White Fire

by Laurie Bell

  “Cos. Did you meet him? Isn’t he ah-maz-ing!”

  Toni glanced down at Mate. He looked up at her and cocked his head. “Cos?”

  “Did you see him?”

  “Oh, Jas’s CII?” Toni felt the hint of a smile dance at her lips and fought showing it.

  “Yesss!” Zach’s digital eyes looked soft and wistful.

  “I’m not—”

  “Oh, come on.”

  “Yes, Zach,” Mate cut in, letting the CII off the hook. “We saw him, but we were not formally introduced.

  Zach giggled for a moment and then became serious. “You can call the big boss now, Boss.”

  “Dial it, and punch in a course for Kyth-tact.”

  *

  After a short silence, Zaambuka’s response was swift. He ordered Toni to proceed to Melbar Prime.

  “I’m already headed to Kyth-tact.”

  “Kyth-tact?” he clarified. His eyes narrowed. It was the only part of him that moved.

  “Yes.”

  “Melbar Prime is closer.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Explain?”

  Toni tapped on the console, staring down at her fingers to avoid his stare. “My informant. I can’t tell you any more than that.” She flicked up her eyes. Oh, khegh it. He’s going to reach through the screen and throttle me. Zaambuka actually turned purple. To distract him, Toni reported the planetary attack they’d witnessed. She heard Zach’s quiet gasp in the background.

  Zaambuka was silent for a long time. “And you don’t know where he was calling from?”

  “Only that it was a border planet.”

  “I’ll look into it. Do you believe it is connected?”

  “A border planet attack just as a political summit is to vote on an alliance between Sectors? It would have to be a massive coincidence.”

  “Without knowing where—”

  “I know, Sir. Is there any way to increase Sector patrols?”

  “I can reinforce the Defender teams at the Sector One/Two border, but without knowing the exact location of the incursion, that leaves a lot of space to cover.”

  Toni groaned. “Yeah, it does.” She picked at her nails.

  “We need more information.”

  She looked up. “I shouldn’t have even seen—”

  “Is there anything else you can tell me?”

  Toni sighed and shook her head. “Nothing official. It could have been anywhere. The call was definitely made via a planet line, but the view was limited. There was smoke everywhere.” She heard that scream again. But she’d heard something else as well. “I could make out the sound of ship-based weaponry, but saw no confirmation. Mate recorded the partial list of names the kid was screaming, but we have no idea what they refer to. Could be people, or coded locations, even ships. Really, it could be anything.”

  “Contact me as soon as you reach Kyth-tact.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  The Blackflame flew into Kyth-tact’s orbit a day later.

  From above, the planet looked like a dry ball of leather. Cracked and scorched, with crumbling mountains and numerous desert regions, each more dehydrated than the next. Toni had no idea what she was looking for. Jas had given her nothing to go on, but as the planet was one of those listed to receive shipments of Resonators, maybe it was a staging area. Perhaps a central point for delivery where the crates were then transferred to another ship, bound for … where? That was the question.

  “If the shipments have been redistributed, how will we discover where they went?” Mate asked as they circled the Northern Hemisphere. Toni flew a wide orbit of the planet, observing all of the ships that had arrived and departed over the last few hours. It was the only area of Kyth-tact to see any movement. She figured this indicated the location of the docking port, but there was no beacon or signal received when they broke through the lower atmosphere, so she couldn’t be sure.

  “Do we go down?” Zach asked.

  She eyeballed the CII’s screen. “Might as well. We’re not going to learn anything further from up here.”

  “We should be cautious, Boss. There is no beacon or transponder on the entire planet. Given the lack of governmental oversight, this could be a trap,” Mate said from her knee.

  That was a fair point. This far out from the Sector core, there was really no way to enforce APE regulations, especially when a planet was not officially settled. A person could get away with anything provided they didn’t draw attention to themselves and avoided STCT or agent flybys. It was a hole in the system the current President had opened with his cutbacks. It would take something catastrophic for that to change back. Perhaps it was why Ramo was being targeted.

  “What did Jas say about avoiding that mountain ridge again?”

  “Only to avoid the left side.”

  “Well, what does that mean?” Zach asked. “Which mountain ridge?” The CII disappeared off the screen, replaced by a map of the region they were flying over. There were mountains everywhere.

  “Presumably that one,” Toni said, pointing to the long canyon between the two mountain ranges. It dead ended where the mountains joined together. The only way to fly into the docking port was along that corridor. The terrain was too steep to come at the docking port from above, except if you flew straight down. If you tried that, there would be no way to stop before you hit the ground, unless you crawled down at a speed barely above the pull of gravity. Going that slow would give any land-based weaponry easy target practice.

  “Well, doesn’t that look cozy?” Zach said.

  Toni wasn’t overly impressed either. She rubbed at the spot of her throbbing shoulder. There was no way to go down without making the Blackflame a target. Unless … “Zach, how long would it take to hack our own registry details and create a fake ship identity?”

  “Not as long as you would think,” he told her with a digital grin.

  “Can you link up to Cos? Have him confirm a Cross identity for the Blackflame?”

  “Absolutely, Boss.”

  “This is not a good idea.” Mate warned.

  “It’s the only option we have,” she told him. Several minutes later the ’352 Jackdes Hegnforth lightship model sixteen, newly designated the Tear of Fire, began its descent into the docking port.

  “That’s a lot of guns,” Zach commented as they flew along the mountain corridor.

  “Yeah.” The number of guns Zach’s scanners picked out of the camouflage made Toni’s right eye twitch. This really is not a good idea. She’d have to keep her wits about her on the ground. This level of security could only mean one thing—illegal activity was going on here. A lot of it.

  Toni ceded flight control to Zach while she applied a heavy coat of toned foundation. She pulled out her trusty brunette wig and contacts, and became Seli Mendel, a sly and dangerous smuggler.

  Then she faced the hardest task of all—convincing Mate to stay behind.

  “We can’t attract too much attention. I’ll have my shades, and you and Zach can follow everything from here. We have to be sensible about this.”

  “I am not comfortable with you going out there alone,” Mate stressed.

  She wasn’t either. Her skin already itched from the makeup, and she couldn’t wait to rip the damned wig off. She felt sick to her stomach, but was determined to go in alone. “That’s the deal, Mate. You’re only going to put me in more danger if you come with me. It’s bad enough that we don’t have time to repaint the Blackflame. But a ’352 Jackdes Hegnforth lightship model sixteen flown in by a woman and a canine robot? I’m not famous Mate, but agent rumors get around criminal types. It’ll trigger suspicion. Enough that they might see through the make-up to who I really am. I can’t take the risk.”

  “I don’t like it either, Mate, but if she needs you, you can get out to her pretty fast. It’s not a large area. And as a smuggler, at least it won’t be suspicious if she goes in armed to the teeth, right?” Zach said.

  “Ri
ght,” Toni agreed. The weaponry currently hidden all over her body was not only extremely uncomfortable, but also kheghing heavy.

  “Jas should have told you what we are here to look for.”

  “Well, clearly the Resonators, so let’s start with that.”

  “Boss, I am receiving a message from the master-house. The dock master is advising we should make our way to the open land in the center of the port. I need you at the controls,” Zach told her.

  The CII had flown the re-designated Blackflame as close to the right-hand mountain ridge as he could, but as they approached the docking port, the mountains closed in quickly, creating a number of physical hazards. Toni dropped the Tear of Fire’s speed further and carefully weaved her ship under a massive rock archway formed at the end of the corridor.

  They shot out into the dead-ended canyon. Toni pointed the Tear of Fire toward the open space marked with a black cross as directed and let the ship jolt down hard onto its landing struts. “Zach, while I’m out there, see what you can access? I want to know what’s really going on here.”

  Resting her hand on the butt of her holstered weapon, she strode casually down the ramp, whistling loudly and off-key. In deference to the blasting sun she wore a large, battered hat over the brunette wig and had pulled on her long-sleeved jacket. It was kheghing hot outside. As soon as she stepped from the Blackflame’s air-conditioned goodness, she broke into a sweat. She couldn’t stay out here long or her make-up would melt.

  “Hey, love. What’re you doing here?”

  Toni spun at the voice of the woman who stepped from beneath the Tear of Fire’s landing struts. How did she get under there?

  “Well, hey there,” Toni drawled, in her best Ralish accent. Way back in her younger years, Toni, along with her brother and sisters, had been forced to sit through many of their mother’s language and elocution lessons. Toni’s mother was a second-class holo-actor whose fame was in steady decline. Fortunately, Trina Delle’s acting lessons had come in handy over Toni’s career. The ability to alter her accent was not quite as much fun as Zach playing with his voice controls, but it did help her sink into her assumed character.

  The woman was shorter than Toni, blonde and overweight. She rocked from side to side as she ambled forward. Toni couldn’t see any obvious weaponry on the woman, but assumed she was armed. Toni’s skin crawled with the feeling of being watched. She fought to keep her breathing steady and not to peer back over her shoulder.

  “Can I help ya, love?”

  “Yeah, hey listen. I was told I could, ah, pick something up from here.”

  “Really? Who told ya that? There ain’t nothin’ on this rock worth pickin’ up. Look around you, kid. This place ain’t nothin’ more than a dump.”

  “Well, a friend of mine sent me here.” That much was true. “And I was told this was where to go, if you know what I’m saying?” Toni couldn’t tell if the other woman was buying her act but she really needed to get inside before her disguise started to drip down her face.

  “Ya name, hun?”

  “I’m sure that doesn’t matter, does it?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she felt the tension in the air grow thicker.

  The woman didn’t move but Toni sensed movement out of her periphery. She glanced over her shoulder at the old man who appeared in her shadow. He was tall and skeleton thin with a pointy chin and little eyes.

  “Mic, we expectin’ anyone?” the woman asked.

  Mic scratched at the side of his balding head with something metallic and answered with a simple drawn out, “Nope.”

  The woman gestured to Toni. “Looks like we ain’t expectin’ ya, hun.”

  Toni shuffled sideways and threw another glance over her shoulder. She was close enough to the Tear of Fire that Zach could drop the railgun into place, should she give the signal, and she was seconds away from giving it. “That’s weird. Stiev said to come straight through. Tight deadline and all, what with the rush on, ah, ranic fruit.” This had better work.

  The woman tilted her head. “Ranic fruit, ya say?”

  “Yeah, odd, right? But whatever.” Toni kept her shoulders low and her stance open. Her fingers itched with the desire to draw her weapon.

  “Mic?”

  “Yup.”

  “Take the girl out back.” The dark gaze of the woman lightened suddenly and she relaxed, making Toni aware of just how tightly the woman had been holding herself before.

  “Sure?”

  “Mic, ya stupid shenghi-loving Naftet, get moving. The girl ain’t got all day.” The woman glared at the old man over Toni’s shoulder. “Now, you fool!” Turning back to Toni, she said, “It’s all right, love. We have to be careful around here, you know what I’m saying?”

  “Oh yeah, hey listen …” Toni took a few steps forward, partly to get away from Mic—she didn’t like the unknown man so close to her back—and partly to draw the woman into her confidence. “I know there’s stuff going on, and I’m not going to ask about it. Now that Kel’s gone, I don’t want to know, you know? I’ve got a job to do.”

  “Don’t we all, love? You got a name?”

  “Seli Mendel.”

  “Well, call me Debi.”

  “Nice to meet you, Debi.” Toni slumped her shoulders and shifted until she could eyeball the old man behind her and keep the woman in her sight at the same time. “And you too, Mic.”

  The old man looked close to wilting. He pointed to a small building. “Over there.”

  “Chatty fellow, aren’t you?” Toni said, throwing a wink his way.

  Mic flushed red.

  A text bubble popped up on her shades display.

  Zach: Careful, Boss. That takes you out of our line of sight, I don’t like it and Mate’s having a fit.

  Toni tapped the frame of her shades as acknowledgment. Before she followed Mic, she tried to strike up another conversation with Debi. It would be better if she could keep both of them in view. “Khegh it! It is hotter than a fire-pit out here. How do you stand it?”

  “Awful, ain’t it? But ya get used to it. Mic, take Mendel out back. There’s enough cool air there that a delicate thing like you should be able to breathe a little easier.”

  “Well, thank you kindly, but please tell me you’re not staying out here in this heat?”

  “I’ll be fine, girl. Ya get used to it. Mic, get ya lazy ass moving.”

  Toni mumbled to Zach to keep an eye on Debi.

  “What?”

  The old man was watching her with a strange expression. “Oh, I was just grumbling about the heat,” she told him, flapping her jacket dramatically. “Seriously, how do you live out here?”

  “Don’t.” Mic pointed to the building they were walking toward. “Live in there.” The master-house looked no bigger than a small shed and was full of holes. Toni couldn’t see how it could possibly be better inside, so she was doubly surprised to see a large, black door dug into the wall at the back of the shed. The blast of cold air that was released when Mic remotely opened the door sent a welcome shiver over Toni’s body.

  “Oh, thank gods. I was beginning to think this place was just a little backwater, but here we have signs of civilization at last,” she said to alert her worried partners. “Secret passage way into the mountain, huh?”

  “Yup.” Mic grinned, exposing blackened and rotten teeth. “Crates are through there. Not many left.”

  Hmm. She had a choice now, step into the mysterious secret lair or stay out here in the overpowering heat. She knew what her body wanted to do. She also knew what her partners would say. The two desires didn’t match.

  “After you, sweetie,” Toni said and tapped on her glasses as soon as Mic turned his head. She was okay—for now.

  “You got a mag-lift, or a trolley?” she asked, following the sweating man through the large door. As soon as she crossed the threshold, her glasses buzzed and jolted on her nose. Shenghi. That’s what she’d been afraid of. The doors acted as a signal blocker. Khegh it. She let out
a soft sigh when the doors didn’t automatically close behind her and seal her inside. Her gaze darted over hundreds of barrels. Each stamped with the circular ident and logos for water. Water? Toni inhaled the beautiful scent of mountains and rain. So many barrels? In the corner she spied a tank. It was a stockpile! She closed her mouth with a snap. This had to be what Jas wanted her to see. Where were they going? Someone was making a khegh load of coin. In a different corner, she spied three familiar-looking crates. Only three?

  “Truck’s back there,” Mic grunted.

  Toni followed the old man behind the barrels and walked straight into his sawn-off blaster.

  “You ain’t no smuggler,” he said. “Your skin’s runnin’.”

  Toni looked down at her hand where she’d wiped it against her thigh. Yup, the toner streaked with the sweat coating her fingers. Translucent skin gleamed around her wrist. Khegh it! She raised her hands. Her heart thundered as her breathing spiked. She was alone in here with this man. He was old. She could take him out before he shot her. The gun didn’t waver. Probably.

  She swallowed around a dry mouth.

  “When Debi gets in here, she ain’t gonna be happy with you. And she ain’t gonna take that bad mood out on me. No more, you hear? No more.” He glanced over his shoulder fearfully.

  Wait, what?

  “Cover it! Naftet hurry!”

  Watching the nervous man twitch, Toni rubbed at the toner, smoothing it into place over her exposed skin. Mic grabbed a rag poking out of his back pocket and threw it at her, gesturing for her to wipe her fingers. It was an awkward move because he didn’t remove the weapon pointed at her. When he deemed her covered, he gestured toward the truck. “Get going.”

  It was hard to breath. “You’re still letting me take the crates?”

  “Get going,” he said again.

  Toni raced to the truck. She had no idea what was going on, but knew when to cut and run. She clambered into the driver’s seat, and Mic appeared at her side. “No names, kid. But we got a mutual friend. Tell Darning’s family that he’s dead.”

  She closed her eyes. Oh shenghi. Mic was Agent Darning’s contact, and he’d now confirmed Zaambuka’s worst fear. Darning had been murdered. “How did you—”