by M. D. Cooper
“Are you having some sort of environmental issue?” Rebecca asked Nance, frowning at her hazsuit.
“No, I just wear it all the time in case something happens,” Nance said. “That way we don’t lose precious time while I get suited up.”
Rebecca didn’t seem convinced, and started to question Nance further, but Kade stopped her.
“She always wears it, though I’ve never seen her face before,” he said with a leer. “Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your hair is?”
Nance flushed, but managed to give a steady reply. “I’ve heard it once or twice before.”
With that, the drinks were served and Nance quickly left the lounge.
A few minutes passed, while mild pleasantries were exchanged before they got to the issue at hand. “I’d forgotten your curious aversion to alcohol onboard your ship.” Kade mused, as he drank from his cup of dark roast. “Any other captain would have his or her best wine in front of me.”
“My equivalent is my best coffee, which this is,” Sera said with a smile she did not feel.
“It’s damn good,” he nodded. “However, I’m not nearly as pleased with you, Sera. I’d think that one of my captains would try to defend my property against Padre a bit better than you did.” He sighed as though this was very vexing to him. “I’m not sure what to do with you.”
Sera sipped from her cup and spoke calmly, as if they were discussing the weather. “I do make runs for you, but I’m not one of your captains. I’m under no greater obligation to protect your cargo than any other consigned to this ship. I’m certainly not going to risk Sabrina or my crew just for some racing hound.” Kade seemed taken aback by her calm response, obviously expecting something else; perhaps fear.
To his left, Rebecca was giving Sera the blackest of looks.
Sera rolled the dice and pressed on.
“Since it was your cargo that Padre was after when his men chased us clear across Trio, I find myself thinking I should bill you for the antimatter we burned.” Sera enjoyed the expression of consternation that flashed across Kade’s face, and let an edge of anger slip into her voice. “Hell, they fired an RM at us! Who did you piss off enough for them to do that, and what type of racing hound is worth an RM?”
Cargo was making ‘stop it’ eyes at her and Sera decided that she had pushed as far as she should.
Kade shook his head and made a soft clicking noise with his tongue. “I’m sorry you feel that way. That hound was very precious to me. I’m feeling very much like it is you who should compensate me.”
Cargo seemed to decide he had better speak up before Sera said something they’d regret. “That’s not the type of business this is and you know that, Kade. There’s no insurance when things don’t go according to plan,” he gave Sera a pointed look. “We know that too.”
Kade seemed somewhat placated by Cargo’s smooth, even tones. Sera nodded and said nothing, which seemed to allow the tension to pass.
Kade sighed and finished his coffee before rising. “Very well, let’s see if my tech found anything useful on your scan data.” They filed out of the lounge and back to the bridge, where Drind was chatting amicably with Tanis.
“What do you have for me?” Kade asked brusquely.
Drind’s attention instantly snapped to his employer and then back to the console, where he brought up several pieces of pertinent data.
“The ships were definitely Padre’s. From what I see here, they actually did attack Coburn Station, but broke off when it appeared their quarry wasn’t there. Not sure how they got that message. Two ships that weren’t in on the station attack circled south of the star to chase after the Sabrina. It was quite a ride, the crew here pulled out all the stops to get away; pushed this old bucket of bolts faster than I’d feel comfortable with.”
Drind continued, “Their pursuers actually launched an RM and that was when the Sabrina ceased acceleration and allowed the boarding. They wouldn’t have escaped the missile.”
“And they didn’t take anything else? Just that one container?” Rebecca asked with a quirked eyebrow, while Kade appeared to be mollified by the explanation.
Drind responded affirmatively, “That’s all the records show.”
“Bastards.” Kade said. “How did they know where we stashed it?”
Sera didn’t miss that Rebecca touched Kade to stop him from saying more, just as Cargo had stopped her earlier.
“Very well,” Rebecca said. “How far along is the cargo transfer?”
Tanis had been monitoring the progress and announced that it was complete and that the Vertigo was preparing to connect once more. Kade announced that they were finished and Rebecca asked that Sera accompany them to the airlock.
The request felt suspicious to Sera. She always walked Kade off her ship, but for Rebecca to request what was the norm, told her something was off. She could see that Cargo felt the same way.
All in all, this was going far too easily.
Sera led the two visitors off the bridge to the lift. They stepped inside and Sera pushed the button for the freight deck. The lift shuddered a bit as it started its descent. Suddenly, between the crew and freight decks, it stopped. Sera smiled innocently at the three guests.
“Sorry about that. This lift doesn’t get used much and sometimes seizes for a moment. It’ll free up in a moment.”
True to her word, the lift started down again half a minute later. Down on the freight deck, the corridor to the bow airlock was free of cargo except for one last crate. They stepped around it and Sera keyed the bulkhead controls to begin pressurizing the airlock while the Vertigo made soft dock on the other side.
Having entered in the codes, Sera turned, only to find herself staring directly down the muzzle of a gun.
Rebecca’s angry scowl was at the other end of the weapon. “You didn’t think we fell for that whole Padre chased you thing, did you? There was no way he could have known you had the container.”
“Are you insane?” Sera asked. “Put that thing away, it’ll hole the hull if you fire it.”
Rebecca laughed. “I’m not stupid, Sera. An old tub this may be, but I know your shields will hold air even if I put a dozen holes in the hull.”
Sera looked at Kade. The expression on his face told her everything. He wasn’t in on this. Rebecca was acting on her own.
“She doesn’t have it,” Kade gave an exasperated sigh. “Sera wouldn’t lie about something like this, and she couldn’t fake scan well enough that Drind would be fooled.”
The look that Rebecca shot at Kade was pure hatred. “How stupid are you? Have you become so complacent that you can’t see how she plays you? She knows exactly where that container is and she’s gonna tell us, or little Sera will have to see how hot her sexy little captain’s outfit looks with a few holes in it.”
Cargo’s voice came smooth and steady from behind Kade and Rebecca. “I don’t think that will happen.”
Kade turned to look back, but Rebecca kept the gun trained on Sera. The Mark’s leader cursed as he saw Cargo, Thompson, and Flaherty filling the corridor, pulse rifles leveled.
“I think you’ll toss that blaster to the deck and then you’ll get on your ship and we’ll pretend this never happened,” Sera said evenly.
“Do what she says, Rebecca. You’re acting insane, I know you’ve always been jealous of Sera, but this is too much.”
As Kade spoke, Sera wondered that she’d never realized how much of a complete coward he had become as his wealth increased.
The same thought must have been on Rebecca’s mind too. She swung her arm until the muzzle of the blaster pointed at Kade’s head. “You are a complete and utter moron. It’s
like you get dumber by the day, and frankly I can’t stand it anymore.” Her voice dripped disdain and hatred, but somehow sounded toneless at the same time.
She paused for just a second, cocked her head, and pulled the trigger.
Everyone was stunned, as Kade’s brains sprayed across the bulkhead. All eyes followed Kade’s toppling form as it hit the ground, spilling blood, tech, and grey matter onto the deck.
At that precise moment, the airlock finished cycling and behind Sera, four heavily armored soldiers stepped into the corridor. Their visors were down and their weapons leveled.
Rebecca’s voice was surprisingly calm. “They just killed Kade. Take Sera alive and then secure this piece of crap.”
The four soldiers raised their weapons to their shoulders in a single fluid movement. In the same instant, Cargo and Flaherty dove behind the remaining freight container while Thompson hit the deck and rolled through an open hatchway. Sera fell to her side and kicked at Rebecca’s knees as the troopers unloaded their clips into the corridor. They weren’t the ship-friendly pulse rifles that Sera’s crew held. These were full power beam weapons. Sera cringed as she thought of the holes their shots must be tearing through her Sabrina. If it weren’t for the heavy shielding around the engines, their beams would have punched clear through the ship.
Rebecca crashed to the ground, and Sera gained a pyrrhic sense of satisfaction that her bucket of bolts ship dirtied the other woman’s shiny black skinsuit. Rebecca locked eyes with Sera and grinned. Sera looked up just in time to see one of the troopers smash the butt of his weapon into her face.
She fell back and watched the world slowly fade from view. The sounds of weapon fire tearing her ship to shreds took a bit longer to leave her hearing.
LOSS
STELLAR DATE: 07.09.8927 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Sabrina, Interstellar Space
REGION: Galactic South of Trio Prime, Silstrand Alliance Space
Cargo ducked back behind the freight container as the beam fire continued to flash overhead. Sera and he had suspected the possibility of an altercation with Kade, and this container had been left in the corridor for precisely the purpose it was serving now.
It contained a small shield generator, providing a secure shelter. The wall Thompson was using for cover wasn’t faring as well, but so far the burly super had managed to avoid being hit.
Cargo accessed his Link and told the other two men to narrow their rifles’ band and match frequencies. They’d take these goons out one at a time. On a three count, they all broke cover enough to get a clear shot and fired at the helmet of the leftmost trooper. The harmonious frequencies from the pulse rifles amplified one another and the tight beam focused the pulse wave to achieve lethal intensity.
Cargo noted with satisfaction that the trooper’s faceplate cracked as the shots struck true and he slumped to the ground. At the same time, another of The Mark soldiers cracked his rifle against Sera’s head and he saw the captain slump to the decking, unconscious.
“Mother fuckers!” Thompson cried out as he was forced to duck back behind the bulkhead for cover. “They hit the capt’n.”
This wasn’t good. Sabrina couldn’t take much more of this abuse. They had powerful exterior shields, but on the inside, other than around the engines, there was no sectional shielding. Before too long those beams were going to tear through something that responded badly to tearing.
Cargo contacted Cheeky over the Link. “Cheeky. Dump to FTL now!”
He counted with his fingers to indicate when to make another timed shot at the two other men. On three, they broke cover again to fire on the enemy furthest to the right. Ready to make the shot, it took him a moment to grasp what was happening.
The fallen soldier was still on the deck and two others had taken positions within the airlock for cover. Past them, Rebecca was back aboard the Vertigo with the fourth armored figure hauling Sera’s unconscious form into the other ship’s airlock.
Cargo pointed to the man on the left of the airlock, so that they wouldn’t chance hitting the captain, and they fired in unison once more. The man attempted to duck to the side, but was flung against the outer hull as the shot clipped his shoulder.
Beyond, the umbilical, Sera had been pulled through the Vertigo’s airlock and several more troopers were ready to step around her and join the assault on Sabrina.
Cargo called Cheeky over the link again.
Two of the reinforcements were in the umbilical, and the pair in Sabrina’s airlock were leveling their weapons to fire as Cargo motioned for Flaherty and Thompson to get down. The wrenching feeling from the shift to FTL washed through them, and, before the sensation had passed, Flaherty broke cover and leapt over the freight container.
He rushed down the corridor, firing his rifle on its highest setting while the remaining enemies were still off balance from the shift. The one who had already been clipped in the shoulder slumped to the deck after taking two more hits.
Flaherty got three more shots off at the other trooper before crashing in to him and slamming him against the bulkhead.
At that moment, the transfer to FTL completed and the airlock yawned open to the total void of the dark layer. Their ears popped as air rushed out into the space between Sabrina and its shielding. Beyond the shield, two soldiers who had been in the umbilical could be seen floating away in the void.
Flaherty pulled a beam rifle off one of the unconscious enemy soldiers, and took careful aim before firing a shot through each of the drifting men’s heads.
“Why’d the hell did you do that? You should have let the dogs suffer.” Thompson said, as he approached the airlock.
Flaherty didn’t look away from the void. “No one deserves that.”
Cargo stepped beside Flaherty, silent, his breathing ragged. Then, with a curse, he slammed his fist into the bulkhead. The trooper who Flaherty had crashed in to made a noise and stirred from the sound. Flaherty reached down, tore his helmet off and slammed his head against the hull.
The other soldier was also moving, his breathing sounded strained through his helmet and he was moving his head erratically. Cargo reached down and pulled his helmet off. The man looked haggard, his face a massive bruise from the effects off the pulse rifle. His eyes were bloodshot and barely open. He still managed to scream as Cargo fired the pulse rifle point blank into his left eye.
The trooper’s head crumpled, but the scream didn’t stop. That was a first, Cargo thought, until he realized the sound was coming from behind him. He and Flaherty turned to see Thompson holding his gun to Drind’s head. Completely forgotten, the tech had been curled up on the floor.
“Want me to ice this bastard too?” Thompson asked.
Hearing that, followed by seeing the cold eyes of Cargo and Flaherty upon him, Drind seemed to shrink inward even further. “Please, please don’t do that to me too. I’ll do anything you want, please just don’t kill me.” He was sobbing now, his shoulders heaving and hands over his head.
“No. We’ve done enough killing for one day.” Flaherty said.
“Stick him somewhere out of the way.” Cargo agreed and Thompson nodded wordlessly as he gestured with his rifle for Drind to stand up. They were all feeling the loss of the captain, it was best not to do anything else rash just yet.
“What’s that sound?” Thompson asked.
They all stopped, Flaherty
turning his head as he listened.
“It’s not out there,” Cargo said. “It’s in here.” He tapped his head.
“It’s Sabrina,” Flaherty replied.
“I’ll be on the bridge,” Cargo said as he took off at a run.
Less than a minute later Cargo stepped on to the bridge, and confronted the concerned faces of Tanis, Nance and Cheeky.
“Something’s wrong with Sabrina.” Cheeky said. “She won’t respond and is making this strange noise on the net, almost like a whimper.”
Cargo looked around at the bridge’s observation cameras. “It’s okay Sabrina. We’ll get her back.”
“Get who back?” Cheeky asked, the color draining from her face.
“SHE’S GONE!” Sabrina screamed over both the Link, and the ship’s audible systems. “I CAN’T HEAR HER ANYWHERE!”
“That’s because we’re in the dark layer and she’s not with us.” Cargo said with more compassion than he would have thought he could manage at the moment.
“She’s what?” Cheeky screamed and Nance let out a gasp.
The wailing coming over the Link and audio was increasing in pitch; Cargo was starting to have trouble thinking with the sound slicing through him.
The keening lessened and Sabrina spoke,
Sabrina made a noise that sounded uncannily like a sniffle.
As the sound faded away, Cheeky fixed Cargo with a hard stare. “You told me to go to FTL. Why would you do that if they had the captain?”