by Phil Maxey
Shortly the door opened once more and the bridge with her two other crew members were in front of her. She had been on some modest sized ships, but the small size of Tantalus’s bridge was another thing she was having trouble with, especially for the largest ship in the EA’s fleet. When she had been told that the entire crew of this ship was three and she was one of them, she thought one of her former crew mates was setting her up, and it wasn’t until she had seen this bridge for the first time that she finally realized it wasn’t a joke.
“You’re late again Lieutenant,” said Captain Taylor.
Elisa walked to the side of the captain’s chair and saluted. “I’m sorry, I’ve been feeling a bit ill, and wasn’t able to get out of bed when I needed to, this will be the last time, I promise, Ma’am.”
Captain Taylor sighed. “I know this posting might not be the most exciting, Lieutenant, but we play a very important role for the Authority—” Elisa had to resist showing her boredom at the speech she now knew off by heart “—and being able to communicate to them on schedule is kind of important.”
“Yes, I’m sorry. Ma’am.”
The captain’s gaze turned to the large view once more. “Take your seat and try to find out why we haven’t heard from station thirty-one about the Retrenium shipment.”
Elisa slid into her padded seat, placing the earpiece on her ear and tried not to notice the glance that Jones had given her.
CHAPTER 3
Davin Murlock looked out over the Earth from his living quarters which also doubled as his office. His had one of only three rooms on the whole ship that had a direct view of space. Even the bridge only had a projected view of the universe outside. There was a storm brewing over the America’s. He imagined all the people in the area finishing up their business for the day and quickly making their way to their homes, before the wind and rain started.
Moving over to his desk, he opened the drawer and pulled out a 2102 bottle of whiskey which he had already opened at the inauguration of ‘his’ ship together with a glass and poured out a small amount. His five-meter square office was adorned with gilt-framed images which constantly updated, switching between numerous handshakes with important people. His desk was an antique from the middle of the twenty-first century when they still made furniture from natural materials. The top was clear save for a freestanding screen which displayed a picture of his former wife, who had died seven years earlier.
Picking up his glass he returned to his view of the Earth and the gathering storm, then took a sip. “Looks like it’s going to be a bad one, Joanna.”
Images of his wife from the last time he saw her flickered through his mind, and he put the glass down more heavily than he had planned, causing some liquid to spill. He sighed and sat in his chair, trying to forget the day the Archon Syndicate set off a fusion bomb at his wife's workplace, instantly killing eighty-nine people, and taking most of the building with it. Usually they just destroyed life with organically created materials, but this time they upped their game, relying upon technology to create a truly devastating explosion with the minimum of equipment. Reaching for the glass he took another sip, the burning helped to numb any other memories and his thoughts turned to today’s agenda.
“Bring up the male recreational area views,” he said as the wall opposite his desk changed from the frames to one of multiple camera feeds from the large hall in the male cellblock. Watching the inmates was something of a hobby for him. Not that he needed to, as the IMs and the ship’s AI constantly monitored them anyway, but watching how people dealt with a loss of freedom always fascinated him. Especially people that previously had a good life, or a position of authority. He found that these were the individuals that often had the hardest time and served as the best entertainment.
“Show me Luke Carter.” The views opposite coalesced and changed to show Luke in his cell, lying on his bed. “Zoom in on his face.” The view did as commanded until the wall in the warden’s office was a huge square digital rendition of Luke's face. “Sleeping,” Murlock said as he took another sip, watching Luke’s rapid eye movements “Pity.”
* * * * *
His screaming baby was not something Thiago missed about being away from his family. He leaned over the small plastic table with his hands over his ears, fingers woven into his short dark hair, looking at the woman who sat opposite him with the noisy child on her lap.
“Thiago, you told me Roberto would come through for me,” she said trying to distract the infant.
“Selena, you just got to wait, he owes me, he will take care of you and little Ramon.”
An IM marched behind him, making Thiago lean back. The large visitors room on Tantalus was half full, but those sixty or so civilians still made enough noise to make it hard for anyone to hear their loved ones, just the other side of the table from them.
Selena sat back as well, her eyes welling up. “I can’t keep coming up here Thiago, it’s like an eight-hour round trip from the municipality, and all this space flight can’t be good for Ramon. Have you talked to your lawyer?”
Thiago went to reply, when he caught sight of someone he had seen a few times before, Detective Manning, a female member of the EA’s Justice Force and someone that he knew to avoid when back on Earth.
Selena looked angry. “What you looking at her for, eh? I come all this way and you be checking out other chicas?”
Thiago looked across to his young wife, her jet-black hair infused with blonde streaks. “Baby, you know you’re the only one for me, that just some detective I used to know, but nah I haven’t talked to Goodman yet, he only come up here once a month, and it’s not that time yet. But when he does I’ll kick his ass into doing something, I promise.” It was a lie. Brett Goodman hadn’t paid Thiago a visit for six weeks, since the upstart lawyer dropped him as a client.
“Ten more minutes.” A neutral sounding IM, standing at the edge alongside all the tables and chairs made the announcement.
“I don’t want to talk about that stuff, tell me how’s mama?”
Selena looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze. She continued bouncing her son up and down on her knee. “Yeah, she good, you know how she is.”
Thiago could tell she was lying, but couldn’t see any reason to push it. There was nothing he could do where he was. “You tell her I love her, yeah?”
“Of course, I always do.”
“And how’s my little brother, he still getting the grades?”
Selena’s expression mellowed. “Ah, he won’t stop going on about the latest game he plays.”
Thiago frowned. “He better be doing his homework, tell him I’m gonna kick his ass when I get home, if I find out he’s been slacking.”
Selena smiled. “He knows.” She looked anxiously at the IM that marched past Thiago for a second time. “Okay, kiss Ramon goodbye, I should get going. I like to get a good seat near the aisle.”
Thiago leaned across and did as she said. Looking deep into his baby’s eyes, his heart felt heavy, but just as quickly as the sentiment came, he pushed it away. He had seen that kind of emotion lead men to early graves in prison.
Selena went to get to her feet when she stopped. “Oh, I got a new picture for you.” She rummaged in her bag, held it up to the nearby robot, which glanced in her direction then continued its patrol. She slid it across the table to Thiago. A large grin spread across his face as he held it between his fingers.
She got to her feet clutching a more peaceful Ramon, picked up her bag, gave a brief wave, and walked quickly towards the exit.
Thiago watched her leave, then once she had, his attention switched back to trying to understand why detective Manning was onboard. He prided himself on knowing these things.
CHAPTER 4
An elderly man with sunken eyes watched as the jury read out his guilty verdict. Luke tried not to look at the twelve that just convicted him or the parents of two of his crew who sat in the first row of the courtroom. He just wanted it to be over. The judge
leaned forward. “You have been found guilty by a jury of your peers. Sentencing will take place at a later date, but is there anything you want to say?”
Finally, he looked up, the courtroom was empty apart from the bloodied faces and distorted bodies of the three men that he let die.
Luke awoke covered in sweat and immediately looked around him. He had lain for hours in his five-meter square cell with his eyes closed, pretending to be sleeping in case those around him paid a visit, but eventually his mind shut down. Once the door closed, there was no noise from outside, just complete silence.
He sat with his back to the side wall and his mind drifted to his last few years of service as captain of the Evolve, a Sapphire class Patrol ship. It was his job to keep the shipping lanes clear of any syndicate incursions and he and his twenty-seven crew were the best at their jobs. Any haulers they protected knew they would get their cargo to where it needed to be. The syndicates knew the opposite, that if they tried their luck, they would be caught and boarded and would end up—Luke sighed, the final word in his stream of memories was the place he was in now.
A feeling of unreality washed over him making him feel detached from his own body. He looked at the bland blue gray walls around him and VR unit on the back wall to his left. These VR machines where commonplace on most of the ships he had served on previously as a means for the crew to exercise but he had not heard of them before being available for criminals.
He went to get up when the door to his cell opened and a man with thick short dark hair, walked through the entrance.
“Looks like I won the jackpot, the face of Space Force is going to be my bunk buddy. There were rumors you would end up in the showpiece prison.” The man walked to his own bed to the right of Luke’s. “Is that why Manning was here?”
Luke looked unsure what was being asked of him.
The man sat on the bed. “Don’t matter. If you’re wondering, name’s Thiago.”
Luke sat forward planting his feet on the ground. “How long you been in here?” he said, relieved to not see any tattoos on the man opposite him, at least he wasn’t sharing a cell with any syndicate member.
“Long enough to know there’s a lot of people in here, that want you dead.”
“You’re referring to the syndicate members.” It came out more as a statement than a question.
“There’s at least two syndicates who have put a price on your head.”
“Must put you in a difficult position.”
Thiago smiled and was about to reply, when shadows grew inside the cell created by the three large heavily tattooed men standing outside looking in. Thiago walked to the door, standing half in and half out.
“Is there anything I can do for you three fine compatriots?”
The shortest of the three men glanced at Luke who was looking back at him. “We were hoping you would have some of the juice left from the last shipment, Babel wants some.”
“Ah, well, Babel is out of luck, as I’m fresh out, maybe if you come back next week sometime, we can work something out.”
“I’ll pass that on—but he won’t be pleased.” The three men walked past Thiago and out of Luke's sight. Thiago watched them for a few moments then stepped back inside.
“Looks like the Grain syndicate is the first to check out your situation. Babel is—”
“I know who Babel is.”
“Yeah, I forget, Captain Space Force, you know all about the syndicates and who’s who.” He moved to a small square section of the wall, near the bottom of his bed, which opened automatically when he put his hand on it.
“Thanks.”
“For what?” said Thiago dropping an image of his wife and child into the storage space, then closing it.
“You know for what.”
Thiago smiled. “The way I see it, you being in this cell with me can either be a hindrance to my … business interests, or a help. Right now, I’m leaning towards it being a help.”
Luke smiled. “Hopefully it stays that way.”
“Yeah.” Thiago walked back to the open door. “Why don’t we go for a walk?”
Luke got up and followed Thiago along the gantry to a spot which looked down upon the entire length of the cells.
A cathedral of sound and stature filled with men of all sizes and demeanors, was laid out three floors below them. Thirty meters above their heads, beams arched across a large cavernous area, each incorporating lighting so bright it felt like they were being bathed in sunlight. Running along each side, row after row of what looked like completely open rooms built into the smooth walls. They reminded Luke of what old film studios used to look like with the fourth wall missing, but he knew from his own cell that each one had a transparent wall allowing no privacy for those inside. These carried on for as far as he could see in both directions, and were stacked six floors deep. At various distances along the center of the area were towers which reached up to the dizzying heights of the roof above.
“You see all these cells around us?” Thiago looked both ways as he leaned on the gantry.
Luke nodded.
“Well you might think everyone is where the IMs put them, but that’s not how it is. The whole place is sectioned according to what syndicate you a part of.” He pointed to his left towards cells that all contained blue plastic containers up against the transparent front partition giving the impression of a wall. “That’s Grain territory.” He shifted his hand to the right. “That’s Phoenix.” Then further towards the right. “And way down there that’s Archon, they tend to keep to themselves, the crazy fucks, you can smell them even from here. This part—” he pointed to the floor around him “—is where you get put if you’re not part of any syndicate, so think of this as neutral territory.”
“Like Switzerland.”
Thiago looked puzzled, then smiled. “Yeah, like that old country back in the pre-digital age, yeah exactly like that. But you see, no one fucks with Switzerland, because at some point everyone needs her.”
“So, you’re saying I should stay here, and not go anywhere else.”
Thiago patted Luke on the back. “To be a captain I knew you must be bright.” He leaned on the railing in front of him. “You being here though—that might mess up the balance, so we just gotta see how things play out.” Thiago turned around, he was talking to himself.
Luke was walking down the nearby stairs. Trying to hide away in his cell was not going to be an option.
“Where you going?” Thiago shouted as quietly as he could.
“I need to stretch my legs.”
Thiago swore in Spanish, and ran after him.
CHAPTER 5
“Earth Central is not allowing any shuttles to dock, Ma’am,” said Elisa.
Captain Taylor sleepily leaned forward in her seat. “Why, what’s the problem?”
“They are saying that there’s a large storm in the area, and it’s causing malfunctioning in their sensors.”
“Do we have any civilian shuttles still onboard?”
“We have three, approximately thirty-five people.”
“Is EC giving us any time they will be accepting landings?”
“No, Ma’am.”
“How long have the shuttles been waiting in the docking bay?”
“About an hour.”
“Okay, we’re going to have to get them some water, and food. If they are still there in an hour’s time, get them to disembark the shuttles and get them back into the visitor’s room. And let the warden know what’s going on.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Elisa started tasking IMs to provide for the civilians who were waiting to leave.
Taylor looked at Jones. “Has our Retrenium shipment docked yet?”
“No, Ma’am.”
“What’s their ETA?”
“Umm—” Jones tapped on his screen. “—There isn’t one. We have not received any communications from them.”
The captain tapped on the arm of her seat. “Bring me up the chart for the system.” Jones d
uly obliged and the large screen at the front of the bridge changed to show a simplified view of all the bases belonging to the Earth Authority, Space Force, and the colonies. She got up and stepped forward near the console her two colleagues where hunched over.
She bit her lip slightly. “When was the last comms from Station thirty-one?”
“Last comms from them, was—” Jones tapped and dragged across the screen in front of him“—at zero five hundred hours, approximately four hours ago.”
“There’s not been any distress signals from them?”
This struck Jones as an odd thing to ask. Station thirty-one was a heavily armed station, no syndicate would be stupid enough to attempt a raid on them.
“No signals of any kind, Captain. Maybe their comms are just down.”
Taylor turned back to Elisa. “Can you reach any ships that have recently docked there?”
“I’ll try.” Elisa ran through a menu of the latest ships to leave that station, and selected the top three. “This is Earth Authority ship Tantalus for ships that have recently docked with Station thirty-one, please respond. Over.”
A smaller screen appeared overlaid on the system chart showing a bearded man in his fifties, with a slightly ill-fitting standard haulers uniform.
“This is Captain Decker of the Travillion, what can I do for you Tantalus.”
Captain Taylor stood slightly more upright. “I’m Captain Taylor. We have been trying to reach Station thirty-one. Our shipment of Retrenium should be docked there, but we can’t reach them. System logs are showing that you recently docked at the station, are their comms down?”
Captain Decker looked bemused. “We left the station seven hours ago on our way to the Europa colony and they were fine. Let me check with my comms officer and get back to you.” The screen disappeared.
