She nodded in silent agreement. “Even if it leads to another amplifier? We could be leapfrogging through the galaxy before we know it.”
“We’ve learned all we can here. Besides, Santorum was in a big hurry—not to mention taking an enormous risk—by sending out whatever he did. I’m willing to put a stack of credits on the theory that the ‘someone’ who was expecting the call wasn’t too far away.”
“Okay, I’ll buy that. What about Doctor Uudon? He seems to know a great deal about this thing.”
“If you’re asking if he’s coming with us, then that would be a resounding yes. Not only am I not keen on leaving him here by himself, I’m equally not willing to leave him in the hands of the Special Services. He knows too much, and the last thing we need is for him to conveniently disappear. Besides, you still have a copy of the transmission Santorum sent, right?”
Melissa patted her breast pocket lightly. “Right here.”
“Good. Maybe Uudon can help us figure out what’s inside.” Shawn then turned to the amplifier. “It’s worth a shot, anyway.”
“He might not care to come.”
“I need you to make sure there’s no red tape involved with taking him off the planet.” Shawn nodded in the direction of the nearest SS man, but she didn’t follow his gaze. “Is that going to be a problem, honey?”
“No, it shouldn’t be. I’m sure I can think of something to fully remand the doctor into our custody.” She sighed, looking around the darkened cave once more. “That still doesn’t get us deep into Kafaran territory, you know. Just because we have a non-aggression pact with them, it doesn’t mean we’re going to be welcomed in their space with open arms.”
Shawn smiled a toothy grin. “That’s why we have friends, Angel.”
She gave him a skeptical look, wondering what was on his mind. “Are you thinking some kind of diplomatic mission? I mean, I’m sure Ambassador McDermott can help with that, but I think he’s—”
Shawn flinched at the mention of the gruff, abrasive Ambassador. Scott had his talents in the political arena, of that there was no doubt, but this situation called for something a more expedient than the snail’s pace the UCS and the Kafaran diplomats were currently on. Besides, the last time he dealt with McDermott, Shawn lost his ship—and almost his life, not to mention those of his friends. It’d be a cold day on Third Earth before he asked any favors of the man. No, Shawn had a better plan.
Smiling mischievously, he patted her shoulder lightly. “I was thinking of someone a little more … tactical.”
“Yes, I wanted him in our fleet. And why not? He was as fine a pilot as I’d ever met, and a good commander of men. In our culture, it’s not only fitting to admire men with those qualities, but to encourage them with accolades and awards. He had but to say the word and it would have been given him. In truth, the only person to whom it would have mattered about being under the direct command of a Rugorian was the commander himself, and I was glad to see that it was a state of mind he could abandon.”
-Fleet Captain (later Rear Admiral) Ariah Voula
Rugorian Protectorate
The Rugorians: Once Upon a Pirate, 1st Edition
Chapter 13
Back inside the Nautilus, Melissa looked out the starboard window as the mining complex disappeared in a cloud of dust. Shawn, seated comfortably at the controls, had initially objected to returning to Torval’s capital city of Salias, but Doctor Uudon’s insistence that he be allowed to remove several artifacts from his personal shuttle—not to mention his robot—compelled the commander to submit.
Less than twenty minutes later, Shawn had the Nautilus hovering over the carcass that had long since been converted to a small craft landing platform. Unlike the day before, the landing platform was a bustle of activity. There was only a single space large enough for their transport, so Shawn was forced to land in a corner opposite the doctor’s shuttle. As he began to set the transport down, his eyes fixed on the menacing-looking Temkorian security craft, still parked where it had been the night before. When the Nautilus was secured to the pad, Shawn made sure his weapon was charged before opening the outer hatch.
Taking the lead, he stepped out into the midday suns and scanned the area. There were numerous aliens milling about, and all were either traders or technicians. Thankfully, the Temkorians were nowhere present, but that didn’t mean they weren’t lurking somewhere out of sight. Mindful that he still had his weapon at his side, Shawn led Doctor Uudon and Melissa toward the far corner of the maintenance bay.
“You seem to know where you’re going,” Uudon said.
“We’ve been here before,” Melissa replied from his side.
His tone was anything but cordial when he replied. “And I suppose you’re going to tell me that it had nothing to do with me or my ship?”
“In fact, it had everything to do with you,” Shawn said over his shoulder as they continued on.
“I’m no criminal, Commander, if that’s what you’re implying.”
“I don’t have a habit of making implications, Doctor. Ask Miss Graves.”
“It’s true,” she said to Uudon. “Sometimes not to his benefit.”
“There’s no reason why people shouldn’t say what’s on their minds,” Shawn countered. “It makes for more productive conversations.”
Uudon seemed to respect this answer. “Well, in that we are in agreement.”
With his back to them, neither Uudon nor Melissa saw Shawn smiling in approval. “There, you see? We’re already coming to some understandings.”
“Then perhaps you’ll be frank with me, Commander, when I ask why it is that you are really abducting me.”
“Now abduction … that I will agree to doing from time to time,” Shawn said without stopping. “It’s a useful way of keeping people out of trouble.”
“And I am, as you say, in trouble?”
Shawn chuckled, but he doubted Uudon could hear him over the din from the throng of aliens they were skirting. “You’re both a risk and at risk, Doctor. Keeping you close is the best way to make sure neither of those things creates a problem.”
“Because of my discovery?” the doctor asked as they neared his small shuttle.
Although the crowds in this part of the port were thinning, Shawn didn’t want to discuss the matter in the open. “We’ll talk about it later. Let’s just get what we came for and be out of here.” He looked to the silent, deadly looking Temkorian security ship and shivered at the thought of encountering either of the two scale-faced aliens they’d seen the night before. “The sooner, the better.”
Stepping aside, Shawn and Melissa watched as Uudon entered his encrypted code into the side of the shuttle. The door made a slight hiss, then slid up and away from the ovoid-shaped craft. A moment later Uudon disappeared inside.
“Should I follow him in?” Melissa asked.
Shawn scanned the outer hull from stem to stern in a fraction of a second. “I doubt there’s room for you in that thing.” After five minutes, Uudon had still not reappeared, so Shawn impatiently smacked his palm on the side of the craft. “Let’s get a move on, Doc.” A minute later, Uudon appeared in the open doorway carrying two small suitcases. When the doctor exited the craft, a bipedal robot staggered out behind him.
“This is M-9,” Uudon said. “My assistant, as well as a protector. And might I say that patience is a virtue you are sorely lacking, Commander,” he finished in disdain.
Shawn looked over the robot astutely. It looked like a basic maintenance droid, but with some modifications to the hands for holding tools. The coverings were battered in places, rusting in others, and some lubricant was seeping from a crack near the right shoulder. Nothing about it looked menacing, but robots in general could be very deceiving.
Baking under the scorching heat of the two suns, Shawn wiped a layer of sweat from his brow. “It’s a little toasty out here. I’m in a hurry to get back to our ship and get on with our objective.”
Uudon scowled at him, b
ut then his countenance changed to one of dismay as he looked at something over Shawn’s shoulder.
“Well, well, well,” a voice slithered from behind Shawn. “What do we have here? A merry little band of wayward travelers?”
Closing his eyes, Shawn cursed under his breath. Temkorians. Turning to face what was sure to be a hideous-looking grin, Shawn steadied himself and put on his most dashing smile. When he faced the alien—who was standing a full foot taller than he—Shawn caught a whiff of the creature’s breath. It smelled like raw eggs that had been left to cook under the binary suns of this wretched planet. Glancing down, he saw the creature had both a pistol and knife strapped to the side of his dark security uniform. Trying not to show how the stench affected him, Shawn continued to beam. “We were just leaving.”
The fang-lined smile remained as the alien issued a guttural laugh. “Just like a human, always in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The Temkorian’s cohort, no less ugly or armed, spoke up. “And without so much as an introduction.”
“The name’s Larry,” Shawn said, then nodded his head back in the direction of Melissa. “This is Moe.”
The two aliens shifted their eyes to Doctor Uudon. “And him?” one of them asked.
“Curley Joe.”
“My name is Doctor Uudon,” the doctor corrected.
Shawn fought the urge to roll his eyes. “That’s right. Doctor Curley Joe Uudon.”
“A doctor of what?” the first Temkorian slithered.
“Music,” Shawn said before Uudon could respond. “He’s a complete mess when it comes to the piano, but he can tune a fork like it’s nobody’s business.”
It was hard to tell if the Temkorians were buying the ridiculous story, but the look on their faces told Shawn they were far from convinced. Of course, with a face coated in scales and capped with ruby-red eyes, it would’ve have been hard to tell anything with any degree of certainty.
“What’s in the cases?” the second alien asked.
“Dust mites … largest collection in the sector,” Shawn said as confidently as he could. “We’d love to show you, but the little buggers would sneak out.”
The first Temkorian eyed Shawn from head to toe, then stepped closer, nearly touching noses with the commander. “You look vaguely familiar.”
“I’ve been told I have that kind of face. Of course, all of us humans look the same at this distance.”
“Identity card?”
“I left it in my other pants.”
The alien then turned to Melissa. “You … Moe! Identity card.”
“I left it in my other pants,” she said, not sure of the right answer.
The alien grunted in her direction before turning back to Shawn. “Doubtful.”
“It’s true,” the commander said jovially. “There’s a slacks convention going on in the other side of the star port. Jeans can come too, but shorts aren’t admitted.”
“You’re going to have to come with me, hu-man. All of you. I have some … questions.”
The smile quickly faded from Shawn’s face. “You don’t hold authority here, Temkorian. This is a free world, last I checked.”
“Then you are in error. My position as head of security for this port gives me that authority.”
Shawn shook his head slowly. Things were about to get out of his control. “I guess when they’re desperate for help, these people will hire just about anybody … or anything.”
“Enough!” the second alien bellowed as Melissa slowly stepped to Shawn’s side.
Good girl, he thought. Just don’t go getting either of us killed.
“Come with us. Now,” the first Temkorian said as he reached for his weapon.
Shawn looked over his shoulder at Melissa. “I guess we should get on with it.” Clenching his fist, he spun back around before the Temkorian could draw his weapon, landing a hit directly in the side of the alien’s face. The security guard reeled back, his weapon flapping out of his hand and smacking onto the dusty ground. Not wasting any time, Shawn kicked the weapon away, then spun and landed another kick in the Temkorian’s midsection, sending the guard down on his armored backside. Risking a glance at Melissa, he could see that she had likewise engaged the other guard, sending a one-two punch into the creature’s face before spinning and taking the alien’s feet out from under him.
Behind him, Shawn heard the hiss of the doctor’s shuttle close, but didn’t have time to see if the doctor was in or out of the craft. Knowing Melissa could take care of herself for the moment, Shawn quickly withdrew his pistol and set it to stun the Temkorian. Not knowing if it would have any effect on the alien’s naturally thick armor, he pointed it in the direction of the fallen security guard, but the weapon was quickly knocked out of his hand by the creature who’d already gotten his proper footing.
Oh, hell.
In a move of desperation, Shawn ducked his head and tried to rush the alien in hopes of bowling him over. Instead, the Temkorian stopped Shawn’s head with one large, clawed hand, then drove its other shoulder into the center of Shawn’s back. The force of the blow took Shawn’s legs out from under him, and the commander collapsed to the floor face-down in a cloud of dust. Looking up, he could see Uudon’s droid standing motionless nearby. A little help would be nice, buddy!
The Temkorian lightly kicked Shawn over to get access to the commander’s hands as he withdrew a pair of handcuffs, but Shawn was able to kick up and send the manacles flying. In the distance he heard Melissa yelp as the objects hit her.
“Sorry,” Shawn cried out from the ground, then rolled to a standing position. When the Temkorian lunged for him, he was ready. Catching the alien off balance, Shawn grabbed its wrist and twisted, then spun behind it and landed a well-placed kick behind its knee and sent it to the ground once again. Behind him, Shawn heard the engines of the doctor’s shuttle begin to wind up. Acting quickly, Shawn picked up the Temkorian’s fallen weapon and fired at the shuttle. The bolt of energy ripped through the starboard engine and turned the delicate device into a pile of junk.
Behind him, Shawn heard a grunt at as the Temkorian got to its feet and rushed toward him. Spinning quickly, Shawn fired another round that penetrated the alien’s thick armor on its shoulder. The security guard hissed out a curse as it clawed at the wound. Seeing an opportunity, Shawn rushed toward the creature and, using the butt of the rifle, planted a hit squarely in the guard’s stomach. It toppled over a moment later. Looking to his right, Shawn could see that Melissa had likewise subdued her attacker. She had the Temkorian’s arms behind its back as she placed the guards own handcuffs around its wrists.
“Now that looks like a good idea,” he said, retrieving the discarded cuffs from the ground and cuffing the other guard.
When the door to the doctor’s shuttle once again opened, Shawn and Melissa were standing triumphantly over their attackers.
“Of all the impertinence,” Uudon shouted as he stormed toward Shawn. “I’ll have you know that this shuttle is the property of the Unified Historical Society!”
“They can bill me,” Shawn said as he neared the doctor. “And as for you, you’re coming with us whether you like it or not.”
Uudon looked at the Temkorian weapon in Shawn’s hand. “And you’ll shoot me if I don’t?”
Shawn tossed the weapon aside. “No. I’ll do worse. I’ll leave you here … with them.” He then nodded his head in the direction of the sullen Temkorian guards writhing on the ground behind him.
Uudon didn’t take long to make up his mind. “Seeing that I have little choice now, Commander, I’ll come peacefully.”
Shawn bowed slightly. “I thought you might.”
Grabbing the doctor’s discarded bags, Melissa cast an impatient glance at Shawn. “Come on, before anyone can help them.”
Nodding in agreement, the three took off in a sprint for the Nautilus, with Uudon’s droid flailing its arms as it rushed to catch up with them. Minutes later, the Unified transport was breaking
through the Torvalian atmosphere at flank speed.
%%%
The familiar sense of nausea came over Shawn just as the Nautilus exited the final jump gate. Closing his eyes, he allowed the rhythmic pulsations of the ship’s main drive engines to sooth him into remission.
“We’ll be at the designated coordinates in less than fifteen minutes,” Melissa said as she looked down to the navigation computer. Three hours earlier, just after transiting the second of three jump gates, Shawn had taken advantage of the encrypted communication channel provided by Admiral Graves. He’d told the admiral of the information Doctor Uudon had given them regarding the transmissions destination, and asked that the admiral forward a request for Tausan’s assistance in tracking it down. Melissa’s father had assured Shawn that he would route the request immediately, and to wait for an answer. Less than thirty minutes later, Melissa had received a coded set of coordinates, although there was no other information about what was to be expected of them once they arrived there. Turning to see Shawn’s eyes closed, she wondered briefly if the commander had fallen asleep. “Shawn?”
“I’m still here,” he said. “Just taking a little breather.”
She smiled, wondering when he’d last had a good shave—not to mention a solid night’s sleep. “You need to rest. I’ll keep things as quiet as possible until we get there.”
Inhaling a deep breath, he puffed his cheeks in an exaggerated exhale. “I really should. If we have to take this thing into Kafaran space, we’re not going to have much time on our hands to catch up on rest.”
Pursing her lips, she turned to look out her view port. Thousands of light-years away, a beautiful nebula was forming, its red and purple glow giving it the appearance of cotton candy suspended in the dark void. “Do you really think the colonel will be able to help us?” she said after a moment.
“Honestly, I really don’t know.”
“You seemed to have made a good impression on him the last time we were together.”
“That was a quite a while ago.”
“It wasn’t that long ago.”
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