Frozen Soul, and other works: Chapter 210

(BSS Nephilim, Beta Darconyx System)

Silent as a ghost, the blacker than black ship flew through the darkness of space. The Nephilim was designed as a scout from the hull in. Everything about her was made to be quick and quiet, and to gain as much information about a star system as they possibly could, and report back with that information.

Before the whole ‘thing’ with Coldana and the X’thari, the Starhunters had been tasked with exploring star systems. Naturally, they started with the ones nearest Nuevo Edo and Star’s Reach. After all, the number of unexplored systems in the area was far higher. More importantly, there were no existing polities to claim them, which meant that any data they found could be sold off to the highest bidder.

The Starhunters weren’t the only group exploring, of course. This arm of the galaxy was virgin frontier, basically. No governments to tell you what to do. No pirates preying on those who hauled goods system to system. OK, that one was due to there not actually being any people hauling goods system to system to prey on. The only populated systems in the area, after all, had Gateways.

The numbers of explorers, though, were low. According to Black Star’s information, there were only three or four other ships speculating and exploring at the moment. That wasn’t due to lack of interest, but because there were just so many opportunities that were present in Nuevo Edo and Star’s Reach that anyone looking to strike out into the frontier mostly went there, first. It would be some time yet before outside groups switched from trying to establish themselves in the inhabited worlds, and spread outward, at least in this direction.

Closer to what had been called Known Space, other groups were focusing on exploration as well. And that’s where the big companies were putting their efforts. They liked being closer to the established powers, where they could get tax breaks and subsidies for exploring and expanding a nation’s borders. The major powers were known factors after all.

That bias towards the ‘known’ and the ‘safe’ explained why the big companies didn’t invest in exploration in this arm of the galaxy. The only access points to that space were three gateways, two of which were controlled by ‘upstart’ elements, and the third of which was treated by one of those upstarts as their own private naval staging area whenever they wanted to do something big. And the fact that pirates had been known to gather there, hoping to prey on the foolish, didn’t change their opinion that it was simply too risky to explore in this direction, as opposed to safer bets.

Captain Ueshiba Tama chuckled as she thought about that. She was sure that it made perfect sense from a financial risk assessment. Exploring, going out into the unknown was a risky venture. After all, literally ANYTHING could happen out here. Fortunately, the Black Star Company was all about taking risks if the chance of a payoff was there.

Which was the public reason why she, a Nuevo Edo girl who never thought she’d have a shot at seeing the stars, was here, in the pilot’s chair of her sexy as hell ship, with her hot-as-hell Knelfi mechanic slash gunner and quirky Nomad AI, diving into a new system on a ballistic course. She could have just flown in, but if anyone was here, and paying attention, that would have been like setting off a signal flare. Not exactly what a stealthy scout ship was supposed to do. If there were dangers in the system, it was best to know about them before the dangers knew they were being watched, not ring a gong and let them know that guests had arrived.

Fighting was the Navy’s job. Nephilim’s job was exploration. Oh, sure, she had the weapons and shields to make sure that anyone who decided they wanted to pick on the little lost ship learned that Black Star ships were designed to be scrappy as hell, but no one would confuse her baby with a warship.

“Entering the system’s heliopause now, Captain. I am still processing the data from the long-range scanners.”

Tama smiled as the projection of the Nomad AI appeared on her console, a little holographic girl dressed in simple black clothes. Not very cute, but it fit the girl, somehow. She’d been unsure at first at the idea of having a Nomad as the AI of her ship, especially when she was informed that the AIs for the Starhunter ships were all ‘special needs’ cases from the Nomads’ world. Apparently, the ones who oversaw the tech needed to project them into this world were using the experience of being an AI to as a sort of therapy for them. Nothing about that inspired confidence.

“All right, Marcia. What do the preliminary scans tell us? Any planets or other goodies to be found?”

“Uncertain at this time. There appears to be a great deal of debris in the system. Almost like an asteroid belt or accretion disk covering a substantial portion of the system. However, initial evaluation of the system primary suggests that the star is not of the proper age for this to be a natural phenomenon.”

Tama nodded as she considered that. An accretion disk on the scale that Marcia was talking about was generally only seen in young stars, that were still creating their solar system, or in old stars, like black holes that were eating their solar systems slowly but surely. The initial reading of the star here was definitely more of a ‘teenager’, as far as stars were concerned. Type F, still looked to have plenty of time before it decided to either try its hand at becoming a ‘giant’ or going nova. Definitely too old for an accretion disk like a baby star.

She looked back at the AI’s projection with a smile. Marcia had been showing improvement in her reactions with the crew, opening up more and sounding less robotic as things went on. Something about the two battles of Coldana had really helped. Maybe it was just the idea of being useful and important to the course of the battle helped? She’d have to ask the other Starhunter captains about it.

“All right, Marcia. Keep on the analysis, and let me know what you find.”

“Understood, Captain. Analysis should take approximately four hours for an initial finding.”

With that settled, she locked down her station, and got up. Four hours to kill, and she knew that Bruce had finished his maintenance on the engines already. Perhaps it was time he gave her engine another ‘tune-up’.

(Four hours later)

Tama sighed contentedly as she felt Bruce’s arms wrapping around her. This was something else she never would have expected to have when she was a child. The gender imbalance on Nuevo Edo meant that any girls who had romantic notions got disabused of them, fast. There simply weren’t enough men for a girl to have one to herself. And the Breeding Halls did not really go in for ‘cuddling’. You were there to get fucked, have sperm and egg combine, and then get out. It was a factory, not a relationship.

Which is why she was so pleased when the Owner assigned Bruce Steenspring to her ship, as a mechanic. Just the very idea of being near a man for something other than procreation was unheard of on Nuevo Edo, even with the immigrants coming from off-world. Getting to share a space with one as shipmates was a rare treat.

Of course, Bruce was not exactly a blushing virgin, or without his own baggage. His wife had been a slave, selling herself to get him and their children off a planet called Jagloth before… well, some virus turned everyone into zombies or something like that. He was the one with marketable skills, and could earn a living for himself and the kids. She was a member of the planetary militia. Even by selling herself, she was deserting her post.

And then Black Star came along, snapping up slaves from Jagloth like it was going out of style. That was to be expected, plenty of other companies were doing the same. But Black Star made an effort to keep families together, so that Bruce and his kids actually got to live with his wife for the most part. Until the Second Battle of Nuevo Edo, when the X’thari came.

Nancy, his wife, had been on the Shinokage in that battle, the flagship of the Black Star Navy. But First Group had been savaged in the battle, being the only group fighting without bomber support, or the help of the platforms around Nuevo Edo. They’d held the line, keeping her planet safe, but they’d taken casualties. Nancy had died when a hull breach opened in the Shinokage’s side, sending her flying off into space. Possibly the most horrifying death any spacer could think of.

After that, the Owner had given a speech, and offered job training and opportunities for the families of the fallen. They were still Black Stars, he told them, still family. And they were going to gear up and make sure that the X’thari learned they had fucked with the wrong people.

Bruce had been tested when he tried to sign up for the Navy, but the psychological evaluations had come back with concerns. Nothing major, but a man grieving for his wife was not going to be in the best mental state, which was a concern when he was asking to serve on a warship as a fighter pilot, so he could kill X’thari. Survivor’s guilt, and perhaps a death wish. Not what you wanted in a pilot.

A normal group would have simply washed him out, and been done with it. The Owner had called Bruce into a meeting, instead. Told him that there was no way he was going to be a fighter pilot with where his head was at, and his skill levels. But, he’d said, there was a new program starting up, that needed mechanics, people who could keep a ship running when it was far from home and far from help, because they would be going out, beyond the edge of civilization. And the main reason they’d be going out there was to find the X’thari, so that, eventually, they could bring the pain to them, for a change.

That had changed Bruce, given him purpose beyond dying. And so, he’d joined Nephilim as the mechanic. It didn’t take long before they’d gotten a working relationship going, and he started opening up. After the first battle of Coldana, though, when they were busy running for their lives just so the Consortium ships would have a little more time to do a little more damage before they died, something had changed between them.

They’d done the double jump perfectly, and returned to Star’s Reach, but neither of them wanted to go on shore leave. Not after what they’d just seen. She still didn’t know who made the first move. Maybe it was him, maybe it was her. But the next morning they were lying in his bunk, like they were now, having worn each other out as they worked through their frustrations and their fears.

Since then, she’d met his kids. They were nineteen and seventeen, and no longer needed their dad at home. The eldest, Jacob, was enrolled in the university on Nuevo Edo, and Tricia, the youngest was preparing for a career with Black Star, on the commercial side of things. Both had been concerned for their father, and were glad to see that he was no longer in the same place that he was. “You deserve to be happy, too, Dad,” Tricia had said.

“Captain, I’m sorry to interrupt your private time, but the initial analysis of the system is complete. You need to see this.”

Tama sighed, and she felt Bruce moving, as he heard Marcia’s message as well. She looked back over her shoulder, and smiled. “Duty calls. Probably ought to get dressed, if Marcia’s saying we need to see this.”

They quickly threw on their skinsuits and emergency gear, just in case something happened, and headed to the bridge of the small ship. As she sat in her chair, Tama looked over to where the projection of Marcia was standing, and smiled. “All right, Marcia, what do we have? Any answers on the accretion disk issue?”

“Unclear. However, scans have indicated an anomaly in the system. It is unknown if the two are connected.”

“On screen.” Tama focused on the viewscreen in front of her, and then gasped at what she saw. And the scale? If this was correct, then… “Marcia, are these readings accurate?”

“Confirmed.”

“Get a message to the Owner. We have to report this immediately. And take us closer.”

“As you wish.”

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Frozen Soul series (Sci-Fi Supervillain story):
Frozen Soul - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071R125QT
Tales of the Void Traveler - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ52G37
Memoirs of a Supervillain - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9NWS8J

Rules-Free VRMMO Life (Dark Fantasy GameLit):
Volume 1 - Tutorial
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Omnibus 1 - Volumes 1-4

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