Nexus Prime

Starcore Wild Space Chapter 5

Nexus Prime

It had been a long time since Matthews had been in space. The hum of the transport ship’s engines and the sensation of gravity produced at the system-wide standard of 9.807 m/s² was disorienting, to say the least. He felt heavy due to the years spent in the weaker gravity of the prison. He looked out the viewport at the vast black field of stars. Callisto was now a rapidly shrinking white dot.

“I’ll see to it you get a medal for what you did back there, Matthews,” said Admiral Clarke from the seat beside him.

“No need, Admiral. I couldn’t exactly let my ticket off that rock die now, could I?” Matthews replied.

Clarke chuckled. “I suppose not. Even so, you didn’t have to risk your neck for me, and especially not for the warden. You saved a lot of lives. I’m now more convinced than ever that you’ll be a perfect fit for the Star Core.”

The praise was making Matthews feel uncomfortable. “Any idea who was behind the riots? Who that assassin was?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

Following the death of the assassin, they’d managed to send a message and call for reinforcements. Within half an hour, twenty GA military and police vessels had arrived, and over a hundred troopers had poured into the prison to try and restore order. More transports were on the way from other GA colonies. Now they were on the Admiral’s personal skiff, ‘The Oberon’. Heavily shielded and armour-plated, it was designed for transporting VIPs. It was built to run rather than fight if it came to that.

“My best guess? Red Brotherhood. They’re doing all they can to throw us off their scent, and only they, aside from a nation-state, have the resources and skilled personnel to carry out such a plan. The assassin was a Red Brother of that I have no doubt.”

Matthews whistled at that. He’d heard of the Red Brothers. Some of the deadliest killers in the system with a preference for killing up close and personal hence the proton blades, a weapon that required incredible skill to wield effectively. In the second Earth/Mars war the Red Brothers racked up more kills than any other unit and they were fanatically loyal to their commander.