Into the void

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. I found that to be true after watching my childhood friend, Tom Lansing, get ejected out of the airlock. If I had taken the time to see what was really going on with him, maybe he’d still be alive.

I was making my way through the Dunare space port on Mars, browsing shops and gathering info from the local bars. Reddish dirt covered everything. With no natural water sources, the planet was a giant rust-colored dust bowl. As I was cutting through an alley to get to the docks more quickly, a hand reached out and grabbed my pantleg, nearly sending me to the ground.

“What the-? Who the hell are you? Let go of me!” I angrily yelled, while attempting to free myself.

“Jonah,” came a barely audible voice. I froze. That name-

“Jonah, please wait a moment,” the voice repeated.

On the ground to my left was a man hunched over, head covered with a blanket. His clothes were in tatters, barely holding together.

“How do you know that name?” I asked the man. “That name is dead and buried, along with the rest of the Gemini II colony.”

The man lightly chuckled. What was so funny about that?

“It's not surprising that you don’t recognize me. It has been fifteen years after all,” he said cryptically.

Fifteen years?

“Fifteen years ago, I was sold to the Macardi Trading Alliance, slavers in everything but name, by my own parents. A boy. A seven-year-old boy,” I said, bitterly. “When I learned that the colony had been flattened to Hell by an asteroid, well, let’s just say that I had a few celebratory drinks. Talia was the only one I mourned.”

The man had a strange look on his face when I mentioned Talia. Before I could say something, he continued the conversation.

“Yes, that was a splendid day. Of course, having been sold off myself I couldn’t celebrate in quite the same manner as you.”

“Who are you? What do you want with me?” I asked the man.

“Who I am is an easy question to answer, however what I want with you is… complicated. Too complicated to be speaking out in the open. Do you have somewhere we can speak privately?” He asked. The man looked apprehensive. He was clearly worried about something.

“Umm, sure,” I said. “But you’re at least going to have to tell me your name.”

“Of course, of course. But let’s save the details for later, yea?”

I nodded in agreement.

“My name Tom. Tom Lansing. Now let’s get going.”

Tom Lansing. I never would have believed it if he wasn’t standing before me himself. Besides the beard he really hadn’t changed much. He was never the biggest kid around and that had followed him to adulthood it seemed. Obliging his request, I led him to an apartment I kept just outside of the docks.

“Alright,” I began, closing the door behind me,” so Tom, why all the secrecy?” This had me slightly on edge, considering my ‘release’ from the MTA.

“Nothing that concerns your recent past,” he assured. He’s hiding something. The way he worded that-

“Jonah” Tom began before I cut him off.

“I’m sorry but I don’t answer to that name. Not anymore. After I secured my freedom from the MTA, I made my way here to Mars and took a new name. Ares.”

“Really? That’s the name you chose for yourself?” He asked, a look of amusement barely contained on his face.

“Yea, it’s a long story.” One I particularly did not want to go into. “You were saying,” I said trying to change the subject.

“Right, long story short I need to get on a ship. Your ship specifically.”

“Why my ship? And how did you know that I even was part of a crew?”

“‘Ares No last name Holds the position of XO. Quite commendable for his age, showing aptitude in numerous categories which attributed to his quick rise in rank. Resides aboard The Coiled Viper, a C-1 class cruiser outfitted with special modifications enhancing its offensive and defensive capabilities.’” He recited from a dossier that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

“If you have all that then what do you need me for,” I joked.

“This is a serious matter, now is not the time for jokes,” he said, anger slightly rising. “What I need you for is to gain entry onto your ship, after that ill handle everything else.”

“What’s so important that you have to get on my ship?” I asked.

“I can’t tell you that, at least not until I know more. Which can only happen if I gain access to your ship,” he repeated. Again, with the secrecy.

“Fine, fine if it’s that damn important, I’ll get you onboard. This better not bite me in the ass,” I relented. He’s really determined to get on the ship. What exactly is going on? “Well, let’s get going then.”

Upon exiting my apartment, Tom and I were greeted with a sandstorm. Weird, that wasn’t mentioned in the forecast for the day. Tom seemed wholly unaffected by it. Probably just got missed, weather forecasts were never completely accurate.

When we arrived at the docks, barely a soul was around. No doubt due to the sandstorm. The only mainstays were the guards posted at their respective ships, and they had a man-sized booth for occasions such as these.

Andrew, the sentry posted outside The Coiled Viper, was half-asleep and leaning his chair back on two legs, apparently not expecting anyone any time soon. I tapped on the glass with my knuckle, startling him enough to tip his chair back completely, sending him crashing to the ground.

“What the-?” he yelped. He scrambled to get up, unholstering his pistol in the process and took aim at his ‘attacker’. “Ares! The hell is wrong with wrong with you!” he exclaimed as he noticed I was outside of the booth. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “You know me, Andy, I saw the perfect opportunity and I just had to take it. Besides, you were the one who was nearly asleep,” I chastised him.

He was at a loss for words, knowing I was right. “Who’s your friend,” he snapped, wanting to move past his embarrassment.

“Him?” I asked, gesturing to Tom. “He’s...”

“You can call me Noah. I bumped into Ares here a short while ago and he was kind enough to ask your captain if I could tag along as far as Io,” Tom interjected. Why did he lie just then?

Andrew eyed him warily. “Well since you’re with the XO, I guess I can let you through. Just don’t go causing any trouble. If you do, we’ll toss you out the airlock, whether we are in space or not. Understood?”

“Yes, thank you for the warning,” Tom replied.

Andrew pushed a button on his personal tablet and the ship’s door opened. “Keep an eye on him, Ares,” the guard called out before closing the door.

Before we could reach the captain’s quarters, a pinging noise began blasting loudly, although there was no discernible source. Suddenly, the corridor faded from my vision and the pitch-black of my room replaced it. It was just a dream. A memory. Tom… what the hell was going on with you? The pinging had been coming from my personal tablet. The clock embedded above my bed shows 23:36 in a pale-blue light. Who could be messaging me at this time?

Sluggishly, I rise from my bed, stretching at the same time in an attempt to wake the rest of my body up. The tablet, sitting on my bookshelf, had finally gone silent. Go figure, it stops the moment I fully wake myself up. Slowly, I make my way to it. Turning on my tablet, I nearly drop it when I see the name of the message’s sender. Tom.