by JN Chaney
“As far as I know,” I said.
“That is affirmative, Abigail Pryar,” answered Sigmond, confirming my statement.
“Just Abigail, Sigmond,” she corrected.
“Yes, Abigail,” he acknowledged.
“Save the small talk, both of you. We need to find a way out of this. Better yet, we need to see how these bastards are tracking us."
“Do you think our hostages have some sort of transmitters on them?” asked Abigail.
I turned my head to look at her. It was the first time that thought had ever entered my brain, and I felt like a total idiot for it. “Can you go and ask them?”
“Now?” she asked. “Aren’t we in the middle of something?”
“Seems like the best time, don’t you think? If they have a transmitter, we need to get rid of it before we make another jump.”
“I shall supervise the pat-down,” said Sigmond. “I already scanned the soldiers, but perhaps further analysis will prove beneficial.”
“Don’t you need to help Jace?” asked Abigail.
“I can perform both services simultaneously.”
I nodded. “He’s a multitasker.”
“Fine, I’m going,” she said, getting up. “Try not to get us killed, Captain, if you don’t mind.”
I waited for her to leave. “No promises,” I muttered, staring at the massive Union carrier on my holo display.
* * *
The Galactic Dawn had arrived out of the slip tunnel and gone nowhere. If I hadn’t known any better, I might have thought it was abandoned.
If only I could be so lucky, I thought, trying to imagine a scenario, during slipspace travel, where the entire crew of thirty-thousand could have evacuated the ship. Too bad that would never happen, given the dangers involved. For example, veering off course in the middle of a tunnel could result in a ship hitting the surrounding walls, which nearly always resulted in disintegration of whatever matter it came into contact with.
No, there were people on that vessel. Tens of thousands, all following the orders of a man named General Marcus Brigham. He’d been tasked with hunting me and my crew down, all so the Union could dissect the little pale-faced girl sitting in my lounge.
Assholes, the lot of them, coming for a kid like her. I’d kill every last one, if I had to, before I let them touch her.
Special bonus if it meant saving my own ass in the process.
My eyes lingered on the holo image of the ship, wondering what the man in charge was thinking. Had he taken this assignment because he believed in the Union? Did he think kidnapping and dissecting a little girl was the righteous thing to do?
“Sir, we’re receiving a transmission,” said Sigmond, almost like an answer to my thoughts.
“Let’s hear it,” I said, leaning forward with my arms on my knees.
The speaker clicked a few times, followed by a moment of silence, and then…
“This is General Marcus Brigham with the UFS Galactic Dawn hailing Captain Jace Hughes of The Renegade Star. Respond.”
The sound of my own name gave me pause. It was strange hearing the old man speak it, almost unsettling.
“Again, this is General Brigham, speaking directly to Jace Hughes,” continued the voice. “Captain, it is in your best interest to turn yourself in, along with the stolen cargo in your possession. I assure you, if you cooperate with me, I can ease your sentencing. You have an hour to respond to this request, after which I will have little choice but to use force. This doesn’t have to be difficult, Captain Hughes.”
I smirked. “Difficult, he says. That’s a polite way of saying he doesn’t want to chase or fight me, just for me to give up now and save him the trouble. Great deal.”
“Sir,” began Sigmond. “You may be interested to know that the signal from the UFS Galactic Dawn is being sent to a specific section of the system.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The transmission, sir. It is being sent directly to our present location.”
“That can’t be right. Are you sure they’re not just sending it to one area at a time? They could be doing it to see when we respond, which would narrow down the search.”
“No, sir,” he answered. “The transmission is targeting our exact position. That is, within one hundred kilometers.”
“Shit…” I felt my stomach turn. “The only way they can do that is if they know where we are, but the only way that’s possible is if they can track us, but that would mean…”
And then it hit me, like a bag of shit from the sky. I suddenly knew why, no matter how far we moved, no matter how many tunnels we took, the Union always stayed a step behind us, never slowing down. It all made so much sense that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it before.
“The cloak,” I finally said. “This whole time, they’ve been using our fucking cloak!”
* * *
I had Sigmond remain on standby while I took off through the ship, passing Hitchens and Freddie in the lounge as I ran to the cargo bay. If anyone could tell me what I wanted to know, it would be the two guests we had stowed away in our makeshift cell.
“Open the wall!” I called as I entered the upper level of the bay.
Abigail was still here, rifle in hand. “I already shook them down, but they didn’t have any transmitters.”
“I’m not here for that,” I said, climbing down the stairs. I ran over to the cell wall as it began to slide up.
“Then, what? Did you figure something else out?” she asked.
I pulled out my pistol. “Stand back.”
Alphonse and Docker were inside, their backs against the wall. They cringed when the light from the carbo bay hit them, like a couple of otherworldly fiends. “Is there something we can do for you, Captain?” asked Alphonse, his hand over his eyes.
I raised my pistol and pointed it squarely at Docker’s forehead. “You can tell me how the fuck Brigham is tracking my cloak!” I looked at Alphonse. “Untie this idiot.”
He slowly moved closer to Docker and undid the knot around his mouth.
Docker shook his head, once he could talk. “I-I don’t know anything.”
“Liar,” I said, feeling an itch in my trigger finger. “Tell me the truth or I’ll start firing. You think I give two shits about keeping you alive, Docker? You tried to escape and hurt my crew. If you don’t start giving me information, you’re worthless to me.”
Docker crouched, hiding behind his arms. “I really don’t know! Don’t shoot me, please!”
Alphonse stood there, watching the two of us. “They’re here, aren’t they?” he asked.
“What?” I said.
“The Union,” he explained. “They finally showed up, didn’t they?”
I had to give him credit. He was quick to piece things together. Smarter than Docker, at least. “They have, and the only way any of us survive, yourselves included, is if I figure out how they found us.”
“What makes you think we know?” he asked.
“Maybe you don’t, but something tells me you don’t want to die in this cell.”
He slowly nodded. “All they want is the girl, right? Why not just turn her over? Isn’t that the safer move?”
“Why would I ever consider doing that? You think I’m that heartless?”
He shrugged. “You’re a Renegade, right? Isn’t that part of your job description? You work for money, not people.”
“Being a Renegade isn’t just about money,” I said.
“Oh? Then, what’s it about?”
“Whatever you want it to be, and right now it’s about staying alive and out of a Union prison cell, and protecting the people on this ship. So, one of you had better start telling me exactly how Brigham is tracking me. If it’s really my cloak, then I want to know.”
The ensign stared at me with a strange expression, like he was deciding something. Maybe it was whether or not I’d kill him if he didn’t give me what I wanted to know. Maybe he just wondered if I’d really sacr
ifice my ship just to save a little kid.
“I’m just an ensign,” he finally said. “I don’t know everything, but I’ll tell you what I can. You asked about the cloak and the answer is yes. That’s what they’re using to track you. If you stop using it, they won’t have a beacon to follow anymore.”
“I knew it,” I said, looking back at Docker. “You lied to me, you scrawny little spitfuck.”
“He didn’t know about it,” said Alphonse. “He was telling the truth.”
“It’s true!” said Docker.
“How can an ensign know more than you, Docker? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I’m a command officer,” said Alphonse. “The information is compartmentalized. He doesn’t know because he doesn’t have to.”
I moved my gun over to Alphonse. “In that case, tell me what you know about the cloak, and make it quick.”
“You bought that cloak off a black-market trader, right?”
“Sure,” I said, picturing the recently deceased Fratley.
“And when you purchased it, where did the merchant say they found it?”
“Union territory, but I don’t know the specifics,” I said.
“Well, let me fill in the gaps,” said Alphonse. “Modern cloaking technology was first developed in the Union’s thirty-second research center, also known as T.R.U.S.T.” He looked behind me at Abigail. “Your friend back there knows all about that place. It’s where she stole the girl.”
Abigail walked up beside me. “Watch yourself,” she cautioned.
“Sorry,” he said, sounding genuine. “As I was saying, T.R.U.S.T. developed cloaking technology, and since then, only Union vessels have been allowed to use it. The Sarkonians managed to get their hands on some parts a few decades ago, so they have a handful of ships outfitted with it, but those have all been modified with a custom frequency by the Sarkonian government. Most of them are also outdated, since those people don’t really innovate so much as steal and modify.”
“Get to the point,” I said with my gun still on him.
“This ship, your Renegade Star, is outfitted with a fairly advanced cloak. That should tell you it didn’t come from the Sarkonians.”
“I already know it’s from a Union ship,” I said.
“Good,” he responded. “So, knowing that, what conclusions can you draw?”
I didn’t like this game, him leading me along, and me trying to piece together the clues. I couldn’t deny his subtle pokes, however, as I was now beginning to understand. “You’re saying that because my cloak came from the Union, they can track me.”
“Very good, Captain!” he exclaimed, genuine excitement in his voice. “You’ve figured it out. Yes, the cloak in your possession was once part of a Union ship, as you said, which means it can be tracked. That’s how General Brigham has been following you, ever since you started running.”
“If that’s true, why didn’t the Union come after me before? I’ve been using this cloak for months.”
He chuckled. “What use would there be in that? What would they have to gain?”
“It’s stolen tech. Why wouldn’t they want it back?”
“Captain, there are bigger things at play here than the theft and reacquisition of a single cloak. Had you never adopted the nun and child, I can assure you none of this would have happened.”
“How do I make it so they can’t track us?”
He shrugged. “I’m sorry, but I’m not an engineer. I really don’t know except to suggest you keep from using it.”
“That’s too bad, because I’m not surrendering, which means the only way you survive any of this is if I get away. You’d better think of something if you want to make it out of here alive.”
“As much as I value self-preservation, I’m afraid I really have no idea. Trust me, Captain, I don’t have any loyalty to the Union. I just work for them.”
Something told me that was only half-true. “Cut the shit and tell me who you are?”
“I already did. My name is Alphonse. You know that.”
“I don’t know anything,” I said.
He gave me a thin smile. “You’re certainly right about that, Captain.”
SIXTEEN
“What’s your plan?” asked Abigail, once we had sealed the prisoners away.
I walked swiftly to the stairs. There was little time to waste, now that I had confirmation about the cloak. I’d have to find a way around Brigham’s ship without my ability to hide. It wasn’t going to be an easy escape.
“I’m still working on that,” I said, stopping at the cargo bay entrance. I paused to look at her, and she nearly ran into me. “What are you doing?”
“I’m coming with you, obviously.”
“I don’t have time to entertain you,” I told her. “I need to get to the bridge and think about how—”
“We’ll do it together,” she said, interrupting me. “I’ll help you figure it out, Jace.”
The com in my ear clicked. “Sir, the UFS Galactic Dawn is on the move. What are your orders?”
Had it already been an hour? No, that couldn’t be possible. I’d only been down here for twenty minutes at the most.
I touched my ear. “What do you mean, ‘on the move’? On the move to where?”
“Here, sir,” answered Sigmond. “They’re on a direct course to our location.”
“Guess that confirms they can see us,” I said.
“Then, we need to find a way to avoid them,” said Abigail. “Without the cloak, of course.”
“I don’t know if that’s possible,” I answered.
We ran through the hall and back to the bridge, taking our seats in a hurry. As I buckled my harness, I heard someone yelling from the lounge. “What’s going on?”
It sounded like Hitchens.
“Oh, my goodness. Are we under attack?”
Definitely Hitchens.
“How do we play this one, Jace?” asked Abigail.
The holo showed the Galactic Dawn as it moved in our direction. I only had a few seconds to think my way out of this, and I wouldn’t have a cloak to back me up. I’d relied on it for so long, going without it felt like moving backwards.
“Jace?” repeated Abigail. She grabbed me by the shoulder. “Hey! Are you listening to me?”
I examined the layout of this system and the positions of the two ships—ours and Brigham’s. There was enough space between us to allow for a good run, but it would all come down to the location of the slip tunnel. “Yeah, I hear you,” I said to Abigail. “And I’ve got this shit.”
With a swipe of my finger, I activated the ship’s engines, pulling us away from the moon. I dropped the cloak right as we broke orbit and set our course towards the nearby planet.
“Siggy, where’s the next slip tunnel, not including the one we took to get here?”
“Two million kilometers beyond the farthest planetoid in this system. Shall I chart a course?”
“How long would it take to get there?”
“Approximately ten minutes.”
“Think we got a chance to make it out of this alive?”
“Roughly fifty-two percent, sir.”
I took a breath. I should learn to stop asking him that.
The Galactic Dawn moved toward us, even as we made our way to the other side of the planet. I could sense Abigail’s anxiety building. She was tough, I knew, but one of the flagships of the Union was bearing down on us. Even I felt sick to my stomach.
When the tension was at its thickest, Abigail finally asked, “I really hope you know what you’re doing, Jace, otherwise we’re all dead!”
“Just watch,” I said, nodding towards the giant ball of plasma as we grew closer. “That star is our ticket out of here.”
As The Galactic Dawn continued its pursuit, it came within close orbital distance around the gas giant. I made certain to stay on the exact opposite side at all times, rotating with it.
I pressed the controls forward, sending us to the planet
at a 90-degree angle from where The Galactic Dawn was heading. If you were to look at the planet from the center, it would have appeared like we’d cut down the middle of it, coming up from below, while The Galactic Dawn continued its pursuit from left to right.
That was the great thing about space travel. Every direction was forward, depending on your perspective.
In this case, what appeared to be the bottom of the gas giant to General Brigham was simply another route to freedom for me.
This alone wouldn’t save us, I knew, but it was a fine start.
“The UFS Galactic Dawn is deploying fighters,” announced Sigmond. “I’m estimating over two hundred, heading in our direction.”
As we broke free of the planet’s gravity, I set our course toward the second tunnel. “Why are you going that far out?” asked Abigail when she saw what I was doing. “Why not use the way we came in from?”
“If Brigham followed us here, there’s probably reinforcements waiting on the other side. We need to use another route if we don’t want to die the second we come out of slipspace.”
“How do you know he left reinforcements?” she asked.
“Because,” I continued. “That’s what I would do if I were him.”
The Galactic Dawn’s fighters appeared on the radar, lighting up like a plague of insects. I’d never seen so many in all my life, but I knew it wouldn’t matter. All I had to do was beat them to the slip tunnel.