“Serina,” he said, breathing heavily after the exertion. She turned to him, her green eyes wide and inviting.
“Ace!” Serina’s enthusiasm at seeing him set his heart fluttering inside his chest. He knew they were just friends, not destined for more, but he couldn’t help himself. He was still infatuated with the older girl. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. How was the trip?”
He settled into the seat beside her and took in the stage, which was empty, a lone stark-white podium set up for someone to speak to the newly-gathered Earth Fleet members. “It was okay. Training and sleeping, you know how it is. How about you?”
She shrugged. “Pretty much the same.” Ace understood her training was a lot different than his. As an officer with the Earth Fleet, she was trained to be analytical, to think creatively and effectively, finding solutions to problems as quickly and with as few casualties as possible. Ace didn’t think he had the mind for that kind of training. He was more a point-and-shoot kind of guy, with a mix of barrel rolling.
“I’ve heard some crazy rumors, but no one knows what’s going on. Did you find anything out?” Ace asked her.
She shook her head. “I’m hoping to see my mother. She’ll know.” Serina was scanning the room, and she smiled wide as she pointed to the far-right corner of the stage. “That’s her! Come on; I’ll introduce you.”
Serina grabbed his hand and they raced down the row of seats, bumping into a few knees along the way. “Mom!” she called, forgetting herself. Ace saw her composing herself as she approached the admiral. She looked just like Serina, only older. She had the same beautiful eyes, the thick curled hair, and a young face, belying her age. They could have been sisters ten years removed.
“Admiral Helina Trone.” Serina stood at attention and saluted her mother, whose eyes blinked quickly as she recognized who was in front of her. She glanced over to Ace and met his gaze before embracing her daughter.
“Serina, thank God. I’m so happy to see you.” Helina’s arms were wrapped tightly around Serina, and Ace stepped back, looking away, trying not to interrupt their private moment.
“Mom,” Serina said quietly, “what’s going on here?”
The admiral’s face aged a decade after the question, and Ace’s stomach flopped inside him at the reaction. “I can’t tell you quite yet, but someone will be speaking with you about it shortly. How was boot camp? Did they treat you right?”
“Yes, they treated me well. Maybe too well, but that’s the price of sharing a last name with an admiral, I guess. Mom, I’d like you to meet Ace. Edgar Smith, actually, but we call him Ace. Ace, this is my mother, Admiral Helina Trone.”
Ace saluted her, and Serina’s mother gave him a small smile, her lips staying closed.
“Nice to meet you, son. Ace, is that a call sign? Fighter pilot?” she asked.
“You could say that, and yes, I’m a newly commissioned fighter pilot,” Ace answered, and her eyes locked with his, saying something he couldn’t decipher.
“Good. Good. Well done, son. Any friend of my daughter’s is a friend of mine.” The admiral glanced to the stage, where a man in a gray suit stood behind the podium.
“Please gather in your seats, everyone. The Grand Admiral will be here momentarily to speak with you. Please cease discussions amongst yourselves at this time.” The thin, balding man left the stage, and Serina’s mother turned back to them.
“You two get into your seats.” She gave Ace a warmer smile this time and told her daughter she would see her afterward. The two of them watched as the white-uniformed admiral climbed a handful of steps to her seat at the right edge of the podium. There she met two other admirals, if Ace was reading their insignia properly.
“Time for the big show,” Serina said. They were seated in the front row, toward the right side of the auditorium.
A woman entered from the back of the stage. Her presence took over the gathered troops immediately. She was in the black uniform of the Grand Admiral, five stars sewn onto the collar of the garments. Somehow Ace had expected a thicker woman, one with more character lines spread across her face. This woman wasn’t petite, but lithe, and her age was difficult to put a finger on. When she stepped behind the podium, not a single person in the room was making a sound, as if they were all collectively holding their breath.
“Greetings, recent recruits and Fleet troops alike. I’m Grand Admiral Jish Karn, and I’ll cut to the chase. There is a threat from a rebel group near Neptune. They’ve been a quiet conglomerate of terrorists and pirates, stealing ships from inter-system stations, and we think they’ve been receiving funds from one of the dome manufacturing partners.”
Ace heard a few gasps in the crowd. It didn’t sound too surprising, but he knew it had to be a big threat if the Grand Admiral was speaking to them about it, instead of funneling the details through the command structure.
“We have it on good authority they’re planning an attack in six days. We’ll be sending a probe soon, and if they’re there, as we’ve been informed, we’ll be sending a covert group of fighters in to take care of the incursion. The names of the pilots and crew have been decided, so please check with your direct report to see if you’re included.”
Ace hoped he wasn’t on the list. He was growing confidence in his own skills, but he didn’t want to end up being killed on his first real mission by some run-down pirate ship with more luck than him.
He glanced to the left of the room, where Ceda, the big oaf he’d made enemies with, was talking to an Earth Fleet officer. It looked like a commander, and Ace shrank down in his seat. Ceda was scanning the full room, and he locked on Ace, who’d been trying to make himself as small as possible. The thug pointed to him, and the commander nodded, motioning to a couple of the armed soldiers nearby.
The Grand Admiral kept talking, but Ace didn’t hear another word she said. He was busted, and it wasn’t going to end well. He took a deep breath and thought about running, but where could he go? It would only delay the inevitable. He waited until the speech was over and the Fleet audience were on their feet, clapping for their leader. The armed guards wound their way across the floor, in front of the stage, to where he and Serina sat.
Flint
Flint was still reeling from his arrival at their secret destination. Fairbanks had done something truly noteworthy, and Flint couldn’t believe he was aboard the ship he was going to be piloting. Eureka was the best-looking ship he’d ever laid eyes on, and he felt bad for his own freighter when he thought it. She’d gotten him through a lot, and he’d put her through the wringer on multiple occasions, but this vessel was one for the ages.
God, I hope this Shift drive works. He’d heard Benson say it was tested and functional, but he was still sweating bullets thinking about jumping so far, and through a space Rift. They’d arrived half a day ago and were finally given clearance to head onto Fairbanks’ ship.
“Flint, I’m so glad you didn’t convince them to leave me on Titan. This is so much better,” Kat said. She was wearing a brand-new uniform, one sourced by Benson. Fairbanks had foregone the Earth Fleet attire and had produced new uniforms for his staff. Kat’s was dark gray, black boot laces tucked under her long pants. It looked sharp. Flint was wearing the same uniform, only his collar was different. He looked down to see his tan boots contrast with the clothing. They’d been with him through a lot, and he wasn’t going to part ways with them now.
Rank on the ship still hadn’t been explained to him, or where he’d fall into it. Benson had told him they’d be meeting with Captain Heather Barkley and Jarden Fairbanks on the bridge. Flint was as ready as he’d ever be for this new chapter in his life. After the recent scares he’d been through, and the truth about the Earth Fleet being behind his parents’ and countless others’ deaths, he was looking forward to the adventure. No more hiding was necessary. He was on his new home.
“I hope we can trust these guys. How are you feeling about it all?” Flint asked his younger co-pilot. She looked back at h
im with a twinkle in her eye.
“Flint, this ship is amazing. Have you ever dreamed of something this great? It gives me hope. After seeing the crappy ruined colony on Mars, and the old cities back on Earth, we’ve become a race divided into slums and luxury. Maybe we can get in this Fairbanks’ ear and convince him to help some of those people. If he has the ability to manufacture the Eureka, imagine how many lives he could change. He could rebuild Mars Major…” Kat was ever the idealist, and while Flint respected that about her, he didn’t think any of their current paths would lead them to becoming philanthropists.
Flint raised a hand in front of him. “Slow down. You realize we’re ‘jumping’ into another galaxy. We might be hundreds of thousands of light years from home, with no way to return for at least thirty years, if we’re to believe the stories we’ve been told. I don’t want to stifle your passion, but Kat… our lives as we know them are over. This is it for us now. We may never be coming back,” he said, hoping the point got across to her.
The twinkle was gone, but she still grinned at him. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” he said as the door to the room slid open, revealing Benson.
“Come with me, if you would,” the man said before turning and walking down a hall.
Flint beheld everything with wonder as they crossed most of the ship, taking an elevator to the bridge ten minutes later. He couldn’t wait to have time to freely explore the vessel. He felt like a kid the one time his parents had brought him to a museum in New Boston. He’d wandered the exhibits for hours, soaking up as much of the facility as he could.
The doors to the lift opened, and Flint found himself on the largest bridge he’d ever seen. The viewscreen was at least thirty feet across and twenty high; a few ships hovered nearby in space outside the vessel, stars glimmering in the backdrop.
Three work stations made a first row on the bridge, closest to the screen, and he guessed two to be for himself and Kat, if they took his suggestion. The other was likely to control the weapons systems, and that was to the right of the row. He walked over to them and ran a hand over the console that hung over the lap of the seat. It was unlike anything he’d seen, sleek and white. His own ship had makeshift buttons and switches in a mad array. Compared to this, his freighter seemed to come from another century.
“Can you believe this?” Kat asked another open-ended question. He could believe it, because he had no choice, but it wasn’t what he’d expected when he’d first landed on Europa.
“What do you think?” a new voice asked from the back of the bridge, and Flint spun around, seeing an elderly man in a dark uniform. He could only be one person.
“Councilman Jarden Fairbanks. A pleasure to meet you.” Flint wasn’t sure that was true, but he put himself on his best behavior. He walked over to the man, stepping up to the rear seats on the bridge, past the captain and first officer’s seats.
They shook hands, and Flint was surprised by the man’s firm grip. “Likewise, Mr. Lancaster. You didn’t have trouble finding the place, I hope.” Fairbanks’ joke hit, and Flint couldn’t help but laugh at the timing.
“No. It was a quick jaunt to Europa after getting shot at on Mars, then being boarded by Marines on the way. No big deal.” Flint watched for any sign of shock in the councilman’s eyes but failed to spot one.
“Good. I’m glad there weren’t any issues,” the man said without missing a beat. He apparently had a wry humor Flint could appreciate. He wasn’t anything like the man Flint had expected.
The bridge’s main doors opened off the elevator, and a woman in a pressed white uniform stepped onto the bridge. Her hair was slicked back, pulled into a tight braid, but her eyes had a soft edge to them.
“Captain Heather Barkley, I’d like you to meet Lieutenant Flint Lancaster and Junior Lieutenant Kat Bron.” The councilman knew Kat’s last name, and that caught Flint off-guard. She wasn’t even listed on his own ship records.
Heather walked over to them and shook their hands. “You’re the pilot Councilman Fairbanks couldn’t live without. I’ll be curious to see what you bring that anyone else couldn’t.”
“So will I. Pleasure to meet you, Captain. You have a beautiful ship here,” Flint said.
“Don’t for a minute presume to think this is my ship, Lieutenant,” Captain Barkley said. The use of his newly given rank hit him in the chest. It sounded strange to hear it. “I may be the captain, but Eureka is all the councilman’s.”
“Be that as it may, you are the captain,” Fairbanks said, sitting down in the first officer’s seat.
For the first time, Flint noticed someone else on board with them. She stepped out from the office in the back corner of the bridge. She didn’t have a Fleet look to her, if there was such a thing. Her dark curly hair was cut short, and she had a gorgeous tone to her skin. The woman cleared her throat and walked toward them, her gaze darting between them.
“This is Doctor Wren Sando, one of our science officers.” Fairbanks seemed pleased by saying this, and Flint could tell there was much more to the back story. He didn’t press it right now.
“Welcome aboard, Mr. Lancaster and Miss Bron,” Dr. Sando said. Her gaze lingered on Flint for a few more seconds, and he wondered if she was feeling the same thing he was. Heavy footsteps emerged from the office, and two glowing orange eyes looked back from the dim corner of the bridge. No one else seemed to pay attention to the lingering android, so Flint ignored it too. Probably on the cleaning crew.
“How long have you been with the councilman’s crew?” Flint found himself asking.
She laughed, a quick sound. “Two days.”
Kat raised an eyebrow, but no one elaborated. Fairbanks was really throwing together a last-minute effort here.
“Shall we discuss the mission a little more over dinner?” Councilman Fairbanks asked, and everyone nodded.
Flint’s stomach was growling, but with everything going on, he wasn’t sure he had much of an appetite.
22
CD6 (Charles)
CD6 was among new people, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was once again all alone. Wren was tied up with her lab preparations, and CD6 helped where he could. But did he only want to be her lab assistant? He didn’t think so. There was more out there for a being such as himself. A being. The thought came to him unbidden but sounded right when he thought it.
CD6 was an android, made up of electrical components and metal, but if one thing was sure, he was no ordinary android. What had created him? He wanted to know his origins and had started searching the Interface for signs of another like him. There were plenty of stories from the past five centuries about metal men having consciousness, so maybe it wasn’t as far-fetched as it felt. Still, those were stories, and he was real.
He tried to think of himself as Charles, the name Wren had given him, but he couldn’t shake the given name of CD6 in his own head. Maybe, with time, he could become Charles. He’d like that.
He walked down a hall; a few uniformed crew members walked by, ignoring him. They wouldn’t know he was thinking while they passed by, considering his future, his likeness to a human. They were leaving for their journey in five days, and everyone seemed to be in a panic to get things done. From what CD6 understood, many of the crew had recently found out where they were really heading, or at least that they were on a secret mission. Those who didn’t want to partake were being held on a nearby vessel, with no communication out until the Eureka was off; then they could go home, if that was their ultimate destination.
CD6 was glad to hear they’d be spared. He didn’t know the councilman well, but he assumed a man of his nature didn’t get where he was by giving in to others’ needs. It was something he’d have to remember moving forward.
Footsteps stopped behind CD6 as he stared out a window along the edge of the ship.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” the man asked. It was the one named Benson. There was a walkway that took you a full three-sixty around the ship, an
d this was CD6’s second round trip this morning alone.
CD6 looked over at the man, unsure who he spoke to. When he saw there was no one else around, he replied, “It is. It really is something. The vacuum of space, death to all organic life, yet we look at it with amazement and awe.”
“You’re special, aren’t you, Charles?” the man asked him.
“I’m not sure. I am unique, if that answers your question.” CD6 was uncomfortable with the attention, yet it was nice to be acknowledged by a human other than Wren.
“I think they’re one and the same in this case. I hate to ask something of you, with us just having met and all.” Benson turned to him, his eyes going soft, and his hands interlaced at the fingers as he spoke. “We left something important behind. When we didn’t have Wren with our team, it wasn’t quite as valuable, but now, with her research on the subject, we need it again.”
CD6 knew a favor was about to be asked of him. He didn’t know how to take it. “Go on.”
“We have a small vessel, built with one of the new Shift drives. We need you to go to the gathered Earth Fleet and get this subject so we can continue the research. Wren might be the only person capable of saving humanity, and we can’t do that without your help.”
CD6 felt a rush of excitement. The human race needed him to do something. Nothing would make him more accepted than participating in the annals of new history. But a question gnawed at him: “Why can’t you send a human?”
“I’ll explain the plan, and you’ll understand.” Benson motioned for them to keep walking, and for the next thirty minutes, he described what CD6 would have to do.
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