by John Walker
Did the Commander have a problem with kielans? Or the alliance in general? Possibly. Some humans didn’t trust them and she partially understood. After making contact with dozens of alien races, Clea knew what suspicion looked like. Other cultures worried that the alliance wanted something from them they couldn’t necessarily give.
What if the alliance simply took the resources they needed or kidnapped people? Most of the cultures they initially met wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it. Perhaps those people would’ve felt better if the kielan people had been more aggressive. Kindness sometimes felt like buttering up…preparing them for some hidden agenda.
The Novalat people discovered quickly that they were being welcomed into a collective rather than treated as some kind of commodity. They even remarked on it publicly once, thanking the alliance for their patience and indulgence in what amounted to growing pains. Some of the others were less noble about admitting it but they tended to come around.
Would humanity? Some of them had, or at least made a good show of it. Clea studied enough of their history to know they could be clever, outright devious even. Their Machiavelli taught them all sorts of things about how to be underhanded in politics. Depending on how nefarious their leaders were, they may well be trying to take a larger role, perhaps even trying to lead, the entire alliance.
Something told Clea that Siva knew this and probably already infiltrated the Earth’s government. If she hadn’t, she must’ve been in the process of trying. Getting someone in there, able to really watch them and stay involved, might save the partnership the entire alliance was founded upon. The last thing they need was to be dictated to by total amateurs in the galactic theater.
You’re still not ready for some things, humanity. Be patient and you will be but we’ve been at this a long time. Don’t think we’re going to simply let you have the wheel because you’re underhanded and sneaky. It pained Clea to think about it in such a way, especially since people like Gray were so reasonable.
But then she thought about the council member who betrayed them and her blood boiled a bit. The man tried to sacrifice all the people on board the Behemoth simply to discredit the alliance. His traitors turned on their friends, their comrades and essentially ruined their own lives in the process. For if they failed and survived, which they did, they looked forward to dying in prison.
I can’t even imagine accepting such an assignment. One of the men, their navigator, threw away a brilliant career. Astrogation had been his passion. He knew so much about the stars. Clea spent hours talking to him about astronomy and helped boost his understanding of the concepts through her own experiences.
Kielan education on the subject vastly exceeded what one could learn in a human school.
And despite all their time together, he was still able to make the decision to help sabotage the ship and nearly kill them. He ultimately turned on his fellow traitors and put the entire thing to rest but it didn’t exonerate him from his fate. Maybe he got a few less years, or some privileges in prison as a result but none of those three were walking away.
That’s what happens when you decide your agenda outweighs your friends. Clea flopped on the bed, not even bothering to take her jacket off. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, trying not to think of Vora An’Tufal, her sister. That was the ultimate form of blind, stupid betrayal.
Vora didn’t even side with some fringe part of the alliance but rather, the enemy itself. She led them straight to the research facility and got countless people killed. The government took her away and Clea hadn’t heard what happened to her. She thought about asking Siva but didn’t want to sound overly concerned.
The last thing she wanted was to be looked at as a potential traitor.
Luckily, kielan justice tended to focus solely on the criminal and not blame the family members or close friends. Otherwise, Clea would never have received the Tathin promotion. Much as family meant to their people and how close they all were, when a bad apple revealed itself, it was simply removed and everyone else moved on.
My parents sure aren’t thrilled about it. In private, during her last visit, they talked about missing Vora. It was an emotional conversation, one they probably needed. None of them asked the obvious questions of how or why Vora could betray her people. The stated reason didn’t help, that of them losing anyway. Nihilism didn’t become a brilliant scientist and yet, she embraced the philosophy.
Clea wondered about her own future with the military. What did she really want to do? Eventually, the Behemoth would have to return to the Earth and they would likely no longer need her. They probably didn’t already considering their service to the alliance. Still, she enjoyed her time with them and wanted to remain, at least until the overall objectives were complete.
The thought of going back to her own people filled her with mixed emotions. On one hand, she missed being amongst people who intrinsically understood her without having to learn her culture. On the other, she’d developed quite a few positive relationships amongst the humans.
Having Durant around helped. He might’ve been wildly eccentric but at least he grew up in the same way. Clea spent a lot of time with him, working through puzzles and problems involving weapons and the technology that made the Behemoth go. Would she continue in such a capacity somewhere else?
The Tathin rank offered many possibilities. Though she might never command a ship, she could run operations or even a tech division. She felt especially suited for such a task. Still, high command would have to pick the assignment and she only hoped she’d have some say before they simply stuck her somewhere.
After everything she did, all the sacrifices she made to leave home and live with the humans, she felt her own people owed her. Perhaps such entitlement was unfair and until she knew for sure, she’d keep it to herself but when the time came, if her new job didn’t suit her, she’d definitely play some cards.
Maybe Siva could even help. Much as Clea didn’t like the woman, she figured the spy master might owe her a favor too. Such people were good to keep close and not alienate. They held so much influence, they could take a starship out of active rotation and send it on random missions.
If Intelligence happened to be her future, as long as she wasn’t a deep cover operative, Clea could see herself thriving in the environment. Analyzing tech data or even helping to collect it from the safety of a starship made sense to her. What she didn’t want was to undergo some kind of spy training and infiltrate enemy factions.
She’d performed a couple of ground operations and found it stressful beyond belief. Especially after receiving an injury. Clea could fight and defend herself but that was a far cry from the types of things intelligence operatives were expected to do. They were straight killers and for her, she only wanted to pull the trigger when absolutely necessary.
Only people like Siva put you in the position to make that question an easy one to answer. Shoot or be shot. I don’t need it. In any event, I need to stop thinking and start sleeping. We’ll be at the port before I even got a half hour. The chime went off stating they were rapidly approaching the space station. The reminder gave her fifteen minutes before she needed to be on the bridge.
Damn it, brain! You are not working with me today! Clea got up and changed her jacket to something that wasn’t wrinkled, heading for the bridge. Exhaustion closed in on her but she knew she’d get some sleep when they got to the planet. She only had to work for another couple hours before then. I’m going to hit the pillow like a pulse bomb.
Clea leaned against the wall on the elevator and closed her eyes, hoping Kale and his crew were okay. We’ll be there soon, she thought. Hang in there…we won’t leave you alone. Not this time.
Chapter 2
Kale opened his eyes, staring at the pilot’s console sideways. He was lying on the floor in front of the Anthar’s chair, his muscles numb and his ears ringing. This happened before, he’d been in this exactly position. It was before his promotion, during a confli
ct that took his mentor’s life. Once again, he found himself barely conscious, struggling to regain his senses.
Are we in immediate danger? Straining to hear, he didn’t make out any sounds of concern or stress. The ship remained motionless, no shaking from impacts nor did the engine make the vessel tremble. Feeling returned to his arms and he pushed himself into a sitting position, blinking blurry eyes in an effort to take in his surroundings.
Others stirred, his bridge crew each coming around in the same slow manner Kale recovered. He swallowed, wincing at how parched he felt. His whole body screamed for a drink but he needed to take the concerns one step at a time. Assessing the threat around them and finding out where they were, those were the priorities.
“Is anyone at their post?” Kale’s question came out as a croak and he cleared his throat, trying to find his voice. When he tried again, he spoke with more strength. “Anyone?”
“I’m up,” Athan replied and Kale watched as the pilot reclaimed his seat. “Looks like the computers are rebooting, sir.”
“Thank you.” Kale grabbed hold of his chair and hoisted himself into it, settling back as his heart raced and his entire body complained about the exertion. If this keeps up, I’ll need to visit the doctor. Lord, that place is going to be a nightmare if everyone feels like I do. “When you know our position, report. I’d like some scans…find out if we’re alone. Wherever we are.”
“Anthar,” Deva Thi’Noch, his tech officer, spoke up. She sounded worried. “I…think we might have some data corruption. I’m working on repairing it but…”
“What is it?” Kale asked, with more bite than he intended.
“Um…it’s just…well, it can’t be right.”
“What can’t be?” Kale rubbed his eyes. “Just spit it out.”
“The time, sir.” Deva sighed. “The computer insists that we have been in our current position for over a month.”
“Impossible.” Kale waved his hand at her. “You’re right, there’s corruption somewhere in there. How’s it even verifying that?”
“There’s a buoy nearby. It’s transmitter seems to be out but it’s still keeping accurate time.” Deva shrugged. “I suppose it could’ve been damaged.”
“That’s your answer,” Kale said. “Anyway, scan the entire system and get a damage report on that buoy. I have a feeling we’re going to need to call for help and if that thing’s broken, we’ll have to fix it. Athan, do you have our position?”
“We’re drifting, sir.” Athan shrugged. “I’ll have engine control when the reboot finishes but for now, I have no idea where we are. This isn’t a star that I’m familiar with. I’m checking the charts…this must have been surveyed or there wouldn’t be a buoy, right?”
“Not necessarily,” Deva replied. “Some of those were sent out as deep space probes, programmed to locate out of the way systems to assist wayward ships…like ours. They don’t necessarily mean anyone’s been here before. They just anticipate arrival in case someone gets stranded.”
“I read about that,” Kale said. “Either way, it won’t matter. We’ll get it online and report in. Once we fix our data corruption.” He tapped his console. “Engineering, this is the Anthar, do you copy?”
No response came back.
“Engineering, this is Anthar Ru’Xin, do you read me?”
Still no response.
“Someone must’ve rebooted everything,” Athan said. “They had to have initiated it.”
Deva nodded. “You’re right. Automation was offline. Only life support was functioning and even that was operating on the emergency generator.”
Kale’s body finally began to return to normal and he was able to stand without feeling dizzy. Still, he kept a steady hand on the chair and took several deep breaths. When he felt confident he would not topple over, he stepped over to the communication station where Wena was just getting to her seat.
“You okay?” He asked her and she nodded. “Good. First thing’s first. Coordinate with the other departments throughout the ship. Make sure you get a full report of damage and casualties. Start with medical. They’re probably going to be the busiest for a bit. I’m heading down to engineering to see what’s going on.”
“Sir, is that wise?” Deva asked. “I haven’t finished scanning our structural integrity yet. It might not be safe.”
“I’ll take the chance,” Kale said. “Someone had to have done it and if there was a hull breach, they wouldn’t have been able to. Besides, we seem to be steady and our drift is pretty light. I think we’re in better shape than we should be.”
“Yes, sir.” Deva nodded. “I’ll continue to compile information.”
“Thank you.” Kale stepped onto the elevator. “Keep me informed through personal com, just in case ship wide is out. Stay focused on your tasks at hand and we’ll get out of here in short order.”
The doors closed and Kale leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. The downward motion made his stomach turn. Nausea lasted only a moment before settling into a general discomfort. He forced himself to consider their predicament, pushing aside his physical ailments in light of the mystery of where they were and how they got there.
Jump accidents were a common topic at the academy. Every astrogation class, from beginner to advance, talked about the mishaps throughout history. Some of them were outright horrifying, to the point Kale was surprised anyone stayed in the military after they read about them. He wasn’t entirely sure when he came to terms with the possibilities and accepted them but everyone he served with must’ve done the same.
Instructors always tried to couch their lectures with the fact that safety protocols had dramatically increased since the first jump drives were introduced. Back then, parts of ships might disappear, ensuring both sides were destroyed. Some simply exploded. Others ignored the courses input into their systems, appearing inside objects.
An old regulation stated no ship was to jump directly to the home world. Even with every safety protocol in place, they were to show up on the edge of the system and fly in through conventional engines. Since that particular little rule never left the books, some should’ve still been worried but until a potential mishap occurred, one didn’t really think about it anymore.
This may not have been a mishap so much as damage, Kale thought. The explosion from the waste could’ve seriously impacted our engines. Wait!
Kale’s eyes snapped open seconds before the doors slid to the sides. He stepped off and leaned against the wall in the hallway as his memory trickled back. The brief moment of nothingness he’d experienced plenty of times through jumps lasted much longer than ever before. He remembered fighting it…trying to breathe…trying not to give in to the terror of lingering in that state.
The Fates certainly tested us all. I wonder when the rest of the crew will recall that struggle. We won’t be able to jump again until we can run enough tests to ensure we don’t have a repeat performance.
The engineering deck tended to have a great deal of activity in the area but as he refocused his attention, he noted no one was moving around in the hall. He paced toward the door, his footsteps echoing overhead. The scene felt eerie and he fended off a feeling of dread, like he might find something horrible.
As he drew closer to the door, he heard voices and a weight from his heart lifted. He tapped the panel and input his personal code, granting him access. Someone drew a firearm and aimed it at him before they seemed to recognize him. The security guard immediately lowered his weapon.
“Anthar!” The young man pressed his hand against his chest in a salute. “Forgive me, we had no idea what was going on!”
“Thank you for not shooting me, Zanthari,” Kale said. “Where’s Engineer Di’Erran?”
“She’s with the other seniors,” the guard said, pointing deeper into the engine room. “They’re checking the crystals.”
Kale looked at the other engineers, each working on some task at a terminal. He picked one at random, a vinthari he didn�
�t know. The young man must’ve joined them just before they headed to Earth. He stepped over and watched his efforts, noting he was working on regulating power throughout the ship. The generators needed some coaxing to properly balance the load when first turned back on.
“Can you give me a report, Vinthari?”
The young man didn’t look up and continued to work. “Yes, sir. When we came to, we were on backup power. The only systems still functioning at normal levels were life support and environmental shields. Those are on backup generators, totally detached from the main engines. We reignited the generators after a systems check and rebooted all systems.”
“Are there any problems left for us to worry about then?”
“Chief Engineer Di’Erran is concerned about the crystals. They might be damaged, which would mean we’re stuck here until we can fit a replacement. And that’s if the setting is alright. Also, our regulators are down or I wouldn’t have to be ensuring power doesn’t surge through the system. The last thing we need right now is a bunch of shorts. Especially since medical just called down and demanded more power.”
“Understood. What’s the ETA for full power?”
“I wish I could give you a good estimate, sir. Most stations are operating at nominal levels, providing they don’t tap them out with regular usage. I’ll have a proper time frame soon though, and will certainly let you know.”
“Thank you.” Kale smiled, patting him on the shoulder. “I appreciate your efforts. Carry on without me distracting you.” He stepped away, observing each station in turn. Nothing appeared to be damaged, which gave him a good feeling of how lucky they were. The engines could have taken a serious beating considering what they did and he wouldn’t have been surprised if he showed up to fires and chaos.
Instead, he found a calm crew doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. Kale couldn’t be more proud of their tenacity and professionalism. Considering Meira literally dove back into her job the second she was up said a lot about her dedication as well. He’d buy her a drink when they got back to the home world.
