Ajax_Rebirth

by Gavin Magson

  “What's the matter?” he asked, stepping back to give her space.

  “It just seems that lately you are out the door once we have had sex, and that you never stick around with me.”

  “Honestly, I want nothing more than to lay next to you forever. This past month has been fantastic, I've had more fun with you than any other time in my entire life. I don't want to leave you, but it is my job to run this sector. Do you think that you can forgive me?”

  She let him kiss her, though still with a few over-dramatic protests. Henry slapped her playfully on the rump and Ilya mocked outraged as he headed for the bedroom door.

  “I'll see you when I'm back, don't get bored without me.” he said.

  “You'd better go now, before I change my mind. I'll miss you,” and she truly meant it.

  “Have you had any luck powering it up yet, Greg?” asked Duke, craning over the kneeling figure to get a better look at the camouflage system.

  Greg put down the strange tool he held delicately and turned around to look up at his captain.

  “No joy so far, captain. I've tried nearly every power source we can get our hands on. I even tried using the ships power supply, I'd set it to hover and turned on the system,” he pointed at the bandage wrapped around his head, “damn thing just cut out and crashed to the ground. If the ship can't produce enough power for this thing I don't know what will. The mining tug could power it but that is exponentially larger than this.” Greg gestured at the small ship they stood inside.

  The wiring had been pulled out of several panels in an effort to get it back up and running, leaving perilous hazards of entanglement wherever he turned. Duke thought that it appeared to be worse than when Aiko had brought them the salvaged ship. Admittedly he had been impressed by the monstrous hover towing a trailer that had pulled up outside the building. When the tarpaulin had been uncovered the sight of a battered military transporter was far beyond what he expected.

  Duke could tell his navigations officer was tired, dark rings had formed under the man's eyes and his movements had been sluggish for days. Greg had spent every waking moment getting the ship up and running again. It was no small feat considering the state it had been in; Duke half suspected he had missed several days sleep already. Unfortunately there had not been much progress to report as of yet.

  On the outside was just some cosmetic wear from decades of service, inside most of the electronics had burnt out from abuse and the engines had seized up from lack of use. Lev said he hadn't had time to even talk with Greg since the night Ajax was arrested, over a month ago by Duke's count.

  “I think you need to have a rest, Greg, you are so tired it is counterproductive to try and work on this thing in your condition. You've been unresponsive to most of my questions and don't seem all there at the moment. Why don't you take the day off and I will have a look around for alternative power sources?” asked Duke, placing a giant, calloused hand on the man's sagging shoulders. “This endeavour requires a fresh mind stressing over the conundrum that is a suitable power supply. Perhaps I can shed some new light on the issue and give you some much needed time off.”

  Greg was motionless as he pondered his captain’s words. Duke could see the defeat on his friends face, and he did not hammer home the point. “Maybe you are right, I have been spending all my time working on this. It's just that Ajax is still in prison, it's been several weeks now and he could be dead for all we know. I've only received one message off him this whole time, there has been nothing for over a fortnight now. I don't know if this Joel guy is dead, whether Ajax is in need of an extraction; we are all out of the loop. I need to get this ready so we can get there for when he needs us. If I could go back I'd tell him not to sign up; I was such an idiot to talk him into this.”

  “I worry about him too; it's my fault he is in this situation in the first place, not yours. I tried to convince him against it but the boy is too stubborn, his mind was made up before we had even heard of this plan. You had no more effect on his decision than this wrench did.” Duke waved the tool in front of Greg, leaving the man chuckling through his exhaustion. “Just take the day off, I'll search around and we can make a fresh start on things tomorrow.”

  Greg felt burned out, even his thoughts had slowed down he was that exhausted. It took him awhile to realise that the captain was right, he really needed to rest up so that he could focus on his work with a fresh mind and body. He had been struggling at the same panel for four hours and made no progress in all that time.

  “Fine, I will go home for today and get some rest. Good luck finding another power source, I think we've gone through everything Konar has invented in the last century in an attempt to get this thing to work. I just wish that there had been something left over from Ajax's ship; maybe that would solve this mystery. Will I see you in the tavern tonight?” asked Greg.

  “I'm sure you will, I've got to eat after all. Now go spend some time with Lev, I'm sure he has been missing you. I can't bear to suffer your bickering next time we head off world.”

  Greg ignored the comment and stepped out of the transporter, leaving his tools where they lay. Duke waited until he heard the warehouse door close behind him before following. Moments later he stepped out into the morning sunlight, or what little was left of it. Clouds darkened the sky, promising rain in the immediate future. The air was cool and refreshing as he breathed it in, that familiar smell he loved so much better than anything to clear Duke's mind.

  Aiko had found the warehouse through word of mouth, far faster than anyone had expected. Its owner had since moved his business into a larger building and was looking for someone to either buy or rent his warehouse. It had been used for growing crops, he was told, though Duke had mused that certain equipment left behind suggested that they weren't legal ones.

  Since land was at a premium in the city the owner had converted the roof so that it could retract, allowing sunlight in to save on energy costs. It was perfect for their needs, since the roof was more than large enough to fly the transporter out of, if Greg could get it functional again.

  The streets were oddly quiet for the time of day, Duke presumed that it was probably the cold weather and likelihood of rain that was keeping people indoors. Greg had long since disappeared from sight, hopefully heading back to the Haven to get some much needed rest. Duke turned down another street and headed off to see an old friend.

  The shop could have easily been the site of an explosion, everywhere Duke looked it was an unidentifiable mess of strange and perplexing items that might have a multitude of uses; anything from children’s toys to instruments of torture. There was no discernible order to the chaos and he could not help but smile at the sight. Duke knew that this was the place to go if he was in search of a power source Greg had yet to experiment with, even if it was hot property.

  When he stepped through the door he was greeted by the familiar smell of incense and exotic meat that filled the air; it seemed like things had not changed much in thirty years. Even the shopkeeper appeared not to have aged, although the closer Duke got to the man the more this was proven wrong.

  “Do my eyes deceive me or is that you, Duke? And I know there is nothing wrong with my eyes, I only had them fitted this year.” said the shopkeeper, getting out of his chair behind the counter.

  “You are not mistaken, Solomon; it's certainly been a long time. You're looking good, those augments are sure keeping you together.” said Duke, chuckling as Solomon pulled a face.

  Duke was not wrong, Solomon removed the sunglasses and revealed two black lenses where his eyes once were. They zoomed in and out of focus, feeding Solomon several different images, using different light wavelengths, and scanning the man for concealed weapons. They might be old friends but people like them did not reach old age by going soft and dropping their guard. Solomon relaxed his grip on the item underneath the shops counter. Duke pretended not to notice.

  The man was a walking advertisement for some of the products he sold. He had
lost his right arm in a street fight when they were younger, the triple fracture had been a gruesome sight that ruined the limb and meant a replacement was necessary. His body had gone into shock and it was only pure luck that prevented him from dying that day.

  Solomon now had a midnight black prosthetic in its place, which stood out as an obvious prosthetic since it was several shades darker than his skin tone. It was more than powerful enough to crush bones if Solomon caught someone in his grip, which Duke would not be surprised if he found out had happened in the past. The man had several subtle augments that only people who studied him long enough would ever notice, as well as the obvious ones like his eyes. Those that were internal made the man dangerously close to more machine than human, which would see him in a world of hurt should that prove true.

  “So what do I owe for this rare visit from Duke?” asked Solomon, bored of waiting for the man to talk first.

  “I am looking for a large capacity energy source, something compact and capable of self-generation.”

  Solomon's expression subtly shifted from annoyance to intrigue, though still he studied Duke as if he were a predator. “What do you need the source to power?”

  “That is something I cannot tell you, trust me when I say its best you know as little as possible.”

  Solomon had known this man long enough to recognise when he was serious, whatever he was involved in could only invite trouble for his business. The thought of refusing service to such a long-time friend was very compelling, but he knew such a secret could command a tantalising fee.

  “Fine, I won't ask. I have some X55s, I've just finished refurbishing them so they are nearly as good as new. You should be able to meet your needs with them.” he said.

  “Already tried them, nowhere near enough power. I might need a dozen of them to power this thing and definitely don't have the space to fit them all in. I can tell you that we couldn't piggyback it to run off a transporters engines, if that gives you a better impression of what I need. Have you got anything bigger?” asked Duke.

  “Fuck, I have no idea what you could possibly be trying to power if that wouldn't cut it. This had best not be connected to off world transport, you know just how hard they crack down on those caught. I might just have something, wait here while I get it from my stores.”

  Solomon opened the door behind him and started walking down the stairs to his basement, every second step a heavy thud. Duke was wondering why Solomon had not replaced the ruined foot with a more lightweight model, the sounds it made as he walked were hardly subtle. If he really concentrated the hiss of pistons could also be faintly heard.

  The man was the epitome of strange. Duke knew that Solomon had enough savings to afford augments that were near to identical replacements for his ruined limbs and organs. If he had chosen to Solomon could have augments to look like his old eyeballs and still function the same, instead of freakish cameras. He had always enjoyed standing out from the crowd, even in his youth he had not cared what others thought of him. Duke had long since theorised that the man's outward appearance was an extension of his infamous persona, used as an aid to prevent threats upon his business.

  The noise as Solomon rummaged through his supplies drifted up the stairs, the odd curse punctuating the few moments of silence. Eventually the man came limping back up the stairs, carrying a box in both hands. The muscles of his left arm throbbed with the effort of carrying the load, the contents left Duke very curious indeed. The counter shook with the impact as Solomon set the box down.

  “I don't know what strange shit you are running that can't be piggybacked off a ships power supply, but this is the most powerful generator I have. If you get caught with this the least of your troubles will be whatever you are trying to power, because this is experimental stuff stolen from the army. You know what King does to enemies of the state.”

  Duke's blood ran cold at mention of their glorious leader. He had only heard Solomon talk about King twice in countless years of knowing him. In that moment the severity of what was planned to aid Ajax in escaping the prison became all too clear for Duke. He had not stopped to consider the severity of his crimes in aiding the man.

  His servants knew him as King Diamond, though the man hated his false links to monarchy. Angelo Diamond, eternal ruler of Konar City, sat on a throne made from his namesake in Sector Zero; or so rumour would tell you. Duke half suspected this throne to be built from the ruby red diamonds mined off world, to match the blood that was on his leaders hands. King would have a lot to account for if he ever appeared before a judge, not that any man would dare arrest him.

  Duke had never met a soul who had seen King in the flesh, it was said that he had not stepped foot on the planet’s surface in Duke's lifetime. Not that there was much call to, mayors kept the different sectors running in King's name and taxes were collected; what more would a ruler want of his people? The man could have died long ago, if it weren't for what he was made of Duke could almost believe it for a moment.

  Solomon released two catches on the box, turned his head to the left and opened the box. As soon as the metal lid was off a piercing blue light filled Duke's vision, except it did not act like any light he knew of. Waves of blue pulsed lazily from a cube, silver and gold clamps kept the object supported in the centre of the box. Solomon pulled out a rectangular device from his pocket, a hole in its side just big enough to insert the pulsing cube.

  “This thing was designed to power faster than light drives on small spacecraft’s, allowing them to reach speeds only the larger cruisers are capable of. As far as I am aware it couldn't produce enough power to keep the ships at a constant speed and the project was eventually cancelled. This is the only one that survived the testing phase. I don't have anything else that is compact and powerful enough for what you need, so it is a take it or leave it deal with this device.” said Solomon, placing the complete rectangle on his counter.

  “How much are you asking for this thing?” asked Duke.

  “To be honest I don't think I could put a price on this power source, and if the rumours I've heard are true you probably couldn't afford it. Instead, there is something you could do for me and this would be your payment.”

  Experience told Duke that Solomon would not ask for something simple from him, but this was probably their last shot at a suitable power source. He had only to think of Ajax suffering a mile below the surface in a dank cave to know what had to be done.

  “What do you need me to do?”

  Chapter 22

  “You have got to be kidding me?” asked Greg, his meal left unnoticed after the surprise Duke had unloaded on them.

  “You said it yourself, you have tried everything to power that system and nothing has enough juice.” Duke paused to take a long swig from his tankard, enjoying its crisp taste. “Solomon is not the kind of person to lie about the potential of this supply, so what choice do we really have? Unless one of you has a small fortune stashed away we can't exactly buy it off him. Ajax is stuck in that prison until we can come up with his escape route, with this being our best bet.”

  He was greeted by sheepish looks from the rest of his crew, none offered up a suggestion. Ilya had joined them for the first time in days, appearing in the haven without prior word. Duke didn't want to get into a discussion on her whereabouts at this time, he knew it would be a useless venture. He half suspected some love interest and knew Ilya was not the type to have a nice chat and discuss her boyfriend in such a public place.

  “You do realise that he has asked you to steal something from a man we regularly do business with, sabotaging his outfit and definitely severing that connection forever?” asked Lev.

  “I know it was a big ask from him, no doubt he is aware myself and Weir go almost as far back as Solomon and I. Knowing Solomon he is probably taking a lot of enjoyment in having me screw over such an old friend. If we don't do this Ajax could be in that prison for the rest of his life.” answered Duke.

  “So what is the plan?”
asked Ilya, breaking her silence since re-joining the crew.

  “Solomon needs us to steal the contents of Weir's safe, the one that is kept in his office. He doesn't care about any money, everything else goes in a sack and we take it back to his shop. We haven't been to see Weir in a while, so someone will have to check to see if his security situation has changed in the last few months. I don't want to turn up there and find some rookie with a gun.

  “Breaking into the safe should be relatively simple, Solomon has leant me some tools to help with that problem. I know the layout quite well since I used to work with Weir when it was his father's business, so don't over think this. We will be in and out in no time, probably before anyone even has chance to notice something is wrong. All the buildings around his office are businesses, the nearest residential area is three streets away. No one should be around at that time of night, certainly not within his building.”

  “It seems like you've thought it through at least,” said Greg. “Normally your plans are written on a scrap of paper and lacking a solid idea; I am fond of the change. Count me in, from what Solomon told you about this device perhaps it could power the camouflage system. I don't see any other options to get Ajax out of there and I certainly can’t stand doing nothing.”

  Lev and Ilya shared a look, then shrugged in sync. Duke knew everyone, if a little reluctantly, was on board.

  “Good. I'll check out the area tonight for security and tomorrow we will liberate that safe of whatever Solomon thinks is worth the same as illegal military tech.” said their captain.

  The crowd flinched as one, the gruesome sight sudden and unexpected. Bone splintered, piercing the skin that started to bleed profusely. Ajax had that cold, calm look on his face that he always wore. He had not even reacted as he broke the man's arm with a savage kick. His opponent just stared at the fracture, too shocked to even feel the pain. He died as the scream reached his throat.