Star Warrior

by Isaac Hooke

  Lyra glanced at the empty glass on the table. She smiled coldly. “Good thing we have you here to order the hard stuff.”

  “Suppose so,” Nebb said. “Now where were we? Ah yes, your passenger is wanted.”

  “You’re refusing to take us?” Lyra said.

  “I didn’t say that,” Nebb told her.

  “You’re going to turn us in?” Tane asked.

  Nebb glanced at him. “It speaks! No, kid, I’m not going to turn you in. I’m no friend of the TSN.”

  “So what are you saying?” Lyra said.

  Nebb returned his attention to her. “I think you know what I’m saying.”

  Lyra paused. “Fine. We’ll pay double your quoted fee.”

  “Triple.”

  “Done,” Lyra said.

  “Mmm.” Nebb rubbed his chin. “You agreed too quickly. Tells me I was offering too low. I want quadruple the quoted fee, or I ain’t taking you.”

  Lyra simple stared at him, her face a smooth mask. “I’ll pay what you want.”

  “Good. Quintuple it is.” He smiled broadly. “Now that we got the fun part over with, when would you like to leave?”

  “Immediately,” Lyra said.

  “Well it’s a bit sudden, but all right.” Nebb sat back, put his hands behind his head. “I’m sending my account information to you. I’ll expect three-fourths up front.”

  “Three-fourths?” Lyra said. Her face continued to portray a mask of serenity, but her eyes betrayed surprise.

  “Hey, got up-front fuel and maintenance costs I got to pay,” Nebb said.

  Lyra’s nod seemed grudging. “We’ll have to inspect the ship first.”

  “Expected no less from a Volur.” Nebb stood up from the table. “Follow me then. We’re off to see the gizzard! The wonderful gizzard of…” He glanced at Lyra and Jed. “Well, never mind. I get a bit giddy when my bank account is full.”

  “Understandable,” Lyra said, rising. “But we haven’t paid you yet.”

  “Oh you will,” Nebb said. “I know desperation when I see it.” He gave Tane a wink.

  Tane and Jed stood as well. As usual, Jed towered over all of them.

  Tane was careful to keep his hood pulled low, especially when he saw the synthetic server walking toward them with a tray.

  “What about your drinks?” the synthetic said.

  “On me,” Nebb told the server. He retrieved the shot glass from the tray, downed it, and replaced it; then he led Lyra and the others toward the exit.

  “You almost make it sound like we had to pay for that water,” Tane said.

  Nebb glanced at him with an amused expression. “Boy, in this part of town, you pay for everything.”

  Nebb led them from the bar and into the main terminal. He passed several kiosks and turned down a side passage.

  Digital signage augmented Tane’s vision. Large green arrows pointing to the left read Hangars 1 & 2 while those on the right indicated Hangars 3 & 4.

  Nebb took the right passage, which led to a glass-doored exit that opened onto the platforms outside. In front of it, several security drones manned a full body scanner that took up the entire width of the corridor—essentially a long glow bar running up the left wall, along the ceiling, and down the right wall. It pulsed between blue and yellow.

  Tane halted in mid-step. “I should probably wait here,” he told Lyra.

  “It’s all right,” Lyra said. “I’ve blurred your features. The facial recognition algorithms on the robots won’t recognize you.”

  “But my public profile…” Tane said.

  “Also temporarily masked,” Lyra said. “We’ll get you set up with a permanent forgery eventually so I don’t have to constantly hold the Essence.”

  “How are you doing this?” Tane said. “You blurred my face to the cameras. And now to the robots, too? Aren’t there too many of them for you to control them all at once?”

  “It doesn’t work like that,” Lyra said. “I make the adjustments directly to you. The blurring is done to your face, for example.”

  Tane glanced at his reflection in the foggy pane of glass beside him. He looked normal.

  “I’ve done nothing to you on the visible band,” Lyra said. “However, I’ve carefully placed infrared light all around your face, securing it in place with the Essence. Trust me, you’ll pass their scrutiny.” She shrugged. “But if you wish, stay. I just thought you’d like to see the ship.”

  Lyra and Jed followed Nebb toward the security checkpoint. As he stared at her back, Tane decided that yes, he did want to see the ship.

  Tane straightened his back, took a deep breath, and walked toward the corridor-wide body scanner. He couldn’t help the sudden rise in heart rate, and he had to resist the urge to tweak his cardiovascular and hormonal levels.

  He passed underneath the pulsing blue and yellow lights of the body scanner without setting off any noticeable alarms. But he must have triggered something, because one of the armed security droids stepped in front of him. It looked similar to the police robots, in terms of its lack of expression of any kind, though its body was clad in black fatigues.

  “Lower your hood,” the droid said forcefully.

  Tane’s eyes involuntarily dropped to the plasma rifle the robot held, and then he reached up and flipped down his hood.

  He held his breath as the security droid studied him.

  “Ship, destination, and reason for travel?” the droid said.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Tane said. “I’m just inspecting a ship.”

  “Proof of—” the droid began.

  “He’s with us,” Lyra interrupted in that mellifluous voice of hers. She approached, lowered her hood, and gazed into the robot’s blank face. “Volur business.”

  The droid stared at her a moment, then inclined its head. “Volur business.” It looked at Tane once more. “Go.”

  “Did you use the Essence on that robot?” Tane said when the security checkpoint was behind them.

  “No,” she said, raising her hood once more. “I took advantage of the galaxy-wide respect reserved for the Volur.”

  Tane, Jed and Lyra reached the exit, and the glass slid aside automatically. Nebb was far ahead on the platform beyond, his trench coat dancing in the wind.

  “Well come on then, I was under the impression you were in a hurry?” Nebb said.

  8

  Tane followed Jed and Lyra though the exit. There were no launch pads on the open-air platform outside, but only two enclosed hangar bays, one on the left, the other on the right. Nebb led them to the hangar that was digitally labeled Hangar 3 on Tane’s vision.

  Nebb casually climbed the ramp toward the entrance, and strode past an armed robot that stood on guard duty. While it had a shield generator at its waist, currently active judging from the glowing blue globe at the center, this was the first combat robot Tane had seen so far that was also equipped with body armor, rather than camos, though it was only a quarter as thick as Jed’s armor. Also, unlike other combat units, this one’s visor offered expression feedback—animated vectors represented the eyes, nose and mouth. Tane was immediately reminded of Julius.

  If Julius walked around in combat armor and with a plasma rifle, that is.

  Curious, Tane checked out its profile.

  Name: Positron

  Race: Robot.

  Model: Scepter combat droid VI-5 Rev a.

  Level: 7

  Class: Personal Protection

  “Positron, meet our new passengers,” Nebb said.

  The animated lines representing the robot’s features curled up in disgust. “May the stars help us.”

  “We’re not your passengers yet,” Tane told Positron.

  Nebb chuckled as if that were the funniest joke he’d heard all day.

  Inside the hangar, Tane was immediately taken aback by how big the ship it contained was. The vessel filled up more than half the hanger, easily the size of a large house. It was shaped like two large horseshoe magnets p
laced back to back, with a long nose section between them.

  The exterior was a silvery gray metal, dimpled in many places thanks to micrometeor impacts. A hull-encompassing protective energy system similar to that found in shield generators was supposed to defend against such damage, but inevitably some micrometeors impacted with high enough energy to penetrate. Small machines were currently crawling over the hull, smoothing out the dimples with 3D-printed metal.

  Huge metal pincers hung from tracks in the hangar’s ceiling beside the ship, and they held large flexible tubes against the vessel. The craft was obviously refueling.

  “As you can see, we’re getting her spaceworthy,” Nebb said.

  “What’s she called?” Jed asked.

  “He’s called the Red Grizzly,” Nebb said.

  “He?” Tane said. “Isn’t it bad luck to refer to your ship as a male?”

  Nebb shrugged. “Going with the flow is the only time I ever have bad luck. Against the flow, that’s where I shine.”

  “Why Red Grizzly?” Tane asked.

  Nebb smiled patiently. “Because you don’t want to mess with a red grizzly. Means it’s just had a fresh kill, if you know what I’m saying. Covered in blood.”

  “Ah.” Tane studied the curving lines and the long nose. “I don’t see it.”

  “Didn’t expect you to,” Nebb said.

  Tane ran the ID.

  Ship: Red Grizzly.

  Class: Rapier.

  Offensive Weapons:

  Forward-facing:

  Eight dragon laser turrets, 180-degree throw angle.

  Two plasma throwers, 45-degree throw angle.

  One Essence lance, 90-degree throw angle.

  Aft-facing:

  Four dragon laser turrets, 90-degree throw angle.

  Point Defense Weapons: None.

  Shielding system: Energy.

  Crew complement: 4.

  Passenger capacity (current/maximum): 0/6.

  The Rapier class was popular among smugglers because it was small and fast while still packing enough of an offensive sting to discourage most pirates. Determined opponents could still take it down, of course. Especially if those opponents had a TSN battle cruiser with a full fighter complement at their disposal.

  The entrance ramp was open and lying at an angle on the hangar floor.

  Nebb glanced at Lyra. “I assume the Bander is coming with me?”

  “That’s right,” Lyra said. “We’ll wait out here.”

  Tane glanced at Lyra, and was about to ask why he couldn’t go, too, but clamped his mouth shut.

  Nebb and Jed vanished up the ramp.

  “Jed always inspects a ship first before I board,” Lyra explained when the two were gone. “A precaution in case of ambush. I know you wanted to go with him as well, but trust me, it’s better this way.”

  Tane nodded reluctantly. His incoming call indicator flashed then, and he moved to the side of the hangar to answer it.

  “Hey Dad,” Tane said, picking up.

  “We got your message,” Dad said.

  “Did you check the news?” Tane asked.

  “We saw the alert,” Dad said. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Lyra says someone notified the TSN about the alien attack, probably one of the robots in the police force. Even though they only want us for questioning, Lyra thinks it’s probably better if we don’t let the TSN find us. She wants to head straight to Talendir instead.”

  “I’d have to agree there,” Dad said. “Once the TSN gets its claws into you, they don’t let go until they’ve wrung every last bit of use from you. Last thing I want is you or your mom in their hands. Even if it’s only ‘questioning,’ as they say.”

  “You really think highly of them, don’t you?” Tane said.

  “I told you, I fought in the war for the TSN…” Dad said. “I’ve seen firsthand their methods. Their callous disregard not only for the lives of their enemies, but their own soldiers. No, we won’t be treated well. How did it go with the merchant captain?”

  “We’re looking at his ship now,” Tane said. “You’re going to love it.”

  “You sound a bit sarcastic…” Dad said.

  “Well the ship is fine,” Tane said. “But the captain, not so much. He’s a smuggler.”

  Dad was quiet a moment. “I’m not sure whether to be relieved or worried. Though honestly, maybe his being a smuggler is a good thing. Especially if the TSN is looking for us. How knows, he might be able to use his smuggling skills to get us out of the system unnoticed.”

  “Yeah, you’d think,” Tane said. “But he’s been caught several times, according to his public profile. Makes you wonder just how good he is. By the way, when can you get here?”

  “If we hop into a city shuttle, around thirty minutes,” Dad said.

  Lyra, standing nearby, gestured for Tane’s attention. “Your parents can’t travel alone. I’ll have to go back for them, blur their facial features and mask their IDs.”

  “Lyra says you have to wait for her to come pick you up,” Tane said. “She’s worried the city’s security cams are going to detect your faces and IDs. She can blur them, apparently.”

  “All right, we’ll wait for her,” Dad said. “How long?”

  Tane glanced at Lyra. “When can you pick them up?”

  “I’ll leave as soon as the inspection is done,” Lyra said. “I’ll probably be there in an hour.”

  “She says an hour,” Tane told Dad.

  “All right,” Dad said. “Until then.”

  Tane disconnected.

  Jed walked down the ramp a few minutes later with Nebb.

  “It’s a rust bucket,” Jed said. “But it’ll do. There are two additional crew: a jump specialist and a maintenance robot.”

  Nebb smiled at Lyra. “So now then, my fee?”

  Lyra’s eyes defocused. “It’s done.”

  “Got it.” Nebb rubbed his hands together. “Give me half an hour to fuel. Then meet me back here.”

  “Is half an hour enough time?” Tane said, glancing at the vessel’s hull uncertainly. “Look how slow those tiny robots are making repairs. Don’t think they’ll have all the micro craters filled by then.”

  “We don’t need the hull to be completely repaired,” Nebb said. “We can launch at any time, in fact. Hull integrity is more than ninety percent. Listen, why don’t you can go have a drink in the bar while you wait, calm your nerves.”

  “I’m not nervous,” Tane said.

  “Sure you aren’t,” Nebb said.

  “We’d rather wait aboard,” Lyra said. “Just in case you decide to take the money and run.”

  “I would never do such a thing to a paying customer,” Nebb said. “How dare you insult my honor?”

  “I dare because I’ve had a look at your public profile,” Lyra said. “You’ve got more than a few smuggling citations.”

  “Oh, that’s only part of my cover,” Nebb said. “Helps weed out the type of clients I want.”

  “I see,” Lyra said.

  “’Sides, I have more than enough enemies. Last thing I need is to add a Volur and her Bander to the list. And I do want my final twenty thousand.”

  Tane started at the price. “Twenty thousand! That means the total cost…”

  Nebb nodded with a smirk. “That’s right, boy. Space travel is expensive. Got a crew to feed you know.”

  “I somehow doubt your costs are anywhere near eighty thousand credits per trip,” Tane said. “Especially since two members of your crew are robots!”

  Nebb shrugged. “I’m running a business here. Not a charity.” He started up the ramp. Glancing over his shoulder, he said: “Wait aboard if you like.”

  Lyra and Jed followed him.

  “Wait,” Tane said. “You’re going back to get my parents now. Right?”

  Lyra paused. She looked back at Tane and smiled widely. “Of course.”

  “Good. I’ll go with you. I want to help Mom with her luggage.” He grabbed the
travel pouch at his belt and waggled it slightly. “Got a handy new storage device to show her.”

  “Of course,” Lyra repeated. She was looking directly into his eyes. Her musical voice sounded so soothing.

  So hypnotic.

  Tane suddenly felt very sleepy.

  Before he realized what was happening, he was slumping forward into Jed’s waiting arms. Tane never knew body armor could feel so soft and accommodating…

  LYRA WATCHED Jed carry the unconscious youth aboard. She regretted having to treat Tane like this, but there was no time. Sliver, one of the scepter droids she had left at the hotel, had tapped into the military mixnet and was monitoring communications city-wide. The TSN was apparently searching all ships scheduled for departure from terminals across Kalindor, and TSN combat robots were to supplement all space-bound hangar security checkpoints going forward.

  The TSN was casting its net far and wide. Smart move.

  Already Brass, the scepter she had planted in the current terminal to keep watch, had reported the arrival of TSN troops. Yes, time was quickly running out.

  After she helped Jed secure Tane inside one of the cramped guest rooms, Lyra hurried to the cockpit with her Bander, where the smuggler awaited.

  “Nebb, we have to go. Now.” Lyra sat down beside the smuggler in a spare seat. In front of her a large window revealed the inside of the hangar as viewed from the nose of the Red Grizzly. She knew it wasn’t an actual window, but rather a digital one projected onto the wall courtesy of her chip. Nebb had given her access to the digital augmentation, which was sourced from one of the Rapier’s external cams, no doubt.

  “Nebb, did you hear me?” Lyra repeated. “We have to go.”