by John Walker
“We won’t let you down.” Jok patted Milna on the shoulder. “Let’s make this happen.”
Yes, keep pretending. Milna felt the weight of her true role weighing on her. Working specifically with Jok made it easy, but all the others… the way they stared when she made her suggestion to vent the others… she felt as if she’d made a mistake. They might be on to me sooner than later.
And what they would do with that information… that terrified her.
***
Kyle stretched his arms as he paced around the room. Once he lost his grip on the safety railing, he believed he wouldn’t survive. Tumbling around with all the heavy crap in the crates, he’d be crushed. At least break a limb. And while several boxes did batter him as he became human popcorn, the armor protected him from serious harm.
Though he knew he’d have some serious bruises. And his shoulder may have nearly come out of the socket. Even tucking in didn’t help too much. His left knee felt like something crushed it from the side. Both feet had been smashed hard enough to jar his ankles. All the movement in the world couldn’t beat the possibility of a hot bath.
Which he doubted he’d get any time soon.
“You any closer?” Kyle complained.
“Whining at me isn’t making it fast.” Lysa turned to him. “I’m sorry you got bashed around. A few things hit me in the back if that makes you feel any better.”
“The fact you held on to the key is a miracle. I thought for sure it would be broken after all that. So good job.”
“Mostly luck,” Lysa said. “Actually…” She fell silent as the comm buzzed.
“What’s up?” Kyle asked.
Niva replied, “We’re about to engage a lot of pirates. I’m reaching out to the Brekka to let them know where we are. Just in case we can’t leave for some reason. Be advised, if we don’t make it over here—”
“Don’t be like that,” Kyle interrupted. “You’ll be fine. You’ve got this. You guys are badass.”
“If we don’t,” Niva insisted, “then I want you to be prepared to find your own way out. Vesper and the Manager are on their way. Tap him. He’s got to have some stealthy way out of here.”
“Come on, Niva!” Lysa said, “you can’t be negative like that!”
“I’m being realistic. Just… do as I say, huh? It’s a contingency, not a definite plan.”
“We’ll hold you to that,” Kyle replied. He headed to the door, opening it up. He glanced both ways. No one was coming but he heard footsteps approaching from the right. “That you, Vesper?” He shouted, blushed… lowered his voice, “Um… Vesper, are you coming around the corner to our location?”
“Why yes, Kyle,” Vesper said, “you dumbass. We’re almost there.” She rounded the corner with the Manager in tow. He walked with his head bowed, eyes downcast. His skin took on a pale gray hue, like he’d purged recently. Whatever his problem, he probably needed some medical attention.
“What’s wrong with him?”
The Manager looked up when his translator finished. “What’s wrong!? What do you think is? My station was nearly destroyed! This place has been ravaged by criminals! My security forces are dead. The Custodian is dead. And now, I’m stuck with you people while trying to decide how I’m going to live!”
I can see how all those things would be a problem.
“Hey,” Kyle replied, “you won’t be getting much pity from us after forcing us to play your stupid game. You’re lucky someone hasn’t shot you yet for all that!”
The comment soured the Manager even more. He fell silent as they arrived at the door. Vesper directed him inside before closing the door behind her.
“We need a way out of here,” Kyle said. “Niva’s looking at getting us to have a contingency plan.”
“Of course she is.” Vesper gestured to the Manager. “She thought he knew something, right?”
Kyle nodded.
“Hey!” Vesper nudged their guest. “You were lurking around in here before we showed up. What were you doing? And don’t bother to lie.”
“Nothing! Checking the goods!”
“That’s bullshit,” Kyle said, “you were here to grab something light before you escaped. Probably because you didn’t have faith that the Custodian could get the thing going fast enough, right?”
The Manager glared at him but didn’t reply.
“So how were you going to do it?” Vesper asked. “What was the plan?”
He continued to glare, remaining silent.
“Okay.” Vesper drew her pistol, aiming at his leg. “I don’t care if you can walk. You can stay here to rot with your treasure as far as I’m concerned.”
“Wait!” The Manager held up his hands. “For all that’s divine, what is wrong with you people?”
“You don’t get to complain,” Lysa grumbled, “when you stand around watching people get shot at for your amusement.”
“So talk.” Vesper tapped her weapon. “I’m serious.”
“Okay! There’s a ship!” The Manager jabbed his finger over his shoulder. “Through a hidden door over there. A short corridor then you’ll find my private launchpad.”
“How big is it?” Kyle asked.
“Oh, it’s a luxury vessel,” the Manager replied. “Lovely, really. Holds twenty quite comfortably. And easy to fly. Most of the systems are automated. As you can imagine, I’m not exactly the best pilot. But regardless, it’s how I was planning on leaving when you barbarians came to destroy my home.”
“Show me the ship.” Vesper shoved him.
“Wait.” Kyle took the man’s arm. “I’d better go. If someone comes, you’re scarier than me.”
Vesper huffed. “Whatever. Get him down there, evaluate if it’ll work for us. We might have to leave in a hurry.” She gestured to Lysa. “Or whenever she’s ready.”
“It’s not my fault this thing is slow!” Lysa complained. “Why is everyone acting like I’m the problem here?”
Kyle brought the Manager to the wall he’d gestured to. A tap on the metal made it open, a wide passage large enough to get the majority of the junk through there. I wonder who he conned into being quiet about dragging this stuff in here. Or did he have them killed? I can’t imagine he wanted this secret out.
“Did your pal the Custodian know about this?”
“The landing pad, yes.” The Manager nodded. They proceeded down the corridor. “The fact I planned to abandon him, no. Though I think he caught on. I tried to lie to him in the medical bay. It likely would’ve come back to haunt us both.”
“You think so?” Kyle chuckled. “You called us barbarians and here you are, backstabbing your friends. Killing people. You threw that one guy Giden out an airlock basically and said good luck, pal. What’s wrong with you? And do you realize how badly you need to be in prison?”
“I cannot say I deserve anything of the sort. I’ve done what it takes to survive for a long time! Many years. Living in this world, this environment, you have to be strong. At all times. So it may seem monstrous to you what I’ve had to do. I don’t care. What happened to Giden was a shame. He worked well.”
“Not well enough to get a break though, huh? Son of a bitch.” Kyle shoved him down the hall. That’s when he noticed the man’s trousers. He’d definitely voided his bowels during the shakedown. Okay, so he’s had it pretty rough. “You did choose this life. Both you and your Custodian friend.”
“Opportunities weren’t exactly plentiful when I left my home. They pressed me to join the military. I had no desire to serve. I didn’t want to die for someone else’s cause.”
“Real patriot, I get it. What about your friend? What’s his excuse for running away?”
“No one believed his theories.” The Manager gestured around. “And look how wrong they were. This station can warp. Something people discussed but never tried. We did it! And not only that but we used the tools at our disposal to make a massive profit. Obliterating worlds no one would care about.”
“Yeah, I’m pret
ty sure someone was going to care eventually.” Kyle stopped at the next door. “The fact everyone happened to be fighting a war made you lucky. Without that, your antics would’ve been discovered a long time ago. And you can’t pretend they would’ve been kind to you about it.”
“Who cares what they would’ve done?” The Manager spat before opening the door. “I amassed an empire. Those pirates flew to our defense because we provided them with resources. Money. A safe place to hide. All those things came from our ingenuity. Do you think the mere authorities would’ve done anything about it?”
“Yes. And so did you. Or you wouldn’t have tried to run away the second two battleships showed up in your space.” Kyle pointed. “Take me to the ship.”
They proceeded inside. Lights flickered on, revealing a vast, open space. A starship, filled the area, nearly touching the walls on either side. It was sleek, shiny gold though something about it struck Kyle as odd. He ran a scan, frowning at the results. The thing was covered in a fine layer of dust.
“Um… that’s not a good sign.” Kyle gestured to the back. “Is that where we board this thing? Do you have a ramp or something?”
“Yes, of course.” The Manager approached, walking under the thrusters. A square section extended down to eye level. He opened a panel then hit the screen as it started to glow. Hydraulics complained as the ramp slowly descended then dropped the last few feet with a clatter that made the entire deck rattle.
The Manager yelped, leaping aside. His reaction was way too late. If he would’ve been close enough to be crushed, he’d be jelly. Kyle climbed aboard, moving into a cargo area. More dust covered the walls, thick on the floor. Rotting supplies oozed from open containers. Black goo smeared the corners.
He spotted some rust on the ceiling.
“How often do you maintain this?” Kyle asked. “What the hell happened in here?”
“I haven’t been aboard in many cycles. I’ve never needed to. It’s an escape craft.”
“You’re an idiot.” Kyle progressed into the lounge area. Carpeted floors seemed okay, but it had definitely seen better days, like a neglected restaurant that had long been closed. The furniture was all built into the walls, but the cushions were cracked from age. Again, the walls were covered in goo, dust, and a smattering of rust here and there.
“This thing is not going to fly,” Kyle said. “I can practically guarantee it.”
“Nonsense.” The Manager waved his hand. “I spared no expense.”
“Then you let it rot,” Kyle said. “Doesn’t matter how much you spend. If you leave something in the corner long enough…” He cut himself off. “Take me to the bridge. We’ll see if this even powers up.” They went down another fancy-looking corridor though here the carpet came up in places with holes here and there.
This was longer than a while. Kyle figured he must’ve bought the ship and never taken it out beyond getting it in place. If the reactor ignites, I’d be shocked. Hell, I’ll bet the whole thing explodes if we don’t take it slow.
The bridge sat a crew of four though each had a serious terminal to work at. He guessed two helmsmen, a sensor operator and someone to keep track of engineering automation. Dust piled as high as the few buttons that stuck up from the rest of the touch screens.
“Do you know how to power this up?” Kyle asked. “Or are we screwed for that too?”
“Oh, I um…” The Manager stepped over to the helm control. He wiped away the filth, sending particles into the air. “Just a moment while I remember the procedure…”
The life support system is in for a real treat trying to process all this pollution. “Guys,” Kyle stepped away, “this thing is not going to work. I almost guarantee it.”
“I think Niva and the others are busy,” Vesper said. “What’s wrong?”
“You’d almost have to see it to believe it but let’s just say the Manager believes in serious neglect.” Kyle winced as lights came on all around them. The reactor, deep in the vessel below them, whirred to life. “If we all die in a few minutes, you can blame me for not stopping this guy from turning on this pile of shit.”
“Uh… will do,” Vesper said. “I have to step into the hall. I hear people coming.”
The Manager continued through the boot-up cycle, working at each station. At least he seems to know what he’s doing. A deep grinding noise burst from the vents overhead, rattling like an old generator. he stepped over, raising a hand to feel if there was air coming through. He felt the pressure… right along with dust flying about.
Shit. “Well, that’s not good.”
“Must be…” The Manager shrugged. “I don’t know. I generally have people to fix that kind of thing.”
“Right. It’s a fan. Old and unused; it’s barking up there.” Kyle stepped down the hall to the lounge area. The sound wasn’t as bad in there. He must have some kind of dampeners to keep the levels stable. I’d be a lot happier if this thing was already on the ground. We could air it out, clean it up…
“Manager?” Kyle shouted, “can you run a scan of this system? Find out if there’s a habitable world nearby?” Maybe we don’t have to be in the thing long. Everyone can wear their armor long enough to land. Then we make the thing habitable long enough to get out of here… or have a rescue.
“I’ll get to that in a moment when I remember how to scan things!”
Jesus Christ, we’re screwed. “Lysa, how much longer? I already know I suck for asking.”
“We’re at ninety-eight percent so… any time?”
At least we’ve got that going for us. Kyle hoped they might find another solution besides the rundown luxury liner. If not, we might leave one dangerous situation for another. Die in transit because the life support system sucks. He sighed, returning to the bridge. I best help this fool, or it’ll be partially my fault.
***
Lysa didn’t look back as the others left. She stared intently at the percentile climbing ever closer to one hundred. At ninety-nine point seven, she started whacking her leg while bouncing.
I feel like I’ve been standing here my whole life! Lysa’s device climbed to ninety-nine point eight. Now you’re just mocking me. Come on! Move! If she had to answer one more how much longer question, she thought she might go psychotic. If the rest of the team thought they were impatient, they would’ve been surprised by her feelings.
The door opened behind her.
“Hey! Vesper! We’re almost there!” Lysa called. “We’re like… a minute away at the most.”
She didn’t get a reply.
“Vesper?” Lysa turned, drawing a quick breath through her teeth a second before a man grabbed her by the shoulders. He wore a black shirt, cut off at the shoulders to reveal bulging arms. A pistol remained in its holster low on his right hip, a small consolation considering he’d just walked up to her.
All the details she took in swiftly enough, but his eyes made the biggest impact. Nearly black, the irises seemed to occupy the vast majority of the whites. Vorkas! She couldn’t believe it. Not after meeting Molush. He’d been so mild-mannered, and this brute… well, he filled a very different niche.
Grunting like some kind of wild beast, he lifted her off the ground, casting her toward the scattered crates. Lysa tucked her limbs in, preparing to hit the floor. She landed on a pile of trinkets, shattering something before rolling over some paintings. The last one tore as she came up to her knees.
Lysa went for her pistol but her opponent was already there. He kicked her in the shoulder, knocking her to the side. As she went back, she went for the second weapon stowed lower on the left. Her fingers brushed the handle when he descended on her, dropping down with both hands aimed for her throat.
She brought her legs up, catching him in the gut as he rested upon her. The weight made her cry out. Kyle’s voice filled the comm in her ear. She couldn’t speak; not if she wanted to focus on staying alive. The backup pistol came loose from the holster. She tilted it to the side, pulling the trigger.
Lysa bought an inch. That was enough to throw a punch while rolling to the right. The blow caught him in the cheek, snapping his head to the side. She scampered away, crawling through the debris. Grabbing the first hard thing she could find, she tossed it back at her opponent. The chunk of ore bashed him in the chest.
And didn’t even faze him. He continued lumbering toward her, clenching his fists. Why doesn’t he go for the gun? She figured he could have at least menaced her, take her prisoner the way he wanted.
The look on his face answered the question and made it clear he harbored some kind of twisted derangement. He opened his mouth, revealing gaps where teeth should’ve been. Saying he’d lived a hard life might’ve been a dramatic understatement. But how’d he get in here? Or sneak up on me, for that matter?
Lysa backed away toward the door Kyle went through with the Manager. Halfway there, she caught an opportunity out of the corner of her eye. A group of metal rods rested on the floor. They might’ve been used to put up banners at some point. She didn’t care, providing they were sturdy.
She shuffled toward them at first. Her adversary didn’t look in the direction she moved. His eyes remained transfixed on her and he adjusted his path to continue after her, keeping his motions slow, like some kind of horror stream villain.
Another few paces would get her to the poles. Her hand instinctively went to her primary weapon. It was gone as well. And despite that fact, he still stayed away from his own weapon. She crouched for the last few paces, reaching until she got hold of the weapon. He giggled, a deep, gruff sound that seemed out of character for his size.
Lysa rose, holding the weapon like a spear at her waist. It had some good heft to it and though it wasn’t sharp, the blunt end would do some serious damage. She gripped it tightly, drawing it back for an underhand swing. At the very least, the length might keep him away from her until someone else got there.
