“No,” Rawlgeeb stated, “but never mind.” He turned back, looking into Surrana’s eyes. “Leave this with me. I’ll straighten this out…somehow.”
“I’ll give you five minutes,” Surrana replied. “After that, we’ll take action.”
“Fine. I’ll do my best.” Rawlgeeb hurried back toward the main compartment. Five minutes wasn’t long, and he had a lot of explaining to do.
CHAPTER 33
Unregistered Vessel
Earth Orbit
Zeb opened one eye a slit, scanning the room. Kadov had his back to him, and he seemed intent on a console, so Zeb opened both eyes to assess the situation. Something was wrong. His whole body tingled, and when he laid his hand on his chest, he felt a hollow space where his alloy breastplate should be. Kadov had evidently tried to access his auxiliary storage site, no doubt intending to access his memory banks directly. But had he caused any damage?
Zeb ran a diagnostic, and it completed in record time. I am completely operational, and all my circuits are operating perfectly. Oh. Except for that. Zeb’s gaze was drawn to a leg resting idly on the table. It was a good leg, anyone could see that, but on the whole, he’d have preferred it if the damned thing had still been attached to his body. Dex is going to be angry about this, he decided, and the thought cheered him. Dex would find him. Dex would not rest until he’d rescued him. But how would that be possible? On The Skull, they’d had difficulty tracking Kadov’s cloaked ship, so attacking it would not be easy. On balance, it was likely that Kadov would escape, and there was a definite chance that he would attack The Skull, endangering the crew. Unless I can stop him, Zeb told himself, and gripping the table for support, he stood as upright as he could.
Kadov spun around, leaping from his seat, a pistol in his hand. “Don’t move.”
“I have no intention of moving.” Zeb fired up his standby courage modules, then initiated the routines that he needed to complete his plan. “However, I am taking action.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Regrettably, I have activated my self-destruct mechanism. In a few seconds, a chain reaction in my core will cause an explosion. The blast will destroy your vessel entirely. The process cannot be stopped, and you will not have time to eject me from your craft.”
Kadov’s face fell.
“Goodbye,” Zeb said, then he stared straight ahead, tight-lipped.
A speaker sounded a warning tone. “Energy surge detected. Radiation beyond safe limits. Abandon ship.”
“No!” Kadov snarled. “Not like this!” He leveled his weapon at Zeb’s head. “My last act will be to kill you.”
“And mine will be to blow you straight to hell,” Zeb replied calmly.
“Warning!” the speaker announced. “Inbound vessel. Proximity alert. Multiple threats. Mines deployed. Mines have acquired target locks on this vessel.”
“What?” Kadov glared at his console. “This can’t be happening. We’re cloaked.”
Zeb hobbled forward to study Kadov’s console, and when he saw the ID of the incoming vessel, his heart soared. Self-destruct abort, he thought. Override code K1UM2E1. He let out a sigh as his core returned to normal. There were a couple of circuits down his left side that were still complaining of overload, but he could get them changed later. For now, he could feel only joy as he took in the scene unfolding on Kadov’s display. The Giblet surged ever closer, mines spewing from it on all sides, the deadly devices spreading rapidly, fulfilling their single purpose, to seek and destroy. Only The Giblet would be immune; the minesweeper was fitted with sophisticated suppression systems that allowed it to do its job.
Kadov turned on him. “You! This is something to do with you.”
“Nope,” Zeb replied. “But that’s my dad out there, and he’s coming to get you.”
Another alarm boomed from the speaker. “Proximity alert. Inbound mines. Impact in T minus twelve seconds.”
“Computer, take evasive action,” Kadov snapped, sitting down heavily at his console.
“Unable to comply,” the speaker droned. “Mines are tracking our position. Impact in T minus ten seconds.”
“Those things are old-school, that’s what makes them so lethal,” Zeb said cheerfully. “No complicated scanners, just an array of old-fashioned electromagnetic sensors. They’ll latch onto any chunk of metal, and in case you hadn’t noticed, you’re standing in a pretty big one.”
Kadov worked furiously at his control panel. “Dammit! Why isn’t the warp drive working? Computer, engage warp drive.”
“Unable to comply. Anti-warp mines have deployed. Warp disruption field detected. Impact in T minus nine seconds.”
“Give me full manual control,” Kadov commanded. “Prime cannons.”
“Decloaking,” the speaker announced. “Cannons ready. Impact in T minus eight seconds.”
A face flashed onto the main display screen. “Ah, there you are.”
“Dex!” Zeb cried. “I knew you’d think of something.”
Dex nodded but kept his expression neutral. “Unregistered vessel, this is Lieutenant Commander Dex of Andel-Kreit Coalition ship The Giblet requesting your immediate surrender. Disarm your weapons and prepare to be boarded, and the minefield surrounding your ship will be deactivated remotely.”
“Never!” Kadov’s fingers flashed across the control panel, and Zeb felt the deck thrum as the cannons unleashed a storm of fire.
On the console, Zeb saw mines erupting into blooms of flame, but then Kadov concentrated his fire, sending a stream of cannon shells directly into The Giblet. “No!” He threw himself sideways, colliding with Kadov, almost knocking from his seat. But he was too late. The shells were already hitting home, and as Zeb stared at the console, his eyes round with horror, a mighty explosion ripped through The Giblet from stem to stern, tearing it apart. The conflagration rippled outward, slamming into the scattered mines and igniting their deadly payloads with its all-consuming flames. The shockwave washed over Kadov’s ship, rocking the compartment, and the ceiling lights flickered ominously before returning to their garish glare.
“Dad!” Zeb yelled, but when he looked at the main screen, it had gone completely dark.
“Mines detonated,” the speaker stated. “Shields depleted. Operating at twenty percent strength. Damage sustained. Hull integrity is at seventy-three percent. Recommend immediate return to dock for repairs.”
“Sounds serious,” someone said, and when Zeb turned, Dex was standing just a few feet from him. Dex smiled, but then his eyes flicked to the table. “Is this your leg? Bloody hell, Zeb! I turn my back for five minutes and you go to pieces. Literally.”
“But, The Giblet,” Zeb stammered.
“Unmanned,” Dex replied, “although, according to Commander Xander, we have to say remotely piloted.” Grabbing Zeb’s leg from the table, he pressed the stud on his cuff. “Dex here. Prepare to zing us aboard.”
“You’re going nowhere.” Kadov wrapped one arm around Zeb, while with the other, he aimed his pistol at Dex.
Dex winked. “You may want to check your six, my friend.”
Kadov’s eyes darted to his display, but at that moment, another warning rang out loud and clear: “Red alert. Andromeda Class Battle Cruiser approaching. Weapons lock acquired.”
“They won’t fire with you aboard,” Kadov sneered.
“We’re Andelians,” Dex replied. “We fight. It’s what we do.”
As if to prove his point, a thunderous boom rumbled through the ship, the deck bucking beneath them, and with the scream of tortured metal, thick smoke poured from a vent. Kadov let go of Zeb, clutching instead at his console, but as Zeb pulled himself free, sparks flew from the control panel.
“Ah, that’s a common problem,” Dex said. “Control circuits shorting out. You should’ve used better grommets between your junction boxes and your trunking. We used to get that on The Skull, but I had them all stripped out and replaced with heatproof silicone. You can’t afford to skimp on the small things.
They always let you down in the end.”
Another impact shuddered through the ship, and as they all fought to retain their balance, Zeb pushed himself off from the console and hopped toward Dex. “With respect, this isn’t the time or the place for one of your lectures.”
Dex wrinkled his nose. “To be fair, it’s exactly the right place, but I take your point.” He tapped his comms stud. “Nice shooting, Commander. I’d say this ship is nicely cripp…er, incapacitated. We’re ready to be zinged up.” He pointed a warning finger at Kadov. “You’re getting off lightly, so don’t do anything stupid. We’re letting you live, don’t make us regret it. Mess with me, and you mess with my whole crew.”
Kadov jutted his chin, but he didn’t reply, he simply stared down his nose at them.
Zeb waved. “Bye. No hard feelings. See you around.” But as the zinger’s tingling wrapped itself around his body, his smile faded and his hand went to his chest. “Oh, he took out one of my modules. I forgot all about it.”
“Don’t worry,” Dex replied. “If I’m honest, you have a few bits and bobs in your framework that you probably don’t need, but they were in Zak3 so I installed them, anyway. You know, when you’re assembling something, you tend to go for the best specs you can get, but then later, you wonder why you bothered. Back in engineering, I have all kinds of gear I never use, and to be honest, I’d be better off without it.”
“Even so,” Zeb said, “whatever it was, I’d kind of like it restored. I feel as if I’m missing something.”
“Fair enough. We’ve got plenty of spares on The Skull. I’ll fix you up when we get home.”
Zeb nodded. Home, he thought. That sounds good. And as the transporter room on The Skull materialized around him, he smiled.
CHAPTER 34
GIT Experimental Vessel The Wasp
Earth Orbit
“I just don’t…” Brent began, “I mean…how?” He looked from Rawlgeeb to Surrana, allowing his gaze to slide over the sixteen other Gloabons gathered behind them; there was only so much he could take in at once.
Rawlgeeb managed a self-effacing shrug. “I could try explaining it again, but–”
“No, don’t do that,” Brent interrupted. “The less you tell me, the better. When we get hauled into court, I’ll be claiming I knew nothing about all these stowaways, and I don’t want my story ruined by a bunch of solid facts.”
“It all makes perfect sense to me,” Ellen said. “You just can’t stand it that Rawlgeeb took you in. Come on, Brent. Pull yourself together. We need to convince Levinson to play ball. It’ll be better if we present a united front.”
“I’m sure I could persuade him to comply,” Surrana chipped in. “It wouldn’t be difficult.”
Brent raised his hands to chest height. “Let me stop you right there, lady. Nobody’s putting a squeeze on the pilots, okay? We’ll figure this out peaceably, or not at all.”
“Either way suits me,” Surrana shot back. “I don’t need your permission to take this ship.”
“Take it easy, you two,” Rawlgeeb said. “Perhaps we could reach a compromise, for example, we could drop some of you off at The Gamulon.”
“No way!” Vince blurted. “I am not going back to that space station, not at any price.” He grimaced. “Besides, I’m pretty sure I’m on some kind of list. I don’t think you could even dock there if they figured out I was on board.”
“Why don’t we just pull the wool over Levinson’s eyes?” Ellen asked. “I’m the one who’s supposed to be tracking Surrana, so if I tell him Halbrook is on his way to Gloabon, he’ll take us there. He’ll have to.”
“He’ll check,” Brent protested. “He’ll figure it out. He may be a square, but it’s only a matter of time before he notices the seventeen extra passengers. Hell, it’s a miracle he hasn’t rumbled you already.”
“That’s a fair point,” Rawlgeeb admitted. “If he asks the AI for a status update, Jason will probably tell him the whole story.”
“That depends,” Jason chipped in. “I have some instructions that can override others, allowing me to conceal selected facts. Like the payload, for example.”
“What payload?” Brent demanded, a spark of intuition flaring in his gut. “Nobody mentioned any kind of payload.”
“That’s because I don’t have one,” Jason answered. “Nothing in the hold. Nothing at all. And certainly not a delta wave generator…not one that I could mention, anyway. My instructions were very clear on that point.”
“About that,” Ellen began carefully. “Could you run it past us again? Obviously, I know all about the delta wave generator, but something must’ve slipped my mind because I can’t quite remember what it was for.”
“The delta wave destroys all living things,” Jason explained. “It’s experimental, like me, and it even has its own AI. I call her Dee.”
All the humans began talking at once, but the Gloabons, after exchanging meaningful looks, stood in silence, waiting.
“Quiet!” Ellen shouted. “Let me talk to Jason–I’ve known him longer than you, and I know how to deal with him.”
“Be my guest,” Brent said. “But you’d better make it snappy.”
“Okay, Jason, how are you doing?” Ellen asked. “Remember that thing we were talking about the other day? How you’d like to go outside the compound and hang out?”
“Of course.”
“I was thinking about next Tuesday, would that work for you?”
“Yes,” Jason replied, “unless…”
“Ah, you’re thinking about that pesky payload, huh?” Ellen asked. “I guess that would ruin everything?”
“If there was a delta wave generator aboard–and there isn’t–but if there was, it would certainly destroy you all when it was activated. There’s no way to protect you from it, no shield that can divert the wave.” Jason paused. “And I suppose, if you were reduced to your constituent atoms, that would definitely put a crimp in our plans to socialize outside of the work environment.”
“I can see the logic in that,” Ellen said, “but maybe I can help you to find a way through the problem.”
“Ooh, would you? That would be a load off my processors, I can tell you.”
“Let’s talk hypothetically,” Ellen went on. “Say, you did have one of those dangerous delta wave contraptions, what would be its purpose? I mean, why would you even carry something like that?”
“Hypothetically, the device would be detonated when the Gloabon known as Surrana was located, killing her and all those who knew of her incarceration at GIT.”
Brent cursed under his breath, but Ellen signaled him to stay quiet. “You say detonated, but who was going to pull the trigger?”
“Hypothetically?” Jason asked.
“Definitely.”
There was a pause. “Logically, the device would have been activated by Mr. Halbrook once this ship was in proximity to the target.”
“Shit,” Brent hissed. “He never wanted you brought back, Surrana. He wanted you dead, and he was happy to take us out of the picture at the same time.”
“But we were only tasked with finding Surrana, not with capturing her,” Rawlgeeb chipped in. “To guarantee that the wave would kill her, it would have to be very powerful.”
“Agreed,” Jason said. “It is. Very powerful indeed.”
“Thank goodness Halbrook is dead to the world,” Rawlgeeb muttered. “He’s in no condition to trigger anything.”
“Oh, that alters the situation,” Jason responded. “If Mr. Halbrook is incapacitated, I’m authorized to make the decision myself.”
For a heartbeat, silence filled the compartment.
“Wait a minute, Jason,” Brent blurted. “My friend was just making a little joke there. Ha, ha. Dead to the world! Oh boy, what a kidder. Rawlgeeb probably had you fooled there for a second.”
“From an analysis of your vocal patterns, it seems that you are attempting a form of humor known as acting zany,” Jason said smoothly. “Is that the case
?”
Brent held up his hands in mock surrender. “What can I say? Boom! You got me. But Halbrook is fine, that’s the point. And the great thing is, he’s actually on board.”
There was a pause before Jason spoke again. “I have no record of that. I haven’t detected his voice. The Gloabons referred to him several times, but I didn’t fully comprehend the context.”
“Mark was feeling…tired when he came aboard,” Brent said. “Long day. You know how it is. He’s resting, but he’s fine. Right as rain.”
“I think I’ll just go and fetch Mr. Halbrook,” Ellen said, heading for the exit. “I’m sure that he wouldn’t want you to do anything hasty while he’s aboard, Jason.”
“Vince, why don’t you give Ellen a hand,” Brent suggested. “After all, Mr. Halbrook was very tired, and we don’t want him to feel upset or grumpy when he wakes up.” He gave Vince a meaningful look. “It might be better if Mark didn’t say anything at all until he’s got his bearings. Are you with me, Vince?”
“Got it,” Vince said, then he followed Ellen, his expression stern.
“I could help,” Surrana offered, but Brent waved her suggestion aside, adding, “Halbrook’s had quite enough of your particular brand of help. Ellen and Vince can handle him.”
Rawlgeeb drummed his fingers on a console. “What shall we do while we wait?”
“As always, we use the time to plan ahead,” Surrana replied.
Brent raised his eyebrows. “Seriously? Is that what you do?”
“Of course,” Surrana said. “Doesn’t everyone?”
“Damned if I know,” Brent answered. “I’m more of a spur-of-the-moment guy. I go with my instincts.”
“It’s true,” Rawlgeeb said. “A lot of humans are like that. Most of them. It’s why they tend to lurch from one disaster to the next.”
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