Captured by the Hawk

by Aurora Springer

  Black Hawk stepped across the narrow corridor and stretched his hand out to Katrina. “You fought well!” he said warmly, panting from his exertions. His turban was askew, revealing the side of his forehead.

  She stared at his bared head in mingled shock and horror. Silvery wires coiled on his temple, half hidden under his curly black hair. Kat guessed the wires must connect to his artificial hand, one end embedded in his brain, and normally concealed by his black turban.

  He recoiled at her shocked expression, stiffened, and the admiring light in his eyes died away, leaving a stoic distress.

  Kat gazed at his bleak eyes and tense stance. Her heart wrenched with sympathy for this tormented, secretive man. Surely, he had lost his hand in an accident or a fight, and later submitted to this cybernetic enhancement. Impulsively, she raised her hand, touching his temple with a gentle finger and murmured, “I’m not afraid of you.”

  Unrelenting in his icy gaze, he removed her hand from his face using his steel fingers.

  If he intended to scare her with his artificial hand grasping hers, he was mistaken. She ran a finger along his hand, tracing the bone-like steel cables. An intricate metal lattice supported tiny motors to maneuver the wrist and fingers. A thickening along the index finger marked the embedded laser. The metal construct continued up his arm. His black sleeve concealed the junction with his fleshly arm.

  She smiled brightly. “An amazing hand and truly effective for our escape!”

  Hawk’s hard expression relaxed. “We’re not free yet, Mistress Trina.” He knotted the cloth about his forehead again, concealing the shiny implanted circuits.

  “Which way should we go?” she asked, peering along the dimly lit passages.

  His green eyes narrowed in calculation, and he pointed back the way their attackers had come. “We retrace their footsteps, and beware of more assaults.”

  They trotted quietly down the passage to a stairwell leading upwards. The Hawk leaped up the stairs, a step ahead of Katrina. Vibrations underfoot marked the ship’s acceleration.

  Boom!

  An explosion rumbled through the walls and the stairs lurched violently. Katrina stumbled off balance and screamed, clutching for a support. Her world rotated upside down and she fell, helpless. Her rapid descent jerked to a stop. She hung, swinging in mid-air in the up-ended stairwell. The Hawk gripped her tightly with his left hand, while his steel hand tethered them both to the railing on the new ceiling. His eyes were narrowed with the strain.

  The ship veered wildly, spinning out of control. Luckily, the air pressure held constant. They hung powerless as the ship rotated and rocked erratically. Katrina seesawed to and fro dizzyingly. She tried to grab hold of the Hawk’s arm, but every time she reached out, the ship’s spasmodic motion flung her away again.

  Bang!

  The ship thudded to an abrupt halt.

  The collision flung Katrina violently towards a wall. She kicked away desperately. The ship lurched, and she slammed hard against the opposite wall. Her head cracked in a flash of pain, and she plunged into unconsciousness.

  6 The Lifepod

  KATRINA ROUSED. HER body felt bruised and her head ached. Dimly, she sensed warmth and motion. Opening her eyes cautiously, she discovered Black Hawk’s head above her. His arms under her back and legs, he was carrying her along a passage in the ship. Irregular shudders and grumbles came from the damaged engines, and she winced. After escaping their cell and the guards, they were stuck on a stalled ship. Worse, the air smelled stale and cold.

  The Hawk strode along easily, despite her weight. He looked straight ahead, as yet unaware that she had woken. She gazed at his covered face, and longed to tear off the masking cloths and disclose his features. But, she had no strength left. And, he would hate it.

  She breathed, “What happened?”

  He glanced down, a warm look in his eyes. “The ship was hit and its impeller disabled. I suspect an attack from another ship.”

  “An attack?” Instantly alert, Katrina said, “It must be an enemy of the Emperor.”

  His voice was grim, “Yes. Any enemy of the Emperor ought to be our friend. But, I suspect this ship is disabled. It was spinning out of control, and now everything is shutting down.”

  As if in response to his words, an alarm wailed and the vibrations of the engine clunked to a halt.

  “What about the crew?”

  “I’ve heard no sign of anyone attempting to regain control. Perhaps the bridge was destroyed, or else they cannot fix the damage.”

  “Where are you taking me?” Kat asked, anxious to escape the death trap the ship had become.

  “We’ll try the lifepods. It is our only chance!” His voice was serious.

  You don’t need to carry me. I can walk,” Kat offered, feeling her strength return.

  “It is not much further,” he muttered, bending his head closer.

  She reached up to his face, hoping to slide her hand under the black veil.

  His head jerked away. “No!” he snapped, placing her upright on the floor.

  Her legs still shaky, Kat held on to his arm for a moment. She gritted her teeth resolutely and walked beside him. The ship’s sirens blared, lights flickered, and the still air bore the stink of burning plastic. It was definitely time to leave.

  They reached the small airlock leading to the lifepods. One pod was missing, presumably taken by the crew, but two remained in place.

  “Wait here,” the Hawk said. “I’ll check the fuel and emergency supplies.” He ducked into the small airlock of the first tiny ship, returned after a few seconds and entered the second lifepod.

  Katrina waited, propped against the wall and still recovering from her accident. Black Hawk clambered out of the second lifepod, clutching the emergency packages and a fuel cube.

  “We’ll take this one, since it has more fuel,” he said, pointing to the first ship he had checked.

  She followed him inside the small cabin. The design was standard for an emergency escape pod. There was just sufficient room for four people. He sat at the controls and she took the adjacent seat.

  He glanced at her, giving a slight nod. “Ready?”

  “Let’s get out fast!” she said, grinning at him.

  His ungloved fingers flew over the controls and the impulsor hummed into life. The outer door cracked open, revealing the glorious stars. Katrina sighed in wonder at the familiar, yet splendid sight.

  The tiny ship eased out of the airlock into open space.

  “Do you recognize where we are?” she asked, growing apprehensive as they moved away from the solid mass of the big ship.

  Hawk lit the display map and pointed. “The pod com has fixed our location.” He increased the magnification, ran some calculations, and glanced at her with a gleam in his eyes. “The nearest habitable planet is Ulverkop in the Delphian system. The Emperor has a minor base on the planet, but ships from other sectors often visit the small spaceport.”

  Shrugging, Katrina said, “It’s your choice. We’re too far away to reach the Solarian sector safely.”

  “Correct. The pod has a very limited range. And, I am familiar with Ulverkop, which will give us an advantage in eluding the enemy.” His eyes narrowed as he focused on the controls again. A minute later, he said, “I’ve set the course to Delphi. The pod is so small that we’ll be able to sneak into the planet undetected if we slip across the asteroid belt.”

  Katrina was satisfied with his plan.

  Once their course was programmed, the pod needed little attention, although one of them had to be on watch for uncharted masses. Growing thirsty, Katrina searched through their supplies in the lockers, and handed food and water to her companion. He pushed aside the cloth covering his chin in order to eat, and did not resume the veil.

  Katrina glanced covertly at his compressed lips and short black beard. She liked the visible portion of his face, his firm chin and resolute mouth, and wished she could see the rest of his face. The quiet interlude left her free
to puzzle over what he was hiding. She had seen the cyber inserts on his temple. What else did he have to conceal? His past was a mystery.

  The journey took two days, hurtling across space at sub-light speeds to the Delphian solar system. They did not speak much. Or rather, Hawk refused to answer her queries about his history. He knew some of her secrets, her spying activities as Grey Kat and Mistress Trina. She would not reveal more of her life without a fair exchange of personal information. Instead of talking, they spent the time sleeping in shifts. They ate and drank sparingly due to their limited supplies. Settling into the familiar tedium of sub-light travel, Katrina relaxed out of her furtive Grey Kat persona. She felt restored by the rest after their abortive attempt to steal the Emperor’s scouter, and their subsequent frantic escape from imprisonment.

  Black Hawk seemed to enjoy looking at her. She often caught his gaze, but he made no further attempt to kiss her and seemed to withdraw from any contact. She was disappointed. He was temptingly attractive, despite the enigmatic mask over his face.

  At last, the yellow star of Delphi enlarged from the merest pinprick to a tiny well-defined circle. Its five planets were visible on the displays. Hawk began evasive action. When they entered the solar system, he maneuvered the lifepod so they were blocked by the sun from sight of the Planet Ulverkop. Then, he flew the lifepod into the outer asteroid belt, which extended inward almost to the orbit of Ulverkop.

  The asteroid belt was scary. It was crammed with spinning objects, ranging in size from minuscule rocks to huge planetoids. The lifepod weaved in and out, evading the chunks of circulating rock, as they traveled towards Ulverkop.

  Katrina could scarcely bear to look at the view in the window. She cringed every time they swung past the rotating space rocks. She shuddered when they narrowly missed a chunky asteroid, pitted with craters.

  The Hawk focused intently on the screens, his two hands worked independently to guide the pod safely through the swirling swarms of asteroids. Manual control was essential since it was impossible to trust the autopilot to dodge the erratic rocks.

  Staring at the chaos outside, Katrina bit her lip. She hadn’t realized their evasive route would take so much concentration. She was amazed by the Hawk’s skill and mental stamina in navigating the revolving clumps of rock.

  The pod squeezed between two small planetoids, scraped past a sizable rock, and zigzagged through the treacherous, shifting maze. Glancing at the map display, Kat inhaled in relief. They were half way across the asteroid belt and rapidly approaching their destination.

  She looked at the Hawk, and was horrified by his wretched, weary face. His lips were compressed into a thin line and almost white with the strain. His eyelids twitched. How much longer could he continue flying through the erratically moving cluster of asteroids? Even as she watched, he cursed sharply as the pod veered close to a cratered planetoid.

  She froze, helpless.

  He swerved the craft away from the collision and flew on, dodging more asteroids. Three planetoids swung together, converging inexorably on their small pod. Stifling a shriek, Katrina gripped the arms of her chair desperately.

  The Hawk twisted the controls, trying frantically to avoid the huge asteroids. Too late! A metallic crunch marked the damage to the pod. The alarms lit red as the whine of the impulsor ceased, leaving an eerie silence. The collision knocked the pod out of the denser inner region of the asteroid belt. It veered straight toward the blazing sun.

  He punched at the keys and exclaimed wildly, “The main com is out!”

  Kat gulped in dismay. She leaned forward. “Let me try to fix it, or I can activate the reserve com.”

  Moving aside, he gave her access to the panel. He slumped in the seat she had vacated, resting his head on his hands.

  She accessed the com, quickly found the damaged links, and searched for the reserve controller. Glancing at the displays, she noted gratefully that the pod had been kicked into clearer space. At their current speed, they had plenty of time to restore the controls, if it was possible, before they approached dangerously close to the sun.

  The pod still had power and life support, but the directional controls had broken in the collision. Kat searched patiently through the codes, until at last, she found the secondary controller. She patched the links to steering, and holding her breath, activated the auxiliary com. A low hum from the impulsor heralded her success.

  The Hawk raised his head, and grunted, “You did it!”

  Kat did not reply immediately. She was busy setting up a new course. “I’m going straight to Ulverkop. This lifepod is damaged and the impulsor won’t last much longer. We’ll be safer on the ground.”

  “We’ll be taking a chance of capture,” he muttered. “But, we can’t survive in a damaged pod, and it may be too small to be detected.”

  The yellow and green planet increased in size as the lifepod zoomed toward its destination, with Kat at the controls. “There is still a problem,” she muttered, glancing at her black-clad companion. “I have only limited control of our course.”

  He nodded. “I’ll take the controls on manual before we enter the planet’s atmosphere.”

  Kat stared at him anxiously. His uncovered lower face had regained its normal color and stern expression. She had seen him at the controls and knew he was the better pilot, especially for the tricky descent through the atmosphere onto the surface of the planet. She hoped his energy was restored sufficiently for the task. In any case, she was relieved to hand the controls to him as they neared Ulverkop.

  The Hawk steered the pod gently into the upper atmosphere of the planet. “You’re right,” he said. “The controls are damaged. I cannot regulate our altitude properly.” Making rapid adjustments, he tried to direct the pod toward the small spaceport just coming into view as the planet rotated below them.

  The impulsor cut out and revved up again. Their descent became erratic, as the pod swerved, swinging away from the port and toward a forest.

  The Hawk yelled, “Prepare for the crash!”

  Kat was uncertain what she could do, besides fastening the seat restraints. She grimaced, as the pod whizzed low, barely clearing the tree tops. The Hawk was aiming for a large lake visible ahead.

  The pod hit the water, bounced once off the surface layer, flipped upside down and sank, very slowly, into the lake.

  Kat screamed as the water rose outside the window. They would drown!

  She struggled out of the restraints and jumped to the exit. Black Hawk was at the door, prying it open with his steel fingers. Water gushed inside the pod, submerging the cabin and jamming the door. The laser flashed from the Hawk’s hand, cutting an opening in the material of the door. He pushed the loose section aside, reached one hand outside the door frame and pulled himself out of the sinking pod.

  Kat took in a big gulp of air from the pocket trapped in the roof of the pod. She held her breath and tried to force her way past the incoming blast of lake water. The surging water thrust her back inside the pod and away from the door. Black Hawk clung to the door frame, twisted to reach inside and grabbed her wrist, dragging her out into the lake. She kicked away from the pod, one hand clutching desperately onto the Hawk while he took powerful strokes toward the surface.

  Panic struck. Kat didn’t know how to swim, and she couldn’t hold her breath much longer. Surfacing briefly, she inhaled a mouthful of air, and submerged again. She sank slowly through a shower of rising streams of bubbles.

  7 Planet Ulverkop

  HER CLOTHES SODDEN and cold, Katrina sprawled on coarse sand. She had a dim recollection of being dragged onto the shore. Strangely, someone was murmuring her name repeatedly and kissing her face. She flicked her eyes open. Black Hawk’s masked face hovered over her. The clinging wet cloth outlined the chiseled contours of his hidden face. His head covering was askew, revealing a triangle of forehead and his black curls. The effect fascinated her.

  He breathed, “Katrina, you’re alive!”

  “Barely alive,�
�� she groaned, relaxing with her head propped on his arm.

  He released her, and pulled the glove back over his steel hand.

  “You don’t need to hide your hand from me,” she said, sitting up and leaning against his shoulder.

  The Hawk murmured softly, “You are both Kat and Trina. Should I call you Katrina?”

  Gazing at his masked face, she tried to interpret the expression in his eyes. “You may use any of those names. What is your real name, Captain Hawk, Niall of the Silver Hand, or something else?”

  He smiled, combing his fingers through her tangled hair. “Call me whatever you wish.”

  Inhaling the clean air gladly, she noticed his eyes lingering on her breasts, revealed under her wet shirt. She was both annoyed and pleased at his interest.

  Abruptly, he bent toward her, with a mocking challenge in his eyes.

  “Kiss me Kat!” he said jauntily, slipping his arms around her. She leaned into his tempting embrace, flushing warmly. He stopped too soon for her.

  “I’ll call you, Niall,” she said, breathing heavily. She recalled the desperate reality of their situation. They were marooned on the planet Ulverkop and their supplies were lost in the sunken pod. She stared at their surroundings. They sat together on the sandy beach beside the lake. Further away, a bleak landscape of sand and rock extended to a distant forest. The trees were an unearthly bluish color.

  “Where are we?” she murmured, with increased hope as she remembered that Black Hawk knew the planet.

  He glanced up at the sun to gauge directions. “I am not sure exactly where we landed, but we can’t be far from the spaceport. We must move away from this place quickly, if you have recovered. It would be a mistake to linger in case the guards arrive to investigate. The pod must have registered on their radar.”

  “I’m ready. Where do we go from here?” she asked, smiling at her companion.