Unholy Trinity
by T.M.Hunter
I was royally screwed.
This wasn’t unusual, of course. Scavenging opportunities were often non-existent out here in deep space, and I’d become numb to their absence. Lately though, even offers at cargo runs had been few and far between. That wasn’t normal.
Jeanie, my ship’s computer, caught my attention. “Shall I set a course, Aston?”
Just a few kilpars off the nose of my ship, a metal sphere rested. Jeanie had listened in on the same messages I just finished replaying from the communications beacon. She knew what they implied, the same as I did. We had nothing to set a course for.
“Stand down for now.”
“Do you feel an opportunity will present itself here?”
I sighed at the seriousness of our situation and leaned back in my Captain’s chair. “It won’t do any good to go anywhere, if there’s no work to find there either.”
“Logic dictates the greatest chance of finding work at this location would come from existing contacts. Better odds would be found at a space dock or station, where random individuals pass by. More fuel would be spent waiting for a message which may not come.”
She was right, of course. Had my mind been clear, I would have realized the same thing before having her stop at the closest communication beacon. I blamed it on a lack of sleep. Stress and insomnia went hand-in-hand, and this time was no different, but for good reason. This wasn’t just my livelihood being threatened. My entire life depended on keeping my ship moving amongst the stars.
“I am detecting a nearby anomaly.”
My ears perked up and I leaned forward. “Explain.”
“There is a slight disturbance in the radiation patterns several megpars past the beacon.”
“Slight disturbance?”
“I was running diagnostics on the scanner system, which amplified the gain above maximum operational levels. If not for that boost, it would not have been detected.”
“What could it be?”
“Uncertain. The disturbance does not match any known phenomenon.”
“Could it be a ship with a noise generator on-board like us?”
“Possible, but I do not detect the matched phase trail associated with the device’s operation.”
I blinked. Did I just hear what I thought I did? “There’s a way to detect a ship with one installed, besides visually?”
“If you know what to look for.”
My head throbbed as I cursed. “And who all falls in that category?”
“The vast usage our system receives has given me ample time to study its operation. There is always a chance others have done the same, albeit remote.”
I’d always believed my ship could be made impervious to scanners. Now, my hopes had been crushed with one revelation by a nosy, observant computer.
I returned to more pressing matters. “Move us closer. Watch for any surprises.”
“Acknowledged.”
My seat shook as our thrusters fired. It was probably worthless on my part to investigate, just a waste of the fuel so precious to me. Even so, I’d learned long ago there was plenty to fear from the unknown, but far more by never taking chances in life.
I myself could have played it safe as a young man, and remained in my childhood home back on Gryphon. Despite the lulls, sometimes wondering when and where my next meal would come from, the situation would have turned out far bleaker without the inherent freedom I’d chosen.
“Anything yet?” I inquired.
“Now in visual range.”
I stared at the viewscreen, but couldn’t make anything out. “Are you sure?”
“It is there.” Jeanie paused. “Magnifying and enhancing the image.”
Through a series of shifts and jumps on the screen, and far more squinting than should have been necessary, I made out the rough outline of a ship. Devoid of lights or other evidence of life, the metal hull had been painted as dark as the starfield beyond.
“Systems operational?”
“Life support and a few other minor systems.”
Anything else would require the engines operational. The fact life support was working drew my interest. “Life signs?”
“None present.”
That out of the way, far more pressing issues needed taken care of. “Cargo?”
Jeanie’s next pause was longer, even though I had a fairly good idea she knew the answer before I even asked. “There is no record of cargo in the manifest, but there are weight readings for all five bays.”
I smiled as we closed the distance. Once near the derelict, Jeanie turned on our external flood lights, directing the beams across the other ship’s hull. There were no burn marks from weapons fire, no breaches, and ample cargo on-board. Whatever happened here hadn’t been violent.
Again, I wondered if more caution was warranted. This wouldn’t have been the first ambush I’d ever stepped into. At least this time I could honestly say I had nothing worth stealing.
I looked over the thick pancake shape of the ship. Our lights splayed over the horseshoe layout of its cargo hold. Despite the odds which Jeanie had laid out for me earlier, it appeared destiny had once again tossed me a bone to gnaw on. At least it would tide me over for a while.
“Bring us in for docking.”
~~~
A rancid stench assaulted my nostrils once the other ship’s airlock hatch rolled aside. It was far more familiar than I cared for it to be. Only one thing made such a distinctive scent.
Death.
There was hope in my heart that I was mistaken. Hope, though, never got me anywhere in life. I stepped inside the derelict. My breath formed thick clouds which dispersed to reveal a body dangling from one of the overarching structural supports. A short stepladder sat sidelong on the floorboards nearby, almost perfectly aligned with the man’s feet. It wasn’t the first corpse I’d seen in deep space. Certainly, it wouldn’t be my last.
I looked around the small room, seeing cockpit controls and seats at the front and a single hatch at the back. Nothing else out of the ordinary, so I stepped to the hatch with no doubt this young man had taken his own life. Again, that wasn’t uncommon out here. Even so, it was a rough and painful reminder of the same type of life I led. For some, the loneliness and desperation became too much. It had for me, but then I’d found it could be remedied through any number of alcoholic beverages. At least temporarily.
Or at least it could be, if I hadn’t run out myself.
The hatch to the cargo hold slid out of my way and I stepped into the small chamber. I lifted my jacket sleeve and spoke to Jeanie through the embedded transmitter. “Any guess which bays I should jettison?”
“All five bays have statistically identical weights. That is the only information I can gather.”
That told me each bay held the same cargo. And with nothing on my own ship, it made my choice easy. I planned to fill all four of my own bays “Prepare for a full load.”
“Given our fuel reserves, we will be unable to reach the nearest station if we load more than one container.”
I cursed under my breath. Fate was unruly and temperamental, fond of toying with me like this. “Okay. Get ready to pull one in.”
“Acknowledged.”
I rubbed my palms together for warmth, then moved to the first hatch on my left which opened on my approach. I climbed up on the wall structure and flipped open the container lid.
The entire space was filled with burnt and twisted fragments of scrap metal. Jumping down to the floor, I couldn’t fathom the idea of someone hauling this stuff around in a manned transport.
I kicked the container’s corner out of frustration, which led to more anger and cursing on my part. Leaning against the bay’s wall, the cold penetrated my jacket. As I rubbed my foot to alleviate the pain, I shook my head in disgust. The remaining four bays would yield the same results, no doubt. Even still, I had nothing more to lose being thorough.
At least I hoped not. “Jeanie, how long before we wouldn’t make it, even with just one container?”
“Taking into account the time for you to return...”
Not wanting to waste more time on her explanation, I jumped in. “Just give me notice when I need to leave.”
“Acknowledged.”
I jetted across the hold to the next bay, which only strengthened my hunch. I rushed through the others, expecting at any moment for Jeanie to sound off for my retreat. Two more bays later, my frustration level was upped and my hopes dashed. In a futile gesture, I entered the last bay and jumped up on the wall structure.
“Aston, we must leave.”
I was nearly finished, so went ahead and ignored her. To my surprise, scrap metal had been replaced by metallic spheres in an intricate plastic lattice.
I wasn’t entirely sure what they were, but the warning labels on the spheres indicated military hardware not to be traded or sold. It had to be worth a lot for that alone.
“Aston?”
I clamped the container shut and rushed out. “Can you eject the aft-most bay?”
“Negative.”
“Where are the controls?”
“In the cockpit, but...”
“I’m on my way.”
“Hurry,” she insisted.
I ran to the front of the ship, blocking out the wave of stench, and rushed through various display screens on the forward consoles. Soon, I found what I needed and ejected the fifth bay. As the metallic echo reverberated through the ship, I looked down at the bulging pouch alongside the left chair and smiled.
I yanked out the unopened bottle and sprinted for the airlock, ducking past the corpse. “Poor bastard,” I mumbled.
I slammed the hatch shut behind me. “We will be cutting things close,” Jeanie announced.
“As usual.”
Thrusters fired as we moved away. I walked up to the cockpit and watched the action on my view screen. Motors whirred from the back as the mechanical arm moved out and snagged the cargo.
“Course laid in?”
“For the only station we can possibly reach, yes.”
Silence fell, which gave me the opportunity to open up the bottle I’d taken. Surprising even me, the sweet yellow liquid was Vladirian liquor, my favorite.
So now I had a destination, cargo to sell, and alcohol to tide me over until we got there. And just like that, I’d brought an end to the unholy trinity which haunted me.
At least this time.
}
~~~~~ <~
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T. M. Hunter has always had a fascination with interstellar travel, earning a B. S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Kansas. Twice a top ten finisher in the P&E Readers Poll for his short stories (2007, 2009), his first book HEROES DIE YOUNG earned Champagne Books’ Best-Selling Book of 2008 award. FRIENDS IN DEED (January 2010) is his latest. More information on his stories and books can be found at http://AstonWest.com.
