Dawes. The marine who claimed to hate the Empire and everything it stood for, had saved Hosque. For all his bluster, the marine’s bark truly was worse than his bite. The Fleet had lost a great soldier. And Aaron had lost another of his crew. His eyes burned even as he saw the rest approaching.
Rachael and Flaps disembarked another nearby shuttle.
“Where’s Lee, Commander?” Flaps asked.
“They’re working on him now. He took a pulse blast to the arm.”
Aaron relayed the rest of what happened inside the palace.
“What now?” Avery asked.
Aaron gazed up towards the skyline. “That is up to the politicians and bureaucrats. We only fight their battles for them. After we’ve won or loss, they talk about it for years to come.
“I don’t see a way out of this. It’s like we’ll both seal our borders, ramp up war production and someday clash, or someday never.”
Aaron wasn’t sure he cared right now.
Chapter 41-Unite the Frontier
“I never jumped from an actual aircraft before” –Yuri Miroslav
Earth
Four weeks later
No one believed it. Least of all Aaron Rayne. Immediately following the battle of Hosque they’d returned to USS space aboard a high-speed courier. No one said anything. Shepherd had no orders for him. He put the entire surviving crew of Endeavor and Phoenix on leave—simply told them to enjoy the downtime.
Enjoy? They returned to Earth under the shadow of war. The height of tension. An attack on Earth, an Imperial rebellion short-lived as it were, and he told them enjoy.
Aaron did as ordered. He enjoyed. There was one person who could make him forget the things that seemed to be the most part of him.
Rachael. She was here with him.
The first order of business on returning was Lee. This time around, the procedure was more complicated than Max would admit. He had to remove the remains of a bionic arm instead of a flesh one, and he hoped to attach a new arm. The complication was whether the doctor could repair the damaged nerves sufficiently to interface with a new arm.
The arm had saved Lee’s life by absorbing most of the blast, but it also left some residual damage to his nervous system. Max did his best, working with the best neurological surgeons to repair that damage.
The surgery on both counts was successful. After three days, Lee’s body fully interfaced with his new arm. Although he hadn’t quite got the hang of using his new limb yet. Lee still crushed the occasional glass or hit something too hard. Destroyed a console.
Now, they soared a mile above the Earth.
Neither of them had done this before, except Aaron’s HALO jump above Velon-1 and their simulated training. He’d promised himself never again. Ah well, just another broken promise.
The light inside the atmosphere jet flashed. It was time to jump.
A hand slapped his shoulder, Flaps stepped up. “Commander! This is going to be awesome! All the time I’ve spent flying, I never jumped from an actual aircraft before, inside the atmosphere!”
Aaron couldn’t tear his gaze away from the distant surface. “I’ll tell you what I told the lieutenant. Don’t look so happy about it. I’ll find something you people hate to do, and I’ll order you to do it.”
Lee stepped up to the jump point and grabbed the overhead bar. He nudged Aaron. “You can hold Rachael’s hand when we jump if it makes you feel better!”
Aaron regarded his lieutenant. “Lee, we just fixed you up. It wouldn’t bode well to knock you out and toss you out of this death trap now would it.”
Stepping up, Max laughed at that. “Death trap you call it? No more a death trap than the flying tin-cans you love so much.”
The pilot’s voice came over the comm. “Prepare to jump.”
Aaron’s handheld chirped. The Supreme Commander was calling on an emergency frequency.
He answered it—with haste gusto.
“Sir?”
“Rayne! Have you been hiding again? I’ve been pinging your handheld. At least this time you have it with you. I sent some people to look for you.”
A sonic boom reverberated outside the craft.
“Yes, that would be them. They will escort you to the USS Assembly—immediately Rayne. Not five minutes from now. Not one week from now—immediately.”
Aaron acknowledged and closed the link. The SC sent him on leave . . . so why was he complaining about Aaron being unavailable?
Aaron donned his best, feigned, sad face. “I’m sorry, people. This jump will have to wait for another day. I have orders to report to the assembly. Since I don’t go anywhere without my crew, that means you’re all coming with me.”
Resignation, disappoint and sighs all around.
“Pilot, turn this craft around. Take us to USS General Assembly.”
This was the first time he’d ever appreciated Shepherd’s sense of urgency.
What had happened?
***
Their aircraft touched down without incident. The turbulence almost made Aaron sick. Only extreme amounts of pride aided him to keep it together. Aaron made sure he collected his stomach from his throat and disembarked.
Shepherd’s adjutant met them on the receiving runway and a high-speed transit took them into the Assembly. The young officer ushered them into a private meeting room.
Shepherd was waiting.
“Commander,” he said and nodded to the others. His eyes narrowed, looking them over. “Good time or bad time for you, Rayne?”
Aaron grinned. “Bad certainly. . . but excellent timing on your part, sir.”
Shepherd looked them over again, looking like he wanted to say more. Instead he said, “The Emperor has arrived on Earth. Cato. I thought you should be here to hear this. I know you’ve been, shall we say a bit down and out? Worried what the future may hold. It’s a fact of life, Rayne, the future will always cause those who care for it, to worry. But for now perhaps, we can worry less, but remain ever vigilant.”
And isn’t eternal vigilance, the price of freedom?
Aaron hadn’t a clue what Shepherd was getting at.
Perhaps sensing this, the Supreme Commander gestured. “See for yourself.”
Shepherd flicked on a monitor. It showed the USS General Assembly in full session. An Imperial contingent sat in the VIP guest sections. Emperor Cato stood at the podium dais. Aaron scanned for Quintus. There he was in the first seat in the front row, a few feet from Cato.
The audio was crystal clear. “Although there was no formal declaration of war,” Cato paused. “Elements within the Empire waged their own private war, against the Empire itself and our brothers and sisters in the United Star Systems. The result nearly destroyed the birth place of humanity. It nearly destroyed the hopes and dreams of our first Emperor Baridian, and my father Claudius Sotomerius. Baridian’s vision wasn’t to be at odds with the United Systems. He just believed in different ideals . . . ideals which many people believed in, and which have flourished in our peaceful society for many years. It is only our small human ambitions which have caused great discord among us. These are the misguided, and evil ambitions of a few who have galvanized wayward others who ordinarily would never think to act alone. We know the concessions demanded of us and we know the changes required in our society. There has been a referendum. The citizens have agreed overwhelmingly. We will unite the frontier. Humanity will be whole again.”
Cato paused and took a sip from a glass of water.
“By my words this day, we hereby submit an official application to join the United Star Systems.”
Aaron’s jaw dropped.
The assembly stood as one and thunderous applause exploded throughout. Was it possible? After the struggle, the wars, the distrust.
A united frontier?
Epilogue
“To the best crew any starship captain could have” – Aaron Rayne
Three months later
Luyten—a system no one cared about.
Everyone except the current criminal residents. Once a star system teeming with lawful activity centered mainly on the orbital deuterium processing station, the workforce, corporations and other settlers had long abandoned it.
A diverse interstellar scum since filled that void.
A group of relatively inconspicuous spacers sat at a table in the space station’s lounge, one deck below the black market deck—the deck where the local scum did their dirty deeds.
All sorts ran through here. No one would pay attention to this group of spacers. If the United Star Systems was going to raid this place, they’d have done so long ago.
But things had changed. They’d pissed off the wrong operative. And that operative made a promise to a forgettable one of them. And that operative told Commander Aaron Tyler Rayne about his promise. And this is one promise Aaron Rayne intended to keep.
The human server poured a drink. The station didn’t believe in droids.
“Thank you,” Aaron said as he sipped his favorite fizzing drink.
“Could you make a request of the music guy for me?” he asked the server.
He told her what song he’d like to hear. She nodded and went off. The others had ordered the same as him.
“I still don’t get how you can drink this, Aaron,” Vee said.
Rachael’s mouth twisted after she sipped hers.
“It’s an acquired taste for sure,” she said.
Lee grunted. “An acquired taste for a wilder beast.”
Flaps was disgusted. “Tastes like shi—”
Platus slammed his glass on the table. “This is my kind of drink!”
Everyone laughed. “We could never have defeated Earth if all your warriors drink this!” he said, smiling.
Max had a serious look. “When will you people learn to stop letting this man lead you astray? He’s got you talking like him, drinking his drinks, and now he’s even got you listening to his music.”
Herman nudged him with an elbow. “Don’t be such a grouch. We all know you wouldn’t have it any other way.
Max grinned. “Damn sure wouldn’t.” He took a sip of the same drink.
The song Aaron requested played low in the background. He raised his glass.
“To the best crew any starship captain could have.”
They all drank to that.
“To the best captain a crew could ever wish for,” Flaps said.
They all drank to that.
“To absent friends,” Vee said.
They all drank to that. Dawes’ sacrifice still stung. But he was a hero to billions. As for Mick Garrett, he was trying to put Phoenix and Endeavor back together in Sol.
A deep growl interrupted them. Aaron turned.
The growler must be taller than seven feet. And almost as wide. His arms resembled the kind of legs you might find on an elephant.
The burley fellow smashed a fist into his palm. It surely sounded like lightning cracking.
“Lenny and Alvin,” the elephant man said, looking specifically at Lee and Vee.
Vee and Lee both responded.
“Gunther.” They said.
“I got your apology. It wasn’t accepted.”
“Look here numb-nuts,” Flaps said. “You better get going, before my friends make a mess of you,” he said.
Lee grinned, looking at Flaps. “You see the size of him right? Two punches, and he’ll take all of us.”
Vee cut in smiling. “But he’ll tire quick, right? Aim for his gonads.”
“For sure,” Lee said. “I have some bad news for you, Gunther. We are spies. And the raid is incoming. Plus I brought friends with me this time,” he said, gesturing around the table.
Some noise at the doors signaled the arrival of United Star System marines led by Ubu and Chen in full combat armor.
Gunther smiled that same bear smile.
“I brought friends too, Lenny.”
Seven more “Gunthers” joined him. Each equally monstrous.
“Meet my brothers.” The grizzly bear smiled.
Aaron scoffed. “I’d sure hate to meet their mother.”
Platus was enthralled. “What are we waiting for? Let’s get this show on the road,” he said, and he rose grabbing his chair, and smashed the “Gunther” nearest him.
Lee stood and gently flicked the one nearest him away. The lieutenant still wasn’t quite used to the arm. Ah well, the big bear would live—maybe with less working parts. The entire table stood and faced the Gunthers.
Twenty fists loomed towards twenty chins.
The fight was on.
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From the author
If you’re reading this, you made it to the end of the story arc which began with Border Worlds. It was certainly a journey I enjoyed making with you. No matter what the future holds for the Series, you can be sure there will always be adventure, humor, friendship and family at the heart of it. Wherever they go, whatever they do, the important thing is, they are together.
When I think of the lasting bonds of scifi characters, I think of Star Trek 3. How they stole a whole starship to rescue Spock. I think Farscape, and how despite a rocky road, they came to be fiercely loyal to each other. I’m reminded of Firefly and the loyalty of the crew to the captain, in the face of what they thought was certain death.
I hope to continue telling this and similar stories in the future. With your support, I am on my way there!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading! I enjoy hearing from readers, you can follow/comment on my blog here: voidofdarkness.wordpress.com
Again, thank you for reading United Star Systems Book Three: Unite the Frontier. If you would like to see a second story arc in the series, consider leaving a review on Amazon, and share with your friends who like these types of adventures. Besides getting the book and sharing it, it’s the best way to support an indie author like myself. You can also follow my blog on Amazon if you wish, or go to my website and join the mailing list to be notified of upcoming releases and discount deals.
Aaron and the crew should return soon! The adventure, the humor, the unknown and the unexpected. I will definitely keep everyone updated on my progress. As always, feel free to email me. I enjoy hearing from you!
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