Ion 417: Raiju

by James Darcey

  It didn't take long to search the engineering section. Though there were many places that could be used for secret hiding spots, none of them could be closed from within. I was so busy looking for hiding lizards that it took a moment to realize that the engineering room only partially resembled the drawings of the manual. For obvious reasons I had paid more attention to them than I had to the crew cabins. Most of the equipment had names identical to the manual, though not in the same location -- another thing that I could investigate in the safety of high drive.

  That left only one room that I hadn't peeked into yet -- the cargo bay. After finding the room upstairs filled with boxes, I wasn't sure what to expect at opening the cargo bay. It was a good sized room with a ramp that could lower down to the ground. I had somewhat expected that it would either be empty, or so stuffed that lack of room had forced some of the boxes to be stored upstairs. Instead it was only about a third full of boxes. There was plenty of room for those boxes upstairs to be put in here, even considering the bi-wheeled transport parked along the side. It looked like it would be a thrill to ride when I got to Terra, Sol. In the meantime I checked around and between the boxes to be sure I wouldn't run into more surprises.

  I had found no trace of the other cabin occupants, so I surmised they had remained back at the orbital lab complex. That was just fine with me; my plans hadn't included provisions for dealing with anybody else on this trip. All I had to do was get rid of the Cardovan and I'd be safe. I contemplated tossing him and the sleep inducer out of the airlock, but realized that he might know something useful to me. I grabbed a few cargo restraints from the rack along the wall, and headed back up to his cabin.

  The display showed that there was still about twenty minutes left of his cycle, so I set to work wrapping the thick straps around him, making sure that none of his appendages could move. He was a lot lighter than I thought he would be. I lay him back where he had been, and took up a position in the chair across the room. Unfortunately the cabins were only about three meters by four, so one jump would have landed him on me. Cardovans weren't known for being strong individually, but strong is a relative term. I just hoped the cargo straps would hold. I could about break one, so I'd put three on him. Now to wait.

  The indicator on the torque counted down to zero, and emitted a soft chime before darkening. Still the Cardovan didn't move. I hoped I didn't wrap those straps so tight that he quit breathing, but the torque would have sounded an alarmif that happened. The eyes were multi-faceted hemispheres with no membrane covering so they were already open. I was on the verge of standing to prod it when it spoke. The words came out in Indigal, although thickly laden with an accent. Perhaps that was due to the differences in his vocal configuration.

  "Teyrn Elon will most assuredly burn you for stealing his yacht, you fool of a pirate."

  The voice sounded male, and I was sure that without the crest and wings he had to be. His head could still move with the cargo straps keeping the rest immobile, and it turned toward me. I sensed that he was appraising me in much the same fashion that I was appraising him. It had almost the same feel as when the lab technicians studied me. Labeling me a pirate indicated that he had no clue as to who I was. I decided to dispel his theory on my actions.

  "Pirate? Do you really think I am engaged in stealing your currency?"

  I hadn't missed the clue that he addressed me as an equal. Just as when I had nearly run into that Ttlictel, and it yelled at me, outside of the normal routine of being tested they didn't realize I was the experiment. With that I felt a touch of relief, and a sense that I could gain valuable information. I pressed with a further question. I wanted to see just how far I could take this conversation before he realized he was giving me valuable information and quit talking.

  "What are you doing on board this ship? It was supposed to be unoccupied."

  Maybe he wasn't as unknowing as I had thought. He lay there on the bed simply staring at me, though with those eyes it was hard not to stare at everything. He was waiting for me to reveal more of my information so that he'd know what he could give me. Of course there was the possibility that he was just coming out from under the sleep inducer, and maybe he fell asleep again. I spent several minutes deliberating whether I should speak up, continue to wait him out, or tickle him with a good jolt. Before I came to a solid decision he spoke again; which was good, because I was really leaning toward tickling him with a good jolt.

  "Release me now, and I will allow you to escape before I dock back at the orbital station. Then you can return to whoever sent you on this suicide mission and take your frustration out on them. I'm pilot of this ship, and I won't risk that for some initiate trying to prove her worth to someone who cares so little for you that they sent you to steal from the Teyrn of all people."

  So he still thinks I'm stealing the ship, which I actually am; but he thinks I'm doing it because I was sent by someone else. I had no knowledge of any pirate operations, so I had to be careful how I used this to lure more information from him. He knew Teyrn Elon, but called him 'The Teyrn'. That was more than a name, it was a title, but of what? I'm getting more questions than answers now -- time to shift topics.

  "I am sure you can feel that we are under drive power headed to the null point. A course is plotted already. Once there, high drive will take us out of reach. There is less than an hour till we are gone from here."

  "There is no 'out of reach' for the Teyrn. He doesn't handle loss well. He will hunt you, and this ship down no matter where you try to run. Do you have any idea what they do on that orbital station?"

  I remained silent and stared at him, wondering just how much he knew about me. The change had opened a new round of information that I dared not let him know was valuable to me, or he'd turn quiet again. In a way, he was a part of what happened to my mother, but not a big part. If he knew something important I wanted it, and silence might just keep him talking.

  "They do bio-augmentation there for some very demanding individuals in the galaxy. I've heard that some of the projects have been hired out as the most vicious trouble-shooters any high-level person could get. Now let me out of this so you have a chance to survive this foolish mistake and grow up. If you aren't gone by the time the Teyrn gets here, then nobody can save you."

  "I'll release you so that you can help with this jump, and once there you can have the ship. I was never interested in the ship."

  His head bobbed silently which I took as an agreement. I kept an eye on him as I crossed the cabin, for all the good it did. I had no idea as to what clues I should watch for in an insectoid. He lay passively as I released the straps. As the last one fell free he lunged straight at me, knocking me backward to the ground. His momentum landed him straddling my chest with an arm reaching for my throat. Instinctively I let out a shock burst that bounced him off the ceiling before he landed back on the bed shaking his head. His body had splayed across the bed when he landed, but within just a second all of his limbs were tucked tight against his body. I had acted out of complete surprise, and hadn't even thought about putting anything more than a quick burst into that shock. After a moment he spoke again; this time sounding a bit subdued, if I was right about the tone of his voice.

  "I didn't see the weapon; don't kill me. I had to try, or he would kill me. I bow to your strength."

  Weapon? Did he really think that I carried some little device that would shock him that way? My thoughts flashed back momentarily to reading the lab reports from all the testing they did on me. I was listed as nearing lethality, and I hadn't shown them more than a small fraction of what I could do. Let him think what he wants to think if it means gaining more from him. I wasn't about to reveal my own secrets to this Cardovan, if I could avoid it. A dozen different military lectures all spoke against giving away such knowledge. I didn't have time to put a new plan into action as a loud chiming alarm commenced blaring from the cockpit. Both of our heads swung toward the open door, and the cockpit beyond.

  "Looks like t
hey discovered the ship is missing. Here come the hunters to take it back. So much for you being able to get away. I did warn you though."

  I didn't know if this was a bluff from him, but the ship had an AI unit that should tell me whatever I wanted to know.

  "Computer, how long until other ship arrives?" I asked.

  There was no response to my query. I was sure that the manual had mentioned main computer access was available throughout the ship. I was staring at the ceiling for lack of a better spot to look, and he was staring at me. As the chiming continued to blare with no response from the computer, he started a soft high pitched chirruping. It sounded almost like laughter.

  "You're even more of a fool than I thought. You didn't even get the computer authorization codes for the ship you were stealing? Without those it won't acknowledge any commands. Perhaps you are not as strong as I thought."

  He was looking straight at me though he called for the computer. I know that this was him gaining control of the situation once more. Part of me screamed to burn him before he put me back in that cage on the station. Ignorance had gotten me here, and now I needed to solve that. Burning him wasn't the best thing to do.

  "Computer, how long until other craft intercepts this course?"

  "First missile impact estimated in one hundred thirty four minutes. Second missile in one hundred thirty five minutes."

  "Missiles? He's really trying to scare you. Once I turn this ship around and contact him the missiles will be recalled. Now let me out of here so I can do that. I'm almost sorry that your trip ended so soon."

  The way things had gone so far I guessed that it was going to take me between twenty and thirty minutes to get ready for the shift to high drive. With his help I could be gone a lot faster. Now all I had to do was to find a way to convince him to turn over control in less than one hundred thirty three minutes. That shouldn't be too difficult. All I had to do was to outsmart a being that I had virtually no idea about his motivation. The big question was how much could I trust him? He climbed into the pilot's seat which conformed to him better than it had for me. With a practiced glance he took in all the readings from both console and view-port. One finger came down hard on the control that silenced the alarm, bringing welcome silence once more.

  "We reach null point in fourteen minutes. I can let you savor the feeling of knowing you got that close, before turning around. We have plenty of time before those missiles reach us. Once I turn back they will be recalled and the ship will dock safely. With, or without you. Computer, how long until the missiles intercept now?"

  "First missile will intercept in forty two minutes. Second missile will intercept in forty nine minutes."

  "Forty two?! What happened to one hundred something?"

  "Standard recalculation of intercept vectors. First missile intercept in forty one, correction missile jump, nine minutes. Second missile intercept in ten minutes."

  I could tell it was a scream even in a different language.

  "What do you mean missile jump? And seven minutes? What kind of missiles are these?"

  "Missile profile matches Yelna Mk 3 skip jump missile with standard warhead rated for two hundred forty Jumbarian units. Optional multi-head of four fifty Jumbarian unit warheads is possible."

  The Cordovan emitted a long string of whistles and humming which I had no idea of the meaning.

  "Where in the seven hells of burning black holes did they get skip heads? And why would he waste enough firepower to cripple a guard patroller on us? Looks like Teyrn Elon isn't interested in getting you back in one piece. He doesn't care about me for that matter. But, I at least thought he would want to get his ship back! The only thing I can think of is that you're one of ..."

  He spun his head and stared at me for several seconds. If his eyes could have gotten any bigger they would have.

  "Oh, fecal pile. I'm dead no matter what I do."

  He scanned the controls briefly and asked if the zeta field was ready. All four of his hands were dancing across the controls shifting the settings, and aligning the course. I caught only the barest hint of what he was doing. Perhaps there was more to getting the ship ready for high drive than the manual led me to believe. I dropped into the engineer's seat, and scanned the readings. Everything looked to be within the readings the manual had said they should be.

  "It doesn't really matter if the field is ready; we have only a few minutes to live if I don't jump us out of here now. Of course our lives might just come to an end a few seconds sooner if I do jump. There is a chance we might get lucky and live a bit longer until he catches up to us. Hang onto your skin if you can!"

  With that he initiated the controls and the ship twisted about and through itself. I'm sure that I passed right through my stomach on the way out of my ear. The view-port was now obscured by the image on the viewer that showed colored diagrams of star patterns sliding past. The Cordovan was still working the controls a bit, though I couldn't see what he was doing. Satisfied with his work, he stood and turned to me. My stomach was still trying to catch up to wherever I was.

  TOC

  SAN

  Once again I found myself staring into those unblinking eyes as he stood next to the pilot's chair. Even though he was at least ten centimeters shorter than me, his eyes gave no clue to his thoughts. He made for an imposing figure that way. I could still see the view-port over his shoulder, and the little dots of the converging missiles were gone. We had gotten away safely. I wasn't an expert on starship travel, but I didn't think there was a way to actually follow us in high drive. We would be safe for the next six months when the ship would drop out in the Sol system. My mother's people would give me sanctuary, and I'm sure they could protect the pilot that had gotten me away. I wasn't sure what to say to him in the meantime, but it was he that broke the silence.

  "I am Traxel. Do you mind telling me why you decided to pick today to commit suicide, and take me with you?"

  He was still frightened of Teyrn Elon. He knew who that Indigal was, and perhaps had real reason to fear him. I still had a certainty that we would be safe once reaching Terra, Sol. There was a chance that explaining a few things to him would satisfy his curiosity, and forestall any attempts at attacking me.

  "I hadn't known about you when I planned this. I was..."

  "Just what was your plan? Steal a ship from the worst possible guy to cross in this galaxy; set it on a course out to the rim; murder the pilot, and for what? Just so that you can get out of paying for your upgrades? Just who do you work for anyway? I know that once the Teyrn goes after them for you doing this, that'll be another one out to turn me into tiny bits of space debris just for being near you! Were you not listening when I said that he has powerful people that come to him?"

  I don't think he knew all that much about me, but he knew something about those that I had escaped. I had caught the exclamation when he realized I had been part of the projects they worked on. Whatever he knew frightened him. We were both stuck on the same ship for the next six months, plenty of time to dig out everything he did know. I was getting the idea that I didn't know all that much about me, or the people that I had escaped. Just who was this Teyrn Elon that evoked such fear? I had his name, now to return the favor.

  "I am Ion."

  He didn't laugh at that, or try to correct me. I decided that gambling a little bit with my fate might bring out his cooperation better than threats. I knew the philosophies of a hundred different warlords, dictators, and despots. The points they agreed upon were far outnumbered by the ones they didn't. This was a point only a few thought good, but I thought it was worth trying.

  "I don't know anything about these bio-enhancements you mentioned. Not much anyway. I don't work for anyone. I have seen Teyrn Elon, but I don't know who he is, or why it even matters. I only know that I was being held there by him, and now I am free."

  I got up out of the engineer's seat so that I wasn't staring up at him. It felt sort of... threatening, and a part of me wanted to lash out to
get rid of him for threatening me. Even with me standing a little taller than him, his eyes were a big unknown. We stood facing each other for several moments as we both waited for the other to break the silence. I could feel my feet starting to shuffle with the nervousness, and still he remained silent. He really knew how to test my patience. My mind started turning over the option of spending six months alone versus the same time with someone who actually talked to me. Once more he broke the silence before I settled on a course that had him being tossed out of the airlock.

  "You forgot the part where you got Teyrn Elon so angry that he bypassed negotiations and went straight for vaporizing his own private yacht, killing the hapless pilot you kidnapped."

  I didn't need to be reminded that I had forced him to come along because he just happened to be on the ship I took. If things had gone according to my plans we wouldn't be having this discussion. I'd be on my way to Terra, Sol in the hunter ship. I doubted that there was anyone on board that one. Still, he was now on the run from the life he had chosen, all because of me. He deserved a life just as much as I did. Once we reached my goal, then he could have the ship and return without me.

  "I know that Teyrn Elon is in charge of that laboratory, and that everyone I've ever known has been under his control, but still I don't know what difference that makes. The only thing I did to him was to escape his cage. Well, Escape his cage and remove at least two Selstlak. As for the pilot you mentioned; He still lives, and his kidnapping was accidental."

  His questions made me nervous, really nervous. I knew how to say 'Knowledge is power' in seven languages, and he had knowledge that I needed. There was a big part of me that wanted desperately to lash out and quell that nervousness. He was a pilot, and a skilled one at that. I had seen the way his hands worked those controls. A pilot would be very useful to me. I wasn't so ignorant as to believe knowing the controls was the same as being able to pilot well. He hadn't been any part of what happened to me that I knew of. It was more the silent staring at me that increased my nervousness. His expressionless face carried no clue as to the thoughts circulating in his mind.