by J. N. Chaney
“Is he serious?” Farah said from the open door. I hadn’t heard her come in.
“The rebellion has been stuck in the shadows for a long time,” Jax said as his sister reached us.
“And this just gave us an opportunity to expose Kaska,” I finished for him.
“This is insane,” Farah murmured, her eyes on the display. “It just happened!”
Rescue crews swarmed the area, putting out fires and searching for survivors. A crowd of onlookers gathered beyond the barricade that had been set up by the first responders.
“It’s smart,” I commented. “Jax, do you have the one you disabled?”
He pulled it from his rig and passed it over. The device was small and not unlike many I’d seen before. It fit in the palm of my hand and had a mini datapad affixed to it.
“V, can you scan this thing? I want to know what’s in it.”
“Scanning now,” Vega announced.
It didn’t take long, and the AI rattled off a short list of compounds that made up the bomb.
I frowned. “That’s pretty standard. It’s definitely not what we’re after.”
“My question is why?” Farah said, brows knitted together. “Kaska has been running experiments and testing in secret for a while now. What was the point in blowing up this train?”
It was a good question. The Vice-Admiral hadn’t sent any kind of message revealing his plans.
“Is Solaris important for some reason?” I wondered.
Jax shook his head. “Not to my knowledge. The location isn’t strategic, the population is average, and the resources common. The only notable thing about it is the hover train, but those are a dime a dozen now.”
“It does have the largest conscripted population in the Empire,” Farah pointed out.
I considered that for a moment. “Maybe that’s the why. Part of it, anyway.”
Farah and Jax both looked at me with twin questioning expressions and, for the first time, I could see the resemblance.
“All of his attacks and experiments thus far have been targeted at non-true born Sarkonians,” I reminded them. “It must mean something that he so publicly attacked a conquered planet.”
Farah tapped a finger on the table. “Could be. We also have to consider the fact that we were there for something else. He knew we were coming.”
“The whole thing stinks,” I agreed.
“Forgive the interruption, Captain Cortez,” Vega announced, “there is an incoming transmission from Miss Woods.”
Jax looked up sharply. “Does she mean Mack?”
“Yeah,” Farah answered stiffly.
“Put her through, V.” I shifted uncomfortably in my suit. Now that the adrenaline had worked its way out of my system, I could feel the pain starting to set in.
Mack appeared on the display screen, but instead of facing the camera she was walking around her lab. That was what she called it anyway, though it reminded me more of a security room with its many monitors and various pieces of tech scattered throughout.
“Holy shit, you guys,” she said, throwing something into a case without looking up. “I thought you were dead. What happened?”
I exchanged a glance with Farah, who just shrugged. “We ran into some issues. The ingot wasn’t on board, but V detected a bomb. We ran into the Void trying to find it.”
The frenetic hacker finally stopped flitting around the room and focused on us. “Who’s with you?” Mack moved closer, eyes narrowed. I saw the exact moment realization set in because she went utterly still before echoing her first words. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah, that was my first reaction too,” Farah remarked dryly.
“Hey, Mack.” Jax smiled at his cousin.
It didn’t strike me as the smile of someone happy to see their long-lost family, but more indulgent.
“I don’t understand,” she said, clearly going through the same shock that Farah had.
“He was the Void operative,” I offered helpfully when no one else spoke. “He found the bomb before we did. Unfortunately, we thought each other were the enemy. Jax managed to disable it, but there was another one on board.”
Mack managed to tear her eyes away from Jax and she turned her attention to me, her eyebrows winging up. “Godsdamn, A! What happened to your face?”
I winced. Apparently, it looked as bad as it felt. “Well, as it turns out, the Void operatives are every inch as badass as the rumors say.”
She didn’t laugh, just swung her gaze to encompass Jax. “You did that?”
“I didn’t know who they were. My intel said none of our people could get there in time.” The words didn’t come out defensively. He could have been reciting the weather for all the emotion in them.
“Mack, did you contact us because of the news reports?” Farah cut in, trying to rein the conversation back in.
“Erm, yes. But that was only part of it. The rebel leaders have put out the word to meet at HQ. I sent Vega the information. My ride is already on the way here,” she added.
The thought hadn’t even occurred to me that the rebellion was organized enough to have such a place. In hindsight, it should have. Keeping that kind of information was hideout 101.
“I received the same message,” Jax commented.
He hadn’t mentioned that before, but the Void weren’t exactly known for sharing their secrets.
“Are you going?” Farah angled her head at Jax.
The uncharacteristic reservation in her voice caught my attention and I wondered if she wanted her brother to stay or go. I’d been pissed after finding out Mat was alive, and it had only been a couple of weeks. Jax had turned up out of nowhere after nearly a decade with no explanation.
Not that he necessarily needed one. It was easy to connect the dots, at least for me. The government had obviously lied about his death so he could become a Void operative without family ties. The part that I really wanted to know was how he got involved with the rebellion.
“Yes. My ship is waiting. However, I believe we have a lot to talk about. If you don’t mind, I’ll ride with you. My ship has a cloak and can follow behind.”
She slanted a look at him. “Fine with me, as long as the captain agrees. You did nearly kill one of our people after all.”
I didn’t like being put in the middle of their family drama, so I nodded my agreement to the plan.
“Alright, I have to finish before my ride gets here,” Mack announced. You guys travel safe.”
“See you there,” I confirmed, then cut off the feed and caught Farah’s eye. “How’s Cal doing?”
“Lot of bumps and bruises. Nothing broken, just a bad sprain. I put a splint on it, but she should be up and about by tomorrow.” She tossed Jax a hard look.
“I’m sorry for the injuries,” he said, as if it had just occurred to him that an apology was in order.
My only other interaction with a member of the Void had been Dolph. We’d spoken briefly in the training room, where he expressed sympathy at the loss of Mat. I remembered thinking there was more to the man than I’d originally assumed. He certainly didn’t seem as aloof or cold as Jax did.
It suddenly occurred to me that the bridge was quiet. Awkwardly so. Jax and Farah stood a few feet apart and she had her arms crossed like she was warding away his presence.
The tension made me uncomfortable, so I broke the silence first. “V, give Farah’s brother the same accesses as Cal.”
“Of course, Captain. Mr. Jax, if you would please lay your hand on the scanner I can begin.”
He raised an eyebrow as he did so. “Farah. As in that stupid cartoon you used to watch?”
She nodded, red starting to stain her cheeks. “It’s a long story.”
“Sounds like you two need to catch up,” I said, backing away. “Jax, take whatever open berth you want.”
“Thanks for the hospitality,” he replied, inclining his head slightly.
I left them giving each other measured looks and headed out. I couldn’t
help thinking that Jax didn’t fit my idea of a rebel and questions swirled through my mind.
How much had Farah’s brother changed since she’d last seen him?
Then a thought occurred to me and I almost stopped walking.
Did he possess enough humanity to care about the rebellion or was he playing us to get to the meeting?
8
In the training room, I peeled off the exosuit and let it drop on the ground next to the ice bath I’d ordered. It was a testament to just how bad my body ached that I didn’t take care of my gear, something I was usually fastidious about.
Deciding I didn’t much care at this moment, I sank into the freezing water, gratefully accepting the initial sting. The cold felt good on my battered body and I inhaled deeply, releasing the breath slowly. Leaning back, I closed my eyes and let the bath work its magic.
“Captain, are you certain a trip to the medical bay would not be more prudent?” Vega’s voice came over the room’s comm and I waved it away.
I knew her concern was born from programming designed to keep me in good health, but part of me liked that she checked up on me, even if I pretended otherwise.
“I’m good, V. This is all I need,” I replied, tapping the side of the tub without opening my eyes.
The AI seemed to hesitate as though contemplating her next words, but like the concern she exhibited, I knew it was just her computing a response. “The status update on your exosuit would imply that your physical body sustained some level of injury.”
“Nope,” I assured her. “Just bruised up. Look, V, I need a few minutes to relax in here. Can you put anything not an emergency to the side for the next eight hours?”
“Of course,” Vega replied, her tone a touch too light for my liking.
“I mean it, V. I don’t want Farah busting in here because you gave her my suit report or told her my vitals were off again,” I said, referring to the time Vega had ratted me out to Farah, citing my vitals were fair game to the team’s medic.
“Rest assured that I cannot go against a direct order, Captain.”
“Good.” I smirked.
The room fell quiet, the only sound coming from the circulating water. As it swirled around me, I let my mind wander to the fight on the train.
Or, more accurately, the ass kicking of the century on the train. I replayed the scene, remembering how fast Jax had moved. Unnaturally fast. It was clear to me that he possessed muscle boosters and cybernetics.
The damage to my suit was proof enough of that. No normal soldier could have done that. If Farah hadn’t recognized him in time, we’d more than likely all be dead. Knowing that Kaska had access to this level of destruction didn’t exactly put me on cloud nine.
Too tired to do much else, my thoughts drifted aimlessly.
“How long have you been in there?”
My eyes popped open to see Farah staring down at me. “What the—V!”
“I did not call Miss Shahi,” the AI denied.
“She didn’t,” Farah confirmed. “Jax went to get settled in and I needed to talk.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“To answer your question, Miss Shahi, the captain has been in the ice bath for twelve minutes and thirty-nine seconds.”
“Traitor,” I grumbled.
“You know ten minutes is the max,” Farah said sternly, thrusting a towel in my face.
“Yeah, yeah. Must’ve forgotten to set the timer.” I took the towel and her offered hand, pulling myself out with some effort.
“Gods, Eva!” Farah gasped, shock making her slip and use my old name. “Alyss. You’re a freaking mess. If you won’t go to the medbay, at least let me give you some pain meds.”
I waved the idea away and stepped out of the tub, dripping water as I went. “Nah. It’s a good reminder not to let that happen again.”
“Stubborn ass.” She rolled her eyes, but the words lacked conviction.
“You okay?” I asked, pulling on the spare set of clothes I kept in one of the training room lockers.
She leaned back against the wall and sighed loftily. “Honestly? I don’t know. Still processing the whole thing.”
“Understandable. What did he say?”
“Not a lot. Just that he’s been in the Void all this time. He’s different.” My friend raised troubled eyes to mine. “Colder. I’m not even sure my brother is in there anymore.”
“He is,” I told her, surprised to find that I believed it. “Jax could have killed us all. Almost did. But he stopped as soon as he recognized you. Then made sure you got off the train.”
Farah chewed on her bottom lip, considering that. “That’s true,” she conceded.
“Who knows what fucked up experiments the government did on him,” I added. “Look, I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through, but this is a second chance.”
“You’re right,” she decided, pushing off from the wall. “Here, let me help you with the suit.”
Now I rolled my eyes at her. “I can take care of it.”
“Sure. I’ll believe that when you can take it from me.” She smirked.
We both knew I was in no shape to argue.
“Fine,” I relented. “Though I’m pretty sure it’s trash at this point.”
“Initiating tear,” Vega announced the next day.
I’d resurfaced twelve standard hours later, still in the same position I’d crashed in.
As expected, everything was sore, but the ice had done its job and it only took me a few minutes longer than usual to get ready.
Our small crew, including Jax, assembled on the bridge in preparation for the final exit out of slip space. A slit opened in the swirling maelstrom of the tunnel wall and we were gliding seamlessly through it into regular space once more.
“V, how long until we reach the coordinates?” I asked.
“Three hours,” she replied.
The rebellion’s headquarters were located on a planet in the Cerberus system. As far as hideouts went, it was a good choice.
Cerberus existed in a region of space beyond the Deadlands. It remained mostly uncharted due to the great expanses of nothing between the few existing planets. The planets themselves were barren. Nothing remained but rock and ocean, if the planet had one. It was like some mass plague had come and wiped everything out.
Technically it was Sarkonian territory, but that was only because the Union hadn’t bothered with it. The most the Empire had done was slap up an unmanned outpost and leave it to rot once they realized no one was coming to put down roots. With the closest place to get fuel a few S.G. points back, it didn’t get much traffic either.
“Keep scanners running,” I ordered. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Kaska has his own moles.”
The bridge was quiet as we advanced on the outpost. At first the display only showed the black expanse of empty space. A speck of light became visible before long though, growing brighter with every kilometer.
“Multiple inbound ships detected,” Vega informed.
They blipped onto the screen, glowing red orbs all moving in a singular direction.
“There are more than I thought,” Farah noted.
I thought the same. Maybe it was because the rebellion only existed in cryptic conversations between us and Mack, but I’d always imagined a ragtag group of individuals quietly plotting against the big bad Empire in darkened rooms.
“Incoming transmission from the dock master,” Vega announced.
“Put them through.”
“Second Genesis,” a clipped voice came over the ship’s comm. “Each person aboard needs to identify themselves per usual protocol.”
We complied and were given landing instructions.
“Where do we go after landing?” I asked.
“An escort will be waiting,” the man replied, then added, “you’ll need oxygen until you’re inside the compound.”
He cut the transmission before I could ask another question, so I ordered Vega to set us down per the instructio
ns.
The dock was more of a wide stretch of landing pads already half full of other ships. After a quick check of the compact air canisters, we exited the ship to find the promised escort, a pair of rebels clad in lightweight exosuits.
They both took a few steps back at the sight of Jax, hands tightening visibly on their weapons.
“We’re already verified,” I told them. “You can check.”
“Hold on a second,” one of them said in a shaky voice, collecting himself first and moving toward us. “Okay,” he continued after a few beats of silence. “We’re all set. Stay close, there’s a lot more landing traffic than usual.”
I’d imagined the “unmanned outpost” to be rundown and basic, but it looked like any number of smaller waystations I’d seen before. It even boasted a small refueling and maintenance area. It was clean too, at least in comparison to some stations Farah and I had been on.
Leah came to mind. We’d stopped there to refuel and get supplies after thwarting Kaska’s attack on Karbine. Both of us vowed never to dock there again unless it was the only choice.
Cerberus put that shithole to shame, though it wasn’t that hard of a feat. The outpost’s compound sat on the far side of the lot, an unassuming brown color that matched its drab surroundings. Our escort led us at a brisk pace, but I committed as much to memory as I could. Rebellion or not, the soldier in me liked having an escape route.
“You can take the oxygen off now,” one of the escorts told us once we were inside, having gone through an airlock.
He took off again when we had, winding through a series of corridors and doors. The place wasn’t exactly teeming with activity, but it certainly wasn’t the dark cave I’d expected.
People moved through the brightly lit facility with purpose, some working on data pads, others walking in pairs or groups. Far from underfunded, decent equipment abounded, and even though a handful might have been secondhand, they were all in excellent condition. The organization was impressive, and I had to admit that I’d underestimated the rebel movement.
