by Ryk Brown
“Yes, I’m sure,” he agreed, taking the data card. “I will read it later, in private.”
“You can insert the card into any terminal,” Nathan explained. “It will open the documents automatically.”
“Thank you,” Mister Percival said. He looked down at the card for a moment and let out a sigh. “Perhaps it is all for the best.”
Nathan looked puzzled. “How so?”
“The galaxy, or at least the Earth’s corner of it, does not appear to have become the advanced utopia many of us had hoped would evolve from the ashes of the plague.”
“That seems a harsh judgment, Mister Percival,” Nathan responded, a bit taken aback. “What did you expect?”
“Don’t misunderstand me, Captain,” Mister Percival said. “I understand that humanity has struggled greatly to survive. But you must understand something. Those of us that had to face that plague clung to the hope that it would lead to something better for the following generations. For many, what made them wake up every day and carry on was that hope: that maybe they might do something on that day that would contribute to whatever came after.”
“I’m sorry if I seemed defensive,” Nathan said. “I cannot imagine what it must have been like for the survivors, especially those that could not escape.”
“Yes, they had it worse than most. Even before the end was in sight, before all hope had been lost, many millions had taken their own lives, having already given up on their futures. Only those with the means even dreamed of escaping.”
“We have heard many references to expeditions and colonization packages as if they were complete kits bought and sold.”
“The only good thing about the plague, Captain, was its timing. It occurred at a uniquely opportune time in human history. Advances in FTL propulsion had just opened up deep space at far less expense than ever before. Travel times between core and fringe worlds had been reduced by fifty to seventy-five percent, and there were catalogs of star systems containing habitable worlds that had been surveyed by either remote probes or deep space observatories. There were literally thousands of potentially habitable worlds out there just waiting for colonization.”
“But there were so many worlds close in that had already been colonized, most of which were nowhere near carrying capacity,” Nathan said. “Why start over farther out, far away from additional help and resources?”
“Dreams, Captain. Dreams of creating something new, something unique, something better.” Mister Percival leaned forward, looking directly at Nathan. “There are many indisputable truths about humans, the most common of which are that we are willing to kill to survive, we always want to know what is over the next hill, and we always think we can do it better than the other guy. Another one is that, as a people, we prefer to mingle with those more like ourselves.”
“So you’re saying that people wanted to settle worlds and populate them with their own kind?”
“Race, religion, political or economic systems… There were even those who wanted to live with only vegetarians, or people with blond hair and blue eyes. It was like a new fad. Get a thousand people to sell everything and buy into another attempt to create the perfect society.”
“So they could buy kits to colonize other worlds?”
“It was more like a package or a program—all the equipment, supplies, and instructions needed to establish a settlement on a habitable, Earth-like world. All you had to do was supply the people and the transportation. You could even choose your world from one of several corporate catalogs.”
“You can’t buy and sell an entire planet,” Nathan said.
“No, of course not, but you could buy what was called ‘first stake,’” Mister Percival explained.
“What was first stake?”
“It was nothing more than an entry in a registration database by the company that had performed the planetary survey. It did not guarantee you exclusive rights to colonize that world, but it might dissuade others from attempting to settle there, especially if they were seeking an entire world for themselves. In addition, since these new worlds were so far away, they were not under the jurisdiction of any government. If you landed there second, and the original settlers did not want you, there was nothing to prevent them from using force to remove you.”
“Really?” The bit about force surprised Nathan to some extent. “Weren’t there any regulations about who could go off and start a new world?”
“Oh, of course,” Mister Percival laughed, “but it was more like a way for governments to collect fees and impede the efforts of those who were not really serious about the idea. They knew that there was no way to stop people from going off and colonizing another world.”
“Then why did people even bother applying for permission?”
“Because most of the ships available for hire were owned by corporations that wanted to be able to continue doing business within the many different jurisdictions controlled by these governments.”
“So how many of these expeditions were launched?”
“No one really knew,” Mister Percival admitted, “not for sure. Based on the number that I heard of, which is a few dozen or so, I would guess a few hundred at least. And that’s only the ones that were properly registered. There were many smaller expeditions, bootstrapped ones much like ours, that hired less than legal, owner-operated transports.”
“How many of those were there?”
“Impossible to tell,” Mister Percival admitted. “I suspect just as many if not more. And the last few years there were probably ten times as many, as everyone was trying to escape the plague.”
“How far out do you think they went?”
“Again, there is no telling, but to be honest, I was surprised to learn that you encountered one such colony a thousand light years out. It must have taken them a century to get there.”
“Amazing,” Nathan said, shaking his head in disbelief. He noticed that Mister Percival seemed surprised by Nathan’s reaction. “You have to remember, Mister Percival, I come from an Earth that has only just recently gotten back into space. A hundred years ago, we were just inventing the jet engine.”
“Yes, a fact that is quite apparent in your strange mix of technology. I understand that it’s the result of being forced to quickly pick and choose which technologies would have the greatest and most immediate benefit. I just can’t help thinking that it’s like cavemen with nuclear weapons. You know how to use them but don’t yet understand the implications of doing so… no insult intended.”
“You may not be far off the mark,” Nathan admitted, remembering the many debates that had occurred back on Earth since the discovery of the Data Ark and the revelation of the impending Jung threat.
Nathan began to stand. “Well, I am glad to see that you are taking the news of your expedition’s demise so well, Mister Percival.”
“I have been called many things in my lifetime, Captain. Emotional is not one of them.”
“Very well,” Nathan said as he prepared to depart. “I’ll leave you to rest.”
“Thank you for coming to speak to me personally, Captain. The gesture is appreciated.”
“It was my pleasure, Mister Percival.” Nathan began to turn toward the exit, then stopped. “Oh, I almost forgot. You said you were put into stasis before departure, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“That’s what the stasis time display showed as well. However, the backup time display showed that you were under for only eight hundred years.”
“That’s odd,” Mister Percival stated. “A malfunction, perhaps?”
“That’s the first thing we thought,” Nathan said, taking note that Mister Percival offered no obvious reaction to his inquiry.
“Like most things for the mission, it was purchased second-hand. My unit also underwent several modifications as well.”
“Yes, well, Lieutenant Commander Kamenetskiy is looking into the matter.”
“I’m sure he will discover the cause of
the discrepancy in due time.” Mister Percival smiled. “No pun intended.”
“Of course.”
“Good night, Captain,” Mister Percival said as Nathan stepped through the doorway.
Nathan stood in the doorway for several seconds, thinking. He had come to Mister Percival as the bearer of bad news and had, instead, been told that there might indeed be hundreds of unknown human colonies out there. There had been hints at such in the Data Ark itself, in fact. There had been a few dozen records of properly registered missions that included their destination worlds. Prior to learning of the Jung threat, the leaders of Earth had considered seeking out those lost colonies. Had they indeed survived and thrived, they were likely more advanced than the people of Earth, just as the people of Takara and Corinair had been. And now it appeared that Nathan had confirmation of those expeditions and possibly many more. He wondered how many of them had survived and even thrived over the last thousand years and what other wonders they might someday be willing to share with the people of Earth.
* * *
“I’m not finding anything wrong in here,” Loki insisted. “What about you?”
Josh continued poking around the inside of the number three turbine on the opposite side of the Falcon with his flashlight. “Nothing, just a lot of water and a little debris in the intakes.”
“You don’t suppose that’s what caused them to fail, do you?”
“What, water? No way,” Josh answered, pulling his head out of the turbine compartment. “These things must be designed to fly through all kinds of weather, right? That should include heavy rains.”
“Heavy rain, sure, but not waterfalls,” Loki scolded.
“Look, for the last time, I didn’t intend on flying through a waterfall. It was just suddenly there, and I had no way around it.”
“I meant it’s not designed to have that much water dumped into it at once,” Loki explained. “Maybe it just fouled up the mixture, and that’s why they failed. If we’d had a little more altitude under us, we might have been able to get them to restart once all the water was blasted out.”
“You think?” Josh asked, finding it hard to believe.
“There’s only one way to find out: clean out the water and debris and see if they light.”
“You know, the canopy may be busted, and she may be banged up pretty bad on the outside, but all the space flight systems are fine,” Josh reminded him. “If we can just get her in the air long enough to get out of this cave and tip our nose up toward the sky, we could jump the fuck outta here.”
Loki looked at Josh, who had a big grin on his face. “If we turn on a single system while all those Jung ships are flying around, they’ll zero in on us in seconds.”
“How long do you think it would take us to fire up and blast our way out of this cave?”
“A lot more than a few seconds,” Loki warned. “Even if everything was in perfect condition, a rapid launch sequence takes at least thirty seconds. It’s a full minute to bring the jump drive online and ready to initiate.”
“They’d blow us to hell as soon as we stuck our nose out,” Josh admitted.
“Right,” Loki agreed. “So we cross our fingers and wait, and hope that they don’t find us.”
“Exactly what I’m not good at,” Josh complained, “waiting.”
* * *
“We’ll be fully charged and ready for jump sixty-two in ninety minutes,” Cameron announced as she entered the captain’s ready room.
“No word yet, huh?”
“No, sir.”
“They’re overdue, aren’t they?”
“By half an hour,” Cameron answered. Nathan said nothing, but she could see the worry on his face. “And if they still aren’t back when we’re ready to jump?”
“What are you asking, Commander?”
“You know exactly what I’m asking, Nathan,” Cameron responded as she closed the hatch. “Are you going to be able to leave them behind when the time comes?”
“Don’t you mean if the time comes?”
“Don’t avoid the question, Nathan. You and I both know that you’re closer to Josh and Loki than anyone else we adopted while in the cluster. I don’t expect it to be easy to leave them behind and move on. It wouldn’t be easy for me either.”
“Is there any particular reason that we have to jump as soon as the drive is recharged?”
“Other than the fact that our captain’s last orders were to get back to Earth as soon as possible?” Cameron reminded him. “Or that we’re quite possibly the Earth’s best shot at a defense against the Jung? Or that we’ve already been gone for…”
“I get your point, Cam,” Nathan interrupted. “However, I don’t think waiting an hour or so more will make that big a difference.”
“Maybe not. But what if it does? And what message does it send the crew? That their captain isn’t strong enough to make the tough calls?”
“That’s not fair, Cam. I think I’ve already demonstrated the ability to make the tough calls, and more than once I might add.”
“Yes, that’s true, but every decision is a new test in the eyes of your crew, and a slip can send the wrong message.”
“This isn’t the classic ‘lose the man or lose the ship’ scenario, Cameron.”
“No, it’s not; that’s true,” she agreed. “But these considerations must be taken into account, Nathan. Sometimes it is very important for you to consider how the decisions you make will affect the lives of others.”
“You’re forgetting something, Commander.”
“And that is?”
“The other message that waiting as long as possible for the men still out there might send to the crew, the message that the captain will do everything he can to protect them.” Nathan stared at Cameron for several seconds, waiting for a response that never came. “Is there anything else, Commander?”
“No, sir.”
“Dismissed.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nathan kept his gaze on his data pad as Cameron left the compartment in perfect military fashion. He knew she was only trying to help, but at times, he tired of her constant assumption that she knew better how a captain should act. It wasn’t that she was wrong, and it wasn’t that she didn’t know more; it was just irritating.
Of even more concern, however, was the fact that his best flight team, and two of his favorite crewmen, were overdue. Nathan knew that a coast-through recon flight either went like clockwork, or it went all to hell. There were only three possible outcomes. They made it through without a problem, they were discovered and were pursued but still escaped, or they were unable to escape and they had to self-destruct. If everything had gone properly, they would have returned by now. Even if they had mechanical problems and were delayed, they could have sent word via their new mini comm-drones. They were in trouble. Either they were still trying to make it back, or they were already gone and waiting was pointless.
Or they had been captured before they could scuttle the Falcon, and now the Jung had both a jump drive and a couple of ZPEDs in their hands. The wave of nausea that washed over him reminded him of how much he hated being captain.
* * *
“I’ve got mine clear,” Josh announced as he closed up the number three turbine compartment. “How are you doing over there?”
“There’s still a lot of water in here,” Loki answered. “It’s going to take a while to scoop it all out by hand.”
“If we could at least arm the batteries, we could blow it out with the turbo fans.”
“Yeah, well, we can’t, and these are the only tools we’ve got,” Loki said, holding up his wet hands.
“Keep at it,” Josh said. “I’ll check the other turbines for water, just in case.”
“Good idea.” Loki’s face crinkled. “Wait, what’s that beeping sound?”
Josh’s face also reacted as he grabbed for his pocket. “Shit, it’s the proximity alert sensors we planted outside,” he explained as he shut the receiver off.
“Someone’s coming up the trails.” Josh grabbed his weapon and headed for the front of the cave. “Stay here. I’ll check it out.”
“What, are you going to fight them off yourself?” Loki asked, pulling his own weapon and following after Josh.
Josh suddenly stopped short of the front of the cave, spinning back around suddenly. “They’re already here,” he whispered, waving his hands. “Go back. Go back.”
Loki spun around and ran around the Falcon with Josh hot on his heels. Falling to the cave floor as they got around behind the aft end of the interceptor, Loki pushed Josh toward the port side of the ship. “You take port; I’ll take starboard,” he instructed. Loki took up position tucked just behind the starboard drive’s thrust nozzle, lying on his belly so he had a clear line of fire along the underside of the Falcon’s starboard wing-body.
Josh scrambled his way over and took up a similar position behind the Falcon’s port side thrust nozzle, peeking under the port wing-body, his eyes fixed on the point where the trail entered the mouth of the cave. He could hear the muffled voices of men as they came up the trail. There were several of them, to be sure. He could make out at least four distinctly different voices, maybe more. Despite the shadows cast by the setting sun, the men used no portable lights.
A face appeared, poking up from below the floor line of the cave. He held some sort of a weapon at his shoulder, aiming it forward as he cautiously advanced. He swung his weapon from right to left in sudden, quick motions. The man had training. Josh had seen the Corinari soldiers move in similar fashion.
The first man mumbled something back down the trail. Josh decided that he must be alerting the rest of his team that they had found the enemy ship. Another head appeared, and the two of them advanced farther into the cave, splitting to either side as they continued to sweep their weapons back and forth. As two more heads appeared, Josh rolled back over and crawled quietly over to Loki, the sound of the nearby waterfall masking the sound of his movement.
