by Ryk Brown
“I do not?”
“Has no one informed you?” Ito grinned. “Alayna Imai has invoked the right of son bukai kawa no. And you are her kawa no.”
Suddenly, all of Captain Scott’s suspicions no longer seemed unfounded. “I am honored.”
“I expected you would be,” Ito replied. “You have the opportunity to make Gunyoki history, old friend. Beat Nathan Scott, and you will become the greatest Gunyoki since Yuki Muto.”
“I will do my best, as always,” Makani promised, bowing respectfully. “I will need to return to bay seventy-five, to collect my things, before I report to my ship.”
“Take your time, old friend. I promise you, the final heat will not start without the great Makani Koku.”
“You honor me, sir,” Makani said, bowing again as he stepped backward toward the exit.
Ito Yokimah watched as the old man turned and left. He picked up his glass of wine and took a sip, pleased with himself. Everything was going as he’d hoped.
* * *
Makani nodded at the surprisingly confident-looking guard at the entrance to bay seventy-five. Although he was aware that Captain Scott had brought in his own security detail, the men filling that role seemed a unique bunch, as did their leader General Telles.
In fact, it had not escaped Makani that everyone in Captain Scott’s team seemed unique; an odd assortment of characters. In his experience, humans tended to associate with those of similar ilk. Whereas, Captain Scott’s group appeared to cover a broad spectrum of personality types, cultural backgrounds, and accents. If they were all part of the same military organization, it was unlike any that he had ever known.
Despite his best efforts to remain detached, Makani had developed a begrudging respect for the lot of them. Nathan, most of all. In just six short days, he had gone from never having even sat in a Gunyoki, to flying as if he had been doing so all his life. Makani had never seen anything like it. He had trained countless pilots, both true Gunyoki, and those who simply wished to race. Many of them had possessed natural instincts and abilities, but not one of them had ever accomplished so much in so little time. He was beginning to understand the reality behind the legend of Na-Tan.
These feelings made what he now had to do all the more difficult. But he had no choice in the matter. Ito Yokimah was up to something, of that, he was certain. And he had a feeling Nathan knew what it was, but had not yet shared the true nature of his suspicions. If Yokimah was up to something, Makani needed to be in the middle of it, either to ensure its success, or to prevent it, whichever was best for Rakuen.
Makani paused as he entered the main hangar bay, searching for Nathan.
“Looking for Nathan?” Dalen asked as he came out of the door from behind Makani, passing him on his right.
“Yes.”
“Far side, with Vlad,” Dalen replied, continuing on his way.
“Thank you.” Makani continued deeper into the bay, making his way around to the other side of Nathan’s Gunyoki fighter, which was still undergoing repairs for the damage sustained in its prior heat. He found him near the stern of the ship, squatting down alongside his chief engineer, inspecting his repair work. “Captain,” he greeted as he approached.
“Master Koku,” Nathan replied, standing.
“If I might speak with you a moment.”
“What’s on your mind?” Nathan wondered.
“Perhaps it would be best, if we spoke alone?”
“Vladimir is like a brother to me,” Nathan said. “More so than my real brother was. I trust him with my life. In fact, I trust all the members of my team with my life. So, please…”
“You are lucky to have people whom you can trust so completely, Captain. Take care to remember that, always.”
“Is that what you wanted to tell me?”
“No.” Makani paused for a moment. “I have been selected as Alayna Imai’s son bukai kawa no. It means…”
“Honored alternate, I know,” Nathan said.
Makani’s thoughts stumbled for a moment, surprised by the captain. “I wanted to tell you personally, before the public announcement.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’ve already heard.”
“Might I ask how?”
“One of Quory’s buddies at Yokimah Racing told him. Not all of that guy’s employees think he walks on water.”
Master Koku again looked puzzled, particularly by Nathan’s turn of phrase.
“I do not wish to be the one who destroys all you have worked for,” Makani told him. “Unfortunately, son bukai kawa no is an honor that no Gunyoki can refuse. To do so, would bring dishonor on both his ichi and his family name.”
“It’s okay, Master Koku. Yokimah was never going to let me win.” Nathan turned to Vladimir. “Vlad, give me your data pad,” he asked, reaching out.
Vladimir handed Nathan his data pad as he also stood.
Nathan tapped the pad a few times, and then handed it to Master Koku.
“What am I looking at?” Master Koku wondered.
“A remote power cut-off device,” Nathan explained. “One of Yokimah’s mechanics installed it. I’m betting he put similar devices on all the ships I faced today, to be sure I’d get to the final round.”
“But no ships have lost power,” Makani insisted, refusing to believe.
“They’re probably all different. And he may not have needed to activate them all. In fact, I think I actually beat my first two opponents fair and square. But Salenger’s ship had to have been sabotaged.”
“I was wondering why you let him pass you so easily,” Makani admitted. “But this doesn’t make sense. Such a device would be easily discovered by the incident investigators. Yokimah would lose his accreditation, and he would suffer incredible dishonor. It would literally ruin him.”
“Not if my ship wasn’t around to investigate,” Nathan pointed out.
“I am afraid I do not understand,” Makani admitted.
“We believe that Yokimah has made a deal with the Dusahn to protect Rakuen, by handing myself, and the Aurora, over to them.”
“The protector of Rakuen,” Makani muttered, recalling Ito’s words. “I suspected that Ito was up to something. But I assumed he was just trying to increase his popularity and help fund his campaign. Everyone on Rakuen knows how critical he is of our current president. But to make a deal with the devil himself.”
“That’s probably the most accurate description I’ve heard of the Dusahn, yet,” Nathan insisted.
“Captain, you cannot allow this to happen. If the Dusahn are as bad as you say, surely they will not honor any deal made with Ito Yokimah. There must be some way to stop him.”
“It isn’t Yokimah I’m worried about,” Nathan assured his mentor. “It’s the Dusahn.”
“How can I help?” Master Koku begged. “You must allow me to help.”
“I was kind of hoping you’d offer,” Nathan replied with a smile.
* * *
“Are you sure about this, Captain?” Loki asked as he walked Nathan to his fighter. “A Gunyoki is a lot to handle for one man, even for someone like Master Koku.”
“Koku and I have already made the announcement. The crowd is expecting a jiyu tori race,” Nathan replied. “What the hell does jiyu tori mean, anyway?”
“I think it means ruptured duck, or something,” Josh replied as he walked alongside Nathan, as well.
“It means crippled bird,” Loki corrected. “And it’s an insane way to fly a Gunyoki, especially, in the final round.”
“That’s why I chose to defend,” Nathan told him. “Besides, I need both of you on the Seiiki. The whole plan falls apart without you.”
“We’ve got this, Cap’n,” Josh assured him. “And so do you,” he added, patting Nathan on the back as he turned toward the Reaper on the other side of the bay.
Nathan walked up to Vladimir and Quory, both of whom were standing by the access ladder to his fighter’s cockpit. Quory immediately began checking Nathan’s pre
ssure suit, ensuring that all its seals were in order.
“Remember, when you see a sudden, unexplained power drop, of at least thirty percent, it means that someone has triggered the device,” Vladimir reminded him.
“That’s when I play dead,” Nathan replied.
“Don’t forget to turn away from the asteroid field, first,” Vladimir insisted. “This is most important, Nathan.”
“I’ve got this,” Nathan assured his friend. “You just worry about keeping the Aurora in the fight, otherwise, we’re all screwed,” Nathan added as he headed up the ladder.
Vladimir waited for Nathan to get halfway up, then followed. Nathan climbed up into the front of the Gunyoki cockpit and slid down into his seat. As he pulled on his helmet, Vladimir attached the ship’s life-support, comms, and med-sensor umbilicals to Nathan’s flight suit. Finally, he checked that Nathan’s helmet was properly sealed. “Good luck, my friend,” he said, tapping him on the helmet before heading down the ladder.
Nathan started up his reactor, and began running through his systems checks. Once he was certain everything was up and running, he reached down and pushed the canopy lever downward, activating the motor. As the canopy swung downward, to seal him inside, he activated the auto-taxi system to take his Gunyoki fighter across the bay, and into the transfer airlock.
As his fighter rolled through the doors, he got one last glimpse of his team as they climbed aboard the Reaper. Now, with only a week’s worth of training, he would be facing the greatest Gunyoki pilot on all of Rakuen. The future of the Karuzari, the safety of the world below him, and the freedom of the entire quadrant were riding on one thing…his victory. It was up to Nathan and his team to do what they’d always done. Fly, fight, and win. If they succeeded, all of Rakuen would hail their new champion, Na-Tan, and join them in their fight. And then, the Dusahn would fall.
Vladimir was the last to climb aboard the Reaper, activating the hatch behind him.
“Everyone aboard?” Loki called back from the cockpit.
Vladimir glanced around quickly. Marcus, Neli, Dalen, Deliza, Yanni, and Abby were all buckled in, and ready to depart. “We’re all here!” he shouted back as he took his seat. “I hope Mister Yokimah does not notice we left,” he said to the others.
“Don’t worry,” Deliza assured him. “Quory told his friend at Yokimah Racing that one of us got injured, and that the Reaper is taking them back to the Aurora for medical care.”
“That was good thinking.”
“It was Nathan’s idea.”
“Are we going to get out in time?” Abby asked.
“As soon as we land, the Seiiki’s crew and I will disembark, and one of the Aurora’s Reaper crews will take the rest of you back to the fleet, where it is safe.” I hope, he thought to himself.
Nathan monitored his systems and flight displays as his auto-flight system guided his Gunyoki fighter into the long, imaginary corridor leading to the asteroid field, through which the final heat would be flown. Three complete checks assured him that his ship was ready for action, although, his hands would be full trying to manage the tasks of piloting the ship, and managing weapons, shields, and power distribution at the same time. He glanced to his right as Master Koku’s fighter pulled up alongside, slowly moving past him to take the position of aggressor.
Nathan switched his comms to ship-to-ship using a frequency that Master Koku had assured him would not be monitored by Race Control. “Are you ready for this, Master Koku?” he asked in jest.
“I believe you have earned the right to address me by my first name, Nathan. And for the record, I’ve been ready for this long before you were born.”
Nathan smiled. “Which time?”
“Readiness check,” the race controller announced.
“Gunyoki Seven Five, ready,” Nathan replied.
“Gunyoki Two Four, ready,” Master Koku acknowledged.
“Approaching race start in ten seconds. Ka-ahi no su-ido, shinsayi,” the controller warned, wishing them both God’s speed.
Jessica and Quory sat in the control room beside General Telles, nervously watching the race feeds on the view screen in front of them.
“Koku will go straight between one five seven and one one five,” General Telles warned. “He will then dive into the crevice on one one eight.”
“How can you be sure?” Nathan asked.
“It is the only logical, opening move.” The general glanced at the clock. “Starting in three……two……one……race on.”
Nathan pushed his throttles all the way forward as the auto-flight shut off, giving control of the ship to him. Just as the general had predicted, Master Koku dropped his nose, went to full power, and dove between asteroids one five seven and one one five, below and to the right.
Nathan pitched down to follow, immediately locking his weapons systems onto Koku’s ship. But, before he could fire his lasers, the Gunyoki master slipped behind asteroid one one five.
Nathan followed suit, steering his fighter as close to the surface of one one five as he could, paying close attention to any gravitational effects, despite the fact that Master Koku had once told him the mass of the asteroids in the Rogen system was negligible.
As he pulled around the asteroid, he barely caught a glimpse of Koku’s fighter as it dove into the trench, again, just as General Telles had predicted.
Automated defenses opened fire on Master Koku’s ship as it raced through the trench. But Makani hugged the bottom of the trench so tightly, that the weapons had difficulty getting clear lines of fire on him while he streaked past them.
“I’m staying high,” Nathan announced. “I’ll fire from above.” Nathan dipped his nose down slightly below his flight path, keeping his engine nacelles pointed along his course. The angle allowed him to bring all four of his laser turrets, on both the top and bottom of his ship, onto his target. He didn’t want to open fire on his mentor, but he had to sell it, and he was quite sure that if their roles were reversed, Makani would not hesitate to do so.
Nathan activated his lasers and opened fire. Bolts struck Koku’s aft shields, causing them to glow with each strike. Some bounced off, heading harmlessly into space, while others ricocheted into the walls of the crevice, sending chunks of the asteroid flying in all directions. With each shot, his mentor’s shields would be weakened. But lasers, alone, were a difficult way to bring down an opponent’s shields.
“Reaper has landed,” Lieutenant Commander Vidmar reported.
“Remind them to make it quick,” Cameron ordered. “We’ll only be in Neramese’s shadow for eight more minutes. After that, Rakuen will be able to see our ships coming and going.”
“Understood.”
“Are those stealth drones in place?” she asked the sensor officer.
“Recon drone will be on station in five minutes,” Lieutenant Commander Kono replied. “It will have a clear view of the far end of the course. The comm-drone is running cold on its way out of the system. It will be ready when we need it.”
“Very good,” Cameron said, tapping her comm-set. “CAG, XO. Everyone ready?”
“Ready birds are manned and in the tubes,” Commander Verbeek replied. “Second group is on standby, third group is in the elevators. We’ll have twenty-four Eagles in the fight within five minutes of your order.”
“And the Reapers?”
“Six is all I can give you, Captain. I’ve got most of my pilots in Eagles.”
“Understood.” Cameron sighed. “Let’s hope it’s enough.”
“I’ve got the tactical feed from the Aurora now,” Jessica announced. “Nicely done, Mister Quory. I didn’t think you’d be able to pull that off.”
“Oh, I’m a man of many talents. Unfortunately, I’ll be an unemployed man of many talents, after this.”
“I’m pretty sure we can put you to good use, as long as you don’t mind a little travel, and a bit of excitement, now and again.”
“Sounds intriguing,” Mister Quory replied.
<
br /> “The signal is much clearer, now, Captain,” General Telles told Nathan.
“Understood,” Nathan replied, understanding the general’s inference. “He’s reaching the end of the trench, and I only managed to get his shields down by fifteen percent. He’ll have them recharged in no time.”
“As soon as he comes up, launch a spread of stub-missiles at him,” General Telles recommended. “Launch a second spread one kilometer ahead of him. To avoid the first group, he’ll have no choice but to fly into the second group.”
“Understood.”
“We’re off,” Josh announced as the Seiiki lifted off the Aurora’s aft starboard flight apron. “Get ready to jump.”
“Are you sure we have to use these things?” Loki asked nervously.
“There’s lots of eyes on Neramese, Lok.”
“Yeah, but they don’t even like the Rakuens.”
“We can’t take that chance; Nathan’s orders.”
“Seiiki, Aurora Flight Ops. Jump now, while you’re still shadowed by our sensor image.”
“Flight Ops, Seiiki, jumping,” Loki replied as he closed his eyes and pressed the jump button.
Josh looked out the front windows as the blue-white light poured out across the Seiiki’s hull, from her new stealth emitters. In a split-second, the entire hull was covered with the shimmering jump field. However, even though it did increase in its intensity, the usual jump flash was almost non-existent. “Did it work?” he wondered.
Loki quickly scanned his displays. “The Aurora is gone,” he concluded as he verified their position. “Holy crap, it worked,” he exclaimed, looking at Josh. “We’re five light years outside of the Rogen system.”
“Hot damn!” Josh exclaimed. “Plot our next jump, quick!”
Four stub-missiles leapt out of the pods on either side of Nathan’s cockpit, followed immediately by four more. As soon as the missiles were away, Nathan pitched up, turning to a course that would intercept where he expected Master Koku’s fighter to be, ten seconds from now.
