Void Contract

by Scott Rhine

“What are you two talking about?” The guard demanded.

  “Nothing at all.” Sasha said, holding up her hands in surrender. “If you feel the need to question us, we will go with you willingly.” Zane followed her lead and held his hands out, palms down. The guard pulled out a set of handcuffs and placed them on Zane’s wrists. He then grabbed hold of Sasha’s hand and started to escort them down a side hallway. After a few steps he stopped and began to look confused. The guard’s eyes darted wildly for a moment and then he dropped her hands and began to stare into the distance.

  Zane took that opportunity to borrow the man’s key and unlock their handcuffs. He then lead Sasha back to the shuttle and they left the planet’s surface.

  “What did you do to him?”

  “I just overwhelmed his mind with stimuli. He’ll be fine in a few hours. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. How did you know that would work?”

  “Something Franklin said before he died. That was pretty amazing. Uh, let’s just keep that ability between us all right. There is no way that the Fleet will let you roam around free if you can mess with people’s heads like that.”

  “Ok. I bet with a little practice I could do a lot more than that. Once I was in there it was just a matter of which neurons to prod.” Zane felt a twinge of apprehension at her words.

  “Well don’t get caught doing that. I’m not sure even Omar would approve. He’s got something personal about messing with people’s heads.”

  “It’ll be our little secret.” Sasha said. She reached out and held Zane’s hand for a moment. He felt a tingle at the contact. “Thank you for always looking out for me, Zane.” She said. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Zane felt a surge of emotion rise in him. He looked at Sasha and felt immensely protective of her.

  “Don’t worry Sasha, I’ll always be there for you.” He realized that he meant it. He would do anything to protect Sasha from the horrors he had experienced. If it was his fault that she was now embroiled in this den of thieves and murderers, then it was his responsibility to keep her safe.

  The Fleet was able to take the system without a fight. The locals tried to start one but when their own planetary defenses shot down their assault craft, they surrendered. Omar was pleased that their efforts had been so successful. As the responsible party, the crew of the Moving Finger was rewarded the pick of the loot.

  Zane almost regretted their success as he helped Pulan plan the implementation of upgrades to the ship. He took it all back when he checked his Fleet account. The crew gathered to celebrate on the Sikorsky, Sasha’s quarantine officially ended. As they sat in a centrifuged restaurant and began to order a dinner to remember, Zane looked across the table at Sasha.

  She seemed much changed from the girl he had met what seemed like forever ago. She had begun to flower into a woman and he noticed how beautiful she was becoming. He felt a weal of emotion rise in him which he had believed forever beyond his scope. He ignored the small and insistent voice at the back of his mind that questioned the feeling. All that mattered now was how happy he was. His past seemed like nothing more than a grey background to the vivid present he felt at that moment. He wished that it would never end. He finally felt at home.

  Part III

  Chapter 10

  Annabella sat, old and alone, in the deepest part of the night, absently rolling a silver vase back and forth in her thin, veiny hands. Inside the vase, her second husband’s ashes lay undisturbed by her furtive movements, as stoic in death as he had been in life.

  He had been a good man, she supposed. He had treated her well and they had lived in what passed for wedded bliss on Fulton IV, a goldilocks planet in a system of five settled worlds. Their marriage reflected the values of her people, stable and peaceful. Anna fought an impulse to hurl the vase at a far wall as she thought of the years she had spent (wasted?) with her late husband.

  Her anger had little to do with the ashy remains of Roderick Baker, whose stately funeral had been attended by no less than a hundred mourners including the mayor himself. Anna simply felt life had cheated her once again. She had played by the rules and those rules were supposed to reward good behavior with happiness.

  Anna was a woman who had always known her place in life. She had graduated a little above the middle of her class. She kept fit but never excelled in sports. She had friends but not too many. By every measure the statisticians of Fulton (and there were so many) could measure, Anna was a model citizen.

  She had found a nice boy to marry during her first year of university and had one child by him, a bundle of joy named Bethany. When her husband cheated on her, Anna reacted the way she was expected to. She divorced him and moved out.

  In many ways this may have been the first stone to be cast into the still pond which was Annabella of Fulton IV. Divorce created a schism between her and her dreams of contentment. Anna spent a few years doting on her little girl, catering to her daughter’s whims. She spoiled the girl but, like all mothers, Anna had to learn the hard way. Bethany as a teenager became a source of sorrow, constantly accusing her mother of keeping her from her father. After months of fruitless argument and rising resentments, Anna allowed her daughter to live with her father.

  Alone in the world for the first time, Anna felt lost. No longer a wife, no longer a mother, Anna realized how much she had based her identity on such roles. She found a job working in government and buried herself in her work, which reduced life to numbers and charts. It was calm, quiet work and for a while it sufficed. When she began to feel a vague sense of disquiet, Anna volunteered her remaining free time, becoming a pillar of her community rather than be alone with her thoughts.

  She found another man, a divorcee like herself and married once more. Forty years passed in this way, a lifetime spent in service. When Bobby died it had been quick, like pulling off a bandage. The accident was no one’s fault. There was no one to blame. Then there was the funeral and staying strong to show her perseverance in the face of adversity. She had gone through all the motions with a dignity that became the august persona she presented to the world.

  Soon after, his ashes were delivered to their modest home and, as she sat in the dark holding them, Anna felt an emptiness which threatened to devour her. In an ornate mirror which hung across the room Anna saw a sad, old and frail woman. She stared in that ghastly phantom’s eyes for a long time, rolling the vase back and forth, back and forth. Annabella’s story might have ended this way, a lonely old woman in the darkness holding her second husband’s remains.

  The arrival of the Void Fleet at Fulton was like a boulder crashing into that small, still pond. The Fleet, recognizing the technological superiority of Fulton, made no aggressive overtures, instead opting for peaceful trade. They docked their ships at Fulton IV’s space elevator and their crews descended on Fulton in a mad frenzy of spending and vice. Fulton was not a world made for such things but the Fleet crews had a knack for sniffing out what little action there was.

  Anna had taken to drinking alone in a neighborhood bar when the spacers arrived, five of them. There was no mistaking them for locals. They were loud and boisterous, their bright clothing clashing with the dour surroundings. They seemed not to care as they drank, laughed and danced. Watching them as she sat in the corner, Anna felt something stir deep inside. She yearned to laugh and dance and wear inappropriate colors. Her whole life had been calm and filled with propriety, even her divorce had been conducted civilly and without recrimination. Anna felt that propriety now as a great weight crushing her soul and she had an overwhelming urge to shout at the world, “I exist!”

  “Ya sure do lady!” One of the spacers replied, a shirtless youth wearing an open vest in defiance of the winter chill. “Take advantage of it while you can!”

  Anna felt a blush fill her cheeks, realizing she had spoken aloud. She started to mumble an apology but one of the spacers, a dangerous looking woman wearing a skintight blue leotard, interrupted her.

  “Don’t apologize
for existing, hon.” The spacer smiled and approached Anna’s table. “Seems like you needed to get that out.” The lithe spacer eyed her up, her grin shifting into something like a leer. Anna blushed anew at the frank treatment the woman was gave her. Even her husbands had not looked at her that way and Anna felt her body respond. “I was wondering if anyone on this bloodless rock had any real spirit in them. Come, join us for a drink.”

  The blush crept up further but Anna surprised herself by rising and joining the spacers. She felt a happy rush of adrenaline as she noted the dour glares of the bar’s other patrons even as the spacers whooped and cheered at her approach. The young woman took her hand and began to dance with her, a dance unlike anything seen on Fulton IV.

  Annabella spent the whole night with the spacers of the Void Fleet. Though at least twice their age (probably triple for a few), it didn’t stop them from flirting with her. They told her stories about worlds they had seen, adventures had in the vastness of space. Some of the stories shocked and appalled her, stories of mayhem and murder. Others, filled with alien cultures and worlds, filled Anna with wanderlust. All of the stories seemed out of place on Fulton IV, a world increasingly drab and lifeless to her eyes as the night progressed. The spacers moved from bar to bar boisterously, a floating island of color and life in a world devoid of such pleasures.

  Anna shocked herself by bedding one of the spacemen that night, a lanky youth with a shock of blond in his long dark hair. What he lacked in experience he made up for in enthusiasm and endurance. When he departed, he left behind a garish silk scarf which he had worn throughout the night. Anna felt a twinge of shame the next morning as she compared that one night of unbridled passion with the decades of quiet lovemaking that preceded it.

  After the shame passed, Anna only felt cheated. She gripped the scarf tightly as a weal of rage filled her. All those years of doing the right thing and where had it gotten her? She had no stories like the ones the spacers had regaled her with. She thought of dying on Fulton, her only mark upon the world a silver vase, delivered to a daughter she hadn’t seen in years. In a moment of clarity, Anna saw that the Fleet was her one chance for a real life.

  Anna spent the rest of the day making plans. She quit her job without notice and handed off her obligations to other civic minded men and women. Anna examined her finances with a critical eye and found that she was quite wealthy, so long as one was no longer planning for retirement. She and her late husband had both been as frugal as they were successful. Anna decided to use that money to buy her way onto a ship.

  The first thing she did was visit an augmentation clinic. Like most advanced societies, Fulton had developed a variety of techniques to alter genes and resculpt the body. Much of that was frowned upon nowadays but the technology remained. The young doctor gave her an odd look when she entered, her clothing still that of the woman who would have no use for such a clinic. He spoke while looking over her medical history.

  “We can offer you a variety of treatments that will extend your lifespan and return your body to its prime.” Anna interrupted the doctor.

  “I want more than life extension. What have you got in terms of body enhancement? I want to be young, yes, but also strong and fast.”

  “Enhancements? I don’t see a need for that at your age. Simple supplements with regular exerc…”

  “Don’t argue with me.” Anna was surprised by the (quite inappropriate!) anger in her voice as she interrupted the young doctor once more. “I want real strength, enough to bend steel and leap over buildings. I want to move faster and see further than anyone else on this sad little rock we call a world.” The doctor looked nonplussed but continued in a professional voice.

  “Ahem, uh, well we offer muscle tissue replacements. Grown from your own DNA, they are altered to mimic those of our primate ancestors. You won’t be able to bend steel but you will eventually be stronger than any unaltered human as well as faster. These treatments will alter your appearance though, and the effects will become more pronounced over time as the muscles grow larger. They are generally reserved for military personnel.”

  “Good. I want that. Also, I need better reflexes. Can you do both?”

  “It’s much more expensive but yes. We just add layers of fast twitch…”

  “I don’t need the technobabble. How soon can you get this done? I’m going to be on a tight schedule.”

  “Ma’m, I really need to ask what all this is for. Most of the treatments you are requesting are unorthodox and possibly even dangerous to your long term health.”

  “You don’t need to know and I don’t need to tell you. Just give me the prices. In fact, give me a list of possible upgrades and I’ll pick out what I want.”

  Anna transferred a large sum of money as a deposit and left before the man could argue with her more. She examined the list and added several more upgrades including regenerative properties for her tissues and enhanced sight. The cost was nearly a year’s salary but barely made a dent in her savings. She was surprised how far her savings could go once one gives up on retirement. She wondered if she could convert her remaining money into something that the spacers would consider currency, perhaps rare metals. As they said, you can’t take it with you, but you can try.

  The extent of the treatments and the timeline she set made the process quite painful. Anna spent several days in the clinic, heavily sedated while she was cut with lasers and stuck with needles. When they finished their work, she stood in front of a mirror and stared. The differences in her appearance were subtle, aside from her restored youth. Most of the new muscle tissue would take time to grow to full strength. Anna could see traces of the new muscle though. Looking in her own eyes, a stranger stared back, one with traces of silver in the corneas. For a moment Anna felt afraid, but she stuffed that fear far down. After all, what was the alternative?

  The park surrounding the space elevator was intentionally left dark at night, the thick cable extending into space reflecting little of the light of the nearby city. Anna’s world had two small moons but neither was making an appearance so the stars were out in force. Anna circled the area where the spacers tended to congregate looking for a likely target. She needed to find someone sympathetic to her cause, a way into their world. She would have tried the young man she had slept with, but if they had exchanged names it was lost in the drunken revelry of that night.

  Near the far end of the park she saw a lone figure staring into the night sky, a single book pressed against his chest with one hand. The dark skinned man stood aloof, his posture foreboding, but something drew her to him. As she approached, his silvery hair rose of its own accord, the ends snapping in the air like tiny mouths seeking prey. Several of the braids focused on her, rearing back and swaying serpentine in the dim light. The man didn’t turn around, though he cocked his head slightly to one side. Anna considered what to say and decided that the direct approach would be best.

  “I want in.” She said firmly.

  “Pardon?” The man replied, his voice calm and civil. He did not turn to her however but kept his eyes focused on the night sky. “Do I know you?”

  “I’m Anna…” Anna paused, considering. “Bella.” She tasted the name and found it to her liking. “Call me Bella. I want to join the Fleet.”

  “We don’t operate like that, and even if we did you don’t know what you are asking. Go home before you make the worst mistake of your life.” Anna reached out in a flash of anger and gripped his shoulder, turning him around to face her. Her rage dissipated before the young man’s gaze. The sorrow and despair she found there quenched her fire like a crashing wave. He said nothing for a long moment and she released him. The man turned back toward the night sky. Anna nearly left when he spoke again.

  “The stars… they are all wrong here.” He said, the words coming slowly.

  “What do you mean?” Anna replied.

  “I knew they wouldn’t remain the same, the stars. Moving further and further from my homeworld, I knew they woul
d shift and change. It still hurts though, when a piece of the sky vanishes.

  “Over there,” he continued, pointing up at the sky, “that was the Seeker, my favorite constellation as a child. Most of the stars are still in place, but his left foot is misshapen now and his right eye, the bright one, is gone. I think it’s somewhere on the other side of the sky now. It was said that eye contained the wisdom of the gods which was why it glowed so strongly. Now it’s gone.”

  Anna waited a moment, not sure the young man was finished. When he didn’t continue she spoke. “Maybe it’s simply a sign of how far you have come? You could see that as a good omen.” She thought she saw him smile lightly at that, though the night was dark enough to hide his dusky features.

  “Perhaps, but I found what I sought and it turned to ash. Now I’m just drifting, aimless.”

  “I know a little something about that. We can think we’ve achieved our goals but then we wake up the next day and have to find meaning in that day as well. It’s a process, not a destination.”

  “You speak from experience?” The man turned his attention from the sky, his dark eyes focusing on her for perhaps the first time.

  “I’ve had a lifetime of getting what I thought I wanted. I had to choose, to stagnate or change. I chose change. I’m ready to let life bring me new challenges. It brought me your Fleet. I’m here to take the universe up on its offer. If the person you were no longer interests you, maybe you need to find some new challenges as well.”

  “New challenges…” The man paused for a long moment. “If the choice was mine, Miss Bella, I’d help you find those new challenges out there in the stars. I’m just a fighter pilot and my commander doesn’t have much use for me any longer as I’m done doing their dirty work. Each ship captain chooses their own crew. I’d need my own ship to take on crew and I have nothing with which to buy one.” Anna felt an idea form in her mind like a shining jewel. When she spoke it was with a broad smile.