EDEN: Dark Universe

CHAPTER | FIVE

The central docking hub could put a beehive to shame. Proximity sensors and networked autopilot systems allowed the thousands of arriving and departing ships to move as if they were part of a single organism. Rust buckets from the twenty-fifth century glided gracefully alongside the opulent top-of-the-line private yachts of the rich. Military tug frigates applied thrust to the delicate maneuvering of a Federal Alliance Dreadnaught.

The sight always reminded Jack of the simulations he had seen of aquatic life on Earth. Enormous, yawning whales being flanked and surrounded by schools of tiny fish. The place was a real melting pot, which helped Jack's abomination of a space craft blend right in.

The Odin was a custom job. So custom, in fact, that it couldn't be fit into any proper vessel classification. Upon arriving at any station, the docking system would identify the ship as "Assorted Debris." It wasn't necessarily a trashy ship. The Odin possessed a few state of the art innards. It had started as a simple interceptor/fighter, swift and sleek. When he was ready to expand, Jack gutted the tiny craft, keeping only its cockpit and afterburners. He re-routed the booster jets to face outwards, instead of aft. The result was a tiny craft that could spin faster than it was meant to fly forward. The only limitation to its turning radius was the G-force that its crew could handle.

The ship's main body, which held cargo, humble quarters, and a common area, was comprised of the bastardized command bridge of a mining cruiser. After making a sly and rather illegal deal with an alliance prison warden, Jack had also managed to procure and install one top of the line force-field holding cell, in the likely event that he ended up carrying uncooperative cargo.

With the ship's intended engines divided into a configuration that could make it spin like a top, its new source of thrust was a cunningly re-worked energy cannon, salvaged from the scraps of a battle between behemoth ships. Originally intended for planetary bombardment and capital ship punishment, the cannon was now mounted backwards, and released powerful bursts of aft energy which accelerated the ship to competitive speeds with only a single pulse. A sustained blast would likely accelerate the vessel beyond the point of staying in one piece. This form of propulsion also had the pleasant side effect of potentially incinerating any unwelcomed tailgaters.

Jack stepped up to the facial ID scanner at the terminal that held his ship, showed it his tired mug, and said "assorted debris, dock A-26-26-5."

"Welcome spacefarer," the computer replied, and the doors parted. The trio stepped into the corridor beyond. Terminal Tango Richter was packed with corner stores and vendors, hoping to trap weary travelers that were willing to overpay for blatantly synthetic foods.

"If anyone wants snacks for the road, now's the time."

On Jack's command, Eden started wandering in the direction of a shop called "Inverti-great." Arissa noticed this, caught up with the girl, and pulled her back on course.

"No, no. You don't want that stuff."

"Why not? I'm hungry."

"Nothing but tentacles on the menu." Arissa shuttered. "We're also in a rush."

"But he said—"

"He was joking. You've got plenty of food on your ship, right Jack?"

"Right." If Jack was being honest with himself, he had no idea what Arissa had just asked him.

They stepped out of the bustling corridor and onto a wide open landing pad that was covered in assorted piles of cargo containers. Then, there it stood. The Odin. Something about the sight of it always made Jack's heart flutter. It was the closest thing he had to a child.