by Jaleta Clegg
"Vector four four six point two by six seven nine," Lowell answered.
The ship protested as Twyla pushed it onto the new heading. Ginni powered down the hyperdrive, shoving all the power she could into the shields.
"We've got company at the planet," Lowell said. "We aren't close enough yet to see what's on the surface, though. Three in orbit. They just passed to the far side."
"Get the signal fix," Jasyn said. She didn't need to. Lowell was already doing it. She was nervous and tense. "Twenty more minutes, Clark," she said into the com.
"Copy that," Clark answered.
"Does the military jargon ever get to you?" Leon asked, as casually as if they were strolling through a market somewhere, not getting ready to invade a planet populated by drug lords and smuggling kings. "You and I are the only ones here who never had to salute."
"Thanks, Leon," Jasyn said, relaxing into her chair.
"For what?"
"For reminding me we're in good hands."
"I've got a fix," Lowell said. "Southern hemisphere, night side. The timing couldn't be better. I'm sending it to the main screen. If I can figure out how."
Jasyn leaned across the cockpit and pushed the buttons for him. A map of the planet appeared on the bottom third of the front viewscreen. A tiny blip of red marked their target.
"Got it," Twyla said. "Beryn, give me more power in the thrusters."
"Coming up," Beryn answered.
The ship leapt forward. They were going fast before, now they were approaching jump velocity.
"This is going to hurt," Ginni said as the planet began to fill the viewscreen.
Jasyn glanced back into the lounge. Paltronis was cradling Louie. She caught Jasyn's look and took the toddler into the cabin where they could strap in.
"No!" Louie shouted. "No strappies!"
Sikura shut the door on his screaming.
"Hang on, everyone," Ginni said. "Give me everything you can in the forward shields."
The ship hit the atmosphere like a screaming meteor. They bounced off the upper atmosphere, skipping across like a stone.
"Down thrusters," Ginni said to Twyla.
The ship protested as they plunged into the atmosphere. Everything rattled. Sheets of fire covered the ship. Alarms began beeping on the controls until Ginni slapped them off.
"Holding steady," Twyla said loudly over the rumble of the engines and the whine of the shields.
"We're almost there," Jasyn spoke into the com. "Be careful, Clark."
"You, too," he answered. "I love you."
The fire died. The screaming of the air dimmed to a whisper of air.
"We're at the right altitude," Twyla said. "Open the doors, Darus."
"Good luck," Jasyn said into the com.
Clark didn't answer. He'd already switched it off. They wouldn't hear from him for at least an hour. They had to keep out of range until then. If everything went according to the plan, Tayvis and Clark would grab Dace and meet them at the rendezvous point several hundred miles south. If it was clear, they would head to the point now and land. And wait. If it wasn't clear, they had to find a way to ditch anyone following them. Easy in and out, or so Leon said. She knew in her heart it wouldn't be that easy.
"They're out," Darus said over the ship com. "I'm coming back in."
"We've got something coming fast and low from the east," Lowell said.
"Get us out of here," Jasyn said.
"And give them a distraction to track," Ginni said. "I know."
The ship lurched as Twyla pulled it into a steep climb.
"They'll be fine," Leon said. But his hand squeezing her shoulder told her he shared her concern.
"We lost them," Lowell said.
"Keep going up," Jasyn told Twyla. "Let's clear atmosphere before we find the landing spot."
It would use a lot less fuel than trying to steer through the thick atmosphere of the planet. It would also keep them out of contact range of the flitter, but that couldn't be helped. Any signal now would give them away.
"We're clear," Ginni said, once they reached space again. "Give me coordinates, Lowell." There wasn't an answer. "Lowell?" she asked, turning to look at him.
"I'll be deep fried and served with mustard," Leon said. "What is that thing?"
Lowell shook his head. The object coming into range on his equipment had to be huge. "I have no idea what that is," he answered.
"It's calling us," Jasyn announced. "I can't get a reading for a beacon."
The object was suddenly surrounded by dozens of tiny glowing dots. The dots moved away, grouping quickly into formations. One broke off and headed for their position.
"You want me to try to lose them?" Ginni asked Jasyn.
"We have to keep them away from Clark and Tayvis," she said. "Do whatever you can."
"Right," Ginni said. She turned back forward. The ship swerved and spun on a new course.
Twyla took over, sending them on a course out past the planet's tiny moon and into the reddish glare of the star. Ginni kept the power levels balanced.
The com light on her board kept blinking. Jasyn stared at it, wondering if she dared answer.
"The others are still headed for the planet," Lowell said.
"We have to buy them time," Jasyn said. She connected the line. "What do you want?" she barked into the com.
"Phoenix Rising, you will turn about," a man's voice informed them. "This is blue leader. We have orders to take your ship into custody. You will turn about on course heading nine seven one. Repeat, course heading nine seven one."
"Eat my exhaust," Jasyn answered.
Twyla sent the ship rolling through the middle of the formation of ships.
"Small fighters," Lowell said. "Short range but they're mostly gun and engine."
"Phoenix, we have orders," the man told them again, his voice echoing out of the com. "We will shoot to disable your engines and tow you in if you do not cooperate. This is your only warning."
"We can't jump," Ginni said.
"I know," Jasyn said. "I won't leave them down there alone. Not for the days it would take to get back. Run back to the planet if you can. If we can land, do it."
Lowell gave them a heading back to the planet. Twyla and Ginni did their best to follow it. The pursuing ships surrounded them, herding them as much as they could. One stayed directly behind them, following them through the crazy looping path Twyla took them on.
"They're shooting," Lowell said.
The first shot missed, barely touching the port shields. The explosion knocked them to one side.
"We just lost that stabilizer again," Twyla said. The ship slid to starboard.
"Brace yourselves," Lowell said.
The next shot hit the engine exhaust ports. The ship slammed to the side. All the lights went out. Alarms shrieked. Smoke filled the air. The controls went completely dead. All except the com.
"Jasyn?" Beryn's voice came thinly through the speaker. "We just lost the whole engine."
"Are you all right?" she asked, resigning herself to whatever fate had waiting for them now.
"A bit banged up, not bad," Beryn said.
"Darus?" she asked, and held her breath until he answered.
"Good thing there isn't any cargo left in here," Darus said. "The doors aren't going to hold anything in. I can hold out in here for at least another three hours."
"We can try to rig an airlock for you," Jasyn began.
"Don't bother," Darus answered. "I think I broke my leg. I couldn't crawl inside if I wanted to."
She flipped the com to the outside line. "Blue leader, what the blazes do you mean, shooting up my ship?"
"Sorry, but I have my orders. Stand by for a grappling line."
She gave up, sitting helplessly in her seat, her head in her hands. Ginni and Twyla shut down everything but life support. Lowell sat in front of his dead equipment, frowning at it.
"There was something about that ship," he said, mostly to himself.
Leon picked hi
mself up off the floor. "I'm only bruised," he said loudly. "I'm going to check on the others, if that's all right with you."
"Louie," Jasyn said, suddenly panicked. She jumped out of her chair and pushed past Leon, sending him stumbling into the storage lockers behind the cockpit. She hit the controls for the cabin door and swore when it wouldn't open. She slammed open a locker and pawed through it for something to pry the door open.
She barely paused to glance up when the sound of a grappling line scraping over the hull interrupted the screeching alarms.
"We're moving," Ginni said as she came out of the cockpit.
Half of the alarms cut off abruptly. The others came from the engine room. Ginni headed down the stairs. Leon stayed out of the way, twisting his hands, unable to offer help.
The rest of the alarms cut off abruptly. The sudden silence was unnerving in the dim glow of the emergency lights.
Jasyn wrenched open another locker, still looking for a tool to use on the door.
"You want help with that?" Leon offered.
The door to the cabin screeched as it was forced open from the inside. Paltronis was in the doorway, shoving the doors apart with her bare hands.
Jasyn slammed the locker shut. "Are you all right?" she asked.
"No!" Louie shrieked. "Want momma!"
"He's fine," Paltronis said. "He's got very healthy lungs. What happened?"
Jasyn didn't answer. She pushed past into the cabin where she could grab her son from Sikura. She held him tight. He hung onto her, sucking his thumb.
Paltronis looked at Leon for an answer.
"We were shot and disabled," Leon answered.
"By whom?" Paltronis asked.
"Beats me," Leon said. He shrugged his suit back into place on his shoulders and brushed imaginary dust from the eye blinding stripes on his sleeves.
"We should find out soon enough," Lowell said. "They're towing us somewhere."
"Probably to that monster ship," Twyla said.
"Phoenix," the com crackled to life. "This is blue leader. Do you have any maneuvering capabilities left?"
"You took care of that," Twyla snapped into the com. "Everything's down except life support and it isn't going to last long."
"Sorry about that," blue leader answered. He sounded like he actually meant it. "But we couldn't let you fly into that mess, not in an unarmored merchant ship with no weapons. The whole planet is a war zone."
"Who are you?" Twyla asked.
"Welcome to the capital of the Federation," blue leader said. "Our autodocking is programmed for fighters, not freighters. This may be a bit bumpy."
The grappling hooks released. The ship floated free for only a few seconds before it was grabbed in a repulsor field. The ship jerked and shuddered as it was pulled blindly into the docking port of the huge ship. They all grabbed the nearest chair and hung on. Jasyn sat at the galley table with Leon and Sikura, Louie dozing in her lap. Paltronis was in the cockpit with Lowell and Twyla.
Beryn came up the stairs from the engine room. Ginni trailed behind him. They had streaks of soot on their faces. The ship lurched. They both grabbed handholds and hung on.
"The fire's out," Beryn said. "Everything is shot down there. We took a hit directly in the tubes. Whoever shot us is good. A little to either side or a bit more power and we'd be dust."
"Thanks for telling me," Jasyn said. She looked defeated. She slumped at the table as the ship was pulled into the unknown. They had no way of knowing if they were really headed into the docking bay of the giant ship or not. They had nothing but the mysterious blue leader's word.
The ship lurched to a stop. They could hear hoses attaching to the various outer ports on the ship. Jasyn only looked up after the airlock was attached and engaged.
"You want me to get the guns out?" Paltronis asked. "We put all the firing pins back in. They should work fine now."
Jasyn shook her head. "Whoever they are, they probably outnumber us two million to one. We don't stand a chance."
"There's always a chance," Lowell said.
"Until you're dead," Paltronis added.
Beryn reached his hand across the table to her. Paltronis took it and held on.
The airlock began to cycle. They waited in silence for their fate.
Chapter 51
I barely felt myself land on the carpet. Pain shot through every inch of me, except my feet which were still inside the boundary. The collar squeezed shut. I tried to hold my breath. I pushed the pain away and yanked at the carpet square. I'd missed. I scrabbled around me, yanking at every patch of carpet I could sink my fingers into. None of them moved. I was running out of time.
"Idiot," Rivian said as he crouched next to me. He shoved me to one side and pulled up the carpet that had been under me. He reached into a hole in the floor.
I tried to be patient while he fiddled inside. I was running out of air. The collar was squeezing my neck in half. Pain burned through me. I felt the first twinges of convulsing muscles that signaled my dose of the drug was wearing off. I silently swore to myself. At least my death would come quickly. I wasn't going to live through the next day unless I could steal some of Shomies' stock.
"Got it," Rivian said.
The collar relaxed. The pain went away except for a spreading ache from lack of the drug that stayed. I pushed myself up to my knees.
"And what do you think you are doing?" Shomies said. She towered over us like an avenging devil out of a really bad vid. She glared down at us, the fire painting her face from one side with evil orange light.
Rivian stood up slowly. He drew himself to his full height, barely more than my short stature. He glared at Shomies.
She brushed him aside to focus her rage on me. She held a small blaster in her hand. "Get back in there," she said, waving the gun at the tiny bit of floor.
I stood up, next to Rivian. "Go ahead, shoot me."
She snarled and raised her gun. The entire front of the building shattered. Glass crashed to the floor, spreading across the carpet. Shomies turned to look. Stray shots scattered into the room. She turned back to us, the gun aimed at my head.
"Then you can die," she said. She lowered her aim to my belly. "I hear you can live for hours if I aim right."
I gathered what strength I had, fighting down the aching pain spreading through every muscle. I tensed to jump.
"No," Rivian shouted. He jumped in front of me just as Shomies fired. He staggered back against me. I fell, with him landing in my lap.
Someone screamed near the window. Shomies turned away from us, headed for the window.
"Dace?" Rivian's voice was weak, pleading. "It hurts."
"Just lie still," I told him, cradling him in my lap. His wound was bad. She'd burned away half of his stomach.
"I have a gun." He tried to reach into his belt. He gasped with pain. "Shoot her," he pleaded with me.
"Why?" I couldn't help asking. It was obvious he loved her in his own twisted way.
"She never bothered to learn my name," he answered. "Say it for me. Please. No one called me by my name in years. Until she brought you here." He stopped to grimace with pain. "Shoot her now."
I eased the gun out of his belt. It was another small blaster. Shomies had stopped only a dozen steps away. She was turning back to us. She saw the gun in my hand and froze.
"You're going to shoot me now?" Her voice was taunting. "You don't have the guts for it, Dace."
"You killed him," I said. "Do you even care?"
"Him? I can always buy another slave." She said it so casually, as if his life meant nothing to her. As if he were only an insect to swat, something insignificant bothering her.
Rivian grabbed the gun from me and fired. The shot caught Shomies low in the stomach. She grunted in surprise, staring down at the charred mess of her belly. Rivian was sobbing as he shot her again. She collapsed to the floor, landing with a thud. Rivian dropped the gun. He turned towards me, sobbing and moaning in pain.
I put my arm
around his shoulder and pulled him close. He clutched me, leaving blood smeared across my slave tunic. His breathing grew ragged. He wasn't going to live much longer.
"I won't forget you, Rivian."
"As long as you live?"
"It won't be more than a day."
"Say my name?"
"Rivian, river of peace," I added in the language of Dadilan, his native tongue.
He sighed and died.
I laid him carefully on the floor. He looked young again, frozen forever in death. I crossed his arms over his chest.
One of the flitters outside exploded. I looked up. Nione fell back to one of the storage sheds on the far side of the courtyard. There seemed to be people with guns everywhere out there.
I looked back down at Rivian's face. I didn't want to die here. Shomies sprawled on the carpet nearby, half of her obese body a charred ruin. Death only made her pitiful. I looked past her corpse to the hidden door. I didn't have time to search for the drug. I didn't know if I'd recognize it if I found it.
"I want her found!" Luke's voice was loud in a sudden lull outside.
I knew he was talking about me. I had to leave. I'd rather die alone than with him. I had to leave now.
My body protested as I ran for the blasted windows. My bare feet crunched over glass. I ignored the pain. All of it. My muscles twitched, warning of the spasms to come. I hurried faster.
I slipped out on one side of the broken windows into the deep shadow behind the haphazardly parked flitters. One of the explosions had blown open the gate to the outside world. I slipped through shadows towards the illusion of freedom it promised.
Luke shouted orders, waving a huge blaster to emphasize them. His people headed into the mansion, their boots crunching over the glass on the carpet. Luke followed them inside.
I darted out of my shadow and ran for the gate. I expected to hear him behind me at any second. My legs cramped, almost dumping me on my face. I stumbled on, through the gates and into the night.
The mansion was next to a shallow gully. Rocks climbed the far side, studded with short, fleshy plants that glowed faintly in the starlight overhead. I stumbled into the gully. I didn't care what direction I was headed. Away was all that mattered.
I was halfway across, my feet brushing through deep sand, when the first stabbing pain hit. I had to stop, clutching my belly and biting my lip to keep from screaming. I concentrated on breathing until the pain finally receded. Shomies' words floated up in my mind. First would come the pain. It would get worse, becoming a constant. Sometime soon I would start to hallucinate. And then the convulsions would start. And I would be aware of all of it until the very end.
