“…Should have known that it’d be one of your trophies.”
“…No, not a trophy. She was the real deal, but time and distance and…you know…?”
“No, we don’t know…” Hound smiles.
“…Seriously guys, she’s heavy into the underground, the best mechanic you’ll find and a damned wicked pilot to boot…”
“…Pilot? I must admit, I’m curious now.”
“Yeah, she was a test pilot for the Galactic nine…”
This is interesting. The Galactic nine is a Syndicate made up of nine major, Corporations from nine different Solar Systems. Their pilots are some of the best, Galaxy-wide, and the Air and Spacecraft of the Galactic Nine Syndicate, rival even the technologies from Earth. They are supposedly one of the very few organizations outside of direct Earthfront control.
“So how’s she gonna help us get off this world?”
“I’m not sure Alpha, but if there’s a way off this planet, she’ll know it.”
FACT
In the year 2150 AD, the International Computer Network, was at its peak in performance and information availability. But after a hundred years of space exploration and migrations, the Inter System Network was established and as the Internet evolved into the ISN, computers and the way we interacted with them, changed to suit. Holo-screens, lenses, modules and micro-consoles quickly replaced tangible screens, keyboards and CPUs. But mobility and convenience were insatiable creatures, and laptops, tablets and the like were not enough. And so, in 151 TE, digital paper was born. A transparent, disposable sheet of computerized paper that did everything their predecessors did and more, but without the cost of upgrading and maintenance. Yet this too, lacked what most space travelers required until four years later, when the introduction of Digital Eyes revolutionized the industry and changed the way we saw forever.
CHAPTER 9 - CALLICAN
The shuttle slows to a crawl, almost a hover and glides gently to the landing pad beneath us. The touch-down is hardly felt as the hydraulics dip and adjust to the weight of the craft settling on them.
“Iron Five…Welcome to Callican.” The com crackles and then goes dead.
Buckles unclipping fill the cabin with their noise and when the door opens it hisses.
“Welcome to Callican…” Akita mimics the pilot “…welcome to prison is more like it.”
“Let’s just get Base-side and see what’s what.”
I lead the team through the exit and into the bright sunlight outside and my Digital Eyes adjust to suit.
“Thank God for Dees…” Akita again “Man, this place is paradise.”
We step from the ladder onto the tarmac and a cool, constant breeze hits my face. I am conscious of my helmet attached to my waist as it bumps against my thigh with each step. At the same time, my flight suit filters the warm air and keeps me cool in the morning sun even though I don’t need it to do so; the temperature here is perfect.
I think back to what Toros had said about Deepcore having Kedenian government connections. There was no place he could hide from them. And the Deepcore pilot onboard our ship. Who was The Man he was talking about? Somehow, I know that the answer to this question would unravel everything but there isn’t much time? In my head, I see Mirana O’canon but I don’t like the thoughts that come with her image. She’s been holding off a siege for over eight hours…
What has become of her?
The urge in my gut tells me that come high or go low, we have to get to Keden but reality stabs me like a knife; we are stuck here until…only God knows when.
The sky above us is an awesome blue ceiling that stretches into the distance where it merges with the massive military tarmac. The Base is so huge that I can’t see past it and from what I do see; it’ll take us at least an hour to walk to the other end. Not far away, an airtruck awaits us and its driver is the only welcoming party we have. So we head toward it and as we do, the sounds of shuttles and a lot of military aircraft that are either, taxiing, taking off, landing or parking, seem to be everywhere. For a so called peaceful paradise planet, the military presence here is astounding.
In the distance, and if I didn’t know better, I would have found it hard to believe that if you kept going for a few miles, the ground would get steeper and steeper until it fell away and curved under and around to the other side of the spire. It’s like living on a very broad and large straw, sticking up out of the sea and bent into a curve…amazing no matter how many times I see it.
“Welcome to Callican…Private Avery…here to take you to base sir!”
I return the young man’s firm salute and board the vehicle with Akita mentioning something about a Claudia to Hound. Our seats vibrate with the rumble of the Airtruck and the feeling of my stomach staying on the ground while my body rises from it, embraces me. I’ve always enjoyed this sensation. It was this thrill as a teenager that led me to believe I was meant to be in the sky.
The back of the truck is covered, but not enclosed by solid windows. The air rushes in freely, whipping past my ears with a constant ruffle and I take a deep drag of the freshness. I notice Pitbull looking at me he’s smiling at the way I took that last breath.
“Man that feels so good.”
He shifts to better throw his voice over the sounds of the wind and engines “You’re late. I’ve been sucking up this air since we got off the shuttle.” We both laugh
“Hey Cap, check that out…”
I scan the scene and in the distance, find what Akita is showing me. The city sprawling and rising like hundreds of crystal knives all perfectly lined up, their pointy ends to the sky. But then everything gradually disappears and I leave my stomach in the air as we begin to descend.
Terri…you should have been here.
********
We leave the Airtruck and its driver behind and enter, with our new escort, a building made almost entirely of evercrete. The new man, in standard Earthfront Military fatigues, leads us through a fairly wide passageway, lined with doors, and then into another as the sounds of our boots echo loudly on the hard floor. From here we enter an elevator that shoots upward, almost enough to give me that gut feeling that I like. But within a few seconds, the small lift slows rapidly and stops at level fifteen, according to the digital screen on my Dee’s and the one next to the door as it slides open. We follow the unnamed soldier into a wide, carpeted and brightly lit corridor. The off-white walls on both sides are lined with paintings of old military craft of all sorts. I recognize the MAV’s of years past and aircraft belonging to a time long before me…they look alien.
The soldier stops and opens the door for us. It is an oak door…looks like Earth oak…and we enter the room. Then he closes it behind him after exiting the office and I eye the man behind the desk. He’s writing on a sheet of digital paper.
“Please, gentlemen… have a seat.”
He is a man of authority, but the door had no symbol or sign to indicate who this man is. Nevertheless we all sit, wait and watch as he hits the button that will send his note to whomever it is intended, a button, like most digital screens today, invisible to the naked eye, but with my Dee’s, as visible as daylight.
He looks at each of us now and then stops at me…fingers decorated with heavy gold rings…I didn’t know that this was allowed in the military. I guess the rules change with rank.
“You all have done remarkable work but I will not tolerate insubordination on any level…” He pauses “…I am Commander Walborough…and it is my duty to handle your debriefing…” he eyes us all like an angry school teacher “…now…your Dees please…”
I don’t like parting with my Digital Eyes. Since when did a debriefing require us to remove them?
“Sir…” I wait for him to permit me to speak. He barely nods and I continue “…I’ve never had to remove my Digital Eyes for debriefing. Where’s the scan…”
“You apparently have a penchant for rebellion…”
Who the hell is this guy?
“…I am to retrieve your Digital Eyes by order of General Alexander Madison and it will do you well…” His voice has gone from authoritative to menacing “…to follow it to, the, letter.”
I look at the rest of my team and they return my gaze. “I apologize Sir…I was just curious and decided to ask, Sir.”
He doesn’t answer but leans back in his leather chair. I slide my fingers across my eyes; I hate doing this. It’s a weird feeling when the devices unlatch their tiny fingers from my eyeballs. My team follows my lead as I hand over my Dees to the superior officer before us.
“These will be returned to you in due time. That will be all Gentlemen. You are dismissed. Go get some rest and await further orders…”
I think of the Dees in my pocket. The one’s from that Deepcore Pilot. Idiotically, the thought of handing them over passes through my head. But common sense takes over in an instant and I leave them safely tucked away, as the sounds of weights shifting on chairs and boots shuffling along the carpet fill the room. We all rise, salute the man and walk away.
“…oh, and men…” We turn toward him “…we have overlooked your actions relating to your Deepcore Pilot. Due to your commendable past and present performances, General Madison has seen to this. But I warn you, one foot out of line on my base, and I will not be so lenient.”
********
“What the hell was that about?” Akita’s anger is no longer contained as we sit in the truck once again. We are in the air and on our way to the military housing complex on the outskirts of the monstrous base.
“I’ve got to admit. I have no idea.”
I had never been asked to remove my Eyes for a debriefing. It is always the Dee-Scan; a high-level program designed to extract everything we’ve seen, heard, felt, tasted and smelled for all the times logged.
Akita’s voice again “…Now that bastard has my data, and there’s no telling what else they’re gonna do with it. I’m telling you Alpha, something’s not right here.”
“I know…that wasn’t even a debriefing. Why make us go all that way just to hand over our eyes? I know something’s off…”
It’s been my gut feeling ever since Bull told me about the General’s orders to interrogate the prisoner on Rouna. That was unlike him and after all, he’s the one who taught me to look for irregularities in the pattern.
“…but there’s nothing we could do about it now.”
“They wanted the Deepcore fleet dead. What difference does it make who interrogates the prisoner? It’s not like they expected us to have him alive. I don’t like it Boss…” Pitbull shouts into the conversation now.
“…Something tells me that we need to get off this world ASAP.”
“Or we could all just be paranoid and stressed…” Hound draws our attention toward him “…I’m just saying…We all feel the loss of Terrier…you Cap, lost your best friend and possibly your woman…”
She’s not my woman
“…Bull…you’re always suspicious, and Akita, the restrictions here simply limits your horny escapades…” Akita opens his mouth but Hound silences him with a palm “…however, I do understand what you’re all saying. We all lost something and this situation does seem a bit odd but let’s not lose our heads here.”
“He’s right…” I jump in before Akita can retaliate “…let’s keep our focus. Akita, you said you know a pilot who can get us off world?”
“I knew a pilot who might be able to get us off world.”
“That’s good enough for me. When we get surface side, we’ll pay her a visit.”
“If she’s still there…” Pitbull now
“She’ll be there. I know her well enough. She settled here and business, as far as I know, was and still is booming on Rouna and wherever the credits flow, there she will be.”
My stomach lurches up my throat again as we begin to move downward and we all kill the conversation for the time being. Using the sounds of the engines and wind while flying to mask our words would have given us all the privacy we needed while on base. But on the ground, especially in our quarters, nothing is ever a hundred percent secured.
As we touch down, our pilot waits for us to grab our gear and with a nod, lifts off and fades into the distance. I push my sunglasses further up my nose. Without my Dees, the sunlight gets to me. We walk across the small landing zone just outside of the Base perimeter fence, across a two lane roadway and onto a sidewalk.
It is beautiful here. Long clean sidewalks, separated from the roadways by wide strips of grass. Trees transplanted from Earth over two hundred years ago. Cool breeze, sparse traffic. It all comes together nicely.
The large housing complex made up of apartment buildings and houses that spread out for what looked, from the air, like six or so miles remind me of home. The house that we are assigned to is about a mile away, so we hail a passing taxi. A purple haired girl behind the controls looks through the window after sliding to a halt nearby and before I can open my mouth...
“One twenny seven, Norbrook Drive…” Akita is already on point.
She eyes him with what looks like curiosity “Two Hundred Creds…”
The team and I squeeze into the cramped rear of the vehicle and the automatic gullwing door closes. The design of the Aircar is nothing like back on Earth, as we hover down the street at a good clip. The seating behind here was obviously designed for three passengers of average size and clearly not four bulky soldiers. The front seat however, is the only one in that space because the car slants inward on either side, forming a curvy triangle; the curved point where the front bumper of a car on Earth would be.
“…First time in Callican..?”
She is young but not that young. I trace her gaze in the rear view mirror to Akita. How does he do this? By experience, no one answers but him.
“No, but it’s the first time seeing you. How old are you?”
Here we go, and just like that.
The rest of the team looks at me and I try not to laugh by the sight of it. We’re all crammed in here pretty good. Hound looks like he’s about to pop. I smile and try even harder not to laugh when I look at Bull.
“…twenty six…how old are you?”
“…Old enough to have a great time. How about stopping by the house later on? We can get to know each other better.”
This is ridiculous. It can’t be that easy.
“I get off at eight…”
Akita smiles broadly “I’m thirty two, what’s your name?”
“Karen, what’s yours?”
“Neil, but everyone calls me Akita…”
Our driver laughs and it’s a nice laugh, I must admit. “You guys get in from Argyle?”
“Yeh, how did you know?”
“I know that most military flights come through there. My brother is a Traffic Controller on Argyle…says I should aspire to be more but I love it planetside, and it’s not like I’m not aiming higher.”
The taxi turns a corner and I’m now between the conversation inside and the sights outside. The houses along this street are larger than the ones we’ve seen so far. This must be where the soldiers with families live.
Akita continues in the background “…you work for a company?”
“Yeah but I’m getting ready to branch out on my own.”
“That’s great…”
The weight of the other guys press me a bit as we round yet another bend and then head straight for a while. The houses in this new section, unlike the large ones a while ago, are all of the same design. Their lawns are also noticeably smaller but each has its own driveway all the same.
“…eight thirty…” The driver’s voice registers as we slow down “…I’ll be here around then.” We’re now in front of a small, split leveled timber house with a well-kept lawn. “It’s a deal...”
I cut into their conversation and hand the girl a credits card with three hundred Credits programmed into it “…We tip for good service.”
She looks at me
like I’ve done something great “Thanks…” and then back to Akita “…see ya.”
He waves and follows us to the house while the Aircar speeds away.
I can’t wait to get this off my chest. “Akita…?”
“Alpha…?”
“What about Riara?” I get the desired reaction. He looks from me to Hound to Pitbull and we all laugh.
“…I knew it…” Hound waves a hand between us and walks away.
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Pitbull adds his piece. “Who cares what you meant. We all know The Akita very well. Riara was just another notch in your belt.”
“No…I was serious about Riara…”
“I know you were. Serious enough to have a go at Karen…” I follow Pitbull to the front door.
“I’m just inviting her over, you guys.”
“Yeah whatever…”
“No…this is not…guys?”
********
Its two thirty in the afternoon in Callican and the team and I are speeding along an evercrete road in a military issued Airvan and heading toward the city. A half hour behind us is the huge housing complex where we are now staying, and ahead of us, Callican City appears sprawling and beautiful as the sunlight plays in colors off the many glassy buildings there. Where we are head though, is not into the metropolis but near it; about seven miles from it to be exact, to a place where village life meets modern life, meets farm life, according to Akita. And he was right, but he had also been blabbing nonstop about Karen ever since we left the house and the only way I could have shut him up was to ask about Riara again. So the van is quiet now and I don’t mind it.
The road is mostly straight at this point and through the large glass windows on either side of us, are shrubs and grasslands that follow the gentle curve of the spire. In the distance and far below is the vast blue ocean of Rouna. Other spires, some near and others far, rise from the sea in similar form to ours. Life here is amazing. Their world is truly like no other.
“This is it.” Akita breaks my daze, and ahead of us, as we turn off the evercrete road and onto a dirt path, a farm house about a quarter mile away appears. Passing rows and rows of corn and potatoes and fruit trees and now animals in open fields reminds me of home. The nostalgia is weird. The flashback of life on Earth brings Terri to mind. We had played in fields like these when we visited his uncle in the summer. But the House ahead of us looks nothing like the one back home. It’s huge, a little old-world architecture spliced awkwardly with the new. The farmhouse looks just that…a farmhouse. Brown trimmed and off-white painted timber siding, wooden veranda with full length steps, complete with rooster wind vane. But the Magnatech windows that open outward and up without any thing connecting it to the building and Everglass garage with four vehicles hovering in it, adds a whole other dimension. I feel for the pair of Digital Eyes in my pocket. I’m glad I brought them for some reason, I just thought I should…I have a gut feeling.