by Juno Wells
It seemed impossible. Completely, utterly impossible.
So Isla didn't hold out hope that the Galaxos would intervene and save the day. She and the other women would have to save themselves.
That seemed a little impossible, too, as she raced through the ship, dodging in and out of side halls and rooms as what seemed like the full crew of the Hawking boarded the space port and came after her. She hoped Rowan stuck with Maisy to help the doc navigate the ship, since even Isla had difficulty reading the diagrams that were supposed to get her back to the dock.
She ducked behind a boiler in an equipment room as an officer ran past, and clutched the stunner Rowan seized from the bodies of the port crew. Isla closed her eyes for a second and offered up a sincere prayer for their souls and whatever blessings their kind believed in. She held her breath before peeking out to the hall, dreading the possibility of opening it up to a whole slew of Fleet officers waiting to kill her. But no one else dared enter the hallway.
Isla crept through the port, her heart in her throat. As she got closer to the dock, though, more and more of the Fleet officers popped in and out of the halls. Every step nearly made her chest explode as panic surged and cold adrenaline made her hands cold and clammy where she gripped the stunner. They just had to make it to the ship.
She wondered what the hell happened with Griggs's diversion as Isla had to duck behind a plant to avoid being seen. She almost screamed as something grabbed her and dragged her back into a dark room, and Isla lashed out in desperation. She wasn't going down without a fight.
Someone grunted, then Violet muttered, "Newton's eyes, Isla, it's us."
Isla nearly collapsed with relief. Maisy sparked a small light so she could see, and Isla exhaled most of her panic. Maisy, Violet, and Rowan crouched in the room, all looking exhausted and on the verge of collapse. A mass of bandages covered part of Rowan's head, and Maisy tended to Violet's arm before she caught a look at Isla.
The doctor pointed at the floor and gestured at Isla. "Sit. I need to take a look at your leg."
"My leg? There's nothing wrong with —" But Isla looked down and saw the blood staining her pants and dripping slowly to the floor, and almost blacked out. She'd been leaving a trail of blood all through the bowels of the port. It was a small miracle they hadn't tracked her down and killed her...
Isla bolted her to feet, even though sudden pain surged up her leg and constricted her chest. "I have to leave. They'll follow me here and we'll all end up dead. I'll go and draw them away. You guys get to the dock, and —"
"Sit," Rowan muttered, and caught a handful of her pants to drag Isla away from the door. "It's fine. Jess is sweeping through the area with a mop and a much better disguise, cleaning up after all of us. Griggs is prepping the diversion."
"When is she going to set it off?" Isla sank back to the ground, closing her eyes as pain ignited in her shoulder. Maybe she'd gotten shot more than just in the leg, and no telling how much damage was done. "We can't hide out here forever. It looks like the entire damn crew is in the port already."
The door creaked open and Jess slid into the room, exhaling as she nearly tripped over Isla. "Hey Lennox. Welcome back."
"Thanks for cleaning up after me," Isla said. The room started to spin and she swallowed back nausea. It was just the adrenaline, she told herself. It wasn't the pain or blind panic. Just adrenaline. "How does it look out there?"
"We don't have much time." Jess took some of the medical supplies from Maisy and crouched next to Isla to examine her leg. "They're starting to search systematically, clearing each room at a time as they sweep through. We've got to be careful. Might have to get back in the vents."
Rowan shook her head. "I don't think that's an option. Can't you hear the fans? They've activated the closed system. We'll be suffocated if we try it."
Before Isla could come up with something positive about what to do next, the communicator chirped very quietly and Griggs whispered in a bare thread of sound that Isla almost couldn't hear. "We're ready to go. There will be three explosions. Lots of smoke. If you can create smoke in the vents, it'll help you get back to the dock. I've got decoys around the dock to draw them out, but you'll have to be careful."
"Be careful yourself, Cici," Isla said. She took a deep breath and helped Jess tie the bandages tighter around her leg. They didn't have time to really treat it.
Maisy scowled at her and shoved a huge bandage against her shoulder, binding it up with enough force that Isla winced. The doctor's fierce expression almost disappeared as her chin wobbled and her eyes reddened, but her voice remained steady as she poked Isla in the chest. "Be careful. I'm serious. You're not invincible."
Isla patted her shoulder but shoved to her feet. "We don't have a lot of time. Rowan, is there anything in here we can use to delay the ventilation system? I'm sure Griggs will make enough smoke for all of us; we just have to make sure it gets distributed the way we need."
The engineer had only a few seconds to search before a massive explosion rocked the ship and made the lights flicker.
Isla blinked. "Holy shit. Did she set off all three at once?"
Another explosion was her answer. The lights went out and emergency generators rumbled online, giving them at least the dim panic lights to see by.
"I guess that's the sign," Rowan said. She gripped her stunner and went to the door, peering into the hallway. She shut the door and started searching the room again. "Tons of smoke, which is great, but we'll never be able to breathe in it. Everyone put on a mask."
The masks made it even more difficult to see in the increasing chaos out in the hall, but at least they could breathe through the dark, acrid smoke filling the ship. Isla focused on the hall in front of her, gripping the stunner until her knuckles ached, and wondered when and where Griggs's last explosion would go off.
Chapter 30
Vaant
The sandstorm of chaos didn't ignite until the Galaxos got within hailing range of the port. The two Fleet ships they'd battled earlier hovered near the port and occasionally sent out communiques for more Fleet assistance, so the Galaxos remained at the very edge of the ability to hear what was said about the port. Vaant wanted to charge right into the battle and rescue Isla, but Trazzak wrestled the controls away and convinced him they had to wait.
"We don't even know where they are in the port," Vrix added, though Vaant noticed the security chief started turning green and orange with tension and anticipation. No doubt Vrix wanted to get his own Earther back on the Galaxos. "Nor how we're going to get them off the port and onto our ship without getting close enough for three Fleet vessels to destroy us. Any ideas?"
"We'll figure it out," Vaant said. He stared at the screen as the space around the port flashed. "What was that?"
"Looks like an explosion, Captain." Adhz stood at the communications desk, checking the radars and heat signatures across the many systems. "Wait — two explosions."
Vrix's lips twitched as he glanced at Vaant, then the security chief leaned back in his chair to look at the junior officer. "Adhz, can you get the port's internal radios up? We need to know what's going on out there."
"Yes, sir." The younger Xaravian frowned as he fiddled with things, then flipped a switch and the sudden chaos of the port filled the Galaxos bridge.
Vaant frowned as he tried to decipher the mish-mash of voices and languages, but the overall tone was one of fury mixed with chaos and a hint of fear. They'd lost control, it sounded like. He wanted to celebrate, to shout in triumph, that at least Isla and her friends made a bit of trouble for the Alliance. Something must have happened to convince the other women to side with Isla, since it had sounded like they didn't want to believe what she and Griggs already acknowledged.
"We have smoke in sectors 7, 10, 15, 16, and 31. We have chemical fires in sectors 8, 12, 44, 45, and Engineering. We have —"
"How are they doing this?" another voice demanded. "Where the hell are they? How many are there?"
Th
e caustic voice Vaant remembered from the Hawking's initial threats dominated the radio. "It's just six women. Find them and dispose of them. Immediately. They can't go far, this port is a fucking circle. All hands — find the women."
Vrix grinned, teeth flashing. "Finally they're making trouble for someone else."
"Casualties reported in sectors 11 and 53. Five Alliance officers down. Repeat, casualties in sectors 11 and 53. Medical officers to those sectors immediately." The voice droned on, listing all the damage done to the port by Isla and her friends — although none of it sounded permanent, so the many innocent civilians on the port weren't in danger.
"Bring us closer," Vaant said. He watched the two smaller Fleet ships, one still damaged from his laser net, limp to position themselves to board the port, away from the Hawking. "We might have an opportunity. If you see an emergency pod abandon the port, prepare to acquire it and get the hell out of here."
"Aye aye." Trazzak stood over the navigation screen, adjusting their trajectory and easing the generators to move the ship closer. They didn't want to draw attention from any of the Alliance ships until absolutely necessary.
Emergency beacons blazed from the port, the ships, and a few relay satellites in that sector, until Adhz struggled to tune out most of the noise to find the important information. The Hawking captain and his crew continued to shout and argue over who caused the trouble and where they hid, since staggered fires and chemical leaks were occurring throughout the port. Vaant had to wonder if Isla managed to recruit support from the squids and the rest of the port inhabitants in order to facilitate their getaway, though he wished he knew her plan. They had to have a plan.
Vrix started laughing at something that came over the radio, shaking his head when Vaant looked up to see what happened. Just as Vaant started to order Trazzak to navigate closer to the port, static filled the frequency and then all the traffic from the port disappeared.
Adhz sat up, fiddling with the controls of the comms station. "Sir, I'm not sure what happened, it looks like… it looks like the Hawking activated its jamming capabilities. We won't be able to hear anything from the port until the Hawking is out of range, sir."
"That doesn't make sense," Vrix said.
Vaant sat up. "It's part of the plan. It's got to be."
And then a gruff voice — definitely not the Hawking captain — spoke to the bridge and echoed through Vaant's chest until he thought he might explode. "Fleet ships Fermi and Clerk Maxwell, navigate to the starboard side of the port and prepare to assist in handling a mutiny aboard the port. Dock there and await further instructions."
"Shields, sir?" Adhz asked.
"It's her," Vaant said. His hearts pounded. "She's disguising her voice a little, but it's definitely her.”
The crackle of static increased, and then the Hawking detached from the port and floated unevenly away from the much larger structure. The engines glowed and revved, but the ship didn't move. The voice returned, firm and authoritative, and sent shivers down Vaant's spine and spikes. "Rebel ship Galaxos, this is Fleet ship Hawking. Surrender or you will be apprehended and destroyed."
Vaant couldn't hold back his own grin. They'd stolen the ship. Isla and Griggs and all of them — they had to be in control of the Hawking. He shouted in excitement, ignoring the looks from his crew, and gestured at Trazzak. "Go. Slowly. Let them chase us."
"You want to let a Fleet ship chase us?" The second-in-command squinted at him, as if to see whether Vaant had lost his mind. "Without viable shields or a clear destination?"
"Isla is in control of the Hawking," Vaant said, and wondered why none of them recognized her voice. It was clear as day to him. "They stole the ship. They'll chase us out of here to a safe zone, then we can board them or —"
"That's a man," Trazzak said slowly. "A kind of girly man, but it's definitely not your little Earther."
"It's Isla." Vaant knew it with every cell in his being. "Open a hailing frequency. I'll prove it to you."
Adhz winced, but did as the captain asked, then cleared his throat. "Go ahead, sir."
Vaant leaned back in his chair and said the first thing that came to mind. "Fleet ship Hawking, this is trading ship Galaxos. I am the captain of my ship. I don't take orders from you."
Silence greeted that pronouncement, and Trazzak smacked his palm to his forehead and fiddled with the controls for the shields. Vaant sat back, waiting, and something suspiciously like laughter crackled through the transmission, followed by a few promising words. "Rebel ship Galaxos, we'll see about that."
Adhz, a dubious expression on his face, held up a tablet for Trazzak to see. "The voice pitch and tones match samples taken from the Earther, sir, even though... it just doesn't sound right."
Frrar, leaning against the wall near the door, shook his head. "Probably that damn engineer, cooking something up."
"Let's go," Vaant said. "Half speed, back to the asteroid belt. Trazzak, look for a neutral zone or a refueling station where we can make contact and evaluate any damage to the Hawking."
He leaned forward as Trazzak engaged the engines, and Vaant held his breath as the rear viewing screens displayed the Hawking chasing after him. He really hoped the women were in control of the ship and it wasn't some elaborate Alliance ruse.
Chapter 31
Isla
They fought every inch back to the dock. Their plan had worked too well, it seemed — all the crew abandoned the Hawking and filled the halls of the port, searching for the six of them. Isla managed to whisper requests to the squids and some of the port civilians to delay where possible, but not to endanger themselves. It seemed like perfect serendipity when she and Maisy tumbled into a spare room to avoid the lasers and chargers of the Fleet and found the squid captain and most of his crew within.
Maisy started wrapping Isla's shoulder again, muttering under her breath, while Isla focused on the squid captain. Her brain didn't want to produce the words in a different language, overwhelmed by the fight and panic and fear of maybe not making it to the dock — or losing her friends — but Isla took a deep breath and centered herself. She didn't have time to panic. "The Fleet just murdered the port captain and all his crew on the bridge. They may come after you if they believe you to be witnesses to what happened here. I'm sorry."
The squids looked at each other, then the captain slowly replied. "We suspected this type of behavior of the Alliance for some time. To have evidence of it... is a relief. We will witness what happened to this brave captain, and make sure they have appropriate rites. Does the Alliance come for you now?"
"Yes." Isla winced as Maisy pulled the bandages tight, nearly cutting off circulation to her arm, and checked the charge on her stunner. "We are trying to get to the dock to board the Hawking. So we can steal it."
She declared it with more confidence than she felt, but relief washed over her when the squid gave his equivalent to a smile. "How can we assist you?"
Isla leaned against the wall and tried to think fast. They'd split up in teams of two and devised different routes to the dock, so she sketched a quick map of how and where they would be. Isla also X-ed the locations where she knew the Fleet officers waited, and handed it to the squid captain. "I can't ask you to put yourself in danger, Captain. But if your crew happens to slow down the Fleet and clear the paths I've marked here, it would make our job easier."
"Your crew endangered your ship to save my ship and all of my passengers. This is a small thing for us to do to repay that gift." He patted her shoulder with a tentacle as he and the first mate maneuvered closer to the door. "And if we have the opportunity to inflict a little vengeance upon the Fleet officers who murdered a fellow captain and blamed yours for their crimes, then all the better. We will disperse and clear the way. Wait in here for ten counts, then proceed."
Isla cleared her throat to get rid of the knot of emotion before she spoke, "Thank you, Captain."
The squids all saluted as they headed for the door, most looking determined and more t
han a little excited, and Maisy whispered as she leaned against Isla, "What's going on?"
Isla took a deep breath. "They volunteered to help distract the Hawking's crew so we can make it to the dock." Before the doctor could ask another question, though, Isla repeated the same into her communicator so the others would know as well.
She counted to ten, just like the captain told her, and peeked outside. Instead of a hail of lasers and shouting from Fleet officers, only a silent, empty hall awaited. Isla nodded to Maisy, and they started running.
The squids were true to their word, though — most of the paths were clear to the dock, with only a little fighting and hiding before they found where the Hawking waited. Rowan and Violet were already there, and as Isla struggled to catch her breath and fight off Maisy's attempts to treat her leg again, Griggs and Jess appeared — Jess looking pale and shaken and Griggs with the biggest grin on her face that Isla had ever seen.
Isla couldn't help herself — she hugged every last one of them, then nodded at the passage to the Hawking. "We're not done yet. I'm looking forward to hearing Cici's explanation for all the shit blowing up around here, but that will have to wait. We need to immediately sweep the ship and get everyone the hell off so we can go. Fast. Griggs, stay here so you can warn us if anyone tries to re-board. Just don't try to fight them all yourself, okay?"
Griggs held up her hands and retrieved another set of weapons from the locker on the wall. "I can't be held responsible for what happens when people threaten me. You guys do your thing — no one is getting through me to that ship."
Rowan high-fived her as they all boarded the Hawking and Griggs set up a firing position near the passage. Isla shook her head, wondering if Griggs would somehow create another explosion just for the hell of it. A little smoke to obscure the dock would be a great justification for more destruction.
