Planet of Ice (The Broken Stars Book 2)

by Tony Healey

"Juke, what've you got for me?" Kort said.

  "Well, after eighty layers of encryption – yes, that's eight-zero – I finally managed to suss out the message."

  "You did?"

  "Don't sound so surprised," Juke said. "Or at least save that surprise till I send you the bill."

  "Did you read it?"

  "No." Juke scratched his snout. "Someone went to a lot of trouble to protect this message, so I figured it was only right to stay out of it."

  "I'm sorry, I was talking to an Alpor named Juke," Kort said. "Any idea where he went?"

  Juke narrowed his eyes. "Hilarious."

  Kort held down a red button on the ship's console. "Delta, Juke is on the comm."

  Max slid out of his gravity suit and tossed it on top of his uncle's. Moments later, Delta came running into the cockpit, and hovered over Kort's shoulder.

  "Did he do it?" Delta shifted her attention to the monitor. "Did you do it?"

  K1R-B trailed behind, unable to match Delta's speed. It tripped over the pile of gravity suits and fell face first on to the floor.

  "Honestly!" K1R-B tutted, and got up to hang the suits back in the storage locker.

  "Tell me!" Delta shouted.

  "Easy there." Juke put his palms up. "Yeah, I got it. Shall I transmit to screen?"

  Delta looked around the cockpit, making eye contact with each individual crew member. "Yeah . . . go ahead."

  "You're sure?" Juke said.

  "I said it, and I meant it," Delta snapped back. "Get on with it."

  "You know, a little gratitude would go a long way," Juke said. "Just saying."

  Delta scowled.

  "Here." Juke pressed a button off-camera.

  Dearest Delta,

  If you're reading this, then you've cracked my encryption code. I knew you could do it. I apologize for the extreme nature of this precaution, but it was necessary. As you know, the secrets we hold are highly sought after, and the relic hunter’s search to find us continues. I'm sorry, but you're not safe. If I can track you, so can he.

  I've been in hiding since we last saw each other, and I know contacting you is a huge risk, but . . . I've found it. I did it, Delta. We did it. After reanalyzing all the maps; all the clues; traveling in the footsteps of the great relic hunters that came before us; I know where it is.

  I can't do it alone, though. You're the most skilled relic hunter I've ever known. We've always been a team, and without your help, I fear that the relic will be forever lost. But it doesn't have to be that way. All the years we've devoted to the hunt are about to pay dividends. The relic can finally be ours, and we can live the life we've always dreamed of!

  To preserve our safety, I won't contact you again. I'm sending you my coordinates. How you proceed with this information is up to you, but know that I can't wait here long. Please, Delta. We've worked too hard to let this opportunity slip away.

  For what it's worth, I'm sorry I wasn't able to contact you sooner. I had to be sure that maniac was off my trail, or I'd have led him straight to you. I'll understand if you're angry, but I hope you can forgive me. Whatever you decide, you'll always be in my thoughts.

  – Tanzin

  Tears streamed down Delta's face. She rubbed her forearm across her eyes, smearing the moisture on her bare skin.

  "Delta . . ." Kort said.

  "Who's Tanzin?" Max asked.

  Delta took a moment to compose herself, sniffing the liquid back into her nose. "Someone from my past."

  "A good someone from your past?" Max said.

  "No." Delta looked Max in the eyes. "A dead someone from my past."

  4

  Kort tapped a button on the console and shut off the monitor. The light above the data tablet dimmed.

  "We have to go," Delta said. "I need to see him."

  "Whoa, let's slow down here for a minute." Kort folded his arms across his chest. "You want to tell us what's going on?"

  "I've already told you, it's personal."

  "Sorry, not good enough," Kort said. "I've tried to be as respectful toward your privacy as I can, but when you start asking for favors involving my ship, I'm going to need more information."

  Delta bit her lip.

  "Maybe we should look into it, Uncle?" Max moved between them. "What's the harm?"

  "In case you forgot, kid, we're already in the middle of something," Kort said. "We don't have time for any unplanned excursions."

  "I understand, but look at the coordinates." Max flipped the monitor back on and transferred the coordinates from Tanzin's message to the galaxy map. A bright pink line outlined a trajectory from the Maiden. "According to the map, he's on Quaris. That's close by. It shouldn't take us too far off schedule."

  "Because he's on Quaris is exactly why we shouldn't go," Kort said. "Do you have any idea what kind of stuff goes on there? Makes Hantor look like a bloody monastery. You’ll never find a more retched hive of scum and villainy."

  K1R-B raised his hand. "According to the most recent galactic census data, Quaris is a labor planet, with a population of 2.8 million. Its primary industry is mining, and it serves as the largest source of ore and minerals in the galaxy. Current temperature is minus twenty-nine degrees Celsius."

  Kort pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not talking about the official stuff you can read in a travel brochure, Kirby. We're well outside the Union's watchful eye here, and everyone on Quaris knows that. Sure, the Union regulates the trade – even has an outpost in its spaceport – but you'd be surprised what an officer will turn a blind eye to for the right amount of credits."

  "Is it dangerous?" Max asked.

  Kort nodded. "Let's just say that Quaris has more than earned its reputation. The very nature of its lawless ecosystem attracts every mercenary, smuggler, and scoundrel worth their salt within a five-parsec radius."

  K1R-B gasped. "I vote we continue on toward the Alna System."

  "For once, I'm going to agree with Kirby," Kort said. "Unless you can give me a reason not to, Delta."

  Delta ground her teeth. "Fine, but before I begin, I need you to understand that I'm not the same person I used to be."

  "Fair enough," Kort said.

  "Before I became a liberator of improperly-bestowed merchandise – "

  "You mean, a thief," K1R-B interrupted.

  Delta clenched a fist. "As I was saying . . . before we joined up, I used to be a relic hunter. A pretty damn good one, too, if you ask me. Truth be told, I never intended to steal. I made enough credits to survive as a relic hunter, but I never found that one big score to set me up for life – every relic hunter's dream."

  "So, what did happen?" Kort asked.

  "My partner and I caught wind of an old legend – stories of an ancient relic that had eluded all great hunters that ever went in search of it." Delta dropped into her seat. "With a score like that, we could have retired filthy rich."

  "But you never found it?" Max asked.

  Delta shook her head. "We chased every lead, but all trails had gone cold. We were so arrogant back then." She chuckled. "How did we ever think we could accomplish what skilled relic hunters ten times superior to us couldn't?"

  "And I'm assuming this partner of yours was Tanzin?" Kort said.

  "Yeah." Delta's voice softened and trailed off. "But we became so much more. I'm not too keen on all that lovey-dovey rubbish, but Tanzin . . . he set off fireworks in my heart."

  Delta's admission took Max by surprise. Not that he thought her incapable of such feelings, but rather he assumed she had no interest in them. As long as he'd known her, she'd only displayed affection toward flying and adventure.

  Perhaps I've misjudged her, he thought.

  "Now how about you explain the part where Tanzin is dead," Kort said.

  "He is." Delta hung her head. "Or at least, I thought he was. All this time . . . I don't know how he survived."

  "What happened?" Max asked.

  "Karr happened." Delta said the name as though it soured her tongue.

/>   "Who's Karr?"

  "A relic hunter – you might even call him our chief rival – but he lacked skills in areas where Tanzin and I excelled." Delta swept her hair off her shoulder. "Relic hunting is a competitive game – cutthroat – and when rumors circulated that Tanzin and I were close to finding the ancient relic, well, Karr did what any backstabbing hunter would do. He attacked us and stole our research."

  "And that's when . . ." Max prompted.

  Delta nodded. "I watched Tanzin take a blaster to the chest." She wiped her eyes. "I never once looked back . . . I just ran. Some brave relic hunter I turned out to be, huh?"

  Max moved in to comfort her. "It's not your fau – "

  "Don't." Delta put up her hand to cut him off. "Yes it is, and I've made peace with that fact. I left him for dead to save my own skin."

  Kort put his hand on Max's shoulder and pulled him back.

  "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, Max, but it's okay." Delta dried her eyes with her shirt. "I've been given a chance to make things right. Tanzin is alive, and now we can finish what we started. So . . . what do you say, gramps?"

  Max looked over his shoulder at his uncle. Kort rubbed the five o'clock shadow growing on his chin.

  "Are you positive it's him?" Kort asked.

  "Who else could it be? Who else could have intimate knowledge of our past relationship?" Delta sniffed. "Trust me, it's him, and he's been out there looking for me this whole time. Not only that, he knows where the relic is. How can I not go after him?"

  "I'll tell you how: Quaris." Kort pointed at the galaxy map. "That's a lion's den down there."

  "So, what are you saying?" Delta asked, her tone turning to anger.

  Kort sighed, tapping his finger against his chin. "I'm sorry, Delta. I am. But we can't afford to take the risk."

  "Uncle." Max said.

  "Now wait a second!" Delta leapt out of her chair, brushed past Max, and got in Kort's face. "I didn't want to have to play this card so soon, but let's not forget who saved your backside from those Sjan creeps. If it wasn't for me, the three of you wouldn't have made it off that warship. You owe me."

  "I owe you?" Kort said.

  "Damn right!"

  Max could taste the rising tension.

  I need to buy some time, he thought. There’s got to be a compromise here of some kind.

  He eased Delta back a few steps, knowing a bit of separation was in order. "Okay, I think it's best that we table this conversation for now." Max looked back and forth between Kort and Delta, noting their twitching facial muscles. "There's a lot to consider here, so let's sleep on it, and discuss it calmly afterward."

  "That's a good idea," Kort growled.

  "Sounds like a plan, flyboy," Delta snarled.

  "Great." Max gestured toward the exit. "K1R-B can man the ship in the meantime."

  Delta stormed off first, flipping her hair as she passed K1R-B.

  Kort inhaled a breath through his nose and exhaled out his mouth. He wiped spittle from his lip, and retired from the cockpit.

  Max smiled at K1R-B. "Some day, eh, Kirby?"

  "Those two are a powder keg, Max."

  "I know." Max patted K1R-B's back. "Let's just hope I can keep one of them from lighting the fuse."

  ___***___

  Another sleepless hour passed. Max lay in bed on his back, counting rivets in the chocolate brown ceiling panels. The Fair Maiden's gentle sway through space soothed his nerves, but not enough for him to drift into sweet unconsciousness. The chemical smell coming from K1R-B's repair kit wasn't helping, causing a dull headache between his eyebrows. He grumbled at himself for forgetting to clean the tools after last use.

  Max focused on the purring sound of the ship's engines. He closed his eyes and pictured the serene, blue oceans back on Aquine. The waves rose and crashed in his mind. A flock of gulls chattered, flying in formation. The setting sun warmed his face, lighting the sky in majestic, carnation pink. Soft grains of sand crunched beneath his feet. He dipped his toes into the water. His body felt heavy. At long last, Max felt as though sleep would come.

  "Max!" K1R-B's muffled voice traveled through the closed door.

  So much for that idea, he thought.

  He stumbled out of bed and opened the door. K1R-B stood in the threshold, fidgeting.

  "What's wrong, Kirby?" Max said. "You're dancing around as though you have to use the toilet, and I know I haven't installed that kind of programming."

  "Please, you have to come with me." K1R-B turned to look down the corridor. "Someone should wake Kort as well."

  "Hang on," Max said. "Slow down a minute and tell me what's going on."

  "It's Delta."

  Max put on a robe and cinched the belt around his waist. "What happened? Is she okay?"

  "She's gone."

  "She's what?" Max rubbed his stinging eyes. "What do you mean? Where is she?"

  "I don't know," K1R-B said.

  Kort slipped into a robe as he stepped into the hallway. "What's all the commotion out here? Some of us need our beauty sleep."

  "Uncle . . ." Max wanted to phrase words as delicately as possible. He knew Kort would be upset, and didn't want to rile his uncle up until they had determined all the facts. "It's – "

  "Delta's gone!" K1R-B blurted.

  Max groaned.

  Real subtle, Kirby. Thanks a lot, pal.

  Kort squeezed his temples. "She can't be gone, Kirby. We're in the middle of space. She's got to be around here somewhere."

  "Come with me." K1R-B took both men by the hand and guided them through the ship's labyrinthine corridors to the hangar. The overhead lights shone down on the orange-striped navigation lines of an empty dock.

  "My ship is gone!" Max shouted, his voice reverberating through the hangar.

  Kort's face reddened with anger. "Did you know about this, Kirby?"

  "Of course not," K1R-B said. "I alerted Max as soon as I discovered it was missing."

  Kort ground his teeth. "Okay, so what happened?"

  "I was in the middle of performing a routine system sweep when the hangar bay opened," K1R-B said. "I thought it was a reporting error – a loose connection, perhaps – but a small craft showed up on sensors, moving away from the Fair Maiden."

  "Kirby, are you sure it was Delta?" Max asked, even though he knew the answer.

  Kort stared at Max in disbelief.

  "I'm positive, Max," K1R-B said. "I'm sorry."

  "We'll have time for ‘sorrys' later." Kort gazed out into the stars through a porthole. "Were you able to track the ship's trajectory?"

  K1R-B's ocular orbs flashed in rapid succession. "Yes."

  "I still haven't installed a Jump Drive on the Skimmer," Max said. "She couldn't have gotten far."

  "Correct, Max. She's close indeed," K1R-B said. "I've charted her course, and the starship is headed toward Quaris. She should arrive within the hour."

  "Of course," Kort growled. ”Why should we have expected any different?”

  "Why would she do that?" Max mumbled to himself.

  "Why? I'll tell you why." Kort bashed his fist against the hull. "Because she's selfish, Max. The only thing Delta cares about is what's good for Delta. That's all she's ever cared about."

  K1R-B sulked.

  "Okay, we're all upset right now, so let's get a few more hours of sleep and talk about it in the morning," Max said. "We can figure out the best plan to go after her over breakfast."

  Kort licked his lips. "Go after her?"

  "Well, yeah," Max said. "We are going after her, right?"

  Kort walked away without answering.

  "Right?"

  5

  Max awoke to the smell of cooked bacon. His stomach growled, begging for sustenance. He sat up in bed, and for a fleeting moment, his hunger blocked out his memory of Delta's late night departure. However, the reality soon settled in that he couldn’t hide out all day. He'd be forced to deal with the repercussions as soon as he left his bedroom.

&nb
sp; I guess I should get this over with.

  Max slipped into a clean change of clothes and viewed himself in the mirror. He ran his hands through his messy, golden locks, attempting to fashion his ‘bed head' into something more presentable. A stubborn curl annoyed him. He wetted his hands in the sink to combat his hair, finally smoothing it into position.

  A scent of seasoned potatoes wafted through the corridor. Max followed the aroma to the mess, where he found K1R-B putting the finishing touches on a breakfast feast. An empty seat called to him, and he answered, plonking himself down at the table. He salivated while observing a magnificent spread containing ham slices, bacon, scrambled eggs, potatoes, sourdough muffins (with a choice of jam or butter), and orange juice.

  "You did all this, Kirby?"

  "Indeed I did."

  "Why?"

  K1R-B plunged a scooper into the plate of potatoes. "After last night, I thought you both could use it."

  "Thanks, buddy," Max said.

  "You're welcome."

  Overwhelmed by breakfast and contemplating what to fill his plate with first, Max didn't hear Kort enter the room.

  "Are we hosting a king?" Kort's voice boomed. "You've prepared enough food to feed an entire Terran Company."

  "Come get yourself a plate while everything is still hot," K1R-B said.

  Max made quick eye contact with his uncle, then broke it, returning his gaze to an empty plate. In all his seventeen years, he'd never had a disagreement with Kort – at least not one of this magnitude. He hated feeling at odds with his uncle, and wanted to hurry and put it behind them.

  I wonder if Kort feels the same way.

  Kort put a hand on Max's shoulder. "How'd you sleep?"

  "Oh, you know."

  Kort smiled, and grabbed a plate off the stack. K1R-B gave him a nod.

  "I've completed a thorough analysis of our most recent sensor readings, and there's no sign of that ship that attacked us," K1R-B said. "Apparently Max is better with an aiming reticule than a hair brush."

  “Hey!” Max licked his fingers and attempted to smooth the wild curl.

  "Good to hear." Kort used tongs to grab two slices of bacon, and a piece of steaming ham. "I don't suppose our friend came back overnight, did she?"