by Jerry Aubin
Zax was shocked to hear Kalare draw the same conclusion he had reached earlier. He gave her the same rationale which had led him to immediately dismiss it.
“Are you nuts? I publicly accused one of the Omegas of murder and the Boss has to know I was really talking about him. There’s no way in hell he would ever award me anywhere near enough credits to make a difference in my ranking! Besides, he probably blames me for all of this mess in the first place given how I exposed the video of that human fighter.”
“Don’t be silly, Zax. When all this blows over, he’s not going to have any choice. You’re right—he’s not going to want to support you given the history between you two, but there’s no way he’d be able to let the cadet who rescued him go away empty-handed. Working with him, I’ve come to learn how much the Boss considers potential Crew perceptions when making decisions. I’m pretty sure he didn’t immediately Cull you back then because he didn’t want to give your accusations any more weight in the Crew’s eyes. Rewarding you now will make people forget about those allegations altogether. Most people prefer simple narrative and you’ll be transformed in their eyes from the cadet who accused an Omega of murder to the cadet who saved the Boss. You’re easily looking at five-figures worth of bonus credits!”
Zax disregarded the possibility of significant rewards earlier, but if Kalare was reaching the same conclusion then perhaps there was some validity to the notion. He clearly had achieved far beyond what would be expected of a typical cadet through all of this ordeal. Kalare might be right in thinking his actions would merit acknowledgement with serious credits once this uprising by the civilians was over—even if it meant the Boss had to get past his distaste for rewarding Zax of all people.
What about Zax’s distaste for the Boss? Even if Kalare was convinced the man was innocent, Zax still held him accountable for Mikedo’s death. Working in Waste Systems, however, was doing nothing to prove Zax’s suspicions and make the Omega pay. Maybe if Zax could put aside his feelings and get himself closer to the Boss again, he’d be able to learn what he needed to see the man punished.
Zax’s deliberations were interrupted by the opening of the hatch to Westerick’s office. Bailee walked out and looked at Zax and Kalare.
“Come in here. The Boss wants you to hear this firsthand.”
Aleron stood to join them, but the Marine shook his head.
“Not you. Someone needs to stay here and keep an eye on the civilian.”
Aleron was indignant for a moment, but then his face brightened.
“That means I should get the blaster then, right?”
The sergeant turned back and grinned at the cadet. Zax recognized the look as a dangerous signal, but Aleron once again lived up to the “Captain Clueless” nickname as he held out his hand for the weapon.
“You’re saying you need my weapon to stand watch over an eight-year-old boy. Who’s asleep. I’m sorry, cadet, but I realize now that I must have knocked something loose in your head when I hit you earlier. Maybe you need another punch to settle things back into place.”
The Marine smiled coldly at Aleron and the cadet’s face went as red as his shirt. Zax extricated himself from beneath Nolly without waking the boy and followed Kalare and the sergeant into the compartment. The Boss looked up as they entered.
“Here’s the plan—”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
We can pretend all of that silliness
never happened.
“A Marine garrison is located in the next section, and there will be a significant force there to protect the armory. We need to reach them. I’m certain the civilians are actively targeting me, and it’s critical for the survival of the Ship that I get more protection as soon as feasibly possible. Even though Salmea and Westerick can access their Plugs, the civilians have blocked all communication. We can’t call the Marines to us, so we have no choice but to make our way to them.”
The Boss looked at each of them for a few beats before he nodded to acknowledge Kalare’s raised hand.
“Sir—why do you feel the civilians are targeting you? If they wanted you that badly, why would their leader back in Engineering have let you out of his sight?”
“That’s a great question, Kalare, but, unfortunately, the answer is on a need-to-know basis. Let me assure you the civilians’ strategic situation has changed, and I’m confident they now see me as critical to their plans to secure control of the Ship.”
The Boss let the idea of civilian control sink in for a moment before he continued.
“With Zax’s help it should be easy to get most of the way to our destination using the maintenance tunnels, but we can’t get all the way there. For security purposes, the Marines blocked the tunnels that approach their garrison so the last portion of our journey must be through the main passageways. I’m guessing the civilians will be as far from the Marines as they can possibly be. We aren’t likely to run into any hostiles, but you never know. Keeping me safe is the most important thing any of you are likely to do in your lifetime. Do it well, and I promise your efforts will be recognized.
“I need some time alone before we leave, so give me the room. Zax—hang back, please.”
Zax had keyed in on the Boss’s mention of being “recognized,” and Kalare must have as well because she gave him an encouraging thumbs up as she walked past to exit the compartment along with the others. Once the hatch was closed and they were alone, the Boss smiled at Zax for a few long, uncomfortable moments before speaking.
“You must be able to appreciate the strange predicament I find myself in here, Zax. I gave you an amazing opportunity a year ago. You were on the verge of not only becoming a pilot but also gaining me as your mentor. You took that opportunity and threw it away in nearly the most disastrous way possible.”
Zax shuffled his feet. It had been easy to nurse his hatred and distrust of the man over the past year when the Boss was a never-seen figure who existed only in Kalare’s stories. It was entirely different to share a compartment with the Omega while the man smiled and spoke with him like a peer rather than a despised underling. Zax was being charmed by the man and what made it painfully uncomfortable was how he found himself liking it. Kalare had suggested that redemption was possible and against his better instincts Zax wanted to grasp for it. The Boss leaned forward and spoke again.
“These are extreme circumstances we find ourselves in, and there’s no way I can ignore how admirably well you’ve performed so far. I want to encourage you to reconsider whatever grudges you’ve held against me during your year here in Waste Systems. Having spent all of fifteen mins with your supervisors, I think I can appreciate what that time has been like for you.”
The Boss paused and grinned, and Zax couldn’t help but join in as well.
“So here’s the deal, Zax. I mentioned to the group how crucial it is I stay out of the hands of the civilians. I can’t stress this enough. If we get out of this mess and you play the critical role I need you to, then you’re going to find yourself right back at the top of the Leaderboard with me as your mentor just like you were a year ago. We can pretend all of that silliness never happened. What do you think?”
The Boss’s grin had disappeared and been replaced with a look of intense focus. Zax was conflicted. Hearing the Boss refer to everything around Mikedo’s death, however obliquely, as being silly made him angry. Leaving the hell of Waste Systems and getting his career back on track for the Flight Academy, however, was a powerful inducement. Nothing was being served by wasting his life maintaining the Ship’s sewers. He could never do anything to rewrite the story of Mikedo’s sacrifice from down here. If he actually spent time close to the Boss, then maybe he would discover the evidence that would finally allow him to prove beyond a doubt the man had killed her. He would always despise who he was making the deal with, but Zax was smart enough to realize it was the right deal. He didn’t trust himself to speak so he just nodded in agreement. The Boss smiled.
“Good decision, Zax. Please go j
oin the others. I’ll be out in a moment.”
Zax exited the compartment. Kalare approached him immediately and whispered excitedly.
“What was that about?”
“Exactly what you were thinking. If I help keep him away from the civilians, he’s going to give me enough credits to put me back on top of the Leaderboard. I could get into the Pilot Academy. And he’s going to be my mentor.”
“Holy crap, Zax! That’s amazing! Are you excited?”
Zax was excited but remained conflicted. The nuances of the situation were impossible to convey with quick whispers, so he only nodded in reply. He would share all of this thinking with Kalare at some point down the road. Or maybe he wouldn’t.
She smiled and at that moment Bailee approached and addressed Zax.
“Cadet—wake up your civilian, please. We need to talk about what’s going to happen next, and I need him to hear it.”
Zax went to Nolly and roused the boy. He had fallen asleep instantly, but waking him up proved a far more onerous chore. Zax prodded the child repeatedly and finally spoke to him harshly before he opened his eyes. Zax helped Nolly to his feet, and once the Marine saw the boy was alert, Bailee started to speak.
“We’re making our way to a nearby Marine garrison. We’ll keep the following formation. Zax is going to be on point, followed by the civilian and Kalare. Then it is going to be me and the Boss. Aleron, then Lieutenant Salmea, and finally Major Westerick will bring up the rear. We still only have the one blaster, and I’m going to hold on to it. Remember—our goal above all else is to prevent the Boss from getting captured by the civilians. Is that all clear?”
The Marine sternly looked each person in the eye, and everyone except Nolly silently nodded. Nolly was so intimidated by the man’s glare that he buried his face in Zax’s side. The Flight Boss came out of Westerick’s office and looked around the compartment.
“Move out.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
We can’t let you have all the fun today.
They started down the hallway in the formation Bailee specified. Their initial destination was an access port one hundred meters away which would get them back into the maintenance network. They had covered a quarter of the distance when they heard running footsteps behind them. It sounded like a single person making absolutely no attempt at stealth.
Everyone looked to Bailee for instruction, and he gestured for them to move tight against the bulkhead. He positioned himself at the corner where the running person would soon emerge and clasped his blaster at the ready. Zax held his breath as the footsteps grew closer and closer until a woman appeared.
“Imair!”
Nolly called out, broke loose from Zax’s grasp, and dashed towards the woman. Imair initially kept running towards the boy, but then must have noticed Bailee and his blaster out of the corner of her eye. She skidded to a halt with her hands in the air. Nolly closed the gap on his own and threw his arms around the woman in a desperate embrace. The two stood frozen and the Marine tensed his finger on his weapon’s trigger. All other eyes looked to Zax for an explanation.
“I know her. Her name’s Imair and she works in Waste Systems. She’s OK.”
The Boss turned to Imair and barked out an interrogation.
“Civilian—what are you doing here? Why aren’t you in your quarters with everyone else? What are you running from?”
Imair’s eyes went wide with recognition when she saw the Boss. She had no doubt seen him in countless newsvids with zero expectation of ever seeing him in the flesh. She kept her arms up as she turned slowly to him, took a deep breath, and spoke with a tremulous voice.
“My profuse apologies, sir. I’ve been searching all over the civilian barracks for this boy, and when I finally determined he was absent, I figured he must still be down here. I nominated him for his job in Waste Systems, so I feel responsible for him. I was running because I’m desperate to find him and get us both back to safety as fast as I can.”
The Boss sighed loudly.
“Stand down, Sergeant. Frisk her thoroughly, but unless you find anything, it looks like our little traveling party has grown by one civilian. Keep a close eye on her and take care of things if she does anything remotely suspicious.”
Kalare helped Zax peel Nolly off Imair so the civilian could place her arms against the bulkhead and submit to the Marine’s search of her body. He was fairly rough and extremely thorough, but he ultimately was satisfied she had nothing hidden on her person. The Marine went over to speak quietly with the Boss, and Imair approached Zax.
“Hello, sir. Thank you for identifying me. Probably the only thing which prevented that Marine from blasting. Pretty strange running into you down here.”
“Pretty strange day all around, Imair. Don’t worry—you and Nolly are going to be safe. We’re on our way to join up with some Marines and we’ll be able to get most of the way there by way of the maintenance tunnels. Civilians can’t get in there so we shouldn’t run into any of the rebels.”
“Thank you, sir. I’d rather be back in the barracks away from all of this violence, but I imagine being with Marines who are guarding the Flight Boss is probably a decent second option.”
“Everyone—time to move out again.”
Imair grabbed Nolly’s hand in response to the sergeant’s command and fell into formation behind Zax and Kalare. The Marine followed close behind with his blaster, even more alert than he had been a few mins earlier if such a thing was possible.
They reached the tunnels without further incident and Westerick went wide-eyed as he looked around. The man must have never been inside the maintenance network before. How someone could have worked in Waste Systems for so long and never bothered to visit the tunnels seemed crazy but in line with Zax’s experience of the man.
They navigated roughly a thousand meters of tunnels and ladders until they reached the security bulkhead which blocked the approach to the Marine garrison. It hadn’t appeared on the schematics Zax studied, and its hatch did not respond to his security clearance. It was also plastered with explicit warnings about what fate would befall anyone who attempted to breach it. They backtracked to the last access port they had seen and gathered around to hear what the Boss wanted next.
“We’re close, but there’s still a good chunk of passageway between us and the Marines. With this big of a group, I think it’s important for us to know exactly what we’re walking into before we head out. I’m going to have someone scout ahead and report back.”
Zax started towards the hatch under the assumption he was the best candidate given his ability to navigate. The Boss called after him.
“Actually, Zax, I’m going to send Kalare. Brief her on the layout of the passageways so she can find her way to the edge of the garrison and back.”
“But sir, wouldn’t it make more sense for me to go? If anything happens, I’ll be better suited to improvise and figure out an alternate path if needed.”
“I understand, cadet, but your ability to get in and out of the maintenance network is too valuable to risk on this mission. You are second only to Bailee in importance when it comes to keeping me out of the hands of the hostiles, so you’re going to stick close. Agreed?”
The Boss’s tone invited no further discussion, and the question at the end of his statement was clearly rhetorical. Zax walked slowly towards the hatch with Kalare and discussed the route she should take. After she repeated it back to him twice, they paused and looked awkwardly at each other until Kalare broke the silence.
“Thanks, Zax. We can’t let you have all the fun today.”
Kalare smiled, but her apprehension about heading into the unknown by herself was evident. They arranged two different codes for her to bang out on the hatch when she returned. One meant “all clear” and they should let her in while the other signaled she was under duress and had been forced to lead civilians back to the hatch. Zax couldn’t imagine leaving Kalare to her fate in the second scenario and desperately hoped his ability
to do so wouldn’t be tested.
Once Kalare left they secured the hatch and everyone settled down to rest. Well, everyone except Nolly. He overflowed with energy after the long nap he had taken earlier. Imair absorbed his exuberance with a warm smile. She cheerfully engaged with every random story the boy threw at her and even played along with a game he devised which involved climbing up the first few rungs of a nearby ladder to see how far he could reach with a subsequent jump.
The Crew watched the civilian woman and boy interact with varying degrees of interest and tolerance. In any other circumstance, Zax would have appreciated watching Nolly’s carefree abandon, but he was overcome with worry about Kalare and grateful Imair had shown up to wrangle the boy. Westerick and Salmea glanced at the young civilian and grinned occasionally at his frolicking, but generally chatted among themselves. Aleron had nothing to occupy him except the boy’s antics, and the cadet’s pouting seemed to intensify the more Imair and Nolly giggled among themselves. The Boss sat with his eyes closed and breathed slowly. If it was anyone else, Zax would have guessed they were sound asleep, but he knew the Boss was capable of springing into action in a heartbeat. Sergeant Bailee never took his eyes off Imair and kept his trigger finger ready the entire time.
Zax had been sitting with his eyes closed when he heard a bang on the hatch. He bolted upright and held his breath. After recognizing the all clear code, he exhaled in gratitude. He knew that Kalare was probably even more capable than he was in dangerous and tricky situations, but he held himself responsible for protecting his friend nonetheless. He opened the hatch to let Kalare in and then secured it behind her. Bailee and the Boss arrived immediately, though the Marine continued to watch Imair as he listened to Kalare.
“I was able to get almost all of the way there, but near the end I saw two civilians with blasters. They seemed bored and were chatting with each other, but they are clearly not just there randomly.”