Star Wanderers: Tales of the Far Outworlds (Omnibus V-VIII) Read online

  Star Wanderers: Tales of the Far Outworlds

  by Joe Vasicek

  Copyright © 2014 Joseph Vasicek.

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual persons, organizations, or events is purely coincidental.

  Cover design by Derek Murphy.

  Proofreading by Adam Bois and Nyssa Sylvester.

  Sign up here for updates on new releases and special offers from Joe Vasicek.

  More books by Joe Vasicek.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  Table of Contents

  Part V: Dreamweaver

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

  Part VI: Benefactor

  6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

  Part VII: Reproach

  11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

  Part VIII: Deliverance

  17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23

  Author’s Note | Acknowledgments

  This omnibus edition contains parts five through eight of the STAR WANDERERS series. Thousands of years after mankind’s exodus from Earth, a small band of colonists seeks a better life in the Far Outworlds. These are their stories.

  PART V: DREAMWEAVER

  HE SAVED HER FROM DEATH, BUT TO SAVE HIM SHE MUST COMMAND THE POWER OF DREAMS.

  Noemi fully expects to die before her twentieth birthday. With a famine ravaging her home system and the neighboring stars refusing to offer assistance, her only escape lies in the worlds of the dream simulator. She may be the station master’s oldest and plainest daughter, but in the simulator, she’s a goddess of creation.

  All of that changes when a young starship pilot whisks her away to the stars. Far from the monster she fears him to be at first, he seems like a kind and gentle young man. But he carries a heavy burden, one that he can’t divulge since neither of them speaks the same language.

  When he took her from home, he saved her from death. But only she can save him from himself—by commanding the power of his dreams.

  PART VI: BENEFACTOR

  IN A COLD AND LONELY UNIVERSE, A SIMPLE ACT OF GRACE CAN RESONATE ACROSS WORLDS.

  An outworlder is nothing if not fiercely independent, and Jakob is no exception. But ever since he brought his family of starbound refugees to Alpha Oriana, he's felt increasingly powerless. With the recent Imperial takeover and rumors of job cuts at the dockyards, it's only a matter of time before they're forced to move on—again.

  When a young man and woman with an unusual story show up from his wife's homeworld, he takes them in, if for no other reason than that they remind him of a time when he was young and still in love. Ever since he sent his sons away, his marriage has been a nightmare—but all he wanted was to give them a chance at a better life out among the stars. Whether or not that was a mistake, his wife has never forgiven him for it.

  In the face of so many challenges, it's not clear how long the family can hold together, but Jakob will sacrifice everything before he asks for help—even if the only way out lies through an open airlock.

  PART VII: REPROACH

  ON THE OUTWORLD FRONTIER, GOOD MEN ARE SCARCE AND FRIENDS ARE EXPECTED TO SHARE.

  The Far Outworlds: an endless frontier of uncharted worlds and alien stars. A vast, unsettled stretch of space where generations can pass without outside contact and colonists can live out their lives without seeing anyone from the outside universe.

  That prospect terrifies Mariya more than anything else. She’s one of the only Deltans on a colony ship where no one understands her religion or culture. She was supposed to marry a good Deltan boy and raise a family with the help of her many relatives, but now she’s headed for an unsettled world on the Outworld frontier. Twice a starbound refugee, every last shred of security has been stripped from her life, leaving her future prospects uncertain.

  There is one man who can change all that, but he’s married to her best friend. Mariya doesn’t need to steal him, though—she’s perfectly willing to share. Whether or not her friend is willing is something else entirely, but in the end, she may not have a choice.

  PART VIII: DELIVERANCE

  SHE NEVER TOOK A CHANCE AND HE NEVER HAD A PLAN UNTIL THEY MET IN THE OUTWORLD STARS.

  Lucca Tajjashvili isn’t a typical star wanderer. The youngest son of a wealthy planetborn family, he took out his inheritance early in order to build his own starship and seek his fortune on the Outworld frontier. The starfaring life suits him well, and he has no plans to settle down.

  All of that changes when he picks up a distress signal in the Far Outworlds. A small colony has been taken over by pirates, and Lucca is the only one in a position to help. Among the prisoners is a beautiful young woman whom Lucca decides to rescue. But when the pirates see through his skillful ruse, any escape plan he might have had soon falls completely apart.

  Mariya isn’t the kind of girl who likes to take chances. But when she finds herself stranded on an alien world with her would-be rescuer, that's exactly what she has to do. Lucky for her, Lucca is just the sort of guy who can teach her.

  Part V: Dreamweaver

  Chapter 1

  The sun shone a bright yellow against the deep blue sky, an alien combination of colors that felt so right even though it seemed so foreign. Noemi stared out across the grassy meadow and marveled at the wide open space all around her. A mountain breeze blew pleasantly cool against her skin, tossing her hair and whispering in her ears. She took a few steps and shivered with delight as the grass tickled her bare feet. The freshness of the air and the overpowering scent of lavender filled her senses. She closed her eyes to breathe it all in.

  Such a beautiful world, she thought to herself. It could almost be home.

  Almost, but not quite.

  A light flashed in the corner of her vision, making her open her eyes. It was a message from her father. Sighing heavily, she opened it with a wave of her hand.

  URGENT, it read. COME HOME NOW.

  What is it this time? Noemi wondered. She’d finished all her chores for the day, and with her younger sisters back from class, she couldn’t think of any reason why he’d need her. Still, she obediently touched her thumb and middle finger together, making the signal to end the simulation.

  The mountain meadow flashed out of existence, replaced by an all-consuming blackness that numbed every physical sensation. It only lasted for a second or two before her natural eyes opened and she came back to reality.

  The ache of her empty stomach was the first thing that hit her. It was always that way, especially after the long dream sessions when she missed one of the carefully rationed meals. She reached up and opened the visor to the helmet-like dream monitor, blinking at the harshness of the bright fluorescent station lights. Gone were the sky and wide-open meadow, replaced by aging durasteel bulkheads and dented metal floor grating. The smell of mold and the taste of recycled air filled her mouth and nose, while the slick synthetic fabric of her recycled clothes clung to her skin.

  She took a deep breath and sighed before sitting up. The ergonomic couch creaked a little as she slipped her legs over the edge, but she ignored that as she rose to her feet and stretched. All around her, dozens of similar couches stretched out radially from nearly twenty computer cores, with red and black wires stretched out haphazardly across the ceiling.

  “Out of the way,” muttered a tall twenty-something man, shoving her aside to get to the simulator. She stumbled and turned to protest, but he had already fitted the dream monitor over his head. His arms were gaunt and hairy
, and he folded them in his lap with great care as he settled in.

  Noemi glanced in the direction where the man had come from, and saw a long line of people waiting in the doorway. The sight made her heart sink. Pretty soon, they’d have to start rationing time in the dream worlds too, which would bring an end to the long, creative sessions that she loved so much.

  Not that it really mattered. In a couple of months, Megiddo Station’s food stores would run out, and all of them would die. Life was sure to be a living nightmare until then, but at least it wouldn’t last much longer.

  The hallways and corridors were full of people, most of them huddled in clusters around the doorways. A group of half-naked children ran past her chasing a ball while a service bot cleaned up a pile of human waste. Noemi covered her nose and walked a little faster to get past the smell, while the dilapidated ventilators chugged overhead.

  At the doorway to her family’s apartment, she glanced up at the image of Saint Oriana over the lintel and made the sign of the cross. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Intelligence, she half-thought, half-whispered. The shortages had driven some people to godlessness, questioning how an all-powerful, all-loving being could let them suffer the way they had. Noemi didn’t have the answers, but if it was God’s will for her to die, she would rather pass away as a believer than spend her last days feeling frightened and alone.

  The door hissed open, revealing a short unlit hallway. “How could you even think to whore out our daughters like this?” her mother’s screaming voice met her ears as she stepped inside. “By the Father-star, what’s this universe coming to?”

  “Quiet, woman!” her father shouted. “Can’t you see I’m trying to save their lives?”

  “But they’re only—”

  “Silence!”

  Noemi stopped cold as her mother ran off crying to the back room. Her father’s cheeks were bright red, but his anger deflated the moment his eyes fell on her.

  “Come in, Noemi,” he said softly. “Don’t mind your mother.” He wore the black vest of his official uniform as station master, with his cybernetic eye enhancements retracted so as not to appear too disturbing.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, her legs stiff and wooden as she stepped into the main room. The jeweled table, a family heirloom used only for holidays and special occasions, sat on the rug at the center.

  “We have an important guest, and I want everyone to be ready for him.”

  “What kind of guest?”

  “A star wanderer. He’s young, he’s single, and he has a starship with a functioning jump drive.”

  She frowned. “A starfarer? What’s he doing here?”

  “Hoping to trade. Apparently, he doesn’t know how bad things have gotten.”

  “And you’re bringing him here … why?” Even as the question escaped her lips, the answer was already dawning on her.

  “I’m going to have him choose one of you to take with him. Your mother may be against it, but I’ll be damned before I let you all starve to death.”

  Noemi’s knees went weak. “You—you’re going to give one of us to him? A stranger?”

  Her father sighed. “I don’t like it either, but we don’t have much of a choice. With the station’s food stores as low as they are, we might not get a chance like this again.”

  “But what kind of a man is he? Will he expect us to—to—”

  “To sleep with him? I don’t know. Probably.”

  Her eyes widened, and the blood drained from her cheeks. She opened her mouth to reply, but her father raised his hand.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll marry you first. I’m not just whoring you off to save your life. Besides, who knows what will come of it? Only God knows the end of all things.”

  “Yes,” Noemi whispered. It wasn’t herself she was worried for so much as her younger sisters. She was under no illusion of her own plainness. But to think of a strange man taking one of them to bed—

  “Go on,” said her father, shooing her toward the back room. “Get changed—he’ll be here any minute.”

  “Changed? Changed into what?”

  “I don’t know, something that will catch his eye. If he chooses you, it might save your life.”

  Maybe, she thought to herself. But does that make it worth it?

  The grim resolution on her father’s face told her it wasn’t worth arguing, however. Besides, what could she do to stop it? She knew he wouldn’t change his mind.

  “All right, Father.”

  “It’s for the best,” he said, almost to himself as much as to her. “I’m only doing this because I love you.”

  “I know,” she whispered. Biting her lip, she slipped through the door without another word.

  * * * * *

  The back room was a flurry of activity, with everyone hurrying to get ready for the starfaring stranger. Marta, the oldest after Noemi, primped and admired herself in the mirror, turning her head at an odd angle to work around the crack that ran down its center. Elsa and Bekka, the two youngest, were in various stages of undress, while Eva tried in vain to console their mother. She sat on the low, threadbare divan with her head buried in her knees, weeping as if she were losing all her children at once. The sight made Noemi’s throat constrict, but she knew that their father was not to be disobeyed.

  “Oh, hi Noemi,” said Marta, shooting a quick smile over her shoulder. She seemed oblivious to their mother’s sobs, or perhaps she was just preoccupied. From the way she preened herself, it was probably the latter.

  “Hi, Marta.”

  “Missed the last ration, didn’t you? Don’t worry, I snuck you out a little. It’s in the napkin on the dresser.”

  Noemi took it with eagerness, even though she knew her father would have a fit if he found out. She was so hungry—and besides, it wasn’t any more than what she would have taken for herself anyway. Inside the napkin were three sticky synthmeal bars, tough and tasteless but better than nothing. She ate them quickly, turning to the wall so as not to torment her sisters.

  “Why does father want us to dress up?” little Bekka asked as Elsa helped her put on her white pajama dress.

  “Because,” said Elsa, as if that alone were enough of an answer. She wore her favorite dress, the sleeveless light blue one that barely stretched to her knees. Megiddo was an old station, and the interior climate controls were anything but precise, so to stay on the safe side the engineers erred on the side of keeping things warm.

  “What are you going to wear?” Marta asked. She’d put on a loose-fitting chemise, pink with little sparkling sequins. The fabric was thin enough to reveal almost as much as it covered. With her shapely hips and her conspicuously bare shoulders, Noemi had little doubt that Marta would be the one chosen.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she said. “I really don’t think—”

  “Try the yellow one!” said Marta, digging through the clothes with glee. “I think it’ll suit you—here!”

  She pulled it out and held it to Noemi’s chest. It was shaped much the same as the pink chemise, except with little pink flowers instead of sequins. The fabric was so flimsy and transparent, it made Noemi blush.

  “Well, go ahead,” said Marta. “What are you waiting for?”

  Noemi sighed and unzipped her jumpsuit, pulling it down off her shoulders. A small jeweled cross dangled from a silver chain around her neck. It was her most precious possession—indeed, perhaps the only valuable thing she possessed. Her godfather had given it to her for her confirmation, and she’d worn it ever since. Before Marta slipped the chemise over her head, she pressed it against her chest to keep it from being knocked aside.

  “Here, stick your hand through—there we go.”

  To Noemi’s horror, the hem was so short it barely stretched two hand-breadths below her hips. She pulled on it to stretch it a little further, but the cheap synthetic fabric refused to give. The sleeveless straps rubbed uncomfortably against her bony shoulders, and the front was so baggy and loose she feared
it might fall open at any minute.

  “Do you want to borrow one of my bras?” Marta asked. “I can stuff it with socks if you’d like.”

  Noemi shook her head. “No, that’s all right. I’m sure he won’t choose me.”

  “But you’ve got to at least try,” said Marta. “I mean, when are we going to get a chance like this again?”

  It’s because she feels guilty for doing this when she’s already got a boyfriend, Noemi realized as she patiently submitted to her sister’s attention. She doesn’t want to seem too eager, but at the same time, she’s terrified of dying on this station with the rest of us.

  A couple of months ago, that same fear had gripped Noemi, making her stain her pillow each night with her tears. But now, the fear was little more than a dull throb in the back of her mind, like a scab that refused to heal. She couldn’t quite forget it was there, but she could distract herself with other things. With the way Marta’s eyes glistened in the mellow light of the glowlamps, the way her hands trembled and her gaze jumped about the room, it was clear she was still gripped with the same terror.

  “Don’t worry about me,” said Noemi. “From stardust we were made, and to stardust we’ll return.”

  Marta nodded and hastily crossed herself. The moment she was finished, she took Noemi by the shoulders and pulled her in front of the mirror.