New Sky: Eyes of the Watcher

by Jason Kent

  "Over pressure shouldn't have..." Garrett began.

  Sparrow was thrust back into her seat as Dagger rolled hard to port and dove into a wide ore dock in the industrial section of the station.

  "This isn't a Stellar Union sports car," Dagger chided "Tallinn engines, remember?" She rolled onto a new heading and kicked the thrusters up a notch.

  Garrett looked sideways at Dagger. "I'm guessing there's more to this thing than we've seen."

  Dagger shot the marine pilot a half smile. "You'd better hope what she's got is enough."

  Something pinged in Sparrow's mind. She grabbed Georges' arm across the aisle. "Scanners have us!"

  Garrett's hand flew over the weapons controls. "Confirmed."

  "Do something about it," Dagger snarled.

  "Ah..." Garrett studied the dials and gauges a moment before he asked, "So do you have jamming capability?"

  "Good Lord," Dagger groaned. She pulled a lever and a second, compact weapons console folded down in front of her. She took her hands off the control column and fired several missiles at once.

  "Tral!" Garrett grunted and grabbed his set of controls. He threw the Blade into a broken set of roll maneuvers to get them around a series of protruding pillars.

  Sparrow watched the missiles streak away. They impacted on the station a moment later. Dagger looked back at the sprite.

  Sparrow nodded. "Local sensors off-line."

  "Won't last long," Dagger remarked. She shoved the targeting eyepiece away from her head and took the flight controls back. "Hands off, flyboy."

  "But..." Garrett started but gave up under the withering glare from the pilot.

  "Can you jump?" Georges asked.

  Sparrow's heart jumped to her throat. Plan C got them to Dagger's ship. If Kate was right, this being called Knowl surely led them here. The tree, whatever it is, would not have brought them this far only to be blown to bits above Transom.

  "Just hang on General," Dagger snarled. She shot a dangerous look at Sparrow. "Will you please strap in Jack-head."

  Sparrow did not argue. She scrabbled for her harness and was knocked violently in her seat from a blast to the ship. "Tral!" She braced herself and looked out the viewport set beside her seat. "Fighters! Tallinn, I think..."

  "Of course, they're Tallinn," Dagger responded. She threw the Blade into a spin and dove away from the approach vector of the fighters. Despite her efforts, several rounds hit the ship.

  "Two of 'em," Garrett reported.

  Dagger grunted in acknowledgement and jammed her controls against their stops. The Blade rolled then dove.

  Sparrow gulped. The raw expanse of Transom filled the cockpit window. Closer at hand though were the ore smelters. These massive, superheated factories were right in their path.

  A fresh round of hits struck the rear of the skipjack.

  Sparrow craned her neck to look at where the escape pods should eject. Her link to the station was tenuous due to Dagger's violent maneuvers. The link sprite could not be sure any of the pods were active. She quietly urged, "Come on..."

  As Sparrow watched, the entire section of the station, recently the location of the Blade's hanger, flared in a brilliant explosion.

  Sparrow gasped. Tears sprang to the corners of her eyes.

  "Tral!" Garrett shouted.

  "Kate..." Sparrow whispered. Secondary explosions engulfed more of the station. Dagger whipped the Blade onto a new trajectory and Sparrow's view of the devastation slipped away. She neither detected nor saw an escape pod. "Doesn't mean they didn't make it," Sparrow told herself.

  Wiping tears from her eyes, Sparrow looked forward. Massive smelters threatened to engulf their new ride. Sparrow cursed, "Tral! Out of the fusion core and into the plasma exhaust!"

  "Heads up," Dagger yelled. She accelerated straight toward one of the ore receiving ports.

  "No way out of there," Garrett stated, his voice tight.

  "Yeah," Dagger growled, "I know."

  The Blade shuddered end-to-end as an explosion detonated close to the hull.

  "Missile," Georges offered.

  "Running out of room..." Garrett drawled calmly. His eyes were glued onto the approaching maw of the smelter.

  "Just...hang...on..." Dagger advised. She flicked a series of switches open then pressed herself back in her chair.

  Sparrow needed no further warning. She clutched her harness and hung on for all she was worth.

  Powerful thrusters on the Blade's underside flared to life. The force shoved the ship up onto a new vector just managing to clear the edge of the ore chute.

  The fighter on their tail did not have the same thruster system and no time to respond. The craft flew into the dark opening and vaporized in a brilliant ball of fire.

  "Nice," Garrett breathed.

  "Not done," Dagger replied.

  Sparrow looked over at the pilot. A grim smile was set on her face. Dagger was having fun and she was not finished just yet.

  Dagger flipped the Blade end-for-end so the engines were now pointing the direction they were traveling. The full reverse thrust slowed them down dramatically.

  Sparrow gasped.

  The final fighter was right there.

  "FIRE!" Dagger shouted.

  Garrett, as shocked as everyone else by Dagger's move, recovered quickly and hit the weapon's release switch. Two missiles dropped out of their ports on the underside of the Blade and roared off to meet the Tallinn fighter. Dagger rolled to starboard and applied the thrusters again.

  The Tallinn pilot was good. He evaded the first missile. But, he was a victim of relative speeds. The fighter could not fight within the extremely confined combat envelope and simply ran out of space and time to maneuver. It joined its twin as a ball of expanding debris and flaming gas.

  Dagger was not one to crow over her victories. Although Sparrow could tell the pilot was quite pleased with herself.

  "I hear you lost somebody," Dagger said.

  "Escape pod," Georges clarified.

  Sparrow almost mentioned the explosions she witnessed. She did not want to leave without checking for Kate and Merrick. The sprite kept quiet and started scanning. Maybe they got out in time.

  "Geez, you guys are a lot of trouble," Dagger snorted. She pulled the Blade into a tight turn and dove for the surface. They were buffeted by the planet's atmosphere a moment later. "Don't tell me, it's the princess, right?"

  "And a marine," Georges clarified.

  "Where are you heading?" Garrett asked.

  "Planet-side," Dagger answered. In response to Garrett's confused look, she explained, "All the pods are programmed to get their passengers to safety. The safest place around here in case you find yourself needing to use an alternate exit is right there." She pointed at the dusty surface which raced to meet them.

  "Please be there," Sparrow breathed, "please."

  Chapter 9

  Solom Mines

  Kate blinked against the bright light streaming into the escape pod. Weird, she thought, the lighting was pretty bright for a vehicle of this size. A dark object eclipsed the source of illumination. It dipped closer until the details of a face began to come together for Kate.

  Merrick.

  The sniper's strong hand reached down into the pod and took Kate's. In the back of her mind, Kate realized she liked the way Merrick's arm muscles flexed as he hauled her out of her seat. She lost her balance as she tried to stand. The pod sat at an awkward angle and the crash couches left little room for solid footing. As Kate fumbled for any semi-steady surface to stand on, her fuzzy mind came around with a new question.

  "Where are we?" Kate shielded her eyes with a hand and looked up into Merrick's face, now close to hers.

  "Transom."

  "Well, I didn't figure we made it all the way back to Earth in this thing," Kate grunted as she let Merrick pull her up. She managed to get her head and shoulders out of the pod's hatch before Merrick moved back to make room for her. "Where on Transom?"

 
"Middle of nowhere," Merrick announced. He waved at their surroundings.

  "Wow," Kate exclaimed as she caught her first look at the sun-blasted landscape of Transom up close, "no kidding."

  All around them, dark rocks were piled in low mounds. Sand drifted through every crevice in the piles and around their landing site. The only respite in the color scheme came from scattered unfriendly-looking olive green plants studded with spikes and stubby trees which seemed to be a mix of Saguaro cactus and a blue spruce which clung to the rocks here and there. She looked back at the trail cut along the rocky ground and a few thick-stemmed plants.

  Kate wiggled the rest of her body through the tiny hatch and slid down the side of the pod. Her station shoes sank into the soft mound of debris piled up in front of the escape vehicle. She let Merrick help her again. This time he pulled her up a steep slope of loose material until they stood together atop one of the low ridges of the ubiquitous rows of black rock.

  "These piles are manmade," Kate noted. She looked down at the soil again. Rocks streaked with veins of quartz and other minerals glistened in the sun.

  Merrick turned to face the opposite direction. Kate twisted around to see what he found so interesting.

  In the distance, an oppressive mass of metal towers, vent stacks, and other rusted machinery rose into the clear sky.

  "Mining complex," Merrick stated.

  Kate looked slowly around at the wasteland which surrounded them. "Mine tailings, then," she gestured at the ranks of material marching away from them in all directions. She studied the mine complex again. "I hope this place wasn't a garden paradise before they started strip mining."

  "We," Merrick corrected. "We started this. And no, I don't think Transom could ever have been referred to as a garden spot." He thought for a moment. "Rock garden, maybe."

  "But not a pretty one, I'm sure," Kate added. She wiped her hands on her pant's leg and took a deep breath of the hot dry air. "Shall we?"

  Merrick helped her down off the slag heap then stepped over to the pod. He took a moment to clamber up and snag the pack of emergency supplies. They examined the contents together. There was not much. Merrick took one of the water bottles and a multitool which he slipped into his jacket pocket. Kate took the tiny med-pack and the second water bottle.

  Kate looked around as Merrick carefully checked his rifle. There was nothing else for them here. Merrick made sure there was a round in his weapon's chamber and reseated the magazine. He met Kate's eyes.

  "They still glow in the daylight?" Kate asked.

  "Yes," Merrick replied, "Fortunately, it's a good look for you."

  "Thanks," Kate smiled, "still, I guess these are in order." She reached in to her inside jacket pocket and pulled out her sunglasses. Kate slipped them on and sighed as the lenses darkened against the insistent glare of the sun standing high in the sky.

  Merrick slipped on a pair of yellow shooting glasses. He glanced at the pod one last time then led the way along a ravine formed by two rows of the tailings in the general direction of the mine. Kate turned her back on their crash site and did not look back.

  They stopped only once when Merrick help up a warning hand. He tilted his head to a notch in the ravine where a rocky overhang provided a sliver of shade. They crouched in the dimness and waited.

  At first, Kate could only hear the sound of the wind sighing through the countless piles of stone and the scratch of drifting sand. Then she heard a motor. It strained as the vehicle moved over a hill, the tone changed as the truck cleared the ridge and plunged down into one of the ravines. After a moment, the pattern repeated itself.

  Merrick slowly stood and inched up the wall of rocks using a few carefully chosen footholds. Kate watched as he raised his rifle so he could use the scope. Merrick froze when the engine noises changed, indicating the visitors were climbing up another hill.

  Kate held her breath. Were their visitors getting closer? It was hard to tell with the engine noise echoing all around them. Kate nervously glanced up and down their ravine. She expected to see a truck full of Tallinn troopers round a corner at any second.

  When the engine noise changed again, accompanied by the sound of metal grating on rocks, Merrick dropped soundlessly down beside Kate.

  Kate jumped and hissed, "Little warning!"

  "Sorry," Merrick replied softly. He took Kate's hand and pulled her out of their hiding spot and down the ravine.

  "Are they getting closer?" Kate asked and tightened her grip on the sniper's hand.

  Merrick took an abrupt right turn down a new branch in the ravine. "Yes."

  Kate's step faltered.

  Merrick slowed and looked back at her.

  "We'll be okay if we keep moving," he said. "They are stuck on a rough road among the ridges. There's really no other way for them to get through this terrain. I didn't see anyone on foot helping them. They're probably a search party sent to check out our not so gentle landing."

  "Should we fight?" Kate was surprised by her question. Two days ago, she would have wanted to run.

  Merrick shook his head. "Not yet. We're almost to the mine. We should be able to find transportation there."

  "What then?"

  "We improvise."

  "Good plan," Kate stated even as she let Merrick pull her forward. "Is this what they teach you in sniper school?"

  "Partly," Merrick responded. "Mostly it's more along the lines of 'one shot, one kill'."

  "Nice," Kate snorted as Merrick led them into another sharp turn.

  The engine noise of the vehicle faded slightly but was now replaced by a more persistent, churning noise. The thrum grew and was soon accompanied by intermittent bursts of metal grinding on metal and the rocks crunching together.

  Kate and Merrick stopped and peeked over the top of the last line of tailings. Here, near the camp, the piles were lower. A row of battered mining vehicles blocked their view of most of the facility. Several of the huge trucks obviously were parked permanently; they sat on sagging tires or listed to one side when their axles finally gave up the effort of supporting tons of steel and rust. The rest of the vehicles, though scraped, grease-stained, and spotted with corrosion, seemed to be operational.

  Kate pointed to an opening between two massive bulldozers. Once, they were probably bright yellow, but hard years of use, erosion from the biting Transom winds, and the relentless sun left the vehicles' colors dim and dust-covered.

  "We can probably slip through there and find a car."

  "I was thinking a little bigger." Merrick pointed to the left.

  Kate swiveled toward the line of hulking dump trucks. They were backed up against the remains of a tracked crane which looked picked over for spare parts. She ran her eyes over the dirt-caked wheels which were easily twice her height and up to the driver's compartment far above the ground. The sides of the truck were so dusty it was hard to see any of the chipped and faded dark green paint job.

  "Don't you think someone might notice?" Kate hissed.

  Merrick started to rise from their hiding spot. "What are they going to do about it? Tell us to stop?"

  Kate looked around once more then got up and went after Merrick. He got them this far, no way could she stop following him now. Kate's feet crunched across the rough gravel of the parking area. She caught her toe on a protruding rock. She looked down at her shoes and wished for something better suited for the environment. Of course, on Transom Station, and before that, on Decatur, the station shoes were a logical choice for footwear; lightweight with a tread perfectly suited for moving around in space.

  "Boots, Kate, you need some real boots after this." With Javin in her head, there was no telling where she was going to end up. She needed to be ready for anything.

  Merrick reached the ladder leading up to the driver's cab of their target truck. He slung his rifle over his back, took a quick look around then scrambled up the shaky metal rungs. Kate grabbed the hand-holds when Merrick was a few meters off the ground and sighed. They were ste
aling the biggest truck ever. No problem.

  Kate reached the cab slightly out of breath. Ten meters did not seem that far except when you were climbing straight up. Oh, and you just spent the past several months in zero-gee trying to ride a bike to keep your muscle tone; a method not as effective as the med personnel led you to believe. She stood on the tiny platform's metal-grated flooring for a moment to catch her breath. In front of them, the mining complex looked like a rusted tangle of a massive junkyard. Metal supports held up pipes and conveyor belts. The belts stretched across the compound and carried ore in various stages of refinement in every direction. Belching chimneys rose in the distance. Smelters, thought Kate. The ultimate destination of all the pulverized rock where the ore would be refined and purified to yield precious rare earth metals Transom was famous for. The very reason the Tallinn's took the planet from the Stellar Union in the first place.

  Back the way they came from, Kate could just make out a thin rising pillar of smoke from their crash site. She shaded her eyes, trying to make out more details through the shimmering haze in the distance. As Kate stared, a truck jumped over the top of a ridge. It left behind a billow of dust blowing in the stiff breeze before it disappeared into a ravine. The searchers were headed straight for her dump truck.

  Kate was not sure how their trackers seemed to follow their trail so easily. Perhaps they simply discovered the empty pod and decided the only place any survivors would head was straight for the mining complex. In her heart, Kate felt someone discerned the exact path she and Merrick took and now directed the trackers toward the truck. Who could follow Merrick and her down from orbit and here to the complex so quickly?

  "Javin," Kate breathed. She knew Javin could not be the one who gave them away. The Watcher she met perished aboard the Tallinn iron-clad even before Captain Black had destroyed the vessel utterly and completely. If not Javin, than someone just like him. There could only be another Watcher hot on their trail. Kate glanced into the mining complex again. She half expected to see a hooded figure staring back. The rev of the pursuer's engine drew Kate's attention back to the mounds of tailings.