Liam removed his hand from Nix and said, “I’ll set a course. Go and talk to Ju-Long. It will take a couple of hours to reach the ship. I’m going to need both of your heads on straight for this, got it?”
Nix nodded and brushed past Liam, down the long corridor to the cargo bay.
Liam sat in the pilot’s seat and took the controls, adjusting their heading to match the distress signal. Once locked in place, the computer spat out a number of readings in Dinari script. Liam’s head translated the text for him. It would take just over two hours to reach the ship at their current rate of acceleration. The warning lights on the console began to die off until only the light from Liam’s screen remained.
“Two hours,” Liam said aloud. “Then we find out just what we’re dealing with.”
Saturn took the co-pilot’s chair and put her feet up on the console. Her boots were made from dark brown leather strips that were tightly woven together. They were different from the ones she wore on the planet. Liam wondered for a moment who she’d conned into making them for her.
“What do you think we’ll find?” Saturn asked.
She adjusted her shoulders, digging into the hard leather seat and trying to find a comfortable position. Liam knew from experience it wouldn’t be an easy task. Saturn had changed out of her tightly woven tank top and into a soft cloth shirt that hugged her body in every place and came down just over her wrists. Its lightly colored fabric offset against her tanned skin, especially in the low light of the cockpit.
“Once we’re closer we can scan for survivors,” Liam explained.
“And if there are none?” Saturn said, turning her head and regarding Liam. He got the feeling she was testing him somehow.
“What would we have done in our own system? Salvage what we can and move on.”
Saturn smirked and turned to look out her window, the stars slowly drifting by. “I was worried you’d lost your edge.”
“The rules aren’t the same in this system. We’re in unfamiliar territory.”
“I’ve never known you to be a stickler about the rules.”
Saturn’s tone was cutting, but she had a point. When they would run missions together in their own system there was only one rule: take what you can. It was a different place and a different time. A lot had happened since then. Even if she wouldn’t admit it, she’d changed too.
“There are larger things at stake here than profit. That said, I’m not going to turn my back on a golden opportunity.”
Saturn dropped her feet to the ground and raised herself out of her chair. She stepped into the aisle between the chairs and spoke softly, “There’s only two things that matter in our system or in any other. Money and Power. They say there’s no currency here by the outer planets, but that’s bullshit. We need to acquire favors. The more people in our debt the more power we’ll hold.”
“And what would we do with that power? I’m sure you don’t have a righteous goal in mind.”
Saturn looked surprised, as though she didn’t understand the question. For all of the time Liam had known her, pursuing the next job was all she thought about. It had never occurred to him that she might not even know why herself. Would any amount of money or power ever be enough?
Saturn responded, “Don’t ask stupid questions. You know what I mean. If a war really is brewing, we could only benefit from being owed favors. We need to keep Zega indebted to us at all costs.”
Saturn was saying one thing, but her eyes told a different story. In the past, Saturn had tried on two occasions to short him money, taking a larger share. Not that he’d ever let her get away with it. It was that give and take that was the hallmark of their friendship. Back then they both knew the other wasn’t to be trusted.
Despite that fact, they’d held a certain chemistry that was unexplainable. More often than not he’d found her vexing and impossible to work alongside, but then they’d share a moment together and they would talk like old friends rather than occasional accomplices. Liam felt their relationship changing all the time now. He never knew where he stood one minute to the next, and on top of that, she was hiding something important from him.
“Let’s say you’re right,” Liam began. “We’re not going to get very far off physical goods in this system. Our way forward lies in gathering information.”
Saturn started pacing the aisle between the chairs and asked, “You want us to be spies rather than smugglers?”
“You said it yourself, a war is on the horizon. Information can be more deadly than laser blasts.”
“I prefer smuggling.”
Liam stood up from his chair and raised a finger up to Saturn’s chest. He was growing more heated the longer she talked. He spat, “Like it or not, we could play a big part in what’s to come. If you’re looking to be owed, sure, look at the small picture. Do a few smuggling jobs and earn the favors of a few. Or, we could turn the tide of the war and earn the debt of millions.”
Saturn batted his finger away and crossed her arms. She shook her head and replied, “Underneath all of that talk you’re becoming more self-righteous every day. I can see it. You’re not the same as before.”
“Every situation shapes who we’ll become. This is one of those moments. Are you still looking for that next job, or do you want something better?”
Saturn was beginning to get on his nerves. They could go on like this for hours and they had before. She was convinced her way was the only way even when evidence to the contrary was presented. Saturn’s expression darkened. Liam had seen that look before. She was about to burst.
“Don’t think I don’t know what this is about,” she shouted. “You couldn’t have saved her, Liam. Dwelling on it won’t bring her back, and neither will gallivanting around the galaxy being a do-gooder.”
Saturn turned and stormed off before Liam could reply, quickly disappearing down the curving hallway and out of sight. Liam was left alone in the cockpit, only the faint hum of the engines keeping him company. He glanced at his console. Still one hour and forty-five minutes left. Liam’s mind reeled, his eyes glazing over while he watched the stars go by. His jaw clenched tight and he gritted his teeth. He slammed his fist down on a flat metal piece of the console, the clank reverberating off the walls.
9
One and a Half Hours Later
The Garuda was approaching the drifting Ansaran freighter, the alien vessel spinning slightly off-kilter through space and its engines dead. The craft was boxy for an Ansaran ship, with little of the flair of the sleek vessels Liam had seen at Garuda Colony. Its hull was lit by flickering white lights, scorch marks emblazoned on it where it was struck by laser blasts.
“Run a 360 scan,” Liam ordered.
Nix sat in the co-pilot’s chair fidgeting with the controls. He brought up a hologram of the space around them out to two million kilometers. The orange glow of the image was strong to Liam’s eyes after sitting in the darkness of the cockpit for so long.
“Nothing,” Nix said. “Running a diagnostic of the Ansaran Vessel.”
Countless words in Dinari script scrolled up Nix’s screen. Despite Liam’s translator, Nix was far faster at reading the strange text and scrolled through it quickly. Finally, he looked to Liam and said, “Those blasts were made from Kraven weapons.”
“Were there any survivors?”
Nix shook his head, “None.”
It was as he feared. Now there was only one thing left to do. He asked, “What about life support? Is there air to breathe?”
“Several decks of the ship were closed off but the main deck still has breathable air. If I had to guess, I’d say it was an automatic measure to protect the bridge.”
Liam covered his mouth with his hand and thought for a moment, absently stroking his few days’ growth of beard. There were certainly risks involved with boarding the ship, but it would be worth it if they could learn more about their attackers.
“Let’s attach to the rear section. I’ll copy their logs and see what I ca
n find out. A quick job.”
“I’ll come with you,” Nix said quickly. “I’m more familiar with Ansaran technology.”
Liam considered their Dinari guide for a moment. He was usually more reluctant to associate himself with the Ansarans in any form. Nix didn’t appear to have an ulterior motive, so Liam nodded and said, “Then it’s settled. Ju-Long and Saturn, keep a lookout for any activity within scanner range. Contact us if anything changes. This shouldn’t take long.”
“I’m timing you,” Ju-Long replied, the sincerity in his tone peeping out despite his efforts to conceal it.
“Be careful,” Saturn said before inserting a communication device into her ear. “I’ll be monitoring you every step of the way.”
Something about the way she said it made Liam think she meant it more as a threat than a comforting sentiment. Liam turned his attention back to the controls. They were quickly gaining on the drifting ship. Liam fired the reverse thrusters and matched their velocity and rotation. He moved the ship closer until it was only meters away. Nix brought up a holographic projection of the ship below them as Liam maneuvered their vessel to match the Ansaran craft’s airlock. With a loud clunk, Liam attached The Garuda to the alien ship with numerous magnetic clamps.
Liam took his hands off his controls and sat back in his chair. He turned to Nix and asked, “Do you want to do it?”
Nix pressed a button on his side of the console and a metal tube a few meters wide extended out and connected with the Ansaran ship’s airlock. “It should take a moment to depressurize and then we can proceed.”
“Let’s not take any chances.”
Nix said eagerly, “To the armory?”
Liam smiled and confirmed, “To the armory.”
“Boys,” Saturn mumbled under her breath while shaking her head.
•
Liam holstered his crescent-shaped energy weapon and examined a circular hatch on the floor of the cargo bay. He found the red button on the side and pressed it. The hatch opened with several shards of metal retracting in an outward spiral to the edges. Beyond the hatch was a ladder lit by flashing yellow lights.
“I’ll go first, the airlock can be fickle,” Nix said, descending down the first few rungs of the ladder.
“Great,” Liam said under his breath. The last thing he needed was a technological breakdown.
Liam followed Nix down the ladder and felt the gravity increasing as they entered a region covered by both ships’ gravitational fields. His body felt like it was dragging around far too much extra weight. Luckily, they didn’t have to go far. Nix stopped and pressed a yellow button on the wall. The circular hatch above them closed and they were left with the flashing lights lining the tube. Liam felt the air pressure changing to match the other side. He suddenly felt light-headed, but was just able to maintain his grip on the ladder.
After nearly a minute, the hatch opened below them and Nix continued down into the Ansaran ship. Liam descended through the hatch, the Ansaran craft’s ladder ashen by comparison to The Garuda’s aging metal rungs. Gravity seemed to return to a normal level and Liam turned in a circle to take in his surroundings.
The ship looked relatively intact on the inside, but for the occasional scorch along the white walls where a laser had struck. They were in a passageway on the top deck of the ship which led to the bridge at the front of the freighter. Orbs of light lined the center of the corridor, several of them shattered by lasers leaving parts of the hallway in relative darkness. Toward the front of the ship, Liam saw traces of red in contrast to the white walls next to him.
Liam touched his earpiece with his index finger, ensuring it was firmly lodged in place. “Saturn, do you read me?”
“I’ve got you,” Saturn’s voice said into his ear.
Liam nodded to Nix, pulling his energy weapon from its holster. “This way.”
Nix retrieved his weapon and followed Liam cautiously in the direction of the bridge. The corridor was less than one hundred meters long with countless offshoots, each of them sealed behind hexagonal white doors. As they approached the bridge, trails of blood were caked onto the floor lining their path. Despite the blood, Liam couldn’t see any bodies ahead. Finally they approached the bridge, its wide door precisely cut along eight sides. Each of the dozen tracks of red led up to the massive door.
Liam spoke to Saturn over his intercom, “We’re at the bridge. Are you getting any readings?”
Saturn’s voice filled his ear, “Nothing. You’re all clear.”
Liam approached the door’s controls and pressed the square button, which quickly flashed bright green. There was no response. He pressed the button again. The flashing ceased.
“It must be locked from the inside,” Nix mused. “Stand back.”
Liam backed away and leveled his weapon at the octagonal door. Nix charged his crescent-shaped gun and released an energy blast at the controls, the ball of lightning sending sparks back at them. The white door opened half a meter along its vertical seam, just enough to slide through. Nix exchanged a glance with Liam before slipping through to the other side. Liam followed him into the darkened chamber.
The smell is what caught Liam first. More than a dozen decomposing Ansaran bodies lined the bridge in a semicircle around the door. Each was posed in different positions, held up by vicious pikes which tore through their backs and out their mouths. Liam covered his mouth in an attempt to prevent himself from vomiting. Nix’s sense of smell must have been muted because he remained focused, approaching the center of the half circle in awe.
Saturn’s voice filled Liam’s ear, “What is it? What do you see?”
Liam ignored her and stepped forward to see what Nix was looking at. In the center, Liam saw a very familiar face. The Ansaran’s robes were more ornate than the others, denoting his position of authority. The exiled Ansaran hadn’t made it that far after all. Ragnar, the former Caretaker of Garuda Colony, was the most mangled of all. His bowels hung from his stomach and were arranged at his feet in the shape of a symbol Liam found familiar. “What does that say?”
Nix turned his golden eyes on Liam and whispered, “It is the Ansaran word for vengeance. But this was not the work of Ansarans.”
“Kraven.”
“We need to find the logs quickly. We can’t linger here.”
Liam nodded and followed him past the bodies to a chair which stood in the center of the circular bridge that could only have been the Captain’s chair. Nix sat down and manipulated the controls to bring up a hologram of the bridge.
“Saturn, I’m sending the logs back to The Garuda now. Let me know when you’ve received them.”
“Copy.”
Liam approached the orange-hued hologram. It could have been clearer, but it was a fairly good representation of the bridge, only several workers were bustling around performing their duties while Ragnar sat in his chair snoring. The ship shook and Ragnar was thrown out of the seat. The hologram cut to a later timeframe. Six massive Kraven stood in the octagonal doorway to the bridge. Ragnar stood to face them and the hologram began playing back audio.
“It’s you,” Ragnar said. “I take it Crius has been deposed.”
A Kraven with dark face paint approached Ragnar while his followers spread out around the bridge. He cradled his left arm, wounded but frightening nonetheless. Once they moved Liam could see several Ansaran bodies lining the corridor behind them.
“Crius was not fit to lead,” the Kraven said. “You know why I have come?”
“Yes,” Ragnar confirmed.
A smile crept over the Kraven’s lips. “Your death will not be quick.”
The hologram cut out, dissolving in the air before Liam. He knew that voice, but that was impossible. The Kraven that crashed on Garuda’s surface were killed. But he’d seen it with his own eyes. The Kraven with the blue face paint was alive and seeking revenge.
“Did you get that?” Nix asked Saturn through his intercom.
“Got it. What do you think thi
s means?”
Liam crossed his arms and looked out the bridge’s windows to the blackness of space. “Regardless of whether the Nightstalkers exist or not, the Kraven are out for revenge. We need to get off this ship.”
“No argument here,” Nix said, standing from the Captain’s chair.
When he did, the few orbs of light overhead clouded over with a red film, bathing them in crimson. The deep voice of a Kraven rang out overhead.
“Those who seek to disrupt this shrine will die a coward’s death.”
Shortly after, a hologram of a clock appeared over the Captain’s chair. It began counting down from two minutes.
“Is that what I think it is?” Liam asked.
Nix and Liam gazed at each other in horror.
“Run!” Nix yelled.
The two of them scrambled to the octagonal door, squeezing through just before it clamped shut. The lights in the long hallway had turned red as well, making it harder to make out where they needed to go. They sprinted down the corridor, slipping on partially coagulated blood.
“Saturn, prep the ship for takeoff,” Liam huffed into his intercom. “When I give the signal, detach us from the other ship and get us the hell out of here.”
“What’s happening down there?”
“Just do it!” Liam screamed.
Liam reached the ladder first and tore up the rungs, opening the hatch when he reached the top. The two of them climbed up into the tube and Nix closed the hatch behind them. He continued to climb up to The Garuda’s airlock and pressed the button on the console when he reached the top. Nothing.
“What’s wrong?” Nix asked.
“It’s stuck,” Liam said frantically.
“What do you mean it’s stuck?”
Nix climbed up beside him and began hitting the console with his clawed fist. It wasn’t very scientific but it was effective. The circular hatch spiraled open and Liam scrambled out into the cargo bay followed by Nix, who quickly closed the airlock.
The Corsair Uprising Collection, Books 1-3 Page 21
