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agwitow · 7 years

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Writing Prompt: Sci-Fi, hot-shot CEO, the sun is failing

Nadine Endsley stood on the foredeck of her corporate ship. The twenty-deck ship was small, as far as corporate ships went, but it was the heart of her company. A company she’d built from the ground up.

Now, she watched as the star that had birthed the human race flickered and flared out it’s last desperate breaths. It wasn’t as spectacular as when the sun expanded and swallowed the Earth up, nor as dazzling as when it cooled into a dwarf and its planetary nebula first formed. All the valuable gases and other matter had long been harvested, and now the ancient star was collapsing into a black dwarf.

Most of the solar system had been evacuated decades prior. The sun hadn’t produced enough heat or light to support life on any of the planets and moons humans had spread to when they fled the sun’s expansion. But there were still small colonies on Mars, several of Jupiter’s moons, and a derelict space station or two somewhere in the asteroid belt. They were there because they couldn’t afford the cost of spacefare to relocate to the Alpha Centauri system.

Nadine had vaguely toyed with the idea (for six or seven months) of relocating as many of the remaining humans, for free, who would like to leave. She knew many would want to remain--they and their families had been born and died in those settlements. But in the end, she had to admit that she hadn’t built the most profitable corporation in three solar systems by having a bleeding heart. (Though she offered passage to anyone willing to sign on to one of her mining ships)

Her fiercest competitor, Michael Taylor, had laughed when he heard she was going to be in attendance at the death of Sol. She smiled and gave him some drivel of sentimentality and pretended to get flustered when he teased her further. A few of the other corporate owners joined in his mean-hearted mocking, but most tsked and moved off to discuss more pleasant (or business-relevant) things.

Nadine had made particular note of each and every person who mocked her. They would regret it. She would make sure of it. Later. After this endeavour was finished.

Of course, she had waxed a bit too poetic about saying farewell to Sol. Two other ships drifted between the orbits of the burnt remains of Earth and Venus. From the markings on the hulls, she knew they belonged to Charles Clark and Gregory Paolini. Charles’ ship was small--a personal craft. Gregory’s ship was a scavenging vessel. Which wasn’t surprising. Of the two, Gregory was the clever one--though she hadn’t thought him clever enough to realize her motives for watching the star die were monetary instead of sentimental.

Perhaps he wasn’t. Perhaps he was simply desperate to get ahead. Hadn’t she heard he was on the verge of losing half his fleet to debt collectors?

A worry for another day.

“Ready the squadron,” Nadine instructed. Her order was promptly relied to the flight deck, and not even a minute later she was given confirmation that the seven pilots she had hand-picked for this mission were ready to deploy.

The star pulsed once, twice, spluttered, and then gave a final pulse and died. The force of the death breath hardly affected her ship, large and well-equipped as it was. Charles’ ship was buffeted back, almost past Earth’s orbit. Gregory’s ship wasn’t knocked back nearly far enough.

“Launch!” Nadine ordered.

In a moment, seven sleek ships darted away from them. Each was only big enough for a pilot, defence drone, and one end of a Lakey Hook. She really only needed three hooks to form the containment field, but she’d found 3LH to be unstable. Five was her preference, and seven should prevent even a scavenger ship from breaking the field.

“What the--”

Nadine gaped at Charles’ ship darting forward. It was fast. Very fast. It caught up to her corporate ship by the time her LH ships were halfway to the remnant of Sol. It might even beat the LH ships there.

Gregory’s ship fired a blast that skimmed Charles’ hull and rocked Nadine’s ship. She’d never seen a weapon that powerful before--how could Gregory be broke if he possessed such tech? She knew ten different militaries that would pay millions of credits for just one weapon that strong.

“Bring up the scavenger's call-sign,” she said.

“Yes, Ms. Endsley. Scavenger Class 6-8b, registered to Paolini Retrieval Corp. Pilot Laura Miller, Captain Vera Mullins.”

“What? Laura Miller and Vera Mullins? Are you sure?” Nadine asked, spinning to glare at the unfortunate bridge hand who’d pulled the information up.

“Y-yes, Ms. Endsley. Laura Miller and Vera Mullins.”

“Fuck.”

Nadine turned back to the window. That was one of Gregory’s ships, but Miller and Mullins were Michael’s best pilot and captain. There was no way they would have both gone to work for Gregory. Michael must had made a deal--probably for that fancy weapon--to borrow the ship so she wouldn’t suspect anything until it was too late.

“Scramble a defence squad and all gunners to their stations,” she ordered.

A chorus of “yes, Ms. Endsley” met her command, but she was too busy glaring at the scavenger ship to take any satisfaction in her crew’s prompt response. She knew it would take at least five minutes and thirty-four seconds for the fighters to launch. Only two minutes and fifty-eight seconds for half the gunners to connect to their stations. But the gunners could only defend the corporate ship. The LH ships were too far off to be offered anything more than a light screen of cover fire from the gunners.

And that blasted weapon of Michael’s was powerful enough it could likely hit the LH ships if it moved into Venus’ orbit.

She needed to distract him.

“Patch me through to the scavenger ship.”

“Yes, Ms. Endsley.”

The com-link buzzed with static. “Hello, Michael dear. I thought you said only a fool would weep over the dry bones of a forgotten solar system?”

The static continued for a long minute. Nadine used hand signs to instruct her pilot to keep pace with the scavenger as it advanced toward Venus.

“Why Nadine, my love, I didn’t realize you were talking about this star,” a velvety voice purred over the link.

Nadine snorted. “You knew exactly which star I was talking about. You’re just here to cause problems.”

“How can you make such accusations? You know I only have the utmost respect for you.”

“Of course you do--that’s why our marriage lasted all of six months.”

Michael laughed. It was rich and deep--it was what had attracted her to him all those years ago, when they were both starting out with their businesses.

“Nadine, my love, you’ve always been one to hold a grudge, but surely you see this is purely business?”

“How so, Michael? I know what I’m here for, but what are you here for--other than to be a thorn in my side, as usual?” she shot back.

“The same thing as you, love. The heart of Sol.”

Nadine glanced toward the fighters speeding away to meet up with the LH ships. Charles’ ship was drifting, listing to one side, and apparently already out of the fight. She gave the gesture for the gunners to open fire and watched as a heartbeat later an array of lasers shot toward Michael’s ship.

The lasers splattered against the scavenger’s shields in an array of colours. Blue, green, and yellow, with blossoms of red fire from where the lasers made it through to hit the ship itself.

Of course Michael would have upgraded the shields as well.

“No official declaration of hostile intent?” Michael teased.

“I think our divorce papers serve as a perpetual declaration, don’t you?” Nadine asked sweetly.

“You were the one who wanted a divorce, Nadine. You can’t keep blaming me for your choice.”

She snarled. “You tried to stage a coup and take over my company!”

“You refused to discuss a merger!”

“Ms. Endsley?” one of the bridge hands said softly, tapping her on the elbow.

“What is it?” Nadine hissed. The static dimmed and she cast a glance to see which of her employees had the foresight to dampen the open com-link. That one, with the green spikey hair and tattooed hands. She’d have to learn their name later and see that they get rewarded for their initiative.

“The LH squadron have snared the heart and are moving to meet up with the fighters.”

“No. Tell them to hang back and wait for the fighters to reach them. I think they’re out of reach of Michael’s new weapon for the moment--I don’t want them trying to make it back until they have protection.”

“Yes, Ms. Endsley.”

The static returned to its normal volume and Nadine said, “Michael, you know very well that our companies were incompatible.”

“Were you talking about me?” Michael asked, his voice amused.

“Just what a slimy bastard you are,” she replied.

He chuckled. “I see your ships have snagged the heart. It was so thoughtful of you to grab it for me.”

“What do you even want with the heart? You’re in weapon and defence manufacturing.”

“I want it because you want it,” he admitted.

“Do you even know what it is? Or can be used for?”

“No. And I don’t care. I’m sure I can sell it for minimal loses, which will be well worth knowing that I screwed you over.”

Nadine sighed. “Why do you even bother with the innocently charming act anymore? We both know you hate me as much as I hate you. I’m certain all of our bridge employees know. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone in both our companies knew.”

“I do it because it bothers you, of course.”

“Of course. Can we be adults about this for once? The heart is unstable. Your crazy new weapon could easily destroy it,” Nadine said, her fists clenched so hard her nails drew blood from her palm. But it was what she had to do to keep her voice calm, with just a touch of resignation.

“I don’t care if the stupid heart is destroyed,” Michael said. “I just want you to suffer.”

“You’ll kill all my pilots, won’t you?”

“If that’s what it takes.”

“Fine. Give me a moment to call them back, then you can have the stupid heart.”

Michael laughed triumphantly. “Your soft heart will ruin you someday, Nadine.”

“Whatever. I hope you rot in hell.”

The static from the com-link died and Nadine turned to face her bridge crew. A few looked uncertain--they all knew what the heart was and could do--but most looked grim. Those were the ones who’d been with her for some time. They knew what she was doing.

“Recall the ships. Have them drop a three point LH around the heart.”

One of the uncertain crew members asked, “Isn’t that dangerous, Ms. Endsley?”

Nadine smiled. “Yes. Yes it is.”

She watched her ships return. She watched Michael’s scavenger lumber forward and retrieve the LH containment field. And she watched with a grim satisfaction as the scavenger exploded into a ball of crackling electricity, roaring fire, and neutron dust.

Once the wreckage stopped combusting and the dust had dispersed enough, she sent her LH ships back out to retrieve the heart.

After all, it was the seed of a new universe. It held enough power to destroy anyone who didn’t understand how to contain and control it, but it was itself almost indestructible.

Pity Michael had been so caught up in trying to cause her problems that he hadn’t wondered what use someone who’d started out in mining rare minerals and transitioned to engine development might have for the heart of a star.

Pity she hadn’t gotten to see his face when he realized she’d finally beat him for good.

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