Salvation (Technopia Book 4)

by Greg Chase

  Larry shrugged. “So? It’s not like they’re trying to hide the fact that they’re slow.”

  Jess looked intently at her pirate captain. “They replaced the engines. That means these can be jettisoned—and easily because they’re not stable in their bays. If we can distract the gunners with our little armada, Jupiter One-One-Four can access their maintenance program and dump those units into space. That’ll leave us four nice big gaping holes to land in.”

  Luther rubbed at the back of his neck. “This is why I don’t like Tobes on my ships. Jupiter One-One-Four’s just going to tell the gunship to jettison their engines, and some Tobe onboard is going to do it?”

  Jess arched a pain out of her back as she stood up. The kozane wasn’t bad when she was in action, but it had a way of resisting subtle movements. “Not exactly. One-One-Four runs the freedom network and relays the other normal Moons’ networks. He owes me. His cooperation is assured—”

  “I don’t want to know,” Luther interrupted. “Whatever it was you did when you were over on that tin can would make for one great drunken tale. But if he can talk to the gunship’s Tobe, why not just have them drop their weapons?”

  Jupiter One-One-Four was never very chatty, but he’d explained his position clearly enough to Jess in the couple of minutes he had agreed to speak to her. “He won’t get in the middle of a battle. As I understand it, he can’t tell another Tobe what to do. So him talking to one of those gunner Tobes would only give us away. Similarly, the Tobe captain won’t be big on the freedom network, so he’s out as well. The best Jupiter One-One-Four can do is make contact with the space dock that performed the retrofit. Through those programs, run by the maintenance facility’s Tobes, the network still has access to the gunship. And that means if our friend on that satellite can convince one of his friends in the maintenance facility to help, that gunship might just loose its engines.”

  Larry brought up a number of small smuggler vessels as a size comparison to the larger ship. They looked like a child’s miniature toys next to the real thing. “So we convince the fleet to attack and hope to hell Jupiter One-One-Four can work his magic. Then, even if we somehow make it to the gunship, we still need the pirates to keep up the fight while not blasting the vessel to pieces with us aboard to keep the crew from firing on us the moment we set foot in the engine bays. That gets us inside. Then what?”

  Larry’s last question kept buzzing around Jess’s mind like a rogue Erinomeian mosquito—one of the big ones that used to make her duck for cover when she was working speakeasy parties—as she sat next to Luther on his Tobe-less ship while he made his approach. From the bridge view screen, she watched her partners on Rampike dive on the monster gunship. Over the communication link, she could hear Spike and Larry’s war cries with every pass. In spite of the danger, or perhaps because of it, they were having entirely too much fun harassing the slow-moving beast. She longed to be with her crew, but with Spike running the ship, there was no way Rampike could land on the gunship without being detected. The boarding party might not need her, but the legend she hoped to create required her direct involvement.

  A line of laser fire cut through the blackness of space like a broadsword—each cannon handing off the duty of continuing the slice to the next in line to complete the arc. Two pirate vessels weren’t fast enough to avoid the attack. The first lost the back-engine baffles, causing the craft to careen wildly out of control. The second wasn’t so lucky and was sliced cleanly in half. Jess could make out the main cabin, with seating still intact, and the secret smuggler’s hold underneath. Three human figures in space leathers floated out from the front section. An entirely too reckless ship shot in from under Luther’s craft, main hatch open, to snag the stranded crew. It picked up some new laser scars but otherwise retreated to a safe distance relatively unharmed with the three members of the abandoned ship.

  “No one said adventure wasn’t without its risks.” Luther remained at the outskirts of the battle with three other ships, all devoid of Tobes.

  Ramon peered over Jess’s shoulder. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many pirates flying their hearts out in such a small space. It’s like each is trying to outmaneuver the others. There’s sure to be more than one overly embellished story tonight.”

  “So long as they don’t start crashing into each other.” Jess cringed as Rampike made three barrel rolls around slower ships to rejoin the fray.

  Luther swung his ship in an undulating maneuver, clearly anxious to join the action. “Any word from your friend?”

  Jess focused in the view screen to the gunship’s engines. “He said we’d see some sparks around the outer engine rings just before the jettison. Hopefully, he’ll access the program soon. I’m not crazy about all these pirates putting their lives on the line.”

  Ramon waved at the armada on the screen. “None of them will be happy until they’ve got a fresh laser scar to prove they were here. Today will be the talk of the outpost for the next month.”

  “I still don’t like it,” Jess said, but at least the action distracted her from the upcoming boarding.

  She watched two ships coordinate their attacks, one from above and one from below, peppering a line of laser dots around the circumference of the gunship. They didn’t look to have done much harm, but Jess suspected the pirates would later tell a different story.

  The attack did manage to force the gunship to fire up its engines.

  “Looks like we’re up.” Luther gunned his engines before Jess had a chance to fully identify the barely perceptible ring of sparks around the glowing engines.

  Jupiter One-One-Four clearly knew what he was doing. By waiting to release the locks until the gunship had fully engaged its seldom-used new propulsion units, he’d ensured complete failure of the newly installed retaining rings. The engines, though small by gunship standards, pivoted wildly around in their supports and fired off into space with such force that the daring pirate captains blasted to a safe distance—all but four of them.

  Jess ducked behind the captain’s chair. “Are you crazy? You’re headed straight at those engines.”

  Luther let out his maniacal, laughing war cry. “It’s the only place I know they’re not going to be—directly in line with their engine bays.”

  The other three ships that made up the boarding party followed close behind Luther. The faster they got into those holes, the less likely they’d be detected.

  “Better strap in,” Luther said. “These aren’t landing bays. It’s going to be a rough entry.”

  Jess wasn’t sure how much of the jolting and crashing had to do with impact on the giant gunship and how much was the result of Luther reversing his engines. Either way, her kozane proved its worth by keeping her from harm as the restraining harness bit hard into the armor.

  Ramon had his sidearms out before Jess had fully unstrapped her restraints. As she reached for her weapons, he stopped one of her hands. “Just the lasgun. I wouldn’t want you firing that blaster off behind me. Only use that one if you find yourself stranded and in trouble.”

  Jess nodded as they scampered out the hatch.

  Recently blackened by the rogue engine, the bay still radiated heat. She hoped the pirates outside could keep the crew too busy to dispatch a maintenance team.

  Luther rushed up behind them. “If the design of this ship makes any sense at all, they’ll have put the main bridge toward the center. That’d be the safest spot. We’ll head in as straight a line as we can manage, and we should hit it.”

  The door was jammed shut from the engine’s intense blast of power in the confined space. “Stand back.” Ramon aimed his blaster at the seal and expertly fired three small bursts into the frame. To Jess’s surprise, instead of the holes she’d expected, the hatch merely swung open on its own.

  As they entered the deserted corridor, two other pirates joined them from the neighboring bay. “We’re from the Bandit. Trapper didn’t make it. We saw the ship impact against the rim of the engine bay
. Any idea on how Delgado made out?”

  Luther shook his head. “We were the first in. We’ll have to assume we’re the only two crews. Head up to the axillary bridge. Without their engines, they’ll be firing up their secondary controls as a precaution.”

  “Agreed. First one to kill a Tobe wins.” The dark duo headed for the access hatch above their heads.

  Ramon caught the distressed look Jess knew she’d failed to hide. “Don’t mind him. A number of these Tobe-less pirates are that way for a reason.”

  “It’s not him,” Jess said. “We’ll need to wipe out this captain Tobe at least. I know that—and probably all of the gunner Tobes as well.” She shook the images of her Tobe friends on Earth out of her head.

  “We don’t have time for this nonsense.” Luther set his lasguns to full power and darted down the narrow passageway.

  The sound of laser fire hitting metal echoed from above, followed by a boom that shook the ship. Ramon put his hand to Jess’s back. “That’d be a blaster going off at full power. Sounds like our friends found a little action. With any luck, that’ll mean the gunship crew members have already divided their efforts between the two bridges—less people for us to worry about.”

  Luther backed hard against the bulkhead in front of them and started firing his lasgun down an adjoining passageway. “Move it!”

  Jess raced after Ramon as he ran ahead to offer assistance. It didn’t take long for her to lose her sense of direction. The straight line Luther had advocated became a zigzag of passageways as they tried to avoid capture while still seeking out the main bridge.

  It seemed every door they busted open was either to crew quarters or a galley. Ramon set off his blaster toward a band of armed guards. “Luther, I’m beginning to think the main bridge isn’t on this deck.”

  “Have I ever led you astray?”

  “You’ve never led me anywhere.” Ramon fired his lasgun into a lock to open yet another door to yet another passageway.

  As the first one in, Luther began shooting the moment he stepped through the entry. “This has to be it. No one mounts this many armed guards in front of a door for no reason.”

  Jess followed Ramon in only to see the door Luther had referred to swing open between the lifeless guards. Inside, the buzz of gunfire was thick as if they’d kicked over a hornet’s nest. If this isn’t it, I’m going to be really pissed. She aimed her lasgun as best she could and started firing with her partners. Who hit what she couldn’t tell in the smoke from singed wiring, burning carpet, and melted bulkheads. The noxious air stung her eyes for only a moment, then the kozane quickly compensated to filter out the stink.

  Ramon grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the bridge. “Keep low. We’re looking for Weapons Control. It should be the control board directly in front of the captain’s perch.”

  They entered the bridge, and a hard impact shook the gunship. Alarms shrieked from every display. The pirates outside were doing better than Jess could have imagined.

  As she sought out the various control boards, the hit of a las-rifle knocked her back toward the entrance. Even with her kozane, her shoulder felt as though it had been pierced with a hot metal blade. But she was alive, just dazed. She rolled onto her back, firing her weapon at the imposing figure that towered over her. The flash of his las-rifle blinded her, but the weight of her adversary falling on her proved her aim to be more lethal than his.

  The hand at her shoulder made her squirm as she tried to free her arm and weapon from under the body on top of her.

  “Relax, it’s me, Luther. Set your kozane to Face Transparent. That was quite the blast you took. That armor’s not invincible, you know.”

  “Sorry.” Getting shot wasn’t my idea. But arguing with her rescuer didn’t seem the most grateful of responses.

  “Let me see if I can get this oaf off you. Bet he didn’t expect to get shot under the neck guard. Damn fine shooting, lady.”

  As the face mask of her kozane cleared, the destruction came into better perspective. Blast holes a foot in diameter riddled the bulkheads, revealing wires sparking with electricity. Two bodies lay slumped over the control consoles with Luther struggling to remove a third off her aching chest. Ramon still held his lasgun in his right hand, aiming it around the room, looking for a target, but his left arm hung unnaturally still. A precision laser burn darkened the armor around his left shoulder.

  As she struggled to get to her feet, three booming blaster discharges shook the deck so badly she lost her footing. Everything went dark. She sought the on-screen menu to initiate Night Mode. To her relief, the darkness was real and not the result of another shot to her head.

  Backup lighting began to glow orange around the bridge, only to be met with an additional blaster jolt that killed even that source of power.

  Ramon came rushing up. “Looks like Delgado made it after all. Their mission was to knock out all power, including life support. Time to test those leathers.”

  Jess’s kozane had taken quite a beating, but it had performed admirably in keeping her and her leathers safe. The familiar smell of synthetic filtering fabric filled her nose as the garment began recycling her breathing. Ramon and Luther hunched down next to her, their weapons at the ready, but all remained quiet.

  As the seconds ticked by and no further action seemed forthcoming, Luther breathed a little easier. “That should do it. No ship-based Tobe can survive a minute without some form of power.”

  Jess knew it had to be done. Any Tobe aboard the gunship would fight to the last to protect its home base. It really was the only way. But the guilt would be a long-term pang in her gut. People might not be easily swayed from their convictions, but Tobes would always listen to logic. Given time and access, she might have convinced them to change sides. Perhaps that was why Luther and some of the other pirates had so much mistrust of them.

  A loud explosion, unlike the sounds of battle, rocked the ship. Ramon holstered his lasgun. “That’ll be the escape pod. If Bandit’s crew secured the secondary bridge, the remaining people here will abandon ship rather than wait around to be captured. Us pirates don’t have much use for prisoners.”

  Jess didn’t want to know what happened to the captives they did end up with, but she assumed an escape pod would be left unmolested by the pirates, who were acting like a pack of carnivores, oblivious to all as they savored a fresh kill. Why would they bother with a pod of worthless people when there’s a vessel loaded with weapons for the taking?

  Luther pointed down the passageway. “Not much left for us to do here. I think I’d rather sail back aboard my own ship than sit here on this stinking bridge with no life support and wait to be towed to the outpost.”

  Ramon surveyed the carnage. “You go ahead, and take Jess with you. I’ll hang around here just to make sure no one starts getting greedy before we have a chance to divvy up the spoils.”

  7

  Sara awoke in the dark office to her stomach grumbling. Food wouldn’t be a problem. The film could convert solar energy from the transfer array into nourishment for her body. But she’d still need to find water from time to time to replace what the film couldn’t reclaim. After a day spent arguing with an inferno, something liquid to cut the taste of sulfur couldn’t come too soon.

  In spite of the low gravity, her body ached as she stretched up off the couch. The ancient rug crumbled under her feet. She peeked around the corner to see if her nemesis, the blue wraith, was anywhere to be seen. She was alone.

  The kitchen had rudimentary appliances. Sara pressed various controls to confirm that nothing of any interest worked. It’d be up to the film to support her—for the time being, at least. Under the sink, she found half a dozen water containers, all full. But before gulping down the much-needed refreshment, she passed her hand over the jugs. Purple flames of radioactive energy leapt from the plastic bottles. She repeated the action, drawing forth more of the toxic energy. On her third attempt, two of the containers tested clean. By the fifth, all six jug
s proved safe for drinking.

  She flopped on the floor and drained as much of the first jug as her stomach could hold. The stale, plastic-tasting, warm water mixed with the dry sulfur coating in her mouth from her day wandering Praxidike. Whoever had written all those enticing stories of glamorous goddesses having all of their needs met by willing attendants had lied.

  Outside the kitchen window, a moon-sun rose over the horizon with Jupiter filling the background. It had a unique beauty—not beautiful like the real sun rising over the New York skyline or a solar array lighting up the waterfall on Chariklo, but a sight she could appreciate.

  She struggled to her feet to get a better look at the moon she now presided over. Her first impression of the landscape was that she couldn’t have done much worse—a post-apocalyptic ghost town with no people or vegetation, inhabited by creatures of fire. If there was a spot in the solar system more deserving of the term hell, she couldn’t imagine it. Does this make me the devil, or the savior?

  She didn’t have an answer. She’d lied to Jess, agreeing to a plan she had no intention of following. Arry was a needed partner even if she was a pain in the ass. But Sara knew she couldn’t go overthrowing the reverend mother without her children rising up in anger. Accepting the mantle of goddess made sense even if her father had steadfastly refused the title of god. Only Emily would understand. Sara had lied even to her most trusted twin sister about certain aspects of her plan, but it was for her own good. Emily would come flying out to the moons with no idea of what she was doing—only a heart as big as the sun—to save her sister had she known the lengths to which Sara knew she’d have to go to win over the Tobes.

  Sara was alone—really truly alone with no one to come to her rescue. But that too had been planned. If it all goes to hell, I don’t want to take anyone with me.

  Climbing the final set of stairs to the roof invigorated her legs and spirit. I have to watch that damn self-pity. She spread her arms and turned slowly around the flat roof like an antenna looking for a source. With all of Rendition holding its collective breath while its president went off on some fool mission, it didn’t take much work to locate the signal from home.