Orchestra of Shadows

by Charles Nall

The captain turned his chair to a holographic viewscreen that shimmered into existence.

  Regent Drake Mabus appeared on the viewscreen. “Gentlemen.”

  Akeldamas stood up and bowed to the viewscreen. “My liege.”

  Drake Mabus laughed. “Akeldamas, I've heard of what you call me behind my back. Your gesture means nothing. You are spineless, be thankful I haven't made that literal as of yet.”

  “Apologies, sir.”

  “My cruiser will be in Artemis space in a week. I take it the defenses are being set up?” Mabus asked.

  “Yes, our forces are arriving soon, there will not be any issues,” Devereaux replied. “That is, until that Confederation force shows up.”

  Regent Drake Mabus smiled. “It is quite an interesting feeling to see all of my planning come to fruition. Of course, this is only the beginning. We'll be ready to jump when the Confederation forces jump in. Although I kind of want to watch Agamemnon burn, I'll have to settle for the news.”

  “Respectfully, sir, I still have concerns about the well-being of my crew,” Devereaux said.

  “Your crew means nothing to me. Do what you must to survive if you value your life, but if your ship is destroyed it means nothing. I do not even care about the admiral's life. In fact, it might be better if he was on Agamemnon as well, just so I'd know for sure he was dead, too.”

  Akeldamas smiled. “I wouldn't be your right hand if that happened. I will be at your side as the galaxy burns.”

  Drake Mabus sighed. “Akeldamas, Devereaux is more likely to be at my right hand. That's how little I value you. Stop using our resources for your own personal vendettas and stop slandering me, you are walking a very fine line. That is all. I just wanted to make sure everything was going according to plan.”

  “Yes, sir,” Akeldamas said.

  The transmission ended.

  Devereaux chuckled.“The master doesn't like you.”

  “It's no matter, he will see my worth eventually.”

  “I still do not believe your master is the Regent of the Blood Dynasty. I always thought he was a nice guy.”

  “Of course he is. He just wants what is best. The removal of the cancer in the galaxy. His family was ridiculed for years. Quarantined to its own sector, just because they were different. If you treat someone like an animal, do not be surprised if they bite. Hate fuels hate.”

  “Yes, I know. That was a dark part of our history, but things are looking up. The President honestly wants peace between the Galactic Union and the Blood Dynasty.”

  “Yes,” Akeldamas said, “but that doesn't remove any blood on Union hands. A peace treaty is just a piece of paper. We need actual change, we need the galaxy to be one again. We have to separate the wheat from the chaff. We are one blood.”

  “And what better way to prove we are one blood than mass murder?”

  “There must be blood. The new age will not begin without the sacrifices of many. We will stand atop the tower of corpses and finally reach heaven.”

  Devereaux shook his head. “I do not want any part of your heaven, it is my hell.”

  Akeldamas smiled. “Better to reign in hell, than serve in heaven.”

  February 23, 0270 AC - 15:55

  Hangar, CFS Iriguchi

  Near Sol System, Orion Confederation Space

  The ravaged Rapture came to rest in the hangar area of the hypership. This hangar went straight down the middle of the hypership. Fighters were landing down the runway and crew members were bustling.

  Captain Tanari Oshiro and Lieutenant Yamato Koizumi along with some support staff stood in front of Rapture. The loading bay opened and the shaken crew of Rapture walked down into hangar. They were greeted by the captain. The crew of the corvette shook the hands of their saviors.

  Oshiro bowed. “Peace. Welcome to Iriguchi. She's the best ship in the fleet, but I am biased as her captain. Our crew will fix your ship up to the best of our ability. You are welcome in our home, we are honored to have you as our guests.”

  Lieutenant Yamato Koizumi bowed as well. “Peace. I'm the current XO, Yamato Koizumi. I understand you will probably want to get cleaned up. We'll allow you to use some of the showers here on the ship. Don't worry about payment, we don't get a chance to work on corvettes often. It's a good training exercise. Don't worry, your ship is still in capable hands. Closest showers are just this way.”

  Rapture's crew introduced themselves and followed the executive officer. The captain went an opposite direction and gave orders to some of the crew.

  “What made you decide to help our corvette? We're just mercenaries,” Elijah said.

  “We help those in need. We detected a jump point collapse a few minutes before receiving your distress signal. Oshiro made a judgment call to destroy your assailant. Although, we probably should have not destroyed the ship in retrospect. There is a mystery regarding that ship, we have no idea where their loyalties lie. Perhaps they were just other mercenaries?”

  The group turned and started walking down a hallway.

  Sharon shook her head. “No. I don't think so. They’re part of something dark. I would go on, but I have no idea who I can trust at this point. We do thank you for your hospitality.”

  “Of course,” Koizumi said.

  They continued down the well-lit corridor. The walls were a light gray with occasional panels displaying the status of the hypership. Everything was clean and polished, quite the difference from what Jacob’s crew were used to. They came to an intersection in the corridor. Four security guards were escorting a prisoner down the hall.

  Arnold glanced at the prisoner and then did a double-take. “Wait. Riko?”

  Riko Maeda, the prisoner, looked toward Arnold. “Arnold? What are you doing here?”

  “Long story. What are you doing in handcuffs?” replied Arnold.

  “Also a long story.”

  “Be quiet,” a guard commanded as they pushed Riko along the hall and out of sight.

  “What did she do?” Arnold asked to Koizumi.

  Koizumi sighed. “The former lieutenant killed our last XO. That's why I got this job.”

  Arnold was shocked. “No, she isn't like that.”

  “I agree,” Koizumi said. “But all evidence points to her. I'm sorry.”

  “How do you know that woman?” Jacob asked.

  “Went to school with her on Artemis. Seems like forever ago,” Arnold said.

  The crew continued down the corridor.

  “Artemis? What is she doing in the Confederation military?” Jacob asked.

  “Probably an artifact from when Artemis used to belong to the Orion Confederation,” Trevor said. “The Galactic Union decided that Artemis was a candidate for terraforming and requested the system in trade for another system down the border. This was back when the two sides weren't about to go to war, obviously.”

  “Go to war? There's lots of rumblings, but there will be no war. We only want peace,” Koizumi said.

  “That could be true, I just have a feeling a very bad war is about to erupt. Anyways, was I right, Arnold?”

  “More or less, Trevor. They allowed people who lived on the now defunct space station orbiting Diana at that time to move to Artemis and gain Galactic Union citizenship or leave for Orion territory. After high school Riko's entire family moved back to Orion to rejoin some relatives. I haven't seen her since. But I know for sure she could not have murdered anyone.”

  “People can change,” Jacob said.

  “Not like that.”

  “Well, it's not out of the realm of possibility that she did it, or was forced to,” Sharon said.

  “Or, perhaps, she didn't do it at all,” Trevor pointed out.

  “I want to see that evidence,” Arnold said to Koizumi.

  “I feel for you, I really do. She was my friend, too. Do not worry about our business. You are guests in our home, don't overstep your boundaries.”

  “Could I at least talk to her?” Arnold asked.

  “Perhaps. She
's undergoing another series of questioning now. She'll be back in her cell in a few hours. You'll need to talk to her soon. I fear she will be executed in a few days. I'm sorry. Here's the washroom, plenty of stalls for all of you. Clean yourselves up. Make yourselves at home.”

  February 24, 0270 AC - 13:15

  Brig, CFS Iriguchi

  Near Sol System, Orion Confederation Space

  Arnold Lawrence entered the brig and looked for Riko Maeda's cell. It took a lot of persistence, but he obtained

  permission to talk to her in private for a few minutes. No guards were around to hear the conversation. The brig area was dirty and rusted, a contrast to the rest of Iriguchi.

  Arnold knocked on some of the iron bars surrounding Riko's cell. “Hey there.”

  “Arnold!”

  “Looks like life is going fantastic over here in the States.”

  Riko laughed. “Oh yeah. What are you doing here?”

  “Again, it's a long story. Condensed version: I fly with a crew on a mercenary ship. Well, if you can call it that, we haven't been together for very long. I actually do enjoy the work and enjoy the crew. Iriguchi saved us from an assault from an enemy corvette.”

  “Enemy?”

  “We have no idea who they were but they beat our ship up pretty bad.”

  “Because you are probably doing nefarious stuff in that mercenary business!” Riko joked.

  “No, not at all,” Arnold said.

  “I know. I'm just messing with you.”

  “You are the one doing nefarious stuff.”

  “Do you believe them? Do you believe I killed the commander?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Slade did it. He's slime.”

  “Slade?”

  Riko paced in her cell. “I don't know, he just showed up one day. I never really thought about it. He's close to the captain. The commander had a fish tank in his room. The tank was shattered during the murder and the water went everywhere. I passed by Slade on the way to talk to the commander and his boots were wet. I was framed. The commander and I were getting closer to uncovering a conspiracy.”

  “Conspiracy?”

  “Yes. I'm sorry, I'd love to tell you more, but I don't trust anyone right now.”

  “You can trust me, Riko. Please.”

  “It doesn't matter at this point. I'll be staring at rifles pretty soon. My captain is not himself. He's a completely different person and is communicating with Admiral Akeldamas of the Galactic Union. Our ship is equipped with a new stealth hyper-drive. They are planning to attack President Kael Eridanys during the peace talks. We have to prevent it. If you can get out of here and warn them– ”

  “Well, they would not believe us. And, um, we're kind of on the run from the Galactic Union right now. They claim we are connected to the Exodus tragedy. I don't think we're going back that way any time soon.”

  “I've heard the news reports. They said the captain of Exodus was responsible. He has ties to Captain Oshiro, therefore the Confederation was also responsible. The adopted daughter of the captain of Exodus fled Galactic Union space as soon as everything went down, so she may have something to do with it, too. Is the daughter part of your crew?”

  “Yes, she's a close friend. Her name is Sharon Rose.”

  “Oh. How close?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Oh. Not really.”

  “We didn't have anything to do with Exodus. Sharon believes that her dad was forced to do it against his will.”

  “Well, now that you say that... I was watching a transmission between Akeldamas and Oshiro. The captain seemed to have second thoughts. He may not actually want to do the attack.”

  “Is Akeldamas pushing for war between the Confederation and the Galactic Union? Eventually the dam will break and the war will happen.”

  “I don't know what is going on. If he's trying to start a war, then we have to prevent it.”

  “We should let everyone know on this ship. Your crew won't have anything to do with it.”

  “Will they believe the person that is in the brig for killing the commander? We have to clear my name first.”

  Arnold nodded. “And how do we do that?”

  Riko sighed. “I don't know. Talk to Yamato Koizumi to get the data disc. There's a vid file showing Akeldamas talking to Oshiro. But I have no idea how to prove Slade killed the commander. The commander was paranoid, it's confusing to me that he let the stranger into his quarters.”

  “I'll try my best to prove your innocence. I believe you.”

  “Thanks. It's good to see you, Arnold.”

  “Good to see you, too, Riko... My time is probably just about up. I have to go. I'll get you out of here.”

  “I know you will.”

  Arnold walked away from the cell and then paused and called back to Riko, “Why did you care how close I was to Sharon?”

  “Oh.” Riko giggled. “Um. I always had a bit of a crush on you. Come on, you were the hot jock in high school!”

  Arnold laughed. “I'm really not the 'jock' anymore.”

  “Well, you never seemed to notice me.”

  “Believe me, I did.”

  “Well are you and Sharon–”

  “It's hard to tell. I can't figure out girls!”

  “Oh? Well get me out of this cell and I'll let you figure out me! I mean– oh, that sounded awkward.”

  Arnold laughed. “I will get you out of there.”

  Riko shyly smiled. “Yeah, okay. I believe you. Talk to Yamato Koizumi, he's the only person on this ship I actually trust.”

  “Besides me.”

  “Of course.”

  A guard yelled from outside the brig, “Alright, time to go! You've been in there long enough!”

  “Bye, Riko. See you soon.”

  A tear streamed down Riko's cheek. “Bye, and...”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you.”

  February 24, 0270 AC - 13:15

  Hangar, CFS Iriguchi

  Near Sol System, Orion Confederation Space

  Captain Tanari Oshiro was showing Jacob, Trevor, and Sharon around the hangar of the ship. Rapture was undergoing repairs further down the hangar corridor.

  Oshiro pointed at one of the fighters in the bay as they walked to it. “This is a Kitsune fighter. We don't have very many but we love the ones we have. A little smaller than the faithful Peregrine. What it lacks in firepower is made up in its speed. It only has two small mass drivers and a rotary cannon on the front, but the fighter is a full ten percent faster than a typical Peregrine.”

  “That's similar to your jumpship itself: light on weaponry but fast, right?” Sharon said.

  Oshiro chuckled. “Sort of. In reality this ship isn't that much faster than a typical warship. However, our ship can bring a group of warships with us in a hyper-conduit with ease. That's something a dreadnought, armed to the teeth with heavy weapons, just can't do.”

  “What sort of weapons do you have on the ship?” Jacob asked.

  Oshiro pat the side of the Kitsune. “Well for one, our fighter wing. Fighters harass the enemy as best they can, knocking out any weapons, shield generators, or thrusters. Fighters can't really take out a battle cruiser on their own, but they can wound them. Once wounded, we can turn the hypership's mass drivers onto the enemy. We kinetically propel a metal shell through a series of magnets to ridiculously high speeds to pierce the hull of the enemy. It doesn't do near as much damage as a coil cannon on the front of a bigger warship, though.”

  The group continued down the hangar.

  “Coil cannon? That's the first time I've heard that term,” Jacob said.

  “A mass driver than ate a hearty breakfast in the morning,” Trevor said.

  Oshiro smiled. “Yes, basically.”

  “Mass drivers aren't created equally, the biggest and baddest of mass drivers are called coil cannons. These drivers propel a huge slug through a lot more magnets than a typical mass driver. The slug on impact does a
tremendous amount of damage. If a warship turns and aims its front coil cannons at you, it's best to get out of the way,” Sharon said.

  “I'm still new to this.” Jacob chuckled. “That's good to know, though. What about shields?”

  “Shields go down if you tickle them with a feather,” Trevor said.

  Oshiro laughed. “Not quite to that level. They're mainly just to knock away space debris and light mass driver fire. The kinetic energy of an impact is distributed to the shield generator as heat. If there is too much weapon fire hitting the shields the corresponding shield generator will overheat. Eventually the shield generators will cool off and start working again, but there will be a window where the hull itself will be getting hit by enemy fire.”

  The group continued past other fighters. Crew members were attending to the fighters. The flight crew were fueling, restocking, and cleaning their spacecraft. The hangar was bustling with activity.

  Oshiro continued, “I need to show you the engine room. The main catwalk is surrounded by four huge reactor cylinders rising to the sky. A static charge dances on your skin as you walk through the area. All the machinery, in a way, is beautiful.”

  “Oh I would love to see the engine room,” Sharon said.

  A roar of an engine was heard in the hangar. A corvette had just entered into the hypership. It flew overhead and then landed on a landing pad. “MADCAT-2” was painted on the side of the corvette. A few crew members rushed over to it. The loading bay opened.

  Jacob pointed at the craft. “MADCAT-2? Teresa?”

  Teresa Day and her crew walked into the hypership's hangar. Teresa chatted with a member of the flight crew. She glanced over to Jacob and smiled and walked up to them with her crew.

  “Found you,” Teresa said.

  “How?” Jacob asked.

  “I heard about the jump point collapse. Silver Cove lost their jumpgate. That's pricey! Your last known position would be somewhere in this sector, that is, if you weren't splattered all over hyperspace. I'm glad you’re in one piece. The nice folks of this jumpship let us come aboard.”

  “It's good to see, you, Teresa,” Jacob said.