Behind Enemy Lines (Empire of Bones Saga Book 7)

by Terry Mixon

  “Can a cutter successfully land without anyone aboard?”

  She smiled slyly. “Probably not, but that’s not a negative in this particular case. They’ll expend resources searching for injured and dead at the crash site. That should conceal where we’ve actually gone long enough to get away, I hope.”

  Raul wasn’t at all certain about that, but he had to trust her to do her job. He nodded his agreement.

  “We’ll make it work. The next task is going to be getting out of the cutter without anyone asking awkward questions. Finish docking, and I’ll brief your officers.

  “You’re doing one hell of a job, Veronica. Don’t think that I’m going to forget this. When we get home, everyone is going to know how crucial you were to the success of this operation.”

  The woman’s smile turned wry. “After I surrendered my ship and the others under my temporary command, I’m not at all certain that’s going to be enough to make a difference.”

  “Don’t undervalue what we’re bringing back with us. No one could have done any better than you did at Erorsi. They ambushed you with overwhelming force, and your commanders have already paid in full for their errors. The lords will understand that.”

  “I wish I felt as certain as you do,” she said, sighing. “Forgive me, but you really have no idea what they’ll do.”

  “I think I know them well enough.” He left her in the cockpit after gesturing for the copilot to accompany him. Once he had all the officers gathered in the rear of the cutter, he laid out his plan.

  “Once Commander Giguere lands, we’ll unload the crate. We’re not going to leave it in the docking area. We’ll take it to the security zone. We can lock the unconscious prisoners into one of the cells and make our way to the recovery ship.

  “Commander Giguere is going to take the cutter back toward the surface of the planet. She’s going to exit before it leaves the area around the orbital and join us at the recovery ship. Commander Bakersfield will find her a vacuum suit.”

  He waited for them to nod before he continued. “We don’t know their schedule of departure, so we’re going to need to improvise as we go along. Does anyone have any questions?”

  The officers glanced at one another and shook their heads.

  “Excellent. Follow my lead if anyone tries to stop us.”

  He strapped himself in to one of the seats and waited. It seemed to take forever for the cutter to dock, but he finally felt it landing.

  The ramp began lowering as he unstrapped himself.

  They’d barely started getting the large crate with the prisoners unloaded when they ran into trouble.

  A lieutenant with a clipboard intercepted them. He was staring at the crate.

  “Excuse me, Lieutenant. We’re done here. What’s that?”

  Since the number of commanders on even a large ship was extremely small, he’d pilfered the rank tabs from one of the prisoners. So had Veronica. They were both junior-grade lieutenants now. A rank that had numerous holders on a ship the size of the carrier.

  “Something that was inadvertently left in one of the cutters,” Raul said smoothly. “They don’t want to leave it down where the prisoners can get their hands on it.”

  “I’ll need to mark down the contents,” the other man said. “Have your people set it down and open it up.”

  Raul eyed the officer and surreptitiously looked to see how many people would see if he had to do anything drastic to the man.

  Unfortunately, four marines had just come into the cargo bay and were watching them curiously.

  “Lieutenant?” the man asked. “Did you hear me? I need you to open up that crate right now.”

  34

  Kelsey was extremely annoyed with Jacob Howell. Even though it was apparent he’d accepted the basic outline of her story, he’d refused to help her find Annette Vitter. She’d argued with him until she was blue in the face, but he hadn’t budged.

  She admired his loyalty, but this was costing her precious time and putting her officer at needless risk.

  By now, the sun had risen, and Jacob’s friend was probably carrying Annette even farther from the search area. The marines had scoured the forest with drones and turned up nothing. It was as though the two had vanished.

  Kelsey had gotten a few hours of sleep and allowed the man to stew in his makeshift cell. To her annoyance, he probably hadn’t been bored. It was obvious he was absolutely delighted to be on an operational ship.

  He’d demanded to know the ship’s name. Once she’d told him, he’d insisted that she was chief of Clan Persephone. Great. That did absolutely nothing useful to her way of thinking.

  Angela was hard at work questioning the alien prisoners. Kelsey suspected she’d probably get something useful before the stubborn human cooperated.

  When Kelsey had reviewed the latest reports from the searchers and eaten breakfast, she headed for Jacob’s cabin. The marine guards let her in, and she found the man examining the inside of the kitchen cabinets.

  “What is this material?” he asked. “I’ve seen it before, but never in this condition. The salvaged pieces were exposed to the elements for decades.”

  “It’s a form of what we call plastic. I’m not sure of its precise makeup, and that probably doesn’t matter. I couldn’t make it if my life depended on it.”

  She sat on the edge of the couch. “This has to stop. You’re needlessly putting my officer in danger. I couldn’t care less about the two of you or what’s going on below. By all means, continue working whatever Machiavellian scheme you’re involved in without us.”

  He came out of the kitchen and sat down beside her. “What does that mean?”

  “Devious. Convoluted. Subtle. You can pick any of those words to describe the man the word refers to. He lived on Terra before spaceflight.

  “What I mean is that I’m not trying to interfere in anything that you’re doing. All I wanted to do was talk with you. I’m doing that. My goals are satisfied. I’ll be happy to release you once we’re done without any conditions.”

  His look took on a slightly amused air. “That seems rather plain spoken. You’ve come a very long way for information that was out of date decades before I was born. Whatever information I have about the clans won’t be very useful.”

  “Considering that I know nothing about them, I disagree. All we’ve ever heard them referred to as are ghosts. We suspect they are Imperial forces that escaped the civil war, but that’s just a guess. Beyond that, even old information would be useful.

  “We don’t want to fight them. It’s very likely that we’re fighting the same enemy.”

  His expression turned sad. “Then you are in for disappointment. The clans won’t work with you, I suspect. They’ll see you as just another part of the corrupt Empire.

  “I suppose giving you some information won’t hurt. Your guess is correct. The clans were formed by ships that escaped during the great war. They persevered in the system on the other side of the defective flip point. If I remember the old stories correctly, they called it Icebox.

  “It kept them prisoner for decades until they devised an escape into other systems. In the time since, they’ve grown strong. Much stronger than any raiding you’ve heard about would have indicated.”

  She leaned back in the couch and gave him a curious expression. “How do you mean?”

  “First, you need to understand my background and that of my clan. Clan Dauntless was one of the founding units in the Council of Clans. Our chief supported the goals of the Council to take the war back to the corrupt Empire. To bring it down and restore what had existed before.

  “When the Others came, we were skeptical. We did not believe that they had the best interests of the people at their heart. Over time, the Others swayed the Council and turned them against us. That’s why we fled.”

  Kelsey frowned. “Others?”

  He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. Moments later, he started again. “My apologies. I’ve hear
d the story so many times that I forgot you don’t have the background to know that.

  “The Others are human, but not of the Empire. They represent a political entity known as The Singularity. Their leaders favor tattoos on their faces, as I recall.”

  “I’ve heard of them,” Kelsey said. “Something about their leadership being genetically engineered.”

  Jacob raised an eyebrow. “I’m not certain I understand what that means. In any case, my father said that these people were exceptionally cunning. They spent many long years helping the Council build the kind of infrastructure needed to fight the corrupt Empire. Fleets of powerful ships.

  “The leadership of Clan Dauntless never believed that they wished us well, though. I’m told they believed The Singularity was manipulating the Council. Suborning it.

  “That is what convinced the clan to flee through the Icebox system and try to find a new home elsewhere. The Council allowed us to depart, but Singularity warships trailed closely behind and attacked us.

  “We had no intention of going into the Icebox system, as I understand it. It was a dead end. Superior numbers forced our hand. There was a great battle. One in which Dauntless emerged victorious, but was crippled.

  “Our leaders took a great chance and tried to take it through the defective flip point. Something our engineers did allowed us to make our way through, but not to the system we thought existed on the other side. We found this one instead.”

  “Your ship must’ve been in very bad shape if it crashed,” she said after a moment. “My missing officer believes that someone almost brought that ship down to the surface. Was that their intention?”

  He shook his head. “The story is that our leaders remained aboard the ship when her engines failed during orbital insertion. They chose to crash with the ship to allow the clan time to escape. No officer above the rank of lieutenant survived.

  “Unfortunately, the prisoners that the clan had collected after the battle also escaped. The Others. They now work with the repressive regime in the Empire of Kalor. I’d wager they’re suborning it in much the same way they did the Council of Clans. Unless I miss my guess, it was Kalorian soldiers who made up the ambush you mentioned.

  “That is why my friend and his soldiers came to assist me. We were trying to flush them out and eliminate them. They’ve been causing the kingdom trouble for many years. They wanted me as their prisoner.”

  She considered him for a long moment. “Why did they consider you so important? What are you to them that you would make a good hostage?”

  Jacob grinned. “Me? I’m nothing. It’s my father they would like to control. He is the chief of Clan Dauntless. The Others still hope to escape this world.”

  “And you don’t?”

  “I hadn’t, not until I learned of your ship. Now the impossible seems possible.”

  “It’s possible,” Kelsey said, “but only if you start cooperating. I’m more than willing to take you back down to the surface myself, along with all of the men we captured. We’ll turn you all over to your friend in exchange for my officer. All you have to do is tell me where he is.”

  “At this point, I’m almost willing to give it a chance,” Jacob said. “I can’t honestly say I know where he would go, though. There are several possible destinations. He’s a very canny woodsman. The chances of you tracking him are slim.”

  “They wouldn’t have been if you’d talked to me last night,” Kelsey said acerbically. “Why didn’t you just cooperate then?”

  He shrugged. “I couldn’t take the chance. I believe you now, but I was uncertain then. My friend’s name in Standard is Derek. His father rules the Kingdom of Raden. I couldn’t risk giving you the opportunity to take him hostage.”

  Kelsey sighed. “Just another piece of political maneuvering that I have no interest in. Come on. I think it’s time to give you a tour of the ship, and then we can go talk to your friend’s men.”

  She rose to her feet and led him toward the door. “I don’t have time to play games. Events are unfolding, and our time is limited. If I have to waste days hunting for your friend, no one is going to be happy when I find him.”

  Veronica heard the raised voices from inside the cutter and made the decision to head down the ramp to see if she could settle whatever the problem was. She found Castille arguing with a lieutenant holding a clipboard.

  That was never a good thing. The general rule of thumb was to worry if you found a lieutenant with a clipboard or a map.

  She sauntered down the ramp as casually as she could and walked up to the group. “Is there a problem, sir?” she asked the man with the clipboard.

  “Yes. We finished tallying the remaining cargo, so I need to see the contents of the crate to add it to our list.”

  “Ah,” she said. “I understand. I’m afraid we’re not going to be able to do that, sir.”

  He blinked at her. “Excuse me?”

  “It’s classified. Why do you think we’re moving it onto the orbital at the last moment? The orders for this came from the very highest level. Princess Kelsey. You can contact her for confirmation, of course.”

  Veronica really hoped it didn’t come to that, but she doubted it would. The odds of a lieutenant disturbing somebody of that exalted social position with something like this were slim. It was still taking a chance, but what part of this escape wasn’t?

  “But she hasn’t been in the system for a week.”

  That surprised her, but she kept her face bland. She hoped it didn’t mean they’d discovered the distant flip point. That would complicate matters.

  “That’s outside my control, and it still doesn’t change my orders,” Veronica said. “Look, it’s only one crate. We’re going to secure it inside the orbital like she told us. It’s not as if it will somehow cause a problem. Do you really want to raise a stink over this and deal with the consequences, sir?”

  No officer in her right mind wanted to deal with angry superiors by questioning their orders. It was much simpler just to go with the flow.

  “I don’t recognize you people. Are you based on Persephone?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Figures.” After a long moment, he sighed. “I suppose you’re right. It’s only one crate. I’ll make a note that it was delivered and stored as per Princess Kelsey’s orders. If there’s a problem, you can explain it.”

  The man moved off and drew some nearby marines with him. As soon as they stopped paying attention to her, Veronica gestured for Graham to go get a vacuum suit for her.

  It only took him a few moments to get one out of an emergency locker and carry it into the cutter. The lieutenant and his companions were no longer in sight, so she casually followed him in. He set it on a chair, grinned at her, and headed back out to rejoin Castille.

  Once she’d sealed the cutter, Veronica put the vacuum suit on. This next part was going to be tricky, and she didn’t want to waste any time.

  She lifted the cutter off the deck and took it slowly out of the landing bay. After she was in vacuum, she bled the air out of the cutter and opened the ramp.

  It wasn’t difficult to lay in a course that took the cutter past the recovery ship. She wasn’t going to be exceptionally close to it, but she had some experience in maneuvering a vacuum suit. She’d be able to get onto the hull without too much trouble.

  Once she was there, she’d wait for Castille and her people to join her.

  The cutter would maintain its slow speed until it was clear of the orbital and then accelerate toward the planet at a normal velocity.

  The damned computers on board weren’t too smart, so it was probably going to mess up during reentry. That should make a nice splashy problem for their enemies to sort out.

  She carefully made her way down the ramp and braced herself against the cutter’s hull as it slid past the recovery ship. Taking a deep breath, she aimed at a good landing place and launched herself into the void.

  The kick off hadn’t been precisely even, so she
began rotating almost at once. That didn’t overly concern her. She’d be able to use the suit’s built-in thrusters to steady herself and then slow down before landing.

  Veronica brought up the thruster controls and blanched. The suit had no reaction mass. She was stuck with the momentum she’d gained from jumping off the cutter.

  The heavens spun around her as she coasted toward the recovery ship. It was hard to tell, but she thought she was going to come close. Of course, close didn’t really matter if she still missed. Or if she hit hard enough to bounce off.

  She cursed herself for not checking the reservoir levels. That little bit of stupidity was probably going to kill her. She’d only have one chance at this.

  To her relief, her initial jump had been true. She collided roughly with the hull of the recovery ship.

  That didn’t mean that everything came up roses. She hit at an awkward angle, something snapped in her left forearm, and her helmet bounced off the hull.

  Veronica scrambled to grab anything and caught something mounted to the hall with her right hand. The rebound almost yanked her shoulder out of its socket, but she managed to hang on.

  She ended up bruised and bloodied, but secure on her destination. She was happy with the result until she saw that the corner of her faceplate was cracked.

  A quick check of the interior instruments confirmed she was slowly losing air. Probably not through the crack itself or it would have blown out already. She’d probably torn her suit when she rammed the ship.

  She wasn’t going to have time to wait for the rest to join her. She had to find a way into the recovery ship right now, no matter the risk.

  So, of course, the nearest personnel hatch was locked up tight.

  35

  They’d only been marching through the forest for about three hours when Annette saw her chance to turn the tables on her captor. The hills they were moving through were relatively steep, so he kept her close in front of him to prevent her from either falling or trying to get away.