Zero Hour (Starmen (Space Opera Series) Book 3)

by J. M. Hagan

  In stressful situations – namely when they had been boarded by the Dok’ra – Europa displayed a change in tone derived from somewhere less relaxed and robotic.

  “Really? That’s great. Is it relaxing?”

  “It is soothing,” Europa told her.

  Claudia pushed away the arm attached to her keyboard. Freed her legs of the covers then sat like she was meditating. Shut her eyes when the music began with a slow, relaxing electronic wave of sounds that felt like velvet against her ears.

  She visualised the content and sentence structure of her next paragraph. Then got lost in the music for a time.

  “Europa…that’s beautiful,” she said, cheery and peaceful. “I’d like to listen to this while I write.”

  “Excellent choice,” said Europa. “Shall I dim the lights for you?”

  Claudia got back under the covers and pulled around her keyboard. “Yes, Europa. Dim the lights.”

  At her command, the room darkened. Her chin lit up with the blue light shining out between the keys and glowing from the holographic display. Excellent. Everything is perfect…

  Claudia typed her first word…

  “The Commander has requested your presence in the briefing room,” said Europa.

  Claudia dropped her hands in frustration and slumped back. “Damn it. What for?” she moaned.

  “He didn’t say. Mark Anderson, has also been called,” said Europa.

  Intrigue quickly forced her frustration aside. Why would, Jack, call us in and nobody else? She got out of bed and dressed in a black tee and cargo pants, went out from her room and saw Anderson just ahead. He glanced over his shoulder.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, as she came alongside him and matched his strides.

  Anderson shrugged. “Beats me,” he said. “Strange, though, that he’s only called us.”

  They took the lift to deck-A and passed through command to the briefing room in the back. The door slid open and they saw Jack seated at the head of the table.

  “Sorry for calling you so late,” he said, his blue eyes solemn. They took seats either side of him.

  Claudia caught her lower lip between her teeth. “What’s up, Jack?” she asked.

  He paid them each a look. Then sat back and placed hands on top of his head. “Look, we’re gonna be at Delta-2 tomorrow. I don’t wanna clog up your heads. But this is a conversation we’ve gotta have.”

  Mark glanced at her with worry. Then leant into the table. “About what?” he asked.

  “About our future,” he replied, his expression heavy with worry. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just gonna spit it out. Guys…I don’t think we can ever go back to our old lives…”

  Claudia swallowed a rock. Felt her cheeks pale. He’d said it out loud – the thing which had been in the back of her mind ever since the day Cane took them aboard Europa.

  Even with all the reassurances they’d been given along the way, some part of her knew a door was shut behind them. One with an impenetrable lock. Even still, it was human to fight against it, to ignore it even…

  Mark leant back, head dipped, hiding his eyes beneath a vexed brow. Silence lasted, as they allowed it some time to sink in. Jack was yet to fully explain himself. But, like Claudia, even with it being unspoken previously, Mark was smart enough to know it deep down all along.

  “Jack…what’s brought this on?” Mark inquired.

  Jack waved his hand activating the table’s holographic display. A Media-1 news report appeared. The headline: Bright-Star executives plan to explore Overseer territory.

  That alone was enough to have her insides swirling. Claudia read the first couple of lines. The Bright-Star mining corporation were working with the Rovian military. Scout ships and several cruisers about the size of Europa were setting out in the next month to explore regions beyond known Fringe-Space. The general consensus was that the Overseers were truly gone. People were excited to see what the uncharted regions held, and for the first time in generations they were interested in exploration.

  “So…they’re gonna stumble upon Earth eventually,” gasped Claudia.

  “It’s not a question of if anymore. It’s a question of when,” lamented Mark. “Things have gone from bad to worse. Messing with time is a dangerous business. How could we have been so stupid? Ever since our future-selves came back, things have been panning out much differently than expected! In trying to stop, Vorjool, we’ve created a timeline where anything could happen. They say if you go back and stand on a bug during the time of the dinosaurs it could result in the human race never even existing. The battle at Maji-Onda resulted in the deaths of thousands, and the genocide of an entire race. What if those people were supposed to go on to make scientific breakthroughs, change politics—”

  “Enough!” cried Jack. “I can’t wrap my head around this shit, either. What’s done is done. We don’t have the time-drive anymore, so we can’t go back and change a thing. Even if we done that – we could just wind up making things worse.”

  “I don’t know what the future holds for us,” continued Jack, with feeling. “But we know what’s out here. When they do find Earth – and they will – we won’t stand a fighting chance. It might not even happen within our generation. But it’s gonna happen someday. People back home aren’t ready for it. We’re hundreds, if not thousands, of years behind the Federation.”

  Mark removed his glasses, ran a hand up his worried face. “So, what do we do?”

  Jack sat back and crossed his arms. “I just read this today myself. It was, Europa, who told me about it. Given the fact I haven’t had much time to think on it, I’ll go with my gut. It’s telling me we’ve gotta find a way to jumpstart Earth’s progress. I’m thinking we’ll bring something back home.”

  “Like what?” asked Claudia.

  “A TDS for sure,” he said. “Faster than light technology is absolutely essential.”

  “What about weaponry?” she asked.

  “Wow,” interjected Mark, holding up his hand tensely. “I don’t think handing over weapons of this magnitude is a good idea. The weapons, Europa, alone carries would be capable of destroying an entire city from orbit. Just think of all the death and destruction there is already back home. There’re wars being fought all over the planet.”

  “I’ve thought of that,” said Jack, and they both looked to him in surprise. “That’s why we don’t give it to any single government. Like I said – I haven’t thought of all the ins-and-outs. But this is what we’re gonna do on our way home – come up with a solid plan for how we’re gonna deal with this.”

  Mark rubbed his head and his eyes filled with water. “I can’t help but think about what they said happened in the future. The Overseers got Earth fighting on their side by giving us a common enemy. There was world peace for the first time in our planet’s history. Everyone worked together to build warships using Overseer technology. But the Federation…what if they come and just arm one side against all the others like they’ve done on Omni-4? Turn a superpower into their puppets – have them wipe out all opposition.”

  She could see it happening. A world lost in hellfire. “This is terrifying guys…I really, really don’t feel qualified to make decisions this big,” admitted Claudia, feeling the full weight of the crushing burden. “Say what you want about governments back home, at least people from Earth will have our planet’s best interests in mind. All the Federation seems to care about is consuming and controlling everything.”

  “I’m not sure if I should bring the others in on this.” Jack held up his hands. “Now, I don’t mean, Cane, and, Siena. I’d trust them both with anything at this point. But, Jeriko and Malora – they’re a little different. We don’t know them so well. What we’re talking about here – arming our home world against the Federation, and whoever else – I’m sure we’re breaking a few laws. One word of this gets out, and people will start becoming a lot more interested in where we’re from.”

  Mark nodded though
tfully. “Yeah. You’re right. If the Rovians take an interest in us, it’ll be bad. It could end with them finding Earth a whole lot sooner.”

  “Exactly,” said Jack.

  “Commander…”

  Claudia had forgot about Europa.

  “Sorry for interrupting. But I believe I may be of assistance.”

  Jack looked up. “E?”

  “I have an understanding of Earth’s technology. With my help, people from your world would make swift progress in this endeavour.”

  “…Really?”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  Their eyes flashed as one. “Shit. That’s fantastic,” said Jack. “You don’t mind?”

  “Of course not,” she said. “Earth is your home. You are my crew. I am obligated to offer assistance. I can also offer detailed files on Plysarian shield technology which is superior in many ways to standard rovian tech.”

  Jack, his eyes bright with relief, sat back in his chair and sighed. “Europa…do you think we could ever stand a chance against the rovians?”

  “No,” she answered bluntly. “However, if your world shows its strength, the federation will be more likely to deal with them fairly. To avoid a costly war, and potentially gain a new powerful ally.”

  There wasn’t much else to discuss beyond that at this time. They would have to consider all of this once they’d dealt with Vorjool. When Claudia got back to her room and got back into bed, she shut her eyes and took deep relaxing breaths.

  “Europa…”

  “Yes, Claudia?”

  “I don’t know if this means anything to you. But I consider you as a friend. A good friend.”

  A moment of silence. “Thank you, Claudia.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Would you like to hear some relaxing music as you sleep?”

  Claudia shook her head. She broke down, thinking of her family, all the friends she might never see again, and wept.

  Starmen

  Zero Hour

  Part 3

  Mortron City

  Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

  – Buddha

  10

  Delta-2 had a beautiful apricot sky. Its dual suns shone brightly. The windows of tall skyscrapers were shimmering in the distance as they approached a heavily guarded docking station on the outskirts of Virtra City. Just like when they arrived at Maji-Onda station, the Earth members of the crew were staring out the window of command in fascination.

  Tall buildings stretched far as the eye could see. Thousands of hover cars were flying through the skies. There were robots floating in the sky, too, projecting streams of light that acted as aerial road barriers. All along the streams of light, commercials were being played.

  “Talk about over the top marketing,” guffawed Jack, staring at the airway. “Doesn’t seem very safe. What if something catches the driver’s eye, like a new PDP, and he looks back, like, Man, gotta get me one of those, then boom! Crashes into someone.”

  Anderson shrugged. “I’m just glad we brought our road safety inspector along with us,” he said.

  “Buckle up, people.”

  Claudia smirked so wide he thought she might giggle. “I’m gonna be in a flying car – this is so cool. Super excited.”

  “Chill,” said Jack. She looked on the verge of wetting herself.

  “I think we should stay here for a while, after it’s done,” said Claudia, looking to her Commander for validation. “Think of it as a vacation?”

  Jack nodded. “We’ll see. Let’s not make any plans until after…”

  Claudia soured a hint, crossed arms at the middle. “You’re right. The only thing that matters is tomorrow. But…after that…I am definitely gonna have some fun.”

  Before setting out, they placed their weapons in sealed caches and arranged to have them shipped to the cars they would be renting. As Starmen, it was perfectly legal for them to carry firearms.

  They came off the docking ramp. The tails of Siena’s long coat were caught in the wind. She was walking alongside Jack with the others close behind. “Bit of advice,” she said, “watch your pockets when you’re on the streets. I’m led to believe there’re a lot of locals with quick hands.”

  “Anyone tries to rob me, I’m gonna bust their heads,” he promised, with arrogant humour.

  “I doubt you’ll resort to that. It’s the children you’ve gotta watch out for.”

  “Oh? Obviously, I wouldn’t hit a kid.”

  They came out of the port and into the blistering hot sun. Malora, Claudia, Anderson and Jack waited out front. Siena, Cane and Jeriko had gone to hire them some hovercars, as they had their driver’s licenses.

  “How come you never learnt to drive?” Jack asked Malora, while they waited just off the busy street in front of some windows reflecting sunlight.

  “I told you, I grew up a spacer,” she moaned. “It’s on my to-do-list.”

  Jack had already removed his leather jacket, and could feel some sweat forming on his brow. “God. It’s humid here,” he said, eyes squinting in the brightness. He used his hand for shade while he had a look down both streets.

  He could see a lot of kids dressed in worn clothes. They were all thin as hell, and looked damn fast runners. “Watch those kids,” he said. “Siena, warned me about pickpockets.”

  Malora smirked. “Been to a lot of ports. They should know by the fact that we’re carrying weapons, not to mess with us.”

  Since removing his jacket, Jack had shown his gun holster to everyone, along with his Starman badge. “Who would mess with us?” he said. “We’re like a team of Samuel L. Jacksons’.”

  “Huh?”

  Jack smirked. “Bad— “

  “Bad motherfuckers,” Anderson said, before he could.

  Jack shook his head at him. “You said it, man.” Prick stole my line.

  Malora shrugged off whatever point they were trying to make. “You might wanna be a little more conspicuous,” she said. “Letting everyone know who you are, and what you’re carrying, isn’t the brightest idea.”

  Despite the heat, Jack put his leather jacket back on.

  *

  Jeriko pulled up in a hovercar first. It had a body similar to a sport’s car and was hovering just a foot above ground. The engine gave out a zooming noise that quieted as he stopped along the sidewalk. He craned over the seat to see them out the open passenger window.

  “You’re with me,” he said, eyeing Claudia.

  Cane and Siena pulled up in their cars behind him. Claudia approached his car, buzzing in her belly and grinning.

  The doors opened up the way. Inside were fresh smelling leather seats, thick with padding and comfortable as hell. They even gave that cool leather screech when she sat down.

  “This is awesome,” she said.

  The windscreen was made from smart glass that showed the distance to other vehicles and the route to their destination. The glass auto-tinted electronically blocking out the direct rays of sunlight.

  When she shut the door, Jeriko took off at speed, and she went back in her chair with a shriek. Claudia hurried to buckle up. Then she got a thrill, seeing them take off. It felt like her stomach was floating as they sped toward the sky.

  “This is it! The coolest moment of my life! I’m in a god damn flying car!” Claudia waved her hands in the air like she was in a convertible. She was very glad this thing had a roof, though.

  “Easily impressed,” Jeriko commented, steering them around a corner, passing buildings she could look in the windows of and see the shapes of people as they zoomed by.

  “Are you kidding me?” she barked, looking down to the street below. She had a bird’s eye view of hundreds of pedestrians. “We don’t have shit like this where I’m from! Look at them – they’re like little ants!”

  Jeriko took them up onto the aerial highway with the brightly coloured commercials playing either side of them. He was sure to be speeding
, as they overtook a dozen cars.

  Claudia was clutching the handle above her head, watching as warnings and red lights formed on the smart glass.

  “Wanna slow down a bit?” she asked, with thrills still coursing through her. Jeriko, with a snigger, let up slightly. Not much.

  “You know what’s happening right now, don’t ya?” he asked.

  Claudia turned. Shook her head. “No…?”

  “We’re going on a date,” he said.

  Claudia tried to look offended, but couldn’t help smiling at the same time as her cheeks reddened. For the last three months she’d been getting to know the alien. They trained together, ate together, and were getting to know each other more every day. His bluntness, she had learned, was one of his most charming qualities.

  “A date? You and me? And you didn’t even ask first? Talk about putting me on the spot!”

  Jeriko chuckled. “You can’t say no,” he told her happily. “You can’t drive back without me. And I’m going for a drink.”

  “Drinking and driving? A flying car, no less. Well, that could never go wrong!”

  “Relax. I won’t go over the limit. Besides, I’m a fernode. We have a much higher tolerance than humans.”

  “Hold on…did you tell the others what you were planning?”

  “Of course. They encouraged me.”

  “To take me drinking? My first night on an alien world?”

  Jeriko laughed. “I told them we were going for something to eat. Fuck that, though. We’re gonna have some fun. Who knows, it might be our last night in the galaxies.”

  “Well, when you put it that way…I suppose I could have one…or two. But this isn’t a date. We’re just friends! Got it?”

  Jeriko grunted. “Lighten up.”

  *

  Jack and Malora went in the same car as Cane. He took them to the hotel where they’d booked rooms. It was a towering skyscraper in a beautiful part of the city replete with shimmering water fountains out front which they drove by on their way to the underground parking lot.

  By the time they checked in and made it to their suite, it was night time and the city was all lit up and beautiful. He saw the size of the suite they’d booked and couldn’t believe it. It was bigger than his house back home. They were all staying together, under the same roof.