by Richard Dee
It was earlier than the General had said, but it looked like Malkin had arrived.
It was another Sprite, the same as Freefall. The ramp was open as it touched down and about six men got off. They ran towards the door and went straight in. Another man strolled down the ramp, which started to close as he jumped to the ground. The Sprite lifted off and headed straight for Freefall. I heard its cannon firing.
“They’re shooting at Freefall,” said Irin.
“What can Melva do? They won’t use a missile, the range is too small, they’d get caught in the blast.”
I was sure that I could hear the sound of cannon shells striking metal, the shielding on the hull should take a few hits without a problem, as long as none of the shells found anything vital. There was a blast of noise, the sound of engines at maximum thrust over the rattle of the cannon fire. Freefall burst into view above the trees. It gained height rapidly as it accelerated. Myra must have spotted the arriving ship and taken off. Unless Melva was flying it.
The other ship was taken by surprise by the manoeuvre and overshot. Rolling in a tight turn they rose in pursuit and we lost sight of them in the clouds.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Leave me here,” said Rixon. “I’ll distract them. You need to get Malkin.”
“Not until we know what’s happened to Melva,” I said.
“There’s nothing that you can do about her now. Look; Sister will be around. Angie knows to keep an eye out. It’ll be two ships against one.”
“Unless Malkin’s already taken them out?”
He said nothing. We left him as he settled into position, his rifle resting on a fallen branch. We tracked sideways; giving him a clear field of fire over the doorway as we moved back towards the house. We stopped in the last of the cover.
The men were coming back out. “We got trouble, boss” one said. “I’ve found Kerno Pete, someone has snapped his neck.”
“I got Sykes, upstairs,” said another. “Two in the gut, one in the head. And the big radio’s smashed.”
“Where’s Rufus?” someone, it must have been Malkin, appeared at the door. When there was no answer, he screamed, “FIND HIM!”
Another man appeared. “I’ve been around the back,” he panted, “the grave’s been disturbed.”
Malkin was close to panic. He stood so that he was surrounded by his men. “That was Travise’s ship. Him and that bitch Irin, they must have got wind of things and beat us here.”
“Just ’cos that was another Sprite,” one of the men said, “might not have been Travise.”
Malkin swung his arm and knocked him to the ground. “Of course it was Travise, fool. He’s Rixon’s friend, they’re all in it together. I told Travise to come here, didn’t I, I was pretty sure that Rixon would tag along and I could deal with them all at once. We know they were together on Nova. If the bloody General hadn’t stopped us, we would have been here first. It’s all a screw-up.”
“He thinks we’ve all gone in Freefall,” whispered Irin.
That was good, but how long was it until the General got here? What about Melva and the other ship?
As we sat in the shadows, Malkin pulled a radio from his pocket. “Klaus,” he said, “have you dealt with Travise’s Sprite yet?”
“Not yet, boss,” said a guttural voice. “The pilot’s sharp, I can’t get a lock.”
“Travise was ex-navy, Dolmen told me,” Malkin said. “Apparently, he was good once. Now he’s old and past it, another washout like Rixon. You can take him, wear him down.”
“Hang on,” said Klaus. “I think he’s made a mistake, stand—” The call abruptly ended.
“Klaus!” Malkin shouted. “Klaus, what’s going on?”
A few moments later a Sprite burst through the clouds and passed low over the buildings, it was alone and bore a long black streak down one side as it flashed past.
It looked like Freefall, but was it?
“That must be Klaus,” Malkin said, grinning. “He’s got rid of them all, problem solved, with a bit of luck Rixon was on the Sprite as well. Let’s go home.”
But, boss,” one of his men said, “if that was Klaus, why not call to say so, and why not land here, like last time?”
Malkin suddenly looked unsure. “Back inside,” he shouted. “Let’s get the boundary system back online.”
Rixon must have been listening. Before anyone could move, I heard the cough of his rifle. One of the men, the one next to Malkin, fell. Malkin looked around; you could see the shock on his face. Then he ran into the building. The rest seemed unsure of what to do. They formed a guard around the door.
Another ship appeared, it wasn’t Klaus, and it wasn’t Freefall. It was the Sister. It might have been a gaudy looking pleasure craft but it was armed. The men on the ground were surprised, caught in the open. Whoever was flying the Sister turned its cannon on the group and took them all out.
“There’s the cavalry,” Rixon shouted, “just in time.”
Irin and I left Rixon to greet Angie and went in search of Malkin.
Chapter Thirty-Two
We found him in one of the lower rooms; he was throwing things into a bag, oblivious to our approach. His gun was unattended, on the table six feet from him.
“Are you Malkin?” Irin’s voice was like ice, her pistol pointed at his stomach.
“That’s me,” he said, glancing at his pistol. He looked back at Irin and started to move towards it, keeping his eyes fixed on her.
“How can I help you?” he said, taking another step sideways.
“I’m Dave Travise,” I said, trying to distract him. “Rixon sent us.”
He laughed. “Rixon, that old washout, what did he send you for?” He was getting close to the gun. I swung up my pistol and fired. He flinched, but needn’t have worried, he was safe from me. The shot missed him and hit the pistol, sending it flying into the corner.
“Not bad shooting, for another washout?” I said. “Rixon sends his regards.”
“He couldn’t come himself,” Irin added.
“And who are you?”
“Don’t you recognise me?” she asked. He shook his head. Irin pulled off her cap and the blonde hair cascaded down. “Irin Siggursson, recognise me now?”
He laughed again, although it sounded forced this time. “You think you worry me? I’ve dealt with Dolmen; the Douglas brothers are next. They’ll all bow down before me, and a pair of old washouts and a dumb blonde won’t stop me. Boys,” he called. “Boys, get in here now.”
“They can’t hear you, where they are,” Irin smiled. “They’re in the same place you sent my mother and my son.”
He looked wildly around, there was only the one door and we were standing in front of it. He made a move towards me. Irin calmly shot him once, in the thigh. Blood spurted, he squealed and fell to the floor.
“Bitch,” he said. His face had greyed from shock, his hand was pressed over his leg and the front of his trousers were turning red. He tried to crawl but skidded in the pool of blood that was spreading, the shot must have hit something crucial.
“Did you kill them?” she asked. He nodded.
“When we got back from Caluga, we heard that you’d joined forces with Rixon, I’d hoped that you might have killed him for me.”
Irin fired another shot into his other leg and he jerked at the impact. “Did they suffer?” she asked, coldly.
“Of course they suffered,” he snarled. “I made sure they did, and they knew why. You’ll never get away from here,” he was gasping now, his eyes fluttering as the blood loss started to have an effect on his body.
“Ah but we will.” I joined in the conversation. “Just like you, we have connections, only ours are on the right side of the law.”
Malkin coughed and it caused him pain. “The General? She’s making her move then. Be careful, Travise, you might have a tiger by the tail.”
What was a tiger? I had to be quick, make sure he knew it before he went. “I’m not Dave Trav
ise,” I said. “I’m Finn Douglas.”
His eyes widened. “But the Douglas brothers are…”
“Taken care of? Not this one,” I said simply. You could see the despair on his face, through the pain. His eyes fluttered, and his body slumped. He was starting to drift in and out of consciousness.
“We’re going now,” Irin said and we turned to leave.
The General stood in the doorway. She was in uniform this time.
“Mr Travise, or Douglas, never mind the formality, let’s just settle for Finn. I’m sorry that I was delayed, you seem to have managed without me.” She looked over, spotted the widening pool of blood and saw Malkin.
“And who do we have there? It looks very much like Mr Malkin, and he appears to be the worse for wear. Should I call the medics?”
“You can’t be too concerned about the death of a criminal.”
“I’m not, particularly after what my men discovered buried outside. Tell me, dear,” she said to Irin, “were they your family?”
“Yes,” whispered Irin, “he said that he had killed them.”
“Then you have my deepest sympathies. I can understand your actions. But, as an officer of the law, what I don’t like is the fact that I’ve just witnessed it. And now I have to make a decision.”
She was blocking our way out. “I must admit that I overheard a lot of your conversation with the soon to be late Mr Malkin. It seems that he admitted to things that we suspected but could never prove.”
She paused. “For that; you have done me a service. It’s unfortunate that he tried to shoot you and you were forced to defend yourselves, with unlicensed weapons which I will assume you got from the people who were here. Where are the rest of them by the way?”
“They’re scattered where they fell,” Irin said.
“And you, Miss Siggursson, I’ve been doing a little more digging into your past. You are one of the criminals that Mr Malkin was associated with; no doubt you could tell us much if I took you into custody for the murder of all of them.”
Was there one more double-cross left? Was she talking so formally because she was on duty, her men with her, actions recorded? Griff had said that the General was ruthless, but that she was fair. We had done her bidding. Or was she angry at having been manipulated by Dolmen?
Irin looked at me, she was pale. “Dave, I can’t.” She grabbed me as if it would prevent her from being taken.
“Hang on a moment,” I said. “You can’t arrest Irin. As I recall, you asked us to draw them out, do your work for you. You said that you would be here. We arrived and you weren’t here to protect us, so we had to do it ourselves. Self-defence is what it would be called where I come from.”
“Yes,” she said, “I suppose it was. Even if it was a little excessive, judging by the state of the ground outside and all the bodies.” She lowered her voice, “You’re right, I made you a promise. I just have to make it look good, for the sake of my men. I can’t just let you go. They would talk; they might even have heard some of our conversation. As she is with you in more than a professional capacity, you deserve your freedom together. If you’re quick, then you may be able to get past me and get back to your ship.”
She stepped aside. “Kindly push me to the ground,” she said, “as you make your escape. You can evade my men, if you are quick.”
“Thank you,” I said.
She smiled thinly as I nudged her gently to the floor. “A tiger is a mythical beast,” she said. “Quite dangerous, but only at the front end. You can hang onto its tail for the ride, but you must be careful that it doesn’t stop and turn on you. Good luck.”
We ran past her and out across the grass. Rixon was waiting in the trees.
“I’m so sorry,” he said to Irin. “Did you get Malkin?”
She nodded. “I did, it didn’t make me feel as good as I’d hoped.”
He nodded. “It never does. I saw the General arrive. She sent men to guard Sister and Freefall. She let you go then?”
I nodded. “Let’s get back before she changes her mind.”
That sounded like a very good plan. I needed to ask Melva how she had done it. We set off towards the ships, keeping an eye open for the General’s troops.
“What’s the plan now then?” I asked him.
“Back to New Devon,” he suggested, “or I guess I could head for Caluga, see my mother.”
“Isn’t that the last of the promises?” wondered Irin.
“I reckon it is. Messinya will be pleased to see you.”
We walked through the trees. Freefall and the Sister were sitting side by side, surrounded by troops. When they saw us, they raised their weapons. We stood still. One of the officers was talking on the radio. He waved his arm, the troops parted and let us through to the ships.
Melva and Angie were standing close together, by Freefall’s ramp. They smiled when they saw us.
“Let’s get off this rock,” said Rixon. “Head for somewhere deserted, we can talk about what happened.”
It sounded like a good plan. We separated, Angie and Rixon boarded the Sister, we got into Freefall. The ramp started to shut as we headed for the wheelhouse.
“Where are we going first?” I asked Rixon over the radio.
“It’s best if you don’t follow me,” he said. “I’m going to see my mother but I’m not coming back with you.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I’m trouble,” he said. “I tried to help; it didn’t work out. Ria and I don’t get on, I’ll only cause you more grief. That was the promise you haven’t kept. Say hi to Griff for me.” The Sister took off.
“Follow him, Myra,” I said. I expected the engines to start. There was silence.
“Sorry, Dave,” Myra said. “I can’t. My interlocks have been compromised; the ramp isn’t shut.”
I ran for the stairs. “I’ll sort it. Myra, track him,” I shouted.
I slid down the handrails on every ladder to the deck; ran to the ramp. I hit the local controls and the ramp opened. I saw it straight away, there was a stone jammed in one of the locking recesses. It had been enough to stop us from taking off, the sensors reporting that the hull was not airtight had prevented our engines from starting. I pulled it out and threw it onto the deck. Angie must have put it there. Had she been told to do that by Rixon? I closed the ramp and checked the lights, this time they were all green.
As I called on the intercom, “Hull’s secure, you can take off, don’t lose him,” I heard the whine of the engines starting.
By the time I reached the wheelhouse again, we were above the clouds. The sky was turning dark, bright stars shone.
“Are we following him?” I asked. Melva shook her head.
“I’ve lost him, Dave,” Myra said.
“Call him up.”
There was a moment’s silence. “He’s not responding.”
There was only one thing for it, only one way to see him again, I would have to go to Caluga and wait.
Then I thought about it.
He hadn’t said he would go straight to her. Maybe it would be another fifteen years until I saw him again.
More than enough time to make a few more promises.
“Let’s just go home,” I said. There was enough for us to deal with when we got there.
The end
Afterword
I hope that you have enjoyed this book
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this story. As an independently published author, I have no huge marketing machine, no bottomless budget. I rely on my readers to help me gain attention for my work. And next to the readers who love my work; reviews, either by word of mouth or online remain one of my most important assets.
Talking about my books, telling your friends and family and reviews on websites help bring them to the attention of other readers. If you’ve enjoyed reading this book, please would you consider leaving a review, even if it’s only a few words, it will be appreciated and might just help someone else discover their next great read
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Find out more about me and my worlds at richarddeescifi.co.uk. where you can see details of my other novels and short story collections.
Thank you very much.
Richard Dee.
Also by Richard Dee
The Dave Travise Series
The Dave Travise Series
Freefall
Myra
The Balcom Series
Ribbonworld
Jungle Green
The Lost Princess
Steampunk
The Rocks of Aserol
A New Life in Ventis
The Sensaurum and the Lexis
Andorra Pett
Andorra Pett and the Oort Cloud Café
Andorra Pett on Mars
Andorra Pett and her Sister
Stand Alone
Life and Other Dreams
Survive
Non-Fiction
Creating a Sci-fi World
Flash Fiction
Vol One-Sci-Fi
Vol Two-Sci-Fi
Vol Three-Steampunk
Richard Dee
Richard Dee is from Brixham in Devon. Leaving school at 16 he briefly worked in a supermarket, then he went to sea and travelled the world in the Merchant Navy, qualifying as a Master Mariner in 1986.
He has also worked as an Insurance Surveyor, Lockmaster, Harbourmaster and Ships Pilot, taking over 3,500 vessels up and down the Thames, passing through the estuary, the Thames Barrier and Tower Bridge.
Since the publication of his first Science Fiction novel, Freefall, in 2013, Richard has written another twelve novels, a textbook and a selection of short stories. He has been featured in several anthologies, including 1066 Turned Upside Down and Tales from Deepest Darkest Devon.
He writes Science Fiction and Steampunk adventures and also chronicles the exploits of reluctant amateur detective Andorra Pett.