The Stars Within, page 2
The vice admiral, a hard man with a permanent scowl, bent forward to address Hanseloff. “I wouldn’t trust this mission to anyone stupid enough to accept it without first knowing the details.”
Finally, a superior who made sense. No one placed in the same position would agree blindly to this. Especially not her. Not after learning this information was sensitive to a point where they’d keep their prime candidate in the dark. Pulling a soldier from retirement could mean they were trying to find someone expendable, after all.
The chairman tapped on his desk with a finger resembling a sausage. “If this intelligence gets revealed to the public, mass panic will spread across the sectors.”
Anguye whispered something in his ear.
Pause. Stiff. Licking dry lips.
“Fine,” the chairman said after a protracted silence, arms crossed. “You put too much faith in her. You’d better not be wrong.”
The general’s gaze settled on her a motherly smile sketched on her lips again. “When the Radiants first attacked, we weren’t ready for them. They took us by surprise. We fought amongst ourselves, divided by ideals. Thanks to brave people like you we escaped. We survived.”
Colette put her elbows on the desk, her interest piqued. If this concerned the Radiants, the outlook was grim, regardless how much the general sought to paint it in a good light. She remembered those days. Even if every human being banded together against the aliens, nothing indicated they’d have won. The Radiants came out of nowhere, wiping them in one fell swoop, destroying Earth in a matter of years.
“It seems they have found us again,” Anguye continued. “This time, although we are united in our ideals—thanks to our first encounter with them—the distance between main planets will impact our defensive capabilities. We’ve barely established communications with the other two sectors. We’re too dispersed to fight back.”
Anguye stated the obvious. Colette, however, was powerless to solve an issue this far-reaching alone. Why did they summon her, a retired woman in her fifties in particular? “Are you certain it’s them?” she asked.
This meeting was proof enough they were, but she wanted to have every information available. If the Radiants were back, it meant humanity’s downfall. Their prior assault demonstrated they weren’t interested in taking prisoners, only lives.
“If we weren’t certain, you wouldn’t be here, Captain,” the general echoed her sentiment.
She took off her glasses.
“Our drones in the Fringes have been destroyed. There’s no denying the heat signature. It’s them.”
“No other sectors have been touched?”
“None.”
Colette brought her hands together, leaning forward despite her best effort to appear detached. It meant the Radiants hadn’t found the other sectors yet. The distance between the main planets might be an ally in the end. The key to civilization’s survival. “And how’s our fuel?” she asked, buried in her mind.
“Not enough to escape to a new sector,” the general said, following her chain of thoughts. “We don’t have the infrastructure in place. Maybe a few civilian ships would be able to reach Jekur, but if the enemy follows us, we’d bring them straight to another bastion of humanity. The risk is too high to justify the attempt.”
They were running from a merciless enemy with no time to plan for the future. Earth’s colonies ran in different directions trying to save their people’s lives. They sent their ships at random into the vast network of magnetic streams that allowed humanity to travel faster than light. No course charted; no exit planned. From stream to stream, they jumped until it was impossible to be found by the Radiants.
Vivid images from these events replayed in her mind whenever someone alluded to it. Stationed on Epsilon, not far from Earth, she’d received the distress call from a citizen’s ship. Her captain obeyed his orders to ignore it. She incited a mutiny to prevent the evacuation. It was the only way no matter how she analyzed it.
Her mingled fingers tapped her upper lip at a regular interval while she explored the memory. She stopped. “So, where do I come in?”
General Anguye checked the board members whose focus was now riveted on Colette.
Squinting, analyzing, judging. They searched for confirmation their trust in her wouldn’t be misplaced.
“I’ll be honest with you, Captain,” the general said. “There are no other candidates for this mission. I recommended you and you alone. Your background, your charter experience… You’re perfect for this job. Sometimes sacrifices must be made to succeed in a mission. You’ve proven you’re willing to make them.”
No need to bring up the past. It was directed at herself more than it was at the general referring to her insurrection. Colette wouldn’t be able to ignore a threat like the Radiants and, judging by the scrutiny they attributed her files, the board counted on it. She was their only candidate because the mission was already hers.
She already accepted it. “Go on.”
“If we weren’t ready for them when they first struck, we are now. I’ve made sure of it. For the last twenty-five years, I have personally overseen the development of a weapon strong enough to wipe the Radiants for good. Our sector designed an expanding singularity bomb with the potential to destroy a whole solar system. It’s not usable in a direct fight. Our forces would be caught in the blast, and the Radiants would most likely suspect we’re devising an attack before we can set it off, so we’ll take the fight to their planet.”
Her mission was to decimate an entire species using the most dangerous weapon in the galaxy. No wonder they kept their potential candidates to a minimum.
She didn’t sympathize with the aliens, far from it. They left them no choice. Humanity needed to defend itself, to survive… again. “We have no idea where they came from?” she asked.
“No,” the general answered. “But we have a theory. We’ve calculated the paths they took when they destroyed Earth and dispatched drones into space on their trail. None of them found anything, but before disappearing into a black hole past the Fringes, three drones detected a radiation spike.”
Unimpressed, Colette squinted at the general.
“You’re not convinced, assume we’re grasping at straws here,” Anguye continued. “We’ve only seen this unique radiation type once, Captain. It came from Radiant’s vessels. That’s why we need you to find their planet, plant the bomb and, if remotely possible, escape.”
She locked eyes with the general. “If I am to accept this, and that’s a big if, I want people I can trust. I get to choose who’s on my team.”
Anguye nodded. “That’s acceptable,” she said. “I only request you bring Lieutenant Powell here.” The lieutenant saluted. “He’s the best weapons specialist and pilot in Novera; aced every test and became lieutenant in only a year.”
“Fine. But he’ll only fill the weapons specialist’s role for this mission. I already have a pilot in mind.”
For the first time, the soldier glimpsed her way, if only for a second. A twitch, mouth opened, ready to speak. She’d offended him. He kept composure and offered no retort. She respected his professionalism. He would make a great addition to her team.
“Captain, we have selected him through a rigorous process. He’s the most skilled pilot—”
“On paper maybe. The thing is, I don’t need skills,” Colette said. “I need guts.”
The general studied her for a moment. “Fine. Write a list, include everyone you want on your team along with their positions. We’ll send for them. I won’t lie to you, Captain. There is a high chance your crew won’t return alive.”
Colette rose to her feet and saluted the board members. “I’m well aware of the risks, General. It will be my job to make sure we do.”
Anguye settled in her chair, a weight seemingly lifted from her shoulders. She saluted back. “Thank you, Captain. Once it starts, there will be no room for hesitation. The bomb must reach its destination at any cost or our species is doomed. There’s no one else I would trust with this. You’re the best damn charter this side of the galaxy.”
Chapter Two
Hope in the Darkness
THOMAS
His hand loomed over the half-rusted doorknob, casting its shadow like the birds endemic to this planet before they stripped the mythrium and triggered a mass extinction. Thomas observed his hand. For an instant, he retracted it. It didn’t feel like his. It was connected with his body, yes, but somebody else was in control. Another removed version of himself dictated his movements from further back, like a puppet master.
A perpetual numbness permeated his soul since Dr. Falsteid’s announcement. The bracelet on Thomas’s wrist, though, a thin metallic twisted band with a screen—that belonged to him. No way around it. It indicated how many standards he owed The Company at any given moment. The amount on it never seemed to dwindle.
He took a deep breath, staring at the infinite stars glittering above his tiny house built from rusted metal sheeting. It wasn’t much, but he was unable to afford anything else since his first cancer. Besides, he and Molly were happy there despite everything. His hand clutched the knob and twisted it open.
There she was, more beautiful than a sunset bathing desert sands in its golden glow. She shifted in the rocking chair to greet him with a soft smile, loose brown hair brushing her shoulders. Her hands stopped their movements on the knitting sticks with which she crafted pink cotton socks. She got up; the bulge stretched her brown jumpsuit zipper at the belly.
Thomas cursed in his head at how she was forced to work in the kitchens despite her condition. She came for a hug like she always did when he returned home. Why she stayed with him, gave him such love and affection even after he brought her to this dump planet was beyond him. He’d promised her so much.
“The mining planets are temporary, a cash grab. Once we have amassed enough money, we’ll move to a main planet.”
“We’ll buy a house. We’ll have a family there.”
“We’ll leave for a beach planet, open a store for tourists.”
“You and me together. Always.”
These lies weighed on his conscience every day. At the time he uttered them, it was the truth. To his dismay, the brochures embellished the real potential held within mining planets. The Company hired many independent contractors who, in turn, employed laborers to share a fraction of the profit. There were a few success stories recounting lucky employers who made their whole crew rich.
Sadly, luck wasn’t Thomas’s strong suit, and judging by the numerous employees stuck in the same loop he was, odds weren’t in their favor to begin with. Sure, the job paid good standards. Before you rented the meager unsullied land, bought the food, the transportation costs, the ruined jumpsuits, the equipment needed to perform your tasks and, now… the medical bills.
After a few years, when the amount on your bracelet amounted to something reasonable at last, they announced they bled the planet dry, then moved you to another one to start the process over again. It was more akin to disguised slavery than a career path.
Molly’s father warned them it was a scam. He even offered them a small farmhouse on a colony for them to be independent. Perhaps send crops or livestock to other planets. But Thomas needed to do things in his own style without relying on anybody. He wanted to believe in what he did, to be useful in a way. Sending mythrium dust to the sky helped humankind explore the stars. It satisfied his desire to contribute to society for a time. Foolish pride if you asked him now.
Molly stopped. There was no going back. Even if he didn’t want to tell her, she already sensed something was wrong. She read him like a book. She stumbled then grabbed the wooden counter to hold her weight. He showed her the white, luminescent pills.
From then on, the evening went in slow motion, the blur he experienced in Dr. Falsteid’s office deadening his faculties again. He remembered Molly crying. Him crying. The silences. The disbelief. The questions.
They laid on the bed, facing each other. Close. He took a photograph in his mind—her round face, her almond-shaped eyes, her hair’s distinct smell, embedded in his brain forever.
“What’s going to happen now?” she asked.
“Nothing really,” he reassured her unconvincingly. “I beat this thing once. I’ll beat it again.”
“If anyone can, it’s you, Tom.” She caressed his cheek and paused. He cherished the warmth on his face. “But I was talking about the baby.” Her hand moved to her belly.
He mimicked her movements. “Don’t worry, she’ll have a father.” He remembered what Sam had told him. It alleviated the guilt building in Thomas’s stomach. No matter what happened, he wasn’t lying on this topic.
She grinned. “Oh, it’s a she now?” Her smile faded not a second after it appeared, fleeting, like a ghost. “Maybe I could ask my father to—”
“Molly.” Thomas sighed, turning on his back.
“Well, if what they say is true and it’s the mythrium dust making you sick, I don’t want our child breathing it any more than I do you or me.”
She was right, no way around it. Besides, he didn’t wish to fight, not now.
“Your father sold that farm, remember?” he said.
“Yes, but maybe he kept the money. Maybe he has something else to help us. Fresh air would help you recover at the very least.”
“He hates me, Molly. I took his baby girl to another planet. Who can blame him? Nothing good came from this stupid plan. We’re still stuck here with not a damned cent in our pockets.”
She grabbed his face with both hands and forced him to look at her. “Don’t you dare say nothing good came from this, Thomas Hundstrom!” She was referring to the baby, obviously.
What did a fool like me do to deserve such a brilliant star?
Sometimes, for half a second, he lost hope. He let the cancer beat him. It was wrong. If there was even a glimmer of hope, he would fight for it. For them.
“I’m a big girl. I can make my own decisions. In fact, I’m making one right now. I will call him. If he doesn’t want to help or if he can’t, I’ll find a way. I promise you that much.”
COLETTE
She spread her hand on the biometric print reader. A green twinkle showed her cleared. Anguye worked fast through the bureaucratic muddle pervading the Alliance, to her credit.
“Welcome, Commander Dubois,” the familiar automated voice said.
Colette straightened despite herself at her new title being proclaimed aloud. Suppressing her foolish delight, she pressed the button for the first hangar. Chains whirled alongside a sharp bob, signaling the lift’s descent.
Before the Radiant war, the Alliance maintained its equipment tidier. Buildings, ships, uniforms, and elevators were kept sparkling white embroidered with gold. She missed the respect and pride it commanded. Now, the lack of resources meant things became starker. The lift she stood in was bare iron with a metal grating floor. The only advanced technology present was the scanner sitting atop a naked pedestal underneath which the strapped wires were visible.
She braced herself in time to keep her feet when the elevator quaked to a hard stop. The years spent in retirement had not eroded reflexes built by her military career at least. The doors roared open to a vast hangar where workers bustled on scaffolding, hauling merchandise, mythrium dust, and supplies. There was no ship in sight, though, only emptiness where the hangar stretched without end. She double-checked the floor, even if it was unlike her to make such a silly mistake, before proceeding further.
A flicker caught her attention, like a mirage on the desert sands of mining colonies or water on a hot surface disappearing when one got nearer. When she did approach, a tiny ship’s outline manifested itself. Nothing close to the massive gunships bordering scale with a small city, but big enough to hold a crew of ten, maybe fifteen, people.
Doors slid open, splitting the illusion like a rock jutting from a waterfall, accompanied by the faint hiss of wind passing through a pinhole. The sound made it clear the Alliance spared no expense on this ship’s technology. It clashed with the hangar’s prevalent derelict state.
A tall man with thick-framed square glasses appeared into the ship’s opening, holding his weight with a lanky arm on the less striking metal skeleton framing the door.
He straightened himself at her arrival. “Commander Dubois,” he said, bringing a hand to his forehead in a somewhat formal salute. Judging by his disheveled black hair, mahogany skin, and the technological marvel surrounding the ship, there was no mistaking who this man was.
Colette saluted back. “Reyansh Anjari, I presume.” Only two names given to General Anguye were mandatory; one was Reyansh, the best engineer in the Alliance. Apparently, he already worked on her crew. “Impressive piece of tech.” She pointed toward the invisible ship’s approximate location.
Reyansh’s eyes sparkled behind his thick glasses. He lost any pretense of professionalism. “I call it the invisibility cloak.”
She lifted her eyebrows.
He grinned. “Yes, I can be quite the geek.”
He caught Colette off guard. She didn’t care if he labeled his inventions ludicrous names, but his dearth in regard to seriousness when addressing a superior was another matter. The hierarchy in the army served a purpose. When every puzzle piece belonged somewhere, it eliminated unnecessary questions and freelancing. Reyansh was known to be an eternal unprofessional. She added him to her list anyway because his skills overshadowed his attitude. She let it go, for now, hoping the rumors would prove untrue.
“What you see, or don’t actually, isn’t even the best part,” Reyansh continued with a smirk. “The reflectors—that’s what I call the cameras projecting their environment to form the cloak—are merely a precaution. A last resort, if you will. Because let’s face it, to pinpoint a ship this small among the stars, you’d have to have the vision of an eagle with magnifying glasses. No, the best part of the invisibility cloak is it hides any heat source the ship might emit. There’s absolutely no way to detect us on any tool known to men.”
