by K A Carter
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter 1: Jericho
Chapter 2: S’tiri
Chapter 3: Nario
Chapter 4: Jericho
Chapter 5: S’tiri
Chapter 6: Nario
Chapter 7: Jericho
Chapter 8: S’tiri
Chapter 9: Nario
Chapter 10: Jericho
Chapter 11: S’tiri
Chapter 12: Jericho
Chapter 13: Nario
Chapter 14: S’tiri
Chapter 15: Jericho
Chapter 16: Nario
Chapter 17: S’tiri
Chapter 18: Jericho
Chapter 19: Nario
Chapter 20: S’tiri
Chapter 21: Jericho
Chapter 22: Nario
Chapter 23: S’tiri
Chapter 24: Jericho
Chapter 25: Nario
Chapter 26: S’tiri
Chapter 27: Jericho
Chapter 28: Nario
Chapter 29: S’tiri
Chapter 30: Jericho
Chapter 31: Nario
Chapter 32: S’tiri
Chapter 33: Jericho
Chapter 34: Nario
Chapter 35: S’tiri
Chapter 36: Jericho
Chapter 37: Nario
Chapter 38: S’tiri
Chapter 39: Jericho
Chapter 40: Nario
Chapter 41: S’tiri
Chapter 42: Jericho
Chapter 43: Nario
Chapter 44: S’tiri
Chapter 45: Jericho
Chapter 46: Nario
Chapter 47: S’tiri
QUANTUM
K.A. Carter
For more information visit kacarterwrites.com
This book 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, persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, without permission in writing from the author.
Copyright © 2019 by the author.
Cover design by The Cover Collection
Dedications
Special thanks to Keith Carter, my father, for cultivating a creative mind during my childhood and exposing me to science fiction. Also thanks to my Sub it Club, that have been there in many ways, helping to mold my skills.
Chapter 1: Jericho
There were cackling screams from the terminals, and the air started to taste metallic It meant the life support was failing. Only a power tool in hand and an old piece of hull gel that was far too long expired to be useful. Alfred Jericho kept from gritting his teeth at the misfortune that appeared to creep up on him. Creep up on his crew.
“Cap we don’t have much more time on those power cells,” said Scud, one of the ship’s engineers. The longtime friend stood typing away at the console just next to the Captain, the keystroke aftersounds chiming at a low frequency.
Lying on the floor of the bridge, the captain paused from his work to look up at the panel he was attempting to reroute. The hull gel squeezer in his hand thin to its last tiny bit of uselessness. Although a nonflammable agent for superconducting, the gel was preferably implemented in design and construction. Given that the Gilroy was bought secondhand, Jericho figured the lack of gel contributed to whatever happened.
“It’ll have to last a little bit longer. Find Gideon,” said Captain Jericho. “This panel is oscillating between here and secondary flight controls.
The noise in his ears was a mixture of split fibers sparking and the sound of his crew on the bridge in a panic. No one knew what caused the Gilroy to become a floating death trap. One minute your hauling salvage the next, your cargo hold gets a nice thump from the inside. That thump cause more damage to the an easily rattled bucket of bolts. Jericho knew that this was one of those times to be a model of cool-headedness. However, there were only so many problems he knew how to solve. CPF? Sure, short on pay? That’s alright, even Pirate raids? Hell, bring it on, but fixing a ship on the fly? That one slipped his mind. Unfortunately, he didn’t think it solvable even by Scud or Gideon. He had gotten by on luck and safe haven patches for so long he figured it was a consistency by now. Only to be proven wrong at the worst possible time. When he’s carrying some pretty profitable salvage.
Pirates were infamous in the Zorai sector. If you were mal-equipped, their scanners would find all of your ships imperfections from the flickering light in the galley to the broken secondary com-link on the bridge. The Gilroy had jammers but it wouldn’t matter without central power.
The fear lingered in the Captain’s mind. He’d only crossed paths with them so many times that the thought of them made his stomach cringe. Jericho thought himself cagey, but how many times beating the odds until you get caught slipping. Pirates weren’t the dumb slugs the federation had made security ads out of them to be. Jericho had seen some of the many species and each group he crossed typically had smarts. Tactical armor, ships with decent shields.
Scud handed the captain a small handset the size of a nutrition bar. “Our hull is intact but the only way we won’t become a floating iceberg, is if we get main power back on.”
Captain Jericho paused for a moment. “Any idea how much time we have? I don’t know how much longer the crew can take waiting to die.” He looked toward the thin woman at the helm, Freya and the sensor operator, Luke, behind Scud.
“The main power from the core got cut. We can reroute a few systems here since it ain’t off, but once it shuts down it’s gonna cold…fast.” Scud replied. Jericho wiped his forearm across his chin as if to ease an itch; to put settle to the scruffy beard that covered a slight jaw.
He reached over and shoved a hand module into the wall where it fit snug, the hull gel insulant easing the push.
Gideon made his way in between the terminals and seats towards the captain. “I figured I’d help you up here with some of the panels,” said Gideon with haste. He was out of breath. It was as if he ran all the way from engineering.
Integrated panels were everywhere. Each contributing to operations that controlled temperature, logistic processing, door controls, the whole ship. Most of them scattered in sections of corridors and the doors that connected them. The Gilroy wasn’t the biggest ship but it had kept sturdy through some tough times.
Gideon rested his hip aside one of the consoles to catch his breath. He was ready to say something; something important.
“We need to speed this up captain, the ship could go into shutdown at any – “In one split second system failure alerts rang the ears of everyone onboard. The system VI accompanied with a soft voice on the ship’s com giving irony to the crew for programming it that way.
Jericho leaned back for a moment; sounds dissipated as he glanced at the crew on the bridge. They were not just shipmates, but family. Scud and Gideon at the corner of his eyes. Keon, the young salvager in training, was practically passed out. The ship’s helmswoman, Freya and the undesignated doc, Mellor were the only ones standing. Cringing at the thought losing them in such an absurd manner. This be the last thing they see brought a pain to his eyes.
This can’t be the end, he thought.
With sirens still blaring and the crew of twelve all on the bridge, choices were at a minimal. However, Jericho knew he had a choice in the matter. One that he would most likely regret but was an alternative. An alternative that included them being alive. That was enough.
Gideon squinted through his holospec glasses. “You’re not thinking what I think you are Cap. Tell me you’re not and I can die in peace,” said the keen engineer. In the same m
oment, Scud motioned toward Freya at the inutile helm controls. He stood calmly at a button that was placed at the bottom of the helm control console. It was an uninitiated pulse beacon. In theory, it could pick up the closest ship. Sadly, any ship. Even prates.
Scud was the one crew member that spent the most time with the Captain; before he became a Captain. For him, Jericho’s idea was better than any other of the crew’s.
Jericho stood up in a quick motion towards the rest of the crew, patting Gideon on the shoulder on his way past him. Before anyone could focus their attention, Scud pressed his finger against a small flat haptic button by Freya’s tatted hand next to the helm controls. It flashed red-green-red following a small but distinct beep; and by then everyone was focused on the Captain.
“Listen up everyone,” Jericho said with base in his voice. “I’m sure you all get that we don’t have much time on this boat. Air is out and as you can tell, it’s only a matter of time before it gets freezing. So, I made the call. Scud just hit the signaling beacon”
“Someone should pick us up, right?” said Mellor.
“That’s what I’m counting on” replied the Captain.
“Captain for all we know a damn pirate ship could bear down on us” said Freya, butting in with a fearful tone.
“Or we can manage to get passage on a Federal ship, CPF has been very active in this sector. If that’s the case, Cap and I will do the talking” said Scud sternly.
Jericho took a micro glance at his brazen friend and shipmate next to him. “That’s what we’re hoping for” said the Captain. “This is our best shot, and unless you want to be icicles or have a better idea, this is what we’re going with.”
Out of the silence, Mellor inquired. “What the hell happened in engineering anyway?”
“We aren’t quite sure exactly” Scud answered.
“No I know. Or I think I know. It looks like one of the pieces of salvage we picked up from the last run had a phase detonator on it.” Gideon interjected.
“How do you know that for sure?” Scud asked.
“I took a look at it all before I got up here, looks like the salvage was booby-trapped. Must’ve triggered when we hit warp jumped.” Gideon said.
For a moment, the crew had eased there worry so it had seemed. Most were focused on staying warm. The Captain sat in his seat with fatigue. I hope Freya is wrong, he thought.
He slid his hand by his side where a holstered blaster rested. He, Scud, Anda, and Morris were the only ones on board with experience with weapons. If they did get raided by pirates, or worse, he would only really have them to count on to fight; that much he knew. All of their fates resting on a small chance.
Less than an hour later it had gotten to freezing temperatures, and unlike most of the crew huddled together, Scud and Jericho were looking out of the bridge window. Darkness engulfing the ship in minute glimpses of starlight from afar.
“Hell of a way to go ain’t it?” said Scud. He let out a sigh he was holding in.
∆∆∆
“Well there are worse ways I suppose. The void can be unforgiving. Remember Toranis Station?” the Captain chuckled. “You nearly got blasted out an airlock.”
“I knew you had enough to get those guards off my neck-” replied Scud in a jest manor.
“And it cost me my spice reserve,” Giving up Vil spice was essentially giving away free money, and a lot of money at that. The agricultural spice was the one of the most traded commodities in the home solar system now; thanks to its component properties. Next to Helium 3 and the arbitrary unit currency that the developing CPF had established. Smugglers and salvagers alike kept the spice as an alternative to traditional units because it was accepted widely and couldn’t easily be tied to illegal activity. Jericho cared a great deal about Scud, otherwise he would have taken his chances in letting the broad man get detained. Similar options would cross the Captains mind in desperate situations.
“Ahh, all of the fed was on edge back then, the whole ‘establish a name for humanity’ thing. Look what it got us - “Before Scud could finish a smirking laugh, a flicker of light sparked from the far in the distance. “Oh shit” he said with a quick jolt to the sensor monitors. It was the only reroute either of them could manage.
Captain didn’t move from his spot, but looked back for a moment then kept his eyes on the spark. “Have some good news for me Scud,” said the Captain.
Scud blinked in a slight relief. “It’s a federal ship Captain, D Class science freighter.”
Not a minute after, an oddly shaped ship spat out of the spark. In white letters it read Ebon on the front side. An array of blue and white lights flickered brightly in the distance enough to bring the rest of the crew to move from their positions.
“No fucking way!” said Freya letting off her excitement.
Captain kept his eyes on the ship, waiting for the cue. Something that gave him the impression the crew should get ready. A second later he could see a shuttle separating from the massive ship. The shuttle was a dark blue shine that accented off the bright forward lights. It was large for a transport shuttle. Jericho had seen a fair sum of Federal ships. The shuttle incoming meant one of two things. Boarding party or rescue shuttle. He liked the latter of the two.
“That’s our cue” said the Captain with haste “grab what you think we’ll need and get to the airlock.” In the same breath, he moved to Anda as she stood up. “Here, take this and gather the rest. Put them somewhere we can get ‘em but not noticeable.” Jericho handed her his side-blaster and a small cloak blade he kept in his boot. All that were left were the two carbines and Scud’s side-blaster.
“I’m on it,” said Anda.
“We aren’t out of this just yet” Jericho added.
As the crew gathered starboard the radio link sprung to life with a ring. Jericho’s mind was a mixture of worry and thorough planning. The federal ship appearing out of nowhere was a gift and a curse. He was ready for a fight if necessary, but he hope it wouldn’t come to that. Except, the thought of federal mining camps made his mouth dry.
“This is Captain Joris Volland of the FSV Ebon,” the husky voice said.
Chapter 2: S’tiri
More dark nights on a cold rock of a moon strung together the events of the first incursion. A violent jungle contrasted an oddly frigid wind gust off the distant sea. Fleshy eight-legged M’oggs bowed and rested their wounds scolded by constant barrage of carbine fire and heavy explosives.
Half a million soldiers sent to a moon with no electro-magnetosphere and jungle that smelled of burnt tree; no thanks to the surprise invasion. S’tiri threw his carbine down next to a pile of them in a muddy muck. Useless, he thought. The soldier next to him was fidgeting with his armor. Fully powered and scuffed; a plasma cell shot clean through a side wing.
“Take them off they’re useless anyway” said S’tiri. He wasn’t wrong. Side wings outfitted for Irinan soldiers, did all but actually help them get from point to point.
“They make good buffer for plasma fire, I ought to have a cell through my helmet” said the sluggish soldier; Donas was his name.
The two made their way across soldiers, Irines and Enasos alike, towards the established outpost. Donas stripped his armor down while walking revealing a dark purple textured abdomen. Within the complexion were lightly colored markings that had no specific purpose that S’tiri could recall, but illuminated in darker environments. Most Irinans gained them at birth. Irinans were known for their unique purple shades of skin and bio-luminescent designs on their veiny bodies. Some teachings at younger ages professed the idea that the markings were a remanence of the elders.
Donas trailed behind S’tiri as if to emulate a sidekick. In the immediate distance, there was a tent-like hold out. Soldiers squatted near it and guards stood ready. S’tiri stepped inside to an array of terminals and a built-in console in the middle of the floor with a hologram of the outer areas.
Sogul Runen was standing by it analyzing intently with he
r eyes. Another field officer studying the image alongside her. Soguls run the ground troops essentially. The highest-ranking members of the Irinan Infantry next to those in the A’tai. One day on the moon and we’re already down to one-hundred and forty commanding officers, thought S’tiri. Three hundred Soguls for a half a million soldiers.
S’tiri wanted to hear the plans before they happened. Runen made a gesture to another soldier that brought him closer to the hologram. “I want a squad of Predators patrolling here and here,” She pointed to a slope of jungle and a small plateau with a radius of fifty kilometers from it. With the quick mobilization, there weren’t too many of the light aircraft fighters to patrol all of the nearby regions of the moon.
Predators were sensor drones fully equipped and armed with lasers that could pierce through any alloy. Requisition of such machines marked the evident siege that the republic desired. A byproduct of increased aggression from the Elassi.
“I want them on alert, I need infrared ground reports” she added. Soldiers left the outpost as if they were mobilizing once again. Only the studier stayed at the hologram unflinchingly preoccupied on devising a plan. In the same moment, Runen took a sly walk towards the two of them. S’tiri’s eyes widened as he stood at attention. S’tiri and Runen were moderately close, each of them knew enough about each other to have a basic trust.
Donas’ arms folded in a stiff manner. He wasn’t so well known as a soldier in the U’naan.
“There is an Elassi base underground here. We have the blood of fifty thousand troops to account for that” said Runen candidly. She referenced the death of so many people as drop ships descended into the moon atmosphere.
“Any idea what shot so many out of the sky?” Donas uttered from behind them.
Runen picked up a datapad that showed long range sensor readings from when the drop happened; she moved in between so that both of them could be acknowledged. “Long range scan picked up scattered Poloron Missiles sites across the moon. They are hard to pinpoint to say the least”
