The Expanding Universe 4: Space Adventure, Alien Contact, & Military Science Fiction (Science Fiction Anthology)

by Craig Martelle

  She couldn’t afford to die either.

  Tawny snatched the comm from Thenden’s hand and spoke. “Fire now or we’re evading,” she spat.

  “You’re not the captain, Tawny. I’m getting tired of reminding you of that.”

  She squeezed the comm as if it was Drake’s neck. “You’re not much of one either if we die.” She didn’t know if she imagined it or not, but it sounded like an exasperated gasp from the Saharan Dream’s end of the comm. Thenden glanced at her, eyes wide, with a shit-eating grin on his face showing she’d won some approval from him. Not that she was seeking it.

  A plethora of swear words barked through the speakers as Tawny released the mic, letting it fall to the deck. Thenden snatched it up and spoke. “The drone is closing in. If you don’t fire now, we won’t have much choice. Good luck recovering the artifact in whatever space debris we leave behind.”

  The idea of losing money seemed to change Drake’s mind. As Tawny stared at the screen, she could see a dot of light in the center of the bilge followed by a flash as the railgun fired. It was so fast that if she had blinked, she would have missed it. Her eyes returned to the drone in time to see it disintegrate in a cloud of metallic debris, expanding like a miniature universe.

  For the first time since takeoff, Tawny sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it and I won’t bring up your indignant, self-righteous, arrogant, or compulsive nature when you return to the ship,” Drake snapped.

  She glanced over to see Thenden holding the mic, the switch still depressed in his white-knuckled grip. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed, knowing her gratitude was directed to him and not the worst captain in Chancerian history.

  “Continue your trajectory and we’ll match speed for docking. Keep the channel open. Drake out.”

  Thenden placed the mic back on the console and leaned back in his seat, loosening his straps a bit after wiping sweat from him brow. “That was closer than either of us would have liked.”

  “I’ve been in closer, but you’re right,” Tawny replied, following suit by pulling her restraints loose. “Drake needs to figure out how to run a ship or he’s going to get you all killed.”

  Thenden cleared his throat, looking at the mic from his seat as if the other end was about to light them up for talking about him. “He’s not that bad once you get to know him.”

  “I’ve been on your ship for three weeks. He’s been a jerk twenty of those days. The one where he wasn’t, I wasn’t even on the ship to have to deal with him,” she shot back, irritation growing inside her like a wild vine, threatening to choke out everything in its path.

  “He has that way about him, I guess,” Thenden muttered, not fully committing to the bashing of his boss.

  Tawny knew the story; Drake took him in to be part of the crew simply because he couldn’t find trustworthy people who didn’t steal from him. Thenden was too nice of a person to be a career criminal. A part of her wondered what he would be doing now had he never fallen into the wrong crowd so long ago. What Drake looked at as mercy in this situation, Tawny viewed as an abuse of authority, rivaled only by ineptitude.

  A dangerous combination to say the least.

  “Don’t you think it’s time to find your way to something better? You’ve been working for him for too long. You’re better than that.” She hadn’t intended to coax her only friend on the Saharan Dream into a life-changing decision. But here they were, minutes after their lives hanging on the line and returning to a hostile living situation on a derelict ship.

  “I can’t leave. I don’t know anything else,” Thenden replied solemnly.

  Tawny frowned. He couldn’t see his worth to others because he constantly viewed himself in the lens of his captain. The blind leading the blind, she thought.

  Docking with the Saharan Dream was uneventful. With the drone annihilated and no sensors to detect how it was lost, the authorities had no way of tracking its loss. For all they knew, it was taken out by space debris. Hell, it was space debris at this point. As the Saharan Dream brought the transport into its hull, Tawny watched the darkness of space disappear as the hangar doors lurched shut, cutting them off from the outside.

  “I’ve had enough adventure for one day,” Thenden said as he rose from his seat and scooted back to the hold to pull out their bounty.

  “Likewise,” Tawny replied, watching over his shoulder as he pulled the device out. What it was, was beyond her, but Drake asked for it and she complied. The feeling of selling out was only as deep as her fear of never getting home again. If she had to steal tech to buy passage to her home world, then she was willing to do it. But continuing with Drake’s crew didn’t seem as likely after today. There was too much animosity between her and the captain.

  “What’s wrong?” Thenden asked. “You seem a bit out of it. We made it safely, no?”

  Tawny smiled politely. “We did, but things didn’t have to go down that way. Now I’m dreading seeing Drake.”

  Thenden nodded. “I get it, but he doesn’t hold a grudge.” Brushing off the dust accumulated on the device, he continued. “Especially when he has a new toy.” He tapped the unit with a grin.

  “Any idea what it is?” The question felt misplaced considering she stole it without a clue as to what it was. The only thing she was sure of was that it wasn’t a weapon.

  The door of the transport slid open and Drake stepped through. “It’s a way out of this system and back to Earth,” he said, grabbing it from Thenden. “These are the secret files of the Chancerian Parliament and all the grievances against them. Once I turn it over to Earth, they will be dismantled from power and we will be free to do as we want.”

  Tawny rolled her eyes. “Nothing is that simple. Besides, why would they keep a record of grievances?”

  Drake brushed his blond hair out of his face. “They’re bank records which can be traced to politically corrupt schemes. Those are the grievances, this is the evidence,” he snapped back indignantly. “Why are you even questioning me?”

  Tawny took a step back as he sneered at her. Now that he had what he wanted, he didn’t need her, and that made her wary in ways she hadn’t allowed herself to be previously. “I’m sorry, it’s just—”

  Drake waved her off dismissively and stepped out of the transport, his coattails dancing off his calves with each step.

  Tawny bit her tongue, not wanting to say anything despite something not sitting right with her. There must be more to it than simple bank records, she thought.

  Following Drake out of the transport, Thenden asked, “How can you be sure Earth’s government will do as you say? They haven’t stepped in to help this system since the last war. We are about as far from their sense of morality as you can get.”

  “It has to do with money. Money is power. It’s above your head, Thenden,” Drake hissed, slapping the device onto a table to power it on. With a simple push of a button, the device sprang to life, a holographic display protruding upward in the semblance of the Undersecretary of the Treasury, Nathanial Borouse. “There’s the little devil himself,” Drake chided gleefully, tapping his fingers on the edge. “My legacy will be toppling these assholes down and rising to the top of the proverbial mountain.”

  Tawny watched as Drake manipulated the files he gained access to. None of them showed bank reports, but they did reveal charitable donations on the part of parliament. “Wait a minute,” she said, stepping forward to get a better look. “That money is set aside for funding to bail out the poor cities on Jhont. There’s no corruption here.”

  Her accusatory tone darkened his face as he looked down at her. “This is none of your concern, kid.”

  She glared at him, knowing full well he was stealing from the poor, not from the corrupt. Despite it making no real difference in what was right or wrong, it rubbed her the wrong way. “Do you have any idea how many people will die if you take that money?”

  Drake seethed above the blue glow of the hologram, his dark eyes taking on
an evil appearance. “It’s time for you to go,” he said.

  “What?” Tawny asked, just as Drake pulled his sidearm and pointed it in her direction.

  “I’ve had enough of your constant questioning of my methods. Your free ride ends here. Smythe, will you and Jonah see the lass to the airlock?”

  Tawny’s heart about jumped out of her chest. The tide had turned so abruptly that she could hardly catch her breath. Had this been a setup the whole time?

  “Look, it doesn’t have to come to this,” she said, backing away. Regret reminded her that she pushed too hard, had been too vocal to the wrong person. She’d overstepped her boundaries.

  Thenden stiffened next to her, his expression dumbfounded. “Drake, is this really necessary?”

  “I’ve had enough of justifying myself to others. You’re either with me, or you’re against me. Which side are you on?”

  The room fell deathly silent as Drake stood with his gun leveled at Tawny’s face. Thousands of apologies flittered in her mind, but she couldn’t speak. Her father raised her to speak up, to not sit on her laurels. She did that, but at what cost?

  “If you have any last words, you might as well spill them now,” Drake seethed. He placed a hand on the device as if drawn to it like a moth to flame.

  Tawny swallowed back a sob forming in her throat. “I was just trying to save my father,” she whispered, barely able to get the words out.

  “What? I thought you said your father passed away,” Thenden replied.

  Tawny nodded. “I said that to avoid the questions I knew would come if you found out who I really was,” she said.

  Drake’s face flushed. “More lies… How am I not surprised?”

  “It’s not like that. If you knew the truth, then you would understand.” Despite the heat in the room, she felt a chill run down her spine.

  “What truth is that? Careful with your answer, it might cost you your life,” Drake shot back, the barrel of his weapon still pointed between her eyes.

  She glanced down at the deck of the Saharan Dream and bit her lower lip, unsure if she should reveal the truth, even if it would save her. I must try, she thought, her eyes connecting with Drake’s defiantly. “My name is Tawnecia Mukoko, and my father is Solverius Mukoko,” she answered.

  “Holy—” Smythe started to say before Drake’s eyes fell on him with a sneer.

  “You think that name means anything to me?” Drake asked. “I’m not afraid of ghosts and no one has heard from him in more than a year. I think you’re stalling.”

  “It’s the truth. I swear it,” she said solemnly. “I thought he was dead as well, but I received word a month ago that he was being held captive on Medua.”

  “And you thought you could save him by yourself? You’re not as smart as you give yourself credit for,” Drake said. “Now, it’s time to be done with you. Walk.” He waved the barrel in her direction, ushering her to take a step back.

  “Please. Don’t do this,” she said, on the verge of crying and hating herself for it. She wanted to be strong, like her father.

  Drake’s men led her to the airlock as his crew followed behind. Their footsteps clacked against the deck, falling in time as they marched to the aft section of the ship.

  “This isn’t necessary,” Thenden whispered, barely loud enough for Tawny to hear, but his words were cut short when Drake jabbed him in the ribs.

  “With me, or against me,” the overbearing captain seethed, holding his weapon in his crewman’s direction now. “I won’t be reminding you again.”

  Thenden stepped back, holding his hands up like a shield, seconds away from proving how ineffective they would be to a projectile traveling thousands of feet per second at point-blank range. “I’m only saying, we don’t need to kill her,” Thenden said nervously.

  “Oh, we don’t?” Drake snapped back. “When did I die and make you captain of this ship? Wait, I didn’t, so you do as I say or you can join her.”

  The blood left Thenden’s face as Tawny stared back at him. She could see his fear as his jaw tightened. A dance between rage and terror. She’d seen the expression on other people’s faces and knew most would swallow their pride and live to see another day.

  “Yes, sir,” Thenden said meekly. He glanced at her and nodded, a sad expression scrawled on his face, the look of a defeated man.

  Tawny walked forward as Thenden placed a hand on her shoulder, ushering her towards the airlock. Her heart raced as she trekked aft, the sound of mag-boots clanking behind her, a percussive death march drawing her closer to the final abyss. “I’m willing to do anything,” she whispered, unsure of whether she was praying to a god she didn’t believe in, or if she was on the cusp of begging for her life.

  “What’s that?” Drake asked, his voice taunting her.

  Tawny stopped and turned, looking up at the coward who would kill a girl just to prove he was in charge. She doubted he even had the balls to pull the trigger he kept dancing his finger along. “I said I’m willing to do anything,” she spat.

  “Like what?”

  Without thinking, she heaved her heavy mag-boot up and into his groin with enough force to lift him off the deck. His face reddened with rage as his feet contacted the deck once more, his hand trembling as he lifted the gun towards her, eyes full of rage.

  Tawny took a reluctant step back, realizing too late that she miscalculated the effect she would have kicking him in lower-G. She could tell he was in pain, but not enough to slow him down. If anything, she set him off and made things worse.

  “Bitch, I’ve had enough of you,” he spat as he stalked towards her. Three steps in and the barrel of his weapon was pressed against her forehead with enough force to make her wince. She pulled away until she found her back against the bulkhead.

  “Captain,” Thenden said, taking a step forward with his hand raised like he wanted to do something.

  Drake spun on his heels and fired the weapon, striking his crewman in the shoulder with an audible cry before the older man collapsed to the deck, blood running down his arm with droplets floating around him.

  “Captain,” Drake taunted, manipulating his voice into a whine. “This is what’s wrong with society--everyone wants to be soft. Well, I’m not a soft person, and it’s about time you realized it.” His gaze darted to each set of eyes looking at him in horror.

  Tawny stood behind him, staring through tears as Thenden bled on the deck before her. He was only trying to help, she thought, her hands tightening into fists. He’s going to die because of me. Without another second’s thought, she leaped onto the captain’s back. She dug her teeth into his neck, the only way she could think to draw blood from the asshole.

  Drake wailed in pain as he flailed, trying to fling her off before collecting himself. With one calculated move, he slammed his body into the bulkhead, allowing her to take the brunt of the force with her back, knocking the wind out of her. As he eased away from the bulkhead, her body slunk from his back and collapsed to the deck.

  “I’ve had enough of this shit,” he said as he stomped to the airlock and punched the switch to open it. Turning around, he was met with enough force to drive him towards the outer airlock and slam him into it.

  It was Thenden, still bleeding and his face white. “It’s time for you to go,” he spat.

  Drake, realizing he had dropped his weapon, reached up and grabbed Thenden by the hair, slamming the man’s head into the bulkhead. The dull thud was not quite hard enough to knock him out, but hard enough to daze him. Thenden lost all power as Drake shoved him away, climbing back to his feet to grab the girl and end this once and for all.

  “Let’s go,” Drake said. He snatched Tawny by the neck and dragged her, kicking and screaming, towards the opened inner airlock door. “I’d ask if you had any last words, but you can whisper them to him before I punch you out.” With a final shove, Tawny collapsed to the deck next to Thenden.

  “Are you all right?” she asked as she checked the side of his head, knowi
ng there was nothing she could do. They were moments from death.

  “I see two of everything,” he replied, each word slurring into the next.

  Tawny’s hate-filled eyes glared back up at Drake. His two crewmen now looked at him with disgust as he paraded himself around the passageway. “You have no honor,” she said defiantly.

  A smirk spread across his face. “Yeah? Well, at least I’ll live to see tomorrow. Sweet dreams in death.” He winked and punched the airlock closed.

  Tawny climbed to her feet and ran to the port hole to look in as Drake smiled maniacally. He taunted her from the other side as his fingers danced around the switch that held her life in the balance.

  “Don’t do this, please,” she begged as her heart thrummed hard enough to make her body shake. Somewhere behind her, Thenden collapsed onto his back, oblivious to the world as he slipped into unconsciousness.

  “It’s too late,” Drake said through his teeth. “You never should have—”

  In a split-second, the porthole was painted red as the sound of a gunshot reverberated around her. A moment later, the airlock cycled open. She watched Drake’s lifeless body on the deck before her, his brains splattered all along the bulkhead as Smythe wiped his hand clean after pressing the airlock switch.

  “I think we had enough of his sense of justice. Maybe we can find a better way, no?” Smythe asked as he canted his head to his comrade.

  “Life is hard enough without living in fear. I think you made the right call,” Jonah replied. “The real question is whether she wants to give us another chance.” His eyes fell on her as she gawked up at him, breathing heavy and disoriented enough to not fully understand what was happening.

  “What? I don’t understand,” she replied.

  Smythe stepped over to her and extended his hand. “What we’re trying to say is, we’re sorry for the part we played in our former captain’s ruse to kill you. We did not support the decision and felt the need to act. Would you consider staying with us as part of our crew and perhaps we can help you find your father?”