Countdown

by John Walker

  “This is the hand you’ve been dealt.” Loch stood, moving around the table. He offered her his hand. “I’m giving you the opportunity to be with me as a companion with something meaningful to do with your life. How many men care about that for their women? How many are concerned with a career?”

  “You’re pretty old-fashioned if you think that’s even a concern,” Rita pointed out. “Women make their way all the time now. How many are in your organization?”

  “Few, honestly. Mostly because, you know… we’re a male-dominated industry. More criminals in men, that sort of thing. Which makes you unique.”

  Add sexist to that list of disorders.

  “But I know you’ve got this.”

  “Right.” Rita nodded. “And I’m guessing you know I need some time to think about this.”

  “I figured you’d want to consider your negotiation stance.” Loch took her hand when she didn’t accept his. He pulled her to her feet, drawing close enough so she felt his nose touch hers. “But let’s be perfectly clear. You’re going to accept. The alternative isn’t death, honey, and you won’t like it.”

  “So what am I doing by thinking about it?”

  “Coming up with a counter I’ll like. Don’t take too long. I want an answer for when we arrive at the compound.” Loch glanced over her shoulder. “Shouldn’t be more than a couple hours. Once we get to the surface, I’ll bring you to the audience chamber and you’ll tell me if you’re going to join up… or if you’re going for the unpleasant choice.”

  “Do I want to know what it is?”

  Loch smirked. “You’re a woman in a male-dominated industry. Many of them haven’t had the opportunity to be with a lady in a while. Do the math on how I’ll get my money’s worth out of your debacle.”

  “Aliens, you son of a bitch! It was aliens! Christ, how could I…”

  “Stop.” Loch put his finger on her lips. “I don’t care how you ended up here. It’s happening.” He shoved her toward the door. “Be sure to make this your choice because the more I have to pick, the less comfortable you’ll be. If you give me lip again, you’ll only be wearing dresses. Think about it.”

  Rita glared at him, stepping into the hall. The guards once again motioned for her to move without a word. They led her back to her quarters then locked her in.

  Well… now I know he’s a complete and total freak. Rita sat on the bed. I’ll let him stew before accepting his offer. Then… well, I’ll save the rest of the galaxy from him. Even if that means I don’t make it out of there, Loch won’t survive the rest of the month. I promise.

  Chapter 6

  Sasha rubbed the back of his neck in a vain attempt to fend off a kink forming just beneath his skull. They’d been flying for a good forty minutes, drawing ever closer to the asteroid field. Of the two ervas ships pursuing them, the one with no damage drew nearer but remained just out of firing range.

  “Sir,” Daisy said, “we’ve performed a full analysis of the device attached to the hull. It’s on a timer of some sort. Every one hundred twenty minutes, it would discharge. Even if we went into hyperspace right now, it would drag us out in less than an hour and a half. And… it’s also busting out a homing signal.”

  “And it sends that signal through hyperspace?” Sasha asked.

  “Affirmative. That part… I don’t understand. But it does paint a disturbing possibility. They may have communications while they’re in hyperspace.”

  Wow.

  “I see. Well, file that away.” Sasha paused as a half dozen rocks burned up on the shields.

  We’re here.

  He ran his own scan of the field then plotted a course through the field. This had been a tactic he’d used before against a Confed fighting force. Two destroyers had gone down during that fight.

  “Marston,” Sasha sent a course to his console, “follow that precisely. Reduce speed by twenty-two percent.”

  “Yes, sir.” Marston lowered engine power, changing course. “Committing… now.”

  “Daisy,” Sasha turned to her, “get me three probes rigged for detonation. On my mark, drop them.” He kept an eye on the field density. The larger the rocks, the better. Those happened to be nearer the center. Their path forward took them through to the other side safely. Which wouldn’t be the case for the ervas vessel.

  “They are following us,” Marston announced. “They’ve entered the field as well.”

  “Be sure to follow that course precisely,” Sasha said. The shields lit up on the left. A proximity alarm went off. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll hear it a lot as we fly through here. Just maintain your focus. Daisy? Are my probes ready yet?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “Excellent, and the hyperdrive? How’re they doing on that?”

  “Circuit boards have been swapped. Once the sensors came online, it proved out that the drive itself was not damaged. After flying for forty-five minutes, we’re just about charged. But until we get rid of that device…”

  “I know,” Sasha interrupted. “We get pulled out and the damn thing gets damaged again.”

  The ervas opened fire, main cannons blasting at the Broken Light. Defensive turrets cut into the rocks, clearing their pursuit course. The rocks weren’t big enough to be dangerous but that would all change momentarily. He fully intended to turn the field into a serious hazard, one good enough to even the odds even more.

  “Where’s the second ship?”

  “Fifteen minutes behind the first,” Daisy replied.

  “Excellent.” I’ve got that much time to finish this fight… to buy some time for the Engineering team to cut our leash. The next few moments played out like a game of chicken. The first couple attacks were clean misses but they’d zero in soon. And when they did, they had a clear shot at the thrusters.

  Dropping probes at the wrong time might well make the effort pointless. We’re nearly halfway through. This is probably as good a time as any.

  “Deploy the probes,” Sasha said. “Standby to detonate on my mark.” The enemy vessel would take roughly five minutes to catch up to the stationary devices. They scored a solid hit as he contemplated the situation, one directly above and in the rear of their vessel. Shields held though it gave them a serious shake.

  Do these idiots not even care about where I’ve led them? Are they asking the question of why? Or are they so arrogant that they’ve got us it doesn’t matter?

  Sasha wondered about the self-preservation of the ervas on several occasions. Their various fights generally included them pulling off something inexplicable… contrary to rationality.

  Maybe they don’t think about tricks.

  “They’re performing some kind of deep scan,” Daisy said. “I believe they may be attempting to get a lock on us though for what purpose, I can’t say.”

  “Does their ship match scans of other vessels like it?” Sasha asked. He believed it did. The silhouette he saw, all the data presented, suggested it was just another ervas battleship. If they had some new weapon, that information would help the rest of the fleet. “Get as much as you can.”

  “I’m not seeing anything different,” Daisy replied. “It might be a new block. Oh crap!” They took a solid blow, this one to the thrusters. “Rear shields dropped to forty-five percent in one hit!”

  “Did they use their standard cannons?”

  “Negative, we are not experiencing the gradual decrease associated with their weapons.”

  “Detonate the probes.” Sasha gripped his seat in anticipation. The next step after they did this would not be pretty for anyone involved. Taking advantage of the chaos always made for a serious threat. “Pop them.”

  The explosions showed up on their scans. The proximity alert went insane, buzzing for all sides of the ship. “Shut the noise off!” Sasha called out. Asteroids burst in all directions behind them, their course altered wildly.

  Scans showed the ervas ship blasting away at the debris, attempting to save themselves from collisions. There were simp
ly too many. The path the Broken Light used was gone. Their course forward was also in jeopardy though they only had another couple minutes to clear it completely.

  “Double shields on the starboard and port sides,” Sasha ordered. Once the HUD showed the power had been allocated, he pointed at Marston. “Turn us around to face the enemy. Continue following the course backward out of the asteroid field. Open fire when she’s in direct view.”

  This is the tricky part.

  Turning in the asteroid field was a gamble. Some of the rocks were big enough to cause some serious damage to the shields, perhaps even get through them completely. He anticipated a potential hull breach… they might have one anyway with the strange device attached to them.

  I planned for it though, Sasha thought. And our pursuers are forced to react.

  The ship whined as the thrusters kicked in, spinning them in place. Rocks battered the sides of the ship, bringing about a collision alarm this time. Christ, we have a lot of alerts! The enemy ship slid into view, their turrets and cannons attempting to fend off the barrage of asteroids pelting their vessels.

  Green shields created a permanent glow around their target. Marston opened fire, laying into them with all cannons. The assault wasn’t enough to penetrate their defenses, but that wasn’t necessarily the plan. Sasha wanted to reduce their power, help the debris do some real damage.

  And it worked. The glow of their shields faded on the left as they were struck by the obstacles. It happened on the opposite side as well, bringing their defenses down to twenty percent. It may not have been enough to destroy the ship, but they certainly had their hands full.

  The ervas ship slowed, thrusters holding them in place. Weapons continued firing, creating a net around the front of the vessel that the rocks couldn’t get through. Sasha felt tempted to stop, to load them up and finish the bastards off but he couldn’t guarantee he’d have a path out if he did.

  I’ve halted their advance, Sasha thought. That’s enough for now. And their companion won’t be stupid enough to plunge through the field now. They’ll go around to meet us on the other side but by then, it should be too late. He took a deep breath, letting it out along with as much tension as his muscles would release.

  “Maintain course,” Sasha said, “hold your fire and focus on getting us out of here in one piece. Daisy, update me on that device the moment you have anything.” We’re almost done. We just have to hold on for another few minutes.

  ***

  Zem stood in the doorway of the control room of Loch’s compound. He scanned the room for alarms or traps; anything that might alert a remote system of unauthorized entry. Paranoia made them build the structure so far from civilization, and any sort of bizarre precaution might be possible.

  Fortunately, it seemed Zem’s concerns were unfounded.

  Five chairs sat in front of various consoles with a dais behind them. A chair sat up there with computers on either side, providing an operator with access to all major systems in the complex. All communications went through that room both internal and otherwise. Tapping the nearest computer, Zem found the schedule for departures and arrivals.

  Turned out the twenty men at the base had been the regulars. Fifteen men had traveled to the spaceport just over a hundred twenty miles away. They were due back in the morning, meaning if Loch didn’t show up, there’d be another fight in the near future. Another twenty guys took a different ship to a neighboring system for extortion money.

  That was all the action in that base.

  Not too bad. We could’ve had it a lot worse.

  One particular directory had some security protecting it; a two-layer passcode. Zem figured it contained information about the various missions Loch sent his people on, maybe even some holdings. If they got Rita back without ending his life, the intel might be used to bring him down legally.

  Screw that. Zem took a seat. I’m ending that piece of shit no matter what happens. No one’s going to stop me either.

  Nostros and McCully came in pulling Biggun with them. They had him cuffed behind his back, but the man still struggled, yanking his shoulders in an attempt to walk on his own. Neither of the marines let him. His scowl indicated how much it annoyed him. As a prisoner in his own base, he was spitting pissed.

  “Thanks,” Zem said. “I need to talk to that ass.”

  “I’m not saying anything,” Biggun replied. “You can do what you want.”

  “Cool.” Zem regarded him from the console, looking him over. “That’s some serious loyalty you have for your corrupt, evil as shit boss. I’m impressed. Any reason you want to tell me about? Did he do something to deserve it or are you just spiting us? I’d understand that all things considering.”

  “You’re a lying piece of filth.” Biggun spat on the floor. “I can’t believe I fell for your bullshit. I deserve this, but that doesn’t mean I’m betraying anyone for you.”

  “What if I offered you the chance to walk again?” Zem asked. “Because here’s the deal. If you don’t help me, you’re useless. I can compel you, but my method only gives you three chances. Left leg, right leg, chest. Either you walk normally by helping now, gimp around through defiance, sit in a wheelchair… or die.”

  Biggun scowled. “That’s sick.”

  “Says the pirate who victimizes colonies and other people throughout the frontier.” Zem sighed. “Loch’s going down one way or another. You don’t have to ride that train. I’m giving you a minute to think about it.” He turned away, tapping at some of the other folders on the computer. They tracked supplies, resource consumption, and weapons among other things.

  The admin here’s pretty thorough. I’m impressed. I thought they’d be a bunch of slovenly assholes who barely got by. Loch ran a tight operation which honestly made sense given how long he’d been in business. I wonder if the Gold Empire’s new status had him nervous. His way of life had to be coming to an end.

  “Hold him, Lieutenant,” McCully said. She came to stand beside Zem, leaning in to whisper. “Are you really going to… do what you said?”

  “Alternative?” Zem looked her in the eyes.

  “What do you want him to do? Maybe I can make it happen.”

  “How?”

  “Depend on what you want.” McCully scowled. “Come on, man. Just… let me try. If I fail, you can still do that other shit, but that’s a one-way street.”

  Zem stared at her, assessing her. She didn’t seem squeamish. Maybe she did care about hurting people. Perhaps her morals were heightened. The fact she worked for Whitaker put that in doubt for him. Then again, Rita turned her which led him down a different path to consider.

  I don’t think Rita would have let me do this either.

  “I want him to give me the computer codes,” Zem gestured to the terminal, “and when the others get here, he needs to tell them everything’s fine. We need Loch down here.”

  “Okay, I’ll make it happen.” McCully approached Biggun. “Listen, my friend’s not taking any shit, and time is of the essence. I need two things from you. First, the computer codes. Knowing that he’s going to do something awful to you, will you consider giving them to me before it goes there?”

  “No.”

  “Fair enough. You’re a mercenary. A pirate. We’ll pay you to jump ship on this guy.” McCully stepped closer to him. “In all honesty, we only want one thing. We’re not here for the spoils, not anything but Loch and a prisoner. You help us get those, and you can take everything. This whole compound—it’s yours.”

  “You’d just walk away from this?”

  “We’re Confed soldiers,” McCully said. “What the hell am I going to do with a pirate compound?”

  Biggun glared for almost a minute before shaking his head. “I can’t trust you. You’ll just arrest me. Or worse, send your goons back to this planet to destroy the place. Why wouldn’t you?”

  “Honestly? Because I’m certain you’ll be working with the Gold Empire soon enough. If you’re in charge here, then they�
�ll be looking for someone that knows the area. Regional governors. Have you ever thought of that? Do you think you’d enjoy working for Loch when he has that kind of power? Or would you rather be calling the shots?”

  “That’s not going to work,” Zem said. He drew his pistol. “Just move aside. This asshole has no interest in helping us out.”

  “Hold on!” Biggun shouted. “Just… wait a minute, okay? Jesus, you’re a real savage, man!” He looked at McCully. “That prick isn’t a soldier, right? He’s not one of you. There’s no way.”

  “All the more reason to deal with me,” McCully replied. “Codes?”

  Biggun stared at Zem, nodding emphatically. “Fine. I’ll turn them over. As long as this lug swears… as long as you swear you can keep him from doing anything insane.”

  “Okay, good. Turn them over.” McCully stepped aside.

  “Echo,” Biggun said, “Tango Zulu November Foxtrot Three Four Four.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

  McCully slapped him in the face. “Stay with me, asshole. Just because I’m being cool doesn’t mean I won’t mess you up too. We’re not done, and you’d rather go with this plan than the alternative so just stay focused.” She turned to Zem. “Check it. Let’s make sure he’s not lying.”

  “If he is,” Zem replied, “the promise I made before will be a dream come true. Believe me, I’ll drag it out until Loch gets back. I’m a field medic. I can keep his ass alive for a long time.” He entered the code. A please wait message appeared. It lingered. After twenty seconds, he took aim at Biggun’s leg.

  “Holy shit, you’re impatient!” Biggun tried to back away but Nostros held him. “That system’s old! Come on! You have to give it a minute to react, for God’s sake! Just… hold on!”

  The access screen popped up a moment later, granting access to the locked folders. Zem lowered his weapon. “Very good,” he said. “That works for me. Next part, McCully. Come on, keep this rolling.”

  “How long before Loch gets back?” McCully asked. “How long do we have?”