“That won’t be easy,” Ben said. “There’s no way to hide from the Fleet on the way out.”
“You won’t have to,” Holt said. “You outrun them and make the jump to hyperspace. Follow protocol and they’ll never find you.”
“Where are taking the bio-circuitry?” Ben asked.
“Your contact on the ground will let you know.”
“That’s two runs,” Kim said. “We only owe one.”
“So do the second run and we’ll owe you,” Holt said. “I’m not looking to cause trouble here, but I can. One word from me and your ship will be grounded here.”
“Don’t threaten us,” Ben said. “I suppose you’re coming along for the ride.”
“No, you’re on your own,” Holt said. “But if you don’t make the run, you’re persona non grata with the Confederacy. You’ll never get Zexum from us again.”
“Take the drone,” Ben said. “The hanger supervisor wants this space.”
“You going to do it?” Holt asked.
“I guess you’ll find out,” Kim said.
“Amateurs,” Holt replied.
“We’ll meet your people on Brimex,” Ben said, “then decide.”
“You know this old bucket of bolts would have been just another worthless hulk orbiting Torrent Four if not for me,” Holt said. “Don’t forget that.”
“We won’t forget the wack job that nearly got us killed every time we had anything to do with him,” Kim said as she glared at the Confederate.
Holt gathered the drone parts and started to leave. He looked over his shoulder.
“Everyone needs friends from time to time,” he said. “You’d be wise not to burn bridges.”
Ben nodded at Magnum, who followed Holt out of the ship.
“I hate that guy,” Kim said.
“Yeah, we all know,” Ben said. “Let’s get to the bridge. It’s time we got out of here.”
Chapter 2
“Modulus Echo, you are free and clear,” said the shipyard flight controller. “Be safe out there.”
“Roger that,” Kim replied over the ship’s com system as she started the thrusters to propel the Echo away from the Genovisi Shipyards. “Modulus Echo is away.”
The space station was a busy place. The display on the bridge, which showed feeds from three of the ship’s exterior cameras, revealed dozens of ships moving toward or away from the large space station. But their route away from the Shipyards was clear. Kim pressed the throttle forward, engaging the ship’s main drive.
“Jump point is set,” Nance said from her computer station.
“All systems are in the green,” Ben added.
“The new cameras are nice,” Kim said. “What’s the zoom capability?”
“One thousand times zoom,” Nance said, “with image enhancement. I updated the display programming too. We have trajectory mapping and plot overlay capabilities.”
A golden line appeared on the forward camera feed showing their trajectory. Her own console screens showed the same thing, only with a digital background rather than a live feed from the cameras. At the end of the golden line was a glowing circle that marked their jump point.
“Fancy,” Kim said.
“How long is the first jump?” Ben asked.
“Twenty-two hours,” Nance said. “Then another fourteen-hour jump to the Skopes system.”
“Ten seconds to jump point,” Kim announced.
“Zexum reserve is down to twenty percent,” Nance said.
“Five seconds,” Kim said.
“It’s enough,” Ben remarked. “I can change out the tanks when we run system checks after the jump.”
“Here we go!” Kim said.
She pressed the button that engaged the hyperspace function on the ship’s main drive. Time seemed to stretch, as did the glow of stars on the display screen, then outer space was replaced with the luminescent clouds of hyperspace. Kim swiveled her seat around to face the others.
“My work here is done,” she said.
“I’ll start lunch,” Ben said, standing up. “Nance?”
“I’ll take first watch,” she replied.
“Alright, we can split a twenty-two-hour jump four ways,” Ben said. “I’ll spell you for the second shift. Magnum can have the third, and Kim you take the last shift.”
“Sounds good to me... Captain,” Kim said with a smile.
She left the bridge and went to her cabin. It was impossible not to think about how simple space travel seemed. She didn’t understand the complex equations that allowed the ship to bend space and travel enormous distances at almost no time at all, but she didn’t have to. The ship’s computer did the math, the main drive did the work, all she had to do was press a button. Once the course was set, the ship practically flew itself. If not for the harrowing encounters with the Royal Imperium Fleet, flying the Echo would be boring.
Back in her cabin, she looked around, amazed at the luxury of her little world. The long, narrow room was nicer than any house or apartment she had lived in on Torrent Four. The walls didn’t gleam white the way the Technical Institute’s had. Yet it was colorful with her wall tapestries and feminine with the soft pink blankets that were neatly arranged on her bunk. She sat in her new chair. It was the first item of furniture she had ever owned new.
Life was radically different than she’d ever imagined it. And while it made her cringe to think she’d almost missed the opportunity, she couldn’t dream of being anywhere else. Not that life on a blockade runner was carefree. There were times when she felt death breathing down her neck. And it seemed an absolute certainty that sooner or later the Fleet would capture them, but even so, she was happy.
Of course, Ben was part of that. He was so different, yet they managed to fit together like custom hardware. She had feared to let her affection for him grow, and yet out among the stars it seemed that anything was possible. The only regret she had was that he spent so much time working on the ship. She would have enjoyed spending the week with him when they were at the Genovisi Shipyards. The entire facility was full of space mechanics and engineers, yet he refused to let them make the vital repairs to the ship’s main drive. It was a minor thing really, she told herself, and not worth fretting over. So he’d been busy in port, he was all hers in the vast expanse of outer space.
She left her cabin and made her way up to the galley. The mottled glow of hyperspace whirled past the overhead view ports. At the counter, Ben was busy chopping potatoes.
“You kept some of the loot,” Kim remarked as she approached.
“Just the ones that floated free when we lost artificial gravity,” Ben said. “They’re supposed to keep for a long time in a cool, dark place. What some Chembrew ale?”
“You brought some?” Kim asked.
“The ship has storage for three kegs. It seemed like a smart investment,” Ben said, wiping his hands on a rag and pulling a plastic tumbler from the cabinet. “We still have water, and I also got some powdered drink flavoring, but the Chembrew is much better in my opinion.”
“You don’t have to convince me,” Kim said, taking the cup with the frothy drink. “What’s for dinner?”
“Real potatoes, roasted, with beef-flavored protein brick.”
“Sounds divine,” she said with a giggle. “You think maybe you’ll want to come and see what I’ve done with my room when we’re done eating?”
She knew he had seen her purchases, but couldn’t help but want to show off how good things looked with her decorative items all arranged.
“Actually, I’m taking the next watch on the bridge,” Ben said without looking up from the potatoes he was chopping.
“So... after that?” Kim said.
“Won’t you be sleeping?”
“Wake me up,” she said. “I won’t mind.”
“I’ll need to get some sleep. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of time to see your room later.”
“Are you kidding me?” Kim said, suddenly feeling a sting of rejection
.
Ben glanced up, a look of complete surprise on his face. He was oblivious to her, even though she’d made her feelings completely and undisputedly clear. She’d even kissed him, but suddenly he was acting like he had no clue that she liked him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, still looking confused. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Offend me? Really? How can you possibly be so dense?”
Ben looked confused, and over his shoulder Kim saw Magnum coming up the stairs. She sat the cup of ale down only half-finished and got to her feet.
“Never mind,” she said, putting as much iciness into the words as she could.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Ben asked.
“I’m not hungry.”
“But you said—”
“I know what I said,” Kim snapped as she walked away.
Magnum looked at her, but didn’t say anything. She liked that about the big man. He knew when to keep his mouth shut.
She hurried down the stairs to the main deck, her eyes stinging with tears, and the last thing she wanted to do was cry. Nothing made her angrier than showing weakness. In the pilot’s seat, she was invincible; nothing got under her skin or made her feel weak. But Ben always found the chink in her emotional armor.
She hurried past the bridge. Not that she worried Nance would actually look up from her computer console and notice her distress. The other woman on the ship was oblivious to anything that didn’t pass through her precious computer first.
Kim turned once she was in her room and hit the lock. The metal door made a satisfying click. The tears came suddenly. She dropped to the deck and rolled onto her back on the thick, shaggy rug she had purchased in the Genovisi Shipyards. A lifetime of bitter disappointments had taught her how to cry without making a sound, but her body shook with silent sobs. Her tears were hot as they streaked down her cheeks. It felt as if a gaping hole in her heart had been opened up, and nothing would ever make her whole again.
Chapter 3
Ben stood by the counter, a half-chopped potato in one hand. He had no idea what had upset Kim. He had seen her cabin before. It was exactly the same as his own.
Magnum sat down on the same stool where Kim had been just a moment before. He looked into the half-empty cup of ale.
“You can have it,” Ben said.
The big man picked it up and drained the contents in one long draft. He sat it down and wiped his mouth as Ben stood trying to understand why Kim was angry with him.
“I can chop potatoes,” Magnum said.
“It’s okay,” Ben said, returning to his task.
“Shouldn’t you go after her?”
“Who? Kim? Why? Did she say something to you?”
Magnum shook his head, and Ben knew he missing something. He slid the cutting board toward the big man and handed over the knife, butt first. Magnum took the knife and began chopping the potatoes as Ben snatched up a rag and hurried after Kim.
He went down to her cabin and pressed the intercom button. The device made a quiet buzzing sound. There was no answer from the cabin. Ben felt out of place, and frustrated. Kim was acting strange. There was no logic to her emotional response. So he hadn’t wanted to see her cabin, was that so bad?
Pressing the button, he buzzed her again, but there was still no response. She was angry at him for not wanting to see her room, but once he arrived she refused to let him in. It made no sense, and Ben felt frustration rising up inside him.
“Kim, I know you’re in there,” he said, leaning toward the intercom speaker to make sure she could hear him on the other side of the door. “I’m here. I’ll look at your room now. That’s what you wanted, right? So let me in.”
There was a pause, then her voice crackled through the old speaker.
“Go away,” she said.
“I thought you wanted me to see your cabin.”
“You are an idiot.”
“No, I’m not,” Ben said, resisting the urge to get angry with her. “You asked me to come and see your room.”
“Just go away. I don’t want you to see anything. I just want to be left alone.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Ben argued. “Why would you ask me to come down and then not let me in? Please, Kim. I don’t want to fight with you.”
“You don’t want to fight? Well too bad. I can’t believe you are so dense. Just go build something. That’s all you care about anyway.”
The intercom made a squelching noise, and Ben stepped back. He was no fool, but interpreting Kim’s emotional state was a complete mystery to him. On one level, he knew he needed to stay by her door and keep working to resolve whatever had set the volatile pilot off, but he didn’t want to do that. Instead, he went back up to the galley and finished making dinner.
Magnum, to his credit, didn’t ask about the fight. Ben tried his best to just shake the encounter off. The big man took his food, and a plate for Nance, down the bridge. Ben used his com-link to let Kim know the meal was ready, but she didn’t respond. Left alone with his thoughts, he replayed the events of the last week in his mind.
Kim had kissed him, twice. When they reached Genovisi, she had done her best to drag him away from his work on the ship. She had been flirtatious, and he had done his best to return her affection, but his mind had been on the repairs. He had assumed that once they got underway, he would have more time and attention to give her. In fact, he had been making a meal that he hoped they would enjoy together.
The truth was, Ben’s feelings for Kim were strong. So strong, in fact, that they scared him. All his life he had seen people come and go. Some died, some decided they wanted to leave, and others disappeared the way his parents had, with no clues as to why or where they had gone. It scared Ben to think about getting close to Kim. They had done that once as teenagers, before Ben found the Echo. And just like everyone else in his life, Kim had left him. Her passion was flying, and he admired her skill, dedication, and persistence in honing her craft. It seemed obvious to him that he felt the same way about repairing and maintaining the Echo, but for some reason Kim always resented his work on the Kestrel class ship.
He had hoped that with the old vessel flying, and the small crew enjoying more freedom than at any other time in their lives, that Kim might settle down. Her dream was coming true, just the way Ben’s had. The ship was their home, capable of taking them places they had never dreamed of. And yet, despite their success, Kim’s emotions made her seem more volatile than ever. And Ben feared that she might leave him again.
He ate his meal, but didn’t really taste or enjoy it. The ship was running perfectly, yet it seemed a lonely place somehow. Fear was encroaching on his thoughts and it took persistent effort to hold it at bay.
Once he finished eating, he went down to the engineering bay and checked every system. It could have waited, he realized. The ship’s main components didn’t need visual inspections on a regular basis. The computer system ran constant monitoring on the ship’s main drive, her fusion reactor, life support, artificial gravity generator, and hydro-generator, as well as a host of subsystems. Yet Ben felt better around the machines than he did around most people. He was certainly more comfortable poking around in the engineering bay than anywhere else on the ship.
He looked through the transparent steel port in the fusion reactor as the fist-sized ball of blue flame. It was like a tiny sun, only it burned Zexum instead of hydrogen and produced oxygen as its by-product. Ben couldn’t help but marvel as the perfect combination of a system that took one simple element and created a high yield of safe energy, enough heat to warm the entire spaceship, and even gave them oxygen to breathe or convert into water. Few things, in his experience, were as proficient as the fusion reactor.
He glanced at his chrono. It was almost time for his shift on the bridge. He thought about trying to speak to Kim again, but odds were high that she was sleeping. Waking her didn’t seem like a smart thing to do if he wanted to mend the inexplicable rent in their relationship. B
en went straight up to the bridge and found Nancy alone at her console. He had thought that perhaps Magnum might still be there, but he had gone to his cabin.
“I’ll take over,” Ben said. “You can go get some rest.”
“Okay,” Nance said.
She got to her feet and stretched. Ben, Kim, and Magnum all had new clothes, but Nance preferred the oversized garments Ben had found or traded for on Torrent Four. It was one of the things he liked about her. She was reliable, even predictable. He rarely saw her act on emotion. Not that emotions were bad. Everyone had emotions, even Ben, but he tried not to let his emotions control him.
“You okay?” Nance asked.
“Sure,” Ben said, hoping he sounded convincing.
She looked at him with a penetrating stare, but didn’t press or pry. Instead, she silently patted his shoulder as she left the bridge. Ben took a deep breath and reveled in the solitude. It wasn’t something he normally enjoyed, but with his own emotions in turmoil, he was happy to not have a need to hide his distress.
One glance at his console showed that the ship was on course and every system was functioning properly. There was no real need for the crew to man the ship’s bridge while they were in hyperspace, but Ben knew it was prudent. If something went wrong, he felt it would be better to have someone who could respond immediately. Still, there was no reason to believe something would go wrong. The ship was in better shape than ever, and there was absolutely nothing for him to do except brood on his thoughts. The hours of his watch seemed to drag by slowly. He eventually had to get to his feet and pace to stay awake. When Magnum came to relieve him, he felt as if had been on the bridge for an eternity.
As Magnum slowly settled his large frame onto the small chair at the security officer’s station, Ben approached him.
“How are the weapons controls coming?” Ben asked.
“Nance almost has everything ready.”
“You’ll be able to control everything here?”
“Deflectors and missiles,” Magnum said. “Lasers are controlled by the pilot.”
Jump Point: Kestrel Class Saga Book 2 Page 2