by Dana Kelly
“Fascinating.” She raised her brow and smiled. “Don’t worry about Ostonk. I give you my word that he won’t be harmed if you join me. As for Bloodtusk, I will personally make sure he goes straight to the brig after I’ve taken command.”
“You’re damn convincing, I’ll give you that,” said Grostonk. “I’m going to need some proof of the control you say you’ve got.”
“Name it,” said Eridani.
“Let yourself out,” said Grostonk. “Right now.”
“No way.”
Grostonk shot her a smug look. “Because you can’t. Because you’re lying.”
“No, because I’d be tipping my hand,” said Eridani. “You’re listening for my signals, and you’re planning to review the security footage and trace things back to my people. Having them open the door when you say would be exposing them. Anyway, I don’t have anything to prove to you. Take my offer or leave it. I don’t care either way.”
“All the cameras are for show,” said Grostonk. “Husthar ran out of money before he could get them hooked up. So, do it. Prove to me your network’s real, and I’ll join your team. Otherwise, I’ll be back in an hour with lunch.”
The lock clicked.
Eridani buried her surprise. “Fine,” she said, and she pushed open her cell door. “Is that proof enough for you?”
Hastily, Grostonk shoved it closed, but it clicked and drifted open. It buzzed as he held it in place awhile, but when he stood back, it drifted open again. “Okay, okay, I’m convinced!”
“So, you’ll join my team?”
“Do I get a place in your crew?” he asked.
“Of course, you do,” said Eridani, and she pulled the cell door closed, locking it back in place.
His tusks glinted. “All right, I’m in.”
“Good. The first thing I’ll need you to do is raid sick bay for all the melephundan tranquilizer you can find.” He retrieved his datapad and took notes as she detailed her plan.
At the far end of the passageway, standing inside a dark and dusty security office, Eleski watched the video feed with a thrilled smile. She erased everything for the past hour and withdrew her biomechanical tendrils from the brig’s control panel. Whistling to herself, she pushed the rolling bucket to the lift and boarded it. She propped herself upon the handle, and the doors slid closed.
◆◆◆
Later that night, Grostonk collected Eridani from her cell. He nudged her along toward the lift, and they boarded. Ascending to the starship’s command deck, Grostonk shoved her through the gap in a curved railing, onto the bridge. “Hey Husthar,” he said. “I caught this one poking around in communications.”
“Let me go,” said Eridani, and she struggled against his grip.
Bloodtusk pushed a button on the conn and rose from the captain’s chair. The button pulsed red. “Ostonk, you told me she was in the brig!”
“She was,” said Ostonk. “I checked the lock, myself!”
“Well, she found a way out,” said Grostonk, and he regarded his twin. “It wasn’t the renovations, either. You screwed up. Try copping to it, maybe just this once. See how it feels. You might like it.”
“Shove it up your ass,” growled Ostonk. He stomped over to Grostonk and reached back to strike him.
“Careful now,” said Grostonk. “There’s a lady present.”
Bloodtusk lumbered close and took Eridani by the chin. “Man, you stink. Grostonk, you couldn’t find time to walk her down to the showers?”
“She refused,” said Grostonk.
“If course she did,” muttered Bloodtusk, and he swiveled Eridani’s head this way and that. “What were you doing in communications?”
“I was trying to save the lives of your crew,” she said.
“She was placing a call with the starship Watchtower,” said Grostonk. “She said it’s her brother’s, but I wasn’t able to verify that. Telemetry indicates Watchtower is deep in the nightmare right now.”
“Watchtower… That name sounds familiar.” Bloodtusk narrowed his eyes. “So, it’s your brother’s starship, huh? Why ever would you try to call your brother instead of sneaking away on my shuttle?”
Eridani reared back, slipping free of his grip. “I was headed there next.”
“I’m sure you were,” said Bloodtusk. “Right now, I bet you’re wishing that’s where you went first.”
Near the viewscreen, an overhead grating vanished noiselessly into its vent. Without a sound, Torsha gracefully descended from the gap and touched down on the deck. Still some distance away, she positioned herself directly behind Bloodtusk.
“Listen to me,” said Eridani. “My brother is growing more powerful every day. A week before Yuletide, he teleported to Cavern Lake from inside the nightmare. If he finds me here, he’s going to kill everyone aboard except me!”
Silently, Torsha crossed the deck and extended her claws. Sharpened to needle points, steel sheaths covered each of them. Potent tranquilizer glistened upon their tips.
“Listen to you?” sneered Bloodtusk. “Not when I know you’re lying. Binaries can’t use their powers in the nightmare. It’s a proven fact.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, because it happened,” said Eridani.
Ostonk perked up. “Husthar, hold on a minute. I smell something.”
“It’s this one,” said Bloodtusk, and he gave Eridani a look of disgust.
“No, it’s something else,” said Ostonk.
Just as he turned around, Torsha injected one set of claws into Ostonk’s shoulder and the other into Bloodtusk’s back. “Surprise,” she said, and she pulled away, leaving her steel coverings behind. “I hope you both hit something sharp on the way down.”
Ostonk toppled backward, cracking his head open on the edge of the railing.
Bloodtusk whirled around to confront Torsha directly. “Not that surprised, actually.” A wicked grin crawled up his face, as his trunk writhed. He ripped open his shirt, revealing an armored vest beneath, and the poisoned caps fell harmlessly to the deck. “Grostonk sent me a text with all his notes attached. Nice try, though. Eridani, I really don’t know how you can sleep at night knowing you keep getting your friends killed.” He reached for his belt but found his replacement hunting knife missing.
“Forget something?” asked Grostonk.
“He didn’t,” said Torsha, and she stepped back with Bloodtusk’s oversized knife in hand.
“You’re a tricky one,” said Bloodtusk. “I didn’t even feel you take it from me. Do a little pickpocketing in your time?”
Torsha smiled slyly. “Give up, you piece of shit. This is the only time I’ll ask.”
“I don’t think so,” said Bloodtusk, and he glanced at the pulsing red button on his conn. “My entire security team is already on its way. You won’t even be able to board the lift. But just to be on the safe side, Grostonk?”
“Yeah?”
“Break Eridani’s arms,” said Bloodtusk. “If anger cat doesn’t drop the knife in three seconds, break Eridani’s neck.”
“Nah,” said Grostonk. “I don’t really feel like hurting her.”
“I gave you an order,” snarled Bloodtusk, and he cast Grostonk a baleful glare. “I’ll have you killed if you disobey me! I cloned Ostonk once, and I can clone him again.”
Grostonk’s skin lightened, and his fur receded. His tusks retracted into his jaw as his snout shrank into his face and neck. “Actually, Grostonk was the first variable we eliminated,” said Eleski, and she returned to her human guise. The spare parts she had borrowed for added mass dropped weightily to the deck. Grostonk’s clothing hung like sheets upon her frame.
“Who the hell are you?” asked Bloodtusk.
“I am Eleski,” she said. “I was your swabby.” Grimly, she nodded at Torsha.
The knife flashed through the air.
Bloodtusk’s severed trunk dropped limply to the deck. At first, blood seeped from a paper-thin slice under his Adam’s apple. Mutely, Bloodtusk cried out, a
nd he pawed at his throat. As he leaned back, blood rushed from his wounds, and he collapsed.
Eridani staggered, leaning heavily against the railing. “What’ll we do?” she asked. “His security team will be here any second!”
“They will not be,” said Eleski. “I foresaw this eventuality and disabled his alarm button an hour ago.”
“Then why did you kill him?”
“This was our backup plan,” said Torsha. “That nod was our signal. We didn’t tell you, because we didn’t want you involved if that’s what it came down to.”
“But why did you kill him?” asked Eridani.
“The entire starship is programmed to respond to his biometrics,” said Eleski. “He embedded dozens of voice-activated traps within each of Imperium’s decks. We never would have arrived at the brig with him as our prisoner. He would have recaptured you. Torsha and I would have been slain.”
Eridani rubbed her eyes and glanced at Bloodtusk’s body. “What did you do with Grostonk?”
“He’s in the brig,” said Torsha.
“Safe and sound,” said Eleski. She tugged on the clothes she wore. “He is naked.”
The lift chime clanked, startling them, and they faced the doors as they opened. Looking every bit Eleski’s twin, Katsinki stepped into view and stared wide-eyed at the scene before him. “Sister, who are these people? What has transpired?”
“Hello, Katsinki,” said Eleski.
“Ostonk and Husthar have perished,” whispered Katsinki.
“Ostonk’s not dead,” said Torsha. “He’s been tranquilized.”
“You are incorrect,” said Katsinki. “He has succumbed to respiratory arrest, likely as a direct result of a tranquilizer overdose.”
“Oh my god,” said Eridani. “That’s the one promise I made to Grostonk—that I wouldn’t kill his clone!”
“He did not honor his promise either,” said Eleski. “As it was contingent upon his honorable assistance, you are not bound by the vow you offered him.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” said Eridani.
“Regardless, we have secured the command deck,” said Eleski. “What next, Captain Webb?”
“I’m not captain of anything,” said Eridani. “But thanks for sticking around. Admiral Schurke’s after my brother, and we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us if we’re going to stop him. I hate to ask it of you, but we need to get rid of these bodies. Torsha and I can clean up the blood, but can you two engulf the corpses and walk them down to the incinerator?”
“Affirmative,” said Eleski.
Katsinki blinked. “It is a disagreeable request, but I… I will do as you ask. Sister, I call dibs on Ostonk.”
Eleski retrieved the severed trunk. “That is what I expected.”
Chapter 30
Building a Bridge
Overhead lamps shone softly upon Imperium’s command deck. Communications, the conn, the captain’s chair and the first mate’s chair all occupied her central bridge. The rest of her stations lined the aft bulkhead, distributed evenly on either side of the lift, tiered within a gently sloping footpath.
Eleski sat before the navigation console as Eridani pored over a holographic projection of Rhyon. “I definitely heard him say ‘Tiburón Dellasuerte,’” said Eridani.
“I am unable to locate anything by that name,” said Eleski.
“Maybe it’s a space station,” said Torsha.
“That is a distinct possibility,” said Katsinki.
“I had not considered that,” said Eleski. “One moment please, while I revise the search parameters… You are correct! Tiburón Dellasuerte is a privately owned space station that orbits Rhyon’s moon.”
“Well done,” said Eridani. “Now, how do we get there?”
“You will need a pilot and a crew,” said Katsinki.
“How’s that going to work?” asked Torsha. “We don’t have that kind of money.”
Eridani took a moment to consider. “We don’t, but we know someone who does.” She typed in Martin’s number from memory.
As the quantum transceiver placed the call, Katsinki looked at Eleski. “Sister, why did you decide against including me in the mutiny?”
“I forewent your inclusion due to the hyperbolic degree of concern you typically express for my wellbeing,” said Eleski.
“As your older sibling, I am compelled to serve as your oath-bound guardian. As such, I accept your reasoning as sound, but your wisdom is wholly questionable.”
“By your own assessment, you verify my decision,” said Eleski.
Katsinki frowned. “Regardless…”
Martin appeared on screen. “Eridani?” he asked. “Eridani, is that you?”
“It is. Torsha’s here too,” said Eridani, and Torsha stepped into view. “But I guess you already knew that.”
Martin smiled, relieved. “I did, but I’m glad to see you’re both okay.” Squinting, he leaned in close to the lens. “Torsha, what’s that on your shirt—and your fur?”
“Blood,” said Torsha, and she explained what happened to Ostonk and Bloodtusk.
“Wow,” said Martin, and his throat bobbed. “How are you handling that?”
Torsha took a deep breath and hugged her arms for a moment. “Okay, I guess. For now. Ask me tomorrow after I’ve had a night to think about it.”
“I’m going to put you on room cam while I go get your parents, if that’s okay,” said Martin.
“Of course,” said Eridani.
“Be right back,” said Martin. A moment later, he followed Iona, Aurora, and Oliver into view. “I told them what happened,” said Martin.
“You all right, kiddo?” asked Oliver.
Eridani nodded. “I’m fine, Dad. Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetie,” said Aurora.
“This is Eleski and Katsinki,” said Eridani, and the denshi-tengu siblings stepped into view just long enough to exchange introductions. “Eleski’s the one who helped us take the ship.”
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” said Eleski.
“And yours,” said Oliver. “Much obliged to you for keepin’ our daughter safe.”
“It was my privilege to do so,” said Eleski.
“Torsha, you’re becoming a regular soldier,” said Iona. “Careful you don’t develop a taste for it. You’ve got your dad's blood running through your veins too, you know.”
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom,” said Torsha. “It’s not like I enjoyed it! It was kill or be killed.”
Iona sighed. “Well, if there was no other way, then there was no other way.”
“There wasn’t,” said Torsha.
“Do I need to worry about you joining the space marines?” asked Iona.
“I’m about to hang up on you,” said Torsha. “Seriously, it was kill or be killed. I’m not kidding.”
“Hey guys, Orin needs our help,” said Eridani. “There’s a very bad man named Schurke who’s determined to capture him. Those were his mercenaries in the shuttle. The way I see it, since he hired Bloodtusk to help, for as long as Admiral Schurke believes Bloodtusk is still in charge of Imperium, we’ve got a chance at finding out what he’s planning. Eleski and Katsinki have already agreed to help us do that.”
“Admiral Schurke,” said Aurora. “You don’t mean Admiral Anton Schurke, do you?”
Eleski leaned into view. “Yes, that is his full name.”
“He’s a war hero! People look up to him.” Aurora squared her jaw. “Orin looks up to him!”
“I don’t know,” said Martin. “He toured the morning talk shows a couple years back, and the man looked haunted.”
“After what he witnessed—and survived—can you blame him?” asked Aurora.
“Refresh my memory,” said Oliver.
“He was there at the Straits of Actron during the Pegasi War,” said Aurora. “Rogue binaries crippled three of his warships, killing close to a thousand people under his command. That’s how MABAS justified commis
sioning BICOM.”
“Along with legitimizing every bounty hunter that has a spaceship and an IPF contract,” said Martin.
“Haunted or otherwise, he better keep his paws off our boy,” said Oliver.
“If Admiral Schurke is involved, I doubt he’s planning to hurt our son,” said Aurora.
“You’re not hearing me!” said Eridani. “Admiral Schurke is involved, and because of him, Thuraya is dead! I won’t let him kidnap my brother! Martin, I could really use your help right now.”
“Of course,” said Martin. “You two have been through more than enough already. Why don’t you take the shuttle and come home? I’ll send up a pilot and some of my marines to crew Imperium. They’ll work with your denshi-tengu friends to put a stop to Admiral Schurke.”
Eridani glanced at Torsha, who shot her a defiant glare. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”
“Then I can’t help you,” said Martin.
“Yes, you can,” said Eridani.
“I won’t help you,” said Martin. “Is that better?”
“At least it’s more honest,” said Eridani. “Sorry guys, but we’ve got to get going. Mom, Dad, I love you very much. We’ll be in touch.”
“Bye, Mom,” said Torsha.
“I love you, sweet girl,” said Iona.
“Eridani, wait,” said Martin. “Stop for a second, and think this through—really give it some thought, okay?”
“I have,” said Eridani. “If I have to, I’ll just terrify the current crew into submission. If it worked for Bloodtusk—and we killed him—I’m sure it’ll work for us too.”
“I do not mean to undermine your assertion,” said Katsinki. “However, while Husthar terrified us, he also paid us. A surprisingly high percentage of the working population will tolerate a significant amount of abuse if they are paid at regular intervals. Without steady wages, another mutiny would be… imminent.”
“I’m working on that,” said Eridani.
“One moment,” said Aurora, and she suspended the video feed.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” asked Torsha.
“Nothing. They’re probably tracing our call, getting our exact position so they can meddle, even though we told them not to,” said Eridani.
