by Cheree Alsop
“Thanks,” he said. His voice sounded muted inside the close-fitting helmet. “I’m more at home on the Kratos. I don’t know why Captain Devren insists on bringing me along on these things.”
“Because you’re the only one who knows anything about the orb,” Devren pointed out over their headsets. “What is that?”
Everyone pressed to the front of the ship. Liora’s hand touched the window. Whatever had shaken the ship held them tight. Huge, triangular suction cups stuck to the glass. They were being pulled forward despite Devren’s attempts to free them.
“Uh, Dev,” Tariq said. He pointed.
A huge, gaping maw opened in the dark depths. Other tentacles wrapped around the ship. A tongue wriggled in the beak-like mouth that could easily swallow a ship much larger than the Gull.
The ship’s lights flashed. The creature let out a bellow that was more sound vibration than sound itself. The sides of the ship reverberated.
Something impacted the side of the ship so hard it knocked one of the tentacles free.
“Obruo!” Tariq shouted.
The rear camera showed the Damaclan ship appear out of the darkness. Other missiles sped through the water toward the Gull.
“Captain,” Hyrin said, his voice tight.
“I know,” Devren replied. He moved the thrusters to shake the ship from side to side, trying to rock it free.
“I have an idea,” Liora said. “Give me the orb.”
“No good idea starts like that,” Tariq pointed out.
Liora glared at him. “We can’t fire our missiles. Between Obruo and this beast, we’re as good as dead.” She pointed at the water outside the window. “If Obruo doesn’t kill us, that creature is going to.” She looked at Hyrin. “The orb will react to contact with liquid, right?”
“In theory,” Hyrin replied.
Liora refrained from pointing out that it wasn’t the most helpful answer.
“If I can get the beast to let us go and we disable Obruo’s ship, we can release the orb and escape Gliese while leaving Obruo to his fate,” she replied.
“And how to you plan to get the beast to let go?” Tariq asked.
Liora pointed to the orb. “I’ll feed it that.”
Tariq shook his head. “You’re insane.”
She shrugged. “Your job is to disable Obruo’s ship, so perhaps you’re the insane one.”
He gave her an incredulous look. “Why did I even come on this obviously doomed mission?”
“Your insatiable thirst for adventure?” she replied, holding out a welding torch from the ship’s tool closet. She took another for herself and hooked it behind her belt.
“How do you know me so well?” Tariq replied dryly, though there was a hint of worry in his amused gaze. “What’s this for?”
“Propulsion,” she replied.
“Of course.”
She looked at Hyrin. “Quick answer needed, where can Tariq do the most damage to Obruo’s ship in the least amount of time?”
“An Iridium Osprey like the one Obruo is flying has only two weaknesses; its finicky heat sensors and the external exhaust system. The flaps have a tendency to close, which overheats the engine and causes an imbalance in the internal engine temperature. That slows the engine and taxes the motors. They’ll shut down to avoid locking up. If you can get the flaps to stay closed, Obruo will lose power quickly.” Hyrin looked pleased with himself.
“That was the quick answer,” Devren said from the pilot seat. “Better go before he tells you the long one.”
“It’ll be that easy, huh?” Tariq replied with a hint of sarcasm.
Hyrin nodded. “Easy for you.” He handed Tariq a roll of repair tape.
“What does that mean?” Tariq asked.
Hyrin shrugged. “I would probably mess it up, but you’re cool under pressure.” The Talastan’s sideways eyelids blinked quickly. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” Tariq replied.
His sarcasm was completely lost on Hyrin. The Talastan merely nodded and took the seat next to Devren.
Tariq glanced at Liora. “And good luck feeding that beast. Just make sure it doesn’t get greedy and eat you as well.”
“I’m not worried about that,” Liora replied. But a glance outside the closest window showed them drawing closer to the gaping mouth. “Let’s get this over with,” she said.
Chapter 19
“It’s going to flood when we open the door,” Hyrin announced. “Everyone check your oxygen levels. The door opens in five, four, three….”
When he pushed the button, the door slid open and thick water rushed inside with such force that it shoved them against the far wall. Tariq grabbed Liora’s hand and pulled her forward. The sight of the dark water with apparently limitless depths below them was unnerving. Liora gripped the orb box tightly. If she lost it, they would all be doomed.
Tariq turned on his blowtorch. When he squeezed the handle, the small flame’s force pushed him toward Obruo’s ship.
“Be careful,” Liora said over her headset. “Hide your torch if you can. If he sees it, it’ll make you a target.”
“Got it,” Tariq replied, his voice tight. “You be careful, too.”
“I will,” Liora promised.
She checked that her torch was secure and inched her way around the ship. The sight of the gigantic creature looming out of the depths with nothing between her and its sweeping tentacles sent chills through Liora. The tentacle wrapped around the ship was thicker than she was tall, and if it succeeded in pulling the Gull to its beak mouth, it wouldn’t even have to swallow for the ship to be lost inside.
Liora steeled her nerves and pushed away from the ship. The water felt thicker than anything she had ever swam in before. It took a huge effort to control her movements and keep herself upright. She struggled to detach the torch from her belt, but when she had it gripped firmly in one hand and the orb box tucked tightly beneath her other arm, she squeezed the handle.
The torch flared and propelled her forward.
“Liora, look out,” Devren called over his headset from the Gull.
Liora glanced toward Obruo’s ship. A missile flew straight in her direction. She squeezed the torch handle harder and shot through the water. The missile sped past barely millimeters from clipping her.
“Too close,” Devren said. “He saw your torch.”
“What about Tariq?” Liora asked.
She didn’t have time to look over her shoulder and check on the human. Her ears popped painfully with the pressure of the water.
“Obruo doesn’t seem to have noticed me yet,” Tariq replied. “I’m hoping to keep it that way.”
“He’s sending more missiles at the Gull,” Devren told them. “I’m going to angle the ship sideways in the hopes that I can get one of the missiles to clip the tentacles.”
“Good luck,” Liora told him.
The open mouth loomed in front of her. Its beak was wide in anticipation of the meal it pulled slowly toward it. Another missile sped past barely an arm’s length from Liora. It slammed into the side of the creature’s huge face. The creature blinked one large reflective eye, but didn’t show any other outward appearance of being struck.
They had only one hope of getting free from both the creature and Obruo. Liora was nearly to the mouth. She tried to hook the torch back behind her belt, but it slipped from her hand. She made a grab for it, but it fell between her fingers. It vanished into the darkness below her feet, and with it, her only chance of escaping the orb after she opened it to the water.
“Vents are closed,” Tariq announced. “The doors are opening. I think Obruo knows what I’ve done.” He paused, then said, “Damaclans with Grebes. This’ll be fun.”
“Get out of there,” Devren commanded.
“I’m trying,” Tariq replied.
“The Gull’s thrusters are failing,” Hyrin said. “If we don’t get out of here now, we’re not going anywhere ever again.”
“Liora?”
Time slowed. Liora could hear the chaos inside the Gull as another missile hit it. Tariq shouted something. Shots were fired. Liora couldn’t help any of them. Her eyes were locked on the creature that kept the Gull from leaving. Its reflective eyes closed, then opened wider than before. Its tentacles stopped moving.
“It let us go,” Devren called out. “Get back here!”
The creature’s head seemed to shrink. Liora wondered if she was seeing things. She closed her eyes and opened them again to see the beak being sucked inward as though something was trying to turn the colossal beast’s head inside out. Its eyes disappeared and its head followed. Its tentacles writhed and were sucked in as well.
Liora felt herself pulled forward toward the black hole in the water. Panic filled her. She tried to swim free, but the force was too strong and the water too thick.
“Liora!” Devren yelled.
“Get out of here,” she replied. “You can’t risk the Gull.”
“You’re worth more than a Gull,” Tariq said.
His hand slipped beneath her arms and she was jerked backwards. A glance showed that Tariq held onto one of the Grebes from Obruo’s ship. He angled them toward the Gull. Hyrin stood at the open door waving them inside.
“Obruo,” Liora began.
“He’s having engine problems,” Tariq replied.
She caught his smile.
“Good job.”
Tariq was about to reply when his gaze moved past her and his eyes widened. She looked back to where the creature had been. In its place, a black hole loomed bigger and bigger. It pulled water and ice floes inside. The gently glowing structures vanished as soon as they reached the void.
Tariq waited until the last minute to let go of the Grebe. He and Liora sped inside the Gull, bowling Hyrin over.
“Get us out of here!” Tariq shouted.
Liora reached the door panel. Her last glimpse as the door slid shut was of Obruo’s ship getting sucked toward the black hole. The Damaclan’s gaze locked on hers through the window. She was sure whatever he shouted wasn’t pleasant. Her only regret was that it would be the last thing the other Damaclans heard before they died.
The door shut completely and the Gull surged forward. The venting system cleared the water from the hatch, leaving Tariq, Liora, and Hyrin tangled on the floor as the Gull shot into the atmosphere.
Tariq began to laugh; Hyrin joined him. Relief filled Liora and soon she was laughing so hard she had to pull off her shield to keep from passing out.
“That really was an adventure,” Tariq said, gasping for air.
“I’m just glad the tape worked,” Hyrin told him. “I’ve never tried it under water.”
Liora and Tariq stared at him. Tariq started laughing again.
“So will the orb destroy the planet?” Devren asked.
“I hope not,” Hyrin replied. He pushed to his feet.
The others followed him to the window. Through the cloudy haze below, they could see the black hole deep in the water. Obruo’s ship hesitated on the edge.
“Come on,” Tariq muttered.
Liora’s hands gripped the bar beneath the window. She stared intently at the ship, willing it to disappear into the black void so she would never have to worry about Obruo lurking in the shadows of her life again.
“It’s close,” Devren said from the pilot seat.
“Not close enough,” Tariq replied.
“It’s shrinking.”
Liora’s words quieted everyone. Instead of the hole growing and enveloping the ship, it was retracting slowly in the water.
“No,” Tariq growled.
His hand gripped Liora’s shoulder as he peered out the window. The hole shrunk in front of their eyes until it was half the size it had been, then a quarter.
“I can barely see it,” Hyrin said.
A moment later, it disappeared from view. Obruo’s ship hung motionless in the water. Liora willed it to vanish like the orb had, but it stubbornly refused.
Devren steered the Gull through the cloudy atmosphere. Hyrin took the seat next to him. Liora slid down to sit on the floor, exhausted by her struggle in the water. Tariq joined her. A sound of surprise escaped her when Tariq rested his head on her shoulder.
He chuckled. “I figure I deserve a break after going through with your suicidal plan.”
Liora fought back a smile. “I suppose you do.”
She hesitated, then rested her head against his.
He made a little approving grunt.
“I could get used to this,” he said.
A smile spread across her face.
“The Kratos is gone.”
Everyone sat up at Devren’s statement. A glance out the window showed empty space before them. Devren pushed the communicator.
“Officer Straham, we’re ready for pickup.”
Silence met the captain’s words.
Hyrin tried again. “Gull to Kratos, please respond.”
There was no reply.
“What’s that?”
Liora followed Hyrin’s gaze to a piece of metal that flashed in the ship’s navigation lights.
Devren steered their craft closer. The metal rotated slowly. Liora’s heart slowed when it turned to show them half of a crest on the side. It was part of the Damaclan’s ship. The only way the piece would be floating free was if the side of the ship had been torn into.
“We’re in trouble,” Hyrin breathed.
“Let’s keep our heads,” Devren told him. “Chart us a course to Verdan.”
“Why Verdan?” Hyrin asked in surprise.
“We have a tendency to find our crew members there. If the Kratos is in trouble and Officer Straham was forced to run, I’m hoping he’ll think of it. I know Shathryn and O’Tule will.”
“Good call,” Tariq said. “Will the life support sustain us long enough to get there?”
“Not a chance,” Hyrin replied.
“Maybe we can make it to the transporter and radio from there,” Liora suggested.
Hyrin ran some calculations. “I put us about two clicks short.”
“Are there any class F or above planets between here and there?” Devren asked.
“Not that I can pick up on this system,” Hyrin replied. “The Gull is a space to ground craft. It’s not equipped for this.”
“How long do you think we have before Obruo catches up?” Tariq asked him.
A smile crossed Hyrin’s face. “That’s the beauty of messing with the ventilation system. If he gets them untaped, which I’m sure he has, the exhaust that should have been blowing out of the vents from the engine is not, and so water will flood in, swamping the engine. He’ll be forced to shut down the entire thing, drain the engine, and then start it up again. It’ll be a while.”
“But when he gets here…,” Devren said.
“We’ll be target practice,” Liora finished.
Devren sat back in his chair. “Send out the distress beacon.”
“Any ship within the same system could pick it up,” Hyrin contended. “We might get stuck between a Coalition ship and Obruo. That’s one place I don’t want to be.”
“We don’t have any way of knowing what happened to the Kratos,” Devren countered. “As it is, our only option is to wait for Obruo to come out of Gliese even angrier than he was when he went in with the intent to kill us. Personally, I don’t want to be here when he surfaces.”
“Good point,” Hyrin replied. He punched in a distress code, then hit the button. The monitor flashed as the code was s
ent to anyone within range.
“Now we wait,” Liora commented.
“Wishing you had stayed on the Kratos instead of joining this little mission?” Tariq asked. “Or is it your insatiable thirst for adventure?”
Liora shook her head. “I just like to see what happens next.”
“What happens next is we wait,” Hyrin replied. “We wait and we hope someone answers our distress call who isn’t Obruo armed and ready to blow us into little bits.”
“I like that you’re an optimist,” Devren told him.
Hyrin crossed his arms and sat back in his seat, his gaze on the monitor. “I’m a realist, Captain.” A beep sounded. “But I’m not a realistic ready to die. That’s an answer beacon!”
“So soon?” Liora said in surprise.
“Someone must have been working out here,” Hyrin replied excitedly.
“Or looking for us,” Tariq reminded them.
“Either way, we’ve caught their attention. Let’s just hope we haven’t traded one set of missiles for another,” Devren said.
Chapter 20
The appearance of the Golden Condor was one nobody expected. The biggest make of ship besides the Atlas Albatross, Golden Condors were generally owned by many businesses working in similar fields. They went from system to system either mining, manufacturing, or selling goods in the form of an entire shopping complex. The fact that one would answer the distress call of a single ground ship shocked the crew on the Gull.
“Is this a good idea?” Hyrin asked. He stared up at the ship that loomed far above them.
“It might be the best case scenario,” Devren replied. “Generally merchant ships don’t care about the Coalition, mercenaries, or death contracts no matter how high the reward.”
“I hope you’re right,” Hyrin replied.
Devren steered them carefully through the docking bay that looked as though it could comfortably fit fifty ships the size of the Kratos at the same time instead of one puny Gull. Cargo carriers and older mining units took up half of the floor space inside the cargo hold. As soon as they were clear, the hatch slid shut. Devren carefully landed the Gull away from the other crafts.