Rogue Star Omnibus Vol. 1

Chapter 1

The blaring of the ship’s intercom woke Captain Marcus Drake from his favorite dream, the one about the dancing girls and the hot spring. He glanced at the clock on the wall and groaned. Only four hours since his shift ended. Whatever Solomon wanted better be important.

Marcus swung his long legs over the side of his bunk and stepped on something sharp. Damn it! Lights.

The overhead lights came to life, not quite blinding him. Damn it! Reduce brightness by half.

The lights obliged and after a moment Marcus’s vision cleared. The state of his little cabin made him want to turn the lights off again. Three months of accumulated junk spilled out of the storage bins. Clothes in desperate need of cleaning, food containers from half a dozen restaurants – each from a different planet – along with the other odds and ends he’d collected in his travels. On one shelf, in a neat row, sat twenty leather-bound books, his mother’s collection. An island of order amidst the chaos. He smiled when he looked at them and a bit of his annoyance leaked away.

Marcus raised his sore foot and found the remains of a small statuette he’d picked up at the spaceport on Titan two months ago. At least he didn’t break the skin. He picked his way through the debris to the intercom and slapped the switch. What?

We’re picking up a distress beacon.

We’re in the middle of nowhere. Who the hell would travel through this part of the galaxy, besides us, of course. The nearest trade route is half a day from here.

Yeah, but the distress beacon is out there nonetheless.

Fine, I’m on my way. Marcus released the intercom switch. He threw on his clothes and ducked out of his cabin. Six steps to his left and the automatic door to the cockpit slid open. He smiled as he stepped through the door into his only true home in the galaxy.

Seated in the copilot’s chair, his best friend and navigator, Solomon Keys, glanced back at him. You look like shit.

Marcus scratched the three day’s growth of stubble on his cheek. Thanks. This is what you get when you wake me up after four hours’ sleep. You sure the beacon’s legit?

Solomon didn’t dignify that with a reply. Marcus grinned. Solomon’s people skills sucked, but he knew computers. Solomon told him computers were easier to deal with than people. If he didn’t like the way a computer acted he’d just change its programming; he had to talk to people.

I’ve pinpointed the beacon’s location.

When Solomon gave him the location he shook his head. None of the big merchant houses come out this far. Did you identify the beacon?

After a moment of typing Solomon said, I’ll be damned. It isn’t merchant class at all, it’s expedition class.

No exploration ships have come out this way in years. It’s gotta be pirates.

You always say that. Solomon typed another command. We haven’t even seen a pirate in three years. Come on, somebody might be in trouble. Shall I prepare for a return to real space?

We have a schedule to keep. We can’t be late again. Last time they hadn’t made their delivery date their client, Axis, cut their fee so much they’d only gotten enough to refuel. We can report their location when we get to Mars.

It’ll take three days to get there and three more for a rescue ship to get back. Whoever’s out there might die before anyone arrives. You know we need to stop and try to help. Besides we’re six hours ahead of schedule.

Fine, have it your way. Once Solomon got an idea in his head it would take a plasma grenade to get it out. Best to go along with him. Bring us out well away from the beacon. I want a good look around before we go in.

Understood, Solomon said. Revision in three.

Inertial dampers on full.

Two.

Auto-guns online.

One.

Shields at maximum.

The Rogue Star came shuddering back to real space. Nothing shot at them which Marcus took as a good sign. A ship’s most vulnerable moment came just after first leaving hyperspace. Marcus learned that lesson the hard way years ago. He activated the ship’s sensors. No heat signatures or movement detected, they appeared to be alone.

What do you think?

Solomon squinted bloodshot, blue eyes as he studied the readings. I’m not picking up any energy readings. Nothing to indicate a battle. I’m just picking up a single large object drifting at random. It’s the source of the distress signal.

Well, let’s take a look, Marcus said, curious now despite himself. He pushed the engines to half power and guided the Star toward the object. He took a deep breath and tensed and relaxed his muscles one group at a time. They had no need to worry. If he told himself that enough times he might start to believe it.

They approached the object and Marcus activated the ship’s powerful floodlights, revealing the gray hull of a large star cruiser. Something had blown a hole in the side of it. Marcus could have flown the Star right through the hull.

Run a full scan of the ship. I need a classification and note of our position. This thing is slagged but I bet we can get good credits from a salvager.

While Solomon worked, Marcus piloted his ship in a quick orbit of the cruiser. Hundreds of laser bolts had scarred and pitted the durasteel hull. She’d seen plenty of action, no doubt. The guts of one engine dangled from a six-foot gash in its housing. Something had blown the second engine away leaving only an empty hole. He spotted several smaller holes in the hull toward the rear of the ship. Whoever they ran into did a thorough job.

When he’d finished his orbit Marcus guessed the cruiser measured three hundred yards long. Even as scrap it should sell for a quarter million credits.

Finished your scan yet?

Almost. It’s a class three Earth Force destroyer. Minimal weapons. Probably decommissioned and sold to a private buyer.

When you’re finished plot us a course out of here.

Not so fast. Solomon ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair. I picked up a life sign. Someone’s alive over there.

Impossible. That thing is so full of holes it can’t have any atmosphere.

Solomon checked the readout again. I’m telling you something’s alive over there. We’ve got to check it out.

Sure. If we hang out for a while longer we can end up the same as them. Marcus sighed. What the hell. We might as well take a look.

Marcus eased the ship over towards the gaping hole in the destroyer. He could access the ship there with no problem. When his proximity detector read fifty meters he killed his momentum and activated the tractor beam to anchor them in place.

Marcus got to his feet. I’ll take a data slate with me and see if I can salvage any information from the ship’s computer. Keep your eyes on the scanner. If anyone comes sniffing around let me know.

Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything, Solomon said. You just be careful over there.

Marcus left his cozy cockpit and took the main corridor back to the cargo bay. He paused to collect a spare data slate from a storage locker.

The cargo bay took up by far the largest portion of the ship. Hundreds of crates stacked from floor to ceiling and held in place by force fields filled the hold. Only four six-foot-wide alleyways remained empty. When Marcus set foot in the cargo bay a pair of red lights appeared seven feet off the ground.

Lights.

Soft white light filled the bay and revealed the massive form of Marcus’s cargo handler. At just shy of eight feet tall and two tons, the robot usually just moved cargo. The huge hands that shifted thousand-pound crates could also crush a thief to pulp making it a good guard.

Hi, Herc.

Voice recognized. The mechanical vocalization sounded kind of tinny. He needed a new speaker. Marcus would add it to the ever-growing list of new things they needed. Drake, Marcus, access granted.

Good boy, go back to sleep.

Command acknowledged. The red glow from Herc’s eyes dimmed as the robot went back to sleep mode.

Marcus slipped past the sleeping giant and walked to the rear of the bay. Cargo came in through the large ramp that lowered like a castle drawbridge. They also had a smaller airlock so he wouldn’t have to open the main door.

An imbedded storage cylinder stood beside the airlock door. A shared keypad between the door and the cylinder allowed access to either. Marcus typed in his five-digit code and the cylinder rotated one hundred and eighty degrees revealing his gleaming black and silver power armor. The back of the armor sat open, just waiting for Marcus to step in, like one of the knights of the round table. Marcus smiled as he remembered the stories his mother used to read to him, the brave knights riding forth to slay the dragon and rescue the princess.

He sighed and wondered if any of those ancient knights had bills to pay. Armor status?

Fully charged. Just as he expected.

Marcus took a deep breath and let it out slow. Black dragon, armor up.

His access code deactivated the defense mechanism that would fry anyone else who tried to put on his armor. Marcus stepped inside the storage unit and pressed his chest forward until he met resistance. The armor came awake, plates snapped shut, and the unit closed around him. A faint hiss indicated the plasma seals had engaged, theoretically enclosing him in his own self-contained environment. Of course you never knew until you flew out of the airlock.

Marcus stepped back out of the cylinder, careful not to bang his head. He took a moment to test the movement of the joints and to get used to the slight delay as the servo motors translated his movements to the armor. Satisfied that everything worked properly he attached the data slate to his back with the built-in magnets and stomped toward the airlock. Time to go for a walk.

He eased through the inner airlock door and closed it behind him. When the green light activated indicating a positive seal he hit the button to open the outer door. The room depressurized and Marcus floated out into the void.

Once he cleared the airlock Marcus activated the thrusters in the soles of his armor. The Star’s floodlights illuminated the destroyer’s hull. The edges of the metal had liquefied then twisted it into an abstract sculpture. Hellfire torpedoes – nothing else would get that hot.

Can you hear me, Solomon? Marcus said.

Loud and clear.

The communicator worked, so far so good. Okay, I’m heading in.

With his thrusters set to low Marcus eased his way inside the wrecked ship. Away from the hull breach the light didn’t help and he couldn’t see a thing. He activated the light in the chest of his armor. Row after row of empty shelving bolted to the floor filled the space. Pity, he could have gotten more if the cargo hadn’t drifted away.

Where’s that life form reading?

Somewhere on the lower decks near midship. That’s the best I can do.

I’ll head to the bridge and check out the computer first.

If someone’s in trouble…

Don’t worry. This piece of junk has drifted for years. If someone survived this long I doubt a few more minutes will matter.

Marcus shivered as he flew through the empty ship. Thousands of people worked here once upon a time. Now he found nothing but the odd bit of floating junk. Creepy, maybe he’d meet a ghost.

Most of the inner doors had opened during the battle and remained that way. Something had short circuited, but it made his life easier. Everything must have gotten sucked out when the hull breached to leave the place so empty.

When he reached the bridge his luck ran out. The doors had sealed, a security lockdown to keep boarders from accessing the bridge. With no power he couldn’t override the lock so that left brute force.

Cutting laser, online.

He felt a vibration in his right hand as the laser generator powered up. When it reached full strength the tip of his index finger snapped open and an emitter slid out. He pointed and a small red dot hit the door.

Fire.

An intense beam of red light lanced out. Where it hit, the door glowed orange then melted. He moved his hand in a slow circle, slicing a hole in the door. When he finished he deactivated the laser and pushed the metal disk into the bridge. Marcus followed, careful of the molten edges.

Unlike the rest of the crew the bridge officers didn’t get sucked out into space. Laser-burned corpses floated through the large, open space. Marcus tried to ignore the bodies. Instead he focused his attention on the work stations, looking for a data port compatible with his slate. He found one at engineering. Marcus brushed a corpse out of his way and plugged in the slate. He transferred power from the slate to the computer, just enough to get the hard drive running, then set it to auto-download. It would finish its work while he finished his.

Chapter 2

Marcus left the bridge behind and retreated to the stairwell. He descended to the lowest deck where the stairwell exited into a long central hallway lined with doors. This level suffered minimal damage in the battle and Marcus jetted from one end of the hall to the other, his armor scanner searching for signs of life. After twenty minutes he’d checked the whole deck with nothing to show for it.

He went up a level and found yet another empty corridor. He found more damage on this level, scorch marks here and there where blaster fire struck the walls. One door lodged in its track by the slimmest of margins. No more bodies thank the universe. Flying through the dark, empty ship gave him the shivers. Floating bodies wouldn’t help his nerves.

Life form located, the suit’s onboard computer announced.

It’s about time. Where?

Twenty-five meters to the right.

Marcus looked to his right and came face to face with a steel wall. It couldn’t be that simple. He continued down the corridor until he came to a T. He turned right and after a few meters said, Update, location.

Fifteen meters ahead and to the right.

Getting warmer. Marcus jetted ahead until he came to a door. He jammed the tips of his fingers into the crack where the two sides of the door came together and pulled. The unlocked door slammed open into its housing. Oops.

Inside Marcus found a seven-foot-long rectangular box in an otherwise empty room. Four feet high and about the same width, it looked like a coffin. Lights blinked on the side and front. Since the ship lacked power the box must have an internal power supply.

Marcus jetted over closer and looked at the top of the coffin- box! Box, not coffin. He did a double take. A layer of frost covered the glass, but he could just make out a woman. Sleeping Beauty, he muttered. She had long dark hair and appeared asleep. Marcus knew suspended animation when he saw it.

I found your life form, Solomon.

What is it?

An occupied cryochamber. Bring the hoversled to the airlock. I’ll be over in a few minutes.

Will do.

Marcus studied the chamber for a minute. How could he get it back to the ship? Whoever put it there mag-sealed it to the floor. Another minute of study and he found the release. He flipped the switch and the chamber floated free. No sweat.

He checked the power gauge on his armor and found he’d used half his power. Not ideal, but if he hurried he had time enough. He shoved the chamber out into the hall then guided it back toward the stairwell.

When he reached the stairwell door he tried to guide the chamber through but it hit the railing. Damn it!

He pulled the chamber back and went in first. Marcus grabbed on to the railing and yanked. An eight-foot section tore loose. He grinned. That never got old. He tossed the piece of scrap aside and guided the chamber into the stairwell and up to the storage area where he’d entered the cruiser. He activated the magnet, locking the chamber to the deck. Confident she wouldn’t wander off he retraced his steps to the bridge.

Marcus tried and failed to ignore the bodies as he made his way to the data slate. It read ninety percent complete. He checked his power gauge. Forty percent armor power left, getting less ideal all the time.

Marcus tapped his finger on the station. Come on, come on.

Five minutes later the slate flashed one hundred percent. At last. He disconnected it from the terminal and reattached it to his back.

It took a hair over a minute to make it back to the chamber. He deactivated the magnet and jetted across the gap back to the Star. Outside the airlock he said, Is the hoversled in position?

Yeah, and I’m clear of the airlock.

Marcus held the chamber with one hand and punched his code into the keypad to open the outer airlock door. He maneuvered the chamber into the airlock with a few feet to spare. Once he’d joined it in the narrow space, he positioned it on the hoversled, a four foot wide by six foot long metal pad with an anti-gravity generator. A foot of it hung off, but he couldn’t do any better.

When he had situated everything to his liking Marcus closed the outer door. The airlock pressurized, and the artificial gravity came on. Marcus dropped a couple inches to the floor. When the green light came on the inner door swung open. Solomon stood there like an eager child hopping from one foot to the other.

Marcus powered up the hoversled and shoved it into the cargo hold. Solomon closed the airlock behind him. Could you get the data slate off my back? Marcus bent over so the shorter man could reach it.

The slate disengaged with a click. Marcus turned around and found his partner already tapping away at the screen. Put that away for now and secure the cryochamber for transport. We’ll have plenty of time to look it over in hyperspace.

Solomon flashed him his best sad-puppy face. Marcus pointed toward the front of the hold. Solomon sighed, switched off the slate, and pushed the hoversled deeper into the ship.

Marcus stepped into the storage cylinder. Power off.

His armor disengaged all functions and the plasma seals dissolved. The rear opened up and Marcus stepped back, careful not to bump his head, and took a deep breath. He felt both relieved and disappointed to shed the armor. He missed the power but hated to rely on anything for his survival, other than the Star.

Begin recharge. The storage cylinder spun shut.

Marcus stretched and wiped sweat from his forehead. He headed toward the bridge and passed Solomon where he worked to secure the cryochamber. The door slid open as he approached and Marcus dropped into his seat. The scanners still showed all clear.

He flipped on the targeting computer, locked on to the distress beacon, and fired. A red beam of coherent light shot out and obliterated the destroyer’s emergency beacon. Marcus grinned. No one else would find it now.

Solomon burst onto the bridge wheezing. I heard the laser fire.

Relax. I made sure no one else would find our treasure. Everything secure in back?

Yeah, no problem.

Good, set course for Mars. We’ve still got cargo to deliver.

Solomon’s stubby fingers flew across the keyboard. Course laid in.

Marcus flipped a switch. Hyperspace engines online.

The engines exerted their power over the fabric of space-time. A moment later a swirling portal opened. Marcus pushed the throttle forward and accelerated into hyperspace.

The Rogue Star streaked through hyperspace and Marcus considered the old cruiser and the woman on board. What were the odds of them stumbling across an old derelict with someone still alive on board? He’d traveled from one side of the galaxy to the other and he’d seen a cryochamber with its own power supply just once before, at a prison on Anora 7. The natives didn’t believe in capital punishment so they froze their worst offenders, a fate worse than death.

Working on this data slate is so slow. Do you mind if I transfer it to the main computer?

Marcus’s head snapped up. He’d drifted off in the pilot’s chair. Did you check it for viruses?

Solomon frowned at him. Yes, it’s clean.

Then be my guest. I need a few more hours’ sleep. Wake me in five and we’ll check out sleeping beauty. Marcus stumbled off to his bunk.

Solomon plugged the data slate into the control panel and his monitor lit with a large O surrounded by a halo. Omni Corp. Why would a pharmaceutical company have a deep space exploration vessel? He selected search mode and typed mission. A moment later a screen popped up showing a green planet, botanical research written beside it.

That made sense, the big pharmaceutical companies never stopped looking for the next wonder drug. Solomon clicked on the planet and got hyperspace coordinates and a name, Alpha 114. Typically imaginative name. The coordinates put the planet about a week from where they’d found the destroyer.

He skimmed a dozen entries then spotted the Captain’s log. He clicked on it and the first entry popped up.

Captain’s log, February 2, 2620: Today we arrived at Alpha 114. The planet orbits its sun slightly closer than Earth standard. We’ve deployed probes to check the atmosphere. If everything comes back clear we will begin deploying to the surface after noon Earth standard.

Captain’s log, February 3, 2620: The probes indicate a breathable atmosphere with high humidity but no toxins. The planet appears uninhabited just as the Earth Force study said. I’ve transmitted our findings back to headquarters so they can go ahead with their claim. The scientists insist on going to the surface at once. I dispatched six crewmen and a small mobile armor to watch over them. That should be enough to discourage any aggressive wildlife.

Captain’s log, February 6, 2620: The scientists have established their base camp. The crew spotted some dangerous-looking animals, but a pulse rifle fired at the ground scared them away. I received a transmission from headquarters, Earth Force has approved their exploration application.

Solomon wondered how big a bribe Omni paid to get the application approved so fast. He skimmed a few boring entries until one caught his eye, the first signs of trouble for the explorers.

Captain’s log, March 20, 2620: A scientist beamed an unauthorized transmission today. He deleted it so we have no idea what it contained. It was a minor security breach, but headquarters ordered him back to Earth. I received orders to drop him off on Mars and pick up supplies and a replacement.

Captain’s log, March 31, 2620: Our supplies are loaded and we just jumped to hyperspace. The new scientist is very friendly, not to mention gorgeous. I think she will cause quite a stir when we arrive. If I weren’t married we… never mind. She graduated two years ago and seems excited to study alien life in its natural habitat.

Captain’s log, April 12, 2620: We finished ferrying supplies down to the planet. I was sad to see the new scientist go, her name is Mai Lee, a pretty name I thought. Barring a catastrophe, we should be set for three months. I’m looking forward to the peace and quiet and some time on the planet surface. The crew says it’s tropical.

Solomon glanced at the time and yawned. Time to wake Marcus and look in on their passenger. He got up and stretched. Should be interesting.

Marcus blinked dry, itchy eyes. Solomon woke him ten minutes ago. It felt like he’d just gotten to sleep when the door buzzer rang. He stumbled along beside his friend, semi-coherent, toward the cargo bay.

He took a sip of the stim-tea Solomon brewed, strong and bitter, just the way he liked it. Every swallow sent a jolt of caffeine through his body. By the time he finished the mug he’d be sparking on all neurons.

So this woman’s supposed to be a scientist? Marcus asked.

Assuming she’s the one the captain wrote about, yeah. The only way to find out for sure is to wake her and ask.

Marcus glowered at Solomon. He still hadn’t decided if he wanted to wake her. With their luck she’d turn out to be a homicidal maniac, or worse, a politician.

You know that stuff is terrible for you. Solomon nodded toward the steaming mug in his hand.

Marcus took a sip and sighed. Stim-tea had four times the caffeine of coffee and woke him up like nothing else. It’s a scientific fact that anything even a little enjoyable is bad for you. Of all my bad habits I doubt this one will kill me.

Solomon gave a resigned shake of his head. Marcus had won the argument for today.

Herc rumbled to life as they entered. Go back to sleep. Marcus didn’t wait for an acknowledgement. He went over to the cryochamber where Solomon mag-locked it to the deck. It hummed away, still plenty of juice in the battery. According to the power gauge the battery still carried three-quarters of its charge.

Grab a scanner and let’s get a look at her vitals.

Solomon took the small scanner he always carried out of his pocket and ran it the length of the chamber. Her vitals look good considering she’s been in there for five years. He studied the readout a moment. This is interesting.

What?

The young lady seems to have a computer implant. She’s a cyborg.

Marcus forced himself not to smile at the jealous tone in Solomon’s voice. Can you hack in and see what’s stored in her memory?

I could do a wireless linkup. Solomon set the scanner on a crate and went to get a data slate. When he got back he opened a slot in the edge and exposed the optical connector. He held it over her and tapped the screen.

A light flashed as the computer attempted to establish a connection. It worked for a few seconds before the light turned solid. We’re in, Solomon said. He tapped the screen again and three seconds later it beeped. That’s it.

Only three seconds’ worth of data?

Solomon shrugged. That’s all we can access while she’s unconscious. Want to see what we got?

Marcus nodded and moved over beside his friend. Solomon hit the display button and the screen filled with a jumble of meaningless symbols. They scrolled down and found all the data looked the same.

Solomon said, It’s encrypted.

No shit. Can you break it?

Solomon crossed his arms and frowned, left eyebrow raised.

Marcus smiled. Sorry, stupid question.

I have a few keys I can try. If that doesn’t work we’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way.

Whatever. Marcus took a sip of his tea.

Marcus watched as Solomon tapped away at the slate. He scowled and muttered to himself, lost in his work. Before Marcus finished his tea Solomon looked up and grinned. I got it.

Great. What did you get?

Solomon slumped back down. Don’t you want to know how I did it?

No, he didn’t care how Solomon did it, but he didn’t want Solomon to pout the whole way to Mars so he asked, How’d you do it?

Well… Solomon went on to spout a bunch of gibberish about the best way to break an unknown encryption. Marcus registered every third word. Anyway, when I tried that new SL-4 key we got last month it fit. The two matched. Kind of a waste since we only got medical information.

Wait, you mean that key our client, what’s his name, the jewelry merchant, gave us to secure our hyperspace relays? Not that one, please not that one.

Yeah, that one. Funny, all the ones I bought or borrowed flopped and the one we got for free did the trick.

Hilarious. Marcus frowned. His luck couldn’t get any worse.

What’s wrong?

While you drooled over the new disk, I asked one of the merchant’s guards about the code. He said it was military software, just declassified for civilian use.

So why would a scientist have military tech imbedded in her skull?

Simple, Marcus said. She’s not a scientist. Probably an Earth Force undercover agent. Isn’t that a kick in the head? Of all the people in the galaxy, I have to rescue an Earth Force agent.

What was she doing on that ship?

Beats the hell out of me. Marcus couldn’t get the idea that she worked for Earth Force out of his head.

One way to find out. Solomon reached down to start the wake cycle.

Whoa, what do you think you’re doing?

I’m going to wake her.

In case you forgot, I’m not on the best terms with Earth Force.

So what do you suggest we do, jettison her?

Well… Marcus grinned at the scowl on Solomon’s face. We’re not going to jettison her. I went to too much trouble to rescue her after all. What if we just dropped her off at the government building on Mars.

The decent thing to do is to wake her and you know it.

Yeah, I know. Marcus flipped the switch. For an ex-thief you have an overdeveloped conscience.

I stole from crooks. They all deserved it. Solomon stifled a yawn. We’re both reformed now, right? We’re supposed to be the good guys.

Right, why don’t you catch a few hours’ sleep? Solomon headed to his bunk while Marcus returned to the cockpit.

Chapter 3

The countdown timer read one minute. Marcus sat on an upside-down storage crate beside the cryochamber and Solomon sat across from him. They’d waited thirty-six hours for the wake cycle to finish. Marcus watched the last ten seconds tick off the timer. When it hit zero the chamber lid hissed and popped open. The woman inside groaned and sat up. They both stood up and edged closer.

Now that he didn’t have to look through frosted glass Marcus could make out her face. She had pale skin, dark brown almond-shaped eyes, and high cheekbones. Her black hair fell to her waist and covered her bare breasts.

Marcus glanced at his friend who stared with his mouth halfway open. He grinned and shook his head. The blanket.

Solomon threw off his daze and handed the blanket they’d brought to Marcus who draped it across her shoulders. Welcome back to the land of the living.

She tried to stand and Marcus offered her his hand which she grasped like a lifeline as she climbed out of the chamber. Marcus restrained a smile as he caught a glimpse of a slim, toned leg. Maybe waking her wasn’t such a bad idea.

Where am I? she asked, her voice harsh and scratchy from years of disuse.

You’re aboard my ship. My name is Marcus Drake. He offered her his most reassuring smile. This gentleman beside me is Solomon Keys.

How did I get here? Her voice sounded better already, though still a little husky.

We found you aboard a battle-scarred destroyer drifting well off the main trade routes, Solomon said.

Any of this ringing a bell? Marcus asked.

She put her hands to her head. Everything’s so fuzzy.

That’s understandable, Solomon said. You’ve been out for a while.

Would you like to lie down? There’s a spare room you can use, Marcus said.

I think I’ve been lying down long enough. Do you have anything to eat?

Of course, Miss…

Iaka, Iaka Kazumi.

Iaka, the galley’s this way. Marcus held out his arm. She ignored it so he shrugged and led the way back toward the ship’s living quarters.

The three of them sat around a small steel table. The galley didn’t amount to much more than a closet with a table and food prep station. Marcus fixed a bowl of tasty broth from their meager selection of freeze-dried food. Not gourmet but better than anything she’d eaten for the last five years.

Iaka polished off the broth and licked her lips which turned a burned red. Better than blue though, much better.

That was wonderful. Do you have any more?

You’d better take it slow, Marcus said. Your stomach’s been empty for a while. If you eat too much you’ll get sick.

She sighed. I appreciate your help. Is there anything I can do to repay you?

The image of her stepping out of the chamber appeared unbidden in Marcus’s mind. He forced his first idea out away then decided the second and third wouldn’t do either. He said, Well, we were hoping to sell the ship for scrap, unless you want to claim it.

I don’t want the damn thing.

Marcus shared a look with Solomon who shrugged. One thing I’m curious about, Solomon said. What were you doing on that ship in cold storage?

Iaka’s eyes darted away then back. I put myself in there when I realized the ship was falling apart.

Marcus smiled and shook his head. Of all the Earth Force agents I’ve met over the years, you are by far the worst liar. You want to try again?

She frowned. How did you know?

When we checked your vitals the scanner picked up your implant, Solomon said. The data encryption used military software.

It wasn’t hard to guess the rest, Marcus said. So do you plan to stick to your story or do you want to tell us the truth?

If you know I’m Earth Force you know I can’t tell you anything.

We saved your life, Marcus said.

Yeah, besides it probably doesn’t matter anymore. Solomon bit his lip as soon as he spoke.

What do you mean? Iaka asked. How long was I out?

Marcus sighed. Best we can figure about five years.

She sat back and ran her fingers through her hair. Five years?

I’m sorry, Marcus said, surprised to find he meant it. I intended to break it to you a little easier.

She held her head in her hands and stared at the floor. I would like to lie down after all.

Of course. This way. Marcus helped her up. It seemed she hadn’t regained her full strength yet. They left the galley, took three steps, and turned to face the spare cabin. Marcus tapped the control panel and the door slid open. If you need anything we’ll be in the cockpit.

Thank you. She went in and shut the door.

On their way to the cockpit Marcus punched Solomon in the shoulder. That went well. I’m surprised she didn’t have a heart attack.

We had to tell her some time.

Yeah, forget it. Let’s see when we can get a landing pad tomorrow.

Iaka sat down on the small bunk. She didn’t feel tired. Five years. It seemed impossible those bastards at Omni cost her five years.

She got back up and tossed aside the blanket she’d used for a robe. She took a deep breath and began the movements of a simple kata. Her sensei called it moving meditation. She flowed from one form to the next, testing her body. She’d lost a little strength which didn’t surprise her. The chamber had a muscle stimulation system, but it couldn’t substitute for actual exercise. She felt a little stiffness, again no surprise. The precise movements of the kata soon worked the kinks out. As the familiar exercises relaxed her body her mind drifted back.

Everything started out well enough. No one questioned her false papers, and the trip to Alpha 114 went okay even if the captain kept staring at her when he thought she wouldn’t notice. They ferried her down to the planet right after the ship arrived.

The scientists seemed pleasant enough and she had a degree in xenobiology so she fit in with no problem. Iaka worked in the lab for six months gathering information, contacting her superiors when she could. She didn’t run into any problems until they caught her sending an unauthorized hyperspace transmission. She still didn’t know what gave her away. Iaka piggybacked her message with a batch of reports for Omni. Her data packet should have blended in until it hit a specific router then bounced to Earth Force HQ.

The guards had burst in and hit her with a stun baton. When she came to they’d stripped her and locked her into the cryochamber. The next thing she knew she found herself aboard this ship. When she learned who blew her cover...

Iaka sighed and lay down on the bunk. A thin sheen of sweat covered her. Who was she kidding? After five years what chance did she have of finding out what went wrong? She should let it go. She had a life again and she should enjoy it.

Sure, and after that she’d learn to breathe vacuum. She couldn’t let it go and Iaka doubted she could find out what happened. Christ, what a mess.

Marcus smiled as the ship came shuddering out of hyperspace. On the viewscreen Mars loomed large, though after three plus centuries of industrial growth the haze of pollution chugging out of the domes had the red planet looking rather gray. Since the domes went up a little over two centuries ago Mars had become one of this sector’s premier manufacturing hubs. Hundreds of companies built factories all over the planet, and the smokestacks vented out into the vacuum. The pollution created a thin haze that always surrounded the planet.

"This is Mars Control to Rogue Star, please state your business." The prerecorded message came on as soon as they reached a distance of 100,000 miles.

Marcus nodded at Solomon who said, "This is the Rogue Star. We have a load of microchips for Universal Computer Corporation."

A moment passed as the landing control system processed their information. "Acknowledged, Rogue Star, you may land at the following coordinates in one hour." A stream of numbers appeared on the screen.

Contact Universal and tell them where we’re landing, Marcus said.

Solomon went to work and Marcus put the ship on autopilot until their landing space became available. He left the cockpit and made the short trip to the guest cabin. He tapped twice and the door slid open.

Iaka had found an old pair of coveralls in the storage locker. She spun in place. How do I look? She’d rolled the sleeves and legs up about a dozen times and wrapped one of his old belts around her