“Their following us!” Judy pointed.
“Where are they?” Martha turned in her seat to look behind them. “Is there another hovercar back there?”
“I’m checking!” Erica looked at her tablet, but the tablet told her there was no one following them. It also told her that the blaster bolt had magically come out of nowhere. “Shit! Someone has some good tech back there. The satellite can’t find them. They’re like ghosts.”
“Mother fucking assassins!” Tea screamed.
“Obviously they’re not locals,” Martha said.
“Thanks, Captain Obvious!” Judy spat.
“Let’s hope we’re faster than they are!” Tea tapped some buttons on her dashboard. “Here we go!”
A blaster bolt struck the roof above Martha’s head.
“Aaaah!” Martha clutched Tilly’s arm. “Oh gods!”
Erica saw tears coming out of Martha and she wanted to hold her. She wanted to reach out and pat her hair, but Tilly was in the way. Erica’s back slammed against the seat again. Ouch! At least it wasn’t as bad as the first time.
“Mach 2!” Tea screamed.
The hovercar sped over the tall grass that was flattened by the supersonic hovercar as it passed.
Eventually Tea slowed it down. “Mach 1,’ she announced. “I’m going to have to slow it down. I want to check the engine.”
“This thing isn’t going to fall apart, is it?” Erica asked.
“No!” Tea snapped. She threw an angry glare back at Erica. “It’s fine. I just want to be sure.”
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to offend.” Erica shrugged.
“Fine.”
Tea slowed the hovercar and landed it in the grass. Tea pressed a button on the dashboard and the hood popped up. She got out to check the engine. Judy followed.
“Erica, could you let me out?” Tilly was holding her bag in her lap. “I want to check on Keiko.”
“Sure.”
“I’m fine,” Keiko said.
Erica opened her door and let Tilly jump out. Erica sat back in her seat. Tilly went to work on Keiko. Erica looked at Martha and felt her heart flutter. There was nothing between them except air.
Martha smiled. “Do you think we lost them?” She glanced behind her out the rear window.
“I don’t know, Martha,” Erica replied. “I hope so.”
Martha glanced at Tilly and then reached her hand out to touch Erica’s hand. Erica responded with a warm squeeze. Erica heard someone clearing their throat. It was Tilly. Erica let go of Martha’s hand and got out to let Tilly inside. So Tilly could sit between them. Erica looked at Keiko and Keiko looked like she was trying not to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Erica asked.
“Nothing.” Keiko laughed and turned away to look out the front window.
Judy shut the hood. Tea and Judy returned to the front seat.
“The engine’s fine.” Tea looked at Keiko and then back at Erica and the rest. “What do we do now?”
“Go back and find where Janet and Tawny are,” Erica said.
“What if the…uh, assassins are back there too?” Martha asked.
“They probably are,” Keiko said. “They’re probably still following us. Maybe we can circle around to get back to Janet and Tawny.”
“What if the assassins are able to track us?” Erica asked.
“Then they’ll find us no matter what we do,” Keiko said. “So we just as well do what we came here to do.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Erica said.
“Okay,” Tea said.
Everyone agreed to the plan.
Tea lifted the hovercar off the ground and zoomed away.
#
Later Tea landed in the grass at a spot not too far from the kidnapper’s camp where Janet, Tawny, and the leader of the local merchant clan were being held prisoner.
Erica and the others sat in the hovercar staring at their tablets. The satellites confirmed where Janet and Tawny were, and showed the possible locations of the kidnappers. It isn’t 100 percent accurate, but close enough. Enough to make a move on them when we’re ready.
Erica removed her blaster from her holster. She, Judy and Keiko all had blasters, since they were in security. The rest only had stunners. No one has body armor of any kind, so I hope no one gets hit by one those powerful crossbows they have on Selene.
Tea stayed behind with the hovercar to hopefully have it ready to go when they got back.
Erica checked her blaster again. She led Martha and Tilly around to the west of the kidnapper’s camp, while Keiko and Judy moved towards the east of the camp. The kidnappers had a made a camp by a creek and had burned down the tall grass around them, so it would be easy to sneak up on them. Thus they had a no man’s land between them and the camp. The only way to get in was swim through the creek. This was why they stripped to their underwear.
They had no choice. They had to rush in firing from the creek. While the kidnappers fired back, Keiko and Judy would attack from the east. It might work. Erica swam through the water trying not to make any noise. Sometimes she pushed herself along with her feet. The creek wasn’t too deep, just enough that they could hide in. Erica held her blaster by its handle with her teeth, and Martha and Tilly did the same with their stunners. The weapons are waterproof, but sometimes you have to wait for the weapon to dry off before it will fire. Thus its better we carry them above the water, while we slim. I feel like a pirate. Isn’t this what pirates back on old Earth? Sneak up on their prey with knives or flintlock pistols in their jaws. Yo! Ho! Ho! And a bottle of rum! I wonder what rum is.
Erica jumped up and snatched the blaster out of her mouth. The water was only up to her waist. She fired as fast as could over people’s heads before she aimed at anyone. I don’t need to kill the people we came to save. Martha and Tilly jumped up and started shooting too.
Except for two, most of the kidnappers weren’t carrying their crossbows,. One aimed at Martha. Erica blasted a hole in his chest. The second one was shot from behind by Judy. The kidnappers scattered. Some grabbed their crossbows.
Erica saw Tawny and the leader of the local merchant clan. She ran up to them and fired in the direction one of the kidnappers had run.
“Are you okay?” Erica asked. “Where’s Janet?”
“I don’t know, miss,” the leader of the merchant clan said.
“I think they escaped with Janet, Erica,” Tawny said.
“Dammit!” Erica worked on the ropes that tied Tawny’s arms.
“Can you two run?” Tilly asked. “We need to get out of here!”
“Right!” Martha said.
“I can run,” the man said. Erica cut the ropes on his arms and then went to work freeing his ankles.
“I’m good.” Tawny stood up. She was now free of the ropes. “Let’s go!”
“Get to the creek and follow us!” Erica told them.
A crossbow bolt dropped in front of Erica. She fired her blaster in the general direction where she thought the kidnappers were. Erica dug in her heels hard to get to the creek. Erica fired her blaster, while half-walking half-swimming through the water. Tilly and Martha did the same with their stunners. Tawny and the local leader swam ahead, and tried to keep low to avoid enemy fire.
They had swam about a yard away from the camp when a kidnapper followed them into the creek. Erica had stayed behind to guard the rear. This kidnapper was a woman with bright red hair. The crossbow bolt flew past Erica’s ear; she shook her head. Crap! Did I get hit?
Erica fired back three or four times. The kidnapper went down with a splash. Erica saw blood pooling out from the body. Another dead human being and it’s all my fault. I should have carried a stunner instead of a blaster. I don’t want to kill people. I want to stop doing this! Dammit!
Erica turned and followed her friends.
They got back to where they had started and climbed out of the creek. Erica wiped the mud off her bare feet. She looked back and saw no kidnappers coming from
that way. I’m seriously wet. At least it's a nice warm day. Erica reached up to her dripping wet hair to squeeze a little water out of it. Erica noticed the local man staring at her crotch. She placed her hands on her hips, and said, “What?”
He pointed at Erica’s crotch and looked at Tawny. “She has a dick!”
“So do I.” Tilly had her arms crossed and glanced at Erica.
“But…you’re girls. Women.” He didn’t look angry, just a little bewildered.
“And I don’t have a dick.” Tawny touched his shoulder. “Long ago when my people colonized the planet Yin they genetically engineered their offspring to be female, though some had female genitals and gonads, and some with male genitals and gonads. Unlike human males, we all have breasts that can produce milk to nurse babies.”
“Okay?” he shrugged with an old grin.
“Except for me!” Martha added with finger in the air. “I’m not Yin. Regular female.”
“Oh.”
“By the way, Martha, where exactly are you from?” Tilly asked.
“Oh here and there.” Martha giggled. “I have them all over the place.”
With that over, Erica led the group back to where Tea waited with the hovercar.
“Did you get everyone?” Tea asked when she saw them.
“We didn’t find Janet,” Erica confessed.
“Mom!” Tea ran up and hugged Tawny.
“Hi, Tea.” Tawny hugged back once and pushed her away.
“I’m hoping Keiko and Judy will come back with Janet,” Erica said, though she didn’t have too much hope in that. Tea tossed a towel to Erica and another one to Tilly. Erica dried herself with the towel and tossed it to Martha. Erica slipped on her coveralls over her wet underwear. Yuk! I wish I had clean underwear to change in. When Tilly was done she tossed it to Tawny. Tilly put her coveralls back on.
Judy rushed towards the hovercar and leaned against it. She nearly fell down. Blood dripped from her arm where a crossbow bolt was stuck in.
“Judy!” Tea screamed and grabbed her friend before she fell.
“Lay her down gently and I’ll take a look at her.” Tilly grabbed her bag out of the hovercar.
Tea did as she was told and touched the bolt. Judy whimpered.
“Don’t do that!” Tilly ordered.
“Sorry.”
Tilly sprayed some healing goo around the wound to it from bleeding, out and gave her a shot for the pain. “We’ll need to get her back to the Daughter in order to get the bolt out of her arm.” Tilly paused in deep thought. Tilly reached into her bag for a laser scalpel. “I’m going to cut off most of the bolt, so it’ll be easier to move her.” Tilly carefully sliced off both ends of the bolt and left behind an inch on both sides of Judy’s arm. “There.”
“We need to get out of here,” Tawny said.
“Judy. Judy!” Erica yelled.
“What?”
“Where’s Keiko?”
“Um. Th-they got her.” Judy shut her eyes, and Erica couldn't get any more out of her.
Erica contacted the Daughter with her tablet.
“Let me speak with Tawny,” Piper said. “We’ll talk later about what you did.”
Erica nodded. Mom doesn’t sound happy. Erica handed her tablet to Cargo Chief Tawny Williams. Erica borrowed Tilly’s tablet to keep an eye out for the kidnappers coming after them. But according to the info she got from the satellite, the kidnappers were staying in their camp. Erica could also confirm both Janet and Keiko’s location in camp. They were side by side.
“Well it’s not a complete loss, Erica,” Martha said.
Erica looked up from her tablet to see Martha seated beside her in the backseat of the hovercar.
“What do you mean?” Erica whined. “I fucked up.”
“You did the best you could and no one died.” Martha ran her hand once through Erica’s hair. They were close enough Erica could smell Martha’s perfume and natural scent. Her heart was beating so fast she worried that people outside the hovercar could hear it. “I think you're very brave.” Martha kissed her on the cheek.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN
Running!
“We’re to stay here,” Tawny later told them. “Piper is on her way with a security force. I suppose this was Erica’s stupid idea.”
Erica saw the older and respected woman looking at her with disapproval. I feel like an ant about to be stepped on. Erica sighed.
“Yes, Cargo Chief. It was my idea.”
“Did you have to drag my daughter into your dumb-ass schemes?” Tawny snapped with a snarl on her ugly face.
“I’m sorry.” Erica had noticed the cargo chief was usually angry at someone or something. Now it's me. Great!
“Oh, you will be sorry,” Tawny grumbled. “Your mothers aren’t going to be able to protect you now, bitch.”
“Excuse me, Cargo Chief Williams,” said the local that they’d saved. “I’m one of the leaders of the Selene merchants. Liam O’Neil CEO of the Bonding corporation. And this uh…lady is the reason we’re alive and not in the hands of those kidnappers. I don’t see why you’re so upset.”
“What?”
“He’s right,” Martha added. “Why don’t you leave her alone? You’re the bitch! An ungrateful bitch whose ass Erica was responsible for saving. Who do you think you are?”
“I am Cargo Chief second shift!” Tawny yelled back. “You worthless hobo! You’re a cook assistant, and not even an apprentice cook. That’s a job for a teenager before she goes off to college.”
“Leave Martha alone!” Erica snapped. “If you’re pissed off at me, then take it out on me, but leave her the fuck alone!”
“Wow,” Tilly said.
“Watch out, Erica,” Tawny replied. “You might find out who I am in a few months.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll find out.” Tawny snickered.
Tawny stopped snickering when an energy bolt hit her in the back. She fell upon Erica. Erica held her up and handed her off to Tea.
“Who fired that?” Erica drew her blaster.
“I think it was a stunner. I don’t see any blood.” Tilly checked Tawny for a pulse. “She’s alive.”
Another blast struck the hovercar. It shook. That wasn’t a stunner! Everyone ran from it. Two more blaster bolts destroyed the hovercar. Erica ran until she found herself alone and she wasn’t sure where she was. She had dropped her tablet, but she still had her blaster in her hand. What am I going to do now? Where is everyone? Maybe Tawny was right about me being a dumb-ass. Erica heard a hovercar flying towards her. Was that Piper and more security women? I hope so. What if it isn't? Should I hide or wave? Maybe.
The passenger side window was open with a stunner pointed at Erica. Before she could raise her blaster, she was hit by a stun beam. Her mind went blank before it hit the ground.
#
Erica slowly opened her eyes. “Ouch.”
“Erica? How do you feel?”
Who is that? A strange woman’s voice.
“I have a headache.” Erica looked around to find herself sitting in the backseat of a stranger’s hovercar. A bald woman was looking at her from the passenger seat, while another woman drove the car.
“Too bad. That’s the effects of being hit by a stunner,” Baldy said. “Nothing personal, but we didn’t want you. We were looking for Martha Clarke.”
“I take it you’re assassins looking to kill her.”
“True.” Baldy nodded. “Though we wouldn’t mind taking her back alive. The bounty on her is higher if you bring her in alive. They probably want to torture. Aunt Polly isn’t a woman you’d want to be captured by. Evil old bitch.” Baldy laughed.
“You have an Aunt Polly?”
“Oh that’s just a nickname most of us in the business use behind her back. Her real name is Pollyanna Finn. Leader of a secret organization of assassins in the Yin Confederation." She put a brown military cap to cover her bare scalp.
“By the way I’m Mi
cky Tuan.” Tuan gave a friendly salute. She waved to the driver with thin green lips. “And this is my partner Bobby-Jane Grose.”
“Business partners. Not romantic shit,” Grose added.
“Okay.” Erica looked down at the milano-plastic handcuffs that tied her hands together and the ropes that tied her ankles together. Milano-plastic was strong material that couldn't be cut by a knife or a laser scalpel. At least I might be able to cut my ankles free if I had a knife. “That’s a lot of info that this Aunt Polly wouldn’t want me to know.”
“Yep.” Tuan nodded. “We’ll have to kill you later, but for right now we’ll use you to get our hands on Martha.”
“Really?” Erica said. “I don’t know Martha very well.”
“Oh.” Tuan pulled off her cap, scratched her bald scalp, and replaced her cap. “I heard she was sweet on you.”
“Who said?”
“Someone on the Guinevere that wanted to help us out.” Tuan laughed.
“What?”
Tuan laughed louder.
The hovercar drove into the kidnapper's camp, where Erica saw Keiko and Janet tied to a post.
“Sorry to tell you this, but you’re going to join your friends at the post,” Tuan said. “And it’s supposed to rain soon.”
“Great,” Erica replied. Tuan laughed.
Erica was removed from the hovercar and led to the post.
“Hi, Janet. Hi, Keiko.”
Erica was tied to the post and the two assassins left to talk to the kidnappers. Or rather their fellow kidnappers. Janet and Keiko had been tied back to back, so Erica wound up between them. At least were sitting on the ground instead of standing.
“Hi, Erica,” Janet said.
“Nice for you to join us.” Keiko smirked at her. “Who are your friends?”
“That’s uh…Mickey Tuan and Bobby-Jane Grose. Assassins looking to snatch Martha and take her back to their boss,” Erica replied. I want to scratch my nose. A difficult thing with my arms behind me. “I think they’re kidnappers or at least working with them.”
“So anyone have any ideas on how to escape from them?” Janet asked.
“Working on it,” Erica said.
“Really?”
“Um…working on something…maybe…”
The Star Traders: The Star Traders Series Volume One Page 17