Chapter 1 - Awake

Who knows what space is really like?  We can only travel through space in a boat or a bubble or briefly unattended as we head towards the permanent blackness of death.  Even then, agony but not true realization of the infinite void will accompany our fleeting perception. 

                The Silhouette, an outdated assault shuttle, now turned honeymoon suite streaked though space towards its destination, Hokori Prime.  Several astronomical units beyond the last planet the ship stopped folding space as it was instructed to do.  The ship was no longer in warp but still traveled at almost half the speed of light.  It activated its reverse thrusters to slow down and in two weeks’ time would wake the love birds, Captain Cathy Rikes and chief Salvador Dalsie.  Unfortunately, the ship had not gone undetected.  Several darts had been dispatched to intercept, though lightly manned they accelerated toward their destination at twenty times the standard force of gravity. Special drugs and an all-encompassing gel kept the pilots alive.  The pilots actually breathed the gel which had a dynamic viscosity.

                Like a lifting fog, Cathy remembered who she was as she felt the rumble.  She then remembered what she was doing as the rumble and shaking persisted.  The blue liquid exited her lunges and she breathed again.  Her gasps were deep and wide as she waited for the glass to ascend.  It was like entering a combat zone as she had trained for.  Red lights were blinking and sirens blaring should have been accompanied by orders from above and soldiers marching.  However there were no soldiers and the lead authority, the only authority was captain Cathy Rikes herself.  

                Cathy’s pod was fully open and as she took several deep satisfying breathes and coughed.  She felt happy to be awake at least for a moment.  The ship shuttered as it was fired upon again and all sorts of alarms blared. 

                “Ship, who’s firing upon us?”  She was smart enough to use the ship’s language. 

                “Captain, unknown vessels attempted to communicate and then fired.”

                “Answer them!” She barked forgetting for a moment it was only a computer she spoke to.

                “Captain, what message shall I relay to the enemy craft?”

                “Tell them to stop firing.  Tell them,” And then Cathy looked over to see Sal’s pod was still closed.  She drifted out of hers deftly hanging onto the handrail and faced her lover and husband.  The controls indicated a jam of some kind and Sal’s vital signs were weak.  She tried several times to enter the code for manual override which the ship’s central computer accepted but didn’t act upon.

                “Mam, the foreign ships request your unconditional surrender.”

                “Tell them we will cut our engines and communicate our intention, tell them we are from the Hokori refugees.” Cathy fiddled with the Sal’s hibernation controls but to no avail, the ship wouldn’t release him and his heart beat was slowing. 

                “Sal, I need you!” Her expression of helplessness surprised her; on the Hokori fleet she had no such luxury.  It was either survive or die.  She realized she was in command and she was in control.  This man, whom she loved dearly was at her mercy.  She loved and respected him before they were separated for four years but when she found out that he, like her had devoted himself to finding her against all odds and had rejected a very admirable suitor, she respected him all the more.  She loved her husband infinitely but seeing him trapped behind the glass and helpless made her feel helpless as well.  She positioned herself over the long tube straddling it with her legs and holding her body from floating by holding onto the handrails.  These ships were built for space combat and maneuverability. The pounding from the enemy ships had thankfully subsided.  Cathy let her right hand go free and pulled it back to her side while breathing in deeply.  Thinking of nothing but the glass breaking she punched Sal’s tube as hard as she could.  The glass cracked slightly and fluid leaked out which started the emergency evacuation sequence.  Cathy looked at her hand, yup it’s broken she thought.  She cradled her broken hand while observing Sal’s vitals.  His heartbeat had risen from 10bpm to 20 and his temperature from 5C to 10.  The ship vibrated once more.

                “Enemy craft firing, shields are defeated.  Full craft destruction immanent.”

                “Ship didn’t we cut our engines, what do they want”?  The pain decided to show up and Cathy almost let go of the handle bar with her left hand.  If she took painkillers, it might impede her thinking so she just suffered through it.  She had become weak while she was with Sal.  Isn’t that what love does, makes you weak in one way while making you strong in another.

                “Enemy ship is requesting a verbal surrender within five seconds.”

                “Open a channel.  Hokori prime vessel, this is the Silhouette from them refugee Hokori fleet.  We surrender under the condition that you escort us unmolested to an ambassador.”

                After a few tense seconds of watching Sal’s brain functions start a crackly voice of a middle aged man came over the intercom.  “Enemy vessel, you do not get to dictate terms.  We will board and impound your vessel immediately!  Comply or be destroyed!”

                To some, not knowing the Hokori culture this might seem like an intractable position.  It’s not that they weren’t serious or wouldn’t destroy the ship.  Posturing was always an important part of the communication.  A ship that was immediately willing to be boarded might be setting a trap. 

                “I am captain Cathy Rikes of the Hokori refugee ship.  You may inspect our ship after I deal with an immediate medical emergency on board.  The ship’s engineer is badly hurt.  It is only myself and he onboard.  Since we are of a foreign crew we wish to speak to an ambassador.  If you destroy us you will never find out what happened to the refugees that left here two hundred years ago.”

                After a short tense pause, “This is Captain Akiro Aimiatta, I have the authority of the Emperor in the outer system.  If you really are a captain and wish to rejoin the fleet you will immediately surrender your vehicle.”

                It would take a few more minutes for Sal to wake up and Cathy worried her hand needed mending.  She was having a hard time concentrating with the pain as she headed toward the small automated medical bay.  “Ship transmit our authority codes as well as identity of all Hokori ships.”

                “Incoming transmission from Captain Akiro”, the computer blandly announced.  “I will verify your information Captain Rikes but do not think you can stall very long.  If you are a pirate you will surely hang.”

                “And if I am a Captain of the refugee Hokori fleet?”

                “Then you may still hang captain of the prideful but at least you will get an audience.  Welcome to the system of New Nippon.  Wait for further instructions.” It all made so much sense now.  The refugee fleet assumed the name prideful to hide their true name.  Hokori means prideful in their language.  Admiral Daiki, her mentor and supporter had never told her the secret name of their people.  He helped her but also used her to find them a new system to establish themselves in and rid himself of an enemy.  In return she stole this shuttle and abandoned her post.  She wished he was well.

                “Cathy,” her husband’s voice croaked from across the ship.  Cathy’s heart lit up to know he was awake.  She looked down at her hand in the automated medical dock.  It had been bandaged and some local anesthetic applied. The readout showed xray as well as sound and infrared.  It was fractured but everything was in place with no surgery required.  Her hand was encased in a hard pink plastic with only the tops of her fingers showing.

                “Cathy, where are you?”

                She rushed out, floating from handhold to handhold until she came to the hallway with the hibernation chambers.  Sal never was a pleasant sight in the morning but he looked particularly bad today.  His skin was very pale and his hair disheveled, was he losing hair?  Stupid thought.  He managed to put on a small smile and said, “I guess the honeymoon’s over?  I saw the chamber was damaged, when I woke up.” He then gazed at her hand bandaged up.

                “Aw, you broke your hand to save me?”

                “Honey, we’re expecting company. Would you be a dear and make preparations?”

                “Sure.  Are these friends of ours?”

                “I’m not sure but let’s be prepared.”

                The computer cut in, “Small craft headed this way, expected arrival in fifteen minutes.  Instructions?”

                “Prepare to allow them to dock and enter airlock one.  Sal get our special belts and meet me at the air lock.”

                Fifteen minutes later Cathy was floating outside of the airlock, her hands on her hips ready to activate the personal shield generator inside of her belt buckles.  That was Sal’s invention when he was facing the tyrant on planet Acorn.  She was of course decked out in full Hokori uniform.  The two men cycled through the air lock.  When it opened the middle aged man with an officers red coat and silver buttons grabbed the door bar hold and pulled himself into the hallway.  Their clothes seemed to hold them to the floor as she had seen the other Hokori.  The two men took one look at Cathy and Sal and immediately drew their blasters.  “It’s a trap.”

                Only Cathy’s instinct and intuition kept her from activating her shield.  The men were in her estimation not willing to fire.  They might have orders to bring back survivors.  “I assure you captain this is not a trap.”

                Still holding his weapon, Akiro said, “You speak our language well.  I suppose you had the computer teach you after you tortured the crew?  Or perhaps you were a prisoner and managed to escape.  Yes that’s it, isn’t it?  You two can come with us now.”

                “You have a fanciful imagination captain.  Everything’s not a soap opera.  My story is long and though I’d love to tell it to you, you might not believe me.  So, I have a proposal.  I will escort you to the bridge and give you full access to our records.  Sal can keep the corporal here company.”

                Cathy led the captain to the bridge while Sal faced the unhappy looking soldier with his blaster pointed squarely at him.  Sal looked at him and attempted conversation, “What’s your name?”

                The computer translated his speech and after a few seconds the soldier responded back, Sal awaited the translation.  “It is not customary for prisoners to inquire of their captors.”

                “I’m not your prisoner.”

                “I’m holding the gun.”

                “That doesn’t mean I’m your prisoner.  It just means you could kill me if I tried to attack you.  So instead of sitting here for thirty minutes awkwardly we could just talk.”

                “My captain will eventually discover that you are criminals.”

                “What do you know of the events that happened here two hundred years ago?”

                After hearing the translation, the corporal sighed and started to tell a long story.  Sal waited patiently for him to stop speaking and the computer began to retell. 

                “Two hundred years ago a group of rebels from various orbital installations decided to rebel against the Emperor.  They were hunted down and destroyed.  There was some superstition that several small ships survived.  We who patrolled the borders would hear folk stories of a find of dead bodies in a ship or a booby trapped asteroid installation.  I think you two are scavengers who turned into grave robbers.”

                After several more tense minutes which seemed to drag on like the tail of a star being swallowed by a black hole, Cathy and Captain Akiro returned.  Cathy floated back to Sal and the Captain rejoined his lieutenant.  “Lieutenant you can lower your weapon.”  Both men lowered their weapons but didn’t holster them.