The Renegade Star Series: Books 1-3 (Renegade Star Box Set)

by JN Chaney

  “Captain, are you sure about that?” asked Freddie.

  “What’s not to be sure of?” asked Abigail. “Alphonse’s life is on the line.”

  I raised my brow. “Since when do you care about the Constable? I thought you hated that guy.”

  “I don’t hate him,” she snapped, with a harsher tone than I expected. “He just… he saved me down there. I don’t want him to die because of it.”

  “So, you feel like you owe him something. Is that it?” I asked. “It’s your guilt that’s making you care?”

  “No, it’s not that,” she said, pausing. “Or maybe it is. I don’t know. I just don’t want him to die.”

  I walked closer to her, until I was less than a meter away. “I don’t want him to die, either. Gods know why.” I laughed, shaking my head. “But don’t forget where you are.”

  She scoffed. “And where is that?”

  “In the middle of a war,” I answered.

  ELEVEN

  “What exactly do you plan on doing with me, sir?” asked Doctor Dressler. The woman scowled at me with accusatory eyes. It was the kind of look I used to get all the time, back when I was a kid. Always the vagrant, always the suspect. In this case, I actually was the one responsible, but she wasn’t going to get the satisfaction of hearing me say it. Sure, I had just kidnapped this woman and brought her to my ship against her will, but that was besides the point.

  “Listen, lady,” I said, never one to apologize. “I don’t know if you realize it or not, but your own people were down there trying to kill you. They shot at all of us, not just me. Not just Abigail. All of us.”

  “That’s because what you stole is more valuable than a single life, including mine,” she said.

  “Is that a fact?” I asked, leaning against the door panel with my arms crossed. Unlike Alphonse, who was a trained assassin and spy, I decided not to keep my gun pointed at her face the entire time we talked. That didn’t mean I still wouldn’t keep my distance. There was always a chance she was more than she appeared. Abigail had taught me that. “The union doesn’t give a shit about you, lady. They don’t give a shit about anybody. Doesn’t matter who you are or what your job is.” I started to laugh. “For gods’ sake, you were the lead scientist in one of their most prestigious facilities in the entire galaxy, and they still almost killed you. The way I see it, you don’t owe the Union anything, especially loyalty.”

  “Are you seriously giving me a lecture on ethics and loyalty right now?” she asked. “That’s interesting, coming from a Renegade. Don’t you people murder and steal on a daily basis?”

  “Well, I do try,” I said, giving her a wink.

  She scowled at me again, apparently not liking my charming personality. Her loss. “Just let me go and I promise not to tell anyone anything,” she said.

  “I’ll tell you what, Doc,” I began. “Have a little patience and sit your ass in this room for just a bit longer, give me a chance to get my shit in order, then when I have a spare second, I’ll give you a shuttle and send you on your merry way. How’s that?”

  She stared at me for a moment, an odd look in her eyes, like she was waiting for me to take it back. “Is this some kind of joke?” She asked.

  “No joke,” I told her, speaking only the truth. “I wouldn’t lie about letting you go. Despite what you may think of me, I ain’t the bad guy here. Not this time, contrary to how much I might want to be.”

  “Why would you just let me go like that?” She asked.

  “Because it’s one less mouth to feed. One less person to take care of,” I explained. “And honestly, lady, you just ain’t worth the trouble. I got a crew to look after, but that doesn’t include you.”

  “Good,” she answered, not hiding her annoyance with me. “How long before I can leave?”

  I chuckled at her blunt attitude. “Gimme a few days. You can go after we put some distance between the Union and this ship. Fair enough?”

  “You kidnapped me and you’re asking if this is fair?” she asked.

  “Right,” I said, tapping my chin. “Well, it’ll have to do.”

  I shut the door between us, leaving her in the room to marinate on our talk. She’d probably call me a monster in her head, tell herself I was nothing but a dog, and she’d be right.

  I’ve always been an animal.

  * * *

  I received a message from Athena on my way to the landing bay. “We will emerge from slipspace momentarily, Captain.”

  “How long until you have the med bay up and running?” I asked, making my way through the corridor.

  “Not long. I suggest you begin transporting the patient immediately,” her disembodied voice told me.

  I started jogging, winding through the hall and nearing the final turn before the landing bay. The second I entered, I spotted Octavia next to Alphonse, with Bolin and Hitchens wiping their hands. They appeared to have blood on them. “Hey!” I shouted. “How’s he looking?”

  “Still alive,” Octavia told me.

  “What’s with the blood?” I asked as I approached, nodding to the two burly men a few meters from Octavia.

  “I couldn’t use my hands to do everything, and it got a little messier than I anticipated,” she explained. “I was concerned that if we didn’t act soon—”

  “Did it work?” I asked.

  She nodded. “As well as to be expected.”

  I stood over the Constable, watching him breathe. I guess you could’ve called him asleep, but he didn’t look like it. There was a peacefulness to sleep, something he didn’t have right now. With sweat on his cheeks and blood on his chest, soaking his shirt, the poor bastard looked like a mess.

  “We need to move him,” I said.

  “Where?” asked Octavia.

  I motioned at Bolin. “Think you can help carry him?” I asked.

  Bolin set the cloth down and, along with Hitchens, came back over to the Constable’s table. “I’ll help however I can.”

  “Me, too,” said Hitchens.

  I nodded, looking at Octavia again. “We’re taking him to the medical bay, the place I told you about with the pods. Athena says they’ll be online soon, so we need to hurry.”

  “That’s good news, but how do you expect to transport him?” she asked.

  “Wait here,” I said, then took off toward The Renegade Star’s loading deck.

  I returned a few minutes later with my hover cart, bringing it just beside Alphonse. “You want to take him on that?” asked Octavia.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  She sighed. “I guess it’s fine. Just be careful with him. Too much movement could upset the wound. Doctor Hitchens, would you mind assisting the captain?”

  “Of course,” said Hitchens. He walked next to Alphonse’s feet, placing his hands on the Constable’s ankles and giving me a short nod.

  I waited for Octavia to move, then got in close beside Alphonse’s right side, near his midsection, with Bolin across from me. Together, along with Hitchens, we lifted Alphonse off the table and moved him gently onto the hover cart.

  “Be extremely careful,” cautioned Octavia, rolling further out of the way, once we had the Constable secured. “The slightest bump could dislodge that bullet. If that happens, there won’t be anything I, or anyone, can do.”

  “We’ll be careful. Come on, Bolin. You’re coming, too. All three of you are.” I started to move the cart, walking quickly, but carefully, toward the exit corridor. “Let’s go save this kid’s life.”

  * * *

  We disembarked from the elevator on deck 19, not far from the medical bay. Athena directed me as we went, suggesting that it would still be several minutes before the facilities were back online.

  We’d just arrived out of the slip tunnel, which meant Titan’s systems could finally power on. It was just going to take some time, that’s all.

  I led the group to the third hall, which we took to the seventh room. It was clear this was the right place, because it was open and d
idn’t have a door attached, making for easy access. I imagined that whoever built this place must have wanted passengers to be able to come and go as they please.

  We pulled the cart inside the med bay, minding the archway so as not to bump the patient and accidentally kill him.

  I stopped, turning around to examine the room, and found myself surprised by all the machines. There were large pods all along the walls, ten on each side, with an enclosed room in the center-back, which appeared to have a closed door and glass windows. From a glance, I could see shelves of medical supplies inside.

  “Athena, what’s next?” I asked the empty room, glancing at the ceiling.

  “Power is being restored to this deck. Please, place the subject in the surgical pod,” answered the Cognitive.

  “Which one?” asked Octavia.

  “A moment, please,” said Athena.

  I heard a small beep to my left. One of the pods lit up, its lid raising to reveal a cushioned interior. “That’s our sign,” I said.

  “Proceed when ready,” said Athena.

  Bolin and I lifted Alphonse out of the cart and gently placed him inside the pod. He groaned when he was seated, and for a second I thought he might wake up. Instead, his head flopped down against his shoulder and he let out a wheeze. Bolin took the kid’s chin and moved it so his head was facing straight, then we backed away.

  The pod door closed immediately, and the entire machine tilted and moved, positioning Alphonse so he was on his back.

  We watched as the pod filled with a gentle light. I got in close, as did the others. Several small sticks—no, they were claws, extended from within the pod, each one glowing. One of them drew closer to Alphonse’s chest, hovering momentarily before it finally dove inside of him, phasing through to where the bullet waited.

  “It must be hard light,” said Octavia.

  “Hard light?” asked Bolin.

  “The same thing Athena is made of,” she responded.

  “Fascinating,” muttered Hitchens.

  I watched as several more claws joined the first, and after a moment, they began to retract, bringing the metal slug with them. It popped free of the hole, sliding out with ease.

  Some blood followed, but not as much as I expected. The claws responded by transforming into a syringe. It moved to the side of the pod and withdrew a gel-like substance, which it then proceeded to eject into the wound, filling it.

  The blood stopped soon enough, and the claws fully retracted, disappearing completely.

  I was about to ask if that was all there was to it when a small tube popped out from behind Alphonse’s neck. It extended itself, directly into his skin. The tube filled with liquid, going into his body.

  “The object has been successfully removed and the subject’s tissue will regrow within the hour,” said Athena, her voice coming from overhead. “Vitals are holding.”

  I heard Hitchens breathe a sigh of relief, next to me. I turned to see him lording directly over my shoulder. “Hey, watch it!” I barked.

  He stumbled back, trying to get out of the way. “M-My apologies!”

  “Is he going to be okay?” asked a familiar voice from behind. I turned to see Abigail standing in the archway, watching us.

  I paused, surprised to see her. Had she followed us here? Was her guilt still so strong that she needed reassurance?

  Athena chimed in with an answer before I could. “He will recover soon. His injury was moderately life-threatening.”

  “See?” I said, looking at Abigail. “Only moderately. The kid will be fine.”

  Octavia looked at me and Abigail, then wheeled herself away from the pod. “If the Constable is all set, I’d like to see to something. Hitchens, Bolin, if the two of you don’t mind.”

  “Oh?” asked Hitchens.

  Octavia motioned at the back of her chair.

  “Ah, yes, of course,” said the good doctor. He grabbed the handles and began to wheel her away.

  Bolin followed with them, and I watched the three head into the corridor, toward the elevator.

  Abigail approached, giving me a nod, then leaned close enough to see inside the pod, staring at the boy inside. She touched the glass, and I could see in her eyes how real the fear had been.

  Maybe she didn’t even know it herself, but there it was, behind those beautiful green eyes. A dreadful sort of fear that isn’t expected, the kind you don’t see coming. It was a surprise when you felt it, and the shock stayed with you until it was done, and you wondered why you never saw it before. You wonder how you could let it get this far.

  Abigail had treated this kid like garbage, ever since she first met him. It was hate that did it to her. Hate for the Union, for the people who did those awful things to Lex, back in that lab.

  I knew what it was like to have hate like that…to want a person dead because of what they represented. I knew it better than most, I wagered, and maybe that’s why I could so easily see the remorse that followed.

  Because I knew what it meant to be afraid of myself…

  Afraid of what so much hate might do to me.

  TWELVE

  Alphonse cracked his eyes open and blinked several times, trying to focus. He licked his lips, swallowing hard.

  “Welcome back,” I said, standing beside his pod. I was alone in the med bay, except for the Constable himself. Abigail had left only a few minutes ago, but would be back soon.

  “Where…?” muttered Alphonse, clearly confused about what was going on.

  “You took a bad hit in the chest. The bullet was lodged near an artery, but we got it out,” I explained. “Congrats. You get to live.”

  “That’s a relief,” he said, trying to smile.

  “Are you in a lot of pain?” I asked.

  He pushed himself up, trying to straighten his back. “It’s manageable. Thank you, Captain.”

  “Don’t thank me,” I said, fanning a hand at him. “I didn’t do shit.”

  He tried to laugh at my humility, only to cough instead.

  “You’re an idiot for doing what you did,” I said, after a short moment of silence. “You almost died because of it.”

  “I couldn’t let that woman die,” he said, giving me that same innocent expression I had grown accustomed to by now. Alphonse had never struck me as a Constable, not in the way I imagined them to be. He knew how to fight, sure, but he always looked so innocent, like he was just a kid, confused about what he was doing here. Being next to him had felt familiar, like talking with an old friend. At first, I’d thought it was a tactic to gain my trust, but now I was beginning to believe otherwise. Maybe this was just his personality. Maybe he really was just a kind person.

  “You risked your life to save Abigail,” I said, resting my hand on the side of the pod. “She treated you like crap.”

  “She had a good reason,” he said. “She was trying to protect a child.”

  The way he said it felt genuine, like he really believed it.

  “I must admit, I was concerned the bullet might have set off the bomb you gave me,” he continued, chuckling a little.

  “There never was a bomb, Al. Didn’t you figure that out already?” I asked.

  It was true. As much as I wasn’t sure about Alphonse at the time, putting a bomb inside his gut had simply been a bluff. Athena had explained that such a surgery would be too difficult, especially given how little power Titan had at the time. I figured bluffing would be enough to keep him in line, and besides, I was a quick shot…and he didn’t have a gun.

  “I was pretty certain you were lying,” he answered. “Although, one never knows about these things.”

  I nodded. “You’re welcome.”

  “For what?” he asked.

  “Not blowing you up,” I said.

  He smiled. “You’re always joking.”

  “What’s your deal, Al? What do you have to gain from helping any of us? Tell me the truth now, would you? I know there’s more going on inside that stupid head of yours than you’ve let on
.”

  He managed a laugh this time, but only a small one. “You have to understand, Captain. While I might have wanted to assist you, I am still a Constable. I couldn’t be certain you were in the right, not until I had enough data.” He cleared his throat. “I read about Lex when I was working in the Red Tower. It’s where the Constables keep all classified records. I’d heard about the experiments from a fellow of mine, someone you might call an associate, but not a friend. She had mentioned some interesting work being done in the Third Laboratory.”

  “The Third Laboratory?” I asked. “Is that the name of the place Lex was being held?”

  He nodded. “The very same. I located the files, which are on a closed system, meaning you can’t access them outside of the facility. I began to read about the work being done, and as I am prone to do, I became obsessed. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the children.”

  “Children?” I asked. “How many were there? Did they all have tattoos like Lex?”

  “No, not quite, although it wasn’t for lack of trying,” he said. “Upon their discovery of the child, they began working on a means of replicating the markings. Several children were used as test subjects, each for different reasons. Thousands of tests were attempted, all of which resulted in utter failure, as you may have already guessed.”