The Lost Sword

by Huw Powell

  Jake quickly told them about his adventure with Kay, and how she was the teenage captain of the Divine Wind.

  “That’s not all,” he said. “I saw the Loose Cannon.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Kella.

  “Yes, I’m positive. I bet it was Carla Gritt who was watching Reus roulette with Captains Hawker and Shark.”

  “How she survive?” asked Nanoo.

  “I guess she was wearing a spacesuit inside her ship.”

  Jake located his magnetic strips and reattached them to the soles of his shoes. He then unfastened his straps and slid out of his bunk. His top was stained with blood, and he struggled to walk as the cargo hauler powered toward the exit.

  “Where are you going?” asked Kella.

  “To the rear laser cannon,” he said. “We still have Papa Don’s fighter craft to get past, and every laser bolt will count.”

  Chapter 15

  Gorks

  Jake rushed to the captain’s quarters and up the ladder to the rear turret. He entered the small compartment and straddled the laser cannon saddle. Nanoo had done a good job of rebuilding the damaged weapon, which looked the same as those on the gun deck. Jake powered it up and opened the gun port. A metal cover slid back and the cannon rolled forward. At the same moment, the Dark Horse burst free from the illegal spaceport, closely followed by the Divine Wind. Jake released the safety catch and scanned the stars for enemy craft.

  “Where are you?” he muttered.

  A torrent of laser bolts cut across the glass dome. Jake twisted on the saddle and spotted a wave of fighter craft. To his surprise, their hulls were not sleek and black but bulky and midnight blue, like chubby beetles with stubby wings.

  “Gorks!” he cried, looking around for a way to contact the bridge—but there was no microphone in the turret, only a small speaker on the wall.

  Jake had never met a Gork—or fin-head, as Woorak called them—but from what he knew, they would be shooting to kill. Their craft were larger than standard naval fighters and armed with twin laser cannon.

  “Attention, crew,” said Farid over the intercom, which crackled with interference from the Tego Nebula. “We’ve got incoming craft. I want everyone on battle stations. We’ll have to fight our way out.”

  Jake looked beyond the approaching Gork craft and spotted the ISS Magnificent in the distance. What was Admiral Vantard doing there?

  “Let’s do this,” he whispered to himself.

  The laser cannon responded to his touch and rotated toward the cluster of fighter craft. Jake gripped the rubber handlebars and checked his display screen, where the image was distorted with static from the nebula. He squinted his eyes, located the nearest Gork fighter, and squeezed the trigger. If he thought asteroids were hard to hit, these craft were virtually impossible. His laser bolt curled out of the cannon as the Dark Horse changed direction, completely missing its intended target. He took aim at another fighter, but struggled to trap it in his sights.

  “Keep still!” he shouted in frustration.

  Maaka and Woorak seemed to be having more luck with the side cannon, picking off the nearest Gorks. As it passed overhead, the Divine Wind also managed to destroy two craft. Jake gave up trying to aim his laser cannon and held down the trigger. He fired a series of laser bolts, in the hope that one of them would hit a passing fighter.

  “Hold on, everyone!” shouted Nichelle over the intercom.

  The Dark Horse dipped suddenly, before rising into a wide arc. Jake’s laser bolts scattered behind the ship like a net over several of the fighters. He watched as one Gork swerved to avoid them and crashed into a neighboring craft, while another tried to slip between the bolts, only to catch its wings and spin out of control.

  “Magnifty,” he cheered, still squeezing the trigger.

  “Jake, is that you back there?” said Granny Leatherhead through the small intercom speaker. “There’s a Gork gunship coming up fast behind us. I want you to take it out.”

  Jake scanned the stars and located a vessel that looked like a giant cannon with wings. He swung his laser cannon around and took aim, but it refused to fire. A warning light flashed on the distorted display screen. His weapon had overheated.

  “No,” he cried, thumping the hot metal.

  The laser cannon hissed at him and powered down.

  “What’s going on, Jake?” asked Granny Leatherhead. “That grimy gunship is gaining on us.”

  Jake was unable to respond. He watched helplessly as the Gork vessel drew nearer. Why had he let his laser cannon overheat? Maaka had warned him that it could happen. He had been a fool to think that he was ready to be a gunner. The gunship fired a laser bolt the size of a cow, but Nichelle dodged it by pulling the Dark Horse into a steep climb before looping back behind their enemy. Kodan tore into its hull with Old Lizzy and the gunship exploded. The remaining Gork fighters retreated to a safe distance.

  “That’s enough fun for one day,” said Granny Leatherhead. “Nichelle, set course for the sixth solar system and don’t spare the boosters.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  “What about the Divine Wind?” asked Farid.

  “Let them know where we’re going,” said Granny Leatherhead. “We need all the friends we can get right now, assuming they can keep up with us.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  Jake climbed down from the turret and headed to the bridge. His chest throbbed with pain as he entered the room.

  “Well, well, if it isn’t Kid Cutler,” mocked Granny Leatherhead. “Did you forget how to shoot?”

  “I’m sorry, Captain,” he said. “The Tego Nebula messed up my display, and then my laser cannon overheated.”

  “It’s lucky for you that the rest of my crew know how to fight.” Granny Leatherhead glared at Papa Don’s through the window. “This is far from over. We’re now on the run from both the Interstellar Navy and the space mafia. I hope the sword is worth it.”

  Jake glanced at the golden cutlass, which he had kept with him during the battle. If it helped him to convince the other leaders that he was the ruler of Altus, then it was worth it. But would the sword be enough to prevent a galactic war?

  Jake sat in the dining area with Kella and Nanoo. It had been an hour since they had left the Tego Nebula, and there was finally a decent stellar-net signal. He fiddled with his seat straps as the three of them watched the Interstellar News. The scrolling headline reported thirty-seven people dead in a clash between two ships: one from a United Worlds planet and the other from an independent colony.

  “Is this linked to the standoff over Vantos?” asked the newsreader.

  “It’s difficult to say,” said the reporter. “No naval vessels were involved in the incident, but tensions continue to rise here in the seventh solar system. It’s not clear why the two craft opened fire, except that crews are becoming increasingly suspicious of each other.”

  “So we can expect to see further clashes of this nature?”

  “Yes,” said the reporter. “There’s still no sign of the naval fleet leaving Vantos. A peaceful resolution seems less likely each day. We’re also hearing reports of Gork ships terrorizing independent cargo haulers and trading stations. It’s as though the Interstellar Navy is intentionally trying to provoke a reaction.”

  Kella reached up and turned down the volume. “At least we’re not at war yet.”

  “I’ll contact the mayor of Remota,” said Jake, activating his handheld computer. “Hopefully he’ll listen to me this time, now that I have the . . .”

  “What up?” asked Nanoo.

  Jake stared at the words on his screen.

  “I’ve received an e-comm from Callidus.”

  It was the first time that Jake had thought about Callidus and Capio since leaving Papa Don’s. As he read the name, he realized how much he missed the fortune seeker. His finger tapped the screen and the e-comm opened.

  “What’s it say?” asked Kella.

  “Callidus hopes that we’re all s
afe and not too bored on Shan-Ti.” Jake followed the text with his finger. “He says they have visited the canteen in the seventh solar system, where he was enlisted by the Interstellar Navy. According to the owner, Callidus was first dropped there over a decade ago by a crew of asteroid miners. He had no memories or belongings, nothing except his clothes and a few coins. Apparently, the owner let him work in the kitchen and sleep in the utility room, but Callidus was only there for three weeks before the Interstellar Navy signed him up for a six-year tour.”

  Nanoo scrunched up his lilac face. “Callidus was asteroid miner?”

  “Yeah, it looks that way,” said Jake. “He says that they have already tracked the mining ship to the third solar system, and they’re on their way to find out more.”

  Jake stopped reading. He had hoped that Callidus and Capio would be heading back to Shan-Ti by now, not going on another adventure without him. It would take them days to reach the third solar system, longer if they had to change ships, by which time the whole galaxy could be at war.

  “Is that the end of the e-comm?” asked Kella.

  Jake checked the screen. “No, there’s more. Callidus is worried about the incidents in the seventh solar system, which he says could escalate at any moment. He wants us to be careful and not take any risks.”

  “Like visiting Papa Don’s?” said Kella.

  “Yeah, we had better not do that.” Jake laughed.

  “Is there e-comm from cyber-monks?” asked Nanoo.

  Jake tapped the screen. “No, nothing, why?”

  “It okay,” said Nanoo. “I wonder if they hear back from Taan-Centaur.”

  Kella put her arm around Nanoo. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it won’t be much longer before you can go home.”

  “I hoping so, but first we stop war. Yes?”

  Jake wrote a reply to Callidus, which covered everything that had happened since they had left Shan-Ti. This included visiting Baden Scott, stealing the sword of Altus from Papa Don, meeting Crazy Kay Jagger, and their plan to prevent a galactic war. He hoped that Callidus and Capio would be able to return to the Dark Horse soon.

  When Jake had finished, he located the contact details for the mayor of Remota and tapped the screen to connect.

  “Here we go,” he said, as the device purred.

  “Hello?” barked Hector Rumpole. “This had better be important.”

  Jake checked the clock and realized that it was still early on Remota.

  “Good morning, Mayor, I’m sorry to wake you,” he said. “It’s Jake Cutler; please don’t hang up.”

  Hector Rumpole seemed to consider this for a moment. “What do you want, Jake?”

  “I have the sword of Altus. It’s a really old cutlass made of solid gold, which has been passed from ruler to ruler for centuries. The sword and the pendant both contain the symbol of Altus, proving that I’m not a liar. You must listen to me, Mayor—the Interstellar Government is trying to start a galactic war, and only we can stop it.”

  There was another pause, followed by a deep sigh. “I know.”

  Jake, Kella, and Nanoo looked at one another in surprise.

  “You do?”

  “Yes,” confessed the mayor. “I’m sorry if I was a little harsh the last time we spoke. War is a grim business and not something that anyone wants to contemplate, but I’ve been watching the events unfold in the seventh solar system, and if there’s an ounce of truth in what you’re saying, the independent colonies are in grave danger.”

  “Vantos is only the start,” said Jake. “If we don’t make a stand now, the Interstellar Government will take over the entire galaxy, one colony at a time.”

  “Madness,” growled the mayor. “Nobody turns Remota into a United Worlds planet.”

  “That’s exactly how I feel about Altus.”

  “Altus,” echoed the mayor. “So it does exist, then?”

  “We found it a few months ago.”

  “And it has a crystal moon?”

  “Three of them,” said Jake.

  The mayor whistled appreciatively. “I used to dream about Altus as a boy. What’s it like? Where did you find it?”

  “It’s the most beautiful planet in the seven solar systems,” boasted Jake. “But I can’t reveal its location until it’s safe from the Interstellar Navy.”

  “I understand,” said the mayor. “If word got out, it would cause the biggest crystal rush in history. You keep your secret for now, while we find a way to stop this galactic war.”

  “We have to warn the other leaders,” urged Jake. “If we stand together, the Interstellar Navy will think twice before taking us all on.”

  “Okay, but it won’t be easy,” said the mayor. “I’ll have to call a gathering of independent colony leaders. It will be the first one we’ve had in decades, so it will attract a lot of attention. You’ll need to convince them that you’re the ruler of Altus and the threat is genuine, so you had better bring your crown and sword.”

  “I don’t have the crown.”

  “It doesn’t matter; wear any old crown. No one will know what it’s supposed to look like anyway. At least your sword and pendant will look authentic.”

  “Where will the gathering be held?” asked Jake.

  “Keep watching the Interstellar News. They will want to report this historic event. The most central location is the fourth solar system. Therefore, I suggest planet Santanova, four days from now.”

  “Thank you, Mayor.”

  “Yes, well, let’s hope this does the trick.”

  The call ended, and Jake punched the air with excitement. It had worked: the mayor of Remota had taken him seriously. At last they had found an ally who could help them convince the other leaders. No one had ever managed to unite the independent colonies before, but surely the threat of galactic war would persuade them to join forces. Jake imagined himself appearing on the Interstellar News as the ruler of Altus.

  Would his father be watching?

  Chapter 16

  The Supply Ship

  “Let me get this straight,” said Kella. “The entire Interstellar Navy is searching for the infamous Jake Cutler, but instead of hiding, you’re going to speak at a major event watched by millions.”

  Jake knew that he was taking a huge risk. If he failed to convince the other leaders that he was the ruler of Altus, he would end up in prison or be handed over to Admiral Vantard.

  “I have to do this,” he said. “There’s no other way. If the plan works, the other leaders will protect me and my planet from the Interstellar Navy. I reckon it’s time that Altus stood by the rest of the independent colonies.”

  “Is that your decision to make?” asked Kella. “What about the Protectorate?”

  Jake had met the Protectorate on Altus. It was a council of elders entrusted with keeping the planet a secret, by whatever means necessary. He had disobeyed them by helping the Space Dogs to escape.

  “There’s no way to contact them from outside the Tego Nebula, and we can’t risk returning there,” said Jake. “Besides, if we unite the independent colonies, there will be no need to keep Altus a secret. We can sign a treaty to keep its crystal moons safe from the Galactic Trade Corporation. I don’t have to tell anyone its location. At least, not at first.”

  Nanoo stood up. “Let us go tell the captain.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to return to the fourth solar system,” said Kella. “You know how much she likes that big red sun.”

  Jake, Kella, and Nanoo scurried up to the bridge to tell the captain about the call with Hector Rumpole.

  “The fourth solar system, eh?” mused Granny Leatherhead. “We’d better take the scenic route if we want to avoid the Interstellar Navy and the space mafia. Papa Don will be looking for his family sword.”

  Jake was pleased to see the captain back in command of the Dark Horse. In a strange way, the time away from the ship had done her good. Her skin looked healthier, and her single gray eye sparkled. If it hadn’t been for Kella, the c
aptain would still be sick, or perhaps even dead.

  “I know a few routes we can take,” said Nichelle.

  “Good, I hoped you might.” Granny Leatherhead hoisted her thumb at the side window, where the Divine Wind still flanked them. “Farid, you had better see if the batty bunch want to join us.”

  “I don’t think we could shake them if we wanted to,” said the first mate. “Their captain has taken a shine to Jake.”

  “Miss Jagger?” Granny Leatherhead humphed. “Who could blame her, when Jake—sorry, Captain Cutler—single-handedly destroyed the ISS Colossus and evaded the entire Interstellar Navy? I expect she’ll explode when he saves the whole galaxy.”

  Jake ignored her. He couldn’t help it if people assumed that he was in charge of the Dark Horse.

  “Captain,” said Farid. “I’m picking up something on the scanners.”

  “That’s the Divine Wind,” she grumped.

  “No, there’s another vessel. It’s a Galactic Trade Corporation supply ship.”

  “What’s that doing out here?” wondered the captain. “Is it guarded?”

  Farid checked the long-range scanner. “No, it’s traveling alone.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” asked Granny Leatherhead. “Battle stations, everyone; we’ve got work to do.”

  Jake glanced at the display screen and caught sight of a small, midnight-blue craft. It was long and thin, like a bullet, with no side windows or gun ports, only a single laser cannon turret on its hull.

  “We don’t have time to do any spacejacking,” he protested. “Not when we have a galactic war to stop.”

  “Your gathering will have to wait,” said Granny Leatherhead. “We’re almost out of food, and we need more fuel cells. If we’re lucky, they might be carrying a crate of crystals. I reckon it would do you space pups good to join the boarding party.”

  “But—”

  “Who’s in charge here?” thundered Granny Leatherhead. “I said, battle stations!”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  Jake, Kella, and Nanoo stood in the airlock behind Farid, Maaka, and Woorak. The three teenagers wore oversized combat suits and kit belts, which Manik had adjusted for them, as well as silver skull-shaped space helmets stuffed with extra padding. Jake knew how odd they looked in the loose-fitting outfits, but that was the least of their worries.