Orchestra of Shadows
Page 26
Benefactors?
Oshiro sighed. “It's terrible. I don't like the fact that the Orion Confederation will be destroyed.”
“Of course, but I will try to save your crew. Please, trust me.”
“I trust you. I just don't know how I will get my crew to listen to me. Or those other ships to listen to me. How will I lead the assault force?”
“It's already set in motion. It will happen. Further details will be sent later. It will be an easy mission. The hyper-drive stealth system works without any issues, right?”
“Correct, it works perfectly.”
“Then we are ready. Be prepared. The peace conference will happen soon.”
“I understand,” Oshiro said as the transmission ended.
Riko's head was spinning. Riko saved the transmission onto a disc. Maybe she could prevent the tragedy. She had to get this disc to the commander as soon as possible. She would wait until he was done with his current shift. For now she had to get some rest and water to try to feel better.
February 19, 0270 AC - 20:33
Rapture
Hyperspace, Neutral Zone
Sharon and Elijah were sitting in the lounge of Rapture. The rest of the crew were at their positions on the bridge.
“I really screwed up. Both Arnold and Jacob probably hate me now,” Sharon said.
“No, no. They do not hate you,” Elijah said.
“I did things I regret. I am trying my best to try to figure out this tragedy but I can't. It's hopeless. So I just break down. My dad is dead. I was close to both Arnold and Jacob and now I'm distant. I made two mistakes. And the main problem? I made the same mistake twice. How will I ever face them?”
Elijah placed his hand on Sharon's. “It's alright. Everything will work out. To some degree. Your path is a tragic one, and it will only get darker before the light of dawn. Hold onto what you feel brings you happiness, because the darkness will overtake everything soon.”
“What?”
“Sorry.”
Sharon chuckled. “Have I told you that you remind me of Vis, a little old lady on Artemis that spoke in riddles as well?”
Elijah smiled. “Perhaps we got it from the same place.”
“Maybe. You happen to know anybody named Michael?” Sharon asked.
“Can't say I do.”
“Oh well. Some sort of visitor to her shack. I didn't ask. Maybe people are right, she's nuts.”
“Did she say anything that resonated with you?”
“Just things that made me think Jacob was my soul mate.”
“Have you ever considered he still is? Just because you had a rough patch doesn't mean things are over.”
“I know. But then there's Arnold. I made a mistake okay?”
“Okay. Everyone makes mistakes. There's a reason for everything. A destiny that can only be seen above this mortal plane. A destiny, a destiny we are rushing toward: the only perfect destiny. Everything must happen or there will be complete and utter darkness.”
“You are doing it again.”
“Sorry.”
“Destiny. Fate. Do they exist?” Sharon asked.
“I don't know, what do you think?”
“I think you believe in it. You babble about it.”
“Well, yes, I babble about a lot of things. I don't know what is going on in my head. How do you think I feel? A little over a week ago I was piloting a Peregrine fighter for the USS Atlas! You are obviously grieving but my life has been shaken up quite a bit as well. I have to believe I am here for some reason. What reason? I don't know. But I am embracing it. Hopefully we will all discover why I am here. There's a reason for it. Just like there is a reason for your dad perishing. It's awful, but it will lead to something better.”
“I don't know how anything could be better without my dad,” Sharon said.
Elijah nodded. “I know. I don't either. I am here for a reason. You are here for a reason.”
“Is there some ultimate plan laid out in front of me? Perhaps. I'd love to know what I am supposed to do. What should I do? Is it really my choice if there is a plan?”
“There is always a choice.”
“I find that to be a paradox.”
“Life is a paradox.”
“What then should I do?”
Elijah rubbed his forehead. “Embrace life because you never know when it will be taken away. And soon, life will be taken. Not for your sins, but for the sins of all. The final war.”
“You think we will figure out those riddles one day? You need to get your head checked.”
“I suppose. Still, you should embrace life.”
“Well, then, who do I embrace? I was close to both Arnold and Jacob. I don't want to hurt either of them,”
“You have to try to make things right. Just think with your heart.”
Jacob walked into the lounge and collapsed onto a chair. “I am getting very tired of watching hyperspace. I want this to be over. I've never been in hyperspace so long. What are you guys doing?”
Elijah smiled. “Just talking.”
Sharon cocked her head. “Jake. You shaved.”
“Oh, yeah. I figured it was about time to get rid of the jungle on my face.” Jacob laughed.
Sharon smiled. “I think you are handsome with or without the jungle.”
“Uh, thanks. So what were you guys talking about?” Jacob asked.
“Is there such a thing as destiny?” Elijah said.
“I've had a similar discussion before. I don't think so. But what do I know? It's probably something humans can't really quite comprehend,” Jacob said.
Elijah nodded. “I agree.”
“But if we could comprehend it... If we could see it? What would we see? Horror or Beauty?” Jacob asked.
“Both,” Sharon said.
Elijah smiled. “There is no shadow without light.”
February 19, 0270 AC - 15:06
CFS Iriguchi
Edge of Confederate Space
Lieutenant Riko Maeda hurried down the corridor. She turned a corner and bumped into Mr. Slade.
“Oh, excuse me!” Slade exclaimed. “Are you in a hurry?”
“N–not particularly. I wanted to talk to the commander.”
“I see. Well, have a good day, Lieutenant,” Slade said as he walked away. Riko Maeda continued rushing down the corridor. Slade watched Riko walk away and pondered something and then continued on his way.
Riko stopped and looked behind her. The suited man was trailing a bit of water, like he had walked through a puddle. He also was a little roughed up. Several strands of hair were no longer slicked back. A small gash cut across his upper lip.
Riko shrugged.
The lights in the corridor flickered.
That’s odd.
Riko went up to Commander Tsukino's door. A puddle of water surrounded the doorway. She trudged through it. She hit a button on the side of the doorway.
“Commander?” No answer. She beat on the door.
“Commander!” She hit the button again.
She stood frustrated at the door and continued to beat on it. A member of Iriguchi security that was walking the halls approached Riko. “Lieutenant? Everything okay?”
“Do you know where the commander is?”
“No? He's not in his quarters?”
“Can you open this door? I need to check on him. Something odd is going on.”
“No, sorry. We respect everyone's privacy. Besides, we’ve been getting reports of electrical disturbances. We lost all security sub-systems on this deck. The door may be on the fritz, too.”
“This isn't right. Look at the puddle in front of the door, that's not usual. What’s going on? We have to try to get in.”
The guard sighed. “Alright, alright. He’s probably fine.”
The guard held out his hand to the panel and hit some keys on the side. The door slid open. “Well, that’s still working.” The security guard walked into the room. “Sir? Commander Tsukino?”
The guard walked further and noticed the fish tank was shattered. The floor was soaked. A few fish flapped in desperation, struggling to stay alive. The guard called over a communications device, “One-alpha. I need backup to the XO's quarters. Sign of a struggle. I may need medics as well, uncertain at the moment. Oh Terra! Get those medics down here!” The guard ran over to the body of Commander Tyr Tsukino. Blood was mixing into the water.
Riko ran up to the side of the commander and screamed, “Commander! Commander!”
“He's gone, Lieutenant. He's gone.”
A shard of glass from the tank was sliced into the throat of the commander.
Riko wailed and buried her face into Tsukino's lifeless torso. “No. No...”
A connection was made in Riko's head. She had just saw the suited man trailing water behind him. Did he just murder the commander? “The m–man with the suit. What was his name? Slade! Mr. Slade! Do you know him?”
The security guard nodded. “I've met him before.”
“Get security to arrest that man!” Riko shouted. “He is responsible! I just saw him walking away, his feet were soaked! Please!”
“Okay, okay.” The guard called back over his communications device, “One-alpha. Lieutenant Maeda believes Slade is a suspect. Detain him for questioning. One-alpha!”
Captain Oshiro and Lieutenant Koizumi walked into the quarters with a squad of more security. Oshiro's sullen eyes met Riko's teary eyes. Slade stepped into view right next to the captain.
Riko's eyes widened. She pointed at Slade and yelled at the security force, “It was him! It was him! Slade did this to the commander!”
The captain turned his head. “Security, arrest Lieutenant Maeda.”
“WHAT?!”
Mr. Slade stammered, “That's—that’s her. Yeah. Tsukino and I were discussing things and she knocked on the door. She came into the room with us. He introduced us. We all talked a bit and then she just, shot at him with a sidearm. She missed but it shattered the tank behind him –I tried to get away, I ran away but not before she overpowered the commander and stabbed him in the neck. I–I'm sorry, I couldn't save him, she had a gun!”
Guards grabbed Riko and pulled her upright and began to drag her away. She quickly pulled the disc she brought with her out of her pocket and dropped it onto the floor. She struggled. “What? No! I ran into Slade in the corridor.” She turned to the guard. “Tell them I was trying to get into the door be–before we found the commander.”
“Well, yes,” the guard said, “you were. But you could have always just exited the door beforehand. There was water you were standing in...” The guard pointed at a handgun on the floor. “Is that yours?”
“No? I didn't bring my sidearm with me.”
“That's a standard military handgun,” Oshiro said. “It could very well be hers. Collect all the evidence and get Tsukino's body out of here. Take her to the brig.”
“What about Mr. Slade?” the guard asked.
“He didn't do this, I was aware of a scheduled meeting between Slade and Tsukino. I have no reason to believe he did it. There is no reason for Riko Maeda to be here. I believe she hacked our security sub-systems as well.”
“No! I didn't do it!” She locked eyes with Koizumi. “Please. I didn't do this. Help me.”
Riko Maeda looked toward the floor. She stopped resisting. She was then dragged away by the guards. The captain followed.
Lieutenant Koizumi stayed in the room with some of the guards collecting evidence. The security were not looking toward Koizumi. Koizumi noticed a data disc in the standing water. He bent down and grabbed it. He pocketed the disc and left.
February 23, 0270 AC - 13:12
Rapture
Hyperspace, Neutral Zone
Rapture continued its journey through hyperspace. It was heading home to Silver Cove. The mission was a complete success. There was no bandit activity and Intrepid successfully reached its destination. The entire crew were at their stations on the bridge.
“Easy money,” Arnold said.
“But oh so boring,” Jacob said.
Sharon tapped on her console. “I don't think you're allowed to complain if it went well, Jake.”
“It's not a bad thing to be bored in this business,” Elijah said.
“I'm just glad my course didn't ram us into a gravity well of a star. I'm taking that victory.” Trevor chuckled as he leaned back into his chair.
Sharon opened the video file of the explosion on Silver Cove. Jun Souran detonated over and over. Sharon stared at the screen.
“That is so morbid,” Arnold said.
“I know, but I have a feeling I can figure something out. Getting close to Silver Cove again just made me remember how I tried to follow leads on that station. They all were duds. But there's something about this vid... I can't put my finger on it. Something is off.”
Elijah walked over to the console. “You think this has something to do with Exodus?”
“Yeah, I know, I'm being foolish,” Sharon said.
Elijah shook his head. “Maybe not. Everything is connected.”
“You can do it, Sharon. If there's something you have your mind set on, I know you can do it.”
Sharon smiled. “Thanks, Jake. I really appreciate it. One day we'll figure this all out.” She stared at the video.
Elijah cocked his head. “It's true, though. We will help out if we can. An emissary of the enemy is trying to live when he is not supposed to. He flees.”
Jacob laughed. “Always with the cryptic messages.”
Trevor pondered something. “No. He's right. The emissary still lives. He knows his time is nearly up. They are coming. Total darkness before the light– before–oh I feel sick, what did I just do.”
Sharon looked at both Trevor and Elijah. “You both were potentially experimented upon. I think you are connecting to something. Additional knowledge has been granted to you, just like the old lady on Artemis. This is bigger than us. We will uncover the truth eventually, I hope. I just know I have to figure this vid out.”
Elijah pointed to the screen. “He shows himself.”
The video showed Jun Souran facing away from the security camera. He shouted something and then blew up. People around him were forcefully knocked down in the carnage and nearby crates and stands in the market splintered into pieces. Before the explosion, right after Jun shouted, a dark object appeared to be expelled from the front of Jun's head. The dark object was hard to make out due to the low quality of the video, but the dark object appeared to land on the station floor and scurry away right before the explosion leveled the area.
“Wait, you're right, something came out of him. What is that?” Sharon asked.
“Darkness,” Elijah said. “A minion of darkness. It will all be revealed eventually.”
“Wait,” Arnold said. “Some... thing was inside Jun Souran and jumped out of him before the explosion?”
Sharon's eyes grew wide. “It sounds bizarre... but–it sort of makes sense. Rattlesnake makes sense. Maybe even the bleeding makes sense now. We have to figure this out. I need to talk to the prisoner on the Cove as soon as possible.”
“What are you thinking?” Jacob asked.
“This thing, for lack of a better term, jumped out of Jun Souran before the explosion. It then went and, I don't know, entered Rattlesnake? They both had the same habits because they both had the same creature inside of them? Perhaps this creature controls them? The creature was supposed to die in the explosion but it wanted to live. It's unbelievable. Could this be true?”
“It could be. Stranger things have happened,” Elijah said.
Jacob nodded. “Like finding you in the ice fields of Kappa Velorum.”
Elijah smiled. “Exactly.”
February 23, 0270 AC - 12:26
Brig, CFS Iriguchi
Edge of Confederate Space
“How are you doing?” Yamato Koizumi asked on the othe
r side of the bars.
Riko Maeda smiled. “I'm okay. Who got promoted to my console during alert shift?”
“Ensign Miyamoto.”
“Oh, he's nice.”
“I guess. I miss you up there.”
“No you don't.”
Yamato smiled. “Okay, fine, you’re right.”
Riko laughed. “I knew it. So who is the new executive officer?”
“I am.”
Riko laughed again. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. So that makes things even more awkward. I found the disc you dropped in the commander's quarters. I looked at the vid file on the disc. We talked about being trapped. This is definitely trapped. I don't know how to get you out or get this out without getting caught myself.”
“We need to prove that Slade killed the commander. If we can do that, there's no reason to keep me behind bars.”
“I need to reveal the conspiracy. We need to let people know the captain isn't to be trusted. He was the main reason people accepted the fact you were sent to the brig and not Slade.”
“Right, but if you reveal that you will be killed. Do not trust anyone. I have no idea how far this has spread. Those other ships are also along for the ride on the assault plans. Why? Are they willing or not?”
Yamato sighed. “Right. But how will I be able to get evidence of Slade?”
“I don't know. Tsukino told me not to trust anyone. I don't know why he would agree to meet with this stranger,” Riko said.
“I will go back over the evidence. I will get you out of here.”
“I know you will. I feel like a fish in Tsukino's tank. I’m trapped behind glass and have no idea how to get out. One day though, it will just be shattered.”
“What will be shattered?”
“Everything.”
11
February 23, 0270 AC – 14:44 Local Time
Rapture in dock
Silver Cove, Neutral Space
Rapture came to rest on one of the vertical landing docks. The ion thrusters on the wings steamed as they powered down. A worker on the dock connected a hose onto the underside of the corvette. The worker released the valve and fuel started pumping into the corvette. The corvette did not need much, but it did need some to produce continued fusion reactions in the reactor. The worker also connected some cables into the undercarriage.