Ghost Squadron Boxed Set (Books 1-4): Age of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (Ghost Squadron Boxed Sets)

by Sarah Noffke

  Reluctantly Eddie consented, covering his mouth and nose with the cloth. The wind had kicked up, making visibility poor. Julianna gave them one last look before she streaked off, losing them at once as she headed farther into the storm.

  ~~~

  “What did she mean by ‘you’re only human?’” asked Knox as he marched against the wind. It was impossible for them to sprint as Julianna had. They were striding straight into forty-mile-an-hour wind, and the dirt it threw up made it feel like they were walking into sandpaper.

  Eddie only shook his head at the question, unwilling to speak as the dust storm continued to pick up. Knox asked a lot of questions, and he figured there would be many more. There had to be, because Eddie wasn’t getting rid of Knox, not after he hadn’t hesitated to save his life. Some people were taught to be good, and then there were those who were born that way. As far as Eddie could tell, Knox was definitely the latter.

  Living outside of Federation space had kept Knox from knowing much about the civilization or culture of the bulk of humanity. He knew about ships and guns, but his concept of technology would be minimal. That was what happened when one wasn’t raised in Federation space. He’d understand in time, but for now Eddie would ease him into it.

  Visibility was so poor that part of Knox’s face was obscured, and before long they’d need to take shelter. Now Eddie understood what Hatch had meant about the weather in Gun Barrel. This place was meant for cowboys, who were tough enough to survive it.

  Eddie grabbed Knox by the arm and pulled him close to the nearest building, under the porch eaves. It provided a bit of relief but not quite enough so he pushed forward again. He felt as though they were making no progress at all. They weren’t even halfway down the main road, and the storm was still growing in ferocity. Was Julianna back at the ship? It was smart that she had returned, but what if they couldn’t make it in time?

  Knox, beside Eddie, was holding onto the side of the building and looked like he might blow away at any moment. Eddie could relate. He stomped forward, clapping his boots down but making no audible noise over the howling wind. He pulled his other boot to meet it, feeling as though he were walking through quicksand. Again he picked his foot up to step forward, but he was blown backward several inches instead. He got low to the ground to try a different tack, hoping to make progress.

  Knox had been knocked off his feet, too. His face was covered in sand, and his eyes were like little green beams peering through the brown covering.

  “Don’t give up!” Eddie bellowed, crawling next to Knox on the wooden boards of the walkway. “We can do this!” The bandana flipped up, caught by the wind, and before Eddie could secure back on his face a mound of sand zoomed down his throat, instantly making him gag. He tried to breathe, and realized his nose was nearly stopped up from the harsh sand. They couldn’t make it any farther.

  Beside him Knox nodded. “We can do this,” he said repeating Eddie’s words but more softly.

  The wind sounded like a shrieking siren and they could hardly make out the next few feet, but beside them was a door. All Eddie had to do was bust through it and they’d have the shelter from the harsh storm, but he looked toward the ship.

  They couldn’t desert Julianna. She’d wonder where they were, and if they had made it into a building. He tried to move forward once more and again was pushed back by the wind, and his gaze returned to the door. If they didn’t get to shelter, they were going to die. Julianna would understand, and she’d find them once the storm passed.

  Eddie tried twice to stand, but the wind battered him back down each time. Finally he threw all his weight into the effort and ran at the door, but it didn’t budge. It had been reinforced—that was clear—probably to better withstand the storms. It would take more strength than he had remaining to bust through it. He pulled his body back to throw it into the door again. He had to try…

  “Captain!” Knox yelled from behind him, sounding like he was far away despite only a few short meters’ gap between him.

  Eddie turned, shielding his eyes. Knox had hunched over, but he was pointing at something. Blinking, Eddie tried to understand what Knox was motioning to, but the storm was thick, offering them only brief moments of visibility.

  Then, through the blinding wall of brown, Eddie saw a color. Blue at first, but then white. Light glistening, reflecting off something…

  Something in the air.

  The Q-Ship came toward them out of the cloud of sand and hovered over the main road only two meters from the walkway.

  Eddie ran in that direction, grabbing Knox as he did and pulling him into the Q-Ship through the open hatch. Julianna had already retreated to the pilot’s seat.

  Once the two men had made it inside the door closed automatically behind them, sealing them away from the storm. Julianna glanced over her shoulder at Eddie and Knox. “Sorry I took so long,” she told the two of them.

  “Just in time,” Eddie wheezed.

  ~~~

  The Q-Ship rose higher as Eddie and Knox coughed and sputtered on the floor, and Julianna whipped her head over her shoulder. The two were coated in a thick layer of grit, as if they’d been dipped in oil and then a vat of sand.

  Those guys were nearly goners. Fucking dust storm, Julianna said to Pip.

  You’d be pretty sad if something happened to the Captain.

  Don’t tell me about sad, Pip.

  I know what sadness feels like.

  Let’s save the existential talk for later.

  Julianna sped the Q-Ship through the atmosphere and out into orbit.

  Monitoring for Brotherhood vessels. There were two before, but they’ve changed locations.

  Yes, why don’t you do your job and stop making false observations?

  You don’t like me as much since I evolved to an AI, do you?

  What did I say about dumb observations?

  That you like them? teased Pip.

  Eddie was now spitting clumps of dirt onto the floor. He was going to be no help for a bit longer.

  I need you on the guns.

  Need? I like it when you say that word. It makes you seem—

  Like I’m not going to kick your ass?

  That wasn’t exactly what I was going to say. By the way, you’ve got two Brotherhood ships cruising your way.

  So do you, so fire away.

  Julianna spotted the approaching ships and jerked the controls to the side, spinning the Q-Ship in a half-circle. They nearly collided with one of the ships, but that offered more angles for Pip to fire. Three shots connected, but only caused surface damage.

  Eddie and Knox had rolled during Julianna’s acrobatics and were currently knocking around in the cargo area.

  “Teach, get the two of you strapped in already. This ride is only going to get bumpier,” said Julianna.

  “Sure thing,” wheezed Eddie. “We’re just back here dying.”

  “Stop being so dramatic.” Julianna now had both ships on her ass firing at her. She jerked to one side and then feinted, swerving farther the same direction. Flying the Omega was about like walking, just as natural and easy. The controls were intuitive. Hatch had built the perfect ship so far as Julianna was concerned, and she’d use it to kill every Brotherhood soldier she could find.

  Once they were a good distance from the enemy she twisted the ship to the side, turning it around. Pip fired a bunch of rounds, many grazing the other ships but again not taking them out.

  Fuck, Pip, where did you learn to shoot?

  I think what you’re saying is that you’d prefer the Captain to be in the copilot’s seat, teased Pip.

  That’s not at all what I said. Your understanding of language is horrible. Get an education!

  Eddie slammed into the chair next to Julianna. Over her shoulder she spied a strapped-in Knox, although he was still coughing wildly.

  Eddie looked at her with his face still caked in dirt. “Ready to kick some Brotherhood ass?”

  “I thought you’d never come t
o the party.”

  “Oh, am I off the guns then?” asked Pip from overhead, feigning annoyance. “I’ll just go take a nap.”

  A missile hit the side of the ship and knocked them all forward from the blunt force.

  “Why don’t you keep an eye on enemy fire, Pip,” yelled Julianna.

  “Right, I can do that. Fire headed for port side,” Pip informed her.

  Julianna put the ship on its side to avoid the worst of the attack, then activated the thrusters and barreled between the two Brotherhood ships.

  Eddie rolled out a spray of bullets, hitting one of the vessels’ wings and sending it spiraling out of control toward the planet’s surface.

  “He’s gonna feel that shit in the morning,” said Eddie. He tried to laugh, only to wind up coughing.

  “Yeah, and apparently that pissed off his buddy,” she said, looking at Eddie.

  She angled the ship so that the guns in the back were directed at the Brotherhood ship.

  Eddie grabbed the weapons controls again and focused on targeting the incoming ship. When the vessel crossed their stern just as anticipated, Eddie punched the trigger and loosed a number of rounds at the small flyer, and multiple direct hits forced the little ship to fall back at once.

  “Whew! That’s what I’m talking about,” said Eddie, his voice still scratchy from the sand.

  A red light blinked on. “No partying just yet,” said Julianna. “We’ve still got a problem.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Omega-line Q-Ship, Behemoth System

  “If you’re gonna tell me you left something in that piece-of-shit town, forget it. I’ll buy you a new…whatever it is that you lost,” said Eddie, trying to wipe sand from his face without getting it in his eyes. He needed a shower. A beer too. Actually, scratch the shower—he’d rather just have the beer.

  “No, it’s the ship,” said Julianna, peering at the controls and gauges.

  Eddie’s vision, blurred by sand and whatever else the storm had thrown at him, couldn’t make out much at a distance but he squinted, trying to determine what she was staring at that was a problem.

  “It’s the fuel lines,” said Knox from the back.

  Julianna turned around, surprised. “Yeah, it is. How’d you know that?”

  “The fucking fuel lines? What’s wrong with them?” asked Eddie.

  “I’m guessing one of those attacks severed them somehow,” Julianna said, still looking at Knox. “How’d you know?”

  He shrugged. “I can feel the lag in the ship. The way it’s doing it reminds me of when I have a blockage in one of my lines. The ship is getting fuel, but something is blocking it. Maybe the hose is bent from external damage on the ship.”

  Slowly Julianna turned and looked at Eddie with a strange expression on her face. “He knows mechanics?”

  “Yeah, think we should hook him up with Hatch?” asked Eddie. They needed pilots, but that was a short-term goal. Mechanics were gold, especially for a covert operation like theirs. Thing was, the two roles usually didn’t cross like they did in Knox—not unless it was someone like Hatch, but that octopus was an exception to every rule. Most people specialized in only one occupation, at least in the military. It seemed that out here, where staying alive relied on one’s ability to diversify, people had no other choice but to become Jacks of All Trades.

  “First things first,” continued Julianna. “We need to find a place to land so we can fix the fuel line. There’s no way we can make it back to ArchAngel, even if we jump.”

  “Jumping would be unadvisable under the current circumstances,” said Pip from overhead.

  “Whoa, who is that?” asked Knox, scanning the ship’s ceiling.

  Eddie laughed and kept watching the radar. “Meet Pip, our AI. He shares headspace with Julianna. Luckily for you, our buddy Hatch managed to interface the ship so Pip could talk out loud.”

  “Hello, Knox Gunnerson. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Pip.

  “Uh. Hey. Thanks. Same, I guess,” said Knox, his chin tilted at the ceiling.

  “How’s your arm?” Eddie asked him.

  Knox looked down at the place where the bullet had gone through his arm. “It’s fine. I actually forgot about it.”

  “We will get you stitched up when we get back to ArchAngel,” said Julianna.

  Eddie stabbed his finger at a nearby planet on the radar. “That’s where we need to land.”

  “Sagano?” asked Julianna. “Why there? I’ve got at least three other planets in closer range.”

  “Because there’s a killer bar,” said Eddie.

  Julianna rolled her eyes but continued to fly the ship steadily. “Of course.”

  “The other planets are deemed mostly safe,” Pip informed them.

  “But they don’t have a known place to get some R and R.” Eddie looked at Julianna with his best puppy-dog face. “Need a place to wash off all this sand before I crack, and I promise—only one beer. Nothing crazy.””

  Julianna considered him for a moment before finally conceding. “Fine. You get your way, just this once.”

  ~~~

  “Are you kidding me?” asked Julianna, trying to open the door against the vines that had fallen on them when they landed. “This is a fucking jungle planet. What were you thinking, bringing us here?”

  “Yeah, about that… Might have forgotten to mention most of the planet is undeveloped,” said Eddie, scratching his head.

  Julianna threw her shoulder into the hatch door, and branches broke behind it. She pushed it all the way down as vines snagged on the corners, mouth gaping.

  “Teach, is this your idea of a practical joke?” asked Julianna, staring out at the dense jungle covered in moss and teeming with plants. Trees grew on top of trees like they’d run out of space and were playing ‘King of the Mountain.’

  From the air Julianna had noticed the area being heavily covered in forest, but she’d had no idea it was this overgrown. The vegetation looked completely different from the ground. She even landed on a small platform, but it seemed no one had cleared the vines to prevent them from hanging over and obstructing it.

  Eddie scoffed. “Oh, come on. If I was going to play a practical joke it would be way better.” He peered out of the ship, squinting against the greenish light filtering in from overhead. “We’re just a bit off the path. I was all turned around before, but I know where the bar is from here.”

  How Eddie could understand where he was going when the jungle looked the same from every angle was beyond her. “What about the ship? Broken fuel lines, remember?” said Julianna, throwing her hand up.

  “We’ll hit up Hatch when we get back here and see if he can talk us through the fix, but first this cowboy needs to clean up. There’s sand covering all my parts, if you know what I mean,” said Eddie, walking forward stiffly. “Come on, Knox, I’ll buy you a round.”

  Knox, who was as crusty as Eddie, looked at Julianna tentatively as he passed.

  Julianna had Pip cloak the ship as she disembarked. Above her head birds flew through the trees, chirping loudly. It had been a long time since she had been in a jungle, and the scent of the greenery brought back memories of early missions when she was younger and the job was still new to her.

  After a few paces she noticed that her feet felt lighter, her chest swelled more fully, and the moist forest air had become easier to breathe. Maybe taking the detour to Sagano hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.

  ~~~

  “Oh, look who the cat dragged in!” a burly man boomed as soon as Eddie had pushed through the swinging doors into the bar. The building didn’t really have walls. It was mostly surrounded by mesh curtains attached to its thatched roof. Bamboo poles supported the structure, and the floor was covered in handwoven mats and dirt from outside, making it feel as though it were part of the jungle.

  Knox froze just beside Eddie, fists clenched at his sides, and behind them Julianna stared at the dozen locals gathered around the tiki bar.

 
The thick-chested man thrust out of his seat, making it fall back on the floor, and the three men at his table looked up with sneers on their dirty faces. They all had black hair and tanned skin, and their eyes were bloodshot from too many servings of Sagano moonshine—or Brick Walls, as the locals called it.

  “Hey, you!” yelled the man in Eddie’s direction.

  “Hey, you withered piece of dung!” Eddie yelled back. He straightened and took in the many faces that turned to look at him. Julianna stepped in front of Knox, placing herself between the boy and these ruffians.

  “I didn’t think you’d ever show your face in here again!” As the man strode toward them it became clear that he was easily seven feet tall, and his chest was twice as wide as Eddie’s.

  “Me either. Didn’t think I’d ever have the misfortune of seeing that disgusting, sorry excuse for a face ever again,” said Eddie.

  Julianna tensed next to him, her hand twitching inches from her gun.

  A loud laugh boomed from the man as he halted in front of Eddie. Julianna started to push him away, but corrected herself when he only leaned forward and pulled the Captain in for a hug, their chests bumping.

  “You old sonofabitch,” bellowed the man, stepping back. “Where you been, Blackbeard?”

  “Nowhere special,” said Eddie, tipping his head to Julianna and Knox. “Meet Sabien, you two. He owns the Hole in the Jungle.”

  Julianna looked around. “I don’t know, I wouldn’t call it that. I like the open-air feel of it,” she said, stepping forward and taking Sabien’s hand. His eyes widened when Julianna shook it. He’d obviously tried another one of his strong-arm shakes, but he had underestimated the woman.

  “No, the name of the bar is ‘Hole in the Jungle,’” explained Eddie.

  Sabien laughed. “Remember the last time you were in here? It looked completely different then,” he said, motioning to the room, which was sprinkled with stools and a few tables.

  “Yeah, I like the new design,” Eddie assured him.