Homeworld by Joe Vasicek

Author:Joe Vasicek [Vasicek, Joe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, colonization, galactic empire, short story, space exploration, pirates, romantic, novella, science fiction romance, accidental marriage, polyamory, space opera, space adventure
Publisher: Joe Vasicek
Published: 2014-05-10T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

The cloud-covered world of Zarmina IV shone like a pearl on a shimmering velvet cloth. Here and there, breaks in the clouds showed large swaths of the turquoise-blue sea. It wasn’t exactly an Earth-like world, but like B’tum and Edenia II before the failed terraforming project, it had the potential to become one. Situated well within the habitable zone of its parent star, with a thick atmosphere and a water-rich surface, it was a wonder it hadn’t been settled already.

Then again, with all the pirates in the system, perhaps that wasn’t so surprising after all.

The alert tone sounded almost as soon as they exited jumpspace. It was a transmission from a station orbiting about 150 kilometers above the planet’s surface.

“Attention unidentified vessel,” came a gruff voice with a thick Pleiadian accent. “We have particle beams trained on your position. Identify yourself.”

“I copy,” said Jeremiah. “This is the Ariadne, returning to Zarmina IV as requested by Captain Helena.”

Pause. Behind him, Mariya shifted nervously.

“Acknowledged, Ariadne. Power down systems and submit to boarding.”

“Copy. But first, I need to speak with her.”

“Negative, Ariadne. Power down at—”

“Now look,” said Jeremiah, blood rushing to his cheeks. “Captain Helena gave me certain assurances, and I’m not going to submit until I’m satisfied that they’ve been met. I’m going to contact her directly, and if you try to interfere, I’m pulling out.”

With that, he switched off the transceiver and began powering the jump drives.

Mariya frowned. “Uh, Jeremiah? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Of course,” he said, keeping an eye on the ship’s sensor displays. Two red dots began to approach their position. The alert tone sounded again, but he shut off the transmission before it could play.

“But—but what about those particle cannons?”

“We’re too far out of range for them to do any serious damage.” Probably. “Besides, I’m not going to surrender until I know for certain that Noemi is alive.”

He identified the convoy returning from the Lagrange point and directed the transmitter in that direction. The distance was a little over a thousand kilometers, so they could expect a fair amount of lag. Better to restrict it to audio, then.

“Attention Revenge,” he said. “This is Jeremiah of the Ariadne. We have arrived at Zarmina IV as per your request. Do you copy?”

Silence. He took a deep breath and counted to five.

“Copy, Jeremiah,” came Helena’s tinny voice over the loudspeaker. “I see you are a man of reason. Submit to my men, and I’ll see that you’re reunited with your wife when we arrive.”

“Not so fast. First, I need some assurance that you’ve kept your end of the deal. Where’s my wife?”

The line died as the message transmitted to the Revenge. Mariya put a hand on the back of the pilot’s chair.

“Don’t worry,” said Helena. “Your wife is alive and safe. My men are escorting her from the airlock even as we speak.”

“How do I know you aren’t lying? Let me talk to her!”

Another silence, this one longer and more excruciating than the first. Jeremiah began to tap his foot nervously against the floor, while on the sensor displays, the red dots crept closer.

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