Their Solitary Way Read online

  J. N. Chaney

  Copyrighted Material

  Copyright © 2016 by Variant Publications

  Book design and layout copyright © 2016 by Variant Publications

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Jeff Chaney or Variant Publications.

  www.jnchaney.com

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  Table of Contents

  To The High Council of Fiore

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Epilogue

  Preview: The Amber Project

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  For James,

  Who continues to believe

  I’m better at this than I really am.

  Some natural tears they dropp'd, but wip'd them soon;

  The world was all before them, where to choose

  Their place of rest, and Providence their guide:

  They hand in hand with wand'ring steps and slow

  Through Eden took their solitary way.

  -John Milton, Paradise Lost

  TO THE HIGH COUNCIL OF FIORE

  My Dear Councilors,

  The enemy is at our gates, preparing to destroy what little remains of The Empire.

  The Ministry of War speaks of a turning tide, but I see on each of your faces the same grim understanding: the war we have waged for two generations is over and we have lost.

  Soon everything our species has built, everything we have achieved, will be buried beneath the ash of our bones with only ghosts to mourn our passing.

  But this doesn’t have to be. We can still save our future. The billions that have died to give us just one more year will have done more than delayed the inevitable. Our species may yet live, but to do so, we must accept the hard reality of our fate.

  We must dare to do one simple thing.

  Councilors, we must surrender Fiore. We must abandon our world.

  Authorize my mission, and give me the resources needed to secure Humanity’s future. The Eden remains the fastest ship in the fleet, capable of carrying thousands across the galaxy to some far-flung world.

  Our salvation lies before us.

  We need only reach out and take it.

  - Adam Kadmon, Captain of the Eden

  One

  “How long has it been now?” asked Adam. He tapped the control pad on his armchair, revealing a holographic display of the nearby star cluster.

  “Since we left Fiore?” asked Lilith. Her face appeared in the corner of the view-screen, auburn hair flowing down her shoulders. She stood before a glowing, white background. “Approximately six years, eight months, and three days…or would you like a more precise timeframe?”

  “I was only curious. More importantly, what’s with the hair? I thought you were going blonde.”

  “I was, but I thought I’d try something different. Don’t you like it? I can change it back if you don’t.” Her hair color suddenly phased to blonde. She grinned. “Better?”

  “Careful. You’ll make the other girls jealous. Not everyone can do that, you know.”

  “Being me has its advantages.” She ran a finger through her hair, changing the color back to red. “I think I’ll stick with this for now.”

  He chuckled. “What’s the ship’s status?”

  “Beautiful. Strong.” She stretched out her arms. “Healthy as the day I was born, thank you.” A moment later, the space behind her morphed into a lake. She stood on a long wooden dock, dressed in a fashionable two-piece bathing suit. Her ruby eyes sparkled in the artificial sunlight, and she smiled.

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I hope this isn’t too distracting for you,” she said, twisting her hips.

  “Lilith…”

  She frowned. “Fine, but I’m keeping the beach.” She snapped her fingers, replacing the swimsuit with a standard military uniform. “Anyway, the ship is operating at 96.4% efficiency. A gradual decline from last week’s numbers, but hardly worthy of concern. We’ll be arriving at the next jump in approximately 89 minutes. As usual, I’ll handle the details.”

  “You’re the best.”

  “I’m a lot of things,” she said, lifting her chin. “Poet, artist, beauty queen, pilot. You name it.”

  “Don’t forget Delta Class Starship,” he said.

  “The least of my personas,” she said, fanning her hand dismissively. “But also true. You’d be lost without me. Literally.”

  “Don’t remind me,” said Adam. He’d known Lilith for years, even before she became the Eden’s cyberbrain. He still remembered seeing her in flight school. In those days, she was human—a little shy, but stubborn. The top of her graduating class. Years later, she was shot down while flying over Sheol. After several successful campaigns and a dozen commendations, her career came to an abrupt end. The attack left her severely injured, paralyzed from the neck down.

  Less than two years later, military intelligence approached her with an offer to join the CyberBrain Initiative. They promised her a ship of her own and a chance to get back in the field. She didn’t hesitate. When they asked which ship she wanted, she requested the Eden, captained by the recently promoted Adam Kadmon, her oldest friend.

  “Captain,” called a voice. It was Uriel. She stood at attention, holding a small data-pad in her left hand.

  “Something wrong, Lieutenant?” he asked.

  “Abel asked me to give this to you,” she said, lifting the pad.

  “Thank you. That’ll be all for now.”

  “Yes, sir. I’m heading to Security for my shift.” She snapped to attention again, and proceeded to leave the bridge. Uriel had always been too formal, despite Adam’s protests. She was an officer in every sense of the word, bred from a family of soldiers. She could trace her lineage all the way back to the Seraphim Knights, one of the most esteemed units in military history.

  She was also Adam’s daughter-in-law.

  “What is it?” asked Lilith.

  Adam flinched at the sudden question.

  “What’s wrong? Forget I was here?”

  He smiled at her and turned the data-pad on. “Looks like a formal request,” he said. “Abel wants to take a scout ship when we arrive.”

  “Seems safe enough. Why send a pad, though? I can’t find anything wrong with the com.”

  “Maybe he didn’t want you to know about it,” said Adam, arching his brow.

  “If so, you just ruined it. Nice one.” She winked.

  “I’ll ask him about it later,” he said. His eyes wandered over to the door to the bridge, where Uriel had left. He paused for a few seconds and then turned back to Lilith’s monitor. “Say, can you send Uriel and Abel a note and tell them I’d like to have dinner this week?” He paused. “Actually, go ahead and invite the w
hole family.”

  “Feeling fatherly, are we?” she asked.

  “You know me,” he said, rolling his eyes.

  She smiled. “I certainly do.”

  The walls of the ship stretched and howled, a sign that the Eden was coming out of warp.

  “That was quick,” said Seth, turning on his side in bed. His eyes met Azura’s. “I was hoping we still had a few hours.”

  She sighed, then kissed him on the nose. “Time to go. Don’t want to be late for your shift.”

  “I can deal with being late,” he said, burying his face in her neck.

  She giggled as he proceeded to attack her with a barrage of kisses, then pushed him back with her finger. “What if Uriel comes looking for you? We don’t want her seeing us together.”

  “She is inquisitive, that one.”

  “Comes with being a security officer, doesn’t it?”

  He raised his brow. “Between you and me, I’ve never been much of a problem solver.”

  “Oh, give yourself a little credit,” said Azura. “I’m sure if you tried, you could do basic math.”

  He smiled, and pretended to bite her nose.

  She laughed and pushed him away with her foot. “Better get going, Lieutenant.”

  He frowned. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Seth grabbed his shirt and got dressed. “See you soon,” he told her, lingering at the door.

  “I’ll follow you shortly,” she said.

  “Just don’t let anyone see you leaving the room.”

  “Relax. This isn’t my first time, you know.”

  He grinned. “Until later.”

  “See you tonight, handsome.”

  Seth headed into the corridor, letting the door shut behind him. He wished he could walk with her, open and unfiltered, in front of everyone. This will have to do for now, he thought. The rest will come in time.

  A few minutes after he arrived, Azura would join him on the bridge. Their secret would last another day, and that was good. Not because he liked it—not because he was embarrassed—but for his father’s sake.

  He and Azura’s fathers had been friends ever since their time in the academy. They remained friends for nearly twenty years, despite the distance and hardship that came with interstellar war. During the campaign, Azura’s father had died suddenly, but not because of the enemy. No, his own body had killed him.

  As Azura put it, he was never the kind of man to get himself checked out. Not often enough, anyway. So when his leg started hurting, he simply dealt with it on his own. Plenty of soldiers experienced joint problems after twenty years of military service. He never expected an aneurysm to come from it. He died in under two minutes.

  Seth’s father was devastated, and vowed to look after Azura. He treated her like she was his own daughter.

  The adoption was fast, probably because of the man signing the papers, or maybe it was the fact a war going on and a lot of children kept getting orphaned. Regardless, Seth and Azura became siblings. They were both sixteen at the time.

  “Morning sir,” said Michael. He was getting off the lift. “Going to the bridge?”

  “Yeah,” said Seth. “You?”

  “My shift ended so I’m going to bed.” Michael was usually on maintenance, but not today. The ship only had two security officers—Seth and Uriel. In case of emergency, having a few extra workers could come in handy. Most other departments operated under the same guidelines. Protocol required every active duty crew member to train in a secondary job class.

  Several dozen people from across the ship applied to train in security, but only a few actually qualified. Since Uriel handled testing and recruiting, Seth rarely had the chance to talk with the applicants. Michael was a rare exception.

  “When’s your test?” asked Seth. “Coming up, isn’t it?”

  “Today, sir,” said Michael. “I’m on my way there now. How’s the job going? Anything for me to look forward to?”

  “A little boring, if I’m being honest. Not much happens on this ship. You picked a pretty easy job for your secondary.”

  Michael chuckled. “With security, isn’t that a good thing? The more active it gets, the worse off we are.”

  “Definitely,” said Seth, smiling. “Well, don’t let me keep you. Be sure to tell me how you do on your test.” He stepped aside to make room.

  “Thank you, sir,” Michael said. He cleared the lift and proceeded down the corridor. Seth punched the elevator button for the bridge, and the lift began to rise. Michael was only twenty-three years old. He’d been a young engineer when the Eden began its mission. Since then, he’d excelled in the role, gaining some notoriety and respect from his peers and superiors. Michael worked hard and stayed out of trouble. He had a knack for solving problems, which made him valuable. If he maintained his work ethic, it wouldn’t be long before he ended up running his own team—maybe even a department.

  Good for him. Seth and his brothers were given ample opportunities to move up in the world, due to their family prestige. This didn’t mean their careers were without their own problems, but they had the benefit of influence on their side. Everyone on Fiore knew Seth’s father. His family was one of the oldest in the empire, and they had money, connections, and power.

  Doesn’t matter, he thought. We’re all just people now.

  With humanity on the edge of extinction, what did a family name mean? All that mattered now was survival. If someone like Michael could get the job done, what difference did it make where they came from? If he could keep them alive, then he mattered.

  The doors opened and Seth stepped out of the lift. A few engineers gathered in the hall, repairing a broken conduit. Tools and power strips littered the floor as they worked quickly to fix the damage. At any given time, one of these teams could be found somewhere on the ship, whether in a server room or a corridor like this. Lately, they’d taken to making significant repairs instead of simple checkups. The ship was hardly new, dating back nearly fifty years. After so much time in service, it was no wonder so many outages and accidents happened when they did. Hell, Seth thought. You’d think there would be more.

  He turned the next corner and entered the bridge, which seemed busier than usual. Despite working in the Security Office, Seth reported to the bridge for the morning brief, along with every other department head. The captain preferred face-to-face interactions, despite having access to digital channels. Some found it annoying, but Seth understood. You respect the leader you see, he thought. Never the one you don’t.

  “You’re late,” said a voice. It was the captain, standing a few feet to his left. He was a large man, tall and strong, but also a little heavy. His arms were firm and thick, broad shoulders holding him together at the sides. But he was an older man, fatter now than he used to be, and it showed in the gut he carried. “Did you hear what I said? You’re late.”

  “I’m sorry, sir,” Seth said. “I’m willing to extend our meeting to make up for the time.”

  The old man smiled. “I should hope so. By my count, you owe me about three minutes.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The captain laughed, placing his hand on Seth’s shoulder. “Come on, I’m just kidding, Seth. Lighten up a little.”

  “Yes, sir. Should we get to it?”

  The old man sighed. “Fine, go ahead, if you must. Before you do, though, I want you to come by for dinner tomorrow night. I’m having the whole family. You’d better be there. Think you can do that for me, or do I need to order my own son to spend some time with his family?”

  “No, I’ll be there,” said Seth.

  “Good!” exclaimed the captain, grinning. “Glad to hear it.”

  Before he could say anything more, the door to the bridge slid open. It was Azura, and she was right on time.

  Two

  Seth left the bridge after the morning brief. As usual, he’d given his report to the captain, and like every other day, it was more or less devoid of
content, which was good.

  Nothing criminal ever happened on the Eden. In fact, Security was so understaffed that it only had two officers—Seth and Uriel.

  Not that it mattered. The worst thing to happen in the last six months was a marital squabble.

  Seth spent most of his work day sitting around the office, shooting the breeze with Uriel. They talked about recent books they’d read, complained about other crew members, or discussed whatever hobby they happened to be into at the time.

  Today, Uriel’s topic of conversation involved Takado, a form of martial arts she’d recently taken up. “You should join me sometime,” she said. “It’s pretty exhilarating. The idea is to build your endurance up over time so you can eventually outlast your opponent. You play defensively, trying to wear them out. Once they start slowing down, you strike.”

  “What happens if you come across someone else who knows Takado?” asked Seth.

  “There are attacks you can use. It’s pretty adaptable.”

  “I think I’ll pass,” said Seth. “You have fun, though.”

  She laughed. “Typical Seth.”

  “What? It’s not like we’re back home on the streets of the capitol, beating down thugs for information.”

  “True,” she said. “Could be good exercise, though.”

  Seth tabbed the keyboard on his desk, calling up reports from the night before. One or two might come in during their off hours, but rarely anything serious. As it happened, the system had a single incident summary waiting for review.

  “What’s up?” asked Uriel. “Got something?”

  Seth read it over. “Looks like another blackout.” They’d been seeing more and more of these lately. Always random. This time the report came from Sid Marco, a level-two botanist.

  “How bad?”

  “No damages. Engineering already took care of the outage, so the power’s back on. Should be good.”

  Uriel stretched her arms out. “Well, that was easy.”

  “Another win for us,” said Seth.