The Outer Worlds: Book One of the Epherian Chronicles (4 page)

‘
Yes you can,’ said Michael. ‘We will be contained in vacuum
proof sleeping pods. Program one of the Out Drifter’s external bots
to open the container. When we float out you can pick each of us up
with the external robotic arm and load us into the
airlock.’

‘…
It’s a crazy plan, Captain, but I think it will
work…’

CHAPTER
TWO

Ivan’s body
was lying on the workshop table in the cargo bay. It had taken
several hours to locate him floating in space after he had been
sucked out along with everything else in the space station’s
storage hold. The lasers had destroyed his internal battery and
damaged a large part of his hydraulic motor.

Michael
brought a power cord and connected it to the power outlet which was
hanging out of his chest. Ivan instantly opened his eyes.

‘
Captain, I have sustained severe damage to my battery and my
alternator will need to be replaced.’

‘
I’m glad you are still alive,’ said Michael.

‘
Technically, most people would say I am not alive,
Captain.’

‘
What I’m really trying to say is that I am glad your
processing unit and memory circuits are operational.’

‘
I comprehend your meaning, Captain.’

Sara walked
into the cargo bay. ‘We’re travelling at interstellar speed and
should arrive at Timber 5 in eight days, but we still have nothing
to sell to the scrappers,’ she said.

‘
We have to change course for Zeno Par,’ said
Michael.

‘
Zeno Par,’ repeated Sara, her eyes narrowing. ‘That would take
us through the alien battle zone. We could go the long way around,
but we probably wouldn’t have enough fuel to make it back to Timber
5. The reactor fuel level is below thirty percent.’

‘
The aliens won’t be able to intercept us if we are travelling
at interstellar speed.’

‘
Don’t bet on it,’ she said soberly. ‘I was once in a battle
convoy of thirty ships travelling through alien controlled space.
We thought there was no way they could stop us, but they used a
sophisticated gravitational technology to draw some of our ships
out of interstellar speed. They destroyed those ships before we
even knew what was happening.’

‘
It’s a risk we have to take,’ he said.

‘
Why Zeno Par?’ she asked.

‘
There’s someone I need to find.’

‘
I thought we were a salvage crew, not bounty hunters,’ she
said, crossing her arms.

‘
I’m not after a bounty,’ he said.

‘
Then what are you after?’ Michael didn’t answer. ‘Captain, I
don’t know about this idea. We’ve already been out in space for
five weeks, and we still have nothing.’

‘
I will compensate the crew.’

‘
That’s very kind of you, but you know we won’t take your
money.’

‘
Listen, Sara, I don’t expect you to come all the way out to
Zeno Par without being paid.’

**

A few hours
later the crew were sitting in the living room which was a small
area situated in the midsection of the ship. There was a central
metal table which was surrounded by mismatched chairs and
comfortable couches.

‘
I’m still in shock, Cap. I can’t believe you managed to get us
out of that mess,’ said Ajax as he swigged back on a bottle of Blue
Obliteration, which was a chemically enhanced alcoholic beverage.
The slogan on the bottle read:
Guaranteed
obliteration of your blues.

‘
We were lucky,’ said Ethan.

‘
No, it wasn’t luck; it was Cap’s quick thinking,’ said Ajax.
He took another swig. ‘So, Cap, why are you taking us out to Zeno
Par?’

‘
There is someone I have to find.’

‘
Someone?’ questioned Ajax.

‘
He once lived in the Epherian Empire.’

‘
Was he cast out of the empire like you?’ asked
Sara.

‘
Yes, he is living in exile. I have been searching for him for
many years. I knew he was somewhere in the outer regions of the
galaxy. I didn’t think I would ever find him. There are five
hundred and eleven civilised planets and thousands of smaller
colonies in the Outer Worlds. I was searching for one man among
trillions.’

‘
Why is he important?’ asked Ethan.

Michael cast
his eyes down for a moment before answering. ‘The name he uses in
exile is Acacius Trifon. It would not be right for me to attempt to
explain why I must find him at this time; nevertheless, when we
find him you will see why he is important. Until then I will ask
you to trust me. This mission is essential.’

‘
All right, Cap, if you say so,’ said Ajax.

‘
We have to stop at space station X5126 to replenish the oxygen
tanks and repair Ivan,’ said Sara. ‘After the stopover we will take
a course through the alien battle zone to Zeno Par.’

‘
The alien battle zone,’ said Ajax, shaking his head. ‘That
doesn’t sound like a good idea.’

‘
We don’t have enough fuel to go the long way around, and they
don’t do reactor replenishments on X5126,’ said Michael. ‘We might
be able to replenish the reactor at Zeno Par, but we won’t know
until we arrive. To be sure, we have to cut a path through the
alien battle zone to make it back to Timber 5 before we deplete the
reactor.’

‘
Nasty. This plan looks like impatience to me,’ said Ajax, his
eyes darting back to Michael. ‘We should turn the ship back to
Timber 5 and go looking for your friend after
refuelling.’

‘
We can’t delay this mission,’ said Michael. ‘I scanned the
news signals on the open information networks. I gathered all the
information I could about Zeno Par. Reports are circulating that
the aliens are about to invade the Zeno Par System. We have to find
Acacius Trifon before they do.’

**

It was a two
day journey to the space station X5126 travelling at interstellar
speed. X5126 was situated in an area just outside alien controlled
space. The station was an old trading outpost that once belonged to
the Trade Guild. The Trade Guild later sold it to the Precious
Elements Alliance who had recently given up on the station due to
its close proximity to the alien controlled space. X5126 was now
owned by a group of shady individuals. It was considered a lawless
outpost, and not many people would choose to go there unless they
could hold their own in a gunfight.

Captain
Michael was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat in the control room as
Sara guided the Out Drifter toward the massive space station. Ajax
was standing at the door and watching on as the ship approached.
The station gradually became visible through the viewing panel.
X5126 looked like a gigantic rectangular block; it was at least two
kilometres in length and about seven hundred metres in width and
floating in a close orbit around a small red dwarf star called
Ambrose 80.

‘
We have clearance to land in docking bay 28,’ said
Sara.

A series of
large docking bay space doors were located about half way along the
mid-section of the station. Some of them were big enough for larger
cruisers to dock, but most of the bays were for small transports
and single pilot spacecraft. Larger ships would have to connect to
the station using an extendable corridor with a security door
affixed to one side; such corridors were known as extender arms.
Sara glided the Out Drifter toward the docking bay. The ship slowly
drifted through the directed artificial gravity field. Directed
gravitational fields were used throughout the galaxy to prevent a
pressurised atmosphere escaping into space.

The Out
Drifter entered one of the largest docking bays and three strobe
lights indicated their landing site on the steel platform. Sara
brought the ship gently down and powered off the reactor.

Michael, Sara
and Ajax then walked back to the cargo bay. Ethan had placed Ivan’s
body on a hover trolley.

‘
All right, let’s say hello to X5126. Be careful; this station
has a bad reputation,’ said Michael. ‘Remember there’s no law
here.’ He slung his rifle over his shoulder. ‘Ajax; I want you to
buy the supplies. Ethan and Sara; the two of you can replenish the
oxygen tanks and life support systems. I’ll go and find someone who
can work on Ivan. We’ll meet later at one of the local saloons
before we leave.’

‘
Be careful, Captain,’ said Sara.

‘
Don’t worry about me; I can look after myself,’ he said with a
wry smile.

Michael pushed
the trolley through the exit door and stepped onto the platform.
The rest of the crew followed after him. He was instantly met by a
bulky man with a bald head and a deeply lined face.

The man
cleared his throat before speaking. ‘Welcome to our space station,’
he said. ‘My name is Budo. I’m the owner of this docking
platform.’

Michael stared
into Budo’s muddy eyes and wondered what he could possibly want.
‘Did you receive our transfer of guild credits?’

‘
Yes, yes,’ said Budo with a sly grin and cold eyes. ‘I
received your payment for the first twelve hours. I wanted to
explain our terms before you enter the station.’

‘
What terms?’ asked Sara sharply.

‘
If you’re not back within twelve hours we will confiscate your
ship.’

‘
What’s this rubbish you’re talking about?’ asked Ajax
gruffly.

‘
It’s our policy,’ said Budo. ‘Your ship is ours if you don’t
leave within twelve hours. You can, of course, pay for an
extension; however, such extensions must be paid in full before
your time is up.’

‘
Your rates are nothing short of robbery!’ snapped
Sara.

Budo shook his
head and sniggered. ‘You are welcome to leave if you think you can
find a lower price on another platform.’

‘
We’ll be back in less than twelve hours,’ said Michael as he
pushed the trolley around Budo.

Ethan sealed
the Out Drifter’s exit door and switched on the triple quantum
encryption lock and the automatic security system. The crew then
crossed the platform and arrived at the service elevator doors.
Generally elevators could take them anywhere within the space
station.

Michael pushed
the trolley into one of the elevators. ‘I’ll contact you after Ivan
is repaired,’ he said to the crew as the elevator doors slid
shut.

‘
WELCOME TO ELEVATOR 57,’ said a robotic monotone voice from
the control console. ‘WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO?’

‘
Elevator, take me to someone who repairs androids.’

‘
THERE ARE NINE POSSIBILITIES.’

‘
Who gets the worst reviews?’

‘
THOMPSON VEGA, LEVEL 114, APARTMENT 331’

‘
Take me there.’

‘
WOULDN’T YOU PREFER SUNORDER CAVA CORPORATION? THEY HAVE
REMARKABLE REVIEWS AND OFFER THE HIGHEST QUALITY
SERVICE’

‘
Are they paying you to say that?’ He waited for an answer, but
the elevator didn’t reply. ‘I thought so. Take me to Thompson
Vega.’

‘
REQUEST ACCEPTED. PLEASE TRANSFER TWO TRADE GUILD
CREDITS.’

Michael took
his Guild Credit Transfer Device (commonly known as a GCTD) from
his belt bag. The GCTD was a small handheld device with a glowing
sensory keypad. Such devices were very common throughout the entire
galaxy and almost everyone carried a GCTD. The Trade Guild credit
was the universally accepted galactic currency because the Trade
Guild had been endorsed by the Epherian Empire. The Trade Guild had
been in the currency business since the time shortly after the
arrival of humanity in the Triangulum Galaxy.

GCTDs were
also impossible to hack and once they were assigned to an
individual they could never be transferred to another person. There
were no confirmed incidents of anyone being able to break the
encryption of a GCTD. The Trade Guild had been at the forefront of
computer technology for centuries. The guild’s encryption
technology was extremely advanced. A common myth which circulated
throughout the galaxy was that part of the GCTD actually existed in
a different spacial dimension, so any attempt to reverse engineer
the GCTD was bound to fail unless the means to access extra spacial
dimensions was also available to the engineer. Knowledge of
extradimensional technology was beyond the capability of most
electronic engineers.

The GCTD
beeped and two credits were instantly transferred. The elevator
began to move, and twenty seconds later the door slid open.
Directly ahead was the entrance to Sunorder Cava Corporation.

Michael sighed
and shook his head. ‘Elevator, what are you doing? I told you to
take me to Thompson Vega.’

‘
I AM NOT PROGRAMMED TO ACCEPT ILLOGICAL REQUESTS,’ said the
elevator.

‘
You mean that you’re programmed to take me where I don’t want
to go, or rather, where your owner will be paid a commission.’
Michael drew his plasma pistol and pointed it at the elevator’s
control console. ‘I don’t want to have to ask again. Take me to
Thompson Vega or I will take my two credits value out of
you.’

‘
REQUEST ACCEPTED.’ The door slid shut. About ten seconds later
the door reopened. Michael looked out on a very long and dim
corridor. For a moment he had second thoughts. Only a handful of
fluorescent lights lit the corridor and half the lights were
flickering. ‘LEVEL 114 AS REQUESTED.’