Time Marches On
A Four Horsemen Universe story
Kevin Ikenberry
Victory Twelve
Emergence Point L2
Morel System
<<Emergence confirmed. Hyperspace shunts into standby mode. All systems nominal.>>
Jessica Francis tapped her central instrument panel and secured the ship’s flight controls. “Thanks, Lucille. Standard RCS and flight control diagnostics, please?”
<<Acknowledged.>>
Clear of hyperspace for the first time in 170 hours, the ship’s attitude and reaction control systems needed inspection and evaluation. After a few moments of planned maneuvers and test burns, Jessica tapped on the panel to secure the controls.
“I’m satisfied, Lucille. Prepare for insertion burn to Morel Station.”
<<Burn prepared. Travel time will be six hours, thirty-two minutes, and twelve seconds,>> the ship’s command-and-control interface replied. Since Jessica found Lucille in her father’s workshop as a child, the two had traveled the galaxy together. During Jessica’s time as a mercenary, Lucille grew from a companion and advisor to a tactical data source and capable navigator. Working with her again after three years in the Peacemaker Academy required an adjustment since Peacemakers trained to act alone.
Jessica undid her restraints and floated free of the command chair. “I’m going to get some food and clean up before we arrive.”
<<Acknowledged. Fuel and provisions requests have not been acknowledged. There has been no authorization for docking, but we are clear to approach. They’ll contact us at six thousand kilometers for final instructions, but not before. >>
“If they contact us at all.” Jessica chuckled. “That’s why they call this Last Chance Station. They don’t get a lot of business these days, Lucille. They’ll get around to answering us. Have faith.”
Lucille didn’t respond. Computer programs didn’t possess emotions or the concept of faith. She’d thought about ways to enhance Lucille’s programming over the years but had made little progress. However, during her commission mission on Araf, just two weeks earlier, Lucille blossomed into a valued intelligence asset. Jessica couldn’t help hoping for more, else being a Peacemaker was going to be lonely.
Jessica activated her wrist-slate and saw Lucille had opened communication ports to the gate. Data packets had begun downloading. There was ample time to check them on the approach to Morel Station. She even managed to rest a bit before donning her dark blue Peacemaker jumpsuit. For a moment, she considered dressing as she’d done during her time as a mercenary to avoid attention, but chose her uniform instead. Laid out on her bunk, Jessica leaned over and affixed her badge to the left chest with a sense of pride and accomplishment. The three years in the Academy rivaled the toughest things she’d ever done. She’d received her commission and, with it, a solemn sense of duty. A Peacemaker’s presence was supposed to be an assurance to the local community of the good throughout the Galactic Union. A reminder of the promise of law and order. A sentinel of justice. For a backwater system like Morel, the Peacemaker presence would be a Human for the first time in history.
Morel Station lay attached to the stargate controlling hyperspace departures. Compared to the newer, more sophisticated gates, it wasn’t much, and it was unlikely to do anything but deteriorate. More modern ships being built in the Galactic Union didn’t require stargates to enter hyperspace, instead using onboard shunts and massive power supplies to make the jump. The stations, and their navigational beacons, still controlled the emergence points of the system at Lagrange points one and two, but the once-thriving economic zones of such stations was long past. Gates became way stations where travelers could get fuel, provisions, and maybe a drink, but its remaining days of sending ships into hyperspace dwindled, if not from the march of technology, then by the sheer economics of life on the distant frontier.
From where she viewed it, Morel Station appeared mostly vacant with only ten percent of its berthing spaces filled with transitory freighters. But they had F11 fuel and, given the number of jumps it would take to get Jessica from Araf to Dryod Four (and her first actual assignment), it was a necessary stop along the frontier.
<<Autodocking engaged. Standby for return of gravity.>>
Jessica reached for a handle on the bulkhead, but it was unnecessary. Lucille smoothly guided the ship into the berth. Gravity, a measly 1/6 Earth, returned. Jessica waited for her equilibrium to adjust before making her way out of the cabin toward the ship’s personnel airlock. Connected to the gate’s GalNet node, her slate chimed with new downloads, messages, and the most recent Stormwatch report from the Peacemaker Guild. She’d get to them in time. The urge to get outside and walk, even around Morel Station, nearly overwhelmed her.
<<Docking complete. All systems in shutdown.>>
She tapped the communications device on her right ear. “Lucille? Anything from the gate?”
<<Request for fueling accepted. You’ll have to engage the terminal for fees before scheduling.>>
“Nothing else?”
<<Negative.>>
She reached the airlock and opened it. “Engage all security protocols, Lucille. I’m going aboard. Once I get the fueling going, I’ll check about provisions. They should’ve replied by now.”
<<Acknowledged. Be safe, Jessica.>> After a moment, when Jessica hadn’t stepped into the airlock, Lucille asked, <<Is something wrong?>>
She shook her head. “I’m fine, Lucille.” The rumbling in her stomach said otherwise, but what could Lucille do about that? For Gate Control to avoid contact for over six hours indicated something was wrong.
How else are you gonna figure out what?
She paused and considered returning to her quarters for her sidearm. Words of her instructors cautioned a Peacemaker should always carry arms, but then contradicted themselves with the sentiment they could do much without a weapon. She was only going aboard for fuel and provisions. It would be fine.
Jessica stepped inside the airlock and closed the interior door. There was a breathable atmosphere on the other side of the hatch, but the interior airlock door doubled as security for her ship. No one unauthorized would gain access to Victory Twelve. As the airlock door cycled open, the odors of the gate filled the small space. Intermixed with the smells of machine lubricants and fuel came the unmistakable spices of cooking and, curiously, the scent of strong coffee. Her mouth watered as she stepped down from the ship and entered the gate.
A console chimed from the wall to her right. It spoke, and her translation pendant translated. “Please scan your UACC for admittance and incidental expenses.”
Jessica withdrew her wallet from one chest pocket and selected her Peacemaker UACC, a combination identification and banking card, and swiped it. The console chimed. “A five thousand credit hold has been placed on your credentials for docking service fee. Enjoy your stay.”
Five thousand credits for a docking service fee? What kind of bullshit is that?
A figure appeared in the tube to her left. The Caroon, a Humanoid alien species who’d evolved for mining operations, stood in the tube. The alien’s long nose and oversized ears reminded Jessica of an aardvark on Earth. “Welcome to Morel Station, Peacemaker.”
Jessica nodded. “Why didn’t Gate Control reach out?”
The Caroon spread his hands in the shrug for his species. “Power surge from the gate three days ago. We’ve been working on critical systems from environmental controls and life support on up. Communications are next and should be restored within the hour. These damned old gates. They get more unreliable every day.”
Jessica took a breath and felt her tension evaporate—for the most part. She walked toward the Caroon. “Glad to hear you’re getting things in order.”
“What can we help you with?” The Caroon’s face twisted in its approximation of a smile.
“Fuel and provisions,” Jessica replied. “I’m on official business.”
“I was unaware any Human had. . . passed the Peacemaker commission?”
Jessica smiled. “I’m sorry? I didn’t catch your name?”
“I didn’t offer it.” The Caroon’s coveralls bore a logo which read Apexx Solutions. “I’ll ensure your fuel request is initiated. As for provisions, our company store is available to you as a transient. It’s on the inner ring, a half dozen spaces to your left. There are many services available, and Fetch’s Place is our local watering hole. I highly recommend it.”
The Caroon turned to go, and Jessica realized he was merely the messenger. She stepped forward again, closing the distance. “Where do I find the Gate Control office?”
When the Caroon didn’t answer, she considered saying it again, but didn’t. The twisting sensation in her gut doubled down. For a moment, Jessica considered going back to the ship for her sidearm but decided against it. Fuel, food, and maybe a drink were in order. She’d be on her way to Dryod Four in a couple of hours at the most.
When she’d become a mercenary after college, Jessica quickly learned the first rule of entering a spaceport was pretty simple: look at nothing and everything at the same time. Situational awareness was a combination of what she could see and identify while digesting feelings and intuition. As she moved through the docking ring toward the main gate station, Jessica noticed there were no Humans in sight. There were at least three questionable transactions taking place in the main corridor—likely the illicit trading of substances. Two of them dissolved and the participants scattered. The third looked at her and completed their business as if daring her to engage. Given the brazen activity, Jessica didn’t think law enforcement existed on the station, or else they were detained elsewhere.
Her earpiece chimed. <<There has been no communication with docking services. Repeated requests for attention have been unanswered.>>
Let’s see what’s going on here at Last Chance Station, shall we?
* * *
“You met this Peacemaker?” the Equiri grumbled. “What do they want?”
“Honored Dre’Toal,” the Caroon named Garanx said slowly. “The Peacemaker needs fuel and provisions.”
Dre’Toal grunted. His long chestnut face turned to the Caroon. “Was there any mention of Trolloc?”
“No, sir.”
Dre’Toal ran a two-fingered hand over the end of his equine maw, scratching at the irritated skin around his nostrils. He coughed once and then again. Holding his breath to keep from exploding into another fit, he counted silently to ten and released the air in his damaged lungs. “See to it the Peacemaker gets what they need. Keep them away from the inner rings and—”
“It was a Human,” Garanx blurted. “A Human Peacemaker.”
Dre’Toal snorted derisively. “No Humans have ever—”
“A female. With red hair.” Garanx shook his head. “She has the uniform and the identification to match. Should we call off the search?”
Dre’Toal considered the information. Even if a Human had completed the arduous commissioning process to become a Peacemaker, they were likely unschooled in the ways of the galaxy. They had their needs and would show off their offset diamond badges but once placated, they would be on their way. If they choose to stand, well. . . They would fall.
“No. Find Trolloc.” Dre’Toal’s black eyes turned to the Caroon. “I’ll handle the Peacemaker.”
The Caroon chuckled nervously. “How will you do that?”
Dre’Toal grinned. “Humans are curious and unpredictable. The longer she’s here, the greater threat she is. So, we’ll give her what she wants and send her on her way.”
* * *
The sparse traffic in the hallway steered clear of her. Humans this far from Earth were nothing new, but the combination of her species and her uniform had all eyes on her. She put on a more pleasant face and followed the symbols for the provisions warehouse. As she walked down the passageway, all the usual shops common on a gate station were there but shuttered. Trash littered the storefronts. Heavy brown paper hung behind shattered panes of glass. All of them had signage taped to their doorways.
Closed by Apexx Solutions. More options coming soon.
The yellowed, sometimes tattered, signs said otherwise. Ninety percent of the reputable businesses stood closed. Only a filthy morphogenic tattoo parlor, a liquor store which smelled of rancid flesh, and a seedy apothecary appeared open on the principal thoroughfare. More symbols pointed to temporary lodging, shower facilities, and a main office on the inner ring. Jessica turned that direction and paused.
Lights flickered in the passageway. More detritus filled the spaces and the smell. . .
Gods. What’s going on here?
Small, dark corridors, something like alleyways, led off the corridor in both directions between the closed shops and stores. At an intersection halfway between the rings, she heard a commotion from a narrow passageway to her left lit by a solitary flickering light. A child squealed. She heard the unmistakable slap of flesh hitting flesh. The child screamed again in pain. Jessica turned into the passageway and picked up her pace.
In a dimly lit vestibule, near the entrance to a shuttered theater, an older GenSha draped itself over a small child. The bovine-like alien’s broad back took the brunt of a pummeling attack from a vaguely Humanoid figure she couldn’t quite make out between flickers of light. The attacker struck again and in a beam of light she saw the child was an Equiri. There were two more children—Pushtal with their tiger-striping and similar facial structures. The three children huddled under the GenSha.
The flash of a bladed weapon caught her eye. Jessica pushed into the space and activated the bright yellow “see me” strip all Peacemakers wore on their uniforms. “Hey! Put it down!”
The attacker, another Caroon, flinched. Its eyes widened before it dropped the weapon and disappeared through the theater doors. The Caroon wore the uniform of Apexx Solutions.
The GenSha stood and turned to her. The old male’s eyes widened, and he flinched. “Peacemaker.”
“Are you okay, Honored One?”
The GenSha’s mouth worked from side to side. “Y-yes. Yes. Thank you. Thank you for protecting my children.”
Jessica nodded and looked down. All three children stared up at her, and she sucked in a breath. The Equiri had blue, very Human eyes. The two Pushtal children were quiet, almost docile, which went against everything she’d ever known of the aliens. They were born pissed off.
“Are you injured, Honored One?”
“No,” the GenSha said confidently, but she could tell from his face he was in pain. “When we come out, they attempt to take my children.”
“Come out?”
“We live in the tubes,” the GenSha answered. Every gate possessed a network of maintenance tubes not unlike alleyways. “Lodging here is expensive and security even more so. But we must come out for food and water until I can make passage somewhere safe.”
Jessica understood. “Let me help you.”
“You already have.” The GenSha nodded. “We should go, lest he return with accomplices.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I am, Peacemaker.” The GenSha’s eyes twinkled. “And a Human, no less.”
Jessica drew in a sharp breath. “Does that really matter—”
“No.” The GenSha’s mouth worked from side to side as if chewing cud. “Human or not, your restraint was admirable. A mercenary or a bounty hunter would’ve drawn a weapon as a show of force. You did not.”
“Thank you, Honored One.” Jessica said.
“Our friend may not let that stand, Peacemaker.” The GenSha opened a hatch she hadn’t noticed. The children bounded inside, and he followed. “Always honor the threat—and not just the one you cannot see.”
* * *
“What’ll you have, Peacemaker?”
The bartender was a Blevin, which surprised Jessica. Most of the lizard-like aliens often worked as security or hired guns. Bipedal and with two oddly Humanlike hands, complete with opposable thumbs, they took to weaponry easily, though most weren’t smart enough to handle an actual tactical situation. They were great throwaway soldiers, not bartenders.
“A whiskey and a whiskey,” Jessica said. At first, she held up her thumb and index finger a wide distance apart and then she halved the distance. By the look on the Blevin’s face, he’d missed the reference, which wasn’t surprising at all.
“Whiskey.” Jessica sat on a creaky bar stool with cracked vinyl padding. “With an e.”
“The only Human one I have is Jack Daniels.”
Jessica held up two fingers. “With a rock, please.”
“That’s an extra credit.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “And the whiskey?”
“Two credits.” The Blevin studied her intently. Its scaly hands wrung out a towel into a sink she couldn’t see and then used the cloth to wipe the bar in front of her.
Jessica reached into her suit, pulled out a five-credit coin, and put it on the bar. “Two drinks. One now. One when I ask for it. Leave the bottle where I can see it, too.”
The Blevin nodded and turned around, reaching for the bottle. While he worked on her drink, Jessica used the mirror on the wall behind the bar to take in her surroundings. Fetch’s Place was a shithole, and that was putting it mildly. Most bars smelled worse than the fraternity houses she’d seen during her college experiences in Indiana and Georgia. This establishment was one small step above an open sewer. But it was the only place she could get a drink outside of the plastic bulbs she’d packed aboard Victory Twelve until the quartermaster’s shop and the gate’s primary services office opened. With nothing better to do, Jessica took in the local situation based on her Academy training. What she saw on the faces of the patrons frightened her.
Huddled over their drinks, the locals were the easiest to spot. Every time a being walked through the door, they’d glance at the door and back to their drinks. Some sighed in relief. Others fidgeted in their chairs. More than a few finished their drinks, tipped the Blevin, and made their way into the passageway beyond the grimy metal and glass doors. For a moment, she thought about asking the Blevin. Instead, she feigned interest in the g’accaa match on the holotubes and let her eyes and ears gather intelligence. The cause for the regulars’ unease appeared as she finished her first whiskey and ordered the second.
Three uniformed Apexx Solutions personnel entered the bar. Caroon typically shied away from bright spaces. For them, Fetch’s Place and its dark, dismal atmosphere couldn’t have been more perfect. Jessica felt their eyes on her as she sipped her whiskey and continued to use the bar’s mirror to her advantage.
The three took seats at a round table halfway between Jessica and the main door, which presented a problem. There would be no stopping them from challenging her as she left unless—
“Cheating fuck!” The card game in the far corner became interesting in a heartbeat. Jessica saw a large, purple-furred Oogar toss its chair across the baccarat table at a weasel-like Zuparti who flinched but did not reach for the needler pistol on its belt.
“You lost, Oogar. Fair and square,” the Zuparti said. “You’ve been losing for an hour. You shouldn’t have bet on what you did. The odds were never even—”
“Don’t tell me the odds!” the grizzly-like Oogar roared before falling silent. The relative silence of the bar became total—so much so Jessica could almost hear the Oogar’s mental tumblers click into place over a poor decision. The enormous being thumped away from the table and crossed the distance to the bar. He gave a “spin it up” gesture to the bartender, who turned to a large blender and mixed what appeared to be a piña colada.
Jessica covered a smile with a long sip of whiskey. The Blevin offered her a food menu, but after a whiff of something marketed as a type of fajitas, but which smelled like cow shit, she declined. If her provisions order came through, she’d have plenty of options aboard Victory Twelve after transitioning to hyperspace. She took another long sip of her drink and caught the three Caroon staring at her in the mirror.
Slow down, Bulldog. Just ’cause somebody pours you a drink doesn’t mean you have to finish it.
Jessica smiled at the memory of her father’s advice before adding. Let this play out. Something will—
“Excuse me, Peacemaker?”
Movement caught her eye. An older Equiri with a chestnut mane and walking with the aid of a cane approached her. The male’s silver mane caught the dim light of Fetch’s Place as he moved. He wore a vest which appeared to be the same color as the Apexx Solutions uniforms she’d seen. A single gold star adorned the right chest. Jessica kept her face neutral. The Equiri’s powerful scent reached her first, but there was something. . . odd about it. She tried not to breathe it in as the alien stopped in front of her. She pushed away from the bar and stood as decorum required.
“Well met, Peacemaker.” The Equiri spoke slowly and seemingly through pain. He nodded respectfully. “My name is Dre’Toal. Welcome to Morel Station.”
“Well met, Honored Dre’Toal,” Jessica replied and returned his nod. “My name is Jessica Francis.”
She waited for the Equiri to extend a hand, as was common for the welcome of a Human, but the Equiri didn’t move. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
He’s in charge. And he wants something.
“May I buy you a beverage?” Dre’Toal asked.
“No, thank you.” Jessica let a small smile curl one side of her mouth. “I’m just waiting for the provisions store to open. As soon as I have fuel and stores, I’ll be on my way.”
“To where?”
“My next posting,” Jessica answered.
We call it operational security. I’m not telling you a thing because you don’t have the need to know.
The Equiri nodded. “I’ll see to it you get what you need. The provisions store will open at the top of the hour, and your fueling is scheduled to start at the same time.”
“Wonderful.” Jessica gave a soft chuckle. “Actually, I was more than a little worried when I never heard from Gate Control.”
“These old gates.” Dre’Toal shook his head. “Power surges fry our systems regularly. The Gate Master and his team have been consumed with daily maintenance for weeks, almost without a break. Fix one item; something else breaks.”
“Is that why Apexx is here?” Jessica asked. She raised her eyebrows and feigned innocence. Mercenary companies pulling security typically didn’t take over the locations, close stores, and restrict access.
“We’ve had to assume more of a governance role until the Cartography Guild sends the proper components to fix this station. Once things stabilize, we’ll move on to our next contract,” Dre’Toal replied. “Are you sure I can’t offer you a libation?”
Jessica shook her head. “My thanks, Dre’Toal. I’ll be heading to the provisions store. I transmitted a request list, but never received an acknowledgment.”
“I assure you’ll have everything you need.”
She nodded. “Very nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure was mine.”
As she walked toward the door, with the eyes of the patrons on her, Jessica couldn’t help thinking there was no pleasure in Dre’Toal’s expression. In fact, something was very, very wrong. Dre’Toal’s comments weren’t pleasantries at all. He was warning her to leave Morel Station. Without backup in the local region, the standard operating procedures of the Peacemaker Guild were clear: once she had the fuel and provisions, she should go for help.
* * *
In the boarding tube, pulling a cart of provisions, Jessica tapped her earpiece. “Lucille? I’m coming in. Fueling status?”
<<Acknowledged. Main hatch unlocked. Fueling is thirty-one percent complete.>>
“Great. Pull my uniform camera data, please, and make a secured GalNet connection so I can check the Peacemaker database.”
<<Acknowledged. Standard search for facial and vocal recognition?>>
Jessica almost stopped. “You can do that?”
<<Merely by saving your previous searches and collating data. Do you not want my assistance?>>
“No, I’d love your help, Lucille.” Collating data or not, Lucille independently taking action on something was incredible. Yet Jessica’s mood darkened. Running the camera footage through the database was likely to complicate things. Everything about the Equiri, and his company, screamed impropriety. Something would have to be done.
By the time Jessica boarded Victory Twelve and emptied the cart of provisions into the galley space, Lucille had scanned the data. Jessica grabbed a bottle of water and a pack of peanut butter crackers, made her way to the cockpit, and sat in the command chair.
“Okay, Lucille. On screen.”
<<Apexx Solutions took over this gate by force twenty-three days, three hours, and ten minutes ago. No one has seen the Gate Master in that time. Gate security appears to have been purged in multiple executions in the first twelve hours of their occupation. Distress messages were intercepted. Four ships have transited the system during that time and none of them reported unusual circumstances.>>
“Holy shit.”
<<Would you like me to continue?>> Lucille asked. << The reported power surge you were told about never happened. Many critical systems have been disabled intentionally by Apexx Solutions. The Equiri, Dre’Toal, is the registered commander of the mercenary unit. He has no registered deputies. There is no individual file in the Peacemaker database, nor any active warrants, though he is a known contact of more than a dozen wanted felons.>>
“Not surprising,” Jessica said as she leaned back in the seat and set her boots on the console. “He seems like a wannabe warlord who wants something more.”
<<Observation suggests Dre’Toal is suffering from an advanced form of leukemia that often afflicts Equiri,>> Lucille said. <<I have a theory based on additional information, Jessica. Would you like to hear it?>>
“Sure,” Jessica replied as she unwrapped the package of crackers and popped one of the round sandwiches into her mouth.
<<The GenSha you encountered is a ninety-five percent match to a wanted felon named Trolloc.>>
“What?” Jessica flinched and sprayed crackers and peanut butter from her mouth. Chagrined, she wiped her mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me that first?”
<<You requested information of Dre’Toal and Apexx Solutions first.>>
“If something like that comes up again, Lucille, I want to know. Give me the most important facts first from now on, please?” Jessica fumed. “If you’re going to help me think ahead, you need to help me in the present.”
<<Acknowledged.>>
“What’s his deal? This Trolloc?”
<<Wanted on the order of deceased Guild Master Breka for nonstandardized medical treatments to the detriment of the Peacemaker Guild. He appears to have been behind the physiological alterations to subjects of the Enforcer program over fifty standard years ago.>>
“He’s a doctor,” Jessica said. “That’s why he wants Trolloc, right? That’s your theory?”
<<Yes. I found 1,327 articles in GalNet regarding genetic splicing and terminal disease mitigation. Data indicates the possibility Dre’Toal seeks Trolloc is highly likely.>>
“Find Trolloc, Lucille.”
<<I have located the subject in submaintenance ring six, compartment seventeen,>> Lucille reported.
Jessica stood. “Then I’ll go get him.”
<<They have warned you to get off the gate, Jessica.>>
“I’m a Peacemaker apprehending a criminal,” Jessica replied. “They can’t legally stop me. Block their access to cameras and sensors so they can’t find Trolloc.”
<<I must advise against this course of action.>>
“Noted.” Jessica made her way to her quarters. Once there, she withdrew her XM1911 pistol from its lockbox via fingerprint. She worked the action to chamber a round and donned her holster and belt with shoulder harness. Satisfied, she moved toward the exterior hatch. “For now, Lucille, help me with a diversion so I can get to Trolloc before Dre’Toal. Jam my cameras and feeds. We’ll stay in touch with the good old radio. Once I’m in the ring, we’ll figure things out from there.”
* * *
As soon as she exited Victory Twelve’s external hatch, the Caroon guarding the end of the tube started her way.
“Peacemaker! We have cleared you to depart. You need to leave this station now.”
Jessica didn’t respond. Chin down and eyes fixed on her target’s chest, she walked forward with her arms relaxed and ready. The Caroon closed the distance and brandished a baton.
“Peacemaker, my orders are—”
“Irrelevant,” Jessica replied and snapped a kick at the Caroon’s chin. The surprised being never raised a defense and as soon as her boot contacted his face, the guard slumped unconscious to the floor. She tapped her earpiece. “Now, Lucille.”
Across the station, decompression alarms sounded. Automated bulkheads closed in populated sections of the ring. In the main passageway, panicked citizens scrambled for shelter. Jessica used their frantic movements to dart across the passageway and into the darkened alley-like corridors behind the shuttered shops. As suddenly as they’d begun, the shrieking alarms stopped and silence returned. Warning strobes, however, continued to flicker. The message to citizens was to wait. Jessica could not. She raced along the inner-ring bulkhead until she found the maintenance conduit.
“Access SG31,” she whispered to her earpiece as she knelt by the meter-high door. “Open it, Lucille.”
There was a barely audible click, and the panel pushed inward. Jessica ducked through the opening and quickly slid the panel back into position.
“Where to?”
<<Your right. In fifteen meters is a junction. Turn right there and proceed another twenty meters.>>
Jessica squinted. Lit only by red lighting every few meters, the dim conduit reminded her of spelunking in the Lost Sea a few hours north of her childhood home on Earth. She drew a cleansing breath, a technique taught at the Peacemaker Academy, to calm her heart and the rising anxiety of enclosed spaces.
Okay. Here we go.
She followed Lucille’s instructions for ten minutes until she reached a junction of two tubes where it was high enough for her to stand. The intersection held three small beds and a makeshift stove. The happy art of children covered the walls of the intersection. Several cans of food lay on the ground.
“They’ve lived here a while,” Jessica commented. “And they left in a hurry. Where are they, Lucille?”
<<Interior Airlock Five. There is an inoperable maintenance shuttle docked there. Follow the orange line. Perhaps they are attempting to hide?>>
“Or he knows something we don’t about that shuttle. If he can get it into the gate, he can escape provided it has enough power and life support for 170 hours. Does it?”
<<Unknown.>>
“Dammit,” Jessica swore. She found the orange line leading down another dark tube and ran into the distance. She passed the first interior-ring airlock a moment later. She didn’t break stride.
<<Apexx Solutions forces are moving toward the interior ring, Jessica.>>
Time’s up. Jessica picked up her pace. Aboard Victory Twelve, though she had exercise equipment designed to keep her body from languishing in the lack of gravity during hyperspace transits, it was no replacement for real exercise. Her legs and chest burned with exertion, but she ran until she passed Airlock Four. She slowed to a fast walk.
There was the unmistakable sound of something hitting flesh, and a child screamed. Jessica drew her weapon as she reached the edge of the airlock and peered around the hatch.
Dre’Toal stood in the center of the airlock as two armed Blevin attempted to separate the Pushtal and Equiri children from Trolloc.
“This will change your mind about treating me.” Dre’Toal snickered. “And if it doesn’t, I’ll space you right behind these little abominations.”
Jessica stepped into the space. “That’s enough, Dre’Toal.”
“You think the addition of your weapon changes things, Miss Francis?” The Equiri glared at her.
“That’s Peacemaker,” Jessica replied. “Trolloc is a wanted felon, and I am here to collect him.”
“You can’t have him.” Dre’Toal laughed. His raspy voice a dull saw blade, he added, “Morel Station belongs to me. Here, I am the law.”
“That’s going to be a problem, then.”
“You think you can stop me?”
Jessica nodded. “Call your thugs off my target and his children.”
“Children? These genetic experiments bear no resemblance to any child of any species. They are only good as bargaining chips because the old fool has become attached to them.” He turned to the Blevin. “Space them.”
Jessica stepped into the Equiri’s field of view, her weapon leveled at his face. “No.”
“You’re in no position to negotiate, Peacemaker.”
He was right.
The two Blevin stepped toward the hatch and ejected the maintenance shuttle from the exterior connection port. As it drifted away, the Blevin manhandled the children toward the hatch.
Trolloc howled and kicked forward. “Let them go!”
One of the Blevin swung a bladed weapon at the GenSha. That was enough. Jessica whipped her pistol around and fired twice at the Blevin’s center of mass. Before it even staggered, she sighted on the second as it tried to cradle the Equiri child against its chest as a shield. She dropped the Blevin with a headshot. A split second later, Dre’Toal moved to punch her in the side of the head. Even though sickly, the Equiri’s punch was fast and powerful. Jessica turned her head just in time, and the blow glanced off. The pain sobered her until she felt the barrel of Dre’Toal’s weapon pointed at her head.
“Drop the weapon.” She did. Dre’Toal laughed. “You’re good, Peacemaker. But not—”
“Geeyah!” Trolloc screamed from behind her. Dre’Toal’s eyes came up, and Jessica dropped. The GenSha fired one of the Blevin’s needle pistols, close enough that she felt the push of air from the projectiles as they rushed over her head. She snatched the knife from her boot and came up, swinging it hard enough to bury it in the center of the Equiri’s chest below his rib cage.
Dre’Toal staggered backward and stared at her. He pressed his hands to the wound and saw dark blood running between his digits before he collapsed against the tube.
Jessica holstered her weapon and turned to Trolloc. “Come on. We have to get you out of here.”
“I’m not leaving with you, Peacemaker. I have no crimes to answer for,” Trolloc said. “Bureau 42 will clear my name if your Guild Master will approve your request for information.”
Bureau 42 was the office where Peacemaker cold cases went to die.
How could they clear his name?
Jessica reached down and collected one of the Pushtal children. “We’ll talk about that later. Just come on. The rest of them will be looking for you.”
“And what about you?” Trolloc asked as they made their way into the maintenance conduit and headed back toward Victory Twelve. “Here no Peacemaker can stand alone.”
“We’re leaving, Trolloc. There’s not enough time to set things right here. I have to get you all out.”
“Time.” Trolloc chuckled. “Do you know what the price of time is, Peacemaker Francis? Morality. It’s why bad memories fade. We learn good. We learn virtue. As we reconcile our mistakes, we find peace. Time marches on and tries to erase the past, but my past hangs about my neck like a millstone. I delivered what they asked. It worked, and they sold me out. Genetic splicing showed it could far outperform their. . . other methods. They outlawed my work and declared me a quack. An abomination! They saw what I could do, but they tossed me away for less. . . capable work.”
They reached the lower tube. Jessica crawled inside and the others followed. “What are you talking about, Trolloc?”
“The guild saw the results. The genetic splicing I oversaw allowed for better and faster nanite-based recovery, but that wasn’t the half of it. Antiaging. Species crossbreeding. All of it was—”
“You can’t crossbreed dissimilar species.” Jessica looked over her shoulder and stared at his long face. “It’s—”
“Forbidden, Peacemaker.” Trolloc pointed at the Equiri child. “Splicing isn’t crossbreeding. Sharing the traits of two species allows for bonding. For love. Plata here has Humanlike eyes which perform far better than Equiri ones. I took the Human eye from her maternal genetic donor and matched it to the stronger genome of the Equiri. Plata’s mane is her maternal genetic donor’s hair. I cannot mix a combination the other way because of physiological complications. Humans and Equiri, like most combinations, are impossible other than sentimental and emotional attachment. But that is the key! Splicing enables connection. Imagine it. Emotional connections run far deeper than the legal contracts you swore to uphold! Peace could truly exist in the galaxy, Peacemaker.”
They finally reached the exit port. Jessica tried to shake off his words. The old scientist was definitely crazy, or else he was on to something tremendous. “Wait here.”
Trolloc nodded, but the look in his eyes said otherwise. “All right.”
Jessica understood immediately. “When I go out here, you’re going to take the kids and disappear, aren’t you?”
“I already said I’m not going with you,” Trolloc replied. “If I must live my life on the run, so be it.”
“What about your children?” Jessica asked. “A child’s life shouldn’t be spent on the run.”
“Children are resilient creatures, Peacemaker. They’ll find their way.” Trolloc’s bovine mouth worked into an approximation of a Human smile. “What were you intending to do?”
“Find you a ship and send you through the gate.” Jessica shrugged. “But you’d rather stay here, wouldn’t you?”
“Given the chance, I won’t stay here. You know where I am. Because you’re a good Peacemaker, you’ll file a report, and they’ll send Enforcers to collect me.”
“You don’t know that.”
Trolloc laughed. “And you have much to learn, Peacemaker.”
“What about Apexx Solutions?”
“Without Dre’Toal, they’ll fight amongst themselves and give the Gate Master a chance to call for security backups. In two weeks, Morel Station will be on a path back toward normal. Sooner if the Gate Master still has forces Apexx Solutions did not execute.” Trolloc pointed at the panel. “Go, Peacemaker. Do not stop to solve the situation. Sometimes, the best thing for a Peacemaker to do is nothing. What happens naturally is often the best justice.”
Jessica smiled. “Well met, Trolloc. Take care of these children.”
“Until you call the guild on me.” His face softened. “You have my gratitude. Well met, Peacemaker.”
Jessica didn’t reply. She opened the hatch and stepped into the alleyway. By the time she straightened, Trolloc had closed it. She knew he would take the children and disappear again and there wasn’t anything she could do about it.
Except one thing.
* * *
Jessica made her way to Victory Twelve’s bridge and the main communications terminal. “Status update, Lucille?”
<<Fueling continues, but a request has come in from Gate Control.>>
“They’re online?”
<<Apparently local forces are retaking the gate,>> Lucille replied. <<The Gate Master wishes to thank you in person, Jessica. It would be rude by Sumatozou custom for you to depart without appearing in person.>>
Jessica frowned. “Okay. Send a response that I am filing an initial report. I know the Gate Master will appreciate that, and I’ll show him the actual report, once I complete it, before we leave.”
<<What do you mean actual?>>
“Take this down, Lucille.” Jessica leaned back in the captain’s chair and put one foot on the edge of the console in front of her. She closed her eyes for a moment and let her memory replay the events of the last couple of hours as a plan formed. “Official interim report—Peacemaker Francis.”
She almost smiled. It felt so good to say that.
“On a routine fuel stop at Morel Station, I interrupted an assault by a member of Apexx Solutions mercenary forces against an unarmed GenSha civilian. Apexx Solutions personnel threatened me and advised me to leave, which I considered, as well as calling for support from the regional barracks. However, body camera footage of the assault revealed the GenSha civilian to be a Class One wanted felon by the name Trolloc. I immediately returned to the station on duty status to apprehend Trolloc and found my slate and information services jammed by electromagnetic interference, which affected my camera systems and vocal logs. I found Trolloc engaged with three members of Apexx Solutions including their leader, Dre’Toal. I ordered them aside so I could apprehend my suspect. The mercenaries then attacked me. I drew my weapon and killed two Blevin mercenaries before they forced me to take cover. In doing so, I lost track of Trolloc only to find Dre’Toal had shoved the GenSha into an open maintenance airlock and cycled it. His body was unrecoverable. I confronted Dre’Toal, and he resisted arrest. When he attempted to fire on me, I engaged and killed him.”
Jessica took a deep breath. “Recommend the closure of all open case files and the removal of Trolloc from all wanted lists. Update the Guild Master. Unabridged report to follow. Peacemaker Francis sends all.”
<<I have the message coded and ready for submittal.>>
“Send it unencrypted, Lucille,” Jessica replied.
She knew Trolloc would see the message and understand what she’d done.
<<Would you explain why you’re letting him go?>>
How could she explain it?
Jessica sighed. “His children. Keeping them together was the right thing. Maybe his idea of bringing species closer together has merits, too. I’m not prepared to debate that, Lucille. Doing the right thing was more important.”
<<Such situations are bound to happen again, Jessica. When will the requirements of law outweigh your propensity for doing the right thing?>>
“As little as I can help it, Lucille.” Jessica stood. She had places to go and people to see. “Trolloc said we learn about our morality as we get older. Trouble is, this job doesn’t always allow for a long, peaceful life. For a brief moment in time? Yeah, I was right, but that won’t always be the case.”
<<Is that why you let him go?>>
Jessica smiled. “No. I’d rather do the right thing now than struggle later with what I didn’t do. Trolloc was right. Time always marches on.”