Freelancers_Kidnapping In Outer Space

by Larry Payne

  Chapter 8

  Mondo Kai sat silently in front of the fireplace, staring into the blazing fire and drumming his fingers on the arm of the big padded chair. Rena Clayton and Sando Pandel sat in the other two chairs on either side of him, stealing an occasional glance at each other, but knowing to stay quiet when Kai was in one of his moods.

  Omer Tran slid through the door, stepped up behind the big man, leaned over his shoulder and whispered in his ear. Kai stopped drumming his fingers. “Send him in here,” said the big man.

  Rena and Sando watched Tran return to the door, admit a handsome young man and followed the messenger as he strode across the room and stopped in front of them.

  “Speak to me,” said Kai without looking up.

  The messenger hesitated a moment, stealing a nervous glance at Rena and then Sando, before looking back at Kai. “The star fighters are lost and the freighter escaped.”

  Kai looked up at the messenger. “How?”

  “Quentin Magnus and his freelancers.” The messenger swallowed hard. “But, there is some good news.”

  “Continue.”

  The uncomfortable young man shifted his weight to the other foot. “Ali Rongo said he’s making the final inspection of the starship at the end of the week. You’ll be waiting not far from the dock. He’ll pick you up after the inspection and take you to the Star Cruiser as planned.”

  Ali Rongo, one of Kai’s most trusted men, flew the shuttle transporting workers from the planet’s surface to the construction docks. The immense size of the Star Cruisers made it necessary to construct them above the planet. Upon completion, Federation Star Crews were dispatched to deliver the Star Cruisers to Fleet Command for an assignment to active duty. This is where Kai planned to make his move.

  He held the gaze of the fidgety messenger a moment longer. “You tell Ali Rongo he has done well. All of you will be rewarded.”

  The messenger knew this was his cue to leave and did everything in his power to keep from bolting to the door.

  “You’re really going through with this madness, aren’t you?” asked Rena, a look of disbelief on her face.

  Kai ignored Rena and rose from his chair. He stepped over to the window, folded his arms across his chest and looked out over the compound, barely noticing what was happening outside. He smiled, knowing that soon all the galaxy would know the name of Mondo Kai.

  “Sando,” he said, not turning from the window, “Get together twenty of the best we have. We’ll leave when everyone is ready.”

  Sando left the room without a word and Kai turned from the window when he heard the door close.

  “Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. We’re not going to have time to dally. Travel light, if it’s not a necessity, leave it,” he said to Rena and stepped past her, striding down the hall to the bedroom.

  Chapter 9

  Kai sat in the dark cockpit of his ship, Dark Star, and watched the shuttle carrying Ali Rongo and Baca Flin, slide into the construction dock of the Super Star Cruiser Excalibur. His boarding party, armed and ready, sat around the ship in silence waiting for his orders.

  After a long, impatient wait, the shuttle floated away from the construction dock and he smiled when it turned in his direction. The shuttle passed in front of the viewport and he felt a slight bump when it docked with his ship. He was waiting when Ali Rongo ducked through the hatch.

  “Everything’s all set,” said Rongo. “There’ll be portable illuminators in the cargo hold. The sensors have been disabled, so stay there until you’re ready to move. After I drop you off, Baca and I will make our way back to Targus and await your return.”

  “You’ve done well,” said Kai.

  “All in a day’s work,” replied Rongo. “I’ll wait for you in the shuttle.” He turned and stepped back through the hatch.

  “Okay, let’s load up and get going,” said Kai and watched the boarding party collect their gear, file past him and follows Rongo through the hatch.

  “I’ve ordered the pilot to take Dark Star straight back to Targus,” said Sando when the last man left the ship.

  Kai patted him on the arm. “Let’s go claim our ship.”

  A few minutes later, Ali Rongo linked the shuttle up to the space dock once again and the occupants filed through the transfer hatch. He led them to the lift that would take them to the cargo hold.

  “The illuminators will keep you out of the dark,” said Rongo when they exited the lift and stopped in front of Baca Flin setting up the last of the light sources. “The lift we used to come down here will take you to the bridge when you’re ready to move. There will only be a skeleton crew on board, so taking over shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

  Kai smiled and put his hand on Rongo’s shoulder. “You are to be commended.”

  “We’ll see you back on Targus. Good Luck,” said Rongo.

  He and Baca Flin made their way to the lift, giving Kai a wave as the doors slid shut.

  “Might as well get comfortable, we’re going to be here awhile,” said Kai.

  * * * *

  Captain Medalo Corpus dropped his duffel bag on the bed, stepped to the room’s view port and peered out into the endless star field. A new command, on a new ship, always meant new adventures. When they reached Delta Station, the remainder of the crew would report aboard and Excalibur would receive her orders. He smiled and returned to the living area.

  “You always accustomed to leaving doors open?” Lieutenant Commander Rollie Wilkins, his second-in-command, stood inside the open door of the Captain’s Quarters.

  “Wasn’t going to be here long,” said Medalo. “I was going to make a trip up to the bridge.”

  “I just happened to be on my way up there myself,” replied Wilkins.

  “Well then, I think we’ve waited long enough. After you, Mister Wilkins,” said the Captain and followed his First Officer through the door.

  The lift doors opened and the Captain’s senses slowly took in all the sights and sounds of his new control room.

  “Captain on the bridge,” someone shouted when he stepped from the lift.

  “Carry on,” Medalo replied before anyone could move.

  “Impressive, isn’t it?” said Rollie Wilkins.

  “Quite impressive.”

  Though, Medalo Corpus had captained other ships in his career, he never ceased to marvel at the activity surrounding the bridge. From the blinking lights on all the op stations and navigation charts to the big transparent map of the Galactic Federation behind the command chairs with its blinking white light denoting Excalibur’s position. The most impressive sight was the view port that stretched around the bridge giving him a 180-degree view of the stars.

  He stepped over to the command chair and sat down. Two consoles, one on each arm of the chair, monitored the operations of the ship. Rollie Wilkins sat in the chair next to him.

  The Captain looked over at his First Officer. “Are we ready?”

  “Just waitin’ for an order, Sir.”

  Medalo scanned his consoles once more. “Bridge to Engineering.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Prepare to get underway.”

  “Aye, Sir.”

  As the drive engines sprang to life, he watched the steady rise of the red bars on the power gauges rise until they finally flashed to green. “Engines at full power, Captain,” sprang from the Comm link.

  “Mister Simpson,” Medalo said to his navigator, “set a course for Delta Station.”

  “Aye, Sir.”

  The newest member of the Galactic Fleet backed away from the construction dock and Gantis III slowly disappeared from view.

  “Now, let’s see what she can do,” said Medalo.

  Chapter 10

  Kai sat with his back against the bulkhead, his eyes closed and his chin resting on his chest. His eyes popped open, as if spring loaded, when he felt the slight vibration of the engines on the cargo hold deck.

  He sat motionless. Listening. Feeling.

/>   He put the palms of his hands flat on the deck and raised his head. He looked at the men scattered around the cargo hold. He rose from the deck and kicked Sando’s feet sleeping beside him. “Get up, it’s time.”

  The men still awake aroused those asleep and Kai watched until the last man was geared up and weapons were charged.

  “Members of the bridge and engineering must be kept alive,” he said. “Anyone else who resists is expendable. Resistance must be dealt with swiftly. Any questions?”

  Not a word was said and he turned to Sando. “Take some men to Engineering and secure it. The rest of you will follow me to the bridge.”

  Kai reminded Sando of Ali Rongo’s directions to Engineering, then led them all to the lift.

  * * * *

  When the lift doors opened, Sando and his small band jogged down the passageway until they came to an intersection. Flat against the bulkhead, he peered around the corner. Two armed men wearing Security arm bands were coming toward them. He signaled his men of the obstacle, then pointed to two of them and then himself. At his command, they would dispose of the problem. He took a deep breath, nodded at his two men, then sprang around the corner. He knelt in the passageway, the two men standing behind him.

  The surprised security guards attempted to pull their weapons, but were cut down in a hailstorm of blaster fire. The rest of Sando’s band joined up behind him and he led them to the dead guards, relieved them of their weapons and snatched the ID card hanging around one of their necks. They continued down the passageway leaving the dead crewmen in their wake.

  Sando stopped at the hatch marked Engineering and slid the ID card through the reader instead of punching in the code Ali Rongo had given him. When the door slid open, they rushed through the hatch, shooting one security guard and disarming another.

  “What’s going on here?” shouted the crewman nearest to them. Chief Engineer appeared on his uniform under his name.

  “Let’s just say you’re under new management,” said Sando and herded the new captives into the engine room amid the confused stares of the crew.

  * * * *

  Kai burst from the lift onto the bridge, a blaster rifle in one hand and a hand blaster in the other.

  “Sound an alarm and you die,” he bellowed, leveling his weapons at the bridge crew.

  “What’s the meaning of this?’ said Medalo Corpus as the hijackers fanned around the bridge.

  “We’ve come to relieve you of your command, Captain,” said Kai.

  “This is outrageous,” said Rollie Wilkins, a disbelieving look on his face. “You’ll never get away with this. The Federation will hunt you down.”

  “I’ll welcome the challenge,” said Kai. He handed his blaster rifle to one of his men and shoulder holstered his hand blaster. All eyes followed him as he strode over and stood in front of the Captain and his First Officer. “Now, if you be be so kind as to make your crew aware that they have a new Captain, I will assume command and you both can consider yourselves properly relieved.”

  Medalo Corpus looked at Rollie Wilkins then over at Kai before initiating the Comm system. “Attention, this is the Captain. We have been boarded and have lost control of the ship. Do not resist. I repeat, do not resist.”

  Kai jerked his head at his men and three of them escorted Corpus and Wilkins from the bridge. He caressed the back of the command chair before lowering himself into it. Looking slowly around the bridge, he smiled.

  Chapter 11

  Admiral William Morgan was sitting at his desk in the Fleet Command Center when there came a double knock. His Aide, Brick Stanton, opened the door and poked his head into the office.

  Stanton had served as Admiral Morgan’s First Officer during the Galactic War and came with him as his Aide when William was appointed Commander of the Federation Navy. And that probably explained why Stanton could take liberties with the Admiral few others could get away with. “Communication from Delta Station in the Ceylon System, Admiral.”

  “Thanks, Brick.”

  Captain Hara Rinta, Commanding Officer of Delta Station, appeared when William activated the Comm screen on his desk. “Good Morning, Hara.”

  “It may not be so good, Admiral, when you hear what I have to say.”

  “What’s happened?”

  “Our new Super Star Cruiser, Excalibur, is a week overdue. She left Gantis III over a month ago and nobody’s heard from her since. It’s like she was swallowed up by a black hole.”

  “Whose ship is it?”

  “Captain Medalo Corpus is in Command and Lieutenant Commander Rollie Wilkins is his First Officer.”

  “Good men. Any ideas as to what happened?”

  “We’re totally clueless, Admiral.”

  “Okay, Hara, file your report and if you hear anything at all, get right back to me.”

  “Will do, Sir.”

  When the screen went black, William rose from his desk and stepped into the outer office. “Brick, have Operations get my ship ready.”

  “Something in the wind, Sir?

  “Yeah, we lost a Star Cruiser?”

  “Sir?”

  “Excalibur didn’t show up at Delta Station. Vanished without a trace.”

  William stepped back into his office and returned putting on his uniform jacket. “We’ll leave for Freedom I as soon as we get packed.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Brick put in a Comm link for Operations.

  “Oh, and Brick, put out a call for Magnus.”

  “Magnus, Sir?”

  William put on his hat. “Yes, and tell him where to meet us.”

  * * * *

  Captain Dragit Dujon, Commanding Officer of Deep Space Station Freedom I, met Admiral Morgan and Lieutenant Commander Stanton as they were coming through the Security checkpoint. Since the war, security was tight on all Galactic Defense Force installations, with a large presence in the hangar bays. All concealed weapons were confiscated and the violators detained. They exchanged salutes and shook hands.

  “Make sure the Admiral’s bags get to his quarters,” Dujon said to Security.

  An entire level of rooms, including a dining hall, on Freedom I, was reserved for the officers and enlisted men of the Galactic Defense Force. After settling into their quarters, William and Brick met the Captain for lunch.

  Dragit Dujon, though small in stature, was the most decorated star fighter pilot in the Defense Force. His gallant exploits in the Galactic War were legendary and the Command of Freedom I was his just reward. William relayed to Dujon the reason for his visit and asked that he be notified of the Freelancer’s arrival.

  “I’ll notify Security as soon as we’re done here, Sir,” said Dujon. “But, now, let’s eat.”

  * * * *

  Two days later, Quentin Magnus settled Vindicator gently into an empty bay on the hangar deck of Freedom I. He shut down and secured the ship’s engines, then followed Qwee to the arms locker.

  “After you, Miss Dumark,” Magnus said to a smiling Kalar as he swept his arm toward the cockpit hatch.

  After storing their weapons, Qwee opened the outer hatch and the three of them strode down the ramp together. Armond, Trace and Basko were waiting for them when they stepped onto the hangar deck. They walked to the security checkpoint, were told where to meet William, and strode onto the concourse with its vast array of eateries, casinos, boutiques and cantinas.

  Stepping onto the space station’s concourse for the first time, Armond Juncker was like a child at a bazaar. “Don’t let him get lost, Basko,” said Magnus with a smile.

  “Do not worry, my friend, I will keep him on a long leash,” said the old man, getting smiles from all his companions.

  The troupe weaved their way to the lifts at the far end of the concourse. All the while, Armond’s head appeared to be on a swivel.

  They exited the lift and Magnus surveyed the room numbers as they strode down the hall. Passing an open office, he spotted a familiar face. He backed up and stuck his head in the open door. “They give anybo
dy a desk job these days, don’t they?” he said with a broad smile.

  “Quentin Magnus,” shouted Trajan Gan, rising quickly from his desk. Gan had served with Magnus at the Battle of Bria Rialto where he sustained a wound that nearly cost him his leg.

  He hurried to the door with a noticeable limp, shook hands with Magnus and gave him a big embrace. “How you doing, Colonel? What brings you to Freedom I?”

  “I’m doing well, Tra. I’m here to see the Admiral.”

  “I see you’ve still got your body guard.” Qwee raised his eyebrows at the referral.

  “Wouldn’t go anywhere without him,” replied Magnus.

  Gan spotted Kalar standing behind Magnus. “And who is this?”

  “How soon we forget,” she said.

  Gan’s face broke out in a smile of recognition. “I’d know that heavenly voice anywhere. Kalar Dumark. You seem to have fallen in with some pretty rough company.”

  “I needed a little excitement in my life.”

  “You could have had excitement any time you wanted if you’d looked in the right place,” said Gan.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. I could have found it if I had come looking for you. That’s what I like about you, Trajan, you never give up.”

  Gan shrugged his shoulders. “You can’t blame a guy for trying.”

  Kalar shook her head. “Forget about it.” The exchange brought chuckles from her companions.

  “Trajan, my friend,” Magnus threw his arm across Gan’s shoulders, “she’s a cold hearted woman. She’d only break your heart.” Kalar stood smiling and shaking her head.

  After the laughter subsided, Gan pointed. “The Admiral’s suite is at the end of the hall.”

  “Thanks, Tra,” said Magnus. “Let’s get together before I leave. We’ll tip a few for old times.”

  “I look forward to it.” He waved at Magnus when he started down the hall and winked at Kalar as she passed. He chuckled when she winked back.

  “Hiya, Colonel,” said Brick Stanton when he answered the knock on the door. “The Admiral’s been expecting you.”

  William Morgan rose from his seat at the table when the group entered the adjoining room. “Quentin,” he said with a big smile, “it’s been a long time.” He extended his hand to the freelancer leader.