by J. N. Chaney
“We can’t just keep storing stuff here,” I said aloud. “We’ve already got the tech from Karbine and now this. So, what do we do with it?” I echoed her earlier words.
Neither of us had a ready answer.
“What about your parents?” I asked. “Would they know of a way to get rid of tech like this? Maybe the rebel faction could use it to do some good.”
Farah hesitated before speaking and I got the sense she was working something out within herself.
Finally, she spoke. “I love and trust my parents. And the rebellion network is doing good work…”
“But?” I prompted when she trailed off.
“But there are individuals who would see this as a way to get rid of both the Union and the Empire,” she continued. “Which isn’t exactly a bad thing. But would they stop there? I know my mom and dad. They would hand it over expecting the people at the top to do the right thing. I don’t have that same kind of faith. Especially after everything we’ve witnessed recently.”
I contemplated the scenarios in which a rebel faction took over all of the known systems. As bad as the Union and Sarkonian Empire were, at least we knew what we were dealing with. Farah was right to be cautious.
“There’s still the matter of making enough credits to keep 2G here in tip top and fueled up,” she continued.
I groaned. “Thanks for the reminder. I know I said I’d never lower myself to selling services, but it may be time to reconsider.”
Farah’s mouth fell open in shock. “W-what?! You can’t be serious!” she sputtered.
I burst out laughing.
“Your face! I was talking about becoming Renegades. I guess your mind’s still back in one of Leah station’s many gutters.” By that point I was struggling to breathe between the fits of laughter.
My partner looked less amused. Slightly.
“Oh, come on,” I said, wiping tears from my cheeks. “It was funny.”
“No, it was. I was just thinking you might be onto something,” she replied.
That sobered me up.
“What? No, that’s a terrible idea, that’s why I was laughing so hard. They don’t have any morals, everyone knows that.” I scrunched my nose up in mock disgust. “I wasn’t being serious.”
“I am. Think about it. Renegades pick and choose their jobs, right? So, we could do that. Specialize in rescue missions or protection detail. Or"—she paused and slid a sly glance my way—“we could advertise—discreetly, of course—anti-government services. We take days off when we want, mess with the Empire a little, save people, all while making some dough.”
That piqued my interest and I sat up a little straighter. It didn’t sound half bad when she said it like that. I considered the notion and decided it might be worth looking into, though I had a few questions.
“If being a Renegade is so great, why isn’t everyone doing it?” I asked.
“My understanding is that most Renegades have to borrow money in order to get a ship and start working,” Farah said. “Loan sharks aren’t usually the best people. They charge crazy interest that can’t reasonably be paid back in the allotted time.”
She answered pretty quickly. Too quickly. I wondered how she knew so much and made a mental note to ask later.
“So, they basically get blackmailed into doing whatever they want,” I finished.
“Pretty much.” She gave me a wry smile. “But we’ve already got a ship, decent weapons, and everything else. Plus, we have Vega.”
“Why thank you, Miss Shahi.” The AI was back to sounding chipper again.
I waved a hand to keep the conversation moving. “Okay, say we did that. Say it worked. We still have the problem of what to do with any tech we come across,” I pointed out.
Sophie smiled brightly at the statement. “Actually, I think I have an idea for that. There are all sorts of abandoned asteroids, dead moons, and uninhabitable planets scattered around all the systems. It shouldn’t be hard to find one that’s been picked clean that can house whatever we don’t want on the ship. Then if we need something it’s a quick slip tunnel trip to grab it or drop more off.”
I had to admit she made a lot of sense.
“How do you know so much anyway?” I asked. “No, wait, let me guess. You have a Renegade aunt or some shit like that.”
“Actually, I think it’s another cousin,” she said with a chuckle. “But I also wanted to be one when I was a kid, probably from seeing them on the holo. It looked pretty glamorous. Didn’t you ever want to be anything? You know… before?”
Whatever smartass remark I’d been about to make died on my lips as the image of stargazing with my father resurfaced. “I wanted to explore the unknown and have a constellation named after me,” I said softly. “But that was a long time ago.”
“Not sure about the unknown. There might not be any of that left,” Farah replied. “But if we wreak enough havoc on the governments, they might name a black hole after you.”
“Guess I’ll have to settle for that then,” I said with a smirk.
We made it back to Neblinar the next day. I’d been wary about landing there before, but now it almost felt like home, and after the filth on Leah it looked like an upscale resort. Even with the threat of the two biggest governments in the universe looming I still managed to relax a little once we docked.
I didn’t want to leave the microbots on the ship unattended, so Farah stayed behind while I went to buy fuel.
As I made my way through the throngs of people to the dock master, the little hairs on the back of my neck raised, but I didn’t see any obvious threats. I stopped at a food hovercart for a quick bite and used it as an excuse to check out my surroundings.
The docks were busy. People unloading from ships, haggling over goods, pickpockets. No one in particular stood out. I thought I caught a flash of black moving a little too quickly for my taste, but the person disappeared, and I didn’t see them again.
I’m just jumpy after everything that’s happened, I reasoned.
Still, I figured it was best not to linger, so I finished my business as quickly as possible then returned to Farah and the ship without making any more stops. I’d rather overreact and feel stupid than ignore my gut and end up in front of a firing squad or back in solitary.
When I got back Mack and Farah were on the bridge instead of the cargo bay this time.
“Nice to see you again,” the hacker greeted me. “And alive at that,” she added jokingly.
I nodded back in perfect agreement. “Same here.”
“Shahi here filled me in on some of your plans. I think it’s probably your best bet to hide it,” she commented. “I gave Vega some coordinates of possible locations to check out when you have a chance.”
“Thanks,” I said, meaning it. “The offer is still open. You’re welcome to join us,” I added with a wink.
She shook her head wistfully. “You know, that doesn’t sound half bad. I’d consider it if I didn’t have some things to take care of here first. But you need to get those lethal composters off this beauty of a ship and save the free worlds.”
Mack had supplied us with a number of candidates where we could possibly offload the replicating microbots. The hope was to find a spot where no one would think to look or accidentally stumble over our secret.
I laughed. “Maybe next time. There will always be a spot for you on the Second Genesis.”
“She’s going to keep her ear to the ground for jobs like we talked about,” Farah chimed in.
“Okay, as long as no one calls me a Renegade. We’re more like Robyns anyway.”
Both Mack and my co-captain looked at me quizzically.
“That fairytale about the band of merry women that went around disrupting order?”
From their blank expressions I could tell they had no clue what I was talking about.
“Whatever, I liked it as a kid,” I grumbled. “Anyway, the point is that everything they did was for the good of the people. They only took wha
t they needed.”
Farah tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully.
“I like it,” she decided.
“If it’s jobs you want, I can put a posting out and see what happens. If any jobs come up that fit the bill, I can pass the information along,” Mack offered.
“That’ll work.” I nodded. “We better get going then. I don’t want to keep those murder bots any longer than we have to.”
“I don’t blame you,” the hacker agreed. “Let me set up the system for encrypted transmissions so we can communicate more sensitive info. Less chance of being intercepted that way, but even if someone does, they won’t be able to read them.”
It didn’t take her long to make the changes and we were saying goodbye a few minutes later.
“Here, take this.” Mack pulled a metallic cylinder about the size of a thermos from her bag and passed it to me.
“Thanks. What is it?” I asked, turning it over in my hands.
She grinned slyly. “A little ship warming, congrats on the new job, fuck the system gift. It’s lined with neutronium. Should block any kind of scan that would detect the slaughter bots.”
My mouth fell open and I gaped at her for a good ten seconds before closing it again. Neutronium was notoriously hard to get ahold of and ridiculously expensive. Even the relatively small amount I currently held had to be worth a small fortune.
“How the hell did you get your hands on that?” Farah demanded, voicing my unspoken question.
Mack’s smile went even wider and she lifted a shoulder nonchalantly. “No big deal. Some of my clients pay me really well.”
“You sure you want to part with it? You could make a tidy profit it.” It pained me to ask but I didn’t feel right just taking it. “You’ve already done so much for us with all the tech work—which, I might add, you didn’t charge us for.”
To my relief, Mack waved the offer away.
“Don’t worry about it. I make enough from what I do. That’s just been collecting dust. Farah is family and now you are too. Not to mention you guys are doing work that matters. Besides, it looks like a perfect fit.”
Afterward we’d shown her the microbots to get her opinion on them and she’d agreed with our decision not to give it to the rebellion.
I nodded gratefully. “Thanks. I feel better about leaving the weapon somewhere with this to conceal it.”
We said our last goodbyes, undocked, and were following a course to the first set of coordinates less than three hours after our arrival.
The deadlands were littered with pockets of space that nobody cared about anymore. Like my partner had said, it was just a matter of finding one that would fit our needs. Close, off the well-travelled path, and off anyone’s radar.
The first candidate was located in the Paxos System. Paxos was a sprawling system and had the distinction of having been the center of a great war between the Empire and the Union, back when the Sarkonian Empire was the more powerful of the two. Unfortunately for them, the Union won, and it was only the beginning of Empire’s long fall from greatness.
As usual, it had been the civilians who had suffered most. A good number of planets and colonies had been decimated as a result. According to Mack’s information, the Union had set up a slew of military outposts near key locations to make sure the Empire didn’t attempt to reclaim its former territory.
After the outposts ceased to be useful, the Union had abandoned them. AQ-81 was one such planet with a noxious atmosphere that had once been rich in something the government found important. Now it was a husk of its former self and too far from anything to be worth guarding. Its station had been left behind to rot years ago if Mack’s information was correct.
“Vega, run a scan,” I ordered when the planet was within the sensors’ reach.
From our current location it was barely visible, just a small light in the distance, lit up by the star it orbited.
“Working,” she replied, then went silent for a few beats. “No sign of any significant activity, though I do detect a minimal power output.”
“Good. Put—”
I was cut off as the Second Genesis quaked violently and knocked me to the ground. It felt as though something had collided with the ship. Something big.
“What the hell was that?” I checked the holodisplay but didn’t see anything we could have hit.
“It felt like we docked with another ship,” Farah said, her fingers dancing over the controls.
“That is correct,” Vega confirmed. “At this moment they are attempting to access my systems. Please—”
Her voice became garbled as she tried to finish speaking, then it died away completely.
Farah looked at me, eyes wide in alarm. We both sprinted from the bridge to the airlock. Thankfully it hadn’t been forced open yet, though it was only a matter of time.
“Vega, status?” No response.
“Get to the armory,” I snapped to Farah, unholstering my pistol. “We should have at least some time before whoever the hell that is blows the door or overrides the locks.”
Before she could take a step, a hiss sounded announcing our uninvited guest’s presence inside the airlock. Seconds later it slid open, which should have been impossible without the codes.
At first, I thought the airlock was empty, but then a man stood from where he’d been squatting. I realized he must’ve been using some kind tech to hardline into the door controls.
Stupid, I thought. I should have considered that as a possibility.
The thought was fleeting though as I took in the figure before me. I only had a few moments to process the sight in front of me, but it was long enough for me to recognize him from his stance and Union gear. It was the man from Chaundra.
Then the soldier looked up, finally revealing a face I knew all too well. “You guys should really change your backup codes,” said Ensign-Haas.
19
My mouth dropped open for the second time that day and I didn’t have to look at Farah to know she was having a similar reaction.
Haas wore the same exosuit marked up with Union blue that I’d seen on Chaundra, though he’d seemed taller at the time. His blonde hair had been buzzed since we’d parted ways back on Sobek.
“Surprised to see me?” Haas mocked, looking from me to Farah. “It’s okay, I would be too. You probably thought the Union would clean up after your mess on Sobek. They did, in their way.”
He started to take a step forward but stopped when I pointed the gun at his face.
“How?” I asked bluntly. Not that I cared, I just wanted more time to collect my thoughts and figure out how to deal with this new problem.
Our former teammate looked different. His eyes looked empty of emotion and his smile had a manic quality that sent a chill skittering along my spine.
Haas fixed cold, blue eyes on me. “Isn’t it obvious? The Union captured me when you left me like a sacrifice at that godsforsaken house. You remember, it was right after you murdered our commander in cold blood.”
Seeing his smug face unharmed didn’t exactly make me feel bad about that, so I curled a lip snidely and shrugged.
“Cold blood? You know what went down,” I said. “She tried to kill a child. There are just some lines that shouldn’t be crossed.”
Now Haas shrugged, then spread his hands and flashed us a sardonic smile. “Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, the Union arrested me and tried to get Sarkon to admit they’d sent a kill team.”
“And they refused,” I guessed. “They probably disavowed you and Navari to save face.”
He nodded. “I played the part of the good soldier and claimed to have gone rogue. Figured Kaska might send the Void in for me but he didn’t.”
My ears perked up at the mention of the Vice-Admiral but I didn’t comment on it. Could Haas be involved with whatever Navari and Kaska had been up to?
“That still doesn’t explain how you’re here and why you’re dressed like Union,” I pointed out.
Haas gestured widel
y at me and Farah. “Looks like you two got new looks too. I gotta admit, not bad.”
I didn’t smile. “Answer the question, Haas.”
“Fine. They gave me a choice,” he explained. “Join them or die. It was an easy decision. My unit and my government betrayed me. Why would I want to stay loyal?”
His guilt trip didn’t bother me, and I cocked an eyebrow to tell him as much.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Farah pull her sidearm out slowly.
“Speaking of that, why does the Union trust you?” I asked suspiciously, keeping his attention on me.
Haas glowered, his expression going stormy, and he pointed at his neck where a bandage covered what I assumed was an incision. “Because if I don’t do exactly as they say, my head will be forcibly removed from my body. So, when they ordered me to Chaundra I had no compunction switching loyalties,” he finished.
“I don’t blame you for not feeling loyal to the Empire,” Farah said, speaking for the first time. “But you killed Sarkonian soldiers who were only doing their job. They were your countrymen.”
She’d been quiet for the last few minutes but now I could see that she was almost vibrating with suppressed anger. Maybe I’d misjudged her previous reaction.
Haas scoffed. “Says the woman who held me at gunpoint, stood by her best friend as she murdered her commander without batting an eye, and turned into a common terrorist.”
“You’re an idiot if you think that,” she snapped. “Navari was going to kill a child. She brought that on herself. We haven’t killed anyone needlessly. In fact, we’ve stopped—”
“Sophie,” I said sharply, using her old name and shaking my head so she’d stop talking. The less Haas knew, the better.
“I know you tried to sell the first weapon on Leah,” he accused. “It doesn’t even matter. I’m not here to debate with you, I’m here for the replicators you stole.”
“Not gonna happen,” I said flatly. I knew deep within my soul that the self-replicating tech couldn’t go into his hands.