Delta Fringe Series Boxset: Books 1-3

by Heather Lee Dyer

  Markov gives a quick laugh. “Looks like you could use a few hours of sleep too.” He stands up and pushes a button on the blank vid wall. A small bed descends down. “How about we both get a few hours’ sleep, and then we’ll have a bite to eat.” He motions over at a small food replicator over by the table. “Then we can resume our search through the data until we get to the asteroid.”

  I start to protest, try to tell him I could just go to my room, wherever it is, but my exhausted limbs reminds me I haven’t slept in over thirty-six hours. I came aboard right after a twenty-four hour shift at the hospital. “All right. I’m not sure anything is making sense anymore I’m so exhausted. Can you set the alarm for two hours?” I stand up and plop onto the bed.

  “Yep. See you in a few hours, Bren.” He dims the lights and disappears into his bedroom.

  I curl up into the small bed, which is no different from the on-call beds we have at the hospital for taking quick naps during long shifts. I fall asleep quickly.

  The annoying buzz of the alarm comes way too soon, and it takes me a few seconds to get my bearings. Markov stumbles out of his bedroom, clothes changed but his short hair still managing to stick up at crazy angles. I smile as I try to smooth my own mess of curls. Thankfully I’ve got my hair pulled back into a fat ponytail so most of the curls are bound tight against my head. I push a few stray curls off my forehead and stand up to stretch.

  Markov pulls food out of the replicator, and we eat while looking at the list of files projected on the wall. I don’t even taste the food as I read through the piles of information in front of us.

  I squint at the list of other mining colony locations that have been attacked. I put my plate down on the side table and turn to Markov. “Can you pull up a map pinpointing all those mining colonies, please?”

  He stuffs the last of his food into his mouth and grabs the remote. After a few seconds a 3D map with red dots shines in front of us.

  I stand up and walk through the projection looking at the locations and their relation to one another “Zoom out please.”

  The map now stretches all the way from outside the Delta Fringe back to Mars Colony. “It’s strange there haven’t been any attacks close to Mars.” I point to the planet, which is now on the far side of Sol from us. “But there’s quite an obvious line from that mining colony in the Fringe.” I point to the dot farthest from Sol, the asteroid we’re heading to currently.

  I grab my data tablet. “Can you add the dates of the attacks next to each dot?”

  “There you go,” Markov says. He steps back behind the couch and up against the far wall to get a good look at the whole map.

  I smile and join him. He expands the map so it’s now the full wall width. I stare at the dates and take notes on my tablet.

  “Do you see something, Bren?” Markov asks.

  I pause and look up from my tablet. “Actually, it’s what I don’t see that concerns me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “All these attacks, they aren’t linear. They didn’t start at one mine and then follow in order toward the edge of the Delta Fringe. There’s no pattern to the dates and locations. It doesn’t make any sense. They appear to be random attacks.” I frown as I stare at the seemingly useless data in front of me.

  I point to the attack closest to Sol system. “That one happened first, a few months ago. So naturally, we’d assume that’s where it started and then the pirates just traveled outward.” I gesture toward the red dots in the middle. “But the rest of the attacks are seemingly done at random. They weren’t attacked in order of their distance. The pirates must’ve had a different reason to attack these certain mines.”

  “Could be several pirates in charge with different areas of responsibility?” Markov adds a distance grid overlay.

  I squint at the map in front of me. The grids remind me of something I’d seen recently. I pull one of my curls down and twist it as I try to remember.

  I open the list of files on my tablet again and scroll through the data. “Grids! That’s the answer, Markov.” I point at the remote in his hand. “Pull up the sectors each galactic commander has responsibility for. Derek said several commanders were possibly involved in all this.”

  I hold my breath as the distance lines disappear and galactic sector grids appear over our red dots. The galactic sectors were established decades ago to allow better local control over the expanding populated areas. It was too hard for Sol’s ruling Council to decide on policies and laws on establishments so far away that it took more than a day for audio communications, and more than a week for a spaceship to reach.

  There are dots in only three of the forty-four galactic grids.

  I look at Markov, who’s staring at the map in confusion. I wave toward one of the grids. “Look at the dates now, just inside each grid.” I can detect pattern now that the dates are laid out by grids. I can see on Markov’s face the exact moment he sees what I do.

  “The attacks were organized within each galactic territory.”

  “Yes, except we can’t prove the commanders are responsible, but it gives us another angle to explore. And of course more questions to find answer for. Why are the attacks only in these commander’s territories? Are they in on the attacks, or are they being paid to look the other way?”

  “And what about Mars? It’s not in any of these three grids.” Markov points toward the red planet, quite some distance from all the other attacks.

  I shake my head. “I don’t know. I still can’t believe my mom or anyone on Mars would have anything to do with this kind of new technology, or attacking other mines.” I bite my lip as I stare at the map.

  “The galactic commander here on the hospital ship. This is his quadrant, right?” Markov points to the farthest grid, the one we’re heading toward, which has no other attacks. Just this one asteroid.

  “Yes. And I find it weird that none of the other galactic commanders got their hands dirty with the investigations of the other attacks.” I hold up my data tablet. “The rest of the commanders just went about their business while local civilian investigations took place. Yet this commander hand picks me to assist in his quadrant, and even travels on the same ship with me. Seems kind of strange he would get involved when the other three did not.”

  Markov rubs a hand down his face. “So either this commander is involved with the attacks and dangerous and wants to make sure to be close to you so you don’t find out anything, or he’s on our side and wants to make sure you stay safe and find the answers.”

  A shiver travels up my spine as I picture the commander’s dark expression as he warned me to not disappoint him. “I can’t imagine this commander being on my side.”

  I turn my wrist so I can see the time. One hour until we reach the asteroid. “I have no idea which it could be. Either way, we need to keep this between us. With all the warnings from Annie and Derek, there’s no telling who we can trust in all this.”

  Markov clears the vid and replaces it with the image of the asteroid we’re approaching. “Agreed. So where do you want to start once we arrive? It looks like their investigators have gone over every inch already. We watched all the vids.” He turns toward me.

  “I want to visit the heart of their mining operation first. Then we’ll work our way toward the damaged sections.”

  “Really? I thought you’d want to see the damages first? Or the patients we’ll be bringing aboard the hospital ship?”

  I pick up my pack and place my tablet back into it. “Nope. The damaged areas are where the pirates or whoever did this want us to look. I think they picked sections of the asteroids carefully in order to draw attention away from somewhere else.” I start toward the door. “Let’s go make sure all of our supplies are ready to off-load.”

  9

  Anton Sky

  The dock is once again a flurry of activity as not only my supplies are loaded onto anti-grav carts, but med supplies for the miners as well. Dozens of anti-grav stretchers file past me
as I double-check my supplies.

  “How many were injured, Markov? I thought there were less than a dozen.”

  Markov looks up from the box he’s digging through. “At first there were, but more miners were discovered in a cave-in this morning.”

  I frown. “How did they not know they had people missing? That wasn’t in the reports anywhere.”

  Markov looks thoughtful and unfolds his six foot four length up to standing so he’s now looking down slightly at me. “I don’t know. That just came over the morning med report this morning.” He watches the last of the stretchers pass by us. “I don’t know how mines work exactly, so I’m not sure why they didn’t know sooner. On other asteroid colonies we’ve visited, they had sensors and vids throughout the living spaces, so they knew where everyone was.”

  I pull my pack over my shoulders and push the button on the grav cart. “Well, I do know mines, and they should’ve known sooner. Every miner always knows where everyone is at all times. At least their general location, and definitely how many bodies are on an asteroid,” I practically growl. I tow my grav cart behind the line of stretchers and motion for Markov to follow.

  The line out of the ship moves pretty quickly. Soon we step into a crowded, dark receiving dock. Although this mine has to be one of the newer ones, since it’s so far out toward the Fringe, the materials cobbled together look recycled from other mines.

  I touch the rusty metal wall and look nervously back at Markov. “They checked to make sure it could handle this many people, right?” I watch as the door behind us seals shut, closing us off from the safety of the hospital ship. I can’t help but feel a moment of panic.

  “Yes. The emergency med ship has been here for several days without any incidents. They’ve tested all the seals and O2 levels. And we’ll have a guide throughout the mines so we don’t get lost or wander into unsafe areas.”

  “That sounds helpful but could also be limiting to our investigation.” I turn to glance through the crowd. No galactic commander. Good.

  “Well, we can’t just let civilians walk around lost in the mine.” The deep voice comes from behind and startles me enough that I bump into Markov’s broad chest.

  As I get my balance and turn, I get a glimpse of the galactic commander’s uniform off in the distance. When I’m finally facing the man who spoke I’m already frowning.

  It’s obvious he’s been in the mines a long time. He’s lean and strong, a few inches shorter than me, and is wearing thick miner’s protective gear. His ruddy face shows lines past his years, but his blue eyes are alert and full of humor. He enjoyed startling me.

  “You didn’t have to sneak up on us,” I snap.

  “You should’ve been aware of your surroundings, Missy.”

  I look over at Markov whose expression is unusually stormy before I square up with the miner. “You can call me Bren, not Missy. And this is Markov.”

  “Oh I’m fully aware of who you are Miss Teves. Follow me.” And he turns and heads the opposite direction the crowds are shuffling. I hesitate only long enough to get another glimpse of the commander in the crowd.

  Markov reluctantly follows, but I can hear him swearing softly in his native tongue. I smile as I watch the hard-hatted head of the miner ahead of me. I turn slightly and gesture toward the crowd. Markov follows my finger and his gaze lands hard on the galactic commander.

  The commander is standing still, scanning the crowd. Markov’s face lights up in understanding, and we quicken our pace behind the miner.

  We take an old supply lift down into the mine. Our host doesn’t say a word. I wasn’t sure what to expect when we got here, but it wasn’t this kind of welcoming committee. On the other hand I’m relieved the commander isn’t here with us, so I relax back against the dirty lift wall. I listen to the slow grinding of gears as we are lowered jerkily into the depths of the mine.

  “So who are you?” I ask the miner as he stands firmly in the middle of the lift.

  “You can call me Red.”

  I narrow my eyes, studying him. The hair sticking out from under his hard hat is dark brown. He looks like a typical miner, but there’s something different about him. “Why Red?”

  He pulls up a sleeve enough to show that his skin is tinted a faint hue of red. I gasp in recognition. “You worked on Mars?” The fine, red dirt of the deep mines gets into everything, including your skin if you’re there long enough.

  “Yep.”

  The bottom meets us with a jarring thud. I grin at the familiarity of it all. I look over at Markov to discover he’s gone white. “Are you all right, Markov?”

  He just nods, thin lipped as the lift doors open.

  “The lifts in mines aren’t meant for comfort.” I nudge his shoulder as we exit the lift.

  We’re greeted to a mixture of machinery, loud voices, and the sound of rocks grating and falling against one another. I stop and turn in a circle getting a good look at the top of the mine. I inhale the aroma of grease, rock dust, and the peculiar scent of this particular mineral they’re mining. I make a mental note to figure out what kind of mine this is, since I don’t recognize it.

  “Is this the bottom of the mine?” Markov’s face is right next to my ear so I can hear him over the noise.

  I shake my head. “This is the top. No lifts to the bottom.” I laugh and turn toward our host. I find him looking at me strangely.

  “And just how would a medical investigator know that?” He teases.

  I step up to him, my arms crossed. I’m slightly taller but he manages to pull himself up straighter.

  “If you know who I am, you know I was raised in the Martian mines. Until last year when my mom died down there.” I don’t look away, capturing his gaze as I let that sink in.

  Something sparks in his gaze, and he’s the first to look away. But not for long. He grabs my shoulders and holds me at arm’s length. “I’m very familiar with who your mom was Brenna.”

  The miners are a close-knit group, but I wasn’t expecting this. “You knew my mom personally? How?”

  He squeezes my shoulders and then lets go and laughs. “You mean because I’m way out here on the edge of the universe?” He pauses to cough. “I’ve only been in this mine for the last few years. I get bored easily, so I move around.”

  “My mom. You knew her at Mars Colony?” I ask again.

  “Aubrianna’s girl all grown up and grilling me with questions.” He laughs so hard he coughs again, this time until he doubles over.

  Markov bends down next to the miner. “You all right, sir? You need anything for that cough?”

  “No, it’s just miner’s lungs. No amount of technology can fix or prevent it.” He straightens back up and looks at me. “Yes I knew your mother well. But we didn’t meet on Mars. We first met on Earth, right before she got pregnant with you. She decided to relocate to Mars to give you a better life.”

  “I didn’t know she lived on Earth at all. Dad never said anything either.”

  “Well your dad didn’t exactly like your mom being on Earth in its condition. It was too dangerous down there for most people back then. He thought she should have a safe job on one of the habitats or hospital ships.”

  “Sounds about right.” I reach out my hand. “What is your real name?”

  He grasps my hand strongly, his dry calloused hands bringing back memories of all the Martian miners that were like family to me. “I’m Anton Sky.”

  I stare blankly at his pale, dirty face and miner’s clothes. “Anton Sky? The billionaire?”

  He gives a crackly laugh. “Great. She’s heard of me.” He looks over at Markov.

  I must be more tired than I thought I was because nothing is making sense.

  He looks between Markov’s pale face and me. “Yeah, I own this mine.” He points a stubby finger at me. “I think you need a hit of oxygen. And your friend there too.”

  I look at Markov and then around me. I close my eyes. How could I be so stupid! “Of course. We’re not acclima
tized yet. I should’ve remembered.” I take a couple of portable oxygen masks out of my pack and put one on myself before handing the other to Markov. Once I have it on, my head starts clearing.

  “Sorry, Red. I’ve been out of the mines for too long apparently.”

  “That’s a good thing, sweet Brenna. Your mom wouldn’t want you down here. She expected you to travel the stars.”

  “What? You must’ve not known my mom all that well then. My mom didn’t want me to even leave Mars to even visit my dad.”

  He laughs again. His smile is becoming familiar and calms my nerves after seeing the galactic commander above. “Well she wanted you to see the stars, just not far away from her.”

  I adjust my oxygen mask. “And here I am, at the edge of the galaxy. Inside a mine that was just attacked and could have clues to a far bigger problem.”

  Anton shakes his shaggy head. “No, I don’t think she would like for you to be here right about now. It’s not safe. Do you know why they sent you here?” He motions for us to continue walking. The large machines are still and quiet at the moment, the men probably on break, allowing us safe passage through the main mine shaft.

  “I wish I knew. I discovered a clue to something related to these attacks in one of my clients back on Delta station. Maybe it has to do with that.”

  “Clients? You’re a coroner just like your mom, then.” He looks sideways at me as we walk over the rough rocky path.

  I grin. “Yep. Medical examiner. Coroner. My dad too.”

  “Then why do they have you here investigating? It’s pretty obvious what our guys died of.” Sadness flattens his carefree countenance.

  The rocks crunch under my feet as I slow my steps. “I think maybe it’s because I’ve been leaning more toward the investigative side of being a medical examiner. We’ve had a few cases that I’ve been able to use my skills and education to solve.”

  He stops abruptly and turns on me. “They think this was more than just a mineral raid, don’t they? Did they tell you anything about it?”