was so important about it?”

  Iaido shrugged. “I don’t know. Evidently my memories were erased during the debriefing. I have no recollection of the mission.” Iaido cocked his head to the side. “Well, not really.”

  Talia perked up. “What do you mean by that?”

  “It’s just when I was trapped in the gun turret and it was filling with smoke, I must’ve been knocked unconscious because I had a dream that I was on that particular mission.”

  Talia shook her head. “I bet it wasn’t a dream but old memories struggling to resurface.”

  Iaido furrowed his brow. “But I was told they wiped my memory. How could I recall them?”

  “I am not an expert by any means but the Empire has been using memory modification for over a millennia. It is used during the re-education process.” Pulling out her tarot deck, she absentmindedly played with the cards, shuffling and cutting the deck at random as she spoke. “You see memories for Sylvans and Terrans are just a matter of particular neurons retaining a specific code at a certain time. When we want access a certain memory, our minds generate a particular code which unlocks that certain memory. Our minds continually update and maintain a master code for all our memories. The re-education process erases the master code or at least part of it. The information is still in your mind but you have no way to access it.”

  “If I understand you correctly, the Coalition didn’t actually erase my memory just my brain’s way of recalling the information?”

  Talia nodded. “Yes. The only way to actually erase a memory is to destroy the cells which contain it; which in turn would leave the subject in a coma or dead.”

  Iaido stroked his goatee for a moment before asking, “So that is why when I was stuck in the turret, the conditions must’ve been similar enough to something I went through during Operation Lodestone that my mind found the right pattern for those missing memories?”

  “Absolutely, that is one of the greatest fears of the Empire when doing re-educations.”

  “Is it possible to rediscover the codes for these erased memories?”

  Talia chewed on her lip for a moment before answering. “Theoretically, yes; there are forms of regression rituals which could allow one to remap those codes but it isn’t certain.”

  “Is it something you could do?”

  Talia shrugged. “I am unsure. I mean that I understand the rituals involved but it is more than that. Sylvans are a very mystical race. We are more than just this piece of flesh you see before you. We are spirit made flesh and it is the spirit which would have to travel the myriad paths of your psyche to guide you to the correct path.”

  “Are you saying that to help me remember, you would have to enter my mind?”

  “Yes. All our powers stem from our spirit.” Talia formed a triangle with her hands. “The mind and body exist to serve the spirit but the spirit cannot exist without the mind or body; the perfect trinity.”

  Iaido gazed into Talia’s emerald orbs and asked, “Would it be something you would be willing to attempt?”

  Talia felt herself drawn to Iaido’s steel grey eyes and hesitated for a moment before forcing herself to look away, “Only as a last resort. The ritual is very intim…demanding.”

  Iaido could tell that wasn’t exactly the adjective she wanted to use to describe the procedure but let it pass…for now. He turned his attention to Jay. “How’s Pax?”

  Jay took a deep breath and said, “Heavily damaged. Parts of her matrix have been damaged beyond repair…”

  Iaido groaned.

  “But there’s hope. Diana is also badly damaged but both matrixes are damaged in different areas. It might be possible to merge the two and return them both to life.”

  “Will it work?”

  Jay shrugged. “I don’t know. It should, in theory at least. The problem is that I will need some parts and equipment that are not available on the Nemesis to even attempt it.”

  “I don’t care how much it cost, when we get to Haven find what you need. Buy, beg or steal it but get what you need.”

  * * * * *

  They were less than an hour out of Haven when Jay turned the operations chair to face his friend. They were alone for the moment; Xerxes and Talia were aft doing something which gave the retired Master Chief a chance to speak his mind. “Okay, I need to ask you something.”

  Without taking his eyes off the panel, Iaido asked, “What is it?”

  “Now, don’t get me wrong, I like Talia but why is she here?”

  “She’s Eve’s Aunt and her only living relative as far as I know.”

  Jay shook his head. “There has got to be more than that. She’s a civilian. She has no idea what we are getting into and that will make her a liability. You know that and I know that.”

  Iaido paused in his reading of the Nemesis’ damage reports and turned to face his friend. “You’re right. She doesn’t know and in some ways she will be a burden but somehow I feel that she is connected to all this. I really can’t explain it more than that but it feels right that she is along.”

  Jay raised one eyebrow. “It has nothing to do that she’s a real looker?”

  Iaido cocked his head to the side. “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Liar.”

  Iaido grinned at the rebuke. “Besides, somehow she’s connected with all this. I don’t know how and I don’t know why but she’s connected. Of that I am sure.”

  Hearing the sounds of someone coming up the central passageway to the bridge, the two friends turned back to the task at hand just as Xerxes and Talia entered the bridge. If she was going to say anything, it was forgotten as the Nemesis came out of hyperspace and the marvel of Haven was displayed in front of them.

  “Welcome to Haven, my friends,” Iaido said as he guided the Nemesis to the waiting stardock.

  Chapter 17

  Haven was once known as Starbase Sigma to the Coalition and Checkpoint Charlie to the Confederacy. It orbited a remote star known to the Terrans as Wolf 359. Technically, there was nothing really unique about that star system, no habitable planets, no spectacular gas giants and only minimal mining resources but as they say in real estate, location…location…location.

  Wolf 359 came to be known as the crossroads of intergalactic travel during the war. At first the Coalition just anchored several large supply ships in the area and a floating stardock. Eventually, since so much traffic flowed through the area, they built Starbase Sigma. It wasn’t completed until the height of the war and became a highly contested commodity that actually switched hands several times. After the war, neither the Coalition nor the Confederacy wanted the starbase due to its dilapidated condition and the amount of space debris in the immediate area. Enter Leonard Vetter, entrepreneur and risk-taker.

  This young businessman from Texas saw an opportunity and used the simple logic that if it was such a desirable location during wartime then it would be a valuable investment during peace time. Gathering a small group of investors, Vetter bought the salvage rights from the Coalition for the rock bottom price of a half-million credits and set out to create a Haven in space.

  However at the end of his first year, Vetter had towed and mated the largest wrecks in the area to the starbase and sent the rest into the closest star but he was nearly broke. Finding workers willing to risk life and limb on his dream was proving difficult. The idea of an independent city in space orbiting a distant star on the edge of adventure sounds romantic when you are sitting in a bar in New Atlanta but the reality of the hard work, the dangers and enormous costs were completely different. All of Vetter’s investors were backing o
ut and his bank had called in his loan. He was taking one last trip to Starbase Sigma to say good-bye to his dream and to retrieve the few faithful followers that had stuck with him over the last year.

  Vetter answered a distress call while enroute and found a Mantodea colony ship with a damaged star-drive and major structural damage. The Mantodeas were swarming along the ship’s hull fixing what they could with their limited resources. It seems that the mantis-like race could work outside in the vacuum of space without any type of environmental suits due to their exoskeleton and physiology. Vetter realized that his luck had changed. After a lengthy conversation with their queen, he towed the beleaguered ship to Haven and Vetter was ecstatic; he had found his main workforce. With the assistance of the Mantodeas, Haven became operational in less than six months and proved to be a gold mine for Leonard Vetter. Now after eight years, Haven had become the busiest starport outside of Sol with over a quarter million permanent residents. Being unaffiliated with any government, Haven drew outcasts from every society and race.

  It became an open port to all, a place where anything can be purchased or arraigned for the right price, as long as Vetter and associates got their cut. However, slavery was the only illegal trade goods. That is not to say it didn’t happen; it just didn’t happen in the open. Deals of assassinations and slave-trading took place in the dark areas of Haven and those caught were punished severely. Most intelligent life forms consider being ejected into space on a trajectory to the nearest star as severe.

  As the Nemesis came to rest in the stardock, Iaido called his friends together for a conference in the galley. “Okay people; Haven is a dangerous place. Anything can be bought here, including us. I am sure that news of our bounty has reached here, I would be extremely surprised if it hadn’t.”