by Alex Kings
Say that again when I bury a knife in your guts, Zino thought.
But instead of that, he said, “I managed to stop them from contacting Wells. That avenue is closed off to them perfectly. And now we know their plan, we have a better chance of finding them.”
“But still they are free. And you took over Wells's operation to do it, on my behalf.”
“Only briefly.”
“He will not be pleased,” said Sukone. “He dislikes commotion and regards his boundaries as sacrosanct. He will come to me.”
“Let him,” said Zino. “He'll be dead soon, anyway.”
“Perhaps. But you will not be the one to kill him.”
Zino froze. “What?” he said quietly.
“I will remove Albert Wells by other means. Furthermore, I believe that I can no longer rely on you to do my more important jobs. You will stay with me as an advisor.”
Zino's sole reason for joining Sweetblade was to get out and about, see the world, and do what he loved best: Killing people. Now he was being asked to spend his time hanging around on a secret base, sucking up to Sukone
“Do not think of this as a punishment, Felix,” said Sukone. “More of an incentive to do better. I know you are capable of so much more.”
Not if you don't give me an opportunity to do it, you wittering, oversized iguana, Zino thought. And he was about to say it – but Sukone cut the line before he could speak.
*
The Outsider hung in a distant orbit near Nereus, ready to jump away at a moment's notice. Everyone was clearly aware that Zino, or Sukone, could attack at any moment. The threat hanging over their heads felt more and more oppressive.
In the cockpit, Rurthk sat alone, brooding. Eloise hadn't spoken to him; she was busy looking through the system's local net, trying to find Olivia. Dr. Wolff had joined her. Mero was studying the shuttles with Kaivon.
Rurthk watched Nereus. From this distance it looked like a tiny ring, its inside surface glowing blue against the vastness of space. It looked like an escape, but it was actually a trap. A trap Rurthk had led them all into, from which there seemed to be no escape.
The comm chimed.
Rurthk looked at the console. The call came from an anonymised location on Nereus. With some trepidation, he accepted it.
Olivia appeared on the screen. She looked pale and exhausted, her hair was a mess, but she gave him a small smile.
“Hi, Captain,” she said.
“Olivia?”
“I found him,” she said. “Albert Wells.”
Rurthk stared at her. “Hold on just a moment,” he said, and hit the internal comms. “Olivia's on the line,” he told the ship.
Eloise was the first to come rushing into a cockpit. She was followed by Wolff and Kaivon, and even, after a moment, Mero. They crowded into the cockpit, filling the entire space.
When Olivia saw them all, she looked surprised for a moment, then broke into a smile. “Oh, wow,” she said bashfully. “Ypu're happy to see me/”
“Of course we are,” said Eloise. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” said Olivia. “Not at my best, but I'm okay. And I'm safe.”
“This brute didn't want to look for you,” said Eloise, thumping Rurthk on the shoulder.
Olivia gave him a look. “Really?”
“That's not entirely fair,” said Rurthk. “I did, but pragmatic considerations …”
“I didn't want to look for you,” said Mero, raising his hand. “I really don't care.”
Olivia laughed. “I knew I could count on you.”
After a moment, Eloise and Mero laughed too.
“So, look, I have some news,” said Olivia. “I'm with Albert Wells. I told him about Sukone and the information we have. He's on our side.”
Everyone fell silent. “We're done, then?” said Mero. “We're safe?”
“Wells thinks the information won't be enough. It needs some backup. He thinks Sukone's base might have the corroboration we need.”
“He wants to go to Sukone's base?” asked Rurthk.
“Well, uh, not quite,” said Olivia. “He wants us to go to Sukone's base.”
Chapter 71: Some Fatal Blind Spot
Less than an hour later, the Outsider settled into a hidden berth on the underside of Nereus. Gun emplacements surrounding it, “there to make you feel safe,” did no such thing. Effector fields gripped the ship firmly. A docking tube of smart matter grasped the cargo bay.
As soon as Olivia stepped through the cargo bay airlock, Eloise hugged her. Rurthk shook her hand. “I knew bringing you on board was a good idea,” he said with a smile.
The general cheer vanished as soon as another man stepped in afterwards. With his dark suit, he wore a short sword on his hip. Two guards waited behind him. He looked around slowly, appraising the ship and the crew with a cold gaze that gave nothing away.
Rurthk offered his hand. “Albert Wells.”
Wells took his hand. “Captain Rurthk.”
“I didn't expect you to come aboard yourself,” Rurthk said.
“I am in a compact of honour with you. Furthermore, this ship will be the means by which we strike down Sukone. It is only proper that I see it.”
“Yes,” said Rurthk, wondering if this sort of pomposity was standard for the upper levels of Sweetblade. “I was wondering, as a matter of fact, why you want us to visit Sukone. I'm sure you have the resources to do this ten times over.”
“Sukone has wronged you,” said Wells, as they headed out of the cargo bay. “He lied to you, betrayed you, and tried to kill you. It is your right – and your duty – to avenge yourself.”
Rurthk studied the man's face. It wasn't a face that invited argument. Wells was a man who lived by his own principles rather than reason, for the reason that his principles masked his own self-interest. Rurthk was familiar with that sort of obsession – it was common to Glaber, and not entirely rare among the other species. He could practically imagine what would happen if he tried to argue – Wells would accuse him of cowardice, threaten to withdraw help, or maybe even kill them.
So he made his peace with it, and went to the practicalities. “I hope you have some way of finding out where Sukone's base is, because otherwise …”
“I know where to find Sukone,” said Wells. “For the next day, at least. The information was extremely expensive, but worth it.”
“Expensive?” said Rurthk, tilting his head.
“I have my sources,” said Wells.
Soon after, they gathered in the observation lounge. The window opened onto a view of a curving panel of carbide a couple of metres away, glittering faintly from the light of effector fields below. Wells laid a tablet on the tablet, and gestured at it to expand to cover the entire surface. He called up a diagram of a triangular craft.
Sukone's base.
483 metres long, according to the scale by its side. Seven decks. It would take hours to search. The cutaway view showed the banks of lasers and kinetics that covered its outer hull. There was even a small monopole cannon. This thing could go toe-to-toe with an Alliance cruiser.
“The base,” Wells said, “has an extremely powerful sensor array. Anything coming from above will be seen. Even if it's under stealth, the ship can find it using atmospheric disturbances. There are advantages to hiding in a gas giant.”
Rurthk nodded. “I'm guessing there's some fatal blind spot that Sukone has failed to take advantage of?”
“Indeed there is,” said Wells.
“Always the way,” muttered Rurthk. “What is it?”
“Sukone is expecting something to come from above. If you approach from below the craft, it'll be much easier to escape detection. And the magnetic interference from the planet will be on your side.”
“We could get a stealth shuttle in,” said Rurthk.
“Yes,” said Wells.
“All the landing pads are on top. We'll have to find another way in,” said Mero. He reached out and gestured at the diagram so it showe
d a view of the craft's underside. He looked it over quickly, a second later tapped a point on the map. “Here. Access corridor beside the rocket. It'll be subject to a lot of heat and vibration, so we could cut a hole in the hull without being noticed. And it probably won't have that many people walking down it.”
Rurthk looked at Wells. “Do you know of anywhere better?”
“I can't say I do,” said Wells. “I'm impressed.”
“So come in here,” said Rurthk. “What then?”
“Sukone's throne room is here,” said Wells, shifting the diagram. “In the centre of the base. You'll want to avoid that, but he had an operations centre just behind it. If you want access to the computer, you'll go there.”
“Any chance these sources of yours have Sukone's access codes?” said Rurthk.
“No,” said Wells.
“I guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way,” said Rurthk.
“This could get messy,” Eloise said, frowning slightly.
“These things,” said Mero said, pointing at two large, symmetrical spaces either side of the throne room. “Barracks. How many soldiers does he keep on board?”
“At our best guess, two hundred,” said Wells.
“By the Ancestral Abyss,” growled Mero. “Messy is right. We get discovered, and everything goes to shit. Once they know we're on board, they could find the shuttle.”
“So we don't get discovered,” said Rurthk.
“Look, Cap, I respect you and all,” said Mero, his ears fall back against his head. “But I'd prefer we have something a bit stronger in place than your confident assertions about what will and won't happen.”
Rurthk held his gaze for a moment then laughed. “Alright,” he said.
“However you escape,” said Wells, clearly tired of this digression, “Load the data onto this tablet.” He took out a tiny transparent slip and gave it to Rurthk. “It has certain Sweetblade codes so it can verify the information came from Sukone. Then transmit all its contents to me through your bulkwave. I will be waiting to pass on everything to the head of Sweetblade.”
“Then Sukone's gone and you take his place,” finished Rurthk.
“Yes,” said Wells. “And you will have nothing further to worry about from Sweetblade. I will be indebted to you.”
“Indebted enough to pay us?” said Mero.
Wells gave him a cold look.
Mero shrugged.
For the next two hours they went over the design of the Sukone's base in detail, memorising the layout of the corridors, considering roadblocks and how to get around them. When, at last, everything was done, Wells contracted the tablet and put it in his pocket. “I have sent this information to your ship, so you can review it at your leisure,” he said. “Sukone's base arrives at this gas giant in ten hours, so you should leave now if you wish to get there in time.”
Rurthk led him to the cargo bay. “Well,” he said. “It's been … an experience.”
“Good luck with your mission,” said Wells. “Should you die, I will exact vengeance on Sukone in your name.”
“Uh, thanks,” said Rurthk.
Wells paused at the air to turn back to the crew. “Goodbye,” he said. He turned and walked down the docking tube.
Rurthk closed the airlock. “What a prat,” he muttered.
“I won't challenge you on that one, Cap,” said Mero. “Time to go?”
“Do it,” said Rurthk.
A couple of minutes later, the Outsider slipped out of the berth and glided away from Nereus. It accelerated unchallenged away from the system, then jumped away.
Chapter 72: A Last Meal
I don't know if I'm happy here, Olivia wrote, sitting in her quarters. But you know what? That doesn't matter. I have friends. I contribute. I'm not tied down. And that's enough.
Her hands hovered over the screen of the tablet as she read it. That was it, she thought. It was finished. Not perfect, but finished. She'd said all she wanted to say.
She checked it once more to make sure there was nothing there that might give away her position.
It was clean. The most anyone could find out by reading this letter was that she was on a spaceship somewhere.
She connected to the bulkwave. Her hand hovered over the send command.
She pulled back, disconnected, and contracted her tablet.
She couldn't quite bring herself to do it just yet.
The comm chimed. It was Dr. Wolff. “Miss Olivia! Are you free?”
“I … I'm not sure …” she began.
“Yes. Yes, you are,” he said in a tone that would brook no argument. “Come to the observation lounge.”
“Okay,” said Olivia.
In the corridor she ran into Mero coming the other way. “You get a call from the doc too?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“It's weird. I don't like it.”
His nose twitched as they came to the observation lounge. “You smell that?” he said.
Olivia paused and sniffed. “I don't think so,” she admitted.
“Smells of death,” Mero muttered.
Slightly worried, Olivia opened the door. Then the smell did hit her.
It was wonderful.
“There you are!” said Dr. Wolff. “Come in, come in. Here.”
“By the Ancestral Abyss,” hissed Mero, clutching his nose.
Eloise was standing by the table. She smiled and waved at them. Behind her was a feast.
The table was filled with food. It was impossible to see the surface beneath it all. Olivia struggled to take it all in. Roast chicken and duck, roast potatoes, peas and corn, steaming gravy boats. In one corner, a curry with rice. A row of half a dozen different sauces. Three glasses of wine. Cooked scorpions on skewers. And then, taking up as much space, were the nonhuman foods. Olivia guessed a stack of what looked like raw steaks were for Rurthk, a selection of neon-coloured alien fruits cut into slices were for Mero, and what looked like rice cakes in various colours for Kaivon.
Kaivon came into the lounge behind Olivia, and a moment later Rurthk came in through the opposite door.
“What's this?” he asked.
“I decided,” said Wolff, “that after all we've been through lately, we deserved a proper meal. Together. And since we have the money to buy some actual food, well,” he gestured at the table.
“You seem to have overlooked something,” said Mero. “I can't eat around carnivores.”
“Not at all,” said Wolff with a big smile. He threw Mero a small gadget in the shape of a transparent hemisphere.
Mero peered at it. “What … ?”
“Food mask,” said Dr. Wolff. “Very expensive. They were invented on Cantor so Petaur diplomats could eat with other species. It filters out all the airborne molecules that you might find unpleasant.”
Mero gave Wolff a look. He seemed taken off-guard by thoughtfulness, especially coming from Wolff. He put the mask over his nose as through expecting a trap. It fit perfectly. He paused, inhaled, then said, “Huh. It works.”
“Good. Now come on. Sit, sit!”
Olivia and the others took their places.
“Doctor,” said Rurthk, still standing in the doorway, “In nine hours we're going to invade the secret base of one of the most powerful criminal figures in the known galaxy. We need to prepare.”
“There's only so long you can pore over plans before you get diminishing returns. If you're going to do something like this, you need to be well rested and in a good frame of mind,” said Wolff. “So consider this preparing. We're going to eat, and then we're going to get some sleep.”
“We don't have the time,” said Rurthk.
“This is a matter essential to our health. Especially when it comes to not dying on Sukone's base because you're exhausted and not thinking straight. So I'm pulling rank.”
“This isn't a military ship, Doctor,” Rurthk said. “It's my ship. I can do what I please, including kicking you out.”
“Well, then, if y
ou're going to kick me out,” said Wolff, “You can at least do me the decency of eating something first.” He gestured at the table.
Rurthk sighed and shook his head, then took a place at the table alongside the others. After a moment, he picked up a cup of roughly-hewn stone and sniffed it. “Is this … ?
“Glaber blood,” said Wolff, smiling. “From the Hive Gouge, I believe.”
Rurthk smiled, and everyone attacked their food.
It had been months since Olivia had eaten proper food. It felt like a lifetime ago. She fell upon the meal. The logic of Wolff's rather chaotic menu soon became apparent. She wanted to try some of everything. Having sampled duck, chicken and scorpion, she decided to rein herself in a little.
Kaivon, who was sitting opposite, caught her eye. She realised she had never seen an Albascene eat before. It was quite a simple affair. Every so often he would pick up one of the tablets with an effector field and slot it into a hatch in his suit. Then he would just stand there for a couple of minutes, his suit segments turning with what she could only imagine was contentment, before choosing another.
“Sorry if I'm being rude,” she said. “But what's that like?” She pointed at the cakes. “Do you taste them?”
“That is not rude at all,” said Kaivon. “I do taste them. When these touch the water inside my suit, they expand and disperse, so my components can graze on them. What they taste, I taste.”
“Ah,” said Olivia. It seemed obvious in hindsight.
“Would you like to try one?” said Kaivon. “Most are human-compatible.”
“Sure.” Olivia's hand hovered over the tablets, uncertain.
“Dr. Wolff has a fondness for the orange ones,” offered Kaivon.
Satisfied with that, Olivia took an orange cake. She rolled it in her fingers, feeling the dry, rough texture, peered at it, then nibbled the edge.
She was expecting something salty and marine, like seaweed or crab meat. In fact, the tablet was sweet. It tasted like perfectly buttered toast soaked in caramel.
“I take it you agree?” Kaivon said as she took another bite.
She nodded through the mouthful.
“Mostly fats and simple carbohydrates,” said Wolff. “So, don't get too addicted to them, or else …” He patted his belly and laughed.
