Beyond The Frontier (United Star Systems Book 2) Page 6

  He passed his hand over the console on the work station and his visitor entered.

  Max walked in holding a glass in each hand filled with a dark bubbly fluid. “Your favorite, if I recall.” He extended his hand.

  Aaron took the drink and sipped it. Carbonated twenty-first century cola recipe.

  “Thanks, Max,” he said. He peered up at the doctor. Undoubtedly, this was another one of his medical observations under the guise of a friendly visit. Not that Max needed a reason to visit. But the doctor generally preferred to be reclusive whenever he was aboard a starship.

  “So when are you going to confront the elephant on the ship?” Max fired his opening salvo. And a straight shot it was.

  It was obvious the doctor had wanted to broach this subject a long time. Max knew him well. Despite the frequent bluster, the doctor knew exactly what subjects might be off limits or how far to push.

  And if Aaron pushed back hard enough, Max wouldn’t hesitate to rip into him. A coy response was the right push back for now.

  “What elephant? I thought Lee and Flaps only brought aboard horses on their last misadventure.” Aaron moved from behind the workstation and sat on the sleep-inducing recliner in the front section of the room.

  “You know very well what I’m referring to, Aaron. It’s not doing you or her any good. So much tension whenever you’re together in the same place. Certainly isn’t good for the crew. They like her. And they’re loyal to you. Don’t make them choose between the two of you. They might start to feel they’re doing something wrong.”

  “I’m still processing it, Max.”

  “What’s there to process? Aaron, maybe you’re not seeing it. But your continued attitude around Rachael is eating away at her. There are things you don’t yet know about what happened on Atlas.”

  The opposing force captured Aaron and Lieutenant Delaine while they were on Atlas. An insufferable character, calling himself Ben James led the opposing force. At first, their captors pretended to be allied operatives. But that facade quickly faded.

  During the ordeal, Rachael hadn’t tried to say anything. Their captors whisked them away to some supposed safe house where they began interrogating both of them at first. Finally, when they threatened to shoot Aaron, she stood and appeared to be with Ben James, claiming that threatening her wouldn’t force Aaron to cooperate anyhow.

  Lee had rescued Aaron just before he could be executed. She’d been knocked unconscious during the fight and they’d left her behind.

  “I know enough.”

  Max sat on the day couch opposite from him. “You really don’t. I’m not even going to get into why her supposed betrayal stings you so much. But if I were you, I’d read the after action report on that whole shebang.”

  What did Max know that he wasn’t telling him? “Shepherd classified the entire damn thing above even my clearance. Apparently, compartmentalization takes priority over any gaps in my knowledge about the entire operation. It’s history, it was successful. They’ve decided there are things I don’t need to know.”

  Max sipped his own drink and nodded. “Interesting. Well, I’ll just leave this here then.” Max placed a datachip on the couch.

  Aaron sat forward, closing the recliner. He reached for the datachip and examined it. He gave the doctor a questioning look.

  “Seek and ye shall find, my young friend,” Max smiled and left the ready-room.

  Aaron blew out a breath and shook his head. He sat behind his workstation, inserted the datachip and read the file.

  The more he read, the more his gut knotted. He felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time. It reminded him that he was still merely a flawed human being. It was a disgusting feeling.

  He was ashamed.

  Chapter 10 – Unspoken Rules

  “That was my favorite table, Lee” – Aaron Rayne

  Crew lounge

  Personnel deck

  Lieutenant Rachael Delaine sipped her dark, bubbly beverage and set it back down. It was a risk drinking anything around the two United Fleet officers sitting opposite her! She’d barely swallowed the last sip before she burst into another fit of laughter.

  Rachael enjoyed every moment of the time she shared in the crew lounge with these two characters.

  She stared across the table at the two of them. No matter how much the young ensign told her to call him Flaps, she just preferred Yuri.

  And it was an unspoken rule that no one called Lee by his first name.

  It was also an unspoken rule that you didn’t offend Lee. It was a good joke. Lee was deadly to an enemy, but harmless to his friends.

  These past few months, the true allure of serving aboard a starship became apparent to her. The camaraderie, the family, the adventure.

  The unknown.

  It was why she’d requested transfer to starship duty. Once bitten by the bug, you couldn’t go back.

  Every day she listened to their stories. From Yuri’s adventures in the Academy to Lee’s many escapades.

  Lee was difficult to read. He almost never betrayed any emotions or expressions. He wasn’t as rigid as a robot or anything—she giggled—remembering something someone had said to her not too long ago.

  Lee had a deadpan sense of humor. If you didn’t know him, some of the things he said might sound offensive, but having come to know him, she realized it was his way of telling you he liked you. That he felt comfortable around you.

  Lee wasn’t the type of person who relaxed around just anyone. Sitting across the table watching the exchange between him and Yuri, it was plainly obvious to her now, that Lee was very fond of the young ensign. Protective even. Like an older sibling.

  She tuned back into the conversation. Yuri was telling the Atlas story again for the tenth time.

  He was gesturing wildly with his hands. “So, out of nowhere he swoops down at a shallow angle towards a window about a story below on the opposite side of the street. He never told me the plan, and I was sure glad at that point he hadn’t let me come along. I swear he probably would have tied me to his back and jumped, anyway.”

  Lee looked amused . . . in his own special way. The kind of way a feline creature might be amused if you touched it while it was bathing.

  “Oh,” Lee said. “I definitely would have strapped you to my back alright. And just for the hell of it, I would have leaped from even higher.” Lee turned to look directly at Yuri. “Sounds like something we should do together sometime. You like to fly don’t you?”

  Flaps looked horrified. He was staring wide-eyed. Then he looked at Rachael. “Help me out here!”

  She put up her hands and shrugged. “Hey, I’ve learned not to come between you too.”

  Yuri waved his hand at her and said to Lee. “I fly starships, tin-man, thank you very much. Last I checked, I don’t have thrusters.”

  Lee kept a straight face. “We could always attach some.” He half-smiled and looked at Rachael. “He’s come a long way this one.” He grabbed Yuri in the area of his neck and shook him.

  “Indeed,” she replied.

  But Yuri wasn’t going to let Lee have the last word.

  “Yup, and we’ll go much longer, so long as he remembers to keep greasing and spraying that arm, you know, so it doesn’t rust or anything. If only we had some magic grease for his sense of humor…”

  Loud laughter rose from the table just as Sergeant Dawes entered the crew lounge. He looked in their direction and came over.

  After fixing each of the group with a look he spoke. “Telling war stories over here are we?”

  Lee grunted but didn’t respond.

  “Sure are, Sarge, have a seat.” Yuri gestured to the area of the booth next to Rachael.

  Rachael eyed the sergeant. It was the first time he’d come into the lounge since they departed Sol. The only thing she was sure of was the man embodied the full persona of a warrior.

  She had limited contact with marines or other specialized ground-combat troops. She had no opinion about them
either way. They mainly kept to themselves when on joint operations.

  If nothing else she had a mighty respect for marines. She’d heard rumors these special force squads were a little rough as a result of the intense physical and psychological training they undertook.

  The only reason they were along for this mission was the possibility of a hostile rescue under fire and they needed their extra numbers and training.

  Dawes glared down at Yuri. “Ground pounders don’t mix with flyboys, runt. For you to even suggest it is an insult. While you’re safe in your tin-cans, we’re in the trenches.”

  This was unexpected. Either Sergeant Dawes was unhinged, or Yuri had struck a raw nerve.

  She coughed. “Sergeant, Yuri intended no disrespect. Please, won’t you join us?” She was trying to be the mediator.

  He glared at her instead. She wanted to laugh. Aaron would have called it some type of measured stare. She couldn’t quite recall—something about a thousand yards.

  “Well that’s just fancy. A spy, a flyboy and the guy who fires the nukes from orbit, all together having a little brouhaha.” He fixed his glare on Yuri. “Look at this scrawny kid, who could he save in a real scrap, fighting—”

  Rachael flinched as Lee slammed his bionic arm down on the table between them. He was on his feet. Where the table had been—there was nothing left.

  It was on the deck in pieces. This was bad.

  Lee stared straight into Dawes and stood completely still. Dawes stared back with a half-smirk.

  A voice from the far end of the lounge by the entrance called out.

  “You know . . . that was my favorite table, Lee.” That could only be one person.

  Aaron Rayne.

  Chapter 11 – My Favorite Table

  “What does a mammal creature have to do with anything?” – Lieutenant Rachael Delaine

  Crew lounge

  Rachael stared as Aaron walked over. He was carrying a paper book. If not for the needed intervention, she would have preferred that he stay away from the lounge as usual. This was her safe space.

  He stood to the apex of the two.

  “Master Chief, when these two finish with their staring contest, could you fabricate a replacement for this table?” The master chief signaled his acknowledgement. “I mean it, Lee. That was my favorite table.”

  “I’m sorry, Commander,” Lee said, exhaling, “what are your orders?”

  “First, don’t swatt the Sergeant here with that deadly arm of yours. Second, judging by what I saw and heard, I don’t think Dawes here is quite the unhinged fellow he is purporting to be. But I’m betting you passed his test. Speak to him later when you think you’ve cooled down.”

  Dawes was grinning widely. He looked around the table and clapped Lee on the arm. “I’ll see you around, Lieutenant.” With that, he swung on his boot heel and was soon out the lounge.

  Rachael wasn’t entirely sure what she’d just witnessed. But it wasn’t important to her now. She stared up at Aaron. His green eyes looked sad. He looked like he wanted to say something. He shifted nervously.

  It reminded her of when they took the air transport in the atmosphere on Atlas and he threatened to puke in her lap.

  Lee by now had recovered from Sergeant Dawes’ theatrics. The lieutenant looked from Aaron and back at her. Lee grabbed Yuri by the arm and hauled him up. Poor Yuri was still speechless.

  “Come on, Flaps,” Lee said. “Let’s let the Commander and Lieutenant get reacquainted. They haven’t spoken in a long time.”

  “But we have meetings every day they—”, the young ensign could be heard protesting as he was hauled off.

  When they were out of earshot, Aaron spoke.

  “Lieutenant, would you sit with me? At another table of course…”

  “That depends on one thing,” she said.

  “What’s that?”

  “Are we back calling each other by rank now?”

  He sighed. “Rachael, please?”

  “That’s better.” Something had changed in him. The fact that he was here, made it apparent. His tone sounded almost apologetic. But she still wasn’t about to give him a free pass. He’d made some rotten assumptions about her and what had happened on Atlas. He’d also avoided her these past few days and only said anything directly to her when it was absolutely necessary in briefings.

  At the very least she wanted to tell him what really happened. She hadn’t had the chance to speak to him after Atlas.

  Before the battle of Atlas Prime, she’d reached out to him over the fleet’s communications to ask him to give her this chance. To be fair, he’d suffered a near mortal wound soon after. But she knew, despite that, it seemed he simply didn’t want to hear what she had to say.

  If her presence aboard still disturbed him after she set the record straight, then she’d have no choice to request reassignment.

  They sat opposite each other in another booth near a polarized observation port. A holo-viewer built into the bulkhead displayed the images recorded by the ship’s sensors and interpreted by the computer.

  The computer translated the telemetry into visual stimuli they could process. Swirling energies flowed around and over the ship while it was at warp.

  Aaron flexed his fingers into a fist a few times. Whatever he seemed to be wrestling with, he finally broke the awkward silence.

  “Rachael . . .”

  “I didn’t betray you!” She spit it out before she could stop it.

  Aaron looked down at the table. “I know.”

  “Back on Atlas,” she continued, “I know I should have done something sooner, but I was torn. I kept thinking, if I saved you, we would forever lose the chance to identify those other so-called ‘associates’ of Ben James.”

  “I get it,” Aaron said.

  “No you don’t, let me finish.” She drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I didn’t have forever to decide between you and the consequences. If Ben and his people escaped this time, how many more would die? I knew in the end I couldn’t let you die. Just before the room exploded . . . before Lee came . . . I moved to strike him from behind. You couldn’t have seen it.”

  “I believe I did. It’s just everything about that day is a blur. Something crashing through the window, the pain I was in . . . I was really out of it.”

  “What’s changed?” she asked. “Why did you shun me these past few days and since you awoke? Why are you here now?”

  “A mutual friend convinced me to confront the elephant.”

  “What does a mammal creature have to do with anything?”

  He looked at her as though she should understand. “Confront the elephant in the room? No relevance to you?”

  “Drawing a blank. Should it?”

  Aaron smiled. “I guess it’s one of those old metaphorical idioms lost to time—”

  Rachael held up her hand. “Clearly. Lee and Max might get it, but I certainly don’t take the context.”

  “Well it basically means—”

  She held up her hand. “Stop. You don’t have to explain it. I’m pretty sure I can work it out.” He looked strange without his scar. Why had he removed it? “So a mutual friend compelled you . . . I won’t even try to guess who. How much do you know about my mission? Particularly before we left Earth together, for Rigel.”

  “I know everything.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that. If he knew everything, then he knew what happened to Trident. When Trident was ambushed near Orion, she’d sabotaged the attacking ship which just happened to be the ship they were on now.

  Phoenix was operated by Ben James’ people. It’d taken a huge effort to infiltrate them. By that time, it had destroyed many ships along the Border Worlds frontier.

  After she sabotaged it and it withdrew, they couldn’t repair the ship and abandoned it. She’d signaled Shepherd the location.

  She leaned forward to force him to look directly into her eyes. “So, what are you feeling?”

  He held t
he gaze. “Panic.” He grinned. “But mostly, ashamed at the way I’ve treated you.”

  “Technically, you didn’t speak to me for six months.”

  Aaron furrowed his brow.

  She giggled. “Ha, you should see the look on your face.”

  “You watched me sometimes didn’t you?”

  She gave him a blank stare. “Maybe”. She paused. “Maybe not.”

  “Should have given me a kiss, maybe I would have woken up.”

  “Oh?”

  He was shaking his head. “Never mind, old story. Was kind of the other way around, anyway. But know what? I’m going to give you something to read. It’s really a big reference to all kinds of things you can find in the history databases. Makes it easy having it in one place. I think you would have liked the twenty-first century.”

  “Not if they all talked like you do. I barely understand you half the time.”

  He snickered. “That’s the fun part.”

  “So what now?” she asked.

  “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”

  She nodded. “It’s a small ship.”

  “Indeed.” He laid the huge paper book down on the table in front her and left.

  She looked at it.

  A Comprehensive History: Twenty-First Century Earth.

  Chapter 12 – Heart of a Lion

  “So you think you’re some kind of ultimate warrior or something?” – Yuri Miroslav

  Hangar Deck

  Phoenix

  Ensign Yuri “Flaps” Miroslav slammed the personnel device into the deck.

  He’d like to smash that tough guy marine sergeant dickhead with it. Who’d he think he was, anyway? Dawes was lucky the Commander was there or Lee would have cracked his smug face in two places.

  Then where would poor Lee be? Yuri would just have to shove Dawes out the airlock and pretend he didn’t exist.

  But he did exist. People like Dawes would always exist. Society could progress in many ways, but no amount of science, technology or time could fix negative human traits. Everyone from old Earth must have believed the future would fix everyone and everything. That it would be some utopia. It was no utopia where he was raised.