Nothing was going the way he had envisioned it. The only thing that had gone right so far was the launch, and he was starting to wonder if that was a good thing after all. What if the dangers on the path from here to Avalon held a worse fate that awaited the people back on Earth?

  Was it a fate worse than death? No, probably not. But a slower, more painful one perhaps.

  Here be dragons

  Or squids, as the Guardians had started to call them, and why not? They had tentacles. One defining feature was all anybody needed to label something, and the word octopuses didn’t roll off the tongue the way squid did.

  Tyson pulled himself away from that line of thinking. It was too whimsical for the situation. He fixed his eyes on the feeds, watching the Guardians advance in a line and listening to their chatter through the bridge comms. It was all business. No banter. Joseph and his team had left one deadly world for another.

  Ten minutes passed. Twenty. An hour. Tyson didn’t move from his place behind the holotable, watching more than listening. He didn’t look around at his crew, and he barely noticed when the shift change brought a fresh set of junior officers in while the others cycled out. He glanced back to find Siraj still at the command station helping to oversee the Guardians the way Colonel Hale would have from her CIC. They were lucky to have Siraj watching their backs.

  Another hour passed. The Guardians finished with the starboard side of Pioneer’s upper hull and moved across to the port side. Their sweeps were deliberate and synchronized. Every centimeter of the exterior was getting ten rifles pointed at it while its cleanliness was confirmed.

  Tyson checked the time. Twenty-four hundred. Midnight. The first official day was over, and they were moving into the second. The Guardians had found nothing. Not even the hint of an alien craft or more of the squids. Had the object that strafed his ship dropped the creatures and taken off? He wasn’t sure if he wanted to find it or not. Wondering if it was still out there waiting to come back for a second pass seemed worse than having it here, a problem they could try to control.

  Because he had done such a wonderful job of that so far. The whole incident with Levi was still stabbing at the back of his mind. Admiral Walt had picked him because he believed Tyson was a good leader with a solid head on his shoulders. Up until yesterday Tyson had thought that too. Now he wasn’t so sure.

  He had already gotten one Guardian killed and another injured. He had containers loaded beneath Metro whose contents were a mystery to him. Not to mention there was a whole damned research team somewhere on board, working on who the hell knew what. A team Siraj had tried to locate in the personnel database, only to come up empty. And he didn’t know the layout of Pioneer well enough to locate the module from Alesso’s description.

  He slammed his fist down on the holotable, wincing when he thought he might have cracked the surface.

  “Captain?” Siraj said. “Are you okay?”

  He turned back to her. “No. Not really. I need to find the research module Guardian Alesso mentioned. I need to talk to the scientists.”

  “Shall I call Alesso back inside?” Siraj asked.

  “No. We need her out there with the others. Who’s your relief, Commander?”

  “Lieutenant Commander Novitz, sir. He came by to relieve me two hours ago, but I waved him off.”

  “Where was I?”

  “Staring at the display, sir. You didn’t notice him.”

  “Call him back to the bridge. I need you to escort me to the research module.”

  “Sir, you want me to leave the Guardians without an operator?”

  “Novitz can take over.”

  Siraj looked uncomfortable with the idea. “Novitz isn’t fully briefed on the situation, sir.”

  “I’m sure you can bring him up to speed. Call him back, Commander.”

  “Aye aye sir.”

  Tyson turned back to the display while Siraj contacted Lieutenant Commander Novitz. He was a little embarrassed he had only met Novitz in passing, during the one and only staff meeting he had held to get a look at all of his new officers. He didn’t remember the man’s first name, and he wasn’t sure he remembered his face. It was a shame everything had been so rushed. He didn’t know eighty percent of his crew. He still hoped to have the chance between Earth and Pluto, but all of these complications were making that seem less possible with each passing minute.

  “Captain Grant,” Siraj said. “Lieutenant Wall is on the comm for you.”

  Grant nodded. “This is Grant.”

  “Captain,” Wall said. “It’s my pleasure to report that my crew has completed their duties. All equipment is stowed and double-accounted for, with complete entries in Pioneer’s mainframe.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant. I appreciate the diligence and effort you and your team have exhibited.”

  “Of course, Captain. We’re also ready to transfer to Metro at your convenience, sir.”

  “Understood. I recommend bunking in the common racks for tonight. The Guardians are occupied and won’t be able to escort your people to the seals.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll inform the crew.”

  “Thank you again, Lieutenant. Grant out.”

  Siraj killed the comm, and Tyson put his gaze back on the feed. The Guardians continued their sweep, reaching a more complex pattern on the ship’s surface, where the other side of a dark chasm rested. Watching through Joseph’s feed, Tyson stared at the video, slightly tense when Morales and Tran dropped into the gap to get a better look. He switched his attention to their feeds, each able to see the other coming at them as they moved to the center. Their lamps shined across the divide, revealing nothing out of the ordinary.

  The two Guardians used their jets to jump back out of the space, returning to their respective squads. The two teams converged on the center and then began backing up to repeat the process on the next section of the hull.

  “That’s where we are right now,” Tyson heard Siraj say.

  He turned back, seeing her with a tall, dark-haired officer who wasn’t the man he was thinking about earlier. This had to be Novitz. He took the few steps needed to reach the command station.

  “Captain Grant,” Novitz said when he approached, snapping to attention. “Lieutenant Commander Novitz reporting, sir.”

  “At ease,” Grant replied. “How long have you been on the bridge?”

  “Five minutes, Captain. Commander Siraj suggested it was more prudent not to disturb you.”

  Grant smiled. “Probably a wise idea. She explained the situation?”

  “Yes, sir. I’ve already contacted Guardian Prime to inform him of the change of operators.”

  “Perfect. Novitz, you have the bridge and the conn, for what it’s worth while we aren’t accelerating. Contact me or Commander Siraj immediately if the Guardians find anything.”

  “Yes, sir,” Novitz replied.

  “Commander, let’s go find out why there are unregistered crew members on my ship.”

  28

  Grant

  Pioneer. Corridor. 11.12.2052. 0010 hours.

  “I guess we get to take our expedition today after all, Captain,” Siraj said as she and Tyson headed away from the bridge. “I always did love a mystery.”

  “This isn’t exactly a mystery I expected to crop up,” Tyson replied. “I thought once we got off Earth, everything would be, maybe not smooth, but at least relatively calm. I have to admit, I’m more than a little pissed off at Command for throwing a bunch of scientists on board and not telling me.”

  “Yes, sir. I know how you feel. I double-checked the ship’s schematics while we waited for the Guardians to restock their air and ammunition. I only located the module by process of elimination. It wasn’t labeled in the system.”

  “Did you label it?”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “I don’t understand why Admiral Walt would go over my head like this?” Tyson continued. “He has the right of course, but how am I supposed to manage this ship, or even protect the researchers, if I don’t even know they’re here, much less where they are?”

  “I’m sure the admiral had his reasons.”

  “So am I. That’s what worries me. Did you ever meet Walt in person, Commander?”

  “No, sir. What’s he like?”

  “Incredibly pragmatic. A little arrogant. I heard he stopped sleeping much after the virus killed his wife and son. He’s so focused on dealing with the enemy, that’s why I’m afraid of his reasons. It’s bad enough Command dumped a bunch of unmarked containers into the hold under Metro with orders not to peek inside. At least they told me about those.”

  “Pandora’s Box, Captain?”

  “I sure hope not.”

  “Do you have a guess?”

  “I’d like to believe it’s extra rations or replacement parts for the life support systems. Stuff that came in late. The Bayonets make me wonder if Walt saw fit to send us enough equipment to start a war. Open in case of emergency, like finding Avalon already occupied.”

  “I don’t suppose this constitutes an emergency? We have aliens on our ship.”

  “We had aliens on our ship. The Guardians are taking care of that problem. Tell me, Commander, what do you think of Prime Cross?”

  Siraj’s face started to redden a little. “What do you mean, sir?”

  Tyson smiled. “Yes, I know he’s a handsome man, Commander. I’m not blind. But I mean professionally.”

  Siraj’s face reddened a little more at the remarks. She had been so collected since the launch, Tyson enjoyed seeing her embarrassed. “I think we got lucky, sir. He adjusted to zero-g faster than anyone could have hoped. He’s keeping his team going despite how tired they are and he made some salient points during the debriefing. I think we should keep him.”

  Tyson laughed. “Agreed. I think we will.”

  They reached the forward elevator. Siraj tapped the control panel and the doors slid open, the cab already on their deck.

  “We’ll take this down to thirty-two. The module is near the hangar, almost adjacent to the main passageway to Metro. They tried to hide it near the superstructure. Did you know the module has its own life support systems? A reactor and air filtration. They can completely close it off from the rest of the ship without it affecting their operational capability.”

  “No, I didn’t know that. What would the purpose of that be?”

  “Guardian Alesso said her brother is a geneticist. Hopefully to keep something in if they screwed around with nature a little too much.”

  “You’re quite good at deciphering schematics,” Tyson said. “And you picked up the full suite of ship’s controls rather quickly. I’m still hunting and pecking for the menus I want. Do you have a background in architecture or engineering?”

  Siraj nodded. “My father was a mechanical engineer. He helped design one of the first commercial fusion reactors. I spent a lot of time sitting on his lap while he worked, staring at CAD designs and exploded views. He would stop sometimes and explain things to me. Over time I started to make connections between things.”

  “But you didn’t become an engineer.”

  “No, sir. I wanted to be my own person, not grow up in my father’s footsteps. I joined the Navy because I loved the ocean, and the discipline. And I thought I could make a real difference there.”

  “My reasons, too,” Tyson admitted. “We’re not exactly sailing the deep blue sea anymore, are we?”

  “No, sir. We’re on the endless black one now. It’s no less enthralling, in my opinion.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to your father when the trife came? Your family?”

  “What happened to everyone’s family?” she replied. “The virus killed my sisters. The trife took my father. They could have killed my mother, but didn’t. I hear they don’t kill barren women.”

  “I’m sorry for your losses, Commander. I know that doesn’t mean a lot for anyone anymore, but I am.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “I heard they don’t kill barren women too. Selective eradication. It’s one of the scientists’ primary arguments for their scorched-earth theory.”

  “Scorched-earth? I’m aware of the strategy, but not in this context.”

  “Some of the brains think an intelligent race sent the trife to Earth to destroy any potential opposition, not to exterminate our entire species. Barren women can’t produce children who might grow into soldiers, so there’s no value in them as a target.”

  “Without women having children, humankind will still die out.”

  “I didn’t say it was a perfect theory.”

  The lift stopped on thirty-two. Tyson and Siraj stepped off, heading aft toward Metro.

  “My father died when I was in my forties,” Tyson said. “Stomach cancer. My mother was killed in the riots. A different kind of victim to the war. I have a sister in the Air Force. She might make it off on one of the other ships. I hope so anyway.”

  “I’m sorry about your parents, Captain. Why are you telling me this?”

  “I figured it was only fair, since I asked you about your family and dug up old memories.”

  “Sadly, I’ve grown numb to loss over the last couple of years. I think we all have to some extent.”.

  “Agreed. Have you met many of the crew, Commander?”

  “Not as many as I would like. There hasn’t been much time, and I feel horrible to say it, but a lot of them will be in Metro in a few weeks. It seems more efficient to focus on the smaller subset who will be with us in hibernation.”

  “I’m glad you’re the one to say that,” Tyson replied. “Because I’ve felt that way too. Though I haven’t met many of them. If I remember correctly, Novitz is scheduled for hibernation, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, sir. So is Wall.”

  “That’s right. I keep thinking he’s going into Metro with his crew, but he’s the officer in charge of unloading when we arrive.”

  “When we arrive,” Siraj said. “I can’t even put my mind around the idea. So long from now. So far away. But for us it will seem like hours, not centuries.”

  “Have you been in a pod before?” Tyson asked. “I know some of the COs of the generation ships were part of the beta program.”

  “No, sir. I don’t think I would have this much hair if I had.”

  Tyson nodded. “That’s right.” Preparation for hibernation included removal of every last hair, from the top of the head to the tips of the toes and everywhere in between. No exceptions. The muscle stimulating gel lost effectiveness without full contact over the skin, and nobody wanted to wake up with severe dystrophy.

  “That’s my favorite thing about our species,” Tyson said. “Our adaptability. Throw us into the fire, and we’ll find a way to get back out. Maybe a bit singed, but still alive. That’s how Pioneer feels already.”

  “I hope we’ve already encountered the worst of it, sir.”

  “Me too.”

  They made their way through a few more passageways, sharing random thoughts. The color of the bulkheads, the unevenness of the LED strips on the ceiling. Where they were when the meteor shower came, and the morning after when a fine layer of dust floated to the planet’s surface. They didn’t know then what that space dust would bring.

  If the research module had been a snake, it would have bitten one of them. They nearly stumbled right into it. The entrance was planted in the middle of the corridor, its secured blast door unassuming among the other compartments. Tyson went to the panel and put his wrist against it, not surprised when it flashed red.

  “And I don’t have access,” he said, looking over at Siraj. Then he leaned forward and tapped on the panel, looking up at where he knew the camera was hiding. “This is Tyson Grant, Captain of Pioneer, and my XO, Commander Nivita Siraj. I would appreciate a word with the head of the research team.”

  He took a step back from the door, waiting at ease for it to open.

  After a dozen seconds passed with no response, he started to wonder if it would. Then the light on the secure panel flashed green, and the door slid aside.

  A woman was there to greet them. Dressed in a white lab coat over a blue blouse and navy slacks, she was average height with short brown hair, a pointed nose and thin lips. Her expression bore a look of annoyance at the intrusion.

  “Captain Grant,” she said with a proper British accent while extending her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Doctor Victoria Rose.”

  29

  Grant

  Pioneer. Research Module. 11.12.2052. 0030 hours.

  “Doctor Rose,” Tyson said, shaking her hand and trying not to let her plain appearance and air of aloofness cloud his judgement of her. “This is my XO, Commander Nivita Siraj.”

  “Wonderful to meet you, Commander Siraj.”

  “Likewise.”

  The two women shook hands, and then Rose turned back to Tyson. “Before we get too far into any other conversations, Captain. I think it’s important that you understand a couple of things.”

  “Fair enough,” Tyson responded. “Go ahead.”

  “My team and I are members of a special unit organized by what’s left of the United Nations. Our affiliation with the United States Space Force is limited only to our presence aboard Pioneer, and will last only so long as Pioneer remains under USSF jurisdiction. In other words—”

  “You’re civilians,” Tyson finished for her. “With no responsibility to report directly to me or anyone else on my crew.”

  “Correct.”

  “What about Governor Nash in Metro?”

  “We have no affiliation with the civilian population either. We’re a third-party.”

  “That explains why your module is fully self-sufficient,” Siraj said.

  “Precisely. Our intent is to produce as small a footprint within the day-to-day running of this starship as possible. We have a lot of work to do, and we’re trying to complete as much of it as possible before we’re too far from Earth.”

  “That also explains why you aren’t on the personnel registry,” Tyson said. “As far as the mainframe is concerned, this module, you and your team don’t exist.”