Escape Velocity (The Black Star Chronicles Book 1)

by E. P. Wyck

  “Listen up!” Kali shouted over the din of everybody working, “You are all doing great work. We’ve just finished the highest platform and can reach all of the pods! Great work!”

  Applause and cheering filled the room, and heavy hearts began to have hope that their friends and family would emerge from stasis safe and sound.

  An explosion echoed through the stasis storage room. Alarms sounded. People cried out in pain. The deafening sound caused everyone’s ears to ring. The pods rotated, moving some of them up to the stasis platform for automatic wake up.

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  “What happened?” Ryn shouted to the person next to him.

  “HUH?” Despite standing next to each other, they couldn’t hear what the other one said.

  Ryn looked around, trying to figure out what happened. Foul smelling smoke floated around the room, masking most of the room from view.

  “Where is Kali?” Ryn shouted to another person near him.

  “What?” they yelled back. Ringing in the ears continued to cause problems with people communicating.

  After several minutes the smoke thinned, and the ringing began to subside. “Has anybody seen Kali?” Ryn called out.

  “She was on the platform!” someone called.

  Ryn made his way over to the platform. As he approached the collapsed platform he feared the worst. “Kali!” Ryn called out looking for her.

  The ringing in Ryn’s ears finally subsided. He blinked through the fading smoke as he climbed over debris from the platform. Through the clearing smoke, Ryn saw disfigured bodies.

  He checked for signs of life and found none in the first four bodies he checked. He called, “Kali where are you?” again and again. His heart raced searching for the young Seraphim who promised to keep him safe.

  Scrambling through the debris, he often lost his grip or footing causing him to bang a knee, or scrape a hand. He didn’t care, he continued his search.

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  The initial shock of the blast turned to hysteria as people realized the massive loss of life. Ryn tried to tune out the cries and focus on finding Kali. “Kali!” he screamed.

  No matter how many times he called her name she didn’t answer. He scoured through every part of the debris he could reach or see. Nothing. No sight of Kali anywhere.

  Ryn sat atop a mountain of mangled metal which previously made up the platform to rescue the people in stasis. He watched the frantic scene below.

  Medical staff rushed to provide care to those with injuries. They covered the deceased with blankets. Security escorted others from the room. Ryn’s head dropped into his hands.

  He tried to blink away the tears. He tried not to think about a young Seraphim who became a surrogate daughter to him. Sobs surged from deep within, and he couldn’t hold back. He cried thinking, what if he lost more of his crew? What if he lost his own son?

  Nikon called his name from below, “Ryn?” He didn’t respond. His voice didn’t register. “Ryn!” he yelled louder. He wiped his eyes and blinked, trying to clear his vision before he looked toward the sound of his name.

  “What do we do?” Nikon called up to him.

  He took some deep breaths to steady his voice before shouting, “I am not sure, I’ll be down soon. Get our crew together.”

  “OK!” Nikon shouted at him.

  He started composing himself and moving off the debris. He slipped and caught himself before he fell. He moved further down and finally stood on the deck.

  He turned and almost tripped over the remains of Royce, who had worked so hard to save so many. He saved Ryn’s life, and now he had given his life.

  Ryn knew he needed to talk to his crew, but his emotions barely stayed below the surface. He followed the instructions of a security guard to head toward the exit. A medic approached him, and he declined medical attention with the wave of a hand. Entering the cargo bay felt like stepping from one world to another.

  He made his way up to the deck where Nikon should have their crew gathered. When he entered the room, he felt some relief at the fact that all of his male subordinates waited for him.

  “I think Kali is dead,” Ryn said, slumping into a chair. He looked across the room again, double checking. He still didn’t know if he could trust what he saw. After his second look, he decided he believed they survived.

  “What do we do, Dominus?” Jaxon asked.

  “I don’t know. The damage has been done. We have to pick up the pieces now,” Ryn said.

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  Bruce and his team searched through the rubble with the medics. They hoped to find any signs of life. So far, they managed to pull one severely injured person out of the debris.

  They used thermal scanners looking for anything that may indicate a living Empyrean. “I think I have something here,” one of his guards called.

  Bruce made his way over. “That looks way too warm to be a person.”

  “Maybe it’s hot spot. We need to either rescue someone or put it out,” he said.

  “You’re right,” Bruce said. “I need everyone over here.” He waited for them to gather, “We have a hot spot detected. It is either a person or something we need to extinguish.”

  “What do you need us to do?” someone asked.

  “We have to move this debris until we get to it. Let's get to work.”

  Bruce and the others started moving twisted metal, broken stasis pods, and Empyrean remains out of the way. They passed debris from person to person. They worked without a break for two hours.

  They worked from the top of the rubble to ensure it didn’t destabilize and cause additional injuries. As they came across the dead, they carefully retrieved them and placed them with other decedents.

  Eventually, they had 27 dead lined up and covered with blankets. They removed the remaining rubble and uncovered the body of Kali.

  “Woah,” Bruce said, watching her mangled frame contort back to normal. Seconds passed, and she looked whole again. Suddenly her back arched and she took a deep breath.

  She sat straight up. “What happened?” Kali said.

  “How is this possible?” one of them asked.

  “That’s not possible,” another said.

  “I said, what happened?” Kali asked

  Bruce just stared at her. Blood covered her clothes, too much blood pooled around her. “I don’t believe it. Why don’t you guys go take a break?”

  “I am not going anywhere until I get an explanation,” one of them said.

  “I agree.”

  “Fine,” Kali said standing up. They backed away as though she would contaminate them. “I have some experimental medical tech embedded within me. I don’t know everything about it, but as you saw it heals me.”

  “Understatement of the year right there.”

  “I shared, your turn,” Kali said, looking at Bruce.

  “I, um, uh, we aren’t,” he stuttered.

  “Calm down. It’s ok. What happened?” Kali said.

  “An explosion. All of a sudden, it just blew,” Bruce said as he pointed to the control panel that had been rigged with explosives. “I am sorry, but I think they’re all dead.”

  Kali looked at the pods above her and couldn’t tell. She said, “Where is Royce?”

  “He’s dead, Commander,” Bruce said, starting to regain his composure. He continued to stare at her, not sure to believe his eyes.

  Kali stepped forward, and they all moved out of her way. Bruce followed her and said, “Where are you going, Commander?”

  “To find who did this,” she yelled over her shoulder, walking out of the storage room.

  _ _ _

  Kali walked into the holding area for the women who stayed out of stasis. Her gory appearance caused many of them to gasp. She stopped a few steps inside of the door.

  “I expect answers, and I want them now!” Kali said. “I was just pulled from deep inside of the debris. Whoever rigged the stasis controls better come forward now!”

  The r
oom remained silent. “Males and females are among the dead. Chances are half of the crew of the Dawnbreaker are lost.”

  Aleksandra pushed her way through the crowd. “What do you mean, half of the crew?”

  “I mean there are pods still with people in them. The explosives went off. They’re likely dead. Chances of recovery are slim to none. Especially with Royce dead,” Kali said.

  “I expect to be allowed to survey the damage,” Aleksandra said.

  “Not until we have who did this,” Kali said.

  “I am not waiting!” Aleksandra shouted at Kali.

  “Then I suggest you help me find who did it. I am not letting anyone out of this room until I know who was responsible,” Kali said.

  “I am not asking. I am telling you, little bird,” Aleksandra said.

  “It doesn’t work that way. I am Commander of the Dawnbreaker, and you will obey me!” Kali said, stepping within centimeters of Aleksandra.

  She looked down at Kali and said, “Oh, is that right, little bird? Let's see about that.” She moved to attack Kali and Novalie grabbed her from behind. Several other female Seraphim joined her.

  Kali stood her ground without a flinch. “Thank you, ladies. I think you’ll see the tide has turned, Aleksandra. This is the last time I am asking. Who is responsible?”

  The room remained silent with the sole exception of the struggles between Aleksandra and those who restrained her. Kali walked out. “Seal the door, no one in or out,” she said to the guard.

  Kali went to the brig. She expected to find Bruce. She called him to meet her there. After a few minutes, he arrived.

  “Commander?”

  “We’re going to get to the bottom of this. I want you to bring in our females in holding, and that submission device we have is going to get them to talk,” Kali said.

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea commander,” Bruce said.

  “I didn’t ask. That’s an order!” Kali shouted.

  “Yes, Commander,” Bruce said. He left, and a few minutes later he returned with one of the women from the room. He deposited her into an interrogation room.

  Kali used the intercom and said, “You have one chance to give me information.”

  “I don’t know anything,” the woman said.

  “Hit it, Bruce,” Kali said, after only a couple of seconds she held her hand up and said through the intercom, “That’s a taste. Tell me what you know.”

  “I would, but I don’t know anything! Please don’t!”

  Kali nodded to Bruce who flipped the submission device switch. The woman fell and held her ears. Tears started to pour from her eyes. Kali nodded at Bruce again.

  “Are you ready to talk now?” Kali said.

  “If this is what you’ve become, I want no part of it.” The woman backed into a corner and curled up into a ball.

  “Commander, she would have talked if she knew anything,” Bruce said.

  Kali thought for a moment. “You’re right. Put her in the brig and get another.”

  Bruce followed her orders. Woman after woman the process repeated. Instead of returning them to the holding area Kali filled the brig with them.

  They soon only had a few remaining women to torture. The process took its toll on Bruce. Kali noticed he moved slower and talked less after a while.

  “Bruce, I know you enjoy your flirtations; however, you have to understand we need to get to the bottom of this,” Kali said.

  “But at what cost, Commander?” Bruce said, “Any, and I mean any respect you may have had with them is gone.”

  “I know. I am sorry about that. I am, but I am beyond done with the gendercide and everything that it is becoming,” Kali said.

  “I don’t know if your means justifies the ends here, though,” Bruce said.

  “Maybe. I can’t risk that. I’ve seen it firsthand. Many times. I am sick of it. Other people are sick of it too,” Kali said.

  “I am not doing this anymore. You can’t make me. It is too…” Bruce paused, “callous.” He walked away.

  Kali knew if she called after him it would do her no good. She had to think of another plan. She went back to the brig and opened all of the intercoms.

  “What do you want?” a woman spat on the glass at her.

  “Here to torture us some more?”

  “What? Didn’t get what you’re looking for?”

  “I know you are all angry. You have every right to be. You must understand as a crew we have to figure this out. I don’t enjoy putting you through it. If I wanted to, I could have kept going. I never put any of you through more than three cycles,” Kali said.

  “Oh, that’s supposed to make us feel better? We were only tortured a little?”

  “No. You have to understand. What would you have done in my position?” Kali asked.

  “Not this!”

  “No, I am serious. I am looking for suggestions,” Kali said.

  The women looked at each other in surprise. They didn’t know what to expect. Finally, one of them broke the silence, “I would release everybody. Assign them a male escort. Keep track of the roster. Nobody goes anywhere alone. If the male ends up dead, we know who it was.”

  “That’s asking every male aboard to risk their life,” Kali said.

  “You said it yourself. They’re already at risk.”

  “What is it going to be, Commander?” another asked.

  “I know I am tired of being here,” said someone else.

  “Why not let us out?”

  “I don’t want any other lives lost. We can’t, as a crew, afford it. We are probably down to half strength, and that is the best estimate,” Kali said.

  “Well with us in here you’re down a lot more.”

  “She’s right, and you know it.”

  “Plus, we have a lot of work to do with the research team.”

  “Why do you even need a warship? Nobody is going to come here,” another said.

  “Because Ryn doesn’t trust the gendercide to send somebody after us,” Kali said.

  “Well, it looks like they did anyway. They got a free ride aboard the Dawnbreaker.”

  Kali sighed. She didn’t like it, but she knew she had to release them. “I am going establish a roster like you said. I’ll release you once it is established. You have to wait here.”

  They moaned but, it didn’t stop her. Kali made her way to bridge. When she got there, she made a ship wide announcement.

  “This is the Commander. I need every section leader to report to the bridge. I also need Ryn to report here. That is all.” She cut the intercom and waited.

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  Novalie and Aleksandra waited in the room with another Seraphim. For too long the room stayed quiet.

  “What is she doing?” Aleksandra asked.

  “Why do you think I know?” Nova said.

  “Because she is your friend,” Aleksandra said.

  “Don’t think that means I know how she works. I’ve barely known her seven months.”

  “You must have some insights.”

  “Well for starters she probably flipped the switch and resorted to her old ways. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s hurt or killed some of them,” Nova said.

  “If she’s killed any of my crew, I’ll kill her myself!” Aleksandra said.

  “I know you feel that way but did you see her?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She was covered in blood.”

  “So, she could have been covered while helping the wounded. She didn’t have a scratch on her.”

  “Her clothes were ripped, and she didn’t seem too happy,” Nova said.

  “What are you saying, she somehow got better?” Aleksandra said, “After sustaining those massive injuries?”

  “I’ve seen stranger things. Like a Razian Commander give her ship up to a half-breed,” Nova said.

  “Fair enough. What do you think happened down there?”

  “I am not sure but whatever it was made Kali fo
rget the person she had become during this trip.”

  “Who had she become?”

  “You saw it. You wouldn’t have given her the Dawnbreaker if you hadn’t. She’d become a brilliant woman who had epic parents. They have to be hard acts to follow. I can only guess that she really looked up to her father.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. I mean her father was probably the best leader I ever followed. I just can’t quite believe that she’d come so far to let it go again.”

  “You know how it is. Old habits die hard. That’s why we work so hard to build the right habits the first time. For decades, she has been on her own hunting gendercide fanatics.”

  “Yeah, and nobody told her she was doing the wrong thing. It isn’t her place to do that. We have systems in place to fix that.”

  “But those things aren't fixing it, and that is what Kali saw. That’s why she did her own thing. She truly believes, no matter how outlandish, the gendercide goes all the way to the TriMax.”

  “But her mother is on the TriMax.”

  “Maybe now you know why she distanced herself from her mother. But the thing is she told me she wanted to reconcile with her.”

  “Really? That can’t be. That’s like the feud of the whole species. Kali and Genevieve,” Aleksandra said.

  “So, before today we had a Kali who wanted to get right with her mother, stop killing people, and become the child of her parents? How did this happen?”

  “Somebody killed people she cared about,” Nova said. “I am almost certain she will want to fix things with her mother, but I can’t say on the other things.”

  “Well, it seemed like she and that scientist were close. Hopefully, he lived. He may be able to pull her back to reality.”

  “I hope so. If she lost him, we’re all doomed.”

  Kali walked in and told the guards to escort everybody but Nova and Aleksandra to the brig. She waited for them to leave before she talked again.

  “Aleks, Nova. I am going to need your help. I’ve done some pretty unforgivable things,” Kali said.

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