Legacy of Stars (eBook)

Chapter 1
Nocturne Galaxy

They’d reached the part of the trip that Joxy dreaded the most. Nocturne Galaxy’s nearly impenetrable gaseous barrier surrounded The Legacy. These ever-shifting walls of corrosive clouds have been the demise of many seasoned captains. Joxy swore as she manipulated her ship’s controls, summoning all of her focus and the skills necessary to keep her crew, and their home, safe.

The idea of venturing all the way out to this reclusive galaxy was never appealing, and as beads of sweat burned her eyes, it became even less so. At the edge of the known universe, Nocturne stood sentinel to the ever-expanding unknown. Considered one of the most fortified galaxies in existence, most would-be privateers knew to keep well away.

“Hang on!” Joxy grunted through gritted teeth as she banked sharply to avoid a fast-emerging cloud.

A clear view of the Nocturne Galaxy opened before them, filling the entirety of The Legacy’s view-port. A few sighs of relief escaped the bridge. Joxy wiped the back of her hand across her face. The strain at the corners of her eyes and mouth faded into a stubborn smirk. Her sharp features shifted into an air of confidence as she threw her thick, dark braid back over a shoulder.

“Raygo, upload docking procedures and bring up the mission display before ghosting. You know they don’t take too kindly to your kind this far out from the civilized universe.” With all the maneuvering she just performed, there was no way their presence wasn’t lighting up every proximity scanner in a two light-year radius.

“Aye, aye, Captain, but procedures appear standard with no further mission updates. The Nocturians are remaining vague. I don’t like it.”

“Me neither,” Joxy said.

“I’ll be keeping an eye on things.” Raygo, more or less the ship’s first mate, de-atomized right in his seat. Molecules broke down to their component atoms before scattering throughout the ship’s environment.

Dragging over a holo, Joxy expanded it with her fingertips, reexamining what little information they had. They were supposed to be docking in the orbit of a planet known as Hawaii 5 in the Pepsi system. Whose bright idea was it to name everything in this quadrant of the universe after ancient Earth culture, she mused while scanning the screen. She paused the feed in the section describing how two NG S-14 warships would escort The Legacy upon its entrance to the system. It went on to explicitly state that BAIs were forbidden, all weapon systems must be shut down, and ships will maintain a speed no greater than one light-year per hour inside of Nocturne. After handing over controls to Tano, her second, Joxy double-checked that weapons were down, then ran a quick scan to ensure no other bio-signature but her own registered. Although the data showed her as the only organic life form on the ship, she knew that somewhere on the quantum level, Raygo watched over her.

BAIs were a relatively new advancement for mankind, though a monopolized one. Even humble critics would admit that they were the next link in our evolutionary chain. Created in combination of human drive and alien matter typically found at the sites of extinct civilizations, what would be questioningly termed Biological Artificial Intelligence came into existence. This label became very misleading in the sense that the intelligence wasn’t all that artificial.

The lack of mission details wasn’t unexpected in Joxy’s line of work. It was the fact that Nocturne command was hiring an outsider, someone unofficial, that bothered her. The variables were sketchy at best. As it currently stood, their mission objective was to simply travel into the Void (the new, unknown part of the expanding universe) and observe. The fact that they had not yet been informed of what it was they were to observe had all of her instinctive alarms blaring.

This wouldn’t be Joxy’s first venture into the unknown. She’d used the Void plenty of times in the past to escape from other galactic authorities. Few pursuers ever followed for long because things tended to get a little funny out there. Throughout all of her escapades, she had never witnessed a single tangible thing in the Void.

“Tano, how are we looking, anyone yet?” she asked, sliding the holo displays to the side, revealing the ship’s bull’s-eye window beyond.

“Negative, Cap, no sign yet. We’re almost to the Pepsi sys—wait, yeah we got action. Two S-14s fast approaching.”

“Maintain speed, but be prepared for evasive maneuvers,” she said. “They haven’t paid yet, and I sure don’t trust the bastards. They could be after the bounty so let’s stay on our toes.”

Two warships popped into view. Each one ominously circling The Legacy.

“They’re scanning the ship,” Tano said. “I’m reading multiple bio and mech scans, and some I’ve never seen before.”

Joxy’s chest tightened. Surely, they haven’t figured out a way to detect BAI sigs in the quantum realms. If the Nocturians were to locate Raygo, the two warships would open fire without hesitation. They would be deemed too much of a threat.

“They’re requesting we shut down our drives and that they be permitted to come aboard,” Tano said.

Joxy breathed a sigh of relief.

“Acknowledge the request. I’m powering down the drives now,” she said. “Assemble The Devils in the cargo hold and prepare to be boarded.”

Tano shot a quick salute before turning to run down the bridge, his heavy footfalls fading into the hull. A voice, not her own, resonated in Joxy’s mind: “Don’t worry, I’m still around. Now let’s go see exactly what we’ve gotten ourselves into this time.”

Reassured, Joxy put on her stern captain’s face. The one she used only on special occasions. Plucking from the back of her chair the black-and-lime jacket that matched the colors of her ship, she started after Tano. Joxy loved this jacket. It was fashioned after a pre-expansion design that made her appear a little slimmer. There was no mistaking the authority it held.

Joxy could barely make out Tano’s steps above the shrill whine of the G-drives powering down. She didn’t like being exposed like this. Let alone having strangers aboard her craft and around her crew. The Legacy held many secrets, and she preferred to keep them, well, secret. Posturing up, the captain within her sauntered into the cargo hold, her jacket fluttering against the heel of her boots.

Elite members of her crew stood at attention. Alert, patient, and ready for whatever may come. Each of them seasoned in their own way, with glorious tales of battles and loot. Their loyalty to the captain was unwavering, forged through tribulations that most others would collapse under. Joxy earned her respect the hard way. The only way. Humans were stubborn, and mechs even more so, both believing themselves invincible. It was a rare thing to find such camaraderie as that found aboard The Legacy.

Steps measured, chest out, and eyes forward, Joxy strode through the hold toward the awaiting assembly of Nocturian soldiers. Their pearl and garnet armor appeared to be give off its own light. Shields, state-of-the-art stuff, but her crew had toys of their own.

The modest detail parted down the middle for an ornately dressed, paunchy man whose taste seemed to match his size. Decked out head to toe in a gold-trimmed Enhancement skin (commonly called Eskin), which was a necessity for a man of such heft, he made his way forward. Throwing his hands wide into the air with dramatic flair, he addressed his audience.

“Ahh, Captain Joxy, you do not disappoint. Tales of your beauty have reached even our far-flung galaxy. Though I’d be willing to wager more have heard of your exceptional prowess.”

Joxy tilted her head, humbly accepting the man’s flattery. He spun around, hands still raised, refocusing his attention on the ship.

“And such a lovely vessel. If you return, we must talk price.”

“If we return,” echoed Raygo.

The man stepped past her to admire her crew, a sour stench trailing in his wake. Pacing in front, he examined them closely as though he were a buyer at an auction.

“I, of course, would be interested in the crew as well, given their familiarity with the ship. They appear well equipped, their upgrades worth every drop of dark matter, I’m sure. Never can be too careful though, especially for someone as notorious as yourself.”

Joxy didn’t like how this conversation was going.

“Sir,” she started.

“I am Kurd!” the large man blurted. “Personal Emissary to the Lord Emperor himself.”

Face flushed, Joxy swallowed her anger.

“Forgive me, Kurd. I meant no disrespect,” she said. Then, her voice darkened with seriousness, “The brief I received did not mention who I was to meet, only that I show. As a matter of fact, your galaxy was not very forthcoming with information at all. Now would be a good time to elaborate Emissary, or must we continue with these dramatic formalities and propositions any longer?”

His robustness faltered a fraction, eyes darting around. He appeared nervous about how to respond to such bluntness, such disrespect. Joxy smiled inwardly at his discomfort. She surmised that the emissary could not afford to compromise the mission, and she was gambling that the emperor had made this point abundantly clear. In what she imagined was only an effort to save face, Kurd plastered an...