Renegade Union: An Intergalactic Space Opera Adventure (Renegade Star Book 9)

by J. N. Chaney

  The transport wailed as I pushed it to its limit, racing for the opening of the landing zone.

  A handful of miners stood near the gap. I tried lifting the vehicle high enough to clear them, but it couldn’t go that high. Petra stood up and started waving and screaming for them to move. When they didn’t respond, she fired her weapon into the air. It got their attention.

  We slid through the fleeing crowd and passed the gate. “We’ve got another problem,” announced Freddie.

  A quick glance told me he was right. Two vehicles followed a short distance behind, each coming from different directions. One contained the Sarkonians who’d been following us from the mines; the other had only just arrived from another street. Peacekeepers, by the look of them.

  “We need to get out of this dome!” shouted Petra. “There’s no room to go in here!”

  She certainly had a point about that. There were pedestrians and mining equipment everywhere I looked. The streets weren’t meant for fast driving. Maybe in the residential dome, but not here.

  “You’ll have a hard time getting back to us from there,” said Angus over the comm. “The gate is blocked right now. They’re working on establishing a barrier.”

  “You saying we gotta hold up in this one?” I asked, swerving around a tight corner and entering a wide alley.

  “No, you can leave through the north exit,” he explained.

  “You want us to leave the dome? There’s nothing out there but sand and rocks,” said Petra.

  “They’re not watching either of the exterior gates. You can leave through that one and come back through the residential dome from there. The peacekeepers don’t have the men to cover everything, and right now they’ve got most of their people in one place.”

  Shots sounded behind us as the Sarkonians followed, one of the rounds hitting the rear panel of our vehicle. “Getting a little close!” yelled Freddie.

  “We can’t risk someone getting shot by those idiots,” I said, turning down a larger street towards the northern side of the dome. “Better to have a shootout in the open than here!”

  I sped up as we continued past the main entrance to the mine complex. Civilians scattered as we passed, screaming at the sound of gunfire.

  Petra steadied her weapon on the back of the seat, trying to aim.

  “Don’t!” snapped Freddie. “You’ll hit someone!”

  “They’re getting too close,” she said, still looking down the handgun.

  She hesitated but pulled away. “When we’re outside, I’m going to—”

  The cab smacked into a raised section of the road, lifting the vehicle higher into the air. My ass came straight off the seat for two seconds and I felt my stomach twist before we hit the ground, the metal frame skidding against the concrete before bobbing back to a hover.

  I swerved, trying to steady the craft. As I looked up, I spotted the gate ahead of us, a lone peacekeeper standing idly by the entrance.

  I grabbed my revolver and fired into the air, trying to get his attention to get the hell out of my way. He noticed, but only stood there in confusion as we came barreling toward him. I shot again, this time in his direction at the dome wall. He finally reacted like someone who wanted to live and dove in the dirt, hands over his head.

  We passed through the gate moments later, the Sarkonians close behind.

  As soon as we were about thirty meters out, I craned my neck back and yelled over my shoulder. “Fire now!” I barked.

  “Right!” exclaimed Freddie.

  “Not you, Freddie,” I said waving for him to get in the front seat. “I need you to drive. I’ll handle the back.”

  “But—”

  “Drive, godsdammit!” I said.

  He took the wheel and I squeezed out of the seat and into the back. I steadied the gun and took a quick breath while Petra fired hers beside me.

  “Steady, steady,” I told myself aloud, lining up the shot and—

  The bullet went through the Sarkonian’s windshield, leaving behind a hole so small it was almost invisible. It hit the soldier sitting in the passenger’s seat in the chest. The glass must have flattened the round because a fist-sized crater erupted from his ribcage on impact. Blood and bone spattered across the inside of the glass, and the driver, momentarily blinded, jerked the wheel.

  The soldier in the back of the cab leaned to the side, keeping one leg inside the vehicle while taking aim with his rifle, and then fired. We ducked below the seat as the shots tore through the rear of the vehicle. A piece of the seat backing shredded apart and I heard Petra yelp in surprise.

  I reached for her as she fell deeper into the seat, clutching her hand. “Are you alright?” I shouted, fighting the wind.

  She turned her hand to show me. It was the prosthetic, and the bullet had torn through it, severing two fingers and exposing the wiring underneath the artificial skin.

  The pain in her eyes told me she felt it, the nerve connections to the arm fulfilling their purpose.

  “I’m fine,” she said, her flushed cheeks telling a different story. She reached up with her gun and repositioned herself, the chaotic wind violently whipping her hair. “Keep shooting!”

  Petra fired, using her off hand to steady the gun. A few rounds managed to clip the back passenger, forcing him down. He continued firing at us, but he couldn’t aim with his head beneath the seat cushion.

  The second pursuing vehicle, mostly full of peacekeepers, had slowed considerably after leaving the dome. I guessed they didn’t think their lives were worth the cost of catching a bunch of strangers who hadn’t taken anything.

  Or maybe they hated the Sarkonians enough to let both sides fight it out.

  “Freddie, get us to the gate!” I barked.

  “On it, Captain,” he answered, turning the wheel so we changed directions. The domes stretched for nearly fifteen kilometers from one gate to the other. It would take a while for us to move that far, even at full speed. These transports weren’t built for speed, but they’d have to do.

  “They’re getting closer!” shouted Petra. She tried to fire again, but the gun clicked empty. “I’m out!”

  I only had two shots left, no more bullets in my coat, and I couldn’t decide whether to waste them here and now or hold onto them for when we were back in the city.

  The soldier in the back seat got to his feet again, still wielding the rifle from before.

  “Freddie, your gun,” I said, kicking his seat. “Toss it here!”

  A barrage of gunfire swept across the cab, forcing all three of us to get down.

  “Freddie, godsdammit!” I barked. “Give me your—”

  A roar split the sky above us and interrupted my shout, and a beam of blue energy struck the vehicle behind us, creating a fireball of an explosion so powerful that it lifted the cab off the ground.

  Petra’s mouth dropped.

  I watched for the speeding vessel in the sky to circle around, but it quickly became clear what I was looking at as it headed back toward us.

  It was a strike ship from, which could only mean one thing.

  Freddie raised a fist and cheered at the sight, his eyes widened with shock and relief. I could hardly believe it myself.

  We slowed our pace as the strike ship landed directly ahead of us, there in the flat field of the moon’s wilds, its kicking dust from the ground to form a cloud around it.

  When Freddie had brought us to a stop, I leapt out and covered my mouth with my coat, shielding myself from the dust.

  The ship’s hatch opened, and a figure appeared, her shape more familiar to me than any other.

  “You’re late,” I said, walking up to the ramp.

  “Sorry about that,” said Abigail, giving me a knowing smile. “I had to make a call.”

  16

  “This ship is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Angus remarked as we walked through Titan.

  “It’s Earth tech,” Abigail replied, reaching out to touch a nearby panel. The moment her fingertips
graced the console, her tattoos began to glow. She pulled it back a few seconds later and we continued down the hall.

  Angus stared at the effect slackjawed. I chuckled, remembering the first time I’d seen Lex interact with that first artifact. “Those tattoos are basically access keys. Certain parts of the ship will be inaccessible without them,” I explained.

  He was quiet for a beat. “I see. Is the rest of Earth outfitted similarly?”

  “For the most part,” I said, coming to a stop in the corridor. “But don’t worry about your people, Gus. Once we get to Earth, if they’re trustworthy, we’ll get them integrated.”

  “If that’s what you want,” added Abigail.

  A couple of kids ran past us on their way to the cafeteria. We moved to let them through, watching as they playfully pushed each other in a race to get there.

  “Of course, it will take some time,” continued Abigail. “The Union and Sarkonian problem is our first priority.” She paused. “And we still haven’t processed the Eternals.”

  “Eternals?” asked Angus.

  I gave him a pat on the back. “It’s complicated, but let’s just say you’re not the only folks to join our crew over the last few weeks.”

  Angus shrugged at that, a sheepish look on his face.

  “Father!” called a voice from the far end of the corridor. It was a young woman with bright red hair that matched Angus’s, and judging from the facial similarities, one of his daughters.

  “Go ahead,” I said, nodding in her direction. “We’ll talk specifics later so you can tell your people what to expect.”

  He thanked me and walked in her direction, leaving Abigail and me alone.

  “He seems like a good man,” she said, once he was far enough away.

  “Seems so,” I said with a nod.

  “Is that why you let him come aboard with two hundred of his closest friends and family?” she asked.

  “He did me a favor. What can I tell you?”

  She laughed. “I’m sure they’ll fit right in.”

  The sheer size of the group had taken me by surprise, too. I’d ordered Sigmond to send another strike ship from Titan, only expecting to pick up a few more passengers. When we’d arrived at the coordinates that Angus had provided, his people were there, ready and waiting, except there were more than he’d estimated. A lot more.

  Part of me had wanted to say we couldn’t take them, but that wasn’t our way. Besides, anyone who’d been abandoned and overworked by the Union like these folks had—well, they deserved a better place to hang their hat.

  While Sigmond had managed the evacuation, the rest of us brought the two Sarkonian vessels to Titan. My hope was that we could gather something from the cloaks, maybe find a way to see them coming in the future.

  “Pardon me, sir,” said a familiar voice in my ear. Sigmond appeared next to me, his golden aura briefly filling the hallway walls before settling into a thin veil.

  “What is it, Siggy?” I asked.

  “I have been scanning the ship that you were on, the RFE Darkstar, as well as the vessel Miss Pryar arrived in, the RFE Bright Horizon.”

  “And?” I waved a hand at him to hurry up and get to the point.

  “All detailed records have been wiped from the drives, but I may be able to recover them with time. The same is true in regard to the cloaking technology. I shall need Athena’s assistance, of course, but I do believe we will be successful, perhaps within the month.”

  “A month?” asked Abigail. “Why so long?”

  “The technology is quite unique. While I would certainly be able to transfer the existing cloak to a new ship, replicating it is much more complicated.”

  “Even for you?” she asked.

  “Even for me,” he answered.

  “Good work, Siggy,” I told him. “I knew I kept you around for a reason.”

  “Indeed. I believe it also has something to do with the coffee, sir.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean,” I said, feigning ignorance.

  “There is—” He paused, briefly, and the gold aura flickered. “Oh, dear.”

  “Something wrong?” asked Abigail.

  “I am detecting incoming vessels,” said the Cognitive. “Eighteen total. They appear to be Sarkonian ships of multiple classes. Four cruisers, eleven novas, and at least fifteen centurions.”

  “We get the picture, Siggy,” I said, taking a second to process. Each cruiser would be two-thirds the size of The Galactic Dawn, but with weaker hulls and shields, smaller guns, and slower propulsion speeds. Still, numbers mattered, and the Sarkonians had brought enough to warrant concern. The novas were roughly the size of The Renegade Star, each having access to flak bursts and torpedoes. Meanwhile, the centurions were closer to the strike ships in size, although their firepower was nowhere near the same. “Have the rest of the crew meet us at the strike ships. I want all available personnel ready to fight.”

  Sigmond disappeared while Abigail and I raced to the nearest elevator. We stepped inside and she sent it down to the loading bay level. “You said the Sarkonian told you reinforcements were a day out,” she told me.

  “Seems he was lying,” I said with a shrug.

  “Seems,” she repeated, cocking an eye.

  Octavia, Bolin, Petra, Freddie, and Alphonse were already there when we arrived, along with several other trained and seasoned fighters.

  “Sigmond already filled us in,” said Alphonse. “What are your orders, Captain?”

  “Depends on what Athena can do for us. I’d rather not fight if we don’t have to,” I said.

  “I don’t think everyone is onboard yet,” said Octavia.

  “Athena, how long until Titan can raise shields?” I asked, holding up a hand to the rest of the group.

  The Cognitive’s face appeared on the nearby wall, her blue eyes looking directly at me. “I estimate that the last of the colonists will be aboard Titan within thirty minutes, Captain Hughes.” She brought up a holomap, highlighting three dots that were moving on our location.

  “Can’t those strike ships move any faster?” I asked.

  “Possibly, but the debris field is hindering movement considerably,” explained Athena.

  “Do whatever you can to get those people here quickly,” I said, then turned to the rest of my crew. “Bolin and Petra, I want you to stay with the new colonists. They’ll need the guidance. The rest of you, ready your ships.”

  “On it,” said Freddie, heading to one of the closest ships.

  Alphonse, Abigail, and Octavia quickly followed, while Petra proceeded to the stairwell in the rear of the bay. Bolin, on the other hand, chose to linger, gesturing at me to hold a moment.

  I nodded, staying back while the others boarded their strike ships.

  “If this is about my leg,” he said, once they were out of ear shot, “there’s no need. The med-pod took care of it.”

  “That’s not it,” I said. I had no doubt that Bolin was physically up for a fight, but that wasn’t what worried me.

  “It’s about Felix, then,” he said, raising his voice to somewhere between respect and outrage.

  “That’s part of it,” I agreed. After we’d stored the Sarkonian ships inside Titan, the first thing I made sure to do was move Felix to a cryo-pod in the medbay. Bolin had helped and I’d witnessed his grief firsthand. Even though the Sarkonians hadn’t killed him directly, they were still responsible in both our eyes. “I can’t have you out there when things are still fresh.”

  Bolin opened his mouth to say something, but I raised a hand to stop him.

  “I also need you on Titan in case something goes sideways out there,” I finished.

  He was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Of course, Captain.”

  I watched as he walked off without another word. I knew how it felt to want blood for blood, but I also cared too much about Bolin to let him risk his life over a memory.

  Gods knew I’d done that enough for the both of us.

  17
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  I’d almost made it to my ship when I heard my name from the other side of the bay.

  “What now?” I asked, twisting around on the boarding ramp to see Lex barreling toward me at top speed. It only took her a few seconds to reach me, breaking out of a full sprint to a hard stop.

  “Mr. Hughes,” she exclaimed, breathing heavily. “Where are you going now? I only just got back!”

  “Damn, I’m sorry kid. I don’t have time to talk right now. Gotta handle something, but I’ll see you when I get back.”

  “Does that mean I can’t come with you?” she asked, snagging my sleeve. “I can help, you know. Didn’t you see me before?”

  I smiled. “I sure did, Lex. You were great down there, but right now I need you to stay back and help out around here.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  “There’s gonna be a lot of those folks from the planet coming up to leave with us. I need someone to show them around, keep them safe, and answer their questions. People get scared when they’re someplace new. You remember how scared you used to be?”

  She took a moment, but slowly nodded.

  “That’s why you’ll know what to say to them when they get here,” I said. “Right?”

  “Okay,” she said, smiling at the thought. “Yeah, Mr. Hughes. I can do that.”

  I took a step back and grabbed the handle inside the strike ship. “Now clear out, kid.” With a quick tap, the door began to raise. “I’ve got fightin’ to do.”

  “If I never step foot on another Sarkonian ship again, it’ll be too soon,” I muttered as I passed the RFE Darkstar on my way out of Titan’s hull.

  “Oh, it wasn’t so bad,” commented Octavia.

  Abigail chimed in. “If you ever get tired of being the Renegade, you could go back to being a regular one. Maybe use that ship and call it the Renegade Star II.” She snickered at her own joke.

  “Don’t you ever mention the Star in the same sentence as a Sarkonian ship again,” I said in a low voice.

  She laughed.