The Complete First Season - Episodes 1-5

by J. L. Stowers

  “Well, shit,” Dani mumbled as the screen blipped off. She sighed as the ships moved on either side of Osirion and engaged their gravity beams, trapping their ship between the two.

  The trio of ships slowly started moving forward, and Dani shut down Osirion’s engines. “If they’re taking us in then I’m not going to help them at all. They won’t be able to jump towing us like this either. Cruz, how long do we have before we get back to the Vaerian home system?”

  “About twelve hours at this pace,” Cruz signed after checking his screen.

  Dani clenched her jaw in an effort to contain her frustration. Twelve hours felt like both an instant and an eternity. She needed to think of a plan and she needed it now.

  * * *

  Dani stood in the center of the bridge, arms folded over her chest. She frowned at the two Vaerian ships holding Osirion locked in place between them with intersecting gravity beams. It had been about three hours since the enemy had taken her ship and crew hostage, and each minute that ticked by was torturous.

  The stress of the situation had gotten to her, as demonstrated by the empty bridge. She’d dismissed the rest of the crew as she grew more and more frustrated with herself. Dani thought that allowing them to leave to eat and rest would help her focus, but they weren’t the problem.

  Her thoughts continually circled around to Jag and his condition. As if the venomous bite he’d acquired from the aggressive creatures on the glowshard planet wasn’t enough, now he had a fairly serious head injury. Thankfully, both Sylvine and Cruz were invested in his care.

  What they really needed was to find the Houston and take advantage of the advanced medical facilities on board. If Houston had picked up their distress signal, Dani wasn’t aware of it. And, even if they had, Dani wasn’t sure that they could do anything under their current circumstances.

  She sighed deeply and looked at the holographic display once more. The last scenario she thought of played on repeat. Osirion’s attempt to break free with the current state of their engines and jump drive would result in catastrophic failure. Dani watched again and again as Osirion exploded between the Vaerian ships from the exertion. Each scenario ended the same way.

  On the positive side, it would keep the Vaerians from getting their hands on Osirion’s technology. But she did wish the explosion was large enough to take out the two destroyers as well.

  “Howard, to the bridge please,” Dani called over the comm device she wore in her ear. They’d gone over the jump drive status numerous times, but she was hopeful that his time in the engine room provided a new idea.

  A moment later, the aging mechanic entered the bridge. “I already know why you called me here, and no... I don’t have anything new to report. Jump drive is still shot. We won’t be able to overpower the interlocking gravity beams and live to tell the tale. I still haven’t got a clue about what we should do.”

  Dani glared at him. “Maybe I asked you here for some other reason.”

  “Did you?” Howard looked at her quizzically.

  “Well, no. But I could have.”

  Howard smiled. “No, you couldn’t have. Not until you found a way out of this mess. And if you had done that, you would have called us all up here.”

  Dani nodded slowly. “You’re right. I was just hoping...”

  “I know, dear.” Howard placed his hand on Dani’s shoulder and hugged her to his side as they looked at the Vaerian destroyers on the screen together. “I’m sorry I don’t have better news.”

  “Can I tell you something, Howard?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m starting to regret my choice to accept this mission, or at least the part where I insisted on dragging all of you into this mess with me.”

  Howard chuckled and Dani pulled away, arching an eyebrow. “Oh, Dani, I know you too well to agree with you there. You’d be miserable any other way.”

  “Well, I’m not exactly thrilled with the situation we’ve got going on here.” She sighed.

  “You know, your father doubted himself sometimes, too.”

  Dani looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t know about that. He always seemed so confident.”

  “He was... most of the time. But on occasion, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. Sometimes it’s not always so clear.”

  Dani laughed. “Okay, now I know you’re just trying to make me feel better. Dad always did the right thing. Even when... even when he knew he’d die for it.”

  “It probably seemed that way from the outside. But there were decisions he struggled with. You’re a lot like him.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far.”

  Howard chuckled. “You just can’t see it. Look at the big picture. He, too, sacrificed his life to save his crew. They wouldn’t be around if it weren’t for him. Patrick included.”

  “It’s kind of funny...” Dani trailed off for a moment before picking up where she left off. “You’d never know Dad saved Patrick’s life from the way he talks about him. And Jag... he was so angry.”

  “Yes, sometimes it’s hard for others to understand the sacrifice. Sometimes they feel guilt for what happened. All you can do is try to move past it. What’s done is done.”

  Dani’s mind lingered on Jag. “It’s just hard. Jag’s back there in bad shape and I can’t do anything to help him.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Howard grabbed Dani’s shoulders and pointed her at the screen. “You can let Cruz and that new girl work on him while you focus here, on that. Sometimes we need to let go of some of our problems in order to find a solution. Start with what you know.”

  Dani nodded. “I can do that. We’re in the Dead Zone. Two Vaerian destroyers are towing us back to their home system because they want Osirion’s technology. We have no jump drive. We can’t break free from the gravity beams. We can’t outrun them with our sub-light engines.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Jag may be dying and we’re low on medicine.” Her voice cracked.

  “Which means time is of the essence.”

  “Right.” Dani cleared her throat. “Possible solutions at this point are to try to destroy one or both ships so we can get away. But we’d still be stuck on the wrong side of the armada with no jump drive.”

  “We could send out a coded message using GC Communication Protocol Twelve,” Cassia spoke up from the doorway behind them. “The Vaerians already know where we are, so we don’t have to worry about that anymore. The stronger message will travel further, and since it’s coded, they won’t be able to figure out what it says until help is already here.”

  A smile crept across Dani’s face. “Cassia, that’s a great idea.”

  Cassia blushed. “I’d like to take all the credit, but it was really a joint effort.” She stepped aside and Zadria peeked through the door.

  “Permission to enter the bridge, Captain?” Zadria asked.

  Dani waved them in. “No need to be so formal, Z. You ladies had a great idea. But I don’t know who’d be able to make it through the armada to come save us if they pick up our message. It’d be an act of war.”

  Cassia and Zadria exchanged a look. Cassia opened her eyes a little wider and nodded her head toward Dani.

  “What?” Dani asked, narrowing her eyes.

  Zadria cleared her throat. “Well, I’m not supposed to know this. You see, Dad—er, Patrick—is so secretive at times that occasionally I log into the system with his credentials to see all of the GC updates. You know, because he won’t just come out and tell me things about the war. I think he thinks he’s protecting me or something.”

  “You’re not supposed to know what, Z?” Dani’s patience was bordering on annoyance. She didn’t want to play games right now, not with so much at stake.

  “Just tell her,” Cassia urged. “She’s not going to freak out or tell Patrick.”

  Dani took a deep breath in an effort to be patient.

  “Okay, so there are some pirates operating within Vaerian space.
”

  Dani’s eyes widened. “Really? What are they doing here?”

  “That much, I don’t know.” Zadria shrugged. “But I’m aware of your history with pirates and maybe, by some miracle, they’d help us.”

  For the first time since they realized they were in the Dead Zone, Dani saw a sliver of hope. “This just might work. Do it. I need to go to Jag’s room.”

  Dani hurried out of the bridge and down the hall into Jag’s room. He was still lying unconscious as Sylvine tended to the bite wound and Cruz injected him with another dose of the medication.

  “Oh, good, you’re due for another dose too,” Cruz signed, approaching Dani with a syringe.

  “No. I can’t take that.” Dani held her hands up to stop Cruz before pointing at Jag. “Look at him. He needs it much more than I do.”

  Cruz laid the syringe back down on the tray. “He just had a hefty dose. You need something to keep that poison at bay. We can’t lose you too.”

  Dani frowned. “We aren’t going to lose anyone.”

  Cruz pressed his lips together. “Please.”

  Her eyes locked onto Jag once more. She knew he’d want her to have the medicine, even if she wanted to save it for him. “Okay, but this is the last time. The rest is for Jag.”

  Cruz nodded and injected her with the lavender liquid.

  As she rubbed the injection site, waiting for the burning to wane, she asked, “Do you think the Vaerians might have some medicine that could help?”

  A loud clang came from the medical tray that slipped from Sylvine’s hands.

  “Are you okay?” Dani asked, not sure if the translation chip was working properly.

  Sylvine, who looked just as shocked as Dani and Cruz, opened her mouth to speak, but instead left the room.

  “Well that was weird,” Dani mumbled. “Did Carl sneak in here?”

  Cruz glanced around the room and shrugged. “Vaerians may have some medicine for this type of injury, but we’re really not in a place to negotiate.”

  Dani paused for a moment. “We might have something to bargain with.”

  Before Cruz could respond, she quickly made her way to the bridge. Sylvine was already there, back at Cruz’s station, staring at the large ships towing Osirion and glancing at the navigation display. Dani had a hard time reading her; she had a resolve about her as she eyed the destroyers.

  “Cassia, I need you to open a line of communication with the Vaerian ship.”

  “Uh, okay.” Cassia seemed puzzled but complied with Dani’s order.

  A moment later the Vaerian officer from before was on her screen, seeming annoyed.

  Dani nodded a greeting before clearing her throat. “I am Captain Dani Devereaux of the Galactic Conglomerate, and I’m prepared to offer you a trade.”

  The Vaerian officer sat up a little taller in his seat as he listened to the translation before replying.

  What could you possibly have that would be of interest to us?

  “Look up my name in your database.”

  The Vaerian officer gave a slight nod to someone off-screen. A moment later he glanced down at his console.

  Captain Dani Devereaux is dead.

  “Am I?” Dani smirked.

  He looked back at his console, then at Dani a few times.

  It seems our database is mistaken. However, you’re already in our custody.

  “My ship is in your custody, yes. However, your scans should show the damage to our jump drive. All I have to do is attempt a jump, and this ship will be destroyed.”

  The Vaerian officer stared at her with cold eyes.

  “A member of my crew is in need of medical treatment. If you transport him along with the rest of my crew safely to the other side of the armada and into Galactic Conglomerate care, then I will board your ship. With no one left on Osirion, she’ll be yours for the taking.”

  “Dani,” Cassia grunted through a clenched jaw.

  “What are you doing?” Cruz signed frantically from Cassia’s side. Dani wasn’t sure when he snuck in behind her but he certainly didn’t seem pleased about the negotiation.

  And how can we be sure that you won’t destroy the ship as soon as your crew is safe?

  “You can’t. Just like I can’t be sure you won’t fire upon the GC ship as soon you get Osirion. However, I do give you my word. And, as you can see there from my record, that means something.”

  The Vaerian officer tapped on his console, and the two destroyers shut down their engines.

  We will transport your injured crewmember to safety. The rest of you will be brought aboard as prisoners of war to be interrogated. Should you attempt to destroy the ship, you’ll all be slaughtered.

  The officer leaned forward in his chair, a grimacing look on his scaled face.

  The armada has grown strong. We will make a move on what you call PS782 if you do not cooperate.

  “You will do no such thing.” Sylvine stepped out into the center of the bridge, between Dani and the screen, the words translating automatically.

  “Did she just speak Vaerian?” Zadria asked, jumping to her feet.

  The Vaerian officer’s eyes widened. Dani had never seen a look of surprise on a Vaerian before, but it was almost frightening.

  How is this possible?

  “Take me instead,” Sylvine ordered in Vaerian. “Take me, in exchange for three batches of creonin anti-venom. I know you have it.”

  “What is going on?” Dani asked Cassia in a hushed whisper.

  “Apparently she speaks Vaerian,” Cassia said with a shrug, looking as surprised as Dani felt.

  Done. We accept the terms of this trade.

  Chapter 2

  “Change her translation chip to Vaerian,” Dani ordered Cassia as soon as the Vaerian officer blipped off their screen.

  “Done.”

  “Sylvine, I can’t let you do this.” Dani approached the woman who stood stoic before the screen.

  “Why didn’t you tell us you spoke Vaerian?” Cassia added.

  The translation chip worked beautifully as Sylvine continued to speak Vaerian. “How was I to know you could understand Warrior Vaerian any better than Royal Vaerian?”

  “Wait,” Cruz signed. “There is more than one type of Vaerian?”

  “Does this mean you’re Vaerian?” Dani asked. She had so many questions but bit her tongue after the one, not wanting to overwhelm Sylvine.

  “Royal Vaerian, yes. Now, I must prepare for my departure. It won’t take them long to prepare the creonin anti-venom. They should have stock on board their craft.”

  Cassia interrupted, “You’re royalty?”

  Sylvine paused before turning to Cassia. “The Vaerian history is long and complicated.”

  “But... I need to know more!”

  “Where is your secondary airlock?” Sylvine asked as she turned to Dani.

  “Follow me,” Dani answered as she left the bridge.

  She led Sylvine down to Osirion’s underbelly, stopping in the armory to grab the most intimidating and effective weapon they had on board, a large, double-barreled laser weapon. “I really appreciate you doing this for Jag.”

  “You rescued me from that horrid planet. It’s the least I can do. Besides, the Warrior Vaerians won’t kill me. Worst case scenario, I’ll be required to provide them a constant supply of eggs in order for them to grow their numbers.”

  Dani must have looked absolutely horrified at the idea, because Sylvine quickly changed her demeanor.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said, extending her arm and placing a scaled hand on Dani’s shoulder. “Dekûtkirit ghon. Jenwekulonakirsek azhken pâthîch.”

  Before Dani could figure out what she said or respond, a small Vaerian craft docked at the secondary airlock. Dani opened the hatch and dropped the weapon down into her free hand, pointing it at the Vaerian Warrior on the other side. He was smaller than Dani expected, but his fierceness was evident in his eyes as he glared at Dani.

  Sylvine quickly took the pack
age he held and ripped it open, examining the contents while Dani kept her weapon trained on him. “This looks good, much higher quality than what I was able to make with limited resources. This should help Jag recover much more quickly.”

  “Thank you,” Dani said to Sylvine once more. “I will come for you.”

  Sylvine bowed her head respectfully to Dani before entering the Vaerian craft. The Vaerian warrior glared at Dani once more before following Sylvine.

  Dani quickly sealed the hatch and let out a sigh before returning the weapon to the armory and grabbing the medicine. She made her way back up the ladder a bit clumsily with only one hand, but Cruz was waiting at the top to take the package.

  As Dani climbed out of the access way, she noticed the entire crew was standing there, looking at her with mixed emotions.

  “I can’t believe you let her do that.” Cassia frowned at Dani and shook her head slowly.

  Dani looked to Cruz for backup. Surely he’d chime in with how dire Jag’s condition was, but he only held his hands up and took a step back. “She wanted to do it,” Dani said. “She said that they won’t kill her.”

  “I hope that’s true. The GC could have learned a lot from her.” Zadria sighed. A quick glare from Cassia made her add, “And she was so kind to help us with Jag and Dani.”

  “Cruz, take this to Jag. Sylvine said it’s better than what she was able to make. Let’s see how he does with it.”

  Cruz nodded as he turned and made his way to Jag’s room, Dani close behind.

  Dani was happy to see that Jag was semi-conscious when they got there. His eyes were barely fluttering open, and they tracked her as she crossed the room and walked to his bedside.

  “We’ve got some better medicine for you,” Dani whispered, scooping up his hand in hers.

  “Mmm,” he moaned quietly as he gave her hand a little squeeze. “Hopefully it helps with this headache. Even talking hurts.”

  “Then don’t do it.” Dani smiled ever so slightly at him before removing the cloth from his head. “Cruz, go ahead and give him the medicine.”

  Cruz injected the Vaerian medicine—creonin anti-venom as Sylvine called it. It was the same lavender color, only this version seemed to have a silver sheen to it.