by Tony Healey
"I see. And where is this Sice gentleman now?"
"Haven't seen him since," the bartender cut in. "And that's the truth."
Helvanna nodded.
"Please, we've told you all we know." The bartender returned the shotgun under the bar. "If they were headed for the tundra, you're going to need to find an Ice Runner to take you across."
"Not necessary. I've got my own transportation, thank you," Roma said. "This tundra, what's on the other side?"
"Not much," Helvanna said. "Mostly just barren wasteland and mining facilities."
"Peculiar." Roma let go of Mash. He hit the floor hard and grabbed his wounded leg. "Is there any reason for a non-miner to make the journey?"
"No, but I think they were looking for someone," Helvanna said. "They mentioned arriving on Quaris to meet a friend."
Roma sheathed her daggers. "Did they now?" She strolled up to the bar and held out her hand. The bartender returned her credit chit and backed away. "Now, be a peach, luv, and grab me that bottle of Myra's Fossil."
The bartender hiked an eyebrow. "Are you crazy? There's still half a bottle in there. That's worth more credits than this place makes during the busiest week!"
"Call it collateral damage when you report this incident to your insurance company." She wiggled her fingers.
The bartender complied with reluctance.
"Thank you, darling." Roma tucked the bottle inside her jacket and zipped it up. "I shall take my leave." She stepped over Mash's body on her way out of the pub.
___***___
Roma fastened the safety harness inside her snowmobile. The console keyboard's amber lights came to life. Seconds after she entered a command, Silas Doum appeared on screen.
"He's here," Roma told him. "Their ship was impounded at the dock, so they won't be leaving anytime soon."
"Excellent work. Have you located him yet?"
"Not yet, but the chase is a mere formality. I'll find him." Roma fired up the engine. "I've also extracted an interesting piece of information. They've come to Quaris to meet a friend. Shall I investigate?"
"Yes, but maintain your distance. I don't want them to discover they're being followed. Let’s see what they’re up to."
"Understood, My Lord," Roma said. "Forgive my inquiry, but is this a matter of curiosity or worry?"
"That is no concern of yours," Silas said. "Keep me updated as soon as you know anything more."
"Of course, My Lord. My apologies."
20
The inner caves shimmered with torchlight. Max and Kort followed the translucent corridor, unsure about where it would lead, and careful to step around icy stalagmites.
"How far down do you think we are?" Max said.
Kort shrugged.
The cyan blue cavern walls reminded Max of the tundra. Unlike the tundra's crystal clear view to the ocean floor, however, the Hailstone Caves offered semi-opaque visibility. Only light passed through. Objects on the other side of the ice appeared blurry and distorted.
"Do you think there's anywhere on Quaris that isn't insanely cold?" Max said.
"The mining facility had heat," Kort replied.
"Great." Max chuckled. "Remind me to grab an application on the way back."
Kort put a hand up, signaling Max to stop. He knelt down beside a brown, mechanical box. Severed wires spilled from an exposed panel. Kort dangled his fingers in front of an optical sensor.
"What are you doing?" Max asked.
"This device has been disabled," Kort said. "It's a rather crude, unsophisticated piece of makeshift tech, but I'd wager my last credit it was left as a booby trap. I've seen similar stuff before on salvage runs."
"But it's been disabled, so Delta didn’t leave it for us, right?"
"No, it’s old and been here a while," Kort said. “Plus, this is pretty sloppy for someone with her skills.”
"What do you think it means?"
Kort stood. "Best case scenario, it means someone went to a lot of trouble to build a security system to keep people out"
"And the worst case scenario?"
Kort continued forward. "Someone went to a lot of trouble to build a security system to keep something in."
Max shivered.
___***___
Kort removed a torch from the wall. They'd passed several more disabled booby traps along the way – easy to spot in the brighter parts of the cave system – but darkness consumed the cavern the further they ventured into its depths.
The serene blue shade on the walls deepened to a midnight purple. The ice gave way to natural rock, the true form of Quaris beneath its frozen crust.
"Did Wils do this?" Max said. "Is this part of Codename: Maelstrom?"
"I'm not sure." Kort scratched his chin. "Although, I don't think he could've burrowed this deep. Plus, those booby traps were dismantled by hand, not by brute force. I think something else is going on here, but your guess is as good as mine."
Before Max could vocalize the next question in his head, he heard a clicking sound echo throughout the caves. He tugged Kort's sleeve and signaled him to follow. The two proceeded toward the noise in a crouched gait, noticing the flicker of torchlight off the beaten path.
The duo sought shelter behind a slab of ice. Max peeked around the side, witnessing Delta unscrew the panel off a hidden device and snip the wires inside. She wiped the plasma cutters on her pant leg, and jammed two fingers inside the compartment. Muttering several curse words under her breath, she yanked out a circuit board embedded within.
Delta inspected the tech. "Not bad, Delta. Not even a scratch on this one. You're definitely going in the souvenir bag, you little beauty."
Max's boot slid on the slick surface, knocking him onto his backside. Kort palmed his face.
Delta dropped her toolkit and aimed a blaster toward the sound. "Who's there?"
Max tried to stand, but Kort pressed down on his shoulder.
"Don't even think about it, kid."
"You might as well come out, because I already know you're there," Delta said. "Or I can just start making Swiss cheese out of that block of ice until I hit something vital. Your choice."
"It'll be fine," Max whispered. "She won't shoot me."
"You sure you want to gamble with your life?"
"For my friends?" Max came out of hiding. "Always."
"Max?" Delta cocked her head to the side. "What are you doing here? I told you to go back!"
"You knew I couldn't do that, Delta." Max stepped toward her, keeping close watch on her trigger finger. "I don't know what's going on here, but we can work through it – together."
Delta sighed. "Why wouldn't you just listen, Max? Now you've gone and made things way more complicated."
"Talk to me. We can uncomplicate them."
"You don't get it," Delta said. "And I don't have time to explain. You can either go back the way you came, or you'll leave me no choice. I'll have to put you down."
Max advanced. "I don't believe you."
"Look, you've been good to me, Max." Delta tightened her grip on the blaster. "Treated me better than most. That said, I will kill you. Please don't make me do that."
Max continued forward. "Do what you've got to do, because I'm not leaving you."
Delta's hands trembled. "Please . . . just go."
Max pressed his forehead against the barrel. "No."
Delta sighed through gritted teeth. The muscles in her arms convulsed. She lowered her weapon. "Damn you, Max."
Kort popped up from behind cover and joined them.
"Wonderful. You brought gramps with you, too,” she said. “Let's go for the trifecta. Where's Kirby?"
"He's seeing to another matter," Max said. "You'd be surprised. He's been the hero of this trip."
"Are you sure we're talking about the same heap of scrap metal?"
"As much as we've missed your charming personality, you're deflecting," Kort said. "You want to tell us what's going on here?"
Delta turned her back to t
hem. "Look, I'm trying to save your bloody lives while there's still time, but it's running out. He'll be back soon."
"Why are we in danger?" Max said. "I thought Tanzin was on old friend of yours?"
Delta snapped back around. "Because he's not Tanzin." Her bottom lip quivered. "Tanzin died where I left him."
"So the message was a fake . . ." Kort said.
"Yeah. It was. Does that make you feel better?" Delta's eyes welled up. "You need me to say it? Fine. You were right. It was all a ruse, and I fell for it. Happy now?"
"But if Tanzin didn't write it, who did?" Max asked.
"Remember that rival relic hunter I told you about? Karr?"
"The one that shot your partner and stole your research?"
"Yes." Delta wiped her eyes. "Turns out he made progress where Tanzin and I stalled in our search for an ancient relic. I guess he wound up becoming a better hunter than I gave him credit for." She sniffed. "Anyway, he found it here on Quaris, but needed me to help him reach it – said I'm still the best at ‘reaching difficult places and disarming booby traps.' So, here I am."
"But why are you helping him?" Max scratched his head. "Why didn't you just come back once you learned the truth?"
"Because she couldn't," a male voice boomed.
A man outfitted in gold-plated armor with matching helm zoomed by on a glistening, pearl black air chariot. The rocket-powered vehicle consisted of a flat hovercraft, with a raised pedestal for steering controls, and a console for basic functions, including sensor and telecommunications. Twin short-barreled cannons jutted out at either side.
"Or did you not tell you friends that part?"
"Don't, Karr!" Delta shouted.
"Oh, but I insist." The air chariot touched down, and Karr hopped off with a thud. "You see, what your precious Delta failed to mention is that she's a wanted girl."
"Not anymore," Max said. "The Union exonerated her of all pending charges."
"The ones they knew about, you mean."
"Karr, please." Delta folded her hands. "I've done everything you've asked."
"Quiet!" Karr put his hand up. "You see, many years ago, Delta took part in a massive weapons heist. The target was a Union cache."
Kort winced. "Oh, Delta . . ."
"Wait, it gets better," Karr said. "Absconding with a surplus of Union-grade arms would've been bad enough, but what Delta didn't realize at the time, was that she also made off with top secret prototypes. The kind the Union would desperately like to get back into their possession."
"Why not just return them?" Max asked.
Delta shuffled her feet in crushed shards of ice and rock.
"So naïve, boy," Karr said. "What do you think the Union would do to a thief who knew too much?"
"So, you're using this knowledge as leverage to manipulate Delta into doing your bidding." Kort shook his head. "Which must also mean you have the proof needed to back up your claims. That's just plain dirty."
Max slid the pulse rifle off his shoulder and took aim at Karr. "There's no way I'm going to allow you to blackmail her."
"Max, stop it!" Delta jumped in front of the barrel. "This is my mess, and I'll deal with it. You don't know who you're up against. Take Kort, and leave."
"I'm afraid it's much too late for that," Karr said.
Delta's eyes widened. "No! This wasn't part of our deal. You need me to reach the relic, and if you don't let them go, I'll . . . I'll . . ."
"You'll what?" Karr laughed. "Spend the rest of your life rotting away in a Union maximum security prison? If you're lucky, that is. We both know your future would be far less pleasant than that."
Max brushed past Delta. "She's coming with us, one way or another."
Karr reached behind his back and produced an iridium hilt. With the press of a button, a jagged energy blade extended. Max felt the heat on his face.
"Enough!" Delta yelled. "Max, run!"
Karr jumped onto his air chariot and fired blasts toward the ceiling. The explosion rocked the cavern, sending thick layers of ice and rock crashing down. Max wobbled from the vibration, trying to find his footing. Kort latched on to him before he fell.
A cave-in blocked the exit, trapping them inside. Karr piloted the air chariot to the debris and observed small openings in the blockage. He hacked away at stalactites with his energy sword, chiseling pieces big enough to plug the gaps and seal the exit.
"Now then." Karr stepped down from the chariot. "As I was saying, no one is going anywhere."
Max trained his sights on Karr, understanding full well what was at stake. The situation had escalated to an unforeseen level – a situation he'd put them in. This mission was no longer about helping a single friend. Now it was about the three of them escaping Quaris with their lives.
21
"Well, that didn't make a lick of sense," Kort said. "Now you're just as trapped as we are."
"Do you honestly believe I would've created a cave-in if I didn't have the means to undo it?" Karr narrowed his eyes at Max. "Run along, Delta. You've got a relic to procure, and there's no sense forcing you to watch me slaughter your friends. I'm not without a heart, after all."
Delta backed up against the cavern wall. She looked back and forth between Max and Kort, and ran away, deeper into the Hailstone Caves.
"That's what I expected," Kort spat. "I've tried telling you all along, kid. Delta's only priority in life in looking out for number one. She's certainly good at it."
"You’re wrong."
"What more proof do you need?" Kort waved his hand. "She's gone – left us for dead – fleeing to save her own skin, just as she did with Tanzin."
Anger boiled in Max's gut. Some of it because Kort's words stung, but also because a part of him feared it was true, and doubting his faith in her frustrated him. Still, he found it difficult to outright dispute his uncle's perspective. He had just seen her run away, after all, but he justified it by putting himself in her shoes. What would he have done in her place?
Despite how much they'd accomplished as a team, they hadn't been together all that long. She'd lived a complicated life up to the point of joining them, and Karr represented a troubled past she wanted to be cleaved from. So desperate to be free from it, in fact, that she'd even help the man that slayed her former partner. Although Max couldn't understand the complexity of Delta's situation, he empathized – a trait Kort viewed as weakness, but one Max felt defined what it meant to be human.
"Try not to take it personally," Karr said. "She never had a choice in the matter."
Kort drew his blaster. "We always have a choice."
Karr twirled the hilt in his right-hand. The scorching blade ‘ghosted,' an optical illusion that left behind temporary traces of visible light. He stuck his left hand out in front of him, making an L-shape with his finger and thumb.
Before Max could plan his next move, laser blasts flew past him from behind. Sparks sprayed from the point of impact, but didn't make a dent in Karr's armor. Kort pushed Max aside and shot five more times, each with the same result.
"What about you, young one?" Karr taunted. "Care to give it a try?"
"He’s baiting you into his game, Max," Kort said. "Let me handle this."
But he couldn’t. Max squeezed the trigger. The recoil of the heavy rifle knocked him backward a few steps. The blast struck Karr in the abdomen.
"Ahhh!" Karr hugged his gut with his free arm and staggered into the wall.
Max released a heavy breath.
Karr groaned and slid down the wall to the ground. His head tilted to the side before his body went limp. The blade retracted into the hilt. He laid there in silence, stilled for a few moments before his body shook with laughter. "Can you imagine?" Karr sprang to his feet without a single hole in his armor. "You should've seen the look on your face. Hilarious!"
Max gasped.
"Wow, I killed the Demon of Sohlm with a single shot!" Karr said in a high-pitched, mocking voice. "I accomplished what hundreds of better men have tried b
efore me! I must be the most special snowflake in all the galaxy!"
"Get back, Max," Kort said.
"An ‘A' for effort, boy, but you wouldn't last an hour in the underworld." Karr activated his energy blade. "We feast upon the weak, but you're barely an appetizer. Spilling your blood hardly seems worth the effort."
Kort bounded toward Karr. "You'll never get the chance!"
Karr swatted Kort away with the back of his hand. The older man collapsed onto a bed of ice. A stalagmite pierced his thigh, poking out through the other side. He grabbed his leg and moaned.
"Kort!" Max cried.
"It’s just you and me, twerp." Karr approached Max, twirling his sword. "Any other tricks you want to try out before I end this? Go on, don't be bashful. It's not as if you'll get another chance."
"I've got one," Delta said.
Karr spun about as Delta walloped him with a tube-shaped hunk of polished, black stone. Cracks spider-webbed across the back of Karr's helm. Small fragments broke away, exposing raised, pink skin underneath. A golf ball-sized lump took shape as Karr fell prone to the ground.
"You look tired, Karr." Delta hoisted the stone over her shoulder. "Enjoy the nap."
Max ran over to check on Kort. "Are you okay?"
"I'm . . . fine," Kort said with labored breaths. "Guess I was wrong about you, Delta. I've never been more pleased to have misjudged someone."
"Thanks?" Delta said.
"We've got to find a way out of here." Max crouched beside him and wrenched on the narrow end of the stalagmite, attempting to break off the tip. Kort howled in pain. "I'm sorry, Uncle. What should we do?"
"It's okay, kid." Kort wiped sweat from his brow. "Look, I'm not going anywhere. Even if we can free my leg, I won't be in any condition to walk."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you and Delta need to find another way out of here." Kort grimaced. "Get help, then come back for me."
"What?" Max laid his hands flat against his thighs. "There's no way I'm going to leave you in this condition."