Chapters:

Chapters 1-4

Chapter 1

Joseph Griffin took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the controls of the ship. He always hated the wait at the beginning of a race. One the race was underway, he knew that he’d loosen up and surrender himself to speed and adrenaline. He was more uneasy than he let himself admit, for some reason, but he pushed that to the back of his mind and tried to focus on the obstacles in front of him.

‘Racers make ready!’ he heard over the ship’s comms.

“OK Alexis, lock race settings and give me a systems check, please,” Joseph asked of his ship’s artificial intelligence system, a system he designed and wrote himself.

“Affirmative, sir. Race settings locked. All flight assists are off. All non-essential systems have been disabled. And system power priority has been set to engines and thrusters,” the AI responded.

Joseph studied the staging lights from the back of the pack, waiting for them to turn green. He took a moment to kick himself again for being late and missing his qualifying run. Though he wasn’t overly concerned, since he knew he could fly circles around most of the other pilots. His ship’s comms came to life again.

‘In just moments, the 35th annual Saturn Grand Prix will begin. With race favorite Joseph Griffin and his ship, the Meridian, starting in last place; this should be in exciting race. He’s going to have a lot of track to make up if he hopes to catch Rodney Turner. His ship, the Solar Flair, was quick to take pole position during qualifying.’

The comms went silent. He heard the familiar hum that signaled the communications jammers from Race Control and knew he would hear no more until the race was over. He flipped off the receiver. “OK, game time,” he said to himself. “Alexis, race mix please.”

“Affirmative, sir.”

A moment later, music filled the cockpit as he stared, unblinking, at the staging lights. When they turned green, he thrust the throttle control to the max and felt the force of acceleration pushing him into his seat. His reaction was a little better than the ship directly in front of him. He quickly fired his thruster moving to the right, avoiding the ship. He could see the barrier indicator that marked the track’s edge in his heads up display, or HUD, and he flew as close as he could without crossing the beam. Joseph knew all too well that crossing that barrier would disqualify him from the race.

The starting grid was just outside of Saturn’s rings, and all the pilots were trying to gain as much of a lead as they could before entering the field. That’s where Joseph knew the race would really take place. Most pilots put too much effort into the race start, trying to eke out a lead before heading in and being overly conservative around the asteroids. He preferred to hang back, no sense in damaging his ship in that madness.

The track would take the pack into the center of Saturn’s rings. The pilots can then take any path within the rings that they choose, around Saturn, and back to where they started. First one out of the rings is the winner. Joseph’s plan was to do his passing in the rings, when the rest of the pilots spread out a bit more. As such, he let the main pack gain a little ground on him.

Just as he finished his thought, he saw two ships collide at the front, sending debris everywhere. Seeing racers collide was never something you want to see, thankfully, he spotted the escape pods almost immediately drifting slowly up and away from the track and saw the rescue teams coming in already. Joseph sighed and returned his full attention to the race.

Entry into the rings was simple enough as the asteroids were spaced pretty openly toward the edge. He rolled left over one asteroid then ducked beneath the next, staying as close as he could to each on his flight path. Before long, he’d past 4 of the 29 other ships in the pack. He had pre-programmed his route to show on his heads up display. He couldn’t stick completely to it of course, as he had to avoid all the other ships. That would slow him down, but not by much.

The next racer in his path left a little too much space between his ship and the asteroid, and Joseph was able to slip between them with ease as moon rock whisked past his cockpit window feet from the glass. On the other side, he rolled just for the fun of it as he listened to lyrics of Danger Zone filling the cabin. He was always given flak from his friends for his choice of music, but for some reason, he loved the oldies from the 20th century.

“Sir, contact on your left, bearing two eight three mark seven one,” Alexis indicated.

“I see it,” he said while simultaneously rolling the Meridian and strafing to the left missing the incoming ship and lining himself up for a corkscrew through three more asteroids. His path of choice took him a little further toward the outer circumference of the rings. It was a longer distance, but he had a faster ship and his heading would avoid much of the rest of the race pack.

After a few more moments, Joseph looked at his HUD and found himself in fourteenth place. He suspected that was likely due to a few other racers crashing because he didn’t think he’d passed quite that many ships. His lapse in concentration nearly cost him as he rounded the next boulder. He pitched the nose up and applied full down thrust narrowly dodging the cluster of smaller space rock, creating a wall in front of him. Once over, he rolled the ship pointing his cockpit back into the midst of the field and thrust ahead full.

The minutes passed and asteroids streaked past his cockpit window about as fast as the seconds on the clock. He gave himself over to the feeling of the forces pushing him in his seat. For Joseph, there was no other feeling in the world near as blissful as how he felt when he was racing. He felt the controls in his hands, and he could see the path through the field without needing his heads up display. A little more and he’d be within three places of the leader, while being just shy of half way around the planet.

Just as he saw his third place rival, he saw something odd out of his peripheral vision. Three ships were dropping into the ring field from above. At first he thought they were rescue vessels on their way to scoop up a downed racer. But they didn’t have emergency lighting, and they looked to be on an intercept course with him. To test his theory, Joseph made a quick turn to the right, heading toward the inner edge of the rings. His suspicions were confirmed when the vessels changed direction to match his own.

“Alexis, do you see those three contacts above us?”

“Affirmative, sir.”

“Ok, keep an eye on them. They’re probably overzealous fans trying to get a close-up before track security intercepts them, but I’d rather they not get in the way if possible.”

“Understood, sir.”

He pitched the Meridian back on course and continued on the inner track of the rings. With the pack thinned out, he could stand to pick up a little more ground on the leaders after his minor diversion. Though the asteroid field was a little tighter on this heading, Joseph didn’t slow. Using the density of the obstacles and speed of his ship, he wanted to put some distance between himself and those mystery crafts.

“Sir! I’m detecting weapons locking coming from the three contacts!”

“What?! They’re trying to fire at me?!” Joseph said in disbelief.

“Affirmative, sir! I recommend you take evasive action!” Alexis instructed urgently.

Joseph banked left around a nearby asteroid. “Alexis, drop race info from the HUD! Show full ship radar immediately!” The AI complied instantly. Rather than seeing his race line, the track barriers, and his position in the race field, Joseph now saw all asteroids around him and three blips indicating the contacts he’d spotted before. He was surprised to see they were closer to his tail than he’d originally assumed. He flicked a switch near his throttle control and a rear view image appeared on the display panel in front of him. He could now see his attackers as they rounded the nearest hulk and reacquired their prey.

He saw a faint bluish light and knew they had fired their plasma cannons. A quick twist of the stick and the Meridian responded with a roll to the left as the first volley of cannon fire erupted on the nearest surface. Wasting little time, he rolled again and banked hard between two more asteroids.

“Alexis, activate the emergency beacon. Maybe we can attract some help. And turn off the music, I need to listen to the girl talk to me.” Joseph said referencing his ship.

“Affirmative, sir!”

His pursuers rounded his cover and fired again, this time coming close enough that he could hear the hull sizzle as the blasts passed along side.

“I’ve got to figure something else out before they land a shot.” He said aloud. Then he noticed a particularly tight cluster of asteroids nearby. He burned hard, bringing the ship about just at past ninety degrees, and pushed the throttle to max. He rounded the first rock. Then, cutting thrust, he pitched up as fast as he could until he was facing the direction from which he’d been traveling. He applied full thrust to upper thrusters and pushed the throttle back to max. The combination of thrust and momentum carried him in an arc around the first obstacle before he pitched again, and rolled right, maneuvering around the next.

The mystery contacts were close enough that they had no choice but try to follow. As they did, one got too close the first boulder. The pursuer’s ship clipped the rock and spun wildly out of control striking another nearby asteroid. The other two ships managed to make the first turn, but broke off to take a different path. Their course gave Joseph just enough time to come about and charge them head-on. His ship didn’t have any weapons, but that didn’t mean he was helpless.

They saw him coming, however, and reoriented themselves towards their target before opening fire. Joseph rolled one way, then the other, as best he could while closing the distance. His reflexes were on point, but his attackers still managed to land a shot. He winced at the sound of the impact and felt a small shudder run through the controls.

“Sir, we have a hit to the starboard, systems indicate we’re leaking coolant!” Alexis alarmed.

“Dammit! Let me know when the levels reach critical!”

Just then, Joseph saw a modest grouping of small meteorites, maybe thirty or forty watermelon-sized rocks, and an idea struck him. He twisted on the flight stick, rolling until the space rock was between him and his nearest attacker, cannon fire blasting past as he did so. He cut throttle and pitched the ship one hundred eighty degrees letting momentum carry him forward. Just before he reached the tiny asteroids, he pushed the throttle control to max, producing near instant thrust from the rear engines. The act caused the meteorites to hurtle toward his attacker at high speed. Many of them missed or glanced off the enemy ship, but a few struck the enemy’s cockpit, cracking the canopy.

Joseph pitched back around using lateral thrusters in a corkscrew pattern. He could see atmosphere venting from his attacker. The damage was clearly distracting the pilot, because he didn’t turn to follow the Meridian. His partner, however, was still in the fight and opened fire once more. Time seemed to stand still as Joseph struggled to evade the enemy fire. He continued to watch the radar for the ship he damaged while he banked around more asteroids; he didn’t want to be caught off guard if it rejoined the battle.

“Sir, coolant levels are at forty percent! The engines are starting to heat.”

“Shit! OK, need to do something here or I’m going to be in trouble!”

Looking at the radar, he noticed the ship he’d damaged before was idly adrift on the opposite side of a particularly large asteroid nearby. He angled toward the rock and slowed enough to allow his remaining pursuer close slightly. Then, thrust forward and banked tight around the surface of the boulder, flying as fast as he could. Soon, the disabled vessel was in sight. He waited until the last moment, rolled quickly, and pulled up hard on the stick just enough to miss the ship.

Joseph let out a sigh of relief as he watched the two ships collide and explode in his rear display. Unfortunately, his respite was short lived.

“Sir, coolant is at critical levels! Engines are overheating and failure is imminent! Recommend you eject now sir!”

“Dammit!” Joseph said as he reached for the eject handle. As he pulled the lever, the emergency vessel’s cabin parts swung down from the ceiling and up from the floor. The escape pod assembled itself around him. As the enclosure sealed, the roof of the cockpit opened. The sudden depressurization lifted the pod up and out of the Meridian. Pod boosters thrust the pod away from the ship, and with the aid of attitude thrusters, he was able to guide the pod around any nearby obstacles.

Once he was far enough, he cut the boosters to conserve fuel. He popped the thrusters and brought the pod around until he could see the Meridian. Left only with his thoughts and the sound of his breathing, he stared longingly at his ship. He already missed Alexis. The escape pod didn’t have onboard electronics to store a copy of the AI. He was glad to be alive, but very sad to see his ship crippled. A moment later, a bright light erupted from the tail and the vessel broke apart as the engines imploded upon themselves.

“I dare to fly; to seek the freedom of the journey; the joy of discovery,” Joseph whispered to himself. “You were my companion on my travels; my dear friend. Thank you for keeping me safe. Good bye, Meridian.”

He closed his eyes. Flashes of the attack raced across his eyelids. He wondered who those men were and why they attacked him. He was furious that they destroyed his ship, and confused as to what it all meant. His radio chose that moment to sputter to life.

“Griffin, come in! Griffin, do you copy?” the voice asked urgently.

“Yes, I’m here. Are you receiving my coordinates?” Joseph asked and looked around ensuring the communication was coming from rescue personnel. Though his attackers never tried to hail him, he wasn’t about to let his guard down. Spying the flashing lights to his right, he relaxed a little. It was then that he noticed the ship wasn’t a rescue ship. It was a Galactic Authority vessel.

“We have you. Prepare for extraction.” The voice said more calmly this time.

Chapter 2

Joseph watched as the Galactic Authority cruiser moved into position to capture his life pod. He wondered why they were picking him up instead of race security or emergency personnel. Though, with what he’d just been through, they were just as welcome of a sight. He didn’t much care who retrieved him, so long as they weren’t shooting.

The Galactic Authority’s primary role in the solar system was to curb pirating and ensure major space lanes were largely free of conflict. He knew there were other departments tasked with everything from gathering intel to apprehending known fugitives, so Joseph could only imagine the various reasons why they’d be at the Saturn Grand Prix.

The cruiser’s cargo doors opened, and the ship slowly scooped up all that remained of his beloved Meridian. Once inside, the doors closed, atmosphere returned and artificial gravity was restored. This caused the small life raft to drop the two feet to the cargo floor below, jarring Joseph to the bone. He began to unbuckle his restraints and pulled the manual release lever to open his hatch. By the time he was out, two guards were standing nearby waiting for him.

Both guards looked sturdy and wore a blue and grey uniform. The Galactic Authority crest was displayed on their left shoulder: a badge of gold with the solar system engraved upon it. One guard was slightly shorter than the other, with dark hair and a gruff appearance. The taller guard had sandy colored hair and seemed to have a more friendly air about him, and so Joseph spoke to him first.

“Thank you for the pickup! I’m glad you were here. I was attacked by three unknown ships and I was afraid they might have friends.”

The guards exchanged a quick glance, then the shorter guard spoke. “Sir, this way,” he paused for a second before continuing, “please.”

“Uh, ok. Am I in some kind of trouble?” Joseph asked, thinking their behavior was odd. He began to walk in the direction the guard was gesturing. Neither guard responded. “You’re a chatty bunch aren’t you,” he poked. Still nothing. Taking the hint, he walked in silence down the corridor. After a few feet the guards told him to turn left. After a few more, they told him to stop. They opened a door and told him to go inside.

The room was small and unfriendly. There was a table and two chairs, but the rest of the room was grey, dark, and somewhat cold. The door closed behind him. Joseph paused and looked back, there was no door handle. “This just keeps getting better,” he thought to himself. Did they think he was the instigator in what happened? He wondered what was going on that would land him in what was clearly an interrogation room.

Having nothing else to do, he sat down on one of the chairs. He poured over the race and the attack in his mind. He tried to remember any detail of the ship that might identify who they were, but it was no good. He didn’t recognize the make of the vessels, nor did they have any identifying marks. He reached into his flight suit and pulled out his comm device. Knowing his father had been watching the race from Earth, he decided to call him and let him know he was ok.

He thumbed through the contacts quickly until he found his father’s contact card and selected it. The comm device tried to connect, but failed almost instantly. He tried again, but the result was the same. He pulled up a utility and found that he didn’t have any signal. “I guess they don’t want me talking to anyone,” he said aloud.

Time passed. What felt like hours were undoubtedly only minutes, but he couldn’t be sure. He laid his head on the table. Exhaustion had caught up with him, and he suddenly felt extremely tired. He dozed on and off, further diluting his sense of time. The few times he dreamt, he either saw cannon fire or the moment he ejected from the Meridian.

Joseph nearly jumped out of his seat when the door quickly opened. In walked a tall, thin man, dressed in the same blue and grey uniform as the guards he’d first met. The man paused briefly to study his prisoner.

“Can you tell me what’s going on? Why was I attacked, and why am I being held in here?” Joseph’s tone let his annoyance be known.

The man moved to the opposite chair and sat. Waiving a hand over the table, a holographic image appeared between the two of them. As vividly as if it were happening all over again, he saw the events from the race: the attack on his ship, his maneuver around the asteroid, the destruction of the two attackers, and his emergency ejection from his ship.

“Your name is Joseph Griffin, correct?” the man asked sternly.

“Yes. Again, why the fuck am I here?!” he tried again, starting to get angry.

“And you’re twenty three years old, are you not?”

“Not that it matters, but yes. What the hell!?”

The man sat in silence, waiting for Joseph to continue. Though he was wearing a similar uniform as the two guards, the interrogator had more stars above the Galactic Authority crest. Below the crest was a symbol Joseph didn’t recognize. He stared at it for a moment.

The man must’ve noticed and glanced at the symbol before speaking, “It means Galactic Intelligence. I’m in the business of knowing what goes on in this solar system. Unfortunately, I don’t yet know what happened here today, but I will.” He stood and walked around the table. He placed a hand upon Joseph’s back and base of his neck. With a firm grip, the man shook him gently. He leaned in close and whispered so quietly that Joseph almost didn’t hear him.

“It’s quite strange that you survived unarmed against three ships firing on you. Don’t you think?” He stood back up and walked to the door. Turning again toward Joseph, he continued, “Tell me, in your own words, what happened today.”

Joseph glared at the man for a moment, then began to recant the events of the day starting with the race. He took pride in telling of how he had been moving up in the field. Then, he described the attack. He recalled how thee attackers dropped in behind him, and his attempts to defend himself before his ship was damaged and he had to eject.

After a moment of silence, he affirmed that he was finished with his summation. Still, the man stood, staring at Joseph as though he was waiting for more. He waved his hand over the table and another hologram appeared, but it seemed to be shielded so that only the interrogator could see what was displayed.

“What would you say if I told you we received an anonymous tip that a man posing to be a racer was actually using the race as a cover to meet with a criminal organization intent on selling illegal substances?”

“Well, then I’d say you, or they, have the wrong guy. Look, my father and I have worked for the Galactic Authority before. We’ve written AI systems as well as performed ship modifications. Surely you have record of all of this?” Joseph asked insistently.

“Indeed, we do. We know all about you and…” the man paused looking at the shielded holograph again before continuing, “…your father, Stanley Griffin. But, we have an obligation to investigate all claims of this importance. We arrived prior to the start of the race. Before long, we saw three ships entering the track just as you described. You say that you’re innocent in all of this, and maybe you are. If so, I still need to identify why you were targeted. Is there anything that you can share that might shed some light the tip we received?” The man continued to stare at Joseph, expressionless.

He thought hard, trying to think of any reason that he possibly could to explain why someone would want to frame him, but he could think of nothing. “No, I really can’t think of anything,” is all he ended up saying.

“I see,” said his interrogator. The man placed his hands on the table. Doing so closed all holograms and the lights raised slightly. “We’re done for now. I’ll have a guard take you somewhere where you can rest.”

“I don’t want to rest! I’d like for you to release me! I’d like to get home, if you don’t mind,” Joseph protested.

Ignoring his outburst, the man stood and walked toward the door, pausing briefly while it opened. He stepped through and the door closed behind him. A few moments later, the door opened once again, and the same two guards as before entered and asked him to follow them. They led him a short way further down the hall before ushering him into a small room with a sleeping pod. Once inside, he turned to check the door only to find it locked. He had expected as much, but he had to try all the same.

He sat on the edge of the pod, thousands of dark thoughts running through his head. Someone had set him up? Why? He laid down onto the pod and tried to relax as best he could, but all he could think of was the battle he’d been in and who could be behind it all. He tried his comm device once more, but it was still being jammed.

Joseph had no idea how long he’d been in the room before the guards came to fetch him. He suspected it had been several hours. He stepped out of the room and turned to head back to the interrogation room, figuring that’s where they’d take him. Instead, the short guard growled in a surly tone and said, “No, this way.” He paused again, then said, “Please.”

Joseph couldn’t be certain, but he thought he heard the tall guard sigh. The act made Joseph smile and lightened his mood slightly. They walked through the ship. He saw the cockpit from afar, then the galley before they crossed through an airlock onto another ship that they were clearly docked with. A short walk later and they were outside a door with the words “Galactic Intelligence” etched in the metal. He instantly knew who would be waiting on the other side.

As the door opened, soft music filled the hallway. It was strange but familiar. He listened for a moment trying to place the melody. He was ushered inside and the guards closed the door behind him. After a few more chords, he realized it was Bach, a musician he’d heard his father listen to before. He never understood the appeal, there were no lyrics.

His interrogator appeared from a small room to the side. He was humming and seemed to be in a very pleasant mood. The humming seemed overly odd to Joseph, but he did is best not to let on. The man’s uniform was untucked and half unbuttoned from the top, and his hair was tussled. Joseph wasn’t expecting such a casual experience. He wasn’t sure what game the man was trying to play now, but Joseph prepared himself as best he could.

“Ah, Griffin. You may sit, and try to relax. I’ve reviewed all the information and have decided you’re not a threat.” He looked down at his own appearance then continued, “I figured if we had a private chat here in my quarters, you’d be more at ease.” He paused again, then quipped, “But, the guards are right outside in case I’m wrong. Tell me, did you get some rest?”

“No, not really.” Joseph grumbled as he moved to the nearest chair and sat down, awkwardly.

“Oh, well I expect that’s not surprising. You did have quite the ordeal, and I’m sure we put you through a bit of a scare as well. My apologies, boy, but I had to be certain. I’m sure you’re aware of our recent increase in trying to crack down on illegal substance trafficking.” The man said, in a most carefree manor.

“Scare, no. But you sure pissed me off.”

The man came up to him and grabbed his shoulders, “Relax, my boy.” He shook Joseph lightly, then sat in a chair on the other side of the room.

“My name is Gustavo. Special Agent Gustavo Bartomis, to be exact, but you can call me Gus if you wish.” He paused expecting a response, but getting none, he continued. “Look, I’ll level with you. I’m not sure why you were targeted the way you were, but I assure you I’m going to get to the bottom of it.” He finished.

Joseph kept his guard up, but shook his head in acknowledgement. He glanced about the room. There were pictures of Gus standing with various people decorating the space here and there. He also had some kind of collection of square cardboard on a shelf, and a small device that had a black grooved disc rotating while a small mechanical arm bobbed gently across its surface.

Gus saw what he was looking at and said, “It’s a record player. I’m sure you’ve probably never seen one before. It’s quite old. It’s used to play the music you’re hearing. There’s nothing quite like the sound of an LP.”

He was right, Joseph had never seen such a crude looking device, nor did he know what an LP was, but in his current mood, he didn’t much care. He looked back to Gus and as calmly as he could manage said, “I’d like to contact my father. I haven’t been able to do so since I’ve been here. He was watching the race and no doubt saw the attack. I need to let him know that I’m ok.”

Gus rose and walked to the device with the rotating disc. He lifted the arm, and the music stopped. “Yes of course. I’m sure he’s probably quite worried.” He walked to a console at the far end of the room and worked diligently for a moment. He turned back to Joseph, “There, you should be able call out now.”

Joseph pulled out his comm and tried contacting his father. The comm buzzed as he waited for an answer, but before long all he received was his father’s automated recording asking him to leave a message. He disconnected and tried again, but the result was the same. Frustrated, he disconnected and put his comm back into his flight suit.

Then, a dreadful thought crept into his mind. What if the people that went after him also went after his father? However, he kept his face stoic and stifled his fear. He did not yet trust that Gus wasn’t still trying to play him in some way.

“Sir, you said that you’ve determined that I’m not a threat. Is that correct?” he asked his captor.

“Why, yes, that’s correct.”

“Then, am I to presume that I’m free to go? I’m quite eager to return home.”

“It may still be dangerous. We do not yet understand who attacked you or why.” Gus a hint of concern. “It may be prudent for you to stay in our custody until we do.”

“I understand, sir. But, if it’s ok with you, I’d still prefer to return home.”

Gus let out a heavy sigh. “Very well. I’ve transmitted my contact card to your personal comms. If you think of anything else that you think could be helpful, or if you need any help, reach out to me immediately.” Gus opened the door to his quarters. “Manny, please escort Joseph to the hangar. Have Corporal Myers take him home.” He paused for a moment, then continued addressing the shorter guard. “And remember, be nice,” he said lightheartedly.

“Yes sir!” Manny said, saluting as he did so.

“Safe travels Griffin.” Gus turned and went back to the room from which he had entered. The door closed behind him, leaving Joseph with, well, with “Manny” and the tall guard.

“Manny, huh?” Joseph couldn’t help himself.

Manny frowned. “This way, sir.” He growled.

Chapter 3

Joseph was introduced to Corporal Myers in the hanger of the Galactic Authority super cruiser. She had a firm handshake which pleased him. He hated to shake someone’s hand and get what he referred to as the “limp noodle” hand shake. Encountering such a hand shake always made him feel like he was going to hurt the other person. Myers was a tall woman, standing maybe an inch or so above Joseph’s five foot, eleven inch height. She was younger than he was by about a year or two, and it was clear she kept herself in top physical form. She kept her blonde hair in a tight bun, and her uniform was immaculate.

“You’re Joseph Griffin, aren’t you?” she asked as they shook hands.

“Yes, how did you know?”

“I’m a big fan of your racing! You’re one of the best pilots I’ve ever seen.” She tried to hide it, but a small glint of admiration flashed across her greenish grey eyes.

“Thank you. That’s very kind.”

“Before we go, would you mind if we took a picture,” she asked almost gleefully.

He shrugged and shook his head in compliance. She pulled out a small, portable, personal camera drone. Tossing it gently into the air caused the drone to hover a few feet from them. Myers leaned in next to Joseph and smiled. He grinned instinctively. Detecting both their smiles, the camera drone produced a bright flash and a ‘click’ indicating that the picture was taken. The drone then transmitted the picture to Myers personal comm, and it chirped indicating the file was received. She pulled out the device to check that the picture turned out well. Satisfied, he held out her hand. The drone landed gently in her palm, and she stowed it in her flight suit.

“Are you ready to depart Mr. Griffin,” she asked as she turned back toward Joseph.

“Please, call me J. Yes, I’m quite anxious to get home.”

“Very well. We can take off immediately. This way, please, J.” She walked passed him and lead him up the ramp and into her shuttle. It was a small ship, just slightly larger than his astro-racer. The vessel clearly wasn’t built for more than transportation. There was no galley and no sleeping quarters that he could see on his way up to the cockpit. Myers asked that he sit in the copilot seat. He liked to see where he was flying, so he figured that would suit him just fine and agreed.
“Ruben, begin startup sequence and prepare for departure,” Myers asked of the ship’s AI.

Joseph recognized the AI as one of the many that he and his father had written for the Galactic Authority. He decided not to divulge that information, though, so he kept that information to himself. He heard the decompression of the hangar as the atmosphere was drained and his attention was drawn to the cockpit window. A few moments later the hangar doors opened and Myers deftly lifted off and maneuvered out of the hangar. Once clear, she turned to Joseph.

“OK, where we headed?”

“Oh, right. Earth, please, as quickly as you can.”

“It would be my pleasure,” Myers smiled and thrust the ship forward, rolling as she did so. Joseph was slightly caught off guard, but the feeling was very welcome. As the shuttle came about, the light from the sun filled the cockpit. The sun seemed way too close to them all of a sudden. It was then that Joseph realized how much time must have passed while he was being held in that interrogation room. The vessel that scooped him up must’ve flown to meet up with the larger ship while he was being held. They were no longer anywhere near Saturn, but instead closer to Mercury.

“Son of a bitch!” Joseph muttered.

“What is it, did I not perform the roll correctly?” Myers asked worried her technique wasn’t up to his standards.

“No, no. It’s not that. I just didn’t realize how long I’ve been with you all,” He said still looking at the sun.

“Oh, I understand. Well, I’ll have you home as fast as I can. Ruben, set course for Earth, maximum speed.”

“Affirmative, madam,” the AI responded before taking over control.

The voyage back to Earth was rather boring. Myers tried to make polite conversation asking about Joseph’s racing career. They then talked about his work with his father. Joseph asked about her ship, and how long she’s been a pilot. That question perked her up considerably as she told Joseph about growing up with her father who had been a pilot in the Lunar War. He would take her flying with him often when she was a small child and would tell her stories of the sorties he flew for the war.

“I remember sitting on his lap and gripping the flight stick with his hand over mine. Those are my favorite memories of him.”

“What does your father fly now?” Joseph asked absentmindedly.

“Oh, he passed away when I was fifteen.” She responded as cheerfully as she could.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” Joseph looked away, not knowing what to say. He saw a comet in the distance, and decided focused on its ice trail.

“It’s fine, it was a long time ago. You never really get over it, but it does get easier. Besides, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be the pilot that I am. And his stories of service are what drove me to join the Galactic Authority. I like to think that my service and my skills as a pilot keep him alive through me.”

Joseph studied her face. “I bet he’d be proud,” he said. She looked at him and smiled before thanking him. Their conversation grew more distant. Joseph tried to contact his father a few times, but he still only reached the automated response. He hoped his father was just working in his lab. He was prone to not answering his comm when he was working.

As they neared earth, Joseph offered to take Myers flying when she had down time, as a way of thanking her for taking him home. She protested and told him that it wasn’t necessary, but still gladly accepted his offer. “How can I pass up a chance to fly with the great Joseph Griffin?”

“Well, it’s the least I can do. In fact, if you want, I can take us in,” he indicated toward the controls as they passed the moon. Her face lit up and she gladly agreed.

“Ruben, turn over control to Griffin,” she instructed the AI.

“Affirmative, madam.”

Joseph wrapped his hands around the controls. They were more or less the same to his old ship, but the minor differences were enough to remind him of his loss.

“Ruben is it? Give me a system’s check.”

“Sir, engines are operating at full efficiency. All thrusters are under your control. All flight assists are active.”

“Ruben, disengage flight assists.”

“No flight assists?” Myers asked uncertain.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you,” he gave her a small wink. She smiled, but didn’t look any less anxious. True to his word, he brought the ship into the atmosphere gently enough. However, once he was at about sixty thousand feet, he dropped the nose into a sharp dive toward the ocean. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his shipmate take a deep breath, and hold it.

As they approached the water, he pulled up sharply on the stick and applied downward vertical thrust. The ship responded better than he expected, and so they pulled up a little higher above the water than he’d anticipated. “Interesting. This ship is more nimble than I expected,” he thought to himself.

His destination was his father’s company, Stacksis Enterprises, about 200 miles to the east of their entry point, and his home, in a technical sense, for most of his life. He had sleeping and recreation quarters there, but really only stayed there out of convenience. His work with his father could sometimes have strange hours and when he wasn’t working he was off racing. He had always considered his ship to be his true home. He felt a little lost coming home without the Meridian.

There were several mountain ranges along his path, and so Joseph used them to further thrill Myers. He looped over mountain crests and dove steeply into the canyons. He flew close to rock walls and splashed through any waterfall he could find. Myers never said a word, but he could see she was tense the whole time. When they were about 30 miles from his abode, he relaxed his flying.

“Had enough?” He asked with a smirk.

“That was incredible,” she whispered. “How did you learn to do that?”

“Oh, I grew up here. The mountains were my playground. I was always taking out any ship I could get my hands on from my father’s hangar. I’d fly them through the canyons as fast as I could, always pushing to go faster. Of course, that always resulted in getting in trouble, but I’ve always loved flying. Feeling the g forces pushing me into my seat, and knowing I had control over something that most people can’t has always filled me with a primal joy that I really can’t explain. I pushed myself to get as close to the canyon walls as I could. I even got too close a time or two, but that’s how you keep your edge. My father thought I was crazy and would ground me constantly. But he could never keep me from flying, and eventually gave up and helped me build my first astro-racer.”

Joseph grew silent. He thought of all the time that he and his father spent working on the Meridian. He treasured that time more than treasured his old ship. He wished desperately that he were returning aboard her rather than on a Galactic Authority shuttle.

“Wow, I hope I can fly as well as you some day,” Myers said as she looked at him with awe.

“Well, I’ve seen you fly. You have got quite a bit of talent. You just have to practice and keep pushing yourself. Step out of your comfort zone a small bit at a time and before you know it, you’ll be rivaling even me.” Though, as he spoke those words he thought of a time he was a little too overconfident, and crashed so hard that he was in a coma for three days. He thought it best to keep that bit to himself.

“I will! Any chance I get,” she promised.

They approached the company and Joseph set the shuttle down gently on the landing pad on the roof. He stood from his seat and turned to face Myers.

“Thank you Corporal Myers, the trip was smooth and I enjoyed the flight.”

“Please, call me Ashley. May the stars light your path, and may we meet again.” She saluted him even though he held no rank. Not knowing what else to do, he saluted back.

“You can count on it, fly safe Ashley.” He turned and exited the ship. Once outside, he watched as Corporal Ashley Myers lifted off from the pad and angled the ship for space. He waited until her engines were specs in the sky before turning and entering his father’s facility.

Joseph’s quarters were closest to the pad, and so he stopped there first. If someone had tried to come after his father, he wanted to be prepared. Retrieving the pistol from his safe, he strapped it around his waist. He went to his father’s quarters next, but once inside, he found the room dark and unoccupied. Growing more concerned, he took off for his father’s office and lab. He made good time through the facility. Being close to ten in the evening, the building was more or less deserted. Before long, he had reached his father’s lab.

He froze when he walked in. Equipment was broken, window dividers were shattered, lamps were lying on their side or busted. It took him a moment to take in the chaos.

“Dad?!” he shouted half terrified. But no one answered. He turned and went straight to his father’s office. The room was in the same condition as the lab, and again unoccupied. He pulled out his comms device and dialed his father once more. Still no answer but the automated message. “Dammit, where are you dad,” he said half shouting. He moved to his father’s desk and sat down in the chair, placing his head in his hands.

He tried to think about where his father could be, but all he could see was the attack on his ship in the rings of Saturn. It seemed like it happened so long ago, and yet like he’d just ejected, all at the same time. He lifted his head and looked around the room.

“Well, maybe you left me a clue,” he said turning to his father’s terminal. He tapped on the keyboard waking up the computer. It was still on the last application his father had been working on; the works of the metallurgy of some strange object. Joseph prodded the file momentarily before he dismissed it as something random his father had been looking up. He knew well that his father had very eclectic hobbies.

He poked around the terminal looking at project files and email correspondence. He saw invoices and memos to secretaries and Galactic Authority officials. Finally he started to poke around the root structure of the hard disk. But at five hundred petabytes, it was going to take him a while to find anything.

Just as he was thinking there wasn’t anything there, however, he found a folder titled “Triage.” The title struck him as an oddity. His father wasn’t a doctor, and he performed no diagnostics of any kind. He was more of a researcher. Joseph opened the folder and began poking around.

The majority of the files were encrypted, and password protected. He tried various passwords, but nothing had any affect. That is until he found the file titled “Stripling.” “Stripling. Dad used to call me that when I’d gotten myself into trouble as a kid.” Joseph thought to himself for a second before trying his own name as the password.

The password failed and Joseph cursed out loud. He thought he’d been on to something. Thinking for a moment, he tried several other possible passwords with the same affect. His hands rested on the keyboard as he looked around the room. He saw a picture of himself and his father standing beside the Meridian.

“I wonder,” he whispered. He typed “MERIDIAN” into the password prompt. The system dinged and his father’s voice boomed from overhead.

“Voice authentication required!” it said with a commanding voice.

“Uh, Joseph Griffin,” he paused for a moment, “your son.”

“Confirmed,” his father’s voice echoed.

The terminal came to life retrieving something deep within memory as though it was hidden under several layers of encryption. He heard his father’s voice again, but this time it sounded less commanding than before. Instead, he sounded rather sad and desperate. Joseph listened as his father’s recorded message played over the speakers, and a sense of dread fell over him.

Chapter 4

‘Joseph, if you’re listening to this, know that I have failed and you’re in danger. There isn’t much time, so I must be brief. I am sorry that I won’t be there to help you, but you must hurry. Activating this recording has locked down the facility and will buy you some time, but they likely know you’re here and will be coming for you.’

Joseph sat in silence listening to his father’s voice. So many questions began running through his mind. Where was his father? Who are these people that he’s talking about? And what do they want with him? Suddenly part of the wall beside his father’s desk slid open revealing a corridor, lit dimly with an orange glow. The sound made him half jump out his father’s desk chair. Despite practically growing up in this office, he had never known about this door. He stared in amazement and began to wonder how long it had been there.

‘Go, quickly, into the tunnel! The door will seal behind you and should prevent anyone from following. At the other end will be a hangar and a ship I’ve been working on for you. Go now, more will be explained when you’re safely aboard.’

Joseph stared at the console, half frozen with fear and disbelief. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. None of this seemed real, like some sort of bad dream. “Bad dream! This has to be a bad dream,” he said aloud. He closed his eyes, telling himself to wake up. But, try as he might, he couldn’t seem to wake. Instead, he heard a loud explosion from within the facility and the walls around him shook. “What the fuck!” he shouted. The sound of the explosion freed him from his daze and he darted for the corridor. As he passed the threshold, the wall slid shut just as suddenly as it had opened. He paused to look back. He saw no visible seams or light from the room he’d just been in. “Wow! Dad, what have you been doing?!”

Joseph turned and rushed down the corridor. His father had said the door would seal behind him, but no sense in hanging around to find out. The corridor turned right, then left, then came to stairwell leading down. He descended the stairs, counting the levels as he went. When he reached the fifth level down, the stairs ended and the corridor continued straight ahead curving slightly left, then right, then back again; just enough to prevent seeing how long it was or where it would end. Though, he didn’t have to see where the tunnel ended to know where he was headed. There was a mountain about 3 miles south of his father’s company, and based on the general direction the tunnel was leading, he suspected that this hangar was somewhere under that mountain.

Alone with his thoughts, he couldn’t help but wonder what would be waiting for him when he reached the hangar. “A ship I’ve been working on for you,” his father had said, but what kind? He longed for his old ship, but dwelling on the past wouldn’t serve him now. He needed to keep focused on the present, and so he sprinted harder down the corridor. After a few moments longer he began to see a glow at the end of the tunnel. “It must be from the hangar,” he thought to himself. He slowed his pace enough to catch his breath and quiet his feet. His father must’ve gone to lengths to ensure no one would find the hangar, but a little caution wouldn’t hurt.

When Joseph saw the doorway to the hangar, he approached as stealthily as he could. At the entrance, he paused to look around ready to dart back into the tunnel for cover if needed, hand on his side-arm. The hangar was well lit and quite large, perhaps 300 yards long and 50 yards wide. Not seeing any immediate threat, he relaxed a little and began walking toward the ship at the far end. He realized the ship looked familiar. “It can’t be,” he said in wonder.

Joseph rubbed his eyes and sprinted toward the ship. It looked exactly like his old astro-racer, it even had the same black and red paint scheme. As he approached, he noticed immediately that this ship was definitely larger than his last. He walked around the outside, running his hand along the hull. He noticed that all the same modifications he and his father had made to the Meridian were present on this new ship as well. He paused when he saw the name on the side emblazoned in bold orange and red paint and outlined in flames. Rising from those very flames was that which it was so named; a Phoenix with its wings spread wide.

“Phoenix,” Joseph whispered to himself. He stared at the name for half a moment and tried to picture his father carefully painting the name on the hull. He then turned to head for the boarding ramp. Still a bit uneasy, he paused and glanced around the hangar once more before heading into the Phoenix.

Just as on the outside, the inside looked nearly identical to the Meridian, though slightly larger. The cabin sensors kicked on and he heard a familiar voice fill the interior, “Biometric identity confirmed, welcome aboard sir.”

“Alexis, is that you?” Joseph asked, surprised to hear the A.I.’s voice on the Phoenix.

“Yes, sir, I was activated on the Phoenix exactly twelve hours, thirty-seven minutes, and seven seconds prior to your arrival. All system calibrations are complete, your user preferences have been adjusted, and we are ready to depart at your leisure. Sir, I’ve been instructed to play the following audio file prior to our departure.”

‘Joseph, hopefully this message finds you safely aboard the Phoenix. I recorded this after seeing your escape pod being recovered. I’m sorry about the Meridian, I had no idea that they would come after you like this, but I’m so very glad you were able to outfly your attackers. You need to get as far away from Earth as you can, this ship should at least help with that much. I had hoped to surprise you with it after you won your race. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but I’ve modified the Phoenix with the same modifications we made to the Meridian. I’ve also found a way to reduce its mass to be equivalent to that of the Meridian. I’ve also liberated some plasma cannons from, well, from another project in case they try to come after you again. I know you must have many questions, but they’ll have to wait. You need to head for Trist station and find William Bannen. Don’t try to contact anyone, the Intergalactic Comms are likely being monitored. Be safe, son.’

“Sir, Trist station is on Nix, the second moon of Pluto. The coordinates have been locked and we can depart at your leisure.”

“Thank you, Alexis. Fire up the engines and close the outer hatch, but don’t take off just yet. I want to fly us out and get a feel for the Phoenix. Monitor the external sensors and tell me immediately if you detect anyone approaching.”

“Affirmative, sir.”

The Phoenix shuddered and hummed as the fusion drive began its startup sequence. “It’s got a deeper rumble to it than the Meridian,” Joseph thought to himself. He looked around the cabin of the ship, he was standing in the main cabin that housed the recreation area and the galley. It was quite a bit larger than he was used to at nine feet wide and twelve feet long. It felt almost luxurious in size compared to the Meridian’s six by eight.

To the left he saw the pilot’s quarters and to the right were guest quarters which included a cluster of 5 sleeping pods. Joseph opened the door to the pilot’s quarters and took a look around. Unlike the guest quarters, there was only one sleeping pod, the other space was used for a desk with an access terminal. Both his quarters and the guest quarters had their own head, he took a quick look and noticed the shower was a bit larger.

He turned and went to the aft, into the engine bay to check on the fusion drive. He could see immediately that his father had made a few modifications to the drive as well. “Wish you were here Dad. Where-the-fuck are you and what’s going on?!” He said aloud. He turned to the access terminal and pulled up the specs on the drive. “Wow, a Beryllium class fusion drive!? Where did you get your hands on one of these?” he took one last glance at the drive before heading up to the cockpit.

There were three stations in the cockpit, one for the pilot front and center, and two on either side for race crew to monitor critical systems. For the most part, they weren’t necessary since he’d programmed Alexis to handle many of those tasks. Dropping down into the pilot seat, if he hadn’t known better, he would have thought he was back on the Meridian. Joseph checked the status panel in front of him which showed the radar and navigation systems. A quick flick of a switch on the flight stick showed him status of the fusion drive, thrusters, and weapons systems. He flicked the switch again to go back, but the screen cycled once more unexpectedly. “Whoa, a stealth system. You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you! Alexis, give me full technical readout and systems check on the stealth system, please.”

“Sir, the Phoenix is equipped with a Niko Suppression System model N1-NJA, first put into service in 2235 as a military exclusive during the Lunar war. The system is capable of cycling and cooling the fusion drive without venting the heat for up to 48 hours. It can also manage and suppress any electronic emissions making the Phoenix nearly undetectable to scans. The system is currently operating at peak performance.”

“A Ninja system, no shit?! Alexis, activate silent running.”

“Affirmative, sir.” The lights inside the Phoenix dimmed slightly and adopted a blue hue indicating silent running was now active. Joseph grabbed the flight stick with his right hand, and the throttle controls with his left and began to prep for takeoff.

“Alexis, open the hangar door.”

“Affirmative, sir.”

After a moment, the sound of the massive outer door gears spinning up filled the hangar. To his left, Joseph could see the door beginning to open. Daylight would be coming soon, but for now he still had the cover of darkness to hide his departure. Using the vertical thrusters, he brought the Phoenix to a hover above the hangar floor. He rotated left and began to thrust toward the hangar door. It had opened just wide enough for him to slip through by the time reached the door. Once through, he gave Alexis the command to close the door behind him.

He hovered just above the crashing waves beside the mountain. Joseph turned the ship back toward the hangar just as the door closed. Once fully shut, all he could see was the cliff face of the mountain making the hangar impossible to detect unless you knew it was there. He began to rise vertically, gaining enough altitude to crest the mountain and see his father’s company. He kept an eye on the radar, but didn’t see any threats. As he cleared the mountain ridge, he could see clearly that his father’s company was, more or less, an inferno of flame and smoke. Joseph thought about all the time he spent working with his father in that building. It had been his home for as long as he could remember. His passion was racing, but when he wasn’t racing, he was always working with his father on one government contract or another. He was saddened to see his father’s facility in ruin.

He stifled some tears he felt coming. “OK Alexis, let’s see what she can do, what do you say we head to the canyon?”

“Very good sir, buckle up.”

Joseph fastened his restraints and began to turn the ship. One of his most favorite places to fly, the canyon, was about 50 miles to the south of his father’s facility. Below the site of an aerial battle during the Lunar war, a civil war between Earth and the early lunar settlements years ago, it was the perfect place for him to practice his racing skills; using the arches, overhangs and sharp turns to keep his reflexes sharp. He knew the canyon so well; he could nearly run it blindfolded. It was as good a place as any for him to get to know the Phoenix.

Joseph throttled up and was pushed back hard in his seat, “Whoa, I was expecting power, but damn.” He found himself anxious to see how much more thrust there’d be when he disengaged the stealth system and so he was eager to get to the canyon. He didn’t have to wait long. In fact, they arrived at the opening faster than he expected just as the sun was beginning to peek over the eastern horizon.

“Well then, let’s see what she’s got. Alexis, turn off all flight assist systems, give me full control and disable silent running.”

“Affirmative, assists disengaged, sir!”

Joseph flicked the flight stick left and got an immediate roll. He was pleased, despite her size the Phoenix felt just like the Meridian. “This is going to be fun,” he thought. He thrust the throttle to full and dove into the canyon, rolling as he went. He couldn’t help but yell out in excitement. The thrust coming from that Beryllium class drive system was so forceful that he found himself short of breath momentarily. He knew the Phoenix would have some power, but never imagined she’d have this much. He took a deep breath, this was the best he’d felt since the start of his race the day before and was just what he needed. He slipped through the first arch of the canyon and rolled to the right in preparation for the second. The Phoenix responded, rolling into position just as he anticipated and the arch flew past within inches of the hull. A pull on the stick and she was performing a corkscrew through the next part of the canyon; water from a small waterfall spritzing the cockpit. For a moment, Joseph nearly forgot about all what had happened, and instead focused on the feeling of being pushed into the seat. He wanted to run the canyon forever.

Two hairpins came next, one to the right and then to the left. He pulled back slightly on the throttle, banked hard and applied full downward thrust while pulling back on the flight stick. The Phoenix came about faster than he expected bringing the cockpit within inches of the canyon wall momentarily before finishing the hairpin. Joseph reversed thrust for a moment, flicked the stick to the left and pushed the throttle forward once again maneuvering through the second hairpin with ease.

Grinning ear to ear, he pulled up into a vertical climb. High above the canyon, he cut power to the engine and let the Phoenix slow to a stall. He popped the thrusters allowing him to flip the ship on her axis as they began to fall back the way they’d come. Joseph pushed the throttle to its max. The canyon floor raced to greet them, and he pulled up just feet above the floor to continue his run.

“Sir, unidentified contact to the north!” Alexis interrupted.

“You’re fucking with me right, Alexis? No one knows about this spot!” Joseph begrudgingly throttled down and dropped into an alcove he had once found himself in after performing a roll a second too late. “Activate silent running! And warm up those plasma cannons, just in case!”

“Affirmative, sir! Weapon systems active!”

Joseph landed in the alcove so as not to produce any prop wash and watched the radar intently, hands still on the controls ready for a quick escape. “They must’ve seen my drive emissions during that dive. Dammit!” he thought. A few moments later, the mystery contact began to slow and hover a few kilometers from the alcove. Unless the ship dropped into the canyon low enough, he felt confident that they wouldn’t see his hiding spot. Now to see if the Ninja lived up to its name.

The ship hovered for a while, no doubt running scans to look for any sign of where their target had gone. The contact began to move toward the canyon and began a slow pass through the area where Joseph was hiding. He could see the wash coming from his hunter’s vertical thrusters. But, the predator never flew low enough to see where Joseph had taken cover, and after a two or three more passes, flew off back to the north.

Joseph took a long, deep breath and slouched back into his seat. “Alexis, power down the cannons, set course for Trist station and take us out of here. Once we’re in space, deactivate the stealth system and haul ass!”

“Affirmative, sir. Would you like the usual?” Asked Alexis.

“Abso-fucking-lutely!”

Alexis took over control and eased the Phoenix out of the alcove, then out of the canyon. A moment later, the familiar opening to Intergalactic, by the Beastie Boys, started to fill the cockpit of the Phoenix. Alexis angled the ship toward the stratosphere and applied full thrust pushing Joseph into his seat. He closed his eyes listening to the music and thinking about how many times he’d flown into space on his way to a race. How he wished that was his destination instead of the unknown that awaited him at Trist station.