Space can be lonely in a single seat fighter. Flying with your comrades is just about the only thing that warms it up, except for the life-support systems and the flight suit. Oscar Peña had grown up on Planet Malta. He learned quickly how important it was to protect Malta. When he was nineteen he finally got his chance to become a pilot. He had always dreamed of it.
He joined with some smuggling operations that were bound for the Bretonian Systems. Of course, the cargo was Cardamine. Growing up on Malta, Oscar was naturally addicted and transformed by the natural orange grass that grew everywhere. He had a full supply in his fighter. It was concentrated through a re-breather full of Cardamine gas and air mix to carry around at all times. He was assigned to a Gladius light fighter to accompany his leader who was flying in a Rapier.
They made it to Bretonia without much of a problem. The delivery to Trafalgar base in New London was mostly uneventful. They had managed to get there just before an Armed Forces patrol slipped by. They never even knew. Later on, his Commanding Officer would lead them out on another excursion to the Cape Wrath Base in the Newcastle system where they would meet up with some important members of the Guardia Nazionale that had been stationed there to keep an eye on the Gallic Forces invading Bretonia. Oscar didn't know much about them, just that they were high ranking. He had been told more than once on Trafalgar to wait for his Commanding Officer in his quarters. That always meant secret meetings over secure channels.
Rodrigo Lopez was known for his Military cunning. He was given a very high priority task under the guise of Cardamine smuggling. There was a special message to take to the Gallic front. This message was so secret and so important, that it couldn't be sent via normal electronic communications even with the most secure encryption. The one thing that he was most concerned about was this novicio, Oscar Peña. He liked to call him Picua, which meant Barracuda, since he was always smiling and wanted to kill something.
"Mira! Picua! Ven aquí! You know what I have told you every time. You fly like that and you'll be muertos rapidos! When I say stay on my wing, hazlo tu!"
"Lo siento, Jefe! I'll do better . . . I . . . I promise!"
"Keep your promises to yourself, Picua! You follow orders, or we could all die!"
Rodrigo used mostly common Bretonian to chastise Oscar. He wanted him to feel a little embarrassed in front of these strangers. Oscar only became more determined to do his job more precisely.
"Ahora, go and make sure these Junkers are finished with our ships. I don't trust them. We need to vamanos!"
As they left Trafalgar station, they were headed to the only way to Newcastle besides the dangerous Leeds jump hole into Gallic territory. This meant using a jump gate. Oscar hadn't used a jump gate ever. He knew how, but the simple slow mechanics of them made them terribly dangerous. There were enemies on every side. Bretonian Corporations and their fighter wings, Armed Forces, Police, and Corsairs. The list of enemies was far bigger than the list of allies. It was a relatively slow flight through the Southampton Debris Field and then a wide pass out to miss the Southampton Shipyards. Off the radar was the best way.
They were approaching the Newcastle jump gate from behind, a position rarely guarded by the Armed Forces or the Police. It provided a respite from the main weapons on the jump gate as well.
"Mira! Picua! Do you see that jump gate? We're going to fly right through the center to the front and use it there. That way we don't get hit by those primary cannons. You got that, Picua?"
" Sí Señor! I will do it!" responded Oscar over the comms.
"Okay, cut your cruise engines! We're gonna move in nice and quiet." Rodrigo said.
"Señor, I think I have a problem! These cruise engines won't shut down. I think the control pulled out!" shouted Oscar over the comm.
"Shut down all your power, that should cut those cruise engines."
Suddenly the power went out on Oscars ship, but there was another problem. He was headed right into the field of fire for the jump gate primary cannons. Oscar turned the power back on, and slowly it came back up. But it was too late. Several barrages of fire went past his cockpit. He was still nearly in cruise speed. His navigation and neural net came back online, then his stabilizers.
He saw the Armed Forces Patrol. His engines cut back on and he was able to use his thrusters just in time. But the slow build up of the cruise engines would be too much and leave him like a sitting duck. Then he saw the single ship. It was a Serenity Freighter. Suddenly, the HUD system lit up. He had 12 targets all in range. Of course, this meant he was in range of them as well.
"Come on, Picua! You know the tactics. Get your ship out of there!" shouted Rodrigo.
Suddenly, the Serenity freighter blasted all of its guns at once into the side of Oscar's ship. The shields went down and the nose and left wing of the ship were gone, his right wing was on fire. The voice on the neural net started babbling about all the missing pieces of his ship. He silenced it and tried to thrust away from the Serenity, there was another barrage, this time he had one choice: eject his life pod and hope for the best . . .
THE IMBALANCE OF POWERis a construct ofTHE MINDsystemic to the reactions between the subjects of the system.POWERis given by those who acknowledge such power.REFUSALto acknowledge power removes that power forTHE REBEL; however, it produces anomalies in interactions throughout the system. TheseANOMOLIEScause theUNPREDICTABLEnature of the system that all usersCRAVE.
Oscar woke up still in his life Pod. This was far better than what he had expected . . . that is, to not wake up at all. Most of the time, Outcast life pods are destroyed with the pilots in them. He noticed that his view bubble was fogged over. That could only mean one thing . . . he was no longer floating in open space. He did a quick self test, it seemed all his fingers and toes were there and wiggling, that was good news, too. He heard the sound of footsteps coming and someone shouting in the common speech. By the accent Oscar figured they were probably from Liberty. He had heard a few pilots in the spaceports at Ibiza with that accent. He wondered if these guys were like them, friendly to the Outcasts.
"It's intact commander! Let's see if he survived." said the first voice.
"Careful, don't underestimate this pilot, Crewman Foltz. He's not going to be real happy if he's awake."
The bad thing about being in a life pod is that someone else has to let you out. It's a completely helpless feeling. This was even worse.
"What do they want!" thought Oscar. His mind raced with the horrors that these Libertonians were planning for him. Then his thoughts moved to his Commanding Officer. He wondered if he got away from the battle.
There was that sound of the vacuum seal being released with a hiss, then the iconic pop with the release of the electromagnets that held the life pod cover in place. When the life pod released, he immediately put his arms forward, more to stretch them out than anything else. Someone grabbed his wrist and secured it with an electromagnetic restraining bolt. Oscar saw the man restraining him and immediately wanted to try to break free, but behind him were 6 others, and two were pointing their side arms directly at him. At that point, Oscar knew it was time to stop resisting. He offered his other wrist for securing and then just waited. He was still wondering what they wanted with him.
"Easy there fella! We ain't gon'ta hurt 'cha! There's a good lad, now just give the Cap his peace!" said one of the men. He was a bit burly and messy looking.
The rest of the men moved aside and there was another figure behind them, he seemed tall, he was wearing a pair of welding goggles resting on his head and messing up his hair. His eyes were intense and he had the smell of whiskey an ash on him.
"My name is Commander Pyro. You're on board my ship the Fire Starter. This is a trade vessel. What's your name?" he said.
Oscar did his duty, "Malta will see her revenge! Outcast numero 64F83.95. You have attacked all of Malta. You will . . . "
"Hold it there! I'm not going to hurt you unless it means the survival of me and my crew. I don't want to keep you prisoner, I need a pilot. It's a sight better than death." said Pyro.
"Malta will see her revenge!" said Oscar.
"Hmm, well, take away his rebreather. Lock up his Cardamine tank. Maybe he'll choose a little insanity over death. What d'ya think boys?" asked Pyro.
"I tink we should killem now, boss!" Said the burley one.
"Don't be too quick, Foltz, this one is young. He's gotta lotta life left in him yet. Maybe he'll realize that." said Pyro. He raised his eyebrows up at Oscar.
"Liberty doesn't give Outcasts jobs as pilots, neither does Bretonia. So exactly who are you, and why do you want me as your pilot?"
"We're a corporation, Not specifically tied to any government. We're independent, and we are free to make our own decisions. I had to leave my last pilot at Planet New London because he nearly flew us into the Planet's atmosphere. I need a pilot that has better instincts. I need a pilot that knows his way around. These guys here will do whatever I say . . . they know I'll blast any one of them into space if they risk any others of this crew."
"The way I see it," continued Pyro, "is that you have two options. One, you pilot this vessel, and my crew and I and my team of scientists take care of you and your unique requirements among the crew . . . or two, we give you back to the void."
"I should have died in space. How can you supply my Cardamine? I doubt you would carry it on board." asked Oscar.
"No, we don't have Cardamine, but we can get the medical licensing for Stabiline. We can keep you alive. You can learn what it's like to be free. And you might enjoy piloting this ship. It's pretty nice for a smaller freighter, despite its rugged look." said Pyro.
Oscar had heard of the synthetic Stabiline. He remembered the Cryer representatives that tried to convince the Outcast Consiglio dei Ministri to use it for pilots instead of Cardamine. No one liked it, it was a foreign substance, not a reminder of the homeland. And those who tested it said it just wasn't the same . . . some had reported strange effects, but it did keep them alive.
"I have a feeling I'm gonna regret this. But I'll accept your offer, only for the hope of one day seeing my home again. May the grasses of Malta never wither!"
"We've got two more stops in Bretonia and the Border worlds, then we'll head off to get you some Stabiline. Any other requests?"
"Yea, drop me off at the next Outcast post." mumbled Oscar.
"Alright boys, secure the weapons. Change the codes. Only give them to me and you four." said Pyro, pointing at Foltz and 3 other crewmen. Then he looked back at Oscar. "So, do you want me to call you Outcast numero 64F83.95 or do you prefer something a little easier to remember?"
"Picua. Just call me Picua."
THE IMBALANCE OF POWERis a construct ofTHE MINDsystemic to the reactions between the subjects of the system.POWERis given by those who acknowledge such power.REFUSALto acknowledge power removes that power forTHE REBEL; however, it produces anomalies in interactions throughout the system. TheseANOMOLIEScause theUNPREDICTABLEnature of the system that all usersCRAVE.
The ship was rocking back and forth. It felt like the auto-pilot navigation through an asteroid field. It had been weeks since he had felt the motions of the ship from his own cabin. There was a half-empty bottle of Molly Whiskey on the table and the latest cargo manifest for the Fire Starter. Every once in a while,he could hear the echo of some asteroid pieces hitting the ship hull. It seemed lately that business as usual was bringing less profits. There were only a few outposts that needed basic goods for maintenance these days. The end of the Liberty-Rheinland War meant that there were twice as many vessels in the lanes. And the Rheinland Federal Polizei were sure to be watching much closer since the trade routes were open again.
Most of the higher profit routes were for some type of ore, but those runs were even longer and more lonely for the crew. There was a notification on the holographic interactive image that floated above his desk. It was an orange blinking target. That meant one thing . . . a private secure communication. Just then, there was a beep at the door signifying someone was standing outside. He checked the camera . . . Foltz.
"Come on in, Foltz."
"Hiya Cap."
"What is it now?" inquired Pyro.
"The crew list needs updatin'. That Pirate Boy ain't been off tha ship ere since we starting playin nanny fer him. I'm thinkin he's got the cabin fever." replied Foltz. "And were gonna have to do sumtin about his pilot suit. He can't be lookin like what he is at port. Tha locals will killem on sight, an' so they'd be in their rights. I'll leave the hackin to you. Ain't nobody here can fix a rep like you, Cap."
"I don't think we can afford to let him go into the next port. That rebreather is a dead giveaway. That's gonna be tough to explain off. Try to find some civvies for him to wear. See if one of those scientists have something that will fit him. We might have to wait till we're at Atka. Switching that boy to Stabiline isn't going to be easy."
"Hopkins is about Pirate Boy's size."
"They're gonna be playing doctor with him for a while. I'll see if I can find some clothes for him on the next stop."
The next stop was deep in Rheinland. Foltz hurried back to the command deck because his holo-comm signaled an enemy ship alert. Pyro sat back in his chair. He felt like he was forgetting something. Oh yea! The private secure message. He opened it. It was from a police officer in Rheinland he'd run into on a contract haul a while back. It was one of those not so glorious moments when the legalities got a little blurred. It was a success, even if the cargo was confiscated. He managed to leave with his ship and crew. But there were still consequences. After reading, he sent a secured reply and sat back. He put his goggles on and lit up a bolt cutter and watched the magnesium burn white hot. He smiled and relaxed a bit.
THE IMBALANCE OF POWERis a construct ofTHE MINDsystemic to the reactions between the subjects of the system.POWERis given by those who acknowledge such power.REFUSALto acknowledge power removes that power forTHE REBEL; however, it produces anomalies in interactions throughout the system. TheseANOMOLIEScause theUNPREDICTABLEnature of the system that all usersCRAVE.
Atka Station was about as remote as it could be. It was the pinnacle of scientific research on pharmaceuticals by the Cryer Corporation. Oscar dreaded this day. The new clothes he was given looked like something a tourist or vacationer headed for Hawaii would wear. He knew this area well, he had friends and family that had served their time in the Maltese Nazionale in this very dust cloud. Disruption was their goal. Now he was here to be "transitioned" off his Cardamine gas on to a regular treatment of Stabaline. It seemed that every new day was full of compromises. His only choice was to comply. He hadn't been able to leave the ship since he was captured.
"Hey, Picua! Get down here! I've gotten all the paperwork finished." shouted Pyro. "They have an observation room ready, it's all set to go."
"Eperantu, Jefe! I'm coming as fast as I can. I didn't choose this, so don't go acting like I'm holding you up!" Oscar was getting a little bit more bold, lately. He didn't like being pushed around. Commander Pyro wasn't completely awful, but he was tough and had a bad temper.
"This is for you own good. You're gonna run out of that short supply of Cardamine gas soon anyway. And there's no way we can get any for you. This is your best chance for survival. So pick up the pace will ya, this procedure ain't cheap and neither are the permits I have to file with nearly every house in Sirius. Let's go, this way!"
They went down a couple of corridors and then they came to a screening area. The observation rooms were solid white and there was cleaning facility attached as a pass through for the entrance. A man and a woman in white lab coats and fully sealed observation suits showed up.
"Welcome to Cryer. I'm Doctor Holman," said the man, "and this is Doctor Sweeney."
They both motioned to the cleaning chamber. "Please, take off your rebreather, and your clothes. You can put on the sterile suit in the room. The cleaning AI will make sure there are no contaminants."
Oscar's eyes widened. This was going to far more unpleasant than he thought. There was a table in the room that looked like an operating table. Then he noticed the retraining bolts and straps. He thought, "Is that a head restraint?" Without even thinking, he began to bolt for the door. Pyro caught him, Foltz and a couple of other crew members were standing just outside the room in the hall. He had nowhere to go.
"Look, I know this is against everything you've ever known. I get it. But we can't send you back, you can't survive in this sector with our help, and we need a good pilot like yourself. Just let them do the procedure. In the end, you'll be free of this contraption." Pyro tapped on his rebreather.
"Jefe, this looks like it will hurt. I am afraid. What if I die?"
"We have tested this procedure before," interrupted Doctor Holman, "We haven't lost a subject for quite a long time."
Pyro rolled his eyes at Holman and said, "Look, comments like that aren't going to do anyone any good at all."
"Jefe!" exclaimed Oscar.
"It's like he said, they have a good survival rate." Pyro was hopeful.
"Okay, but I still say this really sucks!" Oscar went into the AI cleaning room and complied.
Pyro and Foltz had been waiting on the ship to hear from Doctors Holman and Sweeney. There was a drinking game going on with a couple of crew members in the galley. The scientists were all in Atka taking tours with the Cryer executives. It had been nearly 4 hours, then there was a communique coming in from Doctor Sweeney. "We are finished. The subject is doing well. He's going to need some more rest, but he can be released from care now. Make sure you have purchased some stabiline. We were able to transition him, but the effects of the Cardamine cannot be undone."
"Thanks, Doc!" Pyro was surprised. He hadn't even looked twice at Doctor Sweeney, but without the protective gear she was quite noticeable.
THE IMBALANCE OF POWERis a construct ofTHE MINDsystemic to the reactions between the subjects of the system.POWERis given by those who acknowledge such power.REFUSALto acknowledge power removes that power forTHE REBEL; however, it produces anomalies in interactions throughout the system. TheseANOMOLIEScause theUNPREDICTABLEnature of the system that all usersCRAVE.
"Commander Pyro, I believe we have a situation." reported Foltz, "We haven't heard from nobody in Triple Hazard Pay headquarters."
Pyro looked blankly at the halon ion emitter he held in his hand. He thought, "This ought to create some . . ."
"Wait, you mean no one in Corporate Headquarters is responding?" replied Pyro, shaken out of his daydream.
"That's just it, we tried all the channels, public, private, secure comms, there just ain't no figurin it. It's like they just ain't there."
"Did you check to make sure that all our equipment is working?"
"We did the systems diagnosis and it showed no problems. We also tested a couple of other channels and they were working, no problems." confirmed Foltz.
"Alright, have you checked with any of the other ships?"
"We received replies from all but one . . . The Magnificent Lunatic"
"Well, that's sounds like we need to stop by corporate and discover what's going on. Set course for Corporate Headquarters." instructed Pyro.
Once the Fire Starter came into range, it was evident that something very bad had happened. The base used for Triple Hazard Pay, Inc. was obviously in disrepair. The landing bays and defense turrets were all on line, but communication channels were not open.
"Send in Wilhelm. We need a sitrep from inside. Tell him to take two others and keep their eyes open!" ordered Pyro.
Once inside, Wilhelm reported over his suit comm.
"Well, there's no one here. except the usual crew. They completely ran out of repair materials. All the Corporate offices are empty. Even Binghamton is gone. Looks like he cleared out all his equipment and paperwork with him. There's some kind of file left behind on this chair. It says "Troubleshooters." It looks like some kind of corporate espionage initiative. Ever heard of this boss?" asked Wilhelm.
"It was some hair-brained idea from the Loon. Bring it back to the ship. Alright, so any sign of the banking records?" asked Pyro.
"Well, it looks like the Holointeractive systems for the station are up and running. I'll patch it through to the ships console."
"Mark it for my eyes only and encrypt the transfer." ordered Pyro.
After looking through the records, Pyro discovered it was just a sudden disappearance. There was no evidence to explain much of what happened. Just that Binghamton and the rest of the office personnel were gone. Pyro started a search of different official communication channels to see if there was any clues to their disappearances. After a broader search there was one file found and it was marked encrypted. The title was "Triple Hazard Pay" and the encryption came from higher than House government.
Dead end. That was all this was: a sudden disappearance and some secret encrypted communication. "Now what?" was all Pyro could think. He had been promoted early on to Second in Command along with White. Sharing the responsibilities made it a little easier. But now there was no one leading. "Better step up, or there won't be anything left!" he thought.
Pyro opened a broadcast comm. "Alright people. It's time to face these new challenges head on. Wilhelm, you take over the Corporate Offices as Chief Liaison. Where's Vanessa?"
"Right here, boss." replied Vanessa.
"You work with Wilhelm. He's going to need backup and some secretarial work." ordered Pyro.
"A Secretary!? Really? How am I supposed to be a secretary? I'm a power-core technician!"
"Yea, but you also know your way around people, and you've got excellent communication skills. Besides, with all the power problems there, you should have your hands full."
"Well, I don't like it . . . for the record. But I'll do it boss."
Wilhelm and Vanessa went into the base and started getting everything back in order. Vanessa immediately went to work on the power core.
"Looks like we're going to need some supplies, boss. I'm sending you a work order now. I'll go ahead and begin a routine program for reordering the necessities as they arise. That should keep us from going into low power mode again."
"Good work, Vanessa. Wilhelm, access the digital records and contact all our previous contracts. Check for any new communications to the corporate comm."
"Alright, Boss." replied Wilhelm.
"Picua, are you to snuff?"
" Jefe. I'm okay now." replied Oscar, "Those pills seem to be working alright."
"Picua, let's get the Fire Starter prepped. We have some routine work that needs to be done. Wilhelm and Vanessa, prepare for more people calling in. I'm making an announcement today on the public communication channels."
THE IMBALANCE OF POWERis a construct ofTHE MINDsystemic to the reactions between the subjects of the system.POWERis given by those who acknowledge such power.REFUSALto acknowledge power removes that power forTHE REBEL; however, it produces anomalies in interactions throughout the system. TheseANOMOLIEScause theUNPREDICTABLEnature of the system that all usersCRAVE.