by Jason Kent
...life, death, history, potential...possibilities...untold individual paths and the relentless march of civilizations...vibrant impressions from a thousand worlds and billions of sentient lives pressed involuntarily into Kate's mind...
...the young girl picked the last apple from her basket and handed it to Kate, a simple act of innocence...
Kate's head spun. She pressed a fist against her eyes.
Too much! Kate willed the torrent of experiences to stop. She swallowed hard and shook her head. It was more than Kate could process. Is this what Javin went through during each jump? Would she ever be able to handle this? God, she hoped not.
"What have you done to me, Javin?" Kate gasped.
With a snap, the visions which filled every fiber of Kate's being shut off. Kate bent over in her seat and threw up all over the shuttle bay. Merrick reached over and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Jump complete!" Garrett shouted. He quickly checked the manual controls. "Sensors are down! But I can see the station dead ahead!"
"Breathe," Merrick advised Kate and ignored the pilot's announcements.
Kate's stomach turned as the shuttle rolled and yawed.
"Right...nice...got the thread," Sparrow muttered, "Okay, I'm in..."
Kate looked back to find the link sprite's eyes go unfocused as her mind slid along the electromagnetic signals from Transom Station.
An alarm sounded from the back of the personnel bay and did not stop.
"Tral," Garrett cursed. He threw off his harness and pulled his tall lanky form past the passengers to the source of the alarm. The pilot jostled Kate along the way. "Sorry!"
Kate nearly threw up again but managed to swallow down the bile.
"Problem?" Georges asked.
"Ohnononononono..." Garrett exclaimed and ignored the Colonel. He frantically worked the mechanical controls and moved from dial to dial along the rear bulkhead. He finally banged his hand on a large gauge. The glass cover cracked.
"Pilot!" Georges shouted.
Garrett threw a massive electrical switch closed and turned to face his passengers.
Kate knew by the look in his eyes the news would be soul-crushingly bad.
"So, I explained about the drive right? One-time use, minimal shielding? All that?"
"Right," Ross responded, "only chance to live, yeah, we got it. We stuck?"
"You could say that," Garrett replied and pulled himself headlong back to the cockpit.
"Worse?" Ross asked.
Garrett turned and faced the survivors. He explained, "No one knows how the emergency drive behaves because no one uses it. The rumor in the pilot's ready room was it was there to make you feel a little better about going into battle in one of these things," the pilot thumped his hand on the hull, "but did not actually work. The other rumor was anyone desperate enough to use the emergency jump drive was probably about to be captured."
"So?" Ross asked.
"So," Garrett finished, "it would just blow the entire shuttle up anyway."
"Neither of those things happened," Georges stated. "What's the problem?"
"Apparently, the truth is somewhere in between," Garrett remarked.
"Spell it out, man!" Georges ordered.
"We have about five minutes to get off," Garrett explained, "or it won't matter whether we tried to jump or not."
"The shielding is failing," Sparrow stated, eyes still glazed over. "Our drive's throwing off all kinds of EM garbage. It's interfering with my link, but I've compensated and am still jacked."
"Keep us off the sensor net," Georges instructed.
"The jump drive was designed to self-destruct?" Merrick asked and turned the conversation back to the state of their shuttle.
"Probably not," Garrett shrugged. "But we did kind of push it past it's redline."
"Does it matter?" Ross interjected. "We need to abandon ship! Can we dock? Are we going to make it?"
"Depends on whether flyboy there can get us to the station in time," Sparrow commented. "I've got us a nice clear corridor lined up through the sensor nets."
"Do it," Georges told Garrett.
"Already there, sir," Garrett replied. He turned and banged his head on the cockpit door's frame. The pilot cursed and slid into his seat. He threw a lever and disengaged the jump system controls then grabbed the manual thruster controls. Garrett's hands twitched as he aligned the shuttle to match Transom Station's orientation.
Kate felt the nudge from the mechanically-actuated thrusters.
"I can see the docking bays," Garrett announced. He tweaked his joystick controller and sent the shuttle into a roll.
Kate's stomach spun. The pilot realized he overshot his roll rate and tapped the stick back three times, finally putting the shuttle in proper orientation with relation to the station.
"My bad," Garrett apologized. "Just a little...rusty with the manuals." He nudge the shuttle's nose down ten degrees then brought it back up a few degrees.
Kate leaned forward so she could see out the cockpit windows. She figured if she could watch something outside, Garrett's violent maneuvers might not make her sick again. Ahead of them, the massive structure of Transom Station hung above the dusty world. The station was a collection of massive interconnected modules, support equipment, yawning receiving ports for the ore the station processed, docking bays for smaller starships, and spindly support struts. The Tallinn additions since the station fell to them were obvious; unpainted pressure vessels clung to the underside of the station and heavy piping traced irregular patterns over the outer hull with a web of hydro-mechanical high-pressure lines. The blocky industrial section with its glowing furnaces and ore handling facilities hung down on the planet-side of the station. Above the refinery, a huge circular habitat nearly two kilometers across spun. Six spokes connected the outer ring to the center spine of the station like a wagon wheel.
"The living quarters must have a decent percent of normal gravity," Kate noted as she watched the habitat module turn in a rapid revolution. She looked at Merrick and added, "Just like New Seattle back home. But, we thought we were living large because our station came with three hab wheels."
"Care to tell me where I'm aiming?" Garrett asked Sparrow. The link sprite pulled herself forward and dropped into the co-pilot seat next to him.
"One sec..." Sparrow's head tilted. The embedded circuits glinted in the light from the local sun. The metal pulsed with a golden light under the woman's pale skin. Off to the port side of the shuttle, Kate's eye caught the sudden appearance of a vapor cloud as one of the Tallinn high pressure lines began venting steam into space. The water rapidly crystalized and formed an expanding ice cloud. "Sorry. The targeting system was beginning to get interested in our corner of space. I needed to give it something else to worry about."
"What am I looking for?" Garrett asked.
"You should be seeing it..." Sparrow declared, "Now."
"Okay," Garrett breathed, "got it." He pitched the shuttle's nose up a bit then settled it back a touch so they were headed directly for a docking bay whose guide lights popped to life. Garrett rolled the shuttle over on its back with a violent twist of the controls.
Kate choked back the remaining contents of her stomach while Ross asked the question she was thinking herself.
"Tral, sir!" Ross exclaimed. "How on Earth did you become a pilot?"
"Well," Garrett began and jerked his wrist to adjust their roll rate again, "turns out I can shoot an arrow into a dart board bull's eye while spinning in zero-gee. In case you haven't tried, it's really, really hard. Impressed the heck out of my instructors though. Shocked my parents, too."
"Arrow?" Kate wondered, trying to imagine who would be carrying a hunting weapon in space. She shook her head. "Why...never mind. Why were your parents surprised?"
Garrett gave a short laugh. "Let's just say we couldn't have nice things in my house."
"Let me guess, accident prone?" Ross asked.
Kate grabbed an over-head grip and steadi
ed herself as Garrett again adjusted course.
"Very," Garrett concluded. He turned his attention back to the docking bay they were rapidly approaching. To Sparrow, he asked, "Should I use the braking thrusters?"
"No," Sparrow responded, a strained expression crossed her face. "Just keep on this heading. I'm not sure how much longer I can spoof the sensor net. It's a little more advanced than I expected from a bunch of mech-heads."
"We really need to get inside a hanger then," Garrett noted dryly. "Any hanger."
"Calm your engines, Jack," Sparrow exclaimed through gritted teeth.
"I just mention it because the docking bay is still sealed," Garrett stated with a gesture at the blinking lights around the closed pressure hatch between them and the landing bay. "And it's Jon."
"Yeah, got it," Sparrow replied with a wave. The link sprite tilted her head and focused on the electronic world only she could see. She breathed, "And... there...you...are..."
A puff of vapor escaped as the docking hatch directly ahead started to open. The gears of the huge servo-actuators turned and a crack of light spilled from the center of the door.
The light was growing brighter as the docking bay opened to greet them, Kate noted. But, even with her lack of experience as a pilot, she knew something was wrong.
"Um," Kate remarked, "is there enough room?" She found herself tightening her grip on her armrests.
"Going to be close," Garrett grunted. "Grab your gear shafts!"
"Thought so!" Kate grunted and flung herself back against her seat. One of her buckles drifted up into her field of vision. Kate remembered too late she unbuckled them while bending over to throw up. There was not time to get the harness adjusted properly. She settled for looping her left arm through the web harness and prayed it would be enough. Kate glanced out the cockpit. She noted, "Alignment's off."
No one heard her.
Garrett jerked the control column to the left and shoved the nose down. The shuttle shuddered in response.
"You got it, Ace," Sparrow grunted. She grabbed hold of the arm-rests, her knuckles quickly turned white.
"Not wide enough!" Kate breathed.
"Tral," Ross cursed softly. He clutched his rifles to his chest and closed his eyes. He called out to no one in particular, "Let me know when I can look."
"Perhaps..." Georges began then stopped when he realized they were out of time.
Kate felt the end of the shuttle's starboard wing impact the reinforced steel of the docking bay doors. The shuttle slewed in the opposite direction, so it entered the landing bay at what was obviously the wrong angle. The nose-down command Garrett injected at the last moment kept the blunt bow near the floor despite the odd angle. The nose of the ship made contact with the scarred plates of the floor first. Kate felt like a ragdoll as she was bounced violently in her seat and gripped the shoulder straps with renewed vigor.
The shuttle's armor ground against the reinforced metal of the landing bay. Kate caught a glimpse out the pilot's window of the deck as it buckled under the impact from the shuttle's nose. The thick steel snapped like plywood and shot off in every direction. Each crumpled plate sent a violent jolt through the ship and Kate's skull. The shattered undercarriage of the shuttle caught on an exposed steel beam. The shuttle slewed sideways sickeningly until it was skidding across the landing bay sideways. Kate discovered the thick straps she clung to could indeed break as she was thrown toward the other side of the cabin.
"TRAL!" Kate shouted. Searing pain shot up from her hip as she impacted the weapons rack. Should have seen that coming, she thought wryly. Where was Javin now? Kate grasped a handhold and held on. Another shock from the shuttle threw her back into her seat. Kate looked up to find a stray assault rifle hurtling right toward her face. She threw up her left arm to ward off the inevitable blow then was flung sideways again as the shuttle dug into the mangled deck and finally came to a halt.
In the sudden stillness, Kate realized the rifle never hit her. She lowered her arm and found Merrick clinging to his seat harness with his left hand and the projectile rifle clutched in his outstretched right hand.
"Dang, Merrick," Ross noted in an unusual complimentary display, "good reflexes."
Merrick's eyes met Kate's. He tossed the rifle back at Ross without turning to look at him.
"Oof!" Ross grunted as the butt of the weapon caught him square in the stomach.
"Watch your gear, marine," Merrick said. He pushed off and righted Kate relative to the floor. The sniper held her at arms-length and looked her up and down with a trained eye.
"I'm okay," Kate stammered and avoided the sniper's piercing eyes. She rubbed her thigh and cringed. "Maybe not so okay. Looks like I used up another of my second skin's nine lives."
"Tends to come in handy," Merrick remarked as he prodded her bruised area with two fingers. He ignored Kate's hiss as she sucked in her breath. He nodded, satisfied with his examination and met Kate's gaze again.
Kate bit her lip to suppress a little laugh. Merrick's eyes went wide as he realized how close he held her.
Merrick gently pushed back and cleared his throat. He lectured, "Ice will help the swelling."
"Thanks, but I'm not sure if Tallinn's have—" Kate's conversation was interrupted as a rapid-fire string of impressions hit her with a force she swore was greater than her last collision with the bulkhead.
...the woman was tall, at least two meters, with short cropped red hair and an olive complexion, surely natural, no spacer who spends as much time in space as her could achieve the look unless they were born with it...pilot's leather jacket gave away her profession and something else...
...Blade Redeemed...
Kate's face twisted as she tried to figure out what the last statement meant. Her eyes flew open when she realized the gut-churning was due to being hauled through the personnel bay toward the rear hatch.
Merrick hooked an arm under Kate's shoulder. Besides Kate, the sniper managed to snag one of the emergency packs and slung it over his shoulder. In his free hand he tightly gripped his sniper rifle.
I really should help, Kate thought as she lost focus and faded back into another vision.
...man with shaved head with a pattern of interlocking rings tattooed across his scalp...dark skin in contrast to the light clothing he chose to wear...brown eyes which betrayed a shrewdness anyone doing business with him was best not to overlook...Georges' contact here on Transom Station...not to be trusted at all costs...
"Why..." Kate wondered aloud. Later, Kate told herself and managed to push the images away. She shook her head and mumbled, "Can't fade out like that, Thompson."
"She going to pass out every time something exciting happens?" Ross asked.
Kate pulled herself away from Merrick and did her best to look alert. Everyone was gathered at the shuttle's main hatch. She caught Merrick's eye and laid her hand on his arm.
"Thanks." Kate steadied herself using his arm. "I'm okay now."
Garrett was studying the airlock panel's busy array of gauges and valve handles.
"Need to move, Lieutenant," Georges urged. He craned his neck to look out the cockpit window and the landing bay beyond.
"No time," breathed Sparrow. She clutched the side of her head. "Drive's shielding is not going to last much longer."
"Can't tell if there's air out there!" Garrett exclaimed. He frantically twisted a valve and closed a large manual switch.
"The hatch closed behind us," Georges stated.
"NO TIME!" Sparrow screamed and clutched her head. "TRAL!"
Merrick looked from Sparrow to Kate. He grabbed hold of the hatch and braced his foot against the frame. The sniper nodded at Garrett. "Unlock it."
"We're dead if the air has not recharged out there!" Garrett argued. "There may be damage to...!"
"Dead if we stay," Merrick replied. He tilted his head back toward the engine compartment. "Unlock it. Now."
Garrett looked at Georges, hoping for an answer from the senior member
of the group. The Colonel shrugged and grabbed a nearby handhold.
The pilot took a deep breath, held it, and then pulled down on the hatch's manual release lever. A plume of moisture puffed away from the seal as the door cracked open.
Merrick strained against the armored hatch. He was able to move the door halfway along its rails before it jammed and stuck fast. Merrick heaved against the handle for a few seconds but any further attempt to widen the gap appeared fruitless.
"Warped," Merrick grunted.
"It'll have to do," Georges replied.
"Air's good," Garrett announced as he took a tentative breath.
"No tral," Ross replied and pointed his rifle out the door.
Merrick took the lead and squeezed out into the landing bay. Georges motioned for Sparrow to exit. The link sprite pushed off from the far wall but grabbed the door frame as she was about to exit. She looked around the bay. Her eyes quickly landed on something in the far corner.
"My bag," Sparrow hissed and pointed. "Can't leave home without it!"
Ross swore but dove for the pack. He tossed it to the link sprite. Sparrow clutched the bag to her chest and rolled out of the shuttle.
"Get out there, marine," Georges ordered Ross. "Secure the passageway."
Ross slung a gear bag jammed full of ammunition clips over his shoulder with his extra rifle and wiggled his shoulder into the gap of the open door. He just managed to squeeze through with the additional equipment. Kate followed Ross.
"Here!" Garrett called to Kate.
Kate grabbed a piece of wreckage and turned back to the doorway. Garrett handed her a large case then bent to fit his tall frame through the half-open hatch. As the pilot unfolded himself, Kate was reminded the man was more than two meters tall.
"Arrow skills overrode height limits then?" Kate asked as she handed the case back to Garrett.
"Yeah," Garrett grunted as he banged his head on the doorframe. He took Kate's arm and pushed off hard for the docking bay exit.
"That thing really going to blow?" Kate asked as she careened toward the hatch.
"Oh yeah," Garrett snorted and corrected their trajectory with a kick off a crumpled piece of decking.
