Cargo

By Cameron Duke

Erik Mal made a mistake. Not just any mistake, though. What started as a well-meaning act threatens not only his career as a starship Captain, but it also happens to tip the delicate power balance of the Galaxy. As punishment, he is stripped of his command and reassigned as Captain of the Hellbender, a cargo ship on a dangerous mission through enemy territory to attempt to restore order. It is not an easy task, however.
As he digs further into the mystery of what his ship is carrying and why, things begin to go unexplainably awry.
As his fears of the worst become confirmed and his beliefs are shaken, he decides a bit of chaos might be in the best interest of the Galaxy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cameron Duke
• Release date: Nov 5, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310891823

Cameron Duke

Cameron Duke grew up in Nashville, TN, where he learned to tell stories in the form of songs. Now, he lives in the Mountains of North Carolina where he still tells stories, just in a different way now.

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Cargo

Cameron Duke

Cargo

A Novella

by Cameron Duke

This is a work of fiction. Any characters resembling people alive or dead, fictional or not, is purely coincidental.

First published at www. JukePop.com, Spring 2014

Copyright 2014 Cameron Duke

Published by Cameron Duke

Smashwords Edition

Ebook version 1.0.3

License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. You are welcome and encouraged to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to your favorite ebook retailer to leave a review. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

About Cameron Duke

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Acknowledgements

About Cameron Duke

Cameron Duke was born in Nashville, Tennessee and currently resides in North Carolina with his wife Jessica and standard poodle, Gracie.

Cargo is his first novel.

Find his (almost) daily musings at:

www.cameronbduke.wordpress.com

https://twitter.com/DukeofCam

All of Cameron’s upcoming fiction is serialized here:

http://jukepop.com/home/userprofile/16564

Follow the link to read his new books for free and even be a part of the beta process!

To Jessica,

for everything.

So the universe is not quite as you thought it was.

You’d better rearrange your beliefs, then.

Because you certainly can’t rearrange the universe.

-Isaac Asimov

CHAPTER ONE

Judgment felt like a long time coming for the crime he had committed out of the goodness of his own soul. But yet, Erik stood in the Judiciary with his hands to his sides and his beard long unshaven watching the silent holograms recount his deed across the length of the vast courtroom for everyone to see. He wasn’t ashamed. He was the Captain, and he knew he had done the right thing.

He felt restless at the Defendant’s bench as the Court Marshall Judge reviewed his case. Heart racing, he silently watched the hologram that replayed the image of his ship, the Dreadnaught Mercury, firing on and crippling three Saal blockade runners over the Meristoma, one of the five Rostran home worlds.

Federal Defense Ministry code states explicitly, in section 19, article 31a, that Federal warships are not to engage in confrontations in Rostran\Saal warspace, the overweight, robed judiciary stated as he looked down over the court from his bench like a bird of prey. "Furthermore, I believe the Dreadnaught Mercury deviated from a defense order. Am I correct in saying this?"

You would be correct in your assumptions. Captain Erik Mal responded flatly.

"I make no assumptions, Captain. Saying ‘I believe’ is only a figure of speech. I have on record the Dreadnaught Mercury deliberately broke formation and entered Rostran warspace, thus opening a hole in the defense of colony EF 119. There are catastrophic implications to your actions, Captain."

If it helps my case, it was just a precautionary defense. We were not involved directly in said conflict. You even said that yourself, Judge.

No, it doesn’t help your case. The Judge rubbed his temples and sighed. What were you thinking when you deliberately broke orders and intervened?

May I refer to our own fleet's code of honor? Erik cleared his throat and began as he had rehearsed, As a Captain of the United Federation of Autonomous Republics Ministry of Defense, I am to be the strong hand, I am to make peace, I am to aid the weak.

You are to follow orders, another voice spoke.

The Judge gazed down from his perch past Erik Mal and the guards who held him in place. A fully decorated Ministry Captain had entered the courtroom. At all costs, for the good of the Republics, he said.

Erik glared at the man. The Judge had not recognized him at first, but Erik knew him all too well. He was known here and abroad as Ran Akwai, Captain of the Imperial. Erik knew him as an asshole that was once a friend. They had gone through Academy together, and during so developed a healthy rivalry. One day, almost like a switch in his personality was flicked, it all changed. He became a different person with different values and attitudes almost like he had suffered an untreated concussion. He was once Erik’s greatest friend, but all at once he began inexplicably collecting enemies and Erik found himself occupying the number one spot on that list. It happened almost exactly at the time of their graduation from Academy when they received their first assignments as men of the UFAR Ministry of Defense. Since then, both have gone on to extraordinary careers as Captains, albeit in separate ways. Often, Erik felt like his successes came too easy to him. Not such that he could convince himself that he was wildly talented, he thought he was just lucky. In a lot of ways he felt like a hack, undeserving of all the praise he had garnered. In truth, most of his military successes began with him in some way. They would stem from an idea of his or something similar, but they would always end with his crew. Erik considered them to be the real heroes mostly out of guilt or fear of his own ego. He attributed most of his good fortune to luck, and always made sure never to forget that. Ran Akwai, however, was the complete opposite. He stepped on fingers and toes to climb to his status, and nobody seemed to catch on to the fact that he would go after whatever he wanted at the expense of whomever happened to be in his way.

Really, this guy can just interject what he wants into this case? Erik said, visibly annoyed before turning to the Judge. I believe this is between you and me and not this snake.

Ran laughed condescendingly. "I believe you're forgetting a crucial detail of this story. The Imperial was also on the defense detail of EF 119. I am actually a key witness in this case."

I bet he’s thrilled to death about it, too, Erik thought.

I'm glad you're here, Captain Akwai, the Judge said, reclining on his bench somehow. It didn’t look comfortable to Erik. I would like to take a statement from you.

That's what I'm here for.

"During the Rostran/Saal conflict over the Meristoma, the Imperial, the Pseudacris, the Omaha, the Cambrian, and the Dreadnaught Mercury were assigned precautionary defense duty at nearby colony EF 119. Is this true?"

Yes Judge. Those are all facts, Ran said, speaking to the Judge while stealing spiteful glances at Erik.

"Alright. Captain Nkweli of the Pseudacris reported receiving distress signals from a Rostran escape vessel at 00945 standard time. Conversely, the Cambrian and the Omaha have exhibited no record of receiving the signal, but they formed the inner wall of the formation and the signal was reported as extremely weak. Logically, degradation sort of explains that away. Was the Imperial bridge crew aware of this distress signal?"

Yes, we were. First Officer Lado suggested we investigate, but as Captain, I hold myself against the honor of the UFAR and the Ministry of Defense therein. My orders were to hold my place in the formation and only engage if the scope of the Rostran/Saal conflict threatened EF 119 in any way.

The pillars of our galactic identity are that of a superior and isolated society, said the Judge, glaring at Erik, "especially where the Rostran Empire and Saal Confluence are concerned. We are willing to enter the conflict if there becomes any threat to Galactic power balance or significant economic interests, but otherwise we stay neutral until forced into action. Just for the record, did the Dreadnaught Mercury intercept the Rostran SOS?"

Yes, Judge. We analyzed the signal and found it originated from a non-combative unit. It was a crippled Rostran escape vessel calling for assistance, Erik said.

Extrapolate your thought process as to why you blatantly defied Ministry orders and engaged the Saal, the Judge demanded.

I return to my code, your honorable.

To aid the weak, yes, but to defy your superiors?

I saved hundreds of lives.

"The Saal dispatched three additional battalions to the Meristoma. They drove the Rostran completely off planet after they became aware that a UFAR ship had become involved on the Rostran side. When you weren't there to stave off the remaining attack, the Rostran were forced to surrender the planet. Because of you, Galactic balance is threatened. It leans