by Greg Remy
Zoe smiled throughout his irrefutable ratiocination. “Young Padawan, I have trained you well. So, you’re saying I would have to have a friend list of nearly every ship, CF or not, in the galaxy to pull off such a feat? Well, as it turns out, I do.” Darious and Kappa both stared at her. Zoe had to work hard to keep her eagerness contained. “When Kappa mentioned names, I remembered that I have such a list. While I was in Achan’s office, I saw on his computer the many, many companies operating under Pantheon with regard to Kapteyn, including records of all the ships manufactured with the stuff—records of each’s internal identifier.” Zoe looked at Darious and Kappa. “I downloaded the database when I was there. Practically every ship everywhere is manufactured with Kapteyn and we have each’s identifier. We can target all of these ships! I’m talking about millions of ships!”
“And where will that get us? Besides on the Copper Force’s shit list?” asked Kappa.
“Instead of using Wiggles to capture computer data, I will load it with a sensor feedback routine to find matches of that harmonic Dr. Kring was able to identify—with some tweaking. I am confident I can have it just focus on objects in the higher energy stable-state space. Each ship will simultaneously scan its local region for such readings. All that data will then come back to us and we will basically have a galactic map of that higher resonant version of space, more importantly—of what’s in it.”
“I believe I understand,” said Darious.
Kappa still had a blank expression, so Zoe continued, “We currently have a tool to search for matter that has spent time in that odd form of space, thanks to Dr. Kring, who I do believe you have met.” Kappa gave a slightly sheepish look. “We were recently at the Copper Ephemeris Station searching for such signatures, but their data had all been edited.
“I am proposing, instead of searching for things that have been pulled out of the higher resonant space, I’d like to make a map of everything in it, get a good picture of what’s going on in there. I am confident I can modify Dr. Kring’s work to accomplish this. Having Wiggles securely send back the information to my ship won’t be a problem either. Kappa, this is the only way to get real-time, real data.”
“Okay,” began Kappa, walking around the cabin, “but you would have to be able to send the transmission out on all communication frequencies. And plenty of those are secured CF.”
“Yup,” replied Zoe. “All we need to do is access a top-level CF craft with the transmission clearances coving all possible vessels. The transmission can simply be a CF system test alert, or something like that, with Wiggles wrapped up inside of it. Once the worm is sent out, I suspect it will take a day or so for it to gather the data and send it all back. My ship will then auto-compile all those little mapping bits.”
“Wow,” said Darious. “An entire model of an invisible galaxy within our galaxy.”
“Yes! Then we shall see what Pantheon is up to and what is going on, once and for all.”
Just then, Kappa paused from his pacing. “And just what are you expecting to find in this ‘invisible galaxy?’” he asked.
Zoe looked at him but did not answer.
Darious blurted out, “Possibly aliens.”
“Aliens?” repeated Kappa flatly.
Zoe stood up, facing Kappa. “Yes,” she said, in a tone with space-cold seriousness.
“Ah. Okay then,” said Kappa, and he continued pacing.
Darious put an arm on Zoe’s shoulder. “How are we going to access a top-level CF ship?”
“That part I’m not sure—,” she began, but Kappa cut in.
“And what if these aliens are malicious; a threat to humanity?”
Zoe turned to him. He stood motionless, staring at her. It was difficult for her to read him. “Well,” she began, “I suppose, if there are indeed aliens, they aren’t too bad, considering they prefer to stick to a higher, invisible state and would have done so for the entire existence of humanity. But if Pantheon, and possibly the CF, have been exploiting them, or worse, as Pantheon’s archives allude to, have plans to destroy them, then we have a duty intervene. Anyhow, that’s one theory.”
“I see. I’ve never seen or heard anything ’bout aliens. But hey, there is a first time for everything. If you think Wiggles will get the job done, then I’m in.” Kappa tipped his hat upward. “For the communications link you’re talking about, you’ll need access to a Copper Force Galaxy-Class Regency Station. It’s not too easy getting on one of those. The way I see it, you will need two things to get onboard.” Kappa staunched his stance and lifted a finger. “First, you’ll need a disguise, something like a CF technician. I’m sure ya’ll can whip something up.”
Zoe nodded her head. She liked where his mind was at.
“And the second?” asked Darious.
“The second,” he said, lifting another finger and making a ‘V,’ “A distraction.” Kappa smiled that great big smile of his.
“A distraction?” asked Zoe.
“Oh yes. The more eyes turned away from you, the better your chances will be. ...Oh, and the Slough Force Shield of the Regency Station will have to be disabled. Once that’s done, their breeches will be so knotted up they’ll be barking for maintenance. That’s when you slip onboard.”
“How do you suppose we accomplish such a distraction while terminating the shielding?” asked Darious.
“Leave that to me.” Kappa’s smile never faded. “I’ve given a lot of blood and sweat for the CF. I’ve done some things for them that I’m not too proud of. It’s about time I made a little hell for ’em.”
Chapter 38
I’m a Fan of the Doppler Effect
Kappa twirled the sonic riveter in his hand and looked his craft up and down, admiring the work that had been completed. In just one week, his ship had been fully restored. It looked brand-spanking new. He put the riveter in the chest with the other tools and motioned for a worker to pack it with the rest of the outbound carts.
The head of the crew came up and spoke a couple words in that trader slang, nearly too garbled to understand. Kappa nodded and held out a hand to shake with a large bonus in it. The supervisor hungrily went for it and when his hand contacted Kappa’s, Kappa stiffened his grip on the little man and pulled him in close.
“You’ve done a good job,” Kappa said lowly. “And I’ve overpaid.” He clamped down harder. “You never saw any of us.”
The supervisor nodded in agreement with a smile and a strained eye. Kappa instantly let go and grinned. “Well then, off you go.”
The supervisor whistled, and he and his entire team piled into their transport craft with a dozen tow rigs of equipment behind them and were off toward the city. Kappa smirked and shook his head as they drove off. He turned and spotted Zoe admiring her own craft.
“Zoe,” he called.
She came over, wiping oil from her hands with a rag. Kappa surveyed her ship.
“The ships look damn good.”
“Oh ya,” Zoe replied.
Darious, having just showered off, joined them and the three stood watching the setting sun gleam across the vessels.
“So, what’s with this?” asked Zoe, pointing to the large black bars spread horizontally across the hood of Kappa’s ship. Two considerable spikes pointed outward from either side of the assembly.
“Rammin’ plate,” replied Kappa.
“Oh?” asked Darious. “For what purpose?”
“For ramming. Made from the hardest stuff available. Should get the job done.”
“Darious, better not to ask,” said Zoe.
Kappa placed himself between the two and put a brawny arm around each’s shoulder. “It looks like we’re all set here, folks. Everythin’ else in order?”
“Ya,” said Zoe. “The CF maintenance vessel you found is waiting for us at the local spaceport. Darious and I had a chance to check it out. It’ll do the job. We have some jumpsuits ready to go too, CF logo and all. As for you, Kappa—”
“As for me, I’ll be at the R
egency Station that Darious located, stir up some trouble and skedaddle before ya’ll arrive.”
“Yes sir,” said Zoe. “Be safe out there.”
She motioned for Darious.
“Goodbye Mr. Kappa,” said Darious, offering a genial hand.
Kappa shook Darious’ hand and then Zoe gave him a hug. Kappa thought to himself, she’s a great gal. It’s an honor to work with someone of her caliber.
They saddled up into their respected vessels, Kappa with a course plotted directly for the Regency Station while Zoe would be traveling to the nearby hangar. As Kappa’s ship sealed tight with a hollow thud, he took to the pilot’s seat and pre-fired the thrusters. He looked over at Zoe’s cockpit. She was busy at the controls and soon he heard the second ship’s thrusters ignite.
As the two vessels slowly lifted from the ground, the thrill of the hunt began rising through Kappa’s body. Oohrah! He tried prying open the port window. The magnetic lock held firm but then he remembered the switch underneath it. Kappa flipped it and the window swiveled outwards. He stuck out his torso and roared with clenched fists in the air. Zoe likewise made a muscle from within her craft. He pulled himself back in as gusts of wind became overwhelming. With the sensation of that fire burning deep in his soul, Kappa gnarred and centered his sights on the invisible pole star.
“Let’s do this.”
He pushed his ship’s accelerator forward. Thrusters erupted, sending a booming shockwave through the atmosphere. His ship quickly lifted up and beyond the confines of the trading world. Soon the vessel crossed through the black dawn and was rocketing among the stars. Kappa’s grip was steadfast on the controls; his mind was level and focused.
Kappa looked down at the readout for his destination; ETA was less than two hours. Already, his long-range scanners were picking up throngs of crafts around the central brute. He figured he’d first disable a few of the outer CF ships, grabbing the fleet’s attention, before setting his sights on the bigger fellows. This was going to be one hell of a ride.
An hour and a half later, Kappa slowed his vessel as he came into view of the CF fleet with the Regency Station at its nucleus. Swarms of ships circled around it while smaller clusters monitored the perimeter in highly coordinated patterns. Immediately his ship was hailed. He ignored it, instead pulling his brimmed hat low and setting his gaze on an outer group of pint-sized CF crafts.
Multiple warnings and hails flashed across his screen. He entered further into the military space. A warning shot flashed across his port bow. The green plasma bolt shined brilliantly for a moment and then evaporated.
“Well that didn’t take long.”
Kappa’s ship began counting up the multitudes of weapons locks on it. Kappa flipped several switches at his side and engaged the power-plus mode of his craft. Two joysticks popped up from the console. Kappa fired the main booster once for a burst of speed and spun forward, cutting just behind a small CF craft. He squeezed the left trigger, sending a blue wave of light out to the craft. Its little engine sparked and went out. The ship rolled over onto its belly, rendered harmless.
“Ha! They don’t make ’em like they used to!”
He gyred his ship around the next one and performed the same maneuver. The continual hails to his vessel became a nuisance so he shut down the communication system. His circular tirade continued as he picked off ship after ship. He saw that several large CF cruisers had detached from their flight patterns and were heading toward him. He took out another group of small ships along his course and prepared to be intercepted by them.
A shot came from one of the cruisers. This time, it was not a warning. The searing red beam burned right through his starboard wing, but the damage was minor. Kappa quickly stabilized his ship and began spinning towards the large craft. He definitely had their attention now. The full firing capabilities of the cruiser rained upon Kappa and he spiraled his ship through the plasma shots and missiles, continuing on toward his target.
A squad of small ships attempted to block his way.
“Not today guys,” he said, pushing the accelerator down further and splitting the gap between them.
A small explosive projectile hit his right wing again, this time sending shocks throughout his ship, forcing Kappa to pull left with the joysticks to maintain his course. Plasma fire of all colors tore through space, all centered on Kappa.
“Yaw baby, yaw!”
He leaned forward in his chair, spurring his craft onward as fast as it would go. He was nearly upon his final target, a giant space-carrier vessel and also a key-commanding vessel to the locks of the Regency Station. A dire warning spread across his digital display.
Impact Imminent
Just mere seconds away from collision with the enormous ship, Kappa flipped a switch above him. He crossed his arms and took in one last deep breath. His ship plowed into the CF carrier, horns first. It cleft through the exterior hull and burrowed deep into the craft before coming to a halt. In the process of the collision, the interior of Kappa’s craft had erupted into a flurry of ballooning coils, protecting the cargo within.
Kappa coughed and strained to focus his sight. Momentarily, reality came back in its fullest abstraction. He tore away at the deflating bags and looked out of the windshield. Through the scoring on it he could see his ship had stopped halfway through a large corridor and a couple of fires were burning. There were pulsing red lights along the hallway; probably alarms were ringing too but all he could hear were those in his ears. Kappa performed a quick diagnostic of his ship’s systems. All in all, the damage was quite minimal; he’d be able to reverse and fly out once his work was done.
Kappa drew out a bandana from under his shirt and pulled it up over his nose. He opened the exit door and looked around the corridor. It was full of debris but clear insofar of opposing forces. A mighty wind rose in him and the kindling in his eyes ignited. He clenched his fists and held up both arms, hardening his muscles to the point of cementation. Kappa started marching forward and took a huge breath in.
“For...,” his words and his steps stumbled. “My hat?!” he cried. He frantically looked about and spotted it on the ground. He propped it on his head. “For Leeroy Jenkins!”
Kappa ran with a mighty yell onto the CF carrier. He recalled from memory the general layout of such ships and quickly began making his way through its corridors. His cloak flapped behind his fleet-footed steps. Along the upper edges of each wall, lights continued flashing. Speakers crackled overhead, and the occasional numeric order was sent out through them.
Kappa rounded a corner and instantly dove back upon seeing a line of soldiers kneeled with rifles pointing down the corridor, right at him.
“Surrender!” a voice shouted.
Kappa leaned against the wall and pulled out a sidearm from his cloak. He peeked around the corner, spotting the corporal behind the blockade of troops. He pressed a button next to the trigger, charging up the gun. A single ding sounded from it. Kappa flung out from around the corner, gun blazing. A dozen or so shots came from Kappa before just two had been discharged from the opposing force. He had aimed low, hitting the crouching soldiers in the legs. Their shots had entirely missed him.
As the troops toppled, unraveling the cover of the corporal, Kappa raised the gun to the man’s face and calmly said, “Surrender?” with a pitied look.
The squad corporal, a man of slender build with a long nose, stood agape. Kappa walked the few steps to him and smacked him on the forehead with the butt-end of his pistol. The corporal fell with a slump alongside his moaning, injured soldiers. Kappa snickered and resumed his sprint past them.
He followed the metal conduits on the ceiling toward the ship’s main bridge, soon coming upon a guarded door with two soldiers on either side. They raised their guns as soon as they saw him, but he dispatched the two with posthaste. He used the badge from one to open the magnetic door. It slid to the side, revealing a room of a dozen waiting troops. With instincts built from training, he dove in right amo
ngst the thick of them and popped up, brutally undercutting the nearest soldier with a closed fist. Chaos erupted in the room as soldiers broke from their positions and strived to stop the intruder without shooting or hitting one another. Kappa was a flurry of fists, head butts, and kicks. Soldier after soldier was dropped by his might while he dodged and rolled away from oncoming attacks. One trooper pulled out a large serrated knife. Kappa grabbed him by the arm and flung him at another man who was slowly getting to his feet after a severe blow to the head. The two soldiers fell flat and attempted to get up. Kappa initiated a single kick, hitting one’s head into the other, which bounced off the wall and rebounded back into the first soldier like a Newton’s cradle, knocking both men out.
Kappa stood at the center of the pile of unconscious soldiers. He surveyed his work and ran to the opposite door. Past it, he judged he was getting very close to the ship’s bridge as the walls had a slightly shinier glean and the floor was well polished. While making his way down the curving corridors, he took out two more guards, knocking each out even before they could raise a firearm or a finger at him.
Kappa slowed and silently crept to the large entryway for the bridge. He stopped just before it and peered around the corner. A single guard was standing at attention in front of the doorway. He marked Kappa and in a single quick motion had raised his rifle. Kappa ducked back just as a shot split the air. There was shouting, but Kappa paid it no mind. He peeked back around the corner and two more shots rang out. One grazed his shoulder. He backed against the wall, wincing in pain. Upon a quick inspection, he saw it was just a minor flesh wound.
Anger started building within Kappa. Instead of the wound weakening his resolve, it enhanced him, enraged him. He ran out from the corner bellowing obscenities. The soldier flinched, missing a key opportunity to stop the intruder. That half-second was all that Kappa needed. He was momentarily upon the soldier, roughly tackling him to the floor and rendering him unconscious.