by Ryk Brown
After a pause, the controller responded. “Alliance Shuttle, you are cleared to bay one five seven. Set your auto-flight systems to accept remote automated approach.”
“Alliance shuttle, setting auto-flight to accept remote automated approach,” Nathan acknowledged, setting his auto-flight system appropriately. A moment later, the auto-flight system indicated it was under the control of Sanctuary’s automated approach control systems, and the shuttle began a slight turn to port, pitching down to pass under the station.
“I guess that question was above her pay grade,” Jessica commented.
* * *
“Jump complete,” Robert’s copilot announced. “We are now at the rendezvous point.”
“Any contacts, Kas?” Robert asked over his comm-set.
“Negative.”
“Keep an eye out.”
“Always,” his sensor officer replied.
Robert looked concerned. “They were supposed to be here, waiting for us.”
“We’re about a minute early,” Sasha reminded him.
“They’ve been out here for more than twenty hours, now,” Robert said.
“We’ve flown missions more than three times that long.”
“We’ve got bunks, a galley, and a head.” Robert replied. “They’ve been using pee tubes in their pressure suits the entire time.”
“Yeah, it does help to be able to use a normal toilet,” Sasha agreed. “Maybe we should jump forward and take a peek at the target ourselves, just to be sure?”
“If they don’t show up in a few minutes, we just might,” Robert agreed.
“Maybe they just lost track of time?” Renny suggested as he climbed up onto the flight deck.
“Teison doesn’t lose track of time,” Sasha insisted.
“You get the port heat exchanger problem resolved?”
“It was just a stuck flow control valve,” the engineer replied. “Easier than I thought. Shouldn’t give us any more trouble.”
“That’s what you said about the inertial dampeners in the galley,” Robert commented, a smirk on his face.
“Yeah,” Sasha agreed. “I put a lot of work into that lasagna, only to have it tossed across the room during a routine braking maneuver.”
“I’m still finding bits of it in the ventilation filters,” Renny admitted.
“New contact,” Kasma reported over comm-sets.
“Please tell me it’s the Falcon,” Robert begged. “I’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
“It’s the Falcon,” Kasma assured him.
“Striker One, Falcon,” Lieutenant Teison called over comms.
“Falcon, Striker One,” Robert replied. “You guys ready for a nap, Jasser?”
“I wish,” the lieutenant said. “We’ve got a problem.”
“I don’t like problems,” Robert said.
“Sorry, but all four gunships disappeared about thirty minutes ago,” the lieutenant began. “We fell back a few light minutes to find their departure light and got a course heading and speed, and some more bad news.”
“You suck at story-telling, Jasser,” Robert commented.
“Twenty octos quick-launched from the dreadnought and went with them. They’re headed back on a reciprocal heading.”
“So, they’re heading for either Rogen or Orswella,” Robert surmised.
“How the hell did they slip out without you noticing right away?” Sasha asked.
“They must have been tracking us for some time,” Lieutenant Teison replied. “Probably since we made ourselves detectable on purpose.”
“Whose bright idea was that?” Robert wondered.
“Captain Scott’s,” the lieutenant replied.
“I should have known,” Robert groaned. “How long since you broke contact from the dreadnought?”
“If they were tracking us tracking them, then we missed our last track in their eyes.”
“Okay, get back on schedule, and don’t miss another track jump. I want you to look like they either missed your last contact or you had a problem. We’ll update command and then look for the gunships and octos.”
“Got it.”
“And whatever you do, don’t lose that dreadnought,” Robert insisted. “This could be a diversion to help them lose their tail.”
“We won’t lose them,” the lieutenant assured him. “Falcon, out.”
“I’m receiving the Falcon’s tracking data now,” Kasma reported.
“Copy it to a comm-drone, along with a situation update, and send it to command,” Robert instructed. “We’re going on the hunt.”
* * *
Jessica entered Sanctuary’s security headquarters, pausing a moment after closing the door to look around.
“Lieutenant Commander Nash,” the officer at the counter greeted. “Are you going to be civil, or shall I put the tactical response team on alert?”
Jessica smiled. “I promise to behave,” she told him, crossing her heart.
“I’ll give them a heads up, just in case,” the officer stated.
“I was hoping to speak with Commander Manderon.”
“About?” the officer wondered, still suspicious.
“About why the hell…” Jessica paused and took a deep breath, starting over. “Our ship was fired upon by your defense grid while it was well outside your defense perimeter.” Again, she took a breath, realizing she needed to take it down another notch. “I was hoping to learn why this happened so we can avoid such an occurrence in the future.”
“I’ll see if the commander is available,” the officer promised.
“Thank you,” Jessica replied. She watched as the officer walked across to the back of the room and entered the commander’s office. A moment later, he came back out and signaled to Jessica.
Jessica went around the end of the counter and across the room, passing the officer and entering the commander’s office.
“Lieutenant Commander Nash,” Commander Manderon greeted, rising from her chair behind her desk. “I understand your ship was fired upon?”
“Yes, while well outside your defense perimeter,” Jessica replied, shaking the commander’s hand. “I was hoping to learn why so we can avoid wasting your missiles in the future.”
Commander Manderon laughed. “As confident as always, I’ll give you that.” The commander took her seat again. “We have recently upgraded our defense systems,” she explained as she called up a report on her desktop view screen. “If this is your ship, then it violated our secondary defense perimeter.”
“I thought you only had the one defense perimeter,” Jessica said, “and that is our ship.”
“We have two defense perimeters,” the commander said. “One for standard vessels approaching this station and another for warships approaching this station.”
“Is this something new?”
“The decision was made months ago but only put into effect last week.”
“Why weren’t we notified?” Jessica wondered.
“We are not in the habit of advertising our defense tactics to armed vessels,” the commander explained, leaning back in her chair. “Had you approached in the approved manner, in an authorized vessel equipped with a properly issued transponder, there would not have been a problem.”
“So, it’s our fault?”
“Precisely.”
“And if a ship just happens to wander by, with no ill-intent, you just shoot it down without warning?”
“An armed vessel, yes,” the commander replied adamantly. “We learned long ago that it was the only way to ensure our survival.”
“With no concern for the people you are shooting at.”
“We only fire without warning at warships violating our secondary perimeter. Such vessels usually have the ability to defend themselves.”
&nbs
p; “And if they don’t?”
“Then they may want to be more careful about which systems they enter,” the commander insisted. “Sanctuary’s location, as well as our aggressive defense posture, is well known throughout the sector, as well as neighboring sectors.”
“What if an unarmed ship enters your secondary perimeter?” Jessica wondered. “Do you shoot them down, as well?”
“Unarmed ships are given a warning and an opportunity to change course,” the commander explained. “If they fail to comply, then, yes, they will be destroyed, as well.”
“And I assume that all ships entering your primary defense perimeter without a proper transponder are still dealt with in the same aggressive fashion.”
“Indeed.”
Jessica leaned back in her chair, as well, sighing. “How do you guys stay in business if you shoot down potential customers?”
“To stay in business, one must first continue to exist,” the commander replied.
“Okay, so, what do we have to do in order to bring the Aurora into your system?” Jessica wondered. “Get one of those transponders for it?”
“Warships are not allowed in the Sanctuary system,” the commander insisted.
“But we’re the good guys,” Jessica said, half joking.
“Very few people believe they are the bad guys,” the commander countered.
“Good point.” Jessica sighed. “So, how far out do we have to stay in order to avoid being fired upon by you?”
“Four light years,” the commander told her. “However, if you intend on remaining within six light years of this station for any length of time, I would strongly suggest that you let us know, to avoid any…misunderstandings.”
“I’ll pass that on to my captain,” Jessica replied.
The commander tapped her interface a few times, then handed Jessica a small data chip.
“What’s this?” Jessica wondered, taking the chip from her.
“A bill for the missiles your ship destroyed. The cost exceeds the limits of your house account and, therefore, must be paid in full immediately.”
“Nice,” Jessica replied, rising to depart.
Commander Manderon stood again. “Thank you for not using my staff for hand-to-hand combat practice this time, Lieutenant Commander.”
“Right.”
* * *
Nathan stood at the observation window, staring at his sleeping sister on the other side.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Captain,” Doctor Chen apologized as she entered the observation room. “I was reviewing Miri’s latest scans.”
“I thought she was awake,” Nathan said.
“She was, but we chose to sedate her until you got here.”
“I don’t understand.”
“She was in a state of panic, which is not uncommon after suffering such a sudden and severe trauma. She didn’t recognize where she was or who the people were around her. I imagine the entire room looked unfamiliar, compared to what she would have expected on Earth.”
“I should have been here,” Nathan said.
“We still would have sedated her. The only difference is that we’ve kept her sedated a bit longer, that’s all.”
“Does this mean she’s going to recover?”
“Well, the fact that she actually woke is huge. I mean, it’s practically a miracle, at least by our medical standards. Doctor Symyri doesn’t seem to be as impressed by it, though, but, then again, the medical care here is far more advanced than ours.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Nathan asked again, rephrasing the question.
“It’s too early to tell. Physiologically, her body is recovering, as is her brain, which suffered plenty of trauma on its own. What we don’t know is how much that trauma has affected her mind.”
“Her mind?”
“Doctor Symyri likes to use that term to refer to memory, personality, emotional patterns—the essence of the person. Sort of what we tend to call a person’s soul. He prefers the term mind, since it doesn’t carry any spiritual undertones and, therefore, does not risk offense.”
“When will we know?” Nathan asked.
“Well, waking her will help us assess her condition, but, again, we wanted to wait until you were here; someone she recognizes and trusts.”
“What about her kids?” Nathan wondered. “Do they know she’s woken up?”
“We haven’t informed anyone but you, as of yet,” Doctor Chen replied. “She’s going to have questions: what happened, the status of her father, her kids, her sisters…”
“So, I get to tell her,” Nathan said, sighing.
“Unfortunately, yes.” Doctor Chen observed him for a moment. “You can take all the time you need, Captain. Her being in a sedated state is not harming her progress in any way.”
“Time, as usual, is the one thing I don’t have.”
“I trust everything is okay on the Aurora?”
“Yes,” Nathan replied. “Actually, she’s only a few light years away, at the moment.”
“You brought the Aurora here?”
“She was the fastest way to get here,” Nathan said. Noticing the confused look on her face, he added, “She’s got a five-hundred-light-year jump range now.”
“My God, that’s incredible!”
“That’s Abby,” he stated, looking back at his sister. “So, when do you plan to wake her?”
“She’s only being kept sedated by the use of a toeren drip,” Doctor Chen explained. “The moment we cut it off, she’ll wake again, so as soon as you’re ready.”
Nathan took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready,” he admitted, “but I guess I should get it over with before something else comes up.”
“That bad?”
“It’s been a rough couple of days.”
“Maybe you’d like to rest up a bit, first?” she asked, noticing the bags under his eyes.
“I can’t take the chance,” Nathan insisted. “Her children need to see her, and, more importantly, she needs to see them.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Doctor Chen replied. “Shall we, then?”
“Lead the way,” he told her.
* * *
Cameron came out of the captain’s ready room onto the bridge, pausing at the comm-station. “Anything new?”
“Message from Lieutenant Commander Nash,” Naralena replied. “They arrived safely. She spoke with the head of security on Sanctuary. Apparently, they shoot first and ask questions later with any ships that violate their primary perimeter without a transponder and any warship that comes within four light years.”
“How friendly of them.”
“Oh, and they’re billing us for the wasted missiles.”
“Only the ones that detonated, I assume,” Cameron said.
Naralena smiled. “The lieutenant commander did not specify.”
“Of course not.” Cameron moved forward to the tactical station. “Lieutenant Kitweil.”
“Threat board is clear, Captain,” the lieutenant reported. “A small cargo ship did jump in about half a light year to starboard a few minutes ago, but they jumped away seconds later. Probably just a quick transition point on their way into Sanctuary.”
“Any ID on it?”
“Nothing we’ve ever seen before, that’s for sure,” the lieutenant replied.
“I imagine that’s not too surprising, considering we’ve never been in this part of the galaxy.”
“Kind of exciting, when you think of it,” the young lieutenant said. “I mean, I signed up expecting to patrol the Sol sector. Now, I find myself about fifteen hundred light years away from there.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I’m going to have some amazing stories to tell my kids someday.”
“Indeed you will, Lieutenant,” Cameron
agreed.
“How far out do you think they go?” the lieutenant wondered.
“They?”
“Other human civilizations.”
“Well, the average speed of most ships back then was five to ten times the speed of light, so, technically, they could be as far out as nine thousand light years.”
“Incredible,” he exclaimed. “You think we’ll ever make contact with them all again? I mean, most of them probably don’t even know the Earth recovered and that we’re back out in space again.”
“I think that someday, someone will attempt to make contact with all the lost colonies of Earth. It only makes sense to do so.”
“It just seems so impossible,” the lieutenant said. “I mean, nine thousand light years.”
“The oceans that separated the continents of Earth once seemed just as vast until technology closed the gap,” Cameron told him. “In the same way, the jump drive will close the interstellar gaps, as well. Someday, we’ll be able to jump across the galaxy as easily as we now jump across a light year.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so, Lieutenant,” Cameron assured him, patting him on the back.
“My father felt the same way,” Abby said, overhearing the conversation from the auxiliary station. “That very thought is what drove him.”
“Contact,” Ensign Ingram reported from the sensor station. “Comm-drone.”
“It’s from Rogen Command,” Naralena reported.
“This can’t be good news,” Cameron said.
“Relay from the Falcon via Striker One and Rogen Command. Four Dusahn gunships and twenty octos broke off from the dreadnought at its last layover point. They departed on a reciprocal course. Captain Nash ordered the Falcon to continue trailing the dreadnought in case they, too, reverse their course. Striker One is now searching for the gunships and octos. Striker Two has been dispatched to assist in the search, and Rogen Command has sent Konay squadron and the Nighthawks to back up the Falcon and serve as a fast-attack force.”
“I assume they’ve alerted the Orswellan system.”
“The same message was sent to them, as well,” Naralena assured her.
“Very well,” Cameron replied. “Forward the message to Lieutenant Commander Nash.”