by Ryk Brown
The buildings shot up on either side of them as the shuttle settled into level flight a mere ten meters above Brighton Avenue. Loki glanced at the external camera screen, which showed the street directly below them. He could see the bodies of four men, all of them clad in black and red armor, lying motionless in the street.
Loki fired the deceleration thrusters at full power as the shuttle raced toward the amphitheater two blocks ahead of them. Several jump flashes appeared in the twilight above him, as the last of the Avendahl’s fighters jumped in to provide cover for their rescue.
“Jaker Six! On station! Attacking forces to the south!” Lieutenant Giortone announced as his fighter jumped in overhead.
“Jaker Two Two, attacking the guys to the west!”
“Jaker Four Six! New bandits! Six of them to the north, ten kilometers! Closing fast! Turning to intercept!”
Deliza’s eyes grew wide, pushing back in her seat as if to brace herself for collision as the amphitheater rushed toward them.
“Mas! Join up with Rio on the intercept,” Lieutenant Giortone ordered. “I’ll deal with the ground targets!”
Loki’s eyes danced back and forth between his console and the forward window, waiting and calculating, betting that full lift thrust would eventually raise them up a few more meters to clear the top of the amphitheater’s hillsides.
“Copy that, Gio,” Ensign Masa replied.
“Glendanon to all Rakers!” the Glendanon’s captain called over the comms. “We’ve got company coming. Two gunships! We bug out in two!”
“Rakers, Rakers, Rakers! This is Jaker One Six! I’ll keep the gunships off the Glendanon to buy everyone a few more minutes! Just move your asses, damn it!”
“Just buy us three minutes, Sissy!” Lieutenant Riordan replied.
“One Six, Eight Five!” another pilot called. “I’m fifty clicks to your starboard, joining up to attack the gunships!”
Loki watched as the shuttle climbed up just enough for the amphitheater’s hillsides to slide under them. A wave of relief washed over him as he prepared to descend into the middle of the amphitheater’s grassy foregrounds.
“Ground forces approaching from the south are destroyed,” Lieutenant Giortone reported.
“New bandits!” Ensign Masa exclaimed over the comms. “Six more just jumped in! Two clicks to my… They’re firing!”
Loki glanced to his left, just in time to see six Jung fighters speeding toward him, two of them firing at Jaker Two Two. A small explosion appeared in Ensign Masa’s right wing, and it began to trail smoke as it lost altitude.
“I’m hit! I’m hit!” Ensign Masa shouted. “Two Two is going down!”
“Punch out, Mas!” Lieutenant Giortone ordered.
“No time! I’ll try to put it into the…”
Loki’s eyes were fixed on his console as he reduced his lift thrust and started his descent into the middle of the amphitheater.
“Mas is down!” Lieutenant Riordan exclaimed. “He dove and put his ship right into their ground forces!”
“Ranni One! Climb, climb, climb!” Lieutenant Giortone ordered urgently.
Loki didn’t question it. He pushed his lift thrusters to full power again, causing the tiny shuttle to leap upward. The shuttle suddenly jerked hard to starboard, as if something had slammed into them and knocked them into a spin. Warning alarms went off in the cockpit, and the hatch that separated the cockpit from the passenger compartment suddenly closed.
“We’re hit!” Loki announced as he struggled to regain control of the damaged shuttle. “We’ve got a hull breach, and we’ve lost the number four lift thruster!”
Deliza twisted to her left, looking aft through the window in the hatch that had just closed automatically behind them. There was a gaping hole in the port side of the shuttle, exposing the passenger compartment to the outside. Debris flew around, and there were loose wires and pieces of the cabin’s interior flailing about. Then she spotted Biarra, still strapped in her seat, half of her body seemingly ripped away. “Biarra!”
More shots streaked past their windows as Loki fought to keep the shuttle from falling to the ground.
“Get out of here!” Doran ordered over the comms.
“Find Dumar!” Deliza ordered. “Find Dumar!”
“Stretch! Jump now!” Lieutenant Giortone ordered. “Montrose! You’re clear to the east! Forces approaching from the north, one minute out! I’ll try to slow them down while you make your escape!”
“I copy all!” Doran replied from the amphitheater below. “Moving east.”
“I’m sorry,” Loki said as he pressed the escape jump button.
* * *
The combat jump shuttle began to shake as it came out of its jump and its windows cleared again. Jessica peered out at the landscape below as they approached the spaceport outside of Lawrence. Burgess had been her home since she left Earth seven years ago. It was nowhere near as industrialized as most worlds in and around the Pentaurus Sector, but it had enough to provide for its measly population of two million people, most of which preferred to live without the trappings of modern society.
There were only a dozen cities on the entire planet, and even those were relatively small. A large portion of Burgess’s population preferred to live away from the busy areas, traveling into town only when they needed supplies.
Burgess was the perfect world for the Ghatazhak. Their leaders had welcomed them with open arms. The Sherma system, although far more accessible since the spread of jump drive technology in recent years, was still well removed from normal routes. They still had occasional problems with raiders, but the presence of Ghatazhak on their world had proven an effective deterrent. Especially with their base of operations being located right next to the planet’s capital city.
Jessica continued gazing at the ground below as they passed over the farms surrounding the city. Agriculture was one of Burgess’s major exports, as it had fair weather and regular rains year round. Since much of the planet was mountainous, wherever there was relatively flat land, there were farms. Even her parents had taken up farming after migrating to Burgess, along with her brothers and their families.
It was a difficult adjustment for Jessica, however. But it had been worth it. Ania loved it here, and Jessica’s training with the Ghatazhak had helped to get her post incident stress disorder under control.
All in all, Burgess was more home to Jessica than Earth had ever been. It was a place that she cared about, full of people whom she respected and felt at home around. She had grown to know the Ghatazhak, and found them to be surprisingly warm and friendly people, once you got them to take off their combat gear, which wasn’t an easy task.
The shuttle descended smoothly through the broken cloud layer, passed over the outer perimeter, then settled down onto the tarmac, and began rolling toward the Ghatazhak hangar. Sergeant Torwell activated the controls, causing both the starboard and port side doors to slide open. The aroma of sweaty Ghatazhak was suddenly replaced with the warm, moist air of Burgess, along with the faint aroma of burnt propellant from the shuttle’s engines.
“Fuck,” Sergeant Torwell exclaimed as they rolled past a seriously damaged shuttle. “What the hell happened to them?”
Sergeant Todd looked at the burned shuttle as they rolled past, then glanced over at Jessica. “Notice the scorch marks on the side?”
“Energy weapons fire,” Jessica replied.
“That ship was shot down,” Sergeant Todd concluded.
“They were damned lucky to get down,” Jessica added.
The shuttle rolled to a stop in front of the Ghatazhak hangar, and Jessica climbed down out of the ship. She spotted Telles walking toward her. “General,” she greeted, offering a casual but proper salute.
“The mission went well, I trust?” General Telles inquired.
“No casualties, and we got paid in full, so, yeah, I’d say it went well.”
“No casualties?” the general said, one eyebrow raised. “That�
��s not what I heard.”
“Well, we didn’t have any casualties,” Jessica defended. “And there were no civilian casualties. At least none that I know of. Only bad guys got hurt, I swear.”
“Relax, Lieutenant,” the general said as he turned to escort her and the rest of her team inside. “We’ve got bigger problems.”
“Something to do with that shot-up shuttle on pad seven?” Jessica assumed.
“Indeed,” the general replied. “The occupants of that shuttle are inside, and they wish to see you.”
Jessica stopped in her tracks. “Me?”
General Telles gestured toward the door, indicating she should continue inside.
Jessica cast him a suspicious look, then went through the doorway. When she stepped into the office, her jaw dropped open. “Loki!” she exclaimed in disbelief. She reached out and embraced him warmly. “How long has it been?”
“Five years, I believe.” Loki turned to reveal Deliza standing behind him.
“Deliza!” Jessica cried, giving her a warm hug as well. A realization came over her. “Is that your shuttle outside?”
“I’m afraid it is, Jess,” Loki replied.
“What the hell happened? Who fired on you?”
“You’re not going to believe this,” Loki warned. “It was the Jung.”
“What? That’s impossible,” Jessica said, a look of disbelief on her face. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve seen my fair share of Jung fighters, Jess,” Loki replied. “I’m quite sure.”
“Where?” Jessica asked. “Where were you when this happened?”
“Corinair.”
It was not the answer she had expected, nor hoped for. “Corinair.” There was a pause. “Where was the Avendahl?”
Loki looked down for a moment, then stared into Jessica’s eyes again. “The Avendahl is gone, Jess. Destroyed by a Jung battle group. They’ve taken the entire Darvano system.”
“What?” Jessica was in complete shock. “The Avendahl? But, she was the biggest… I mean… Jesus, she was almost as big as a battle platform.” Jessica’s mind was racing. “How many ships?”
“I don’t know,” Loki admitted. “Six or seven at least. And they all had jump drives.”
“Jump drives,” Jessica repeated. “The Jung have jump drives?”
“That’s why we’re here, Jessica,” Deliza said. “We need your help.”
CHAPTER THREE
“Nyet, you do not need to eat again,” Vladimir insisted. “You are getting fat. All you do is lie around here all day long, sleeping and eating.”
Cosmos looked at Vladimir, and meowed again, in the same, screeching tone he used whenever he wanted something.
“Things are going to change when we get to Earth,” he told the cat. “You’re going to go outside, climb trees, hunt birds…like a real cat.”
The door chime sounded. Vladimir left his bedroom and headed across the living area toward the door, Cosmos following at his heels. Vladimir bent over and scooped up the cat with one hand, pulling him into his side as he opened the door.
“Commander,” Cameron greeted him as the door opened.
“Captain.” Vladimir dropped his cat gently to the floor as Captain Taylor entered and closed the door behind her. “Go, be useful,” he instructed his cat. “Go shed on my clean clothes or something.”
Cameron looked around the messy quarters skeptically. “I assume your cabin isn’t always this disorganized,” she commented as she entered.
“Are you kidding? This is clean for me.”
“And you wonder why you’re still single,” Cameron said dryly. “I take it you haven’t changed your mind, then?”
“No, Captain, I have not.”
“Vlad, it’s me. Enough with the captain crap, okay?”
“Sorry, but isn’t that why you’re here? To try to talk me into staying?”
“Yes, but not as your captain, as your friend. You’ll get bored on Earth. You know that.”
“No, I won’t,” Vladimir protested as he continued packing his belongings.
“You love to fix things, keep them running, make them better…”
“Which I will still be doing,” Vladimir remarked. “Only I’ll be doing it on the surface, in a nice, controlled environment, with all the resources I need.”
“R and D isn’t for you,” Cameron insisted. “You belong here, on the Aurora.”
“I’ve been here, on the Aurora, for nearly a decade, Cameron, just like you. It’s time for a change. And now that they’re finally getting around to a major overhaul on this ship, it’s time for me to go.”
“Who’s going to get everything working properly once the overhaul is finished?” Cameron asked.
“Not me,” Vladimir responded. “I won’t be qualified, and we both know it.”
“You’ll learn the new systems, Vlad, you know you will. The refit will take six months. That’s more than enough time for you to learn everything.”
Vladimir stopped packing. “No, it’s not,” he said with a sigh. “They are replacing everything. The engines, the jump drive, the reactor plants…even the data and communication systems. All the stuff that I have been holding together for the last nine and a half years, Cameron.” Vladimir returned to his packing. “I will learn my way around all those new systems, but I will do so in a research lab, on Earth. And I will sleep in my own dacha at night. I will eat real food. Breathe real air, feel real sunshine on my face, every day.” Vladimir sighed again. “Ten years in space is enough for me.”
“Galiardi won’t be in command of the Sol sector forever, Vlad,” Cameron reminded him. “He’s getting up there in age, you know.”
“It’s not just Galiardi,” Vladimir told her, “it’s the life. It’s the tedium. The drills, the meetings, the patrols… It’s just not the same…”
“As when Nathan was in command?”
Vladimir looked at Cameron. “It’s not you, Cam. You’re a fine captain, and a close friend. You know that. It’s just…”
“I know,” Cameron sighed. “I miss him too.”
“When Nathan was alive, this all felt like a grand adventure. Each day was exciting, with new challenges to face. And we faced them together. Now…” Vladimir paused again, as he remembered his long-lost friend. “Like I said, it’s just not the same anymore.”
Cameron had nothing to say. She knew exactly how he felt. She remembered her time as Nathan Scott’s executive officer, and the grand adventures they had all shared in the Pentaurus cluster. “You know,” she said as she sat down, “I despised Nathan when I first met him.”
“Yes, I know.”
Cameron looked at him, her brow furrowed at his quick answer.
“He complained about you a lot in the beginning,” Vladimir explained.
“He did?”
“Yes, but I think you made him try harder. Even if it was only to beat you.”
“I see.”
“But, later, he admitted that you made him think more before making decisions,” Vladimir added.
“It was always his biggest fault, acting impulsively,” Cameron remembered.
“It wasn’t impulse,” Vladimir corrected, “it was instinct. And it was also one of his greatest strengths.”
“It also got him killed,” Cameron pointed out.
“And saved us all,” Vladimir quickly corrected her. “It all depends on your point of view.”
“You’re right.” Cameron sat silently, watching Vladimir pack. Finally, she spoke again. “Did you ever believe it?”
“Believe what?” Vladimir replied without looking up.
“That he was Na-Tan?”
“He was,” Vladimir said without missing a beat. “At least he was for those who needed him to be. That’s all that mattered.”
“I suppose,” Cameron said, a pensive look on her face. She took in a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh. “What time are you leaving?”
“I’m catching the afternoon shuttle out.�
�
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner? My treat?”
“What, salad?” Vladimir laughed. “No thank you… Unless, of course, you would like to give your old friend a goodbye romp in the sack?” he added with a lascivious sneer.
“Seriously? You’re hitting on your captain?” Cameron laughed, rising to her feet to give her friend a heartfelt embrace.
“This could very well be your last chance…”
“In your dreams,” she told him as they hugged. She pulled away from him suddenly, sneezing. “You are taking the cat, right?”
“Of course.”
* * *
“After you finish shutting down, go and help Neli prep the passenger cabin for the next boarding,” Captain Tuplo instructed Josh.
“Come on, Cap, Neli can handle that herself,” Josh complained.
“Everyone helps with everything,” the captain said firmly as he climbed up out of his seat in the Seiiki’s cockpit. “It’s either help Neli, or help Marcus in the cargo hold,” Captain Tuplo said. He looked at Josh, waiting for a reply. “Well?”
“I’m thinking.”
“Not your strong suit,” the captain said, patting Josh on the shoulder, then turning to exit.
“Where are you going?” Josh asked.
“To see if I can rustle up some extra paying cargo for the run to Rama. We’re going to have some extra room in the hold after we offload the cargo bound for this port.”
“I thought I was a pilot, not a steward,” Josh grumbled as he finished shutting down the Seiiki’s systems.
“And I thought I was a ship owner, not a salesman,” Captain Tuplo said, exiting the cockpit. He descended the few steps from the cockpit to the main deck, just as Neli was coming out of the galley. “I’ll be at the cargo master’s office if anyone needs me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Josh will help you turn the cabin around before the next boarding. I want to get underway as soon as possible,” he added as he opened the main boarding hatch. “This damn port charges by the hour.”
“I’ll get everyone on board and ready to go as quick as I can, Cap’n,” Neli assured him.
“And do me a favor, Neli,” the captain added as he deployed the boarding gangway. “Make sure Marcus doesn’t block access to the engineering crawl spaces. I know he’s just doing it to piss off Dalen.”