Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Series

by Hystad, Nathan

  Minhaus looked up, sweat beading on his forehead, the skin paper-thin. “We’ve been sent a message. It’s the Lobrelions. They want us to release a prisoner.”

  Commander Starling came to stand beside Ven, studying the transmission. Ven had never seen one of the Lobrelions before, and he was glad. They were squat; foot-long tentacles emerged from the lower half of their heads, wriggling about their chest and shoulders. They spoke through a slotted mouth, and their eyes were on the sides of their head, each eye moving independently of the other.

  “Why would they demand this?” Ven asked.

  Minhaus rubbed his temples nervously, and Ven could feel the pressure building in the man’s mind. “We have one of their leaders.”

  Ven could tell there was more. “What else?”

  Minhaus met his gaze, his eyes fearful. “You see, we get funding from the Concord, but it’s not enough. Sometimes we take a cut.”

  Lieutenant Commander Brax Daak spoke up from across the room, breaking the silence. “You’re saying you barter with bounty hunters and house their catches, is that it?”

  The warden nodded. “That’s correct.”

  “Why don’t the hunters just kill their targets?” Commander Starling asked.

  Brax answered before the warden could. “Believe it or not, some bounty hunters think of themselves as saints, doing the work of the universe. They don’t kill objectives, so they have someone like the warden here keep them locked up for the rest of their lives, letting the hunters sleep at night.”

  “Don’t come into my prison and judge me,” the warden said, puffing up his concave chest. He stood near Brax, half the man’s size, and Brax just stared back at Minhaus.

  “What are you going to do?” Commander Starling asked him.

  Ven glanced at the screen, where the video of the Lobrelion speaking was on a loop. “We are unable to reach our crew. We could warn Reeve and seek their assistance.”

  Treena shook her head. “It wouldn’t do any good.”

  “Why?” Tarlen spoke for the first time. Ven had almost forgotten the Bacal was with their group.

  “Because they’re beyond our Concord laws, at least where they interfere with their own. I encountered them once, years ago. Felix was so angry when we had to let them destroy a transport ship with goods from their system,” the commander said.

  Ven guessed she would have emitted some emotion at the statement, but was unable to read off her artificial body.

  “That doesn’t seem fair,” Tarlen said.

  “It isn’t, but it’s the law, and we’re here to ensure it’s met with accordance. Minhaus, you have to free their leader. Who brought him to you?” Brax Daak asked.

  Minhaus frowned, playing with his glasses. “I can’t tell you that. Confidentiality. Let’s just say that enough worlds have been taken advantage of because of the Lobrelions’ special rules, and someone grew tired of it. She’s not leaving my prison.”

  “Then what? You’re going to let them attack?” the commander asked.

  “That’s right. If they think they can beat my suborbital defenses, then let them try!” He was getting agitated, and Ven wasn’t sure if he believed the man’s posturing.

  “Fine, but we’re leaving first,” the commander said, and she started for the control room exit. She pulled on the handle, but the door was sealed shut. Brax came to her aid and attempted to open it. Nothing.

  “Minhaus, what are you doing?” Brax asked.

  He grinned, his yellowed teeth flashing in the bright room. “The prison is officially on lockdown. No one in, no one out, until the Lobrelions are dealt with.”

  Ven stepped aside as Brax rushed to the warden, grabbing the man by the collar and lifting him from the ground.

  ____________

  Constantine was right where Tom had left her, and he smiled as he directed Cleo to her perch above the bridge. This ship was spectacular, the best space vessel he’d ever set foot on, and he was excited to see the other flagship once it was completed. He hated how circumspect the admiral had been about its production, like she was purposely withholding secrets from him, but he could wait and see it with his own eyes soon enough.

  “Is this my new home?” Luci asked, her bright blue eyes staring at the curves of the cruise ship.

  “For now it is,” Tom told her. He had no idea what he was supposed to do with a kid. If there were any Assembly members on board, this could be a dangerous move. His best bet was to fly her to Earon and put her into someone’s care. Someone who’d never heard of the Assembly and who would raise her to be a strong Concord-loving woman.

  He lowered, using the computerized landing software, and removed his hands from the controls, letting the automation take over.

  “Come on, let’s get you settled,” Tom told her, and she nodded.

  So far, Luci was taking this really well, but he imagined that when she finally clued in that she was never going to see her mother and father again, she’d have a meltdown. And he wouldn’t blame her. Tom had gone through the same thing when he’d learned his parents had been killed.

  She could have a good life, still. A fresh start.

  Tom helped her down the rungs and into the elevator that led to the bridge. He had half a mind to hide her, to keep her from the crew, but he was done with secrets. He didn’t want to follow the ways of his predecessors. He took her hand and stepped onto the bridge.

  Reeve was standing in the middle of the area, staring at the viewer. Tom’s gaze followed, seeing a boxy ship on the zoomed-in image on the screen. “What’s going on?” he asked, and all eyes settled on him, but not before he placed Luci behind the door.

  Reeve blinked quickly and shook her head. “I could ask you the same thing, Captain.” She paused a moment. “But I won’t.”

  “And the ship, is it a danger?”

  “Not to us. Turns out our timing was terrible. This is a Lobrelion vessel, demanding freedom for their leader,” Reeve said.

  “Why does that name sound familiar?” Tom asked. It was on the tip of his tongue.

  “Because we all learned about them in Cultures during the academy. Remember, the one partner with laws beyond the Concord’s overall mandate?”

  “That’s right.” Tom recalled his grandfather ranting about the group’s special treatment. “What are they doing?”

  “Now they’re heading for Cliffside, the central prison where the warden’s stationed. Their leader is being held there,” Reeve said.

  “You’ve communicated with them?” Tom asked.

  “Only with the Lobrelions. We can’t reach the surface,” she said.

  He nodded. “So no word from our crew, then?”

  “None.”

  Tom didn’t like this. If the Lobrelions were demanding release of the prisoner, the warden would have to abide by their challenge. Otherwise, this could grow violent. They watched in silence as the alien craft moved for the blue ice world.

  ____________

  Tarlen was in a state of panic. He’d been excited at the prospect of visiting the prison world, but after the first few cells, he’d wanted nothing more than to leave and return to Constantine. Now they were trapped in the control room, like prisoners themselves.

  He wondered if that was how his sister felt, stuck in her own body, her own flesh the penitentiary. If she could deal with that, he could make it through today.

  “Why won’t they let us go?” he asked Ven, but the Ugna didn’t answer.

  “I said, let us out of here, Minhaus!” Brax kept shaking the small warden, but it was doing no good. One of the staff was armed, and he held the gun up, his hands trembling as he aimed toward the lieutenant commander.

  A moment later, Treena was pointing her PL-30 at the guard. “Lower your weapon. No one needs to be harmed today.”

  The man glanced nervously at the warden, whose feet still dangled a foot in the air.

  “Brax, would you put the man down?” Treena said with an exasperated tone.

  �
��Fine.” Brax dropped him, and he fell in a heap.

  “You don’t understand. If I let them have their way, word will spread. I can’t be known as a pushover. The prisons will lose all credibility, and…”

  “They’ll send someone else to do your job, and then who’ll take bribes from the bounty hunters and save for that beach house on Rebuli Maxi?” Brax asked, finishing the man’s sentence.

  “Precisely… I mean…”

  Ven assisted the man to his feet, which was more than Tarlen wanted to do for him.

  “Open the doors,” Treena urged, and the man relented, bowing his head.

  “Leave at your own risk. Once I’ve powered up our defenses, there’s no way to stop the system from attacking you as well,” the warden said.

  Brax moved for the door, and Tarlen heard it click as the warden used his code to release it. The chief of security turned toward the central desk. The rest of the crew was scrambling about, preparing for the coming attack. “You’re saying we might get blasted by you on the way out?”

  “That’s right.” Warden Minhaus stood taller, as if this would persuade them to stay put. Tarlen saw the real reason. He wanted them there to protect him, should the Lobrelions make it past their guns and shields.

  “Give me a passcard,” Treena told one of the staff. The fearful woman peered at the warden, and Treena pulled the card dangling around the woman’s neck, the string lanyard snapping.

  “We’ll take our chances,” Brax said, holding the door wide for their group. Ven went through, then Treena, followed by Tarlen, who ran from the room, nearly bumping into the commander. Brax let the door shut with a slam, and they looked around.

  “Anyone remember how we made it here?” Treena asked, and Tarlen took the lead. He’d spent a lot of his youth traversing caves and strange pathways underground back home on Greblok, and he had a system that allowed him to retrace his steps. He was confident he could lead them to the exit.

  “This way,” he said, jogging down the corridor. The alarms flicked on, the sound gentler than Tarlen expected. They returned to the row of cells they’d encountered earlier, and thick metal bars lowered from the ceiling and rose from the floor, meeting in the middle and locking together.

  “I guess they don’t trust the power staying on,” Brax said as they passed the creature with a pond in its cell. Tarlen peeked at it, seeing menacing eyes poking from the pool, staring at him. He shuddered as they wound their way to another series of corridors. The doors were all locked, and Treena used her passcard to open them. Each corridor had double doors, the first one needing to be sealed before the next would activate.

  The alarms grew in volume, and the floor shook. “I think our friends have arrived.” Brax peered toward the ceiling, and Tarlen blinked the agitated dust from his eyes as they moved.

  “I’m surprised Reeve didn’t stop them,” Tarlen said.

  “She couldn’t. According to the Concord law, she could have ended up behind bars for interfering,” Treena said, her voice level. Tarlen was beginning to lose his breath, but the commander’s body wasn’t real; she had no need for breathing.

  The hall lights flickered and shut off entirely before a secondary system took hold, illuminating the path enough for them to see. “These guys aren’t messing around.”

  “Think this has anything to do with the Assembly?” Tarlen asked, but Brax shook his head as Treena opened the last door. It beeped loudly as she pressed the card against the reader.

  “It’s down. They cut the power, and the exits are sealed,” Treena said. There was a drone on the ground, its lights deactivated.

  “This is the last one. Behind there is the transport we took from our shuttle,” Tarlen advised.

  “We could try to shoot…” Brax started, and Treena rolled her eyes.

  “This is Cliffside. It’s supposed to be the number two prison in the Concord. Do you think your blaster will dent this door?” she asked.

  Brax slipped the gun onto his hip. “Do you have a better idea?” he asked.

  Treena grinned and flexed her hands. “Time to test out this body.”

  Tarlen stepped back, giving her room, and Ven stood between him and the door in an act of protection that Tarlen appreciated. Treena found a handhold on the right side, and with a swing of her arm, jabbed her fingers through the metal. Brax let out a shout of joy as she pried the door open, her body bent over as she leveraged her strength.

  She moved from the exit, the door nearly torn in half. She examined her hand, and Tarlen couldn’t see any damage. “I guess they did improve it.” Treena grinned at them before stepping through.

  They retrieved the local animal-skin jackets and draped them on before heading to the other door, where the bus was waiting.

  “Weren’t there drones out there ready to kill us if we tried to escape?” Tarlen asked.

  “I think they might be powered off,” Brax said.

  Treena had her passcard held up, and they found this door had been left ajar. Snow blew through the cracks, and already Tarlen could feel the chill from outside reaching for him.

  “The door… it’s…” Brax spun as they heard a sound from the corner of the mud room.

  Three figures emerged from the shadows, and Tarlen gulped as he recognized the wriggling tentacles around their necks. These were the Lobrelions.

  They were each armed to the teeth, and over ten different drones hovered above their heads, their screens glowing bright red. Tarlen could almost feel their weapons aiming at his heart, and he placed a hand over it.

  Brax lowered his PL-30. “Don’t shoot. We’re with the Concord cruise ship Constantine. We understand why you’re here, and we want nothing to do with stopping you. We’re only attempting to leave so you can proceed.”

  One of the Lobrelions stepped forward, his gun aiming toward the ground. His mouth opened, and he spoke in rough Standard. “As it will be. You are free to depart. We will only take what’s ours, do not be worried.” They turned, crawling through the opening Treena had provided them.

  “Guess that’s that.” Brax shrugged, and Ven was already heading for the waiting hover bus.

  “I wouldn’t want to be the good old warden,” Treena said as Ven powered the bus up. The transport rose from the snow-covered ground, and Tarlen glanced back at the looming ice wall, happy their trip to Bolux Nine was short-lived.

  Five

  “What have you done?”

  Treena Starling’s arms were crossed, and Tom leaned away from her accusatory glare.

  He lifted his hands. “Now hear me out, Commander. I made a judgment call, and I stand by it.”

  “You can’t take the girl away from her mother!”

  “I can, and did, and if you’ll stop berating me for a moment, I’ll tell you why.” Tom waited to see if she would relent, and when she finally came to a seat across from his desk, he continued. “That planet is no place for a child.”

  “It is harsh there.”

  “That’s right. They’re isolated, and if this warden doesn’t want to send supplies, or if something happens to him…”

  “Like the Lobrelions killing him?” she asked.

  “Yeah, something like that. By the way, have you heard from the surface?” Tom asked.

  “The storms subsided. Apparently, the snow carries miniscule metal elements from the world’s mountains, and it blocks communication. Once the snowfall ceased, we were able to reach the warden.”

  “And?” Tom asked.

  “He’s alive, and the only thing hurt is his pride. The Lobrelions took what they came for, and he’s requesting more funding for the repairs. They may have left everyone alive, but they did decide to make a mess of things while there.” Treena actually smiled, and Tom relaxed slightly.

  “As I was saying, I couldn’t leave Luci there.”

  “What are you going to do with her?” Treena asked.

  Tom set his elbows on the desktop and steepled his fingers. “I’m going to ask the Prime to reconsider
.”

  “What? Seda deserves imprisonment, Tom.”

  He was glad Treena was finally coming around to using his first name in private settings. It was the way his previous captain had been with him, and he’d always appreciated that about Yin Shu.

  “She does deserve it, but the kid doesn’t. Look, all I’m going to do is request that Seda is placed somewhere not so… deadly. That shouldn’t be too much to ask. And when they agree, we can reunite them. See, problem solved.”

  “And in the meantime, we have a four-year-old wandering our ship?”

  “Only temporarily. We’ll bring her to Earon.”

  Treena’s eyes grew wide, and she tapped the arm of her chair with a finger. “I have it. My mother.”

  “What about her?”

  “She’s bored out of her mind. She spent a year watching over me after the accident, and she’s been stir-crazy ever since. She can care for Luci until we reunite her with Seda.”

  Treena appeared pleased with the suggestion, but Tom wasn’t sold. “You realize that it might be dangerous, right?”

  “Does anyone else know you brought her back with you?” she asked.

  Tom shook his head. “I managed to keep her presence mostly hidden when I arrived in the hangar. She’s in my suite now.”

  “Good. Leave it that way. If the Assembly is still out there, and they find out we have Keen’s kid, they’ll want to free her.” Treena rose, pacing the office slowly.

  “Then it’s settled. You can ask your mother to care for Luci temporarily, and we’ll have one less problem to deal with,” Tom said. He used the screen embedded into the desk to project a star map, showing their next destination. “What do you make of this?”

  She leaned toward it; the moon in the image was highlighted. “Is this it?”

  Tom nodded, zooming on the 3D image. “Jalin Benitor sent this to me this morning. Coordinates for our next pit stop on the way to Earon.”

  “How long until we arrive?” she asked.

  “A week,” he said.

  “That’s some distance. They really aren’t messing around. What’s the destination?” Treena asked, and he tapped the icon below it on the screen.