Black Abyss

Preface

Like the unceasing tidal surge, a force pulls us to explore and colonize. We may as well try to resist the pull of a black hole than to deny it. It is something in our restless souls. Some dissatisfaction at not knowing what lies just beyond.

When the hyper tunnels were discovered running between class two gravitational singularities in the late 21st century, scientists and engineers set to finding a way to take advantage of these naturally occurring phenomena. They soon came up with the gravitudinal time-slip engine. It was able to condense galactic distances to something tolerable to most humans. Immediately humans discovered new star systems. Some of them had incredible planets and impossible eco-systems. There were hydrogen-based biospheres, methane-breathing reptilian creatures, small quadrepedal sentients that looked remarkably like otters.

A new race of humans was discovered that had apparently developed in parallel with earth. They were like us in almost every respect except they had faces that were slightly triangular and they had reedy voices. But how could two separate star systems evolve humans? Had Earth and the planet Krieg been seeded by the same god-like entity? There was much speculation on the subject in academia. The new humans called their star Kuladar. They had not yet developed interstellar travel, but being human, they quickly embraced it.

Like the flow of a massive river, humans flooded all the nearby star systems having inhabitable planets. First there were farmers, then there were mining companies looking for valuable raw resources such as titanium and purilium. Things that the Earth was out of. Interstellar trade quickly followed. Tastes for Xiübian spices jumped as did the demand for Okokes, adorable little creatures from the Lo Si'an System with furry red bodies and large eyes.

Then it finally happened! The world of humans was rocked when they encountered a new space-fairing non-human species. The Al Yo'osh. They were very advanced and they too had discovered the hyper tunnels and had established trade routes through several star systems.

Five Star Coalition

An alliance and common government was formed from the first five human star systems: Earth's Solar System, Xiüb System, Sholdién System, Kuladar System and the Lo Si'an System. It was called the Five Star Coalition. The Coalition continued to grow until it included the two Al Yo'osh systems and three others for a total of ten star systems. But abuses and corruption also grew, sewing seeds of anger and resentment. The Al Yo'osh turned against the Coalition first because of trade contract violations. Others soon followed.

The pirate Black Sheena and her band of renegades, known as the Blacks, took on the powerful Coalition Guard and with the help of the Billé Sanmo brotherhood and the Al Yo'osh brought the mighty Coalition down.

The war crimes committed by the Coalition were brought to the attention of the Intergalactic Council, an independent galactic court which settles disputes and hears arguments concerning war crimes. Warrants were issued for the arrest of the Coalition Guard high command and many administrators.

Billé Sanmo brotherhood

Named for the original Philippine monastery on Earth. The Billé Sanmo order is very old and based on an ancient belief in one all-powerful god. Originally he was called Yahweh, but now simply called the Master. People throughout the Coalition systems worship an array of gods based loosely on the ancient Roman Catholic collection of saints. There is Mary, goddess of motherhood and the life giver, Francis, god of animals, Christopher, god of travelers, Peter, god of business and good fortune and many others.

There are three separate arms to the Billé Sanmo. The first, the Guro, is dedicated to bringing the Master to the people and are primarily scholars and teachers. The second is the Tagabantay. They are a spy network with eyes and ears everywhere. The third is the Kawal. They are the soldiers of the brotherhood. A secret order of warriors and assassins.

The Billé Sanmo embrace Black Sheena believing the Master has sent them a leader, the Madilim Shee'a or Dark Queen, who is leading them out of the darkness. She was born of strife and has suffered at the hands of the evil. She displays the wisdom of a sage, the sensitivity of a poet and the heart of a warrior. She will be a uniter who brings all the oppressed together, vanquishes evil and ushers in the golden age of prosperity.

Citizens Republic

A new nation on Sandow in the new City of Promise, founded jointly by the Billé Sanmo brotherhood and Sheena's renegades, the Blacks. It started as a small group and quickly grew as more and more refugees arrived and finally other star systems aligned themselves with the republic. In this story they are still feeling the growing pains of setting up a new military, a judiciary, a parliament and an executive branch.

Chapter 1

Yamagoochee Five

They launched from Aurora in silence. No comm traffic allowed. They were in a dark system where all outside communication had been shut down and they couldn't attract any attention.

As soon as they were away, Kag turned to Sheena and said, Are you excited? He was at the flight controls of the little transport.

Yes, answered Sheena. This is our first official vacation together.

It's really not official. We didn't notify the high council what we were doing.

No. Can you imagine what they would have said?

Yes. I can hear Brother Senior screaming right now. Kag cleared his throat and did his best Brother Vincenti impression. "You can't go into a dark system on a whim. You're the chosen one. The Madilim Shee'a. Many people are depending on you. Your safety is our paramount concern. What would happen if something terrible befell you? What if we needed you and we couldn't reach you?"

Sheena laughed. That's a pretty good impression. She was in disguise. Her normally golden eyes were deep brown almonds and appeared to have an exotic cant because of the epicanthal fold. her nose was broader and she had broader cheekbones too. The Yamagoochee System had been settled many millennia ago by people of earth from the continent of Asia along what used to be called the Pacific Rim. They can do without me for a few weeks.

Kag was in disguise too. He had dark skin, the exotic eyes and a neat mustache. It was all done with low tech stuff, glued attachments and artificial coloring but it was enough to fool facial recognition security. After all, their pictures had been beamed all over the galaxy and they could be easily recognized in every star system. They wanted to blend into the population of Okomoto's largest city, Nippon.

There had been a brisk trade between the Yamagochee System and the rest of the galaxy. Art, produce, manufactured goods like emitter parts and skimmers and more recently fylconium, which was an element needed for the new Wikoff drives. Trade had come to a stop, however, when the Coalition collapsed and a Coalition general name Tondaka had taken over the system with an army and shut off the Tanaka gate and all communications with the outside world. Tondaka had reason to isolate himself. He had been declared a war criminal by the Peoples Republic and a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

Remember it's not all play, said Kag. This is a working vacation. We need to find out what Tondaka is doing here. What he's planning.

I know. But I want to enjoy myself too. It's worth it just to get away on a holiday to someplace where you've never been.

"This is a place where many have never been. On the outskirts of the civilized world. Only one planet with any significant cities. He studied his instruments, then made an adjustment. What's the first thing you want to do?" She beamed at him and for a second he could see the little girl in her. Little Yvonne Estes from Sandow.

I want to see the firefalls at Ichi Park. I've heard they're beautiful! Oh, and I want to try fried shallow root at that fancy restaurant, Kobie's in Aswan. They serve it with creamed yam sauce. And I want to go see a show at the Kinazawa Theater. And...

Gods! You've been doing some research.

"You bet. I've never been on a real vacation before. Ever. She leaned over against him and grabbed his arm. I'm so tired of all the fighting and the responsibility. I don't want to be the Madilim Shee'a or General Sheena Black for just a little while. I just want to get away by myself... with you."

Kag turned, smiled and gave her a long lingering kiss. You've got it. So far, so good. No one has detected us. Our cloak must be working. Kag made some more adjustments. We'll swing around this planet, Malcolloy. It's an uninhabitable gas giant. After we clear it, we'll be on course for Okomoto. It's going to be many hours.

"Sounds like a plan, colonel."

I'll never get used to being called that. I'm barely twenty nine and a colonel. I went from being one of the oldest corporals in the Coalition to being the youngest colonel in the Citizens Republic.

I'm only thirty three and a general.

Doesn't sound right, does it?

I don't think about it any more. We were in the right place at the right time. Destiny called and we answered.

"Is that what happened to us? Destiny? To me it was more like trying to hang onto the side of a loader as it races down an unpaved mountain road full of potholes."

Yes, she admitted. It's been a lot like that.

Course is programmed in. I'm going to get some rest. What about you?

Sheena looked at him through long lashes, Is that an invitation?

Sure. But if you lay beside me, I don't think I would get much rest.

Sheena giggled. You can sleep later. She took him by the hand and led him to the back of the compartment where the bunks were.

In very little time they were naked and locked in desire, exploring each other's bodies. For them the world disappeared. There was no strife, no problems, no worries. There was only them and they poured all their energy into each other. When they were exhausted from their love making, they quietly lay in each others arms.

You know what Dingo told me, said Kag, right before I climbed into the cockpit?

What did he say?

"Don't make me regret this."

Sheena laughed. He thinks he's my daddy.

Kag chuckled. I don't believe in regrets.

You've never regretted anything?

Waste of emotion. You have to make the best decision you can with what you have at the time, then move on down the road. Looking back doesn't do any good. What's done can't be undone, and too much worry just clutters your brain. A troubling shadow fell across Sheena's features and Kag knew she was deep in thought. Do you have any regrets?

Many, answered Sheena. Dancer came to me in a dream two nights ago. She told me not to worry about her. She's in a beautiful place where there is no anger and no pain. Sheena's eyes were suddenly wet with emotion. I'm haunted by all the friends I've lost, Kag. All the senseless deaths and the people who've been hurt. Many of them would be alive today if they'd never crossed paths with me.

Oh, honey... Kag felt like an idiot for bringing up the subject of regret. He knew how Sheena tortured herself over every death under her command. He kissed her and said, I'm certainly glad my path crossed yours. And you're right. We can't forget those who gave their lives for the cause. Can I change my answer about regret?

Sheena wiped her eyes and giggled. No take backs! You're right too. It's counterproductive to worry things in the past, we can't do anything about. The most we can hope for is to learn from our mistakes.

After a few seconds, Kag cleared his throat, indicating a change of subject. Have you ever thought about marriage?

Marriage?

Yes. You and me.

I love you very much, dear, but I don't think its a good idea. I was engaged once before you know.

I know, Said Kag. Dingo told me about it.

Noel and I were engaged for one month and then he was killed... horribly.

Kag studied her. It really doesn't matter to me, he said, but without force.

"Marriage is for normal people who want to raise families. Look at us. Look at the kind of lives we live. It is very dangerous and I'm afraid if I got engaged again, I would be tempting fate. I couldn't bear to lose you too, dear. It would kill me!"

"You're not superstitious are you?"

Sheena hesitated before saying, No, but I just don't want to jinx what we have. It's so good!

Yes it is, agreed Kag. And he took her tenderly in his arms and they were off in their own world again concentrating on nothing more than each other's pleasure. After they had exhausted themselves a second time in blissful love making, they dressed in casual work clothes and ate a modest meal of fruit and vaca steaks from the replicator, then they settled in to watch a drama about a forceful detective in Kharu City. Occasionally Kag would check on their progress. They were still a million miles out from the gas giant Malcolloy. Their little craft was screaming along at 123,005 miles per hour, having gotten a boost from Aurora at launch, but at great distances it still took a long time to reach anywhere. Sublight speeds were pretty slow compared to hyperlight trans event travel that the big ships could do.

They turned in and went to bed, but Kag couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned thinking about all the people of the Blacks brotherhood who had been lost in the struggle. Good people dedicated to the cause of freedom. Some of them wanted nothing more than to live simple lives without the suffocating tyranny of the Coalition in their lives. He got up and climbed into the pilot's chair and looked out the forward window of the little transport. The planet Malcolloy was filling the screen. It seemed very close. Too close. Kag began scanning the displays and sure enough, they had missed a course correction. What the shit!

There should have been a course correction three hours ago. He brought up a systems status on the holoscreen and immediately saw three messages flashing red:

Steering Thrusters - critical failure

Warning System - failure

Course Correction incomplete

They'd had multiple failures and one of them was the warning system, so there hadn't been an alarm. It was a redundant system, so there had to be a double failure in that system. It was not impossible, but he'd never heard of such a thing happening. It was a real long shot. He quickly woke up Sheena.

Hey, we have a problem.

What kind of problem? she said sleepily.

We've lost steering and we're heading for Malcolloy.

She suddenly was wide awake. Why wasn't there an alarm?

That system has failed too. We're in deep shit!

Sheena ran to the controls and began statusing systems. Gods! We're helpless. Should we turn on a rescue beacon?

If we do we won't be in stealth mode anymore, but I have a feeling the beacon won't work. To test his theory he hit the initiate control for the rescue beacon. Nothing. If it had worked, no one would have reached us in time anyway. Too far away. He tried the hypercomm, but it was dead too. And we can't even send out a message.

They were still half a million miles away and the dusty orange planet was looming in the forward viewing window.

Gods! said Sheena. Look how big the thing is.

"It's a monster. A planet that size probably has a pressure of 2000 standard atmospheres at its center. We'll be crushed long before we reach it."

Sheena shuddered. We're doomed.

Kag scratched his left cheek and said nothing.

Sheena knew that look. You've got something in mind. What is it?

We can still maneuver if we can turn the ship. We can use the main engines.

How are we going to turn the ship without thrusters?

Don't know. One thing at a time. First we have to disable the stabilizer pods. They keep the ship traveling nose forward. They never disengage except when the thrusters fire. Kag took in a deep breath and then said, But I think I can disable it if it's like the one on the Crossbow.

But how can we turn the ship?

There must be a way, said Kag. His fingers tapped a few times on the holoscreen and their course was projected as a red line. We don't have much time. We'll be trapped in the gravity well of that planet in another hour. Then it will be too late.

Sheena chewed on her bottom lip. It's odd that all these things failed at once.

"Yeh. And I don't believe in coincidences."

You think sabotage?

Kag removed a panel under the control console and began looking around. Can you reach me that light? Sheena handed him a small light the size of a pen. I don't see the CV-junction. It must be at the rear access panel.

How do you know so much? asked Sheena.

I read a lot. About fighters mostly. But many of the systems are the same. He went to the rear of the little craft and removed a panel there. Aha! Here it is. So... it looks like we can disable the stabilizers.

Then what?

Don't know. I'd like to turn off the stabilizers and see what happens. Maybe the craft will turn itself.

But which way?

Not sure. But if we do nothing, we're facing certain doom. It's worth a try.

Sheena looked at him grimly. Do it.

Kag retrieved a tool kit from under a seat, extracted a small glowing tool, then reached into the access hole and announced, Done. He went to the pilot's chair and monitored the flight instruments.

What happened?

Nothing, so far. Kag frowned going from holoscreen to holoscreen. Do you remember your lessons from flight school about drag and aerodynamics?

Some of it. It's a lot more important in an atmosphere. Right?

Right. They used to think there was no drag or turbulence at all in space, but now they know better. Especially near big stars.

That's called photonic flow. Right?

You get a gold star!

What kind of star?

Never mind. Just an old expression. Hey! We've turned a couple of degrees. It's not much but it's a start. Kag slapped his hand on the armrest. I'm going to try something. We have a grappling arm on each side for docking. I'm going to extend the one on the portside as far as it will go, just to see what will happen. Kag manipulating controls on a screen and the whine of the arm motor told them the arm was moving. Kag looked out a porthole and verified the arm was extending on the left side of the craft. After a few seconds, Kag whooped. We're yawing to the left... and down slightly. He repositioned the arm and stopped the downward drift of the nose.

We're not close enough to a star to experience much photonic pressure, are we?

True. But this planet may be a dead star and still putting out some kind of radiation.

How much time do we have?

I'd say thirty more minutes. But that's just a guess. Time seemed to drag as they waited agonizingly long minutes for the nose of the craft to swing. We're not going to have fine control. I'll be happy if we can get pointed roughly in the right direction. Kag went back to the rear access panel and when he was happy with the angle of the nose, he activated the stabilizers to lock the attitude of the ship. The ancient stabilizer systems used a gyroscopic principle to accomplish this, but the ones today used a flywheel field which engulfed the ship. It created the same effect as a spinning bullet in flight and resisted all attempts to change the yaw and pitch angles of the ship. Kag slid into the pilot's seat and said, Firing in 3... 2... 1... He fired the main engines of the little craft and they immediately felt a vibration and a giant hand pressing them down into their seats as the engines struggled mightily against the gravity of the enormous orange planet. I'm hoping to sling us around this planet and eject us out the other side, but that takes a lot of precision and that's one thing we don't have.

As they both watched the changing figures — engine thrust, acceleration, distance to the planet, speed, direction vectors — they knew the truth. They weren't going to make it. The little craft was never designed to fight giant gravity wells. It was underpowered for the job. The plot screen projected a red path for the craft and it was intersecting the planet after two and a half orbits. That's with engines. Without engines, only one orbit.

Kag slumped in his seat, chin on his chest and said nothing for a long time. A heaviness seemed to descend on his shoulders. When he finally looked at Sheena, there was defeat in his eyes. He had failed. He hadn't had many failures and the few he had suffered, had only cost him some embarrassment. But this time the cost was going to be heavy. This was the end. They both knew it. I'm so sorry.

I have a few regrets, said Sheena. But I don't regret a single day I've had with you. Her eyes were suddenly awash.

You're the best thing that ever happened to me. There was a lump forming in his throat and he abruptly found it difficult to talk. We've... had a good run.

We have.

The monstrous planet filled the cockpit window, a harbinger of death. It hung like an orange globe against the black firmament, half lit by the distant sun with streaks of gray and red on its surface. Their fate was sealed, but still hard to accept. I consider it my job to protect you, said Kag. It seems I've failed. His eyes were brimming now too.

Funny. I've always considered my job to protect you... and everyone else under me. She wiped at her teary eyes. But you can't fault yourself. You made a valiant effort, dear. No one could have done better.

Kag cut the engines and tenderly took her face in his hands. Well, I'm glad my final hours will be with you, sweetheart. That removes the fear you would die in some far away place and I would never know how or when. He kissed her, stood up, went to the rack in the rear of the compartment, lay down and stared at the ceiling.

According to the plot screen, we have one orbit or forty two days standard, said Sheena, but I suspect we may be dead of radiation poisoning or something else before then.

That's true. We could hit turbulence or something near the planet's surface. That would be the end.

Would there be any point to running the engines and prolonging the decay?

We don't have the fuel to run the engines that long. A thought occurred to Kag. I wonder what's wrong with the comm system anyway? He got up and went to the comm access panel to the left of the pilot's station where the communications equipment was housed. He quickly found the comm feeds, but two modules were missing. Shit! He pounded the bulkhead. Someone really did a number on us!

"There's a rat in the inner circle, said Sheena, and I regret I won't be able to warn Dingo and the rest of the staff."

"Can't you contact old one?"

I'm afraid I sent him away.

Sent him away? Kag didn't know such a thing was possible.

Yes, I told him I didn't want to be bothered while we were on vacation. I'd contact him when we got back. She chewed at her bottom lip. "Maybe that wasn't such a good idea, but dammit, I'm tired of the feeling I'm being watched all the time. And we're on vacation, dammit!"

Kag studied her saying nothing.

Alright. I'll try to reach him. Sheena closed her eyes and concentrated, but after a few minutes said, It's no use. He's not taking my calls.

Okay.

They sat a