Law's End (8 page)
Authors: Glenn Douglass
Tags: #adventure, #travel, #dog, #future, #space, #rescue, #supercluster
Kassad scooted next to Greene to put an arm
around her without ever fully standing up in the low gravity. "You
thought you were doing the right thing, and you were. You don't
control the universe." Then he added jokingly, "Not yet
anyway."
Recomposing herself with great speed Greene
wiped away the tears on her face to stare down at her hands again.
"I need to know I've done everything possible to set this
right."
Squeezing her shoulder in what he hoped was a
friendly and reassuring manner Kassad said, "Don't worry, we will,
but we have to be practical. We can't sit around wearing ourselves
out with worry. We need to be fresh and rested when we
arrive."
Greene's hand took hold of Kassad's own and
returned the reassuring squeeze. "I understand."
"And you need to be prepared for the
worst."
Twisting herself free of Kassad's arm Greene
protested, "I am prepared. People keep treating me like I'm a
child; like I don't understand what's going on. I know, I know
better than anyone else on this side of Law's End what they're up
against. I know the math and the math says they should still be
alive."
In Kassad's view it was a needlessly naïve
perspective that she needed to set aside. "If Law's End teaches us
anything it's that math is not always a perfect tool for modeling
the universe. I know that any one of a million things could have
gone wrong; things completely unrelated to Law's End. You know the
risks up here, you've educated yourself, and maybe you've done some
travelling, but until you've experienced the hazards first hand you
don't really understand how dangerous this is. I've run salvage on
ships that had the best equipment and the best trained crews and
they weren't dealing with Law's End. That's the risk any of us take
when we choose to live and work out here."
Greene stood defiantly glaring down at Kassad.
"They're going to be okay. I know it."
Already preparing for the worst Kassad didn't
want to have to deal with a hysterical widow on top of having to
secure the bodies of the research team for transport. "Are you sure
you're prepared? Because I've seen what grief can do to a person;
make them irrational, self destructive. You're living with hope
right now, but if they didn't make it you have to be ready for
that."
"Well you've really set my mind at ease."
Greene said wanting to slap Kassad but instead deciding to leave
the room.
Kassad continued to explain reasonably even
after Greene retreated to her stateroom. "There's a difference
between being ready and being delusional. Both are minds sets, but
one is far more likely to get you killed then the other. I don't
doubt that this is going to be hard on you no matter what we find,
but it will only be harder if you keep insisting that reality is
going to conform to your desires."
Chapter 5: "Interception"
"When logic and reason are not in support of
what you want then an appeal to base irrational emotion is the only
route left available. If you can convince people that your goals
feel right then you have a chance to win support, however this
makes your goals no more logical or reasonable. When logic and
reason are not in support of what you want then you are insane and
should be stopped."
Excerpt taken from "The Collected Wisdom of
Herself, Volume III"
the Sabha arrived. Traveling at warp speeds inevitably resulted in
picking up the trace amounts of hydrogen and other gas and debris
along the route. These gasses accumulated along the leading edge of
the warp field until that field was dropped. With older drives the
buildup would continue until the gas achieved pressures needed for
fusion with the resulting energy release destroying the ship
responsible for them. Newer drive systems like that used by the
Sabha allowed the gasses to bleed off before reaching this critical
mass, but there were usually still enough trapped gasses for a
light show upon arrival.
Even with the safety systems functioning
normally the build up over such a long journey was tremendous.
Concentrations of ions and free electrons rippled energetically as
they sought to find equilibrium in the rapidly expanding cloud.
Portions of the cloud were turned rainbow hued as they were shot
through with auroras and minute ball lightning. All of this was
spectacularly brief, and soon the cloud dissipated to where it
could no longer be detected by the unaided eye.
Grinning at the pleasing results of his skill
Kassad announced for everyone to hear, "Five light minutes outside
of Law's End. Not a bad bit of navigation, wouldn't you agree
Canis?" Canis responded with an approvingly loud bark as he set off
to perform his post transit inspections.
Gesturing significantly towards Canis, Kassad
looked to Misses Greene, "Would you care to make it
unanimous?"
Time spent in transit had never stopped being
grating for Greene who replied sarcastically, "Hooray, you got us
from point A to point B and we didn't die. Now we just have to
survive the part that's actually dangerous."
As he performed the standard post transit
flight checks Kassad complained, "No respect for craft."
******
On the triangular arranged bridge of the
Armhamon Lawship its sensor operator announced mechanically and
without looking up from their display, "Deck Officer, contact
emerging from warp at seven nine by one four three true and thirty
light seconds."
In the blue and white jumpsuit uniform that did
little to conceal or flatter his form the Officer of the Deck,
informally referred to as the Deck Officer, looked up from the
daily reports of the big ship's departments and reflexively
ordered, "Identify."
Internally and well hidden from his
subordinates the Deck Officer was shocked by the arrival. They'd
been on station for over a month enforcing an interdiction of the
nearby stellar system with very little legal justification and no
activity to speak of. It was only the grind of daily routine that
kept him from making an issue of their lingering on the fringes of
Laniakea for no discernible reason.
With a predatory grin the sensor operator
announced, "Contact is Nadir class patrol frigate registered as
private speculative trader under the name Sabha. Current owner,
Kassad Mir, has twenty-four separate Lawship watch notices," watch
notices were the Lawship networks way of keeping each other
apprised of encounters with suspected criminals, "one arrest, and
no convictions."
Incredulously the Deck Officer blurted, "A
pirate?" It was a shocking reversal for the Deck Officer who had
began to suspect the entire ordeal would end in embarrassing
uneventfulness. "Send the identification and track information to
tactical and comm stations. Communications warn them off from any
system approach." Unbuckling himself from the Armhamon's command
chair he announced, "Tactical station, you have the deck. I'll
inform the captain personally."
******
Just as Kassad was about to explain the nuanced
virtues of his navigational skill the communications display in the
Sabha's control console lit up, "Sabha, this is the Lawship
Armhamon. You are approaching the Law's End barrier. Correct your
course or you will be intercepted."
Lawships were the backbone of intergalactic
civilization. Any world or species could sponsor one so long as it
and its crew maintained the proper standards and certifications.
The ships were generally recognized to have broad discretion to
enforce a few universal laws outside of the jurisdictions of the
worlds sponsoring them. They also more routinely enforced local
laws inside those jurisdictions for the world's sponsoring
them.
Giving Greene an accusing glare Kassad
commented sarcastically, "Strange place to find a Lawship. I don't
suppose they're looking for someone specifically attempting a
rescue mission?"
Lawships could theoretically operate anywhere
outside of recognized world legal jurisdictions to discourage large
scale piracy or extensive smuggling. In practical terms they still
answered to their sponsoring authority as well as the certifying
authority. As a result they tended to stick close to home when they
left port at all. It was rare to find a Lawship in deep space in
pursuit of a target vessel let alone on the fringes of Laniakea
itself.
A bit too innocently for Kassad's ears Greene
wondered aloud, "Maybe they're conducting their own rescue
operation?"
Kassad rolled his eyes and then bitterly
grumbled, "Then someone should tell them to get to it already as
the word coincidence strains credulity for two ships meeting in the
vast expanse of space."
All it took was a quick glance at the sensors
to show the Armhamon to be too far away to successfully make an
interception without the Sabha allowing it. Any shooting done at
this range would have been more of the 'saturate the area' variety
rather than 'pinpoint disabling fire' sort. A Lawship was required
to justify any use of force, and would be hard pressed to explain
why it used overwhelming force on a presumably unarmed civilian
ship officially engaged in a rescue operation.
If Greene knew or suspected anything she did a
masterful job of concealing it. "You think they're here for us, but
why?"
Shaking his head at the perceived continuing
evasion Kassad keyed the communications system. "Armhamon, this is
Captain Kassad Mir of the independent vessel Sabha. We are engaged
in a rescue mission beyond the Law's End barrier."
Discretely Kassad performed a passive scan of
the Armhamon. You never knew what might get pressed into service as
a Lawship. Some were repurposed military craft while others were
glorified freighters with improved sensors and a few weapons
mounted where the frame wouldn't buckle under their firing.
******
The Armhamon was named for the wealthy
politician who had sponsored her. Running on a law and order
platform as an expedient way of distinguishing themselves from the
other candidates the commissioning of the ship had captured the
public imagination. That political victory and the brief career it
had fueled were only the origin story for a ship that had gone on
to win considerable local fame on her own.
In no small part the fame of the Armhamon had
been driven by the ruthless ambition of its captain, Tereth
Andrews. Captain Andrews was a hard woman who had dedicated herself
to law and order mainly out of an addiction to imposing her will
upon others with 'the law' being a convenient justification. It was
an attitude that had won her few friends and more than a few
admirers from those in position to direct her tendencies.
"Status?" Andrews demanded, her blue and white
jumpsuit uniform accentuating the hard lines of her lean frame as
she strode onto the now accelerating Armhamon's bridge.
The crewman at the communications station
replied, "We warned them off. They responded by invoking rescue
mission priority status." The last words drew another predatory
grin from the sensor operator.
Andrews dismissed the notion with a sneer as
she took her place in the Armhamon's command chair. No one needed
to be told that the captain had assumed command of the situation.
No one was surprised when the captain diverted control of sensors
and communications stations to her own console.
******
There was such a long pause that Kassad was
ready to believe that they would be allowed to proceed unmolested
when the Armhamon's reply came. "Rescue mission is it? Sabha we do
not recognize your mission as legitimate. Shut down your engines
and prepare to be boarded."
Of immediate concern for Kassad was the reality
that there were some Lawships sponsored by less reputable polities.
Some Lawships became self sponsoring and pushed the boundaries of
their legal powers. Every once in a while a Lawship went completely
rogue and had to be hunted down by other Lawships.
Demanding a halt to a rescue operation was
going too far and Kassad wasn't shy about saying so. "You can
refuse to recognize the legitimacy of our mission all you want,
however you have no authority to interfere in a stated rescue
operation." Rescue missions, particularly in the vastness of space
where seconds counted, were granted broad legal protections. "I
have a fifteen person scientific expedition trapped in Lawless
space. If we come back without any bodies then you can charge us
with falsely evoking emergency status." Falsely declaring an
emergency was a serious charge and having his ship confiscated was
the least hardship that could be inflicted on him.
Undaunted by Kassad's protest the Armhamon
sternly replied, "Sabha, if you enter Lawless space we will be
waiting to take your ship when you emerge, emergency or not."
around her without ever fully standing up in the low gravity. "You
thought you were doing the right thing, and you were. You don't
control the universe." Then he added jokingly, "Not yet
anyway."
Recomposing herself with great speed Greene
wiped away the tears on her face to stare down at her hands again.
"I need to know I've done everything possible to set this
right."
Squeezing her shoulder in what he hoped was a
friendly and reassuring manner Kassad said, "Don't worry, we will,
but we have to be practical. We can't sit around wearing ourselves
out with worry. We need to be fresh and rested when we
arrive."
Greene's hand took hold of Kassad's own and
returned the reassuring squeeze. "I understand."
"And you need to be prepared for the
worst."
Twisting herself free of Kassad's arm Greene
protested, "I am prepared. People keep treating me like I'm a
child; like I don't understand what's going on. I know, I know
better than anyone else on this side of Law's End what they're up
against. I know the math and the math says they should still be
alive."
In Kassad's view it was a needlessly naïve
perspective that she needed to set aside. "If Law's End teaches us
anything it's that math is not always a perfect tool for modeling
the universe. I know that any one of a million things could have
gone wrong; things completely unrelated to Law's End. You know the
risks up here, you've educated yourself, and maybe you've done some
travelling, but until you've experienced the hazards first hand you
don't really understand how dangerous this is. I've run salvage on
ships that had the best equipment and the best trained crews and
they weren't dealing with Law's End. That's the risk any of us take
when we choose to live and work out here."
Greene stood defiantly glaring down at Kassad.
"They're going to be okay. I know it."
Already preparing for the worst Kassad didn't
want to have to deal with a hysterical widow on top of having to
secure the bodies of the research team for transport. "Are you sure
you're prepared? Because I've seen what grief can do to a person;
make them irrational, self destructive. You're living with hope
right now, but if they didn't make it you have to be ready for
that."
"Well you've really set my mind at ease."
Greene said wanting to slap Kassad but instead deciding to leave
the room.
Kassad continued to explain reasonably even
after Greene retreated to her stateroom. "There's a difference
between being ready and being delusional. Both are minds sets, but
one is far more likely to get you killed then the other. I don't
doubt that this is going to be hard on you no matter what we find,
but it will only be harder if you keep insisting that reality is
going to conform to your desires."
Chapter 5: "Interception"
"When logic and reason are not in support of
what you want then an appeal to base irrational emotion is the only
route left available. If you can convince people that your goals
feel right then you have a chance to win support, however this
makes your goals no more logical or reasonable. When logic and
reason are not in support of what you want then you are insane and
should be stopped."
Excerpt taken from "The Collected Wisdom of
Herself, Volume III"
the Sabha arrived. Traveling at warp speeds inevitably resulted in
picking up the trace amounts of hydrogen and other gas and debris
along the route. These gasses accumulated along the leading edge of
the warp field until that field was dropped. With older drives the
buildup would continue until the gas achieved pressures needed for
fusion with the resulting energy release destroying the ship
responsible for them. Newer drive systems like that used by the
Sabha allowed the gasses to bleed off before reaching this critical
mass, but there were usually still enough trapped gasses for a
light show upon arrival.
Even with the safety systems functioning
normally the build up over such a long journey was tremendous.
Concentrations of ions and free electrons rippled energetically as
they sought to find equilibrium in the rapidly expanding cloud.
Portions of the cloud were turned rainbow hued as they were shot
through with auroras and minute ball lightning. All of this was
spectacularly brief, and soon the cloud dissipated to where it
could no longer be detected by the unaided eye.
Grinning at the pleasing results of his skill
Kassad announced for everyone to hear, "Five light minutes outside
of Law's End. Not a bad bit of navigation, wouldn't you agree
Canis?" Canis responded with an approvingly loud bark as he set off
to perform his post transit inspections.
Gesturing significantly towards Canis, Kassad
looked to Misses Greene, "Would you care to make it
unanimous?"
Time spent in transit had never stopped being
grating for Greene who replied sarcastically, "Hooray, you got us
from point A to point B and we didn't die. Now we just have to
survive the part that's actually dangerous."
As he performed the standard post transit
flight checks Kassad complained, "No respect for craft."
******
On the triangular arranged bridge of the
Armhamon Lawship its sensor operator announced mechanically and
without looking up from their display, "Deck Officer, contact
emerging from warp at seven nine by one four three true and thirty
light seconds."
In the blue and white jumpsuit uniform that did
little to conceal or flatter his form the Officer of the Deck,
informally referred to as the Deck Officer, looked up from the
daily reports of the big ship's departments and reflexively
ordered, "Identify."
Internally and well hidden from his
subordinates the Deck Officer was shocked by the arrival. They'd
been on station for over a month enforcing an interdiction of the
nearby stellar system with very little legal justification and no
activity to speak of. It was only the grind of daily routine that
kept him from making an issue of their lingering on the fringes of
Laniakea for no discernible reason.
With a predatory grin the sensor operator
announced, "Contact is Nadir class patrol frigate registered as
private speculative trader under the name Sabha. Current owner,
Kassad Mir, has twenty-four separate Lawship watch notices," watch
notices were the Lawship networks way of keeping each other
apprised of encounters with suspected criminals, "one arrest, and
no convictions."
Incredulously the Deck Officer blurted, "A
pirate?" It was a shocking reversal for the Deck Officer who had
began to suspect the entire ordeal would end in embarrassing
uneventfulness. "Send the identification and track information to
tactical and comm stations. Communications warn them off from any
system approach." Unbuckling himself from the Armhamon's command
chair he announced, "Tactical station, you have the deck. I'll
inform the captain personally."
******
Just as Kassad was about to explain the nuanced
virtues of his navigational skill the communications display in the
Sabha's control console lit up, "Sabha, this is the Lawship
Armhamon. You are approaching the Law's End barrier. Correct your
course or you will be intercepted."
Lawships were the backbone of intergalactic
civilization. Any world or species could sponsor one so long as it
and its crew maintained the proper standards and certifications.
The ships were generally recognized to have broad discretion to
enforce a few universal laws outside of the jurisdictions of the
worlds sponsoring them. They also more routinely enforced local
laws inside those jurisdictions for the world's sponsoring
them.
Giving Greene an accusing glare Kassad
commented sarcastically, "Strange place to find a Lawship. I don't
suppose they're looking for someone specifically attempting a
rescue mission?"
Lawships could theoretically operate anywhere
outside of recognized world legal jurisdictions to discourage large
scale piracy or extensive smuggling. In practical terms they still
answered to their sponsoring authority as well as the certifying
authority. As a result they tended to stick close to home when they
left port at all. It was rare to find a Lawship in deep space in
pursuit of a target vessel let alone on the fringes of Laniakea
itself.
A bit too innocently for Kassad's ears Greene
wondered aloud, "Maybe they're conducting their own rescue
operation?"
Kassad rolled his eyes and then bitterly
grumbled, "Then someone should tell them to get to it already as
the word coincidence strains credulity for two ships meeting in the
vast expanse of space."
All it took was a quick glance at the sensors
to show the Armhamon to be too far away to successfully make an
interception without the Sabha allowing it. Any shooting done at
this range would have been more of the 'saturate the area' variety
rather than 'pinpoint disabling fire' sort. A Lawship was required
to justify any use of force, and would be hard pressed to explain
why it used overwhelming force on a presumably unarmed civilian
ship officially engaged in a rescue operation.
If Greene knew or suspected anything she did a
masterful job of concealing it. "You think they're here for us, but
why?"
Shaking his head at the perceived continuing
evasion Kassad keyed the communications system. "Armhamon, this is
Captain Kassad Mir of the independent vessel Sabha. We are engaged
in a rescue mission beyond the Law's End barrier."
Discretely Kassad performed a passive scan of
the Armhamon. You never knew what might get pressed into service as
a Lawship. Some were repurposed military craft while others were
glorified freighters with improved sensors and a few weapons
mounted where the frame wouldn't buckle under their firing.
******
The Armhamon was named for the wealthy
politician who had sponsored her. Running on a law and order
platform as an expedient way of distinguishing themselves from the
other candidates the commissioning of the ship had captured the
public imagination. That political victory and the brief career it
had fueled were only the origin story for a ship that had gone on
to win considerable local fame on her own.
In no small part the fame of the Armhamon had
been driven by the ruthless ambition of its captain, Tereth
Andrews. Captain Andrews was a hard woman who had dedicated herself
to law and order mainly out of an addiction to imposing her will
upon others with 'the law' being a convenient justification. It was
an attitude that had won her few friends and more than a few
admirers from those in position to direct her tendencies.
"Status?" Andrews demanded, her blue and white
jumpsuit uniform accentuating the hard lines of her lean frame as
she strode onto the now accelerating Armhamon's bridge.
The crewman at the communications station
replied, "We warned them off. They responded by invoking rescue
mission priority status." The last words drew another predatory
grin from the sensor operator.
Andrews dismissed the notion with a sneer as
she took her place in the Armhamon's command chair. No one needed
to be told that the captain had assumed command of the situation.
No one was surprised when the captain diverted control of sensors
and communications stations to her own console.
******
There was such a long pause that Kassad was
ready to believe that they would be allowed to proceed unmolested
when the Armhamon's reply came. "Rescue mission is it? Sabha we do
not recognize your mission as legitimate. Shut down your engines
and prepare to be boarded."
Of immediate concern for Kassad was the reality
that there were some Lawships sponsored by less reputable polities.
Some Lawships became self sponsoring and pushed the boundaries of
their legal powers. Every once in a while a Lawship went completely
rogue and had to be hunted down by other Lawships.
Demanding a halt to a rescue operation was
going too far and Kassad wasn't shy about saying so. "You can
refuse to recognize the legitimacy of our mission all you want,
however you have no authority to interfere in a stated rescue
operation." Rescue missions, particularly in the vastness of space
where seconds counted, were granted broad legal protections. "I
have a fifteen person scientific expedition trapped in Lawless
space. If we come back without any bodies then you can charge us
with falsely evoking emergency status." Falsely declaring an
emergency was a serious charge and having his ship confiscated was
the least hardship that could be inflicted on him.
Undaunted by Kassad's protest the Armhamon
sternly replied, "Sabha, if you enter Lawless space we will be
waiting to take your ship when you emerge, emergency or not."
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