Across Our Stars: Victor Read online

“Oh, Zoe?” Angela piped up before Zoe managed to crawl into bed. “Do you think I could borrow that gold top I spotted in your locker at our next port?”

  Seriously? They’re already scoping out my stuff?

  “Don’t be silly, Angie,” Radha spoke up. “You’re a little too lily-white for that color, but I have a pink tunic that’ll look much better.”

  “Everyone from your culture has the best looking colors in their wardrobe,” Angela complained. “It isn’t fair.”

  Zoe eye rolled and left them to discuss fashion without adding to the conversation. As she settled down, she did have to agree with one thing: Doctor del Toro was extremely easy on the eyes.

  Maybe he’ll smile for me again… The wistful thought accompanied her slide into drugged oblivion.

  Chapter 4

  Cool light gleamed from the debriefing room’s ceiling and illuminated the faces of the stoic officers gathered to discuss plans for their next mission.

  Ethan sat beside his ship’s executive officer, Amelia Banks, a middle-aged woman with warm, coffee colored skin and equally dark eyes. Victor, Oshiro, and Daniels filled the remaining seats.

  An oversized map dominated the room’s center, displaying a three dimensional representation of the galaxy and its countless systems. Tiny pinpricks of light blinked to life, interspersed with radiant suns and an assortment of planets. A glowing blip depicted the Jemison and another bright yellow icon displayed their next destination. Three days of flight time separated them.

  “Yesterday, United Command received a request from the capital city on Loki 4 to check their sister colony on the orbiting moon.” Ethan zoomed the map to a small system that featured four planets orbiting a small yellow star. “They’re unresponsive.”

  “Do they lack ships of their own?” Victor inquired.

  “Loki 4 is a green civilization site,” Oshiro informed him kindly. “Their sister colony was founded with help from the Empire to reduce overcrowding on the planetary surface. It is the first on the moon and its success will pave the way for additional colony settlements.”

  “So they don’t mine for fuel, and they’re defenseless unless one of our ships is in the vicinity, you mean.” Commander Daniels folded his arms against his chest. His unsympathetic visage remained unchanged while he surveyed the map. “Doesn’t sound like a wise move.”

  Amelia leaned forward in her seat and settled the weight of her solemn gaze on each officer in turn. “You are all aware of the troubling trend over the past two years. Raiders have preyed on settlements occupying the outer systems. When our ships happen by weeks later, it’s beyond our ability to help. This time, the Empire has a chance to do something about it.”

  “We were assigned to investigate this for two reasons: it’s along our planned patrol route, and we have a talented complement of combat medics on board,” Ethan debriefed them.

  “You’re expecting wounded,” Victor guessed.

  “We don’t know yet. We’re sending you to search for refugees. If they are reeling from an attack or natural disaster, you will provide aid. Commander Daniels and a team of marines will accompany your squad to provide backup,” Amelia explained.

  “That’s new,” Daniels commented.

  “I want a designated team,” Ethan told them all. “No more random groups based on who arrives at the shuttle bay first. We need two squads to train together in their downtime in order to perform in the field as an adaptable unit. One combat and one medical.”

  “Commodore Bishop and I have discussed possibilities at length for your squads. I think you’ll be pleased with these recommendations.” Amelia swiped a hand across her tablet and brought up a holographic display that projected over the center of the table and expanded. An identification photo of a young blonde appeared above a list of military achievements.

  “Saskia DuPrie is one of the splicers we picked up from our rendezvous with the Noriega. She’s been trained for reconnaissance and her camouflage ability is one of the best I’ve ever come across. Took me weeks to get her transferred to my ship,” Ethan said.

  Daniels grunted. “Acceptable.”

  He looks like he’d prefer to drink NeoDiesel, Victor thought.

  “Sergeant Zoe Raines. Sniper. She underwent voluntary gene splicing after her enlistment and came out with eagle vision. This woman doesn’t need a scope to hit her target.” With each suggestion, a photograph of the crewmember automatically materialized on a holographic tag board. Raines appeared as friendly in her professional military photo as she had in his office.

  “I’d rather take Henley,” Daniels disagreed, arms crossed over his chest. Another photograph hovered above the table.

  “I examined Raines’ cybernetic arm. It’s top of the line,” Victor muttered thoughtfully. “She can handle a lot of weapons without stress.”

  “Maybe so, but she hasn’t seen combat since she lost it,” Daniels replied.

  “Then the young woman must feel anxious to return to combat duty,” Oshiro said mildly.

  “How about Upstead?” Amelia suggested. “Steadiest arm I know. His upgrades aren’t the latest model but they’re still good and reliable.”

  Daniels shook his head. “Steady arm, true, but too slow. I need someone who isn’t weighed down by their implants.”

  So that’s his game, is it? Victor squeezed his coffee cup a little too hard. The crushed cardboard sloshed hot liquid over the side that dribbled over his fingers. “Cresswell has an impressive history as a gunner on top of his speed,” Victor suggested in an even tone. Lieutenant Cresswell sported a bilateral pair of cybernetic legs that didn’t detract from his speed on the field. He could run while firing a pistol with pinpoint accuracy, and his mule kicks could dent steel. Let’s see him deny this one.

  Daniels frowned and shook his head again. He opened his mouth to speak but a loud smack on the table shut him up and drew all eyes to their commanding officer.

  “This is not up for debate,” Ethan informed them all. “Sergeant Raines will be your sniper. That is why I had her transferred here. Deal with it.”

  Victor grinned.

  Daniels assumed a professionally neutral expression and nodded. “Aye, aye, sir.” The next handful of names met with his taciturn approval.

  Oshiro and Ethan conducted their own discussion about medical protocol and skilled marines. Unlike Daniels, Victor had no reservations or any favorites among straight humans, splicers, or cyborgs. He valued them equally.

  “Will four be sufficient?” Ethan asked.

  “I don’t require many. I’ll happily accept quality over quantity,” Victor spoke aloud while reviewing the suggested marines. A few of the names on his personal list coincided with Ethan’s recommendations. “I’m happy with the four, but I’d be pleased if you add Elizabeth Fairchild, too. I spoke with her in medical this morning and she’s a brilliant nurse with a degree in microbiology. Perfect asset to the team if anything biological happens to be at the root of this.”

  “Done.”

  “Appreciated,” Victor said courteously. He stole a glance at Daniels. The quiet man sat back in his chair with his beefy arms folded against his chest, an unreadable expression concealing his probable displeasure.

  Eventually, they concluded their meeting and began to file from the room. Daniels stepped into line behind Oshiro, but Victor found it increasingly difficult to bite his tongue.

  “Oi, Daniels. A word with you?”

  The other commander hung back and shut the door, as if he’d expected the request. They didn’t return to their seats. Victor opted to lean by the table while his fellow officer waited a few steps from the door.

  “Something wrong, del Toro?”

  “You tell me. Do you have something against cybernetics that I should know about?” Victor asked.

  “They’re a crutch. An easy way to cheat their way past doing the work themselves.”

  “That’s bloody ridiculous,” Victor argued. After a deep breath, he calmed his tone. “Whether
it was elective augmentation or not, they are here to serve the Empire the same as you and me.”

  Daniels smirked. “Of course, you have a soft spot for them.”

  “No. That is where you and I differ, because I see them no differently than our soldiers who have the blessing to remain completely flesh and blood. You, on the other hand, appear to have something against Zoe Raines in particular. If it’s about wanting to avoid any claims of favoritism toward another native of your home planet, you’ve taken it a few steps too far.”

  “Not really. This doesn’t have anything to do with her originating from Tallulah.” Daniels paused and glanced at the chronometer fastened to his wrist, as if he’d spared too many seconds of his precious time already for Victor. “Shame about her arm though. Looks like it shook her confidence.”

  “Her valor may have lost her a limb, but your carelessness landed Sergeant Raines in my exam room on her bloody second day aboard the ship.”

  Daniels scowled. “Like most mechies, she needs to pull her weight without relying on her shiny new upgrades. She’ll get herself killed if she goes into a fight thinking that arm will save her.”

  “She’s a sniper. Her job is to kill before the enemy knows she’s there. I doubt she relies on the arm to save her,” Victor disagreed.

  “My job is to make sure they can handle any combat situation,” Daniels said evenly.

  “That’s odd, because I’ve taken the liberty to speak to a half dozen other cyborgs after the second complaint entered the medical bay. Three complaints, since my arrival, of joint and nerve damage. The commonality between them is that you are the trainer. Are they handling combat situations or discrimination?”

  “I’m not having this discussion with you, del Toro.”

  “I saved your ass when I salvaged Johnson’s hand in the repair lab. You won’t have me to speak to if you wreck a twenty thousand quid prosthetic; you’ll be taking it up with Bishop when the budget has to replace it,” Victor said hotly.

  Without another glance at the other officer, Victor slammed the door behind him and stormed to the elevator. If anything upset him, it was bullies, and Commander Daniels was no exception.

  ***

  The Jemison reached its destination in less than three days and sent a modest spacecraft to investigate Loki 4’s single moon. Lieutenant Rogers, a young man with a carrot-colored mop of hair and copious freckles, landed the rockskipper on the moon’s surface without incident. The position placed them at the city outskirts on a landing pad designated for supply ships.

  “You okay to wait here?” Daniels asked the pilot.

  “Aye, sir. I have a rifle” Rogers patted the stock and smiled. “I’ll be right here if you need me and prepared to offer aerial support with the rockskipper’s canons, too.”

  “Excellent,” Daniels said. “We’ll need a reliable eye.”

  Zoe stared at Daniels until Victor touched her shoulder in passing. The tension in her spine diminished and seemed to instantly relax.

  Once they all moved outside of the rockskipper, the silence of a dead village greeted them. Windmills moved in the distance and water crashed through the hydraulic power plant by the thin river cutting through the rock bordering the town. Nothing else happened and no one came to greet their ship.

  “DuPrie, you’re up,” Daniels called out. “I need a quick in and out to know what we’re up against.”

  Saskia stepped away from the rest of the group and to the closest rocky outcropping. Ruddy red hues streaked with black rippled across her skin, matching the local terrain. After the press of a button her specialized armor and boots transitioned to a translucent state. She became a shimmer then impossible to track once she moved away.

  “Admit it,” one of the men muttered. “That trick is pretty damn cool.”

  Daniels split the team into two groups, mixing medical personnel between each. He assigned them each a search pattern while they waited for word from their scout.

  “The place is a ghost town.” Saskia reported over the comm. “No one is moving through there. We’re safe to go in.”

  The peaceful settlement was once beautiful, but the empty gardens and silent buildings lent it a haunting quality. Their orderly sweep through the settlement discovered homes with smashed furniture, ransacked closets, and empty pantries.

  Outside appeared no better. Abandoned toys littered the streets and vegetable carts rotted beneath the sun. The group split to move around both sides of the square.

  “What happened in that pasture?” Abernathy questioned over the commlink.

  “Maybe the livestock began to cannibalize? Villagers appear to be gone and there’s no one here to feed them,” Fairchild replied.

  A waist high fence portioned a great space beside the village. Beyond the wooden structure, remnants of several mauled livestock carcasses cooked beneath the midday sun. They might have been a variant of cow native to the nearby planet.

  “Those are herbivores, Fairchild. They won’t cannibalize. Something else did that.”

  “Doctor,” Zoe said in a low voice. “Don’t move. Don’t even speak.”

  Victor took her advice at face value and froze absolutely still. He moved only his eyes to scan his field of vision, scrutinizing every detail of their surroundings. The dwindling sun reflected light off a glossy softball-sized eye.

  The rest of the mottled, red and grey creature came into view. Like Saskia, its skin mimicked the rough stone surface of the buildings carved from the mountain range.

  Don’t move? What else am I supposed to do? I can’t very well wait for it to eat me, he thought. One adjustment of his shotgun muzzle would place the creature on the receiving end of military retribution at least. He swung his firearm toward the monster and discharged the shell, point blank, into its chest. It shook off the shot and lunged.

  The unexpected collision with Zoe’s shoulder took Victor off his feet. Something sharp scraped past his cheek and left searing heat in its wake. Carrion breath blasted his face from his attacker’s rancid mouth.

  For a woman half his size, Zoe hit like a drake, the camel-sized reptilian creatures known for their aggression and hunger for human flesh. Astreya’s first explorers and settlers named them for their uncanny resemblance to dragons.

  “What the hell–”

  “Sorry, Doc.” Zoe leapt to her feet and put her rifle to her shoulder. “God, that thing is ugly.”

  Away from the rock walls and the camouflage they provided, their attacker came into focus. Foot-long quills fanned up from the beast’s hide and a bloody smear colored its left tusk.

  So much for our reliable eye, Victor thought as he hurried back to his feet. He leveled his shotgun at the creature’s hide and pulled the trigger. The weapon bucked against his shoulder and the shot deflected off its tough skin. He pumped the firearm and blasted it again, hobbling its foreleg. It recovered swiftly and lunged again with the intact front leg, its claws open and ready to strike.

  “Down.”

  Victor dropped to one knee and Zoe aimed her rifle over his shoulder and fired. The creature’s eye socket exploded in a spray of blood and gore. It crashed to the ground, dead in a single shot.

  “Holy shit, we’ve got more of them, guys! Two more on your six,” Saskia reported.

  “Rogers, this would be the time to provide that aerial support you mentioned,” Victor barked into the frequency.

  Gunfire echoed across the square and the comm chatter revealed the other team faced similar assault. Mirroring his earlier gesture, Zoe squeezed Victor’s shoulder before she moved away.

  “Lopez is hurt; I’ll cover you,” she informed him.

  “I see him.” Victor shouldered his weapon and sprinted across the wide lane. A lithe form twisted around and lunged in his direction. It yowled in pain, struck by projectiles fired in rapid succession. Zoe covered his flank while he continued his dash toward the downed soldier, whipping out his medical pack from his supplies while on the move.

  Four ba
rbed spines protruded from Lopez’s leg, but their presence kept the bleeding to a minimum. Victor staggered to one knee beside him and dropped the equipment package on the ground. A thin trickle of blood dribbled down his numbed cheek, and he closed his eyes to steady his head.

  The hell is wrong with me?

  He shook off the feeling and dove into the bag.

  Saskia and Chang took cover nearby and concentrated their fire on the third beast. They moved swiftly, their flexible movements bearing resemblance to the canid species that ran wild on Paradiso. Oblivious to the impact of the gunshots, it rushed at them and gave a ferocious snarl, spittle flying from its tooth-filled maw. The two soldiers peppered its tough exterior with bullets until it collapsed on the ground. Saskia sweated heavily by the end, her pale brow beaded with moisture.

  The shuttle swept overhead in a low pass. Strategically placed detonations from the rockskipper set the debris aflame that surrounded Victor’s squad. The result worked like a charm, by not only scaring the fourth creature, but forcing it to rear back from the searing flames and expose its softer underbelly. Victor mercilessly capitalized on the vulnerability and filled it with scatter rounds.

  “More incoming from the mountain range,” Rogers announced. “I’ll keep them off of you.”

  “What are they?” Daniels demanded. “Four have us penned by the corral.”

  “They’re only wargs. I thought you had it covered,” Rogers said.

  Daniels didn’t sound amused. “What the hell is a warg?”

  “They’re predatory mountain dogs. Like wolves. Native to Loki 4, but probably brought here by the settlers for hunting. By the way, try not to let one gore you. There’s a neurotoxin on the tusks, and it’ll put you down on your ass,” Rogers said.

  Now he tells me.

  “Get these things off our asses, Rogers, then scare off the rest.” Daniels’ brusque voice filled the comm channel.

  Fire frightened the wargs off better than guns. O’Malley activated his flamethrower and kept the monsters at bay until Rogers arrived. By the time things settled, Victor had cleansed Lopez’s leg, staunched the blood flow, and sat heavily in the dirt to assess his injury.