Renegade Star Origins Box Set

by J. N. Chaney

  According to my data pad, it was well into the morning. If I didn’t get into gear, all the good helpings would be long gone. Another hunting party had returned after ours, and they’d brought in an adult frost horn.

  Our food machine recycled edible material into full meals, and Janus did a decent job making different offerings. Not that I had anything to compare them to. In any case, the food quality went up several notches after feeding the synthesizer frost horn meat.

  It didn’t take me long to realize that I was far too late and the few people that remained in the dining hall were chowing down one of Janus’ synthesized oatmeal dishes. With a reluctant sigh, I grabbed a bowl and sat down at an empty table.

  I wasn’t alone for long, though. Before I took my first bite, Josef sat down and placed his tray next to mine without preamble.

  “Good morning,” he said, and spooned up a mouthful of the oatmeal. “Mmm, strawberry.”

  “Morning,” I replied, digging in with more enthusiasm. Strawberry was my favorite flavor and it took some of the sting away from missing out on frost horn.

  “You look tired,” I said, noting the circles under Josef’s eyes and his rumpled jumpsuit.

  Josef shot me a glance and his lips twitched up into a teasing smirk. “You’re not looking so fresh yourself, Prospus Visaro.”

  “I was digging through the archives,” I said defensively. It came out a little ruder than I intended, and Josef’s smile faded. Grinning broadly to lighten the mood, I rambled on. “With Selection around the corner, I want to be as prepared as possible. Can’t have Nero beating me.”

  I grinned, but Jo didn’t seem amused. If anything, his expression darkened, and his tone went uncharacteristically flat.

  “If he becomes the next leader, we are in for some trying times indeed.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s irresponsible. You’re clearly the better choice.” Josef winked at me, but his harsh words surprised me.

  The engineer was usually soft spoken and uncritical. To hear him speak like that about Nero made me wonder if he knew something. But that was ridiculous.

  “Oh, come on,” I chided. “You don’t think he’s holding a grudge or out to get me because his dad lost to my dad?”

  Josef just shrugged.

  I wrinkled my brow at that. It was true, though. During the last Selection, the choice had come down to our fathers. Even though Cyril had been the ultimate champion, chosen by the Primes as the next colony leader, the two remained friends and I’d never even seen them argue.

  “No. I just wouldn’t put anything past him.” Josef’s response interrupted my thoughts and I refocused.

  “I won’t,” I promised. “Besides, we’re a long way off from my dad’s retirement.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Forget I said anything,” said Josef, and he scrubbed at his face. “I’m just tired. Elias had me researching the grid all night.”

  “Oh. Any news?”

  Josef shook his head. “Not really. The predictions are still holding. Without the other tritium core this facility will be in the dark within a hundred years. Two if we’re careful.”

  “I remember,” I said with a nod. “That’s why we have to keep hunting the frost horn.”

  “For as long as we can, yes.”

  Something about his tone was unsettling and I studied his face. Josef was a year younger than me, but it didn’t show. Like everyone else in the colony, he had blue eyes, white hair, and pale skin with the markings of our ancestors.

  He was usually pleasant, radiating an air of calm, but not today. I could see now that there was something more than weariness in his features. Worry creased his forehead, prompting me to dig deeper.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, homing in on the cryptic phrase. “Is this something we need to bring to the Prime’s attention?”

  Josef waved my concern away. “It’s not a crisis or anything. At least not yet. It’s just that…” He trailed off as a small group walked by our table, then started again. “Have you noticed anything different about the herds lately?”

  I thought back to my most recent outing, unsure of what he meant. Then something Alma said on the hunt came back to me.

  “We had to track longer than before to reach a herd. Almost out of the valley.”

  He nodded. “Their numbers are beginning to wane.”

  That made me frown. “Isn’t it normal for this part of the year? We assumed they were migrating.”

  “They are,” agreed Josef. “But they are going farther and farther each season.”

  “Why?” I asked, confused by what he was saying.

  “Before we came here, the frost horns only had one natural predator,” he answered.

  “Yeah. The wolves.”

  The image of the animal that came to mind wasn’t an exact match for their Earthly namesake, but it was easy to see the similarities. Like the frost horns, the wolves sported thick white fur that helped them blend in with the snowy environment. Four long claws protruded from each of their six well-muscled appendages. They were faster than any human, often standing on two legs and using their heavy tail for balance.

  It was an odd sight when they did. I’d seen it for myself on a few hunts and it always unnerved me. If they were standing upright and you were squinting from a distance, they could almost pass for one of us.

  Until you got up close.

  In addition to a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth, there was a single tongue-like organ. To take down prey, the wolves would latch on to their backs with four legs and rip at the thick frost horn hide with the remaining two. Once through to the meat, the tongue would worm its way inside, attach to the poor animal, and release a paralytic agent.

  It usually took a pack of wolves to take down a full-grown frost horn and it wasn’t a pretty sight. Not as bad as a Boneclaw at feeding time, since they sucked their meals dry, but still gross.

  The original colonists had collected a few samples upon their arrival, but when the tests didn’t yield anything they deemed useful, the animals had been forgotten. Thinking of the footage from the night before, I couldn’t say that was a bad thing.

  I could see where Josef was going with the conversation now.

  “Then came the Boneclaws,” he continued.

  “And us,” I finished for him. “You think they’re being over hunted?”

  He nodded. “With three apex predators around, they can’t reproduce fast enough.”

  “Without the oil we harvest from them, we’ll be forced to find an alternative.”

  From the pinched look on his face, I had a feeling that was the root of the problem.

  “What alternatives are there?” I asked.

  “As far as we know, there aren’t any other animals like them on the planet. Scans have shown that their numbers are greater elsewhere, but…”

  “Leaving isn’t an option,” I said.

  Now I understood his fear. If we didn’t figure out a way around this, then the colony wouldn’t survive.

  “Well, you said we have two hundred years to figure it out, right?” I asked, trying to be cheerful.

  He nodded but didn’t look convinced. “If we’re careful.”

  I nodded firmly. “With our best engineer on top of it, I’m sure it will work out.”

  Finally, Josef cracked a smile. “Best engineer? I’m hardly a Prime. But thanks, Luce. Anyway, I noticed you found my notes. The staff is looking good. I can help you with the coding later if you want.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at the thought. We’d been working on my weapon together for the last few months and it only needed a few more things to get it working.

  Josef had a fusion core in the lab that we used for testing, but if I wanted to have a working staff to bring to the Engineer Prime during Selection, I’d have to find my own during the scavenging test that would take place in the caves.

  “Yes, if you have time.”

  “For you, always.” Jo’s datapad beeped,
so he pulled it out of his pocket, then frowned.

  “Elias wants me. Catch up with you later, okay?”

  Having already been chosen for engineering, his studies were over. Now he worked closely with Elias Doyle, the Science and Engineering Prime, and was being groomed as his successor.

  “Sure,” I said, scraping the last of my oatmeal and standing up. “I’d better get going too or I’ll be late for Janus’ class.”

  He laughed as we walked to drop off our trays. “For an artificial lifeform who has all the time in the world, he’s pretty strict about keeping a schedule.”

  “Tell me about it. Last time Nero was late, Janus gave him extra homework. I think he had to cancel a date.”

  We chuckled, then said our goodbyes and split up. He went toward the engineering lab and I headed for class.

  I slipped in and took a seat next to Karin just as Janus turned down the lights to play something on the wall screen. Our classes were always held in one of the viewing rooms since it was easier when we had to watch a holo recording.

  This time, the image depicted our own cave system. I perked up instantly. The current view was of an empty tunnel, partially obscured by debris. The camera was operating on infrared and the picture was green. Nothing moved and I wondered what our teacher had planned.

  “The caves,” Janus began, “are a massive network that runs through the mountains in the valley. For Selection, you will be required to navigate them. In order to do so safely, each of you must learn the dangers.”

  “Like what?” asked Nero. “The wolves?”

  The Cognitive inclined his head. “Among other things.”

  Janus was always cordial, even if someone was rude to him. I didn’t know if it was possible for him to be anything else, but I appreciated his calm demeanor.

  He flicked his wrist and the view on the wall changed. Now the feed showed a bony pack of wolves roaming through a tunnel. I raised my hand.

  “Yes, Miss Visaro?”

  “What section is this in?” I asked, pulling out my datapad to take notes.

  Janus smiled, his hard light simulated clothing giving off a light glimmer. “Quadrant D, near Facility 1. I’ll send the coordinates to everyone.”

  A second later the information appeared on my pad. I opened a map of the tunnel system and studied the area.

  Before we arrived on the planet, the wolves had roamed the caves freely. It had been their home. Many disappeared when the facilities were constructed but returned after the collapse.

  “As we’ve learned,” Janus said, turning to sweep a gaze over the group, “communication outside this compound is spotty. With the other facilities down, we have no way of keeping the signals strong.”

  Another dot appeared on my map, then a few more. The first one blinked brightly, then each subsequent one leading away from our position faded until the last one barely lit up at all.

  “Can anyone tell me what you’re seeing?”

  I raised my hand again, but so did Karin.

  “Ms. Riddell?”

  “A fading signal?” she answered.

  Janus smiled. “That is correct. Take note of the signal radius. If you should find yourself in trouble outside of it, you will need to rely on your education and wits to make it back. Now, listen closely.” His voice took on a grave tone and he flicked his wrist again.

  A large hole in one of the tunnel walls dominated the scene and I leaned forward. Others mirrored the move as we tried to make sense of the image.

  “What is that?” asked Nero, sounding annoyed.

  “It is a hole, Mr. Costas.”

  I grinned at Janus’ response, though I know he didn’t mean it in any way.

  “Yeah, but what made it?” Nero pressed on. “I mean, couldn’t it have been a cave in, or the wolves?”

  “Excellent question. This appeared a few days ago. One of our scavenging teams found it and took this picture. Unfortunately, there isn’t any footage of what caused it. With the power restrictions in effect and the lack of functioning recorders, there won’t be.”

  The image changed to a closeup of the rock where the hole stopped. Striations had been cut deep into the surface.

  “Boneclaw markings,” said Nell Thompson. Nell was the best tracker in our class, and it didn’t surprise me at all that she spoke up. She was small and wiry, but what she lacked in size she made up for in scrappiness.

  Janus nodded. “Yes. The wolves lack the strength and the tunnel extended beyond the 50 meters the team explored, ruling out a cave in. It seems the Boneclaws are the source, but it is unclear why.”

  “Will we still enter the caves for training and the Selection Trials?”

  I didn’t see who spoke, but process of elimination told me it was Mark. There were only a handful of us in Selection Training, and only he and Allan hadn’t spoken. Allan sounded gruff compared to Mark’s nasal timbre.

  Mark was our resident know-it-all. He was a nice enough kid, but he spent most of his time studying, saying he preferred reading the study texts to people.

  Allan was just the opposite. I wasn’t sure the guy ever studied, preferring to get through as many tasks as he could with brute strength. He also had the annoying habit of following Nero around and agreeing with almost everything he said.

  “Oh yes,” said Janus, and he turned on the lights. “It is perhaps more important now than ever that all of you hone your skills. Fusion cores and other resources will still need to be scavenged from the other facilities.”

  My earlier conversation with Josef was still fresh in my mind and I couldn’t help but wonder about the future. What would life be like when the last frost horn was gone from the valley, there were no more fusion cores to be found, and the tritium power was completely drained?

  My datapad pinged again. A large red marker pulsed outside the radius of communications, then a few smaller blue dots appeared at different locations in the other two facilities.

  “The red marker is the Boneclaw tunnel. Cyril has deemed it off limits until the area has been cleared by a hunting party. Known wolf dens are shown in blue. You will pair up in teams of two and enter the caves with Alma or another seasoned hunter for practice in a few days’ time.”

  Karin and I exchanged a knowing look. We always partnered together, if given the chance. I could honestly say she was my best friend.

  “That’s all for today,” Janus continued. “I must meet with Cyril and the Primes to discuss colony matters. If your weapon projects are not complete, I suggest using this time to work on them.”

  The Cognitive blinked out of sight, leaving us to talk freely.

  “Do you really think there are Boneclaws in the caves?” I said excitedly, pushing my datapad aside and leaning over my workspace.

  Mark looked up with wide eyes and stared at me before sweeping a frantic gaze over the others. “They don’t ever come this far into the caves. There had to be a cave-in or something and they just dug it out,” he said.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Nero said, a hint of smugness behind his words.

  Every head in the room snapped to him, waiting for an explanation.

  He hesitated, then shook his head. “I’m not supposed to say anything.”

  Nell huffed and rolled her eyes. “You can’t just say something like that and not follow up.”

  Across the connected tables, Allan grunted his agreement.

  “We all know you wanted us to ask you for more information. Now just tell us,” sighed Karin. We exchanged a smirk and stared at Nero expectantly.

  He hesitated a moment longer then sat up a little straighter, looking at each of us in turn to make sure we were listening. “I heard my dad and some of the other hunters talking before I left this morning. They think the Boneclaws are organizing.”

  “Get real,” Karen scoffed. “We’ve been here nearly 2000 years, and not once have they done anything sentient. How could they suddenly be ‘organized?’”

  I thought back, mourn
ing Boneclaws. It suddenly didn’t seem too farfetched after all.

  Nero shrugged. “I don’t know. Evolution? Look at us, for example.” He spread his arms out in an encompassing motion.

  “That was gene manipulation, not evolution,” Mark pointed out. “The Eternals were trying to get back their immortality. They wanted perfection, and they got it, just not the way they wanted.”

  “Yeah, they’re the perfect murder machine,” I added.

  “And now they’re in our caves,” Nero said gravely.

  “Which is why that area is off limits,” Karin commented.

  Nero sighed. “For how long though? Something needs to be done.”

  Everyone was quiet for a beat.

  “You don’t mean us?” Mark asked, going even paler than usual.

  “Honestly, Mark. How are you even a prospus?” Allan snickered.

  Mark went red. “I’m just saying, it would be ridiculously dangerous to go. Not to mention stupid.” He tossed Allan a pointed glance, but the barb went over the other prospus’ head.

  Nell spoke up next, a trace of pride in her tone. “The colony is constantly on the verge of extinction. Part of that is because of the Boneclaws. It might be dangerous, but what do you think we’ve been training for?”

  “Exactly!” agreed Nero, slapping a hand down on the table, which made Karin and Mark jump. “If it gets left to roam, it might come to the compound next.”

  “The key word there is ‘training.’ None of us is actually a hunter yet,” Karin argued. “We’re not equipped to take on a Boneclaw by ourselves. Or more than one, if it comes to that.”

  A snicker came from Nell’s side of the table. “Speak for yourself.”

  “Do you know how much trouble we could get into for going against the Director's orders?” She looked at me for help.

  Nero turned and focused on me. “What about you, Visaro? Scared as well?”

  I tended to lean in the same direction as Karin and Mark. If we got caught, the Primes would not be happy, especially so close to Selection. Plus, I actually wanted to make it to the ceremony. Still, I had to admit it was interesting.