Alone in Paradise (The Chronicles of Anna Foster Book 2)

by Patrick Stutzman

  James’s room was decorated differently, since he had it all to himself. The single bed was covered in luxurious-looking blankets and a large, soft pillow. A tall, antique wardrobe made of a dark, lacquered wood filled the far corner. The desk next to the door, crafted in a similar fashion to the wardrobe, hosted a small computer with a holographic keyboard and screen, and next to it sat her wristcomp, still intact. Snatching up the device, she stuffed it in her pants pocket and rushed out of the room.

  Back in the hall, Anna eyed the door to the bridge for a few seconds. Hoping to reach the sensors and find her ship, she stepped up to the door and hit the button to open it.

  Her luck had run out.

  As the door swished open, Anna saw Robert sitting in the lone pilot’s seat eyeing a display on the holographic panel floating in front of him. Where was Paco?

  Not wanting to deal with him, she tried to back away from the door, but he turned his head before she could retreat and smiled at her.

  “Well, ‘ello there!” His broad smile revealed several gold teeth. “Wha’ brings you ‘ere, love?”

  In the seconds it took for him to turn and acknowledge her presence, Anna spotted the active sensor display and decided that, since he knew she was there, taking advantage of the situation would be best.

  Anna forced herself to smile. “I was actually looking for you.”

  Robert’s eyes snapped open wide. He pointed at himself. “Were ya now?”

  She nodded, fighting to hide her revulsion.

  “Well, then. Come on in!” He patted his thigh. “Sit yourself right ‘ere!”

  Anna walked in and gently sat on his knee. Robert wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in closer. She could smell an odd combination of whiskey and onions on his breath. She forced herself not to vomit and flee.

  “You’re lookin’ fit today. I’d say your jubblies look pre’y nice up close.”

  Guessing what he said was a compliment of sorts, Anna smiled as best she could. “Thanks.”

  “So, why are you lookin’ for me?”

  “Well I was thinking that, if I am going to be with you boys for a while, I’d might as well learn about the ship a little more. Besides, being cooped up in that small room gives me cabin fever.”

  Anna decided playing the ‘dumb’ card might be the best way to get what she wanted. “So, I thought that, since a ship, like, flies, that the pilot might be a good place to start.”

  Robert beamed. “You made the right choice, love. ‘cause nothin’ beats flyin’ by the seat o’ your pants in a ship through space, dodgin’ ast’roids n’ comets n’ all the other ships flyin’ after you.”

  “How exciting!” Anna hoped she sounded enthusiastic enough to convince him.

  “First thing you need to do is learn the controls of the ship you’re gonna fly.”

  He wheeled the chair around, pressing Anna against the metal frame housing the holographic projectors.

  “Now, are you familiar with holographic controls?”

  She hesitantly extended her arm toward the controls. “I…think so. You just touch them like this, right?”

  She jabbed her finger through the key that initiated a focused scan. The prompt appeared on the sensor display, waiting for the intended target.

  Robert chuckled after glancing at the result of her action. “Yeah, that’s right. In fact, that’s the sensors readout you just touched there. The sensors are probably one o’ the most important things a pilot needs to fly the ship. It ‘elps you see where you’re goin’.”

  Hamming it up, Anna looked at the window for a second. “Then, why did they put a window there?”

  Robert laughing louder. “We still need to see where we’re going with our eyes, but the sensors allow us to see further.”

  Anna studied the sensors panel. “So, what’s that dot…there?”

  She jabbed the lone signal on the screen near its upper-right edge. After a couple of seconds, the focused scan finished and produced the pop-up result, which read:

  Identify: Vessel, Arrow-class Transport

  Distance: 102.45km

  Relative Direction: 44.73 mark 359.00

  Robert perused the information. “Oh, that would be where your ol’ ship crashed. This li’l window tells you what it is, how far away it is, and what direction it is from you. According to this, it’s about a hundred clicks that way.” He pointed out the forward window to the right.

  “Okay.” Anna perused the controls for another second. “So, what does this console do?”

  As she reached for the communicator button, Robert intercepted her hand and gently tugged it away. “That’s enough of the pilotin’ lessons for now. Why don’t we do somethin’ fun?”

  Anna dreaded what he was about to suggest, and gave a semblance of a grin. “What do you have in mind?”

  Chapter 27

  Before she knew it, Robert had pulled her toward him and planted his mouth on hers. Stunned at first, she struggled to break free of his strong hold on her neck. The taste of whiskey and onions from his breath caused her stomach to convulse, forcing her to fight the urge to vomit. She planted both hands on his chest and pushed as hard as she could, finally breaking through his grip.

  Taking a second to breathe clean air, Anna said between breaths, “Wow! That was…some kiss.”

  “If you think that was good, wait ‘til I get me pants off.” The wink that followed sent a chill up her spine.

  Giving a nervous chuckle, Anna slid off his lap. “You’re moving awfully fast, Robert.”

  He nudged a thumb against his chest. “Pilot! I like movin’ fast. I like fast ships and fast women. C’mere!”

  As Anna backed against the wall, Robert lunged for her just as the door swished open. Standing on the other side was the captain, a fierce look on his face. Robert froze, hands against the wall on either side of Anna’s head.

  “There you are.” James stared right at her.

  Glancing at the captain and back at the pilot, Anna smiled sheepishly. “Guess we’ll have to finish this later.”

  She ducked under his arm and danced off the bridge and past the captain, not looking back as she made a beeline for the door leading to the cargo hold.

  “Angelina!”

  Anna stopped in her tracks and turned around to face James, praying he was in a forgiving mood.

  “The next time Robert wants some…attention from you, insist that he stay in your room to do so.”

  Relief washed over her. “Yes, sir.”

  Without waiting for anything else, she turned back around, but he called to her again.

  “I need to see you for a moment, before you return to your room.”

  Her stomach twisted into knots. She wanted to run all the way back to her ship, but she remained frozen in her tracks, waiting for his inevitable approach. She heard him and Robert discussing something, but their voices were low enough to make details difficult to discern.

  A minute later, James stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She tensed from head to toe, waiting for the strike that would knock her off her feet.

  “Anna, Ahmad is having an issue with the engines not firing properly. Go see if you can help him fix it without being obvious about it.”

  Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped open. What ulterior motive had inspired this change in him? She didn’t trust him, and this sudden change in attitude changed nothing.

  Anna turned around and cocked an eyebrow. “Why? I thought all I was good for was lying on my back and spreading my legs?” She realized too late she sounded a little bitter.

  “Don’t worry. You’ll still be doing that. Let’s just say that I want to see what other…talents you possess. You say you’re a technician. Prove it.”

  Anna narrowed her eyes at him, turned on her heel, and walked to the back of the ship at a hurried pace.

  Walking through the door to Engineering permitted Anna a true view of the condition of the ship’s systems. She’d thought the mi
ning station’s systems were bad, but this made the station look pristine in comparison. The paneling had visible rust corrosion, and some were not even hanging properly in place anymore. Cords and conduits hung suspended across the room, exposing meters of potentially lethal wiring and tubes within easy reach of anyone walking underneath them. The throbbing sound coming from the power core sounded as if the systems were about to die. Ahmad sat on top of a large, cubical casing, hitting what she believed to be a plasma conduit with a hammer.

  Anna was severely tempted to state her hypothesis that the ship could not even break orbit, let alone fly to another star system, and drastically questioned his technical training. However, she bit her tongue and decided to play the dumb blonde again.

  “Hi!” She waved her hand delicately at Ahmad.

  Looking up from his work, he waved back with a smile, but lost his balance and fell off the conduit onto the deck. Since the drop was only a couple meters, Anna was not too concerned for his safety, but she played the part and rushed to his side.

  “Are you okay?” She tried to sound compassionate without overacting.

  Ahmad shook his head and rubbed his arm. “Yeah, I’m okay. You should not be in here. Engineering is a dangerous place. You could get hurt.”

  Anna agreed, considering the condition of the place – not the reason she assumed he was thinking. She helped him to his feet, and he brushed himself off and looked her over.

  He looked confused. “There’s something different about you.” He paused for a couple seconds. “You got clothes on.”

  She refrained from punching him in the face and tried to smile instead, testing the limits of both her acting skills and her temper.

  “Is it okay if I watch you work? I’m learning about the ship and figured I could maybe learn a tip or two from you.”

  Ahmad looked around the room. “I don’t think this is the best place for you.”

  “Maybe, but you’re here. You’ll protect me. Right?” Anna batted her eyes and smiled wide for him.

  He sighed aloud. “Okay, fine. Just follow me, and I’ll see what I can do.”

  Over the next hour, Ahmad worked on recalibrating the engines with Anna watching him over his shoulder. She easily picked out half a dozen steps he skipped. Despite her desire to point out what he missed, she stayed quiet and let him work.

  During that time, he gave a few suggestions to her on how to properly maintain ship engines. Some of the tips were decent, but she realized some others were quick fixes and would only work for a short time before causing other problems elsewhere.

  Maintaining her façade, Anna queried near the end of the tour, “So, what happens if you aren’t able to get the engines cali…calib…”

  “Calibrated?”

  “Yes.” She snapped her fingers. “That’s the word. Calibrated.”

  “We don’t take off. If the engines don’t fire correctly, then we won’t be able to get off the ground. We’d be stuck here.”

  Anna pouted. “That’s not good. I hope you can get it fixed.”

  “Me, too. Thanks for tagging along, Angelina. I enjoyed your company.”

  “Maybe we can do it again sometime?”

  Ahmad grinned. “Anytime.”

  She smiled back, though she felt disgusted with herself for doing so.

  He dropped the spanner he was holding into his tool box. “Okay, break time. Want to join me in the galley?”

  “Actually, I was hoping to walk outside for a little bit. I haven’t breathed fresh air in days.”

  “Get used to that, once we take off.”

  “All the more reason to enjoy it while I can.”

  Ahmad nodded and moved toward the door. “All right, then. Enjoy the sunshine. I’m getting a cup of coffee.”

  After he’d departed, Anna glanced at the access panel next to her and, spying a few modules plugged into the system, pulled one out of its socket and pocketed the part before leaving the area.

  A couple of minutes later, she strolled down the boarding ramp, basking in the sunlight and ignoring the noisy construction ahead. She relished the warm rays that tickled her face, and wanted to disappear into the woods for hours. The sight of James standing at the base of the ramp negated the thought all too quickly.

  James looked over his shoulder at her. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Ahmad is taking a break, so I thought I would, too. Would it hurt to let me out once in a while? I’m a person, too, you know.”

  “You don’t have any right to be out here. You’re not one of the crew.”

  Anna frowned at him. “Get over yourself.”

  James backhanded her across the cheek, flaring new pain in her bruised face. The act distracted Michel’s and Hiraku’s attention from their work for a couple of seconds.

  “Don’t ever speak to me like that again, or those words will be your last. Understand?”

  Anna nodded while caressing her cheek.

  “Now, what happened in Engineering?” The sudden shift in his tone from a fiery rage to a peaceful calm scared her.

  “Ahmad is not an efficient engineer. I’m surprised your ship hasn’t had problems before.”

  “Can he get the engines calibrated?”

  “Maybe in a couple of weeks.”

  “And if you help him?”

  Anna stopped and pointed to herself. “Me? You want me working on your ship?”

  “You want out of here, don’t you?”

  “Maybe. Why?”

  “If you can get the engines running, we’ll leave you here with your drones and your computer friend.”

  “My computer friend? I don’t understand.”

  James smirked. “Your friend Kate is a hologram.”

  Anna shifted her weight on one leg. “What makes you think that?”

  “While I was rescuing Ahmad, I noticed the drones continuously watching me. Why would drones do that on their own? Additionally, Kate did not even try to get out of the ship to shoot at us as we flew away. I would think that, if she were a living, breathing human, she would have tried to stop us to get you back. Your friend is a hologram.”

  Anna’s heart skipped a beat. His powers of deduction were quite astute to come to that conclusion after so little exposure to her home. If he believed that her ship was defenseless, nothing could stop him from destroying everything, leaving her either stranded with nothing or forcing to join his band of pirates as their “morale officer”. Neither option appealed to her. Perhaps she could still salvage the situation.

  A smile formed on Anna’s face, and she acted as if she was stifling a giggle. James’s expression changed, and he stared at her, watching her reaction. “What’s so funny?”

  She sensed she may have overplayed her bluff. “Captain, you’re so funny. A hologram? I’ll have to remember that one.”

  James crossed his arms and stared hard at her. “What’s so funny about that?”

  “Maybe we had set up the drones to act as security cameras? What better way to hide your surveillance equipment than as workers? Who would suspect drones of being security cameras while they’re working?

  “Silly captain. Kate’s British. She doesn’t like shooting people. She’s got that whole honor thing going on. Besides, she probably figured discretion was better, since you outnumbered her two to one.”

  James’s face turned bright red.

  Anna giggled again. “Looks like P.I. is out if you ever decide to give up all this.”

  Before she could react, James slammed his fist across her face, driving her to the ground. Despite the pain surging through her cheek and jaw, Anna knew she could no longer put up with his violent behavior. If she was going down, she was going to at least put up a fight.

  As he loomed over her, James reached down to grab her shirt. Anna rolled onto her back and launched her foot into his scrotum. The hard blow to his privates caught him off-guard, and he cried out in agonizing pain as he doubled over and cupped his crotch with his hands.

 
* * * * *

  Across the clearing, Hiraku turned his cargo walker to lift another palate, when he noticed Anna’s swift kick. His eyes lit up, and he pulled his headset microphone to his lips. “Michel, check it out.”

  Michel whipped his walker around and paused to watch Anna fight back. A grin formed on his face.

  * * * * *

  Anna rolled back on her shoulders and drove her foot into James’s chin, pushing him forward so that he lost his balance and dropped. Despite her best attempt, she couldn’t get out of the way fast enough, and he landed on her, pinning her down.

  James, clearly ignoring the burning pain in his pants, propped himself up with his hands, a look of utter rage on his face. He grabbed Anna’s leg and pushed her onto her side, giving her the clearance to punch him hard across his nose. The blow distracted him long enough for her to roll away and rise to her knees.

  He brushed his hand across his mouth and, finding blood coating his lip, confirmed she had broken his nose.

  “You’re dead!” He shot to his feet as he wiped away the blood gushing down his face.

  Anna swept his feet out from under him with her leg and watched him hit the ground with a thud. “Fuck you!”

  She leaped on top of him, pinning him down on the boarding ramp, and threw several fists down on his face. He squeezed an arm free from her leg, reached up between her arms, and seized one of her breasts in a crushing grip. Anna screamed and stopped her assault, which gave him enough time to throw her off. She rolled down the ramp to the dirt below, where she got on her hands and knees. Footsteps alerted her to his approach. Before she could get to her feet, she howled in pain from the swift kick to her ribs, and collapsed on the ground.

  “Had enough?” His arrogance made her blood boil.

  Anna rose to her knees and replied with a jab to his abdomen. As he lurched, she sprang to her feet and smashed her knee into his face, spraying more blood from his nose. She followed through with a downward punch across his jaw. James blocked her strike at the last second and landed a counterstrike into her gut. As she brought her fists back up, a blow to her face caught her off-guard, but she blocked the next few and returned with her heel into his knee. The unexpected riposte buckled his leg, and he staggered to the ground. Anna reared back and kicked James in the chin. As he fell forward, she moved closer, hoping to strike the final blow. He jabbed her in the belly, then jumped to his feet and planted his foot in her solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her. Anna groaned and fell to the ground, gasping for breath. James grabbed a handful of her hair. He pulled her upright, then cocked his arm back and punched her in the face. The force of the blow to her cheek bone and jaw hazed her vision. With a sneer, he released her. As she hit the ground, a sharp pain to her head dropped her into darkness.