by G J Ogden
“Draga, report your condition,” Cad barked, expecting to hear his companion’s clinically precise tones respond without delay, but there was only the crackle of static. “Draga, report!” Cad cried again, but still there was nothing. Then the icon identifying the second mercenary fighter blinked off his scanner, and Cad roared with frustration. Banking hard, he circled around toward the complex, which was now just a thick column of black smoke, hundreds of meters wide, rising steadily into the sky. However, there was more than just smoke rising into the turbulent atmosphere of the rogue world. High above the complex was a ripple of energy, like an aurora borealis, which cut through the clouds like a giant rainbow rising into space.
Several more warnings flashed onto Cad’s screen, and he read them quickly, each one layering on an additional level of danger. The planet’s gravity was in a state of flux. It was concentrated around the detonation site but steadily creeping wider. However, more concerning was the sudden sharp spike in Randenite radiation. Cad immediately engaged the fighter’s armor shields and pulled on his helmet, which was stowed above his seat. He read the scanner again, noting that the intensity of the radiation was already approaching dangerous levels, even at his altitude, and inside the protective shell of his fighter.
Suddenly, the ship began to shudder and become erratic as the gravitational flux intensified. He began to lose altitude at an astonishing rate, but Cad managed to wrestle with the controls and turn the ship away from the epicenter of the explosion. As his distance to the detonation site increased, Cad felt the ship start to respond normally again. He saw another plume of smoke rising from a clearing in the swampland, a few kilometers beyond the burning remains of the complex. Reducing velocity and dropping lower, Cad approached the column of smoke. His gut tightened as he realized that the smoke was emanating from the crashed remains of Draga Vex’s fighter.
17
Hallam woke to the shriek of alarms blaring out inside the cargo hold of Ruby’s fighter. His head was still throbbing and he tried to blink away the pain, but each shrill tone of the alarm was like a needle being pushed into his eyeballs.
“Hal, where are you!” Hallam heard a voice cry, but whether it was Ruby or Dakota, he couldn’t be sure. He untangled himself from the cargo netting and hauled his weary frame upright, but was then immediately knocked to his back as the fighter shuddered, as if it had been struck by an asteroid.
“Hal!” the cry came again, though this time, he could clearly discern it as Dakota’s voice.
“I’m here,” Hallam called back, again struggling to climb to his feet as more violent shudders rocked the ship. “What the hell is going on?”
Hallam made it into the cockpit and saw that they were travelling through bridge space. However, the swirling red borders that he was so used to seeing looked somehow wrong to his eyes, as if the fighter were almost constantly on the verge of dropping back into normal space.
“What’s wrong?” Hallam said, grabbing the back of Ruby’s seat to steady himself.
Dakota looked up at him from the second seat, and her brow immediately furrowed. “Damn it, Hal, you look worse than I do,” she said, though it was not meant as a joke, and Hallam didn’t laugh. The swelling on Dakota’s face had gone down, likely as a result of meds she’d taken while Hallam was out cold, but she still looked like she’d been through a war. For Dakota to imply that Hallam’s appearance was more beat-up than her own, he must have looked like death warmed up.
“I’m fine,” Hallam lied, “but I assume we won’t be soon. Is there something wrong with the Shelby Drive?”
“The drive system is fine,” said Ruby while continuing to battle with the ship’s controls. “It’s the bridge that’s collapsing.”
Ruby’s hands were clenched tightly around the control column, and Hallam could see that she was trying to vector the output from the Shelby Drive to adjust their trajectory through the bridge. He peered down at Ruby’s navigation computer and saw that the bridge was destabilizing rapidly, and that they were caught on the edge. It was like they were a bowling ball that had rolled off the lane and got trapped in the gutter. If they couldn’t pull the fighter out of this sub-dimensional groove, they’d eventually crash back into normal space. If that happened, the stresses would tear them apart, spreading their wreckage across a dozen light years.
“Have you thought about cutting the Randenite fuel supply to starve the Shelby Drive?” asked Hallam, trying to think through their options.
“That was the first thing we tried,” said Dakota, answering on behalf of Ruby, who was still all consumed with the task of piloting the ship. “But there’s some sort of power surge. It’s like the drive is drawing energy from the bridge itself.”
Hallam turned his head and coughed, rubbing his eyes. The effect of the drugs that Ruby had given him on Orcus had worn off, and he was feeling rough again.
“What about using our Darkspace interjector?” Hallam asked, turning back to face Dakota. “That could knock out the Shelby Drive and drop us back into normal space, right? I mean, that’s what the doc designed it to do, after all.”
However, Dakota didn’t appear to have been listening. Instead, she was peering at the pale, clammy skin of Hallam’s face, her bruised brow furrowed into a frown.
“Hal, what’s the matter?” Dakota said, her tone bordering on aggressive. “And don’t lie to me this time. You’re a lousy liar, and I can tell you’re not well.”
“Look, I got exposed to the alien tech in the complex for a little longer than I should have done, that’s all,” Hallam replied before coughing into his shoulder. In truth, he was worried too, but there was nothing anyone could do about his condition until they reached the hideout. “I’ll let the doc look me over once we get back, but first, we have to actually get back.”
Dakota’s frown remained, but she didn’t push Hallam further, and instead responded to his earlier suggestion. “The interjector could work, but it was designed to be deployed from within normal space,” Dakota said, as the ship was thudded from the side, forcing Hallam to clutch the back of the seat even more tightly.
“Sorry, my bad,” said Ruby, though it was delivered without her usual cocky swagger. Under normal circumstances, Hallam would have then expected a gum bubble to expand out of her mouth, but the fruity sphere was conspicuous by its absence. For Ruby to not be chewing gum meant things really were serious. “Though if you can figure something out quickly, that would be great. I can’t hold us here forever,” Ruby added.
Hallam rubbed his temples, partly because they were throbbing, but also in an effort to help him think. He had an idea, but he knew Dakota wouldn’t like it. He didn’t like it either, but in the absence of another suggestion, it might be their only shot.
“I can go into the engineering crawlspace and disable the interjector’s emitter array,” Hallam said, causing Dakota’s frown to deepen further. “That way, when we turn it on, the field effect will be localized around this ship.” Dakota nodded then unclipped her harness and tried to push her way past Hallam. “Hey, where the hell are you going?” said Hallam, stepping back to block Dakota’s path.
“I’m going to disable the emitter array, like you just said,” replied Dakota, managing to muscle her way through as the ship continued to shudder violently.
Hallam staggered after her, bouncing off the walls like he was drunk. “No way, Dak, you can’t handle the radiation,” he called after her as Dakota pulled open the hatch leading into the narrow crawlspace beneath the deck.
“It seems that neither can you,” Dakota hit back, sitting down and dropping her legs through the hatch, but Hallam hooked a hand under her arm to stop her from going any further.
“If I wasn’t resistant, then I’d have died back on the rogue world, along with the other CSF enforcers who got dosed,” said Hallam, kneeling so that his eyes were level with Dakota’s. “And besides, I’ve already been exposed, Dak. It makes no sense for you to get dosed too.”
Dakota sh
ook her head. “There’s a good chance Dr. Rand can still help you, but if you get exposed again, it could tip you over the edge.”
Hallam held Dakota’s shoulders gently and waited for her to look into his eyes. “Look, Dak, it comes to this. If you go in there, you’re dead for sure. If I do it, I might still be able to survive.” Dakota looked away, clearly angry that logic did not favor her argument.
“Whatever you’re going to do, make it fast!” Ruby yelled back at them. “The bridge integrity is falling by the second. We may only have a couple of minutes, at most.”
Dakota cursed then slid her legs out of the hatch. “Fine, you go,” she snapped, not attempting to hide her anger. “But if you die down there, I’ll kill you.”
Hallam snorted a laugh. “And if I don’t die, then you’re buying the drinks back at the hideout.”
Dakota shook her head. “They’re free, dummy,” she said, though with a touch more warmth. “Now hurry up and get this done.”
“Yes, boss…” said Hallam, dropping down into the crawlspace and pulling the hatch closed behind him. Lights flickered on in the tunnel, and he immediately set to work, leopard-crawling through the narrow passageway toward the Shelby Drive section. The noise of the ship’s systems and the rattles and clatters reverberating through the hull seemed to be amplified tenfold. It was like standing next to a hammer drill without wearing ear-defenders.
Hallam reached the Shelby Drive and entered the access codes to unlock the protective shield doors enclosing the system. The Darkspace interjector was fed from the drive, and the only way to access it directly was from the inside. The usual automated warnings rang out inside the crawlspace, assaulting Hallam’s already fragile brain. He confirmed the command, and a secondary shield door dropped down behind him. He was forced to pull his feet up to avoid them being cut off at the ankle. Once the secondary radiation shield was in place, the main housing of the Shelby Drive was revealed.
“Hallam, in about one minute, we’re going get scrambled halfway across the galaxy,” said Ruby, her voice blaring out even louder than the warning message had done. “Tell me you’re ready…”
Hallam shuffled further toward the Shelby Drive housing, feeling the pulse of the alien-derived engine pounding through his body. “Almost!” he yelled back, nearly passing out from the pain that instantly shot through his temples. He stretched out his fingers and grabbed the cable connecting the interjector to the emitter unit that was fitted to the underside of the hull. Come on, damn it! Hallam cursed as his fingers struggled to gain purchase on the cable.
“Any time now!” Ruby cried out.
Hallam pressed out his toes and used the shield door to push himself forward by another inch. His face was now jammed up against the drive housing, making his already battered head feel like it was inside a potato masher. Then he finally managed to wrap his fingers around the cable and yank it back hard. It detached with a satisfying click.
“Do it, now!” Hallam yelled, pushing himself away from the drive housing and flopping down onto his belly.
The rising whine of the interjector system cut through Hallam like the wail of a banshee, and seconds later, the rhythmic pulse of the Shelby Drive vanished, plunging the crawlspace into silence. He felt a heavy thud, like someone slamming a car door. Then the rattles and shimmies that had been a persistent presence since he’d regained consciousness in the cargo hold were gone too.
Hallam turned onto his back, though even the effort of doing this was almost too much, and hit the control panel to re-establish the shield door around the Shelby Drive. The heavy metal panel slid down, and Hallam waited for the secondary shield to raise up so that he could crawl out again. However, for some reason, the door remained closed.
18
Hallam closed his eyes and let his body go limp. With the ship no longer being battered like a kettle drum, he allowed the comforting silence to wash over him. Then it was suddenly shattered again.
“Hal, you did it!” cried Dakota over the speaker, startling Hallam so that he jolted his head against the top of the crawlspace. However, like Hallam’s peace, the jubilance in her voice was also short-lived. There was another deathly pause before she asked, “Hal, are you okay?”
“I don’t feel any worse than I did before I crawled in here, if that’s what you mean,” replied Hallam. He then rubbed his head where he’d banged it, and added, “Well, not much worse anyway.”
“We got lucky,” said Dakota, though Hallam didn’t feel particularly lucky at that moment. He was still stuck in a crawlspace with his head less than a meter away from a radioactive sub-dimensional propulsion system. “The level of Randenite radiation in the crawlspace remained low,” Dakota continued more brightly. “I don’t know exactly why, but it could have had something to do with the drive feeding off the bridge, rather than from our Randenite fuel supply. Ruby had already shut the fuel valves, so there was very little Randenite still in the drive system.”
Hallam coughed and squirmed around the crawlspace, trying to redistribute his weight. He was already getting a tingling sensation in his feet from the constricted blood flow and was beginning to feel claustrophobic too.
“That’s great, Dak,” replied Hallam wearily. “Now, how about you get me out of here? The secondary shield door is still down.”
There was another awkward silence before Dakota responded. “I’m afraid the compartment is still flooded with radiation,” she said cagily. “It’s not a huge amount, but we need to run you through decontamination before the door will unlock.”
Hallam scowled. “Decontamination? What does that involve?” he said, feeling a sudden sense of foreboding.
“Just shut your eyes,” said Dakota, though her tone had altered again. It was almost like she was trying to stifle a laugh, Hallam thought. “Oh, and close your mouth too…”
“Close my mouth?” Hallam repeated. “Why the hell should I…” However, before Hallam had a chance to finish the sentence, a milky mist started to be pumped inside the sectioned-off crawlspace. Crap, not again! Hallam thought, realizing that he was about to get covered in decontamination compound for a second time that day. Closing his eyes and mouth, he let the mist cover him from head to toe. However, unlike the room in the complex on the rogue world, only a small amount of compound had been released inside the crawlspace. Hallam heard the whir of the pumps stop and he opened his eyes and mouth, taking a gulp of the now acrid-tasting air. The mist had already started to dry, forming a gel-like second skin that even managed to penetrate beneath his clothes.
“Okay, now that you’ve cleaned me up, can you open the damn door,” grumbled Hallam, again sure he could hear stifled laughter on the other end of the comm channel.
“There’s just one more thing I need you to do first,” replied Dakota.
“Ah, come on, Dak, what now?” Hallam hit back. The snickering seemed to have stopped, but Hallam remained suspicious, and he was also rapidly losing patience.
“Your flight suit is still contaminated, so you’ll need to remove it before leaving the crawlspace.”
Hallam wasn’t one to swear often, but on this occasion, his immediate response to Dakota’s suggestion was littered with a healthy number of the English language’s more colorful profanities.
“Don’t worry, Hal, we’ve got a spare flight suit out here,” Dakota said, offering precious little sympathy for Hallam’s predicament.
Hallam cursed again then grumbled continuously as he struggled to remove the gel-coated flight suit, like a snake shedding its skin. When he was finally done, he hammered his fist on the roof of the crawlspace and yelled, “Okay, I’m finished, now open the damn door already!”
There was no response over the speaker, but the shield door then slid back, allowing Hallam to shuffle inelegantly toward the hatch. However, with his skin sticky from a combination of sweat and decontamination gel, Hallam’s naked body squeaked across the metal deck like rubber against glass. Eventually, he made it underneath the hatch, his bac
kside smarting from friction burns, and it popped open dutifully. Hallam climbed out, doing his best to protect his modesty with at least one hand, before kicking the hatch shut. He then turned toward the front of the ship, cupping his private parts in both hands, only to see Ruby and Dakota standing there, hands on hips, twisted smirks lining their faces.
“Not bad, tanker man,” said Ruby, blowing out a red gum bubble and flashing her eyes at him.
“Dak, where’s the damn flight suit?” said Hallam, feeling his face flush hot with embarrassment
“Oh, it’s in the locker, in the cargo compartment, said Dakota, unable to hide her glee.
It was then Hallam realized he’d been had. “I didn’t need to remove my fight suit at all, did I?” he said, feeling foolish. Dakota’s smile grew wider and she returned a nonchalant little shrug. “Damn it, Dak,” snarled Hallam, turning around and hotfooting it into the cargo area. The deck was freezing cold, ironically making it look like he was dancing over hot coals. “I’ll get you back for this…” Hallam yelled as either Dakota or Ruby – he couldn’t tell who – wolf-whistled at him.
Suddenly, there was a flare of intense white light outside the ship, as if they were back on the rogue world with lightning strikes flashing off all around them. Dakota and Ruby immediately ran back into the cockpit, their mirthful expressions wiped clean off their faces.
Hallam pulled open a locker, rummaged inside until he found a spare base layer flight suit, and pulled it on before also rushing to the front of the ship. When he got there, he saw an enormous strip of light tearing through space, seemingly without end. It was pulsating and undulating, like the ripple of waves in the middle of the ocean.
“That’s something you don’t see every day…” said Hallam, unable to tear his eyes off the phenomenon.
Dakota was hurriedly assessing the scan readings on her computer, shaking her head the whole time. “We’re going to need Dr. Rand to make sense of it, but I’m detecting massive gravitational fluctuations inside that thing,” she said, eyes still fixed to her screen. “The effect is already extending out from it, causing the gravity in the surrounding space to go haywire too.”
