by Mara Amberly
Time Heist
A Paradox of Time Prequel Novella
Mara Amberly
Copyright © 2020 Mara Amberly. All rights reserved. This book, including its cover, features artwork under license.
Book Cover by Sapphire X Designs.
Design Content: © Shad.off, Roussanov / Depositphotos.com, Authorsassembler.com, Deviney / Daz3d Marketplace.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
About the Author
Chapter 1
May 2130 - Aboard the Equinox, Relsar’o Docks, Valtera
When Eric set foot on the Equinox again, it felt like stepping back in time. It had been over a year—closer to two, in fact—since he’d last been aboard, and back then he’d been a military captain. Not the captain of the ship; that was Viktor, his old mentor and friend. The Equinox had always had a distinct feeling about it, where you always knew it was Viktor’s vessel. He had such a commanding presence, there was never any question.
The ship normally had a crew, but not this time. It was empty, other than for the lone ensign who guided Eric toward the captain’s cabin.
“It’s just through here, sir.”
Eric didn’t need directions; he already knew the Equinox like the back of his hand.
“I know,” Eric replied with a kind smile. “This is my old ship.”
The ensign didn’t leave his side, and Eric knew he’d be acting on orders to not leave him unattended.
It wasn’t lost on him that the ensign belonged to the military he’d left, and Eric had to wonder why he was aboard. It confirmed for him that the vessel was still under official authority.
The ensign pressed the intercom button when he reached the cabin.
Inside, Eric could imagine Viktor raising his voice and shouting ‘come!’
A few moments later, the door slid open.
The captain’s cabin looked the same as it always had, down to the paintings of old sailing ships on the walls. They belonged to a different time, before the Valteran people had reached the stars.
Due to limited space, the cabin served as an office by day, and personal quarters when the captain was off-duty. A bed folded out from the wall, but it wasn’t visible at present. If you didn’t know the ship well, you probably wouldn’t have known it was there.
“Reporting for duty, sir,” Eric said, staring straight ahead.
He might no longer be a military officer, and neither was Viktor, but the man was still set in his ways and respect was non-negotiable.
Viktor sat in a chair beside a wide desk, the surface marked by three computer panels.
“You may go,” he told the ensign, and gestured for Eric to sit down.
The door closed, leaving Viktor and Eric alone.
“You’re not a captain anymore and I’m not an admiral, so let’s dispense with the formalities, shall we? Let’s have a drink.”
“You won’t get any argument from me,” Eric told him as he pulled up the free chair and sat down.
Viktor opened a drawer and drew out two glasses. They were clear with crystalline patterns in the bottom. Eric knew they wouldn’t be as fragile as actual glass; most equipment on the ship would be built to withstand more.
Viktor picked up a bottle that had apparently been resting on the floor, which was little more than half full. He poured them both a drink.
Eric couldn’t identify the brand or type of alcohol, but his instincts told him the amber liquid would be strong.
It only occurred to Eric then that Viktor had the smell of drink on him. It mustn’t have been his first drink of the day.
“I have a proposition for you, and I won’t formalise your role on this ship until you let me know your stance on it, Eric. I’m not saying you can’t come back aboard later, if you’re not interested, but I would much prefer it if you were.” Viktor tilted his glass, taking a warming sip.
“Go on,” Eric replied, cradling his glass in his hands.
He was slightly concerned about the nature of the mission, but also curious about what his old mentor, teacher and former superior officer was up to.
“I’ve come by some information, which has the potential to be profitable for us. It could also prevent valuable goods from falling into less worthy hands,” Viktor explained.
Eric had the impression that didn’t sound entirely legitimate. “So, you want to get these goods before someone else can?”
“That’s right,” Viktor replied. He took a sip of his drink and urged Eric to do the same.
It was pleasant, even at room-temperature. It had a burn to it, that was for sure.
“So it would be an unsanctioned mission?” he asked.
Eric would not ask if it was military, because he already knew the answer.
Viktor scoffed, but he reluctantly nodded. “Unsanctioned is right. The Council gave me two options. I could keep the temporal drive in the Equinox and undertake missions for them, or I could take the ship with none of the interesting tech, and do what I wanted with it… within reason. There wasn’t much of a choice.”
Eric would’ve disagreed—there was always a choice—but he’d probably have made the same decision. The Council and the military tightly controlled time travel technology. It was a wonder they’d allowed him to keep it on a non-military vessel. That’s if it was.
“So why’s the ensign aboard?” Eric asked.
Viktor sighed. “They’re intent on safeguarding the ship until we’re underway. Can’t afford the technology to fall into the wrong hands, and so forth.”
“Yes, you wouldn’t want anyone to get their hands on the ship and use that time drive for their own ends,” Eric replied with a slight tone of sarcasm.
Viktor gave him an icy stare and set down his glass.
“That was a joke,” Eric said. He got the impression he’d offended Viktor, but the older man didn’t raise his voice. It grew quieter.
“You were right,” he admitted. “I have it on good authority that the Rizian Syndicate has gained the location of the Lethian Vault and they’re organising an expedition to break into it. I want to get there first, and with the technology we have on board, we can.”
It took Eric a moment to get his head around Viktor’s admission. It was like an onion; there were layers, and each one held a surprise of its own.
The Rizian Syndicate was an alien organisation in opposition to Valteran interests. Valtera was Eric’s and Viktor’s homeworld. The Syndicate was composed of roughly a dozen trade cartels from worlds Valtera had historically competed with. They were also notorious for criminal links to smuggling, theft, space piracy, and the drug trade. Eric could get on board with not letting them loot the Lethian treasure; though that didn’t change the fact that what Viktor was suggesting was highly illegal.
“You remember who the Lethians are?” Viktor asked.
“Only vaguely,” Eric admitted. “I know they’re a dead race who built architectural wonders throughout the galaxy, including artifacts that surpass our technology today.”
Eric couldn’t have told him much more, but he saw those as the most important points under the circumstances.
“They’re believed to have died out around five thousand years ago—archaeologists have different theories as to why, but none they can agree on. It’s a common theme that war wasn’t responsible. They were a capable race who could have defended themselves, and there’s a good chance there are still mea
sures in place to protect their vault,” Viktor said.
“How do you even know it’s a vault?” Eric asked.
“I only know what I’ve heard. It’s believed that some of their ancient logs show that they built a central vault where their riches are preserved. All I know is it’s taken on a mythical quality over time, and archaeologists are certain it’s real. No one’s been able to pinpoint the vault with certainty, until now,” he explained. “I have a contact working for a cartel in the Syndicate, and she has discovered the location. She’s offered to provide the information, so long as I allow her to be part of the expedition, and of course she wants her share.”
“How do you know you can trust her?” Eric asked. “She could be having you on.”
“I can’t tell you how I trust her, but I do. She’s proven herself and come through over time, and that’s all you need to know for now. She wants a way off Resus Station in case any of her associates figure out what she knows,” Viktor said.
It sounded awfully convenient to Eric. There were reasons Viktor ‘had’ to go there now, and if the Council discovered his plan, it could cost him the temporal technologies and command of the Equinox.
“Are you sure it isn’t some kind of loyalty test?” he asked. “The Council’s way of making sure you won’t go running off—”
“What, on some damn fool mission?” Viktor asked, grinning. He finished his drink.
“I’m certain it’s not. She’s trustworthy, and I wouldn’t have told you this if I didn’t have the same trust in you.”
Oh, here we go, Eric thought to himself.
“You know I’d be expected to report you.” Even though Eric had left the military, he still knew how they felt about things.
“Is that what you’re going to do, report me?” Viktor asked, standing up beside his desk.
He seemed genuinely hurt that Eric would respond that way.
“Of course I’m not,” Eric replied. “What kind of question is that? I just mean, others might not be so gracious.”
“Then why mention it in the first place?” Viktor asked in annoyance as he poured himself another drink.
“Because it’s wrong, and we might as well acknowledge as much instead of pretending otherwise. It doesn’t matter how corrupt the Rizian Syndicate is, we’re still doing something the Council would oppose, if they knew about it,” Eric said.
“If you’re not interested in going with me, then tell me so,” Viktor said, “and I’ll find someone else. Someone who doesn’t complain as much as you do.”
Eric grinned. “I don’t complain anywhere near as much as I could, and you know it,” he said. “And I didn’t say I wasn’t going. You just need to be sure you’re approaching things the right way, and this doesn’t get back to the Council.”
Eric wasn’t sure why he was considering it. It certainly wasn’t greed. Academic curiosity figured into it a little, but he’d never been one to lose himself in history all that much. No, it was loyalty to Viktor. If Viktor was going to put himself at risk for this, Eric preferred to have his back. Besides, if Viktor tried to recruit anyone else with a similar background to Eric, they probably would report him. He wanted to see Viktor hang on to the Equinox as she was, complete with time travel technologies.
Viktor studied Eric and set his drink down. “We’re due to ship out in a few days’ time with our new crew. I intend to be out of here before then; with the time drive, we ought to get back when we need to.”
“Were you just going to take off in the middle of the night, or the moment ‘Ensign Eager’ leaves the ship?”
Viktor grinned. “Not exactly. I’ll tell them I’m taking her out for a spin. It’s the least a former admiral deserves.”
Chapter 2
May 2130 - Aboard the Equinox, Relsar’o Docks, Valtera
Eric wasn’t sure their plan would work, but then he already knew Viktor was capable of anything. Eric gave the ensign a salute as the young officer disembarked from the ship; he passed him with his bulky bag of possessions slung over one shoulder.
He needed his own clothes—in fact, just about everything now. There would be no more tidy uniforms for him, with crisp collars and polished boots. Now he was dressing for comfort and also some practicality. His loose black shirt and pants felt good by comparison, and more his own style.
Eric picked quarters at random and stashed his bag inside. He and Viktor were the only ones aboard, so far as he knew. As he approached the cockpit, which Viktor called the bridge, Eric saw his old mentor was talking over the comms.
“Oh, not at all, Lieutenant Krane. I wouldn’t want to scratch up the new paint job, would I? I’m just going to pick up my new pilot from Resus Station. I’m getting stir-crazy, stuck on land this long. I don’t know how you stand it.”
Eric heard laughter on the other end of the comms. “If it was anyone else, we’d be opposed to it. I’ll speak with PTC.”
PTC was Planetary Traffic Control.
“You do that,” Viktor told him, “and I’ll send through the clearance codes.”
Eric dropped into the co-pilot’s seat, and Viktor turned to glance his way. He obviously hadn’t known Eric was listening.
Viktor was often gruff, but chummy when it served him to be. Eric was certain they had no idea about what he had in mind. He’d have to check the ship for trackers at a secondary location, but not until they’d left Valtera.
The ship was being watched, and he knew the Council would look for information on their flight plan and on every time jump they undertook. It was helpful that he knew how to remove that data from the system. Just one reason Viktor needed him, whether or not he would admit it.
“They don’t suspect a thing,” Viktor said with glee, as he sealed the hatches and warmed up the engines.
Knowing they’d soon be leaving, Eric clipped on his seat restraint. Viktor did the same.
The rumble of the ship’s engines seemed loud at first, after the near-silence of the windswept Relsar’o docks, but soon it felt familiar again. Eric knew the engines well; the entire ship, in fact.
A voice crackled over the comms. “Equinox, this is PTC. You’re cleared for departure.”
Viktor acknowledged their transmission and took the ship up. The Equinox wasn’t an enormous vessel, though it could operate comfortably with a crew of four or five. It only took one person to fly it at the most basic level. An engineer and a co-pilot could make a world of difference if things got interesting. That happened more often than Eric would’ve liked to admit.
The ship hit some turbulence over the city, but it soon ascended into the upper atmosphere and there was nothing but blue sky around it with vast and darker space within reach.
“I’m surprised you told them we’re actually heading to Resus Station,” Eric said.
“If they monitor us, nothing will seem out of the ordinary. Besides, I wasn’t lying about my pilot, though she is quite a bit more than that.”
“Ah, you mean Opal?” Eric asked.
Viktor’s eyes lit up, and he gave Eric a curt nod. “Smart one, aren’t you?”
Eric smiled. He thought it was a good enough approach to put the team together. Not the eventual crew the ship would have, though he couldn’t assume that with certainty. He’d heard good things about Opal, which had only confirmed for Eric why she could be trusted. It helped that she was Viktor’s daughter.
Eric mulled the thought over for a minute. “I didn’t think she’d be piloting for us.”
“Stranger things have happened,” Viktor replied.
He gave Eric a hint of a smile despite his abrasive exterior and left the planet of Valtera behind them. There wasn’t a lot of traffic in the system at present, but there should be more as they got closer to Resus Station.
Once they were in open space, Viktor unclipped the seat restraints and climbed from his seat on the bridge.
“Watch the controls, will you?” Viktor asked.
He didn’t explain why, and Eric wasn’t sure
he wanted to know. He just did his job and stayed on course for the station.
Viktor returned an hour or two later, and sure enough, Eric noticed the smell of drink on him.
He wondered if this was going to be a problem, but with just the two of them aboard, Viktor clearly wasn’t toeing the line as much. Eric wondered if Viktor’s anticipation of the mission ahead might be playing on his mind as well.
As more time had passed and he’d thought over the idea, Eric looked forward to it. It felt like an adventure to him, and that was something he felt he needed right now. As much as Viktor had joked about the frustration of staying land-bound, it was something Eric could identify with.
“I got a transmission through. Those rat bastards have already gone after our prize,” Viktor spat.
“You mean their prize?” Eric joked, but it was clearly lost on Viktor.
They might have chosen to go after it first, but Eric also knew they were a real and present danger, and they didn’t need any additional funding.
“I was hoping to avoid time travel, because I know the Council will be riled up about it if they find out, but there’s nothing else to do about it,” Viktor fumed. “We’ll get Rich first, then take the ship back a year or two.”
“Rich?” Eric asked, and then he realized. “Oh, it’s his name.”
“Yeah. I met him about a dozen years back when I was serving on Velus Five. The lad owes me a favour, and even if he didn’t, this job’s right up his alley. They don’t get much tougher than Rich.”
“So what are the odds we’re going to run into traps when we try to break into this vault?” Eric asked. “Besides, does anyone know what’s actually in it?”
“Nobody knows,” Viktor replied. “That’s part of the allure. They could be pointless relics and they would still be worth a fortune.”
