Renegade Moon (Renegade Star Book 3)

by JN Chaney

  And so we did, running straight through the final corridor to reach the engine room.

  As we arrived, we found the ceiling had opened up, fading into darkness as it stretched high into the ship. Lights blinked on the nearby dash, close to a massive tube, which I assumed must be the engine. It was difficult to know if this was the place or if the core itself was elsewhere, but given the way the tube had been placed—center of the room, surrounded by consoles and lights—I assumed it must be.

  Lex began to glow again, only this time she didn’t have to touch anything. Instead, something on the console reacted. I stepped closer to see a slit open, round and about the size of the core, itself.

  I reached into my pocket, pulling out the power source. “All that work, just for this,” I muttered, staring at the core. I brought it above the console. “This better work, Athena.”

  I slid the container inside, finding a perfect fit. There was a hard click, followed by a humming sound. The machine twisted the core where it sat, rotating it to the left, nearly all the way, then slightly to the right. I waited, my eyes lingering once it stopped. “That’s it?” I asked. “Is it broken or—”

  The console sucked the core inside itself, startling me, and the humming noise grew louder, vibrating the floor beneath our feet. “What’s that?” asked Lex.

  I grabbed her hand to keep her steady, taking the nearby wall with my other. A burst of green light boomed from inside the tube, illuminating the surrounding area as the glow spread into the upper recesses of the ship, high above our heads and into the vertical tunnel. Another burst quickly followed, and then another. Rapid firing continued until the lights began to blur into one another, until the bursts became a steady stream of glowing light.

  The tunnel above us stretched so far into the ship that I couldn’t see the end.

  Lex and I stood together, lost in the array of color. If Athena was to be believed, this was one of the most powerful engines in the galaxy, and now it was coming online.

  The vibrating floor and the sounds of the core began to slow, like a storm was ending. After a few more moments, the chaos seemed to settle, replaced with the electric hum of an idling engine.

  The overhead lights turned on at once, surprising us both. It happened one at a time, with sections of the deck lighting up, bit by bit, until everything was normal. The consoles powered on next, blinking red and yellow dots filling the workstations with activity, despite having no one there to operate them. This formerly dead part of the ship suddenly felt very much alive.

  Through all this, the core never lost its powerful green glow, however, and it continued to dominate the room, drawing my eyes like I was a bug.

  Athena popped into existence, right in front of us. “Well done,” she said at last.

  I was glad to see her emitters back online, the final sign I needed to know the core had worked.

  Lex ran up to her. “Did we do it right?”

  “Yes, you did, Lex,” said the Cognitive. “Excellent work.”

  Lex cheered, turning to me, like I was expected to join in. I conceded a smile, and she seemed to think that was good enough.

  “What’s the plan, Athena? What do we do now?” I asked, staring up into the bowels of the core above my head. The lights went deep into the megastructure, and I couldn’t help but be taken aback by it.

  “Now?” asked Athena, stepping closer to me, a concerned look in her eyes. “Now, Captain Hughes, I believe it is time for us to run.”

  * * *

  “Titan’s energy reserves had nearly been depleted when we arrived,” explained Athena.

  We were back in slipspace, headed as far away from the goddamn Union as we could get. I stood on the bridge, along with Abigail and Freddie, who’d rushed to meet me here so we could formulate some kind of strategy.

  Abigail continued. “We had enough to open a final tunnel, should we have needed it. Thankfully, the mission had been a success, and Captain Hughes managed to get the core back in time.”

  “Lucky,” said Freddie.

  “Not for Alphonse,” I said. “Speaking of, how’s he doing?”

  Abigail shook her head. “Critical. He needs surgery. Octavia is handling it, although I’m uncertain whether she has the necessary tools or experience.”

  “She’s a former medic,” said Freddie.

  “Hardly the same as a surgeon,” argued Abigail.

  “Please, everyone,” interjected Athena. “Soon, Titan’s systems will be back online. That includes more than the engines.”

  “What are you saying?” asked Abby.

  “This vessel contains a medical bay with multiple regeneration pods. Once the core has fully rebooted and all systems have been restored, all serious injuries can be seen to.”

  “What’s all that, now?” I asked. “Are you saying you can heal Alphonse?”

  “Certainly,” said the Cognitive, like it was obvious. “Titan was built with the most sophisticated medical equipment available. In addition to the regeneration pods, we also have a complete line of surgical units.”

  “Jace, we have to get Alphonse to one of those pods,” said Abigail.

  “We can’t,” said Freddie. “The systems haven’t come back yet.”

  “Correct,” said Athena. “It will be some time before all areas of Titan are restored, including the medical bay.”

  “Athena, can you show us the feed of Octavia and Alphonse?” I asked.

  She nodded, then waved her hand, changing the wall to screen behind her to show the landing bay, near The Renegade Star.

  “Hey, you didn’t freeze up this time,” observed Freddie.

  “A result of the new core,” she explained.

  “It’s nice to see something has improved,” I remarked.

  Octavia was in her chair, sitting beside an unconscious Alphonse, with Hitchens and Bolin on the other side of him. The two men were handing her equipment, helping with what I could only guess was some sort of surgery.

  “Can you open a channel?” I asked.

  Athena nodded. “Speak when ready, Captain.”

  Octavia currently had a metal object inside of Alphonse’s chest, so I waited a moment before I spoke. When she brought the tool away from him and there was no danger in accidentally nicking an artery, I said, “Can anyone hear me?”

  Octavia flinched at the sound of my voice “Captain?” she said.

  “Yeah, Athena patched me through. How’s Alphonse? Did you get the bullet out?” I asked.

  She relaxed. “Not yet,” she said, shaking her head. “We’re still working on it. I think I’ll have it out of him soon, but I’m concerned about internal bleeding, should we remove it. The bullet is in a delicate position.”

  “Is it possible to keep it contained?” asked Abigail.

  “He’s stable for the moment, but I can’t promise he won’t bleed out if we leave him this way,” said Octavia.

  “Athena says she has a way to fix him, but it’ll take time,” I said.

  Octavia looked at Hitchens. “Fix him?” She glanced back at the ceiling. “How?”

  “There’s a medical bay on the ship, but power’s still being restored. We need you to keep him alive for—” I glanced at Athena. “How long?”

  “Enough power should be restored in thirty minutes, approximately,” said the Cognitive. “However, this is only an estimate. The process has not been attempted in quite some time.”

  “Right, we’ll take our chances,” I said. “Did you get all that, Octavia?”

  “I did,” she said, wiping some blood from Alphonse’s chest. “I’ll do what I can until you’re ready.”

  “Right,” I said, motioning with my hand to Athena. “That’s all for now.”

  The screen went dark.

  “Things are looking up,” said Freddie. “If the medical bay is operational, of course.”

  I nodded. “It will be, I’m sure.”

  “You sound positive about that,” said Abigail.

  I shrugg
ed. I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but we wouldn’t know anything until Athena brought that department back online. Until then, it was better to hope for the best.

  If the plan fell apart, Octavia would have to step up and do the surgery, for better or worse. Those were really the only two options. Either the medical pod saved the Constable…or Octavia did. Either way, there wasn’t much I could do about it, and I hated worrying about things I had no say in.

  Better to focus on what I could control. “We need to do something about that woman, too,” I said, changing the subject.

  “What woman?” asked Freddie.

  “Dressler,” said Abigail. “We brought her back from Priscilla.”

  “You did what?!” asked Freddie. “When were you going to mention that?”

  “When we had time,” said the nun.

  “She’s in Abby’s old room on The Star,” I explained. “I’ll go check on her. She’s probably freaking out.”

  “You’ve been back for a few hours now. Has she been there this whole time?” asked Freddie.

  I shrugged and got to my feet. “She’s fine.”

  “Captain, before you leave,” said Athena. She teleported beside me, causing me to stop, abruptly. “Due to our creating this slip tunnel, we are being forced to use our energy in such a way that Titan’s restoration will take longer than normal. If we stop for only an hour, we can have all major systems back online, including the medical facility as well as weapons and shields.”

  “Weapons?” I asked. “Lady, why didn’t you say so? Pull out of this pipe as soon as you can.”

  “Captain, are you sure about that?” asked Freddie.

  “What’s not to be sure of?” asked Abigail. “Alphonse’s life is on the line.”

  I raised my brow. “Since when do you care about the Constable? I thought you hated that guy.”

  “I don’t hate him,” she snapped, with a harsher tone than I expected. “He just… he saved me down there. I don’t want him to die because of it.”

  “So, you feel like you owe him something. Is that it?” I asked. “It’s your guilt that’s making you care?”

  “No, it’s not that,” she said, pausing. “Or maybe it is. I don’t know. I just don’t want him to die.”

  I walked closer to her, until I was less than a meter away. “I don’t want him to die, either. Gods know why.” I laughed, shaking my head. “But don’t forget where you are.”

  She scoffed. “And where is that?”

  “In the middle of a war,” I answered.

  Eleven

  “What exactly do you plan on doing with me, sir?” asked Doctor Dressler. The woman scowled at me with accusatory eyes. It was the kind of look I used to get all the time, back when I was a kid. Always the vagrant, always the suspect. In this case, I actually was the one responsible, but she wasn’t going to get the satisfaction of hearing me say it. Sure, I had just kidnapped this woman and brought her to my ship against her will, but that was besides the point.

  “Listen, lady,” I said, never one to apologize. “I don’t know if you realize it or not, but your own people were down there trying to kill you. They shot at all of us, not just me. Not just Abigail. All of us.”

  “That’s because what you stole is more valuable than a single life, including mine,” she said.

  “Is that a fact?” I asked, leaning against the door panel with my arms crossed. Unlike Alphonse, who was a trained assassin and spy, I decided not to keep my gun pointed at her face the entire time we talked. That didn’t mean I still wouldn’t keep my distance. There was always a chance she was more than she appeared. Abigail had taught me that. “The union doesn’t give a shit about you, lady. They don’t give a shit about anybody. Doesn’t matter who you are or what your job is.” I started to laugh. “For gods’ sake, you were the lead scientist in one of their most prestigious facilities in the entire galaxy, and they still almost killed you. The way I see it, you don’t owe the Union anything, especially loyalty.”

  “Are you seriously giving me a lecture on ethics and loyalty right now?” she asked. “That’s interesting, coming from a Renegade. Don’t you people murder and steal on a daily basis?”

  “Well, I do try,” I said, giving her a wink.

  She scowled at me again, apparently not liking my charming personality. Her loss. “Just let me go and I promise not to tell anyone anything,” she said.

  “I’ll tell you what, Doc,” I began. “Have a little patience and sit your ass in this room for just a bit longer, give me a chance to get my shit in order, then when I have a spare second, I’ll give you a shuttle and send you on your merry way. How’s that?”

  She stared at me for a moment, an odd look in her eyes, like she was waiting for me to take it back. “Is this some kind of joke?” She asked.

  “No joke,” I told her, speaking only the truth. “I wouldn’t lie about letting you go. Despite what you may think of me, I ain’t the bad guy here. Not this time, contrary to how much I might want to be.”

  “Why would you just let me go like that?” She asked.

  “Because it’s one less mouth to feed. One less person to take care of,” I explained. “And honestly, lady, you just ain’t worth the trouble. I got a crew to look after, but that doesn’t include you.”

  “Good,” she answered, not hiding her annoyance with me. “How long before I can leave?”

  I chuckled at her blunt attitude. “Gimme a few days. You can go after we put some distance between the Union and this ship. Fair enough?”

  “You kidnapped me and you’re asking if this is fair?” she asked.

  “Right,” I said, tapping my chin. “Well, it’ll have to do.”

  I shut the door between us, leaving her in the room to marinate on our talk. She’d probably call me a monster in her head, tell herself I was nothing but a dog, and she’d be right.

  I’ve always been an animal.

  * * *

  I received a message from Athena on my way to the landing bay. “We will emerge from slipspace momentarily, Captain.”

  “How long until you have the med bay up and running?” I asked, making my way through the corridor.

  “Not long. I suggest you begin transporting the patient immediately,” her disembodied voice told me.

  I started jogging, winding through the hall and nearing the final turn before the landing bay. The second I entered, I spotted Octavia next to Alphonse, with Bolin and Hitchens wiping their hands. They appeared to have blood on them. “Hey!” I shouted. “How’s he looking?”

  “Still alive,” Octavia told me.

  “What’s with the blood?” I asked as I approached, nodding to the two burly men a few meters from Octavia.

  “I couldn’t use my hands to do everything, and it got a little messier than I anticipated,” she explained. “I was concerned that if we didn’t act soon—”

  “Did it work?” I asked.

  She nodded. “As well as to be expected.”

  I stood over the Constable, watching him breathe. I guess you could’ve called him asleep, but he didn’t look like it. There was a peacefulness to sleep, something he didn’t have right now. With sweat on his cheeks and blood on his chest, soaking his shirt, the poor bastard looked like a mess.

  “We need to move him,” I said.

  “Where?” asked Octavia.

  I motioned at Bolin. “Think you can help carry him?” I asked.

  Bolin set the cloth down and, along with Hitchens, came back over to the Constable’s table. “I’ll help however I can.”

  “Me, too,” said Hitchens.

  I nodded, looking at Octavia again. “We’re taking him to the medical bay, the place I told you about with the pods. Athena says they’ll be online soon, so we need to hurry.”

  “That’s good news, but how do you expect to transport him?” she asked.

  “Wait here,” I said, then took off toward The Renegade Star’s loading deck.

  I returned a few minutes
later with my hover cart, bringing it just beside Alphonse. “You want to take him on that?” asked Octavia.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  She sighed. “I guess it’s fine. Just be careful with him. Too much movement could upset the wound. Doctor Hitchens, would you mind assisting the captain?”

  “Of course,” said Hitchens. He walked next to Alphonse’s feet, placing his hands on the Constable’s ankles and giving me a short nod.

  I waited for Octavia to move, then got in close beside Alphonse’s right side, near his midsection, with Bolin across from me. Together, along with Hitchens, we lifted Alphonse off the table and moved him gently onto the hover cart.

  “Be extremely careful,” cautioned Octavia, rolling further out of the way, once we had the Constable secured. “The slightest bump could dislodge that bullet. If that happens, there won’t be anything I, or anyone, can do.”

  “We’ll be careful. Come on, Bolin. You’re coming, too. All three of you are.” I started to move the cart, walking quickly, but carefully, toward the exit corridor. “Let’s go save this kid’s life.”

  * * *

  We disembarked from the elevator on deck 19, not far from the medical bay. Athena directed me as we went, suggesting that it would still be several minutes before the facilities were back online.

  We’d just arrived out of the slip tunnel, which meant Titan’s systems could finally power on. It was just going to take some time, that’s all.

  I led the group to the third hall, which we took to the seventh room. It was clear this was the right place, because it was open and didn’t have a door attached, making for easy access. I imagined that whoever built this place must have wanted passengers to be able to come and go as they please.

  We pulled the cart inside the med bay, minding the archway so as not to bump the patient and accidentally kill him.

  I stopped, turning around to examine the room, and found myself surprised by all the machines. There were large pods all along the walls, ten on each side, with an enclosed room in the center-back, which appeared to have a closed door and glass windows. From a glance, I could see shelves of medical supplies inside.

  “Athena, what’s next?” I asked the empty room, glancing at the ceiling.