Flight of the Javelin: The Complete Series: A Space Opera Box Set

by Rachel Aukes

  Finn strolled over and motioned to the group. “Mutt sent them out here as extra security in case any of East’s people show up.”

  “I wouldn’t trust them,” Punch cautioned quietly from where he kept his blaster leveled on the group.

  She, too, didn’t lower her blaster as she looked over Finn’s shoulder at the five men. “They’re Jaders. How do you know we can trust them? They could’ve fed you a line about Mutt sending them out here.”

  “We’re not Jaders. Not anymore,” one of the men called out as he walked toward Throttle. He came to a stop next to Finn. “We’re Canaanites now, which means our loyalty lies with the baron, not with East.”

  “Then I owe you my thanks,” Throttle said.

  He held out his hand. “I’m Areston Jones.”

  “Throttle Reyne.” She shook his hand, then cocked her head. “Jones? Is Doc Jones your mother?”

  He seemed taken aback for a moment. “She is.”

  Throttle relaxed somewhat. “She helped us back on Jade-8. In fact, she helped everyone get to Canaan.”

  He rolled his eyes. “If you hear Mom tell it, she single-handedly flew us here.” His features smoothed. He shot a glance over Throttle’s shoulder. She turned to see Punch walking over, keeping his blaster aimed at the group.

  Areston looked across the faces of Throttle, Punch, and Finn. “Listen, I told Finn the truth. The baron sent us here right after you spoke with him. He said to tell you that as long as the Peacekeepers look after Canaan, we’ll help out when we can.” He paused as his features furrowed. “But if the rumors I’m hearing are true, you’re not safe here. If East is offering enough credits to take down marshals, there will be plenty of folks of the unsavory sort who’ll take her up on her offer.”

  Throttle motioned, without looking behind her, for Punch to lower his weapon. “Of that, I have no doubt. I don’t plan on drawing pirates to Canaan. I know the Javelin stands out. That’s why we’re not staying here at Canaan. In fact, we’ll be on our way within the hour. Until then, if you can help stand guard over my ship and crew, consider me mighty obliged.”

  Areston nodded. “We can stay until dark if needed.”

  Throttle shook her head. “You’ll be able to get back home well before then.” She turned back to the ambulance to see Aubree tapping the steering column.

  She strode past Punch and back to the vehicle and leaned through the open window.

  “I have to get back,” Aubree said bluntly. “Unfortunately, the clinic is terribly understaffed for a city the size of New Canaan, especially with all the new towns popping up around it.”

  “I understand, and I appreciate that you gave us a lift,” Throttle said.

  “I wish I could go with you,” Aubree said and then turned to her patient, “if only to make sure he heals properly, but I can’t leave the clinic without a doctor.”

  “Thanks for the patch, Doc. I owe you one,” Punch said before he pulled out his gear bag from the back of the ambulance.

  Throttle turned and hadn’t realized the marshal had come up alongside her. She blew out a breath. “You can sure sneak up on someone if you want to.”

  “Old habit, though it tends to come in handy sometimes,” he said as he winced and dropped his bag to the ground.

  “Here, Punch. You should also have this.” Aubree reached behind her and picked up a small red duffel and handed it to Punch. “Here are several doses of rehabilitators. I’ve marked when you should take each dose, and I threw in some extra medical supplies because I’ve seen your insides and suspect you’ll need them.”

  Throttle frowned. “What’s that mean?”

  “Just that I’ve been banged up once or twice before,” Punch answered as he took the duffel and set it on his gear. “Thanks again, Doc. I’m in your debt.”

  Aubree chortled. “Just stay alive, and I’ll be satisfied that I did my job. Now I’d better head back.” She turned back to Throttle. “Don’t stay away so long next time.”

  “I’ll try not to,” Throttle said.

  Aubree reached out and squeezed Throttle’s hand. “You take care of yourself.”

  The doctor pulled away, leaving eight people standing outside the Javelin. Finn strode over to Throttle and Punch. “By any chance, did you happen to figure out a plan on the way out here?”

  “We’re working on one,” Throttle said.

  Finn’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t suppose I’m going to like it?”

  She smirked. “It involves a daring rescue against horrible odds. It’s right up your alley.”

  Finn scowled. “Now I know I’m not going to like it.”

  “Where’s your sense of adventure, Marshal?” Punch asked as he held a hand over his abdomen.

  Throttle frowned. “You should still be lying down.”

  “I will once I get to my ship.”

  “Where is it? We’ll help you get on board,” she said.

  He pointed.

  “You came here on that?” Finn asked in awe.

  “Sure did.”

  Throttle’s jaw slackened as she stared at what she’d thought was an abandoned derelict off the edge of the ramp. It looked like it couldn’t break gravity, assuming it could even start. “That’s your ship?”

  “It’s not mine. I borrowed it.”

  “You stole a ship?” she asked.

  “I’m a marshal, and marshals don’t steal. I commandeered it.” Punch winked.

  “You’ve got more guts than I do,” Finn said. “It doesn’t look like it can maintain environmentals.”

  “It can, mostly. It’s not such a bad ship as long as you wear a suit at all times.”

  Throttle frowned. “Wait. You said you needed your ship to get us on to Free Station without anyone noticing.”

  “I do.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Then where is your ship?”

  “I had to leave the High Spirit behind at a station not far from Jade-8. I had to take something they wouldn’t notice, or else they would’ve figured out I was still alive.”

  Throttle’s gaze moved from the wreck to Punch. “And you think they’re just going to give you your ship back, assuming you survive the trip out there.”

  “I still have a few logistics to work out.”

  She grimaced as she thought through options. The ship he’d commandeered would be slow, very slow. She was surprised that it’d made it to Hiraeth in one piece, though she supposed that was why it’d taken Punch so long to get to Hiraeth. The thought of returning to Jade-8 made her stomach sour. She blew out a breath. “Fine. You can catch a lift on the Javelin. We’ll get you back to your ship. That way, I’ll at least know you’re going to make it to Jade-8.”

  He grinned as if he’d expected her to offer a ride all along. “Excellent. I’m ready to go whenever you are.” He then looked from Finn to his bags. “Help a fellow out?”

  Finn scowled, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and picked up the two bags.

  The trio headed to the Javelin, and Throttle paused by Areston. “We’re heading out. Tell Mutt that I’m indebted to Canaan.”

  “It’s your home, too,” Areston said.

  She gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “That it is.”

  Areston and his group climbed onto an antigrav skid and drove away.

  “Aw, you mean we could’ve gotten a ride here on that?” Punch complained.

  Throttle’s eye twitched. “Aubree went out of her way to give us a lift.”

  Punch eyed her. “Yeah, but you don’t know how much it hurts riding in a vehicle that rolls along the ground. Not to mention how outdated they are.”

  Throttle shrugged since she’d never ridden on a hovercraft before and had nothing to compare it to. Her brows rose. “You sure you’re going to be up for a rescue mission?”

  He glowered. “I’ll be fine. I just need a few hours of rest, and I’ll be as good as ever.”

  Finn walked up the ramp of the Javelin and placed his hand on the panel next to the do
or. “Open up, Rusty.”

  The door opened, and Finn led the others onto the ship.

  “Welcome back, Throttle,” Rusty said. “Have you brought a guest?”

  “Rusty, this is Marshal Punch Durand. He’s catching a lift with us until he gets his ship back.”

  “Welcome, Marshal,” Rusty said.

  Punch looked around. “I haven’t seen this design before. What model is it?”

  “It’s a classic that’s been updated and modified, so it’s basically a custom,” she answered. She led him down the hallway and stopped at the room next to hers, wanting to keep an eye on him as much as possible. She’d talked to him for a grand total of two hours. It would take a lot longer than that to know if she could trust him or not. “Here’s your room. Make yourself at home and get some rest.”

  “Thanks. I’ll get you the coordinates for where the High Spirit was last docked,” Punch said as he stepped through the doorway.

  Finn stepped around him to drop the bags on the bunk and returned to stand near Throttle in the hallway.

  “Throttle.”

  She turned to see Eddy rushing toward her.

  As soon as he reached her, he held out his hand. “Give me your wrist-comm.”

  “It’s dead.”

  “I know. I need the parts to build a new comm.”

  Throttle shrugged before loosening the strap and tugging off the lifeless piece of hardware. “So you can make it work?”

  “No. I said I need the parts. I can reuse the microphone and speakers in a new comm-chip for the crew. It’ll have minimal functionality. Well, it’ll have no functionality other than broadcasts to the entire team.”

  “That’ll be good enough,” she said.

  “It’ll have no chips, so EMPs won’t have any impact on them,” Eddy continued.

  Her brow rose. “They have no chips, but you’re calling them comm-chips?”

  He scrunched his nose. “Would you rather me call them radiated glass intra-crew communication devices?”

  “Comm-chips sounds good to me,” she said.

  “Do I get one?” Punch asked.

  Eddy frowned as if he’d just noticed Throttle wasn’t alone. “Who is this man?”

  Throttle answered, “Punch is a marshal. Punch, meet Eddy, the ship’s engineer, mechanic, and all-around fixer of things.”

  “You’re not a part of the crew. You don’t get one,” Eddy said and walked away with Throttle’s wrist-comm.

  When she turned back to Punch, she found him eying Eddy as he walked away. “And people ask why I work without a crew.”

  Throttle shrugged. “There are a few challenges, sure, but I’d never give up my crew, ever. I wouldn’t be alive without them. Come to the bridge after you get some rest. We still have a lot of details to work out.”

  He gave a small nod. “I will, and thanks.”

  After his door closed, Finn took a step closer. “I’ll stand guard.”

  “He’s not a prisoner.”

  “He’s also not one of the crew.”

  “He won’t have access to any systems, so he’s free to move around. Besides, Rusty will keep an eye on him, won’t you, Rusty,” she said.

  “At all times if you’d like,” he said.

  “I’d like,” she said.

  Finn spoke again. “Understood, but we don’t know him. There were marshals involved in the attack on Free Station. We don’t know whom we can trust. I think I’d better stay nearby, just in case.”

  She gave him a small smile. “You’re right, and I agree.”

  She left Finn and headed to the bridge, where Sylvian sat with a large white bandage wrapped around her head. She walked over to the specialist. “What happened?”

  Sylvian touched her bandage. “Eddy, that’s what. We took out each other’s Atlas chips, and he seemed to think I needed a three-inch cut to take out a chip the size of a piece of rice. You should’ve seen Finn when he walked in during the procedure. I really thought he was going to kill Eddy. I think he surprised us both by letting Eddy live. Luckily for me, Finn booted Eddy and finished removing the chip himself.” She blew out a breath. “I think I’m going to have a scar.”

  “Aubree might be able to help with that,” Throttle said as she took a seat at the captain’s station.

  “Bah. I’m not that vain. Aubree doesn’t need to waste time on something like that. She has enough to deal with providing medical care to a colony of thousands. She said she delivered ten babies last week alone while at the same time she’s trying to train fifty new staff. But enough about Aubree. Finn said that Anna East is behind the attack on Free Station.”

  “She is, and we’re going to take her down,” Throttle said.

  Sylvian shot a hard glance at Throttle. “It’s about time.”

  “I’ll fill you in on the details later. First, we have to set up a flight plan to Jade-8.”

  Sylvian’s brows shot up. “We’re going back there?”

  “Punch’s ship is there. We need it to get onto Free Station without being noticed.”

  “Then we go back there,” Sylvian said and turned to her panel.

  Throttle began running predeparture checks. She set up a flight plan to monitor traffic on her flight path but didn’t file the plan. She had no idea how far East’s reach went, and she preferred not to be on anyone’s radar.

  Eddy entered the bridge a few minutes later and deposited a tiny silver pin into her palm. It looked like a simple stud earring.

  “It’s your comm-chip,” he said as a matter of fact. “You put it—oh, just let me.” He took it back from her and pinned it onto the neckline of her shirt. “There. It’s either on or off. Pinch it to turn it on. Then just hold your finger against it to speak. If it’s off, you can’t hear any incoming broadcasts, so I recommend you leave it on at all times.”

  She squeezed the silver dot and it chimed.

  “Now it’s on.”

  She touched the metal with her fingertip and tilted her head to speak in the direction of the chip. “Test. Test.”

  She heard a tinny echo of her voice emit from Eddy’s and Sylvian’s chips.

  Eddy touched his chip. “You can speak normally. The microphone is quite good.” His voice parroted through her chip.

  She lowered her hand. “Can you pair the chips with ear speakers, so if there are others around, they won’t hear what’s being said to the crew?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Possibly. With new hardware. But this was all I could do with what I had to work with.”

  “It’s good enough for now. You’d better make sure everything’s buckled down for departure. We’ll be leaving in ten minutes.”

  “I’ll be ready.” He left the bridge without another word.

  Rusty announced, “There’s a new broadcast originating from Free Station.”

  Throttle stiffened. “Play it.”

  “This is an automated Atlas press release. Free Station is no longer designated as a Galactic Peacekeeping office. Free Station is now listed as property of East Enterprises. Anna East, president and CEO, has made the following declaration: Galactic Peacekeeping services in the Ross system are terminated, effective immediately. All GP properties and material have been claimed by East Enterprises. All currently employed Peacekeeping personnel have fifty hours to accept positions under the East Peacekeeping Services. Any Peacekeepers who do not accept positions under the East Peacekeeping Services will be considered criminals and will be arrested. All other inhabitants in the Ross system should notice little to no impact on their daily lives. This press release will broadcast every hour until a new release is made available.”

  Sylvian whistled. “Little to no impact, my ass. Everyone’s got to know that if Anna East has control of the guns, they’re all in danger.”

  Chills that had climbed Throttle’s spine during the broadcast now became ice. Fifty hours. It would take them most of that time to get to Jade-8 and back. There’d be no time left to recruit others to their cause. She leane
d back in her seat and stared out the windshield. It seemed as though life was constantly giving her deadlines. First there was the cat fail on the Gabriela. Then there was trying to save her people from Jade-8. Now this.

  She clenched her fists before releasing them. She took a deep inhalation before turning her attention back to the preflight checks running down her screen. She spoke without looking up. “Anna East can say whatever she wants because, in fifty hours, her time is up, not ours.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chief saw Pete heading his way long before the pirate arrived with his two goons. Chief monitored the video feed until the pirate and two of his crew members had entered the hallway near the communication center where Chief and Marshal Hettinger were cornered.

  By the time Pete reached the comm center, Chief had cleaned a portion of the glass to look through and was standing on the other side of the thick glass door, and Hettinger stood off to the side, out of Pete’s sight.

  Pete sent the guards away who’d been stationed there, leaving only Pete and his two crew members in the hallway outside the communications center.

  Now that Chief knew who Pete was, he couldn’t believe he’d ever fallen for the pirate’s story. He’d thought Pete Antonov’s records were pretty clean, but he’d chocked that up to the fact that the Peacekeepers were spread far too thin across the system. Many colonies reported less than half of the crimes that occurred on their soil.

  Chief scowled at the marshal’s badge that Pete still wore. “You’re a disgrace to everything the Peacekeepers stand for. You have no right to wear that patch.”

  Pete glanced down at the badge. He went to take it off and patted it instead. “You know what, Chief? I think I’ll keep it. A nice memento of the job that led to the biggest payday of my career.”

  “Criminals don’t have careers. They have records,” Chief said.

  Pete eyed him for a moment and then sneered. “How’s the smell in there, Chief? I bet those bodies are getting ripe, and they’re just going to get riper.”

  “Would you like me to open the door so you can see for yourself?” Chief asked.

  Pete guffawed. “Oh, I have no doubt that you’ll get desperate enough to open that door. Maybe the stink of rotting flesh and bowels will do it, but I bet you’ll hold on until you’ve gone so long without water that you can barely stand. Whether you stay in your self-chosen cell until this station gets blown to smithereens, or you come out and I throw you in the brig, it doesn’t matter. Though, I’d take the brig if I were you. The smell’s better, you’ll have a toilet, and you may even get some food and water if you behave. Your choice. Either way, there’s nothing you can do to save your precious station.”