NOVEL WEB 27. Angel Flight
Morning came quickly. I awoke well before my eight-hundred hour alarm, but tried to keep quiet since Echo was still asleep on the couch. As with the previous couple nights, she had changed into some comfortable pajamas and was snuggled up with a blanket that I had pulled from the extra bedding I kept on the Oxide. She was beautiful, even asleep. Her light snoring could be heard from inside my curtained bunk, but it was soothing in a way. I’d not shared a room with anyone since my days on the Forge; her presence was comfortable even still. I could definitely get used to it, I thought.
Scattered around the unit, there were bags and bins filled with my meager belongings. My large duffel bag and one of the bins held the entirety of my wardrobe while the remaining storage solutions held the random tools, paperwork and computer tablets. It wasn’t much to look at and made it pretty obvious that I lived a pretty spartan lifestyle. I somewhat hoped that would change in the near future. It would be nice to have things that were more than just the bare necessities for life.
Luckily, I didn’t have to wait terribly long for my house guest to wake up. A loud yawn sounded from the couch and I looked out from behind the curtain to see Echo stretching. There must have been a dumb look on my face because the girl spotted me and giggled.
“Enjoying the view, Addy?” My eyes closed tight as the blood rushed into my face at getting caught. “That’s not to say that I mind. I wouldn’t have made myself this hot if I didn’t want to make all the baby gays blush.”
“You are a shameless tease, you know that?” She smirked and shrugged and I huffed. “It’s a good thing I’m too anxious to get flying to really get onto you for it.”
Echo dramatically put a hand to her chest and sang out, “Oh whatever shall I do? Adresta is threatening me with a good time!”
“Oh hush, you!” I replied indignantly. “Get dressed. I want to get going.”
Within ten minutes, we were out the door. A vending machine provided granola bars that we ate while walking. Echo shot a message to her parents that we were headed to the hangar to prep and they responded quickly that they would be there soon.
We arrived first, of course and Vox greeted me as we entered. “Good morning Miss Adresta, Miss Callisto Erickson.”
“Morning, Vox! It’s a great day to be flying!”
“It is my hope that it is indeed, Ma’am. You have put significant effort into preparing for this day.”
With a skip in my step, I opened up my ship and made sure that everything was cleaned up and ready to fly. I was jamming to music that only I could hear while Echo watched me with a smile.
“I really hope I end up getting you on my ship, Adresta. When people aren’t actively knocking you down, you are a really great person to have around. Excited to do your thing and a generally nice person. I can tell that you are going to be a good worker.”
Even as I was all but dancing, I shot back confidently, “I hope I get to work with you as well! I think we would really work well together.”
As soon as cleanup inside was done, I got back out and also cleaned up all of the loose tools in the hangar. I didn’t want to make a mess with liftoff. The door chime rang soon after and I told Vox to open it, allowing in Echo’s parents. Her mother was carrying a bag of foil wrapped packages that I could only assume were fresh breakfast burritos.
“Here,” she said. “I brought some actual breakfast since I doubt that Miss Matson bothered to eat properly this morning.” I gave her a semi-offended look, but then bowed my head in defeat when she shot me a raised eyebrow.
Marcus laughed. “She is a mother, Adresta. She knows. Eat the food and be happy about it. You’ll need the energy to stay alert today.”
I rolled my eyes but took the offered burrito. Much to my surprise, these weren’t from a cafe and appeared to be homemade. “Wow, these are good!”
Echo nodded. “Mom makes the best breakfast burritos.”
Rachael smiled. “Thank you. I made them up last night. I thought they might be appreciated.”
My mouth was full of burrito, but Echo managed a ‘thank you for the food,’ to which I nodded vigorously.
The captain seemed to be in a good mood as well. “Further good news, we found evidence last night. A text-only transmission was picked up and logged by the station comm array that came from the Torgal office going to an anonymous recipient. It was a simple message telling the recipient to leave the package at gantry C-9. That just happens to be where the Ratatosk was docked. It’s far from enough to convict on anything, but it's definitely enough to press for more official investigations.”
“That’s great news!” I said.
The eating was interrupted by the door chime ringing again. Assuming that it was Mr Yeager, I asked Vox to open the door. Unfortunately, it was not the engineer.
No, instead the lot of us scowled as Harvey Kruger walked into my hangar.
The smile on his face disgusted me.
“Hello, Captain Erickson! And hello to you as well, Mr Matson.”
Venom in my voice, I replied. “It’s Miss Matson, actually. I had that fixed, finally.”
My former boss looked at me and I saw his eye twitch, and his smile fade. “One of those, huh? Well then, I guess it is for the best that you are no longer working with Torgal. It should give you ample time to… modify yourself.” Having dealt with the man, I could see the disguised sneer behind his mask.
“What do you want, Harvey?” Since he was no longer my boss, I gladly committed the grievous disrespect of using his given name. That got another barely disguised withering look.
“Well, Soren.” I narrowed my eyes at the obviously intentional deadnaming. “Out of the goodness of my heart, I’ve decided to rescind my decision to disqualify you from your final paycheck. Consider it one last favor from me to you, before you leave for good. You’ll be missed on D’reth.”
I didn’t trust him. I didn’t trust him one bit. “And what’s the catch for this generous favor?”
Kruger had the gall to look affronted. “I’m hurt that you would think such things. I’m here to do you a favor and you insult me in turn. I did hope to mend fences but it seems that won’t be possible. Tisk tisk, Mister Matson, oh excuse me, Miss Matson.” He put his hands up in mock apology.
My patience for Harvey Kruger had already broken after our last conversation so it didn’t take much for me to lose it again now. “Kruger, keep your damn check and get out of my hangar. I work for the Ericksons now. I don’t want or need your money!”
The man actually did sneer this time. “Such insolence. Captain, are you sure you want this one working for you? A transgendered deviant and an insubordinate employee. I certainly don't want him back.”
My eyes narrowed with anger as he completed his statement.Though I was about to retort, an oppressive aura emanated from behind me and took the words from my throat.
“Mr Kruger,” came Marcus’s voice in a dark but eerily calm tone. “I do not tolerate such language. I would suggest that you take that supposed kindness in your heart and walk out that door before I assist Adresta here in removing you more forcefully.”
Seemingly ignoring the captain, Kruger stepped over to the Oxide and laid a hand on an engine pylon. “Your ship looks good, Matson. Are you sure you won’t part with it? I could give you a good price, you know? I’ve taken a look at the designs that you submitted to the inspector. I never realized the potential it had. One final chance to turn a real profit.”
“Hands off my ship, asshole! And get the hell out of my hangar before I throw you out.”
The facade finally broke and Kruger’s anger came full force. “I tried to be nice, both of you! I offered you a chance for a better deal than you would get anywhere else, Erickson. And you, Matson, I made you! You wouldn’t be here without me! You want me gone?! No. I will never be gone. I will haunt you for the rest of your days, Matson. You not only undercut my business, you've endangered my profits and made me look like a fool. Both of you have.” He looked between me and the captain, his eyes narrow and brow creased.
“You will regret having crossed me, you two. I swear it.” He spared one last look at me and the Oxide, a cruel sneer on his face. “Have a nice flight, Miss Matson.”
With more than just myself seething, Kruger finally left.
“You weren’t kidding when you said that man was an eel,” came Rachael with a pinched voice. “If he hadn’t left right then and there, I might have taken a spanner to his skull.”
“No worries, my love.” Marcus sounded mad and it was not a tone that brought comfort. There weren’t many people who could inspire fear in me, but Marcus’s near murderous timbre sent shivers down my spine. “He might be a big shot around here, but with the evidence we are gathering, it’ll be him that never works in this sector again.”
“Did I miss something? There was a real pissy-lookin’ bastard tromping down the hall when I was coming in.” Apparently Gilbert had arrived.
Despite the man’s on point assessment, nobody laughed. “That was Harvey Kruger, the man that we believe sabotaged the drive core,” Echo said.
The engineer’s eyes widened and a look of anger took over. “He’d best watch his step then! If I catch ‘im I’m gonna sabotage his core!”
I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. “Let’s just leave it be for now. He’ll get what’s coming to him soon enough.”
“Fair enough,” said the captain. “If you are about ready to go, we’ll head over to the Hrafn and prepare to fly as well. I figure we can follow along to monitor your progress.” He held out a hand. “Best of luck to you, Miss Matson. Fly safe out there.”
Echo hugged me tightly. “You’ve put in a lot of work for this. You deserve it.”
Even Gilbert shook my hand. “Get flying, kid.”
My hands clenched and unclenched with anticipation. It was time to fly. I thanked all of them and the group left for their hangar.
“Alright, Vox, the time has come. Load into the Oxide’s computer and prepare for warp jump.”
“Acknowledged.”
I stepped into the bathroom and changed into my flight suit. I chose to ignore the discomfort and focused on the task at hand.
With great pleasure, I lovingly patted the registration plate next to the hatch before climbing aboard to start running through my checklist. Actually going through the procedures for the jump drive was… indescribable.
This was something I had been dreaming of doing long before I had ever started on what became the Oxide. I had first come to the Telemachus system because it was a known hot spot for salvage work. I came to make my fortune. After the disappointment that came from the prices of leasing a ship from Kruger, I decided to go down to the planet to build my own.
I still clearly remembered the day that I crested over that big hill of junk to look down and see a beat-up constructor and a wrecked military transport almost on top of each other. It was easy to tell that the cockpit of the shuttle was crushed beyond repair, but from the angle I looked at them, I could just about see the silhouette of what could be. The bubble and arms of the constructor, the body of the shuttle, the thrilling possibilities of the nacelles; inspiration flowed and I became a woman on a mission.
From discarded scrap, I and the Oxide both had risen from the rubble to achieve more than anyone thought possible. We were trash. We were left behind, forgotten. We would prove to the galaxy that we weren’t finished yet.
And now it was time to show everyone that we were going to go even further.
The reactor core rumbled to life and I looked back to see the nacelles. The plasma conduits were alight with gentle blue light and added an extra layer of hum to the usual din of the ship systems.
Station control gave me clearance for my flight, but assigned me an area of operation well away from the usual traffic.
Atmosphere vented from the hangar. The door opened.Thrusters fired.
I was flying.
I spent a few minutes waiting for the Ericksons to catch up, but soon enough, my radio crackled with Echo’s voice.
“Hrafn to Oxide. We are five hundred meters off your stern. Dad is following your lead.”
“Copy that,” I responded. “Sending you coordinates for my departure and drop point.” A quick few strokes of the comm panel did as I promised.
“Received. We’re right behind you.”
With a purpose, I accelerated away towards the indicated sector. As the reactor core throttled, I paused to feel my ship. There was a vibration out of place. It was incredibly minor, barely noticeable, but I wanted to be sure.
“Vox, ship system check.”
“Stand by.” A moment’s wait. “All systems are green. Reactor core and plasma conduits are operating within expected margins.”
I hummed and nodded. “Alright. Must just be the nacelles then. They’re new so they’re probably just making things a bit weird. I’m sure I’ll learn the new shakes.”
Soon arriving at the start point I had indicated, I brought the Oxide to a relative stop. It was time.
Marcus’s voice came through the radio. “Adresta, I’ll jump to the drop point and await your arrival.”
“What? No ‘good luck’?”
“I’m not going to jinx it. Wind at your back, pilot.” His voice was calm and reassuring, with the utmost confidence.
A soft smile came to my face. “Thanks, Captain. I’ll see you on the other side.”
Sensors showed a power surge from behind and to the right of me. A flash of light and a glowing rail of high energy plasma marked the faster-than-light jump of the Hrafn.
I took a deep breath, and then another. My actions until now had been ordinary, routine. No longer. The control panel went to a new screen that I had never accessed before. For the first time ever, I brought the reactor core to its full output. Around me, the ship rumbled with barely restrained potential.
Plasma flow regulators channeled the incredible power of matter and antimatter annihilation into the nacelles. Field coils took the energy and hummed. The panel flashed to green and showed system readiness.
Everything looked good.
I was ready.
I keyed the comms. “Captain, I am initiating field emitters. I’ll be keeping the displacement field up for thirty seconds and then disengage. That should be enough to get the data I need.”
“We hear you.” The response was simple.
My hands shaking, I grasped the handle for the drive control. “Final check, Vox, are we good?”
“Systems are green. The emitters are charged. Oxide-77 is ready to jump.”
Despite all of my nerves, despite all of the struggle up until this point, I smiled widely. My future had come.
The handle pushed forward. The core’s hum turned into a roar. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise with the energy in the air. The stars blurred.
I watched closely as the speed readout began climbing. A button press turned the usual readout from meters per second to light fractions.
Point two c.
Point three.
Point five.
Point seven.
Point eight!
Point nine!!
The counter ticked past one and I let out a loud cheer. Light speed factor one.
“WE’RE DOING IT! WE DID IT!!”
It was pure exhilaration. My dreams had come true. My freedom was at hand! I would finally be able to make the jump I had been waiting for years to do. I would join up with the Ericksons, I would (hopefully) go on dates with Echo, I would make my transition, it was all within grasp at last!
But then the counter kept going.
One point one.
One point two.
The jump was only supposed to go to one factor of lightspeed. My eyes narrowed with confusion. “Vox? What’s going on? I only programmed the computer for a single factor of c.” The rumble of the core increased and the numbers began climbing even faster.
The AI’s voice carried panic with it and fear began truly creeping into my soul. “Alert! Reactor core is exceeding jump requirements. Flow regulators are overloading!”
The core was running away.
Frantically I began throwing switches, trying to cut power. But nothing was working. The runaway reaction continued anyways. The ship frame began shaking violently. Atmospheric entry had been scary, but this rattle carried an altogether different harmonic. One that sent shivers down my spine.
Desperation sinking in, I tried to activate the emergency power cut out, but even they weren’t responding to my orders. Metal began shrieking around me as the dangerous acceleration increased even further.
External sensors were blinded by the power output. My breath became just as shaky as the ship around me. “Vox…” I said weakly. “I’m scared…”
“Adresta! Recommend immediate core ejection!”
My terror froze me in place, my eyes darting around the cockpit, trying to find something that could fix this. All of my work. I was going to lose it all. My hand fumbled in trying to grasp the ejection lever. I couldn’t stop shaking.
I had been on the mountain top. The stars were right there to touch, if I could only reach for them. Suddenly, the mountain was crumbling, and I was falling. Even as I reached for them, the stars were fading from view and all that was left for me to see was the abyss below.
All of my years of engineering failed me at that moment.
“Pilot incapacitated. Engaging emergency control protocols. Ejection imminent!” Then, in a quieter voice I heard, “I’m sorry, Adresta.”
A clunk echoed from above me. All of the lights inside cut out as the power source for my ship jettisoned.
But I knew it would never get far enough.
Space was silent. Without air, it was impossible to hear anything from outside the ship. That same silence suddenly engulfed my mind as well. There were no thoughts, only the primal fear of a person staring at their reflection in the reaper’s scythe.
The bubble cockpit around me let me see the impending disaster clearly. A pulsing, glowing cylinder floated free of my ship, still contained within the displacement field which was already showing signs of collapse.
Every bit of reserve power in the emergency cells shot into the shield emitters and a smaller bubble of purple light occluded the view. I could only stare into the glowing abyss as the seconds stretched to what felt like years.
The control panel didn’t show it, of course, but I could feel inertia begin tearing at my body and the ship around me. The displacement field worked by displacing the contained vessel from real space; this circumvented Einsteinian physics, but without that field, relativity was taking hold again and those same physics were exacting their revenge for the catastrophic deceleration.
None of that mattered though.
Who cared about being torn apart by relativity? There was a fusion bomb staring at me in the face about to explode with the force of a small star.
Even from behind the shielding, I could see the final pulse.
The voice of Captain Erickson echoed in my mind. ‘Wind at your back.’
My implant pinged, Vox’s voice seeming to come from miles away. “Detonation. Hold on tight.”
And then everything went to Hell.