by Justin Sloan
"Three o’clock," Wearl ground out.
Kalan threw a hard jab to his direct right and hit a Shimmer in the face.
"Nine o’clock!"
He struck with his left elbow, driving it sideways into another guard.
"Eleven!"
He threw another jab, but this one met empty air. Kalan staggered forward, carried by his own momentum.
"I said eleven!" Wearl shouted. "That was ten!"
Kalan punched again, aiming at his ten o’clock, but it was too late. Rough hands grabbed him, pushing him forward and forcing him to the ground. When they had him on his stomach, they pressed his face forward so his left cheek was flat against the ground.
"All right, you got us," Kalan growled. "Take it easy."
There was no answer as they wrestled his arms behind his back and bound his hands. Something sharp, probably a knee, was driven hard into his back.
Kalan squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t believe they’d been caught so quickly. He’d let Wearl down. He’d let himself down. He’d let his mother down.
He’d let Valerie down.
She was still out there fighting for justice while he was locked in this flying tomb, and it was driving him crazy. He was one of Valerie’s Elites. He belonged out there with her and Bob and Jilla and the rest of the team. Now it would be even longer before he got that chance.
But he’d never give up trying to escape. Never.
A Shimmer voice barked in his ear, "You were trying to make it to the hangar, weren’t you? Trying to steal another Nim fighter?"
"You have to admit it was pretty effective the first time. Why reinvent the wheel?" There was no use denying it now. This corridor led directly to the fighter bay.
"You’re a moron. That never would have worked. We’ve redesigned the kill switches. You can’t fly out unless you have direct authorization from the Flight Deck.
Kalan and Wearl had figured out a workaround for that problem, but he wasn’t about to give the Shimmers that piece of information.
"Can we go back to our cellblock now?" Kalan asked. "Or are you going to throw us in isolation for a few days again?"
The Shimmer chuckled, and his hot breath tickled Kalan’s ear. "Neither. We’re taking you to see the captain."
The confident smile melted from Kalan’s face, and he went cold.
CHAPTER TWO
Vurugu System, Unknown Planet
Waters lapped the side of Commander Lolack’s ship, and Valerie watched the ebb and flow as she contemplated her next move. She and Robin had climbed to the edge of one of the turrets to get away and have a moment to think. They’d landed on a fringe planet after entering the Vurugu system—the same system Tol occupied—and soon Valerie would find out why.
"It won’t be easy," Valerie said, glancing back.
Robin stood behind her, leaning against the base of the massive gun mount with her arms crossed. "What won't?"
"I don’t know yet. But whichever way we go, it won’t be easy." She pushed herself up, then paced, hands behind her back. "Kalan gave himself up, but he’s part of the team now. We can’t leave him."
"He’s on a prison ship," Robin pointed out. "We might not have much of a choice."
Valerie glared. "I wouldn’t leave you there, and I believe I could say the same of you."
Robin nodded at that.
"So the same applies here," Valerie stated. "He’s one of us now."
"Yes. We go after him."
"On the other hand, we have numerous enemies incoming," Valerie pointed out. "The fleet will soon be under siege. If the fleet could find a prime defensive spot—"
"A prime spot for the Prime Enforcer."
"Really?" Valerie turned to her friend and laughed.
Robin shrugged.
"Right. The point is, we need to ensure victory here. It’s not just about us, it’s about the entire Etheric Federation." Valerie sighed. "Sometimes it sucks, having to think of more than just ourselves."
"There’s good news in all this," another voice said. Admiral Lolack was easily maneuvering his way up to them, but he stopped to pull Arlay up behind him. In stark contrast to her blue skin and tentacles instead of hair, he was tall and willowy with orange skin, like the rest of his kind.
Valerie turned to him with an embarrassed grin. "I didn’t mean we’d abandon you, just to be clear."
"I wouldn’t worry about it," he said with a wave of his hand. "We have Tenowk—the IAI—and the rest of my fleet is coming. The worrisome part is trying to figure out when the enemy fleet will arrive, and what damage they might be able to do before we can get to them."
"If the Etheric Federation—" Robin started, but Lolack held up a hand.
"There’s no way they’d reach us in time, and everything I’ve heard leads me to believe they’re quite busy with their own issues. However, I think there’s a way you can help…yet again."
"We can’t just abandon Kalan," Valerie stated.
Arlay grinned, nudging Lolack as she said, "See, didn’t I tell you? Loyal to a fault."
"Not a fault in my book. This is what we need." Lolack stared into Valerie’s eyes a moment longer, weighing her, and said, "There’s a mission, and maybe finding and recovering your friend will be part of it."
"How so?"
He stepped forward, looking into the sky, where already some of his ships were preparing to move.
"There’s a planet not so far off. It was set up in my day as a fallback position. Essentially, the Minas Tirith of space…" He waited, grinning, then frowned. "You two don’t get the reference?"
Valerie shook her head and glanced at Robin, who shrugged.
He sighed. "Why’d I spend all that time boning up on the literature and films of Earth, if the only two Earthers I’ve met have no idea what I’m talking about? Suffice it to say, the location is the ultimate defensive position. Problem? We don’t know exactly where it is, only the direction. We can start moving, and hope you succeed."
"Wonderful. Your fate would be in our hands?" Robin asked with a chuckle.
"The fate of this galaxy," Valerie corrected.
"Nothing new there."
Arlay nodded at the two, who were standing tall. "So, you’re in?"
"Aren’t we always?" Valerie assured her. "But how’s this tie into Kalan?"
"That’s up to you," Lolack replied. "When we go to my office, I’ll show you the information we have. It’s not a lot, but your boy Kalan knows his way around. If he’s really a Bandian, he might be able to leverage it and… It’s part of the puzzle, really. You’ll see."
"You’re saying we might not need him, or he might be integral to saving the galaxy?"
Arlay laughed. "Sounds about right."
Lolack nodded, then motioned them to follow him. "Honestly, we’re not sure. It might be that you can find it without him, and much faster. Breaking him out of the most secure prison in the known universe—that could take a lifetime, and our lives might not be very long if you go that route."
He paused until they had all gone below, then moved through the hatch. Inside the ship, everyone was busy with the checks and processes required to get her into the air. Apparently Lolack was serious about getting off the ground ASAP.
"I’m not one to micromanage," Lolack told them as they crossed the main deck and headed toward his office. "You’ve proven you can get the job done, so I’ll simply ask that you do this one and save our asses."
"And what’ll you be doing?" Robin asked, earning a glare from Valerie.
"I don’t think she meant that to come out as it did," Valerie interjected.
Lolack’s grin was still there, but his eyes narrowed. "I’ll be leading my fleet, pulling the rest of the ships together, and preparing for a battle that could very well decimate us. Even if I do my job right I still expect at least half the fleet to be lost, so," his smile faded, "don’t act like my job will be easy."
"Sorry, sir," Robin replied, knowing when to check herself.
When they entered Lolack’s office, they gathered around the holodisplay of the current star system. A few other star systems were represented by red dots.
"We’ve entered the Vurugu System," he started. "Our destination is somewhere within this star system, though we’re not sure where." He tapped the screen, causing it to zoom in tighter. "The Silahu Corporation operates out of Rhol. They’ve supplied half the weapons I’ve ever run across, if not more. Someone from the Vurugu system was working with them on this secret weapon—this star defense system—and they’ll have the answers we need."
Robin sucked in air. "Yeah, Val doesn’t have the best history with corporations. They always butt heads."
"Only when they’re packaging the blood of my brothers and sisters to sell against their will," Valerie protested.
"I’d say that’s a damn good reason," Arlay chimed in. "Considering that these guys supply both good and bad, you might end up finding some morally ambiguous shit."
"Might, might not," Lolack agreed, "but stay focused on the mission."
Valerie nodded, then turned at a sound from the door. A young female stuck her head in and stated, "Admiral Lolack, we’re prepared for departure."
"Thank you." He turned to Valerie. "The Grandeur is on board?"
"It is."
"Then proceed," he told the female, who bowed her head before exiting.
"We’ll go as a group and let you off when we approach Rhol so that—"
"Sir!" The female was back.
He frowned as he stared at her.
"An attack on our forward ships," she added when she realized that was all she was going to get.
"Dammit, already?" he exclaimed, swiping a hand across the board on the wall to turn it into a display. He chose from several of the cameras on the ships already up there, and they were able to see enemy ships swooping down and attacking as turrets fired back. "Get us up there," he shouted. "NOW!"
CHAPTER THREE
Swarthian Extended Detention Environment (SEDE)
For the first time in as long as Kalan could remember, he was nervous.
He’d thought he was ready for anything; any punishment they could come up with. After fourteen escape attempts, he’d assumed they were going to raise the stakes. He’d considered torture, isolation, maybe even cutting off a hand. But he hadn’t considered this.
The first story Kalan remembered hearing about the captain was probably the most famous. There weren’t a lot of them. Every convict in SEDE knew there was a captain in charge of the Shimmers, and that he was the only being who knew the flight path SEDE would take. But little else was known about him…other than this story.
The way Kalan had heard it, it had happened about twenty-five years ago, shortly before he was born. A cellblock near the stern of the ship had decided they’d had enough of the Shimmers guarding them and launched a full-scale riot, killing some of the Shimmers and forcing the others to retreat. They’d managed to hold their cellblock for nearly a week.
Then the captain had shown up.
No one knew exactly what he’d said to the leaders of the revolt, but somehow he’d convinced them to let him inside the cellblock. He’d gone in alone and unarmed, but had quickly taken the leader’s shank and stabbed him with it. Then he’d unlocked the gates and let in his guards.
After the riot had been quelled and all the rioters had been subdued, the captain had calmly and deliberately walked through the cellblock and shot every male, female, and child in the head. He’d then ordered the cellblock dismantled and everything in it tossed out an airlock.
Kalan’s logical mind rejected the story, realizing that if no one but the guards and the captain had survived, there would be no one to spread the story—and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling he’d had when he’d first heard the tale at five years old.
Even though the captain was shrouded in mystery, everyone knew one fact about him: when the captain got involved, people died.
Kalan glanced at the spot he knew Wearl was standing. "You okay?"
"Okay? I’m more than okay. I’ve been wanting to talk to this bastard for years."
Kalan raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Oh, yes. He has far too much influence on the Shimmer culture. His brutal recruitment process is part of what causes so much infighting among us. That’s not good management."
"I didn’t know you had such strong feelings about management techniques."
"Of course I do. I’m not a savage."
They were waiting in a small metal room, their hands bound. Kalan had no idea how long they’d been in there, but his stomach told him it had been a while.
They sat in silence for a few more minutes before the door slid open with a clang.
A disembodied voice said, "Get up. He’s ready for you."
Wearl sighed. "You’re lucky you can’t see Shimmers, Kalan. This one’s really ugly."
"Shut up and move, traitor."
Kalan got to his feet and took a deep breath. A hand touched his back, and he allowed it to guide him down a short corridor that led to a large corridor, and finally to a set of double doors.
The guard behind Kalan paused at the entrance. "This is it." The doors opened and the guard spoke again in a softer voice. "Good luck."
"What, you’re not coming with us?" Wearl asked.
The guard chuckled. "No way. You’re on your own in there. The captain wanted to speak to you two, not me. Thank the stars."
Kalan stood straight and tall. He’d faced down the Wandarby fleet, and a crazy Bandian cyborg. He wouldn’t let this captain intimidate him. He walked confidently into the captain’s chambers.
The room was about as stark a contrast as was possible to the sterile metal corridors. There was metal here too, but it was finely polished silver and brass. Most of the furniture, including the large desk that dominated the room, was made of a beautiful greenish wood Kalan had never seen before.
Captain Tuttle was tapping away on a screen embedded in his desktop when they entered. He didn’t look up.
As he stood silently waiting, Kalan’s anger grew. This guy already had them over a barrel. He was just flexing now, drawing out the misery.
"You wanted to see us, Captain?" Kalan tried to keep the growl out of his voice when he said it.
The captain held up a finger and continued tapping at the screen with his other hand.
Kalan was about to tell him where he could shove that finger when the male finally spoke.
"Sorry about that. Very rude of me. Thanks for waiting."
The captain looked up with a wide, friendly smile on his face. He was a Skulla, but more lightly tattooed than most Kalan had met. His eyes were a pale-green color that perfectly matched the wood of the desk.
He looked first at Kalan, then glanced at the empty spot next to the Bandian.
"Kalan. Wearl. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you."
Kalan wasn’t sure how to respond to that. "Well, I’ve been here since the day I was born, minus a few years recently. You could have stopped by to say hi anytime."
The captain chuckled. "That’s right. It’s not exactly uncommon for a sabie to come back here. Recidivism, they call that in the correctional business. But most aren’t dragged back by a fleet of angry Shimmers."
"They felt that I had besmirched their honor." Kalan spoke slowly and carefully. Tuttle wasn’t acting at all like Kalan had expected. Clearly this was some sort of trap to make them feel at ease before bringing the hammer down on them, but Kalan wasn’t falling for it. He didn’t relax a single muscle. "I suppose I besmirched your honor too, Captain."
Tuttle waved the thought away. "Nonsense. I don’t go in for all that honor stuff. I’m a businessman." He gestured to the chairs in front of the desk. "Please, have a seat."
Kalan hesitated, but then sat down.
Wearl seemed to have none of his misgivings. "Sure thing, Captain," she said cheerfully.
Kalan briefly wondered whether Tuttle could hear Wearl, but the
n he realized the Skulla worked with Shimmers all day every day. They were his only employees. He must be able to hear them.
The captain leaned back in his seat. "So...fourteen breakout attempts?"
Kalan gritted his teeth. Here it came. Now Tuttle would drop the nice-guy act and lay down the punishment.
"You know, I have to say I’m impressed." He raised a stubby finger. "Not just at the persistence, but at the ingenuity."
"Thanks," Wearl replied cheerfully.
Tuttle leaned forward. "Having spent most of my adult life on this prison ship, I’ve given a lot of thought to how I’d escape if I were incarcerated here. I’ve long thought I’d try to sneak aboard one of the supply ships. Of course, the challenge would be figuring out when the resupply would happen. You’d have to carefully watch the supply of a necessary resource—say water—and figure out how long it generally took between replenishments. Then take your best guess."
Kalan’s eyes widened. How did the captain know?
Tuttle looked Kalan in the eye. "I was delighted when you two attempted that exact method. You only miscalculated by one day, you know. It was a close thing."
Now Kalan leaned forward. "Captain, if you don’t mind, I think we’d like to find out about our punishment and be on our way."
"Speak for yourself," Wearl interjected. "I want to talk about the Shimmers’ working conditions."
Captain Tuttle ignored her comment. His eyes sparkled with genuine delight. "Is that why you thought you were here? To be punished?" He let out a loud belly laugh. "You’re already in prison for life. What more can I do? Make your life shittier? What would be the point? As I said, you intrigue me. Here, let me show you something."
Tuttle pushed a button and the screen raised up from his desk, swiveling around so Kalan and Wearl could see it. Then it blinked to life.
Kalan’s eyes narrowed at what he saw.
The screen showed black and white footage of Kalan and Bob sneaking through the corridors of SEDE, Sslake close behind them. They made their way into the hangar and began firing at invisible Shimmers.
The image changed, now showing another corridor. This one took longer for Kalan to identify. Then Kalan, Valerie, Robin and the rest of the team ran into view and Kalan recognized the location. It was the Tol moon base where they’d battled the mechs and robots.
