Earth Force (Relict Legacy Book 1)

by Shemer Kuznits

  They unloaded all their new purchases in the empty cargo hold.

  “Damn,” Bulco said, scratching his neck as he looked at the pile. “I’ve got a shit-ton of work to do: fix the core, seal the hull breaches, work on the Hummer …”

  Nori rolled up her sleeves. “Come on, I’ll give you a hand. If I’m going to pilot this tin box, I better get to know its insides.” She bent and grabbed the core casing with both hands. With a low grunt and an increased hum of her exoskeleton, the woman lifted the hundred-kilo piece off the ground. “Now where do you want me to put it?”

  11 - Restorations

  Bulco looked at the tall woman as she strained to lift the heavy piece of metal. “Showoff. Come on, I’ll give you a hand.” He grabbed the casing and with hardly any effort, held up his side. “Careful not to bang it against the bulkheads.”

  They carried the heavy piece to the engine room. To Nori’s surprise, Nathan left Lana to sort the rest of the equipment and followed them in.

  “Alright,” Bulco said once they stood on the platform overlooking the core. “So I just need to figure out how to release the damaged casing so we can take it off. Hmm … there should be a manual override somewhere ...” He frowned, scanning the alien equipment.

  Nathan stepped forward. He gently touched the large man’s arm and moved to stand between him and the edge of the platform. Reaching with one hand toward the core, the young man narrowed his eyes and let out a long steady breath. A soft blue light, similar to those that streamed out of the dead Warped, surrounded the damaged casing. A rapid chain of snapping sounded as brackets that fit seamlessly with the old casing popped open. A long hiss followed and the damaged unit slowly lifted into the air on its own, revealing the core’s interior. Colorful light pulsed rhythmically like a beating heart. The damaged casing floated toward the gaping Engineer and landed softly on the floor next to him. Nathan motioned them to let go of the replacement, and once they did, it remained suspended in the air, and floated to the waiting, beating core.

  Bulco stared as the heavy piece of metal snapped into place and was locked in by the clasps. He looked back at Nathan, his mouth opening and closing without making a sound.

  Then the ship came to life.

  Bright lights shone all around them, filling the previously gloomy ship with an intense white light. A massive tremor ran through the ship and vibrated through their legs until the rhythm synchronized, replaced by a steady gentle hum.

  Engine charts and complex holographic diagrams popped into life on the previously barren walls.

  “Oh my god, you did it!” Lana ran into the engine room, beaming. “Everything just turned back on. How did you manage it so fast?”

  “Ask him.” Bulco finally managed to find his voice and gave Nathan a piercing look. “How did you do it, kid?”

  Nathan shrugged and made a motion with his hand, like a car snaking on a course.

  Bulco frowned. “You used an invisible car?”

  “No, silly,” Lana chuckled. “He used his Path. Isn’t it obvious?”

  “Nathan,” Nori looked at the young man intently. “Can you tell us what Path you took?”

  The man scratched his head for a few seconds, then smiled and shrugged at her.

  “Can you at least tell me what it lets you do?”

  He pondered the question then pointed all around him. Nori looked at Lana with a raised eyebrow.

  “Um, I think he can control machines? Maybe even more than that? I’m not sure, it's very vague.”

  Nathan sighed, smiled at Lana, then shrugged again. He himself wasn’t sure what his Path was capable of, as its description was a little vague, and he was mostly working on instinct. He glanced at his status and focused on his Path.

  Technomancer: Interact and control all types of technological systems

  “Anyway, that’s not even the best part.” Lana beamed at them. “Come, I have something to show you.”

  Bulco exchanged a look with Nori. She shrugged at him and followed the excited young woman through the supply room and onto the bridge. The chamber, which was just an empty room with displays on the front walls, now looked different. Light consoles glowed in neat rows across the walls and intricate holographic displays were everywhere.

  “Everything turned back on once you fixed the core,” Lana said happily. “Including the amenities.”

  She moved confidently to stand in front of the main viewscreen and raised her arms to her sides. The floor shifted and grew below her, rising to support her raised arms while a bulky full-body chair rose snugly around her.

  “Turns out, the aliens don’t have a secret vendetta against furniture,” she said, smiling ear to ear. “They just have an efficient way of storing them away when they’re not needed. Give it a try, guys, it’s super awesome.”

  Nori's eyes shone as she walked to stand at the center of the bridge, letting her instincts guide her to the right spot. She barely had to lift her arms before a chair grew around her, hugging her in a comfortably secure manner. A large light console hovered in front of her and smaller holographic displays grew around her armrest, showing her more detailed information on the ship's status. She grinned excitedly. “You’re right, Lana, it’s pretty awesome.”

  “You think that’s awesome?” Bulco’s voice came to them from the quarters. “I just found the bathroom and the kitchen.”

  Nori looked at Nathan somberly and then winked at him. “I hope they’re not occupying the same spot.”

  The young man chuckled and winked back at her. He lifted his arms and a third chair grew around him, but the transformation didn’t end there. A transparent, flexible tube descended from the ceiling above him. When it nearly reached his head it stopped and the end split into a dozen thin fibers that whipped around Nathan’s body, connecting to his arms, legs, and neck.

  Nori and Lana jumped from their seats and the abandoned chairs sunk back into the floor. “Nathan, what’s going on?”

  The young man looked at them in surprise. He was so caught up by whatever he was doing he didn’t notice their reaction. He held up one arm to reassure them and the fibers disengaged from the limb.

  Nori looked at Lana.

  The younger woman shook her head. “I have no idea what he’s doing.” She looked at Nathan and frowned. “Just … be careful, alright? I know it comes naturally to you, but this thing is still alien, it could be dangerous.”

  Nathan smiled at her and nodded reassuringly. Of course, he intended to be careful. He could feel the ship calling out to him, her systems wide open for his control. But there was an underlying layer beyond that. An ominous, instant presence that was the Tec itself. Yes, he would be careful. The young man eased in his seat and concentrated.

  “That was the best piss of my life,” Bulco announced as he entered the bridge and froze as he saw the state of the young man. “Holy shit. If one of those things snakes up your ass, all those crazy abduction stories will seem much more plausible.”

  “Ugh, gross.” Lana scrunched her nose.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing, kid.” Bulco moved past Nathan and stood next to Nori, who was back again in the pilot’s chair. “How’s it looking?”

  “Not great,” the Navigator confessed, glancing at the smaller displays on her left. “There are multiple hull fractures all over the ship, and The Null Tunnel drive is busted, as you said. The main thrusters still work, albeit at about fifty percent capacity. Whatever it was that interfered with their controls is fixed and I think I can lift us off, but we can’t go into space in our current condition - we’ll leak out all the atmosphere. The only reason the ship survived the crash was thanks to its atmospheric shields, which are now busted, by the way, so re-entering Earth’s atmosphere is going to be even slower than on the shuttle. All in all, I say, not bad for our first full-sized alien spacecraft.”

  Bulco nodded. “I agree.” He pointed at one of the small screens. “My Path’s score is just high enough to decipher that one. It’s an a
nalysis of the hull fractures. At the current rate, it will take me five days to fix all the damage and make it spaceworthy again.

  Nori’s faces clouded. “That’s not good. We have no way of knowing how long the Broodmother and her Warped army are going to stay put. They could be storming the shelters as we speak.”

  “Actually, I’m pretty sure they’re not,” Lana said from her chair as she continued interacting with her own consoles. “Now that the power is fully restored, I can access the ship’s sensor. They’re not very good, so I can’t be sure, but I’m detecting a large Warped presence at Lou’s Yard.”

  “Can you show us?” Nori asked.

  Lana nodded and pressed a few keys. The leftmost main monitor flickered and the diagrams it was showing changed. It now showed a simplified aerial map of the city. Most of the map was in ranges of blue, but several spots ranged from yellow to red. Nori pointed at the brightest one. “That’s Lou’s Yard. See how the bright red is surrounded by a faint yellow? I think that means that the horde is still there. Most of it, at least.”

  “So those are the two shelters?” Bulco asked, pointing at two other spots. Unlike the first, those were mostly yellow with a few red dots inside.

  “Yup.” Lana nodded. “Even though my Path’s telling me the sensors are crap, there’s still more data I can try accessing. I’ll keep working on it and let you know what I come up with.”

  “I’ll familiarize myself with the flight controls,” Nori said then glanced at Nathan’s immobile form. The young man was almost lying on his back with dozens of transparent tendrils attached to him, occasionally blazing in different colors. “Nathan looks busy, too.”

  “I guess that just leaves me,” Bulco grunted. “I better get started on repairs or we’ll never get this tub into space. If you need me, I’ll be working on the quarters first.”

  “Wait, why the quarters?” Nori frowned. “Isn’t it more logical to secure the engine room?”

  Bulco shook his head. “The entire ship is built around the engine. It branches into side shafts and even under the bridge. The quarters sustained the least amount of damage, so it should be a relatively easy fix. I thought to start with the simple stuff first, then move my way up to the more problematic areas.

  “Wait, that gives me an idea,” Nori said. “If you can make the quarters airtight, the rest of you can stay there while I pilot the ship to the space station. Alzigo’s equipment can patch it up a lot quicker than you can on your own.”

  “Interesting idea,” the large man nodded. “And just how do you suppose to survive unprotected until we get there? Going to hold your breath the entire way?”

  “No,” Lana said, her eyes shining with a sudden understanding. “She won’t have to. We have that alien spacesuit, remember?”

  “Exactly.” The Navigator nodded. “I’ll put on the suit and fly the ship while you three stay safe in the quarters. We still have over eight thousand piTec left and if that won’t be enough to fix the hull, we’ll just put it on our loan. Alzigo will have no reason to object. He’ll only stand to gain more.”

  The Engineer nodded. “Alright, sounds like a plan. I can start working right away. The ship has all the appliances I need. But first, I have a suggestion to help speed things along.” He looked at Nori. “It’s going to take too long to work on the Hummer and the ship, so why not bring in a couple of my guys? I have two with technical support Paths that I’m sure could help with some of it. What do you say?” He looked at everyone expectantly.

  Nori hesitated. She was still getting to know the large man. Though he sounded sincere in wanting to help others, he had a darkness about him. He was harsh and had no qualm about killing others if he thought they deserved it. She wasn’t sure if she felt comfortable about having his lackeys around.

  She exchanged a quick glance with Lana, and the shorter woman’s frown showed she was thinking along the same lines. “I’ll tell you what,” Nori finally said. “Let’s load up the Hummer and fly to your base. We can drop it off along with the sealing kit and let your guys work on it there. Then, while you work on the living quarters, I’ll take the ship to Diamond’s and drop off the ammo. It won’t last them long, but hopefully, it will increase their chances to hold on until we can return with a more permanent solution.”

  Bulco studied her for a long moment then nodded slowly. He understood what was left unsaid. “That’s not a bad idea, kid. I’m sure my guys can handle the Hummer on their own.”

  Lana breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Then it's settled,” Nori said. “Come on, let’s load up the vehicle.”

  They walked back through the cargo hold toward the exit. Nori made to reach the light console mounted on the wall, but before she reached it the entire back wall of the cargo hold lowered to the ground, forming into a ramp.

  “Nathan?” she asked.

  The young man smiled and nodded shyly.

  Nori returned the smile. “I figured there must be a way to bring in larger equipment, it’s good to see I was right. You’re a handy guy to have around.”

  Bulco got into the hummer and drove it slowly up the ramp. The powerful vehicle easily fit inside the large hold and the hatch closed behind him.

  “Plenty of room left for some good ole’ scavenging,” the large man noted as he exited the car. “You’re up next, girl.”

  Nori let out a long breath. “I know.”

  “Nervous?”

  “It’s much bigger than the shuttle,” she admitted. “There are systems and subsystems I’m not sure I know how to operate, yet.”

  “You know how to push on the gas and steer, right?” The man shrugged. “That’s all we need right now. Once we’re ready, just point us straight to the moon.”

  “You have a point.”

  Nori walked back into the bridge and the pilot chair formed around her. She brought up the main console and started tapping it. The ship vibrated as the thrusters fired up, then it lifted slowly off the ground. Nori inspected the small holo-monitors on her side. “She seems to be holding fine, for now. I think we can take her out for a spin.” Her palms opened and a delicate net of holographic light appeared around her extended fingers. Nori gently lowered them. The ship shuddered again, then started moving forward.

  “You got it, girl,” Bulco said soothingly, standing next to her. “Nice and easy.”

  Nori twisted her fingers and the freighter curved to the right. She twisted them to the other side and it turned left. The tall Navigator breathed out a little easier. “I think I got it now. Using the thrusters inside the atmosphere calls for manual control. It takes a very delicate touch.”

  The ship turned around and the three large viewscreens at the front of the cabin flickered to show the area before them.

  Lana held her breath. The picture was so smooth that if not for a fracture running down one of the monitors, she would have thought the front of the ship was missing and she was looking straight outside.

  The ground sped below them as Nori grew more confident steering the ship and several minutes later they arrived in front of the old library building.

  The freighter touched down lightly on an open stretch of road, then a violent thud ran through it, throwing Lana and Bulco to the floor.

  “Sorry!” Nori said tensely. “I forgot to disengage the thrusters after touchdown.”

  Bulco got to his feet and rubbed his aching backside. “I’d appreciate if that doesn’t happen too often.”

  “Sorry,” Nori said again.

  “I’ll take out the Hummer and the sealing kit,” he grunted and walked toward the cargo hold.

  Lana approached the stressed pilot and lowered her voice. “I take it we’re not a hundred percent comfortable with him onboard?

  Nori shook her head and the chair melted from around her. “I believe he wants everyone to survive this new world, but there’s something off about him.”

  “I know,” Lana whispered. “It’s like he’s always joking and acting casually, but w
hen he talks about the people he hates …” She shuddered. “It’s like taking other people’s lives doesn’t faze him in the slightest.”

  Nori nodded. “We might be doing him an injustice, god knows he had good reasons to do what he did, but I’d like to be careful, just to be on the safe side. But we do need him: he’s strong and can fix the ship, and so far he seemed genuinely interested in helping.”

  “All done.” Bulco strode back to the bridge. “What are you two talking about?”

  “Flying.”

  “PMS.”

  Lana’s face turned crimson.

  Nori didn’t flinch. “That bump didn’t do Lana any favors.”

  Lana’s blush deepened.

  Bulco winced. “Sorry I asked. I’ll start working on the quarters.”

  “Don’t you need to go outside the ship for that?”

  “The hull borders only one of the quarter’s walls so I’ll need to go out to work on that one, but the other parts, even the floor and ceiling, are internal bulkhead that I can work on from within. That’s partly why the room is the quickest to fix.”

  Nori nodded. “Gotcha. Then I’ll get us to the Grand Mall. I’m sure Diamond will be happy to receive the ammo shipment.”

  Bulco nodded, and Nori turned back to the main screen and held up her arms. The pilot chair formed around her and the holographic controls reappeared around her fingers. She took a steadying breath and very carefully moved a finger. “Nice and easy does it …”

  ***

  Bulco’s two followers remained behind, working on the giant vehicle.

  They looked up as the large freighter lifted off and flew away.

  “Man, did you ever think you’d see something like that up close?”

  “You know I didn’t. Who did?”

  “Think the boss’s gonna make it?”

  “He has to. There’s no one else who’s strong enough to do it.”

  “True.”

  The man squinted at the gun-shaped instrument he took from the kit.