Standish

by Donald B McFarlane

  “Twenty-six are in the escape pod. One out.”

  Marvex raced to the rear stairwell and took the steps in two great bounds. Hitting the mid-deck, he rolled forward before springing to his feet and running towards the engineering bay hatch.

  “Any instructor on this channel?” He barked into his comm unit.

  “Go SI.” It was Vexer. “I’m in the escape pod.”

  “What is your status?”

  “Twenty-six personnel inside the pod. One recruit.” There was a pause on the line. “Containment on the reactor is failing and structural integrity down to fifteen percent.” Vexer replied.

  Marvex put his face up to the glass of the hatch but couldn’t see anything inside. “Give me real-time imagery inside the compartment.” Marvex instructed his suits AI. He opened the datapad on his uniforms forearm, and within seconds a top-down image of the compartment appeared. From his view, it seemed that the recruit inside engineering was either trying to eject the escape pod or get into it.

  Looking up, Marvex tried to get a glimpse of the escape pod, a giant box in the middle of the room, which was supposed to be ejected downwards through the bottom level of the ship in an emergency.

  Looking at the wall panel by the hatch to engineering, Marvex patched himself into the compartments communications system.

  Marvex wasted no time. “Recruit! Move to the mid-deck hatch at once!”

  A figure emerged from behind the escape pod and ran towards the hatch, stumbling along the way as the ship continued to heave in its death-throws.

  “Status!” He shouted.

  “Escape pod is jammed. I can’t eject it!” Standish shouted back.

  Marvex nodded. “This hatch?”

  “Jammed.”

  “Wait one.” Marvex had read everything about the old war-bucket they were on every year since he had been assigned as Senior Instructor. He knew every safety and escape option there was. He just needed a solution that saved the twenty-six personnel in the escape pod and didn’t kill his recruit at the same time.

  Got it!

  “Listen very carefully.” Marvex looked past Standish at the ball of fire that was floating around the top level of the compartment. “The ship is lost. You need to fire the emergency bolt release charges on the escape pod and the emergency charges on this hatch at nearly the exact same time.” He paused for a second. “If you don’t, everyone in that escape pod is going to die.”

  Standish looked at the door, then back towards the pod with a confused look on her face. “If I fire the emergency bolt releases, the compartment will depressurise, and I’ll be pulled out into space.” There was fear in her voice. Panic even.

  “If you haven’t been able to get that pod out yet, then it’s the only way. This hatch should have a variable emergency explosive charge built-in, set it to detonate a second after the escape pod.”

  Standish moved to the control panel on the inside of the compartment. “What will happen to me?”

  The SI didn’t answer. “Closest vessel.” Marvax yelled into his communicator.

  “Ship Master Vo.” Came a quick reply.

  “Ship Master, got an emergency. About to jettison the rear escape pod from the Bailcox. One of my recruits will be spaced in the process. I will follow them out, but they don’t have a suit. I need you to line up underneath the Bailcox ready for me with a rescue and med party.”

  He cut the channel. “Standish.”

  Her distinctive white and blue face came back into view. “Go prep the charges on the pod.” He ordered and watched her dash off.

  Marvex knew that it was just a matter of time until the reactor containment failed, and the vessel was opened up like a cheap can. They were operating on borrowed time.

  “Ship Master Vo.”

  “Here, Senior. We are in position with rescue teams standing by.” Vo said.

  “Excellent, Sir. Just be ready for that escape pod. It’ll be coming at you right quick.”

  “Noted.” Vo replied.

  Standish’s face reappeared in the window. “Armed.”

  “How long?”

  “40.”

  “Arm this door for 40 now.”

  She did so quickly. “Armed.”

  “Here is what’s going to happen recruit. Position yourself off-set from this door. Find somewhere to anchor yourself down. Everything not strapped down will be sucked out into space quickly once the pod goes. You’re going to need to hold on with every ounce of strength you’ve got. When the pod goes, blow out all the air in your lungs. Give yourself a five-count then release your grip. Keep your eyes closed, and let the vacuum take you out of the ship.”

  A klaxon went off, signalling the charges impending detonation.

  “I will find you!” Marvex shouted as Standish dashed out of view.

  Rolling his shoulders, Marvex took a few steps to the rear and knelt down. Bringing his hand up to the side of his helmet, he quickly toggled through optical modes before stopping on thermal. He knew that the blast, plus the fire inside the compartment would cloud his vision, but the moment he exited the ship, it might be the only way to detect the heat signature given off by Standish.

  Marvex had served as a Rescue Technician in the Fleet for almost thirty years. He knew exactly how many he had lost during that time. He wasn’t about to lose another.

  The explosives detonated with a roar.

  As the hatch to his front disappeared, Marvex was instantly sucked into the engineering compartment at five-hundred metres per second, and before he could focus on anything, he was ejected into space, hot on the heels of a massive debris field.

  It took him time to locate Standish, drifting away from the ship and down towards the other dreadnaught that had taken up position below the Bailcox.

  Bringing his arms down to his waist, Marvex gently applied pressure to the sides of his uniform and released the slightest spray of oxygen, sending him towards his recruit. Even at his distance from Standish, he could tell that she was losing body temperature quickly.

  Releasing another spray of air, the SI increased his speed.

  “Rescue, this is Marvax, do you have my transponder?”

  “Affirmative. We have you.” Came a reply.

  “Need immediate collection and transport to medical facilities for one pax that has been spaced.”

  The distance to Standish was dropping with every second that passed. Just a little bit further until he could get his hands on her. Reaching his long arms out, Marvex grabbed the closest thing to him, which was Standish’s ponytail, and tugged it gently to bring her into his arms. As soon as he had a firm grip, he spun her body around until it was facing him, and he could tell already that she was experiencing symptoms of exposure.

  “Where is my medical?” Marvax demanded.

  “30 out.”

  “I don’t have 30!” Marvex barked back.

  He could see little bubbles on her tongue. The water vapour on her skin was already starting to boil. Snapping his head to the right, Marvax could see a shuttle racing towards him, its side hatch already open and a pair of white medical droids standing ready.

  Standish was drowsy. Her vision was blurry, and her head was killing her. She felt weak and could only open her eyes halfway. The lights in the room she was in were too bright for her in her current state. Rolling her neck, she looked to her left, then her right and saw nothing but a blur. Closing her eyes, she moved them around behind her eye-lids before reopening them and catching sight of the Senior Instructor sat asleep on a nearby chair.

  10

  The Present

  Mechcharga

  The droid had selected a modern, high-speed pleasure ship, which would do nicely for her mission. It was small and manoeuvrable, allowing her to get into tight spaces, and run if needed. All the additional systems she required were being installed and would be ready on time.

  The armour looked fifty years old and was heavily scarred, which would help create the illusion that Standish wasn’t
wearing military-grade armour. The weapons and other accessories were also suitable for her needs. They were mostly non-issue items, just as deadly, but not pointing to her association with any governmental organisation.

  Looking up at the droid, Standish smiled. “I’m leaving in six hours.”

  11

  The Past

  Bern 36

  Standish hadn’t been to the Senior Instructors office before, but it was like she expected, barren, except a few photographs and decorations on one of the walls.

  Graduation was in just 90 minutes, and Standish hadn’t been told why her presence was required, but when Instructor Vexer told her to report to the office, she stopped packing her belongings and made her way as ordered.

  It had been three weeks since the incident aboard the Bailcox, and after spending one of those in medical on Bern 36, she was slightly concerned that she might be held back to repeat the training she had missed, which, while minimal, was still part of the mandatory syllabus.

  After waiting for a few minutes in her dress uniform, Marvax finally walked and moved over to his desk without saying a word. Standish came to attention and watched as he put a small box down in the middle of the desk.

  “You will graduate with the rest of your class this afternoon.” His voice was low and hushed. His eyes stayed focused on his desk. “Training command has reviewed your file and has waived the training you missed.” He looked up. “They have decided to award you with a commendation.” A broad smile appeared on his face. He made eye-contact with Standish. “You deserve it.” He picked the box up. “You are graduating first in class. I have sent a communique to the head of the Rescue Tech school, a personal friend, giving you my endorsement.” The Senior Instructor moved from behind his desk and walked towards Standish.

  “Being decorated before graduation is a very rare honour.” Marvax said, before opening the box, and turning it so that Standish could see the pin that was inside the case. “An award for heroism that any veteran would be proud to wear.” He pulled the pin from the box and placed it carefully on Standish’s chest. “And you shall wear it with honour at the graduation ceremony.” Marvax took a few steps back at looked at the decoration, then at Standish. “I guess you’ve got it.”

  12

  The Past

  Tekori

  It took several jumps on different transports for Standish to journey from Bern 36 to Tekori, located in the Core at the heart of the Empire. When she arrived, she couldn’t help but marvel at the scale of the activity that suddenly appeared out of the transports small window. Ships of all shapes and sizes were moving in and out of the jump boxes around the planet which was covered in lush greens and blues around the equator while looking more rugged and desolate around the poles.

  She was the first person she knew to visit the Core, location of the oldest and greatest civilisations in the Empire, and it already felt just as grand as she expected. Everything in the Core was rumoured to be better than that found in the Borders or near the Reach.

  “What is that?” She asked the Sanduran that had been sat next to her since the last jump from Darjk.

  The male leaned towards the window and peered out to the planet that was growing larger every second. “KatlaStor.” He responded before sitting back in his seat. “Largest volcano on any inhabited planet, over ten thousand metres.” He let his eyes rest on Standish, then looked over her uniform. “Just graduate from training?” He asked.

  Standish nodded.

  “I do business here all the time.” He looked back to his front. “Tekori is a lovely planet.”

  Standish looked back out the window, then back into the cabin and the mix of characters that were on the flight. They came from all corners of the Empire and were all wealthy enough to travel on a star-liner, which is something that Standish had never done before joining the fleet.

  “This is your Ship Master. We are about to dock at Tekori station L5, where you can catch connecting flights or transportation to the surface. Thank you for using Imperial Standard Transportation and enjoy your day.”

  Standish shook her head and closed her eyes. A journey of almost three-thousand light-years was finally over.

  When Standish arrived in the waiting lounge, she spotted several other fresh graduates waiting in a large group by one of the massive viewing points overlooking Tekori. Even though Rescue Technician was one of the most arduous jobs in the fleet, there wasn’t a shortage of volunteers, and while Standish might have been the only RT candidate at her basic class on Bern 36, there were dozens of other primary training institutions around the Empire. There were almost 400,000 Rescue Technicians on active service on the fifteen to seventeen thousand ships in the Imperial Fleet and on the hundreds of starbases scattered throughout the thousands of systems under Imperial control. New Rescue Techs were needed all the time.

  After a wait, a single individual in a suit of armour walked into the lounge, and silence swept over the group of one hundred forty trainees as they stood to attention and focused on the orange armour with light blue piping that the figure was wearing. The operational kit of a Rescue Technician.

  “Welcome to Tekori.” The individual said. He was from a species that Standish had never seen before and had four eyes across his brow and a long, pink ponytail coming out the back of his head. “As you can see, I am wearing the newest Rescue Tech armour, the U7. The orange represents the danger that we confront as rescue operators, and the light blue represents the Empire. We are some of the only personnel in the fleet assigned to Imperial, Pohjois, Etelainen, Core and civilian ships and stations.” He paused and walked towards the trainees. “Now, in the adjacent room,” he pointed to his right. “There are 250 older U5 and U6 sets of armour. All still in excellent condition, and available in a variety of sizes.” He looked over the trainees. “You should have all been assigned a standard service helmet at your basic, which will serve as your head-gear for the first phase of your training.” He put the data-pad away and crossed his arms over his chest. “We are now going to move to our dropship, which will take us to the training installation, which is in orbit on the far side of the planet. We will get to the dropship by space-tow, which you should have all been taught at basic.”

  “Now, take your helmets out of your baggage, then neatly line up your bags against the wall by the entrance to the lounge, then proceed to the next room and find a suit that fits you. There is no time limit for this phase. There are several armourer droids to assist you with finding a suit. Once you’ve found a suitable set of armour, a micro hover droid will lead you to the airlock, then over to the dropship.” The instructor paused and looked over the fresh arrivals. “Off you go.”

  Standish had her bag with her, and quickly walked over to the assigned wall, and dumped it onto the ground. Kneeling down, she opened it up and pulled out her helmet, then sprung back to her feet and started walking towards the designated door.

  When Standish entered the next room, she found it an awe-inspiring sight. Standish had never worn armour before, just light-weight vac-suits during training.

  “Val Standish. Nadolan. 180 centimetres tall. 76 Kilograms. Follow me.” A droid said as it approached her before quickly before spinning around and moving down the second aisle of armour.

  Standish didn’t hesitate and followed the droid, helmet in hand.

  The droid stopped halfway down the rack and looked up at the suits of armour that were suspended above the ground. Looking up, Standish couldn’t help but notice that several of the suits looked like they had extensive wear and tear on them, with paint scuffed and dents and nicks covering in the armour. That disappointed her. She was in the Core, and in her naivety, she expected everything to be brand new.

  “This set will fit.” The droid said.

  Standish watched the suit lower until the top of the unit’s shoulders were level with hers. “What about what I’m wearing?” She asked, looking down at her travel uniform.

  “It will wrinkle, but fit under the
armour, you must remove your footwear. It will be returned to you.”

  Standish nodded, kicking off her shoes and setting her helmet down on the floor.

  “This unit is just over four years old.” The droid said as he unhooked the leggings from the hanger. “The U6 suit was specifically built for the Rescue Tech’s and has a soft, pliable outer layer over a layer of reinforced hardened armour. The suit is very lightweight and has built-in micro thrusters for superior off-ship handling.”

  The droid reminded Standish of a salesman back home.

  Standish took the lower section from the droid and sat down onto the ground, and slipped her legs into the armour, and pushed her hips up from the deck so she was able to pull them all the way up. Standing up, she looked at the droid.

  “They seem awfully loose.” She looked down and could see that her legs were swimming in the suit.

  “Button, right hip.” The droid said.

  Standish quickly glanced at her hip and saw a small grey button and pushed it. Within seconds the bottom half of the suit compressed until it fit like a glove around her legs.

  “Try the boots.” The droid said, handing her a light-weight pair of combat boots which immediately tightened around her foot once she had slipped them on.

  After rotating her waist a few times, and bending her legs, Standish smiled. The armour was almost like a second skin, and very comfortable. Looking at the body of the armour, Standish watched as the droid opened the suit from the right side, swinging the front out of the way.

  “Back into the suit, left arm in.”

  Standish followed the instructions.

  “Right arm in.”

  Standish slipped her right arm into the armour.

  “Button under the right cuff. Tap once.”

  Standish felt for the button with her middle finger of her right hand and touched it, and heard a slight whirl of activity, and watched as the front of the suit started to close on her torso.