Pursuit of the Guardian (Children of the Republic Book 2)

by Jason Hutt

  “Do you really think that’ll ever happen?”

  “Not in my parent’s lifetime,” Sundeep said. She sniffed and wiped at the corner of her eye. “This is not the life they wanted.”

  “I’m sorry,” Hannah said, “I’m sorry I came.”

  “I’m not. It gave me great joy to see you again. You are the first person I’ve seen from back then. For that one moment, I was a child again. I would fight with you, Hannah, but these people, they have nothing to give. The Republic would put their boot down and grind them into nothing. We don’t have the strength to be an army.”

  Hannah nodded. She stood and unstrapped a pouch from the inside of her jacket. She held it out to Sundeep.

  “What’s this?”

  “Ration bars. It’s not much, but I want you to have it,” Hannah said.

  Sundeep pushed them away with her hand and shook her head.

  “I cannot take those. We are surviving. Besides, you will need them to keep up your strength.”

  After a few seconds of holding them out, Hannah reluctantly put the pouch back inside her jacket. She then stood there, unsure of what to do next.

  “Please stay, Hannah, and spend the night. We can talk of times when the galaxy was not so dark.”

  “I shouldn’t,” Hannah said.

  “You must,” Sundeep said, “Besides, Sector Security patrols the fields at night. When they see your heat signature with no ID chip, they will know you do not belong here. It is safer to wait until morning.”

  “But you don’t have one,” Hannah protested.

  Sundeep pulled her hair to one side and turned so Hannah could get a glimpse of the scar on the back of her neck. “It was the first thing they rectified.”

  Hannah nodded. “Okay, I’ll stay, but you have to eat with me. Consider it my payment for your hospitality.”

  Sundeep smiled at her. “Very well then, I accept.”

  Hannah sat and the two of them talked well into the evening over a meal of ration bars and moss. They laughed and smiled as they tried to catch up on ten years of life. Hours later, as the cool night air rattled the sides of the closely packed huts, Hannah slept.

  ***

  The stench of week-old empty beer mugs, sweat, grease, and piss faded a bit with every drink Max took. The chair that he sat in, which at one point had been ripped out of a top-of-the-line luxury liner, was now torn and tattered and it happened to give him a great view of the rest of the bar. Max absent-mindedly picked at some of the exposed foam on the arm of the chair as he drank away. He sat in the dark corner, alone, and tried to stay that way.

  The world had once again gone soft around the edges and Max had stopped counting the number of refills he’d had. He watched as a group of four of Ironheart’s soldiers, two men and two women, played some tabletop game that Max couldn’t see. One of the men had two silver, gleaming eyes while the woman facing him had silver legs below the knees. Something happened in the game and the other woman punched the man next to her in the arm with a gleaming silver fist.

  Max emptied his mug and signaled the server robot, which left a clean streak on the floor as it glided over to Max. Just a few more rounds and Max felt he’d be able to leave without his feet sticking to the floor. As one of the men at the table let out an excited whoop, Max wondered, as he had many other times throughout the day, what the hell he was doing here.

  After Ironheart’s little show-and-tell where he made sure Max understood just how far down he had fallen, Max had been ushered to the forward section of the ship, into a small room that smelled mostly of mold and stale air, where he had a nice view of the cosmos as the outer hull was transparent. It only took a couple minutes to learn that it wasn’t possible to make the wall opaque. After about ten minutes staring at the vast emptiness of the void, Max decided to see what other parts of the ship he could access.

  There was a small galley, with just a few assorted flavors of nutrient pastes, a well-equipped and maintained fitness center, and this little hole-in-the-wall bar. Max was willing to bet money that he could form a very comfortable groove in its cushion.

  The door to the bar slid open and a tall, muscular woman with pink hair entered the room. Whereas the woman at the game table had normal-sized prosthetic hands, this woman had enormous metal mitts that looked like they could crush your skull with only a small amount of effort. Max looked over the newcomer from behind his mug as he took another drink.

  She walked over to Max and stood before him, arms folded across her chest. “Max Cabot. Ironheart wants a word.”

  Max put his beer down on the small table in front of him. “That’s nice, but I’m nots in a talkin’ mood. Maybe laters.”

  “Now,” she said as she slapped a patch on his arm.

  Max looked at it and cursed. “Goddamnit. I’m tired of these god damn things. Can’t a man stay good and drunk for a night. Christ, if someone’s not dying, you owe me a dozen beers.”

  “Shut up,” she said. She grabbed onto Max’s shoulder and Max’s initial suspicion about the strength of her grip proved true. She hauled him up out of the chair. “Walk or I’ll kick your ass down the hallway.”

  She pushed him and Max tripped over the leg of a chair and fell to the floor. The table of gamers burst out laughing and Max felt his face burn. He got up, barely registering the sticky, brown slime that now coated his forearms and whirled on the pink-haired woman. She just looked at him with a smirk and stuck her chin out.

  “Come on, old man. This doesn’t end well for you.”

  Max felt the slight tinge of a headache and the sharp realization that she was right. He frowned as he looked at the crap he was now covered in. “Don’t suppose you guys have a laundry?”

  She laughed. “We always make sure our whites are nice and bright before our next raid. Let’s go.”

  Max didn’t resist. “What’s your name?” He asked as he followed her through the darkened corridor.

  “Gauntlet,” she said.

  “Cheery. Are you the designated greeter for all new guests?”

  “No, I’m the one who gets to go out and scare the piss out of people like you so that they fall in line.”

  “You’re well-suited for your work,” Max said.

  “Thank you.”

  She delivered Max to a small, brightly lit room where Ironheart sat behind a console, looking over star charts.

  “Thank you, Gauntlet,” he said without looking up. “Have a seat, Max.”

  Max did as he was told. Gauntlet left without a word and the door slid shut behind her.

  “She’s fun,” Max said.

  “Are you always this inane?” Ironheart asked.

  “Sorry,” Max said, “I get chatty when I’m nervous.”

  “You should be nervous. She could’ve crushed your skull without a second thought.”

  “That occurred to me.”

  “Max, it’s time we ironed out the particulars of our little arrangement. Before you get to see any more of our operation, we need to have some understanding of what this is all about. I assume you still want to pursue your absurd quest.”

  “I do,” Max said, “And don’t try to talk me out of it.”

  “I’m not going to, Max. If you want to get yourself arrested, then by all means. If I have your ship, I don’t really care what you do.”

  “Nice to know we’re looking out for each other.”

  “The foolish can die however they want. Now, I’ve got a contract that lays out the material exchange. I think you’ll find it fair.”

  Max scanned the list on his wrist computer. Ironheart was offering him a Republic Naval transport, pilot drone, crowd control drones, false identification skin grafts, and an array of weapons.

  “I need security passes, retinal lenses for access, and blueprints.”

  “Of what facility?” Ironheart asked.

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “Bit of a problem, then.”

  “I’ll get that information,” Max said.
>
  “I could probably dig it up.”

  “That’s okay,” Max said, “I have my own sources, thanks.”

  “Very well, then. Do we have a deal?”

  Max laughed. “If you renege, do I take you to court with this?”

  “Do you have a problem with how I choose to do business?” Ironheart asked. “You are free to find someone else who can supply these things.”

  “Sorry,” Max said, “Like I said, nervous. What about a crew?”

  “I told you, Max, I’m not going to volunteer anyone to go on this mission with you. No one here wants to go on a mission doomed to certain failure. If you want someone to go with you, you’ll have to do the convincing.”

  “How the hell am I supposed to do that? Do you need to cut me up and give me some shiny silver parts?”

  Ironheart looked at him with a flat stare. “Don’t give me an excuse. If you want to win them over, you’re going to have to fight with them.”

  Max blanched. “I won’t kill for you.”

  “You would wind up just a blood smear on a bulkhead. No, there are other roles in our little outfit that you are better-suited to do.”

  “Like what?”

  “If I need to tell you, then you’re dumber than I thought.”

  “I won’t do it,” Max said, “I won’t help you kill innocent people.”

  “Then my offer stands and you’ll have to find other mercenaries.”

  Max sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. He rubbed at his forehead, his small headache was growing. “Fine,” Max said, “I’ll pilot one of your shuttles. You don’t get the Guardian until I get the girl.”

  “Very well,” Ironheart said, “You’ll pilot a boarding craft. Be forewarned, we only use neural interfaces. You’ll observe a run before you participate. I suggest you practice.”

  “You stick to what you’re good at,” Max said, “I’ll stick to what I’m good at.”

  “Then I hope you pilot as well as you drink.”

  Max smirked. “Hilarious.”

  Ironheart held out his wrist computer. He was expecting Max to place his thumb on the screen and complete the contract. Max hesitated. He stared at the scars around Ironheart’s eyes.

  “Well, Max?” Ironheart asked.

  Max held his breath as he leaned forward and placed his thumb on the screen. He expected Ironheart to grab him, to twist his arm and pin it to the table. Instead, he offered Max his hand. Max shook it and Ironheart held his grip for an extra heartbeat. Something about the feel of his hand felt odd and then suddenly Max felt something pushing underneath the skin of Ironheart’s hand, forming a vice that held Max’s hand in place.

  “Cross me, Max, and not only will I kill you, but I’ll hurt you in ways that you can’t even imagine.”

  ***

  Maria stormed through the halls of the senate. On her journey home, she had read every article, watched every newscast, and listened to every pundit conversation about the move to get the revisions of the Family Planning Act out of committee and to the senate floor for a vote. Hunter’s smiling face was on every article and recording. He wore his smug smile adorned with his aw-shucks demeanor and every second of coverage grated on Maria’s nerves.

  She hadn’t bothered to head home to her apartment when the shuttle landed; she came straight to the Capitol building. With each stride, she felt a slight pull in her abdomen. She touched a small patch on her forearm and more painkillers dispensed. By the time she reached Hunter’s office door, the sharpness of the pain had dulled as had a little bit of her edge.

  The senate halls were dark; it was late in the evening and the only the cleaning bots trundled back and forth through the halls. She pounded on Hunter’s door with an open palm, but there was no response. She did it again and listened to the echo of her pounding reverberate through the hall.

  There was a loud, sudden crack behind her that echoed through the nearly empty hall. Maria ducked and covered her abdomen. Fire ripped through her midsection with the sudden movement.

  “Sorry about that,” a familiar voice said behind her.

  Maria turned to see Sanjay Arresh bending over to pick up a tablet. She glared at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was heading out when I saw you storming through the halls. Thought I’d see how you were doing.”

  “You know damn well how I’m doing. Where’s Hunter?”

  “He’s…unavailable.”

  “Of course, he is. Son of a bitch did this on purpose.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Maria stomped off back toward the lift and brushed past Arresh. “I’m sure you don’t.”

  “Senator Cahill,” Arresh called out, “I would be careful what steps you take next.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  Arresh shrugged. “It is what it is. Just know that your reluctance to support the FPA would draw some scrutiny from my bosses that I’m not sure you would enjoy.”

  Maria took several steps back toward him. “I’m not afraid of you or your bosses. If I find out you were behind this,” she said, pointing at her abdomen, “Then, I’ll nail all of you. You’ll all go down. Every single one.”

  “That’s quite the claim, Senator,” Arresh said as Maria marched off, “You might want to take some time off. You don’t quite seem yourself.”

  Maria ignored him and took the lift down to her the floor of her office. The lights came up as she entered the door. “Get Effren on the line,” Maria ordered.

  “Calling Samir Effren,” her assistant responded, “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Scotch.”

  A light on her desk flashed to signal the connection had not yet been completed. A small serving robot delivered her drink and Maria took a gulp. For a brief moment, she stared out into the night at the ever-present green-gold tinge of the environmental field that enshrouded the city.

  She took another gulp and the light on her desk stopped flashing and became constant. Effren’s study appeared and the older gray-haired, brown-skinned man stood there in a plush, navy robe.

  “What did he offer you?” Maria asked.

  “Hello, Maria. Good to see you, too.”

  “Don’t play games, Samir. What did Hunter offer you?”

  “Maria, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You’re going to stand there and pretend you don’t know? Seriously? You’ve got some balls, Samir. After your rode me for not getting enough from Hunter, you turn around and make a deal behind my back! While I’m lying in a goddamn hospital bed! And now you’re going to pretend you didn’t?”

  “Maria, calm down.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down! I want to know what you’re deal was. What did Hunter offer you?”

  Effren sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I had to.”

  “What was the offer?”

  “A Conglomerate research center on Salaam. Chair of the Health and Human Services committee when he wins election and…”

  “And?” Maria pressed.

  “And enough votes to win the head of the Outer Colonies Caucus.”

  “I don’t plan to relinquish my post.”

  “They don’t believe that Demeter will last more than a few weeks. You’ll be out of a seat.”

  Maria’s face was red and her hands were shaking. “I am not going anywhere. In three weeks, in three months, I’ll still be here…fighting. You, them, it doesn’t matter. I’ll fight every last one of you.”

  Maria terminated the call and threw her glass against the far wall of the room. A custodial robot entered and began collecting the broken glass. Maria headed for the lift and her aircar.

  Chapter 11

  Sirens wailed. Overhead lighting turned red. Smoke billowed into the compartment. One crewmember ducked under the spreading cloud and ran out of the engine room. Someone else yelled, “Man down!”

  Akimbe stood with his hands locked behind his back and his feet shoulder width ap
art. His hands were clasped together behind his back as he watched the simulation unfold. Seconds ticked off the clock.

  A figure started to emerge from the smoke. A young man was dragging an unconscious woman out of the fire. Sweat poured from the young man’s face. Tendons stood out on his neck as he pulled her out of the compartment. He reached the threshold of the corridor when the hatch slammed shut sealing him in the damaged engine room.

  “End simulation,” Akimbe ordered.

  The hatch opened, the lights returned to normal, and fans immediately whirred to life clearing the haze from the simulated fire. The young crewmember wiped the sweat from his forehead on his sleeve as he knelt on the deck.

  Akimbe’s eyes narrowed as he stared silently at the young man.

  The blonde-haired boy stood wearily and slowly snapped to attention. The young woman he had been dragging opened her eyes and stood next to him.

  “Ensign,” Akimbe said, “What happened?”

  “When the alarm rang, Crewman Wend was unaccounted for. I found her unconscious at the reactor coolant control panel. She was still alive, so I tried to pull her from the room.”

  “And?”

  “I didn’t make it. The hatch sealed,” the young ensign said, his shoulders slumping as he spoke.

  “So what was the outcome of your heroic act?” Akimbe asked.

  “We both would have died.”

  “So now my crew is down two capable soldiers instead of just one. My team is at a disadvantage; my crew is further short-handed. Crewmembers at other stations will be required to handle more responsibilities to cover for your absence. The likelihood of someone making a mistake on duty increases and thereby increases the risk that more lives will be lost and that our mission will be a failure. All because you wanted to be a hero.

  “When the alarm sounds, how long do you have to exit the affected compartment?”

  “Thirty seconds, sir,” the ensign responded.

  “What is the appropriate response when the alarm sounds?” Akimbe asked.

  “Immediately exit the affected compartment until you reach a verified safe zone.”