The Complete First Season - Episodes 1-5

by J. L. Stowers

  The Houston, unlike GC warships, was designed for comfort. These types of luxury ships housed the crew for much longer periods of time than ships like Alaska’s Vengeance. Often the crew was in rotation for years at a time, with many spending their entire career aboard the massive ship. Dani knew how these ships worked as a result of her time on the Seattle, the large academy vessel she had been assigned to right after graduating from the academy. Living long-term aboard these ships became part of one’s identity, as close-knit bonds were formed during the years of service. It was difficult for outsiders to work their way in, especially when they joined in such a small group such as Dani and her crew.

  Howard already seemed to be fairly welcomed aboard the Houston. But it was a different story for Dani. Anyone she encountered was quick to divert their eyes and hurry past her, some turning on their heel and walking briskly away. She wasn’t sure if it was because of her outsider status or the fact her face had been plastered all over the news for the past several weeks.

  As she turned the corner to her favorite window, she smiled to see Howard already there. Dani approached him, then stopped at his side to stare out at the stars beside him. She had grown to appreciate Howard much the way she imagined she would have appreciated her grandfather.

  “I’m so happy to be out here again. Thank you.”

  “Certainly, dear. I couldn’t leave you to your death in that hellhole. You belong amongst the stars, just like your father.” Howard turned to face her. “I know you didn’t get to spend much time with him as a child, but he was always thinking about you. He was torn between the two most important loves in his life, his family and this.”

  Dani nodded, pulling her eyes from the vastness of space to Howard’s face. “I understand. It was torture being trapped in a cell with no access to the night sky. I’ll do anything to keep that from happening again.”

  “I’m glad you said that.” Howard’s eyes seemed to twinkle as though there were no limits to the secrets he knew.

  Dani smiled and shook her head as she watched Howard retreat toward his chambers. Oh, Howard.

  “What’s that old man up to now?” Jag startled Dani from behind with his voice.

  “Who knows?” she said as she spun around. “Hey, sorry your death didn’t go as planned.”

  “Yeah, yours too.”

  They both laughed a bit awkwardly. Dani was happy Jag was talking to her again, though she felt it would take a while for them to get back into their old groove.

  “My only question now is, how do they explain us being alive after we save the universe in typical Dani and Jag fashion?”

  Dani leaned in to hug Jag. “Thanks for joining the team. You don’t know how much it means to me.”

  Jag’s arms hung at his sides for a few moments before he gingerly reached up to pat Dani on the back. “Well, it was a very tough call between you and whisky.”

  Dani lowered herself to the floor and leaned back against the wall as she gazed out the window, Jag mirroring her.

  “Have you been able to get any details from Howard about the new ship?”

  “Of course not.” Jag sighed. “He’s enjoying keeping us in the dark.”

  “Well, it’s making me crazy.”

  “Oh, come on, how far did you really have to go, Ms. Let’s Go In That Wormhole?”

  Dani laughed. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

  “I’m just messing with you.” Jag softly jabbed her in the shoulder with his fist. “If you didn’t manage to pull that stunt off, we wouldn’t be here.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, surprised to hear him agreeing with her actions.

  “It was after that where things went sideways,” he said, his eyes growing distant as he directed his gaze out the window.

  Dani looked longingly out at the stars once more. She didn’t want to rehash the same discussion yet again. All she could do was hope that one day things would be back to normal. “I think I’m going to head to bed.”

  Jag nodded and stood, offering his hand to help her up.

  “Get some rest,” she said as she took his hand and stood.

  Jag nodded, and Dani turned to walk back to her quarters.

  She took the long way around the ship, relishing in the solitude. I guess large ships do have their perks.

  While the idea of regaining a ship and a crew greatly appealed to her, she couldn’t help but feel as though something was still off. Patrick’s resistance to supplying her with her old crew was minimal compared to what she was expecting. In fact, everything seemed almost a little too easy. Dani stepped into her room as questions flooded her mind. How is Patrick alive? Why is there so much secrecy behind this mission? What was up with Meg and the note in prison?

  “S802-P825-C1106-66d,” Dani mumbled the coordinates from the note to herself, a chill running down her back. It just didn’t make sense that someone would know the coordinates, much less relay them to her in prison. And that other note, the one that said, Take the job. She’d assumed at the time it wasn’t meant for her, but now, with a job offer hanging over her head, she wasn’t so sure. The line between consequence and intention was blurry, and Dani didn’t know how to differentiate between them anymore.

  Dani collapsed onto her bed and stared at the ceiling as the questions kept rolling in, Patrick at the forefront. Thinking about Patrick’s mysterious appearance led to her father’s final mission. Images and video of the incident had flooded news outlets for months. Dani was in the flight academy at the time and almost failed from the number of classes she avoided just so she wouldn’t have to answer any more questions.

  She shook her head and redirected her thoughts to happy images of her father when she was a child. She didn’t see him often, but when she did he was always so happy to be there with her. What little time they had together was full of love and fun. Dani let herself drift off to sleep with the memory of her and her father celebrating her acceptance into the flight academy. The pride in his eyes, the laughter in their hearts—it was the closest thing she had ever experienced to a perfect day.

  * * *

  “Dani, I need you to come with me.”

  Patrick’s voice snapped Dani out of the trance she was in. She quit stirring her soup and raised her eyes from the whirlpool in her bowl. The green soup was far more interesting than the sample collection currently being conducted on the planet below. Dani knew the Galactic Conglomerate needed to be thorough in its quest for resources, but she felt the sampling process was extremely dull and monotonous. She much preferred the military sector, which focused primarily on the ongoing War of the Seven Suns, even if the war itself was also resource driven.

  “What’s up?” Dani sighed.

  Patrick frowned momentarily. “Well, I thought you’d be interested in trying out the flight simulator for your new ship, but—”

  “I’m interested!” Dani jumped out of her seat, knocking it down behind her, and tossed her spoon on the table.

  “Great.” Patrick’s smug smile returned. “Head on down to Level 5 Area B3 after you’re done here.”

  Dani quickly cleared her dishes and cleaned up her mess before hustling out into the hall after Patrick. It didn’t take her long to catch up to him.

  “Does this mean I’ll get to see the ship soon?”

  “The time is drawing closer, yes. We just picked up Cassia, and she’s getting settled in while we’re en route to the outpost. I’d like you to get a few hours in on the simulator while Howard preps Cassia. This ship is a bit different than Alaska’s Vengeance.”

  “Absolutely.” Dani struggled to contain her excitement. She wanted to be viewed as a professional, and bouncing down the hall to the flight simulator wasn’t going to give off that impression. Her glee subsided slightly as his words about Cassia finally registered in her mind. “What do you mean, ‘prep Cassia’?”

  Patrick sighed, annoyed at the question. “You’ll recall Ms. Simpkins had a mental break and checked herself
in to a psychiatric hospital. Howard feels it’s best that he talk with her one on one before we stick her in a room with you.”

  “Oh, okay.” Dani frowned as guilt racked her once more about how her actions affected her crew.

  Patrick led the way into a dark room occupied by a sole technician.

  “Barry, get Devereaux here set up with simulator. Four hours with increasingly difficult scenarios.”

  Barry sat perfectly still, staring at Dani.

  She shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat before extending a hand like she had in other similar situations. “Dani Devereaux, nice to meet you. I promise, I’m not a terrorist.”

  “Come on, Barry, we’ve talked about this.”

  “Y—yes, sir.” Barry’s chair turned toward his workstation as he eyed Dani’s outstretched hand.

  Dani turned her handshake offer into a clap by swinging her other hand into it. “Okay, then... let’s do this.”

  Barry nodded toward a doorway. “In there.”

  “Have fun.” Patrick winked before stepping out of the room.

  Dani stepped into the next room and marveled at the smooth, white sphere in the center of the room. She climbed through the hatch and into the seat inside. Her legs bounced with excitement as she examined the controls around the chair before she reached for the helmet located on a hook just above the dashboard.

  Upon placing the helmet on her head, the tiny space transformed. The display inside the helmet expanded on the captain’s chair to encompass the entire bridge. Her cheeks began to hurt from smiling so much as she excitedly absorbed the view.

  “Beginning Simulation One. Subject already showing elevated vitals.” Barry’s voice broke the illusion.

  Right, you’re here to show them what you’ve got. Dani took a deep breath and adjusted the seat so she could comfortably reach the controls. Most of the buttons were what she was accustomed to, per GC standards. They purposefully designed their ships to be similar so pilots could fly any ship in the fleet with relative ease. However, a new panel on her right caught her eye.

  Before she had time to investigate the new control panel in detail, light filled the bridge as the windows showed the door of the virtual launch bay open.

  Scenario One: Exiting the Launch Bay. The words hovered in the virtual reality world.

  Easy enough.

  Dani took the controls in her hand and fired up the thrusters; however, instead of being greeted by the gentle humming and easy maneuverability, flames erupted around the ship. Warning lights and alarms sounded, and the simulation shut down.

  “Well done. You managed to kill everyone in less than two seconds.” Barry sounded annoyed.

  Dani sat in shock. “Was there a malfunction with the thrusters?”

  “Er... no. The prototype doesn’t use thrusters to get out of the launch bay.” The snark in his voice was apparent.

  “So how do I get out of the launch bay?” she asked through gritted teeth.

  “You would deactivate the gravity field in the launch bay and use the launch propulsion system to push you out the door, of course.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw.

  “Subject showing elevated vitals.”

  Dani puffed out her cheeks and exhaled slowly. It was clear to her that this Barry guy wasn’t going to do her any favors, but at least she knew now that the mysterious new ship was a prototype.

  Once she calmed the burning rage toward the annoying technician, she hit Restart Scenario on the display. While the bay doors opened, Dani scanned the control panel. On the new panel was a section that seemed to be linked with the Houston’s launch bay. Activating the panel brought up a display that highlighted the controls Barry mentioned.

  “Is the launch bay clear?” she asked as her hand hovered over the gravity controls.

  “Launch bay is clear.”

  Dani couldn’t help but smirk at the disappointment in his voice. You’re not going to trick me this time, Barry.

  She switched off the gravity and activated the launch propulsion system. It was her first experience with this technology. Last she heard, the GC was implementing it across their larger ships and space stations as a way of protecting workers from the dangers of using thrusters in a launch bay. Of course it was expected to take several years to outfit all the locations with the technology, which meant that Dani and her crew wouldn’t be able to land or depart in any launch bay not properly equipped. It was obvious that the prototype’s thrusters were more powerful than those typically used to launch.

  She shook her head and laughed as she felt the simulation accelerate through the open doors. Another failsafe to keep them on task. She glanced around the control panel, looking for other restrictions, but the incredible view drew her attention. She knew it was just a simulation, but as her ship exited the Houston, the beauty of space surrounded her. Then it was gone.

  Scenario One: Complete.

  “What’s next, Barry?”

  Scenario Two: Basic Maneuvers.

  Dani shrugged off the lack of verbal response and took the controls once more. The simulation started where the last one stopped, the only difference being that the Houston was nowhere to be seen. She took the controls in her hands and fired up the thrusters. Delicate movements were all it took to encourage the ship to fly at her will. A series of rings appeared dotted throughout the area after she played with the controls a bit. After a slightly wobbly start, Dani expertly flew through the colored rings. As soon as she went through the last ring on one set, another set would appear.

  “Loving these new thrusters, Barry!” Dani exclaimed, getting caught up in the moment. “If the real thing handles this well then this is going to give me more maneuverability than I ever had with Alaska’s Vengeance. The controls are so responsive, it feels more like flying a fighter than a... whatever it is. I guess I don’t even know how large it is really. Can you give me a little insight on what I’m working with here?”

  “Barry?”

  Scenario Two: Complete.

  The rings and surrounding stars disappeared. Dani listened intently.

  “Barry?”

  Scenario Three: Evasive Maneuvers.

  The stars slowly started to fade in, along with three Vaerian destroyers. They immediately began charging up their weapons, and Dani grabbed the controls, no longer concerned with Barry.

  She tumbled and twirled through space as energy blasts flew at her ship. At times, she suspected the ship had some type of auto-avoidance detection, as it began to tilt before she moved the controls when a shot came a little too close. In a dogfight, there was a lot going on, so Dani appreciated the extra help. She glanced around for weapons controls but didn’t see any, much to her disappointment.

  As two of the ships took aim, Dani swept up behind the third, causing them to fire energy shots into the hull of their fellow Vaerian ship. One down, two to go. The simulation was so lifelike, Dani temporarily forgot she was in the simulator. She bit her lip and corkscrewed toward the first ship as the second sent rapid-fire shots her direction. Soon there was just one remaining.

  Dani glanced at the controls as she safely hid behind one of the destroyers. A grin spread across her face as she turned the cloaking on. “Oh wow, does the prototype have the power capacity to power shields and cloaking at the same time? This is a blast!”

  Scenario Three: Complete.

  “Oh, come on, Barry! I was just getting started.” She threw her hands into her lap as the images went dark.

  Scenario Four: Wormhole Travel.

  Dani reread the words several times before they faded then exhaled loudly. “Here goes nothing.”

  The image shifted once more. The Vaerian ships were gone. There in their place was the swirling maw of the very object that had stolen her career, her life. The wormhole spun like a whirlpool in space. The pink, white, yellow, and blue light from the stars blurred around the edges of the massive funnel, and a soft glow emanated from within. The simulated versi
on lacked the depth of the real thing, which made it seem less daunting, though only slightly.

  Dani stared down the throat of what undoubtedly would be her very near future, but her hands felt heavy. Images of the Vaerian battleship shooting the speciously large energy blast into the star and the resulting chaos and the destruction of PS683 flashed in her mind. She felt her pulse quicken and sweat start to bead on her forehead.

  The hypnotic swirl drew her attention before she focused inward instead. Her thoughts moved to her crew as she wondered if this whole mission would be a big mistake. Could she risk her crew in such a dangerous mission? It had already nearly happened once. She was wondering if she had been foolish to demand their presence.

  Scenario Four: Failed.

  There it was, in bright, bold letters: Failed.

  “Uh, sorry. Can we try that one again, Barry?” Dani tried to shake the negativity from her hands as she fluttered them wildly before grabbing onto the controllers.

  “I’m ready now, I swear.” She waited. “Barry?”

  After waiting another moment, she took off the helmet and opened the hatch. “Barry, what’s the hold—oh, Patrick.”

  Patrick stood silently, leaning on his cane. “I excused Barry.”

  “I can see that... now.” Her eyes darted around the room. “So... I guess you saw—”

  “Yup.”

  She couldn't quite get a read on the situation.

  “I just wasn’t expecting...” She trailed off with a shrug.

  “It’s fine. You need some more time in the simulator before you run any wormhole missions, obviously, but it's fine. That’s not why I pulled the plug.”

  “Oh, okay.” Her muscles relaxed. “So, we’re there then?”

  “We are. And I want you, Jag, and Howard to go down and get Cruz. It’s a small outpost and he’s the only one there, so I’m not worried about anyone seeing you. I figured you were dying to get off the Houston for a bit, so here’s your chance. Maybe it will help you clear your head.”

  A smile reached across Dani’s face. “Not a problem at all. When?”