Endless Sky (An Island in the Universe Trilogy Book 1)

by Greg Remy

  “I’m makin’ ya an opening. Power everythin’ ya got on my mark!”

  Kappa’s ship rocketed onward, black smoke shadowing it and sparks flashing along its engine lines. Kappa shot at every CF ship along his vector, exploding each with hellish bursts of fire. He then let loose every rocket the Drak-9 held under its wings, scattering ships along another course and creating a clear path for Zoe to escape.

  “Bend the throttle!” Kappa yelled.

  Zoe punched it. With feverous fierceness, her ship shot through the gap, just as Kappa’s ship collided headlong with the giant cannon of the dreadnought, igniting it in a brilliant flash of white light. His ship was instantly enveloped in the explosion and the front half of the giant CF craft exploded, sending a wave of slag outward and impacting the nearest unfortunate ships. Chaos erupted as CF ships reeled and tumbled away. Some were hit with metal chunks and peripheral explosions caused tremendous collateral damage. Zoe pushed her ship’s thrusters as high as they could go, hurriedly distancing herself from the giant fiery CF swarm. She pulled up long range scanners. No ships were following them. They had escaped, but at the cost of the greatest gunslinger the galaxy had every known.

  Chapter 44

  Divided

  “Are we still clear of the CF?” asked Darious, as the ship came upon the planetary system denoted by ‘12-12.2.’

  “I believe so,” said Zoe, rechecking over scanner readings. She then shot over her work from the last half hour to Darious. “Check it out, it’s an old trick I learned some time ago—with a couple tweaks.”

  Zoe had been busy masking their trail the best she could by having the ship suction expelled gases from the engine. She had accomplished this by ramping up one exhaust port while reversing another to create a vacuuming streamline across the engine and then directing the flow through internal filters. By doing so, she limited the radioactive particulates that sensitive equipment could potentially track them by. The work had been calming, helpful for both the ship and the mood within the craft.

  “Ingenious,” said Darious.

  “Why thank you sir.” Zoe diminished the screens and began scanning the solar system. “Man, look at this place. It’s as barren as they come.”

  Internal scans of the solar system showed a few planets completely desolate and an old expectorate star. Zoe slowed the ship as they passed through the system’s heliosphere and initiated in-depth scans of the planets; all were desert wastelands: a few shrubs, some caverns, null water, and zero humans.

  “I gotta remember this place for my next summer get-away,” she said. “Let’s pick the big one off our port bow—with the moon. Scans show it has the most metal and the most mountains. It’ll be a good cover spot for us.”

  “Aye captain,” replied Darious.

  Zoe’s ship sailed to the inhospitable world, its silvery and red rock surface expanding into view.

  “Zoe?” asked Darious from his seat. “Do you think Kappa survived the assault at Port Jidus?”

  “No,” Zoe said. She could sense he was waiting for something better than a one-word response. She turned and met his inquisitive eyes. “Kappa had reversed the polarity of his fuel cells, essentially turning himself into a flying bomb. The temperatures at the flash point were in excess of 500 billion degrees. He and his ship were completely vaporized. Kappa sacrificed himself to save us.”

  “I see,” said Darious somberly. “I will not forget him.”

  “In the end, he was a good man. I will miss him too.”

  Zoe remained pensive while her ship wound its way down to the planet. As they rounded an enormous mountain crest, Zoe plotted a course to the bottom of a low cliff with jutting, jagged edges.

  Just when they started this slow descent, the ship suddenly rang an alert that long-range scanners had spotted an inbound ship.

  “Damnit!” shouted Zoe.

  She abandoned the descent and quickly pulled the ship upward. They arced through the ionosphere and away from the planet. New alerts rang on Zoe’s console. Scanners had identified the inbound craft as a small, brigantine vessel. It was heading directly for them.

  “I’m heading for the moon,” she said. “We will lie low there for the moment.”

  Her quicksilver ship flew to the dark side of the moon and hovered about a quarter-kilometer from its surface. The craft then came into view. Zoe had her fingers ready on the thruster controls.

  “It is a CF vessel,” said Darious. “No perceivable weapons.”

  The ship stopped a few kilometers short of them, bearing down directly from above. Zoe opened a broad assortment of scanning utilities.

  “It’s a scout,” she said, elevating her ship to be at the same altitude as the craft. It was somewhat larger than her ship and had a much more linear profile—obviously meant for quick reconnaissance runs.

  “The vessel is scanning us,” said Darious.

  “Not on my watch.” Zoe quickly scrolled through a list of her programs and engaged a harmonic jamming wave pattern, forcibly denying the scout’s scan of her vessel. “Ha! No soup for you.”

  The CF vessel began lifting up and away from her ship. “Oh, no you don’t,” said Zoe, following the craft upwards.

  An alert appeared across the lower section of Zoe’s projection screen, but she was too focused on loading another computer routine.

  “Zoe!” called Darous.

  She engaged the protocol, building up a compressed field of ions at the bow of her craft and then shot them to the scout, like a bolt of lightning. The shocked craft tumbled for a couple of revolutions and then sped away to the horizon of the moon. Zoe suddenly noticed the boundary of the moon seemed unusually oblong, as if it were being stretched outwards.

  “What the...?” she began.

  “Zoe! There is another ship! It is massive!”

  A gigantic vessel rounded out from the far side of the moon, matching the satellite in size and shape. It split out from the moon as its equal. The ship was of epic proportions, certainly the largest Zoe had ever seen. The brigantine scout ran from Zoe’s ship toward its mother, bidding the latter for vengeance against its bully.

  “Zoe!”

  She stared at the giant vessel in awe. It was so massive and so state-of-the art. Her ship hadn’t even picked it up, even though it was right on the other side of the moon! Apparently, the CF was dead-set on having them dead. Well not today, thought Zoe. They had come too far.

  She snapped up the controls and veered away from the doppelganger moon. “Darious, prep for max thrust! We’re—”

  Without any warning, the colossal vessel fired a single shot. It struck Zoe’s ship, burrowing through the engine core, and threw Zoe and Darious to the floor. Zoe hit her head hard on the ground. She felt woozy as she staggered to her feet. Darious was quick to get up and was straightaway typing into his console.

  “We have lost thruster controls. Life systems are stable.” Red lights began flashing all around them. “Life systems are no longer stable!” he cried out.

  Zoe sat in the captain’s seat. “Reroute power to secondary life support. I’m getting us out of here, even if I have to get out and push myself!” She quickly worked to get as much of the thrusters back online as she could. Zoe could feel the air pressure pulsating around her. “Get it fixed Darious!” The damage to the engine lines was extensive. Auxiliary controls had also been burnt through. She hurriedly repaired segment after segment at a dizzying rate.

  Zoe’s ship suddenly jolted forward, nearly making her slam her head on the console and then everything became very rigid. It was as if the organic controls of her ship had turned into petrified rock. Crap, thought Zoe. She knew exactly what had just happened.

  “Captain!?” called Darious.

  “They have a tractor beam on us.” Zoe battled with the virtual keyboard. “Not enough power for the engines.” She looked out and saw they were being pulled toward the mighty craft. Soon they were within its shadow and being guided toward a large open bay. The aperture of
the bay had a semi-transparent blue hue to it. Damnit; a force field, thought Zoe. They were consumed by the vessel, brought into its bowels through the blue barrier and placed on the floor of the bay.

  Zoe was hurriedly typing into her console, locking down her ship’s controls and the entryway.

  Darious had leapt from his seat and was looking out of the cockpit window. Rows of troops were hustling toward them, rifles raised and poised toward the ship. There was a loud sound of latches clamping in the main chamber.

  “I’ve bolted down the door and fried the relays to it,” said Zoe.

  “What should I do Captain?” asked Darious.

  “Not sure yet; let me think.” She looked over the controls; the ship was completely immobilized. The infantry crew rounded underneath her craft and disappeared from view. Loud metallic bangs reverberated from behind Zoe. She ran to the main chamber. What to do?! What to do?! There has to be something!

  The door suddenly burst open with such force that it was nearly ripped from its tracks. A smoke grenade was tossed inward and went off at Zoe’s feet. She dove away and wrapped her arms around her face. In the abrupt chaos, troops boarded the ship. They grabbed Zoe and Darious and dragged them from the ship. Zoe struggled in vein against the arms wrapped around her. She saw Darious attempt to kick himself free but received the blunt end of a rifle in the stomach and was hurled back in the ship. Zoe turned with burning eyes and saw him rush toward her, but was blocked by the armed men. They brutally beat him on the gangway. Once he stopped moving, they again picked him up and threw him back into the ship. Zoe madly swung her torso side to side, attempting to throw her captor off balance, but his steps were too sturdy, and his strength was too overbearing.

  “Darious!” she called back, but he did not respond.

  The squad stopped in front of a CF commander adorned with many gold pins. He eyed Zoe with disdain.

  “Take her to the cell in G-4. Eject the craft with that worthless clone.”

  Zoe spit in his face and gnashed her teeth at him. The butt-end of a rifle swiftly struck her in the stomach, knocking the air from her and reducing her to a heaving mound.

  The commander wiped his face. “Get that scrap metal off my vessel!”

  He turned on his heel and left. The unit assigned to Zoe strong-armed her forward. Through gasping breaths and hazy vision, she looked back at her ship containing Darious within. It was lifted from the ground by tractor beams and pitched out from the bay like a piece of space trash. Zoe gasped as an explosion plumed from the side of her ship. Her captors forced her beyond the bay and deep into the moon-sized base. Zoe’s mind and heart were in utter disarray.

  Chapter 45

  The Only Real Prison is Fear

  Zoe was thrown to a cell floor, catching herself with open palms just in time and in doing so was in instant pain from the hard landing. She got up as quick as she could and spun around, but the soldiers had already left, and the door was slammed shut. Zoe stood there, panting for a good minute, waiting to catch her breath. As oxygen slowly returned and she didn’t have to work so hard to suck in air, she began assessing her surroundings.

  She was in a large room, dimly lit with flickering lights as if by candles. The floor seemed to be some sort of black polished stone. Off to one side, long blocks were carved out from this marble like seating for a jury. Opposite was a single raised platform cornering off at the wall. Zoe sneered; all that was missing was the gallows.

  The cell door opened, and Zoe instinctively raised her fists. Two soldiers came in, followed by the oddest man she had ever seen. He was plump with a flowing emerald robe that almost seemed to glow, though this wasn’t what had captured Zoe’s attention. Through the poor lighting, she could see his arms and face reflected with a slight, yet true smaragdine hue. Zoe’s mind snapped. He was from the Epigod System, known galactically for its power-hungry people. A large gold pendant shined on his chest. Her mind snapped again. A Magister.

  The soldiers guided the Magister forward and held their rifles with the business end toward Zoe.

  “Leave us,” said the Magister in an offhand tone. “I require privacy with this one.”

  “Sir?” asked a guard, turning to him. He was reprimanded with a reproachful look through the Magister’s jade eyes. “Sir,” he said, clicking his heels. The two soldiers turned and left, closing the door behind them.

  Zoe got a good look at the fat man. His bald head was shouldered by several chins and a lavish chain. The green dress adorning him seemed almost translucent and almost luminescent, with multifaceted gems sown into gilded seams. He appeared ordained simply by his clothes; no doubt this was an individual not to be trifled with. The Magister turned his gaze to Zoe.

  “My girl, please put down your hands. There is no need for violence. You are already in prison.”

  “What sort of prison is this?” asked Zoe, refusing to yield her guard.

  The Magister opened his hefty arms, making a large, sweeping circle. “All around you—prison. Your entire life in my society—prison. This entire galaxy of apathy is your prison. My child, please, lay down your arms.”

  Zoe made a quick motion, reaching for her lightcard in her shirt, but the Magister was faster, pulling out a similarly shaped device from his robe. In that moment, Zoe saw it appeared to be exactly like her lightcard. He pressed a single finger to it. Instantly, her entire body felt as if it was on fire. She fell to the floor in agony. All her joints felt like they were popping backward, and her heart felt as though it was a hot coal searing through her chest. She wanted to scream, but her lungs had seized up. As soon as the extreme pain had begun, it ceased. She shuddered on the floor, wheezing.

  “Please,” said the Magister, coming closer to her, “there is no need for violence. Let me introduce myself. I am the—”

  “The Grandeur,” said Zoe through loathing lips.

  He contemptuously cleared his throat. “I apologize. I am not accustomed to being interrupted. I am glad you know my name.” He raised his hacker card. “And now you shall know what it means.” He pressed the digital button, sending more terrible burning shocks throughout Zoe’s body. She curled up and her mind cried out. The pain stopped a second and a lifetime later.

  “Obedience—there is never enough. You may sit. But please, do so slowly.”

  Zoe groaned as she slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position. She looked up at him. It was as if the Magister’s jeweled eyes too were on fire. He had such a malicious look upon his face.

  “You have been quite the thorn, Miss Zoe Halloconst. I despise thorns; they are so useless as it remains so easy to pluck those pretty little petals.” He made a plucking motion with one hand and then began circling Zoe. “I know what you know. I know you’ve been having these little ideas—these little concepts of what is right and what is wrong.” The motions of his hands augmented the expressions upon his face as he talked. “But that’s fine. People such as yourself are anticipated for. In probabilistic logic, there will always be a ‘Zoe,’ a little bitch.” He paused in front of her, leaning in close. “So, there are safeguards in place.” He abruptly straightened up. “No matter. You are simply fodder. From your labors, my control grows. You see, all you’ve done is hurt yourself and those future stargazers.” He raised his hacker card toward her. “Any last words before I kill you?”

  Zoe stared at him. “A question, Sir,” she said feebly.

  “A question? Now? My dear, you are a tenacious one. I am glad I made the journey myself to see your end through.” He motioned with a fat hand for her to speak.

  “Pantheon... Pantheon Industries, how does it fit into all this?”

  He laughed, a funny high-pitched laugh. “Pantheon Industries. Undoubtedly from your late mercenary accomplice you learned of Mr. Achan?” Zoe slowly nodded. “He has been dismissed. He was a... disappointment. Do not worry, a replacement has been found and behind that replacement, a million more men are waiting in line for their turn, crawling up that ladder one rung
at a time with the ass of the man in front of them and the head of the man behind goading them on. Haha! All for the chance to serve my purpose in my society. Oh, Pantheon’s influence reaches far, as you know, from edge to edge of the galaxy.” The Magister raised up his fists as if the energy of just speaking about Pantheon was too much to be contained. He settled and resumed his cool demeanor. “I will let you know a little something about the Magister standing before you.” He smoothed his robes, fluffing his persona. His expression became truly unhallowed. “I am Pantheon Industries. It has been handed down by generation after generation of my family for millennia. I am the one charged with keeping it safe...” He eyed her. “Withholding its secrets. Did you know that? Ha! Surely not. Call it a closely guarded family secret. Though, unlike my predecessors who had to abide by the spinning wheel of galactic government, I found a way through. Democracy—such a thorn. To truly secure Pantheon Industries I had to rise further. I am now a Magister. I like to say, The Magister. Or as I am otherwise known, The Grandeur; quite the name.” He smiled at Zoe.

  “Quite the name.” Zoe could feel anger rising in her chest. “Are you the one responsible for what happened to Captain Henry?”

  The Grandeur seemed to search his thoughts for a moment. “Oh yes, he has been disposed of. I do say, it has been more work than usual to tie up all those loose ends you’ve frayed. No matter.” He resumed his circular walk around Zoe.

  “You’re a monster,” said Zoe, through tense breaths.

  He stopped abruptly and planted a stern hand under her chin, forcing her face upward. She tried to twist away but the Grandeur clamped down tighter on her jaw. With his other hand, he reached back and slapped her with the full weight of his hefty arm. Blood spurted from Zoe’s lip and she fell to the floor.

  Darious coughed once and groaned. He slowly turned over and got to his hands and knees. What happened? Consciousness slowly rose as he picked himself up and looked around. The CF scout... That immense moon vessel... The tractor beam dragging them in... He suddenly became aware of a disturbing scent akin to melting solder. Darious coughed again. It was dark, but he had become familiar enough with Zoe’s ship to know he was still within it. There was a buzzing coming from somewhere. With a wince, Darious recalled being beaten and thrown back into the ship. His head was pounding. He put a hand to his left ear and it revealed coagulating blood. The air was thick, reminding him of the smog from that factory planet. Something is burning. He stood up in pain and began toward the cockpit, but his right leg gave way and he fell to the floor. Darious grunted and stood back up, ignoring the damaged limb. He limped to Zoe’s seat and accessed the virtual console. Looking out through the glass he could see he was in space. Looking back down, his eyes narrowed. The console was only able to partially boot up. After some workarounds, rudimentary diagnostic systems begrudgingly came online. Darious quickly scanned through them. There was a fire currently burning in engine line three and the ship’s filters were offline. That explained the smoke and smell around him. He managed a fix from the computer by reversing an electrovalve’s direction, creating vacuum suction from space to the broken line and thus quelling the fire. His felt his head again. It throbbed at his touch. He remembered receiving the blunt end of a rifle. He closed his eyes, trying to remember additional details, but his mind kept returning to the pain.