David Kantrowitz's Blog, page 11

The Heart of the Swan is Live on Amazon

The fifth book in the Reckless Faith series, The Heart of the Swan, is now available on Amazon in Kindle format. The paperback edition will be available in a week or two.

Book Review: A Canticle of Two Souls by Steven Raaymakers

In a world where magic is just a whispered rumor of an ancient past, any hint of this lost power is met with derision, fear, and anger. For a boy on the edge of manhood, and a girl near the same age, magic will soon come to define their lives, though in two very different ways.

Raziel, his past clouded by rage and a thirst for revenge, and Alicia, her own origins equally uncertain, are thrown together by circumstances seemingly beyond their control. Though not allies, they soon come to realize that traveling together may be the only way they can survive, at least until they find a way to pierce the veil of emotion that shrouds where they came from, and where they are going.

In a kingdom united under a steady ruler, any magic allowed to roam free threatens to upend that peace, though the eradication of such forces soon becomes overshadowed by the power that same magic offers. Sought not only by the emperor but also his underlings, the magic these children possess may maintain that peace; or bring it to a terrible end, despite any best intentions originally espoused.

So, Raziel, and the mysterious sword that grants him the strength and skill of twenty men, and Alicia, whose powers of the mind can be used for good or ill in an instant of indecision, find themselves pursued across the land, their own journey toward truth and peace met with lies and horrific violence at every turn. If they are to survive, remember and accept their tumultuous histories, and even become victorious against foes both from inside and without, they must learn to understand each other, and the power that burns inside them.

Lavishly detailed, A Canticle of Two Souls is nonetheless a tightly-woven tale. The reader is dragged along quite the same as our two stalwart protagonists, to a dramatic and satisfying end. The author is an easy hand with the English language, describing everything from raindrops on steel to a nightmarish dreamscape with equal aplomb. The only quibble this reader could mention, and a minor one at that, is that certain subjects and themes are covered repeatedly, to the point where one might begin to wonder if the plot is stuck in a roundabout. Other than that, this is an enjoyable and promising first novel in what is rapidly becoming a series.

4/5 Stars

First Draft Complete: Reckless Faith 5

The first draft of the fifth book in the Reckless Faith series, The Heart of the Swan, is complete, and is now in the hands of several beta readers. Once their edits and suggestions have been compiled, and cover art procured, it will be ready for publication. I hope for it to be available by December.

Book Review: The Blackshade Machine by William Latoria

In the not-so-distant future, the global political landscape has changed dramatically. Canada and the United States have merged, and with the advent of high technology, especially in the areas of governance and social monitoring, each country is left to either let their citizenry prosper or harshly control them. There is peace, but the age-old doctrine of mutually assured destruction looms greater than ever.

When a mysterious alien race appears at the edge of the solar system, humanity’s harmonic balance is quickly thrown into chaos, magnified by rampant speculation on social media. When first contact occurs, many humans feel that their entire existence is threatened. While the new visitors appear to be friendly, at first, early revelations of their nature, and that of humanity as a whole, threaten to shake the whole world from their technology-driven symbiosis into anarchy. At the center of this, unwittingly, is Colonel Blackshade, a high-ranking officer in Canderica’s military force. It is he who must facilitate some kind of communication with the aliens, and finds himself holding the fate of the entire planet in his hands. Though these strange creatures may come in peace, many are leery of their potentially ominous long-term plans, as well as what other horrors the galaxy may hold.

Expansive and pensive, The Blackshade Machine may be the most well thought out tale of first contact ever to grace the page. The author’s world building and character development are central throughout the book, and don’t disappoint. No aspect of Canderica’s society or technology is overlooked, especially how these things are affected by the arrival of the aliens, and the narrative rewards the patient reader.

Ultimately, what keeps this book from rating a full five stars, in my humble opinion, is that these details sometimes slow the pace of the story, turning what should be an up-all-night adventure into something a bit more technical in nature. Still, as the promised first book in a series, these slow points shouldn’t deter the reader from finishing up quite ready for the next chapter… which I hope is coming soon!

New Cover Art for Reckless Faith

Work on the fifth book in the Reckless Faith series slowly continues, but I recently hit the 50% point for its projected length.  In the meantime, I was so happy with my cover art for Dun Ringill by Alejandro Quinones, that I commissioned him to redo the cover for Reckless Faith.

This scene depicts the first time the main characters find Seth, the repository of technological data sent to Earth from Umber.

Inspiration and the Creative Process

My fifth novel, Dun Ringill, is complete.   Though it took me over a year to write, I only recently stumbled upon a bit of information that I wanted to share.

Some of you already know that Dun Ringill is a real place, an approximately 2,000 year old fort on the Island of Skye off of Scotland.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dun_Ringill

I was inspired to name my book after it because of its reference in a song by Jethro Tull, the progressive rock group introduced to me by my mother at a young age.  Most of Tull’s lyrics were written by its frontman, Ian Anderson, who lived near Dun Ringill during some of his youth.  Anderson’s recurring themes are rife with references to the ancient peoples of England, their culture, and rituals.  They are all explored in depth on the outstanding fan website Cup of Wonder,

http://www.cupofwonder.com/index2.html

Including, of course, Dun Ringill itself, from the album Stormwatch.

http://www.cupofwonder.com/stormwat.html#DunRingill

Though often inscrutable, Anderson’s lyrics are not always difficult to decipher, and Dun Ringill’s meaning is fairly easy to discern if you know the history behind the ancient structure.  Though in reality the fort probably has no special meaning other than a defensive position that long ago became obsolete, it inspired me to research other ancient English structures that almost certainly did, including the most famous, Stonehenge.  In fact, many ancient structures in England feature astronomical alignments at significant times of the year (solstices and equinoxes, most notably).  Whether built merely for utility or for a ritualistic purpose, people who visit these places often remark on there being a peculiar feel to them, probably the same sense of mystery that Anderson himself experienced at Dun Ringill.

It was while researching these places that I learned about cursus lines, man-made ditches, barrows, or earthenworks put in place thousands of years ago for unknown purposes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursus

I thought these were interesting enough to apply them in a practical way to the science fiction of my novel.  However, I also decided to use them because I suspected that one of Anderson’s lines from Dun Ringill, lines joint in faint dischord, referred to cursus lines and their possible importance in ancient rituals.  As courses constructed by people who may have believed that some kind of mystical power flowed through them, they are related to the pseudoscience of ley lines:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ley_line

But are things like this what Anderson was really referring to in the song Dun Ringill?  I wasn’t sure until I started studying the lyrics of Jethro Tull songs that weren’t my favorites, either growing up or today.  So, it was just last week that I came across an explicit reference to ley lines in the song Cup of Wonder itself.

http://www.cupofwonder.com/songs.html#CupOfWonder

For the May Day is the great day, sung along the Old Straight Track.  And those who ancient lines did lay will heed the song that calls them back.

If you looked at the Wikipedia article I linked above, you may have noticed that The Old Straight Track was the first published book on ley lines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Straight_Track

D’oh!

Still, despite that I could have answered my own question a long time ago by being more familiar with Jethro Tull’s discography, I was elated to learn of this relationship.  Maybe this makes me a verifiable Turbo Nerd but this revelation sent chills down my spine.

In all of my writing, I’ve been inspired by astronomy, ancient legends, and music.  Whether any of this translates into good science fiction is certainly up to the reader, but the fact that it keeps me going back to the page is good enough for me.  However, now that my characters have solved the mystery of Dun Ringill, it seems that I have, too.

Reckless Faith V: Chapter 10

The Faith and the Fox had arrived in the Dellal system, and had parked themselves at the heliopause to scan the area.  It had been 16 hours since Cane and Talyn had fixed the engine problem on the Fox, having pulled an all-nighter by the ship’s clock, and they were glad to have had a chance to clean up and sleep before the next round of action.  Dellal itself was no more than a particularly bright star at their current distance of 100 AU, and Christie set to work confirming the layout of the solar system.  John, Ray, Dana, Richter, and Sparrow were with her on the bridge of the Faith, while Vecky, Cane, Talyn, and Evangeline manned the bridge of the Fox.

“I’m ready to give a rundown of the solar system,” said Christie.  “Captain Kitsune, are you there?”

“We’re listening,” said Vecky’s voice.

“There isn’t much information in our databases about this system, but what we have appears to be correct.  Dellal VII is an ice giant, similar to Neptune, at a distance of 22 AU, with 17 small moons, none known to be colonized.  Dellal VI is a gas giant, similar to Saturn, at a distance of 12 AU, with 3 large and 24 small moons.  The larger moons have or had a handful of pressurized colonies.  Dellal V is a gas giant, almost identical to VI, with 4 large and 20 small moons, at a distance of 2.4 AU.  The largest moon, VB, is almost the size of Earth, and has been terraformed to be nearly survivable without any gear, but is still barren.  There are multiple settlements and at least one mining operation there.  Dellal IV is a terrestrial planet at a distance of 5 AU, and is similar to Earth in almost every way.  The Swan is in orbit at a distance of about 300,000 kilometers.  Dellal III through I are smaller terrestial planets that are too hot for any practical purposes, all within 2 AU of Dellal.  The star itself is a class B4IV blue subgiant almost seven times larger than Sol.”

Cane’s voice came in over the radio.  “Sounds like a typical arrangement, save for our resident asteroid.”

“Seems that way.  There is even less information out there about Dellal IV’s original inhabitants, only that they’re sentient humanoids.”

Dana said, “I would guess they either have a good relationship with the Swan, or they’re not technologically advanced enough to do anything about it.”

“All right then,” said Ray.  “Captains, what’s the plan?”

John said, “We can’t rule out the possibility that the shadow ship was sent by the Swan.  So, I’d like to try to make contact with a neutral party in the solar system first, and see if we can get more intel.”

Eva replied, “That’s great, but for all we know all of the inhabited worlds here are aligned with the Swan.”

“Yes, but we at least have a chance of an alternative perspective if we start somewhere else.  We might as well try.”

“Our best bet is Dellal VB,” said Christie.

“I agree, we’ll start there.  Here’s my proposal.  The Faith will go in first and scan the moon.  The Fox will hold back at Dellal VI since they don’t have an invisibility shield.  It’s a short enough distance that if either of us get into trouble, we can rendezvous quickly.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Vecky.

“We’ll stay in touch.  Scherer out.”

John pushed forward on the throttle.  At 900 c, it didn’t take long for the Faith to arrive at Dellal VB.  The moon seemed small against the backdrop of the gas giant, and at first its reddish hue was indistinguishable from the orange and blue swirls of the planet.  As John settled the Faith into orbit, the moon could be seen to bear a striking resemblance to Mars.  From 200 miles up, there were no artificial structures readily apparent.  John spoke to Christie.

“Getting any comm traffic?”

“Yes,” replied Christie.  “There is an encrypted network that seems to be broadcasting from Dellal IV, and an unencrypted beacon in orbit here.  The beacon is sending out a repeating recorded message, audio only.”

“Let’s hear it.”

A male voice in an unknown language could be heard, with the crew’s translator earpieces transforming the audio into English a split-second later.

“This is an automated message from the Cygnian Offworld Mining Export and Transport company.  We have suspended normal operations and are no longer offering sales directly to visitors.  For trade, please contact our office on Dellal IV.  If you are here for a delivery, please contact our facility at SRC frequency 121.5.  Thank you.”

“That’s all there is,” said Christie.

“We don’t have a delivery,” began Richter, “so how should we present ourselves?”

John folded his arms across his chest.  “I’m not sure.  We could claim to require assistance of some sort, but a lie isn’t a great way to start a dialogue.”

“Who says we have to lie?” asked Dana.  “We could always use extra ore for raw materials.”

“Yeah, but they’re directing trade to their office on Dellal IV.  They’ll probably just refer us there.”

Ray said, “You’re assuming the beacon is still up to date.  It could be abandoned for all we know.”

“Good point,” said Dana.  “Let’s see if we can locate it first.”

John nodded.  “I agree.  Christie?”

“It will take about half an hour to scan the surface with that level of detail,” she replied.

“Good, let’s get started.  Recommended velocity?”

“Ten kilometers per second should be fine.”

John adjusted the throttle, and Christie locked in the vector.  John rolled his chair away from the flight controls, and turned to face the others.

“I have a suggestion,” began Ray, “assuming the mine is still operating.”

“I’m all ears.”

“All we have to do is tell them we’re freelancers, new to the system.  Our reason for contacting them directly is similar to the real reason; we’re here to do business and we want the scoop from a neutral party.  We ask about diplomatic procedures, laws, taxes, et cetera.  If they don’t want to talk to us, then we move on.”

“Simple enough.  Let’s hope there’s somebody home.”

Fifteen minutes later, those on the bridge had allowed their conversation to meander far away from the matter at hand.  Christie piped up with some news.

“Guys, check this out.  There’s clear evidence of a recent nuclear blast on the surface, here in this canyon.”

She brought the area of interest up on the viewscreen for all to see.  It was a shallow, wide canyon, with a floor that appeared to contain a dry riverbed that had been completely obliterated within a clear perimeter.

“It doesn’t look like much from here,” said Richter.

“Yes, but the NDSS is reading extremely high levels of Strontium-91 and 92, and Iodine-131, both in the atmosphere and on the surface.  I’m also getting Cesium-137 and Cerium-144.  Pretty much all textbook fallout contaminants.  Now that I’m actively scanning, I’m also detecting the same type of ionized particles that tipped us off to the presence of the shadow ship, tracing a shallow path from the surface back into orbit.  It’s possible that same ship crashed and exploded.”

John said, “Maybe we did damage them after all.  I’ll get us down there for a closer look.”

“I’ve also found the mine, twenty miles to the east.”  Christie put a new image up on the screen.  “There are a few ships, some outbuildings, and I’m reading a large network of underground tunnels.”

“Excellent.”

Richter said, “If there’s anybody there, they sure as shit know about that explosion.”

“Then that gives us an even better excuse to talk to them,” said Ray.

“All right, then,” began John.  “We’ll see what we can find at ground zero, then move on to the mine.  Christie, can you tell us how far the fallout extends?”

“Yes,” replied Christie.  “There’s very little wind down there, so the mine is well clear of the debris field.  I wouldn’t walk around in the canyon right now, though.”

“I doubt we’ll need to exit the ship.”

Sparrow said, “So far, I give this planet a glowing review.”

“Really,” said Dana, “That’s what you have to add?”

“I hadn’t said anything in a while.”

 

 

__________

 

On board the Reckless Faith, Marlen and Kalle listened intently as the strange collection of freelancers shared their story.  They were seated in the conference room, along with five of the Faith’s crew, sipping from mugs of a hot brown liquid quite similar to corferic.  The newcomers had offered assistance in dealing with the aftermath of the explosion, and while none was needed, they were willing to discuss trade opportunities in the Dellal system.  Polson had scanned their ship rather thoroughly, and after it became obvious that it was not even remotely a local design, they had agreed to meet on board.  Once there, Marlen and Kalle found the craft to be rather basic in layout, but well armed, nicely appointed, and bright and clean.  All of the visitors in the conference were humanoid, and of the same race according to their scans, though they had detected an unknown alien on board that they couldn’t identify.

The locals had been made aware of the ship’s Artificial Intelligence entity, named Christie, who had introduced herself at the beginning of their visit, but so far their Commander, John Scherer, had done most of the talking.

“So,” the man was saying, “do you have an idea what caused the ship to crash?”

“Yes,” replied Kalle.  “There was obvious damage to the hull, very likely from weapons fire.  Thankfully for us, they refused help, otherwise Marlen and I would have been vaporized.”

“Has the solar government sent anyone to investigate it yet?”

“They did send a couple of ships, but they didn’t stick around for very long.  We have no idea what they were able to learn from there.”

John nodded.  “Well, I hope this incident doesn’t interfere with your normal operations.  Are there any other settlements at risk?”

“There shouldn’t be, the closest hydroponic farm is a few miles east of here, and the weather on Leda shouldn’t carry dangerous particles too far.  We might expect the SCC to send a cleanup crew, if they care enough.  They pretty much leave us alone out here.”

“I can see how that would have its advantages.  So, as we stated over the radio, we’re new to the system and interested in doing business around here.  As is the nature of our work, we would like to get as much information about the SCC as possible from a neutral party.  Would you be willing to describe yourselves as such?”

Marlen said, “Yes.  Our company just wants to pay taxes and turn a profit, we have no interest in the internal politics of the SCC.”

Kalle noticed that the man who had been introduced as Richter had been absent-mindedly playing with a small object in his hands.  It was something that Kalle recognized.

“Good,” began John.  “First off, what sort of government does the SCC…”

“Excuse me,” said Kalle.  “Richter, isn’t it?  I hope I’m not prying, but I couldn’t help but see the ID tag you’ve got.  Do you mind if I ask about it?”

Marlen also noticed the tag, and his eyes grew wide, a reaction he quickly quelled.

“It’s just a military ID tag,” replied Richter, “from a fallen comrade.”

Kalle said, “I’m sorry to hear that.  It’s always hard to lose a brother in arms.  I was in the SCC’s Solar Defense Force for three years.  What was his name?”

“Her name was Cassie.”

Marlen and Kalle shared a long glance.  She was sure the Faith’s crew noticed their reaction, but there was no hiding it.  Kalle cleared her throat.

“How did she die?”

“It’s a long story, and I’m sure Commander Scherer would rather discuss business first.”

“Wait a minute,” said John.  “What’s going on here?  You’ve clearly seen that tag before.”

Marlen said, “K.T., we really should upchannel this before we reveal anything.”

Kalle keyed her radio.  “Polson, this is Kalle.  If this ship attempts to leave with us still on board, lock on with the plasma battery and blow it out of the sky.”

“Can do!” came the reply.

“Everybody just relax,” said Dana.  “We’re all friends here.  We have no reason to be hostile with the SCC.  If you don’t want to tell us anything, we’ll leave in peace.  We’re not going to start off our visit to your solar system by murdering two of its citizens.”

Kalle gave her a half smile.  “I just want to make sure we depart your ship still breathing.”

“Fine,” said John.  “We’ll start super simple.  Our crewmember, Cassie, was killed in combat a few days ago, and her body disappeared.  I’m guessing that her, or the twin of that ID tag, ended up in your possession somehow.”

“How much do you know about the Stymphalian Raptors?”

“Sparrow, escort our guests to the galley.  My apologies, but we need to discuss this in private for a few minutes.”

Standing up, Sparrow gestured to Marlen and Kalle to step outside.  In the hallway, hourglass-shaped windows allowed a view of the bleak surface of Leda.  The door slid closed behind them.

“You really don’t have to worry,” said Sparrow.  “We mean you no harm.”

Marlen said, “It’s obvious we both have sensitive information we may not want to share with strangers.  I would only reiterate that we have no allegiance to the SCC.”

Sparrow led them down a flight of stairs.  “Cool.  So you’re a Rakhar, huh?  I’ve met a Kau’Rii, you guys are pretty awesome.”

“We’re different species, but I’ll take the compliment.”

The trio entered the galley.  This part of the ship had more of a lived-in look, and sported a bar, couches, and two large windows to the Faith’s water storage tanks.  Red lights from inside the tanks cast a shifting pattern of crimson over everything.

“Sorry about the lights, I don’t know who was in here last.”

Accessing a panel, Sparrow adjusted the color of the lights until they were a more inviting bluish-white.  Kalle and Marlen shrugged at each other and sat down on the couches.

“This is awkward, isn’t it?” asked Kalle.  “I’m struggling to think of something harmless to talk about.”

Sparrow sat at the bar.  “How about this:  How do you guys do law enforcement on Leda?”

“We don’t have a local government,” began Marlen.  “The relative isolation of settlements from each other tends to keep things peaceful.  If there’s a problem we can’t solve ourselves, the Solar Police Force can be called.  They usually respond within an hour… or two.”

“Hence the plasma battery.”

“Among other things.”

John’s voice filled the room.  “Sparrow, you can bring our guests back upstairs.”

“Roger that.”

Leading his charges up the stairs, the trio returned to the conference room.  Marlen and Kalle again sat at the table.

“All right,” began John, “we’ve reached a consensus, and we’re going to level with you.  For centuries, the Kira’To have been abducting people from our home planet and bringing them to the asteroids.  The Vulture has been destroyed, and there is no longer a Kira’To presence on the Eagle, with whom we are now allies.  That leaves the Swan, and any involvement it may still have with the Kira’To, as our last concern.  If the Kira’To still intend to abduct our people, and the SCC is complicit in that, then we have a big problem.  Still, our goal is to find a solution without violence.”

After a moment of stunned silence, Marlen turned to Kalle.

“We really, really need to upchannel this now, K.T.”

“That’s fine,” said John, “but for now, will you tell us how you came into possession of Cassie’s ID tag?”

“We intercepted her body on its way to the Swan,” said Kalle.  “Though we were rather hoping to get a live specimen.”

“Damn it, Tulle,” spat Marlen.

“Our cause has been languishing in mediocrity for too long, Marlen.  These people have the same goals we do.  I say we tell them everything.  What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Seriously?  If they’re spies, you may have just killed us all.  Scherer, I’m done here.  She’s gone too far.  Are you going to let me contact my superiors or do I have to fight my way off this ship?”

John put his hands up.  “You’re free to go.  You always were.”

Marlen stormed out of the conference room, his footfalls thudding heavily on his way down the port stairs.

Kalle said, “Based on the totality of evidence, I’m confident that I’m making the right decision.  I believe we have similar goals, and my organization will decide to help you.  However, Marlen’s caution is understandable.”

“Who are you, and how did you intercept Cassie’s body?” asked Richter.

“We are the Cygnian Liberation Front, a scattered but cohesive group of like-minded individuals, business people, and ship owners, who oppose the broad policies of the SCC and strive to achieve greater independence from them.  Our biggest problem is the religious and militaristic oligarchy on the Swan, built up around the belief that the Kira’To at the heart of the asteroid is an omnipotent god.  Indeed, over the centuries this being has shown itself to be capable of acts that defy scientific explanation, including the abduction and transportation of corporeal beings to the Swan.  If we can prove to everyone that the Kira’To are not gods, then our cause will gain support.

“Almost a hundred years ago, after exhaustive research, one of our scientists found a way to use a standard Superluminal Relativistic Compensator transceiver to detect signals to and from the asteroid, including a waveform sequence he believed to be a person in transit.  Over the decades we have developed a countermeasure, now based here on Leda, that we hoped would be able to intercept the signal and deposit a person here, instead of the Swan.  If successful, we could use that as proof that the Kira’To are not omnipotent, but simply users of previously inscrutable advanced technology.  Unfortunately, Cassie’s arrival as deceased does little to help us, though it is reassuring, with apologies to your fallen comrade, that she was dead before the abduction attempt.”

The crew of the Faith remained silent for several seconds as they took in the new information.  John put his elbows on the table and leaned his chin on his hands.  Richter was the first to reply.

“Cassie believed she was favored among the Kira’To.  This might prove her right, except for the shitty timing of it.”

“Yeah,” said Dana.  “It makes no sense within the context of the genetic infusion program, which to our knowledge was the only reason for the abductions.  If she really was some kind of intergalactic VIP, worthy of being saved for another reason, you’d think they would have taken her before she died.”

Kalle said, “One thing you need to know about our resident Kira’To is that its actions often defy reason.  You also can’t rule out simple incompetence on its part.”

“And yet,” began John, “the mere fact that it is willing and able to abduct people confirms our reason for being here.  Kalle, ever since we learned of the existence of the Kira’To, we’ve been continually frustrated by the fact that they refuse to communicate with us directly, with the occasional exception of vivid dreams containing cursory interactions.  What kind of relationship do the people of the Swan have with their god?”

“There is a body of acolytes, or priests, who make up the religious leaders of their society.  Only one acolyte has direct contact with the Kira’To.  Anything it cares to relay to the people go through the acolyte.”

“If we land the ship next to this guy’s house, do you think he would talk to us?”

“You’d have to gain access to the asteroid, and I have no idea if he or any other acolyte would be willing to talk to strangers.  I mean, you could ask, but you’d blow your cover pretty quick.  You would have to open up a dialogue with the military first.  Anyway, what would you hope to gain by doing so?  Do you think the Kira’To are going to stop the genetic infusion program just because you asked nicely?”

Dana said, “You mentioned an abduction almost a hundred years ago.  Was that person meant to provide genetic stock to their civilization?”

“I really don’t know.  I think I get your point, though.  As a permanent satellite of Dellal IV, the Swan no longer needs the genetic infusion program.  They’ve been interbreeding with the original inhabitants of that planet for generations.”

Richter sighed, then said, “We can’t abide by that logic preventing future abductions, especially if this particular Kira’To is subject to its own whims.”

John nodded.  “You took the words out of my mouth, Chance.  For now, that just leaves the matter of gaining the approval of the CLF, and whatever the hell is going on with that shadow ship that just nuked the canyon.”

“We believe it was part of the SCC’s clandestine fleet,” said Kalle.  “Are you responsible for damaging it?”

“Yes.  It followed us from Primus, and we discovered it when we were about fifty light years out.  It attacked us, so we defended ourselves.  I’m surprised we did that much damage, though.”

“They probably self-destructed, Commander.  They’re not supposed to exist.  Cloaked vessels secretly enforcing the will of the SCC isn’t something they want the general population to know about, although it is one of many reasons why a resistance movement formed.  Isn’t Primus something like five hundred light years from here?  I wonder what they were doing that far out.”

“That’s where the Eagle is.  They must have found out and sent a ship to investigate.”

“Ah, that makes sense.  You said you were allies with the Eagle, what sort of place is it?”

“They’re doing well, but their isolation has degraded much of their equipment.  The current leader was compelled to reverse their long-standing tradition of refusing outside help, and is now working with local technicians to repair the Eagle’s systems.  Their future is bright, barring some sort of catastrophe.”

“You said there is no longer a Kira’To presence there.  How long ago did it leave?”

“Quite recently.”

Kalle waited a beat, then said, “Okay?”

“It’s another long story.  In short, the Kira’To was trapped inside their main reactor, and was in fact the source of the asteroid’s power.  The reactor containment failed, and it presumably went back to its own dimension.”

“What sort of relationship did its people have with it?”

“The citizens had been unaware of its existence from hundreds of years.  The only person who knew the truth was their leader, who passed that secret only to his successor.  Other than what tidbits the citizens could learn from their dusty history books, the Kira’To were nothing more than a whispered legend.”

“Wow, that’s completely different than the Swan.  And the Vulture?”

“Cassie was the last humanoid, and the Kira’To was long gone.  Other than her cadre of genetically engineered canines, she was alone.  The Vulture was destroyed to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.  So on the Swan, is the Kira’To the source of their reactor’s power?”

“No clue.  Nobody but the acolytes know what form it takes, if any.  It could be a sentient pile of radioactive goo for all we know.”

Richter said, “Okay, so we may be able to help each other out.  Other than a diplomatic approach to gaining your independence, what would it take for the CLF to stand on its own militarily?”

Kalle frowned.  “The SCC has a fleet of six battleships, eight destroyers, fourteen cruisers, and countless fighters and support ships.  And that’s not counting the shadow ships, however many there are.  The CLF couldn’t even fight to a stalemate right now, and will all due respect, Mister Richter, one more ship won’t make a difference.”

“We have another ship we can go to for help,” said John, “but yeah, direct force isn’t an option.”

“Wasn’t the Zendreen fleet at least that large?” asked Sparrow.

“Oh, heck no, Sparrow.  Not even close.  And during our first battle, if they hadn’t been trying to open a wormhole we would’ve gotten our asses handed to us.”

Kalle said, “I’ve heard of the Zendreen, but I thought they were way out in the Greater Luminous Sea.”

John nodded.  “Yeah, that’s where we were.”

“What, like a thousand years ago?  Are you guys immortal or something?”

“This ship can do 1.5 million c, it only took us six weeks to get there.  And on the return trip, we went through a wormhole the Zendreen had opened to this region of the galaxy.  Again, another long story.”

“You certainly sound like seasoned adventurers.  Commander, I would love to reach a diplomatic solution with the SCC.  They refuse to accept any compromise.  I’m afraid if you approach them with anything but equal force, they’re just going to brush you off, too.  And if there is a Kira’To inside their reactor, it’s a closely guarded secret that they’ll likely kill you to keep.”

“The second to last leader of the Eagle thought the same way.  Anyway, Miss Tulle, I think we’ve got enough to go on for now.  We’ll have to consult with my entire crew and try to figure out how we want to approach this.  Let your leadership know that unless some of the other crewmembers have serious objections, we’re most likely going to be able to offer whatever help we can toward your cause.”

“I will, but my actions today might get me dismissed.  If you do manage to get the Swan to stop abducting people, what are you going to do next?”

“Explore strange, new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no man has gone before.”

Kalle cringed, then smiled.  “That sounds… lofty.”

Book Review: Outer Demon by Gabriel Landowski

Outer Demon is a fun, fast-paced fantasy novel that combines a cohesive storyline with a well-timed twist near the end.

The main character is a young man filled with a mysterious power passed down through a familial legacy, though he begins this classic hero’s journey quite unaware of his potential. He is forced onto his path by a strange illness that almost kills him, an affliction that is only quelled by the appearance of a beautiful woman. Her interest in the boy, along with her own origins, are closely kept secrets, though he quickly begins to suspect that their destinies are intertwined.

Filled with action, deft storytelling, and a well-defined arc, Outer Demon is an easy choice for a reader looking for a new and accessible tale. Some may notice a few grammatical errors of the type often overlooked by all but the most tenacious editors, but it’s not enough to detract from the story. Overall it should appeal to fantasy fans of all types.  4/5 stars.

Reckless Faith V: Chapter 9

In a desolate void fifty light years from Dellal, the Faith and the Fox waited. The mysterious ship, invisible if not for the plasma flare and that it was blocking a few stars in the background, had frustrated any further attempt at scanning. On the bridge of the Faith, John tapped his fingers on his armrest. The door behind him opened, and Milly, Dana, and Sparrow entered.

“Report,” said John.

“Richter’s on the ventral fifty,” replied Sparrow. “Aldebaran is on the dorsal gun.”

“Good. Captain Kitsune, are you still monitoring us?”

“Roger,” said Vecky’s voice.

“Are you all ready over there?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Mind if I take the lead on contact?”

“Go for it.”

“Christie, open a channel on all known frequencies.”

“You’re live,” said Christie.

“This is Commander Scherer of the independent vessel Reckless Faith. Identify yourselves and state your intentions. Out.”

The others took their stations and everyone waited. Seconds ticked by until two minutes had passed.

“Maybe they think we haven’t actually spotted them,” said Dana.

“Fine, I’ll prove it.”

John squeezed a trigger on his flight controls and sent a standard plasma shot across the bow of the other ship. Again, they were met with silence.

“Could be a drone,” said Aldebaran over the intercom.

“I’m going to get a closer look. Christie, activate the invisibility shield. Captain Kitsune, defense posture Alpha.”

John pushed the throttle forward. The Fox fell in two kilometers behind them, at their low four o’clock. John approached to within one thousand meters and brought the ship to a stop. Other than the almond oval of the dark ship’s outline, nothing further could be seen.

“It’s like looking into pure nothingness,” said Milly.

“Wasn’t there something like this in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe?” asked Dana.

John grunted. “It’s been awhile for me, Dana. Kitsune, anything new on your sensors?”

“I’m still showing zilch,” she replied.

“Well, I suppose we can just ignore each other for now. Other than acting creepy, they haven’t taken any host…”

A bright flash emanated from the bow of the ship. The lights flickered briefly.

“That was an EMP,” said Dana, working at her console. “Wait, scratch that. It was a wave of fermionic radiation in the ten-to-the-fourteenth electron-volt range. We seem to be unaffected by it.”

“Kitsune, report.”

“We’re fine over here, Commander,” came the reply. “We’re familiar with that type of weapon and have developed a countermeasure. It’s the same type of discharge that killed the last crew of the Fox.”

“Are you absolutely sure?”

Cane chimed in over the radio. “I’m looking at the data, Scherer. It’s an exact match.”

“Fuck it,” said John, and squeezed the trigger.

An incandescent salvo of blue plasma and 30mm tracers shot out from underneath the bridge, aimed dead center of the dark ship. The noise was almost unbearable. The Faith was already banking away when the rounds struck.

“Ooh, pretty,” said Sparrow.

“Fox, attack pattern Bravo.”

“We’ve lost visual contact,” replied Vecky.

“Same here,” said Dana.

John adjusted his throttle. “Withdraw to one hundred kilometers. Watch your six.”

After traveling the desired distance, both ships came about and waited. The sensors on the Faith were negative, and after a few minutes the Fox also reported no additional contact.

“They seem to have bugged out,” said Dana.

Christie said, “At this distance, I doubt I’m going to be able to find them the same way I did last time.”

John tapped his index finger on the flight stick. “I want to look at the footage from when I fired. Put it on the main screen, please.”

“You got it.”

A moment later, a recording of the requested event appeared. John had turned the bow of the ship before the rounds struck, so Christie switched to the view from the ventral turret. The plasma bursts and 30mm tracers could be seen crossing the distance to the ship, then vanishing. John put his chin in his hands.

“No impact flashes at all. Thoughts?”

Dana said, “They could have energy absorbing technology like ours. To my knowledge we never asked any of our allies what our ship looks like when it takes a hit. I mean, when we weren’t using the invisibility shield, too.”

“I suppose it’s less likely,” began Christie, “though possible, that we were just seeing a projection of a ship that is out of phase with our spacetime. Hell, it could even be some type of anomaly and not a ship at all.”

“Okay,” began John, “If it was a ship, it had no problem following us in superlume. So there’s no point in trying to run from it. We’ll stay here until the Fox is fixed. I want us on full alert for two hours, then we’ll resume our normal shifts. Any objections?”

“That sounds fine with me,” said Vecky.

“Good. We don’t need to be chasing two types of ghosts all over the galaxy.”

 

 

__________

 

“Wake up, K.T.!”

Kalle was startled awake from the message from her PDA. A quick glance at it showed her that it was 0200 local time, and she had been asleep for three hours. She also saw an open channel from Polson, so she grabbed it and groggily replied.

“Yo.”

“A ship just crashed about twenty miles west of here,” began Polson. “Not sure what type. It came out of superlume too close to the moon and that was that. Command wants us to go check it out. Marlen is already warming up the Sprinter.”

Kalle switched on her bedside lamp and blinked. “I’ll be in Ops in five minutes.”

Though she felt like death, Kalle dutifully got dressed and armed herself. She performed a quick check of her oxygen system, and headed to Ops. Polson was at the main bank of consoles, looking equally dreadful in the dim light. Their ancient corferic machine gurgled and sputtered in the corner as it brewed a fresh pot of the dark liquid. Kalle walked past a few rows of disused work stations to where Polson was seated.

“Good morning,” she groaned. “At least I think it’s morning. What do we have?”

“Not much. See for yourself.”

She peered at one of the screens. Their sensor data was from their newest ship, the Gosling, parked on the surface nearby. Since the mine didn’t have exterior sensors of its own, they had a constant connection to the ship for that purpose. The information it provided wasn’t particularly enlightening. The ship that crashed was only scanned for several seconds before it went off the sensors, and most of that time it was engulfed in a fireball from its barely controlled entry into Leda’s atmosphere. Still, the crash site could be extrapolated with ease. It wouldn’t take long for the Sprinter to get there.

“All right, then. Dibs on any booze we recover.”

Kalle walked out, eyeing the corferic with mute desire. She made her way to the main elevator and hit the button for the surface. She donned her oxygen mask, flipped up her hood, and watched the doors slide open. Marlen had moved the Sprinter to just a few yards away, so she jogged up to the starboard side hatch and crawled inside.

The Sprinter was a two-seater, the flight deck just barely large enough for both of them. Well suited for both atmospheric flight and space operations, it was nonetheless limited in how long its pilots could comfortably fly it. The wings could fold up for storage in a larger craft, but they had never needed that feature. It was lightly armed per the rules of Cygnian territory, so its twin 23mm cannons were really only useful for defense. Though there were lots of illegal options for offensive armaments, a surprise inspection would quickly detect them.

Marlen gave Kalle a cursory greeting, and waited for her to secure her harness before lifting off. Nighttime on Leda rarely got too dark, depending on where Dellal V and other moons were, but at that moment all that was overhead were stars. Marlen switched on the infrared overlay and brought the Sprinter up to 2,000 meters. After he set their speed to a leisurely 300kph, it only took a few minutes to find the crash site.

The ship had come in at a low angle, and dug a furrow almost half a kilometer long into the surface of a shallow canyon. The ship itself appeared to be intact, and though smoke and dust rose from the canyon, they couldn’t see any fires burning. It was at least a hundred meters long, and a third as high, and in daylight would have appeared a uniform matte gray. It was shaped like a tapered oval, with the narrow end as the bow. Marlen brought the Sprinter through a slow circle of the site.

“I don’t recognize its construction,” said Kalle.

“Me neither. Should I run a full scan?”

“Why not? Take us down to five hundred.”

The Sprinter swooped down as he initiated the scans. On the next circuit, an ugly scar of battle damage could be seen on the starboard side.

Kalle said, “It looks like they were in a fight.”

“Seems that way. I’m not getting a match for any known ship designs in our database. Scans are indicating Cygnian construction… wait, I got a match on its stardrive. Cygnian Heavy Industries Mark VII-B. It was definitely built around here.”

She leaned back in her seat. “Fuck, Marlen. Could it be a shadow ship?”

“It would seem to fit the scant description from those who claim to have encountered one. It could also simply be an unknown entity that purchased the Mark VII from a third party and retrofitted it to their own ship.”

“Yeah, but I’m not detecting any transmissions. Unless their communications system was knocked out in the crash, wouldn’t they be calling for help?”

“I don’t know, K.T.”

“We should call General…”

Marlen interrupted, “We’re being scanned. Somebody’s still alive down there.”

“Is the IFF protocol engaged?”

“Of course it is, by default. We’re supposed to be innocent miners out here.”

“Okay, then we might as well hail them. Open a channel.”

“You’re live.”

“This is Technician Tulle representing COMET. Please identify yourselves and indicate if you are in need of assistance, over.”

Through a bad transmission, a voice replied. “This is Captain Sikkset of the independent vessel Intercept. We do not require aid at this time. You need to be aware that we have a containment leak. For your safety, quarantine this area to a thirty kilometer radius. Out.”

“Understood, Intercept. If your long range transceiver is not functioning, we can relay a message for you, over.”

After almost a full minute of silence, Kalle shrugged. Marlen looked at her.

“This would make sense if it was a shadow ship,” he said.

“And there’s no sign of a reactor leak on the scans?”

“Not a tick.”

Kalle mulled this over. “At this point I think we need guidance from command.”

“I agree. To be safe, we should RTB and use our secure system to make the call.”

Marlen pushed forward on the flight stick, and guided the Sprinter back toward the east. The pair sat quietly for a couple of minutes. From their six, an impossibly bright light appeared. Glancing behind their ship through the cockpit canopy, they could see a mushroom cloud rising from the canyon. Muttering an indecipherable Rakhar invective, Marlen slammed the throttle forward. He and Kalle were squashed into their seats until the Sprinter hit Mach 2, its top atmospheric velocity.

“Holy fuck,” said Kalle.

“For the love of the core, if we had lingered for two more minutes, we’d be vapor.”

“I wonder how many people were on that ship. What a way to go.”

Marlen grunted. “If it was a shadow ship, they very well may have self-destructed.”

“That would be good news, right? One less thorn in our side.”

“K.T., that ship was shot down. What or whomever did that could be our enemy, too.”

Kalle sighed, and looked up at the stars. “Or the best allies the resistance ever had.”

 

 

__________

 

The command center for the City of the Swan was on the outer edge of its eastern side, five stories above street level. From here, an observer had an excellent view of the city, and a plethora of security cameras covered almost every angle. It was one of the few places that God had never deemed necessary for remodeling; the only addition was to extend the clear dome over the command center itself. At night, with the stars overhead, it had the potential to be a relaxing place. Whether or not that was ever true was unknown to Acolyte Dann, who rarely had a reason to visit it.

He was there that morning, called to an emergency meeting by General Redcliff. His senior staff were vaguely familiar to Dann, though if not for their nametags he would have no hope of remembering their names. When he arrived in the conference room adjacent to the command center, he found them to be wearing the less formal version of their dress uniforms. Whatever the reason for the meeting, it was not in advance of the arrival of another Visitor. The muted gray clothing and subdued rank insignia implied a routine meeting, but the tone in the air was tense. Dann found an empty chair at the large oval table in the center of the room, and sat down.

“That’s everybody, then?” began Redcliff. “Good. Ladies and gentlemen, we have lost the Zeus. Acolyte Dann, I shouldn’t have to tell you that you’re only here as God’s liaison, and you may not reveal this information to any mortal.”

Confused, Dann nodded. “Of course, sir.”

“For reasons that will become clear, you and Colonel Asterson are the only ones here who don’t know what the Zeus was up to, so here’s a brief rundown.”

Dann glanced at Asterson across the table. The dark recesses of his memory were telling him that she was with the Cygnian Public Affairs office. Redcliff activated a monitor on the wall, and brought up a diagram of the Primarian and Matesian systems, which Dann would have had no hope of recognizing if they weren’t helpfully labeled. The General continued.

“The Zeus was on a six month assignment to the Primarian and Matesian systems, some five hundred light years from here. Its mission was the same as any of our Clandestine Fleet, to identify and mitigate possible threats to the SCC. Due to the extreme distance, communication was impossible. Everything that I’m about to tell you was learned only after they returned to Dellal. Several weeks ago, shortly after their arrival in the Primarian system, they discovered, less than one light year away, the Eagle asteroid.”

Various expressions of shock were offered. Redcliff raised his hand for silence. General Moffile, their second in command, spoke.

“Was it confirmed to be a Stymphalian Raptor?”

“That’s what the report said. Please hold your questions until I’m done. So, the Zeus began to gather as much information as possible about the Eagle, which wasn’t difficult considering Eaglite shuttles had been visiting Primarian planets. The main gist is that while their civilization is stable, their primary reactor is offline and they’re seeking local technicians to help rebuild it. This makes it extremely likely that their Progenitor host is no longer present. The Zeus also became aware of an independent vessel that was making frequent trips to the asteroid, a Delphinus-class ship called the Fox. This ship was recently joined by another, yet unidentified ship, with invisibility technology almost as good as ours. When these two ships went light directly toward Dellal, they decided to follow.

“Before they left, they had procured a new weapon from a local source. We don’t have much information on the specifics, only that it was a directed energy weapon capable of killing organic life while leaving technology mostly undamaged. Yesterday, the Fox had some sort of engine trouble and had to drop out of superlume about fifty light years from here. Shortly afterward, the Zeus was detected and tried out their new weapon. It was apparently ineffective, and the other ships returned fire. Seriously damaged, the Zeus went light but dropped out too close to Leda. It was after crash landing on the surface that they transmitted all of this information to us, then made the decision to self-destruct lest our technology fall into the wrong hands. As far as we know, there were no survivors.”

Redcliff took a sip from a glass of water and let his words sink in. It was obvious to Dann that these events were a serious blow to the command staff. For the young acolyte himself, it was the first confirmation that the Clandestine Fleet actually existed. Despite being God’s liaison, he was often the last to know what the hell was going on within the SCC.

“So the Fox and this other ship,” began Asterson. “Was the Zeus able to confirm that they were headed to the Swan, specifically?”

“No, but we have to assume they’re looking for us, and act accordingly. These unknown people have already proven that they’re a serious threat, but for now it looks like they acted in self-defense. Their ultimate goals remain a mystery.”

Moffile said, “Two ships don’t stand a chance against our entire fleet. We should rally against them now.”

“It’s an option. I would prefer to take a neutral stance until we know more. Dann, it’s up to you to find out how God wants to proceed.”

Dann said, “With all due respect, sir, there’s no guarantee God will have anything to say about this at all. I can but ask.”

Redcliff nodded grimly. “I share your frustration. Even without His guidance, we can but hope these strangers aren’t a threat.”

“Yes, sir. If they’ve been to the Eagle, I’m sure we’ll have a lot to talk about.”

Reckless Faith V: Chapter 8

The Cygnian Liberation Front was based on a large, rocky moon of Dellal V, in an underground complex that had been a palladium mine.  The mining operations were still ongoing, at least on paper, but any meaningful amount of precious metal had long since been removed.  A meager haul of palladium was still pulled from the mine, though profit was no longer its reason for existing.  The Cygnian Offworld Mining Export and Transport company had been transformed into a shell corporation for the CLF.  It was not a perfect arrangement, but the eyes of God were everywhere.

Dellal VB, known as Leda, was once considered a prime candidate for terraforming.  An effort had been made about fifty years ago but had succeeded only in making the frigid, thin atmosphere breathable for short periods.  Though interest and funding had run out for the attempt, a future effort might be successful with enough financial backing.  For now, it served only as a colony for rugged individualists and the home of COMET.  There were just enough colonists and just enough palladium to allow the CLF to operate in secrecy, as private or corporate vessels were allowed to come and go with minimal solar government oversight.  As long as taxes were paid on time, they were mostly left alone.

Kalle Tulle, a scientist turned jack of all trades, drove her all-terrain truck across the dusty surface of Leda.  It was windy that morning, which wasn’t saying much.  The moon experienced almost no weather, with an occasional slight breeze being the only feature.  The wind was kicking red dust across the road before her, combining with the blue hue of Dellal to create a purplish haze.  She was on her way back from a local hydroponic farm with a load of fresh food for her compatriots at the mining complex.  If the farmers knew about their clandestine operations, they didn’t care.  There was little in the way of trade on Leda, and for them it was easy cash.  Kalle and the CLF were more than happy to be able to resupply without leaving the moon.

Through the haze, the gas giant of Dellal V could be seen, taking up most of the horizon.  Its orange and blue swirling clouds were muted through the atmosphere, and far more beautiful from space.  It was well below freezing on the surface of Leda, and Kalle’s breath threatened to completely fog up her windscreen.  She knew better than to try to adjust the environmental controls for her truck, which was older than she was.  Unfortunately for her, a new truck was not something the farmers on the moon could provide.  Thankfully her trip was a short one, and soon the disused outbuildings of the mine came into view.  Beyond the buildings, the outlines of their ships could be seen.  She parked near the main entrance to the underground complex, and keyed her radio.

“Marlen, it’s K.T.  I’m back.”

Marlen’s voice came in over her earpiece.  “Great timing, K.T.!  The intercept device just caught a signal.  You’d better get down here.”

The food would have to wait.  Kalle donned an oxygen mask and goggles, and put up the hood on her jacket.  She shut down the engine, got out of the cab, and made sure the door was latched securely behind her.  The main entrance was nothing more than a large shack that enclosed the top of a freight elevator.  If she was sure the lift was at the surface, she wouldn’t have bothered with the oxygen, but this time it was waiting for her when the doors slid open.  She got in and mashed the button for sublevel 3.  The lift made sounds that were less than reassuring as it descended, and she gratefully removed her mask and hood as the air warmed up.

The main corridor on sublevel 3 was well-lit, and as clean as one could expect.  First passing by the former administrative offices (only one of which was still used for that purpose), then several sets of living quarters, Kalle arrived at a laboratory.  The metal door squeaked on its hinges as she entered, and she was met with a scene of chaos.  On the other side of the lab was a chamber once used as a clean room, now meant for the receiving end of the intercept device.  Inside was Marlen, a Rakhar technician, and Polsen, their Cygnian medic.  They were crouched over a body, attempting to administer first aid.  Kalle rushed over and gasped.

A humanoid female lay on the floor, obviously in very bad shape.  She was missing her right leg at the knee, and had a garish abdominal wound.  Polson was about to put a tourniquet on her leg, but paused.  He looked up at Marlen in confusion.  The Rakhar had a scanner in his hand.

“She’s not bleeding,” he said.

“I lost her pulse,” came the reply.

“Are you sure you had a pulse to begin with?  It looks like she’s already bled out.”

Marlen held out the scanner.  “See for yourself.”

Polsen glanced at the device.  “It shows two heartbeats milliseconds after she arrived.  I’m sorry, folks, but there’s nothing I can do for her.”

Kalle said, “We should find out if the intercept contributed to her death.”

“Contributed?  I think it’s obvious that she died of her wounds.”

“We still need to do our due diligence.  If we contributed to her death in any way, we need to know.”

Polsen stood up.  “We’ll do a full autopsy, of course.  The initial pathogen scans were negative.  Help me get her onto the gurney.”

Kalle retrieved a wheeled metal table, and with minimal effort the three of them placed the woman on top.

“Genetic profile?” she asked.

Marlen gestured with the scanner.  “Already doing it.  I’m showing a 99% match to Cygnian stock.”

“One of us?” asked Polsen.

Kalle shook her head.  “All that tells us is that she came from one of the Stymphalian Raptors.  Considering what we know, it’s far more likely that she was born on the Eagle or Vulture.”

“Unless she was out wandering the stars and God called her home.”

“You got me.”  Kalle walked to a sink and began washing her hands.  “But as far as the genetic infusion program, it would make no sense to bring her here.  Not that the Swan needs the program any more.  Trying to figure out what our dear resident Kira’To is up to is pointless anyway.  Our goal remains the same.”

The others took turns washing their hands as well, and Kalle went over to scrutinize the body.  Though not an expert, she could tell the woman’s injuries were recent, probably within the last eight hours.  She donned a pair of disposable gloves and searched the body.  There was something in her pants pocket.

“I found an ID tag,” she said.

Kalle held the object up by its chain, and the others came over to look at it.  It was a flat metal oval, similar to tags worn by soldiers, but instead of a name or ID number, there was an inscription.

“Can you read it?” asked Polsen.

“It looks like the ancient language of the Eagle.  ‘Voltur Caput.’  Vulture something.  I can’t make out the rest.”

“So maybe she came from the Vulture,” said Marlen.  “Perhaps she was meant to reunite the communities of the Vulture and Swan.”

“She got herself pretty well fucked up right before that.  Maybe somebody knew she was going to be taken and had a problem with it.  Whatever happened, I don’t think this incident is going to be of much use to us.  We’ll need a living specimen if we ever hope to prove anything to the SCC.”

“That could be another 97 years,” said Polsen.  “Or never.”

Kalle sighed.  “I know.  Begin the autopsy, I’ll call General Sarbessin and give him the bad news.”

Polsen and Kalle exited into the corridor.  Polsen spoke as they walked toward her quarters.

“If you want to make that call now, I’ll unload the truck.”

“I’d appreciate that, thank you.”

The pair parted ways as Kalle entered her quarters.  This area was arranged with a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, and a shared bath.  Since the population of the complex had dwindled along with its intended purpose, there was no one occupying the other bedroom.  Though Kalle had made her quarters as comfortable as possible with her limited resources, she and the rest of the CLF might need to make a quick exit someday so there was no point in attempting any permanent upgrades.  She unzipped her jacket and hung it on a hook behind the door.

Her computer was on a coffee table in the living room.  Kalle unholstered her sidearm, put it on the table, and sat heavily on her couch.  She had to call Sarbessin with a report, but she wished she had something more to tell him.  Waking up her computer, she opened the program that would let her make an encrypted call.  She had no idea what the General was up to, or where he might be.  She was too far down the chain to be kept apprised of what their leadership was doing, except for the updates that were sent out to everyone.  Kalle wasn’t even sure that Sarbessin would remember her, but he sure as hell knew about the intercept project.  She had standing orders to contact him directly with any progress, so there was no need to call her supervisor first.  In fact, she had no idea where Lieutenant Garvin was, either.  Probably doing something far more interesting toward their efforts than grocery runs and wrangling corpses.

Kalle held the ID tag up to the light as she waited for the secure call to connect.  The inscription was too faded for her to have any hope of reading all of it with the naked eye.  She could have scanned it back in the lab, but she didn’t want to distract Marlen from his work.  She sighed, and put the tag in her pocket.

“I don’t know who you were,” she mused, “but welcome to the resistance.”

 

 

__________

 

The last week had gone by without incident for the Reckless Faith and the Fox.  Longer transit times had become routine for the original crew of the Faith, and they had settled into a comfortable daily pattern once again.  The two newcomers assigned to the ship had been introduced to the training opportunities that an orb simulation offered, and under the less than subtle guidance of Richter and Aldebaran, had spent much of their time getting their backsides handed to themselves in combat scenarios.  Milly had joined a few of the simulations that were created for ground combat, and did passably well for her experience level.  Her focus, however, had been on spaceflight and zero-g engagements with the Faith, a task for which she proved well suited.  Both types of scenarios were rather rigorous, and even though their bodies weren’t actually being taxed, it was still exhausting.  Beer or something stronger seemed like an apt reward at the end of the day.

On the Fox, Cane had been keeping a watchful eye on the stardrive.  So far, the overdrive device was stable, and any excessive wear on the system was undetectable while in operation.  Of course, fuel was being consumed at an alarming rate, but thanks to the Faith’s replication ability, they could simply create more uranium hexafluoride upon arrival at Dellal.

For the newcomers to the Fox, they were grateful to have their own quarters, which were a significant upgrade from sharing bunks in the Faith’s cargo hold.  Though they didn’t have an orb to simulate combat, there was more than enough to do to fill their time.  Learning the Fox’s systems and weaponry was a challenge, both due to their lack of experience with spacecraft and the fact that the graphical user interface was in another language.  Evangeline had previously embarked on the task of translating the GUI into English, but hadn’t accomplished much.  With the addition of Penrose, she had shifted her focus to the medical bay for his benefit.  Making sure he could interact with their medical equipment without oversight was a priority.  The surgeon, for his part, was thrilled with the technology, though they all hoped he wouldn’t have to use it.

While not as immersive as an orb simulation, the Fox did offer a flight training program that included opportunities for gunnery practice.  Ehrlich and Hawkes had both spent several hours using it, but the scenarios that were loaded weren’t nearly as complex as the real world engagements that the Faith and the Fox had experienced.  It was better than nothing.  The two men had also been introduced to the small arms that had been left behind by the Fox’s former crew, and had no trouble adopting to the different technology.  Overall, the journey might have left them with lingering boredom if not for Talyn, who easily convinced the pair to join him in martial arts training.  Along with Eva, Ari, and occasionally Vecky, they could be found in the galley sparring, earning new and interesting bruises.

Eva, Vecky, and Cane had spent most of their time on the bridge, interrupted here and there by one of the others wandering in with a question or simply to converse.  It was a bittersweet experience for Vecky; while she was glad to see her crew grow and felt renewed by their enthusiasm, she was also sad at the thought that her Uncle Miyamoto had the same experience on the Fox only to lose it all in a heartbeat.  Each night when she went to bed in his old quarters, she wondered if it would be easier to remove his possessions and decorations, then hated herself for even thinking of it.  She would have to find a way to let those things remind her of the man he once was, and not the tragedy that took him away.

That night, with one more day left on their trip, Vecky again sat in the command chair on the bridge.  At the moment, she was joined by Talyn and Miriam.  The girls had become friends since Vecky’s arrival on Earth, and for more reasons than simply both having been transported across space by the Kira’To.  They were also close to the same age, at first neophytes in combat, and overwhelmed by circumstances they had no chance of anticipating.  It brought them comfort to talk about things from their pasts that were similar, though certain topics such as education, life at school, and previous love interests seemed trite.  Indeed, both had crushes on boys that seemed particularly vapid after all of their new experiences.  If such a role was to be filled by someone else, neither would admit it.

As he often did, Talyn sat quietly at his console, his chair facing the girls.  They seemed to have no problem discussing any topic in front of him, and the man could only conclude that they found him eminently non-threatening.  He could also see that neither of them were interested in him romantically, which would have been far more awkward for them than he.  Talyn never interjected anything into their conversations, but responded when asked a question.

“What do you think, Talyn,” Miriam was saying.  “Is it common for spacers to get distracted by relationships?”

“Sure,” he replied, leaning back in his seat.  “How far they take it depends on the captain.  Most of my time under a formal command was in the military, so you can guess how it was tolerated there.”

“What about when you were with the syndicate?” asked Vecky.

“As a field agent, I never spent too much time on one single ship.  If there was any fooling around going on, I didn’t care to know.”

Miriam asked, “What’s going on with Cane and Evangeline?”

Talyn shrugged.  “Low grade flirting, I’d guess.  They work well together, though Eva isn’t really Cane’s type.”

“Yeah, what is his type?”

“The type you can purchase services from for a quarter of an hour at a time.”

Vecky put her face in her hands.  “Oh, for the love of the core, Talyn.”

“What do I know?  Ask him yourself.”

“Ask me what?”

Cane had just entered the bridge.  The others fell silent.  Miriam blushed.

Talyn grinned viciously.  “Go ahead, Miriam.”

Miriam stammered.  “Do you still have any of that Secundian whiskey from the other night?  I wanted to try some.”

An alarm sounded from Talyn’s console, so he spun around to look at it.  He silenced the alarm and grunted.

“I’ve got a fault warning on the port side reserve fuel redirect valve.”

Cane walked over and peered at the screen.  “Looks like it’s overheating, either that or the temperature sensor is failing.  I recommend we drop out of superlume just in case.”

Vecky nodded, then opened a channel.  “Reckless Faith, this is the Fox.  We’ve got a small problem with our fuel system over here and we’re going to have to drop to sub-light.”

John’s voice filled the bridge.  “Roger that, Fox, we’ll match your speed, out.”

The ship shuddered slightly as Vecky pulled back on the throttle.  A moment later, the Faith appeared, pacing them on their starboard side.

“No change,” said Cane.  “Recommend full stop.”

Vecky did so.  The Faith overshot them, then appeared a few seconds later from ahead.

“Do you have an emergency?” asked John.

“Not at the moment,” replied Vecky.  “Cane, any idea how long it will take to fix this?”

Cane chuckled.  “No clue.  If we can isolate the problem, we can ask the Faith to replicate replacement parts for us.  I’d like to say a few hours, but you know how these things can go.”

“Replicating parts won’t be a problem for us,” said John.  “Just let us know what you need and send us the schematics.”

“So much for getting any sleep tonight,” said Talyn.

Another voice came in over the radio.  “Hello Fox, this is Christie.  I hope you don’t mind me jumping in on this conversation.  I’m getting some weird readings from the direction of our flight path.”

“Define weird,” said John.

“As you know, normally when we travel at sub-light speed, our engines leave a slight trail of ionized particles in our wake.  Same for the Fox.  These particles dissipate almost immediately, but if you know what to scan for you can still detect them for a fraction of a second.  I took it upon myself some time ago to passively monitor those particles as part of my routine scans.  Well, this time I detected eddy currents in the wake of the Fox.  Eddies that were not caused by us.”

“You suspect we’re being followed,” said Vecky.

“I’m afraid so.  As you can see for yourself, any ship that might be out there isn’t detectable by normal means.  If I’m right, we should be on guard.”

“What about the flare function of our plasma cannon?” asked John.  “We once speculated that, by process of elimination, we could detect a cloaked ship by firing one off in close proximity.”

“It’s worth a shot.  We sacrifice nothing in the attempt.”

“Okay.  Look sharp, everyone.  When this thing goes off, check your sensors against the starfield background for anything that doesn’t belong.  Shot out in three, two, one…”

An extremely bright bluish-white sphere emanated from the bow of the Faith, and shot by the Fox.  Illuminating the two craft for only a few seconds, it sent a glut of data to the sensors of both ships.  Talyn buried his head in his console, attempting to glean something useful.

“I’ve got something,” he began.  “A void, one hundred meters in length and thirty meters in height, bearing two-six-nine mark one-five, distance five hundred meters.”

“I see it,” replied Christie.  “Just about the size of a ship.”

John said, “We’ve got company, people.”

Vecky’s fingers tensed around her flight controls.  “Cane, can she handle a scuffle?”

“I don’t know,” Cane said, strapping himself into a chair.  “You could flood the entire ship with corrosive gas.  But fuck it, right?”