by Sarah Noffke
Lars stared at the vessel just in front of the Black Eagle. “Huh? They look like ships.”
“Holograms are funny like that,” said Eddie.
“Holograms?” sputtered Lars. “Strong Arm, are you doing that?”
Julianna answered right away. “Yes, they’re projections. After the right modifications, Hatch was able to make them appear as actual ships on the radar too. Just one of many upgrades to this Omega-line Q-Ship.”
“Damn, that’s remarkable,” said Lars.
“Looks like it’s time to bring this guy in,” said Eddie. “Finally.”
“Finally?” questioned Julianna. “This took a whole five minutes—you’re so impatient. But yes, let’s bring him in and end this.”
Lars nodded, flipping the comm switch. “Defiance, we’re sending out tow cables. Cooperate, and you will not be harmed.”
There was no reply as Eddie fed out the cables and locked them securely into place. After they had been reinforced, Eddie signaled Julianna. “Strong Arm, we’re all set. Meet you back at ArchAngel.”
The Q-Ship projections disappeared from around the Black Eagle. “Copy,” responded Julianna. “I’ll be waiting with a welcome gift for our guest.”
“Freshly baked muffins?” asked Eddie, mock hope in his voice.
“With fucking crumble on top,” said Julianna.
Chapter Four
Loading Bay, QBS ArchAngel, Lorialis System
Julianna aimed a rifle at the rogue Black Eagle’s airlock as the ship slid to a halt in the landing bay, and the crew sprinted in like a well-oiled machine, chaining the craft down to the dock at once.
Julianna eyed the weapon in her hands. It was, sadly, more obsolete than the decommissioned ship in front of her.
I’m getting new weapons soon, she thought, turning the gun over and examining its side.
That could link you all to the Federation, Pip warned.
Not if I steal them from some pirates.
You’d better find the richest pirates you can, or their weapons won’t be any better than what you currently have.
Fighting undercover for the Federation had its perks, one of them being that they didn’t have to follow the same protocols as other divisions. However, the outdated weapons were a definite downside.
The crew had peeled back a safe distance and waited in silence.
Eddie and Lars were stationed in front of the ship’s hatch when it finally cracked open.
“Hold your fire and wait for my command,” said Julianna. She stepped forward, trying to get a good look at the pilot.
The cockpit door rose several more centimeters before she could see the pilot’s face, and she realized that he was human. By the time the man was in full view he had raised his hands above his head, and his eyes darted between her rifle and the other crew members.
“I surrender! I surrender! I surrender!” the guy said, his voice frantic as he stared down the barrel of Julianna’s gun. He was in his early twenties, about like Chester, but had a black Mohawk and green eyes. A silver metal ring looped through his eyebrow and he had another piercing in the ear on the opposite side.
“Step down slowly,” Julianna ordered, motioning to the floor with her rifle.
The pilot, who seemed more like a kid than anything with his pale face and shaking hands, did exactly as he was told. He dropped to his knees, keeping his hands behind his head. Julianna motioned to Lars. “Search him. And don’t try anything stupid,” she told the boy. “We like to shoot first and ask questions later around here.”
The guy’s face tightened when Lars reached into his waistband and pulled out a pistol which looked somehow more obsolete than the weapons they’d been using on this ship.
“I thought you said you didn’t mean me any harm,” the stranger said.
“We don’t,” said Julianna with a smile, the rifle in her hands steady, “but we need to ensure you’re the peaceful sort. We heard you mention the Brotherhood. Are you working for them?”
The man’s mouth fell open. “Fuck, no! I’m running from them.”
“Why’s that?” asked Eddie, stepping closer to Julianna as Lars drew back, raising his own weapon.
The kid started speaking quickly, obviously scared. “Defiance, the trading company I worked with, they were selling weapons to the Brotherhood. Well, actually they were selling guns to a human the Brotherhood appeared to be working for, someone named ‘Felix Castile.’”
“Okay, good. Now we’re getting somewhere,” said Julianna.
“I’d been on a run for Mateo,” continued the pilot. “I wasn’t there when they did the trade. I showed up…” The guy’s eyes shot to his knees, then to his side. They darted all over, but they didn’t focus on anything. They were frantic, almost like he was seeing something…or reliving it.
Julianna had seen this many times—this kid was in shock—and she lowered her weapon. “What did you see? What happened?” she asked, her voice a bit softer.
“He… The Brotherhood… They killed everyone. The entire Defiance Trading Company is dead,” he said, his eyes jerking from side to side.
Eddie’s gaze connected with Julianna’s and he gave her a slight nod, then lowered his rifle as well. “No, they didn’t, since you’re still alive.” Eddie turned to Lars, who was still held his rifle at the ready. “Will you please lead our visitor to an interrogation room?”
Julianna stepped forward, motioning for the stranger to lower his hands. “We call it an interrogation room, but please try to understand that we only want to talk. It sounds like we have mutual enemies. We can help you.”
A tremor ran over the boy’s face but he nodded, getting to his feet as Lars approached him. The Kezzin led him through the bay door, with Eddie and Julianna following closely behind.
The lights in the interrogation room were low, causing the Defiance pilot to squint at the pair when they entered.
“What’s your name, son?” asked Eddie, perching on the edge of the table and gazing down at him.
“Knox Gunnerson,” he said, looking at Eddie and Julianna quizzically. “Are you with the Federation?”
Julianna shook their head. “No, we’re a rogue outfit about like the Defiance Trading Company, but we don’t sell weapons to terrorists. We spend our energy and resources trying to stop the terrorists that your organization supplies.”
“The Defiance Trading Company isn’t bad. We’re—well, we used to be—there to help the little guy, help those who needed to defend themselves. It isn’t easy to get your hands on artillery out on the fringe. It’s different there. You wouldn’t understand.” Knox lowered his eyes to the table, cold resolve settling in them.
“I think we would understand,” said Eddie, his voice calm. “Our job is to stop these terrorists—the same people who took out your company. If you help us, maybe we can find them before they hurt anyone else.”
“What weapons did your people sell them?” asked Julianna.
Knox pursed his lips, looking like he was suddenly unwilling to talk.
“Look,” said Julianna, “we know how desperate things have gotten for some, and we’re not blaming you for what’s happened. We’re just trying to make sense of it. Will you help us?” She pulled out a chair and took a seat, hoping it made her appear less intimidating.
“I’ve been with the company for a while, ever since my pops disappeared. It’s hard surviving out there on your own, you know?” Knox ran his hand over his Mohawk, making it fall and bounce back slightly.
“I think we do.” Eddie held out a hand. “I’m Captain Eddie Teach, and I promise I know exactly how hard it is to be alone out here.”
Knox eyed the hand, but didn’t take it. Instead, his gaze swept to Julianna.
Reading the question in his eyes, she said, “I’m Commander Julianna Fregin.”
“And you’re all trying to defend against people like the Brotherhood?” asked Knox, then quickly added, “You know it’s impossible. They’re too big and too powe
rful, especially now.”
Julianna took in a steadying breath. She didn’t think this guy was bad. Scared, but not bad—there was a big difference. “I think we’d all be a bit happier if you could list exactly what the Brotherhood took from Defiance. We know you’ve been through a lot and we’d like to offer you safety here on the ship, but we need—”
“Safety in the brig, right?” challenged Knox.
“Well, we don’t actually know you,” began Eddie. “Until we have more information—”
“They took it all,” Knox burst out, looking frantic. “They took our whole armory, including six mini-nukes.”
Eddie cast a quick look at Julianna, who kept her eyes on Knox. Nukes were strictly illegal in the Federation, so the notion that their enemy had acquired some was alarming, to say the least.
“You said Felix Castile was there. What else can you tell us about him?” asked Julianna.
“We don’t sell to just anyone. Commander Lytes, I believe it was, got Castile in contact with Mateo. I wouldn’t have even known about it, but the call came while we were working on my ship together,” explained Knox. He stood and began pacing, looking down at the floor like a rush of emotion was about to burst from him, then halted and brought his scared eyes to Eddie like he didn’t know what to say next.
“Go on, son. What happened?” urged Eddie.
Knox swallowed and resumed pacing. “We—Defiance, I mean—don’t deal with anyone we don’t know. We don’t want to get blown to bits, you know.” He laughed coldly. “I guess we dropped the ball on that, since most everyone was killed. Anyway, Mateo said he wouldn’t deal with Felix even though Commander Lytes vouched for him. That was when Felix offered another reference that Mateo trusted, someone on Ronin he knew well. A trustworthy client.”
“You think this guy was lying?” asked Julianna.
Knox shook his head. “I think this Felix person intimidated him. Axel has never lied to us before, and he had no reason to ruin relations with the Defiance. I trust him.”
“Will you give us more information on this Axel person? Can we find him on Ronin?” asked Eddie.
Knox shrugged. “I could, but I doubt he’d talk to you. If I’m right, he’s not going to trust anyone he doesn’t know—not after what Felix did.”
Eddie twisted his lips, disappointed.
“What if…” Julianna began. “What if you established contact for us? Set up a meeting? If you know this Axel person…”
“Axel Link,” supplied Knox, “and yes, I’ve gone on a few runs to Ronin to supply him. He trusts me. Well, as much as he trusts anyone.”
Eddie’s eyes looked renewed with excitement. “That’s great! If you can make contact with him, we may find a clue as to where Felix is hiding.”
Knox looked unsure and chewed the inside of his cheek.
Eddie could sympathize with his uncertainty. “We need to find out as much about Felix Castile and the Brotherhood as we can so we can take them down. Do you want to be part of that?”
Knox paused for a long moment before he nodded slowly and answered, “Yeah. Yeah, I think I do. I’d love to watch those assholes pay.”
Chapter Five
Jack Renfro’s Office, QBS ArchAngel, Behemoth System
Jack and Julianna were engaged in what sounded like a heated discussion when Eddie entered the office and he paused to study the two. They in turn stopped conversing to look at him.
“If this is about the crate of Blue Ale that disappeared, I’ve got no leads,” said Eddie, taking a seat next to Julianna.
Jack shook his head. “We stopped wondering about any missing alcohol after you joined.”
Eddie winked. “Good call. I support that line of thinking.”
Julianna pushed back in her chair, swiveling her chiseled and serious jaw in Eddie’s direction. “Jack seems to think that Knox should accompany us to meet with Axel Link.”
“That’s a great idea!” Eddie said. His tone surprising Julianna, who reacted with revulsion. Seeing her face, Eddie shook his head. “A great idea for a crazy person, I mean.”
Jack, always good-tempered, folded his hands on the top of his desk and gazed at them calmly. “I totally understand the Commander’s concerns about this Knox Gunnerson person—he’s a potential hazard to this crew and our mission—but I’ve checked out his records, and can attest that so far everything he’s told you adds up. Looks like his father went missing a long time ago, leaving him to fend for himself on the streets. He has no crimes on his record, and he’s tested negative for any narcotics.”
“You had him tested?” Eddie pushed forward in his seat, alarmed.
“We don’t know anything about him,” Jack explained.
“We didn’t know anything about Lars either,” retorted Eddie.
“But Lars saved our asses,” Julianna cut in.
“Give this guy half a chance and he might do the same. He’s a fucking orphan.” Eddie didn’t know why he was so outraged, except that he felt sympathy for the boy. Knox had been labeled as a criminal automatically, it seemed, which gave him zero chance at redemption unless someone believed in him and gave him the opportunity to prove himself.
Julianna frowned. “Teach, you want to adopt a bunch of puppies, do it on your own time. We have to be careful who we bring on this ship. We can’t let our guard down for just anyone.”
Jack cut in with, “Understandably the Commander is worried about Knox going on this mission, but I think that pairing her caution with your openness is the perfect balance. Knox could be a live wire, or he could be exactly who we need to fill in a missing piece in the puzzle concerning Felix. We need something—anything!—that will tell us what he’s planning.”
“We know that he has a personal vendetta against General Reynolds for something that happened long ago.”
He was holding a grudge. That was all they knew about Felix Castile. The General had told them that he’d personally brief them on the history later. What was important now was getting a step ahead of Felix and cutting him off before he did too much damage.
Chewing angrily on her lip, Julianna nodded. “I agree with that. Felix has an army now, and it’s bigger than before. If this Axel Link person knows something or someone with information, it could be the intel we need to solve this puzzle.”
“Knox said he had Axel’s trust,” stated Jack, “which means you’re going to need him to get there. From what I can tell from reviewing the intel we have, Axel won’t talk to just anyone.” Jack tapped a pad on his desk, one that apparently contained all the information the Federation possessed on Axel. “He’s a retired weaponsmith, and is supposedly highly paranoid. He’s rumored to be holed up in a heavily-guarded old building somewhere on Ronin. You said Knox made runs there for Defiance, correct?”
“That was what he said,” answered Eddie, trying to read the contents of the pad as Jack pushed it toward them.
“Then I think the boy needs to go with you, especially because of the location,” said Jack.
“The location?” asked Julianna just as the door opened behind them.
Hatch, who was absentmindedly paging through notes on a pad he was holding in one of his tentacles, hardly looked up as he entered. Only then did Eddie realize that the chair on the other side of Julianna had been specially designed for Hatch.
“Yes. The location is why I’ve invited Doctor A’Din Hatcherik to join us.” Jack offered a hand to the Londil, who took a seat in the modified chair. His tentacles found resting places on the many different arms.
Hatch paused a moment to adjust before looking at Eddie. “Gun Barrel. That’s the city in which this weaponsmith lives.”
“Do you know him?” asked Julianna, leaning forward.
“Link? Oh, no. I’ve heard of him, though. He used to be a big deal in the weapons trade.” Eyes still resting on Eddie, Hatch continued, “You better be prepared, because Gun Barrel ain’t for the faint of heart. It’s a tough place, Teach. Make one dumb move and you’ll get yo
urself blown up.”
“Doctor A’Din Hatcherik, you said there was something you could offer us,” urged Jack.
“ArchAngel or Pip can give you facts on Gun Barrel. You can and should listen to them,” said Hatch as the monitor on the wall behind Jack flickered to life.
“Did I hear my name?” asked ArchAngel, her face appearing on the display.
“You didn’t,” Hatch said, puffing out his cheeks and looking annoyed.
“I do believe that you said I should be listened to. Does that mean you count me as a resource?” asked ArchAngel, sounding amused.
“I believe we are having a meeting,” said Hatch, looking away sharply.
Eddie regarded the AI, and then Hatch. “I guess you two are having a bit of a spat. Seems like that kind of thing is bound to happen when you share a ship.”
“Doctor A’Din Hatcherik prefers Pip over me, that’s all. He would rather wait around for Pip to help and not get a project done than rely on anyone else,” ArchAngel informed them.
“What? What does she mean?” asked Julianna.
“She means that her software is fried and needs to be deleted. I just find Pip to be more in line with my personality, that’s all. It’s kind of like Teach and me—we simply don’t get along,” said Hatch.
“I love the hell out of you. What are you talking about?” asked Eddie, goading the mechanic.
Julianna stroked her chin with her thumb. “Oh. Well, I guess I can understand having preferences, but still, ArchAngel is part of our team... Julianna’s voice trailed off and she had a strange expression on her face. She hadn’t been the same since Pip had become sentient. Eddie was going to get to the bottom of that—whatever was going on with her—one way or another.
Jack cleared his throat and everyone looked at him, suddenly remembering why they were there. “Right. Doctor, you were saying?”
Hatch wrapped two tentacles around the pad in front of him. “I was saying that Teach would die in Gun Barrel, but what I’d like to elaborate on is that there are both climate issues and a dress code. You won’t survive long in that city without minding both.”