Recollection: Age of Expansion - A Kurtherian Gambit Series (The Ghost Squadron Book 6)

by Sarah Noffke

  Yes, the ship got beat up. But no one had died. Even Harley would be okay. In exchange, they’d found the location of the Saverus fleet and learned valuable information about their technology. In his mind, the fuck-up hadn’t been completely terrible. There were other decisions that Eddie had made in his life with zero silver lining. Those were worth regretting.

  Eddie gave Julianna one last look before opening the door to the brig.

  ~~~

  The prisoner was in the form of Julianna when they charged into the holding area outside its cell.

  Julianna held her pistol steadily at her doppelganger. “Change,” she ordered.

  The imposter blinked innocently. “Why would you want me to change? I’m you. I’m perfect, don’t you think?”

  With a precision to impress, Julianna fired her gun, and the bullet grazed the shoulder of her mirror image. The Saverus’s hand flew to her shoulder, and her version of Julianna’s face was streaked with horror.

  “You didn’t think I’d shoot at myself, did you?” Julianna asked. “Now change, or you’ll feel the next bullet more.”

  The image of Julianna dissolved into the giant snake, its green eyes blinking impassively. A smear of blood marked its right side where the bullet had grazed.

  “You set us up!” Eddie yelled from Julianna’s side.

  The Saverus dipped its chin, not replying.

  Julianna lowered her gun. “You have given us zero factual information, and what little you did tell us nearly got us blown up. There is not much keeping us from throwing you out the airlock.”

  “Then do it!” the Saverus said with a hiss.

  Eddie shook his head, eyes narrowed. “That would show you more kindness than your own race has, including your partner. He used you as a shield and left you behind to be caught.”

  “Verdok is a vile Saverus. His treatment of me was no surprise,” the snake spat, unaffected.

  “But your race knows that we have you. We informed them,” Julianna said. “And not only have they not tried to rescue you, but when offered your return in exchange for a ceasefire, they declined. They shot at our ship with the intention to destroy. It would appear that they have no concern for your life.”

  Julianna gave Eddie a sideways look. “Tell me, partner, what would you do if I was captured by the enemy?”

  Eddie stepped up closer to the bars, his eyes sharp and centered on the Saverus. “Nothing and no one would stop me from finding you, Jules. I would tear this universe apart to save you.”

  Julianna smiled inwardly. “And what would Ghost Squadron do if one of ours was on an enemy ship that had jumped within range?”

  Eddie laughed hoarsely. “That’s easy. We’d negotiate for their release. What we wouldn’t do is fire at said ship, knowing that we were potentially killing one of our own.”

  “So you can see how savage that makes your race appear to us,” Julianna concluded plainly.

  “Our council is very selfish, the snake said. You wouldn’t understand. We are taught selflessness for the good of our kind, and our council takes advantage of that.”

  “That’s an excuse. You’re in denial about what’s happened here.” Julianna stepped even with Eddie, leaning close to the bars. “They have betrayed you. Plain and simple.”

  “Now you’re remaining loyal to a race who would rather see you dead than protect you,” Eddie stated.

  “It’s not like that—”

  “Enough!” Julianna stated. “You have one day to decide where your loyalty lies. We’ve shown you more kindness than your own race, but that will not last. Either you start being of use to us, or we’re tossing you out the airlock. No one is going to miss you.”

  Knox Gunnerson’s Private Quarters, Ricky Bobby, Tangki System

  Consciousness was slow to return to Knox. He felt trapped, but the waking world was a blink away. All he wanted to do was open his eyes. Then his future could begin…one without regret and uncertainty. One where he fixed his problems instead of made them worse.

  I have the answers!

  The dream was so clear. It was a memory. His memory. It had all come back. Finally, he knew where to look.

  If he could only wake from this seemingly unending movie reel of his life, he could tell Julianna and Eddie. They’d be so happy. He’d lost the Tangle Thief—well, hidden it—but now he knew exactly where to find it.

  It had to still be there; he was the only one who knew where it was located. There was no way that anyone else could find it.

  Unless they excavated the junkyard… Unless they know exactly where to search and what they are looking for.

  His heart beat in his throat. The Saverus were likely to be on his trail. He knew that. Knew it so much, he was afraid he might be too late.

  He needed to wake up. If he could jolt himself out of this dream, the beginning of the end could commence.

  In his bed, he felt himself toss. The sweat beaded on his forehead, drenching his pillow. His dry mouth continued to plague him.

  Still he stayed locked in dreams.

  Wake up! he yelled at his consciousness.

  Knox reached for the covers, pulling them to his chest as he shivered. He was so cold. So alone. So tired of fighting.

  Why can’t I get out of this dream?

  In his mind, he screamed so loud that it hurt his ears. So loud that he wanted to escape from himself. So loud that he did wake.

  Finally!

  Bolting upright in his bed, Knox sat heaving on ragged breath. His covers were tied tightly around his abdomen, and his mattress was soaked. His head was throbbing.

  But he didn’t care.

  He knew exactly where the Tangle Thief was.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Landing Bay, Ricky Bobby, Tangki System

  “A junkyard?” Eddie asked Knox, scratching his head.

  “Specifically, a spaceship junkyard on Planet L2SCQ-6,” Knox replied.

  “From my experience, junkyards tend to be a mess of piled high trash,” Julianna cut in. “Do you know exactly where you put the Tangle Thief?”

  Knox nodded and then corrected himself, shaking his head. “I know where I hid it, but things could have shifted over the last ten years.”

  “Or someone could have taken it already,” Eddie added.

  “As long as it wasn’t the Saverus, then we’re fine. Whoever took it wouldn’t necessarily know how to operate it,” Julianna said.

  Hatch waddled over, carrying a small, metal case. “Remember that Knox operated the Tangle Thief at age ten. Using the Tangle Thief isn’t rocket science.”

  “Knox is also Cheng’s son,” Eddie reasoned. “I would assume that his prior experience with technology helped. “

  Hatch puffed out his cheeks. “I’m only saying that it’s possible that someone could operate the device.”

  “But they haven’t,” Cheng said at Knox’s side, his arm protectively wrapping around his son’s shoulders at the look of defeat that sprang to his face.

  “I hid it really well, I promise,” Knox said.

  “How do we know that the Tangle Thief hasn’t been used over the last ten years?” Julianna asked Cheng.

  “Simple,” Hatch chirped, handing her the case and waddling away.

  Eddie stared down at her, a ghost of a smile on his face. “Well, that explains everything. Hatch can really beat you over the head with an answer, huh?”

  Julianna looked again to Cheng, who would be more willing to offer information.

  He cleared his throat before saying, “Knox used the Tangle Thief soon after I did, which is why the tear that was created went unnoticed. However, if someone starts using the Tangle Thief again, there’s going to be reports. The tears that it creates have the potential to create a vacuum effect.”

  “Do you mean they will start to pull things from this universe through the tear?” Julianna asked.

  Cheng nodded, dropping his arm from around Knox’s shoulders and using his hands as he explained. “Yes. Objects
, people, and elements of the environment could be pulled through the tear. A great deal of radiation will also pour through from the other side, which will kill and destroy anything in the near vicinity.”

  Eddie whistled through his teeth. “That would stir up some attention.”

  “So we can safely say that, since there haven’t been any reports like this, the Tangle Thief probably hasn’t been used,” Julianna guessed.

  “See? Simple, like I said,” Hatch yelled from his workstation.

  “The details to help us apes understand the context would have assisted your point,” Eddie called back.

  Julianna stared at the case Hatch had thrust into her hands, before returning her gaze to Cheng. Knox, besides his black hair, obviously took after his mother in appearance. He was even taller than his father, especially when not slouching like he was now.

  Hopefully once we locate and retrieve the Tangle Thief, that constant defeated demeanor will leave him.

  “What’s on the other side of the tear?” she asked.

  Cheng scratched his chin. “It’s only speculation,” he said.

  The scientist had practically returned to normal, based on Hatch’s assessment. When they visited Onyx Station, he had been taken to a specialist for the damage he’d suffered when using the Tangle Thief. The results had been immediate, and now Cheng appeared more natural and less lost.

  “Oh, we know that our speculations are usually correct,” Hatch exclaimed, tinkering with a set of test tubes at his workstation—or at least making a show of not being interested in the current conversation.

  “Right,” Cheng said, letting out a breath. “We speculate, with a good deal of confidence, that on the other side of the tear would be a parallel universe.”

  “Far out!” Eddie yelled.

  Julianna blinked. “Is that possible?”

  Cheng shrugged. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. The Tangle Thief operates using the principles from entanglement theory; to pull the object being taken, it would have to come through somewhere.”

  “So it’s pulled through to the parallel universe and then popped back into ours in the location of the receiver?” Julianna asked.

  Cheng tapped his fingers on his lips, musing on the question.

  “Close enough!” Hatch yelled.

  “Damn this stuff hurts my brain,” Eddie said.

  Cheng smiled. “That’s perfectly normal. Richard Feynman said, ‘If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don’t understand quantum mechanics.’”

  “Who is he?” Eddie asked.

  “He’s a physicist who did a lot of work in the area of quantum electrodynamics,” Cheng answered.

  “You can thank him for nanotechnology and much of the technology that flies your ships,” Hatch said.

  For acting like he’s irritated and not wanting to be part of the conversation, he sure has a lot to say today. Eddie pursed his lips in Julianna’s direction. “Aren’t you glad all we have to do is fly ships around and not wrap our heads around a science that no one understands?”

  “I’m fairly certain that Dr. Feynman wouldn’t have wanted your job beating up bad guys,” Cheng offered.

  “Best job there is,” Eddie said with a wink.

  “Okay, back to the mission,” Julianna said, steering the conversation onto the original track. “Knox, if we take you to Planet L2SCQ-6, do you think you can find where you hid the Tangle Thief?”

  Knox nodded weakly.

  Cheng slapped him gently on the back. “You’ll definitely be able to find it, son. I knew you’d remember! You just needed some rest.”

  “You’re welcome,” Hatch yelled.

  “Thanks…I think,” Knox said.

  Hatch looked up from his beaker, swirling a red liquid. “Oh, and you’re unfired as soon as you return.”

  “What if I don’t find the Tangle Thief?” Knox asked.

  “Then you’re fired again,” Hatch said.

  Eddie smiled broadly. “So no pressure.”

  “Don’t worry,” Cheng said to Knox. “We’re going to find it.”

  “‘We’?” Knox asked.

  “Of course ‘we’,” Cheng said. “I’m going with you.”

  “It could be dangerous,” Julianna warned.

  “Then I’ll face those dangers,” Cheng fired back. “It’s my fault that Dom—I mean, Knox, took the Tangle Thief.”

  “Jules, although Planet L2SCQ-6 is in the Frontier, I think the most trouble we’ll run into is a few pirates who will immediately pee themselves when I draw a weapon,” Eddie said, puffing out his chest.

  “Planet L2SCQ-6 is full of pirates,” Knox admitted.

  “And we don’t know what else,” Julianna said. “I have a feeling that we should be prepared.”

  “Alright, then I’ll tell Fletcher to have his team suit up,” Eddie stated.

  “Ricky Bobby, how long until we gate?” Julianna asked.

  “Probably before you’re done with your current conversation,” Ricky Bobby answered.

  “Damn, he’s one efficient AI,” Eddie said.

  Is he inferring that I’m not? Pip asked, cutting into Julianna’s thoughts.

  You know that everything isn’t always about you?

  Isn’t it?

  “Let’s roll out at 21:00.” Julianna held up the case, looking at Hatch. “What’s this for?”

  “It’s a case,” Hatch said simply.

  Eddie rolled his eyes, but smiled still. “I think he’s intentionally trying to be unhelpful.”

  Hatch picked up a dropper and placed a single drop of liquid into the beaker in front of him. “I’m working on your leveling laser, actually. But if you’re going to be that way, then I’ll quit and work on the DeLorean.”

  “We were working on that together,” Knox said quickly, his expression dropping with disappointment.

  Hatch swiveled around to face him. “Does that mean you still want to be part of the project?”

  “Yes, of course…I’ve been out of sorts,” Knox explained.

  Eddie offered him a sympathetic look. “Which is completely understandable.”

  “I believe he’s my apprentice,” Hatch said.

  “So?” Eddied asked, looking confused.

  Hatch lowered the beaker. “So stop babying him, or you’ll undermine the discipline I’ve instilled.”

  “Being understanding isn’t what I’d consider ‘babying’,” Eddie argued.

  “Last time I checked, no one asked you,” Hatch said.

  Knox stepped forward. “I want to work on the DeLorean with you...if I’m not fired, that is.”

  “Fine, we’ll continue with the project when you return,” Hatch said.

  “And how is the leveling laser coming along?” Eddie asked.

  Hatch’s tentacles stretched to a workstation behind him, picking up another set of test tubes. “Taking over for Liesel posed some problems.”

  “Why is that?” Julianna asked.

  “She isn’t as meticulous as I am,” Hatch answered.

  “When do you think it will be complete?” Eddie asked.

  “When it’s done,” Hatch said.

  Eddie laughed. “Again, your brevity leaves me wanting more.”

  Julianna held up the case again. “What’s in the case?”

  Hatch sighed.

  He appeared more bothered than usual. Something is irking the mechanic. I’ll ask him later, if he won’t snap at me; well, even if he does. She wasn’t afraid of the grumpy Londil.

  “Two sets of Saverus goggles,” he answered.

  “I don’t expect that we’ll need those for this mission,” Eddie said.

  Julianna unlatched the case, peering at the two sets of goggles. “You never know, though. The Petigren were on Nexus.”

  “Yes, but their leads dried up there,” Eddie reasoned. “They don’t know to look on this Frontier planet.”

  Julianna closed the case. “I think underestimating the Saverus is a bad idea.”
<
br />   CHAPTER TWENTY

  Alpha-line Q-Ship, Outskirts Junkyard, Planet L2SCQ-6 in Frontier space

  Smoke billowed from the crumbling factories in the distance. The entire planet was a series of grays. From the sky, the entire surface appeared like one giant junkyard.

  “Man, this place is a dump,” Eddie said.

  “Yeah,” Knox agreed, his gaze searching the area as they sped over the surface of the planet.

  Eddie admonished himself. “Sorry, I know that you spent a long time here. I’m sure there are many good things about this planet.”

  Knox shook his head. “There’s not.”

  Eddie scanned the gray landscape, trying to find an open area to land. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. Ricky Bobby is your home now, and Ghost Squadron is your family. That is, if you’ll have us.”

  Knox looked over his shoulder at his father. There had been some discussion of Cheng returning to the Federation to work directly for R&D. Eddie was certain that Knox felt torn between following his father and staying with Hatch and Ghost Squadron. The decision was his, though, and, as fond of the kid as Eddie had grown, he couldn’t pressure him to stay. Hell, if given the choice, he’d always choose family over his career; he only wished he would have made that decision when he had the chance.

  “Thanks,” Knox said softly. Then he pointed. “The junkyard is over there.”

  “You mean the wasteland inside the wasteland?” Eddie lowered the ship, landing in a spot big enough for Julianna to fit alongside him with her Q-Ship.

  “That’s where I hid the Tangle Thief.” Knox pointed in the direction of a severed ship. Only the stern of the large battlecruiser remained.

  “Got it.” Eddie pressed the button for his comm. “Carnivore, this is Black Beard. Do you read me?”

  “Loud and clear,” Lars said over the comm.

  “What’s your location?” Eddie asked.

  “Entering the atmosphere now,” Lars said.

  Eddie stood, loading up his weapons. “Good. You and the Eagles keep an eye from the sky. We’re heading out.”

  “Copy that,” Lars said.

  Eddie opened the rear hatch remotely, allowing Fletcher’s team to disembark and spread out, sweeping the area.