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

by Sarah Noffke

  “I think we all know who is behind this, manipulating and using the Trid and Brotherhood,” said Eddie, looking at Julianna. She agreed with a nod.

  “Can you get back into Pistris Station?” asked Julianna.

  Rex backed up several feet, nearly ramming into Chester. He looked as though he’d just been scared half to death. “Oh, no, I can’t go back there. I quit. What if they suspected something? They’d throw me into prison. I can’t have that.”

  “Right,” said Julianna, drawing out the word. “Can you help us get into that underwater base?”

  “Now you’re talking,” said Eddie, his tone excited. Breaking into a secret underwater base sounded like exactly what they needed to do next.

  “I guess I could. You might still get caught, but I’ll tell you what I know,” said Rex.

  Eddie clapped his hands and rubbed them eagerly. “Perfect.” He turned to address Marilla. “Have Rex convey everything he knows about Pistris Station to ArchAngel so Hatch can work on a way for us to get into this base. Chester, you think you can hack the security system for us, grant us access?”

  Chester spun around in his seat with a wide grin on his face. “I must be a mind reader, since that’s what I’ve been doing since Rex mentioned Pistris Station. I’ll have your clearance by the end of the day.”

  Eddie let out a loud whoop. “That’s what I’m fucking talking about!”

  Bridge, QBS ArchAngel, Tangki System

  The ArchAngel gated to the Tangki system, arriving near Kai’s orbit.

  “ArchAngel, can I please get an update on that information you’ve been hunting down for me?” asked Eddie, standing next to Jack on the bridge.

  “Do you mean the information on how to get rid of that stubborn rash?” asked ArchAngel, her face on the large screen in the front. Many of the crew members at their different stations laughed.

  “Ha-ha,” said Eddie. “No, and I don’t believe I asked for any such information.”

  Jack stood nearby. “You’re still going through with this?” he asked. “Aren’t you concerned about backlash from Julianna?”

  “I’ve thought about it. I think this is what she needs, and I think there could be some long-term benefits,” said Eddie.

  “If you say so,” said Jack. “Personally I’m going to avoid that woman’s ire. She seems just as likely to rip your throat out as kiss you.”

  “More the former than the latter,” said Eddie, “but I’ll take my chances!”

  “If the two of you are finished,” said Archangel, “I’ve found the information you requested, Eddie. I’ll send it to you right now, along with those special rash remedies.”

  “Wow, thanks. You’re a doll,” said Eddie, humorlessly. He pulled up his pad, tapping the screen. “Here it is. And our current location, the Tangki system, couldn’t be any more perfect. It’s like it was meant to be.”

  “Serendipity,” supplied ArchAngel.

  Eddie looked up, confused. “Huh?”

  “’Serendipity.’ You said it was meant to be. That’s the word for it,” she said.

  “Thanks. I’ll use your expensive word the next chance I get,” said Eddie.

  Jack read the information on the pad over Eddie’s shoulder. “I agree that the locations line up pretty well. Are you going to contact him?”

  “Yes, I’ll set up a meeting for when we return from Kai,” said Eddie.

  “You know that Julianna will more likely punch you for meddling than thank you,” warned Jack.

  “Meddling in what?” asked Julianna, popping up behind Jack and Eddie and nearly making them jump. Damn! She was so fucking quiet, thought Eddie.

  He pushed the power button on the top of the pad and shook his head.

  “We weren’t talking about you. We were talking about Lars. I’m meddling in his love life. Trying to recruit a nice Kezzin girl for the crew,” lied Eddie.

  Julianna tilted her head to the side, not buying this at all. “I heard my name.”

  “Because we thought you wouldn’t like us meddling in the crew’s love life,” said Eddie, his ears growing hot.

  “Well, of course I don’t. That’s highly unprofessional. Jack, I’m surprised you’d condone such a thing,” said Julianna, her tone punishing.

  Jack yanked up his wrist, eyeing his watch. “I have a meeting in my office that I’m late for.”

  ArchAngel appeared on the main screen again. “Actually, Jack, I show that your afternoon schedule is wide open.”

  “Uhhh, I didn’t put this meeting on my calendar,” stuttered Jack, hurrying off.

  Slowly, Eddie turned and looked at ArchAngel’s face. “You have been exceptionally helpful lately.”

  Cargo Bay 01 , QBS ArchAngel, Tangki System

  Hatch wiped a rag over his head, muttering to himself.

  “The crew seems to be giving you a headache,” stated Pip. “I show that your stress levels are elevated.”

  Hatch blew out an exaggerated breath. “That’s because they are all a bunch of worthless idiots who need me to hold their damn hands.”

  “You do have eight tentacles. You could hold a few hands,” joked Pip.

  Hatch deflated his cheeks and stood back to stare at his current project. It was a rather special type of ship, somewhat different from the rest he’d recently been working on.

  Pip continued, “And my records indicate that each member of your assigned crew has sufficient education to do the work you require of them. On the surface, they should be more than qualified to collectively build the Omega-line of Q-Ships.”

  “Education isn’t everything,” muttered Hatch. “I have plenty of degrees and certifications, but they’d all be worthless if I didn’t have instinct. These people have book knowledge but no heart.” He lifted a nearby screwdriver with a tentacle and examined a small bend in the metal before placing it down. “They don’t know how to feel their way around a machine.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Pip.

  “Ships are more than parts, Pip. They are living, breathing organisms that must be respected. The people on my crew are the same as all the other idiots I’ve met, with only a few rare exceptions. Those fools don’t see the truth inside the metal, so they can’t touch the soul of the ship they’re working on. They can’t understand how to talk to it, bend it, make it better. They don’t know how to imagine anything more than what they see.”

  “Is that what you’re doing right now? Trying to imagine something more?” asked Pip.

  “I’m trying to figure out if I like the paint job,” stated Hatch. “Blue is a good color for this one, don’t you think?”

  “Mmmm…” said Pip, thinking. “I would like a red racing stripe down the center. Maybe two.”

  Hatch dismissed the AI with a wave of his tentacle. “No, we’re trying to camouflage it, not have the damn thing stick out like a sore appendage.”

  “Thumb,” said Pip.

  “What?” asked Hatch, mostly distracted.

  “The expression is ‘a sore thumb,’” stated Pip.

  “I know damn well how it goes, but I don’t have thumbs so why would I use such a dumb word?” replied Hatch.

  The outer door opened and Julianna and Eddie strode into the bay.

  “I always enjoy our little heart-to-heart talks,” said Pip in a playful tone.

  “Heart-to-hearts,” corrected Hatch. “I have three hearts, remember?”

  “And nine stomachs and blue blood,” added Pip.

  Hatch polished the vehicle in front of him as Eddie and Julianna approached.

  “You called?” asked Julianna, smiling when she saw the mechanic. “We got a message to come and see you.”

  Hatch puffed his cheeks at the sight of her. “I did. I got your request for something to help you gain entry to the underwater base on Kai. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to create something from scratch. That would take longer than you have. Instead, I pulled one of my previous research projects from the storage locker.”

&
nbsp; “Is that a submarine?!” asked Eddie, looking at the blue ship. It was shaped like a “U” and had a round glass bubble in the middle.

  “It is,” said Hatch. “If I’d had more time I would’ve created a more unique one for your mission, probably with cloaking technology and big enough for more than one person. Instead, I tweaked this ship and got it working as well as could be expected,” explained Hatch, stepping back and admiring the submarine.

  “Wait, this only holds one person?” asked Julianna. “But we both need to get into the base.”

  “I’m sorry, Julie. Adding more room would require a complete overhaul of the ship,” stated Hatch. “That would take several days at the least, even for me. Weeks, if I left it up to my sorry excuse for a crew.”

  Defeated, Julianna blew out a breath. “Okay. It’s not ideal, since I’d prefer us to partner up, but I’ll just go into Pistris Station alone and—”

  “Hey, whoa, no way!” argued Eddie. “I call dibs on this one.”

  “You can’t call dibs on a mission,” explained Julianna. “Besides, I got dibs when I volunteered myself.”

  “That’s not how ‘dibs’ works,” said Eddie.

  She fanned her hand at him. “You’ll just get caught if you go. Better to let an expert handle this.”

  “Who said I was going to get caught?” Eddie put a hand on his chest, offended. “There’s no one down there but scientists and a few lazy guards. I can handle that easily.”

  “I’m the obvious choice,” declared Julianna, a definitive tone in her voice.

  “I disagree. I vote we settle this using a tried-and-true method,” said Eddie.

  Julianna lowered her chin and gave him a heated look. “Don’t you dare say what I think you’re going to say.”

  “Roshambo! That’s the only fair way,” said Eddie.

  “What’s that?” asked Hatch, who was watching all this unfold from the side.

  “An old Earth game,” said Julianna, glaring at Eddie. “It’s just another name for rock-paper-scissors.”

  “Oh, I’ve seen that,” said Hatch, “but unfortunately I’ve never been able to play.” He held up a tentacle. “No fingers.”

  Julianna sighed. “Fine. We’ll do this your way, Teach, but when I win I want you to back off and let me go. No questions.”

  “You got it,” he said, holding up his fist.

  She did the same.

  Eddie looked at Hatch. “You’re the referee, buddy. Don’t let me down!”

  “Fine,” said Hatch, waddling closer to the two of them and puffing his cheeks. “This seems like fun.”

  “Let’s do this!” exclaimed Eddie.

  “On the count of three,” said Hatch. “One, two…three!”

  Julianna pushed her fist through the air, but kept it tight.

  Eddie’s hand flattened.

  “Ha! Paper beats rock!” Eddie beamed. “I get to drive a submarine.” He shot his fist in the air to celebrate his success.

  Julianna shook her head, looking dejected. “Fine. You get to go, but you’d better not get yourself into any trouble.”

  “Come on, have a little faith, would you? When did I ever do that?” asked Eddie. He strode over to the submarine and peered into the bubble.

  “Like I said, I didn’t have a chance to put cloaking technology into this ship,” said Hatch. “Just getting it ready took a while. However, I did have it painted blue, which should help a little, and of course there’s special plating to avoid radar detection,” said Hatch.

  “It’s great, Doc. Is it easy to drive?” asked Eddie.

  “I think you’ll manage. Also, I loaded an interface into it so Pip can speak with you.” He puffed his cheeks. “You’ll have Julie on the comm. I would say there’s no way you could screw it up, but you’ll probably wreck the submarine, if I know you.”

  “I like it when you say nice things to me, Hatch,” grinned Eddie. “I’ll do my best to bring it back in one piece.” He ran his hand over the sleek body of the sub.

  “Originally, when I was assigned this task,” began Hatch, “I wanted to create something like the Stingrays the Trid have been using. However, creating duel engines for both space and underwater travel was difficult at the time, so I created this as a half-measure with plans to develop it further.”

  “I’m shocked. That’s a first for you, isn’t it?” asked Eddie.

  Hatch pretended he hadn’t heard him and turned to Julianna. “It would be most helpful if your space chimp could find plans for the Stingrays while he’s searching the base. It would take me a few months to create one myself, so that would save me a great deal of time. There’s only one of me.”

  Julianna nodded. “We’ll see what we can do, Hatch. If Pip is close enough while interfaced in the submarine, maybe he can pull that information from the network.”

  “I had a similar idea,” said Hatch. “I’m not sure about the security of the Trid network for Pistris Station. You’ll want to speak with Chester about that, I’d imagine.”

  “Already done,” said Julianna. “He’s working on finding back doors so once we’re in we can get you full access.”

  “Then it looks like you have everything you need to succeed.” Hatch looked at Eddie. “Just make sure you bring me those plans.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Omega-line Q-Ship, Planet Kai, Tangki System

  It was strange for Eddie not to be sitting beside Julianna in the Q-Ship. Marilla had taken his seat, since he’d have to rely on her to navigate him around Pistris Station. Rex had been more than helpful in providing a layout for the facility. However, there were many parts of the building that were unique to the Trid staff, so having Marilla on the comm would help if Eddie encountered something Rex had forgotten to mention.

  “We’re nearing the drop,” said Julianna. “Get into place, Blackbeard.” She was flying the Q-Ship over the shimmering blue waters of Kai, which was mostly covered by seas. The base was sealed off, though, due to the requirements of the facility. Water made certain tasks more difficult, particularly with weapons research and ship construction.

  Eddie slid into the submarine, pulling the hatch closed as he dropped in. He buckled it shut and a green light came on to show that it was sealed properly.

  “Blackbeard, can you hear me?” asked Julianna over the comm.

  “Copy, Strong Arm. I’m in position,” he said. “This sub is cozy, about like the backseat of a Volkswagen.”

  “A quick comparison shows that the backseat of a Volkswagen has a few dozen more centimeters of leg room,” stated Pip.

  “I could use the extra space,” admitted Eddie, adjusting his body.

  “You want to change places with me?” said Julianna.

  “Nice try, Strong Arm, but I don’t think so,” said Eddie, grinning. He got to drive a submarine into an alien facility. It felt like his birthday, without the cake and shot of Nipponese ouzo, which was a 200-proof spirit. He also wouldn’t have a hangover tomorrow, so it actually wouldn’t be like his birthday at all.

  Too bad about that.

  “I’ll release you now,” said Julianna. “We’re just off the surface. You’ll be dropped on my count.”

  “I’m ready,” stated Eddie, grabbing the submarine’s controls. It was very similar to flying a ship, for which he was glad. If he wrecked the submarine he’d never hear the end of it from Hatch.

  “Disembarking in five, four, three, two…and one,” said Julianna.

  The submarine tilted to the side and slid down, gaining momentum until it splashed into the blue waters of Kai. Eddie turned on the engines, submerging the submarine before he could be seen. Because the Q-Ship was cloaked, there was no way anyone would see it. They’d also picked an off-hour when the base and the water space above it were mostly empty, according to Rex. It was also mid-afternoon, which Rex had said was when most Trid took their second sleep.

  Eddie flew the ship through the water, following the coordinates on his sensors. The facility wasn’t fa
r—only a few more minutes before he was close enough.

  Less than a minute later the peak of the structure came into view. He could barely see it since the water was so thick and dark, and the base of the facility faded into the depths of the sea like nothing he’d ever seen before.

  From what he could see this place was covered in some kind of reflective material, like that on the dome that covered the submarine. As the vessel sank lower, Eddie noticed that it was massive, probably as large as the ArchAngel.

  Eddie located the tunnel for the second dry dock, which was a black opening in the side of the base. He propelled the submarine through it, hoping he didn’t come across any other vehicles. Rex had said that the second dock was the least used, especially at this hour.

  Eddie had no cloak, so if he was spotted it would mean a fight. Not much of a problem for him, but the easier this went off, the better.

  After a moment, the light overhead indicated that he was in the base.

  “What’s your status, Blackbeard?” asked Julianna over the comm.

  “I’m about to surface in Dry Dock Two,” stated Eddie. The submarine rose, and to his relief the dock was deserted. There were a few submarines tied up along the dock, which relieved him since his submarine wouldn’t stand out next to theirs. So far Rex’s information had all been reliable.

  Eddie turned off the engine and unlocked the hatch. “I’m about to enter the facility.” He pulled the access badge that had been made by Chester from his pocket.

  Julianna let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, but stay on the comm. Pip is already hooking into the network and trying to download files. There are a few more firewalls than we anticipated.”

  Eddie pulled out his gun before shoving the hatch open and climbing onto the dock. He headed to the exit and swung around the corner, and to his relief the long corridor, which featured stainless steel walls and blue-tiled floors, was empty. A blast of cold air made his teeth chatter—it was freezing on the other side of the door.

  Soundlessly he made his way down the hallway, conscious that he would be trapped should anyone discover him here. He’d have preferred to have the personal cloaking technology on him, but Hatch had said he was running low on the crystals needed to power it. Too bad, thought Eddie. Shit could’ve saved me some time.