9 - KOVA

9

KOVA

          Despite being a Redeemer, a Federation Elite, there was nothing he hated more than travelling through the Bulk.  A multitude of things could happen that would make what was left of his life extremely miserable.  There were copious rumors of what the first brave souls experienced while traveling through the void, and even more rumors to explain those who didn't return.  It was possible they ended up in a distant galaxy, without enough fuel to make a return journey.  They could have travelled to another universe entirely, and with different laws of physics their atoms could have imploded or released their energy in brilliant nuclear explosions.  But there was another possibility that frightened Kova the most.  They could have simply remained in the Bulk, doomed to surf the endless waves of the void for all eternity.

          It was for these reasons his hair stood on end and his muscles tensed every time he made such a jump.  He knew such fear was irrational, for jump travel had long since been mastered by his civilization.  Despite this knowledge, he never could fully purge himself of this phobia.

          And so a breath of relief escaped him once the Intrepid left the Bulk and he could gaze upon the system before him.  It was an eerie feeling to view an entire solar system from so far off.  The gas and ice giants were clearly visible, but the smaller rocky bodies were too faint to see in the bright light of their star.  Fortunately the ship's display was programmed to highlight them for him.

          "Damage report."

          "Shield generator is shot.  Hull integrity at sixty three percent."  Vektor worked his consoles as he spoke, his voice flat and grim.

          "Navigation and communication is online.  But targeting seems to be malfunctioning."  Joule was slightly more animated than her fellow Redeemer, but only somewhat.

          "Alright, what are our options for repairs?"

          "There is a sizeable orbital station near the sixth planet, a class II giant.  More specifically it orbits one of its moons."  Joule pointed to the correct location on the ship's display as she spoke.  Simultaneously the screen zoomed in to display a rendering of the station and the surrounding area.

           "This is Coalition space, we can't risk getting scanned.  Any other options?"

           "The only other possibility is the system's second planet."  As if on command, the display zoomed back out and reoriented on the planet in question, showing a dull orange and brown sphere.  "It's a dry world on the inner edge of the habitable zone, and sits in-between two asteroid belts.  I'm detecting a few sparse major settlements on the surface.  It seems to be our only hope."

          "Can we make a jump to the nearest Federation system?"  Kova turned towards Vektor as he asked.

          "It's too far, Templar."  Joule piped in.

          "She's right, Kov."  Vektor stroked his short, thin beard as he answered.  "The jump drive couldn't handle the journey, it was overloaded during this last jump.  The hull might barely be able to handle atmospheric entry as it is, but I wouldn't push it much farther than that."

          Kova pondered the advice given by his Psion and Slayer, murmuring inaudibly to himself.  He didn't like their chances at all.  His options were to attempt repairs on a dangerous planet or remain here, adrift in space and wait for either someone to answer a distress call or for their attacker to find them and finish their work.  He had to weigh each option's risks versus their rewards, and both were extremely bleak.  It all came down to which one held the higher chance or them getting back to Federation space alive and intact.

          "The second planet, what's its name?"

          "One second."  Joule worked away at her console for a moment.  "Cadmus, sir."

          "I think I've heard of this place, Kov."  Vektor had a look of caution on his face as he spoke.  "And from what I've heard, we must be very careful."

          "Trust me, caution is ever at the forefront of my thoughts."

          "Shall I set a course?"  Joule sat at the ready, prepared to implement the proper commands into her console.

          "Yes.  Just outside a major settlement.  We don't want to attract too much attention."

          "Copy, Templar."

          Minutes later the ship had long been on its way toward Cadmus, and slowly the world grew in size in the display as they made their way toward it.  Kova turned toward his Psion as the autopilot continued to take them towards their destination.

          "Go check on our guest."

          A somber look eclipsed her face and Joule looked to the ground.  "There's no need.  She passed just after we came under attack."

          "Oh," Kova though of the right words to say.  "Any idea what she was doing so deep in space?"

          "No.  She..." Joule paused for a moment.  "Right before she died, she mentioned something about 'the swarm', but I have no idea what she meant."

          "Interesting.  Any thoughts, Slayer?"

          Vektor pondered for a time, but his befuddled expression gave away his speculation without him having to speak.  He shook his head, "Doesn't ring any bells, mate."

          "I hate not knowing what's going on."  Kova grumbled, slouching in his command chair.  "And, of course her ship logs were left on her ship.  There's no way we can get back there and glean any information from them."

          "I doubt her ship's even salvageable at this point, Templar.  I think it was destroyed during the attack."  Joule's tone was somber.  

          "I think we can confidently say our attacker was the same person who mortally wounded her.  Vektor, were you able to get an I.D. from our assailant?"

          "That's a negative.  Didn't get as much as a ship model from it.  Whoever they were, their signature wasn't in any of our databases."

          Kova responded with a grunt.  Silence ensued for a while as they continued to make their way to the planet.

          "Arrival imminent, Templar.  Shall I allow to autopilot to take us into the atmosphere?"

          "Only to release the transport ring into orbit.  After that, I'll take us in."  With that, Kova gripped the controls tightly, a determined look on his face.  Atmospheric entry in a ship so damaged as theirs was a dangerous proposition.  However, if anyone was capable of pulling it off manually it was him, and his fellow Redeemers knew it.  That was why neither of them voiced any objections, for there were none to be had.

          A sudden shake throughout the ship signaled separation from the transport ring and the Intrepid was free.  Standard operating procedures dictated that it be set on an ascending orbit around the planet to prevent it from entering its atmosphere.  It would stay in orbit, gradually moving away from the world for millennia to come as long as no outside interference altered its trajectory.

          Cadmus loomed before them on the display as the ship began to shake, calmly at first, but growing more violent as they went deeper and deeper into the atmosphere.  Plumes of red and orange eclipsed the outer areas of the display as the outside of the ship began to heat up from friction.

          "Angle's good, Templar, but you might want to ease up on the throttle a bit."  After the years of working with him, Kova knew that Vektor disliked entries more than anything.  With or without an autopilot, Kova had always performed such maneuvers successfully.  But the ship had never been so damaged like this, and, though Kova would never openly admit it, he was slightly nervous as well.   He heeded his Slayer's advice, pulling back on a lever to his right.

          After a minute of clenched teeth, the Intrepid calmed, having survived entry.  Kova breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to Vektor.

          "All right, let the autopilot take us the rest of the way."  Vektor gave him a nod, working his console, a look similar to how Kova felt upon his face.

          "I've set us to land a few clicks away from a major settlement.  The terrain is pretty rough, but we should be able to cross it within a matter of hours.  Night's about to fall, so our movements should be relatively well hidden."

          "Good thinking, Joule.  How long until we land?"

          "Just a few minutes."

          "Alright."  Kova looked to Vektor, standing up.  "You stay with the ship and make any repairs you can.  Joule and I will head to the settlement and get anything we might need.  I'll expect a detailed diagnostic by the time we reach there."

          "You got it, boss."  Vektor stood up as well, ready to follow his Templar's orders.

          Kova turned to Joule.  "We can't go in our Redeemer armor.  Change into something to better blend in, but you can still conceal Denial with."

          "My thoughts exactly."

          "Also, this is Coalition territory.  Elyrians are scarce here, so try not to draw too much attention to that."  Kova wasn't trying to sound insensitive, he was simply trying to keep his companion's better interests in mind.  She knew he was right, but the look on her face when he spoke told him he could have chosen better words.

          "Copy, Templar."  She spoke meagerly before exiting the bridge, followed closely by Vektor.  He and Kova made quick eye contact, and what he saw didn't make him feel any better.

          It was all his fault, this mess they were in.  Kova obviously didn't know that the would be set on by an unknown assailant, but he felt like there was something he could have done differently.  Perhaps his maneuvering and evasion techniques were sloppy, or his counterattack commands were delayed.  There was nothing he could do about it now, and he knew his comrades would never say anything negative about his reactions or decisions.  Still, he felt that he should do something for them once they got their ship repaired and got back to Federation space.  Perhaps an extended leave period was in order.  He was sure Joule would love a chance to visit Anion.

          As Kova prepared to leave the bridge himself he felt the ship rattle as she landed.  Her systems would soon start to shut down and go into standby so that Vektor would be able to run a full diagnostic while Joule and himself searched the nearby settlement for repairs.

          He recalled what he had seen of their destination as he made his way down the passageway to his quarters.  From what he saw the world was barely habitable, and he was surprised the settlements were as large as they were.  Tall buildings sat among a vast city center, eventually bleeding out into pockets of smaller buildings and to an outskirt of landing strips and docking stations.  Possibly up to a hundred ships sat there, if they weren't talking off or landing, and to and from small specks hurried about as people went about their business.  The whole structure was like the roots of a great tree, or the webbing of a busy spider.

          But beyond that was the most intimidating scene.  An endless wasteland of dull browns and oranges, rolling dunes and rocky dessert stretched as far as they eye could see.  And the Intrepid sat in the middle of it, two of its crew preparing to venture out towards the world's setting star.

          Today was definitely not the easy day he was hoping for.

          His quarters were a mess, anything left out had been heavily disturbed during the skirmish.  Broken glass lay scattered on the deck near his desk among a pool of amber.  Kova groaned at the sight, for that was his only bottle, meant to last him the entire patrol underway.  He teased the idea of getting more when they were at the city, but quickly dismissed the idea.  He needed his mind sharp, especially while he was here, and could afford no distractions.  He had no way of knowing how long they would be on this ball of dirt, and he had to be ever prepared for danger of any form.  Exotic beasts could prowl the wastes between them and the city, and once inside he would trade the threat of being mauled with that of being set upon by marauders of ill intent.

          Kova got to work cleaning up what he could with the little amount of time he had.  His main focus was the broken glass on the floor.  Using an old, dirty shirt he gathered the larger shards up and threw them in a waste bin off to the side, making a mental note to himself to clean up the rest when he got back from his mission.  

          He removed his Templar armor and put it away in his closet, replacing them with a long sleeve shirt and pants suitable for casual wear while underway.  He had nothing significant for traversing a hot desert world, but was thankful that for the time being it was almost night on this planet.  His only footwear were his armored boots and relaxed shoes, and put on the latter hoping he didn't develop too many blisters on his mission.

          Lastly, he grabbed a standard issue sidearm and a holster, strapping the latter around his torso.  Unlike Joule's burst fire Denial, this simple weapon was merely semi automatic.  Kova never much cared for pistols in general, but regardless, his was always well maintained and ready for use.  He loaded a full magazine into the weapon before holstering it and grabbed two extras, hoping that none would be needed.  Lastly he pulled his loose fitting shirt over them, concealing them from view.

          Kova ran into Joule in the passageway after he finished changing, herself having done the same.  Her garments were loose fitting, like his, and if he looked close enough he could vaguely make out Denial's profile at her lower back.  Except for her head not an inch of her azure skin was exposed.  All about her head sat loosely hanging strips of cloth, presumably for the purpose of wrapping about her face to conceal it.  Atop those sat a pair of lightly tinted goggles.

          "Ready?"

          A soft sigh escaped her before she spoke.  "Yes, Templar.  Let's make this trip a short one, shall we?"

          "I would like nothing more."  

          The two went on in silence down the passageway, Kova dreading the journey ahead.  He had a feeling that Joule had similar worries despite the fact she did not voice them.  He had to remind himself to keep a clear head. It did him no good to maintain an anxious mind.  He had to maintain his composure and focus on the task at hand.  He had put his life and the lives of his squad mates in danger by landing here, and he fully intended on ensuring their survival and return to the safety of the Federation.   

          Minutes later they arrived at the exit hatch, and Kova took a deep breath as Joule hit the controls.  The hatch slowly opened, allowing hot air from the outside to wash over them.  Kova got a slight chill from it which quickly gave way to a feeling of discomfort.  It wouldn't take long before he was drenched in sweat, he knew, as his body was used to the cold of space after so many weeks.  Again he felt terrible in Joule's stead.  If it weren't for him she wouldn't be accompanying him on this journey through peril.  And, yet again, he silently vowed to himself that he would make things right with both her and Vektor when all was said and done.

          "My goggles see in infrared, so navigating the terrain should be easier than without."  Joule pulled said goggles down over her eyes as she said this, which gave her an insect like appearance.

          "Good thinking, Psion."

          And so they went out into the darkness, afraid, yes, of what lay ahead, but nonetheless resolved to overcome any obstacle that lay before them.  The terrain was treacherous, as they took one step in front of the other, but other than reaching their destination, nothing mattered.

         For a time they walked in silence, struggling to see the ground before them as they took reach step.  The planet's star, large and orange, had just finished its descent below the horizon, and the night sky was springing to life with hundreds of brilliant specks of light.  The planet didn't seem to have a moon, at least not one large or bright enough to illuminate the path before them, forcing them to rely on their wits and Joule's goggles to press on unhindered.

          "Do you think we'll be able to get everything we need here?"  Joule looked to the ground, carefully making one sure step after another as she spoke.

          "I can't foresee any reasons why we shouldn't be able to.  I saw a large docking area as we flew overhead, so finding repair parts shouldn't be difficult."

          "I hope you're right."  Joule's tone was still as cheerless as it had been since they came out of the Bulk.  This was very unusual for someone who tended to be a much more positive person.  Something was bothering her, and for some reason she had chosen not to let Kova in on her thoughts.  He wanted to know what was causing her such great concern, but didn't know how to start that particular conversation.  Elyrians were a strange race, to him at least.  A human can feel sadness, or anger, or joy for a time and such feelings went as quickly as they came.  But with Elyrians, particularly Joule, he noticed that they experienced the same feelings in a profoundly much more intense and prolonged fashion.  The death of a loved one could result in a depression so dark and deep that it could take them decades to recover, or they could slip into an incurable madness.  They also tended to hold grudges for an equally long period of time, both as individuals and as a race in general.  In fact, many of them still mistrusted other races for wars that had taken place centuries ago, mainly because there were some Elyrians who were still alive that had fought in those wars.

          Joule was relatively young for an Elyrian, despite being a century old.  She'd grown up among humans, and had taken on a few of the nuances of the species, yet still held onto the naiveté of a woman in her twenties.  She had given birth to Anion at a young age as a result, but the circumstances of which even Kova had yet to learn, including the identity of the father.  He had tried to find out once, and only once, and Joule had made it crystal clear that that subject was off limits to him, despite being her superior.  That's how he knew that, whatever was bothering her now, it had to be something serious for her to refrain from talking to him about it.

          Or, perhaps, he was overthinking things, which he tended to do.  She could very well be simply focusing on the mission, and currently feel that small talk had no place at the time.  So he decided then that he should focus on taking one step in front of the other, and if the time came for Joule to reveal whatever was conflicting her, he would let her do so when she felt the time was right.

          Kova looked back to the Intrepid, which by that time had nearly sunk beneath the horizon behind them.  He imagined Vektor was hard at work, hurrying from one party of the ship to the other, and readying his damage report for when the two had arrived at the settlement and were able to receive it.  His thoughts migrated to the strange Hadaran woman they had taken aboard, yet no matter how hard he tried was unable to construe her reasons for being so far out in deep space.  She had to be there for a reason, and he hoped to find that out, as well as the identity and purpose of their attacker.  If, whoever they were, were responsible for the stranger's injury as well, then that made it all the more important that he eventually find out the answer to his many questions.

          The sound of bones cracking, or rocks rubbing together, brought him from his trance.  He turned to see Joule's silhouette struggling to maintain balance, and she let out a sharp cry as the ground gave way beneath her.  Kova lunged to her and stretched his arm out as far as he could, hoping to grab hold of something, anything, that was attached to her.  His fingers intertwined with soft, thin fabric and he clenched his fist about what he imagined was one of her sleeves.  Immediately he felt the weave start to tear as her weight was applied to the garment, and his first reaction was to swing his other arm around and grab hold of her arm underneath.

          "I've got you."  The words came out of his mouth as soon as he remembered to breathe.  He had to act fast, there was no telling whether or not the ground he stood on himself would evacuate as well.  Thankful he maintained a workout regimen while underway, he bent his knees and lifted her up out of the sinkhole.  As soon as her feet touched solid ground they took several steps back to catch their breath.  "Are you alright?"

          "Just a little shaken up.  I'll be fine."  Kova felt that her words could be applied to recent events other than just this particular incident.  For a moment the two of them stood there, catching their breath and allowing their heartbeats to quiet, Kova employing a breathing technique taught to him which helped abate adrenaline rushes and maintain clear thoughts.

          Without warning he felt Joule wrap her arms around him.  She didn't say a word, but he could feel that her breathing was sharp and her heart rate was elevated.  He felt like he should say something, but was at a loss for words.  Nervously he slowly laid his hands on her shoulders in an effort to calm her, but didn't know if it was any good.  Kova always thought of Joule as a little sister, despite her age, since she was newer to the Redemption Corps than him.  He had never felt any attraction to her, so this act was particularly unexpected.

          "Promise me we'll make it home."

          Kova was stunned, as Joule had never before shown any signs of distress before now.  She was always the positive one, ever inciting courage and hope within her fellows.

          "Only death may hinder me."  His words were a part of the Redeemer code, but the words fit well with the situation.

          As quickly as it happened she pulled away, turning back towards the sinkhole, gingerly walking towards it.

          "It's deep, even with the goggles I can't see the bottom."

          "Just one more obstacle to put behind us."

          They moved on, giving the hole a wide berth as they continued toward the settlement.  The rough, rocky wasteland began to give way to rolling dunes, and Kova's feet began to sink a couple centimetres into the sand with each step.  They reached the top of the first dune and Kova paused to take a breath, sweat starting to soak through his shirt.

          "Can you see it from here?"

          "Yes, Templar.  It's just beyond these last two or three dunes."

          "Good. Well, let's get moving."

          Many minutes later Kova bore witness to civilization as he descended the final dune, the lights of the settlement nearly blinding him after being in darkness for so long.  Even at night the port area was chaos as ships, vehicles, and people frantically moved from place to place.

          "Alright, we made it.  So what's the next move?"

          "Well, we need information.  Specifically the identity of someone who can discreetly do business with us."

          "And how do we do that?"

          "Where you always go for sensitive information.  A tavern."