Thanks to Esabelle’s Terran abilities, Roland and Ch’len knew that The Laronian was, in fact, an Atari in disguise. The crime lord had contacted the pair with a series of threats for his failure, but smiling from ear to ear, Roland replied with a threat of his own, spelling out how the entire Conclave would come to know his secret.
“He’s not going to be a problem. Besides, denting any part of his revenue will just be the cherry on my day.” Roland expanded the hologram. “Lan-vid said the penthouse belonged to Hon Valorga.” His mind was already working through the job.
“Yeah I’ve heard of him,” Ch’len replied with a slither of Sak fish hanging out of his mouth. “He’s the biggest pimp in The Cove. He also has a small arms business on the side, but the last I heard he was falling behind in that particular market - either way, expect his entourage to be well equipped.”
“I’m doing this job a little different to normal…” Roland was focusing on the apartment’s schematics.
Ch’len laughed to himself. “Your normal is every other bounty hunter’s idea of crazy!” The little alien finished his snack. “Why the change?”
“I need to get to Hon Valorga and learn where he’s sending the girls Gor-van is so fond of. If I go in shooting everything that moves then word will get back to that sack a’ shit before I can get my hands on him. If he flees Byzantial I’ll lose the trail and have to start all over again.”
“Sooooo….” Ch’len slowly chewed on a strip of Yorva meat. “We had to track down and torture Kel-var Tionis’s personal attack team to find and torture Lan-vid - his mercenary broker- so we could locate Gor-van’s private pimp, Hon Valorga, who I suspect will be tortured very shortly, so that we can find where Gor-van himself his hiding on this barren rock of a world,” Chlen sucked in a breath, “so that you can torture him into telling you where Kel-var is hiding, so that you can torture him into telling you the truth about Li’ara - who's definitely not dead…” Ch’len added the last part with a tone of disbelief.
Roland could hear how ridiculous it all sounded when said aloud. He didn’t care though, he just needed to know the truth. If he had to get his hands bloody along the way, so be it.
“That’s a whole lot of torture…” Ch’len chomped on the dry Yorva meat.
Roland sat back and accessed his personal file on the console. With a couple of taps, a new hologram was brought to life in full colour. The bounty hunter flicked it, sending the image floating across the expanse between Ch’len and himself. Roland met the Ch’kara’s eyes before they both looked at the image of the circular door, thicker than the length of a human arm and bent in the middle, with wrought edges where a dozen locks had once been fitted. Smoke and fire surrounded the broken vault door, along with the dead body of Sav-del Tanek, the Shay charged with maintaining the vault that housed the alien cube.
“I’ve seen this already,” Ch’len held his stubby fingers up. “You showed this to me ages ago.”
“It was you who told Esabelle and me about that door. Impenetrable, uncrackable, resilient to any and all weapons and made from the same material that houses starrilliums. The bomb that Li’ara set off wasn’t powerful enough to even scratch that door, let alone blow it off its hinges. Look at it!”
Ch’len sighed and took another look at the hologram with the engineering eyes his species was known for. “I admit it’s… strange. This is the only reason I’ve gone along with all your craziness for three months. But I don’t see how any of this can mean Li’ara’s still alive!”
Roland swivelled his chair to face Ch’len. “The only two people in the galaxy capable of ripping that door from its hinges were light-years away, fighting for their own lives.”
Ch’len swung his own chair out to match Roland. “I get it, you think a Terran must have opened the door, but Li’ara was just a human, like you. Roland, I’m sorry, but everything in that room was reduced to ashes. Kel-var just showed you this to give his guys more time to rescue him. There’s probably a failsafe built into the door in case of an explosion inside the chamber. Had it not come off its hinges, there’s a good chance the pressure from the explosion would have caused catastrophic damage to the roof and caused structural weaknesses across the entire capital.”
Roland turned away and collapsed the hologram. “Like I said; if you’re not interested, Byzantial is your stop.”
“Oh, I’m all in. I want to get to the bottom of this as fast as possible. One way or another, when it’s all over we can get back to work. Don’t get me wrong, I hope you’re right about whatever it is you’re right about, and that Li’ara is alive. I’m just tired of chasing the most ruthless and powerful criminals in the galaxy. I miss the slower, moronic variety of criminal that comes with a modest bounty…”
Roland raised his eyebrow. “I don’t remember you doing a lot of the chasing, Len.”
Ch’len snapped off the end of a new chewy snack. “We all have our skills, Roland. Speaking of; I’ve left some new gear for you in the kitchen. Just some new toys that might help to move this along a bit.”
Roland smiled wickedly. “Just when I was thinking of throwing you out the air-lock you pull it back again.”
“Very funny…”
The vast ocean soon gave way to an island covered in blue and white trees and a small mountain in the centre. The sun was partially concealed by the sea now, its white glow turning purple. Dozens of other ships could be seen, all of them ascending or descending through the water. Others could be seen in the distance, flying in from other parts of the planet and heading for The Cove.
“Say goodbye to the light,” Ch’len commented, as the Rackham increased its speed and dived under the water, two miles out from the island.
Four head-lights switched on across the bow of the Rackham, illuminating the deep. The local AI hub made contact and requested permission to take control, in order to guide them through the water and unseen traffic. Roland looked to Ch’len before acknowledging the request and relinquishing flight control.
“It’s all good,” Ch’len offered, checking his own screen. “We’re just a pair of Atari brothers on leave from the intrinium mines on the outer-rim and looking for a good time. Our ship is licensed as the Lovetug.”
Roland blinked very slowly. “Always with the details… Wait, the Lovetug?”
Ch’len laughed to himself, spraying bits of food across his console. “It’s all in the details!”
“We have a different saying about the details where I come from…”
The local AI hub took control and guided the Rackham through the lanes of building traffic until the water lost its colour and darkness surrounded them. The only sense of direction came from the lights on the other ships. It soon became clear that The Cove was built into the island, as a giant oval structure, resembling a hangar, became visible. The Rackham passed through the oval and a force-field designed to keep the water and its immense pressure out.
Despite the Brenine’s love of the dark, the island’s interior was well lit. The sprawling city of The Cove was laid out under the starry ceiling of stalactites. The soft glow from above contrasted with the neon signs that dominated the ground levels, advertising the various vices that attracted beings from all over the Conclave. Personal transports flew in every direction around the city’s towering spires, weaving between the larger stalactites. The Rackham was assigned its own landing alcove, built into the bedrock.
Roland shut the engine down, satisfied that it could only be turned on again with his closely guarded code. Ch’len shook his head every time the engine shut down, more than aware that he was grounded along with the ship. For all their time together, Roland simply didn’t trust the little shit not to fly away when things got hairy.
“I’ve tinkered with the holo-bands,” Ch’len said, as Roland made for the kitchen. “You can be an Atari this time, should help with our cover.”
“I had something else in mind.” Roland didn’t stop to take in Ch’len’s questioning expression.
Roland depressed a small button and activated a square draw at the base of the armoury. He reached down and pulled out a black helmet, covered in angles and dark glass. “Did you fix this?”
Ch’len waddled into the room with a sour look on his face. “It was never broken. I just needed to tweak the interface. The Rackham may have provided the nanocelium, but the little buggers weren’t happy being bound to Conclave tech.”
“Did you fix it?”
“Yes.”
Roland looked at the helmet and then at the empty drawer. “Where’s the rest of it?”
“In my workshop.” Ch’len nodded in the direction of his room.
“Did you make the other adjustments I asked for?”
“You mean your commands? Yes, I did. The suit has space for all your toys, most of them at least.” Ch’len was partially distracted, trying to search the kitchen counter for food by touch alone.
Roland watched the scrounging Ch’kara with bemusement. “Well go get it then.”
Ch’len pushed himself up on his tiptoes and grasped some food Roland couldn’t identify. “You realise how illegal personalised cloaking technology is, right?”
“Any more illegal than our normal line of work?” Roland placed the helmet on the table and finished off the remains of a bottle of Raalakian ale.
“It’s the highest level of illegal! The Highclave outlawed any and all privately owned cloaking systems and abolished all research. If you get caught wearing a whole suit that cloaks your body, we’ll both serve a life sentence in the Relis Mines.”
Roland flashed his roguish smile. “Well if you fixed it properly, I won’t get caught. It’s hard to catch what you can’t see.”
It took longer than he would have liked, but after a lot of pulling and tugging, Roland was finally fitted from neck-to-toe in the dark, but snug armour. It reminded him of Kalian’s Terran exo-suit, only the ‘armour’ was coated with a thin layer of nanocelium that wasn’t designed to be protective. The suit would render him invisible, but a single bolt of intrinium fire would put a hole in him.
“Looks good!” Ch’len marvelled at his work.
Roland scowled. “I feel like my ass is eating the filament…”
Ch’len matched his scowl and gripped Roland’s forearm. “Controls are built in.” Despite the many angles, a small screen had been fitted into the arm piece. “Press here and here to activate the suit. You can take a few toys and your Terran knife, but no guns.”
“No guns?” Roland looked at his Tr-rollers longingly.
“There’s nowhere to put them!” Ch’len handed the helmet over. “Give it a go.”
Roland placed the helmet over his head and clipped it into the neck aperture, creating a quiet hiss. The HUD was overlaid with the initial start-up data before settling. Everything in the kitchen was suddenly highlighted with a thin green line, including Ch’len. The darkened corners were exposed as the helmet’s screen compensated for the shadows, allowing the user to see in all conditions.
“Well..?” Ch’len stood back.
Roland activated the stealth systems and watched his body disappear. An icon appeared in the corner of his HUD, offering the bounty hunter a new mode of vision. A quick blink to acknowledge the icon was all it took to change what he could see. His invisible body suddenly came back into view, but only to him. In response to Ch’len’s question, Roland reached down and flicked the alien on the head.
“I love it!”
Ch’len massaged his sore head. “Well, you need to turn it off now. If the system overheats, the interface between the nanocelium and the Conclave tech will burn out, rendering you permanently visible, what with all the flames…”
Roland raised his eyebrow even though Ch’len couldn’t see him. “Flames? Am I wearing a bomb?”
“No!” Ch’len didn’t look very convincing. “It’s prototype tech that no one is researching, Roland. I had to make a few bits up… Not to mention the nanocelium. That stuff might as well be magic!”
Roland quickly deactivated the suit and removed the helmet, shoving it into Ch’len’s arms. He tried not to think about the potential deathtrap he was wearing and instead looked to his armoury. The Terran hilt lay horizontal on its rest, silently awaiting its master. Roland picked it up and adjusted the fine rings at the top of the hilt. He thumbed the activation and watched the nanocelium spring to life, forming a serrated blade just longer than his hand. Happy with the new length, the bounty hunter deactivated the blade and slotted the hilt horizontally into the sheath at the base of his back.
The Tri-rollers called to him, offering their comfort, but he was forced to leave them on the rack. Roland’s old training instructor always came to mind at times like this, reminding him that he was the weapon.
Ch’len moved away and returned with a belt, covered in pouches and attachments. “I’ve had a play with the usual gadgets.”
Roland accepted the belt and removed the devices he felt would prove useful. Small metallic pouches opened up across his chest and waist, perfect for storage.
“So how are you going to get to the Starlight Apartments? You’ll be hard to see but we’re not exactly parked on Hon Valorga’s doorstep.”
Roland fitted his helmet back on. “Rackham?”
“Yes Roland?” the ship replied.
“Be a dear and call me a cab.”
Jedediah Holt looked at the rising radiation levels on Commander Vale’s datapad and reminded himself that this was the only course left to them. Regardless of everything he had learned from Captain Fey in the last hour, the fact still remained that the radiation leak would be the end of them all. It was his first priority as the captain of the Paladin.
Don’t think about Earth. Don’t think about Chrissy and the kids...
The air-lock doors connecting the Paladin to the alien craft opened again. Had Captain Fey not come out first, Jed would have had a hard time concealing his expression of terror. The aliens that accompanied her were hideous amalgamations of machine and some form of pale alien. The four engineers appeared identical to Jed’s eye, with robotic limbs and attachments that seemed to be permanently bonded with their chalk-white flesh. Their pointed teeth only added to their menacing look, putting Jed and the Raiders on edge.
“These engineers are from the Conclave,” Fey explained, casually.
“What are they?” Jed knew his pointed stare was rude, but he couldn’t help it. These were the first aliens he had ever seen up close.
“Their species are called Shay.”
Booming footfalls came from the shadows of the alien craft.
The Raiders physically tensed and Sam put one foot back, as her fight or flight reflexes battled one another. Jed kept his footing, however, maintaining his authoritative stance against the new monster that emerged from the craft. It was big, in every way. With a flat head of rock and broad shoulders, this new alien walked into the corridor on four legs of stone. The only familiar sight was the red uniform worn by the giant creature. Jed knew an officer when he saw one, though from Fey’s recounting this could only be the High Charge known as Uthor.
Captain Fey cleared her throat. “This is High Charge Uthor. High Charge, this is Captain Jedediah Holt of the Paladin.”
Uthor’s voice was akin to that of a rock-slide, but his words were completely lost on Jed. The captain could only look to Li for guidance.
“He’s greeting you,” Fey explained. “You’re going to need one of these.” Li tilted her head and exposed her neck, revealing a small circular dot behind her ear. “It allows you to translate their various lan
guages as well as their written word. It’s painless.”
Jed couldn’t speak for the others, so he offered himself to go first and have the small device placed behind his ear. Sam and the Raiders, who appeared more cautious, accepted the translators and allowed the Shay to fit them. After a brief wave of nausea and an acrid metallic taste, Jed and the others were almost stunned into silence when Uthor spoke again, this time with clarity.
“Greetings,” Jed replied, unsure of alien etiquette.
Uthor glanced at Fey before regarding Jed again. “May my engineers see to your reactor leak?”
Jed hesitated. “Yes. Of course. I’ll show you there myself.”
Uthor raised his thick hand. “This is as far as I go, I’m afraid.”
Jed looked at the alien, wishing he could remember what species he was and followed Uthor’s gaze to the door behind them. It was clearly too small and narrow to allow him entry.
“Sorry…” Jed felt silly apologising for the human design of his ship, but he didn’t know what else to say.
“After your radiation leak is contained and inoculations have been given, we will talk again. I would be honoured if you accepted my invitation to board the Nautallon.”
Jed looked beyond the High Charge and assumed he was inviting him to board the massive ship that loomed outside. Captain Holt simply nodded his head, desperately trying to fight the shock of everything. They had only left Earth Dock two days ago...
Uthor regarded Captain Fey before returning to the smaller craft. Lanky silhouettes appeared in the doorway, hidden in shadow when the door closed behind the High Charge.
Sam cleared her throat and showed Jed the levels of radiation on her datapad. The deadly particles had spread to another deck.
“I’ll show you to the engine room,” Jed felt uncomfortable talking to the Shay and so directed his statement at Fey.
“We would like to see your navigation array as well.” The Shay’s words were heard perfectly, but its voice was just so alien. No human could mimic it. “We have been tasked with discovering the cause of your extraordinary voyage.”
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