Space Jackers

by Huw Powell

  At the end of the row, Jake stopped. There was a new sound that stood out from the others, a sound that didn’t belong there. Was that singing? He pressed his ear against the last cell door and listened. Yes, there was definitely someone singing on the other side, with possibly the most beautiful voice he had ever heard.

  Chapter 9

  The Crystal Hunters

  Jake glanced cautiously through the small barred window in the door, ready to duck if the singer turned out to be a crazed inmate. The cell was a gloomy metal box decorated with graffiti, not much bigger than his room in the monastery. A young girl sat on the floor with her head in her hands. He couldn’t see her face, only the long black hair resting on her shoulders. Her cream tunic and denim leggings were dirty and worn but looked as though they had once been expensive, as did her scuffed ankle boots.

  ‘Hello,’ he whispered.

  ‘Huh?’ she looked up to see who had spoken. ‘Who’s there?’

  ‘Up here,’ he said, holding on to the window bars. ‘I’m Jake Cutler. What’s your name?’

  ‘Kella,’ she sniffed. Her emerald green eyes reminded him of polished apples. ‘Kella Anderson. What are you doing here? Are you a prisoner as well?’

  ‘Me? No, I’ve lost my way,’ he said, a little embarrassed.

  ‘Where are the guards?’ she asked. ‘I heard an explosion.’

  ‘There was a breakout. The guards will be back soon.’

  Jake checked the corridor, listening for footsteps. Kella stood up and approached the door, her eyes wide and desperate.

  ‘Can you let me out?’ she whispered.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Can you open the door, before the guards return?’

  ‘I don’t have a key,’ he said, tugging at the bars. ‘Are you OK?’

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘No, I guess not.’ Jake glanced around the cell. ‘This is the last place I would expect to find someone singing.’

  ‘Oh, you heard that?’ Her cheeks blushed. ‘I like the way my voice echoes in this room,’ she said modestly.

  ‘It sounded pretty good out here as well.’

  ‘Do you have any food on you?’ Kella wiped her tiny nose with her sleeve. ‘I’m so hungry and the meals here are rankful.’

  ‘No, sorry, I just had a burger.’

  ‘Lucky you,’ she said sarcastically. ‘I’ll remember that while I’m eating my slop.’

  ‘Hey, take it easy. You’re not the only one with problems.’

  Kella eyed him curiously. ‘Are you one of those independent colonists?’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Jake didn’t like the tone of her voice. ‘I expect you’re from one of those stuck-up United Worlds.’

  ‘How dare you?’ she said. ‘Do I look stuck-up?’

  ‘No, but you don’t look like a criminal either.’

  ‘That’s because I’m not a criminal.’

  ‘So how come you’re banged up? What did you do?’

  ‘I didn’t do anything,’ she huffed. ‘I’m innocent.’

  ‘What, they locked you up for no reason?’

  ‘Yes.’ Kella folded her arms and turned her back to the door. ‘If you’re not going to help me, you might as well get lost.’

  ‘I am lost.’

  ‘Go away and leave me alone.’

  ‘No need to be so bossy,’ he yelled. ‘It’s not my fault you got caught.’

  Jake hadn’t meant to shout. He just wasn’t used to being around other teenagers, especially not grumpy girls. He knew he should apologise, but as he went to speak, a large hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away from the door.

  ‘What are you doing here, scamp?’ demanded a thin, rat-faced man, who wore a black fur coat and had claw marks tattooed across both cheeks.

  Behind him stood a bald woman in a pink bodysuit, whose painted fingernails looked like colourful claws.

  ‘Nothing,’ claimed Jake. ‘I’m not doing anything, honest.’

  ‘We don’t see many children in Papa Don’s,’ said the woman. ‘Do we, Kain?’

  ‘No, Jala, we don’t.’

  ‘I’m on my way to bay fifty-three,’ said Jake. ‘My friends are waiting there.’

  ‘Is that so?’ Kain noticed the gold chain around Jake’s neck. ‘What do we have here?’

  Jake tried to resist as the rat-faced man pulled out his pendant, but he stopped struggling when Jala flashed a sharp-looking dagger. Kain seemed intrigued as he turned the pendant in his fingers. The crystals seemed to sparkle more brightly in the dimly lit walkway.

  ‘Hello there, my beauty,’ said Kain, his mouth curling into a sinister smile.

  ‘Are you space pirates?’ asked Jake.

  Jala laughed unkindly. ‘No, we’re crystal hunters.’

  ‘How do you hunt crystals? I thought you had to mine them out of the ground.’

  ‘Mine crystals? Us?’ she scoffed. ‘We acquire rare jewels and sell them to the space mafia for a fraction of the price charged by the Galactic Trade Corporation.’

  ‘Acquire?’ said Jake. ‘You mean steal them.’

  ‘Watch your tongue, scamp, or we’ll cut it off,’ warned Kain. ‘Where did you get this pendant?’

  ‘It belongs to me.’

  ‘What is it, Kain?’ asked Jala.

  ‘If I’m not mistaken, this pendant is from Altus.’

  ‘Altus?’

  Kain nodded.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘I know quality when I see it.’ Kain turned to Jake. ‘Am I right, scamp?’

  Jake swallowed hard.

  ‘It’s just a cheap souvenir,’ he lied, ‘from one of the traders’ stalls.’

  Kain studied Jake’s face and then sniffed him, as though trying to detect fear.

  ‘You’re lying to me,’ he hissed, grabbing Jake by the throat. ‘You had better start telling the truth or I’ll rearrange your pretty boy face.’

  ‘Easy, Kain,’ said Jala. ‘He’s just a kid.’

  ‘So what? He’s old enough to be wandering around an illegal spaceport on his own, isn’t he?’ Kain leered at Jake. ‘What’s it going to be, scamp?’

  For a brief moment, Jake considered telling the crystal hunters everything, but then a familiar voice interrupted them.

  ‘Jake Cutler, what are you doing here?’

  Granny Leatherhead stomped towards them, accompanied by one of her crew and two of Papa Don’s security guards. Jake’s eyes immediately started to flicker.

  Kain let go of the pendant. ‘You know this space urchin?’

  Granny Leatherhead planted her hands on her hips. ‘Aye, he’s my cabin boy and he’s in big trouble. Thank you for finding him, but I’ll take it from here. Don’t let me stop you from going about your business.’

  Kain’s face reddened, but Granny Leatherhead held his stare without flinching. The two security guards cocked their weapons deliberately.

  ‘You’re too kind,’ said Kain through gritted teeth, before storming off down the walkway with Jala.

  Granny Leatherhead made sure they were gone before turning to Jake, her hands still resting on her hips.

  ‘I can explain,’ said Jake. ‘There was a riot near bay seven and the others were arrested. I was supposed to return to the ship to get help, but I lost my way.’

  Granny Leatherhead rolled her good eye to the ceiling.

  ‘Do you attract trouble everywhere you go?’ she asked. ‘Listen up, you mischief maker, Maaka here will take you back to the Dark Horse, while I sort out this mess.’

  Maaka ‘Metal Head’ was a gnarly-looking shipmate with a face full of piercings. His numerous scars suggested that he was an experienced fighter.

  ‘Can’t we stick together?’ asked Jake, hoping to speak with Kella again. ‘What if the crystal hunters come back?’

  ‘Ha, those blithering buffoons?’ screeched Granny Leatherhead. ‘I’d like to see them try. Don’t worry about me, short stuff. You get back to the ship. I still have some cargo to colle
ct.’

  ‘But what about the cells? There’s a girl –’

  ‘I don’t want to hear it,’ snapped Granny Leatherhead, her patience running out. ‘There’s nothing here that concerns you. Now get back to the ship, before I lose my sense of humour.’

  Jake knew it was useless trying to argue. He let Maaka lead him back to bay fifty-three. Nichelle and Woorak were waiting in the cargo hold.

  ‘What happened?’ asked Nichelle, brandishing a hot flask of tea. ‘Where are the others?’

  ‘It’s OK,’ Maaka assured her. ‘There was a mix-up with security, but the captain’s dealing with it.’

  Nichelle groaned. It probably wasn’t the first time members of the crew had been arrested in a spaceport.

  ‘You’d better get to the engine room, Jake,’ she said, putting down her flask and tying back her blue hair. ‘Tell Scargus and Manik to prepare for a quick getaway.’

  It was over an hour before Granny Leatherhead returned to bay fifty-three with the others. Farid and Kodan seemed in a particularly foul mood as they boarded the Dark Horse, closely followed by Callidus and Capio. Behind them, Granny Leatherhead and the security guards wheeled a coffin-shaped crate on to the ship.

  Once they were back in the guest quarters, Capio told Jake about the ordeal. ‘We were left in a holding cell with four drunken pirates, who insisted on singing space shanties. It was the longest two hours of my life.’

  ‘How did Granny Leatherhead get you out?’ asked Jake.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ said Capio. ‘I expect she explained how it was all a misunderstanding.’

  ‘Perhaps.’ Callidus sounded doubtful. ‘But why would she stick her neck out for us? After all, she already had you, Jake, so she could have grabbed Farid and Kodan, and left Capio and me to rot.’

  ‘Maybe she likes you,’ said Jake.

  ‘No, she must need us for something.’

  ‘You told her that I wouldn’t be able to find Altus without your knowledge,’ said Jake. ‘I bet that’s why she freed you.’

  The amber ceiling light flashed and the siren sounded to indicate they were about to take off. Jake climbed into his bunk and strapped himself in, ready for departure. He would be glad to get away from those old-fashioned two-way radios. It had made him feel vulnerable having his eye implants messed up so easily. He had taken his vision for granted while he lived with the cyber-monks over the last eleven years.

  Nichelle eased the Dark Horse out of the docking bay and away from Papa Don’s spaceport. Jake was the first to release his straps. He wanted to see the illegal spaceport one more time before it disappeared from view. In the back of his mind, he kept thinking about the girl, Kella. Why was it so hard, talking to girls? If only he had been able to apologise to her. It wasn’t like she needed any more reasons to be miserable, locked up in that cell.

  Jake strapped on his makeshift gravity shoes and walked across the room to the porthole window. He was surprised to see a familiar shape in the distance.

  ‘It’s the naval warship,’ he said. ‘The one from Remota.’

  ‘What?’ Callidus drifted over from his bunk. ‘What is that doing here?’

  ‘Do you think it’s following us?’ asked Capio.

  Granny Leatherhead appeared in the door with Farid.

  ‘Have you seen the super-destroyer?’ she croaked. ‘That’s the ISS Colossus, the most powerful Interstellar Spaceship in the fleet, under the direct command of Admiral Algor Nex.’

  ‘How come I’ve never heard of it?’ asked Jake.

  ‘It’s new,’ she said. ‘It was only launched a few weeks ago.’

  ‘Admiral Nex, eh?’ Callidus stroked his stubble. ‘I’ve not heard that name for a while.’

  ‘Who is he?’ asked Jake.

  ‘A very powerful man, who controls a whole fleet of naval warships,’ said Callidus. ‘But everyone knows he takes his orders from the Galactic Trade Corporation.’

  ‘He’s a despicable space devil, who’s responsible for the deaths of many good pirates,’ spat Granny Leatherhead. ‘I’ve never come across a more vile or vicious villain in the seven solar systems. They say that his eyes are as black as his soul. I’m sure he would love to take down the infamous Space Dogs.’

  ‘Do you think he’s following us?’ asked Jake. ‘He must be pretty desperate if he’s prepared to get close to that nebula cloud.’

  ‘I doubt he’s looking for me and my crew,’ said Granny Leatherhead. ‘Why now, when we’ve evaded capture for so long? No, he must be searching for something else, or someone else.’

  They all turned to Jake.

  ‘Me? Why does everyone want me?’

  ‘Word must be getting round,’ said Callidus, ‘that you’re the boy from Altus.’

  ‘What are we going to do?’ asked Jake.

  ‘We’re going to get our rusty old butt out of here, that’s what,’ said Granny Leatherhead. ‘Hopefully the systems on ISS Colossus have been scrambled by the Tego Nebula and they won’t notice us leaving.’

  ‘Where are we heading?’ asked Capio.

  Granny Leatherhead looked expectantly at Callidus.

  ‘I was hoping Jake’s pendant would show us the way to Altus,’ he said. ‘If only we knew where to find the Altian shipwreck. At least that might contain some more clues, but I’ve been looking for it for years and so far I’ve drawn a blank.’

  ‘A shipwreck, eh?’ Granny Leatherhead raised an eyebrow. ‘I know a service port where the salvage crews hang out. It’s a grotty little joint a few days away, but if anyone has heard about an old wreck, it will be those scurvy-skinned scroungers.’

  ‘It’s worth a try,’ said Callidus, watching the naval warship through the porthole window. ‘But the quicker we get there, the better.’

  Chapter 10

  Special Cargo

  Jake returned to the engine room the next morning. He was still thinking about the naval warship. Was the ISS Colossus following them? He found it hard to concentrate on his chores, which included feeding Squawk, cleaning tools, greasing the pistons and making flasks of tea.

  In the afternoon, Scargus gave him a lesson with the cutlass, showing him how to defend himself and make the most of zero gravity. Jake was getting used to the weapon and had already mastered several basic moves.

  ‘You’re a natural, lad,’ said Scargus, as Jake disarmed him for the third time. ‘Was your father a swordsman?’

  ‘No idea.’ Jake rested the cutlass.

  ‘You’re doing really well,’ said Manik, watching from the sofa. ‘I’ve never seen such fast reactions.’

  ‘It’s not all about speed.’ Scargus checked the clock on the wall. ‘You’d better be off, Jake. It’s almost time for dinner.’

  ‘You call that mushy stuff dinner? I don’t know how you can eat it for weeks on end.’

  Scargus laughed. ‘It used to be a lot worse when I was a lad.’

  Jake stroked Squawk and opened the hatch door. ‘Thanks for the lesson. I’ll see you both tomorrow.’

  ‘Bye, Jake,’ said Manik.

  ‘Keep practising your footwork,’ urged Scargus.

  Jake left the engine room and walked back to the guest quarters. For the first time since the attack on the monastery, he realised he was in a good mood. He started to sing a space shanty that Manik had taught him:

  ‘Take me to the launch pad, boy,

  Load me up and strap me in,

  Life among the stars, ahoy,

  Proud to be space pirate kin.

  Free to roam, away we cast,

  Dogs of space will always win,

  Never forget times gone past,

  Proud to be space pirate kin.’

  Jake arrived at his door and stopped. What was that noise? Was someone else singing? He went to the opposite hatch and listened. There was no doubt about it. Somebody was singing on the other side and it didn’t sound like the crew.

  ‘Hello?’ Jake pressed the release button and the hatch opened.

  A song m
ore elegant than any space shanty enchanted his ears. He entered the room, his curiosity burning.

  ‘Hello?’ he repeated.

  A young girl floated near the ceiling with her eyes closed, her long black hair gently swirling round her like a funeral veil. It was the girl from Papa Don’s prison block. What was she doing aboard the Dark Horse? ‘Kella?’

  The girl jumped. Her face sank when she saw Jake standing by the door.

  ‘Oh, it’s you. What are you doing here?’

  ‘I was going to ask you the same question.’

  ‘Isn’t it obvious?’ she said haughtily. ‘I’ve been kidnapped.’

  ‘Kidnapped?’

  ‘By the space mafia, but now it looks as though I’ve been sold to common pirates.’ Kella frowned at Jake. ‘Are you one of them?’

  ‘No, I’m just a passenger.’

  ‘I suppose you don’t look much like a spacejacker.’

  ‘What do you mean by that?’ asked Jake. ‘I could be a pirate if I wanted.’

  Kella rolled her eyes. ‘Whatever you say, tough guy.’

  Jake was determined not to get drawn into another argument. ‘I can’t believe you’ve been kidnapped. That’s rankful.’

  ‘What do you care?’

  ‘Look, I’m sorry, OK,’ he apologised. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you back in the prison block.’

  ‘It’s all right for you,’ said Kella. ‘At least you’re allowed out of your room.’

  ‘Is there something I can do to help?’

  ‘Do you have any money?’

  Jake looked blankly at her.

  ‘I’m being held for ransom,’ she explained. ‘My family owns a crystal mine in the sixth solar system. It’s run by my older sister, Jeyne.’

  ‘So why doesn’t she pay for your release? I thought the Galactic Trade Corporation had loads of money.’

  ‘Jeyne doesn’t work for those wretchards,’ said Kella irritably. ‘Her mine is far more ethical than those corporate death pits. I don’t know why she hasn’t paid the ransom yet. It’s been weeks.’