by Jason Kent
"Your friend likes to dribble out intelligence," Georges grunted. He shook his head. "I'm not used to operating this way."
Kate laughed. "Well, maybe you can tell him that when we get there. We're on a quest where we only get to see the next step. It's up to us to keep moving."
"I know, 'steps of faith'," Georges sighed, "Doesn't mean I have to like it though."
"We just need to be willing to take these steps," Merrick remarked from the doorway.
Everyone turned to look at the normally quiet sniper. He met each of their gazes in turn.
"We have to trust the higher power guiding us," he finished.
"Nice," Ross stated but offered no rebukes. He was in and everyone knew it, wherever they went.
Georges turned to Garrett. "Aesti, if you please, Lieutenant Garrett."
Kate settled into one of the jump seats. Merrick took the other. Ross headed back to the galley, muttering something about needing a drink. Kate looked over to find Merrick staring at her. She reached her hand across the aisle.
Merrick flicked his grey eyes down at the proffered hand then took it without a word. They both turned to look straight ahead at the arid landscape which swept by under the Blade.
When Garrett pulled back on the controls and climbed for orbit, Kate reflexively tightened her grip. Merrick responded with a firm squeeze.
Together, Merrick and Kate watched as the sky darkened and the stars appeared. They had taken the next step. Knowl was closer. Kate thought back to the images of the giant tree spreading under a deep blue sky, of her feet sinking into the rich soil, and Merrick there at her side. Just a little farther together, and they would discover the reason Knowl chose her.
Knowl needed them. Kate would lead the way.
Part 2
Ignition
Chapter 13
Of Flying
Machines
Merrick walked cautiously down Blade's ramp, his rifle held so it pointed up to the cloud-streaked sky. He was doing his best to look confident. Calm. Like he belonged. As if he were not on a mission to drive a stake into the heart of the Tallinn Republic. It was not overly hard for him, he usually controlled his battlefield. This would be no different. The sniper reached the base of the ramp and took up a position in the shade provided by the skipjack's engine nacelles. He studied the city with a practiced eye.
Aesti's spaceport was nothing spectacular. Merrick had seen more impressive stretches of scarred concrete on any number of backwater colony worlds. A handful of other ships, all larger than Dagger's Blade, sat on the tarmac. He wondered if they had perhaps arrived at the port during a slow time or if he was looking at rush hour. Dagger appeared at the top of the ramp and gazed around spaceport.
"The place is packed," Dagger noted. She clucked her tongue and looked over each of the other spacecraft nearby. "For Aesti, at least." The pilot moved back into the cargo hold and started to loosen the straps which held the packing crates securely in place.
Merrick eyed Dagger for a moment before he decided she was serious. Great, he thought. He hoped their arrival would not stand out. At a busier port, they would just be another transport on an already crowded manifest of ships coming and going, utterly unremarkable to the harried controllers. At a spaceport with less traffic, their appearance was more likely to be noted and remembered by the bored controllers or nosy locals. Merrick sighed and directed his attention to the structures and equipment around the spaceport. Large hangers, fueling stations, parked support vehicles and several fenced storage areas lined the landing pits and runway. The sniper detected no immediate danger or obvious response to their landing.
He shifted on his feet. They were planted shoulder-width apart on the solid concrete as Merrick did his best to look menacing and unconcerned about his position's complete lack of adequate cover. Normally, the sniper's role required him to find concealment offering the best vantage point for a clean shot; a quick kill. Today, he and Ross were supposed to play the part of hired muscle for the Blade's Captain. Ross had dropped out of a small hatch at the front of the ship and covered everything Merrick could not see from the ramp. Their comm units were still on the glitch, despite Kate's best efforts to repair them, so he could not check in with Ross. Merrick figured he would have to wait for the other marine to shoot something before he knew how things were going at the other end of the Blade. For now, he counted the silence as a good thing. Anything else would mean the tral had hit the turbine.
Merrick scanned the spaceport once more; still no reaction to their arrival. He sighed and decided to use his time as a rent-a-cop to shift his attention to a secondary target of interest, Dagger.
"Business?" Merrick asked over his shoulder. He let the single word hang in the air. The sound of crates moving around behind him stopped. Merrick did not turn to face the pilot but he would have sworn he could feel Dagger's stare pierce the back of his skull. He could almost hear the gears turning in Dagger's head as she sorted through the implications of Merrick's question. Merrick allowed himself a slight smile. He was interested in the underlying implications and subtleties the answer to his question would generate. As Dagger took the time to analyze Merrick's question, he leapt ahead to what her answer would mean.
If Dagger answered in the affirmative, it could mean one of two things. First, she could have been to Aesti many times as part of her business dealings. Whether these jobs were legal or not, Merrick did not care. A 'yes' could also mean the actions Dagger was about to take were merely business. Merrick knew Dagger was busy trying to decide whether he wanted to know about her previous jobs here on Aesti and how often she came here or whether he was questioning her loyalty. Would her next move be 'just business'? Would she turn them in as Stampf had attempted to do? Merrick let the silence stretch out. He liked silence, it meant no one was busy trying to kill you.
"Business."
Merrick nodded at Dagger's response. The pilot offered no other details. This was fine with Merrick. He got what he needed. It was the way Dagger answered him which he hoped he correctly discerned. The pilot was exasperated, not nervous. In her voice, Merrick heard someone who did not want to talk about their past. Dagger did not sound like she was about to turn on them. Merrick accepted the human expat's assistance. After all, they would still be stuck on Transom Station if Dagger had not swept them away. Even though her actions kept Merrick and the others alive and delivered them further along in their quest, the sniper did not trust Dagger completely. For now, he felt fairly certain she was not about to turn them over to the local version of a Tallinn sheriff. Or worse.
Yes, Dagger had been to Aesti before, Merrick decided. Not as a traitor, but as a trader.
Merrick went back to his window dressing guard duties. Dagger went back to sorting cargo in the hold. When nothing out-of-the-ordinary nearby grabbed his attention, the sniper shifted his gaze to the city proper rising beyond the spaceport's relatively low buildings. The port sat on to the east of Aesti's city center. The view nearly caused Merrick to catch his breath.
The quick study of Aesti's sluggish port gave Merrick the initial impression of a quiet colony world. Colonists tended toward agriculture; everyone needed to eat. After growing food, a colony would focus on expanding their shelters. More often than not, newcomers on a world would use whatever material was readily available for this purpose. Lumber, stone, and brick were all popular choices. From what Merrick could see, the residents of Aesti had gone down a completely different path.
Instead of squat brick buildings which melded into the surrounding countryside, Aesti consisted of hundreds of steel spires reaching into the sky. 'Steel gothic' were the best words Merrick could think of to describe the soaring towers and the spidery arches connecting each of the structures to their neighbor. At a cursory study, it was impossible for him to determine if the buildings supported each other as they rose higher and higher to the amazing central metal skyscraper or stood by themselves. Arches climbed from tower to tower, higher and higher until they ultimately joined wi
th the main building. Its huge glass windows sparkled in the world's orange sunlight. Merrick widened his gaze. There was more to the city than slender spires of steel and glass.
Amid Aesti's towers, smokestacks rose and even dominated the city further to the west. Merrick figured this must be where the heavy industry of the city was focused. This was the source of the massive amounts of steel used to construct the city's skyscrapers. From the amount of the thick black smoke drifting away to the south, Merrick surmised the smelters and forges were working full tilt. He wondered what the products of the plants would be used for, even more steel spires to pierce the sky or ironclads to attack Earth?
The spires, they could have.
Earth, well, Merrick might have to do something about those plans.
"Any idea where we're heading?" Merrick asked. Dagger previously indicated she had not heard of Knowl before. Even Georges, with his access to high-level Fleet Intel on the Tallinn, only ever heard of Knowl as a rumor, an enigmatic and previously unnamed special weapon. Merrick hoped their arrival would spark something forgotten by Dagger, a memory or an overheard comment which might provide the slightest hint as to where Knowl might be hidden.
Merrick would go wherever he needed to go...as long as he traveled with Kate at his side. Merrick by no means considered himself the leader of their little quest. But, he did take his duties with regard to Kate seriously. He swore to protect her, and by God's will, he would do it as long as he drew breath. This did not mean Merrick wanted to be ignorant as to their destination. In his line of work, the more intel he gathered about his target, the more efficiently he could carry out his mission.
"No." Dagger snorted. "As you have already deduced, I smuggle things, not sight-see." She dragged a crate down the ramp and let it thump heavily on the tarmac. "Maybe you can check the gift shop and see if they have a map of local items of interest. Their most sacred groves and closely held secrets should be handily marked for us."
"Maybe," Merrick said and glanced at the pilot. Her eyes tracked something out on the horizon.
Merrick followed her gaze. A huge blimp appeared above the trees on the opposite side of the field. He tensed for a moment, ready to take action if this proved to be a new threat. Merrick's fingers twitched as he trained his senses on the new target. In the unexpected stillness on Aesti, he could hear the thrum of powerful engines driving the craft toward the port. As the airship drew closer, the thump of large propellers also reached his ears. The zeppelin trailed thick black smoke from what Merrick guessed was its coal or gas-fired boiler propulsion system. Thick cables stretched down from the blimp's air bag to clutch the dangling passenger gondola and engine compartment. Overall, the airship reminded Merrick of the blimps in vogue back on Earth a very long time ago.
"What the..." Kate commented from behind the sniper.
Merrick flicked his eyes from the flying machine to Kate. God, she was beautiful. Her blonde hair, which had become disheveled during their multiple adventures above and on the surface of Transom, was now carefully pulled back and braided into a single ponytail. Kate still wore the leotard body armor but had augmented her outfit out of Dagger's closet. Form-fitting slacks were tucked into ground boots. A light blue blouse, made out of a silky material, perfectly offset her eyes. All-in-all, Merrick thought the outfit was a good replacement for the clothes Kate had found on Transom station and then badly damaged at Solom Mines.
"Airship," Merrick offered in way of explanation.
"Seriously?" Kate asked. She shaded her eyes against the orange sunlight.
"It would appear so," Merrick responded.
Kate shrugged. "Guess I'm not surprised."
Merrick raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Zeppelins go oh-so-well with steam powered starships."
Merrick felt a smile tug at his mouth. He stared at Kate for a long moment while she watched the airship cruise overhead. A few strands of loose hair had come free of her braid and brushed her neck as they blew in the light breeze. He wanted to reach out and push the stray hair back over her ear but kept still.
Kate's eyes flashed as she studied the ships parked near the Blade. Merrick did reach over to her, but instead of using his hands to gently brush her hair back into place, he snagged the sunglasses Kate carried with her, one earpiece tucked into a front pants pocket, leaving the dark lenses to hang down at her side. Merrick's fingers brushed her hip as he smoothly pulled the glasses free. One-handed, he flipped the earpieces out and held the eyewear out to Kate.
"You'll need these," Merrick said.
Kate looked at the sunglasses Merrick held out for her.
"A little eyeshine make you nervous?"
"Not me you need to worry about," Merrick said.
Kate smiled and leaned forward but did not take the glasses. Merrick took the hint and lifted them toward Kate's face.
Merrick found he needed to employ a few breath-control techniques he had been taught during sniper training and perfected over many long missions to keep his heart rate in check and to prevent his hands from shaking. His worst fear was he would poke his guardian angel in the eye with the earpiece. He managed to get the glasses settled in place, snug behind her perfectly formed ears. Merrick tilted his head and checked their effectiveness.
The dark lenses hid all traces of Kate's Watcher-like eyes. A few more strands of blonde hair fell across Kate's cheek. Merrick reached up and gently brushed the hair up and tucked it behind her ear. Kate's hand stopped halfway up to her face. She had been about to do the same thing. Merrick froze.
Tral, the sniper thought. Somehow, his hands were doing things before his brain could intervene. Nice, Kelly, he chided himself.
"Sorry," Merrick mumbled and let his hand drop. He realized he was not really sorry though.
"Don't be," Kate laughed.
"Oh please," Dagger snorted.
Merrick coughed and the moment passed. He scanned the port again. There was still not a single threat in sight. Perhaps they would be able to get on their way with a minimal amount of fuss. His thoughts drifted back to his earlier conversation with Dagger. Now they just needed to know where to go.
"Where to now, Princess?" Dagger asked.
Merrick turned to face the pilot. He was surprised to hear her asking the question. He thought Dagger would have other plans in mind after she dropped her passengers off at the port.
"You're coming?" Merrick asked.
"Depends on where, exactly, you're heading," Dagger replied. Merrick noted she did not totally answer the question.
Kate looked away from Dagger and around the port. Even with the dark glasses, Merrick caught glimpses of Kate's eyeshine, something he had come to associate with flashes of insight from Knowl, Javin, or whoever was in her head. Enough, Merrick told himself. He was not exactly sure what happened to Kate or what would ultimately become of them when they reached Knowl. He was here for Kate and would protect her. It did not matter to him where she got her directions, Merrick would follow her to whatever end the voices in her head took them.
"We need to get a lift," Kate declared. She nodded across the landing field.
Dagger followed Kate's nod to the zeppelin slowly floating down to the ground.
"Of course," the star pilot snorted. She shook her head in resignation. "In that case, I'll need a few things."
Dagger left Merrick and Kate at the base of the Blade's ramp.
Across the field, the airship landed. The ground crew scurried to secure the giant blimp to mooring anchors.
"A blimp." Merrick stated.
"Yeah," Kate replied. "A blimp."
Merrick nodded. "Alright then."
"One step at a time," Kate reminded him.
Merrick looked sideways at Kate. She continued to stare at the airship. He realized she made the statement as much to reassure herself as him.
"That's all we can ever do," Merrick reassured her.
Kate looked into Merrick's eyes. Her eyes flashed briefly behind the dark glasses.
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"Thanks."
Merrick nodded. He wanted tell her he was with her to the end but stopped himself. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the others from within the ship.
"Is there a plan?" Georges asked as he joined Merrick and Kate. He hitched his thumb over his shoulder. "Dagger seemed to think we were trading in the Blade for a blimp."
Merrick looked from Kate to Georges. He forced himself not to smile at the shift in leadership dynamics since their time aboard the Tallinn ironclad. Although Lieutenant Colonel Georges served as their de facto leader, he ceded a portion of his authority to Kate. Georges wanted to finish the mission, get to Knowl, and, once there, find some way to stop the Tallinn before they defeated the Stellar Union. He had led them out here, deep into Tallinn space, to find Knowl. But it was Kate who held their only means to find the way. Kate received the steps of the plan Knowl apparently laid out for them, one piece at a time. It was Georges' job to figure out how to carry it out.
Kate gestured at the airship. "There's our ride."
Georges stared for a long moment then shook his head.
"And so our quest takes yet another strange turn," Georges remarked.
"It would appear so," Kate agreed.
"What then?" Georges pressed. "Will this get us to...him?"
It was Kate's turn to shake her head. "I know this is difficult. But, I really don't know."
"Is He here?" Georges asked.
Kate thought for a moment then looked up at the orange sun; the same sun she found herself standing under from her earlier visions.
"Yes."
"At least we're on the right planet," Georges commented. "Okay. Merrick, take Kate and check out," he gestured at the airship, "our ride."
"Not without me, you're not," Dagger stated.
Merrick turned to face her.
Dagger stood at the top of the cargo ramp. Andrea was at her side. Dagger's sister looked quite different than the night Merrick and the others raided the Tallinn Councilor's villa back on Transom. Over their three days of travel aboard Blade, Andrea began to slowly adjust to her new situation.