The Juggernaut (Tales from the Juggernaut: Act 1)

by Peter A Dixon

  Their family had ended up here for the same reason everyone did - they had nowhere else to go. The Juggernaut was their best, last and safest option. And besides, no one searches the trash for treasure.

  One day soon Theo planned to explain to Malachi why and how they had ended up here, but he suspected Malachi had already pieced together enough clues and overheard enough whispered conversations of past regret to learn the truth. A business deal gone bad had brought them to the brink of bankruptcy.

  The ensuing court cases had done the rest.

  With no money left to prove himself innocent Theo had sold the last of their possessions and ran. They raised enough money for one last journey. One final destination. The Juggernaut.

  No central authority existed in the Celato system so Theo couldn't be extradited if someone came looking. After all, someone needed to sign the paperwork.

  But this didn't mean they were completely safe. His creditors, or the bounty hunters they hired, still wanted him, but the cost and risk of seeking out one man in a lawless star system, aboard a dangerous labyrinthine city of almost a million people meant that he was unlikely to be found even if someone thought the effort to be worth their while.

  The dangers of the present had protected them from the dangers of the past. There was one advantage to being a member of the dispossessed after all.

  A mixed blessing if ever there was one, thought Theo.

  Once they had settled into life on board Theo soon discovered his skills were in demand in every area of city life. Life support, water reclamation, hydroponics, heating, and lighting.

  With the benefit of his expert knowledge, New Haven had thrived as new immigrants and migrants from elsewhere in the city came to stay.

  Despite the added strain on every available resource slowly, gradually, and carefully, Theo and his son transformed one small corner of the Juggernaut into an area where people could at last not just survive, but actually live.

  Since then Malachi had grown up in something of a bubble, constantly discouraged from taking risks by his father. Theo knew he could often be an overbearing and overprotective parent but Malachi never complained, at least not to him. Maybe his son only endured it because he loved his father.

  Two young boys rounded the corner carrying a heavy pot between them. They wobbled, and Theo made to intervene, but then they recovered, hefted the pot a little higher and carried on. Behind them followed their mother, Theo assumed.

  She trailed behind them just a little way, just enough to let them feel independent, but Theo could see the fear etched into her brow that the food they carried might not make it to the party.

  "It's just potatoes," she apologised she passed, as if this would make everything alright if the boys did end up spilling the food.

  Of course it was potatoes. Only mushrooms grew better here. Mushrooms and rats. And nobody wanted to eat rat at a party.

  Was it too much to ask for more than this on a man's fiftieth birthday, he wondered. He chided himself for his selfish thought. This wasn't about his birthday, or the celebration of a ship restored. Everyone deserved better than this life, even his only son. No, especially his only son.

  And yet Malachi never complained. On the surface, he seemed content with his life of technical problems which he rarely failed to solve. He didn't waste time dreaming of escape and adventure and romance. He was too practical for that.

  Besides, adventures, of a sort, were never far away on the Juggernaut. Not if you counted the roaming gangs, local warlords, the raiders and pirates, and the frequent attacks and constant attempted thefts of their water and power. If you really wanted adventure it was there for the taking, just like everything else in the city.

  Theo was grateful his son was more interested in helping a customer and keeping the workshop organised than he was in escaping the Juggernaut on some foolish crusade.

  It never occurred to Theo that a complete lack of options might have had something to do with it.

  The truth was that his son had no way to leave. Very few did once they were here. Theo owned just one ship, and even this had taken a year of work and restoration to make space-worthy again. There was nothing new on the Juggernaut. Nothing new under their dying sun.

  If you couldn't repair, remodel or recondition it then you didn't get to use it. Sure, there were plenty of short-range craft around. Runabouts and racers were perfectly adequate for the short hops to other communities and free ports, but Theo's ship was one of the few vessels capable of a system Jump. That made it priceless.

  The Rhino was certainly nothing special to look at but it was big enough to function as a mobile workshop which made it ideal for those awkward jobs in situ. It was also spacious enough to transport larger items, like engines, back to his workshop for repair. Without the Rhino, Theo would never have been able to source and supply the items New Haven needed to transform itself from a community that was barely surviving to one which had almost – almost - begun to prosper.

  Ships capable of any sort of extended journey were incredibly rare on the Juggernaut, and therefore incredibly valuable. And ships capable of making a system Jump was almost unheard of.

  Typically, the only way out of the Celato system was to buy passage alongside a Jump surrogate, and that was expensive. Theo was sometimes able to scrape together enough money to buy passage on an outbound Jump out if he needed something from one of their three neighbours, but he also had to make sure he had enough money for the return trip. He avoided spending more than a day or two away from the Celato system. The risk of being seen was too high.

  It had been months since Theo had needed to leave the Juggernaut for supplies of any kind, but thanks to a recent deal he had made to repair the drive of a cargo ship which had broken down while in transit between the Celato Beacons, he would shortly have the funds.

  It was any irony Theo didn't appreciate that even though he was one of the few people in the city with the means to leave the system he could never be away for long. Sooner or later his ship would flag up on some watch list and he would have to return before someone tried to arrest him or cash in a standing warrant.

  The sound of approaching footsteps brought him back to the moment. They were light, bright steps which tapped quickly upon the cold floor. Theo recognised them. He smiled to himself and retreated into the shadows. He liked to play the stern overseer on occasion.

  Ellie skipped around the corner and suddenly a large and imposing figure stepped out of the shadows to bar her way. Recessed lights reflected off the dark skin of his bald head. His muscled arms were folded across his broad chest. He looked down at her, his face impossible to read behind the cropped salt-and-pepper beard. He filled the corridor and loomed over her. Ellie might have found the man intimidating if she had not known him so well.

  "Eleanor Young!" boomed Theo, more statement than question.

  Ellie made a face. She hated that name. It sounded so grown up.

  "You're late," he continued.

  "I'm sorry," said Ellie. She wasn't.

  "And where, young lady, is my wayward son?"

  "Malachi's right behind me. Tila's coming too. She might already be here. Have you seen her?"

  Theo ignored this last question. "You have some good news for me at least, I hope?"

  "Maybe. If you let me in," she teased.

  Theo frowned and bent down to bring his face level with Ellie's.

  "And why should I do a thing like that?" he dared her.

  "Because this," said Ellie, and kissed him on the cheek, "Happy birthday, Theo."

  "Ha!" roared Theo as he swept Ellie up in a bear hug as he spun around. Ellie laughed until the bear hug made breathing too painful. She patted his arms in submission until he put her down. When she was back on solid ground she took a moment to smooth out her clothes, then she looked up at him and said, "Ow."

  He winked. "If I thought for one moment you didn't like that I wouldn't do it."

  "Yes, you would," she accused him playfu
lly, "But I don't have time to argue today. I need to find Tila."

  "Ellie," he called after her as she started to turn the corner. Her head popped back out, "Did you at least win?"

  Ellie just grinned and vanished.

  Theo hovered for another minute waiting for his son to appear but it seemed Malachi had been delayed longer than Ellie expected. Perhaps he should return to the town square? It would be a shame to miss out on his own birthday party, even despite the food.

  He loved Ellie like a daughter. Everyone did. But the comparisons with Tila were inevitable considering how much time they spent together.

  The girls had become close friends the day Tila saved Ellie's life. Ellie was just eleven when the raiders attacked New Haven. Tila was only fourteen. Theo remembered that day almost too well. He and Ellie both lost something precious.

  Perhaps Tila had too. No one should have to fight for their life at fourteen, and no fourteen-year old girl should have to take one.

  Ellie had followed Tila around like a puppy for weeks after that. Who could blame her? Tila made her feel safe.

  Tila had shown her mettle that day. Theo could respect her courage and admire her strength but it was a pity she saw him as an enemy too.

  But Theo also knew that Tila was too independent, too wilful. To put it plainly, she was too selfish. Theo worried about the influence she had on other members of the community, not least his own son.

  Theo respected Tila's ideals of independence and freedom but had tried explaining to her that the price of living in a community was that sometimes individual rights had to suffer for the rights of the group.

  A community, by definition, was a gathering of interdependent people. They relied upon each other. Tila had learned to rely only on herself.

  If he was in a gracious mood Theo could admit there was a certain kind of nobility to her selfishness, and in another time and place he would support her completely, but they lived here and now and stability and structure and rules were what New Haven needed if it was to continue to grow in safety. Tila didn't seem to believe in rules. At least, not his rules.

  By contrast Ellie was little more than inoffensive charm with golden hair. She was a good influence on Malachi. Tila was not. Ellie was sweetness and laughter. Tila brooded. Ellie welcomed people and was eager to make friends. Tila glowered and kept to herself. Ellie would tightly weave each person she met into the tapestry of her life. Tila built walls to keep them out.

  In many ways, Ellie was still the puppy. Tila was the wolf.

  Perhaps it would always be that way.

  Malachi still hadn't appeared and Theo was getting hungry. He sighed and decided he had waited long enough. He turned on his heel, marched back into his party and tried to cast aside, for a few hours at least, the loss of the past, the fears of the present and the burden of authority and fatherhood.

  And besides, maybe there would be a cake.

  The crowds had grown noticeably larger in the few minutes since Theo had left and returned. A small part of him was pleased. It was edifying to think that everyone had turned out especially for him even though the dearth of celebrations meant that any communal event was well-attended.

  Theo pushed through the thickening crowds and exchanged pleasantries and handshakes.

  Elsewhere, Ellie was still hunting for her friend, certain this task, like everything else in her life, would be easier if she were only a little taller.

  A hand suddenly grabbed her around the arm and pulled her to the side of the thoroughfare. Ellie shrieked in surprise.

  "Hey," said Tila.

  "You made me jump!"

  Tila dismissed Ellie's complaint with a wave of her hand. "Oh, you jump at everything. I've never known anyone so fragile. So?"

  "So what?"

  "Did you win?"

  "Always! What about you? Did you find it?"

  Tila nodded and opened her bag just enough for Ellie alone to see inside. "Do you think he will like it?"

  "Tila, he will love it!" she squealed. "It was very sweet of you to think of looking for that. Did you have any trouble?"

  "Some. But they won't be bothering me again anytime soon."

  Ellie gasped. "You didn't!"

  "Of course not!" Tila snapped too quickly. "I'll never do that again. They'll be ok, just uncomfortable for a while. I don't go looking for trouble, you know."

  Ellie raised a dubious eyebrow at this statement.

  "I don't!" Tila protested again, "It just finds me."

  "What finds you, Tila?" boomed Theo from behind them.

  Tila, guilt etched on her face quickly spun around slapping the bag shut so Theo couldn't see what was inside. Ellie, like always, looked innocent of everything.

  "Nothing," they chorused. Ellie grinned.

  "There's no need to look so guilty," said Theo, as he searched their faces and wondered what Tila was hiding this time. "Where have you been? You know more hands around here would have made the work easier."

  The unnecessary criticism riled Tila.

  Theo said, "Ellie has been racing again, despite my concerns. And what about you Tila, have you been staying out of trouble?"

  He was trying to sound jovial, Tila knew, but she heard the edge in his voice even if he didn't mean to put it there. She heard his criticism about work and trouble and it sparked rebellion within her. His light words sounded forced, as if he knew what her answer would be. As if he was being gracious enough to allow her the opportunity to not disappoint him this time. And Tila so often disappointed him.

  But she worked hard and willingly when there was a real need. She just didn't consider party planning suited to her skills and she resented the way Theo seemed to give Ellie a free pass for racing. Everyone know how dangerous that was. So why did it seem like Theo, along with everyone else in New Haven, always questioned or challenged her actions just because she valued her independence.

  So she told him the truth.

  "I went to the Eclipse."

  Theo's face fell. "You went where? Tila! The pressure seals to that ship are well past their rated lifetime and I haven't authorised any checks on their integrity yet. You could have caused an explosive decompression and..." His expression hardened. "How could you be so...so stupid?"

  "Stupid?" said Tila, her voice rising.

  "Yes! Stupid! And thoughtless, and-"

  "I've been down there a hundred times and I..." She stopped, suddenly aware of the hole she was digging. She could almost feel the temperature drop as she looked at Theo.

  "You have been there more than once?" Theo said quietly.

  "It was safe. I-"

  "Tila, you have never committed fully to this community so what you choose to do is your own business, but you know that going to these areas risks exposing us to all manner of dangers, like pressure loss, or contaminated air, and I cannot allow that!"

  "I-," Tila tried to say.

  And what of the boundary defences we have in place? What if a raiding party found you, or followed you back?"

  "Oh come on, Theo! This isn't about your defences. The air down there is fine. You did the work yourself and Malachi checked it for me." Tila was too caught up in her speech now to notice Theo bristled at the suggestion that Malachi had been with her. "You just don't want me making you look bad now you are on the council. You don't want anyone, least of all me, defying your rules. You don't want anyone to know more about this place than you do!"

  Ellie touched Tila's arm softly.

  "Tila..." she began but Tila angrily brushed Ellie's arm away and continued her tirade.

  "You've done good things here, I'm not denying that, but you can't tell people what to do all the time. You can't just lock the doors, tell everyone they are safe and expect them to sit around and meekly comply with your orders."

  Theo shouted back, "I do not 'give orders', Tila. The council does not give orders. We work to protect everyone in here from the dangers out there. Dangers you, of all people, should appreciate. And the rules ar
e not mine. They exist to protect everyone here, yes, even you! We face daily threats from raiders and pirates and gangs from all over the Juggernaut, all over this system, and the more New Haven becomes known as a place of safety and God willing, prosperity, these dangers will continue to grow. So I will not allow your recklessness to endanger everyone else in this community! There are too many lives at stake here for your selfish whims to risk compromising."

  "We haven't faced raiders in months!"

  "And why do you think that is, Tila? Is it because of you? Is it because you are out there, thinking only of yourself, fighting to save us all? Or is it because the council works so hard to make allies of the other communities and free ports? A lone wolf cannot protect a pack, Tila. By acting as you do you are a liability to New Haven, and your selfishness..."

  "Selfishness?! I'm the one who found the breach in the perimeter two months ago. I'm the one who told you someone was selling our perimeter ID codes!"

  "Codes they would not have access to if they were not being so frequently used without authorisation!"

  Tila yelled, "I don't need your authorisation! You are not my leader. You are not in charge of me. You're not my father!"

  By now their raised voices had carried their fight to half the people in the town square, and Tila's final words rang throughout the high-ceilinged chamber. For one interminably long moment Tila and Theo glared at each other in a noiseless bubble, until somewhere a foot scraped on the floor, someone coughed, and the background noise of a dozen conversations began to wash over the sudden and uncomfortable silence.

  Theo composed himself while Tila stood defiant before him, her fists clenched and muscles tense. He spoke again, calmly now, and more gentle. "Tila, believe me, I understand how you feel about this. Nobody is trying to impose limits on your freedom, but you must understand that these selfish actions put us all in danger, and no good can come of them."

  Tila replied also in a lowered voice, but where Theo sounded gentle, Tila sounded bitter and betrayed. "I wasn't thinking of me," she said. Then she shoved her bag into Ellie's hands and marched away.