by Susan Kelley
“The army wants as little knowledge of this mission to get out as possible,” Mak said. “I’ll signal you when I’m ready to begin the attack. Use the portable heat and motion detectors.”
Over the next three and a half hours, Mak took the ship from them seven times. But they improved each time. They could have stopped a regular soldier or even half a dozen regulars. But Mak worried they wouldn’t face regular soldiers. One like the huge man they’d seen on the vid defeating a Recon Marine would certainly overrun them.
But Box and Pender acted pleased with their progress, and Mak praised them for it. He only hoped they didn’t have to test their new skills against another monster.
After they returned to the ship, Mak sent his men to rest while he took care of all security checks for the night. The barren moon was lifeless with a thin, dry atmosphere. The physical demand of training outside had left Pender and Box exhausted.
Mak set the sensors to send an alert to his cabin should any living being approach the ship or if another craft entered the moon’s atmosphere. Then he sent an encrypted status report for the general’s eyes only, telling him they would be out of communication for at least four or five days after their last check in on the morrow.
A quick glance on the ship’s log showed the doctors had already sent their own messages to the general though one communication blurb went elsewhere. He noted the code category indicated the receiver as a civilian ship but the ID on this side of the message didn’t match any of the doctors. And his men had been outside with him at the time stamp.
Mak’s radio chirped, interrupting his investigation of the message.
Molly’s voice sounded like a caress in his ear. “Lieutenant, I have something important to discuss with you in your cabin. Immediately.”
Mak’s heart took a hard stroke with what he’d learned was fear. Though no logical explanation of danger being present on the ship came to him, he leaped from his chair and cleared the steps to land in front of his door. He slid in, every muscle in his body ready to pounce on an enemy.
Molly sat on a blanket in the middle of the floor, food and drink spread around her. She wore only a sheer dress. But it didn’t quite look like a dress. It seemed designed to lead his eyes to her breasts, her naval and the dark patch of hair between her legs. Somehow the see-through material made her look more naked than having no clothing on at all.
He pressed the door closed behind him, but otherwise couldn’t move. The only danger here was that his heart might explode.
“I know you haven’t eaten for hours, lieutenant, and as the lead doctor on this crew it’s my responsibility to make sure you eat in a healthy manner. If you eat your protein and fruit, I’ll allow you to have dessert.” She leaned back in such a way that her breasts thrust against the sheer material.
Mak forced himself to look away. A quick sweep of his gaze told him there were no dessert sweets amongst the food she’d spread out. “I don’t see any desserts.”
She laughed and shook her head. Her long, thick hair bounced around her shoulders. “Come closer and I’ll show you where I put it.”
He took the two steps needed for her to reach up and take his hands. When she gave a slight tug, he knelt in front of her. “I don’t feel hungry right now. Not for food.”
“Now you begin to understand.” She fell back onto the floor and pulled him down on top of her.
Her lips tasted soft and sweet beneath his. Each time they came together like this it seemed better than before. He intended to take his time, but sweetness gave way to need.
They made love on the blanket on the hard floor. Mak worried he’d hurt her on the unforgiving surface. But Molly urged him on until he couldn’t go slower or easier, only deeper and harder.
Mak folded their clothing afterward while Molly gathered up their meal that had been knocked aside. How they didn’t spill anything proved more luck than purpose. He found he was hungry for food after all and still had room for more dessert.
****
The ship banked hard, a dangerous turn that sent instruments sliding off desks and tables. Molly fell sideways and slammed her hip against a chair.
Hector swore as he dove after his AI tablet. It landed on the floor and skittered across the room. The ship righted itself but almost immediately the floor tilted in the other direction. “Is the lieutenant giving Andy more piloting lessons?”
Helen clung to a counter, her frown as fierce as Hector’s continuing curses. “This is a science vessel, not a star cruiser. What is it about men and their need for speed?”
Andy stumbled into the room, gripping the doorframe for support. “The lieutenant says to strap in somewhere.”
“What is going on?” Helen shouted over something falling off a counter. “I don’t care if he is in charge, we’re not going to put up with his desire to show off his fancy flying.”
Molly knew Mak well enough to know he wouldn’t show off. Even if she hadn’t, Andy’s tense expression told another tale. “What is it, Andy?”
Andy braced himself against the doorway as the ship changed direction again. “Please, doctors, sit down on the floor at least so you don’t get thrown around.”
“Do it,” Molly ordered Hector and Helen as she slid down along the wall. Andy started back out the door but Molly called out to him. “Please tell us what’s going on, Andy.”
Andy swayed with another sharp turn. “Space mines scattered across our path. If anyone but Mak had been at the helm….” He shook his head and staggered out the door.
“You mean we could explode?” Hector shouted after him.
Andy was gone. The next twenty minutes passed with the ship diving and climbing. A loud burst of noise banged against the side of the ship. The vessel shuddered. Molly held her breath, expecting hull breach alarms to blare. They didn’t though the tension remained. The flight smoothed out but they held their places on the floor.
After another tense five minutes passed Andy reappeared. Sweat stained the front of his uniform shirt but he gave them a shaky smile. “The lieutenant says we’re in the clear.”
Molly helped her colleagues put the lab to rights though she wanted to rush to the bridge and question Mak. She suspected he was busy. Andy helped them though he looked constantly toward the bridge.
“Go on, Andy, we’ll do this. Mak might need you.” Molly appreciated that Mak had sent Andy to reassure them.
Andy jogged from the room, clearly eager to be a soldier more than a scientist.
Hector looked over his AI device. “I think it survived. Who would seed a dark region of space like this with mines?”
“Someone who doesn’t want us following this cursed trail,” Helen muttered, kicking at a broken glass vial.
Kory entered the lab. “Dr. Drant, the lieutenant would like to speak with you on the bridge. I’ll help here.”
Molly hurried forward, passing Andy going the other way to the engine room.
Mak sat in the pilot’s seat, his fingers dancing over the controls. He spoke into his radio. “Corporal, check the reset on the gravity adjustment circuits and redirect damage control to the starboard hull.”
Molly slid into the copilot’s seat, waiting while Mak gave Andy more directions. After another minute of terse exchanges, Mak sat back and looked at Molly. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“The others?”
“We’re all uninjured. Did we really run into space mines? I thought they were illegal in interplanetary law.”
“They are. The army doesn’t even use them.”
“Were they old, left over from some previous excursion out this way?”
“No. They were recently placed, probably within the last few days and meant to stop us.”
“But no one knows we’re here except my father. Did someone intercept our communications with him?”
“No. This is my fault, Molly.” Mak had never looked quite so grim. “I meant to ask you about it last night. But then I forgot…
over dessert.”
Even with near catastrophe, Molly fought a smile. “Dessert was fine.”
Mak nodded but didn’t look any happier. “But I had noticed an outgoing call when we parked on that moon. Someone sent it out when we were training outside so it had to be from one of the doctors. It went to an unidentified ship, a vessel capable of cloaking its ID codes.”
“Hector has a wife working on another science vessel. He might have sent her a message.”
“That’s against security protocols of our mission.”
“I know, but they’re in love.”
Mak’s eyes narrowed. “That isn’t an accepted reason to disobey rules.”
“It could have been Helen. She has many friends in the medical community.”
Mak turned his gaze toward the front viewing screen. “Molly, whoever sent that communique betrayed us to an unknown enemy.”
She stood up. “I’ll go ask them.”
He reached out and with a firm hand guided her back to sitting. “No. Let them think we’re unaware of this attempt.”
“Mak, why would either of them kill themselves to interfere with us?”
“The mines weren’t ship killers. They were meant to disable us not fracture the hull. We would have been adrift and able to be boarded with the right equipment. They might have expected us to welcome them as rescuers.”
A chill chased across Molly’s skin. She didn’t doubt Mak’s interpretation of the trap set for them, but how could one of her friends have done this? She’d known Helen for most of her profession career and Hector had been her assistant for almost three years. “What are we going to do?”
“Be alert. Try not to give away our suspicions.”
“Do your men know?”
“They will. I’m going to assign them to keep an eye on your doctors. One of them will be with you in the lab when we land. I would turn around and go back, but we can’t chance that minefield again. It appears to surround the planet so we’ll go forward. When we make our landing you’ll stay at my side.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Molly, that really is an order.”
She put her hand on his arm. “I’ll obey. Do you think we’re being followed?”
Mak looked out the front viewer again. “Why actively protect this plant? I’m worried that someone is waiting for us.”
Chapter Thirteen
Mak ran his hand over the warped outer shell of the ship. Despite the nearby detonation of one of the mines, the integrity of the hull held. Someone had gone to a lot of expense to seed such a thick belt of explosives to protect this planet.
If he had five Recon Marines with him instead of two half-trained soldier and three civilians Mak would feel confident to face the enemy he sensed waited for them. Instincts alone warned him that something or someone lurked on the verdant planet. The ship’s sensors picked up no signs of human life, only a few indigenous wild creatures that thrived on the fertile planet. Not one human-built structure showed up on the flyover they’d conducted. That meant a top of the line modern cloaking system. The only way to unveil the hidden facility would be to physically move behind the borders of the covering.
The correct course of action would be to retreat from the planet and flee to radio distance so they could call for help. Mak touched a twisted edge of an insulation panel. Only luck and his superior piloting skills had seen them through the minefield without disabling or destroying their ship. They might not be so lucky if they tried to fly through again. They could only go forward. Somewhere on this planet lurked the research facility. If it was still active as Mak now feared, there would be ships there. Military ships.
The army designed their vessels to withstand lightweight space mines and would also have armament to shoot a clear path through the field. He would see the civilians to safety and have them call the general for reinforcements to deal with whatever danger crouched in watchful readiness.
Mak had sensed the spying as soon as he exited the ship. Though he’d landed miles from the nearest trees, someone had him in view. He dared not let his mind wander to vicious killers like the giant that had battled Vin in the vid. What would such a man do to someone soft and vulnerable like Molly or any of the others in Mak’s charge?
He continued the inspection of the ship, finding the usual scratches from space debris but nothing to worry about beyond the one panel. Now a great dilemma faced him. The best course would be for him to infiltrate the enemy position by himself yet that would leave the ship virtually helpless. With the right equipment and knowledge the science vessel could be compromised in less than a minute.
Mak paused before reentering the ship, surveying the rolling grasslands they’d landed in. A soft breeze stirred the ankle-high grasses, carrying a vague scent of metal that didn’t belong in an immaculate wilderness. Now he knew their direction.
His men sat on the bridge, their attention fixed on the scanners as they acknowledged Mak’s entrance. The ship picked up nothing though Mak had adjusted the filters through every setting possible.
“How’s our outside look, sir?” Pender asked.
“Some damage. We can’t chance the minefield again.”
“So we can’t go back?” Pender looked worried but not frightened. “What’s our plan, sir?”
“I’m going to infiltrate their camp and find a way off of here for us.”
“You figured out where they are?” Box asked.
“A general idea. It might take me a few hours and the surface won’t be safe for you. Without knowing their numbers or capabilities we can’t chance that they’ll work their way around me to you.”
“We’ll hold this ship,” Box said.
“They might have camouflaged gear like mine. You won’t see them until they’re blowing open the door. You two will take the ship into low orbit until I signal you to return.”
“It only takes one of us to fly the ship,” Box said. “I’ll go with you, sir.”
“You won’t be able to keep up with me.” Mak realized he’d spoken a blunt truth so tried to soften it with more truth. “It’s better if I go alone. If something happens to me, the two of you need to navigate the minefield again. You might have a chance with one of you calling out collision dangers and handling damage control issues. Under no circumstances should you confront anyone on this planet. If you don’t hear from me within fifteen hours you will leave atmosphere and go for help.”
“You want us to leave you here?” Pender asked.
“I’m ordering you to leave me here, and I’m counting on you to take the civilians to safety.” Mak paused, struggling with indecision as his two men looked at him with grim determination. “The mines were placed within the last twenty-four hours. I have reason to believe a person from our ship sent warning of our imminent arrival on Mossy. It gave them time to prepare the defense.”
“Sir, we would never….” Pender started while Box’s lip curled in a way Mak hadn’t seen in a while.
“I know it wasn’t either of you or Dr. Drant. I’m telling you so you’ll be prepared for further traitorous actions. That’s another reason I want both of you on this ship. For all I know I’m leaving you in greater peril than where I’m going.”
“We’ve traveled with the other doctors before,” Box said. “I’ve never suspected either of them of anything criminal.”
“The corruption surrounding this in the military and political field included powerful people thought above reproach. You’re seen the evidence with your own eyes of the many people involved in this scheme. Be vigilant every minute. After I leave, turn on the internal sensors so you know where everyone is at all times. Make sure no messages are sent.”
“Maybe we should lock them both up,” Box muttered.
“We don’t imprison innocent people, corporal. Just follow your orders.”
“Are you telling the plan to the doctors?” Box asked.
“Only to Molly.”
Mak went to his room and dressed in his camouflage bef
ore seeking out Molly. He filled his belt with all the tools he might need along with a stunner and two pistols. He slung a water bag and his rifle over his shoulder.
He found Molly in the lab with the other doctors. They stuffed items into their backpacks as if they were going exploring like on the other worlds. “Could I speak with you alone, Molly?”
“We should all know what’s going on,” Dr. Loren said.
“I’ll fill you in,” Molly said as she followed Mak out into the hall.
Mak led her a few more steps toward the bridge, listening for either of the doctors to follow and eavesdrop on them. “We haven’t located any facilities. I’m going to scout. Box and Pender are taking the ship to low atmosphere. They’ll continue to scan as if we’re searching. This will keep them focused on the ship and help me stay covert. Don’t tell the others I’m not on the ship.”
“You’re convinced this lab is still manned?”
“At the least it’s well protected. First by the mines and now by a sophisticated camouflage unit. I suspect more security awaits any attempt to infiltrate.”
“You shouldn’t be going alone. I could….”
Mak put his hand on her arm. “This is why your father wanted me along with you. You know what I am. While this ship is flying around, you should compress all your data to portable units and prepare to abandon ship.”
“Abandon ship? What is your plan?”
He didn’t want to lie to her so he didn’t answer the question. “Keep an eye on your colleagues. One of them is not on our side of this.”
She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled his head down to hers. His armor protected him from the touch of her body, but his mind imagined it perfectly. Her kiss was short and warm. “Be careful. Please.”
****
Molly did the data compilation herself, hating that she couldn’t trust her friends. Helen puttered away on her AI and frowned at the screen. Hector stared morosely at a display of DNA comparisons on the large screen. They appeared as the dedicated doctors she believed them to be. What did a spy look like?
“Ladies, look at this strand of DNA.” Hector tapped his fingers on his AI and highlighted a grouping of two genes. “We know these two influence personality characteristics. See the added protein on this one? What alterations in behavior and perception might that have caused?”