“Damn it, Jack. I’m hoping for something a little more sophisticated than hide.”
Jack arrived at his cabin and ducked inside. “I’m down in my cabin and need a way off the ship. Please come down now, Cheryl. I need you here.”
* * *
Cheryl opened Jack’s door and slid inside. While she watched, he stepped into a one-piece gossamer suit that covered him up to his neck, then picked up his toy-master packs and slung one over each shoulder.
“I feel like I’m traveling a little light right now,” he said with a wry grin.
Next, he picked up a sheet of the exotic material, shook it once, and then draped it over his back like a cape, covering his packs. “The DSA’s been giving us this cape material for a couple of years. The full suit is a prototype.” Then he pulled on a hood, and before her eyes, he faded away and became invisible. “This is why they call me a ghost.”
Jack spoke both through the air and in her ear. She studied where he’d last been standing and could make out a slight fuzziness around the edges of where the cloaking of his ghost suit ended and the actual background began. Focusing on that helped her locate him as he moved to her right, and she concentrated on tracking his movements.
“You can see me?”
She could hear the concern in his voice. “Not really,” she assured him. “I can see a disruption around your edges compared to the background. I’m watching that, but if I lose you for even a moment, I won’t be able to find you again.”
“I need off the ship. Can you get me to an access hatch out the bottom of the hull? Sooner is better.”
Cheryl complied without hesitation. During their brief walk, she checked in with her crew on status and progress, fretting at the discouraging reports. She led Jack down a ladder, opened a pressure door, and stepped into a small room. Pointing to a hatch in the floor, she said. “That’s the way out. Can I ask what you’re doing?”
“I’m not leaving you or the crew behind. My training is to hide from the enemy and stage my operations from a distance.”
“Why don’t we all sneak off?”
“If they board and no one is in here, they’ll know we’re out there and hunt us. I don’t have more cloaking material. You’d all be exposed.”
“Being hunted while on the run sounds like better odds than sitting here waiting to be shot or taken prisoner.”
“You may be right,” he paused. “I don’t have a good solution. You’re the captain. I’m going to throw that back on your shoulders. Maybe spreading throughout their vessel isn’t such a bad thing. Living longer is the best way you can help. That gives us more time.” Jack got down on his knees and examined the hatch. It was large enough for him and his packs to slip through. “My focus is to see if I can get Sid on board. If I can do that, we win.”
“Seriously?”
“I trust Sid with my life every time we’re on a mission,” said Jack. “Believe this—he won’t quit until we’re safe or he’s dead.”
Cheryl was baffled by his thought process.
Chapter 20
Jack rubbed Cheryl’s arm and gave her a peck on her cheek. She reacted as if startled, presumably because she could not see him and was caught by surprise.
“You have to go now,” he said to her. “I need to crack this hatch, and I don’t know if there’s air on the other side.” He put a hand on her back and guided her to the door. She opened it and stepped through on her own.
He shut and sealed the pressure door, telling her, “These specks work at great distances. Keep talking to me, and I’ll fill you in as I go. Good luck, chérie.”
Cheryl climbed the ladder, and as she hurried back to the command bridge, she asked the empty passageway, “Did he just call me ‘darling’?”
Jack responded in her ear. “I did. My emotional side can peek out sometimes at really awkward moments.”
He crouched down and saw that the display on the hatch cover was dead. When functioning normally, it showed details about the conditions outside the ship and whether it was safe to proceed. He grabbed a testing probe from his pack, took a deep breath and cracked the hatch. It opened with a small hiss. He lifted it far enough to allow the probe tip to draw a sample, and then dropped it quietly back in place.
The atmosphere analysis took longer than he anticipated, and he was exhaling when the probe finally displayed the results. As he filled his lungs, he was relieved to learn that the atmosphere in the Kardish vessel wasn’t poisonous. In fact, the air was similar to that of Earth at a mountainous altitude, somewhere in elevation range between Denver and Mexico City.
He pulled the hatch open all the way, lowered his head, and looked around. As he had guessed, the Alliance was resting on the cradle structure he’d seen from the viewport. A support beam ran under the hatch within easy reach. He lowered himself onto it, shut the hatch, and scrambled down to the deck of the Kardish vessel. After a quick scan of his surroundings, he ran across an open space to seek cover among a sea of box-shaped units. No sooner had he reached his goal when he heard the sound of a group approaching, making no effort at stealth.
From his vantage point, he saw three tall males stride up to the base of the huge cradle. They walked around the perimeter of the structure and studied the ship resting on it, occasionally pointing as they talked. Their prolonged discussion suggested they were developing a plan.
All three had pale skin and long blond hair. While Jack knew nothing about fashion, he couldn’t help but notice their outfits. They wore layers of colored cloth with ornate touches of beadwork and embroidery that reminded him of the costumes of royal finery he had seen in a play back in high school.
Two of the three wore sword scabbards at their hips, which Jack decided were serving more as symbols than fighting tools. He based this on his observation that all three held hand weapons that looked both modern and lethal.
“Cheryl,” whispered Jack. “There’re three of them out here, and they appear human as far as I can tell. They’re looking for a way in. They have hand weapons, and they seem determined.”
“Okay. I have everyone armored up. We’ll hope it can shield us from whatever it is that comes out of their weapons.”
The three Kardish stopped circling and stood next to the structure, their discussion never slowing. Jack had been standing in one place for a while and became aware that he could be surprised from behind. He looked over his shoulder and peered deeper into the assembly of box units for signs of danger.
The place was a warren of intersecting alleys and larger roads. Wondering if it might hold a spot that could serve as a temporary base of operations, he took a few minutes to explore the area near him. A few rows back and over he located a sheltered passageway that he thought would work as a hideout for the near term.
“I’ve found a narrow alley between some boxy equipment that I’m going to use as our rally point. It’s really just a space that’s hidden from the main roadways. And it has two exits, so we have options if we’re being chased.”
“Okay,” said Cheryl.
He could tell from her brief response that she was only half listening. He continued, knowing from experience that this sort of chatter helped to calm their nerves while allowing them to maintain focus.
“If it comes to a point where you’re on the run, move straight away from the Alliance and run toward the big boxy things. You’ll see a central alleyway right across from the ship. Count two right turns and take the third right. Then count three left turns and take the fourth.”
“Got it. Right at three and left at four.”
“Good.”
Shifting some items into his ghost pack and slinging it over his shoulder, he then stowed his toy-master packs in a crevice in the alley hideout and returned to watch the ship. The three Kardish were now standing around waiting. And then he heard a purring noise.
“A cart just arrived with two more of them. We’re up to five now.”
“Can you hear what they’re saying?” she asked.
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“I can hear them, but it’s a foreign language. I can’t make sense of it.” This gave him an idea. He pulled out a small package that held a listening speck covered with sticky goo. He poked his finger inside, and when he pulled it out, the speck was stuck to the tip of his finger.
Cautiously, he edged near the one he judged to be the leader. His heart raced as he reminded himself over and over that his ghost suit was providing him cover. When he was as near as he dared approach, he flicked his finger and watched the speck fly through the air and stick to the shoulder of his quarry.
Backing away, he returned to his vantage point behind the boxes. He prompted his com to begin recording the alien’s speech and start a pattern analysis. In short order they should have the language decoded and be able to translate the conversation of their abductors.
Three of the Kardish began scaling the cradle structure while two hung back and watched.
“Here they come.”
* * *
Cheryl leaned against the wall and waited. The anticipation had all her senses on edge. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and willed herself to relax.
“They’re heading for the main hatch,” Jack said. “I suggest you let them in. If you make them blow open the door, the Alliance will never be flight worthy again. We’ll lose it as an escape option.”
“Please, Jack. Your two suggestions have been to hide from them and greet them at the door. Promise me your next idea will be something I can use.”
In spite of her outburst, Cheryl ran up and unsealed the hatch. Jack’s observation about keeping the Alliance viable as an escape vehicle made sense. Her crew was already wearing light-armor jackets, all had hand weapons at the ready, and they were deployed in nooks and corners along the route between the ship’s main hatch and the crystal housing where Defecto was located. She ordered them to let the Kardish take the crystal unchallenged. But if the aliens showed any signs of aggression, they all stood ready to give back as good as they got.
Cheryl crouched as the first Kardish poked his head through the main hatch. He glanced forward and backward to assess the situation, then stepped onto the deck with confidence and even an air of entitlement. Cheryl appraised the intruder and acknowledged that he was attractive in the human sense, though she thought he dressed like a Shakespearean actor. The situation on the Alliance apparently met his approval because he waved for his companion to enter.
As the lead Kardish turned forward, her eyes were drawn to the weapon in his hand. She’d placed herself at the first corner they would pass, believing it was her duty to be out in front for her unit. Her Fleet instructors had worked valiantly to get her to accept the idea that she should hold herself back in such situations—she couldn’t lead if she were dead. She understood this from an intellectual viewpoint, but when it came time to execute the policy, she wasn’t willing to order someone else to risk their life for hers.
“I saw two enter and a third guy is hanging outside the door,” Jack whispered in her ear. “What’s going on?”
Remaining stock-still, she didn’t respond as the two Kardish walked in her direction. Like trained soldiers, they continually scanned their surroundings as they moved. The one in front saw her crouched at the corner, and his eyes shifted to her weapon. She pressed back against the wall to reduce her exposure.
His reflexes were excellent.
He lifted his arm and fired. Bizt. A luminous bolt flew from his weapon, its radiant energy edging past Cheryl’s torso and hitting the wall at her back. A portion of the dissipating energy leapt from the wall, and for a brief moment, she was enveloped in a corona of light. She dropped limp to the deck.
* * *
Jack heard an oomph, and then, to his great anxiety, silence. He was frantic in his desire to get to her. But he was also experienced enough to know that with several enemy soldiers standing between him and her, he had no choice but to stay put and wait.
Time passed slowly, and he could do little but sit and fret. Finally, the two Kardish who had entered the Alliance emerged. One held the crystal case high above his head. Jack didn’t need an interpreter to translate the whoops and cheers that came from the others.
Cradling their prize, they climbed down the structure and placed it almost reverently in the back of the cart. Three climbed into the cart and drove off the way they had come. Two remained behind and appeared to be serving as guards.
Jack liked these new odds much better. He studied the guards to identify predictable behaviors as they went about their business. Like most anyone assigned to guard duty, the two drifted from vigilant to bored in short order. One eventually reached into a pouch and pulled out some food. They sat on the edge of the structure, ate their snack, and engaged in a debate. He was familiar with enough languages to know that while the discussion was strident, the overall tones were more what he would associate with enthusiasm and excitement than unhappiness or anger.
After a time, the guards grew quiet. Jack decided this was the best opportunity he would get. He considered that relief guards with a more conscientious work ethic could arrive at any time, or a company of soldiers could come to round up the prisoners and take them to a place that would be inaccessible to him. He had to act.
Comforted by the concealment of his ghost suit, he walked with measured steps to the structure and climbed up to the same hatch he’d used to make his escape. The mechanism was quiet as he swung the hatch open. He pulled himself up into the ship, closed the hatch, climbed the ladder outside the pressure door, and stepped into the passageway.
He chose the command bridge as his destination and moved in that direction. He saw something up ahead, realized it was a man lying motionless, and rushed to his side. It was Freedman from communications. He knelt down and used the fingers of one hand to feel for a pulse. With his other hand, he prompted his com and activated its vital-signs function. Both his fingers and com delivered the same grim news. Freedman was dead.
He wondered what happened to invite this lethal action. And why had the rest of the crew left the man untended? The answer to that second question was most worrisome because of what it implied for the others on the ship. He resumed his journey to the bridge. At the next turn, he saw Yang sprawled on the floor. He was dead as well.
Jack had dealt with fallen comrades before and was emotionally prepared for death. But this was different. He didn’t want to acknowledge the reason why, but his mind wouldn’t let him ignore the fact—he had developed feelings for Cheryl. He’d admitted this to himself while back on Earth and concern for her safety was now driving his thoughts and actions.
He hurried his pace, and when he stepped onto the command bridge, he saw a scene of destruction that was so complete, it bordered on the surreal. There were impact craters everywhere. An acrid burning smell underscored the devastation. As he studied the scene, he imagined the two Kardish working in a methodical sequence, firing their weapons over and over until they hit every component on every bench, display panel, and wall plate in the room. He could only speculate as to the motivation for such a rampage.
As he assessed the damage, he saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind the engineering bench. He rushed over and recognized Parvin. His body was in such gruesome condition that Jack didn’t need the gauge to know the man was dead.
His search for Cheryl became single-minded. The ship’s main hatch seemed like the next logical destination, and he took off at a run. He reached the hatch with no new discoveries, and he turned back into the ship, his desperation growing, when he saw her crumpled in the corner. Kneeling next to her, he called her name and used his fingers to search for a pulse. He couldn’t find one. His panic rising, he checked his com. Her vital-signs reading showed she was alive. Moving more deliberately, he felt again for a pulse, and this time detected a faint but regular beat.
He fumbled in his pack, found a battlefield ampule, and infused her in the neck. The ampule held a cocktail of medicines that he’d seen work miracles on several occasions. In
fact, Sid had used one on him about a year ago when he’d been caught in an exchange of fire with a group of terrorists. The fact that he was alive now gave him hope for Cheryl’s future.
He wrapped Cheryl in the cape he’d used to cloak his packs, cradled her in his arms, and moved as fast as he could to the bottom hatch. Opening it slowly, he peeked out and saw that the guards were finished eating and now appeared to be playing a game. He lowered himself to the beam, lifted Cheryl out of the ship, and climbed down to the deck of the Kardish vessel.
He desperately wanted to rush. He knew, though, that while he was hidden from sight, he could still draw their attention with noise. Holding Cheryl tightly, he strode to the box units and his alley hideout, placed her gently on the floor, pulled back the cape, and checked her vital signs again. They were much stronger, but she remained unconscious.
Chapter 21
Jack left Cheryl to return to the ship. It was a distressing decision, but his sense of duty required that he verify the status of the last two crew members and help them escape if they were still alive. In preparation for his return, he doubled his firepower. He always carried a weapon on his right wrist, and he attached a matching weapon under his ghost suit to his left wrist. Both were primed and ready to fire.
The inattentive behavior of the guards made it easy for him to regain entry onto the Alliance. This time he headed straight for the operations bay. He found Leven, the security officer, lying in the doorway leading into operations. It took but a moment to confirm the man was dead.
He stepped inside the facility and saw Cait crumpled near the now-mangled crystal housing. Rushing to her side, his heart jumped when her vital-signs reading indicated she was alive. Unlike Cheryl, though, she was barely clinging to life. In a replay of events, he infused her with an ampule, wrapped her in the ghost cape, and carried her back to the hideout.
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