“I understand that there is an airlock in the compartment where they are trapped. I would like clearance to change ports to remove them from danger.”
“You will have to go through proper channels,” replied the worker, preparing to hit the release button.
Jack jumped forward, grabbing his arm. “Look here, mister, my crew are in danger of running out of oxygen, and I’m not going to take your bureaucratic shit. Either give me the clearance or I’m moving my ship without it.”
The Control worker looked at him, shock widening his features. He turned his eyes onto the outstretched arm being held by Jack’s tight grip. Finally, he nodded.
“You’ll have your clearance by the time you return to your ship.”
“Good,” snapped Jack, pushing the man back into Control before turning and stomping away. “Randal, contact the others and get them back to the ship.”
Despite their rush, the entire group didn’t return to the ship for another half an hour. True to his word, the ship was cleared to move ports the minute Jack stepped onto the bridge. Oden and Forrest returned a few minutes after the captain.
“Oden, I need you on the bridge,” Jack called down when he heard the airlock’s hiss.
Oden reached the bridge as out of breath as Jack had been.
“Oden, take the helm,” he ordered, waving for Calen to move.
“I can do it,” argued Calen, despite his healing arm.
“I need this fast, Calen, and your arm is still healing. Oden is flying, now get out of the chair.”
Calen stared at his brother for a moment before climbing to his feet. Oden wasted no time in taking the seat and beginning the startup sequences.
“How long?” Jack asked.
“If I cut some corners, we can be moving in twenty minutes.”
“Jack,” began Calen from the back of the bridge. “You have to slow down or people are going to get hurt.”
“You mean like Blaine and Bit? They’re without life support. Every minute counts.”
Jack watched as the muscles along Calen’s jaw flexed. Finally, Calen nodded.
Twenty minutes later, true to his word, Oden eased the Lenore out of port, using the primary thrusters. They crept away from their original port and began the slow crawl around the outskirts of the space station.
As fast as he could, Oden guided the ship around the space station to the other dock. He slowed the ship to a crawl as they entered the dock designed for the enormous military vessels. Through the display screens, Jack spotted the shut-down cranes and moveable catwalks used when a large ship was being restocked.
Oden began the final movements and Jack raced down the stairs, determined to be among those who pulled Bit and Blaine off the wrecked space station. He reached the living level to find half the crew waiting by the airlock.
A creaking sound and a soft jolt announced the ship’s docking. Jack waited beside the release pad until the screen turned green, announcing that a seal had been made between the ship and the dock. He slapped the pad and the door slid open. Jack stepped in and motioned for Randal and Nathyn to join him. The three of them waited for the airlock to pressurize before opening the next door. Their atmosphere whooshed out of the airlock, and Jack immediately began to gasp.
“We should have worn EV suits,” Randal said.
“Let’s do this fast,” replied Jack.
Jack’s stomach turned as he caught sight of Bit and Blaine, both sprawled out across the floor. Strangely, Blaine sported a black eye Jack had not noticed before. Jack jumped forward and gave Bit a gentle slap across the cheek. She coughed and began gasping as her eyes fluttered open. Randal and Nathyn surrounded Blaine. The metal flooring was icy cold, and Jack could see that the cold had seeped into Bit’s tiny body. He carefully hoisted her up into his arms and turned toward the airlock leading into his ship. Randal and Nathyn dragged Blaine’s limp body across the threshold. Nathyn hit the controls for the airlock and the door slid shut.
Within a few seconds, the door to the Lenore slid open to reveal the anxious crew.
Jack walked across the threshold, Bit draped in his arms. Without meaning to, his eyes ran to his XO. Kat stood near the back of the group, her arms crossed over her chest and her head shaking. The look on her face reminded him of his mother, when she caught him and Calen sneaking treats.
“Get out of my way,” Jack snapped as he made his way toward the infirmary.
He glanced back over his shoulder to see Nathyn and Randal had pulled Blaine up, draping his arms over their shoulders. The large security officer was nearly as tall as Randal, making it difficult to shift his heavy body.
“Let’s just take him to his bunk,” Randal grunted.
Jack ignored them as he moved down the staircase toward the lower levels. He heard footsteps following him and had no doubt he would find Kat right behind him. He rounded the corner and descended to the lowest level where engineering, cold storage, and the infirmary were located.
Inside the infirmary, he gently lowered Bit to one of the beds and pulled a blanket out from the storage compartment under the bed.
“Jack, let me take care of her.”
“I’ve got this.”
“Captain,” Kat snapped, finally getting Jack’s full attention. “Let me take care of her. You’re needed on the bridge if we’re going to go back to our original port.”
Jack glared at his XO, hating her perception, her willingness to argue with him, and her in general.
“The whole crew already saw me bring her down. The damage is done.”
“Then let’s not give them anything else to talk about. Go do your job and leave her in my care.”
With a sigh of frustration and anger, he left the infirmary and Bit’s unconscious body.
Bit woke with a jerk. Where am I?
She was sprawled across a soft bed, a blanket over her body and warm, jiggling things tucked in against her body. Bit shifted, trying to get a grip on one of the warm pouches.
“Woah there,” came Kat’s voice over her head.
Bit finally opened her eyes. She was in the infirmary.
“What happened?” she asked as she tried to sit up.
Kat caught her and helped her get upright. The squishy things had been rubber water bottles filled with hot water.
“There was a leak in the space station. You and Blaine got trapped.”
Bit nodded. “I remember that.”
“We moved the ship to the port you were next to and fished you out.”
“Why was I asleep?”
“You and Blaine were both unconscious from lack of oxygen. We found you in just the nick of time.”
Bit reached up to rub her forehead, a headache pounding against her skull. “What about Forrest and Jeremiah?”
“They just headed out. Said you could join them if you felt up to it. And doesn’t look like you do.”
“No, I’m fine,” Bit said, slipping off the cushioned exam table.
Her knees wobbled and she wondered if she would slide all the way to the floor, but at the last minute her legs stabilized and she let go of the table. Kat eyed her knowingly, but said nothing.
“Thank you for taking care of me. Oh… is Blaine okay?”
“Aside from the shiner on his eye, yes, he’s fine. He’s sleeping up in his bunk.”
Bit nodded and left the infirmary, her legs still feeling as though they were made of wet pasta. She dragged herself up the two flights of stairs to the main level and entered the airlock.
It took her an eternity and a half to reach the first security check point.
“What happened to you?” asked the usual guard before he examined her temporary I.D. card.
“Long story.”
The guard shrugged and opened the door for her. Within the long, empty corridor, Bit used the walls to support her aching body and weak legs. Maybe I should have stayed in the ship.
Bit pushed forward, hoping the exhaustion in her limbs would subside the more she used
them.
It didn’t. She reached the next checkpoint feeling just as miserable.
“You’re not contagious, are you?” the guard asked eyeing the dark circles under her eyes and the way she leaned against the wall.
“No. Just a little oxygen deprivation.”
The man frowned at her.
“I was trapped in a compartment without life support for… a while.” She didn’t know how long she had been trapped.
“When did you get out?”
“Uh… recently.”
“What the hell are you doing up and about? You should be resting,” snapped the guard.
“I’m fine,” Bit said, lying through her teeth.
“Whatever. You’re not one of my team. If you were I’d slap you stupid for such idiocy.” The guard pressed his face up against the retinal scan as he reached out, handing back her I.D. badge.
Bit shuffle through the door and into the central core. She continued into engineering, remembering at the last second not to lean against anything, as it was likely to be hot. She tottered onward, weaving through the various portions of engineering. The workers waved to her, some frowning as they took in her haggard appearance. Bit had become a staple in the central core, along with Forrest and Jeremiah. Granted, the other engineers had no idea what was happening inside the enormous “closet” or that the small, blonde engineer was armed to the teeth.
Bit reached their closet and stepped in, closing the door behind her. Surprisingly, she found Forrest, Jeremiah, and Zagiri standing just beyond the door, each one staring at their work with expressions of disbelief. Bit looked at the pile of various pipes and contraptions. It looked the same to her, but it had looked like a pile of mystery the day before, too.
“Forrest?” Bit asked, her own frown forming.
“Bit. There you are.”
“What’s wrong?”
Forrest waved at their work. “It’s been sabotaged.”
Bit looked at the contraption again, trying to discern where someone had sabotaged it. “It has?”
“Yes,” cried all three engineers in unison.
Forrest jumped forward and began pulling pieces off what Bit assumed was the reactor, or some portion of it. Slowly, she saw the broken bolts and jagged edges where someone had cut into a pipe. Forrest was right, someone had damaged the reactor.
“Are we in danger?” Bit asked. “I mean the nuclear material.”
“No. It’s still in the Lenore.”
“That’s good.”
“Bit,” began Forrest over his shoulder as he knelt beside the worst of the damage. “You need to go back and tell Jack and Randal.”
“And have them get in contact with Vidor,” added Zagiri.
“Hurry, Bit,” called Forrest as she went to close the door to their secret work space.
Bit tried to obey, but her shaking legs wouldn’t allow her to do more than hobble out of engineering. She went through the checkpoints again, drawing the attention of the guards. Bit kept her arms pressed to her body, fearful that this would be the one time they noticed the handgun holstered under her jacket.
Her mind ran in circles as she wondered how someone had discovered them, and who would want to destroy the space station’s chance at nuclear power? Could the space station’s fuel source know about the crew of the Lenore and their mission? What company did they even use?
These thoughts kept her mind off the ache in her body as she shambled back to the ship. When she turned into the corridor connecting the ship to the main space station, she found Oden, the rest of the security team, and, surprisingly, Dirk walking toward her.
“Bit, what are you doing here?” asked Randal.
“We have a problem,” she said in a soft voice as a local passed them. “It was sabotaged. I need Jack to contact Vidor.”
The group barraged her with questions, and she raised her hand to stop them.
“Randal, we need to speak with Jack. Everyone else, there isn’t anything you can do to help. The best thing you can do is go about your day as normal… and keep your ears open.”
“I told you this was a stupid idea,” Dirk grumbled as he walked away, no longer interested in their conversation.
“You sure?” Oden asked, resting his hand on her shoulder.
“Yes.” Bit ducked out of his reach and headed toward the airlock with Randal a step behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jack stared at Bit. “What do you mean sabotaged?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know exactly what they did, but Forrest told me to go tell you and have you contact Vidor.”
“Yeah, but… sabotaged?”
“Forrest’s words.”
Randal entered the seldom-used conference room and stood in the doorway. “I’ve contacted Vidor. He’s on his way to the ship.”
“You really mean ‘sabotage’?” asked Jack again.
Bit nodded. “There were cut marks on piping, things yanked off, broken bolts. It was sabotaged for sure.”
“Can Forrest fix it?”
Bit shrugged. “I don’t know. They were going through the pieces when I left. I didn’t exactly hang around.”
Before either man could say anything, she slumped into a seat, noting the coat of dust on the armrests. Her head still pounded in time with her heartbeat and all she wanted was her hammock.
“Are you going to contact Mr. Morgan?” she asked, ignoring her own desires.
“I can’t contact him directly. It’s one of our precautions,” Jack explained as he took a seat next to her and motioned for Randal to sit too. “But I have a contact. I’ll reach out to him and let him pass the news on to Morgan… once we’ve talked with Vidor and know more from the engineers.”
Bit considered his words. To hear from the engineers meant she would have to trek back to the central core. Why couldn’t they wait until tomorrow to break the reactor?
“You think the issue with the compartment leak was a distraction?” Bit asked before she could think through the ramifications.
“If so, then they know who the crew is and everyone is in danger,” said Jack, rubbing his face in discouragement.
Randal took a seat. “They haven’t been violent yet, whoever they are, so the crew may not be in danger.”
“What it all boils down to is we just don’t know anything,” countered Bit. “We need more information.”
“That’s gonna be hard to come by,” said Randal just as they heard the sound of quick steps heading up to the top level.
“Jack?” called Vidor.
“In here.”
Vidor, along with a man Bit hadn’t met yet, ducked into the conference room and quickly took a seat.
“What’s the emergency?” Vidor asked.
Jack waved to Bit. She explained what had happened and what she had seen as fast as she could.
“I was afraid this would happen.”
“Excuse me?” snapped Jack, amazed at Vidor’s words.
Vidor glanced at his companion. “Just as we are the resistance against the planet having any control over the station, there is a counter-resistance that is pro-planet-government interference. They’re underground, just like us, but they are for the planet interfering with the station and if they have found out about our efforts to free the station from the control of the planet’s fuel sources, then they might sabotage it.”
“And you’re just now telling us about this?” Bit demanded.
“The Grounders are usually non-violent. It’s unusual for them to get so directly involved,” said Vidor’s companion.
Bit glared at him. “So you’re saying it might not be these Grounders? In fact, you don’t actually know who did it. You’re just flinging out wild guesses.”
“They’re the most likely.”
“We’ve learned the most likely is the last person to actually be the culprit.”
“Look,” growled Vidor’s companion, “I’m telling you it’s the Grounders.”
Randal casually
lowered his hand to under the table. Jack could only assume the older man had gripped Bit’s knee because she suddenly went silent, a light blush coloring her cheeks. She lowered her eyes to the table.
“It’s possible it might not be the Grounders,” said Vidor in a conciliatory tone. “But they are very likely and we should be watching out for them.”
“So what do we do now?” Randal asked before Bit could chime in.
“We get back to work,” replied Vidor.
“What? We have to do more than that.”
“Like what?” asked Vidor’s companion. “You want to report this to the guards? You want to bring the law down on them? Technically speaking, your people shouldn’t even be inside the central core. We’re just as restricted as they are.”
“Can we at least increase security on the place they’re working?” asked Randal, always the head of reason.
Vidor shook his head. “As it was I had to put her in as an engineer. They won’t let private security into the core.”
“And I can only be there six hours a day according to the station’s laws,” added Bit.
“Sounds like we’ll need to rig some security to the door.”
“You mean like booby-traps?” asked the other man.
“Exactly,” replied Randal. “If we can’t have Bit there, then we have to leave something behind. I’ll prepare something. Come and get them at the end of your shift.”
Bit nodded.
“Wait, wait, wait,” called Vidor’s companion. “You’re not talking like a bomb or anything?”
“Around a nuclear reactor in space. Do I look stupid?”
The other man shrugged, unwilling to answer the question.
“Bit, get back to your post. Tell Forrest to do what he can. Vidor, get your people on this. Find out anything you can. We need to know what we’re up against.”
Bit stood and exited the room, followed closely by Vidor and his friend. Jack frowned. Vidor had never introduced his companion, and Bit had certainly taken a dislike to him. Jack tucked those thoughts in the back of his mind for later consideration. For now, he needed to make contact with Morgan’s company.
Jack sighed as he climbed to his feet, exhaustion hitting him even though it was hours before the midday meal. The day had barely started and yet it felt as though the world was working against him personally. He knew it wasn’t personal—it was all business—but it was hard to remember that when confronted with someone sabotaging his people’s work. Like him, they all wanted to finish this job and fly away rich, or less poor.
Profit & Peril Page 16