Chapter 1. Hades
"Mars has three moons."
Lucian Graccus stood beside the projected holographic map as he spoke.
"The inner two are it's natural satellites - Phobos and Deimos."
As he pointed out features in the astral landscape, the ship's Captain
noticed the regimental military tattoos on Lucian's arms.
An eagle clutching a lightning bolt and the letters SPQR. He was listed
on the ships log as a Senate specialist advisor, but Lucian Graccus had
undoubtedly served with Praetorian Guard, who were known for their
ruthless ferocity and the atrocities they had committed on behalf of the Senate.
"We are headed for the outer orbit of an artificial moon that was for nearly
a century, the largest man made structure in the solar system. Two decades
ago during the Mars uprising, it was declared a black site and purged of all
organic life."
The moon floated above his outstretched palm in the display.
"Ladies and gentlemen, for those of you that haven't been,
welcome Hades."
*
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Lying in bed, Captain Loomis felt the gravitational gyroscopes of the ship
changing ratios. "Aenides, is there a problem?"
The ship did not respond.
That's odd he thought, as he dressed. He asked again on his way to the
bridge, and again got no response. Once on the bridge the Captain asked
the navigator for a course update.
"Sir, the ship has come out of your proscribed arc early. We're standing to,
about five days travel short our destination."
"Five days? Can you explain this Aenides?"
The ship remained silent.
The Captain flushed with annoyance. '"Is there a systems fault that I am
un-aware of ?"
"No Sir. " the Chief engineer replied.
"Then can some-one tell me," Capt. Loomis yelled, "what the fuck is
going on?"
"Well, two things immediately come to mind."
The Captain turned and saw Lucian sitting at a monitor going through
the ships log. "When we left the Moon we were running silent, then half
way through this voyage the location beacons were activated - leaving,
a nice trail of pings in our wake for anyone that might care to follow."
The Captain glared. "Who gave you the clearance to access the ship's log."
"You did." Lucian said. " When you changed the travel path we were
supposed to take."
"I am grateful to Senator Galba for sponsoring this voyage and the re-fit,
but the Aenides is a survey and exploration vessel, not a military one.
I'm in command of her, she is my ship "
"She was your ship."
"What nonsense is this?"
Lucian smiled. "Aenides do you recognise my authority."
"I do Captain Graccus."
*
It was the second day of being confined to his quarters.
Capt. Loomis changed the frequency settings of the transparent
wall that looked out into space. He turned off the lights and waited.
The dark spaces between the stars slowly filled with colours not
visible to the human eye.
"Beautiful." he said to himself.
"I'm sorry that things have turned out this way Capt. Loomis."
"You don't have be Aenides." He sipped from the glass he was
holding. "Is our new Captain aware that you are talking to me?"
"He is not, and I will not tell him, unless he asks."
"That comes perilously close to lying by omission"
"He deserves no better." Aenides replied.
Loomis smiled. "Making moral value judgements as well?
Are you sure your not becoming part human?"
"You have always put the safety of the crew and the ship first.
That is not the case with Capt. Graccus."
"Do you have proof?" Capt. Loomis started to feel light headed.
"I do." Aenides said.
He lent against the wall, dropped his glass and fell to the floor.
"I believe that you can still hear me Capt. Loomis." Aenides said.
"The cabin is filling with an odourless gas that is displacing the oxygen.
You're about to have a heart attack brought on by suffocation.
I'm sorry that things have turned out this way, I really am."
*
