by M. D. Cooper
“Two hits on that asshole’s ship!” Janice crowed.
Mira turned her attention to the visual of the pursuing vessels. The first ship was gouting flame from near its starboard engine bell, and its thrust and weapons were offline. The remaining missile was closing with the other corvette, slewing side to side as it worked to avoid defensive fire.
It came within a few thousand kilometers of its target before exploding in a ball of plasma and debris.
“One down,” Mira said. “Not bad.”
The others nodded, and Janice glanced at the command seat. “Hadn’t you better sit, Commander?”
Mira glanced at the countdown to transition. “Shit!”
She rushed to her seat and pulled the harness across her chest, clipping it into place moments before Emma straightened and took a deep breath.
“Transition in five, four, three, two…”
Mira’s gaze shifted to the holotank, the twelve missiles nearly upon the Inquiry.
“One!”
The battlespace hanging above the holotank froze, and the forward display went black, the impenetrable nothingness of the dark layer giving them nothing to see.
She sighed and smiled at the bridge crew. “Good work, everyone. We ma—”
Before Mira could finish, an explosion shook the Inquiry; warning lights flashing on every bridge console, and a deep groan echoed though the corridors.
Brock cast about as the overhead lights flickered and died. “What the fuck was that?”
Mira flipped through the damage report, shaking her head in dismay. “Nothing good.”
CHAPTER 16 - MIRA
STELLAR DATE: 12.30.8959 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: OASS Inquiry, interstellar dark layer
REGION: Regina System, Outer Alliance
An annoyed sigh preceded the woman’s response.
It could’ve been worse—much worse. Not that Mira would ever say as much to Aqua. The chief was taking it like her child had been struck by an adult in a fit of rage.
Another sigh came from the engineer, and Mira had to force herself not to react.
Chief Aqua didn’t respond for a few seconds.
It was Mira’s turn to sigh.
She disconnected, doing her best to ignore the condescension in Aqua’s voice. The chief had run hot and cold a lot lately, and after having been easy to work with during the escape from Regina, had reverted to form.
“OK, folks,” she rose from her chair and walked to the holotank, bringing up a map of the nearby star systems. “Aqua doesn’t think we should repair while in the DL, nor is she confident we can effect repairs at all. For that reason, we’re going to stay on course—with some minor adjustments—and re-enter normal space in Khorina.”
“Damn.” Brock shook his head in dismay. “That puts us well outside the colonized systems.”
“Colonized, yes, but visited, no.” Janice rose and walked to the holotank, bringing up an expanded view of Khorina. “There’s an automated mining operation on the inner terrestrial world.”
Mira nodded. “Exactly. That’s what Aqua pointed out. While the mine runs on its own, crewed ships come through to grab the refined ore. If we can’t fix things up, we’ll be looking at a sixty-year trip back to Bysmark.”
“This seems logical and all that,” Emma said from her seat, “but what if our friends from Regina follow us?”
“They could,” Mira nodded slowly. “Though I think they’d suspect that we’d dump out in interstellar space to shift vector.”
“If they think we survived,” Janice added. “Chances are some of the debris from our impact flipped back to normal space.”
“Ohh…” Brock breathed the word. “So they might think we died in the DL.”
“Or they know it’s not enough matter for the Inquiry to be destroyed.” Janice countered, turning to Mira. “In that case, they’re going to be looking for us on our last known vector.”
The commander folded her arms across her chest. “And they won’t find us.”
“Which means they might come to Khorina,” Janice said.
Mira shrugged. “It’s a risk. At least there, we won’t be up against all their defenses in space they control. Ship to ship, we win.”
“So long as we can trust our shields,” Brock muttered.
“When we get to Khorina, we’ll send a drone to Bysmark, and get on repairs,” Mira said. “Our pursuers aren’t going to check there first. We’ll have time.”
“Let’s hope so.” The AI appeared as though she was going to say more, but her lips pressed together, and she fell silent.
“Alright, everyone.” Mira swept her gaze across her bridge crew. “I assume you all have jobs to do. Let’s do them.”
CHAPTER 17 - SERA
STELLAR DATE: 01.02.8960 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Grace O’Malley
REGION: Sigma 1199 System, Norma Arm
“We’ve got a visitor,” Cargo said, gesturing to a red marker on the holotank. “Two light seconds from Spiderville.”
“We’re not naming the moon ‘Spiderville’,” Sera said, shooting him a narrow-eyed look. “Seriously.”
He flashed a grin and shrugged. “You can call it what you want, but to me it’s Spiderville. Those things are clearly just ten-legged spiders.”
“They seem more like ants to me,” Jason said. “Spiders don’t live in communities.”
“Well, there are some biological similarities when it comes to how the mechanics of their limbs work,” Sera said, feeling Jen grow more annoyed as she spoke.
“Oh, of course—hey, look at that,” Sera gestured at the holotank. “It’s the Mandy!”
“Not surprised,” Jason said as he entered the bridge. “If I were Tanis, I would absolutely want to see this for myself.”
Sera chuckled as she reached out to the inbound ship.
Angela groaned.
Forty-seven minutes later, Tanis’s personal pinnace slid through the grav shield and settled down on the pad next to the Grace O’Malley.
Sera couldn’t help a face-splitting smile as she walked toward the smaller craft. She waited a few paces away for the airlock to open, after which, four Marines spilled out to secure the area before Tanis and Joe departed.
“Whew!” Jason said as he jogged up to Sera’s side. “Didn’t want to miss the grand arrival.”
“I heard that,” Tanis said as she emerged from the airlock. “And I’m glad you didn’t miss it.” She winked at Sera and embraced Jason first, then her.
“I see how it is,” Sera said as Tanis stepped back to make way for Joe, who stepped outwith Saanvi at his side.
“Saanvi!” Jason exclaimed. “Tanis failed to mention you were aboard.”
“She likes to surprise people now,” Joe said as he hugged Sera, while Saanvi embraced Jason.
“By hiding where her daughters are,” Saanvi said. “Even when we’re with her.”
Tanis adopted a hurt expression, but Angela spoke up before her partner could respond.
The hegemon shrugged. “Pretty much. You wouldn’t believe the epic level of shenanigans it took to get here.”
“And are you here just to take a look-see?” Jason asked Saanvi. “Or are you taking over the site?”
The young woman held up both hands in mock protest. “Why do you say such terrible things? You couldn’t pay me to run this site. No, I’m here to help with a bit of eval so we can pick the right team.”
Joe chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder. “As if we’d pay for someone to take on a job like this. I bet there are a million people who would do it for free.”
Tanis’s gaze settled on Sera, a smirk forming on her lips. “And I bet we already have a someone or two who’d jump at the chance.”
Sera touched a hand to her chest. “You want me to run this joint? What makes you think I’m even remotely qualified for that?”
“Uhhhh…” Tanis tapped a finger against her chin. “I have this memory of you being the president of the Transcend…the single-largest slice of human-occupied space at the time.”
“During a civil war,” Sera countered. “It was a politically motivated move, not something that suggests I could run this place.”
“OK, What about you being a former Hand agent and former captain of Sabrina, where you spent years on covert missions?”
“Damn.” Sera shrugged. “I guess I’d just gotten so used to wandering around out here just the four of us, it had never even crossed my mind that you’d pick me.”
“It’s not a permanent position,” Tanis said. “But right now, there’s as much a need to secure this location as there is to explore it. I know of few people who I trust enough for a task such as this.”
Sera’s cheeks reddened, and she ducked her head in a quick nod. “You know just how to get a woman twisted around your finger, don’t you?”
Joe pointed at Tanis and mouthed, “Pol-i-ti-cian.”
“You know I can see behind myself,” the hegemon muttered.
“I absolutely do,” her husband replied with a cheek-splitting grin. “So, when do we get to see this place?”
“We have a groundcar just on the other side of the Grace,” Jason said. “Do you want to bring all four Marines? We might have to make two trips.”
Tanis glanced at her guards and shook her head. “No, just two will do. Jeralt, Carmen, you two remain here, suit up and do a walkabout around the crater. I doubt Sera’s had time for that, and the ol’ eyeball might spot something noteworthy.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jeralt replied, while Carmen nodded.
The pair checked one another’s armor seals before walking toward the edge of the grav shield and passing through onto the moon’s airless surface.
“Alright, then,” Tanis nodded to Sera. “Isabella and Roy are with us, let’s get this show on the road.”
The group stopped at the decontamination station to get layered in additional flow-armor before arriving at the external bay door that Sera and Jason had spotted on their first trip in.
A small enclosure was built up against the side of the structure, with a pair of security drones patrolling nearby.
Saanvi replied.
Tanis nodded in appreciation.
They entered the temporary structure set against the side of the alien facility, passing first through an airlock and then through one of the octagonal doors set next to the larger bay door.
Sera shrugged.
Once inside the facility, they made good time to the central shaft, only stopping briefly to examine the remains of the security dro
nes that Sera and Jason had left where they’d fallen.
She hurried ahead, activating the hover lights to give the best view of the alien creature as the others approached.
Sera said.
Saanvi snorted.
Jason snorted.
