by Tripp Ellis
“Positive,” Vlaax said, stroking the glowing crystal in his palm. “It matches the description perfectly. The girl who carried it is an Oracle. I’m certain of it.”
The man on the call was Dietrich Beck. He was a gray haired man with a square jaw and impeccable taste. He was a well established intergalactic dealer of just about anything. If you needed something, and had the money to pay for it, D-Beck could get it. He was in bed with the Realm and often supplied them with hard to acquire items, at a handsome profit.
Dietrich pondered his offer a moment. “1,000,000 credits.”
Vlaax laughed. “Insulting.”
“2,000,000,” D-Beck quickly added.
“It’s been nice speaking with you, but I can see we will be unable to reach a satisfactory arrangement.” Vlaax's thumb hovered over the end call button.
“Wait.”
There was a long pause. Vlaax indulged Dietrich for a moment.
“5,000,000.”
“What's to stop me from doing a deal with the Realm directly?”
“By all means, if you think you can navigate the intricacies of the Realm, be my guest. But you'll likely find their offer not near as generous as mine. Besides, they may be inclined to simply take it from you.”
“You run the same risk.”
“A person like you comes and goes. I have been a long time provider for the Realm. A valuable asset. One that cannot be discarded easily."
Vlaax considered this. He knew dealing with the Realm could be treacherous. And if he could avoid it, he'd rather steer clear of the Empress, and her lapdog Maldovan. “10,000,000.”
“Outrageous.”
“Take it, or leave it. There are other buyers."
Dietrich huffed. "Fine. We’ll rendezvous at Toscoga. Do not disappoint me.”
The transmission ended.
Vlaax grinned. He’d have settled for a million credits. But 10? He could make 10 million stretch a lifetime. No more picking up odd jobs. No more shady dealings. No heavy lifting. No more getting shot at. He could settle on one of the resort colonies, like Kordalia. Drink Siva Tronadas on the beach all day. Chase green Kordalian women. He could live the good life, or so he thought.
13
“No, I’m not going to do that,” Grace said.
"Do you want to get out of here, or not?" Ray countered.
"Unlike you, Ray, I have standards. A sense of dignity."
Ray scoffed. “Please, I’ve seen some of the men you’ve dated. Your standards are pretty low."
Grace's eyes narrowed as she scowled at him. “I stooped to an all-time low with you. That’s for sure.”
Ray glowered back at her. "Look, I've been trying to get under that little bastard’s skin for the last half hour. He's not taking the bait. I need to get him to open the hatch and step inside. I think you have a much better chance of doing that than I do."
“And how, exactly, am I going to get him to open the hatch?”
“Use your charm.” Ray winked.
She arched an eyebrow at him. “I’m not taking off my top.”
“I didn’t ask you to… exactly,” Ray said.
Grace’s eyes narrowed at him.
“Create a distraction. Fabricate an emergency.” Ray nodded to Ava, who was still lying on the deck.
Grace caught his meaning and stepped to Ava. Ray moved to the corner near the door, out of Nard’s sight.
Grace knelt beside Ava and whispered in her ear. Ava began convulsing and writhing.
“Help!” Grace yelled. “She needs medical attention.” Grace ran to the hatch with a look of panic on her face. “She’s having a seizure.”
Nard stood on his tiptoes again and peered in through the porthole. “Tough shit."
“She needs her medication. She is having some type of reaction.”
“Not my problem.”
"It's going to be your problem if she dies."
“How is she going to die?”
Grace was making this up as she went along. “Because if she doesn't get her medication, she's going to go into a coma, and die.” Grace pleaded. "I need to get her to the med center before it's too late."
Nard pondered this. “I need to check with Vlaax."
"So, he's the boss of you? You can't think for yourself?"
Nard scowled at her. "I can think for myself. And no, he's not the boss of me. We are partners."
Grace shrugged. "Sure doesn't seem like it."
Nard eyed Ava, who was still spasming on the deck.
“If she dies, you're going to be in a lot of trouble. Think of all the money you'll lose. An Oracle has got to be worth a pretty penny on the open market.”
Nard grimaced. "Stand back from the hatch."
Grace complied. She stepped back slowly and gave a subtle glance to Ray waiting in the corner ready to pounce.
Nard readied his weapon, then pressed the button on the bulkhead, opening the hatch. He cautiously stepped into the compartment.
As soon as Nard cleared the threshold, Ray lunged for the barrel. He grabbed it, pushing it aside. Several plasma rounds blasted into the bulkhead. The two struggled for moment, then Ray stripped the weapon from the little alien. In a flash, Nard was on the ground, and the barrel of the weapon was pointing at his head.
“Do exactly as I say, or I'm going to vaporize that ugly little face of yours.”
Nard nodded.
Grace helped Ava to her feet. They snuck out of the compartment while Ray forced Nard to the back bulkhead. Ray backed out of the compartment, then mashed the button on the bulkhead. The hatch snapped shut, sealing Nard inside. Ray yelled through the viewport, “Enjoy your stay at Casa Dakota.”
Nard muttered something back at him, but it was indiscernible.
Ray programed a custom code into the keypad. There was no getting out of the holding cell without it.
“I feel bad that we deceived him," Ava said.
“You feel bad?" Ray asked, incredulous.
“Deception is wrong."
"Not when it saves our ass." Ray’s eyes found Grace. “Get to engineering and lock yourself in. I’ll take care of Vlaax.”
Grace nodded and scurried down the hallway with Ava. Ray crept toward the cockpit, looking for Vlaax. He kept the weapon in the firing position, ready to blast a flurry of plasma bursts.
He edged forward through the passageways until he hovered just outside the cockpit. He moved with tactical precision. It was easy to see that he had formal training. He had been a spec-war operator in the Imperial Realm, until he decided to fight for the resistance. Wanted for treason by the Realm, he was forced into the galactic underworld. Fighting for the resistance had doomed him to a shadowy, off grid, existence.
Ray threw his back against the bulkhead, then angled the barrel of his weapon around the corner. He stared through the sights into the cockpit, but it was empty—except for ZV-0.
Ray lowered the weapon, then rushed into the compartment. He glanced over the lifeless robot. Ray’s face washed with panic. His stomach twisted, and he felt a lump in his throat. ZV-0 was his best friend. Perhaps his only friend.
Ray’s eyes found the stim-stick, still stuck into ZV-0’s I/O port. He pulled it out and tossed it aside. Within a few moments, ZV-0 rebooted. His display flickered, then filled with an array of lights and patterns—a psychedelic kaleidoscope, finally assuming his standard face.
“You okay?”
ZV-0 was slow to respond. "Wow, that was a bad trip." The robot shivered.
Ray shook his head. “Double check our heading. Something tells me we’ve been rerouted.”
ZV-0 perked up and looked over the controls. His blue eyes widened. “We’re on a course for Toscoga.”
“No. Were not going there. Change course."
ZV-0 stroked a few keys on the input terminal. “I'm locked out of the system."
"What do you mean you're locked out of the system? Override it."
The robot tried again. "I can't. Not until we come out of
slide-space at our destination."
Ray clenched his jaw. "I'm really starting to get pissed off. See what you can do. I'm going to go find Vlaax.”
Ray marched out of the cockpit and sealed the hatch behind him. He crept down the corridor, weapon in the firing position. The Valkyrie wasn't a huge ship, but it was big enough to get lost in. There were plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in.
Ray marched aft, clearing compartments as he went—the med center, crew quarters, storage compartments. He entered the cargo bay, which was mostly empty. He moved through the cavernous compartment and into the reactor room. It was dimly lit, with shafts of light peering through from above. The duel, X-core reactors were self-contained and needed little maintenance. A dedicated processing unit monitored all controls and kept the reactors functioning at optimal performance. There was no chance of meltdown with the fusion reactor. The safety protocols were in place to ensure safe shutdown. You didn't have the same type of catastrophe with system failure as you did with traditional fission reactors. But still, if one were to explode, there would be enough radiation to kill the entire crew. And subsequent explosions in the cooling system and engine compartments would be enough to destroy the ship.
Ray looked over the controls to make sure everything was still in order. The steady drone of the ship’s engines rumbled through the Valkyrie.
Ray eased his way between the large cylindrical tokamaks of the reactors, toward the heat exchangers in the next compartment. Behind them was the engine room.
But Ray didn't make it to the next hatch. Vlaax lunged from the shadows, tackling Ray. The plasma rifle clattered against the deck, sliding out of reach.
Vlaax's scaly fist pummeled Ray in the face like a wrecking ball. His abrasive knuckles gouged Ray's skin. The force was bone crunching. His lip split, spewing blood. His molars suddenly felt loose. Vlaax was bigger, stronger, and faster. This was going to be a hell of a fight.
14
A flurry of punches pummeled Ray, like cinderblocks falling from a skyscraper. Ray’s back was against the deck, and the reptile was on top of him. Ray brought his forearms up to guard his face, trying to avoid the blows. Vlaax swung, and Ray shoved the reptile’s forearm aside, causing the alien to miss. Vlaax's fist slammed into the metal grating on the deck.
Ray knew it had to hurt. He took the split second opportunity to reach out and grab Vlaax around the torso and pull him down. Vlaax was no longer able to throw punches from this position. Ray planted his right foot to the side, then hooked his right arm over Vlaax's shoulder. Ray bridged up with his left, and rolled over. In a flash he was on top of Vlaax, pummeling the reptile’s green mug.
Ray hit him as hard as he could, but Vlaax's razor sharp teeth were slicing Ray's knuckles. Blood splatter covered the deck, but it was hard to tell who was bleeding the most. Both of them had red blood running through their veins.
Ray clobbered Vlaax in the jaw, wrenching his neck sideways, momentarily dazing the alien. Ray took this opportunity to lunge for the weapon that had scattered across the deck. Like a sprinter out of the starting block, Ray dashed for the rifle. But Vlaax's fast reflexes allowed him to snap a hand out, catching Ray's ankle. Ray toppled to the ground, reaching for the weapon. Ray managed to wrap his fingers around the pistol grip and he swung the weapon around, aiming the barrel at the bloodied green face snarling at him.
“Down, boy,” Ray said.
Vlaax backed off, putting his hands in the air.
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t vaporize you right now?”
“Because I’ve placed a thermal grenade somewhere in the ship. If you kill me, you'll never find it.”
Ray pondered this a moment. “You’re full of shit.”
“Am I?”
“I think I’ll take my chances.” Ray gripped the weapon tight, ready to squeeze the trigger.
“Wait,” Vlaax conceded. "I'll show you where it is, on one condition.”
"You're in no position to negotiate."
“Think of it as a compromise. You let Nard and I off at the next planet, and we call it even. No harm, no foul."
Ray's eyes narrowed at him. "Give me the shard.”
“Do we have a deal?”
“Give me the shard, then I’ll think about it.”
Vlaax frowned, then reached for his pocket.
“Slowly!”
Vlaax eased into his pocket and pulled out the glowing crystal. He tossed it on the deck. It illuminated their faces with an under-glow. It gave each of them an ominous look as they gazed at it, almost transfixed.
The shard had an undeniable power. Even a non-believer could see that.
Ray snapped away his gaze while Vlaax was still mesmerized.
“Step away,” Ray commanded.
Vlaax stood up and eased back.
Ray climbed to his feet and stepped to the shard. He kept the rifle aimed at Vlaax as he knelt down and scooped up the shard. Ray could feel the energy rush through his body. It was a sudden burst of euphoria, almost like a drug. He stuffed it into his pocket. Then gripped the weapon firmly. “Now, how about we find that thermal grenade?"
Ray marched the reptilian freak through a labyrinth of corridors. “Try anything funny and I won't hesitate to waste you.”
Vlaax nodded and led him to an exterior bulkhead near the engineering compartment.
The grenade was tucked away against one of the strakes. It was good placement, Ray thought. The explosion would rip through the exterior hull and take out the starboard engine. If it didn't destroy the ship completely, it would surely cripple it.
Ray stepped to the device and glanced over its glowing red display panel. There were 15 minutes left on the timer. “Is it code locked?”
“4583.”
Ray punched in the code, deactivating the device. The display lingered red for a moment, causing Ray's heartbeat to skyrocket. Punching in the wrong code could cause the device to spontaneously detonate, or lockout future attempts to deactivate it. Finally, the display switched to green.
Ray exhaled and took aim at Vlaax. The reticle hovered on the alien's head.
“Hey, wait a minute. We had a deal.”
“I never agreed to the deal. I said I’d think about it.”
“Ah, come on. You can’t blame a guy for trying.” Vlaax shrugged and flashed a smile.
“Yes, I can.” Ray probably wasn't going to kill the reptile, but he didn't want to let him off the hook too easily. Might as well make the slimy bastard sweat.
“Kill me and you'll never find out."
“Find out what?”
“Where the last place I saw that tattoo was.” Vlaax eyed the tattoo on the back of Ray's palm.
Ray perked up. "Where?"
“Do we have a deal, or don’t we?"
“Fine. I'll drop you off at the next stop. Now where have you seen this tattoo before?”
Vlaax smiled. “You don't really think I'm gonna tell you before you deliver us to safety, do you?"
Ray grumbled under his breath. "Move along." He waved the barrel of the weapon, motioning Vlaax down the corridor. He marched the reptile back to the holding cell and sealed him in with Nard.
Vlaax wasn’t too happy with the little guy and proceeded to give him an ear full.
Ray watched through the viewport for a moment, amused. Then he jogged aft toward the engine compartment. He knocked on the hatch when he arrived. “Hey, you both okay?”
Grace unlocked the compartment and opened the hatch. She looked happy to see him, for a moment.
“The two troublemakers are all locked up,” Ray said with pride. He stood there waiting to be congratulated. But the praise never came.
“You want some kind of medal?” Grace asked. “If you'd have properly vetted them before you hired them, this whole situation might have been avoided."
“If I'd have properly vetted my passengers, this whole situation wouldn't have happened.” He said, mocking her in a whiny voice. If they were kids, he’d have stuck
his tongue out at her.
“Beggars can’t be choosers.” Grace marched out of the compartment.
Ray called after her. “I’m not even getting paid for this.”
“Oh, I'm paying all right. In pain and suffering." She rounded the corner and disappeared.
Ava paused at the entrance and gazed at Ray curiously. “Why do you both fight so much? You clearly like each other?”
Ray scoffed. “No. We do not like each other. I mean, she’s probably still into me, but…”
“Sure. Whatever you say.” Ava rolled her eyes and strolled toward the cockpit.
The bulkheads warbled as a quantum distortion washed through the ship—the Valkyrie was emerging from slide-space. Ray ran through the hallway to the cockpit. The barren planet of Toscoga was in clear view through the front window.
A proximity alert sounded—three ships appeared on the scanners. The system quickly identified them as Osprey XR-9s. They were state-of-the-art, commercially available, warships. Comparable in size to a Corvette class Navy ship. They were fast, nimble, and heavily armored. And they weren’t cheap either. They had become popular among the ultra-rich for their defensive capabilities. Intergalactic raiders would think twice before attacking an Osprey. And for those raiders who could afford it, they were the ideal tool for marauding around the galaxy.
“I don't like the looks of this," Ray said. “Plot jump coordinates. Take us to Ultrava.”
“Aye, sir,” ZV-0 said, attempting to sound professional. He was just as anxious to vacate the area as Ray. He frantically typed on the keypad, his mechanical fingers moving with precision.
The Ospreys moved into a combat spread and flanked the Valkyrie.
15
“If you were going to try and sell an illicit object that was in high demand by the Realm, who would you sell it to?" Ray asked.
He exchanged a glance with ZV-0. Then the two answered in unison, “D-Beck.”
"He's the only one who can afford Ospreys,” Ray said.
Ray activated the comm system. “Dietrich, are you out there?"
There was no response.
“Oh, Dietrich… Come in, please."
Within a few moments, Dietrich's refined features appeared on the display. He looked somewhat disappointed to see Ray.