by B. C. James
Sharp turned back to Arnold. “Lead the way, Lieutenant,” he said as he pressed against the handle of his jack. The embryo unit nudged forward, gliding over the cargo deck, its weight negated by the anti-gravity emitters built into the bottom of the jacks. Sharp pushed from behind as Arnold steered the front. The red emergency lighting reflected off the smooth metallic surface of the embryo unit as they passed under the far spaced bulbs, each passing light drawing them nearer to their destination. The dented and gaping cargo bay door grew closer, illuminated by the cool blue glow of the containment field.
Sharp had no desire to sacrifice the frozen embryos to the cold void of deep space, but they were all he had to use against Pierce. He wouldn’t attempt to go to warp again while his children were floating off into the black abyss. It would distract his attention away from Sharp and his crew long enough for them to take back the ship.
The blue energy field separating them from the vacuum lay directly ahead. Arnold shifted to the side of the grav-jack, still guiding it toward the bay door as Sharp propelled it from behind. At the last moment, Arnold jumped away as the unit penetrated the containment field. It slipped through with a crackling buzz of energy as Sharp gave it one last shove. He let go just before he hit the field himself, and the embryo unit, along with the two grav-jacks, sailed out the bay door. As the unit floated over the edge of the cargo deck, the jacks fell away, and the embryos drifted off, alone, into the darkness.
Sharp stood next to Arnold and watched the unit sail away. It nearly sideswiped the warp pylon before coasting out into open space. As he followed its path, something shimmered at the edge of his vision. Turning his head for a better look, a strange sight greeted him. A figure in an EVA suit glided in through the gaping door. What the hell is Briggs doing out there again, he wondered. As another figure appeared behind the first, it dawned on him. It wasn’t Briggs. He turned, grabbing Arnold’s shoulder. “Come on, they’re here.”
They ran toward Morales and Briggs, who were still guarding the interior door. “Open it,” he yelled as he frantically waved his arms.
Briggs took note of him, and if he couldn’t understand his yells, then the waving must’ve conveyed his message. Briggs went for the grav-jack controls and released the mag brake. The jack levitated and Briggs flung it out of the way, sending it spinning across the bay.
As Sharp watched the jack, a body slammed into him from behind, knocking him off his feet mid stride and tackling him to the deck plating. He went down hard, banging his elbows and his bad knee into the hard floor. As he winced at the pain, an arm snaked around his throat, trying to get a choke hold around it. Sharp grabbed the arm and twisted to face his opponent. Pierce’s large frame, made even more imposing by the bulky armor of the EVA suit, loomed over him, straddling his waist, pinning him to the deck. Sharp tried to wiggle free as balled fists rained down upon him. He put up his hands, attempting to block the punches. A fist got through and smashed into his nose. White light flashed in his eyes as his head snapped back and smacked the deck plating. Another blow caught him in the jaw. His head swam. He was losing.
As Sharp feebly defended his face, Pierce grabbed his collar and repeatedly slammed him down against the floor. His body went limp and blackness clouded his vision. As Pierce wrapped his fingers around his throat to finish him off, another figure in an EVA suit barreled into Pierce from behind, knocking him over.
Sharp was free. He shook off the black haze and twisted onto his stomach, crawling away, desperately fleeing his attacker. He heard Cormac’s voice call out from behind him, “Baker and Daniels went for the lander. Stop them.”
Having distanced himself from the fighting, Sharp rolled onto his back and sat up. A coppery taste washed over his tongue as blood from his broken nose streamed into his mouth. He spit the blood on the floor and looked around the cargo bay, trying to assess the situation.
A short distance away, Cormac sat on top of Pierce, holding him down as he lay prone, struggling to turn over in the bulky EVA suit. Arnold came to her aid and helped her subdue him. To his right, Briggs and Morales were running through the bay, trying to head off Baker and Daniels. Before they got far, Alice bolted through the now open interior door and caught Morales from behind, pulling her down to the deck. Baker and Daniels made it to the lander and slipped through the entry hatch, pulling it closed just before Briggs reached it. He furiously yanked at the handle, but it wouldn’t budge, and he slammed his fists against the lander in frustration.
Sharp’s rage burned through the fog of pain, and he pulled himself to his feet. He stumbled to the tool storage locker on the wall and pulled out a ratchet lever. The long, heavy, metal bar was normally used for winching down cargo straps, but Sharp had other intentions. Too tired to carry its full weight, he gripped one end and let the other drag on the floor as he staggered toward Pierce. The clanging of the bar against the deck echoed through the bay.
Despite the racket Sharp made, Cormac and Arnold didn’t seem to notice his approach. They’d turned Pierce over, and Cormac sat on his legs while Arnold held his shoulders. Pierce caught sight of Sharp and stopped struggling. He stopped next to Pierce and wiped the blood from his nose with the back of his sleeve. Pierce stared up at him with fear in his eyes as Sharp raised the metal lever over his head with both hands.
Cormac noticed Pierce had stopped struggling and followed his gaze. “No, Captain,” she yelled as she saw Sharp. She jumped up and grabbed his arms before he could thrust the pointed end of the bar down into Pierce’s face.
His legs now free, Pierce flailed around, trying to twist away from Arnold’s grip. Arnold brought his full weight down on his shoulders, holding him firm.
Sharp looked into Cormac’s eyes. “Please don’t,” she said, tears pooling on her bottom eyelids. Sharp slowly dropped his arms and loosened his grip on the lever, letting it slip to the floor. It clanged loudly on the metal deck plating as it rolled away.
A roar filled the room as the lander’s main engine sparked to life behind them. Arnold turned toward the noise, and Pierce twisted under him, using the distraction to wrench free. Pierce shot to his feet and kicked Arnold hard in the face, sending him sprawling on the floor. Sharp pushed past Cormac and lunged for Pierce, but the smooth surface of the EVA suit slipped through his fingers, and he tumbled to the deck as Pierce turned and bolted for the lander.
Sharp rose to his knees, too weary to stand let alone pursue. He looked around in desperation. Briggs had started toward Morales, who struggled with Alice, but he was still the closest one to the lander. Sharp called out to him as loud as his burning lungs would allow. Amazingly, Briggs heard him over the roar of the lander’s engines. Turning, he spotted Pierce dashing for the lander and rushed to intercept. Pierce straightened out his arm and ran straight into Briggs, twisting into a spin as they collided. Briggs fell to the side, grasping in vain at Pierce’s legs as he went down.
Pierce spun free and leapt onto the side of the lander, grabbing the rungs of the ladder built into its hull as the main engine blazed to full burn. The small ship slid across the cargo bay floor in a shower of sparks, leaving a blackened scorched trail of soot in its wake. The craft plowed through the containment field and slipped under the bay door, the engine shutting off as it entered the vacuum beyond. Pierce’s legs floated up from the lander as his gloved hands clutched frantically at the ladder, trying to hold on.
Sharp watched the craft fade away into the darkness until its position was only marked by the bright spotlights on its nose. He turned back to the cargo bay. Cormac and Arnold stood close by, and Briggs headed to Morales, who’d managed to subdue Alice without his help.
Sharp’s head throbbed and his nose ached from the beating he’d received. He didn’t care. His plan had worked, albeit not quite as smoothly as he’d expected. Pierce was off his ship, chasing down his precious embryos.
He looked over at Cormac, remembering her betrayal and wondering what to do with her. Her eyes dropped, evading his gaze in
shame. “I’m sorry, Captain,” she apologized. “I shouldn’t have trusted him. I didn’t think he’d freeze you. He promised me he wouldn’t hurt anyone else if I helped him.”
Sharp watched her. She trembled, tears welling up in her eyes. Sympathy burned in his heart. He didn’t think she’d meant so much harm to come from her actions, nonetheless, her actions had led them to their current situation. She hadn’t just betrayed him, she’d betrayed the entire crew, she’d betrayed the ship itself. The Pescado Rojo was adrift, floating helpless in the void, severely damaged, without power while a madman soared through space around it, hell-bent on commandeering the ship.
“Lieutenant Arnold,” he said finally, “please confine Commander Cormac to her quarters.”
Arnold moved to her side and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. She looked up, tears now flowing freely from the corners of her eyes and down her rosy cheeks. “Captain, please,” she pleaded. His face remained stoic, masking the tumult of emotion roiling inside him. Arnold pulled on her shoulder, guiding her to the exit. “Edwin,” she called back over her shoulder, “I’m sorry.”
The use of his first name reminded him of the close relationship they’d shared, and tears overran the levee holding back his inner turmoil. He turned his twisted face away from her to hide his broken mask. She said nothing else as Arnold led her through the door.
He sucked up his pain and pushed it deep down in his belly. He had work to do. This was no time to wallow in despair. He wiped the moisture from his eyes and rebuilt the wall behind his broken nose and swelling face. He moved over to Briggs, who still wore his EVA suit, minus the helmet. “Ensign, recharge your O2 and get that door closed,” he ordered, pointing to the main cargo bay door. “I don’t want Pierce getting back in through there. I want this ship sealed up tight.”
Briggs looked over at the battered door. “Eh, I’ll try, Sir. Looks like Morales managed to mangle it pretty good. I can probably get it closed, but I don’t think it’ll ever seal again.”
Morales shot him an annoyed look. “You should’ve opened it faster,” she teased.
“It’s fine, Briggs, as long as no one can get back in through there,” Sharp said, ignoring their banter. “After that, I need you to get power back online, we’re floating blind out here and I don’t like it. I want to know where Pierce is and what he’s up to. He’ll most likely try to get back on this ship after he recovers the embryos.”
Briggs nodded and went to the air station to refill his oxygen. Sharp turned to Morales. She still had Alice pinned on the deck, straddling her torso. “Come on, Ensign, let her up. We’ll lock her up in your quarters so you can keep a close eye on her,” he joked.
Morales twisted her mouth, sneering at him as she released her captive. “How about we toss her out the airlock instead?”
Alice’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.
“I’ll make a deal with you, Ensign,” Sharp said, making sure Alice could hear as they led her out of the cargo bay. “If she gives you any more trouble, you’re authorized to send her back to the Endurance.”
“With or without an EVA suit?” Morales chuckled.
Sharp looked down and met Alice’s eyes. “Your choice,” he said with a grin.
17
Intercept
A million pinpricks of light from distant stars surrounded Pierce as he clung to the slender metal rung on the side of lander module two. Looking back, the dim outline of the Pescado Rojo receded as they chased down the embryo containment unit Sharp had so callously tossed out of the cargo bay. What was Sharp thinking? Why was he trying to execute his precious children? He would make him pay for his transgressions.
Daniels’ voice crackled over the comm in his helmet. “Hold on, Sir, we’re almost to the ECU.” There was no airlock on the small vessel. If he wanted to get inside, they would need to depressurize the interior, and there was no time for that as they chased after their quarry.
He looked forward. A small shape blocked out a rectangular section of stars. The shape grew as they approached. Soon he would have his children back. Then he could worry about punishing Sharp for what he’d done. He knew he would have to kill Sharp this time. No more half measures. He couldn’t let him threaten the safety of his children again. He grinned inside his helmet. The thought of vengeance warmed him against the cold void of space.
The craft adjusted course and came alongside the embryos. The unit floated just below him, and he wistfully extended one hand toward it. “Sir,” Baker’s voice echoed in his helmet, pulling him from his delirium, “we’re deploying the grapple arms. Hold on.”
Pierce retracted his outstretched arm and hooked his elbow around the rung. A shutter reverberated through the lander as two robotic arms unfolded from its gray hull. They steadily moved toward the embryos, guided by Daniels’ expert hand on the controls. The arms paused a few centimeters from the unit, aligning with two holes sunk into its surface. Two long fingers extended from the arms and penetrated the holes. The locking mechanism activated, and the unit snapped tight against the arms with a jolt.
They were locked on, and it was time to get back to the cargo bay. “Sir, are you coming inside?” Baker asked as the lander turned back toward the Pescado Rojo.
“No,” he replied curtly. Letting go of the rung, he pushed gently away from the vessel. He floated to one arm and grabbed on. “I am staying out here with my children.” He moved down the arm and stepped onto the embryo unit, locking on with his magnetic boots. “I will be staying with them until they are safe.”
“Alright, Sir, hold on.”
The lander lurched as the main engine ignited. Pierce held onto the forward arm as they zoomed back toward the Rojo. He craned his neck, looking down on the Endurance as they passed by. The ship sat dark and lifeless, floating inside the rear warp ring. Baker slowed the craft as they approached the cargo section. The door to bay three was closed. The bottom edge bent in at the middle where Morales had smashed into it.
“Sir,” Baker said over the comm, “they closed the door, there’s no way inside. What should we do?”
“Can we enter through the forward airlock?” Pierce asked.
“No, Sir, the boom is retracted. They’d have to extend it from the inside, and they can’t do that with the power out.”
Pierce glowered behind the clear glass of his helmet as he considered their options. “Take us back to the Endurance,” he ordered reluctantly. “We will regroup there until we figure out our next move.”
“Aye, Sir,” Baker said as the lander’s thrusters fired, backing them away from the cargo door.
Tiny jets of gas shot out above Pierce’s head as the thrusters turned the craft and propelled them over the dark ruddy hull of the Rojo back toward the Endurance.
As they reached the dark ship, Baker positioned the embryo unit over a square opening in the hull that led into the cargo section. Slowly, the arms lowered the unit into the hole. Pierce hopped onto the Endurance’s blackened hull as the unit became even with the surface. His magnetic boots sent a clunk vibrating through his suit as they locked to the scorched metal.
Daniels released the unit from the arms, and Pierce leaned down to twist the two small metal handles that locked it into place. The door to the cargo hatch proved stubborn as he tried to close it, but with a heave it broke free, sliding shut. He stood up straight after latching the door and looked up. The lander hovered over him, the front hatch open. He switched off his mag boots and gently pushed off the hull. He almost overshot the hatch and clawed frantically with his bulky gloves, trying to gain purchase on the smooth metal to avoid drifting off into space. Daniels’ arm appeared from the hatch, catching his hand and pulling him inside the lander.
Once Pierce was safe inside the protective shell of the craft, Baker maneuvered them to the docking port. The craft latched on with a clank, and the interior hissed as it pressurized to match the atmosphere of the Endurance.
The ship’s pitch-black interior greeted them.
A clashing sense of warm homecoming and cold disquiet swirled in Pierce’s head as he scanned the central corridor. He shivered when he removed his helmet, partially from the low temperature and partly from dread at being back on the ship that’d served as his prison for the last five hundred years. He brushed off his unease, returning his mind to the task at hand. “Baker, get down to engineering. I want main power restored.”
Baker nodded and moved down the long corridor. Pierce headed for the bridge, waving Daniels to follow. “Sir,” Daniels said. “Even if we restore power, how will we get back to the Pescado Rojo? We have to retake it. We still have eight of our crew over there.”
“Yes, and hopefully they are working on securing the ship from Captain Sharp. If not, then we will have to find our own way in. I believe we have mining drones in storage. Are they capable of operating in space?”
“I think so, Sir. They’re atmospheric and vacuum rated. They’re a similar design to the ones used for asteroid mining back home in the belt. So, they should have no problem functioning out here.”
“Good. See if you can find them and get them up and running. We can use their drilling lasers to cut our way in.”
“Yes, Sir,” Daniels replied then scurried off back toward the cargo level.
Pierce was alone now. He stood in the stasis room, surrounded by the cryotubes that lined the outer wall like coffins. Their lids propped up like glass tombstones. Their gaping interiors like open mouths laughing at him, reminding him of his failure to capture the Pescado Rojo. Mocking him for letting Sharp defeat him. “Shut up!” he screamed aloud, covering his ears with his hands. The laughing stopped, and he was alone in the room once more, surrounded by silence. He spun in a circle, searching the empty tubes. He found nothing and scowled to himself as he left the room.