by Ryk Brown
“He’s coming around!” the second rescue technician shouted.
Both the crew chief and the lead rescue technician quickly removed their helmets, tossing them aside.
“Captain Nash!” the lead rescue technician yelled. “Sir, can you hear me? Are you all right?”
Nash opened his eyes, looking at the faces of his rescuers. “No, I’m pretty sure I’m not.”
“Where do you hurt, sir?”
“Everywhere,” Captain Nash replied. “Just get me out of this thing, will you?”
* * *
The sound of energy weapons fire, from both friend and foe, filled the corridor. Bolts of energy—reds, oranges, yellows, and ambers—ricocheted off the walls at oblique angles. Explosions echoed as every charge eventually struck something directly, blowing it apart. The walls were blood-stained, the decks littered with corpses—some in full battle armor, others in basic Jung uniforms.
Ghatazhak forces continued to advance down the main central corridor toward the battleship’s command and control center. They fired as they sprinted forward, braving the incoming enemy fire that by now was mostly from small arms instead of the heavier, more powerful rifles used by their security forces.
As the commander had hoped, the influx of now more than one hundred and fifty Ghatazhak soldiers had caused the defenders to split their forces into multiple fronts, thus weakening them across the board. Now, with another eighty of his men about to join the battle, the tide was rapidly turning.
Familiar red-orange bolts of energy assaulted the force the commander faced from their rear. The enemy, mostly armed officers and technicians, was forced to defend in all directions as Ghatazhak troops advanced on them from all sides.
Commander Telles charged forward, followed closely by his trusted friend and right-hand man, Master Sergeant Jahal. He moved with effortless grace, leaping over the dead and the dying, firing his rifle with pinpoint accuracy as each target presented itself.
The eyes of the enemy widened as they realized their moment had come. Live or die, they would do so with honor. The senior of them met the challenge, his battle cry loud and confident as he charged headlong into the advancing Ghatazhak forces. His men followed, emboldened by their leader’s confidence. The ones at the front of the charge were the first to fall, as were the ones at the rear, as more Ghatazhak forces attacked from the opposite end of the corridor. Those in the middle clashed with the commander and his men. Both sides fired at point blank range, then began swinging their weapons like clubs as the opposing forces collided.
With guns, the Jung officers and technicians had a chance. In hand-to-hand combat, they had none. The Ghatazhak cut them down with ease, killing everyone they saw, even those dropping their weapons and throwing up their hands in defeat.
The Ghatazhak were not interested in surrender. They were in a killing frenzy, one that could only be brought on by the brutality of war, the death of comrades, and the taste of imminent victory. The commander and his men had suffered the humility of retreat earlier that day, and they had no intention of ever tasting it again. This battle would be theirs for the taking.
Commander Telles was the first through the entrance to the command and control center. He quickly fired seven shots, each of them striking an enemy that was making threatening movements. He continued forward toward the center of the room as his men followed behind him and spread out in all directions. More weapons fire was exchanged, as a few brave Jung officers attempted to mount one last defense of their ship, but the commander’s men, their determination intensified by the rage of combat, were not about to allow it.
Commander Telles continued walking forward, dropping his rifle to let it dangle at his side. He pulled out his sidearm and pointed it at the cluster of Jung officers at the center of the room. “This ship is now the property of the Alliance!” the commander yelled, his tone that of absolute confidence and authority over the situation. “You are all my prisoners! Cooperate, and your lives shall be spared! Refuse, and you shall most assuredly die!”
A senior Jung officer at the center of the group, one that appeared to be the captain of the vessel, responded in vile fashion. His tone was seething with disdain, as he responded in Jung.
Commander Telles fired a single shot directly into the officers forehead, blowing the entire top of his head away and sending the man’s brains across the faces of the officers clustered around him. “I’ll take that as a refusal, then.”
“Commander,” the master sergeant called. “We are still engaged on multiple decks.”
Commander Telles pointed his weapon at the next officer. “Order your forces to surrender.” The officer said nothing. He turned to the next man, giving the same order, but was met with the same stoic face. One by one, he gave each of them the opportunity to live, and each of them bravely refused.
“I am impressed,” the commander said after killing the last officer in the group. He turned to Master Sergeant Jahal. “Have we captured main power and engineering?”
“Yes, moments ago.”
“Good. Have all our men button up and go to suit air. Then find the damage control station and start venting every compartment where resistance is still in progress. Lock down everything else, and shut down all environmental systems. Those who do not surrender will suffocate.”
“Sir?” the master sergeant replied. He was not questioning his commander’s orders, rather, his tone was meant to verify that the commander was certain about his decision. It was a subtlety that only a friend could get away with.
“Enough Ghatazhak blood has been shed today,” the commander replied. He turned and looked at his friend. “Not a drop more.”
* * *
Naralena stared at the view screen in disbelief. She had watched the entire invasion from the safety of her and Jessica’s quarters at the Cetian Liberation Army’s underground facility just outside of Kohara’s capital city of Cetia.
The door burst open, and Gerard and two armed men entered the room in hurried fashion. “We must go,” he told Naralena as he grabbed her jacket from the bed and handed it to her.
“Have you heard what’s going on out there?” she exclaimed, pointing at the view screen.
“Yes, on the way in,” Gerard replied. “Quickly…”
“Is it true?” Naralena asked. “Did the Ghatazhak really withdraw?”
“Yes, which is why we must leave, now,” Gerard pleaded. “They will be searching for us…all of us.”
“They left me behind?”
“They will come back for us,” Gerard told her as he grabbed her arm and pulled her up from her chair. “The commander promised me as much.”
“What commander?”
Gerard shook his head, “Tells? I think that was his name.”
“Commander Telles…light brown hair, dark eyes, never smiles?”
“Yes, yes, yes. That was the one, quickly.”
“Where are we going?” Naralena asked as she followed them out the door.
“As far from the city as possible,” Gerard replied. “Into the wilderness. We have a place… Several of them, actually. We will disperse and hide for now, but we will need to change our appearance.”
“How are we supposed to change our appearance?” Naralena wondered.
Gerard looked back, noting Naralena’s long, dark hair. “How attached are you to all that hair?”
CHAPTER FOUR
“This can wait,” Yanni whispered to Deliza as they continued down the corridor toward the conference room.
“You don’t have to whisper,” Deliza remarked. “These men are body guards, not spies.”
“I’m just saying, a lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours. It might be better to wait a few days before making big decisions.”
“I am not a child, Yanni.”
“I was not implying such, and you know it.”
“Mister Hiller does make a valid point, Princess,” Captain Navarro chimed in from behind. “Good business decisions are never made while in an emotional state.”
“I am not in an emotional state,” she retorted, taking offense to his words. “As matter of fact, the two of you risk putting me into such a state with your chauvinistic attempts to placate.”
“Forgive me, Princess…”
Deliza stopped dead in her tracks, turning to face him. “…And stop calling me Princess,” she demanded in hushed tones. She took a deep breath, pulling at the bottom of her tunic to smoothen out its fit across the front of her torso. “The title no longer applies. Please, refer to me as ‘Deliza’, or ‘Miss Ta’Akar’.”
“As you wish,” the captain agreed. Deliza turned away and continued on. Captain Navarro exchanged a knowing glance with Yanni, as they followed her down the corridor and entered the conference room at the end.
The room was well decorated, with the dark woods that were common in the halls of Corinairan business offices. An entire side of the room looked out over the city below, the glass so clear that one felt the overwhelming desire to reach out and touch it to confirm it was actually there.
“We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?” Mister Lammond said as he entered the conference room from a side door. He walked up next to Deliza, joining her to look out at the city. “Hard to believe it’s only been a year since your father and Captain Scott liberated us from the rule of Caius.”
“It is a testament to Corinairan tenacity,” Deliza replied as she stared out at the distant horizon.
“We were all deeply saddened by the news of your father’s passing,” Mister Lammond assured her in placating tones. “He was truly a great man. We have lobbied to make him a place among our Walk of Heroes. We expect no opposition from Parliament.”
“Funny, since he was once considered an outlaw on your world.” Deliza took a deep breath, pulling herself out of her brief melancholy and turning toward Mister Lammond. “If you truly wish to honor my father, you may do so by honoring your business arrangements with his house, through his heirs, of which I am the last.”
“Of course, of course. Such has always been our intent.” Mister Lammond turned and gestured toward the conference table as the other three partners, as well as their legal counsel, entered the room and took their seats. “I assume that you know the members of the partnership?”
“I have read the brief that you so generously prepared for me,” Deliza replied. “Gentlemen,” she added, nodding respectfully to the others in attendance. Deliza was born and raised on Haven, a world where men and women were equal in all ways. Then, she was thrust into the role of princess on a world where the power that women held was from behind the protection of the men in their family. Now, she was on a world where men and women were again equal, yet the women allowed the men to run the businesses and the government, while they pursued matters of science, technology, and art. All things said, she was more at home here than she had been on Takara. “May I introduce Captain Navarro, and Yanni Hiller.”
“Gentlemen, a pleasure,” Mister Lammond said in the curt fashion as he sat down. “I am quite sure that I was not the only one among us to be surprised by your sudden appearance on our world,” Mister Lammond explained, “let alone your request to meet.”
“I felt it prudent to deal with matters at hand in timely fashion,” Deliza explained.
“And what matters might those be?”
Deliza sensed Mister Lammond’s apprehension and found it odd. “To ensure that revenue earned by my family’s interest in this partnership continue to serve the interests of the Alliance. It was the primary reason my father formed this business arrangement, was it not?”
“Indeed it was,” Mister Lammond agreed.
“So, naturally, it troubles me that his financial records show an indebtedness to all of you.”
“A minor matter,” Mister Lammond assured her. “The antimatter cores that your father purchased on behalf of the Alliance were quite expensive, as was their shipping and handling. Antimatter is rather finicky stuff…”
“I am aware of the safety precautions involved in the handling of antimatter, Mister Lammond,” Deliza interrupted, irritated by his patronizing tone.
“Yes, of course.”
“I trust that the antimatter was acquired and is en route to Sol?”
“Indeed. It should arrive within the week.”
“According to my calculations, the balance sheet after the transactions, although lower than usual, was still positive after the purchase,” Deliza stated.
“Yes, however, your father also requested that we procure as many Morquar BE729 engines as possible, as well the Conklin RT175B maneuvering thrusters.”
“Both are rather antiquated and should be easy to find,” Deliza surmised.
“Yes, but in the volume your father wished to purchase them, there were additional risks involved.”
“Risks?”
“I believe your father was concerned that should he buy them in smaller batches, as funds became available, that someone else in the business of buying and selling such merchandise might take notice of the sudden demand and start buying it themselves, positioning themselves as a middleman in the hopes of driving up prices to make a profit,” Mister Lammond explained. “The partnership agreed to cover the debt until such time as Casimir’s portion of future propellant sales could repay that debt, with interest, of course. Unfortunately, no formal agreement had been reached.”
“One moment,” Deliza said. She leaned in toward Captain Navarro.
The captain pressed the privacy button built into the edge of the conference table in front of him, enveloping himself, Deliza, and Mister Hiller in a slightly opaque, soundproof field that separated them from the rest of the partners.
“Do you know anything about these purchases?” Deliza asked.
“I believe these items were to be used to drive jump-enabled fast-attack gunships,” Captain Navarro explained. “They have been building an assembly line on Tanna for more than a month now, and they expect to start production soon. Admiral Dumar considers these gunships to be vital to the Alliance.”
“I assume the items have already shipped.”
“Indeed they have,” Captain Navarro confirmed, “weeks ago. In fact, they have probably already been delivered.”
“Then I suppose we shall have to pay for them,” Deliza said, sitting up straight again.
Captain Navarro deactivated the sound suppression field, which dissolved from view.
Deliza looked directly at Mister Lammond. “What were the terms that you and my father discussed?”
“As you know, the profit split has always been fifty percent to your family, and fifty percent to be divided among the remaining partners. Your father offered to alter the profit split of the next four shipments of propellant to seventy-five twenty-five, thus giving up half of his profits over the next four shipments.”
Deliza raised her eyebrow in doubt at the specifics of the deal. “Based on the sales reports of the most recent shipments, that appears to be a quite lucrative arrangement, for you and your partners, that is.”
“Your father had always understood that the partnership takes considerable risk of retribution in other markets by the nobles for our support of Casimir’s legal, yet somewhat clandestine business operations. Because of that, he has never begrudged us a profit.”
“Perhaps,” Deliza said, “however, I am not my father, and I do not consider the risks that you claim to be taking worthy of that level of compensation.”
Mister Lammond and his partners appeared to be unfazed by Deliza’s implied accusations. “I assume you have an offer you would like us to entertain?”
&n
bsp; “Two shipments, at seventy-five twenty-five,” Deliza replied firmly, her voice suggesting it was not open for negotiation. “That will still leave you plenty of profit in exchange for your so called risks.”
“And if the market should change over the next few months, that margin may be insufficient. I see no reason why we should be expected to risk taking a loss simply because the Alliance’s needs were greater than their benefactor’s holdings.” Mister Lammond waved his hand in dismissal. “I’m afraid we couldn’t entertain anything less than three loads, unless of course you wanted to decrease your percentage, or float it on a market-based margin.”
Deliza remained expressionless as she locked eyes with the elderly businessman. “Or, I could order Captain Navarro to jump the Avendahl to Sol, thus negating the need to build gunships, and allowing the Alliance to refuse delivery. I’m sure you can get your money back by selling those engines yourself. It may take some time, but as you said, there are risks.”
Mister Lammond laughed. “You would be in breach of contract.”
“You had no formal agreement with my father regarding the repayment of this loan, and even if you did, how would you enforce it? By arresting me? By filing a civil action?” Deliza glanced at the four security guards from the Avendahl, standing outside the conference room as her protectors, as if to make a point.
“You and your Alliance need the revenue from the sales of propellant to fund your campaigns…”
“I’m sure I can find someone else to whom I can sell propellant. Perhaps the Paleans, or the Haven Syndicate?”
“Do you really think it wise to make idle threats, young lady?”
“I make no threats, Mister Lammond. I simply state facts.”
“We have no need of the Avendahl’s protection,” Mister Lammond insisted, waving his hand in dismissal. “The nobles would never attack Corinair…”
“You’re speaking of the very men that just hired Ybaran Legions to assassinate the leader of their world and start a civil war,” Captain Navarro interjected. “Those are the men you trust not to attack you?”