The Soldier: Escape Vector

by Vaughn Heppner

  That was a problem, all right. Cade didn’t see any way out of it, either. Could he divert the free trader’s attention to something else? It was doubtful, but he had to try.

  “Coad is yours,” Cade said.

  “That’s absurd,” Tarvoke said. “The Eagle-Dukes rule Coad.”

  “Not anymore, as many of the Eagle-Dukes died during the stronghold strikes.”

  “Obviously true,” Tarvoke said. “However, it doesn’t change my need concerning the Intersplit. I want to leave, not contest the planet.”

  “Can flintlocks and dirigibles stand against your space fleet?” Cade asked.

  “Firstly, I’m not sure you heard me. The Intersplit is the thing. Secondly, I don’t have much of a fleet left, as only a few strikers remain. That leaves me with the Cyprian. Oh, you might be interested to know that it also leaves me with many Raptor 5000 missiles. Incidentally, each one is more than capable of destroying your vessel.”

  “How does destroying the Descartes help you gain an Intersplit engine?”

  “In truth, it does not,” Tarvoke said. “However, if I can’t have the engine, no one can. Do you understand my meaning? I refuse to remain a prisoner in the pocket universe any longer.”

  “Cade,” Halifax said sharply.

  The soldier glanced at the doctor. Halifax pointed at the hatch. Cade half turned—

  Velia De Lore stood outlined there. She wore the same gray spaceman garb, although she’d pulled the zipper all the way up. Her eyes were puffy, maybe from a crying jag, and there were still dark hollows under her eyes.

  Velia gave him a weary smile.

  “What’s going on over there?” Tarvoke asked from the comm. “Do I have your attention?”

  Cade cleared his throat as he regarded the captain on the screen.

  “I overheard what he threatened,” Velia said in a throaty voice. “I thought I could help, as I still remember a few things.”

  “Your attention keeps wandering, Cade,” Tarvoke said. “Why is that?”

  Cade turned the screen to show Velia.

  “Oh,” Tarvoke said. “I see.”

  Velia came closer to the screen. “May I?” she asked Cade.

  The soldier thought a second and considered what she’d just said about remembering a few things. Could the Purple Nagan ka have left some memories behind, ones he’d planned to use in her? Given what had happened so far…maybe that wasn’t too farfetched. The soldier indicated the screen.

  Velia brushed back her hair as she bent toward the screen. She smiled at Tarvoke. “I, ah, was supposed to relay a message to you, Captain. I don’t know how I know, but there is a small Rhune base on Coad at these coordinates.”

  Velia gave them.

  “Paugh!” Tarvoke said. “Even were I to believe you, what am I supposed to do with that? So there’s a base? What is that to me?”

  “Send a ship to the coordinates,” Velia suggested. “If you’re there first, you can claim it.”

  “I need an Intersplit engine,” Tarvoke said.

  “I believe there are schematics at the base that will allow you to fabricate such an engine aboard the Cyprian.”

  Tarvoke squinted so his eyes practically disappeared from view. “First, how can you possibly know about a secret base and the schematics?”

  Velia shrugged. “I have no idea how, but I do.”

  Tarvoke grunted, saying, “Secondly, even if true, I would have to verify everything. That means I would have to personally go down and inspect this secret base. In the meantime, do you think I’ll let the Descartes continue for the system’s edge?”

  “Why not?” Velia asked. “As you threatened so eloquently a moment ago, you can always launch Raptor 5000 missiles. They would easily catch and destroy the Descartes.”

  Tarvoke tapped his double chin, nodding shortly. “All reasonable points. But why shouldn’t I destroy the Descartes anyway and be done with it?”

  Velia smiled even more prettily. “I have codes, Captain. If I give Marcus Cade the codes and he activates them, the secret Rhune base will self-destruct.”

  “Easy to say,” Tarvoke remarked with a shrug, “much harder to achieve.”

  “True, true,” Velia said. “Do we have a deal?”

  “What?” Tarvoke asked. “That’s not how you dicker. Make me a better offer. Frankly, I don’t believe you about the codes. The idea is absurd.”

  “No,” Velia said. “The offer is quite sufficient. Take it or leave it.”

  Tarvoke scowled. “Do you agree to that, Cade? Take it or leave it? What if I leave it and destroy your ship?”

  Cade turned the screen so he and the free trader could see each other again. He half-believed Velia about the secret base. Uldin might well have a secret cache of goods for an emergency. The idea of her having destruct codes, though, he didn’t buy that. That meant she was bluffing. Should he back her bluff? How else was the Descartes going to get away?

  “Come now Captain,” Cade said, “the deal seems reasonable. If engine schematics aren’t there, you can always destroy us with the Raptor missiles.”

  “I don’t want to destroy you,” Tarvoke whined. “I want the Intersplit.”

  Cade glanced at Velia. She was staring at the polarized window as if studying the blackness of the pocket universe. If the ka had left some memories, would they remain? How would those ancient memories change her? The soldier regarded Tarvoke again before the free trader became more suspicious.

  “It’s your choice, Captain,” Cade said in a level voice. “It appears you have almost everything you desire.”

  “Is that how you see it?” Tarvoke asked sarcastically. “Tell me, Cade, how do you plan to get back to your space-time continuum?”

  Cade pointed at Velia, hoping she could still reprogram the Nion XT as promised.

  “What does that mean?” Tarvoke asked, maybe unable to see her anymore.

  “I have a way,” Cade said cryptically.

  “Are you afraid to tell me, knowing I’ll immediately launch against your ship?”

  “No. I wish to keep a bargaining chip or two in case I need them later.”

  “Why would you need bargaining chips?” Tarvoke asked suspiciously.

  “That should be obvious. In case Velia was blowing smoke about the coordinates she just gave you.”

  Tarvoke grunted, turned his head, maybe thinking things through, and finally regarded Cade anew. “Why not? Like the harlot says, I can always launch the Raptor 5000s later. Why did you save her, Cade?”

  “I have my reasons,” the soldier said.

  “I’ll bet,” Tarvoke said with a leer. “Don’t go too far from Coad just yet. You and I may have to go over this again, if you know what I mean.”

  Cade did, clicking off the view screen as he swiveled to regard Velia. “How do you know about the secret base?”

  Velia exhaled, and it seemed as if her knees buckled. She stumbled toward a sharp console edge.

  Cade made no move to jump up and help her, suspecting one of her many ploys to try to get him break his oath to Raina.

  Halifax leaped up with a shout, rushing to Velia, catching her and bringing her to an empty seat. As the doctor helped her sit, he stared at Cade.

  Cade drummed his fingers on the sensor console.

  “Thanks for nothing, Cade,” Velia said. “What, do I have the plague that you can’t catch me?”

  “How did you know what you know?” Cade asked.

  “Obviously you know how,” she said. “The Nagan ka inserted the thoughts into my brain. He or it is dead, but some of the thoughts remain. I can feel them fading, though, so I figured I’d better get in here while I could still help. Do you want me to reprogram the Nion XT Navigator or not?”

  “I do,” Cade said.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Halifax said, looking from Cade to Velia. “What’s this about reprogramming my navigator and about a Nagan ka, did you say?”

  Cade gave the doctor a quick rundown on what had been happeni
ng.

  Halifax scowled. “So…some ka thing reprogrammed the Nion the first time when we went to Tarragon Down?”

  “I think so,” Cade said.

  “And that’s why we originally drifted into the Vellani Rift?” Halifax asked. “The Nion XT did the other Nagan’s programmed biding?”

  “That’s my conclusion.”

  “But Velia’s free from this Nagan ka now?” the doctor asked.

  “Yes,” Cade and Velia said at the same time.

  Halifax nodded. “Even supposing Tarvoke agrees with her deal, that still leaves the cyborg mobile base, the double Tarvoke waiting outside the star system and our slipping through the right vortex to get home.”

  “There’s also the possible stealth ship Uldin is using,” Cade said.

  “Uh, what are you talking about?” Halifax asked.

  Cade told them about his suspicions concerning the dud warhead and wavering he’d seen.

  “Great,” Halifax said. “That’s just great. Tell me, when is it going to stop? When are we going to catch a break?”

  “Right now,” Cade said, pointing at Velia. “Let her reprogram the Nion, and we may actually make it back to our space-time continuum—provided we can reach the vortexes.”

  Halifax turned to Velia. “How long will the reprogramming take you?”

  “Two or three hours, I think,” she said.

  “Sure,” Halifax said. “Give it a try. What do we possibly have to lose?”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  From his piloting board, Dr. Halifax watched Cade sidelong.

  The soldier kept glancing at Velia, looking away sharply, and then remorselessly turning again to study her as she hunched over the Nion, typing programming code. Cade turned away yet again, almost as if…

  Halifax nodded. Cade turned away out of guilt. Obviously, the soldier liked what he saw. Who wouldn’t? Velia was stunning. But the soldier had a thing about his wife. Cade was scrupulously faithful to her—or at least, he wanted to be. What did Cade think about when he eyed Velia? Did he concentrate on her perfectly shaped buttocks, the firm thrust of her breasts or the angelic quality of her features?

  Cade stood abruptly. “Call me when she’s finished with the Nion.”

  “Of course,” Halifax said.

  Velia looked up, surprised.

  Cade did not glance at her, but strode from the command quarters into the corridor.

  She glanced at the doctor.

  Halifax smiled.

  After a moment, Velia smiled back. It seemed like an automatic thing. Did he look into her eyes too long? She gave him a calculating study, and her smile widened a trifle.

  “You really understand what you’re doing with the navigator?” Halifax asked.

  The smile faded. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You told Cade the Nagan ka inserted memories into your mind. I’m wondering if you understand what you’re typing, or if you’re coding from rote memory, as it were.”

  “Does it matter?”

  “I should think considerably,” Halifax said. “Do you believe you’ll retain the data after—?”

  “No,” she said, interrupting. “I can feel it slipping away from me even now.”

  “Oh. That’s a pity.”

  “You’re wrong,” Velia said with heat. “I don’t want the disgusting alien memories in my head. You have no idea what it’s like having a foreign presence rummaging in your thoughts. I could feel it studying this, probing that.” She shivered. “Look. I need to finish this before I forget how to do it.”

  “By all means,” Halifax said.

  Velia hunched over the board, touched her kissable lips with a fingertip as if thinking carefully, and then began to code once more.

  The doctor watched her for a few seconds longer. He decided that he loved all of her, the entire package. What a dish. If she was as good in bed as she looked—

  Halifax turned away, his eyes half-lidded as he indulged in erotic imaginations. If he should lock the hatch, stand, stretch and turn to her—

  The doctor grunted, torn from his fantasy as a blip began to blink on the pilot board. He studied the blip, finally stood and went to the sensor scope. He manipulated the scope, soon fixing on the boxlike object of the Free Trader Cyprian.

  There might or might not be a stealth ship out here with them. Even if there was a tiny Rhune stealth ship, Magister Uldin did not automatically have to be one of the passengers. What was the point of conjecture?

  Halifax focused on the giant free trader—giant relative the Descartes. Suppose there was no Rhune stealth ship. That meant the Cyprian was the last real spaceship able to intercept them. Sure, there was the cyborg mobile base hidden behind a temporal field at the gas giant. Did that vessel really count, though? The Cyprian was definitely out there, blocking their way and possessing armaments capable of destroying the scout.

  Halifax used a zoom function, cataloging what he could about the ship. The Cyprian’s hull plating was pitted in areas. That looked like meteor damage to him. Ah. There were welded metal slabs in places like bandages. The Cyprian had taken hits before and been repaired afterward. That looked like quick space repairs, not careful dockyard repairs.

  Halifax became thoughtful.

  What did they know about the vessel? Well, it had fabricators inside, meaning it was like a mobile factory. It had been in space—in the pocket universe—for a long time, years. No doubt, the crew was sick of service. Could they use that against Tarvoke? They could if they learned more about the crew and captain. Was Tarvoke the kind of man to let competitors go free if they no longer had an advantage over him? Suppose the captain got what he wanted on the planet. Suppose he cleaned out the secret Rhune cache. Might Tarvoke launch Raptor 5000s at them on general principle?

  Halifax made a face. Tarvoke had shown too much guile to be trustable now.

  With a sigh, the doctor sat up, glancing at Velia. What a body. If Cade didn’t want her, he should make a play for her. Did she only like the musclebound types, or did she appreciate a man with brains?

  She straightened from her task and turned toward him. “Must you leer so openly? It’s quite rude, you know?”

  He raised his hands palm upward. “I appreciate beauty. What can I say?”

  “That you’re a horny old man.”

  “Old? I’m not old. I’m lonely, though. I’m sure you can understand that.”

  “You’d better not let Cade catch you staring at me like that.”

  Halifax laughed. “Cade will never touch you.”

  She raised her chin as if he’d insulted her.

  “I, on the other hand, will allow you to persuade me to chase you,” Halifax said.

  Velia nodded. “My first assessment about you is right. You’re a satyr, a little goat-man.”

  “Here now, there’s no need to be insulting.”

  “I’m just stating facts,” Velia said. “But I really should get this programming done before I forget how. Unless, of course, you want to remain in the pocket universe for the rest of your life.” She smiled. “Such a prospect actually sounds good to me.”

  “Because you’ll have longer to work on Cade?” he asked.

  She smiled even more sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

  Halifax turned away because a lump formed in his throat. She was unbearably sensual. He really, really wanted her. How in the hell did Cade summon the fortitude to resist her allure anyway?

  He went back to studying the Cyprian in the sensor scope, watching it begin acceleration. He adjusted some dials, taking readings on the exhaust. That was nuclear fusion with deuterium fuel. If Tarvoke was from a different space-time continuum, he didn’t have a better space drive. In fact, it seemed much the same as their own, oddly so. Did that mean anything significant?

  Halifax muttered under his breath. He had no way of knowing.

  Getting up, returning to the piloting board, Halifax plotted a course that would take the Descartes away from th
e Cyprian’s path—if the free trader headed directly for Coad. Once plotted, he engaged more thrust, building up velocity, hoping Captain Tarvoke would find the secret cache, find its contents rewarding and be willing to accept that as payment for leaving them alone.

  Halifax sighed loudly.

  “What is it now?” Velia asked, straightening once more.

  “The waiting,” he said. “I hate the waiting. It will be hours before we know if we win or lose the whole shebang.”

  “Waiting is hard,” Velia agreed, before returning to her reprogramming of the Nion XT.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Cade stared up at the ceiling of his tiny quarters as he lay on the cot. His feet were bare as he wriggled his toes.

  Deep exhaustion seeped through him and as nervous tension continued to drain from him. He had been fighting, thinking, risking for hours. Now, they were off Coad. They had the Descartes and there was a real chance of trying for home, for their space-time continuum. The last twist of fate—the Purple Nagan ka—had nearly defeated them. And yet, with the ka’s defeat, Halifax and he had the means to get home. No. That wasn’t exactly correct. They could escape the pocket universe. But could they choose the right path in order to get home again? The Nagan ka through Velia would allow them to make the correct choice.

  Cade exhaled, closing his eyes. The exhaustion from the last few hours was claiming him, driving him toward sleep. As his breathing evened out, he thought about Velia, about her bare breasts and the possibility of stripping her and taking her to bed. He could make love to her…

  “No,” he whispered, as the exhaustion drove him down, down. “I love my wife.”

  Those were his last words as he drifted to sleep and soon began to dream. They were formless at first and then images like cubes, triangles and glowing pentagons appeared and faded away. It seemed then that his body, or rather his spirit, drifted in an alien realm. Did he plunge into the past of a thousand years gone?

  His spirit seemed to hover over the rim of a dark planet and realized he was in an observatory of a dropship. Battle Unit 175 would drop from orbit onto cyborg-held territory. In the dream, Cade was aware of standing alone in the observatory. His mates were getting drunk, for tomorrow they would drop. He should be getting drunk with them, but he—