“Nearly,” Toryx said wryly. “But a sludging ton of basestos ought to do the trick.”
Daxar scowled.
“Right,” Evie said, obviously trying to sound businesslike as she continued on with her analysis of the situation. “Well, for our part, we thought it was strange that the Starburst randomly had such serious problems. Yes, the ship is a bit older, but it’s well taken care of. Maisie does regular maintenance checks of the ship and quickly repairs anything she finds amiss.”
Daxar looked over at Maisie, whose cheeks were turning bright red. It was so weird how humans’ faces did that whenever anyone paid them a compliment.
“I do my best,” Maisie said.
“And her best is pretty damn good,” Evie insisted. “She hadn’t found anything wrong with the ship. And yet we broke down spectacularly with no warning out in the middle of space. Luckily for us, though, we just happened to be over the one habitable planet out here in the middle of nowhere. So we landed on Zocrone, of course. I think it’s clear that the ship was sabotaged remotely. Someone waited until we were in the perfect spot, where they knew we’d come to Zocrone in hopes of survival, and then they triggered a problem with the ship.”
“It was the perfect way to get all that basestos down onto the planet without arousing suspicion,” Jarmuk said.
Evie nodded. “Agreed. But there was a slight problem which wasn’t mentioned in the recording you heard. The basestos crates were protected by an anti-interference device mounted into the Starburst. Nova insisted on coding all of the crates with it so that no one would be able to remotely explode the basestos while we were on board. She refused to take the shipment without this protective step, even though I know the buyer and seller both balked at the idea and said it was unnecessary.”
Daxar narrowed his eyes at Evie. “But if she was worried that the basestos might be remotely exploded, she must have known the seller was intending to use it to destroy a civilization or something.”
Evie didn’t miss a beat. “No. She didn’t suspect the seller of wanting to destroy a planet. But it’s not uncommon for someone shipping a very valuable, very rare commodity to hide remote explosives in those shipments. Basically, many sellers and buyers would rather blow up their goods so that no one can have them than to allow a rival or competitor to have those goods. Nova is an experienced smuggler, and she always insisted on anti-interference devices. She wanted to make sure that if something went wrong and we were going to lose our cargo, we didn’t end up paying for that with our lives.”
Daxar couldn’t help looking a bit surprised. Maybe Nova wasn’t as naïve as he’d thought.
Jarmuk was nodding slowly as understanding dawned on his face. “So because of those anti-interference devices, the guys who arranged for the basestos to land on Zocrone couldn’t set off the explosion right away.”
“Exactly,” Evie said. “They intended both for us to die in the crash, and also for the ship to be wrecked enough that the ship’s anti-interference devices wouldn’t work. But the ship was stronger than they thought, as was the crew. We lived, which is a big nuisance considering we could tell people what was in the crates. We told you guys, and the crates were moved. And because the anti-interference device wasn’t destroyed in the crash, these bastards weren’t able to set off the explosion while the crates were still in range of the ship. Now, the crates are out of range and they could be remotely detonated. But an explosion on the other side of the planet is too far away to accomplish their goal of ruining the city dome. So their plan is foiled again.”
Daxar felt like his head was spinning. “So as long as those crates don’t come near the city dome, we’re good?”
“That’s right,” Evie said with a nod. “Although as you’ve heard, these guys are planning to move the crates, probably tonight under cover of darkness. We’re lucky I heard the broadcast when I did. They’ve lost the element of surprise. They just don’t know it yet.”
Daxar relaxed a little bit. This wasn’t as bad as he’d first feared. Nova had been right. They just needed to move the crates. Or maybe even explode them themselves, if that was possible. He looked over at Evie. “Can we explode the crates somehow ourselves?”
Evie shrugged. “Nova can. But not remotely. Her eyes are keyed to the biolock, so a scan of her eyes will open the crates. But she doesn’t have a remote device in there herself. Although it would be easy enough to rig one up, I suppose. You definitely need her to open the crates, if you’re wanting to actually access the basestos and blow it up.”
Daxar frowned. He was going to have to face Nova again today, and ask her for her help. That probably meant he was going to have to apologize to her for being a jerk—an apology she completely deserved. The more he calmed down after the initial shock of realizing that his city was under attack, the more he realized that he’d been too harsh on her. She might be a smuggler, but from what Evie had said it sounded like she’d taken all the proper precautions to protect herself and her crew. And those precautions had been what kept Zocrone from being blown up a few days ago when the Starburst first landed on the planet. Realistically, if she had said no to the basestos shipment, some other smuggler would have said yes. And that smuggler might not have been as cautious as she had been to insist on the anti-interference devices.
Okay, so maybe I overreacted at her a bit. But my whole planet is at risk! I can’t be expected to be completely calm in that situation, can I?
Daxar let his head drop into his hands. He knew he had a reputation for being too much of a hardass sometimes. But everyone in Zocrone let his attitude slide since he was their Chief. But he wasn’t Nova’s Chief. She had no obligation to stay or to help him. She had no obligation to like him. She had no obligation to forgive him for his harsh words. And for perhaps the first time in all his time as Chief, Daxar feared that he’d gone too far. He’d said too much, and been too mean. And the ironic thing was, the person he was worried he’d offended was an outsider. Since when had he cared so much what an outsider thought?
Since I fell in love with one. The realization hit him like a spaceship flying at warp speed. He tried to resist it, but he knew it was true. Somehow, he had completely fallen for that beautiful, feisty, smuggler human. And just as soon as he’d taken a chance with her and made love to her, he’d pushed her away. He wouldn’t be surprised if she never wanted to talk to him again. But he would do his best to make amends. That was the test of a true man, right? One who could admit to his mistakes and figure out a way to fix the things he’d sludged up? He’d done that once before, when he opened the new Zekkardite mine. And he would do it again now. He’d man up and make things right with Nova.
But first, he had to take care of his city. Daxar hopped to his feet and started pacing in front of the window, feeling a rush of adrenaline as he started making plans. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. First, I want a guard detail down by the basestos crates. I doubt these fools will try to come in during broad daylight and take the crates, but we need to be careful. Then I need someone to find Nova for me so I can talk to her, and, uh, hopefully apologize convincingly enough for her to agree to help us.”
From the right side of the table, a snicker escaped Jarmuk’s mouth. Daxar glared at him.
“Sorry, Chief. I can’t help it. The idea of you apologizing to someone is just too funny.”
“I’m glad I could amuse you. Perhaps when you’re done laughing you could see to it that a level three lockdown is placed on the city dome. No one goes out except military guards, and no one gets in except for any of our Zocronians returning from the Zekkardite mines. If we have any previously scheduled supply shipments coming in, I want them delayed and diverted. I don’t care how much extra we have to pay. I don’t want anyone we don’t know coming into the city right now.”
“Understood, sir.” Jarmuk looked only mildly chastised. He still had a foolish grin on his face, but Daxar had more important things to worry about right now.
“Toryx, can yo
u secure me a military ship? I’ll need one equipped with long range weapons.”
“Of course.” Toryx looked surprised. “Are you going to need a pilot, too?”
Daxar shook his head no. “I will pilot the ship. I’m planning to use it to explode the basestos from what will hopefully be a safe distance.”
Toryx’s eyes widened. “But Daxar, that’s going to be really dangerous. You should have one of the pilots do it. You’re Chief. If something happened to you…”
“I’m Chief, yes. And I’m also the best damn pilot on this planet. You know that. I’m the best man for the job, and I’m the most likely to survive shooting up such a huge load of basestos. After Nova unlocks those safety crates for me, there’s gonna be some fireworks.”
Toryx said nothing else, opting instead to make his feelings known with a long, frustrated sigh. Daxar ignored him and turned to Evie.
“I have one more question that you or one of the crew might know the answer to. Assuming we destroy this particular load of basestos, how hard would it be for the guys who got this load of powder together to regroup and get another load?”
“Very hard,” Evie said. “Nearly impossible, in fact. I would bet that getting this amount of basestos together took years. It’s not something that easy to accumulate. For one thing, it’s relatively rare in the Seven Galaxies. And for another thing, you have to have a way to safely store it, which isn’t cheap. And besides all that, if the Feds catch wind of the fact that you’re stockpiling basestos, you can bet your ass they’re going to be knocking on your door, wanting explanations.”
“So if we destroy these boxes, we should be safe from another basestos attack for a few years, at least?”
“At least. I’m not sure these guys would attempt another attack like this. They’ve put a lot of money into it. A lot. If this fails, I’m not sure they’ll want to invest in another attempt.”
Daxar breathed out a sigh of relief. “Okay. This all sounds relatively hopeful. Let’s all get moving right away. Jarmuk and Toryx, you know what to do. Let’s get the lockdown in place, get me a ship ready, and get some guards on those basestos crates.”
“What should we do?” Evie asked, looking completely lost.
“You three can help find Nova. With the city on lockdown and a bunch of eyes looking for her, it can’t take too long. Maybe she’ll even answer if one of you contacts her on her e-assistant?”
Maisie shook her head. “No, I’ve been trying for the last several minutes. She’s not interested in talking to anyone. Not even us.”
Daxar grimaced. He should have known better than to hope for such an easy solution. He really should have kept his mouth shut for once instead of flying off the handle at Nova. But he had felt self-conscious, like the whole city of Zocrone must already know that the city dome was in danger, and that they were going to say it was his fault for opening up to an outsider.
But now was not the time to sit around and feel guilty. Now, the best thing he could do for his people was to stay focused on the task at hand: destroying those basestos crates before their enemy could get to them.
And to do that, he first had to find Nova.
He just hoped that he hadn’t destroyed everything between them with his attitude and big mouth.
After Daxar left the conference room, he went straight back to Black Hole Brews, hoping that she had gone there to hide out. She didn’t know that many places in the city yet, and her crew was already checking her apartment. The one pub she’d already visited seemed like a logical place to start searching.
But of course, Nova wasn’t going to make things that easy. When he got to the bar, Nova wasn’t there. A few moments later, his e-assistant beeped with a message from Evie, letting him know that Nova wasn’t at her apartment either.
“Well, sludge it. I guess it’s time to start a full-scale search.” Luckily, as Chief, Daxar had the authority to command all citizens to keep their eyes out for Nova. And since Nova’s little dance last night was the hot gossip in town, almost everyone had seen a picture or video of Nova, taken by one of the Zocronians who had been at the bar when the dance off went down. Daxar had just started to send a message to Jarmuk to ask him to start the official search when a message came in from Toryx.
Chief, the city dome is on lockdown. We have guards on the inside and outside of every possible exit, and we’ve notified all Zekkardite mining crews that are currently out in the mines that they’ll need to stay at the mines and not attempt to come back to the city dome until further notice. We’ve also sent out a squadron of guards to watch the crates of basestos. That was the very first thing we did, actually. They should be at the basestos location within the next few minutes.
Daxar smiled. Finally, some good news. He typed a message back. Good work. And my ship?
Toryx’s reply came a moment later. It’s in the final stages of pre-flight check. Should be ready within the next five minutes.
Daxar let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Everything was running as smoothly as he could hope for. All he had to do now was find Nova, summon up the strength to apologize, and get her to open the crates for him. Destroying them with long range weapons should be fairly easy. Yes, he would need to be careful, but he had no doubts he could manage the task. He’d been practicing long range maneuvers for what felt like his entire life.
Just as he was about to finish typing up the e-memo to get a citywide search for Nova going, another e-memo came in, this time from Jarmuk. Chief, can you call me on the military comm system? The guards have reached the basestos site, and it appears we have a problem.
Daxar swore under his breath as he immediately contacted Jarmuk on the military comm. Of course there was a problem. He should have known better than to think everything would continue running smoothly. His luck never worked that way.
“Chief?” Jarmuk answered Daxar’s comm call.
“Talk to me Jarmuk. What’s going on?”
“Sir, the guards just reached the basestos site, but the crates aren’t there.”
“What?” Daxar fought to push back the wave of nausea that was suddenly rolling over him.
“The crates aren’t there,” Jarmuk repeated. “The basestos is gone.”
Daxar swore under his breath and started running out of the bar. He had to get to that military ship, and fast.
Chapter Twelve
Nova ignored the small trickles of sweat that were traveling down her back. She hadn’t even taken the survival suit fully off yet, which made it a bit difficult to steer the spaceship. She wasn’t an awful pilot, but she wasn’t great, either. And piloting an unfamiliar ship, under time pressure, while wearing a survival suit, was testing the limits of her capabilities.
But that time pressure was what was keeping her from being able to stop and take off the survival suit. She had to get as far away from Zocrone as she could manage before Daxar realized that the basestos crates were missing. Once that happened, he was going to come after her, and he was going to be furious.
She just had to finish this mission before he found her. There was a good chance she wouldn’t survive, actually. She was playing a dangerous game. Would he miss her at all? Or would he still hold on to his anger? Would he regret what had happened the night before?
Nova didn’t regret it, and the possibility that he might cut deep at her heart. She had never felt as connected to someone as she had to Daxar when they were making love. But what had she expected? He had made no secret of his hatred for outsiders. Had she really thought he would change overnight, just for her? She was nothing special.
She was just Nova, the girl who looked like a star at first but always burned out in the end. And this was going to be her most spectacular burnout yet.
Nova struggled to keep from blacking out as the small spaceship she was on rapidly increased its speed to escape Zocrone’s atmosphere. She would have liked to have pushed the ship even harder, but she was going as fast as she dared. She had one shot at t
his. If she crashed this ship, Daxar would make sure she did not get a hold of another one and take off again. As it was, she was lucky to have gotten this ship. It hadn’t just been a matter of paying for the ship with an exorbitant amount of credits—which she definitely had done. It had also been about convincing the guy who owned the ship that it was a smart idea to sell it, especially to an outsider. Without Merkin, Nova would never have been able to pull this off. He had vouched for her, and Nova had quickly realized that Merkin’s word stood for a lot among the Zocronians. He might appear on the surface to be just a crazy old man fixing up e-assistants and other random electronics. But he had proven that there was much more to him than met the eye. Nova wasn’t sure what he’d done to earn the trust of so many Zocronians—or what she had done to earn his trust, for that matter. But she was grateful. He had negotiated for her to buy the ship, and for its former owner to give her a crash course on the best way to handle the finicky thing.
And it was finicky. The ship was a standard cargo ship that had been refitted with military grade shields and weapons. All the work had been done by an amateur who refit ships as a hobby. The quality of the shields and the weapons wasn’t the best, but the former owner had promised Nova that the ship would fly faster than any cargo ship she’d ever seen.
This wasn’t exactly true, since the Starburst had been exceptionally fast. But Nova had to admit that her new ride did have some kick to it. It had made it successfully through Zocrone’s atmosphere, and was now speeding toward the asteroid belt where the Starburst would have crash landed if Zocrone hadn’t been so conveniently close by. Once she landed her new ship on one of those asteroids, the truly gnarly part of her plan would begin.
Merkin hadn’t liked her plan, but he had understood that she was doing what she needed to do. Nova would never forget the way he had put his hands on her shoulders before she boarded this ship to leave Zocrone. He had looked at her with such kindly, fatherly eyes that she had wanted to weep. It had been a decade since her own father had passed away, and the memories that one fatherly look could bring back had threatened to overwhelm her. But she’d pulled herself together for the sake of Zocrone, and bid Merkin farewell.
The Alphas of the Seven Galaxies Page 12