The Yellow Rover, page 1
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 by C.E. Whitaker III
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.
First Edition: September 2021
Cover Design by Micaela Alcaino
Library of Congress: 2021924759
ISBN: 978-1-955476-05-8 (e-book)
ISBN: 978-1-955476-06-5 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-955476-07-2 (hardcover)
Published by Darn Pretty Books
Instagram: @darnprettybooks
PREFACE
What is the definition of an outlaw?
———
Well, Wikipedia states the following:
An outlaw is one declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was with-drawn from the criminal, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute or kill them. Outlawry was thus one of the harshest penalties in the legal system.
———
The mass exodus from the Rover Base Alpha has placed fifty-four brave souls on three separate missions to explore the recently identified, adjacent star systems.
While the Yellow Rover [and other vessels like it] may have been built to last, the reality for much of its unsophisticated crew, is a lot less secure.
This is the type of protracted voyage that would test even the strongest men and women among them. Once on the drift, there would be no turning back.
In the uncharted universe, there is only one mantra that is worth repeating: Might makes right!
To the victors… go the spoils! While to the losers… go the guillotine!
CHAPTER ONE
“Greetings my people. No! Ack. For heaven’s sake, you’re not a monarch, Billy.”
Sanhueza sat quietly on the softest, most luxurious couch in the space-station, observing Aresco from across his private chamber. That was the first and only time he had ever heard the general use his childhood nickname, let alone speak in the third person. The general massaged his forehead. The pressure to lead their space community in these challenging times appeared to be getting to him after lying dormant for more than a decade.
“It’s all right. Just take your time.” Sanhueza said, giving him a reassuring nod.
The general closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and exhaled.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. No! Shit.”
His O-R-D—or oration recognition device—flew through the air as Sanhueza stuck his foot out to stop its momentum. In a past existence, a fast-twitching move like that might’ve garnered the counselor a standing ovation from a drunken and delirious fanbase. But unfortunately, his current life was nearly two centuries removed from the lush fútbol fields of his Porto Alegran ancestors.
Judging by the scrapes and dents all over the device, this couldn’t have been the first time that it had the Rover Base’s chief military officer at his wit’s end. Their current session was nearing ninety minutes and counting and Aresco still hadn’t found an opening sentence he was comfortable with. The specific nomenclature to what he deemed would be ‘the most significant address of his illustrious career’ had simply alluded him thus far.
Their space community was set to embark on what many in the leadership council believed to be humanity’s greatest discovery in a generation. Three neighboring star systems, each of which containing habitable planets, just waiting to be colonized. All they needed now was for Aresco to give the order and the wheels would-be set-in motion.
Since being told of the discovery, Sanhueza had spent almost every other night in the general’s quarters offering his unbiased—or better stated—nuanced counsel. Aresco had been vacillating between how best to proceed with such a daunting undertaking. While it was accurate that their space community was over five hundred strong and would soon reach six hundred, there were also legitimate concerns as to how this exploration would ultimately work.
According to Aresco, they had multiple Rovers capable of extended space travel, but it remained to be seen if they had the manpower suitable for such an operation. If this was going to work, there had to be enough soldiers on each ship, while not lessening the security within the Rover Base itself. The Rovers would also have to include specialists from other departments to assist in the creation of fledgling colonies.
In a perfect world, Aresco might have been willing to send two Rovers into each of the three systems to increase their probabilities of success. However, perfect was the last word that could be used to describe this world. Their mining operations on Prisca were still too important to the Rover Base to remove the human workers. Sadly, they hadn’t built enough androids to replace them.
Aresco walked to his device and picked it up. He gave it a once over before glancing to Sanhueza.
“I’m gonna fuck this up, aren’t I?” The general said.
“What makes you say that?”
Aresco sat on the arm of his sofa and exhaled. This was a man who was the master of his domain and yet he was still as insecure as a child trying to impress their parent for the very first time.
“No particular reason. I’m just not sure if I should be the one making this decision.” Aresco sighed. “If I’m wrong, then a lot of lives could be lost in the process.”
“And what happens if you’re right?”
“A lot of lives could be lost in the process.”
Sanhueza raised his eyebrows. The general was in an un-envious position. Between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Future generations would judge his decision making, even though he would have no bearing on whether or not the missions were successful.
“Sir—and I mean this with all due respect, but we’ve been over this for God only knows how many times. The council is firmly leaning towards exploration, correct?”
“Leaning? Ananke’s practically leading an expedition as we speak.”
“My point exactly. The groundswell is pointing you in the right direction. Maybe you should stop fighting against it.”
Aresco nodded several times as Sanhueza chomped on his fingernails. He wasn’t known for being the most pliable and could berate anyone at a moment’s notice. He may have stated that he wasn’t a monarch while fumbling over his speech, however, there were occasions where the general displayed Machiavellian-esque qualities. Any person who dealt with him on a regular basis would be wise to remember that.
“If you were me, how would you start this speech?”
Sanhueza lowered his hand and noticed Aresco staring right at him. He was Johnny-on-the-spot.
“Uh, well. If it were up to me, I would keep it simple.”
“Example.”
The general’s gaze never wavered as Sanhueza wracked his brain to come up with something ideal.
“How about… Good evening, members of the Rover Base Alpha.”
He shrugged as Aresco narrowed his focus for a moment. The wheels were turning in his head. A smile emerged from his lips as Sanhueza breathed a sigh of relief.
“I like it. Simple. Yet effective.”
Thank God.
“Now that we’ve settled on a coherent opening, I think I’d like to provide some nuance to this discussion. What do you think?”
Sanhueza wore a blank expression. He was skeptical, bordering on incredulous. Did the general really expect him to transcribe his speech on top of his other duties? The man had just agreed with him to keep it simple a moment ago and yet, here he was still waffling in what should have been a no-brainer. He would’ve been lying if he said that this encounter was easing his trust in Aresco’s leadership ability—which was exacerbated by the fact that no one else had emerged as a credible alternative to lead their space community.
“I think—that this is a fantastical moment for all of us. And alas, none of us know what’s going to happen. That’s what makes this all so exciting and scary at the same time. We’ve lived in this star system for over a decade and finally, we’re about to move again. Speaking of which, since we’re on the subject, I might as well ask.”
The general’s eyebrows perked up. Sanhueza had his undivided attention.
“I would like to put in my request, formally, to be on one of those ships you send out.”
Aresco snickered as he looked at him with a smirk.
“Why am I not surprised?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you’re not the first person who has made such a request, Tubby. And I’m certain you won’t be the last.”
Fuckin prick. Would it kill him to call me Oscar or even Doctor, just once? Unbelievable.
“You’re probably right. Although, I’m wondering if any of those other people requested to be a mission commander? Because that’s what I’m interested in.”
Aresco folded his arms and scoffed. His body language wasn’t exactly a great sign to Sanhueza’s cause overall.
“So you actually expect me to put a clinical psychologist in charge of a military operation?”
“I went through the military training same as anyone else you’d select. Not to mention, I’m also a captain.”
“Maybe so, but—how many hours have you simmed in combat?”
“What difference does it make?”
“A metr
“And respectfully, I disagree. You of all people, seek my counsel on a regular basis. Hell, you’re seeking it right now on the biggest speech of your life. That says a lot more about me than you may want to believe.”
Sanhueza took a breath and wiped his brow.
“So what do I have to do to prove myself, huh? To prove that I’m the right man for the job? I may not have big muscles but I do have a big brain. And I know how to use it. But most importantly, I want to be out there. Because that’s where I belong.”
“This has always been your problem, Tubby. You seem to believe that you can just speak things into existence. But you can’t. Some things are simply out of your control.”
“So what do I have to do to change your mind?”
The general tapped his forehead with the speech device. Sanhueza was not about to allow him to wiggle his way out of this conversation without giving him a legitimate answer.
“If you can find someone credible, who is willing to be your number two, I will consider your request.”
Sanhueza grinned as Aresco put his hand up. He wasn’t finished yet.
“I don’t like having my time wasted. So it had better be a hell of a homerun—captain.”
Sanhueza bit his lip, trying his best to contain his growing excitement. Unflappable was his typical standard, especially when in the presence of Aresco. It wouldn’t take much for the general to deny him if he displayed any emotion beyond what was expected from him. His ability to remain cool under pressure would allow him to win the day and secure his position aboard one of those three Rovers. And with a little luck, he would be the one running things.
CHAPTER TWO
The decorative tile floor that encircled the Rover Base’s six-lane lap pool was cold to the touch as Delly stepped out of the women’s comfort station barefoot. She wore a fresh black and yellow wetsuit, that she kept zipped just above her clavicle. Her best friend, Clio, affectionately referred to her as ‘Mangrove,’ like the serpent, whenever she wore it.
Swimming had always been a treasured activity for her—particularly when negative thoughts attempted to cloud her subconscious. She often mused if there were other members of her space community like her who had also learned how to swim before they could comfortably walk on two feet.
Her father, captain Derrick Moore, instilled in her from the very beginning that anything she desired could only be actualized through consistency and discipline, which was the habitual ideology espoused to all of the young people on the Rover Base.
However, Delly’s childhood was a procession of sprains and wrenches. Her father was a military man, through and through. He didn’t just project physical strength, as far as she was concerned, he was the personification of it. This great man, her father, was a swimmer, marksman, excelled in hand-to-hand combat and could even pilot a StarForger to boot. He was born into a family that had been historically recognized more for their agricultural abilities than besting their fellow man.
Yeah, the captain, he never took it easy on her. Whenever she would whine or complain, he would simply ask her if she thought that her behavior would achieve the result she so desperately desired. And after careful reflection, it became apparent to Delly that—it would not. Her father would never budge. Nor would he ever accept disrespect from any of his children.
Not that Delly didn’t attempt to test his authority every once in a while. As much as he and her mother, Carolyn, tried to inhibit her personality, reining in Delly was not an endeavor for the faint of heart. She was a rebel in every sense of the word.
Following the birth of her younger brothers, Orion, then Pharaoh, things slowly began to evolve in the Moore house-hold. Delly could no longer afford to be a bad example. At least not as long as her parents were still around. Sure, she could be a pain-in-the-ass and possess a cheeky disposition, but a bad example? Not in a million lifetimes.
Over the years, she noticed her father soften his stance when parenting her younger siblings. Whether this was due to an unspoken favoritism due to the fact that they were male or that she was simply the oldest, there was one thing she was certain of:
The first born always gets it the worst.
She walked to the third lane closest to the comfort station and stood with her toes mere inches from the edge. While the swimming lanes were technically all the same, this particular lane held a special place in her heart. It was the one she had used on that triumphant day. The day she finally defeated her father head-to-head. Fifteen years in the making, Delly had finally done it.
Over three years had passed and still nothing would ever come close to topping the sheer joy Delly felt. That was the moment when she officially learned that she could compete with anyone, in anyplace, at any time.
“I figured you’d be in the water already.”
Delly turned to see her best friend approaching. She was bewildered. Unlike her, Clio wasn’t wearing a wetsuit at all. For some strange reason, she must have believed that a bra and panties were proper aquatic attire. Now this wouldn’t have been that big of a deal if she didn’t have such big fuckin’ udders. While Delly had her beat by four inches in the height department, she didn’t measure up in any way, shape or form to the ampleness presented by Clio.
Her bestie was a fascinating young lady, to put it lightly. She came from a family of chemists and was following in their scientific footsteps. And there was a never-ending line of men who were hoping to find that spark to win her heart. A few were single, many were not. Some were her age, some were not.
While it was apparent that Clio relished the attention that came from the male persuasion, this was also a girl who was serious about her future, at least as it pertained to improving their space community. Just another reason that she and Delly were so tight in the first place. They were all about self-improvement, even if others might misconstrue their actions as selfish.
Clio jiggled her way over as Delly shook her head.
“Where’s your suit, Clio?”
“Honestly, what’s the point? We both know you’re gonna win anyway.” She waved her off. “Besides, I love the warm water touching every ounce of my body.”
“I’m surprised you’re not going in naked.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Clio winked which elicited a frown from her. There was only one person in this entire place that could cut someone down better than Delly and it just so happened to be her best friend.
“Just for that, we’re doing four laps and three rifts.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Gotta help you lose that baby fat, remember? How long has it been now? Three weeks?”
She noticed Clio’s eyes lower for no longer than half-a-second, if that. There was a slight protrusion in her stomach, which could have simply been from drinking a cup of water for all she knew.
“God, you’re such an asshole.”
Clio whined while shaking her head.
“If you must know, we were testing new proteins earlier. My system’s still digesting it.”
“And yet, here you are, in all your glory, about to jump into a pool.” She pointed. “No excuses. Four laps. Three rifts. Come on, let’s rip.”
Before Clio could utter another word in protest, Delly dove head first into the water, extending both arms as she submerged nearly to the base of the nine-foot pool. She swam below the surface for almost a minute and a half before re-emerging to capture a much-needed lungful.
There was nothing more peaceful than swimming under-water. Her strokes were inaudible. With each successive one, she became more and more in-tune with the source itself. She stole a glance ahead of her, she was nearing the lane’s end. She dipped under the surface again and somersaulted, using her feet to propel herself back from whence she came.
Delly had just completed her first lap, with only fifteen more to go, provided Clio didn’t find a lame excuse to quit, anyway.
