Voyage of the Sanguine Shadow 1: Shadow Galactic (6 page)

Takeo stood up.  “What if we say no?”

Zerki met his eyes and gestured toward the keys. 
“Fly back.  The shuttle will find its way home.”  She approached the doorway. 
“Whatever you decide, please let Valerie know, and she’ll help you out with
quarters, or she can give you the shuttle’s bridge access code.  She’ll be in the
rec room for the next couple hours, near the elevator you took to this deck.” 
With a nod, she turned away and vanished down the hall.

After a moment, Takeo’s shoulders sank, and he
plopped heavily onto the chair he had been sitting in earlier.  “My dad’s going
to be pissed.”

Gavin nodded and leaned forward over his knees. 
“It sounds like I’m missing school on Monday.”

“Would it be so bad to fly with her for a while?”
Taryn softly asked.

Takeo shook his head slowly.  “It wouldn’t be just
for a while.  Unless another Wellcaster makes it on their radar, it’ll be for
the rest of our lives.”  Taryn began to protest, but Takeo continued, “Think
about it.  If none of the club goers shot video of that truck floating in the
air, street cams surely did.  By now, the feds have got to be aware of Gavin
and what he can do.  They’re going to start doing background searches, and
they’ll find out we’re all friends.”

“They’ll use us against him if we ever go back,”
she sighed.  “We’ll have to pay cash for everything from now on.”

Gavin leaned further over his knees, trying to
fight back a wave of intense nausea.  “I’m sorry.”  He rocked slightly, back
and forth.  “Oh, God, I have to warn my mom and dad, and my sister!”

Takeo rested his hand upon Gavin’s back.  “The
feds will try to find you, first.  We have some time.”

“Maybe the captain will know of a way to help,”
Taryn whispered, and she stared absently at her feet.

Gavin vomited, and his head spun.

“Come on,” Taryn urged, and she slipped her arm
around his back, seated it under his arm and helped him to stand.  A
holographic caution cone appeared over the mess, and a tiny yellow light began
flashing near the briefing room’s doorway.  Takeo fell in behind as they
stepped out into the hall.

“Let’s go find Valerie,” he said, and they made
their way to the cargo passage.

“Our
friends interpret the world and ourselves to us, if we take them tenderly and
truly.” –Amos Bronson Alcott

Valerie watched Gavin,
Taryn and Takeo exit the rec room, and she slowly shook her head, wearing an
amused smile.  A moment later, Zerki stepped into view through the same
doorway, and she took a seat next to her first mate.  “I don’t know how you do
it, Captain,” said Valerie.

“Do what?”

Valerie crossed her arms and leaned back.  “You
know what.”

Zerki chuckled quietly and looked ahead.  “Let’s
schedule a call to Gavin’s folks.  At least he’ll get a chance to warn them,
although I’m not sure what good it’ll do.”  After a moment, she nodded and
asked, “You gave them quarters?”

“I did, but now we’re officially out of space.  I
gave Gavin Kendra’s old place, but I had to put Taryn and Takeo in the same
cabin.”  She presented her tablet to Zerki and tapped on the
Sanguine Shadow
’s
deck plan.

“I’ll have someone transfer one of the double bunks
from the shuttle,” Zerki replied.

Valerie nodded, but she frowned somewhat.  “Did
you even test him to see if he has the Awareness?”

“I’m about to, but I’m certain he has it.  No way
he doesn’t.”

“Captain, if we keep picking up strays, we’ll be
over capacity, and food is already very tight.”

Zerki puffed her cheeks as she released a drawn
breath.  “One more job.  Maybe two, depending on how the next one goes, and
I’ll be able to get something bigger, something with a warp drive.”  She
clapped Valerie’s knee and pushed up to stand.  “Talk to Collins and see what
kind of work he can come up with for Taryn and Takeo.  I’ll be calling an
all-hands meeting at 1600 SST to discuss our upcoming exchange with the Ellogon
Mercantile.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Valerie affirmed.

After Zerki had departed, she leaned over her
ship’s comm and hailed the bridge.  Jackson Collins, the officer of the watch,
came into view, and he smiled at seeing her.  He was a chiseled fellow, with
handsomely styled brown hair, accented by white sideburns.  “Hey, Collins,” she
greeted him, and she waved with her fingertips.

“Greetings, Ms. Sawyer.  To what do I owe this
pleasure?”

Valerie sent over the forms Taryn, Gavin and Takeo
had filled out.  “Got another Navigator.”

“So I heard.  Congratulations on the good read.” 
He paused to review the files he had just received.  “It’s a guy?”  He looked
surprised.  “Navigators are women.  In fact, this may be the first male
Navigator I’ve ever worked with.  Is he reliable?”

“Captain thinks so.”  Valerie raised her brows. 
“She put the other two on E-1 status.  Can you give them something to do?”

Jackson took a moment to review his assignment
list, and he puffed his cheeks.  “I’m going to have to start sharing to-do
lists pretty soon.  Um…”  He shrugged.  “We can always use more security
officers.  I’ll put them on D’Arro’s team.”

Valerie cautioned, “Taryn’s ospyrean.”

Jackson nodded.  “Yeah, I see that.  It’ll be good
for him.  He’s been mourning Threena for how many years, now?”

“They mate for life, Collins.  He’s never getting
over her.”

Jackson shrugged.  “Couldn’t hurt to give the poor
guy a chance.”

Valerie shook her head, and she laughed
humorlessly.  “You don’t understand ospyreans at all!  I’ll be sure to expedite
the request for team transfer when it comes in.”

“Wow, no faith in this old man,” he snorted. 
“Have some faith in me, huh?”

“Bye, Collins,” she responded and switched off the
comm.

·· • ··

After reaching the end of the barracks’ hall,
Taryn and Takeo invited Gavin to enter the cabin assigned to them.  Located at
the aft-most starboard side of the top deck, it bore the designation “E-052,”
those characters emblazoned in black on a medium gray steel door.  Takeo
pressed his hand upon the palm scanner, and a cheerful sound chimed at the same
time as a green mote blinked.  The door slid aside, and one by one, the three
crossed into the cabin’s confines.  Recessed lights flickered on overhead, and
Taryn tapped the door closed.

“Not bad,” she noted.  “Not bad, at all!”

The walls and carpet were light gray, with brick
red and pale blue trim.  Just inside the door, against the right wall, stood a
video kiosk seated atop a wide storage compartment.  Across the room, a long
glass table rose up amidst four glassy chairs, placed before a wide porthole
that looked out upon the stars.  Left of the entrance, a stout, rounded cabinet
occupied a curved nook, and opposite it a comfy-looking bed awaited use,
stationed at a slight diagonal to the wall and its end table.  Halfway between
the bed and the cabinet, an arched doorway led to a narrower room with a closet
and a plush deck chair.  The door to the bathroom was seated within the far
wall of the smaller chamber, and a second bay porthole let in the light of the
star-filled expanse.

“I’ll take the floor tonight,” Takeo offered. 
“Maybe we can trade off?”

Taryn smiled gratefully.  “Aw, thanks, Takeo. 
Yeah, we can trade off.”

Gavin crossed his arms and nodded.  “I should
probably let you guys unpack.”

“Har har,” said Taryn, and she jutted out her
tongue just a bit.  “Oh, look!  We’re done!”  She exaggerated a beaming grin. 
“Fastest move, yet.”

They shared a laugh and sat around the room,
falling into lighthearted conversation.  Each of them bore much heavier
considerations, but no one wanted to ruin the mood.  Their jovial discourse
continued until Zerki issued a ship-wide announcement, calling all hands to the
briefing room.

It filled up fast, and much of the starship’s
complement stood in the hall near the doorway.  Zerki activated the large
screen and holographic table.  Bright colors skittered across both displays,
and starship diagrams instantly formed.  The crew quickly fell silent, and
Zerki approached the table.  By hand gestures, she manipulated the
three-dimensional image of a lengthy warship, panning it slowly for all those
gathered to see.  “This is the
Imperium
, a Turii-class cruiser of
ellogon make,” she began.  “It’s standard issue for all merchant princes in the
Ellogon Empire.”  She took time to tap and enlarge each of the warship’s
weapons systems.

“In about fourteen hours, we’ll be rendezvousing
with Merchant Prince Lodoxol in the Ixion system, somewhere near the outskirts
of the inner debris ring.  He’s certain to make a grab for our starship, so we
should all be aware of what we’re up against.”

Seated at the far end of the holographic table,
D’Arro shifted forward and asked, “What’s our goal?”

“Behemothylax,” she responded.  “Lodoxol knows
where it is.”

Some gasps followed, and confused mutterings
ensued.  Zerki raised her hand, and the crowd fell silent.  Taryn leaned toward
Takeo and whispered, “What’s that?”

He shook his head in response and pointed toward
Zerki.

The captain called up an encyclopedia file, and a
colossal, millipede-like machine replaced the ellogon cruiser.  “For anyone who
doesn’t know,” she explained, “Behemothylax is something of a myth, a white
whale for a lot of us salvage crews.  It was the Union’s only attempt at
infusing a planet shaper droid with any meaningful AI.  Their plan was to set
this thing loose in a system scheduled for terraforming and let it learn, let
it be… creative.”

She called up several images of grisly
devastation.  “Unfortunately, it started to get creative with an inhabited
colony world, and thousands of lives were lost.  They tried to shut it down,
but it was too smart, too adaptable, and as soon as it got back out into space,
it was gone.”

The image winked out.

“It’s a black file, and no one’s been able to find
it.  Except that Lodoxol claims he did.  It could be our Holy Grail, the answer
to all our shiny hopes and dreams.  I figure it’s worth a shot if we can take
steps to insure our success.”  She grinned.  “Picture it: we could fill all six
of the
Shadow
’s bins on just the first segment of that monster, not to
mention all the ore it must still have contained within its depths.  Ore
harvested from a dozen unspoiled worlds.”

She let the excited whispers build for a moment
before raising her hand again, quieting her crew.  “Lodoxol won’t touch it,
since it’s not of ellogon origin.  Behemothylax is beneath him, hardly worthy
of his notice, but he’s no fool, and he’s aware that there’s plenty of Union
interest in recovering it.  Being the sort of opportunist that he is, he’ll
repeatedly sell the information to as many smaller crews as it takes for the
word to get out that he’s a cheat and a pirate.”  Zerki tilted her head
slightly, and she gazed as she considered.  “I don’t know how many others he
made contact with before us, but we’re probably one of the first.”

“We’re unarmed!” Krane protested.  “Holy Grail or
not, how are we supposed to go up against a cruiser?”

Zerki smiled roguishly.  “Security team, please
remain behind to discuss exactly that.  Everyone else is dismissed.”  She
glanced to Gavin as he lingered, and she brightened.  “You too, Gavin.  Go
check out your quarters.  I think you’ll find them to be quite satisfactory.”

He nodded and bid his friends farewell.  They
settled in for the briefing, and he shuffled out into the hall.  A lean young
man ahead of him called out quietly, “Hold on a sec,” and a handful of others
stopped as the rest of the crowd dispersed.  He was tall, had dark brown skin,
black hair with blonde highlights, and he dressed casually.  He had narrow
shoulders and a square, closely trimmed beard.  Facing Gavin directly, he
offered a sloped smile and a critical once-over.

“You’re the new Navigator?”

Gavin nodded and jammed his hands in his pockets,
rocked slightly on his heels.  “I am.”

“You know what you’re doing?” he asked, and he
crossed his arms.  “Hell, you look fresh out of high school.”

“It’s a condition,” Gavin replied, and he nodded
with forced confidence.  As the young man was about to press, Gavin inhaled,
exhaled steadily and interjected, “Called being eighteen.”

Some of the lean man’s companions chuckled, and
after a moment, he too allowed a smile.  “Name’s Cajun.”  He offered his grip,
and Gavin took it.  “I’m the ship’s medic, and the five of us here, we’re the
salvager team.”

“I’m Gavin.”  He laughed nervously.  “You already
know what I do.”

Bruce Cajun pulled free his hand and nodded
thoughtfully.  “Well, I never heard of a Navigator so young, but if the
captain’s got your back, so do I.  Welcome aboard.”  The others introduced
themselves and exchanged handshakes with Gavin before heading to the rec room.

Alone again, Gavin soon found his way to the halls
of the officers’ quarters.  In time, he came to a doorjamb with his first
initial and last name on it and a flashing strip of LED paper that cautioned,
“WET PAINT. DO NOT TOUCH.”  He set his hand upon the palm scanner, and the door
before him slid aside.

He found many of the same things in his quarters
as had been in Taryn and Takeo’s cabin, but his quarters were more spacious,
had the addition of a desk and data terminal, and the trim was black and pale
blue.  He had two bay portholes, separated by a sloped structural support, and
someone had set an empty vase upon his corner cabinet.  Folded neatly and
placed upon his bed, he discovered a black utility vest and black cargo pants
with a red stripe along both of the outside legs.  He recalled Zerki’s attire. 
I guess this is a uniform?
he thought, and he shed his orange jacket. 
Lifting the vest, he put it on over his heavy shirt and took up the pants. 
These
are way too small
, and he set them back down.

Gavin crossed the main room to the secondary
chamber with the plush deck chair and bathroom door.  For a moment, he gazed
out upon the stars, and he smiled.  He decided to try out the shower.

Soon after he had dressed himself, his door
chimed, and he called out, “Come in!”

A moment later, Valerie stepped through.  “Hey,
Gavin.  Captain wants me to get a call going with your mom and dad.  Is now a
good time?”

Gavin nodded.  “Probably.”

She crossed to his data station and sat down
before it.  After calling up the starship’s outgoing communications program,
Gavin recited his parents’ number, and she entered it into the call field.  It
rang several times before going to voicemail.  Clearing his throat, Gavin said,
“Hey Mom, hey Dad.  Hi, Amanda, if you’re listening to this.”  Sniffing, he
calmed himself before continuing.  “So, uh, something came up, and I have to
take some time off school for a while.  It’s pretty serious, and I’m not sure
when I’ll be able to talk to you again, so… I love you.  I love you all, and
I’m sorry for all this.  You should probably find a way to lay low for a while
if you can, like that time when Takeo was in trouble.”  He laughed dryly. 
“This isn’t because of him, by the way, but it’s that same kind of trouble. 
Anyway, I hope this message gets to you OK, and again—”

The message center emitted a loud beep.

“I love you.”  The connection went dead.  He
turned to Valerie.  “Do you think they got that last part?”

She shrugged.  “They got the rest of it, for
sure.”

He sighed heavily as she got to her feet. 
“Thanks.”

“No problem.”  She nodded and turned to the door. 
“Dinner’s in a few hours.  Don’t be late, or you’ll get stuck with steamed
spinach and brown rice.”

Gavin chuckled quietly.  “Thanks for the
heads-up.”

“See you.”  The door slid closed behind her.

Hours later, the starship’s cook sounded the
dinner bell, calling the crew to the mess hall.  Gavin rejoined Taryn and
Takeo, and they each received a plate of mixed vegetables and beef mash
drenched in gravy, a set of metal dining utensils, and a cup of water.  Turning
nearly as one to face the noisy room, they looked on with some dismay at how
quickly all the tables had filled.  Zerki, Valerie, Krane, Collins and D’Arro
had gathered around one table, leaving a few spaces unoccupied.  Taryn nodded
toward them just as Cajun stood slightly and waved for Gavin’s attention.