by Candace Sams
She lunged for his weapon even as the Ussarian guards cried out.
With the cellular disruptor pistol firmly in her right hand, Charlie raised it toward the fray caused by Datron, Clitus, Gilla, and Electra. Bound as they were, they were scrambling valiantly, using their feet, heads, elbows, or any other part of their anatomy to fight their way free. Happily, they’d seen her efforts and responded with their own.
Unhappily, she couldn’t get a clear shot because the fighters were bunched together.
Goron’s minions were occupied by the outburst from their prisoners. They hadn’t yet acknowledged her armed stance.
“Hell. I can’t get a damned shot!” she muttered out loud, then shrugged as she gave up trying to hit only the enemy. “Shit happens…everybody’s goin’ down.”
She used her general knowledge of hand weapons—knowledge gleaned from working on so many enforcer and military craft—and quickly flipped a red switch by her thumb. That put the weapon in stun mode.
Raising the firearm, she prayed Goron hadn’t disabled that function as so many Ussarians did. She’d either kill her friends or render them unconscious. Either way, they weren’t going to be prisoners much longer.
When several of the Ussarians saw her about to fire, they a left the fray to charge her, Charlie pulled the trigger and kept doing so until every single soul went down, including her friends.
She quickly ran forward to check her comrade’s pulses and found them strong and regular if fast. The stunning force worked. But she was now standing quite alone.
For a few seconds, she just stood there listening to the wind and watching the red dust of Chiron blow. The rising sun shone through the haze making everything turn orange-red and brown.
She took a look at the damage and shrugged again. “Damn! My bad,” she whispered as she put the fingertips of her free hand to her lips.
A groan from behind made her whirl around.
Goron finally pushed himself off the dirt then lurched to his feet with a mighty roar.
Before he could turn to see what happened, she nailed him with another round of fire. He hit the dirt again, hard.
She let out a long breath and pushed her hair out of her eyes.
“I’ve had enough…I want to go home!” she loudly announced as she stuck her weapon into her hip pocket and rolled up her sleeves.
****
Datron felt as if someone wielded a Valkyrian hammer inside his head. It was now beating out a steady, horrific rhythm.
He wondered if one could possibly have massive headaches in the hereafter. Surely he was dead and lying somewhere in Valhalla. He opened his eyes and found himself lying in what he dimly believed was the Hyperion’s cargo hold. Clitus’ booted foot rested on his chest.
He and Clitus, along with Electra and Gilla, were all piled together on a large anti-gravity lifter. Someone had unceremoniously dumped them there.
The bay hatches were closed, and he was pretty damned sure the Hyperion was moving. He could hear the steady hum of the engine if what he heard wasn’t his throbbing skull.
Every bone not broken and muscle not torn throbbed, but he pushed himself into an upright position while trying not to dislodge his stunned mates’ bodies. Evidently, his movement rallied them. They were all coming out of their unconscious state at about the same time.
“What in the name of hell is going on?” Electra croaked as she lifted Gilla’s arm off her hip and helped him into a sitting position.
“Are…are we aboard the Hyperion?” Gilla croaked, blinking at the bright lights overhead.
Clitus pulled himself off the cart and cursed when his backside hit the deck with a loud thump. “The last thing I remember is fighting. Charlie was about to be raped—”
“Charlie!” all four of them blurted in unison as they quickly pulled themselves to a standing position.
Datron grabbed for Clitus’ shoulder as dizziness threatened to overwhelm him.
“Is everyone okay?” he asked then waited for various degrees of confirmation. “Get to the bridge. If this tub is moving, then someone’s flying her. If it isn’t Charlie, find her.”
He was the first to rush forward and never remembered finding his way the bridge. Once there however he hit the button to open the hatch and almost fell to his knees when he saw Charlie sitting in the captain’s chair—minding gauges and munching an apple.
She barely had time to turn toward him when the small bridge space was suddenly filled with bodies.
Datron strode forward and slowly knelt beside her. “Are you all right? Did…did Goron—”
“No!” she blurted. “I stunned him after he woke up and I stunned the rest of you. Sorry about that,” she apologized as she glanced at each of them in turn. “There wasn’t room for a clear shot. Obviously, I didn’t breathe in enough of that stone dust…or it didn’t work for some reason…or I wouldn’t be here.”
“Obviously! But mighty-mite, how did we get here?” Clitus asked as he gazed around to indicate the interior of the ship.
“I rolled your bodies onto an anti-gravity lift and transported you into the cargo hold,” she explained. “The initial rolling thing took some time because you’re all kind of heavy…no offense, Electra.”
“None taken!” Electra gasped while shaking her head in absolute awe.
Datron let out a heavy sigh of relief then dragged both hands through his loose hair. “Why did you lift off Chiron’s surface?”
“Because,” Charlie slowly explained, “in case you hadn’t noticed there were Ussarians there. By now, they’re probably after us. They’ll want to get off Chiron fast when they figure out I bypassed your encrypted keyboard access for the trungeon bomb, put in my own access code, and set the timer for fifteen minutes after we blasted off.”
“But you could have just killed them with the disruptor weapon, as they lay there unconscious,” Clitus advised. “How could you know they wouldn’t regain their senses and take off with those stones, before the moon blows up?”
Charlie held up one hand to silence them. “Guys, I’m not an idiot! I did consider killing them where they lay. God knows they deserve to die, but I just couldn’t do it. It’s one thing to shoot someone in self-defense. Quite another to just burn somebody from the inside out when they’re lying there unconscious.” She smiled up at all of them and shrugged before continuing. “Besides, there’re the political implications to be considered. As it stands, everything’s gonna be okay. The Lucent Stones are in their cargo hold, locked down to the deck’s surface as tight as a Louisiana oyster. I saw them there. And if I’ve figured things correctly, the Ussarians will leave Chiron before it explodes. They’ll come after us or they’ll meet up with their admiral. Either way, stuff’s gonna hit the fan when they go into hyper drive.”
“Charlie, what did you do?” Datron warily asked as he gazed deep into her eyes and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Well, you know that little problem you had with the Valiant’s gauges reading correctly while the engine was still overheating?” she reminded him.
“Yes, I remember,” Datron anxiously muttered. “But…oh, shit! You screwed with the fuel ratio in the mixing chamber?”
“Um…I’d rather not admit to anything seeing as how I’m standing on a bridge with a bunch of enforcers.” She chewed on her lower lip before cautiously replying, “Someone…might have messed with the fuel.”
“Good Lord!” Electra murmured. “This is the best of all possible outcomes. Charlie’s right about the political implications. Had the Ussarians still been on the surface of Chiron when the trungeon bomb went off, Lucent authorities would have been accused of murdering Goron and his thugs. Diplomats could claim till the moons of Orpheus went nova the mishap was an accident, but Ussar would still use the incident as a reason to wage war on Dagor Prime System where the Lucent colonists will migrate.”
“Indeed,” Gilla nodded in agreement.
Electra gazed at her friends as a slow smile spread acros
s her face. “What Charlie’s done has altered all that. Lucent authorities can now claim its former home world and Chiron were safely evacuated, then exploded because of dangerous gases in the mines just as planned. The Ussarians will have lifted off and will be in space, away from Chiron. All transmissions from their vessel will attest to this. And when Goron’s vessel explodes—”
“The mishap will be logged as a flight malfunction,” Gilla nodded as he held up one long, index finger to acknowledge the point. “It’ll have nothing at all to do with Chiron. The Ussarians will never admit to having stolen the Lucent Stones or say such things ever existed. And Caul and those unfortunate constables with him will simply be listed as missing since their presence on Chiron was kept secret in the first place. It’ll all be over,” he finished.
“Mighty-mite, you’re brilliant!” Clitus declared, shaking his head in admiration.
“Most resourceful!” Gilla happily expounded.
Datron simply stared at her and suddenly remembered what she’d uttered when Caul had cornered them in the desert. He opened his mouth to make her explain that ‘I’m dying anyway’ statement, but an alarm sounded.
He jerked his head toward the console and noted the radar screen. “We’ve got a very large vessel headed our way. Everyone strap in. I shouldn’t have to remind you we have no mounted weapons.”
“They’ll hit hyper drive before they get to us,” Charlie promised.
“Uh, if you don’t mind.” Datron determinedly said as he pointed to the captain’s chair.
Charlie quickly slid completely over the opposite arm rest.
Datron took the position she’d vacated and barked out orders. “Clitus, give me a range countdown. Gilla, try to get all the speed out of the Hyperion you can, I’ll try some fancy maneuvering. Electra, you and Charlie pray to the Creator that they do use hyper drive to catch up to us and before they get too close!”
****
From her seated position at the back of the bridge, Charlie clenched her fingers around the soft, pale green upholstered arms of her luxurious chair. She knew she hadn’t miscalculated. The Ussarians were waking up when she took off. She’d seen them stirring and knew they’d never have time to stop the trungeon bomb from exploding and get on their vessel to abandon the planet.
It made sense they’d come after the enforcers, if they accomplished nothing else. A voice blaring over the communication system caused her to jump at least six inches in her seat.
“Crew of the Hyperion, I have hacked into your communication console to let you know you will not escape!” Goron declared. “You’re little whore-spy was a master of deception, Valkyrian. I do not know how she countered the effects of the Lucent Stone, but it’s of no importance. You and your crew will die where you fly. My bridge personnel not only accessed your communications, but they have scanned your vessel and know it to be unarmed. Keir Trask would not have been so foolish, but then you’re not—”
Datron quickly shut off the transmission. “I’m sick and tired of hearing that!”
With every bit of skill he’d ever learned, he put the Hyperion into a dodge-and-weave maneuver. It worked only because Gilla managed to pull speed from the engines that shouldn’t have been accessible. They outdistanced the heavier craft following them even as explosions rocked the Hyperion right and left. Their hull took a beating, but it still held firm.
“Maybe I should go help Gilla,” Charlie advised as she half-rose from her seat.
“You stay exactly where you are!” Datron countered.
Smoke suddenly spread outward from a nearby console. Datron was aware of both Electra and Charlie turning on the fire control sprays mounted near the burning components, but he never fully took his attention off the flight instruments in front of him.
With a further burst of speed he’d never believed possible, they began to outdistance the more advanced, Ussarian war bird. Then a much larger explosion threw them all forward.
The Hyperion lurched to one side.
Datron knew what caused the detonation. The Ussarian craft was history. They’d hit hyper speed and Charlie’s work took its toll.
Charlie, Electra, and Clitus shouted in exaltation but instinct wouldn’t allow him to celebrate just yet. They were losing power at a very fast rate. A few moments later, their engines were offline along with all but emergency lights and power. He quickly ran a diagnostic. “Life support is good. Some of our flight components are fried, but we’re obviously okay,” he finally confirmed.
“It’s all good,” Charlie advised. “Just for grins, I rigged a super propulsion unit into the Hyperion’s engine. She was able to pull a bit more power than normal. That last explosion only put us out of commission for a few minutes. I’ll get to the engine room and have us back up and running in no time. Assuming the Ussarians didn’t steal the spare parts I had hidden in some of the spaces between the bulkheads, there’s plenty of stuff on board. I’ll have everything I need.” She stood before him with her hands clasped in front of her. “Uh, that’s assuming I can leave the bridge now?”
Datron took a deep breath and sat back. It was the first time he’d had a chance to relax since the entire mission began. His head still ached, his wing throbbed horribly, and parts of his rib cage didn’t seem connected, but he knew now they’d live. But it wasn’t because of his command experience. His resourcefulness had been grossly missing during the entire trip. It was all on Charlie. She’d done everything right. Down to even hiding away spare parts in case of some emergency. She knew she’d be there to help. Their lives were due to her ingenuity.
“Since you saw the Lucent Stones aboard the enemy’s ship, I know damned well Goron didn’t leave them behind, to be blown up on Chiron,” he said as he stared her squarely in the eyes. “That means they’re gone, too. So before you get too far away, let me add my admiration to that of the crews’. You are a genius, meteor. And I love you!
She smiled brightly and even managed a cute little hop that had him almost grinning back.
“Now see what you can do get us back online,” he ordered.
She ran out the hatch, toward the engine room. Datron’s half smile turned into a frown again.
He silently prayed he’d misunderstood about Charlie being ill. Yet, his heart told him he hadn’t. He ignored the jubilant remarks coming from Electra and Clitus and turned toward his console again.
Chapter Nineteen
Dizziness threatened to overcome Datron’s best intentions to pilot the Hyperion back to Oceanus. Knowing he was very close to passing out, he got up out of the captain’s chair.
He still had something to do. Despite the pain, he had to confront Charlie while he could muster the strength.
His entire crew was back at their stations on the bridge now. They didn’t need him and never had. In fact, he’d done more harm on this mission than good.
“Clitus take over. Gilla monitor any transmissions. If that Ussarian admiral is anywhere near, I need to know. The minute the power comes back online get us home as soon as you can!”
“Where will you be?” Electra smilingly asked as she opened and closed vents to air out the smoke from the bridge.
“Engine room…talking to our little Lucent Stone-immune demolition expert,” he quipped. Then he strode through the bridge hatch and slowly walked toward the space where he knew his little meteor would always be happiest.
Once he was in the engine room, he gazed around and found two, tiny booted feet sticking out from under the engine housing. He couldn’t decide whether to hug or shake the little fireball until her teeth rattled. But he had no energy left to do either. Every reserve he had was gone and he knew Electra, Clitus, and Gilla must be feeling the same. They’d been beaten, too. Not as badly as him but they were still throttled and doing their best to get their jobs done. He must do no less.
His mind was just getting wrapped around the fact that they hadn’t died when they should have, several times over.
For the hundredth time he c
onsidered how the mission would be a total failure except for Charlie. Had she not been aboard, the Lucent Stones would now be headed toward Ussar where a full scale war would probably erupt over who on that planet actually got to keep them. That war would have spilled over into several sectors of space where governments of every nearby planet would be questioning each other as to who might or might not be under the influence of the stones’ dust.
All that considered, the Creator must have been watching over them in the form of a very tiny guardian.
He didn’t believe in coincidences and never had. Their stowaway had been given the gumption to take action because he couldn’t. A greater power must have known.
Datron knelt down and tapped the toe of the closest small boot. “We need to talk.”
“Just a minute. The inertial stabilizers kept us from feeling most of the blasts. An internal stress test showed the hull is pretty banged up, but she’ll get us back to Oceanus.”
“Charlie—”
“I guess you could just say that we had some kind of pirate encounter…to explain the hull damage to the ground crew,” she continued with her mechanical summation.
He had the feeling he was being ignored. “Charlie—”
“I’ve got one more fusion connector to…there. That’s got it,” she finished.
Datron looked up when the overhead lights flashed back on and the engine started to hum. He stood and backed up so she could use a rolling mechanics’ backboard to scoot out from under the engine housing.
Like a miniature ball, she bounced up from her supine position, expertly twirled a micron-macrometer wrench in one hand, then gazed up at him. And once more, he was captured by her bright smile and the pure, innocent joy in her eyes. With grease on her face and the dust of Chiron all over her jumpsuit, she was still the loveliest thing he’d ever seen.
Nothing brought her down.
He was so in love with this woman that everything in his life paled by comparison. He couldn’t imagine going on without her. It’d taken only a few short days to change every priority he’d ever had. All because one little fire-flit had buzzed into his existence. But one horrible thought still floated in his tired mind.