Space Jackers

by Huw Powell

  ‘So why do you want to find Altus?’

  ‘I’m drawn to its mystery. I want to find the world that has eluded so many others for centuries. The Interstellar Navy took my decency. I need a sense of purpose, something that I can be proud of. Altus has always been the ultimate challenge, but now I want to find it for a different reason. You. If you let me, I’ll take you home and help you to confront your uncle. I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to give Altus back its rightful ruler. Are you?’

  Jake turned to Kella and Nanoo, who just shrugged. He didn’t know if he could trust Callidus, but what if he couldn’t find Altus without him? It was only a matter of time before the Interstellar Navy worked it out. Jake had to get there first, by whatever means necessary.

  ‘I’m going to trust you, Cal. I reckon you’ll do the right thing when the time comes. Don’t let me down.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Callidus put a hand on Jake’s shoulder. ‘Your confidence in me means a lot.’

  For a moment they stood staring at each other, connected by a feeling of mutual respect that filled Jake with hope. It lasted for only a second, when someone cleared their throat. Admiral Nex stood in the doorway, accompanied by two men in red laboratory coats and black leather gloves. It was time for maximum interrogation.

  ‘This is your last chance, boy,’ said Admiral Nex, his eyes fixed on Jake.

  ‘Please see reason,’ protested Callidus. ‘There’s no need for such extremes. None of us knows the location of Altus.’

  ‘Back off, Stone,’ warned Admiral Nex. ‘My interrogators will find out if you’re hiding anything.’

  ‘Take me,’ said Jake, stepping forward. ‘You’ll see that we’re telling the truth. No one else needs to suffer.’

  This act of courage seemed to amuse Admiral Nex.

  ‘My boy,’ he said, ‘I applaud your bravery and it’s a tempting offer, but I’ve already chosen someone to go first.’

  Two guards entered the cell and grabbed hold of Kella.

  ‘Hey,’ she cried. ‘Get your hands off me.’

  ‘Let her go,’ demanded Jake, but he was pushed back by the men in red coats. ‘Kella hasn’t done anything.’

  ‘Oh really?’ sneered Admiral Nex. ‘Anyone who travels with space pirates is far from innocent. Unless you can tell me where to find Altus, we’ll be forced to use our most severe methods of interrogation on her.’

  He signalled to the guards, who started to drag Kella away.

  ‘Jake?’ she said, her eyes filling with fear. ‘Help me.’

  Jake had never felt so powerless. He didn’t have the information Admiral Nex wanted and he couldn’t fight a warship full of naval troops. Kella Anderson was at the mercy of a merciless man.

  ‘Well, boy?’ asked Admiral Nex.

  Jake opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. What could he say?

  ‘Nothing?’ Admiral Nex tutted and shook his head. ‘Oh dear, that is a shame.’

  ‘Jake, do something,’ screamed Kella.

  And then it happened.

  The ISS Colossus was hit with such force the impact sent shockwaves throughout the entire ship, knocking everyone to the floor. This was followed by a haunting sound of metal buckling under pressure.

  ‘What was that?’ Admiral Nex clambered to his feet.

  ‘What you do, Jake?’ asked Nanoo, with a mixture of fear and admiration.

  ‘I didn’t do anything,’ said Jake. ‘It wasn’t me, I swear.’

  ‘Perhaps it was another craft,’ suggested Capio. ‘But who would be mad enough to take on the Interstellar Navy?’

  Callidus shook his head. ‘That didn’t sound like another ship.’

  ‘What else could it be?’ asked Farid.

  Further tremors shook the ISS Colossus, followed by the sound of laser cannon. In the cell, the lights dimmed to red and a siren sounded. Admiral Nex steadied himself and fumbled for his communicator.

  ‘What’s going on?’ he barked into the device. ‘A what? Are you serious? How big?’

  In the corridor outside, the two guards held on to Kella while awaiting further instructions.

  ‘How should I know?’ shouted Admiral Nex. ‘Are we too close for torpedoes? In that case, keep firing the cannon until I think of something.’

  Another shockwave rocked the ship.

  Admiral Nex turned off his communicator. ‘It looks as though your interrogation will have to wait.’

  ‘How large is the kalmar?’ asked Callidus, surprising everyone with the question.

  ‘According to my first mate, it’s the biggest space monster he’s seen in years,’ said Admiral Nex. ‘It came out of an asteroid field as we passed and seized our hull. The laser cannon are struggling to penetrate its hide and we’re too close for torpedoes. So, unless you have any bright ideas, I’m going to see if I can save my ship before it’s torn apart.’

  ‘Actually,’ said Callidus. ‘I might be able to help.’

  ‘Might?’ snapped Admiral Nex. ‘What do you mean might?’

  ‘I know a way to destroy the beast,’ claimed Callidus. ‘But it will cost you.’

  ‘Don’t be an idiot, Stone. We’re talking about a ruddy kalmar. If this ship is destroyed we’ll all die, so if you know a way to stop it, speak now and save your own neck.’

  ‘What’s the point? If we survive this attack, my friends and I will be facing torture and death anyway. At least this way I get to take you down with me.’

  ‘Cal, what are you doing?’ hissed Capio. ‘Have you lost your mind?’

  ‘You’re bluffing,’ said Admiral Nex, his eyes narrowing. ‘You don’t know anything.’

  ‘Fine, have it your way.’ Callidus folded his arms. ‘Let me know how you get on with your new pet.’

  ‘Blast it, Stone, you always were stubborn. What’s your price?’

  ‘Let Jake and the others go, and I’ll get rid of the kalmar.’

  ‘No deal.’

  ‘Those are my terms,’ said Callidus firmly. ‘You’re going to lose Jake either way.’

  Admiral Nex turned scarlet again. He was being held to ransom by a giant space squid and an ex-officer. It was clearly too much for him to bear. He stormed out of the cell, sealing the door behind him.

  ‘I hope you know what you’re doing, Cal,’ said Capio.

  ‘How did you know it was a kalmar?’ asked Jake.

  ‘It was only a guess,’ said Callidus. ‘The impact didn’t feel like another ship or a stray asteroid.’

  Jake had read about space monsters in his story books, but he had assumed they were made up to frighten children. In his mind, he recalled an illustration of a giant squid-like creature chasing a passenger ship, with four glowing red eyes and long green tentacles.

  ‘Do you really know how to kill a kalmar?’ Farid sounded impressed.

  ‘Yes. I once met someone who tried to catch one,’ said Callidus. ‘He never succeeded, but he did discover something interesting about them.’

  The attack grew more aggressive. It was only a matter of time before the warship hull breached.

  ‘Why laser cannon have no effect?’ asked Nanoo.

  ‘Kalmars have incredibly tough skin, so they can survive in space,’ explained Callidus. ‘Laser cannon only scratch the surface.’

  ‘Amazing,’ said Nanoo. ‘I never hear of such a creature. I hope we get to study it.’

  ‘Study it?’ Capio pointed at the hull. ‘That overgrown star squid is trying to eat the lot of us and you want to study it?’

  The cell door opened and Admiral Nex entered with four armed guards.

  ‘You win, Stone. We can’t shake the kalmar and the hull is starting to fracture. I don’t know how much longer we can hold out, so you had better act fast.’

  ‘And the others?’ asked Callidus.

  ‘Yes, yes, they can go. I have a shuttle waiting on the hangar deck. Just hurry up and get that wretched thing off my ship.’

  ‘OK,’ said Callidus. ‘I’ll need all the frozen fish an
d high explosives you have on board.’

  Admiral Nex scowled. ‘What are you playing at?’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ said Callidus. ‘I won’t harm your precious warship.’

  ‘You had better not.’ Admiral Nex dispatched two of his guards to fetch the supplies. ‘I want to be dining on kalmar steak tonight and not the other way around.’

  The lives of the entire crew now rested in the hands of a fortune seeker. Jake hoped that Callidus knew what he was doing. The warship shook with one of the biggest tremors yet, sending everyone flying. Jake peeled himself off the floor and rubbed his jaw. He was starting to dislike artificial gravity.

  ‘Right, everyone to the hangar deck,’ instructed Callidus. ‘I’ll be watching you on a display screen to make sure Admiral Nex keeps his word. Jake, assist Farid. Kella and Nanoo, support Kodan. Capio, I need you to stay here and help me.’

  ‘Why me?’ whined Capio. ‘What can I do?’

  ‘Trust me,’ said Callidus. ‘I’ll make you a hero.’

  Jake paused by the door. ‘Cal, are you –’

  ‘It’s the only way,’ insisted the fortune seeker. ‘Now get moving. I’ve got a monster to kill.’

  Chapter 17

  The Truth

  The hangar deck on the ISS Colossus was big enough to hold thirty cargo haulers. Most of the craft docked there were fighters or shuttles lined up in neat rows, except for those dislodged by the kalmar attack. Jake wondered why Admiral Nex hadn’t launched the fighters against the space monster, but then figured their weapons would be even less effective than the enormous laser cannon.

  Armed guards escorted him and the others to a small shuttle near the launch locks. Jake had read about these giant gateways, but he had never seen one up close. Launch locks were similar to airlocks, only much larger. Most warships had two of them, or sometimes four, each of which could hold ten fighters at a time. The ISS Colossus had eight.

  As they reached the shuttle, Jake noticed another vessel docked nearby, a craft that didn’t belong on a naval warship.

  ‘Hey,’ he said, almost letting go of Farid. ‘I’ve seen that ship before. It was on Remota the night we escaped.’

  There was no mistaking the distinctive black and white emblem painted on the side. It was the space pirate assault craft from Temple Hill. A mixture of fear and anger stirred inside Jake. He glared at the white skull in a space helmet, wanting to punch its stupid fixed grin.

  ‘What’s that doing here?’ wondered Kella.

  ‘Navy capture it?’ suggested Nanoo.

  ‘But it’s not damaged,’ said Jake, examining the craft. ‘That’s strange, the shape of the cockpit and the angle of its windows are the same as a naval shuttle.’

  ‘Jake, we don’t have time for this,’ pressed Kella.

  ‘Don’t you see?’ he said. ‘The assault craft is a naval shuttle. It wasn’t space pirates who attacked the monastery on Remota, but the Interstellar Navy.’

  ‘Jake –’

  ‘Think about it, their pirate outfits were brand new and their weapons were naval standard, they had to be troops in disguise. The Interstellar Navy has no authority on independent colonies, so they had to fake a raid to avoid causing a major incident.’

  ‘He’s right, you know,’ said Farid, leaning on Jake’s shoulder. ‘I’ve never seen a pirate craft that spotless.’

  The hangar deck shook violently.

  ‘Keep moving,’ ordered one of the guards, pushing them with his rifle.

  Jake took a final look at the assault craft and helped Farid up the steps of the waiting shuttle. He knew that Callidus would be waiting until they were clear.

  Once inside, they closed the shuttle door and strapped themselves in ready for take-off, when something dawned on Kella.

  ‘Who’s going to operate this thing?’

  Jake looked around the cabin. Farid and Kodan were injured, and he doubted Kella or Nanoo had ever flown a shuttle.

  ‘I’ll do it,’ he said.

  ‘You?’

  ‘I know more about ships than most pilots,’ boasted Jake. ‘I’ve done loads of online simulations and I’ve even had lessons in a security shuttle.’

  ‘Thanks for the offer, kid,’ said Farid. ‘But I’ll take the helm.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ Jake felt a mixture of relief and disappointment.

  Farid shrugged. ‘There’s only one way to find out.’

  The first mate climbed into the cockpit and flipped several switches, but his movements were slow and rigid. He released the brake and the shuttle jerked forward, trundling across the hangar deck towards the launch locks.

  ‘Look out!’ cried Jake, spotting the fake assault craft sliding towards them.

  Farid attempted to swerve, but his reactions were too slow. The assault craft slammed into the side of the shuttle, sending it spiralling into a row of fighters. Jake’s straps cut into his chest as the shuttle buried itself under a heap of midnight blue metal. He fell back in his seat, waiting for the world to stop spinning and his chest to stop hurting.

  Kella and Nanoo moaned in pain. In the cockpit something beeped. The engine was still running, so why had they stopped? Then he noticed Farid’s arm hanging limply through the door . . .

  Jake released his straps and rushed to the cockpit. Farid had collapsed over the controls and was out cold. Now there was no choice, Jake had to fly the shuttle.

  ‘What’s going on?’ asked Kella. ‘What are you doing up there?’

  ‘Getting us out of here!’ Jake strapped himself into the co-pilot’s seat and seized the controls.

  The instruments were standard design, making them easy to recognise. Jake punched a few buttons and squeezed the throttle. The shuttle responded and rolled backward, but there was a horrific scraping sound as it wrenched free from the tangled mass of fighter craft.

  ‘This isn’t as easy as it looks.’

  Jake crunched the gears and steered the wobbling shuttle towards the launch locks, slowly gathering speed. He saw another row of fighters sliding into his path and accelerated hard, but still clipped the last craft. The hangar deck swirled past the windows as the shuttle was sent spinning into an open launch lock. Jake slammed on the brakes and brought the shuttle to an abrupt halt inches from the lock wall.

  Huge inner doors closed behind them, sealing the shuttle inside the launch lock, before the outer doors parted like an iron curtain to reveal an ocean of stars.

  ‘Hello, big black,’ said Jake, shaking with adren­alin. ‘It’s good to see you again.’

  He leant on the throttle and the shuttle charged forward, pinning him to his seat. It reached the edge of the lock and burst into space.

  ‘What’s going on?’ mumbled Farid, sitting up. ‘Where are we?’

  ‘We’ve escaped,’ said Jake, his knuckles white from squeezing the controls. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘I must have hit my head, but I’ll be OK.’

  Jake switched the shuttle to autopilot and returned to the cabin to check on the others. His eyes were instantly drawn to the scene outside the rear window. The kalmar was wrapped around the ISS Colossus in a deadly embrace, two giants of space fighting for survival. Bursts of laser bolts sparkled like fireworks, while huge tentacles smashed and crushed the metal hull.

  What was Callidus waiting for? Why hadn’t he destroyed the beast? A worrying thought crossed Jake’s mind. What if there was no plan? What if Callidus had lied to save him and the others? What if the fortune seeker had no idea how to kill a kalmar?

  Jake cursed himself for leaving without Callidus and Capio. Between the Interstellar Navy and the space monster, the two men didn’t stand a chance. Why hadn’t he insisted that they be released as well?

  None of this would have happened if Jake had grown up on Altus, where he belonged. It was all his uncle’s fault. Anger swelled inside him as he thought about his father, the cyber-monks, Amicus Kent, Callidus and Capio. Jake watched the ISS Colossus shrink into the distance and vowed to make Kear C
utler pay, whatever it took.

  ‘What that was?’ asked Nanoo.

  ‘What what was?’ said Jake. ‘I mean, what was what?’

  ‘Shuttle tremor like a quack.’

  ‘I think you mean quake,’ corrected Kella.

  ‘In space?’ Jake found this hard to believe.

  ‘I felt it as well,’ said Kella. ‘It was like something nudging the hull.’

  ‘Perhaps warship explode,’ Nanoo flung open his arms to demonstrate.

  ‘With Callidus and Capio inside?’ Jake had been worrying about the two men since they had lost sight of the ISS Colossus. ‘We should go back. They might need our help.’

  ‘Go back?’ said Kella. ‘What if Nanoo is right and the naval warship has been destroyed? We would be alone with a giant kalmar.’

  Jake knew she was right, but if it hadn’t been for Callidus and Capio, they would still be prisoners aboard the naval warship. He pictured the two men floating in space, injured and unconscious, while the giant kalmar gobbled up naval troops around them.

  ‘If we not go back,’ said Nanoo, ‘why we turn around?’

  Jake checked the window and saw the stars circling by outside.

  ‘Hey, Farid,’ he shouted. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘We’re heading back to the warship.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘We have no choice.’ Farid stuck his head through the cockpit door. ‘We’re almost out of fuel and there are no planets or spaceports nearby. It looks as though Admiral Nex didn’t want us to go far.’

  ‘But we had a deal,’ said Jake indignantly.

  ‘I knew we couldn’t trust that sneaky two-faced wretchard,’ fumed Kella.

  Farid steered the shuttle back to the coordinates where they had left the ISS Colossus. When they arrived, he turned off the thrusters and let the shuttle drift.

  ‘Are we here?’ asked Jake, joining him in the cockpit.

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘So where are they?’

  Farid shrugged. ‘No idea.’

  Jake scanned the section of space where he had expected to see the kalmar still wrapped around the naval warship, but there was nothing.