Dark Star Rising

by Bennett R. Coles

  “I don’t know, other than I hear talk. Humans sit at my tables and talk, forgetting that I’m there and can understand them.” She tapped her translator. “I know that they mean to hurt him.”

  Amelia glanced around the room. It was empty, so no threat in here. But it was a busy street outside, and gangs of thugs moved with impunity on this station.

  “Has something changed since our last visit, Bella?”

  “Just in the last few days, I’ve heard people say that your captain is not who he says he is.” Bella glanced over to Liam, and a half-standing Long. “Are you sure you know who he really is?”

  “I think so,” Amelia said carefully. Was Bella trying to get information out of her?

  “Then I tell you to get out of here,” Bella hissed. “While you still can.”

  Even through the translator, the sudden urgency was clear.

  “Give us a few moments, would you Amelia?” As he sat down across from Long, Liam ensured that his tone was nonchalant, but he gave Amelia a pointed look.

  “Of course, milord,” she replied, before retreating toward the pastry table. The Theropod host was already emerging from the back and Liam figured Amelia would be occupied for a few minutes. He turned his attention back to Matthew Long.

  “How was your last voyage, my lord?” the merchant asked.

  “Lengthy and tedious, but successful.”

  “I suppose tedious is preferable to exciting, in our business.” The heavy cheeks wrinkled in a faint smile.

  “Quite so,” Liam agreed. “Those pirates were certainly a concern for a while—I was surprised to see them disappear so suddenly.”

  “I don’t question such surprises, my lord—I simply accept them gratefully.”

  “And business is booming again for you?”

  “It has picked up again, yes. Trade is always difficult out here in the Halo, but we manage.”

  There was something different in Long’s usual small talk. It was cautious and polite, as always, but Liam sensed an edge to the words. Almost an impatience.

  “Usually my cargo master is essential to our discussions. Do you have something other than new shipments to discuss?”

  Long poured coffee into Liam’s cup, then took a sip from his own. He exhaled a long, rattling breath and leaned forward.

  “I have some shipments for you, as always, and you are welcome to review them at my office. But I wanted to speak to you without other ears nearby.”

  Long never revealed much in his grim face, but Liam’s hackles were rising. The absence of other patrons in the Cup of Plenty, the merchant’s lack of cargo paperwork to review, and an instinct for trouble were all setting him on edge. He shifted his feet under his chair.

  “You are my trusted associate,” he lied. “I rely on you to keep me informed. I will even offer payment for good information that will help my business.”

  Long’s expression froze, just for a moment, and Liam guessed that his words were being weighed.

  “I may have an unusual shipment for you,” Long said finally. “Very valuable, but it needs to be delivered quickly.” He glanced to where Amelia was chatting with the Theropod. “But it would be best if you alone are aware of its contents, my lord.”

  “Why is that?” Liam’s mind was racing, but he knew he had to play the foppish lord. “I’m not interested in skullduggery or unsavory activities.”

  “No, no,” Long said quickly, “nothing like that. But the seller of this cargo wishes to keep a low profile, both for themselves and their goods.”

  “I don’t understand, Mr. Long.”

  “Why don’t you come with me to the warehouse and see the shipment? Everything will be clear then.”

  Beads of sweat were forming on Long’s brow, and the intensity of his eyes was different from his usual avarice. Liam didn’t sense any aggression . . . was it fear?

  Liam sat back, holding his coffee up to breathe in the aroma but not sipping. He cast a long look around the café, his eyes moving high and low. It was truly empty of people, except for Amelia and the Theropod, who seemed to be sharing a laugh.

  “Is the cargo bulky?” he asked, buying time. “I’d need to check our available space.”

  Long paused, the question catching him off guard.

  “Not bulky, no,” Long answered finally. “And my team would of course transport it to your ship.”

  “Is it perishable? Would I need to allow for special storage?”

  “It will be easier for me to just show you,” Long said, rising heavily from his chair.

  “Sit down, Mr. Long.”

  The merchant froze, half-risen.

  Liam leaned across the table, smiling as he raised his untouched cup of coffee.

  “We haven’t finished this expensive repast you ordered.”

  “My lord . . .”

  “Sit.”

  Long obeyed, easing himself down again.

  “Now,” Liam continued, still smiling as he leaned close and lowered his voice, “why don’t you tell me what’s really going on.”

  Long stared at him, glanced over at Amelia and back. He drained his cup.

  “I apologize for the secrecy, my lord, but I promise that everything will be clear once you see the cargo.”

  “I never assess cargo without Amelia. Can she come as well?”

  “She can . . . but I would prefer not.”

  Every port visit saw Long practically drooling over Amelia, and he frequently manufactured reasons to see her.

  “Why?” Liam asked simply.

  Long dropped his eyes in defeat.

  “I didn’t want to trouble her. But if you insist, she may accompany us.”

  Every instinct was telling Liam to run, but instead he leaned back and folded his arms.

  “My apologies, Mr. Long, for being such a boor. It’s very kind of you to think of me for your special cargo, and I confess the strangeness of all this simply caught me off guard. There’s no reason for Amelia to come with us. Please give me a few minutes to walk her back to the ship—I’ll then return here and we two can inspect this mystery shipment.”

  Long’s shoulders visibly relaxed and he nodded.

  “An excellent plan, my lord. I will await you here.”

  “Won’t be but a few minutes.”

  Liam rose from his chair and gestured for Amelia to join him. She offered parting words to the Theropod and made her way quickly to his side. He took her elbow in a friendly grip and guided her toward the door.

  “People on the station are looking for you,” she whispered. “Bella thinks they intend you harm.”

  “Mr. Long is planning to take me into a trap,” he replied.

  She didn’t alter her casual pace, but he sensed her muscles tighten.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  “Get back to the ship and set sail. We’re not ready for this.”

  He led the way onto the patio, weaving through the tables toward the gate. A pair of patrons suddenly rose from the chairs in front of them, blocking the path. Liam felt an iron grip on his sleeve from the side, yanking him to a halt.

  “Don’t make any trouble, milord,” growled a voice in his ear.

  All the café patrons—eight of them, Liam assessed—were closing in from both sides.

  “Amelia, run!”

  He slammed his foot down on the man holding him, feeling the bones crush as the man cried out in pain, his grip falling away. Liam’s hand grasped his ceremonial dagger and the blade flew out in a smooth motion, slashing across the man’s chest. One target down, Liam carried through his swing. The next thug jerked back from the blade, but Liam stepped forward and stabbed, driving his blade into hard flesh. He pulled it free and slammed his fist into the sagging form, his blade striking out at the next target as he spun.

  Amelia had thrown down a table to make a path and she was leaping over the patio fence when an attacker grabbed her. She was pulled down into a bear hug, but she snapped her head back. The attacker
staggered away, stumbling as blood poured from his shattered nose. Liam swung left and right to keep his own attackers at bay. Amelia ran for the fence again, but another thug seized her hair and wrenched her down. Her head slammed against a table and she slumped forward.

  “No!”

  Liam drove his blade into the neck of another attacker, fighting his way forward to Amelia. She was moving, he saw, struggling to pull herself up. A huge man lumbered over and grabbed her in a bear hug. She tried to head butt him but her blows impacted harmlessly on his massive chest. His arms started to squeeze and she gasped in pain. Liam parried a knife strike and stepped closer, eyeing up a killing blow on the giant man.

  Something huge and hard hit him on the head. All the sounds of battle faded into a muffled ringing, and Amelia seemed to ripple in front of him. He fought to stay on his feet and put all his strength into gripping his dagger tight. A flash of steel revealed a blade coming toward him. He leaned back and forced his hand up, but a sudden burning pain proved his failure to defend.

  No, he heard someone shout, he’s not to be harmed.

  Something pulled at him, dragging him away from Amelia. He slashed behind him, heard the grunt of pain and felt the pulling stop. He staggered forward, lifting his blade again. Sounds were returning and he sensed movement on his right. A tall woman was approaching him, shuffling strangely, but her powerful arm was raised. In her hand was a club, and it smashed down onto his wrist. Pain shot up his arm, his dagger dropping from numb fingers.

  Amelia was pinned in the giant’s arms, and the attacker with the bloodied nose approached her.

  “Stupid wench,” he growled, raising his fist.

  “No,” the tall woman said, grabbing the man’s arm, “she’s one of ours.”

  Unable to fight the arms that grabbed him, Liam finally saw the woman’s peg leg, and realized this was the pirate Mary. As he was dragged back through the entrance to the Cup of Plenty, he saw Amelia being released.

  Finally, Mary limped through the doorway and sized him up.

  “So, Captain Stonebridge,” she said with a dangerous gleam in her eye, “you better prove valuable. The Piper wants to talk to you.”

  Amelia gasped as the vise grip was released, collapsing forward onto the patio table and sucking in great gulps of air. The man with the smashed nose still glared at her, but the giant behind her was already moving to enter the Cup of Plenty. Two attackers were down amid the scattered chairs and the ground was sticky with blood. One thug was looking over the two casualties, and another sat heavily in a chair, breathing with difficulty as he tried to stop the blood flowing freely across his chest.

  Amelia allowed herself a vicious smile. These goons had picked the wrong nobleman to cross.

  “Get out of here,” Broken Nose growled at her, “before I forget that you’re one of ours.”

  With two dead, two badly injured, and one trying to sew them up, that meant there were only two thugs inside with Liam, plus Mary and the giant. Amelia forced herself to straighten, backing away from the men and climbing over the low patio fence. To her right was the alley and what she knew was a back door.

  Liam had told her to run, and she had the chance to sprint for the ship and come back with reinforcements. But that would take minutes, and she doubted Liam had that much time. Already forgotten by the thugs patching themselves up, she slipped down the alley.

  The door to the café kitchen was unlocked and she cracked it open.

  Then jumped back as a pan full of hot grease flew at her. The boiling liquid hissed down the door frame, and Amelia peeked around again, spotting Sam and Bella in low defensive stances. Spotting her, they raised up slightly, their heads snapping back and forth in wordless communication. Then Bella motioned Amelia inside.

  “They’ve captured my captain,” she whispered to them. “I need to rescue him.”

  Her pulse was racing, her every muscle tensed. Sam padded over to the door to the main café and peeked through. Bella moved closer, so that Amelia could feel her hot breath as she spoke.

  “Why do you not run?” the Theropod asked. “You can still get free.”

  “Because . . .” She bit down the words she really wanted to say, her heart screaming as she pictured Liam in trouble, just beyond the wall. She blinked away furious tears.

  Bella watched her closely, sniffing the air.

  “Your fight or flight instincts are raging,” Bella said. “And I can smell that you are ready to kill. Why?”

  “Because those thugs are attacking an innocent man,” she offered, feeling the press of the pistol under her coat. Sam returned, watching her with the same intensity.

  “They attack the innocent often,” he said. “Why is this different? Why don’t you just run?”

  Amelia had no time for these questions. She started to move toward the café door, reaching up for her pistol. Bella’s sudden question halted her.

  “Is the captain your mate?”

  Through the translator it was such a bland question, but Amelia could see the earnest concern in Bella’s reptilian eyes. Amelia looked back. Both Theropods were watching her, and she could see the muscles in their legs beginning to tense. The ridges on Sam’s nose pulsated red.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “And I have to save him.”

  “Then let us save him,” Bella hissed. She moved forward, nudging the door open a crack so that she and Amelia could see through.

  Liam was slumped at a table, conscious but clearly dazed. Mary loomed over him, with the giant behind her. Another thug stood at the doorway to the street with sword drawn, and the last one had a blade pointed lazily at Matthew Long. The merchant sat miserably at his table, hooded eyes watching the scene.

  Another figure then entered the café. All the pirates turned, and even Mary straightened slightly. The newcomer’s features were shrouded behind a cloak, but Amelia spotted ringlets of black hair spilling out. The hand that reached out to stroke gently across Liam’s lolling face was thin and feminine.

  “Well done, Mary,” the woman said in an educated accent. “It’s exactly as Dark Star predicted.”

  “So you want him alive, Piper?”

  “Yes, bring him to my ship.”

  Amelia drew her pistol. Bella’s powerful form was beside her, Sam just a few paces behind. It was now or never.

  “If I provide covering fire,” she said, “can you two grab Liam—the captain—and bring him back in here?”

  “I will get him,” Bella said, her head going low as her lips pulled back to reveal a vicious smile. “My mate will be ready for the counterattack.”

  Sam’s head bobbed from side to side, his powerful tail twitching.

  “Ready?” Amelia asked.

  “Ready.”

  Bella exploded into action, bashing aside the door and leaping the entire distance to Liam’s table. Amelia swung through the door, raising her pistol. Three shots rang out, one of them embedding in the forehead of the giant. His dull face froze in shock as he toppled backward. Piper staggered, clutching her shoulder. Amelia fired at Mary. The pirate stumbled and fell. Bella’s tiny arms grabbed Liam and pulled him up. He struggled to his feet and followed. The two thugs raised their swords and charged, but shots from Amelia sent them both diving for cover. Her pistol clicked empty. Bella and Liam were past her, and Amelia retreated to the kitchen.

  Inside, Sam frantically waved at her to clear the doorway. She ran the few steps to grab Liam as he leaned against the storage shelves, his eyes struggling to focus on her. She kissed him quickly and saw the glimmer of a grateful smile before his face hardened and his vision cleared.

  The café door burst open as the first thug careened through, sword held high. His charge was stopped dead as Sam’s tail swung upward, the massive slab of meat and bone crushing the Human ribcage. The thug toppled and fell. But through the door Amelia saw the second attacker only steps behind. She grabbed the first heavy thing she could see—a sack of coffee—and rushed forward. As the thug burst through th
e door, Amelia heaved the sack upward into his face. The bag exploded on impact, knocking the thug clear off his feet. He crashed down on the floor, beans spilling all around him. Beyond the door, she heard shouts of alarm and the remainder of the gang running into the café.

  “Retreat,” she said, pointing for the alley door.

  Liam led the way, his pistol out. Amelia grabbed another sack of coffee and followed. Bella clutched a metal box in each hand and Sam tore open the final sack, spilling coffee beans across the floor. As she fled into the alley, Amelia heard the café door burst open, followed by the skittering of feet and shouts of surprise as their pursuers went down.

  Liam’s pistol rang out once, followed by screams up and down the promenade. He dodged to the left as a blade lashed out from the patio and fired again. The patio came into Amelia’s view and she saw one thug hunched over, his blade dropped and his hands gripping his wounded midsection. The flash of metal caught her eye and she saw that he was reaching for a gun. Her sack of coffee swung down and bashed the thug into unconsciousness.

  People were scattering to keep clear, giving Liam and Amelia a clear run for the ship. She heard the steady, loping gait of the Theropods behind her. Her own heart was pounding and as the last of the promenade buildings fell astern she felt the burning in her legs, but she kept running. Up ahead she saw their lone brow’s mate, Able Rating Song, stiffen upon sighting them, pulling out his pistol and aiming. Aiming at the Theropods, she suddenly realized.

  “Hold fire!” she screamed. “Hold fire!”

  Liam burst through the broken gate onto the jetty and finally slowed as they reached the brow. He spun around, his pistol sweeping across their retreat, and Amelia paused next to him, gasping.

  “Is there anyone else ashore?” Liam asked Song.

  “No, sir.”

  “The captain isn’t on a walkabout?” he demanded. “No secret departures by anyone?”

  “No, sir. You and the quartermaster are the only two not on board.”

  Bella and Sam paused at Amelia’s side, neither looking put out by the long sprint. Their heads moved back and forth between her and the promenade.

  “Thank you,” she said, reaching out to touch Bella’s shoulder. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”