by Frank Carey
"What kind of job?"
"I don't know. He said to be careful, that things weren't as they seem to be."
"Anything else?"
She shook her head. "Look, Gus, I really have no idea whether they're a threat or not."
Gus looked at her. "What did you tell him?"
"That we'd help them and that there's a rumor of a lock-down at the Alyson gate."
Gus’ eyes went wide at that last piece of information. "Two cargo loaders are going to help them... How, pray tell, are we going to do that?"
"I didn't get into specifics. I just said we would help them transit the gate and that he should call me if he got into a jam in the meantime."
Gus sat back in his seat and recited a prayer his father taught him. Then he heard the sound of flapping wings followed by something large sitting down in one of the chairs. "Yes, Horus, what would you like to add?" he asked while slowly opening his eyes to look over at the source of the noise.
"We must help them," Horus said, only he wasn't an owl anymore. Instead, there was a being with the head of a hawk and a body of a humanoid—a very ripped body of a humanoid. To the ancient Egyptians, he was known as Horus. To the Sandaarans, he was Nookfast, the Protector. Horus got around.
"Again, how do we do that?" Gus asked the immortal.
The Beaked One leaned over and looked the finder in the eyes. "You'll figure it out."
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Once the Yosho Maru was safely in other-space, Savannah had the computer set course for Alyson. She then headed down to the hold to see how her companions were progressing with connecting one of the enhanced drive pairs to the ship's power grid. On her way down to the hold, she found Morty staring out one of the view ports, watching plasma streamers as they flowed past the thick quartz window.
"Hey, Buddy, what's up? How did your talk with Minnie go?"
"Good. She's very nice."
"Now, where are we with connecting the new drive?" she asked, releasing his arm and ending their moment.
"Matt's finishing up in the engine room. The kid is a freakin genius. Vanny, I've never seen anyone work like him. Not only can we get back to our universe, we can even access the Erdexi transport system if we have to, though it will take a chunk out of our fuel reserves."
"Good. I like fallback positions. First things first, we need to get to Alyson and pick up the final crate, then we head to Arctillus, then our final destination. Things are looking up."
"About that. Minnie told me there's rumors of a gate lock-down at Alyson. I told her we really needed to get to Arctillus."
"We don't need any more impediments. Did you tell her why we need to get to Arctillus?"
"No, just that we needed to get there."
"And?"
"She said she would get Gus to help us. It seems he has connections in high places."
"He's a dock worker, for gods' sake."
"He's a highly connected dockworker whose best friend is an immortal, and not just any immortal. She used to be worshiped by millions of sapient beings who eventually conquered space and time."
"You're in awe of her, aren't you?"
"Damn skippy, Little One. I just have a very long lifespan. She's was once a god and now she works for that dock worker."
"Point taken. Let's just hope one of us can come up with a solution. I'm going to file a flight plan from Alyson to Arctillus via the gate so that things look normal. Hopefully, they'll just let us pass."
"We should have Matt check our paperwork to make sure everything is in order."
"Good idea. About Matt. What are we going to do with him when we reach Alyson?"
"Drop him off with a cover story that we kidnapped him. He'll be fine."
"No way," Matt said while entering the room. He was wiping off his hands with a towel on his way to the fridge for a drink. "I'm sticking with you two. You need me."
"Matt, you don't know what we plan to do," Morty pointed out. "Hell, we don't even know."
"Matt, this could be dangerous," Savannah added.
"You're going to need someone to help you with the remaining drives. I know drives, and you need that knowledge. Sure, they're supposed to be failsafe, but one never knows. Anyway, I think I'm supposed to go with you."
"What, protect your children?" Morty asked.
"Yeah, something like that."
"Matt, we're not from this universe..."
"I know, I scanned you when we were unpacking the drives. Your quantum spin signature is slightly off. Doesn't matter. I'm not going. You caught me, now you have to keep me. I think that's some kind of cosmic rule. Anyway, just think what your friends are going to say when they see all this," he said as he went into a firepower pose. "I can act as auxiliary lighting in the event of an emergency."
Vanny tried to stifle a laugh. "Fine, you're in. Now, could you check our paperwork?"
"Aye, aye, Captain!" he said with a sharp salute before heading to the Bridge.
"You know, we may be able to pull this off after all," Morty said as he tousled Vanny's hair.
"God, I hope so," she replied.
###
Gus ran spell check on the report one final time before sending it off to Neta. Satisfied with at least that part of his assignment, he returned to the dining table where he had spread out his hand-written plan to bypass the lock on the intergalactic gateway orbiting Alyson. So far, his plan consisted of a pile of wadded up sheets of paper and several broken pencils. Before he could sit, the incoming message chime sounded. "This is the Furball, you are go for Gus, over," he said as he sat down, pushing a pile of wads to the floor.
"This is Neta. What the hell are you doing out there? Why isn't Ms. Hardy in OffSec custody?"
"I'm following a lead. It's all in my report. She's buying weapons from Negis Corporation, and I thought you would like to have an illegal arms deal under your belt."
"Have you gone completely daft? You want to let an escaped felon buy a shipment of arms?"
"Felon? What felon? Vanny found herself in a strange land, so she borrowed a ship. She's not a felon."
"She stole a ship, kidnapped a member of the crew, stole government documents, filed false flight plans, and spoofed a ship's IFF code. We are going to arrest her when she reaches Alyson, then once we establish diplomatic relations with her people, we'll return her to them."
"Yeah, about Alyson. I was wondering if I can persuade you to let her and the Yosho through the gate? We'll be tracking her the whole time..."
"We? We who?"
Oops! Um did I ever introduce you to my assistant, Minnie?"
"No, you never mentioned her." She stopped and squinted at the screen. "Is that an owl?"
Gus looked and saw Horus staring at him and Neta's image on the screen. "Oh, you mean Horus? Actually, he belongs to Minnie. They're inseparable. So, what about letting Ms. Hardy finish what she started? I'll buy you dinner!"
"No. We're going to have a squad of OffSec and Alyson security officers waiting for her at the pickup point. I want you there to read her her rights, which will then release you from this contract. You have thirty standard days to submit your invoice. Neta out!"
"Squeak!" Horus said from his perch, having returned to owl form hours ago.
"Could you pick a form, please!" Gus requested testily.
"I think she's angry with you," Minnie noted as she strolled into the lounge area.
"I don't think she likes me. Do you think it's my approach?"
"You approach like a heavy cargo carrier doing a wheels-up landing in a crosswind."
"Really? That bad?"
"Yes. Here's a thought: be subtle!"
"Great, the one skill I don't have." He looked down the wads of paper strewn about the table and floor. "How the hell am I going to pull this off? The Erdexi hired the best programmers in the League to secure the gates. No one can get past those firewalls, at least no one living. By the way, you do realize I'm going to jail if I do this, don't you?"
"
Yeah. We promise to write."
"Squeak!"
"Love you both!"
"Love you more!"
"Click!"
"Hey, Gus, don't we have priority clearance while we work this gig?" Minnie asked while jumping onto the nearby couch.
"Yeah, but only if we're chasing... Shit! You're a genius. We need to get to Alyson before the Yosho. Can you find where the meeting location is?"
"Already done," she said while holding out a piece of yellow paper.
"Great. Thanks," he said as he headed to the Bridge. On his way past, he kissed the top of her head. "You are the best, Young Lady."
"Ah, shucks," she said as he left the lounge.
Horus hunkered down and took a nap.
###
"So, explain Alyson to me again," Savannah asked Matt.
"It was supposed to be a colony, but the elves used it as an experiment in rehabilitation. Six pre-fab towns were built, but only one was used to house people. The other five started life as industrial complexes with warehouses, landing sites, and automated factories. Slowly, people are coming to the planet to lay down roots. Hell, babies are being born every day. Alyson's primary business is the production of a power source called nisium. It also makes a lot of money as a stopping-off point for expeditions heading to the Large Magellanic Cloud. The planet is run by an elf named Alex and his sister, Bryntanna, both ex-assassins."
"Assassins? Really?" Vanny asked.
"Yep. Honest to God assassins. I hear Bryntanna can cleave a grain of rice in two with a knife at twenty paces."
"Damn," Morty said.
A chime sounded.
"Thirty minutes to real-space. Did you want me to do the checklist?" Matt asked.
"Yes, please. Morty and I will get the hold ready," Savannah said.
"Right. I assume in and out as fast as possible?"
"Yes, so keep the engines idling."
"Copy that, mistress."
"One last time, Matt, are you sure you want to do this?" Vanny asked.
"Yes, ma'am. In for a penny, in for a pound."
"Right. Let us know when we hit orbit."
"Yes, ma'am."
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The Yosho Maru circled the complex as it looked for the building that contained their crate. Below, the forest had tried to take back the town, but was stopped by automated maintenance bots which fought a constant battle to keep the plant life trimmed back. "Found it," Matt said. “Ten o'clock, the one with two sentries on the roof. Ma'am, they're packing some substantial heat."
"What?" Morty asked.
"They're well-armed," Matt explained.
"Ah. Well, they are gun runners."
"We've got someone with marshalling wands waving us down."
"OK, land and open the forward ramp. Matt, you're with me. Morty, you dust-off the minute anything looks wrong."
"I can't leave the two of you..."
"Yes, you can. You leave and get this ship and its contents back to the entry point. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am. Please, be careful, both of you."
"We will, now take us down.”
Moments later, Vanny and Matt stood at the bottom of the ramp surveying the area around the ship. In front of them was a loading dock with a large crate sitting in the center of the doorway. "I don't like this," Morty said over the sub-audible comm link.
"Neither do I." Savannah replied. "Scans picking up anything?"
"Yeah, but they're sketchy. Someone is running a blocker. I think we have about ten souls scattered around the area including two above you. All of them have a power signature associated with them."
"Matt, we've got ten armed life signs including two above."
"Got it," the Logash said as he flickered. One moment, he was standing next to her. The next, he had two rifles which he unloaded and tossed back into the open bay behind him. "Make that eight armed life signs."
"How the hell did you do that?" Savannah asked.
Before Matt could answer, he was stopped by the sound of clapping echoed in the building as a tall, heavyset Storen walked out, a white stripe of fur running from the top of his head to the tip of his nose.
Matt unholstered his weapon and aimed it at the visitor while placing himself between the new arrival and Vanny. "Close enough, brother. Put your weapon on the ground, then introduce yourself to the captain."
The Storen placed his pistol on the ground. Matt made a show of thumbing his weapons power up two notches. "Are you deliberately trying to insult my captain?"
The Storen shrugged, then took out two more pistols, a black leather sap, and an expandable baton. "Better?"
"Much. Captain," he said with a bow. She walked past him, giving him a brief wide-eyed glance.
"Captain Hardy, My name is Glant, Your payment has cleared. Would you like to inspect your shipment?"
"Thank you, Glant..." She stopped when Gus and Minnie walked up to stand next to her.
"Captain, with your permission?" Gus said. He and Minnie were both holding sophisticated scanners.
"Where did you come from?" Glant demanded.
Minnie glanced at the tall grass missed by the mowers. "Ma'am?"
"Get to it. We're wasting time." Savannah ordered.
With slight bows, they walked over and ran scans over the crate while Matt kept his pistol aimed at Glant.
Minnie put her scanner away, then reached up and tore the side of the crate off to get a closer look at the weapons. Gus saw the look on Glant's face. "She works out."
Minnie removed one of the weapons, and hinged-out the barrel assembly. Looking down the barrels, she made clicking noises.
Gus put his scanner back, then took out his weapon and aimed it at Glant. "Fake?" he asked his friend.
"Oh, yeah," Minnie replied, "and not a very good one. I doubt it would even take a power pack." She stepped away from the crate to join Gus, her weapon drawn and aimed in the general direction of the building.
"Captain, I suggest we leave..." Gus said, but stopped as Savannah spread her wings while laying down a stream of fire breath on the crate, turning it instantly to a puddle of slag.
She turned to Glant, grabbing him by the lapels and lifting him off the ground. "Where are my weapons?"
He noted the stream of fire dripping down the sides of her mouth. "Bring it! Bring the real crate, damn your eyes."
Glant raised his hand and waved it in a horizontal circle. A robotic handler walked out of the building carrying a large armored crate similar to the one Savannah had slagged.
"Scan it, you two. Glant, pray they're happy with the results. My employees' happiness is my top priority."
Glant started sweating when he saw the look in her eyes.
"It's real, Captain," Gus said.
"Power packs, projectiles, and control systems, ma'am, enough for at least five ships," Minnie added.
"Excellent. Load it."
"Yes, ma'am," Gus said as he and Minnie led the handler and its load up the ramp.
"Hey, Storen, do I know you from somewhere?" Glant yelled.
Gus's body went tense. Without turning, he replied, "I doubt it."
"No, no, I never forget a face or a voice."
Neither did Gus. He had hoped to avoid this unpleasantness until after he had helped Savannah. He couldn't believe his luck, or lack of it. "Yeah, you know me. You were part of a crew that boarded the freighter River’s Edge twenty years ago," Gus explained. "I gave you the computer access codes you used to space my family and your crew."
Glant stopped talking. Suddenly, a gun appeared in his hand. "You're dead. We monitored your transmissions and saw you take those pills. No one could have survived that.”
Gus slowly turned. "Why did you kill them, Glant? They weren't a threat to you. Why didn't you take the statue and get the plark out of there. You didn't have to kill them."
"It's complicated. I had contracts to fulfill, contracts which included your family and that group of imbeciles you call my crew. So, w
hy aren't you dead?"
Gus shrugged. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm a river demon come back to eat your heart and steal your soul."
"Gus, no," Minnie whispered.
He ignored her. Instead, he gently pushed Vanny out of harm's way while facing Glant. "Captain, why don't you take Minnie and Horus, and get the hell out of here. This is my problem, not yours."
"I'm not leaving you," Minnie said as she aimed her weapon at Glant.
"She's right, Curran, she's not leaving. None of you are," Glant said as he fired point blank at Gus. The blaster bolt went wide, clipping Gus's side, knocking him spinning to the ground
Minnie fired at Glant, then ran to Gus's prone form, but Savannah beat her to him. Meanwhile, Matt lay down cover fire as Vanny picked Gus up, as if he weighed nothin, and ran up the ramp into the safety of the hold.
Once everyone was aboard, Minnie sealed the ramp while Savannah took Gus up to the infirmary. She laid him on an exam table, then slammed her bloody hand against the intercom. "Morty, get us out of here."
"What the hell is going on. Where did those two come from?"
Minnie ran in and went to an unconscious Gus. "You moron! She turned to Vanny and Matt. "Get this bus into orbit, then head toward the gate. Ignore all hails. Horus is waiting for our signal. Transmit the phrase 'Hoot owl' on Guard channel one."
Matt looked at Vanny for guidance.
"You heard her! Move!"
Matt ran out, leaving the two women to deal with Gus.
"Ooooh, I think I'm dying," Gus slurred as Minnie used both hands to staunch the flow of blood coming out of the blaster wound.
"Gus, there's no medbed on this tub. I don't know..."
"Box. Wall. Red 'X'. Open it."
Savannah ran over and ripped the cover off the a wall mounted, steel box with a red "X" on it. "Done!"
"Red box. Toy robot. Square paper envelopes. Blue 'B'. Bring them," he said as he started to fade.
She did as instructed. Minnie grabbed the envelopes and ripped one open. Inside was a square bandage with odd edges. She slapped the square on the damaged tissue, then pulled her hand back as the bandage grew to cover the entire wound.
"Red box. Injector. Neck," he whispered before blacking out.
Savannah ripped the box open and extracted a long, red cylinder with an arrow painted on one end. She slammed the arrow end into Gus's neck. A loud hiss sounded, indicating something was happening. Gus's body went limp which caused Minnie to run a scanner over him.