“Reverse thrusters,” Saturn ordered. “Match velocity.”
“Matched,” Astrid confirmed a moment later.
“Line up the docking ports and engage clamps.”
The floor shook violently for a moment as the clamps bore down on the other ship. The hull continued to creak and moan. If Ju-Long were a more superstitious man, he might have been put off by the eerie noises. He’d spent enough time on aging spaceships, however, to tell the difference between the normal creaks and moans and the more bizarre, less explainable kind. Nevertheless, a tickle creeped up his spine and made the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention like so many soldiers in formation.
Astrid forced the accelerator to full, sending all available power to the engines.
“It’d be a shame to waste a good gravity assist,” Astrid explained when Saturn gave her a questioning look.
Saturn nodded and pushed off from the console, starting toward the curving side corridor.
“Who’s in the mood for an interrogation?” Saturn called callously over her shoulder.
Ju-Long’s ears perked. He shot Astrid his excited face and an involuntary smile crept up her cheek. She began to roll her eyes and then nodded toward the cargo bay.
“Go on. Looks like you’ll get a bit of action after all,” she said sardonically.
Nix looked from Ju-Long to Astrid and back again, eventually shaking his head with a look akin to disgust coming over his face. Ju-Long rose from his seat and clapped the Dinari on the shoulder.
After bending down to pick up his stray shirt he said, “Don’t worry about it. You in the mood for a little fun?”
“I don’t know. I can’t promise any lasers or explosions,” Nix warned wryly.
“Ha, ha,” Ju-Long responded. After a moment of contemplation, a sinking feeling came over his stomach and with a sigh he relented, “Fine.”
12
“Again,” Saturn ordered.
Ju-Long wound up and backhanded the Ansaran pilot once more, drawing a streak of purple blood across his high cheek.
The Ansaran was bound to a small crate in the cargo bay. He’d surrendered easily enough once he realized the scope of his predicament. Still, he wasn’t giving Saturn the answers she needed. She listened to the gentle hum of purple energy flowing throughout the conduits of the ship. A large part of her wanted them to flow red, even for a moment.
“I don’t know, I swear!” the pilot pleaded.
“Death Wish came this way and I intend to find him,” Saturn said. “It would be unfortunate if anyone were to get in my way...”
The Ansaran was silent. His pale blue skin was flecked with the sort of tiny scales that made small fish appear soft to the touch. In much the same way, rubbed against the grain his scales would prove just as rough. The pilot closed his mouth. His cheek bulged on one side as though his tongue was fishing for something.
Saturn narrowed her eyes on him. Realization struck her.
“Ju-Long, stop him!” she shouted.
Ju-Long noticed what the pilot was doing and swiftly used his large hands to pry open the Ansaran’s jaws. He balled up his left hand to block the pilot’s bite and removed a loose tooth from his mouth. While retracting his hands the Ansaran bit down. Ju-Long closed his right fist around the tooth and punched the pilot in one of his bulbous black eyes. The Ansaran’s jaws relaxed and Ju-Long retrieved his bloodied hand.
“Let’s see it,” Saturn said.
Ju-Long held the tooth aloft in the flat of his palm. The sharp, curved tooth was rotting quickly. Was it rot? The tooth bubbled onto Ju-Long’s hand. He squawked and tossed the tooth aside, rubbing his hand furiously against his pants and cradling the other as though unsure as to which was the more urgent injury of the two.
Nix put a hand on Ju-Long’s shoulder and instructed, “Head to the galley, I’ll whip up some Nerva for you in a moment.”
Sweat pouring down his agonized face, Ju-Long clenched his jaw and regarded Saturn. She nodded. He turned and stormed off toward the galley, using his white tank top to plug the puncture wounds on his hand.
Nix turned back to the Ansaran pilot, the look on his face not unpleasant despite his friend’s injuries.
“A neat trick,” Nix observed. He laughed and continued, “But I can’t let you die. Not yet.”
“You know, we can learn a lot of things from your ship’s computer,” Saturn said before turning to Nix, “Maybe we don’t need him after all.”
“You’ll never break the encryption,” the pilot taunted. “Only an Ansaran could crack it.”
“Is that so?” Nix asked.
“It’s a shame we don’t have an Ansaran handy,” Saturn mused.
Nix agreed, “A real shame.”
“I’m not afraid of death,” the pilot said. “I do not fear the night.”
The clank of boots against steel resounded off the walls of the cargo bay. The footsteps were slow; methodical. With the divine, womanly grace that Saturn never knew nor desired, Astrid approached.
“Y-You,” the pilot sputtered.
“Leave me with him,” Astrid said, her cold blue eyes beginning to burn with a fierce swirl of green, churning with a building fury of emerald embers which Saturn knew all-too-well.
After exchanging glances with Nix, Saturn nodded and said, “Five minutes.”
“More than I’ll require.”
•
Saturn used a cloth to put pressure on Ju-Long’s bleeding hand while Nix prepared the Nerva plant.
“Sorry, Ju-Long, I should have seen it coming sooner.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he responded. “It’s nothing.”
Ju-Long’s eyes told a different story. There was a trail of blood leading into the galley. Nothing bled quite like a puncture wound, Saturn thought. A bit of color had drained from his face and his knuckles had grown white as he continually balled his right fist and released it again in quick succession. The compound inside the tooth had done a number on his skin.
“I can’t control my hand,” Ju-Long said, fear assailing his voice.
“Help me get him to the sink,” Nix insisted.
Saturn helped him up from his seat at the table, gripping him under his armpits and, with Nix’s help, heaving Ju-Long toward the galley’s only water source. Nix turned the handle on the faucet and moved Ju-Long’s hand under the steady stream of recycled liquid.
“Have you seen anything like this before?” Saturn asked the Dinari.
“Only stories. To commit suicide is a great offense to the gods. Even the least pious among us are wary of so great a transgression.”
“Earth’s history is littered with accounts of poisons like this. Suicides, assassinations, you name it.”
The stream of water carried away the frothy bubbles forming at the spot the tooth’s poison had seeped onto Ju-Long’s hand. What was left behind was the raw pink remnants of a chemical burn.
“You’re lucky,” Saturn told him as a matter-of-fact. She expounded, “Only a small amount touched your skin.”
“The Nerva plant should help quicken the healing process, but chemical burns are not its specialty,” Nix added.
Ju-Long wavered where he stood. Beads of sweat rolled off his brow and collected on his chin before falling to the floor. His body was visibly shaking and his eyes quivered as he examined his injuries.
“You okay, big guy?” Saturn asked, concerned.
Ju-Long brought his bloody, bandaged hand up and raised his thumb for an instant before falling backward onto the floor. Saturn and Nix exchanged glances and then turned their attention back to their fallen comrade.
“Sleep,” Ju-Long mouthed with hardly a sound escaping his lips.
“Why does this sort of thing always happen to Ju-Long?” Saturn asked the Dinari casually.
“In all fairness, he does bring it on himself most of the time.”
Saturn smirked.
“He’ll be fine. Come on, best get him comfortable at least.”
<
br /> 13
Astrid paused in the galley’s entryway, cocking her head to the left and squinting her eyes at the curled up man on the table. Even in a vulnerable state he sparked a warmth in her chest. Ansarans valued strength, but Ansaran females also valued that intangible aspect of being which evaded so many men of her species. Despite his boisterous attitude and penchant for explosions, Ju-Long really did have a selfless nature about him which she found irresistible.
“He’ll be fine,” Saturn assured her, sensing Astrid’s concern.
Saturn leaned her back against the wall of locked cabinets, her arms crossed in a display of waning patience. Nix stood up from his seat at the table and regarded the Ansaran expectantly.
“So?”
Astrid obliged, “The pilot was one of the High Council’s lackeys, tasked with following a particular ship.”
“What ship?” Saturn asked.
“It was an experimental craft engineered at the facility on Narra. The High Council agreed to lend the ship to our old friend, but they didn’t trust him enough not to keep watch. The pilot registered two life signs aboard.”
Nix used one of his long claws to scratch nervously at a dry scale on his cheek. The scale flecked off and he flicked it to the ground. Astrid had noticed him doing that a few times in the past, usually when he was particularly high-strung.
“Where is it?” Nix asked, voice tense.
“He says he followed them to Narra’s second moon. They stopped briefly, then continued toward Rumani. He hid his ship in a storm on the far side of Narra until they left, using the research facility’s sensor array to feed him data until they were out of range.”
Nix cursed and kicked one of the bolted-down metal chairs. He cursed a second time for a different reason. Reaching down, he caressed a small cut on the sole of his foot which seemed to be healing slowly.
Nix continued angrily, “We’ve already passed the second moon. If we go back to investigate we’ll put ourselves even farther behind them.”
“What’s on the second moon?” Saturn asked, curiosity shading the lines of her face.
“Ruins,” Astrid replied simply.
Nix added, “Remnants of the War of a Thousand Years. I can’t imagine what they would have wanted there. Unless I’m mistaken, the settlements have been wiped from existence.”
Saturn nodded and said, “Nevertheless, I think we should check it out.”
“I thought you wanted to find Death Wish,” Nix said, his eyes scanning Saturn’s for her intentions.
Saturn spoke quickly, using her hands as she spoke, “The Garuda is one of the fastest ships around. We missed them by hours. We’ll make up the time on the way to Rumani. At least this way we might glean some clue as to what we’re up against.”
“I agree,” Astrid declared. “The last time we engaged the mercenary he was several steps ahead of us. We need to know what he’s after.”
Nix opened his mouth to speak but, outnumbered, ended up nodding reluctantly.
“And what about the Ansaran?”
“I have a suggestion,” Ju-Long wheezed from his huddled ball on the table.
Astrid and the others turned their heads. Ju-Long straightened himself out on the table and slowly shook his head, appearing to be putting up with a massive headache.
“Is he okay?” Astrid asked.
Saturn ignored her and said to Ju-Long, “Let me guess, the airlock?”
Ju-Long paused, and then replied, “No...”
He thought a moment longer and then continued, “Although...”
“We’re not blowing him out the airlock,” Astrid said sternly. “I may be a part of this crew but I’m still Ansaran. I won’t watch him die in such a dishonorable way.”
“There’s another way,” Ju-Long rasped while trying to sit up. He loosened the purple kelp-like plant which covered his chemical burn, checking on its recovery. Satisfied, he turned to Saturn. “He’ll live and we’ll get what we need.”
“I’m listening,” Saturn relented.
•
Saturn sat on a hard yellow case in the cargo bay. She shifted uncomfortably on the awkward ridges of the container while she watched her prisoner with interest. He looked no worse for wear than when she’d left him, and yet he’d spilled everything to Astrid. Curious, she thought. She made a mental note to find out how she’d done it. It never hurt to have every possible tool in her belt.
A multitude of metallic clunks and clanks shook the cargo bay, emanating from the circular hatch to Saturn’s right. The Ansaran quivered where he sat, constantly eyeing the hatch and then returning his gaze to his captor. Saturn’s glare remained fixed on her prisoner.
“What are they doing?” the pilot hazarded to ask.
Saturn smiled but maintained her silence. Instead, she watched as the Ansaran’s fears manifested in the lines of his face and the intricate interlay of his scales against his cheeks. Saturn could feel the Ansaran growing even more uncomfortable where he sat. Perfect, she thought.
“What is she doing on my ship?” the pilot asked, panic beginning to take hold.
A round device shot up out of the hatch and quickly fell to the grated floor, rolling slightly before being tripped up by a rogue set of wires. The Ansaran’s eyes shot to the silver ball and widened. Other parts followed until the floor around the circular hatch was littered with chromed pieces too numerous to count.
“You’re tearing my ship apart!”
The smirk on Saturn’s lips remained. Saturn was beginning to enjoy watching his discomfort. It was a small solace to her to be in control of an Ansaran, even if it wasn’t the one she sought. The man in the blue armor, she thought.
The Ansaran lowered his stare and shook his head. His heels tapped nervously against the metal flooring and his shoulders struggled against his restraints.
“If you’re going to kill me just get it over with. If the High Council finds me after this, I’ll be a dead man anyway.”
Saturn’s smirk faded and she eyed him with a cold detachment. The scout’s eyes continually shifted back to the mess of parts and wiring, his breathing growing quicker with each piece of his ship torn from its housing. Saturn watched him struggle futilely against his restraints.
Astrid climbed out from the hatch, followed by Ju-Long and Nix, who held a helical piece of metal between his claws.
“That should do it,” Ju-Long said.
Saturn nodded and smiled at the pilot.
“Looks like it’s your lucky day.”
14
“Disengaging docking clamps,” Nix said.
Saturn brought up the holographic star charts. Nix and Saturn’s faces were bathed in an orange glow, each focused on the image.
“Let’s see what’s hiding on that second moon,” she said.
Saturn blew up the hologram of the second moon and pressed her finger down on a suitable landing spot a half a kilometer south of the largest jumble of ruins. A spinning yellow triangle formed around the landing zone where her finger had been a moment before.
“Course laid in.”
Nix released the controls and let the autopilot do the rest of the work. He gazed over at Saturn as he removed his arm from the copper loop which steered the ship. Her choppy sun-tinged hair brushed her tight leather top, the pads over her shoulders ribbed with the imprint of three thick lines.
“Shall we?” Nix asked her.
Saturn nodded and said, “If we wait any longer who knows what Ju-Long might have constructed.”
“A death ray, no doubt.”
Saturn let herself smirk.
•
“Does this look compatible with our sensor array?” Ju-Long asked Astrid, still woozy from his injuries.
Astrid took the small metal box gently from his burned and punctured hands and examined it closely under the light of an orb. Red and orange diodes flashed on one side of it, using up the last remaining energy from its power supply. She took a look at the thick blue wires hanging out of the back
side of the device.
“This array is a newer model but it should be easy enough to fabricate something to match,” Astrid said before looking at Ju-Long with a sultry glint in her eye, “I’m sure you’re more than up to the task.”
Ju-Long smiled, his mind both wandering and growing dizzy simultaneously.
Nix and Saturn approached from the cockpit corridor.
“Anything useful?” Nix asked them.
Ju-Long gestured to the pile of scrapped parts and mumbled, “Almost got the right materials to build that death ray I’ve been wanting.”
“A shame,” Saturn replied, shooting Nix a knowing look, “We’ll have to find some other use for them.”
“Let’s see, a communications array, navigation system, targeting scanner, and distress beacon, not exactly the shopping spree I was hoping for, but what can you do?”
“Salvage what you can,” Saturn said.
Nix shifted uncomfortably where he stood.
“The Garuda’s systems might be older, but they still measure among the best,” Nix defended, “I don’t want anybody rooting around where they shouldn’t be.”
Saturn placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“I’m not saying to tear anything apart, just to...augment where possible.”
The Dinari’s eyes shifted to the heap of scrap on the floor of the cargo bay.
“We can use the sensor array; and update our star charts. But no more!”
Saturn frowned and then nodded.
“Okay, Nix, we’ll do it your way.”
Nix shrugged her hand off his shoulder and walked off toward the cockpit, his displeasure at the prospect of using Ansaran technology readily apparent.
Once he’d gone, Saturn knelt down next to Ju-Long and Astrid.
She said softly, “Do what you can with the other parts without tying them into the main systems just yet. They might prove useful.”
Ju-Long smiled woozily and with a newfound eagerness began disassembling one of the components.
•
The Lost Corsair (The Corsair Uprising Space Opera Series Book 4) Page 6
