Chapter One
Hard Times
“They’ve latched on Captain Siringo.” One of the bridge officers named Briandy called out laconically.
I smiled grimly and said, “Put up a little bit of a fight to pull free from their tethers, but not too much. You know the drill.”
Briandy smiled a grim smile of her own, “Many times.”
She was right. We had done this far too many times, but there were few options left to us these days, in regards to upgrading our older fleet vessels, for something with a few less dings and space miles under its tail.
That said the Asteroid Cruiser attached above us was no great prize, but in comparison to this over worn rusted relic it was better on a number of levels, namely speed. Speed was important out here in the Far Quarter.
The sound of grinding metal heralded the approaching invasion from the no doubt foul-smelling horde of cutthroats that lay above us. The scenario we were about to play out changed rarely in terms of variation.
Standing up I drew my pistol and checked the charge level. Full on charge glowed back at me from a green indicator dot. I holstered it and drew my second pistol from behind my back.
The second pistol was relatively the same in terms of style, but the power indicator level could be a bit faulty on this one. Time would soon tell as to its accuracy of being fully charged or not.
I saw sparks erupt from down the hall as saw blades chunked through the rusty hide of the old girl that had carried members of my race for several billion miles or so. It was a shame she had to go this way, but there comes the time when it’s better to assign a ship to the graveyard versus watching her whole crew fried because she can’t keep up with the pack.
The grinding shriek of the saws was at an end. A heavy chunk of metal fell from the ceiling along with a shower of electrical sparks from severed communication lines.
The insane screams of a demoned horde of Asteroid Corsairs sounded out on the heels of the metallic thud of metal impacting on metal. The Corsairs jumped down in great number into the aft passageways of the ship.
These Corsairs had only two purposes in life that motivated them to continue on in their grim existence out here on the edge of the cosmos, rape and plunder. Their despicable state of pointless being was always a good reminder of what happened when one’s faith in something better happening failed entirely and all that was left was the animalistic urge to survive and carve out whatever pleasure there was to be found in the cold of space that stretched out endlessly around us.
They came down into the vessel in ever-increasing numbers and as if on cue my crew gave only a token defense as they retreated back through the ship. Their easy acquirement of a foothold only emboldened the Corsairs more and leaving all caution to the wind the rest of the Asteroid Cruiser’s crew hopped down through their boreholes in fear that they’d be too late to enjoy the amusements of raping the crew of the ship snatched in the clutches of their grappling harpoons.
Whether man or woman they didn’t care, although women were preferred because they offered twice the available usable parts than that of a man and thus lasted longer as a source of amusement. It was easy to kill these monsters knowing all that I did about them.
I nodded my head and Briandy whispered into her COM line. Instantaneously stun charges went off in the areas of first incursion. The ship reverberated with the shockwaves given off by the stun charges. Shaking my head, still momentarily deaf, I stepped out into the hallway as my bridge officers and other crew fanned out behind me filling the narrow corridor.
The stunned Corsairs tried to regain their way to their feet, while those still standing stumbled about unsteadily. I shot them where they stood or lay as those behind me added to the carnage by clicking off their beam weapons with veracity.
No quarter was given just as none would have been given to us. Stepping over the blown apart corpses of the fallen invaders I continued on as cleanup teams strategically located about the ship converged on the initial access holes into our ship.
*****
The way forward made clear, with no pirate left living, I bounded forward as two of my men from another corridor rushed forward to make a ramp holding their defense shields above them like an elevated stairway. My boot landed on one and in a running stride of momentum I bounded up to the next step and pushing off I catapulted up into the Corsair’s Asteroid Cruiser. This part of the scenario could be a bit tricky.
Traditionally this was where we lost the most people and for that reason I made it a special point to be the lead man in such maneuvers as often as possible. I was no better than any of my people and yet I was their leader. Performing such risks was my way of showing my commitment to the general cause of our survival.
With the advent of my people knowing the level of my commitment to them it helped my task as a leader because they would wordlessly obey the tougher decisions that had to be made at times such as abandoning members of the Fleet if it was for the greater good of the rest of the Fleet.
In short, I hated my job, and yet I’d proven as adept at it as my forefathers before me had been. The proof of my success as a leader was that my people were still together although even fewer in number than there had been in my father’s day of command.
No one was complaining about that though, because they all knew what a continual miracle it was that any of us yet breathed and were in possession of our right minds. The act of our continued survival against all odds was in and of itself one of the greatest generators of the will to hold on to the faith that one day things could change, but like all continuously tapped emotions it was getting worn out.
Time was running out perhaps even faster than spare parts were. Change had to come soon or else we’d end up like the scum we were killing even now.
My somersault through the Corsairs’ opening in our hull carried me on up to my feet. Wheeling around I beheld the surprised visage of a latecomer to the sortie below. I pulled the trigger, only the gun didn’t fire. Blasted indicator!
The man gave a gap toothed grin and made to bring his weapon to bear, but he was already dead, his insides blown away by my holstered gun, which I’d drawn with what some said the speed of lightning. I wouldn’t know as I’d never seen lightning.
Some phrases of speech persisted on from previous generations that made no conscious sense to those of us alive in the present who had never witnessed them. That said I did get the gist of what the phrase meant.
Several more Corsairs appeared and in rapid succession I took them out. Members of my crew were hoisting themselves up through the holes and the remaining cleanup proceeded quickly without any further mishap.
*****
Disgustedly I glared at my malfunctioning weapon as others of my crew bailed out of the rust bucket below to take part in the cleanup of the Asteroid Cruiser. Savagely I clanged it off of a bulkhead door and the red glowing indicator warning of low-power abruptly switched to a light green bordering on yellow. That was more like it.
“You should pitch that thing before it lets you down for good.” Briandy commented dryly from beside me.
Glancing to her I rightly acknowledged that she had a point, but I was reluctant to let go of the piece that had been my grandfathers and his father before him. The gun was of Melungeon design and craftsmanship and such things were rare to us now as most of the weaponry and technology we possessed we had gotten from other sources as our own had run down or become antiquated.
This pistol still worked though, which was asking a lot for being in continuous use for about 200 years. It was allowed to have a few glitches from time to time given its track record.
Right or not in her assessment Briandy was getting too familiar with questioning my judgment again and leaning out to the side I smacked her hard on the rear. She skittered away from me with an affronted look and I said pointing towards our newly acquired ship’s bridge, “Get going!”
Spitefully she hissed out, “I should shoot you!”
Throwing my arms wide I said, “Take your best shot.”
With a strangled scream of frustrated wrath she turned away to do as I’d said. Watching her go I had to admit that my baby sister had filled out into quite the female specimen.
I’d have killed another man for doing what I had just done. That thought no sooner occurred within my consciousness than I witnessed two of my crewmen turn their heads to look after my sister. Admittedly the girl liked to wear her pants far too tight.
As I continued to glower at the two men they took notice and immediate apprehension arose in their faces at having been caught in the pursuit of the forbidden.
Pointing to them I said, “You two are tasked with dragging the garbage out of here before we take off.”
“Yes Sir!” Both men said respectfully, even as a hint of the internal groan at having been assigned to corpse removal detail leached out into their tone of voice.
I moved past them to make my inspection of the ship. In general the place was a pigsty and stank much the same. It was always the way of it, but thankfully the buttons and screens glowed brightly from beneath the layers of caked on grime.
The ship was of a common design with a few subtle improvements that made my appreciation of it rise a notch. It had the appearance of resulting from a unique cultural background versus being an amalgamation of parts pillaged from a dozen different ships.
I wondered where the Corsairs had gotten it from. Sam, my chief engineering officer appeared in a doorway with the look of something important to say.
Sam was short for Samantha and of all my select crew that I favored to accompany me on these missions I had perhaps the most respect for her. While an attractive blonde she was happily married with two kids and so I never allowed myself to think further than the professional relationship we shared in terms of keeping our people alive.
“Everything all right with the propulsion systems?” I asked somewhat concerned.
She shook her head, “No, they’re just dandy. She’ll be one of the fastest in the fleet once I clean some of the bugs out of her, but there’s something I think you should see.”
I didn’t like what I saw in her eyes. I stepped forward and four others made to follow along but I waved a hand and said, “Stay here.”
Obediently they stayed behind. Whatever Sam had to show me I’d rather it remain in private given the serious nature of her manner.
Making our way through various corridors we came to the propulsion wing of the ship. Again I was surprised by the elegant but exotic layout of the ship’s systems.
This was a much finer ship than I had first thought. The outside appearance of it did not do the interior workings of it justice at all.
Sam gestured to a console readout station and glancing to her I waited for her to explain what was causing the uptight tension that seemed to radiate out from her.
“It’s a curious design of a ship as I’m sure you’ve noticed. A good bit finer than the run-of-the-mill space trash we usually run across out here.”
“Get to the point of whatever’s bothering you Samantha.” I said using her full name.
She glanced around looking to see if we were alone. I watched her bite her lip then and tears sprang from her eyes to fall down her cheeks with abandon.
Without hesitation I stepped forward and hugged her to me. Her arms came around me so tightly that my breathing was restricted.
Sensing a noise rather than being able to hear it over the sound of Sam’s sobbing against my chest I glanced upward and saw Michalin, Sam’s husband, towards the far end of the room. He had a look of concern etched across his face as he beheld his crying wife in my arms.
He was one of my best and most loyal fighters and I knew that while some might see it as odd for me to be hugging another man’s crying wife I knew he thought nothing of it. I gestured him forward and upon him drawing close I helped transfer Sam to his willing arms of comfort.
Looking from the two of them I turned to the console station and with a few movements of initiation the station came alive with its diagnostic reports of the ship’s current condition. My hands gripped down hard on the edges of the console as I crammed my eyes shut not wanting to believe I’d seen what I just had on the screen.
“You saw it?” Sam asked in a voice still full of tears.
Turning away I stumbled to a nearby bench and sat down heavily letting my head fall forward into my hands. In the background I heard Michalin ask, “What is it?”
I felt Sam’s gaze upon me and I nodded my still lowered head giving my permission for her to tell him. Sam spoke, “The readouts are translated into Melungeon.”
In a shocked sounding tone Michalin asked, “Just what does that mean?”
“Well the ship isn’t Melungeon and standard occupational conduct of a captured ship is to change the ship’s analytics over into one’s own language.”
“That doesn’t mean anything!” Michalin said, a bit desperately as the awful truth of the situation began to press down on him like it already had on me.
Sam shook her head as more tears fell, “Ten years ago when we made contact with the Zanzi Fleet Squadron, do you remember that?”
“Yes, who doesn’t?”
“Well at the time we’d thought we were the only surviving fleet of our people who’d managed to survive through the years as we had. It was a time of celebration and we stayed together for a year, until the need for resources drove us to part our ways. We set a rendezvous point for us to meet up at in a designated point in space in three years’ time. Well as you know they didn’t show up. While many of us feared the worst others contented themselves with the hope that they had just been delayed from reaching the rendezvous. While both fleets were together for a year I had the chance to study under one of their chief engineers. Certain system programming carries a uniqueness to it almost like a fingerprint to the individual who created it, at least it does if you know what you’re looking for. The way the diagnostics are configured perfectly matches the engineer I studied under from the Zanzi Squadron. These were our people Michalin!”
Watching the pair of them I witnessed Michalin step away as he put a hand over his eyes before brokenly admitting, “I thought…… I thought a few of the bodies were faintly familiar looking.”
He stumbled and reaching up I pulled him down to sit beside me. Throwing my arm around his shoulders I drew him close to me as consummate warrior that he was he began to bawl his body shaking hard from the force of his sobs.
Both Samantha and I knew full well what it was that had driven the man not overly given over to expressing emotion into such a state as this. Sam kneeling down before her husband pulled his head forward against her chest as she whispered into his hair as her own tears wet his head, “Oh honey I’m so sorry!” Over and over and over.
Ten years before when we had quite by surprise met up with the Zanzi Squadron it had been universally agreed for the mutual continuation of the strength of our bloodlines after being so isolated as we were in space for almost 200 years that it would be a good thing to exchange some of our younger men and women in order to create genetic diversity in the future generations. Michalin’s sister had been one of those chosen to take part in the exchange, as had two of his cousins that had been as close to him as sisters.
Standing up I looked about the room for a moment. Glancing down to the couple I said, “Keep this to yourselves.”
Both nodded, still locked in grief together.
I made my way from the propulsion room, but as soon as I was out of sight I collapsed against a wall and slowly slid to my knees unmindful of both the dinginess of the floor and the wall I had my face pressed against. I didn’t permit myself to cry. I had no more tears anyway. However I could beg.
“God.” I whispered over and over in search of peace.
Brokenly I asked, “How can we keep going on? I’m at my end God! Every year it gets harder, with less food, less available energy sources, and less will to keep on trying. Is it Your will that we fail and all of us turn into these monsters we justly slayed today? Monsters who were once our brothers! If it is to be so than curse me now to death, because I don’t want to live to see it come to pass!”
In surprise then I did cry. Not for long though. It did no good to beg or cry, when God seemed to no longer be listening to my prayers.
Pulling myself up off the floor I wiped away all sign of emotion and moved on down the corridor back towards the bridge. Before going in I cleared my throat and made sure my usual face was on even though I felt like more of my sanity had been stripped away from me.
How much reasoning ability could one lose before insanity took hold? It was a question I debated often on, but the answer was the same, not today. I just couldn’t afford it.
*****
I sat down in the forward bridge chair and stared fixatedly out into the depths of space. A soft hand came down to squeeze on top of mine.
Breaking my gaze away from the void of space I turned to see Briandy seated in the other console chair across from me. There were tears in her eyes.
In alarm I glanced around and saw the same evident emotions repeated elsewhere and if that wasn’t enough Briandy said, “We know. Roquana saw her brother.”
Swallowing I looked forward again as I tried to hold onto my composure.
“What are your orders Sir?”
I broke my silence, “Cast off the mooring lines and set a course for the fleet.”
People moved about in the background to perform the accomplishment of my words. What kept them going? It surely wasn’t my words. If it was though we were all in deep trouble as I had nothing left to give.
In a falsely jovial sounding tone Briandy said, “You’re in big trouble Mister. Just you wait until I show mother the bruise I no doubt have on my rear by now!”
She was trying to distract me. Despite knowing that I responded with, “Just so long as she’s the only one you’re showing your rear to.”
She harrumphed, “Why can’t I have some fun? I’m old enough. Why do you have to curtain me off from all the men? A man doesn’t dare look at me twice for fear of you!”
I looked at her directly, “Exactly! If they can’t get over the fear of what I would do to them enough to ask for your hand in marriage then they don’t deserve you. When the right man comes along I’ll let you go.”
“Is that a promise?”
“It is.”
“Then I guess you’ll just have to hang in there and keep putting one foot in front of the other, because I’m not going to let up on you about being faithful to what you just promised me.”
I got the gist that we weren’t talking about prospective husbands anymore. I squeezed her fingers briefly and she went back to the task of piloting the vessel through space.
She was a good kid. She was almost twenty years my junior though.
My mother and father had been surprised to say the least. Father had died before Briandy had been born though. Ever since then I’d taken on the role of being a father to Briandy then of being a brother to her.
She hadn’t been my only sibling, but she and mother were all I had left now. Grinding my teeth I tried to will myself to have the gumption to keep pushing myself and everyone around me, but all I felt was a deep seated tiredness.
Hoping nobody would notice I let my head rest back against the seat and I closed my eyes. Footsteps drew near and I was on the verge of opening my eyes, when Briandy’s curt words stopped the source of the steps. The steps retreated.
I was so rarely without an interruption. Someone always seemed to be needing something. Didn’t they see how burnt out I was inside of being able to help anyone let alone myself?
They looked at me and acted as if they thought I had the ability to work miracles. I wished then for the billionth time that I had been born somewhere else in some other era far from these godforsaken stretches of space I had been cursed to spend my days endlessly journeying through.
Thankfully then all conscious thought faded from me.