The detention center was at the edge of the central commercial district near the spaceport. It also matched up with where Loch’s tracker went silent. So either they were being super careful to make it look like Loch was being held, or he actually was being held. The trick was figuring out which before I barged in and got myself killed.
I cut through the opposite side of the central district from where I needed to be, using the same invisible walk I’d used to walk within a meter of Richard. No one paid me any mind.
I came at the detention center from a diagonal. Without a clear line of sight down the streets, I could get closer before I risked discovery. Six blocks away, I slipped into a narrow alley. It had been wider until some enterprising soul had extended their business.
The close walls worked for me, though, and I climbed to the roof without breaking a sweat. I kept the chimney between me and the detention center. I didn’t think Richard’s team would be surveying this far out, but underestimating them was a one-way ticket to Captureville.
I’d never been a quitter—it wasn’t in my DNA—but I was looking forward to the days when I wouldn’t be stuck on a cold, dark roof trying to figure out if my current favorite fugitive was being held captive inside the building in the distance, all while avoiding an entire city of mercenaries.
For now, I had to be careful. Because if I could see the detention center, anyone there could see me, too. I flattened myself to the roof and crawled around the chimney. With the chimney behind me, my silhouette wouldn’t be as noticeable. Probably. Hopefully.
The buildings in this area were all originally single-story, so only chimneys and creative mud-block additions obscured my view of the detention center. The center took up an entire block and had a wide-open plaza around it. It offered no cover and no reason to approach.
I pulled out the digital scope Veronica had given me as we left—it was the first item on my list. Staying as low as possible, I quickly scanned the detention center’s roof. I didn’t see anyone, but I did see a shit-ton of cameras. There would be no access from the roof unless I wanted the whole city to know when I’d arrived.
Until I got the blueprints, there was no way to know if underground access was a possibility, but based on everything I saw, I would assume not. So I’d have to waltz up to the front door, break in, break Loch out, and waltz back out again before reinforcements arrived.
Right. No problem.
The spotters here were either too well hidden, nonexistent (unlikely), or hidden behind some of the surrounding roof adornments that blocked my view, because I couldn’t find any of them, even after watching for two hours.
I stretched sore muscles and crept back around the chimney. Climbing down was way more difficult than climbing up. Luckily foot traffic in this area was low and no one wanted to risk the dark, narrow alley.
I took a fairly straight path out of the central district. I wasn’t headed in the direction of the house, so I was not concerned about covering my path just yet. I had nearly made it when three men stumbled out of a building in front of me. They weren’t Rockhurst soldiers, so I ignored them.
They did not return the favor.
“Hey, buddy, got any creds?” the one in front slurred. “Help a brother out. That bastard kicked us out.” He was stocky, with dark hair, and he reeked of the distinctive chemical odor of cheap synthol and tobacco. His two lankier buddies were in even worse shape, leaning against each other just to stay vertical.
Whoever “that bastard” was, he or she should’ve kicked them out a long time ago, even though the night was still young. They were all six sheets to the wind and it wouldn’t take much to push them over the edge into violence. Especially if they got kicked out because they were broke. Nothing made a drunk meaner than taking away the booze.
I kept my head down and stepped around the men. Stocky didn’t appreciate my lack of enthusiasm. “Hey, buddy, I’m talking to you!”
“Sorry,” I said gruffly.
“If you’re not going to help us out, I guess we’ll just have to help ourselves,” he said. He pulled a wicked-looking blade and suddenly his companions looked a whole lot more sober. Fantastic.
I backed away but Lackey One flashed a blast pistol. Running just became a non-option. “Hey,” I said, “I don’t want any trouble.”
Stocky squinted at me. “You a woman?” A lecherous grin spread across his face. “Looks like our luck’s changed, boys.”
I stood straight, throwing off my invisible persona. It hadn’t protected me, so I needed a new plan. “I do not have time to deal with you right now. Move,” I said in my most commanding tone.
Stocky took a half step back before straightening his own spine and closing the distance between us, waving the knife in his right hand. It would’ve been more threatening if he came up higher than my chin. Still, I could work with this.
I ignored what his mouth was saying—it was hardly polite—and watched his body language. The next time the knife came my way, I struck. I clamped my left hand onto the wrist of his knife hand and pulled it across my body to the right. Without releasing his wrist, I used my right hand to deliver a fast, sharp blow to the back of his hand. He dropped the knife.
The synthol reek must not have been entirely fake, because his reflexes were slow. I pulled him the rest of the way between me and his lackeys, then transferred my grip to the back of his collar. I drew my pistol and jabbed him in the kidney with it.
It took less than five seconds.
The lackey with the pistol gaped at me. He tentatively raised the pistol, but lowered it again when Stocky frantically shook his head.
“Now you’ve made me late,” I said, “and I hate being late.”
“We didn’t mean nothing,” Stocky whimpered.
“Oh, I think we both know that’s a lie. And you know what else I hate? Liars. So, this is your last chance to get in my good graces. Tell your friends to drop their weapons.”
I could tell by the way he stiffened that he had a plan that didn’t involve dropping the weapons. I mourned in the second before he moved. Then I let him go as he dropped down toward the knife on the ground. Lackey One brought his blaster up, but not fast enough. I shot him through the chest.
Lackey Two broke and ran. I let him go. It was a bad tactical decision, but I just couldn’t shoot him in cold blood. And unless he had reinforcements in the next block, I’d be gone before he returned.
Stocky lunged at me with the knife. I shot him point-blank. The energy bolt punched a hole through his head.
I scanned for new threats. No one had come to investigate, but that luck wouldn’t hold for long. I steeled my emotions and quickly searched both men, being careful not to leave fingerprints. I took the blaster and extra energy cells from the lackey. Nothing else was worth stealing.
I left the two men sprawled on the ground and faded into the shadows.
Chapter 11
After checking myself for trackers and coming up clean, I slid down the wall. I was in a hidden alcove far into the abandoned section of the city. Control slipped away and hot tears flooded my eyes. I bowed my head to my knees and let them flow.
Those two weren’t the first people I’d killed, but it was cold comfort. And while it was tempting to push the pain away, to bury it deep, I knew that way lay demons. Taking another person’s life, even in self-defense, was an event worth mourning. If I lost the ability to feel that pain, then I lost myself.
I poured the pain out one tear at a time until I was empty inside. Then I dried my eyes and pieced myself back together. By the time I stood, I had myself under control. Sadness still pulsed in time with my heart, but my outer armor gave away none of my inner turmoil.
In a High House only the facade mattered, so we each became experts, in our own ways, of hiding behind serene faces and sharp eyes. It was a skill that served me well now.
I worked my way home, being extra careful. The little bedroom was just how I’d left it, but tonight it felt especially empty. I
mentally went through rescue scenarios. None were great and all depended heavily on information from Veronica. If she double-crossed me, I was sunk.
When I could no longer keep my eyes open, I gave up and dropped into a fitful sleep.
Bianca’s message had arrived overnight. It once again came with many sentences in all caps and dire warnings about my future health if she got her hands on me. But she’d gotten the information I needed and had not told Father.
She had, however, passed along my concerns about a looming war. Based on her oblique references, it was not the first warning they had received, but they were keeping it off the family systems. If they were worried about a spy at that level, things were dire indeed.
I decrypted the files she sent with our personal shared key: pegasaurus. It was a magical creature we’d made up as children, a cross between a dinosaur and a Pegasus. It looked like a winged, scaly horse with an extra-long neck and extra-sharp teeth.
Each family member had a secret key shared with one other family member. It kept our communications safe even from the family. Because sometimes a meddling family member was worse than an enemy.
The list she’d sent me contained six potential override codes. Richard was known to use his own codes and change them with some frequency. The latest codes in the list had been changed less than a month ago.
My entire plan rested on these sixty digits. If one of these keys didn’t work, I didn’t have a backup, and that was a problem. Today I would scope out the spaceport, see what other ships were available for commandeering at a moment’s notice. Another ship wouldn’t get us very far, but if we found one with a little offensive weaponry, we could at least slow Richard down enough to escape to a busier planet. Hopefully.
I ate two energy bars and drank a bottle and a half of water. If everything went according to plan, I wouldn’t be back here tonight. I raided Loch’s bag and shoved all of the extra energy bars and clothes into mine. I would leave the pack with Veronica when I busted Loch out. He might appreciate a spare set of clothes.
With everything ready, I set off. Ten minutes out, I turned on the insecure com. I had an encrypted message from Veronica with meeting instructions. She had managed to acquire all but one of the items I requested and she was working on the last item.
Traveling with a pack made it harder to blend in, so I decided to head to Veronica’s before checking the spaceport. Plus, if she was going to double-cross me, it was better to know now.
Her house was on the edge of the central district. It was a nicer area, where the plastech buildings were well maintained and not augmented with mud bricks. Most of the buildings on this street were two-story houses. Lights were on in several houses and a few people were out on the street. Nothing set off any alarm bells, but I kept my guard up.
I walked the block, then turned and came up behind the house. I knocked on the back door. A few minutes later, it cracked open to reveal Veronica. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t use the front door like a normal person,” she said. “Never mind that this is more suspicious-looking.” She stepped back and gestured me in.
“Just be glad I didn’t pick the lock,” I said.
The house was a minimalist’s wet dream, with white walls, faux wood floors, and just enough furniture to prove someone lived here. One look and I knew this was not her house, not with the way her shop was arranged.
“I found the blueprints to the detention center. There weren’t any surprises, so if you were hoping for a secret entrance, you’re going to be disappointed. I did have a few little birdies report on men loitering around the center, though, so I know the location of two of the outside guards.”
“Any info on whether Loch is actually inside?”
“A big man with a shaved head was dragged inside by four of ‘those new guys.’ He hasn’t come back out, but the men come and go.”
Well, damn. I had half hoped Loch had betrayed me, because then I wouldn’t feel responsible for rescuing him. And while it was still possible I was walking straight into a trap, I just couldn’t leave without trying.
“Your little birdies say how many of ‘those new guys’ are floating around?”
“At least a dozen,” she said, “but nobody can get a good enough look at them for an accurate count. Even the working ladies haven’t seen them and that’s unusual for a merc squad on-planet.”
Richard was keeping his troops on a tight leash.
“You have a plan?” she asked.
“I have a plan,” I confirmed. A crazy, ridiculous, outlandish plan, but a plan nonetheless. Now I just had to pull it off without getting myself or either of the people counting on me killed. No problem.
“I have all of your stuff in the study,” she said. “If you want to take a look.”
I nodded and followed her, just to ensure that someone wasn’t going to pop out and shoot me. Luckily for me, there was nowhere to hide in the study. A lone desk made from wood and glass held the place of honor across from the door. An uncomfortable-looking white chair sat behind it.
Someone had pulled in a folding table and loaded it down with the supplies I’d need for tonight. It was an unsightly blemish on the pristine minimalism of the room. The contrast jarred, but I’d take the messy clutter over the sterile desk any day.
Looking through the items on the table, I had to give Veronica credit—she had pulled in a lot of strange items on very short notice. Perhaps I’d offer her a House job after all, assuming we made it off-planet.
I shrugged off the pack. “I’ll need you to bring this to our meeting point because I can’t carry it while I’m rescuing Loch.”
Veronica nodded. “I’ll make sure it gets put with my stuff.”
“For now, I’m going to scope out the spaceport.”
“I will go with you.” She held up a hand when I would’ve protested. “I am frequently at the spaceport, either to meet traders or to attempt to find passage. And I often bring a companion. If I go, you are much less likely to be found.”
I dug the holster I’d requested out of the pile on the table and strapped it around my waist, then slid in my original blast pistol. The new pistol I’d picked up last night I kept hidden in my off-hand pocket. It wasn’t the safest or most convenient, but the element of surprise would be worth it.
“Let’s go,” I said.
True to her word, people nodded at Veronica but few stopped to question her. Those who did ignored me entirely. My fingers remained clenched around my pistol grip, sure every time that this time would be when she would point at me and announce me to the world.
When we entered the spaceport terminal, I finally hissed at her, “What are you doing?”
“Trust me,” she murmured.
She headed straight for the exit out to the ships. The older man in a security guard uniform looked up and smiled, then remembered to frown.
“Veronica,” he said softly, “you know no one will take you.”
“Come on, Tabo, I just want a look. Let a woman dream, won’t you?”
He sighed, but nodded. “Don’t cause any trouble.”
Veronica’s smile was brittle. “Do I ever?” she asked.
Tabo opened the door and waved us through. Once we were out of earshot I whispered, “I can’t believe that worked.”
“I told you, I come here often.” Her voice was wistful. “Tabo is too nice for his own good. He can’t stand to see a woman in pain. He told me once that if he had a ship, he’d take me off-planet in a heartbeat. If there is any way to avoid hurting him, please do so.”
“I will do my best,” I said.
The launch pads were arrayed in a set of three arcs leading away from the terminal. A wide road split each arc in two and allowed ships farther out to have a safe passageway for ground travel.
In total, a dozen ships could land at once. Today, three were berthed, and it seemed like that might be an unusually high number, based on the state of disrepair most of the pads were in.
Larger ships docked
on the farthest arc and Richard’s ship was the only one out there. It wasn’t big enough to require the extra space, so they’d docked it for privacy. The ship practically glowed with good maintenance and money. I’d seen maybe three mercenary ships ever that looked that good. No wonder Loch immediately picked up on it being one of Richard’s ships. The cargo ramp was lowered, but the door was closed.
Two small ships, both older and in dire need of exterior maintenance, sat in the closest arc, one on each side. If we had to abandon Richard’s ship, we would need to run back toward the terminal to take one of these two ships. That was less than ideal, but I couldn’t see a way around it.
The ship on the left was a Yamado ship. It was impossible to tell its age just by looking, but I guessed at least fifty. Meant for short-range jumps only, it would truly be our last resort.
The right ship was a von Hasenberg ship that we’d stopped producing before I was born. It was marginally newer than the Yamado ship, but that wasn’t saying much. It was equipped with a long-range FTL drive, but it took forever to charge. If they jumped it on the way here, it was likely still charging.
Fuck.
Based on these two backups, it was imperative that we take Richard’s ship. There was no way I could take on six or more elite soldiers on my own, even if my harebrained scheme worked. If Loch wasn’t in fighting shape then we would have to abort and settle for the von Hasenberg ship.
“I’ve seen enough,” I said.
Veronica cast one more wistful glance at the ships then turned and headed back to the terminal. I followed.
“We need to walk by the detention center,” I said. “The side farthest away from everything else. Then you need to find a reason for why we walked by, even if it’s to stop for tea.”
Polaris Rising Page 12