Homeward: The Ship Series // Book Three

by Jerry Aubin

  “Yes, ma’am. May I have a drink first? I’m pretty nervous.”

  Imair handed Zax her glass and he finished the rest of her water. He wiped a few stray drops off his lips with a trembling hand and then dove into his story.

  “A little more than two years ago, I was working in Flight Ops when the Ship encountered an unknown spacecraft. The pilot who investigated the craft reported that it appeared human in origin, but the Ship left the system before there was confirmation. When we returned a tanker and eleven fighters had been destroyed. We were told that Alpha reviewed all of the available data and confirmed the spacecraft was indeed unknown and not human. That was a lie.”

  After that preamble, Zax next shared what happened during the fateful Landfall two years ago when he found the abandoned human fighter on the planet with the carnivorous trees. Imair’s eyes went wide when he described how he stumbled upon the craft.

  “I’m confused, Zax. I’ve known you were the one who released the video but understood it was a Flight officer who found the fighter. Is that inaccurate?”

  “Her name was Lieutenant Mikedo. She was with me on the planet and told me to never admit to anyone how I made the discovery. Mikedo claimed that she found it because she was afraid the news about its existence would be dangerous.”

  “Why dangerous?”

  “She feared that news about other humans would be enough to tip all of you civilians into massive unrest. Of course, she was correct. She was also right to fear the information was worth killing to keep it a secret. She died within mins of reporting the discovery to the Boss.”

  “Zax—you mentioned there were hostile aliens on that planet. What species?”

  “The ants, ma’am.”

  Imair paused for a moment before asking what happened next.

  “Kalare and I were sent down to the colony on a secret mission for the Boss. While we were there, one of the colonists tried to kill us. He was doing it for someone on the Ship who guaranteed he could use our shuttle to get back on board. Only the Boss knew we were going, ma’am. He was there waiting when our shuttle returned and seemed surprised when we were still on board.”

  “If you believed the Boss was trying to kill you because you knew his secret, why did you turn around and share it with everyone? Didn’t you worry he would kill you anyway?”

  “I did, ma’am, but Mikedo convinced me otherwise. She sent me a message right before she died, and I didn’t get to read it until much later. She said the best way to save my life was to make the secret worthless. Once everyone knew about the fighter, there wouldn’t be anything worth killing me over.”

  Imair stood, remained steady after doing so, and started to pace. “So, then we encountered them again today?”

  “Actually, ma’am, there was another encounter. Do you recall the last colony we visited before this one? The day you talked to me about Nolly and then we spotted an inbound bogey and jumped out of the system?”

  “That was a human fighter?”

  Zax nodded. “It was. It was highly unusual for the Boss to jump us out of a system without first identifying an unknown craft, and now I know why he did it. He must have suspected and wanted to leave before I had a chance to identify it.”

  “And now, today?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I have confirmation the fighter that shot down our shuttle was the same type I found on that first planet. Furthermore, the mothership that forced the Ship to leave the system is the same type of spacecraft that destroyed our tanker and all our fighters three years ago.”

  “And you’re absolutely certain about all of this information? You have proof of some sort?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And that includes how the Boss is definitely aware of it all?”

  Zax nodded.

  Imair was silent for a few mins before sitting back down in her chair. “OK, cadet. Thank you for sharing. Does anyone else know about all of this?”

  Once again, Zax was prepared to lie to not involve anyone else. “No, ma’am.”

  “Let’s keep it that way. My pain meds are starting to wear off, and I’m having a hard time following along right now. Let me sleep on this information overnight, and then we can take care of what to do about it tomorrow. OK?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Zax rose and Imair extended her hands and took Zax’s in hers. “I know this was hard for you to do, but it was absolutely the right thing. I believe you may very well have saved the Ship by coming to me with this. Thank you.”

  The adrenalin rush had subsided, and Zax risked keeling over from exhaustion. Without the energy for further speech, he simply nodded and turned to leave. He caught Imair’s reflection in a mirror as he approached the hatch. She must have been equally tired since she sat still with her eyes closed. It was almost as if she had a Plug and was communicating with someone, but of course that was impossible for a civilian.

  41

  It must be a mistake.

  Zax woke at reveille, but instead of getting up right away he accepted the hit of twenty demerits and remained in bed for a few extra mins. After all, he’d just get Mase to add them back later. He finally peeled himself off his bunk and made his way toward the showers.

  As he walked through the berth, he noticed two armed Marines milling around. With all of the excitement, Zax had totally forgotten about the Cull. Like clockwork, the lowest performers across the Ship were being rounded up and marshaled to the cryostorage holds. They would be put on ice until they eventually woke up far in the future as part of some hideous colony. Though, with the Ship having dropped its original Mission and no longer establishing colonies, who knew when any of those who had been Culled would get their chance to live again.

  One of the Marines made eye contact with Zax as he approached. He closed his eyes for a moment and then reopened them and held out his hand to block Zax’s path.

  “Cadet Zax—come with us.”

  Zax’s first instinct was to ignore the Marine and walk on past. Perhaps Mase had put these two up to giving him a heart attack. He went to brush aside the first Marine and the second reached out and grabbed Zax’s upper arm in a vise-like grip.

  “Wait—what are you doing? I’m at the top of my class! There’s been a mistake…look!”

  Zax pointed to the Kappa Leaderboard with his free hand, and his mouth fell open. His name sat at the bottom of the list. His score had dropped 95 percent from when he went to sleep last night!

  What?

  How?

  Who?

  He pinged Mase via his Plug.

  “Good morning, Zax. I can’t talk right now. I’m walking into the medbay.”

  “Mase—I’m about to get Culled! Look at my Leaderboard score. What happened?”

  “What? That’s crazy. It must be a mistake. Hold on.”

  There was no activity for a moment as Mase used his Plug to access the Leaderboard system. While Zax waited for the boy to reply, the Marine gave him a yank on his arm to get him moving. They left the berth as the other cadets stared wide-eyed in wonder at the sight. Zax had been at the top of the Leaderboard for years, and his scoring cushion had only increased in recent months. Everyone was abuzz with ideas as to what happened for him to fall so far without anyone being aware.

  Finally, Mase replied. “I don’t know what to tell you, Zax, but this looks legit. It was the Boss. He hit you with a massive number of demerits last night after lights out. What did you do? Did you tell someone about what I told you? We agreed you weren’t going to do anything with that information until we discussed it some more together.”

  “Don’t worry, Mase. Your secret is going into cryosleep with me. If they knew about your involvement, wouldn’t you have a couple of Marine blasters pointed at you right now too? I’m sorry. I did what I thought was best, and I did it the way I believed would keep you safe. I have to go now. I’ve got to reach Kalare. Thanks for being my friend and helping me, Mase. Good luck. Don’t do anything stupid like I have.”

&n
bsp; Zax cut the connection before the boy got out another word. He pinged Kalare next.

  “Hey Zax! I’m here in the mess hall. Where are you? Are you taking an extra-long shower again? Don’t you think it’s a little creepy talking to me when you’re naked in the shower? It’s our first meal together in months and you’re making me wait? If I didn’t know any better—”

  “Kalare—shut up! I’m getting Culled!”

  “What? This isn’t the least bit funny, Zax.”

  “I’m not joking! There are two marines with blasters at my back, and they’re walking me to cryostorage processing.”

  “Wait! This must be a mistake. I’m pinging the Boss…he can fix it!”

  Zax grimaced at her mention of the man. What would Kalare think when she learned it was the Boss who had caused this? He was figuring out how to break that news when the connection went dead. He tried again but was unable to reach her. He quickly determined his Plug had been reduced to limited functionality. No messaging and no interaction with Ship systems. He was cut off.

  As they walked the hallways, a few Crew gawked at the sight. None of them knew who he was, but rather they were just reacting to being so close to anyone who was on his way out of their world. Thankfully, the majority of people they encountered were civilians who looked away instead. He appreciated the manner in which they gave him his dignity by not treating him as a sideshow.

  A million thoughts flooded Zax’s mind. Many of them centered on the Boss. Zax had clearly chosen the wrong path in delivering the information to Imair. He had believed she would be appalled by the man’s actions and would appreciate any assistance in getting him out of the way. Somehow, Zax had dramatically misinterpreted her response.

  Or perhaps Imair didn’t even know. Was it possible the Boss had her compartment under surveillance? Yes, Zax had told her a lot of information already, but moving him into cryostorage would prevent her from learning anything further. Perhaps Zax wasn’t even destined for a colony. It wasn’t unheard of for people being Culled to die during cryosleep initiation. A convenient “accident” would remove the ability for the President to get any further information out of Zax permanently.

  Regardless of why it had happened, it was done. Zax had clearly deluded himself about having the Boss in his sights. The man had defeated him. The Omega had killed Mikedo, and now he was finishing the job by getting rid of Zax. His shoulders began to slump from the weight of defeat until something lit a spark in his belly.

  Irrespective of the outcome, Zax had done his best to avenge Mikedo. He had done so while keeping Kalare safe, and Mase as well. Yes—the Boss was still wreaking his havoc on the Ship, but at least he had been partially muzzled by Imair and the rest of her civilians. The path of the Ship had been changed forever, and it was all due to Zax. And he did it all while also getting into the Pilot Academy and nearly reaching the end of the program at the very top. He refused to go out like a beaten man. He held his head high and stared defiantly at anyone who met his gaze.

  After a few mins of walking, they finally reached the cryostorage processing facility closest to the Kappa berth. There were dozens spread throughout the Ship, so each of the Culled could be prepared in relative isolation rather than be herded en masse into a single location after receiving the worst news of their lives. A window revealed that the entry room was currently empty save for a clerk who sat at a workstation. The hatch opened and the Marines led Zax inside.

  The clerk looked up and fixed Zax with a blank stare. “Hand.”

  The man extended his arm toward Zax, palm up. Zax returned the gesture and the man grabbed him by the wrist. The clerk brought his other hand off the workstation and revealed the DNA sampler it held. The device extracted a sample with a slight sting to his finger and a moment later the man’s screen flashed green and showed Zax’s name.

  Echoes of pounding fists and anguished screams suddenly filled the small space. They all turned toward the hatch where Kalare stood on the other side of the window. She tried yanking on the handle repeatedly, but the hatch was security coded and she didn’t have access. Her brilliant blue eyes were shot red and tears streamed down her face as she pounded on the transparent titanium.

  “You can’t do this! He’s at the top of his class! You have the wrong person! Take me instead…please…take me!”

  Zax’s resolve finally shattered and he began to silently weep. One of the Marines grabbed his arm and led him with a jerk past the clerk and through another hatch. He twisted his neck to watch Kalare until they turned the corner, and she was gone from view. Her screams echoed for another few paces and then even those faded away.

  They entered a hallway that was lit with a soft red glow. Equally spaced doors on the right and left were each labeled with a name. They walked halfway down until they found the door that bore Zax’s name. It slid open automatically to reveal a cryotube with its cover closed and a cryosuit draped across it. The Marine gave him a final push inside, and then the door slid shut behind him. A voice came over a speaker.

  “Strip and then don the cryosuit.”

  Zax did as he was told. He didn’t see anything else to do with his clothes so he threw them into a heap in the corner of the small room. The cryosuit was similar to his flight suit in that it had a hood and the back was studded with metal contacts. He pulled the hood over his head, and the suit adjusted until it was snug and everything was aligned.

  This was it. His life was effectively over. Some of the people in cryostorage had been there for 5,000 years since the Ship had launched, so there was a real chance he might never be thawed out. Even if he was, it would only happen because he had been dumped on a planet somewhere. He would never see the Ship again.

  Zax had no regrets. He had done the right thing. He would do it all the same way again if given the chance. Well—everything except the arguments with Kalare. If he had it to do over, he would not give up a year of Kalare’s friendship. His emotions had calmed during the process of getting dressed, but the memories of Kalare drove a fresh stream of tears from his eyes.

  The cryotube creaked open and Zax focused on it with morbid fascination. He swiped at the tears and examined his new home through blurred vision. The only thing inside was a thin pad studded with contacts which would align with the suit’s. The voice spoke again.

  “Get into the tube.”

  What would happen if Zax refused? Would they send in the Marines to use overwhelming force and jam him into the cryotube, or would they flood the room with gas and eventually toss his unconscious body in like so much waste into a bin? It wasn’t worth finding out, so he slid inside. The cover closed as Zax arranged his body and allowed the contacts on his suit to mate up with their partners on the pad. The electromagnets hummed and then the lid was secure and his body was locked into place. Finally—the hiss of gas.

  This was it.

  He had done his best to protect Mase and Kalare.

  He hoped it was enough.

  Goodbye, Mase.

  Goodbye, Kal—

  42

  You've always seemed ageless.

  The Secretary’s relatively puny head nodded in greeting as the connection went through. “Hello, Adan. How are things progressing?”

  “Fine, Mr. Secretary. We’ve made great progress on the accommodations for your citizens since we last spoke. I’ve personally overseen the construction to ensure that everything is prepared according to plan.”

  Adan had successfully avoided conversations with the General Secretary for months, but it was finally time to bite the bullet and meet with the man. The work accomplished with the assistance of engineers the East provided to the mission had been truly phenomenal. It was all Adan could do to contain his excitement knowing he would be validating that work as soon as this meeting was complete. The Secretary spoke.

  “We appreciate it, Adan. I have to say that, from everything I’ve heard, it’s been a fantastic experience for everyone on the team to work with you. We greatly appreciate how you�
�ve welcomed us into your project.”

  “It’s been my pleasure, Mr. Secretary. I’m quite pleased to know that we’ll be able to take care of you and others from your society when we depart.”

  The words were easy for Adan because everything he had seen and planned for over the preceding months had made them absolutely true. The Secretary actually smiled for the first time in any of their discussions.

  “I think that qualifies as the most surprising thing I’ve ever heard in my one hundred and sixty years.”

  Adan couldn’t prevent himself from doing a double take, and the Secretary’s smile transformed into laughter.

  “What—did you legitimately not realize how old I was, Adan? I was already sixty when I was among the first of us who Uploaded. I’ve allowed my Pattern to age a little through the years that I’ve been General Secretary to give the appearance I was getting older, but I assumed everyone saw through that charade. Glad to see the effort paid off with at least one casual observer.”

  The man’s words struck Adan momentarily speechless. The true age of the leader of the East must have been a matter of public record, but it had never occurred to him to seek out the information. The Chancellor was similarly ageless in his mind, but Adan knew full well her condition was thanks to the best genomic therapy that money and privilege could buy. Even with all of that, the most powerful woman in the West still faced the certainty of death within a handful of years following her one hundred and twentieth birthday. It really spun the game theory off into interesting directions when you imagined someone with the ability to literally wait out the death of his adversaries, and Adan discovered new appreciation for the General Secretary. He focused back on their conversation.

  “My apologies, Mr. Secretary. But no, I was not aware of how old you are. You’ve always seemed ageless. I will admit to not having cared enough to pay attention to the fact that you truly are.”