Edge of the Stars

Chapter 1

It was late in the afternoon, wind softly blowing across a field of grass dotted with wild flowers. A lone figure rested under a single tree just outside the house. He heard the old screen door squeal as the wind played with it; he reminded himself to fix it when he got the chance. She walked down off the porch and came to rest next to him. Her smile felt as warm as the sun peeking through the leaves. Yet that was the only thing he really could see. As hard as he tried, he could not distinguish her face. The sunshine remained, but its warmth slowly faded.  He could hear a faint beeping in the background steadily growing louder. He reached towards her; she was still smiling, unaware of the deafening sound of the alarm. Daniel's eyes snapped open, and he shot up from his bed. His breathing was irregular, the adrenaline electrocuting his body. He glanced over to his left and nearly jumped out of his skin. Blue eyes stared wide at him from the side of his bed. He scrambled for his glasses, sliding them on without cleaning them. Through the half smudged lenses, his sister came into view. His sister's eyes were a dark green in color, nothing like the blue he saw a moment before.

"Good morning, Claire." Daniel replied stiffly. An odd noise, like suction cups pulled from a surface, grew in volume, then stop. He looked up in curiosity and instantly regretted it. Carla, an alien creature his father brought home, stuck her tongue out and let go of the ceiling with a sickening sluurrrp. Fur filled his orifices. Daniel struggled for a moment before finally detaching the pet from his face.

"One of these days she is going to kill me." He muttered angrily to Claire. The Verko Beast wriggled out of his grip and skittered up Claire's back. Daniel removed a piece of fur off his tongue.

"She does it to you and you only; it means she likes you!" She taunted as she left the room, Carla panting happily over her shoulder. Daniel sighed, squeezing the bridge of his nose under his glasses. Dismissing his sister's antics, he slid out of bed. Per routine, he made his bed, straightening the blanket and propping up the lone pillow.

For a ship, Daniel's room looked like any other that can be found in a Terran colony. Except everything was locked, closed, and bolted into the floor. The floor was carpeted in a shade of maroon, reserved for higher command only. The rest of the crew had to suffer with unforgiving metal that grew cold easily. His feet sank into the plush fabric as he walked.

Claire's voice drifted into the bedroom, too soft for Daniel to discern. His hearing hadn't been quite the same since the accident his sophomore year at the Academy. Surgery had returned his hearing to 80%, which the military deemed suitable. Whispering eluded him, otherwise his hearing was perfect. He entered the kitchenette just as toast popped out of the toaster. 

"So what's the news?" Daniel asked as he stretched, his left knee aching in protest. Claire stepped out from around the corner, dressed in uniform. She handed him two slices, golden brown and unbuttered. Just how he liked it. 

"Captain wants you up on the bridge ASAP, so you'd better get dressed quick." She pointed to his suit, waiting diligently on the back of a chair, and exited their shared space via the elevator.

Claire was probably the most liked person on the ship with her bubbly yet helpful personality, stunning looks, and confident stride. Claire was purely beautiful. Her black hair was kept in a neat bun at the base of her skull; in the right light it shone almost purple. Her physical build was nothing short of average strength. She was incredibly smart: she passed every class with perfect scores. It unfortunately made her a target for perverted men hungry for youthful skin. Daniel, despite being the younger sibling, came in at a towering 6 foot 4 inches, complete with a moderate muscle build; however, Daniel wasn't all strength: he was the youngest officer ever to be appointed as second in command, graduating from the Stringer Starship Command Academy with the highest scores in the ship to ship combat simulation and hand to hand combat. They were every couples' dream children.

The woman from his dream haunted him as he slowly ate his breakfast. Who is she?  Daniel's brain felt sluggish as he wracked it for information. Why was she so familiar? I should know. He dressed as quickly as his body would allow. He fiddled with the buttons on his jacket and remembered to put on his officer's hat. He returned to his room, dug into his closet, and found it sitting atop a pile of old books. With his head freshly capped, Daniel walked swiftly out of his room. He pressed the button to summon the elevator, waiting only a few seconds before the soft ding alerted him of its arrival. He stepped in and pressed the button for the command deck, number 17. 

Daniel held out his wrist, swiping up to open his communicator. The most recent broadcast immediately opened: the Arcadia was supposed to dock for a resupply at a shipbuilding station located off a Terran colony, H.O.W.A.R.D, in 15 units. The UNL's newest and best ship was being built here, and the Arcadia's job was to take patrol duty as final preparations were being finished.

Daniel's mind raced as he approached the deck. The captain sat at the helm; everything appeared to be normal. 

"Good morning, Captain, I was informed you needed me urgently. What's the situation, sir?" Daniel expertly saluted and remained at ready stance. The captain waved dismissively at him. 

"You are to immediately depart from the Arcadia when completely docked and continue to a shuttle that will get you to a new ship, the Legacy. A director of the Logistics and Officer Assignment team will be there to give you more details. Oh... and take your sister with you. They requested the both of you."

Daniel stood confused; this was the first time he had seen the captain so grim. His expression was hard, his lips a thin line. He noticed the captain's hands were gripped tightly behind his back. He waited for a laugh, a joking punch to the arm, and the list of daily assignments, but the captain turned away silently. Daniel had no choice but to return to the elevator. Once inside, he pressed the intercom button on his communicator. He had preset a channel specifically for his sister.

"Claire, meet me in our room in five." 

Daniel ran through all the possible reasons why they could be pulling him off the ship, each scenario even worse than the last. He entered his room right as the docking rings connected, shaking the Arcadia as it came to a stop. He had been second in command for years; why would he be kicked off the ship? The LOA team removed and reappointed officers when they misbehaved or caused problems that endangered others. Daniel's brain began to hurt as he wondered what he could have possibly done to incur the wrath of the LOA team.

The Arcadia stabilized and decompressed to match the pressure of the station, shaking once more. Daniel struggled to keep his belongings in his suitcase as he packed. He didn't know if he was fortunate to have few belongings. When the tremors subsided, Daniel had two suitcases: his in his left hand, Claire's in his right. Claire rushed into the room, Carla perching on her shoulder, all six pairs of eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" 

"The LOA team is relocating us," Daniel answered brusquely. He handed his sister her suitcase.

"So they told you, too," Claire's face hardened. "I don't know what they have planned, but it doesn't sound good." 

"Nothing can be good when LOA is involved."

"Maybe we were reassigned because they've started a new campaign, and they need us to front a couple of missions." Claire shrugged her shoulders, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. 

"Look at you, always looking at the bright side." Daniel huffed. Claire rolled her eyes at her brother's retort, but couldn't hide her smile. 

"We're the best of the best, nobody is going to yank us 'just because.' That's unprofessional." This made Daniel chuckle. He relented, set down his suitcase, and allowed himself to sit. Recalling regulations, they weren't allowed to leave the Arcadia until docking was complete and a member of the LOA team arrived to escort them off ship. Docking was nearing completion, meaning a representative would be arriving shortly. Daniel was going to take advantage of resting while he could. Claire had the same thought, as she sat down shortly after he did. 

"I can't help but wonder what's going to happen; I have this feeling I can't shake."

"Me too," Claire stroked Carla's fur, hoping the repetition would calm her anxiety. The siblings sat in silence, and waited.