Their Solitary Way
Read Their Solitary Way Online
Authors: JN Chaney
J. N. Chaney
Copyrighted Material
Copyright © 2016 by Variant Publications
Book design and layout copyright © 2016 by Variant Publications
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Jeff Chaney or Variant Publications.
1st Edition
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Table of Contents
For James,
Who continues to believe
I’m better at this than I really am.
Some natural tears they dropp'd, but wip'd them soon;
The world was all before them, where to choose
Their place of rest, and Providence their guide:
They hand in hand with wand'ring steps and slow
Through Eden took their solitary way.
-John Milton, Paradise Lost
TO THE HIGH COUNCIL OF FIORE
My Dear Councilors,
The enemy is at our gates, preparing to destroy what little remains of The Empire.
The Ministry of War speaks of a turning tide, but I see on each of your faces the same grim understanding: the war we have waged for two generations is over and we have lost.
Soon everything our species has built, everything we have achieved, will be buried beneath the ash of our bones with only ghosts to mourn our passing.
But this doesn’t have to be. We can still save our future. The billions that have died to give us just one more year will have done more than delayed the inevitable. Our species may yet live, but to do so, we must accept the hard reality of our fate.
We must dare to do one simple thing.
Councilors, we must surrender Fiore. We must abandon our world.
Authorize my mission, and give me the resources needed to secure Humanity’s future. The Eden remains the fastest ship in the fleet, capable of carrying thousands across the galaxy to some far-flung world.
Our salvation lies before us.
We need only reach out and take it.
- Adam Kadmon, Captain of the Eden
“How long has it
been now?” asked Adam. He tapped the control pad on his armchair, revealing a holographic display of the nearby star cluster.
“Since we left Fiore?” asked Lilith. Her face appeared in the corner of the view-screen, auburn hair flowing down her shoulders. She stood before a glowing, white background. “Approximately six years, eight months, and three days…or would you like a more precise timeframe?”
“I was only curious. More importantly, what’s with the hair? I thought you were going blonde.”
“I was, but I thought I’d try something different. Don’t you like it? I can change it back if you don’t.” Her hair color suddenly phased to blonde. She grinned. “Better?”
“Careful. You’ll make the other girls jealous. Not everyone can do that, you know.”
“Being me has its advantages.” She ran a finger through her hair, changing the color back to red. “I think I’ll stick with this for now.”
He chuckled. “What’s the ship’s status?”
“Beautiful. Strong.” She stretched out her arms. “Healthy as the day I was born, thank you.” A moment later, the space behind her morphed into a lake. She stood on a long wooden dock, dressed in a fashionable two-piece bathing suit. Her ruby eyes sparkled in the artificial sunlight, and she smiled.
“You know what I mean.”
“I hope this isn’t too distracting for you,” she said, twisting her hips.
“Lilith…”
She frowned. “Fine, but I’m keeping the beach.” She snapped her fingers, replacing the swimsuit with a standard military uniform. “Anyway, the ship is operating at 96.4% efficiency. A gradual decline from last week’s numbers, but hardly worthy of concern. We’ll be arriving at the next jump in approximately 89 minutes. As usual, I’ll handle the details.”
“You’re the best.”
“I’m a lot of things,” she said, lifting her chin. “Poet, artist, beauty queen, pilot. You name it.”
“Don’t forget Delta Class Starship,” he said.
“The least of my personas,” she said, fanning her hand dismissively. “But also true. You’d be lost without me. Literally.”
“Don’t remind me,” said Adam. He’d known Lilith for years, even before she became the Eden’s cyberbrain. He still remembered seeing her in flight school. In those days, she was human—a little shy, but stubborn. The top of her graduating class. Years later, she was shot down while flying over Sheol. After several successful campaigns and a dozen commendations, her career came to an abrupt end. The attack left her severely injured, paralyzed from the neck down.
Less than two years later, military intelligence approached her with an offer to join the CyberBrain Initiative. They promised her a ship of her own and a chance to get back in the field. She didn’t hesitate. When they asked which ship she wanted, she requested the Eden, captained by the recently promoted Adam Kadmon, her oldest friend.
“Captain,” called a voice. It was Uriel. She stood at attention, holding a small data-pad in her left hand.
“Something wrong, Lieutenant?” he asked.
“Abel asked me to give this to you,” she said, lifting the pad.
“Thank you. That’ll be all for now.”
“Yes, sir. I’m heading to Security for my shift.” She snapped to attention again, and proceeded to leave the bridge. Uriel had always been too formal, despite Adam’s protests. She was an officer in every sense of the word, bred from a family of soldiers. She could trace her lineage all the way back to the Seraphim Knights, one of the most esteemed units in military history.
She was also Adam’s daughter-in-law.
“What is it?” asked Lilith.
Adam flinched at the sudden question.
“What’s wrong? Forget I was here?”
He smiled at her and turned the data-pad on. “Looks like a formal request,” he said. “Abel wants to take a scout ship when we arrive.”
“Seems safe enough. Why send a pad, though? I can’t find anything wrong with the com.”
“Maybe he didn’t want you to know about it,” said Adam, arching his brow.
“If so, you just ruined it. Nice one.” She winked.
“I’ll ask him about it later,” he said. His eyes wandered over to the door to the bridge, where Uriel had left. He paused for a few seconds and then turned back to Lilith’s monitor. “Say, can you send Uriel and Abel a note and tell them I’d like to have dinner this week?” He paused. “Actually, go ahead and invite the whole family.”
“Feeling fatherly, are we?” she asked.
“You know me,” he said, rolling his eyes.
She smiled. “I certainly do.”
The walls of the ship stretched and howled, a sign that the Eden was coming out of warp.
“That was quick,” said Seth, turning on his side in bed. His eyes met Azura’s. “I was hoping we still had a few hours.”
She sighed, then kissed him on the nose. “Time to go. Don’t want to be late for your shift.”
“I can deal with being late,” he said, burying his face in her neck.
She giggled as he proceeded to attack her with a barrage of kisses, then pushed him back with her finger. “What if Uriel comes looking for you? We don’t want her seeing us together.”
“She
is
inquisitive, that one.”
“Comes with being a security officer, doesn’t it?”
He raised his brow. “Between you and me, I’ve never been much of a problem solver.”
“Oh, give yourself a little credit,” said Azura. “I’m sure if you tried, you could do basic math.”
He smiled, and pretended to bite her nose.
She laughed and pushed him away with her foot. “Better get going, Lieutenant.”
He frowned. “Yes, ma’am.”
Seth grabbed his shirt and got dressed. “See you soon,” he told her, lingering at the door.
“I’ll follow you shortly,” she said.
“Just don’t let anyone see you leaving the room.”
“Relax. This isn’t my first time, you know.”
He grinned. “Until later.”
“See you tonight, handsome.”
Seth headed into the corridor, letting the door shut behind him. He wished he could walk with her, open and unfiltered, in front of everyone.
This will have to do for now,
he thought.
The rest will come in time.
A few minutes after he arrived, Azura would join him on the bridge. Their secret would last another day, and that was good. Not because he liked it—not because he was embarrassed—but for his father’s sake.
He and Azura’s fathers had been friends ever since their time in the academy. They remained friends for nearly twenty years, despite the distance and hardship that came with interstellar war. During the campaign, Azura’s father had died suddenly, but not because of the enemy. No, his own body had killed him.
As Azura put it, he was never the kind of man to get himself checked out. Not often enough, anyway. So when his leg started hurting, he simply dealt with it on his own. Plenty of soldiers experienced joint problems after twenty years of military service. He never expected an aneurysm to come from it. He died in under two minutes.
Seth’s father was devastated, and vowed to look after Azura. He treated her like she was his own daughter.