Ep.#1 - Escalation (The Frontiers Saga: Rogue Castes)

by Ryk Brown

  “We’ll be back for you!” Marcus promised, even though he knew it wasn’t true.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Marcus! Get those hatches closed!” the captain ordered.

  “Close those fucking hatches up there! Port and starboard! Close them now! You hear me!” Marcus turned back toward the tunnel, as several of the Asa-Cafon’s crew came charging down the boarding tunnel, determined to get aboard the Seiiki at all costs.

  Oh fuck! Marcus pulled his weapon and opened fire on the charging crewmen. His shots struck several of them in the head and chest, causing them to collapse in the middle of the tunnel in a smoldering heap. It was just enough to slow the rest of them down, and buy him enough time to close the hatch at his end of the tunnel. “Go, go, go!” he yelled over his comms as he swung the hatch closed and spun the lock. Fuck! he thought as he closed his eyes and turned his back to the hatch.

  “Time is up,” Josh announced.

  “Unknown black and red ship, this is the Seiiki. We just need a few…”

  The ship lurched to one side suddenly. Alarms began sounding in the Seiiki’s cockpit.

  “What the fuck!” Josh exclaimed as he reached for the Seiiki’s flight controls.

  “They’re firing on us!” Captain Tuplo yelled.

  Another alarm sounded.

  “We’ve lost lock with the Asa-Ca…”

  “Decompression in the cargo bay!” the captain exclaimed. He glanced out the side window, noticing that the ship was in a lateral spin, and headed for the main drive section of the Asa-Cafon. “Josh!”

  “Fuck!” Josh swore, noticing the imminent collision. He grabbed the flight control stick and gave it a twist to swing them around so their aft end was facing the rapidly-approaching drive section of the Asa-Cafon, then fired the docking thrusters to push the ship downward, below the cargo ship.

  “We’re taking more fire!” Captain Tuplo warned.

  “I’m gonna slide under her and use her as a shield!” Josh announced as the Asa-Cafon rose above their nose, replaced by the beautiful blackness of open, interstellar space. “Be ready to jump!”

  There was a deafening whoosh of air, and Marcus instinctively reached up and pulled his helmet face shield down. There was a terrible screech of tearing metal, mixed with the screams of at least twenty people. The entire docking apparatus suddenly shot out the back of the cargo bay, taking the last of the air with it.

  Everything was suddenly silent. Silent except for the sound of his own breathing. He felt himself being pulled out into space, as he frantically reached out for something to anchor himself. As he shot out the back of the Seiiki’s cargo bay, he could see passengers hanging on to the railing, trying desperately to remain within the Seiiki’s cargo bay, despite the fact that the cargo door was now fully open to space. Several of them lost their fight and were immediately sucked out along with Marcus, dying within seconds, their faces twisted with grotesque expressions of fear and panic.

  Marcus shot away from the Seiiki’s cargo bay. Then, he stopped with a violent yank at his back. The pull spun him around, so that he was facing away from the Seiiki, the suit fabric digging into his abdomen. For a brief moment, he saw the Asa-Cafon, falling away from them, Jung rail guns tearing into her hull.

  Then he spun back around, and found himself headed back toward the Seiiki’s cargo bay, propelled by the yanking motion of the life support umbilical connecting him to the ship. Two bodies flew directly at him. The first one was a woman, already dead, her mouth agape and her eyes exploded outward by the sudden decompression. The second one was a man. He was still alive and flailing his arms wildly. He eyes were bulging, on the verge of exploding. The man ceased his struggling as he drifted past Marcus, he eyes finally losing their battle to remain intact in the vacuum of space, their bloody spray just missing Marcus’s face shield.

  Marcus grabbed at his umbilical, pulling at it like a rope to draw himself back into the Seiiki’s cargo bay. He could see that Josh was maneuvering the ship under the Asa-Cafon, using it as a shield against incoming Jung rail gun fire. At any moment, Josh would fire the Seiiki’s main engines and jump away. If Marcus was too far away from the Seiiki when it jumped, the jump fields would sever his umbilical, and he would be left behind, floating in space, with only the oxygen left in his suit to keep him alive.

  Hand over hand, Marcus continued to frantically pull himself along, as more bodies drifted past him and out of the Seiiki’s cargo bay. Then the ship thrust forward, and he almost lost his grip on the umbilical. “Wait! Not yet!” he cried out over his helmet comms, as he continued pulling himself closer to the Seiiki’s cargo bay. One last body, that of an attractive young woman not much older than Josh, drifted past him as he slid under the edge of the Seiiki’s aft-most section.

  “Jumping!” Captain Tuplo announced over the comms.

  Marcus closed his eyes tightly, and prayed. There was a brilliant flash of light, causing the inside of his eyelids to illuminate a bright orange. Then it was gone.

  Marcus was afraid to open his eyes. If the Seiiki was gone, and he was about to die, he didn’t want to know.

  “Marcus!” Captain Tuplo called over Marcus’s helmet comms. “Are you still with us?”

  Marcus opened his eyes. The Seiiki was still there, her aft end looming no more than a meter above his head. He was slowly rotating to his right, and he saw the body of the young woman that had drifted past him, severed cleanly at the abdomen by the Seiiki’s jump fields, leaving her upper half back with the Asa-Cafon.

  “Marcus!” the captain repeated.

  “I’m here,” Marcus managed to squeak out in between breaths.

  “Are you all right?”

  Marcus looked at the lower half of the young woman, drifting away from him. “No, I’m not. I need a drink. Hell, I need the whole fuckin’ bottle!”

  * * *

  Josh and Captain Tuplo rushed aft along the Seiiki’s port corridor, pushing their way past the disembarking passengers who were rushing in the opposite direction. They pushed their way through the forward corridor and into the aft corridor, which was still full of people trying to get out.

  Finally, they came out the aft end of the corridor, onto the short catwalk at the port side, aft end of the cargo bay. Captain Tuplo stopped, grabbing the railing and twisting forward to look for Marcus. The old man was sitting on the floor of the torn up bay, his arms resting on his knees, his head hanging down.

  Josh rushed past the captain, nearly dropping down to the cargo deck without touching a single rung on the ladder. “Marcus!” Josh yelled as he raced toward him. He dropped down to his knees in front of Marcus, looking at his face. His face shield was open again, now that they had landed. “You all right, old man?”

  “Right enough to punch you in the mouth if you call me ‘old man’ again.”

  Josh smiled as he unlocked Marcus’s helmet and pulled it up off his head.

  Marcus looked up at Captain Tuplo, who was taking in the damage.

  “Jesus, Marcus. What happened?”

  “Rail gun fire must’ve hit the tunnel. Everything just went whoosh, right out the back and me along with it. If it weren’t for my umbilical.” He looked at Josh. “You were cuttin’ it a bit close with that jump, weren’t you, boy?”

  “We knew you were inside the jump fields,” Captain Tuplo assured him. “Barely.”

  Marcus sighed. “Don’t suppose we’re gettin’ paid for this one?”

  “Not likely,” Captain Tuplo replied. “Paid on completion.”

  “Don’t suppose we can go back and finish the job?” Josh asked, already knowing the answer.

  “The Asa-Cafon came apart as we jumped,” Marcus said. “Nothin’ to go back to.”

  A vehicle pulled up outside, behind the Seiiki’s cargo ramp. Three men, one of them older and more nicely dressed than the other two, climbed out of the vehicle.

  “Did you get it?” the older man asked as he approached the bottom edge of the c
argo ramp. “Did you get my cargo?”

  “We’re fine, Siggy. Thanks for your concern,” Captain Tuplo replied coldly.

  “You didn’t…” Sigmund replied, as he took note of the damage to the Seiiki’s cargo bay. “You did! You went for the passengers, first, didn’t you?” Sigmund grabbed the sides of his head with both hands, dumbfounded at the realization. “Are you idiots or something? I told you that the cargo was the priority!” he ranted, waving his hands madly as he spoke. “Get the cargo, get paid. That’s what I said, word for fucking word. That was the deal!” Sigmund put his hands on top of his head and turned away, momentarily at a loss for words. “I don’t believe this,” he finally said, turning back around to face them. “Do you know how much that cargo was worth? It was a once in a lifetime opportunity! I mean, how often does the entire cluster get invaded! You sons of bitches! I ought to skin you all alive!”

  Marcus had reached his limit, and drew his weapon for the third time that day. Only this time, it was in anger. “You slimy little dung heap…”

  The two men flanking Sigmund pulled their weapons just as quickly, both taking aim at Marcus.

  “I got the ape on the left,” Josh announced as he drew his weapon, switching it on as it left its holster.

  “You’re gonna have to shoot’em both,” Marcus muttered, his voice seething with contempt. “I’m shootin’ Siggy.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa… Easy fellas! What’s with all the guns?” Captain Tuplo said, his arms out as he tried to keep them from opening fire.

  “You dare point a weapon at me?” Sigmund bellowed, infuriated.

  “I dare to pull the fuckin’ trigger too,” Marcus sneered. “You knew it weren’t no easy run, you little fuck. I oughta burn you down where you stand.”

  “You burn me, and they burn you,” Sigmund reminded Marcus.

  “Worth it,” Marcus replied.

  Sigmund noticed the look of determination in Marcus’s eyes, as well as the confidence in Josh’s. “Look, I had no way of knowing that the Jung would be looking for the Asa-Cafon.”

  “How did you know the Jung were looking for her?” Captain Tuplo wondered. “I didn’t say anything.” He looked at Josh, as he started moving toward the back of the cargo bay. “Did you broadcast it over comms on approach when I wasn’t looking?”

  “No, sir,” Josh replied, his weapon still aimed at the man to the left of Sigmund.

  Sigmund’s right hand slid slowly toward his own side arm, realizing that a gunfight was becoming more likely with each passing moment.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Dalen warned from his position tucked behind the port engine nacelle.

  Sigmund looked to his left, spotting Dalen and his rather large energy rifle. His eyes widened.

  Captain Tuplo leaned out from the cargo hatch to see Dalen. “Now that, is a big gun,” he said. “I believe one shot would make a pretty big puddle of goo out of the three of you.” A smile came across Captain Tuplo’s face, as he realized that they now had the upper hand. He started moving down the ramp toward Sigmund, seemingly unconcerned with the two bodyguards who still had their guns drawn. “You knew damn well the Jung were actively looking for the Asa-Cafon. That’s why you wanted me to get her cargo off first. You knew time was running out.” Captain Tuplo looked at the two bodyguards. “Put your toys away, fellas,” he instructed, gesturing with both hands. He returned his attention to Sigmund. “What was she carrying, Siggy? What was worth more than three hundred plus lives?”

  “Nothing you need concern yourself with, Tuplo.”

  “Oh, I disagree,” the captain said, as he continued down the ramp. “You see, now they’re going to be looking for this ship. My ship. Now, we’re the…” He turned to call over his shoulder to Josh. “What did they call us?”

  “Fugitives, Cap’n,” Josh replied from the cargo bay, his gun still aimed at the three men.

  “That’s right,” the captain continued. “Fugitives. Now we’re fugitives, and in the eyes of the Jung, no less. So you see, Siggy, it does concern me. It concerns me a great deal. In fact, it concerns me so much, that I’m half-inclined to step aside and let my angry friend back there burn a few holes in you just to find out.”

  By now, Captain Tuplo was standing toe-to-toe with Sigmund, looking him right in the eyes.

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Oh, I might,” the captain replied. “I truly might.” He stared Sigmund in the eyes for a moment, then cocked his head to one side, looking away. “Or, I might tell all those people that I brought back how you told me to get the cargo first, and not them. Might make them a bit angry, don’t you think? They might be inclined to take out their aggressions on you and your two goons here.” Captain Tuplo turned back to Sigmund, getting directly in his face. “So tell me, Siggy, just what was that precious cargo of yours?” He paused for a moment, waiting, then he stepped to the right. “Don’t kill him with the first shot, Marcus.”

  Marcus raised his weapon, preparing to fire.

  “ZPEDs!” Sigmund shouted. “Mini ZPEDs. About fifty of them.”

  Connor turned to look at Sigmund, surprised. “You stole fifty mini ZPEDs from the plant on Rama?”

  “No way,” Marcus said. “He’s too fucking stupid to pull something like that off.”

  “I told you there was something in her that was pulling us in,” Josh reminded them.

  “I didn’t steal them,” Sigmund admitted. “I just heard about it through back channels.”

  “Stolen in the midst of the chaos of an invasion, no doubt,” Captain Tuplo said, putting it all together. “Yes, I expect the Jung knew about the ZPED plant on Rama all along. Probably one of the reasons they took the cluster in the first place.” Captain Tuplo shook his head. “And you were calling me stupid. Even mini ZPEDs create their own gravity wells, Siggy. Especially if they’re not shielded correctly.”

  “You are stupid, Connor,” Sigmund insisted. “If you had gotten that cargo back safe, I would’ve hired you to get it to the buyers as well, for a far sight more than what I was paying you to retrieve it in the first place.”

  “If you had offered more to begin with, you might have gotten a bigger ship interested, or at least one that was willing to put the lives of the passengers second. Either way, you’d have fifty ZPEDs in your hands now instead of a big-ass gun pointed at your head.”

  “Gun or no gun, I’m still not paying you, Connor.”

  “I wasn’t asking you to, Siggy. But believe me, if I was, you’d be transferring credits to my account as we speak.” Captain Tuplo sighed. “I’m getting really tired of breathing the same air as you, Daschew,” he said, turning away and heading back up the ramp, while staying out of Marcus and Josh’s lines of fire. “You’ve got about a minute to get out of my sight before you start feeling the heat of these men’s guns.”

  Sigmund Daschew and his men backed away slowly, then climbed into their vehicle. “Good luck getting another run out of Haven, Tuplo!” Sigmund warned just before he climbed into his vehicle.

  Marcus lowered his gun as Sigmund and his men drove away. “You shoulda’ let me burn him, Cap’n.”

  “Why’d you let him go without payin’ us?” Josh asked.

  “We didn’t finish the job,” the captain replied.

  “But he lied to us about the risk,” Josh argued.

  “Doesn’t matter. A deal’s a deal. I told Marcus to take the job, even though I know Siggy is a lyin’ piece of shit. Besides, if we forced him to pay us, we wouldn’t get another job. On Haven, or anywhere else in this sector.”

  “But you heard him, Cap’n,” Josh said. “He just told us we’d never get another job ‘round here anyway.”

  “Siggy isn’t as powerful as he likes to think,” Captain Tuplo told them. “Something else will come along.”

  “Jesus!” Dalen exclaimed as he came up the ramp. “What the hell did you do to the back of the ship?”

  “So, now what?” Marcus asked, as he holstered his w
eapon.

  “You know how much it’s gonna cost to fix all this?” Dalen continued.

  “Well, right now Siggy is making good on his promise, and telling everyone in port not to hire us. And they won’t, at least for awhile.”

  “Not that there were many runs to begin with,” Marcus added.

  “True. But there likely would’ve been a few, eventually. Ones we could’ve under bid in order to get people to ignore Siggy.” Connor sighed. “It’s going to take some time to patch this up.”

  “And credits,” Dalen added. “At the very least, I’m gonna need some scrap to weld in to reinforce this ramp. I’m gonna have to re-weld the deck plates, straighten the collar on the port side…”

  “We don’t have much left in the way of credits, Cap’n,” Marcus reminded him.

  “And every day we spend in port, even this cheap-ass port, is costing us.” The captain thought for a moment. “We need someplace to park for awhile. Someplace away from town. Someplace that doesn’t cost anything.”

  “Most of the land around here is owned by molo farmers and the like. None would be too favorable to us squattin’ on it for a few days.”

  “Days?” Dalen said. “Did you look at this?”

  “I know a place, Cap’n,” Josh said.

  Both the captain and Marcus looked at Josh, surprised.

  “It’s a bit far, a few hours by ground, I think. But it’s abandoned.”

  “Are you sure?” the captain asked.

  “Well, I’m not completely sure. But I know the owner, and I know she ain’t using it. Not for going on nine years now. That much I am sure of. I’m also sure she wouldn’t mind us using it for a while.”

  Marcus realized the place Josh was talking about, and didn’t appear to like the idea, shooting a disapproving glance Josh’s way.

  “Very well. That’s where we’ll go,” the captain decided.

  “I don’t know, Cap’n,” Marcus objected. “Maybe you should let me drive out and give it the once-over, make sure it’s okay.”