“Space Race: where decisions are made”
“…Construction crews will continue working through traffic hours, so please stay tuned for further details. And now an update on the Space Race. Every vehicle registered in the race has now passed the first checkpoint, and very few are experiencing any difficulties so far. In the lead is the Elegant Clio, representing Demise Industries, and following close are the Einlanzer 3, Bulldozer, Zephyr, and Opportune Rain. A minor dispute involving light aggression has stalled several ships, including the Domination, which was struck by a sonic disruptor, and the Backdraft, which sacrificed precious time to help out. The race is still anybody’s game, even as participants struggle to reach the checkpoint caught between the orbits of Hagan 6 and its moon, Oika. We will have another update as soon it develops, so until then, stay tuned. Now here’s a look at this week’s forecast.”
Captain Kaori Chuunaru coldly turned the news feed off and concentrated on finishing her meal. She was alone in the break room—it was difficult for her to socialize with her subordinates—and aside from the droning hum of the Stormrider as it flew through space, it was deadly quiet. Even picking apart a fish with her chopsticks and nibbling it created a series of noises. Kaori preferred the silence and the isolation, though: it helped clear her mind, and it gave her space to move around. A world of emptiness could be filled with anything she desired; a cluttered area only invited destruction. She was resisting the urge to eat her dessert first and had shoved it aside, which took a considerable amount of discipline. She wanted to focus on her strategy and couldn’t afford any distractions, minute though they were.
The cake found a good home five minutes later. Most of her thoughts centered on what would happen after the race. She wanted to win, of course—not just for her honor, but for the military’s as well—but she also wanted to go after the Dead Roses. She had a feeling it would be impossible to do them both, so if she had to choose, she would take the second option. What victory was there in winning a contest when there were threats to safety, sanity, and civilization running around? Kaori toyed with the idea of hiring that bounty hunter, Shandra Hill; she also wondered if she could find a few other freelancers in the area. The Norgrim might help out if there were benefits involved; the Ozmund people would certainly assist them, seeing as how they were also troubled by pirates; maybe that Elshyrin would come along as well, if Kaori offered a position in the UCM. Her excitement grew as she considered all this (eating all that sugar made it easier), but then her reasoning shot her down, dragged her to the side, and pointed out that for the moment, she would just have to wait.
A quick, polite knock came at her door, and a female officer poked her head in. “We’ve intercepted a message, Captain. The Backdraft is hailing us and requests an audience.”
“What’s this about?”
“He says he wants to propose an alliance, ma’am. Those are his exact words. He’s using a voice scrambler, though, so we’re very suspicious.”
“And rightly so. All right, I guess I better hear him out. What did they say his name was? Mr. D? He’s going a little too far with this secrecy thing, if you ask me.”
“It’s effective,” said the officer as she led her Captain back to the bridge. “In spite of all the attention he seems to be avoiding, we can’t find very much. Our people are looking into any possible leads and connections. The Backdraft was registered out of Epitaph, and it seems that Nemo Nephele is a resident private business owner who sponsored the ship for financial gain. We learned he has an employee named Kaz Derada, but that’s the extend of our discovery.”
“Leave no stone unturned.” Kaori fluidly climbed into her Captain’s chair and activated the receiver. A picture reading “Sound Only” appeared on the monitor, and sure enough, a scrambled voice came through. “This is Captain Chuunaru. What message do you have for me, Mr. D?”
“An alliance of like-minded parties,” replied the sluggish, sonorous voice. “Let us not waste each other’s time. I saw your battle against the Dead Roses on the news, and I couldn’t help but admire your tenacity, Captain. My employer, Mr. Nephele, has carried a grudge against these loathsome sores ever since they ruined an early enterprise of his, and part of the reason I’ve been sent here is to make some attempt at revenge. I despise these barbarians, for I have paid dearly to recover what they stole from my life, and if you would be so kind, we may form a partnership and erase this scum from our memories.”
“It does appear we have the same goals,” Kaori answered cautiously, “but you forget who you’re addressing, and you forget the circumstances we’re in.” The voice on the other end laughed quietly, dark and deep like a troll.
“I know you’re the kind who has to do everything by the book, Captain. Your reputation precedes you faster than light itself. You were about to say that you’ve never broken the rules, and you’ll be damned if you stop now—right? What if I were to offer a way to…bend the rules—or better yet, to avoid them entirely?”
“I’d say that I was within my rights to arrest you.”
“Even if the end justifies the means? Even if Captain Rose herself is brought before a firing squad as a result? Come now, Captain, you’re a smart woman, even if you are a military dog. You know full well there are people everywhere who take advantage of those who follow the rules.”
“You’re trying to tempt me, and it’s not working,” Kaori muttered bitterly. She couldn’t deny her curiosity, though, and the rising willingness to do what she believed in her heart to be right. The seed was small, but it had been planted. “Listen, I’d be more than happy to work together once the race is over.”
“Do you need a demonstration?” said the voice, chilling her blood. “Is that was you require? Ah yes, I understand, you need a little proof to assure yourself before making any commitments. You want to know if I can bend the rules. Witness carefully, Captain.” Kaori focused on the Backdraft as it sped a little further away, fired random shots at another ship—the Colonel Lingus, by Chuunari’s readout—and boldly announced its actions. Fai-Lynn of the Tigris screamed and cursed as well, and to top it all off, Mr. D even encouraged Kaori to call for help. She ordered a full battalion of race officials to detain the Backdraft, but never heard so much as a whisper of affirmative, not even after fifteen straight minutes. Mr. D blasted the envoy from Tigris one more time before prancing away, smug and bloated with pride.
“Are you satisfied?” he asked, using a chillingly gentle, even sweet voice. “Normally those officials would swarm around me like vultures on a carcass. Just look at what I have wrought, Captain: the Colonel is flailing, her pilot is frantic, all three of our parties have summoned the referees with everything we have, and yet I can still fly, as free as a bird. If you join me, even for a moment of beautiful vengeance for all the people those pirates have ruined, I will personally guarantee your immunity. I await your decision.”
Chuunaru’s crew was stunned, to say the least, and not a single one was strong enough to seriously call a bluff. Everything they knew about right and wrong had suddenly been jerked out from underneath them—everything they stood for was mocking them, slapping them in the face, and jeering. Kaori tried to assemble her thoughts and approach this scientifically. Tigris was not
especially powerful in the grand scheme of things, and might have been ignored because of this. She wondered what would happen if the Backdraft fired on the Ozmund ship, or Lord Demise’s, or the Sindar envoy, or even hers. Would their influence save them? But she didn’t want to test this man any further. Fear was starting to control her now, fear of the safety of others, and she imagined that if she refused this offer, the Backdraft would use its invulnerability against all the ships, and mow them down. That this scenario was within the realm of possibility terrified her the most, and with a great heave of reluctance, she accepted his offer.
I just hope he’s satisfied only fighting the Bloody Dove. If I have to compromise my beliefs, I may as well eliminate an enemy while I’m at it.
“You’ve made me a happy man, Captain,” Mr. D exclaimed softly. “My master will be pleased. But Rose is dangerous, as I’m sure you’re aware, so I’ve enlisted some extra protection. I’m not asking you to befriend anybody today, Captain, least of all myself. Just try to get along, will you? She should be coming along soon—you have met Shandra Hill, haven’t you?”
………
“It’s a dangerous place to pass through even under the best circumstances,” Shandra said quietly, mostly to pass the time and break the discomforting silence. “As you’ve learned in physics, every body orbiting a star has its own gravity, and every body orbiting another body also has gravity. Most of these ‘satellite systems’ are arranged so that neither body will ever be able to pull the other towards itself, but sometimes you run across a deviant such as Hagan 6. I’m not saying the moon will ever crash into it, but they’re so close together that their respective gravity fields meet about once a month, when the moon is at perigee, and the two fields play tug of war with whatever’s caught in between. Do you see the deviousness of this area?”
Kaori nodded her head silently; she knew exactly what the bounty hunter was talking about and had even experienced “gravity tug” once before, when a superior officer was forced to fly into a binary planet’s orbit. Of course, that sensation would probably be much stronger than what she would feel right now, if she went along with Mr. D’s plan, but regardless of its strength, it wasn’t something she wanted to go through again. According to the Backdraft’s design, Shandra and Kaori would assault Rose from two sides while she was clearing this difficult obstacle, and several other ships were promised as backup. Chuunaru still carried some moral dilemmas with her, but her excitement was overpowering her reason: she was so close to capturing that loathsome pirate that little else seemed to matter.
Shandra Hill, on the other hand, was not quite as concerned about what was right or wrong; she couldn’t really afford to in her line of work. Once, during her early years, she even did something she knew full well was evil, but it was either that or perish, and she had chosen her own survival. She had a mountain of regrets but tried to justify all her decisions based on what really needed to be done at the time. Would this benefit her, or her sister-in-law, or her niece? Would it ultimately turn out for the best, regardless of the actions she took prior to completion? Would some good come from it, or would some greater evil be taken away? She didn’t feel the need to juggle those thoughts now, though: the race and its rules were completely meaningless to her. She hadn’t put any serious thoughts into capturing Rose during the event, but now that she had allies, and some degree of protection, it was full speed ahead, and damn the torpedoes.
“So have you ever fought against the Dead Roses?” Kaori asked.
“No, but I’ve faced my share of pirates. I hear you tangled with them.”
“It didn’t end well,” Kaori grunted. “They had help: the Dauntless, one of the ships in this race. Supposedly, they have at least six wanted criminals onboard.”
“I’m not interested in the Dauntless. Nobody’s paying me to go after them.” She didn’t mention that she wouldn’t go after that ship even if the Vicegerent of Nurogrim offered his entire fortune to her, not even if it was entirely peopled by criminals. What was left of her family meant that much to her…and besides, she trusted her niece, and had taught her well.
“Well, I don’t care about any reward,” Kaori sighed solemnly. “You can keep the money if you want. I just want to see their heads on a chopping block.”
“Are you birds finished chirping?” sang Mr. D impatiently. “One of our allies has sited the Bloody Dove, so wrap up your sewing circle and move into position.”
“Copy,” Hill said.
“And what will you be doing?” Kaori asked.
“I will be supporting everybody. I will run circles around their ship and confuse them. I will punch holes in their shields and tear open their sails. I will do whatever I have to. Do you follow me?”
“I guess we all have the same job, then. All right, crew, move to coordinates 64-68-17 and go into silent running. Coordinate attack pattern Phi on my mark, and whatever you do, don’t let her get away.”
“I’m still not so sure about this, Captain,” said first gunner. “I mean, what kind of example is the military showing by breaking these rules?”
“I understand your concern, and I’ve prepared an explanation in case we are spotted. Besides, I’d like to see how far Mr. D’s immunity will last him. We won’t stay in the battle long—just enough to scorch the Dove and give the impression we’re fighting. Our allies can do as they please, but I’ve decided that for the moment, the Stormrider will act as a defensive and rescue frigate.”
“Not a bad arrangement,” the helmswoman commented. “You really think of everything, don’t you Captain?”
“I do my best. All right, we’ll be in position in T-minus forty. Everybody buckle down and brace for zero gee.” Kaori knew that the best way to attack an enemy was to make the enemy think you weren’t there at all, so in order to avoid detection, she was going to shut the ship’s power down, and would rely on time—and some luck—to assist her. Of course, without power, the ship’s shields, weapons, and artificial gravity would be lost, so they had to be prepared and act fast. Her stomach did a little flip from the weightlessness, and anything that wasn’t held down slowly floated in the air (a few items were caught by the crew). Now all they had to do was wait for Shandra’s signal, and hope they would be able to get away with this.
I am doing the right thing. I am doing the right thing. I’m going to capture a dangerous threat to society. I’m going to watch this person and make sure they don’t abuse this ability of theirs. I’ve got to be doing the right thing. I just have to.
“Captain? I think I just saw Miss Hill’s signal.” Kaori snapped out of her delirium and thrust herself into action. She hadn’t realized her inner monologue had lasted so long, or that she would completely neglect the battle erupting in front of her. The Stormrider emerged from hiding, reactivated its power, and sent two precision bolts flying after the Bloody Dove, just as Kaori had planned. It stopped attacking and kept the enemy ship from running, and if the Dove somehow pulled off a lucky shot, she went in to support the injured.
“I’ve got to be doing the right thing,” she muttered to herself, over and over again. “I have to. My superiors would understand. The Director would understand. My crew knows my intentions; I’m not breaking these rules because I really want to. I’m cautious. I’m observing. I’m just in support.”
You’re in denial, her conscience told her, and Chuunaru instantly knew it was true. Her uncertainty had caused her to fly into this moral tailspin; she never acted this way whenever she was really sure about anything. Even though she was going after one danger while trying to guard another, she knew in her heart that this was the wrong course of action—and yet she dared not retreat.
“Captain? Captain!! We’re picking up three other ships in the fray!” Once again she broke out of her trance, feeling cold and sick to her stomach, and only managed to compose herself because so many eyes were upon her.
“What’s their registration?” she mumbled.
“Uh, give me a second… Ah! It’s the Bulldozer, Dauntless, and Elegant Clio. Do you think they’re here to help us, too?”
“I don’t care,” she murmured. “Break away from the attack. We have no business being here.”
“If you say so,” he replied doubtfully. Kaori watched numbly as the newcomers swept in and joined the fight—not to attack the Dead Roses, but to defend them. She ordered for an open channel and listened in on their broadcasts, and was quite amused by the exchange.
“Just look at you all! Five ships ganging up on a defenseless vessel—and a woman’s vessel, at that! You should be ashamed of yourselves!”
“My Heavyworld friend is right! Ladies should be loved and honored, not massacred! Where are your manners? Is chivalry so dead? C’mon, Mack, let’s kick their butts!”
“You do realize these are criminals and pirates, right?!” snapped Saki Yrhol. “What the hell’re you guys defending them for?”
“A woman’s a woman, no matter how you look at it!” came Demise’s puckish voice. “Now if you’d like to step out and wrestle Rose in person, well…that’s a whole nother’ matter!”
“Criminals or not, they’re still our friends,” Kay Acheron added.
“You have to wonder what the race officials are doing,” Tee replied, “or the UCM for that matter! Hang on!”
“Open a line,” Kaori commanded, as if she had been waiting for that cue. “We’re going to correct our errors. I just hope nobody realizes what we did here.”
“Line open, Captain!”
“Attention, all vessels! This is the United Cosmic Military envoy Stormrider, commanded by Captain Kaori Chuunaru! You are in violation of rule 87-B, Article three of the Galactic Space Race guidelines, forbidding excessive aggression against your fellow racers! While even the military is bound to this rule, if you do not cease your attack on the vessel registered ‘Bloody Dove’, we will have no choice but to detain you and present you to a race tribunal! You will comply within five standard minutes before we use force!”
“Speak of the devil!” Mack exclaimed. “You all sure did get here quick! These four jokers have been ganging up on the Bloody Dove! We were just helping her out, Cap’n!”
“Regardless of your intentions, please distance yourselves and continue with the race, all of you. Further misconduct will not be tolerated.”
“What sweet hypocrisy, Captain!” cackled Mr. D. Kaori barked out for her crew to fire a warning shot; the Backdraft was singed and clumsily wobbled away, swearing retribution. As
Chuunaru turned her sights on the remaining aggressors, they quickly followed suit and flew away as fast as they could, relieved and enraged and utterly betrayed. Her shoulders slumped with relief, and she picked up her transmitter for what was possibly the most difficult conversation she would ever have.
“Bloody Dove, are you functional?”
“You’ll have to excuse us, Captain Chu-chu,” Rose answered bitterly: “we’re sort of drowning in the irony here. I don’t know whether to resent you or thank you.”
“I don’t expect your thanks, Dead Rose,” Kaori snarled. “I didn’t save you out of charity or honor. It was just my duty, nothing more. And…I saw him attack another ship without being stopped, so I needed to exercise caution.”
“Go fuck yourself with your lame-ass excuses, and leave me alone. I’ve got better things to do.”
“Then I guess we’ll meet again once the race is over.”
“You can count on it. Damn, why are all the sexy ones stiff-assed bitches?” Kaori cut off the transmission and masked her face. Putting up with Rose’s foul mouth and misguided flirtations was bad enough, but now she was burdened with all that guilt. Regardless of her later actions, or how she justified it all, she had broken the rules and would wallow in that shame until somebody found out.
“Get through this checkpoint, on the double,” she ordered coldly. “Once we’re clear of the binary gravity, send a transmission to the Director. I need to take responsibility for what I did.” Kaori’s crew was still for a moment. They loved their Captain and were very loyal to her, mostly because she followed the military’s guidelines and was proud to serve with all her heart. Yes, she was uncompromising and even merciless, but she was also reliable, and believed in real truth and real justice, and she cared very deeply for those under her command. After this fiasco, however, it was likely they would not serve under her for some time.
“Understood, Captain. We will be outside the pull in thirty-seven minutes.”
………
If Rose Gillian wasn’t enthralled with the Acheron twins yet, being saved from certain death by them pushed her well over the edge. Their date on Hagan 6 was a surprising one, and not just because Rose was so open about it. They dressed conservatively in dark, muted colors, and Tee put makeup on her sister to “spruce things up”—but Rose stole their breath away when she greeted them in a dazzling red evening gown. Her long golden hair had been looped and tied and knotted up, revealing a strong neck and a firm jaw; her eyes glimmered like the sea as the bright sunlight reveals every wave; a white flower was in her hair, and soon Rose gave flowers to her dates. The Acheron twins were rarely treated like normal people, so they were pretty much floored as this exotic lady poured her attention over them.
Shockingly, Rose had a strong passion for opera, and she wasn’t shy about her emotional replies. She laughed, wept, and groaned openly, and sometimes flirted with the two sisters when she thought no one was looking. During intermission, she answered their questions about her crew and her ship, flattered that these two beauties would show that much concern, but didn’t say much else. She was completely hypnotized by the twins and seemed reluctant to take her eyes off them. This was as different from the standard ugly stares as Rose was different from their
childhood tormentors. If she hadn’t been a half-crazed pirate, they might have believed she was honestly in love with them.
The twins gave in to her love that night, or perhaps it was Rose who was overcome by it—but either way, their nocturnal activities intensified with every dark hour that passed. None of them could resist the other. Rose was selfless and caring, and treasured every touch and kiss and caress as if it were her first; the twins, however, were greedy, and slurped it all up out of desperation and fear. They had never been in the thralls of pure ecstasy before and they did not believe it would happen again. Sleep provided some comfort—eventually—but Rose was insatiable, and woke her lovers with pleasant kisses all over their body. They resumed their progress in the bathroom—and the shower—and the kitchen—and the den—and anywhere else the Acheron women could think of. It took two days of dating and lovemaking to wear them both out; they were amazed at their own energy.
On the morning of the third day, when everyone else aboard the Dauntless were rested and ready to resume the race, Kay and Tee woke in their bed, naked and disheveled and suddenly feeling lonely. Rose had finally abandoned them and went ahead, but not before planting a gorgeous orange flower upon their breast, and attaching a note to it. They both smelled like her; by now, the twins had memorized Rose’s scent and would carry it for the rest of their lives. The note read:
“To my two goddesses: let’s not slander our experience with words. I couldn’t hope to describe it with my eloquence, or anybody else’s, for that matter! Just promise we’ll see each other again, even if I have to resort to kidnapping! Why not join me while you’re at it? You’d both make terrific pirates, and I know the others would love to have you. Think about it. In the meantime, show me what you’re made of and give me a race to remember. If you manage to beat me, I’ll give you something special. If I beat you…well, you might still get something nice. (Wink!) Lustfully yours, R.”
……
Kaori decided to take a long, hot bath while she still had the luxury of time. These races were not designed to be completed in one go—even the most advanced spaceship had to stop for fuel, repairs, and supplies. Her crew was given leave to do as they pleased, and were scheduled to meet onboard the Stormrider at 1000 the next morning. She sat through her meeting with the Director first, and planned to let the stress of the past few hours slip away later. Taking a bath, even a short one, was a rarity in her line of work, and cleansing herself with real hot water, and not the tepid trickling military showers offered, was something she would not miss. There was a glass of wine on the floor and a plate of delicacies next to it, and she dined carefully as she ran over the warnings Astor had presented.
“Yes, Captain Chuunaru, is there something I can do for you?”
“Director, I’m reporting a temporary violation of rule 87-B, Article three of the Galactic Space Race guidelines. Six of the race participants attacked another ship without just cause, but fortunately, I was able to break them up and save the victim from further abuse.”
“Are you sure? I’ve been monitoring this race as carefully as I can, and I never heard anything about this.”
“I am certain, Director. At 1325 hours today, just outside the second checkpoint located between Hagan 6 and its moon, the Bloody Dove was attacked by the following vessels: Backdraft, Opportune Rain, Screaming Skull, Prince Mishkin, and Domination. Please check my records if you don’t believe me.”
“I’ll have someone look into that once the race is over. But you said there were six ships, Captain, and you only listed five.” Kaori breathed deeply and braced herself for the worst.
“The sixth was my ship, Director. I also attacked the Bloody Dove.”
“I was afraid so,” Astor muttered. “Go ahead and give me your reason, then, and it had better be good.”
“Yes, ma’am. Prior to the attack, the pilot of the Backdraft, who we believe is a man named Kaz Derada, came to my ship and offered an alliance against the Dead Roses. He proceeded to explain that he could completely avoid the detection of the race officials, and promptly proved his claims by attacking the Colonel Lingus. Despite my best efforts, I was not able to summon any assistance. May I inquire about its present condition?”
“The Colonel is fine, Captain, though her pilot is infuriated. Tell me, why didn’t you apprehend the Backdraft right then and there?”
“I apologize, Director, but I was selfish, frightened, and a victim of my passions. I believed that Derada would attack more ships unless I agreed to his conditions, and so I went along with his plan, but I accredit most of the fault to my own desires. I wanted the Dead Roses captured and killed, ma’am, and I regret to say I might’ve done worse things to achieve this goal. I accept full responsibility for it all, and—“
“That will be enough, Captain. I’ve heard everything I need to.” Kaori swallowed nervously.
“Yes, ma’am.” Clarissa sighed and pushed her glasses up so they wouldn’t aggravate her nose.
“How old are you, Chuunaru? Twenty-five, twenty-seven? You’re still young, you know, so don’t feel like you have to carry yourself like someone my age. Of course you’ll fall prey to your passions, and your desires, and sometimes you won’t even have the willpower to back away at all. You said that you later broke up the offenders?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then it seems to me you realized your mistake, and corrected it before any real damage could be done. You have performed shamefully, Captain, but you were also wise enough, and good enough, to see your error and back away. You even reported your actions directly to me, without any instruction. I’d say that, all things considered, you have qualities many of your superiors seem to lack. You will be haunted by this failure, Chuunaru, but you must also remember this quiet triumph you’ve achieved. It’s all part of being human.”
Kaori stood before the monitor, stunned, unable to form words or thoughts or even a facial expression. Finally, she croaked out, “Thank you, ma’am,” and saluted slowly. Astor did not smile, but she didn’t really frown either; she was clothed in a cautious joy that could only be seen through her eyes.
“Be careful, Captain,” she whispered as warning. “There are many forces in this life that can twist your thoughts and make you believe things you would otherwise never even consider. You are young, and I believe you are trying to do the right thing, but you’ll soon find out that’s not always a clear concept. Mind yourself against temptation, Chuunaru: it’s the deadliest power out there. I know you won’t disappoint me again. Oh, and Chuunaru? Please enjoy the last race.”
Kaori finally managed to smile. “Yes, ma’am.”
And now she sighed as her memory came to an end.
“I won’t fail again. I’m going to make her proud of me. I will regain my honor.”
She dried off, got dressed, and went into her bedroom.
Preview of next chapter
Herut: Talk about a cop-out! We weren’t even mentioned!
Athena: Pretty soon the focus will move away from us entirely. We’ll move into the realm of forgotten relics.
Rachel: Not again!
Herut: Well, I guess we can have a chapter like this every once in awhile. We really got into Kaori’s head. Thankfully, it appears as if the next chapter is all about the crew again.
Athena: Riene fans rejoice.
Rachel: Does this story even have any fans?
Herut: Uh…
Athena: Hmm…
Rachel: …Yikes. Not even one?!
Athena: Please stay tuned for the next chapter, “Space Race: drifters”, even if you’re the only one.
Rachel: Your family is your fans!
Herut: Uh, yeah, I’m an artificially-created construct.
Athena: Despite the breeding habits of my species, I don’t have any family either.
Rachel: Urgh… Just how much room is there in that relic place?
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