Planet of Ice (The Broken Stars Book 2)

by Tony Healey

  "That can't be good," Delta said, looking up at the stalactite-covered ceiling.

  A series of ear-piercing beeps followed. Red and yellow lights flashed from all corners of the chamber. Delta sprinted for the exit, locking arms with Max on the way and pulling him behind her. An explosion shook the cavern. Delta and Max stumbled and fell to the ground outside the chamber.

  Rock crumbled from the ceiling and crashed below. A cloud of dust and dirt billowed from the entrance, coating them with a thick layer.

  "Finally," Delta whispered, looking at the destruction. She twirled the sparkling relic in her hand. "Justice is served."

  24

  With great care, Delta wrapped a clean cloth around the relic and placed it in her utility pouch. To make room, she dumped out excess supplies she'd no longer need, including her prized toolkit.

  "You sure you want to do that?" Max asked, holding the left side of his jaw.

  Delta stared into the metal, seeing her partial reflection between the chipped metal and patina. "Yeah. That life is behind me . . . where it belongs."

  "I knew I was right about you."

  Delta laughed. "Yeah, well, gloat while you can, flyboy. I don't imagine they'll let me have too many visitors where I'm going."

  Max didn't respond. In the heat of their earlier confrontation, he'd forgotten about Karr's ‘anonymous tip.' His heart sank. After all they'd conquered together to come this far, he couldn't fathom the journey forward without her.

  Could it really end like this?

  "Maybe the Union will show leniency," Max said. "You know, in exchange for the relic."

  Delta eyeballed her pouch.

  Max cocked an eyebrow. "You are planning to turn it over to the Union, right?"

  "Or live out the rest of my days looking over my shoulder at every turn, knowing that at some point in the future, either the Union or Karr is inevitably going to find me?” Delta sighed. “Yeah, no thanks."

  "So, what will you do?"

  "I'm tired of running." Delta rubbed her throat. "I've made many mistakes, Max, and the time has come to answer for them. It's . . . it's okay."

  A tremor rumbled beneath their feet. Small chunks of rock broke away from the cavern walls and tumbled down around them.

  "What is that?" Max said. "Another trap?"

  Delta shrugged. "I don't know."

  The sounds grew thunderous, closer. The quakes intensified. Whatever threat remained in the Hailstone Caves headed straight for them. Max took Delta's hand and held it tight. His heart pounded.

  If this is the end, at least we're together, he thought.

  Swirling, metallic spires came into view through the archway in front of them. The spinning lances grinded the stone into a fine powder, widening the path to make room for an oversized vehicle.

  The motorized contraption pushed through the opening, pulverizing bits of rock into dust under its massive treads. Once on the other side of the archway, the vehicle stopped.

  The engine sputtered and whined before ceasing. The grinders slowed to a halt. A hatch popped open on top. A Mintok stuck its head out.

  "Pazo?" Max said.

  Delta reached for her blaster.

  "No, it's okay," Max said. "He's a friend."

  "That thing is your friend?"

  "Yeah, it's sort of a long story."

  Pazo waved. "I was hoping I might find ya here."

  Max let go of Delta's hand and stepped forward. "Pazo, what are you doing here? I thought you were on your way back to Mayday's camp?"

  "I was, but then I remembered a friend of mine who owed me a debt." Pazo smacked his hand against the hood. "Borrowed this here ice digger from him and came back for ya. I let him take the cruiser in exchange, and promoted Kirby to co-pilot for the ride back to camp."

  Max laughed to himself, trying to imagine K1R-B as a co-pilot.

  If Kirby’s turn behind the wheel of Pazo’s cruiser was any indication, I already feel sorry for this friend of his.

  "And this must be the fair Delta I've heard so much about." Pazo tipped an imaginary cap. "Pleasure to meet ya."

  "You as well," she said.

  "Wait, Pazo . . ." Max ran his fingers through his hair. "How did you know where to find us?"

  "Oh, that? Hell, that wasn't too hard," Pazo said. "I had a pretty good co-pilot myself."

  The passenger door slid open on its rail. Kort jumped down, landing on his good leg. He hobbled as he turned to face his nephew.

  "Uncle?" Max regarded him through glassy eyes. "You're . . . alive?"

  Kort furrowed his brow. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

  "But Karr told me . . . it doesn't matter." Max threw his arms around Delta and squeezed. She returned the embrace, holding him tight in her arms. His skin tingled. His pulse quickened. Her breath warmed his neck. The sensation felt good. Real good. Too good. Somehow in sync, they both let go at the same time, and backed away without making eye contact.

  Pazo laughed in his loud, obnoxious way.

  "I . . . uh . . . oh . . ." Kort stammered.

  "So . . . yeah, shall we get out of here?" Delta said to Max, staring at her feet.

  Max rubbed the back of his neck. "Um . . . y-yeah."

  ___***___

  Delta sat in the co-pilot's chair beside Pazo, watching snowflakes stick to the windshield and get brushed aside by powerful wipers. Max and Kort occupied the back of the cabin, listening to the roar of the treads carry them across the tundra. Max reached over and hugged his uncle, careful not to disturb Kort's elevated leg.

  "What was that for?" Kort asked.

  "I'm just so happy to see you," Max answered. "Karr told me you were dead. What happened?"

  "I'm not sure." Kort grimaced, adjusting his injured leg. "I must have passed out from the pain. One minute I'm watching you and Delta walk away, and the next thing I know, Karr's gone, and I've got Pazo's ugly mug standing over me."

  "Ya really do say the sweetest things," Pazo said. "Oh, and you’re welcome, by the way."

  Max chuckled. "Well, I'm just glad it all worked out."

  "Speaking of which, what happened with you two down there?" Kort leaned his head back against the metal interior. "Did you find the relic?"

  Max nodded.

  "That's great," Kort said. "And Karr?"

  Max hesitated. "He's.. uh . . ."

  "No longer a problem," Delta said.

  "I see." Kort closed his eyes. "Well, you two are probably exhausted. Why not try and grab some shut eye before we rendezvous with the others?"

  "Okay, Uncle."

  Kort opened one eye and turned his head toward the front of the cabin. "It's good to have you back with us, Delta. Thank you for keeping the boy safe.

  Delta's nose twitched. "You got it, gramps." A single tear streamed down the side of her face.

  ___***___

  Roma crossed her arms and rapped her fingers on her elbows. Collapsed stone blocked her way forward. She'd reached a dead-end after venturing deep within the Hailstone Caves.

  "Where could you have gone, I wonder?" she said aloud, annoyed.

  Roma pressed a button on her EPD to summon the Bloodletting. She figured it should arrive by the time she reached the surface. Her venture underground had been fruitless, but rather than let it frustrate her, she plotted her next move. Playing cat and mouse was her favorite game.

  Somehow she'd missed her target, but it couldn't have been by much. From her ship, an aerial view would help pinpoint their location. The hunt excited her – it was the best part of the job – and her targets never escaped.

  Movement beneath the rubble caught Roma's attention. A human hand forced through the top layer of rock, accompanied by groans. Grime-caked fingers poked out through holes in a glove. Intrigued, Roma walked over and peeled away chunks of stone to free the living being trapped underneath.

  After removing some of the larger rocks off the pile, the bloodied face of a human male came into view. Thick lacerations spanned his entire face. His
right eye had swollen to the size of a tennis ball. In his condition, Roma determined no perceivable threat, so she continued to dig him out to satisfy her curiosity.

  Other than considerable damage to his face and hands, the man was in otherwise remarkable condition. By all accounts, he should have been crushed. Roma tapped her knuckles against his dense, gold-plated armor, surprised it had withstood such force.

  "Who are you?" she asked.

  The man attempted to look at her, but couldn't lift his head. Roma cleared his body from the debris and sat him upright against a wall. She removed a flask from her belt, pinched his cheeks together, and poured the liquid between his parted lips. He coughed and spat. A stream dribbled down his chin.

  "Hey, now." Roma pulled back the flask. "That's the good stuff you're wasting, imported all the way from Chemla VII."

  The man's undamaged eye rolled back in his head for a moment before he came to and focused on Roma.

  "There we are." Roma leaned in to offer more drink, but the man batted her hand away. "Suit yourself. More for me." She wiped the mouthpiece and took a pull. "Now, how about you and I have a conversation?"

  The man opened his mouth to speak. A string of drool ran from his chipped front teeth to his bottom lip.

  ___***___

  The Bloodletting hovered above the ground, witling nearby snowdrifts down to nubs to form a crater of ice. Inside the ship, Roma attached her safety harness and flipped a switch on the console. The telecommunications monitor popped up. She entered a command into the keyboard, and seconds later, Silas Doum appeared on screen.

  "I have an update for you, My Lord," Roma said.

  "On with it."

  "I've arrived too late, I'm afraid. The target has already fled the area, and I suspect is preparing to depart Quaris as I speak."

  "I see," Silas said. "I am… disappointed by this news."

  "As am I, but I do not come to you empty-handed."

  Silas paused a moment. "Would you have me guess? Tell me!"

  "Of course, My Lord." Roma adjusted the harness strap digging into her chest. "I met a relic hunter with intimate knowledge about our target. He told me they stole an ancient artifact of great value, and left him for dead."

  "An ancient artifact? You’re certain these were his exact words?"

  "Yes, My Lord. A piece of technology belonging to the original settlers of Quaris before the Great Freeze, I'm told."

  Silas tapped his chin. "And what of this relic hunter?"

  "I've eliminated him."

  "Excellent," Silas said. "Allowing him to live with that knowledge would've been unwise."

  "What are my orders?"

  "Leave Quaris and keep your comms open for further instruction."

  "My Lord? You don't want me to intercept before they depart?"

  Silas shook his head. "My men have reactivated the tracking device on their ship. Given this new information, let's determine where they're headed next."

  Roma nodded. "If you think that’s best, My Lord."

  The screen went blank.

  "Did you hear that, darling?" Roma looked over her shoulder. Karr lie still on the floor, his injuries cleaned and bandaged. "You're dead in the eyes of the Sjan Empire; slate clean. So, next we'll determine the best use of your ‘reincarnation,’ and how you're going to help me get that artifact."

  ___***___

  Silas Doum disconnected the link to the Bloodletting. He turned around, immediately saluted by Captain Kradus.

  "Kradus," he said.

  The captain stepped forward, knees wobbling. "Yes, My Lord!"

  "Contact our spies within the Terran Defence Force."

  "At once, My Lord," Kradus said. "They’re scheduled to report in later today."

  "Excellent." Silas moved to a row of tall, slender storage lockers embedded within the ship's interior. "Ensure I'm included in this communication."

  "Y-y-you want to s-speak to them directly?"

  Silas punched in a code and opened a cabinet. He reached inside and retrieved a long, black pole. Engraved gold symbols ran the length of the shaft. Silas inspected an end, circling his finger around a recessed opening. "Yes. I suspect the Union is about to come into possession of something I need."

  25

  Pazo drove the ice digger up to the gates of the Quaris space station. Ground crew scurried over to retract the steel door. Once completed, Pazo proceeded through the opening and parked the massive rig on a vacant landing pad.

  A welcoming committee of uniformed Union soldiers waited on the dock. Pazo jumped out first, then assisted Max in easing Kort onto the concrete with as minimal discomfort to him as possible. Delta exited the vehicle last. With her arms folded and her head down, she followed behind the rest of the crew.

  Kort draped an arm around Max and Pazo, who flanked him at either side. He grimaced every few steps, stopping on occasion to rest. A team of soldiers ran up to offer additional aid.

  An officer knelt down to inspect Kort's leg. He cut Kort's pant leg off above the wound with a pocketknife and tossed the stained material aside. With a finger pressed against his hear, he spoke into his collar. "I need medical assistance out here, stat! We've got a thigh puncture and excessive blood loss."

  In a matter of seconds, two more soldiers bolted out through the station's double entry doors wheeling a chair and an IV bag on a stand. The men transferred Kort to the chair and used an adjustable rest to elevate his leg. Kort winced and grunted during the process, settling into the seat.

  Kort jerked his arm away as the medic attempted to insert the IV. "There'll be time to for that later. Did everyone make it back? Are the researchers here?"

  "We are." Mayday stepped outside with a man dressed in a double-breasted, ivory white uniform. "Thanks to you. Thanks to all of you."

  Kort smiled. Delta took one look at the man’s uniform and kept her distance.

  Brass buttons cinched his coat against his body; a coat decorated with an impressive collection of military accoutrements. He saluted. "I'm Admiral Klesko, and you have the Union's greatest thanks." He shook Kort's hand, then Pazo's, and then Max's. "More than that, you have my personal gratitude. Thank you for bringing my team home. They mean a lot to me, and their mission remains of great importance to the Union."

  "Just not enough to come rescue us, eh, Admiral?" Mayday smirked.

  "I trained you to survive, Lieutenant," Klesko said. "The rest is up to you."

  "Lieutenant, huh?" Kort said. "Congratulations!"

  Mayday bowed. "I don't smell much like a Lieutenant right now, however. A shower will be my first order of official business once we get back on board the dreadnaught."

  "Heavy is the head that wears the crown." Klesko pinched his nostrils. "Of course, the Lieutenant isn't the only person anxious to say hello." He waved his hand toward the doors.

  Juke exited the station and joined them. "I leave you to your own devices for a few days, and you nearly lose a leg? You really are lost without me."

  "Juke?" Kort rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

  The smiled faded from Admiral Klesko's face. He cleared his throat. "Well, we should probably get that leg checked out."

  Juke moved behind Kort and gripped the wheelchair handles. "Don't you worry, pal. We'll get you fixed up in no time."

  "I'll come, too," Max said.

  Juke spun around. "Better sit this one out, kiddo. Your uncle and I need to finish an earlier conversation in private."

  Max frowned.

  "It won't be long, I promise," Juke added. "Besides, Kirby's been worried sick about you. Horace is probably done patching him up by now. You should check in on him."

  "Come on, squirt." Pazo put his arm around Max and jostled him. "You can protect me in case your droid hasn't forgiven me for shooting him yet."

  ___***___

  The team gathered around Admiral Klesko in the station lobby. K1R-B squared its shoulders, showing off the fresh repairs to its armor. Max squinted, but no matter how ha
rd he looked, he couldn't tell there'd ever been damage.

  Horace is nothing short of a miracle worker, Max thought. Maybe he can teach me a few tricks . . . in case the road ahead gets rough.

  Delta sat a few feet away, warming her backside on the lobby furnace. She dangled her legs over the side, clanging the heels of her boot against the metal. The usually boisterous co-pilot hadn't spoken since they'd returned from the Hailstone Caves, a fact not lost on Max.

  Although too proud to show it, Max knew she was scared. He was, too. He wished he knew how to help her, but he couldn't erase the mistakes she'd made in her past. Not something of that magnitude.

  A soldier wheeled out a cart of frosty pints. Mayday took the first mug and raised it. "To old friends; to new alliances; and to the Union!"

  The military personnel hooted and hollered, each taking their turn collecting a pint from the cart as it passed by. Adam clanked his glass against Mayday's and kissed her forehead. The two of them held their mugs together and waited for Horace to complete the trio. For the first time since Max met them, Horace smiled, a smile that soon transitioned into laughter and rejoicing with the surviving members of his team.

  "Alright, alright, you rowdy lot," Klesko said. "Each of you will be granted a well-deserved shore leave, but remember that our work on Quaris must continue. It's more important than ever. With Officer Wils removed from power – "

  Mayday harrumphed.

  "Correction," Klesko continued. "With ex-Officer Wils removed from power, we will take back control of this post and restore it to prominence."

  The soldiers cheered.

  "Most of the events that unfolded here will be classified for obvious reasons. The Union must never look weak. The public would lose hope. Our enemies would grow more brazen." Klesko scanned his captive audience. "Some of you may even have your names scrubbed from record entirely, but let it be clear that no high-ranking official will ever forget the sacrifices made by this team. Especially not Eileen's."