The Renegade Star Series: Books 1-3 (Renegade Star Box Set)

by JN Chaney

  I glanced at the stick, then shook my head. “I’ll take a pistol over whatever that is any day of the week.”

  “Your loss,” said Abigail.

  “Once we have Titan at full capacity, I assure you our armaments will be greatly improved,” said Athena. “That is only one of many reasons we must retrieve the tritium core.”

  “I think we can handle it,” said Abigail, turning off the electric charge and compressing the stick to its normal size. “Don’t you agree, Jace?”

  “You’re asking me if I think we can pull of a heist?” I asked, giving her a sly grin. “Don’t worry, ladies. I was born with a lockpick in my hand. That core is as good as ours.”

  * * *

  I took an elevator to get back to the deck where my ship was waiting. As soon as the doors opened, I heard someone laughing from down the hall.

  It was Lex, chasing Bolin’s daughter, Camilla. “Can’t catch me!” shouted the older girl. She laughed as Lex trailed behind her.

  Lex giggled as the two came towards me, almost plowing straight into my hip, when I managed to step aside. “Whoa there!” I said.

  Lex stopped, huffing and puffing, out of breath. “Sorry, Mr. Hughes!”

  “You kids having fun out here?” I asked.

  “We’re exploring,” said Lex.

  I looked at Camilla. “That right?”

  The older girl nodded. “Lex can get us into all the rooms, so we decided to see what else we could find.”

  “That’s fine, but make sure you don’t leave this deck,” I said. “We still haven’t explored the upper floors or anything. I can’t have either of you accidentally wandering into an airlock.”

  They both looked at each other. “An airlock?!” said Camilla, suddenly terrified.

  “Yep, you better be careful. There’s places around here that are sealed for a reason.”

  Lex gulped. “Really?”

  “Yeah, but don’t worry, kid. Just stick to this deck and be careful. Camilla will look after you,” I said, looking at the other girl. “Right?”

  Camilla ran up and took Lex’s hand. “Right. I won’t let anything happen to you, Lex. I promise.”

  Lex smiled.

  I watched the two of them run back into the hall and take the next turn, heading toward the cafeteria. Crisis averted, I thought. The last thing anyone needed was for those two to get themselves lost, not that I expected that to happen with Athena around.

  But still, I’d only been here for three days. It was hardly enough time to explore every nook and cranny.

  For all I knew, Lex’s tattoos might lead her to a bomb with enough firepower to wipe out a small planet. Who knew what sort of crazy shit this moon had hiding on it?

  Regardless, I had my work cut out for me tomorrow. If I expected to be at my peak, I’d need a few drinks and a hard sleep.

  Time to get to it.

  SIX

  Someday you’re gonna learn, Jacey…what it means to be a man, I heard a voice say. Someday, you’re gonna know…what it feels like to be me…

  My eyes snapped open, and it took me a moment to realize where I was, here in my bed. I wiped my arm against my forehead and cheek, trying to clear the sweat off. “Fuck,” I muttered, licking my chapped lips and swallowing.

  I sat up, foggy-headed, feeling like I was hung over. I glanced at the table and saw a half-empty bottle of whiskey.

  Guess that explains it, I thought.

  “Good morning, sir,” said Sigmond. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  “What’s the status of Titan right now?” I asked.

  “Athena has informed me that we are nearly at our destination,” explained the A.I. “We should arrive in under two hours.”

  I contemplated going back to sleep to try and get rid of this hangover, but decided against it. Instead, I went for my cabinet and grabbed one of my remaining pills. Polynex, used for headaches and dehydration. I took it with two glasses of water.

  The meds took effect when I was halfway through my shower. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest.

  By the time I was dressed, I felt completely reenergized.

  “Siggy, tell Octavia to meet me at Alphonse’s cell.”

  “Understood, sir,” said Sigmond.

  I grabbed a protein bar from the cabinet and scarfed it down in record time, following it up with a swig from my water jug. That would tide me over for a while. My time as a Renegade had taught me never to eat too much before or after a job. Your nerves can’t handle it, and the last thing you want when you’re deep in the shit is to lose your lunch.

  That was the thing about this line of work. When the adrenaline kicked in, you had to be ready for it, and having a routine was good for that.

  I moved quickly through the landing bay and into the hall, rounding the corner to the elevator. It took me straight up to the deck we had stashed Alphonse.

  To my surprise, Octavia was already there waiting for me. “Took your time, didn’t you?” she asked, a second after the elevator doors opened.

  I stared at her for a second, wondering how someone in a wheelchair could move so fast. “Mind your business, lady.”

  “Are you ready to handle this?” she asked, ignoring my statement.

  I walked forward, stopping beside her, just before Alphonse’s door. “I’m always ready,” I said, glancing down.

  “If he tries anything,..”

  “I’ll kill him,” I said.

  She nodded. “Only if he misbehaves.”

  “We’ll see,” I said, winking.

  Alphonse was standing beside his bed when I entered, his shirt off and Athena’s hand inside of his stomach.

  “Uh,” I muttered, looking at them both. “What in the holy fuck did I just walk in on?”

  Athena pulled her hand back, removing it from the Constable’s abdomen. “Apologies,” she said. “I was placing the device.”

  “The bomb,” he said, matter-of-factly.

  “It went well, I take it?” I asked.

  Alphonse looked at Athena. “I’m not sure. Did it?”

  “It was as you requested, Captain Hughes,” said Athena.

  “Good,” I said. “If you try anything between now and when we’re back in this room, we’ll blow your ass to bits. You hear what I’m telling you?”

  “I do,” he said.

  I holstered my pistol, but kept my eye on him as we moved into the hall. Octavia sat in her chair, still in the same position. “Constable,” she said, tipping her head to him.

  “Ms. Brie,” he said, returning the nod.

  “You two behave yourselves,” she said.

  I flicked my finger up in the shape of a pistol as I passed. “Enjoy sitting around.”

  “Funny,” she said, right as we walked into the elevator.

  The doors closed as she shot me a thin smile.

  Alphonse leaned against the wall as we rode the lift to the lower deck where my ship waited. “I hope you have a plan to conceal your identity when we—”

  “Don’t worry about me,” I said, giving him a look. “Just don’t fuck any of this up.”

  “If I do, we’re both dead,” he said, then placed his hand on his stomach. “Me, more than you, probably.”

  He didn’t seem to be scared or excited, only calm and collected, the way I imagined a Constable would be. Alphonse, for all the distrust I had of him, was definitely something else.

  We arrived in the bay and made our way into my ship. Abigail was already inside, holding her rifle and sitting on the couch. “It’s about time,” she said when she saw me, immediately getting to her feet.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting,” said Alphonse.

  “Don’t apologize to the nun,” I said. “Siggy, prep the engines. Alphonse, take a seat.”

  “Understood, sir,” responded Sigmond.

  “Should we expect any trouble from you?” Abigail asked, staring at the Constable.

  “Don’t worry about him,” I said. “Come with
me to the cockpit, Abby.”

  “You’re going to leave him out here alone?” she asked.

  “What’s he going to do?” I asked. “If he doesn’t follow orders, he’ll explode.”

  “And I really don’t want to explode,” said Alphonse.

  “See? Now, let’s go,” I said, grabbing her hand.

  She followed me to the front of the ship, and I closed the door behind us. “What’s wrong?” she asked, leaning in close, like she expected me to tell her some big secret.

  I shrugged and flopped down in my chair. “Nothing,” I answered, then reached beneath the console and pulled out a bottle of whiskey, along with two glasses. “I just wanted to have a drink.”

  “A drink? Are you seriously going to—”

  “I have one before every job. It’s part of how I operate. You gonna lecture me or join?”

  “Don’t you think it’s a bad idea to do that before an operation?”

  “That’s your problem, Abby,” I said, pouring a small shot’s worth of liquor into both glasses. “You’re calling this an operation. You’re too uptight.”

  I offered up the cup to her and she stared at it. “Fine,” she said, after a short moment. “But only one.”

  I grinned. “That’s a good nun.”

  “I told you to stop calling me a nun,” she said, glaring a little.

  We clinked the glasses together, and I raised mine in the air. “Here’s to…” I paused, trying to think of something.

  “To us,” she said, holding her own glass up.

  I smiled. “A couple of fools inside a ship inside a moon inside a slip tunnel.”

  We touched our cups together, then shot the drinks back. It burned, but we didn’t complain.

  “Another?” I asked.

  She fanned her hand. “Not now. Later, once we’re done.”

  I nodded, setting down the empty glass. “Once we’re done.”

  * * *

  Titan left the tunnel and entered the Navi system. It was largely empty, just inside Union territory. From here, we’d take The Renegade Star and hop through another tunnel to reach Priscilla.

  Titan, meanwhile, would create a new tunnel to Priscilla, staying inside until a certain amount of time had passed. At that point, the moon would emerge, pick us up, and get the fuck out of there before the entire goddamn Union fleet arrived.

  Athena had suggested I load my ship with some specialized proximity mines. I had rejected them at first, since I had no experience using them, after some insistence on her part, I decided to go along with it.

  After the old mines had been swapped with the new ones, I decided to relax in my ship until it was time to go.

  “We all set?” I asked, sitting in the cockpit, prepped to depart.

  Abigail was beside me, suited up in plated armor, blonde hair in a ponytail, and a rifle at her side. She looked like a warrior woman, built to kill.

  I had to admit, I liked it.

  “Renegade Star, you are clear for departure,” said Athena, over my com.

  “There’s your answer,” said Abby, motioning with her hand.

  “If you’re ready, I’m ready,” I said.

  “One question. How do we know when and where to meet Titan, once we’re away from the planet?” Abigail asked.

  “Sigmond has the info,” I said, gripping the controls. I felt the engine ignite, lifting us off the deck. The ship vibrated for a moment, until the stabilizers kicked in.

  “That is correct,” said Siggy. “Athena’s arrival at Priscilla should occur approximately two hours after we land on the planet. You will need to be back aboard this vessel several minutes before that time.”

  “Two hours to steal the core?” asked Abigail. “Is that enough time?”

  “It has to be,” I said, pushing the control stick and bringing the ship out of the deck. “Titan doesn’t have the energy reserves to stay in slipspace for long. That’s what Athena tells me, anyway.”

  “That is correct,” confirmed Athena. “It is essential that you deliver the tritium core before my fuel reserves are depleted.”

  “No pressure,” I told Abby.

  The Renegade Star pushed out of Titan’s landing bay and into open space. A few moments later, Titan let out a large beam, splitting open a tear in space, creating a new slip tunnel.

  We entered first, with the moon-sized megastructure following closely behind.

  * * *

  It only took ten minutes to reach the other end of the tunnel. We were alone when we emerged. Despite knowing what would happen, I was still surprised that Titan didn’t follow. Despite Athena telling me it wouldn’t, I had never witnessed a ship enter slipspace, but not emerge. Whatever Titan was made of, whatever technology its ancient engineers had used to create it, there could be no argument that it was a marvel.

  “We have arrived at our destination,” said Sigmond. “Proceeding to Priscilla.”

  “Aside from what we’re after, do you think this facility has anything else worth taking?” asked Abigail.

  “I’ve been wondering about that, too,” I admitted. “We won’t know until we’re inside. Our job is to steal the core, but maybe we’ll get lucky and bag ourselves a second prize.”

  “I’ll keep my fingers crossed for something nice,” she said, giving me a wink.

  The gesture took me by surprise. Was she flirting with me? Was she joking? I shook it off and buried the question. Get your head in the game, Jace.

  The holo lit up on the console, showing the planet and our route. The landing site was close to the coast of the largest continent, maybe twenty kilometers away from the sea. We’d be landing there in under five minutes.

  “Right,” she said, leaning closer to the floating planet on the dash.

  “That’s not to say we can’t steal a few extras while we’re there,” I added with a smirk. I thumbed the Foxy Stardust bobblehead. “You never know what you’ll find when you go thieving.”

  We entered the planet’s orbit, positioning ourselves to land. The process wouldn’t take long. Maybe eight minutes.

  As we proceeded toward the facility, a voice came over the com. “Incoming vessel, please identify yourself.”

  I tabbed the console, opening the line. “This is Constable Alphonse Malloy, requesting permission to land.”

  “C-Constable, did you say?” asked the person on the other end.

  “That’s right,” I answered. “I’m here to perform a surprise inspection. My authorization code is 66192-883.”

  A short pause.

  “Authorization code accepted. Welcome to Priscilla, sir.”

  I smiled, right as we broke through the clouds, then turned the com off and looked at Abigail. “Ready to be someone else?”

  She picked up her rifle, then slapped her shield onto her shoulder. With a soft click, a blue glow appeared around her, quickly transforming her face and body. “Ready,” she confirmed.

  I followed suit, activating my shield right as The Renegade Star set down on the landing pad. I glanced at the reflective glass to my left side, spotting my silver hair in the display. “Okay,” I said, glancing back at Abby. “Let’s go steal us a power core.”

  SEVEN

  Four men with guns met us at the landing pad, each dressed in a Union military uniform. Behind them, a woman with glasses walked with a serious expression. She had short, black hair and a slender frame. If it hadn’t been for the scowl, I might’ve found her attractive.

  Okay, even with the scowl.

  “Welcome to Priscilla,” said the woman in a thick accent I didn’t recognize. “My name is Doctor Dressler. I’ve been informed that you’re here to perform an inspection. Is that right?”

  “It is,” said Alphonse, giving her a pleasant smile. “I apologize for our impromptu arrival, but my superiors wanted a confirmation assessment on the property.”

  Dressler looked at her pad, then at each of us. “May I ask,” she went on. “Who are your associates? They don’t appear in ou
r registry.”

  “Constables,” said Alphonse, flatly. “Their identities are masked, due to their recent assignments.” He gestured to me, then to Abby. “I take responsibility for both of them. That is all you need to know.”

  “Be that as it may, I will have to ask that they relinquish their weapons until the end of the inspection. It’s a matter of protocol.”

  Alphonse looked at me, and I gave him a slight nod. “Very well,” said the Constable.

  Both Abigail and I gave up our two primary weapons, but didn’t mention anything about the pistols we received from Titan, which remained concealed beneath our clothes.

  “Shall we proceed with the inspection?” asked Alphonse. “I have other matters to attend to and would prefer to keep this brief.”

  “Brief?” asked Dressler.

  “I don’t expect to uncover anything unusual. Your facility is one of the best, doctor.”

  “Thank you,” she said, nodding. “Please, follow me. I’ll be happy to show you the grounds.”

  Alphonse started walking and both Abigail and I quickly followed. The Union soldiers remained behind us, trailing until we entered the front of the main building. They didn’t join us, which suggested we were in the clear.