Tragedy's Gift (Short Story Collection)

Fade's Engine

Note: I wrote this bit for the Write to Rank contest, however, it quickly exceeded the 1200 max word count. Rather than throw away everything when I cut it to meet the word count, I'll post the full length here just for fun, since it's an additional story that takes place in the Fade Eternal universe and hints at some of lore. I'll probably come back and expand on this a little more in the future as well. 

***

"This is the target."

Fade looked at the hologram carefully, noting every feature, every flaw. For a class X war criminal, the target looked very ordinary. He could have fit in with any civilian crowd. The eyes, however, gave him away. Cold and hard like the truest of diamonds, they belonged to a warrior who'd burn through stars to get what he wanted.

Fade engraved it all into his memory.

"I have it," he said.

His Guide inclined his head in acknowledgement. The hologer in the palm of his hand flicked off and the target's image disappeared. The Guide slipped the hologer into the pocket of his black suit jacket, and fixed Fade with his crimson eyes.

"Be careful, Fade. It's a straightforward retrieval, but this man is X-class for a reason."

To that, Fade merely gave a half-smile. When one lived as long as he did, things like class and danger held little meaning.

He turned his head and looked out the shuttle's viewport. The 14th Unigal Station loomed like a planet in space, its massive size both impressive and daunting. Considered neutral territory, it served as a re-supply and repair station for any and all galactic ships who could afford its exorbitant fees. In short, it was the perfect place for a criminal to hide.

That is, if the hunter set on their tail wasn't someone like Fade.

"I'll be back soon," he said.

The Guide crossed one leg over the other, and leaned back into the synthetic leather of his chair. He didn't say anything. He didn't need to.

They both knew he would wait, whether it was minutes or an eternity. Such was his duty.

Fade closed his eyes and envisioned the target. Every detail, every essence, he grabbed hold of and drew it close in his mind. Then he warped.

Temperature plummeted, his next breath fogged, and the space around him faded. He tensed, bracing for when his world finished shifting and he'd re-appear right next to the target.

That didn't happen.

He slammed into an ephemeral wall of sheer power. Air screamed, twisted and rent, and it flung him out like debris from an explosion. Fade dropped onto metal grating. His teeth snapped together, narrowly missing his tongue, and stars filled his vision.

For a moment, he lay stunned. In all his years, this had never happened before.

He groaned and climbed to his feet. Even though his silver armored suit absorbed most of the impact, he could feel the bruises blossoming all over his torso. They'd fade soon enough, but what had disrupted his warp?

When he got his bearings, he recognized that he made it onto the Unigal station, at least. He stood in one of its docking bays, with the smooth hull of an enormous ship lurking just behind the viewing windows. A long airlocked tunnel attached the ship to the station, its bay-side entrance right before him.

Fade frowned as he took in the ship. It was too massive to get a read of the design or originating world. But he had a feeling that his target was on that ship.