Osirion's Ascent Read online

  “It feels good to be back.” Dani sighed, stopping next to him. “We have some down time; shouldn’t you be off wooing the new girl?”

  Jag laughed. “Plenty of time for that later.”

  Dani rolled her eyes and shook her head.

  “What I wouldn’t give for a drink right now.” Jag sighed.

  “Hey, remember what Patrick said,” Dani warned.

  “Yeah, yeah, don’t worry. I wouldn’t bring anything onboard that would compromise our mission.” Jag squeezed an arm around Dani. “Too much to lose.”

  Dani leaned her head on his shoulder. “It is good to be back out here, though.”

  Zadria walked around the corner and Jag shoved Dani to the side.

  “Good evening.” He smiled and bowed, but Zadria continued on toward her room, not giving him a second glance.

  “Your game needs some serious work.” Dani glared at him, rubbing her neck.

  Jag stood in the middle of the hallway, staring down towards Zadria’s quarters, seemingly oblivious to Dani’s look. “She’s something else.”

  “You’ve got that right,” she mumbled. “I don’t trust her.”

  “Yeah, well, neither do I. But you don’t need to trust someone in order to—”

  “Stop. I’ve heard enough. I’m going to turn in.”

  Cruz and Cassia made their way down the corridor next. Cassia was giggling at Cruz, Carl butting his head against her leg as they made their way down the hall.

  Jag smiled at the two of them, almost longingly. “Well, I’m going to hit the gym and see if I can’t work off some of this... frustration.”

  “You do that.” Dani sighed and started toward her quarters as Jag went the opposite way down the hall.

  “Dani, a word? In private?” Howard hustled up behind her.

  “Sure, Howard,” she said as the door to her quarters slid open. “Come on in.”

  Howard took a seat at the small table, looking troubled.

  “What’s up?” Dani asked as she sat down across from him.

  “Something doesn’t feel right,” Howard confessed. “First the weapons and shields being manually disabled, and now a perfect test flight.”

  “So, perfect is bad?” Dani laughed. “Since when?”

  “When have you ever had a perfect test flight on a GC craft?”

  “Valid point, but this thing is supposed to be state-of-the-art, right? It’s not like they’re mass-producing these babies.” Dani patted the wall.

  “Right, this is the first time it’s been out here, or so they say. Shouldn’t there be some kind of issue that needs attention? In my experience, if something is too good to be true then it usually is.”

  “You know, that thought did run through my mind. But I figured they just had so much money wrapped up in this project that they didn’t want to risk shoddy craftsmanship.”

  “Maybe.” Howard nodded.

  “While you're here, can I ask you something?” Dani leaned forward in her chair, lowering her voice.

  “Yes, of course.” Howard stared at her, puzzled.

  “I know you arranged a lot of things for my... release from prison.”

  Howard chuckled softly. “I did.”

  “Did you ever hire a girl to give me a set of coordinates on the inside?”

  Howard stared at her blankly. “Coordinates? No, what do you mean?”

  Dani bit the inside of her cheek, studying his face. She was almost certain he was being truthful. “Never mind, just something a little odd is all. Not on Osirion either, right?”

  “No, what’s this about?”

  “Nothing. I’m sure it’s nothing. Let’s just keep our eyes and ears open for anything unusual.”

  “Agreed.” Howard nodded and stood before heading to the door. Just before opening it, he turned and looked at Dani once more, this time concerned. “Where did the coordinates lead?”

  Dani hesitated with a deep breath before pulling up the coordinates on the small, private console in her quarters. The small screen lacked the detail and realness of the holographic display in the bridge, but the sight was still enough to catch Howard’s attention.

  He briskly walked across the room and leaned close to the screen before righting himself and turning to Dani. “Is that...?”

  “Where Dad’s ship went down.” Her voice was shaky and quiet as the words tumbled out.

  Howard sighed and patted Dani on the shoulder before scratching his stubbly chin. “I think you should stay away from there, my dear.”

  Dani shook her head and shrugged. “It’s not like I could just drive by anyway, not with Patrick keeping tabs on us. I was just hoping you knew something.”

  Howard’s eyes glanced at the screen and narrowed before he briskly made his way toward the door. He stopped, his hand poised above the control panel. “I’m serious, Dani, it’s best to let this one go.”

  Dani watched as Howard left her room and closed the door behind him. Part of her knew he was right. Her previous obsession with the wreckage site had nearly gotten her rank stripped. Still, it was difficult for her to let go, especially when someone kept pointing her that direction.

  She stared at the screen on her console for another moment before switching it off. Trying to push the demise of her father’s ship out of her mind, Dani crawled into bed after grabbing her port-con. She looked over Osirion’s stats once more and triple-checked the autopilot settings before rolling onto her side and staring out the window to the stars outside.

  The gentle rotation of the distant, fiery giants as Osirion orbited around Houston left her with mixed emotions. She felt at home, but also increasingly alone. She checked the port-con once more and closed her eyes.

  * * *

  Dani woke in a cold sweat as warning alarms and lights lit the interior of the ship in red. A quick glance at her screen showed that a weapons system had locked onto Osirion.

  “Crew to the bridge!” she yelled into the comm still nestled into her ear as she leapt out of bed and dashed through her door and into the hall.

  “Easy.” Patrick’s laughing greeted her in return as she made her way to the bridge just as the alarms stopped.

  “You?” Dani gasped as her disheveled, half-dressed crew made it to the bridge right behind her.

  “Thought we’d have a little fun with your wake-up call this morning,” he announced on the comm.

  “False alarm, guys. Patrick’s just being an ass.” Dani waved the crew back to their quarters.

  Dani’s eyes fluttered, and she sighed as Patrick’s laughter continued in her ear while she made her way back to her room. She pulled the comm from her ear and splashed water on her face. A stretch and head-roll later, Dani found herself staring out the window as Houston gradually eclipsed her view of the stars. She had to admit, it was an impressive ship. It looked much bigger from the outside than it felt on the inside with its narrow halls and lack of decor.

  “Did you get that out of your system?” she asked Patrick, replacing the comm device in her ear.

  “Oh, it was funny and you know it.”

  She smirked as she stepped back into the hall and made her way to the kitchen. It was a little funny after all. “Enough tooling around. When’s our first real mission?”

  “You’re eager to risk your life,” Patrick replied in her ear.

  “It’s what we do.” She smiled as Cruz entered and poured them each a cup of coffee.

  “Alright, I need to check a few things and I’ll get back to you.”

  Dani exhaled slowly and closed her eyes as she sipped the coffee, letting the warm liquid rush through her mouth. “Mmm, thank you.”

  Cruz nodded and lifted his mug before setting it on the table and pouring four more.

  The rest of the crew filtered into the kitchen, grabbing their coffee and various breakfast snacks.

  “I hope he doesn’t make a habit out of that,” Cassia groaned as she sat at the table.

  “Sounds like you might have stayed up too lat
e.” Jag nudged her with his elbow.

  Her glare made him cringe and redirect his attention to Zadria.

  “I was up late, too, in the gym... working out.”

  The entire crew ignored Jag’s attempts to impress them with his flexing.

  “I’m ready for some action. What do you say, are you guys up for a real mission?” Dani grinned with enthusiasm. Her question caused the crew to light up. If they weren’t fully awake before, they certainly were now.

  “I was born ready,” Jag blurted out quickly.

  “Permission to speak freely?” Zadria asked from the corner.

  “Granted,” Dani answered skeptically.

  “I’m not sure it’s a good idea just yet. The missions are quite risky, and we don’t want to be reckless going into these.”

  Dani watched her, silently sipping her coffee.

  “I mean,” Zadria continued, “I get that you’re eager to get back to it, but it’s not worth risking our lives just so you can feel like your old self again.”

  Dani raised her eyes to her crew questioningly. If anyone lacked confidence in her abilities, they certainly hadn’t made it known.

  “If I may speak for the group,” Cassia chimed in. “We have the utmost confidence that Dani will perform her duties to the best of her ability, just like she always has. We’ve been together for years, and a brief stint away from one another isn’t going to change that.”

  “Hear, hear.” Jag raised his mug, Cruz following suit.

  Howard stepped into the kitchen and quickly retrieved the last mug of coffee on the table. After a few drinks, he looked back and forth between Dani, the crew, and Zadria. “Did I miss something?”

  “What about you, old man?” Jag stood and draped his arm over Howard’s shoulders. “Do you have confidence that Dani can lead us through our first mission successfully?”

  “Of course, why wouldn’t I? She’s gotten us this far, hasn’t she?” Howard shrugged Jag’s arm off of his shoulders and slapped him upside the head. “What kind of dumb question is that, anyway?”

  Dani cleared her throat and gestured to Zadria with her eyebrows. She was annoyed at Zadria’s question, but not entirely surprised. In fact, Dani wondered if Patrick had fed Zadria the line himself. It certainly seemed like something he’d say.

  Howard caught on. “Oh, right. Well, Dani’s a fine leader. She’s always had our backs, and even though the missions are always dangerous, I’ve never really worried too much.”

  Dani cocked her head to the side. “Zadria, how long have you been a mission coordinator?”

  “Well...” She paused, looking down at her feet. “This is actually my first assignment on a ship with such a... unique purpose.”

  Dani smiled and nodded. “It’s just jitters then. Perfectly normal. The tests went well. There’s not much sense in delaying the inevitable, right? We all get a little antsy the first time.”

  Zadria nodded, but didn’t seem to feel any better about the situation. Her port-con dinged and her eyes widened.

  “Is everything okay?” Dani asked as she rinsed her mug.

  “We should get to the bridge.” Zadria's voice quivered slightly.

  “You heard her, crew. Let’s move.”

  Dani led the way to the bridge and relaxed into her chair as the others took their positions.

  “Incoming transmission from the Houston,” Cassia announced.

  “Go ahead and bring it up on the screen,” Dani instructed.

  Patrick’s face filled the large screen covering the closed panels of the windshield. “Captain Devereaux, are you and your crew ready for your first mission?”

  “Most of us.” Dani smiled. “What have you got?

  “Sending the details to Swift now. We’ve scanned the surrounding area and picked up a wormhole. It must be relatively young—maybe a few months old, which is good. Our research indicates that the age of the wormhole plays a role in its stability. The younger it is, the more stable.”

  “Great, so you’d like us to check it out?” Dani asked.

  “Yes, but we have another task for you prior to that. We need you to fly the cruiser over here and pick up a few more supplies. Our team created new measurement devices that will aid us in our tests.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “The size of the equipment means that only two of you will be able to man the craft. I’m requesting Swift and Reinhart.”

  Dani raised her eyebrows, ignoring Jag’s fist pump in the corner of her eye. “Jag? Really?”

  Patrick sighed on the screen. “Don’t ask. I need you on Osirion, and Zadria can fly the cruiser; she can give Jag a tutorial. He’s flown similar crafts before, yes?”

  “Yes, I have, many times.” Jag grinned. “It will be my pleasure to escort Ms. Swift.”

  “Great.” Patrick seemed less than enthused. “You should be able to see Docking Bay 6 by the time you get situated in the cruiser if you go now.”

  Dani nodded to them both, the pair getting up and leaving the bridge.

  “How’s Zadria adjusting?” Patrick asked, lowering his voice.

  Dani narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “She’s a little green, but we’re working on it. Why did you send me a rookie?”

  “She was top of her class at the academy. Lots of promise. She actually volunteered for the mission, believe it or not.”

  Dani’s suspicions rose, but she kept her mouth shut. She didn’t want to address her concerns in front of the rest of the crew and instead made a mental note to talk to Patrick later on. A light on her console drew her attention.

  “The cruiser has disengaged. They’re on their way,” Dani advised.

  “I had better get down there.”

  “Transmission ended,” Cassia announced before turning to look at Dani, puzzled. “How could she volunteer for a mission that’s not on the books?”

  Cassia had asked one of the questions Dani had floating around in her mind.

  “Let’s keep an eye on her.” Dani was relieved to know she wasn’t alone in her worry. “And don’t let her get too close.”

  Dani sat back in her chair and watched the cruiser’s tracking while Cruz and Cassia got more familiar with the new systems.

  “Well, I think I’m going to go wander around a bit,” Howard said, standing.

  “Don’t get lost,” Dani said sarcastically as she laughed.

  Howard chuckled and pointed to his ear. “I’m wearing my comm, just in case.”

  Dani breathed a sigh of relief as the cruiser safely pulled into Docking Bay 6.

  “So, what do you two think about Osirion?”

  “It will take some getting used to, but the navigation system is much more user friendly. Larger reach too,” Cruz signed excitedly as he quickly returned to his work.

  Dani’s eyes lingered on Cruz a moment as he bent over his console and happily plugged away at the keys. She started to wonder if she should tell him about the coordinates after all. He was one of the few people she trusted, and he did have a knack for finding things.

  “It’s not much different on my end. A few changes in where things are located, but it’s all basically the same.” Cassia shrugged as her comment pulled Dani from her thoughts. “Though it does seem like we have a broader ICC field... so that will come in handy.”

  “Well, at least that’s something. I couldn’t help but notice Osirion doesn’t seem to have the ability to make long-range jumps. What gives?” Dani asked Howard as he wandered back into the bridge with a snack.

  “Mmm, yes, I fought for that but they wouldn’t cave. Something about not wanting us to get out of range too quickly.”

  “They do realize that we don’t know where these wormholes go and we might end up stranded in some remote system, right?” Dani was annoyed that Patrick was more focused on keeping them from running away than the safety of her own crew.

  Howard shrugged. “I pointed that out to them. From what I understand, the devices Jag and Zadria are picking up will hel
p them see where we went in case we’re out of range.”

  Dani sighed, not impressed with the limits Patrick imposed on their ship. “Well, I hope it doesn’t come back to bite us on the ass. They really are set on making something simple into a big deal.”

  “You know the government.” Howard laughed then pointed at the screen. “Looks like they’re on their way back.”

  “Already? That was really fast. Well, let’s head down and help them unload.” Dani stood and stretched before leaving the bridge with the others close behind.

  A simple hatch in the cargo bay led down into Osirion’s belly. Dani led the way down the ladder, hopping off the last few rungs into the large room. Space suits hung in cubbies along one wall near an airlock. Another door indicated it was the access point between Osirion and the cruiser when it was docked. Next to the suits was a red door labeled Weapons Systems.

  It wasn’t long after they arrived that they felt the cruiser locking into place. A moment later, the doors slid open and a red-faced Zadria pushed out of them and disappeared up the ladder through the hatch.

  Dani placed her hands on her hips and stared down Jag as he exited the cruiser with an armful of boxes. “What did you do?”

  “Me? I didn’t do anything. I suspect she got a tongue-lashing by the way Patrick hauled her off as soon as we docked. She came back that way.” Jag shrugged and pushed the boxes into Cruz’s arms. “There’s a lot more to unload. Store them in the weapons bay, please.”

  Dani took one of the boxes from Cruz and opened it up. Inside was a simple sphere, about the size of a beach ball, with a glowshard exterior. “It’s so tiny. How is this going to do anything?”

  “Theoretically,” Howard began, “we’ll be able to load the devices into a specialized launcher. We’ll launch one of the devices ahead of us and one behind. Houston should be able to track us, though depending on how far away we are, it could take some time for the signal to reach them.”

  “Uh-huh.” Dani wasn’t convinced.

  Jag reappeared with another armful of the devices. “You guys are a big help, you know.” He fumbled with the keypad on the weapons door.

  “Here, I’ll help you.” Cassia quickly punched in her code and pushed the door open, stepping back out of the way.