The Space Mavericks

by Michael Kring

  I smiled as I took off my boots and put them in my back pocket. I activated. It was the only way I could take Renate up the ladder and not hurt one of us. I held her on my hip as I clambered up the ladder. I got the shaft, and pressed the red button. The gravity shield hummed to life, and we floated up to the living room/exercise area of the ship. I put Renate down on the inflatable couch, and de-activated. She was rapidly gaining complete consciousness. I turned to see Kohn coming toward us.

  “What in the world ...” he stopped in mid question. He stared at both of us, his eyes coated with ice. “Don’t tell me,” he began. He was thinking the worst.

  “It’s a long story,” I said. “But it’s not what you think. We’ve got to get off planet!”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Or we won’t ever leave!” I snapped.

  “I’ve already got a lift-off window, but it’s not until 2030 hours, so you’ve got about half an hour to explain,” he said. He looked grim.

  Renate shook her head and sat up. She was puzzled, but relaxed a little when she saw me.

  “It all started when I was going to the museum. I rescued Renate here from a gang of hoodlums. They were out for a little fun. Afterwards, I took her to the police, but they knocked me out and drugged her. I came to and broke out of the cell. I stole a patrol car to the Strip and we’re here. What else could I do?” I asked Kohn.

  “Why would the police want her?” Kohn asked, his hands on his hips and daring me to come up with a logical explanation.

  “How should I know?” I said. “All I really know is that the police want her, and want her badly. My head is still aching from the little love tap they gave me to keep me out of the way while they made off with her. I don’t think actions like that call for a close examination of motives.” I rubbed the side of my head and winced. It was still tender.

  The bruise on Renate’s face was turning an ugly purple, and I could tell it was going to spoil her good looks for quite a number of weeks. She looked up at Kohn and smiled. She wasn’t sure of his attitude, but she could tell he was really fishing for some useful information. She brushed some of her golden hair out of her blue eyes and looked around.

  “He’s telling the truth,” she said.

  “Who hit you?” Kohn asked.

  “One of the gang,” she answered. “Just about the time they ripped my blouse. That’s why I’ve got this jacket on.”

  “Strange,” Kohn muttered. He looked at his wrist chrono. “Well, we don’t have much time. Strap her in the spare chair. I’ll start the checklist.”

  I nodded. I helped Renate to her feet as Kohn headed toward the control cabin. I asked, “Are you feeling alright?”

  “I’m okay, I guess,” she said. “Still a little woozy. When that sergeant pulled his gun and fired, I thought he was trying to kill me. I must have screamed, or something. The next thing I knew I was being dragged into that taxi.” She looked around the room again. “Are we really on a spaceship?”

  “Well, actually, it’s just a Cargo Hauler,” I said with a smile. “But it does fly.”

  I reached down and deflated the couch and stuffed it into the tiny compartment made for it. I stood up and pressed the button that allowed the chair to come out of its compartment. It had the usual standard safety harness. I helped Renate strap down.

  “It’ll take us awhile to get you to Steel,” I said with a smile as I locked her into place. “But we’ll get you there.”

  “I can’t believe I’m actually going to be awake and in Free Space!” she said, excitement, clearly visible on her face.

  I smiled wanly. “It’s not that exciting,” I said. “But we’ll let you sit in the pilot’s chair when we get into Free Space.”

  “Oh, really?” she asked, with a little squeal to her voice.

  I nodded. I patted her lightly on the arm, and walked into the control cabin. I went past Kohn, strapped myself in my chair, and put on my helmet. I asked the comp for the mass of the cargo Kohn had already loaded and raised an eyebrow. It was heavy.

  “What’s the cargo?” I asked.

  “More castings,” Kohn answered. He continued to check off the readouts, monitoring the comps in his section.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, pressing various buttons, checking the fuel mixture, and the other countless number of things that has to be done in order to get a ship off the ground and into space, safely.

  “Shadow,” he said. He nodded at me as I looked over my shoulder at him. “I’m checked off.”

  I went quickly through the rest of my routine, but not too quickly. I was very careful and verified all the readings with the check comp I held in my hand. It all checked, and I put the tiny comp back into its compartment at the base of my chair. I nodded. “I’m clear. Isn’t Shadow a religious world, or something?”

  “I don’t know,” Kohn said, and I could tell he was lying.

  He contacted the Pad Control Comp, and it gave us the Go. I smiled. We were now in my element. I punched the appropriate instructions into the drive comp, checked the stabilizers, and then pressed. On Cargo Haulers, there isn’t the luxury of having a reverse grav-shield to ease the pressure of take-off. It’s always noisy, a little painful, and I could imagine Renate thought she was going to die. It felt that way each time on a Cargo Hauler. We clawed our way through the atmosphere of Firelight.

  I heard the call just as we cleared the upper limits of the atmosphere. It was obviously directed at us. It was the police. The cold words of the Port Comp came at us loud and clear: Cargo Hauler 787CD989IKC, Please return to this Port.

  I hissed through my teeth and waited. Soon we were high enough that I could take aim at our destination. The co-ordinates Kohn fed me were adequate, so I filed them into the main drive comp. I held the ship steady; in sub-light until we cleared the legal limit. And that, unfortunately, would take a few hours.

  “We’re being followed,” Kohn said as he checked his monitors.

  “I didn’t think they’d go that far,” I said. “I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t really do anything that would get me in trouble. Except the police station stuff, but they started that mess. On most worlds, I’d get a medal for saving Renate.”

  “Firelight must not be like most worlds,” Kohn said.

  “But why?” I asked rhetorically. I let the main drive comp take over for the time being. I wouldn’t be needed for a while. “Renate said her father was wealthy, but the police can’t be in on an extortion racket, can they?”

  “I can’t see how an entire police force could be in on it,” Kohn said. “We’ve got 180 minutes before we reach Free Space.”

  “They’ll get pretty close to us before we make it there,” I said. “Knowing them, they’ll probably after us in Cruisers.” I smiled at my joke.

  “Don’t be silly,” John chided me. “You’re not that important. She’s not that important. No one is.”

  “Don’t be too sure,” I cautioned, with a smile. I unstrapped myself, removed my helmet, and got up.

  “What’s Renate’s full name?” Kohn asked a she got up.

  “Nicos,” I said. “I didn’t recognize it. She comes from Steel.”

  “Steel?” Kohn asked. He frowned as he checked the readout on the fuel flow. “I’ve heard of it.”

  “It’s out on the edge of the 4th Sphere, I think.”

  “Why don’t you comfort your young friend while I check out the fuel, and the police. I don’t think she’ll weigh enough to be a problem,” he said.

  “Fine,” I said. My fun wouldn’t be happening until we hit Free Space.

  Renate was glad to see me. I could tell she was upset by the takeoff, but she’s soon get over that. The drugs of the knockout gun were very good. She looked a little green around the gills, but that always happens on the first take-off. I’d gotten a little sick the first time I’d gone up. I began to unstrap her.

  “You’re going to be all right. Don’t worry,” I soothed her. “Cargo Haulers just have a nasty
take-off.”

  “Do all ships have that sort of take-off?” she asked shakily.

  “Only Cargo Haulers, and other types of low-class transport,” I explained. “On SpaceLiners and private ships, there’s a grav shield to protect the passengers.

  We just don’t have the room on this ship, nor the money to buy anything big enough to get one. Yet.”

  “But . . . aren’t you the pilot?” she asked. “Who’s flying the ship?”

  “Oh, Kohn and the drive comp,” I said. “I really don’t do much until we hit Free Space and Warp. That’s the part that I enjoy.”

  “What’s Warp like?” she asked. Her blonde hair was a mess, and the bruise on her face was a splotch on her classic good looks. Her blue eyes were very young and questioning. I felt very old.

  “Warp is the thing that grips pilots and makes them Spacers,” I said softly. I helped her to her feet and let her sit on the floor. I sat in front of her, cross-legged and comfortable. “It’s hard to explain Warp to one who hasn’t felt it. Kohn doesn’t feel it as strongly as I do, but that’s why I’m the pilot. I can feel the dangers and the times when things are clear. That isn’t very often, by the way.”

  “How does it work?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” I answered. She looked disappointed, and I smiled. “I guess I could get the comp to explain it with a series of equations and things. I don’t know if even it knows really how Warp works. It’s a hard thing to admit. I’ve thought about it at times.”

  “What do most people see when they’re in Warp?”

  “They mainly see a group of pretty colors heaving and moving about,” I said. “But that isn’t all it is to me. It’s a different world, and there are some who are sensitive to it. They smell odors, and feel things against their skins. I like being in my chair in Warp. I can get the constant readings from the comp, and the chair actually boosts my abilities a little. It feels alive to me. It’s like being inside something breathing, living, talking, whispering at you, but not quite. It’s ... oh, I don’t know. Even back here, I could still feel the currents of space.”

  “It sounds wonderful,” she said with a little nervous giggle.

  “To some it is,” I agreed. “To others, it’s just scary, and they take drugs so they won’t have to cope with it.” “What does Kohn think of it?” she asked.

  “He thinks it’s interesting,” I said. “I’m not really sure what he thinks of it. It’s not something that you can really put into words. But I’m certain he’s hooked on it, too. Why else would he be a Cargo Hauler? It’s the only way people like us that don’t see eye to eye with Central get to feel Warp. Free Space is one thing Central can’t control. Even with the Union grabbing everything, , there will always be a need for people like us.”

  “You know, Father hates Central and the Union, too,” she said suddenly. “I wonder if he’s ever had to fight them for something?”

  “If he’s wealthy,” I said, “he’s had to pay through the nose for all the luxury goods on your planet. And perhaps he’s still paying for some of the machinery Central doesn’t let far-worlders buy, only rent. And, of course, the Union charges three times what they should. There’s not a damn thing we can do about it, no matter how many times Central says it’s going to investigate the Union.” I paused and smiled. “There are times when I think Central and the Union work for the same boss.” “You mean Kruss Yuglier?” Renate asked, naming the President of the Union.

  “No,” I said as I smiled again. “Just greed.”

  “Oh,” she responded. “From what I’ve been able to understand about Central and the Union, that’s more than likely true.”

  We sat there and chatted for quite a bit, and I got to like Renate. She was a very intelligent girl, and I finally found out, only 16 years old. She was innocent about certain things, and about other things, she very well read. Kohn finally called me back into the control cabin when we got near Free Space. Warp doesn’t work correctly unless you’re a certain distance from the sun. We’d finally reached it.

  “You were right about those cruisers,” Kohn said as I strapped myself into the pilot’s chair.

  “What cruisers?” I asked, confused for a moment. Then I remembered. “Oh. How many?”

  “Two,” he answered. “But that’s enough.”

  “If they’re after Renate, and I think they are,” I said, “they won’t want to kill us.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Kohn said.

  I nodded as I watched the readouts the main comp was throwing on the screen, waiting for the countdown to Warp. I had about a minute. I wiped my face and rubbed my sweaty palm against my knee. I always get jittery just before going to Warp. I’m anxious for it to start, to dive into its folds. I scanned other readouts, making sure everything was in order. The Warp drive was charging and I held the flight controls in my hands. I gripped them tightly as Kohn began the countdown.

  WARP!

  There was the familiar disconcerting feeling of falling, falling, falling, and then the main view screens went blank. I closed my eyes and felt. The cascading colors of Warp filled my vision and I could feel the waves of warm and cold flowing over me as I guided the ship.

  Kohn was reading to me the coordinates for Shadow, and I slowly, carefully, began to tilt the ship in the proper direction, using the sense of direction I get in Warp to guide my hands.

  It’s hard describing Warp. There’s a feeling of falling, and a feeling of floating, at the same time. There is nothing in front of you except waves and currents of pure color. It looks like a mass of paints thrown onto a floor, but that’s not quite right either. It’s sheer instinct, however, that makes a pilot what he is. There are eddies and currents in Warp, and most of the time, the comps can handle the slight variations, but every now and then, it becomes imperative for a pilot to take over. If the pilot is good, he can feel the waves breaking, the change in the currents, indicating a whirlpool is beginning to develop in Warp. There have been quite a few ships lost because the pilot wasn’t good enough. I’ve seen the ships after they’ve finally slipped from Warp into Free Space. They’re always crushed, burned, and frozen, too. There is even a theory that there is life in Warp, since we don’t know exactly what it is. I don’t know. All I know is that I feel great when I’m in Warp, and I’ve never let a ship get caught in any of the strong currents.

  Kohn screamed as soon as we had been in Warp for a few minutes.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Torpedo!” he yelled.

  I shuddered and shut my eyes. That was an incredibly stupid thing to do! I tested out with my mind, trying to feel the disturbance the torpedo would make in the currents of Warp. I felt a ripple, and it was a warm sensation against my left cheek. I eased the ship slightly away from it. Gently, gently. Nothing fast can be done in Warp. I could still feel the warmth of the torpedo burning my cheek, and I tilted the ship just a little more. All I could hope for was to make the thing glance off us. If it hit us square, even if it was a dud, it could kill us. The vibration would set up a resonance in Warp. It would crush us.

  4

  The torpedo hit.

  The entire ship shuddered as it smashed into us. I fought the controls of the ship, trying to prevent us from spiraling and creating a whirlpool for ourselves. Kohn screamed obscenities at the police. I was busy with my own problems. The Warp engines were starting to register hot on the readouts, and that was more than a little dangerous.

  “Start countdown to get us out of Warp,” I told Kohn.

  “What?” he asked. He was trying to assess the damage to the ship. The torpedo hadn’t had a warhead, but it had ripped; into the side of the ship. The currents of Warp were already starting to react to the passage of the torpedo. We had about two hours before things around us really went out of control.

  “The Warp engines are starting to overheat,” I said. “I can’t get the temperature down. I think the monitor comp has had it.”

  “Damn,” he spat out. He reached
out and began pressing buttons. “Okay,” he said. “It’ll take three minutes to get us out of Warp.

  “Just exactly where will we be?” I asked, my eyes still shut.

  I was still fighting the controls of the ship. The Kraftwerk was being buffeted badly by the turbulence in Warp. I hoped we wouldn’t be killed by the police action.

  What was with those people? I asked myself. Were they that unsure of how to act in Warp? If so, what were they doing here? It was dangerous enough without people doing incredibly stupid things in it. To explain exactly why firing the torpedo had been so dangerous would have taken a comp three days of super-fast readout to explain. All I knew for certain was that something as small and quick and fast as a torpedo in Warp created eddy currents. It skewed the fabric of Warp in the area it traveled, and when it had hit us, it had started us shaking, which created other eddy currents. The two type of currents were perpendicular to each other, and that began to create other currents. And that was the one thing you didn’t want in Warp. The currents can grip and shake it to pieces. Warp must be smooth and gently rolling to enable a ship to pass through it.

  “I don’t know where we’ll be,” Kohn barked. “Now!”

  I snapped off the Warp engines, and we flopped out into real space. A sun glimmered nearby, and the readouts suddenly shifted. The view screens snapped back on, and I caught the glimpse of something flashing past us at incredible speed. I breathed a sigh of relief, and took off my helmet. Kohn had done the same as I turned around in my chair to face him.

  “Anything nearby we can land on and find out what’s wrong with the engines?” I asked.

  “Don’t know,” he answered. “I’ll have to check with the memory comp. It could take some time. Why don’t you go check out our passenger? I’ll let you know when something is happening.”

  “I wonder if those stupid police are going to drop out of Warp, too?” I muttered.

  “I don’t care!” Kohn snapped. He wiped some sweat from his forehead with the back of his left hand. “I hope not. That was such a stupid thing they did. If we hadn’t been who we are, we would have been killed! I hope those stupid cruisers are ground to a pulp!”