Deadland Drifter: A Scifi Thriller

by J. N. Chaney

  They had chosen correctly.

  With a sigh of relief, she made quick work of the last receiver on the ceiling.

  “And with that, the day is saved.” She walked back to Burner to help him with his injuries. “Too bad Cypher got away, though. Maybe we’ll get lucky and one of the Union officers out there will be smart enough to stop a guy covered in blood, sporting a knife and bullet wounds.”

  Burner patted his front pocket. “I wouldn’t worry too much about Cypher.”

  She gave him a quizzical look but didn’t press him. Instead, she turned her attention to the other matter at hand. “And what about Admiral Thiel?”

  36

  Aboard the Liberty Ward, Union Ship, Nimrod Sector, Union Space

  Admiral Thiel stepped onto the bridge to find a bunch of nervous officers chattering with each other. He cleared his throat. They stopped long enough to give him a proper salute.

  “Status report,” he demanded. “What the hell’s been going on?”

  Ship Security Officer Potters stepped forward. “Sir, we had an incident where control over our ship’s weapons was temporarily hijacked and they fired at the station. The station’s shields held and the guilty party, Communications Officer Fells, has been taken into custody. The Captain is in his office filing a report on the matter as we speak.”

  Theil nodded and left the bridge crew to return to their gossip so he could get more information directly from the source.

  Captain Kessek was seated behind his desk but he didn’t seem to be filling out any reports. He leaned heavily on his desk, his head in his hands, lost in thought. When he finally caught a glimpse of the admiral, he jumped to his feet to salute.

  “At ease, Captain.” Thiel shut the door to the office behind him. “I’d like a moment to speak to you candidly, if I may.”

  “Of course, Admiral.”

  Theil gestured for the captain to sit and did the same. “Run through the day’s incident with me from the beginning.”

  The captain did, sparing no detail of the crisis they faced earlier and how close they had come to destroying the station they had arrived to protect. “Thankfully, due to an earlier warning they had received from a Constable in the field, the station’s shields were being run at double capacity. Damage reports are minimal and there are no confirmed fatalities. Things could have been much worse.”

  The admiral nodded. “It sounds like you did everything right when the situation turned, and you managed to get the culprit in custody. Good work.”

  Kessek peered over Thiel’s head at the glass door of the officer. “Actually, sir, there’s one more thing I feel I should tell you. Please face me and don’t react.”

  The admiral did as he was requested, nodding just slightly.

  The captain lowered his voice. “We do have someone in custody, but Fells claims up and down she didn’t do it, and frankly, I believe her, sir. It just doesn’t play. I think if someone had been coercing her into being a saboteur, she would have confessed by now.”

  Thiel understood the need for secrecy. “So then, who?”

  “That’s where this is going to get difficult. Fells claims she saw something that made her suspicious, but she had disregarded at the time. She claims she saw Roberts doing something on his console that he didn’t want anyone else to see, and that he got jumpy when she almost saw his screen.”

  The admiral’s eyebrows arched. “Roberts is the first mate, correct? That’s a hell of a rank to raise those kinds of accusations about. Is he still on the bridge?”

  “Yes, sir.” Kessek’s eyes flashed toward the door. “He’s been sticking close to my office.”

  “To keep an eye on if his story is holding up, perhaps.” Thiel sighed. “Well, if it’s true, we can’t just leave things be. But we also have to be careful. We can’t bring that kind of charge against a first mate without evidence.”

  “Actually, sir, I was hoping that was something you might be able to help me out with.” The captain steeled himself for what he was about to suggest. “I wanted to see if I could use you to draw him out. Like you said, right now we only have suspicions, and those were raised by the person that all the evidence is against right now. If we’re going to figure out whether Roberts is guilty or not, we’re going to need to provoke him.”

  Thiel saw where this was going. “By dangling me in front of him.”

  The captain didn’t respond.

  Thiel exhaled. “Well, at least you convinced me to wear the protective under suit. But I’m getting kind of tired of being used as bait. No one should have to dangle themselves in front of potential assassins more than once a week. I think next time contract negotiations come up, I’m going to get that in writing.”

  The captain smiled wryly back at his commanding officer. He had a lot to learn from this gentleman.

  Within an hour, the captain set the plan in motion. A debriefing was called, officers and security personnel only. A handful of select security officers that Kessek trusted were let in on the plan so they could be ready.

  The admiral stood at the front of the bridge and started to speak. He didn’t have a speech prepared, but one of the things about rising in the Union ranks was you got very good at pulling shit out of nowhere. You’d never make it past colonel if you couldn’t stand up in front of a room at a moment’s notice and give an hour-long lecture on a topic you weren’t prepared for. And the great thing about having reached the top rank was that everyone was forced to stand in rapt attention, no matter how much of what he said was nonsense.

  He was in the middle of his third batch of integrity metaphors when the bait was laid. One of the security officers, feigning discomfort in her side, removed her weapon holster and laid it down on the table in front of Roberts. Much of the attention in the room shifted to the officer, who was groaning in pain. It would be the perfect opportunity for a would-be assassin. The weapon was right there in front of him. Enough people were distracted that no one would be able to react before he fired a shot at Thiel. Thiel still hoped this charade didn’t end in him getting shot.

  Unfortunately, like many hopes, it didn’t work out that way. Roberts pulled the gun from the holster and fired two quick shots at the admiral. He almost got off a third before security tackled him.

  Thiel groaned on the floor as for the second time that week he would be dealing with bruising from his protective vest being shot. He supposed he should consider himself lucky that the assassin had followed his Union training and aimed center mass. If he had thought to fire a shot at Thiel’s head, the plan would have ended badly.

  The admiral was helped to his feet while Roberts was taken away in cuffs. Security officer Potters was shaking his head as he led the assassin away.

  Thiel was hunched as he made his way over to Kessek. “Well, I’d say that’s resounding proof, wouldn’t you, Captain?”

  Kessek shook his head in dismay. “Last person I would have expected, but now that I think about it, it makes sense for it to have been someone of his rank. That explains how the cell always had so much information. Thank you again for your help, Admiral.”

  “Anytime.” He groaned as the freshly forming bruises pained him. “Actually, scratch that. Next time, you get shot.”

  “I’ll put it on my schedule, sir. Excuse me, I have something important to attend to.”

  “Sure, don’t let my near-death experience keep you.”

  With that, the captain retreated to his office to send an important message.

  Cypher waved off the “help” of the Union officer who mistook his hobble as an indication that he was another victim of the buildings that collapsed. He had to be careful not to let anyone get too close, or they might see that his hastily bandaged leg concealed a bullet wound, or that his chest injury seemed an awful lot like a stab wound. That would raise questions he didn’t have time to stop and answer right now. While he hadn’t seen Burner behind him, he didn’t doubt the stubborn fool was coming for him already despite his own grievous
injuries. He would be determined to stop Cypher if it was the last thing he did.

  And it would be. Cypher still had the detonator. The traitor Cade might have decided to not link it with the receiver, but Cypher knew enough about the technology to do that himself. Once he was a safe distance away, he would have his hard fought victory.

  He’d have to film his manifesto at a later date, of course. In it, he would take responsibility for the attacks and rile the masses with his logic and passion. It unfortunately would not have the same effect as a video shot on location, with the added prop of a Constable operative as hostage. But it would plant a seed of revolution, and if he needed to conduct further attacks in order to make that seed sprout, so be it. Next time he’d have to be more careful about who he recruited, though. Too much incompetence and treason in this group. That was the only reason his plans failed to gain traction. A more loyal, professional bunch would have had no trouble carrying out his orders.

  He breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the Atlantis Falcon, which was still docked where he had left it. A small, paranoid part of him had been worried that Burner might have located the ship and done something to disable it. It couldn’t have happened, as the same security officers he had bribed to be sure he could dock right away had also been paid to keep an eye on his ship for him and keep unwanted people away.

  Cypher boarded the ship and prepared the firing up sequence. Those same bribed officers gave him immediate clearance to leave despite the enhanced alert and chaos on the station. What some people will do for credits. A shame they will never be able to spend any of them.

  The ship’s computers began an automated undocking sequence as the station’s clamps were released. He used the time to reflect on his recent hardships and decided, as much as it enraged him, that he was actually glad for the struggles Burner and his companion had inflicted on him. He had never been so challenged before, so tested both physically and mentally by an opponent.

  He had been overconfident, that much was clear now. The mistakes that had been made, while more the fault of his underlings than himself, were inexcusable oversights. How was he to be the voice of the rebellion that would spark across the frontier and beyond if he allowed such things? He knew better now. It wouldn’t happen again.

  Burner had honed him, sharpened both his skill and resolve. In his future attacks, his organization would be run more strictly, his plans would allow for more contingencies, and his methods would be more merciless.

  In a way, he owed a debt to Jack Burner. Maybe he would say something nice at his funeral service. If he had one.

  He watched as the screen displayed the growing distance between his ship and the station. Soon he would be at a safe range to link his detonator to the receivers below and turn the station into a fireball. The fire that would spark a new era.

  “Goodbye, Burner. We won’t meet again.”

  37

  Observation Lounge, Space Station Pharbis, Nimrod Sector, Deadlands

  “Ah! Watch it with that needle. That spot’s still really sore.”

  The Union medic who was tending to Burner’s wounds didn’t seem to mind his discomfort at all. “Well, if you’d come back with me to the medical station, I could apply a proper anesthetic. If you insist on doing this here, you get what you get.”

  Burner grimaced as another stitch was pushed through his bullet wound. “And miss this view? Not a chance.”

  He and Sara were both still in the blood-stained, sweaty, and disheveled clothing that they had come out of the tunnels wearing. This made them oddities among the well-dressed patrons of the station’s observation lounge and bar, an upper-class establishment that typically only served the wealthiest of the station’s merchant class and guests. It took Sara flashing her Union credentials for them to be let inside. The bar’s patrons did their best to ignore the strange intrusion to their high society living. They’d only recently had their comfort returned to them after being informed that the danger to their lives had finally passed. Not that any one of them bothered to thank Burner for it.

  The bartenders and servants also made an effort to ignore the bloody messes that had wandered into their place of employ. Occasionally they would cast a glance at Burner, as if warning him not to try and push his luck by placing an order. Burner didn’t care. He didn’t come for the drinks. Like he had said to the medic, he came for the view.

  It truly was an impressive sight, worth whatever amount of credits the patrons normally had to pay in order to witness it. A clear, glass-like plate shaped into a dome served as a giant telescope, making the stars above seem much closer than they were. It also allowed Burner to read the names on the sides of the ships coming and going as well, which was the more important feature. Traffic was picking up now that word was getting around that the danger had passed, but he was looking for a ship leaving, not coming.

  Sara’s comm alerted her to a message just as the medic was packing up his supplies. She waited for the medic to get out of earshot before putting it on speaker so Burner could overhear.

  “This is Captain Kessek of Union Ship Liberty Ward,” the voice on the comm declared. “Is this Nolan?”

  She gave Burner a quick look for permission to include him in this conversation, and he nodded. “This is Constable Nolan. I have you on speaker with former Intelligence operative Jack Burner.”

  “Good, that will save me from having to make two calls. I understand that you are responsible for the warning we received earlier. I wanted to express both my and the admiral’s thanks for your timely information.”

  Burner gave Sara a little shrug. They both knew that Sara had acted on her own to get that information out.

  “Does that mean the danger has passed on the ship?” Sara inquired.

  “Yes. The mole, First Mate Roberts, was taken into custody and has already admitted under questioning to being the hacker known as Stack. We’re getting all the information we could hope for out of him, including the locations of all of the organization’s hideouts, identities of other conspirators, and how Cypher moves his credits. This week is going to be full of arrests and seizing of assets.”

  Both of them gave relieved smiles to know that the danger they had been chasing across the galaxy had finally been dealt with. Or, mostly dealt with. Only one thing remained to be done.

  “Well, sounds like you have a lot on your plate, Captain. I won’t keep you. Thanks for the update.” After respectful parting words, Sara disconnected the call.

  Burner leaned forward, being careful not to put too much weight on his injured leg. “Sounds like just about everything is under control.”

  “Just about.” Sara looked up at the dome and the space beyond. “Is it time for the celebratory fireworks?”

  He checked the time on his comm. It had been long enough since he had seen a certain ship pass by. He pulled out the detonator from his front pocket and held it out to her. “Would you like to do the honors?”

  With a knowing smile, Sara took the detonator. They both looked up at the dome as she pulled the trigger.

  The darkness of space above them changed to show Cypher’s ship coming apart. The station’s siren began to sound again in response to this latest incursion. Around them, the well-dressed patrons of the observation lounge ran for cover, not realizing that the dome was probably tougher than any other part of the exterior of the station.

  Burner and Sara just smiled as they watched the fireball bloom and just as quickly die out.

  Now it was over.

  CLASSIFIED UNION SITE, SPACE STATION PHARBIS, NIMROD SECTOR, DEADLANDS

  It’s Union policy that everyone involved in an operation receive extensive debriefing. This was true even for an off-the-books “asset,” as they liked to refer to people like Burner now. Ostensibly, this was to make sure their records were as accurate as possible so that moving forward into the cleanup and prosecution phases things were clear. In Burner’s opinion, it was more about making sure everyone had their story straig
ht to cover the asses of those who made questionable judgment calls in the line of duty. If an official inquiry ever came down, certain individuals wanted to make sure that their careers weren’t in jeopardy.

  That’s why moments that might have seemed inconsequential in the grand scope of things, such as the moment Burner and Sara first made contact, had to be gone over many times, with a multitude of leading questions.

  “Are you sure you pointed your weapons at each other, or was the situation just tense enough that you thought weapons might be drawn?”

  “Who invited who to lead again?”

  “And that’s when you were given a full accounting of your responsibilities and privileges as a Union asset, correct?”

  Burner had been through it all plenty of times from both sides of the table and knew how to play ball. At the end of the day, he had no desire to cause any additional waves, so he allowed himself to be led where they wanted. He kept enough awareness to ensure they weren’t trying to box him in to any corners and get him to confess to something they could charge him with, but it seemed like they were playing it straight with him.

  He probably owed some of that to Sara’s handler, Hank, who was seated across the table and looking bored out of his mind. As the representative of the Constables at the table, who had officially headed this operation, he was technically in charge. Whether he wanted to be or not. He let his counterpart from Intelligence, an officer named Garret, do most of the questioning, only chiming in if he wanted to lead the conversation away from an area he thought might be problematic.

  Such as the nature of Sara and Burner’s relationship.

  On record, they were merely agent and asset. While romantic involvement with an asset wasn’t officially against Union operational rules, it was highly frowned upon. Emotional attachment can be used to question judgement calls and objectivity.