Badlands

by Randal Sloan

  That got her to thinking of her team. After verifying her room was clear of any devices and overrides to the systems, she pulled out her special com, finding the message there from her team.

  The ship is doing well. Gabo and Galen have done a lot of tinkering with their systems to get everything fine-tuned. Sara dug me up a lot of data on the pirates activity and I was able to study the patterns for an approximate location. At first I was puzzled as to why no one has found the base before now.

  But then we ran across a pirate earlier today and he led us to the area they call the Badlands. Unfortunately, we lost him then as the pirates have somehow worked out directions that allow them to navigate inside the area despite the intense hyperspace fields.

  We were not sure what to do now that we've found them, especially since we can't follow them to their base. Please provide updated orders.

  Hope you're doing well. We all miss you.

  She spent a couple of moments just staring at the handheld com. It was amazing that this small device could send near real-time messages across the galaxy. Mostly though, she was just thinking about her team. It was impossible for her to not worry about them, especially after their discovery of the general location of the pirate lair. Something big was about to happen in the area called the Badlands.

  Finally getting down to business, she sent a quick update to Sasha, filling her in on what she had found out so far and what she wanted them to do.

  Your information matches up with what I've just heard here. Our ship is going to the Badlands too. Way too much to be a coincidence. I need you guys to gather as much information about that area as you can.

  We're stopping at Sigmus Station first and I think we should meet while this ship is there. I don't have a good feeling about those Badlands. We need to get our game plan together.

  She sent the message. It would be good to see all of them again.

  Thinking about the situation, Jarra frowned. Normally, it would be safe to assume they'd all get shore leave. But not this Admiral. Like Jason said, he'll try to block our shore leave. She shook her head. I don't trust that old goat at all. I need a little insurance. Suddenly, she smiled. Got it. He won't be able to circumvent what I have in mind. She sent a private message to her uncle. After updating him on the current progress of their mission, she included a special request. That would get her onto the station at Sigmus. The rest she could work out when she arrived.

  #

  Sasha had sent her report off to the Princess. She was glad the system had worked to reach her. But when she got her answer back, it only made her more worried about what was going on here. Something more than just a few pirates hiding out had to be going on in those Badlands. She immediately hurried to the bridge of the ship where she called a team meeting. Their time sitting here in their hiding place had become quite boring, so it didn't take them very long to gather.

  "I've heard from the Princess," she told them. Everyone immediately perked up. "She wants to meet us at Sigmus Station." That got a few raised eyebrows, although Gabo looked confused. "For Gabo, I will explain. Sigmus Station is one of the most lawless places in the galaxy, although in a sense they're a law unto themselves. It's also the place where the Imperial Navy and Rim Patrol rats go to play."

  She saw the light dawning in Gabo's eyes. "Yeah, I think you see what I mean about being a law unto themselves. The Navy and Rim Patrol self-police the place.

  She smiled at the guys. "Many bars, all the gambling you could want, other ways to spend your time that we won't discuss. Some of the bars are frequented by Imperial Marines and some of those are off-limits to anyone other than Marines and those intentionally allowed by them."

  Her smile grew bigger. "It's in one of those that we have been invited to meet with her. She gave me a code word that she says will get us in. It's Aeres, believe it or not."

  Sasha had expected that last one to get a smile or two. Nope, not a one. Apparently these guys took the Imperial Marines quite seriously. Perhaps she should too; after all, her experience with them had been rather unique.

  "Gabo, Galen, Jarra also told me to try to find out as much as we can about the Badlands. Apparently, this area matches up with what she's found so far in her undercover assignment. Since we've already pretty much worked out that the pirate base is located somewhere inside of there, who knows what else we'll find. I know that it's really difficult to navigate."

  "You could say that," Galen answered her with a laugh. "More like impossible. It would make our little trip through hyperspace a few weeks ago seem simple."

  Sasha didn't laugh. "Well, you'd better figure out a way to do it. Our instructions are that we'll be coming back here immediately after Sigmus Station."

  Galen looked at Gabo. "It's not going to be easy. Our hyperspace engines would be at high risk, possibly even so bad that they could explode. Maybe if Gabo helps me, we can figure out how to use your little trick of tying the beam weapon into hyperspace, and use it as an outlet for the power fluctuations for the drive also."

  "Better get started working on it. But first, Galen, plot us a course to Sigmus Station. Can you have us there in five days, or do I need to send word back to the Princess to reschedule?"

  "No, that will be easy. We were already headed in that general direction anyway. We won't even have to drop out of camouflage mode."

  "Good. Set our course and get us underway immediately. After that, you two work together on the plan for navigating the Badlands."

  "Sara, I need you to work with me pulling together some background information on a number of personnel Jarra's asking about from the Basil District. If I didn't know better, I'd think our Princess is doing her own recruiting."

  "She does seem to gather them, doesn't she," Sara said with a smile, looking around the little area where they were meeting. "It does make you wonder what she's up to."

  Sasha just nodded. She resembled that statement herself; although her joining the team had been a little unique. I hope John is doing alright, she thought with a smile.

  "Everyone, you have your tasks. We'll all check in once a day on our progress. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing the Princess again. No telling what she'll have cooked up since we last were with her."

  Sasha should have known better than to speculate about such things.

  #

  "Mad Dog" Gershaw awoke not feeling so good. His head felt like he'd been hit by a tree. Then he remembered what had happened. That stupid girl, somehow she'd gotten in a few lucky strikes. He didn't understand it; no way a little girl like her could beat him. He'd worked hard to maintain his reputation and now she'd ruined it. It was because she had his staff. That's what it was. It had always been his lucky staff.

  Finally becoming aware of his surroundings, it got worse when he realized where he was. He was in the stockade! It had to be because of that stupid girl. It was all her fault; she shouldn't have picked up my staff. She should be here instead of me!

  She doesn't know who she's messing with. As soon as I get out of here, I'm going to make her pay. Mad Dog knew some people who could help him out. Even if he had to call in a couple of his markers, he'd get her. Oh yeah, Mad Dog had stuff on most everyone on board. Hell, I even know the Admiral's dirty little secret.

  Mad Dog had a second occupation that he used his position in the Marines to facilitate. He ran a smuggling ring, straight off the Relentless. When someone wanted something smuggled on or off the ship, Mad Dog was the one who made it happen. He was the puppeteer, pulling the strings behind the scenes. When the Admiral needed a secret trip off the ship, Mad Dog came through. What the Admiral didn't know yet was that Mad Dog had listened in to his conversations while on that secret trip. Mad Dog had yet to cash in on that one; he was holding it in reserve.

  The more Mad Dog thought about it, the more his plan came together. He would use his resources, get her alone, and then he would get his revenge.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Duty

  Jarra inten
ded to report early for her first shift slot the next morning. Warned by Jason, she was ready for questioning by the XO and he didn't disappoint her, sending her a ship's message while she was eating the morning meal.

  Lieutenant, report to my ready room prior to beginning your shift. Under the circumstances, I believe it would be appropriate for us to talk.

  Jarra quickly finished up her meal. She was more than just a little nervous. She planned to give the XO some measure of the truth; how much would depend on his willingness to trust her. I definitely need him on my side. It's important enough to take some small amount of risk; I really believe he's entirely trustworthy.

  No point in putting it off, she knew. She made her way quickly to the bridge, going directly to the XO's ready room.

  "Please come in, Lieutenant," came the response as Jarra's implants queried the door. She quickly complied, offering the XO a salute as appropriate since he wasn't on the bridge. That was one thing the Navy had gotten right. Saluting on board ship was too much for normal day-to-day interaction, but when meeting a superior officer in a command setting, a salute was called for.

  "At ease," was the quick reply as he returned her salute. The Commander had been looking away from her, his attention on a 3D VR display. He turned around to face Jarra. The next second changed everything.

  Commander Jack Ashford had been around the Imperial Navy long enough that he knew there was more than met the eye with this much too young Lieutenant. The information packet accompanying her transfer had been just a little too polished. Then there was the whole deal with her Rim Patrol OCS record being sealed. All of that had raised red flags.

  Jack still might have let it go, just keeping a close eye on her for a few weeks. But then there was the incident in the Marine gym, and a slightly watered-down report from an otherwise top notch Lieutenant Commander. All of that had pushed him over the edge. So Jack used his connections within the Imperial Navy and a few a little deeper within the Marine ranks to ask about the Lieutenant.

  What he discovered was almost more than he could believe, which is why he had called for this meeting. Jack believed if he looked her in the eyes, he would know. If it was true, despite how well her behavior might hide her identity, her eyes would reflect the inner command presence he suspected was there.

  Jarra knew the second she faced the Commander that all her carefully planned answers were worthless. Somehow he knew.

  Jack couldn't help it. He drew in a sharp breath. His mouth was suddenly dry. "Lieutenant, the room is quite secure. If you would, please verify for yourself."

  Jarra smiled. "I've already received the information from my AI. You may proceed, Commander."

  Jack quickly rose from his chair to come kneel in front of her, placing his hand over his heart. "How may I serve you, Your Highness?"

  "I thank you for your service," Jarra replied, using the ritual to gather her thoughts. "Please rise."

  "How did you know?" was the next thing out of her mouth. "I thought I had everything covered."

  "Captains and Admirals have advanced so far that most of them have lost the working man's connections. I still have those and they gave me the answer; albeit one I struggled to believe. But it was your eyes that gave you away as the final verification. Your eyes told me that you're someone who's used to demanding instant obedience and getting it. Not that it's not well deserved in your family."

  Jarra just shook her head. She could change her behavior and even her demeanor, but never what was inside her. The eyes are the window to the soul, she remembered having read somewhere and she guessed it was true. She'd have to watch that from now on, although men like the Admiral weren't the ones she was worried about. They were too self-centered to see even if they knew to look.

  Jarra sent a quick command to her AI. "I've given you permission to see my full files," she told Jack. "And I also sent you a full brief on my mission. For now, I would like your reading on Admiral Janson."

  Commander Ashford's eyes went blank for a moment, but it didn't take him long to answer her. "He's almost certainly guilty based on the information you provided me. Plus, I can verify he was off the ship during the time you indicated, not to mention he had us position the ship very near there, something I found most unusual at the time. Obviously, it was well outside our normal patrol area."

  "I'm still not sure that's evidence enough to convict him, plus I still want to round up all his co-conspirators. This mission to the Badlands gives me a bad feeling. There's something there we need to handle now or it will be a bigger problem later. What can you tell me about the ship's personnel and the Admiral's staff?"

  "I can't answer for the Admiral's staff, although they seem normal for such a useless bunch. I can vouch for all the ship's officers and the Captain, although some of the mid-level officers are probably the Admiral's cronies. We've had a few too many transfers lately for me to think they're not. As to the crew and Marine complement, we have a few bad apples, but the rest are solid. You've already met one of those bad apples."

  "Mad Dog?" Jarra asked with a shake of her head.

  The Commander nodded. "I'm pretty sure he runs a smuggling ring, but he's too smart to get caught. He's probably the one who provided transportation to get the Admiral off the ship clandestinely."

  Jarra sighed. "I guess it wasn't smart that I made an enemy of him. I regret now that I let my temper get the better of me."

  "It's done wonders for the crew and the Marine squad. They've all hated Mad Dog for a long time, but he's instilled such a fear that no one was able to deal with him."

  Jarra just shook her head. She'd never intended to make such waves. But there was nothing that could be done now. "I think we need to end this meeting; a lowly lieutenant would surely only earn a short amount of time with the XO. If you find anything else pertinent to our case, send it to my private drop with these command codes."

  Slipping back into her role, Lieutenant Jarra saluted the Commander and exited the meeting. She actually was glad the XO had found her out; it was good to have someone else on her side. Maybe she wasn't cut out for this undercover stuff after all.

  Jack sat in his office for a few minutes before returning to the bridge. He was struck by just how much the Princess had affected him in just that short amount of time. She had a presence about her. He knew for a fact he would follow her anywhere; to hell and back again if he had to.

  To be fair, he had forgotten just how close the Badlands came to that definition or perhaps he would have been a little more hesitant to make such a vow.

  #

  After her meeting with the XO, Jarra quietly reported to her assigned duty station. After all, she didn't want to draw any more attention than she already had. To her surprise, Lieutenant Swanson was the one on duty when Jarra took her station. As she sat down in front of the backup console, the normal protective sound barrier surrounded them. Quite a useful technology, it enabled the personnel working on the bridge to work undisturbed, yet when needed the barrier could be overridden by the bridge officers to communicate with each other.

  "Good morning, Amy. It's good to see you again. So they have you on this station on first shift?"

  "I actually have seniority over the other lieutenants, so I get my choices among the slots at that level, but Lieutenant Commander Paton should have the slot. For some reason, he prefers the second shift, so he left this slot open."

  "That's a bit odd, but it's good that it means we'll get to work together. I suspect the Captain did that on purpose, but I like it. So what can you tell me about the job that I'll be doing here?"

  "It's not too complicated most of the time. We plot the course given by the commander in charge of our watch, usually the Captain or XO. Because we're the squadron command ship, we'll submit that course to each of the other ships' AIs. The only time we have to intervene is if some kind of hyperspace issue arises or one of the squadron escorts has a problem. The XO has us plot two courses in advance 'in case we need them' he says, but I think it
's as much to keep us from getting bored as it is a necessity.

  "You'll plot the same course as me and we'll compare yours to mine as we have time. Don't worry if it takes you awhile to get the hang of it."

  "I'm good," Jarra told her. "I've got it; no problem."

  Amy didn't know what to say to that. She expected the girl would have some problems at first but that shouldn't be an issue. As long as she improved in a few days, the XO would probably give her some leeway. After the reaming out the young lieutenant had apparently just received, he should leave her alone for some time.

  Personally, Amy didn't blame her for what she'd done to get into that trouble. She already sent back to Jarra's AI that she would definitely attend the classes on self-defense. Anybody that could move like she'd seen Jarra do could teach her a lot she was sure.

  But she didn't say any of that. Instead, she went on with her instructions, "We're to plot a course to Sigmus Station. The Admiral seems to be in a hurry, so make it as short a time as you can. So far I've come up with approximately six days journey. Let me know when you've come up with something and we'll take a look."

  Jarra smiled at her. "Well, actually I plotted that course last night. Jason as good as told us we were going there. Figured it would impress my new boss. Wanna see it?"

  Amy smiled back. "Consider me impressed. Put it up on the console if you will."

  Jarra had already told Jynks to connect to the console, so it was a matter of a quick command to him. "Done," was all she said.