Watch the AUDIBLE VIDEO reading from the author, by Michael Azzolino.

Pilot Tales

“Change of Fortune” — Episode 05

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by Michael Azzolino

EPISODE 05

Arven showed no reaction to Fenell, seemingly oblivious to his disclosure. He continued recalling his account of the trip, fumbling to produce his Cyberdeck from his belt, as if showing proof of the things he was saying.

“Yeah, there it is,” Arven said. “Message Zero-145 was transmitted 2.5 cycles after I drafted it.” His confident demeanor was suddenly replaced with a look of confusion. He punched a few buttons on the Deck. The device made an audible ping. Arven’s face was now expressionless, as he read the data displayed on the small screen. “Message Zero-145 was intercepted by the PAL system and routed instead to the captain’s comms. It was never sent to her.”

“None of that matters now, Arven,” Fenell interrupted. “Ilanna Harris was behind it all. She played you and continues to put your future in jeopardy, covering the tracks of those involved. Arven, I need you to carefully focus on what I’m about to tell you.”

Arven returned the Cyberdeck to the hook on his belt, made eye contact with Fenell, and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. “The woman, Ilanna Harris, is a high-level operative of the Shadow Company — Callsign: Araneida. She was the principal engineer behind the convoy operation to hijack the cargo, swindle the investors out of millions of credits, and defraud the insurance company holding the bond to pay out on the policy.”

Fenell paused, allowing Arven a moment to marinate on the concept before continuing to speak. “Our records indicate that the original plan didn’t include the ambush. It was always all about the cargo and the cash. The Shadow Company wasn’t looking to paint such a large target on their collective back. I believe the most obvious conclusion is that she called an audible and changed the plan after the ships launched. Assuming what we know, she was enthusiastic in her pursuit of your silence, Arven. Blowing up your ship during the ambush wouldn’t have been enough to achieve that goal. She needed to also orchestrate an accident to prevent the escape pod from warping you back to station.”

“She tried to end me.” Tears began to stream down Arven’s cheeks. “I gave her my heart, my soul. She tried to end me.”

“Did you notice anything anomalous with your ship’s systems prior to the attack?” Fenell pressed to keep Arven on topic. “You mentioned trouble with Harris’ PAL during preflight. Did you have any issues with the PAL that was synced with the ship that you were piloting?” It appeared to work. Fenell’s questions and shoptalk helped Arven stay present.

“I did,” Arven replied. “My ship’s PAL was experiencing an issue with its vocal sub-routines, shifting out of phase when she spoke. There was a huge amount of RF interference pounding my sensors on the last leg of the asteroid field. It’s exactly why it is so dangerous for many pilots to plot the sector. Anyway, like I was saying, my PAL was running diagnostics and degaussing the chassis when rounds of ammo began slamming into my shields. It was fortunate that we completed the upgrades on the shields from a Makk to a Shroud before launch. The Shroud’s quicker recharge rate is better suited for the accidental bump of a stray-path asteroid, and in this case, the intentional barrage of a pair of Barrak cannons.”

Arven wiped his brow with his sleeve. Talking about combat was making him uncomfortable and sweaty.

WYRMBYTE PRESENTS STORIES FROM THE WARP NEXUS.

“You’re quite certain you were taking fire from Barrak cannons?” Fenell asked, recording Arven’s answers with his pad.

“The hits cause an unmistakable sound,” Arven recalled, “a popping-like vibration that transfers through the cockpit. When the munitions make contact, they flash-vaporize against the shields. It’s even more terrifying when that popping is followed by metallic raindrops upon the hull. I am positive the guns were Barraks. It’s not the first time I’ve been in those crosshairs.”

Zebb crossed the room, stood next to Arven, and rested his cold hand upon his shoulder. Ready to fire off the next question on his list, Fenell glanced up at them and paused, realizing it was a good time to take his foot off the accelerator a bit.

“Take it easy bud,” said Zebb reassuringly. “Deep breathing, just like I taught you. Inhale for four. Hold it. Exhale for four. Repeat.” Zebb simulated with exaggerated breath while coaching Arven through the process. Zebb’s cold metal hand gave Arven instant relief, both from the contact and by helping to lower his core temperature.

“I have contacts inside the insurance conglomerate, TRI,” said Fenell. “The official reports from the investigation reveal that both lead ships, flown by you and Harris, experienced simultaneous catastrophic failure of the nexus unit containment fields, resulting in a complete loss of crew and cargo. And yet, here you stand before me in contradiction to the official record. Isn’t that curious?” Fenell’s rhetoric did not seek to be answered. “I am left to conclude that Araneida only allowed this to make it to the record because she never intended for you to live through it.” Fenell could sense that Arven was no longer conflicted with accepting the reality of her betrayal.

“Ilanna’s husband, Captain Harris, did not live through it,” Arven said softly.

“No, he did not,” the broker agreed. “To add insult to injury, the logs and telemetry from your mission have been extracted and examined thoroughly. The insurance investigators easily located fabricated evidence tying you directly to Shadow Company. The frame-up was executed by Captain Harris once the voyage began. It is very likely that his PAL was complicit in the act, as well as in the coverup after his death.”

“He was supposed to live. I was supposed to die,” Arven said. “I don’t remember anything after the fight started. The next moment I can recall, I was waiting in line at Pilot Services here in the HUB. It’s all a blur in between.”

“The deleted details and erased memories are the ‘X’ in this equation that I seek to solve,” Fenell smiled, openly pleased with his use of a math metaphor. “Trust me, Arven. I will get to the bottom of this and clear your name.”

(To be continued…)

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