Skylar and Cavah had taken off two hours ago. The Captain had installed the newcomer in one of the quarters still available, although most of them were now. She hadn't had the heart to give up one of those that had belonged to her former companions. Cavah's quarters were at the opposite end of the spectrum from her own; that was the only information he'd remembered, apart from the fact that they were the furthest from the Command post. Skylar's ship was a marvel compared to his own. He had never seen anything so splendid and spacious, although the emptiness was almost disappointing.
Once Cavah had finished settling in, he headed for the galley to put away his own provisions before making his way to the Command post. When he entered, he found Skylar at the Pilot's post and decided to move to the Navigation post, close to her. It felt strange to be aboard a ship that wasn't his own, sharing space with someone else. Skylar felt the same way. After spending so much time alone on this vast ship, she was having trouble getting used to the presence of a real passenger, and not a ghost. Perhaps this was her next step : transporting passengers wherever they wished to go. But that option was out of the question, as she was now employed by the Academy. This ship and these credits belonged to the Academy, which meant she would have to return to her missions of exploration.
Skylar stretched before staring at the void before her, through the wide window offering a magnificent view of space. They were on their way to the famous moon of Zars, Zetania, where Cavah was no longer allowed to go. She glanced at Cavah at the Navigation post to her right. He was adjusting the final flight parameters. Thanks to Spirit's calculations, the best route had been established. Cavah was now feeding this information into the navigation system. She switched to autopilot, knowing that if an alert occurred, Spirit would alert them.
"How long before we reach Zetania?"
"A few days, according to the computer's calculation."
"Very well, then."
A silence followed.
"Did you activate the autopilot?" asked Cavah.
"Yes, the trip has already been programmed. You can go about your business in the meantime. I'm going to the engine room," she said, standing up.
"I'm going to stay here for a while if you don't mind."
"No, not at all."
Skylar left the control room. Back in her quarters, she changed clothes. After spending too much time in heels, she opted for a simple pair of leggings and a plaid shirt, accompanied by thick socks. She planned to spend some time in the engine room to make sure the ship's core was working properly.
While Skylar worked in the engine room, Cavah checked most of the control room stations. The navigation was in order and perfectly plotted, the piloting was in automatic mode, and the communications station was reporting no pending communications. As for engineering, Skylar took care of that herself in the engine room. Everything seemed to be working perfectly.
He got up and sat down in the Captain's chair, even though he knew he didn't have permission to do so. Cavah observed the various posts in front of him. He had a clear view of the other four posts, as well as of the large window offering a panoramic view of space. Thoughts raced through his mind. This ship required at least two pilots, a navigator, a communications officer, and a few engineers, in addition to the Captain and probably a doctor. And yet, she had been alone for exactly how long? after a long moment of silence, Cavah finally decided to speak.
"Computer."
"Spirit."
"What?" said Cavah.
"My name is Spirit."
"You're just a computer."
"My name is Spirit," repeated Spirit with a hint of annoyance.
"Who gave you that name?"
"Captain Hogan."
"Of course, she did. Humans are capable of developing emotional bonds with anything. Spirit."
"Yes?"
"How long has the Captain been traveling alone?"
"Six months."
"And how long is that in Taunan?"
"53 casti."
There was a silence.
"Do you know anything about human psychology? can they stand solitude for long periods?"
"The Glossary says no, that a human thrives in a social environment where they feel safe. Interaction with other individuals, whether of their own species or not, seems to be essential."
New silence. So the onboard computer, or Spirit, was saying that a human needs contact with others, and in the case of the Captain of the Krœnos, it had been a while since she'd been in such an environment. Cavah didn't know much about human psychology, but he was now aware that he would have to keep a close eye on her.
"Spirit, the Captain's mental state."
"Don't answer, Spirit."
"Understood, Captain."
Cavah rose from the seat in a hurry and glanced back. Despite her height of 1.60 m, she emanated a surprisingly intimidating aura. The Sretra had just realized that he had made a serious mistake. First, sitting in the Captain's chair, then asking personal questions about her. But if they were going to work together, he needed to know if she was fit to lead this mission.
"Captain.
"Why are you interested in my mental state?" she asked, settling back in her seat.
"If we're going to..."
"It was a rhetorical question, I didn't expect an answer," she cut him off.
Not once had she raised her voice.
"What else did you ask him?"
"Nothing."
"There's no need to lie. I could ask him myself, but I'd rather hear it from you."
"All right, then. I wanted to know how long you've been traveling alone on this ship."
"Six months. I'm sure he's already told you how many Taunan days that is, right?"
"Yes, he has."
"Perfect. Now that we're on the same page, I think you can leave."
Cavah stared at her for a few moments, then rose to leave the room. But just before she left, she spoke again:
"I know you don't particularly like this situation, Cavah, but I need your help. To move forward, I need you to trust me."
He turned and walked towards her.
"As I said, a debt is a debt, Captain, and this is just another challenge. I trust you, but I want to make sure you're ready for what's coming next."
"I am," she affirmed.
"Perfect. Then I'll leave you to it."
Cavah left without waiting. He'd said he trusted her, but it was obvious she wasn't doing well. Losing her crew and her Captain could be devastating, but suddenly finding herself alone aboard a huge ship was probably the worst-case scenario for a human being. He had to keep a close eye on her, or they could both find themselves in danger.
"Spirit?" called Cavah as he returned to his quarters. "Captain's mental state."
"Unstable."
"Developing."
"Hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia."
"What are the causes?"
"Loss of crew. Survivor syndrome."
"Constant surveillance. In case of emergency, let me know."
A silence followed, as Spirit seemed to think things over.
"Request accepted," he finally said.
Sleep was a common practice, even for Sretras, although the lengths and methods varied. Cavah slept an average of 10 hours a night, and his quarters had been adjusted accordingly. Spirit's job was to wake him up when the time was up or in case of an emergency. However, if necessary, Cavah was able to stay awake for three consecutive days. This ability was a trait developed early in the evolution of his species.
When Spirit awakened him from his first night aboard the ship, Cavah got up, washed, and dressed. Sretra fashion diverged greatly from the human fashion, and especially from the Captain's own. Then he headed for the kitchen for a quiet meal. On his way up to the Command room, he was not surprised to find the Captain seated at the Pilot's station. She was wearing a black skirt, opaque tights, a patterned white shirt, and her customary black-heeled boots. What surprised him most, in fact, was the curious recording in progress on the screen of the Communications post.
"How was your first night?" asked Skylar, her eyes still glued to the screen as he took his place at the Navigation post.
"Perfect, surprisingly better than on my own ship."
"That's the advantage of Academy ships. That's exactly what I told Sarek, but I've never slept aboard a spaceship before."
Skylar hadn't looked away from the screen, concentrating on her work. Cavah was somewhat surprised to hear her speak so freely of her former Captain.
"And you? did you have a good night?" he asked, trying to strike up a conversation.
"I didn't sleep."
"Doesn't your species need sleep?"
"Oh yes, of course, but I simply couldn't fall asleep."
"Why is that?"
But she remained silent, her attention still fixed on the screen, as she nibbled a piece of cake. Cavah then thought about the recording that continued in the background. If she didn't want to answer his question, he might as well ask another.
"What's that recording?"
Skylar turned briefly to Cavah, then watched the series scrolling in the background on the communications screen.
"This? it's not a recording in the true sense of the word, it's what we call on my planet a 'series'."
"What's it for?"
"It's for entertainment, to pass the time, you know?"
"I don't think I understand exactly what it is."
"You don't have anything like this back home"?"
"No, I don't.
"How do you entertain yourself then?"
"We have Snags."
"Snags? what's that?"
But Cavah didn't have the chance to answer, as the ship came to a sudden halt, forcing them to catch themselves at their respective posts to avoid falling.
"Spirit?!" exclaimed Skylar, fidgeting at her post, as did Cavah. "What's going on?! why did you stop the ship?!"
"I'm sorry, Captain, but I had no other choice."
"What's going on?" Cavah repeated, scanning his screen.
"The home planet has updated the map of the Galaxy, and I've just downloaded it.
"And?! why are we stopped?!"
"We're in the territory of a group of pirates known as the Black Sea Pirates."
"Display the map," ordered Skylar.
Spirit obeyed instantly. A map of the area where the ship had stopped appeared on the navigation screen. Skylar and Cavah examined the details of the map, noting the extent of the pirates' territory.
"The Academy has issued a warning to all ships heading for the red zones, and we're in one of them."
"Shit," she murmured.
"What do we do, Captain?" asked Cavah, turning to her.
"We're in the heart of their territory. If we turn around and go around them, we'll lose too much time. The pirates are scouring space, but they need a base."
"What do you mean, a base?"
"Spirit, activate the out-of-border protocol."
"Aye, sir."
"Wait, Captain?"
"Out-of-border protocol. It's only used when there's danger in enemy territory. It makes our ship as invisible as possible to surrounding radars," explained Skylar.
When she gave the order, all the ship's lights suddenly went out, the ship's heart stopped beating, and all non-essential systems shut down. They were now motionless in the darkness, almost invisible to sensors. Only the Command post and life support systems were still functioning.
"Cavah, locate the nearest planets, please," she said, bending down to look over his shoulder.
Cavah obeyed, displaying the information on the screens. After all, Skylar was the Captain of this ship, and she was doing remarkably well. He displayed the data of nearby planets on the screen.
"I've found sixteen."
"How many of them could potentially harbor life?"
"Six."
"Isolate them."
Cavah carried out the order and highlighted the six potentially habitable planets on the map.
"Why are we interested in them?"
"In short, on my planet, in "ancient" times, there were pirates who roamed the seas in search of rich ships to plunder. They needed a hiding place to store their booty, often an island. Here, pirates call themselves the "Black Sea Pirates", in reference to space. They roam space to plunder ships, but like my pirates, they need a base to store their catch, or simply to serve as headquarters."
"Understood, I think."
"Good, now find me the shortest way out of here," she continued.
While Cavah looked for the shortest way out of the pirate territory, Skylar managed the other posts. Maybe she'd activated the out-of-border protocol in time, maybe not. Perhaps one or more pirate ships were already heading their way.
"Spirit," she questioned him, juggling between stations, "are you picking up anything on the radars?"
"Nothing, Captain."
"Are you sure?"
"At first glance, we haven't been spotted."
"Not yet..."
"Captain?" intervened Cavah.
Skylar moved closer to Cavah, and he displayed three possible routes the Kroenos could take to get out of this tricky situation.
"I've got three choices," he continues, "two of which will take us close to two possible habitable planets, and the third will take us close to just one, but it's the one that brings us closest to a possible habitable planet."
"Close enough to be spotted?"
"That's risky."
Skylar analyzed the three options, each with its advantages and disadvantages. But all also carried the risk of being spotted, especially the third. There was only one planet, but the ship would pass very close to radar if they had any at all.
"Captain, the third option is the least risky."
"Yes, but at the same time, it's the riskiest."
"We can't be sure that this planet is inhabited, or that it's in pirate hands at least.
"We can't."
Skylar was faced with a difficult decision, one she had to make quickly. Maybe it was worth a try, and if it all went wrong, they'd have to fight.
"Spirit, on my signal, starts the ship up again. Set the reactor to full throttle."
"Aye, sir."
"Cavah, how do you fly under pressure?"
"Exceptionally well."
"I hope you're right. Take the controls."
Cavah nodded and took control of the cockpit. If they were ever spotted, he'd have to keep a cool head to avoid any attack.
"We'll take the third option, Cavah. Prepare yourselves."
"Aye, sir."
Skylar was going to have to juggle between the various posts, faced with a major understaffing. This ship had been designed to accommodate a permanent crew, not just one or two people. But they would have to make do with the resources they had, especially as Spirit was there to obey the Captain's orders. Skylar positioned himself at the Engineering station, next to Cavah, with the aim of increasing the power of the ship's core as much as possible.
"Three... two... ONE. Maximum power!"
In a flash, the ship sped off. Cavah held his course, while Spirit and the Captain tried to harness the core's energy.
"Captain, I'm picking up a signal on the radar just behind us. We seem to have been spotted," announced Spirit.
"Shit!" swore the Captain. "Where's it coming from?"
"It probably spotted our initial movement and waited for us to restart before coming after us," explained Cavah.
"Crap! Cavah?"
"I can lose him, but I'll need more power."
"Heart level at 65 %!" informed Skylar, increasing the power. "70 %!"
"Captain, a second signal just appeared," said Spirit.
"Where is it?"
"It's coming straight at us."
"They're going to flank us "
"Keep going, Cavah. Spirit, increase the power of the heart without exploding it, if possible!"
"Aye, aye," replied Cavah and Spirit at the same time.
"Where are you going?!" asked Cavah, surprised, as Skylar left the Command post.
"Battle stations! on my mark, evasive maneuver, Cavah!"
Skylar ran out of the Command post, descending one floor to reach the Battle stations just below. From here, she had a 360-degree view and could shoot down the first enemy ship that came along. She activated the station and, at the same time, used the communicator to stay in touch with the Command post.
"What's the situation?" she asked via the communicator.
"The enemy ship behind us has slowed down, so we're ahead of it," informed Cavah. "But the ship in front of us is closing fast, Captain."
"Wait..."
"Captain?!"
A second, then two, passed, and the pirate ship was soon visible on the horizon.
"Captain?!!"
"Now, Cavah! evasive maneuver, now!"
Cavah had made no mistake: he was indeed an exceptional pilot under pressure. Narrowly avoiding the pirate ship, the Krœnos passed within a few meters of the collision. Skylar took the opportunity to target and fire torpedoes. The first salvo narrowly missed its target, but the second hit with full force, blowing up the enemy ship. Cavah's maneuvers had forced the Krœnos to slow down, canceling out their advantage over the second ship, which was close on their heels. Cavah turned the ship on itself, presenting the face of the Kroenos to the enemy ship. The latter seemed to slow down, then launched torpedoes in their direction.
"Torpedoes incoming!" Cavah's voice rang through the communicator.
While Cavah tried to avoid them, Skylar tried to shoot them down. Her aim had clearly improved since the first engagement. She continued firing, hitting her target again. This time, however, the enemy ship didn't collapse, but stopped its course and stopped firing torpedoes. Skylar also ceased firing. The Krœnos was stabilized, and the two enemy ships were now face to face.
"We're receiving a transmission."
Without waiting, Skylar ran back to the Command post and settled into the Captain's chair. She felt like she was in Star Trek, and it was incredibly exciting.
"On-screen."
Spirit hurried to accept the call, while Cavah remained focused on his post, ready to react in case of further attacks. The screen showed a man, or at least that's what Skylar identified as a male creature. The call quality gave him a brownish hue and his skin appeared to be made of rock, dotted with scars. This appearance was probably deceptive.
"This is Captain Skylar Hogan of the Academic Vessel The Krœnos. You are charged with attempted piracy and destruction of a vessel belonging to the Siirus Academy. How do you respond to these charges?"
"Captain Hogan, I'm Captain Spaal Uler of The Aborigine Vessel. I'm from of the Black Sea Pirates..."
"Thank you for reminding me, Captain Uler, I didn't realize to which group you belonged," cut in Skylar.
Beneath what appeared to be Spaal Uler's attempt at a smile, Skylar detected an intention that was obvious to her, regardless of his species.
"Please understand that we didn't know we were dealing with an Academy ship. Your ability to avoid attack and the maneuvers you've performed clearly show that you're a great Captain."
"Your flattery won't save you."
"I suspected as much. You destroyed one of our ships, Captain."
"And you tried to do the same, Captain."
"What do you intend to do with me and my crew now?"
"The way I see it, you have two options: either you let us go without prosecution, or I destroy you."
"One moment..." replied Uler.
There was silence. Cavah glanced at Skylar; her expression was deadly serious, ready to act if Uler didn't leave the Krœnos in peace. He turned his attention back to Spaal Uler, who seemed almost confused.
"Two options, Captain? you forgot the third option: to take us to the Homeworld to stand trial."
"No, I haven't forgotten it. I simply choose not to give you that third option. Right now, you're wasting my time, and I'm certainly not going to divert my trajectory to take you to Siirus. So, either you let us go, or I destroy you. Actually, these options are more advantageous to you."
"This is our territory, Captain," attempted Uler.
"To my knowledge, there is no treaty or convention that establishes this part of the galaxy as your territory. You are occupying this space illegally, and therefore I have the right to destroy you at once. So, Captain Uler, shall I destroy you, or will you let us go without pursuing us?"
Spaal Uler smirked. He was beginning to like this Captain more. She was authoritative, and he liked that. Although he knew he'd see her again one day, her species remained a mystery.
"You're free to go, Captain," declared Uler as his ship began to turn in the opposite direction.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Just as Skylar was about to cut off communication and Cavah was putting the ship back on course, Uler spoke again.
"One last question: what are you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your species. I've been around this galaxy for a long time, but I've never met anyone like you, at least not remotely like you."
"I'm a human being. Remember this day, Captain, as the day I didn't destroy you. You owe me a favor."
"I won't forget..."
Communication was cut off. The Aborigine turned and sailed away in the opposite direction to The Krœnos. The two ships had resumed their normal course, soon heading out of pirate territory. Cavah activated the autopilot and turned to Skylar. She was slumped in her seat, a smile on her face.
"That was the shortest space battle I've ever seen, but by all the gods, it was the best! exclaimed Cavah.
"Well, as you say"! thanks to your piloting skills."
"And your shooting skills."
A sincere laugh broke out. In reality, it was all thanks to Cavah; on her own, she would certainly have been wiped out. It had been a long time since Skylar had felt such euphoria.
"How did you come up with the idea for the treaty?"
"Oh, you know, my species is particularly fond of laws, treaties, and conventions. Everything is framed by bureaucracy. Formalities, paperwork... It's boring as hell. We tend to know by heart the laws that govern our freedoms. The treaty idea? I just took a chance."
"It was brilliantly executed, in my opinion."
"Thank you, Cavah," she said, smiling.
Cavah nodded in return.
"Well. Autopilot engaged. We're back on track. Zetania is only a few days away now."
"Perfect. This is good news."
Skylar and Cavah had come through their first trial unscathed, but that was just the beginning. Zetania and the rest were far more complex.
Comments