Renegade Moon: An Intergalactic Space Opera Adventure (Renegade Star Book 3)

by JN Chaney

  That was the thing about this line of work. When the adrenaline kicked in, you had to be ready for it, and having a routine was good for that.

  I moved quickly through the landing bay and into the hall, rounding the corner to the elevator. It took me straight up to the deck we had stashed Alphonse.

  To my surprise, Octavia was already there waiting for me. “Took your time, didn’t you?” she asked, a second after the elevator doors opened.

  I stared at her for a second, wondering how someone in a wheelchair could move so fast. “Mind your business, lady.”

  “Are you ready to handle this?” she asked, ignoring my statement.

  I walked forward, stopping beside her, just before Alphonse’s door. “I’m always ready,” I said, glancing down.

  “If he tries anything,..”

  “I’ll kill him,” I said.

  She nodded. “Only if he misbehaves.”

  “We’ll see,” I said, winking.

  Alphonse was standing beside his bed when I entered, his shirt off and Athena’s hand inside of his stomach.

  “Uh,” I muttered, looking at them both. “What in the holy fuck did I just walk in on?”

  Athena pulled her hand back, removing it from the Constable’s abdomen. “Apologies,” she said. “I was placing the device.”

  “The bomb,” he said, matter-of-factly.

  “It went well, I take it?” I asked.

  Alphonse looked at Athena. “I’m not sure. Did it?”

  “It was as you requested, Captain Hughes,” said Athena.

  “Good,” I said. “If you try anything between now and when we’re back in this room, we’ll blow your ass to bits. You hear what I’m telling you?”

  “I do,” he said.

  I holstered my pistol, but kept my eye on him as we moved into the hall. Octavia sat in her chair, still in the same position. “Constable,” she said, tipping her head to him.

  “Ms. Brie,” he said, returning the nod.

  “You two behave yourselves,” she said.

  I flicked my finger up in the shape of a pistol as I passed. “Enjoy sitting around.”

  “Funny,” she said, right as we walked into the elevator.

  The doors closed as she shot me a thin smile.

  Alphonse leaned against the wall as we rode the lift to the lower deck where my ship waited. “I hope you have a plan to conceal your identity when we—”

  “Don’t worry about me,” I said, giving him a look. “Just don’t fuck any of this up.”

  “If I do, we’re both dead,” he said, then placed his hand on his stomach. “Me, more than you, probably.”

  He didn’t seem to be scared or excited, only calm and collected, the way I imagined a Constable would be. Alphonse, for all the distrust I had of him, was definitely something else.

  We arrived in the bay and made our way into my ship. Abigail was already inside, holding her rifle and sitting on the couch. “It’s about time,” she said when she saw me, immediately getting to her feet.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting,” said Alphonse.

  “Don’t apologize to the nun,” I said. “Siggy, prep the engines. Alphonse, take a seat.”

  “Understood, sir,” responded Sigmond.

  “Should we expect any trouble from you?” Abigail asked, staring at the Constable.

  “Don’t worry about him,” I said. “Come with me to the cockpit, Abby.”

  “You’re going to leave him out here alone?” she asked.

  “What’s he going to do?” I asked. “If he doesn’t follow orders, he’ll explode.”

  “And I really don’t want to explode,” said Alphonse.

  “See? Now, let’s go,” I said, grabbing her hand.

  She followed me to the front of the ship, and I closed the door behind us. “What’s wrong?” she asked, leaning in close, like she expected me to tell her some big secret.

  I shrugged and flopped down in my chair. “Nothing,” I answered, then reached beneath the console and pulled out a bottle of whiskey, along with two glasses. “I just wanted to have a drink.”

  “A drink? Are you seriously going to—”

  “I have one before every job. It’s part of how I operate. You gonna lecture me or join?”

  “Don’t you think it’s a bad idea to do that before an operation?”

  “That’s your problem, Abby,” I said, pouring a small shot’s worth of liquor into both glasses. “You’re calling this an operation. You’re too uptight.”

  I offered up the cup to her and she stared at it. “Fine,” she said, after a short moment. “But only one.”

  I grinned. “That’s a good nun.”

  “I told you to stop calling me a nun,” she said, glaring a little.

  We clinked the glasses together, and I raised mine in the air. “Here’s to…” I paused, trying to think of something.

  “To us,” she said, holding her own glass up.

  I smiled. “A couple of fools inside a ship inside a moon inside a slip tunnel.”

  We touched our cups together, then shot the drinks back. It burned, but we didn’t complain.

  “Another?” I asked.

  She fanned her hand. “Not now. Later, once we’re done.”

  I nodded, setting down the empty glass. “Once we’re done.”

  * * *

  Titan left the tunnel and entered the Navi system. It was largely empty, just inside Union territory. From here, we’d take The Renegade Star and hop through another tunnel to reach Priscilla.

  Titan, meanwhile, would create a new tunnel to Priscilla, staying inside until a certain amount of time had passed. At that point, the moon would emerge, pick us up, and get the fuck out of there before the entire goddamn Union fleet arrived.

  Athena had suggested I load my ship with some specialized proximity mines. I had rejected them at first, since I had no experience using them, after some insistence on her part, I decided to go along with it.

  After the old mines had been swapped with the new ones, I decided to relax in my ship until it was time to go.

  “We all set?” I asked, sitting in the cockpit, prepped to depart.

  Abigail was beside me, suited up in plated armor, blonde hair in a ponytail, and a rifle at her side. She looked like a warrior woman, built to kill.

  I had to admit, I liked it.

  “Renegade Star, you are clear for departure,” said Athena, over my com.

  “There’s your answer,” said Abby, motioning with her hand.

  “If you’re ready, I’m ready,” I said.

  “One question. How do we know when and where to meet Titan, once we’re away from the planet?” Abigail asked.

  “Sigmond has the info,” I said, gripping the controls. I felt the engine ignite, lifting us off the deck. The ship vibrated for a moment, until the stabilizers kicked in.

  “That is correct,” said Siggy. “Athena’s arrival at Priscilla should occur approximately two hours after we land on the planet. You will need to be back aboard this vessel several minutes before that time.”

  “Two hours to steal the core?” asked Abigail. “Is that enough time?”

  “It has to be,” I said, pushing the control stick and bringing the ship out of the deck. “Titan doesn’t have the energy reserves to stay in slipspace for long. That’s what Athena tells me, anyway.”

  “That is correct,” confirmed Athena. “It is essential that you deliver the tritium core before my fuel reserves are depleted.”

  “No pressure,” I told Abby.

  The Renegade Star pushed out of Titan’s landing bay and into open space. A few moments later, Titan let out a large beam, splitting open a tear in space, creating a new slip tunnel.

  We entered first, with the moon-sized megastructure following closely behind.

  * * *

  It only took ten minutes to reach the other end of the tunnel. We were alone when we emerged. Despite knowing what would happen, I was still surprised that Titan didn’t f
ollow. Despite Athena telling me it wouldn’t, I had never witnessed a ship enter slipspace, but not emerge. Whatever Titan was made of, whatever technology its ancient engineers had used to create it, there could be no argument that it was a marvel.

  “We have arrived at our destination,” said Sigmond. “Proceeding to Priscilla.”

  “Aside from what we’re after, do you think this facility has anything else worth taking?” asked Abigail.

  “I’ve been wondering about that, too,” I admitted. “We won’t know until we’re inside. Our job is to steal the core, but maybe we’ll get lucky and bag ourselves a second prize.”

  “I’ll keep my fingers crossed for something nice,” she said, giving me a wink.

  The gesture took me by surprise. Was she flirting with me? Was she joking? I shook it off and buried the question. Get your head in the game, Jace.

  The holo lit up on the console, showing the planet and our route. The landing site was close to the coast of the largest continent, maybe twenty kilometers away from the sea. We’d be landing there in under five minutes.

  “Right,” she said, leaning closer to the floating planet on the dash.

  “That’s not to say we can’t steal a few extras while we’re there,” I added with a smirk. I thumbed the Foxy Stardust bobblehead. “You never know what you’ll find when you go thieving.”

  We entered the planet’s orbit, positioning ourselves to land. The process wouldn’t take long. Maybe eight minutes.

  As we proceeded toward the facility, a voice came over the com. “Incoming vessel, please identify yourself.”

  I tabbed the console, opening the line. “This is Constable Alphonse Malloy, requesting permission to land.”

  “C-Constable, did you say?” asked the person on the other end.

  “That’s right,” I answered. “I’m here to perform a surprise inspection. My authorization code is 66192-883.”

  A short pause.

  “Authorization code accepted. Welcome to Priscilla, sir.”

  I smiled, right as we broke through the clouds, then turned the com off and looked at Abigail. “Ready to be someone else?”

  She picked up her rifle, then slapped her shield onto her shoulder. With a soft click, a blue glow appeared around her, quickly transforming her face and body. “Ready,” she confirmed.

  I followed suit, activating my shield right as The Renegade Star set down on the landing pad. I glanced at the reflective glass to my left side, spotting my silver hair in the display. “Okay,” I said, glancing back at Abby. “Let’s go steal us a power core.”

  Seven

  Four men with guns met us at the landing pad, each dressed in a Union military uniform. Behind them, a woman with glasses walked with a serious expression. She had short, black hair and a slender frame. If it hadn’t been for the scowl, I might’ve found her attractive.

  Okay, even with the scowl.

  “Welcome to Priscilla,” said the woman in a thick accent I didn’t recognize. “My name is Doctor Dressler. I’ve been informed that you’re here to perform an inspection. Is that right?”

  “It is,” said Alphonse, giving her a pleasant smile. “I apologize for our impromptu arrival, but my superiors wanted a confirmation assessment on the property.”

  Dressler looked at her pad, then at each of us. “May I ask,” she went on. “Who are your associates? They don’t appear in our registry.”

  “Constables,” said Alphonse, flatly. “Their identities are masked, due to their recent assignments.” He gestured to me, then to Abby. “I take responsibility for both of them. That is all you need to know.”

  “Be that as it may, I will have to ask that they relinquish their weapons until the end of the inspection. It’s a matter of protocol.”

  Alphonse looked at me, and I gave him a slight nod. “Very well,” said the Constable.

  Both Abigail and I gave up our two primary weapons, but didn’t mention anything about the pistols we received from Titan, which remained concealed beneath our clothes.

  “Shall we proceed with the inspection?” asked Alphonse. “I have other matters to attend to and would prefer to keep this brief.”

  “Brief?” asked Dressler.

  “I don’t expect to uncover anything unusual. Your facility is one of the best, doctor.”

  “Thank you,” she said, nodding. “Please, follow me. I’ll be happy to show you the grounds.”

  Alphonse started walking and both Abigail and I quickly followed. The Union soldiers remained behind us, trailing until we entered the front of the main building. They didn’t join us, which suggested we were in the clear.

  As soon as we entered, a man behind a small counter got to his feet. He asked Alphonse to press his thumb to a small, flat device. The Constable did, and a green light beeped. “Clear,” the man said.

  That must have been the blood test, I thought.

  The retinal scan came next, just inside the next hall. Alphonse bent forward and a blue line swept across his face. “Identity confirmed,” said the facility’s A.I.

  Abby and I proceeded through the door, right after him. When we were finally through the short series of identity tests, the doctor turned and said, “Shall we begin in section six?”

  “I’d prefer thirteen,” Alphonse answered.

  Dressler seemed surprised. “So soon?”

  Alphonse nodded. “As I said, we have little time to spare, Doctor. Let’s begin with the essential properties and work backwards. I want to make certain that we cover the necessary inventory, should I need to cut the inspection short.”

  “Cut it short?” she asked.

  “There is a situation in a nearby system that may require my attention,” lied Alphonse. “In the event that I am needed, I would rather have already examined your essential inventory.”

  “If I might be so bold, Constable, what sort of situation is it?” she asked.

  “A classified one,” he remarked. “One that I am not at liberty to discuss. However, I will tell you it is a matter of public safety.”

  She paused. “Terrorism?”

  He smiled. “You are astute, Doctor. Very good. I’m afraid I can speak no more of it, though. I’m sure you understand.”

  “I do, of course,” she said, returning his smile. “Please, follow me, sir.”

  I had to say I was pretty impressed with Alphonse’s ability to make shit up on the fly. He had a talent for this sort of thing, which was probably why he’d been recruited to be a Constable in the first place.

  Dressler led us to an elevator, using her thumbprint to activate it, and pressed the button for the thirteenth floor. I stood there, quietly, along with Abigail, wondering just what the fuck I was thinking when I agreed to come here.

  I thumbed the butt of my pistol, for no other reason than to double check it was still there. I hated being this close to the Union.

  The doors opened and I felt a sweep of cold air brush across my cheeks. It felt ten degrees cooler.

  “Right this way, Constable,” said Dressler. “You’ll find everything the same as your last visit.”

  We stepped into a cross-shaped hall, with a corridor on each side as well as a long hallway directly ahead. It ended with a massive set of double doors, twice my size.

  I wanted to ask why anyone needed a door this big, but kept my mouth shut.

  Doctor Dressler approached a small scanner on the wall and pressed her eye to it. “Identity acknowledged. Please proceed,” said the A.I.

  The doors opened, sliding apart. What I saw on the other side gave me pause.

  It seemed to be a massive storage facility, with shelves and crates as far as my eyes could see. There had to be hundreds, maybe thousands, of rows here. A brief glance at the nearest one showed a familiar item casually resting in a small bin—an old Earth-relic, tagged and marked for later reference. It seemed our suspicions had been correct and the Union really was collecting their share of artifacts, probably for decades, if not longer.

&
nbsp; If Freddie had been here, I could only imagine his response to all this. Or Hitchens, for that matter. Maybe they could have made sense out of some of these old trinkets, because I certainly couldn’t.

  But, that didn’t mean I couldn’t steal a few.

  “Straight ahead, please,” said Dressler, staring at me. I’d apparently been so caught up with my surroundings that I forgot to keep up.

  Once I was back in line, the doctor continued forward, leading us to the rear of this massive compartment.

  There was no door there, but an opening, leading into a small room no larger than the lounge of my ship. It contained nothing but shelves on all sides, with a table in the center.

  Dressler walked to the far-right corner. “Verdan,” she said.

  “Yes, Doctor,” said the A.I., her voice coming from above us.

  “Open Vault 2771,” said Dressler.

  I almost asked why anyone needed 2771 vaults, but stopped myself.

  “Proceeding,” said Verdan.

  The shelves in front of Dressler clicked, pulling back into the wall, then moved sideways. How many hidden rooms do we have to get through? I thought, as the doctor motioned for us to follow.

  Inside, the room was largely empty, surrounded by smooth walls. The only object was a single crate at the center of the floor. It was quite possibly the most pristinely designed space I’d ever seen.

  I distrusted it instantly.

  Dressler tapped a small screen on the surface of the crate, entering what must have been her authorization code. A light click followed, and she took a step back. “There you are, Constable Malloy.”

  “Very good,” said Alphonse, walking closer to it. As he did, both halves of the lid separated, pulling up and apart.

  I felt for my pistol, staying ready for any unexpected shit that might befall us in this underground deathtrap.

  Alphonse leaned over the box, eying its contents. “It appears the item is intact,” he said.

  “As you can see, it is still the same as the last inspection,” said Dressler. “Shall we move on?”

  The Constable paused, looking at me. “I supposed now would be the time.”

  I glanced at Abigail, who gave me a slight nod, signaling she was ready.