by Ryan Kirk
“The rabbit thought this might be another trap, but life is hard for a rabbit, and spending two days in comfort was too good to pass up. The rabbit agreed to the terms.
“On the third day it rained, a torrential downpour unlike any the rabbit had ever seen. The rabbit did not know that Lys understood the elements as well as she understood animals, and had known of the storm. Well-fed, the rabbit couldn’t run as fast as usual, and the nearby burrows were flooded and unusable. Lys was able to easily track the rabbit’s muddy prints, and when the perfectly-aimed spear pierced the rabbit, the rabbit finally understood that it had escaped one trap, only to fall into another.”
There was a cheer from the other side of the fire. The story was very popular, and Kindra had to admit, Tev’s storytelling skills were excellent. This was yet another side of him she had never seen before. But she didn’t understand the point of the story. Don’t use snares? Be smarter than your enemy? Rabbits are delicious? But she did enjoy listening, and a part of her wondered who among her group would share a story. Oral storytelling wasn’t exactly an in-demand occupation within Fleet, and she assumed Derreck would be the one to speak. Most unpleasant tasks ultimately fell to him.
So she fought her jaw from hitting the floor when Alston stood up. Their geologist was as quiet and introverted a man as she had ever met.
Tev switched sides of the fire, so that now he was translating the story into his native language. He waited for the geologist to begin.
“A long time ago, there was a planet. A beautiful planet, very much like this one. There were trees and mountains and water, more water than we can even imagine today. The moon shone brightly in the sky, reflecting the light of a distant sun.
“The people of this planet did not appreciate what they had been given. They ate more than they could grow or hunt, and there were too many people. One day, some very wise men said, ‘This planet is no longer enough for us. We must go up there, into the sky, and start again.’
“These wise men were not always popular. You see, these people hadn’t gone very far into the sky. They were afraid, and didn’t have the courage to begin.
“The first people who left died, making people even more afraid. Finally, there was one man who had the courage to try again, and he succeeded. He showed the people that they could live in the sky, around other stars, if they wanted. Because of one man, the whole planet saw a new way forward. That one man saved all the people from dying.”
Alston sat back down, and there was silence around the fire as Tev finished translating. Kindra saw many of the hunters were smiling. They liked the story. Kindra wasn’t sure what point Alston was trying to make to the hunters. The story of Captain Zhou was well-known, and taught to all children. But why Alston selected it was a mystery beyond her.
Regardless, the exchange of stories was complete, and as the meal finished, both hunters and crew did the best they could to mingle and learn from one another. Kindra kept herself largely separate, content to watch the scene. It had all the awkwardness of a teenage romance, but it was powerful to see two different cultures coming together and trying to learn each other’s ways.
The evening was already late when Tev took Kindra by the hand and led her away from the fire. Such a simple gesture, but one made in front of both Kindra’s people and his own. The Tev she had known the past few weeks never would have had such confidence, such a lack of concern for anyone else’s criticism.
Kindra had no hesitations, either, and she took Tev’s hand with pleasure and followed him out into the forest. What was happening was something she never could have predicted, but she didn’t mind. There were times in life where the decision was easy to make, and this, at least, was one of them.
Later that night, they laid together on the grass of a small clearing Tev had brought them to. Kindra’s head was on the hunter’s arm, and she watched Lys chase the deer through the night. Her breath was deep and slow, a deep relaxation that seemed to seep into every corner of her body, loosening up knots of tension she hadn’t been aware of.
She could stay here, if it came to that. She had been a part of Fleet long enough that she didn’t have many friends left on the outside. Those she was closest to were all here, on this planet.
Kindra turned over and snuggled in closer to Tev. The evening was warm enough, but Tev’s body radiated heat, making the evening even more comfortable. He was also watching the stars turn overhead, his face relaxed.
“What changed?” she asked.
He turned his head so he could look at her. “What do you mean?”
“Ever since you came back from Destiny, something has been different.”
He turned his face back up towards the stars. “It’s hard to explain. I worried so much about being torn between your people and my own clan. Up there, though, I realized it didn’t matter. The problem was one I made myself. I was a part of two worlds. There was no changing that fact, so why worry about it?”
The hunter glanced at Kindra and continued. “I also realized what was important to me. Between my new understanding and my realization, my decisions seemed much clearer. I almost feel foolish that I didn’t understand earlier.”
Kindra grinned at that. “You can’t hold yourself to too high of a standard, Tev. No one is perfect.”
Before they fell asleep, Kindra had another question. She almost hated to ask it, but she wasn’t some damsel who could just be led away from a campfire whenever Tev felt like it. “Tev, what are we?”
He stirred from his near-slumber, a confused frown on his lips. “Humans?”
She punched him lightly on the shoulder, not sure if he was joking or confused. “No, Tev. I mean, us. What are we?” She pointed to the two of them to make her point more clear.
Tev turned and looked her in the eyes. “I do not know the customs of your people, Kindra. Have I offended?”
She laughed and rubbed her eyes. The thought occurred to her that there had to be easier relationships out there. “No, Tev, you haven’t.” She tried to rephrase her question. “How serious is this for you?”
The intensity in his eyes almost made her laugh again. “I care for you, Kindra. Is there more that you need to know?”
Kindra shook her head. They could dance around such questions all night and never quite understand each other. She studied Tev, and knew that whatever may come, she didn’t need to worry about how he would treat her. That was enough for now. “No, Tev. I know all that I need.”
Kindra awoke to Derreck’s voice. She startled at first, but rapidly came to her senses.
“Sorry to disturb you, Kindra, but I need you and Tev to come to Vigilance right away.”
Kindra rubbed her eyes. The stars still spun overhead, but the sky was just beginning to turn colors. They couldn’t have been asleep for more than a few hours.
“What happened?”
“The Destiny was destroyed about a half-hour ago. We need to figure out our plan.”
Derreck’s simple statement shocked her into awareness. The Destiny destroyed? That changed everything about their situation. Her heart raced for a few moments before she got it under control. If Derreck could be calm, so could she. “Understood. We’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
She looked over at Tev, who was sitting up, disturbed by the tension in her voice. Derreck cut the line, and Kindra quickly explained to Tev what had happened. His reaction was muted, but she knew him well enough by now to see that he was upset by the news. He understood what it meant for Kindra to have lost her jumpship.
Together they raced towards the Vigilance, darting quietly through the sleeping camp they had left the night before. The peace of the village stood in stark contrast to the icy terror racing through Kindra’s thoughts.
They were the last to arrive, and while Kindra received a few knowing looks, nothing was said.
Derreck launched straight into his briefing.
“We have important decisions to make, and we have to make them fast. Our guess ab
out Captain Nicks picking up some new toys was accurate, and he’s just shown us part of his hand. Before the Destiny was destroyed, it managed to send one last transmission our way. Absalon had a fair amount of foresight, and he’s given us more information than we had before. But I’ll let you see what I mean.”
Derreck turned on the holotable, and a miniature display of Destiny’s bridge came into view. The lights in the room were flashing red, a color Kindra had only seen a few times before.
“Sir, confirmed targeting.”
The hesitation was visible on Absalon’s face. “Hold fire.”
Kindra brought her hand to her mouth to cover her surprise. What if Absalon’s decision had cost him the lives of everyone aboard the Destiny? Granted, there were only a few officers left on board, but all lives mattered, and the ship itself was a treasure.
When the first blast hit, Kindra couldn’t even tell. The ship didn’t shudder, and everyone acted with a calm Kindra couldn’t understand. She only knew the ship had been hit when Freya, Absalon’s first officer, reported, “Direct hit from laser, sir. It carved a nice gash through the front of the hull, but nothing vital was hit.”
Absalon’s response was quiet. “Launch everything. Full AI offensive, missiles, and laser. Don’t worry about draining the capacitors. We’re not jumping out of here. Fire as fast as you can cycle the laser.”
Kindra was reminded of her last experience of combat on the bridge of the Destiny. There was the same silence as the AI ran most of the battle programs. There was little for the crew on board to do. The bridge shook once, and Freya reported that one of their missile storage units had been hit by a laser.
Derreck let the whole holo play out, a sign of respect for those who had given their lives. There was little to note on the video. Combat between ships in space was a rather boring affair in many ways, and Kindra found herself focusing on the few crew that remained. They had to know they couldn’t beat the stronger jumper. They were doing everything they could, and there was always a chance for success, but Fleet didn’t promote gamblers, and those who remained in the fight knew they were facing their last moments.
Despite that knowledge, they went about their duties with the precision and attitude of a normal shift change. There were no tears, no crying. Every person had a job to do, and Kindra wondered if the routine and expectations provided them some sort of emotional shield against what was coming. She looked for signs of fear in their faces, and at times she thought she caught a hint of indecision and terror in their eyes, but it might as well have been her imagination.
Kindra had a hard time putting herself in their shoes. She didn’t consider herself brave, although she had experienced what it was like trying to simply get the job done. But she had never been in true danger. She had never known that her own death was inevitable. If she could face that moment with half the composure of the Destiny’s crew, she’d be pleased with herself.
Freya spoke from the holo again. “We’ve got nothing left, sir. Capacitors are empty and missiles are gone. Hellbringer has stopped its assault and is pulling away.”
“Did we hurt it?”
“Our laser was able to punch a hole through the armor, sir, but nothing vital.”
“Come on, Nicks. What game are you playing?” Absalon asked.
The captain of the doomed jumpship didn’t have too long to worry. It was another bridge officer who first noticed something unusual. “Sir, I’m reading one, no, two jump signatures in-system.”
Absalon’s face was the very picture of confusion. “Are you certain?”
“Yes, sir. One is very close to this system’s sun, and the other, sir, is directly in front of us.”
Kindra’s mind raced as she tried to figure out what was happening. She could see Absalon doing the same on the holo. He knew something was wrong, but couldn’t figure out what it portended. Hellbringer was the only combat jumper the rebellion had, so Nicks couldn’t be getting reinforcements. Absalon knew he also wasn’t getting any support, so who else could it be?
Absalon gave a command. “Get the ship out of here!”
It was too late. Everything happened in the space of a second or two. Freya’s mouth hung open as she saw some piece of information Kindra couldn’t make out. “Sir…”
“There’s no way—,” were the last words that Kindra heard before the holo cut out.
Derreck let a moment of silence pass to honor the fallen.
“That holo doesn’t show us what happened, but that wasn’t the only data that was transmitted. I’ll make the files freely available to anyone who wants to look at them in detail, but from what I can tell, Captain Nicks used new technology. The report Absalon heard was valid. Two jump points were opened, or more accurately, the two ends of a single jump opened. The dropship Nicks dropped on the other side of the sun either pushed or attached rockets to a small asteroid. The rock picked up quite a bit of speed, especially as it dropped towards the sun. The first jump point was incredibly close to the sun, and the second, as you heard, was right in front of Destiny. That asteroid came hurtling at them with incredible speed and power, and they never had a chance. The rock tore through Destiny from bow to stern and barely slowed down. It’s nothing but scrap metal now.”
Mala was shaking her head. “There’s no way that’s possible. Such an action violates almost everything we know about jump physics. Jumping a moving object, aiming it, jumping so close to a gravity source. Everything you’re saying is wrong, Derreck.”
Derreck shrugged. “I agree, and yet, the data doesn’t lie. You said yourself you had discovered hints of different jump equations on the other planet. It’s not inconceivable that Nicks and his team deciphered them and figured out how to weaponize them.”
Kindra was surprised by the look of fear in Mala’s eyes. “Such technology would change space combat as we know it. If the ability became common, enemies could hurl asteroids at planets, and there’d be little to no warning. Hellbringer needs to be destroyed.”
“Which brings me nicely to the question at hand. We can look over what has already happened all we want, but I want to focus on what we’re going to do next. The way I see it, we have two primary options. We can leave the dropships grounded and hope to hide them, or we can lift off and take our chances in space.”
Alston spoke up. “Either way you’ll run into problems. Even basic geologic scans of the surface will eventually pick up the dropships. We can take steps to hide them, but you’re still playing a game of hide-and-seek you’re eventually going to lose. Unfortunately, you don’t have any better hope in space. The dropships may have faster in-system speeds than the jumper, but don’t have the weapons to do any damage.”
Derreck studied Alston with an inscrutable look in his eye. “You’ve summarized the problem well.”
Mala voiced her opinion. “Let’s take the fight to them. I’d rather decide everything with a quick blow than hide for a time, not knowing when an orbital strike will take me out.”
Derreck didn’t agree. He laid out his idea, which was to wage guerrilla warfare against the occupying forces. They might be outnumbered, but on the ground, Tev and his hunters would have an advantage, and might be able to whittle the forces down enough to force a different outcome.
Tev also chipped in. “The hunters can warn the people. With the suits, we can cover the ground in little time. You all would be welcome among the clans.”
The debate was short-lived. Even Mala acknowledged any attack from space was unlikely to succeed. Without Destiny’s AI providing electronic cover for them, the dropships wouldn’t even be able to get close enough to drop the suits off.
The decision was made, and spacefarers and hunters alike bent to the task of defending the planet.
Seven
Tev fought against the decision, but he was not allowed to act as one of the messengers. He was told in no uncertain terms that his leg still needed another day before it was healed, and nothing he said or did would budge Kindra’s decision
. As a compromise, they agreed that Tev could be the hunter who delivered the news to his clan after his cast came off. Using a suit, he would be able to make it to his clan’s last known location in less than a day.
When the cast came off the next day, Tev almost raced to his exosuit. Kindra caught up to him just before he put on his helmet. “Tev, wait! Are you sure you want to do this?”
He was. The upcoming weeks and months were going to be difficult, and Tev needed to visit his clan one last time, if nothing else. He could use the guidance from Shet, his elder, as much as they needed the warning from him.
Tev leaped across the forest, his powered footsteps carrying him incredible distances. Without the suit, such a trip would have taken days, not hours. Finding the clan’s campsite was an easy matter, and although they had moved on since they had been seen last, a clan was easy to track. If Tev hadn’t been able to do so, there wasn’t any way he could have called himself a hunter. He found them about two hours later, as the sun was beginning to set.
As soon as Tev came to the first line of guards, he found a safe place and powered down the exosuit. His clan had a passing familiarity with the suits, but from the wary glances he received from the sentries, he knew he would have a better chance of acceptance if he approached without it.
Tev knew both guards, and although they took a few minutes to warm up, they eventually spoke about what had happened to the clan since his departure. Tev already knew most of the highlights, at least up until the point Neera had married Xan and gone off to live with his clan. Since then, it sounded as though little had changed. More hunters had started families, but such was the natural order, and the news didn’t surprise Tev. In his absence, other hunters had assumed more responsibility among the clan.
When they reached the campfire, the reaction of Tev’s clan was muted. Most hunters ignored him, and several children stared at him with undisguised interest. Tev imagined he was the source of many cautionary tales.
