Orchestra of Shadows

by Charles Nall

  A recorded segment started playing, an interview with Jerry Turner. “Turn it off,” Jacob grumbled. The computer stopped playing the news as requested.

  So, there were other people as depressed as Jacob it appeared. That stuff happening to Artemis is just not very massive at all. The word massive being more closely related to the 21st century equivalent of “cool” than “large.”

  The idea of Andromeda and a fresh start appealed to Jacob. He had always wanted to be a starship captain, not something someone with hardly any money or experience could really do. Perhaps in the fresh start of Andromeda he could become one? Or at least find some sort of work. Sure, there could be countless dangers, but at the same time it could be an amazing chapter in humanity. “It's better than this dump. Computer, can you find the cheapest travel route to Artemis? Something that'd get there within twelve days? I'm sure there has to be some other folks as crazy as me that want a fresh start.”

  “Correct, there is a civilian transport leaving Urbania that is traveling to the Grauer Space Station, Sector 45, near the planet Expanse and then to Artemis.”

  “When is the transport to Grauer leaving, and from what spaceport?”

  “It is departing in fifteen minutes. Vega Spaceport 9,” the computer voice answered.

  “What, that soon? Uh, okay! I think I can get there in time if I hurry, but, can I afford this?”

  “Correct, pay for the transport?”

  “Yes, sure, if I have enough credits. Probably my life's savings but my life will completely change soon! Leave a message for my foster parents. Tell them, 'Thanks for everything, but, I'm... '” Jacob's voice trailed off, “'I'm going away.'”

  “Affirmative.”

  “You know, at this point I'm never going to find my real parents,” Jacob remarked. “But my life goals were to walk on Earth again, discover my real parents, and become a starship captain. I'm pretty sure all of those are impossible, especially the Earth one, but in Andromeda I can set up new goals,”

  “I did not understand your query, please rephrase your query,” the computer replied.

  “Oh, I'm not making one. You are the only... thing I usually talk to.”

  “I did not understand your query, please rephrase your query.”

  “Forget it. Remind me of the way to Port 9.”

  January 27, 0270 AC - 20:26

  USS Freedom, Newcastle-class Destroyer

  Above Urbania, Galactic Union Space

  The Galactic Union destroyer USS Freedom floated near a “jumpgate,” a large device used to break into hyperspace and allow other ships to “jump” into hyperspace for interstellar travel. A small transport ship flew into the open hangar of the destroyer.

  The sails were “unfurled” on Freedom. These four extremely large panels went out at angles from the aft body of the craft. Two sails emerged from the top of the vessel, and two from the bottom at forty-five degree angles. The sails were soaking up cosmic rays for charge for the hyper-drive. These sails almost made the ship look like a giant insect with four large rectangular wings.

  The two hundred and ninety-four meter long Freedom was made up of three subsections. The engine room housing the reactor systems and the hyper-drive were contained in the large stern section. Solar panel sails dominated this rear section. The middle section contained hangars for the fighter force aboard the destroyer. The forward section was wider than the mid section, creating a sort of wing-like structure towards the bow of the ship. The bridge was located in the forward section.

  At the ship's highest point in the stern, not counting the sails, the destroyer was ninety-two meters high. Cruisers and dreadnoughts were even bigger, whereas battleships and gunboats were smaller. Corvettes and frigates were able to dock in Freedom's hangar bay, but the destroyer did not have room for many of them.

  Inside Freedom’s hangar bay, armed guards stood in front of the transport. The captain of the destroyer, John Devereaux, along with some support personnel approached. The doors opened and a large, burly man with a long flowing white beard and lavish military uniform walked forward onto the ramp that was placed in front of the transport. Two guards accompanied him. The man walked down the ramp onto the ship.

  “I'm not sure I like how your docking crew handled my entrance, but I trust the rest of the ship is in peak condition, Captain Devereaux?” the large man said.

  “Yes, yes sir.” The destroyer captain nervously saluted the man.“Welcome aboard. Sir, I do have a question, what brings you to my ship? We haven't had an admiral on this ship in–”

  The admiral interrupted him, “Yes, you are no doubt honored by my presence. I am just here to observe the launching of Exodus. We will be departing soon for Artemis space, I take it?”

  The captain nervously replied, “Yes sir, we will be departing shortly.”

  “Good, Freedom is one of the ships assigned to Artemis to repel a vampire or Confederate attack, correct?”

  “Of course, this destroyer, along with some other ships, I hope, will protect the future of humanity.”

  The admiral smiled. “That sounds mighty pretentious! HA! I like you. Please, show me where I will be staying.”

  “At once,” the captain turned to one of the personnel accompanying him. “Ensign, can you show–”

  The admiral smirked. “I didn't ask for one of them to show me. Please, you are the captain of this ship and know it better than anybody, tell me about your girl.”

  “Oh, of course, sorry, sir,” Captain John Devereaux replied.

  The admiral and captain walked by fighters and other light spacecraft that were docked in the hangar bay of the destroyer. Workers tended to the vessels. The silent guards followed behind the two men. The group arrived to an open hatch, leading further into the labyrinth of the ship. They continued down a well-lit corridor. Devereaux tried to make small talk about the specifications of his destroyer, but the admiral seemed to not really be paying attention. He seemed to have something else on his mind.

  As they approached a branching hallway, Devereaux motioned down the left hall. “Your guest quarters are this way past the engine room, sir, follow me.”

  “And I assume my quarters are... well, I may receive very confidential information through the NEP, there won't be any reason to fear interception of this information?”

  “No, Admiral, everything should be fine. I'm wondering something though, sir?”

  “Yes?” the admiral replied.

  “Do you really think someone will attack Exodus? ”

  “Exodus is very important to the Union! And because of this, certain empires may strike out at us. There's war coming. Us old war-hounds can smell it when it gets close. And between you and me, I smell Orion Confederation. They 'support' Artemis. I'm sure some of the more deadly 'protests' are nothing but Confederate villainy.”

  “I can understand the opposition to the Blood Dynasty, those we call vampires, but I've never really understood animosity towards the Confederate States of Orion. They were our allies–”

  The admiral interrupted the captain, “Were! Alliances in a battle aren't always built upon some ideological similarity. Governments ally themselves with other governments that they think will secure their lives. Not the ‘good guys,’ the guys that they think will win. When there is no blood being shed, in a time of peace, it is the time to figure out who will set off the next salvo. It is now when we figure out who shall be our allies. It doesn't necessarily need to be those who share our views or those who allied with us once before.”

  The pair continued over a catwalk overlooking the engine room. The hairs on their arms started to tingle due to the innate static charge that hung in the air. Devereaux was accustomed to the feeling.

  The reactors emitted a faint hum. Cylinders of energy rose into the vaulted ceiling. A cathedral to the gods of power. The engine room smelled of charred metal, but that was nothing to be concerned about.

  “Respectfully, sir,” Captain John Devereaux said, “I don't believe you a
re correct. Ideologies are more important than winning a war based on nothing.”

  The admiral shook his head. “In the end, the most powerful ideology is power and money. As long as you can secure those two things, it really doesn't matter what you believe in.”

  “I suppose we have different points of view, Admiral Akeldamas, and we can agree to disagree.”

  Akeldamas, Devereaux and the guards exited the engine room and continued down another corridor. The guest quarters of the admiral were in a special position. Typically living quarters were located on the forward bow section of the destroyer. These guest quarters were away from the majority of the crew. Perhaps that was the reason it was being used.

  Akeldamas and the rest of the group started walking down a stairwell to another deck of the ship. Akeldamas continued, “I've been around longer than you. I see the world in it's sad state. If there is bloodshed, it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Suppose the Confederation does interfere with Exodus. You would say this is because of Galactic Union's policies. Perhaps we should have spent more money fixing that broken world rather than scrapping together a ship we will hopefully never see again. Maybe the Confederation will want to claim Artemis as their own again and actually fix it. Blood will be shed. Did we do anything wrong? Or was it better for the Union to cause these actions to unfold?”

  Devereaux glanced behind him at the two guards who were silently following. “Honestly, I think this decision was not thought-out. Can we honestly say that this is the best for Artemis?” Devereaux said.

  Akeldamas scoffed, “Again, you are being simple-minded and not looking at a big picture. If the Confederates attack, we can attack back.”

  “So you are wanting war? That's despicable. For what?” shouted Devereaux.

  “For what else? Securing our place in the universe. Yes, in a morbid sort of way, we are actually wanting that scum to attack so we have an excuse to bring them down. What's that saying? To make an omelet you have to break a few eggs? Unfortunately, that is how things are. The Blood Dynasty, no matter if I like them or not, hate the Orion Confederation. If there was war... it'd be in our best interest to ally with them.”

  “Them? Ugh, I can't believe–”

  The admiral interrupted again, “The Confederation has been undermining Union interests for too long, we just have no conclusive proof. Wiping them off the galaxy would secure our money and power. Artemis might wither and die, but the empire would be stronger than ever.”

  “Empire? This doesn't sound right to me. You want war?”

  Akeldamas smiled. “Of course. You can't just go shooting without provocation, though. We know the States are up to something, but we can't just attack. We need a reason.”

  Devereaux stopped and got in the admiral's face. “So, is all of this some sort of trap? Are you wanting them to attack the Exodus?”

  Akeldamas calmly passed by the captain. “That sounds rather barbaric if you put it that way!”

  “What you’re saying is barbaric!”

  “Captain, I'm merely saying that if fate decides to put on us on that path, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.”

  The arguing men stopped next to a door along one of the barren metallic walls of the destroyer.

  The captain continued, “Fate? I don't believe in fate. I am my own man, I have free will. I fear that other people have free will too, though, and they have the free will to do terrible things. What's to stop people from attacking their own countrymen, then blaming it on the Orion Confederation? It’s sick. If it’s the 'best' thing for the Galactic Union, I could see people setting up Artemis to fail from the start. Enough of this, here are your quarters, I hope they appease you.”

  Akeldamas walked into the doorway of the quarters but turned around to face the captain again. “I'm sure they will and what you are saying is, frankly, absurd. Everyone cares about the people of Artemis, I just understand how the world works. When you are older, you may understand my wisdom.”

  “Well, I hope Exodus finds the fountain of youth so I will never have to believe what you do.”

  The admiral smirked. “Of course, even if they did, you'd be long dead by then.”

  “That's true, I suppose I'll find some solace in the fact that you would be dead too. Good day, sir.” Captain Devereaux walked away from the admiral and shook his head in disgust.

  The admiral smirked and entered his room after motioning for his guards to depart. The admiral roamed the room and made sure he did not see any recording devices. The quarters were surrounded by silver polished walls. Akeldamas could smell a hint of cinnamon in the air. Obviously some sort of deceptive filter of the air system, probably not real cinnamon. The quarters were well-furnished and aesthetically pleasing. Akeldamas imagined this was not the norm on the ship. The quarters were presented well to try to hide the fact that the rest of the ship was built by the lowest bidder with emphasis on function over form. He peered out a window and saw Urbania against the void of space. Akeldamas approached a computer screen on the wall of the quarters.

  The admiral slid a data disc into the computer panel right under the screen. “Computer, log into the NEP. Go to Channel 892, Empire-6 Delta Charlie Zero. Access black priority 27.”

  “Black priority is not a standard priority protocol. Please rephrase your query,” the computer replied.

  “Access the disc I loaded into this computer. Make sure this is a secure channel, let no one else know it was here.”

  “Affirmative.”

  “Access black priority 27-3A.”

  “Confirmed. 27-3A from SDY-127 gateway. Entangled Particles initiated. Destination found. Accessing. Access accepted. Masking trace, encrypting transmission.” The screen flashed a myriad of different colors and let out a drone. Finally, the colors stopped and a man shrouded in darkness appeared on the screen.

  The man in darkness spoke, “Ah. Mr. Bradley Akeldamas. I trust you are onboard Freedom?”

  “Indeed, my liege. I will oversee the operation. The captain here... might be problematic.”

  “Eliminate or persuade him if you must, but unnecessary bloodshed or complications are not required at this time. You have your orders.”

  Akeldamas nodded. “Of course.”

  The man in black responded, “Do not get caught. That would undermine everything. Do not fail me. Make sure Exodus is completely destroyed and that the evidence shows the Confederation were the culprits. Destroy it. It’s just the first step.”

  “Understood... May I ask how the second step is coming along? Does it work?”

  “Yes, but there needs to be further tests,” remarked the man shrouded in darkness.

  “Have members of the Confederation been convinced to go along with the plan?”

  “We have not started that process as of yet. But we have identified our candidates.”

  “I did some business with the Confederation. I'm sure you are aware. I have some acquaintances. Anybody I know? I'd be a little depressed if I knew them, sir,” Akeldamas said.

  The man in darkness snarled, “Are you wanting to make me angry? Past acquaintances mean nothing, gnat. Ugh! You make me sick sometimes.”

  “I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean it like that,” replied a panicked admiral.

  The mysterious man sighed. “You disgust me, but if you must know, yes, I believe you know one of the candidates. If this compromises your mission you will be convinced to continue.”

  “I understand,” the admiral placed his head on his palm. “Who is it?”

  “Tanari Oshiro, of the Kado-class Iriguchi.”

  Akeldamas looked toward the window. “Thank you, sir, that is all I wanted to know. I will carry out the mission.”

  “Good. Transmission end.”

  The colors flashed on the screen again as Akeldamas collapsed onto a chair in his quarters. Akeldamas sighed. “Sorry, old friend. May you die with honor.” Akeldamas peered out the window into space. “And wherever you are out there, Exodus, may you die with honor as well.”
>
  January 27, 0270 AC - 20:45

  East Vega, Port 9, Urbania

  Galactic Union Space

  Jacob found his seat and sat down. The seat had a strange device that looked like a headband embedded into the headrest. Wires ran up the side of the seat into this headband.

  The transport wasn't a large one. Jacob was surprised this ship would be able to withstand the pressures of hyperspace. There was only one seat next to him. He sat next to a small window.

  Attendants walked up and down the aisles and made sure everything was in order. One attendant walked up to Jacob.

  “Excuse me, sir?”

  “Yes?” Jacob replied.

  “Hi, can I get your name, please? Just making sure of something.”

  “Oh, sure, I'm Jacob Carpenter.”

  She nodded and looked at a small personal computer in her hands. “Age 21?”

  “Correct, miss.”

  “Okay, so you do not have any reactions to sleep induction or space travel?”

  “Not to my knowledge, although I haven't left Urbania very much.”

  “Oh, what takes you off world?”

  “Exodus, maybe. I'm not sure I have sold myself on the idea as of yet, but I think that is where I will be going.”

  “Oh, well best of luck in Andromeda if that's your destination!”

  Jacob smiled. “Thanks.”

  The attendant nodded. “You shouldn't need any special medication, but if you feel any discomfort during travel, please let an attendant know.”

  The attendant moved onto another passenger. “What's your name?”

  “Don't let anybody know. I see it. They're here. They're here!” replied the other passenger to the attendant.

  “Calm down sir...”

  “They're here. Watching. Outside the strand.”