The Key

by Brian Fisher

  Chapter 46

  "So, what did you have in mind?" T'Sula asked as she helped Corin to his feet. She had enjoyed knocking him around a little. It felt good to relieve some of her stress, even if she had been holding back. Of course, she realized that Corin had been holding back as well.

  T'Sula walked over to where the makeshift pry bar lay and picked it up. She hefted the tool easily, and glanced over at Corin. It was not easy to put her suspicions out of her mind, but what he was saying was actually making sense. If they could work together, they might be able to cripple the Regiment from the inside. She hated the Regiment. She hated them almost as much as she hated the Ta'Reeth.

  "I need you, so that I can get them to drop their guard. They put out a hit on you, and I told them that I'd bring you in." Corin wiped the blood from his nose as he helped T'Sula with the pry bar. "That's one of the reasons I need your help."

  "One of the reasons?" T'Sula heaved against the pry bar. The MRU began to move, but still not enough for Brutus to break free.

  T'Sula kept her thoughts tightly sealed inside her mind. She realized that Corin actually believed that between the two of them, they could bring down the single biggest threat, with the exception of the Ta'Reeth, that the galaxy knew. She knew her own capabilities, and started to wonder about those of Corin Dante. He had lasted longer than most people would have against her, and he had tracked her to Olcai. Who was this man?

  "Yeah, one of the reasons." Corin put all of his weight into the bar, getting the MRU to move a little more. "Come on Brutus." he grunted. "The other one is that I can't take them on alone and win." Slowly the massive cat began to rise, to push against his prison.

  "Come on!" Corin yelled as Brutus stood and the MRU rocked back onto its base, leaving the cat free. Corin let out a sigh and looked at T'Sula.

  "So, are you in?" he smiled disarmingly at her in the darkness, hoping that she would trust him. If she chose not to, he was in a lot of trouble.

  "What assurances do I have that you're telling me the truth?" T'Sula tossed the pry bar to the deck and squaring herself to Corin. "If you're lying to me, that's just one more reason for me to hate you." she stared at him for a moment, then turned her attention to the Reclamation Unit. "Is this thing still working?" she asked, slapping it lightly.

  "Hey, you broke enough stuff around here." Corin scratched Brutus behind the ears. "Let's get some food, then we can figure out what all's working and what's not." Corin started towards the door. "Come with me."

  Feeling his way through the darkness, Corin led T'Sula and Brutus down the corridor. "I don't have a huge variety, but there are some emergency rations down this way." Corin's mind raced as he walked. Was he insane? Spilling his plans to T'Sula Mir was not the brightest thing he had done recently. She was the most dangerous person he had ever met, and he was just rambling on about his plans to double cross the Regiment? This had disaster written all over it.

  "Hamburger steak alright with you?" he asked her as he forged ahead, picking his way through the wreckage.

  "No." T'Sula replied from behind him in the darkness. "I'm a vegetarian."

  "Great." Corin muttered under his breath.

  "And I heard you." T'Sula called back.

  Corin grimaced. Was there any way not to anger this woman anymore than he already had? As much as he did not want to admit it, he needed her in more ways than he knew. "We're almost there." Corin called back to T'Sula. "Hey, I see a light."

  "Well, this isn't good." Corin growled as they entered the room. The light came from a meter wide gash in the hull that stretched from the deck, upward at a jagged angle, to the ceiling and beyond. Bits of rubble combined with shattered tree branches littered the deck, interspersed with the remnants of whatever had been in the room in the first place. Nothing had survived.

  "No, but it could have been a lot worse." T'Sula stepped up beside him. "At least we're all still alive." she glanced quickly around the room. "There's supposed to be food in here? Looks to me like it’s all ruined." she pointed to the crushed containers and scorched machinery scattered throughout the room.

  "Yep, it looks like we're out of luck on this one." Corin walked over and sifted through a pile of debris. "Everything that was in here is gone."

  "Well, we need to look around outside anyway." T'Sula headed back out the door. "We might as well scout for some fresh food while we're at it." she looked back over her shoulder. "Are you coming?"

  "Yeah." Corin stood up and followed T'Sula out into the corridor. They waited for Brutus to follow, and then Corin led the way to the nearest hatch.

  Without power, Corin had to crank the hatch open. After a couple of minutes of work, they breathed the hot, humid jungle air. T'Sula's armor and jumpsuit were instantly soaked through. Brutus growled in protest to the heat, and then simply leapt down from the ship. Even Corin began to sweat profusely as he climbed down to the ground.

  "Armor huh? I figured as much." Corin muttered as he watched T'Sula drop gracefully to the ground. "Makes sense though."

  T'Sula ignored Corin. She watched Brutus snarl and pace around the tiny clearing in which they stood. He grew more agitated as he paced.

  "Something's wrong Corin." she looked around the clearing. There was nothing that she could see, and nothing that she could smell or feel. She just watched Brutus, and knew that the cat could sense something that she could not.

  T'Sula stepped closer to the ship, hoping to fade into the shadows.

  "Hold it right there Commander."A familiar voice called to T'Sula from beyond the trees. "Stay where I can see you." there was a rustling noise as the vegetation parted and armed men walked out of the jungle. "Dante, call off that blasted cat before I shoot it."

  The man speaking stepped into the light and T'Sula recognized him instantly. Malek sneered at T'Sula. "I should have put you down years ago. Actually, I thought I had."

  "Malek." T’Sula spat. "I haven't killed you yet?" Anger flooded into her eyes. T'Sula forced herself to relax, as every muscle, every fiber in her body tensed with hatred.

  "Well, now that we're all acquainted, let's get this over with." Corin stepped over to T'Sula. He slipped his arm around her waist, discreetly slipping a knife into her pocket. "This isn't in the plans. Play along." he whispered into her ear.

  "Get your hands off me!" T'Sula yelled shoving Corin to the ground. She sized up the Regiment. They were too heavily armed for them to fight in the open. Silently, T'Sula berated herself for letting them get the upper hand. She should have seen it.

  Corin dodged as Malek shot at his feet. "Ah ah Dante. None of your tricks now. Understand?" Corin clenched his jaw and nodded. This was not going to plan.

  "You've got what you wanted Malek, now I want my money." Corin dusted himself off as he stood. He closed his eyes for a second, and using his implants, checked on the status of Vengeances’ weapons. He might get one or two shots, if he was lucky. How had these bastards gotten here so quickly? These weren't even the right coordinates for the rendezvous. Something was seriously wrong. They must have been tracking him all along.

  "Come here Commander, and don't try anything stupid." Malek leveled his rifle at T'Sula. "We've got something special in mind for you." something in his smile sickened T'Sula. She wanted desperately to run.

  T'Sula slowly walked forward, stopping in front of Malek. She kept quiet, not daring to speak. She closed her eyes as Malek ran a scanner over her. 'I hope I can trust Corin.' ran endlessly through her mind.

  "Yeah, she's the one." Malek turned back to his men, smiled, and then slammed the stock of his rifle into T'Sula's face. Her head rocked back with an audible crack as she crumpled instantly to the ground. Malek removed a set of shackles from his belt and placed them on T'Sula's wrists. He then ordered two of his men to pick her up.

  "What are you doing?" Corin yelled. He hid his panic as well as he could manage. "Where's my money?" He tried to think of something that would stall Malek, and failed. If he tried to shoot now, he'd ki
ll T'Sula, along with Malek and his goons. "We had a deal Malek!"

  "Deal's off Dante. You never reached the rendezvous." Malek motioned for his men to retreat. "Good luck with your ship. Don't even think of trying to follow." Corin could hear them laughing as they disappeared into the jungle.

  A few minutes later Corin watched as a small Ta'Reeth ship tore through the sky, and out into space.

  "Don't worry; I'm going to do a lot more than just follow you." Corin promised. A mix a sorrow and anger filled his heart. T'Sula had finally trusted him, and he failed.

  "Come on Brutus, we've got a lot to do." He watched for a moment as the big cat paced angrily back and forth. Corin shook his head. T'Sula had only been with them a short time, and now Brutus wanted to protect her. Corin turned his back on the big cat and climbed back into his ship.

  Even in the darkness, it was easy for him to find the DioBed. Kamira hadn't been in it very long, but it was going to have to do. He checked to make sure that her readings were stable before he cancelled the session.

  "It's time to wake up." Corin told his friend, pulling her gently upright. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked at him.

  "Jason?" she asked.

  "No Kam, its Corin." he hadn't wanted things to happen this way, but now there was no choice. "I need your help. T'Sula needs your help."

  "What happened?" Kamira asked, brushing the sleep from her eyes.

  "We crashed, and T'Sula has been taken prisoner by a man named Malek. He's with the Regiment." Corin quickly told Kamira everything, leaving no secrets.

  "Wow." Kam breathed deep for the first time since waking. She winced and clutched her ribs. "I could use some more time in the DioBed Corin."

  "I know. I'm sorry." he focused on the task at hand. "The ship is in pretty bad shape Kam. I can't fix it by myself."

  "O.K. The first thing we need is power, and then we need a detailed analysis of the damage." Kamira groaned. "Can you do that while I get back in the DioBed?"

  "Yes." Corin helped Kamira lie back down. "I can do that." he said as he activated the machine.