by DJ Morand
Abel gave Zee a weary look, "Control yourself you overgrown blueberry.”
Zee gave him a reproachful look and turned back to the console, ensuring that the RAVEN F Mark XII docked appropriately. The smaller ship approached carefully and attached its keel dock with the Kodiak's port side docking ring. Here goes nothing, he thought to himself, still uncertain if letting the woman on board his ship was a good idea or not. He had to admit, however, that he was somewhat excited at the prospect of human interaction.
CAPTAIN ABEL CAIN
Outside the Quintar Prime System: Kodiak: Crew Bunk
2972 ESD - Monday, October 5th 09:57 hours
Abel paced impatiently. He was calm, at least he figured so, while the RAVEN pilot docked her vessel. He turned to Zee and wondered what the Quintarran was thinking. The man’s passive blue face held his secrets like a locked vault. If Abel was honest with himself, he didn’t know much about the Quintarran before he had become his best and most loyal friend. He still wondered what secrets lay in his past, or what demons he hid from. Zee didn’t like to talk about his past – Abel assumed it was because the Quintarran’’s past mainly consisted of being a slave to an Artificial Intelligence, like all the other Quintarrans.
Abel remembered keenly the first time he had met the alien – he mulled that word; was he not the alien in this situation? In any case he didn’t feel that Zee was an alien any more than he felt himself to be one; it was another of the small nuances of their friendship. He considered Zee and then he considered this Echo Shade, a member of the EFNF and yet still out here in Dark Space; what did she want? He thought to himself.
The Exodus Fleet had been sending exploration missions into Dark Space for several years now. He figured they were likely trying to find a way back to the Sol System. Abel did not think looking was a good idea. The EXOs would expand into the Sol System just as much as they would like to do in the Quintar Prime System. This all reeked to him of the same foolishness that happened above Quintar V. He had been a part of those first missions, expeditions sent down to the planet to investigate rumors of an alien civilization. He had still been a boy – nineteen and an adult, but a boy nonetheless. Abel knew it was foolishness to delve into a society that experts claimed to be a utopia. Even the staunchest idealists knew that a utopia was not possible. Consolidated power, or a strong will of the people, was required to maintain a society such as that.
He had been aboard the Terran Veil at the time and a staunch member of the Exodus Fleet Naval Force. Abel had been one of the few to return from the first missions to Quintar V. After his squadron’s hostile encounter, expeditions were sent to Quintar V. The denizens of the planet saw an opportunity and that is when Zee infiltrated the human fleet. As far as he knew, Zee had been sent as a spy to determine who the human aliens were and what their intent was. Zee had not been forthcoming about his mission to the fleet, but Abel suspected it was more nefarious than simple spying.
Abel still refused to believe any race, human or otherwise, could live in a perfect utopia; even if his soul longed for such a society. He had seen on Mars what some did to ensure their rule was unchallenged and he remembered distinctly what he had seen on Quintar V.
* * *
Quintar V - Alpha Squadron: Low Atmosphere
2954 ESD - Monday, September 30th 17:15 hours
Flying over the surface of Quintar V after a harrowing re-entry, Abel flew his RAVEN S alongside ALPHA-6, Aries Remington.
“I don’t know Aries. Something’s not right. Are your scans showing anything?” Abel asked as the two RAVEN vessels tore across the sky. The planet was beautiful. The lush green valleys were uniquely complemented by blue and gray mountain ranges. Vast lakes covered parts of the surface. He would have called them ocean, but they were far too clear. He was sure he could see the sea life moving below the shoal of the water.
“CONTACT!” the voice came through in a panic. Aries had no gunners. Abel considered that for a moment, how could Aries even stand being onboard his ship with two dead bodies directly behind him? The thought flooded his mind. During re-entry the entire ALPHA Squadron had experienced an EMP of some sort; most of the ships had been lost. Only Abel’s RAVEN S and Aries’ RAVEN F had managed to clear the atmosphere, but Aries’’ vessel sustained a hull breach and his gunners were killed. Aries was safe in SATYR armor, which was akin to an EVA suit.
The suit for a space marine or pilot was a fully contained astronautic survival apparatus designed not only for sustained combat, but for sustained survival in zero g. Unlike astronautic suits of the past the armor was an all-in-one combat and survival armor built to the specific needs of individual marines. Although Abel recalled it being referred to as all-in-one it was a three part apparatus consisting of a jumpsuit to regulate pressure, body temperature, and included medical nanites to prevent critical injuries.
Contrary to the normal medical nanites, the SATYR nanites did not come with a musculoskeletal impulse control mechanism, meaning any pain during musculoskeletal repair was felt in full. The second part of the armor consisted of an outer shell of high projectile and pressure resistance material. When donned the outer shell injected control nodes into the user's spinal column linking them directly into the shell. This granted the user full control over the armor as an extension of their own body. The helmet was the final piece of the armor; closely fitted and molded to fit the specific Marine's, or pilots, face. The visor was made of Transteel and acted as a Heads up Display (HUD) similar to the Transteel viewers on a space ship.
Abel activated his scanner and read seven unidentified crafts; the make of the vessels was like nothing in his database. According to his ship’s computer the spheres - he did not know what else to call them - appeared to have been shaped from stone.
“ALPHA-6, get out of there. You have no weapons, pull out!” Abel was screaming into the communications node as he watched the spheres converge on the RAVEN F. They did not appear to have any weapons, but Abel had a bad feeling. His feeling was proven correct a moment later. The spheres, he had decided this was their name for the time being, slammed into Aries’ ship from various angles. Each time the spheres collided with ALPHA-6 they separated. For each successful collision the vessel would split into two smaller versions of itself, those in turn would separate, and so on. In the span of a few seconds, the RAVEN F was a smoking wreckage plummeting into the water below.
* * *
The events on Quintar V only served to confirm Abel’s resolve that order, on a planetary magnitude, required strong or oppressive leadership. He had learned later - all humans in the Quintar Prime system had - that the Quintarrans were oppressed by a masterful leader known only as the AI. The name of the AI had been lost to time, but it ruled the Quintarrans and killed those who dared to take a stance against it, whether in action or in word. His run in with the AI still haunted him. They found later, after Zee had been captured and interrogated that the AI intended to expand its influence and escape from Quintar V.
At the AI’s behest, Zee boarded one of the expedition vessels leaving the planet and had been tasked with reporting on the humans. Once the vessel was clear of the atmosphere, though, the AI no longer had direct influence over Zee. The Quintarran took advantage of this and broke his assigned protocols. He ventured through the fleet, traveling on shuttles, from one ship to another. He continued this until he was captured aboard the Terran Veil; the military vessel carried the most advanced scanners in the fleet that even Zee’s nanites could not evade.
As a spy for the AI, Zee, had been taken to the brig aboard the dreadnought and Abel Cain was charged with overseeing the prisoner once he had been secured. As Zee’s guard, Abel was led to believe it was a lesson in patience. At first he had hated the post, staring angrily at the giant blue man; an uncharacteristic prejudice for Abel. He remembered hating the alien, irrationally deciding to blame him for every event in his life that had gone sour. Zee tried on several occasions to engage Abel in conversation, but neither spoke th
e others’ language and Abel was not exactly being civil. After some time, Zee managed to break down Abel’s resolve and through his genuine enthusiasm, coerced the human to communicate. What should have taken weeks took days and soon they could recognize the words in the others’ language; Abel attributed this to both their nanite implants filtering and storing vocabulary from the others’ speech. Zee was fairly quiet about his life before, except for talking about his mission – the one he had undertaken only at the order of the AI. Zee did not talk of his mission with pride, but with shame. This enamored him to Abel and he marveled at the zeal for life and an overwhelming sense of awe for what the Quintarran saw as new wonders. Guard and prisoner eventually formed a friendship, despite their circumstance.
Even though he cooperated, the officers aboard the Terran Veil - namely Admiral Shade and Commander Vale - refused to release Zee. For the next several months, Abel found himself re-assigned to ship design. He outfitted and designed new ships to be used against Quintarran forces. His particular skill set was unique in that regard. He soon understood the guard assignment then - they had put him there to learn about the Quintarrans so he could design these ships and weapons to counter their AI and their nanites.
Instead, Abel designed the Ultra-capacitor Radiographic Strategic Assault Gunship - the URSA GS-I - to work in concert with a Quintarran co-pilot. Abel believed that working with the Quintarrans would prove to be a better alternative than outright slaughtering them. He was ashamed that humanity - the humanity who had fled war - was so willing to start a new war upon the first contact with an alien species. After designing the ship Abel took matters into his own hands and freed Zee.
Zee swore a debt to Abel on that day and remained with the self-proclaimed Captain. Admiral Shade declared Abel Cain a traitor and ordered the duo's capture. Together, Abel and Zee stole the URSA GS-I. It had been Zee's decision to name the ship Kodiak; after a particular fascination with bears. The fact it was designated as an URSA class ship was an added bonus. After more than ten years, it concerned Abel that the EFNF was showing up now.
“Zee. I don’t trust anyone claiming to be EFNF.” Abel said quietly, still caught up in his own introspection.
“Captain, I have a feeling we can trust Captain Echo Shade. There is something in her tone suggesting she is different than her father.” Zee said, in truth he could feel something different about the RAVEN pilot. He could feel the pull of another Quintarran; it was different but very similar to the nanite connections his people had with the AI. He examined this feeling, which was more ancient; more like the collective consciousness of the original Quintarrans. He had not scanned any other life signs onboard the vessel now docking with them – so, he assumed, it was something to do with the mysterious Captain Echo Shade.
“I don’t know about this Zee,” Abel said, still apprehensive. Zee turned and gave the captain a knowing look. In some respects, Zee understood that despite his age and their years in Dark Space, Abel was still a child. He was a close friend and Zee’s superior, but he was not without his faults.
“Alright! I’ll at least try to be courteous, but I want to know what the flak she’s doing out here.” Abel grumbled.
* * *
Edge of the Quintar Prime System: Darter: Command
2972 ESD - Monday, October 5th 04:30 hours
The chirp of the buoy couldn't be heard in the dark space at the edge of the system. Echo knew it had chirped, though. The buoy's always chirped when they activated. She had activated one once, in the cabin of her RAVEN. That had been a mistake. She could hear the chirping in her ears for days afterwards. Echo pulled up the haptic controls and input the coordinates of the buoy. A moment later and the Darter chirped. It was similar to the sound of the buoys, but much quieter. She was eternally grateful for that fact.
Adjusting her trajectory she scanned the next area with LIDAR. The light detection and ranging system fired pulsating lasers much like the soundwaves in SONAR or echolocation techniques. On the edge of the system she had pirates, fugitives, and EXOs to worry about. This far out, she was more concerned about EXOs than anything else. The EXO ships were the most elusive and always tried to get the drop on unsuspecting travelers.
She had two reasons for being on the edge of the system. First, her mission to establish communication with the Sol System. Her father's home system seemed a lost dream or a hope that would never be realized. However, the Exodus Fleet was dead-set on returning home, if only to escape the EXOs. She feared what going back to Sol would mean for her people - well, her mother's people. Echo was half-Quintarran, Admiral James David Shade was her father, and Alara of the Quintarrans was her mother. Echo was a part of two peoples and she did not wish doom on either. Returning to Sol was doom for the humans - she believed this as much as her mother did. Remaining in the Quintar Prime system wasn't an option either, the EXOs - currently trapped behind a planetary shield - were breaking out and it wouldn't be long before they managed to escape entirely.
The EXOs' escape is the other reason she had volunteered to set up the communications array. Contact with Sol was good and dandy - so far as she was concerned - as long as they had a backup plan. Her father had not forbade her, but he warned against this course of action. Echo Shade was out here on the edge of the system searching for Abel Cain. She knew that Abel was the one man with enough knowledge about the EXOs and Quintarran technology to stop the threat once and for all. She only wished she didn't have to reveal herself as the dark secret that she was.
The Darter chirped differently indicating it had found something. Echo leaned in towards the display, "Enhance image, rotate thirty-two degrees left," she said. The system responded and the image shifted to the left. It was unmistakable, the ship was the Kodiak, the stolen URSA GS-I Abel Cain had taken. "Got you."
* * *
Edge of the Quintar Prime System: Darter: Command
2972 ESD - Monday, October 5th 10:04 hours
Echo Shade knew she was taking a risk in even communicating with Abel Cain. Her father had told her to stay away from the boy. Thus she did not have an understanding of the man. Even knowing this, she still took the risk. This endeavor to bring back one of the EFNF's greatest minds and essentially recruit him to help wipe out the EXOs once and for all was not all her own undertaking. However, her confidence in the decision soared when Abel saw through to the truth of her situation. Body language could be telling, certainly, but to discern the situation before he had even seen her … it belied the keen edge of his mind. She knew humanity was losing, and the majority of Quintarrans were still timid when dealing with the EXOs.
They needed a united alliance and her father's death forever ruined that chance. She knew that he had the best of intentions in mind when he destroyed the Terran Veil and the EXO shield, but she couldn’t fathom why her mother had supported him in the decision. She had lost both her parents in the same fell swoop. To make matters worse the destruction had been pointless, the shield didn’’t collapse into the planet and the EXOs found freedom, spreading out into the known system. True, she thought. The EXOs had already been trickling into the system as they escaped from Quintar V. Still she felt her parents' actions were to blame for the current situation.
Echo surmised that, had Abel been there, he would have said her father was glitched and prevented the destruction of the EXO shield … before the EXOs could break through. As things were, she would have to rely on the boy - man - who had betrayed her father’s trust. Abel Cain’’s betrayal was the pivotal moment that changed her father forever. His actions were felt by the people of the EFNF too, in her and her father’s estimation if for different reasons. The captain’s actions had broken James Shade and the help he gave in establishing the EXO shield had done little to repair him again. She remembered how her mother had felt about the entire thing.
* * *
Echo had felt isolated for the majority of her life. She was a secret, and must be kept hidden. She did not understand why she must remain a secret, o
nly that she must. As the offspring of human and Quintarran she was a bond between the species. She spent her life on ships, military vessels mostly. The Terran Veil, her father’’s ship - the flag ship for the EFNF - was her first home. She and her mother moved around to different ships in the Exodus Fleet, always at her father’s behest. It was not until later that she understood.
Admiral Shade had made contact with the Remnant of the Quintarrans shortly after arriving in Quintar Prime space. Only the Admiral and a few other officials even knew the race existed. Holographic projectors and makeup hid who they were while aboard the EFNF ships, but that only increased the feeling of isolation.
Her mother had known, even then, that keeping the Remnant a secret was folly. Humans were brash and acted quickly without thinking, especially when they felt betrayed. Most Quintarrans on Quintar V were only given a designation for a name, Zee for instance was simply Z. She considered this and then considered that her mother had been given a full name, Alara Contess - later Shade. She remembered, after the Quintar V ambassadorial mission - when she was seven, her mother and father fought vehemently.
Alara Shade had screamed “You should not have done this thing James Shade.” Her mother had said, “The Remnant will not like that you sent armed ships to our former home. You have risked the entire universe!”
Echo watched from the air vent she often hid in, “Alara, I could not in good conscience start a fight or even ignore the presence of other Quintarran without at least trying to communicate with them. The Exodus Union is still whole because we chose not to fight. We chose peace. What kind of leader would I be if I betrayed that ideal now!?”” her father’s voice - she remembered - had been laced with hurt.
