Slammed hard into his seat, Steo searched frantically for the internal grav sensitivity controls.
CHAPTER 13
The Vadyanika
The guards swayed left, then right. This alarmed most people, since few things could move a ship or could do so without the internal gravity adjusting. Ships could spin 360 degrees and normally no one would notice.
The gravity stabilized. The guards were not easily alarmed. Clad in red armor, with a long, black shield on one arm and an iron rod in their other hand, they steadied themselves and remained prepared. Common people feared guns, but experienced soldiers knew to fear the shields and rods.
Modern guns accelerated tiny beads so fast they could penetrate steel, but advances in superdense materials could stop projectiles. These shields were made of such material. Lighten-burden discs inside them reduced their weight without affecting their hardness. In addition, these tension shields projected thin fields that reduced the mass of anything entering the field. Bullets bounced harmlessly off tension shields.
The rods the guards carried were called crashbars. Since most lightening fields were thin, a large object wasn’t much affected by them. Crashbars were made of superdense material like tension shields. Each crashbar was much heavier than a man. When swung, complex interactions occurred within the LBDs inside it. The end gained weight. The resulting leverage could shatter a man’s skeleton with a light swing. A trained soldier with a tension shield and crashbar could shrug off a hail of bullets and break down a steel door. In close quarters – like inside a starship – these soldiers were death-dealers.
Several men rounded the corner and walked nervously toward the guards and the hatch they stood on either side of. They wore plain suits and bore no weapons. They stopped short of the guards and straightened their jackets.
One of the guards spoke. “The Fire Scorpion is docked.”
“We wondered what caused the jarring,” one fretted.
“Speak when spoken to,” ordered the other guard.
The men in suits went silent and looked at each other. They heard clicks of machinery and the hiss of atmospheric containment from behind the door. A light flashed amber above the door. It slid open and figures advanced through it. Pesht, bridge executive officer of the Fire Scorpion, led the way.
They hid their distaste for the hexapod’s appearance. What made the men reel back was a stench like powerful sweat. It assailed their senses. The guards remained stoic.
The short alien wore a uniform with epaulets indicating high rank. He had several weapons on his belt. The three men he led were obviously space crew. Unshaven and rough, they looked like men who had been in space for a long time and spent all their credits when they went planetside.
The kalam tilted his head and spoke, his voice a gurgle to those unused to it. “The doctor chose not to greet me himself? If he wasn’t necessary, I would whip him with an agony lash for this.”
One of the men gagged and wretched at the odor.
“I’m Bridge XO Pesht of the Fire Scorpion. I’m here to check on our merchandise,” said the kalam forcefully.
“Yes sir. Please follow us,” said one of the men.
The armored guards stayed at the airlock.
The science vessel Vadyanika wasn’t a large ship, so soon they were in a chamber with blinking lights and panels with diagrams. Around the walls stood tall silver boxes with cables leading to them. In the center, a box lay on its side, with even more cables attached to it. A sappy substance oozed around the joints where the cables met the boxes.
“Mr. Pesht, here we are.” The man who brought Pesht to the room was nervous. “The product isn’t ready yet of course. We still have time. The experiments are being validated, naturally, but we haven’t passed the deadline yet.”
Pesht circled the room, looking at the panels and nodding. “Is the doctor coming?”
“He was verifying early results of the Bonding experiment. He should be here in a minute.”
The men waited uncomfortably for longer than a minute. As each minute passed, their desire to run and get the doctor grew. One man was getting woozy from the powerful reek accumulating in the room. The crew of the Fire Scorpion were used to the stench of a kalam.
Kalams are natural climbers. Pesht used his six limbs to climb on the equipment and look around.
The door opened and an older, dark-skinned man stepped in. He was bald except for a white fringe of hair and wore a skin-tight, one-piece gray garment.
“You! Get down. Don’t touch that,” the man commanded Pesht.
Pesht’s mouth fluttered in fury and he slurped, “Doctor, I may only represent your client the Admiral and captain his ship, but if you speak to me in that manner again, I will see you suffer!” Pesht climbed down, though.
“You do yourself too much credit, scurj. You don’t have that kind of influence.” The doctor checked a few graphs. His ran his fingers over the charts with careful caresses.
Flabbergasted, Pesht said, “In front of my men, you dare? You think I can let that slip?” He walked closer to the doctor and looked up at him.
“Wherever and whatever I please.” The doctor looked down his nose at the alien.
Pesht tilted his head in a gesture the doctor couldn’t read. In a calmer voice he said, “Final payment. I look forward to your final payment, doctor.”
“As do I, scurj. This is my life’s work.” He rested his hands on the silver box in the center of the room. “Your superweapon will do more than you can imagine. My superweapon,” he whispered.
The men in suits were assistants, lesser scientists. They remained silent during the exchange, not daring to attract the attention of either the doctor or the mercenary alien.
“I’m not an idiot. I can read the charts. Is everything on time? Will the experiments work together?” Pesht said.
“My engineering is unmatched. The product is superlative. I dream of the many uses it can be put to, and what can be gained by it. Yes, my thoughts are filled with its potential, while I am awake and asleep,” Dr. Spierk said.
“What about the Bonding experiment? Will it work?” Pesht asked.
“It will produce some results, though how much is yet to be determined. I may have to precondition it. You needn’t worry. Go back to your ship. Stink up the Fire Scorpion. Beat your crew. But deliver the truth to your master: Doctor Spierk will deliver ultimate force.”
CHAPTER 14
Tully
After a couple orbits of Nibs, Steo was more comfortable. He’d stopped sweating at least. He was still excited, but the number of settings for the starship was beyond his expectations.
A plastic heads-up display had slid down over his eyes and he couldn’t get it to retract. The interior humidity was set low to keep the components safe while in atmosphere, but in space it was unnecessary. It made his lips dry and he couldn’t find a way to change it. There was a beep beep beep coming from somewhere in the bridge that he couldn’t find.
He would work it out later. For now he had an idea of the complexity and power of the Eye of Orion. He directed the ship back to Nuzdak city. There were navigational beacons indicating safe approach corridors, so he locked the ship onto one of them. It would automatically take him to the spaceport. A little while later, he docked to the massive building’s side.
When he left the ship, he couldn’t resist turning back and seeing the sun flare off the reflective green and gold hull. He couldn’t resist smiling, either. It was a little nerve-wracking to leave it there, but no one could steal it without his biometric signature. Not only would he never have to fear being chased again, but he could go wherever he wanted. The Eye of Orion was unlimited freedom.
Ironically, he had a lead on a war criminal with bounties high enough to buy several corvettes, but couldn’t catch Dr. Spierk without a ship of his own.
As Steo headed back to the hotel, he felt his lee wiggle in his pocket. He dodged into a coffee shop and entered a booth. The panels of the booth darkened. H
e held out his lee; a thin face materialized.
Steo smiled. “Tully! Where are you?” An old friend was a welcome sight.
“Here on NBS 2. I came when you messaged me. Am I late? Do I have to talk that stupid lingo with you?”
“We’re safe, you can speak freely. You’re right on time. I’ve got something to show you. Something sleek and quick.”
“Who did you steal her from?” Tully asked.
“She’s mine, Tully. Do you want to be T-mek for me?”
Crewmembers on starships often gave each other nicknames. “Mek” was short for mechanical engineer so Tully would be called T-mek.
“I have five children and two wives and your credits are as good as the next man’s.”
“That’s not a ringing endorsement,” Steo said.
Tully was a serious man. “I don’t know how you’ll be as a captain, Steo. Facts out. But I trust you like I don’t trust many men, and I know where your heart’s at. So if you got a paying job and you need a mek, count me in! You deserve a good mek.”
Steo beamed. When he was excited about something, he could be infectious. “Get your stuff. Meet me at the New Caithness Wick. I’ll tell you more and we’ll go see her.”
A little while later they met at the hotel. They greeted each other with a hug, then went into the restaurant and sat in a corner, away from other guests.
Tully was a tall, lanky man with light brown hair and a goatee. He was older than Steo, middle-aged by look, but people who grew up on a world with light gravity often lived longer and looked younger. Tully was a classic lightworlder, he ate like a bird.
Looking around, Tully said, “Nice hotel. You must be taking paying jobs now. Or robbing the right people.”
“The first of the two. I should probably update you on my last job, so you know.” Steo explained what happened with the near-war between the Petid Republic and the Loytz. He kept it short, trying not to diverge onto subjects where he might be inclined to rant.
“Sounds like you.” Tully reassured the younger man, “You did good out there. Everything will work out.”
They chatted a while more and caught up. Tully couldn’t handle settling down like he thought he could. The big family was less fun and more work than he thought it would be. The call to race through the stars still found him in his dreams.
During the small-talk, Tully never brought up pay. They both knew the standard rate for a high-quality starship engineer.
Tully asked, “What other crew do you have?”
“I’m going to meet a pilot tomorrow, and another old friend is flying in to help with navigation. Plus I have robots. Governor and a science robot I named Hawking.”
“Sounds good. Well, are we going to see her?”
“If you’re ready, we can leave now. She’s docked at the starport.”
Tully nodded. They left the restaurant and Steo’s robots Hawking and Governor met them on the way. Tully had his bags delivered to the starport.
In the elevator of the mile-high building, Tully said, “New ship, new crew. Do you have a mission, too?”
Steo said, “Oh yeah. It’s big. I’ll tell you more when we get everyone together.”
As they stepped off the elevator, Tully locked his eyes on the Eye of Orion outside. A new starship wasn’t something you saw every day. Steo could tell Tully appreciated it and anticipated what it could do.
Once inside, Tully didn’t speak as Steo showed him around the bridge, holobridge, crew cabins, kitchen, dining room, storage and other spaces. Eventually Tully practically demanded to see the engine room.
Steo excitedly talked and pointed at everything as they went down several decks and aft. He knew every feature he’d ordered. The engine compartment door slid up to reveal a large, bright room with transparent walkways that crossed in the center. When they stepped on the walkways, hexes lit up under their feet. The walls of the engine room were covered with conduits and instruments.
Four long, massive objects filled the corners. The graviton engine was outside, a large half-tube connected horizontally to the aft of the ship. It collected and released graviton particles, and these four machines inside stored the energy. They were called e-cores, but they were essentially just complex batteries.
The tachyon subengine was located here too. Five control panels clustered around a parabola-shaped silvery bowl in the center of the room. Braces supported the bowl and thick wires connected to the outside of its rim. The bowl emanated a purple light. Steo looked over the lip.
“First time I’ve seen a tachyon subengine,” Steo said quietly. In the center of the bowl was a point of purple light. “It’s cold,” he said with a shiver.
“That’s the feeling of cold-space. The feeling you get when you’re outside a ship without protection, right before you black out and die,” Tully said.
There was no noise or vibration in the room even though both engines were operating. Cables were neatly arranged. Every surface was spotless.
“Blind me, Steo,” Tully said, looking around. “This is late tech. You said new but I thought … I haven’t seen anything this new.”
Steo stepped away from the tachyon subengine. He patted Tully on the shoulder as he passed. “I think you found your third wife.”
He left Tully to explore and study the engines. Steo had absolute faith in the man. Tully lived for new starship technology.
CHAPTER 15
Yuina
She left the energy club physically spent but emotionally charged. A night of freedancing was the best exercise, and she loved everything about it. Flying in sync with a beat was exhilarating. Sometimes all she wanted was to feel the bass shake her body. She had her pick of partners and learned thrilling new moves every night. Nothing made her feel as free. It was the only sense of belonging she’d ever known.
Her purple skin glistened with sweat and her hair was matted. She was a tirrian, a species that grew manes of two-toned hair from their head, neck, and shoulders. Hers was blonde ending in bright, neon blue tips. When she swirled, she got a blue corona around her head.
She walked back to her apartment, untroubled that she was running out of money and her roommates would then kick her out. The glow of the Eroteme? sign was already behind her several blocks but she smelled the sweet air and felt goosebumps as she turned down a darkened street.
Still in a happy daze, she walked home, not noticing that two dirty men followed her. She turned into another, even darker street. The men walked faster.
Ahead of her, the silhouette of a man blocked the alley.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, and pulled her purse close.
The two men behind her got closer, their hands in their pockets. One stopped and stayed back a bit. She turned to face the man approaching her, with a wide-eyed look. Her white tirrian eyes with tiny pupils made her look innocent.
“Nice lady, be nice,” said the one a few feet from her. “Keep quiet and calm and the only thing we’ll take are your credits.”
He stepped closer.
She dropped the purse and snapped her hand out, a pistol in it. She pressed the barrel of the gun to his forehead.
“This is my security blanket,” she said grimly. “It’s a FaceBurster 97x. The man at the store said if I push this button, it’ll release a bead of superdense quadranium at a muzzle velocity of 17 times the speed of sound. You’re in luck though. The atmosphere here is heavy. So maybe 15 times the speed of sound. I’m worried how much of your face will get splattered on my new shoes.” She kept the barrel firmly pressed against his forehead, her grip firm and confident, her expression dead serious.
The man with the gun to his head crossed his eyes to see it better. The other men laughed. They drew their guns.
“Lady, is that thing even real? Do you have any idea who you’re messing with? Even if you pull the trigger and waste me, my buddies will shoot you down.” He grinned and leaned on the gun barrel.
“Really? Do you feel that cold sensation? That’s an electroc
hemical bond made between your skin and the FaceBurster 97x. It’s called a deadman switch. If you pull away, the gun fires automatically. Or if I twitch, even a little, it fires. That’s why I let you get close. I may even use your body as a shield against your friends’ bullets.”
She looked past him at his friend. The man with the gun to his forehead started to sweat. He looked at her big white eyes with tiny pupils.
“I’m a tirrian. Our reflexes are much faster than an ordinary monkey like you. We’re much more evolved. I don’t have to do anything to kill you. Just jerk the gun, and you die. I think I can drop that one over there before he gets me. That leaves the one behind me. He better be practiced at making shots from 65 feet because few people are good at that range. And yes, it’s precisely 65 feet. I’m a killer at 65 feet.”
The man in front of her didn’t look calm anymore. His mind was running and it wasn’t coming up with options. The other two fidgeted.
“Come any closer and he dies. Drop your guns. Now!” she ordered loudly.
The man with her barrel between his eyes spewed profanity but didn’t move an inch. He worked out the situation in his mind. His buddies weren’t great shots. They didn’t need to be, to scare people. Murder wasn’t up their alley, either. Nibs law enforcement could be severe.
He reckoned a deadman switch on a gun was possible, though he’d never heard of it before. If he moved, or she moved, he died. He weighed the risks. Her cold expression was predatory.
He gave in. “Okay. You guys drop your guns.”
His friends wavered, then tossed their weapons to the ground.
She said, “You two. Run your flat monkey feet out of here! My arm is getting tired and I might slip.”
They took off.
“You. Lead idiot. Here’s what’s going to happen,” she said to the remaining man. “I’m going to disable the deadman’s switch. Then I’ll take a step back. If you do anything threatening, I’ll shoot you in the face. If not, you can run away. Fail to run quickly and I’ll shoot you in the leg.”
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