Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Raven

“I didn’t think you’d be here today,” Raven said.

She tried to guide Tori into the sitting room, but Tori headed straight for the living room instead.

“You’re not exactly making me feel good about leaving,” Tori said.

She picked up the empty liquor bottles scattered around and headed into the kitchen. She paused at the door, shooting a glare at Raven. The kitchen was a sea of bottles. Raven looked up at the ceiling, a chuckle escaping her lips.

“Just had a little party with friends. I didn’t drink all—”

“Don’t. You’ll just piss me off,” Tori cut her off.

“You didn’t call before coming,” Raven said.

Tori began to clean up the mess. The apartment was a disaster. Raven hadn’t bothered to clean since Tori’s last visit.

“Don’t worry. I won’t burn down the apartment while you’re gone. Go,” Raven said.

“I’d be worried about that too if you ever cooked,” Tori said, closing the empty refrigerator.

Tori sat down at the table, running her hands through her hair. Raven couldn’t hide it anymore. She pulled out a new bottle.

“Papa isn’t here anymore, and I won’t be able to look after you like I used to,” Tori said, taking the bottle from Raven.

Raven had no choice but to drink at home or go to the liquor store after being banned from all the bars. It was easier to hide it then. Tori was always strict about it, even when their Papa was alive. Now that he was gone, she was even more so. Raven sighed.

She was the one who convinced Commander Cole to pull strings for Tori to go on the mission in the first place. The whole point was for her to follow her dreams and leave Raven to her own devices.

“This is what you always wanted. The higher-ups reconsidered. Please don’t miss out because of me. Okay? I swear I’ll stay alive until you get back. I’ll even have three solid meals a day,” Raven said.

Tori studied Raven’s face for a moment, then nodded.

“You’re supposed to ship out again soon, right?” Tori asked.

“Yeah, I’m like the water girl this time. I won’t see any action,” Raven said with a smile.

Commander Cole had kicked her out last week. It was either that or face execution again. She did her job, and now they wanted to discard her like trash. Papa didn’t lie about how they used their assets.

“If you’re sure you’ll be okay on your own and promise to be safe,” Tori said.

“I promise,” Raven said.

Tori went in for a hug, and Raven hesitantly reciprocated.

“Sorry,” Raven whispered.

“No, don’t be. Everyone heals in their own way. So, I’ll see you in three months,” Tori said.

“I’ll be at the station to pick you up,” Raven said.

Raven held up her wrist, showing off the gold bracelet on it. Tori smiled and held up her matching one. After their parents died, they made a promise to each other.

“Love you, Ray,” Tori said.

“Love you too,” Raven said.

***

^SIX MONTHS LATER^

“I want to speak with Commander Cole. He’s been giving me the runaround for the last three months,” Raven said.

The receptionist glared and threw her hands up, gesturing to the chaotic office. Everyone was running around and yelling. The war had spilled out to the rest of the world, and the damage was irreversible. Tori’s mission had ended three months ago. Raven waited for her at the station. Everyone returned but Tori and her team. No one knew where Tori and her team were. People just don’t disappear—especially not your nation’s prized scientists.

“Just like I told you for the last three months. Things are a little crazy now, and he will—”

“Give him this message. Either he speaks to me tonight, or I will go to the Press with some things he’d rather stayed secret. I think the citizens and our enemies would like to know who to thank for all of this,” Raven said, gesturing to the chaotic office.

The receptionist’s mouth fell open. It was a bold move on Raven’s part, but it would get his attention. The receptionist walked around the desk and pointed to a closet. Raven followed her.

“Jasmine and Theo didn’t raise a fool. So, don’t act like one. For God’s sake. I made sure you received Tori’s benefits. She’s gone. I’m sorry, but move on, or there will be no one to bury or mourn you,” she said.

“If I could bury or mourn her, I would move on, but no one knows anything? Bullshit, and I won’t stop until I know what happened to her,” Raven said.

Tori was all Raven had left. She wasn’t losing her too.

“Fucking pain in my ass. Fine, but don’t confront them,” she said, peeking out the door.

“Do you know something?” Raven asked.

“About Tori, no. I do know after the assassinations six months back, things are heading downhill. Everyone is preparing their nukes. The talks aren’t going well. You’re smart, so hear me. They’re holding a selection to find the best, the brightest, and the richest for the Bella. Get on that ship. It’s heading for Alpha, and you’ll have a better chance at finding her,” she said.

Commander Cole would be a problem. He wanted Raven just to disappear. He would lie about Tori anyway. This would save Raven time squeezing it out of him. It was her best option.

“Thanks,” Raven said.

“Don’t thank me. I’m doing this for your parents,” she said.

***

^ONE YEAR LATER^

“Come on. Just a couple of shots,” Raven said.

“You’re cut off, SFO Fox. Captain’s orders,” the bartender said.

Just like on Earth. It was getting old. The whole bar agreed. What the hell had she ever done to them?

“I can’t fault him. You landed three guys in the infirmary last week,” a passenger pointed out.

“They had it coming,” Raven retorted.

Truth be told, she couldn’t recall who she’d sent to the infirmary or whether they deserved it. Raven had a tendency to black out.

“No one wants a pilot who’s drunk and unhinged,” an officer chimed in.

“Funny, you weren’t saying that when I navigated us through the Black Eye,” Raven shot back.

The officer grumbled something under his breath and returned to his drink. Raven leaned in closer to the bartender.

“I’ve got stuff to trade, and I can pay,” she whispered, patting her pockets.

“That gold bracelet of yours looks pretty valuable,” the bartender murmured.

“It’s not for sale,” Raven declared.

She quickly hid her wrist under the table.

“Then get the hell out. I’ve got customers to serve. Or do I need to call the guard?” the bartender threatened.

Raven shot him a glare. She didn’t want to end up in the pit. That would mean a pay cut and cleaning duty.

“Why don’t you do something about the air quality in the upper decks? It’s stale,” a woman complained.

She stopped by Raven’s seat, sloshing her drink all over the place.

“Everyone gets the same amount,” Raven replied.

“Not everyone paid the same amount. Just cut the lower floors, and it should balance out for those who deserve it,” she slurred.

“You think you’re better than them?” Raven questioned.

“I know I am,” she declared.

Some people didn’t pay with money. Others paid with blood, their bodies, or their minds.

Raven could feel her blood starting to boil. She clenched her jaw, hopped off the stool, and left the bar. The woman continued to rant as Raven walked away.

The corridor was quiet at this hour, save for the hum of the ship. They were still weeks away from Alpha. What was she going to do?

“SFO Fox,” a man called out.

Raven groaned and leaned against the wall. She waited as the old man caught up, an older woman trailing behind him. The old man was always kind and looked out for everyone on his floor. Raven wasn’t in the mood for his stories or his attempts to dig into her feelings.

“You’re going to lose your dick at this rate,” Raven warned.

“I’m already one foot in the grave. Might as well enjoy myself,” he replied.

“What can I do for you, sir?” Raven asked.

“I need someone to watch my granddaughter while I’m busy. All the sitters are booked,” he explained.

“Find someone else, Jack. I’m not a good choice,” Raven said.

“I’ll meet you in your room,” Jack decided.

The older woman smiled and walked away. Jack reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle—whiskey. That got Raven’s attention.

“For the night terrors, right? I hear you screaming sometimes when I’m on my rounds,” Jack said.

Raven looked away. Was she really that loud?

“There’s no shame in it. You survived—just like me. Take it, but save it till after I return. I’ll be back in three hours tops,” Jack said.

Raven accepted the bottle.

“Unit 001. Does Abigail prefer cards or dolls?” Raven asked.

“She liked the game you all played last time,” Jack said.

Raven’s eyes widened. Abigail and her friends had big mouths. Raven had been working the late shift when they’d managed to sneak past the guards. She caught them, but instead of turning them in, she gave them tips and lessons to increase their chances of being useful on Alpha—to survive and ensure what happened to her wouldn’t happen to them. Raven turned it into a game to keep their attention.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, old man,” Raven said.

He smiled, “See you later.”

Raven headed for the lower decks. As she waited for the elevator, the ship shook and the lights went out. She cursed under her breath and hit the communicator.

“SFO Fox, reporting in. Lights are out on mid-deck. Over,” she said.

“All flight crew, report to the control center now,” a voice ordered.

The ship continued to rock and jolt. People started to emerge from their units in a panic.

“Everyone calm down and go back inside. It’s just some space debris and the system needs a reset. Don’t worry. I’m going up now to do it,” Raven reassured them.

The crowd’s worried expressions eased, then turned into annoyance. They stood in the hall, voicing their complaints. The group was too large to pick out individual voices. She opened the emergency hatch and began to climb. She sealed it behind her so no one would get hurt. As she climbed, each floor was louder than the last, and her worry started to grow. Others began to enter the emergency line and climb.

She pushed open the control center hatch and slid in. People were rushing around, grabbing drives, packing weapons, and other essentials. Raven went to her station and started the reset. She looked out the windshield and let out a heavy sigh. Raven pulled out the bottle of whiskey and began to drink. A space storm—the vortex of colors and meteorites was battering the ship.

“Everyone gather around,” the Captain ordered.

The room fell silent, like a battlefield before the first shot is fired.

“Grab what you can. We’re leaving in fifteen minutes. I’ve opened the upper decks and our floor paths to the pods. Don’t be late, or you get left behind,” the Captain said.

Raven frowned as she pushed her way to the front. The Captain was quick as he made his way into the hall. Raven ran after him. He was already in the escape pod room, loading up pods, when she caught up with him.

“Sir, what about the lower decks? And everyone else?” Raven asked.

“What about them?” the Captain replied.

Groups started to climb in with luggage—all from the upper decks.

“Open the lower decks,” Raven demanded.

“There’s no time or space for them,” the Captain said.

“If we open it now and they leave their bags behind, it can be done,” she argued.

“Everyone quickly. Thirteen minutes left before we take off,” the Captain said.

“Are you listening to me?” Raven yelled.

“Get your act together, Senior First Officer,” the Captain snapped, his eyes blazing.

She made her way back to the control room, stepping into the Captain’s station. She grabbed the badge and headed back to the escape pod room. She swiped the badge and punched in the Captain’s code.

Raven’s fist came down hard on the emergency evacuation button.

“What on earth are you doing?” the Captain demanded.

He tossed a box into the pod.

This old hunk of junk had kept them afloat for so long. Now, a space storm was about to end humanity’s last hope. The Bella was the last ship capable of making the journey from Earth.

The ship groaned, shedding pieces into the endless dark.

“We made a promise to them. We took an oath,” she reminded him.

“Raven, stop being so stubborn and get in. First-class passengers and essential personnel only. Tori would say the same thing,” the Captain said, helping others into the pod.

The same people who had complained about not having enough fresh air in their units and demanded they cut other passengers’ air supply. He climbed in and extended his hand to her.

“Tori said a lot of things,” Raven retorted.

“Well, you can die here with the rest of them then,” he said, closing the pod.

One by one, each pod began to pop out into the stars. People started to gather in the shaking hallway. The sight of the pods leaving sent the crowd into a frenzy, pushing and rushing towards the last pod.

“Listen up! Children go into the last pod. I need ten volunteers to help me land this beast, and everyone else, strap in. We’re going to have to make a detour,” Raven announced over the intercom.

“What if we can’t land it?” someone shouted from the back.

“All this time you’re wasting on talking, we could be landing. Shut the fuck up and do as I say, or I’ll throw you out of the airlock.” Raven scanned the crowd.

To her surprise, no one else argued. Maybe the sight of the cowards fleeing, leaving them to die, had kicked their survival instincts into gear.

She picked out a few people to load the kids up and locked everyone else in their seating area. Jack pushed his way to the front.

“Get your ass in the seating area,” Raven ordered.

“Look who’s wasting time now,” Jack retorted, pushing past her.

She and the volunteers made it to the bridge, where the consoles were blaring “Danger” messages.

Strapping into the Captain’s chair, she set a course for the closest planet. It was either this or float out here until they died. They had ten minutes before the ship fell apart completely.

She couldn’t wait to get out of this death trap. Rocks pelted the ship hard. She gripped her stomach, hoping to keep her food down. Bright explosions erupted in the distance.

~Bang!~

“When I call out your station, hit your button. So help me if you mess up, and we’re not dead,” she instructed.

“Yes, sir,” they responded in unison.

The dash turned red, and warning messages flooded the screen again. She cursed under her breath.

Raven pressed the pod escape button and launched the kids on the Captain’s route. She punched the override button and pushed the speed to max.

“Station one! Red!”

They were going to make it; they were only minutes away. Raven got eyes on the kids and smiled. Their pod had made it out of the storm in one piece. The ship broke through the atmosphere and started to come apart at the seams.

“Station two! Red!”

Another warning message informed her that the landing gear was busted.

“Everyone, get to the seating area in two minutes! I’ll eject it, and the secondary system should take over,” Raven said.

“No! Are you insane? The ship will split in half. You’ll be exposed if you’re not burned to a crisp first,” Jack protested.

He tried to unbuckle her. They wrestled over the straps. There was no guarantee that the air on the planet was safe. Or that it was safe at all. The storm had knocked them way off course.

“I’ll stay behind. I’m already one foot in the grave. The devil won’t have to work as hard. Just promise you’ll get to Alpha and take care of Abigail for me,” Jack said.

“I don’t plan on dying, old man.”

Raven forced a smile and held up a suit.

“Besides, how could I face my sister again? Make sure they don’t kill each other once you land. Abigail needs you,” she said.

Jack gave her a strained look before taking off. Suiting up was difficult, but she managed.

She wasn’t religious, but she prayed that they would survive this as she rubbed her gold bracelet. Her eyes welled up as she thought about Tori—her parents. The promise she was about to break.

Cracks raced down the windshield. She and Jack had spent too much time talking. She hoped he was as quick running as he was chasing tail. Once the screen went dark, she pressed the ejection button.

***

Arenk

The reports were longer than the ancient files. A few more hours and he could go home. The rookies this cycle were worse than the last. What was the academy teaching them? The door slammed closed, bringing Laro along with the wind. His hair was messy, and his wrinkled shirt was untucked in the back. Laro plopped down in his chair with a grin.

“Fix your hair and clothes,” Arenk said.

“Oh, thanks,” Laro chuckled.

“You took a long break,” Arenk said.

“Did I?”

Laro shrugged and got to work. They were in charge of guarding the atmosphere border today. It was tedious to give ships access to either leave or enter from the capital and surrounding cities. To keep an eye out for enemy ships and smugglers.

Arenk pushed back from his desk to stretch his legs.

He needed something to wake him up. The shifts were long and taxing. As he headed for the drink synthesizer, the alarm blared.

He rushed back to his desk and tapped the transparent screen. It worked a lot better than the old analog systems still in circulation. Hopefully, the King would change all of the systems over soon. A tiny dot appeared—red.

A ship? They’re barreling past all of the checkpoints—no distress call.

“Give me a closer look at the fifth quadrant,” Arenk said.

The computer was always right. So, who was this mystery guest, dropping into their planet without an invite? He scratched his chin, puzzled. No ID number. A black-market ship, maybe? No, they’d use cloaking to dodge the scanner.

A newbie pulled up the live feed on the big screen.

“Zoom in,” he ordered, leaning in closer to the screen.

He reached for his earpiece.

“Hold up. We should get going. I’ve got my sights set on a new cruiser at that new place. Splitting the cost two ways beats five,” Laro muttered from behind his hand.

~What kind of language is that?~ The ship disintegrated before he could make out the whole word. The flaming wreckage crashed into the forest just outside their quadrant. Well, the rookies could use the training.

Just as Arenk was about to press the button, Laro leaned back in his chair.

“I guess you don’t want your own cruiser, ’cause at this rate, it won’t happen in our lifetime,” Laro said.

“We’ll get our rewards when we’ve earned them,” Arenk replied.

He really believed that. Work hard, and the King will reward you.

“I bet our dads said the same thing. Too bad we can’t ask them,” Laro said.

“Most of us can’t,” Arenk said.

“Don’t you want something different for your future kid? Or are you okay with your twice-a-month sessions with Lyka and no hope of raising your own kid? That’s if you even know if you’ve fathered one or not,” Laro said.

Arenk sighed and rubbed his chin. He didn’t give a damn about the credits, but an arrest could bump him up a few spots on the list to get a mate—to start a family. The list order was always changing.

It was all the backroom deals, favoritism, and every other sneaky trick in the book. A guy could be at the top and still not see a mate in his lifetime. But Arenk was going to try anyway.

“Rookies, split into two teams. One on surveillance, and the other on standby in case we need backup. This is a code black,” Arenk said.

Laro practically skipped out of the building. They were either going to hit the jackpot and live the good life, or get taken out by whatever was on that ship.

The familiar scent of leather and metal welcomed them as they strapped on their armor and weapons. Laro didn’t bother with his full set.

Arenk wouldn’t be caught dead without every single piece.

“Put it all on. We don’t know what we’re dealing with,” he said, starting up the cruiser.

“It’s probably just a smuggler. They’ll be long gone by the time we get there. Don’t stress,” Laro said, grinning.

“I want the arrest if we find any smugglers. You can keep the stripped parts,” Arenk said.

“Deal. If we don’t find anyone, we’ll split it fifty-fifty,” Laro said.

“Either way, we keep it quiet. So, be careful when you sell everything,” Arenk said.

Laro slapped Arenk’s shoulder and hopped into the cruiser.

They followed the trail of smoke in the sky to the crash site. These vehicles were beasts off-road. They tore through the forest like a speedboat on water.

Laro stuck his head out the window, eyes closed, letting the wind whip through his hair. It was almost long enough to windsurf with.

“We’re getting close,” Arenk said.

They first checked the area for anyone hiding and put out the fire. The ship was a total wreck. But there might still be something valuable on board.

Even if they just stripped it for parts, it would be a nice payday. Inside, it was dark despite the bright day outside. Wires hung down, sparking, as they made their way to the cockpit.

“How old is this thing? We can’t sell any of this on the regular market. I know a few buyers who like antique ships. But I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Laro said.

Arenk hadn’t either. This wasn’t a smuggler or enemy ship. This was a first contact.

He rested a hand on his gun as they moved slowly. Capturing an undiscovered species could rocket him to the top of the mate list.

“Up there.” Arenk crouched, gun aimed at the slumped figure in the captain’s seat. They approached cautiously. “Hands up, you’re under arrest for illegal entry.”

As they closed in, Laro kicked the body. It fell with a heavy thud. He started trying to pry it out.

“Wait, don’t take it out of—”

The suit hissed and opened.