Broken Horizon Read online

“Get to the point.”

  “Ryn’s dad was on the Agamemnon. You saved her dad. We saved her dad! If she met you, I’d get more points with her.”

  Jacob shook his head. “Points?”

  “Listen man, all you have to do is show up one night with me. Make some small talk with her. You should have the great idea to go on a double date. You and Sharon, me and Ryn.” Trevor bumped his hands together. “Bam. I’m in.”

  “You are despicable.”

  “Come on, I’ll get some, you’ll get some too.”

  “I don’t have any issues getting some.”

  Trevor rolled his eyes. “God dammit, Jake.”

  Jacob laughed. “Taking the lord’s name in vain...”

  “Just effing show up to church with me, introduce yourself, make a double date, and then you are done. You owe me.”

  “I owe you?”

  “Yeah, you do.”

  “Um...”

  “For that... one thing.”

  “Yeah. That one thing,” Jacob said sarcastically.

  Trevor sighed. “Please?”

  Jacob rolled his eyes.

  “Come on! Holy shit, you are so hard to work with.”

  Jacob chuckled. “You decided to go on a prowl at a Christian church. What? Terra doesn’t have freaks like you want?”

  “Terra followers always have body odor. I don’t know why,” Trevor said.

  “Does body odor usually stop you?” Jacob sighed. “I’ll do it. Just know one day I’ll murder you in your sleep.”

  “As long as Ryn is sleeping next to me, it’s not a terrible way to go out.”

  “You are a scumbag.”

  Trevor hugged Jacob. “Thanks, buddy!”

  December 2, 0270 AC – 15:03

  Commander Aurigae’s Quarters, USS Empyrean

  Edge of Galactic Union Space

  “So tell me,” Commander Boaz Aurigae said. “What makes you want to join the fighter wing?”

  Arnold shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Sir, I just don’t think my calling is at the bridge.” Arnold gestured with his hand. “I want to be out there.”

  “In a tiny fighter. You don’t want to transfer to navigations of a corvette? You are aware of our corvette squadron. You have a great more experience there.”

  “I realize that, sir. If we had Rapture, our old corvette, maybe. But these new corvettes just don’t feel the same. I’ve always been intrigued by fighters. I collected models of starfighters when I was young. My favorite was the Peregrine. I want to fly in one of those. Maybe then I’ll feel truly free.”

  Aurigae leaned back in his chair. “Interestin’. I understand. Your simulator results are quite impressive, especially since you didn’t have any formal training.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  The commander stared down Arnold.

  Arnold smiled nervously and glanced around the commander’s quarters.

  Arnold would have loved this place as a child. Commander Aurigae had a large collection of models of fighters on desks and tables. Large blueprints of starships spanned the walls of his quarters.

  Commander Aurigae shrugged. “I will make the necessary arrangements to transfer you to Zeta Squadron for real training. Don’t make me regret this decision.”

  Arnold grinned. “Oh, you can count on me, sir! Thank you, thank you so much, sir.”

  Commander Aurigae nodded. “Good luck out there. I am stepping down soon and there will be some shake-ups in the squadrons. I’m sure there will be a spot for you if you rise to your potential.”

  “I’ll try my best, sir.”

  “One last thing, though, soldier.”

  “Yes?”

  The commander stared down Arnold again.

  “Is there another reason you want to be a fighter pilot?” Aurigae asked. “Something you don’t want to admit?”

  “What do you mean?” Arnold asked.

  “We get a lot of different people out here,” Aurigae said. “Some want glory, some are addicted to the speed, others have somethin’ to prove, some want the girls... as if girls were more attracted to nuggets... Listen, no one is safe in a starfight. A stray mass driver can bring an entire cruiser to its knees if the conditions are just right. The reaper is always watching. The fact of the matter is that in a battle we always lose people in the wing. Piloting your tiny, fragile fighter in the midst of absolute carnage. Weaving between ship debris, other fighters, and even some random space junk all the while making sure you aren’t frying your brain from hitting too many Gs and dodging the other bastard’s weapon fire... Look, I’ll just say it. We get a lot of dumb, suicidal people. They won’t admit it, but there is something wrong with a good portion of those who enlist in this crapshoot. People that want to die, but are too chicken-shit to put that rope around their neck or to pull that trigger. Is everything okay, son? Is there something else on your mind?”

  Arnold hesitated to answer. His head began to pound in pain.

  “Well, son?”

  “I don’t know about all of that, sir. I want to be out there among the stars, not confined in this metal prison. I want to see the stardust, not just get readings on my sensors. I want to be one with the universe. The bridge of a cruiser just won’t cut it. I want to join the fighter wing.”

  Commander Boaz Aurigae smiled. “You have potential. Just be careful out there. Don’t do anything stupid. We have lost many brave men out there. There’s not a hell of a lot of difference between bravery and stupidity.”

  3

  Dome 4, Chryse Planitia

  Mars

  Orion Confederation Space

  Riko Maeda pulled herself up over the rusted pipe. She could barely grip all the way around the pipe. She then dropped back down to a hanging position and pulled herself back up. The weak pipe strained from the weight but didn’t fall apart.

  Riko kept doing pull-ups using the pipe that went across the room. She wasn’t sure how long she had been doing it today. She wasn’t even sure how long she had been on the red planet. The days and months ran together. She had been there far longer than she expected. There was no way of getting a message off Mars. There was no way to escape. Her Kitsune fighter was too damaged to repair without any spare parts.

  She lived in a dirty shack near Zebediah’s shack. Every prisoner under the dome lived in dilapidated enclosures. Walls were constructed from shoddy brickwork and random pieces of scavenged metal. An occasional hole in the roof provided the light of the room. In actuality, the roof wasn’t necessary. It didn’t rain on Mars, and even if it did, there was a dome keeping out the harshness of the atmosphere.

  Long ago, there were rumors that Mars would be terraformed due to its proximity to Earth. However, the Cataclysm removed Earth, the main hub of the system. The Sol system was mostly empty except for a few space stations here and there. The terraforming projects were put on hold during the many wars that raged across the galaxy. When resources were available for terraforming again, Mars wasn’t an interesting prospect anymore.

  A poorly constructed pipe entered in one wall of the shack and continued out the other side. In the middle of the pipe was a small gasket that could be opened to allow a small trickle of water for drinking and bathing. Water with a distinct chemical aftertaste, but water nonetheless. The water was supplied by a water tower that stood prominent in the middle of the “town” of myriads of shacks under the dome.

  Riko had learned this was called “Dome 4.” Zebediah wasn’t sure how many domes were out there on the surface of Mars acting as prisons. There was a possibility that some of the domes weren’t even prisons. Zebediah said that each dome mostly kept to themselves. There was occasional trading, but there weren’t many items useful for trading. Random space junk that fell occasionally from the sky was manna from heaven and worthwhile to trade. Riko and Zebediah had made treks to other nearby domes to see if they had any sort of equipment to help fix the Kitsune, but they found nothing. The other domes always offered many different things to Zebe
diah in exchange for Riko. They would give up their rations and starve to death for a chance to be with a woman. Zebediah would always tell them she wasn’t for sale. Sometimes things got violent.

  Each dome was supplied by a transport craft that would arrive every week and deliver a load of foodstuffs and additional water for the dome. It was always too little food. Riko wondered if she could somehow hijack this craft and get off the planet. Zebediah warned her against this and said the Orbital Guard was always watching. There was no escape.

  Each dome had different customs to divide the food. The members of Dome 4 were far less barbaric than some other domes and would try to divide the food equally to the best of their abilities. Zebediah was part of a three member council that “ran” this “town.” The other two men of the council were quiet and didn’t talk much to her. She mostly tried to stay away from everyone and keep to herself. Every day she would push herself harder. She wanted to be in top shape in case Zebediah wasn’t there to protect her.

  The gravity on Mars was about three times weaker than Earth. The dome had a few anti-gravity systems that were solar powered and tuned to standard Earth-based gravity. The prisoners were not allowed to tamper with the anti-gravity devices. Riko wasn’t sure what she would do with a solar panel or anti-gravity device anyways.

  Zebediah entered the shack through a flimsy cloth that was hanging over the doorway. He was carrying a box. He tossed it down on a table in the middle of the room. The force of the box landing on the table knocked away clouds of dust.

  Riko glanced behind her at Zebediah then looked back up and continued exerting herself.

  “Not even a ‘hello’ today, eh?” Zebediah started taking items out of the box.

  “I’m not in a good mood.” Riko continued lifting herself over the pipe and back down.

  “Are you ever in a good mood?”

  “As long as I am on Mars, no.”

  Zebediah took some smaller boxes out of the larger one and set them aside. “The transport arrived, you missed the unveiling of this week’s food.”

  “I don’t care,” Riko replied.

  “It’s what gives some of the men hope each week. Occasionally the transport is late and they begin to despair. As long as the transport is on time, we will survive.” Zebediah lifted an apple out of a smaller box.

  “This isn’t surviving. Not really,” Riko said as she exerted herself more.

  “I haven’t seen one of these in a while,” Zebediah said.

  Riko looked back again. She dropped down onto the dirt floor and then approached the table. “An apple?”

  “Want it?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Zebediah tossed the apple to Riko.

  Riko caught the apple and began devouring the treat.

  Zebediah chuckled. “Slightly better mood now... We don’t get those very often.”

  Riko talked with her mouth full of apple. “Where does this food come from anyways? Who supplies Mars?”

  Zebediah shrugged. “Some say it is delivered and others say it’s actually grown on the Citadel. Hard to say. The Citadel is a large station... Rumors have it that even more people are imprisoned inside the station.”

  “Maybe they have better conditions up there. I can’t believe we are expected to survive like this.”

  “The people that run this institution get paid a hefty sum of money to make sure the prisoners do not escape. Outright killing prisoners is barbaric, but torturing them somehow sits better in the hearts of man. Of course, many people do not know about our plight here. Ignorance is bliss.”

  “Some people deserve to be tortured here.”

  “True, but every man can change.”

  Riko helped Zebediah unpack the last of the foodstuffs. They delivered these items into the small makeshift cabinets in the shack.

  “Did you truly change?” Riko asked.

  “Yes, and so did the majority of the men of this dome. Terra has spoken to them.”

  Zebediah had become the spiritual leader of Dome 4. He held weekly services where he preached to the prisoners. Riko assumed it was weekly.

  “They still look at me. I know what they want.”

  Zebediah nodded. “I know. It’s a temptation. Of course, now look at you. They are probably scared of you now.” He grinned, revealing a missing canine tooth. “You could probably kick all of their asses.”

  Riko smirked. “Probably...” She paused. “...Are you ever tempted?”

  Zebediah moved a strand of hair out of the face of Riko. Her hair had gotten longer living under the dome. “Child,” Zebediah said. “There was a time.”

  “I know, you say you are castrated, I just—I don’t know.” Riko blushed.

  Zebediah chucked. “I’m not interested. You are a beautiful, young woman. I’ve had my fill. It wasn’t worth it.”

  “Is it—is it all gone?”

  “What?”

  Riko looked away. “Your manhood.”

  “You’re absolutely ridiculous. If you must know, Warden Ross Algol cut it all off. Yes, balls and all.”

  Riko squirmed at the thought.

  “It was disgusting,” Zebediah said, “but almost uplifting. Almost a gift to be rid of it. I can still take a piss without too much difficulty. They didn’t sew my penis back on. I kept it for a little while before it began to rot.”

  She nearly vomited.

  “Sorry, sorry.” He stashed the last of the food into a cabinet. “No one is starving this week. We had quite the haul today. That may mean more prisoners soon.”

  “How soon is soon?”

  Zebediah scratched his bushy, black beard. “Not sure. It could be a coincidence or they had an excess.”

  “I wish they would just communicate with us. I don’t belong here. You’d they think notice and get me off this rock. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “They don’t care. Maybe if someone comes looking for you, but why would they bother? Besides, do they want an outsider revealing the treatment here? Probably not. Complete isolation, minimal food, no supplies...”

  “Of course, some of you deserve to be in isolation. I don’t think its necessarily a bad idea to have a prison planet, just get me off of it.”

  “We all want off it.”

  “Right, but some of you deserve to be here. You all did horrible things.”

  “Yes. Yes, I understand. I’m different now. I’ve changed.”

  “Too bad. You should have thought of the future before making your choices.”

  Zebediah paused. A tear streaked down his cheek.

  Riko walked up and wiped the tear away. “I’m... I’m sorry.”

  “It’s quite...” He turned away from Riko. “It’s quite alright. You are right, you know? I was a horrible man.”

  She gulped. “What—what did you do? Can you tell me? If you don’t mind me asking. Most people in this dome were sexual predators... Were you?”

  “Something like that,” Zebediah said. “Listen, I’ll tell you the story. Then you can judge me all you want.”

  She nodded hesitantly. “Okay.”

  He leaned against the table. “I lived on Euphrates. I was about to graduate high school. I had excellent grades. My parents suggested that I join the Commonwealth Navy. My whole life was before me and I squandered it.”

  Riko sat down on a shoddy stool and listened intently.

  Zebediah continued, “My sister was my opposite. I was introverted, focusing on my studies, and she was out partying. She was two years younger than me. Extremely skilled when it came to computers, but she wasted her talents. I was the good kid.” He chuckled. “She was the brat. I loved her, though.

  “Her sixteenth birthday party... She wanted it to be special. Her friend’s parents were out of town. That was the place. It was a mansion. Amazing. My sister managed to acquire beer, I don’t know how. She had her ways. My sister invited me. I didn’t want to upset her, so I went. Sipped my beer, had my fun. I was worried but I should let my sister have her f
un, you know?”

  He sighed. “What a dumbass.”

  Riko was pretty sure he was referring to himself.

  “I met this adorable blonde,” Zebediah said. “Her name was Amy. We talked, we were both a bit tipsy. We went upstairs. I lost my virginity...

  “...Amy was 16. That was considered statutory rape on Euphrates. Her parents barged in after the deed was done. They were home early. And I didn’t mention... The father was the governor of our little town on Euphrates.

  “The governor made the girl say horrible things in court. Insinuating that I had drugged and raped her. Although there was no real proof, I did earn several months in jail.

  “When I got out of jail, I wanted to visit her. I stayed away at first. I didn’t want to confront the governor. Eventually I managed to muster up enough courage to drive over to the mansion in a rental car I could barely afford. I drove up to the mansion and there were police.”

  More tears welled up. “She was murdered,” Zebediah said. “Murdered and raped. Sliced across the throat with a horrible blade.

  “It devastated me. I had to get away. I did odd jobs here and there across the galaxy. I eventually came back home after two years. I should have stayed away.

  “There was no real evidence, but they connected me to the ‘Slicer,’ a serial killer that had been running amok since I had been gone. The governor still held his grudge against me. The Slicer’s first kill wasn’t Amy, but a girl that died the night I was released from jail. This was far too big a coincidence for the court. While I was off-world, the Slicer had murdered and raped twelve young women. Always beautiful, before the prime of their life. They always had long blonde hair. Each girl was sliced across the throat. They said he did this before he raped them... or as he raped them.

  “They wanted a scapegoat. I was thrown back into jail. Conveniently, the real Slicer went quiet after my arrest. Another terrible coincidence that seemed to prove to everyone I was the murderer. Eventually, I was thrown onto a ship that brought me to this place.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Riko said. “I had no idea. You didn’t deserve all of that. Not to that extent. You were a dumb kid but you don’t deserve this.”