by Richard Fox
“Don’t spend it all in one place,” Marie added.
Carson considered the star chart for a moment, mind racing with excuses of why they shouldn’t be going on this mission. Why she wouldn’t be going on this mission. After several silent moments, she dropped the pyramids back into the pouch and pulled the opening shut. “When do we leave?”
****
Jerry Hale ducked down as another shadow passed by overhead, the hint of warm engine wash blasting him from above. He kept moving, crouched over, even though the large cargo containers around him were at least twice his size. Ahead of him, Elias stopped at the corner of one of the containers, dropping to a knee before turning back and holding a finger to his lips.
“Where are we going?” Jerry asked.
“Shhhhh,” Elias said, frowning. “You'll see.”
Jerry crossed his arms. “If this is something like that stupid head Mom and Dad have been talking about, I'm going to punch you right in the face.”
“It's not, I promise. You're going to love this.”
The long lines of cargo containers flanked the colony’s spaceport, where shuttle crews had been ferrying them down from the second colony fleet in orbit. Far ahead, at the end of the row, large sections taken from Enduring Spirit’s hull were arranged for inspection to be turned into prefabricated buildings.
“We just have to make sure the coast is clear,” Elias whispered, keeping his attention focused ahead of them.
Jerry leaned over his brother, putting a hand on Elias's shoulder and craning his neck to look around the edge of the container. His eyes went wide. “No freaking way.”
“I told you,” Elias said.
On the other side of the container, Valiant sat at the edge of the tarmac, facing away from them, her cargo ramp down. Clouds of vapor streamed from two conical drive nacelles atop the aft section of the ship, pouring down, spreading across the tarmac. A handful of technicians worked beneath the ship's underbelly, near the bow; detaching large cables that ran to a small work area they’d set up just off the starboard wing.
A single militia guard stood near the bow of the ship, looking bored. The solider was dressed in multi-cam fatigues and had a gauss rifle slung across his back. He didn’t seem to be focused on anything but one of the female technicians, an attractive brunette that occasionally flashed the guard a smile and flicked her hair.
Jerry could just see the Pathfinder’s rover, secured inside the cargo bay. He ducked back as one of the crew jogged down the ramp and said something Jerry couldn’t hear to the technicians. Slowly, he peered around the crate again. The crewman had hopped onto one of the many motor carts that littered the spaceport and was speeding off across the tarmac.
“I think that’s the last of them,” Elias said.
“What are you talking about?” Jerry asked.
“Of the crew. The rest were called off about twenty minutes ago.”
“So what? Look, we saw the ship up close, great. Can we go now? Dad will kill us if he finds out we snuck inside the restricted area.”
“That’s insane. Where are they going to go?”
“What are you talking about?” Elias asked him, crossing his arms. “I figured you’d jump at the chance to see where your heroes sleep.”
“They’re not my heroes!” Jerry blurted out, then immediately regretted it and covered his mouth, looking around to see if anyone had heard.
“Keep it down!” Elias told him. “Geez. Okay, whatever. They’re not your heroes. But still, you’re telling me you don’t want to see inside that ship? It’s one of a kind. The only human ship to ever go FTL.”
Jerry growled, turning back to get another look at the ship. Elias was right; he did want to see it, and not just the sanitized civilian tour that most people were sure to get. “Okay, yeah, sure, I want to see it. But how do you suggest we do that? We can’t just walk right up like we own the place. Wait…since when have you had a rebellious streak?”
Elias’ mouth worked into a sneer.
“Since I helped design most of the engine interface and that Scartucci jerk left my name off all the designs, that’s why. So I want to get in there, take a couple pics to show that it’s my work that was part of all that…and get some credit.”
“Oh my god, you’re jealous. Like it matters who gets their name on a plaque?”
“You tell that to Tesla, and Lovelace.”
“Who?”
Elias rolled his eyes.
“Such a meathead…here’s our chance.”
The female technician moved away from the ship and the militia soldier followed. She laughed at something he said and sat down at one of the computers in their temporary work station. The guard sat on the edge of the table next to her, saying something else that made her laugh. She slapped his knee as a wide grin spread across his face.
Jerry leaned forward, straining to hear what the guard was saying.
Elias pulled a data pad from his pocket and began tapping on the screen. “All I have to do is disable the ship’s external security feed and the drone network, and no one will ever know we were here. Trust me.”
“I don’t know about this…”
“Come on,” Elias said, slipping the data pad back into his pocket.
“What the hell are—Elias.” Jerry hissed his brother’s name as Elias stood and walked around the crate, walking straight for Valiant’s cargo ramp. “Elias! Son of a bitch. Wait. I didn’t mean that.”
Jerry hesitated for a second, then reluctantly followed his brother. He caught up to Elias about halfway to the ramp, keeping his eyes locked on the guard, still flirting with the technician. He glanced at the two technicians still working under the bow, then back to the female sitting at the work station.
“You’ve got to be shitting me right now,” Jerry whispered.
“Shhhh,” Elias said, holding a finger to his lips again. “Relax. Just keep moving.”
“Dad is going to freaking kill us. Then Mom will kill us again.”
Without hesitation, Elias led them up the ramp and into the belly of the Pathfinders’ ship. Rows of hard plastic cases were stacked on either side of the bay, secured with anchor straps in ordered rows. The rover looked like it had just been washed. Water still dripped from its matte black chassis.
Jerry paused to look inside the armored ground transport. There was a row of empty seats and empty weapons racks on either side of the vehicles main passenger cabin. A small open hatch led to the driver’s compartment at the front. What he wouldn’t give to drive this thing.
“Come on,” Elias whispered, moving to the metal staircase at the front of the bay.
“Where are we going?” Jerry asked, jogging to catch up.
“The engine room,” Elias said, smiling from ear to ear.
Jerry groaned. He didn't want to see the engines; he wanted to see the weapons racks, maybe even the controls for the railgun mounted of the hull outside. Now that would be cool.
He followed his brother up the stairs to a short corridor that led to a closed hatch marked ENGINEERING. Elias tried the door; locked.
“Well, it’s locked,” Jerry said, half-turning to leave. “Looks like it’s time to go.”
Elias rolled his eyes, producing a tablet from a cargo pocket. “Just hold on a second.” He tapped on the screen, and a few seconds later, Jerry heard the lock click and Elias pulled the door open.
Jerry stood there for a second, eyebrows raised. “But you can’t throw a football.”
Elias shot him a dirty look. “I focus on what’s important. Come on.”
Jerry pulled the hatch shut behind him and found himself in Valiant’s main engine room. A walkway ran down the center of the space, separating blocks of machinery, which hummed incessantly. Round silver conduits ran the length of the ceiling, some occasionally venting white clouds of steam. A large compressor on the right thumped rhythmically, as something next to it clacked in time with the thumping.
Despite himself, Jerry was impressed
.
Elias turned to Jerry, grinning from ear to ear. “Isn't this so cool?”
Jerry crossed his arms, forcing himself to look neutral. It wouldn’t do to give Elias anything he’d be able to hang over his head later. “Yeah, it’s great.”
Elias rolled his eyes. “Come on.” He turned and led his brother through the maze of humming machinery and conduits, to the back of the compartment. Even as ignorant about technology as Jerry was, there was no missing the differences between the human drive components and the alien ones.
Large sections of discolored components were bolted to the ceiling and on top of already installed machinery. Cables and wires hung loose, connecting different pieces of equipment. Handwritten notes in permanent marker alerted technicians to “not touch” or “do not disconnect” and “bio-hazard.”
The last one made Jerry’s skin crawl.
Elias ran a hand over one of the freshly welded casings and stopped, inspecting the equipment. He took out his data slate and began filming video of the device.
“That conniving bastard. I knew it!”
Jerry stopped short, stunned at his brother’s words. He couldn’t think of a time when Elias had ever cursed. “You okay?”
His brother traced a cluster of cables back to another metal component, shaking his head. “They stole my design!”
“What are you talking about?” Jerry asked, craning his neck to see what Elias was touching.
“I submitted designs for reinforcing the primacy quantum phase inducers that would help reduce the wear and tear on the containment field for the astranite! Scartucci used my work and didn’t bother to tell anyone!”
Jerry frowned. “So you’re mad she used your suggestion?”
“No, I’m…” Elias took a breath glaring at his brother. “I’m mad because she didn’t give me credit for the idea.”
“Ah.”
“That’s fine, I’m sure Dad remembers. He’ll set that Scartucci creep straight!”
“Oh, yeah, I’m sure he will,” Jerry said, gazing around the compartment.
Elias stopped at a computer terminal and started tapping in commands.
“What are you doing? Don’t touch anything!” Jerry said, leaning over his brother’s shoulder to see what he was typing.
“Bah, I’m not doing anything; I just want to get a look at the specs, that’s all. See if my code for regulating the plasma manifolds was pirated too. Trust me.”
“Trust you, right.” Jerry leaned back against a large conduit and looked back down the walkway. “Just don’t break anything, okay? Getting caught in here is one thing; breaking it is another.” He shuddered at the thought of how their parents would react. Being the governor and lieutenant governor’s children meant they could either get away with nothing or everything. But with his parents, it would definitely be the former.
“I’m almost in,” Elias said as his fingers typed away. “And I’m going to look and see if they stole my torsion compensator design too.”
Jerry shook his head and slid down the conduit to sit on the metal grating that served as the deck. He blew out a long breath. Knowing his brother, they’d be here awhile. He pulled out a data pad, loaded up the game Xaros Elites 2, and settled in for the wait.
Two minutes later, an alarm sounded, sending a jolting of fear through Jerry’s body. He jumped to his feet, dropping his data pad. “What the hell did you do?”
Elias stepped back from the terminal, hands up, eyes wide. “I didn’t do anything!”
The humming around them began to increase as more and more energy flowed into the machines. The hair on Jerry’s arms stood on end as the engine spun up, as a whine reverberated through the compartment.
“You had to do something,” Jerry said. “Those things aren’t just going to start up on their own!”
“I’m telling you, I didn’t touch anything.”
The deck moved under them. Jerry reached out, bracing himself against the railing, a terrifying realization hitting him. “We’re taking off!”
Jerry bolted for the hatch.
“It’s not my fault!” Elias shouted.
Jerry pulled on the hatch; it didn’t open. “Can you unlock this door?”
Elias stood there, rubbing his hands together. “I… uh… I don’t know.” He fumbled with his tablet.
“Come on, hotshot, work your magic.”
Jerry stepped out of the way, grabbing the railing again as the ship rocked around them.
Elias’s fingers danced furiously on his tablet for several seconds before stopping. He looked up, terror filling his eyes. “The ship’s on lockdown. We’re stuck in here.”
****
Hale pressed two fingers into his temple, trying to work the tension headache away as the assembled colonial leaders bickered back and forth like children. He would’ve rather been locked in hand-to-hand combat with a Toth warrior than endure one more minute in this living torture chamber. At least then the punishment would end here, though he didn’t see an end in sight.
A mixture of original colonial council members and program directors from 2nd Fleet sat behind a horseshoe dais at the front of the room, looking out over an auditorium filled with colonists, both old and new. Captain Handley, sitting at one end of the dais, was doing his best to keep order, but Hale could feel the meeting beginning to spiral out of control. They always did.
Elizabeth Tanner leaned forward; hands clasped together under her chin, and eyed Hale with an icy stare. “You still have not given an adequate explanation of why you sent our only space-born asset off on a diplomatic mission and left us virtually unguarded from orbit attack.”
Hale made another mental tick mark. Was that eight or nine now? He couldn’t remember. “Ms. Tanner, as I have explained several times, the Valiant is the only way we have of contacting potential allies, allies we desperately need. Not to mention, that if the Ultari Fleet were to return and engage us, one ship would do little to repel them.”
“But it would be something,” Tanner said.
“And what about the bunkers you promised?” one of the original colonists asked from the auditorium. “If they do come back, how are you going to protect us?”
Captain Handley answered for Hale. “We have already discussed this as well; the bunker sites have already been identified and construction is in progress. Several are finished already. We cannot move any faster than we already are. We have a finite amount of resources to work with; prioritizing those resources is one of our main challenges.”
“Coming from the one person who already has everything he asked for,” another citizen blurted out.
“Defensive emplacements and perimeter security are a priority for the entire colony, not just me. If we can’t defend ourselves, then everything else is meaningless.”
“And yet, he sent our only warship away,” Tanner said, pointing.
“When are you going to start building residential blocks?” another citizen asked. “There’s mold growing where you have us living now!”
Handley started to answer, but Hale held up a hand. “Plans for those structures are being finalized and should be read to begin construction next week. We should be able to get everyone out of the temporary shelters in a matter of months.”
“Months?” several people shouted at the same time.
An uproar of angry shouts, curses, and accusations flowed out from the assembled crowd, echoing loudly around the chamber.
Hale stood, holding his hands up. “Enough!”
His order quieted the crowd. Several immediately dropped back into their seats, as if they were trying to hide from Hale’s wrath. “This constant bickering and arguing will get us nowhere. Unless you all have forgotten, we aren’t going to get any help out here. No one from Earth is coming to save us at the last minute. We don’t have the luxury of debate. We don’t have time, manpower, or resources to make everyone happy here. Not right away, at least. That’s something all of you need to understand right here and now.”
>
The rest of the audience took their seats as Hale continued.
“Our situation is critical, ladies and gentlemen. If we don’t establish allies and build up our defenses, our survival here is in jeopardy. I’m sorry not everyone is able to sleep on a nice comfortable mattress at night or eat warm meals. We need air defense rail gun batteries. We need hardened structures. We need fighter squadrons and a wall around this city. Our militia is sustaining themselves on ration bars straight from the production lines as they sweep and clear feral doughboys from the surrounding area. They need proper Strike Marine armor right now. Terra Nova’s survival is my only priority, nothing else. We are all working as hard as we can to ensure our survival, but nothing is going to slow us down more than this constant bickering amongst ourselves. Hell, at this rate, the Triumvirate won’t have to defeat us; we’re doing a pretty good job of that ourselves.”
A silence fell over the assembled colonists, none daring to argue Hale’s points. He was right, and he knew they all knew it. He glared at Tanner, who simply glared at him right back. He forced himself to remember that for all her flaws, she was extremely smart, and one of the only human beings, literally in the entire galaxy, that knew enough about Crucible gates to build one and make it work. That, however, was a conversation for another day.
“Now,” Hale said, finally. “You all have a choice to make, and I’m sorry, this is going to sound harsh, but it’s a fact and it’s something that I think you all need to hear.” He looked to Tanner for the last part. “I need everyone single one of you to make this colony succeed. There’s no other way to put it. So you can set your personal ambitions aside for the time being and help improve this foxhole we call Terra Nova.”
He stood and left without another word.
Marie met him in the hall outside the auditorium. She opened her mouth to speak and Hale raised a hand. “I know what you’re going to say, and yes, it was a bit melodramatic. But it’s the truth, Marie, and these people need to understand it. There’s no other way to put it. It’s life or death out here, and somehow, I have to make them all see it.”
“I—”