Star Relic

by Clara Woods

  “Why would that be?” Lenah asked, never breaking eye contact with him. She knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against him. He would have enhanced strength, probably faster reflexes, not to mention the fact that he was a lot taller than her. She’d try, nonetheless, and go down trying, if need be.

  His grin widened more before he answered. “You’re taking me with you. To Oscuris.”

  Lenah gasped. He wanted them to take him to the most lawless, criminal place in the galaxy: a planet that lay almost in complete darkness because it was so far away from any sun, and had to be artificially heated.

  A planet full of outlaws, where only smugglers went. Though judging by his looks, he’d fit.

  “Take me there, and I’ll let you keep your ship.” For a second a look resembling guilt flitted across his face; then it was replaced by his toothy grin again. Lenah couldn’t believe him. If he wanted that ship, she’d prefer he take it and leave them all here in Port Dumas.

  “I might be persuaded to part with my ship.”

  “No, you’re going to fly me.”

  Right. Not everyone was a pilot, or had practiced with illegal copies of flight simulations.

  “Let’s go.” He pushed the gun barrel closer to her face, motioning for her to turn. Lenah obeyed, and they made their way back through the streets of Port Dumas. He was walking close enough behind her to hide the weapon somewhat, but people here didn’t seem to care. Maybe kidnappings happened all the time. The doormen that had invited them into their establishments earlier seemed to look right through their group now. Certainly no one made a move to help out. For the first time, Lenah wondered if she’d made a bad decision in coming here. As it stood, there’d be consequences for her. She wouldn’t simply be able to fly the ship back, park it, and sneak into her bedroom. Thanks to the cyborg, this whole effort had been for nothing but getting her cryptic messages. She’d have to set up another meeting and come up with more money before being able to get anything else out of the informant.

  They’d almost reached the ship, and Lenah tried to tilt her head inconspicuously toward Persia, who was walking behind her, still fully in the cyborg’s grip. For a quick moment their eyes met, and Lenah interpreted in Persia’s gaze what she was trying to convey back.

  It was now or never.

  If they could make it back to the ship and close the hatch in the cyborg’s face, even he would be hard-pressed to tear open a carbon-fiber doorway, wouldn’t he? She hoped so.

  Lenah pretended to stumble, while at the same time trying to step out of the reach of the gun. She didn’t think he’d actually fire it, given he needed her as a pilot. Nor should he shoot it at Persia, because at this point he couldn’t know who was the pilot. When Lenah staggered, the arm with the gun closed around her neck. She tried to press her chin down to keep it from choking her, but his hold, despite being from his biological arm, was as hard as steel. Ignoring her lack of air, Lenah tried to sidestep again, away from Persia, who was wiggling in the cyborg’s grip, hoping to unbalance him. Instead, Lenah found herself lifted in the air, legs dangling a few centimeters above the ground and his arm still wrapped tightly over her throat. He wasn’t exactly hurting her, as breathing was barely possible, but she was completely useless. Something crashed into her side and she realized belatedly that it was Persia, who was being hauled by him in a similar fashion. None of the people around the parking lot reacted. Either no one wanted to mess with a cyborg, or they didn’t care. Probably both, Lenah thought with more than a pang of frustration.

  A few seconds later, she was unceremoniously squished between him and the hatch while he gripped her hand and lifted it to the motion sensor as if she was nothing more than a child. In a last desperate effort, Lenah tried to search for his mind and send the suggestion to go off running in the other direction, but all she got from it was a stabbing headache again, making her hang dizzily in his grasp.

  Her ability was gone.

  The hatch opened in front of them. Lenah hoped that Doctor Lund and Uz had already left. They wouldn’t appreciate going from being hostages to…well, being hostages.

  As the hatch closed behind them and they made it toward the front of the ship, she realized the two were still there. Doctor Lund stepped out of a cabin grinning in triumph, holding up a suitcase. It seemed he’d finally found his equipment. His grin faltered.

  The cyborg pointed the gun forward. “Walk.”

  Uz didn’t fare much better when she appeared, and soon all of them were crammed into the tiny space of the cockpit, with their captor looming behind in the corridor.

  “Well? If the captain wouldn’t mind?” His sarcastic tone rumbled through the tight space.

  “Stars, Lenah, just do what he says.” Persia sounded exasperated, as if she was blaming Lenah for this. The cyborg, apparently having figured out she was Lenah, lifted a brow at her but didn’t say anything. Hesitantly Lenah slipped into the pilot’s seat, inwardly cursing him for wanting to go off-planet. Wasn’t a town like Port Dumas the perfect fit for him? Maybe he’d pissed off the wrong people, and that was why he wanted to drag them halfway across the galaxy to an even less reputable place.

  Lenah didn’t see what else to do. He definitely wasn’t the type to keep his promises, and Oscuris wasn’t the type of planet honest people simply visited and left unharmed. But while he was crowding them into the cockpit, and until she could figure out something better, she’d play his game. “We’ll take you there.”

  “Good...” He seemed to want to say more, his face momentarily looking apologetic again, but then he stepped aside in the corridor. “Now, if everyone but the pilot would please come back into the common area with me.”

  Stars, he wasn’t going to kill them, was he? Why else would someone like him say please?

  “What are you doing? I won’t fly you if you kill them. I don’t care what you do to me.”

  He turned around, his green eyes piercing into her once again. He almost looked offended. Then again, he was a criminal and criminals didn’t look offended. “Chill, pilot. I’m only going to tie them up.”

  “Oh, if it’s just that,” Lenah said weakly, worry gnawing painfully at her stomach.

  He considered her a moment longer before closing the hatch and vanishing with her three companions.

  Lenah jumped up from her seat and went straight to the door. It wouldn’t open. The closing mechanism wasn’t fingerprint-coded like on more modern ships; instead, a physical lock was attached to its center. She tried to turn it from her side, but it wouldn’t budge.

  Frantically, she started looking for a weapon. Hadn’t Uz had that metal bat before? Shouldn’t people like the owners of this ship have secret compartments full of weapons everywhere? Her fingers glided over the compartments and screens of the cockpit. Just as she found a little handle that would open a tiny hatch under the dashboard, she heard a hoarse voice behind her.

  “Looking for something?”

  She’d been so busy searching that she hadn’t heard or noticed the cyborg walking in again. Lenah slid back into her seat, a lump manifesting in her throat. She didn’t answer him, thinking her voice would quiver and betray her. Despite his size, he seemed to be capable of moving silently. She wondered what else he had enhanced besides his arm. She took her time to study it as he slid into the copilot’s seat. The metal part emulated basic human shapes, but a small barrel was mounted to the top of his forearm. The color of the implant was unnerving. It had deep shading, almost black, that stood in drastic contrast to his much lighter skin tone. Finger-thick strands of the black material looked like muscle fibers, but Lenah knew they were filled with all kinds of biotechnical sensors, giving him speed as well as strength. Encased in carbon fiber, the implant was almost indestructible. Cyborgs were most common in the military, and rarely seen outside of it. She’d never seen one this close up. You didn’t run into them going to your local coffee shop or spy appointment.

  “I believe we’re ready to take off,” he said dryly wh
en she didn’t move.

  Lenah didn’t answer, but instead started the takeoff sequence. She took a deep breath. This was her moment of truth. She was going to take her first flight into space, the moment she’d waited for almost her entire life. Unfortunately, now most of the pleasure was taken out of it. Her present company saw to that.

  6 The First Flight

  Carefully, Lenah steered the ship off the parking lot and away from the town. As she gained altitude, the ship slipped off balance several times, forcing her to readjust her grip on the control. Damn, but this must be the clumsiest ship in the galaxy.

  The cyborg shot her a few glances. “Are you sure you’re the captain?”

  She was. She just needed to get a feel for the finer things, like takeoff and parking – not that she’d tell him that. “Yes, cyborg, I am.”

  “Don’t call me that,” he rasped.

  “What am I supposed to call you, then?” she shot back, feeling irritated. He was the last person to correct her on being polite. He’d kidnapped them, after all. He didn’t answer; instead he sat silently next to her, holding his gun, and the memory of feeling its barrel touching her back was too fresh for Lenah to engage in anything but silent scorn. Instead she concentrated on adjusting their course so the ship would glide softly upwards. As they gained altitude and no more buildings and other ships were complicating her takeoff, she was able to handle the ship better.

  She looked out of the window to see the thousands of Vicco and Tupar trees surrounding Port Dumas, also so typical for Astur, melt into a wall of dark green, then black, forest. They couldn’t make out the lights of the town any longer. Instead, dozens of other settlements and small towns glistened. None of them had the orange mega-glow that had surrounded them for almost an hour after taking off from Astura I. Lenah lifted her gaze from the window and took a peek at the cyborg. If she never got to see Astur again, she’d make sure to haunt him for the rest of his lowly life. He seemed deep in dark thoughts himself, staring straight ahead, but his hands were clutched into fists on his lap. Maybe he’d press too hard and squash his own gun.

  Her heart gave a leap when she checked the sensor panel and noticed there was another ship close to them. Despite being a trading town, Port Dumas, located deep in the forest as it was, didn’t have a control tower. Undoubtedly that made it attractive for smuggling businesses. The proximity alarm beeped. The other ship was closing in fast from their starboard side. Lenah jerked the Star Rambler up slightly to gain higher altitude. Better avoid getting too close to other ships on her first trip, especially since crashing them would most likely result in everyone but the cyborg getting hurt.

  “They adjusted too.”

  “What?”

  Lenah shot a nervous glance toward the side window and glimpsed the approaching ship. The cyborg leaned over to her side of the control station and raised the shields. The protest that had formed on her lips never left them. It was a good call, and one she hadn’t thought of. Newbie mistake.

  She adjusted their height again and flew in an arc, leaving the large forest behind them. The other ship shadowed their movement. They were definitely being followed.

  “Expecting any company?” the cyborg asked.

  “Not exactly. How about you? Left any enemies behind?”

  He didn’t answer. Possibilities went through Lenah’s mind.

  The owners of the Star Rambler couldn’t have discovered the theft of their ship this fast and organized themselves another ride, could they? Besides, they would have come knocking on the hatch in Port Dumas instead of following her in the air.

  Another beep broke the silence in the cabin. She glanced around, quickly identifying the source of the sounds. Weapons had locked onto them. Definitely not the thugs she’d borrowed the ship from. They’d want to get the Star Rambler back, not try to destroy it.

  Lenah reacted instinctively, dipping the ship down to avoid whatever shots were being fired at them.

  “Laser bolt,” the cyborg said.

  “Great. Your colleagues, I take it?”

  “I don’t have any colleagues.” His voice sounded neutral, as if he didn’t care.

  “Oh? No smuggler buddies with the same awesome haircut lurking around?” Lenah managed to ask before making another steep curve. Being snappy at him seemed to help ease her current stress level.

  “I’m no longer a smuggler.” It came out harsh, and she shot him a curious glance. Judging by his clothes and outfit, he definitely still looked like one. Who else would wear a mat of unkempt hair and beard while dressed in mismatched shirt and pants? A cyborg beggar? She didn’t think such a thing existed, but kept from mouthing her thoughts this time.

  The other ship had aligned with her course, and she expected them to fire again. This time Lenah dove into a sharp left turn, but not fast enough. The ship shuddered lightly when the shields caught the impact of the laser blast.

  “Shields down to sixty-five percent. We can’t take many of these hits.”

  “I can see that,” Lenah said.

  He reached across his side of the control panel.

  “Deploying aft laser cannon. Can you make sure we stay within one hundred klicks of them? These old Galaxy Cruisers only come with a short-range weapon in the back. If you didn’t enhance anything, that is.”

  When she didn’t answer, he asked again, “Did you?”

  “What?”

  “Enhance the ship.”

  “I wouldn’t know. You could say this ship is…borrowed.”

  Even though Lenah was concentrating on flying, she felt his eyes bore into her. He didn’t comment further, but instead asked, “Are we within range?”

  She nodded and slowed their speed, peeking at the sensor display, where the other ship was rapidly approaching.

  “Got it. Now. Get us away from here.” He hit the button to shoot their laser beam.

  She complied, dipping them down again.

  “Did we hit them?” she asked while looking at the screen. In the VR they always showed the outgoing shots, but nothing seemed to have changed here.

  “No. I don’t think we shot anything.”

  Confused and worried, Lenah pulled up the detailed screen for the aft weapons while trying to fly in an unpredictable pattern. When she glanced at the display, a large red area at the back of the ship’s illustration caught her eye. DEACTIVATED, it read.

  Great.

  “I don’t think the aft cannon works,” she remarked, pointing to the screen.

  The cyborg cursed.

  “Do we have a working cannon?” he asked. “Because if we don’t, even that tiny ship can bring us down. The Galaxy Cruisers have good shields, and we should be able to sustain more damage than them. But we’re slower, and they’ll get us eventually.”

  While Lenah steered the ship toward a mountainous area to their east, the ship shook again from another impact. This time the shields dropped down to twenty-five percent. She gritted her teeth. Good shields or not, one more hit and they’d fail. She checked the screen again. “Front laser reads ready.”

  “Great.” He didn’t sound excited. “Can you spin us around fast enough so that we don’t present a target?”

  “Uhm.” Lenah wasn’t so sure. She’d flown maneuvers like this in the simulation, but she was quickly realizing that flying a real ship wasn’t the same. Nonetheless, she started the movement to flip them over, which would put their nose toward the other ship. Life wasn’t exciting if you didn’t take risks, right?

  Unfortunately, she over-calculated their speed. Instead of doing a half-flip, she was thrown forward into her harness when the ship performed a full loop. It happened fast, but not too fast for her to miss the logo on the attacking ship.

  A black raven.

  “Kahoot. Shit.”

  “Stars, Captain, do you even know how to fly?” She felt the cyborg’s stare on her.

  “It was easier in the simulations,” she shot back, disliking him even more, if that were possible. Clenching
her teeth, she started again. This time, she estimated their speed well and the other ship came into view in the front window. While he aimed the front cannon and fired a shot, Lenah confirmed her suspicion. That was definitely a black raven. Why in the galaxy were the Dark Raven Pirates shooting at them?

  Even if she’d stolen this ship, they were pirates, right? Could they be so upset as to want to destroy the ship? In the parking lot, Kahoot’s men hadn’t seemed interested in the Star Rambler at all.

  “Move, Captain!” The cyborg’s urgent words lurched her into their next maneuver. As fast as she could, Lenah dipped them down to flip the ship around. Before the other ship went out of view, she saw that the cyborg’s shot had hit home. “Now let’s do that again.”

  She hastily complied, this time flying a circle straight up to give him the opportunity to take aim at the other ship again. It was already getting easier.

  The sensor alarm beeped. The two laser beams seemed to shoot out at the same time, each hitting one ship. The Star Rambler rocked, and frantic beeping started in the cabin as the shields dropped.

  But the other ship got it worse. Like a meteor from the sky, it plummeted downward and vanished from their view.

  “Yes!” she cheered, before steering them away and assessing their damage.

  “Looks like the hull’s intact. But we took some damage to the starboard section of the ship.”

  “Shit, that’s where the others are.”

  The cyborg shot up from his seat and was halfway out the door before turning to her. “Fly us away from here. And who’s the mage?”

  “We don’t have one,” Lenah said with some smug satisfaction. At least he’d come to regret kidnapping them and not any other ship. FTL travel wasn’t possible on their ship, because none of them had the magical abilities to create the necessary warp bubble around them. It would take them weeks instead of days to get to his indicated destination.

  His eyes met hers, and fear shot through her. A vein stood out on his forehead, and his eyes were cold and hard. His metal hand clenched into a tight fist. Then he turned around and stormed down the corridor.