Junkie

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Junkie Page 11

by Bryant, S. J.


  The next few weeks were spent healing, planning, and collecting equipment. The whole of The Jagged Maw was behind them and one of the hardest things was explaining that they couldn't all go in for the attack. Weapons, fuel, and armour were handed over in piles and soon the small group were equipped better than many Confederacy troops.

  The plan was simple. They would infiltrate the Confederacy headquarters based on information Tanguin dug up from the Cloud. From there they would have to get to the core of the space station, find out what was really going on, and then Tyra would get to work blowing it to pieces.

  It was simple and deadly, just the way Nova liked it.

  The day they were set to leave the Maw every single Hunter gathered in the exit bay. Even those who were bedridden had been wheeled out to watch the departure. Black smudges covered the entry hall walls and dents pocketed the doors, but the debris had been cleared away.

  The main door sat propped against the adjacent wall, too broken to repair. From the entrance hall the Hunters could see clearly into the shipping bay.

  The six of them stood just inside the door, looking out at their fellow Hunters. Tim and Tom stood at the front of the crowd, their expressions grim.

  Nova stared back at her companion Hunters, her jaw set and her eyes stern. She wore simple battle armour that would deflect a basic plasma blast. The pain in her ribs had faded, only a small twinge when she turned remained of the agony. Her two pistols sat ready at her hips and a bigger gun hung over her back.

  To Nova's right Tanguin stood, her features hidden beneath her thick hood. She played with the hem of her shirt and her feet twitched as if she might run at any moment. She wore a small handgun at her waist and a knife tucked into her belt. If everything went to plan she wouldn't need to fight, she would be safely sitting on board Aart's ship feeding them information.

  Aart and Orion had dressed like twins in thick vests with multiple pockets and large rifles slung over their backs. They grinned out at the crowd and winked now and then as they saw friends smiling back at them.

  Gus stood at the back of the small group, not bothering to look at the crowd but rather going over the massive gun he held in both hands. It was as thick as his bulging arm and looked as powerful as any weapon Nova had seen before. The tattoos on his arms danced in time with his muscles as he rechecked the magazine.

  Tyra wore tight armour that hugged her body. She carried a medium sized gun at her waist but the rest of her belt was occupied by other equipment, screwdrivers, lasers, lock-picks and all manner of other things. Nova hoped that she had everything she needed; blowing up Confederacy headquarters was no easy feat.

  "Good luck," said Tim and Tom in unison, raising their right hands in fists to the left sides of their chests. The Hunters behind them followed suit.

  The six Hunters saluted back before striding away from The Jagged Maw. They marched to their individual ships, Tanguin joining Aart, climbed inside, and a few minutes later shot up and out of the landing bay, through the shield protecting The Jagged Maw and out into the darkness of space. They'd all flicked to stealth mode to prevent any locators from locking onto them.

  "Lock and load," said Nova as she let go of Crusader's wheel and switched into autopilot.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  "Aart, what are we doing here?" Nova asked.

  Deep gouges scarred the barren landscape. Ruins smoked from either side of the road, the only remnants of broken buildings. Shattered doors and stones scattered across what remained of the road.

  "I had to see it for myself. We need to know what we're fighting for," said Aart. "It's not just the Hunters that the Confederacy has screwed over."

  "But this?" Nova said.

  She waved her hand through the air to encompass the landscape. Tanguin stood just behind Nova's shoulder, her mouth set into a grim line. Gus, Tyra, and Orion stood with them, the six Hunters made a grim collection of life amongst the death.

  "We had to know," Aart said.

  Charred bones littered the landscape; skeletons lay twisted on the ground. A few skulls gazed up at Nova with their wide, unblinking eyes, judging her.

  Her spin tingled and she ripped her eyes away. "I can't believe they destroyed everything. What have they achieved?"

  "Obedience," Aart said. "None of the neighbouring moons would dare disobey now."

  Gus's fingers flexed around the barrel of his gun.

  "But why are we here?"

  "Fire for our revenge."

  Nova sighed and lowered her eyes. "From here it's only a short trip to their headquarters. Tanguin you've got that info for us?"

  "Yes. There's a section worth checking out, the layout schematics marked it 'Confidential'," Tanguin said.

  Nova nodded. "Good. That will be a priority."

  Tanguin growled. "Revenge first."

  Nova's spine tensed at the venom in Tanguin's voice. She tried to shake off the feeling but it clung to her like a dark cloud. She grimaced and led the way back to their ships. They traipsed through a desert of burned ground and broken bones.

  The last time Nova had been on Agrios it had been a green planet covered with simple farming communities, a beautiful planet with a stark mixture of technology and medieval ways. Collections of sheep created white dots on the green fields while wooden shacks housed the simple people.

  Ships came and went from Agrios regularly. It acted as a major trading hub in this part of the galaxy, which was probably why the riots started here. There were so many people talking, bringing stories and news. Chatter was bound to bring discontent and when the Confederacy stepped in to raise the trading taxes, the planet erupted.

  Of course all of that was hidden from the rest of the human colonies but word filtered out. The sudden closure of a main trading hub was bound to raise a few questions and gradually the anti-Confederacy groups got wind of it. Aart had heard the news and now here they were.

  Nova's stomach churned. Allegedly, the corruption and festering violence of the Confederacy was contained to just this Quadrant. The same branch Jack had told her about, the cannibals. Of course, that didn't mean the other Quadrants would step in and do anything, that's not how the Confederacy worked. Each Quadrant ran their planets however they wanted, uninterrupted, and as long as trade and labour continued, no one stepped in.

  Usually she wouldn't have worried herself with politics, but whatever was happening here was much bigger than a power struggle between dignitaries. The missing people, the massing armies, the mutant super-soldiers, the attack on The Jagged Maw, and now this. There was something more going on.

  Nova had read about these take-overs before. They were usually silent. Any opposition was hidden from the rest until, before anyone knew what was happening, they were enslaved. It was easy for the Confederacy when they controlled the media, the Cloud, and almost everything else. The only people they didn't control were the free riders; people who didn't settle on any one planet but moved from place to place. The Hunters posed a major threat; free riding, armed, and dangerous.

  Maybe that's why they attacked The Jagged Maw. It was a foolish move on their behalf though. Now the bounty hunters were really against them, if they'd just left it alone most Hunters would probably have minded their own business. Now it meant war.

  Nova climbed into Crusader and set course for the Confederacy headquarters. They had a job to do.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Nova sat in the pilot's chair of Crusader and gazed out into the emptiness of space. They sat right on the edge of the Inner Galaxies, as far from any of the checkpoints as they could get. Blocking the Inner Galaxies from the Outer, was an invisible shield that would fry all of Crusader's circuits and probably her as well if she tried to go through. There wasn't even the faintest shimmer to show where the sun-powered shield started.

  "You know you can still turn back," said Cal, hovering beside her.

  "Scared?" Nova said.

  "No, why would I be scared?" Cal said. "I just wanted to make sur
e you had explored all of your options."

  "Thank you for your concern, Cal, but yes I have. Besides, this is the easy part."

  "We'll see," said Cal, hovering away from the command pod.

  "Nova, are you ready?" Tanguin's voice filtered through Crusader's speakers but she had the video feed turned off.

  "Ready and waiting," Nova said.

  Confederacy ships used the checkpoints where small portions of the shield could be lifted for authorised craft. The Hunters were about to attempt the impossible and go straight through.

  "Alright, on the count of three. Two. One," Tanguin said.

  As soon as Tanguin reached one, Nova pushed forward with the throttle. Crusader lurched into life and shot headlong towards the barrier. She couldn't help but close her eyes as they passed through the deadly shield, half expecting the electric burn to fry her body into tiny pieces. When there was no pain she squeezed her eyes open.

  They were well inside the boundary of the Inner Galaxies, alive.

  "Step one," muttered Tanguin. "I've updated the Confederacy's log books so they have a record of you coming through the checkpoint without a problem."

  "Excellent work," said Nova. "Make sure the others stay strong."

  "A few of them came through in the same blast as you. I'll send the others through in a bit; if I leave it open for too long at a time there's a chance someone might notice."

  "Of course," said Nova. "Where's Aart?"

  "Here," Aart said, his voice joining Tanguin's.

  They were speaking openly but to any outsider it would sound like idle chatter between acquaintances. The code had been entered into each of their computers, almost unbreakable. Tanguin had spent days developing it and it worked like a miracle.

  "Aart, let's keep it clean remember. You've got your disguise?"

  "You bet," said Aart.

  "Okay, let's do this."

  Nova pushed Crusader faster and they cruised through space. Moons and planets shot by on either side, but Nova paid them no attention. Her destination was simple; Confederacy headquarters for Quadrant Two. A part of her hoped they were having one of their cannibalistic meals when she arrived. That would make it easier to open fire.

  She kept her hands firm on the controls. Autopilot could have driven her there but that would allow her more time to worry. This way she was distracted, her concentration focused on the act of flying rather than on what would happen if they were caught breaking into the Confederacy base. Being tossed into a blackhole would be the best possible outcome if they were caught.

  Nova shivered at the other possibilities.

  "You guys might want to see this," said Tanguin. "Now that you're past the perimeter you can pick up more signals than we get in the Outer Galaxies. It's an encrypted channel but whoever encrypted it should be sacked."

  Nova's screen flickered and the panorama of space was replaced with scenes of rioting. She let go of the controls and Crusader took over.

  The video showed bodies strewn across the ground. Smoke and debris filled the air as people stumbled like zombies through the waste. In the distance the sounds of gunfire stuttered through the blurred audio feed.

  "Where is that?" Nova asked.

  "Amcon," Tanguin said. "It looks like your info was right, Nova. The Resources Districts are still rioting but the Confederacy is censoring any coverage of it."

  "I'm not surprised," said Aart. "The Confederacy has been treating us like slave labour for too long."

  "But, Aart, look at it. That's not a riot, that's a massacre," Nova said.

  "We'll pay them back," Aart said with venom. "At least the riots will provide a distraction; their lives will not be lost in vain."

  Nova shook her head with sad eyes and pushed forward. How many of them would end up with their bodies bent and broken on the ground before this fool's quest was over?

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  "You're nearly there," said Tanguin. "Slow approach speed and start emitting the coded signal."

  Nova did as instructed and allowed Crusader to take them down to the space-station. It played home and office to everyone of any importance in the Human Confederacy for this sector. Here inside the glowing metal, it was hard to imagine the rich and powerful feasting on human flesh.

  "Halt. Identify," a voice said over Nova's intercom.

  "Nova Tabryn, Special Forces, reporting back from Outer Galaxy mission," Nova said in a calm voice, trusting that Tanguin had finalised her fake identity.

  "Confirmed. Approach," the voice replied.

  Crusader lowered, coming to a stop against the high-security landing bay and the doors locked together. Powerful guns lined the edge, pointing into space. Large figures in thick armour manned each weapon behind reinforced glass.

  Nova pulled on her disguise; a Confederacy issued Special Forces uniform. The simple tracksuit allowed temperature control and basic shielding from low-power weapons.

  Nova strode to the door. She knocked three times, paused, and knocked twice. The door swung open to reveal a well-lit corridor leading in a slope down into the complex.

  She followed the lights through the twisting tunnel until it opened up into a large reception area. A well-dressed woman with electric blue hair sat behind a broad desk made from a slab of real marble. An intimidating welcome.

  Nova stepped up to the bench. The woman with blue hair looked up at her with a smile.

  "Hello, how can I help you?" she asked. The flashing badge at her chest announced her name; Crystal.

  "Reporting back after reconnaissance," Nova said. She held out her arm for scanning.

  Her heart leaped into her throat and it felt as if every drop of blood had drained out of her face. She tried to keep her expression neutral and her shoulders relaxed even though her breath was being choked in her throat.

  "Sorry, it seems to be having some trouble," Crystal said, holding the scanner closer to Nova's arm.

  Nova's face flooded with heat. It wasn't working. What would she do when the scanner reported back that Nova had no business being on Cyon, let alone inside the Inner Galaxies? Her eyes darted around the room. She would block the exits and shoot Crystal. She might have a chance to make it back to Crusader before the alarm sounded. But then what? She'd never make it out of the Inner Galaxies alive. It was better than nothing. Nova clenched her fists, ready to snatch her gun.

  "There we are. Welcome back, Nova," Crystal said, smiling at her.

  Nova breathed a long sigh of relief and nodded to the other woman. She pulled her arm back to her side and clutched her right wrist with her left hand.

  "Um, I think a few of my friends are coming off duty today too. Is it okay if I wait for them here?" Nova said, trying to sound casual.

  "Of course," Crystal said. "Would you like some entertainment?"

  "No thank you, I'm fine just here," Nova said, plonking herself down into a chair which sat flush against the far wall. The regulation suit rustled as she sat.

  Crystal went back to doing whatever she did with her days and Nova's thoughts turned to the next step. She would wait for the others here and then they would all go into the Inner Sanctum of Cyon together. Tanguin's skills would get them that far but the very inner parts of the space station were guarded by internal security mechanisms, completely unconnected to the outside world. From there they were on their own.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  It felt like hours before Aart sauntered through the door, although it was only a few minutes. He walked with a casual swagger that Nova envied. If she hadn't personally known him, she would have been fooled into thinking he worked here. He strolled up to Crystal and grinned down at her, his eyes twinkling.

  "Well hello there, gorgeous. Back from duty in the outers," he said.

  Crystal's mouth opened as she stared into the dark depths of his eyes. "Good to have you back," she stammered. "How was it?"

  "Let's just say I'm glad to be back. It's like living with a bunch of animals out there. I don't know if I'll ev
er feel clean again."

  Crystal looked up at him with sympathy as she pulled out her scanner and held it over Aart's arm. "You poor thing, as long as you know your sacrifice doesn't go unnoticed."

  "Seeing a pretty face like yours makes it all worthwhile," Aart said with a grin.

  Crystal smiled back at him and visibly melted. She bent over her desk and when she stood again she thrust a crumpled piece of paper into Aart's hand. He winked at her and turned away.

  Nova watched the whole exchange from behind lowered eyelids. He pretended to do a double-take and then strolled towards her.

  "Is that Nova?" he said in a booming voice.

  Nova pretended to look up in surprise and allowed a smile to spread across her face. "Aart?"

  "What the hell are you doing sitting here?" he asked.

  "I thought a few of us might be getting off duty today. Thought I'd see if you wanted to catch a drink or something," she said. They'd rehearsed this speech as a series of coded messages. Her words meant, so far so good.

  "Well, you were right, Gus and Orion are getting in today too. They should be right behind me actually." The others had got through to the Inner Galaxies.

  "Great. Here, take a seat," Nova said, patting the chair next to her.

  Tanguin would stay on board Aart's ship, monitoring.

  "So, how was Cupron?" Aart asked.

  "Awful. You'd think after all this time they'd be grateful you know?" Nova said.

  They lapsed into silence until Gus arrived, at which point they repeated the charade of old comrades being reunited. Orion and Tyra arrived last and together they thanked Crystal, striding through the door to the next level of the Confederacy headquarters.

  "Your trip was good?" Orion asked.

  "Everything's tip top," Nova replied. "I believe Aart even scored a phone number."

  It was the first break from their prepared script but she couldn't help herself. Orion snorted and shook his head while Aart grinned.

 

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