by L. E. Thomas
Austin felt the other Star Runners glance at him. He focused on the hologram, trying to avoid the eyes of his comrades.
“Fortunately, this attack was fought off. However, Tulin lost nothing in his efforts. For those of you who don’t know, Tulin is the head of the so-called ‘War Faction’ in the Zahl Empire. These politicians, military leaders, and corporate tycoons believe the best days of the Zahl Empire might be behind them, so they are calling for expansion.” The chart zoomed out to display known space; the massive Zahl Empire was looming like a red cloud over the room. The much smaller Legion and Shoborian territories lingered below the Zahl. Animated arrows moved away from the Empire’s territory. “Thanks to the efforts of Tulin and others, the Zahl Empire has been aggressively expanding into The Fringe, Primal Space and the unknown on a scale never seen before in recent history. Our government has long believed this expansion would eventually lead to conflict between our governments, hence the increased recruitment on dark worlds recently. So where does that leave us on the Formidable?”
The star chart zoomed into the carrier’s location. “We are positioned along this border, as I already stated. We are to conduct patrols along the edge of Quadrant Four and Zahl space until further notice. Since the incident on Earth and the alleged capture of our spies on Claria, tension is high. Any action by the Zahl will likely happen on the border since Tulin took years to manifest his relationship with the Tyral Pirates behind our lines. Any action he takes this time will most likely be directly against our borders.” Braddock leaned forward. “Needless to say, I want you people on your toes. Something could happen at any moment. If it does, it’ll be up to Star Runners like you to be on the front lines.”
Austin swallowed. He knew the intelligence Braddock spoke about referred to what his best friend Josh had witnessed during his escape from the hidden asteroid base utilized by the Tyral Pirates. Josh had barely escaped with his life, but Austin never believed the information he brought back could have been so important.
“On to our assignments today,” Braddock barked, bringing Austin’s thoughts to the present. “Rock, you ready to fly?”
Austin perked up, sitting straight in his seat and leaning forward. “Yes, sir.”
“All right, you and I will take our patrol out to these coordinates—Point Echo—right to the edge of The Fringe. These patrols will consist of sensor sweeps and monitoring gamma waves. Slippy, you and Epic will be taking these at Point Bravo.”
Braddock went through seven other patrol assignments before pausing on the final pairing.
“Scorpion, I want you and Cyclone to take Point Alpha up here.”
“Of course, sir,” Ryker said.
Braddock rubbed his hands together. “One more topic; Some of you have been likely wondering who would lead the thirty-second Tizona in the event of Major Nubern’s promotion. I have decided to promote Lieutenant Zyan to Captain, effective immediately.”
A shock traveled from the top of Austin’s head straight to his gut. He thought he was going to be sick.
“Thank you, sir,” Ryker said softly.
Austin stared at her but saw no hint of surprise on her face.
“Congratulations, Captain,” Braddock said. “This is well-deserved.” He looked up, addressing the rest of the room. “Any questions? Alright people, stay awake out there. Let’s show Commander Horace he’s got the best damn wing in the Navy. Dismissed.”
The Star Runners stood and gathered their belongings. Austin slowly stood, his cheeks still burning from the news. She was now his commanding officer.
He shook his head and stretched, taking one last look at the flight plan for his patrol.
Braddock stepped in front of Austin. “I’ll see you at the launch tubes at 0600. Don’t be late. And don’t forget to use the facilities before you board.”
Austin snorted. “Of course, sir. See you then.”
The room emptied except for Ryker, who lingered in her seat. Tucking his flight tablet under his arm, Austin stepped in front of her.
“Congratulations, Captain,” he said.
Ryker slapped her tablet shut and stood in front of him. He moved to hug her, but she raised her hand. “Thank you.”
Austin frowned. “What is wrong?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head. “I think you better get down there. You don’t want to leave the Major waiting on your first flight out. Be safe.”
“Hey,” he said without thinking, “did you know about the promotion?”
She held his gaze a moment longer, the compassion gone from her face, replaced with a cold, hard devotion. And Austin knew this devotion wasn’t to him or even to herself—it was to her new command.
“Braddock let me know after we first boarded.” She clenched her jaw. Her eyes focused on the wall. “Be careful out there, Lieutenant.”
The words burned into his ears. “I will, Captain.”
She stared at the wings on his shoulder for a long moment. Her lips parted as if she was about to say something, but she cleared her throat and marched out of the room.
*****
The catwalk above the launch tubes smelled of oil and sulfur. A bright crimson light bathed everything in sight. Four ladders descended to Tridents tucked into their tubes. Austin had learned from the ship’s map downloaded to his quarters that the Formidable had four more identical launch tubes on the port side of the ship.
Braddock slapped him hard on the shoulder of his flight suit, nearly knocking Austin’s helmet from his hand. “You’re flying my wing today, Lieutenant. I don’t want any mistakes.”
“I appreciate the honor, sir.”
They marched side-by-side toward their ships. Their boots pounded along the steel grating. After rubbing his nose and clearing his throat, Braddock put on his helmet and locked it into place. He moved the face plate up above his head and fiddled with the sidearm at his belt.
“Don’t go getting a big head about it,” Braddock grumbled. “I haven’t flown into battle with many of these other Star Runners. Since you and I did so recently, it just felt right to kick off this tour with someone familiar.”
Austin frowned. How sweet, he thought.
“This is me,” Braddock said, swinging around the steel ladder and beginning his descent. “Get checked in. We’re right on schedule. Grease lykers have already prepped your bird—she’s ready to launch.”
“Copy,” Austin said, locking his helmet into place.
He stood above his Trident and gazed down at her. The wings folded above the fuselage and made the fighter seem smaller. The cockpit was open, and he could just make out the glow of the control board.
He felt a familiar twinge, a shiver running down his back.
He was about to fly again.
Austin hurried down the ladder, his boots clanging loudly above the already noisy launch tube. Gasses hissed around the Trident. Machinery rumbled, enclosing the area with a constant commotion as he settled into the cockpit.
“Hello, sweetness,” he whispered, touching the side of the fighter. He locked his flight suit into the onboard life support and felt the fresh air hiss into his helmet. The cool oxygen filled the suit around his body, immediately dispelling the stifling effects of being hot and sweaty inside the equipment. He placed his flight tablet into the port on his left and downloaded his flight plan. The coordinates appeared on his HUD when they loaded. He cycled through his preflight and closed the canopy. When the canopy whistled into place and locked, the sound from the launch tube disappeared.
Finally, he thought, back where I belong.
“Rock, Tiger,” Braddock’s voice blared into his ear. “Do you copy?”
Austin turned the internal volume down a bit. “Loud and clear, boss.”
“Good.” He cleared his throat. “Tower, this is Tiger. Requesting permission to launch.”
“Copy, Tiger,” a male voice hissed quickly. “You may launch when ready. Good hunting.”
“Roger,” Braddock responded. “After y
ou, Rock.”
Austin’s chest swelled. “Roger.”
He pushed his throttle forward. The power surged from his engines. The red numbers on his HUD counted down from three … two … one.
The launch tube lights dimmed. The force yanked him back in his seat, the lights flickering by his window. His helmet rocked. Within a second, the lights of the launch tube disappeared, replaced by the black of space. He got his bearings as the wings lowered into place and locked. The position lights blinked on the wings as he looked around.
Nothing distinguished the space around him.
No planets.
No nebula.
Nothing but the void.
He twisted his neck to see the carrier but it was no longer in view. It wasn’t much different than flying on the ocean floor around Atlantis, just quieter. He focused on his sensors to get his bearings.
“Rock, I’m on your six,” Braddock announced, his voice popping over the gamma wave. “I’ll let you take the lead. Head for our first patrol point.”
Austin eased into his seat. He flinched as a particle of space debris flashed off his forward shields but soon settled into the flight. The other Tridents launching for their patrols soon vanished from his sensors. The Formidable remained on his long-range sensors, but no other contacts appeared on his scope.
They were alone.
It took two hours of flying parallel to the Zahl-Legion border before they reached their destination. Austin’s mind wandered during the flight, his thoughts shifting from Mom and her debut voyage on the medical frigate to Skylar’s recent attitude toward him. His stomach turned when he thought of his friend, realizing he had hurt her.
But he thought mostly of Ryker. The promotion would reshape their relationship, but he knew it would work out. Despite the fact she was now a captain, he believed they would remain unaffected. They had something special, didn’t they?
He brought his attention back to what he was doing as the flight plan pinged on his HUD.
“Tiger, we are two-thousand MUs from The Fringe,” he said.
“Copy.”
“Roger.”
Austin peered out at deep space. Their trajectory had them flying parallel to the border and turning around just before they reached the point where Zahl and Legion space met The Fringe. Other than the instrumentation in his ship, there was nothing defining where Quadrant Four ended.
The scope pinged, startling him. A signal appeared on his long range sensors, originating from The Fringe and bearing down on Legion space.
“Tiger, Rock. I have something on my sensors.”
“I see it.”
Austin squinted. “I can’t get an ID. Should we investigate?”
Braddock grumbled. “That’s why we’re here.”
“Roger.”
His fingers tingled as he pushed forward on the throttle. His speed increased. The MUs to target dropped. Whatever had appeared on his sensors, it was a long way from nowhere. Just like them.
A familiar, uncomfortable feeling drifted over him. Fear. The creeping realization he was mortal. He had felt it when Nubern crashed into the ocean during the Battle of Atlantis.
He shook it away.
The distance to target decreased. Braddock fell into position behind him and to the right. A vague description popped up on his HUD.
“Tiger,” Austin transmitted, “it appears to be a mid-sized freighter of some kind. Origin unknown.”
“Maintain your track.” Braddock’s Trident increased its distance from Austin. “I’m giving you space. Keep your eyes open.”
“Roger.” Austin stared at his HUD. The freighter’s information poured onto the screen. “Looks like they’ve been through it, sir.”
“Repeat?”
Austin studied the incoming information. “The freighter’s been hit hard. I’m picking up a trail of gasses leaving the ship. They’ve been attacked.”
“Copy. Break radio silence and make contact. Let’em know we’re coming.”
“Roger.” Austin switched to his long-range gamma wave and activated his onboard translator. “Unidentified vessel, this is a Star Runner with the Legion Navy. Please respond.”
Austin repeated his message twice and was about to give up when the radio hissed.
“We hear you … Star Runner,” a female voice called. “I am confused. Who are you with now?”
Austin blinked. “Galactic Legion of Planets. I am a Star Runner, callsign ‘Rock.’ And you?”
“Galactic Legion of Planets,” she whispered. “Rock, I don’t understand.”
“And who are you with?” he asked, frowning.
“I’m with the space administration.”
“With who?”
“With who?” she repeated and paused. “I hail from Batral. I’m Jakara of the Batral Space Administration, the second generation onboard the Searcher, explorer flight.”
Austin frowned. He had never heard of any of what she transmitted. “Second generation?”
“Yes.”
Confused, Austin gave the incoming freighter a wide berth. In the distance off his port side, he saw a flash of light in the darkness of space. He gazed in the direction of the incoming freighter. “Do you need assistance, Jakara?”
“As a matter of fact, we do,” she said, relief coming into her tone. “Do you have the ability to render assistance?”
“Affirmative,” he said without thinking. The information coming from the freighter didn’t look good. “Can you explain your situation?”
“Yes. As I said, I am Captain of the Searcher with the Batral Space Administration. We are currently forty-two cycles into our mission to explore the stars and find a new home. For all that time, we have run into nothing to lead us to believe there is any other intelligent life in the universe until yesterday.”
Austin brought his Trident on a course leading to the rear of the freighter. “Proceed.”
“We were attacked … by a spirit of some kind. I know that might sound strange.”
Austin’s brow lowered. Great, he thought, they’re crazy. “Can you elaborate?”
“We are a generational ship launched from Batral to search out new life and a habitable planet for our people. My father launched this vessel when I was just a girl. Many onboard had started to believe we were destined to wander the galaxy alone. All of a sudden, something came out of nowhere—invisible to our sensors. It fired on us, nearly destroying our engines. We have many wounded and require assistance.”
“I copy.” He brought his Trident to one-thousand MUs behind the freighter. “Stand by.”
Austin killed the transmission. Did she say forty-two cycles on a ship—a generational ship? He had heard of deep space travel and how different spacers over the years had traversed the stars. Out of all of them, a generational ship had seemed the least appealing to him. But what in the world would attack a defenseless exploration vessel from a dark world?
“I’ve contacted the Formidable,” Braddock said without delay. “We are to stay here until she arrives.”
“Roger.” Austin frowned at the freighter limping in the distance. “Who would have fired on this vessel? They don’t even have any defenses onboard.”
“I don’t know.” Braddock sighed. “Rock, have them power down and await the Formidable.”
Austin did as instructed.
The Tridents came to a stop in a flanking position on either side of the Searcher. Austin stared at the otherworldly vessel that looked like several compartments attached in no discernible fashion. An immense ring-shaped compartment protruded from the center of the ship and turned slowly. Laser burns blackened the hull in multiple locations. Near the aft section of the ship, a white cloud of gasses discharged from a hole in the hull.
He marveled at the fact this makeshift vessel had been in space for what he assumed meant more than forty years. This world, Batral, must be a dark world like Earth located somewhere within The Fringe. Without curve technology or even the Lutimite Drive of the Zah
l Empire, it would take years to travel between habitable quadrants. But, again, who would want to attack a nearly worthless vessel in the middle of nowhere?
His scope pinged. “Tiger, Rock. You see this?”
“Standby,” Braddock said. “I have two incoming vessels, coming in hard on this position from The Fringe. Let me verify.”
“Roger,” Austin said. He ran a sensor sweep of the Searcher. More than two-hundred souls on board.
“I’m reading no transponders on these bogeys,” Braddock said, his voice laced with concern. “Formidable’s still an hour out waiting to retrieve the other patrolling Tridents.”
“What do we do?”
Braddock paused. Austin stared at the helpless ship, his fingers resting on the stick.
“I’m sending an update to the Formidable,” he said, his voice sounding distant. “Fire up your engines and get ready to engage.”
Austin’s pulse quickened. “Who are they, sir?”
“Vultures, pirates—doesn’t matter. We have to protect them. They are too close to our space and too helpless.”
“Roger.” Austin armed his missiles and checked his power distribution levels to the lasers. “Whenever you’re ready, sir.”
“I’m taking the lead.”
“Roger.”
Austin warmed up his engines, easing more power to the throttle. He pulled into position on Braddock’s wing. He kept an eye on the sensors. The two incoming bogeys spread out, coming in fast toward the Searcher.
“They’re spreading out,” Austin transmitted. “Looks like three-thousand MUs between them.”
“I see it. Let me see if I can scare’em off.” After a pause, Braddock transmitted in the open. “Unidentified craft, you are entering a Legion zone of operation. Please slow and identify.”
No response.
Austin swallowed, wondering where the two bogeys had originated. The Fringe was known to be a hodgepodge of dark worlds and small system fiefdoms dominated by ruthless warlords and aspiring conquerors. Details of The Fringe had been sparse in his studies, but it was an area of space the Legion devoted much time to exploring and understanding.