by Tony Healey
Max smirked.
"Something funny?" Sice said.
Max slapped down the supernova foil on square two, row three, turning all adjacent red cards blue.
[Canned rumbling noise]
The effects of the supernova foil wreaked havoc across the grid, trapping each of Sice's remaining cards in a wave of blue LEDs. The board illuminated with flashing patterns of neon light as the word BLACKOUT flashed on the scoreboard.
"Wowee zowee! And that's how you own your opponent in Twiz!"
[Canned gasping noise]
"Congratulations, player two! You’re the winner!"
[Canned crowd noise]
Spectators hooted and hollered around the table, showering Max with congratulations. Another group patted Sice on the shoulders and helmet in consolation, whom he shoved back and snarled at. Kort shook free from Sice's female partner and wrapped his arms around Max. K1R-B trotted over and joined in the celebration.
"Oh, man! That was the best game of Twiz ever!" a passer-by said.
As the crowd dispersed, Sice sat in silence, staring at the grid. Max offered his hand, but received no reciprocation.
"You'd better scram," the female said.
"Now wait a minute," Kort said. "We had a deal. Tell us about the starship."
The female aimed her blaster at Kort's head in plain sight. None of the pub's patrons reacted. "I said, scram! I won't give you another warning."
Kort squeezed Max's shoulder. "Come on, kid. We've overstayed our welcome."
"But – " K1R-B said.
"Forget it, Kirby," Kort said. "We're leaving."
___***___
The crew continued their path through the snow and ice to an unknown destination, leaving the pub far behind. Kort put an arm around Max. "I'm real proud of you. That was some display you put on back there."
"Thanks, but that was a whole lot of luck."
"Ah, hell," Kort said. "I'd rather be lucky than good anyway."
"What would we have done if Max had lost?" K1R-B asked.
Kort stopped and faced the droid. "Well, we don't have to worry about that. Everyone's safe now."
Blaster fire struck K1R-B in the arm, knocking it down into a snowdrift.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Sice came into view with a blaster aimed at Max.
Kort drew his weapon and targeted Sice.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you," a female voice said.
Max noticed Sice's partner approaching from their flank, blaster in hand.
Kort dropped his weapon and put his hands up. "What seems to be the problem, friend?"
"The problem?" Sice closed the distance between them. "The problem is this little punk cheated, and made me look like a fool. Now I've come to collect."
"What are you talking about?" Max shrugged. "I beat you fair and square."
"No, see, I don't think you did." Sice fired a shot at K1R-B, hitting it in the leg. "It occurred to me after you left that your droid was positioned behind me the whole time, with a perfect view at my hand. Shrewd."
"That's ridiculous," Kort said. "You're the one that put him there."
"Maybe so, but I didn't think you'd sink so low to win that match." Sice fired another shot, missing K1R-B's head by inches. "This damn droid probably sent you signals, advising your every move."
"I didn’t cheat," Max said. "It was a clean game. Just let us go, and you'll never see us again."
Sice put his blaster against Max's head. "I'll never see you again either way."
"Max!" Kort shouted. "Duck!"
Max squatted down. Kort ripped a canister from his belt and tossed it toward Sice. Recognizing the grenade type, Max got low to the ground, plugged his ears, and squeezed his eyes shut. The canister exploded, releasing a sonic pulse. The force staggered Sice, causing him to drop his blaster.
With slight discombobulation from the impact, Max raced to get Sice's blaster. His partner lined up Max in her sights. Kort flicked his blaster into the air with the toe of his boot, grabbed a hold, and fired. The woman wrapped her hands around her throat, and fell over into a lifeless clump.
Sice made a play for his blaster, getting his hands on it at the same time as Max. The two wrestled for control as shots fired into the sky. Kort took aim, but couldn't get a bead on Sice with Max in the way.
Max wrenched on the end of the blaster, but couldn't get it away from Sice. His arms weakened, and he knew Sice would soon overpower him. A stiff boot hit Max in the gut, and he dropped to his knees, releasing his grip on the blaster. Sice pressed the weapon against Max's forehead.
K1R-B lunged and blindsided Sice with a vicious shoulder block. The move didn't take Sice off his feet, but it created enough distance for Kort to fire without hitting Max. Kort held his breath and pulled the trigger. Sice tumbled to the ground. Wet spatter blotted Max's face.
"Max?" Kort yelled. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Max hugged his gut. "I'm fine."
Sice coughed, his limbs spread akimbo in the snow.
Max stood over him. "Tell me what you know about the starship."
"I guess you beat me again, eh, pipsqueak?" Sice's eyes shifted to Kort as he joined Max. "Another foil in the deck."
Kort put his hand on Max's shoulder.
“You’ve earned my respect as the superior player. I’ll talk.” Sice chuckled, his breathing becoming erratic. "The ship crashed not far from here. Keep heading east, and stay outside the tree line."
"Thank you," Max said.
"Don't thank me," Sice spluttered. "She's not there."
"What do you mean?" Kort said. "Where is she?"
"Sorry, but only the Ice Runner knows the answer to that." Sice coughed again before his body went limp.
"Ice Runner?" Max mumbled. "What's an Ice Runner?"
"Someone we don't want to cross paths with." Kort grabbed K1R-B's arm. "Help me get him up, will ya?"
Max assisted his uncle in getting K1R-B upright. "You okay, buddy?"
"I . . . I think so." K1R-B checked its plating. "Minor holes, but no critical damage."
"That was quite the maneuver back there, Kirby," Kort said. "You impressed me."
"I . . . I did?" K1R-B said.
"You sure did," Kort said. "Now, let’s get a move on. The last thing we need is to be spotted with dead mercs."
"Wait, Uncle Kort," Max said. "What do you know about this Ice Runner?"
Kort holstered his blaster and walked away.
___***___
An alert popped up on Annae's monitor that read FLATLINED. She pursed her lips and inserted a wireless device into her ear. "Sir, it's me . . . I've just received a status report and . . . they've failed . . . I know, sir . . . Perhaps we've underestimated them . . . Yes, understood, sir . . . I'll see to it. They won't reach the mining facility. Not on my watch."
Annae removed the device from her ear and dropped it on the table. She entered a combination on a wall safe's keypad and opened it. Inside, she gripped a polished steel pulse rifle with both hands and removed it. “I’ve missed you, my sweet.”
8
Silas Doum's cape swayed as he strode down the monochrome corridor of the Oppressor. His Sjan subordinates moved aside to clear the path, never once looking up at their crimson-masked leader. They feared him and he knew it. Fear ensured their loyalty.
Captain Kradus mumbled to himself, pacing back and forth in front of the console. Sweat ran down his face. He swallowed hard as Silas Doum entered the command deck.
"S-s-sir!" Kradus saluted.
"I trust you've summoned me with good reason, Captain?" Silas clenched his fist. "I asked not to be disturbed."
"I'm sorry, sir," Kradus said. "It's th-th-the tracking device we placed on the Fair Maiden."
"What of it?"
"It's . . ." Kradus swallowed hard again. "It's not responding, sir."
"What?" Silas's voice boomed.
Kradus cowered. Silas shoved him aside and inspected the terminal for himself, finding the Cap
tain's words to be true. He slammed his fist on the console. A fuzzy distortion temporarily marred the screen, then stabilized.
"I want an explanation now!" Silas barked.
"I don't know, sir," Kradus said, his knees buckling. "The signal had been strong since Arro placed the tracker, then it just stopped transmitting."
Silas entered a command sequence into the terminal, bringing up a diagnostic summary: OFFLINE. "Did they find it?"
"Impossible!" a female voice said.
Silas turned as Arro entered the command deck with a scowl on her face.
"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded.
"We're still investigating," Kradus said. "We hope to know more within the hour."
"Not good enough." Arro gripped Kradus by the collar and backed him against the terminal. "You know that we don't tolerate failure on this ship, Captain, or have you already forgotten what happened to your predecessor?"
"I'm sorry!" Kradus whined.
"Enough," Silas intervened. "We'll give him the hour before we decide what to do with him."
Arro released her grip on the sniveling captain. "This is pointless. We should review the last data packet transmitted from the tracker and calculate their trajectory. That should tell us where they're headed. I'll have my ship prepared for departure immediately."
"Hmm . . ." Silas folded his arms. "Interesting proposition, Arro, but your talents are best suited elsewhere right now."
Arro gasped. "You can't seriously be thinking of sending someone else after them? We both know I can put an end to this with a snap of my fingers."
"Perhaps, but I need you to deal with our other situation first," Silas said. "We will handle the Fair Maiden."
"But, sir – " Arro protested.
"My decision is final." Silas boomed. He swept his cape off his shoulder. "Your mission takes precedence over this."
Arro sighed.
"My Lord." Kradus turned a series of dials below the sensor screen. "I'm detecting the presence of an approaching Hunter Class spacecraft."
"Put it on the monitor," Silas said.
Captain Kradus activated the Oppressor's external cameras and broadcasted the live feed on an eighty-inch flat panel screen. A gunmetal colored ship appeared. Silas recognized the downward-curved wings and red stripes straight away.
"Ah, splendid." Silas wrung his hands. "Right on schedule."
Arro sneered. "What's she doing here?"
"My Lord, the Bloodletting is requesting permission to dock." Kradus covered his lapel with a hand. "What would you have us do?"
"Grant her permission, of course," Silas said.
Arro made a disgusted noise. "I have no desire to see the Cilicene. Why do you favour her so?"
"She doesn't fear me, and I find that admirable," Silas said. "Now see to your mission, and report back to me when you have an update."
"Of course, My Lord." Arro saluted, and left the command deck.
___***___
"My Lord, the Cilicene has arrived," Captain Kradus announced.
"Have her escorted to the command deck," Silas said. "A proper escort."
Kradus nodded and issued the commands through his lapel communicator.
Minutes later, a troop of twelve armed Sjan guards – six on either side – led their special guest through the ship toward the command deck. Silas watched them approach from the distance. Although he'd spoken with the bounty hunter through the Oppressor's comms system, he'd never met her in the flesh. The welcome committee he'd prepared was intended to show her respect, while also demonstrating that her people's reputation preceded her.
The Cilicene don't rank among the most trustworthy races in the galaxy. Known for intense bloodlust and unparalleled combat skills, most make a living as mercenaries and bounty hunters. They're often sought for jobs that require an iron fist, and leave no witnesses behind.
Cilicene are loyal, so long as the credits flow. However, they're unpredictable. Some question whether it's wise to hire a Cilicene. While they follow assignment protocol, they have a nasty habit of ‘improvising,' which can create unnecessary complications. Body counts tend to skyrocket on missions, as they prefer to kill first and ask questions later.
Prone to strike from the shadows, few see the Cilicene and live to tell about it. Mercy is not in their vocabulary. Silas hired her for all these reasons and more, but the risk involved never strayed from the back of his mind. Even with his power, could he ever truly control such a being?
The Cilicene bounty hunter entered the room clad in a forest green combat suit. Silas marveled at her imposing appearance from under his mask: humanoid, onyx skin, curled horns like a ram, red eyes, silver hair and lips. She towered over Captain Kradus, standing more than six feet tall.
"This is Roma, My Lord," Kradus presented.
"So it is." Silas stepped toward her. "I trust you've traveled well."
"Well enough," Roma said.
"And I see that you've completed the first phase of the assignment," Silas said. "Give me your report."
Roma raised her arm, revealing an electronic processing device [EPD] strapped to her forearm. A six-inch screen lit up with text. "The tracking beacon led me straight to the target. I entered cloaking mode and tailed the target from a distance. As requested, I engaged the ship to test its recent weaponry modifications, and found them adequate."
"Adequate?" Silas asked.
"I was neither impressed nor disappointed," Roma said. "Shall I continue?"
Silas nodded.
"After engagement, the target Jumped and fled the area." Roma closed the report and lowered her arm. "I did not pursue. No casualties reported."
"I see." Silas gestured for her to follow him to the command terminal. "Well, there was, in fact, one casualty." He brought up the tracking device's status report. "Perhaps you hit too hard."
"Not likely." Roma upped her nose. "I fired upon the docking ring, nowhere near the tracking beacon."
"You're sure of this?"
"Of course I'm sure," Roma said. "You're not paying me to be inaccurate. I was meticulous in my planning. If the beacon has gone offline, it's from some other cause."
Silas studied her icy tone of voice and found no reason to suspect her of lying. In fact, he didn't pick up on much of anything at all. He admired her self-assurance. She only seemed interested in the payout, and he didn't get the impression she'd let anything stand in her way of it.
"My Lord, if I may," Kradus said. "It's possible that the Jump prompted a malfunction in the device. If that's the case, we should be able to bring it back online with a few adjustments we can make from here."
"See that you do," Silas said. "I expect an update within the hour."
"Don't bother." Roma projected a holographic image from her EPD. "I've already tracked them. They're on Quaris."
Silas cocked his head to the side. "Quaris? What makes you so certain?"
"Easy," Roma said. "I've been monitoring all data transmissions within a twenty-parsec radius of the Jump spot, and got a hit. The Union outpost registered them as visitors approximately four hours ago."
"You intercepted an encrypted Union data transmission in that tiny ship of yours?"
Roma glared. "Might I remind you, you get what you pay for. I'm far from an amateur."
"So it would appear," Silas said.
"Shall I proceed with phase two?"
"Four hours . . ." Silas mumbled. "How quickly can you get there?"
"If you'll be so kind as to have your men refuel my ship, I can be there in approximately seven hours," Roma said.
Silas did the math in his head. By the time she'd arrive on Quaris, the Maiden will have been docked for eleven hours. Their reasoning for landing on Quaris baffled him, and without a clear objective, he didn't expect they'd be there long. Still, it was his best shot at pinning them down and extracting the information he desired.
"Proceed with phase two." Silas raised a finger. "But do not engage unless necessary. Contact me the
second you have eyes on them. If they try to get off the planet before the Oppressor arrives, stop them."
"And how shall I do that?"
"You're a smart girl, Cilicene," Silas said. "Improvise, just don't attack them. The boy possesses information that I need, and should anything happen to him before I get it, the consequences would be unfortunate. Am I clear?"
Roma narrowed her eyes. "As you command, Lord Doum."
___***___
Silas and Captain Kradus watched the Bloodletting take flight from the hangar and Jump.
"Should I continue working to restore the tracking device?" Kradus asked.
"Do it," Silas said. "If this plan doesn't work, we'll need an insurance policy in place."
"Can we trust her?"
Silas stared out into the sea of stars. "Only as much as we have to, Captain."
"I . . . I've heard the rumors, My Lord."
"As have I," Silas said. "If she turns out to be as reckless as the stories depict, she'll be neutralized just like anyone else that dare stand in our path."
The command terminal's edge lights illuminated in orange. Captain Kradus received the incoming transmission.
"It's Arro, my Lord," he said. "She brings news."
"Excellent." Silas pointed to the exit.
Captain Kradus nodded and scurried out the door.
"Arro, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon," Silas said.
___***___
Max's legs ached from the change in elevation. The incline had been subtle at first, but prolonged periods of walking finally caught up to him. He found himself breathing through his mouth, and in need of water. Now he understood why Kort ordered some back at the pub. Even in colder weather, it’s important to stay hydrated.
Slipping his pack off one shoulder, he removed a canteen and unscrewed the lid. When he held it above his lips, nothing came out. He stuck his finger inside the opening, finding a thick block of ice.
Well, that's just great, he thought. Guess I'll just have to hold out until our next stop. . . or eat a handful of snow. Yuck!
The group continued to hike toward the mountains, staying outside the trees as Sice advised them.