SATUS ARC PART I: H.AI-L3Y

On a distant planet, he looked out onto his surroundings. Rock and dust… a load of shit. And yet, in such a hostile environment, red broke through the rust. Roses bloomed in abundance.

“Such delicacy in the rose. It blooms slowly, in such coarse soil it would normally wither, if it grew at all. But life adapts, and the rose blooms anew, thorns and all…” he explained. He was a man of many seasons, withered by age and yet still distinguished and strong. He relaxed in his chair, it creaked under his weight. Facing him was another, much younger, much more rigid.

“Roses? Ten thousand miles to come back here because you had something important to tell me and it’s fucking roses?” He asked, a look of irritation across his face.

“You don’t want to hear your father’s words?”

“I want you to spit the fucking thing out, not all of us have time to waste planting flowers.”

“Ahh…” he sighed. “You talk of time like it’s something to lose.”

“I talk of it like it’s something I’m running thin of, much like patience. Are you going to tell me why I came all the way back here or are you just going to beat around the bush?”

“You are my son, Ethan.” His tone shifting, a commanding voice, demanding silence. “And you will listen to me.”

Ethan sat less comfortably now, choosing not to respond but to allow his father to continue.

“Our name weighs heavy, its a burden I have held for my whole life. And someday, you will be fit to hold it as well.” Rolling in his hand was a petrified rose, its outer petals grey and dead. “We must be strong, we must be smart. Or like this we too shall perish.”

His father handed him the flower, he inspected it, following the ridges to its darker edges. “What’s got to you? Why the song and dance now?”

“Someone attacked the Vagrants yesterday.” He informed him

“They’re braindead thugs playing criminals, what’s it matter?”

“What matters is the balance, Ethan. Three groups run the galaxy, The Kaftars, The Vagrants, and The Roses. Attack one, and they get revenge, and the whole thing topples over. I need to know that this wasn’t you.”

Ethan shook his head “I was in Halgan until today, I couldn’t have attacked the Vagrants and come here in such time without being noticed. Ahri had that tussle with Ghrian a few years back”

“Ahri was never one to take grudges he couldn’t laugh off.”

“Perhaps he got tired of laughing.”

His father didn’t appreciate that. “This is serious, Ethan. We are stronger than the Vagrants, but that leader of theirs is unpredictable. In this line of work, you need order, without it comes chaos and the end of our family.”

“And I told you, it wasn’t me.” Both channelled their ire into death stares, a draining game of endurance, he who looks away loses. Experience conquers youth.

“Go on” head tilting to the door “you can leave.”

Irritated, Ethan stood and marched to the far door when his father called again, “you’re on house arrest until this blows off.”

Ethan mumbled to himself, anger that only he could hear.

*-*-*

“Beep…”

“Beep…”

“Anything yet?”

His face was buried in the radar practically, watching it intently for any sign of activity but… nothing.

“We’re good. For now at least”. Hoshi sat back in his seat, convincing himself to take a break from the monitor and relax a little. Astra had taken one of the seats in the cockpit, resting her legs against the back of the seat ahead of her. “They’ll probably still be dealing with the Meteor. Should give us enough time to reach the Warp Point if we book it now…” ah, the warp point… the warp point… he thought…

Like a light had clicked on in his head, his eyes opened wide. Astra watched, bewildered as he patted himself down, checking each pocket he had. Then he rushed to the storage, rummaging clumsily through drawers and crates. “Is everything okay?” She asked, slightly concerned.

For a moment he stopped, “Warp Points USED to be free. That was until the Roses took control of it.”

“Roses?”

“They’re like the Vagrants… just family run, I guess. They put a toll on the point in this galaxy, in or out you pay a fee or you’re shot down.”

“Ok? So? What’s the problem?”

“We don’t have any money!”

It only took her a second, and Astra joined the hunt for anything of value.

Before they knew it an hour passed and they lay against toppled over barrels catching their breaths. “Find anything?” Astra asked, hopeful the chase was over

“Not unless they take crates for payment…”

“Well… can we try and get past without taking the warp point?”

“It’d take too long. Warps launch ships across space like a slingshot launches a stone. Without it, Ghrian’ll catch us before we even get halfway there… if he even needs to. Hate to break it to you but I didn’t find any food while we were looking, doubt you did either?”

She shook her head, realising the severity of their situation.

Hoshi just held his head in his hands, feeling the silence consume them as he wracked his mind looking for another answer…

It was as he lifted himself back up, ready to tell her to not give up, that he saw the lights of the ship move. All the blood above the neck drained, hairs on his neck stood so fast they threatened to rip out and run for the hills, and his heart dropped to his stomach. Not a second was wasted rushing over to the cockpit, a concerned Astra following. But, they didn’t need the radar this time, this was no Comet.

It was a ship twice the size of theirs passing by, close enough that could he, Hoshi would reach out and touch the hull with great ease. It took no notice of the sparrow to its left as it continued on. Slow it was, but then, it wasn’t. A flash, and the ship disappeared without so much as a struggle. She took a glance at Hoshi to make sure what had appeared wasn’t in her head, but it wasn’t, and it wasn’t the first time they’d seen it either.

“That was…” she mumbled.

“The ship that attacked Vitu…” Hoshi added. “Which means Ghrian won’t be far behind” as he said it he sat in the pilot’s seat ahead, pulling the radar close and firing on the engines again. Nothing nearby, only the lonely beeping noise and darkness.

“It’s gone?” Astra asked, looking at their surroundings through the glass.

“It’s a Tachyon drive.” Hoshi responded. He was pushing buttons clumsily as he spoke, barely paying attention to his shipmate at all. “Similar to a Warp point but for shorter distances, something else we don’t have.”

“So, let me get this straight. Your master plan was to get us a ship, with no food, no money and no way of getting anywhere quickly. With a pissed off psycho chasing us?”

“My plan was to do it AFTER I became captain. I had money back home, and I could’ve stocked this thing… plans change.” Another button press but because none of the others did anything his mind moved on without paying attention, missing the sound of systems activating.

“Plans change? Great! So what now? Ghrian probably has one of those driver things”

“Uhh, yeah, I helped Liu install it.” Another thing he now regretted.

“And now that ships gone it’s only a matter of time before he flies out here and finds us!”

“Perhaps I can be of assistance?”

…

“Hello?”

Both looked around, with great fear on their faces. “A stowaway?!” Astra murmured, both Hoshi and her looking down the dark hallway into the corridor. It lead to bedrooms, they hadn’t checked those… maybe it was a Vagrant…

“Umm… excuse me?”

No… it wasn’t the hallway it was… behind them. Robotic-like they turned. No one there, but the glow of the dashboard next to the control unit…

“Hi there!”

…

“The ship just talked…”

*-*-*

“I’m your AI assistant linked with this ship. Model number 3839HLY, can I presume you are the owners?” It was computer generated, as it said, AI. Some feared the day the Technological Singularity would come, when code would outwit mind… in the end, it became just another tool for humanity, a tool that was now speaking to them.

Astra approached cautiously. “Uhh… what’s your name?” Almost like she was grasping for the only normal sounding question she could find.

“My name? I am not programmed with one I’m afraid. Though, you may give me one, if you like?”

“How about Hailey? Or well… H.AI-L3Y?” Hoshi suggested, he looked rather into it, the idea of naming his ship. Something Astra picked up on and looked at him confused.

“Hailey?”

“Y’know, It’s a comet… Hailey’s Comet, from back home.”

“That’s Halley you idiot. And what’s with the code?”

He looked offended “it’s an AI! It needs a robotic name.”

Astra facepalmed “give me strength…”

“Hailey…” the AI said. “Registered!” It acknowledged, in a voice of pure wholesome happiness. Both Hoshi and Astra decided to keep the name…

“Without a Tachyon Drive, my estimations state we would arrive at the Warp Point of this galaxy in 14 days.”

“Two weeks? We won’t last that long!”

“Not to mention that point is owned by the Rose Family. Not exactly a great place to restock. We’ll need to get through, without paying might I add, and somehow get to the nearest planet with no food or water…”

Astra slumped into her seat, almost like her legs gave up as her soul did. “So that’s it? We’re dead…”

“May I suggest an alternative solution?” Hailey asked, piquing the lost souls’ attention. “There is a planet nearby that we could reach in a day or two, there would be vendors stocking parts fitting my model.”

“Of course” Hoshi thought. He could see it from the cockpit, a sparkling amber in the black, much like Prota it was a small planet, much smaller than Earth ever was. “Abara…”

“Been there before?” Astra asked, also looking through the glass at the new planet, looking similar to Prota.

“Yeah, a few years ago with Liu, before I became Vice Captain. It’s part of the second division’s territory.”

“Great.” She replied, almost a sigh. “Another Vagrant den. Any other planets? Maybe an intergalactic mini mart?”

“Hmm… unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any records in my files for the term mini mart. There is another planet close by…” Hailey informed, but before it could add further Astra cut in, “if you’re going to say Prota, just don’t.”

Hailey kept quiet.

She leant against the wall with her head in her hand, massaging away the oncoming headache before she was caught in his eye. “There’s other planets, Astra, but without food or water we won’t be able to reach them. Either we hope that the Roses are generous hosts… or we take our chances in Abara.”

She knew his words were true. Too long she’d been within the reach of these people, now the only hope was to go deeper into their hold, to forsake the freedom they achieved and risk it all. But, what was the alternative now? Death? To starve in a stolen ship, or be shot down by those they thought they had escaped? No. She was going to escape this galaxy, she was going to make it home. “And how exactly are we getting one of those drives without any money?”

He looked stumped, just now remembering they were broke. “Uhh… we’ll figure it out?” His response sounding more like a question.

“Great…”

“Miss Astra, should I add Mini Mart to my databases?” Hailey asked sincerely, returning to the wholesome mode that clutched their heartstrings.

“Please no…”

Thus, the next destination was set. The desert planet of Abara, but they would not be alone… as the Vagrants began to move.