Living in Freefall (Living on the Run Book 1)

by Ben Patterson

  “Release her!” Torrington yelled.

  The guard hesitated. “Sorry, sir. I have my orders. Hammond will not succumb to a terrorist’s demands.”

  Riley sighed deeply. “Oh well,” he said under his breath, and tabbed his controls. There was a sudden, bright flash and everyone outside Viper dropped where he stood, including Ericca.

  Now lying on her back Ericca opened her eyes to Archer’s serious face.

  Her skin tingled, her muscles wouldn’t obey.

  He knelt and, as carefully as he could, lifted her from the floor. “It’s okay, sis. I have you.” He turned and carried her back to Viper.

  Torrington, still pinned under the ship’s bow, with his eyes closed, lay motionless.

  Archer paused only to spit in the man’s face. “How you like them apples, jerk?”

  “Wha . . . what happened? Did I get shot?” Ericca said groggily.

  “Yes, I’m afraid so.” Archer eased Ericca into Viper’s front seat.

  “Thass nice,” she said as her eyes closed.

  Riley climbed into the back seat, lifted the ship off Torrington, then turned Viper and headed back the way he’d come. As he rounded a corner he found his way blocked. Guards had set up a light cannon in the hallway.

  “Stand down, Archer,” one man shouted through a megaphone.

  “I’m not going to play,” Riley replied. “Not anymore. Things will go a lot easier for you if you’ll just step out of my way.”

  The cannon fired. Viper’s shields flared with each shot but held solid.

  “If she can handle a big ship’s guns,” Riley shouted, “what is you little land cannon going to do? Nothing! Now stand down!”

  They fired again.

  “Fine!” Riley spat. In the next moment, under Viper’s guns the opposing cannon exploded. The men standing beside it vaporized. Through the smoke and flames Riley pressed Viper forward, entered the control room, and moved into the landing bay. Using his guns he tore a hole through the bay doors and sped out into space. Turning, he lined up on Noble Sun.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Grinding his teeth, Fulvus went to his office and slumped in his chair.

  A moment later the door chimed.

  Fulvus took a calming breath. “Come!”

  The door hissed open. Cdr. Johnston stepped into the room and the door closed behind him. “Your orders, sir?”

  Fulvus scowled, and spun his chair to face the window. Pushing to his feet he peered out the wall of glass at the insanely massive asteroid field. There seemed no end to it.

  Johnston stepped to his side and stared out into the darkness, watching the stars perhaps, or perhaps the asteroids as they tumbled and bumped into and off one another.

  If not for the commander’s company, Fulvus would have felt alone, too damned alone. But he dared not show it.

  “Cold,” Johnston said at long last. “Cold and lifeless. Who in his right mind would choose such a place to live?”

  “Yes,” Fulvus said, “even when there is no chill it makes a man shiver.”

  “Saigus does indeed do that, Admiral. Its slow, tumbling asteroids remind me of my childhood.”

  Fulvus shot an irritated at him look but said nothing.

  “Reminds me of a time when, on a bet, I had to walk slowly passed a certain graveyard at night.”

  “Slowly tumbling tombstones, Commander?”

  “Actually, I was thinking about the feelings it gave me. I remember the stories told back then of people who went in, never again to be seen.”

  The corners of Fulvus’s mouth rose a little. “Really?” He chuckled derisively.

  “I was a kid. Back then I didn’t get it. Funny though, even today recollections of that night send shivers through me.”

  Annoyed, Fulvus took a breath, but decided to see where Johnston was taking this. “Did you win that bet?”

  “Almost, until I heard a twig snap. Then I never ran so fast before or since.”

  Amused, his frustration vanished. He looked at his First officer. “Your point, Commander?”

  “This is like that. In went our Talons. Now, like that graveyard, Saigus has swallowed them up ship and man alike.”

  “When I took this assignment, I believed there wasn’t a place I couldn’t go to get at that ghost ship . But look out there. That damnable asteroid field goes on forever. This is Confederation space, but Saigus has never been ours, not really. We could call every Confed fleet here, and it would promise us nothing but grief.”

  Like that scared little boy Johnston had just described, Fulvus felt his heart pound in his throat. He swallowed. It sounded loud in his ears, loud enough for Johnston to hear. But Johnston didn’t seem to notice.

  “Giving up. Sir?”

  “Gods no.”

  “Sir, should I launch the second Talon squadron only to lose them to the asteroids as well?”

  “I have no desire to throw good weapons after bad, Commander. But I think I have an idea. What if we keep the Talons just one pace ahead of my bigger ships, not the big ones mind you, but the small cruisers—Gorgan and the like—to keep them under a watchful eye?”

  “I don’t know, sir. What’s to prevent our prey from escaping out the other side if it is indeed still in there?”

  Fulvus touched the windows edge and a schematic appeared holographically within the glass. He tabbed several icons in sequence, and a small target blip appeared. “As you can see, Commander, the beacon’s signal still emanates from the heart of this rock nightmare. She’ll be in there alright.”

  “Yes, sir, but what does it matter now? Saigus does provide the Ghost with ample protection. Trying to fish it out could tie us up for months.”

  Fulvus sighed. “We don’t have months,” he said, no longer sure he could stomach going in after it. But to accept defeat? He didn’t believe he could stomach that either. He took and released another breath. It sounded nervous and shaky, and he found himself swallowing again.

  This time Johnston looked his way. “Don’t want to lose more men, sir?”

  “Damn. I wasn’t even thinking about that.”

  “What were you thinking about, sir?”

  “To bring home this prize will gain me admittance into the PM’s inner circle, Mr. Johnston. And with that comes unparalleled prestige and wealth. I don’t even want to think about what failure will do me.” He chin jutted toward the asteroids. “It’s in there. Getting it at all costs was my original goal. Now it just sounds callous.”

  “Nothing wrong with aspiring to better yourself, sir. But isn’t there another way?”

  Still feeling his heart pound in his throat and thrum in his eardrums, Fulvus turned from the star field and plopped unceremoniously into his chair.

  “To come into the Parandi Spaceport with the phantom in tow, Mr. Johnston. That would be something, wouldn’t it? You could be a part of that. Share in the victory.”

  “That would give you a chance at a senate seat. But to do this, to bring in this troublesome nightmare, you’ll have to split your force. I’m pretty certain that’s not wise.”

  Fulvus ran a hand down his tired face. “What if I send my larger ships around the asteroid field to cut off any escape? I could then send in my remaining Talons, followed closely by his lesser Battle cruisers. They could cut straight through Saigus’s center to where the homing-beacon awaits.”

  Apprehensive, he messaged his brow to drive away a growing headache. Nothing but the end of this pursuit would sooth his tensing nerves.

  Uneasy, Fulvus shifted his weight in his chair.

  “And the Homanju and Rutledge?”

  “Certainly everyone can see that his flagship and the carrier are too cumbersome to be of aid in either action, Johnston. The two large ships will have to remain where they are. To be safe, though, the four Kodiaks will have to stay behind to protect the large ships.”

  Johnston didn’t look convinced.

  “Yes,” Fulvus said, “that just might work.”


  “You sound settled on this idea, sir?”

  He turned to Cdr. Johnston. “Take it to the bridge.”

  Certainly the tales of the old ship being a Ghost were just myths, weren’t they? Perhaps he could sell that as the truth to the Prime Minister (PM). Perhaps not. To face this unknown was bad, but it would be worse to return to the PM empty-handed. It would have been better to remain anonymous than to, after this, fall into the Prime Minister’s disfavor.

  Despite his attempt to shove such thoughts aside, he felt himself die inside and whither a little.

  On top of all that, if he chose to return empty-handed, how would he explain the damage already done to some of his ships? None of this was working out like he had planned. Nothing for it now. It was too late to tell his First officer he’d changed his mind. He was committed. His fleet was committed. And if he managed somehow to survive this, he’d have himself committed. This little adventure thing was just beginning. And already his nerves were shot.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Under heavy fire Riley dodged and worked his way to the Noble Sun. He was determined to make Hammond pay for his betrayal and pay dearly.

  Ericca roused and shook herself. “What happened?”

  “I stunned everyone in the hallway. It was the only way to save you.”

  Ericca rolled her head and pushed herself upright and straightened in her seat to look around. “Thanks, little brother. What are you doing now?”

  “I’m going to the Noble Sun to kick Hammond’s butt. Threaten you, will he. I’ll show him.”

  Ericca looked around as the hail of fire coming at them intensified. Abruptly the weapons stopped firing. Viper had entered the safe zone. They were now too close to Noble Sun for it or the other ships to hit without tearing into the big ship as well.

  Skimming mere feet above the big ship’s deck Riley made his way to the conning tower.

  “Don’t do this, Archer.”

  “No? Why not?”

  “They’re going to join Kori and French to fight the Confeds. They’ll pound each other. Just let that happen.”

  “Yes, well, I still want to make a point. Let me at least do that.”

  “Exactly, what do you intend?”

  “No time to go into that now, sis. Just trust me.”

  Uncertain, Ericca took a breath. “Fine. Just be careful.”

  Reaching the conning tower Riley followed it up to the ship’s bridge. Then, before using his turret cannons to open a hole in the bulkhead, he reached out and attached a small shield emitter like the one they’d used to get into the Rutherford. It would be enough to contain the internal air and keep it from rushing out when he blew the bulkhead open. The only person on the bridge needing to be punished was the dillhole in charge. He turned his guns and fired. The new hole went straight into Noble Sun’s bridge. Riley eased Viper through it. Facing a defiant Hammond who glared at him from his command chair Riley spoke through his external speakers. “Apologize.”

  “Go to the devil, boy!”

  “You first, fasech.” Riley calibrated one gun, aimed, and fired. The charged micro-particle ripped through Hammond’s shoulder. The man jerked and slumped. “Now, apologize. I’ll not ask again.”

  Clutching his shoulder which had been torn open, Hammond glowered at Riley and defiantly shook his head slowly.

  “Hammond, if ever our paths cross again, I will kill you.”

  Easing Viper out the way he’d come, Riley cleared the ship and headed away. “Coredei?”

  Ericca nodded. “All you wanted was an apology?”

  “That’s all I wanted, and the man was too stupid to give it. I let him off easy. I should have wrecked his other shoulder too.”

  Ericca sighed. “Coredei sounds good. Let’s do it.”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  After he saw Fulvus, Cdr. Johnston gnashed his teeth and took a seat in the command chair. He had his orders, however moronic those orders might be. That it was he who had to deliver those orders to the squadron command to implement rubbed raw his last nerve. The admiral’s scheme, hatched out of ignorance, would insure they lost men. But what was he to do? Disobedience would mean a long walk out of a short airlock.

  The asteroid field was huge. Sending the larger ships around it would separate them from each other and leave each vulnerable to attack. No one knew what really awaited them in the asteroid field itself. If it were a pirate’s lair then this inane plan could cost them several ships. A vessel under attack might need more time than could be given before it received any aid from the others.

  Damned Fulvus and his harebrained ideas.

  Johnson watched the huge Battle cruisers move away to circumnavigate the asteroid field. He would have to let them gain some distance before he sent the others, the smaller cruisers, into Saigus itself.

  Political appointees like Fulvus would be the death of the Confederacy, thought Johnston. Of the sixteen Confed fleets, only two were commanded by military men, and neither were even remotely close to this sector to lend aid if needed. Capable men, military men, usually didn’t schmoose well, and that kept them off Fleet Command’s short list. Fulvus had the connections. He just didn’t have the real knowhow. And it showed.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Buck watched from a distance as the enemy fleet split up and moved off. As Jordon foretold the admiral’s greed made him predictable. Greed enticed whoever led that fleet to take risks a clear thinking man simply would not. So far the operation worked as planned. Soon Buck would spring the trap and, in one fell swoop, cut off the first head of this vile hydra. By his own hand this fleet’s leader had separated himself from the safety of numbers—and hope.

  After the larger ships had moved off some distance the Talons launched and formed up as a broad net to insure no escape for the mythical vessel. They moved ahead slowly to allow the light cruisers to stay with them.

  But it’s a small thing to hide even a Galleass amongst the massive asteroids in a field as large as this. Buck chose such ships as he had because, unlike the large Confederation cruisers, his vessels could go from cold engines to running full bore in a matter of moments. If the Confederation ships scanned ahead for engine signatures they would find none and make the false assumption that there were no pirates or the like near at hand. Buck and his captains had all night long to fasten their vessels to choice asteroids and let the engines grow cold. And in all these years of the hunt the Confederation had never discovered this trick nor assumed it was even possible.

  But as went the engines so went the synthetic gravity. Everyone was belted into his seat, and every loose item was stowed or tied down. If a misplaced tool should inadvertently float into a bulkhead now, it could spell disaster. That little bit of noise, if detected, could give them away.

  The wave of Talons soon passed Buck’s well-hidden ship. Next came the light and medium cruisers. As they eased by, Buck’s spotter gasped and turned from the window. “Captain, you should see this.”

  “What is it, Saunders?” In the utter darkness, Buck made no attempt to move to the man’s side.

  “The Protius, sir. It’s already seen battle. Looks like several guns were blown off, and it has scorch marks all over it. I wonder what did that.” The spotter turned away, to peer back out. “And the Gorgon, sir. It has similar damage. Looks like they faced something pretty fierce.”

  Buck smiled at that. So, the mighty were vulnerable after all. “There was nothing in Ericca’s report about damaged ships. I wonder why she left that out. Perhaps, between there and here, they scuffled with pirates.”

  “But, sir, to lose guns? That doesn’t seem likely.”

  The larger ships passed by, and like clockwork, the rebel’s plan unfolded before them. It was now time to strike. The rebels cut the tethers that bound each ship to its asteroid, fired up their engines, and headed in force out of Saigus toward their desired prey, the flagship and the carrier.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  On the bridge of the HMS Hom
anju, wide eyed, Cdr. Johnston reeled and hit the ship to ship com-button. “All ships return to flagship! All ships return to flagship!”

  “Sorry, sir,” JD said. “It’s dead. Our signal is scrambled.”

  He hit another button. “Fulvus to the bridge.”

  The admiral stepped from his office onto the bridge. On the huge screen, a tactical display showed multiple blips heading toward them. “What am I looking at, Commander?”

  “The rebel fleet, sir,” Johnston said. “They’re massing to strike.”

  It took a moment to register, but when reality hit him, Fulvus stumbled back and slumped into a random chair. His mind raced for answers and options. Sure, the Kodiaks could engage them but such numbers would overcome even those beasts.

  The helmsman turned to him abruptly, “Sir! They have two Xebecs with them. What do we do?”

  Undisciplined, Fulvus panicked and began to spout orders that made little military sense. “Full reverse!” he said. “Order the Rutledge to block them!”

  “Belay that!” shouted Commander Johnston. “Homanju is a battle cruiser well capable of putting up a fight. And so we must! Sir, if we run, if we leave the added safety of the carrier, we’ll insure our doom.”

  Fulvus’s jaw dropped, and the blood drained from his face.

  Every trained military man here knew that if they were set upon while alone, they’d be overtaken in a matter of moments. The massive ship was cumbersome and slow to accelerate. Survival dictated they stay with the carrier and combine their efforts with it. In doing so they had a better chance of holding out until help arrived.

  “Target the Xebecs,” Johnston ordered. “Bring the guns to bear! JD, continue your efforts to contact the Talons. Order them back at once. And order the Rutledge to cover our rear. Helm, move us into position to cover theirs.”

  The bridge crew moved quickly, grateful a real officer was now in command.

  Fulvus jumped to his feet, grabbed Johnston, and shoved him hard. “No!” he growled. “We got to get out of here!”