p style="text-align: left;"Part 1br /Chapter 1: Journey to Halcyonbr /br /br /A boy in his early teens hunched over a plain metal desk as he sat on the plain metal seat of a chair in an equally plain bedroom. There were no windows, and the only light was the artificial kind commonly used on board starships or space stations. His black hair was cropped short, and he wore a gray sweatshirt that wouldn't have looked out of place on a teenager of the early 21st century, proving that some fashions never truly die – they just go away for a hundred years or so and then pop back up when you'd least expect them. On the other hand, the trousers he wore looked like the result of generations of crossbreeding between jeans and cargo pants, so some fashions had changed a bit over the past couple of /br /His intelligent green eyes were watching a series of miniature holograms emanating from a small elliptical device resting on the desk. "On the 25th of March, 1775," the device droned in the automated voice of a virtual intelligence, "Patrick Henry gave an impassioned speech to the Second Virginia Convention at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, that was ultimately credited with convincing the Convention to send Virginian troops to fight in the burgeoning American Revolution."br /br /The hologram switched to display a depiction of a human, its appearance based on two-dimensional portraits of the historical figure in question. The recorded voice of a re-enactor quoted from Henry's speech, a href=" browse/give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death""Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"/abr /br /As if cued by the reciting of the famous quotation from almost four hundred years prior, the sound of a woman's voice called from the other side of the bedroom door. "Martin?"br /br /The boy switched off his VI tutor. "Yes, Mom?"br /br /"Are you getting ready?"br /br /"Not yet. I figured I'd have time to finish today's classwork for History of the United North American States."br /br /The door slid open, and a woman with the same black hair as her son – although her hair was just barely starting to show a few strands of gray – entered. "Normally I would tell you to finish your schoolwork, but between the ceremony and the move, the rest of your schedule for today is packed."br /br /"I know, but moving is always really tiring. I'd hoped I could get today's classwork done so I wouldn't have to make it up tomorrow."br /br /"That was a good plan," Martin's mother commented, "but I'm afraid we don't have time. We can't be late."br /br /"Yes, Mom."br /br /His mother left the room, and Martin tucked his VI tutor into a satchel and changed into the closest thing to a formal outfit he owned: a slightly futuristic version of a sport jacket over a plain white shirt with a pair of dress slacks. He took a few seconds to run a comb through his hair, and then he left his bedroom and joined his mother in the sparsely furnished common room of their temporary accommodations. They left the apartment together and headed out into a hallway full of busy people scurrying this way and that. Arcturus Station, the nerve center of the Systems Alliance, bustled with almost as much activity and energy as a small /br /Martin followed as closely behind his mother as he could while navigating the crowds, until they entered a large auditorium. The place was mostly empty, as Martin's mother had made sure she and her son arrived early, so they were able to get seats with a good view in an area reserved for family members of the guests of honor. Martin watched in silence as more and more people wearing military uniforms or formal dress gradually filed, shuffled or strutted into the auditorium and took their seats. The auditorium was mostly full by the time the important people in suits or high-ranking officers' uniforms began to take their seats onstage. Finally, a group of about half a dozen soldiers marched onstage and took their places near the center. One of them was a man with graying hair, and his eyes were the same shade of green as Martin' /br /Martin sat there and tried not to zone out as a few people in suits stepped up to the podium and made long, grandiose speeches. He'd been through this a few times before, and the part when politicians talked a lot without saying much was always boring. Luckily, the good part came around eventually — when the guests of honor, including the green-eyed man, stood at attention as an admiral pinned medals to the breasts of their uniforms. When Martin was younger, watching one of his parents get honored for their actions had always made his little heart swell with veneration. He still admired his father, but acting like a starry-eyed kid would've held a prominent place on a long list of The Most Embarrassing Things A Teenager Could /br /After the ceremony, the families of the honorees gathered around to congratulate their loved ones, and Martin's family was no different. His mother greeted her husband with a salute, then smiled as she took an at ease posture and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm proud of you, Mike."br /br /"Thank you, Hannah," Mike replied, returning his wife's warm /br /"Yeah, congrats, Dad," Martin /br /"Thanks, Martin. Having you two in my life is a greater honor than any award. Well, duty calls — let's go grab our gear and move out."br /br /The family returned to their temporary lodging, but they only stayed long enough for Mike to put his new medal away in a sturdy carrying case alongside a couple of other medals, and then for them all to grab their belongings. Each of them left the apartment schlepping an unwieldy footlocker, and Martin also had the satchel containing his VI tutor and some of his other important possessions slung over his shoulder. They headed to Arcturus Station's docking area, and Martin paused by a large window and put his stuff down for a few minutes to watch the starships zipping across the void through the window while his parents went to check in at a desk down the /br /Looking a short distance up the hallway, Martin saw another boy, a little younger than him, who was also staring out the window as if he was enchanted by each starship's every move and unaware of anything else. The other boy was supporting most of his weight on a pair of crutches, which led Martin to figure this kid probably had more reason than most to wish he could /br /Before Martin could even so much as say hello, three more boys about the same age as the other one came strolling down the hallway. The kid with the crutches didn't even seem to notice them, he was so intent on the view from the window. "Hey, watch this," the biggest lad of the bunch said to the other two. Then he strutted up to the lone kid's side. "You're in my way, gimp," he barked. "Move it!" He gave the boy with the crutches a strong shove, and the bully's lackeys laughed like a pack of hyenas as their victim toppled over, hit the metal floor with a sickening crack, and yelled out in /br /Without a moment's hesitation, Martin left his luggage and ran towards the other teenagers. "Hey! Not cool," he /br /The posse went silent in an instant, and the ringleader glared at the unusually well-dressed newcomer. "What did you say?"br /br /"I said. Not. Cool," Martin replied as he stood directly between the bullies and their victim. By now, the injured kid had a medical paging device in his hand and was trying to drag himself to safety, probably so he could call for aid. All Martin had to do was keep the bullies away from him until help arrived, but that might prove easier said than done. For one thing, this could easily turn into a three-on-one fight. For another, Martin was older and taller than the head bully, but the little hoodlum was stocky like a bulldog pup, while Martin's adolescent body was very much in its gangly stage. "Why don't you pick on someone who can fight back, coward?"br /br /The main bully's face looked like he'd just been sucking on a lemon. Normally he would've chosen an easier target than this newcomer who stood there challenging him, but if he backed down in front of his lackeys, he'd lose their respect and his status as ringleader. "Who're you callin' a coward?"br /br /"I'm calling you a coward, coward."br /br /The ringleader held up his fists. "Them's fightin' words, fancypants."br /br /Martin also held up his fists and placed one foot behind him to steady his balance like he had seen Alliance marines do at the start of hand-to-hand combat drills. "Bring it on."br /br /The lead bully swung, but Martin stepped back and the bully's fist connected with nothing but air. Then Martin punched and hit the bully squarely in the shoulder. Martin had only ever watched soldiers practice hand-to-hand drills rather than learning any form of melee combat himself, so his technique was sloppy at best, but the bully was accustomed to getting his way with just one shove or punch and had no clue how to handle a sustained brawl. As the two boys pummeled each other, the rest of the posse shouted encouragement to their leader. "Get him, Richie!" "Kick his ass!" "Knock his teeth out and shove 'em down his throat!" "You're not gonna let some posh pansy get the best of ya, are ya, Ritchie?"br /br /"WHAT'S GOING ON OVER THERE?!" Martin heard his father's voice bellow over the sound of the other boys' /br /Richie broke off the fight and looked down the hall to see Martin's parents hurrying towards them. "Soldiers! Run for it!" He and his posse took off as fast as their legs could carry /br /Hannah knelt down next to the injured boy. "Are you all right?"br /br /"Yeah, just peachy," the boy grunted, obviously still in pain. "Of course I'm not all right. I'll be fine, though, really. The medics will be here any minute. I don't need any more help than that."br /br /Mike crossed his arms, frowning at Martin. "I never thought I'd see my son get into a fistfight. And you just left your belongings over there — they could've been stolen while you were busy acting like a little thug."br /br /"He hurt that kid, Dad!" Martin protested. "What else was I supposed to do?"br /br /Hannah got up, gently placed one hand on her husband's arm, and used her free hand to gesture down the hallway, where a couple of people wearing Alliance medical uniforms and carrying a stretcher were rushing towards them. "The emergency response medics are here. Let's not get in their way."br /br /Martin's parents went to go get his stuff, and Martin was about to follow them when the injured boy spoke up again. "Hey navy kid, thanks for getting those jerks off my back," he said begrudgingly, resentful of the fact that he had even needed someone to come to his rescue in the first /br /"No problem," Martin replied, hoping that making it seem like no big deal would help the other boy feel a little more comfortable about receiving /br /"And good luck with your dad," the injured kid /br /"Thanks." With that, Martin made way for the medics and headed back to pick up his /br /They arrived at one of Arcturus Station's many docking ramps. Outside the window, Martin could see the front of an Alliance Military cruiser with the name "Einstein" painted close to her bow. Hannah put her luggage down, and the other two followed suit. "Well, I guess this is it," Hannah commented as she smiled sadly at her husband and son. "You boys take care of yourselves."br /br /"You too, Hannah," Mike replied. Then he pulled her into his arms and gave her a long /br /Martin looked away and tried to pretend he wasn't with them; parental PDAs held a very high spot on the figurative list of The Most Humiliating Things That Could Happen to a Teenager. Unfortunately, that also meant Martin wasn't watching when his mother finished kissing her husband, and the teen boy was completely taken by surprise when she wrapped him in a bear hug. "Mo-om," he whispered, "everyone's watching."br /br /"Military family goodbyes happen all the time around here," Hannah countered. "Everyone's seen this kind of thing before, or been through it themselves. Nobody's judging you for having an affectionate mom." With that, she took a step back and picked up her luggage again. "I'm looking forward to your next call. Be sure to tell me everything you can about what humanity's first space station outside the Sol System is like." With that, she turned around and walked down the boarding /br /Mike stayed rooted to one spot, watching her go, until she was out of sight. "Come on, Martin," he said, trying to hide the sorrow in his voice; he'd been deployed on separate tours of duty from his wife countless times, but the goodbyes never got any easier. "I've got my own assignment to get to."br /br /Mike started walking further down the hallway, and Martin followed close behind his father. "I didn't know you'd been assigned to the first space station ever built outside the Sol System," the teenager /br /"Halcyon Station was kind of a big deal during the initial wave of colonization," his father explained. "The Da Vinci System isn't far from here on the galactic scale of things. Early surveys found no planets suitable for colonization but plenty of rare metal deposits and a fair amount of element zero, and the Alliance needed materials to build the station we're on right now and to expand the fleets, so we constructed Halcyon as our main base of operations in the system — a stronghold, spaceport, and place where we could negotiate business deals with private corporations. Its name was symbolic of the golden age that people hoped interstellar exploration would lead humanity into, and the peace and security that the Alliance was trying to bring about in a star system dominated by the chaos of a free-for-all resource rush. But that was before you were born. All I know about what Halcyon is like now is what I was told during the briefing."br /br /"And?" Martin /br /His father was quiet for a moment. "To make a long story short, once Arcturus Station was completed and the end of the First Contact War introduced humanity to the Council and the galactic community it represents, the Da Vinci System gradually became something of a backwater. A lot of the corporations that used to be active in the area have since moved on to other systems or shifted their focus to interstellar trade with alien societies, but the ones that remain still require Alliance Military protection."br /br /"They're worried about pirate attacks this far into Alliance territory?"br /br /"It's not piracy they're worried about — at least not interstellar piracy. When corporations moved out of the Da Vinci System, many of their employees in the star system were left to fend for themselves. A number of bottom-rung workers had been living hand-to-mouth, were let go without warning, and didn't have enough savings to afford a ticket out of the system, so they've been stuck on the station for years with barely any money and very limited job prospects. Because of that, Halcyon sees more than its share of poverty, and some of the station's poor turn to crime out of desperation. But there are no full-fledged colonies in the Da Vinci System, only scattered pockets of industrial activity, which means no official governments to establish any kind of civilian police force. So the Alliance maintains its garrison on Halcyon Station to protect the small handful of corporations that are still active in the Da Vinci System from a crime problem that their competitors caused. That said, Halcyon is a safer place than a warship in the Traverse, even with its issues. That's why your mother and I decided you should stay with me on this tour. Besides, as Halcyon's Commanding Officer, I intend to make eliminating crime on the station a priority, so hopefully it will be a safer place soon."br /br /"So, then, what are you supposed to do when you catch criminals? Your superiors can't possibly expect you to put a civilian on trial in a military court."br /br /"I'd have to send the suspect out of the system to be tried in a civilian court," Mike replied, "although, to be honest, that makes me wonder if some of the criminals are secretly hoping to get caught in order to get free passage offworld."br /br /"It seems kind of stupid to exchange being trapped on a space station for being locked up in jail," Martin /br /"People do crazy things when their backs are against the wall. Anyway, we should probably stop talking about my assignment now — it's not as if anything I've told you is classified, but I'd like to see Halcyon Station for myself before I make any further judgments on the state of the place."br /br /Martin continued to follow his father until they arrived at a hangar. Mike showed his and his son's transport itineraries to one of the hangar attendants, who was able to point them in the direction of one particular transport ship, only about twice the size of the Kodiak shuttles that would see use fifteen or so years later, that sat in the middle of the hangar with its doors wide open, waiting for passengers. Martin and his father boarded their transport and waited. By the time they were scheduled to depart, they were still the only passengers on their transport, but even so, the ship closed its doors, hovered into the air and zipped out of the hangar into the void of space. Boosting to faster-than-light speed, it left the Arcturus System on its way to another star in the Arcturus Stream, which Alliance explorers had named Da Vinci after the Renaissance artist. Martin had done enough interstellar traveling to know that an in-cluster journey like this one wouldn't cover enough distance to require the use of the mass relay network, and therefore, it would take hours. He opened up his satchel, pulled out a datapad, and opened up an ebook /br /"What are you reading?" Mike asked his /br /"My assignment for 19th Century Literature," Martin answered, "emFrankenstein/em. According to my VI tutor, it's 'a classic of the horror genre with continued relevance for the galactic society of today, in which the creation of synthetic life-forms is no longer merely the stuff of science fiction.'"br /br /Mike nodded approvingly. "Carry on, Martin."br /br /Martin read, got up to use the transport's onboard bathroom, returned to his seat, took a nap in his seat, played a puzzle game on his datapad, used the bathroom again, and read some more. Finally, the transport arrived in the Da Vinci system and drew close to a gas giant with a deep green atmosphere. Looking out of the transport window closest to his seat, Martin could see that what had initially appeared to be a small moon orbiting the gas giant was actually an asteroid — one with anti-spacecraft guns, thruster tubes and sensor prongs sticking out all over it, which gave it a slight resemblance to an oversized pincushion. The transport approached a pair of docking ramps that were sticking out from inside the asteroid, then turned sharply, passed through a shimmering blue forcefield that kept air inside a hangar bay next to the docks, and settled into its berth. A few dozen Alliance soldiers were standing in formation in the middle of the hangar bay, wearing their dress /br /The transport door slid open, and father and son both disembarked with their luggage. There was a middle-aged man pacing back and forth in front of the rows of soldiers. "Atten-SHUN," he barked at the troops, even though they were standing at attention already. Then he turned around and saluted Martin's father. "You must be Captain Shepard, Sir. I'm Lieutenant Commander Armand Fortier, Executive Officer of Halcyon Station."br /br /"At ease, Commander," Captain Michael Shepard told his new Executive Officer with a mildly amused expression on his face. "You too, soldiers. I appreciate the welcome, but there's no need to roll out the red carpet and put on a show."br /br /Another man, his black hair just beginning to go gray at the temples, stepped forward and held out his hand. The uniform he wore was slightly different in design to a System's Alliance soldier's uniform, even though it was a very similar shade of blue; the most marked difference between uniforms were the Maltese crosses sewn onto the shoulders of this man's shirt. "Pleased to meet you, Captain Shepard. My name is Father Giuseppe Bonomo, and I'm proud to serve with the Systems Alliance Military Chaplain Corps. I've been assigned to Halcyon Station for two years now."br /br /"With all due respect, Father," Fortier piped up as Captain Shepard shook the chaplain's hand, "I've spent most of my career serving on Halcyon, and my father-in-law is the lead manager of Gelihod Mining Corporation's business ventures in this system. I know what's what around here better than anyone else in the garrison."br /br /"I'm sure you both have valuable advice to offer, and I look forward to working with both of you," the Captain said to his XO and the chaplain. "Speaking of family," he changed the subject, gesturing towards the teenage boy behind him who had been kind of ignored up until now, "this is my son, Martin Shepard. I was informed that this station has off-base housing available for the family members of active-duty personnel…?"br /br /"That's right, sir," Fortier responded. "With your permission, I'd be glad to show you and your son the way to your new apartment."br /br /"Permission granted, Commander. The rest of you, back to your duties."br /br /The hangar bay doors slid open, and everyone filed through. Captain Shepard and his son followed Fortier into a dimly-lit corridor with walls lined with sheet metal. "I apologize that I couldn't spare more of the garrison to attend your welcoming ceremony," Fortier commented, "but we need all the troops we can spare patrolling Sectors One and Two so that those thieves and delinquents in Sector Three don't cause trouble for Alliance operations, or for respectable businesses and their employees."br /br /"I have orders to stamp out crime on this station. I fully intend to do my job to the best of my ability."br /br /"You're going to need a big stamp, Sir," Fortier commented. "With all due respect, it'll be especially difficult to get this station under control if you can't even get your son to dress well enough to make a good impression on his father's new subordinates."br /br /Martin was puzzled — he was still wearing the best outfit he owned. "What are you talking about?"br /br /"There's a tear on your jacket's left shoulder," Fortier pointed /br /Martin looked down to his left. Sure enough, a bit of the seam that held his sleeve to the rest of his jacket had been ripped open during the scuffle he'd gotten into back on Arcturus Station, but the tear was small enough that no one had noticed it until now. "Oh. That wasn't there before. You see, when I was on my way to catch the transport here, I ran into a bunch of bullies beating up this kid who couldn't defend himself, and…"br /br /"Martin," his father interrupted in the cautionary tone he used when he was dangerously close to chastising his son for something. The teen shut up, and the trio spent the next minute or two walking in /br /They reached a wide hallway which looked almost like a futuristic version of the main street of a rural town on Earth, lined with storefronts and eateries. Many of the shops' windows were dark and their doors sealed, but some of those small businesses had continued to stay afloat thanks to the patronage of the Alliance soldiers and the remaining corporate workers. There were a couple of bars still in business, which were probably frequented by off-duty grunts, as well as a small café, a beauty salon, and — what caught Martin's attention the most out of everything on that "main street" hallway — an arcade. It seemed almost like they couldn't walk a dozen meters in this part of the station without running into an Alliance patrol, and each time they encountered a patrol, the soldiers made sure to salute their new Captain, especially since Fortier was /br /Fortier removed a key card from one of his uniform's pockets and used it to open a door on the side of the hallway. "These are the best apartments on the station," he explained as they walked through the door and a short ways down another corridor, this one lined with doors at regular intervals on each side. "Well, to be fair, they're also the only apartments on the station. But they're all at least one cut above the usual military accommodations. The luxury apartments are on the upper floors — my father-in-law owns one, just up that elevator." He pointed out a set of clear doors leading into a clear box on one side of the hallway. "So our families will be neighbors. A few of the other officers are married, and their spouses have apartments around here as well. The likes of us have better things to do than pal around with the rank and file, am I right?"br /br /"I'll be the judge of who I find worthy to 'pal around' with, Commander," Captain Shepard /br /"Of course, Captain. I meant no disrespect." They arrived at an open door with a soldier standing guard next to it. "This will be your and your son's apartment, Sir. Your key cards should be inside. One of the other officers recommended the ground floor as a practical place to stay so that you don't have to deal with riding on a slow elevator when there's a pressing issue to attend to elsewhere on the station. This apartment also looks out onto the station's main shopping area — right in the middle of the action as far as civilian life in Sector Two is concerned, and by the look of things, it seems like your son enjoys being 'right in the middle of the action.'" That last statement of his sounded a lot more like passive-aggressive disparagement than /br /"Thank you for the tour, Commander," the Captain told his subordinate. "That will be all for now."br /br /Fortier saluted. "Aye aye, Sir. I'll return to my duties. Oh, there's one more thing I almost forgot to mention: my father-in-law would like to meet you. He was wondering if you and your son would be able to come to dinner at my family's apartment sometime later this week."br /br /"I'll have to check my schedule and get back to you on that, Fortier."br /br /"Yes, Sir." With that, Fortier left the apartment, and the front door slid shut behind /br /Martin took some time to look around the apartment. It was mostly unfurnished, but luckily the beds were built right into the walls, so it wasn't completely empty. The main living area did have a long elliptical window that looked out onto the station's "main street." Martin figured that his father had dibs on the master bedroom, so he found the smaller of the apartment's two bedrooms, took off his jacket and flopped down on the bed. There would be time to finish the day's schoolwork later — for now, he just needed a rest./p