The Deadliest of Intentions

by Marc Stevens

  “Commander, I am detecting another spike in the power levels emanating from the vessels searching for us.”

  I looked up at the three large red triangles Justice had highlighted on the view dome. They were spread out a considerable distance from each other. They were gradually receding targets because we were moving away from them as well. They suddenly flared as if on fire, and the whole view dome screen seemed to jerk sideways.

  “Justice! What the hell just happened?”

  “The alien ships fired all of their point defense weapons simultaneously in a predetermined pattern. It appears they were attempting to make a random weapons strike that would have revealed our location if they were successful. I performed a jinxing maneuver that prevented one of the beams from striking our hull. I would like to also add it was a brilliant but futile last-ditch effort on the part of the hostile AIs to locate the Legacy.”

  That got my juices working. It also made up my mind on gathering data to use against the vessels if it came down to duking it out.

  “Justice, what is the status of the DEHD core?”

  “The matrix will be fully charged in eight minutes, and DEHD core operations will be available at that time.”

  “Preprogram a DEHD core jump back to the Sig’s new base of operations and proceed with your test.”

  “Coordinates locked, Commander. Launching missile now.”

  I watched the view dome as a pale blue circle appeared at our feet and moved away from us. It disappeared for about twenty seconds and reappeared behind the hostile ships. They immediately made a turn that hinted they got a detection. Their tracks indicated they didn’t have a lock. This information could prove useful in the future. Their sensors could detect the minute transition waves created by our missiles, but they had to be close. The vectors they were taking put them several degrees off of a direct intercept course. The pale blue circle around our missile was slowly growing a deeper shade of azure. In the blink of an eye, the three ships pulsed with a golden halo and three white lines lanced out and disintegrated the missile. Even though it was on an outbound course away from the ships, they still chose to strike it. There was little doubt in my mind about their intentions. If they had detected the Legacy, they would have opened fire.

  “Commander, the weapons used against our missile share parity with our own systems,” Justice reported. “The destructive force is comparable to that of our beam weapons. The one advantage I am noting is their weapons have an extended range over ours due to a longer-duration energy pulse. This information reflects a direct correlation to the size of their power generators. The alien ships are formidable weapons platforms and should be considered dangerous adversaries. The one weakness I perceive in the data is the overaggressive nature of the controlling AIs. In that particular realm, the Legacy has a marked advantage.”

  I wasn’t quite sure if Justice was just pointing out that Guardian-designed systems were superior to those of the unknown aliens. To me, it sounded an awful lot like the human peculiarity of honking one’s own horn. The idea of hanging around and investigating the transponder thread was souring quickly. It made better sense to leave before we stirred up enough trouble to start exchanging fire with the unknowns.

  “Justice, I have changed my mind about investigating the thread. Before we jump out of here, I want to let the aliens know they didn’t scare us off. I want you to empty our magazines of stealth missiles. Target every Scrun picket ship that is not a slave hauler. Have the missiles transition to their targets after we jump.”

  That got me some smiles and nods from my crew. Inflicting damage on the Scrun was a whole lot better than just leaving them alone and sneaking out with our tails tucked between our legs.

  “Launching now. DEHD core activation in thirty seconds.”

  We had never encountered a hostile with the same level of technology as the Legacy. This was the first time that we knowingly backed away from a fight. The hostiles had the numbers, and the odds were definitely stacked against us. Justice didn’t even bother speculating on our percentages of a successful attack. That was a bad omen all by itself. There was one redeeming factor to our judicious retreat. When the missiles started hitting their targets, the unknown aliens driving those ships were going to look like suckers in the eyes of the Scrun. We would come back, and when we did, we would not be alone. As my reality faded away, I pondered the relationship between this place and the Scrun fleet sightings that Tam Lin reported to us.

  Our return to normal space-time got us an immediate hail from the Sig’s new base. Justice put it on the Legacy’s open comms channel.

  “Commander Myers, it is good that you are paying us another visit,” Sushi said. “We had some company since you were last here. Another freighter jumped into the system. We alerted them we had an ongoing operation against pirates and they should be cautious of any ship approaching them without proper clearance. They departed within minutes of our communication. We suspect it was the freighter the pirates were supposed to capture. This was good for the crew of the freighter, but ultimately may prove bad for you. If you were planning a mission based on the information obtained from the pirates, you may want to advance your timetable accordingly. It is just a matter of time before those behind the criminal activity in this sector, find out the freighter did not go missing and made it to its original destination.”

  Crap! I was counting on having a little more time to question Illam Pove. This put a serious crimp in my timeline. We needed to put together a plan to pay Shurmosk a visit sooner than later. We did not want the Murlak to get a warning before we could take care of business. A place like Shurmosk would only have the people necessary to keep it secure. If the Murlak received advance warning the location has been compromised, they could call in reinforcements or evacuate their treasure and abandon it entirely. The latter scenario seemed much more likely. I thanked Sushi for the data dump and ordered Justice to jump us to hyperspace. It would take more than forty hours of normal transition time to reach Alpha Base. When the matrix was charged in the next hour, we would make the rest of the journey in seconds.

  28

  We returned to Alpha Base and immediately set to work on rearming the Legacy. As was now a common practice, all the scientists and engineers pitched in to help. Tria, Coonts, Klutch, and Xul joined me in the briefing room to put together a plan. We knew we had to get the information on the whereabouts of Shurmosk from Illam Pove. Our usual method for gaining info was to beat the hell out of the murderous pirates until they talked. Illam Pove had to be on really firm ground with Eiger to be entrusted with the location of his treasure stash. I was not above committing what many on my home planet would consider to be atrocities. If that was what it took to gain important info from an alien that committed such crimes on a daily basis, then so be it. It was our experience that the aliens who committed the most heinous of crimes rolled fairly quickly when they received the same treatment. We had to be careful how hard we pressed the Murlak. There was always the chance he might decide to die rather than cough up information.

  It was decided we would make it a tag team effort. We drew a name out of a helmet to see who would pick the teams and go in first. Coonts won and chose Klutch as his partner. I personally didn’t think it was the best combination. Why Coonts did not select Tria or me was a mystery. We occasionally disagreed with him, but we never got into the heated bickering contests he and Klutch were known for. Tria hooked her arm in mine and gave me a doubtful look. I shrugged, and we followed them into the Legacy’s hangar. They started arguing right off about who should go in first. My patience was wearing thin. I was about to send them both on some meaningless errand. I had my fill of hearing them make wagers on the outcome and then nitpicking each other on how to go about it. When they saw the looks Tria and I were giving them, it ended the argument. Coonts got his way, and we entered the brig. Justice had Illam’s cell blacked out. He configured the walls for a one-way view. We could see in, but the Murlak could not see out. Tria,
Klutch, and I sat on the benches outside to observe whether or not the Grawl had any luck with the pirate. Since Coonts’s recon armor no longer fit his new physique, he chose to wear a smart cloth uniform instead. The door on the cell opened, and he stepped inside.

  “I will make this simple for you,” Coonts started. “You give me the coordinates of Shurmosk, and I will save you a lot of pain and suffering. There is also the small possibility of freedom, as long as you don’t attempt to waste my time.”

  The Murlak stood up and stared down at Coonts.

  “You are the strangest looking Grawl I have ever seen,” he spat. “Did the demon warrior feed you his scat to fortify your scrawny frame?”

  Klutch acted like that was the funniest thing he had ever heard. He started braying and slapping his knees. I thought Tria was going to choke him out to shut him up. Even though the cells were soundproof, Coonts already knew what the Troop Master’s reaction was going to be. He found no humor in the Murlak’s statement. He squinted his eyes and took a step back. The Murlak must have mistaken the Grawl’s posture for fear and leaned forward with a venomous look on his face. Coonts leaped up off the deck, leading with his knee. He caught the Murlak right in the mouth, knocking him backward and bouncing his head off the cell wall. The Murlak rebounded and went face down on the floor. Coonts casually leaned down and flicked the four teeth sticking to the knee of his uniform against the side of the Murlak’s head.

  “You will find it difficult to eat your scat rations without those,” he taunted.

  The Murlak rolled over, spitting blood and more teeth. It looked like he might have lost the end of his tongue as well. Coonts didn’t cut him an inch of slack. He grabbed Illam by the fur of his head and drove his fist into his muzzle, knocking him out. Coonts kicked the Murlak over onto his face so he wouldn’t drown on his own blood. The Grawl was yearning to test his new strength and Oolaran fighting skills. But if he was not careful, he might accidently kill the Murlak. Klutch stood up and gave the Grawl a clapping ovation. I don’t know what he was celebrating. We got zip for info.

  “Klutch, what are you doing?” I asked. “Don’t cheer him on. He didn’t get any useful information.”

  “I am cheering because Coonts now owes me five thousand credits!”

  That earned the Tibor a sharp elbow from Tria and a stink eye from me. I should have known the two wankers would turn this into some kind of game. My temper was starting to rise, and the toothy smile on the Tibor’s face faded.

  “I want the two of you to quit screwing around and get us something we can use,” I shouted. “We are running out of time!”

  The Tibor jumped up from the bench and stood in front of the cell door. When it opened, he told Coonts to take a break and watch how a professional gets the job done. I thought I heard the Grawl say something about double or nothing. I gritted my teeth. They were starting to get on my nerves, and that was not a good thing. Tria squeezed my hand.

  “They are doing what you call letting off steam,” she said to me. “Coonts is exhibiting restraint. Klutch will do the same, if for no other reason than to win their wager. They know if they kill the Murlak, we will have nothing.”

  I was hoping one of them would get the Murlak talking. I felt that if I went in, Illam Pove would die for sure. Coonts sat next to me and shrugged.

  “The Murlak will meet his maker before he will tell Klutch what we want to know.”

  Screaming from the cell suddenly got our attention. Klutch was sitting on the Murlak and holding up the alien’s hand. Ours mouths fell open when he spit out a thumb. Illam was screaming and babbling nonsense, so the Tibor bit off a finger as well. He spewed it into the Murlak’s face. I knew the Troop Master was a hard ass, but this was a step above that.

  “If you do not tell me the coordinates of Shurmosk, I will give you eight more reasons why you should!”

  It took two more fingers to get what we needed. Coonts stormed off a sore loser and ten thousand credits lighter in the pockets. Klutch stood with Murlak blood dripping from his mouth, laughing at Coonts. When he saw the incredulous looks from Tria and me, he told us Coonts was mad because he didn’t think of it first. My crew used to think I was the crazy one. The Tibor now owned that distinction. I had Justice treat the Murlak’s wounds. I had a feeling he had a lot of information that could prove useful in the future. On my way out of the brig, I saw Klutch go into the holding cell where the Hivemind’s containment chamber was stored.

  “Klutch! You have been more than helpful today,” I called. “It won’t be necessary to aid the Hivemind at this time.”

  The Tibor discharged a mouthful of crimson spittle onto the container and turned to me.

  “I was just checking to make sure the chamber was still secure, Commander!”

  We needed to get the Troop Master back into combat. He had a lot of pent-up energy that was going to waste. He could better serve us by expending his energy on hostiles who were expendable. The sooner we left for Shurmosk, the better.

  “Your time might be better spent going over your combat kit. We will be leaving for Shurmosk by the end of the day.”

  As expected, that put a gory smile back on the Tibor’s face. He threw me something that resembled a salute and ran out of the brig.

  “I will be squared away and ready in half that time, Commander!” he called as he ran.

  I was betting it would be less. Tria tugged me toward the lift tubes.

  “Let’s get something to eat before he decides he is hungry.”

  It was really questionable if I had the stomach to eat after witnessing the Tibor’s interrogation. The warm, inviting smile on Tria’s face changed my mind. I might end up needing the extra energy at some point before our departure. We found Coonts and Xul in the galley sharing a meal. They waved us over, and we joined them.

  “Commander, Xul and I agree that you should ask the Operative to join us on the Shurmosk mission. We are confident that if you ask, she will join us. She may resent your leadership, but she respects your combat abilities. We will need all the help we can get. Her skills as a warrior are unquestionable. She tries to give the appearance of indifference, but I know her spirit craves battle,” Coonts said. “Xul has volunteered to go with us, but his combat skills are untested and his equipment not up to the task. The Operative, on the other hand, can make use of Tria’s old combat armor, and her prowess as a killer will be welcome when the shooting starts. Her help may prove to be the difference between a serious injury to someone on the strike team and pulling off a swift and decisive victory.”

  Swift or decisive were not words that I would have openly used before kicking off our next mission. Even though the beast in me cheered on Coonts’s rhetoric and instilled a sense of preordained victory, we would not know how big the steaming pile was going to be until we buried our boots in it. I looked at Tria, and she stopped eating long enough to nod in agreement. It was an easy decision for my teammates. Sael spent most of her time bitching at me and not them. In the long run, I knew they were right, and I would make the call. In the back of my mind, I could hear the haunting call of the beast confirming Coonts’s insight. Sael enjoyed a good blood bath as much as it did.

  I managed to get down six more bites before the Troop Master walked into the galley. He picked up two trays in preparation for his precombat feast. The four of us picked up ours and dumped them into the recycler. Three of us gave Klutch a polite nod on the way out. Coonts choose instead to give him an Earth gesture that earned me a sharp poke from Tria. The Tibor gave him a boisterous croaking laugh and mouthed the words “ten thousand” to him. A few short years ago, the two aliens would have never acted like this. I was still finding it difficult to determine what part of my behavior rubbed off enough to turn them into the stooges they were now.

  I changed gears and started composing the message I was going to send to Sael. Tria had other ideas. More than an hour later and a hot shower to soothe a few bruises, I opened a secure IST channel to Sael. She answer
ed without hesitation.

  “Nathan, are you calling with information on the Fury?”

  “No, unfortunately not. I do, however, have something you might be interested in.”

  “Let me guess. The Hivemind has enlightened you on the whereabouts of another Prule deathtrap.”

  I was starting to get a little agitated at the Operative’s demeanor and considered doing the mission on our own. Why she thought that we should have information on the Fury hinted that she still thought Justice had a subsystem stowed aboard. Try as she might, she was not going to get me to admit it anytime soon.

  “Perhaps I should call you later so you can find some fool to remove that stick from your ass.”

  “You primate! You are the stick in my ass,” Sael snapped back. “What do you want?”

  “We have developed some solid information on Eiger. I was calling because I thought you might be interested in participating in his apprehension. I suspect it will involve sending a large number of pirates to an unexpected meeting with their maker.”