Payne and Cable
The air was thin, but still breathable; cold, icy and heading to freezing. Shea had a thermal scarf wrapped around her mouth, but she could still taste the ice. By the end of the planet’s revolution around its distant sun, this world would be dead.
Shea kicked at the frozen dirt with the toe of her weighted boots. A fine dust and ice crystal cloud lifted into the air in slow motion then settled back down again. Gravity was going, too.
She looked around at the village; there was no one left, of course there wasn’t. Whoever had lived here was long gone. As soon as the alert had gone out, the people panicked. Had packed up everything they owned and bolted for the nearest space port, even though it would take decades for the end to come. She could well imagine the pandemonium; it had happened on other planets, too.
Her footsteps left indentations in the dust as she made her way to the first hut. She pushed open the door: No one and nothing. This was the last run through.
Whatever happened had been slow enough that all the residents of the planet were evacuated in good time. It was a shame not one scientist could come up with a reasonable explanation for the slowing down of Bayer’s rotation. Or if they did, they weren’t telling.
“Commander Cable, do you copy?” Shea lifted a hand to her ear and stepped out of the hut. Her eyes rose to the larger white dot that moved in the night sky. The FSS Wellington would remain in orbit for another thirty hours, just to be sure all inhabitants had been found, animals as well. The Feds were making sure every single living item on this rock was being transported to the New World especially picked out for them.
“Roger, Captain Payne, go ahead.” Shea kept her voice professional, but grinned. She and Ellie had been friends since military pre-school. As children, they shared the same ambition to see the stars: Ellie as a star ship Captain and she as a fighter pilot. Both women had achieved their goals and were moving on the next one: For Ellie that meant command of a battle squadron; for Shea, command of a battle squadron’s complement of Snipe Interceptors. They were as close as sisters, and that still gave Shea a warm feeling. If there was one person in the galaxy she could trust, it was Ellie Payne. They’d always been there for each other and they always would be: they’d sworn it as ten year olds.
“Find anything?” Captain Payne asked cautiously.
“Not a thing, Captain. Not on the flyover, nor the walk through. If there is anything left on this rock, it’s a microbe.”
“Roger, Commander, come on home and let’s get these Bayerns to their new habitat. Captain Payne out.” Shea heard relief in her friend’s tone. What was that all about?
“Roger, Wellington, Cable clear.” Shea lowered her arm and looked around one last time. This world was doomed for reasons no one could fathom, and yet, there was something about it, something compelling. No vegetation grew, no water flowed, nothing moved. Only the deserted buildings would witness the death of this world.
For a billion years it had twirled slowly in space; now, it would come to a stop. What would happen? She wondered and made her way back to her Snipe.
Before she climbed into the cockpit, she lowered her visor and boosted the magnification, studied each direction. It was always good to be absolutely sure, even if the scanners gave the all-clear.
She faced the village one last time, said a silently farewell and turned back to her craft, hesitated. Something wasn’t right. She stared back at the empty buildings, the dusty streets, through the crystallising air. A flash, that’s all she’d seen, a quick glint of light on metal in an environment where there shouldn’t be one.
Shea had always been a believer in following instinct, no matter what. Her boots left perfect marks in the superfine dust as she made her way to where she thought she’d seen the flash. It was behind the first hut, near the edge, small enough to be missed in a flyover, hidden from direct sight, too, disguised as an old relic of a water spout attached to the back wall. It was only her good fortune to have landed here, at this particular time of night, looking in that direction to be able to spot the flash of light.
She didn’t touch it, but ran her scanner over it. The identity data that came back didn’t make sense. Metro Inc would have no use for a dead planet. Still, her instincts were buzzing in a way that couldn’t be ignored.
Better to gather more information before talking to anyone about this… anomaly.
***
Shea stirred the hardened plastic strip around in her coffee. She wanted something stronger; needed something stronger, but she was still on duty. That, at least, remained true: her sense of honour and duty.
Her thoughts went back to her research and she felt a tightening in her chest. Everything she had believed about the Federation was an outright lie. That her best friend might be a willing party to it, made it all the more devastating.
There was nothing she could do about what the Federation was perpetrating other than resign. But her friend? She had to talk to Ellie.
Setting aside the untouched brew, she rose and left the mess.
Ellie was in her dayroom and her smile was broad, as impish as it had ever been, when Shea walked in.
“So what brings the best pilot in the galaxy to my humble office?” Ellie asked and lowered the reader.
“Deception of the worst kind, ma’am.” Shea saluted and stood at attention. She didn’t want this to be formal, but until she knew what the Captain’s reaction would be, she would maintain that distance.
“ ‘Ma’am?’ Sounds serious.” Ellie waved at hand and leaned back in her chair. “At ease, Commander, and have a seat.”
Shea sat straight in her chair and, for once in her life, hesitated. Now that she was here, she had no idea where to start.
“What’s up Shea? You’re acting strange.” Ellie said.
“I found it.” Shea blurted and winced.
“Found what?” Ellie’s fine blonde eyebrows lowered into a frown.
“The marker from Metro Inc.”
Ellie’s expression cleared and she looked away. “Ah.”
“You knew.” The betrayal cut deep, but Shea had no idea how deep until now. “And you’re actively doing their dirty work. How could you, Ellie?”
Her friend’s gaze sharpened and she was no longer Shea’s childhood companion, but a star ship Captain. “It is not for a pilot to accuse a Captain of…” She drifted off.
“I haven’t accused you outright Captain, but I’d like an explanation.”
“Before what, Shea?” Ellie asked, curious.
It was Shea’s turn to look away. She lifted a shoulder. She had no idea what she was going to do with the information.
“Commander Cable, you know as well as I, that sometimes we have to do things we’d rather not. We’re both under orders and we both know the punishment for disobeying those orders. I have no objection to those orders.”
Shea gaped at her. “Are you saying that this… this atrocity is sanctioned by the government? And you’re happy with that?”
Ellie gave a minute nod and Shea ran through the permutations. Her lips twisted bitterly as the numbers came up. “It’s cheaper to remove all the inhabitants to another appropriate planet before Metro destroys it and harvests the mineral wealth.” She felt sick at the thought of all those people being told their planet was dying when, in truth, it was Metro and the Federation who were killing it. And for what? A nice tidy profit on the raw resources and the use of those resources for their own needs.
“Jesus, El.” She whispered. Captain Payne remained silent. “We’re killing worlds for money.” Shea shook her head in disgust.
“Does anyone else know, Shea? Have you told anyone else?” Ellie asked.
Shea slowly shook her head. “It beggars belief, Ellie. It simply… beggars belief.”
“I can’t ask you to forget this, can I.” Ellie murmured sadly.
“Why would I?”
“For your life, Shea.”
Shea felt the chill all the way to her bones. “My life? If this is sanctioned by the government, Captain Payne, they have nothing to fear from me. It must be perfectly legal and legitimate.” She bit out. “Besides, who could I tell? Who could do anything about this? Who would be strong enough?” Shea rose to her feet. “I can’t… won’t… can’t… be a party to this. When we return to the Central Hub, I’ll be handing in my resignation.” Tears forced their way into her eyes as she gazed at her friend and she wondered where that friend, sister had gone; what had caused this… this… soul-deep betrayal of all they’d stood for.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Shea,” Ellie murmured. “I know you wanted your own command.”
“Not if it means destroying worlds.” Shea’s voice held a pleading note, begged Ellie to turn away from the path of greed.
“No, I can see that and I understand.” Ellie said with a faint smile. “I’ll… be sorry to see you go. As I said, you’re the best pilot in the galaxy, but if you truly cannot accept this as Federation and Metro policy, then… I’ll accept your resignation.”
Shea felt as if her heart had been carved out of her chest with a blunt knife. Ellie was going to continue? She saw the truth in the Captain’s eyes and shook her head. “Goodbye, Ellie.” She whispered through a tight throat and rose, unsure of what to do next.
On a sigh, she went to the hatch, paused, waited for Ellie to say something, anything. There was silent and Shea left as devastated as never before.
***
Ellie watched her go. “You always were more honour bound and moral than I.” She said after the hatch had closed.
Ellie shut her eyes for a moment and watched the years roll back, filled herself with the memories of the two of them as small children running down the beach, as adolescents mooning of some worthless boy, as graduates, standing tall and proud in their academy uniforms, swearing allegiance to the Federation… She opened her eyes, lifted a hand to wipe the moisture away and cleared her throat. She firmed her resolve as she deliberately set aside those memories.
Her finger hesitated over the security intercom button then pressed down. “Major Jarrett, I have a problem I need you to… dispose of.” Her voice hitched over that word, but it had to be done to protect the Federation and Metro Inc. Shea would work out what she could do to destroy the whole plan and Ellie couldn’t let her friend blow twenty years of hard work and, yes, vast profit.
Commander Shea Cable would not return to Central Hub. Commander Cable would suffer a catastrophic and fatal flying accident. Ellie didn’t know when or where it would happen and that would ensure her total shock and grief. Already she could feel it building and pushed it aside. It was done; no going back, not since that first eye-opening deposit into her bank account.
Captain Payne firmed her lips, poured herself some rare Wyndalis wine and picked up her reader.
© Jaye Patrick 2005
Shea kicked at the frozen dirt with the toe of her weighted boots. A fine dust and ice crystal cloud lifted into the air in slow motion then settled back down again. Gravity was going, too.
She looked around at the village; there was no one left, of course there wasn’t. Whoever had lived here was long gone. As soon as the alert had gone out, the people panicked. Had packed up everything they owned and bolted for the nearest space port, even though it would take decades for the end to come. She could well imagine the pandemonium; it had happened on other planets, too.
Her footsteps left indentations in the dust as she made her way to the first hut. She pushed open the door: No one and nothing. This was the last run through.
Whatever happened had been slow enough that all the residents of the planet were evacuated in good time. It was a shame not one scientist could come up with a reasonable explanation for the slowing down of Bayer’s rotation. Or if they did, they weren’t telling.
“Commander Cable, do you copy?” Shea lifted a hand to her ear and stepped out of the hut. Her eyes rose to the larger white dot that moved in the night sky. The FSS Wellington would remain in orbit for another thirty hours, just to be sure all inhabitants had been found, animals as well. The Feds were making sure every single living item on this rock was being transported to the New World especially picked out for them.
“Roger, Captain Payne, go ahead.” Shea kept her voice professional, but grinned. She and Ellie had been friends since military pre-school. As children, they shared the same ambition to see the stars: Ellie as a star ship Captain and she as a fighter pilot. Both women had achieved their goals and were moving on the next one: For Ellie that meant command of a battle squadron; for Shea, command of a battle squadron’s complement of Snipe Interceptors. They were as close as sisters, and that still gave Shea a warm feeling. If there was one person in the galaxy she could trust, it was Ellie Payne. They’d always been there for each other and they always would be: they’d sworn it as ten year olds.
“Find anything?” Captain Payne asked cautiously.
“Not a thing, Captain. Not on the flyover, nor the walk through. If there is anything left on this rock, it’s a microbe.”
“Roger, Commander, come on home and let’s get these Bayerns to their new habitat. Captain Payne out.” Shea heard relief in her friend’s tone. What was that all about?
“Roger, Wellington, Cable clear.” Shea lowered her arm and looked around one last time. This world was doomed for reasons no one could fathom, and yet, there was something about it, something compelling. No vegetation grew, no water flowed, nothing moved. Only the deserted buildings would witness the death of this world.
For a billion years it had twirled slowly in space; now, it would come to a stop. What would happen? She wondered and made her way back to her Snipe.
Before she climbed into the cockpit, she lowered her visor and boosted the magnification, studied each direction. It was always good to be absolutely sure, even if the scanners gave the all-clear.
She faced the village one last time, said a silently farewell and turned back to her craft, hesitated. Something wasn’t right. She stared back at the empty buildings, the dusty streets, through the crystallising air. A flash, that’s all she’d seen, a quick glint of light on metal in an environment where there shouldn’t be one.
Shea had always been a believer in following instinct, no matter what. Her boots left perfect marks in the superfine dust as she made her way to where she thought she’d seen the flash. It was behind the first hut, near the edge, small enough to be missed in a flyover, hidden from direct sight, too, disguised as an old relic of a water spout attached to the back wall. It was only her good fortune to have landed here, at this particular time of night, looking in that direction to be able to spot the flash of light.
She didn’t touch it, but ran her scanner over it. The identity data that came back didn’t make sense. Metro Inc would have no use for a dead planet. Still, her instincts were buzzing in a way that couldn’t be ignored.
Better to gather more information before talking to anyone about this… anomaly.
***
Shea stirred the hardened plastic strip around in her coffee. She wanted something stronger; needed something stronger, but she was still on duty. That, at least, remained true: her sense of honour and duty.
Her thoughts went back to her research and she felt a tightening in her chest. Everything she had believed about the Federation was an outright lie. That her best friend might be a willing party to it, made it all the more devastating.
There was nothing she could do about what the Federation was perpetrating other than resign. But her friend? She had to talk to Ellie.
Setting aside the untouched brew, she rose and left the mess.
Ellie was in her dayroom and her smile was broad, as impish as it had ever been, when Shea walked in.
“So what brings the best pilot in the galaxy to my humble office?” Ellie asked and lowered the reader.
“Deception of the worst kind, ma’am.” Shea saluted and stood at attention. She didn’t want this to be formal, but until she knew what the Captain’s reaction would be, she would maintain that distance.
“ ‘Ma’am?’ Sounds serious.” Ellie waved at hand and leaned back in her chair. “At ease, Commander, and have a seat.”
Shea sat straight in her chair and, for once in her life, hesitated. Now that she was here, she had no idea where to start.
“What’s up Shea? You’re acting strange.” Ellie said.
“I found it.” Shea blurted and winced.
“Found what?” Ellie’s fine blonde eyebrows lowered into a frown.
“The marker from Metro Inc.”
Ellie’s expression cleared and she looked away. “Ah.”
“You knew.” The betrayal cut deep, but Shea had no idea how deep until now. “And you’re actively doing their dirty work. How could you, Ellie?”
Her friend’s gaze sharpened and she was no longer Shea’s childhood companion, but a star ship Captain. “It is not for a pilot to accuse a Captain of…” She drifted off.
“I haven’t accused you outright Captain, but I’d like an explanation.”
“Before what, Shea?” Ellie asked, curious.
It was Shea’s turn to look away. She lifted a shoulder. She had no idea what she was going to do with the information.
“Commander Cable, you know as well as I, that sometimes we have to do things we’d rather not. We’re both under orders and we both know the punishment for disobeying those orders. I have no objection to those orders.”
Shea gaped at her. “Are you saying that this… this atrocity is sanctioned by the government? And you’re happy with that?”
Ellie gave a minute nod and Shea ran through the permutations. Her lips twisted bitterly as the numbers came up. “It’s cheaper to remove all the inhabitants to another appropriate planet before Metro destroys it and harvests the mineral wealth.” She felt sick at the thought of all those people being told their planet was dying when, in truth, it was Metro and the Federation who were killing it. And for what? A nice tidy profit on the raw resources and the use of those resources for their own needs.
“Jesus, El.” She whispered. Captain Payne remained silent. “We’re killing worlds for money.” Shea shook her head in disgust.
“Does anyone else know, Shea? Have you told anyone else?” Ellie asked.
Shea slowly shook her head. “It beggars belief, Ellie. It simply… beggars belief.”
“I can’t ask you to forget this, can I.” Ellie murmured sadly.
“Why would I?”
“For your life, Shea.”
Shea felt the chill all the way to her bones. “My life? If this is sanctioned by the government, Captain Payne, they have nothing to fear from me. It must be perfectly legal and legitimate.” She bit out. “Besides, who could I tell? Who could do anything about this? Who would be strong enough?” Shea rose to her feet. “I can’t… won’t… can’t… be a party to this. When we return to the Central Hub, I’ll be handing in my resignation.” Tears forced their way into her eyes as she gazed at her friend and she wondered where that friend, sister had gone; what had caused this… this… soul-deep betrayal of all they’d stood for.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Shea,” Ellie murmured. “I know you wanted your own command.”
“Not if it means destroying worlds.” Shea’s voice held a pleading note, begged Ellie to turn away from the path of greed.
“No, I can see that and I understand.” Ellie said with a faint smile. “I’ll… be sorry to see you go. As I said, you’re the best pilot in the galaxy, but if you truly cannot accept this as Federation and Metro policy, then… I’ll accept your resignation.”
Shea felt as if her heart had been carved out of her chest with a blunt knife. Ellie was going to continue? She saw the truth in the Captain’s eyes and shook her head. “Goodbye, Ellie.” She whispered through a tight throat and rose, unsure of what to do next.
On a sigh, she went to the hatch, paused, waited for Ellie to say something, anything. There was silent and Shea left as devastated as never before.
***
Ellie watched her go. “You always were more honour bound and moral than I.” She said after the hatch had closed.
Ellie shut her eyes for a moment and watched the years roll back, filled herself with the memories of the two of them as small children running down the beach, as adolescents mooning of some worthless boy, as graduates, standing tall and proud in their academy uniforms, swearing allegiance to the Federation… She opened her eyes, lifted a hand to wipe the moisture away and cleared her throat. She firmed her resolve as she deliberately set aside those memories.
Her finger hesitated over the security intercom button then pressed down. “Major Jarrett, I have a problem I need you to… dispose of.” Her voice hitched over that word, but it had to be done to protect the Federation and Metro Inc. Shea would work out what she could do to destroy the whole plan and Ellie couldn’t let her friend blow twenty years of hard work and, yes, vast profit.
Commander Shea Cable would not return to Central Hub. Commander Cable would suffer a catastrophic and fatal flying accident. Ellie didn’t know when or where it would happen and that would ensure her total shock and grief. Already she could feel it building and pushed it aside. It was done; no going back, not since that first eye-opening deposit into her bank account.
Captain Payne firmed her lips, poured herself some rare Wyndalis wine and picked up her reader.
© Jaye Patrick 2005
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home