“I can drive from here,” Gladys replied. “The internal field is good so you may as well make yourselves comfortable.”
Frank was surprised when Constanthos sat down several feet away from him and leaned against the wall. “You alright?” he asked.
She looked at him with a wide-eyed expression. “I don't know how to describe how I'm feeling right now.”
“You're feeling helpless.”
“Is that what this is?”
“I'd imagine so. You are usually in control of most everything.”
“You're probably right. How do you deal with it?”
“I don't have an answer, I'm afraid. I'm rarely in control of much of anything.”
Constanthos paused and Frank could tell that she was trying to gather her thoughts. She glanced at the pad. “We are lifting off.”
* * *
“May I speak with the lead Ekoke?” Phildan asked.
After a short while, a Rhoshe voice answered, “There is no parlay to be had, assassin.”
“This is the escort of the Custodian,” Phildan replied.
“Come again?”
“We are covering Frank.”
“My apologies. I am Ekoke 17.” There was a slight pause. “How may we be of service?”
“I am isolating this transmission. Their cloak has been compromised and they are going to punch through at speed.”
“Understood. We will try to clear a lane.”
“Much appreciated.” Phildan located the projected lane and transmitted the coordinates to 17. “This seems like our best option.”
“Got it. We have one nearby that is giving us trouble.”
“Elaborate.”
“Hull is heavily armored. They are intercepting torpedoes.”
Phildan contorted his scales into a smile. “May we offer some assistance?”
“Yes, please do.”
“Pull your Ekokes away.”
“Done.”
Phildan set the sequence to record, and then glancing at the trajectory of the crippled boat, he moved through the retreating Evokes and dropped into torpedo range. Glancing at the television, he pressed a button and the image zoomed. “Spinners,” he said to himself, referring to the hyperactive sensors that were positioned at both ends of the assassin's vessel. He moved in very close, targeting what he believed to be the bridge, fired, and then quickly retreated. The screen lit up as the oxygen inside the ship ignited. The flash of the passing boat caused him to smile once again.
“That guy was an asshole.” 17's voice came through with a sound of glee. “Thank you for leaving it intact.”
“Glad to help,” Phildan replied.
“The others are in pursuit,” 17 reported.
Phildan studied his pad. “The boat is outpacing them. Permission to engage.”
“Permission granted. Light those fuckers up.”
The pursuing vessels didn't form any specific formation. They were acting independently, trying desperately to kill the Custodian and therefore earn more money than they would know what to do with. Phildan began dropping torpedoes into their paths as he passed them. After eight confirmed hits, the pad told him a small rift was opening ahead of the compromised boat. It was so far ahead he knew the Main Ship had plenty of time to relocate and avoid a potential collision.
Switching frequencies, Phildan stated, “Gladys, I would very much like to stay and help clean up this mess.”
“I thought you might,” she answered. “I am slamming the door shut behind them. You may want to begin with the vessel that is hanging back.” She transmitted a set of coordinates.
“What is that?” Phildan asked.
“I have a feeling that it's their ride back.”
The wheels were turning in Phildan's head. “Does that piece of garbage have some sort of irrelevancy drive?”
“It's just a gut feeling, Phildan. They are hanging back pretty far.”
Phildan did the math in his head. “I think you're right. These guys wouldn't have been here this fast, otherwise.”
“Please, be careful.”
* * *
“We are clear.”
“What does that mean?” Frank asked.
“Gladys opened a rift and we passed through,” Constanthos replied.
“I see. So, where is everyone else?”
“I can only guess that they stayed behind to assist the Rhoshe.”
“So no one followed us?” Frank asked.
“She closed it pretty fast. I'm not reading anything.”
Frank paused. “So, what do we do now?” He feared the worst.
“We sit and wait for them to pick us up.”
“Oh. Where are we?”
“It appears that we are in the same system but much closer to the star.”
“I see. Okay.”
She looked over at him. “You're not the slightest bit concerned, are you?”
“Connie, I don't really know what any of it means.”
She flashed that smile. It was the same smile as Gladys although they looked nothing alike. “You're not stupid, Frank.”
“The jury is still out.”
“You're worried about me.”
“Well, yeah. You're new to this whole...human thing.”
“I'm fine. You've taught me to not get too excited.”
“I did? When did I do that?”
“I suppose I picked that up with your combat training.”
Frank let out a chuckle. “I don't think I set a very good example. I mean, there are better people to learn from.”
“I disagree.”
“Connie, I've been expecting to die at any given moment.”
“Yes, I know.”
“You don't understand. That allows me to take certain... liberties.”
“You want your last action to be noble. So you always act with nobility. I get it.”
“I really don't think you do.”
She smiled again. “I've been inside your head.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, never mind then.”
Constanthos leaned back against the wall very much like Frank was doing. She thought about what she knew of him, his thoughts, which was just about everything. And that is why she kept her distance.
* * *
“Captain, are you seeing this?”
Dran turned in his seat to view the action through the port. “It looks like the Assassin's Guild is losing a considerable part of their membership.”
“We are exposed, sir.”
“Agreed. We already got their money. There's no reason to die today. Micro-jump.”
“Aye.” The Gurdik at the helm punched the commands into his console.
“Once we're clear set to measure for a return to Hitakkita. We'll wait for Amoz there.”
* * *
“There is a rift opening,” Gladys said. “They are running.”
“I am surprised that heap had the means,” Phildan replied.
“As am I. There are two cloaked ships nearby.”
“Really? What configuration?”
“One is a Sessik Main Ship. The other is unknown, but it is absolutely massive.”
“You know I'm not one to jump to conclusions,” Phildan started.
Gladys cut him off. “I'm pretty sure we know who is in the Main Ship.”
“Yes. But the other?”
“We can study the images when you are finished out there. How are the Nakamuras doing?”
“They aren't ones to complain. I haven't heard a sound from them.”
“They are wonderful.”
“Yes, they are. I'm going to see what I can do to wrap this up.” Phildan switched back to speak with Ekoke 17. “Where do you need us?”
* * *
Frank was sitting silently, holding an orb, trying to find a seam in its shell.
“What are you doing?” Constanthos asked.
“I've never taken the time to admire one of these things.”
She took a moment to consider his wor
ds. “I can see where you would find the beauty in them. Phildan let me assist him before the move. He takes great care with every single remote.”
“He's good. He's real good.”
“Frank, you look tired. Maybe you should try to sleep.”
“You know about my dreams.”
“Yes. But still.”
“Maybe some time under the halo when we get back. And if Cindy isn't too busy.”
“Yes, of course.” She was quiet for a while before saying, “Frank, I'm sorry.”
“What for?”
“We should have briefed you about Rhoshe retirement. I was surprised when he chose that path.”
“Even if I had known about it, I would have been surprised too. I thought he was doing good.”
“He felt as if he had nothing left to offer his family.”
“It's a shame. He was truly spectacular. I'll miss him.” He leaned his head back against the wall and thought about what he had left to offer his own family.
11.
“We would prefer it if none of them escape,” 17 said.
“There are a couple making a break for it,” Phildan answered. “I'll disable them.” He knew that the prevalent light-drive design still needed computational systems to take careful measurements before engaging. He swung the boat around and quickly decided on the angle of attack. While having no way of being certain, he was sure they were pointing toward Hitakkita. It was a wild guess but now others were starting in the same general direction. He took the lead ship first, dropping a torpedo in its path. As the assassin tried to go evasive, the torpedo exploded, sending it into the path of another vessel. They were simply traveling too fast and the impact caused a brief flash of light followed by a visible debris field that was expanding outward and away from Rhoshe One. “Sorry about that,” Phildan said.
“No worries,” 17 replied. “They were really moving. And it looked amazing. The others are turning away.”
“I'll watch this end.”
“Very good. We have a fresh swarm coming in. This will be over soon.”
Phildan was dividing his attention between the television and his data pad. Sure enough, from the direction of the primary moon, several thousand Ekoke fighters were inbound and moving fast. “Hiro, Miyako!” he called out. “You might want to see this.” A few moments later the couple strolled into the living room. “This is an Ekoke swarm. I've never seen one in person before.”
“Amazing,” Miyako said as she admired their brutal efficiency.
“It looks like we're out of a job,” Hiro joked. “I was expecting to see explosions.”
“They are going to scrap all of those vessels,” Phildan explained. “Look to the far end over there. That formation allows all twelve in that group to open fire upon the ship without shooting each other. And another twelve fall in right behind them. And then another. Look around. See the same process being repeated until every one of those assassin's ships are cracked open.”
“What will they do with the survivors?” Miyako asked.
“There will be no survivors.”
* * *
“I wonder if they would teach me how to fly one of those,” Nera said with a smile as she watched the swarming Ekokes across the various view screens.
“This looks like it's over,” Gladys said. “I'm recalling Phildan.” She pressed a few spots on her data pad. “You would be a terrific pilot, Nera. Although you may be a little too brave.” She flashed that smile and Nera felt weak in her knees.
“I'm finally understanding why no one messes with the bugs,” Denise said, her eyes still glued to the screens.
“They are amazing, aren't they?” Gladys asked. “This would have been over even faster if they weren't interested in collecting the wreckage.”
They were interrupted by a knock at the door panel. Robert stuck his head in to ask, “How is everything going?”
“It's a long story,” Denise answered as she stood to walk toward the door. “I'll fill you in.” She walked out into the garden and Nera claimed her vacant seat.
“Phildan is docked,” Gladys said. “I will say our farewells and then we'll go pick up Frank and Connie.” She looked back to the screen to see the larger cloaked ship disappearing into a rift.
* * *
“Tell me about Mertia,” Frank finally said.
“We cannot go there,” Constanthos answered.
“I beg to differ. It's a human world in crisis. We must go there.”
“I think that might have come out wrong. What I mean is, Gladys cannot go there.”
“You lost me.”
“I should let her explain it.” She had an odd look on her face.
He studied her expression for a moment. “You're not wanting to push your boundaries, right?”
“This is a unique situation. It really isn't my place.” She glanced at the data pad.
“I really don't know how to take that. Am I supposed to be patient? Am I supposed to be mad?”
“Frank, Mertia nearly broke her. If you asked me about any other known world, I would be happy to answer. But it isn't my place to discuss Mertia with you.”
Frank paused. “It's that bad then?”
“Yes. I hope you're not mad at me.”
“We're good.”
* * *
“Hit them hard,” Grame said.
“I plan to, sir. As soon as we hit the dirt, we will quickly overwhelm them.”
“Okay then. Just before first light, local.” Grame paused before continuing, “Dig in, Ebry. This might be our new home for a while. The galaxy thinks this place is radioactive. We may as well make ourselves comfortable.”
“Understood, sir. How would you prefer your first human?”
“Oh, whatever you send will be fine.”
* * *
“We're through,” Gladys announced.
“How do we find them in all of this?” Nera asked, pointing to the blank vastness of space as shown on the view-screens.
“There are beacons installed on their bracelets. We just follow the trajectory that our computational system stored, and there they are.”
“I know it's not really magic but it sure is close.”
They were interrupted by Phildan's voice coming from an orb that was parked near Gladys' seat. “I am offloading the Nakamuras,” he said. “I figure we'll have to go belly to belly to pluck them out of that boat.”
“Will that work?” Gladys asked.
“Bring them to a stop. I'll go out and fasten a baffle to their port. We might lose a little air, but it won't be much.”
“You are very clever, Phildan. I don't know what we would do without you.”
“Thanks. I hate to lose another boat though.”
“We can worry about boats later. Please, be careful.”
“Always.”
* * *
“We've stopped,” Constanthos said.
“I didn't even know we were moving,” Frank replied. The orb came alive and gently fought to be released from his grasp.
“We are here,” Gladys said.
“That's good news,” Frank said. “I'm afraid Connie was starting to get bored.”
“Not hardly,” Constanthos said with a smile. “What is the plan?”
“Phildan is installing a baffle to the port on that boat,” Gladys replied.
“Brilliant.”
“How did it go at Rhoshe?” Frank asked.
“The only ship that got away looked to be a Gurdik junker. But it had an irrelevancy drive.”
“They don't normally have those?” Frank asked.
“No. It's all coming together though. I think they were pirates.”
“That's funny,” Frank said.
“Why is that funny?” Constanthos asked.
“When you talk about pirates on Earth, it's usually a bunch of dirty old sailors in a wooden ship. Cannons. Walking the plank.”
“The plank?”
“Beards. Peg legs and eye-patches. Parrots si
tting on shoulders.”
“Wouldn't a parrot poop all over your clothing?”
“Connie, I never thought of that. You might be on to something.”
“Is any of that even real, Frank?” Gladys asked with a jovial tone.
“Yes and no. A lot of that has been, I don't know, glamorized in movies. There are still pirates, but they have faster boats and better guns from what I hear.”
“I'm afraid there isn't anything glamorous about Gurdik pirates,” Gladys said. “They are a rogue element among a mostly peaceful species.”
“What's their story?” Frank asked.
“The pirates?”
“No, the Gurdiks.”
“Oh,” Gladys said. “They are mostly transient workers. Their planet was destroyed.”
“Holy shit,” Frank replied. “How?”
“Collision.”
“That's terrible. I've only seen a few in person. I'm afraid I was quite rude.” Frank thought back to when he opened the ramp of a Gurdik freighter high above Rhoshe One.
“I don't think they took it personally,” Constanthos said. “That might be what made them clear out of Vera.”
“I wouldn't know anything about that,” Frank said.
“Phildan signalled that he is ready,” Gladys said.
“He is very quick,” Constanthos replied.
“He is back inside. I am bringing the boats together now.”
“I suggest cutting the gravity in this boat for the duration of our transfer,” Constanthos suggested.
There was a pause before Gladys replied. “Yes. Good thinking.”
“Why cut the gravity?” Frank asked.
“I don't know what would happen if the two opposing fields meet,” Constanthos answered. “Most likely, nothing would happen. Worst case, whoever tried to cross through would be ripped apart.”
“Yes, cut the gravity,” Frank said. He almost smiled.
“Phildan is in your boat, Frank,” Gladys explained. “We are leaving the field on in there so all of your stuff stays in place.”
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