Sadie had never been allowed in the cockpit before today. It was one of the last spots in the freighter unfamiliar to her. Maia said Louis wanted to teach her something about spaceflight, but she had used a lot of fancy words. It was better to nod and go in with an open mind. What she was not expecting was Johnny.
“HI FRIEND!” screeched Johnny, metallic bones reaching out for a hug. Sadie fell into the seats opposite it and flattened herself against the wall. The only reason she didn’t run out screaming was Johnny didn’t have legs. It waved its skeletal hands at her enthusiastically. “What’s your name?” When she didn’t respond, it continued. “Captain, I think your friend is broken.”
“She’s not broken. You scared her.” Louis spun his chair around. “Sadie, meet Johnny, our flight navigator.”
“What is it?” gasped Sadie. She didn’t know what a heart attack was, but she was pretty sure she was having one.
“I’m the best navigator available! You tell me where a ship needs to go, and I can get you there!” Johnny gave her a big thumbs up. Its hand couldn’t clench into a full fist, making it look like he was holding an imaginary bottle.
“Johnny is a flight computer hooked up to an old maintenance bot. I keep it for the humor,” said Louis.
“And because you’d never get to your destination without me.” Johnny clacked its mouth open in what was supposed to be a smile. It more closely resembled a bug deciding which of her soft organs were tastier.
“I thought machines were the enemy?” she asked.
“Sentient machines. Johnny isn’t the Singularity. It just likes to ramble nonsense as it moves the ship.”
“Your face is nonsense,” scoffed Johnny, moving back to its control panel. Sadie wasn’t sure if it was doing anything important, or just performing automated motions for show like Maia did sometimes.
“Why does it look so…”
“Creepy?” finished Louis. Sadie nodded. “The machines who killed humanity started to take our forms. Most species are a little intimidated by robots, even if they don’t have a history with the Singularity or Purvai. So we use robots that are comical, nonsensical, to put people at ease. Johnny can’t walk, has a short reach, and is overly friendly. It’s closer to a children’s animatronic than a war machine.”
Sadie’s heart rate slowed to something more acceptable. This thing was supposed to be more presentable? Johnny would haunt her dreams for the next week! Its triple camera eyes slid to the side to look at her again, but its toothy mouth stayed facing forward. It sent shivers through her body. Louis was right about one thing. Nobody would ever mistake Johnny for a living creature.
“What about Maia then?”
“What about her?”
“Maia looks human.”
“Maia’s a hologram. She can take any form. Maia could make herself look like a bug crawling across the wall. It might scare you for a second, but the moment you realize you can see right through her, your fear goes away.”
“Please never do that, Maia.” Sadie might soil herself if she woke up to a bug in her room.
“I wouldn’t. That’s cruel, even for me.” Maia’s voice came out of the speakers, but she did not appear.
“I could be a bug! Check it out!” Johnny put its hands forward like claws and wiggled itself back and forth, clicking its teeth. Before Sadie could say anything, Johnny shrieked as blue lights turned on under its plating. There were sounds of static pops and shocks. Then it spun in a circle before shaking its head.
“Behave Johnny!” screamed Maia.
“Ignore their theatrics,” said Louis. “We’re almost to Mirakus Station and I wanted you to see this.” He waved to the black screens all around him.
“See what?”
“The void. We are traveling in subspace right now, space outside of space. It is what allows us to travel between galaxies in weeks as opposed to multiple lifetimes. In subspace, there is no light, no sound, and minimal physical presence. It allows us to skip across space in ways the laws of physics don’t allow.”
“Do I need to know this?” Sadie gave Louis a look that said she did not understand this, was not likely to ever understand this, and was it important?
“Trust me, you’re getting the kindergarten basics. Maia, can we get the water demonstration?” A video appeared of a cartoon swimming through the water. “This is travel through normal space. It takes a lot of effort and time. And this is traveling through subspace.” The cartoon character condensed into a small dot and sped along the surface. It didn’t touch the water. It hovered close enough that its speed caused ripples along its surface. “We’re not interacting with normal space, but we are using it as a guide.” The video zoomed out to show a body of water and continents. The dot sped across the water, hitting imaginary destinations such as Quito and Normandy. “We still follow the same path. We’re just riding the waves outside of our reality to move faster than the speed of light.”
“I thought ships traveled through space and time?” asked Sadie. “That a ship in subspace put a hole through our universe and exited through the other end instantaneously.”
There was an awkward banging of metal. Sadie realized Johnny was clapping for her. Maia joined through the speakers. Louis smiled.
“One point to the new kid,” said Maia.
“What you’re talking about Sadie, is wormhole technology. With that technology you can move anywhere in the universe almost instantaneously. Unfortunately for us, only the Masters had that knowledge, and it died with them. We have to travel like the mere mortals we are.”
“So why do I need to know this?”
“Anyone who operates in space needs to know the basics. That way you don’t accidentally try to override a safety procedure and blip yourself out of existence. For example, you cannot use the skip drive in combat except to escape. The process of entering and exiting will take you about halfway across the galaxy, so all trips have to be planned. You never make a blind jump into the skip. You need someone like Johnny, Maia, or a very experienced pilot to coordinate it. You do not want to end up stranded in deep space.”
“Deep space?”
“Imagine how big space is, and then times it by a million. Take that result, and times it by another million. Space is so vast we literally cannot comprehend it. If you drop out into the middle of nowhere and break down, odds are you’re going to die there. No one will come to save you, because nobody knows where you are.”
“Good safety tip,” said Johnny.
“You also cannot skip out of a system if you’re too close to a planet, or especially a star. They exert their own gravity, which can throw off your skip. Skip too close to a star and you can drag part of it after you. There aren’t many ways you can die in the skip, but sucking up even a tiny fraction of a star’s output, and you’re coming out the other end a corpse. Best practice is to get a full day’s flight away from any planetary or solar bodies before engaging the skip. We’re about to exit and I wanted you to see.” Louis spun his chair back to face outwards. “Take us out Johnny.”
“Roger that!” Johnny began to press some buttons and pushed an enormous lever forward.
Unsure if this would be bumpy; Sadie fumbled with the straps in the chair. They weren’t that complicated, but adrenaline was making her hands shake. Maia came to her rescue. A holographic representation of Sadie walked into the room and sat in the seat two down from her. She calmly pulled the straps over her shoulders, clicking in the five-point harness slowly. It was a wonderful instructional video that kept pace with her. What stopped it from being friendly was seeing herself speak.
“In the event of an emergency, there are two additional straps for your legs, and two for your feet. They are located here, and here.”
“Can you not use my face and voice?”
“I thought this would be more comforting.”
Nope. Sadie knew why Louis said people found Johnny comfortable now. It was alarming seeing a machine steal her face and voice.
Something snapped behind her ears and her vision dimmed for a second. Then with a blink of her eyes, her vision corrected itself and the screens were filled with lights. A blue circle highlighted a planet still far in the distance and orange icons highlighted six other planets. The space around them was still dark, but there were stars. No matter how dim they appeared, they were substantially brighter than the emptiness of subspace.
“Amoroso System,” announced Johnny.
“Any traffic?” asked Louis, checking another screen.
“There are vessels around the space station. No evidence of any interstellar craft.”
“Excellent. Can we dock the freighter?”
“With permission. Lemme make a call.” Johnny poked some buttons and a loud ringing started.
“Maia, please stop it.”
“No chance. You inflict Johnny on me; you inflict it on the universe.” There was a click and a congested voice answered.
“This is the Mirakus Station Master.”
“Hi there Mr. Station Master! This is Johnny calling from Freighter14051643. We are looking to dock at your station.” Johnny paused. “Which you’re the master of!”
“Freighter, what is the purpose of your visit?”
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Tourism,” Johnny said it so cheerfully that it was hard to tell if it was being sarcastic or not.
“Say again, freighter?”
“Station Master, this is the pilot,” interrupted Louis. “We’re looking for a human, one of our own.”
“A human? Not many of you come out this way. Must be a hell of a detour.” The Station Master inhaled deeply before spitting up something. “Reviewing your ship, I cannot authorize it to dock. Please put the freighter in orbit a minimum safe distance of ten thousand kilometers from the station and come aboard using a dropship.”
“Roger that Station Master.” Louis stood up and motioned for Sadie to follow. “Bring us into orbit as instructed Johnny. We’ll be taking the Seraphin out.” Johnny gave him a grin and two thumbs up.
“Maia, did I mishear that mucous filled conversation or was that an oggy?”
“You are correct. Data suggests they are the primary species onboard.”
“Great. Sadie, pick some clothes that you don’t mind burning after this. Trust me, you won’t want them back. I’ll get you a rebreather.”
“I recommend that you consider a different concealed weapon for your trip,” suggested Maia.
“Good point. The wrist cannons would just make a mess.” Not wanting to be left with Johnny, Sadie followed.
“Are we expecting a fight?” Sadie had learned a surprising amount in the past week. Combat was not part of it.
“No, but I always come prepared. Meet me in the docking bay.”
Sadie stopped at her room and the door closed automatically behind her. Change into something disposable. What did she have that she didn’t care about? There were only four pairs of clothing that fit her, and they were all a variety of cargo pants, overalls, and long sleeve shirts. She didn’t even know why Louis had women’s clothing that fit her. Did he know how big she’d be after the treatment? This sounded like way too much effort for Louis who ignored her on any given day. Sadie grabbed a black long sleeve and some gray overalls. It didn’t seem right to wear pearly white clothing to an area he suggested would be filthy.
“Um, Maia?”
“Yes?”
“Do I still have shoes?
“Hmmm, no. Your clothes went into the incinerator, and your old shoes wouldn’t fit even if they weren’t dust. We have some work boots that are adjustable in the docking bay.”
The door past the medical bay opened and Sadie emerged on a gangway over the docking bay. Sadie always thought machine bays were supposed to be cluttered and dirty, filled with parts, equipment, and maybe a robot or a worker. Many descriptions she heard of always mentioned loud noises and sparks falling from a welder. But this bay was quiet and meticulously clean. If there were any machines, they were built into the walls or hidden in compartments. Louis was nearby, pulling weapons from a locker. He silently weighed his options before replacing a rifle with a pistol.
“Here.” Louis handed her a short pistol. “Plasma works better, but a short range laser will keep you out of trouble.” Sadie stared at the pistol in her hands in shock.
“AHEM.” Maia cleared her throat loudly over the intercom. Louis paused long enough to look up, and then back to Sadie.
“Never mind.” Louis took the pistol and put it back in the locker. “Here, take this.” He passed her a small black mask large enough to cover her mouth and nose. He holstered a pistol in his jacket and headed for the ship.
“Please proceed downstairs,” said Maia, her form appearing at the base. When Sadie met her, she pointed to a locker. “There are some boots and a light jacket. There is a radio in the collar.”
“I just can’t get away from you,” said Sadie dryly.
“You don’t have to take the jacket. If you’d like to attempt your first alien space station alone, be my guest.”
“Maybe I’ll take it just in case it gets cold.”
“Good girl.”
Maia led her to the ramp, but stayed in the hangar, shooing Sadie inside. For being so large on the exterior, the interior was downright claustrophobic. Sadie almost had to duck as the ceiling and floors condensed and its interior consisted of a small curved black corridor leading to the pilot’s chair. Seats could be pulled down in the corridor, but once they were down, no one could walk by. Sadie took the one closest to Louis, but could only see the back of his chair if she leaned over. The black wall in front of her appeared to be an assortment of cabinets and possibly a small door.
“Ready to go back there?”
“Yes.” Sadie clipped on her harness. A screen wrapped around the wall in front of her, giving her the pilot’s view. That was nice.
“Louis,” chimed in Maia. “You are aware you could’ve just stayed on the freighter.”
“We’ll save time taking in the Seraphin.”
“You will save approximately ninety-two minutes.”
“I bet I can double that.”
“Do you want Mirakus Station to believe you are an attack run?”
“Fine.” Louis sighed. “I’m guessing you don’t want me to show the kid some fun tricks either.”
“Mining vessels cannot pull combat maneuvers.”
“We’ll keep a low profile,” grumbled Louis.
“How long will it take to get there?” interrupted Sadie.
“At your current rate of acceleration, almost five hours.”
*
Sadie’s first ride in a dropship should have been exhilarating. It was everything but. Louis didn’t even need to manually fly. He set a course for the station and would retake control before they docked. They weren’t flying over exciting terrains or a planet. They were in space heading toward an orange blob of a planet. Sadie could zoom in on the planet, but it was about as exciting as doing coursework with Maia.
Which is how her trip started. Maia continued her lessons on botany and Earth biology. When Sadie quickly grew bored, she took a long nap instead. The sensors Maia placed on her body could also be used as a massage which lulled her into unconsciousness. She didn’t wake again until Louis started to speak.
“Mirakus Station, this is the Seraphin, requesting permission to land.”
“You are cleared for Bay 3.”
“Thank you, Mirakus Station.”
“Pilot, what is the purpose of your craft? It is an unusual design.”
“It is a modified Ramor mining scout.”
“Are you an asteroid miner?” There was a hint of excitement in the boogery voice.
“When needed.” Louis clicked a button. “Everyone wants to talk.”
“About what?” asked Sadie, groggily.
“Anything they can relate to. It gets real lonely out here. Don’t be surprised if random people want to talk to you about anything and everything. Did you figure out the rebreather?”
“I think so.” As Sadie said that, the screen in front of her swapped to a silent tutorial video.
“Good, you’ll need that. Oggy have a unique smell.”
“Did you not smell where I grew up?”
“We’re docking now. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
A moment later, she felt the dropship settle to the ground and Louis unbuckled himself. Sadie did the same and moved to the ramp door, the rebreather hanging around her neck. Louis put up her seat and without warning, the ramp dropped.
The stench that blew in assaulted Sadie’s nose in ways she had not imagined possible. It burned the hairs in her nose and made her eyes water. It didn’t rush down her lungs, it crept. It was a microscopic slime, pulling at her mucous membranes, which swelled in protest and secreted their own liquids to protect her. Something seemed to take hold of her throat, forcing her to embrace the rabid stench. If there was a way to feel something licking your lungs, this was it. Sadie coughed and gagged, but the smell refused to part. Coughing somehow made it worse as the congealed mass came to her mouth and then entered her stomach. It was like drinking from a latrine. Before she could choke, Louis swept her over the side and patted her back. Sadie vomited slimy tendrils, grateful she hadn’t eaten in a while.
“Here.” Louis wiped her mouth with a rag. When she stopped spitting, he slid the rebreather over her face and pressed a button. The air she breathed suddenly became stale. It did nothing for the taste in her mouth.
“Breathe,” he said, softly.
“That…this…” Sadie tried to talk but her beautiful, pink, healthy new lungs were still laboring. She saw Louis wasn’t wearing a mask. “How?”
“I’m used to it.” His nose wrinkled. “Believe me, I wish I wasn’t.”
“Hello?” croaked something on the other side of the ship.
“Coming.” Louis lifted Sadie back to her feet. “Ready?” She nodded. Once around the ship, she identified the source of the smell. Even Louis hesitated for a moment when the alien waved.
It might just have been the ugliest creature Sadie had ever laid eyes upon. It was just taller than Louis and twice as wide, but there was no pattern to its body. Underneath its stained gray overalls and black shirt was a lumpy body, like it was covered in massive tumors top to bottom. Its skin was grey and leathery, half covered in scabs and seeping wounds. Its face was bloated with large jowls and far too large of a nose with exposed nostrils. Long hairy ears hung down the backside of its head, looking so infected they should probably be sheared off. One of its big eyes was milky white while the other a dull brown.
“Welcome to Mirakus Station,” he gargled. Sadie was pretty sure it was a he. “What brings you out here?”
“I’m looking for one of my own,” said Louis.
“Must be here for Ravi. No others like you here.” Louis immediately perked up. Even his nose relaxed.
“Yes,” he said uncontrollably. His excitement was somewhere between that of a child meeting Santa Claus and a man about to do something he couldn’t control. “Where can I find him?”
The pestilent thing pulled up a massive tablet and jabbed at it with fat, twisted fingers. His lips twisted between a frown and amusement. At least that’s what Sadie thought was happening. “He’s not in his office. Try the Mirakus Drop. He probably went for a drink.” They exchanged a few directions and he gave Louis a card to use on the elevator.
“What was that?” whispered Sadie once they were alone in the elevator.
“That was an oggy. The other end of peak evolution.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oggys survive hostile environments that no other species can. Their bodies work like an aggressive cancer, constantly growing to reject their environments and fix the damage. Over time, they start to look like that. He’ll probably work for another thirty years, his body trapping each deformity and contaminant in a wall of cells.”
“I didn’t understand even half of that.”
“Just know it’s okay to stare. They don’t mind. It takes a lot to offend an oggy on personal image. Good thing too.” Louis fingered the pistol hidden in his jacket. “They’re a nightmare to kill.”
Sadie wanted to comment about him trying to kill everything but remembered her head was also on the chopping block. The rumor about Ravi appeared to be true which was a very good sign for her. Hopefully it was the right guy. She still didn’t trust the temperament of a man who walked into hives to get what he wanted.
“He said Mirakus Drop. Is that like a bar?” asked Sadie, trying to change the conversation.
“Sounds like it.”
“Do all Deltas’ have drinking problems?” What should’ve been a moment of levity turned into one of cold terror as Louis’s eyes slid slowly over. Sadie flinched. Every moment of a cranky elder or a bored ursa smacking her into the wall flashed before her eyes. Nobody here would defend her.
“We don’t have drinking problems,” Louis answered slowly. “We just have problems.” Louis surprised her and blew a raspberry as the elevator gates opened. “There’s no amount of therapy to cope with a few hundred years.”
Outside was an open air city and Sadie didn’t know how to respond. She knew frighteningly little about space or other planets, but she was pretty sure stepping outside on a gas giant meant she would immediately die. But she didn’t. The air was uncomfortably warm and muggy, like sitting next to an engine in a cave. Judging by the brown and yellow currents in the sky, she might be choking without her rebreather. The chemicals scrubbed her eyes and made her skin itch. But despite all her discomforts, she was alive.
The buildings of the town were domed. They must’ve started with a ceramic covering of bright colors, but most of that had chipped away to reveal rusted metal underneath. The buildings were washed orange and red from the pollution, with hints of white underneath the grime. There were no windows, which she found a bit odd. Even the mine buildings back home had windows. The streets were the only thing that looked modern. There was no debris, no cracks, and large trolleys rolled through on automated loops.
Where the town was dank and boring, the sky was alive. Storms so large they covered entire sections of the planet made it seem like the sun never came out. She didn’t know it, but it could hail with ice so large it was hazardous to fly a ship. Today it was just swirling winds of all colors, streaking by so fast they should have been ripped off the platform. Instead, the storms rolled over the forcefield above the city, making it shimmer like a greasy rainbow. Sadie watched in awe as Louis pulled her along. Her eyes came back to the ground when she almost walked into an oggy. It looked so infected that she might be able to squish her way through.
Mirakus Drop was nothing special, just another domed building. A door far too heavy to make sense slid aside. It looked surprisingly well maintained given the decrepit building. Inside was brightly lit which didn’t help conceal the oozing oggy. Sadie wasn’t sure she wanted to sit down and eyed where she stepped. She wondered how they cleaned up after themselves, or if they bothered at all. All the seats were wide and open, which given the tendency of their occupants to leak, made them look like oversized toilets. The oggy were looking and gossiping about the humans, but were polite about it. They were a curiosity, something new to town. And just as the aliens had looked to Louis when Sadie had arrived, now all eyes turned to the corner with Ravi.
Louis had practically ignored her arrival. Ravi met them with a gun.