Star Bridge (Space Rogue Book 4)

by Jay Toney

  Astrea stepped back from me, and Persephone withdrew from my body. Both were shaken and weakened from the experience.

  "I am sorry, I could not sort my memories from Nathaniel's. His will was greater than mine. I started feeding him his memories, then he took over absorbing all of my own. He even took those memories that were hidden from me. I don't know how he did it. He shouldn't have been able to."

  "Will he be Nathaniel again?" Amber asked, fearing for his loss.

  "I do not know who or what he will be when he awakens. For now, he needs to sleep."

  "His soul was severely damaged by the mind wipe, nearly destroyed, how he even maintained part of it is a mystery to me. I've knitted the pieces I could back together. It will heal in time, but he needs rest."

  "It is not like Nathaniel to rest when there are things that need to be done. He will not rest until he finds the Star Bridge and Earth."

  "Then pray for a miracle, I have done all that I can." Astrea vanished, and time returned to normal.

  Nugget came down from the bridge. He looked at me then at my wives. "Dames, always with the water works. He doesn't look any worse from his experience. He's tough, like me."

  "You just missed a visit from Astrea, I thought you were praying to her?"

  "I am. I haven't seen her yet, but she did answer my prayer."

  "How?"

  "She left a note for me saying she would see me soon."

  "A note?"

  "Yeah, it was the strangest thing. The lights in my room dimmed, and glowing silver writing appeared in mid air, just long enough for me to read. It couldn't have been faked. I touched one of the letters just before they vanished, thinking it may have been a hologram." He showed the girls the palm of his hand. Five stars in a circle were burned into his palm. "Holograms don't hurt." Then I came here.

  "You best get used to us crying, we will be doing a lot more now that Jewel and I are pregnant."

  "So he finally got down to business and knocked the two of you up. Good for him. How long will it be before he is ready to leave?"

  "I don't know. The last time Astrea healed him it took a few days to recover, this time it's much worse. We will have to wait and see."

  "Mr. Gorde and I reached an agreement, for his treatment. All of our supplies have been filled, and our tanks filled with water. We have plenty of reaction mass to continue our voyage. Everything free of charge."

  "Then let's get out of here."

  I woke early the next morning. I gave both Amber and Jewel a kiss on their foreheads while they still slept. I was starved, it felt like I hadn't eaten in a week. I couldn't wait for them to wake before eating breakfast. I sneaked into our galley and replicated a cup of fresh coffee, scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, and toast with apricot jam. I was eating my second plate when the girls got up. They rushed passed me and went straight to the fresher. It was several minutes before they came out, and joined me.

  "Nathaniel?"

  "Yes."

  "Is it really you?"

  "Of course, who else would it be? The two of you look different. I can't quite figure out what it is."

  "How are you feeling?"

  "Much better, I know what it is like to be a machine now, and know that I am not one. I still have to figure out what I have become. I am not quite Human either."

  "It's simple, you are our husband."

  Persephone appeared in our room. "Good, you're up. Have Amber and Jewel told you the good news? They're pregnant. I can't wait to see your children. It going to be so much fun being their godmother."

  "Pregnant? When did that happen? I don't remember any of it."

  "Isn't it great!" Jewel said avoiding the answer.

  "Not if we have to go through morning sickness every day," Amber replied. "If I had known about that part, I would have had second thoughts."

  "It's a minor inconvenience, were going to have lots of babies. Have you thought of any names. I can't wait. Its going to be so much fun."

  "Persephone, thank you for staying with me and helping me. I'm sorry for how you died. It was a terrible way to be killed."

  "How much do you remember?"

  "Strangely, I remember everything, about both of us. But, I don't remember getting Amber or Jewel pregnant."

  "Somethings will have to remain a mystery, I hope you are happy."

  "I am thanks to you. I am ready to leave Nevis."

  "We are already underway. What is our next course?"

  "Set course for Gamma Ateria, and enter hyperspace when ready."

  "Course set, we will enter hyperspace shortly."

  "We have a lot to talk about."

  Persephone was every bit as good as evading the topic as Jewel and Amber were. "I have a list of names for the girls, I haven't had any time to consider names for the boys yet. Have you decided where to set up the nursery? The cabin next door is empty, we could use that. I'll get Mike on it right away. There is so much to do. I can't wait."

  Persephone joined Amber and Jewel, catching up on the gossip she missed. She kept looking at their bellies, waiting for them to expand, and placing her hands on them, hoping to feel the babies kick. I never got a chance to talk to her. I was left to ponder my own thoughts and hers. Baby fever caught up to us and now we would have to adjust to the changes it would bring.

  My Enemy, My Ally

  Gamma Atria was a large system of 13 planets orbiting a red sun. Colonies had settled three of these planets and had outposts and mining stations on several of its moons. Doc and I made a small fortune raiding its planets long ago. I had no intentions of stopping here. We had just recently come out of hyperspace, and Persephone was using the ships astrogation equipment to update our navigation data. We came out of hyperspace safely, in the right system, but off course. Persephone found that the error came from using old data.

  The data stored in our navigation computers needed updating. She was using the ship's telescopes to compare the star positions with the star charts stored in our database. As soon as she made her updates our fleet would be moving on to the next system.

  "Captain, there is a fleet changing course to intercept us. They will be in range in two hours," Amber reported. "Transponder information from their IFF, (Identification Friend or Foe), shows that they are Crimson Tide."

  "I'm not receiving any replies to our hails. They are receiving, but refuse to answer my hails," Jewel added.

  "Bring our ship to alert condition yellow. Persephone, switch our main viewscreen to a tactical display."

  "That software has not been loaded in our system. Remember we are not a ship of war. Standby while I upload the requested software."

  It took a few valuable minutes, but the screen changed to show the tactical information. The ships of our fleet were shown as green icons with speed, heading and damage information shown. The Crimson Tide fleet was shown as red icons. There were two lines between our fleets. The first was missile range, the second was for energy weapons. The approaching fleet was well out of weapons range.

  It had been a long time since we last encountered ships from the Crimson Tide or the Alliance. This area of space was the Crimson Tides home territory. They were a large group of pirates and renegades, prowling the star systems in search of easy prey. Recently, they partnered themselves with the Alliance, making them a much more powerful organization.

  My family had a long history with the Alliance, paying their tithe and taxes. Over the years they took our fortune, confiscated our Marauders, and conscripted members of our crew.

  I found out later that Captain Thornton was responsible for killing my mother, not wanti
ng any halfbreed children in the empire. Doc hunted and found Captain Thornton, and fought him in a duel. He managed to injure him, taking his legs. In an act of vengeance, Doc castrated the Captain and left him for dead. He should have finished the job, Captain Thornton survived.

  Most of the loss of our wealth, crew, and assault shuttles, may have been in retaliation for Captain Thornton's humiliation. With our fortune nearly gone, and little more than our ship remaining, we had little choice but to flee the Alliance.

  Since then my status changed. They no longer wanted to punish me for being a nuisance to them. Now I was hunted, and they wanted me dead. I had proved myself to be their nemesis, interfering in their plans of conquest. I was hated even more when I destroyed one of their flagships, the Ajax, and killed its captain, Admiral Thornton, in a dual. I still kept his robotic legs as a reminder.

  After the Alliance put a death warrant on me, I managed to steal one of their treasure hordes, slowing their ability to finance and grow their fleet. They, in turn, hunted and killed almost all of our refugees, fleeing their advance into the lawless systems.

  My wife's prior ship, the Lucy, was destroyed in cold blood. Something happened aboard the freighter, disabling both the ship and her crew. The Alliance used the Lucy for target practice, not bothering to capture or disable her. We will never know what happened aboard her. The ship was destroyed, and all of the evidence aboard her with it.

  I continued to watch the approaching fleet. There was little I could do. My ship, the Persephone was not designed for battle. It was a luxury cruise liner. She had strong shields with minimum armor. The ship also had a good point defense system and defensive weapons for repelling the occasional pirate raid.

  The Sequoia was even worse off. She had shields now, but only a small point defense system, The ship was designed to carry biodomes, used in terraforming planets. She had a full load carrying and tending to six biodomes. We were using those domes to grow most of the food we needed.

  The Vengeance was a fully operational battleship, it would be doing most of the fighting. Beverly's ship, the Valkyrie, was a rebuilt light cruiser. A lot of her space was utilized for luxury, limiting the amount of ammunition she could carry in her cargo holds, but she could still fight and fought very well.

  The Falcon and the Gryphon were military scout ships. They were largely unchanged, their design had been proven in battles over the last few centuries. They were commonly used during the hundred years war between the Alliance and the border systems.

  "Go to condition red."

  Hatches and bulkhead doors were sealed all over the ship, creating several different airtight compartments. Amber and Jewel left the bridge to go to their waiting Marauders.

  Our Marauders and Vipers launched to provide a defensive screen around the Sequoia and the Persephone. Amber, Jewel, and Persephone made it clear that I would not be allowed to fight until I had was fully healed, body and soul.

  I could argue that they shouldn't fight either, both being pregnant with my children. It wouldn't do me any good though. We were pirates, privateers, mercenaries, smugglers, and more. This is how we lived our lives.

  I watched helplessly as Red and Beverly took the lead and began firing missiles. Their Marauders and Keshian fighters launched and approached the enemy fleet. I wanted to join them and battle. I could feet the battle lust flowing through me. I wanted to not only be a part of the battle but to lead it.

  I felt helpless. I was responsible for nearly 700 innocent lives now that I commanded this ship. Even Nugget joined the fighters defending our fleet.

  "Persephone?"

  "No Nathaniel. It has been decided. You are much too fragile to fight right now. You need time to heal. Sit down and relax, or go to your quarters."

  She switched off the tactical display and silenced the communications. All I could do was watch the flashes of light, as missiles detonated, and energy weapons scored hits against ships. I couldn't even tell who was hitting who any longer. An explosion flashed, and I nearly jumped through the viewscreen. A ship was lost, one of ours, or theirs? I didn't know.

  "Persephone, I have to know. Turn the tactical display back on."

  "You are getting much to worked up. The destruction was one of their ships. Relax, or I will turn off the viewscreen."

  I sat in my command chair. I had to know what was going on. There had to be a way to know. Tendrils extended from my right wrist and found their way to a computer port. They made a connection, and data started flowing into me. I wasn't on the bridge anymore, in fact, I wasn't on the ship. I was the ship. I felt every one of her systems and knew everything the ship knew. I saw our ships fighting the Crimson Tide. I searched for a weapon I could use, anything.

  "Nathaniel, what are you doing here?"

  I ignored Persephone. I began to loose myself in the ship, and it felt like the ship was taking over me. I could feel her moving gracefully through space. It was similar to the sensation I felt when flying my Marauder, but so much more.

  "Nathaniel, a direct connection is much too dangerous for you. You still haven't mastered your neurolink. You need to disengage before it is too late."

  It was already too late. I saw something I desired more than a weapon. In the heart of the ship, I saw Persephone and moved towards her.

  "Nathaniel stop!"

  I was attracted to her like a moth was to a flame. I had to merge with her. I couldn't stop myself.

  "Very well Nathaniel, if this is truly what you want, you shall have it."

  Time stopped. Persephone merged with me again. The last time we merged, I got all of her memories. Now I got something else. It was even more intimate. All of her feelings rushed into me. I experienced every one of her wants and desires, her joy, love, anger, and hatred. Nothing was held back from me, and she took everything from me as well.

  I found myself back on the bridge. I was disconnected from the ship. I felt drained, exhausted. When I could speak, I said, "Persephone, I'm sorry. I couldn't stop myself." She didn't reply. "Persephone?"

  A light was flashing on the communications console. I opened the channel. "Captain Roberts, I presume. I would have thought you would be much older."

  "I am Captain Roberts."

  "I am Captain Rutherford, of the Valiant. We are evenly matched. I see no need to continue this battle. Both sides will obtain needless loss."

  "Are you surrendering?"

  "Absolutely not. I have another way to solve our differences. The warrant and the bounty only specify the need to capture Red, Amber, Jewel, and yourself. I suggest that the four of you surrender, everyone else can leave."

  "I am afraid that is not possible."

  "Then I suggest a duel between you and I. It will be winner takes all."

  "Wouldn't that upset your Alliance partners?"

  "I have no love for the Alliance or its rule."

  "Then I accept your challenge. Come aboard, and we shall test each other's metal."

  "Swords are so antiquated, may I suggest energy swords, after all, you chose the location?"

  "Then energy swords it shall be, I will see you in our shuttle bay. Until then, let us have a truce."

  "Agreed."

  "Persephone?"

  "I am sorry Nathaniel, the experience of our merging has left me drained. I have never felt anything like that. It is how we gods express our love to each other."

  "I've heard tales of the gods taking corporeal form, to make love with mortals, and have children."

  "It is true, we have mated with mortals, in the past, to produce offspring. However, there is a difference between lust, procreation, and love. Our men once freely went amongst the human mo
rtals to father children. We females tend to only mate with other gods. Hades himself has fathered several children throughout the ages."

  "And you?"

  "I have not produced any offspring, but some day I will. I cannot bear any children in my current form. I need to become a goddess again for that."

  "Then you cannot become pregnant by merging with another person or a God?"

  "No, it is not as simple as that. There is much more involved than simply merging. Our chosen mates must obtain a string of life from the fates, and carry the string of life within themselves. Our strings need to intertwine, forming a new one, for the new life. When we come of age, we carry our strings within ourselves. Our men do not. Their strings are kept safe, and only used when mating with another goddess."

  I felt relieved. I was worried that it was possible for her to become pregnant, by our merging together.

  "Captain Rutherford is coming aboard to duel with me. Until then we have agreed to a truce. Have our fleet recall our fighters, and cease hostilities."

  "You are in no condition to fight a duel."

  "It is better that we duel than lose lives needlessly, besides he doesn't know that I've been enhanced. It will be a quick and easy victory for me."

  I left, I was already late. I took the nearest transport tube to the shuttle bay. I wasn't worried about losing the duel. With my cybernetic implants, I was faster and stronger than he could possibly be.

  On one side of the runway, Captain Rutherford's officers lined the landing strip. My officers lined the other. Together they formed an arena of sorts, for our duel. He stood in the center waiting for me, his blade glowing red, making a humming sound. "We will talk about this duel of yours later," Jewel said. "You know you are not supposed to fight until you have had a chance to heal. We already nearly lost you."

  I entered the makeshift arena and drew my sword. I bowed to Captain Rutherford. He attacked. I barely got my blade activated in time to block his. Red sparks flew from his blade and blue from mine. Cheers erupted from his officers. Mine booed and shouted cheater."