by Taylor Smith
She leaned her back against the bulkhead and allowed herself to slide down until she was sitting on the floor. She’d killed Jerry. It was unbelievable to her. Her first assignment, the one she’d dreamed of since she’d been half a corpse living on the streets, was a complete failure. Everything was so crystal clear after her training had ended, and now it was like staring through a murky lake of failure.
She’d killed Jerry. Her hand went to her mouth and had to force herself to calm down. She’d been taught to kill a person using hundreds of methods, both from afar, and near, but she hadn’t had to face it yet. The closest situation she’d been in was on Stormcall, during the firefight, right beside Jerry.
She stood up, shook herself off and took a deep breath. Her mission wasn’t over, but this wasn’t working. She wanted off this planet, but first she’d retrieve a piece of Jerry’s equipment from the store. She needed to get it and Jerry’s body back to Lordell, where hopefully the team there could make some sense of it all.
She wasn’t going to trek back to the colony in broad daylight so she decided to try and rest. Sleep wasn’t likely to be on the menu, but she had to try, at least. Tonight, she would be off this forsaken ball of dust.
Chapter 5
“How are you feeling?”
Cade slowly opened his eyes, and blinked at the lights of the sickbay. “Like I’ve been hit in the head,” he replied and placed his hand on his forehead.
“It’s been over two years since your implant removal,” Dr. Grant reminded him. “And you could have used another year of healing before we replaced it.”
The doctors had kept a close eye on the tissue around the implant site, and a few had even told him not to replace it. Complications could arise, they had told him, with scarring around the site that could prevent full use of another implant. Cade was through waiting though. Having to re-learn how to shoot his sidearm, and not being able to pilot the ship efficiently had driven him crazy. Plus, he didn’t have the option of staying on the bridge during subspace transit between solar systems. Since the computer couldn’t tie into his implant for monitoring, the stresses of subspace egress would crush him.
“No more transit tanks,” his voice wavered as he tried to wake up.
“Well, you can’t say I didn’t warn you,” Dr. Grant said sourly and crossed her arms. “You remember the routine. What’s your name, who am I, and where are we?”
Cade closed his eyes as he tried to shake the remaining haze of the surgery’s anesthesia. “Dorian Cade, Doctor Malevolent,” he said. “The Reaper and No Quarter dropped out of subspace a day ago.”
Dr. Grant shot Cade a wry grin and nodded as she watched the large monitor on the sickbay’s wall. “What system?”
“The Yanna System.”
Travel time to Yanna Two was a little over forty-eight hours so Cade had opted for the surgery the moment he’d exited his transit tank. He’d need some extra recovery time, and the doctor wanted to wait three days to activate it instead of the normal twenty-four hours. He’d gone through the normal acclimation period the first time, but due to his situation, he’d agreed to the three day wait.
“Three days, Mr. Cade,” Dr. Grant replied with a stern look. “Then I’ll activate it, and we’ll see how well we did.”
Cade just wanted to get it over with. He truly felt that the implant was the last step of healing from everything he went through trying to find Haley. He was ready to move on.
Dr. Grant finally smiled at him from the monitor on the wall as she worked its controls. “You’ll be fairly miserable for the rest of the day,” she said. “I recommend going back to your quarters and getting some sleep.”
Cade grunted and sat up slowly. The more upright he got, the worse his head ached. “Yeah,” he muttered and tried to stand.
“Careful,” the Doctor said, warily eyeing him from across the room.
After a few moments of hanging onto the side-rail of the bed, he felt better. His balance had returned and the room had stopped spinning. His head felt like it was about to split open, though. “Can I eat?” he asked, suddenly finding himself famished, even through the constant pounding of his head.
“You can, though I recommend sleep,” the Doctor replied with another glare.
Cade grinned at her irritation. Dr. Grant had been with him since his home ship, the Grim Shoals, was destroyed by the Deshi three years ago. She was the one who nursed him back to health after being nearly burned to death in the incident that ravaged the left side of his body. His prosthetics had become a normal part of him since then, and he rarely noticed the eye. Without his implant, however, he could no longer use the more advanced functions the eye provided. Andy had taught him to shoot a sidearm for the first time on Clew. He’d also had the assistance of the targeting routines his prosthetic eye housed. To have those tools at his disposal again would be a gift.
He donned his black long coat, thanked the Doctor and left sickbay to make his way to the galley. Purposefully taking it slow, he walked through the corridors of the Reaper and thought back to his time on Adara in search for Haley. The sadness crept back upon him. He’d kissed her once, and he treasured that moment as much as he valued the memory of his mother’s smile.
As he walked, he passed several crewmen in the hallways. Each one gave him a bit more room than usual, and would watch him cautiously. He didn’t notice much due to his headache, but when he did, he would simply nod and produce a smile as if to tell them that he was fine.
“You’re supposed to be in bed,” came Andy’s voice as Cade entered the galley.
“I’m starving,” he replied and accepted the tray that Crane offered him from behind his station. “I’m fine,” he said to the man after noticing the worried look on his face, and then sat down at his brother’s table. Criss and Terry were with him, each enjoying a meal, and looked up, wide-eyed, at his approach.
Criss glanced sidelong at him and said, “You look terrible.”
“Yeah. You don’t look so good, boss,” Terry added.
“Thanks,” he said with a forced smile and dropped his forehead to his hands. “I just couldn’t wait any longer. I’ll be fine. I just need something to eat, and then I’ll go rest.”
“Good,” Andy replied at took another bite of the pasta he’d been enjoying. “You might as well sit out of going planetside though. We can handle it,” he said with a gesture to Criss and Terry.
Cade shot Andy a quick glance, and winced as his headache jabbed at the movement. “I’m going. I’ll be fine.” He returned his gaze to his plate and studied the dish he’d been given. His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head in confusion. “What is this?”
Criss grinned and her eyes seemed to light up. “We’re taking bets.”
Cade shook his head and tried a bite. He blinked in surprise and said, “Not bad. So what’s the plan, Andy?”
Andy pushed his plate away and leaned back. He shrugged and said, “No plan needed, really. We make contact with Jerry once we get closer to Yanna Two, and if she needs us, we’ll take the shuttle down and help her with whatever the problem is.”
Cade nodded in understanding. Andy was right. This was just a check-in. “How many times has Jerry sent an alert?”
“Twice, that I know of,” Andy responded. “Jerry doesn’t normally need help with anything. The last time she sent an alert, she was based in the Jonisia System. That was back when their government was non-aligned and we could use the colony there for trade. Some Deshi thugs had found her operation and attacked. She held them off for three days before my father arrived with the No Quarter to help.”
“She’s tough,” Criss added. “I like her, but I don’t think she likes me much.”
“She doesn’t warm up to many people,” Andy said. “She’s… different. It’s the nature of her job, I guess.”
Cade thought back to meeting the woman on Stormcall Station. She was good at what she did, not to mention a little crazy. The one thing that he always remembered about her wa
s during the firefight against a small group of Deshi, her accent had changed slightly as she barked commands out. That had made him very curious about her. “What did she do before running fronts for us?” he asked.
Andy shook his head and said, “Nothing.” He grabbed his plate and stood. “I have to get back to the bridge. Get some rest, Cade.”
Cade watched him go with a great deal of curiosity. There weren’t many questions that Andy avoided answering, but it seems Cade had hit on two in a very short amount of time.
***
Cade entered the bridge the next day feeling refreshed. His headache had been reduced to a dull thumping that he could manage without wincing constantly. It was still an annoyance, but he’d dealt with worse discomfort before. His current pain was nothing compared to his time in the Alliance capital city. “Captain,” he said as he took his seat next to Andy.
Andy grunted, his attention not breaking from his screen. “Jerry isn’t responding,” he muttered.
Cade’s brow knit at that. “Then we go down there and check the situation ourselves,” he said as he activated his screen to get caught up on the ship’s status.
That got Andy’s attention. He looked to Cade as if summing him up and said, “Are you up for it?”
“I told you, I’m fine,” he replied with more annoyance than he intended. He wasn’t feeling great, but he was capable of his duties. He just wished his implant was active so he’d feel a bit more comfortable in case they ran into trouble.
“All right,” Andy said and returned his gaze to his screen. “Let’s go.” He turned to Criss and said, “Miss Hulbert, open a channel to the No Quarter.” He waited until she acknowledged him with a nod and continued, “No Quarter, Reaper.”
“Go ahead, Reaper,” came Saundi’s reply.
“We’re unable to contact the surface. We’re going down to take a look. Keep an eye out.”
“Acknowledged Reaper. We have your back.” The channel closed.
Saundi had kept her word, so far. At least her outward appearance had dramatically shifted to a more serious aura. Cade hoped she would keep her crew, and herself, in check and not slide back into the patterns that had given her ship such a distasteful reputation.
He gazed up to the main screen that dominated the bridge’s forward section. The planet Yanna Two hovered before them, boasting the beautiful brown-toned ribbons of its geology. Cade wasn’t fooled, though, knowing those lovely hues indicated a sparsely populated world, inundated by the parched heat of its deserts.
Cade, Andy and Criss made their way to the Reaper’s shuttle bay toward the aft sections of the ship. Finn was already there with one of his engineering crewmen running a check-out of the shuttles’ systems as they entered.
Finn noticed them and gave Andy the thumbs up. “She’s ready to go, Captain.”
“Thanks, Finn,” Andy said as they boarded the small shuttle. “Need anything from the surface?”
“A bottle of the good stuff, if you please, Captain.”
Andy shook his head. “Parts, Finn. Do you need parts for the Reaper?”
“Ah,” he muttered as his smile dropped. “A new reactor. Preferably one that isn’t older than me.”
Andy rolled his eyes and boarded the shuttle. “I’ll try to find you that bottle.”
Cade sat in the co-pilot’s seat and began activating the flight systems while Andy took the primary seat and Criss strapped in behind them. “She’s warming up. Two minutes and we’re good to go,” Cade reported.
“What kind of colony is Yanna?” Criss asked as she buckled in. “I’ve never been to the surface.”
“Mining colony,” Andy said. “Not much else. They do have a few good restaurants, but they’re not going to be open at this hour. It’s around three in the morning Yanna time.”
Cade could almost hear Criss frown. “Maybe we can catch breakfast,” he said as he double-checked his instruments.
“Always thinking of me,” Criss said sarcastically from behind him.
Cade grinned through the pounding in his head, knowing full well that Criss didn’t even eat breakfast. “The bay is clear and locked down. We’re good to go.”
Andy motioned to Cade. “All right. Take us out.”
“Depressurizing,” he said as he activated the shuttle bay’s departure systems. Yellow lights flashed through the room as the air was drawn out before the lights shifted to red and the bay door opened to space.
Cade maneuvered the shuttle into space, and set it on its course into the planet’s atmosphere. He always enjoyed seeing the Reaper from the outside, and for a moment, he thought he could see the dark silhouette of the No Quarter as it floated nearby before the shuttle turned away.
The ride was smooth by any standard, but the turbulence seemed to cause Cade’s headache to intensify. By the time they were on approach to the colony’s spaceport, he had to concentrate not to wince outwardly at the pain.
“Yanna Colony control. Requesting permission to land,” Andy said over the shuttle’s short-range comms.
“Shuttle on bearing one-eight-five, granted,” came the response over the shuttles speakers. “Visitor Pad fees are three hundred credits per hour. Do you need fuel?”
Andy grimaced. “No fuel. That fee is pretty steep though. It was only two hundred a month ago.”
“I just work here. You’re cleared for V-Pad one.”
“Never mind, Yanna control. We’ll just land on the outskirts. It’ll be a shorter walk. Thanks anyway,” Andy replied.
“Two hundred and twenty-five,” came the very quick response.
Andy shook his head. “Visitor Pad one acknowledged.” He cut the comms and turned to his companions. “Not much of a negotiator, that one.”
Cade sat the shuttle down as softly as possible, careful not to anger his headache any more than it already was. Even with a light touchdown, it felt like Criss had hit him in the back of the head with a rock. He quickly switched the shuttles systems to standby and locked the computer down.
His eyes closed briefly as he leaned back. It would have been wise to visit the Doctor before boarding the shuttle. He’d greatly underestimated how badly he hurt.
“Cade?” came Criss’ voice from behind him.
He opened his eyes and unbuckled himself from his seat before he turned to see her expression laced with worry. “I’m fine.”
She watched him for a moment then nodded, obviously unconvinced.
The three stepped off the shuttle and into the arid night of Yanna Two. The light wind played with Cade’s coat, and felt cool atop his head. “It’s colder here than I thought it would be,” he muttered as he looked about.
The Yanna colony spaceport was a simple setup, sporting two visitor’s pads and a number of other areas used for mining haulers and ore refinement. One of the largest harvesters that Cade had ever seen sat silent across the tarmac. The bulky ship was still and dark, with its engines silent. Its huge intake nozzles arced upward in their cradles, making the ship look like a large, huddled man with his arms raised.
Rapidly approaching footsteps caught their attention.
“Need a ride?” The voice of the man running toward them sounded like the same poor negotiator Cade had heard on their flight down.
Andy nodded and said, “Yes, but if you charge us more than fifty credits, we’ll have a problem.”
The man stopped short and held up his hands. “We just got this runner a month ago. It’s a new model!” the man said in a high-pitched tone. “Seventy-five per day. My boss will nail me to the wall for any less.”
Cade looked to Andy, who seemed to be pondering his options with the man. They didn’t have time for these games. “Seventy-five is fine,” he said before Andy could reply. “Fully fueled.”
“Done,” the man replied. “I’m Arturo.”
Andy jerked his gaze toward Cade, who simply shook his head and repeated, “Seventy-five is fine.” They needed to find out what was going on with Jerry. Plus, he hoped she might
have something to ease the pounding in his head. The quicker they found her, the better for the both of them.
They followed Arturo to a small shed next to what appeared to be the main complex of the spaceport. Arturo opened a wide door to proudly produce a six-wheeled, open-air vehicle that sat eight. “She’s a beaut!” he said with a wide smile, then pointed across the sandy plains toward a faint light in the distance. “Town’s about four klick’s that way. Just keep an eye on the town’s perimeter lights. This baby will get you there in no-time, just don’t throttle up too much while it’s still dark. You’ll run up on a dune blown across the road, and be airborne before you know it.”
“Sounds like fun!” Criss said excitedly.
“Sure, when it’s not a surprise. Just keep the speed down.”
The trip to town was, thankfully, a smooth one. Arturo had been right, though. Several small sand dunes had been blown across the road to form dangerous ramp-like obstacles. Each time they’d come across one, Andy had spotted it soon enough to be avoided.
As they neared the outskirts of the colony, the runner slowed and the night gave way slightly to the town’s perimeter lights. They passed between two towers that Cade believed to be sentry posts, but no one seemed to be on guard duty.
It was deathly quiet, with only the low whirring of the runner to break the complete silence. For a moment, Cade wondered if something tragic had happened to the entire town’s population. But when they rolled closer to the first few buildings on the edge of town, a man stepped out in front of them with his hand held up. He wasn’t overly imposing, but he wielded a large rifle, the barrel resting on his shoulder.
Andy stopped the runner and turned it off. He glanced to Cade and Criss in warning before he stepped out of the runner and faced the armed man.
Cade sat comfortably in the runner, but his hand inched a bit closer to the sidearm at his hip.