Will nudged him.
“This is getting awfully weird.”
The translator held up a tablet. “The Arguses are calling.”
“Bring them in,” Gregg said. She put her phone on the table. It was recording.
Grayson gulped.
The logo on the television disappeared into darkness. Static washed across the screen.
Then, a fat Argus appeared. He was in the cockpit of a ship—one that looked exactly like the one that Grayson had stolen back on the rocky planet. He was in space, and Provenance light illuminated the side of his face. Unlike the other Arguses, he had brown, bristly hair. One of his tusks was broken. He wore a black cloak and a thick gold chain.
No one in the room said anything.
The Argus snorted and then began to speak.
“Bok boo pa-bok Orjuk. Argus bok bok…”
The translator spoke, and as she did, her voice mixed in with the Argus’s, so much that Grayson forgot she was there, only listening to the words themselves…
“I’m Orjuk, Commander of an Argus squadron. We are here because of your crimes against our race.”
Ponty looked to Grayson and gave him an acknowledging go-ahead.
“My name is Grayson McCoy. I’m a second class petty officer in the Rah Galactic Guard. With me is my commander, Mike Ponty, Lieutenant Commander Danica Gregg, and my colleague, Will Stroud.”
“We do not care about your silly titles. We only care about your crimes.”
“What are the crimes?” Ponty whispered.
“What are the crimes?” Grayson asked, not skipping a beat.
Orjuk grunted. “You are stalling for time.”
“You have committed a crime by entering Rah air space,” Ponty said. “Turn away now and perhaps we can mutually forgive each other.”
Grayson relayed the comment.
“What is forgiveness?” Orjuk asked. “We demand restitution.”
“This conversation is going nowhere,” Gregg said.
“We demand our property,” Orjuk said.
“We didn’t take any of your property,” Grayson said. “Your ships are still smoldering in space. You can go back and get them at any time.”
“Not our ships. Our humans.”
Ponty stood, flushed. “Not going to happen.”
“You had no right to take them from us. Your soldier caused unnecessary havoc.”
“One of your own would have done the same thing,” Grayson said.
“I thought we established intergalactic protocols for these situations,” Orjuk said. “You were within your rights to search the ship. Had you detained the ship, we would not have been upset. But if you had an issue with our transport, you should have filed a complaint with GALPOL.”
“And let you run off with a bunch of slaves in the meantime,” Grayson said. “That’s not how we operate.”
Orjuk smacked his instrument panel. He snorted and squealed. Then his eyes narrowed as he gave Grayson a death stare.
“We demand that you turn over the passengers. We have already filed a complaint with GALPOL. We also demand that you turn over the woman named Rina into our custody so that we may deal with her on Argosian soil.”
“You can have her,” Ponty said. “You’ll save us some trouble, anyway. But you can’t have the passengers. And that is final, Mr. Orjuk.”
“Then we will commence our attacks and mark everyone in your room for death.”
Orjuk disconnected.
“Get the army on the phone,” Ponty said. “Now!”
The door opened and a decorated man strode in with an entourage of suits and uniforms.
Grayson knew him only from photos.
It was the Commandant.
He saluted, stiffening up as hard as he could.
“Sir!” everyone said.
“Ponty, follow me.”
Grayson barely saw the man’s face before he turned and left the room.
Ponty glanced at Gregg, then at all of the suits. He followed.
The door shut and Grayson could only hear yelling.
Then Ponty returned, more flushed than before.
“Grayson, Will, please escort our guests here to the engineering room. It appears they’re going to be here a while.”
The men and women in suits stared blankly at Grayson.
Grayson and Will saluted, then left the room as the suits followed.
“What was that all about?” Will whispered.
“No idea.”
Grayson and Will cut across the lot, toward the engineering complex. The suits followed, taking notes.
“What are you folks here for?” he asked.
“None of your business.”
Grayson turned and ignored them. “Gotcha.”
***
The engineering complex was on the far side of the base. It took Grayson five minutes to lead them there. Everyone walked in silence.
A few times, Grayson and Will exchanged knowing looks.
The engineering room was in a small, noncombustible building at the edge of the complex. Grayson scanned his I.D. to get into the building, then he and Will led the soldiers down a long stairwell into a command room where a group of engineers were gathered around screens, watching the Arguses.
“Thanks,” someone said. “We’ll take it from here.”
Grayson and Will wasted no time exiting the building.
“That was weird,” Will said. “All of this man, it’s just strange.”
“You think the Arguses will really attack?” Grayson asked. “Or is it a bluff?”
They walked outside into the sunlight.
A blast of sound rattled the area, and a rescue ship rocketed into the sky.
“Where are they going?” Grayson asked.
Across the sky, the Argus ships, which had formed a line in front of the base, broke formation. Slowly, they entered the upper atmosphere, following the rescue ship. Soon, all of the Argus ships left Provenance.
“Looks like they were bluffing,” Grayson said.
Then the realization hit him. “Unless…”
He and Will took off running toward the empty bay where Beau’s ship was docked.
They tore into the base, flinging the doors open.
The bay was empty except for a few officers standing around.
They ran into the office, into the living quarters where they were holding Rina in a bedroom.
The bedroom was empty.
“No,” Grayson said.
He rushed down the hallway, opening all the bedrooms.
The bedrooms of the passengers.
They were all empty.
He reversed, ran into the bay and out into the complex.
The rescue ship twinkled in the sky as it entered space.
“No!” Grayson yelled.
He dropped to his knees, watching as the skies cleared and the army warships flew away.
The passengers were gone.
Chapter 25
All Grayson’s hard work disappeared into the sky.
Footsteps sounded on the asphalt behind him.
“I’m sorry, Grayson,” Ponty said.
Grayson didn’t turn around.
“It wasn’t my choice. It wasn’t even the Captain’s choice.”
Grayson sighed.
“It’s a Navy call. Apparently the Arguses were telling the truth about the accord they signed with GALPOL. Our hands were tied.”
Still, Grayson said nothing.
“I know you’re upset,” Ponty said. “But this is the best thing we could do for the planet. The last thing we need is for them to attack Provenance. The lives of a few had to submit to the lives of the many.”
It took everything for Grayson to speak. “I understand, sir.”
“Go home. Take your mind off this.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’ll still receive a medal.”
“I don’t want it, sir.”
“Okay. Just take some time. We won’t hold your feelings against
you.”
Grayson stood.
Ponty extended his hand. He opened his mouth to speak, but a screaming sound made him stop.
In the sky, a black shape fell through the clouds, a fireball amidst the blue.
The screaming grew louder.
The fire burned away, revealing a disk-shaped army frigate. It rumbled through the sky.
Its engines were not running.
It was on fire.
Alarms sounded on the base as the frigate plummeted, crashed in the desert yards away, and exploded.
Gregg ran from the office. “We’re under attack!” she said.
***
Grayson, Will, Ponty and Gregg rushed for cover into the base.
“Those damn pigs,” Gregg said. “They took the passengers, and then they attacked.”
“I knew it was too good to be true,” Ponty said.
“We’ve got orders from the top to deploy into space. Search and rescue. There are a lot of ships down, and the navy needs us right now.”
Grayson and Will started toward their ship. Beau was waiting for them.
“We’re ready to go,” Beau said.
Grayson felt a hand pull him back.
It was Ponty.
“This isn’t a good idea,” Ponty said. “Let us handle it.”
“This is the only way I’ll sleep at night, sir.”
“I don’t want any cowboy crap.”
“You won’t get any, sir.”
“That’s an order. Search and rescue only.”
Grayson saluted.
“Yes, sir.”
Chapter 26
Grayson strapped himself in his chair on the bridge as Beauregard fired up the engines.
“Gonna see some action,” Will said, pointing at Grayson. “This time I’m not letting anyone down.”
“You never did,” Grayson said, reading an instrument panel. “Beau, fuel levels look good. We got plenty for an extended tour if we need to make one. Weapons are online and ready to extend and fire at a moment’s notice.”
“Wind speeds are medium,” Beau said. “How do things look, Will?”
“No issues with engines. Everything’s running as it should. Proceed with auto-exit.”
“Hold on, guys,” Beau said. “Only God knows what we’re going to see up there.”
They rose through the sky. The ship rumbled and they held on as clouds surrounded the windows.
Grayson focused.
He hadn’t had a chance to think at all since the Argus ships first appeared.
What was he doing?
He didn’t even know.
He couldn’t disobey orders. The passengers were probably long gone and there was nothing he could do. He’d failed them. The galaxy failed them. And one day, the galaxy would pay for it.
The least he could do was try to save someone, anyone, from dying from senseless war.
Weightlessness began.
The blue sky gave way to black space. The stars speckled the windows.
And then they entered the war zone, where ships were burning and bullets were flying.
***
“Let’s keep a close watch in all directions,” Beau said. “Grayson, are you okay on guns?”
Grayson activated a joystick. He watched a frigate pass on a display in front of him, transmitted from a camera on the bottom of the ship. Several fighter vessels zipped out from the sides of the frigate, raining fiery bullets.
“Affirmative.”
Outside, an Argus ship exploded and plummeted into Provenance’s atmosphere.
Grayson couldn’t hear the explosion. The battle unfolded soundlessly before them, with vibrations rocking the ship every now and again.
“Beauregard to base,” Beau said. “We’re in space and awaiting orders.”
“We’ve got a ship down,” Ponty said on the radio. “Do you have the signal?”
Will pointed to his screen, where a purple dot was beeping in space.
“We’re on our way,” Beauregard said.
Ahead, an Argus ship jumped into battle with a frigate. The guns on the frigate blazed, and the Argus ship danced between the rounds of gunfire, sending a powerful blast that lit the side of the frigate up in flames. But then a gun on the top of the frigate appeared from the roof and fired a bomb at the Argus ship, and it exploded in a brilliant display of sparks.
“Steering clear,” Beau said, tugging the joystick. The ship tilted as it changed direction around the wreckage.
Another Argus ship exploded near them, and shrapnel struck the ship.
“We took a hit,” Grayson said as an alarm beeped on his headset. “But we should be all right.”
“Let’s increase our speed,” Beau said. “I hate to waste fuel, but we don’t have a choice.”
The ship’s engines churned and propelled them forward.
And then they saw it, lying in deep space—a warship on fire, drifting into the darkness. The power on the ship was down.
“We’ve got a visual,” Grayson said.
Beau opened the radio. “This is Petty Officer Beauregard of the Galactic Guard. How many are onboard?”
The radio crackled. “We hear you, Petty Officer Beauregard. There are ten of us onboard. We’ve lost power and our oxygen is almost gone. We took a devastating blow to the hull.”
“We’re on the way. We’ll be there in three minutes. Gather in the airlock and we’ll connect an air box. Run fast.”
“Roger.”
Will pressed several buttons, and a mechanical arm on the bottom of the ship extended and unfolded an air box like the one that had connected to Rina’s ship when the Guard saved him.
Grayson took control of the mechanical arms, and he guided them into position as Beau sped toward the warship.
“Get ready to connect,” Beau said. “We only have one shot.”
Grayson nodded.
Beau decelerated. The ship kept traveling forward, slowly coasting toward the warship.
Using the camera sights, Grayson moved the arms and lined up the air box with the edges of the warship’s airlock.
He pressed a button and the air box sprang forward, connecting with the warship.
The ship chimed.
“We made a successful connection,” Will said. “Nice work, buddy!”
Grayson pressed a button that opened the rescue ship’s airlock.
“Open your airlock,” Beau said. “You’re safe to board.”
An explosion struck the frigate. The impact sent Grayson, Will, and Beau to the sides of their seats; then they snapped back as the ship’s alarms sounded.
“What happened?” Will asked.
Grayson watched the camera sight and then he shook his head.
The air box was on fire.
Another blast struck the metal arms, rocking the rescue ship again.
Then, Grayson felt his stomach sink as he saw ten men and women in army uniforms floating in space among debris and shrapnel.
They weren’t wearing spacesuits.
The air box was in pieces, and the mechanical arms broken.
“Disengage, disengage!” Beau yelled.
Grayson snapped out of it and pulled the metal arms back. But the arms sparked and wouldn’t move.
“I’m jettisoning them,” Will said, hitting a button. The metal arms separated from the ship, and the doors that once held them closed shut.
“Get us out of here, Beau!” Will said.
An Argus ship zoomed past them. It made a long, sweeping arc across the battlefield, and then it circled back.
“It’s coming for us,” Will said.
Grayson gripped the joystick.
“Guys, it’s time for a barbecue.”
Chapter 27
The Argus ship started firing immediately.
Beau swung the ship down, narrowly missing the bullets.
Grayson activated a machine gun on the ship’s bottom, locked the Argus ship in his sights, and fired.
The bullets connected
!
A lateral line of fire spread across the Argus ship.
“We got a hit,” Grayson said. “I hit them pretty bad.”
“Let’s brace for a counterattack,” Beau said. “Will, your thoughts.”
Will studied the Argus ship. “I say we move out of range in case they try a pulse blast.”
“Let’s rotate thirty degrees and get out of range. Grayson, keep your eyes on them.”
“Got it,” Grayson said.
The ship pivoted and flew away from the Argus ship as a blue ball of energy appeared on its nose. It fired the ball just as the rescue ship moved out of range.
“Good call, Will!” Grayson said.
“Let’s move back in,” Beau said, pivoting back.
Grayson sprayed the ship with more fire. This time he struck the front windshield of the cockpit, breaking it.
The ship spun out of control, exploded, and barreled down toward Provenance’s atmosphere.
“That was a little too close,” Beau said.
Grayson glanced out across the battle zone. More explosions bloomed in space as Argus and Provenance warships dueled and caught fire.
“Beauregard to base,” Beau said. “We failed the mission. An Argus ship disrupted the air box.”
Ponty spoke. “That’s a violation of GALPOL humanitarian rules. We’ll report it.”
“We just took down a ship in self-defense, sir,” Beau said. “Awaiting more orders.”
Grayson scanned his camera sights, on the lookout for any threats. The zone immediately around them was still.
There weren’t going to be any more rescues. He knew it.
The Arguses were playing dirty.
Beau pivoted the ship to the side to make way for a warship as it passed by, firing bombs in several directions. Argus ships exploded and sped past, returning gunfire against the warship.
“We’ll have to abandon search and rescue,” Ponty said.
Grayson’s hand twitched on the joystick. Something told him to scan the area again.
He did.
At six o’clock, he spotted a larger than usual Argus ship speeding away from Provenance.
“I’ve got a visual on an unusual Argus ship,” Grayson said.
Honor's Reserve (Galaxy Mavericks Book 1) Page 9
