"I called you all here because shit has gone sideways. There's no two ways about it, I really thought that this issue with Holger would have been sorted by now. But things have gotten worse, and other parties are now involved. As you all know, we have Florin Fren on board. It wasn't by choice or luck; our hands were forced in the matter.
"His life--as well as ours--is being threatened by Holger, so we need to stop this bastard once and for all," said Phoenix.
"That shit sounds a lot easier than it actually is. How we gonna even find him?" Plowstow asked, throwing his hands up in the air.
"That's where Saoirse comes in," Phoenix said, pointing to her.
"On Lavera," said Saoirse, "after we were attacked and Phoenix had left Florin in my care, he gave me all the details he has on Holger. Spies on his payroll, people suspected to be spies for him, Council members working for him, stations under his control and, best of all, the location of his own residence."
"Bro, don't tell me," said Kai.
"Yep, we know where the bastard is hiding. All we have to do is hit him before he suspects anything is amiss," Phoenix said, slamming his fist on the table.
"Please tell me we will at least drop off my patient before we undertake this madness," said Freyan.
"Freyan, there's no time! There may very well be more people than we know of working behind the scenes, waiting for Florin to pop up so they can take him out. We can't trust anyone apart from the people on this ship. He's in a weakened state with no way to defend himself.
"Once we enter the rat's nest and kill the king, his other minions will come scuttling out. Then we will get a clearer picture of who is against us and who isn't."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this! Phoenix, that man is the only way to clear our names. If he dies on this suicide mission you have planned, then what?"
"If he doesn't make it on this mission, its only because none of us did. This is do or die, Freyan! No more running, no more games. We take the fight to him and finish this, once and for all," Phoenix said, stabbing his finger at the table.
"I can't--"
"Freyan," Saoirse said, placing a hand over his. "This needs to happen. I know you have your doubts and fear of the Portendorfers. I do too. I know they have caused you pain, in more ways than one, and you don't want to relive that. But this must be done. We must face our demons and say no more."
"Is everyone in agreement on this?" Freyan asked, looking around at the crew.
Everyone nodded slowly as his eyes passed from face to face.
"Plowstow, even you?"
Plowstow shook his head till his orange plaits swung from side to side. "Normally I would be all for running, but you can't run from things forever. Freyan, the enemy would expect us to drop Florin off somewhere so he can tell everyone the true story about us. That is the most logical thing to do, but keeping him on board with us as we go into the battle would seem the--"
"Stupidest idea in the world?" said Freyan.
"Exactly!"
"Freyan, its what we do best, baby," L said with an infectious laugh that spread around the room.
44
Holger sat back in his chair, watching his destination grow larger and larger by the second. The milky blue marble reminded him of the ones he used to play with as a child. He swirled the drink in his glass before taking a sip, leaning back in his chair.
"Sir, we are approaching Tanera Mor. We shall be landing shortly," said a voice through his holocom.
"Good," Holger said with a sigh.
His father always said that whenever a ship was about to land on a new planet, the captain or lord of said ship should always be present on the bridge. But why should he? He detested everyone on this damn ship! Let their small minds think of him as they wanted; they didn't have the visions of greatness that he had. They couldn't see what he saw.
Holger tapped his feet, as the planet grew larger in size. He picked bits of fluff off his shirt before getting up and pouring himself another drink. Knocking it back in one, he poured himself yet another and returned to his seat. His feet still tapped against the floor of the room as he watched the planet appear before him in all its glory.
"Sir, landing shall be in mere moments."
"Stop telling me useless information! I have eyes, I can see for myself."
Tanera Mor!
Snow-capped mountains gave way to a harsh terrain of razor-sharp rocks. Trees bent double as the wind and rain battered them from side to side. The dense unkempt nature of the undergrowth made it impossible to see the ground from above.
Tanera Mor!
The raging seas lashed against the cliffs that tried to keep the water-dwelling monsters at bay. There was only one weather condition on the planet: stormy. It was all Holger had known since being placed there. The harshness of the stormy weather never ceased.
If the sea monsters didn't get you, then the blizzard cats and mountain bears would. The bears were his own genetic creation, framed after a toy he once had of the same origin. A bear was truly a monster to behold. It was the only thing that was truly his own on the planet.
By the gods, how he hated this place.
While other Council family members owned or were given planets with idyllic sun-kissed beaches, his father had given him somewhere that no peasant would take if you forced him. The place sucked the soul from the bottom of your feet. It summed up his father to the core: cold, desolate and murderous.
The ship landed near the only dwelling on the whole planet, and Holger made his way outside. As the water started to seep through his clothing, a servant ran up and tried to shield him from the downpour. Holger pushed him away, allowing the chill and the wet to stoke the flame in the pit of his stomach.
He lifted his face to the sky and closed his eyes, passing his hand through his hair. "Have you heard from Julius?"
"No, my lord. The last message we received was that Phoenix Jones had landed and plans were proceeding smoothly."
Holger lowered his head and nodded twice, a smile playing on his lips. "Bring the girls to my chamber. I do not wish to be disturbed," Holger said, walking away.
The PH1 approached Tanera Mor with a silent bridge. Everyone was either seated or standing as the planet grew larger on the screen.
"Bro, I'm confused. I'm not picking up any ships whatsoever on the sensors. Shouldn't this place be guarded to the hilt?" Kai asked.
Phoenix said nothing as he tapped his fingers against his armrest.
"It must be a trap," Plowstow said. "How can it not be? I mean... I mean... Shit! This just doesn't feel right, you know?"
Phoenix laced his hands under his chin and looked at the planet in front of him. It was beautiful, a dark blue jewel set against a black canvas. "I would double-check those sensors of yours, but I don't think you'll find anything of much importance, Kai."
"Why you so sure?" Plowstow asked.
"Because there's been a method to my madness since this war began. In attacking as many of Holger's bases as we could, we made him spread his forces thinly, thinking we wouldn't actually find his location or attack his home. Apart from Fren's father, when was the last time a Council member was attacked by someone who wasn't a powerful family?"
"It doesn't happen often," Saoirse said with a shrug.
"Exactly. If Holger thought we were a powerful family, then the security around him would be tight. But as it's only us, he has sent his men to protect his other assets, thinking that's where we shall hit. It was, but now things have changed. His arrogance will be his downfall," Phoenix said, smacking fist against his open palm.
"I just hope that you are right," Freyan said, walking off the bridge.
Phoenix watched him go, biting back the reply that half formed on his lips. Turning his attention back to the planet, he gave it a smile. His goal was nearly in sight.
"Saoirse, let's go hunting."
45
Phoenix got his first glimpse of the planet's surface as the PH1 descended through the atmosphere. It wa
s breathtaking in its beauty. The harsh lands before him reminded him of the Scottish wilds. Wind and rain lashed outside from the raging thunderstorm. Phoenix leaned out of his chair.
"Do you think we should land after this storm has passed?" Phoenix asked.
"The storm is the climate of the planet. Dry or sunny days are few and far between" said Saoirse.
Just like Scotland, then. Phoenix smiled.
"Well, if the storm won't pass for us, we shall have to overcome it--" Phoenix was lifted off his feet and he crashed into the back of Saoirse's chair as the ship rocked hard left. White spots danced in front of his eyes, and he gripped the back of the chair to lift himself up. He could feel something dribbling down his forehead; when he swiped at it with one hand, it came back red.
"We are taking fire! Multiple missiles are being fired from the planet's surface," said Kai.
The ship rocked again, forcing Phoenix to grip the back of Saoirse's chair with his right hand till the metal bent out of shape.
"Saoirse! Take evasive action! Get us the hell away from those missiles," Phoenix said, stumbling back to his chair.
The PH1 dipped and weaved as it tried to shake off the oncoming missiles. Phoenix was thrown from side to side as Saoirse did her best to get away.
"I thought you said Holger wouldn't be expecting us?" said Plowstow.
"Well, obviously I was wrong."
"Some easy mission this is turning out to be--missiles up our ass and the enemy knows we're here. Great planning, Captain!"
"Plowstow, what the fuck do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? Well, I'm sorry, we all make mistakes. Next time you make one I'll be sure to highlight it in all its glory, if you want."
The ship took another hit that rattled its bolts.
"Saoirse, why aren't we shaking these missiles?" Phoenix asked.
"The ship isn't responding like it should... It's... The control isn't there."
"Shields are fifty percent," said Kai.
"Fifty?" asked Phoenix.
"We still haven't recovered from the last battle--repairs haven't been made. Shields at forty!" said Kai.
"Saoirse, what do you mean, the ship isn't responding?"
Saoirse looked back at Phoenix and give him a helpless shrug before turning back to the controls. Shit. The plan he had made was crumbling around him. If he hadn't chased head first into this mess things could have been planned differently.
Holger couldn't possibly know that Phoenix was coming for him, which meant the missiles were a line of defence that fired upon unrecognised targets. Talk about rolling out the welcome mat.
Phoenix stabbed the holocom that put him in touch with the engine bay. "L, Saoirse can't control the ship. Something isn't right. What's going on?"
The response crackled through the speakers, as the ship continued to take a pounding. "It appears that the planet's electrical atmosphere is playing havoc with the ship's electronics. Holger's fleet must have the specs to deal with the issue."
"Can you fix the problem?" Phoenix asked.
"Not--" The response was cut short as the ship did a three-sixty spin. The lights flickered out briefly before coming back on again.
"L! I didn't catch that."
"I can't fix this problem without landing!"
Phoenix slapped his hand against his chair and looked at the image the viewing screen presented. There was no way clear for them to land. The ocean was out of the question; hundred-foot waves crashed against rocks. The densely packed trees would make landing without causing damage to the ship almost impossible.
"Saoirse, I know it won't be easy, but do your best to land this thing," said Phoenix.
Saoirse didn't respond; every ounce of her concentration was spent trying to fly a ship that only half worked. Two missiles streaked towards them, taking a flanking position on either side of the ship. Saoirse did her best to duck and weave, but the missiles were not easily fooled.
"Don't we have any defences?" Phoenix asked.
"The weapons system won't respond! Nothing is working! Don't you think I would have done something by now?" said Plowstow.
Phoenix looked towards the viewing screen, watching the missiles close the distance behind them, inch by inch. There was nothing he could do but hold on to the armrest of his chair and grit his teeth.
Mountain peaks appeared up ahead, and Saoirse headed straight for them.
"Saoirse, shouldn't we be trying to avoid the big wall of death?" asked Plowstow.
"Not if you're going to do something like this!" Saoirse said, forcing the ship to a bone-jarring halt. The two missiles flew past them and exploded into the mountain range beyond. She turned and gave Phoenix a feline smile.
Saoirse swung the ship around and headed for a clearing some way ahead.
Phoenix got up and stood behind her. "That was some fine work," he said, patting her on the shoulder.
"Phoenix!" L's voice echoed over the holocom. "We are going to go down, the power isn't working. I'm sorry I can't--"
"L, what are you talking about? Everything is fine."
Phoenix knew he should have waited before he made that statement, as all the ship's lights went out. It felt like his stomach had been hooked and was being pulled up through his mouth as the ship began to drop out of the air like a stone.
46
"I didn't sign up for this shit!" Plowstow yelled as the ship descended.
The ship had gone dark. Phoenix couldn't see his own hands in front of his face. He felt himself lifted in the air and slammed against the ceiling before his body crashed back down as the ship lost all control. His legs splayed out behind him, and he gripped hold of anything that he could to try and hold himself down.
"Saoirse! Can you do anything?" asked Phoenix.
"Like what?" called a voice in the darkness.
"I don't know, anything that doesn't involve spinning out of control."
"The controls are dead! I'll try my best to do what I can while we're free-falling."
Phoenix felt something slam into his body, knocking the wind out of him. He almost lost his grip. Activating his night vision, he saw the scene around him more clearly but he wished he couldn't. Items from the bridge flew back and forth, denting the walls and cracking screens. It looked like the inside of a tornado, and a tin can zoomed past Phoenix's face. Both Kai and Plowstow's heads lolled back and forth, like puppets with their strings cut.
"Kai! Plowstow!" Phoenix yelled, but he didn't get a reply as they both flopped like dead fish in their chairs.
Shit!
If he didn't buckle them both in they would end up hurting themselves more than they already had. Phoenix spun around to face them both. He needed to time this so he got it right. With the amount of debris flying around, one wrong move and he would do more harm than good. As he rocked himself backwards and forward, to gain momentum, he counted under his breath.
One.
He took a deep breath and eyed his target.
Two.
He flexed the muscles in his forearms as he rocked himself faster and faster.
Three!
He pushed off with all his might and flew through the air till he collided with the back of Kai's chair, straining under the force of the ship's whipping around; Phoenix gritted his teeth and leaned over Kai, buckling him into his chair.
"Saoirse, you still awake? How we doing?" asked Phoenix.
"The same as before. I'm using the viewing screen to give me some guidance. I've righted the ship, all I need to do now is to try and land her."
"Well, hurry up, you're taking your sweet time about it."
Even without the night vision Phoenix could read Saoirse's expression a mile off. It felt like the calm before the storm.
"If you think you can do any--"
"It was a joke, just a joke," Phoenix said, cutting her off. He looked towards Plowstow and knew he would have to make his way over to him. All he was doing was wasting time. Taking a deep breath, he threw himself across to the Orcian
and cussed when he saw that Plowstow was already buckled in. His frustration was so focused on Plowstow that he didn't have time to dodge the piece of metal that slapped him in the face.
Legs cartwheeling, Phoenix found himself once again slammed against the ceiling. As the wind was knocked from his lungs, he dropped like a stone on top of Saoirse.
"Will you get off me!" she yelled, trying to push Phoenix away.
"It's not like this is my fault! Stop pushing!"
"I can't reach the controls!"
Phoenix's head was positioned so he caught glimpses of the viewing screen. What he saw didn't bode well for them. Trees flashed below them at an alarming rate. The thing that concerned him the most was that they appeared to be growing in size.
"Saoirse, brace for impact!" Phoenix said, wrapping his arms around her.
The sound of the ship crashing against the trees sounded like bombs going off as each tree was either uprooted or snapped in half. Metal against wood created a symphony that beat against the eardrums, demanding to be heard.
Phoenix gritted his teeth. Every bone felt like it was being shaken out of his body. As the edges of his vision started to fade to black, he held on as long as he could, fighting it off. But it was no use. Darkness came like a silent kiss in the night and robbed him of his senses.
47
Phoenix woke to something wet slapping him in the face. He opened his eyes as he got a face full of water that made its way into his nostrils. He sat up, choking, slapping himself on the chest and snorting as water gushed out of his sinuses.
"L! Not so much! Your nursing skills are abysmal. You would be fired if you ever worked for my hospital," Freyan said somewhere in the distance.
"You had a hospital?"
"Yes, and a state-of-the-art lab, along with all the Council-funded credits I needed. Although I didn't need any. After all, many of my inventions made me rich beyond measure."
Phoenix continued to cough and hack as he cleared the last of the water in his system from his lungs. Looking up, he found himself blasted with another bucketful of water.
Revenge: (Space Outlaw 3) Page 16