by Jan Domagala
“Oh this just get’s better and better,” he said as he tried to regain some of his composure. The mention of her name was like a shot to the gut almost paralysing him.
“Who’s she, sir?” asked Torres as delicately as she could looking from Riley to Sinclair.
Riley nodded his head, not to give permission, more to say he was ready for what was to come. His team had to be able to trust him as he did them, and if there was any detail of the mission that could compromise that trust and therefore compromise the mission they deserved to know from the outset.
“Natasha Garvey and Riley knew each other years ago, had a relationship to the point where they were to be married but decided to go their separate ways for the sake of their careers,” Sinclair explained.
“She decided,” snapped Riley, his eyes blazing.
“That nerve still a tad raw then Jake?” Sinclair asked.
Riley paused, glanced at his friends then to the general. “What do you expect? Don’t worry though, sir, the mission comes first, as always. I’ll sort out the personal stuff later.”
“You do that, this is too important for you to allow personal feelings to get in the way,” Sinclair said coldly. “One last thing, I had a starship commissioned from RandCorp especially for this team. She’s in Hangar 5 under wraps. She only arrived two days ago, you were supposed to take her out on field trials when you got back from R and R. You’ll have to complete them on the run, as it were.”
“Just for us, oh you shouldn’t have, sir,” joked Vance.
Ignoring him Sinclair continued, “She’s called the Pulsar. She’s equipped with stealth technology, triple hull plating, both primary and secondary shielding and has the armament of a light battle cruiser. Forward, aft and lateral pulse cannons with missile tubes forward and aft that can deliver a variety of Sabre, Hammerhead or Cutlass missiles.”
“You’re joking, right?” Cooper said adding, “In a ship that size, there’s no way.”
“What size, oh you mean able to fit in Hangar 5? I’m sorry did I give the impression it’s all in there? I meant just the forward section. The rest is in orbit, cloaked, she’s too big to bring down,” Sinclair said with a wry smile.
As the team looked at each other with bewilderment Sinclair said, “Okay, that’s it, dismissed. Everything you need is on board, I’ll upload Kurt’s sit-rep to your onboard computer.”
Riley said, “Aye, sir. C’mon team we’ve a job to do.”
As they reached the door Sinclair said, “Good luck.”
“Thank you, sir,” Riley answered speaking for all of them and then they were gone, the door closing silently behind them.
18
Once Tarkovic had checked the passenger list against who was left on board, he contacted Marko.
“We’ve accounted for everyone we got to on board and all the lifeboats except one, were destroyed,” he said.
“Take a team and follow up,” replied Marko.
“I’m on it,” Tarkovic said, but then added, “We may have a problem.”
“Such as?” Marko said, as usual succinct, direct and to the point.
“According to the ship’s manifest it was a charter by Prince Aswan,” Tarkovic told him.
There was a pause while Marko digested what he’d heard. “This could be bad, just the sort of attention we’ve tried to avoid. Here’s what you need to do, if he’s alive find him, if not, shit! We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“He could be on that lifeboat that went down on the planet,” Tarkovic offered.
“You never said it went down on the planet, dammit. Is there anything else you failed to mention?” replied Marko furiously.
“No, sir.”
“Get down there now with your best men and find that craft. Report back to me the second you locate it. If he’s alive I want him brought back to me, unharmed. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“When I ask for a full report I expect just that. Keep that in mind for the next report you give me that’s shy of any detail, no matter how small, it’ll be your last. Now go!”
RILEY AND THE TEAM took the express elevator to the surface. Hangar 5 was the outermost hangar; being the largest it needed access to the huge doors at the front and room to move the contents in or out.
“Well guys, this is it,” Riley said as they reached the personnel access panel at the side of the huge double doors. “Let’s see what this thing looks like,” he added as he punched the access code into the numerical keypad to unlock the door. Sensors in the security panel had already completed biometric scans of all four of them on their approach to identify them; the access code was simply the last step in the procedure.
As they entered lights automatically came on bathing the interior of the huge hangar with clean, bright light that chased the shadows off to hide in dark recesses and far away corners like some strange nocturnal creatures.
Before them stood a sleek craft as tall as the interior of the hangar, or so it seemed. From their viewpoint they couldn’t see the top of the craft as it stretched high up almost to the ceiling. Looking down the flanks, not much was discernable in the way of markings or insignia. She was obviously purpose built for covert work should the need arise and just looking at her gave them some idea just how much planning had gone into their team and it’s purpose.
“Holy shit! If this is just the forward section, how big is this thing?” Vance said as he asked the question on all their minds.
“More to the point, how the hell are the four of us supposed to run a ship of that size?” Torres asked as she looked towards the rear of the craft over a hundred metres away. The bulk of the ship filled the interior of the hangar and them with awe.
The moment they approached the hatch it slid open and a stairway extended out down to the floor for them to use. The ship’s landing struts extended from the underside of the craft, which meant there was a clearance beneath it large enough for a man to walk through. The hatch was in the side of her, high above their heads.
“How?” Cooper muttered.
“Did you do that?” Torres finished for him.
“I’m as much in the dark as you are. Let’s get aboard, I’ve a feeling all our answers will be in there,” Riley said smiling.
He led his team up the stairway into the Pulsar’s forward section. The moment they entered, lights came on throughout the craft, as did the instrument panels.
“Welcome aboard Captain Riley, you too Lieutenants Vance, Cooper and Torres,” a warm, friendly voice said seemingly from all around them.
“Who the...? What the...?” stammered Vance as he looked around to see if there was anyone else with them.
“No need to worry Lieutenant Vance, we are quite alone,” said the strangely asexual voice which froze Vance like a statue.
“This is so weird,” exclaimed Cooper.
“Who are you?” asked Riley calmly.
“I am Artificial Integrated Intelligence Control Module,” replied the voice.
Riley looked around at the interior of the craft. “Okay, but where are you?” he asked not sure he liked not being able to see who he was talking to.
“Wait, wait, say again who you are?” Vance said grimacing at the memory.
“I am Artificial Integrated Intelligence Control Module.”
“I take it you’re a prototype system. We have nothing like you at this time in use,” Riley enquired.
“I am indeed Captain Riley, very perceptive of you. I have been in development in my present form for the past sixteen years, eight months, three weeks, two days, fourteen hours and three minutes, give or take.”
“Ah yes, October twelfth, I remember it well,” Cooper said deadpan.
“Not quite Lieutenant Cooper, the actual date was...”
“We get it, a long time ago, he was joking,” Riley said cutting off the Module’s flow.
“And you’re incredibly anal,” Vance told the Module although he was unsure where to direct h
is comment.
“Do I take it you’re in control of this ship?” Riley asked trying to get back on track and understand just what they’d been given.
“I am indeed, along with monitoring your life signs and environment when you’re away from the ship so that I can relay accurate data to you from the local terrain to anything within my data banks you may require for research.”
“That’s cool,” Torres said.
“Very cool,” agreed Vance.
“Our very own Big Brother, or Eye in the Sky,” added Cooper.
“But what do we call you?” Riley asked. “If we are to communicate with you we have to know what to call you. What’s your name?”
“I have no name, sir, I am simply, Artificial Integrated Intelligence Control Module.”
“Screw that, we’ll call you Artie for now, until we can come up with something else,” Riley said.
“Hey, wait a minute, don’t we get to choose?” Torres asked indignantly.
“Nope, not today. I’m in charge and we’re in a hurry, decision made,” Riley said.
“Yes, sir,” Vance said before Torres could argue. She glanced at Riley then Vance, then throwing her arms up in exasperation said, “This team needs more women.”
“Glad that’s sorted. Now Artie take us up to dock with the rest of the Pulsar. We have a job to do and we need to get started,” Riley said before moving off to check out the rest of the ship.
Torres looked at Vance and asked, “You’ve known him the longest, have you ever seen him like that before?”
“Well for a start, I’ve not known him for much longer than you or Mack but I suspect this is related to Natasha Garvey. By his reaction to what the general said about the break up I suspect she handled it better than he did,” Vance replied.
“Well the sooner we find her and get her to safety, if we can, the better for all of us,” Torres said with a sigh.
“I’m sure if this Kurt Stryder is as good as Sinclair says he is then I’m sure she’ll be safe and well, just waiting to be picked up,” Cooper said.
19
On the planet’s surface, the lifeboat had crashed into the forest that covered the ground for miles. Unable to get an accurate sensor reading on the thickness of the foliage as they hurtled through the atmosphere, there was nothing left to do except brace for impact.
The structural integrity of the small craft held keeping the occupants safe although Kurt was sent crashing into the forward viewport from his seat in the crumpled forward section.
Aswan’s harness held though keeping him firmly in place, although he had sustained a blow to the head during the crash that rendered him unconscious.
Looking back up the length of the lifeboat Kurt saw Natasha hanging in her harness and looking terrified. Behind her was the limp form of the prince and when he saw how loose he was he hoped he was not injured. They were in enough trouble as it was not to add an injury to the list.
Behind him the viewport, although built to withstand the rigours of space travel, was severely weakened by the craft being attacked and the crash into the trees. A crack appeared level with his shoulders. Another crack appeared and he felt the viewport give just a little.
The viewport was weakening, Kurt could feel the cracks spreading and he knew that within seconds it would give way completely. If he didn’t move before then he would fall through to the forest floor beneath.
Slowly and very carefully he began to lift himself off the viewscreen.
Another crack appeared beneath him. The more he moved, the faster cracks appeared.
Once he had managed to get to his haunches he knew he had just one chance to get off the viewport. Kurt knew the second he made his move the viewport would collapse beneath him.
Bunching his leg muscles in preparation he steadied himself. The pilot’s seat wasn’t that far away, a matter of a metre or so, but without a stable base to push off from it might as well have been a kilometre away
Natasha looked at him trying to remain calm, but seeing the cracks getting longer and joining up to form star patterns she knew as well as Kurt that he was running out of time.
Taking a deep breath, Kurt launched himself off the viewport towards the pilot’s chair. The second he moved the cracks gave way and the entire viewport collapsed away.
Flailing his arms and reaching out for the seat he wondered if he would make it. Stalling in mid air he knew he was going to fall short of his target. Stretching his right arm out to its limit, he reached for the seat. Thinking his arm would pop out of its shoulder socket, he pushed it to the limit, then beyond.
His hand came down and Kurt thought he might just make it after all. A few millimetres more and he would reach the armrest.
Feeling his fingertips brush past the armrest, he felt sick to his stomach and he knew he had missed.
As his hand dropped, it landed on the footplate of the seat. Clawing at it to gain purchase, his fingertips finally gripped onto the edge and held. Kurt felt his shoulder jar from the sudden stop as he gained a grip.
Dangling towards the gaping hole of the forward viewport, he began to pull himself up.
Natasha held her breath during his efforts and when she saw him pull himself up onto the seat, she sighed with relief.
“We need to move and quickly,” Kurt said as he pulled himself into the seat. “There’s no telling how long this thing will stay up here,” he added. Scrambling over the back of the seat he leaned against it and said, “Are you okay?”
“So far, yes,” replied Natasha rather shakily. Fear was evident in her voice and eyes but Kurt could tell she had it under control.
“Good, I’m going to come over to you and release you, so be ready, okay?” he said as calmly as he could. Aware that the lifeboat could fall from its position at any second he was also conscious that any sudden movements could precipitate that action.
Nodding her head Natasha said, “Okay.”
Slowly, with smooth, fluid movements, Kurt stood up against the back of the pilot’s chair and, holding onto the floor of the lifeboat, climbed over to the back of Natasha’s seat.
Leaning his stomach against the back of her seat he leant forward over it to grab her collar with his left hand and with his right he reached for her seat’s harness release button. His toes were underneath the seat to anchor him and he hoped what he was about to do would not send them all crashing to the forest floor.
“Are you ready?” Kurt asked softly, not wanting to add to her fear. Not daring to speak she simply nodded her head once. She looked around for something to grab when her harness was released but there was only the armrests. Holding onto them until her knuckles went white, she waited for the signal.
“Okay, on three,” Kurt said then began the countdown.
“One... Two... Three...”
Kurt hit the release button and the harness immediately retracted into the body of the seat leaving Natasha to the mercy of gravity.
Feeling herself fall she tightened her grip on the armrests but her weight, plus the angle her arms were at, couldn’t prevent her from falling.
She felt her grip go, first on her left hand then on her right and panic welled up inside her as fear took hold.
The forward shattered viewport loomed ahead filling her vision. She knew she would smash through what was left of it before colliding into the branches of the trees they were imprisoned in and falling to her inevitable death.
“I’ve got you,” Kurt said as his grip on her collar held preventing what she’d imagined from happening, just before a terrified scream burst through her lips.
Kurt spun her around slowly so that she faced her seat and she quickly grabbed hold and scrambled up it and over the back to stand next to him.
“Thanks,” she said once she got her breathing under some sort of control.
Kurt simply smiled and said, “C’mon we haven’t much time.”
They climbed up the floor like mountaineers ascending a vertical face searching for and usi
ng whatever hand and footholds were available until they reached Aswan.
Carefully Kurt checked the man’s carotid artery for signs of life. The blood was pumping through it steadily with a strong rhythm. “He’s okay, just out cold; probably took a knock on his head during the crash,” Kurt told Natasha as she looked on with a worried frown.
Kurt’s touch must have triggered something for Aswan’s eyelids fluttered open as his senses slowly returned.
Seeing what was in front of him and there being no sign of Kurt or Natasha he immediately panicked. Thrashing around in his harness, he looked around screaming for help.
A firm hand clamped on his shoulder startling him and he twisted around the best he could to see who it was.
“Stop moving now!” Kurt ordered, having to raise his voice to be heard above the terrified screams.
Aswan’s thrashing about sent a shudder through the lifeboat, which brought the three of them up fast. Kurt looked at Natasha whose eyes were wide with fear then at Aswan who was terrified but at least motionless. They all knew what it meant.
“I need you to keep calm. I’m going to release your harness and I want you to be ready. Is that clear?” Kurt said keeping his voice calm, the last thing he wanted to do was panic him further.
“I don’t want to die, please don’t let me die,” Aswan pleaded, his voice sounding like that of a frightened small child.
“No one’s going to die today, sir,” Natasha told him.
Bracing themselves against the back of the princes’ seat Kurt grabbed Aswan’s collar whilst Natasha grabbed his hand and arm. With his free hand, Kurt hit the release button on the harness. No countdown this time, it would just worsen the situation.
Aswan fell forward screaming as the harness retracted, his thrashing increasing as his terror-fuelled panic sharply increased.
“Stop thrashing about you idiot or you’ll kill us all,” Kurt shouted at him as he pulled him back to the seat. Helped by Natasha he was able to lift him up to the back of the seat where he clung on like his life depended upon it, which of course it did.
