Retaliation: The Oceanstone Initiative, #2

Dedication

In loving memory of my grandmother, Reva Lee Miller.

Chapter 1

On Earth, Sakota had trained on the antigravity simulator in the Oceanstone Corporation labs and learned how to withstand the turbulent effects of space. Nothing could have prepared her, though, for the reality she’d encounter in the Andromeda Galaxy. The crash course had shown her the harsh realization that gravity is ten times more powerful than the wildest currents of the ocean, but her training paled against the relentless strength of the black hole. She peered outside the window of their emergency capsule as it hurtled toward the giant hole, sucking everything within its grasp.

Her stomach plummeted. They were next.

Sakota sat next to Astraeus, open-mouthed and speechless. He’d led them here. Deliberately. Did he know what he was doing? While their new, intense relationship had formed on a chaotic whirlwind, she believed she could trust him. After all, he did save her. He’d helped rescue her, Hisoka, and Tatiana from the alien attack that had wiped out their entire crew.

"I must’ve missed the part in the Dangerous Destinations catalog where we take the scenic route and get swallowed by a black hole, Hisoka said from the pilot’s chair. I’m gonna have to have a word with the tour guide. He turned around and looked at her. Can I consider this a free perk?"

Sakota shook her head. "Forget perks. This is the trip. I hope you’re strapped in." She and Astraeus sat in the two seats behind him and the copilot.

Hang on. Hisoka turned back around and keyed in some commands out of sight. The visual zoomed and locked in on the black hole. I thought black holes were supposed to be colorless. What’s the swirling, shimmering stuff around it? Universe confetti?

No. She buckled in her harness. Swirling accretion disk X-ray binaries. As matter accelerates toward the event horizon of the black hole, they form, trapping in light. Think of it as fancy lip liner for the black lipstick about to soul kiss us.

"Yeah, there’s one—count it—one person in the entire universe I want to kiss, and that’s Tatiana. Hisoka swiveled in his seat and raised his palms to Astraeus. Look, dude. I don’t doubt your skills here, as you’ve saved our ass multiple times. Thank you, by the way. But have you traveled through a black hole before?"

Astraeus folded his arms, making the patches she’d repaired at the midsection and left arm of his black armored suit stand out. No. Only through an IPC-approved simulator, under guidance.

"Oh, spiffy. Now he tells us."

It’s sucking us in. Sakota put a hand to her heart, awed, as the pod gravitated toward the darkness. These holes are the most destructive force in existence. Light can’t even escape it. How the hell are we supposed to have a chance?

I’m not the type to be a party pooper, Hisoka said, having swiveled back around, but when Astraeus mentioned he knew an indirect route to get us to safety faster, I had something more non-threatening in mind when I let him program it in last night. He turned his head to his girlfriend, Tatiana, who joined them with an MRE packet in hand. She dropped into the seat next to him. Hey, sweetheart.

"Hey, zvezda moya. Well, we’re all going to die. On the plus side, I found these cookies-and-cream flavor ration bars in the food-storage panel."

Tatiana tore open the wrapper she held. Two butterfly stitches covered Tatiana’s left eyebrow, where Sakota had treated her while she’d lain unconscious the night before. Instead of stitching the laceration, she’d used an enhanced surgical adhesive she’d found in the first-aid kit.

I guess they figured the marines would be hungry, Tatiana said as she broke apart the crumbly bar into four finger-size sections. She looked around. Hey, it’s better than we’d get in a gulag.

Sakota took a piece from Tatiana and glanced at Hisoka. Have you been able to contact Earth?

No. Hisoka sighed. We’ve lost contact. There’s food stored under the floor panels, enough to last for a while. But without a signal and no way to contact home, we’re floating in the dark. The pod’s power supply isn’t enough to get us back. This batshit black hole idea is the only real chance we have at anything.

Astraeus reached out and put his hand on Hisoka’s shoulder. "It will work."

I hope so, man. I hope so.

Earth wouldn't know what happened to them for weeks, and even then, they might assume the Sleipnir encountered trouble sending telemetry, which wasn’t out of the norm due to standard satellite interference from solar storms. Sakota bit into her piece of the cookie bar. Hmm. Crusty texture, but edible. Sweetness filled her mouth. She hadn’t eaten in over a day. Energy coursed through her deprived body as she finished her portion. She swallowed and turned to Astraeus. Please tell me you know what you’re doing here.

I know what I am doing.

Astraeus grazed his thumb along her chin, his eyes shining with confidence. His dark, heavy stubble had grown into a beard, which brought out the light-blue of his eyes. They’d found him in space, having escaped the Oreck’s attack on his people. He came from Upsilon, an exoplanet with precarious hazards on either side. One half of Upsilon was full of active volcanoes while the other half remained frozen and inhospitable. His island formed a paradise in the center, perfectly sustained, lush and green.

Galaxies have interconnecting sheets and ribbons around black holes, making travel possible, Astraeus continued. I was trained in interstellar travel in the event of an emergency. They made sure many of us knew how to use it. They designed the simulator to be real to life, and I’ve used it many times. You need not worry.

Yeah, but using a simulator might give you an idea of what to expect, but nothing is the same as the real experience. This won’t be a test-drive, Astraeus. This is the real deal. The gravity pull is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s towing us in as we speak. She gestured. Hisoka’s not even driving.

I am aware. This is normal.

Okay... Do you know where we’re going? A planet or space station?

The destination I’ve set is for a planet in a distant galaxy. But if we get thrown off course, we will go where the black hole takes us.

Oh, great. Hisoka swiveled around. "And you didn’t think it was worth mentioning to us—oh, I don’t know, yesterday, before we got sucked into the swirling vortex—that it’s not one hundred percent?"

Sakota frowned at Astraeus. How do you know it’s safe?

It’s not. Not entirely. There have been rumors about people disappearing when time and space converge into one. Her mouth fell open. But a myriad of alien races has traveled the black hole for years, he hastily added. It’s an intergalactic highway and our best possible option. I haven’t traveled by one physically, because there’s a risk in time delay. It progresses the age of certain smaller planets in specific galaxies. My planet was not among them, nor is this galaxy, to my knowledge, but there’s a risk. It’s easier to communicate remotely every hour and perform a headcount because it can stem into years of travel if the course is altered in the slightest.

An alarm went off in Sakota’s head. "Wait. How significantly? How many years are we talking about here, if it all goes topsy-turvy?"

It differs from planet to planet. He held her gaze, his blue eyes intent. The eight-pointed star-shape of his pupils caught the light. Some planets don’t suffer the effects of the travel, but for Upsilon and Earth and outer planets, which have similar ratios and hours in the day, decades and centuries can pass with one voyage. This is why no one from my planet ever attempted it; though we had delegates from other planets come to ours.

She pressed her hand to her mouth. Are you saying if we go into the black hole, there’s a possibility that Earth might age by tens to hundreds of years by the time we get back?

He nodded. This is, of course, the worst-case scenario. I have no reason to believe it will go badly. But I thought you should be prepared.

She exchanged glances with Tatiana and Hisoka, who were now both turned around and looking at her. Tens to hundreds of years. It’s unthinkable.

It’s nuts, Hisoka said. "I mean, the planet might not even be there by the time we return, considering the state we left it in. But what other choice do we have? We don’t have enough fuel or food to last the journey home."

Tatiana slipped her palm into Hisoka’s. At least we are here with those we love. It is more than most people get.

Sakota met Astraeus’s eyes. That’s true. It’s everything.

We will be all right, his deep voice soothed in her mind. Trust me.

Everything, Astraeus repeated aloud. Sakota was thankful he’d learned to voice things in front of humans. Otherwise, staring at each other while they communicated telepathically could unnerve others.

Sakota took a deep breath. Okay. Let’s do it. We’re not going to survive if we don’t. Hisoka and Tatiana turned around to man their consoles. She ate the last of her ration piece and slipped her hand into Astraeus’s. The escape pod reached the mouth of the black hole, then without warning, surged forward.

When Sakota was a child, long before Alistair rescued her from the orphanage in the squalid wasteland of London, the other children liked to play a game called Lights Out. In the main room where she bunked with fifteen other girls, a shaft of light streamed in from the hallway, in the same spot every night, like clockwork. The adult on night duty would check in once an hour and perform a headcount as they slept.

A few nights a week, a handful of the girls awakened and killed the hallway lights so they could scare and torture whomever they didn’t like among them. It was a powerful systematic lesson, however cruel. Sakota grew up knowing her place at the bottom rung of life. She’d never fit into the cookie-cutter type molding the upper-class girls had been bred for. She’d proved early on that she’d fight back with a vengeance when provoked, but she wasn’t certain which was worse; being preyed upon or listening to other girls’ pleas for help as she lay in the pitch-black room. The memory had stayed with her well into adulthood, as well as the countless times she could and should have stepped in to help instead of being crippled by primal fear and self-preservation. Children could be cruel. But the fear she’d experienced then was nothing, nothing, compared to being sucked into a black hole.

The escape pod whirled inside the conduit and pitched them around in a circle. They spun, at the mercy of inexhaustible energy along the black hole’s trajectory. Though she’d experienced raw fear when the Oreck had taken over the Sleipnir science vessel and killed everyone, this was different. Before, she at least had an idea what she was up against. Three razor-sharp talons emerging from claws didn’t lie. Being sucked into the black hole was like being an ant in a cyclone.

Astraeus squeezed her palm reassuringly. She turned and looked at him. They were both strapped in, tight.

Astraeus squeezed her hand. Don’t be afraid.

The speed of the escape pod amplified. Ribbons of light streamed past the windows like gossamer silk as the ship darted into unknown darkness. Sakota gritted her teeth. Oh, screw not acting afraid. She was terrified.

SAKOTA. SAKOTA, WAKE up. Tatiana’s voice.

Sakota rolled her head, the back of her neck stiff and sore. She opened her eyes to find her fellow survivors surrounding her. Tatiana and Hisoka grinned like children at Christmas, though Astraeus studied her, his eyebrows lowered with concern.

Are you well, Sakota?

She patted her face. Her neck smarted, and she had a headache, but she seemed intact. I’m okay. What happened? Did I pass out?

"Yeah, and you missed the coolest ride ever, Hisoka gushed. In flight school, I got to ride in a supersonic plane high in the stratosphere, which was like the best experience of my life. This topped that. Hands down."

I think black hole traveling is an acquired taste, said Tatiana. If you enjoy nonstop roller-coaster rides, it’s the way to go. I almost threw up a few times, but I hung in there. You doing okay?

Sakota unbuckled her harness and rubbed her temples. Yes, I’ll be fine. I’m a bit woozy, is all. Everyone’s alive, then?

Yep. And you’re not going to believe where we are.

Where?

Hisoka crooked his finger and sat in the pilot’s chair. C’mere, and have a look for yourself.

Sakota watched as he activated the window screen and zoomed in on the visual. They orbited above a beautiful green-and-blue planet, though not Earth by a long shot. Larger in size, the planet had a clean, fresh look that put Earth to shame. On its last legs, the Earth she’d left behind had been more brown than green, but this beautiful planet was a vivid light blue. On the visual, large, dark green continents laced together in a labyrinth-like a unicursal maze at a palace. A network of grooves and ridges crisscrossed the ground and looked to be connected by land bridges.

Where the continents didn’t stitch together, sporadic areas of ocean covered the planet in a breathtaking spread.

She palmed her cheek, blown away. Where are we?

Astraeus turned to her. Chuleron Nine. A civilized, cultured planet. Peaceful. Diplomatic. They have council members in the leadership of the IPC. Many interplanetary peace meetings are conducted here. We journeyed safely and encountered no problems or time delays. We’ll find respite and help.

Well, that’s a comfort. After what happened to the Sleipnir, we need help. Do you know anyone here?

No, not personally, but I know where to go to get answers.

She shrugged. If that’s all we’ve got, that’s all we’ve got. Let’s get to the ground. Hisoka, do you see the—

Yep. I’m looking at it.

Enlarge the image. Right there.

Hisoka fixed his headset and glanced over his shoulder at them. All right, there’s an entry point. Astraeus, back home we have a buttload of rules and air traffic control. We’re not going to get shot or anything if we land, are we?

No. Chuleron spacecrafts can detect where other vessels are. They receive foreign visitors on a frequent basis. They will know of our presence.

But that’s what we want, right?

He nodded.

Good enough for me. God, this planet is gorgeous. I’m taking ’er down. Buckle up, folks, and hang onto your knickers.

They strapped in again. Sakota’s stomach fluttered with excitement. She grinned at Astraeus.

This is what I’ve been hoping for since we left Earth.

He reached out and stroked her cheek with the back of his finger. May your hopes manifest, Sakota. I will try my best to see they do.

The escape pod lurched as it pushed through the atmosphere. Sakota clutched the arms of her chair and sucked in a breath. Leaving Earth had been relatively easy, but entering any atmosphere took its toll. Once they were in, the jets on the pod engaged and the ship descended through the clouds.

The three-room, self-contained pod consisted of a main bridge and cockpit, a sleeping and hygiene area, and a back room with wall storage panels that contained an assortment of emergency supplies, from first-aid to tools to food. While the pod dwarfed in comparison to the Sleipnir, its respectable size could take out a good chunk of forest.

They flew past vast amounts of radiant ocean, craggy cliff rocks, and impressive mountains. She watched the tide crash over the rock. Such a bright blue and vibrant ocean. The silhouette of tall buildings outlined the distance, and they soon descended into a splendid, bustling alien city. The structures were tall with elegant curves, terraced gardens, and flying streamlined vehicles that resembled a Monopoly piece she’d once played with during a game with Alistair. The vast alien city teemed with busyness. Silver- and black-honed buildings scraped the sky in the distance, their pointed spires like jagged blades. The forests were almost primordial, stretching high and immense, a canopy of dark green that spanned for hundreds of miles.

Astraeus leaned forward, eager. Set us on the landing platform. There, between the trees.

"I