by Tripp Ellis
“D-Beck, so good to see you.” Ray despised the man.
Dietrich frowned.
“Not who you were expecting?” Ray asked.
Dietrich forced a smile. "I don't care who I do business with, as long as we can do business."
“Sorry to disappoint you, but I've got nothing for sale. And even if I did, I wouldn't sell it to you.”
"Then you leave me no choice but to take it from you."
“Give it your best shot." Ray flashed a smile. "Hit it, ZV-0.” He waited for the robot to engage the jump drive, but nothing happened.
Ray's smile began to fade. His eyes shifted to ZV-0. “Any day now,” he muttered out the side of his mouth.
ZV-0 stuttered, “Uh, slight technical difficulty.”
Ray cut the transmission. "What is it?"
A proximity alert sounded. Several tactical missiles streaked across the star field toward the Valkyrie.
“I’m not sure,” ZV-0 said.
“Well, get back to the engine room and figure it out!”
Ray throttled the thrusters up to full power. He pulled hard on the controls and banked the Valkyrie, taking evasive action.
ZV-0 flew out of the cockpit and buzzed down the corridor.
Ray deployed electronic countermeasures. Several ECM's jettisoned from the stern. They glowed blue, simulating ion emissions. But they did nothing to distract the tactical missiles—they were locked onto the Valkyrie, and no electronic countermeasures were going to dissuade them. The scanner system finally identified them as Prometheus VI tactical thermonuclear weapons. They had a yield of 20 megatons each. More than enough to incinerate a ship the size of the Valkyrie.
The nukes weren’t the only thing Ray had to worry about. Plasma bolts streaked through space at the Valkyrie from the Ospreys’ massive cannons.
Ray spiraled through space, dodging the incoming threats, trying to outrun the missiles. The Valkyrie’s rear cannons swung into action. The auto targeting system locked onto the nukes and blasted away. Streaks of plasma pulses rifled at the missiles, incinerating them in brilliant bursts. But one of the nukes slipped through and impacted the hull.
The explosion rocked the ship. The bulkheads shook and rumbled. Ray felt his safety harness cut sharply against his collar bone as he was thrust forward. It was a bone-jarring, teeth-rattling quake.
ZV-0 did his best to avoid slamming into a bulkhead. He fired stabilizing thrusters as he weaved through the corridor.
In the cockpit, klaxons blared. The shields had held, but they were down to 10 percent. Another hit would finish the Valkyrie.
Ray kept weaving through space, trying to evade the onslaught. The Valkyrie was fast, but the Ospreys were faster, and they were closing in.
Ray angled toward an asteroid field ahead. It was a risky proposition, but he knew it would give the Ospreys something else to consider, besides the Valkyrie.
A flurry of plasma bolts impacted the stern of the ship, sending another rumbling quake through the bulkheads. The shields were now down to 5 percent.
Ray banked the vehicle around and plunged into the fray. Asteroids tumbled in all directions. Some were mammoth, almost the size of small moons. Those were usually the easiest to deal with, and the slowest moving. It was the small and medium-size asteroids, tumbling through space from all angles, that would give you real trouble. They'd seemingly come out of nowhere.
Ray's eyes darted about as he dove the ship and weaved through the treacherous space rocks. Smaller asteroids, ranging in size from pebbles to bricks impacted the hull. There was a constant pinging and clanking that reverberated through the Valkyrie. Ray banked and twisted and whirled.
Two of the Ospreys chased after the Valkyrie. The one that stayed behind, out of harms way, presumably carried Dietrich himself. He knew better than to plunge into an asteroid field. But he had no problem sending in his minions.
ZV-0 frantically worked on the quantum drive. It was a cylindrical tower in the center of the room with multiple processors, circuits, couplers, vents, wiring, and conduit. The diagnostic had returned a fault with the quantum oscillator—the device had shorted out. ZV-0 removed the oscillator and inserted a new one into the slot, then powered up the system. Lights flickered, and the drive spun up. The core emitted a blue glow of increasing intensity as it hummed to life.
ZV-0 messaged Ray over the comm link as he zipped out of the compartment, heading back to the cockpit. “We’re good to go!”
“Nice work, Egghead.”
The news was more than welcome. But there was one slight problem—a jump from an asteroid field was dangerous. Too dangerous. You might drag a chunk of space rock with you, and that could be catastrophic. It was never a good idea to make slide-space jumps near large objects. The gravitational mass could affect any number of processes and calculations. Ray would have to navigate his way out of the asteroid field before he could jump away.
So far, he was holding his own. He steered clear of the larger asteroids and avoided any major collisions. But the twisting and spiraling wasn't sitting well with Ava, and she looked like she was about to hurl again.
The Ospreys weren’t far behind, and they were slinging plasma pulses in Ray’s general direction. Though, they were having their own trouble with the asteroids.
The Valkyrie twisted through the field of space rocks, narrowly avoiding collisions, heading toward the edge of the belt of asteroids. One thing was for certain, Ray knew how to fly. He maneuvered the craft with technical precision, almost as if he was anticipating the placement of the asteroids. It was like a deadly ballet.
There weren't many pilots that could do what Ray did, as evidenced by the fate of one of the Ospreys as it impacted a massive tumbling planetoid. It erupted in a series of explosions, splintering into bits. Chunks of metal and debris scattered into space.
The remaining Osprey in the asteroid field was still in fresh pursuit, and it wasn't showing any signs of letting up.
16
An alarm sounded. As the Valkyrie reached the edge of the asteroid field, two more nukes streaked toward it. A hailstorm of cannon fire blazed across the star field. The Valkyrie couldn't take much more abuse.
The tactical nukes streaked toward the craft, spewing a trail of propellant.
“I don’t care where you take us, just get us out of here," Ray said.
ZV-0 programed the jump coordinates. His fingers raced across the keypad.
The nukes streaked closer.
"Done,” ZV-0 shouted.
Ray engaged the slide-space drive, and the Valkyrie vanished seconds before the nukes would have impacted. They rocketed through the distorted space of the Valkyrie’s quantum wash, detonating into nothingness.
Ray leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head, grinning. "Now that is what I call flying."
“I’ll concede the fact that you have some skill as a pilot,” Grace said.
Ava looked green. The world was spinning for her, but somehow she managed to hold her stomach. There wasn't much left in it anyway.
"ZV-0, go to the med center and grab some Liquinox,” Ray said.
ZV-0 scurried out of the cockpit and returned a few moments later. He hovered beside Ava, holding an injection gun. "Roll up your sleeve.”
Her skeptical eyes gazed at the injector. "What is that?”
“It’s really good for hangovers, or so I'm told."
Ava bared her arm, and ZV-0 pressed the nozzle against her flesh. He pulled the trigger, and a quick rush of medication entered her body. She flinched a little, but it was mostly painless.
Within a few minutes, her head cleared and her stomach settled. The throbbing in her temples was gone. Her cottonmouth vanished, replaced by a generous amount of saliva. Her whole body suddenly felt rehydrated. The color returned to her skin, and her eyes once again looked bright and vibrant.
“I can see you’re feeling much better,” ZV-0 said. “Ray uses it quite frequently, and it has always worked wonders for hi
m.”
Ray scowled at the robot. "I don't use it all the time.”
“Right,” ZV-0 said.
“I may overindulge from time to time, but I know my limits.”
Grace scoffed.
Ray furrowed his brow at her. He stood up and strolled toward the hatch. "I don't know about anybody else, but I'm hungry. He looked at Ava.
She nodded.
“Follow me, kid." Ray strolled out of the cockpit. Grace and Ava trailed after him.
In the galley, Ray punched a few keys on the food fabricator and scrolled through the menu. The device had storage tanks with an array of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, flavoring, and coloring. On command, it would mix the appropriate ingredients, then 3D print the meal. Ray made his selection, and the device activated. The ingredients were pushed through actuators and mixed, then forced through nozzles, until finally a juicy hamburger appeared on the serving tray. It looked indistinguishable from the real thing. The taste wasn't too bad either.
Ava never had a hamburger before. It looked and smelled pretty good. “I'll have what he had.”
Grace helped her navigate the menu, and within a few moments she had a hot burger of her own.
Ray got a soda from the drink dispenser and sat down at a table.
Grace and Ava joined him. The Oracle’s eyes lit up as she bit into the burger. An explosion of culinary delights danced across her tastebuds.
Ray and Grace watched, astounded at the speed she inhaled the meal.
“Guess they don’t feed you burgers in the temple?” Ray said.
Ava shook her head, cheeks puffed out as she gobbled down the last of the hamburger. Then, remembering, she shrieked, “The stone!” The muffled words were barely audible.
“I've got it,” Ray said.
“I’d like it back,” Ava said, swallowing a bite.
"I think it's safer with me.”
Ava tensed. "That's not wise."
“You didn’t do such a good job hanging onto it before,” Ray said.
“The stone is powerful. It should only be handled by those of a certain virtue."
Ray lifted his brow and snickered. "Are you implying that I'm not virtuous?"
Grace scoffed. "Give her the stone."
“I don't think that’s such a good idea,” Ray said.
“Just give it to her. You certainly can’t handle the responsibility."
Ray’s eyes narrowed at Grace. “I think it's safer with me than it is anywhere else. Besides, I don't believe any of that hocus-pocus nonsense. End of discussion."
Ava exchanged a concerned glance with Grace.
“Will the two of you relax. I've got us this far. Have a little faith," Ray said, grinning.
Grace shook her head.
Ray grimaced as he rubbed his neck. It was still stiff and sore from the beatings he had taken.
Ava saw that he was in pain. She stood up and walked around the table and began to massage his neck.
“You don’t have to do that,” Ray said.
“Just relax.” Ava closed her eyes and focused the energy of the shard. She placed her hands flat against his neck. Ray began to feel his skin tingle and heat up. After a few moments, the pain seemed to dissolve.
Ava removed her hands and stepped away. She took a seat and went back to her burger. Ray moved his neck from side to side freely. It was no longer sore, and he had the full range of movement back. He looked perplexed. “How did you do that?”
Ava smiled. “Perhaps you shouldn't be so quick to disregard things you don't understand.”
Ray’s eyes narrowed at her, playfully. “So you’re going to say the rock healed my neck?”
Ava shrugged. “Instead of seeking answers, just be grateful it doesn't hurt anymore."
Ray still looked skeptical.
Ava studied him for a moment. “Can I ask you a question?”
“I’m an open book.” Ray smiled.
Grace scoffed.
Ray gave her a sideways glance, then took another bite of his hamburger.
“What are you looking for?" Ava asked.
Ray shrugged. "What are you looking for?"
“Eko Sen Zaan. But that's not what I meant. What are you seeking? You seem lost. Empty."
“I was empty, but this hamburger is fixing that. I'm not lost. I know exactly where I am. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to finish the rest of my meal without being psycho analyzed.”
“Open book,” Grace snarked.
Ray finished his meal and headed back to the cockpit as they were emerging at Ultrava. The bulkheads bulged and warbled, and Ray felt his stomach twist in the usual way. He was used to the sensation. But on a full stomach, it wasn't exactly pleasant.
Even less pleasant were the squadron of Wolverine class destroyers orbiting Ultrava. The Valkyrie’s sensors immediately sounded the alarm.
“It just keeps getting better, doesn’t it?” Ray said, dismayed at the opposition. “I think we might want to make a quick exit."
“I'm detecting a quantum field disruptor,” ZV-0 said. “We won't be able to jump. They’re jamming all outbound traffic. Looks like were not going anywhere.”
An incoming transmission from one of the Wolverines boomed over the comm system. “Unidentified Valkyrie, this is Commander Shavo of the ISS Cronus. Prepare for boarding and inspection.”
17
“Transmit your registration and identification,” the commander said. His thin voice crackled over the comm system.
The Valkyrie hovered motionless in space as a Wolverine drew near.
“I can assure you, I’m a licensed pilot, and this ship is registered,” Ray said.
“A Valkyrie matching this ship’s description is wanted in connection with an altercation on Crysolos.”
“We are in route from Hyperion 7.”
“I hope, for your sake, that is the truth." The transmission ended.
Ray complied with the request, and sent the registration. He had multiple sets of fake registrations and IDs. He paid a lot of money for them, and he was crossing his fingers that they would check out with the Realm’s database.
“What’s going on?” Grace asked as she entered the cockpit with Ava.
“Nothing I can't handle."
Grace’s eyes widened as she saw the destroyers.
“Come on. We don't have much time." Ray took her by the arm and pulled her out of the cockpit. Ava followed along.
“Where we going?" Grace asked.
“You two have to hide." Ray jogged through the passageways to the cargo hold. Against the far wall he activated a hidden panel that slid open. “Get inside. This compartment is shielded. Their sensors shouldn't be able to detect you.”
"Shouldn't?"
"As long as they haven't updated their scanner technology.”
“Don't you think the Realm is aware of all the little hidden compartments on Valkyries?"
“Not this one,” Ray smiled, cocksure. “I custom-made it myself."
Grace grumbled under her breath and crawled into the tiny compartment along with Ava.
Ray pulled the shard out of his pocket and handed it to the young Oracle. “I think it's best if you hang onto this now."
Ava nodded.
Ray pressed the button on the bulkhead and the hatch slid shut. At a casual glance, it looked like an ordinary panel.
An incoming message came in on his earbud from ZV-0. “A boarding vessel is in route. They'll be docking soon.”
“Hold them off.”
“How?"
“I don’t know. Be creative.” Ray sprinted from the cargo hold to the detention cell. He was huffing and puffing by the time he arrived. Ray peered in through the viewport.
Vlaax and Nard were sitting in the corner.
Ray knocked on the polycarbonate glass portal. “I've got another deal for you.”
Vlaax stood up and moved to the hatch. “I’m listening."
"We're about to have unexpected company. It’s going to raise a lot
of questions if I’m transporting prisoners. I’m willing to let you out of this cell, if you will go along with whatever story I make up in the next few seconds."
“And what if we refuse?”
“I'll shoot you both right now and run you through the garbage grinder."
Vlaax contemplated this for a moment. The look in Ray's eyes signaled that he wasn't bluffing. “What's the story?"
"We stay as close to the truth as possible. I hired you as deckhands out of Hyperion, and we’re on contract to pick up freight from a private client on Ultrava. That's all you know."
Ray could hear the Imperial vessel connecting its umbilical to the airlock. It clattered with a metallic rumble that reverberated throughout the ship.
“Do we have a deal?”
Vlaax nodded.
“Good. Because were all dead if anything goes wrong." Ray's fingers danced across the keypad as he entered the access code. The hatch slid open. He stepped back, keeping his weapon aimed at the two aliens. “And the less you speak, the better.”
Ray tapped his earbud. "Talk to me.”
"I tried to stall them,” ZV-0 said. “I told them we had a reactor leak. I don't think they bought it.”
Ray backed away from Vlaax and Nard, and dashed down the corridor. He stowed his weapon in a locker near the cockpit. He figured it was best to remain unarmed since a platoon of Imperial Soturi were about to step aboard. There would likely be too many of them to fight off, and there was no sense in getting accidentally shot because someone got trigger-happy.
Ray ran to the airlock. The control panel indicated the external umbilical had formed a hard seal and was airtight. Ray peered through the portal. He could see the troops on the other side. He opened the inner airlock hatch, then stepped into the airlock. He put on a big smile and waved through the portal at the Soturi. Then he open the outer airlock hatch.
The disagreeable end of several assault rifles bore down on him. He tried to maintain his smile, though it became considerably more difficult.
Ray stood with his hands in the air as the troops flowed into the airlock. Commander Shavo marched in behind them. He looked at his PDU, which displayed Ray's picture and information—only the name listed wasn't Ray Dakota.
