“I detect an elevated heart rate and perspiration in you,” Max said just a bit too loudly as Kristof approached the loading ramp. “Do you require medical attention?”
“Shut the fuck up and get the rest of this stuff on the ship,” Kristof growled, throwing a guilty look over his shoulder at the trio behind him. They gave no sign that they had heard the exchange, much to Kristof’s relief.
“I’ll remember that the next time you fucking get shot,” Max shot back as he picked up the last crate of provisions and walked back into the ship.
Kristof began his pre-flight inspection of the ship, walking the perimeter looking for open ports or any signs of damage or more tracking beacons. The staff at the Sanctuary had done the refueling of the ship, and he did not trust them completely after Stephan’s little attempt to hide a beacon on the ship.
Sabine appeared at Kristof’s side unexpectedly a short time later. Behind them, Subat stood watching them for a moment with a mysterious look on his face, before he and General Mannis turned to be on their way back into the compound. Kristof tried for a moment to decipher that odd look that Subat had given them, and then gave up on it.
“No royal farewell parade?” Kristof asked Sabine teasingly.
“There’s only thirty of us here in the compound, not counting the service androids,” Sabine shot back, “But I can try and arrange something if it’s that important to you.”
Kristof laughed and resumed his inspection. Sabine stayed at his side, appearing to also be conducting an inspection of her own. He found her presence distracting, but not unpleasant. For the first time since meeting her, Kristof began to realize that her manner and appearance greatly reminded him of his former wife, especially after Subat had mentioned it. Some misgivings crept into his mind then about the coming trip, but it was too late now to back out of it.
“This is a Velcor Fleet Systems ship isn’t it?” Sabine asked curiously, shaking Kristof out of his thoughts. “Model 501b Courier class if I’m not mistaken.”
“Close,” Kristof replied, impressed by her knowledge. “It’s a 501c2 Diplomatic Courier class. I’ve made a lot of modifications to make it look less threatening than it really is. Most spaceport authorities object to heavily armed civilian ships in their docking rings.”
“I wouldn’t think the Diplomatic class would make a good ‘freighter’,” Sabine stated with a smile, recalling Subat’s description of him as an independent freighter pilot.
“I see you know ships well,” Kristof said admiringly. “You’re right, of course. The diplomat variant is nice for its armament and shields, but makes a piss poor freighter. So Max and I gutted it out and got rid of all the fancy cabins and amenities, and built our own cargo bay setup. I hate to break it to you, Your Majesty, but you’ll have to have a tiny dirty cabin just like mine.”
Sabine punched his arm lightly in response. “I can handle it if you can. And drop the Majesties, if you would, please.”
Kristof believed her as he nodded in response. After years of learning what to watch for, he could tell by how she moved that Sabine knew how to fight, although he wasn’t sure how she would be in a real fight. He saw Subat’s influence in that, having also seen his former wife’s fighting abilities from her father’s teachings. He could also tell she was familiar with the blaster at her side as well, which showed signs of frequent use, and which would serve her better if they ran into trouble on the way home than her unarmed combat skills.
“What about the ship’s weapons?” Sabine asked as they went, drawing Kristof back from his thoughts again. “You said the diplomat variant was armed, but I see no weapons.”
“We made the laser turrets retractable and hidden within shielded compartments,” Kristof replied. “And the plasma torpedo launchers have been disguised as part of the intake manifolds.” He pointed to the big air scoops beneath the ship and saw that she could make out where the launchers blended into the lines of the ship in plain sight, once she knew what to look for.
Sabine didn’t seem like royalty at all to him, Kristof thought. Her knowledge of ships and weapons was impressive to him, and he could sense a certain strength in her. And yet there was something else about her too, a weakness or timid set in her eyes that she struggled hard to hide from him whenever their eyes met, but he had seen none the less. He found himself drawn to her; a powerful attraction that he hadn’t felt since Anasha was alive. Then he remembered what Subat had said about her being like a daughter to him, which brought back memories of Anasha, and he tried to push the thoughts of his attraction to Sabine from his mind.
“Go ahead and get on board,” Kristof told Sabine after a moment. “Have Max give you the ‘tour’ and get you fixed up in Bunk 3. I’ll finish up out here and then we’ll be on our way.”
“Aye, Captain,” Sabine saluted, then she stuck her tongue out impishly at him and headed off towards the loading ramp. Kristof’s eyes involuntarily watched her ass as she walked away, and for that moment at least he forgot all about Subat’s veiled warnings. This trip promised to be trouble, he could feel it in his bones.
~*~
~6~
Kristof hadn’t been joking when he’d said he and Max had gutted out the ship, Sabine found. The loading ramp lead into the original cargo hold, which looked normal enough at first. But as she went further into the hold the deck above her disappeared and was replaced by a great open area where two additional floors of the ship should had been. On the twin girders high above, that formed the spine of the ship, there had been attached a long mechanical arm that could grab and stack crates when needed.
At the back of the hold Sabine could see a thick blast door that likely led to the engine compartment. To the front of the hold she saw a pair of ladders that led to what remained of the second and third decks of the ship. She searched her memory and remembered that the second deck would have housed the mess hall and crew cabins, while the third deck would hold the cockpit, the Captain’s quarters, a conference room, and the luxury cabins which were now gone along with half the crew cabins. She wondered how Kristof and Max managed to operate a ship that would have normally had a crew of eight by themselves.
The provisions that General Mannis had supplied had taken up most of the room on the floor of the hold, and Sabine wondered why they apparently needed so much for a relatively short trip. Then she remembered a comment from Kristof to Subat about relief aid. She also wondered to herself where Kristof and Max had been headed when Subat sent out the call, though perhaps it was better not to know. Kristof was a smuggler and technically a criminal, after all. Just as she was about to call out, Max appeared from between a stack of crates and headed her way.
“Welcome aboard, Your Majesty,” Max said as he stopped before her.
“Sabine, please,” she answered, still uncomfortable with all the majesties, as she took in this intimidating android.
“No, my name is Max,” the android replied, obviously having missed the gist of her reply. Sabine laughed merrily before correcting the android, who looked at her confusedly.
“I am Sabine,” she corrected. “Sabine is just fine, I do not require all the titles and such.” She found the android’s manner to be totally out of character to his rather intimidating appearance, with his humanoid appearance combined with its black and red coloring. The intimidating appearance was most likely the intent, she realized given their line of work, but Max’s personality seemed friendly enough.
“Well that is good,” the android replied. “All those majesties were likely to drive my vocal processors fucking bat shit.”
Sabine laughed loudly at the unexpected bluntness of the android. “Kristof said for you to give me the tour and show me to Bunk 3,” she said, fighting a fit of giggles as she did.
“The tour…” Max said, obviously not sure if she was being serious or not. “Well then, this is the cargo hold, obviously. The engines are back there somewhere,” he continued, pointing towards the general direction of the back of the hold. “F
ollow me for the rest of the ‘grand’ tour.”
Sabine giggled again as she followed Max up the ladder to the second deck. She felt a lightness being away from Stephan and General Mannis that she hadn’t felt in years. She instantly recognized that while she was with Kristof and Max, she wouldn’t have to be worried about etiquette and protocol, or carry the burdens of being a member of the royal family. For the few days it took to get to Purannis aboard this ship, she could just be herself.
Deck Two of the ship was much as she expected. Where once the ship had held six large crew cabins and the mess hall, it now held two cabin. There were also two small alcoves that were being used for storage. Bunk 2 belonged to Max, which was sparsely populated, containing only a computer terminal and a recharging cradle for the android. Bunk 3, which would be Sabine’s for the trip, contained a small sleeping bunk, a smaller bathroom, and a storage unit.
“Charming,” Sabine muttered under her breath as she noticed there was no door.
“We aim to please,” Max commented with obvious sarcasm. Sabine found the android’s demeanor most curious after always being around androids who acted with impeccable decorum.
Sabine tossed her small satchel on the bunk and turned back to the android, who was watching her intently. The look was unsettling coming from his dark mechanical face.
“What?” Sabine asked, momentarily irritated by the android’s stare.
“I was waiting to see if you were going to…throw a hissy fit over the accommodations,” the android said frankly.
“Hissy fit?” Sabine said acidly.
“The Captain’s words, not mine,” Max replied innocently. “I have never seen a hissy fit before, so I was curious what one looked like. Also, we had a bet. I won.” With that Max turned back towards the ladder and headed up to the third deck, oblivious to Sabine’s sudden outrage.
Sabine followed the android so she could see the rest of the ship, pushing her irritation from her mind for the time being. She vowed to make Kristof pay for his little bet somehow. She was tired of people always assuming she was some spoiled brat simply because she was royalty, though she knew many within her own family that lived up to the description with flying colors. Her mother had been one of them, she thought sadly.
The tour of the third deck went as quickly as the rest of the ship had, and by the time they were done the sound of the loading ramp closing echoed through the ship. Max sat in one of the pilot’s seats and began flipping switches and pushing buttons. Moments later the sound of the ship’s four powerful engines coming on line added a low hum to the background noises.
Kristof appeared at the top of the ladder moments later, and the nasty retort Sabine had ready about the bet disappeared as her eyes locked with his. Again she saw that predatory seeming glint in his pale green eyes and felt a weakness in her knees she’d never felt before. This man confused her, threw her internal radar off, and made her feel like a small animal trying to hide in plain sight from the animal coming to eat her. What was even more confusing was the thought that she wanted to be taken down like that prey. The thought was very disconcerting, so she quickly pushed it away.
“Are you ok?” Kristof asked as he approached, obviously picking up on Sabine’s discomfiture.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Sabine replied softly. “Just overwhelmed by the accommodations,” she added more pointedly, and yet without the heat she’d intended. “I’m still deciding if I should throw a hissy fit or not,” she added sharply.
“It’s not a royal pleasure ship, to be sure,” Kristof replied, obviously amused at her ire over the bet. “It’ll get you home, though.”
Kristof moved to go around her, and for just a moment their bodies touched front to front and Sabine felt a thrill run through her body like nothing she’d ever felt before as she felt her nipples tightened. As she watched him climb into the seat next to Max and grab a set of headphones, she realized with a flash of insight that all of those feelings of weakness she had been feeling since first meeting him were from an intense attraction to someone that, by rights, she should have loathed and detested. The sudden realization made her blush as she stood outside of the cockpit.
“Better strap in, Sabine,” Max called back to her. “Take offs can be a little rough in this bucket sometimes.”
Sabine walked forward and took the seat at the weapons terminal behind Max and strapped herself in as she wrestled with her conflicting emotions deep within. She suddenly wasn’t as sure about this voyage as she’d been minutes before. Suddenly things threatened to become much more complicated, and she could feel trouble brewing in her future.
~*~
~7~
Kristof allowed Max to handle the remaining pre-flight checks while he struggled to regain control of his thoughts. The brief physical contact with Sabine as they passed each other in the confined space moments before had broken any semblance of concentration he’d had. The sense of her body in contact with his refused to leave his thoughts as he tried to focus on the console in front of him. He could still feel the light touch of her breasts and the heat of her breath, even though the contact had lasted mere seconds. He understood now the animalistic feelings he’d been having ever since he met her. He wanted her, but not in the random manner that happened from time to time is random spaceports with other women. This desire was something much more.
Sabine greatly resembled Anasha in many ways, for sure, but that was not the only thing that attracted him to her. Something about her made him want to possess her in a very primal way. That sense of weakness he’d sensed in her eyes, as if she were prey that secretly wanted to be brought down by a predator. Anasha had not been that way at all. If anything, Anasha had occasionally looked at him as prey rather than the other way around.
The thoughts raged in Kristof’s mind like a storm, threatening to consume him. With a great effort, he forced himself to remember that to Subat, Sabine was like another daughter, and he owed it to Subat to see her safely to Purannis safe and whole. So why had Subat given them such a curious look after seeing them together, he wondered. Surely the man must have known what Kristof would be going through around the young Queen. At last he pushed thoughts of his desire for her from his mind and focused on the launch.
“Wraith to control, ready for lift off,” Kristof called over the comm.
“Control to Wraith, you are cleared for takeoff along your original approach vector,” came the reply from the same controller who had guided them down days before.
“Acknowledged, control, though I wouldn’t recommend accidentally shooting down your Queen if the vector suddenly changes,” Kristof shot back, and Sabine laughed merrily behind him.
Kristof took the controls and eased the throttles forward and the Wraith lifted slowly into the air. The ship may not have looked like much, but Kristof was proud that he and Max had made it so it handled smooth and sharp. He turned the ship so it was pointed along the course they had arrived on and pushed the throttles forward quickly. The Wraith shot away from the compound much faster than the air controller had expected, and soon their drone escort was far behind.
Kristof laughed as the air controller swore at him over the comm, and angled the ship to make a break for space. The blue outside of the windows slowly faded until all was black outside except for the millions of points of light from the stars.
“You’re incorrigible, I see,” Sabine commented, to which he laughed.
“Set a course for the Meridian sector,” Kristof told Max. Max punched in a series of commands on the navigational computer while Kristof adjusted several engine settings. Unlike newer ships where many of the piloting functions were automated, much of the Wraith’s systems were very hands on.
“Course ready,” Max said after a minute.
Kristof switched off the sublight engines as he simultaneously engaged the hyperspace engine and the Wraith shot forward into a hyperspace wormhole. As always, he took a moment to admire that flowing rainbow of colors outside the ship before he
turned to face Sabine. “We should be in the Meridian sector in a day or so.”
“Isn’t the Meridian sector a bit out of the way for us?” Sabine asked rather pointedly.
“Normally, if we were going to follow established hyperspace routes, yes,” Kristof answered. “But since all of the main hyperspace routes leading to Purannis are mined with gravitic generators, and all of the lesser routes are being watched too closely, we have to get creative in our route.”
“And what’s in the Meridian sector that’s of interest to our creative route?” Sabine asked, obviously not willing to let him off without explaining more.
Kristof appraised her carefully before answering, knowing she wouldn’t like what he was about to tell her. In her position, he doubted he would like the idea any better.
“The Meridian sector is home to The Devil’s Eyes. We’re going to shoot the Devil between the eyes,” Kristof told her, then waited for the inevitable outcry.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Sabine yelled incredulously as comprehension came, as if right on cue. “Your brilliant plan is to shoot us straight into a black hole?”
“Two black holes,” Max added helpfully.
“Thank you, asshole, but I don’t need your help just now,” Kristof shot at the android. Turning back to the angry Sabine, he went on.
“The two black holes of the Devil’s Eyes sitting next to each other is an anomaly in space that no one has ever been able to explain, and most people avoid them for obvious reasons,” Kristof explained. “The gravitic anomalies in the sector wreak havoc on navigational computers. However, a few daring and enterprising individuals over the years have discovered a route between the two black holes where the gravitational effects from each of the black holes cancel each other out. Getting into the rift is a bit rough, as is getting out, but once in the rift its smooth sailing.”
The Smuggler's Ascension Page 4