Star runners, p.33
Star Runners, page 33
“Open that curve!” she yelled. “Two more bandits coming in behind you.”
Austin pulled back on the yellow lever on his left, the curvature drives whining loudly. The control board faded as the power levels fluctuated, the Trident compensating for the large amount of power heading into the curvature drive.
“Come on, come on,” he said as the space wavered.
The remaining pirates, now adjusted to his sudden downward loop, swarmed, their targeting computers searching for a lock.
“Come on, open!”
The curve indicator blinked from red to yellow on his HUD, each moment dragging, his eyes flashing from the curve reading to the sensors as the pirates closed. The curve was taking too long to open...
The HUD flashed as two bandits locked onto his Trident’s signature.
This was it.
The curve flashed green.
“Go!” Ryker snapped.
Austin launched all he had left into his engines, the Trident shuddering forward as it passed into the curve. The missiles, shooting toward their position, vanished as the Trident passed out of normal space and into the curve. The blackness around him warped into a smear of colors before normalizing.
His head fell back into his seat, his eyes closing. He exhaled, and his shoulders slumped.
He opened his eyes to Tarton’s Junction, just a flash of metal shining in the distance, hanging before the familiar purple and red of the nebula, welcoming him home.
24
The tubes beside the bed moved like pistons, liquids surging into the lines. Ryker’s almond skin was battered and bruised, a dozen tiny scratches covering her face, neck, and arms like roads on a map. A purple circle surrounded her right eye. Austin reached down and clasped her hand, but wondered if such an action was appropriate on the station.
To his relief, she squeezed back, a hint of a smile forming at the corner of her mouth. He stared at their hands locked at her side, his knuckles scratched and bruised from the ordeal on Flin Six.
After they’d landed on Tarton’s Junction three hours before, staff had rushed Austin, Ryker, and Nubern to the infirmary. Word spread amongst the crew of the incident, a mix of cheers and solemn nods greeting them as they hurried through the halls on stretchers. Four veteran Tizona pilots saluted and moved to the side of the corridor as his stretcher passed. One leaned over him and winked, whispering, “Good job, Rock.”
Sadness swelled through the ranks as well, the word of the three deaths reaching the officers, crew, and trainees waiting on the hangar deck. Some sobbed openly, falling to the hangar deck and crying out the names of the fallen.
The doctors gave them a thorough examination when they reached the infirmary. Austin’s doctor, a man named Hara, said rest and a good meal would help, but he was fine other than scrapes and bruises. Nubern had a severe concussion and would be kept in the infirmary under observation as his body healed. Ryker, on the other hand, would be leaving Tarton’s Junction for surgery and rehab for her shattered right leg.
“Rock!”
Austin yanked his hand away. Captain Braddock marched into the room like he was on an inspection, a tablet in his hand. His mouth went dry, his guts in knots at the sight of the officer. He swallowed hard when Admiral Gist, clad in the same light blue uniform he wore during orientation, stepped in behind Braddock.
“Trainee, I see you are visiting our Lieutenant Zyan today,” Gist said, stepping up to her side. “How are you feeling?”
Ryker nodded. “I’m fine, sir, good as can be expected.”
Braddock reached down, his expression softening in a rare show of compassion. “You take care of yourself. We need you out there.” He snapped back to attention and faced Austin. “As for you, son, I think we need to have a chat.”
Austin stood in rigid fashion, his arms at his side. “Yes, sir.”
“What you did out there defies explanation,” Braddock said in a deep voice. “Wouldn’t you agree, Admiral?”
Gist stepped forward, extending his hand. “I offer you my congratulations on an exemplary job. You saved the lives of two veteran instructors and officers of the Legion Navy. You had one confirmed kill of a hostile and one probable. Very impressive.” He held out a black case. “You have received a commendation for your performance.”
Austin’s jaw dropped as he looked at both of them, then down at Ryker. He shook the admiral’s hand and took the commendation case. “Sir, thank you. I don’t know what to say. I was just doing my job, sir.”
“That you were,” Gist said with a grin. “And how can we reward such efforts, Captain Braddock?”
Braddock folded his arms across his chest. “I believe, sir, this Star Runner’s training is over. He should be promoted to second lieutenant immediately and granted two weeks leave before receiving his first assignment.”
Gist looked back at Austin, his face filling with pride. “I think that is a great idea,” he said, offering a salute before adding, “Lieutenant.”
Austin returned a crisp salute.
Gist nodded and swiveled on his heel, leaving the room.
Braddock stepped forward and pinned the silver wings on Austin’s chest. “You’ll leave on tomorrow’s freighter for Earth. Your two-week leave will start when you arrive at Atlantis. You’ve certainly earned it.”
Once Braddock left, Austin sat in the chair next to Ryker’s bed, his muscles aching from the ordeal. She stared up at him.
“In shock, Lieutenant?” she asked, a hint of playfulness in her weak voice.
“You bet.”
She sighed and winced. “Can’t believe you pulled that off. Rumors going around you might have destroyed Rodon with those last lucky shots.”
“I doubt it.”
Her eyes shot toward him. “How is Nubern?”
“Bad bump on his head, but he’ll pull through.”
She closed her eyes. “Thank you for coming after me.” She swallowed. “I’m sorry I have been hard on you.”
“Sorry?”
“I reacted poorly after the competition when you ignored my orders. I allowed command to get to me when there was probably no right call to make. That batch of Lobera students was good, real good, and I don’t think it was your fault, even though you defied my orders.”
He smiled. “It won’t happen again.”
She gazed at him. “But it did happen again, and I’m alive because of it.”
“I know.”
“Do you understand why I did it?”
He shook his head.
She reached out, gently took his hand in hers. “I wanted you to be safe. I didn’t want them to get you. I thought if I drew them away, you would have time to escape. You have the chance to be a great Star Runner, even better than you are now. You mean too much to the new generation, and you mean too much to me.”
She blushed and stared down at their hands. “But you came after me anyway, risking a court martial by defying my orders. I don’t know if I could have done the same.”
He caressed her hand. “Don’t think about it. We’re safe now.” He stood, his eyes burning. “I will be here when you get back.”
“I’ll never forget it, Austin.” She smiled softly, blinking as the pain medicine appeared to take over. “Stay a little longer.”
“Okay.” He sat back down and watched her drift to sleep.
In a few hours, she would be on her way back to the Legion world of Oma for her surgery and rehab. He frowned.
Once again, all of the people closest to him would be going their separate ways.
* * *
On the floor of the mess hall, the three caskets sat before the line of officers clad in Tizona blue. Nubern, his head wrapped in a blue bandage, stood opposite the officers. His hands were clasped behind his back, the nebula glowing behind him.
“We are here because this is where our friends spent their time, laughing with each of us,” Nubern said. “We know this fate is possible for all of us, yet we fly and fight anyway.”
He stared down at the caskets for a long moment. “It may seem senseless at a time like this, but we must not forget their bravery, their sacrifice for the greater good of the Legion.
“Captain Loco Rolling and Lieutenant Snake Dasha were the true definition of Star Runners,” Nubern said, punctuating each word. “I will miss them, both as comrades and as friends.”
He stepped in front of Etti’s casket, the holographic image of her tiny face hovering above. He paused, his chin touching his chest. Someone choked back tears from down the line. From the corner of his eye, Austin saw Gan weeping.
Nubern’s chin trembled. “I don’t have the ah…”
He swallowed, the muscles in his jaw flexing. He continued, “I don’t have the words for when one so young is taken from us.” He looked up again, his eyes glassy. “We will all remember Etti, her smile lighting up the room and, more importantly, her talent as one of our upcoming Tizona pilots. She will be missed.”
Austin clenched his teeth, fighting back his tightening throat.
“But she will fly with us,” Nubern said, strength returning to his voice. “She’ll be with us when we run the stars, maybe in that ray of starlight flickering across our canopy or in that impossibly beautiful nebula. She’ll be with us as long as we remember her.”
Nubern nodded to the guards. “Attention!”
The Tizona Star Runners snapped into a perfect line. Marine guards, dressed in black, stepped forward, pushing the caskets out of the mess hall. Austin looked down, staring at his reflection in the flawless Tizona blue caskets moving by his feet. Etti’s face stared back at him. He thought of Nicholas Pavlosky bullying her in the mess hall, her eyes looking to Austin for help. But now there was no helping her, nothing he could do. She was gone.
He swallowed hard, trying to force his mind elsewhere. His other friends from the Tizona Academy, Bear and Skylar, had survived. However, he struggled to focus on the positive.
When the caskets left the hall, Nubern dismissed the group and turned to stare out the window. As the trainees mingled quietly with other Tizona pilots, Austin stepped beside Nubern and gazed at the nebula for a long moment. Slowly the rest of the pilots left them alone at the view port.
“Sir? Did Lobera have a similar service for Josh?” Austin asked. “I would have liked to have gone.”
“He’s missing in action, not dead. There won’t be a service since he might still be out there.”
“I see, sir.”
Nubern took a deep breath. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you.”
“You don’t have to, sir,” he said, his voice wavering. “I was doing my job.”
Nubern turned to face him, his eyes red. “How can I repay you, son?”
Austin’s face crumpled, the fatigue and wear of the past two days taking over. He couldn’t hold it at bay anymore, the images of Etti, Rolling, and Josh flashing through his mind. Tears trickled from the corners of his eyes.
Nubern stared at him, his brow lowered. He outstretched his arms. “It’s okay, son. It’s okay.”
Austin buried his face into Nubern’s shoulder, sobbing. “I’m sorry, sir.”
Nubern embraced him tightly, just like Austin’s father used to so many years before. “Nothing to be sorry about. Nothing at all.”
* * *
The signal at his pod door beeped. Austin tossed another shirt, one from Earth, into his bag. “Come in!”
The hatch opened, revealing Skylar standing in the hallway. “Am I intruding?”
He blushed. “Hey, Sky. Not at all. Come in, please.”
He continued packing his bag.
“Wow,” she said, glancing around his pod. “You’re really leaving, huh?”
Austin followed her gaze, noticing the bare pod. “Looks that way. I already wrote Mom to tell her I’m coming home. It’s almost October. Strange, huh?”
“Yeah.” She pointed at his shoulder. “You’re a lieutenant now. Wow. Congratulations.”
He heard the sadness in her voice. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. You’ve always been there.” She walked over to his tiny view port and looked at the stars. “I can’t imagine going back to my life without you. It’s just weird.”
Austin zipped up his bag and walked over to her. “I know. As much as we tried not think about it, I guess we knew this would happen, didn’t we? They were going to ship us all to different parts of the galaxy when our training was done.”
She turned to face him. “We never talked about that night. You know, after we—”
He placed his hands on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. There will be time to talk later.”
She smiled. “Okay. So what’s your plan now?”
“I’m heading home. That’s all they have told me so far.”
“I heard they’re going to give you a choice of your next assignment.”
“That’s news to me. Rumor mill’s probably working overtime again.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to head down, my freighter’s leaving in twenty minutes. Want to walk with me?”
Skylar touched her chin. “I’m never good at goodbyes. Neither is Bear. He wanted me to tell you he’d see you soon.”
He grinned, thinking of his friend. “Tell him the same for me. I don’t think I can imagine the big guy getting soft enough for an emotional goodbye.”
“I know, right?” She looked at her feet. “I’ll see you soon. Keep running.”
He nodded slowly, thinking of all the times they had run on the Tizona Campus. “I’ll call you soon.”
He left his pod. Before he turned the corner, he heard Skylar sniffling.
He swallowed hard and kept walking.
* * *
He marched through the corridors of Tarton’s Junction, his bag slung over his shoulder. He weaved through the hectic halls, dodging pilots and crews rushing in different directions. On his first day, the facility had seemed impossible to navigate. Now, he eased through the traffic.
In the hangar, Nubern stood next to the landing ramp at the base of the departing freighter.
Austin shook his hand. “Thank you for everything, sir.”
“The pleasure has been mine, son.” Nubern cocked his head to the right. “You sure we can’t do anything more to repay you for your performance?”
“I didn’t do it for a reward, sir,” Austin said with a smile, gesturing to the silver wings on his chest. “I’m a Star Runner, just doing my job.”
Nubern eyed him. “You know, the Legion is always in need of talented and experienced medical personnel.”
He froze, the gravity of the words hitting him. He thought of Mom at home, alone in that big house with nothing but her thoughts, going to work each day without any friends, without her husband or her son. “Medical personnel?”
Nubern smiled. “Anything is possible. You think about that on your trip home. Why don’t you send me a message once you arrive?”
Austin smiled, thinking of his mother and how she would react to this entire new world. “Thank you for the suggestion, sir. It’s something to think about.”
“Safe travels.”
Austin walked up the ramp, his silver wings glistening on his chest. He turned and gave a slight wave to Nubern before boarding. He was going home for the first time since all of this happened. He took his seat, leaned back and closed his eyes.
Become a Star Runner!
Earn your wings! Join the Star Runners email list!
Why? Get a chance for free stuff, the latest
Star Runners news, early offers for new stories in the Star Runners Universe, exclusive discounts on books and more!
I want my wings!
Read more for a sneak peek into the next adventure in the Star Runners Universe!
* * *
The freighter came apart, the Tyral Pirate fighters firing with lethal precision. Josh's body floated through a burning gap in the hull and into the vacuum of space, his hands reaching out as he stared with eyes as black as eight balls.
"Help me!" His face twisted in pain.
Austin Stone jolted, kicking the seat in front of him. Blood pumped through his ears with the force of a cannon shot. A bead of sweat dripped down his cheek.
"You okay?"
The passenger next to him turned, the tablet in his hands momentarily forgotten. He wore a green flight suit with the Lobera patch.
Austin blinked and shook his head. "Sorry."
"Bad dream?"
He nodded. "Yes."
"They pass."
Austin leaned forward and rubbed his face. Outside his window Earth's moon passed, the blackened craters drifting past his view. The freighter's engines whined as the shroud activated, hiding the vessel from any instruments on Earth. It had been a year since he had seen the moon's surface. He remembered Bear and Skylar pressing against the window, their excitement something tangible and real. Their anticipation of what would happen next mixed strangely with the professional boredom of Captain Jonathan Nubern.
He smiled.
Before he boarded this freighter for his anticipated flight home, Nubern said the Legion recruited medical personnel. His stomach churned whenever he thought about the impending conversation with his mother. She wouldn't believe him at first, would probably accuse him of doing drugs while he had been at school. He wondered how he would even begin the discussion, and then somehow tell her she might have the opportunity to join him.
It wasn't something he would bring up right away. He hadn't been home in a year, so he wanted to soak in the next two weeks of leave. He needed to make each day count, maybe even each hour.
A cold twinge struck his heart. Josh's parents had been notified by now of their son's disappearance. The Legion had an Expiration Protocol for missing pilots and crewmen who hailed from dark worlds like Earth. The families would be told a story of their loved one's disappearance, but Austin dreaded facing the Morris family. He thought of avoiding them for the entire two weeks, but knew it was an impossible task since his mother had probably told Mrs. Morris he was coming home.
