Burning Bright: A Paranormal Space Opera Adventure (Star Justice Book 5)

by Michael-Scott Earle

  “I don’t like it,” Zea said. “We should run.”

  “Without food?” I asked her, and she hung her head and let out a sigh.

  “I’m used to being hungry, let’s hyperdrive out of here, anywhere will do, and then warp drive to Epsilon Tauri-b when it resets.” Zea wasn’t trying to hide her fear.

  “What if there is no food on Epsilon Tauri-b?” I asked. “We’ll be fucked.”

  “Let’s find another place to go then. Juliette was a pilot, I’m sure she knows of a bunch of other places we can go to pick up some supplies,” Zea responded as she turned to the policewoman. Juliette actually looked a bit surprised at Zea’s comment.

  “Uh, I know of a few places, but I’ve been on Queen’s Hat for ten years. I have no idea what the conditions are like on those other planets or stations. You might have to try a few before you get to one where you can trade.”

  “We should risk this,” Eve said. Everyone turned to face the dark-haired beauty. “We need supplies for both our crew and the citizens of Uraniel. And I believe it might be of great use to us to know exactly what information Madalena Vaish obtained from District H. Our enemies at Elaka Nota must have sensed that we have been here. It might be worth it to isolate them on the station so I can use my magic to read their minds and discover how they are tracking us. Still, Adam is my captain. I will do what he decides.”

  The five women turned to me, and I debated our options. Both Eve and Zea had made solid arguments, but I didn’t like the idea of traveling through space without food. We’d already done that, and as much as I hated Elaka Noka, going almost three weeks without a meal wasn’t an experience I wanted to repeat. I also thought Eve’s idea of using her powers to find out how they were tracking us was a good idea.

  As long as we could do it without putting anyone in danger.

  “Paula, can you buy supplies and find a cargo ship that will make a delivery to Uraniel?” I asked.

  “Sure,” she said with a smile. “It might take me a bit of time though.”

  “Do what you can do as quickly as you can do it.”

  “Got it,” the blonde engineer replied.

  “Kasta and Eve, I’d like you both to stay on Persephone until Zea and I are finished in District H.” I originally thought to have Kasta come with Zea and me, but the android was probably our best drone pilot besides the hacker, and I needed to bring Zea on this mission to retrieve the file. So I wanted Kasta defending the ship.

  “Sounds boring,” the android said with a sigh.

  “Maybe, maybe not. If Elaka Nota finds out we are here, they might come and try to take Persephone. I’ll need you both to be ready with our combat drones.”

  “Ohhhh.” Kasta’s frown turned into a wide smile.

  “Once Zea and I return from District H, we can plan a way of getting Eve around some of the Elaka Nota people so we can find out what they have planned for this station, and if they are following us.”

  “You forgot about me,” Juliette said. “I’ll come with you and Blondie into District H. I’ll also make sure we keep tabs on Elaka Nota.” The policewoman pressed the button on her intercom. “Smith?”

  “Yes, ma’am?” he replied.

  “I’m going to call Captain Lennis and tell him he’s got a bunch of fuckers docking in his district. Escort Adam and Zea to the armory. Give them some sidearms and whatever other equipment they want. They don’t have time to return to their ship to arm themselves.”

  “Uhhh, Lieutenant Colonel Larns?”

  “That a question, Smith? Or do you just like saying my name? These people saved our asses from Nebula Gammon. You’d probably be a slave right now if not for them. Show a little respect.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll give them whatever they want.”

  “Good boy. Send Sergeant Yeffers in right now, we are going on alert.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied, and Juliette pressed a button on her intercom to close the line.

  “I need to let all the other captains know I’m expecting trouble from Elaka Nota, then I’ll meet you two in the armory and we’ll head over to District H. Captain Lennis can tie them up in the security check for maybe an hour or two, but I can’t just tell them to fuck off since we are a politically neutral station.”

  “I understand. Thank you,” I said.

  “Least I can do. Get some weapons from the armory in case of trouble. These calls will only take me a few minutes.”

  The five of us nodded to Juliette and walked out of her cramped office. There were no cops immediately in the hallway, so we all turned to face each other.

  “Keep your transponders open,” I said to my friends. “Elaka Nota might already know we are here and just make a straight line for Persephone.”

  “Fuck, I don’t like this,” Zea objected. “Like I said before, the galaxy is a big place. They have to know that we are here. I can’t imagine they would show up here randomly.”

  “Their information might be old,” Paula said as she ran her fingers through her hair. It was a movement she did a bit differently than her android twin, and it was one of the ways I could tell them apart. “They could be here because they heard you were, and they might just be digging for information from the citizens.”

  “Or they could know we are here and are making a rush to Persephone,” Kasta said with a broad smile.

  “You seem weirdly happy when you say that,” Zea said.

  “I haven’t used the spider drone yet. Kinda looking forward to it, but I think I’ll test out the knights again.”

  “You all have your orders. We’ll meet back on Persephone as soon as we can. Stay in touch,” I said to them, and they nodded.

  We said our quick goodbyes, and the three women walked toward the front of the police station while Zea and I turned toward the armory. The hall branching off the main corridor was guarded by a pair of guards, but they didn’t get a chance to stop us. A mousy brown-haired man in a decorated uniform appeared on cue, and he told them to stand down.

  “I’m Lieutenant Smith.” He introduced himself to us with a handshake.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Adam, this is Zea.”

  “I’ll take you to the armory,” he said, and the guards stepped aside so we could walk through the doors.

  I was familiar with the room, so it only took me a few dozen seconds to find a pair of larger caliber pistols. I grabbed some spare magazines for each, filled them with appropriately sized bullets, and then clasped the holster belt under my jacket so it would be a bit harder for the average citizen to see that I was packing two sidearms.

  “Are you going to grab a rifle?” Zea asked as she checked one of the smaller pistols.

  “I thought about it, but we’d stick out like sore thumbs if we carried something big. They are just getting back to peaceful times here. I don't think we’ll run into anything,” I answered.

  “I would agree with that sentiment,” Lieutenant Smith said with a nod.

  “Got it,” Zea said as she finished loading her pistol and slid it into her holster without even looking at it. I thought back to when we first met and she had pointed the rifle at me in the clothing store on Trappist - 1e. She was much more comfortable with firearms now, and the sight was arousing.

  “We have some submachine guns with collapsible stocks on the far wall.” Lieutenant Smith pointed behind Zea. “They will fit under a long coat pretty well. We also have some polytherasteel riot armor. It’s a bit bulky on the shoulders and chest, but we haven’t labeled them with the Queen’s Hat security team branding yet so some people might think you are merely wearing part of a space suit.”

  “Ahh. That’s really useful,” I said as I looked at the armor. Smith was correct about the bulwark being bulky. It almost looked like the power armor chest pieces the crew of Dance to the Dirge had worn. It was a dark shade of gray, with black trim. It was wide at the chest, with two overgrown shoulder pieces that would make it look like I didn’t have a neck when I wore it. It was all sorts o
f ugly, but I reasoned I was a bit spoiled from wearing the plates we found on Persephone. Armor needed to stop bullets and let me move, not look like I was a model on a fashion show.

  I took off my coat, found the biggest sized armor, and donned it with a practiced set of movements. It was a bit too large for my chest, and I guessed it would be tight around me when I shifted, but it was probably the only one on the shelf that would work. The jacket I wore was sized for my tiger-man shape, and it fit over the bulky chest piece easily. Then I found some leg armor, and strapped it to my shins.

  “You look kind of ridiculous, but also a bit scary,” Zea said to me as she picked a much smaller chest piece off the shelf. While she wiggled into it, I walked over to the wall with the submachine guns and removed one from its hanger. It had a holographic sight, sound and flash compensation muzzle, and a stock which could fold in on itself. The bullets were a smaller caliber than what I’d taken for my pistols, but the weapon looked functional. I made sure it had a full magazine loaded and put six more in ammo pouches I attached to my belt. The submachine gun fit fine under my coat, but it would be obvious to anyone with half a brain that I was wearing armor and packing a lot of heat.

  Oh, fucking, well.

  “I don’t really know how to shoot one of those,” Zea said as I held out a submachine gun to her.

  “Just like the rifle, only it will be a bit harder to aim and piss through bullets faster,” I said.

  “Oh, that sounds like an accident waiting to happen. How about I just stick with the pistol for now. I’ll take care of the computer, and you shoot the life out of any assholes who might try to stop us.” Zea smirked at me as she tightened one of the last straps on her new chest piece.

  “Sorry I took so long,” Juliette said as she walked through the door. “You all ready?”

  “Almost,” I said as I walked over to the crates that held grenades.

  I pulled out three flash and two concussion grenades, slipped them into the pockets of my jacket, and hoped I wouldn’t have to use them, or the armor, or the submachine gun.

  “Smith, I’m on the transponder. If you get a call from anyone about Elaka Nota, you let me know.” Juliette pointed at the device attached to the front of her uniform coat.

  “Yes ma’am,” he said with a nod, and we walked out of the armory.

  “You seem to be getting a lot of respect,” I said after the tenth person saluted Juliette in the hallways.

  “Yep. Happens when you save the lives of a few million people. You’d be getting accolades also if you would have let me tell the senators about you.”

  “We don’t need it,” I said. “We just want to help.”

  “I get it. You all are good people. Even Blondie here.”

  “Ha. Thanks,” Zea snickered as we left the police station.

  “Yep. I gave you all a bunch of shit when we first met,” Juliette admitted.

  “You already apologized,” I said. “It’s in the past. Now you--”

  “I’d be alright hearing you apologize a few more times.” Zea shot Juliette a smirk as the redhead rolled her eyes.

  “Alright, Blondie. I’m sorry I was such a bitch to you.”

  “Ahh,” Zea sighed. “It’s like sweet music to my ears.”

  “We done then?” Juliette asked as we made a right onto the main avenue that would take us toward District H’s shut door.

  “For the next few hours, yeah. Then I might ask to hear it again.” Zea laughed. I was a bit surprised when Juliette joined her.

  “So… what’s the deal with you two?” the policewoman asked after we had walked for five minutes in silence.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “You know what I’m talking about.” Juliette winked at me. “Are you two fucking, or not? Inquiring minds want to know.”

  “It is none of your business,” Zea replied with a menacing glare.

  “So no. Got it.”

  “I didn’t say that,” Zea replied.

  “You didn’t need to. I can read your body language.”

  “You know, I was kind of starting to like you, but now…” Zea shook her head and sighed.

  “Hey I get it, you don’t want me going after your man. Lots of pretty girls on that ship though. Adam, you want to take me out to dinner tonight? I can promise you dessert.” Juliette turned her green eyes on me and bit her bottom lip.

  “Damn it, you are such a bitch!”

  “I was talking to Adam. You aren’t fucking him, who’s really the bitch?” Juliette shrugged.

  “That’s enough,” I demanded, and both women stopped talking. “Juliette, I’m in love with Zea. I value you as a friend, but I’m not interested. Sorry.”

  “See? That’s a mature response from an adult. Blondie, you should be taking some notes.”

  “For the love of--” Zea started.

  “Enough,” I growled, and the two women turned to me. Fear flashed through both of their eyes, and I guessed I might have come off as a bit too angry.

  “We’ve got a lot of shit to worry about right now. Juliette, please stop.”

  “Alright. My apologies, again. I’ll stop pestering her.”

  “Thanks,” I said to the redhead. Then I turned my gaze to Zea.

  “Yeah. Whatever.” The hacker shrugged as she pointed down the street. “There’s the door. You got any idea about where we are going?”

  “We can start at the location where Kitty Boy and Byron went to turn off the firewalls. We should be able to make it into the mainframe from there.”

  “Can you please stop calling him ‘Kitty Boy’? Also, Adam knows exactly where that is, you didn’t need to come with us.”

  “Maybe. This might not work. If it doesn’t, I know of two other places. You’ll be happy I went with you. Would take you hours otherwise. Trust me on this, Blondie.”

  “Fine,” Zea said with an exasperated sigh. The tension between the two women was bothersome, and I wondered why they couldn’t get along. It was probably because they both had similar personalities. I knew that it sometimes made people bicker.

  “Here is the door,” I said as I directed them back to our first obstacle.

  “I’ll unlock it,” Juliette stated as she pulled a keycard out of her pocket. She ran it through the slot on the pad, and the massive door rolled up a few moments later. We got a few looks from citizens on the street, but Juliette’s uniform made it obvious that she was on official business. Therefore, no one said anything to us. As soon as the door was high enough for us to duck under, we did so, and Juliette closed it from the other side.

  Zea and I hit the lights on our suits. We were both wearing pants and jackets over the tight flight suits, but there was enough light coming from exposed areas by our belts to see through the darkness. Juliette also carried a small hand flashlight that packed a surprising amount of light.

  “Ugh. I hate this place,” Zea said after we walked through the dark city streets for a few minutes.

  “Same,” Juliette agreed. “We are going to be performing repairs on the area in a few months, and we’ll open it again. Thanks to Eve’s help, all of the insurgents have been cleaned from the government and security force. Nebula Gammon is never going to return here.”

  We continued our walk, and I tried to ignore the feeling of dread the dark city always gave me. “Did you have someone come here and clean up the bodies?” I asked.

  “Yep. We won’t have to worry about rancid decomposing corpses.”

  “That’s a relief,” Zea said.

  “The station is up ahead,” I pointed out.

  We reached the front of the building half a minute later. It seemed like forever ago I came here with Byron, but it had only been a few weeks. In fact, it was only six or seven weeks since Eve, Zea, and I escaped Trappist - 1e with Persephone.

  Time flies when you’re having fun, or in our case, getting into a bunch of trouble that seemed to find us at every turn.

  “Let’s try one of the terminal access
points on the top floor,” Juliette suggested. “I don’t want to go down below to the command center unless we have to.”

  “Why not?” Zea asked.

  “I don’t think my transponder will work down there. Speaking of that--” Juliette reached for the device on the front of her uniform and pressed one of the buttons. “Smith? This is Larns. What is the status of Elaka Nota?”

  “They docked five minutes ago. Captain Lennis reported he’s got a full spec-ops team there to receive them.”

  “He has one for each of their ships?” Juliette asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. I believe you put some terror into him,” Smith answered.

  “That I did. Okay, we just reached one of our destinations here. Report back when Lennis gives you an update.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “This looks like a terminal port I can use,” Zea said as she stepped around the front desk of the lobby. The blonde hacker pulled her cord out of her pocket and plugged it into her skull, and then put another end into the hole where it looked like a terminal had once been.

  “Do you remember the date and time. It was--”

  “I remember. I’ll do my job, you do yours.” Zea interrupted Juliette.

  “My job?”

  “Yeah, resting bitch face.” Zea slid her eyes towards Juliette with a huge smirk on her face.

  I expected Juliette to get upset, but instead, the beautiful redhead just laughed. “Okay. That was a good one.”

  “I know, now let me work.” Zea cleared her throat and closed her eyes. I still had no idea how her computer stuff worked, and I reminded myself to talk to her about it one day. I didn’t know much about computers, but they were important to Zea, so I wanted to learn more about them.

  “I can’t access the main system,” Zea said a few minutes later.

  “We can try another one up here, then the control center at the bottom. I also know of a few other locations we could try if these don’t work.” As Juliette spoke, she turned her flashlight around to look out into the dark street.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I thought I heard something,” the policewoman said.