“Gimme a second, man; I have to run some calculations. This isn’t easy math we’re talking about here.”
“Can’t you just use the onboard computer to do it?”
He stared at me wide eyed, looking up from his comp with a bit of embarrassment. “Oh yeah…I mean…yes…that’s what I was about to do.”
Zorn used Van Helsing’s onboard computer to help me input a course for the last known location, and then he got to work plotting a path beyond that point. He was a wizard when it came to engineering and electronics. All Zordackians had an aptitude, but Zorn, like his father, was far beyond mere ‘good.’ I was glad he was with me.
About two hours passed in relative silence. As nervous as I was, I also knew not to talk to Zorn when he was solving problems. Finally, at just about the time I couldn’t take it anymore and was about to ask for an update, he sighed and slumped a bit. My heart dropped, bracing for bad news, but then he smiled his toothy smile.
“Got it; got them! I know exactly where they are…or…where they will be within a relatively small margin of error.”
“Dude! How?”
“Sorry it took me so long, man. I had to brush up on a relatively out-of-date coding system, reprogram it, and set some of the passive sensors. The sensors have more range by a factor of two now,” he said proudly.
“Okay, but if that didn’t work, then how do you know where they are?”
“Well man, that’s the real genius part, really. I mean seriously, it was kind of magical.” He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on an invisible footrest, tossing his hands casually behind his head.
“Zor, buddy, come on. Where are we going, and how did you find them?”
“Say it!”
“Dude, just…”
“Say it!”
“Ugh…Oh Wizard Z, the great and mighty, please bestow upon me your wisdom.”
“Good, I am a wizard, and you’ll agree soon, I promise. Since we’re in a Z-Mining ship, I linked with their system and sent a digital probe to connect with all the ships in local space, passively sweeping for the signature of the ship we’re looking for. And…bingo! Now I’m monitoring them from ship-to-ship as we travel. Z-Mining doesn’t know I’m there, and the Wakutoka don’t know they are being chased. You were right, by the way; they are moving at a normal rate of speed, and we can catch up with them relatively easily. But I suggest we try to intercept in this section of space, here.” He pulled up the Wakutoka’s route to the gate along with his suggested route to intercept, marked with an X.
“Why that specific point?” I asked.
“That’s a point in our system with a long stretch between planets, which is far enough away from the asteroid mines that there is little traffic. We’ll lose the passive scanning I’m using after that sector, and there’s no traffic there. Nobody will see, for some time, if any action takes place. I have an idea or two and hope we can avoid any real fighting that would result in certain doom.”
“Avoiding certain doom should be a bullet point in our plan. Can you set the coordinates in the auto-nav?”
“Already done, Captain Kav,” he said with a mock salute.
* * *
“Maybe they changed courses,” I said for the fourth or fifth time, pacing behind my small command chair.
Scout ships are notoriously fast, especially for a mining company, as faster speeds meant faster information retrieval and location of resources. Time was—quite literally—money. We put the new engines on Van Helsing to the test and thanked Z-Mining the whole way for it.
“Be patient man, they’ll show up within the next half hour; you’ll see. Chill out; you’re making me nervous.”
“Okay, so how do we get my mom back again without having to kill fifteen wakkytackies?” I asked, yet again.
“It’s simple…” he began, and he recounted a simple, yet possibly more dangerous, plan.
When the enemy ship finally showed on the passive array, my heart skipped a beat. Mom!
“That them?” I asked quickly.
“Yeah, man, that’s them. Gimme a minute to do some math based on their speed and actual trajectory. We need to use our stabilizing jets as thrusters to push the ship into a position where you can float out to meet them. If we miss, I’ll pick you up, and it’s Plan B, I guess…”
“Then we better not miss,” I said, setting my jaw as I left to go to the bay and Bertha.
It had taken us more than a day to reach our current location, and during that time I had familiarized myself as much as possible with Bertha and her functions. I had spent several hours in simulation mode, drilling myself the way Pop had trained me.
Now, back at Bertha once again, the fact that this was no longer a simulation set in, making my stomach queasy.
“We’re set; 10 minutes, man,” Zorn said over comms.
“Loading up now. You got everything in the pack?”
“Yeah, man, it won’t be a comfortable fit for your mom, but it will keep her alive. A human can survive in the vacuum of space for 30 seconds, but only half of that conscious.”
“Got it,” I said stone faced.
Moments later, the atmosphere was evacuated from the bay, and I sauntered down the ramp, one magnetic mech foot after another.
“Okay, man, I have Van Helsing’s computer running the subroutine for us. In about 15 seconds, your magnets will cut off, and boosters will fire your initial burst. This will get you within a 2% margin of error of your destination. You’ll have to fire off stabilizing and directional thrust, as needed, from there. You’re too small for their ship sensors to pick up unless they’re looking for you. From there it’s up to you, man.”
“Zorn, if I don’t make it, you burn out of here. You leave me to whatever fate. Got it?”
“Yeah, man, I got it. Come back though, okay?” he asked. It was obvious he had no intention of leaving me.
I felt the suit disconnect from the ship’s ramp as my mags unlocked, followed almost simultaneously by G-forces as the thrusters pressed me back into my mech. Not even a minute later, I saw the dark outline of a vessel.
I was moving too fast and was going to overshoot my target. Hitting the stabilizer jets and directional thrusters intermittently, I prayed to anyone or anything listening to let me get near enough for the mags to link up.
Plan B it is, I thought as I saw my trajectory and speed not altering fast enough.
“Man, hit your magnets! Magnets!” I heard over our direct comms channel.
I did as Zorn instructed, now seeing what he saw in his sensor readings. The Wakutoka ship had a large set of fin-like structures toward the back of the ship which I would soon be close to. I flipped the switch for the mags and hit the thrusters as hard as I could to assist. I may have been set to overshoot the main body of the ship, but the ship’s design gave me a second chance.
I passed the first fin, still hitting my thrusters and aiming Bertha’s feet for the middle fin. A last burst, and I felt myself latch on and slide for a short time before coming to a stop. If there was gravity, I would be standing sideways, but in space up, down, and sideways are all relative.
“I made it, Zorn; you did it, buddy. You did it! Now, tell me where to go from here. Can you see me? Got a visual from my cam?”
“I got it, man. Connection is strong. We may have lucked out as far as location goes. I’ve marked what I believe to be your mom’s location on your map. I’ve overlaid the map in real time, so you should be able to see generated directional arrows as you look around, as your HUD and external camera should work together.” As he explained, arrows appeared on my viewscreen, pointing out the direction I needed to go.
“I’ve marked her location with a red, strobing dot. It’s my best guess on where they’ll be keeping her, man. When you get to that side of the ship, you’ll see on your HUD an outline for where to cut and for how long. From the time all atmo is evacuated, you’ll only have 30 seconds total, so follow the instructions set out exactly. Good luck!�
�
Arriving at the site, I saw what Zorn had done to help me.
“Zorn, you are a Wizard, dude,” I said, feeling hopeful for the first time all day.
“I know, man, bring her home.”
On my HUD, a dotted outline indicated where to cut with the laser to gain entry. Inside the outlined box was a depth-cut gauge. He had made it like a video game or a simulation, and I was playing on beginner mode. I began my cuts using the depth gauge to penetrate all but the last few millimeters of material. Using the clamping portion of my mech, I began removing parts and pieces from the hull, so I had less to get through upon breach. I checked my pack and pulled out the medi-vacubag. It looked like a sleeping bag for the whole body, but operated like a vac-suit, so even if my mother passed out, I could get her into oxygen and carry her out. Oh, Wizard Z, the great and mighty, indeed.
“About to breach, Zor. If I don’t make it, you get out of here. Cutting in 5, 4, 3…”
I set the laser to quick cut the last portion, breaching the room and evacuating the air. Twenty-eight seconds.
Lifting the mech’s hatch, I pushed out and into the room. I spotted my mother, unmoving in the far corner. Twenty-six seconds.
As I sailed across the room, medi-vacubag in tow, I could see her wrists and feet were bound together, and straps across her body connected to the wall and a bed-like platform connected to the floor. I could see warning lights in the corner, and I’m sure there was a klaxon blaring through the ship’s corridors, but in the vacuum, I couldn’t hear it. Twenty-three seconds.
You’re not fully dressed if you don’t carry a knife, son. Remember that, and it could save your life. My father’s voice echoed in my head.
Reaching down, I found his survival knife secured to his suit—part of my suit now. Pulling the knife out, I cut the unconscious form of my mother from the straps. “I’m here Mom, I’m here,” I called out, more for myself than her. Even if she’d been conscious, she wouldn’t have been able to hear me. Twenty seconds.
Last strap! Come on! I screamed internally. Seventeen seconds.
I dropped the knife as the last strap was cut away, and my mother’s unmoving form floated in front of me. There was no time to unbind her hands and feet, and I unzipped the medi-vacubag frantically. Using the magnets on my boots to gain footing, I pulled the bag over her, starting with her feet. Fifteen seconds.
I got the bag around her body and sealed it. The medi-vacubag became rigid, and her vitals began displaying on its top screen. Eight seconds.
“Zorn! I got her, but her vitals don’t look great. She was in vacuum for 22 seconds. We’re heading out, get the little med-pod ready for…”
“Oh, I know you got her, but so do the Wakutoka. I show four coming your way—they’re about to breach the door! They are venting the corridor leading to that room now. Go! Get out now!” he yelled over comms.
“Moving!” I called back, pushing Mom through the hole where I had entered.
Once through, I used mag clamps to adhere her to the side of Bertha, climbed in, and closed the hatch.
As I released the magnets holding me to the ship, I saw the door to the room open, and four lumbering behemoths rushed through in purple battle armor, form fit to their terrifying bodies. Raising their laser rifles, they began firing. I hit my thrusters and held the throttle down until I ran out of fuel 45 seconds later.
“It’s going to be okay, Mom,” I said to her unconscious form through the comms we had set up with her bag. “I’ve got you now.” If only I had a way of knowing if she was all right or not.
“Zor, I’ve got her, we’re out. Are you sure they won’t be able to pick up my beacon if I turn it on?”
“Woo hoo! Yeah, man! And no, they won’t see it unless they know the precise frequency to look for. I set the distress beacon to be different than a normal distress beacon. How’s your mom?”
“She’s alive, but she was unconscious before I got there, I think. I have no idea what they did to her, man, but I’ve got her.” Although I was relieved to be away from the Wakutoka ship, nervous exhaustion was beginning to overtake me. “Just come get us.”
“Beacon located, man,” I heard Zorn say, but then my eyes got too heavy to keep open.
* * *
I came to as I was being pulled into Van Helsing’s bay with a magnetic tow cable. I locked down the magnets on Bertha as soon as I was on the deck, and Zorn set the ramp to close and cycled the atmosphere back in. A short time later, I hopped out of the mech and pulled Zorn into a brief bro hug before turning to hit the releases on my mom’s medi-vacubag.
I could immediately see that something was wrong. The bag was no longer rigid. The panel that showed her vitals was no longer displaying any information. I unhooked the bag from Bertha and rested it on the deck of the bay, then disengaged the clasps that should have sealed her in, and found my mother’s lifeless body, her eyes closed and unbreathing. I sank down to my knees, exhaustion forgotten, sobbing and broken. I reached over and pulled my mother’s lifeless body to my lap, revealing the singed markings of a laser blast through the back of the bag. All this, and a stray beam?
“How? Why?” I asked through my sobbing. “After all this, I couldn’t save either of them.”
“Man, I’m sorry. It was my plan that failed, not you. I’m so sorry, man; this is all my fault.” He walked over to me and sobbed along with me.
“No!” I said fiercely. “No, it wasn’t. We would have died, too, if we had done it my way. This is the Wakutoka’s fault.”
Pulling my mother closer to me still, I must have cried for hours, the emotions and actions of the day bearing so much weight on my soul. I knew what I had to do.
* * *
“In that moment, I knew my life’s purpose. I was never a violent person before then. You see, Captain Wartgon, tragedy has a way of changing people.” I looked down from Bertha’s opened hatch at the pleading form of my latest foe. “I’ve spent the better part of 25 years tracking down every Wakutoka and any xeno of nightmare that preys upon those weaker than them.”
“You…you’re Kav Van Helsing?” he asked, blood foaming at the corners of his maw, wide eyed. “But…but I…”
“You thought I was just fiction. A nightmare told to pups at night to make them listen?” I asked with disdainful sarcasm and a scoffing laugh. “And now you know! You know why you die tonight, why you all must die. The fates have found you wanting. Your gate was closed due to your own actions, not that of my mother and father. And you hunted and killed them, nonetheless! You were their nightmare, and now I am forever yours. I’m Kav Van Helsing, and I hunt monsters!”
With a brisk stomp from Bertha’s boot, another beast lay still.
* * * * *
KC Johnston Bio
KC Johnston is a former fine woodworker and blacksmith, turned audiobook narrator and author. First and foremost, he’s the father to four amazing little girls and husband to an amazingly beautiful and supportive wife. He’ll tell you he’s just an artist trying his best to get his art out.
Growing up in the small Southeast Texas town of Orange, KC likes to think of himself as just the right mix of country and bayou. When not hunting or fishing, he was reading, writing, or building. He always had a fascination with how the fantastical characters on the pages would sound and spent countless hours practicing odd voices and teaching himself accents to bring his favorite characters to life.
As a woodworker and blacksmith, he built furniture that ended up in the homes of celebrities and politicians and knives that ended up in the kitchens of Michelin Star chefs before his Essential Tremors took much of the dexterity needed for such ventures.
So, when the dexterity in his hands started degenerating in 2016-2017, he decided to prepare for an artistic change. In 2018, he partnered with Chris Kennedy Publishing and performed his first audiobook, Salvage Title, and is now well known as the voice of the Salvage Title Universe, among others. It seems fitting that his first published authorial work, “W
hat’s Our Ship’s Name,” would be within that same universe. When not in the booth narrating, he can be found at his desk writing and planning on publishing much, much more.
Website: www.kcjohnstoncreates.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kcjohnstoncreates
YouTube: www.youtube.com/kcjohnstoncreates
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Death of a Traitor by Alex Rath
Admiral El’Jyiurma slithered up the ramp to the fleet admiral’s office, more slowly than was necessary. She did not look forward to the conversation she was about to have. She was sure that, somehow, it would be her fault. If she wasn’t fed to the Lampros, who were the species of Serpentes who handled such things, she would survive, and her career might as well.
El’Jyiurma was one of the Elapidae. They were the most intelligent of the Serpentes, and so, held all leadership positions. There were different sub-sets of them, of course, but they all shared the hood they could broaden when angered, or frightened. She would have to be careful to hold her hood close in this encounter, lest Fleet Admiral El’Syaaso think she was threatening him. That would be deadly.
As expected, there was a Boa on sentry duty outside the office. It was one she knew, at least. Captain Bo’Szazsa’s 40 feet of pure muscle was coiled in the hallway and blocked passage from either direction. His tongue flicked out as she rounded the corner.
“Good afternoon Admiral El’Jyiurma. I thought I tasted you on the air.” Bo’Szazsa lowered his head in submission, but kept his eyes focused on her.
“Good afternoon, Captain. Is the Fleet Admiral in?”
Bo’Szazsa tilted his head and began to uncoil. “He is. Do you have an appointment?”
“He is expecting me. I messaged him when I was on my way.” El’Jyiurma’s hood started to spread, but she stopped it and returned to her normal state.
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