by Martin Perry
“Well, this is where I get off,” she said.
“Actually, you get off inside. I’ve had more than enough exhibitionism for one day,” Maur jested.
“Har har funny man.” She squeezed his arm. “Go inside and get some sleep. We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow.”
“I’ll only offer once. Chance of a life-time.” He spoke in a high tone, clicking open his cabin and waving an arm inside to gesture the soldier in.
“That’s a real pretty scar you’ve got there.” Kerra ran her hand across the fresh skin that circled his eye socket. It was a tease, he struggled to contain himself.
“Good night Maur! Make sure you're asleep by mid-afternoon you pussy!”
She turned and was around the corner before he could come up with any more witticisms to keep her around. That left Maur standing in the doorway of his middling sized cabin. His bed sheets had been freshly changed.
“Ohh...” He flopped out on top of the soft mattress, and he was soon asleep again.
“...loss of left leg seems to have occurred as a result of a closing safety door, potentially shut when the vacuum occurred in the starboard engine room. Damage to the cranium appears to have been caused by a laser weapon, residue around the entrance wound suggests that the round punctured the Jump Cannon’s hull before making contact with our subject. I can not be sure which wound killed him.”
Extract from the autopsy report of one unnamed crew-man of the Jump Cannon, following the encounter with Los Piratas de Elsevern. His body has been returned to his family on Earth.
Chapter Four
The battle that had seen so many of their fellow crewmen fall into early graves had taken place while they were in orbit of Elsevern - a planet inhabited primarily by harmless wildlife until a few decades ago when it had become an important dock within its sector. The dock itself took up little more space than an average city, leaving plenty of room for criminality to seep into. Blending out from the underworld of the dock, toward the coverage of Elsevern’s rock forests, the terrifying winds and the howls that filled them did nothing to deter those interested in criminal enterprise. Generally however, the gangsters and crooks kept to themselves, preferring not to gather attention towards exactly what they were doing, nor lose access to the dock itself. Geosynchronous satellites maintained a tube shaped force-field from the ground to the stars, creating a stable passage for the many ships that found the planet a well placed location to land.
Its limited time as a populated planet meant that very little of its history was known. Artefacts had been found that suggested it had been home to intelligent life once before. They were long gone now though, and the populace of the port took little care to find out more about them. This was just a stop on the road, a place to rest, and not one that anybody stayed in much longer than necessary. While they remained out of the outer limits of the planet, Los Piratas de Elsevern were a criminal group of some size, and rumours were circulating that they had begun to raid the port at night. The threat they represented, and the constant howling of the winds, meant that Elsevern was a planet constantly on edge.
Earnest Champion had been contacted by one of his regular agents with the job, and had accepted without hesitation despite the planet's reputation. The agent himself, a lunark named Josia 24, was an old, carnally close friend of the Captain’s and had been responsible for pointing him in the direction of the auction where he had won Annie. They had been lovers once, and even relapsed into it on occasion, before he met Marc 14, his partner. Josia had seemed to take it well when Champion told him, he thought.
Whether or not the two had been friends, the Captain would likely have trusted him regardless. Lunarks were regarded as one of the most trustworthy, if not the most trustworthy, species in known space. Their wide-mouths, with huge pearly white teeth, were constantly pinned back in a massive grin. Long, agile fingers poked out the bottom of the thick, usually darkly coloured carbon compound armour, worn from their necks down. Shiny jet black skin covered their bald, slightly bulbous heads, making the teeth and huge eyes immediately obvious. It was difficult not to look into a lunark’s eyes, and after you had seen the matching smile it was even more difficult not to believe that they intended to be anything but helpful.
The job itself had the air of danger around it, but nothing beyond what the crew was experienced in dealing with. A cargo ship’s engines had failed during entry to Elsevern, sending it well off course and into the winds that covered most of the planet’s surface. The ship’s crew had made their best attempts to steer back toward the tube, but it was futile.
They eventually ran aground nearly eighty clicks north of the dock. Every member of the crew was presumed dead, and while the majority of their cargo had been described as either perishable or not worth a chartered mercenary response, there was one item, a museum piece, worth more than Annie made in a year. Josia 24 had been contacted an hour after the ship went down, and supposedly contacted Captain Champion immediately after taking the job on. It was presumed that the recovery of the item would be straight-forward, as it was unlikely that anybody outside of 24, the ship’s owner and the air control crew knew anything about the crash. Better still, the value of the item meant that the mission itself was worth more than he might normally expect to make from a simple collect-and-drop contract. Champion saw it as easy money.
“Annie will be staying in orbit around Elsevern,” the Captain explained to the crew members assembled on the command deck. “There’s no need for us to pay a docking fee for a ship this size when we can send a field crew.
“One crew will do, as the snatch and grab will likely be met with zero resistance. You’ll be taking one of the scouts down, initially to the dock before heading out on the wheels. Flight is not to be used. You’ll get swept away by the winds and hit those rocks hard.”
“Do we know the location of the downed ship?” asked Murphy, the designated leader of the field team for this mission. He had been part of Champion's crew for three years - a pricey hire but one who had more than proven his worth.
“Absolutely. Josia 24 has sent me over the co-ordinates and Maur has gone ahead and set up the scout. It should be as simple as sitting on your ass until you get there, getting out, picking it up, and coming back home. The bodies aren’t our concern.
“However,” the Captain said, “you’ll still be going down armed. We all know that outside of the dock there are some unsavoury characters to deal with. The likelihood of you encountering any of these types is negligible, Josia 24 has assured me of that.” Champion's hands were resting confidently on his panel, looking toward the four-man crew of Murphy, Tash, Jessika and Jam. He noticed her twitching. “Jam, you look a little nervous.”
“It’s nothing really,” she replied “but you’re sure the four of us are going to be enough to repel any threat? The people hidden in those rocks are crazy.”
“Like I said, there won’t be a threat.” The Captain soothed, “Even if there is, the turret on the scout will cut through them pretty quick. Am I understood Jam?”
“Understood Cap. Just pre-mission jitters,” Jam replied, sounding just as unsure. She was much less experienced than Murphy, but over the last year she had gotten a lot better.
“Great. Well get suited up and grab your rifles. I want you planet-side within the hour.”
Shortly after, Champion watched the oblong scout craft head towards the surface of Elsevern. Its slanted glass front caught the rays from Elsevern’s star, glinting light into his eyes as he considered using some of the pay packet to replace it. He had inherited the dark purple all-terrain-vehicle with the ship, and like the rest of Annie it was in need of repair or replacement. A dark grey, the many bumps and scratch marks across its surface were visible even as it sped away from the Jump Cannon.
The team landed within the hour, as he had requested, and established a communications link. The interior of the craft appeared in front of him, each member of the crew was clearly visible. The large sim platform that to
ok up the bulk of the space of the command deck was the Captain’s favourite feature of Annie. The rest of the posts, from tactical to navigation, formed round it on a raised platform. A semi-circle with his panel at in the centre, providing him with the best view of everything projected into the command deck, and everything visible through the front-facing windows. He hopped down towards the projected image of the craft, and stood in the centre, looking at the four crew members split evenly across two benches. Each was wearing their own armour, but all had Annie’s standard breathing apparatus with them. Elsevern’s air was breathable, but the packs strapped to their back, leading to a discrete tube that fed directly into the throat, would help them compensate for the ferocity of the winds.
Champion turned and looked out, facing the video window of the craft. The crew couldn’t see him, the scout not big enough to be equipped with adequate inbound communications gear to support it, so he stayed quiet and enjoyed the journey out of the dock and into the wilds. The dock itself was dull, a blank steel structure that served a purpose rather than offering any artistic merit. While it was impressive that the place was a single, twelve square mile continuous construction, that really just meant that it resembled a children’s playground climbing frame, rather than being one of the more beautiful cities he had seen.
The rock forests were much more interesting. Tall stacks, some as high as two miles, stood upright on the extremely flat surface of Elsevern. Naturally waterless, each forest broke due to an impact crater, or more bizarrely, without any apparent reason. The grey plains were almost a vacuum, but the forests themselves housed a variety of wildlife, mostly categorised as insect. They fed on the natural minerals in the water that ran from the high springs located at the top of some stacks. Usually the insects were so concerned with staying put under the immense power of the winds they never thought to cause injury to any passers-by.
Of far greater concern were the stacks themselves. Made of a somewhat soft, black rock, they were easy to carve into. He had heard several rumours of entire towns being build inside them, inhabited by criminals that were notoriously violent despite the restraint they had to show to avoid detection and expulsion. He kept a hold on that thought, as he began to speak to the visibly nervous crew.
“Come on guys,” he said warmly, “you know that nothing is going to happen. We aren’t being in any way provocative, and the crash site is further out than any previously reported attack. You are absolutely safe.”
A rock tumbled from one of the stacks, smashing into the roof of the craft with a loud clatter. The howl of the wind was reduced to a creepy whisper, sounds seeping through the walls of the craft.
“Yeah, you better hope so,” mumbled Tash, his Turkish accent twisted the words with bad intent. The Captain knew better than to take his hissing to heart.
Maur had been instructed to set the scout’s speeds to a cautious pace, partly so the Captain could have a good look at the rock forests. It took them around two hours to reach the periphery of a crash site. The ship sat on top of two stacks comfortably placed at either end, supporting the weight with ease. If you strained your eyes the edge of the forest was just about visible, not that there was much to see beyond it. Champion noticed how old the ship looked, sizeable patches of paintwork worn away by sandblasting.
“Captain. Captain, we have a problem here,” Murphy stated, dread filling his voice. “We’ve got potential hostile parties heading out of the fallen stacks.”
He was right, a squad of men and woman were moving towards them. At ease save for the constant blast of the rattling wind.
“Stay calm!” There was unease in Champion’s voice. “We still haven’t provoked them.”
“To be fair Cap, these aren’t fucking animals,” shouted Jam. “These are some very pissed off looking criminals!”
“Jam!” Champion spun around to face her, although it had little impact outside of the command deck. “Do not question me!”
Even with the rising strain of the situation Champion’s outburst forced Jam to gulp down her sensitivity. She stared ahead, unhappy and terrified.
“Sorry. Look, put your weapons on safety, and go see what they want.” He spoke more calmly, “They are still keeping a distance from you. I’m sure they just want this whole thing to blow over.”
His trust in Josia 24 continued, but he wondered if the agent might have lacked vital information about the potential for trouble on this mission. Champion was sure that any scans of the area would have revealed a force of this size. Still, there was no immediate need for alarm; they had not yet fired. He was sure that they would have good sense enough not to start attacking a mercenary crew. Even in their numbers they were a limited response relative to a ship like the Jump Cannon, or any ship capable of dispatching a scout.
The projected versions of his crewmates looked around at each other, nerves making their hands visibly shaky. A sullen look had befallen Captain Champion’s face. He struggled to understand why they were so open to doubting him. He had never led them into an ambush before, after all and Josia 24 had never let him down in turn. He had assured them that the ship had landed in a safe area, and Earnest was inclined to believe him despite the presence of the mixed species gang that was hovering in front of the scout craft. Murphy and Jessika were standing together, the petite girl always stuck to her team leader’s hip, whereas Tash and Jam were still fiddling with their weapons, procrastinating.
“Come on. It’ll be fine,” urged Champion.
“Right. Well you heard the man,” sighed Murphy. “Lets go.”
All four members of the team were now standing up, and shuffled towards the opening door of the scout. The life support tubes were fixed in place at the sides of their mouth, just in time for the winds to hit them full force. Jam’s long red hair swirled around her face as they stepped out and headed around the side of the vehicle. Champion followed them around, foregoing the back exit in favour of walking straight through the projected walls.
“Shift the projection back. Get rid of the scout and let me see what goes on in front of it,” said the Captain, turning his head to the projectionist on deck.
In an instant ball of flame and thunder the scout curled into the air, an almighty explosion tumbling it over. Every member of the deck crew instinctively jumped from their seats and hit the floor. The shifting of the projection combined with the explosion to send the fire ball from one side of command to the other, disappearing off the edge. Murphy, Jessika, Tash and Jam had been thrown to the ground by the colossal explosion, their weapons flying from their hands. Even though the scout vehicle had cleared the length of the sim platform, the sound of it crackling and combusting could still be heard. Shrapnel flew across the command deck as rounds stored aboard ignited.
“What the fuck happened?” blared Champion. “Murphy! Status report!” Further shouting met with only murmurs.
“He won’t answer you Earnest. I doubt he can even hear you given the proximity of the blast.”
Appearing from the edge of the sim platform, the projected form of Josia 24 strolled towards Champion. Stuck to the spot in the middle of the platform, the Captain slowly shook his head as it dawned on him that he had been betrayed. With long fingers curling behind his back, and a swagger in his walk, 24 appeared unmoved by the winds, projecting from another location far from the surface of Elsevern. Champion could tell that he was entirely aware of what had just happened. More than that, he had orchestrated the whole thing.
“Captain, a Lunarkan War Class ship has just come up on our starboard bow,” announced one of the crew on deck.
“That’s right, a Lunarkan War Class has just come up on your starboard bow,” hissed Josia 24, a hand raising into the air as if to gesticulate how obvious this all was, there was pantomime in his voice. “Now why do we think that is, old friend?”
Champion lurched towards him, a fist coming up towards the projected face. The smile permanently spread across the lunark’s face no longer suggested he was a frie
nd, but instead a smug victor.
“Go ahead. Hit me.”
Behind the Captain, the projected forms of the crudely dressed gangsters crowded around his field team, setting them up on their knees, and removing the various equipment and weapons they had attached to their armour. His small squad were outnumbered five to one, their limited armaments inadequate for resistance. Laughing, one korakian individual went along the line, his brown hide clothing swinging in the wind, and pulled out the life support pipes from each prisoner’s throat. These criminals were acclimatised, his team wasn’t, and they struggled to breathe as the ever changing winds swooped around then.
“What is this about Josia 24? What the hell are you playing at?” The Captain’s volume hadn’t lowered.
The supercilious smile was all that 24 returned. A finger came from behind his back, raising it he pointed towards the field team from Annie. If anything, Josia 24’s grin widened as he made the announcement.
“Josia! Do not do this! Do not make this mistake!” screamed Champion.
“Start with the women, execute them all...”
The Captain hurled himself round, taking a few strides over the sim platform before falling at his knees in front of his crew. He tried in vane to swipe at the projections, desperately trying to move them away from the incoming fire, but his hands just distorted each face in his team’s final moments. The korakian had pulled a laser pistol from a holster hidden under one of the hide flaps that covered his dark skin.
His projection stepped through the Captain, meeting no physical resistance on the planet below. It came much more quickly than Champion wanted. Every eye on the command deck was upon him and the crew. Four cracks of fire in quick sequence.
Fresh rage built up inside the Captain as he heard each round fire, each member of the team slumping to the ground. Daring to look, the cold eyes of Jam met his gaze, lifeless and lonely as her lungs emptied her soul spoke only of betrayal. Whispers in his ears, fabricated by his own mind, screamed failure and desertion. His heart felt fractured.