Space Station Acheron

by F Stephan

  Maritschka refused sternly. “I cannot be a soldier.”

  “No need for that, Madam. We need qualified medics as well. Doctor Nilse, the head doctor at the Academy on Adheek, has been bearing the weight of caring for new Pilots for a long time. He had a lot to atone for. You could help him for a while, get more students to survive the injections. Later… you handle yourself well enough in a combat situation to have all units vying for your support. And just so you know, we don’t split husbands and wives for long. The Corps protects its own.”

  Sudden understanding dawned on Boris. “You are part of this Corp, aren’t you, Madam?”

  “Call me Lelal, and the answer is yes. We all have a past.”

  “But how will you send us in space? All shuttles are monitored…”

  “All of you died in the bombing's aftermath, while we barely escaped. In a minute, I will call for a rescue operation for the Pilot from the Federation Marines. You will be part of it, wearing Federation uniforms. But I’ll request something else before you go.”

  Boris straightened. She has been fair until now. What’s coming?

  “You planned a dead’s man switch in case your former employer betrayed you?”

  All three nodded. A laugh sparked inside Boris. Paranoid fellows, aren’t we?

  “Before you board the shuttle, I want you to activate it and send all your information to Pilot Wilfried on Acheron. Then we will smuggle you out of this world. You have my word on it.” And nothing but your word. I’ll take it. “You’ll never set foot on Earth again. Sacha will serve as a pure Federation pilot, not giving any money or support to your planet, apart from her own service. Is this clear?”

  “And the scout?”

  “We will evacuate her while she sleeps. She will confirm what happened here today and return to her happy life. Unless we recruit her. She’s a brave one.”

  Lelal’s cold eyes bore into Boris. He shuddered.

  Leopold

  Charon, April 5, 2141

  Leopold opened his eyes slowly. His sight was unfocused, his ears ringing. He tried to concentrate on where he was, bringing his senses back into focus… and failed.

  “Where am I?” he croaked.

  “Infirmary on Acheron. How are you feeling?” Rana’s voice. Distorted, but her voice.

  “My whole body aches. I can’t see. I can barely hear. What happened?”

  “You went very far against those missiles, sir. Very far.” In the red, you mean? Why didn’t push the button and finish this? His hearing improved a little and the ringing stopped. “I had to do it – I was ready to push it. But, he came, and he injected something into you, Pilot. And told me to wait and care for you.”

  Who? What?

  “Emergency nanite control.” Noul’s voice. Too high-pitched for Leopold, tearing at his eardrums. “You’re not a fully qualified Pilot, but there are few who would have dared try what you did. You didn’t deserve this fate yet.”

  Leopold closed his eyes. Time passed – he couldn’t say how long – but when he awoke again, his vision had cleared a little and his hearing seemed normal. Rana was still at his side, Noul nowhere to be seen.

  “Hello again.”

  “Pilot, I’ve got to ask a series of questions to assess your state. Are you ready for it or do you need more sleep?”

  Leopold breathed for a few seconds, but his head seemed clear enough.

  “Yes. But first, what of the ship? The singularity?”

  “Hawkeyes Noul stabilized the singularity after you collapsed. He said you had done enough of the job for him to finish it. He has brought the ship into a higher orbit and we are waiting for a shuttle from Earth. Pilot Tasha is being evacuated.”

  “Looks like we all got into trouble.” Leopold grinned. “How’s Wilfried? And the station? What happened?”

  “The station was saved. I’ll tell you more once you’ve answered the questions. And when you’ve finished, Sara sent you a message. We recorded it live when we received the transmission.”

  Leopold winced. “Angry?”

  Rana laughed. “Only when you’ve answered my checklist. And when I’ve declared you fit for service. She wasn’t happy. That’s certain. But she was also proud of you. As we all are.”

  Killian

  Neutral New York, April 5, 2141

  Killian Lacazette fidgeted in the waiting room beside the Council chamber. It had all gone too fast – the attacks, the death of Anaru, the announcement of an emergency election to replace the President during the crisis, and his own election. Now he stood in the side chamber, biding his time until Rui, the speaker, called him to speak.

  “He hated this, you know,” he said to Nashiz, standing at his side. “He used to tease him about this… I’m not ready for it.”

  “You have to be. The United Organization needs you. Look at Laureen Cattlin, her sad, contrite face and the little smirk beneath it. She knows what a loss Anaru’s death is for Earth. Don’t let her win.” A green light above them blipped twice. “Come. You’ve been called.”

  Killian entered first, followed two steps behind by the Envoy. He walked to the dais, looking at the assembly and the video drones. All channels would recast this speech within minutes.

  “My friends, for today we are all friends in sorrow, I have grave news. For the first time in millennia, Geneva has been attacked by intercontinental missiles. Fortunately, the nuclear warheads were dismantled, and only thirty square klicks, the Geneva Governmental Compound, were blown to ashes. Most of the compound had been evacuated thanks to the United Organization soldiers and Federation Marines, and today many of our friends in the Alps live, thanks to them. Our President Anaru Metre stood at their side, sending people down until his own death. Far above us, Charon destroyed three missiles, protecting even more innocent people from these attacks.”

  He paused and was met by the silence of the assembly. The discontent members wouldn’t say anything today, and many neutrals had had friends in the compound. The room mourned with him that day.

  “Another missile strike was targeted at Russia, a sparsely settled area in Siberia, populated mainly by tigroids. We don’t know why or how, but our prayers go to our friends in Reborn Russia, who suffer today following another attack at their homeland. Other more conventional attacks targeted facilities all over the world used to supply the space station Acheron. This is a war waged against us – all of us – against our efforts to make this planet better. The Geneva lake had been cleaned and was thriving again. It will now take generations to save it. Again.”

  Around him, responding to a signal, 3Ds of the destruction popped up. The Seattle space plant burning along with the surrounding forest, the dark cloud over Siberia, the grey lake amidst the beautiful Alps, Brasilia and the dead compound, and all the other places destroyed in the past weeks.

  “We reacted quickly, and the military base hiding those terrorists is being dismantled. We are analyzing all the data. They may lead to the people behind those attacks. We will find them wherever they hide. We already have a few names and police forces are on their way.”

  A few representatives stirred uncomfortably in the room.

  “But today, I would like us to share a prayer for our President, Anaru Metre – a great man, a leader in time of trouble and fear, a friend.”

  A picture of Anaru replaced all the others behind Killian, a fatherly figure behind a young son.

  Tasha

  North Atlantic, April 5, 2141

  Tasha woke up at the boom of a shuttle braking under mach 1. She looked around to see an Adheeken shuttle.

  “Welcome back, Pilot.” Lelal was bent over her. “How do you feel?”

  “Sore. Where are we? On Adheek?”

  Lelal quickly recounted the events of the day. “The Commander had hidden a Federation shuttle some time ago on your planet. She decided to use it against our opponents. She is still cleaning up the mess there.”

  Tasha rose and went behind her to the stretcher where Sacha lay, s
till unconscious, clothed in the uniform of a Federation Marine. “She seems better. Can she bear a rocket take-off?”

  “I think so. We take that risk. It will get more complex if we extract her later.”

  A siren sounded. “Passengers, this is Cloudy, your pilot. We arrive in one minute. We will leave again in five. Get ready.”

  “We’re not landing?”

  Marines moved around Tasha. Lelal had hooked herself to the safety line and was now holding Sacha in her arms. Absently, she took her harness and hooked herself to the safety line. Boris and the two others from the bunkers hooked themselves to the line.

  “No, we’ll be lowered. Cloudy, we’re ready.”

  The rear door opened in a rush of wind, and Tasha saw the ocean all around them. Lelal pushed her and she felt herself drop toward the sea, her fall slowed by a brake on the rope. Vertigo gripped her but in an instant her feet touched a metal platform below. Soldiers were around her, unhooking her harness, transferring Sacha to a stretcher and leading them from the platform to a large building. Above them loomed a large rocket. Sea launch. They’ve reactivated the old platform.

  “Look who’s come to visit us!” said a warm, welcoming voice. Tasha detected an odor of chocolate.

  “Elisabeth Evans? What are you doing here?”

  “Well, I always promised my husband we would travel to sea one day or another. And with the current attacks, the management isolated the business unit.”

  “Where are we?”

  “South Atlantic, close to Cabo Verde.” She handed the newcomers the warm cups.

  “Aren’t you vulnerable? Alone out there?”

  “Don’t worry, we have a few destroyers around us. Joint maneuvers by the South African Protectorate, NorAm and the European Confederacy. Nowhere is truly safe, but this isn’t too bad. And with all the destruction caused by those terrorists, you still have one working link to Earth.”

  Tasha was stunned by the practical and matter-of-fact woman before her.

  “Not to mention Baikonur, still held by your brother. Some on this planet are behind you, Tasha. And whoever wants to isolate Earth will lose.”

  Her warmth and stern determination overwhelmed Tasha. She felt tears rolling down her cheeks.

  “Come now, Pilot. We need to send you back up with your Marine bodyguards. Launch window in one hour. We have already completed the preliminary checklist.”

  The urgency in her voice made clear the risks still involved. This place wasn’t entirely safe. Yet, this woman had taken her family to the middle of the ocean to make this a possibility.

  Tasha bowed deeply. I will remember this day.

  Wilfried

  Space station Acheron, April 6, 2141

  The daily meeting to organize life on the station had just finished, and Wilfried hurried to the bridge to check when Charon would arrive, bringing Tasha back. She had collapsed again during takeoff, and Lelal had put her to sleep for the whole trip. This had only further increased Wilfried’s concern.

  “Still four hours before she arrives, Pilot,” said Kimi from a side corridor, holding the box they had recovered from the communication module. “A word with you?”

  He stopped in his tracks. “How do you… What? Sure, in the command office.” It was only a few doors away, close to the bridge. He led her in, closing the door behind them. “Did you decrypt this?”

  “Yes,” she said with a smile. “Didn’t sleep much, but I’ve got coordinates on Earth, including the base in Romania, and two others. I’ve sent them to the Chief and she’s on her way.”

  “Anything else?”

  She nodded, opening a chart of the solar system. “I also have coordinates in the asteroid belt.”

  “So, this is it. We will get rid of it and stop it once and for all.” At last, his job was finished. The problem would be solved in a matter of days. His breathing relaxed.

  “They will come back, you know?” Her words sobered him up. “Not with such a big plant. Smaller units, probably. Now we have three locations, with Kalgoorlie, the moon base, and Acheron. That creates a lot of hiding places. And you will be away frequently, flying Charon. Leopold needs a break, Rana told me.”

  “We will still have a respite, won’t we?”

  “Not to mention trouble from Earth. We’ve been handling security dirtside until now. We need to handle our security directly, up here.”

  She’s right. “Kimi, you’ve thought about this already. Any proposals?”

  “You need a CPC delegation here. One or two people to support you and tour the different locations.”

  “Reiner and you? The Chief will rotate people from Earth to replace you.”

  “She will. But not yet. Reiner cannot go back to Earth yet and you need someone to keep him on the right side of the law.”

  You, Kimi? This is more than simple security, isn’t it?

  “I see your point, Kimi. I’ll ask Chief Iakoubi. Unless you’ve already asked her?”

  Kimi blushed slightly.

  “By the way, you want to come and get that damn plant? I’ll find a reason.”

  “After spending so many months looking for it? Wilfried, I’ll kill you if you don’t invite me to the party. Thanks, boss. Now prepare for Tasha. She’ll be here soon.”

  “Does everyone on this station know?”

  “Yep. We’re a crew. We talk.”

  Leopold

  Charon, April 6, 2141

  Leopold completed his course correction, aligning the ship with the capsule from Earth. Same speed, same vector.

  “Noul, Charon is now in range to catch them.”

  “Thank you, Pilot. We are out with Jay and Azar.”

  “Good hunting.”

  Leopold opened a 3D window in the middle of the bridge. Jay and Azar stood at the midsection of the ship, where the gravity was neutral. The capsule was a small dot, reflecting the sun. They shot grappling hooks and Noul, in the mobile spacesuit, closed on the small spaceship. Any mistake on his part and no one could rescue him.

  “Noul, one degree to starboard, you’re a bit too much to one side.”

  “Yes, Pilot. One degree.”

  Minutes passed until the two dots connected below Charon.

  “Secured and attached. Ready to pull the capsule to Charon.”

  Leopold relaxed in his chair. Another difficult maneuver completed. He looked at his hands. Barely trembling. Just a shade of nanite shapeshifting. Improving.

  A beep brought him back to reality. “Incoming transmission from Kalgoorlie, Pilot,” said Nick from his chair.

  “Send it to my cabin, please.” Leopold rose and limped through the main lounge. His body hadn’t fully recovered from his recent ordeal.

  “Hello, darling. How are you today?” he said lightly. Then he stopped dead. “What happened?”

  “He’s dead, Leopold, he’s dead.” Large tears were rolling down Sara’s cheeks.

  “Who? Sara. Who died?”

  “The Lord. We found him dead. Seppuku.” Ritual suicide. Still approved in the Imperium. The bloody room was behind her, a gory picture.

  “I’m sorry for you. What happened?”

  “Leopold, I don’t know. We watched the news from Earth this morning, and the current CPC raids on the drug runners. He reviewed our action plan with us. With his daily checks, he has fixed more of the station than I ever thought possible. Then he sent us to the mine and when we came back, we found him like that.”

  Leopold looked at the scene for a long time before continuing gently.

  “Sara, you need to tell Wilfried. He’s the Observer – he’ll know what to do.”

  “I’ll do that. I wanted to let you know first.”

  “I’m with you, darling. I’ll see you soon, and then I’ll stay for a while. Call Wilfried and then call me. I’ll be there for you then.”

  She nodded and closed the connection.

  He is the first. But he won’t be the last one.

  Wilfried

  Charon, Ma
y 15, 2141

  Charon crawled through the asteroid belt. Wilfried guided it, fully immersed in his navigation, using barely a touch of nanites. With practice, he could now use minimal amounts, thus reducing the stress on his body. Rana nodded approvingly.

  Andrew ran the countdown for him. “Arriving within two minutes.”

  “The first person who finds it gets a fresh meal from Earth, on my tab.”

  Minutes passed. All the crew members were stretching the external sensors to their limits, trying to find the small plant. Sacha, Boris, and Igor, their guest waiting transfer to an interstellar spaceship, were busy looking too. Wilfried had heard Sacha’s story from Tasha, and kept checking on the girl and on Rana, who monitored her. But her health was at last improving, and the teenager’s delight in spaceflight had spread to his whole crew.

  Suddenly, Nick broke the silence. “I’ve got the signal you’re searching for. It’s coming from a position two thousand klicks away. I’m sending the coordinates to your computer.”

  “Thank you, Nick. We are moving there.” Wilfried linked the ship to the signal, looking for its source.

  One hour later, a small ovoid stood in front of him. The asteroid, fifty yards long, barely leaked any radiation and had only become visible in the last hundred kilometers – barely anything in space distances – earning Kimi the free meal. Charon had reached a point opposite Kalgoorlie Station along the asteroid belt.

  “Is this it, sir?” asked Tom. “What should we do with it?”

  “Yes, an intruder in our system.” Quickly, Wilfried entered the final coordinates in his console. “I don’t know. We grab it and bring it back to Acheron. Then we wait for orders.”

  Behind him, a slow clapping echoed on the bridge. “Congratulations, Pilot, good job.” Wilfried cringed at Noul’s high-pitched voice, as usual. “But you won’t need to wait.”