Impulse by Dave Bara Page B

Field collapsing under the strain as bolts of energy streaked through to singe her shining hull. The camera view flickered for a few seconds but stayed on just long enough for me to see bodies flying out of
Impulse
’s belly and into the vacuum of open space. There, the image froze, leaving my navy comrades hanging in the cold abyss. A few moments passed as I held my breath, nauseated by what I had seen. Then, mercifully, the display went black.
    â€œYou’re a brave young man for watching that,” he said. I thought I detected the first bit of respect I had seen from him in his eyes, but it vanished quickly. “I wanted you to know what you were going to be up against.”
    I swallowed hard into a dry throat, then stood to leave as quickly as I could go.
    â€œMr. Cochrane,” he called from across the room. I stopped. “I understand you had a close relationship with the Historian assigned to
Starbound
,” he said.
    â€œSerosian,” I replied. He looked at me coldly.
    â€œUnderstand, I am not him. There are different schools within the Church of the Latter Days. They have differing philosophies about how to best help your civilization return from barbarism. Not all of us believe this quaint little Union is in your best interests.”
    â€œSo you’re in favor of a return to Imperial rule? A second empire? After what you just showed me?”
    Tralfane shook his head. “I never said that,” he said. I contemplated this, not sure I could trust him, but certain I would probably never know.
    â€œFair enough,” I responded.
    â€œOne last thing. I expect complete secrecy in these meetings. You are not to share the content of our conversations with anyone. That includes Captain Zander or Commander Kierkopf,” he said. I tilted my head at him, deliberately, to let him know he didn’t intimidate me.
    â€œI’ve sworn an oath to the service to always tell the truth,” I said, “and I have no intention of breaking that oath for you or anyone else, sir. But I also have no intention of offering up sensitive information on a lark, either. Just don’t make me choose between you and my oath and we should get along fine.”
    â€œGood,” he replied, then turned and strode purposefully away to his inner chambers.

On the Bridge
    A n hour later I was freshly showered, shaved, dressed, and ready to take my station on the bridge at 1200 hours. With just a few minutes to go until my first duty shift aboard
Impulse
, I stepped into the empty lifter and pressed the button for the bridge. I felt a slight tug of motion as the lifter began ascending the conning tower, passing through the artificial gravity wells of several decks as it climbed. A ship with a functioning Hoagland Field provided equal protection to all areas of a space vessel, making the location of the bridge a style decision. When the Lightship designs had been drawn up they had debated placing the bridge somewhere more practical, perhaps even deep in the center of the ship, but in the end tradition had won out, and the builders of the Lightships had chosen to put the bridge “on top.”
    I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, taking the last few moments to contemplate my situation and how far I had come. I’d dreamed of being a spacer since early childhood, then had given it up for a shot at professional soccer in my early teens before recommitting to a career in space when we had lost Derrick. Since that day I’d worked almost nonstop to get to this moment, and although it hadn’t come aboard
Starbound
as I’d dreamed, I was still undeniably excited by the step into the future I was about to take.
    The doors slid open and I stepped off the lifter and onto the bridge of
Impulse
at precisely one minute to noon, wearing my newly pressed Quantar Navy jacket. The USN patches and crest were sewn on at the arms and breast, as I’d requested, and I had Derrick’s