Into the Void

Chapter 4

The freighter rode into the Polaris system on a gentle swell of blue radiation. The main display snapped to life, showing a small yellow star shining brightly. The comm crackled with static and a gentle voice echoed over the radio. "Welcome to Polaris, please transmit your ID signatures."

The captain tapped a few keys on the control panel and glared over at Nate. "Do you mind getting back to the cabin or are you going to stick a fucking gun in my face again?"
After the battle Nate had spent the flight in sullen silence, too numb to move or speak. He shuffled back into the crew cabin where his parents were both sitting on the edges of their seats.
"They downed the industrial station before we jumped" he said quietly.
"Oh my god," said his mother. "It fell? Did it hit the planet?"
Nate nodded. "I didn't see it but it was falling down the gravity well."
"How bad would it be if it hits?"
Nate's father shook his head, "Not if, when. Gravity would draw it in. It'll be like a nuclear bomb at best. Several nukes at worst."
Nate collapsed into the nearest chair. There was good chance everyone he knew back home was dead. "Jesus Christ," he said. "What do we do now?"
"I don't know. Let's start small, we'll get a room on the Polaris space station and go from there."
Polaris Station was a monumental feet of engineering. It was several kilometers long with it's own shipyard, a dock and living space for hundreds of workers. The freighter clamped onto the station and Nate and his family strode off the aging ship and into the bustling docks of Polaris Station. They walked through a short hallway and stepped into a long brightly lit room filled with baggage carousels, security stations and information kiosks. They walked briskly over to an information kiosk where they were greeted by a cheerful young man in a light blue uniform.
"How can I help you today?" he said with a smile.
Nate cleared his throat. "We're traveling from Caldania, the planet was attacked. We need somewhere to stay."
The man behind the kiosk nodded slowly. "I'd heard the Third Fleet was on the move there, if you'll just wait here I'll find someone who can help."
They found a row of chairs near the kiosk and waited. After nearly an hour a tall blond woman in a Void Corps uniform walked up to them and led them to a small office one level up from the docks. The office was dominated by a large desk filled with neat stacks of data tablets and a pair of computer monitors. The woman introduced herself as Colonel Rachinov and motioned for them to take a seat. "We've found a place for you to stay, it's a comfortable hotel on the business level." said the colonel. "I am truly sorry for what happened to your planet, I wish we had more manpower on the frontier."
Nate nodded. "Has there been any news out of Caldania?" he asked. The communications buoys in the Alliance were some of the most advanced pieces of technology humanity had been able to build. They could send a signal well over the speed of light and there was a good chance any broadcasts from Caldania had arrived here before their ship.
The colonel heaved a deep sigh. "The rebels managed to knock a space station out of orbit before they were destroyed. The Third Fleet reports one enemy destroyer and one scout ship lost with all hands. No prisoner, just the way it should be. Thankfully, most of the debris landed in the ocean, however, a large section of the station struck the southern continent, there's been no word on casualties yet. I promise we will make these rebels pay. No one attacks the Alliance and gets away with it."
Nate shook his head, hundreds of people had died for nothing. "They just wanted to talk," he said. "And we killed them all?! And killed who knows how many people on Caldania because we fired first!" The colonel frowned. "That's not what it says in the reports."
"Then the report's wrong, traffic control launched attack drones before that scout ship could respond. And the Fleet didn't even listen to the other ship, they blew them out of the sky before they even found out what they wanted."
"I don't see why that matters, that ship destroyed a space station."
Nate stood. "Would they have if the fleet tried to talk to them before opening fire?" he didn't wait for the colonel to answer. He turned and stormed out of the small office, wandering aimlessly through the station. Polaris Station was well kept. The floors were a shiny corrugated metal, polished nearly to a mirror finish, bright fluorescent lights ran in long strips overhead and most importantly it kept all its electrical cables and plumbing safely tucked away behind smooth beige panels on the walls. It was a sharp contrast to the decaying confines of the Caldanian station. The smell of fried foods and grilled meat led him to a small restaurant with a stand full of pamphlets outside the front door. A small woman with long curly blond hair stood next to the pamphlet stand, trying desperately to get the attention of anyone walking past her.
"Hey!" she shouted, with a smile and a wave . "Red hair and cybernetics, do you have a minute?"
Nate hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to keep walking or to stay and hear about whatever the woman was trying to sell. "Sure," he said with a shrug. "I guess I don't really have anything better to do." "Great, I'd like to talk to you about Concord Exploration Services, have you heard of them?" Nate shook his head. "No I haven't, why don't I buy you lunch and you can tell me more." He didn't really feel like eating but he needed a distraction, anything to take his mind away from what had happened back home.
The woman agreed and the two of them stepped into the restaurant. It had a cozy feel to it, with soft lighting, dark wood tables and chairs with deep red cushions.
"I'm Melody." said the woman, extending a hand.
Nate shook it. "I'm Nathan. So tell me about this exploration company."
"It's a new company, we're exploring new worlds and laying the foundation for future colonies."
"So how is that different from joining the Void Corps for the Fourth Wave Expansion?"
"It's the same job without any of the military obligations, we're also not associated with the Alliance, no one will stick you behind a desk because you've had your arm replaced."
Nate looked around the restaurant, the table next to him was trying hard not to stare at him and he was attracting dirty looks from a pair of men at the bar. "Sounds like it could be interesting. How come you're here in person instead of posting on a recruiting board?
Melody sighed. "Honestly, we've been having trouble finding acceptable candidates in Alliance space. We managed to hire on a crew for the bridge but we're having a hard time finding pilots and technical crew. Everyone seems to either join the military or stay planetside. Our ship had to stop in for repairs here so the captain thought sending someone in person might draw more people in."
One of the men from the bar walked over to their table, his presence announced by a miasma of stale beer and spilled whiskey. "Excuse me miss, is this machine bothering you?" he slurred, pointing at Nate.
"No, he's fine." she said.
"You let us know if he is, my grandad fought Constructs in the rebellions, told me lots about smashing AI's and cyborgs."
Nate stood and tossed a handful of bills onto the table. "I think that's my cue to leave then," he said, walking towards the door.
"What about Concord?" Melody called after him.
Nate turned. "I'm not sure, if you give me your number maybe we can talk about it again some time" he said.