by John Walker
The engineering team went at the alliance shuttle, tarnishing it up and giving it a lived in feel. They didn’t want to remove all signs of the military from it, giving the crew some credibility at having stolen such a prize. Their work took over ten hours but when they finished, it looked more like the confiscated shuttle than the pristine, modern ship hiding beneath the surface.
Leonard received the coordinates and with the help of an updated database from their visit to the kielan world was able to map out the solar system they intended to visit. Olly helped him, showing him where long range early warning systems would be located to help them plan their approach.
In the end, they decided to jump in well outside the system, far enough away to avoid any possibility of detection. This meant the shuttle would not be accompanying them but rather disembarking from the Behemoth in the boneyard and heading in on their own. The ploy would help them sell their cover and with the salvage from the confiscated ship, they had cargo to sell.
Jessy worked closely with them on what would be expected. First, they had little protocol to worry about as pirates. No one really offered up respectful sir or ma’am and crews tended to be on a first name bases (or last name if the first was undesirable). He didn’t get too in depth about the actual place they were visiting but let them know it can be pretty rough.
“What’s that mean?” Adam asked at the briefing table. “I think our people need to know.”
“Let’s just say wearing weapons openly is a good idea. I’ve seen fights break out in the promenade plenty of times.”
“I’m starting to formulate who should go,” Adam said to Gray. “At least two marines.”
Jessy nodded. “We do tend to keep a couple of hard types with us, ex military and such.”
“Good,” Gray replied. “Jessy will be going, of course.”
“I’ll guide them the best I can.”
“Clea needs to go,” Adam said. “She’s going to be able to identify the parts we need and should be able to test them on the spot.”
“Yes, I know.” Gray hummed. “So two marines, Clea, at least one pilot, Jessy and I’m thinking an engineer. They might need someone to fix the thing.”
“Then it’ll have to be a kielan,” Adam replied. “That Arak character seems to know the physical part of their ship the best. I’d recommend him.”
“Sounds good to me,” Gray stood. “Let’s get Revente to pick a pilot.”
Crews moved all the salvage over and packed it up. They also supplied the vessel, storing up just enough food to make it look like they’d been out in space for a while. Revente insisted on sending two pilots, as a contingency against something unthinkable. His rationale came as if you lose one of those people and need a quick getaway, you’re going to be in trouble.
Meagan and Rudy were picked for the duty and arrived at the same time as Corporals Bobby Jenks and Dylan Walsh, the marines. They were dressed in civilian clothes, wearing their side arms. “Do you think we need guns?” Meagan asked.
“Yes,” Jenks replied. “And we brought enough for everyone in our duffles. You’ll want yours at all times according to the briefing.”
Meagan wore dark jeans and a black sweater. As the marine handed her the pistol and holster, she checked it over. “Oh, lovely.” She turned to Rudy. “When’s the last time you fired one of these?”
“Shooting range with you,” Rudy replied.
“It’ll come back to you,” Walsh said, “when someone starts firing at us.”
“I like that you assume it’s a foregone conclusion,” Rudy pointed out.
“First off, when they send us, it’s because they figure someone’s going to do some shooting.” Jenks ticked off on his fingers. “Second, we’re rarely lucky enough to get in and out of a place without violence and finally, we’re going into a den of criminals. God only knows what we’re about to encounter.”
“Fair points,” Meagan muttered. “Come on, Rudy, familiarize me with these controls.”
“It’s more like what I fly than you do but they made it nimble enough.” Rudy and Meagan disappeared into the ship and a moment later, Gray and Clea arrived. She too was dressed down, wearing cargo pants, a black vest and black sweater. Jenks and Walsh snapped to attention.
“At ease,” Gray said. “You two might want to stow some of the discipline until you get back. You don’t want to make such a mistake on the surface.”
“We won’t, sir.” Jenks replied.
“Do you know these guys?” Gray asked Clea.
“Yes, sir. They were on the research facility mission with me.” Clea offered them both a wave. “It’s good to see you both again.”
“You too, Clea,” Jenks said. Walsh gave him an odd look. “What? I’m practicing being a pirate.”
“Shouldn’t you have said ar or something then?” Walsh asked.
“Okay, you two.” Gray gestured for the ship. “I believe you’re heading out in ten so you might want to stow your gear.”
“Do you need a weapon, Miss An’Tufal?” Walsh asked.
“No, I’m carrying.” Clea patted a holster on her side. “Thank you.”
The marines boarded the vessel and Clea turned to Gray. “This is it.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Gray said. “They are going to find anyone down there with storage devices and get them.”
Clea shrugged. “I’m the only one who can find the exact thing we’re looking for…if it’s there. I have little hope at this point but I’m glad we have the chance to check.”
“Be safe.” Gray checked his chronometer. “We’ll be out there if you need to signal us. Don’t hesitate to call for help.”
“We won’t.” Clea patted his shoulder. “I hope I make a decent pirate.”
“You’re probably too clean.” Gray backed away. “Good luck.”
“Thank you.”
She boarded the ship and Gray headed back to the hangar control tower to watch them launch. Meagan requested clearance to depart and they hovered on the deck, turned and departed. Gray worried about this particular mission. Sending people into a blatantly dangerous location didn’t set well with him, especially since it wasn’t even a combat zone.
But they had preparations of their own to make and no time to waste. Gray headed back to the bridge to plot their own jump to be in a position where they could help their comrades should the need arise. He hoped Leonard figured out a good jump path to get them in undetected or most of this would be for nothing.
The last thing they needed to do was alert the pirates and spook them before their team located the data. If the criminals scattered to the wind, it would be months before they settled again. Any chance of finding that data would be lost. We’ll avoid that. I’m sure Olly and Leonard figured it out.
***
Meagan let Rudy take the lead while she continued to familiarize herself with the controls. Watching the scans, she gave him a countdown of how far out they should get from the Behemoth before initiating the jump drive. Jessy provided the coordinates for where they should arrive, a brazen approach which suggested they belonged there.
“I’ve never initiated a jump myself,” Rudy said. “Arak, are you going to be able to help?”
“It’s very simple,” Arak yelled from the back of the ship. “Input the coordinates and hit the glowing amber button. We’ll arrive in short order.”
“Is a jump any less pleasant on a smaller ship?” Meagan asked. “On the Behemoth it was hell the first time.”
“Our technology and, from what I saw, yours now too, is much more sophisticated than the generation you’re talking about. You’ll barely notice the transition.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Jenks said, sitting on one of the bunks. Walsh sat across from him. “Should we strap in?”
Jessy stood nearby, holding a bulkhead as he watched through the windows with the pilots. “I never did,” he muttered. “Not to say you guys shouldn’t…if you have to.”
“I’m not do
ing something a pirate won’t,” Walsh replied.
“Guess we’re all daring it then, huh?” Jenks shook his head. “I wish I wasn’t competitive.”
Meagan turned to Rudy. “We’re well out of range of the Behemoth and the course is ready. On your mark, I’ll initiate the jump sequence.”
Rudy nodded, leaned back in his seat and took a deep breath. “Go for it.”
Meagan hit the button and the entire ship whined for half a second…then they were floating in a new sector, far away from the salvage and the Behemoth. Rudy engaged the engines and set their course for the nearby planet, their destination. Someone hailed them immediately, a frantic broadcast.
“Jessy?” Rudy asked. “What do I tell them?”
“Put them on speaker.”
“Unidentified vessel, come in. This is landing control. Respond now or we will be forced to fire upon you. Come in!”
“Uh, hey there,” Jessy said. “This is The Fallen Star coming in for a sell and supply. Over.”
“The Fallen Star?” The guy sounded shocked. “We already have two of those here.”
“We just claimed this ship and it sounded good,” Jessy said. “How about we go with Dark Star?”
“Also have one already!”
“Damn! Um…Wicked Night?”
“That’ll do.” Landing control paused. “What’s the clearance code?”
“Delta Charlie Tango Three,” Jessy said.
“That’s the one from last week!”
“C’mon, man! We’ve been out on salvage runs for a month! That’s the code they gave me when we left. Are you really going to burn my ass over a code that only changed a few days ago?”
A pause…then, “fair point. Okay, you can land at bay eight. Take a careful approach from the north. The winds are picking up this afternoon.”
“Thank you, control.” Jessy shook his head. “I’m turning this over to my pilot now for any required updates on the weather.”
“They’re a bristly bunch,” Meagan said.
“About as organized as a bunch of monkeys throwing a party, too,” Jessy replied. “We’re good now. I’ll get everyone ready for the landing. There’re a few things those soldier boys need to know if they want to make it on the surface.”
After he left, Meagan smirked. “So what do you think? How’s undercover work treating you?”
“Ask me after we’ve landed at the pirate base and wandered around with a bunch of criminals for a while,” Rudy replied. “I hope this data’s worth it. Hell, I hope we find it at all! This could end up being a very dangerous wild goose chase.”
“Wow…” Meagan leaned forward to look out the window. The continent they were aiming toward appeared golden from the vast desert they were about to set down in. The rest looked green, possibly tropical. She ran a quick scan to get the surface conditions. Luckily, they’d miss the hottest part of the day by a couple hours. It would still be thirty-sex centigrade.
Lovely. We missed forty-seven by a couple hours. I’m glad we don’t have to wander around in that. Still, it’ll be a dry heat and dusty unless the oasis happens to be more humid than I’m guessing.
“Entering atmosphere,” Rudy announced to the whole ship. It began to tremble, shaking as they descended toward the surface. Meagan grabbed the co-pilot controls in an effort to help him maintain a reasonable descent. The wheel vibrated violently in her hands, a good indication of just how much resistance pushed back at them.
Their nose began to glow as streams of air cooked around them. When they finally broke through, the wind pockets caught them and they compensated accordingly. I haven’t flown in atmo for a while. This should be fun.
“You okay over there?” She asked Rudy.
“Yeah, but landing might be a challenge. I’m used to predictable, artificial gravity and this seems…I don’t know…a little heavier than we’re used to.”
Meagan checked the scan. Sure enough, this planet enjoyed a slightly higher gravitational force than Earth. Means we won’t want to do much running around. “You’re right, but it’s not much. Just don’t compensate too much.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
Meagan got on the com to the rest of the ship. “We’re on our final descent, everyone. Please strap yourselves in and get ready for a landing. Shouldn’t be long now. Temperature is hot as hell, gravity is heavier and we’re going into a den of criminals so probably not the vacation destination you were hoping for.”
***
The Behemoth jumped in shortly after the shuttle but they were quite a ways from the nearest early warning system. Even at full magnification, the pirate planet was barely more than a marble size. Gray watched the reports coming in, paying most attention to Olly’s concerning the shuttle. They picked it up and it plunged toward the planet right on schedule.
Good luck, guys. Gray turned to Adam and showed him the information. The commander nodded and went back to his duties. They’d give the undercover crew five hours to accomplish their mission before informing the alliance about the location of the base. After that, they’d have to get out of there before a battleship showed up to put these thieves down.
“Sir?” Agatha turned in her seat to address him. “I’m picking up a message leaving the ship from tech lab seven.”
Gray frowned, trying to think of who might be down there. He looked at Adam but the man shrugged. “What’s it say, Ensign?”
“It’s a warning…” Agatha’s eyes widened. “Sir, someone is sending a message back to the kielan home world giving the coordinates of the planet!”
“What?” Gray stood. “Who?”
“It…it appears to be one of the kielans!”
“Damn it!”
“I’m not surprised,” Adam said. “They have people to answer to as well. We can’t expect them to keep quiet about something their people have been looking for. Especially since our reason for making them wait is all based on hope. We don’t have actionable intel, sir. They’re just taking advantage of a situation.”
“Put me through to alliance command,” Gray said. “Hurry.”
“Um…but we’re far away…”
“They figured it out,” Gray interrupted. “Ask them how if you have to.”
Agatha worked for a few moments, finally shaking her head. “I don’t know precisely how they did it, but you’re patched in through some kind of faster than light anomaly. The delay is only a few seconds!”
“That would’ve been nice of them to share,” Adam muttered.
Gray ignored him, directing his comments to the kielans. “This is Captain Atwell of the Behemoth. Please note that we are conducting an undercover operation in this sector and cannot risk our people. Hold off on an attack until we let you know when. Believe us, we do not want these pirates running free but we have to get something from them first. Please respond.”
The delay made Gray want to pace but he forced himself to stand still, finding some patience. When finally a voice piped through, he cursed under his breath. He anticipated the answer but he didn’t like it regardless.
“Behemoth, this is alliance high command. Please note we will be preparing an offensive party which will take us approximately two hours. At that time, we will launch an all out attack on the pirate base. Have your operatives finish their business inside of three hours to avoid becoming casualties of this conflict. Alliance command out.”
“Well, that’s that,” Adam said. “How’re we going to tell them?”
Gray sat down, staring at the floor in thought. “First off, cut those kielans off from any external communications. No more chatting with anyone without permission. Second, Olly, Agatha…any ideas of how we can get them a message without tipping our hand?”
“The pirates have some fairly sophisticated scanners,” Olly said. “Some of them are even military grade, likely salvaged from the boneyard. As long as they know how to use them, any transmission from off world will be intercepted.”
“Not entirely true,”
Agatha said. “If we were to tap into their own systems, we could send the message through their communication net. To any logging programs, it would look like the com was sent internally and not from an outside force.”
“But how do you get the signal to them without it catching you?” Olly asked.
“The shuttle communicated with them on the way down,” Agatha said. “I’ve got the frequency logged. I can use that to cut through and send to them.”
“How sure are you that you won’t get caught?” Gray asked.
“Eighty percent, sir.”
“Let’s hold off and give them the warning closer to the deadline,” Gray said. “That way if the pirates see the message, it won’t matter. They won’t have time to figure out we’re out here.”
Adam shook his head. “This is a much tighter timeline now.”
“I know…but I don’t think anyone thought this would be super easy. Now, it’s just painfully hard. I’m sure they’ll figure it out. The market down there can’t be that big. Right?”
Chapter 8
Rudy set them down on bay eight as directed but he figured they should’ve called it a landing pad at best. The strip of stone was barely big enough for their ship and anyone performing maintenance might well end up standing in sand while working on the ship. Not the best conditions for starship repair.
“Leave the engine on low idle,” Clea said. “Just in case we have to leave in a hurry.”
“You anticipate much trouble?” Rudy asked.
“In this environment, I would not be surprised if we encounter some.” Clea turned to the marines. “You two are with us but do keep a low profile. I’ll do the talking with Jessy backing me up.”
“Ma’am,” Jenks said, stepping forward. He kept his voice low. “Are you sure we should bring him with us? How can we trust him?”
“He has quite the deal worked out with us so I don’t think he’s going to risk losing it in a hopeful attempt to find a new place to work,” Clea turned to Jessy. “Are you?”
“No way.” Jessy shook his head. “This life isn’t really worth much. I’m happy to get out, seriously.”