Tolliver waved the apology away. “Forget it. Enjoy being young, my friend. Enjoy your freedom. Most people never even get a taste of it.”
He sat down and looked at the camera display that showed the bright, colorful world of Mersa Prime. He pointed at it.
“Look at all those people,” he said. “Four billion after the last migration was approved. Probably more than that now. How many of them honestly believe the Royal Imperium isn’t controlling their thoughts? It’s a shame, all those poor fools with no idea of what’s happening. And as long as the Imperium gets away with it, they’ll never know. The drug will keep them content to never ask the tough questions.”
“I thought ignorance was bliss,” Ben said.
“Ignorance is fine,” Tolliver said. “But it should be a choice. And I wouldn’t call it bliss. I’d say that what they don’t know, they don’t perceive, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t hurting them. For years I dismissed the rumors that the Royal Imperium wanted our planet for themselves. Our environmental initiatives were enacted before we caused too much damage in our scramble to learn and grow. The result is clean air, lots of space, and a vast, diverse ecology that is the envy of the galaxy.”
“Sounds pretty wonderful,” Ben said. “I grew up on a world covered with junk.”
Tolliver looked at Ben with a frown. “I was oblivious to the Imperium’s machinations, yet it hasn’t saved our world or made it a better place. Perhaps Torrent Four was terrible for you, but it drove you forward. You aren’t even thirty years old yet, and you’ve rebuilt an interstellar starship and traveled across the galaxy.”
“I see your point,” Ben said.
“I’m an old man,” Tolliver declared. “We don’t really make points as much as we ramble on about regrets we can do nothing about.”
“You regret your life?” Ben asked.
“I regret that I was ignorant,” the older man replied. “I regret that my apathy left room for evil to take root and flourish. Now we must deal with the fruit of that evil. Perhaps if we had done something sooner, we might have made a difference.”
Ben wasn’t sure he agreed, but he didn’t wholly disagree either. The Royal Imperium was powerful, and most of the worlds in its control didn’t think it was possible to resist their power. The Confederacy was growing, but eventually it would require war to overthrow the Imperium, a great, terrible war. Trillions would die, entire worlds would be ruined just like Torrent Four, perhaps even worse. He had once believed that it was better to carve out the best life possible without challenging the Imperium, but the drones had shattered that illusion. How could anyone trust a government willing to use illicit drugs to control the worlds they held under their control? Were not the taxes and harsh laws enough? Were not the constantly changing regulations and intrusive oversight too burdensome? Ben couldn’t answer those questions, and he didn’t know what was next for his crew. All he knew for certain was that they had to keep flying.
The hours passed quickly, and soon the time to make their descent through the vast network of satellites and into the planet’s atmosphere approached. One by one, the rest of Ben’s crew returned to the bridge. Tolliver went up and joined his friends on the observation deck. Ben waited until the next group of drones began to make their way toward the planet.
“The drones are moving,” Nance said.
“It’s go time,” Kim said.
“Follow them in,” Ben said. “Tolliver has already set the planetary trajectory. It should come up once we move out of orbit and into the planet’s atmosphere.”
“Roger that,” Kim said. “I’m going in.”
The bridge fell silent as the Echo slowly made her way around the swarm of drones. They passed no less than six satellites as they crossed through the lower orbital plane.
“Passing one hundred thousand feet,” Nance said. “All systems looking good.”
“The drones are dispersing,” Kim spoke up. “Just like Tolliver predicted.”
“Stay clear of them,” Ben urged her. “There’s no telling when they’ll self-destruct.”
The spaceship glided through the atmosphere, descending slowly to avoid building up too much heat. They were over one of the planet’s oceans, which was dark blue beneath them and through the clouds.
“Wow,” Kim said. “Would you look at that.”
“I’ve never seen such brilliant color,” Nance agreed.
They dropped out the clouds and crossed the horizon line, moving from daylight to dark in a matter of seconds. It wasn’t long after that the continent appeared in the distance. At first all they could see were lights, millions of lights glittering along the shoreline. As they got closer, more features appeared. There were mountains behind the coastline—dark, strong land features rising up toward the sky, which showed stars between the clouds. There were lights on the mountaintops, but few lights between the coast and the towering peaks in the distance.
“Passing forty thousand feet,” Nance said.
“I wish we could see it in the daytime,” Kim said.
“Me too,” Ben said. “Perhaps one day we can come back.”
“If we live long enough,” Kim said.
The ship moved down through the darkness toward a small cluster of buildings surrounded by miles of forest. One of the buildings was a large hangar with a retractable roof.
As they approached, Ben punched in a code that Tolliver had given him. The Echo sent a tight beam transmission directly to the cluster of buildings. Soon the roof was opening up and bright lights revealed the open space below.
“Ten thousand feet,” Nance said.
They were running without radar or exterior lights, moving slowly to keep the engines from revving too loudly. The Echo came down over the open hanger and hovered there for a moment, ensuring that they were lined up correctly.
“Is it big enough?” Ben asked.
“Plenty big,” Kim said. “I just want to be sure they know we’re coming down.”
The Kestrel class ship descended straight down into the hanger and settled onto the polished concrete floor. Ben shut down her engines and the artificial gravity. It was the first time any of the small crew had ever been on a world other than Torrent Four.
“Another first,” Ben said.
“It’s a little strange,” Kim said. “We’re actually on Mersa Prime.”
“Let’s get this cargo unloaded and get back in the air,” Ben said as a wave of nerves overcame his excitement. I want to be off-world before the sun comes up.”
Kim went up to inform their passengers that they were home. Ben and Magnum went to the cargo bay and opened the big rear hatch. There were people waiting outside. Ben noticed that none had weapons visible, which he found slightly disconcerting. They were the rebels after all, he thought. Surely if anyone should be armed, they should.
“We’re home,” Tolliver said, leading the way down the metal staircase toward the cargo bay. “Welcome to Mersa Prime.”
Ben waved the people outside the ship forward and began directing the unloading of the ship. They had carried eight pallets filled with crates of anti-Imperium literature, printed on paper, data disks, holo-cards, and thumb drives.
The newcomers hugged the refugees. There were even a few tears as Ben’s passengers were welcomed home. It was a moving display. So few people had ever cared for Ben that the thought of being in a community of people that cared for one another sounded amazing. He had been sad for Tolliver, thinking of how much the older man had given up, but he quickly realized that there was more to his life than Ben knew. Much more, he realized, that Tolliver would have been forced to give up had he followed his dream of piloting a starship away from his home world.
Before long, even Nance was off the ship. Ben and his small crew made their way to a set of double doors that looked out toward a dark forest. They could smell the flora. There was something rich and fragrant about the air that was completely different from the oxygen produced by the fusion reactor on the Echo. And Ben couldn’t help b
ut think of Torrent Four. He hadn’t known how filthy and malodorous his home world was until that moment.
“It’s beautiful,” Nance said as she leaned against Magnum’s powerful body.
“Even in the dark,” Kim said.
Ben longed to reach out and pull the feisty pilot toward him, but he didn’t know if she felt the same way. She had been friendlier of late, but that didn’t mean she had romantic feelings for him.
“I have a surprise for you,” Tolliver said with a big grin on his face.
“For us?” Ben asked, turning toward the older man.
“That’s right. It just so happens that we have a load of potatoes we can give to you for getting us home safely,” Tolliver said. “We’re all so grateful.”
“Potatoes?” Ben said. “Real ones?”
“Absolutely. You can keep some, trade the rest,” Tolliver said. “Take them to the Genovisi Shipyards. The folks up there don’t get real food very often. You could trade for just about anything.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Ben replied.
“You don’t have to say a thing,” Tolliver said, as the other passengers approached. “We owe you a debt of gratitude. This won’t come close to paying it.”
“You did more than take us home,” Lesley said. “If not for you, we might all fall under the Imperium’s mind control tactics.”
“We have an obligation now,” Gregory added, “to get the word out.”
“Suddenly our old lives have new meaning,” Paula said. “Who could ask for more than that?”
They gave hugs and Ben had tears in his eyes as the last of the potatoes were loaded into the ship on pallets filled with open crates of large, brown potatoes. The cargo gave the ship an earthy smell that Ben found wonderful.
“It will be dawn in an hour,” Tolliver said as they small crew met with their former passengers one last time just outside the hanger.
“We better say goodbye, then,” Ben said.
“You have a beautiful planet,” Kim said.
“And thanks to you all, we have a chance to win it back,” Lesley said, just before a flash of laser light hit her shoulder and killed her instantly.
Chapter 43
Horror, fear, panic, all hit at the same time. Ben was close to the door of the hanger. When Lesley fell from the first shot, he turned away and saw another blast hit the metal building. The laser made the metal sizzle and melt. He was inside before he knew what he was doing, and felt Kim grab onto him from behind.
No, he thought to himself. He couldn’t just run away. Turning back, Ben saw Magnum run by him. The big man was carrying Nance, shielding her with his massive body. Just outside the door, Tolliver was bent over Lesley, grabbing her arms to pull her inside. Ali fell next, and Paul was hit with a glancing shot that made her scream in pain and fall to the ground. Gregory grabbed her other arm and pulled her inside.
“Get inside! Take cover!” Gregory was yelling.
Ben drew his laser pistol. It was fully charged and ready, but he had never fired it. Alone in his cabin, he had stared at the gun for a long time. It felt heavy in his hand, reminding him just how deadly it was. The sleek design fit his grip perfectly. The metal was dull gray and with glowing sights to make aiming easier. Ben didn’t bother to aim, he just pointed the gun out the door and pulled the trigger.
The laser pistol didn’t kick or make a loud report when fired. The trigger clicked as a tiny bolt of sizzling super focused light shot out. He pulled the trigger several times then turned away from the open doorway as more flashes from the dark forest appeared.
“Are you okay?” Kim asked.
Ben was shaking all over, but he wasn’t hurt. He nodded in reply, and suddenly Kim was close enough that he felt her breath on his face.
“Don’t be a hero,” she said.
The kiss was short and fast, but it made every inch of Ben’s body tingle with excitement. When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes.
“Get to the ship,” he told her. “Go, go, go.”
She didn’t hesitate. He watched her run toward the open ramp just as Magnum came charging out with the assault rifle.
“You’ve got to go!” Tolliver shouted from across the doorway.
“We can help,” Ben said.
“No, we’ve got this,” the older man said, drawing a pistol from under his jacket.
He fired several shots just as Magnum reached the doorway. Ben glanced outside and saw dozens of Imperium security officers rushing toward the building.
“We have to get the doors closed!” Ben shouted.
Magnum stepped past Ben, and Gregory stepped past Tolliver. The older man had Magnum’s automatic pistol in one hand, and laser pistol in the other. Magnum opened fire, alternating shots from the top and bottom barrels. The top fired large-caliber bullets, the bottom sizzling laser bolts. The sound was deafening. Gregory was shooting both of the handguns as well. The barrage of bullets and laser blasts made the approaching Imperium forces falter.
“Shut them!” Magnum shouted as the rifle ran dry of ammunition.
The hanger doors were held open with simple wooden wedges. Ben kicked the wedge free and swung his door closed. He felt the impact of a laser beam that heated the metal until it glowed at the impact point, but he managed to swing it closed.
Tolliver did the same on the other side, just as the Echo’s engines screamed to life. Tolliver grabbed Ben’s arm and pulled him toward the ship.
“Go! Tell the galaxy what the Imperium is doing here.”
“What about you?” Ben said. “Come with us.”
“This is my fight,” Tolliver said with a grin. “I’ll show those bastards what we’re made of.”
“You’re sure?”
“I am. But thanks for the offer. It’s been one hell of a ride.”
Ben gave his friend one last, brief embrace, then ran for the ship. The doors burst open just as he ran up the loading ramp. Ben swung around the edge of the hatch and looked back. Imperium forces were struggling to get inside, but Gregory and Magnum were blasting away at the open door.
Ben couldn’t hear the older man as Gregory snarled something in Magnum’s ear. Magnum jerked the magazine from the rifle as he turned and ran for the ship.
“Kim?” Ben said.
“Almost ready,” she replied over the com-link.
Magnum pounded up the ramp, and Ben hit the button to close it. Grenades were tossed into the hanger. Ben saw one land just inside the door and roll toward Gregory. The old man jumped back just as Magnum pulled Ben away from the hatch, which was only partway closed.
The explosions shook the ship. Ben turned and looked out the open hatch. Gregory’s legs were gone, and his face was covered in blood. His hands shook as he pushed himself off the floor of the hanger and turned back toward the smoking doorway. An Imperium soldier ran in, and Gregory shot him with a laser pistol. Magnum pressed the button to close the hatch, and Ben ran for the stairs leading up to the bridge.
“We’re in,” Ben cried over the com-link. “The hatch is closed. You’re good to go.”
“Perfect timing,” Kim said just as Ben reached the main deck.
The ship shot upward like a rocket, and Ben was pressed to the ground by the gravity. He lay there, and the cold metal felt good against his flushed face, even though it was difficult to breathe. Then the pressure disappeared as Kim rotated the wing engines and let the Modulus Echo drift upward slowly. Ben was on his knees, crawling toward the bridge as the ship raced ahead and two security vehicles rumbled out of the trees below them.
“Two bogeys,” Nance announced.
“Catch us if you can,” Kim dared the Imperium ships.
She pushed the throttle forward and drove the ship toward the ocean, angling low. They dove downward, rocketing out to sea, getting so close to the water that it flew up in a fan behind them. Ben caught sight of the water tail as he pulled himself into his seat at the engineering console. He strapped his safety belt in place and tapped
the com-link at his collar.
“Magnum?”
“Secure,” the big man reported.
“Kim, get us out of here.”
“What the hell do you think I’m trying to do?” she snapped.
The ship shot upward, climbing high, the gravity pushing them back in their seats. Ben used all his strength to reach the artificial gravity controls. As soon as he pressed the button, the pressure pushing them back ceased.
“It’s about time you did your job,” Kim joked.
“Just fly,” Ben fired back.
“Those security ships are still on our tail,” Nance said. “Two thousand feet and closing.”
“How high can they go?” Kim asked.
Ben couldn’t see the horizon any longer and knew Kim had the ship flying straight up.
“Missile lock!” Nance announced.
What Kim did next defied Ben’s ability to believe what the old ship was capable of. In one swift motion, she pulled back on the throttle, letting the ship’s upward momentum carry it onward, while pressing her heels down on both pedals and rotating the main drive engine one hundred and eighty degrees. Then she slammed the throttle to the stops again and shot downward, flying the ship backward.
Ben saw the missile race toward them, but Kim threw the ship into a corkscrew that spun the ship around the projectile. It shot past them, turned in a loop, and shot back down. It was much faster than any of the ships, but the Echo had momentum in her favor. She raced past the security ships, which were only just reacting to the change of direction. They tried to turn, but one clipped the other, sending it spinning away, out of control. The second security ship was still angling back toward the Echo when the missile caught it. The ship exploded with a boom that sounded like thunder and illuminated the predawn sky over the ocean.
“How ya like me now?” Kim crowed, leveling the ship and reversing her direction before climbing toward orbit again. “That’s how we get it done where I come from.”
“Passing eighty-five thousand feet,” Nance announced.
“We’ll be in orbit soon,” Ben said. “Be ready for anything.”
“You know it,” Kim said.
Kestrel Class (Kestrel Class Saga Book 1) Page 22
