Ricket (Star Watch Book 2)

by Mark Wayne McGinnis

  “Probably to jury-rig surveillance into the AI. That’s my guess, anyway.”

  “We need to escape, Bristol.”

  “No shit … you come up with that all by yourself?”

  “We need to do it today … this shift.”

  “Um, Ohhh Kaaay … and you have some kind of plan?”

  “I think so.”

  “You do realize the Minian’s AI has been compromised? We can’t count on the AI, not without it informing on us to Hobel. Again … thanks to that ass-wipe, Norwell.”

  “I’ve taken that into consideration.”

  “And you’ve taken into consideration the one hundred or more armed Caldurian guards running around the ship?”

  “Yes, I’ve had to adjust my plan for them.”

  “So what do you want me to do?”

  “Go get me the rhino-warriors.”

  “Huh? Say that again.”

  “Once we get up to the Zip Farm compartment, you’ll come up with an excuse … why you need to head down to Deck 11. You’ll head directly to the Zoo; directly to HAB 170. Find Traveler and convey the situation. We’ll need as many of the rhinos as he can pull together. Let him know they’ll need to wear battle suits and they’ll need to be armed.”

  The procession exited the Level 18 DeckPort, and filed into the Zip Farm compartment. Ricket felt dizzy—things were spinning around. Or am I spinning? He lost his balance, tripped, and fell to the deck, face first. Everything went black.

  * * *

  “Ricket? Come on, man … you okay?”

  Ricket opened his eyes to see Bristol’s pimply face hovering inches above his own. He briefly wondered why Bristol’s internal nanites hadn’t cured the young man of such a simple ailment. There was virtually nothing the nanites weren’t capable of repairing, yet this human had been plagued with a simple case of acne as long as he’d known him. Suddenly, Ricket became aware of his incredible, greatly enhanced, cognitive abilities—his brain was super-charged into high gear. He was having difficulty keeping track of the incredible amount of information now at his disposal. In an instant, he knew what caused Bristol’s recurring acne.

  “You need to stop ingesting Gorpin Locks.”

  Bristol’s concerned expression turned to one of confusion. “You’ve picked a bad time to go crazy, Ricket.”

  “Your skin. You’ve become allergic to those candy bars you like so much … their main ingredient is the root of Gorpin Locks. Even replicated, your internal nanites can barely keep up with all the new infections just one of its ingredients cause. Did you know that you would have died if it weren’t for your nanites?”

  “Fine. I’ll cut back. Can you get up?”

  “I think so. Thank you, Bristol.”

  As Bristol helped Ricket to his feet, he spoke to him via NanoVoice. “You were out for about five minutes. You still want me to go get the rhinos?”

  Ricket looked around the Zip Farm, noting there were ten armed Caldurian guards standing around the perimeter of the compartment. They’d already burned through fifteen minutes of their twenty minute session. Why twenty minutes? Ricket reevaluated the parameters, reassessing all available data. Norwell was correct; the effects of being miniaturized were a detriment, but not to the extent the Caldurian science officer calculated. Any effect at all would take many hours— thirty-two hours, five minutes, and twenty-three seconds, to be fully accurate. But even then, such effects would be minimal. One could survive here for weeks, without it being too much of a problem.

  “Yes … do not worry about the session time. Norwell has miscalculated.”

  “He’s an ass clown … I’m not surprised.”

  Bristol spun around to face Norwell, who was almost standing on top of him. “He’s had these spells before. Usually only affects Craing females. I need to get his medicine from Medical … be right back. Watch him. Make sure he doesn’t stumble and fall again. Can you do that?”

  Norwell looked from Bristol to Ricket, then back again. “I didn’t know he …”

  “Yes or no, can you watch him, or not?”

  “Yes, yes! Of course … go. Go!”

  Bristol ran toward the exit.

  Norwell continued to watch the open hatch. “Four of you … make sure he gets to where he’s going and then returns promptly.”

  Chapter 19

  Open Space, 1.2 Billion Miles from Sol Solar System

  Assailant, Bridge

  __________________________

  “There’s no sign of them, Captain,” Orion said. “They were here … that much I know. But they’re gone.”

  “Nothing from the probe you sent out?”

  “No … they’ve been retrieved. Cap, they could be anywhere. Perhaps gone back into the multiverse?” Orion said.

  Jason began to pace. He scratched at the scruff on his chin and tried to think. Unless something had dramatically changed, the Caldurians were no longer capable of traversing multiverses. So how did one find a fleet of ships that were virtually invisible to both long- and short-range sensors? You don’t. You can’t. So, how then?

  Jason was being hailed. “Go for Captain,” he said, unconsciously bringing two fingers up to his ear.

  “How you holding up?”

  Just hearing Dira’s voice relaxed the tension in his shoulders. “Fine … just frustrated.”

  “No sign of them?”

  “No.”

  “Come back. I’m pretty much done here.”

  “I thought there were a slew of injuries?”

  “Everyone’s stable. Much of the fleet has now returned to other parts of Allied space. There are more doctors here than needed, plus we have an addition of two MediPods from Earth.”

  “That is good news … something there hasn’t been much of lately.”

  “I saw your father.”

  That brought a smile to Jason’s face. Suddenly he missed the old man. “Does he seem like his old self?”

  “Yes and no. If anything, his rough edges are a bit softer … but, otherwise, he’s pretty much the same. He dropped in and talked with each of the injured. Morale boosting.”

  Jason nodded, suddenly chagrined. His father was always good at that sort of thing, but it should have been him, shaking hands, and giving pep talks, to those men and women.

  “The dreadnaught, the Independence, has arrived in local space. He shuttled over to her about an hour ago. I can meet you there,” she said.

  Jason was staring at the forward display—the blackness—the emptiness.

  “You there?”

  “Yes … sorry … I’m missing something, Dira. I know I am. It’s there, but I can’t quite grasp it.”

  “I’m going to talk to you as your doctor now, okay?”

  Jason had to smile again. “Okay, doctor.”

  “Get off that bridge. Go do something else … just for a while, anyway. You’re too close and too emotionally vested in recent events. You need a change of atmosphere. For me, that’s when my mind gets freed up enough to come at things from a different direction.”

  At this point, Jason was willing to try anything. He sure wasn’t ready to return to the carnage back home in Earth space. “You know what, Doctor Caparri? I think I’m going to take your advice.”

  * * *

  Jason found Boomer in the captain’s quarters kitchen. She’d taken a monstrous bite out of a grilled cheese sandwich. He came around the corner. “Hey, little one.”

  Mouth stuffed to its maximum, she tried to talk—her words coming out as gibberish—but he understood what she’d said, anyway.

  “I’m home because I was looking for you.”

  “Did I do something wrong?” she asked, looking behind her father. “Did that droid tattle on me again?”

  “No … Dewdrop said nothing to me. I’m here to get my training.”

  Boomer took another oversized bite, contemplating what he said. “Kahill Callan?”

  “Is that okay?”

  “Like … right now?”


  “Uh huh.”

  “And you’ll do what I tell you to do? I won’t get in trouble for yelling at you when you do something stupid?”

  “I expect nothing less.”

  “Okay … you’ll need to change. I’ll replicate a Shadick for you. Meet me in the gym.”

  * * *

  While Jason waited for his daughter, he loosened up by stretching his limbs. The gym compartment was a quarter of the size of the one on the Minian, but it seemed to serve its purpose. The recently installed mats were already turning gray and the air had the distinct smell of men’s body odor. The walls were mirrored and he assessed his reflection, combing his fingers through his hair. He needed a haircut, and a shave. Dark circles were starting to form beneath his eyes—he looked as tired as he felt.

  “Dad?”

  Jason turned to see Boomer standing in the middle of the mat and wearing her Shadick. Holding out another in her right hand, she said, “Go, put this on.”

  Jason took the garment and headed for the locker room. Two minutes later he was back on the mat where Boomer waited. On her left arm, she wore an enhancement shield. She held another one out to her father.

  “Put this on your left forearm and make sure it’s snug. You don’t want it flopping around while you’re in battle.”

  He did as told and tested it for snugness.

  “That’s good. Now, for the next hour we’re going to go over the basics … how to generate different forms of distortion waves, and—”

  Jason interrupted her. “Wait, there’s different forms?”

  “Don’t interrupt me. I promise I’ll cover everything at the right time. And you need to call me Master Tahhrim Dol … or just Master.”

  Jason noticed she was having a hard time keeping the smile from her face.

  “Yes, Master Tahhrim Dol.”

  She’d given him a low-powered training shield, and over the next hour Boomer showed him the proper positioning of the shield—in front of his chest, for both defensive and offensive opening stances. He learned the face of the shield produced different distortion waves than those from its three curved edges. He learned the shield produced the most power when he was able to tune in to it—feel the shield—make it a part of his own body. The hour passed quickly and Jason was disappointed when their time was up. He’d thoroughly enjoyed learning something new.

  “Again tomorrow?” Jason asked.

  Boomer stared back at him, blank faced.

  “Again tomorrow, Master Tahhrim Dol?”

  “Yes … but tomorrow you’ll be joining the group class. You won’t know what you’re doing, at first, but you’ll catch up. Do you want to be in Billy’s or Rizzo’s class?”

  Jason thought about that. Both would take great delight in kicking his ass. “Billy’s. He’s old, like me … maybe he’ll be easier on me.”

  “Billy’s a bad-ass, Dad. You’re in for sore muscles and a lot of pain.”

  Jason raised his brow.

  “They’ve been doing this for months now. I feel kinda sorry for you.” She made a face at him that did not convey sorrow.

  “Don’t enjoy this too much, little one. The day will come when I’ll kick all your asses … um … Master.”

  Jason had been hearing a hail for the last minute. He waited for Boomer to excuse him, before answering, “Go for Captain.”

  “Captain, Admiral Reynolds has been trying to reach you,” Seaman Gordon said.

  “Go ahead and connect us, Seaman.”

  “Jason … I’m sorry, but there’s an issue you need to be aware of,” his father said.

  “What kind of issue?”

  “The kind that requires the fleet commander’s presence.”

  The irony was not lost on Jason: Five minutes earlier he was answering to the commands of his eleven-year-old daughter, and now his own father was his subordinate. But life was all about change, and they’d all have to deal with it.

  “All right, Admiral. We should be back within the solar system within the hour.”

  “Jason … there’s been an accident.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s Dira … she was leaving what’s left of Jeffer—”

  “Dad! Just tell me if she’s okay?”

  “No, Jason, she’s … she’s not. I’m very sorry, there was an explosion.” Jason, hearing the tightness in his father’s baritone voice, waited—purposely letting time slowly tick by, back to when things were still okay, like they were only moments earlier. Jason didn’t want to ask the next obvious question, and worse, he didn’t want to hear the answer.

  Jason walked out into the central corridor away from listening ears and concerned eyes on the bridge. He found a bulkhead to lean up against.

  “Are you still there?”

  “I’m here, Dad.”

  “Look … she’s alive. But I won’t lie to you, she’s in real bad shape.”

  “What does that mean … bad shape?”

  “The explosion took place right outside of an airlock. She wasn’t the closest to the blast. From what I’ve heard, it was awful … two other crewmembers were killed instantly. Son, she’s lost both her legs and most of one arm.”

  Jason tried to breathe, keep himself from folding. “Where is she now?”

  “Still on Jefferson. They got her into a MediPod … she has a heartbeat. Twice she stopped breathing and flat-lined. Jason, there’s only so much our technology can do in cases like this.”

  “I’m on my way. Promise me you won’t leave her side, Dad. Promise me … not for a second.”

  “I promise, Jason. One more thing, son.”

  “What is it?”

  “Ricket. It would help if he were here. He knows MediPod functionality like no one else. How to make the things do more than they were designed to do. You, better than anyone, know that he’s performed miracles.”

  Jason was well aware what Ricket could accomplish at the controls of a MediPod. Hell, he’d brought Mollie back to life. She was shot through the heart, and he’d found a way to bring her back. Jason wiped at a stream of tears that wouldn’t stop falling. “I can’t find him, Dad. I have no idea where the Caldurian fleet has gone.”

  “I want you to listen to me, Jason. This may be hard to hear.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t come here. Don’t come back here and see her like this. Find Ricket … bringing him back will be the best thing you can do for her.”

  “I want to be at her side. I need to be there.”

  “No, you don’t! Go ahead, get angry! Hell, get fucking angry! But stay away and go find Ricket, and the others too. That’s what’s needed right now. I’ll keep you apprised of the situation here. I promise.”

  Jason didn’t answer his father right away. What he wanted was to be with Dira. But what was best for her?

  “I want updates on the hour, Dad. And if there is a change, good or bad, I want to know.”

  “You’ve got it. Now get out there and find that little fucker.”

  Chapter 20

  Open Space, 1.2 Billion Miles from Sol Solar System

  Assailant, Bridge

  __________________________

  Jason reentered the bridge and took a seat in the command chair. No one spoke. It was obvious word had already spread concerning Dira’s accident and her dire condition. The forward display appeared as black and lifeless as it had earlier. A thought crossed Jason’s mind:

  “Seaman Gordon, I want you to key the ship’s AI listening in to distant chatter—as far out as feasible—specifically looking for a fleet of twelve big ships.”

  “The Caldurian fleet, sir?”

  “Yes. Their ships may not show up on anyone’s sensors, but if someone’s close enough, they’re going to see them. Think about it; it’s an impressive sight—miles and miles of advanced Caldurian assets, moving across open space. It’s a shot in the dark, but …”

  “I’m on it, sir. I can have every ship in the Allied fleet conduct the same chatter search as wel
l.”

  Jason hadn’t thought of doing that, but the idea exponentially increased their odds of success. “Good thinking, Mr. Gordon. I want to know the moment you hear anything—anything, even if you’re not one hundred percent certain it relates.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Jason, checking the time, stood and headed for the exit. “Gunny, get the XO to return back to his duty post on the bridge. I’ll be in the gym.”

  “Aye, Cap.”

  * * *

  As expected, Boomer had a class in session. Jason skirted the mat, walking around the gym’s perimeter, and entered the locker room. A few minutes later, when he emerged wearing his Shadick, the class was standing at attention—quietly waiting for him.

  Jason bowed toward Boomer. “I apologize for the disruption, Master Tahhrim Dol.”

  Boomer returned the bow, along with the six others standing silently on the mat. The sad news had reached them too—he could see it in their eyes. Boomer looked as though she’d been crying. He saw Billy, standing in the front row, and they locked eyes. “I need a diversion … anyone up for kicking the captain’s ass?” Jason asked them.

  “Gladly,” Billy said.

  “We only just started, Dad,” Boomer said. “Here, take my trainer. I’ll get another.”

  Jason stepped onto the mat and took Boomer’s enhancement shield, then assumed a position to Billy’s right. By the time he’d secured the shield onto his forearm, Boomer had returned with a new one for herself.

  “We’ll do a review today. We’ll practice knocking our opponents off their feet.”

  They broke into pairs. Billy gestured for Jason to move next to him and away from the others.

  “Okay, old man … you know the starting defensive position?”

  Jason got himself into position—legs slightly bent, shield positioned outward, in front of his chest. Billy adjusted Jason’s shield, moving it several inches higher and in closer to his chest. “There you go—looking good,” he said approvingly.

  Boomer walked around and further adjusted everyone’s position. “Attack!”