The column marched for several long moments across the wide-open hangar. Unable to speak, she dutifully followed her peers, while trying not to look at Di's rump in front of her.
A low-slung troop deployment sled hovered a few inches off the deck. It was much bigger than she imagined from the training holos. The recruits all filed around, each searching for their clothing. Hers was easy to find—she saw it from across the hangar. The cheery red swimsuit cover-up along with the one-piece she wore underneath.
There was something funny about them: they were several sizes too large. The swimsuit was for a woman much bigger than her, but she remembered it was on her as she emerged from her waking haze. In moments she stepped into it, then tossed the tunic over her head to cover her body. It was also too large, but she could manage it by holding the extra folds of cloth as she sat in her seat.
In a minute, everyone boarded the sled in absolute silence. It was a long, sleek spacecraft that allowed a hundred troops to strap in and hang on to the outside hull. For zero-G space combat, it served as the delivery vehicle to get them all into the action. Now, instead of using combat armor and booster packs for thrust, she sat on the cold metal with nothing on but a droopy swimming suit.
Her trust in the Vampire elders and command crew was supposed to be absolute. But going into space like this had to be a mistake. At any moment she expected someone to say this was a grandiose final prank. She looked around for Di to see if she was scared, but her seat was on the reverse side. Her eyes carried panic as she surveyed the other recruits—desperate to see some sign they were also afraid. But there was only cold resignation on their faces.
Are they all in on it? Am I the one being hazed?
The giant door slid sideways, revealing a beautiful starfield. She opened her mouth to speak, forgetting for an instant the air had already been removed.
The sled rose up a few feet, and they were on their way. Her relief morphed into wonder as she accepted she wasn't going to die in open space. It was to be a true rebirth; she noted with that same tummy-tumbling trepidation.
Moments later, they were cruising next to the Axente Sever. The pilot—fitted in full combat armor she noted with longing—seemed to revel in the freedom. She took them up and over the hull so they could see the entire ship. It was jet black and true to modern starship design was shaped vaguely like a bird. Since Vampires didn’t have to worry about most kinds of radiation, the fleet designers could focus on aesthetics rather than necessities. Builders scrapped the long, clunky designs of early humans—which separated living quarters from engineering and propulsion—and built organic ships as beautiful as they were deadly.
A red giant star anchored the system, though they were so far out it was no wider than her extended hand as she looked at it. Its red glow bathed her mates and everything around them in a red hue. It was vaguely menacing, though the ritual was supposed to be a happy—if painful—one. Vampires, she lamented, seemed to enjoy doling out pain.
The sled pilot dipped them under a wing of the larger ship, sped up as she weaved in and out of the endless superstructure, then sailed by the bridge near the front. The sight of a light transport hauling curiously-dressed recruits had to be getting smiles from the stodgy old pilots. If not, nothing would.
In seven or eight minutes they’d reached the asteroid. By silent agreement, everyone dismounted from the sled and touched down on the rocky surface. For ten months she'd seen these people in the neat, tight-fitting uniforms of the fleet and now they all looked disheveled and lost. Her outfit stood out because of its color, but other women wore flashy dresses—many were too large on them—or nothing. Several men were also naked. Either they lost their clothes or didn't wear clothes when the Vampires found them.
She tried not to look at the reddish bodies—all of them seemed puffy from the effects of the vacuum, though it was most evident on those without anything on. Her eyes couldn't avoid the exposed body parts because of the stark contrast with the darkness behind them. Her free-fall stomach reached pulsar levels of rotation.
The sled took off, leaving them all standing tenuously on the small body with just enough gravity to keep them from floating away. No one was stupid enough to try jumping.
She recognized the silhouette of the woman approaching in front of her. Unlike Maggie, Di's clothes fit perfectly. She wore an elegant black dress with a sweeping V in the front that went down to her belly button. She seemed to revel in her attire and eyed Maggie up and down with a guarded smile. Always they had to assume Fleet admirals were watching this ceremony.
She returned the same smile as well as a thumbs up. Though she'd never say it, she was unable to turn away from her. It took everything she had to look where Di pointed.
The Axente Sever had already moved. While she was admiring the natives on the asteroid like a greenhorn tourist, the big ship had silently crept to a new position. Instead of the sleek side profile she'd enjoyed on the way in, she was looking at the clunky ass end of the hovering beast. Those engines seemed to glower at her. They were poised to unleash hell right in her face.
A voice chimed in over her neural Interlink. It was the captain. “Recruits. When you hear my voice again, you will be full members of this fleet. The hazing and suffering will end. You will be ready to serve with honor and pride as equals under my wing. This ritual is, as you know, a way to connect you with our forebearers. Those Vampire men and women who were there on Earth when the Infinity Drive bathed the planet in fire. That day humanity ceded its place in the universe to us. We ask each of you to share in the suffering. To know where you've come from. Where you're going. And...”
The voice dropped out as the captain was interrupted. When he came back, his voice sounded different. Less friendly somehow.
“And, I almost forgot,” he said with a quiet, fake, laugh. “Part of the ritual I've neglected for decades has been mentioned once again here on the bridge. I might as well remind us all. The Fire of Truth connects you with our past, but it also protects you against our enemies. The last human is real. If he's out there with you on that asteroid, my engines will destroy him.” He coughed to clear his throat. “So, you can see now that when you re-board the Axente, you can rest assured we are all one big, happy family. Good luck. See you on the other side.”
She heard his last words. “Burn 'em.”
This is gonna hurt.
Every rumor of this act of hazing—all true it seemed—said it would. How could it not?
A private channel opened on her Link.
“Mags. I've made a terrible mistake. I'm not going to make it.”
Di was in a panic. Something completely at odds with every moment she'd known her friend.
“Of course you will. We all will. They wouldn't kill us. This is all designed to test us. See if we'll crack.” Her laugh was hollow, revealing how truly scared she was.
I need you Di. If you lose it, I'm a goner, too.
“Listen. I'm uploading some of my favorite snaps of us. I've enjoyed my time with you. I think you're different, Maggie. You have a warm heart. I wish—”
She could see Di in the Interlink as a small projection—she wore strange black tights—but she somehow looked different. A slightly changed face. Her hair was a brighter blonde. She was a bit taller. It made her doubt the avatar was, in fact, her. Looking at the real Di, in her black dress, she saw something new. An exposed weakness. A delicate sadness totally at odds with the strong woman who'd endured so much in recent months. Somehow it made Maggie feel a depth of attraction to her. A desire to help get her through this. To be strong for them both, because they were destined to be together.
“Stop this talk. All we have to do is be calm. I'd hold your hand if you'd—”
“No, Mags. You can't be around me. Not now. Not after what I've given you. I'm not going to make it. You'll understand why when you look at the pictures. Please don't hate me.”
“Hate you?” she said with wonder, as if such an emotion would ever cross he
r mind with her best friend. Thinking fast, she weighed the odds of anyone monitoring the channel. Private Links were supposed to be un-hackable. In the moment, she didn't care. “I love y—”
A small sun exploded. The pain was white hot but mercifully brief. Her body, and all those around her were shoved off the asteroid. All the fancy clothes she'd been admiring and—in her case, being embarrassed by—burned away.
Her eyes adjusted quickly from the white light of the star drive to the darkness of the red giant. In those moments the bodies around her had become blackened husks. Di floated a few meters behind her...and she looked like an obsidian caricature of a person. Her hair was gone. Her once-white skin was black and shiny. And she had...wings? Only her eyes—a fierce green—remained unchanged. Her arms and legs flailed wildly as she cartwheeled through space.
She shut her eyes and blocked it out. Her attraction to Di was confusing, but it excited her. Her warmth stood out on the cold ship. Whatever it was, she didn’t want to remember her as a crispy charred corpse with bat wings, even though her friend was obviously still alive and kicking. She lost track of time in the silent free fall—until she felt a bump on her arm. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Di again. The real Di. In the drift of the blast, they'd somehow found each other. She looked perfectly normal. Her pink skin had returned. Her hair appeared long and messy without gravity. She looked fresh and new.
We both survived! We're free to serve the Fleet together, forever.
She thought Di's restored body was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She just needed a little bit of oxygen so she could shout it to the world. She reached for her best friend, then cried out in silence as her skin folded in on itself and tore apart. Di's shape expanded, and her form popped like a balloon—leaving nothing but wisps of what had to be holographic skin. Whatever had been inside was now gone.
Her friend had been taken by the engines, after all. Thinking back to the captain's speech, and Di's frightful final pleas, it all tumbled with her as she drifted in the darkness. By the time the sled had found her, the pieces of Di had scattered to infinity, and there was no evidence there were once two of them tumbling together. After looking at Di's pictures, and learning who she was, Maggie knew it was important to pretend she didn't care for one last human burned out of existence.
“Well, not the last...”
Someone's going to pay for this.
Her eyes were fierce as she returned to the Ax. Her future in the Fleet was suddenly very clear.
* * *
2215 years ago
A bright beam ruptured the ceiling for just a second. An instant later it turned off, and the roof collapsed as a Vampire dropped into the chamber. Peter Telluride fell to the floor under the weight of falling debris. Doctor Davis, closer to the interloper, was crushed to death.
Jumping from his bunker-buster platform, the Vampire warrior strode to the console and ensured no one could engage the firing systems. He scanned the room, apparently surprised there was no one else. He slung his pulse weapon back over his shoulder.
“I made it just in time,” he stated as if arriving at a dinner party. “You guys beat our estimates on timing. Unusual for humans.”
“Impossible,” Peter groaned. They were a mile under the surface. Obviously, nowhere was safe from them.
He nursed a broken arm as he propped himself up against a nearby desk. His ankle sat at a funny angle, though he didn't feel it. He recognized he was in shock. Unsure what to say in response, he tried to maintain his poise and calm. That effort failed when Mare's screams began from inside the capsule. She would undoubtedly see what was happening over the video feeds.
“Commander!” she shouted. “Are you all right?” Inwardly he was proud of her for not calling him Daddy. Not this time. Not with a Vampire elder right in front of him.
The countdown halted at seventeen seconds.
“What do you want?” Peter asked though he was pretty sure he knew. In interstellar war, civilian casualties stacked up faster than the military's. Any ships defending the backwater human planet would be doomed. Vampire ships were larger, faster, and far more advanced. The only advantage humanity had was time. They'd spread across the stars but were followed closely by the ever-increasing number of Vampires.
The intruder laughed. “We didn't follow you, good sir. We were with you the whole time. You think I came from the arriving fleet? Nope. I've slipped in the side door, in a matter of speaking.”
“And you want to kill my—” He tried to keep his thoughts to himself, but the Vampire read his mind.
“Daughter. Yes, I know who she is. I know what this little experiment is all about. And no, I'm not here to stop it. I'm here to make sure it succeeds. I'm sorry to say you won't see how it turns out. I will. But not you,” he said glibly.
Peter eyed the control board.
“Don't bother. I've put an encryption on the launch sequence. I need a few moments to, uh, inject my code into this cargo pod.”
“You can't. This has taken months to sequence. It was perfect.”
“Well, not really. It will be perfect once I've added the right ingredient.” He pointed up.
A hover platform came down through the hole in the ceiling. A woman jumped off as it neared the floor. She wore a jumpsuit similar to Mare's, but a hood kept her face in shadow. In moments the Vampire had the pod door open, and the woman walked inside before Mare could get out. The portal shut to the sound of her screams.
Peter sobbed at the realization of how bad he'd failed her.
The Vampire came to him, then kneeled. “I know this won't comfort you, but my goal is not dissimilar to yours. I want humans to survive.”
“Impossible. Vampires eat humans.”
The laughter was loud and boisterous. “Where do you get such nonsense?” His laughter settled into a chuckle, then trailed off with a long, satisfying sigh. He continued. “Vampires haven't needed to feed on humans for a thousand years. Science has settled that little unpleasantness.”
“A thousand years...” Peter voiced it as if he'd just realized he'd wasted his entire life.
“That's right. Now I'll admit some of my brethren keep humans as culinary treats—many serve willingly—but out-and-out murdering of them for food is a thing of the past. A brutal and primitive period, I freely admit.”
“But the war. You kill us wherever you find us.”
“That's your great downfall, my young friend. You humans think this is about you.” He stood up and towered over Peter. The strobe effect from the broken lighting gave the Vampire an ethereal glow. “Humanity lost the war a long time ago. Our fight isn't with you. You are simply in our way. The real fight is among surviving factions of the Original Vampires. Those that escaped Earth. They fled in many directions, taking their bloodlines with them. They're creating more along their way to the outer rim of the galaxy. Who knows how far each of them has gone? Every human outpost is a potential source of supply and other human capital that they mustn't acquire. What you're doing here serves my need as well as your own. I'm just giving it a little nudge in the direction I desire.”
Peter took a stab at the answer staring him it the face. “You aren't with the arriving fleet, are you?”
“Give that man a cookie.”
“But why my daughter? Who did you put in there?”
“I know what the machine is. This is beyond you humans. Beyond even us. If the fleet gets here before you launch, their Infinity Drives will destroy the planet and the tunnels below. I want you to succeed. So I'm putting in a pilot that will speed things up.”
“But it's a time machine!”
“Not exactly. It's more of a time manipulator. Part-spaceship. Part-time machine. But it only travels to the future. A future where this spoke of the galactic wheel will be controlled by an enemy elder. I'm rolling the dice that when this ship re-appears and our girls emerge, they will infect that elder's bloodline and disrupt his expansionist plans. That should give my peop
le a few thousand extra years of a head start.”
“My God. You're talking about epochs of time.”
“Vampires live forever, my friend. You've got to have a hobby, or you go crazy out there. You know?”
Peter could only nod in incredulity.
“Humans scare Vampires. Not me of course, but many of my peers see you with as much fear as a viper under the foot. I admit I like to help that fear along, especially among my enemies.” He laughed quietly. “I'm sorry if that means more of your kind become collateral damage. Truly.”
“Fat bit of difference that makes.”
The Vampire looked at him for a long moment, then turned to the console. The countdown resumed and the seconds ticked down toward zero. Mare's screams and pleas became background noise. Her image on the screen warped with his tears.
“I love you, Daddy,” was her final statement. But the last words from the capsule came from the mystery woman. “I love you, Father.”
Peter watched the other man's back as the orb dropped into the tunnel—on its way to its destination twenty centuries from now.
“That was your daughter? You sacrificed her?”
He did not turn around. “War is a brutal business. Involving children is a crime, in my view. But are we not all children? Yes, that was my daughter. Like yours, my daughter will mix with my enemy for her own survival. Fear, as it turns out, is much more efficiently sown when the instigator is completely innocent. She will play her part well.”
“You used her!”
“As you did for your 'daughter,' commander. I know what she was. She was not of your bloodline.”
That silenced Peter. It was a secret only he knew. Mare's survival depended on her not knowing her true nature. If this random Vampire already has that information…
The Expanding Universe Page 50
