Star Runner

by Mark McDonough

  Chapter Four – Traitor

  Pete hurried from the classroom as soon as his lessons were over, stuffing his pads and books into his bag as he moved.

  “If you keep this up, Mr Daniels, I’ll start to think that you don’t like my class,” Lieutenant Juliet Keegan called after him.

  Pete slowed, turning towards his teacher with a frown. “No, it’s not that, Mrs Keegan. I’d just promised Commander Bradford that I’d finish my engineering duties after class today.”

  “Just remember to leave some time to finish your assignment. It’s due tomorrow,” she reminded him.

  “No worries, Mrs Keegan. It’s almost finished already,” Pete reassured her with a grin.

  “See you tomorrow, then,” said Lieutenant Keegan.

  Pete turned and made his way out of the room with the other half dozen members of his class. At the door, he turned left, waving to his friends as they went right.

  The mission that morning had gone almost too well. He and A.B. had managed to replace the parts and make it back to the station with just enough time for Pete to grab his school bag from home and get to class only a couple of minutes late. That still left the unloading of the pod for this afternoon. But first he had to report to the Commander in Engineering.

  Pete took off at a trot, giving himself enough time to stop by the mess. There was always a large bowl of fruit just inside the door for the crew. Pete ducked inside, snagged an apple and was out again before the doors had closed behind him. He tucked the apple into one of the pockets of his bag for later.

  In his haste, he hardly glanced at the view of space from the clear top and sides of the walkway connecting the outer ring with the central core of the station. A quick turbo-lift ride later and he stepped out into Engineering. This had to be his favourite place on the station. He may have only become a full member of the crew a week ago, but it had been his second home ever since A.B. had started teaching him his engineering skills.

  As the doors behind him closed, he could hear the throb of the reactors that powered the station and provided the lifeblood for the station and the crew. A dozen crewmen were on duty, scattered among the three decks of Engineering, monitoring the various readouts. He quickly wove his way over to the master console panel that Commander Bradford preferred to work with.

  “Crewman Daniels reporting for duty,” he said formally as he came to a halt behind the Commander.

  “I hope you didn’t skip any of your lessons rushing to get here,” growled A.B. as he turned.

  “Of course not, sir,” Pete reassured him.

  He’d done just that on more than one occasion and he’d received a tirade from Commander Bradford because of it. A.B. had flatly refused to let him start his shift until he’d gone back and apologised to Lieutenant Keegan.

  “Just as well,” said Commander Bradford with just a little less of growl. “You’ll be unloading Pod Nine for the rest of the shift. Move the power couplings, relays and generators to Storage Bay Thirty-Seven. There should be a pallet in the Bay to help you.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Pete, eager to get to work. It was fairly mundane work, but he knew that every little bit needed to be done and he was the junior-most member of the Engineering crew.

  “I also want you to stop by Auxiliary Communications on your way there,” said A.B. as he turned towards his board. “I’ve been getting some strange readings from there for the past few minutes.”

  “Yes, sir,” Pete nodded.

  “Just take some readings and report back to me. Don’t try to fix anything yourself. I’ll send Lieutenant Johanson to take a look if I need to.”

  Pete grinned. That was exactly what he would have done if he thought he’d be able to get away with it. A.B. knew him too well.

  “Yes, sir,” said Pete. He paused, checking to make sure that there were no more instructions before making his way out of Engineering and back towards the outer ring.

  Pete took a little more time on his way back across the cross-walk. As he looked out at the stars, he munched on his apple. A small smile played about his lips. Just this morning he’d been out there, piloting a pod and doing what he loved most – working on an engineering problem.

  Auxiliary Communications was on the level above Storage Bay Thirty-Seven and the Pod Bay. Pete had only ever been in there once before, back when A.B. had taken his family on a grand tour of the station when they had first arrived.

  Pete casually slapped the control button and promptly slammed his nose into the door when it didn’t open for him. He frowned. This door shouldn’t have been locked. The control panels were all coded for security, not the outer door. He punched his engineering override code into the panel beside the door. Still nothing.

  There was no way that Pete was going to let a door beat him. Stuffing his half-eaten apple under his arm, he reached into the pouch at his side. With his universal spanner at hand, Pete wasted no time popping the cover off. He let it hang while he reached in and manoeuvred some of the wires around. Pete grinned with satisfaction at the sound of the door whooshing open.

  It only took a second for him to pop the cover back on the control panel. Pete walked into the room, zipping up his pouch at the same time.

  “I’m forwarding you the data and a copy of the transmission now.”

  Pete looked up, startled. Seated in front of one of the terminals was Lieutenant Kevin O’Lochlan. From where Pete was standing, he could just see a part of the screen. There was a man in some sort of dark coloured clothing on it. Whoever it was that O’Lochlan was talking to, he obviously didn’t want anyone knowing about it.

  “You are sure of this data?” the mysterious man spoke in a stern voice.

  “Of course. I’ve looked at it myself. Besides, Daniels and Perry would never have transmitted to Apollo if they didn’t have hard data to back it up,” O’Lochlan reassured him.

  “Hmm. I will have my scientists look at it. If it checks out, you can expect that little bonus we talked about earlier,” the dark man purred.

  “Thank you, sir. Don’t worry, it’ll check out,” said O’Lochlan quickly.

  “I will contact you when my scientists have their results. Don’t contact me before then. Gemini Institute out,” said the man, ending the transmission.

  The screen went dark. Pete started. He realised that whatever that conversation was, he should not have heard even the little bit that he did hear. He spun, intending to leave as quickly and as quietly as he could. He reached out, activating the door. It whispered open. Painfully loud.

  “Stop right there!”

  Pete froze and turned slowly around. O’Lochlan was on his feet, a laser pointed straight at him. Behind him, Pete heard the door close.

  “How long have you been standing there?” O’Lochlan asked menacingly.

  “I, uh, I only just came in. Didn’t hear a thing,” Pete rushed.

  “Humph. Like I believe that. You Daniels kids are always sticking your noses in where they’re not wanted.”

  Pete tried to edge back, away.

  “Oh, no you don’t. Move over there!” O’Lochlan ordered, gesturing to the left with his laser.

  Pete moved slowly, letting his apple drop to the floor. He kept his eyes fixed on the laser, his hands slightly out in front of him.

  “I can’t exactly have you going blabbing to your parents about what you heard, now, can I? I’ll have to put you somewhere out of the way until I decide what to do with you,” he mused.

  Pete remained silent. His brain was working overtime. Whatever it was that O’Lochlan was doing talking to that man, it sure sounded as though it had something to do with his mother’s research. If he could just get his hands on a computer, he could alert his father or A.B. and bring the whole station down on O’Lochlan.

  “Throw your bag over there!” O’Lochlan ordered.

  Pete slowly lifted the strap over his head. He held it out, ready.


  The laser came up a fraction. “I wouldn’t if I was you.”

  Pete sighed to himself, throwing his bag away. He wondered how O’Lochlan knew that he was thinking of throwing it at him.

  “Now, the pouch. I don’t trust you engineer types.”

  Reluctantly, Pete unclipped his pouch, tossing it after his bag.

  “Now, you and I are going to go for a little walk. You try to run and I will shoot you.”

  He gestured with his laser. Pete edged sideways towards the door. He reached up, slapped the button and shot through the door. The laser pressed hard into his back, bringing him up short.

  “Naughty, naughty. Last warning,” O’Lochlan hissed. “Now, into the ’lift.”

  Pete walked forward. There was nothing else he could do. His pouch with all his tools was gone. His bag was gone. And there was no one in sight. Whatever O’Lochlan had in mind, he was up to his neck in it by himself.