by L. E. Thomas
Ryker nodded. “I see.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand, Captain. Sometimes he disappears. This isn’t that big of a ship. I know our systems were hacked at the Ramelle and might be monitored. He’s seemed worse since that moment. Do you think that has anything to do with this?”
Ryker frowned. “No, I don’t think so. Commander Horace hasn’t said anything more about our internal communications being monitored.”
“Has he been undergoing any additional training that would make him seem so distant?”
Ryker shrugged. “This has been a difficult time for all of us.”
“But I know him.” She looked at her with pleading eyes. “This isn’t like him.”
Ryker stared at her. Skylar had, in fact, known Austin longer than she had. When they first arrived on Tarton’s Junction, Ryker had at first assumed Skylar and Austin had been a couple. They often conversed after class and ate together in the mess hall. Ryker had seen them running together. It wasn’t until Austin showed interest in her that she realize the two of them were just friends.
Austin had seemed different in recent weeks, but Ryker had tried to assume she had been projecting her feelings on him. She didn’t want to worry Skylar more by admitting she had noticed a difference in Austin. A good commanding officer wouldn’t display such weakness.
“What should I do about this?” she finally asked. “I don’t understand.”
“If he was undergoing some kind of extra training,” Skylar said, “I wanted you to ease off a bit. He’s so focused, so intense. I think he’s going to snap. He’s had other issues going on here, personal ones, and you mix that with the fact he went toe-to-toe with the Wraith a couple months after he fought pirates on Earth and I think he’s at a breaking point. I’m worried he’s going to get himself killed.”
Ryker listened, taking it all in. She had read all the reports of the Battle of Atlantis, listened to the few words Austin had said about the ordeal during their time on Oma. Being in a hot zone directly following flight training, seeing comrades killed in action, is nothing to take lightly. But the reports had been more interesting than she had expected.
By all accounts, Austin should have been shot down. He had been extremely outnumbered, and the Tyral Pirates had been well supplied. Other Star Runners had been shot down in the skies above Atlantis. Even Jonathan Nubern had been bested by the Tyral Pirate mob. She had not wanted to tell him this because she didn’t want to worry him more, but she was amazed he had survived. Even with the help of the local Earth fighters, Austin had to be an even better Star Runner than she had expected to survive.
From the miraculous performance during the Battle of Atlantis, Austin had gone directly on his first tour and faced off against the Wraith. He might not know it, but he had been through more in less time than any Star Runner she had ever known.
“I appreciate you coming to see me,” she said. “I really do. I’ll see if I can talk to him and try to ease the pressure a bit. I can assure you he is not involved in any extra training or anything more than the rest of the thirty-second.”
Skylar stared at her. “He’s been through a lot, Captain.”
“I know that.”
Skylar held her gaze. “Just make sure he’s okay. That’s all I’m saying. He listens to you. He always has.”
Her face warming, Ryker nodded. “I will. Anything else, Lieutenant?”
“That’s all, Captain.”
“Very well. We’re heading out to patrol some hot spots in the morning. Get some sleep. I will see you at your briefing.” They looked at each other for a long moment. Ryker hesitated and smiled. “Stay frosty.”
For the first time since entering the quarters, Skylar smiled. “Yes, Captain. You, too.”
“This is Scorpion, flight heading for Echo Point,” Captain Ryker Zyan transmitted, reclining into the cockpit seat. “ETA twenty-five.”
“Copy, Scorpion,” the Formidable shot back. “Good hunting.”
For today’s patrol, Echo Point was the Binus Moon located twenty-thousand MUs from their curve entry point. Four flights of four Tridents each had launched from the Formidable with the hopes of seeking out recent marauder activity and freeing this distant Legion star system from the scourge of piracy spilling over from The Fringe. Major Braddock had wanted this accomplished by the end of the week before the Formidable would inevitably reassign to the Zahl-Legion border.
Marauders would appear from the wilds of The Fringe, materializing from the depths of deep space for hit and run attacks before slipping away once again. These scavengers would use stunners to disable helpless ships and then rip them apart for materials. They were the plague trying to infect all Legion worlds on the border of civilized space, requiring a constant vigil the Legion navy struggled to provide. Over the years, Ryker had taken down her share of scum from The Fringe—six bandits in total—but they always seemed to keep coming. If anything, her patrols on the edge of The Fringe had reminded her why civilization was so important. Without the Legion Navy, civilized space would devolve into a lawless pit of chaos just like The Fringe.
She glanced over both shoulders. Off to her left, Austin flew in formation with Skylar. Much closer on her right, Brylee “Curly” Robin remained in a perfect position on the wing.
“Let’s do this by the book, everyone,” Ryker said, switching to the short-range gamma wave. “Keep your eyes on those sensors. Rock, take Cheetah on your pattern. Curly and I will start ours. Report any activity and check in. I don’t want any of these scumbags surprising us today.”
“Copy, Scorpion,” Austin said, his tone icy and without expression. “Beginning our patrol.”
Ryker watched Austin’s Trident break off to head for his patrol coordinates, Skylar’s Trident following closely behind.
“Curly, it’s you and me,” Ryker said. “Let’s do this. Keep your eyes open.”
“Stay frosty,” Brylee said. “Right, Cap?”
Ryker smiled. Brylee had been one of the younger Star Runners on board the Formidable. Whether Austin knew it or not, most of the Star Runners on board had grown to admire him as the stories of his accomplishments had grown into myth. This was obvious by the amount of Star Runners now using his “stay frosty” comment. Being excited and nervous about her first tour, Brylee was no different.
“That’s right,” she said. “‘Stay frosty.’”
Ryker eased into her flight path, leading Brylee toward the Binus Moon, Towlad, while Austin and Skylar patrolled their coordinates in deep space. The ringed fireball gas giant of Binus floated off to her right, filling up an enormous portion of the nearby space. After several weeks of dealing with the threat of the Wraith and the rumors of war they had been ordered to ignore or suppress, Ryker longed for space exploration. Her eyes glazed over as she stared at the gas giant, wondering about the secrets held below the cloudy surface of Binus.
Back on Lian, the endless conflict had made her callous, uncaring about the ravages of war. When she joined the Legion, her superiors were often complimentary about her cool nature under fire and her emotionless way of dispatching her enemies. What she had never told anyone, what she would never have admitted to her comrades or her commanding officers, was that she had grown weary of the fighting. But her skills had her thrust into the hottest spots of Legion territory early in her career.
The first time she saw the legendary Tizona and received her wings, she realized the wonders human beings could create. She longed for the days when flying among the stars would mean exploration and discovery, not destruction. She wanted to help chart the cosmos, not destroy other spacecraft.
She let her gaze grow unfocused, dreaming of the possibility of exploration. Austin could go with her, use his flight talents for something more than battle, more than war.
Binus seemed to pulsate in the distance, calling to her. If only there were time to use the Trident’s sensors for exploration, not seeking out a random marauder threat from The Fringe.
She sighed, correcting her course and veering toward the moon of Towlad.
Maybe someday.
Twenty minutes later, they reached the moon’s orbit. She scanned the moon’s surface, searching to confirm or deny the rumor Braddock had mentioned about the rocky surface containing a hidden pirate base. A few minutes later, the scan came back inconclusive.
“Tower, Scorpion,” she said using the long-range gamma wave. “Initial scans show zero activity down there. Request instructions?”
After a pause, the transmission resumed. “Copy, Scorpion. Move in for closer inspection. Command wants us to be sure. Over.”
“Roger.” Ryker switched to short range. “Rock, Cheetah, we’re going in for a closer look. We’ll be on the dark side of the moon for no more than five minutes. Maintain your patrol. Will contact you when able.”
“Copy, Scorpion,” Austin said. “Be careful.”
“Copy. Curly, you ready?”
“Always, Cap. Right on your wing.”
“Good. Follow me in. We’ll level out at two-thousand MUs.”
The Tridents passed into the moon’s orbit, the fighters bouncing through the Towlad’s gravitational pull. Ryker had the sensors sweeping at their full capacity, sending electronic pulses across the moon’s surface. As they passed around the far side of the moon, Austin and Skylar disappeared from her HUD as the rocky surface blocked their signals.
“You still with me, Curly?” Ryker said, checking her sensors.
“Right here.”
“Good. Sending you a course correction. Follow me through the nav beacons.”
“Right with you, Cap.”
Ryker increased her altitude from the moon’s surface, allowing her sensors to sweep over a mountain range perfect for hiding a subterranean pirate base. The sensors resulted in nothing. No pirate activity or space craft of any kind. Looks like the rumors of the Binus System pirate base were just that—rumors.
She sighed and pulled up, ascending away from the pull of the Binus moon. A quick check of the sensors showed Brylee tucked in right behind her. The two Tridents flew in tight formation, making their way around the dark moon. Ryker glanced at the mountainous surface rapidly falling behind them, wondering idly of the history of this rock in space.
“—Too close. Break right!”
The abrupt audible explosion blasted through her ear piece. Ryker flinched, wondering at first where the sounds had originated.
“Watch your back, Rock!” Skylar’s voice penetrated through the static. “Three on your tail.”
“I’ve got them,” Austin shot back. “They’re all over me!”
Ryker felt a tingle at the back of her neck. “Rock, Cheetah, report in.”
“Scorpion, Cheetah. A band of marauders appeared on our patrol route, coming in hard on modified fighters. They suddenly came into view and went straight for Rock as if they knew we were coming.”
Ryker’s gut twisted. “On our way.”
“Hurry!”
Ryker pulled power from her shields, transferring all she could manage into her engines. “Curly, divert power to the engines. Let’s get moving. They need us.”
“Copy, Cap.”
In the distance, the darkness of space flashed with laser fire. The engines rumbled to life as she increased speed, the vibrations rattling her seat. The forward shield flashed violently as a piece of space debris vaporized.
Ryker stared at her long range sensors. “Tower, Scorpion. We have engaged four bogeys in patrol sector six. Request backup.”
“Copy, Scorpion. Launching alert fighters.”
With Austin still out of sight in the darkness of space, Ryker watched the sensors display his evasive maneuvers as the three Trident marauders unleashed a barrage of deadly laser fire, filling the black with gleaming flashes of red. The remaining bogey drove Skylar away from the battle, firing lasers and missiles.
“I’m hit!” Austin yelled loud enough to cause static over the gamma wave.
Ryker’s throat constricted. Icy fingers gripped her heart. “Rock, hang on. I’m nearly there!”
“There’s too many of them,” he snapped. “They’re too good!”
Ryker leaned forward in her seat, the three fighters on Austin’s tail beginning to take shape in the darkness. The fighters were flat and saucer-shaped, similar to the original Zahlian fighters but highly modified. An impressive arsenal of lasers and missiles bristled from beneath the wings. Her targeting computer searched for a lock on the closest marauder. “Curly, break off and get that bandit off Cheetah. I’ve got Rock.”
“Copy, Cap. On my way.”
Brylee’s Trident disappeared from her wing, scrambling off to save Skylar. Turning her attention away from the sensors, Ryker focused on her HUD and the targeting computer trying to get a lock on the nearest marauder pursuing Austin’s Trident. The moment her crosshairs touched the bandit, he launched into a deep dive away from the pursuit. In a split second, Ryker decided to chase the fleeing marauder. Her crosshairs blinked yellow as she stayed on the enemy.
Two more seconds.
The crosshairs burned a blood red, the familiar high-pitched wail of a missile lock filling the air. She squeezed the trigger, watching as the missile blasted from beneath her wing toward the enemy. Trusting in the missile’s capability, she pulled up to head back toward Austin’s remaining attackers. Three seconds later, the locked enemy disappeared from her scope.
“Rock, one down.”
“Rear shields gone,” Austin said. “Just took a direct hit to my rear engines. Stunner’s fried my controls.”
“Hang in there,” Ryker said, pulling back on the stick to bear down on the remaining marauders pursuing Austin. “I’ve got them in my sights.”
Laser blasts pummeled the rear of Austin’s Trident. His fighter spun out of control, twisting and spiraling as the marauders moved in close for the kill.
“Too late!” Austin yelled. “I’m hit again … an’t hold … unching out!”
Ryker’s eyes widened as the broken transmission filled her ears. “Rock, Scorpion, I’m right behind—”
“I can’t—”
The gamma wave went silent.
Ryker swallowed. “Rock, Scorpion. Do you copy? Rock.” She blinked. “Rock?”
The two marauders broke formation, heading off in different directions. Austin’s Trident, powerless and sparkling as it tumbled through space, remained in front of her. A powerless escape pod spun away from the Trident.
Austin.
“Scorpion, Tower.” She heard the gamma wave crackling as if from a far distance. “Report in. We lost a signal. Alert fighters are en route.”
Austin.
Her stomach rolled. Her eyes watered. It had happened. After countless close calls in and out of the Trident cockpit, Austin’s incredible good fortune had come to an end.
Using her sensors, she checked the powerless escape pod. No life signs. No power. He was gone.
And she had never told him anything.
No, she thought, this is not how this would end.
“Tower, Scorpion. Trident down. Request medical Karda ASAP on my current position.” She watched the dark escape pod pass her canopy, then pulled the stick toward the fleeing marauders. “Remaining bogeys are trying to make a run for it.”
Clenching her teeth, Ryker set a course to pursue the closest marauder. Through watery eyes, she bounced the crosshairs over her target. The crosshairs blinked yellow, but the bandits activated their Lutimite Drive and fled the scene.
No pillaging or scavenging their kills. They showed up like predators from the dark.
Austin.
“Do you have an ETA on that Karda?” Ryker asked, her voice cracking with the last word.
“Scorpion, Tower. Karda’s en route to your position. Maintain a patrol around the area.”
She closed her eyes, pursed her lips. “Copy,” she whispered.
“Scorpion, Cheetah,” Skylar said over the gamma wave, her voice breathless
. “Where’s Rock?”
Ryker hesitated. “He’s gone.”
“Gone?” She paused. “Where?”
Ryker looked up at the stars, then turned to stare at Binus. “Set up a perimeter patrol around the escape pod,” she whispered. “We are waiting for the Karda.”
“What?” Skylar whispered. “Where … is he?”
Ryker frowned, banking to stare at the powerless escape pod she was unable to assist. “Maintain radio silence, Cheetah.”
Skylar’s voice cracked before the transmission ended.
Ryker stared out at the empty space, her mind struggling to catch up with what just happened. Was it possible? Everything had transpired so quickly. Austin was in trouble before she could react. She knew battles occurred with a speed difficult to comprehend, but this time was different.
She slumped over her controls, the emotions taking over. Reaching forward, she shut down her transmissions. She needed a moment.
This time, she lost the only man she had ever loved. She lifted the helmet’s visor and placed her hand on her face. Closing her eyes, she pictured Austin’s face. She would never see him again.
In the solace of her Trident, Ryker wept.
*****
The Formidable’s hangar bay doors crept across their path. Ryker leaned back in her cockpit, feeling the sweat in her flight suit. The medical Karda had retrieved the escape pod … Austin’s escape pod. She and Skylar had escorted the Karda back to the Formidable while the other Star Runners remained to guard the retrieval operation of Austin’s Trident. Ryker had landed adjacent to Skylar, saw her gaze fixated on the medical Karda containing Austin’s escape pod.
Please be all right. Please make it, Austin.
But she knew the truth. The escape pod had no power, which meant there was no life support. Fifteen minutes had passed since Austin’s Trident had been shot down. That meant Austin had been without air for … too long.
The hangar bay door shut, the interior lighting shifting immediately from a crimson to a fluorescent white. Skylar’s canopy opened just before the hangar had secured. She pushed it open, forcing her way out of the Trident. Before Ryker had even removed her flight restraints, Skylar sprinted across the flight deck toward Austin’s Karda, dropping her helmet. She halted in front of the Karda’s door, pounding her fists on the hatch.