Interloper (The Askirti Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  And what was she doing? She felt so helpless.

  I cannot sit and do nothing.

  She needed to clear her head. She changed and went down to the gym. It was the middle of the “night” on the station, but like most areas, this was open all day and night.

  First, she hit the weights. She could lift significantly more than a woman her size should have been able to. Then she hit the treadmill. Running in place had little appeal, so she set the wall screen in front of her to a park-like setting, and turned on some music.

  While running, she used the time to clear her mind and consider her time in the Federation. The attack on Earth was a huge mystery to her. The force that attacked Orlando was the size that can only be fielded by a government. Ships of every size were in the armada. Warships. Old Federation warships. Once she was off-world on Copus Prime, she spent an exhaustive amount of time researching what happened. The news was foggy at best, and no mention of Federation ships. Not being in the news was not unexpected to her.

  Earth was the poorest planet of the Federation. As the cradle of humanity, it was the oldest. Its resources were the most tapped out. Unlike so many other planets, its oceans were brown. It was impossible to cultivate most of the land due to toxins in the soil. Farm enclosures and imported food stuffs were necessary to provide for the population of five hundred million. It was not a place people went to for vacation, nor was it home to important industries. It was a wasteland, a ghetto. The once great cities lay in ruins, depopulated. And Orlando joined that list just fifteen years ago. That once great city of ten million was now claimed only by the dead, whose skeletal remains seemed to cover every square inch of it.

  Finished with her run, she ended the treadmill session and sat down to drink her bottled water.

  “Hey there!” she heard and somewhat startled someone who might know her was here now and had snuck up on her.

  “Oh, hey Rick,” he answered, after turning and seeing Commander Amori.

  “Oh, hey Rick? Wow, I’m so underwhelmed.” Rick was teasing but testing his boundaries. On the one hand, he found Jackie very attractive. On the contrary, he had seen her in action was she was utterly terrifying.

  She laughed at his comeback. That’s a good sign, he thought.

  “Well, how do you like being assigned to the Colt?” Jackie asked, looking for some benign conversation. She found Rick attractive, and picked up on his feelings towards her, but having lived through the hell of Orlando. It was a great mystery to her if she could ever love again.

  “You mean how do I like confronting pirates with an XO who knows how to kick butt?” He quipped.

  “Yeah! That!” She said with a laugh.

  “Ha, it’s nice to see that smile of yours and to hear you laugh,” he said.

  Ouch.

  “It’s not something I often do, nor for everyone,” she answered, staring off into nothingness.

  “I know what they call you,” Rick said.

  “Ice Queen?” she snarled.

  “Yeah. The only thing is, I think it’s a show. I believe that you are hiding in there. I believe you are a caring, sensitive woman who is capable of feeling deeply for another. I think most overlook that aspect of you.”

  Oh crap. Please no! There’s not enough of me left to love!

  “Rick, I think you’re a great guy and all, but..”

  He cut her off. “Look, I’m just saying I see more. You don’t have to be alone, Jackie. You think you can hide, and from most people, you can. But I see right through you,” Rick said.

  At this point, her eyes were filling with water. “And what is it you think you know?” she asked.

  “I see someone who wants to be soft and gentle but has forgotten how. I see a woman who wants to be held, for someone to tell her it’s going to be okay, but has faced too much alone. I see someone who is very much worth my time. You do not scare me. I do not fall for the act. Let. Me. In.”

  With tears running down her face, looking directly at him she replied in an almost hoarse voice, “go to hell!”

  Chapter 10

  Anderson Station

  Rick spent time on the promenade that early morning, looking out at the stars. He spent most of that time thinking about Jackie. She was exotic and super-hot, so the common guy thoughts were easy. But there was a lot more to it than that. For the first time in his life, he felt a connection with a woman that reached deep into his soul. Perhaps it was the whole “she-warrior” thing he mused but quickly dismissed it. No, for his part, something was else there.

  Did I push too hard? He thought. He wanted to be heard and thought it was only fair to her for her to know how he felt. He knew he was right. He knew she was hiding behind her mask. He also knew he would never get the opportunity he wanted by remaining silent. But leaving her in tears?

  Okay, Rick, that could have gone better.

  It was breakfast time, so he took a walk to the food court. There he spotted the bridge crew in their usual place, sans Captain De Vitis and Commander Campo.

  “Hey!” he said, greeting Marko, Rachel, and Emilia as he walked up with a food tray in hand.

  “Hey Rick, you joining us?” Marko asked.

  “That’s the plan!” he answered.

  “Okay, so we have got to know, how are you spending your prize money?” Emilia asked.

  “Really? Let me guess, you all have all talked about this already and what to see how your plans stack up against my plans. Is that about right?” Rick snickered while asking.

  “Yup, that sums it up,” replied Rachel.

  “Well, I have an old log cabin on Copus-2 that I need to renovate. Once I’m done with this tour, I might take some time to redo it, maybe clean out the view to the nearby lake,” Rick answered a stunned group.

  “What!? You thought I’d be hitting bars and cat houses or finding bigger guns to purchase?” Rick joked.

  “Well, kind of!” Emilia said to spell out too much of her low expectations for the marine.

  “Ouch! I’m sensing issues here!” Marko exclaimed.

  “Okay okay, I am sorry for believing you to be a shallow pleasure-seeking creature,” Emilia responded.

  “You mean unlike you and the marines you’ve been dating on each mission?” Rachel said to Emilia with a large smirk.

  Emilia planted her face in her palm.

  “Ha, well, despite your expectations, I am a caring, yet sensitive guy,” Rick said in a most sarcastic voice. “I have deep needs that are met through hard work, a connection to nature with introspection.”

  They all laughed and tossed their breakfast rolls at Rick.

  “So I noticed you have eyes for a certain someone,” Marko said.

  “Yes, I do,” he answered.

  “Man, isn’t she a little frosty? No offense, it’s just I like to see my friends happy, and I’m not sure you are going to find it with that one,” Marko replied.

  “I think time will tell,” Rick said seriously. “I can’t explain it, but I see her in a much different light than most.”

  “Oh, do tell? I mean, I’m terrified of her!” Rachel said. “She scares me!”

  “It’s all an act,” Rick said confidently at which point they all gaped at him. “It’s a defense mechanism. Look, she has issues, we all do. I don’t know what her issues are, but I do know a mask when I see one. Most people wear one to impress others, others because they don’t know how to show folks the real deal.”

  “So, with Jackie, what is the real deal?” Rachel asked.

  At that point, Rick was looking at the entrance to the food court and waving to someone.

  Oh God, there she is. The Ice Queen herself! There goes breakfast, Rachel thought.

  Seeing Rick, Jackie made a somewhat disapproving face then started their way, to the surprise of all. There was a little foot traffic, some folks walking obstructed the view when suddenly a massive explosion went off right there by the entrance!

  At first, there was confusion. They were at Anderson St
ation! They were supposed to be safe! It took a few moments for people to figure out what happened, that an actual attack had occurred.

  Rick stood up, someone was saying something to him, but could only hear a loud ringing noise in his head. He looked around, the entrance, about forty meters away, was wrecked. He surveyed the area, there was at least half a dozen dead and three times that number wounded.

  He still heard this distant voice and looked around for it. Marko was yelling at him, what was he saying? Rick had never been one for reading lips, but he needed a little help to read Marko’s, as he kept saying “Jackie! Jackie!” Rick’s eyes got wide, and he turned and ran towards the entrance. What we saw though made little sense.

  He saw marines, five of them, in body armor.

  Oh thank goodness, security is here! he thought to himself. No, not security…. he caught the name tags of some of the soldiers, one was PVC Anderson, the rest were Anderson's fireteam. They weren’t supposed to be working security. What were they doing here?

  Okay, if this is a terrorist attack, at least my men are on top of things! Someone must have some information on what was happening, or they would not have been so ready and here at the scene moments after the explosion.

  Still hearing the ringing in his ears and not thinking clearly, he approached the men to get a sitrep, maybe ask if they saw Jackie. After all, he lost track of her for a moment or two before the explosion. Perhaps she was alright, but he feared she was injured.

  Then he saw something that confounded him. There on the other side of the corridor just outside of the foot court was Jackie. She was bloodied but standing. On the opposite side of the hallway, PVC Anderson and his men, raising their weapons at her.

  But wait, wasn’t Anderson here to stop the terrorists? Why would he think Jackie was a terrorist? And wasn’t she unarmed? She was when he spotted her from his seat earlier, and when he glanced in her direction a few moments ago, unless….Unless PVC Anderson was holding a grudge. Unless that appointee was a true-blue spoiled brat that didn’t like being shown up by a woman. But a bomb? An entire fireteam here at the food court?

  As he was observing, he barely heard it when Anderson yell “fire!”.

  ##

  As Jackie walked into the food court, she stopped cold. There was Rick, waving foolishly at her. Did he not get the hint? She did not want to hurt him, but the thought of getting involved with someone again hurt too much.

  Not again. Not after I lost so much.

  And to make it worse, he was sitting with the bridge crew. The people she avoided. The ones it was her job to befriend. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach.

  She would not go running like a scared little girl though. She would do this. She would sit and visit, even if it meant faking a pleasant conversation and a few laughs.

  She started towards them when suddenly her eyes went wide as her “sixth sense” warned her she was in immediate, mortal danger. She quickly ducked back around the corner, taking a dive behind a large water fountain just outside the food court.

  As she dove behind the fountain, there was a huge explosion! The fountain shattered on the side opposite her, and the entrance to the food court looked, well, bombed. She was just there! Was the station under attack? And her ears! Wow! They were in such pain! Examining herself, she noted she was not unscathed. Various cuts were showing for debris that hit her. A piece of metal was protruding from her thigh and a smaller one from her side. Hiding behind the fountain she was not sure the debris struck her, but only that she was injured.

  Laying near her was a young female ensign. At least the top half of her. Blood and intestines laid around her. There were other body parts in the area, a foot here, an arm there. Jackie was not sure if they belonged to the young ensign or that of another hapless soul.

  As she stood up, she looked down the corridor at several approaching marines. Oh good, help! She thought. She was in pain and needed medical attention, and she knew there were a lot of scared people here. The sight of Federal marines would go a long ways towards comforting folks at a time like this.

  But something was wrong, very wrong. The marines were not moving towards the wrecked entrance so much as they were moving towards her, rifles raised and aimed in her direction. Then suddenly they opened fire!

  Thankfully her special abilities showed her what was about to happen, that they were there to execute her. They were no longer marines in her mind. They had become the enemy. That is when she clicked. She immediately spun out of their line of fire and ran straight for them.

  The wounds she had were bad, but she had suffered terribly before and was determined not to be a victim to these idiots.

  She grabbed the first one and twisted his head, hearing the snap of his neck. She held onto him, using him as cover as the remaining four opened fire on her from nearly point blank range. She grabbed the pistol from the dead man’s side and shot directly into the faceplates of the other four attackers. Four shots, four kills. She let go of the first marine which she was using as a human shield, took a few steps and then collapsed.

  ##

  “Wow, our own marines!” Rear Admiral Josh Waters exclaimed.

  “I know, I never saw it coming,” Rick Amori responded.

  “These men, they were on my ship,” De Vitis added.

  “How did this happen?” Josh asked.

  “I think,” Amori said, “that Anderson held a grudge against Commander Campo. She comes down to Marine Country whenever the Colt is at port and spars with the marines.”

  “So?”

  “So, Anderson sparred with her and lost. Then he called in his entire squad, nine more men, and they lost.”

  “Oh,” Josh said.

  “It’s hard for me to accept that my men participated in this, sir. The callous loss of life, so openly too! They killed half a dozen good people!” Rick exclaimed. “What’s worse, is one of the marines was found to have evidence linking the bombing to whoever was holding it. What we think was supposed to happen was the bomb was intended to kill Commander Campo, and they would pin it on some patsy. When the commander did not die as they expected her to do, they moved in to finish the job and plant the evidence on her.”

  “What about the cameras in the area?” Josh asked.

  “Disabled. Scheduled maintenance to fix some electrical issues.,” Rick said.

  “Convenient,” Jeri added.

  “Wow, I’m just taken back here. An attack on Anderson Freaking Station by PVC Anderson!” the Rear Admiral shouted, quite shaken. “Talk about political blowback! We will all be lucky to have our jobs by the end of the week! Okay, all I can do is finish up my report and send it in.”

  The report would only take moments to get to headquarters, complements of FTL communications and the Space Gate network.

  Scientists discovered that the Gates not only opened a hole to another region of space but could also carry an impressive about of data without opening a hole. In other words, they could operate as nodes in the Federation central network.

  The FTL communications was a breakthrough that was unrelated to how modern FTL drives function and operated on an entirely separate principle. The result was a short-range communication network that could work inside of a solar system, and people could communicate in real-time between any two points in the same solar system. The next logic step was to place an FTL communications satellite next to the Gate, and all traffic from the Gate meant for their system would transmit to the FTL satellite which would send that information across the system in real-time and vice versa, allowing for nearly instantaneous communications throughout the empire.

  The speed of bureaucracy though meant it could be weeks before the report made it into the proper hands, after which a length and pointless investigate would ensue.

  Chapter 11

  Anderson Station

  Prison Barracks

  Sergeant Amy Stulord of the Marine Corps worked hard to get to where she was. As she came from a low-income family, the mar
ines were everything to her. The marines, and her baby sister Nance. Nance's problem required extreme medical care, but their family lacked the income. A friend found out about their problem and put Amy in touch with someone who promised to help. A favor for a favor. That someone paid for Nance’s surgery, and her sister was doing so well now! She was gaining weight to an average size, had a boyfriend now, and life was looking up for her! Amy was so thrilled but knew that one day something would be required of her.

  That day came with little fanfare. The WFS Colt had returned with a bunch of prisoners. These were true scum, deserving of whatever fate they received from the Federation. But she had a package to deliver. She did not know what was in the package. It was in storage. Probably one of many, waiting there for delivery when more favors were called in. The instructions she received were to deliver this particular package to a one Phillip Black.

  Mr. Black was supposed to be one of the pirates just captured. And now it was time for a delivery? She had a debt to pay and would not enrage her benefactor, not when that benefactor was so forthright with her. Besides, a single package, what could be the harm?

  She retrieved the package from long-term storage and proceeded to her scheduled duty.

  ##

  “Hello Frank!” said Sergeant Stulord.

  “Hey, Amy! Glad you’re here, I’m ready to punch out,” said Sergeant Zimmerman.

  “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” she quipped.

  Frank had a hot date that evening, Amy had been hearing about it for days now and just wanted the guy to finally get his chance to impress this girl over dinner. And besides, Frank needed to be gone for Amy to repay her debt.

  About an hour into her shift, Amy took a stroll. She went past the two marine guards at the entrance to the prison. While she was technically in charge of the brig for this shift, she was more of an administrator. These were the guys really in charge. The two marines just waved at her as she went through the secure door they were guarding.