The Smuggler's Ascension: The Ties That Died

by Christopher Ingersoll

  Sabine and Anasha agreed as the trio made their way deep into the ship to find the medical department. Thankfully there were lifts that traveled vertically through the ship and not just between decks. In a ship the size of a city, they were more than necessary.

  The medical department was the size of an entire hospital back on Purannis, and was equipped with just about any piece of equipment the doctors might need. The head of the medical department was Major Hugh Dermot, who was also the chief surgeon on board. Major Dermot volunteered to examine the Queen along with several nurses. Not having the opportunity to treat or examine someone in her condition often, there were many in the medical ward eager for a happier type of medicine.

  Sabine endure the scans and probes politely, while answering questions and allowing them to draw blood, even though she hated needles. The testing seemed to go well, with everything coming back in acceptable ranges. The only concern the doctor had was her weight. Other than the baby, Sabine was not gaining any weight like pregnant women normally did.

  “She eats like a horse, doc,” Kristof said bluntly. “She not gaining weight by choice, that’s for sure.”

  “Fuck you,” Sabine said tartly, not caring to be regal after so much poking and prodding. Kristof shot her a smile to which she shot him the bird as well as a smile.

  “Isn’t that how we got into this situation?” he asked her with a wink, and Sabine couldn’t stop the blush that raced across her face in front of the doctor, who smiled politely.

  “The point is,” Sabine said a bit forcefully, trying to save some grace in the moment she’d started, “That I have been eating plenty, and not horse-like in the least. There has been no feed bag on my head.”

  Anasha laughed at Sabine and Kristof’s antics.

  “Well, so long as the baby continues to grow and seem healthy, and you remain healthy, I don’t see anything to worry about,” Major Dermot said. “You do seem further along than you should, though.”

  “How do you mean?” Kristof asked, suddenly serious.

  “Well, her records indicate that she is in her early to mid-fifth month,” Major Dermot said, “But the baby’s measurements would indicate that she is in her mid to late seventh month.”

  “What could be causing that?” Anasha asked, just a little worried. “We are fairly sure when she got pregnant.”

  “I understand that there were some irregularities with the baby during the early stages,” Major Dermot said after he consulted Sabine’s chart. “It may be possible that the baby is growing at an accelerated rate for some reason. I assure you that there is nothing wrong, however. The baby is healthy as a horse, so to speak.”

  Major Dermot gathered up the nurses then and ushered them off, leaving Sabine alone with Kristof and Anasha while she removed the hospital gown and struggled to get dressed. It had become more difficult due to her belly, so Anasha went to her aid.

  “This kid is making it almost impossible to move,” Sabine complained. “I’m not built for this kind of load.”

  “I think you’re handling it beautifully,” Kristof said and kissed her. “You’re beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” Sabine smiled in gratitude as she allowed her spouses to guide her back through the ship. Kristof and Anasha were always able to make her feel beautiful when she just felt like a wallowing hippo.

  Max found them as they walked, and the android seemed more animated than usual as he approached them. Sabine thought to herself that choosing a more human facial coloring had been one of Max’s best choices as his overall coloring had changed. When she’d first met him, he’d been all black with red striping and a dark red head. The black hadn’t changed, though he now incorporated silver filigrees into the reds, but the human seeming head color was a vast improvement.

  “I believe I have found something useful,” Max said excitedly as he joined them. “And you are looking lovely today, your Majesty,” he added.

  “Why thank you, Max” Sabine said, genuinely pleased at the android’s compliment. He was no doubt a very different android from the one she’d met on the Sanctuary.

  “What did you find?” Kristof asked curiously.

  “I was able to record some visuals from the projected image we saw on Durani,” Max told them as they climbed into one of the many lift cars that would take everyone most of the way back to their quarters. “I extrapolated the images and topography into what they might look like after a catastrophe and then allowed for a great amount of following time. I then took those extrapolated images and downloaded them into a grid search algorithm on the ship’s main computer. The computer found two possible matches on the planet.”

  “That is awesome, Max,” Anasha said with a smile. “Very nicely done.”

  “Thank you,” Max responded and actually looked pleased. Sabine could see that his new emotions were fully functional. She hoped that he managed to stay in control and not end up like the mad androids of the past.

  “Once we are in orbit above the planet,” Max continued, we can visually scan the proposed sites and see if one looks better than the other.”

  “Very good,” Kristof said, and then after a moment’s thought, he added, “When the time comes for Anasha and myself to head down to the surface, I would take it as a personal favor to me if you would act as Sabine’s personal guard.”

  “But…” Max began, but Kristof stopped him short.

  “I need you to do this for me, buddy,” Kristof said, suddenly very serious. “I have a peculiar feeling about this, and I need you here.”

  “Did you have a premonition?” Anasha asked him, touching his temple and closing her eyes.

  “Maybe,” Kristof said. “I just feel like Max is needed here.”

  Anasha was silent for a few moments as she sent tendrils of her own empathic power into Kristof to see if she could catch a glimpse of what he had seen or felt.

  “There is something there,” Anasha admitted finally as she opened her eyes and looked deep into Kristof’s, “Little telltale remnants of psychic energy.”

  “Then it shall be my honor to guard the Queen.” Max agreed once Anasha had confirmed Kristof’s gut feeling.

  “If something is going to happen,” Sabine objected worriedly, “Then I don’t want you two on the planet, defenseless.”

  “The Phantom will stay to fly cover,” Anasha reassured her. “They can have us off the surface in no time at all if needed.”

  Unable to find an objection that would work in her favor, Sabine fell silent for the remainder of the lift ride. In thirty three hours the ships General Mannis sent to reinforce them would arrive, and then they would be off to Dorcanus in disputed space between the Clovani Empire and the Tunani Republic. She hoped she didn’t end up starting a war with the Tunani by showing up there with a combat fleet.

  ~20~

  Dorcanus II looked as bleak and blasted as the last time Kristof had seen it. Fully a third of the planet was gone and had become a large asteroid ring around the world. Not for the first time in the past day, Kristof wondered if it was truly possible that this was Suthanara. It would explain the state that the planet was in, for sure. It would also explain Subat’s premonitions.

  Prior to coming to Dorcanus II last time, Anasha’s father Subat had had visions of this world. He had sensed love, hate, and great anger all mixed together in a mass of confusion. After everything that had happened here, with the trap set by Kristof’s brother, Subat’s death, and then Kristof’s meeting with a Dark Priestess, the anger had been fully justified Kristof thought.

  It wasn’t until recently that he’d begun to wonder about the feelings of love that Subat had sensed from here. If this was, in fact, Suthanara, the world would most likely have echoes of the Gods in its very stones. He had to admit that something had been keeping ships away from the planet over the years. Could it have been these echoes of the Gods in the stones?

  The Phantom was slowly circling the broken world as the pilots pinpointed Max’s possible landing sites. Aft
er much discussion of the vision they’d all seen on Durani, it had been decided to try the site almost completely opposite that of the broken side of the world. In the vision, the Seed of Creation had passed through the planet to ruin the other side. If this was Suthanara, then their landing site was clear.

  “Course set, sir,” the pilot said as Kristof watched the world ahead.

  The Queen’s Honor and its escort fleet had remained well clear of the planet and its asteroid ring. They had no wish to alarm the miners here or provoke an ill-advised response, not that the miners had any fighting ships. The miners had remained quiet since their arrival, but the Honor had transmitted a message stating their peaceful intentions. Sabine had even gone so far as to offer any aid that was needed, but silence had remained.

  “Take us in, Captain,” Kristof commanded at last, his voice low and troubled.

  “Hey, are you ok?” Anasha asked from his side. She was in full gear already, needing only to put on her helmet before leaving the ship. Kristof would need to get into his life support gear soon.

  “Yeah,” Kristof said with a sigh. “Just never expected to come back here again.”

  “It’ll be different this time,” Anasha said encouragingly. “Come on, let’s finish getting you suited up.”

  “Captain, the ship is yours,” Kristof stated as he rose from the command chair.

  “We’ll have your back, sir,” Captain Gerris responded and Kristof nodded.

  The Phantom was still technically Kristof’s ship for the time being, despite his promotion to General. As a result, he still had his cabin on board. He supposed he would have to surrender it to Captain Gerris once the current crisis was over. Anasha grabbed his life support backpack and helped Kristof shrug his way into it and get it settled. Buckles latched and hoses connected, and soon he was as ready as she.

  Kristof grabbed Anasha and pulled her close, his green eyes looking deep into her magnificent blues. Running his hand through her blond hair quickly, he then helped her wrap it up in a bun at the nape of her skull so it wouldn’t interfere with her helmet.

  “I love you so much,” Kristof told her as he held her tight. “I don’t say it enough lately, with Sabine needing so much attention because of the baby, but I love you, Anasha, so much…”

  “I love you too, baby,” Anasha said as she grabbed Kristof by the hair and kissed him deeply. “I never have any doubts about how either of you feel about me, my love. We are all so much in each other’s head that it is impossible to not feel the love we all share.”

  “But I should still say it more, anyway,” Kristof insisted and then he smiled. “Next time, when it’s your turn to have the baby, then it’ll be different.” Kristof gave her a wink as shock came to Anasha’s face.

  “I don’t know if the whole pregnant thing is for me,” Anasha said softly. “I don’t know if I could be as patient as Sabine has been with it all. Especially for nine months.”

  Kristof chuckled as he held Anasha close, before finally letting her go so they could make their way to the cargo hold two decks below. They wouldn’t have to make a rapid combat exit, which would be a nice change, but they didn’t want the Phantom to be on the ground any longer than necessary either. The planet did not seem all that stable, so the less time the big ship was on the ground the better.

  “Encountering some massive electromagnetic interference,” the Captain announced over the ship’s comm. “All crew brace for some turbulence.”

  Kristof and Anasha pulled on their helmets quickly and checked the seals to make sure they had atmosphere, and then they grabbed a handrail and waited as the ship began to bounce and jump as it descended towards the surface.

  “Will the electromagnetic disturbances effect the ship too much?” Anasha asked, being unfamiliar with starships.

  “The Phantom is more heavily shielded than most,” Kristof said. “It was more to mask its own EM signal, but it should also help to protect the systems here and now.”

  “Two minutes to touchdown,” came the next announcement.

  The clock on the wall began its countdown as the lights went to a muted red. While not being a combat drop, old habit died hard among this crew. At the one minute mark the hold depressurized quickly before the ramp dropped, at which point Kristof and Anasha grabbed their gear packs and ran off onto the dead world.

  The Phantom lifted off behind them and soon was lost in the night sky. Anasha tried to watch it go, but lost it quickly.

  “You named her aptly, I see,” Anasha commented approvingly.

  “Not much of a stealth ship if you can see her coming and going,” Kristof agreed. “Let’s get moving, I don’t like this place.”

  It was the moon on the horizon that Kristof really didn’t like, and he was glad Anasha didn’t point out the distinction. The landscape that the Phantom had dropped them off in was a twisted, broken mess. In many ways it reminded Kristof of the ruins around Foria back on Purannis. He tried to imagine the force needed to break a planet like this one had been, and couldn’t do it.

  The surface of Clovani Prime had been laid waste by a thousand fusion bombs, but the planet itself had endured. Whatever had happened here had killed the planet to its core and blasted out its heart into space. The vision had shown them something called a Seed of Creation, but this was only death.

  “Anything on the scanners?” Kristof asked as he watched Anasha sweep their surroundings with a small palm scanner.

  “We seem to be below the electromagnetic disturbance,” Anasha said after a moment. “So far I don’t see anything of interest, but I’m not getting any interference either.”

  “Let’s head towards that hill over there,” Kristof said, pointing off to their left. “The vison showed the center of the garden on a rise. If Max is correct, that’s the way we need to go.”

  “Right,” Anasha agreed and they began walking towards the hill.

  As they went, some of the debris around them seemed to take on broken shapes. There were rounded and smoothed stone pieces the seemed too artificial to be naturally occurring rocks. At one point they found a mostly intact fountain and they were now convinced that they had found someplace significant.

  Kristof spotted a brief flash of something metallic and pulled a golden sculpture from the debris. It was a small, childish angel holding a water pitcher and had once been a fountain head.

  “I remember that from the vision,” Anasha said in awe. “This really is Suthanara.”

  “Yes,” Kristof agreed before he keyed on his comm unit on his wrist. “Team One to Queen’s Honor, can you read me?”

  The speaker crackled with static and nothing else.

  “Team One, this is Phantom,” came the voice of Kristof’s communications officer. “Give me a second and I can set up a relay through us to the Honor.”

  “Copy, Phantom,” Kristof replied.

  “What do you think we are looking for here?” Anasha asked as they waited.

  “Wasn’t there a small temple in the vision?” Kristof asked as he tried to recalled details from the vision on Durani.

  “Max would know,” Anasha suggested, to which Kristof nodded.

  The landscape was depressing, Kristof thought, as he remembered the beautiful garden that had once been here. The gold and silver fountains were gone, as well as the flowers and trees and the singing birds. All that remained was broken stone and silence.

  “Queen’s Honor to Team One, do you read?” came a voice over the comm.

  “Copy, Honor,” Anasha responded. “We have found the garden site and confirmed location. Please ask Max if there was a temple on site. There is very little that is recognizable here.”

  “Anasha,” came Max’s voice. “There was a small temple on the southern face of the central hill in the garden.”

  “Thank you, Max. We are proceeding in that direction now. Please stand by.”

  The debris revealed a few more artifacts as they went, but nothing worthy of reporting, so Kristof and Anasha kept h
eading to the southern face of the hill.

  Their comm units beeped urgently all of a sudden, and Kristof thumbed his on quickly even as he felt a touch of darkness against his mind.

  “Team One, be advised there are hostile forces in the area,” came the voice from the Phantom’s communications officer. “Clovani ships have dropped out of hyperspace and engaged our ships. There are also fighters heading towards the surface. Advise that you find cover immediately.”

  “Fuck!” Kristof yelled as he looked at the barren, blasted landscape. “What the fuck are they doing here, now of all times?” he asked as they ran for the hill. Hiding places were nonexistent. The best that presented itself was a few nearby boulders on the hillside. Kristof pointed to them and he and Anasha ran for them.

  The sound of fighters screaming towards the surface soon came to their ears through the thin atmosphere they had unexpectedly still found on the surface, and they spotted a trio of Clovani fighters coming at them fast. Kristof and Anasha ducked down behind the boulders, hoping to go unnoticed by the fighters, but it was no use.

  The ground around them erupted in laser fire from the trio of fighters, creating a huge cloud of dust and falling rocks as the area was pulverized. The fighters passed overhead at a rapid pace and began to circle back in the distance.

  Anasha gave Kristof a helpless look, and he was about to tell her he loved her one last time when the ground beneath their feet broke apart and they were unceremoniously dumped into a dark pit below. It was only pure luck that they were not crushed by the boulders they had been hiding behind, which had fallen with them. The fighters above blasted the area they had been in, again pulverizing the area and creating a massive cloud of dust.

  Kristof grabbed Anasha’s wrist and pulled her towards an opening he’s seen to one side of the pit and away from the hole above them. They kept their lights off so as not to tip off the fighters above that they were still alive.

  “I think we found the temple,” Kristof said through gasping breathes.

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t become our tomb,” Anasha added just as breathlessly.