by Ray, Joseph
“Perhaps, my Queen, we should try a different approach?” Bastiian started. “We are most set in our ways, and we are all well aware of the nature of the Earth, but perhaps we should simply ask the Agent what he would advise? He is, after all, acting in place of the Military Advisors.”
The Queen smiled, a row of beaming white teeth presenting itself to the two men. She shifted forward in her seat, arching her back. As much as Nathan struggled to mind his eyes with Tana, Queen Reanna was making the effort impossible.
“Yes, let us hear what the Agent advises,” she decided.
Nathan looked to Bastiian, offering him a thankful nod of his head. He cleared his throat, then prepared his speech.
“I understand that you can’t just release the slavers to Mesa. Their government could care less about their efforts. The Cybers, and the Military Advisor program were intended to intervene when two planets came to opposing conclusions. So, I suggest that we add a third party to the mixture. Send them with me to Earth, where they can stand trial under Common Law. I doubt they would be executed, but slavery holds a lifetime sentence, according to the Common Law of the planets.”
“I understand how you came to that conclusion,” she stated. “However, you fail to recognize how that would make me appear to my people. They look to their Queen, and to their Overseers, for protection against such foul creatures as slavers. If I were to hand them over to you, it would be seen no differently than releasing them to Mesa. The people could lose faith in their laws and those who swore to uphold them.”
Nathan frowned, realizing that he had no aces left up his sleeve. He’d tried reason, and he’d attempted to offer a compromise. Both had been shot down with the bat of the Queen’s long lashes. Reanna saw the shift in his approach, knowing that the Agent would cave in due time. She held her smile but pushed her bosom outwards as she continued to arch her back.
“I have nothing else to offer then,” Nathan started. “If you will not bend to reason, nor to compromise, then I’ve no choice but to stand aside. Good day.”
Nathan turned to leave, knowing the way back through the halls and the streets, fully intending to return to his ship. The people of Eden had been hospitable, but he’d enough of their barbaric ways.
Commander Dayne bowed to his Queen, then followed his guest from the hall. Nathan felt the steps closing in on him, but didn’t bother to wait for his escort. Bastiian increased his pace, eventually catching up with the Agent as he passed through the tall doorway. He waited until they were outside before speaking.
“You don’t approve,” he started. “I am curious as to why?”
Nathan looked up to the sun, trying to determine what time it was. He could easily pull his datapad from his pocket, but he tried to keep his primitive methods in keen practice. His stomach reminded him that he’d missed several meals today, the white peach the only nourishment he’d consumed.
“Of course, I can’t approve,” he muttered. “It isn’t in our culture to allow prisoners to be executed without a fair trial. Don’t get me wrong, there're plenty of people who see it the way you do, but it just isn’t something that we do on Earth. What happens when your judgment is wrong? What happens if you execute an innocent man? You can’t tell me that it never happens.”
“It doesn’t happen,” Bastiian stated. “I know you are unfamiliar with our laws, so I will forgive your ignorance. We do not blindly execute our prisoners. In cases, such as this one, we have a great number of witnesses to the crime. The evidence is concrete. Therefore, a trial isn’t necessary. If it were a dispute, say one man’s word against another’s, then a formal trial would take place. We are not barbarians, Agent Calloway.”
Calloway sighed, the rumbling of his stomach becoming apparent.
“Forgive me, where are my manners?” Bastiian continued. “You’ve traveled far, and we’ve yet to offer you a proper meal. Please, dine with Tana and myself tonight. Enjoy some fine food, finer wine, and a good night’s sleep. In the morning, the prisoners will be executed, and we can put the nastiness behind us.”
“No, I couldn’t,” he replied. “Your Queen has made her intentions clear, and I have nothing left to do here. I should be heading back home now. I appreciate the offer, though.”
Bastiian lowered his head, rubbed the back of his head, and offered a sheepish smile.
“Well, this is embarrassing,” he started. “I’m afraid you CANNOT leave.”
Nathan’s eyes shot open.
“I CAN’T leave?” he exclaimed. “Am I forbidden from leaving or something?”
“Oh no, nothing like that. It’s just that we assumed you would stay the night with us. Our Port Authorities noted the poor shape your Carris was in when you arrived, so our mechanics is fixing the issues with your ship. It will not be ready until tomorrow. I can call them, order all of our men to expedite the repairs, but it will still take several hours before your ship would be ready.”
Nathan looked up at the sun, still trying to ignore the grumbling of his stomach. He thought back to the white peach, remembering how sweet the fruit had tasted, and how pleasant the people had been. The image of Tana’s beauty came to his thoughts, making his decision all the easier.
“Are you fixing the oxygen leak?”
“I do recall seeing the word ‘oxygen’ on the order.”
“So what’s for dinner?”
***************
“Tell me what you see,” Bearden said, peeking around the corner at the harrier.
“Hard to say,” she replied. “If they’re down there, they’re hiding pretty good. You sure this is our best bet?”
Bearden didn’t answer as he watched the two men pace back and forth across the harrier. At the moment, he couldn’t distinguish between the guard and the pilot, making it impossible to know which one to shoot. Both were wearing the same uniform, and neither had any equipment on them that would suggest they were a pilot. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, knowing that harriers didn’t exactly require oxygen mask or helmets to navigate. He shook off his stupidity, deciding that they’d have to take both men alive.
“Be ready to move,” he whispered. “Just keep it tight, and DON’T kill either of them until we know which one is the pilot.”
“What if they’re both guards?” she asked. “I mean, the pilot could be inside the building somewhere. Maybe they thought this through quicker than you did.”
Bearden swore under his breath but decided to stick with the plan. He waited a few minutes as the moment was yet to present itself. The two have been conversing since he first laid eyes on them, but neither had let their guard down longer than a moment.
He passed the time by running his plan through his head. They needed to get away from this facility, and out into the public. Parasus was a tourist attraction, littered with dozens of islands that had thousands of people pass through every day. With any luck, they’d be able to pass off as a tourist, get on a ship, and sail outta this mess before Divinity could figure out where they were.
The moment arrived. Bearden sprinted from the corner of the stairwell, his gun raised and aimed between both men. He felt the familiar thumps of Janys behind him, knowing that she was doing the same.
“Hands up!” he shouted. “Get em up, get em up!”
They closed the gap with the two men too confused to move. Their hands slowly drifted in the air when Bearden reached the nearest one, removing his pistol from his holster. Janys covered the second, disarming the man before shoving him into the open hatch of the harrier. Bearden stuffed his prisoner inside as well, closing the hatch behind him as they shoved the men towards the cockpit.
“Which one of you is the pilot?” he asked, looking to each startled man in turn.
“Fuck off,” one snapped.
Bearden snapped his fist into the man’s nose, breaking it cleanly before returning to the same facial expression as before.
“Again, which of you is the pilot?”
“I am,” the second man mut
tered, watching his comrade wipe the blood away from his face.
“Good, cuz here is the flight plan.”
Jaeger swore as his transport neared the Divinity building. He’d told Hannah not to send suits after the soldiers. The chatter on the radio informed him that he’d been correct to doubt their ability to take down two trained grunts. The driver swung the transport into the drive that swept in front of the entrance, just as the harrier lifted off from the top of the building.
“Hannah, are you taking Lache from the building?” he asked into his com link.
“Uh, no,” she replied. “We can hear the harrier, but that isn’t us.”
“Damn it,” he snapped. “I need two harriers down here, right now.”
Jaeger threw the door open as the transport slid to a stop on the dirt path. He watched the harrier pass overhead, the devices in his eye sockets scanning the airship. The metal of the hull was too thick for him to detect heat signatures, especially given that the skin of the metallic bird had been sitting in the sun all day, raising its exterior temperature to above that of a human body.
Five minutes passed before the first harrier came into Jaeger’s view. It landed out in front of the building, its side hatch open well before the wheels touched the ground. Jaeger sprinted to the ship as soon as it touched the ground, covering his eyes from the dust the ship’s engines threw at him. The smooth surface of his cybernetic eyes were difficult to keep clean, especially when fine dust particles were blown as high velocity. He leaped into the hatch, which closed as soon as he was safely on board.
“Get after them!” he shouted, taking a seat next to the pilot.
The harrier lifted from the ground, tracking the beacon of Lache’s personal harrier. The pilot eased the lever forward, causing the harrier’s engines to roar to life. As they closed in on the escapee’s location, Jaeger took a small, black canister from his pocket, pressed it to his right eye, and pressed the button. A thin stream of liquid shot out, which he repeated onto the left eye. The seals in his eyelids went to work, scrubbing the eyes clean as they passed over the surface, which he then dried with the tip of his shirt.
The Cyber tried to piece together the Sargent’s plan. Given that the CEO’s harrier wasn’t capable of spaceflight, he knew that they’d make for a ship that was. The capital was long ways off, leaving them few options of where to land their stolen ship. They could make for one of the spaceports, but they were heading in the wrong direction for that. That left them no other option but to head towards a military outpost. Perhaps Bearden thought he could reason with a fellow soldier. The thought brought a smile to his thin lips.
“There’s our escort,” the pilot said.
Jaeger looked through the windows, noting that a harrier had pulled up to both sides. He’d asked for two ships, but he wasn’t going to argue logistics for overkill. Bearden had proven his worth at this point, perhaps leaving them little choice but to throw everything they had at the former Marine.
“We’re twenty miles out,” the pilot added. “Should be seeing them soon.”
Just as the words left his lips, Jaeger switched the focus in his eyes, changing to a telescopic view. He made out the back end of the escaping harrier, precisely nineteen and a half miles ahead of them. A few seconds passed, and they were eighteen miles out. Jaeger estimated they would be within firing range in just over a minute unless they wanted to use the cannons instead of the missiles. The CEO’s harrier was built for comfort, not speed, leaving them no chance of outrunning the military harrier’s superior engines.
“We have a missile lock,” the pilot informed him. “Do you want me to fire?”
“Well, I doubt we can TALK them down,” he snapped. “Take them out already.”
The pilot sighed as he hit the red button on the right side of his stick. The missile fired from the box under the harrier’s right wing, sending a smoking projectile towards the target. The missile was small, but the personal harrier lacked any type of armor that could withstand gunfire or a direct missile blast. A few seconds later, the rocket exploded into the tail of the harrier.
Jaeger watched the fiery wreckage plummet towards the ground. The nose spun wildly as it descended, spiraling into a satisfying explosion, just miles away from the military outpost. A smile returned to the Cyber’s face as he nodded for the pilot to take him back.
The driver of the transport didn’t know what hit him. One second, he was watching the Cyber jump into the harrier, then watched it take off and chase after Mr. Lache’s ship. The next second, everything just went black.
Bearden swung the wheel, barely missing a horse that had wandered across the dirt road. The land was barren, with only a few rock formations to mark their location. His head ached as his eyes grew tired of staring into the setting sun. The red glow stretched across the horizon, showing a series of villas to his left. Their white façade reflecting the red rays, giving them a devilish appearance. Trees sprouted up around the short walls of the housing complex, a winding lane stretching out the dirt road the Sargent struggled to stay on.
“Slow down,” Janys requested. “Going fast will only draw attention.”
He sighed, realizing that the Corporal was right. For now, they had time on their side. They’d stuffed the driver of the transport to the side of the building, underneath a heap of trash left over from the construction. Whenever the harrier’s occupants returned, they may have believed the driver left. Hopefully, they weren’t needing the driver at all other than to drop off the guy with the strange haircut. Something about that man gave Bearden the creeps.
They drove for miles before they reached the first city. The map showed it was a common destination for tourist to purchase goods and exotic clothing before setting out onto a sea voyage. As they drove closer, Bearden could quickly see that the streets were flooded with people. They were too far from the sea for him to know how many boats were on the water, especially since there were tall, white walls that separated the city from the water, acting as barricades during the flood seasons.
He pulled the transport around a small building, seemingly abandoned. The windows were empty, and there were signs of construction taking place. When they were well out of sight, he killed the engine to the transport, leaned his head back on the cushion of the seat, and closed his eyes. They dry fatigue kicked in, leading him to wonder when they would be able to get some rest.
His body jerked as he started to nod off.
“Some pretty nice dance moves, Sarge,” she whispered. “Mind if I cut in?”
Bearden managed to smile as he slipped the restraining belt from his chest and let it slide back to the side column. As he opened the door, clouds of conversation filled the air, leaving him with the hope that they may just disappear into the crowd and see his plan through to the end.
“Try the building first,” she told him, slamming her door shut.
The back door to the unfinished building hadn’t been installed, leaving a tarp hanging over the opening as the only barrier against the elements. The first room of the building was little more than support beams, with two of them finished in stucco. The floor was still in a dirt stage though wooden lattes had been framed on the ground, meaning that the floor would be poured shortly. Everywhere he looked, he saw piles of rags, various hand tools, and tons of debris. At this point, he was starting to question why the Corporal wanted to stop here first.
“There,” she whispered.
Bearden scowled, only seeing a few buckets in the corner of the room. He watched Janys slump over one, her face sweeping to the side in protest. Suddenly, he felt embarrassed. He turned his back, allowing the Corporal some privacy.
“Thanks,” she muttered. “Don’t think I could go with you watching.”
“Yeah, don’t mention it,” he replied. “We need to ditch these clothes and the guns.”
“The guns?” she shrieked, pausing her stream. “What if we run into more trouble?”
“Wouldn’t matter. We won’t be allow
ed on the ships with firearms. I doubt we get through the stores around here either.”
“We should stick to the outdoor markets. Prices are always better.”
A thought crossed his mind. Divinity was everywhere. As soon as he flashed his pad and transferred some credits, they’d nail their location. He damned himself for not thinking that part through.
“You got any ideas for creds? We can’t use our pads anymore.”
“Yeah, I guess I can cover ya, sweetie.”
Bearden twirled around, just as Janys was zipping her pants. A bewildered look formed on his face, obvious to his companion.
“I assume we need a cover story. So you better practice falling in love with me. We ARE on our honeymoon, DEAR.”
“Ugh, do we have to be one of those couples? We both have red hair, maybe they’ll think you’re my daughter.”
“Your daughter? Really? I’m only ten years younger than you.”
“Just ten years? I thought I was closer to twice your age than that.”
Janys blushed as she walked up to the Sargent, noting the dumbfounded look upon the large man’s face. She gave him a quick peck on his cheek, then wiped it away with her finger.
“See, you can be sweet when you want to. Now let’s go clothes shopping.”
Bearden dropped his jaw to refute her statement, but she was already pushing through the canvas door to the back exit. He followed behind, catching up to her as she rounded the corner.
The street was alive. People in various levels of attire filled the streets, pushing past one another in groups. Men in white shirts, far too big for their torsos, and black pants with no shoes tried to offer handbags to the finely dressed women that passed. Women in tight dresses and far too much makeup tried to flatter to men who lacked female companions. Bearden locked eyes with one as they passed, which he was awarded an elbow into his ribs.
