by Dayton Ward
Thank you for downloading this Pocket Books eBook.
* * *
Sign up for our newsletter and receive special offers, access to bonus content, and info on the latest new releases and other great eBooks from Pocket Books and Simon & Schuster.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
or visit us online to sign up at
eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com
As always,
for Michi, Addison, and Erin
Historian’s Note
The “present day” portions of this story take place in 2283, approximately two years prior to Khan Noonien Singh’s escape from the planet Ceti Alpha V and the Starship Enterprise’s battle with the Reliant in the Mutara Sector (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan).
BEGINNINGS
One
Sol System
Earth Year 1845 (CE)
Warnings were increasing in number as well as volume, their shrill tones growing more insistent with each passing moment. Drevina swept the three long fingers of her left hand across the controls overseeing the alert system, muting the din that was fast becoming bothersome in the restricted space of the control pod. Her action did nothing to alleviate the mounting problems, as a host of status indicators still glowed bright orange, communicating the severity of the ever-worsening situation.
“Drevina,” said Glorick, her systems operational specialist and friend, “we continue to lose power in primary propulsion. If we cannot correct the problem, we will be unable to achieve superluminal velocity.”
Without moving her gaze from her controls, Drevina replied, “Then make your corrections.” It was a useless directive, she knew, but stating it helped to alleviate her mounting irritation, if only for a moment.
“It is not a control systems failure,” Glorick countered, and Drevina heard him drawing a deep breath. “The problem is with the drive itself. We cannot make an attempt at repair without landing. There is simply too much damage.”
Drevina was aware of this, of course, just as she knew that the propulsion was not the only issue they faced. The life-support system was also beginning to issue advisories, which meant that if they did not find a suitable location for landing in short order, nothing else would matter. She suspected that the last skirmish with their determined pursuers had inflicted more damage to the ship than she and her companions would be able to repair.
“This system contains nine planets,” reported Glorick. “According to my scans, only one contains an atmosphere comparable to our own. It is the planet third closest to the local star.”
“Is that world inhabited?”
Glorick nodded. “It appears so, though I will not be certain until we get closer.”
“Assuming that is possible,” said another voice. Glancing over her shoulder, Drevina saw that Canderon, who despite any formal training served as the ship’s mechanical technician, had entered the control pod. “The propulsion system is beginning to overheat. We need to put down somewhere, soon.” Despite his passive expression, the strain of his voice betrayed his nervousness to Drevina. The flashing of the alarm indicators across various consoles reflected across his face.
She spared the briefest of moments to eye him with annoyance. “We are endeavoring to do precisely that.”
“At least allow me to reduce power,” said Canderon, his bright eyes widening in alarm. “That will remove some of the strain from the damaged systems.”
Releasing a resigned sigh, Drevina replied, “Very well. Glorick, do your scans reveal any signs of pursuit?”
It required several more moments before Glorick said, “Negative.”
“What about the third planet? Are you detecting any signs of technology or weapons that might pose a threat?”
Again, Glorick replied, “Negative. I am detecting no indications of any vessels anywhere in this system, and the planet itself appears to lack any sort of orbiting satellites or other space-based technology. Perhaps the world is home to a preindustrial civilization.”
“If that is true,” Drevina said, “then it will be our first taste of good fortune since setting out on this voyage. Alter our course toward the planet. Continue your scans as we approach, and locate a suitable landing area well away from any population centers.”
As Glorick set about the tasks she had given him, Drevina heard the reduction in the ship’s main power generation systems and felt a mild reverberation channeled through the console beneath her hands. She could tell just from the sound made by the craft’s engines that they were ailing and in desperate need of repair or, at the very least, a cessation of the abuse they had endured to this point. They had been traveling at high velocity for far more cycles than recommended by the ship’s technical specifications as well as Canderon’s stern warnings. There had been no choice; eluding their pursuers was of paramount importance. Having accomplished that goal—for the time being, at least, and at great cost to the health of her ship—her focus along with that of her companions now shifted toward the simpler yet still dangerous mission of hiding until help arrived, assuming it ever did.
Until then, we cower in a hole and wait.
Drevina hated running, hated leaving behind her family, friends, and everyone she had ever known while they continued to stand and fight against tyranny and slavery. Despite what her friend and mentor, Anardrin, had told her in the moments before ushering her and her shipmates aboard this vessel and defending its escape with his own life, Drevina did not feel like any sort of potential savior. It was a sentiment shared by Glorick and the others fleeing with her, as well as the others of her people who had taken flight in similar fashion. How many of her fellow Iramahl had been lost to the resistance against their oppressors, the Ptaen, to protect her and others like her? There was no way to ever be certain. All she knew was that the Ptaen would not stop until every last Iramahl was back under their control, or dead. This was especially true for those like Drevina and her companions, which was why they had traveled so far into the depths of unexplored space in a desperate bid to escape the Ptaen Consortium’s influence.
Drevina also knew that she would die before returning to that loathsome existence, and that Glorick and the others felt the same way. So, they had run, not just for their own lives but perhaps the very future of all Iramahl, and in the hope that the sacrifices of good people like Anardrin and countless others would not be in vain. They had followed a tortuous path through the void, passing system after system that contained no worlds capable of sustaining them. Even when a planet was detected that might offer even temporary sanctuary, if it harbored an indigenous society, then Drevina was reluctant to go there for fear of exposing some innocent civilization to Ptaen oppression. How many worlds had they put at risk just by virtue of their headlong flight?
Such caution was no longer an option.
Another alert tone sounded in the cramped control pod, and Drevina directed her gaze to the indicator now flashing on her console just as she felt the entire vessel shudder around her.
“Drive system is going offline,” reported Glorick. “Internal temperature in the drive core is approaching dangerous levels. I have no choice but to reduce power further.”
Looking through the control pod’s forward viewing port, Drevina saw the planet they now approached. Brilliant blue oceans and thriving green-and-brown landmasses were highlighted by swipes of bright white cloud formations. In many ways, the world reminded her of their own Yirteshna, or at least the visual recreations she had seen in historical documents and other contraband materials she had managed to obtain at rare, irregul
ar intervals. It was fortunate that this planet seemed so beautiful and inviting, given that it soon would be her new home. This assumed she and her friends survived the next few moments.
“Reduce power to the minimum needed to control our descent,” she said. Another review of the navigational system showed that the ship’s orientation for entering the planet’s atmosphere needed further adjustment. As she entered those instructions to the console, it became apparent that the ailing vessel was going to fight any efforts at control all the way to the ground.
Glorick confirmed her suspicions when he reported, “I think we may need to abandon ship.”
“He is correct,” added Canderon, who had moved to the control pod’s remaining seat and begun using that workstation to monitor the craft’s onboard systems. “We will not be able to maintain control once we enter the atmosphere.”
“Very well,” Drevina replied, dividing her attention between her companions and her controls. “Alert the others, and prepare a distress message with our location for transmission. I will begin the separation procedure.” Though she and everyone else aboard the ship were experienced pilots and space travelers, their indoctrination into this particular vessel’s operation had been hurried and incomplete. The onboard computer had assisted in negotiating those knowledge gaps, but there were still aspects of the ship’s configuration and capabilities that Drevina did not yet understand. Key among those deficiencies was an understanding of the emergency separation protocols for the control pod.
Consider this your final test.
“Lvonek and Mranzal are in the berthing compartment,” said Canderon, “and they’ve sealed the hatch. We are ready.”
Nodding at the report, Drevina replied, “I have programmed the ship’s onboard computer to attempt a water landing once we separate. Scans show the planet has several undersea regions that are deep enough that the wreck will likely never be found.” She could not be sure the onboard computer would survive on its own once the control pod left the rest of the ship behind, but there was little she could do about that now. Either the main hull section would carry out its final instructions, or it would not. For the moment, she had far more urgent concerns. “Glorick, is the distress message ready?”
“Yes. It has been encrypted and prepared for broadcast on the coded frequency.”
Would the message be heard by friends, or enemies? Given the distances the transmission would have to travel, it was inevitable that unwanted ears would hear it. Drevina knew there could be no avoiding such things.
“Send it,” she said, reaching up to wipe away perspiration from the side of her smooth head before instructing the computer to proceed with the separation sequence. The control pod, along with adjacent compartments for habitation and storage, was designed to operate as an independent craft in the event of an emergency. It lacked the necessary propulsion systems for interstellar travel, but it did contain provisions and other equipment to sustain the crew while they awaited rescue.
Or recapture.
The wayward thought was pushed aside as yet another alarm flashed for attention on her console. Studying the indicator, Drevina released a vulgar term for a sexual act she had heard her father employ on frequent occasions during her childhood, in defiance of her mother’s constant protestations.
“What is it?” asked Glorick.
Drevina replied, “The pod’s own navigational system appears damaged. We will have only limited maneuverability once we separate from the ship.”
“It is still more than we will have if we stay,” said Canderon. “We have no choice.”
Any response Drevina might have offered was lost as the ship once more trembled around them, and she felt the straps of her chair binding against her clothing and her shoulders as she and the others were tossed about inside the tiny control pod. “Increase power to maneuvering thrusters,” she said. “That will help us during our descent.” The blue-green world now filled the viewing port, and the ship was beginning to protest the collision of heat and energies as it fell from space through the planet’s atmosphere.
“Wait until we are clear before separating,” warned Canderon, and Drevina heard the anxiety in his voice. “If we do it sooner, the stresses of atmospheric entry may force the rest of the ship into a tumble as we pull away.” Drevina looked over her shoulder to meet his gaze, and he added, “I would suggest avoiding that.”
The shaking increased for the next several moments, to the point that Drevina was sure the ship would tear itself apart, and she gripped the edge of her console in a desperate bid to keep from being thrown from her seat. As the intensity grew to the point that she expected to hear the alarm signaling a hull rupture, the tremors began to subside. This was greeted by a host of new warnings and alerts erupting from different consoles around the control pod.
“I am losing maneuvering control,” warned Glorick, his voice tight. “We need to separate, now!”
“Did you transmit the message?” Drevina asked, her hand hovering over the control that would jettison the control pod free of the ship.
Glorick nodded. “Yes!”
“Commencing separation.” Drevina dropped her hand onto the control, feeling it depress under her fingers, and an instant later she felt the ship lurch somewhere beneath her. There was a momentary sensation of forward motion being interrupted, and she noted how the sky ahead of her fell out of view as the pod arced away from the rest of the ship. She felt them pitching forward, and there was a fleeting glimpse of the jettisoned vessel plummeting toward white ground far below.
“Scanners detecting no appreciable higher-order life signs,” reported Canderon. “The region we are approaching is glacial, and there are no signs of significant technology or habitation.”
Drevina asked, “What about the main drive section?”
“It is maintaining its final course. If that continues, it will fall into an area of the ocean that is one of the deepest on the planet. I cannot believe anyone looking for us will be able to find it.”
“Good.” That, at least, was one less thing for Drevina to worry about.
“Maneuvering thrusters are only partially functional,” said Glorick. “I am having trouble stabilizing our descent.”
Seeing that issue on her own console, Drevina asked, “Have you selected a landing site?”
Glorick grimaced. “I do not believe we will be able to maintain full control long enough to get us to the first location I chose.” He paused, his hands moving over his controls before he shook his head. “It is requiring most of our available power to prevent us from crashing.”
“Just put us down,” advised Drevina as she glanced once more through the viewing port. The frigid region where the control pod soon would crash was not her first choice, but a controlled landing anywhere was better than risking an attempt to reach a more hospitable climate with their compromised systems. The area they looked to be approaching at least had some merits, being far away from any sizable concentration of indigenous intelligent life-forms. If the climate was as uninviting as Canderon suggested, it would afford them a decent place to hide.
The pod lurched with sufficient force to pull Drevina from her seat, and while her restraints kept her from being heaved out of the chair, they did so with no small amount of abuse. She gritted her teeth and bit back pain as the straps cut into her skin, and her back ached from the abrupt impact. The resulting alarm siren was silenced in a moment by Canderon.
“I am losing control,” called out Glorick.
Outside the viewing port, the ground seemed to be rushing upward with greater speed, even though her controls told Drevina that the pod’s rate of descent was slowing. She tried not to dwell on the fact that the readings were describing a scenario whereby they would still crash into the ice below, only at a slower speed.
“Firing braking thrusters,” she said, stabbing at the appropriate control. The effect was im
mediate as ports on the pod’s hull bottom flared to life, pushing upward against the small survival pod and arresting its plummet from orbit.
Then the thrusters shut down.
“No!”
Her shout was accompanied by renewed wailing as more alarms sounded in the cockpit, followed by a noticeable shift as the pod began to bank to one side. Without thinking, Drevina pushed herself back in her seat even as the onboard artificial gravity and inertial damping systems struggled to compensate for the abrupt change in the ship’s attitude.
“Braking thrusters are offline!” Canderon turned in his seat. “I cannot restore them. We have no way to slow our descent!”
That was not entirely correct, Drevina knew. Tested piloting techniques for reducing the pod’s speed were still available to her, but only if the remaining maneuvering thrusters remained functional, unlike so many other shipboard components.
“I am leveling our trajectory,” she said. Reviewing her console’s status displays that showed information about the pod’s current speed and altitude, she began calculating how much time she had to execute whatever maneuver she hoped to bring them down in something that resembled a controlled landing. “Tell the others to brace themselves for impact.”
Engaging the ship’s remaining thrusters, Drevina felt the pod responding to her commands. For the first time, she sensed a connection with the craft as it plunged through the atmosphere. Now subject to gravity as well as the air it was displacing, the pod communicated to her its reactions to these external forces, allowing her to make necessary flight adjustments based on instinct and training rather than relying only on instrumentation. This was flying, something she had done since she was a child, first under her mother’s guidance and later once she joined the resistance and—
One of the pod’s remaining maneuvering thrusters selected that moment to fail, and the effect on the descending craft was immediate as it pitched to one side. Outside the port Drevina caught sight of blue sky where she should be seeing the white of unending frozen terrain. Both Glorick and Canderon shouted in alarm but she ignored them, her hands playing across her console in a frantic attempt to bring the pod back under control.
