by Gavin Magson
“I can’t talk, Aiko; we have company. There’s nothing here, I don’t think we will find a trace of him. I have to go.”
Aiko turned away from the projection in front of her as the call ended and sunk to the floor, curling her body up around the tablet she had dropped. She knew Miles and his men had risked a lot to go in search of Ajax, but she could not bring herself to look on as their markers regrouped to repel their attackers; the truth was too much for her. Aiko wept.
Chapter 5
“What do you mean that there will be no fuel until tomorrow?” stormed Duke, his fist coming down with a boom on the desk in front of him.
There was true fear in the smaller man’s eyes as he backed away from his desk, Duke’s words of anger only echoed by the press of enraged ships captains behind him.
“It’s out of my control, we’ve been order to reserve the fuel for military use. I cannot go against these orders.”
“Aurora should have enough fuel for each and every ship docked, with enough to spare for twice as many again; what could possibly require everything you have?” asked Duke.
Lev pushed forward through the sea of bodies, careful to not further provoke the men and women around him, until he reached his captains side. It took two attempts to gain Duke’s attention.
“Captain, I think your answer has just come to dock.” said Lev.
Duke turned on the spot and saw for himself the monolithic battle cruiser that was decelerating as it came into Konar’s orbit. Duke’s own ship, the Illicit Jane, was one of the largest crafts currently docked, yet the cruiser dwarfed her considerably. A hundred mining ships would not match the cruiser for size.
“I’ve not seen a cruiser dock at Konar in over twenty years, they are normally in deep space and refuel from the border worlds. I wonder why it is here?” pondered Duke. “Still, one cruiser couldn’t drain the docks entire fuel reserve.”
The tell-tale flashes of orange and purple in the distance answered Duke as two more cruisers dropped out of hyperspace and slowed as they came in close to the dock.
“I thought the law prevented any ship from travelling at hyperspace so close to Konar?” asked Lev, watching as the ship above began to manoeuvre.
The ship manoeuvred so that it was directly above the centre of Aurora, with the growing crowd below watching intently as it moved into position.
“Military are different, no big surprise there. All civilian ships are limited to using hyper gates, or, if they have the facilities, they can jump once outside of our system. Military ships are exempt from that rule, as are those our King grants special permission to.” answered Duke.
Duke shook his head at the sight above and let out a grunt before heading back for his ship. He had to grab Lev by the arm to snap him out of staring at the new ships.
“We will be lucky if there is fuel to spare in a week, never mind tomorrow.” muttered Duke as Lev pulled alongside his captain. “Just what we did not need to happen this close to departure. If we had come up yesterday we’d be in the next system by now and away from this poxy planet.”
“Careful, you don’t want such words overheard by someone who does not appreciate your sense of humour.” warned Lev.
The two men walked in silence as they navigated their way around the enraged crowd, which grew ever larger as news of the shortage spread like wildfire.
It appeared that fuel was not all that the military ships were taking on board. Duke noted how the elevators were in constant use, each time they arrived from the dock’s bowels a swarm of men and women stepped out to join an ever-growing horde. It became obvious that there were far more people than would be required to man the ships currently docked, which suggested only one thing to him.
“Those ships haven’t just come for fuel, they are here for new recruits. That usually means there has been an assault, either from us or the Believers, and that we aren’t winning. This day is just getting better.” said Duke.
Lev processed the information in silence as they climbed the connecting walkway back up to the Illicit Jane. Konarian relations with the Believers had been tense for years, yet there had not been any fresh attacks since he was a child. War could be good for business, providing they could depart soon and start the search for Tenebris, a lightweight and durable ore typically found in asteroids that is used extensively by Konar’s military in the production of vehicle armour.
When Lev reached the top of the walkway Duke was already keying in his access code for the ship’s airlock. The door opened soundlessly, they stepped inside together, waiting for it the close behind them so that the inner door could be released. Lev followed his captain through into the command room and stopped instantly when he saw the look on his partners face; Greg had been crying.
“Greg, what’s wrong?” asked Lev.
Duke turned to face Greg, his communications officer, pilot, and longest serving crew member all rolled into one. It was only now that Duke realised the man had been crying, it should have been obvious that something had happened when he had spotted Deborah sat quietly in a corner of the room instead of below deck making final checks on the engines.
“There was a message from Sal whilst you two were out. It was relayed from the sector Four terminal, only way to reach us without making the journey in person. I didn’t realise that the terminal staff would do that, but I suppose this is an exceptional circumstance.” Greg’s voice trailed off as he lapsed into silence, his head lowering to avoid meeting the eyes of either Duke or Lev.
Deborah stood up from her place in the corner and walked over to the silent man, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.
“Sal’s message simply stated that Ajax’s implant had been returned to the Haven after recovery by a Recycler. I’m sorry; I know he meant a lot to all of you.” said Deborah.
Duke stared at his new crew member’s face, looking for a sign that this was a horrible practical joke she and Greg were playing on him. Her eyes were fixed on his, a slight smile forced from her to try and console the men. He did not want to accept that this meant the end of Ajax.
“An implant does not mean that he is dead, I’ve known of people to purposefully remove them to avoid persistent business men in the past. It is entirely possible Ajax had to take drastic measures; we all know just how dangerous a life he leads. I need to go down to the surface, I need to know the truth of what happened to him.” said Duke.
Duke walked past his crew, leaving the command room as he set off for the living quarters to retrieve his clothes. Lev watched him go before approaching his partner, kneeling to bring himself nearer to the seated man.
“Greg, we have to go down with him; it will affect him the hardest, not to mention Ilya, who will need us to be there for her. Deborah, are you wanting to come with us?”
“I’ll stay behind whilst I complete the pre-flight checks, I can catch up to you once we are ready for departure. I didn’t have the chance to really get to know Ajax, if the worst proves to be true it should be you three that organise a send-off. I’m truly sorry for your loss, I don’t know what else I can say.”
Greg looked up from his chair and wiped away the tears that were drying on his face. He met Deborah’s gaze and tried his best to give her a forced smile in return.
“He was a great friend, but he lived a risky life. I hope that Duke is right, it wouldn’t be beyond Ajax to remove his own implant if it meant getting the drop on someone. Come on, Lev, we’d best get some things together if we are going back to Konar. Thanks for looking after the ship for us, Deborah.”
“We found out what the holdup on refuelling was, three battles cruisers have come in to dock and the military reserved all of Aurora’s fuel for their ships. Duke doubts the claim that we will be able to refuel tomorrow, but if you’re staying could you try to chase it up before we are back?” Lev asked.
“Okay, I’ll make sure to pressure them until them cave. I can be very persuasive when needs must.”
Greg and Lev followed their capt
ain down to the living quarters, leaving Deborah alone in the command room. She removed the sheet of lux paper that contained a jobs list from the top pocket of her grease covered overalls and let out a whistle at all the tasks she had left to do before departure. Deborah tapped the paper with her finger until the screen illuminated so that she could trace out a reminder to refuel the ship.
“It’s not my fault you didn’t plan ahead, so stop complaining about the damned snow.” shouted Greg through the wind, his own irritation only adding to Lev’s anger.
“I’ve already explained why I didn’t bring anything thicker; we shouldn’t have been back here until the spring! How was I supposed to know that I’d need to take a thick coat on board?”
Duke left the couple to their bickering and kept steadily moving through the winter storm, his own thick jacket drawn tight across his body. It had lightened his mood momentarily when Lev had started complaining of the cold, the thin jacket he wore doing little to insulate Lev from the harsh conditions. Duke wished that the argument behind him could distract his thoughts yet, try as he might, he could not stop thinking of what had brought them back to Konar City prematurely.
When Duke turned off the main street to enter the Haven’s courtyard he stumbled at the lack of wind resisting him, such was the amount he had been leaning into it. Neither of his crew members saw and he continued onwards, not slowing to wait for them to catch him up. Only when he reached the taverns door did he hesitate.
“Why haven’t you gone inside?” asked Lev when he caught up to the captain, his arms wrapped around himself in an attempt to stave off the cold.
“Out here Ajax’s fate, as far as I know, is in limbo. Step inside and I might know for certain what has become of him; I don’t know if I am ready to face that yet.” answered Duke.
“We cannot stand out here forever, otherwise I’ll have to bury this lummox who can’t even plan for cold weather. I am wishing that you are right, Duke, and that something happened where Ajax removed the implant for whatever stupid reason he might have had.” Greg paused, searching for the words his captain had to hear. “We all need to know whether there is hope he lives, otherwise the uncertainty is going to tear us up. Let’s go inside; we will face this together.”
Duke gripped the heavy wooden doors handle with both hands and pulled it towards him, scraping away the snow that had been building up against it. The trio quickly stepped into the warmth of the Haven Inn, which finally ceased Lev’s constant whining.
As the men shook off the snow clinging to their clothes Sarah walked out of the kitchen to their left, crossing the quiet dining room to deliver breakfast to a table of two. As she turned around Sarah caught Duke’s gaze, her red, puffy eyes showing nothing but sadness within them. He made to move towards her but Sarah quickly headed for the kitchen, pushing through the swinging door and out of sight. Barely a moment passed before Sal came out of the same door and headed over to intercept the men.
“I’m so relieved that you got my message, I thought that you would have left the dock already and didn’t know what else to do. I-I have his,” Sal could no longer hold his emotions at bay, the tears began to flow from him as he pulled out a glass vial from his pocket. “Fuck, why him too? I had hoped not to see another person’s implant returned before my own was passed to Sarah; I have already had to face my sister and her husband’s deaths this year.”
Duke took the glass vial out of Sal’s large hand, twisting it to see the engraving that stated Ajax’s false name, birthdate, and planet of birth upon it. Without finding a machine to read the implants details directly he had only the etching made by Konar’s department of births and deaths as proof it had belonged to Ajax.
“This is tough for all of us, Sal, but I am struggling to believe that a man like Ajax, who I have seen first-hand fight off a half dozen armed men singlehanded, could possibly be dead. Without a certificate of death I am hopefully that, for whatever reason, that implant was removed from his body, and that he is still out there. If that is the case we need to act quickly, without an implant he won’t be able to leave Seven, assuming he got there, and I know what happens to anyone found on Konar without-.”
Duke was halted when he looked at the envelope that Sal produced from his aprons pocket. The pale-yellow paper bore real ink, both a rare sight when digital alternatives were far cheaper and easier to come by, and was addressed to, “The Proprietor, the Haven Inn.” Without a next of kin any official correspondence, including his implant, would go to Ajax’s last known address, which Ajax gave as the Haven when arrested on his first day on Konar. Duke saw that the envelope was unopened as Sal handed it over to him.
“I’m sorry, Duke; he was a good man.”
The reality struck him and Duke wept. He wept for a man who had saved his life and risked his own without hesitation. Ajax had done so much in such a short time, but Duke had not been able to stop him returning to a life that had now seen him dead. Duke could not help but feel that if he had refused Ajax’s money the man might have turned to a less reckless life, even if the chance of him doing so was slim.
Sarah stepped out of the kitchen, her movements uncertain as she walked over to her father and the crew. Duke saw her emotions battling one another, Sarah’s face was downcast and contorted as she tried not to cry once more. When she stopped next to Sal Duke stepped forward, embracing her and feeling Sarah’s body almost go limp in his arms.
“All I wanted was a chance for forgiveness from him, but there can be none now. He was one of the best men to come into my life, and now some bastard has taken him out of it.”
Sarah’s voice was hoarse, barely a whisper into his ear that Duke struggled to hear. Sal showed no signs of hearing his daughter, which Duke was glad for; as far as he knew Sal was unaware of Sarah and Ajax’s relationship. She seemed to find some strength and straightened up in Duke’s arms, before stepping out of his embrace.
“What are you going to do with his implant?” asked Sarah.
Duke considered her question, so certain was he that Ajax would be alive out there that he had not put any thought into what to do next. Part of him considered keeping the implant, it was something he could remember Ajax by, yet he knew that doing so would not properly respect the man’s memory.
“I think that we will bury him, it will be a more fitting resting place for Ajax. You and Sal are welcome to attend the funeral, and Maria, of course.”
“Maria doesn’t know of Ajax’s passing; she has taken some time off in order to spend it with Cole. His father has had to close the bakery whilst the roof is repaired, so they are out of the sector. I didn’t have the heart to contact her when his implant was returned, I’d rather she spent her time away happy. I think it would be best if it was just the three of you to send him off at the Vault, but I’d like to hold a wake here, if that is okay with you?” asked Sal.
“I’m sure Ajax would have liked a wake in the Haven, although he’d be pretty pissed it was his own. If either of you change your mind tell me, it’ll probably take at least a day or two to organise a burial. Sal, if you have the time could you help me out? It’s been a long time since I have had to do this.”
“Sure, we can use one of the dining room’s tables. Sarah, I can tend to the customers for now, I’ll call you if it gets busy.”
Sal and Duke headed for a corner table, away from the five diners who were attempting to tackle the generous portions Sal dished out as part of every meal. Sarah looked at Lev and Greg, both of whom had been left silent by the revelation that Ajax was truly dead, but she could find no more words. She exited the room and headed upstairs for the sanctuary of her bed.
“We had best leave those two to it, we’ll be no help now. Let’s go to our room and find you a jacket; it’ll be colder than sin when we have to bury him.” said Greg.
Chapter 6
“I just don't understand,” said Lev. He brought the tankard he held down hard on the tables surface, causing its contents to come precariously close to s
pilling, and not for the first time tonight.
“What don't you understand?” asked Greg, oblivious to Duke's frantic movements in an attempt to silence him.
“She never came. Didn't even reply to your message, Greg. She loved him, you can't tell me that wasn’t obvious. Maybe like a brother, I don’t know what she truly felt, but it was so obviously love. Ilya could have picked up her tablet and at least sent something. Ajax is dead for fuck's sake!” his howl had each mourner staring at the giant, but they were smart enough to swiftly turn back to their drinks.
Lev did not care if every inhabitant of Sector Four heard him, a friend was dead and buried; he was going to get drunk and curse to alleviate his pain.
Despite Duke's best efforts Aiko had heard everything, it would have taken more than a miracle for her not to. Aiko’s cheeks turned a bright red, made more obvious by her pale skin, and tears were welling once more in her eyes.
Duke had forgotten to contact her before the funeral, everything had happened so fast that she had slipped his mind. Only once he was back at the Haven had his emotions subsided; Duke was still cursing himself for not remembering Ajax’s partner.
He had travelled to Rine’s slaughterhouse in search of the woman, since he had never asked Ajax for her contact details and spent the entire hover ride there trying to find the right words. When he had failed to find Aiko one of Rine’s employees, a muscular brute that Duke had met before, directed him to Aiko’s house.
Whilst he had been taken aback by how grand her home was Duke didn’t allow that to distract him from his task. When Aiko answered the door her face glistened with tears, makeup had run and smudged into streaks, and she had broken down in front of him. It had taken some time for her to tell Duke how she knew of Ajax’s death, and he had apologised profusely for not contacting her before his funeral.
