Freelancers_Kidnapping In Outer Space

by Larry Payne

  He motioned Sando to the chair in front of the desk and the big man sat on its edge. “My greatest triumph is at hand. I’m going to destroy Freedom Station.”

  Sando stared at Kai in disbelief. “You can’t be serious. That’s suicide!”

  “We have risked death many times before and for a lot less,” said Kai.

  “That was against one or two beings that weren’t as good as us. But, you’re talking about taking on the Galactic Federation. That’s insanity.”

  Kai moved to the chair and put his feet up on the desk. “They want me bad enough to put a one million credit bounty on my head. So, I’m going to give them the opportunity to collect.”

  Sando moved to the edge of his seat. “Think about what you’re planning.”

  “I’ve been thinking about it ever since they posted their bounty. The time to strike is now while the fleet is spread all over the galaxy looking for me. I can attack and be gone before they can respond.”

  “You’ll never pull it off,” said Sando, shaking his head. “Your lust for power is going to kill you and you’re going to take us with you.”

  Kai pulled his feet from the desk, stood up, leaned over the desk and looked Sando in the eyes. “You know what I think? I think you’ve lost your nerve.”

  Sando rose from his chair, turned and strode from the room with Kai close behind.

  “No spine, Pandel!” said Kai from the door. “You’re scared!” All eyes followed Sando through the control room until he disappeared into the lift. When the doors closed, the big man stepped back into the room.

  “Have you lost your mind?” Kai turned back around to see the room door slide closed behind Rena.

  “It doesn’t concern you,” said Kai.

  “Oh really!” Rena stepped toward him and pointed back toward the door. “I sit in that chair next to you and it doesn’t concern me.”

  “You sit in that chair next to me because I let you. You can leave anytime!”

  Without a reply, Rena turned, paused to let the door slide open and stormed across the bridge toward the lift. She gave Kai a hard stare until the lift doors closed.

  Kai strode across the quiet room and eased into the command chair. “Set a course for Freedom Station.”

  * * * *

  Sando entered his quarters and sat down at the Comm station, initiating it to send a message. He directed the destination and punched in the words, Freedom Station. He received the acknowledgement that the message was sent and he shut down the Comm station.

  When the door chimed, he stepped to the sofa and sat down. “Come.”

  “Sando, what happened up there?” asked Rena as she entered the room.

  “Kai and I had a little difference of opinion about his next target”

  “Which is?”

  “Freedom Station.”

  Rena’s eyes widened in surprise. “Is he mad?”

  “I don’t know, but I objected and he told me I’d lost my nerve and…well, you heard the rest.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “What’re you doing here, Rena? Kai need to know my intentions.”

  “You know better than that, Sando. I’ve never been Kai’s puppet and I never will be. In no uncertain terms, he told me I was just along for the ride. I wish there was some way to stop him.”

  Sando wondered how much he could trust Rena. She didn’t like what Kai did at Bendia anymore than he did. Attacking a neutral planet now had the Federation patrolling space for them. Was she putting out feelers now? He was going to go with his gut and trust her.

  “I think I have a way to stop him, but we have to wait for the right time,” he said.

  Rena sat on the sofa beside Sando and looked down at her folded hands in her lap. “Sometimes, I think I should have left when he found me in that locked room. Things would have been a lot less complicated with Owen Clayton.”

  Sando picked up Rena’s hands and held them between his own. “We’ll stop him, we just have to pick our spot. A lot of the men are upset with what he did on Balta. We shouldn’t have any trouble getting some of them to follow us. Just be patient.”

  She nodded her head. “Okay, but you be careful. If Kai finds out, he’ll kill you.”

  Sando smiled at Rena. “I’ll be fine. You better go before he starts to wonder where you’re at.”

  Rena rose from the sofa and moved toward the door. “Please be careful,” she said, before stepping through it.

  Sando sat back and rested his head on the back of the sofa. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. He’d tipped his hand and hoped he wasn’t wrong about Rena.

  Chapter 19

  Admiral William Morgan exited the lift and the crew on the bridge of Freedom Station snapped to attention. “Admiral on the bridge!”

  “As you were,” he said, as he strode along the outer edge of the busy control room. He knocked on the side of the open door on the opposite side.

  Dragit Dujon, sitting at the vidscreen, spun around in his chair. “Admiral, come in. What’s on your mind?”

  “I just talked to the President. He said they got another message.”

  “And?”

  “Kai’s next target is Freedom Station.”

  Dujon sat motionless for a few moments. “I’ll put the station on full alert,” he said.

  “I’ve got a plan,” said William, “but I’ve got to wait for Magnus to return. We’ll keep the station on full battle alert until we can put the plan into effect.”

  “You sure put a lot of faith in those freelancers. We’ve got a whole unit of Special Forces on Freedom Station. What can they do that ours can’t?”

  “The freelancers know Kai. That’ll make the difference.” William started for the door. “I’ll be in my quarters if you need me.”

  The Freelancers were waiting when William returned and he informed them of the message.

  “So what now?” asked Magnus.

  “We wait and watch,” said William. “Kai doesn’t know we know he’s coming.” Alarms sounded and a ring of lights around the door flashed red. “The station’s been put on full battle alert. We’ll have a surprise for Kai when he gets here.”

  “All our ships are here,” said Magnus. “We can patrol out a little farther. Maybe we can spot him before he gets here.”

  “A few minutes warning could make a difference,” said Kalar.

  “If he’s traveling cloaked, he’ll have to uncloak to launch his spacecraft or use his weapons,” said Trace. “Maybe one of us will get lucky and be in the right place at the right time.”

  “We’ll leave right away,” said Magnus.

  William extended his hand to the Freelancer leader. “Good luck and good hunting.”

  Brick Stanton turned to William when the door slid closed. “Think they’ll find Kai, Admiral?”

  “Oh, they’ll find him, all right. Let’s just hope they all come back when they do,” said William.

  Chapter20

  Trace Brodine’s seat in Vindicator’s upper gun turret provided him with an unobstructed view of the star field around them. He rotated the turret and thought about the circumstances that brought him into this planet hopping mess. Had he not agreed to the marriage of Rena to Owen Clayton, she would not have been abducted. She would not have been there when Kai took over. Did she stay with him on her own or did he force her to stay?

  Before he could ponder the question anymore, he stopped rotating the turret and removed the cigar stub from the corner of his mouth. He squinted at the light shimmer appearing directly in front of him.

  “Boys, I think we got company,” he said into his headset, his eyes glued to the fast appearing starship.

  “Where?” asked Magnus.

  “Behind us.”

  “Time to scoot,” said Magnus after a moment. “Hang on, this might get sticky.”

  Trace felt the vibration of the engines intensify until a firetail spewed from the engines, hurtling Vindicator forward.

  A broad beam of light appeared from Excalibur and followed be
hind the fleeing spacecraft until it engulfed it.

  “We’re slowing down,” said Trace.

  “We’re caught in their tractor beam. I don’t know if we have enough power to break free,” replied Magnus.

  Trace slid from the gun turret and rushed to the cockpit. Every light on the control panel blinked as the gauges crept toward overload, but Magnus maintained a full throttle. The ship started to rise toward the underbelly of the Super Star Cruiser.

  “Shut her down, Quentin,” said Trace. “She’s gonna blow. We can’t break free.”

  Magnus looked up at Trace and then grimaced as he jerked back on the throttle and shut down the engines. The tractor beam pulled them up and deposited them gently on Excalibur’s deck.

  “I guess we been invited to stay,” said Trace.

  Magnus and Qwee unbuckled their seat belts. “Shall we go meet our host,” said Magnus.

  “Lead on, brave Captain,” said Trace, sweeping his arm.

  Magnus lead the trio from the cockpit and slapped his palm on the plate next to the hatch. They stood for a moment to look at their welcoming committee. Armed guards ringed the ship with Kai’s imposing figure standing inside the circle. The big man stepped up to the bottom of the ramp to meet his three captives.

  “Ah, to finally meet the ones who dared to interfere in my business. I lost some ships I couldn’t afford to lose because of you,” said Kai.

  “The odds were a little one-sided at the time,” said Magnus.

  “You butted in where you did not belong,” said Kai. “For that you will pay. But it will have to wait. I have more urgent business.” He motioned to the guards nearest to the trio. “Lock them up.”

  The big man turned to leave the circle. “Going to leave without saying hello to family?” Kai stopped, slowly turned back around and approached Qwee, looking eye to eye with the Jebhari.

  “I have no family, Jebhari,” said Kai.

  “You forget quickly, Mondo Kai,” said Qwee. “You forget who opened up their arms and their home to you to try to keep you from becoming what you are.”

  Kai’s hand flashed up to Qwee’s throat. Blaster rifles were thrown to shoulders around the circle to halt moves by Magnus and Trace to help their companion. Kai tightened his grip, forcing Qwee to his knees.

  “Kai, no!” said Rena from beyond the circle.

  Kai bent over and whispered in the Jebhari’s ear. “The only reason I don’t choke the life out of you is because you saved me once. Consider that debt now repaid.”

  Kai jerked his hand away from Qwee’s throat and the Jebhari fell forward onto his hands, gasping for every precious breath of air he could get.

  “Take them and lock them up,” said Kai and he shouldered his way through the circle. Magnus and Trace helped Qwee to his feet and four armed guards escorted them toward the lift.

  Trace smiled and winked at Rena as they passed her and he got a slight smile in return.

  * * * *

  Dragit Dujon turned when the lift doors opened and William Morgan stepped onto the bridge.

  “Everyone’s checked in except Magnus,” said Dujon. The four ships running the advanced recon were supposed to check in at regular intervals.

  “We’ll have to assume they ran into Kai,” said William. “Sound Battle Stations, he may be headed here.”

  Dujon flipped up the cover on the arm of his chair and toggled the red switch sounding alarms and flashing red lights around the station. After a couple of minutes, the alarms stopped, but the red lights remained flashing.

  “We got to make Kai think he’s surprised us. Scramble the pilots, but keep them aboard and wait until the last minute to put up the station’s shields,” said William.

  “Aye, Sir,” said Dujon.

  * * * *

  When the recon ships were recalled, Kalar noticed Vindicator wasn’t among them. She called flight control and was told Magnus hadn’t returned.

  “Unidentified spacecraft,” blared her Comm speaker.

  She looked around and the Starfighters appeared, stretched across the star field, bearing down on Freedom Station. She wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her pants and returned them to the controls.

  “It’s show time,” she whispered.

  Chapter 21

  Sando Pandel watched from the viewport in his quarters as the Starfighters disappeared into open space. They must be close to Freedom Station, so he couldn’t wait any longer. He picked up his blaster from the bed and belted it on. He left his quarters and ran headlong into Rena exiting the lift.

  “I’ve got to talk to you,” she said.

  “No time,” said Sando. He grabbed Rena’s arm and led her back through the doors. He punched a button and the lift descended, reopening its doors on the detention level.

  “What are we doing here?” Rena asked.

  “Just follow me.”

  They strode down the corridor toward the cellblock. Sando visited the guards on occasion, so his presence there wasn’t unusual. They stopped at the circular desk where a guard sat monitoring every cell.

  “I want to inspect the cell block,” said Sando.

  The guard flipped a switch and dropped the force field on the cellblock entrance and Sando led Rena down the double row of cells. She stopped when she heard a familiar voice call her name. She turned to see Trace sitting on the cot in his cell.

  “Daddy.” She hurried over to her father with Sando close behind.

  “Trace?” said Sando.

  “That’s what I came to tell you,” said Rena. “That Daddy was here with two friends. Kai had them locked up.”

  “We’ll get you out of here, Trace, just hold on a few minutes,” said Sando. “When the force field drops, go to the front of the cellblock.”

  They continued on to the cell of Medalo Corpus. The Captain rose from his cot when they approached.

  “Follow me if you want your ship back,” said Sando. He smacked a button on the front of the cell with the heel of his hand and the force field blinked off. “Be quiet and walk ahead of us.”

  “Kai wants to see Corpus,” said Sando when they reached the cellblock entrance. The guard hesitated for a moment, then dropped the force field. They continued on to the desk.

  “Do I need to sign something?” asked Sando.

  The guard brought a clipboard and when he leaned over to put it on the desk, Sando landed a solid right fist to his jaw. The guard was out before he hit the deck.

  Sando stepped around to the control panel and, after a short search, flipped a switch dropping the force fields to all the cells. He, then, stepped over to where Medalo Corpus waited in the corner next to a locker. “It’s locked,” he told Sando, who drew his blaster and opened the locker.

  “Bingo,” said Medalo, when he opened the doors to an array of blasters, blaster rifles and bandoliers of power cells. He stuck a blaster in the waist of his pants and tossed a rifle to Sando.

  He found two sets of shackles in the bottom of the locker. He carried them to the unconscious guard and secured his hands and feet. He returned to the locker and took a rifle for himself.

  They turned toward the running boot steps coming from the cellblock. The rest of the captured crew, along with Magnus, Qwee and Trace, appeared at the desk.

  The shackled guard started to stir and raised his head from the deck. Sando stepped over and put him out with the butt of the rifle.

  “What’s the plan?” asked Trace, dropping a blaster into his empty holster.

  “We’re going to try and take the ship back before it reaches Freedom Station,” said Sando.

  Magnus jammed a power cell into his rifle. “Well, let’s go, we’re wastin’ time.”

  Sando turned to the Chief Engineer. “We must have the engine room back.”

  “Not a problem.” The remaining members of the Engineering crew jogged to the lift.

  Suddenly, alarms sounded and red lights flashed along the bulkheads.

  “Time just ran out,” said Medalo.

>   Chapter 22

  The appearance of Kai’s Starfighters launched Freedom Station’s Defender Squadron. They assembled into a defensive front paralleling the oncoming attack force. Kalar Dumark looked one way and then the other when the Defenders fell in beside her.

  “Steady, Defenders,” crackled her headset. She sensed her heart rate quicken as the approaching raiders loomed larger.

  “Defenders, let’s give ‘em what they came for,” her headset crackled again.

  As a unit, Defender Squadron shot forward. The sleeker, faster Starfighters pulled away from the three freelancer’s ships and lit up the space around Freedom Station as they engaged the enemy. Kalar and her companions joined the fray at full throttle, her flying skills in evidence as she weaved through the network of laser fire and brilliant fireballs.

  Basko Zarr streaked by her, twisting and turning to avoid the enemy fighter hot on his tail. Kalar dropped in behind both of them. “I got your back, old man.”

  Basko took a hard left turn, momentarily eluding his pursuer. Taking advantage of the Basko’s quick thinking, Kalar fired her lasers into the enemy fighter’s engines igniting a fiery explosion.

  “Thanks, Kalar,” said Basko and rocked his wings. He turned his ship and headed back toward the battle.

  “I’m not going to have time to keep bailing you out,” she said and followed him back into the fray.

  * * * *

  “Look beyond the battle, Admiral,” said Dragit Dujon, sitting on the bridge with William Morgan watching the progress of the battle.

  William redirected his field of vision toward the Super Star Cruiser in the distance, slowly looming larger as it neared Freedom Station. “No mistake about who that is.”

  Though formidable, William was sure Freedom Station could withstand anything Excalibur could throw at them. It was just a matter of how damage the Super Star Cruiser would inflict before it was stopped.

  “He’s not even coming in cloaked,” said Dujon. “Things are going to get very ugly, very fast.”

  * * * *

  Anticipation of battle was almost more than Kai could stand. Seeing the struggle in front of him brought a smile to his face.