Star Runners 2: Revelation Protocol

by L. E. Thomas

  The nurse revealed a brief grin. “Looks like it.”

  Austin’s tablet beeped. He pulled it from his satchel and opened the message.

  “Looks like EIF has released Josh,” Austin said. “He’s in his quarters and will be heading out for Base Prime this afternoon.”

  “Go see him.” Nubern nodded. “I’ll see you before you leave.”

  Austin rushed out of the infirmary, passing through the rebuilding efforts of Atlantis. Crew covered the command center, men and women hovering over the workstations like concerned parents. A pair of crewmembers descended from the dome, apparently having checked the integrity of the largest room on Atlantis. In the distance, Brannen and Commander Carv Wallace locked into a discussion in the center of the chaos. Wallace, his head wrapped in a white bandage, stared at a tablet while Brannen spoke. Austin watched the Legion crew working, noticing the sense of clockwork efficiency descending over Atlantis once again.

  Austin worked his way through the reconstruction efforts, nodding at other pilots and officers. Upon his return to Atlantis after intercepting Josh, Austin had taken the maximum allotted shower, washing away the fatigue from the recent events.

  He stepped in front of the temporary quarters assigned to Josh. He pressed the bell. When no one responded, Austin assumed Josh had not arrived. He looked down both sides of the empty hallways. Apparently no one had been staying in the temporary quarters. Imagine that, he thought, who would want to visit Atlantis after what had just happened?

  Trying one last time, he pressed the bell and started to turn away from the door.

  “Yes?” the intercom hissed, a weak voice behind the speaker.

  “Ah, I’m sorry.” Austin shifted his weight. “I’m looking for Lieutenant Morris’ room.”

  “Come in,” the voice grumbled after a pause.

  The door slid open. Josh sat on the bed, facing away from the opening. Wearing only his green Lobera Squadron pants, Josh leaned forward. Austin could see every rib on Josh’s back as if he were a painted skeleton. Wounds and scars mixed across his skin.

  “Good Lord,” Austin breathed, stepping into the room and keying for the door to shut behind him. “Josh?”

  Josh whimpered softly, not turning to face his friend.

  Austin took one step toward the bed. He looked around the room. Josh had the top part of his uniform hanging in the closet, the shirt neatly pressed and packed with enough starch it could have been cardboard. His new wings glistened in the low light.

  “I can’t,” Josh whispered, so soft Austin had to guess he heard correctly.

  “Can’t what, man?” Austin took another step, holding his hand over his friend’s naked and battered back, but pulled back. “Tell me what to do, buddy. Please.”

  With a groan, Josh stood and turned to face Austin. His cheeks were damp with tears, his eyes red as blood. Josh pointed to the uniform in the closet.

  “I can’t. I never thought I’d be back here to see any of this.”

  Austin glanced at the uniform. “You have done so much to earn it. Listen, I know—“

  “Stop!” Josh screamed.

  Austin recoiled. Josh rapidly moved toward him. Austin backed up to the wall.

  “You don’t know,” he sneered, grabbing Austin’s shoulders, his voice soft again. “You don’t know what I’ve been through.”

  Austin swallowed, his eyes wide. “Tell me then.”

  Josh’s face crumpled. He tried to speak, but words did not form. When he finally spoke, the words came in gasps like he convulsed.

  “It. It was supposed to be … a game. Austin.” He collapsed onto Austin’s shoulder, sobbing. “It was supposed to be a game. Oh, God.”

  Austin embraced his friend, listening to him sob.

  *****

  The Atlantis mess hall reminded Austin of Tarton’s Junction. Instead of the nebula, the viewport revealed lighted rows of rocks of different shapes and sizes. Strange and otherworldly fish twinkled by the massive window. He slid his finger around the lid of his coffee. Moving his hand from the coffee cup to his shoulder, he felt the dampness of the fabric on his uniform where Josh had cried.

  Josh said little before Austin left his quarters, other than mentioning his destination. He said command had ordered him back to Base Prime for more questioning and a thorough debrief of his situation. After that, he would undergo counseling and said he planned to turn in his wings. Austin had no words to comfort him. Josh was right; Austin had no idea what his friend had been through. It wasn’t right for him to pretend he did.

  “May I join you?”

  Austin looked up, his mouth hanging open. “Hey, Sky.”

  Skylar slid into the seat in front him, graceful as always. Her Tizona uniform impeccable, she looked just as the Legion would want any junior officer to appear. She had her blonde hair pulled back.

  “You okay?” she asked after a pause.

  Austin pressed his lips together, staring at the coffee cup. “Sure.”

  “Liar.”

  “Yep.” When he looked up, he felt his eyes brimming. He shook his head once, then swayed back and forth. “What happened to my friend?”

  He leaned forward and covered his eyes with his hand. Skylar’s hands descended over him, one caressing his free hand while the other rubbed his head. Austin let himself go. The events of the past days stacking up in his mind. The Phantoms’ attack. His mother. Kadyn. Death tugging at his elbow with every step of the way.

  “Is this really what being a Star Runner is?” he asked, raising his head. “Is it going to be this all the time?”

  Skylar tilted her head, her eyes studying his face. “It’s just life, Austin. There are no guarantees.”

  Austin sat up in his seat, wiping his eyes. “I’m sorry.

  “Hey,” she said, squeezing his hand, “what are friends for?”

  “True.”

  She looked at him with a crooked grin. “Wanna go for a run?”

  He laughed. “Right.”

  Taking a deep breath, she sat back in her seat. “After what we did in yesterday’s battle, they are saying the rest of us are going to be promoted to flight status. We’re getting our wings. Looks like the rest of us caught up with your greatness.”

  Austin placed his hand over hers. “I’m very proud. You deserve this.”

  “Want to come with me?”

  Austin blinked. “What?”

  “I stopped by to see Nubern. He’s doing well. Anyway, he said you were going to be coming up on the leave you were supposed to be taking. I, well, I wanted to know if you wanted to come see me—I mean the rest of us, get our wings on Tarton’s Junction.”

  Austin nearly said he would, but though of Ryker sitting in a hospital bed in between hours of rehabilitation. “I don’t know.”

  “Afterward, I’ll get my leave and …” She looked away. “I thought you might want to, ah, I wanted to take you to Florida to see where I’m from. I know you got tired of hearing about it back at the academy, right? I thought you might want to see it. Unless you want to go home to see your Mom. I completely would understand that.”

  Austin smiled. “Mom’s in the orientation training. She’s going to be part of a medical frigate. I need to check in with her, let her know I’m okay.”

  He paused. It hadn’t really occurred to him before, but there would be nothing left on Earth for him after his Mom ships out. Earth would be a memory for him. His home would be elsewhere.

  “Hey,” Skylar said when he paused. She leaned forward and touched his cheek. “I didn’t want to freak you out or anything, Austin. I’m sorry. It’s just, well, being in the dogfight yesterday … I realized we aren’t going to live forever and I thought you should know how I feel.”

  She leaned forward and kissed him. “Tell you what.” She glanced at her watch. “Our freighter for the Junction leaves in thirty minutes. I’ll save you a seat.”

  Skylar grabbed his hand, squeezed it and smiled. Then, she marched out of the mess hall. />
  Austin gazed out at the wonders of the ocean floor, his mind lost in the thought.

  “Lieutenant?”

  Austin sighed. He turned to the door. Captain Braddock stood near the entrance. Austin rose to stand, but Braddock held him at bay with a quick hand gesture.

  “At ease,” he said, strolling into the room with his hands behind his back. “How are you?”

  Austin sat forward. “I’m okay, sir.”

  Braddock stepped to the window and took a deep breath, gazing into the depths. “This planet has a very unique beauty.”

  Austin looked at the water. “I agree, sir.”

  Braddock folded his arms over his chest. “All of Atlantis is talking about you, Stone.”

  Austin felt warmth rush to his face. “Thank you, sir.”

  “It wasn’t a compliment,” he snapped. “It shows how boring things are on this backwater planet.”

  Austin blinked. “Sir?”

  “The reason these people are talking about this incident is because they have become complacent. Most of the staff here comes to Earth to get away from the action or they are shipped here to be isolated. What happened over the past week has been the most excitement Earth has seen in a long time.”

  Austin shook his head. “I don’t understand, sir.”

  Braddock turned to face him. “I don’t want you getting a big head over this, Lieutenant. While you certainly did some fancy flying out there, this Atlantis incident is nothing more than a blip on the Legion’s radar. It was a skirmish. A lowly pirate commander with delusions of grandeur thought he’d make a stab at taking a backwater world. You helped prevent that. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  “May I ask why you are telling me this, sir?”

  Braddock stepped in front of him. “I respect what you did, but Earth is nothing. I’m talking about the rest of the Legion. We need you, Lieutenant. If you were offered an assignment on a Legion carrier, could you do it?”

  Austin thought about Ryan Bean and his opinion of carrier life. Of course, Bean still had a life here on Earth. With his mother leaving, Austin had no reason to return to Earth.

  “I would be honored, sir.”

  For the first time since entering the mess hall, Braddock smiled. “With the current events, I’ve been told I will be taking a squadron on a carrier tour near the Zahl border. I’m going to request you come with me.”

  Austin blinked. “Thank you, sir.”

  “The fact is; Dax Rodon had support. I know you don’t know, yet, what I’m about to tell you. Your friend Lieutenant Morris saw more than he thought.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Braddock lowered his voice. “What I’m about to tell you is top secret. If I’m asked about it, I’ll deny it. If the evidence can be trusted, Rodon was receiving his support from the Zahl Empire. Josh witnessed it. This is going to be a scandal if and when this gets back to the capitol.”

  Austin’s jaw dropped. “I thought the Zahl Empire was in a cold war with the Legion.”

  “They are.” Braddock gazed back at the water. “But tensions have been growing for some time. These orders to transfer from Tarton’s Junction to a carrier task force wouldn’t come otherwise. Brass is taking this seriously.

  Austin swallowed. “Will there be a war?”

  “That’s the real question, isn’t it?” He sighed. “If these orders come through, I want you to take your leave, sign your five-year papers and be ready to report to wherever they assign me. Are you up to it?”

  Austin stood and nodded. “Absolutely, sir.”

  Braddock clasped his hands. “I look forward to it.”

  *****

  The freighters stretched out in the one operational hangar of Atlantis. The ships packed in tight as possible, crew and staff falling into massive lines as they moved into Atlantis to begin the rebuilding operation. He glanced at his tablet. One of the many freighters would depart in twenty minutes for Oma where Ryker was undergoing rehabilitation. Another would depart shortly after for Tarton’s Junction and the promotion ceremony.

  Austin shook his head at the amount of people crammed into the hangar.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” Nubern said, stepping next to Austin, his arm still in a sling. “The perseverance of the human spirit. Support is coming in from all over Quadrant Eight. Other planets have heard of the attack. There’s more aide coming than we can handle. And to imagine yesterday, I heard some officers say Atlantis would never be rebuilt. Now look.”

  “Amazing.” Austin shook his head.

  Nubern eyed him. “You ready for your leave?”

  Austin nodded. “Yes, sir. Very ready.”

  “Decided where you’re going?”

  Austin smiled. “Off world.” He adjusted his satchel on his shoulder and stared at the controlled chaos of the hangar. “It makes me very proud.”

  Nubern turned to him. “How do you mean?”

  “I’m proud to be a Legion officer,” he said, gazing off at the freighters. He turned to Nubern and smiled. “Very proud, sir.”

  “You know, I’m glad to hear you say that. After our earlier conversation… I hope you mean it.”

  Austin frowned. “Of course, sir. Why?”

  Nubern released a sighed. “I’ve heard scuttlebutt about some of what your friend has been through.”

  “And?”

  Nubern winced. “Well, he apparently witnessed a Zahl capital ship destroy Dax Rodon in the Zine System.”

  Austin blinked, remembering Braddock’s warning about keeping quiet. “Zahl? Are you sure?”

  “That’s all I know and that’s all I’ve heard.” He turned to look at Austin. “If that’s true, it would explain a great deal. It’s why Lieutenant Morris left for Base Prime. Command needs to verify this.”

  After his brief discussion with Braddock in the mess hall, Austin thought back to his brief classes on the history of the Galactic Legion and its contentious relationship with the Zahl Empire. There hadn’t been a full-scale galactic war in generations. If the Zahl Empire had supported a pirate organization to spread dissent in the Quadrant Eight worlds so far from the border, what else would they be capable of doing?

  They stood in silence for a moment.

  “A message came through regarding Lieutenant Zyan’s status,” Nubern said. “She’s recovering well and rehabilitation is nearly complete. Her leg was shattered pretty badly.”

  Austin thought of Ryker, her smile and her laugh. Her voice.

  “I’m very glad to hear it, sir. She’s very special.”

  “That she is.”

  Nubern cleared his throat. “So I’ve heard you might be assigned to a carrier task force?”

  “Nothing’s sure, yet.”

  “You’ll do a great job wherever you decide to go.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “I would like to say something else,” Nubern said. “I heard Josh might turn in his wings.”

  Austin nodded. “Yes. What will happen to him?”

  Nubern chewed on his lip. “With what he’s been through, the Legion will take care of him no matter what he decides. Maybe deskwork, who knows? It has made me concerned about your future as well.”

  Austin frowned. “How so?”

  Nubern sighed and stared out at the crews loading the freighters. “You’ve been through a great deal since you received your wings, son. A great deal. I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to take a different path. If you also considered turning in your wings, I wouldn’t try to stop you—not after what you’ve been through. I don’t want you flying just for me.”

  Austin looked at him, then turned to the freighters. He took a few steps toward the hangar. A clump of blue Tizona uniforms boarded a freighter two hundred yards away, moving through the ocean of people.

  He took a deep breath.

  “I’ll never quit, sir.” He turned around, looking Nubern in the eye. He gestured to the wings on his chest. “This is what I do.”

  Swinging the satchel over hi
s shoulder, Austin strolled toward the line of departing freighters.

  TWO DAYS LATER

  He stood at the edge of the room full of patients in white robes. He wore a simple hunter green shirt and old blue jeans. A screen on the wall displayed a newsfeed. The image showed a man on the beach near San Francisco. He couldn’t hear the audio, but the man pointed to the ocean, his eyes bloodshot and wide. Thick black curls of hair bobbed as he spoke. The text popped up on the bottom of the screen:

  Space Debris or UFO

  The man continued screaming wildly at the camera before the image cut back to a female newscaster. The amused expression on her face signified how the mainstream media treated the story of a falling satellite off the coast of California.

  Josh exhaled. Austin’s adventure in saving the city had avoided the public eye, and now he traveled far away from here to the core of Legion space.

  It’s the way it should be, he thought. I have different plans.

  Walking to the front desk, he moved slowly when he produced his identification.

  The nurse nodded at him, her knowing glance telling him she knew his story. “Lieutenant Morris.”

  “Ma’am.”

  He glanced at the high windows revealing a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. After the past forty-eight hours of questioning by the EIF and top Legion command regarding his incident, the bright sunlight burned his eyes. He was tired, didn’t want to think any further about Zahlian ARCs, the vessel’s response capabilities and the response times of the interceptors. The Legion agents asked the same questions in different forms, all with the goal of finding more about this mysterious vessel.

  He squinted and lowered his gaze, his eyes coming to rest on the woman in the chair closest to the window.

  “How is she?” he asked, his eyes still on her.

  The nurse stared at the women as she paused, apparently deciding on the proper phrase. “She has come to grips with the situation, and will be going home tomorrow to see her parents. This has been very … difficult for her.”

  Josh looked at the nurse, remembering the file he had read about the incident with the Phantoms. Her parents’ home had nearly burned down in the ensuing firefight in the neighborhood. “Are they okay?”