by J. N. Chaney
J. N. Chaney
Copyrighted Material
Renegade Lost Copyright © 2018 by Variant Publications
Book design and layout copyright © 2018 by JN Chaney
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from JN Chaney.
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Books By J.N. Chaney
The Variant Saga:
The Amber Project
Transient Echoes
Hope Everlasting
The Vernal Memory
Renegade Star Series:
Renegade Star
Renegade Atlas
Renegade Moon
Renegade Lost
Renegade Fleet (February 2018)
Renegade Earth (March 2018)
Standalone Books:
Their Solitary Way
The Other Side of Nowhere
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Renegade Lost
J. N. Chaney
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Renegade Lost
Renegade Star Series #4
A lost ship. An unknown civilization.
The Renegade Star is stranded, its engines totally shot, surrounded by the unknown. Floating in the dead of space, they receive a strange transmission from a nearby planet, warning them to stay away or face the consequences.
When the message mentions how this world belongs to Earth, the lost cradle of humanity, Captain Jace Hughes knows he has no choice but to investigate.
Too bad this planet is a deathtrap.
With an endless snowstorm, bloodthirsty animals around every corner, and no sign of any colonies or people, the mission won’t be an easy one.
Good thing they sent in the Renegade.
Experience a sprawling galactic tale in this fourth entry to The Renegade Star series. If you’re a fan of Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, or Leviathan Wakes, you’ll love this epic, space opera thriller.
For my father,
Who taught me how to work
One
“Entering atmosphere,” informed Sigmond. “Prepare for mild turbulence.”
I sat in the cockpit, watching as The Renegade Star entered the upper stratosphere of an unknown planet in the middle of nowhere. Had the circumstances been different, I might have passed this planet up altogether. It was covered in snow and ice, and seemed to have nothing of any real value on its surface.
But I’d just received a transmission with a warning to stay away, because this world belonged to Earth, the lost homeworld of humanity, a place that I had once believed to be a children’s bedtime story. That was before I met Abigail, Lex, Freddie, and Athena…before I discovered a portable Moon that could double as a superweapon. I’d seen more evidence for the existence of Earth in the last few days to completely rewrite the history books. Not that I’d ever want that job. I wasn’t a scholar or a historian. I had little interest in changing the state of the galaxy or what anyone believed. I was just a Renegade, trying to survive, trying to keep my crew alive.
As my ship continued its descent, I heard the door to the cockpit slide open behind me. Abigail came rushing in. “Why are we going down to the planet?” she asked.
She must have seen the atmosphere through the window and gotten concerned. I couldn’t blame her confusion. I’d made a last-minute decision to investigate the transmission, not bothering to run any of this by her. “Take a seat,” I said, gesturing with my hand. “We have a situation.”
She sat down, not bothering with an argument, and stared at the holo image on the dash, which showed the terrain layout of the entire continent.
“Listen to this,” I said, tapping the console. I replayed the transmission, leaning back in my seat. The mysterious woman’s voice filled the cockpit. “Attention, this world is the property of Earth. All Transient vessels should avoid orbit or risk defense network capabilities, per the established colonization agreement.”
Abigail’s eyes widened as she turned to me. “Is this real?” she asked.
“Seems that way,” I said, cutting the transmission. “We’ll find out soon.”
“Or we won’t,” she countered. “That woman is probably dead, don’t you think? We might be heading down there for nothing.”
“You want me to turn this ship around?” I asked, already knowing her answer.
She went quiet for a moment, but then shook her head. “No. Let’s see what this is.”
I nodded, satisfied with that. Abby was no fool. Anything involving Earth was worth exploring, no matter how futile it might seem. We both understood that. If Titan never came back for us, which was certainly a possibility, we’d have to find our own way out of here. Maybe there were answers on this planet. Maybe we could locate some parts to fix our engine. Either way, sitting in space and waiting for a rescue wasn’t an option. Not for us. We weren’t the sit-and-wait kind of folk.
The snowstorm picked up as we broke through the clouds and grew closer to the surface. My windows began accumulating frost so quickly I thought we might be buried before we touched the ground.
By the time we landed, the winds had picked up considerably, and I knew we’d have to wait this out before we began our investigation.
I let out a heavy sigh. “Guess we’re waiting,” I muttered, thumbing my Foxy Stardust bobblehead and watching it bounce. “Best we get some rest for now. Gods know I need it.”
* * *
The scent from the coffee machine filled the lounge with a rich aroma that made me want to smile.
I poured a cup and took a whiff of the delicious steam. If only it tasted as good as it smelled, but this machine had come from a Union ship. I’d been meaning to replace the damned thing for the past few days, but between all the fighting and running, there had been no good opportunities.
Besides, Titan had its own food dispensers, and the cafeteria seemed to do a decent job at producing artificial coffee. I’d gotten used to it, putting off replacing my own machine. I wanted to slap myself for being so lazy.
All in good time, I thought, staring at the swirling drink in my hand. First, we investigate this transmission, then we find a way out of the system and get a new coffee maker.
“Jace, what are you doing?” asked Abigail, who was apparently watching me as I stood there.
I scoffed at the question. “Making coffee. What’s it look like?”
“It looks like you’re wasting time,” she told me.
“Only a fool thinks caffeine is a waste,” I said, turning my back to her.
At that moment, Freddie came walking into the lounge from the direction of the engine room. “Is someone making coffee?” he asked.
“Have a cup,” I said, stepping away from the machine. “I’ve got mine already.”
<
br /> His eyes lit up. “Don’t mind if I do!”
Dressler was right behind him. I eyed her as she quietly followed, saying nothing. She was still technically my prisoner…or was she a hostage? Or a guest? I couldn’t keep track of the terminology.
Either way, she was here, and I’d have to figure out what to do with her soon. “Doc,” I said, giving her a nod.
“Renegade,” she returned, less hostile than I expected. “Can you tell me why there’s a snowstorm outside the ship instead of dark space?”
“Oh, that,” I said, taking a sip of coffee. It tasted terrible, but I pretended not to notice. “We received a transmission and decided to investigate.”
“What about your friends? Shouldn’t we be waiting for them to come find us?” asked Dressler.
“You want me to sit and wait out there with my hands in my pocket?” I asked. “Is that how you normally handle your problems?”
She glared at me. “I didn’t say you should do nothing, but running down to a planet without a plan of action doesn’t seem like the best use of our time. We should be focused on repairing the slipdrive.”
“Which is exactly what I want you to do,” I answered. “Well, you and Fred. Someone needs to supervise the job.”
“Are you concerned I might try to sabotage the ship?” she asked, crossing her arms. “Maybe send a distress call to the Union, is that it?”
I paused. “I didn’t think about that before, but now I’m starting to wonder.”
“She won’t do that,” said Freddie.
“How the hell would you know?” I asked.
Freddie hesitated to answer, looking at the doctor for help.
“I wouldn’t do that, because it would put us all in danger,” said Dressler.
“You’re right about that,” said Abigail.
Freddie nodded. “Exactly. If she called the Union, they’d open fire on this ship, even if she’s onboard.”
“Unlike you, Captain Hughes, I value my life,” said Dressler. She turned around and strode toward the engine room. When she got to the door, she glanced back over her shoulder. “Are you coming, Mr. Tabernacle?”
Freddie perked up at the sound of his last name. “Oh, right,” he said, following after her.
I watched them leave together, staying quiet until they were out of earshot. “What do you think?” I asked, turning to Abigail.
“About what?”
“The Doc,” I said. “You think we should trust her?”
“We shouldn’t trust anyone, but I don’t think she’ll do anything to risk her own life. She’s not a soldier or a spy.”
I nodded. “Siggy, continue to monitor repairs and let me know when the engines are back online.”
“Yes, sir,” said Sigmond, speaking directly into my earpiece.
“Once this storm lets up, we’re heading out,” I said, looking at Abigail and taking another sip of my coffee. This time, I openly cringed at the bitter taste.
Abby reached out and took the cup from my hand, taking a drink of it for herself. “I’ll be ready.”
Two
The storm never actually died; it simply slowed to a steady crawl. Snow fell and would continue to do so for the next few days, according to Sigmond’s scans. It was the best I could hope for, because it meant we could finally leave the ship and look for the source of that transmission.
I sat in my quarters, putting on the thickest jacket I had, along with some stuffed leggings and a snowcap. These clothes were specially made for cold weather, with internal heating that would regularly adjust to my body temperature. Useful to have when you spend your time running from one planet to another. You never knew what kind of hazards you’d run into. Better to over-prepare than not at all.
I zipped up the coat right as I stepped out of my room. “Are you ready?” asked Abigail, her voice coming from across the lounge.
I glanced up from my chest to see her standing there, wearing the outfit I’d given her—form-fitting material stretching from neck to toe. It was thinner than mine, so much that it gave me pause.
She must have noticed, because she immediately rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe this is all you had,” she finally said, walking up to me.
“It adjusts to your body type,” I said, which was the truth. The outfit was adaptable and could be worn by almost anyone, male or female. It tightened in order to better regulate internal body heat, which was necessary for severe weather.
“Uh huh,” she said, glancing out the window of the ship. The snow was falling at a gentle pace. “Are you ready to head out?”
“I am if you are,” I said.
She tapped the pistol on her thigh. “Let’s see what’s out there.”
We went to the cargo bay, opening the lift door, letting in a breeze of cold wind. Snow trickled down on the metal grate of the gate, melting instantly. “I hate the cold,” I muttered, opening one of the lockers and taking a rifle.
“You do seem like a beach person,” Abigail said.
“Have you ever met anyone who wasn’t?” I asked. “Give me a drink and a warm beach over a blizzard of cold any day of the week.”
We stepped onto the gate and into the white field, with each step leaving a large hole in the snow. I wondered how long it would take for the storm to cover these prints up. Probably not long, given the rate it was falling.
I tapped my ear and activated the comm. “Siggy, where are Dressler and Freddie?”
“In the engine room, sir,” answered the A.I.
“Open a line,” I said, waiting for the click. After a moment, I continued. “Fred, this is Hughes.”
“Yes, sir! I hear you, loud and clear,” said Freddie.
“We’re heading out and I’m ordering a lockdown on the ship. No one can enter or leave without my authorization. You got that? Keep your ass planted until we get back.”
“Right, I understand,” he said.
“And watch Dressler. Don’t leave her alone.”
“I’ll stay with her at all times,” he said.
“You’ll what?” asked Dressler, a slight echo in her voice. “Are you talking to your captain? Tell him I’m doing what he asked and to stop treating me like—”
I cut the comm. “Siggy, initiate lockdown, my authorization.”
“Initializing,” said Sigmond. “The Renegade Star is secure. Sending transmission origin point to your pad. Good luck and try not to die, sir.”
“Thanks, Siggy,” I said, taking a step forward in the snow. “You do the same.”
* * *
The snow was harsh and thick, slowing our walk more than I expected. Even with the heating pads beneath my clothes, I could barely stand the cold winds as they blew in from the east. After only ten minutes, my cheeks had already gone numb. I was ready to leave this place.
Abigail seemed fine. She was outpacing me, and I didn’t much like it. Maybe it was the better insulation in the clothes she wore; maybe she’d spent time in weather like this at some point. Whatever the case, she was making me look bad, and gods knew I couldn’t have that.
I quickened my pace and kept up with her. “Where to?” she asked as we reached the edge of the field.
Walls of rock surrounded the open valley. Scans had suggested there was a cave network inside the stone, and since the pad showed the signal coming from ahead and below, I knew we’d have to take the plunge. “We need to find a way inside,” I said, looking over the scan.
“Inside what?” she asked.
I motioned at the wall.
“Are you serious?” she asked.
“I never joke about cave-diving,” I answered.
The stone wall continued north and south, so I chose north and followed it. Abigail did the same, and together we began our search for a way inside.
After half an hour, we found a large enough gap to walk through. The split was narrow at first, but eventually opened up between two walls, forming an incline that descended further into the ground.
“Hol
d on, Jace,” cautioned Abigail, touching my shoulder.
I paused and looked at her. “What is it?” I asked.
She motioned with her eyes to the ground, so I glanced at my feet. It was mostly covered in a thick layer of snow, but as the cave formed, the floor began to reveal itself. That was when I noticed what Abigail already had.
A set of stairs, finely cut and shaped into the stone, leading into the darkness. “Now we’re talking,” I finally said.
“We’re on the right track,” she told me, a slight smile on her face.
“I guess this means there really were people here,” I said. “Or maybe there still are.” I raised my hands, pretending to be spooky.
She rolled her eyes and kept walking, while I snickered at my own joke.
I ran a quick scan, which told us that we could take this path all the way down to the source of the transmission. It seemed a little too convenient, given my experience, but I wasn’t about to argue with a machine.
Not that I was against that type of thing. Just ask Siggy.
We continued our descent, further into the cave. The stairs glimmered with frozen water, which told me to watch my step or I’d slip and break my neck if I wasn’t careful.
As we reached the bottom, and the passage opened, I noticed the outside light began to fade. I tapped my pad and activated the flashlight, while Abby did the same with her wrist-pad. The corridor illuminated, revealing smoother stone walls and a flatter floor with etched lines.
Abby and I looked at each other. “I think we’re on the right path,” she told me.
I nodded. “The only question I have is—”
“Where did all the people go?” she asked, cutting me off.
I narrowed my eyes. “Watch it or I’ll leave you down here.”
She scoffed. “Nothing but talk,” she said, smirking at me as she continued forward. “Do you think anyone’s still alive down here?”
“If they are, they must be miserable,” I said, shining my light around, trying to find anything that might give a hint as to what had happened here.
