Frontiers 07 - The Expanse (21 page)

“Yes, sir, but they’re stronger now. I think I might be able to make them out this time.”

“How long?”

“I can tell you where they are coming from now. 72 Herculis. It’s a G-type system located forty-seven point eight light years from Earth. It’s about ten light years from our current position.”

“72 Herculis is listed in the Ark as a fringe settlement,” Jessica added from the tactical station. “The fourth planet was settled and named Tanna.”

“What do we know about the settlement?” Nathan asked.

“At the time the Ark was locked down, the Tanna settlement was only twenty-two years old. Population of seven thousand, mostly miners and their families as well as infrastructure support personnel. It was a corporate colony started by one of the interstellar mega-corps. It was intended to be an industrial base to support colonization efforts farther out in the fringe.”

“Put the local star map up,” Nathan ordered. A moment later, a three-dimensional view of the core and all her worlds appeared on the main view screen.

“At forty-seven light years, isn’t it already pretty far out, even for a fringe world?” Lieutenant Yosef wondered.

“Just before the bio-digital plague struck, the mega-corps were preparing for another colonization push. A few hundred habitable worlds had been cataloged, some as far as two-hundred light years out. With improved FTL drives on the horizon, the mega-corps were betting on another wave of eager colonists willing to sell their souls for a chance to start a new world. An industrial base on the edge of the fringe would have made a lot of money, as it would have gotten goods out to the new worlds faster and cheaper than hauling them out from the core worlds.” Nathan examined the star map on the main view screen, taking note of the relative positions of all the stars along their route back to Sol. “Any updated data on the settlement?” he asked.

“No, sir,” Jessica told him.

“Captain, I’m looking at multiple signals here,” Lieutenant Yosef announced, “civilian comm, navigation, entertainment broadcasts. I’m also picking up transmissions on Jung frequencies.”

“Ship-to-ship?” Nathan wondered.

“No, sir. I’m pretty sure they’re automated navigational transponders.”

“Then we can assume that it’s a Jung-controlled system,” Jessica stated.

“According to Fleet intel, they all are, except Sol,” Nathan reminded her.

“Fleet’s intel on the influence of the Jung is based mostly on limited signals intelligence, sir. They had only a dozen or so FTL recon flights prior to our departure. 72 Herculis has never been reconnoitered.”

“Think we should check it out?” Nathan asked his security chief.

“We should at least send the Falcon on a coast-through,” Jessica suggested. “If we’re lucky, there might even be a Jung ship or two in port there.”

“If we’re lucky, there won’t be,” Nathan commented.

“Captain, Fleet has only seen eight actual Jung warships to date, not including the gunboats that jumped us in the Oort. Three of those were the same design. Knowing how spread out their ships actually are could be extremely valuable information. Don’t forget: we still don’t know exactly where the Jung homeworld is located.”

“That’s what’s worrying me,” Nathan admitted. “What if it’s 72 Herculis?”

“Doubtful, sir. All indications are that their homeworld is on the other side of the core based on the density of signals collected by Earth thus far.”

“Be even better if we could get boots on the ground for a few days.”

Nathan turned and looked at Jessica who was smiling. “Don’t even think about it, Lieutenant Commander.” Nathan turned back to his flight team sitting at the helm in front of him. “Wake up your relief team, boys. You’ve got a recon mission to fly.”

“Hell yeah,” Josh exclaimed.

Loki rolled his eyes. “I thought you hated recon flights?”

“Anything is better than this jump-wait-jump crap.”

“We’ll see if you still feel that way after fourteen hours sitting in a cold, cramped cockpit,” Loki mumbled.

* * *

“I’m just not sure it’s a good idea,” Cameron stated as she took her seat at the dining table in the captain’s mess. “It takes about fifteen hours to do a coast-through recon pass. That’s a long time for us to sit in one place waiting for them to return.”

“They’re going to meet us at the next jump point,” Nathan told her. “That way, we won’t lose any time.”

“And if they are detected? Wouldn’t that alert the Jung to our presence in the area?”

“It might alert them to a presence in the area, but there’s nothing on the Falcon that screams Earth technology.”

“Except the jump drive,” Cameron reminded him.

“They are well aware of their responsibilities in the matter, Commander.”

“Are they, Nathan? It’s not like they swore an oath or anything.”

“Not everyone requires an oath to make them do the right thing, Cameron. Josh and Loki know the stakes. I’m confident they would be willing to sacrifice themselves rather than be captured. I shouldn’t have to remind you that they’ve both demonstrated their willingness to put their lives on the line on more than one occasion.”

“It’s just that Josh takes such great risks without even thinking about them.”

“Actually, I don’t think he does,” Nathan defended. “I think he’s confident in every maneuver he makes. He doesn’t see the risk, because he knows it will work. It’s a gift, really.”

“Or a curse,” Cameron added.

“That’s why he and Loki make such a great team. Loki sees the risk and reminds Josh of it when necessary. You might say Loki is Josh’s Cameron.”

“Is that how you see me: unwilling to take risks?”

“Not at all,” Nathan said. “I tend to make decisions based on instinct; you tend to fully analyze your options before deciding. I think that’s why Captain Roberts put us together to begin with. He knew that your analytical side would properly balance my instinctive side. Whenever you question my decision, it makes me think twice. If you agree with me, then I’m that much more confident that I’m doing the right thing.”

“Because I’ll call you on it if you’re wrong,” Cameron said.

“Exactly. I can count on you to tell me when I’m wrong.”

“Well, rest assured, sir, I’ll always be there to tell you when you’re being stupid.”

“I said wrong, not stupid.”

Cameron picked up her glass of water, concealing the smile on her face.

“What did we miss?” Jessica asked as she and Vladimir entered the captain’s mess.

“Nathan was just telling me that it was my job to tell him when he’s wrong,” Cameron announced.

“Sounds like too much work,” Vladimir said.

“Where’s the guest of honor?” Jessica wondered.

“He’ll be here shortly,” Nathan answered. “Did you find anything about him in the Ark files?”

“Nothing,” Jessica answered as she took her seat. “The Ark doesn’t contain information about individuals unless they did something noteworthy.”

“Then we’ll have no way to validate whatever he tells us,” Cameron noted.

“Other than repetitive questioning, no,” Jessica admitted, “and that will only take us so far.”

“What is it you’re hoping to discover?” Vladimir asked.

“What went wrong,” Nathan answered. “Why were more than half of the cargo containers still in orbit? Why weren’t the remaining colonists revived and moved down to the surface? What happened to the colonists that did go down to the surface?”

“If he was in stasis the whole time, he probably won’t have any of those answers.”

“Yeah, I’d thought of that,” Nathan said. “Well, at the very least, he might be able to shed some light on what happened after the Data Ark was sealed off. There is still so much we don’t know about the fall of the core worlds and the Earth itself. He actually lived through it.”

“How is that going to help us in our current situation?” Jessica wondered.

“It won’t,” Nathan admitted, “but it is interesting.”

The conversation was interrupted when the door opened and Mister Percival was wheeled in by one of Jessica’s Corinari security officers. His hair had been trimmed and tied back, and his beard shaved. He sported a basic day uniform without any rank insignia or service patches.

“Mister Percival, welcome.” Nathan seemed a bit taken aback by the wheel chair. “If you’re not up to this, we can postpone…”

“No need, Captain,” Mister Percival insisted. He struggled slightly to rise to his feet and walked the two meters from his wheelchair to his place at the captain’s table. “I am well enough to dine and partake in some light conversation. I’m just not yet strong enough to walk from the medical center to your dining cabin, at least not according to young Doctor Chen.”

“If you’re sure then.”

“Yes, I’m sure. Besides, I haven’t eaten in a thousand years.”

“Not a statement you hear every day,” Nathan noted. “I hope you don’t mind, but on the advice of Doctor Chen, tonight’s menu will be on the bland side.”

“Yes, I have been instructed to eat lightly until my digestive system returns to normal.”

“Very well then. Shall we eat?” Nathan motioned to Mister Collins, his personal chef, to begin dinner service.

Mister Percival looked at Cameron.

“Oh, my apologies,” Nathan offered, realizing that Mister Percival and Cameron had not yet been introduced. “This is my executive officer, Commander Cameron Taylor.”

“A pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Mister Percival said.

“The pleasure is all mine, sir,” Cameron answered politely.

“You have a fine ship, Captain,” Mister Percival began, “from what little I have seen of her. What type of vessel is she?”

“The Aurora was built primarily as a ship of exploration and diplomacy,” Nathan explained.

“Your personnel do not appear to be explorers, Captain.”

“As we are a member of the Earth Defense Force, we are also a ship of war. Recent events have required us to take a more aggressive stance in terms of security.”

“What type of events?”

“It’s a bit complicated,” Nathan said, sidestepping the topic, “and perhaps a matter better discussed later.”

“Of course. I assume your ship is FTL capable.”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Again, Nathan was avoiding answering Mister Percival’s question directly.

“Another matter best left for later?” Mister Percival wondered aloud.

“Probably, yes. For now, let’s just say that the Aurora is capable of moving about the galaxy more quickly than most ships.”

Mister Percival took a small bite of the salad placed before him, chewing slowly as he savored the taste and texture of the unfamiliar leafy vegetables. “This is quite tasty. However, I am unfamiliar with this vegetable.”

“We obtained it during our journey,” Nathan stated. “I can inquire as to its name if you’d like.”

“It is not necessary,” Mister Percival stated as he took another bite. He chewed another moment, watching the others as they also worked on their meals. All eyes seemed to be upon him. “Perhaps we should skip the pleasantries and get to the heart of the matter. I am sure you all have many questions of me. I am more than willing to answer them to the best of my knowledge.”

“Tell us about your mission,” Nathan said. “Your ship was last listed as decommissioned. According to your logs, your ship began service again in 2370 under the command of Alan Dubnyk.”

“Yes, he was our captain.”

“Captain Dubnyk was an independent hauler dealing in questionable cargo, and doing so in an unregistered and unregulated vessel. He was hardly the type one would hire to transport a colonization mission.”

“Quite true, Captain. But his price was right, and pickings were slim at the time. That made the decision rather easy.”

Nathan looked puzzled. “You speak as if you have firsthand knowledge of the transaction.”

“I was the mission’s benefactor, Captain. I was the one that hired him.”

“You were the mission’s benefactor,” Jessica said in disbelief.

“I was not its sole source of finance,” Mister Percival explained, “just its largest contributor. Every passenger paid for their passage, as well as their basic supplies. I paid for the stasis pods and the colonization packages that would ensure the success of the settlement.”

“Still, a sizable and somewhat risky investment,” Nathan stated.

“It was a crazy and horrific time, Captain. You might be surprised how little normal logic applied to day–to-day life back then.”

“Still, we’re talking billions of credits, Mister Percival. You must have been quite wealthy.”

“Actually, it was more like millions. As I said, each passenger had to pay their own way. And much of the equipment needed was available on the black market, one of the many benefits of mounting such a mission from the fringe instead of the core.”

“It doesn’t sound entirely legal,” Cameron said, her face revealing no underlying emotions.

Mister Percival laughed. “There was very little about the mission that was legal, Commander. Then again, there was very little that was legal about
most
refugee missions. Like I said, it was a crazy, horrific time.”

“Still,” Nathan said, “I can’t help but wonder why you invested such a disproportionate amount of your own money into the expedition.”

“I was trying to save my own life.”

“Wasn’t everyone?” Cameron asked.

“No, you don’t understand,” Mister Percival explained, shaking his head. “In the beginning, there were many evacuee colonization expeditions, each of them fully licensed and properly registered with the appropriate authorities. But I could not buy my way into any of them because of medical problems.”

“What type of medical problems?” Nathan asked.

“I have an incurable degenerative muscular disorder called Minnian’s disease. This precluded me from being a member of legitimate colonization missions. The only way I could see to survive the plague was to fund my own expedition. It was well known that unregistered expeditions were leaving fringe worlds on a regular basis, so I traveled to 26 Draconis where I met up with Captain Dubnyk. Together, we assembled an expedition of five hundred evacuees with all the appropriate equipment and supplies needed to guarantee their success.”

“That still would not save your life,” Vladimir stated. “It would only prevent you from succumbing to the plague.”

“The pod,” Nathan realized. “You intended to stay in it until a cure was found.”

“Correct,” Mister Percival admitted.

“Couldn’t you have done that at home?” Jessica wondered.

“The predictions were dire,” Mister Percival stated. “It was all over the news. Civilization in the core was headed for complete collapse. It seemed safer to have my pod taken elsewhere for safe keeping.”

“That’s why you funded the expedition,” Cameron said.

“My only requirement was that my pod be kept safe and functioning. It was designed to last for hundreds of years, even without human supervision. If and when a cure for my ailment was discovered, I was to be revived and cured.”

“That’s why you chose BD+25 3252,” Nathan realized, “because of its location.”

“It was not too far out, in case some of the fringe worlds managed to survive, and it was not too far off the flight path of many other expeditions that had already launched.”