by Melissa Good
“Big mix,” Mike said. “Bunch of his buddies got in the lower hall, and the doc’s kids heard it and came to help. He jumped in front of a blast and they went nuts and tore those bastards apart. We hardly had a chance to get in on it.”
Brudegan slowly climbed to his feet.
“Yeah, they did good,” Dustin added. “They’re all right.” He extended a fist to Dev, who stared at it until Jess picked up her hand and guided it to bump knuckles. “Booyah.”
Dev exhaled. “Severely non optimal,” she muttered.
Jess grabbed Brudegan’s arm and started forward. “Let’s get this over with,” she said. “I got things to do.”
Mike stood in her way. “What’s ”˜this’?” he asked bluntly. “Besides something else to kill?”
“Not yet,” Jess said. “Not damn yet.”
DEV’S HEART STILL pounded as they crossed into the ops area. Abruptly she was barraged by a crowd of anxious sets who spotted her.
“NM-Dev-1!” voices chorused. A KayTee rushed over. “Something terrible happened to Doctor Dan!”
Dev was caught between wanting to find out what happened and following Jess and the bad guy. Jess seemed to realize this because she half turned and gestured her to stay.
“Be right back, Devvie,” Jess said. “Take charge here, huh?”
Obey? Not obey? Dev slowed, allowing the sets to catch her up. “What happened, AyeBee?” she asked as she was surrounded. The fighters from the Bay also paused, but Mike followed Jess, a gun gripped in one hand.
“It was very incorrect,” the Kaytee said. “There were incorrect people here, and they came in the same way as we did, where the shuttle was.”
A CeeBee nodded. “We saw them. Some of them tried to make dead the children.”
Dev frowned. “That’s terrible. So incorrect!”
“We stopped them,” The Kaytee tried not to sound proud and completely failed. “They ran away from us.” He added with widened eyes.
“We chased them here, and then they were trying to make dead the people in operations, where Doctor Dan was,” a CeeBee said. “And then they tried to make us dead, and Doctor Dan came out to fight with them to make them stop!”
Yes, Doctor Dan would have done that. “He is brave,” Dev said. “And he cares very much for us.”
The sets around her nodded. “He does,” the CeeBee said. “He said we were like his children. It was so excellent.”
“Yes,” the Kaytee agreed. “But they made him very damaged, and we got angry about that.” He paused. “And then we had to make them stop hurting him and we did.”
Dev studied them and understood. “Yes. That was a correct thing to do,” she said, in a quiet voice. “I hope he is okay. Jess said they were taking him back to our base, to med.”
“Yes. Cathy went with him also. Will we go there, too?”
She looked around and saw the sets, working alongside the people from Jess’s home place to clean things up, some of them in burned jumpsuits and covered in blood. As she watched, one of the Bay workers went up to a Kaytee and offered him a coat.
The Kaytee took it gratefully, and put it on over his shredded jumpsuit, rubbing his arms from the cold. The person from the Bay smiled.
“I don’t know,” Dev finally answered. “We did good work here.”
“It was hard,” the Kaytee near her said. “And two of us got made dead,” he added. “Many of us were damaged.”
“Yes,” Dev said. “Downside is hard, and damage is frequent.
Even for the natural borns.” She watched as one of the sets helped a limping Bay worker move to an area where there seemed to be some med. “It is not like the station.”
“No,” the Kaytee said. “It is not like the station.” He considered. “But maybe that is not all incorrect for us.” He folded his arms over his chest. “It is good to help and do work and be brave, like Doctor Dan.”
“Yes, it is,” Dev agreed.
“NM-Dev-1, this place is called Drake’s Bay,” the CeeBee said. “Like the name of your partner.”
“This is her birthplace,” Dev responded. “She came from here, like we came from the station.” She considered a moment. “I know she appreciates the good work we have done here...ah.” She spotted Elaine at the same time the agent spotted her and Elaine changed direction and came over to her. “Hello.”
“So these are more of your kind of bio, huh?” Elaine said. “I figured there were more.” She glanced around. “Where’s Jess? Someone said she was just here.”
“Yes.” Dev decided to leave the first question alone. “She was taking an enemy person to show them something. She said she would be right back.”
“Enemy person?” Elaine said. “Who? What the hell’d she bring one of them in here for? We killed enough of them already!”
“I think she is trying to avoid everyone being made dead,” Dev said placidly. “I will go find her and see.” She ducked out of the group and started down the hallway she’d seen Jess disappear through, reasoning that she’d stayed in the location Jess had indicated just long enough.
She was tired, and hungry, and she wanted the fight to be over. It had been more than enough for one day.
THE DOORS TO the cavern were solidly shut, but they opened to Jess’s handprint, and she shoved the portal open to allow them to pass.
Brudegan had fallen silent and remained so as they entered the cave, and the rich scent of growing things washed over them. The large door boomed shut behind them, and then all the sound heard was the soft hiss of the water misting system cutting on and off.
“The fuck you showing him this for?” Mike said bluntly.
“Shut up,” Jess replied. “This crap is where it all started.”
Brudegan slowly turned in a circle, looking at all the greens and colors. “It is real,” he finally said. “I never thought it was.”
Jess walked over to one of the plant areas and touched a leaf. “You thought it was a scam.”
“I did.” He came to join her and reached out to touch the plant himself. “I knew this was possible on the stations, yes? I have seen it. I have eaten it. We provision ourselves much better than you.”
It was true. Jess merely nodded.
“It was a well done game. To destroy your trustworthiness and also gain us a lab rat.” Brudegan turned to look at her. “And it succeeded.” He smiled. “So now, Drake, what’s your offer? You brought me here to make one.” He wandered a step down the walk and sniffed one of the plants. “Despite your big talk, we both know the force coming here is going to obliterate you.”
“Then why even bother offering you a deal?” Jess leaned against the wall. “If you’re so sure you’ll win, why not just wait. Though, we both know I’m going to kill you anyway.”
He looked at her. “You promised me safety.”
“From them.” Jess smiled at him, a frank and full expression of glee. “Not from me.”
He went for his gun but Jess was full seconds ahead of him, and she ripped it off him before he could touch it. She flung it far off before it could recognize her as an enemy and explode.
All in a breath.
Then she leaned against the wall again. Mike did likewise, with a grunt of approval. “You’re not going to win,” Jess said. “If I have to kill every single one of you coming in here, I will.” She folded her arms over her chest. “And I can, y’know.” She watched his face carefully. “Of course you know, or you wouldn’t have made my nephew your price.”
He shook the hand she’d slammed into. “The price you paid. You who have no price.”
Jess smiled again. “Not my price. I took what belonged to me back on that station. You just don’t know it yet, Bruddie.”
He stopped in mid motion and let his hands fall to his side.
The sound of the outer door opening made them turn to see Dev making her way into the cavern, her issue boots rasping softly on the ground.
Mike turned to watch her but didn’t move to intercept
her slight form. She moved past him with just a brief sideways glance.
Jess was between Dev and Brudegan, but she gently pushed off the wall and brought her center of balance up over the balls of her feet, her senses focused on him as Dev arrived. “Hey, Devvie. You stayed there longer than I thought you would.”
Dev frowned. “The agent Elaine was looking for you,” she explained. “There is some data they would like you to review, and I said I would come find you.”
“Coulda called me.”
“Yes.”
Jess saw the furrows of worry on Dev’s cute face. “Any word on the doc?”
“No. The sets said he was really damaged.” Dev lifted her eyes to Jess’s. “He was trying to defend them.”
Yes, he would have. “’Sa’ll right, Dev. I’m about done here. Just wanted this clown to see what he’s going to die for,” Jess said. “They get the power spooled up to that laser disrupter on the ridge?”
Dev caught her eye for a long moment. “Yes.”
Brudegan stirred. “A long lost technology,” he said warily. “We know it.”
“Not here. Everything here’s a throwback. You forget that? Left in the past? Isn’t that why you want to have us kick the bucket, you, and maybe Interforce? You ain’t got nothing to match us anymore.”
“Got that right,” Mike said.
A rumble moved through the walls. “Yep, there’s the energy pumps now,” Jess said. “Fish are gonna get a damn good meal.” She chuckled. Off to the rear of the chamber she detected a faint sound, and her fingers flexed. A rough play put in work far too fast, but then, it had often been like that in her life
She casually reached over and pried off a bit of the glowing rock, turning it in her fingers and examining it. “Good thing the doc got to suss this. Got all the scoop in the carrier.” She glanced up at Brudegan whose face had gone still. “Kickass scientist, that Kurok.”
Her senses came alert as she gently juggled the rock in one hand, her breathing slowing as she shifted slightly. In reaction, Dev reached out and put a hand on her back in an unconscious motion. Jess half turned and smiled, letting the rock drop to the ground at her feet.
Brudegan’s hand clenched. His face twitched, starting a grin of triumph that froze solid. His hand clenched again, and again, and they heard the faintest of clicks coming from his closed fist.
Dev watched him with a puzzled expression, then her eyes widened as Jess casually reached over and undid the fastenings at Dev’s uniform neck and peeled it back.
“Like I said, kickass scientist,” Jess smiled. “Drop it, Brudegan. It’s useless.” She leaned closer to Dev, and with a wink she kissed the spot where once there had been a metallic band around her neck.
Dev stood stock still, unsure of what reaction to have. Her body reacted to the touch though, a pleasant flush of response that cleared the exhaustion out some. She took a breath, and then many things happened.
Blaster fire, and then she was pushed flat to the ground with Jess crouching over her, returning the fire. The man, Brudegan, bolted across the floor. Mike was on his knees, his big old rifle aiming past them, a yell coming from his throat.
They heard boots in the outer corridor. At that moment Brudegan reached the gun Jess had thrown across the chamber and dove for it. He grabbed it and tumbled into a turn and shot back at them right at the floor where Dev was.
And then she wasn’t as Jess picked her up and lunged into the opposite direction, to a curve in the cavern wall that blocked the fire and dusted them with glowing backsplash.
Mike landed next to them and fired over Jess’s head. “They’re getting out!” he yelled. “He got that rock piece!”
“Let ’em.” Jess spat a bit of dust out of her mouth.
“What?” Mike stared at her in shock.
“Just keep your fucking head down and let them go,” Jess repeated, wiping the back of her hand across her face.
A portal boomed in the far end of the cavern and the firing stopped. They were alone.
“Let’s go.” Jess got to her feet and pulled Dev with her. “Ops.” She holstered her blaster and started off at a lope that became a run.
“WHAT THE HELL’S going on?” Elaine thumped down in the ops seat and yanked a board over. “Penetration?” “Sig!” the next ops yelled. “Got sig from the back! Josh send a crew back there!” “El, two armored fliers by the shuttle pad,” Jason’s voice erupted in comms. “Target?”
“Target!” she confirmed. “Take ’em out!”
“On it.”
The ops next to her grinned. “Nice to have an air force again,” he said, both thighs moving in convulsive twitching as he set and reset parameters.
Elaine looked at him and their eyes met, she had to grin back.
The carriers holding off outside went into attack formation and spun off into a dive, aiming at the narrow cleft that would open to the plateau where the shuttle pad was that was now the focus of the enemy.
“’Bout twenty for the rest of that crowd,” Johnathan said from the master ops console, half its lights out and covered in dust from the roof. “Gonna cover us like gull shit.”
Boots in the hall, coming fast. They turned to find Jess entering, slowing so as not to take out a few people who didn’t get out of the way in time.
“There you are,” El said. “We just went for the back there. Jason’s going to take those bastards out before the rest of them get here and we’re screwed.” She indicated a board. “Those are all Szenge class, Jess. Just got the intel. We can’t take that, not even if all the coast were here fresh fueled.”
Dev came in with Mike behind her.
“Move.” Jess took over a console. “Gimme comms to Jason.” She saw Dev sit at an empty board then start tapping surfaces. “Dev get our net up.”
“Yes.” Dev put a comms in her own ear.
“What’s up?” Elaine asked.
“Gotta stop them tanking those flyers.” Jess got a headset on. “Jase! Jase!”
“What?” Elaine stood up. “The hell are you doing?”
“Jason is on channel twelve,” Dev said. “I am trying to contact Base Ten or our vehicle.”
Jess heard the channel open. “Jase!”
“Busy!” he yelled back. “Shooting bad guys in a barrel!”
Jess took a breath. “Stop,” she said emphatically into the comms. “Stop firing. Let them go.” She felt the shock around the room and saw Elaine stand up at her station and turn. Only Dev remained where she was, eyes on the boards, fingertips moving.
“What?” Jason answered. “The fuck, Jess?”
“Let them go,” Jess repeated. “My order.”
Dead silence for a long moment. “You asked me to trust you, Jase. Return the favor,” Jess finally said. “Let them go. Let them get back to their fleet.”
“You’ve gone nuts,” Elaine said. “Must be that crack in your skull because I know enough about Drakes to know you haven’t gone over.”
“Thanks, El.” Jess leaned on the console. “Nicest thing you ever said about me.” She touched the comms. “Jase? You gonna listen or not?”
“Ack,” Jason answered. “Heeling off.”
“Better have a good reason for that, Drake,” Mike said from behind her. “If you just sold us down the river I’m gonna shoot you myself.” He shifted his gun then paused as Dev got up and got between him and Jess’s back. “Shoot you, too, jelly bag.”
“That is possibly true,” Dev said. “But I will do my best to prevent it.”
Jess leaned back, her body coming to rest against Dev’s as she let her head rest just between her shoulder blades. “Pretty funny when a bio alt from an egg in space is standing guard over me against my family and the force, y’know?”
The screen showed the enemy fliers bolting across the sea, one of them singed as they passed the line of Interforce carriers that had started to break off. Two of the carriers bent into a tight turn and sped after them but held fire.
As they a
ll watched the two intersected the oncoming force, and the carriers peeled off to run parallel to them, shields up. The attack never came.
Instead, as they all stared at the monitor, the force from the other side first slowed, and then broke apart, turning in formation as the two fliers joined them.
“Guess they got what they came for,” Elaine said in a dry tone. “What’s up with that, Jess? What’s the game?”
“They got what I wanted them to get.” Jess relaxed her shoulders. “Not sure there was a game. Not sure I had time for a game. Not even sure yet what their game was.”
“Everyone is not going to be made dead,” Dev said. “That seems optimal.”
“Maybe that was my game.” Jess propped her chin up on her fist. “Dev wanted to know if there was a way to end this in something other than mutual slaughter.”
Dev regarded her in slight bemusement.
“That’s fucked up.” Elaine nevertheless sat back down at the console. “You have a lot to explain to a lot of people, but yeah, maybe it’s not the worst thing not to croak today. Because I’ve lost track of who the hell the players are at this point.”
Johnathan looked at the console output. “They’re really turning around and hauling ass away.” He sounded surprised. “Maybe that means we can finally get some food in here. I’m fuckin’ starving.”
Jess had to laugh just a little. “I bet Dev is thinking the same thing.”
Dev cleared her throat a little.
“So.” Elaine looked at them. “Is this over?”
Jess just shrugged.
“I mean, what the hell?”
THE FAMILY TABLE didn’t have much family around it, and the bowls of edibles on top of it were nothing fancy. But Jess was happy to sit with her hands curled around a cup of rich fish broth and savor, however brief, a moment of peace.
A moment of survival anyhow.
The Interforce carriers from Base Ten had landed. Jason and Elaine were seated at the table with Johnathan and Mike resting bloodstained elbows on the scarred wood surface.