The cargo bay had never felt so crowded, or so silent.
Stellar stood on a raised platform normally used for equipment inspections, looking out at the assembled crew of the Pathfinder. Seventeen faces stared back at him. The entire complement of the ship, save for Lieutenant Reeves who remained on the bridge maintaining watch.
It was a small crew for a ship of this class, but that had always been part of the Pathfinder's design philosophy. Lean, efficient, capable of long-range exploration without the logistical complications of a larger vessel. Every person here had multiple specializations, could cover multiple roles. They had to. There was no room for redundancy on a ship this size.
Commander Thorne stood to his right, her posture military-perfect. Clark was to his left, arms crossed, his usual humor completely absent. Carmelon sat in a chair nearby, Mitchell perched on his shoulder, the eagle's golden eyes surveying the small group with unsettling intelligence. And at the back of the platform, partially in shadow, stood James Stellar, a ghost from the past, his mechanical augmentations catching the cargo bay's harsh lighting.
Stellar could see Lieutenant Hayes, their communications officer. Ensign Patel from Engineering, standing beside Chief Ramos—the two of them made up the entire engineering department. Dr. Voss, their medical officer, arms crossed skeptically. Security officers Jensen and Martinez flanked the group. The rest were a mix of operations, science, and support personnel—each one essential, each one irreplaceable.
"Thank you all for assembling on short notice," Stellar began. His voice carried through the bay, amplified by the ship's internal systems. "What I'm about to tell you will be difficult to hear. Some of you won't believe it. Some of you will want to contact Earth Command for verification. I'm asking you, for now, to hear me out completely before making any decisions."
He took a breath and dove in.
"Six hours ago, we accessed a database on a destroyed alien station. The station belonged to a species called the Korath, who were wiped out by The Confluence two hundred years ago. In their records, we discovered something that changes everything we thought we knew about Earth's expansion into deep space."
Stellar activated a holographic projector, and the image of the Novara system appeared above the small crowd. "Forty-two years ago, a human colony existed in this system. Eight hundred thousand people. They'd been out of contact with Earth since the early expansion years, surviving on their own, building their own society."
He let that sink in, saw the surprise on the faces before him. Lost colonies were legend, bedtime stories, cautionary tales about the dangers of space exploration.
"The Confluence discovered this colony through information provided by someone from Earth. Someone who gave them everything they needed to file a legal claim of ownership." Stellar's jaw tightened. "The Vescarri Sovereignty won that claim. And then they sold the entire population, every man, woman, and child, to an organization called the Collector's Guild. Most of those eight hundred thousand humans are still alive. Still serving out contracts that will last two hundred years and pass to their children."
The silence in the cargo bay broke. Murmurs rippled through the small group, voices rising in disbelief and anger.
"That's impossible." Ensign Patel said, his voice cracking. "We would have known. Earth Command would have known."
"Earth Command did know." Stellar said, his voice cutting through the noise. "Because the person who facilitated the transaction, who sold those coordinates to The Confluence in exchange for advanced technology, was Admiral Elizabeth Chen."
The cargo bay erupted. Even with only seventeen people, the shock and anger filled the space. Several crew members were on their feet, demanding proof, calling it a lie. Chief Ramos's face had gone pale, her hand gripping the railing in front of her so hard her knuckles were white.
Stellar waited, let them vent, let the initial shock pass. Then he raised his hand, and gradually, the noise subsided.
"I know what you're thinking." he said quietly. "I thought the same thing. It has to be a mistake. A forgery. Some kind of alien deception. But Commander Clark and my grandfather have been working for the past several hours to verify the data. Clark?"
Clark stepped forward, pulling up technical specifications on the hologram. "The records are authentic. I've cross-referenced the encryption protocols, the communication signatures, the metadata timestamps. Everything checks out. The person who communicated with The Confluence about the Novara colony was Admiral Chen." He paused. "And in exchange for that information, The Confluence provided Earth with the Sakura-Chen propulsion technology. The drive system we all know made our current generation of starships possible."
"Everything we've accomplished in the past forty years," Stellar continued, "every world we've explored, every colony we've established, it was built on technology purchased with human lives. Admiral Chen became a hero. She rose through the ranks, eventually taking command of United Earth's entire military. And she did it all on the backs of eight hundred thousand people who are still serving as slaves right now."
Lieutenant Hayes stepped forward, her young face troubled. "Captain, even if this is true, and I'm not saying I don't believe you, but even if it's true, what can we do about it? We're one ship. Eighteen people. Admiral Chen commands the entire United Earth fleet."
"That's not all." Stellar said grimly. He pulled up another file, and the image shifted to show the New Titan colony. "Six months ago, The Confluence filed another claim. This time on the New Titan mining colony in the Kepler system. Population: two million. And according to the records we accessed, Admiral Chen has already been contacted to facilitate another transaction."
The cargo bay went deathly silent.
"The adjudication session for New Titan is scheduled for the same time as Earth's session. Fourteen cycles from now." Stellar looked out at his small crew, saw the horror dawning on their faces. "The Confluence isn't just claiming Earth. They're claiming every human world they can find. And Admiral Chen is helping them do it because every time she facilitates a transaction, she gets more technology, more power, more influence. She's selling humanity piece by piece."
"Why?" The question came from Chief Ramos, her voice rough with emotion. "Why would she do this? She's human. She's one of us."
James stepped forward, his mechanical footsteps echoing in the now-silent bay. "Because she believes she's saving humanity." he said, his voice carrying the weight of experience. "I've seen it before, in my time with The Confluence. Species that make deals, that sacrifice some of their own to protect the rest. They tell themselves they're being pragmatic. Strategic. That losing eight hundred thousand is better than losing eight billion."
"But it's a trap." Carmelon added, standing from his chair. Mitchell spread his wings, punctuating the professor's words. "Because every deal makes you more dependent on The Confluence. Every transaction ties you deeper into their system. Eventually, there's nothing left to bargain with except yourself."
Stellar watched his small crew processing this, saw the range of emotions playing across their faces. Fear. Anger. Confusion. Betrayal. In a crew this size, every person mattered. Every voice counted. He couldn't afford to lose even one of them.
"I know this is a lot to take in," he said. "And I know some of you are questioning whether to trust this information. Whether to trust me. So I'm going to be completely honest with you about what happens next."
He gestured to the hologram, which now showed the relay network Hayes had discovered. "We're about to jump to a set of coordinates that may lead us to other species who've escaped or resisted The Confluence. We're hoping to find allies. Information. Maybe a way to fight back that doesn't involve sacrificing millions of people."
"But," he continued, his voice hardening, "the moment we do this, we become rogues. Admiral Chen will know we've accessed information we shouldn't have. She'll brand us traitors. Deserters. She'll send ships to hunt us down, and when they find us, we won't be able to explain ourselves because she controls the narrative."
He looked at the faces staring back at him. "So I'm giving everyone a choice. If you want to leave, if you want to request a transfer back to Earth, I'll arrange it. We'll drop you at the nearest United Earth outpost, and you can report back to command. No judgment. No consequences from me."
"But if you stay," Stellar's voice grew stronger, more certain, "if you stay, you're committing to this mission. To finding a way to save Earth and New Titan and any other human world The Confluence has targeted. You're committing to standing against Admiral Chen and anyone else who thinks selling human beings is an acceptable price for technology. You're committing to becoming outlaws, if that's what it takes."
The cargo bay was so quiet Stellar could hear the hum of the ship's life support systems.
Then Chief Ramos stood up. "Captain, I've served in United Earth's fleet for twenty-seven years. I've followed orders I didn't like, served under commanders I didn't respect, and watched good people get passed over for promotion while politicians climbed the ranks." She looked around at her fellow crew members. "But I've never...never been asked to stand by while my own species gets sold into slavery. I'm with you, Captain. Whatever it takes."
"Agreed," Clark said, stepping forward. "Besides, I've always wanted to be a space pirate. Seems more exciting than filing reports."
A nervous laugh rippled through the small group, breaking some of the tension.
Ensign Patel stood next. "My family is on New Titan. My parents, my sister, her kids. If The Confluence is coming for them..." His voice caught. "I'm staying, Captain."
One by one, the crew members stood. Security officer Jensen, who rarely spoke, simply nodded once and crossed her arms, a clear statement of loyalty. Dr. Voss, the skeptic, stood with a heavy sigh. "Someone needs to keep you all alive. Might as well be me."
Within minutes, all seventeen crew members were on their feet.
Stellar felt something tighten in his chest. Pride, gratitude, and the terrible weight of responsibility. These people were trusting him with their lives, their careers, their futures. And he was leading them into a fight against an enemy that had destroyed entire civilizations.
With only eighteen souls total against a galactic empire.
"Thank you." he said simply. "All of you. Now, back to your stations. Engineering, I need that FTL drive ready in two hours, not six. Tactical, I want weapons systems at peak efficiency. Science, work with Professor Carmelon on analyzing everything we pulled from the Korath database. And everyone, start thinking about how we fight an enemy that's been refining their system for thousands of years."
The crew dispersed, animated conversations breaking out as they headed back to their stations. The initial shock was wearing off, replaced by determination, anger, and purpose.
Thorne moved closer to Stellar as the bay emptied. "That was a hell of a speech, Captain. You sure you want to lead a mutiny against Earth Command with a crew of eighteen?"
"Seventeen," Stellar corrected. "I'm not counting myself."
"Seventeen then. Against The Confluence and Admiral Chen's entire fleet."
"I don't want to," Stellar said quietly. "But I'm not going to stand by while Admiral Chen sells humanity to the highest bidder. Are you with me, Commander?"
Thorne's hand moved to rest on Stellar's shoulder. "I've been with you since the UE training, Bub. That rival thing we had going? That was just foreplay for this moment. I'm in. All the way."
Despite everything, Stellar smiled. "Good. Because I'm going to need you when this gets ugly."
"When?" Clark asked, joining them. "Captain, we're already past 'when.' That ship on our sensors? It's still there. Still watching. And I'm willing to bet my next three paychecks that it's reporting our every move back to The Confluence."
"Let it watch," Stellar said. "Once we jump to FTL, we'll be gone before they can react."
"And if we're jumping into another trap?" Thorne asked.
Stellar looked at Mitchell, still perched on Carmelon's shoulder as the professor made his way out of the cargo bay. The eagle met his gaze, and for just a moment, Stellar could have sworn the bird nodded.
"Then we'll deal with it." he said. "Like we always do. Together."
Four hours later, Stellar stood on the bridge as the FTL drive spooled up for the jump. Chief Ramos and Ensign Patel had worked a minor miracle, bringing the systems online ahead of schedule despite being the entire engineering department. The ship hummed with barely-contained energy, ready to leap across light-years in the blink of an eye.
"Status report," Stellar ordered.
"All systems green," Clark reported from his station. "FTL drive is stable. Weapons fully charged. Shields at max."
"The watching ship is still maintaining position," Hayes added. "No change in its status."
"Course locked in, Captain," Reeves said from the helm. "Ready to jump on your mark."
James stood beside Stellar's command chair, his organic eye fixed on the viewscreen. "You know there's no going back from this, right? Once we jump, once we make contact with whatever's waiting at those coordinates, Earth Command will know something is wrong. Admiral Chen will know."
"Good." Stellar said. "Let her know. Let her sweat. Because when we come back, we're bringing proof of what she's done. And then we're going to make her answer for every human life she's sold."
"Ambitious." James said with a slight smile. "You really do remind me of your grandmother."
"Captain," Hayes interrupted, her voice sharp with alarm, "the watching ship just activated its engines. It's moving. Fast. Intercept course."
"How long until they reach us?" Stellar demanded.
"Seven minutes at their current speed."
"And how long until we can jump?"
"Thirty seconds," Clark replied.
"Then we have time." Stellar said, settling into his command chair. "Maintain jump preparations. Let them come."
"Captain..." Thorne started.
"Trust me, Commander."
The seconds ticked down. On the viewscreen, the approaching ship resolved into clearer definition. It was smaller than an enforcement cruiser. Sleeker, built for speed rather than firepower. But it was definitely Confluence design. James confirmed it with a glance.
"Twenty seconds to jump." Reeves announced.
"Five minutes to intercept." Hayes added.
The ship drew closer, its weapons systems coming online. Stellar watched it approach, calm despite the tension radiating from his small bridge crew. Every person here was critical. They couldn't afford to lose anyone.
"Ten seconds to jump."
"Three minutes to intercept. Captain, they're charging weapons."
"Hold course." Stellar ordered.
"Five seconds."
"Two minutes. They're in weapons range. They're...Captain, they're hailing us!"
A pause. "Put it through," Stellar said.
A voice filled the bridge, filtered through the universal translator. But this voice wasn't alien. It was human. Female. Young.
"UES Pathfinder, this is the independent vessel Last Hope. Do not jump to those coordinates. Repeat, do not jump. It's a trap. The Confluence has compromised the relay network. If you jump there, you'll be jumping into an ambush."
"Jump in three... two..." Reeves counted down.
"Please!" The voice was desperate now. "My name is Sarah Chen. I'm Admiral Chen's daughter. And I'm trying to help you."
Stellar's hand shot out. "Abort jump!"
"Aborting!" Reeves attacking the console, pulling the ship back from the edge of FTL transition. The engines whined in protest, and the ship shuddered, but they remained in normal space.
The small bridge crew stared at Stellar, waiting for an explanation.
"Captain," James said quietly, "that could be a trick. A way to keep us here until reinforcements arrive."
"I know," Stellar replied. "But she said her name is Sarah Chen. Admiral Chen's daughter." He looked at Hayes. "Did Admiral Chen have children? Do we have any records of her?"
Hayes was already searching. "Yes, sir. One daughter. Sarah Chen, age twenty-six. She was listed as missing three years ago, presumed dead after a transport accident near..." Hayes looked up, her eyes wide. "Near the Kepler system. Near New Titan."
Mitchell released a sharp cry, his wings spreading wide. Carmelon, who'd returned to the bridge just before the jump, placed a calming hand on the eagle. "The bird says she's telling the truth. Or at least, she believes she is."
"Open communications." Stellar ordered. "Visual this time."
The viewscreen shifted, and a young woman's face appeared. She had Admiral Chen's features. The same sharp cheekbones, the same determined jawline, but her eyes were different. Haunted. Desperate. And behind her, in the cockpit of her small ship, Stellar could see modifications that weren't standard United Earth technology.
"Captain Stellar," Sarah Chen said, relief flooding her face. "Thank God you stopped. I've been tracking you since you entered this system, trying to figure out how to warn you without The Confluence detecting my transmission."
"You said the relay network is compromised." Stellar said. "How do you know?"
"Because I'm part of the resistance network. Or I was, until The Confluence infiltrated it six months ago. They've been using it to track refugees, to find species trying to escape. Anyone who jumps to those coordinates is walking into an enforcement fleet." Her eyes hardened. "I've lost friends to that trap. Good people who thought they were finding sanctuary."
"Why should we trust you?" Thorne demanded. "You're Admiral Chen's daughter. How do we know you're not working with her?"
Sarah's laugh was bitter. "Because my mother tried to have me killed three years ago when I found out what she was doing. When I discovered she'd sold the Novara colony. When I threatened to expose her." She leaned forward, her face filling the screen. "I've been running ever since. Trying to warn other species. Trying to find a way to stop her and The Confluence. And now you're my best chance."
"Why us?" Stellar asked.
"Because you found the Korath database. Because you have Commander James Stellar, a man who knows The Confluence's systems from the inside. Because you have a ship, a crew, and apparently the will to fight back." Sarah's expression softened slightly. "And because you're family, Captain. Your grandfather served with my grandmother before she died aboard the Prometheus. Captain Sarah Makinen was my grandmother. I was named after her."
The revelation hit Stellar like a physical blow. The warning message. The desperate transmission from the Prometheus. Captain Sarah Makinen, his grandfather's commanding officer.
"Your grandmother," Stellar said slowly, looking at James, "was the one who sent the warning message. The one who tried to stop us from going to The Confluence."
"She was the last one," Sarah confirmed. "The last of the original Prometheus crew who refused augmentation. The Confluence kept her alive as an example, a cautionary tale about what happens to those who resist." Tears glittered in her eyes. "She died five years ago. But before she died, she made me promise to fight them. To find a way to save humanity from my mother's betrayal."
Mitchell clicked his beak three times, the pattern Stellar had learned meant immediate danger, but somehow different this time. Not a warning of threat, but a warning of urgency.
"We need to move." Sarah said, her voice urgent. "I'm not the only ship watching you. There are three more just beyond sensor range, waiting to see what you do. If we stay here, we're sitting targets."
"Where do we go?" Stellar asked. "If the relay network is compromised..."
"I know another way. A hidden route that The Confluence hasn't found yet. But we have to go now, and you have to trust me." Sarah's expression was desperate. "Please, Captain. I've been alone for three years, fighting this fight with no one to trust, nowhere to turn. You're the first chance I've had to actually make a difference. Don't throw it away."
Stellar looked at his grandfather, saw the pain in James's organic eye. The memory of Captain Makinen, the woman he'd served under, the woman who'd sacrificed everything trying to save her crew.
"Clark, what are our options?" Stellar asked.
"Limited," Clark replied, his tone serious for once. "If she's right about those other ships, we're surrounded. Jumping blindly could put us in worse danger. But staying here guarantees a fight we probably can't win."
"Carmelon? Mitchell?"
The professor was studying Sarah's face on the viewscreen, his hand resting on Mitchell's back. The eagle had gone still, focused, calculating. "The bird trusts her. And in three years of working together, Mitchell has rarely been wrong about people."
Stellar made his decision.
"Miss Chen, send us your coordinates. We'll follow you. But if this is a trap..."
"It's not." Sarah interrupted. "I swear on my grandmother's memory. I'm trying to save you."
"Then let's hope you can." Stellar said. "Because right now, we're probably humanity's last hope of stopping your mother."
Sarah managed a slight smile at that. "That's why I named my ship Last Hope. I figured if I was going down, I might as well do it with a sense of irony."
"I think I like her." Clark murmured.
Coordinates flashed across the navigation console. Reeves studied them, then looked up at Stellar. "Captain, these coordinates are... strange. They're in an uncharted region, between star systems. Nothing out there but empty space."
"That's the point." Sarah said. "The Confluence maps star systems, planets, resources. They don't waste time charting empty space. Which makes it the perfect place to hide." She paused. "There's a mobile station out there. A coalition of species who've escaped The Confluence. They call it Sanctuary. And if we're going to stop my mother, if we're going to save Earth and New Titan and every other human world, that's where we need to start."
Stellar looked around his small bridge. At Clark, Thorne, Hayes, Reeves, his grandfather. At Carmelon and Mitchell. Seven people visible, with ten more throughout the ship. Eighteen souls total against a galactic empire.
But they'd already committed to this path. Now it was time to see where it led.
"Reeves, follow Miss Chen's ship. Stay close. Hayes, keep all sensors at max. If those other ships move, I want to know instantly." He settled into his command chair. "Clark, Thorne, James, with me to the conference room. We need to plan our next move."
As the Pathfinder began to follow Sarah's small ship into the darkness between stars, Stellar allowed himself one moment of reflection. In the past day, he'd discovered his grandfather was alive, learned that Earth's greatest hero was its greatest traitor, committed mutiny against Earth Command, and allied himself with the daughter of the woman he now considered an enemy.
And he was leading a crew of seventeen people into a fight that could determine the fate of humanity.
"Captain," James said quietly as they left the bridge, "you know this path leads to war, right? If we succeed, if we expose Admiral Chen and fight The Confluence, Earth will be split. Some will support us. Others will see us as traitors. The cost will be enormous."
"I know," Stellar replied. "But the cost of doing nothing is worse. Eight hundred thousand humans are already paying that price. Two million more on New Titan are about to. And then Earth itself." He looked at his grandfather. "You spent seventy years serving The Confluence because you thought you were saving humanity. Now we have a chance to actually do it. Together."
James's mechanical hand gripped Stellar's shoulder. "Then let's make sure we do it right. Because we won't get a second chance."
Through the viewscreen, the Last Hope led them into the void, a small spark of defiance in the infinite darkness.
And somewhere ahead, in the space between stars, Sanctuary waited.