by Jake Bible
“Hear you’re looking for Skrang,” one of the Cervile’s said. “How about you take those helmets off so we can see who’s doing the hunting?”
“Can’t. I melt then explode,” Bishop said.
“Helmets off or we take them off,” the Cervile said.
Roak took his off, threw it at the Cervile, pulled his Flott, and fired. The laser cluster spread took out the entire pack.
“Yellow Eyes!” Roak shouted.
“On it!” The being was gone in a yellow blur.
“Hessa!”
“Security has been alerted,” Hessa responded in Roak’s ear. “You have five minutes before they reach that deck.”
“Get us to the brothel! Now!” Roak shouted.
“Go straight. Turn left then take the closest lift,” Hessa instructed. “I’ll slow security down.”
Roak took off running, the rest followed, weapons drawn.
“Can I take this off?” Bishop yelled.
“Feel free to stop and do that!” Roak shouted over his shoulder.
Curious Edgers ducked their heads out of their quarters, but the sight of the armed group made them all think twice and tuck back in.
“We’re not waiting for you!” Roak yelled.
“Asshole!” Bishop yelled.
A furious-looking Slinghasp stepped around the corner of the corridor and raised a nasty-looking rifle. Three plasma bolts passed by Roak’s left shoulder and the Slinghasp’s head turned to mist.
“Thanks,” Roak said.
“Don’t mention it,” Reck replied.
They reached the end of the corridor and turned left. The lift doors were only a few meters away. Then the doors opened and Roak slid to a halt as three more heavily armed Slinghasps got off. The lift doors slammed shut, all safety protocols ignored, and the Slinghasps were crushed to death.
Blood and fleshy pulp exploded out into the corridor. Then the doors opened once more and remained open.
“You are good to go,” Hessa said.
Roak stepped over the mess, waited for the others to cram into the lift, and hit the button for three decks up.
Bishop struggled to get his helmet off, finally managed it, then threw it at Roak.
“What the fuck was that, pal?” Bishop shouted.
“Didn’t have a choice,” Roak said. “We’d been made.”
“By some Cerviles,” Bishop said. “We could have easily taken them out then kept going all nice and easy.”
“Not a chance,” Roak said. “You’re too used to sitting behind your consoles and living vicariously through beings like us.”
Roak pointed at Reck and Nimm.
“Nimm knows how a station or base works,” Roak continued. “If that group knew we were looking for the Skrang, then everyone knows we’re looking for the Skrang. Nice and easy is over. Full-frontal assault is our only move if we’re getting what we’re here to get.”
“Are you kidding? How is this better?” Bishop asked.
“I never said it was better,” Roak replied. “I said it was our only move. We control how things go down.”
Reck had both pistols drawn and aimed at the lift doors. Nimm had her pistol drawn and was right behind Reck. Roak checked his Flott as Bishop continued to struggle to get out of his suit. He finally managed the task and yanked a pistol free from the utility belt on the suit.
“You know we have to shoot our way to the Skrang, still find the chits, then shoot our way off this rock, right?” Bishop snarled as he took aim with the pistol.
“Yeah, so?” Reck replied. “Roak’s done it a million times. I’ve done it a million times. Nimm?”
“Never like this, but yeah, back in the day, I’ve shot my way out of a few situations,” Nimm replied.
“You should have gotten out in the field more,” Roak said to Bishop.
“You’d be perfectly fine with me dying here,” Bishop stated. Roak did not respond.
The lift opened and Reck was firing and moving forward before the doors had fully recessed into the walls. Eight beings of various races cried out and fell as Reck’s shots hit every target she was aiming for. More beings cried out and fell as she adjusted her aim to take on the few beings foolish enough to step into her way.
Nimm was dropping beings as well, but with much less volume and accuracy. A plasma bolt hit her left shoulder and she winced, but didn’t cry out as it only grazed the flesh.
“Move,” Roak said casually.
Reck and Nimm got out of the way as Roak stepped up and fired his Flott. The laser cluster spread cleared the corridor of the unlucky beings that didn’t flee fast enough.
Yellow Eyes appeared in front of Roak and hooked a nub over his shoulder.
“The Skrang are barricaded in the brothel. They have hostages,” Yellow Eyes said. “Whore hostages.”
“Didn’t think they were hanging out with priests,” Roak said and marched down the corridor.
He stepped over most of the corpses on his way, but a few got their already-mangled skulls crushed under his boots. Yellow Eyes was right by his side while Reck and Nimm brought up the rear. Bishop was still in the lift, mouth hanging open as he stared at the death that filled the corridor.
“I believe Bishop has shell shock,” Hessa said in Roak’s comm.
“That’s too bad,” Roak said as he reached the brothel’s doors and waited. “You gonna open these or what?”
The doors slid open and a burst of plasma fire came shooting out. Roak stepped to the side, waited for the plasma bursts to stop, then rushed into the brothel, his pistol firing away. Reck was right behind him, both her pistols set to auto. Nimm covered the door while Yellow Eyes raced about the brothel, snapping necks and pulling heads off anyone that was arming themselves for a fight.
“Oops,” he said as he twisted the head off a corpse he’d already killed. “So hard to keep count.”
The plasma fire stopped and Roak waited, Flott up, until Yellow Eyes returned.
“You didn’t kill them, did you?” Roak asked.
“No way, man,” Yellow Eyes said. “Three Skrang are in the very back, hiding behind some ladies and gentlemen of the night.”
“Kill the hostages,” Roak said to Yellow Eyes. “We’ll be right behind you to take down the Skrang.”
“You want to me to what, man? Kill the hostages?” Yellow Eyes blinked several times. “Uh…no?”
“The hostages are going to die,” Reck said. “No way around that. We’re going in there to get the Skrang. The crossfire will kill them. You might as well take them off the board now so we don’t have to deal with them.”
Yellow Eyes looked back and forth between Roak and Reck.
“Are you kidding?” he asked quietly.
“You’ve had no problem decapitating beings like you were popping flowers off stems,” Roak said. “What’s the problem now?”
“Syndicate thugs and bad people, sure,” Yellow Eyes said. “But, uh, these are just whores. They’re innocent.”
“You know what the lifespan of whores is out in the Edge?” Roak asked.
“No,” Yellow Eyes replied.
“That’s because it’s so short that no one bothers to track that number. The beings are dead and don’t know it yet. Trust me. I’m right. Kill the whores so we can get to the Skrang.”
Roak waited, but Yellow Eyes didn’t move.
“What’s going on?” Bishop asked as he finally caught up. “Why are we waiting?”
Roak stared blankly at Yellow Eyes.
“Eight Million Gods…” Yellow Eyes shook his head. “Fine.”
He was gone in a blur. Roak and Reck ran to the very back of the brothel, dodging dead bodies at every step. Nimm followed after a brief pause. Bishop groaned as he followed as well, his hand to his side.
“I need to do more cardio,” he shouted as he tried to catch up.
Roak and Reck reached the back room and burst in shouting.
“Get down now!’ Roak yelled.
“Move
and I shoot your dicks off!” Reck shouted.
Three stunned Skrang stood there, confused. Not just by the contradictory statements thrown at them, but by the suddenly unconscious whores at their feet.
“I knocked them out,” Yellow Eyes said. “That good enough?”
“Yes, if you do the same to the Skrang,” Roak said.
“Oh, right, good idea, man,” Yellow Eyes said.
The three Skrang fell as a yellow blur raced around them.
“How’s that?” Yellow Eyes asked.
“Perfect,” Roak said. He holstered his Flott and knelt next to the closest Skrang.
A few hard slaps and the being woke up.
“What the…?” the Skrang wondered.
Roak punched him in the nose slits, sending blood spurting out sideways into the room.
“Chits. Where are they?” Roak asked.
“I don’t know shit about no”—”
Another punch to the nose slits and more blood plus a very load crunch filled the room.
“Alright!” The Skrang held up a clawed hand and blinked in pain at Roak. Then the lizard being’s eyes went wide. “You’re fucking Roak!”
“Yep. Now you know what situation you’re in. I’m not going to kill you, but you will wish you were dead if you don’t tell me where the chits are.”
“Uh…”
Another punch.
“I’ll fucking tell you!” The Skrang warded off any more blows to his nose slits. “But you have to let us go if I do!”
“Fine,” Roak said.
“Really?” The Skrang did not look like he trusted Roak at all.
“I always keep my word,” Roak said.
The Skrang glanced past Roak and Reck nodded at the being.
“It’s true. He does,” Reck said.
“Alright. Great. Four compression bags are behind this wall,” the Skrang said.
“Good,”“ Roak said. “Yellow Eyes?”
The wall was ripped open in seconds.
“What in all the Hells is that thing?” the Skrang asked about Yellow Eyes.
“Thing?” Yellow Eyes smacked the Skrang in the back of the head with a free nub, knocking the being back into unconsciousness. The other nubs were holding the compression bags he’d fetched from the wall. “Racist.”
“Can you carry them all?” Roak asked.
“I am currently doing just that,” Yellow Eyes said.
“Good,” Roak said. “Take them to the ship.”
“Same docking bay?” Yellow Eyes asked.
“Same docking bay,” Hessa said in Roak’s ear.
“Yes. Same docking bay,” Roak relayed to Yellow Eyes.
The being was gone.
“Hessa?” Roak called. “Best way to get these punks off Legend?”
“Trash chute behind the wall of the second room back on your right,” Hessa replied. “Toss them in there then follow after.”
“Down a trash chute? Into the incinerator?” Roak asked.
“Incinerator is busted. They throw the trash out into open space,” Hessa replied. “Savages.”
“We’re going into open space?” Bishop asked. “I should have left the suit on.”
“Live and learn,” Nimm said.
“You heard Hessa,” Roak said. “Grab a Skrang. Reck? Go open that wall.”
Reck left to do that as Roak, Nimm, and Bishop each grabbed a Skrang and dragged them over and around the fallen whores. It took some doing, but they got the beings into the room and over to the wall that Reck was busy blasting open with her pistols.
“How’s this going to play out, Hessa?” Roak asked.
“Fast,” Hessa said. “I know exactly where you’re coming out. Toss down the Skrang, but make sure you are right behind. Hold on.”
There was a minute of silence then Hessa returned.
“Sorry. Had to shoot our way out of the docking bay. Gonna take the Edgers a while to fix that big hole. Anyway, I’ll be waiting to catch all of you, but hurry. The cargo hold will be open, but won’t have any atmosphere. I’ll need to seal it and restore life support in less than a minute or you will all freeze to death and suffocate due to the vacuum of space.”
“Yeah. I know how this works,” Roak said. He looked at the others. “Ready?”
“Ready,” they replied.
“Tossing out Skrang,” Roak said.
They hoisted the Skrang up into the wall and down the opened trash chute. Then Reck jumped in, followed by Nimm and Bishop. Roak was last. They pinballed off the chute’s walls for several decks then slammed into the three Skrang that were waiting against a solid hunk of metal. The metal shifted and opened and all of them were sucked out into space.
Roak held his breath as he tumbled for a couple of seconds. He saw the underside of Legend for a brief moment then his ship swallowed him up. Weightlessness was gone as the grav drives kicked in and Roak fell hard against the cargo hold’s floor. The rear ramp slammed shut and the blessed sound of air filling the space hissed in everyone’s ears.
With thankful gasps, all but the Skrang got to their feet.
The ship rocked and alarms blared.
“We’ve got GF fighters on us!” Hessa yelled.
“Of course we do,” Roak said as he raced to the lift.
21.
Roak was thrown against the side of the lift as the ship tilted hard to port. Then it tilted hard to starboard and he was thrown into the other wall. The lift doors opened and Roak was thrown onto the bridge as the ship took a nose dive. He managed to scramble into the pilot’s seat and strap in.
“I guess Beem got the message,” Roak said.
“Looks like it,” Hessa said.
Roak brought up a holo display that showed eight Galactic Fleet fighters closing fast behind the ship.
“Can we beat them back to the wormhole portal?” Roak asked.
“No,” Hessa replied. “GF destroyer is blocking our way.”
“I’ve found an alternate route,” Ti’Ya said. “It will not be pleasant.”
“Why would it be?” Roak replied. “How are the others doing?”
“They have secured the Skrang in the brig and Yellow Eyes has the compression pouches of chits locked down in the armory,” Hessa said.
“Good choice,” Roak replied.
The bridge doors opened. Reck ran in and took a seat at the weapons console.
“What are we looking at?” she asked. A holo came up. “Only eight? We can take those.”
“GF destroyer is blocking the wormhole portal,” Roak said.
“That’s a little more tricky,” Reck replied.
“Ti’Ya? What’s the alternate route?” Roak asked.
“There is a gravity well approximately eighty-two clicks from us,” Ti’Ya said. “We use that to slingshot back toward the wormhole portal. Cut all power except for stealth mode and they won’t be able to lock onto us. We can slip between the destroyer and the wormhole portal. Calculated correctly and we’ll be able to get by them with about six meters to spare.”
“Six meters?” Reck exclaimed. “Not much of a margin there, AI.”
“Better than no margin at all,” Ti’Ya replied, annoyed.
“Make it happen, Ti’Ya,” Roak said. “Hessa? What do you need from us?”
“I’ve got weapons,” Reck said.
“Hessa can handle that,” Roak responded.
“Go count the chits,” Hessa said. “Ti’Ya and I will keep the fighters off our tail long enough to set up the slingshot. We’ll need you back when we execute that maneuver just in case we go offline when the power is shut down.”
Roak stood and slapped Reck on the shoulder as he passed her. “Give us plenty of heads up before we’re about to slingshot.”
“Will do,” Hessa replied.
Roak left the bridge with Reck in his wake. They made it down to the armory eventually after picking themselves up off the floor more than a few times as the ship spun and dove, climbed and turned, to avoid the GF fight
ers.
“We should shoot them out of space,” Reck said.
“They’ll only send more,” Roak responded as they stepped into the armory.
The compression pouches were miraculously sitting on a table in the middle of the room. Roak extended the edge of the table upward to create a lip that surrounded the surface then activated the first pouch and let the contents spill out.
“That’s a lot of chits,” Reck said as the pile continued to grow. “We’re gonna have to count this one pouch at a time.”
She looked about the armory then at Roak.
“You have a chit counter, right?” she asked.
“No,” Roak said. “I haven’t had to deal with this many chits in a long time. Last batch even close to this, Sha Tog counted for me.”
“You deal in only chits for your bounties and don’t have a chit counter handy?” Reck stared then shook her head. “You are an idiot.”
“Spread them out evenly,” Hessa said in their ears. “I can scan the pile and count them that way.”
“You need to be concentrating on flying the ship,” Roak said.
“Counting chits doesn’t even register in my processors, Roak,” Hessa replied. “Spread ‘em, boy.”
“You’ll pay for the boy comment later,” Roak said.
“I am afraid. So afraid,” Hessa said.
Roak and Reck spread the chits out on the table as evenly as possible.
“Done,” Hessa said. “Put them back into the pouch and get the next batch out.”
Roak and Reck did just that. Then the ship went upside down and the next batch of chits went everywhere.
“You’ll have to pick those up for me to count them,” Hessa said once the ship had righted itself.
“We are five minutes out from the slingshot maneuver,” Ti’Ya interrupted.
“Gonna take us a lot longer than five minutes to pick these up,” Roak said. “Bishop!”
“What?” Bishop replied over the comms.
“Got a job for you,” Roak said. “Get to the armory now.”
“I’d rather stay strapped down in the mess,” Bishop said.
“Armory or you get ejected out an airlock,” Roak said.
