Triton – 01 sf-3 Page 3

  When her family first settled there before she was born the assayers said it would be perfect for farm land, there would be hectares of natural foods stretching all the way to the horizon in every direction. During initial settling, around the time her first brother and two cousins were born, the farms started popping up, things were good from the stories she heard. The year she and her cousin Sam was born her family had fifty nine hectares all their own. Another assessment was done that year and the government found evidence of heavy metals.

  Stephanie's family was reimbursed for most of the land, allowed to keep a twentieth of what they had to grow their own food and build homes, but they weren't given enough credits to leave the planet and settle somewhere else. They weren't allowed to buy a stake in the new mining operations that started up either. By the time she was a little girl the entire continent she lived on looked like a gravel pit. Even the starport was a blackened, misused thing that looked hundreds of years old from the beating industrial usage dealt. In truth the colony was less than twenty years old, the modest starport just over thirty.

  She was in her early teen years when her eldest brother and two of her cousins were killed in a mining accident. It was then that she decided life on that world was not for her. The stars had the answer, she would get off world no matter what it took.

  When the military came calling only a few years later she signed up and was gone within two days. She finished high school enroute to the academy and within six months she was a trained infantrywoman, specialized in boarding actions. Three years later she was court marshalled for insubordination and left on a port with her last paycheck. With few options open to her she signed up on the first ship looking for boarding crew. After jumping from one ship to another, joining better and better gangs she finally started making a name for herself. Then she signed up on the Samson. Meeting someone as intelligent, fierce, quiet and confident as Captain Valance changed her life. She learned more from him than in all the time she spent in the military. The fact that he'd been pulling jobs for only a year when she first met him wasn't something she learned until much later.

  The years flew by while she was on his ship. She earned his trust, earned more credits than she had ever dreamed of, enough to buy her own ship legitimately and start her own crew. As time wore on that idea appealed to her less and less and the life she lived was tarnished by the memories of all the friends and acquaintances she had lost on the job. Some crew members lasted weeks, others months, and a few would only remain aboard for days. As many boarding crew were killed as those who left after making the realization that the life wasn't for them. Only a couple retired in the time she had been on the Samson.

  Over four years. She thought to herself as she looked around the brightly lit bedroom. The main feature of the room was a queen sized bed that made and cleaned itself. If I had stuck with the plan I would be on my way to Elysian right now. Mixing in with other potential colonists on some Lorander colony ship, seeing if I could find mister right on the way there.

  She shook her head and chuckled to herself as she walked into the spacious main room. Who was I kidding? Being a farmer was my parent's dream. I'd be bored to tears after just a few weeks, months if I were lucky.

  Stephanie looked at the weapons she had laid out on a sideboard. Her particle acceleration assault rifle, a heavy disintegration handgun, and a more modest pulse pistol with an automatic setting. She decided on the automatic pulse pistol, its stun setting and inability to pierce metal made it a more obvious choice for use aboard ship.

  She started for the door and stopped as it opened, turning around and taking her new quarters in again. There was a futon that doubled as another bed, a bathroom with an a shower that used water or vibrations to get its user clean and its bottom could convert into a square bathtub, and there was even a large adjustable chair. Trying it the night before had led to her nodding off after just a few seconds, it was the most comfortable little space she'd ever been in. There was even an extra room currently occupied by surplus furniture unceremoniously piled up. Too bad I can't get the lights to do anything but come all the way on or all the way off. I'm either in complete darkness or getting a tan. The controls must be broken. I'll have maintenance take a look, hopefully they have a better understanding of these systems than I do.

  The hallway was empty. She turned and checked the door controls. Finding a locking mechanism she smiled. “Voice authentication required for this room. Take my voice imprint and allow Ashley Lamport as well as Captain Valent and Hernando Ramirez entry on vocal verification.”

  “Yes First Officer Stephanie Vega. To confirm, you are setting a voice imprint lock on these quarters for yourself, Ashley Lamport, Captain Jacob Valent, and Hernando Ramirez. All others will not be able to enter unless approved by you or the Captain,” replied the moderate male computerized voice. It was strange, some sections of the ship had a female computerized voice, others had this calm male persona.

  “Yes.”

  “Security features set. Thank you Stephanie Vega.”

  She nodded and walked down the hallway. The ships she had served on were never as spacious as the Triton. You couldn't walk three meters without seeing someone when you were in or near a berth. A single bed to a room was so rare, she had only enjoyed the privilege once before. Ashley had the same experience, she knew. They had both grown up surrounded by people. In her own case it was brothers, sisters, cousins, and the rest of her family. In Ashley's case she was raised by slaves and lived in the cramped servant's quarters, but it added up to the same thing.

  Sleeping in a room where five or more other people were crammed into bunks wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Privacy, silence and solitude were rare luxuries. She wondered if Ashley had trouble sleeping the night before as well, glad that she didn't have the tendency of cuddling up with a bunkmate that her friend did. Ashley not only liked sleeping in bunk rooms, but she preferred having someone in her bunk with her.

  Stephanie didn't have anything against the right fellow or lady slipping into her bunk, she just had more discriminating tastes. She did approve of Ashley's latest cuddle buddy though. Finn was kind, smart and near her age. Her friend was taking his near death status hard and Stephanie wondered if Ashley would be able to keep it together.

  She got along with Finn and even though they were just starting to become friends, really, she knew Ashley didn't open her heart to anyone in degrees. It was all or nothing. Ashley was soft for the people she liked and open to people who were kind to her. A little too open, Stephanie often thought, but she tried to be there whenever Ash watched that receptiveness backfire.

  I wonder if that'll slow down on the Triton. It'd be nice if Ashley and I got to know some new people who aren't going to jump ship at the next port. Maybe I could find a squeeze of my own. The thought died as soon as she rounded the corner. Frost was coming out of his quarters, closing the front of his vacsuit. She thanked her ancestors that she had only glimpsed the curly silver hair on his chest and nothing more before the black vacsuit was seamlessly sealed. He smiled at her, his light blue eyes glinting. “Have a good night sir?” He asked as he fell in step beside her.

  “Nope. You can call me ma'am instead of sir.”

  “When did they change that?”

  “A few hundred years ago.”

  “Ah, aye. I'm not one for watchin' movies or news, guess it shows.”

  “Really? I guess I never realized. You were in the hold watching holomovies with us often enough.”

  “Aye, but I was mostly watchin' you and the rest of the crew. More interestin' an' more appealin'.”

  Stephanie pulled her brown hair into a short ponytail and nodded. “I like the news and horror flicks.”

  “You'd figure after all you've seen you wouldn't jump at the sight of some knife wieldin', crazed zombie,” Frost said offhandedly.

  “I don't.”

  “Aye, you do, I've seen ye.”

  “I'm usually sitting beside Ash and she twi
tches like she's got a nerve disorder. It carries.”

  “Nay, I remember both of ye jumpin' and squealin' at the sudden bits. I'll catch ye next time, just watch.”

  “Not if I'm watching you watching me the whole time.”

  “Well then, who needs a movie with that kinda thing goin' on?” Frost smirked at her as the double doors to the main bridge were moved out of the hatchway by heavy metal arms. He walked through before she could respond.

  He was grinning so broadly she could see it from behind. Her frustration was heightened as she realized she was blushing furiously and Ashley turned from her station to glance at the bridge entrance. The younger woman glanced to Frost, then to Stephanie and a smile slowly spread across her face before she turned back to her station.

  Oh God, if there was ever a rumour or even an idea I had to squelch, it's that there is anything going on between me and that lummux.

  “Good morning Stephanie,” Captain Valance said as he turned in the command chair. He was wearing the same black vacsuit everyone on the bridge was, his white scarf and black long coat hung off the back of his seat along with his gun belt. She hadn't seen him or anyone on the Samson use a full gun belt aboard ship in a long time, they got caught on things and just took too much space. If the Captain was using his, maybe she could start using her own again. They were great for keeping extra ammunition, data chips and a few other odd small things in a place where they were easy to get to. They also drew a little attention away from the vacsuits, or rather what was underneath.

  “Good morning sir, how is the Enreega system?”

  “Half slagged,” Captain Valance said, bringing a tactical display of the half million kilometre radius around Seneschal up on the main holographic projector. “Eden Fleet ships came through and tore the place up. They made one hell of a mess.”

  The hundreds of emergency beacons and drifting hulks near the planet became immediately evident on the main bridge holodisplay. All blips and shapes flashing with red exclamation points appearing and fading atop them. “Sir, I should have been here, on the bridge.”

  “Don't worry, Ramirez and Price are supervising emergency shuttle landings in bay two. I'm saving the best for you and Frost. You'll be on gunnery deck A while Frost and his team tractor one of the larger disabled ships in. The survivors will have to be set up in temporary quarters.” The Captain brought up a cross section of the ship and highlighted the upper berth. “Ramirez and his team didn't get a chance to explore most of this berthing, so one of your teams will have to clear it before people can hold up there.”

  “Are there any other rescue ships enroute?” Stephanie asked.

  “The TRF Peter is the closest. They're two days away at top speed.”

  Stephanie brought up a more detailed schematic of gunnery deck A, it was the largest space available close to the outer hull, stretching most of the length and width of the ship. There were four main mooring points consisting of large, round docking doors with heavy support clamps. There were also several emergency airlocks that could accommodate smaller ships. The open space was over four hundred meters by six hundred meters, and would normally be crewed by a minimum of two hundred gunners, mechanics and loaders. As it was, it was completely empty. The turrets were secured well above the deck, the moorings were locked down and the airlocks were all sealed. Policing the area if too many passengers were brought onboard at a time would be a monumental task. “Okay, we'll take on a group with one team while the other team secures a section of berthing. Once that group is situated we can take on another,” She said with finality. “I won't open an airlock until we're ready, so don't tractor in more ships while we have one docked.”

  Frost nodded, looking over the tractor system controls. The beam system used artificial gravity and magnetic fields to move other ships into position for docking. The aft dorsal beam system was the second largest, made for hauling large objects or dragging the Triton into position for docking with much larger stations that were made to work with the technology. “Aye, I'll hold for your word, Ma'am.”

  “All right, select your teams and get up there. Tell me if there are any surprises,” Captain Valance ordered while checking on main engineering systems.

  Stephanie used the Command and Control Arm Unit he had loaned her to select a team of nine for herself and another two teams of five for doing sweeps through the berths and clearing them for passengers, sent everyone their orders, then signed off the system and detached the device from her arm.

  “That one's yours,” Captain Valance told her with a smile. “Congratulations, First Officer.”

  “Thank you sir,” She said, clamping it back on. It adjusted to her much smaller arm automatically. “I'll tell you as soon as we're ready for the first load.”

  The nearest express car to the upper gunnery deck was made to haul large machinery up, down and across the ship. It reminded her of the large ore laden freight cars that used to muck up the shafts in the main complexes of the hastily built colony buildings she went to school in as a child. The large car in the Triton was much cleaner, however, despite the dents and deep scratches from heavy equipment that had been moved long before they had come aboard. Stephanie had stopped in at her quarters to pick up her assault rifle and extra impact armour just in case there was real trouble. There shouldn't be, but you never knew what you were getting when you were on a rescue.

  The rest of her team stood in the fifteen by ten meter bulk express car as the interior of the ship whipped by. The windows and transparent sections of the express tunnel afforded them a view of the empty, darkened sections of the ship, and she was secretly in awe at how large it was, how little of it was active and explored. The darkened hallways and large intersections that were visible only long enough for a glimpse made the ship seem dead, hollow, abandoned. As the car started slowing down it occurred to her that her brief tour only took her up and across fourteen decks out of twenty one.

  There hadn't been any time to open the interior sections, while half of them were sleeping the other half were trying to learn from the existing crew how to operate the systems and where the most critical points aboard were. Sadly, the existing crew were barely trained, and though everyone behind her had experience with crowd control on their records, Stephanie didn't know a single one of them. Ramirez and Price had taken the Samson boarding and maintenance teams to help with handling the arrivals of the smaller escape shuttles in the lower hangars. The fact that she was First Officer had been trumped by the reality that she had been asleep when all of this started.

  She could have pulled members of their teams into her own, but she didn't want to leave them short handed. “Ramirez, Price,” she addressed through the subdermal communicator in her jaw.

  “Good morning Steph,” Ramirez answered.

  “Yes Stephanie?” Price acknowledged.

  “How is the retrieval going down there?”

  “We're at eighty percent capacity. In about two hours we won't have room for any more vessels,” Price replied.

  “Okay, as people finish up down there, send them to gunnery deck A. I'll need as many eyes and hands as I can get. I'll be taking people on a couple hundred at a time or more.”

  “Aye, I'll send Douglas and Julie up now. They just finished securing one of the last shuttles,” Ramirez responded. “How many are we taking on?”

  “The berth Captain marked for this can take up to fifteen hundred. We're filling up.”

  “My goodness. We've taken in a few short of seven hundred,” Price commented. “It felt like a million.”

  “Are they all logged on the manifest?”

  “We have checked them all in, though it was difficult.”

  “Good, we want to make sure we track everyone as best as we can. Be safe down there,” Stephanie said.

  “You too, I'll join you with my team once we're finished here. Price can pick up security detail with his team.”

  “I will, if that fits your plan,” Price asked as much as confirmed.<
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  “That'll be fine, just make sure everyone gets situated safely and try to catch any disagreements early,” Stephanie reinforced.

  The express freight car came to a gentle stop and the front doors opened. Stephanie walked out onto the gunnery deck and the lights started coming on overhead. As the space was illuminated her jaw dropped. The deck was marked where hatches leading down into the ship could be opened, where ammunition materializers ejected cartridges for loading into one of the many quad gunnery turrets built into the ceiling and where many other exits, machines and storage compartments, recycling processors could be accessed. Everything was stored either in the high ceiling overhead or in the deck until it was needed. There was a slightly curved open space stretching hundreds of meters.

  They had come out right in the middle of the gunnery deck and all of them looked around at the massive open space. The rail cannon turrets, dozens and dozens of them on G Deck A, hung down from the thickly armoured hull, leaving two and a half meters underneath for someone to walk under. Massive cartridge slots waited for loading crews to fill them with ammunition, the small, armoured doors between them led to the gunner's seat inside, all of the posts were empty except for a few that had been automated.

  To her left she could see someone had forgotten to put away a loader's suit. It looked like heavy infantry armour with hard plating and an exoskeletal frame, but she knew there were modifications so someone could climb in and start picking up ammunition cartridges that weighed upward of a ton each, loading them like they were toys. The extra armour plating was there just in case there was an explosion, other accident or a boarding incursion.