Delta Fringe Series Boxset: Books 1-3

by Heather Lee Dyer

  He shakes his head slowly. “Brenna, I made a promise years ago to your mom if I ever had the chance, I was to make sure you were safe. She knew they would eventually come after you. I’ve been monitoring your exploits off and on Delta station. Unfortunately, someone from the galactic command has been too.”

  The blood in my veins goes cold. I take a small step toward Red. “What do you mean? I’ve been watched this whole time? Not only by you,” I wave my hand at him, “but by whoever is behind this?” My voice is too loud for the small tunnel, and I inwardly cringe.

  He stands up straight. “It’s not like I was stalking you. I do have several mines to manage.” He runs a hand through his matted hair and then pulls his hard hat back on.

  “This all makes no sense. Not to mention a little creepy. I have no connection to whatever it is you all think my mom was involved in.”

  Red opens his mouth to say something but closes it quickly. We both turn toward the tunnel entrance. The only sounds we hear are the ship’s generators keeping the engines and power going. There are absolutely no voices.

  I look at Red with wide eyes, and he holds a hand up to keep me still. As if I would be able to move with the terror flowing through my body right now.

  He softly steps over to the tunnel entrance and lowers himself down into a crouch and peeks out. Then as quietly as he can he practically crab walks back to me, stands up, grabs my arm, and starts running down the tunnel.

  I’m so shocked by his sudden panic that I allow him to drag me along. We’re both experienced miners so we do fairly well maneuvering on the rough surface in the dark. He takes a sharp right, and I barely manage not to scrape my shoulder on the opposite wall, not expecting the change in direction.

  He stops us, and we press ourselves against the wall. I quietly pull my O2 mask back up from around my neck and cover my heavy breathing. I close my eyes to better concentrate on listening. I don’t hear anything, but I feel the vibrations of soft-soled boots coming down the tunnel in measured strides.

  Red takes my hand and pulls me down the tunnel. This time we’re more careful but still hurry along. I’m glad Red isn’t just the owner of this mine, but that he works down here too, otherwise we’d be lost by now. In the panic I lost all sense of direction and pattern.

  The tunnel starts turning into an incline, and the temperature drops. Another dock? Sometimes there’s an emergency dock with e-pods to escape in case of disaster. I imagine they haven’t had time to replace the ones used during the attack though. Where is Red taking me?

  Ahead of us, I can see a dim light, and Red’s pace slows down. We slide along the wall as we reach an entrance. Red peeks out and freezes for several minutes. Then he pulls me forward into the small dock area.

  My heart races as glance around. I have no idea where I am or who might be here. The lighting in this dock is dimmer, so we’re able to hide among the cargo boxes along the walls as we make our way around the main open area. Red takes me to the far side where an old ship sits, its dock generator humming loudly.

  I’m still afraid to say anything although I have a million questions for Red. I bite my lip as I run my hand across the cold metal ship as we walk alongside her. It’s one that seems familiar, but I can’t place the type. I’m trying to think where I’ve seen a ship like this before. My fingers itch to sketch and memorize it. There are two huge engines protruding from each side and one large cargo door in the middle. It’s parked with its engines outward, so it must’ve come in for a quick landing. The bridge deck is tinted so I can’t see if anyone is aboard looking at us.

  I can’t stand it anymore, and I pull Red close up against the ship and whisper in his ear. “What kind of ship is this? Why are we here?”

  He takes his free hand and pats the ship. “This is our mining morgue ship, Brenna. It’s an old girl, but it’ll get us out of here,” he whispers back.

  “A morgue ship? You mean all your dead miners are in there?” I’m starting to remember a story my mom told me about old ships that traveled from one mine to another gathering their dead. Back then, the miners thought it was bad luck to cremate or bury their dead anywhere on the planet or asteroid they were digging. I thought it was an outdated practice.

  “Didn’t think you’d have a problem riding with the dead.” He steels his face into a completely serious expression. But his eyes are dancing with humor.

  I drop my hand from his. “This is your idea? Don’t you think the galactic commander will search this ship too? These people are practically evidence.”

  “He already has.” Red frowns when we hear noises on the other side of the dock. He turns and pushes a button to the cargo door. After several minutes it finally lowers with a lot of groaning and shrieking of metal gears. I wince as I imagine the whole galactic fleet hearing it from the other side of the asteroid.

  We walk up the metal ramp, our steps resounding loudly. “I’m sorry, I’m not being ungrateful or flippant of your dead friends. But you think he’ll just let this ship take off? Especially since by now he knows I’m hiding from him?” A wave of panic rolls hot over me as I just now realize what I’ve done. I’ve become a fugitive.

  The door behind us makes even louder scraping noises, and I have to wait for an answer from Red.

  He doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to meet anyone as he strolls to the far side of the ship’s loading dock and leans against a crate labeled “Body bags.” I stop in front of him holding his gaze as we wait for quiet.

  The silence doesn’t last more than a few seconds. After the door finally makes its tragic way closed, the ship’s engines fire up, and I have to grab onto the straps over the crate to keep my balance. The ship makes a stomach churning backward move to get us out of the small dock, and then I experience a bit of vertigo as it spins.

  Once it levels off, I pry my stiff hands away from the rope and bend over my knees to ease the dizziness.

  Red laughs beside me. “Sorry should’ve warned you. Had to get away fast, and this old girl doesn’t have all the fancy gadgets to smooth out the ride like the new ships.”

  I look up at him and glare. At both of him. I blink away the double vision and look back down.

  “No time for rest yet, Brenna. We can’t outrun those ships. They’ll board us eventually.”

  I straighten up, my heart racing and my head pounding. I reach a hand out to the wall but find cold, wet metal instead. As I pull my hand back I hear Red laughing.

  “First of all, stop laughing at me. And second, what do you mean by they’ll board us? I thought we were safe on this ship.”

  He leans over and grasps my arm to steady me and lead me toward the door to the main ship. “I’m just enjoying seeing how much you look like your mom. She used to always be able to make me laugh.” He turns his head toward me and takes on a much more serious expression. “And no one is safe from the reach of the galactic troops. Most of them are corrupt way out here near the Fringe. Not enough oversight from Sol base.”

  The door out of this cold, wet bay grinds open as Red places his palm on a bio scanner to the right of the door.

  I raise an eyebrow at him.

  “There are a few updates to this ship.” He points to the slimy walls. “They’re more concerned with safety of the bodies than esthetics of the ship.”

  I’d never been on any of the body ships, as they used to be called. I’m sure my school friends would be surprised since I work with the dead. But usually these ships work farther out in the less populated areas, and I’ve only ever lived on Mars and Delta station.

  I allow Red to help me over the step and into the metal corridor. It’s obvious this ship hasn’t been in a maintenance dock for a while. The distance between luxuries like maintenance ports, recreation, shopping, and actual hospitals is what keeps only the most adventurous people migrating toward the Delta Fringe.

  My balance returns now that the ship has straightened out. I let go of Red, and he leads me down the narrow corridor. It’s cold here, like th
e whole ship is a fridge for the dead. I wonder what type of crew would do this for a living. At least for most of the day I live a normal life on Delta with school, cafes, the greenhouse, and recreational activities. I doubt there are any of those here on this small ship.

  We soon come to a junction in the corridor, and Red hesitates only a brief second before he turns right. I stop and look left. A few meters down the corridor there is a set of sealed doors. A bio scanner is placed on the wall beside them, but what catches my attention are the large gouges where the two doors meet. I step forward and trace my fingers over them. The scratches are six deep lines, as if some large animal had been trapped inside trying to get out. These doors are even colder than the rest of the metal on the ship, so I’m assuming these are the morgue freezers.

  Red steps up next to me, and I look up. He’s got that grin on his face again.

  “Dark humor from the crew?” I stand up.

  “Yep. Some of them have been out here a bit too long.”

  He turns, still grinning and heads down the other corridor.

  I take a last look at the scratches and shake my head. I doubt they get much company here. And those they do get probably don’t stay long. Especially after seeing something like this. They probably like it that way.

  The ship isn’t very big, and we’re soon up at the bridge. We walk into what seems to be a fight between two crewmen. Others sit calmly at their consoles in the back of the dark bridge, ignoring the chaos just meters away. The two at the front are in each other’s faces yelling and gesturing wildly.

  Red just stands there as we listen to the two men argue about the rough takeoff we experienced earlier.

  All Red has to do is clear his throat, and the room goes silent.

  The two combatants slowly turn to look. Both of their faces drain of color when they recognize Red. I glance sideways at him, and I can tell he’s fighting to keep a stern composure.

  “So sorry, commander. We were just having a difference of opinion.” This guy looks to be in his mid-thirties and wears the clothes of most interplanetary traders — non-descriptive, colorless, and formless. Traders deal with all sorts of communities with different cultures, religions, and customs. In order to not offend anyone, traders try to be as invisible as possible. Just like private couriers.

  “I think everyone would agree that your takeoff was way out of bounds. You could’ve loosened the load.” Red says sternly.

  I gasp, imagining the deceased bodies falling everywhere.

  The two men look at me as if just noticing me for the first time.

  Red places a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, the bodies are fine. Right boys?” Red asks with more authority in his voice than I’ve heard from him the whole time I’ve been with him.

  They both nod their heads, not trusting themselves to speak.

  “So, you’re the commander of this ship as well as the owner of the mines?” I ask.

  I hear a scoff behind me.

  Red gives the offender a sideways glance and then turns back to me. “I’ve got several ships as well as the mines, yes.”

  “So why don’t you think we’ll be safe here, then? Sounds like you have a lot of resources.”

  Red gestures for the two men to get back to work, and they each take seats at consoles at opposite ends of the bridge.

  “I do in this quadrant. But this new galactic commander is from Earth.”

  “He’s from Earth? I saw him listed as assigned to this quadrant. Why is he out here?”

  Red touches his nose. “Exactly. Why this commander? And why is he interested in you?”

  “Me?”

  “He traveled with you on the hospital ship, did he not? Instead of using one of his shuttles.”

  “Yes he did. Kind of creepy too. He’s not exactly a people person.” I take my pack off and set it down at an empty console. “We’ve been trying to figure out what this commander is doing on this case. I didn’t know he came here all the way from Earth.” I frown as I pull one of my curls from my ponytail and twist it around my finger. I watch the stars on the front vid screen as I try to remember everything the commander said to me.

  A sudden persistent chime pulls me out of my thoughts, and I look at Red. He gestures to one of the two men who were fighting. “Who is it?”

  “Encrypted. For a Miss Teves?” He looks over his shoulder at me. Great sleuthing, señor. I think I’m the only stranger here. And possibly the only female on this ship.

  “We don’t have time to take you somewhere private.” He points at the screen, and I see a dark spot in the star line growing larger. “The galactic commander will catch up with us soon.”

  The stars fade away, and the front wall is replaced by my dad’s face. My heart warms at seeing him again, but then I notice how tired and faded he looks. “Dad. Are you all right?”

  He gives a low chuckle despite his deepened worry lines and exhaustion. “I’m not the one running from one of Earth’s most decorated galactic commanders, B. The question is, how are you?”

  “I’m honestly fine for now, Dad. Red got me away safely. But we still need to find Markov.”

  Dad’s eyes slide over to Red, and I watch as his tired countenance changes into something I can only describe as hatred. I’ve never even seen my dad mad, so I’m not sure what to think about this look. I glance at Red who’s gone stiff, and his face is whiter than his teeth.

  “Um. What’s wrong Dad?”

  “Why are you with him? When I heard you were onboard a body ship I was relieved. Now not so much.” Each word comes out biting.

  “It’s a long story, but as I said he got me safely away from the galactic commander. Seems you two have a story for me as well. But it will have to wait. You called me for a reason, and it needs to hurry because we need to figure out what to do before the galactic ship reaches us.”

  Derek steps up beside Dad, and I give him a smile. Derek returns the smile, looking relieved to see me. My stomach flutters at seeing his handsome familiar face again.

  “You need to make sure the commander doesn’t find you Bren.” Derek says quickly. Both he and my dad look sideways, probably at a screen showing my location.

  “I don’t think this old morgue ship can outrun a galactic cruiser, Derek. Why? What else have you found out?”

  Derek runs his hands through his hair. My dad just sits there staring at Red.

  “Come on, someone tell me.”

  When my dad doesn’t move, Derek leans in toward the vid. “The same galactic commander was there when your mom died, Bren. He was the one on the investigation team. We don’t know how, or why he’s here now. I can’t connect him to any of the pirate ships, or the private couriers. He seems clean, but he seems fixated on your family.”

  I look between Red and my dad. “You two know something about this?”

  Red just stares straight ahead.

  Dad finally answers. “Nothing we can prove. It’s just this commander is the one who ruled your mother’s death an accident. And the only thing ‘Red’ and I have ever agreed on is that we don’t believe it was an accident.” Dad’s eyes are piercing as he stares at Red.

  Red’s face crumples, and I think he’s going to cry, but it’s only for a second, and then he plasters on his fake smile again. “And now he’s after Brenna.”

  I feel weak in my knees so I sit hard into one of the seats nearby. “And when, exactly were you going to tell me this bit of news, Dad?”

  Dad’s large brown eyes track onto mine. “When I could prove something. You need to stay safe and get back to Delta.”

  Red steps forward and places a warm hand on my shoulder. “I’ll take good care of her, Teves. I’ve got an idea. You just be ready at your end. Remember we’ve got thirty-eight good souls on board here waiting for transfer to your autopsy freezers.”

  The space between Dad’s eyes furrows as he stares down at his comm readout and then back up to Red. He gives him a curt nod. “I’ll be ready. You take good care of h
er.”

  Derek looks helpless. “How are you going to avoid the commander? What if he boards your ship?”

  “Don’t worry, son, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve. You two just be ready on your end.” Red enunciates each word carefully.

  I look between my dad and Red, and where before there was hostility in their expressions, now there’s some kind of understanding. I narrow my eyes at them, suspicious something is going on here that I’m missing. But before I can ask what they’re up to, Red gives the signal to cut the comm. Then he lets go of my shoulder and says, “Okay, let’s go Brenna.”

  “Where to?” I put my pack on.

  “The freezers. Where better to hide a body?” He grins at me and walks out of the bridge, leaving me with my mouth gaping open, and a ton of questions brewing in my head.

  14

  Frozen Alive

  I follow Red down the short corridors back to the fake animal-attacked doors. He places his hand over the bio scanner, and the doors hiss open, fog rolling out past us.

  The room probably takes up half of the ship. There are row upon row of bunk bed style shelves where bodies are strapped down in black bags. I walk over to one and tug on the strap.

  “I told you they would be safe. You fancy station coroners aren’t the only ones that have a desire to take care of and respect the dead.”

  “I wasn’t—”

  “I know what you were thinking. The ship is old and in need of maintenance, and they got a little crazy with the door design.” He waves at the scratches on the door before he shuts them, “And that my first officer and captain like to have disagreements.”

  I lift an eyebrow at him.

  “Okay more of a fight, but still I know how all this looks.” He spreads his arms out wide. “And I know I’m not a coroner or any kind of medic. I’m just a business man, but I do respect the dead.” He steps closer to me. “I learned that from your mom.”

  “Is that why Dad doesn’t like you?” The chill from the room sends a shiver up my spine.

  “Mostly. Your mom and I, we were close but not in the way you think…or your dad thinks. It was never like that.” Red turns and walks down in between the rows of frigid bodies. I side step so I can see him down the next row. He walks up to the back wall and pushes a handle to slide open a drawer. I expected another body, but instead he pulls out a body bag. He pushes the drawer closed and carries the bag back to me.