“I’m designed to heal faster than normal, doctor,” Correlli reminded him. “And I’ve got some very good stims propping me up for now.”
“Will you crash?” asked Avery.
“Undoubtedly. But I’ve got some time yet before that happens.”
“Will we crash?”
“Don’t worry, doctor, the ship’s navigational automate is already handling that little detail. We’re heading for the preprogrammed rendezvous point and I’ve set everything else for automated operation.”
“Good, because I can’t fly this ship.” Richard Avery visibly relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.
“If we don’t run into any trouble, we should reach Junction within 72 hours.”
“Good, good, thank you, Lieutenant.”
Avery’s attention began to wane as he refocused on his datapad. DARAC had gone curiously silent after recent events and was not responding to his queries. It was unlike the AI to ignore him and he wanted to know why. His eyes glazed over staring at his datapad, and the minutes began to slip away unnoticed. Looking up, he found himself alone again, Correlli gone and several hours spent but unaccounted for.
After checking Thorsten’s condition, Correlli had retired to the ship’s small command bridge—an oversized cockpit really—and scrutinized all the standard flight indicators. The board was green, but one gauge was yellow and moving rapidly toward an angry red. He ran a quick system diagnostic and read the ship’s brief status report.
The evacuation ship had been damaged during the fighting after all.
“Doctor, would you please join me on the flight deck?”
The red gauge began to flash and an urgent chirping began to sound from the command console.
“What is it? What’s going on?” asked Avery.
“We have a coolant leak, doctor. We need to drop out of hyperspace or risk critically damaging the drive matrix.”
“Is there nothing you can do?”
“I’m sorry, doctor. My training is good, but I’m not a systems diagnostic specialist. And we don’t have the tools or parts to effect repairs.”
“Are we stranded then?” Worry crept into Avery’s voice as he began mentally inventorying the ship’s consumables.
“I don’t think so. I’ve checked the nav system and fortunately there is a mining outpost not too far from where we’ll exit hyperspace. They might be willing to render assistance.”
“Might?”
Correlli simply answered, “Hold on, doctor, this could get a little bumpy.”
Avery grabbed a nearby handle and watched the stars change from streaks to pinpoints as the ship fell into normal space. Coolant leaked gracefully in frozen arcs from under the still shimmering starboard winglet, drifting away like leaves floating on a terrestrial stream. Correlli engaged the sublight propulsion system and headed toward the large planetoid directly in front of them. A bulbous, irregular space body, it bore the harsh signs of corporate exploitation.
“All right, here we go ...” muttered Correlli.
The comm system barked to life.
“Unidentified ship, you are trespassing on a PMC-owned mining concession. Reverse course or we will be forced to take appropriate measures.”
Avery looked at Correlli and mouthed, “PMC?”
“Planetary Mining Combine. Just let me handle this, doctor.”
“PMC, this is a military evacuation ship and I am declaring an emergency. I repeat, we are a military evacuation ship with casualties and a coolant system failure. Per UNSA administrative code, you are obligated to render assistance to any vessel declaring a legitimate inflight emergency.”
“What’s going on, Dad?”
Correlli and Richard Avery both turned to see Emerson standing on the cusp of the bridge. The BLUE MONARCH motioned for him to be quiet. The hiss on the comm channel grew louder as they slowly approached the planetoid.
“Permission to dock on orbital platform 227,” came the reticent response. “Maintain your current course and speed.”
“Acknowledged. Thank you.” Correlli flipped off the comm channel and swiveled to face both Averys.
“Emerson, we have a drive matrix coolant leak, so we have to land. Doctor, this could get dicey, so let me do all the talking and don’t leave the ship until I signal it’s okay.”
Father and son exchanged a doubtful look between them.
23
Correlli guided the ship manually to the indicated platform. Touching down, coolant began accumulating in a frozen puddle on the pad, but was rapidly quarantined by swarming maintenance automates. As the docking umbilicus extended to their own starboard airlock, Emerson watched curiously through the viewport.
The BLUE MONARCH headed back to ensure everything was locked into place and that there was no further damage around the docking collar. He grabbed his assault rifle, checked its charge, and reloaded its ballistics. Emerson followed close behind while Richard Avery hung back with increasing anxiety. The external and internal hatches slid open in quick succession.
Emerson noticed two things immediately. The station’s air had a distinct flinty scent to it, and the well-manicured man in the meticulously arranged gray uniform had four heavily armed guards with him, weapons raised.
“IDs please,” said the man in gray. There was no hint of malice or menace, but he exuded no warmth either. Only corporate efficiency.
“We’re from a classified installation,” Correlli started. “We were attacked by the Triven and don’t exactly have all our papers in order.”
“I see. Hmmm. Well, that does present a problem,” the man in gray tut-tutted. Emerson saw Correlli and the four guards visibly tense.
“Come, come now, gentlemen. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There’s no need for violence,” the man in gray said in soothing tones. “I am the head of corporate security for this entire installation, so you must understand my predicament. You show up here in an unmarked military ship, request a place to land under the pretense of an inflight emergency ...”
“We were venting coolant!” Emerson protested. Correlli put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Why yes, my good lad, we can clearly see that now. But you have no identification, and we do have problems with corporate espionage and piracy out here. So, if you’ll all just be good chaps and come along with me, you can be our ... guests until this whole thing gets properly sorted.”
“We have wounded,” Correlli said with just the faintest trace of resignation.
“And we’ll take good care of them, don’t you worry. We have good facilities even out here on the ragged edge of civilization. But I will have to ask you to surrender your weapon. We would not want it accidentally discharged. Decompression is such a nasty business, and expensive to repair.”
The closest guard accepted Correlli’s reluctantly proffered assault rifle and slung it over his shoulder.
“Very good, very good!” The man in gray clasped his hands together and seemed to warm slightly. “All right then, if you’ll just follow me, we’ll get you all settled in.”
Correlli, Emerson, and Richard Avery followed the man in gray single-file, flanked by the four guards. Each wrestled with his own private fears. But as the docking tunnel stretched on before them, they shared one simultaneously: They marched to an uncertain future.
- To be continued -
Acknowledgements
In the 1984 sci-fi classic, Dune, Princess Irulan asserts that, “a beginning is a very delicate time.” So when Brent Strandy first approached me to do voiceover work for the video game he was developing, I found it providentially coincidental, since I had just been telling my coworkers how I wanted to do some voiceover work. Somehow between that conversation and several meetings later, I ended up beginning the backstory to the BLUE MONARCH universe.
I could not have made it to this point without the encouragement of my teammates from Diadem, and the help of two very important people: Andrew Rogers and Sarah Onofrey. My former Domain Group colleague
s who also happen to be a writer/editor, and proofreader. They are exceptionally good at their craft, and I cannot thank them enough for taking the time to edit and proofread my work. Any errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar are mine alone.
Lastly, I must thank my wife Darla, and all my children for their love and support, and for giving me the precious gift of time to focus on my writing.
Justin Sewall
Cerulean Rising – Part II: Evolutions
The next book in the Cerulean Rising series is out now!
Buy now on Kindle!
“Cerulean Rising - Part II: Evolutions,” picks up immediately where “Beginnings” leaves off. Stranded in precarious circumstances after fleeing a Triven attack, Emerson discovers many things are not as they seem and a mystery that could alter the course of the war.
Cerulean Rising - Part I: Beginnings Page 7
