By Jebraun Clifford
Alice slipped her helmet over her close-cropped hair and took the shuttle’s controls. When she was younger, she’d tinkered with the helmet, adding a holographic program to alter size perception, virtual reality games, and other novelties, all operated by her wrist comm. If only the helmet possessed a feature that could rescue her from her current humdrum existence. Transporting goods from one side of the galaxy to the other took little imagination, and she often wished for more adventure.
Before her stretched the Lepus Wormhole, rippling with an unusual crimson sheen. Sentinel Corp, more concerned with profit than passenger safety, insisted it was stable despite Alice’s concerns.
She glanced at the cryotubes packed into the hold among tools, seeds, prefab quarters, animal embryos, and three years of rations. Everything needed for the recently terraformed Thaxon Seven—Alice’s destination.
“All right, my friends. We’re nearly there.”
She’d studied the refugees’ dossiers during the long journey toward the new colony. After fleeing war-torn Bracteata, they were in search of a place where they could peacefully cohabitate. Sixty humans would settle the land and forty amphibious Drisk would take to the seas.
When preparing the shuttle for launch, their leader had told Alice they had an extra spot.
“Give up my spacefaring ways and all the credit that goes with it?” she’d joked. But now, she wished she’d given a different answer. A risky but satisfying endeavor awaited the colonists as they set out to create a new home for themselves. Perhaps more exciting than drifting through the stars like galactic flotsam.
An image sprang into Alice’s mind: assault troops trampling a field, the fear a metal tang in her mouth. She checked the cryogenic controls and found Dinah, the silver-eyed ten-year-old empath, showing elevated activity in her amygdala. She was projecting her nightmares again. This time, she hid in an outbuilding, praying soldiers wouldn’t find her. They would’ve exploited her gift had they discovered her.
Poor kid. Alice pulled up a holographic picture of a willow tree, her refuge from a favorite childhood program, and focused on the calming scene. Slowly, Dinah’s stats returned to normal, though her tube’s faceplate still glowed silver. Her gratitude flooded Alice’s chest with warmth. Their interactions had helped pass time, and at least the girl would be safe on the colony.
Alice refocused on the wormhole. It too had settled.
“Down the rabbit hole we go,” she murmured and braced herself.
The bright aura of stars streaking past was disorientating, and gravity squashed her against her seat, pressure building until her ears finally popped. The wormhole spit the shuttle into the dizzying expanse of Palioxis Galaxy.
The proximity alarm shrieked, and Alice’s pulse rocketed. Instead of Thaxon Seven’s gentle turquoise sphere filling the view screen, a frigate confronted her. She’d just recognized the red heart emblazoned on its battle-scarred hull when they fired.
“Mustard and jam!” The oath exploded from her, and she maneuvered to avoid the shot. Her ship shuddered, caught in a tractor beam.
“Mayday, mayday,” she shouted into her wrist comm. “Shuttle LEW865 under attack and requesting assistance!” Nothing but static. Had her message gone through?
The beam secured the shuttle alongside the frigate, and the airlock’s hollow hiss echoed outside the shuttle door. Then it opened, revealing several automatons, blasters trained on Alice, and a petite woman who cut a commanding figure—black hair and eyes and a cloak the color of blood. The pirate, Queenie Red.
“Retrieve the cargo,” Queenie ordered. “And you…” She pointed at Alice. “Disembark.” The automatons shouldered past Alice, and she stepped onto the frigate’s hold littered with boxes and containers. Queenie snapped her fingers, and a droid with spider-like appendages chortled as it floated into the shuttle.
The automatons returned with the first load of the colonists’ supplies and stacked the crates by the air lock. The droid appeared, escorting a small figure. Alice couldn’t breathe. Not Dinah!
Queenie’s eyes glittered. “An empath! She’ll fetch a pretty price.”
Alice swallowed, not daring to protest. The nearest automaton gripped Dinah’s shoulder, and the girl flinched.
“Captain Red.” A voice spoke over the comms. “Coalition forces are approaching. You’re needed on the bridge immediately.”
Queenie turned to the automaton restraining Dinah. “Finish unloading and send them on their way.”
“Acknowledged,” it intoned.
Queenie strode down the corridor, the droid hovering at her shoulder.
Sweat trickled down Alice’s spine. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t let them take Dinah. But how to stop them? She touched her wrist comm. Maybe she could risk contacting the Coalition.
She bit her lip, weighing her options. The automaton was an older model—not too bright. “Can I at least say goodbye?”
“Request permitted,” it said.
Alice led Dinah behind the crates piled near the air lock. She pulled off her helmet and crouched at the girl’s eye level. “You’re good at hiding, right?”
Trembling, Dinah nodded.
“Then that’s what you’re going to do.” Alice squeezed the girl’s hand. “The Coalition will arrive soon. You’ll be safe, I promise.”
Alice set the helmet over Dinah’s head and stepped away from the crates.
“Where’s the empath?” the automaton asked.
Alice swiped a tear from her cheek. “Captain Red’s droid took her. Release me as ordered.”
The automaton cocked its head, and Alice stalked down the airlock. She detached the shuttle the exact moment three Coalition cruisers arrived. The frigate vanished, and she tapped her wrist comm.
Dinah’s smile appeared, bright as a crescent moon. Her silver eyes followed, until at last her body came into view. “We snuck right by them!” she crowed. “How’d you do that?”
Alice grinned. “Activated my helmet’s stealth mode.”
The girl flung her skinny arms around Alice’s waist. “Won’t you change your mind and come with us? I know you want to.”
Alice relaxed her limbs. She too merited a chance to create a new home.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clever SF idea–Queenie Red, space pirate.
Thank you! It was fun to imagine what the traditional characters would be like in a sci-fi setting.
Ahhh I really loved this story! Loved the relationship between Alice and Dinah. :)
Your suggestions to strengthen it were on point! Thanks. :-)
Since this is more of a ‘Through the looking-glass’ styled story (rather than an
in wonderland’ one), shouldn’t the shuttle callsign be LEW872?
Nice twist on the Alice story while staying true to the characters; I like this Alice and her relationship with Dinah; love her cleverness; and love the ending.
This was a fun rendition, Jebraun! Thanks for sharing!