"I apologize for our rudeness, friend," Jacob said. "You look like an honest worker, and I have no doubt you'd never associate with the people we're looking for. It would be best if we parted ways now."
"I see," the alien deflated a bit. "So, you're looking for narcotics or companionship?"
"I'm looking for someone who can speak for the guilds," Jacob said, watching the other's reactions closely. Alien gestures and physiology varied wildly, but there seemed to be a universal constant for biological beings when startled or surprised. Jacob could see the alien twitch, involuntary shudders working through its long limbs.
"Perhaps we should part ways," it said in a rush, already moving away from them.
"Track him," Jacob said. Murph loped ahead, calling out to the alien and holding something in his hand.
"Friend! Wait! I believe you dropped this," Murph said, holding out what looked like a half-eaten protein bar from their ration kits.
"You are mistaken, that is not mine." The alien still pulled away. Murph put a friendly hand on its shoulder.
"Ah, my mistake."
"Slick," MG said as Murph walked back.
"That tracker will have severely limited range down here near all the powerplant machinery, but we should be able to follow him and not be spotted. This way.
The active tracker Murph had slapped onto the alien fired off a burst transmission every five seconds until the battery died. The com units Scout Fleet issued their crews could receive and determine direction and distance for each ping, and then display the data to the operator via their neural implants. Essentially, Murph now had a translucent green arrow in his field of view with a running distance number in meters next to it as well as signal strength from the tracker.
"You think following the first random dude we find is really a strategy, LT?" MG asked.
"He's spooked. Three newcomers show up and threaten him with weapons and openly say they're looking for any guild members…in his mind, we're likely here to settle a score. In a place like this, he'll run to the first person he knows that's in the smuggler's guild and warn them to curry favor with the people who run these lower levels," Jacob said.
"That's actually solid reasoning and tactics," Murph said. "You've been reading all the background material I gave you about the region, haven't you?"
"Nothing else to do while waiting to die from explosive decompression or a slip-drive failure," Jacob said.
Before their slip-com node had failed, apparently from the antenna array being ripped off the hull, Murph had downloaded a full primer from the NIS database on how the criminal elements that worked the region were organized and operated. Jacob had absorbed the material like a sponge, genuinely interested in how all these independent gangs wove together into an underground shadow society that had its own rules and governing body. Saditava Mok was the undisputed kingpin of the region where Pinnacle Station sat, but since it was an interstellar commerce hub, other outfits were allowed representation without reprisal from Blazing Sun.
It was a little convoluted, but Jacob's takeaway had been that Pinnacle Station's management was well aware of the criminal element operating aboard, but it was far more cost efficient to reach an understanding with them than it was to try and openly fight them. As long as everyone played by the rules, everyone could get along. Jacob had taken this knowledge and assumed the guild leaders would not be hard to find since they weren't openly pursued.
"Can we get audio through the tracker?" he asked.
"Only when we're within forty meters. Once I activate it for audio broadcasting, the battery will die within five minutes," Murph said. "Also, after I trigger it, the unit stops receiving so I can't make it go back to burst tracking mode. It's a one and done type thing."
"Shit," Jacob muttered. "We need to be able to see if it’s talking to—"
"We have a tail," MG said. "Two Taukkir. Both looked armed."
"I saw them," Jacob said. "You're sure they're following us?"
"They're not subtle creatures," MG said. "They've been staring right at us and getting more and more agitated. They know I've spotted them."
"Damnit!" Jacob hissed. Taukkir were aggressive and the members of their species on Pinnacle Station were typically part of the first-tier criminals who preyed on locals and transients. The two down here were likely there to jump anyone who looked like they didn't belong and a trio of humans gawking around like a bunch of tourists would certainly qualify.
"We should split up," Murph said. "I'll stay on the target."
"Negative," Jacob said. "Make sure they keep their distance, and we'll hopefully reach one of the guild or cartel players before they make their move."
The words had no sooner left Jacob's mouth than a large, four-fingered hand came out of an opening and clamped down on Murph's neck, dragging him down while three more Taukkir rushed out and slammed Jacob and MG to the ground. Before Jacob could react, a meaty Taukkir hand grabbed his face and slammed his head into the ally deck. Lights out.
"LT…you dead?"
"I wish," Jacob groaned.
"Silence!"
Jacob cracked his eyes open and saw that the rest of his team were restrained and on the deck like he was. There was also a Taukkir standing over them, brandishing MG's pistol, though he seemed unfamiliar with it. They were piled into an alcove that looked like it might have been a disused office.
Jacob, who hadn't even fully recovered from being tossed off a building, had a splitting headache from where he'd been slammed into the deck. His neural implant flashed warnings that he was likely concussed and unhelpfully told him to seek immediate medical attention.
"Where are your pals?" he asked, fighting through the nausea and vertigo.
"I won't tell you to remain silent again," the Taukkir said.
Jacob lay his head back down against the cool deck, taking the moments he had to try and collect himself before their guard's friends reappeared and the real party started. He tried to trigger an alert on his com unit via his neural implant so the rest of his team could swoop in and save the day, but his fuzzy mind couldn't seem to make it happen. In fact, he couldn't even reach out to the com unit at all. The Taukkir had either destroyed it or had it in a shielded box somewhere.
He passed the time by discreetly testing his restraints in hopes the Taukkir had bound them in a way a normal human wouldn't be able to break from, but perhaps he could. He pulled with increasing force against the manacles that secured his wrists behind his back, but they held fast. The effort he'd put into it had sent a fresh wave of nausea sweeping through him, and he closed his eyes again until the worst of it passed. His neural implant, apparently tired of waiting for him to go to the infirmary, informed him it was directing the relatively small number of medical nanobots already in his bloodstream to his head to begin treatment. The little buggers were proven tech Earth had bought on the open market through its Cridal trading partnerships, but UEN Medical had insisted on some restrictions when they began seeing widespread use. His implant was programmed to only send them to repair damage in the brain, heart, or lungs if no other treatment was available. Apparently, they wanted more real-world testing before allowing the machines to roam free throughout the body's most sensitive areas.
As he always did, Jacob could swear he could feel the microscopic machines as they detached from whatever they'd currently been anchored to and entered his bloodstream, moving on the orders of the neural implant towards the swelling in his brain causing him so much trouble. The door to the room they were in banged open just as his implant informed him that he had an insufficient number of nanobots in his system to effect treatment and advised him to remain calm and immobilized until he could reach an infirmary.
"Have they talked?" a new Taukkir demanded.
"This one has, but you injured its head, and it appears disoriented. By their deference to the one called El-tee, we can assume it is the leader," the guard said.
"El-tee," the newcomer grunted. "You are human, correc
t?"
"That's the rumor," Jacob said, not bothering to open his eyes.
"Some time ago, we saw a human like you. It killed some of my clan. What do you have to say about that?"
"I'd say you're stalling right now until the person really in charge gets here," Jacob said. "We both know you'd not risk angering the cartels by grabbing us against their own safe passage rules down here. And for what? Because some human at some time beat up on your people? Come on…you'll have to try harder than that."
"Nobody knows you're here." The Taukkir sneered. "The cartels and the guild won't care what we do to you, because they have no idea who you are or why you're looking for them."
"Look, asshole…I'm too injured to listen to you prattle on pointlessly," Jacob sighed. "Just get to the point."
"You've searched them?" the Taukkir asked.
"Yes…and we may have a problem," the guard said quietly. "The leader was carrying this." He held out the gold Blazing Sun marker Jacob had planned to use as a way to muscle into the guilds and get a smuggling job.
"You are part of Blazing Sun?" the Taukkir asked, his voice now carrying an entirely different tone and inflection Jacob couldn't place.
"That's what that means," Jacob said. "Hence the reason we were down here to see a guild representative. They're waiting on us." There were some grunts and cursing outside the doorway as the other Taukkir caught a glimpse of the marker and realized what it meant. Holding a marker meant they worked directly for Blazing Sun in some capacity, and the syndicate was not known to tolerate their people being messed with.
"Tell the one who hired us that the situation has become more complicated," the lead Taukkir said. "If he wants these people, he has little time before we cut them loose."
"That's not good enough! If we don't—" the conversation was cut off as the guard stepped back in and closed the door. It was another thirty minutes before the door opened again, and when it did, the person in the doorway was one that they least expected or wanted: Elton Hollick.
"Fuck me," Murph spat out. "Could this day get any worse?"
"Oh, I assure you it can, Agent Murphy." Hollick smiled. "As you're about to find out."
9
"They should have been back by now," Mettler said.
"I'm not getting a position ping off their com units anymore," Taylor said. "That could mean they've moved into an area where the local network has gaps, or maybe a shielded area used by the people they were trying to make contact with."
"It could mean that, but it probably doesn't," Sully said. "I think by now it's safe to assume they've hit a snag. All three com units dropping off at the exact same time? Come on."
"You're in charge right now, Lieutenant," Mettler said. "What's our move?"
"I'm a little out of my depth," Sully admitted. "Usually, there's a team commander and a ground team leader so all I need to do is worry about flying the ship. Other than grabbing the biggest guns you have and rushing down to the lower decks, what ideas do you have?"
"Lightly armed, discreet sneak and peek," Mettler said. "Let's just at least be in the area. If we happen to see them and the indicators are that they're fine, we just move on. If they are in trouble, we'll be a lot closer if we move now. Sully, it'll probably be better if you stay here and help coordinate our movements."
"You mean stay out of your way," Sully said, rolling his eyes. "I am fully aware where my skills lie, and this sort of thing isn't it. Keep me in the loop and let me know the moment you have eyes on Lieutenant Brown and if he's under duress."
"Will do," Taylor said. "This is probably all for nothing. Knowing that trio, they've made contact and are our partying it up, having a great time."
Jacob wasn't having a great time.
At a time when he needed his wits and senses sharp, the cumulative injuries he'd suffered lately made him feel like he was watching the scene while underwater. He couldn't think clearly, and his body felt weak, diminished. Elton Hollick just stood in the doorway, smiling widely down at them but making no move to come inside.
"I knew the NIS still had Kellska listed as a Cluster intel asset, so it wasn't a big leap to think that Earth would send someone there to shake him down," Hollick said, leaning against the doorframe. "I thought they'd be a little more discreet and send a couple agents, or even a contractor, so imagine my surprise and delight when one of Marcus Webb's teams came clomping up to the house…and not just any team, but the one whose young lieutenant blew my arm off."
"Everything is just coming up aces for you, huh?" Jacob asked.
"I can't complain." Hollick shrugged. "It's just lucky for me that you never bothered checking your ship for trackers when you roared away from that planet. I got everything Kellska knew, but I figured you still had access to that Veran's intel network, so it wouldn't hurt to squeeze you for information and repay the favor for this." He held up his prosthetic hand and waggled the fingers.
"So…what are you doing here, Brown?"
"You mean you have a tracker on my ship and you didn't bother going down to the hangar and checking on it before pinching us? We're not here because we know anything…Webb sent us out to collect Kellska, he was dead, so we're heading home. If we hadn't blown a fuel line and had to stop for repairs, you'd have tracked us all the way back to Terran space."
Hollick just looked at him skeptically. Normally, Jacob's first instinct would be to bluster, threaten, annoy, or just stonewall Hollick until an opportunity for escape appeared or the rest of his team showed up. Right now, he was in such a bad way he was only trying to delay what he saw as inevitable for the sake of Murph and MG. It was likely Hollick would only take one of them as a prisoner, and he wanted to make sure it was him and maybe manage to keep his people alive, though that was a slim hope.
"So, you're just heading home?" Hollick asked, his tone making it clear he didn't believe the story.
"Why not? We were already heading that way when we were asked to divert to pick up an asset. I don't even know what they wanted with him."
"The problem with you, Brown, is that you're so damn convincing at playing an idiot, I can't even tell if it's an act or if you're really so clueless?"
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment, you idiot," Hollick hissed, turning away. "Well…that's enough of trying this the easy way. I only need to take one of you back to Jansen, so who wants to ride with me for weeks of unending torture and who wants to just die right here?"
"I'll—"
"Not you, Brown," Hollick said. "You look like you wouldn't survive the trip back up to the docking arms. Probably not MG either, since he's not the brightest bulb, certainly not someone with any information I need. I guess that leaves you, Murphy."
"Fuck off," Murph spat. "You'll have to kill all of us because I'm not going."
"I'm going to sedate and have you taken up there unconscious, Murphy," Hollick sighed. "You've been hanging around these guys too long and it's eroding your brain."
"I'll go and cooperate if you leave them alive," Jacob said.
"Do I look like an idiot?"
"Mind if I answer that?" a velvety voice said from the corridor just before one of the Taukkir doubled over and dropped, holding its midsection. Hollick's head snapped over, and he snarled in rage.
"Whitney! What the hell are you—" that was as far as he got before the Viper pulled a long blade from the gut of the Taukkir she stabbed and shoved the bulky alien at Hollick. The former NIS agent was cagey, and he spun away from the assassin and pulled what could only be a grenade out from his side pocket. It was a move that seemed to stun everyone, even Carolyn Whitney.
"Seems a little bit overkill, doesn't it, stud?"
"Get back, you bitch!" Hollick shouted, spit flying from his mouth. He was already out of sight from where Jacob laid, but he could tell the ex-agent was deathly afraid of Whitney. Like most aggressive men when they were afraid of something, Hollick reacted with even more aggression in the hopes of bluffing the Viper into backing dow
n.
"Now, see…that just wasn't very nice, Elton," Whitney said, her voice like steel cords rasping together. The few times Jacob had met the woman, she always seemed to be laughing at some joke only she got, but now, all the humor had bled out of her voice. "If I were you, I'd put the grenade away and leave. I'm not here for you. Don't make this personal."
"Don't you threaten me!" Hollick snapped, his voice coming from further away.
"Put the grenade away, you imbecile," Whitney said. "You know if you use it, you'll set off every security alarm for three decks. Just walk away, pissant."
"We'll run into each other again, Whitney…count on it."
"What a drama queen," Whitney said, walking fully into the room. "Sooo…how's it going?"
"Been better," Jacob said. "You?"
"Can't complain. I suppose you'll want me to get you out of those restraints and help you out of here before the rest of the Taukkir come back, so let's make this quick. Why are you poking around Pinnacle Station, Lieutenant Brown?"
"We stopped to repair our ship," Jacob said. "I was telling Hollick the truth about that. While we were here, we decided to poke around down here and see if the guilds knew anything about a missing fleet."
"So now, Scout Fleet is doing investigative work?" she asked, the laughter back in her voice. "I thought you guys mostly just sat around in space and took notes about arrivals and departures."
"Mission creep," Jacob deadpanned. "We're trying to stay on the trail while its hot until Terranovus sends someone qualified."
"If you want me to free you, you'll have to do better than that."
"Look, Whitney, those Taukkir won't be gone for long," Jacob said. "How about a truce and an agreement to share info in exchange for getting us the hell out of here?"
"Since you seem to know less than me, that seems one-sided. Got anything better?" Jacob just stared at her helplessly, unable to kickstart his brain into gear enough to come up with a better reason for her to cut them loose.
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