by S. E. Smith
Chapter 21
“Shuttle 3825, confirm access,” the voice requested.
“L39786, this is Shuttle 3825, the confirmation number is Legion 3825…,” Josh listened as Hutu responded to the request in a calm, concise tone.
There was a brief delay before they were given permission to proceed. Josh glanced at Cassa. He could see she was worried that she might have the wrong information.
“Confirmed, proceed to lower supply bay. Update your confirmation request list,” the voice replied before cutting the communications.
Josh winked at Cassa when she blew out a breath of air and fell back in her seat. She grinned at him for a moment before she returned her focus to the tablet in her hand. Josh released the control of the shuttle to Hutu, deciding it would be better for the Gallant general to guide the shuttle into the landing bay on board the massive Legion Battle Cruiser.
“I forgot to ask you if you heard about any strange aliens in Nobo Sands,” Josh commented to Hutu as the shuttle turned to align with the open door of the ship. “Jubotu found the emergency pod. It was the one my friend, Ash, was in. We overheard a woman telling a soldier that he had stolen some clothing. I was hoping you might have heard something.”
Hutu shook his head. “No. No one has reported seeing anything unusual. If Devona or any of the other rebel forces had heard of a strange alien male, they would have notified me. I have already talked to Devona. We will find your man, Josh, before the Legion does,” he vowed, bringing the shuttle in for a landing. “Cassa, have you located Pack yet?”
Cassa shook her head. “No,” she murmured, focusing on the tablet. “Their system is encrypted. I’m trying an old program that my friend developed. As much as I hate to admit it, it helps having a friend in the Legion forces.” She paused for a moment before she looked up at them with a triumphant look in her eyes. “It worked. He’s being held in Cell Block U41. It is on this level.”
Hutu nodded and grinned. “Perhaps this will be easier than we thought,” he said, shutting down the engines, rising from his seat, and grabbing the helmet from the side shelf.
Josh rose and waited for Cassa to rise as well. He grabbed the stolen helmet and adjusted it over his head. Rolling his shoulders, he followed the others to the back of the shuttle.
“Do you know where we are going?” He asked, peering over Cassa’s shoulder at the screen before his eyes widened. “Nice!” He murmured in her ear when he saw the map of the ship.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” she responded with determination. “By the time I get done with this ship, General Landais is going to know that it has been hacked.”
“Remind me to never piss you off,” Josh chuckled.
She turned her head toward him. He couldn’t see her eyes because of the helmet she was wearing, but he knew what would be in them – determination and defiance. He felt his body react and winced. Now was not the time to be thinking about things like how beautiful she was and how much he wanted to show her.
“I am not quite sure what that means, but if it means what I think it does, then you’d better not,” she teased before turning back around. “I’ll lead the way.”
Josh chuckled at her teasing. “I’ll just enjoy the view,” he murmured.
*.*.*
“You there, come with me,” a voice ordered almost as soon as they left the shuttle.
All three of them turned around. A man in a dark gray uniform was staring at Hutu. A look of irritation crossed the man’s face.
“I need you to take these supplies to the bridge,” the man continued, pointing to a service bot. “You two report to the Cell Block. There is an issue with the disposal unit there.”
“Yes, sir,” Hutu’s muffled voice replied. He waited until the man moved away before he spoke. “There is no way I can pass by this opportunity,” he murmured to Cassa and Josh. “This is a perfect chance for the Gallant Order to learn more. I will catch up with you back at the shuttle.”
“Hutu,” Cassa hissed in dismay.
Josh watched as Hutu ordered the Service bot to take him to the Bridge. He could feel Cassa’s frustration, but he also understood that this was the perfect opportunity as a soldier.
“He will be alright. He knows what he is doing,” Josh murmured. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her close. That would definitely not be the smart thing to do in the middle of a mission. For a moment, he had to silently shake his head at his reaction. This was another first in his life – wanting to comfort a woman in the middle of a mission. “Let’s go find Pack and get him out of here,” he added in a gruff voice.
Cassa waited a brief second before she nodded and turned to lead the way to the Cell Block. Once again, Josh was reminded that this was a woman with a determination of steel. His love and admiration for her continued to grow.
Love! He thought in shock and disbelief. I’m in love with her. That is what all these crazy, mixed up feelings are!
His gaze moved down her straight back. Even in the uniform, he could picture her curves hidden beneath. His mind flashed back in a whirlwind of images since he first met her and he realized that he had been captured by her strength, courage, and beauty from the very beginning. He had known their joining had been different from anything he had experienced before, but he never expected it to be love.
Josh closed the distance between them. This placed the mission on a completely different level as far as he was concerned. They were still going to rescue Pack and find the rest of the crew from the Gliese, but now his top priority had changed. Now, it was to protect Cassa at all cost.
*.*.*
Josh and Cassa moved through the corridors. They focused on where they were going, ignoring the others they passed along the way. Turning to the left, they paused outside the cell block.
“What do we do now?” Cassa whispered.
Josh glanced at the closed door and shrugged. “We tell them that we are here to fix the issue that was reported, I knock them out and put them in one of the cells, we release Pack, get Hutu, and run like hell,” he said.
Cassa lifted her visor and stared at him with an expression that said ‘Really? That easy?’ before pulling it back down again. His lips twitched. He hoped it would be that easy, but he knew from experience that it seldom turned out that way.
“So, do we just knock on the door or what?” He asked.
“No, we do this,” she stated, pressing the tablet against the panel and placing her palm against it.
“How did you do that?” Josh asked when the door slid open.
“I told you, I have a friend who isn’t happy about being recruited,” Cassa murmured, stepping through the open door. “He just happens to be assigned to this ship.”
“He’s… Just how close a friend, is he?” Josh demanded, following her.
Cassa glanced over her shoulder before refocusing on the two men that were standing in the center of a circular control station. Josh stared after her. He couldn’t see her expression because of the helmet and it frustrated him. He was shocked to realize he was feeling jealous. Reaching out, he turned her around.
“How close of a friend is he?” Josh asked in a husky voice.
“What are you doing here?” One of the men demanded.
Josh ignored him. His gaze was focused on Cassa, or what he could see of her. He felt her shoulders tremble.
“I asked you…,” the man started to say before he crumbled to the floor.
Josh stepped back, drawing his own weapon from his side to shoot one of the guards, but Cassa had already stunned the second one as well. He turned back to her as she bent forward and pulled her helmet off. She stared at him with an amused expression.
“He was my best friend growing up, but only a friend,” she replied with a slight laugh. “You will understand when you meet him.”
“Meet him?” Josh asked in confusion. “What do you mean when I meet him?”
“I told you I had a crazy idea. I just didn’t tell you everything
until I was sure it would work,” she said with a shrug. “Let’s find Pack.”
“I think I’d like to know a little more about this crazy idea,” Josh muttered.
Josh quickly pulled the two guards down the narrow corridor while Cassa figured out a way to open the cell doors. He was just starting to straighten when the door in front of him opened. He glanced in and blinked in surprise when he saw Pack sitting on the narrow bench.
“I found him,” he called out.
“Josh?” Pack said in surprise, rising off the bench before he blinked again when he saw the bodies of the guards. “Don’t tell me… Cassa is here.”
“How did you guess?” Josh asked in wry amusement, pulling his helmet off. "Help me pull them into your cell.”
Pack quickly hurried over to pull one of the guards into the cell. He stepped aside as Josh deposited the other body. Together they stepped out of the cell. A moment later, the door sealed and locked.
“How did you get here? I can’t believe it,” Pack muttered, turning to stare at his sister. “Cassa, are you crazy?! Do you know how dangerous this is?” Pack turned back to glare at him. “I thought you said you would protect her? Dragging her onto a Legion Battle Cruiser is not what I would call protection! It is insanity.”
Josh could hear the hint of fear and anger in Pack’s voice. He understood the younger man’s frustration. He also knew that there would have been no stopping Cassa.
“She has a plan,” Josh replied dryly. “Besides, I wasn’t about to leave her behind on the planet.”
“I wouldn’t let him if he tried,” Cassa retorted. Her fingers were flying across the keyboard. “I just need a few more minutes.”
“What are you doing?” Pack asked, stepping up next to her. His eyes widened in disbelief as he looked down at what she was doing. “Are you serious?! General Landais is going to kill you!”
Cassa glanced at her brother. Her lips were tight with anger and satisfaction. She turned her attention back to the screen. Josh watched in fascination as her fingers flew across the keys.
“She’s amazing,” Josh murmured under his breath.
“She’s tenacious,” Pack said in exasperation. “She’s also going to get us killed if we don’t get moving.”
Cassa’s head snapped up and she glared at Pack. “I am NOT going to get us killed,” she retorted. “I’m making sure that doesn’t happen. By the way, Squeals is on board.”
“Squeals!” Pack groaned and ran a hand down his face. “You know he has been with the Legion for almost ten years now. How do you know you can still trust him?”
Cassa glared at Pack again and pressed her lips together. Josh raised an eyebrow at her silence. He glanced at Pack.
“Who is Squeals?” He asked Pack.
Pack rubbed at the bruises on his wrists. “He was one of Cassa’s old admirers,” he said with a grimace. “He wanted to marry her.”
“I said no. We were eight years old at the time,” Cassa replied in a clipped tone. “We make much better friends than we would lovers, anyway.”
Pack flushed. “He was scared of father,” he explained. “Every time father was home, Bantu would squeal in terror. We started calling him Squeals.”
“He was five years old when that happened,” Cassa replied, glaring at her brother. “Finished.”
“He has loved her ever since,” Pack said, cupping his hands and pressing them to his chest.
Cassa slapped her brother in the arm as she walked by him. “Maybe I should have left you here,” she muttered. “How much did you tell them?”
Pack blanched and rubbed his abused arm in exaggeration. “I didn’t tell him anything,” he retorted.
“Him?” Josh asked with a raised eyebrow.
Pack nodded. “General Landais,” he muttered. “He came in earlier and asked me a ton of questions. When I refused to answer, he said he would get his answers one way or another. He ordered a medical bot to be dispatched. I thought you were it when the door opened.”
All three of them turned and froze as the door to the Cell Block suddenly opened. Two men and a small bot entered and stopped. The two men had a confused frown on their faces.
“We were ordered to prepare a prisoner for interrogation,” one of the men said, staring at Pack in confusion.
“That would be me,” Pack replied with a wave before he reached over to pull the small laser pistol from Josh’s hip. He raised his hand and fired at the two men. The small medical bot released a sharp squeal, turned on its wheels, and took off.
“Stop it!” Cassa snapped. “If it reports back, all hope of getting out of here without being seen is lost.”
Josh took off after the small bot as it weaved crazily down the corridor. He had almost reached it when a group of soldiers, led by none other than General Landais, rounded the far corner. Josh halted and gazed at the stunned look on the General’s face. He reached for his laser pistol only to realize that Pack still had it. Grabbing the staff from his hip, he extended it just as one of the soldiers opened fire on him.
“Cease fire!” General Landais ordered, holding out his hand and staring at Josh with an intense frown.
“Later!” Josh muttered, touching two of his fingers to his brow in salute before he pressed the end of the staff to the small bot.
The powerful charge from the end of the staff sent the bot careening out of control toward the group. For a moment, it reminded Josh of a bowling ball heading drunkenly for the pins at the end of a lane. General Landais jumped to the side, but the men behind him weren’t as agile.
Josh didn’t bother waiting to see what happened next. He turned on his heel and took off. Pack had heard the General’s loud exclamation and was waiting for Josh in the Cell Block.
“What now?” Pack asked in aggravation.
Josh swung the end of the staff into the door panel. The acidic scent of burning wires filled the area and sparks shot out of the destroyed panel. He turned to look at Cassa.
“What now?” He repeated.
“Construction access shaft,” she muttered, turning on her heel and running down the corridor where the cells were located. “I saw it on the map. Help me find it!” She ran her hands over the panels between the cells. “It has to be here somewhere!”
“Won’t General Landias know about it?” Josh asked, searching another panel.
Cassa shook her head. “Most likely not,” she answered, moving to the next panel. “It was only used during the construction of the ship.”
“I think I’ve found it!” Pack said excitedly before he groaned. “It’s sealed.”
Cassa touched the tablet in her hand. “Squeals, are you there?” She asked urgently.
“Cassa, where are you? You said you’d be at the service bay,” a husky voice whispered.
“I need you to unseal the construction access door in the Cell Block on Level U41,” she ordered, glancing at the door.
“Construction access door?” The voice hissed. “Hold on.”
“Hurry, Squeals,” Pack said.
“I’m hurrying!” Squeals snapped. “Do you have any idea how difficult it is to circumvent the programming without getting caught on this ship? Don’t even get me started on what will happen if General Landais finds out about this. He’ll shoot me out into space just so he can watch my head explode.”
“Just breathe, Squeals,” Cassa interjected, shooting Pack a nasty look. “You know he gets clumsy if he gets nervous.”
Josh turned when the door next to him suddenly opened. His eyes widened. He quickly swung the staff around, touching the end against the chest of one of the guards that they had placed into the cell earlier. The man flew back into his companion.
“Wrong door, Squeals,” Pack shouted above the banging on the outer door. “We really need you to open the right panel.”
“I’m trying,” Squeals snapped angrily.
“Yes! That’s it!” Cassa cried out when the panel door started to open. “What’s wrong? Open it the rest of the
way,” she demanded.
“It’s stuck,” Squeals replied. “I’ll close it and try to open it again.”
“Now, would be good,” Pack urged, glancing at where the outer door was beginning to glow a bright red. “Now, Squeals.”
Josh was about to put his two cents in when the panel door suddenly opened. Cassa breathed an urgent thank you to her friend on the other end before slipping the tablet into the side pocket of her uniform and grabbing the ladder. Pack followed her. Josh stepped over the gap into the maintenance tube and onto the ladder. He stared up the long tube. Behind him, the door closed again. He began climbing silently. He was almost a floor above when he heard a dull thump as the double doors to the cell block blew open. A smile curved his lips. They weren’t out of the Battle Cruiser yet, but it was a huge ship and it wouldn’t be that easy to find them, especially with Cassa on their side. He just hoped Hutu was keeping a low profile.
Chapter 22
Hutu paused in the doorway to the bridge. He murmured for the supply bot to deliver its payload. He watched as it whizzed around the room, stopping on occasion to deliver a preprogrammed order before continuing on to the next section.
Hutu casually leaned over and placed another sensor under the closest console to him. Sliding his hand back into his pocket, he removed another one and started to follow the bot. He paused when a side door opened. Bowing his head, he scooted back as far as his large frame would allow him to move and peered out of the low shield as General Landais walked toward him.
He turned slightly when one of the security ensigns next to him stood and stepped forward when the General called to him. There was a tense moment when General Landais turned to stare at him with a puzzled look. Landais started toward him, but stopped when the supply bot rolled up and stopped in front of Hutu and beeped to let him know that it was finished with its assignment.
With a shake of his head, Landais turned away. “Follow me,” the General ordered to the five men who came to stand next to him.