Edge of Solace (A Star Too Far) Read online

  Edge of Solace

  by Casey Calouette

  For my Wife.

  Copyright 2014 Casey Calouette

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover art by Adam Burn

  Edited by Max Booth III

  I’d love to hear any feedback you may have. If you enjoyed the story tell your friends, leave a review, and help spread the word.

  You can find more at http://caseycalouette.com

  CHAPTER ONE

  Position

  Major Archibald Theodore strutted down the narrow hallway. The Major did not walk. The Major did not march. He did not even stroll. He strutted.

  Narrow access shafts flickered by as he continued deeper into the hull of the orbital station. The smell of the place changed from processed food and people to machinery and chemicals. The tang of chlorine was particularly strong.

  He tapped the Colt holstered onto his hip and nodded. Chatter echoed through his ears as the local communications net linked all of the Marines.

  The Colonel spoke and the chatter ceased. “Twenty minutes. Weapons locked, drones prepped, but be civil. This is a freighter, not a warship.”

  Archie rounded a sharp corner and strutted into a small armored command room. Above the door, on the inside, was stenciled ‘Safe #2’. Inside sat a rack of combat shotguns with frangible slugs, three suits of nanite-coated pattern armor and a set of emergency hull breach kits. A monitoring and command panel was merged into the far wall. A Marine Sergeant with deep olive skin stood at attention.

  “Evening, Sergeant Hakimi,” Archie said. “At ease.” He stood next to the panel with his hands on his hips. “Seen the Commander yet?”

  “No, sir,” the Sergeant replied in a French accent. He relaxed his shoulders and peered out the hatch.

  The command panel showed the inside of the cavernous receiving area. Marines were arrayed around the massive airlocks in full armor. Full dress armor, as the Colonel was fond of saying. The pair of platoons barely ranked a Captain let alone a Colonel, but the only transfer station to the Sa’Ami was deserving of someone with more tact.

  The panel swapped to show the view outside. The slender, but bulbous, form of a Sa’Ami freighter was slowly approaching. Heat shimmered from red-tinted niobium alloy heat sinks on the spine of the vessel.

  The panel swapped once more to show the opposite side. A half dozen civilian freighters were tethered and waiting for the opportunity to trade. Sa’Ami technology was of particular interest but they were extraordinarily shrewd and rarely struck a favorable bargain. One side sought the Sa’Ami technology—the other, consumer goods. Brand names still in demand among those who could afford it.

  A final image showed the actual ‘bridge’ of the station, where the main Naval contingent operated. Safe #2 was a security location that was always manned, and locked, when the Sa’Ami docked.

  “Sorry I’m late!” A bald-headed Naval Commander rushed into the room carrying a stack of data tablets. “Oh, hello, Archie! Didn’t know you were up today.”

  The Sergeant stepped behind the Commander and latched the armored airlock door closed.

  “Hello, Luis.” Archie smiled. “I lost a wrestling match with Captain Cross.”

  Luis shook his head and dropped the tablets on the panel. “You need to take up chess, Archie. You’re getting too old for that.”

  Archie snorted. He spun one of the chairs around and straddled it. “What do you have there?”

  “My wife makes me videos that unlock every morning. I’ve had duty the past few days so I’m going to catch up while we’re locked up here.”

  “How are the boys?”

  “Big! All three of em, they eat like mules. My wife says they’re eating me out of my pension, I think she just likes to shop.” Luis winked. “Yours?”

  Archie nodded. “Big, too. They’ll be six and eight when I get back.” He turned away from Luis and focused on the display. He missed his sons.

  Luis sat at the panel and padded a few keys. “Standard enough, just another freighter.”

  Archie nodded. The comm chatter was relaxed. The squads had nothing to do but wait for the freighter to dock and disgorge itself into the transfer hold. The Colonel was silent, but Archie knew he was on the deck floor with the men. “How long?”

  “A few more minutes—docking struts are in position.”

  The Sa’Ami freighter slowly edged closer. Hydraulic struts bristled outwards to absorb the shock of the massive starship as it nestled into the station. The hull of the freighter was featureless, plain, a design of pure utility.

  The colonel clicked over the communications network. “XO, anything to report?”

  “Negative, sir.”

  “I heard Cross pinned you twice.”

  Archie could almost hear the Colonel grinning. “Yes sir, the Captain is quite talented.”

  “Locks are extending,” Luis said.

  “Colonel, the air locks are going out. One more minute,” Archie said.

  “Listen up. Relax, look professional, but keep your distance,” the Colonel said in a level tone.

  The comm chatter dropped off to silence as the sounds of the station vibrated through the room. A clicking of motor contactor, buzzing of transformers and the subtle shift as a grav reactor pulsed.

  “Seals made, they’re pressurizing the chamber,” Luis said. Lines of data and communications stuttered on the edge of the panel. “Everything looks good. I’m giving it a green light. Do you concur, Major?”

  “I concur, Commander,” Archie said. It took two to open the door.

  “We’re opening the doors, Colonel.”

  The doors pulled apart a few centimeters and paused before sliding totally open. On the opposite side a yellow-gray bulkhead with a ragged seam marked the Sa’Ami freighter.

  “Interesting design,” Luis said. He leaned forward towards the screen. “Like they just crack out a panel, near perfect seal. I bet they use a nanite barrier. No welding, no fabrication.”

  Archie could care less how they made the damn thing. He wasn’t looking forward to sitting in the damn box while they unloaded the freighter. He should have grabbed his tablet like Luis, at least he could’ve watched the videos of his boys.

  A slight line of white broke into a widening gap as the freighter doors disappeared. Inside was a dark, cavernous space. A set of lights bobbed into view. A rugged looking cargo loader stood on two heavy legs. It carried a wide alloy slab in its arms.

  Archie leaned forward. “Where’s the ship’s master?”

  The cargo loader took two steps into the airlock and set the slab down. It turned slowly and disappeared back into the freighter.

  Luis spoke softly to the main command crew, then turned to Archie. “I’ve got nothing.”

  Both men peered at the camera feed into the freighter and waited for something to appear. A light blinked in the darkness, then another, then a swarm of gently pulsing orange lights.

  “Colonel…” Archie said before stopping himself.

  The orange lights winked out and a massive group of Sa’Ami striders burst through the airlock. Each of the slender robotic drones prowled and pounced toward the waiting Marines.

  “Shut it!” Archie bellowed.

  Luis punched the keys.

  The airlock tried to shut and slammed in great booms as the hydraulics strained against the plate.

  “It won’t shut, that plate is blocking it,” Luis said.

  The Marines on the freight deck opened fire on the swarming Sa’Ami striders. Trails of expanded nanite traced across the hold as frangible rounds impacted onto the Sa’Ami striders. The Marine drones poured forward into the Sa’Ami line.

  “Colonel, w
e’re going to blow it.” Archie felt his heart drop as he said the words. The Colonel knew the protocol: they would blast the airlock apart, leaving nothing behind. The Marines on the deck had five seconds to get vacuum helmets sealed. “Marines, helmets on!”

  Luis punched one key while Archie punched a second. The floor shuddered. The airlock separated from the station and the atmosphere rushed out.

  The slab didn’t move. More striders pounced into the hold.

  “Hakimi! Let’s get suited up,” Archie said, slowly standing.

  The Sergeant moved quickly and tossed the atmosphere suits across the room.

  “I’m launching courier capsules, last time stamp…now.” Luis punched in the order.

  Every single scrap of data was uploaded to the barest shell of a Haydn drive with a gravity propulsion unit on the back. Three of the units burst forth and began to burn towards the exit point two weeks away.

  Transfer station was built at the center of the grav point between Sa’Ami and United Colonies space. It was an equidistant five weeks to the edges of each system. The station was for trade and cooperation, not a military asset.

  Archie struggled into the suit. He strained his ears but heard nothing. The Marines in the hold were silent. “Colonel? Do you read?”

  Luis stared at blank screens. “Major, the bridge is locking everything down. We’ve got thermal alarms coming from the cargo hold bulkheads.”

  “Shit. They’re cutting in.”

  “Civilians are edging off.” Luis’s voice crackled. “Abandon order has been given.”

  “Bridge Station, this is Major Theodore. Remain on the bridge and protect the crew as long as possible. Do not open the bulkhead,” Archie said to the few remaining Marines stationed on the bridge. Once an abandon order was given all critical information would be deleted, followed by thermite and nanite destroying everything else.

  “Major,” a voice crackled, “permission to take up positions near—”

  “Negative. Stay with the crew,” Archie snapped back. “Luis, can they make the launch?”

  Luis whistled. “Not until the civilians are clear and the core is wiped.”

  Archie walked over to the armory stand and slowly stuffed himself into the pattern armor. The bulk fit tight. The material slowly eased into and formed to his body. Forward panels turned rigid while others loosened. He moved and strained, testing the boundaries.

  Sergeant Hakimi followed the same ritual. He grabbed the last suit and walked over to Luis. “Sir, if you would, please.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening. We need to get to that launch.” Luis took the suit of armor.

  “Not until they smoke that core.” Archie leaned down and grabbed one of the shotguns. He slid the action forward and seated one of the frangible slugs. He tossed one to Sergeant Hakimi and began stuffing logs of nanite slugs into the ammo pouch.

  Luis tucked into the upper part of the armor and leaned over the panel. “Everything is wiped.”

  “Marines, pop the thermite and nanite canisters. Get onto that launch.”

  Luis stepped away from the panel and strapped the leggings on. “Good god, this is war isn’t it?”

  “It does appear so.” Archie slid the helmet on and activated the face shield. The nanite-coated plastic slid across his view and sealed him in. A brief diagnostics scrolled over the upper corner.

  The three men stood in full armor suits. The lighting flickered before dropping out totally. The letters of Safe #2 glowed a dull shade of green above them.

  “Oh shit.” Luis stepped aside and braced against the wall.

  “Turn on the nightvision filter, no lights,” Archie said. The chatter over the comm network changed from a hurried escape to the sounds of a firefight. Voices called out orders with blasts and hisses in the background. Silence came once more.

  “Marines, report,” Archie said. He wanted to wipe the sweat off his brow. The suit felt stuffy even with the chiller running.

  Silence was the only response.

  “Oh god,” Luis said. “That freighter is armed.”

  Archie snapped his head to the console. The civilian freighters were being pursued by a pack of blistering white missiles. The first group impacted against a bulk freighter surrounded by squat shipping containers. It crumbled and cascaded apart.

  Luis stumbled away from the console. “There’s more.”

  The data stream grew as multiple warships appeared on the display. They’d been in space for hours but were only now visible. More signals appeared as a massed fleet of slender cruisers, battle cruisers, drone carriers and heavy assault cruisers blinked into the entrance of the grav point.

  “Sergeant, once you open that door, get the Commander to the launch and burn. Burn hard..” Archie grabbed another roll of ammo.

  “Sir?” Sergeant Hakimi said.

  “I’m going to make you a hole. Commander, get this data out, that fleet isn’t on the courier drones,” Archie said. He turned back to the display just in time to see another freighter blink a brilliant white and disappear. He cursed the damned luck for sending the couriers out early.

  “What are you going to do?” Luis asked.

  “Blow the damn station,” Archie said. He couldn’t believe he just said it.

  “On your call, Major,” Sergeant Hakimi said.

  “Do it.”

  The door opened slowly and the trio stepped cautiously into the service access. The safe room was buried in the maintenance section of the station near nothing of particular interest. Sergeant Hakimi saluted with a gloved hand and pointed the Commander down the hall. Archie bound toward the reactor.

  “Sergeant, tell me once you’re onboard,” Archie said. The corridors narrowed as he dodged through an array of piping. Beyond was a wide open area with a heavy bulkhead and airlock. The atmosphere indicator blinked orange. Zero atmosphere on the opposite side.

  Archie crept up to the bulkhead and cycled it open. The door closed behind him and he waited as the pressures equalized. The opposite door blinked a bright orange and slid open. He padded slowly into the engineering area and scanned around. The first body appeared. A Naval Engineer was curled up near the edge of the bulkhead. He turned away from the body and continued.

  One long hallway, a right turn, and the reactor. He could picture the map in his head as he ran in long strides down the hall. He held the shotgun across his body, ready to fire at a moment’s notice.

  “Major, the Commander is going in solo,” Sergeant Hakimi said in a rushed voice. The sound of gunfire and booming explosions echoed over the comm.

  “I’m in!” Luis called out.

  Archie reached the end of the dark hallway. He sprinted around the turn and collided with a Sa’Ami strider. The gangly drone bounced off the side of the tunnel. Archie rolled and tucked himself against the wall. The strider was barely a meter away when he pulled the trigger.

  At such a close range, the armor plate of the Sa’Ami construct buckled and cracked. The nanites and plasma sheath surged inward, frying the core of the remotely controlled drone.

  Archie struggled back to his feet. The strider convulsed once before lying still. He didn’t waste the time to pump in a second shot.

  The reactor core was a simple looking chamber. Heavy cords of superconducting nanites routed the immense power flow to the station. The core itself looked like a stainless steel casket. Inside the same forces that shifted ships through space were harnessed to create energy.

  Archie propped the shotgun on the command console and saw a second body laid out next to it. The Chief Engineer. He nodded down at the corpse and began the process of overloading the reactor. He remembered the class where they learned how to self-destruct a core. The jokes they all made, it almost seemed surreal at the time. Now he wished he’d have paid more attention.

  “Archie! Good god man, they’ve shot all the freighters,” Luis called out over the comms. His voice was tinny and distressed.

  “Are you undocked?”
<
br />   “Yes!”

  “Then just wait, they can’t shoot you there. The station is shielding you. Burn on my call.”

  Archie pulled two heavy levers that exposed a series of cylinders. He gripped one and slowly levered it out. The rest tugged to the side revealing a set of three pins surrounded by a grid of one hundred holes.

  “I’m going, Archie.”

  “Not yet!” Stupid bastard. No, just afraid.

  He dropped down to his knees and gripped the first pin. He had to remove each of the pins and place them back into a precise location on the grid. There were no markings, commands, or instructions. Either you knew it or you didn’t.

  A mechanical clacking resonated through the hull. The striders were closing. Archie popped the first pin and pushed it slowly in like it was stuck in jelly. It sucked itself in and was seated. He fumbled the second pin with the armored gloves and scooped down to grab it. Perspiration stung the corners of his eyes.

  “Almost, Luis, almost!”

  The second pin was buried against the edge of the plating. He squeezed with his fingertips, but he just couldn’t get the damn thing. It was wedged perfectly so that his glove couldn’t fit. He took a breath, exhaled, and disengaged the facemask.

  The air escaped from his mask and rushed past. Alarms rang in his ears. He clenched his eyes closed and slowly popped the cuff off his right hand. The vacuum didn’t feel as unusual as he anticipated. He was tempted to suck a breath just in case there was air, but knew better. His fingers gripped the tip of the pin and he stuffed it into his armor near one of the ammo logs. The glove clicked back on and the face shield reappeared.

  He counted to three and took a deep breath. Crisp tinny air filled his lungs. The sound of the canister rushing into the suit was loud in his ears. He opened his eyes a moment later and grabbed the third pin and stuck it into grid. It seated home. He dug his finger into the ammo pouch and sensed something behind him.

  Archie had learned long ago to trust whatever nudge that told him something was off. Feel something? Turn with the gun. Don’t just look. The moment was ripe as he slid his hand over to the shotgun. He spun around and threw himself onto his back.