The Heart of Matter: Odyssey One (12 page)

Losing Flare and the two other Archangels who had given their lives hurt, though. They had been flying comrades for several years, and for a while, it was like he’d lost his own right hand.

Now he had two complete rookies in the flight, plus Jennifer Samuels.

Jen earned her wings, though
, he had to admit. She’d claimed three kills in the last battle they’d fought in this very system, which was a respectable number in that particular furball. That still left a couple of new people who had yet to be blooded, and while they were working out well enough in training, he had to keep a close watch on them.

I can’t imagine what it was like for Eric
, he thought absently just then.
We used to get three, four new guys for practically every second or third mission
.

Times change, I guess
. He supposed that was true, but now he had to worry about them changing back.

PLANET RANQUIL

▸THE DISCUSSION HAD taken longer than he had expected, but for Eric, the time had flitted by as if fitted with wings. The story he’d just heard was just like the food, the city, and everything else about the world he currently inhabited.

So very familiar in so many ways, and yet just alien enough to make him pause whenever he thought on it. There was something about the tale that made him feel…lost and afraid, like nothing he’d experienced since childhood. He’d been afraid many times in his adult life, but he’d not felt so at a loss in decades.

“As I said, Captain,” Rael finished, not seeming to notice Weston’s introspection, “the Oath and its legends are rather…
complex
. The Oath Breakers were supposedly a group that didn’t want to live within the confines of the colonies’ beliefs.”

“Religious schisms have brought about more than one break in societies back home,” Eric replied, thinking about what the admiral had told him. “The closest example to this that I can think of would actually be the founding of the North American colonies that I come from. At least some of
the people came over in order to avoid religious persecution at home.”

Rael sighed with a shrug. “I don’t know how much ‘persecution’ there would have been, in the event that the legends were true, but there certainly would have been a degree of friction. Even today, those who do not follow the Oath often find themselves…at odds with society in some way.”

“Religions are like that,” Eric replied, then shrugged. “Actually, people are like that, come to think of it.”

Rael chuckled quietly as he took another drink. “Indeed. Many of our colonies were founded by groups that had slightly varying beliefs—my own, in fact.”

“You’re not from Ranquil?” Eric asked.

The admiral smiled at Captain Weston’s butchering of the planet’s name, then shook his head. “No. I entered the Merchant Service when I was young, traveled across the colonies, and even explored a couple new systems for surveying purposes. When the Drasin threat surfaced a few months ago, my name was chosen by the central computer to serve as the ‘admiral’ of the local defenses.”

Tanner’s lips twisted slightly as he said his rank, but the man shrugged fatalistically. “At least now there are some local defenses to command.”

Eric nodded soberly, but saw a chance to find out something that he’d been ordered to. “You mention the central computer…I have to admit, Admiral, I’m not sure I understand that.”

Tanner blinked, frowning slightly. “What do you not understand?”

“Is that how your people are governed?”

Rael Tanner had to think about it for a moment. “I’m not certain that I would say that precisely. Central is a repository
of knowledge, but it doesn’t give orders. It suggests, occasionally with great enthusiasm.”

Eric didn’t really understand “enthusiasm” and “computer” combined together, but he supposed it could be a euphemism. He just nodded. “A repository of knowledge? How much, out of curiosity?”

“I’m afraid that I don’t know the answer to that question,” Rael admitted. “Central is largely closed off, even to me. I can access a great deal of information—more, in fact, than I could hope to process in a lifetime—but I can’t tell how much more is actually there. The system is very old, however, older than our history of spaceflight.”

Eric coughed, choking slightly as he was caught swallowing some of his drink.

“D…” He coughed again. “Didn’t you say that your history of spaceflight was fifteen thousand years?”

Tanner nodded, mildly amused by the reaction. “I did.”

Eric couldn’t help staring in shock. “You mean you’ve got a fifteen-thousand-year-old computer system, and it’s still running?”

“Oh, no.” Rael smiled. “It’s far older than that.”

Eric blinked and set his drink down carefully. “The information, you mean, of course. Your system must be newer…”

“No, the system has never been changed.” Rael shook his head. “It’s in a sealed area, completely inaccessible. There has never been a need, actually.”

“So much for Moore’s Law,” Eric Weston muttered in disbelief.

“Pardon?”

NACS ODYSSEY
Ranquil Planetary Orbit

▸COMDR. JASON ROBERTS was sitting watch when the ship slid into orbit above and just ahead of the
Odyssey
, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was just as awed as the others watching the main screen.

“That’s one big ship,” someone whispered, their voice only audible because of the silence that had fallen over the bridge.

The vessel on the screen massed out to six times the
Odyssey
’s own bulk, yet had an acceleration curve that Roberts knew the Earth ship couldn’t match. Its power curve was also a frightening sight, blazing across the
Odyssey
’s passive sensor array like a supernova in the darkness. If it weren’t for the fact that they’d seen a similar ship in action just months earlier, Roberts had little doubt that he’d have been even more awed by the monster that was floating just a few klicks off their bow.

This one was the
Vulk
, the same ship that had escorted them in-system on their approach. He supposed that she must be putting in for relief, or perhaps refueling. Roberts didn’t really know, but whatever it was, it didn’t have anything to do with him.

Couldn’t have anything to do with him, in fact, since he had no way of communicating directly with the
Vulk
, even if he wanted to.

That was as irritating as anything else that had come up, in all truth. Sitting this close to that many thousands of tons of warship without even being able to say hello was singularly unnerving. Jason supposed that the captain of the
Vulk
was probably thinking many of the same things, if he weren’t a complete idiot, at least. Only a fool would discount the
Odyssey
for her size, and Roberts hoped that the Colonials weren’t captaining their ships with fools.

He was eyeing the big beefy lines of the ship some more when Ensign Lamont called to him. “Commander, the captain has checked in. You wished to speak with him?”

“Yes, Ensign. Put him through to my line.”

“Aye, Commander.”

Roberts had to wait for only a few seconds for the channel to open through his induction set and the captain’s voice to echo through his ears.

“Commander?”

“Yes, Captain. How are things on the surface?” Roberts asked, then waited the necessary lag time for the captain to respond.

“Fine, Commander. Did you need something?”

“Major Brinks does, actually,” Roberts said. “The major would like to secure permission for field exercises in order to integrate the fresh faces he picked up and to test some of the new hardware he was issued. I told him that I would convey the request to you. It would be a good chance to shake the rust off our guys, sir.”

Another brief pause, partially from the captain thinking and partially from the time it took for the signal to reach the surface and return.

“I see, and I agree. Inform the major that I’ll speak with Admiral Tanner about it.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” Roberts replied.

“Anything else?”

“No, Captain. Though, just for your information, the
Vulk
has entered orbit just above us,” Roberts said. “She’s even more impressive from close up.”

Captain Weston chuckled softly. “I’m certain she is, Commander. I’ll get back to you shortly with the admiral’s response.”

“Aye, sir,” Roberts replied. “
Odyssey
out.”

COMBAT SPACE PATROL
Ranquil Planetary Orbit