Royce Read online

  They both got up and headed to the lounge area, but not before thanking me. "Royce, many thanks. Let us know if there are any changes or news."

  "Copy that, Captain." Once they were out of sight, I asked Parker what she could get from the News Feeds.

  "Chaos, sir. Billions of people dead, and half the planet gone. Ships from all over the League are responding, even the Goranthi.”

  "Damn, any idea who or what did this?"

  "Nothing yet, sir, but I will monitor."

  "Thank you, Parker." I saw the transmitters come online, so I keyed the mic. "LTV Arachnid calling League Warship Hermes on Starguard channel zero, over."

  I waited.

  "LTV Arachnid, this is Hermes. State your status, over."

  "This is Second Officer Royce Aymar. We have three souls on board and a full load of merch for Tennosh in the hold. Hermes, be advised: the captain and XO have family on the western hemisphere."

  "Copy that, Arachnid. How far out are you?"

  "Fifty minutes current speed, thirty best possible."

  "Copy that, Arachnid. Contact Hermes control when you are in-system. Can you swap cargo pods?"

  "Aye, Hermes. Arachnid's an old Gaffer 327. If you’ve got a pod, I can have it in-place in ten minutes, over."

  "Copy that, Arachnid. We can use your help, over."

  "Copy that, Hermes. I'll contact you when I'm in-system. Arachnid out."

  "Sir, what can I do?" Parker asked.

  "Can you run a multispectral scan of the traffic out of Tennosh and see if you can find the captain and Kiran's family's call signs?”

  "Yes, sir. I'm on it."

  "Thank you, Parker. I'm glad you're here, you know."

  "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

  I pushed the throttles to full and re-plotted the Arachnid's course to bring us out of other-space as close to Hermes as safely possible. I ran in back and made sure the merch was strapped in tight and the unclamping system armed and ready. Like many medium-haul freighters, the Arachnid was equipped with a large transport pod which could be quickly detached so the mission profile could be changed on a whim. Drop off cargo and load on a passenger pod, or dry bulk pod, or a liquid transport pod. The pods were interchangeable like the transportainers that plied the oceans of Earth back in the day. After one more check, I returned to the forward section.

  I found the captain and XO in the lounge, both looking a little lost. As freighter pilots go, these two were good, real good, but they were now coming close to buckling under the weight of not knowing the fate of their families. To spacers, family was everything.

  "Sir, I think I found something," Parker said on the sub-audible channel, the one only the two of us could hear.

  "Go."

  "I think I found their families. I found a beacon, with both families’ call signs embedded in it, about one hundred miles from the edge. I checked the cartographic database and there's an old bunker system there from the last war. The government turned it into a museum. The place is called 'Staphlos Island.'"

  I ran into the lounge and told them what Parker told me.

  "That's right," Kiran said, snapping her fingers. "Staphlos! A vacation spot both families had planned to visit while we were gone."

  I explained the conversation I had with Hermes. "Right now, I'm betting the League wants to get all the survivors out of there, so I say we drop off our load, pick up an empty, and head over to Staphlos. We'll grab your families and everyone else we can find."

  "Damn straight," the captain said as Kiran started to tear up. "Listen, boss, we're not going to let a little thing like a planetary disaster get between you and your family, are we?"

  She looked at me and chuckled, "No, I guess not."

  The master chrono chimed. We were five minutes out, so we headed back to the cockpit and strapped in. I expected we were in for a rough ride.

  ###

  When the Arachnid dropped into real-space, the three of us stopped breathing when we saw the extent of the damage done to the planet. Where once a beautiful blue-green jewel hung in the sky, now only half a planet remained surrounded by debris, dust, and escaping atmo. It is a sight I hope never to see again. In all the time I lived in the Realm with its millions of planets, I never saw anything like what I saw out the cockpit window that day.

  While the captain and Kiran stared, I grabbed the mic and called the Hermes as we quickly approached it from astern. "League Warship Hermes, this is the League Transport Vessel Arachnid on Starguard channel zero waiting instructions."

  "Arachnid, this is Hermes. We have you on the scope. Come to course three-three-zero degrees, azimuth zero relative and proceed to staging area. When you arrive, drop your load and pick up an empty, then proceed to planet for rescue operations."

  "Roger, Hermes. Be advised we have a beacon from what we think are members of our families, over."

  "Aye, Hermes. Find them and get them and anyone else you can find. The rescue master will relay coordinates to you when you arrive. Pack them like sardines, but treat them like the most fragile of eggs, over."

  "Copy that Hermes. Arachnid out," I said as I spotted the staging area. I called staging control. They told me where to drop my load then lit the marker lights of our empty container. I had us on our way in five minutes. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw the captain leaning over. "Thank you," he said as he stared at the horror out the window.

  We hit atmo ten minutes later. While the captain and Kiran handled the data feed from Rescue and prepped the container for emergency evac, I slid the Arachnid through weather that only came from a nightmare. Two hundred knot winds and thunderstorms the size of some countries ripped passed us on their way to the edge of the world. We were running out of time.

  "Sir, five hundred meters, and closing," Parker said over the SAC.

  "I see it," I said as I spied an emergency beacon flashing through the dust-laden air. "Parker, any other beacons or signals in sight?"

  "No sir, that's the only one. No other life signs registering."

  "Damn it," I said as the ship lurched. "Hang on you two. The Universe has decided to slap us silly," I said as I fought the controls. "Parker, can you detect a hatch or door we can lock on to?"

  "Working... Aye, thirty meters lateral right, ten forward," she said as I gently fired the quad thrusters. "Gently, gently, lock!"

  I thumbed the autopilot switch to on before jumping out of my seat and running to the midships ventral hatch. The captain had beat me to it, but waited for my okay before opening it.

  "We're locked, but I don't know for how long," I said as I grabbed the breathing mask Kiran handed me and put it on. Hopefully I wouldn't need it.

  The captain slapped the lock switch and the doors cycled opened which meant there was atmo on both side of the door. Before any of us could move, people streamed into ship from below. Some were bloodied, others scraped, but they were all alive.

  As they poured in, the captain and Kiran guided them to the pod at the back of the ship while I helped them out of the hole they were hiding in. Around us, the wind's howl grew louder.

  "Kiran!" an older woman yelled as she emerged from the hole. "It's Anna, she's out there. We think she's in the other building hiding..."

  Kiran grabbed a second mask and headed to the airlock, but I grabbed her before she could open it. "Kiran, no. You'll be killed," I yelled.

  "Let me go, damn you. She's my daughter..." She stopped and stared as I went full elf and took the mask from her.

  "I know. I'll get her. Get these people out of there and this ship off the ground. You and Josiah will have only a few seconds to retrieve us, so don't be late," I said as I slapped the portside lock control and stepped through the door into the lock itself. I could see dust and debris blowing past the outer hatch as I cycled the inner one closed before opening the outer one. Moments later, I walked out into hell.

  Elves are tough, even royal ones. Between living on an inhospitable world and centuries of genetic engin
eering, we've developed into a hardy lot. Look at me. I survived half a year of almost daily torture, or so the story goes. Unfortunately, even elves have their limits, and I was fast approaching mine, so I got my bearings and sprinted to the building as the storm around me increased in intensity.

  I hit the door with enough force to tear bricks out of the wall around it. I ran in, out of the wind, and stood there hoping to see Anna cowering in a corner, but no, the universe was playing one of its games today by convincing her to hide somewhere.

  Why the hell did they have to name her Anna? Who thinks up this stuff anyway?

  "Sir, thirty meters in, bearing two-zero degrees left elevation four meters," Parker yelled over the roar of the wind.

  May every god in the universe bless Parker.

  I ran up a nearby stairwell to the second floor and found Anna cowering under a table. I could hear the building's structure groan from the force of the wind battering it.

  I walked up to the frightened little girl and knelt so I didn't look so menacing. What could be menacing about a six-plus foot tall creature with claws, a long prehensile tail, slit pupil eyes, and eighteen-inch-long pointed ears?

  "Hi. Are you Anna Dobbs? If not, do you know where I could find her? Her mom, Kiran, is very worried about her," I said while I gave the frightened child a small smile. Too large and my pointed canines would show, probably scaring the shit out of the poor thing. I would change, but I didn't have time. Neither of us did.

  Without preamble, Anna ran into my big elf arms and hugged me. She had to be scared out of her mind to latch on to me. Don't get me wrong, I think I'm a rather handsome elf, but the package can be off-putting to species that weren't used to us.

  "Okay, kiddo. Let's get you out of here," I said as I put the air mask on her.

  I got up just as the west wall exploded outward. When the dust cleared, I could see the Arachnid hanging about twenty feet away, her starboard-side cargo hatch wide open and her tractor emitters still glowing. Damn, I wished I'd thought of that. Holding Anna tight to my chest I ran and leapt out the window, easily clearing the gap and hitting the deck in a perfect three-point landing. Next to romance novels, I love superhero graphic novels the most, where all the heroes land three-pointers.

  I looked down at Anna and saw her smiling through her mask. Behind me, the hatch closed before the air was let back into the compartment.

  "Good job, sir," Parker said on the SAC. The inner compartment door opened and Anna's families rushed in, none seemingly bothered by the giant elf standing there, holding the child. Kiran ran up and hugged both of us before picking up her daughter and kissing her like there really was no tomorrow. I returned to human form, which got a frown out of Anna—she seems to be an elf kind of girl.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Two months after the disaster on Tennosh...

  I sat at a table in the cafeteria surrounded by a mug of coffee, the remains of a sandwich, and a dozen after-action reports which only needed my signature before being submitted to the authorities. Once the reports were signed and submitted, I would be free to concentrate on finding another job. Such was the life of a merchant spacer.

  Don't get me wrong, I would have loved to stay with Captain Smith and Kiran, but they and their families were leaving for the other side of League space in the morning to start a new life. They had lost everything. They didn't need another mouth to feed, so I volunteered to stay behind. I never saw so many tears from a group of hard-bitten, unflappable, merchant spacers. I gave Anna a teddy bear and a big hug before they picked-up and left. I hope to all the holies they make it safely to their destination and find the prosperity they so richly deserve.

  My train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a chair being pulled out across the table from where I sat. I looked up and saw a striking being with short dense tan fur and slit-pupil eyes staring at me while her short, pointed ears flicked in the air currents.

  "Storen, sir," Parker informed me through the SAC.

  Ah, Stora. I remember stopping there when I first joined the crew of the Arachnid. Stora was a forest world populated by peoples descended from river otters in the lowlands and mountain otters in the higher elevations. I remembered their scent was like flowers.

  "Hello," I said as I put my stylus down. "Please, have a seat."

  She—definitely a she—smiled. "Thank you, I think I will. My name is Lyscka. Are you Royce Aymar, recently the Second Officer of the LTV Arachnid?"

  Jasmine. I swear she smells like jasmine. "Yes, that's me. Is that your natural scent or are you wearing perfume? It smells like Earth jasmine."

  "I don't wear perfume," she said with a smile. "I see you're looking for a job. Your resume is posted downstairs on the board. Are you still available?"

  Wow, that was quick. The employment gods must be smiling down on me. "Yes, I'm still looking. I have my guild card and pilot's license with ratings up to heavy transport..."

  "Tell me about Tennosh."

  "Not much to tell. We were an hour out when the planet blew. We dropped our load with the LWS Hermes and picked up an empty, which we used to pick up survivors. We went in, picked up the families of the captain and first officer before proceeding to rescue everyone we could find."

  "You saved over five thousand people over the course of five days. You personally pulled out several hundred from situations considered impossible."

  "If you say so, Ms. Lyscka. I didn't keep track. The captain would position the ship, and I would tether down and hook-up anyone I could find. It all kinda ran together after a while."

  "Why did you do it, risk your life a thousand times over for a bunch of strangers?"

  I could say I didn't know, but I'd be lying, and I think she would know. "A bunch of people took the time to save my life once. They could have taken the easy way out and let me die, but they didn't. I'm paying the debt forward."

  "How did you save Anna Dobbs?" she asked matter-of-factly.

  Thank God, she was talking about that Anna. My heart returned to beating once more. "I went in, found her, and got her back on the ship. She had a wonderful time, if I might add."

  "What are you, Mr. Aymar? I saw security films from the Arachnid, and they showed something doing things no human could do, yet you look human."

  Shit. "Ms. Lyscka. I'm just a merchant spacer trying to keep his head down and get the job done. Have you ever seen a mother faced with the death of her child?"

  "No."

  "I have, once, and I was able to do something about it, so I did. There's nothing more to say. Now, if you will excuse me..."

  "Mr. Aymar, I work for the Office of Security as the Head of Range Security at the Cube. I'm sorry, but I'm suspicious of everything. It's my nature. I need pilots, good pilots, but all the good ones are leaving this sector in droves in search of opportunities elsewhere. I would like to offer you the position of Patrol Pilot with automatic promotion to Lead Patrol Pilot in six months. Will you accept?"

  Wow. Kick me in the head and call me addled. "Yes. Now about this film..."

  "There was no film. I talked to the crew, and they all told me the same thing—absolutely nothing—except for Anna. She told me a fantastic story about a creature with eyes like mine and a long tail which acted like it had a mind of its own. By the way, she did have an excellent time. Be at Shuttle Bay Three in an hour," she said before walking off and leaving a hint of Jasmine in the air.

  I started signing forms like there was no tomorrow.

  ###

  I made it down to Bay Three in record time. I signed in and stowed my gear before walking down to the main lounge. When I walked in, all conversation stopped as the half dozen pilots stared at me. "Hi!" I said while walking over and grabbing a bottle of water. "Royce Aymar."

  "Shit it's him," a human male said to a Tralaskan female.

  "Janar," a light-tan Storen said, offering me his hand.

  I took it—actually, it was more like he engulfed mine—and shook it. "Good to meet you," I said, no
ticing the scent of mint. "What's going on?" I asked as I waved my finger around to include the others still staring at me.

  "Yeah. Let me fix that," he said. "Get your asses over here and say hello." The others hurried over and shook my hand. "It seems they heard about the exploits of the Arachnid, and especially those of one Royce Aymar. We thought they were just stories until Lyscka set us straight, right Chief Pilot?"

  "Guilty as charged," she said with an embarrassed grin. "They all had a different story—all of them wrong—so I set them straight. I hope you're not upset."

  "No, not at all as long as you all understand I did the same thing any of you would have done under the circumstances. Really, it was nothing." Lyscka looked at me as if she was proud of me. I realized I had no idea how to react to this. Once we were on our way, I regaled them with stories my father used to tell me. It felt like home.

  ###

  We docked at the Cube and were shown to our quarters in a section call the Aerie. Once settled, we were sent to orientation where we met Dr. Ciara Devlin, Director of Cube Operations.

  We sat in the lecture room speaking in hushed tones when a human woman in her late thirties walked to a spot behind the podium where she looked up. She was maybe five feet six inches tall with dark hair and the build of a gymnast. She wore a dark business suit and a bitchin' pair of shoes. Her demeanor was all business. We all went quiet.

  "Hello," she said before introducing herself. She proceeded to talk to us about the Cube’s mission, its history, and its people. She told us about how important our jobs were to both the Cube and anyone who strayed into Cube space. She ended by welcoming us to the Cube family. When she finished, Lyscka dismissed everyone except me.

  "Royce, come up here for a moment," Lyscka said as the others filed out.

  "Mr. Aymar, Lyscka tells me you were at Tennosh. The Cube had a ship there when the planet blew. Perhaps you heard of the Ascendant?" the director asked.

  "Of course, director. Everyone has heard of the Ascendant. The only ship to ever fly its way clear of an exploding planet. The Ascendant's Captain, Jason Thurgood, and his First Officer, Natalie Markle, are the stuff of legend. Not only did they escape, they and their passenger, Dr. Nebulon Blyst, returned and flew more rescue missions than any other ship in the history of the League."