In the end, I do manage to grab around five hours sleep, and awake feeling more rested than ever. I’ll need my wits about me if I’m to guard the Constellation from desperate hands.
I shower and make my way to the helmroom. Sloper is asleep, but some color has returned to his face. His leg will need someone more experienced than me if he is to save it. The Chief is at the nav chair and swivels to look at me. “You have energy. Is good.”
I ignore him and slide into my captain’s chair, tapping the helmpad. Approximately two more hours. Which pass quickly. The cruiser emerges into deep space, a few klicks from where I estimate the Constellation to be.
“We have arrived?” The Rykkan Chief peers at the nav screen.
“Almost. If we exit hyperspace too close, we’ll trigger the Constellation’s defenses with no time to disable them.”
He looks at me closely, and I balance my nerves for what is coming. “You know how to disable them?”
“Of course,” I lie, remembering to breathe. “How do you think we boarded the last time?”
He scrutinizes me as if to fathom the veracity of my statement. He appears to come to a conclusion. “You have confidence to do this again.”
I nod, even though it wasn’t a question. “I guarantee passage. I want my brother to live.” This time I do not lie, and the Chief is convinced.
“When do others arrive?”
I glance down at the helmpad. “Now, actually.” The commPanel is already signaling. I answer and confirm our location. “Salvage vessel, prepare to dock.” Plexi acknowledges receipt.
“Why they dock?” The Rykkan Chief is instantly suspicious, though he needn’t be.
“I will escort you aboard the Constellation. I require a crew to remain here, as I am sure you require your men to keep guard over my brother.”
“And this one?” He jerks a claw toward Sloper.
“He’s not going anywhere. He’ll be lucky to live.” I look down at my helmpad. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to plot our course to our destination, dock with the other ship, and hack into the Constellation’s systems.”
He grunts, then moves out of his chair to head down into the cruiser. Just before he heads off, he holds my gaze. “I make ready with my team. You remember brother.”
Don’t you worry about that.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Danielli, Plexi and Aktip board my cruiser, leaving Herg, Zhang and Ortiz on the salvage ship. Seeing Danielli again, my face heats slightly and I quickly look at Aktip. “How are your injuries healing?”
“I am completely repaired, Madam Captain,” Aktip replies.
I raise an eyebrow and turn back to Danielli, all thoughts of Ganymede forgotten.
He must recognize the bemused expression on my face and answers my unasked question. “Ma’am, I have learned that the capacity for Rykkan self-repair runs much deeper than I understood. Some process that was initiated on Rykkamon, using Rykkan materials, has enabled our friend here to heal completely.” He glances at Sloper, who is starting to stir. “Looks like this one could do with a good dose of the same.”
Aktip’s head swivels to Danielli. “It will not work on humans.”
Danielli lifts his hand. “I know, I know. Just a figure of speech, Aktip.”
It’s good to see my team playing out some friendship.
“I’ve located the Constellation,” I say. “Exactly where we predicted. Now that we’re close enough, I’ll hack in and disable its defenses.” I hold up my finger to my lips. Plexi and Danielli catch on quickly and nod. I see Aktip is a little confused, but stays silent.
I tap the helmpad and place my hand flat, at the same time using the commPanel to mute all comms. I login to the Constellation and open up entry and access, using “all personnel” for general clearance. To most areas.
The Chief reappears in the helmroom. He handles the zero-gee with quick, but strong movements, unlike Aktip, who is still adjusting how much less energy her powerful muscles need to use.
He acknowledges my crew with a flick of a hand and looks over at me. “We are ready?”
I nod. “These two”—I point to Plexi and Aktip—“will remain at the helm here with full comms to us all. Danielli and I will lead you and your men on board. Once you are satisfied you have the Constellation as your vessel, we will leave on my cruiser. You may take the salvage ship. My men there—Zhang, Ortiz and Herg—will handover on my orders. You may need it for access to and fro. I will show you how to disable the Constellation’s defense system once you release my brother. This will be the conclusion of our deal.”
In the corner of my eye I am aware of Sloper following intently, his eyes widening when I outline handing over control of the galaxy’s most desirable object. I ignore him.
The Chief does not say anything, but turns to head to the airlock, briefly glancing at me, then Danielli. We follow.
This time we use my cruiser’s minishuttle, which only just fits Danielli, me, the Chief and his eight men once we are all suited up. I retract the bench seats and it’s standing room only. Except for me, the pilot. I take us in to the Constellation. Seeing the battlecruiser’s sheer size with the naked eye the second time around is no less impressive, and I fly us around, studiously avoiding any sight of the gaping hole in the drive section on our holoscreens. The Chief’s men are visibly and audibly excited and he barks out orders. They fall silent, but still gesticulate to each other, pointing through the plexibubbles at the Constellation’s impressively armed exterior .
I take us into an airlock I believe allows direct side access to one of the massive hangars. I punch some buttons on the shuttle’s helmpad, and we sail in, revealing the interior of a huge, empty hangar.
The Rykkan Chief swivels to look at me and bares his teeth in a grin. “Impressive. Now you take me to helm. Hack in system.”
I nod and swipe open the shuttle’s double doors. This time we have no podPlates, instead we’re using personal jets on our backunits. I lead the way, followed by Danielli. We ascend deck after deck, until we emerge in one of the wide passageways leading into the helm’s outer hub. I take us up to the outer bulkhead door and slap my hand on the door, which opens to reveal the inner ring. I motion everyone through.
I see the Rykkans still looking around in disbelief at the sheer scale and technology on the battlecruiser. But the Chief is anxious. He looks at me through his helmet. “You open helmroom now.”
I shrug. “So far, we haven’t been able to gain access.” I slap my hand on the doorpad, and the red light flashes a warning.
<
I glance at the Chief. “I may be a good hacker, but this is the Sector’s flagship. It may take some time; it may be impossible.”
He glares at me, then realizes I am telling the truth. Well, partially. He pushes everyone back, then stands at the door with a lasercannon and lets a massive blast hit the door.
When the glow fades, we see the door is unaffected. The Chief throws the cannon to the deck, where it bounces off in the zero-gee to be caught by one of his men. He swivels back to me. “You trick me.”
I am careful in my response. “I have never been able to access the helmroom, and I never promised you this. But we can access all other areas. The Constellation is still yours, including all its weaponry. Helm access or not, it’s still in your power.”
His bulbous Rykkan eyes gleam behind his faceplate. “Then we use their weapons to enter the helmroom. Or did you not think of that?” He kicks past me and calls into his suit’s comms. “We proceed to the armory.”
I push off to follow the Chief and show him the way.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Armory Four is empty apart from a few laserpistols. The Chief is frustrated and orders me to open up Armory Five. I sense Danielli edge up to me as I approach the doorpad. I slap it open and motion everyone in to the dark space, deliberately flashing my headbeam on the racks and racks of glistening weapons-tech. The Chief’s men raise a chant o
f success and propel themselves over to the weapon mounts to begin pulling down their new toys. The Chief yells an order in Rykkan and two of his men peel off and head further in, clearly aiming for a large plasmacannon anchored to some fixtures further down the large room.
The overhead explodes in a shower of sparks and all the Rykkans turn, but they are caught short by the descending SIMs firing at all angles.
Except for Danielli, the Chief and me. At the moment of explosion, I grab the Rykkan and hurl him out of the room. Danielli kicks out behind me and throws an EMP grenade in behind him, just as I slap the door closed.
I see the room’s interior flash brightly on the doorpad screen, but I am pulled around by the Chief, his eyes hard behind his faceplate. “What is this?”
I say nothing, just tap the doorpad. The lock opens and we are confronted by smoke drifting out. The Chief moves to enter, but I hold him back. “Wait.” I motion to Danielli, who slides in to one side and disappears in the murky air. There is a brief flash of laser, then he reappears.
“All clear, Ma’am.”
We venture back in to the room. All the Rykkans have been cut to pieces by the deadly SIMs. But the SIMs in turn are fried.
The Chief stops and confronts me. “You knew this trap.”
“Actually we only suspected it from what we experienced last time,” I correct him, but he knows I am telling the truth.
His brow protuberance rises up and down, then finally he speaks again. “Then why did you not leave me to be killed? And take back this?” He gestures to the ship around us.
A voice crackles over our suit helmets. It is Aktip. “Because Madam Captain wanted to save your life. Under binding Rykkan custom, you have lifelong debt to repay.”
Now it is my turn to grin at the Chief.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
I take us in the minishuttle back to my lightCruiser. The shuttle is empty in comparison to the outward journey, and I feel a little guilty at the deliberate deaths, especially after my previous declaration.
Sometimes there is a greater need.
We dock and I call a meeting for all crew in the helmroom, including Zhang, Ortiz and Herg by comms. I tell the Chief to bring his two remaining Rykkans up to speed. He assures me they will simply follow his lead.
After a brief update for those not present on the Constellation, I throw open the floor for comments.
Plexi shrugs. “We have to fully secure the Constellation this time. Perhaps you can use your—”
“My hacking abilities?” I quickly interrupt, looking at Plexi and briefly flicking my eyes at the Rykkan Chief. I’d prefer any knowledge of my status as the Constellation’s Captain remain secret. For now.
“Yes.” Plexi, always quick, gets the message.
I look around. “Unfortunately, I’m in as far as we can go.” Actually the truth, for once.
“Can we move the Constellation to a safe haven?” Mitch has made it to the helmroom, and is sucking on a liquipak.
I shake my head. “No power. All we can do is what we did before, and that was risky.”
Mitch raises his eyes.
“We backed up the salvage vessel and jammed it in a hangar bay. Then fired up the fDrive.”
Mitch chokes on his pak.
“Plexi’s plan. Once we had momentum, we blew ourselves out of there.”
“Okay, so we don’t want to do that again.”
I sigh. “Not if we can help it. We’re back to square one really. Except we have my lightCruiser back”—I look up at Mitch—“and you.” I scratch my head. “But we can’t let the Jovians anywhere near the Constellation. Besides, they have the drive.” Which they don’t seem to want, but I keep quiet about that for now. “Ideally, we should tow it to somewhere well defended. Somewhere the Jovians won’t dare attempt a confrontation.”
The commPanel flashes, and an electronically synthesized voice comes over the all-ship PA system.
“I can help with that.”
The Scorpion.
I’m just about to hit the helmpad and boost us away when I feel the lightCruiser shudder. A tractor beam. Instead I tap a private comms channel to the salvage ship. “Zhang?”
“Under tractor submission, Ma’am. No controls available.”
Crap.
“What now?” Danielli says. I see sweat forming on his brow and remember his mention of a “previous mission.”
“We wait.”
The Rykkan Chief squirms in the navchair. “Then we kill him.”
“Then we listen,” I correct. Though I’m not sure exactly where listening to a dictator of the Scorpion’s narcissistic bent will get us.
The holopanel springs up and I see a large warship approaching—or rather, we’re approaching it. It might be large, but the warship is dwarfed by the Constellation which looms in the background. The spacelock opens and we are pulled in. Gantry-cranes connect and we are secured. I see the salvage vessel float in next to us. We wait for our fate.
“Air pressure at 100%. You may disembark. All parties proceed to the debriefing suite by following the appointed officer. Captain Jackson please come to the helm boardroom—you will be escorted. No arms are to be carried.”
I tap the commPanel to reply. “I need assurance of safe passage for my crew. No recriminations for any prior employment.”
“If you mean your mercenaries, then your request is noted.”
The Scorpion seems well informed, but I sense Danielli’s relief. But I’m not finished.
“What about the Rykkans and our prisoner?”
“Sloper? Bring him with the others The Rykkans will be held separately, with the exception of their leader and your communications officer, who will proceed with your crew.”
Sloper can barely stand up, let alone walk, so I have Danielli and the Chief maneuver him out of our airlock, where he is taken by two of the Scorpion’s men. Two other officers stand aside, in between our two ships, clearly waiting for me. I engage my magboots and walk across. “Captain Jackson reporting as requested. What will you do with my crew?” But they remain silent, and one of them indicates that I should follow him. The other falls in line behind me.
We ascend several decks, enter artificial gravity, and just outside what I assume is the helmroom entry, a door in the side bulkhead slides open. I am escorted into a spacious room, big enough to sit twenty around a sleek, alloy, oval boardroom table. A control center sits at one end of the table, slightly raised. Standing behind the control panel is a middle-aged woman, in uniform. She smiles at me and gestures for me to sit. I deliberately sit at the other end. If the Scorpion is going to try to intimidate me, I’ll play his game. With my rules.
The officers leave and the door slides closed. I look around while I wait. There is nothing to indicate this is the war-room of a ruthless dictator. No maps, pictures, declarations. Just sheer, austere gray alloy walls.
I look back at the woman, who looks back at me.
I smile. She smiles.
I look around more, then back at the woman.
“Seems like the Scorpion likes to keep his captives waiting,” I say coolly.
“The Scorpion,” the woman answers assertively, “always waits for her captives to relax before offering sustenance.”
My jaw drops. The woman nods. “Yes.” She taps a pad on her arm and I detect a subtle change in the soundscape. “I am the Scorpion,” she continues, only now, her voice is electronically synthesized—and male. She taps the pad again. “Satisfied?” she says in her normal voice. “Or do you need more proof?”
I shake my head dumbly.
She steps away from the control panel and walks over to stand next to me. I notice she limps slightly. She is dressed in a fawn uniform, with short, neck-length dark brown hair. A slightly hard—maybe weary—face, but with smile lines. She holds out her hand. “Congratulations. You found the Sector’s biggest mystery, took on the Jovians and rescued your brother from underneath my own nose, as it turns out.”
I shake
her hand. It is warm. “You didn’t know Sloper had taken Mitch to Takao?” A rather obvious question I think, but I don’t know what else to say.
She shakes her head and draws up the chair next to me. She regards me for a while before continuing. “Nor did I know Sloper had purchased the Constellation’s coordinates.”
“Then how did you find us?”
She smiles and her eyes crinkle. “When a human arrives on Takao with a bunch of Rykkans who are not mercenaries, it gets my attention. Sloper isn’t as smart as he thinks he is; after that it was easy. I had him implanted with a skinbeacon.” She leans forward. “And here we are. Now ... what shall we do with this useless wreck of a battlecruiser? I gather you could use some help.”
But I am not that easily won over. “I want my crew brought up here. I won’t make any move when it comes to the Constellation without their full support. I won’t give up my hacks to the Constellation’s defenses until we all agree.” I look hard into her eyes.
She throws up her hands. “Of course, Captain. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll have them brought up.” She taps the pad on her arm, gives instructions, then looks back at me. “Now would you like some refreshments?”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
While I wait for the rest of my crew—and one prisoner—to arrive, I partake of the energy drink the Scorpion provided and fire some questions of my own.
“What do you want with the Constellation?”
She looks at me with amusement. “For it not to fall into the hands of the Jovians. Next?”
I try another tack. “Why do you disguise your identity? And who else knows?”
She shrugs. “Only two of my direct reports. As far as the crew on this ship, they know me as a senior commanding officer in the Scorpion’s Marine Corps. As to why, any study of dictators throughout history will show you it’s not possible to carry out what I wish to see happen as a woman. So I remain an enigma. A silhouette. Convenient for inducing fear, don’t you think?”
Constellation (Blood Empire Book 1) Page 16