Gate Quest (Star Kingdom Book 5)

by Lindsay Buroker

  He doubted Rache would answer, but he would like to know. That would help him figure out how hard he should work to keep Rache from his goal. And how heavily he should be breathing on him to get him sick.

  Casmir grimaced and wiped his hot brow. He definitely had a fever, damn it. Had he picked up something on the station? Probably. It wasn’t as if he had an enhanced immune system. Unfortunately.

  “Isn’t it enough to want to keep Jager from getting it?” Rache asked.

  “No.”

  “Ah.”

  A few silent seconds passed before Casmir realized he wasn’t going to get a real answer.

  “Look,” he said in a reasonable tone, “you’ve got some subs, the Kingdom has some subs, but all of them have cartoon ducks and whales on the sides. As it stands, the astroshamans are going to laugh when we show up.”

  “We added torpedo launchers under the ducks,” Rache said.

  “Yes, so did we, but you’ve heard rumors of what the astroshamans have. That cargo ship had enhancements we’d never heard of. And Tork had enhancements too.”

  “What did?”

  “Not what—who. Tork-57. The android that was following me around on Tiamat Station. Never mind.” Casmir waved to dismiss the tangent. “My point is that both sides are in over their heads.”

  “Technically true, since we all have hundreds of meters of ice and water above us.”

  “You know what I mean. We’re outmatched. But if we work together, we’ll have a better chance of getting past their defenses. And we might surprise them. Who would think that the heinous and nefarious Tenebris Rache would ever work with his most loathed enemy, the Kingdom?”

  “Heinous and nefarious?”

  “Zee’s words, not mine. He’s been watching dramas produced in the Kingdom. Apparently, you’re the villain in at least three of them.”

  “The things I miss out on by not visiting my home system more often,” Rache murmured.

  He sounded more muted than sarcastic. He couldn’t possibly be surprised that he was perceived that way, could he?

  Casmir shook his head. That wasn’t important now.

  “What do you think?” he prompted.

  “I will not work with the Kingdom to help Jager get the gate. You know that. I’ve told you that every time you’ve asked about it.”

  “What if Jager didn’t get the gate?” Casmir asked.

  Rache snorted.

  Casmir spread a hand, utterly serious. He hadn’t told anybody but Kim about his stunt with Zee and Tork, but it wasn’t as if he had to worry about Rache comming Jager or even Ishii or Romano to rat him out. He had a feeling the secret would come out eventually one way or another, regardless. If anything came of his suggestion to Nguyen. It was possible nothing would.

  Rache glanced at his face and then turned back for a longer look. “You’re not— No, I can’t believe someone with strawberry-colored lips is masterminding an insurrection.”

  “Not an insurrection. Dear God, my parents live scant miles from the castle. No insurrections on Kingdom territory, please. But… sometimes, it’s better for humanity if one man’s goals and ambitions don’t come to pass.”

  “What are you proposing, hypothetical quasher of royal ambitions?”

  “That all of humanity have access to the gate. Or anyone who wants to study it.”

  “All of humanity isn’t here to fight for access to it.”

  Yet, Casmir thought.

  “Does that matter? The best engineers and archaeologists from all of the systems should be able to access it and help better our collective understanding of it. And then, we should all have a say about where future gates are placed, assuming we can use this one to build new ones, so humanity can explore the stars together.”

  “I should have known better than to kidnap an idealist.”

  “Well, Kim balances me out. Maybe she’ll rant at you about logic and human inadequacies later.”

  “I’ll look forward to it.” Rache leaned forward to look more closely at one of the scanners. There was a blip on it that hadn’t been there before. “Even if all of humanity, as you call it, showed up, there’s only one gate. It has to be stored somewhere.”

  “The last time I saw the gate, it was in five hundred pieces. Enough for every government in the Twelve Systems to have one.”

  “You’re a loon. And so is whoever is in charge of this submarine.” Rache planted his finger on the blip.

  “Not one of your people?”

  “No, my people aren’t loons. It’s the Kingdom submarine we rescued you from.”

  “The good old Waddler. Maybe the commander got through to Captain Ishii, and he ordered them to rescue us back.”

  “Whoever named these boats was also a loon.”

  “You’re a judgmental mercenary,” Casmir observed.

  “They’re speeding up and coming straight toward us.” Rache opened the hatch and called back to his men. “Hocking, get up here. You’re back to piloting so I can man the torpedoes.”

  “What am I doing?” Casmir wondered if he should try to comm whoever that was to try to stop a fight before it started. The whole reason he’d volunteered to swim over here was to avoid a bloodbath.

  “Go take a nap. You look like crap stuck in a space toilet that won’t flush.”

  “Flattering. Do you want me to talk to the commander?”

  “No.”

  “Right.” Casmir vacated his seat as Rache’s pilot squeezed in, thumping him on the shoulder on the way past. He was one of the men Casmir had given a fizzop.

  “Trouble, boss?”

  “Yes.”

  The hatch clanged shut, almost hitting Casmir in the butt. He headed back to check on Kim, wobbling as the submarine took its first evasive maneuvers. The first twinge of nausea assailed his stomach.

  He paused when he reached sickbay, wondering if he should drop himself off as a potential patient. Kim and Yas were still working on their project.

  “What’s going on?” Kim asked.

  “The Waddler is chasing us. At least, there was only one blip. I suppose more could be coming.” Casmir shrugged.

  “Why can’t these idiots focus on the astroshamans? That Moonrazor will fall over laughing if we blow each other up before we get anywhere near her base.”

  “That’s what I told Rache. By the way, he would love for you to share your opinions on the illogical nature of humans later.”

  “Gladly.”

  A thwump sounded. A torpedo firing. Casmir went to find a seat to buckle himself into. He feared his day was about to get worse.

  8

  Qin pushed herself down the ladder well, sealing her magnetic boots to the deck when she reached the bottom. They had reached the Machu Picchu and were linking up to its airlock hatch. Neither vessel had any semblance of gravity now that they were stopped, so Qin could only walk as fast as she could lock one boot and then the next to the deck, but she moved as quickly as possible across the cargo hold toward the airlock hatch.

  Since they didn’t have much time before Captain Amazing showed up, she wouldn’t waste it. But she slowed her pace when she saw Bonita waiting there… with Johnny.

  He wasn’t armed, armored, or even wearing a galaxy suit, save for a pair of magnetic boots, but the way he leaned against the hull by the airlock made it look like he was going. Or like he thought he was going. Qin would take one of Viggo’s vacuums before the lying pirate accountant.

  “Your fearsome cat woman is scowling at me, Laser,” Johnny drawled, his arms folded over his chest.

  “She probably doesn’t recognize you without the bag on your head.”

  “Shall I don it again? Perhaps it’ll confuse the wounded scientists, and they’ll be less likely to shoot.”

  “Your Kingdom accent and unfurry face is supposed to convince them not to shoot.”

  Johnny raised his eyebrows as he stroked the several days’ worth of beard that had grown while he’d been in the cell. Bonita had brought hi
m food and water, but nothing as dangerous as a razor or even beard-removal gel, which, according to space legends, had been used on occasion to eat through jail bars.

  “Your accent then,” Bonita amended.

  “Captain, he’s not going with me,” Qin protested, still scowling at Johnny. When he turned his raised eyebrows toward her, she told him straight out, “You’re not coming with me.”

  “I believe your lovely lady captain is in charge, Ms. Qin. She said I could go if I didn’t make trouble and was able to charm any women over there.”

  “I said convince them not to shoot Qin, not charm them,” Bonita said.

  “Qin is fearsome. A great deal of charming will be required.”

  “They’re probably injured and will be happy if anyone carries them off that ship,” Qin said. “Captain, we can’t trust this man. You should put him back in his box.”

  Johnny lifted a finger. “Might I remind you that I hired you for passage after releasing you from a troublesome predicament on Death Knell Station? Paying passengers aren’t usually kept in cells—or boxes. I believe I’ve been quite amiable and polite by not complaining about my meager accommodations.”

  “Meager?” Bonita asked. “You’ve been getting the same food we eat.”

  “Which has actually been quite excellent.” He bowed deeply to her, sweeping his hand from the spot where a pertundo would hang if he truly were the knight he claimed to be. “I thank you for that. I was referring specifically to the cell with its lack of a bed, blankets, or even a porthole, not to mention its insulation that keeps me from accessing the network with my chip.” He waved toward his temple.

  “That’s not insulation,” Bonita said. “The fusion reactor is right behind that cell, and its radiation interferes with signals.”

  “While unraveling the DNA in my sperm, I imagine.”

  “Surely, you’re not worried about siring children at your advanced age.”

  “My age is still healthy and virile, thank you. Or it was until I was nestled up to your reactor for a week.”

  Qin cleared her throat. These two were a disaster waiting to happen. If this was representative of the kinds of men Bonita liked and married, it was no wonder her previous relationships had all crashed and burned.

  “Yes, yes, we’re all hooked up.” Bonita waved at the airlock hatch. “You can go over any time. Qin, I know you don’t trust Toes. Neither do I. But he’s agreed to go without a suit or a weapon.”

  “I didn’t agree to the latter,” he said. “You were simply unwilling to give me the ones in my bag.”

  “Your bag is full of grenades and DEW-Tek pistols. Why ever would I refuse to give them to you?”

  “There could be threats over there,” Johnny said. “Someone beat the electrical sockets out of that ship, right? What if they boarded afterward and didn’t leave? What if you’re reading them and not the original crew?”

  “Qin will protect you.”

  This time, Qin raised her eyebrows.

  “I’m not positive I believe that,” Johnny said. “She’s oozing menace toward me. I can feel it from here.”

  “Nah, that’s the aftereffects of the reactor making your pores tingle. Qin is honorable and doesn’t have a menacing bone in her body.”

  Qin lifted her chin, pleased by the praise, even if it came while these two were slinging sarcasm at each other. She believed that Bonita thought it was true.

  “If it’ll make you be quiet, I’ll give you a weapon. Wait here.” Bonita raised a finger, then strode across the hold, not toward the armory but toward the ladder and her quarters on the deck above.

  Even though Qin was worried about Johnny, she couldn’t help but smile. It was good to see her captain navigating the ladders without pain instead of grimacing at every bending of her knee.

  Bonita returned with a case that had a stunner etched on the top. “This was a gift from a collector, but I’m going to let you use it because I think you’ll look good with it.”

  Qin had never seen the case before and didn’t know what to expect.

  “I look good with all weapons.” Johnny smiled.

  Bonita flipped open the case. Johnny’s smile faltered. It was a stunner, but it was pink with pale blue highlights and a gold trigger.

  “It’s a Lady Shufflebottom,” Bonita said. “They’re quite expensive and valued by many princesses in the Miners’ Union, I’m told.”

  “Snufflebottom?” Johnny asked skeptically.

  “Shufflebottom.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “If you want a weapon…”

  “Fine.” Johnny withdrew the pink stunner from the case.

  It was smaller than typical, which was especially noticeable in his grip. Qin doubted she could have held it in her large hand and pulled the trigger.

  “I’m ready,” he said.

  Bonita nodded at Qin. “You’re in charge. Get in, find the injured people, tell them we’re heading to Tiamat Station, and offer them a ride and medical supplies. Keep your helmet on so your… catness isn’t so obvious.”

  Qin twitched a pointed ear.

  “Yes, that catness right there. Also, it might not hurt to let them know that smugglers are coming and would prefer there weren’t witnesses to their salvage activities.”

  “Yes, Captain.” Qin frowned at Johnny, but Bonita was her captain and in charge. If she thought he should go, Qin would accept it as a challenge.

  Maybe he would try to betray her, and she would be within her rights to beat him up and leave him locked in a freezer. Did research vessels have freezers? She hoped so.

  She stepped into the airlock, hoping Johnny would be too busy sneering at the pink stunner to join her, but he pulled himself in beside her. The inner hatch closed, and seconds oozed past as the chamber matched itself to what waited on the other side.

  Her sensitive nose wrinkled. It wasn’t his fault, since he’d been locked in his cell, but she could tell Johnny hadn’t washed for some time. He smelled of body odor and his most recent meal. Oddly, it reminded her of the scents of Odin and the park she’d visited there. If he had been gone for a year, he shouldn’t carry any lingering odors from the planet, but maybe he had some cologne that he’d used days earlier that captured the scent of the trees there.

  When the hatch opened, she caught herself thinking wistfully of that park and the trees she’d romped through. Forcing herself to focus on the present, Qin put her helmet up. Viggo had said the other ship’s environmental systems were working and that there was air, but there might be other threats waiting.

  She crossed into the other ship’s airlock and found the interior hatch leading into the Machu Picchu locked. She wasn’t surprised, since they had been attacked. She’d brought a blowtorch along.

  But before she could fire it up, Johnny leaned forward, flipped open a panel under the lock screen, and pressed his palm to it for a scan.

  Qin snorted, certain an Odin university research ship wouldn’t recognize him, whether he had a Kingdom accent or not, but it beeped an affirmative, and the hatch unsealed. Johnny bowed to her and stuck out a hand, but she wasn’t sure if he was inviting her to go first or offering to go first himself.

  “You’ve been on this ship before?” Qin brushed past him and stepped into a cargo hold full of crates and long rectangular freight boxes.

  The cargo was all strapped down, and nothing appeared damaged by the attack or the slip into zero-g, at least nothing here. The lighting was poor, with only auxiliary strips along the deck leading to the main exit from the hold.

  “No.” Johnny stepped out after her.

  “Then why does your hand open the door?”

  “It’s magical, just like the rest of me.”

  She frowned back at him, but she had no intention of engaging in silly banter. There were people here to save.

  “From Viggo’s scans, most of the people were in sickbay, but some were also in engineering. The bridge didn’t appear to have power—or life.�
�� Qin headed for the main exit on the far side, the readings on her helmet display verifying that the ship still had air and heat. Just not gravity.

  “Enemies may have targeted the bridge and engineering specifically,” Johnny said.

  “Yeah.” Qin looked around as they walked, expecting to find bodies. The six life forms Viggo’s scanners had detected seemed far too few for a ship this size.

  “Do you want to split up?” Johnny asked. “You can go to sickbay and carry out any injured people there, and I can go to—”

  “No.”

  “Why not? It’s a big ship and it doesn’t sound like we have much time.”

  “Because I don’t trust you.” Qin walked into the corridor and headed for lifts at the end. Since she’d been to sickbay before and knew where it was, she would take them there first.

  Johnny surprised her by not responding with a quip or protest. Through her rear helmet cam, she could see him watching their surroundings attentively, the pink stunner in his hand.

  Normally, she wouldn’t have trusted him at her back with a weapon, but a stunner wouldn’t do anything to her combat armor. At the lift, the control panel didn’t respond. A light glowed red, but nothing else happened when she waved and tapped at it.

  “I don’t suppose your magical hand has a way to override that?” Qin pointed at the doors. “We need to go three levels up.”

  Johnny prodded the panel and nothing happened. “It’s not locked; it’s broken.”

  “I’m not sure where the ladder wells are. I was only here once briefly.”

  Johnny tilted his head, his eyes glazing as he accessed his chip.

  A thrum echoed through the ship, followed by a bom bom bom that was as much sound as reverberation. A few more lights came on in the corridor, and she felt a weird lurch in her gut. It took her a moment to realize that gravity had returned. Whoever was working in engineering must have restored power to the spin drive. Maybe full lights and power to the lift would return soon.

  “Sorry.” Johnny shook his head. “This system doesn’t have Kingdom ships in its public databases. I could have found the schematics if we were in System Lion.”

  Qin waved at the panel again, in case power had returned to it, but nothing happened. She shrugged and planted her hands on either side of the gap and pushed.