Ch’len laughed to himself, spraying bits of food across his console. “It’s all in the details!”
“We have a different saying about the details where I come from…”
The local AI hub took control and guided the Rackham through the lanes of building traffic until the water lost its colour and darkness surrounded them. The only sense of direction came from the lights on the other ships. It soon became clear that The Cove was built into the island, as a giant oval structure, resembling a hangar, became visible. The Rackham passed through the oval and a force-field designed to keep the water and its immense pressure out.
Despite the Brenine’s love of the dark, the island’s interior was well lit. The sprawling city of The Cove was laid out under the starry ceiling of stalactites. The soft glow from above contrasted with the neon signs that dominated the ground levels, advertising the various vices that attracted beings from all over the Conclave. Personal transports flew in every direction around the city’s towering spires, weaving between the larger stalactites. The Rackham was assigned its own landing alcove, built into the bedrock.
Roland shut the engine down, satisfied that it could only be turned on again with his closely guarded code. Ch’len shook his head every time the engine shut down, more than aware that he was grounded along with the ship. For all their time together, Roland simply didn’t trust the little shit not to fly away when things got hairy.
“I’ve tinkered with the holo-bands,” Ch’len said, as Roland made for the kitchen. “You can be an Atari this time, should help with our cover.”
“I had something else in mind.” Roland didn’t stop to take in Ch’len’s questioning expression.
The kitchen was a mess as usual. It probably didn’t help that Ch’len couldn’t reach a lot of things, causing him to create more mess as he climbed over everything. Roland had thought about remodelling the nanocelium to accommodate the smaller alien, but the thought had been fleeting. Roland was more interested in the wall panel just off from the kitchen. The panel slid aside and presented the bounty hunter with his favourite toys.
Roland depressed a small button and activated a square draw at the base of the armoury. He reached down and pulled out a black helmet, covered in angles and dark glass. “Did you fix this?”
Ch’len waddled into the room with a sour look on his face. “It was never broken. I just needed to tweak the interface. The Rackham may have provided the nanocelium, but the little buggers weren’t happy being bound to Conclave tech.”
“Did you fix it?”
“Yes.”
Roland looked at the helmet and then at the empty drawer. “Where’s the rest of it?”
“In my workshop.” Ch’len nodded in the direction of his room.
“Did you make the other adjustments I asked for?”
“You mean your commands? Yes, I did. The suit has space for all your toys, most of them at least.” Ch’len was partially distracted, trying to search the kitchen counter for food by touch alone.
Roland watched the scrounging Ch’kara with bemusement. “Well go get it then.”
Ch’len pushed himself up on his tiptoes and grasped some food Roland couldn’t identify. “You realise how illegal personalised cloaking technology is, right?”
“Any more illegal than our normal line of work?” Roland placed the helmet on the table and finished off the remains of a bottle of Raalakian ale.
“It’s the highest level of illegal! The Highclave outlawed any and all privately owned cloaking systems and abolished all research. If you get caught wearing a whole suit that cloaks your body, we’ll both serve a life sentence in the Relis Mines.”
Roland flashed his roguish smile. “Well if you fixed it properly, I won’t get caught. It’s hard to catch what you can’t see.”
It took longer than he would have liked, but after a lot of pulling and tugging, Roland was finally fitted from neck-to-toe in the dark, but snug armour. It reminded him of Kalian’s Terran exo-suit, only the ‘armour’ was coated with a thin layer of nanocelium that wasn’t designed to be protective. The suit would render him invisible, but a single bolt of intrinium fire would put a hole in him.
“Looks good!” Ch’len marvelled at his work.
Roland scowled. “I feel like my ass is eating the filament…”
Ch’len matched his scowl and gripped Roland’s forearm. “Controls are built in.” Despite the many angles, a small screen had been fitted into the arm piece. “Press here and here to activate the suit. You can take a few toys and your Terran knife, but no guns.”
“No guns?” Roland looked at his Tr-rollers longingly.
“There’s nowhere to put them!” Ch’len handed the helmet over. “Give it a go.”
Roland placed the helmet over his head and clipped it into the neck aperture, creating a quiet hiss. The HUD was overlaid with the initial start-up data before settling. Everything in the kitchen was suddenly highlighted with a thin green line, including Ch’len. The darkened corners were exposed as the helmet’s screen compensated for the shadows, allowing the user to see in all conditions.
“Well..?” Ch’len stood back.
Roland activated the stealth systems and watched his body disappear. An icon appeared in the corner of his HUD, offering the bounty hunter a new mode of vision. A quick blink to acknowledge the icon was all it took to change what he could see. His invisible body suddenly came back into view, but only to him. In response to Ch’len’s question, Roland reached down and flicked the alien on the head.
“I love it!”
Ch’len massaged his sore head. “Well, you need to turn it off now. If the system overheats, the interface between the nanocelium and the Conclave tech will burn out, rendering you permanently visible, what with all the flames…”
Roland raised his eyebrow even though Ch’len couldn’t see him. “Flames? Am I wearing a bomb?”
“No!” Ch’len didn’t look very convincing. “It’s prototype tech that no one is researching, Roland. I had to make a few bits up… Not to mention the nanocelium. That stuff might as well be magic!”
Roland quickly deactivated the suit and removed the helmet, shoving it into Ch’len’s arms. He tried not to think about the potential deathtrap he was wearing and instead looked to his armoury. The Terran hilt lay horizontal on its rest, silently awaiting its master. Roland picked it up and adjusted the fine rings at the top of the hilt. He thumbed the activation and watched the nanocelium spring to life, forming a serrated blade just longer than his hand. Happy with the new length, the bounty hunter deactivated the blade and slotted the hilt horizontally into the sheath at the base of his back.
The Tri-rollers called to him, offering their comfort, but he was forced to leave them on the rack. Roland’s old training instructor always came to mind at times like this, reminding him that he was the weapon.
Ch’len moved away and returned with a belt, covered in pouches and attachments. “I’ve had a play with the usual gadgets.”
Roland accepted the belt and removed the devices he felt would prove useful. Small metallic pouches opened up across his chest and waist, perfect for storage.
“So how are you going to get to the Starlight Apartments? You’ll be hard to see but we’re not exactly parked on Hon Valorga’s doorstep.”
Roland fitted his helmet back on. “Rackham?”
“Yes Roland?” the ship replied.
“Be a dear and call me a cab.”
Jedediah Holt looked at the rising radiation levels on Commander Vale’s datapad and reminded himself that this was the only course left to them. Regardless of everything he had learned from Captain Fey in the last hour, the fact still remained that the radiation leak would be the end of them all. It was his first priority as the captain of the Paladin.
Don’t think about Earth. Don’t think about Chrissy and the kids...
The air-lock doors connecting the Paladin to the alien craft opened again. Had Captain Fey not come out first, Jed would have
had a hard time concealing his expression of terror. The aliens that accompanied her were hideous amalgamations of machine and some form of pale alien. The four engineers appeared identical to Jed’s eye, with robotic limbs and attachments that seemed to be permanently bonded with their chalk-white flesh. Their pointed teeth only added to their menacing look, putting Jed and the Raiders on edge.
“These engineers are from the Conclave,” Fey explained, casually.
“What are they?” Jed knew his pointed stare was rude, but he couldn’t help it. These were the first aliens he had ever seen up close.
“Their species are called Shay.”
Booming footfalls came from the shadows of the alien craft.
The Raiders physically tensed and Sam put one foot back, as her fight or flight reflexes battled one another. Jed kept his footing, however, maintaining his authoritative stance against the new monster that emerged from the craft. It was big, in every way. With a flat head of rock and broad shoulders, this new alien walked into the corridor on four legs of stone. The only familiar sight was the red uniform worn by the giant creature. Jed knew an officer when he saw one, though from Fey’s recounting this could only be the High Charge known as Uthor.
Captain Fey cleared her throat. “This is High Charge Uthor. High Charge, this is Captain Jedediah Holt of the Paladin.”
Uthor’s voice was akin to that of a rock-slide, but his words were completely lost on Jed. The captain could only look to Li for guidance.
“He’s greeting you,” Fey explained. “You’re going to need one of these.” Li tilted her head and exposed her neck, revealing a small circular dot behind her ear. “It allows you to translate their various languages as well as their written word. It’s painless.”
Jed couldn’t speak for the others, so he offered himself to go first and have the small device placed behind his ear. Sam and the Raiders, who appeared more cautious, accepted the translators and allowed the Shay to fit them. After a brief wave of nausea and an acrid metallic taste, Jed and the others were almost stunned into silence when Uthor spoke again, this time with clarity.
“Greetings,” Jed replied, unsure of alien etiquette.
Uthor glanced at Fey before regarding Jed again. “May my engineers see to your reactor leak?”
Jed hesitated. “Yes. Of course. I’ll show you there myself.”
Uthor raised his thick hand. “This is as far as I go, I’m afraid.”
Jed looked at the alien, wishing he could remember what species he was and followed Uthor’s gaze to the door behind them. It was clearly too small and narrow to allow him entry.
“Sorry…” Jed felt silly apologising for the human design of his ship, but he didn’t know what else to say.
“After your radiation leak is contained and inoculations have been given, we will talk again. I would be honoured if you accepted my invitation to board the Nautallon.”
Jed looked beyond the High Charge and assumed he was inviting him to board the massive ship that loomed outside. Captain Holt simply nodded his head, desperately trying to fight the shock of everything. They had only left Earth Dock two days ago...
Uthor regarded Captain Fey before returning to the smaller craft. Lanky silhouettes appeared in the doorway, hidden in shadow when the door closed behind the High Charge.
Sam cleared her throat and showed Jed the levels of radiation on her datapad. The deadly particles had spread to another deck.
“I’ll show you to the engine room,” Jed felt uncomfortable talking to the Shay and so directed his statement at Fey.
“We would like to see your navigation array as well.” The Shay’s words were heard perfectly, but its voice was just so alien. No human could mimic it. “We have been tasked with discovering the cause of your extraordinary voyage.”
Jed met his commander’s eyes and held a silent conversation for a second. Sam was loathed to give them too much freedom. “That would be much appreciated.”
Due to the Paladin’s size, it took the group almost fifteen minutes to reach the door that led to the engineering section of the ship. Jed had been careful to avoid any civilian areas. Several engineers were already outside, all dressed in overalls, having just come through the decontamination chamber and relinquished their hazmat suits for deep cleaning. Jed saw their look of shock and horror when the Shay became visible in their midst. The captain held up a hand to calm them and introduced the aliens to his new chief engineer, Aleksander Grenko.
When Grenko remained in stunned silence, Jed said, “Report.”
Grenko tore his eyes from the pale, cyborg-like aliens. “The rising levels are playing hell with our suits, sir. We’re going to have to make some adjustments before we go back in.”
“That won’t be necessary,” the Shay replied.
Jed understood every word, forgetting for the moment that Grenko and the other engineers had no clue.
“We have already taken precautions,” the Shay continued. “Grant us access and we will begin our work.”
“Stand aside, Chief,” Jed ordered.
Colonel Ava Matthews stepped forward. “Sir. Recommend waiting until my team is suited up for escort.”
Jed didn’t want to delay this any longer. “Denied.” Seeing the colonel’s anger reflect on her face, Jed explained, “If they don’t fix it we’re dead anyway, escort or no escort.” Captain Holt gestured for Grenko to open the door to the decontamination chamber.
The four Shay entered the chamber without a word. Jed noticed the backpacks they all wore, coated in metal and full of attachments he couldn’t recognise. Two of them carried cases filled with who-knows-what, but the captain didn’t want to think about it. Let them fix his biggest problem while he dealt with the next one.
“Sir?” Grenko looked confused.
“I’ll explain soon. Commander Vale, have everyone gather in the central hold - I mean everyone. Captain Fey, would you accompany me? I have very important speech to make…”
The driverless cab flew between the stalactites of The Cove, weaving in and out of traffic, as it climbed ever higher toward the rocky ceiling. Roland removed a small datapad from his waist and pulled the cord out of the end, inserting it into the exposed circuit board he had already ripped open. The datapad began its immediate hack of the vehicle using an algorithm designed by Ch’len - seconds later, Roland was in control of the cab’s flight systems.
“You definitely installed the Laronian boots into the suit, right?” Roland checked the sole of his left foot.
“Yes. You have to stop asking me that!” Ch’len, as usual, was sat nice and comfy in the Rackham’s bridge, monitoring Roland’s progress.
“I just want to avoid breaking every bone in my body!” Roland navigated a particularly wide stalactite and kept the cab as close to the jagged ceiling as possible.
“Starlight Apartments are coming up on your right,” Ch’len said through his mouthful of grub.
Roland peered out of the window and looked down at the tower. The central structure was thin, resting on a tripod, and building up into a saucer-shaped head. The saucer was filled with penthouse apartments, two of which were owned by Hon Valorga.
“Have you got access to the apartments security systems?” Roland asked as he lined the cab up, directly above the saucer.
“I’m working on it,” Ch’len replied quickly. “The Laronian has had extra measures built into the firewalls. Hon must be quite the asset.”
Roland would have preferred to have a better idea of awaited him inside, but he didn’t want to waste time. “Looks I’m doing this the old-fashioned way.”
“You’re going in without recon?” Ch’len stopped chewing.
“This isn’t my first rodeo, Len.”
There was a pause on Ch’len’s end. “What’s a rodeo?”
Roland ignored the alien. “I’m handing control of the cab over to you.”
“Well be fast, the meter’s running…”
Roland couldn’t help but smile, using an ov
erride to open the cab door, and leaping from the vehicle. The suit’s cloaking system kicked in, keeping his freefall undetectable to the eye. The helmet’s HUD measured the gap between the top of the apartments and himself, informing Roland of his speed and how long he had before contact. Most of the vehicles flying around were beneath the saucer section of Starlight Apartments, keeping his drop clear. At the last second, the bounty hunter lifted his knees and activated the boosters in his Laronian boots. The thrust was never enough to give the wearer the power of flight; they could only break the fall.
Touching down on Starlight Apartments, Roland waited for a second to ensure his suit was still working. He looked around, impressed with how smooth everything had gone thus far. It had been a long time since he had put this much thought into a mission or catching a bounty.
With his hacking device still fitted into the cab, Roland resorted to using his Terran blade to prise open the hatch covering the ventilation shaft. Within minutes he was silently dropping into the corridor between two of the penthouse apartments. Even the corridors were better decorated than most homes.
A warning appeared in the corner of his HUD, alerting him to an imminent shutdown of the suit’s cloaking system. With no time to lose, Roland depressed a button on his waist and caught the metallic balls that fell out. Once released, the tiny spheres would seek out any lifeforms and collate their data to form a living map, allowing Roland to track his targets.
The Translift pinged.
Roland held his breath with nowhere to hide in the lit corridor. The warning inside his HUD brought up a countdown in human minutes, informing him of how long he had until the suit completely shut down. The bounty hunter replaced the tracking spheres and retrieved his Terran blade, hoping to God that it wasn’t going to be a Raalak that exited the Translift.
The doors opened and seven female Laronians and two female Brenine entered the corridor. They were all accompanied by a male Brenine in a cheap suit. Roland could tell he was armed by the way he moved.
Just another scumbag…
The Terran Cycle Boxset Page 104