Star Runners: Revelation Protocol

Chapter 1-2

"Stone," he said, pushing Austin's shoulder, "we should grab a coffee in San Francisco. I didn’t mean to be such a drag. I just have too much on my mind. You need to think about these things now so it’s not such an ordeal when your reenlistment time happens."

"I will,” he said. “Thanks. I thought you had to get back to Montana?"

"I have an old friend in the city I want to see first. See if they remember me. Then I'll head out tomorrow."

Austin thought about traveling back to Georgia. "So do we just take the tubes back to our schools?"

Ryan peered over Austin's shoulder out the window. "Once you're home, you can take any transport you want. I'll be taking a company car home, though. I've been away from here so long, I’d like to drive when I'm back."

"Oh."

"Don't worry, man. They'll have someone there to talk you through. Just ask when we're going through de-con."

“De-con?” Austin asked. “Decontamination?”

“They told you about that on the station, right?”

“They mentioned it, yeah.” He frowned. “Didn’t know I’d have to go through it again.”

“It’s no big deal,” Ryan said. “It’s pretty standard on all Legion ports.”

The freighter rumbled into Earth's atmosphere as it descended. His head rocked. He closed his eyes, the sound of the engines growing.

"Ladies and gentlemen,” the pilot announced over the intercom, “we’re starting our descent to Atlantis and should arrive in the next thirty minutes. Please remain seated and we hope you enjoyed your flight." The pilot paused before adding, "Welcome to Earth."

Austin watched the atmosphere burn against the freighter's shields, pulsating flashes of orange and yellow throughout cabin.

The freighter descended into the blue deep waters of the Pacific, the light outside the window transitioning from the bright to dark blue like a bruise before going black. When the bubbles disappeared, the view outside his window could have passed for the darkness of space.

As the vessel descended into the blackness, conversations lessened, the tones softening. Austin glanced around the cabin. The occupants appeared much the same as his first trip when he departed Earth; a mix of civilian clothes and Legion uniforms. The image of the Saber flashed in his mind once again. Josh never made it this far on his first trip home. His mind wandered, picturing Josh in his final moments with the pirates. Had he fought until the end? Did death come quickly?

He shuddered.

Austin hadn't been gone as long as Josh, but he earned the right to go home following the incident on Flin Six. Ryker was on her way to a Legion world of Oma for rehab on her leg. Skylar and Bear continued their flight training on Tarton's Junction. Austin found himself alone, again.

But it was different this time.

He glanced at Ryan, a fellow Star Runner, who had fallen asleep during the final moments of the descent. Austin had earned his place in the brotherhood of Legion pilots. He was a Star Runner. No one could ever take that away. He would make Josh proud.

The descent slowed, awakening the dozing passengers. Bubbles flickered past the window. A soft blue light pulsated from below. The freighter banked into a slow turn, revealing the circular dome of Atlantis. They made their way towards the four large saucer-shaped hangar doors. Another freighter, just visible in the low light provided by the landing buoys, drifted away from a hangar door on its way to the surface. He watched the other freighter depart the underwater facility, wondering if any passengers on board were seeing this for the first time. He shook his head, amazed at the clockwork efficiency of Earth's largest and busiest Legion star port.

"Makes you think, doesn't it?" Ryan asked.

He turned. "I didn't know you were awake. Yeah, it does." He gazed back out the window. "I've never seen it before—at least, not from up here. On the trip out, it's all dark and you go straight up."

Ryan nodded. "I remember. Seems like a long time ago."

Austin pressed against the view port. “I thought I’d be gone longer than this, but I finished up flight school in about a year.”

"Really?" Ryan sat back, his jaw dropping open. "How’d you manage that? Wait, are you the newbie from the Flin Six mission?"

Austin's face warmed. "Yes, that was me."

"Oh, man, we all heard about you just before I was dispatched to Tarton's Junction for leave. That was crazy."

"Yeah."

"You scrapped with pirates and rescued two superior officers. Man. You know, someone said you were the fastest newbie through flight school in decades. You feel like talking about it?"

Austin bit his lip. "Not much to say. Scorpion was down and I had to save her."

Ryan raised his eyebrows. "A her, eh? Now I see."

"It wasn't like that."

"Sure it wasn't." He smiled. "I'm just messing with you. If you ever need a thing, man, don't hesitate to ask. If I decide to stay in the service, I hope we get to serve together sometime."

Austin gestured toward Ryan's green uniform. "Not likely."

"Squadrons are stationed at the same places all the time. You can forget that squadron hatred out on tour. All that rivalry stuff’s a bunch of crap anyway. They like to cook it up during flight school for the competition of it all, but when you’re out, we’re all Star Runners. With everything and everyone in the galaxy gunning for us, we better be on the same side when were out there." He grinned like a salesman. “And you could always transfer.”

"Not a chance. I don’t think Tizona would let me live that down."

"Probably not."

The sound of water flowing through pipes filled the air as the hangar’s outer door shut above them. The freighter rocked and came to a stop on the landing pad. Passengers stood and stretched, some grabbing bags from overhead compartments while others spoke with one another.

"Well, we're here," Ryan said, standing and reaching his arms far over his head. "Weird to be back?"

Austin nodded. "It is."

As they gathered their belongings, the freighter taxied from the hangar air lock and into the row of other vessels. Spacecraft of different types, from massive bulky freighters to sleek cutters, were parked side-by-side. Hanging from suspension wires and harnesses, crews swarmed over the vessels to begin maintenance and repairs. Circular burn marks covered the freighter directly adjacent to their own, the crews focusing on the concerned areas. Sparks and wielding tools flashed from a hundred different locations in the massive hangar. The expanse stretched into infinity, the view obscured by the rising smoke of the workers’ wielding torches.

"I forgot how big this hangar was," Austin said, leaning closer to the window.

"Come on," Ryan said. "We have a tube bound for San Francisco with our name on it."

A five-car trolley hovered over the steel grating outside the freighter. Passengers boarded like they traveled to an amusement park. Austin hesitated, staring at the space where he should see wheels.

“Let’s go,” Ryan said.

"So how does the wheel-less technology actually work? Is it a thruster of some kind?"

"It's not," Ryan said as he took a seat in the second car. "You ever play with magnets as a kid?"

"Yeah," he said as he sat down. "Why?"

"It's the same thing. I was told it all has to do with magnetics. You haven't traveled to any other Legion worlds, yet?"

"No."

"The magtech negates the need for wheels. It's a lot cheaper too when you think about how much people waste on tires. Magtech uses metals found in whatever it is hovering over."

Austin looked at the metal grating of the hangar floor. "Guess it doesn't work on water?"

"Not that I know of.”

The trolley beeped twice before zipping away from the freighter. A hot breeze hit Austin’s face as they passed between the lines of massive starships. His first time in the hangar had been rushed and on foot, so he didn't have time to take in the sights. The trolley moved fast, but he relaxed and marveled at the variety of spacecraft located in the hangar.

"I thought there were mostly military freighters in Atlantis?" Austin asked.

"This is the only Legion port on Earth not monopolized completely by the military. All manner of ships come through here."

"Like what?"

Ryan stifled a yawn. "Officers on a pleasure cruise, businessmen with clearance to conduct business on Earth, Legion agents conducting counter-espionage. You'd be surprised how much traffic comes through here and no one in the dark has any idea."

The trolley pulled into a roundabout. The speakers beeped twice.

In one wave of motion, the passengers left the trolley and marched up the wide, steel stairs leading to three arches. Two veered left, bringing passengers to a business or pleasure destination. Two Legion Marines flanked the arch on the right, laser rifles resting over the chests. They wore black battle dress uniforms and combat helmets. Both surveyed passengers as they filed past, staring through their thick, clear goggles. They appeared ready for a riot to break out at any moment.

Ryan approached first, his ID card in his right hand. Austin followed his lead. They passed without incident.

“Are they always there?” he asked.

“Probably not when you came through the first time,” Ryan said. “They try not to scare the fresh meat.”

“Great.”

He laughed. “Relax, man. They’re just keeping the place secure. When you’re stationed on a carrier, you’ll be around marines all the time.”

“You know many?”

“Sure. We had a complement during my time fighting in the Orm Minor Rebellion. Got to know a bunch of the guys. Lost a few, too.” Ryan waved his hand as if he wafted at a buzzing fly. “Anyway, no matter what else happens—you’re home for the next two weeks.”

The arch led to a pathway winding to the right and culminating in a steel wall. Without slowing, Ryan marched toward the gray obstacle. The wall dilated, revealing the Atlantis control room stretching several hundred yards. A massive Earth hologram hovered over the room, tiny points of multicolored light falling in and out of orbit. Radio traffic buzzed in countless conversations. Hundreds of Legion crew members wearing headsets sat at their stations, some reviewing personal holograms while others seemed engrossed in their transmissions. The dark "sky" above the bubble featured no luminescent creatures from the depths like they did on his first visit to Atlantis. Instead, one freighter ascended away from the port, disappearing into the blackness.

Ryan led him through the sea of terminals and moving crew members wearing light gray uniforms. Austin bumped into a desk as he studied the hologram of Earth. He marveled at the amount of shrouded traffic arriving and departing from all over the globe.

“How many ports does the Legion operate on Earth?” Austin asked, his gaze fixated on the hologram.

“I think there are four main ports and several smaller ones they wouldn’t tell a lieutenant about. I’m probably not on a need-to-know status.”

As they weaved between the lines of control stations, a bulky officer in a red Excalibur uniform stepped up to Ryan, who offered a crisp salute. Austin glanced at the bars over the officer's wings signifying the man was a commander.

"At ease, Lieutenant Bean,” the commander said, smiling as he shook Ryan's hand. "Made it back from the Orm Minor, I see."

"Yes, sir."

The commander’s expression darkened. "Tough as they say?"

Ryan shifted. "It wasn't easy, sir."

The commander studied Ryan for a moment, slowly nodding as he rested his hands on his hips. His eyes darted to Austin. "And who's this?"

"This, sir, is Lieutenant Stone, fresh from flight school."

Austin saluted, but the commander waved it off.

"I can see that from his shiny new wings. Where you from LT?"

"Around Atlanta, sir."

"Ah, North Georgia's some of the prettiest land this planet has to offer. Name's Commander Carv Wallace, now in my third tour here on Earth." He looked at Ryan. "You stick with Ryan here, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

"This guy's seen more of Legion space than most active Star Runners, that's for sure. Orm Minor was a tour…well, let’s just say I’m glad to see you." Commander Wallace saluted. "Nice to meet you, Stone. Safe travels, Bean."

Once they had strolled out of earshot, Austin whispered, “That guy is a beast."

"Yeah," Ryan said, glancing at his tablet. "He took me under his wing on my first tour."

"Where was that?"

Ryan shrugged. "A backwater in Quadrant Four. We were patrolling the Zahl-Legion border for almost a year."