by Tripp Ellis
The Galexa Container Terminal was the largest freighter port on the planet. They could handle the big behemoths and unload their cargo in record time. There wasn't a commercial shipping vehicle built that was too big for the GCT. The facility could handle space, air, and seafaring vessels.
There were giant automated gantry cranes, state-of-the-art maintenance facilities, and climate controlled warehouses. Rows of shipping containers lined the dock, stacked on top of each other, towering into the sky.
The facility ran 24 hours a day, but was mostly automated. This time of night, the place was pretty empty. Ray proceeded to bay 64 as instructed.
Ray stepped out of the cab, but ZV-0 wasn’t with him. He looked around at the stacks of cargo containers. Dietrich emerged with a couple of goons. Vlaax and Nard were with him. They were obviously how Dietrich was able to track Ray to Ultrava.
“Where are the girls?" Ray asked.
“Where is the shard?" Dietrich replied.
“It's close by."
“So are the girls."
Ray could see Dietrich’s Osprey docked behind the rows of cargo containers. “Enough games,” Ray shouted.
Dietrich nodded to a goon who dragged the girls into the open from behind a stack of containers. They looked scared and frazzled, but unharmed.
“Let's see the stone," Dietrich said.
Ray pointed to the sky. ZV-0 hovered high above, clutching the stone in one of his appendages.
“Very clever, Ray.”
“Let the girls go, and ZV-0 will drop the stone."
"I'll release one as a gesture of good faith.” Dietrich shoved Grace free.
She ran across the dock, embracing Ray. She flung her arms around his neck, clinging tight. It was an unusual display of emotion. “Don’t get any funny ideas,” she said as she let go.
Ray winked at her. “Of course not.”
The reunion was interrupted by Dietrich’s sleazy voice. “Now you must make good on your end, or the girl dies.”
Ray looked up to the sky. ZV-0 hovered overhead. Ray nodded and the robot released the shard. It dropped to the concrete and bounced at Dietrich’s feet.
He knelt down and scooped it up, his eyes mesmerized by its glow. Dietrich grinned like a fiend. Like a drug addict who had found a tiny morsel, lost in the carpet or seat cushions.
“Release the girl,” Ray demanded.
“You’re a man of your word, Ray. And that is your undoing.”
Ava screeched as the goons dragged her away. Dietrich’s men opened fire on Ray.
He dashed with Grace for cover behind a container, plasma bolts exploding at their feet. Bits of concrete showered from the craters.
Ray drew his weapon and returned fire. ZV-0 pelted the dock with plasma pulses. He dodged and weaved as they returned fire.
Dietrich snaked his way through the containers, back to the Osprey. Two of his goons stayed behind to ward off Ray. They blasted a steady stream of plasma in his direction. The bolts pitted and scarred the cargo container that Ray was crouching behind.
Ray slung his pistol around the edge of the container, firing back at the goons. He blasted one in the head. The goon’s body fell against the concrete. His companion seemed frazzled, but kept firing at Ray.
The goon was taking fire from two directions. And despite his faults, ZV-0 was a hell of a shot. Not only that, but the little egghead was difficult to hit. His advanced tracking and maneuvering capabilities made him lithe and nimble. It didn't take long for ZV-0 to score a direct hit. The goon slumped against the container, his chest smoldering from the blast.
Ray dashed for the Osprey, running between the rows of cargo containers. As he emerged onto the landing pad, he saw the Osprey's loading ramp close and seal shut. The ship’s engines were throttling up.
Ray sprinted across the tarmac, running with all his might. His heart thundered, and his chest heaved for breath. He reached the craft just as it lifted from the ground. He lunged into the air and grabbed a hold of the base of the landing gear. He hung on for dear life as the Osprey elevated.
10 feet off the ground… 20… 30… Soon, he was too far above the ground to let go. He was losing grip, and his fingers were sliding down the grimy metal pads. The container terminal below looked like a child's toy, set out in miniature. The Osprey flew over the water. But at this height, a fall into the harbor would kill him.
Ray swung his arm up and grabbed onto a strut, pulling himself farther up the landing pylon.
The Osprey accelerated, and the wind blasted him, tousling his hair. The craft soared toward the upper atmosphere as he climbed up the pylon. His footing slipped and he plunged down. He managed to snag a hydraulic line at the last second, then grabbed an actuator and pulled himself back up. The landing gear began to retract, and Ray advanced higher up the pylon. It was going to be a tight fit. He wasn't sure if there was enough room in the gear stowage compartment for him and the landing gear. This could go wrong in so many ways. He could get crushed as the gear retracted. He could fall. He could run out of oxygen as the craft ascended. He could freeze to death in the upper atmosphere. He could get caught in the hatch that sealed the stowage compartment.
He was beginning to think this was a really bad idea.
28
Grace watched in terror as Ray disappeared into the night sky, clinging to the landing gear of the Osprey. Her heart fluttered in her throat. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she had feelings for the man. It was something that was never going to change, no matter how hard she tried to forget about him.
“Don't worry, he’ll be okay,” ZV-0 said.
“I'm not worried." It was a blatant lie and ZV-0 could see it.
"In that case, he's probably going to die."
Grace looked mortified.
“Come on. We need to get back to the Valkyrie.”
"Don't move," an overzealous security guard yelled. He stood behind his hover-cart with his weapon drawn. He was the only guard on duty in the entire terminal. He looked like he didn't see a lot of action, and had enjoyed one too many pastries. "Drop your weapon."
"We don't want any trouble," Grace said. "Our friend was kidnapped."
The guard could see the dead bodies of Dietrich's thugs between containers. His nerves were frazzled. "Drop the weapon. Now!”
“Okay. Just relax." Grace knelt to the ground and set her pistol down.
"Get on the ground. Face down. Put your hands behind your head, interlocking your fingers."
"I'm trying to tell you, our friend was kidnapped.”
“Tell it to the cops.”
Grace had her fill of the police for the evening.
“Lady, get down, or I'm going to blow that pretty little face off." The guard’s eyes flicked to ZV-0. "And you, robot. Don't try anything funny.“
"I'm not going back to jail," Grace mumbled to ZV-0.
As Grace started to kneel, ZV-0 took aim at the security guard’s pistol. With precision accuracy, he fired a single shot, blasting it out of the pudgy man's hand. It spun away and clattered to the ground several yards behind him—a molten heap of metal.
Grace scooped her weapon from the concrete and dashed in between the rows of containers.
The security guard made for his cart, but ZV-0 blasted at his feet, keeping him at bay. The guard waddled in the opposite direction, running for cover.
ZV-0 swooped down to the cart and slipped into the driver's seat. He threw it into reverse. He wirelessly accessed the acceleration and deceleration functions, and gripped the steering wheel. He backed down the alley between the containers. He sped into the clearing, activated the brakes, and threw the cart in drive.
Grace emerged from between another row of containers and hopped into the passenger seat. The two sped away as the security guard chased after them. They raced to the container terminal exit, turning onto Clarkson Avenue. In a few blocks, they hit the Norfolk Freeway and headed north to downtown.
ZV-0 had the vehicle maxed out, but it
was little more than a glorified golf cart, hovering above the roadway. Cars blazed past them, and horns honked.
“I think you should stay on the service road,” Grace said.
People flipped ZV-0 off as they passed by.
“But this is the fastest route.”
"Not if we don't make it there alive."
"I see your point."
Another horn warbled by, and a burly man hung out the window of a truck, giving ZV-0 the finger.
ZV-0 waved and made a smiley face on his display panel. But by the time he made it to the next exit, red and blue flashing lights were behind him. ZV-0 pulled off the highway and stopped on the service road. The cart was far from street legal.
The officer stepped out of his vehicle and approached the cart. His weapon wasn't drawn, and he didn't look particularly alarmed. So that was a good sign.
Grace adjusted the girls, propping them up, and pulling her neckline down.
“License and registration please?”
ZV-0 smiled. "I seem to have left the house without my wallet."
The officer wasn’t amused. “Transfer the information to my PDU.”
“This is my fault, officer. I'm training him to drive this vehicle, and he accidentally made a wrong turn onto the freeway,” she said in a soft, sultry voice. The words slipped off her tongue like velvet. It was enough to distract any man.
The officer looked her over. Grace smiled flirtatiously and flipped her raven black hair. She arched her chest out, accentuating her perfect curves.
“This cart has no business on the roadway. He could have caused a major accident back there. You're lucky to be alive, ma'am."
"You're right. I understand if you need to arrest me and impound the vehicle.” She thought it might be a little over-the-top emphasizing the word pound in such a sexual manner, but go big or go home, she thought. In this case, it was go big or possibly go to jail.
The officer smiled at her. "That won't be necessary. There are bigger fish to fry in the city. Just be more careful from here on out, ma’am.”
“Thank you, officer…” Grace’s eyes found his nameplate, “Carter.” She smiled again with a sparkle in her eyes.
“I’m at Precinct 227, if you ever need assistance, ma'am. Just ask for Sergeant Carter." He had a hopeful smile.
“I'm sure I will," Grace said.
The officer strolled back to his vehicle with an extra skip in his step. He got into the driver seat, flipped off the flashing red and blue lights, and drove away.
“It's so not fair. Girls always get out of tickets." ZV-0 put the cart in gear and drove away.
ZV-0 stayed on the service road for a little while, then they dumped the cart and caught a cab. At the spaceport, they made their way to the Valkyrie. The ship was just as they left her.
Grace and ZV-0 boarded the Valkyrie, and prepared for takeoff. Grace slipped into the pilot's seat and began the preflight checks.
“Where are we headed?" ZV-0 asked.
Grace shrugged. “What's the odds of picking up an emission trail from the Osprey?"
“Slim to none."
29
Hydraulics whirred, and the landing pads folded up. When the gear fully retracted into the well, Ray was left with about an inch of clearance. His hands were growing numb from holding on so tight. Below him, Ultrava was becoming a distant memory. Wind whistled into the compartment. Ray's body was coated in nervous sweat, even though the air at this altitude was freezing. It was getting hard to breathe. He hoped to God the hatch to the stowage compartment would close before they left breathable atmosphere.
Finally, he heard the mechanism activate, and the hatch slide shut. The deafening wind grew silent. All he could hear was the rumble of the engines, and the creaking of the airframe in the turbulence.
Ray let go of the strut, and his hands were stiff. It was almost hard to straighten them out. They ached for a moment. The compartment smelled like grease and hydraulic fluid, and his hands were black and grimy. He wiped them on his pants. But he wasn't going to complain about a little dirt.
He squeezed around the gear and wormed his way to the maintenance access panel, but it was locked. He was stuck in the stowage compartment.
LORD MALDOVAN’S menacing visage appeared on the display.
Dietrich forced a nervous smile as he stood in the cockpit of the Osprey. Even he didn't like dealing with the Dark Lord. Maldovan’s temper could flare erratically.
“My Lord, I have the shard,” Dietrich stammered.
"Show it to me,” Maldovan’s voice rumbled.
Dietrich held up the glowing crystal.
Maldovan’s mask hid any expression he may have had. “Bring it to me at once."
“Yes, my Lord. Send your coordinates.” Dietrich hesitated, then cleared his throat. “The terms, my Lord… they remain the same?"
“You will be fairly compensated."
"Of course." Dietrich forced a smile again. Bringing up price, or attempting to negotiate, was a risky proposition with the Realm.
The transmission ended.
Two goons clutched Ava by the arms. “Please. You can’t give him the shard. You have no idea of the consequences.”
“Take her to one of the holding cells,” Dietrich barked.
RAY UNHOLSTERED his pistol and aimed it at the locking mechanism. He blasted off a round, incinerating the lock. Then he pried the door open.
He fell out into the underbelly of the ship. It was a small, dimly lit crawlspace. The bulkheads were lined with piping and wiring. He made his way to a hatch that led to a corridor on the lower level.
The bulkheads warbled, and Ray could feel the ship jumped into slide-space. He pushed into the hallway and crept forward. With his pistol drawn, he hugged the wall as he advanced. He was familiar with the basic layout of Ospreys. He’d flown them a couple times in the past.
Ray could hear boots clinking against the deck ahead, moving toward him. He ducked into an alcove and flattened himself against the bulkhead. Vlaax stormed passed him without noticing.
Ray lurched from the shadows, pouncing on Vlaax from behind. In a flash, Ray had him in a choke hold. Vlaax flailed his arms, trying to disengage, but it was too late. Vlaax quickly passed out and his body flopped to the ground. Ray dragged the body into a nearby storage compartment. He tied him up and took Vlaax's assault rifle.
Ray stepped back into the corridor and made his way toward engineering. He found the quantum drive and moved to the control terminal. Then he initiated the emergency shutdown sequence.
You couldn't just shut off a quantum drive in midstream. The results could be catastrophic. Instead, the system had a defined protocol where it would recalculate the nearest safe exit point, then disengage and shut down.
Within a few minutes, the Osprey emerged from slide-space. Ray dashed to the towering quantum-core and removed several power couplers. The ship wouldn't be making any slide-space jumps without them.
There was no doubt Dietrich was sending someone to check on the drive. Ray waited patiently for the tech to arrive. Within a few minutes, Nard entered the compartment. Ray took aim. "Don't move. Drop the weapon."
Nard’s rifle clattered against the deck.
Ray motioned to the control terminal. "Move."
Nard complied.
“Contact the flight deck, tell them it's a burned out power coupler. You'll need 30 minutes to repair it. Say anything else, and I'll vaporize that ugly face of yours. Got it?"
Nard nodded. He activated the comm link and said exactly what Ray had told him to. Then Ray cracked him in the back of the skull with the stock of his rifle. Nard flopped to the ground, unconscious. Ray pulled the body aside, hiding Nard behind a large coolant tank.
The Osprey was drifting through space in the middle of nowhere. Without the quantum drive, they were a thousand years from the nearest outpost, even traveling at full thrusters.
Ray slipped into the corridor and snaked through the ship, looking for Ava. He peered th
rough the polycarbonate glass portals in several compartments until he found her. She was locked in a compartment amidships. He pressed the access button on the bulkhead and the hatch slid open.
Her blue eyes sparkled. “How did you get on the ship?”
"I latched on at the last minute." He unholstered his pistol and handed it to her.
She looked at it awkwardly. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Shoot bad people."
“It is against our vows to take another life.”
“You didn't take your vows, remember?”
She handed the weapon back to him.
Ray re-holstered it. "Suit yourself. Where's the shard?"
“Dietrich has it.”
Ray led her down the hall and shoved her into a berthing compartment. “Hide in here until I come and get you.”
Ava nodded.
“What kind of control do you have over the shard?”
“Not much."
“I thought Oracle's were masters of its power?”
“That was the part I was never so great at.” Ava looked sullen. "I'm not like the rest of them. I wasn't born to be an Oracle. I was just some orphan adopted by the elders. I never really belonged.”
Ray knew all too well this feeling of alienation and abandonment. He looked at her with sympathetic eyes. “Well, you're part of our family now. If you’ll have us."
Ava smiled at him.
Ray closed the hatch and crept down the hallway. He swept forward, weapon in the firing position. He held up just outside the cockpit, his back against the bulkhead. There was a pilot, copilot, and a navigator. Dietrich stood on the deck.