Chapter 6: Valradena

From the darkness of space was an enormous asteroid belt. From the tail section of the Oracip debris field resided smaller and smaller rocks. There was still a sizeable trail of various boulders, from ones being the size of basketballs to those that were the size of skyscrapers.

However, from within this trail of asteroids was one that was much bigger than the others. It had blinking lights and portholes that filled its sides. About 30 kilometers away from this constructed space station was a spinning blue vortex held in a metal gate ring carved into a donut-shaped piece of rock. The wormhole was stable, enough for a single ship to fly through it.

In seconds, the enormous form of the Lifen emerged into the fringes of the Oracip debris field. Various red and yellow lights blinked from the lander’s brick hull. Behind it was the spinning ring of the centripetal ring. With a quick shut-off of the rear engine thruster, the ship glided on its forward momentum. After clearing the wormhole, the rocky ring array remained active for another ten seconds before the blue vortex sealed close.

The Lifen continued to head forward, drifting through space. Inside the main bridge of the lander was a series of console stations riming with some form of activity. Away from the rotating ring, the crew were subjected to zero gravity, with the hint of minor adjustments pushing and jolting their bodies around.

Javier sat strapped into his chair, his magnetic boots keeping him anchored to the deck as the other crew sat behind their stations in a similar fashion. Those with augmented arms or hands were operating their consoles, a blue glow radiating from their ligaments. Those that didn’t use them were operating under original control and keyboard. Ahead of Javier was Marcelle, working the navigation station and piloting the ship.

“We’ve cleared Valredena’s gate array,” Marcelle said.

Javier turned his head to look at the rear-right console. A pale-faced female officer, an ensign of former Chinese descent, sat behind her console. She was busy handling communications with a headset placed over short black and light blue hair.

“Ensign Genji,” Javier addressed her. “Status on Valredena’s permission?”

Genji gave a smirk at her screen. “Standby, sir,” she replied with a thick Chinese accent.

The XO looked ahead at the main display screen that overlapped most of the bridge. It provided a live feed of the outside environment. Ahead of the Lifen was a torrent of asteroids, most at great distances. The ones that were closer to the station had small yellow-lit beacons for traveling ships. A few of the asteroids had implanted AIO turrets to help defend the facility further.

To the left of the ship was the massive asteroid base of Valredena. To Javier, it reminded him of the dwarf planet Ceres back in the Sol system, but only a fifth of its size. It was partially crooked in looks, consisting of a series of craters and jutting rock slabs protruding from its non-spherical structure. The lower left portion of the installation was a series of carved-out tunnels and docking stations. The lit lights showed the artificial environment. The occasional civilian mining hauler would either be heading toward it or away from Valredena, most likely heading into the deep sections of the belt or toward the gate array. Despite the cluster of rocks, Javier did feel a sense of ease. While the asteroids were a threat to navigating ships, they cluttered the scene, providing a form of majestic beauty to a dark-covered environment.

“Sir,” Genji addressed him. “Permission granted. We can dock at loading platform 3.”

“Set a course to Valredena, docking gate 3,” Javier ordered Marcelle. “Take us in.”

“Aye, sir,” Marcelle said.

“All stations,” Genji called out on the intercom. “We’ll be docking with Valredena in five minutes. Standby for further course adjustments.”

Javier waited as the ship began a wide sixty-degree turn. Vectoring thrusters were active as the Lifen moved toward the station. Inside, the crew could feel themselves lurching to the right. At the same time, Marcelle did a small barrel roll. This would allow the ship to align with the docking tether and collar section of the space station. A series of forward vectoring thrusters would activate to keep the ship from approaching the base too quickly.

After the major course adjustments, Javier began to unbuckle his safety straps. He felt the need to talk to Shira. She wasn’t currently in the bridge but in the nearby small stateroom of the main bridge. He took the risk and stood up. He wasn’t worried about the lack of gravity but more about any untold course changes.

“Sir, you should remain at your seat,” another crewman told him.

“It’s alright,” Javier replied. “Besides, I trust Marcelle’s piloting skills.”

“Thank you, sir,” Marcelle replied with a bit of glee. A smile could be seen on her face.

“Ensign Genji, the bridge is yours.”

“Aye, sir,” Genji replied.

Javier walked, hearing the tiny clicks from his boots as he moved through the zero gravity. It didn’t take him long before he reached the door. It slid open as he stepped in.

The tiny room was nothing spacious, being almost a closet. It consisted of a lone table pressed into a corner, along with a computer station and a chair. Sitting down, strapped to her chair, was Shira. The captain, unlike the day before, was dressed in civilian attire. She had a black and green tank top that didn’t cover her midriff, long dark green shorts, green gloves, and a holster that carried her magnum. Her hair was also different, being black instead of purple. Much of her gray skin was exposed, along with her fin arms, legs, and tail.

“You really should keep yourself strapped in,” Shira calmly said.

“I’m fine,” Javier remarked as he braced his hand against the wall.

“You seem to be particularly apprehensive.”

“It isn’t necessarily you that I’m worried about.” He reached over and patted her exposed, slightly distended midriff. She looked down before looking back at him.

“I would remind you of the countless stories of our people when they were pregnant and still went into battle, but I know that you already know that.”

“I know,” Javier remarked. “Maybe I just needed to hear you tell me that you’ll be alright.”

Shira’s brow lifted. “Our child will be alright.”

“Heh,” Javier shook his head and looked back at her. “You look good in that.”

The man looked over his wife. Shira’s attire was quite pleasant to look upon. Her breasts naturally pressed against the fabric. He could see the hint of bra straps underneath the tank top. If anything, seeing her like this did make him think about their future. Her hair was still tied up as it usually was. The inertia and the ship’s movement naturally caused it to push forward.

“Dyed your hair black,” he commented as he took a finger and brushed it.

“A temporary action,” she explained. “Stone, Ioren, and I must keep our civilian appearances intact. Showing us as military personnel would only likely draw attention. I myself and the small amount of my notoriety will also incur that as well.

“You actually think you’re famous?” Javier smiled as he asked that.

“While I believe military media knowledge would be somewhat nonexistent to the public, to see a Shal’rein UHN Captain would still be new to the general public. Eventually, one would conclude that I am ‘thee’ Shal’rein, that was promoted to UHN Captain and on some secret mission. Changing my hair, how I have it displayed, and how I act will all be judged by the others in how they perceive me. I will be posing as a hired Shal’rein bodyguard. Since Doctor English knows more of this region than any of us, he will be the main dominant leader with Stone to act as a close contender, a person that would likely challenge his authority and aggressively protect him.”

“You really had this rehearsed, didn’t you? But what about you? What would your true purpose be?”

“All questions that lead to one and an answer that you should already know. I will play as the quiet observer.”

“Like you normally do.”

“Indeed...,” Shira said.

Javier could feel the ship’s braking thrusters were kicking in more and more as he kept his arm braced against the wall.

“And here I thought I would get a chance to see you with your hair down,” he told her.

“It will be quite difficult to achieve that with the low gravity of Valredena.”

“It does make me wonder about that. How a people can live in a place with virtually no gravity.”

“The Itreans had long adapted to that issue. However, with humans, you might not enjoy that answer.”

“I imagine I wouldn’t,” Javier replied. “Titan and Luna colonizers already have a hard time acclimating to other worlds, but these mining installations ... I’m starting to feel like we are really heading into the armpits of the UWA, the places that the media avoid talking about.”

“All the more reason why I chose the team carefully.”

“Yeah ... well...,” He reached forward and leaned toward her. Shira held onto Javier’s arm as he made a brief kiss on her lips. He looked dead into her single yellow eye.

“You stay safe for me, alright?” he stated. “I’ll keep the fort safe for you.”

“Without a doubt,” she replied with a mild hint of assurance.

Twenty minutes would pass.

The docking sleeve was fully connected to a large elevator tower of Valradena’s starport. Looking from above, Ioren could observe through the see-through sealed porthole where the Lifen was parked. It lay above her, held in place by docking clamps. The ship’s centripetal ring continued to spin in place. The hint of other shuttles and transports could be seen moving to and fro from one place to another.

The internal layout of the base was actually quite spacious. It consisted of a series of connected enclosed sealed atmospheric square domes, with enough space for multi-story buildings to be installed. It was obvious that some portions of the rocky terrain had been dug out to allow such an installation to exist. It was a busy starport. There were signs of human activity from other distant elevator connector ports. Lights from all sorts of colors, neon and beyond, radiated from the buildings. It provided a dark but adequate sight to behold.

For Ioren, it was almost like stepping into another world. Even if it was a UHN base, it still consisted of a sizeable civilian population. Various humans would walk on magnetic shoes as if they were their day-to-day living. Being in the UHN wasn’t a surprising sight for many, as the local population seemed all but used to it. There were even the wondering Yutilian or Shal’rein here and there, probably doing trade or married to one of the many UHN officials on the station. Ioren knew that she was no complete stranger, even if she knew the Itreans probably looked at her with some disdain.

She turned around and looked back at Stone. While most of the Lifen crew were interacting with the station’s crew, Stone was not far from her. Ioren and the master sergeant were dressed in colors similar to Shira’s. She had a similar tank top and short pants, exposing her tail, lower digitigrade legs, and arms. She carried her AKT-2 submachine pistol over her thin Meclevar vest that covered her torso and midriff.

On the other hand, Stone wore a green and black T-shirt and khaki cargo pants. He also wore the familiar vest, but he also had a civilian OSG shotgun, his sidearm pistol, and a sheathed bowie knife on his belt.

Shira was interacting with Doctor English. The man hadn’t changed his appearance since he first arrived. He did wear a Meclevar vest, but it was covered up mostly by the white coat. For Ioren, the mystery remained with the figure. Why was there so much revolving around this new person? It must just come down to the reason that he simply knew the area or at least was familiar with it.

Stone was quiet, observing for any threats that came his way. It would be up to the Lifen crew to handle the shipments of cargo containers that were slowly being ferried in by the various magneto hover skiffs. Almost zero gravity did have its benefits in allowing easy movement of supply.

“Of course,” Doctor English said as he approached the two. Shira was not far from him. Her magnum was kept holstered by her side. For a brief moment, both English and the Captain pulled on their gloves almost in unison, although unintentionally.

“Let’s go,” Shira said, seeing the team was fully assembled. They began their walk to the high-rise structures together.

The near-zero gravity made walking similar to moving on the Lifen lander. There was still a light pull against their bodies, but it was so marginal that it might as well not even exist. Ioren swore that it was similar to the gravity plating on most Itrean vessels, enough that if you dropped a pencil, it probably took a minute before it touched the ground. Most of the humans and Shal’rein that Ioren observed had their hair short or tied up. However, there was still the occasional human whose hair would float forward when they stopped walking. Then, the hair would finally and slowly droop down to their shoulders.

Ioren’s curiosity began to take fold. She noted that the human beings on the station seemed somewhat skinny and tall in appearance when compared to most humans. Some were almost too skinny. Finally, she shouldered her gun, got Stone’s attention, and used her sign language.

“Doctor,” Stone addressed him. “Ioren’s curious why they seem so malnourished.”

“It isn’t that,” the doctor calmly explained, keeping his hands behind his back. “It’s Microgravity Syndrome, which can lead to Gangler Syndrome. It’s the effects of living in a place that has almost no gravity for prolonged periods. Their bodies have severe bone loss, leading to decreased health and low muscle mass. Lack of gravity also makes them taller.”

“It can be safely assumed that they have treatment for it,” Shira remarked.

“Yes, they do. There are various methods to counter it. Augmentation is one, but there is a limit to how much augmentation can be done to the body. Even the use of artificial bone infusion can only do so much. There is also medication, regular transfusions of muscle growth hormones, and medications to prevent degradation to the body.”

Ioren used her sign language to continue communicating.

“Hmph ... I don’t believe so,” Stone said. “You’ve seen some of it back on Oshun, and you know that their lives are reduced to artificial dependency. Ioren is commenting to you that it sounds like humans can still live on this space station without health problems.”

“There are too many problems,” English continued. “While treatment is available, some of the humans on this station don’t have regular access to healthcare. There is, of course, the price and resources to take care of the population. Medication and augments are expensive. Being rich or in the military does help, but it only does so much. It’s difficult for low-gravity populations to operate, but it’s obvious that this space station was designed for short-term rotations. Palora, being in low poverty, conveniently has an excuse not to improve its conditions. The people that live here and the pirates that operate in the field are trapped in their own making. Living on the other worlds, the population might as well watch as their legs buckle and snap under the weight of their own bodies.”

Ioren shook her head and made a few words with her hands.

“She says that is terrible,” Stone remarked with a grunt.

“Indeed,” English commented without remorse. “You will find that this and Valdivia are the hidden hives of corruption and decadence. If a UHN official has a family member that needs medication to keep them alive, it doesn’t take much for those officials to look the other way in exchange for those meds.”

“It is inexcusable,” Stone said. “A betrayal of the uniform.”

“But, to them, it’s survival.”

The team continued their walk. They left the Lifen crew with their loading operations. Within a minute, Ioren and the others reached the main street, one of the central sections of the civilian city. On the outside, it seemed innocent. This was a commercial sanctum. Shops, tailors, barbers, grocery stores, restaurants, and more lined each of the plazas. People would enter and leave these places, wholly used to the fact that they were living in virtual zero gravity.

“I would advise caution as to where we go,” English stated. “These places seem good on the surface, but past these points lead to potentially unruly areas. The further we go, the higher the risk it poses to us.”

“Is it truly that deplorable?” Stone asked with the hint of a question.

English turned to look at him. The hint of shaded glasses shimmered from the overhead lights. “You tell me, Master Sergeant. I read a little bit about your services on Oshun. You fought well because the potential criminals here will begin to put their sanity aside to make a quick buck.”

Again, to Ioren, there was no sign of rampant crime. She remembered Oshun and the poverty areas. Each of the buildings was in good shape. There were no apparent signs of decadence. Wayward customers and patrons would travel to adjacent shops. As they reached the road and walked further ahead, Ioren could see displays projecting advertisements and various items to buy. There were no signs of damage or wear.

“The Barra Azul Soleada is another ten-minute walk,” English explained. “It will lead to the lower levels, deeper into the heart of Valredena.”

Ioren looked around. Unlike the more spacious 1st level, the lower level was a little more confined. There was still plenty of headspace to the ceiling, but the towering buildings were replaced with two-story structures and rooms. Various onlookers would pass by the four as they kept moving ahead. The neon lights were fewer in this region, almost producing a darker set than above. The main walking road was quite large, big enough to actually handle vehicles, but there was nothing present, creating an almost empty barren street that only a few individuals would try to use as a pathway.

English maintained the role of the escorted leader, a man who was being protected by three guards. He kept a calm composure, walking with his hands behind his back. For Ioren, it was strange to see her captain perform such a role as one of the “three protectors,” but perhaps it was the best. The action, in itself, seemed to be a safe move. Even the way she walked indicated that of a different Shal’rein. Shira typically had a particular walk pattern that was almost similar to English, but as they continued into the station, she altered it. No longer was she walking with her hands behind her back, but in a method similar to the wandering population. Her hands and fingers would saunter. Even her tail was lowered slightly.

“I have noticed that individuals are not utilizing the near-zero gravity,” Shira calmly remarked as the four stepped out of the nearby elevator.

“You mean to ‘drift’ as the trending term is used?” English replied with a lack of interest. “No, there are rules established to prevent people from jumping and doing dives to expedite their movements. Considered to be a safety hazard. Most individuals just prefer to walk anyway.”

Ioren used her sign language to communicate with Stone.

“Ioren is asking about our location.” Stone said.

“We are in the residential and commercial quarter,” English explained as he continued ahead of the three. “Originally, when the station was built, this was the main quarter, but as the population expanded, more tunnels and rooms were created in the lower levels.”

“Hmmm...” Shira remarked. “The population on this asteroid would make it a likely candidate as a colony member of the UWA. Yet, it doesn’t carry its own autonomy.”

“Valdivia and Valredena both have well over a thousand individuals. You are correct that they can petition to become a colony member, but no action has been made.”