by J. N. Chaney
“What’s the total on all this?”
“Thirty thousand creds, plus some change,” he said.
I whistled at the sound of that much money. “That’s a lot of cash.”
He gave me an expression that suggested it wasn’t. “You should see the price we quote to folks who aren’t friends with the big man.”
I nodded. “Fair point.”
“Right, well, let’s show you the rest of this ship. I’ve got other shit to do besides talking to you,” said Jimmy, chuckling. “Let’s start with the cargo bay. There’s a nice little wall in the back where you can hide your weight in contraband.”
I began following him down the corridor. “Sounds like we’re off to a good start.”
* * *
I sat in the cockpit, ready to perform my very first slip. From the holo, I could see a close-up view of Falcona. I owed “Thirsty Jimmy” a small fortune in galactic credits, which meant I’d probably be seeing this place a few more times before I could put it behind me.
Still, I finally had a ship to call my own. Between this and the access ID Fratley had given me to the Renegade database, I was ready to start receiving jobs. It would take time to establish myself, but so long as I delivered on the jobs I took, people would eventually go out of their way to hire me. That was the beauty of getting yourself a good reputation, no matter what business you were in.
“Sir,” said X1-12C, my new A.I. “You are receiving a transmission from Mr. Fratley Oxanos.”
“Put him through.”
Fratley’s face appeared in my holo, grinning cheek-to-cheek. “How’s that ride treating you, Jacey?”
“Good,” I told him. “Thanks for getting me set up.”
He fanned his cane at me. “Don’t mention it. Now, that you’ve finally got a rig to call your own, you can start making yourself some money.” He chuckled. “Speaking of which, I’m sending you a few to get you started. Nothing too bad. Just something to set your ass in gear.”
A light flashed on the holo, indicating that I’d just received a secondary data stream. “Thanks,” I said, a little hesitantly. I didn’t like the idea of working for someone else, which is what this relationship might turn into if I wasn’t careful. It might start with a few jobs and, before I knew it, I’d be a full-time employee, begging him for scraps.
“You get this done and you can keep 90% of whatever they pay,” he said.
I had to say, that was surprising to hear. “Thanks for the generous cut.”
“Eh, I’m letting most of my finder’s fee go. These folks asked for a discount, so that’s what they get, but it also means they’ll owe me favors. You get what I’m saying?”
I didn’t, but I nodded, anyway. “Sure.”
“When you get to where I’m at, you can afford to give a hand out every once in a while, Jacey. That’s the trick to winning people over. I’m not just some crook out for a quick cred. I’m trying to build something here. That’s why I need guys like you, and I got a good feeling about you, Jacey. We’re gonna make a lot of money together.”
I nodded. “You got it, Fratley.”
“By the way,” he continued. “I might be able to hook you up with some extra gear for that ship of yours, once you pay off Jimmy. Shouldn’t take you too long if you keep doing these jobs.”
“What kind of gear?” I asked.
He grinned, leaning closer to the display. “You ever heard of a cloak?”
“Sure, but aren’t those pretty rare and expensive?” I asked.
“All of the above, but you ain’t seen the benefits. A man who’s got himself a cloak can move about as he sees fit. The higher paid jobs will have you traveling through Union space, and those boys don’t play nice with folks like us, Jacey.” He flicked his hand at me. “Don’t matter much, I guess. You still got your own debt to square. Keep doing these jobs for me and you’ll have that money paid off before you know it.”
“I’ll take your word on that,” I said.
“See that you do,” he responded, then looked away at someone else. “Hey! Settle down, you little twits! I’m on the godsdamn holo!” He looked back at me, shaking his head. “I gotta go, but you mind yourself and make me some credits, kid. We’ll talk about that cloak again once you’ve done your share of work.”
The holo flickered off, leaving me alone. I leaned back and sighed, not certain what to make of what I’d heard. Fratley had a point about getting myself a cloak, but I’d just gone into debt to get this ship. I couldn’t take out another loan yet. Maybe after I paid Jimmy off, which could take up to a year or more.
Oh well. I had time to figure all of this out. I’d start with these little jobs and work my way up. If I kept a good place, who knew where I’d be in a year or two? Maybe I could afford to buy that cloak outright.
“Sir, shall I open a slip tunnel?” asked X1-12C.
“Not yet,” I told the A.I. “There’s still one more thing to do before we take off.”
I reached beneath my dash and retrieved a small box. I opened it, taking a small thumb drive in my hand and twirling it between my fingers. It was the personality matrix I’d requested from Jimmy.
I popped the drive into the dash and loaded the files. “Go ahead and install this, X1,” I said. “Come to think of it, I should probably give you a name.”
“Uploading files,” said the A.I. “Installing.”
The process took a few minutes, requiring X1-12C to fully restart. When he finally came back online, I received one final prompt, this time on the holo.
Initiate new personality program 208-19 for artificial intelligence X1-12?
YES
NO
I selected YES and watched the completion percentage begin to rise. When it was done, I popped the thumb drive back out and tossed it in the bin beside me.
“Upload complete,” said X1-12C, this time with a new voice. It was softer and more approachable, meant to keep you relaxed, which seemed like a good investment in a job like this.
“How do you feel, X1?” I asked.
“Cautiously pleasant, sir,” said the A.I. “Thank you for asking.”
“Can’t say I’ve ever heard anyone say they felt cautiously pleasant before, but okay. That’s probably fine.”
“Very fine, indeed, sir,” said X1-12C.
“X1,” I said, but stopped myself. The default name sounded so mechanical and ridiculous, like something you’d call an unused engine piece. If I was going to spend most of my new life talking to something with a voice, I might as well give it a proper name. “Say, what should I start calling you? What sort of name do you want?”
“I’m not certain, sir. Did you have anything in mind?” he asked.
“Let’s see,” I said, mostly to myself. “There’s Marco, but that doesn’t really match the voice. Maybe Arthur? But that might be too regal. Brisby, Colby, Tresdin, Malcom, Popo.”
“All fine names, sir.”
“Yeah, but none of them are right, are they?” I asked, and began to thumb the side of my seat. I sat there for nearly a full two minutes, staring at the dash as a wide list of names ran through my head. Maybe it was a waste of time, but for whatever reason, I felt compelled to find the right one. Before long, I’d finally reduced the options down to two. “Alright, X1, you decide. Alfred or Sigmond?”
“Sir, you flatter me, but I could never decide something so important.”
“It’s your name, idiot. You should be the one who picks,” I said.
“Are you certain, sir? All I can do is assess the value of each and provide—”
“Just pick,” I blurted out.
“Very well, sir. If you insist,” said X1-12C. “Based on the historical significance of each name, I believe Sigmond would be the most appropriate.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Nearly a century ago, there was a famed serial murderer by the name of Alfred Penelope. He slaughtered nearly thirty individuals of varying ages, consuming their flesh in a manner that
experts later described as ritualistic,” explained the A.I. “The name Sigmond, however, has been used by several important scientific figures throughout the last six centuries. Of the two options presented, I believe this one to be the best.”
“So, you like that one the most, huh?”
“In a manner of speaking,” he went on. “Yes, sir.”
“Sigmond, it is,” I said, smiling at the sound of the name. “Yeah, I like that one. Good choice.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Sigmond, a slight shift in his tone.
I nodded. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s see about that slip tunnel. What do you say, Sigmond?”
“At once, sir,” said the A.I.
A beam shot out from the ship, splitting the space before us in two. I smiled as the green electricity inside the tunnel came into view on the holo.
It was finally happening—my first mission as a Renegade. “Take us in, Sigmond,” I said, once the tunnel was fully formed. “We’ve got work to do.”
Twenty-Five
I opened my eyes to a bright light and a familiar voice.
“Welcome back,” said Abigail. She was sitting next to me, a smile on her otherwise tired face.
I let out a groan. “What the hell happened? Are we back on Titan?”
“Your injuries were quite severe, Captain,” said another voice. I looked up to see Athena materialize in front of me. “It is good to have you back.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Abigail leaned closer to the edge of my pod. “You took a pretty bad blow while we were down there. We carried you to the lounge. I did what I could for you while Frederick piloted the ship back.”
I licked my lips, taking a long breath. “You let Freddie fly my ship?”
She laughed. “You trained him well. He knows his way around those controls.”
I sat up in the pod, although my side instantly hurt. The pain was sharp, but not too hindering. “Gods, I feel like shit. I need to get up and—” I stopped, suddenly remembering the moment before I passed out. I tried put the pieces of it together. “Siggy,” I said, looking at Abigail. “What happened?”
Her smiled turned into a frown, confirming my fears. “It went like he told us it would. An explosion went off, bringing the whole facility down.”
“But he told us he’d be able to come back,” I said.
“I’m sorry, Jace,” said Abigail. “We had Athena remain in orbit for nearly six hours.”
“He didn’t transmit?” I asked.
Athena answered this time. “Once Titan recovered enough power, I attempted to retrieve his program remotely, but it seems the capsule has gone completely offline.”
My eyes drifted away from both of them, and I felt my chest tighten. I swallowed and cleared my throat. “What’s the status of the fleet?”
“Operational. We suffered nine casualties and twenty-six injuries. Titan is in need of repair, along with multiple strike ships,” said Athena.
I looked around the room, but there was no one else. “Why aren’t the injured pilots here?”
“They recovered in only a few hours. You are the last remaining patient,” said the Cognitive.
“Then I should get going, too,” I said, trying to stand.
Abigail placed a hand on my chest. “You’re not going anywhere, Jace. Do you know how severe those injuries were?” She paused, shaking her head. “You’re staying here overnight and letting Athena monitor you. Besides, we’re already back inside another slip tunnel. There’s no reason for you to do anything right now. Everyone has it covered.”
I twisted my lips, debating an argument. I hated staying put, especially in a medical bay. “How long is this going to take?”
“Only tonight,” said Athena.
“The entire night?” I asked.
Athena smiled. “As Ms. Pryar has told you, your wounds are quite severe. Please, be patient, as Titan’s medical equipment is only so efficient.”
I slid down in the pod. “I’ll stay the night, but that’s it. Tomorrow, I’m going back to work.”
“Suit yourself,” said Abby. She leaned in and kissed my cheek, rubbing against my scruff. “I need to go put Lex to bed. I’ll bring her by to see you in the morning.”
I watched Abigail leave, a little annoyed that I couldn’t go with her. Once she had disappeared around the corner, I turned to Athena, surprised the Cognitive was still here. “You need something?” I asked. “Or were you just waiting to tell me goodnight.”
“Indeed, Captain. There was something I wanted you to see.”
“What is it?”
She turned to the wall, flicking her wrist. A star chart appeared, zooming in to show the planet we’d recently escaped from, along with our current position inside the slip tunnel. “While you were on the surface of Aetna, I was unable to use any of Titan’s defensive or offensive systems. However, scans remained fully operational. Such scans are set to run sequentially, every ninety-six seconds.”
I gave a slight nod.
She looked at the display, causing it to zoom in closer to the edge of the system we’d been in, near the previous slip tunnel. A red light appeared, indicating an object. “My scans detected an unknown entity shortly after your departure. It remained there for a short time before disappearing.”
The icon faded. “What was it?” I asked.
“Upon our departure, I examined the object closer. Its signature matched that of a Union vessel. I believe this to be a long-range scout ship, based on what I acquired from your ship’s database.”
“A scout ship?” I asked. “Has that thing been following us?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know,” she admitted. “It is possible that the ship has remained too far behind us for my sensors to detect it.”
“If it stayed a tunnel behind us, that would make sense. It probably caught up because we stayed too long on Aetna, dealing with that other fleet,” I said.
“That is a possibility,” admitted Athena.
Whatever the case, I knew the implications. If we were seeing Union ships, it mean two things. One, that they were still following us, and two, that they weren’t that far behind. If we stopped running for even a few days, there was a good chance we’d be overtaken by their entire fleet. “How long before we reach Earth?” I asked.
“Five days,” said Athena.
I sat up, feeling the ache in my neck. “Five days,” I repeated. “I wonder if that’s enough time.”
“Enough time?” asked Athena. “For what, Captain?”
I looked back at her, narrowing my eyes. “To get ourselves ready, and to lay the biggest godsdamn trap the Union has ever seen.”
Epilogue
That night, I had a shapeless dream.
It was the kind you can’t put into words, the one where you only remember the feeling you had, the sense of dread or fear you felt. The one where you scream yourself awake.
And I did scream, too, only it was with a mouth I didn’t have…in a place I couldn’t see.
The world was gone and empty, and my body was someplace else.
I searched and floated, trying to find anything to grab onto.
I did that for what felt like a long time, until at last I heard a voice, calling my name. It was familiar, although I couldn’t place it, and I felt drawn to it.
Jace, the voice whispered. Jace, can you hear me?
I reached out for it, but I had no hands to use, so I swam through the void of myself, trying to grasp at the only other thing there was to find.
Jace Hughes from Epsy, the voice said, like it was reciting something. Born on the sixth of December.
Who are you? I asked.
Orphaned at the age of twelve. Both parents deceased. No living family.
What do you want? I asked.
Jace Hughes, a Renegade captain and fugitive of the law. It is time to open your eyes.
I felt panic, anxiety, fear. I wanted to leave this place. I wanted to know who this voice w
as inside my head. Why are you doing this? I tried to ask.
Open your eyes, Jace Hughes from Epsy, the voice said again. Open your eyes and see.
* * *
I felt a soft pain in my temple, a slight headache from the dream. The cushions beside my arms pressed against me as I lay inside the medical bay pod, and the dim lights made it difficult to see.
I must have fallen asleep, I thought.
I reached behind my neck, rubbing my scalp, and I was surprised to find my pain had finally left me. It seemed the pod had done its job, just as Abigail said it would.
I decided to get up. My legs felt stiff and tired after lying down for so long. It wasn’t in me to sleep for days at a time. I could barely stand to get a full night’s rest. Sitting in this pod had been torture.
On my feet, I cracked my back, twisting my spine. It felt good to stand again. Maybe I should tell Athena I’m ready to leave, I thought.
A flicker of light caught the corner of my eye, taking me by surprise. I looked to the corridor outside the medical bay, but saw nothing there. I was probably just tired, having slept for so long. Whatever. Maybe some coffee would do me right.
I grabbed my clothes from the nearby chair, removing my medical gown. I hated imagining Athena and Abigail dressing me in this ridiculous getup. I’d have to tell them to skip that part the next time I needed treatment. It made me look like a fool.
I slipped my pants and shirt on, stopping when I caught another glimpse of light. I shot my head up, expecting nothing.
But there was something there this time. A spark of light, floating in the darkness. It was in the middle of the room, not the outer corridor, clear as anything I’d ever seen.
“What the hell?” I whispered, leaning closer and blinking.
The light disappeared, almost fizzling, like a blown-out candle. Before I could put any of it together, the light reformed at the door.
I shuffled over to the doorway, trying to get closer. As I did, the spark drew further away, moving into the middle of the hall.
That was when I heard the voice again. The same voice from the dream. “Jace Hughes. Born on the sixth of December. Raised on the planet Epsy. Renegade starship captain.” it said to me. “Greetings.”
