Starcruiser Polaris: Blood of Patriots

by Richard Tongue

   “Let's treat that as a last resort,” Cordova replied. “I didn't come this far to give up now. We're going to win this fight. Good hunting, Commander. Hanoi out.”

   Looking up at the terminal, Tom said, “I think we're getting everything we're going to need, Teddy. Cracking through the security perimeter shouldn't be difficult with all of this, but we're going to have to get up there first. As soon as we hit the main corridors, the monitors will pick us up in a second, and it'll all be over.”

   “Doctor,” Curtis said, turning to Ransom. “You've been operating covertly here for long enough that I can assume you know a lot of ways through this station that even ColSec doesn't. I'm going to guess that there is a way through the maintenance crawl-ways that could avoid the detectors.”

   “Maybe,” Ransom replied, crossing his arms. “Though why you should think that I would do a damn thing for you is another matter entirely.”

   “There might be something…,” Tom began.

   “No,” Curtis said, shaking his head. “I'm not going to offer you a bribe, Doctor. That's what ColSec would do, and with all due respect, Lieutenant, that's what the Commonwealth would do.”

   “None taken,” Voronova replied. “We tried that with Saxon. Turns out that she wasn't an honest crook.”

   “An honest crook?” Curtis asked.

   “The kind that stays bought.”

   Nodding, Curtis turned back to Ransom, and continued, “I'm not going to appeal to your good nature, and I'm not going to give you a long speech about freedom, truth and justice, because we all know those are just meaningless words.” He walked over to an unconscious boy lying on a medical bed, sweat gathered on his forehead, writhing and twisting in pain. “What's wrong with him?”

   “Early-stage leukemia.” With a sigh, he added, “And pneumonia, which is what his parents brought him in for. I think we've got to him soon enough that he might have a chance, but I don't have the facilities or the drugs he needs. His father works in the shuttle bays, his mother in waste reclamation.” A dour look spread across his face, and he continued, “Not important enough to have access to top-line care.”

   “How many kids like these have you seen die, Doctor?”

   “Too damned many. But you'd know all about that, Commander.”

   Nodding, Curtis replied, “Yes, you're right. I know all about that. I've seen children die. Seen innocents slaughtered in the name of meaningless words. So I'm not going to ask you to help me out for my sake, Doctor, but for his. And those like him. Isn't it worth taking a risk today to give him some sort of a future? Isn't that what your clinic is all about, or is it just an exercise for your own ego? Doctor Ransom's bid to save the universe single-handed. I need you, Doc. Badly. And so do they. More than you can possibly now.” Stepping forward, he said, “We've got a chance to free the Colonies from those tyrants on Earth, to bring the Federation down. I don't know whether or not we'll pull it off, and I can't even promise that its replacement will be any better. Certainly the Revolution was a failure where that was concerned. But I think it's time we threw the dice another time. What do you say, Doc?”

   Ransom looked down at the child, then up at Curtis, replying, “You bastard.”

   “So I've been told. Repeatedly, lately. Will you help us?”

   “You know I don't have a choice.”

   “I do. I just wondered if you knew that.”

   With a reluctant nod, Ransom replied, “There's a cargo space right underneath Security headquarters, one that's off the monitoring network. They use it to store contraband. The thousand little luxuries that they deny to the rest of us. I might have raided it for supplies on occasion, and I might know the way.” Pointing a finger at Curtis, he added, “If you betray us, Commander, or the cause you claim to be fighting for, I will kill you myself. You get that?”

   “Just lead the way, Doctor. We'll do the rest.”

  Chapter 9

   “Well, Win, this could have gone better,” Nguyen said, looking around the bare walls of the cell. “Got any bright ideas?”

   “You realize we're being monitored,” Kani replied, shaking his head. “Someone's listening to every word we say.” Turning to the door, he said, “When we get out of here, I'm going to make sure Saxon pays for this.”

   “I've always loved your optimism,” she said with a sigh. “Face it. We've lost this game. I don't see the United States Cavalry riding over the hill to rescue us this time, and if our transport followed orders, she's on her way home already.” Glancing down at her watch, she said, “The Federation flotilla will be here any time now. You think they're going to hand us over to them?”

   “Not a chance,” he replied. “We know far too much for Saxon to risk us being handed over to an interrogator. We're going to have an accident at some point in the very near future. One that will tragically result on our deaths before we can be properly questioned. Hell, I doubt we'll even appear on the official records of Keranos' death.”

   “There's always Voronova,” Nguyen said.

   “Now who's being optimistic,” Kani replied with a shrug. “If she's smart, she's buried herself deep in the Underdeck, hiding with the rest of the transient population. Enough of our ships come and go that she should eventually be able to make her way home again.”

   The door slid open, a trio of men standing outside, one of them the bodyguard from before. The smallest of the three, a mustache-clad figure with what seemed to be a permanent sneer on his face, looked over the two of them and gestured to the corridor.

   “Come on,” he said. “Time for you to take a walk.”

   “That sounds like fun,” Kani said, stretching out. “I could do with some fresh air.”

   “Not much of that where you are going.”

   The bodyguard looked at the guard with withering scorn, and said, “Let's just get his over with, shall we? I don't much like the idea of murder at the best of times.”

   “You're being well-paid for this.”

   As Kani walked down the corridor, pistols trained at his back, he glanced at the bodyguard and asked, “How much are they paying you?”

   “You an accountant or something?”

   “We'll double it.”

   “Hard to spend a bribe if you're dead.” Gesturing to the end of the passage, he added, “Least it'll be quick for you. They'll just turn down the pressure, and you go to sleep. Apparently it's supposed to be the easiest way to die.”

   “I'll pass on it, if you don't mind,” Nguyen quipped. “I had plans for the weekend.”

   “We're not going to be doing it that way, Dixon,” the man with the mustache said. “We don't have time for that. There's going to be an airlock malfunction. Very tragic.” Looking over Nguyen, he added, “Pity, though. I was looking forward to spending some time with you.”

   Dixon paused in the corridor, looming over the sneering guard, and said, “Keep this up, maggot, and I will end you myself, and to hell with the consequences.”

   “You don't want to make an enemy out of me, Dixon. I can promise you that.”

   “These are the people you're working for?” Kani asked. “This is the best you can do with your life?”

   Shaking his head, the bodyguard replied, “My grandparents were indent workers. Laborers for one of the Hundred Families, the Dumonts. Both of them died when their suits failed, maintenance cut to save a few credits. Apparently billions in profits wasn't quite enough. So don't try for mercy from me, Commonwealth. Your ancestors didn't show any to my family. Why should I show any for you?”

   “I can't argue with that,” Kani replied. “Though that was fifty years ago and more.”

   “Blood remembers,” Dixon said, darkly. “Blood remembers.”

   They turned a final corner, the airlock waiting at the end, inner hatch open, with another pair of guards standing on either side. The commander gestured with his pistol, urging them inside.
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br />    “What if we don't just step in?” Nguyen asked.

   “Then we'll have a nasty mess to clean up, but you'll be just as dead if you do.” He turned his pistol on Dixon, and said, “You too.”

   “What?” Dixon asked.

   “Loose ends, and now that Saxon's out of the picture, I don't want anything in the way when I take over the station. I'm sure you understand. Besides, we were paying you quite a lot of money, and I think all of us will be a lot happier dividing it between us. All in the hidden funds, anyway. Early Christmas bonus, right, guys?”

   “You son of a bitch,” Dixon said, angrily stepping forward.

   “One more move, just one, and I'll shoot you,” the guard commander said.

   Dixon looked him coldly in the eyes, then moved to turn, clicking a heel on the deck, before hurling himself to the side, a blade shooting from a hidden compartment in his boot and slamming into the guard commander's face, sending the man collapsing to the deck, clutching his throat. Kani and Nguyen moved instantly, slamming their elbows into their respective guards, Nguyen able to snatch her target's weapon, raising it to cover the rest.

   “Nobody move,” she said, stepping over the bleeding corpse of their erstwhile captor. “Dixon, grab that bastard's gun and get behind us.”

   “This changes nothing,” Dixon replied, but he did as he was bid.

   Kani looked at his guard, the man still clutching his pistol, and said, “Give it up. Is this really worth dying for? Drop your weapons, and none of you will be hurt.”

   “That on your honor as a Commonwealth officer?” the gunman sneered.

   “It'll have to do.” After a moment, he nodded, passing Kani his pistol. “Now, into the airlock.”

   “Wait a damned minute...”

   “You'll still have control, but I don't want anyone coming after us for a while. We've got places to go.” Nguyen leered dangerously at them, waving her gun menacingly at the cluster of ColSec guards, and he added, “As someone recently said to me, how do you want to die? Do as I say and it'll be old age. Otherwise I'll have to make it lead poisoning. Now move.”

   Reluctantly, the group edged into the airlock, Dixon slamming the hatch home as the last of them stepped through, entering an override code to secure them. He turned to Kani, pistol aimed at him, and frowned.

   “I don't trust you.”

   “You don't have to,” Kani replied. “We get out of here, and we can go our separate ways.”

   With a curt nod, Dixon said, “Easier said than done. We're right in the middle of Security Headquarters, and there are probably already guards on the way. Maybe we should get ourselves ready for a glorious last stand.”

   “I don't do suicide missions. Says it right in my contract,” Nguyen replied. “There's got to be another way out of here.”

   “Side shaft,” Dixon said, gesturing at a maintenance hatch. “Only goes down a couple of levels, but it'll get us into more populated areas. As soon as we crack it, though, they'll know where we're going. And we'll be running right into the heart of local security.”

   “You got a communicator?” Kani asked.

   “Come on, Win, we need to move,” Nguyen pressed.

   Gesturing at the cameras above, Kani replied, “Not for a minute. They wouldn't have wanted this on the record. All the detectors will have been turned off for a while. How about it, Dixon?”

   Reaching into his pocket, the bodyguard passed him an old-model communicator, and said, “Fleet issue. Got it from an old friend. Encryption's the green button. But they'll be able to hear whoever you signal to.”

   “Kani to Voronova,” the pilot said, playing with the channels. “Kani to Voronova, come in, please.” He gritted his teeth in frustration, and said, “I know I've got the right frequency.”

   “Let's get moving,” Dixon said.

   “Kani to Voronova,” he replied, shaking his head. He tapped a control, and said, “Maybe they've already captured her.”

   “Come on,” Nguyen said, tugging at his sleeve, half-dragging him to the maintenance hatch. Dixon tugged it open, sirens echoing down the corridor as the security alarms sounded, then scrambled inside, struggling down the ladder, pistol in hand. Kani waited at the top, looking from side to side, knowing that ColSec forces would be on their way at any moment, urging the others on. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, it was his turn on the ladder, and he gratefully scrambled down, tugging the hatch closed behind him and locking it in place, tapping a code to begin a maintenance cycle on the lock, holding it for a few moments at least.

   “They'll be waiting at the bottom,” Dixon said.

   “Any other way out?” Nguyen asked.

   “Just one hatch at the top, one at the bottom. It's a service corridor for a data relay junction, secure stuff, and before you get any bright ideas about sabotage, it's locked in behind tools we don't have.” Already, they could hear noises from outside, guards moving into position, ready to capture them as soon as they emerged. “We're still in last stand territory.”

   Looking around, Kani spotted a control panel, tugging at it and bringing up the readings. Just local life support systems, temperature and humidity controls. Swinging from the ladder, he reached across to the panel, entering commands.

   “What are you going to do, make them sweat themselves to death?” Nguyen replied. “You can't make any changes outside fixed settings.”

   “I've got an idea,” he replied. “The program will begin in thirty seconds. If this works, we count to five, then head through the hatch, all guns blazing. Shoot anything that moves and set up some sort of defensive perimeter.”

   “And if it doesn't work?” Dixon asked.

   “Then you probably should start coming up with some truly amazing last words.”

   His hands danced across the controls, finally rigging the time delay before sliding down the ladder to the bottom, joining the others, pistols in hand, ready to crack the hatch. Dixon looked dubiously at him, Nguyen uncertain, and Kani forced a confident smile. They had to break through the defense perimeter, but even if they did, they didn't have anywhere to run to, and with Federation ships on the way, the best they could hope for was to postpone the inevitable.

   A pair of lights flashed on the control panel above, and for a brief moment, Kani was chilled to the bone, the thermostat dropped as low as it could go. An instant later, waves of heat seared into him, and on cue, alarms sounded, the sound of the fire suppressant system engaging outside, water and blasts of carbon dioxide seeking the unexpected heat sources.

   They'd only have a second. They had to make all the use of it they could. Kani cracked open the hatch, ducking through it, firing at the black-clad shapes outside, none of them paying attention to the tunnel as they reacted to the non-existent blaze. Bullets cracked from the barrel of his pistol, dropping two of the unsuspecting guards, and he raced though the mayhem, taking any targets of opportunity he could find, the others following him into the melee.

   Dixon took a shot at a nearby guard, tumbling into him and rolling to the floor. Cursing under his breath, Kani turned back, half-dragging the burly Dixon into cover, Nguyen tugging open an office door and throwing a desk across the threshold to serve as temporary cover. Dixon and Kani dived in behind her, looking out at the devastation in the corridor as the ColSec forces withdrew, plumes of gas still roaring into the air.

   “Want to tell me how you did that?” Dixon asked, panting for breath.

   “Fire systems on these old stations work on temperature changes. They see a sixty-degree rise in a matter of seconds, they all go off. I got caught that way on a maintenance failure once. Someone should really fine-tune the thermostats around here.” The last of the sprinklers died away, and an eerie silence dropped over the corridor.

   “That's crazy,” Nguyen replied.”

   “Worked, though,” Dixon said, shaking his head. “Now what? We're still stuck, just
a little nearer to the exit than we were. They might have fallen back for the moment, but they'll be back with reinforcements any time now.” Gesturing down the corridor, he added, “The way out is that way, but aside from a full-scale assault, we're never going to get through.” Looking at his pistol, he continued, “And I have exactly four rounds left.”

   “Five for me,” Nguyen replied.

   “Two,” Kani said with a gleaming smile. “That just means we're going to have to make them count.” He looked around the room, spotting an inspection hatch where the desk had sat, and walked over to it, trying to spot the access panel. “Where does this go?”

   Dixon's eyes lit up, and he said, “Somewhere into the lower levels. I don't know where. It's a maze in those tunnels, and ColSec are the only ones with even a partial map. Most of this place dates back to the Terran Economic Community.”

   “Mel, see if you can get inside,” Kani said, the sound of footsteps drawing him back to the corridor. “You think they'll try and rush us?”

   “They've probably gone for riot gear,” Dixon replied. “Which means theses little popguns won't be worth a damned thing. They don't even have smart rounds. Just old-fashioned dumb-shot.”

   “So we've got to move quickly, then,” Kani said, risking a quick glance around the corner. He pulled out the communicator again, playing with the controls, and said, “Kani to Voronova. Kani to Voronova. Come in, please. Come in, please.” He frowned, tapped a button, and said, “Squadron Leader Kani to any station, any station, come in.”

   “That's a little desperate, isn't it?” Dixon said with a frown.

   “You're the one who keeps talking about glorious last stands.”

   A faint crackle echoed over the channel, and a hesitant voice said, “This is the Free Starship Hanoi. Identify yourself.”

   “Free Starship?” Nguyen asked, struggling with the panel. “I can't get this damned thing open, Win. It's sealed from the other side.”