The Expanse

by Michael Stone

  The Expanse

  A Science Fiction Thriller

  Michael Stone

  The Expanse

  The smell of sweat and mold filled Inara’s nostrils as she tried not to think about where she was going. A guard paced in front of her and her fellow prisoners as the bumps of space travel sent a shiver up her spine. Inara felt a twinge across her face as she tried to focus in the dim light of the holding area.

  On prisoner transport 540, life was at its most hopeful moment. Once they arrived on Taran IV, they will be subject to intense interrogation before their pending execution before a crowd of emotionless soldiers who did little to comfort the death of their victims.

  Inara knew what it was like to live in execution camps for she was taken from one before her potential spouse Max was killed there. Max had been a hard-working man; a person Inara had come to respect in almost every way. Before their imprisonment in their own home, Inara and Max were closer than kin in the way that they loved each other. Both of them had eager hopes that they would one day raise children of their own. All of their dreams were now a distant light in an ever-expanding universe. Before her death and those of her fellow inmates, Inara told herself she would think of Max once again before her time finally arrived.

  “Quit your squawking!” A guard yelled as he threw one of the prisoners a selfish grin.

  “I didn’t do anything! How many times do I have to…”

  “Shut up, prisoner!” The guard yelled back. “I don’t have time to deal with the likes of you! Save your last moments for your executioners.”

  Inara caught the eye of a guard who made his way down the aisle. He was bald and seemed to have the demeanor of a killer. Stopping just behind the mouthy guard, the bald man quietly whispered something in his ear that Inara could barely recognize.

  ”…Open your mouth again and I’ll make sure I eject you out into space…” The bald man quietly whispered.

  The obstinate guard threw the bald man shot of arrogance as he made his way down the long aisle away toward the back of the ship. Inara, unfortunately, caught the eye of the wary bald guard. His eyes scanned her from side to side until he shook his head at her. Inara knew that she had to be careful if she was not to meet death a little earlier. Life in the Expanse meant one could only trust themselves. The Expanse was a wild, somewhat uninhabitable zone of space that was home only to the worst of criminals. Inara hated the Expanse; she had visited it before. Max had met his fate a little while after Inara’s transfer to another work camp. The Expanse meant bad memories; experiences that Inara didn’t want to feel ever again.

  A blaring noise shocked Inara’s senses as her eyes flew open with a sudden motion. Somehow she had dozed off during the span of the long trip. Now Inara could hardly see what was in front of her as smoke flooded in from the back of the transport and clouded her vision. Looking over at the prisoner next to her, Inara looked into her weary eyes and saw the same desperation she felt inside of her own heart.

  A ship that experienced engine trouble in the Expanse meant certain death for everyone.

  “Shut it off!” The ugly, bald man yelled as he made his way up toward the cockpit. Turning around suddenly, he noticed two other guards following him when he violently growled.

  “No! Stay with the prisoners! The last thing we need is funny business!”

  The mouthy guard Inara overheard earlier shot a curious glance toward his comrade.

  “What the hell is happening out there?” The boastful man said as he held out his arms.

  “I don’t know! I think we might’ve hit something when we passed near the edge of the asteroid.” The other guard responded.

  Inara had heard of situations like this before but failed to comprehend a solution to the set of desperate problems found in deep space travel. If the ship could not be brought back to working order, then everyone was going to die slow suffocation from the void of the Expanse. She wanted to die like Max; dying under the name of courage and not from such savage brutality of her captors.

  The prisoner sitting next to Inara decided to speak up with a worried voice. “Well, I guess this might be it for us.”

  Inara looked at the woman, but no words came to Inara’s mind that could comfort her fellow prisoner. Fear was an unfortunate aspect of the area known as the Expanse. No one could face it; no one could overcome it.

  ”… I know what’s wrong.” A voice quietly said as Inara looked up to see the male prisoner sitting across from her.

  “What’s wrong?” Inara said trying to keep her voice down. The man looked noticeably worried and obviously didn’t want to be noticed by the guards.

  The prisoner in front of her was middle-aged, a man with a sizable set of muscles. Inara would’ve thought him to be the perfect soldier if she hadn’t seen him act like a totally nice person once before. The man leaned back in his seat until one of the guards passed by. He narrowed his eyes as he looked straight into Inara’s.

  “The engines, I got a good look at them before we boarded the transport. They’re not meant for this kind of space; I’ve worked with them before. I heard that the Expanse is made up of special chemical composition from a nearby star that went supernova. The fluid named Vire is responsible for the adverse chemical reaction happening right now in the engine. If we can cut the fluid from reaching the engine, I’ll think we have a chance of making it through the Expanse.”

  The woman next to Inara decided to ask the obvious question. ”… How do you know these things? Are you an expert?”

  The prisoner nodded in approval as he sat back in his seat yet again as another guard passed by. A flash of light shot across Inara’s vision as a storm of memories flooded her mind. Max was standing in front of her, smiling and telling her that everything was going to be all right. Inara couldn’t let death claim her, at least not yet.

  ”… I think I have a plan, but you’re going to have to trust me on this one.” Inara whispered looking at her two fellow prisoners.

  They both nodded as Inara’s eyes followed the path of the guard who approached them from up the aisle.

  ”… Excuse me!” Inara yelled as the guard neared her. The reaction of the man holding the pistol was sudden since Inara had yelled in such a loud tone. Max’s whispers seemed to grow in her mind because of the disorientating smoke. Inara looked at the guard straight in the eyes.

  “What the hell do you want! Can’t you see we’re in the middle of…”

  “I can fix the ship,” Inara said in a quiet tone.

  ”… What the hell is going on back there!” A yell came from the direction of the cockpit.

  The mouthy guard looked at Inara with a sly smile and immediately bent down to begin unbinding her.

  ”… My job is already on trial…” He whispered into her ear as the cuff slowly became undone. “Fix it, and maybe I’ll make sure you make it to the next prison transfer.”

  Acknowledging with a nod, Inara stood up and walked with the guard back toward the engine room. Maybe they could all live yet, maybe they still had a chance.

  Surviving to the next prison transport meant that Inara had at least a few months left to live with the best of fortune. While she knew she couldn’t trust anyone completely, Inara knew that the thought of such an act of kindness would provide a possible way out of the Expanse. A selfish thought entered her mind, but she instantly cast it out as she motioned to the guard.

  “I’m sorry… But I’m going to need the help of my friends…”

  The guard turned around with an obstinate look. “Friends? Who the hell are…”

  The man’s eyes widened as Inara felt herself being suddenly thrown to the floor. A blue flash of light blinded her as Inara struggled to find the chair in order to lift herself up. Turning around, she saw
the ugly grin of the bald man stare as he held an energy weapon to her face.

  “Going somewhere, a 43?”

  Inara knew that she was in middle the of the man's crosshairs now. The stare of the bald man sent a chill into her bones. Based on the size of the man in front of her, Inara knew she was moments away from being vaporized.

  “Daniel!” A voice yelled from the cockpit. “We got an incoming…”

  What would happen in the next few moments would leave Inara counting her blessings forever? The whole prisoner transport ship jerked as a new flurry of smoke entered the prisoner. Sparks flew from the side of the walls as the smell of fire and smoke alerted everyone senses. Inara looked into the eyes of the guard yet again, but they wouldn’t meet with him for another flurry of jerking an explosion rocketed the ship until everyone hit the floor.

  Unable to hear very much at all, Inara saw figures dancing in front of her as people scurried back and forth down the aisle of the ship. Blurriness developed in her vision as she struggled to fully contemplate what was going on. Bright lights flashed all around her and Inara knew that the end was very near.

  Trying to get up but falling to the ground, again and again, Inara heard something that instantly activated all of her senses. The ceiling above was growing dim, but Inara can make out the sound of a familiar voice. A voice she hadn’t heard in a very long time…

  Inara opened her eyes slowly as she rubbed her eyes due to an intense, pounding headache. A series of beeps and boops clicked across a display console in front of her as Inara noticed the familiar pattern of lights and switches in front of her. Suddenly coming to her full realization, Inara jerked with eyes wide open and looked around the room with haste in order to determine the exact nature of where she was.

  The ship she found herself on was one she recognized; a minimalist ship that had once belonged to her former lover Max. Confused and irritated, Inara forced herself out of the chair to study the nicely, redecorated cockpit.

  What the heck had happened? Inara thought to herself. How did she get back on her very own ship? What caused the bright light she remembered back on the prison transport?

  As she attempted to answer the flurry of questions buzzing in her mind, a sliding door opened which led to the cockpit as a man wearing a black trench coat and slick leather boots stepped into view.

  Inara looked up to catch Max’s eyes and felt something leap within her as she looked upon her lover yet again. Could Inara really believe this was all real?

  “Inara, I’m sure you’re surprised to see me…”

  Tears rolled into Inara’s eyes when she saw the older, yet familiar features of the person she had loved for so long. Everything about his face; the shape, color, and scars were all in the same places she had recalled vividly. Max looked worn as if he had been through hell and back.

  “Max…” Inara could barely contain the emotions inside.

  Max stepped forward until he came to stand in front of Inara as he put both hands on either side of her shoulders.

  “I’m here!” Max said with conviction. “I’m here and I’m never going away again…”

  “Max…” Inara continued. “How are you alive? How did you survive…”

  “The execution?” Max said as he formed an indiscreet smile. “I never wanted to tell you, I never wanted you to know. The enslavement camp where I was held made a deal with some of their upper echelon slave masters. I was going to be put into a fierce training regiment where I would be used to conduct dangerous operations. I made a deal, Inara. They would fake my death at the camp and then make me look like a martyr. I’m sorry, I had to do it! Never did I expect to live another day on that fateful day!”

  Inara shook her head as she paced several steps back as if going to hide in some dark corner of the ship.

  “I thought you were dead… I’ve always thought you were dead.” Something in her heart felt like coming back to life. Was the old life possible? Could everything be better?

  Max stood in front of Inara, but she knew that it would take a long time before she could warm up to Max. All the years of pain and loneliness flooded back into her mind. How could he have left her? How could he have moved on?

  Standing there speechless, Inara looked into Max’s eyes but felt the need to look away and cry. Max looked troubled to be sure, but Inara wasn’t sure how to process all the information. Ever since she had come to the Expanse, her world seemed to have turned upside down.

  “I heard that there was going to be a prisoner transport coming through the Expanse.” Max elected to comment. “Looking at the manifest records for the Expanse routes, I realized that you had survived our initial separation those years ago. I couldn’t let them take you, Inara. Not what they did to you and how they were going to treat you once you arrived at the work camp.”

  Something leaped in Inara’s heart as she looked up at Max in surprise. “The prisoner transport?” Inara felt like she was going to explode. “What the hell happened! What happened to the rest of the prisoners?”

  Max grinned slightly and turned around to look out of the cockpit window at the beauty of space outside. “Most of them are vile criminals, Inara. Those people are evil and some of the worst! Don’t worry about it all, just be glad that I’m back here with you…”

  “We have to go back! How can you just leave those people there to die!”

  A look of indifference came across Max’s face as Inara noticed a coldness come over his demeanor. “Did you hear what I said?” Max asked. “Those people don’t even deserve to make it off the ship! How could you be defending them?”

  Inara paced forward toward Max as she looked directly into his eyes. “I have suffered and bled with those people! They are family; a family I never expected in such a cruel universe. I thought you were dead, Max. You can’t just act so cold! We are going to turn the ship around…”

  Max blocked her path to the control console. “No, absolutely not! We are not going to risk our lives any longer in the Expanse for a couple of criminals! We have each other back, Inara! Can’t you just…”

  ”… Incoming ship approaching from the north quadrant…” A robotic voice chimed.

  Inara looked at the control console. “Is that… Your ship?”

  Max immediately hopped into the pilot’s seat and began typing very rapidly onto the console display. “We have an incoming ship, which means that whoever stumbled upon us in the Expanse probably doesn’t owe us any degree of kindness. Hold on, we are going to have to…”

  A jolt of energy the ship from the side which sent it rolling across the plane of space. Inara barely caught sight of a fast-moving ship that seemed to shoot across one of the side monitors.

  “That ship! It’s moving very…”

  Max maneuvered the ship to a hard right and soon came behind the small ship that seemed nothing more than a vessel subject to automated systems. Such ships sometimes went haywire once the Expanse overrode their manual pilot controls. The pilot was likely dead and his robot ship was controlling the vessel. Before Inara could say another word, Max hit a button on the console and unleashed a flurry of rockets at the fast-moving fighter. It exploded into flames as Max pulled the ship to the left and avoided the bright explosion.

  “Well, that was closer than…”

  “Are we clear? Is there any other ships around?” Inara yelled into Max’s ear.

  “Nothing on the scanner. I think that…”

  Max never knew what hit him as Inara clobbered him on the side of the head with a large ship part that had been lying in the cockpit. As Max’s body hit the floor of the ship with a thud, Inara threw herself into the pilot’s chair and immediately began searching through the set of coordinates Max had tucked away to find her prisoner transport.

  After some frustration and digging in the ship’s archives, Inara eventually found the place where the ship was last located.

  After plotting a course back to her former place of capture, Inara got up and began moving Max’s body
into the area of the ship where she discovered that the spare parts were stored. Throwing him into the tight room and sealing the entrance, Inara hoped that Max could one day forgive her for what she had done and what she was going to do. Inara couldn’t understand why he was so aggressive about not aiding the prisoners. It wasn’t like him, and Inara knew that Max’s adventures had taken him places he likely never wanted to go.

  Nearly twenty minutes went by before Inara caught sight of the prisoner transport hovering in a glowing section of the Expanse. Already dressing in a spacesuit Max had stored away, she opened the side hatch to the ship and immediately began floating out into the Expanse.

  The wide-view Expanse shown around her with its glorious assortment of colors. Dark blue mixed with white; purple, red, and a whole spectrum of colors not seen before in most ordinary galaxies.

  Once Inara had reached the hull of the transport, she made her way into a small opening that had cracked open by the engine room. Whatever Max had done in order to disable the ship and free her, parts of the transport floated about that once occupied the large gaping holes left in the transport.

  Making her way to the main terminal located at the back of the ship, Inara made sure to seal off the prisoner area so that the remaining oxygen wouldn’t deplete faster and kill the remaining prisoners; if there were any.

  Creating a seal in the engine room and then opening the door to the prisoner area, Inara stepped into the room where at least a few faces lifted their heads to meet her eyes.

  Tears came to Inara’s eyes as she realized that most of the prisoners had already died. Walking over to the female prisoner whom Inara had come to know earlier, Inara felt the prisoner’s pulse and noticed that it was dangerously low. Looking across the aisle where the man who knew about the engines once sat, Inara couldn’t find his body anywhere in the area. Perhaps he had been vaporized by the explosion Max had caused, perhaps he had perished by the wrath of the guards themselves.

  Over the next half-hour, Inara created a link with the prisoner transport back to Max’s ship so Inara could reel in the transport. Once the ships were close enough to dock, Inara lowered the ramp that would connect the two ships. Once everyone had boarded Max’s ship, Inara sealed the connection with the prisoner transport and released the derelict back out into the Expanse.