by J. J. Green
Flux was climbing out of his shirt, and Carl winced as the creature’s claws tugged his chest hair.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m gonna help, aren’t I?” replied Flux. He scrambled onto Carl’s shoulder and leaped off, taking to the air. The animal could fly faster than Carl or even the units could run, and he soon disappeared from view.
Carl sprinted to keep up with the pounding pace of the units, adrenaline cutting through his exhaustion. The auditorium was near. He turned a corner. The units had disappeared from view. They were in the auditorium. Carl heard screams and shouts and the sound of many people moving around. Harrington had guessed right. The crew was in there. Flux came flying out of the room and straight at Carl.
“Run,” he shouted as he passed overhead. “You got first prize. Loba’s in there.”
Carl didn’t need telling twice. He skidded to a halt and reversed direction before belting away. Harrington had been crystal clear: if they encountered Loba, they had to get out of there fast. Loba would turn the defense units from their best allies to their worst enemies. The voice of the master came from behind, shouting, “Units, kill Lingiari.” Loba must have stepped out of the auditorium in time to catch a glimpse of Carl running away.
But the copilot was gone, racing down the corridor. He didn’t stand a chance against seven defense units. He could never outrun them, and as soon as they got a visual on him, he’d be dead. He had to find somewhere to hide.
Where? The doors to either side of the corridor were closed and he couldn’t waste even a split second trying to open any of them. He wanted to call out to Flux, to see if the animal had a suggestion, but he had no breath to spare, and his little mate was out of sight. Probably just as well. It looked like it was game over for Carl. The adrenaline that had lent him speed couldn’t push his exhausted muscles much farther.
A pale brown shape fluttered briefly into view from a side corridor before disappearing again, leaving the words, “This way, mate,” hanging in the air. You beaut. Carl squeezed one last effort from his painful legs and put on an extra spurt, slipping down the corridor just as he heard the units enter the one he’d left.
To his right was an open door and a beckoning hand. It shot out and grabbed his arm, and Carl stumbled into the room. The door clicked closed as pounding feet approached in the main corridor. The copilot had collapsed on the floor. A man helped him sit up. He held his knees and sat gasping, unable to speak for several moments. Finally, he managed, “Thanks...?”
“Alef, geo-phys,” said the waiting man. He held out his hand and pulled Carl to his feet. “I’ve been watching out for you guys, hoping I could help. I was going into the main corridor to bring you here when your little friend happened to fly by. He told me to stay where I was and that he’d get you.”
Carl clasped Alef’s hand once more. “Lucky you did. Much too dangerous for you out there. Thanks, you old ****.”
Alef’s eyebrows rose.
“Sorry, I was talking to Flux.” The animal was hanging from the ceiling and grooming his belly fur. Carl added, “You said you’re geo-phys, like Margret?”
“That’s right. I’d been hoping someone would...”
Carl held up a finger to silence him. The sound of the units’ footsteps had faded, which meant Carl might have a chance at a bigger prize. He went to the door and opened it the slimmest crack. He put his eye to the opening. It was not long before he saw Loba stride past in the main corridor following in the path of the defense units, probably trying to catch up to them so that he could control them with voice commands. Carl mouthed the master’s name to Alef, opened the door wide and motioned for him to come closer.
The geo-phys scientist nodded his understanding. As one, the men ran out and after the master. They tackled him from behind. Alef grabbed him round his thighs, sending him toppling to the floor. Carl landed with his knees on the man’s back, forcing the air from his lungs. Alef reached for the weapon the master had strapped to his hips, pulled it out and flung it down the corridor.
Carl wasn’t a trained fighter, but he’d seen enough hand-to-hand combat in video games to last him a lifetime. He got Loba in a chokehold to stop him from speaking. If he called back the defense units, it would be all over for them. Together, they dragged the struggling man into Alef’s room.
When Alef let go of Loba’s legs to close the door, the master took his chance and kicked him in the head, sending him crashing into the wall. With a great wrench, Loba broke free. He ran to the door and bellowed, “Defense units, return to—” His words were cut short as Carl rammed into him, sending him through the door and into the corridor wall. The master’s head made contact face first with a crack, and blood streamed from his mouth and nose as he staggered to his feet.
Loba turned and sucked in a breath to shout again, but Carl punched him in the jaw. He reeled back.
A shout came from the end of the corridor. The second mate had followed Loba. He was pointing a gun at Carl, who immediately grabbed Loba and shielded himself with the master’s body.
The second mate advanced, and Carl backed up, dragging the struggling Loba with him, one hand clamped like a vice over his mouth. If only he had a weapon...but of course, he did have one. All this time, he’d been carrying the weapon Harrington had taken from the guard at the brig. He’d strapped it across his back. But if he wanted to grab it, he would have to loosen his grip on the master.
The two parties moved slowly down the corridor, the second mate advancing on the pilot and master. The officer passed Alef’s room, and the geo-phys scientist crept out and picked up the gun he’d taken from Loba. He lifted and aimed it at the second mate. “Drop it.”
Spinning to face the threat behind him, the second mate fired. At almost the same moment, Alef returned fire. Both Alef and the second mate fell, and the moment’s distraction this caused Carl was all it took for Loba to free himself. He didn’t waste time by fighting the copilot, but took off down the corridor, shouting for the defense units.
Carl cursed and ran to Alef. The second mate had winged him, but he was still alive. The officer who had shot him hadn’t fared so well.
“I’m all right. Go after Loba,” said Alef.
There was nothing Carl could do but follow the master and try to capture or kill him. He just hoped the defense units’ great speed had taken them far beyond the reach of his voice. If no one had ordered them to do anything different, they would still be searching for Carl. He pulled forward the weapon that hung across his back and set off.
He didn’t have to go far to catch up to Loba. Only a couple of corridors away was the mission room. Loba was standing at the entrance. He was pointing inside. As the words, “Units, kill that officer,” left his lips, Carl shot him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The lights went out. Krat. “Defense units, go, go, go,” shouted Jas, even as the unit at the top of the ladder opened the hatch and vaulted into the corridor. Above her, the rest of the units poured through the hatch in turn. She raced up the ladder. Laser fire from above told her that guards had been posted.
Jas leaped out and barreled down the corridor. It was a ten-minute walk to the flight deck. The units would be there in two. A door opened to her right. The medical center. Sparks looked out.
“Get inside and barricade yourself in,” called Jas over her shoulder as she flew past. She wondered what the doctor thought of her mental state now. The units were getting away. She sprinted, her weapon flying behind her on its strap.
Her only hope was that the high-power lasers of the defense units would burn through the reinforced flight deck door. If they got through and onto the deck, she stood a good chance of gaining control of the ship. If they couldn’t get access to the flight controls, it wouldn’t matter if they took out Loba and every other infected officer.
The sound of weapon fire came from up ahead. The units must have reached their destination or encountered resistance on the way. Jas tried to ignore th
e guilt that arose at the thought that the units might be killing shipmates. None of this was the crew’s fault. But if she was going to save the rest of them, it had to be done.
Something hard and heavy struck the back of her head. The floor of the corridor rose up toward her face, and the next thing she knew, she was on her front, nose pressed to tile. Someone was holding her wrists. She forced her arms apart and tried to get up. The strap of her weapon caught on her neck as someone removed it.
“She’s coming round,” said a voice.
Jas struggled to turn onto her back, but a knee was thrust into the space between her shoulder blades, and an adult’s full weight pressed down on her. She could barely breathe.
“Let me go,” she gasped.
Strong hands grabbed her wrists once more.
“Keep still, or I’ll melt your brains,” said another voice. It was the man kneeling on her back. She could see the feet and lower legs of other crew members standing around. From down the corridor came the sound of more firing. The defense units were in a pitched battle, and she wasn’t there to command them. Without her order to withdraw, they would fight to gain access to the flight deck until they were put out of action, maybe permanently.
“He was right, wasn’t he?” said a voice to her right. “He said she might come down this way. Smart guy, that Loba.”
“Let me up, you idiots,” croaked Jas. “It isn’t the master who told you to capture me. He’s been taken over by an alien. Most of the senior officers are possessed.”
“BF. You’re the one who’s been possessed,” said the man holding her down. “And he didn’t tell us to capture you. He said to shoot you on sight. Only some of us were a bit queasy about that, so it’s thanks to our kind hearts you’re still alive. But you keep struggling and that can soon change.”
“Krat.” For a moment, Jas relaxed her muscles. The man’s knee ground harder. If he didn’t get off her soon she would pass out. “Okay,” she gasped. “I won’t struggle.”
“What’s that she’s saying?” asked her captor.
“I dunno.” Someone’s head lowered near hers.
The world was turning black. “I give up,” whispered Jas.
“Says she gives up,” repeated a voice.
“That’s more like it,” said the man. Mercifully, the pressure on Jas’ chest lifted.
“Is it okay if I get up?” she asked when she could speak again. Anger at her captors had begun to boil inside her. Just a short distance away, her defense units were engaged in battle, and they didn’t have her guidance.
“All right. Just move slowly.”
Jas turned over, and soon she was sitting with her legs drawn up, facing the crew who had ambushed her. There were four of them. Two male, two female. All had weapons. One was also holding hers. They were looking pleased with themselves, especially the one who’d been kneeling on her back. He had a particularly annoying grin on his face. He was the biggest and strongest of the four. Slowly, she got to her feet.
“You’re not in the brig yet,” the man said. “You better watch your moves. If you try anything, I might decide to follow Loba’s order to the letter.”
“I don’t know what the master’s told you,” said Jas, “but, really, it isn’t me who’s been taken over by something, it’s him.”
“Well you would say that, wouldn’t you?” said the man.
“I know I can’t prove it to you, but...do you know he took the senior officers down to the planet? Have you ever heard of that happening before? I don’t know how long you’ve been working aboard prospecting ships, but that literally never happens. If something were to go wrong and all the officers were planetside, can you imagine the danger we might all be in? It’s totally against regulations.”
“We destroyed the shuttle to stop Loba from taking the rest of you down and getting you infected by aliens too. We were trying to save you.” An edge had crept in Jas’ voice. If these fools didn’t let her go soon, her only chance to get onto the flight deck would be gone.
“Ha, that’s where you’re wrong,” said the man. “It was Loba who destroyed the shuttle, to stop you from taking us down there.”
“Wait a minute, Karrev,” said the other man. “He only told us that. It could have been them, like she says. He seemed pretty mad about it. How do we know who did it? No one saw. And I heard a rumor that the officers were away during the quiet shift.”
“No, he’s the master,” countered Karrev. “How would he get infected by an alien? He’d never be so stupid as to put himself in danger. She’s the one whose job it is to go down there. She’s the one at risk from aliens.”
Jas’ fury boiled over. “Don’t be so stupid. Of course Loba could’ve put himself in danger. The man’s a myth addict. Everyone knows it. He’s unstable, unpredictable, and incompetent. He did go down. He was persuaded to, and now he’s possessed. You have to let me go so I can save your sorry asses.”
The man’s brow furrowed “Maybe you’re right and you haven’t been infected by an alien. Maybe you just want command of the ship, and all this talk about the master being possessed is a trick to get us to commit mutiny.” He pointed the gun between her eyes. “The brig, now, or say goodbye. You choose.”
Jas’ shoulders sagged, and she took a step toward the man. Interpreting her movement as acquiescence, his eyes flicked triumphantly to his friends. At that instant, Jas lunged forward and under his weapon, forcing him against the wall. The laser gun fired and scorched a line across the ceiling. The man’s companions stepped back in alarm. Jas grabbed his arm and wrist and twisted them so his weapon was pointing at his face. Her forearm was across his throat, and she held him immobile, his gun centimeters from his nose.
The man gave a cry and thrashed his legs, kicking Jas’ shins. She didn’t blink. With her full weight and strength on him, he was helpless. After a few moment’s struggle, while his shipmates stood frozen in indecision, the man released his weapon. It slipped from his fingers, and Jas grabbed it as it fell. She stepped back and fixed the barrel on the man. “Go,” she shouted to the crew. “Drop your guns, and go. That way. Run, or I’ll blow his kratting head off.”
With only a second’s hesitation, the remaining man and both women took off in the direction Jas had indicated.
“Don’t...don’t,” said the man, his gaze on the barrel’s end in his face.
“Of course I’m not going to hurt you. If you’d just listened to me, it wouldn’t have come to this.” The sounds of the battle for the flight deck had ended several moments before. Jas had to find out what had happened. She scooped up her weapon from the floor, set the man’s gun to stun, shot him, and was on her way before his body hit the floor.
Chapter Twenty-Six
A familiar smell assaulted Jas’ nostrils and alerted her to the outcome of the battle for the flight deck before she reached her destination. Laser fire on defense units fried their organic, plastic, silicon, and metal parts, creating a unique odor: part refuse dump fire, part barbecue. As always, it made Jas nauseous.
Swallowing the increased saliva in her mouth, she stopped. Judging by the reek drifting down the corridor, and the fact that none of the units had come to find her and give a combat report, she concluded that they’d failed to gain access to the flight deck. Loba must have concentrated his defenses there, protecting the Galathea’s flight controls and Grantwise. If that was the case, her guess that he would try to land the Galathea on K. 67092d was probably correct. The aliens could then take over the rest of the crew, but if Lingiari was right and landing a starship on a planet was nearly impossible, they were going to crash and everyone, infected and uninfected, would die.
She crept forward, a gun in each hand. All was silent. At each corner, she stopped and peered cautiously around. A short distance from her goal, she spotted an infected officer. She was armed.
Jas withdrew quietly. She could shoot and kill or stun the officer easily, but what would be the point? If the defense units couldn’t get onto the
flight deck, she didn’t stand a chance by herself. It was no good. Time to retreat and regroup. Turning, she ran softly away and figured out the fastest route to the planned rendezvous point, hoping that, even though she had failed, Lee and Lingiari might have succeeded, hoping they were still alive.
What she found at Margret’s cabin surpassed her expectations. On the floor was a bound and gagged Loba. The copilot was sitting on him.
“We ordered our defense units to return to the maintenance tunnels,” said Lee, “in case he got free.”
“Good thinking,” said Jas. She squatted down next to the prone Loba. His eyes were bloodshot. He looked furious, but the gag kept his thoughts silent. With him as a hostage, maybe their prospects weren’t so bleak after all. “What about the crew?”
“They scattered like gene dealers in a raid,” said Lingiari.
The copilot and navigator briefly told her what had happened. “I nearly died,” said Lee. “I had everything under control, then Loba turned up. He told the defense units to kill me. I thought I’d had it, but they didn’t obey. I don’t know why. Then Lingiari shot him.”
The master didn’t seem injured. “You stunned him?” Jas asked the copilot.
“Yeah, I know what you said,” replied Lingiari, “about how stunning them wasn’t enough, but...” He shrugged.
“It’s okay,” said Jas. “I get it. And it might have worked in our favor this time.”
“How come the units didn’t follow his order to shoot me?” asked Lee.
“Did he preface his command?” Jas asked in return. “Remember what I said? If you don’t address them first, they won’t do as you say. I can’t imagine the kind of trouble we’d be in if they did whatever someone around them said.”
