by John Walker
“My friends are in the room!” Milna shouted. “Follow me. I’ll get them out of there and it’s all yours. However, might I suggest you hurry? That Kahl battleship may not be here to board this station. If they start shooting, you’ll want to be long gone.” She turned her back on them, marching down the hall.
The crowd followed her, carrying on as if they were celebrating some great victory. I don’t think they know how much trouble they’re actually in.
“Am I going the right way for that treasure room?” Milna asked.
“You’re fine,” Niva said, “you’ll see some bodies from what I understand. We have three people to extract. And um… thank you. I appreciate what you did.”
“Get us a ship,” Milna replied. “Fast.” She continued down the way, slowing when she saw bloodstains all over the floor. A couple bodies rested here and there. They’d been victims of energy weapons, torn up in a conflict. “Hello… Niva’s allies? I don’t know your names, but if you’re hearing me, you need to come out right now.”
A man and two women exited a room. Milna hurried to them, gesturing to make them hurry. They shuffled out of the space as she turned to the following crowd. A quick glance inside proved they found the right place. “Enjoy,” she called. “Take whatever you can carry and go with the promises of the divine.”
“I’m Kyle,” the man tapped her shoulder, “who the hell are you?”
“A friend.” Milna directed them to move. “We have to get out of here.”
One of the two women said, “There’s an armed combatant in the next room with some wounded, possibly dead criminals.”
Milna took the lead. She paced over to the door, peering in. As described, a man in armor looked over the bodies of four corpses, each lined up with their arms at their side. He looked up, his eyes widening as she aimed her weapon at him. He lifted his hands… she pulled the trigger.
“There.” Milna walked away. “No more worries about that.”
“You just…” Kyle hurried after her. “Was that entirely necessary?”
“I don’t want to get shot in the back,” Milna said, “not like her.”
“I…” Kyle fell silent.
“Good. We’re looking for a way out now. We have to move quickly to link up with our allies. The Kahl battleship may well destroy the thrusters and reactor rather than board prior to that. It would make sense if they want the same thing you did. They can always extract data in zero gravity.”
Much like I wanted to do with those fools when they were in the lounge. This place won’t stand up to an assault. Maybe Jok has an idea. If not, this may be the end of the line.
***
Renz stepped onto the bridge as battle stations were called. He took a seat beside Kivda, turning to his terminal for a full report. They had come upon the Flotilla, found it in another abandoned system on the edge of all civilization. He rolled his eyes at their predictability.
“Do we still have the beacon on the hull?” Renz asked. “Could we track it again if necessary?”
“No,” Kivda said. “It was destroyed when they came out of warp. Inda thinks they didn’t mean to so soon.”
“Looks like the kind of place these vermin hide.” Renz clasped his hands in his lap. “Do we have a plan for extracting the information? A boarding party perhaps?”
“I recommend,” Kivda said, “annihilating the maneuvering thrusters. They’re not in orbit so they aren’t necessary. That will prevent them from going into warp… if they even can after such a short period of time. They’ve already let several modules go. You can see them floating nearby the main structure.”
“Okay, so you want to shoot them?”
“Yes. Take out the reactor and leave the place with no air. We’ll go in past the bodies, find the information we’re after, and leave before anyone else shows up.”
“But this is the perfect place for an ambush,” Renz said. “Undoubtedly, Griel will come here. We can expect him. You know that as well as I do.”
“Only if his companions survived,” Kivda replied. “And they would need access to the FTL transmitter. We’re jamming it now.”
“I’m certain they used it.” Renz smiled. “Our ships. We sent for them, yes?”
“They are on the way.”
“Perfect.” Renz stood. “Commence with your plan but we are not leaving. Not until we’ve had a chance to revisit some punishment on that Prytin filth once and for all.”
Kivda nodded. Always comes back to some ridiculous agenda like that. He wished his friend would simply focus on the mission. At least he’ll get some satisfaction from the death of that Prytin fool. Maybe after he’s gone, we can get back to regular operation. That would be a nice change of pace.
Renz gave the order to open fire. He turned to Kivda. “Be sure to have a boarding party prepared. We’ll want all of our people out of there long before we start an engagement with the Prytin.”
“Of course.” Kivda bit the inside of his lip. He’ll make a show of caring about them. I wish I could believe he did. The weapons discharged, blasting the side of the station. Not exactly precision. He hoped they didn’t open the side, casting their quarry into space. “Uh… what’s that?”
Kivda gestured to motion on the scanner. A ship departing the station.
“Rhulin class,” Inda announced. “Luxury liner. Fifteen years old or so. The core is leaking radiation into the ship. Life support is operating at ten percent. Whoever took that out is an idiot. I’m getting only one life form aboard. Would you like me to hail them?”
“Yes,” Renz said, “I’d love to see what sort of fool we’re dealing with here. Put it on the screen.”
A larger man appeared; eyes wide. “Who are you? How’d you hijack my personal comm? I demand to—”
“You aren’t going to demand anything,” Renz interrupted. “Who are you?”
“I am the Manager! I run the Flotilla and you are invading in our… space… you are Kahl! You’re the battleship!”
“Indeed. And as the administrator of this illegal operation, I’m afraid you do not have a place in the universe anymore. Porth, destroy that vessel.”
“Wait!” The Manager shouted. “You can’t possibly—”
Inda cut the channel just as they opened fire. The luxury liner did not have the defenses to fend them off. The first two hits tore the thrusters clear of the main hull. The next obliterated the bridge. Bulges appeared across what remained of the main structure just a moment before the ship burst.
Nothing remained of the vessel. Renz returned to his seat. “Now that we’ve cleaned that up, let’s focus on something that matters. Porth, continue the assault on the Flotilla. We’ve got some data to collect.”
***
Niva waved the others down as they all started talking at once. All but Jok, at least. They didn’t appreciate Milna’s method. She couldn’t fault the woman. It worked. We were going to kill her anyway. They had bigger problems to worry about anyway. With the crowd of criminal scum out of the way, they could deal with escape.
The station shook. An alarm went off. She rushed to the scanner. A damage report showed up. Three maneuvering thrusters had been annihilated in the strike, all on the lower levels.
Quilla joined her. “They’re attacking us?” he cried out. “Why? What’s the point? I thought they would want prisoners! Take the data you found! Something like that!”
“Apparently,” Niva replied, “they don’t need anyone alive.” She stepped over to another screen. “All the ships are gone. Except…” She clapped her hands. “Andrews! Our shuttle is the only one left on the station, it looks like. That and some escape pods, but I’d really rather have some control.”
“What’s to stop them from shooting us?” Quilla asked. “Why wouldn’t they take us out like the Manager?”
“Andrews is a real pilot,” Niva replied, “but unfortunately, we’ll have to get to… that.” She gestured at a planet. “It’s not too far away. When we land, though, what’r
e we going to do?”
“My ship,” Jok said. He worked at his computer. “I’ll have it remotely head that way. Hopefully, they won’t bother it with no one on board. We can land near it, switch vessels and warp out of here.”
“That sounds easier said than done,” Andrews added, “but I’m willing to try. How do we get to the vessel?”
“Run.” Niva sent a message to all of them. “You all have a ping from me. Hurry. It’s our only way out of here right now.” The station rocked again from another blast. “The Kahl are working on taking this place out. So if you need motivation to run, that’s it.” She waved at the others. “Come on. It’s time.”
***
Kyle put a hand on Vesper’s arm, helping her as they started running down the hall. Every step looked like agony for her. She started huffing thirty paces later. Milna and Lysa were well ahead of them, probably half a hallway distant. They had quite a ways to go… at least five more minutes of running.
And that was without obstacles.
“I’m sorry,” Kyle said, “but you gotta push. We can’t lag behind.”
“Doing… the best…” Vesper grunted, picking up the pace. “Jesus Christ! This hurts like… shit!’
“I imagine. I’d carry you if—”
“Don’t even finish that sentence,” Vesper said, “no one’s carrying me off this station. I’ll make it. No matter what.”
They made up a little time, though when the station shook from another blow, she hit the deck. Kyle hoisted her back up and they started again. Lysa looked back. She and Milna were more than fifty yards away. She waved at them, shouting into the comm for them to hurry up.
“What’s going on?” Lysa asked. “Is she okay?”
“She’s not,” Kyle replied, “but we’re doing the best we can. Hurry! Just don’t let them leave without us.”
“Just…” Lysa started back toward them. Milna grabbed her, dragging her along.
“No time,” Milna said. “They’ll make it, or they won’t.”
Well, she’s a cold bitch, Kyle thought. Vesper leaned on him as they picked up the pace again.
The attacks came fast over the next hundred yards. Station lights flickered on and off. Scans showed life support struggled to stay on. Whatever Niva did to the computers should’ve taken it out earlier. At least they had some redundant systems in place. Still, he estimated they had maybe five more minutes before a hull breach. Or worse.
“Attention!” Custodian Four came back over the intercom. “We are under attack! I need you people to man the cannons. I’m bringing them online. They can fend that thing off!”
A quieter voice joined his. “We don’t have power to the weapons. We need to get to the escape pods.”
“But we’re safe here!” Custodian Four cried. “We can’t leave the confines of the tech center!”
Yeah, he’s going to die in there.
“You people have failed us!” Custodian Four shouted. “You failed and now we’re all going to die! We will not bring your ships back! Die here as we leave! Goodbye!” The intercom squealed as he shut it off.
Vesper muttered, “Talk about a mic drop.”
“Just about. They aren’t getting far with those.”
“We’re here,” Niva spoke over the comm. “Andrews is starting her up. Whoa.”
“What’s wrong?” Lysa asked.
“Bodies,” Tiller said, “dumbasses who were probably trying to break into the ship when we got ripped out of warp. What’s your ETA? Vesper?”
“She’s… concentrating,” Kyle replied, “we’ll be there in two minutes.” The lights went out. Scans showed that section of the vessel lost life support. Eight minutes of oxygen remained for those without environmental gear. Another alarm went off overhead. Smoke poured out from under doors as they passed.
“Fires?” Vesper asked. “Guys…”
“We’re going to make it!” Kyle shouted. “Lysa, are you there yet?”
“Just got here! Come on, Kyle! Come on!”
An explosion behind them rocked the deck. The heat from the flames scalded his back. He wrapped his arm around Vesper’s waist, getting a firm grip before compelling them on, running as fast as he could with her stumbling along. She tried to keep pace and did a reasonable job. Until they reached a flight of stairs.
Kyle lifted her up, taking the stairs two at a time. “Hurry!” Vesper shouted. “You really want to hurry!” He glanced over his shoulder. Flames were rapidly consuming the corridor, barreling down on them. Scans showed the oxygen levels went from eight minutes to two. The number dropped rapidly.
In a few seconds that won’t matter, Kyle thought. But will we survive long enough for that to work in our favor?
Lysa waved at him from a door. Kyle’s heart pounded in his chest. She shouted something to him, but he couldn’t hear. He focused solely on getting them to the hangar. Flames licked at his heels. He nearly lost Vesper… then tumbled into the hangar, tumbling to the floor.
The door slammed shut. Lysa helped him to his feet then grabbed one of Vesper’s arms. Together, they half carried her to the shuttle. Niva stood at the top of the ramp. She slammed the button as they got onboard.
The Flotilla trembled, making it feel like they were going through the worst kind of turbulence. Kyle secured Vesper in a seat before sitting beside her, strapping in. He turned to Lysa. They clasped hands.
“I thought I lost you,” Lysa said.
“Not yet.” Kyle didn’t want to be cynical about their chances, but with the Kahl battleship outside, he had a bad feeling about what might happen. “As long as we get to that planet, right?”
“We’ll make it,” Lysa leaned back. “I know we will.”
The ship lifted off, rocketing out of the Flotilla. Bright flashes filled the cabin, explosions visible through the windows. Kyle thanked God he couldn’t see. He didn’t want to know how bad it was. What was the point of that? Did they just need to blow something up? Jesus Christ, they’re psychotic!
“We’re away,” Andrews said. “Battleship is not in a good firing solution so we should be fine. ETA to planet’s surface… eight minutes. Hold on tight. I intend to make this fast.”
Which translates to uncomfortable. Andrews closed his eyes. The next few hours aren’t going to be pleasant. If they made it to the surface, they still had to contend with the threat of Kahl ground forces coming to look for them. Unless Jok’s ship got there as he promised. I wish I could feel optimistic about our chances.
But he did have to admit, they’d been lucky so far. Why not one more time?
Oh boy…
Chapter 13
Maurda toiled in the mine. His mind had been blank for hours. He’d found a way to become a fleshy automaton, working without complaint. After recovering from another beating, he understood the way the other prisoners thought. The hope he tried to give them didn’t make sense.
No matter how many times he rallied or found courage, hope continued to elude him. When the Kahl guards marched him and the others off to work, he recognized a simple fact. They would work him to exhaustion, ensuring he had nothing left to plot with. Maybe if he had convinced their overseers to provide more food, the situation might’ve been different.
As it stood, the Kahl had no intention of treating their prisoners well. Work us to death. That thought entered his brain. He welcomed it. Much the same as those around him did. Those other men who long gave up the idea they’d ever see home. Many of them already died. Even if by some miracle they returned to their people, they’d never be the same.
This is the end of my career. Maurda broke a rock, moving to another. To die a slave at the hands of murderers. Monsters without conscience or rationality. Without morality or a shred of decency in them. He wished with every ounce of his soul he had some means to hurt them. If I died in the process, I wouldn’t mind.
“Come on!” a Kahl guard shouted. “All you lot, get out here. It’s time to witness punishment!”
That comme
nt brought Maurda out of his funk. He frowned, thinking through who might have gotten into trouble. A tinge of fear rushed through him. I didn’t do anything. They can’t mean me. Much as he felt defiant of their captors, the savage beatings were more than he could take.
I haven’t witnessed someone else receive one yet. Maurda succumbed to mixed feelings. Cautious relief made his chest tingle. Providing they didn’t put him on the pole, he was grateful. He hadn’t done anything to warrant it so he figured that wouldn’t be the problem. However, the thought of watching another suffer made him sick to his stomach.
To see another will broken. Maurda clenched his fists. Watching feels like acceptance. Practically endorsement. We should all charge them, die gloriously. Like my shipmate… the man… Tears burned his eyes. I can’t even remember his name! What have they taken from me? Everything. The answer was everything.
The guards marched them back to the camp. A group of three Prytins were shoved toward the center near the whipping pole. The first of them glared defiantly at his captor even as his hands were bound. The beating commenced moments later, the cracks of the whip making Maurda convulse with each sound.
One of the three new prisoners lunged forward, bringing both fists down on the whipper from behind. The blow felled him, crumpling the body as he gave the Kahl a few savage kicks to the gut. Guards grabbed the Prytin, dragging him back. He struggled, breaking free to deliver a few more strikes to the torturer.
The Kahl finally restrained the man, holding him back as another came forward to continue the beating duties. As the whipping started again, the wounded man was removed. The prisoner who didn’t attack anyone was brought to them, shoved into the pen. He bumped into Maurda before spinning, prepared to lunge forward.
“Wait,” Maurda grabbed his arm, “there’s no point.”
“They’re going to kill my lieutenant!” The young man must’ve been around twenty. His blond hair was matted with sweat. He looked robust enough, strong—but that was an illusion. One the prison camp would quickly dispel. “I can’t let them do it! What’re you people doing? Stand up! Fight!”
