Sector 1 - Axis
Argus Wade
Wade leaned against the cool metal railing, watching stars twinkle outside the deck’s viewport. He was on the bridge of the Capital Class Warship named Denigen’s Fist. Below the stars, he could see Axis stretching into the distance.
They were in high orbit, several hundred kilometers from the surface. Most planets across the galaxy showed a variety of different colors at this height: dim greens and browns of vegetation, bluish water, and swirling white clouds.
But not Axis. This planet was the center of the Republic’s dominance, the homestead of the First Citizen and the Ministry. Axis was uniform gray, a metal ball in space. Much of the planet was covered in domes. The oceans were drained and pumped through enormous pipes.
It was beautiful, he knew. At least in propaganda pictures. It gleamed in the sunlight like an enormous jewel.
Unfortunately, all the splendor was lost on the surface by constant cloud cover and devastating weather. The domes were covered in layers of soot and dirt. Outside those domes, it was unlivable: the metal reflected sunlight away from the planet, creating a cycle of cooling that left external temperatures excessively low.
Wade had grown up in one of those domes. Poverty and crime were a daily reality. He’d hated it and wanted to escape. But now, years older and wiser, he missed it.
Millions of ships traveled to Axis on an hourly basis. They delivered foodstuffs and necessities to the multitudes living under those domes.
The air was cleansed and tasted antiseptic. Oxygen and water were shipped in.
Axis was a testament to humanity’s control over his world. It existed by a giant engine of technology. The last census put the population at forty-seven billion. The estimated natural population was four billion. A single day of missed shipments, a single hour, would cause millions to starve and die.
2
Wade was born on Axis thirty-three years ago in one of the poorer domes. It was one of those ‘better than life’ models with perfect weather, never too hot or too cold. He grew up craving rain and snow, wishing for seasons that never came.
As a kid, the tenuous balance of the planet never bothered him. The idea of a generator breaking down under his dome meaning thousands would die from dehydration or suffocation was inconceivable. He wasn’t even taught about natural plant life on other planets until he was sixteen.
That was twenty years ago. Then the Ministry found him. Axis was one of the hardest places to hide children similar to him. They received a genetic test at school age, and if the proper genetic markers were discovered, they were given over to the Ministry for care. No questions asked.
There was only one aspiration for those like Wade, one chance of escape from imprisonment at the Ministry: become a Shield. A First Citizen hundreds of years ago was fascinated by the Ordo Mens Rea, and ever since, they selected the personal bodyguards from their ranks. It rankled the Ministry, but they couldn’t refuse a request from the First Citizen.
Wade wasn’t good enough at fighting to be chosen. He had no chance of becoming a Shield and defending the First Citizen. But he was good with numbers and people. From an early age, he showed aptitude, working his way up the ladder with more and more responsibility until he became indispensable to the Ministry. An important cog in a very, very large wheel. After a while, they forgot he was even a member of the Order.
Being forgotten was the greatest gift Wade ever received. He was careful not to remind them.
The gliding metal door swept open behind him on the bridge, and a puff of cool air washed past. He turned and stood up straight, smoothing his black robes. Captain Kristi Grove strode on deck, raising a hand to single her entourage to wait outside.
She must not think I’m a threat, he thought as the door slid closed. He didn’t know if he was more relieved in her trust or insulted by her lack of concern. Wade shrugged the thought away, bowing low to her. She nodded curtly and stepped beside him, looking past to the planet below.
“It’s beautiful during the day,” she said. Wade nodded.
“Quite.”
“But I prefer it at night.”
“Oh?”
“In the darkness, it takes the appearance of a sleeping beast.”
“I believe we had some business to attend to?”
Captain Kristi turned to face him. “Not just yet,” she said, turning and facing the entrance to the bridge. She crossed her hands behind her lower back and waited.
Less than a minute later, the door slid open again and a timid man walked onto the bridge. He had cropped black hair and deep bronze skin. He was built thick and muscular with a plain face. His uniform put him in the lower ranks, probably an enlisted officer. No one important.
The man hesitated for a second in the doorway and then strode onto the bridge with false confidence.
“Captain,” the low-ranking officer said, snapping to attention a few meters short of Kristi. His body was rigid and voice steady, but his eyes betrayed his trepidation. The pupils were dilated and fluttering. The bridge must be an intimidating place for someone like him, Wade knew. His first time on the bridge of a Capital Class Warship had been terrifying.
The bridge itself was one circular room. It could hold fifty to sixty people at terminals throughout, with a raised platform in the center. There was an entrance for the High Officers on the platform and an entrance for lower-ranking personnel on the floor.
The bridge was empty right now, capable of running itself without human intervention.
“Lieutenant Commander,” Kristi Grove said to the newcomer with a brisk nod. “Thank you for coming.”
“Captain, I was wondering—”
“What’s your opinion on the other officers?” Captain Kristi interrupted smoothly.
“Sir?”
“The other officers. What do you think of them?”
The man hesitated for a long moment before speaking. “They are excellent officers and leaders. Your First Officer, Fredrick Penn, is well liked; Chief Warrant Officer Vincent Belgrade is a brilliant tactician…”
His voice trailed off as Captain Kristi shook her head. “Abdullah, if I was looking for a political assessment or resume, I’d speak to the men personally. I want to know what they mean to the enlisted men. Are they respected?”
The officer—Abdullah—looked over at Wade for support, a terrified expression on his face. Wade kept his expression unreadable, glad he wasn’t in the man’s position. He’d known Kristi through correspondence for a few days now, but he had a healthy respect for her penchant for manipulation. She enjoyed her mind games.
Finally, Abdullah found his voice again. “Warrant Officer Belgrade is seen by the men as an overbearing fool and Frederick Penn a backbiter. Some think he killed Captain Schmidt in the hopes he would be promoted.”
“Would he kill me?”
Abdullah hesitated again and then shook his head. “I have no idea, but if I were you, I’d make sure he never got the chance.” After he said this, he seemed to second guess his brash response and lowered his eyes to the ground.
“But you say he doesn’t have the respect of the men?”
“He promotes for loyalty, not talent or ambition. His friends are power hungry and controlling. The enlisted soldiers won’t speak against them for fear of punishment. It’s happened before.”
“If the men won’t speak, then how can I verify what you say is true?”
“You can’t,” he said. “Or, at least, it would be difficult. My friends trust me, but they wouldn’t say these things to other people who ask.”
“So, I’ve heard. People trust you, Abdullah, and you are a good man. That’s why I promoted you. I expect competence and obedience. Don’t second guess yourself. And never,” she said, emphasizing each word, “ever, second guess me.” Abdullah nodded his understanding, but the look of terror was still present. “Dismissed.”
He saluted and turned on his heels, the tension in his body giving Wade the impression he was fighting the urge to flee. As the door slid smoothly shut, Kristi shifted to face Wade once more.
“He seems intelligent,” Wade offered. “But out of his depth.”
“He came highly recommended by the previous Captain. He was up for a minor promotion before Captain Schmidt met his end.”
“If what he says is true, why keep Fredrick Penn as First Officer? As Captain, you are well within your rights to replace him.”
“I was afraid Penn held the respect of those under his command. He’s been on the Fist for twelve years, and I didn’t want to act rashly. But now that my suspicions have been confirmed, I can deal with him accordingly.”
“You’re going to have him killed?”
Kristi smiled, but only her lips curled. It never reached her eyes. “No. You are.”
3
“Excuse me?”
“As Captain, I have the authority to kill anyone under my command. But my command is shared.”
Wade didn’t like where this was going.
“Which means that, if my equal seeks to have someone killed, I have no choice but to acquiesce.”
“She’s only a little girl.”
“A very powerful little girl.”
Wade was starting to feel sick.
“I haven’t signed the paperwork yet…”
She laughed. “You sent the request to me, not the other way around, and I still have all of our correspondence on record. What happens if I send that to the Minister?”
“She’s only a child,” he said, his voice low.
“I am well aware,” she said, just as low. “And she takes after her father.”
4
“What do you want?”
“Nothing more than what is already offered,” Captain Kristi said. “I merely don’t like dishonesty. I have certain agendas I am hoping your daughter can help me accomplish, and I don’t want you working against me. We should be on the same team.”
Wade hesitated. “What agendas?”
“Cleaning up corruption. Battling evil. All well-intentioned goals, you would agree.”
“Is having people put to death on that list of goals?”
The Captain was silent for a moment. “How many different sins are there?”
“Sins?”
“Over twenty, many of which are punishable by death. How often are such sinners put to death?”
“Never,” he replied. “Those barbaric laws haven’t been followed in years.”
“Because the Ministry is weak,” Captain Kristi said. “The Republic is weak. We have a cancer, eating away at our civilization, and we do nothing.”
“There will always be bad people.”
“And more when good people do nothing,” she said. “Your daughter is in a unique position, able to judge the wicked with impunity, to right wrongs that are centuries old. She will be known as the greatest Minister in history.”
Wade listened, aware that she was crazy. He had to admit, there was something tempting in what she was saying. He hated corruption as much as the next person.
“She will be safe?”
“This is the safest place in the galaxy,” Kristi said. “You have my word that as long as you do not work against me, Givon Mielo will never have access to her or know of your involvement. She will never want for anything.”
“Okay,” Wade said. “Then we have an understanding. On one condition.”
The Captain narrowed her eyes. “Speak.”
“She will make her own decisions,” Wade said. “About who and when to…follow your agenda.”
Kristi thought about it and nodded. “I will advise her, but never force her. She is my equal, not my servant.”
“Very well,” Wade said, miserable but having no alternatives. He offered his hand, and the Captain shook it. “It was a pleasure speaking with you.”
